Entries in health (9)

Friday
Jul092010

Hello Harvest Equals Hello Health

DateFriday, July 9, 2010 at 8:41PM

A common question on the forefront of nutrition: “is it that important to eat organic produce?”  If you had asked me this question 10 years ago I would have given you a very different answer than today.  The answer is YES!  Organic produce contains no pesticides which can impact your health while providing a higher nutrient value in your food and life.

Besides consideration of organic, it is equally important to purchase local since the distance it takes for the product to go from the farm to your home makes a difference in nutrients, how many hands the produce has gone through, etc.

With these 2 things in mind I started researching companies that provide sustainably-farmed local organic agricultural products.  I was tired of going to Whole Paycheck and seeing organic apples from New Zealand or other remote countries.  I go to the Farmer’s market regularly but sometimes it would just be nice and convenient if that produce showed up on my doorstep.

Well…the time has come.  A few weeks ago I received a call from Ben Darin.  Ben and his sister started a company called Hello Harvest.  After graduating from College, Ben taught English in Africa to people with AIDS.  During his time in Africa he became interested in healthy eating and fresh local produce.  When he returned to the US he started this great company and found 5 farmers close to his business in Santa Barbara who supplied organic produce.

He drives to Los Angeles on Wednesdays and drops off a substantial box of produce on your doorstep.  Last week I received a box filled with delicious strawberries, cherries, plums, oranges, baby string beans, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce and other tasty foods with a small spray of flowers on top. 

The box contained a good variety, the taste and longevity great and I did not have to travel at all.  And the price was unbeatable - $35 for a box that feeds at least 2 people for a week or longer.  I’m still eating things from my box over a week ago.  Different sizes are available depending on your needs, along with a preference or reoccurrence to fit your needs.

I highly encourage you to try this service to save yourself time and money…besides saving your health and life.  What can beat health, convenience and ease?

AuthorSusan Dopart | Comment1 Comment |
tagged , , , , , , , , , in , , , ,
Monday
Jul052010

Alternatives for Starches

DateMonday, July 5, 2010 at 2:04PM

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is “what can I substitute for starchy carbs that tastes good?’

Mother Nature has provided us with natural alternatives to starches packed with nutrients and natural carbohydrates that don’t raise insulin levels and keep blood sugars on a more even keel.  These sustitutions are great for individuals who have diabetes or just want to keep their carbs under control.

What are a few you can incorporate into your diet?

1.  Spaghetti Squash - this yellow squash is easy to prepare and substitutes nicely for pasta.  Cut in half, scoop out the seeds and dot with some organic butter, and your favorite spice.  Cook in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until tender.  Remove from the oven and use a fork to scoop out the “spaghetti.”  Sprinkle with some parmesan cheese and enjoy with your favorite protein or some meatballs and tomato sauce.

2.  Eggplant - this squash is underused and tastes great as a substitute for noodles in lasagna or in any vegetable dish.  Slice the eggplant in medallions and put in the oven at 300 degrees for ½ hour to remove the water and use as the layers for lasagna.  See High Protein Lasagna for more ideas.  Eggplant can also be diced and sautéed with Indian spices for a meaty like side dish.

3.  Portobello Mushrooms – these mushrooms have multiple uses.  A few years back a study tested the satiety level of participants after eating Portobello mushrooms versus a piece of meat and the results were surprisingly similar.  They both provided a high satiety level.  Portobello mushrooms can but used as a pizza crust (scoop out insides and bake slightly before adding pizza toppings) or a holder for any protein dish or hearty vegetable side.

4.  Butternut or Acorn Squash – these two squashes make great substitutions for potatoes and are packed with phytochemicals and nutrients.  Cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, and bake in the oven with dots of organic butter, cinnamon or nutmeg. Enjoy cut in chunks or mashed.

All these vegetables are hearty, satisfying and filled with nutrients your body needs.  Stepping outside the box may be a bit daring but eventually becomes routine and ultimately increases your health.

AuthorSusan Dopart | CommentPost a Comment |
tagged , , , , , , , , , in , , , , ,
Tuesday
Jun082010

Do you really know What To Eat?

DateTuesday, June 8, 2010 at 4:27PM

Are you putting off having a nutrition consult?  A few times a day someone will say to me:  “I know what to eat, but I just don’t do it.”  Do we really know the how’s of eating – how to balance our meals, grocery shop, cook a meal and figure out a plan for how to a put it all together for our individual needs?

