Boost Your Health With The Mighty Berry

There are so many different types of berries out there and you may be wondering which berries are the best to eat. The truth is all berries are good, but some people prefer sweet over tart, and the simple texture and taste of certain berries. One of my favorite berries is the blueberry because it has the most antioxidants when compared to other berries. Other berries have on average 3 or 4 antioxidants, while blueberries have 20 kinds of anthocyanin or antioxidants (arthritistoday.org). Antioxidants are essential for obtaining and maintaining a healthy lifestyle and they can also help infection, inflammation, and other bodily problems. Berries also contain phytochemicals and flavanoids that prevent several different types of cancer (nutrition.about.com).

Besides antioxidants, berries also have a great amount of fiber and other essential vitamins. A very common berry that people tend to consume is the strawberry, which is packed with more vitamin C than an orange in a single cup serving! Blackberries and raspberries are completely loaded with...drumroll...a total of 8 grams of fiber per one cup serving! Now that's an easy and delicious way to incorporate fiber into your daily diet. With the amount of fiber in berries you will be more satisfied and full and your digestive tract will also be regulated and that makes us all feel good. Berries can also boost your overall mood because they are packed with so much nutrients, so incorporate a serving of berries throughout your daily eating habits.

Incorporating berries into your daily eating habits is easier than you think, for example at breakfast you can add berries to just about anything you would normally eat such as oatmeal, cold cereal, or yogurt. At lunchtime you can add berries into your salad for added sweetness, flavor, and texture. The natural sweetness or tartness of the berry will make you use less salad dressing which cuts down on added calories. Even for a sweet snack or dessert, you can add your favorite berry or a whole variety of berries with some whipped cream or just by themselves in a small bowl. Your dessert can turn out to be one of the healthiest things you'll eat all day (now does that sound like the perfect world to you! Well welcome to the wonderful world of berries!). You don't have to worry if a berry is in season either because you're actually better off buying frozen berries, similar to choosing frozen vegetables, because they are frozen at the peak of their nutritional excellence.

The New and Improved Food Pyramid You Should Be Following

There's a new food pyramid that you should be following instead of the traditional food pyramid that we all know too well. The new and improved food pyramid that I'm referring to is called the Harvard food pyramid and yes it sounds just as smart as it is. As opposed to the traditional American food pyramid, the Harvard food pyramid emphasises exercise and daily physical activity in order to maintain a healthy and consistent weight. The older food pyramid on the other hand, emphasises carbs...hmmm which one do you think is correct so far? Next the Harvard pyramid suggests that people should consume more good oils such as canola and extra virgin olive oil along with whole grains. The older pyramid simply states that you should eat carbs, but what you should really be consuming are whole grains paired with good and heart healthy oils. I believe that people are becoming more and more confused with the old food pyramid because they think that eating carbs (white and empty) are healthy and should be consumed throughout the day. The first thing that people have to pay attention to is maintaining a healthy weight through daily exercise and not so much on eating their 6-11 servings of "carbs". The Harvard pyramid places the white/empty carbs at the very top of the pyramid instead of at the very bottom. The bad carbs are just as evil as fats and sweets and should only be eaten in moderation.

Another good piece of advice to follow from the Harvard pyramid is the next section which is fruits and vegetables. I really like the fact that they don't give you a serving suggestion to vegetables, they simply state in abundance. The pyramid does suggest eating only 2-3 servings of fruit a day which I also agree with because as opposed to vegetables fruit can pack a lot of natural sugar but don't worry because if you eat the skin from the fruit you'll counteract some of that sugar with the fiber from the skin. Tropical fruits such as bananas, mangoes, and coconuts possess more natural sugars when compared to other fruits such as apples. The Harvard pyramid then suggests the importance eating of nuts and legumes. Nuts are essential for heart health and they possess a great amount of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (good fats), along with protein and antioxidants.

One of the most important and biggest difference between the two pyramids is how much meat, poultry, and fish a person should consume on a daily basis. The Harvard pyramid suggests that you should consume 0-2 servings a day while the traditional pyramid suggests that you should eat 2-3 servings of both meats and dairy products. Now your mouths are probably wide open with shock because you believe with all your heart that you should follow the traditional food pyramid because you've always been told that eating meat, poultry, fish, milk, and cheese was essential to achieving a healthy diet. The truth is that you can obtain a healthy diet without eating meats and dairy products everyday. Now I'm not saying to completely rid yourself of these products but just have them every once and a while instead of having 2-3 servings a day. You'll find that if you consume more whole grains (also see quinoa in earlier blog entries) and vegetables you won't have to eat meats and dairy products everyday.

