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November 18, 2011

Superfoods to Reduce Your Diabetes Risk


Does diabetes run in your family? Has your blood glucose (aka blood sugar) been a little elevated? According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC), approximately 35% of adults 20 and older, and 50% of adults 65 and older have pre-diabetes.

Have you heard the term pre-diabetes? It’s used to describe above-normal blood sugar levels that are not quite elevated enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Here’s the kicker: unless lifestyle changes are made such as weight loss, tweaks to the diet and more exercise, pre-diabetes typically progresses to diabetes.

But I like to focus on the good news. If you are pre-diabetic or diabetes runs in your family, you can take control now and help prevent diabetes. If you have diabetes, smart habits can reduce your blood sugar level enough that you may need less medication or none at all.

Joining me on the podcast this week to bust some diabetes myths and talk superfoods is my guest Regina Ragone, registered dietitian and Food Director at Family Circle magazine.

One of the most common diabetes myths is that eating too much sugar causes diabetes. You my eat very little sugar or few sweets and still develop diabetes. Weigh gain plays a big role in diabetes and it doesn’t matter what foods you eat or drink to put on the pounds.

Diabetes Superfoods to Add to Your Diet:

Leafy greens

Nuts

Herbs and spices: particularly cinnamon, oregano and turmeric

High Fiber Foods: Susan: such as whole wheat bread, brown rice, beans, lentils, oatmeal

New research is looking at both regular consumption of caffeinated coffee and a normal blood level of vitamin D as potentially protective against diabetes.

Be sure and try this month’s Family Circle recipe: turkey scaloppine with tarragon-mushroom sauce  at the WDBO.com/healthcenter.

Want more? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

Listen to this week’s podcast


November 10, 2011

Get Spicy with Your Food and Boost Your Health!

Can you believe it? The holiday season is about to begin. What’s on your holiday menu? Have you started thinking about it? What about those party foods you’ll need to prepare? This year, try adding a variety of spices to your recipes. A sprinkle of cinnamon, a pinch of cloves and nutmeg or a touch of sage, rosemary and thyme can make all the difference in flavor.

Spices help develop the flavor profile of your food. And did you know that many spices may have a health benefit? The emerging science is fascinating especially when you consider that spices have antioxidant and protective properties.

A new study from researchers at Penn State, which was published in the Journal of Nutrition, found that seasoning a high-fat meal with two tablespoons of an antioxidant-rich spice blend could enhance antioxidant defenses and reduce the body’s negative responses.

To be specific, the antioxidant-rich spice blend increased one measure of antioxidant activity in the blood by more than 13% and decreased the insulin response by about 20%.

Post-meal triglycerides also decreased by about 30 percent, compared to the meal without spices. Typically blood triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood) rise after a high-fat meal is consumed and research suggests if high-fat meals are eaten frequently, your risk for heart disease increases.

These researchers suggest that the beneficial changes from the spices are likely due to the naturally-occurring plant compounds (polyphenols) that are equivalent to the amount found in a glass of red wine or blueberry juice.

Are you curious as to which spices made up the blend? I was. The spice blend included black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, garlic powder, ginger, oregano, paprika, rosemary and turmeric.

Did you know that one teaspoon of cinnamon contains as many antioxidants as a full cup of pomegranate juice?  Cinnamon contains polyphenols, which are antioxidants that may help regulate blood sugar levels.  I sprinkle it on oatmeal and also toss in dried cherries or blueberries along with a few walnuts or pecans. This past weekend, I made buttermilk-oatmeal pancakes and added a pinch of cinnamon.

What do you like on a hot dog or hamburger? Did you say mustard? Do you buy the traditional bright yellow mustard? Guess what spice is in mustard? Turmeric. The golden yellow color in turmeric comes from curcumin, which is the naturally occurring phytonutrient. By the way, if you’re a curry power fan, turmeric is one of the spices in it.

Last week I made Chicken Paella with Sausage and Olives out of Ellie Krieger’s So Easy cookbook. The turmeric adds flavor and gives that slightly yellow color to the dish. Health wise, studies suggest that the curcumin in turmeric may help slow or stop the development of harmful brain plaque or amyloid plaque tied to Alzheimer’s disease.

