Happy Thanksgiving! I love this holiday: delicious food, family togetherness, and the promise of Christmas on the way. At some point today between the football games and carving of the turkey, take a moment to give thanks for your health. We have so much to be thankful for, but it's all for naught if we aren't healthy. It is our health and the energy our health gives us that allows us to be a part of all of those things for which we are grateful.
And if, perhaps, your health is not at the level that you would want it to be, now is the time to make a change! (I know this great blog that can help...) It's never too late to make positive change.
Have a healthy, happy Thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Finding time for family dinners
In
one of my classes I had to write a paper about a current issue in child
nutrition. I decided to write about the benefits of nightly family
dinners. The information I found was astounding, so I thought I would
share...
The foods we
eat and the way we eat them have changed dramatically over the last one hundred
years. This can hardly be considered
surprising, given the way the modern lifestyle has changed. The
on-the-go life of
the parent is rivaled only by the practically busier lifestyle of the
child.
Between soccer practice, ballet class, math tutors, and play dates,
finding
time to educate children about healthy nutrition is scarce. The frantic
nature
of our lifestyles is mirrored in a dramatic change in the food industry.
Ready made meals now have an entire aisle dedicated to them in the
grocery
store. Pizza restaurants offer drive by pie pickups without even calling
in an
order. Countless restaurants will deliver food to the front door. Fast
food chains continue to thrive and seem to pop up on every corner.
It is SO EASY to eat poorly.
Parents can make a huge impact in the child's nutrition practice by having a family dinner. The term ‘family dinner’ or ‘family meal’ means a meal cooked at home by a parent and consumed in the household while sitting around a table with the absence of cell pones, television, and other modern distractions. Eating at home around the table encourages many healthy behaviors, such as cooking with a parent, weekly meal planning, and an active education about what goes into food we eat. Learning to understand what real food looks like, tastes like, and where it comes from is essential for a fundamental background in proper nutrition. In addition to these benefits, parents who insist on family dinners at home offer a support system in which members of the family discuss their day, offer advice, and spend quality time with each other. Likewise, children who have regular meals with their parents are 42% less likely to drink heavily, 50% less likely to smoke and 66% less likely to smoke marijuana. Children who eat a family dinner at home also display higher grades and healthier relationships than children who do not. Families, including both the children and the parents, who eat dinner at home have statistically lower body mass indices than families who do not. Not a huge surprise as take out and restaurant meals are often 2 to 3 times the recommended portion size and far more calorie dense than home cooked meals.
I don't have kids and can still hardly find the time to cook for myself every night, so it's hard to imagine how tough it would be for a parent of a couple kids. But these are some pretty crazy stats. At all costs, try to find the time. And even if you don't have kids, try to find the time cook dinner with the people you care about and sit down around a table to enjoy it. Maybe even with the cell phones off.
Norman Rockwell made it look so picturesque. |
Parents can make a huge impact in the child's nutrition practice by having a family dinner. The term ‘family dinner’ or ‘family meal’ means a meal cooked at home by a parent and consumed in the household while sitting around a table with the absence of cell pones, television, and other modern distractions. Eating at home around the table encourages many healthy behaviors, such as cooking with a parent, weekly meal planning, and an active education about what goes into food we eat. Learning to understand what real food looks like, tastes like, and where it comes from is essential for a fundamental background in proper nutrition. In addition to these benefits, parents who insist on family dinners at home offer a support system in which members of the family discuss their day, offer advice, and spend quality time with each other. Likewise, children who have regular meals with their parents are 42% less likely to drink heavily, 50% less likely to smoke and 66% less likely to smoke marijuana. Children who eat a family dinner at home also display higher grades and healthier relationships than children who do not. Families, including both the children and the parents, who eat dinner at home have statistically lower body mass indices than families who do not. Not a huge surprise as take out and restaurant meals are often 2 to 3 times the recommended portion size and far more calorie dense than home cooked meals.
I don't have kids and can still hardly find the time to cook for myself every night, so it's hard to imagine how tough it would be for a parent of a couple kids. But these are some pretty crazy stats. At all costs, try to find the time. And even if you don't have kids, try to find the time cook dinner with the people you care about and sit down around a table to enjoy it. Maybe even with the cell phones off.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Cranberries- A Seasonal Superfood
Cranberries are incredibly high in nutrient and antioxidant content. They are a great source of vitamin C, vitamin E, and fiber and are also very low in calories. They are a known anti inflammatory, help prevent urinary tract infections, colon cancer, and heart disease. For these reasons and more they are often called a "superfood." Cranberries are something we should try to incorporate into our diets on a regular basis, not just around the holidays. Don't forget to be an informed consumer: look out for cranberry foods and drink with copious added sugar. Many dried cranberries and cranberry juice drinks have a ton of added sugar, so avoid those at all costs.