The Harvard food pyramid also places some interesting categories outside of the pyramid. It suggests that alcohol should be consumed in moderation, given the statistics that drinking a glass of wine a day can lead to better heart health and has shown weight loss success in women. The other category outside of the pyramid is the use of multivitamins, this can include a variety of different vitamins and fish oil pills. I believe that the Harvard food pyramid is a great start to achieving a healthy lifestyle. The traditional food pyramid has some good information, but I think it lacks more information when compared with the Harvard pyramid. The traditional food pyramid can also be confusing to people (all the carbs being at the bottom of the pyramid) and it doesn't offer how to achieve a healthy lifestyle with daily exercise and weight management.

Are Artificial Sweeters Too Sweet For Their Own Good?

Artificial sweeterners such as Splenda, Aspartame, Sucralose, and now Stevia or Truvia are everywhere in today's food market. It has gotten to the point where certain products are now boasting that they're using real cane sugar or just regular sugar instead of using artificial sweeteners. Most products should only consist of real cane sugar, but in today's world that's not the case because of one simple thing: money. Aspartame for example is a $1 billion industry according to the article "Aspartame...A Killer!" by Johnson. The food industry are being bombarded with large and profitable companies that are supplying these artificial sweeteners because these companies have large amounts of money and stocks. The reality of the matter is that it's never about people's health but rather about how much money these companies can make. Another problem is we really don't know the complete side effects that these sweeteners will have on our health (especially newer sweeteners) until further research is conducted and also only time will tell.

Now it's time for a little history lesson about the artificial sweetener Aspartame which is found in thousands of food products in today's market. If you pick up a sugar-free or diet product the chances are very likely that it contains Aspartame in the list of ingredients. The sweeteners NutraSweet and Equal are other compounds that also contain Aspartame. Now how much of this chemical is in the product and how much can our bodies tolerate before we start seeing side effects? Well we simply don't know and that mystery could be giving us several diseases, disorders, and even some cancers.

According to Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, the authors of Skinny Bitch, "The FDA denied the approval of Aspartame eight times...and despite the fact that three out of six scientists advised against approval, the FDA Commissioner overruled the scientific review panel and allowed Aspartame to be approved in dry goods and later in beverages without further testing on the chemical. In 1996 Aspartame was full approved without restriction despite the 92 different symptoms that resulted from ingesting the chemical." Some of those symptoms filed by the FDA are pretty serious including "memory loss, migraines, nerve cell damage, reproductive disorders, blindness, joint pain, mental confusion, brain lesions, Alzheimer's, food cravings, hair loss, nervous system damage, and lastly weightgain".

Sucralose or otherwise known as Splenda is another dangerous artificial sweetener even though it is touted as being calorie free. Don't be fooled by the false safety of this sweetener because it is still just as dangerous as Aspartame. The good thing about Splenda is it contains 98 percent pure ingredients but the other 2 percent include small amounts of heavy metals, methanol, and arsenic, according to "The Potential Dangers of Sucralose" by Mercola. Splenda and sucralose also cause and propose significant heath risks such as organ, genetic, immune system, and reproductive damage along with swelling of the kidneys and liver according to Mercola's article "Splenda - Here We Go Again".

Along with the proposed dangers and health risks of these artificial sweeteners, they cause weight gain and a degree of addiction. Depending on the person, the addiction can vary but these chemicals are used to alter the taste of food and are reeking havoc on our digestive system and overall health. Stevia or Truvia is a newer sweetener that is supposed to be safer and more of a natural sweetener because it is derived from the Stevia plant. We have to be aware and cautious of this new sweetener because we cannot trust the food industry and manufactures, given their past record with the other sweeteners.

Making Healthier and Tastier Food Choices

Now we all love and crave sweets, carbs, sauces, and other tempting food choices that we secretly know that are not the best choices for our bodies. What if I told you that you could still eat those types of foods and not give up your favorites? You can do just that just by choosing healthier options that will even taste better to you. I can sense that you're probably not believing everything I'm preaching but the food suggestions that I'm going to mention have better ingredients and this will translate into you feeling healthier. Once you eliminate your poor food choices and replace them with these new and better choices, you will begin to want and actually crave these new foods.

