Spice Up Your Food Life!

Eating healthy foods such as whole grains, lean meats, fruits, and vegetables are all very important in achieving a healthy lifestyle. Consuming healthy foods is essential but you're really missing out on some great health benefits if you don't utilize the multiple spices that are out in the world. Now spices don't have to be "hot" or "spicy" but can actually be savory or sweet. When you add spices to your meals it brings out interesting and foreign flavors to the food and spices can even alter the taste of the food and put it in another level of tastiness.

The first spice that you should definitely incorporate in your daily diet is adding cinnamon to your meals. The health benefits of adding cinnamon to your food includes lowering your blood sugar, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol with people who have type 2 diabetes. You should have between 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon on cinnamon a few times a day (Roufos). You can add cinnamon to several foods and even drinks. The easiest way to add cinnamon is mixing it into your oatmeal in the morning, or in your non-fat latte or even in your plain coffee. Cinnamon can easily be added to baked goods such as muffins, cookies, and you can even add into pancake mix.

Another spice that is not as commonly used or as popular as cinnamon is turmeric. This spice is mostly used in Indian cuisine but you can also add it to brown or wild rice or even quinoa. At breakfast time you can sprinkle turmeric over your eggs or egg whites. It will change the color of your eggs to a yellowish tint, which makes things different and more interesting to the eyes and the taste buds. You can also add turmeric to salads and bring out the textures and flavors of the ingredients. When you go to the store to buy this spice make sure that it isn't mixed with curry powder and that it's just pure turmeric. When it's mixed with curry powder there is really not much turmeric present at all. Turmeric contains curcumin, which may prevent the growth of cancer cells. You should try to have about 500 to 800 milligrams a day (Roufos).

Rosemary is another important spice, but it can also be very potent and have a strong flavor. Rosemary is great when preparing a rub for a chicken or even in tomato sauce. Rosemary stops gene mutations that may lead to cancer and it can also help prevent damage to the blood vessels that can raise your risk of a heart attack (Roufos). Oregano is another spice that is widely used mainly in Italian cuisine such as pizza and tomato sauces. What a lot of people don't know is that oregano has the highest antioxidant activity of 27 fresh culinary herbs according to a new study done by the USDA (Roufos). You can buy fresh or dried oregano, both are great and flavorful and nice on top of a healthy slice of pizza.

My favorite spice is packed with nutritional benefits and tons of flavors and it's...garlic! Yes garlic is packed with magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, tryptophan, selenium, calcium, and vitamin B1 or thiamin (WHFoods: Garlic). Garlic is great because it can be used whole or crushed. When you're cooking a meal and incorporating crushed garlic to the recipe make sure that you don't add the garlic right away because if you add it too soon you'll lose all the flavor of the garlic and more importantly you'll lose a lot of the health benefits it possesses. Garlic has been shown to lower your LDL cholesterol, prevent the formation of cancer cells, and reduce the risk of heart attack and heart disease (WHFoods: Garlic). You should aim at having about a clove a day and that can easily be achieved because garlic can be used in so many different recipes and it tastes great by itself.

Ginger is another spice that has multiple health benefits. Ginger, much like rosemary, has a strong and requires an acquired taste to fully enjoy. You can buy crystallized ginger, which is simply pieces of ginger with some sugar dusted on it, and skip the ginger ale. Ginger ale may be made with real ginger but it also contains a ton of sugar and calories so go with the crystallized ginger instead. You can also use ginger powder and add it into your recipes. Ginger can also decrease motion sickness and nausea and it can relieve the pain and swelling of arthritis. Ginger also reduces the risk of blood clotting.

Another one of my all time favorite spices is paprika. I enjoy my food really spicy so paprika, red pepper flakes, and hot peppers are some of favorite cronies in my food life. I usually sprinkle some crushed red pepper flakes over my food instead of using black pepper. I find the red pepper flakes have more of a punch flavor wise and spice wise. These spicy spices contain capsaicin which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidants that lower the risk of cancer. There is no recommended dose of these hot spices so if you like it hot spice it up!

