Sunday, October 30, 2016

Walk for Good Health

Everyone knows exercise is good for you, but exercise can be walking every day.  Recent research has good news about how healthy walking is.  

For those with Type 2 diabetes this is especially important but walking after eating is a healthy practice many of us may want to consider.  Walking at any time during the day is a healthy habit.  But walking after eating a meal, seem to have special health benefits.
o   Lower blood sugar levels – every time you eat, your blood sugar goes up as your body digests the food.  Taking a walk after you eat, helps lower your blood sugar level. Those who walked after eating had 12% lower blood sugar levels than those who walked at other times a day.  Those who walked after dinner, lowered their blood sugar by a whopping 22%.   So walking anytime is good, but walking after the evening meal is an especially healthy habit.
o   Helps prevent heart disease – Higher blood sugar levels is a risk for heart disease so taking a walk and lowering those levels reduces heart disease risk.

An author of this research noted, “Consider walking after you eat as part of your daily routine.”  (Walk after eating.)  In this study, 41 people who had type 2 diabetes walked the recommended 150 minutes a week.  In the first part of the study, participants were asked to walk 30 minutes a day, whenever they chose.  They did this for 30 days.  Then in the second part of the study, participants were asked to take just a 10-minute walk after each meal and within 5 minutes of finishing the meal. 

A study in Diabetes Care, found that those who did three short walks a day after each meal, helped reduce their blood sugar levels the same as those who took a 45 minute walk a day.  This study also found a walk after dinner was especially helpful in lowering blood sugar levels.  The study authors said short walks may be especially helpful to older adults in their 70’s and 80’s as it is easier to take a short walk than a walk of 45 minutes.

Another study looked at findings from 23 different studies on how physical activity affects Type 2 diabetes.  Exercising the recommended 150 minutes a week helped lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 26%.  Those who exercised more than the 150 minutes, had an even greater benefit.    

So this week, think about walking.  Walking any time of day is good for your health but making an after dinner walk part of your routine, seems to have even more health benefits.

Sources:  (Walk after eating.), Diabetes Care, authors,  Image source:  Walking
Walk for good health.

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Healthy Fall Produce


Now that the leaves are turning and summer crops are gone, purchase some healthy fall produce.   Some farmers’ markets are still open and if not, head to your local supermarket.  Here are some healthy choices for fall produce: (Adapted from:  9 Fall Produce Picks to Add to Your Plate)
  1. Pumpkins – not just for carving but for eating.   Pumpkins are loaded with vitamin A, full of fiber, basically fat free, offers lots of potassium.  Make some pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins.  Pumpkin pie does have some added sugar but also offers a lot of healthy nutrients.
  2. Sweet Potatoes – so many people avoid potatoes because they think they are fattening.  It is the add-ons like sour cream, that add the calories.  Sweet potatoes are low in fat but loaded with nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.   When eating out, choose the baked sweet potato over the baked white potato for a nutrition boost.  Enjoy some mashed sweet potatoes, or cut some up, top with cinnamon and bake in the oven with chicken or ham.
  3. Kale – this leafy green is a nutrition powerhouse.  Many restaurants now offer Kale in their salads.  Panera bread has it in many of their salads including the Cobb salad, Romaine and Kale Caesar Salad and in the Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken.  Like sweet potatoes and pumpkin, kale provides vitamin A, potassium, fiber and also vitamin K, a good amount of vitamin C and the mineral, manganese.  Kale is very low in calories, 1 cup chopped has only 36 calories.   Besides using kale raw in salads, try it in soup.  My daughter like to stir fry it with olive oil and some garlic.      
  4.  Pears – a fall crop and oh so good this time of year.  A good thing about pears is that they don’t need to ripen on the tree, they can ripen on your kitchen counter at room temperature.  How do you know when a pear is ripe enough to enjoy?  Look at the stem, “if the fruit near the stem gives to a little pressure, it is ripe.  Enjoy fresh, cut up in salads, in a smoothies or with some cheese and crackers. 
  5. Cranberries – loaded with nutrients and healthy antioxidants but unfortunately often loaded with added sugar.  My husband makes cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries and cuts way back on the sugar but not the great taste.  Add dried cranberries to trail mix, salads, top your cooked oatmeal with some dried cranberries.  Ocean Spray now offers dried cranberries with 50% less sugar.  Look for this on the package label. 

Try this healthy Fruit, Cheese, and Walnut Salad this week, adapted from Maxfitmag.com
o   1 apple, sliced with skin on
o   1 pear, sliced with skin on
o   2 T. blue cheese crumbles
o   1 T.  walnuts
o   1 T. dried cherries or dried cranberries
Combine in a bowl and enjoy.  Calories per serving:  300 calories, 5 grams of protein, 58 grams carbs, 9 grams fat, and a good 8 grams of fiber.




Reduced Sugar Cranberries

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Mix some Trail Mix for A Hike



What fun to go hiking in the fall.   We just got back from hiking in the Shenandoah National Park.  Cooler weather, wonderful views, trees starting to turn colors and a great and fun way to exercise.   If you are hiking or going on a picnic this fall, bring some homemade trail mix.  If you make it yourself, or “make” it from bins in your local grocery store you can pick the options and the quality of the mix.  Sports Nutritionists and other recommend trail mix as a healthy way to refuel.  The fruit in trail mix offers many health benefits such as being good for your heart.  A 2016 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found those who ate one-half cup of fruit a day lowered their risk of heart disease.  And for those who forgo nuts because nuts are high in fat, a lot of research shows a handful of nuts a day can help you maintain, not gain weight.  Other studies show that eating nuts can help you lose weight.  And the fat in nuts is a heart healthy fat.  So what are some healthy trail mix ideas?

