Nutrition Tips
Read these 70 Nutrition Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Healthy tips and hundreds of other topics.
Why Pineapples are good for you
Bromelain is the name of a family of enzymes derived from pineapple.
Bromelain contains proteolytic enzymes that help split proteins into other fragments such as proteoses and peptones.
Bromelain helps reduce swelling, pain, and inflammation after surgery or injury and has an excellent safety record. Bromelain is also used as a digestive aid, but individuals who are allergic to pineapple should avoid it.
An Apple A Day
An apple is more effective at stimulating and waking us up than any form of caffeine.
When you eat an apple, the available energy sugars are available to you longer than when you drink apple juice or eat applesauce. Be sure to wash your apple before eating. Plain water is fine, or add just one drop of your dishwashing liquid to a bowl of cool water, wash the apple, then rinse and enjoy.
Cooking...WELL!
The best way to prevent bacteria in foods is to make sure that they are completley cooked all the way through.
Use a meat thermometer to cook meats DONE! Cook poultry until it hits an internal temperature of 180 degrees; ground meat, 160 degrees. Cook fish until the meat is opaque or white and flaky, not translucent.
Cook eggs till they are firm and not runny.
Garlic for lowering blood fats
Clinical Study: 600 mg per day of garlic powder in tablet form for two weeks reduced the susceptibility of blood fats to oxidation by 34%
Garlic tablets help reduce odor concerns and because garlic is closely related to onions, the powdered form is easier on the digestion system of sensitive people.
How Much Fruit or Vegetables…Really.
How about NINE servings a day! Fruits and vegetables can give you a head start on avoiding cancer and heart disease or other major ailments. They provide vitamin nutrients and fiber with fewer calories for better weight management.
If you're eating fresh, wash them. Frozen fruits and vegetables are great! Canned fruits and vegetables aren't the bugaboo some people say, so you can safely add servings of canned fruits and vegetables for fiber and nutrients.
Cherries on ice
To keep cherries crisp and cool in the summer heat, mix them with ice cubes or crushed ice; replenish the ice as it melts.
Preventing Bacteria in the Kitchen
Ways to avoid Food Related Illnesses: Making your kitchen safer can help.
Cold temperatures slow growth of many harmful bacteria. Set your refrigerator to maintain a temperature of 40 degrees of lower. Your freezer should be set at zero degrees or below.
Use two cutting boards. One for raw meats, poultry and seafood; the other for ready-to-eat food. Wash the boards in warm, soapy water or rinse well and put them in the dishwasher after each use.
Also Avoid using a wooden cutting board for Meats, chicken, and fish. A plastic cutting board will absorb less bacteria then a wooden one and will be easier to clean and keep bacteria free.
Disinfect sponges in a chlorine bleach solution.
Ways to Successful Nutrition Resolutions
Fuel for your body is necessary to stay healthy, care about exercise and lifestyle management. Get yourself a few tools to help you maintain a plan for good nutrition. Charts regarding recommended food groups, calorie lists, fats lists, serving size recommendations can all work for you to make a resolution to eat healthier successful. These items may be available on the Internet or from your local Extension office at no cost. Inexpensive copies can be made from library resources.
I have found it helpful to make menus. This gives me a nutrition plan, plus saving me time and money because menus eliminate impulse planning and shopping. I like to plan two weeks of menus and remember that they don't have to be used in exact order.
I have found it's best to respond early when offered foods I feel won't benefit my health plans. For me, it's a weight problem. For others the problem may be food sensitivity. When offered, politely refuse before you become offended or offensive. A phrase which works for me: "I have found I feel better if I don't eat that particular food."
My family likes to use the principles in the Zone Diet recommendations for a nutrition pattern because it works in practical percentages. The sensible recommendations and information about the body's use of food can apply to weight loss, gain or maintenance. Sensible plans are easier for us to develop into habits and habits are what I want to come from a successful resolution. There are many books and magazine articles about this plan as well as information on the Internet.
Fibromyalgia AND caffeine
Fibromyalgia is intense, continuous muscle pain. Sometimes diet, or injury aggravates it.