• Better Food Choice #1: Frozen Yogurt

Regular ice cream is a major indulgence and has almost half of your days worth of saturated fat (about 10 grams out of 20) for the "average", or as I would call it the "recommended" serving. The serving is pretty much always half a cup, which the average person isn't having I would presume. Instead of having regular ice cream, try frozen yogurt. I know what you're thinking, frozen yogurt has little fat but too much sugar. Well this notion is true to an extent but it depends which frozen yogurt you purchase. I recommend Stoneyfield Frozen Yogurt because the ingredients are all good and the frozen yogurt is organic (which is an added plus). There is zero fat and only 100 calories per half cup serving as opposed to the real ice cream that has half of your days worth of saturated fat and double or triple the calories. The frozen yogurt may have a little more sugar than the regular ice cream but the sugar is not made from high fructose corn syrup, but it is instead composed of real organic cane sugar (wow something that's not chemically altered for a change). Another interesting fact that you might like to know is the Stoneyfield Frozen Yogurt is healthier than their own regular plain yogurt, so you really won't feel guilty after eating this (nutritious) treat. I recommend the After Dark Chocolate, or the Vanilla flavor (both together is unreal).

• Better Food Choice #2: 100% Whole Wheat and Quinoa

Rice is usually a staple when it comes to Chinese or Japanese cuisine or as a side dish with chicken or fish dinner. Rice is not always a nice food choice especially when the rice is white. According to nutritionist Natalie [www.nutritionbynatalie.com] (who I always take advice from), every time you see white carbs, just think to yourself if it's white then don't even think about taking a bite. White carbs such as white rice have very little if not any nutritional benefits because all of those natural nutrients have been stripped by the food manufacturers. Instead of eating white rice or pasta that are all empty calories with very little amounts of fiber and other essential nutrients, try 100% whole wheat pasta or Quinoa. Make sure the pasta says "100% whole wheat" in the ingredient list and not just on the front of the package! By having 100% whole wheat instead of white carbs you'll be making a much healthier food choice just by the amount of fiber and protein. Quinoa is a much better food choice than having white rice because Quinoa is a complete protein and has more fiber than white rice and in my opinion has a much better taste because it acts as a absorbent and soaks up all the flavors and juices of the main course you're having.

• Better Food Choice #3: Oatmeal

You've always heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, well you've heard correct because it is indeed! The reason why eating a nutritious breakfast is so important is because it acts as your food foundation for the rest of your day. If you start your day with a lot of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, protein, and most importantly fiber then the food choices and the amount that you eat later in the day can be controlled. Ideally you should eat within the first hour of waking up so your metabolism can start up. If you think about it your body has been in hibernation over the night hours and it's craving something full of nutrients to fuel up again. The poor choice that many people make is not having breakfast at all and that only leads to bad food choices and overeating throughout the days. Your body will crave carbs so it can get the energy it originally wanted in the morning hours, so many people overindulge in carbs (and usually not the good carbs). The best advice that I can give is to eat oatmeal in the morning. You should purchase the regular, old fashioned Irish oats or the steel cut oats. The colorful prepackaged and individually wrapped package oat meals are filled with terrible ingredients and pack a ton of sugar and calories with little traces of fiber, so avoid those tempting boxes and get the plain oats. Now I don't have to talk too much about other box cereals with the colorful animal characters, yes we all think they're cute but don't eat their chemically altered neon colored treats. When you make the oatmeal you can add frozen berries (blue/black/raspberry/strawberry) along with Cinnamon and ground up flax seeds. The berries supply fiber and antioxidants plus one of your servings of fresh fruit. The Cinnamon can help manage your blood sugar levels and also help your circulatory system to your heart. The flax seeds are packed with Omega-3's and fiber. All in all, you'll feel full and ready for the rest of your day beginning on the right and nutritious foot.

• Better Food Choice #4: Hummus
  

Hummus can be used not only as a simple dip for chips and crackers but can also replace butter, sugary spreads, cream cheese and even mayonnaise. There are different types of hummus on the market today and each one has a different taste and texture to it. If you prefer a creamier texture then I would suggest Joseph's Hummus or Cedar's Hummus spreads. If you like a more coarse and grainy texture then your best bet is Tribe Hummus. I love to mix a can of tuna with the creamy texture of the Joseph's Hummus in place of mayonnaise. The hummus has zero saturated fat and contains more fiber and protein from the natural chick peas. Try replacing your sugary and unhealthy spreads with hummus, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised and will forget all about your past food accomplices.

Get Your Kids Eating Healthy and Save Them From The Obesity Crisis

Let me start out by addressing the childhood obesity crisis with this statistic: According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 16% of children (that's over 9 million) 6-19 year olds are either overweight or obese. This number has tripled since 1980, and in addition to this 16% of children, another 15% are highly at risk of becoming overweight and later on becoming obese. Everyone has seen this first hand in some shape or form in their everyday lives. Even just walking around a mall, movie theatre, or public area you can the disgusting and deadly American eating habits that we're teaching to our children. The issue of childhood obesity is becoming so dire and important of an issue that the first lady is addressing and acting to solve the ever growing problem in this country. We have to make a change in how and what we tell our children about what nutrition is and how it can actually taste good. Change is something that parents do not want to endure but parents also have to look at this country and their overweight or obese children and admit that something has to change and the solution to this problem is having parents learning how to cook nutritious meals and know what to purchase at the supermarket that their children and family will eat and most importantly enjoy.