Trail Mix -  a healthy blend of carbs (good carbs), protein and fat.  Marni Symbal R.D. says, “Trail mix has a balanced combination of fat, protein, and carbs for lasting energy.”  She recommends blending your trail mix using the following guidelines. (1)
  • 50 % unsalted nuts – choose a variety of nuts including peanuts, almonds, walnut and cashews.  Or choose hazelnuts or shelled pistachios.
  • 30% dried fruit – many Olympians rely on dried fruit to fuel up and refuel so why shouldn’t you?  Dried fruit has fructose, a natural sugar found in fruits.  Choose raisins, apricots, cranberries (look for low-sugar varieties), pears, cherries, dried banana chips
  • 15% seeds – seeds are often overlooked but a very healthy addition to trail mix, loaded with healthy antioxidants and many have anti-inflammatory compounds.  Choose pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds.
  • 5%  You choose – add some dark chocolate chips, whole grain cereal like Wheat Chex or Cheerios.    
Roasted Trail Mix:  Or, if your are more ambitious, make your own trail mix with a recipe that calls for some baking.  Food and Wine (2) has a healthy recipe that you can make ahead and keep for up to 4 days. 
FRUIT AND NUT TRAIL MIX INGREDIENTS
  • 1/4 cup raw almonds
  • 1/4  cup raw cashews
  • 1/4 cup raw walnut halves
  • Sea salt or kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries (low sugar)
  • 1/4 cup dried apricots
  • 1/4 cup banana chips
 Mix the nuts with a pinch of salt.  Toast in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes and turn halfway through cooking time.  Mix nuts and dried fruits.  Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.  

Plan a hike, plan a picnic and pack some trail mix.  
Sources:  1.  Mix it Up, BHG, August 2016.  2.  Fruit and nut trail mix  3.  Fruit Consumption and Heart Disease  Image source:  Dried Fruits and Nuts

Dried Fruit and Nuts

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Healthier Choices When Eating Out (continued)



Eating out, what fun!   Last week we talked about how you can enjoy eating out with family and friends but making healthier choices when you do eat out.  As discussed, Consumer Reports has two excellent articles on how one can eat out and make choices that provide less total fat, fewer calories and less sodium.  You can read more about healthier menu options at Dining Out:  Where America Eats and How to Eat Healthier at Restaurant Chains.   This week we will look at menu options that are over the top in calories and fat and healthier choices at two popular restaurants.   A relative was recently eating out at Olive Garden with some friends.  Her friend ordered, The Tour of Italy, a dinner classic recipe.  This relative calls the Tour of Italy, “heart attack on a plate”.  Why?  Maybe because it has 1520 calories just for this entre and 860 of those are calories from fat.  So even before one orders and eats the bread sticks, the salad and a dessert, they are over on calories and eating a main dish that is 57% fat calories.  So what are some menu items to think twice about and some healthier options? 

Olive Garden has many dishes quite high in calories but they also offer a Lighter Fare menu with choices much lower in calories and fat.   Panera Bread is a favorite restaurant as they have many healthier options to choose from.  Great sandwiches, healthy salads and broth bowls.  But they also have some high caloric options.  I like the You Pick 2, a half sandwich and salad option.  They even have a You Pick 2 guide online to help you choose a pair of half sandwich and half salad that is 600 calories or less at: You Pick Two.      Skip the mayo on the sandwich and skip a lot of fat calories.

High Caloric Items at Olive Garden (also check out The 25 Most Caloric Items at Olive Garden

Menu Item
Total Calories
Fat Grams
Fat calories/% fat
Tour of Italy
1520
96
860/56%
Northern Tour of Italy
1420
82
730/51%
Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara
1590
114
1020/64%






Lighter Fare at Olive Garden
Shrimp Scampi
500
19
170/34%
Herb-Grilled Salmon
460
28
250/54%
Garlic Rosemary Chicken
540
19
170/31%
Chicken Piccata
530
26
240/45%


High Caloric Items at Panera Bread (also check out The Most Caloric Panera Bread Items)
Menu Item
Total Calories
Fat Grams
Fat calories/% fat
Napa Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich
700
26
234/33%
Chicken, Ham and Swiss Flatbread
720
34
306/43%

Low-Fat Vegetarian Garden Vegetable Soup with Pesto
740
5
45/06%
Cinnamon Roll
630
24
216/34%
Pecan Roll
740
50
450/60%

Lighter Fare at Panera Bread
Turkey breast on whole grain half sandwich
280
9
45/16%
Smoked Ham and Swiss on Whole Grain, half sandwich
370
16
144/39%
Roasted Turkey Cranberry Flatbread, 1 Flatbread
310
12
108/35%
Ancient Grain & Argula Salad with Chicken Half salad
210
7
63/30%

Before you visit restaurants, check out the nutrition information online at Olive Garden   and   Panera Bread.     You can use the You Pick Two online to check out the total calories of the half sandwich, half salad options.  Look at the total calories of the menu item and how much fat it has in it.  If you choose a higher calorie appetizer, share it with others.  If you are choosing a higher calorie menu item, split it with someone who is eating a lower calorie menu option.