, , ,

Food for Thought — Nutrition Facts

Food for Thought — NutritionFacts.com

Have you ever thought about nutrition facts regarding the food you are eating? Also, when you hear the news about this food is good for you and this food causes cancer or other issues, have you ever wondered, “How do they really know that? Where are they getting their information? And, how accurate is this information that I should follow it?”

I often wonder these questions. I remember one time my Dad telling me, “Well, they say eggs are bad for you now. They use to say eggs were good. I can’t keep up with them. I’m just going to keep on doing what I’m doing and eat eggs!” I laughed at the time and agreed.

Most recently in our research about living a healthy lifestyle regarding food and exercise we found a guy by the name of Dr. Michael Greger, M.D. FACLM. He was on a YouTube video that I watched. He was an interesting guy because on the Zoom interview, he was actually walking on a treadmill the whole time. At first I found it annoying and rude, but during the interview, he was asked why he walked on treadmills during his interviews. He was determined not to remain sedentary the whole day. That was his day to do interviews (he had I think 11 that day) and if he would sit for all of those, that wasn’t good for his body. That fell inline with the Blue Zone philosophy of them always remaining active throughout the day. 

How often do we just sit for hours on end? I do. He has a point about constantly moving. So, he peaked my interest and I searched him and found his website that he discussed in the interview. He has made it his life’s mission to find the research done regarding nutrition and food, read, digest and then deliver the results of these health studies so that we don’t have to. His site is amazing and has so much fantastic information to sift through – most you can watch in short informative clips. I have really enjoyed learning more about nutrition from him. John and I look forward to learning more so we can make better choices regarding eating habits based on the science to remaining healthy and improve longevity and avoid chronic diseases as much as possible.

I’m sure that I will refer to him more than once or twice in upcoming posts, so I wanted to introduce you to him.r

https://youtu.be/G9Z-gKAvzOY Go to NutritionFacts.org

Contact Info

Regina Rexrode
regina@myhealthymanual.com

Facebook Youtube Pinterest Instagram Jennifer JenniferFriend

Subscribe

/by

Not so Blue, Blueberries…

blueberrybabyfoodThe Blueberry: I am a big fan of blueberries. They certainly don’t make me sad or blue! Good ones tend to be sweet and juicy. These tiny, round blue-purple berries attribute to the longevity and wellness of our natives living around subarctic regions in the Northern hemisphere.

They grown on bushes. Specifically high-bush is a highly branched shrub with rich foliage. They can get as big as 10-12 feet tall in cultivated orchards. In addition to high-bush, there are also low-bush which is a short and grows about one-two feet in height.

Blueberries begin to ripen as the weather gets warmer in May and they continue to ripen until about September. Although it is possible to pick blueberries at other times of the year in United States locations like Florida and California, many of the blueberries that will arrive at your grocery store during the winter have been held in temperature-controlled storage since they were picked in the summer.

Nutrition Facts:  Blueberries are very low in calories. They also provide dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and pigment anti-oxidants that contribute immensely towards optimum health and wellness.

Health Benefits:

  • Blueberries help protect against cancers, aging, degenerative diseases, and infections.
  • Other research has found that they assist in lower blood sugar levels and control blood-glucose levels in type-II diabetes mellitus condition.
  • Fresh blueberries have small amounts of vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin E, which helps limit free radical mediated injury to the body.
  • Potassium, manganese, copper, iron and zinc are found in blueberries. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme. Copper is required for the production of red blood cells. Iron is required for red blood cell formation.

Selection and Storage:

  • Can find them in stores anytime of the year. They are best from June until August. Locally, we like to go to Spencer’s Farm here in Noblesville to pick blueberries and other seasonal fruits throughout the year.
  • Look for fresh berries that are firm, plump, smooth-skinned, with a silver-gray surface. The best is the look of deep purple-blue to blue-black. Old stock may have the signs of soft or shriveled and bruised.
  • At home, I have found that if after I wash them in cold water, I lay them out on a large paper towel inside a cookie sheet to roll them around to help dry them off. Then I pat the tops with another paper towel to further reduce the excess water. I like using the little plastic container that they come in and I place a dry paper towel (either folded or cut to size of bottom and replace the berries back inside the provided container. I feel that they stay fresh longer because of the air holes that the original package comes with.

Next time you head to the store, be sure to pick up a package of fresh blueberries to make you smile!

/by

Avocados? What are those?

avocado-cholesterolI had never really had an avocado before I started this “nuclear” low sodium regimen. I, of course, had heard of them, but they never appealed to me as something I would like to eat. It seemed like a lot of people liked guacamole dips, but I never tried them, because I just didn’t think I’d like the taste.

As it turns out, they aren’t that bad and actually very good. I have made several dips out of them recently. We found 0mg sodium tortilla chips at Trader Joe’s and this is a great snack – and filling.

The Avocado: 

Nutrition Facts: They are considered a fruit from Central America. Interestingly, they are grown on evergreen trees and they ripen after they are harvested like bananas. Avocados are high in mono-unsaturated fats and calories. They are good source of dietary fiber, vitamin and minerals and are filled with many other plant nutrients.

