Eating For Health

How many times do you hear people say, “I am watching my carbs.”   Have you ever heard someone say, “I am watching the fat in my diet”?   Probably not.   So much focus on carbs but so little focus on fat in one’s diet.   Since February is heart health month, let’s look at what fats you should be “watching” in your diet.   We need fat in our diets but we also should cut back on saturated fats in our diets.   The Dietary Guidelines offer specific recommendations about saturated fat: Limit calories from saturated fat by consuming an eating pattern low in saturated fats.   Specifically, by consuming less than 10 percent of calories per day from saturated fats.   Why the focus on lowering our saturated fat intake? The Dietary Guidelines and the American Heart Association recommend lowering our saturated fat intake because: The recommendation to limit intake of calories from saturated fats to less than 10 percent per day is a target based on evidence that replacing saturat

In honor of American Heart Month, this week we will look at heart health and what you can eat for a healthier heart.   The Centers for Disease Control notes even small changes in your diet and lifestyle can lead to healthier changes for your heart.   Why be concerned about heart health?   CDC states, “heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women”.   Another great source of information is The American Heart Association, the go to place for questions about heart health and how to adopt a heart healthy lifestyle.   What are some of their recommendations in terms of healthier eating and exercise?   Eating for a healthy heart:   Small steps to take Eat at home at least 3 times a week.    By skipping the fast food and restaurant meals you can prepare meals that are lower in fat, especially meals lower in saturated fat, and lower in sodium. Use more herbs and spices when cooking – keep the flavor while cutting back on the amount of salt in a recipe. Focus meals

Last week I shared 4 of the Healthy Eating Habits the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition recommends.   The Council has Eight Healthy Eating Goals , and this week we will look at the remaining 4 healthy eating habits you can adopt in 2017.   So many people think healthy eating means giving up food.   But for many people, healthy eating means adding food to your day – adding more fruits and vegetables, adding whole grains.   Yesterday, I was in a grocery store and the mother of a toddler was buying a carton of "Juice Drink" boxes.   She probably thought this was a healthy choice but she was really buying mostly sugar water for her young child.   Had she bought real juice she would have been offering her toddler something with nutritional value rather than a drink of empty calories.   Making some small changes in the foods we choose to eat and buy each day can have a major impact on our health.   Simply buying real juice instead of juice drinks made of sug