Eating from the Rainbow

An article by: Catherine Schroeder, RD

In addition to rainbows in the sky, April showers inspire the growth of a colorful array of spring fruits and vegetables to decorate your dishes, tempt your taste buds and nourish yourself naturally!  

Vibrantly colored produce adds visual appeal to any dish without the use of synthetic dyes or additives.  More importantly, these brightly colored foods pack a powerful nutrition punch.  Fruits and vegetables have a high nutrient density, meaning they provide high amounts of nutrients for a low amount of calories.   Choosing more foods with higher nutrient density is linked with healthy body weight, greater energy levels and lower risk of chronic disease.  The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at www.eatright.org recommends most adults should “strive for five” servings of fruits and vegetables daily, as a general goal to improve diet and nutrition.  This approximates to about 2 cups daily of fruits and vegetables. For more information on getting enough produce, see www.choosemyplate.gov or www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org.

Experiment with different color combinations to paint a daily menu full of vitamins and minerals: the brighter the better! Visit your local supermarket or farmers’ market to see what’s in season.  Or consider joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) which links you to a local farm where you reap the fresh bounty all season: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/ for more information.

Red/Pink: Many red foods contain lycopene, the antioxidant that may help reduce risk of heart disease and some types of cancer.  Examples include tomatoes, ruby red grapefruit, apples, strawberries, apricots, guava, papaya, raspberries, blood oranges, red bell peppers, guava, watermelon, cranberries, pomegranate, radishes, and red onion.

Orange/Yellow: Colored from beta-carotene, a precursor or Vitamin A, these foods may improve vision, support immune function, help lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation.  These foods are rich in Vitamin C, thiamine, magnesium, and potassium.  Examples include oranges, tangerines, sweet potato, butternut squash, cantaloupe, carrots, peaches, nectarines, pumpkin, mango, banana, lemons, yellow raspberries, yellow bell peppers, spaghetti squash, corn, and pineapple.

Green: Loaded with antioxidants to reduce free radical damage within the body and decrease disease risk, fiber to support digestion, and micronutrients to support metabolism, green produce offers a powerhouse of nutrition.  Examples include Swiss chard, lettuces, turnips, collard and mustard greens, peppers, avocado, broccoli, kale, kiwi, spinach, peas, celery, apples, grapes, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, fresh herbs such as parsley, and cucumbers.

Blue/ Indigo/Violet: With colors attributed to flavonoids, these foods promote cardiovascular health and may stimulate neurologic function: a true brain food! Examples include blueberries, blue corn, grapes, beans, eggplant, plums, blackberries, purple cabbage, and beets. Tea and cocoa are also sources.  For more on antioxidants in foods: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/antioxidants.html 

Color your plate today! More does matter.  There is even a free phone app to help you track your intake: http://munch5aday.com/.  For more tips and ideas, see http://www.foodnetwork.com/spring-produce-guide/package/index.html 

1. Play with your food- Not a raw veggies lover? Experiment with different sauces and dips to change the flavor of your snack! Plunge carrots in hummus, dunk bell peppers in salsa, or top celery with low-fat cream cheese.  Speckle apple slices with a dollop of peanut butter and raisins, top a bowl of berries with Greek yogurt, or drizzle a banana with melted dark chocolate chips and crushed walnuts.  For more recipes: http://www.bonappetit.com/ideas/vegetable-recipes/search 
2. Plan your produce: Don’t leave home without fruit and veggie snacks! The best way to avoid the vending machine is to keep convenient produce snacks on hand and easily accessible when the mid-afternoon munchies hit.  Chop up raw veggies ahead of time and pre-pack into baggies.
3. Make it fun- Adding more produce can be a challenge, but try making a game out of it.  Start by trying to include two different colors in each meal.  When you’ve mastered that, try to include three different colors in every meal (and so on).  Engage the whole family in this initiative and aim to eat the rainbow every day.
4. Remember every bit counts! Simple and small changes can make a dramatic impact on your health.  Place a few leaves of lettuce or arugula on a sandwich, add roasted vegetables to pasta, top pizza with broccoli and cauliflower, or mash avocado instead of mayo on a bun.  Berries are a great addition to a bowl of cereal, atop yogurt, or in a muffin recipe.  Mix together green and red grapes for color or carve watermelons to use as a bowl for fruit salad. 