For pain relief from fibromyalgia, consider cutting back on your caffeine intake. Experts say that caffeine can contribute to muscle pain.
Purifying Water
When you are unsure of the safety of your water supply, you should purify all water used for drinking, cooking and washing utensils. You can also purify the water used for washing hands, body, and kitchen and bathroom surfaces.
Do not use water that has a dark color or an odor or that contains floating material.
Unless you are absolutely certain that ice is free of contamination, it should not be used in drinks or in direct contact with foods. Ice that is melted for drinking should be decontaminated.
To disinfect water, use one of the following methods:
*Boil at a rolling boil for 10 minutes. This is the safest method of purifying water and ensures destruction of bacteria and some organisms that are resistant to chemical sanitizers.
*Add four drops of liquid chlorine bleach per quart of water (16 drops per gallon). Make sure the bleach is unscented and has no active ingredients other than 5.25 percent sodium hypochlorite.
*Add 20 drops of 2 percent iodine per gallon of clear water or 40 drops per gallon of cloudy water.
*Add water purification tablets according to directions on the package. These tablets can be bought at most drug and sporting goods stores.
*Thoroughly mix these solutions and let the water stand for at least 30 minutes before using.
To lessen the flat taste of boiled water, pour the water back and forth several times between two clean containers.
Purified water is safe for an indefinite period if stored in thoroughly cleaned and sanitized containers and recontamination is avoided.
Cauliflower - check your pot
Don't cook cauliflower in an aluminum or iron pot. Because of the chemical compounds in cauliflower, contact with the aluminum turns the vegetable yellow, while an iron pot turns it brown or blue-green. **Instead use Stainless steel or microwave cauliflower.
Remember, cauliflower is one of the tender veggies; just a little cooking goes a long way! Try adding a dash of curry powder to cooked cauliflower for a change of pace taste.
No Bad Foods
There are no bad foods ... only bad food choices. To put together a list of foods you should not eat would not be right. You should instead learn to limit foods which includes portion control and frequency.
Eating a "not-so-good for you" food every once in awhile is fine. Just make sure that when you eat that food, you eat a sensible portion rather than the whole carton, box, or bag.
Fibromyalgia, Arthritis and the Nightshade Family
Fibromyalgia is considered to be related to the arthritis family of diseases. It is sometimes called muscle arthritis. There is some evidence that foods belonging to the night shade family, such as potatoes or tomatoes can contribute to arthritis pain. Consider the possibility that eating less of these foods could help with pain for either fibromyalgia or arthritis.
Sources of Lycopene
Lycopene is the red pigment found in such foods as tomatoes, red peppers, pink grapefruit, and watermelon. Like beta-carotine which gives carrots, squash, and other yellow and orange fruits and vegetables their color, lycopene is a cancer fighting antioxidant which may trap destructive free radicals even better than beta-carotene does.
Tomatoes are the best lycopene source and because lycopene is not destroyed by cooking or processing eating tomato sauce is an excellent way to get a good supply of this most healthy pigment.
Findings about lycopene were reported in the International Journal of Cancer.
Preparing Beans
Beans are an excellent food that should be part of every healthy diet.
In one cheap package of dried beans you get proteins, complex carbohydrates, soluble fiber, and important vitamins and minerals.
Cooking beans:
First look through the beans for any rocks or foreign objects that may not have been removed before packaging.
Wash and soak them according to package instructions. When cooking after soaking, add 1/2 a fresh apple or a raw potato to the cooking water. Remove the apple or potato after cooking. Adding the apple or potato affects the gas and misery associated with eating beans. I can't promise you it will remove the gas entirely, but it should relieve some gas pain.
For a complete high protein, low fat meal, combine beans with a grain such as rice or corn.
keeping picnic foods cool
Chill Out for Food Safety: When you are transporting food in coolers, put the ice on TOP of the food, not below it. Cold air sinks, so putting ice beneath the food will not keep it cold enough. There are many handy freeze packs available. A plastic jug filled nearly full with water and frozen will help keep your cooler cool without a lot of mess. Take a cooler with you to the Super Market and put perishables such as frozen foods, meat, milk and eggs into it. Produce can go inside the cooler too, if there is room.
