Eating For Health

Who doesn’t love a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?   What is the number one sandwich consumed at lunch in the U.S.?   You guessed it, the simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich.   So simple to make and it can be a pretty healthy addition to your diet.   But many people are buying a ready-made PB&J and not bothering to make their own PB&J sandwiches.   Years ago, a student noted they ate an “Uncrustable” for lunch.   I had no idea what this was so I looked it up.   I was really surprised that she was buying a ready-made peanut butter and jelly sandwich.   Even more surprising, this week I read that Smucker’s Uncrustables are now nearly a $1 billion a year business.   So popular that Smucker’s is building their third Uncrustable factory.   What are Uncrustables? Smucker’s notes Uncrustables are frozen sandwiches, prep-less, crustless and a day-saver.   These include not just the traditional “sandwiches” made from pean...

     Are you making some nutrition mistakes?   Even those who are health conscious and pride themselves on eating well can make some of the mistakes noted below.   Or, you may be interested in eating healthier and want to avoid some nutrition mistakes.    An interesting article in the Washington Post, 10 Nutrition Mistakes Even Really Healthy People Make covered a number of “mistakes” you may not be aware of.   What are some of these nutrition mistakes?         1.       Flax seeds – Flax seeds are the latest trend and healthy so you add some whole flax seeds to your cereal, your smoothie.   Flax seeds are super healthy, loaded with heart healthy omega-3 fats plus fiber and some antioxidants.   But to get the benefit of flax seeds, don’t eat them whole as they may go through you pretty much undigested.   Instead, buy ground flax seeds and sprinkle some on your mo...

The health headlines this week read:   To Live Longer, Cut Out the Bacon and Soda; Eat More Nuts.       Researchers studied what foods are linked to a longer life and what foods are linked to diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.   They found a diet high in processed foods like bacon and high sugar foods like soda shorten your life and a diet high in healthy food choices like nuts leads to a longer life.   The study published in JAMA reviewed diets of 7000,000 Americans who died from heart disease, strokes or diabetes.   They analyzed what they ate or did not eat.   A great research article to focus on during March, National Nutrition Month. What foods/nutrients to eat to live longer by lessening your chances of a heart attack, stroke or diabetes? “ Good” Foods – Eat more of these for a longer life: Nuts – As noted in a number of my blogs, a handful of nuts a day is a Dr. Oz recommendation and a good habit to ada...