The more colorful produce you can include in your diet, the more vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber you will receive.  This spring, instead of trying to cut out and limit the “bad” foods, focus on the many nutrients you can add with vibrant fruits and vegetables.

Fatigue, Sleep and FOOD!

Fatigue, sleep and food are all related. Simply put, if your diet lacks essential sleep, vitamins and nutrients, you are very likely to experience fatigue that limits your energy, productivity, and the ability to enjoy significant relationships. 

Here are some tips that you can use to fight fatigue:

• Perhaps the most obvious way to reduce fatigue is by getting more rest. Focus on increasing your sleep time by going to bed 30 minutes earlier each night. 

• Drink more water! This key nutrient is often overlooked in favor of caffeine, but adequate water intake can boost energy more effectively than caffeine over time. It’s suggested that increasing your water intake to at least 8 glasses a day will help reduce fatigue. Sip water throughout your day to keep hydrated and alert with the added benefit of reducing cravings!

• If you lack vitamin B or iron in your diet, these can also lead to fatigue. Essential B vitamins and iron can be found in foods like seeds, leafy greens, Brewer’s yeast, eggs, kale, carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, garlic, mushrooms, beans, bananas and berries. 

• Reducing your intake of simple carbohydrates like bread, pasta, convenience foods and sweetened foods will also help with fatigue. Make sure that your diet consists of more complex carbohydrates like whole grains, fruit and plenty of colorful vegetables and leafy greens. 

And training your body and schedule to allow for sleep that is unbroken and restful is often the biggest challenge of all. Remember to turn off electronics 30 minutes or more before sleeping. Do not eat or drink within two hours of sleeping, as this creates “work” for your digestive tract that keeps your body from sleeping soundly. Set your mind on hopeful or grateful thoughts from your day. Relax your muscles with gentle stretching before getting into bed. 

Daytime habits and bedtime routines are related and affect each other. Create the nutritional habits during the day that support your body’s requirement for rest at night... a happier, more energized life is your gift!

Local, Fresh, Abundant - Farm Markets!

There’s nothing like the aroma of fresh spices, fruits and vegetables. Visit your local farm market and you’ll know what I mean. Many are open through November with a colorful harvest of summer and fall produce.

Local farm markets are the best place to find fresh, vitamin-rich healthy foods. Think fresh tomatoes, watermelons, onions, lettuce, peppers, pastured eggs and meat, seasonings, apples, peaches and more!

Since everything is grown locally, you can find fruits and veggies with a higher nutritional profile and a much lower herbicide or pesticide use, compared to commercial produce found in the grocery store.

If you’ve never visited a local market before, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Markets are open at different times (sometimes odd hours, too). Before you go, be sure to check with your local market.

• Most markets are open throughout the summer, but some markets do begin to close down during October and November as the fall and winter seasons arrive. 

• Some vendors give free samples to customers! Who doesn’t love free samples?
• Cooking demonstrations using ingredients from the farmers’ market are also something to keep an eye out for. You’ll learn new techniques and recipes that utilize fresh ingredients.
• There may be activities for kids, such as face painting or pumpkin carving sessions. This is a great way to get some shopping done while your kids have fun!
• Some local markets have special calendars or websites with information on events that are happening throughout the year. Keep an eye out for special contests, discounts and other fun opportunities!

So, what are you waiting for? Go out and support your local farmers market today! Visit this link to find a market near you: www.localharvest.org

The Delicious Dozen: 12 Healthy Reasons to Eat an Apple a Day | SYS-CON MEDIA

With all the concerns in our food supply, lists from the Environmental Working Group are incredibly helpful for sorting out the best and worst foods from a pesticide vs. organics choice at the grocery store. EWG recently placed apples at the top of their list of foods to purchase organically due to the pesticide content that just cannot be washed off. My family has chosen organic apples for years now, mostly due to the wonderful sweetness and crisp texture that is consistently found in every apple! As a child, that is what was expected from an apple; but marketing, and hybridizing changed all that flavor into perfectly "red" apples that were tasteless.