What are your favorite ways to use spices? If you want more information and a selection of recipes that contain these super spices, check out spicesforhealth.com

Want more? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

Listen to this week’s podcast


August 3, 2011

Focus on These Foods to Help Protect Your Eyes

August 3, 2011

Did you know that age-related macular degeneration, aka AMD, is the leading cause of vision loss as you get older? Do you have friends or family members who are losing their vision?

Perhaps they’ve been diagnosed with AMD, which affects the central vision and results in significant vision loss or even blindness. Spots, referred to as blind spots, cloud this central vision making it very difficult to see faces clearly, read and drive. And don’t miss this. If you have a family history of AMD, are female or white…all three increase your risk.

What if you can add certain foods to your diet NOW to help prevent AMD down the road? Data from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (known as AREDS) reported in the May 2009 issue of the journal Ophthalmology found that participants whose diets were high in certain nutrients including vitamin E and C, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, and omega-3 fats had the lowest risks of age-related macular degeneration.

Other studies suggest that a diet consisting of more low-glycemic foods (vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils and whole grains as examples) and less high glycemic foods such as candy, desserts, and sweetened drinks results in a lower risk for AMD.

In case you’re wondering how refined or processed foods, which are typically high on the glycemic index affect vision, here is what scientists currently believe. High-GI foods cause a rapid increase and decline in blood glucose levels as opposed to low-GI foods that raise blood glucose more slowly.

The rapid rise in blood glucose may damage the macula or part of the retina, which provides detailed central vision. The good news is that the certain nutrients just mentioned above seem to help protect your eyes from AMD.

Consider making these foods a staple in your diet.

  1. Citrus fruits, kiwi, berries, potatoes, tomatoes: Vitamin C
  2. Nuts (walnuts have fats that convert to omega-3s in the body): Zinc, Vitamin E and healthy fats 
  3. Red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, seafood (such as crab and lobster), whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals, and dairy products: zinc
  4. Dark green leafy veggies such as broccoli, spinach, kale plus yellow foods such as corn and egg yolks: carotenoids: lutein
     and zeaxanthin.
  5. Cold-water fish like salmon or canned tuna: omega-3 fats

For more information on eye health, check out the National Eye Institute http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/maculardegen/index.asp.

The good news is that all the foods mentioned above are not only beneficial for eye health but for your total body health.

Want more? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

Listen to this week’s podcast


March 23, 2011

Nuts: A Natural Cholesterol Buster

Good thing nuts are good for you because I’m a nut junkie! Are you? Walnuts, pecans, pistachios, cashews, peanuts, pine nuts…doesn’t matter, I eat and like them all.

Nuts and seeds are simple to add to your diet:

  1. As a snack by themselves.
  2. Add nuts to salads or pasta dishes. The colors of pistachios make an eye catching salad topping when combined with fresh citrus sections or sliced strawberries.
  3. Toss nuts in cereal and oatmeal.
  4. Add nuts to cookie and bread batters….toast to intensify the flavor.
  5. Stir nuts or pumpkin/sunflower seeds into yogurt.

Do you have favorite ways to use nuts? Share your ideas on my blog at susanmitchell.org

If your cholesterol is elevated or you’re trying to keep a lid on it because high cholesterol runs in your family, perk up for this news.

A 2010 study in the Archives of Internal Medicine pooled results from 25 trials in seven countries. The combined studies looked at almost 600 men and women with normal or high cholesterol levels but they were not taking cholesterol-lowering medications. Researchers from Loma Linda University found that the participants consuming nuts daily (about 2.4 ounces or in real world amounts…2/3 cup of walnut halves) saw an average 5% drop in total cholesterol, 7.4% decline in lousy or LDL cholesterol and 8.3% improvement in the ratio of the lousy LDL cholesterol to the healthy HDL cholesterol.

And, don’t miss this…those with high triglycerides saw levels plummet by an average of 10%. The good news for us nut eaters is that different types of nuts had similar effects.

