Enjoy a handful of nuts a day for good health

So many people think eating healthy means they need to cut some foods, especially desserts, out of their diet.  But I am a big advocate of adding healthier foods to your diet.  I like my desserts and I am not cutting them out of my diet.  But I also have a very healthy diet.  One can add some very simple healthy habits to their day and start to eat healthier.  One very easy way to eat healthier is to add a handful of nuts to your day.  Why a handful?  Because you don’t want to eat the entire can and a handful provides a lot of nutrients without piling on the calories.  I always tell the students in my class that Dr. Oz recommends a handful of nuts a day for good health. What is so healthy about eating some nuts every day?

• Healthy fats – yes, nuts have fat in them.  But the different fats in nuts are heart healthy fats.  Nuts provide the good omega-3 fats but are low in the saturated fats that are linked to heart disease.  In fact, the Mayo Clinic notes: “Eating nuts as part of a healthy diet may be good for your heart.” Some ways nuts help your heart:

• Lowers your bad LDL cholesterol – this is the cholesterol that can build up in your arteries
• Lowers inflammation risk that is linked to heart disease
• Reduces your risk of developing blood clots
• Fiber – so many Americans have diets low in fiber.  Nuts are a good source of fiber.  Fiber is also good for your heart as fiber helps lower cholesterol.  And fiber may help prevent Type 2 diabetes as it helps you fill full.
• Type 2 diabetes – nuts won’t raise your blood sugar levels.  A study of 117 people with type 2 diabetes looked at study participants eating 2 ounces of nuts or a healthy muffin.  After 3 months, those who ate the nuts had better blood glucose levels and less LDL cholesterol. 
• Vitamin E – good for many things but one is helping keep your arteries free of the plaque build up that can lead to blocked arteries and heart disease or a heart attack.
  
• Protein – although not a complete protein, nuts are a good source of protein.
  
• Magnesium – Like fiber, many Americans have diets low in the mineral, magnesium. Almonds, cashews and peanuts are especially rich in magnesium.  Peanut butter is also a good source of magnesium. 
  
• Weight – some people think nuts are fattening.  However, studies have found that eating nuts is not linked with weight gain.   Maybe because the fiber in the nuts helps us to fill full.  Others even say, the “crunch” in nuts gives us a feeling of fullness. 

Which nuts are the healthiest?  All can contribute to your health. If you enjoy mixed nuts, have a handful of those. If you enjoy peanuts, then eat peanuts.  I always liked almonds, until I broke a tooth eating them so I now eat walnuts or peanuts.  Sprinkle some chopped walnuts on your morning cereal or on some yogurt.  Sprinkle some chopped walnuts on your salad.  For some great ideas of how to add walnuts to your day and some recipes using walnuts, visit walnuts.org. 

Enjoy a handful of nuts a day for good health.

Sources:  fats , study , arteries, Magnesium , Weight , walnuts.org , walnuts.org  Image sources:  Mixed nuts , Handful of nuts , crisp

Apple Walnut Crisp  (adapted from recipe on walnuts.org)

•  4 cups apples, peeled and chopped
•  2 Tablespoons brown sugar 
  
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoons nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

• 2/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped
•  ¾ cup rolled oats
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
•  2 Tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8-inch baking pan with canola or sunflower oil.  Combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir until apples are completely and evenly coated.  Pour apple filling into prepared baking pan and spread into an even layer.  Combine topping ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until crumbles form.  Spoon topping mix on top of apple mixture evenly distributed.  Bake 45 minutes or until the top is a deep golden brown and juices begin to thicken.  Serve warm over ice cream, yogurt or on its own. 

 

 

 

Yogurt – a great health food

Yogurt was so popular for many years.  And rightly so as it is a very healthy food to add to your diet.  However, in the past year or so, my husband has noted the shelf space for yogurt is getting less and less.  And the flavors we used to love are getting harder to find.  This means the popularity of yogurt is waning but this is not good news for people’s health.  Not only does yogurt provide a good source of calcium, it also provides vitamin D, a vitamin so many Americans are low in.  Recently I was talking to a health care professional and she stated how many of her patients are deficient in vitamin D.  Guess those patients aren’t drinking cow’s milk, eating yogurt and going outside.  Yogurt also provides an excellent quality protein.

Consumer Reports has an excellent article on yogurts. 

Why is yogurt so healthy?