Zero Doesn't Always Equal Zero

While shopping in the grocery store parents must realize that mostly all the cheap and sale items are usually in the front and most convenient aisles, and they don't do this to make your life easier but so you will buy their unhealthy products that have mostly zero nutritional benefits. These foods in the grocery store are always full of unhealthy options like processed food that are full of chemicals, dyes, saturated fat, terrible oils, and trans fats. Even if the package professes that it contains zero grams of trans fats, don't completely believe what you see because food manufacturers do not have to post the existence of trans fatty acids on food labels if the food has less than .5 grams per serving. Now the key words here are Per Serving meaning if you have more than the recommended serving then you could easily be eating several grams of trans fat. Trans fatty acids are a derivative of margarine and other highly processed oils such as partially hydrogenated oils. If the product suggests that it contains zero grams of trans fat and it has partially hydrogenated oils in it then it contains trans fats.

What to Avoid and What to Follow

Now that you're out of those aisles you must remember to look at food labels and understand what they mean. If you cannot decode a nutritional label then you should not be shopping for anybody. Try restricting your purchases to have less than 2.5 grams of saturated fat, less than 300 mg of sodium, less than 200 calories, and most importantly the product should have very few ingredients and ingredients that are familiar to you (these numbers are an estimate and only a general guideline to follow, but it varies on what the product is). You don't want a laundry list of ingredients full of chemicals and high fructose corn syrup. Don't be easily fooled by the 100 calorie snacks either because they may have 100 calories but they usually have a lot of ingredients that are chemically altered. Also try to avoid sugar free products because they are composed of sucralose or aspartame, which are regulated by the FDA but in my opinion shouldn't be.

Some Healthy Tips to Healthy Eating For Your Children and Family

Now that you're ready to accept change for the better you can start buying better products for you and your family that will translate into losing and maintaining a healthy weight and improving your overall mood and mental health. While shopping try to buy whole foods such as fruits and vegetables. You can also buy frozen vegetables for two good reasons; they are generally more nutritious and frozen at their peak of nutritional greatness and they also last longer when they are frozen. Try to steam your vegetables because then you will get the most nutrients out of them. Give your children whole fruit instead of fruit drinks because those drinks are filled with as much sugar as soda. Sure you're getting antioxidants and other vitamins but if you're not getting any fiber which counteracts the natural sugars in the whole fruit. So with the whole fruit your children are getting vitamins and fiber, which will counteract the natural sugar (which is still much less than fruit drinks). Another great meal option for your family is making Quinoa (keen-wah) in replacement of chicken or turkey. The Quinoa is a complete protein and it will make your children full the same way that meat does. Now you can still have chicken and turkey, but try to replace them with a whole grain such as Quinoa maybe a few times a week and see how you feel. You can add mixed steamed vegetables or even make a ratatouille which is filled with all of your favorite vegetables.

Now Playing, Triple F: Feel Full Faster

Have you ever had the feeling that you wanted to just feel full already and make your stomach stop growling and craving more food? Well I think that everyone has had this dilemma at some time in their life, but few of us have successfully tamed our stomachs and most important our minds into believing that we're actually full even when we're craving more food. We have to dissect this problem by looking at the stomach of course, but also the brain. In order for your stomach to feel the complete sensation of fullness, the brain must also understand that you mentally no longer want to eat. At this moment you will feel full and have no more cravings or sudden urges to stuff your face. There are several ways to achieve the goal of feeling full faster and most importantly prevent overeating. Here are a few tips you can try to help your stomach and your brain get on the same page.

Tip #1: Chew your food slowly and multiple times.

This is a very useful tip but it is also one of the hardest tips to follow in my opinion because in order to practice and use this tip you have to have a strong will power. For example, imagine your stomach is empty and your blood sugar is very low and the only goal you have in mind is to eat any thing and everything in sight. Well few of us would think to restrain ourselves and remember to chew every bite at least 15-20 times. I suggest trying this tip at dinner time when your blood sugar is at a normal level and you're not a complete food zombie. By chewing your food more, you'll realize that you enjoy and savor the flavors and textures of the food more rather than shoveling it down your throat and you'll feel full (mentally and physically).

Tip #2: Snack on whole foods before a meal.

