Category: Nutrition (Page 41 of 48)

      Convince Your Brain to Crave What’s Good For You!

      August 5, 2011 /

      Eating healthy food may just be a matter of convincing yourself to do so.

      By surrounding yourself with healthy choices, feeding your cravings can be accomplished with fruits, veggies, whole grains and low fat dairy.

      Changing your habits will change your cravings.

      “For most of human history, people didn’t have enough to eat, so fat was something you really needed to seek out,” says Marcia Pelchat, a food psychologist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia.

      Pelchat adds, however, that while we’re born with certain cravings, there’s also evidence we start to crave whatever we eat in large quantities. She found this when she put study subjects on a vanilla-flavored drink low in saturated fat. After consuming it every day for two weeks, about a third of the subjects reported craving the drink, even though she says, “It was chalky and not very yummy.”

      Nutrition, Research, Wellness

      Adopting a Mediterranean Diet May Add 15 Years to Your Life

      August 5, 2011 /

      New research suggests that eating a Mediterranean diet along with regular exercise, not smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight could add 15 years to a woman’s life, or 8.5 years to a man’s.

      A new study published last week in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that these four healthy lifestyle factors significantly cut the risk of premature death, especially in women.

      Research from Maastricht University in the Netherlands used data on diet and lifestyle habits of 120,852 men and women aged 55 to 69.

      To add years to your life, the researchers recommend adhering to a Mediterranean diet, stopping smoking, exercising at least 30 minutes a day, and maintaining a body mass index between 18.5 and 25.

      To try a Mediterranean lifestyle, the US-based Mayo Clinic recommends the following guidelines:

      1. Get plenty of exercise
      2. Eat primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts
      3. Replace butter with healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil
      4. Use herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods
      5. Limit red meat to no more than a few times a month
      6. Eat fish and poultry at least twice a week
      7. Drink red wine in moderation (optional)

      Nutrition, Research, Wellness

      Would Taxing Junk Food Lead to Healthier Choices?

      August 5, 2011 /

      Eating healthy may require some help from Uncle Sam.

      The United States government indirectly subsidizes junk food through national corn and soy bean subsidy programs, which help keep down the cost of highly processed food items containing corn and soy. Subsidization is clearly possible: all we have to do is switch the focus of subsidy programs to more beneficial foods, making it easier for everyone to stock up on fresh fruits and veggies.

      This tactic has been bandied about regarding soft drinks and saturated fats but now, perhaps, a more unilateral approach is necessary.

      Subsidizing health foods may be the incentive consumers need to make healthy lifestyle choices.

      Check out the film making team of Joav and Shirah Potash.
      They have produced the documentary, “Food Stamped” which highlights the stumbling blocks food stamp recipients face when planning to provide healthy meals for their families.

      Health Care Policy, Nutrition, Quality Control, Wellness

      Nutritional Guidelines are Difficult for the Poorest Americans to Meet

      August 4, 2011 /

      Eating Healthy and following the Government recommended Food Pyramid may not be possible for about 49 million Americans.

      An update of what used to be known as a food pyramid in 2010 had called on Americans to eat more foods containing potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin D and calcium. But if they did that, the study authors said, they would add hundreds more dollars to their annual grocery bill.

      Inexpensive ways to add these nutrients to a person’s diet include potatoes and beans for potassium and dietary fiber. But the study found introducing more potassium in a diet is likely to add $380 per year to the average consumer’s food costs, said lead researcher Pablo Monsivais, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and the School of Public Health at the University of Washington.

      “We know more than ever about the science of nutrition, and yet we have not yet been able to move the needle on healthful eating,” he said. The government should provide help for meeting the nutritional guidelines in an affordable way.

      Add eating organic and locally grown and the task becomes even more daunting.

      The poorest members of our population, who depend on government funded healthcare, are the least able to practice prevention through dietary choices and are unable to meet minimum dietary and nutritional needs.

      Health Care Policy, Nutrition, Wellness

      Breastfeeding is Not Encouraged in Most U.S. Hospitals

      August 2, 2011 /

      Breastfeeding rates in the U.S. are very low compared to the rest of the world.

      Even supermodels like Gisele Bundchen have been outspoken advocates for breastfeeding, risking the backlash of mothers everywhere.

      The benefits to baby and mother are indisputable yet hospitals seem ill-equipped to advocate and support breastfeeding for new mothers.

      U.S. hospitals are not doing enough to encourage mothers to breast-feed their newborns, raising the risk of childhood obesity, diabetes and other conditions, according to a federal study released on Tuesday.

      Less than 4 percent of the country’s hospitals fully support breast-feeding, said a report issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

      Doctors, Health Care Policy, Hospitals, Nutrition, Quality Control, Wellness

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