Making cranberry sauce and making a mess! |
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
AHA Study finds kids less fit than their parents
A study published yesterday by the American Heart Association found that kids are less physically fit than their parents were at the same age. This worldwide study found that it takes a child today an average of 90 seconds longer to run a mile than it took their parent's generation. The worst part is that this study is hardly shocking, as kids today are far less active and childhood obesity (and the diseases with which it comes) is at an all time high. An increase in video game playing, TV watching, and other sedentary activities, coupled with PE classes getting the axe from budget cuts make some easy culprits. But a healthy diet goes hand in hand with the need for daily physical activity in both adults and children.
This is the first generation ever to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. If that doesn't send chills down your spine, there's something seriously wrong with you. Science has taken us so far in regards to increasing our lifespan and eradicating disease and problems that historically would have shortened it. Now finally, we have done so much damage to ourselves that science can't save us anymore. We have to help ourselves. And it all starts with what we put in our bodies. As upsetting as research and findings such as this are, it's motivating too. We have complete power to change this stuff. It can start today.
This is the first generation ever to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. If that doesn't send chills down your spine, there's something seriously wrong with you. Science has taken us so far in regards to increasing our lifespan and eradicating disease and problems that historically would have shortened it. Now finally, we have done so much damage to ourselves that science can't save us anymore. We have to help ourselves. And it all starts with what we put in our bodies. As upsetting as research and findings such as this are, it's motivating too. We have complete power to change this stuff. It can start today.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Fall's Favorite Vitamin
Carrots are also high in vitamin E |
Beta-carotene, or vitamin A, is everywhere this time of year. It's basically found in everything orange, from sweet potatoes, to pumpkins, to carrots, and bell peppers. The list of beta-carotene rich foods does go far beyond orange veggies, but during fall take advantage of all those that come into season.
Beta-carotene can help us build immunity and fend off the common cold and flu. It is an essential nutrient that our bodies cannot function properly without. Naturally, combining any of these delicious veggies with heaps of butter, sugar, or cheese will reduce the amplitude of vitamin benefits, so avoid the coma inducing sweet potato casseroles and stick to baking, steaming, or roasting your veg. And this season may we eat our way to great health and enjoy every second of it!
Roasted Rosemary Sweet Potatoes- one of my fave dishes of the season! |
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Real Food Daily and the Vegan Diet
Real Food Daily is an organic, vegan SoCal restaurant chain with three locations in the Los Angeles area. Yesterday my Dad and I lunched at the WeHo location and indulged in clean nutritious food that tantalized the taste buds.
A vegan diet includes fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes and the avoidance of all animal products. People follow vegan diets for a variety of reasons ranging from plant based health to animal rights concerns. Health benefits associated with plant based living are immense. As cholesterol is only found in animal products, vegans often benefit from lower cholesterol levels. Saturated fats found in meats and cheese are known to increase risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.
I'm not a vegan myself, but believe strongly in predominately plant based living. Not only does eliminating or reducing animal products lower cholesterol and decrease your risk of disease, it allows you to dramatically increase your intake of legumes and veggies.
Moderation is they key- if nothing else, consider making at least one meal a week vegan to vary your diet and nutrient intake. If you need help, visit Real Food Daily!
A vegan diet includes fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes and the avoidance of all animal products. People follow vegan diets for a variety of reasons ranging from plant based health to animal rights concerns. Health benefits associated with plant based living are immense. As cholesterol is only found in animal products, vegans often benefit from lower cholesterol levels. Saturated fats found in meats and cheese are known to increase risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.
I'm not a vegan myself, but believe strongly in predominately plant based living. Not only does eliminating or reducing animal products lower cholesterol and decrease your risk of disease, it allows you to dramatically increase your intake of legumes and veggies.
Moderation is they key- if nothing else, consider making at least one meal a week vegan to vary your diet and nutrient intake. If you need help, visit Real Food Daily!
RFD Mediterranean Bowl |
RFD Southwest Salad |
Friday, November 15, 2013
Juicing Frenzy
Juice from 'Juice is Served Here' |
There are different kinds of juicing. Using some juicers, natural cellulose fibers of the plant are a byproduct of juicing. If you've ever juiced at home, this is all of the left over dry stuff that you throw out or use as compost when you're done juicing. All of that leftover stuff is the fiber of the plant, something you'd definitely want to consume. Some juicers (think Nutri Bullet) use the entire plant when fine blending it into juice. It's important to be aware of which kind of juice you're drinking... fiber or no fiber.