Sweet Potatoes / Yams
For both nutritious and dining pleasure, treat yourself to a sweet potato soon. Sweet potatoes are so tasty that they should be considered a dessert and they are good for you too.
Sweet Potatoes are rich in fiber. A 5 inch by 2 inch baked sweet potato contains more than three grams of dietary fiber - comparable to a packet of instant oatmeal. That same sweet potato contains about 118 calories, most of them from complex carbohydrates, so it will fill you up and leave you feeling satisfied. Sweet potatoes are also a great source of vitamin A.
They're not hard to prepare: Just prick them several times with a fork and bake at 350 degrees for 45 or 50 minutes. Or, if you're in a hurry, prick with a fork and microwave on high for 6-8 minutes or until tender.
Sweet potatoes really don't need any dressing up. Try eating them plain to let the natural flavors come through or sprinkle them with Butter Buds and a dash of cinnamon.
In case you can't locate Sweet Potatoes in your produce department, try yams instead they have the same pleasant eating experience.
Avoid mushy veggies
Avoid overcooking fruits and vegetables when you are preparing them. Some vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower cook much faster than others such as carrots. I can never understand why broccoli, cauliflower and carrots are combined for a vegetable blend! If the carrots get done, there's nothing left of the cauliflower and broccoli!
For best nutrition, let those carrots stay firm and don't destroy the other vegetables
Drink temperature - absorption of drinks
Research shows that cool drinks - 40 to 50 degrees - are absorbed more quickly than lukewarm ones.
The cooler temperature (not freezing), may actually help ease your thirst more too.
Cooler water also forces the body to warm the water up during digestion and may burn more calories then lukewarm water.
Remember to consume a lot of liquids, especially cool water.
Egg Nutrition Basics
Eggs are perfect sources of protein.
The only downside is that they are high in cholesterol at 213 mg per egg. Actually, it is the egg yolk that you need to be concerned with in regards to cholesterol. I recommend only eating 3 to 4 whole eggs per week. You may eat as many egg whites as you please.
The yolk of the egg is not all bad. Actually, it contains a number of different vitamins that are very healthy. So, yes, it is okay to eat the yolk, just limit the number you eat per week.
Running water
To help decrease the lead content in your drinking water, flush your tap water by simply running cold water until it gets noticably cold, usually 15- 30 seconds.
If your house has a lead service line to the water main, you may have to flush the water for a longer time.
To conserve water, fill a couple of bottles of water after flushing the tap, and use unflushed water to wash dishes or water plants.
Making Stock: Trim the fat
A well-made stock contains very little fat.
Begin by trimming all meat and bones of visible fat, and finish by either skimming the stock carefully while still warm or chilling the stock so that the fat forms a solid layer and is easily removed.
Alternatively, and easiest yet, use an inexpensive gravy separator.
Onions: good or bad?
Onions are a low-fat food, but the same can't be said for onion rings. Sixty percent of the 160 calories in four onion rings (about 1.5 ounces) come from fat.
Foods such as onion rings and their accompanying batter can be a rare treat when you are dieting. Remember, these fats can upset your digestion more than you would expect, so always take it easy with them.
Drink water
Water is essential for a healthy life but yet many people drink less than what is optimum for their health.
Not drinking enough water can make you feel tired with a lack of energy and you may find it hard to concentrate.
As a general rule, an adult should drink between 1 1/2 and 2 quarts of water per day.
Note that the water can also come from beverages like juices, milk, and other drinks. As long as the drinks do not have any caffeine in them.
Shrinking Veggies
Greens cook down considerably from their raw volume: One pound of raw greens will yield about 1/2 cup cooked.
Fresh greens, especially spinach are so tasty, you might want to buy two bundles and avoid under estimating your family's appetite!
Spinach is a real chameleon of veggies. Canned spinach is it's own character. Fresh or frozen spinach have a totally different personality.
What is insulin?
