Nutrition Tips

What are some easy nutrition tips to eat healthier?   Eat This Not That  has some easy nutrition tips to follow: 

1. Out of Sight, Out of Mind - Hide the junk food and make healthier food more visible.  A study at Google noted that people ate less M & M�s if put in an opaque container.  They ate more fruit and nuts when these were displayed prominently.  In fact, staff ate 3.1 million less calories of M & M�s in an opaque container in seven weeks� time.
2. The 1 in 10 Rule:   Look at the nutrient label and for every 10 grams of carbs, look for at least one gram of fiber or 10 carbs:1 fiber.    Why is this important?  You want to have whole grains in your diet and this is the ratio of carbs to fiber in whole grains.  A study in the Public Health Nutrition journal found that carbs with the 10:1 ratio had less sodium, less sugar and less trans fats.
3. Cut calories by boosting flavor:  in the nutrition course I teach students have to modify a lasagna recipe to make it healthier.  One group took out all the spices and herbs not realizing these provided not only flavor but nutrients and essentially no calories.  Adding herbs and spices is an easy way to add flavor without the calories and without adding fat.  And if you add herbs and spices you can cut back on the sodium and still have a flavorful entree or side dish.
4. Whole fruit vs Juice?  Although juicing is popular right now, eating whole fruit has its advantages.  Eat at least 2 servings of whole fruit a week to cut your risk of type 2 diabetes by 23 percent. 
5. �Eat Before You Eat�  sounds like odd advice. But a cup of broth, a glass of water, an apple can reduce how much you eat at a meal by up to 20%.  This would be especially helpful at a restaurant as restaurant meals can pack a lot of calories.  The Journal of the American Medical Association notes the average restaurant meal provides 1,128 calories so cutting that by 20% would save you 225 calories.
6. Stay hydrated and drink that water:  According to the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, drinking 17 ounces of water (a little over 2 cups) can raise your metabolic rate, thus burning up more calories.  So drink more water to rev up your metabolism.  The researchers in this study noted that adding 6 cups of water a day would burn up a lot of calories over the course of a year, about 17,400 calories. 

 For all 10 tips, go to The 10 Best Nutrition Tips Ever.

Sources:   The 10 Best Nutrition Tips Ever, Image source:  Drinking water

Whole Grains and a Longer Life

So many people �avoid carbs� and avoid grains.  The latest diet craze is to go low carb.  Is that the healthiest choice for a longer life?  Are some carbs healthy?  Absolutely.   If you are watching carbs, you should watch to see you add whole grain carbs to your diet.  Whole grains aren�t carbs to avoid but to add to your diet.  A recent Harvard study on Whole Grains found that people who ate whole grains lowered their risk of heart disease.

 How much whole grains did they eat to lower their risk of heart disease?  The more they ate they lower the risk

• 5% lower risk of heart disease for those eating 1 ounce a day (1 slice of whole wheat bread)

• 8% lower risk for those who replaced one serving of refined grains with one serving of whole grains every day 
• 20% lower if a serving of red meat was replaced by whole grains

Whole grains contain all parts of the grain including the bran.  The bran is rich in B vitamins, antioxidants and fiber.  It is the bran that seems to be the most beneficial in reducing heart disease risk.

What are whole grains?  If you go to ChooseMyPlate.gov, they have a list of foods that are whole grains.  MyPlate recommends at least half the grains you eat each day should be whole grains.  Whole grains include:

• Whole wheat flour, whole wheat bread, whole rye flour - but whole rye bread is hard to find.  I found some at World Market
• Cereals that are whole grain like oatmeal, Cheerios
• Whole cornmeal (Most cornmeal is not whole, need to read the ingredients)
• Brown rice, wild rice
• Quinoa
• Buckwheat � like buckwheat pancakes
• Whole wheat pasta � if you don�t like the taste, try 25% whole wheat pasta and 75% regular pasta
• Barley
• Whole grain crackers
• Whole grain chips, Sun Chips, Food Should Taste Good  Multigrain chips,
• Whole grain corn � popcorn is whole grain

Note:  �multi-grain�, �stone ground�, �cracked wheat�, �bran� � are usually not whole grain products.  Read the label as some foods like the Food Should Taste Good Multigrain chips are whole grain but many �multi-grain� breads are not whole grain. 

Add some whole grains to your diet for a longer life. 

Sources:  Whole Grains, More whole grains linked with lower mortality,
Eat Whole Grains for a Longer Life, Image source: Look for Whole Grain

Are Carbs Good or Bad? By Nicole Hamby (Guest Author)

So many myths about carbs.   Are carbs good or bad for your health?  A student in my class, Nicole Hamby, has been asked to be a guest author on this blog site.  Her paper on Good vs Bad Carbs is below. 

     Carbohydrates have been given a very bad reputation. However, it is not the actual carbohydrate that is bad, but what we have created them into with all of our processing. Instead of eating brown rice or whole wheat bread, Americans have chosen to consume the refined processed versions. Not only do these processed foods now lack essential nutrients but some of them can contribute to obesity and type II diabetes. Perhaps instead of grabbing a handful of jelly beans, which contains refined simple sugars, a piece of fruit would be much more beneficial to help prevent some of these diseases. While fruit may contain some simple sugars, it is natural, unrefined, and packed with vitamins your body needs. Whole grains, which are complex, are also an excellent source of good hearty carbohydrates. They are full of fiber and provide long lasting energy. Whole grains also put hunger at bay and have been shown to help prevent heart disease.                                         

Imagine that you have a nice new sports car. It requires premium gasoline; however you choose to always put regular gasoline in it because it�s cheaper and doesn�t really seem to make a difference anyways. Before long you begin to notice your car isn�t running as well and everything begins to slow down. Like a nice sports car your body also needs the right fuel to work properly. Without food like whole grains, legumes, and other plant foods, you will feel slow and probably pretty tired. White refined sugars like candies, cakes, and doughnuts might give you a quick spike in energy but soon enough you will crash and your body will be lacking the nutrients it needs. So the next time you go to the grocery store go for the natural process free foods and put down those simple refined sugars.

Sources: Not All Carbs Are Created Equal,  Image Source:  Fitness