Eating For Health

When teaching nutrition, I always emphasize eating at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day.   One student asked me if they could eat just more of one or two vegetables.   Say they were having corn at dinner and instead of one half cup of corn, they ate 1 cup and that would be worth 2 vegetables.   Although this sounds mathematically fine, it is not really the best nutrition option.   Why?   Because fruits and vegetables not only offer different nutrients, their color also has nutritional benefits.   By eating fruits and vegetables with a variety of color, we increase the many antioxidants (beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene)   and healthy food components called “phytochemicals”.    Another student asked if Sunny D is as healthy as orange juice.    Sunny D contains vitamin C like orange juice but it is missing many other vitamins and minerals found in orange juice.   Also, it is orange juice that is naturally orange – not a...

Many of us will be hitting the road this summer.   Trips to the beach, trips to the mountains, trips to visit far off relatives.   Packing some snacks is a great idea, but what are some healthier choices?   Or if you didn’t bring or run low on snacks, what are some healthier snacks you can purchase on the road? Pack some healthy snacks for the road:   Fruit – apples, oranges, bananas,small boxes of raisins, dried fruits whole grain crackers like Triscuits,   Wheat Thins trail mix made with nuts and fruits granola bars (look for whole grain bars). Popcorn – buy some 100 calorie single servings, pop it and store in a baggie. Nuts – we pack a small can of lightly salted mixed nuts.   A handful makes a great snack. Celery sticks and some peanut butter (Jif to Go – makes peanut butter in to go cups Cereal – choose whole grain cereals, pack a baggie of Wheat Chex mixed with raisins, or some Cheerios Water – bring some bottled water and so...

Many food manufacturers acknowledge Americans focus on healthier food choices.   So they are coming up with a number of healthier food options.   What will be some of the trends you will see in your grocery store in the coming months? Whole grains -    we know that whole grains are the healthier grains.   But how many of us eat the ancient grains?   Two ancient grains appearing in restaurants and on store shelves are quinoa and amaranth .   You will be seeing more of these grains in veggie burgers, salads and soups.   Although manufacturers will promote the protein content of these grains, most Americans get plenty of protein.   These grains do provide fiber and many trace minerals which are lacking in white flour and non – whole grains food items.   Healthy spreads – you will see spreads promoted as “high-protein” spreads containing chia seeds , heart-healthy oils,   and nuts.   Breakfast – we should know th...

You are watching TV and an ad comes on for a probiotic product.   Or you see an ad for yogurt promoting the benefits of probiotics.   Do you need to ensure you get some probiotics every day?   Are there really health benefits to probiotics?   What are probiotics?    Probiotics are friendly bacteria that are promoted as having health benefits.   Probiotics can come in many forms, tablets and capsules and in foods like yogurt.   There are different types of bacteria in probiotics.   Two of the most common bacteria promoted are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium , but there are other strains as well.   Each strain can have different health benefits.   Some probiotic products contain only one strain of bacteria, while other products provide many strains.   The amount of bacteria also varies.   Some product offer 1 billion organisms in a daily dose while others offer 250 billion organisms in a daily dose.   Doe...