Eating For Health

Many people look for quick fixes when it comes to their diet.   Instead of some miracle diet or quick fix, if people just started some healthier eating habits their health would improve.   Most people think eating healthy is giving up things.   Can’t have cake, can’t have cookies.   But eating healthy is more about eating healthier foods.   This week the latest research shows that just adding a handful of nuts to your diet every day lowers your death risk by reducing cancer and heart disease. Dr. Oz has long recommended a handful of nuts a day for health.   Since 2003, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended a handful of nuts to lower your heart disease risk.   In my nutrition class, I always give a list of ways to eat healthier and one of them is eating a handful of nuts a day.   So what did Harvard researchers find out and what did they study? ( Association of Nut Consumption with Total and Cause-Specific Mortality ) ...

As the cold weather approaches a hot chocolate with marshmallows sounds tasty.   Are there any health benefits from drinking hot chocolate?   Apparently so.   Numerous articles have been written and research done on the health benefits of cocoa and hot chocolate.   So this winter when you are drinking your hot chocolate by the fire, think of these great health benefits:   Cocoa Boost Brain Power - The November 2013 issue of the Tufts University Nutrition Letter,   notes that drinking hot chocolate can boost brain power among the elderly ( Drinking Cocoa Boosts Cognition and Blood Flow in the Brain ).    A new study has shown that as little as 2 cups of cocoa a day can improve brain function by improving cognitive function and blood flow to the brain.   It seems the flavonoids in cocoa and in dark chocolate help the brain by improving blood vessel function and thus blood flow.   Harvard researchers gave 2 cups of hot chocolate to...

One nutrition topic in the news this week was trans fats.   T rans Fats In the news because the federal government is pressing towards banning all trans fats in our food supply. What are Trans Fats?   This fat is made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil which makes it a more solid fat.    But by making the fat more solid, they create a fat that is bad for our health.   Why Are Trans Fats Bad for Your Health? Trans fats are known as the “bad” fats.   Actually, the worst of the fats as they have been linked to heart disease, stroke and developing type 2 diabetes.   In an article by the Associated Press, ( No More Trans Fat:   FDA Banning the Artery Clogger ) they called them “heart clogging trans fats”.    Good description as these fats have been linked to heart disease because they not only aise your “bad” cholesterol (LDL –cholesterol), but also lower your good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol)   and thus increase your r...

Last week we discussed some diet tips from dietitians.   Here are 5 more tips from the nutrition experts. 6.   Eat more Fruits and Vegetables I always tell my students to eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day, minimum.   The World Health Organization recommends nine servings a day.   But 5 is a start for most people.   It is really hard for some people to get used to eating 2 fruits/vegetables at lunch or dinner.   I was just reviewing some lunch and dinner menus my students planned for a 4 year old.   Even though the meals were supposed to comply with MyPlate, very few students served the child 2 fruits and vegetables at lunch and dinner.   So get in the habit of having 2 fruits and vegetables at lunch and dinner. Fruits and vegetables are not only packed with vitamins and minerals, they also offer the antioxidants that have so many beneficial health effects.   Packing lunch – include 2 fruits/vegetables in lunches.   Pack carrot...