This tip is for all of us who have little or no will power whatsoever. Before your about to eat a large meal (or so you think), try eating some snacks before hand and you'll feel fuller faster. Now you can't eat any snack you want like potato chips, cookies, processed crackers, or nachos, no those items (I'm not even gonna refer to them as food) are junk not snacks. Now what you can eat is fiber rich snacks such as 100% whole wheat or rye crackers (Wasa crackers are a good choice), about a handful of almonds/walnuts/pecans, carrots/broccoli/celery, and some hummus of your choice for dipping the crackers and veggies into.

Tip #3: Replace those fries for it's predecessor, the simple potato.

A major problem that people make is choosing poor and unhealthy side dishes at dinner or even lunch time. The problem lies in the fact that we're so used to eating fried foods such as french fries instead of having let's just say a potato. Instead of making poor choices, you can make better side item choices by serving sweet potatoes, a side of black beans, or a side of Quinoa. All of these side dishes are loaded with protein and fiber so you'll eat less and feel fuller faster (Triple F strikes again). You can be creative now and add any spices, seasonings, or sauces to you side items, on the other hand when all you could put on those nasty fries were sodium and sugar (high fructose corn syrup) loaded ketchup. Personally, I add Cinnamon to my cooked sweet potato, it gives it a nice spice and flavor similar to brown sugar but without being too sweet. If you really want and are seriously craving french fries try cutting up a sweet potato into similar french fry shapes and bake them in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees or until cooked to your liking.

Inspirational and Helpful Foods Before and After Workouts

All of us wish that there was a magical drink or food that gave us the energy and strength to get through a vigorous workout. If you walk down any aisle in the supermarket where they sell "energy" or "power" bars, you'll notice that they are loaded with calories, sugar, and yes even fat...not to mention the ingredients. People are willing to sacrifice all of that to gain energy to jump start their workout and also get the most out of their workouts. There are other foods, drinks, and methods that unleash your inner animal without adding too many calories, sugar, or fat to your body. There are a few myths some deem to be true, but are unmistakably false.

Myth #1: I need to drink a sports drink in order to get energy and gain electrolytes while I workout.

This myth is common because a lot of people want to retain their energy levels while exercising, but they are simply victims of corporate advertising. Sport drink companies want you to simply buy their product and the best way for them to achieve that goal is to tell you that you need the drink in order to stay energized. The truth is that sports drinks are filled with calories (which are empty, meaning no nutritional benefits), sugar (even deadly high fructose corn syrup), and yes chemical colors and dyes. This is the lie that many succumb to in order to gain and maintain electrolytes? The truth is that you can get more electrolytes in a tomato or a banana rather than downing a sports drink. If you are really concerned about losing electrolytes I would recommend having a sliced tomato or simply tomato juice (Low Sodium V8 Juice is fine) before you workout. While you workout simply drink water, water, water!

Myth #2: I need energy drinks and protein drinks/bars in order to get the most out of my workout.

The marketing world of protein and energy drinks is very misleading and confusing to everyone. The claims that these marketing fat cats come up are almost comical, for instance, they suggest that if you eat or drink their product then you will turn into the Governator in a matter of minutes. The sad truth is...we want to believe they work so we end up buying these products because we want all the results with none of the work or effort. Many of these energy-shot products are not even approved by the FDA (and the FDA approves many products that I think should be disapproved such as aspartame and sucralose but that's for another topic). So in essence, we don't even know what's in these products that we're putting in our bodies and we're doing this in order to be healthy?! The truth is the protein that these bars and drinks use is either whey or soy protein which I don't think are good for your body. I suggest that you eat a solid and natural protein rather than these strange and highly processed proteins. A few that I eat are Fage 0% Greek Yogurt or some organic almond butter on a cracker or toast.

The Greek yogurt is probably the best thing to eat before or after a workout because it is low in sugar (8 grams per serving), fat (zero total and saturated fat, hence 0% yogurt), ingredients (only 1, the yogurt itself...shocking!), calories (90 per serving), and very high in natural protein (15 grams).

Almond butter is another great snack to eat before or after a workout because you get the natural protein but almond butter is also lower in saturated fat when compared with classic peanut butter. Almond butter has 2.5 grams of saturated fat per serving while peanut butter has about 3.5 to 4 grams of saturated fat per serving. You also get more poly and monounsaturated fats in the almond butter.

Try to add and vary up your exercise routine in order to get energy and motivation. The more variety you add to your routine, the more excited you will be to work out. A trick that I also use is having a cup of coffee before I workout if I feel really low on energy. Having the extra caffeine before a workout will translate into an extra energy boost that get you moving.