To encourage you to reclaim apples as a sweet treat in your life that just might improve your health as well, remember the saying, "An apple a day, keeps the doctor away!" and read the benefits in the following article: The Delicious Dozen: 12 Healthy Reasons to Eat an Apple a Day | SYS-CON MEDIA

Enjoy an organic apple today!

Sugar Blues... and the Fork!

A recent article appearing in The New York Times, Is Sugar Toxic? (published April 13, 2011) journalist Gary Taubes strongly identifies the position that sugar is a chronic toxin that is different from other calories as it triggers heart disease, diabetes, and cancer and is the root of obesity and chronic illness in our nation. 

While the article is lengthy it presents research, and supporting data from health professionals, universities and organizations like the American Heart Association and the Dept. of Agriculture that highlights a correlation between sugar and the explosion of chronic disease.

While "evidence" directly linking overconsumption of sugar and disease is still requiring additional study Craig Thompson, president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York is quoted as follows, "I have eliminated refined sugar from my diet and eat as little as I possibly can because I believe ultimately it's something I can do to decrease my risk of cancer."

There is much to learn from science about connections between food and health that can be beneficial. But, there is much already known about the benefits of eating a more plant-based diet that supports optimal health and healing. A new film, Forks Over Knives, with a positive focus on the benefits of a plant based diet, is currently being shown in select cities. Through this film, discussion is generated around the concept that what you eat on a daily basis will is what will add up to better health and happiness or increased risk for chronic illness and medical intervention.

It seems to make practical sense for today to not wait for even more research to prove what is already known about the benefits of eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains along with heeding the warnings already in place that stress the importance of reducing processed foods and especially sugar from all sources.

If you have tried and failed at dieting, maybe its time to use a health coach to create a lifestyle for eating and enjoying the best of foods that are best for you.

Contact me for a consultation to discuss your unique health concerns.

Weighty Issues

The statistics for much of America's population are ominous. Two out of three adult Americans are overweight and one-third of the adult population is obese. Diabetes often accompanies obesity and it too is rising. A lot of effort has gone into educating the public about the dangers of being overweight, and people have responded by trying to slim down. Many now believe that "thin" is healthy and use a wide variety of techniques, including bariatric surgery, to help take off the weight. Weight loss cannot be simply calorie counting or portion control, but must include attention to the actual foods that are chosen for consumption: are they fresh or packages, plant or animal, chemical or other?


So much of the American way of living, and in particular - eating - is focused on being able to have what we want quickly, conveniently, and with some measure of entertainment. The fast food lifestyle has become normal and expected. Children are considered deprived if parents do not take them to a McDonald's type meal at least once per week, and many eat there daily. We are creating a nutritionally lost generation that is truly ignorant of the presence and value of whole, fresh, plant-based foods.

There are so many weight-loss programs offered to many who are curious and desperate. There wouldn't be so many diets to choose from if any of those diets actually worked long-term! The key point of any "diet" is that it is expected to be a "quick-fix" solution to reach a weight-loss goal; substituting one bad eating habit for another is not health supporting. Diets are more likely to contribute to increasing disease risk in one's lifetime because calculated weight loss is the focus instead of creating better health. The only way to truly manage and maintain healthy weight that keeps the body mass index well within normal ranges and generates better health is to focus on fresh, unprocessed plant-based foods as the normal way of eating. 

Consider an excerpt from the introduction of The Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010  http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-DGACReport.htm

"The most important issue is that this set of guidelines is addressing an unhealthy American public for the first time," said Linda Van Horn of Northwestern University, chair of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. "The obesity epidemic is priority number one, and every single thing in this report is focused on addressing that problem up front."

American society has become 'obesogenic,' characterized by environments that promote increased food intake, nonhealthful foods, and physical inactivity. Policy and environmental change initiatives that make healthy choices in nutrition and physical activity available, affordable, and easy will likely prove most effective in combating obesity.

In our society, we've become accustomed to fast foods and fast fixes, rather than taking the path of long-term results. Constructing a healthy lifestyle must become the primary goal. Changing food habits to include fresh, unprocessed foods that are prepared into meals at home will do more for long-term health and well-being than counting calories. The real trick is learning to buy fresh foods at the grocery store, so that the choices available when one is hungry includes fresh fruit and vegetables and not simply packages, fast food, or snack foods. Adding daily moderate exercise will promote an even greater benefit! 