• Calcium – Children and adults need bone-building calcium every day.  Easy to do if you drink milk at meals or have some real cow’s milk yogurt in place of a glass of milk.  Recently, students in my class kept 24-hour diet recalls.  They wrote down everything they ate or drank for 24 hours.  It is always amazing to see the number of students who have no dairy in their diets at all.  Guaranteed their diets are low in calcium (and low in vitamin D).  Kids 4-8 years need 1,000 mg of calcium a day, teenagers 1300 mg a day and adults about 1,000 mg a day.  Yogurt packs in the calcium as 8 ounces of yogurt provides over 400 mg of calcium.   Most yogurts aren’t in 8-ounce containers but 6 ounces or less.  We try to buy yogurt in at least 6-ounce containers, as I want all the calcium I can get from yogurt.
• Vitamin D – like cow’s milk, most yogurts are fortified with vitamin D.  We need about 600 IU a day of D.  An 8-ounce serving of yogurt provides from 115 to 127 international units.  But check the nutrition label as some yogurts provide zero vitamin D.
• Protein – most people know meat provides protein.  But did you know that cow’s milk yogurt provides a higher quality protein than meat?  The 2 proteins in cow’s milk yogurt, casein and whey, are very high-quality proteins.  Muscle builders often buy protein powders containing casein and/or whey?  Why?  Because these are 2 proteins of excellent quality.  But plant-based yogurts do not provide high quality proteins, so choose real yogurt made from cow’s milk, not fake milk. To boost the protein in his breakfast, my husband eats yogurt at breakfast every day.   

Real yogurt provides a high quality protein.

 

• Probiotics – yogurt provides healthy bacteria called probiotics.  Two bacterial strains often found in yogurt are Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus.  One would think bacteria are bad.  But not these bacteria.  One thing these bacteria do is convert some of the lactose, the natural “sugar” in yogurt to lactic acid.  So many people who are lactose intolerant, like some of my relatives, can tolerate eating some yogurt without any GI upset.  The healthy bacteria in yogurt help populate your GI tract with healthy bacteria.  Some yogurts are now not telling you what probiotics are in their yogurt. Not sure why, but I avoid buying those yogurt brands.

Yogurt provides healthy probiotics.

Why do some people call yogurt a “superfood”?

Consumer Reports quotes Debbie Petitpain, MS, RD, the wellness director at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, as saying: “In its simplest form, dairy yogurt is almost a ‘superfood’”.  (Note – she said “dairy yogurt” which means it is made from cow’s milk, not the plant-based yogurts made from fake milk.) 

• Blood pressure - Yogurt – can help lower blood pressure.  Real cow’s milk yogurt is high in potassium, and low in sodium.  Not only that, but the protein in yogurt helps regulate blood pressure.  A study in 2018 found that people who ate yogurt 5-6 times a week had a cut in their high blood pressure risk by 16%.
• Type 2 diabetes – Eating some yogurt everyday can lower one’s risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 14-26%.
  
• Weight loss, weight control – WebMD states:  “Adding yogurt to your diet may rev up your body’s fat-burning engines, speed weight loss, trim your tummy…”  Guess I need to boost my yogurt intake as people in the study ate yogurt 3 times a day.  I get at least one serving of yogurt a day.  The other good news, is those who lost weight retained their muscle mass by eating real yogurt.  Not surprising since real yogurt is high in protein and as stated above, real yogurt provides high-quality proteins.
• Less inflammation – studies have found that “yogurt is associated with decreased inflammation.”   Probably because of the probiotics in yogurt. 

Avoid plant-based yogurts

I always encourage students in my nutrition classes to add yogurt to their diet as yogurt is such a healthy food and so many students have diets lacking in calcium and vitamin D.  One student came up to me after class to say she added yogurt to her daily diet.  I was so pleased but then she said she added almond milk yogurt.  My heart sank.  At the time, I didn’t even know you could buy yogurt made with fake milk.  I knew there was almond milk but now almond milk yogurt?  Consumer Reports explains why plant-based yogurts aren’t the best choice.  One reason customers choose the fake milk yogurts is that they actually think fake milk yogurt is healthier, but not true.  Many fake milk yogurts are low in protein and the protein in the fake milk yogurts is not the high-quality protein in yogurt made from cow’s milk.  Calcium is often lower in fake milk yogurts. Nutrients like potassium and vitamin B-2 are missing in most plant-based yogurts.  If you do choose a plant-based yogurt, choose one made from soy milk.  Soy milk and yogurts made from soy milk are recognized by USDA as “dairy” but none of the other plant-based yogurts are. 