Likewise, a study published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that the antioxidant content of certain fruits are significantly higher in the whole fruit than they are in the juice of the same fruit. Following this idea, while eating whole fruit can lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, consuming high amounts of fruit juice can raise your risk.
Knowing this data, I'm going to stick to predominantly vegetable based fruit juices and drink them when I need a nutrient boost, not as a staple in my diet. While juicing is a great mainstream trend, nothing can replace whole, raw fruits and veg.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Veggie Variety
Sometimes I notice that I get stuck in a rut when walking down the produce aisle. Week after week the same fruits and veggies appear in my shopping cart. While it's great to have go-to veggies that you enjoy and find easy to include in your weekly meal plan, all fruits and vegetables have a different variety of vitamins and nutrients. By adding one or two fruits or veggies that are slightly outside your comfort zone each week, you increase your chances of consuming a complete range of necessary nutrients. A professor once told me that a good way of thinking about varied fruit and vegetable consumption is to "eat the rainbow." Every day try to eat at least one fruit or veg that's red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. I wish I could say that I do that everyday! Nutritious AND beautiful!
This week I picked up fennel (so out of my comfort zone). I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. Maybe a huge success, maybe an epic fail but it's worth a shot!
Taste the Rainbow...no, not Skittles. |
Monday, November 11, 2013
Steering Clear of Trans Fats
Most of us are aware that trans fats are unhealthy. But do we understand just how detrimental trans fats are to our health and how often they creep into our diet?
Trans fats are created when hydrogen is chemically added to fatty acids, making them more solid. Food producers add hydrogen to make packaged products more stable, creating longer shelf life. Unfortunately for us consumers, solid fats (such as the fat from animal products) are known to increase our bad cholesterol (LDL) and decrease our good cholesterol (HDL). More so, trans fats have been removed from the "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) list. No amount of trans fat is safe for consumption. But it's in so much of our food!!!
What's worse is that a listing of 0 grams trans fat on a food label doesn't necessarily mean 0 grams. By law companies do not have to list any trans fat if the product contains less than 0.5 grams per serving. So hypothetically, we could be eating food all day that contains trans fats but has no trans fat listed, and our chances of contracting heart disease, high cholesterol, and cancer will be skyrocketing.
Personally I find this terrifying. The good news is, you can see if a product contains trans fat by reading the ingredients on the label. Trans fats will be listed as hydrogenated oil or partially hydrogenated oil. So read your food labels and stay away from trans fats!
Trans fats are created when hydrogen is chemically added to fatty acids, making them more solid. Food producers add hydrogen to make packaged products more stable, creating longer shelf life. Unfortunately for us consumers, solid fats (such as the fat from animal products) are known to increase our bad cholesterol (LDL) and decrease our good cholesterol (HDL). More so, trans fats have been removed from the "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) list. No amount of trans fat is safe for consumption. But it's in so much of our food!!!
What's worse is that a listing of 0 grams trans fat on a food label doesn't necessarily mean 0 grams. By law companies do not have to list any trans fat if the product contains less than 0.5 grams per serving. So hypothetically, we could be eating food all day that contains trans fats but has no trans fat listed, and our chances of contracting heart disease, high cholesterol, and cancer will be skyrocketing.
Personally I find this terrifying. The good news is, you can see if a product contains trans fat by reading the ingredients on the label. Trans fats will be listed as hydrogenated oil or partially hydrogenated oil. So read your food labels and stay away from trans fats!
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Coffee Debunked
Stumptown Cold Brew, Seattle WA |
Enjoy one to two cups of coffee a day with a little low fat milk or soy milk and learn to love the flavor without all the added sugar.
Unless of course, we're talking Irish Coffee?
Sipping on a real Irish Coffee in Dingle, Ireland |
Friday, November 8, 2013
A little physiology...
Fuel your body AND indulge your taste buds! |
Our bodies are working hard enough without us consuming toxic food. Food and drink that raise our blood glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc are forcing our bodies to work over time to maintain balance.
The next time you're going to eat something, think about how your body will react to it. After all isn't fueling our bodies the point of eating?
Hi! I'm Amylee...
Welcome to Food Glow!
I'm thrilled to finally start this blog, which will be dedicated to the power of food to keep us healthy, happy, and literally glowing from the inside out. I believe in this philosophy so much that have dedicated my life to food and nutrition- recently starting graduate school to achieve a Master's in Science and the credential of Registered Dietician (MS, RD). Throughout this 5 year process, I will use this blog to share the information I learn, as together we use food and knowledge of nutrition to prevent disease, reverse health complications, and glow our way through life.
Let's get healthy!
'An apple a day'? Fact or fiction? |
Let's get healthy!
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