Insulin is sometimes called the hunger hormone because it stimulates people to eat.
When insulin is released in normal people minutes after they start eating, it may cause them to feel hungrier than they thought they were when they started eating.
But upon completing their meal they feel satisfied - their insulin level drops and their brains get the signal to stop eating.
Increasing fiber in your diet
Increase fiber intake slowly.
A gradual increase of about 5 additional grams (equivalent to 2 slices of whole wheat bread, 2 servings of most fruits or vegetables, or 1 bowl of high fiber cereal) per day is best.
Increasing fiber consumption too rapidly may may result in flatulence and bloating.
Eating out on a lowfat diet
To reduce fat at restaurants, order all foods without butter or margarine, mayonaise, gravy, sauces, salad dressing, etc.
Add your own "on the side" topping to control portions.
Ask for less to be served as well. Some establishments like to be over generous with whipped butter for example. You are not obligated to eat all they serve you!
Better off with fresh
If you're interested in adding antioxidants to your daily intake, start by eating fresh fruits and vegetables rather than taking most supplements claiming antioxidant powers.
The USDA Agricultural Research Service, which tested 46 "natural products" that claim to disarm cell-damaging free radicals. Berry, grape seed, and pine bark supplements (pycnogenol) varied all over the map in antioxidant power - as much as a 525-fold difference. There are no standards for such products, and no way to know what you're getting.
Seedy Cholesterol Management
Looking for foods which will help with cholesterol management can be more fun than dodging foods which are dangerous.
Grape skins and seeds contain a compound that actually helps lower cholesterol, so it's even easier to justify treating yourself to these scrumptious sweeties.
Smart Snacking with Popcorn
Popcorn can be used as an after-dinner reward instead of dessert. Cooked in an air popper, it contains 40 to 50 calories per cup.
Popcorn's calories are carbohydrates; remember not to eat too many servings.
Vegetables in Your Diet
Vegetables are an excellent source of Vitamins A and C, and folate.
In addition, they provide minerals, including iron and magnesium, and they are an excellent source of carbohydrates.
Vegetables are also naturally low in dietary fat. This is good news for people losing weight.
Heartburn and Onions
Avoid most raw onions. When eating a spicy meal, it is often the onions that are the cause of your heartburn. Certain onions have been found to not cause this problem, such as; Texas sweet onions, Maui, and the Walla Walla variety.
Because onions can be good for us and their flavor appeals to us, use onion juice or powdered onion in cooking if you have a sensitivity to onions. The fiber in the onions seems to be the culprit for stomach rejection!
Cauliflower - check your pot
Don't cook cauliflower in an aluminum or iron pot. Because of the chemical compounds in cauliflower, contact with the aluminum turns the vegetable yellow, while an iron pot turns it brown or blue-green. **Instead use Stainless steel or microwave cauliflower.
Remember, cauliflower is one of the tender veggies; just a little cooking goes a long way! Try adding a dash of curry powder to cooked cauliflower for a change of pace taste.
Peas: Avoid Overcooking!
If peas are cooked too long or in too much water, they can lose one-third of their vitamin C content.
Pouring frozen peas into boiling water and letting them cook just until that water boils again is about enough! Peas cook very fast! Try adding some chopped ham and a dash of sage to your cooking peas for a change of pace.
Fish Oils for Health
It has been shown that fish oils can reduce your risk of stroke.
Even small amounts of fish - less than an ounce per day - reduces the risk of stroke in men by half.
The reason is that fish is high in omega-3 oils that apparently thin blood and counteract clotting.
Tuna, salmom, trout and herring are good sources for this oil.
Extra Produce
I often end up with a little extra fresh produce. Either a friend's garden has been shared or there was a bargain at the market. I don't want to waste this small amount, so I prepare it for freezing or canning according to instructions. A few extra ears of sweet corn, for example, can be stored in doubled sandwich bags and frozen for a wonderful treat later.