Sources: (Roufos, Anna, Fitness Magazine, May 2006)
(WHFoods: Garlic, www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=60)

Unthaw Yourself With These Healthy Cooking Alternatives

Do you often wish you could make delicious and flavorful meals at home but you assume that the recipe must incorporate a lot of butter, salt, and fats to taste good? Well there are ways to cook delicious, flavorful, and most importantly healthy meals throughout the week. I must say that it's easier just to pick up a frozen pizza or a "healthy option" frozen dinner at the supermarket, but you can make a much better version of these meals without taking much time.

The frozen dinners (even the supposedly healthier options) in the supermarket are loaded with fat, chemicals, calories, sugar, and most importantly salt. In order for these frozen meals to last and stay on the shelf they "need" these preservatives and chemicals in order to have a longer shelf life. Now I put the word need in quotes because honestly the food manufactures don't have to add a whole laundry list of chemicals and preservatives to preserve shelf life because these items are being purchased within a week, not years, or even decades! In my opinion there really isn't a need or purpose to add high fructose corn syrup or any other scientific chemical compound to preserve these frozen meals. The more preservatives the more sodium there is in the food. On average a frozen meal is over 50% of your daily recommended amount of sodium for the day and with many products the average amount of sodium is close to 100% of your whole days worth of sodium.

So in order to unthaw yourself from the frozen chains of the food manufacturers you have to learn and create healthier cooking alternatives. The most popular meals that I have at my house are pizza, chicken, salmon, and pasta. Now all of these meals are typically associated as being labeled as unhealthy food, but that's only because of the way the majority of the public prepares it. A lot of people enjoy cheesy pizza loaded with pepperoni and greasy sausage, deep fried chicken, farm raised salmon, and white pasta. You can still enjoy these foods and not feel the guilt that goes hand-in-hand with the fatty truth.

When you purchase a prepackaged frozen pizza it's convenient but you also have no control over what the ingredients are or how much of those ingredients are on the pizza. You can buy a package of multigrain or whole wheat dough from Whole Foods Market, that is loaded with fiber and only a few natural ingredients. After you roll out the dough you can make a great Margarita pizza. All you need is fresh basil, one whole onion, some fresh mozzarella (preferably the baseball form), and a can of no salt added crushed tomatoes. A lot of people use tomato sauce on their homemade pizza but the problem I have with jarred tomato sauce is the incredible amount of sugar in the sauce. When you pour almost a whole jar of tomato sauce you're getting a ton of added and hidden sugar and salt that you didn't expect to get. The can of crushed tomatoes gives the pizza a nice fresh, light, and refreshing taste.

Chicken is a very popular dish in many households but you have to be careful with the preparation of this bird. The one thing you want to avoid eating is the skin because it's just pure fat. When you're eating a chicken that's been deep fried you're eating all that fatty skin. In order to avoid the sinful skin of the chicken you can buy Belle and Evans organic skinless chicken breasts and bake it in the oven. You're probably thinking you still crave the crispy sensation from the deep fried skin, well you can still get that sensation without the fat! All you have to do is coat the chicken breasts with olive oil and then cover them with a mix of breadcrumbs (preferably Ian's Panko breadcrumbs), parsley, black pepper, and chopped garlic. Then all you have to do is bake the chicken in the oven and enjoy a great tasting and flavorful chicken dish without the added fat. If you're tired of having chicken you can always make falafel which is basically crushed chickpeas and parsley.

Salmon is a very healthy meal but if you're buying farm raised (Atlantic) salmon you're not getting all of the nutrients such as Omega 3 fatty acids as you would if you ate the wild salmon. Farmed raised salmon is very popular in restaurants but you can buy wild salmon in the frozen fish aisle in your supermarket. It's usually not much more money than farmed raised salmon and it has more Omega 3 fatty acids and less mercury and other potentially harmful compounds. I find it easy to buy and cook the wild salmon burger patties (found at Whole Foods Market). You can simply have it as a sandwich or in a salad (filled with fresh vegetables of course).

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.