If you haven’t had yogurt in a while, try some this week.  If you don’t like a flavor you try, try another flavor, another brand.  I like lime and lemon yogurts.  I put some real whipping cream on top and it is like eating a dessert.  A student was eating yogurt before my nutrition class started.  She cringed at every spoonful.  I asked her if something was wrong.  She said she was trying to eat some yogurt as I had recommended but she couldn’t stand the taste.  Right away, other students in the class offered recommendations on good tasting yogurts.  The next class she came in with a flavored yogurt she liked. This week, boost your nutrition with some yogurt superfood (but real yogurt, not fake yogurt.)

Sources:  yogurts , bone-building calcium , calcium , international units , proteins , Consumer Reports , WebMD, studies  Image sources:  type 2 diabetes , protein , probiotics 

 

Enjoy some apples

Fall is the season for apples.  And apples are nutritious and an easy way to add some fruit to your day.  Health professionals, even some nutritionists, used to put down apples as they thought apples provided little nutritional value. But with more research, they now know that apples contribute a lot of nutrition.

Nutritional value of apples

Calories – apples are low in calories and have no fat and no added sugar.  Some people say apples have “too much sugar’.  Not true.  Health professionals want us to cut down on added sugars, not the sugars naturally present in fruit like apples.

                1 apple provides about 95 calories

Fiber – so many Americans have diets low in fiber.  Eating more fruits and veggies, especially raw fruit like apples, can add some fiber to your day.  The white part of the apple provides soluble fiber.  Soluble fiber helps lower your cholesterol, especially the “bad” cholesterol called LDL cholesterol.  This is why foods with fiber are heart healthy.  Soluble fiber also helps lower glucose levels.  Eating the apple peel is also heathy as this provides insoluble fiber as many people refer to as “roughage” that helps your gut health.   

                1 apple provides over 4 grams of fiber

Antioxidants - Polyphenols – have you ever heard of “polyphenols” and what do they have to do with good health?  When training to become a dietitian we never learned about “polyphenols”, only vitamins and minerals.  Apples don’t just have one “polyphenol” but 5 different ones.  NIH notes that apples are associated with reduced risk of heart disease, some cancers, diabetes and even asthma.   It seems storage of apples doesn’t lower the antioxidant level.  However, when they make apple juice, they significantly reduce the amount of polyphenols.  So, focus on fresh fruit and not so much on apple juice. 

Vitamin C – most people look to citrus fruits for their daily intake of vitamin C. And that is a good choice.  However, apples do provide some vitamin C and many people may not be aware of this.

                1 apple provides over 8 mg of vitamin C

Other nutrients:  apples provide a lot of other vitamins and minerals.  Many Americans have diets low in potassium, and one apple provides 195 mg of potassium while being very low in sodium – almost negligible.  Interesting, that for plant growth and flower formation, apples require the mineral, boron.  Apples are a good source of boron, a mineral important for bone health, energy and immunity.  Apple juice has a little less boron than a fresh apple, but still provides a good amount of boron.    

This fall, go out to an orchard and pick some apples.  Go to an apple fest or farmer’s market and buy some fresh apples.  And take the advice of NIH:  The potential health benefits of apples are numerous.  Regular consumption of fruits and vegetables, including apples, as part of a healthy diet may aid in the prevention of chronic disease and maintenance of good health.

Sources:  calories, Soluble fiber , polyphenol , NIH , risk , boron , mineral , advice of NIH   Image Sources:  casserole  , Apples , annotated

Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole  (adapted from allrecipes and Environmental Nutrition)

• 3 sweet potatoes
• 2 large baking apples, cored, cut into ¼ inch rings
• 2 Tablespoons sugar (brown sugar)
• 1/2 c. Orange Juice
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 3/4 Tablespoons cornstarch (or flour)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2  Tablespoon cinnamon (which = 1.5 teaspoons)
• 1/2 Tablespoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted (or use pecans)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Scrub potatoes well, pat dry, and pierce like you would a baked potato.
   
2. Place sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven until tender, about 35-45 minutes.  Cool to touch, then remove skins. Slice and layer sweet potatoes and peeled apple rings in a buttered dish (7 X 11-inch baking dish).
3. Boil together, sugar, water, butter, cornstarch and salt, until it begins to thicken.
   
4. Pour over yams and apples, sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg and nuts.
   
5. Bake covered at 350 degrees for one hour. 

 

Healthy foods that are cheap

Many times, I hear people say it costs too much to eat healthy foods.  Yes, buying fresh fruit and vegetables can cost more.  But saving money by buying fake foods like fake juice, think Sunny D, is not a healthy choice.  Fake juices don’t provide the nutrients that real juice does.  WebMD has an interesting article on “Cheap, Healthy Foods”.  There are food choices you can buy that are healthy but won’t cost too much.  I have had students say they can’t afford to buy fruit.  I then bring in a 6-pack of small raisin boxes that cost 99 cents.  One box of raisins a day (about 17 cents) and you added a fruit to your day.  An easy, inexpensive way to add fruit to one’s and an easy to carry snack, or addition to one’s lunch. 

