Salt Tips #1

The first way to decrease the salt intake in your diet is to eat more whole foods. What I mean here is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store for the fresh foods. Minimize or better yet stop buying the prepackaged foods.

Think about your grocery store - what foods are on the perimeter - fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meat, fresh fish - these are the things on the perimeter.

Picking Produce Part 5

My last few pieces of advice on picking produce are when you get home if you did buy in bulk, immediately go through the produce to be sure that there are no bad pieces. If there are bad pieces, take them out and throw them away so they don't spoil the rest of the produce in the bag. A good example of this is potatoes. If you buy 5 or 10 pounds of potatoes, open the bag and look at each one for soft spots or areas that are already spoiling. By the time you smell it, they have often spoiled the whole bag.

Consider what you will do with those pieces of produce which are starting to go bad. Plan things likes soups or casseroles so that you can use them up. Also, with fruit, consider making them into jam.

Picking Produce Part 4

Be vary wary of buying produce in bulk. Only buy enough for a few days up to a week. Otherwise you are likely to be throwing out a lot of produce.

If buy large packages of produce, be aware that while the outer produce may look good, when you in bulk like that, the produce on the inside is likely to have several pieces that are spoiled and are hidden from view. Definitely if you are buying in bulk and you see pieces of the produce that are already spoiled, chances are that most of the package is on it's way out. Buy a different bag.

Picking Produce Part 3

The next thing to do in picking produce is to smell it. Especially with fruit, a musty or sour smell means that it is already going bad.

Test the weight of the fruit. If it feels particularly heavy for it's size, it will be sweet and juicy. This is particularly true for fruits like plums, peaches, and mangoes.

While you're testing the weight, you can also be testing the firmness. Produce like mushrooms, broccoli, and artichokes should be closed tightly. If the cap of the mushroom is split, it is starting to dry out and spoil. The same is true for artichokes in that the buds should be tightly closed. The florets on the broccoli should also be tightly together.

Picking Produce Part 2

The next thing to look at when picking fresh produce is to look at the color. Generally the stems of plants are green. The fruit should be the color that you expect it to be. For example, strawberries should be a deep red all the way to the stem. If you're looking at cut watermelon does it have a nice hot pink color or is it pale. Avoid the pale ones.

If the produce is lacking the vibrant color that is should have, chose something different.

Picking Produce

There is an art to picking good produce. Over the next few days I'm going to give you some tips on picking good produce.

Since most people end up throwing out about a quarter of the fresh fruits and vegetables that they buy, the first thing to do is to check for blemishes. Avoid produce with mold or mushy spots.

Other things to avoid, mushrooms with a slimy coat, lettuce with brown edges, tomatoes with cracks, bell peppers with wrinkled skin and pineapples with dark spots on the base.

Fiber in Your Diet

Have you ever looked at the print on a food and it says something like "high in fiber". What does that really mean? The other claim we see a lot in the grocery store "fiber fortified" - now does that exactly mean? What both of these mean is that you need to read beyond the big print on the package. Look at the ingredient list. A high fiber breakfast bar or a fiber fortified yogurt are not the same as eating old fashioned oatmeal with fruit and milk.

One of the claims on the package you may see is "made with 5 grams of whole grain per serving" is not the same as containing 5 grams of fiber. The fiber in quote is often a grain that is refined white flour.

Your best choices for fiber are fresh fruits and vegetables. Remember you should be eating 8-10 servings of these a day. Nuts and seeds are also great sources of fiber.

More tomorrow on the Whole grain bread stories.

Need More Energy?

One of the things that most of my patients complain of is fatigue or just not having enough energy. Yes there are medical problems that can cause this, but more often then not it is not a medical problem, but rather and eating problem.

One of the questions to ask yourself is what are you eating for breakfast? Not eating breakfast or just grabbing a quick cup of coffee? The body's natural metabolism is actually higher in the morning, so eating a good breakfast is essential. This will not make you gain weight.

