Posts Tagged ‘whole foods’

Nutrition and Health: Dull No More

Saturday, August 28th, 2010

Discover the Excitement in Nutrition

Nutrition can be this exciting when you discover how many myths you have been saddled with and how much the truth will change your life

Nutrition’s dull reputation may keep you from delving into one of the most exciting topics you could study. Part of nutrition’s mundane image likely springs from high school classes that indoctrinated you on the standard disease-causing diet while at the same time putting you to sleep.

I still remember my last high school nutrition class. The lesson plan was based on the same four “food groups” I had memorized in elementary school: meat, dairy, vegetables and fruits (combined), and grains (whole vs. refined never mentioned). The instructor was our gym teacher. I had no clue about why this diet was supposed to be good, only that it was what everyone ate. The main concern was about “getting enough protein.” Sound familiar?

From the ages of 16 through 43, I avoided the topic of nutrition whenever I could. This did not mean I regarded food as humdrum. In fact, food was one of my favorite obsessions. Not surprisingly, I was (more…)

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Getting Kids Lean and Green

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Barbara Cole Gates Puts the “Healthy” Into School Lunches with Faith, Patience, and Gumption

Lean and Green Kids is impacting the lives of kids now, which means a healthier adulthood later

Barbara Cole Gates is a mom on a mission – to teach kids that “nuts and beans are powerful proteins.” This mission launched when her two children were very young. Barb was a daycare provider.  She served the youngsters in her care plant-based meals and snacks. “All the kids loved my food, including the beans” she observed. “Kids just need the opportunity to experience them with a positive perspective.”

Now, as the founder and director of  the nonprofit Lean and Green Kids, she is reaching a broader (and older) audience, which includes students, educators, school food service providers, and food policy makers.

Her nonprofit is impacting the choices children have in school cafeterias and the way teachers teach nutrition education. In Oceanside, CA for example, elementary school students benefited from “Lean and Green Mondays,” with healthy plant-based choices.

At the 2009 CA School Wellness Conference, Barbara realized something was missing (more…)

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Plants Are Nutrient Factories

Saturday, August 14th, 2010

Animals Are Nutrient Consumers

Plants are amazing nutrient factories. Consider how complex a tree is, with its functioning roots, trunk, branches, leaves, and flowers - all powered by sunlight.

Plants are the base of earth’s food chain, using solar energy to fuel nutrient manufacture. These green factories effortlessly put together the complex carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and phytochemicals that animals need to survive and thrive. Plants also absorb minerals from the soil to weave into their own cells.

Animals who eat plants reap the benefits of these nutrients, needed for their own lives. With the exception of vitamin D, which forms in skin when sunlight hits it, animals cannot make the raw materials essential for their survival.

When you eat animal foods, you are consuming highly degraded remnants of (more…)

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Inner Peace: A Simple Choice

Sunday, August 8th, 2010

Sanctuary Animals Give an Invaluable Gift

The Animal Acres T-shirt says it all

The early morning was cool as my daughter Angela, our friends Teagen, Rose, and Rachel, and I set out for the 164 mile drive to Animal Acres. I had long wanted to visit this sanctuary for rescued farmed animals, a bit north of Los Angeles. Finally, my friends set the date and invited me and Angie to be part of the adventure.

I was relaxed, looking forward to spending a cruelty-free day. In summer my favorite haunt is the beach, in search of the perfect body-surfing wave. Being carried by the ocean feels (more…)

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Ten Strategies To Diet and Exercise Success

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

The American Heart Association Analyzes Which Lifestyle Programs Work

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) causes over one third of deaths in the US, killing an American every 37 seconds. Want to live an extra seven years? That would be the average increase in life expectancy if CVD was totally vanquished.

The American Heart Association wants physicians to be able to recognize and recommend effective ways to lose weight and exercise more.

To combat CVD, the American Heart Association (AHA) put dozens of researchers to work reviewing hundreds of studies on lifestyle change programs. The goal of this project was to identify the interventions that help people exercise more, lose weight, and eat healthier. The AHA summarized their findings in a 37 page scientific statement published July 12, 2010.