So easy to pack - bring a box with you for a healthy snack.

What does WebMd suggest? 

• Lentils or beans – One half cup serving of lentils costs about 20 cents, one half cup beans about 10 cents a serving.    Lentils and beans are both good protein sources, and depending on how you cook them, low in fat but high in nutrition.  They provide important nutrients like folate, iron, potassium and also fiber.  Since they provide fiber, when you eat them at a meal, they help fill you up.
  
• Eggs – so nutritious.  Do you know that the protein in eggs is about the highest quality protein you can eat?  Eat one egg and it costs about 25 cents and is low calories at about 60 calories per large egg.  Full of nutrition as eggs provide bout 6 grams of protein, vitamins A, D, E, B2, B12 and B5.  Another nutrient is choline which bodybuilders use and athletes say it delays fatigue when doing endurance sports.  Yes, eggs have cholesterol about 170 mg per egg.  However, the latest research indicates we can enjoy an egg a day again.  It seems saturated fat is more linked to heart disease risk than cholesterol.
• Oats – think oatmeal.  I always tell my students oatmeal is one of the healthiest cereals they can eat.  And you can boost the nutritional value of oatmeal even more by what you put on it or make it with.  Cost is cheap, only about 22 cents for a half cup (dry) serving which makes 1 cup of cooked oatmeal.  And oatmeal is low in fat and low in calories, about 154 calories per serving.  Why is oatmeal such a healthy food?  Think fiber.  Not just any fiber, but the fiber in oatmeal is soluble fiber that helps remove cholesterol from your body.  So, eating oatmeal is good for your heart.  Ever notice the box of Cheerios says it is heart-healthy and can help lower your cholesterol?  That’s because Cheerios are made from oats.    Researchers have also found that oats boost your immune system, which is especially important right now.  The fiber in oatmeal contains “beta-glucan” which helps your white blood cells fight off infections.  Boost your oatmeal by topping it with some blueberries (see Eat Blueberries for a Health Boost) and some chopped walnuts (see Walnuts for good health) for more protein and those heart healthy omega-3 fats.  In place of water, I make my oatmeal with 1 cup of organic skim milk.  This adds high quality protein, calcium and vitamin D to my breakfast.

Enjoy oatmeal with some blueberries and chopped walnuts.

• Sweet potatoes – so many people cut back on potatoes because they think potatoes are fattening.  Not true, unless you load up that potato with sour cream, butter, gravy, bacon, etc.  But plain potatoes are loaded with good nutrition.  One medium sweet potato cost about 30 cents and has only 103 calories.  And talk about vitamin A, one sweet potato provides about 400% of your daily vitamin A and about a one third of your vitamin C needs.  Make your own baked sweet potato fries for a health boost.    Or have a baked sweet potato and sprinkle on some cinnamon.  Cinnamon is full of healthy benefits, see Cinnamon and your health.

Sweet potatoes are loaded with good nutrition.

• Popcorn – many people think popcorn is unhealthy.  Not true.  Popcorn is whole grain and many Americans have no or only some whole grains in their day.  So, having some popcorn is an easy way to add a serving of whole grains to your day.  Popcorn can be unhealthy when loaded with unhealthy fat, like movie popcorn.  Popcorn is cheap, less than 20 cents for 3-4 cups popped.  And, until you add the butter, popcorn is low in calories, only 140 calories for a 3-4 cup serving of popcorn.  Since it is whole grain, it packs some good fiber and healthy nutrients into your day.  If you are buying microwave popcorn, read the label for the amount of fat and skip popcorn with palm oil.  Palm oil is not heart healthy.  If making popcorn at home, make it using sunflower, corn or canola oil, all heart-healthy oils.

Want to pack some good nutrition into your day but not break the bank with expensive food?  Easy to do with the above tips.  Boost your health this week without busting your budget.

Sources:  Cheap, Healthy Foods , choline , immune , infections, Eat Blueberries for a Health Boost , Walnuts for good health  , baked sweet potato fries , Fries,   peel  Image sources: Oatmeal, Raisins  , fries 

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, halved and cut into 4.5 inch wedges

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil (a heart healthy oil)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper