August 3, 2011
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.
- Citrus fruits, kiwi, berries, potatoes, tomatoes: Vitamin C
- Nuts (walnuts have fats that convert to omega-3s in the body): Zinc, Vitamin E and healthy fats
- Red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, seafood (such as crab and lobster), whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals, and dairy products: zinc
- Dark green leafy veggies such as broccoli, spinach, kale plus yellow foods such as corn and egg yolks: carotenoids: lutein
and zeaxanthin.
- 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.
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July 21, 2011
July 20, 2011
It’s so hot here in Florida that I want to use my herbs before the summer heat bakes them. I have a bumper crop of basil so decided to make fresh pesto to use on pizza instead of traditional tomato sauce.
Martha Stewart has a simple recipe that I like and have adapted in different ways based on the nuts and cheeses that I have on hand. Typically I also use more basil and less olive oil.
Basically pesto is a finely blended combination of pine nuts, fresh basil leaves, Parmesan and/or Romano cheeses, garlic and good quality olive oil. The word pesto means ‘pounded’ or ‘crushed’.
All of the ingredients except the olive oil go into the food processor, which you process until finely chopped. The oil is then slowly poured thru the food tube with the processor running to blend the oil with the other ingredients. That’s it.
I have used walnuts and pistachios or a mixture of both in place of pine nuts, which produces a robust and flavorful pesto.
Toast your nuts of choice for more intense flavor. This is easy to do. Just place them in a skillet on the stove over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn and be sure to stir or toss a few times. If you want to toast nuts in the micro or the oven, check out these tips from The University of Nebraska.
Basil is one of the easy-to-grow herbs and production overflows in the summer. Give basil morning sun, afternoon shade, and don’t let it dry out. I grow basil in a pot so it’s easy to move around to shady spots.
If you don’t want to grow your own, look for fresh cut basil at farmers’ markets and in the grocery most of the year. The leaves should be bright green and not wilting. Place the stems in water and top with a plastic bag or wrap basil in paper towel and put in a plastic bag. Either way, keep basil in the fridge and it will last about a week.
Once you make fresh pesto, it keeps for about 4-5 days so plan to use it in several ways. You can press plastic wrap on the top of the pesto to help retain the beautiful green color and then store it in the fridge.
Use the basil pesto as the base for your pizza…it’s fabulous. But also toss it with pasta and roasted veggies. I roast purple onion, yellow squash and grape tomatoes while I cook whole grain pasta and then toss both with the basil pesto. Delicious and so easy! What’s your favorite way to use pesto?
Want more on pesto? Listen to this week’s podcast below.
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March 23, 2011
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:
- As a snack by themselves.
- 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.
- Toss nuts in cereal and oatmeal.
- Add nuts to cookie and bread batters….toast to intensify the flavor.
- 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, 2010
Do you enjoy a good green salad? I do. Is your salad mainly leafy greens or do you go overboard and create a nutritional nightmare? Not hard to do at a lot of salad bars, is it? Everything seems to call your name and tempt you. How do you build a healthy salad with a nutritional profile that’s powerful for your body?
Try these three easy tips:
1. Start with a base of leafy greens. Red leaf, green leaf, arugula, spinach, or a mixture…whatever you like. Try different greens. I rotate them depending on what’s available and what looks good that week. I’m often asked this question and you may wonder as well “Do I need to rinse the prewashed bagged salads?” Most bags of greens say triple-washed so you would think there’s no need to rinse again.
Don’t miss this….tests on salad greens performed by the Consumers Union and reported in the March 2010 issue of Consumer Report found bacteria that are common indicators of poor sanitation and fecal contamination in their samples. They tested baby greens, organic greens, bagged greens and clamshells. Nothing made a difference. Their conclusions were to buy packages as far from the use-by-date as possible, rinse the greens even if the bag says prewashed or triple-washed and prevent cross contamination in your kitchen by keeping greens away from raw meats. My suggestion is to make sure to clean your salad spinner or colander after each use just in case bacteria adhere to the surfaces.
2. Kick up your veggie intake for the day. Add chopped carrots, green peppers, sliced tomatoes or cucumbers, yellow or zucchini squash, broccoli…basically take a look and see what vegetables you have on hand and toss them in. They add flavor, crunch and a boot load of nutrition. I also like fruit in my salad so I’ll add apple slices, strawberries, dried blueberries and cherries, even watermelon. What do you add to your salad that makes it healthy and delicious?
3. Add lean protein. My girlfriends always say they’re only going to have a salad for lunch. They order one with greens and a few veggies. In an hour or so, they’re hungry again. Sound familiar? Protein has many important roles in your body from helping you to feel full and satisfied longer to maintaining your muscle mass…no matter what your age. Add sliced chicken, turkey, fish or lean beef, low fat cheese or a hard-boiled egg. If you’re vegetarian or eating some meatless meals, try cubes of tofu or chickpeas or a chopped veggie burger.
Listen to this week’s podcast
February 25, 2009
 Have you noticed that omega-3s seem to be added to all types of food such as eggs, oj, milk, cereal and yogurt? When you read the label it can be confusing. What is the source of the omega-3s and how much is in the product? Here’s what you need to know to be a label sleuth.
There are three types of omega-3 fats which include DHA, EPA and ALA. The majority of omega-3 research looks at the health benefits of DHA and EPA which are found in the highest amounts in fatty seafood such as tuna, salmon and sardines. The suggested intake for these two omega-3s combined is about 650 milligrams per day (DHA + EPA) but this amount varies significantly depending on health issues you may have such as heart disease. DHA is also found in marine algae and this source of DHA is often added to food products.
ALA is found in plant sources only such as walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, kale and small amounts in soybean and canola oil. ALA must convert in the body to EPA and DHA and the conversion rate is only about 10%. This means that if you have a serving of a food which contains 100 milligrams of omega-3s from an ALA plant source, after the 10% conversion you end up with 10 milligrams of EPA and DHA…the form that the body uses. You can see it takes a lot more ALA.
If you are buying omega-3 fortified foods, meaning that omega-3s have been added to the product, they are likely in the form of ALA or maybe marine algae (DHA) or a combo of both such as flax and marine algae. So, if the product you are about to buy says it contains 300 milligrams of omega-3s per serving, flip it around and read the ingredient label.
What is the source of omega-3s? If it’s flax, walnuts or any of the other plant food items just mentioned, remember that you are only going to derive about 10% as usable DHA and EPA or 30 milligrams. If a product doesn’t tell you which omega-3s are added, assume it to be a plant ALA source.
 If you’re a fish eater, two servings a week is an easy way to get DHA & EPA. In these lean economic times, fish doesn’t have to blow your budget either. Canned salmon, light tuna and sardines all work just fine. You might be saying to me…what about the mercury in fish? The PCBs? Try this tech tip courtesy of blueocean.org. You can send a text and make sure the fish you purchase is eco-friendly and without a health advisory. Send a text to 30644 with the message FISH followed by the name of the fish you want to buy…for example, FISH SCALLOPS or FISH SALMON.
I sent a text for FISH SALMON and received two texts within a few seconds. The first text had a red flag saying that farmed salmon has significant environmental concerns with a health advisory for potentials PCBs and pesticides. The second text with a green flag indicating a better choice said that wild Alaska salmon has very few environmental concerns. The Blue Ocean Institute tracks 90+ fish species and regularly updates their database. You can check out their website at http://www.blueocean.org.
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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.
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