Rice in your diet
North Americans tend to ingest too much salt, fat and protein. In contrast, the diets of almost half the rest of the world's population consist of 80-90% rice. Our bodies need three times more carbohydrates than protein or fat, according to Moscoviz. "Rice offers a form of protein that is easily assimilated by the body, and the protein content of rice surpasses the others in the grain groups in its amino-acid structure."
There are several different types of rice, such as brown, wild and basmati which can offer you variety in your rice dishes. While rice may be high in proteins, it needs to be considered a starch on your menu and accompanied by other meat-type proteins.
Veggie Cancer Protection
One of the best ways to dramatically cut your cancer risk is to eat more vegetables.
Several veggies are high in anti-oxidants, which are believed to be a good cancer preventative in the diet. Veggies provide fiber in the diet which is also a good cancer preventative, especially intestinal types.
First kinds of veggies to choose are in the brassica family: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts
Budding Potatoes
To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
Healthy Grilling
Outdoor grilling isn't the healthiest way of eating-smoke and fire can produce carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemicals in foods-but there are ways to make grilling safer.
Try the following:
*When lighting the grill, use a chimney lighter, not charcoal-lighting fluid or self-lighting packages of charcoal. These leave residues from toxic chemicals on your food.
*If possible, use an electric grill-they produce little if any smoke compared to charcoal or gas grills.
*Avoid high-temperature grilling of foods that contain fat and protein, such as hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken. Fat and oil can drip, causing smoke fires. Trim all excess fat from your cuts of meat.
*Precook your meats in the oven or on the stove, and then finish them off on the grill to get that barbecued flavor. Make sure all meat is cooked thoroughly, but not charred or blackened.
Water a day
A normal person should drink at least a gallon of water every day.
Not liquids in general - WATER.
Water is good for digestion, calorie-free, and inexpensive.
Grape It for Lower Cholesterol
Studies indicate there are elements in GRAPE skins and seeds and in GRAPEfruit which help lower and maintain good ratings of cholesterol.
An elegent way to eat your grapes: Freeze red or white seedless grapes, either singley or on the stems and eat them FROZEN. A cool, SWEET treat.
Salt on Tap
Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor found an average of 278 mg of sodium per quart in water from homes with water softeners. The softeners add sodium to water to remove calcium and magnesium. Given that Americans consume an average of 2.5 quarts of water a day, the sodium in softened water can amount to 695 mg a day. That's a significant chunk of the recommended daily intake of 2400 mg for the average person.
Mediterranean Diet
A Mediterranian type diet can not only help prevent heart disease but cure damage that has already been done. Researchers put a group of 300 heart disease patients on a Mediterranian diet(bread, vegetables, fish, and olive oil)and found they had less than 1/3 as many heart attacks as another group on standard diets.
Popularity of Veggies in the U.S.A.
Lettuces rank a close second to potatoes as the most popular fresh vegetable in the United States.
Lettuce consists mostly of water and is a cool treat. I suspect we prefer it because we like salad dressing! But next time, try your salad without dressing and enjoy the mild flavor of lettuce and the taste of the other items in your salad.
Blueberries - King of Antioxidants
Blueberries contain the most powerful amounts of antioxidant then any fresh vegetable or fruit. It may also come as a surprise to many that blueberries are just as beneficial as cranberries when it comes to preventing urinary tract infections.
So why not add some to fruit salads, toss on your morning cereal, or even make blueberry muffins.
Sweeter then Sugar
Because Honey is TWICE as sweet as sugar, the desired sweetness can be achieved with less, resulting in lower caloric intake.
Honey is a good source of energy at 63 calories per tablespoon. Honey is more than sweet, It is also a source of riboflavin, thiamin, ascorbic acid, and varying amounts of minerals.
Honey also contains elements which affect the browning of baked goods using honey as the sugar. I especially like to add it to my flapjack recipes. Just a little increases the browning action tremendously.
Cucumbers have fiber!
A single 8-inch cucumber (weighing 10 ounces) provides 12% of the minimum amount of fiber experts recommend for daily consumption.
Cucumbers are good fresh in salads or freshly marinated in a vinegar/salt solution. Pickling extras from your garden isn't difficult and takes the cucumber goodness into the long winter season for you.