You will always feel full on a plant-based, whole food diet. It’s a diet that is packed with variety, flavor, nutrients needed for energy and is high in fiber, which will make you feel full faster and keep you satisfied longer. There is no need for calorie counting and the best part is the side effects of this diet that include: sustained and consistent weight loss, along with low incidences of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, dementia and other conditions that limit the joy of living. A plant-based diet, part of a total lifestyle change, is the most successful way to shed excess weight, reverse existing conditions of ill health, prevent  disease, and allow for a more active life.  

Remember the statement: "An apple a day will keep the doctor away..."

 



 

Organic, Conventional or Local?

If you have ever stood in the produce aisle wondering if buying organic produce was the better choice instead of conventional, and then you see the sign for a local choice for the same item; which is better? Or do you choose based on price?

Local is always a good choice for a freshly harvested and flavorful product; plus the investment in your community creates other benefits beyond the simple food choice. Organic is also a good choice due to the richness of the soil that creates a more nutrient dense fruit or vegetable. Conventional, or commercially grown produce, means greater chemical fertilizer and pesticide use for a more uniform product, often harvested before it fully ripens in order to be transported to markets a greater distance from where that produce was grown.

Researchers at Rutgers University set out to disprove the claim that "Organic Is Better" and conducted a study on the mineral values of both conventional and organic produce with astounding results. The amount of iron in the organic spinach was 97% more than the commercial spinach, and the manganese was 99% greater in the organic. Many essential trace elements were completely absent in the commercial produce whereas they were comparatively abundant in their organically grown counterparts. (see: Medical Articles / "Organic vs Conventional" at: www.unitedmedicalnetwork.com)

When the abundance of the growing season is present in local farms or markets and the produce has been harvested ripe, then buy local! Letting a fruit or vegetable ripen fully before being picked enhances both flavor and benefit from the vitamins, minerals and various phytochemicals inside! Organic produce that may have been harvested prematurely from several states, countries, or continents away will not be as flavorful or as nutrient dense as what you will find available locally. 

 

Commercially grown fruits and vegetables are less expensive, are prettier to look at, contain approximately 10-50% of the nutrients found in organic produce, are often depleted in enzymes, and are contaminated with a variety of herbicides, pesticides and other agricultural chemicals. (Journal of Applied Nutrition, Vol. 45, #1, 1993)

So, wondering which is better to buy? Choose local or organic produce whenever possible!

A Life Saver...

What you need to know about FRUITS AND VEGETABLES...

"The news isn't that fruits and vegetables are good for you. 

Its that they are so good for you they could save your life."

~ David Bjerkle, M.D.

Current USDA recommendations for a health diet includes 9 - 12 half cup servings of fruits and vegetables EVERY DAY... so, how are you doing with "eating your veggies?"  The rewards are worth the effort. Studies show that as much as 80% of heart disease and 90% of diabetes cases are related to unhealthy eating and lifestyle choices. Recommendations from researchers and doctors abound for emphasizing a diet rich with fruits and vegetables to help lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol. Health care in America cannot simply be about insurance benefits, doctors or medicine for real health begins with real food.

My own journey from an aggressive and invasive breast cancer took a deliberate focus on consuming nearly 7 cups of vegetables daily to rebuild my own weakened immune system and helping my body to fight back and begin to detoxify from the invasion of cancer and aggressive treatment. Before I was diagnosed, I thought I was a fairly healthy person but I only knew to eat less of the bad stuff and keep the foods called "treats" to a minimum. I did not really know that being healthy depends on all the colors of the plant kingdom: red, yellow, blue, purple, orange, white and especially green!

Did you know that cruciferous vegetables fight cancer? Are you aware that all the colors of fruits and vegetables mean lots of antioxidants? Do you know the importance of  PhytoChemicals, the term that refers to the amazing health promoting benefits of plants that build up the body's immune system to fight back against illness and disease, while slowing the progression of aging.

I am thriving 12 years after my initial diagnosis and continue to eat widely of all the colors of plants...especially green.