Now when I say a good breakfast, I'm not talking about donuts or sugary cereal. I'm talking about something like a vegetable omelet or a protein fruit smoothie. Cut out the sugary and processed foods. I know that is the hardest thing to do.

Say to yourself that you love your fruits and vegetables!

Little Things That Can Imporve Heart Health #5

Yesterday I talked about breakfast as being the most important meal. Today let's talk about what things are healthy choices throughout the day. Today, I want you to start by adding 1 extra serving of fruits or vegetables. If you are eating less than 5 servings a day, your goal will be to get to 5 a day and maintain that level. So start today by adding 1 extra to whatever you are currently eating.

Fruits and vegetables not only help with heart health, but they help with brain chemistry, brain health, strengthening your immune system to helping the bowel to function better. Substitute a piece of fruit for dessert or whatever it is that you are eating during the day when you crave sugar. This is a healthier way to eat and you will crave sugar less.

Healthy Diet

I just read another study that supports the adage to eat your fruits and vegetables. The study was with women with ovarian cancer and it demonstrated that women who ate diets higher in colorful fruits and vegetables had longer survival rates than those who did not.

This study was based on the women eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Broccoli and yellow vegetables were linked with the longest survival rates.

So your mother was right to tell you to eat your fruits and vegetables. If it helps women with cancer, think what it could do for you if you don't have cancer! Eat those fruits and vegetables!!

Inflammation and Food

To reduce inflammation, eat more of the omega 3 fatty acids. Foods rich in omega 3 are fish particularly deep sea fish, flaxseed, dark green leafy vegetables, olive oil, and brightly colored fruits.

Arthritis was not as big an issue in prehistoric times because they ate more plants and fruit and meat tended to be less of their food source. They did not have the processed sugars and saturated fats so they were eating far less of the omega 6 than we do.

Supplementing is good, particularly if you are not going to eat the good foods. If you can just cut down on the bad foods it will help, but if you're not going to eat the good foods, then supplement. Supplements that are helpful include glucosamine, ginger, and chondroiton sulfate. There is controversy about chondroiton as to whether it really has any active component to help. If you try and it helps, then use it, because it is doing something for you.

Foods That Help Fight The Flu

If you're looking for ways to combat the flu, today and tomorrow I will share with you four foods that can help. Of course eating healthy is what it is all about.

First of all, increase your antioxidants by eating lots of colorful fruits and vegetables. The brighter and more vibrant the color, the better. Antioxidants are key to immune system health and its ability to ward off disease. Get at least 5-6 servings a day.

Second in the line up of things to eat is yogurt. Be sure to get the kind that is live culture and has the good bacteria in it. These good bacteria actually strengthen the immune system. The other thing about yogurt is that it can help alleviate diarrhea, prevent yeast infections and improve overall health.

I'll cover the other 2 foods tomorrow.

Hints For Maintaining Your Weight During the Holidays Part 3

We've all heard of vegging out, but most of us think about that as just laying around in mindless inactivity. What I mean by vegging out here is not the same. You guessed it, go for the veges. Be careful though. The dips and sauces that often accompany veges can be very detrimental. Go for the raw veges and avoid the dips. Savor the flavor of the vegetable itself. Another thing is to look for the fruit. Hopefully there will be some fresh fruit on the table which is also and excellent choice to make.

Again it will be easier to do this if you have had something to eat before you go to the party.

Nutrients That Make Your Body Work #6

The next nutrient which is essential to the functioning of the body is fiber. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that the body can't digest. Let me clarify something, many foods have carbohydrate content that is digestible and some that is not. Vegetable and fruits are prime examples. They contain carbohydrates that your body can absorb and utilize in the cells to make energy. They also contain fiber that is not digestible and that fiber helps push food through the intestinal tract, helping to prevent constipation.

So the fiber that is not digestible is what helps your body eliminate waste products. I'll talk more about this in a few days.

