Diet and Nutrition

The Other Food Pyramid: What Harvard’s Has that MyPlate Doesn’t

By Jill Buonomo

Many people grew up learning to base their food choices on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Pyramid, which was recently reinvented as MyPlate. The updated guidelines, communicated via a simple, color-coded graphic, are focused on proper portions of the four major food groups. The plate is divided into sections for proteins, grains, fruits and vegetables — with a glass of milk beside it representing the dairy group.

But does it go far enough? The researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and Medical School didn’t think so. They’ve created their own guidelines, dubbed the Healthy Eating Plate. The Harvard guidelines are presented as a more specific alternative to the USDA’s MyPlate; an option based on science and created without any political or commercial pressures from food industry lobbyists.

The Harvard Difference

The Healthy Eating Plate is similar to USDA’s MyPlate in that it’s a colorful and graphical representation of a healthy diet. But it goes much further in terms of distinguishing healthy choices within each food group.

For example, a vegetable is not a vegetable in the eyes of the Harvard nutritionists. While the vegetable section is the largest, they suggest forgoing potatoes (and by extension, French fries) altogether. Likewise, whole grains are recommended over refined options like white rice and white bread. (more…)

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Health Buzz

Robin Miller Helps Home Cooks Create 500 Calorie Meals with 5 Ingredients

Picture this: It’s 5:00pm and you’ve yet to think about what you’re having for dinner that evening. If you have a family of picky eaters to feed and you’re trying to lose or maintain a healthy weight, it can be hard to pull together a balanced, nutritious meal on the fly.

“Think the “Take 5″ way,” said Robin Miller, host of the Food Network’s Quick Fix Meals and author of Robin Takes 5. “Carefully select five key, flavorful ingredients and you’ll need little else to pull a great meal together.”

Miller’s favorite standby pantry ingredients include oil-packed sundried tomatoes (drain away the oil and save the wonderful, tomato-infused oil for sautéing chicken and vegetables another night), marinated artichoke hearts (save the marinade for home-made dressings and marinades), jarred roasted red peppers, capers and stuffed olives. “Strong cheeses (such as blue, goat, feta, smoked Gouda, Parmesan) are great because a little goes a long way,” said Miller. “Toasted nuts (almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, pecans) add flavor, crunch and protein.”

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Posted on October 19, 2024 by Maris

A Mushroom a Day Helps Keep Breast Cancer Away

By Karen Sherwood for NutritiousAmerica.com

Mushrooms have long been considered a medicinal food in eastern cultures, touted for their anti-inflammatory properties and range of micronutrients.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s new book, “Super Immunity, The Essential Guide for Boosting Your Body’s Defenses to Live Longer, Stronger, and Disease Free,” presents new research on multiple foods including mushrooms. Specifically mushrooms in relation to their immunity boosting and cancer preventative properties.

WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT MUSHROOMS?

Mushrooms contain three important compounds that make them cancer fighting soldiers — Anitgen Binding Lectins, Aromatase Inhibitors, and Anti-Angiogenic Properties. Big words with really big fighting power.

Mushrooms contain ABL, Antigen Binding Lectins, proteins which bind to abnormal cancer cells and activate the bodies defense system against them. ABL also works to be sure that the body does not replicate abnormal cells hence preventing the spread of cancerous cells and tumors.

In relation to breast cancer, mushrooms help the body reduce the level of estrogen and prevent estrogen from stimulating breast tissue through compounds called aromatase inhibitors. Estrogen plays an important role in the development of breast cancer, so mushrooms certainly have a protective effect. (more…)

Posted on October 19, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Diet Beats Genes in Heart Attack Risk

If you are genetically predisposed to a health condition, it may make you feel hopeless. According to a new study, you may be able to beat genetics with a healthy diet.

The researchers found the gene that is the biggest indicator for whether or not a person will be predisposed to heart disease can be modified simply by eating a good amount of fruit and raw vegetables.

“We know that 9p21 genetic variants increase the risk of heart disease for those that carry it,” said Dr. Jamie Engert, joint principal investigator for the study, and a cardiovascular disease researcher at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. “But it was a surprise to find that a healthy diet could significantly weaken its effect.”

“Our research suggests there may be an important interplay between genes and diet in cardiovascular disease,” says the study’s lead author Dr. Ron Do. (more…)

Posted on October 19, 2024 by Jason

Health Benefits of Beets

A few weeks ago, I decided to dust off my juicer that has been sitting in the back of my pantry for years. It was one of those things, you know, out of sight out of mind. There are positives and negatives to juicing… but to my mind, as long as you don’t look at it as replacing your fruit and vegetable servings, you are able to get much more variety and many more nutrients than most people would otherwise.

One vegetable that I just don’t incorporate into my diet is beets. For most of my life they have been one of the few foods that I have had an aversion to. Later in life, I started to occasionally put them on my salads when hitting a restaurant salad bar, but otherwise they are absent from my meals. Until now. (more…)

Posted on October 19, 2024 by Jason

McDonald’s Installs McTV in 800 U.S. Restaurants

Have you ever wished you could catch your favorite shows while chowing down on a cheeseburger? McDonald’s customers in the U.S. will soon be able to. Though seemingly incongruous with the notion of “fast food,” McDonald’s will offer the new McTV network in 800 McDonald’s restaurants across Southern California and Las Vegas.