Trigger Foods for Headaches
Some foods have been linked with headaches and can be avoided or eaten in moderation.
List: Smoked meats, many cheeses (especially cheese curds), bananas, chocolate, nuts, monosodium glutamate (most often found in Chinese food and packaged seasonings), nitrates (found in hot dogs, bacon and pepperoni) and the biggie: CAFFEINE.
Eat broccoli to be cancer free
This is a nice review article, summarizing many other studies (and there are a lot!) to determine the beneficial effects of brassica family vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts) on cancer risk.
They conclude: "high consumption of brassica vegetables is associated with a decreased risk of cancer. This association appears to be most consistent for lung, stomach, colon, and rectal cancer and least consistent for prostatic, endometrial, and ovarian cancer."
So, eat that broccoli! For a flavor change add one or more of the following herbs to the cooking water:
1. a little crushed Thyme or
2. a small bay leaf
3. a little garlic powder
Necessary Fats
Do not completely cut out fat from your diet. Recent studies have shown that athletic performance and the immune systems suffer when athletes got less than 15% of their daily calories from fat. Try to get 20-25% of your calories from fat, and focus on natural, non-saturated choices such as those found in olive oil, avocados, nuts, and cold-water fish such as salmon.
How much wine?
You know the rule: one alcoholic drink a day for women and two alcoholic drinks for men.
Studies show that even that may be too much for maximum longevity. A recent study of more than 40,000 adults found that people with the lowest risk of dying were women who averaged less than one drink a day and men who averaged less than two drinks a day.
Early Bird Cholesterol Help
Skipping breakfast leads to higher cholesterol levels than when you eat a good breakfast.
What makes a good breakfast? High fiber, ready-to eat cereals with skim milk are a good buy for your health and your pocketbook. Check your lists of cholesterol benefit foods and choose wisely for a good breakfast. There may even be some finger type items you can eat at your desk if you aren't ready for breakfast as soon as you wake up.
Weekend Eating
Break the habit of getting to Monday 5 pounds heavier and having to lose that "extra" weight before Friday.
Adjust your eating and exercise on weekends to fit your schedule.
Keep healthy foods on hand to help you eat well and not gain weight.
Baking substitution - adding fiber to a recipe
In baking, for 1 cup white flour, you may use the following substitutions:
1. 1 cup whole wheat flour minus 2 tablespoons
2. 1/2 cup white flour plus 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3. 3/4 cup white flour and 1/4 cup wheat germ or 1/4 cup 100% bran
Increasing Energy
Will ginseng increase your energy?
Panax ginseng may provide a short term boost similar to that in a cup of coffee.
Siberian ginseng may help you work under stressful conditions.
Neither supplement will boost your energy resources to compare to that of a youngster.
When ginseng does give the user a boost like caffiene, ginseng appears to take effect more gently and last longer.
Use moderation in your use and choice of energy stimulants. The way to increase energy for the long hall is to use good nutrition, develop good rest patterns, and get regular exercise.
Tearless onions
No more stinging or burning eyes when chopping onions. Cut them near a flame and the sulfur compounds released from the onions will burn off before they reach your eyes. You can also try lighting a candle near the cutting board.
Dont forget to blow out the flame when finished!
Washing fruits and veggies
Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before handling food and when switching from raw foods to cooked.
Wash raw fruits and vegetables under running water before eating them.
You can add just a drop of dishwashing detergent or some salt to the water for washing fresh produce.
I also keep a spray bottle with a chlorine bleach and dishwashing detergent solution handy for cleaning counters, tabletops and a swipe at those cutting boards.
How to calculate fats
Very lean meat or meat substitutes contain 7 grams of protein, 0 to 1 fat gram, and 35 calories per "exchange." (An exchange is typically a 1-ounce serving of meat; amounts vary for items like cottage cheese and peanut butter.)
*Lean meat or meat substitutes contain 7 grams of protein, 3 grams of fat, and 55 calories per exchange.
*Medium-fat meat and substitutes contain 7 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat, and 75 calories per exchange.