The AHA reinforced the role of activity, weight, and eating in preventing CVD. Their statement points out that black and Hispanic immigrants are initially at lower risk for this condition than US-born citizens in the same ethnic groups. However, as the immigrants adopt an American diet and sedentary lifestyle, CVD becomes a harsh reality for them. Since cardiovascular disease is so closely related to lifestyle and obesity, better habits could help prevent illness and death for everyone.

The AHA statement distilled ten strategies that can effectively change the way people think, act, and (more…)

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Whole Foods Vanquish Asthma

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

Krista Watts Trades In Her Cat Allergies and Inhalers for Veggie Sandwiches

Krista and her wonderfully supportive husband Jeff are the picture of health and happiness

For nine years, Krista Watts needed to use an inhaler several times a day just to breathe. Her asthma overshadowed her life. Exercising was difficult, often leading to wheezing and a flushed face.

Krista’s asthma ordeal began after she adopted two cats. Tests led to the conclusion she was allergic to her new furry family. Unwilling to give up her much-loved pets, she resigned herself to living with a condition that was unpleasant at best, and life-threatening if it got out of hand.

For the last two and half years, though, Krista has not used her inhaler – not even once. She still has her cats, and plays with and pets them every day. Now age 38, she is amazed at her vigorous health and plummeting (more…)

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Summer Comfort Food that Keeps You Full

Sunday, July 18th, 2010

Steaming Potatoes Means a Cool Kitchen and High Energy

Red potatoes, purple, or Yukon Gold are all excellent for steaming. Cut into bite size pieces first.

Potatoes are one of nature’s most satiating foods. This means they get you full and keep you feeling full and satisfied longer than most other things you could eat. These nutritious spuds have gotten a bad name because they are usually made into chips or fried (read unhealthy and weight-promoting oil) or baked and smothered with a dairy topping. So it’s no wonder that potatoes have gotten a bad – but undeserved – reputation.

Baking and roasting are my favorite ways to make potatoes. In the heat of San Diego summer, though, the oven is best turned off. So I experimented with steaming potatoes and am cheering at the results.

First, I scrubbed and cut up about 10 medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes into (more…)

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Calcium Does Not Make Strong Bones

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

Your bones have a cubby hole architecture. Bones are durable and resistant to breakage when the structural integrity of the cubby holes is intact. When the walls deteriorate, your bones become fragile and brittle. Calcium has very little to do with this process. Learn more in this video.

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Weight Loss – Success At Last

Sunday, July 4th, 2010

Why Whole Foods Are the Key to Keeping Pounds Off

The obesity epidemic in the US remains a puzzle to researchers and policymakers. A widely publicized report issued in June 2010

Yes, you can enjoy pasta and still lose weight. Just choose whole grain pasta. It will take about 3 weeks for your tastebuds to adjust to its heartier flavor.

concluded obesity “threatens America’s future.” Both the health and financial costs are staggering and unsustainable.

In just the past year, the adult obesity rate rose in 28 states, falling only in the District of Columbia. If everyone were a healthy weight, Medicare costs would be 8.5% lower and Medicaid would be 11.8% lower.

There’s only one problem. The mainstream nutrition guidelines the report describes to get everyone thin don’t work. These dietary recommendations had the Federal stamp of approval for the last five years, yet obesity rates have skyrocketed in that time.

A complete change in how Americans eat is the answer. Half measures are basically (more…)

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Your 70,000 Mile Traffic Jam

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

All Your Cells Get Ideal Nutrition When Your Blood Flows Freely

The problem is that, on diets based on animal and manufactured foods, your blood vessels become clogged with plaque. This life-threatening process begins in childhood and progresses relentlessly. Cardiovascular disease is a leading killer throughout the world. You can stop and reverse this process so easily though – the key is your food choices.

Learn more at this Youtube video.

Blog posting by Janice Stanger, Ph.D. Janice authored The Perfect Formula Diet, a nutrition book built on sustainable food choices. Enjoy six kinds of whole foods for permanent, hunger-free weight loss and health.

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