Health Benefits:

  • The mono-unsaturated fatty acids help lower LDL (remember the BAD cholesterol) and help increase the HDL (which is the GOOD cholesterol). This then, in effect, helps in preventing coronary artery disease and strokes because it helps in maintaining a healthy blood lipid profile.
  • Very good source of fiber. In fact, about 18% of the recommended daily intake. Dietary fibers help lower cholesterol levels and prevents constipation (which we all hate when this happens).
  • Contains health benefits which help anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer and anti-oxidant properties.
  • Good source of Vitamin A, E, and K.
  • Excellent source of the mineral magnesium which is important for bone strengthening and has a cardiac-protective role too.
  • Excellent source of manganese and iron. Iron is important along with copper in the production of red blood cells.
  • Rich in potassium which is important for cell and body fluids and helps regulate heart rate and blood pressure. It counters the bad effects of sodium.

Selection and Storage:

  • Available year round.
  • Avoid hard fruit – as they may take a while to ripen. (I learned this the hard way).
  • But, don’t buy too soft and may not have a of flavor left in them.
  • Store avocados in cool, dark place.
  • Unripe avocados can be put inside a paper wrap with a banana or apple to speed up the ripening. Interesting.

While working on this post, I learned a lot about cholesterol. My husband has to watch this a little, so the terms were familiar. I just never really knew about good and bad cholesterol. By using the Mayo Clinic website – click the link to take a look if you are concerned about your cholesterol levels. This link will help you know what type of range you should be within to remain free of those party animals on your body’s campus – LDL’s!

According to the American Heart Association, you should know what your cholesterol levels are because “knowledge is power” and is a terrific way to keep your heart healthy and lowers the chances of getting heart disease or having a stroke. Luckily for me, this has never been an issue. My heart problems stem from the congenital condition when I was born. However, I have had it checked over the years.

The American Heart Association recommends all adults age 20 or older have their cholesterol, and other traditional risk factors, checked every four to six years.

But first, you have to know your cholesterol numbers. So, if you haven’t had a cholesterol check – next time you go to the doctor, be sure to ask!

Sources:

  • http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/AboutCholesterol/Good-vs-Bad-Cholesterol_UCM_305561_Article.jsp
  • http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/avocados.html
  • http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/cholesterol-levels/art-20048245
/by
,

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away. Really?

I have found numerous websites that relate to nutrition, foods, and health in general, but the one site that I kept coming back to was http://www.nutrition-and-you.com. It seemed to be the simplest to understand and it kept repeating some the same definitions of words that I’ve heard, but never quite really understood. So, most of my info will be paraphrased from this site. I will only restate what I felt was the most important for me to remember, because at 46 I am losing memory and it’s hard to remember statistics – unlike my husband!

The Apple:

Nutrition Facts: Apples are crunchy and very popular among people who are health conscious. These people are convinced that “health is wealth.” The apple is filled with rich phyto-nutrients that are absolutely necessary for optimal health. It echoes the adage, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

The tree is thought to come from the mountain ranges of Kazakhstan and now being cultivated in many parts of the world. It has a peel that comes in many different colors depending on the cultivar type. Don’t eat the seeds though.

Health Benefits:

  • Essential for optimal growth, development, and overall wellness.
  • Low in calories
  • No saturated fats or cholesterol
  • Rich in dietary fiber – helps prevent absorption of LDL cholesterol – which is the BAD kind, in your gut. Fiber also helps protect the colon mucous membrane from exposure to toxic substances that bind to cancer-causing chemicals inside the colon.
  • Rich in antioxidant phyto-nutrients and helps the body protect from causing harm or damage by the effects of free radicals that may enter the your body.
  • Good source of Vitamin C which helps the body develop resistance against infection.
  • Good source of B-complex vitamins (riboflavin, thiamin, and pyridoxine (also known as B-6). These all help with your metabolism.
  • Contain other minerals: phosphorus, and calcium and…
    potassium – which is an important component of cell and body fluids and it helps control heart-rate and blood pressure and therefore counters bad influences of sodium.

Selection and Storage:

  • Can find them in stores anytime of the year.
  • Choose fresh, bright, and firm apples
  • Store at room temperature or in frig (that’s where I like to keep them) and they will keep up to two weeks in there.

I’ve always wondered what type of apples are great for just eating, cooking with, in pies, etc. and this website is perfect for me since I am a visual person.

epicurious.com

apples

So, does the Apple really help keep the doctor away? Well, since my last official appointment with my cardiologist, I had a heart catheterization done. I had lost up to eight pounds of fluid and didn’t feel nervous the night before the procedure. I felt good.

Today I met with my cardiologist to go over the report and she indicated that all the heavy stuff we talked about before is no longer on the table. My heart valves are actually pumping as a normal person’s heart would perform and although my potassium level was super high and sodium levels were low, we just need to adjust medicine and I should get back to a new normal, but without as much diuretic medicine and she didn’t want to see me for two months and then we will discuss how things look then, and I may not need to come back for a longer period to check in with her! I’ll miss her though. This has been somewhat of a fun new path to walk!

/by