Nutrients That Make Your Body Work #4

I mentioned yesterday that minerals are necessary for vitamins to do their job. So you might guess that the next essential nutrients are vitamins. Vitamins are organic substances that are only found in living things. Vitamins help activate chemical processes that release energy within the cells.

The most important function of vitamins is their reaction with oxygen which makes them able to neutralize free radicals which cause damage to the DNA structure. The vitamins are essential to your having a strong immune system. In and of themselves, vitamins do not contain energy, but what they will do is help your body convert fat and carbs into energy.

Best sources are fresh organic fruits and vegetables. If you are not eating organic, be sure that you are on a reputable brand of vitamins. Remember you get what you pay for - if they are very inexpensive, they may not have quality control and your batch may be lacking some of the ingredients.

Keep Your Immune System Healthy

What's most important for your immune system is to keep it strong and healthy. In this day and age we are bombarded on a minute to minute basis with free radicals, viruses, stress, and multiple other things that can weaken the immune system.

So taking care of the immune system becomes crucial. One way to do that is to get plenty of rest. Make sure that you get your 7-8 hours a day of rest. This is a time when your body is able to actually rejuvenate it's army, the immune system.

Also, as with any army, you need to feed it. Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables as these contain antioxidants which help strengthen your immune system. Supplementing with a good multiple vitamin and mineral supplement is also advisable since our food source have lost a great deal of their nutritional value. Eat organic - these items are really better for you because they contain more of the nutritional value needed by the immune system.

Another Word About Sodium

Recently I wrote about how much salt you should intake in a day. One of my readers wrote and asked about what happens when you exercise very vigorously and you sweat, don't you lose more than just water? The answer is yes, you do lose sodium as well.

So here is the answer. If you are going to be doing vigorous exercise where you will be sweating, keep hydrated. You don't need any fancy vitamin water or gatorade. Just keep drinking plain old water. I recommend that you drink filtered water, but if you don't have filtered water then plain water from the tap will do.

To replenish the sodium, do it with organic foods like fruits and vegetables or nuts. If you go for the electrolyte drinks, you will likely over shoot and you will end up raising your blood pressure.

Best Diet

You all know that I really don't like the word diet. But I recently read an article on the best diet for life. It started out by saying that the Mediterranean diet was the best diet but soon digressed to say that really only part of that was true.

What the researchers found was that the healthiest part of the Mediterranean diet was eating lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes (like beans and peas). This is not exactly what I think of when I here Mediterranean diet. But it is what I have been saying for a long time.

Eating these things was associated with a longer lifespan. In a separate but similar study, the researchers found that by eating these components, there was a reduced risk of developing dementia.

Sodium Intake

How much salt should you actually be getting? That's a common question that I get asked frequently. The normal, healthy adult (no know medical problems) should eat no more than 2300 milligrams of salt a day. This is about 1 teaspoon of salt. Now that is not just what you add at the table. Read the label of any processed food such as canned soup and you will see that you are probably way beyond your daily amount with one serving.

Most of the sodium that we get in our diets today comes from eating in restaurants and eating processed foods. Be sure to read the labels on any food you purchase. Many restaurants now will tell you the sodium content of their foods. You can always ask for a low-sodium entree, just ask the waiter.

Your best choice is to pick fresh fruits and vegetables.

If you are at risk for or have heart disease, stroke or high blood pressure your daily salt intake should be no more than 1500 milligrams a day.

Eat Whole Grains

Most of us in this country are concerned about fiber and how much we are getting. A recent study indicated that the average American only consumes about 12 grams of fiber a day. What you actually need each day is 30-25 grams to maintain a healthy weight and avoid disease such as heart disease and diabetes.

So how do you increase your fiber? Start increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables that you eat each day. These are your best sources of fiber. When you eat bread, be sure that it is whole grain. Better yet is to eat old fashion oatmeal which is a whole grain. Remember most cereals are not whole grain, contain lots of sugar and very little fiber.