Register for a chance to win a case of Wonderful Pistachios! Register now, and get chompin’!

Why are nuts so good for you? Here’s a little nut nutrition 101. Nuts and seeds contain a low amount of saturated fat and higher amounts of the good fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated). Any idea how much cholesterol is in nuts? The answer: zero cholesterol! Cholesterol is only found in animal sources only and nuts are a plant source.

Nuts also contain protein, fiber, the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium plus naturally occurring phytonutrients. Many people tend to skip nuts and seeds because they think they’re too high in fat and calories. True, the fat and calorie content are high but the type of fat is healthy and the nutrients are beneficial.

In another 2010 study published in the Journal of Nutrition, Penn State researchers found that pistachios lower lousy cholesterol (LDL) while packing a powerful antioxidant punch. Compared to many nuts, pistachios contain higher levels of antioxidants including beta-carotene, lutein, and gamma-tocopherol, which researchers think may help combat inflammation in the body.

Again, the serving size used in the research was about 1.5 ounces and the participants consumed two servings per day (10-20% of total calories). The cholesterol lowering effect plus the antioxidant benefits could help reduce cardiovascular disease beyond the benefit of just lowering LDL-cholesterol.

If you want to include nuts for their full cholesterol-busting benefits (up to 3 ounces per day), think about your calories and where you will need to make adjustments so you don’t gain weight.

Want more? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

Listen to this week’s podcast


February 24, 2011

Inflammation and Your Diet

Inflammation can be good thing or a not so good thing. Inflammation is not so good when it becomes chronic or on-going inflammation in your body. This type of inflammation, which is invisible to the eye, gets all the attention because it’s been implicated in the etiology or cause of many common diseases from heart disease and autoimmune illness like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis to some cancers, diabetes, and even stroke.

Can you do anything about inflammation in the body? Does what you eat potentially make inflammation worse or can it help lower inflammation or inflammatory markers such as CRP?

Is there an anti-inflammation diet? You may hear it called by numerous names or book titles but most of these diets are based on research behind the Mediterranean Diet.

What to do:

1. Decide to eat more fruits and vegetables each day. Why? The antioxidants they contain such as vitamins A, C and E along with all the naturally-occurring healthful plant compounds called phytonutrients seem to ramp down the inflammation process in the body. For example, the Agricultural Research Service has conducted studies on Bing cherries and found that regular consumption of Bing cherries lowered the markers of inflammation in the body including CRP.

2. Consume more fish, especially fatty fish that contain omega-3 fats part of the polyunsaturated and healthier fat family and thought to counteract inflammation. There are three types of omega-3 fats, which include DHA, EPA and ALA. DHA and EPA are found in the highest amounts in fatty seafood such as tuna, salmon and sardines. ALA is found in plant sources only such as walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, and kale.

3. Eat more whole grains and other high fiber foods such as beans, peas, and lentils. Eat fewer processed or refined foods that are full of empty calories or zero nutrition such as cookies, cakes, chips, soft drinks, pastries and other sweets. Processed or highly refined foods can make your blood sugar level spike, which has also been tied to inflammation.

4. Add nuts and avocados to the diet: these are good sources of the healthy fat, monounsaturated, which appear to be anti-inflammatory. All types of nuts count.

A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at the effect of a Mediterranean diet on inflammation in the body, particularly in people with metabolic syndrome. Do you remember the term metabolic syndrome?

It’s a bundle of medical issues that includes excess weight around your belly (apple shape, muffin top), elevated total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein or LDL levels, high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels. What is the link between inflammation and metabolic syndrome? It’s a syndrome that is tied to a pro-inflammatory state in your body…this chronic inflammation we’ve been talking about.

This study and others have found that a Mediterranean diet that includes healthy oils, nuts, fish and lots of fruits, veggies and grains decreased the level of an inflammation marker in the blood known as C-reactive protein or CRP for short and reduced the level of inflammation in the body.

Bonus! Switching to and consuming foods that are part of the Mediterranean diet often results in weight loss, which also lowers markers of inflammation in the body…a very good thing.

Want more? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

Listen to this week’s podcast


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