Eating For Health

So many people complain about inflammation.   Many don’t realize that making some dietary changes can help your body fight inflammation.   What are some of those dietary habits? What are some symptoms of inflammation?   Some inflammation is temporary like acute inflammation due to an injury, infection or being bit like a bee sting.   Long term inflammation can result from diseases such as “diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and autoimmune disorders”.   Some symptoms include: Body aches/muscle pain: Hips, knees, backs are common aches. Migraine headaches can be caused by inflammation. Fatigue: Who would think that being tired might be linked to inflammation? What are some treatments for inflammation? Anti-inflammatory drugs are often prescribed to help with symptoms but drugs won’t “treat the root cause of the problem…”   Diet: What are some anti-inflammatory Diet Habits You Can Adopt to fight inflammation?   Registered Dietitian , Julia...

Who doesn’t enjoy a cup of tea?   As NIH noted, “drinking tea has been considered a health-promoting habit since ancient times”. Researchers have found this to be true.   Why is tea so healthy? What are the substances in tea that promote health? Polyphenols include catechins which are antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory properties.   Flavonoids act as antioxidants in our bodies and may inhibit cancer cell growth.      Theanine is an amino acid that helps with relaxation. Caffeine is a stimulant that can improve alertness and focus. A cup of tea provides much less caffeine than a cup of coffee: black tea about 47 mg of caffeine, green tea only 28 mg.   Herbal teas like ginger tea and peppermint tea have no caffeine.   Minerals : Tea can provide minerals like potassium, magnesium, copper, and zinc.        What are some of the many health benefits of tea? Heart Health: Black tea but especially green tea can ...

Who doesn't enjoy some fresh watermelon?  So juice and naturally sweet.  At a buffet over the weekend, I saw person after person loading their plates with freshly sliced watermelon.  Many people enjoy watermelon and don't realize how healthy it is.   Cleveland Clinic says, “watermelon should be part of your diet”.  Why?  Watermelon is “packed with vitamins and minerals and can be enjoyed all year ‘round”.   We hear a lot about superfoods like blueberries, but we don’t hear much about other fruits like watermelon.  Watermelon packs a big nutritious punch. One reason why watermelon is so good for your health is that it is loaded with many vitamins and minerals as well as fiber.   Vitamins : watermelon is a good source of vitamins A, C and many B vitamins.  One cup of watermelon balls provides 12.5 mg of vitamin C, almost 25% of daily needs.  One cup also provides 876 IU of vitamin A, almost 20% of daily needs.  Minerals...

My husband showed me an article on coffee and how drinking coffee can adversely affect the medications you may be taking.   Many Americans are on medications and probably give little thought as to how their morning cup of coffee might affect their medications.   And there are ways to still enjoy your coffee and avoid those coffee-drug interactions?   In what ways might coffee interfere with prescription medications? Absorption: Coffee can interfere with the absorption of a medication. Metabolism Changes: Coffee needs some liver enzymes for metabolism and these liver enzymes may also be needed to metabolize a medication.   This can lead to the levels of medication potentially increasing or decreasing in the bloodstream.   Blood Sugar:   Coffee, especially if mixed with sugar and/or milk, can affect blood sugar levels which can make it harder to manage diabetes.   Drug interactions:   Coffee can form complexes with some medications making them...

This week RFK, Jr. released his first MAHA report , Make Our Children Healthy Again, on the rise of chronic diseases among American children.   These include health issues of obesity, diabetes, cancer, autism, allergies, and mental health. The report identifies several causes contributing to the rise of these chronic diseases .   “Today’s children are the sickest generation in American history in terms of chronic disease…”   What are some key findings about the rise of chronic disease in American children? Nearly half of America’s children have a chronic illness. Cancer: Childhood cancer is up more than 40% since 1975. ( Does eating ultra-processed foods increase cancer risk? ) Obesity: More than 1 in 5 children over 6 years old in the US are obese.   A 270% increase since the 1970’s.   Diabetes: Type 2 diabetes used to be called adult-onset diabetes.   No longer.   Today, over 350,000 children have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.   ...

Who doesn’t love sugary snacks or dessert?   But then one bite leads to craving even more sugary snacks and desserts.   A candy bar can help you curb your hunger and give you an energy boost but only for the short-term. Then as your blood sugar drops you can feel hungry again.   My husband has been working on cutting back on sweets.   Not an easy task.   Sugar, sugar everywhere.   Why it can be hard to cut back on sugar. Everyone knows there is sugar in candy and most desserts.   But added sugar has crept into many foods including bread, cereal, fruit drinks, sauces like spaghetti sauce, and yogurt.   Americans eat a lot of sugar averaging 17 teaspoons of sugar a day when the recommended amount is about “6 teaspoons per day for women and 9 for men”.   (See: Is hidden sugar sneaking into your diet? )    What are some ways you can curb your cravings for sugar? Eat meals with carbs but also protein and some healthy fats.  ...