*High-fat meat and substitutes contain 7 grams of protein, 8 grams of fat, and 100 calories per exchange. (Incidentally, two tablespoons of peanut butter equals one high-fat meat exchange plus two fat exchanges. But don't shy away from peanut butter. Its unsaturated fat is good for you.)
Fat intake and weight loss
Choose foods low in fat. Reduce total fat intake from 35% (the daily average for Americans) to 25% or less. Substitute sauces, cheese, ice cream, pastries, red meats, sausage, bacon or deep-fried items with salads, beans, whole grains, fishm, fowl, lean meat and low-fat yogurt.
Natural Peanut Butter or Not?
Findings have shown that "natural" peanut butters may have no trans fat, but that the supermarket brands which contain partially hydrogenated oils actually have only an insignificant amount of trans fat. All peanut butter, by law, must contain at least 90% peanuts. Some brand names have "partially hydrogenated oil" on the list of ingredient right behind PEANUTS. This oil is used to keep the peanut butter oils from separating, which most of us prefer.
Tests have shown that supermarket brands actually contain 0.05 grams or less trans fat per tablespoon. This measure is at least 10 times below the cutoff point where something can be declared trans fat-free. The measure means you would have to eat 40 tablespoons of peanut butter to get 1 gram of trans fat.
Diet related disorders
Nutritional disorders are caused by either a lack of certain nutrients in a diet or by the body not correctly using consumed nutrients. They can also be caused by to much of a certain substance in the diet, such as carbohydrates. Many other health conditions can result from an excess of a certain food.
Conditions such as appendicitis, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome are aggravated by a diet rich in refined carbohydrates or low in fiber. Note that foods rich in fiber are essential ingredients in any balanced diet.
A diet rich in saturated fats causes increased levels of cholesterol and fat in your blood, leaving you at risk for artherosclerosis.
Heavy drinkers often replace healthy foods with alcohol, and thus develop nutritional disorders.
Other people, especially adolescent girls, may experience nutritional disorders caused by fad or crash diets.
Pectin and Cholesterol
Don't leave the produce section without checking out the grapefruits. Studies at the University of Florida found that eating one and a half cups of grapefruit sections a day lowered cholesterol levels by more than 7 percent in two months. Grapefruits are rich in a fiber called pectin that binds with dietary fat and cholesterol, then escorts them out of your body before they can be absorbed into your blood stream.
Another way to get more pectin in youir diet is to eat more carrots. Researchers have found eating two carrots a day can lower cholesterol 10 to 20 percent.
How much fat?
Here's a simple way to remember the maximum grams of fat per day you should NOT exceed to stay healthy.
Simply divide your IDEAL body weight in half. For example, if 120 lbs is what you should weigh, do not consume more than 60 grams of fat per day.
To lose weight, much less is recommended.
Broccoli - nutrients
Broccoli is a very highly under appreciated vegetable! Eaten fresh, it's a tasty relish. It can be chopped and added to many fresh veggie salads or steamed and make an excellent side dish.
By weight, fresh broccoli that has been boiled and drained has 16% more vitamin C than an orange, and roughly as much calcium as milk.
Storing greens
Greens need air — it's the lack of air that accelerates rusting and rot. To prolong the life of your salad greens, keep them upright, if possible, and in perforated bags. Some storage-bag makers now sell perforated bags that allow air and moisture in and out. But to make your own, put your greens in a sealable plastic bag and make multiple stabs with a small, thin knife to enable circulation.
Fresh is best!
When picking leafy greens at the market, choose whole heads of lettuces, mustard greens, escarole, and romaine instead of “salad in a bag” varieties. You'll save money and they'll last longer. (The exception is spinach, which may cost more whole than bagged due to the weight of the stems and dirt they usually contain).
Fresh is best!
When picking leafy greens at the market, choose whole heads of lettuces, mustard greens, escarole, and romaine instead of “salad in a bag” varieties. You'll save money and they'll last longer. (The exception is spinach, which may cost more whole than bagged due to the weight of the stems and dirt they usually contain).
| Guru Spotlight |
| Tammi Reynolds |
