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March 10, 2012

Hunka Hunka Chocolate Love

Last week I attended a fundraiser for Easter Seals. Dessert was a dense dark chocolate flourless cake with chocolate ganache shaped similar to a women’s handbag with an edible gold wash over it. Leaning against it was a white chocolate with gold stars high heel pump.

It was fascinating to look at the detail and of course to taste the chocolate. Even I, lover of all things dark chocolate, could not finish this decadent dessert and didn’t even try…although I gave it a good college try. Ok, so I never met a dark chocolate that I don’t like.

Typically I eat my chocolate with fewer calories from added fat such as the cream in ganache. One of my favorite treats that kids and adults both like is Apple Chocolate Dips.

A simple and fun recipe, you take Granny Smith apple wedges and dip them into melted dark chocolate and roll in chopped pistachio nuts (one of my most favorite nuts and power packed with nutrition).

I’m always excited to hear current evidence-based nutrition news on chocolate’s potential health benefits. A 2011 meta-analysis, which means a systematic review, of seven chocolate studies published in the British Medical Journal specifically looked at the association between chocolate consumption and the risk of developing cardio metabolic disorders (think heart disease and stroke, diabetes and metabolic syndrome).

Interestingly, these studies did not differentiate between dark and milk chocolate. The results indicated that a higher level of chocolate consumption was associated with about a one third reduction in the risk for cardiovascular disease and a 29% reduction in stroke risk as compared to a lower chocolate intake.

What does this mean to you and me? Eating chocolate in reasonable amounts does not seem to be problematic but may in fact be helpful in reducing overall risk. This study does not prove direct cause and effect… in other words, eat chocolate and no heart disease. It means that when people consume chocolate as part of their diet versus not, the overall risk for cardiovascular diseases seems to go down.

Why does the risk decrease? What’s in the chocolate that has this potential heart-protective effect? Researchers are trying to figure this out. Is it chocolate itself or is it chocolate in combination with a healthy diet and lifestyle? This is what makes association research tough. For example another 2011 study in Chemistry Central Journal found that chocolate is a rich source of antioxidants (polyphenols and flavanols), just like wine, grape juice and most fruit.

Research indicates that the flavanols in cocoa may have heart health benefits that include improved blood flow, reduced blood pressure and lowered production of the lousy or LDL cholesterol. In addition to the flavanols found in cocoa, dark chocolate also contains other nutrients including iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and fiber.

The caveat here is that the nutritional profile can be significantly hindered by the addition of less healthy ingredients such as too much sugar (most all chocolate will have some sugar to counteract the bitter pure cocoa flavor), trans fat or hydrogenated fat, butter oil, coconut or palm oil (both of which contain saturated fat, or even milk fat (which I am seeing added to a lot of chocolate products now).

So it’s up to you to be the label sleuth and look at the Nutrition Facts label and also closely read the ingredient list. The longer the ingredient list, the more likely it is that less-healthy added items will take away from the cocoa’s potential health benefits.

Dark chocolate can be enjoyed without the guilt as long as you don’t forget that chocolate contain fat and calories so you must be prepared to burn off the calories so they don’t end up on your backside.



January 26, 2012

Cold and Flu Fighters

I just returned from a trip to California and can you hear what came with me? A chest cold along with laryngitis. Did you know that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) up to 20% of Americans will likely get the flu every year? When you feel achy all over and feverish, your food selections can help fortify your immune system and ramp down some of your cold and flu symptoms. Healthy food, which provides needed nutrients to your body such as vitamins and minerals, is essential for optimum function of the immune response.

Try these flu and cold fighters:

Hot Tea: all types of tea including green, black, white and red offer health benefits in the form of antioxidants. Besides feeling really good on your throat and warming your body when you have the chills, hot liquids temporarily thin out the mucus in the nose and throat. Here’s a little unexpected tip. Regular tea (not decaf) contains enough caffeine to gives you a slight energy boost when you feel so bad you don’t want to lift your head off the pillow.

When you feel chilled and achy, try this simple Spiced Orange Green Tea from the Florida Department of Citrus.

Here’s what you need:

4 ounces Florida Orange Juice

1 cinnamon stick

3 ounces green tea

Here’s what you do:

Combine the three ingredients in a saucepan and heat until steaming. You could also heat the ingredients together in a microwaveable cup until hot.

Blueberries, , potatoes, red peppers, kiwi and other vitamin C-rich foods: I bet you didn’t think about red peppers or potatoes for their Vitamin C but they are a very nice source of both vitamin C and potassium. Bake a potato quickly in the microwave when you don’t have much of an appetite. Other vitamin C-rich foods include blackberries, cherries, tomatoes, broccoli and the traditional sources you think of such as tangerines, oranges, grapefruit, pineapple and strawberries.

I much prefer the whole food over a vitamin C supplement since you get the benefit of the hydrating water content as well as other vitamins and minerals in the fruit. Research has not proven that vitamin C prevents colds but it does have a role in overall immune function that in turn helps you fight off a cold and flu. By the way, 100% fruit juices provide hydration plus the benefits of vitamin C and antioxidants.

Nuts and Seeds: Surprise…your body can benefit from the nutritional star power of nuts and seeds such as pumpkin and sunflower seeds, pistachios and pecans or peanuts or walnuts to provide your body with fiber and a roll call of nutrients including folate, magnesium, calcium, potassium, riboflavin and vitamin E. Nuts and seeds make an easy energy and nutrient-packed snack when you don’t feel like preparing food.

Spicy foods such as hot sauce, wasabi, chili or spicy sauces help to temporarily open sinuses, relieve some congestion and perhaps help you taste the food. A bowl of chili or spicy tortilla soup with a dash of hot sauce may cause your nose to run and eyes to tear but right now, that could be a good thing. This relief helps you to breathe easier for a little while so if you’re up for it, try a little spicy food.

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

Listen to this week’s podcast


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


April 13, 2011

A Muffin Top May Cause Brittle Bones

Hi Everyone! When you hear the word osteoporosis, do you think about yourself or your family? Protecting your bones is likely not at the top of your to-do list. Maybe you down a calcium supplement when you think about it…but that’s about it.

What if I told you there are simple smart choices you can make to keep your bones and your kids’ bones healthy? The goal is to prevent thinning of your bones and fractures down the road.

Joining me on this week’s podcast to talk about four easy ways to protect your bones is Regina Ragone, registered dietitian and Food Director at Family Circle magazine.

You may be shocked to hear that extra weight around your middle can lead to bone loss. The first prime way to protect bones is to lose weight around the middle. A recent study from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School found that women who had high amounts of visceral (belly) fat had less bone mineral density than women who did not.

Call it a muffin top or menopot but this belly fat appears to produce an inflammatory response in the body, which can accelerate bone loss.


Just as important is to eat more calcium-rich foods at every age…a must-do for preventing bone loss and osteoporosis. Did you know that the best way for your body to absorb calcium is from food sources versus supplements? Milk, yogurt, cheese, spinach, almonds, fortified soy milk and cereals are all sources of calcium.

If you find it hard to get enough calcium through food, supplement with calcium citrate. Take it after meals since food helps with absorption of calcium from the supplement.


Each month Family Circle shares a tasty recipe with us. If you’re in the mood for Mexican, you’ll want to try the Turkey-Vegetable Fajitas with a simple Avocado & Tomato Salsa on the side. With a fresh marinade of lime and orange juices plus ancho chili powder, cumin, and a host of veggies, it’s time to get your family in the kitchen to cook together.

Want more? Listen to this week’s podcast below. Don’t forget you can now find our podcast with Family Circle at familycircle.com, keyword ‘podcast’.

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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