The network, which  could reach nearly 20 million viewers per month, will feature entertainment, news, sports and video content for Quarter Pounder connoisseurs. Programs will be shown on a one-hour cycle, eight minutes of which will be dedicated to commercials. The in-store channel, which will be customized by restaurant location, is a joint venture between McDonald’s and ChannelPort Communications LLC. According to AOL TV, if it’s successful, it could be rolled out in restaurants nationally.

Leland Edmondson, founder of ChannelPort, told AOL TV “The intention is to catch and engage the customer, and then enhance their experience.”

(more…)

Posted on October 19, 2024 by Maris

Vegucated Documentary Makes its US Debut

Vegucated Movie PosterIn the documentary Vegucated, filmmaker Marisa Miller Wolfson sets out to show how the vegan lifestyle can be adopted by anyone. It follows three New Yorkers of different backgrounds as they adopt a plant-based diet for six weeks, and then asks them if they’ll go back to eating as they did before. After winning the prize for the Best Documentary Feature at the Toronto Indie Film Festival, Vegucated debuted in the U.S. last week in NYC with a screening and a Q&A with the director and cast.

Although most of the audience members at the New York screening were already vegans, the film serves as an introduction to the vegan diet. None of Wolfson’s subjects had ever been vegan before, and the film teaches viewers the basic tenets  of veganism along with Ellen, Tesla, and Brian.

To illustrate the health benefits of a vegan diet, Wolfson takes her subjects to see Dr. Joel Fuhrman before and after the six-week experiment. Fuhrman specializes in helping patients achieve  better health by adopting a plant-based diet and is the author of several books on the subject, including Eat to Live and Eat for Health.

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Posted on October 18, 2024 by Margaret

Fall in Love with Apples Again

Mary Hartley, RD, MPH, is the director of nutrition for Calorie Count, providing domain expertise on issues related to nutrition, weight loss and health. She creates original content for weekly blogs and newsletters, for the Calorie Count library, and for her popular daily Question-and-Answer section, Ask Mary. Ms. Hartley also furnishes direction for the site features and for product development.

“Surely the Apple is the noblest of fruits” said Henry Thoreau.

For sure, apples are one of the basic foods, and all basic foods have nutritional benefits. But in this age of super-fruits, people want to know, what up with an apple?

Apple Nutrition

Question: “Is one apple healthier than another?
Answer: No

Apple nutrition is just a matter of size. A larger apple simply has more nutrients. Apples can be as small as a cherry or as big as a grapefruit. One medium apple is 3-inches measured across the middle.

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Posted on October 18, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Eat Healthy While Still Saving Money

Diana Johnson (@DianasaurDishes on Twitter) is a recipe developer, cooking instructor and food blogger who loves teaching people how easy and affordable healthy cooking can be. Visit DianasaurDishes.com for her delicious, easy and healthy recipes on a shoestring budget!

I work on a regular basis with low income families who are trying to change their eating habits. The biggest barrier they seem to have in common is not a lack of desire for healthy eating, but the feeling that healthy food is more expensive and therefore unattainable. Here are a few of my favorite tips for saving money on groceries in the quest for a healthy diet.

Utilize your freezer.
A freezer is one of the greatest tools you have. In fact, if you have room for a standalone freezer they’re easily found on Craigslist and can save you a lot of money in the long run. Fruits and vegetables are more affordable in season, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a variety of produce year round. Freezing is one of the least expensive methods of preserving. You can also create cheap recipes like soups and stews in bulk and freeze them in smaller portions for fast and easy dinners.

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Posted on October 18, 2024 by GuestBlogger

5 Foods to Reduce the Appearance of Cellulite

By Abra Pappa for NutritiousAmerica.com

I am asked more frequently about cellulite in my practice than any other health concern. It is the plea from women everywhere, the curse of generations. “Why me?” I have spent hours in session hearing the cellulite lament.

Thanks to the media’s use of airbrushing we are bombarded with unrealistic images of women with perfectly smooth legs and not an ounce of cellulite. One can feel like they are all alone on cellulite island, like the only woman in the world that has “orange peel” skin (I refuse to liken cellulite to cottage cheese, I refuse!) In this era of “false” perfectionism it is difficult to embrace our imperfect selves, and really, really difficult to embrace our cellulite. I always encourage my clients to release the negative focus on those dimply thighs. It’s amazing how cellulite begins to disappear when you magically stop drawing attention to it. That is a great first step toward feeling better about your and your body, we are all imperfect in the most perfectly beautiful way. (more…)

Posted on October 17, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Disguise Your Halloween Party as a Guilt-Free Good Time

While some Halloween activities are geared towards children, there are plenty of ways to celebrate as an adult that don’t involve the words “trick or treat.”

If you want to celebrate the most ghoulish holiday of the year with your grown-up friends, think a little classier than candy and round up your scariest snacks and creepiest cocktail recipes to scare up some Halloween party fun.

Offer creepy and crawly (if any) candy. When you’re watching your weight, it’s always best to avoid candy and processed sugar. On Halloween,  if you have your heart set on eating Halloween candy, serve the creepy-crawly variety. Gummy worms and spiders, although high in sugar, are often fat-free and will do less damage to your diet than creamy or chocolate candy.

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Posted on October 17, 2024 by Maris