Over the past 20 years our food supply and diets have changed in dramatic ways.  Things are not as simple as they used to be.  There are many layers to how we eat, things to know about what goes into food, how it’s grown, fed or raised.  These details are difficult to decipher unless you are reading multiple studies and researching food a good part of the week, besides having the education to comprehend these studies.

The biochemistry of food is still the same but what we know about how food affects our health has changed. Whether our animals are fed grass or corn, how our crops are grown with or without hormones, pesticides, etc. does affect our chemistry.  Multiple ingredients and fake sweeteners in our “foods” have produced products that are not in our favor.

People go to lawyers, attorneys, doctors, counselors and trainers since they realize they require the expertise these professions require.  At the same time it is curious to me how so many individuals think they know nutrition from reading a newsletter, or an article in the paper.

Find a Registered Dietitian who goes to multiple conferences and keeps up on the research.  Bring a log of a few days of what you are eating, a copy of your most recent blood work, and bottles of any medications or supplements you are taking.  Think about your goals and needs ahead of time to get the most out of your appointment.

An hour and a half of your time could be all you need to set your eating plan on course in a nutritious direction.   Re-balancing your nutrients and some shifts here and there could make all the difference in your energy, your weight and most of all your health and happiness.

You might find yourself saying after your appointment: “I thought I knew what to eat, but after our session I realize I did not have the knowledge or tools, and now I really do know what to eat.”

AuthorSusan Dopart | CommentPost a Comment |
tagged , , , , , , in ,
Thursday
Mar252010

HOW Much Exercise Do You Need to Maintain Your Weight?

DateThursday, March 25, 2010 at 5:39PM

How much exercise do you need to maintain your weight?  This week’s Harvard study reports 60 minutes a day of moderate intensity exercise 7 days a week.

Sixty minutes a day 7 days a week?  Did I hear that one correctly – 7 hours a week? 

The researchers were not studying prevention of diabetes, cancer, heart disease or how to lose weight – just how to maintain it.

If you want to prevent diabetes, studies show walking 30 minutes per day can lower your risk by 58%.  For men, thirty minutes of exercise per day lowers the risk of morbidity and mortality by 50%.

However, these researchers were not looking at disease prevention.  They analyzed 34,000 healthy US women of normal body weight to see how much exercise was required to MAINTAIN their body weight over 13 years. 

The Los Angeles Times quoted:  “we wanted to see in regular folks - people not on any particular diet - what level of physical activity do you need to prevent weight gain over time," said the lead author of the study, Dr. I-Min Lee, an epidemiologist and associate professor of medicine at Harvard University. "It's a large amount of activity.  If you're not willing to do a high amount of activity, you need to curtail your calories a lot."

I can relate.  I have terrible genetics.  And because I like to eat, I am at the gym by 6 AM most days.  I figure if I want to look like my job and not become diabetic or obese there is not a choice – like taking a shower or brushing my teeth. 

Some days I’m on autopilot but the rewards of not having diabetes, heart disease in addition to maintaining a healthy weight are the payoffs.  Being comfortable in my body, having good energy and restful sleep keeps me motivated to stick to the program.

Even if you unable to exercise this much, the health benefits of some exercise out weigh coach potatoism.  Remember, it’s prevention not prescription.

AuthorSusan Dopart | CommentPost a Comment |
tagged , , , , , , , , in ,
Friday
Feb122010

Early Lifestyle Intervention Key to Diabetes Prevention and Metabolic Memory

DateFriday, February 12, 2010 at 12:21PM

This year’s annual diabetes conference brought me to San Francisco.  I’ve attended it for the last 10 years, rotating one year in San Francisco and next New York.  Good thing it was in San Francisco since NY was blanketed with snow.

Previous conference years have provided cutting edge research on new therapies and drugs for diabetes.  Research is changing faster than ever which is why I attend.  This year’s theme came as a surprise.

EARLY LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION is the key to metabolic memory!  What exactly does that mean?

Many of us wait until the last possible moment when the doctor states those 3 dreaded words:  “you have diabetes.”  But why wait?  What’s the point of working too much, exercising too little or putting your health on the back burner?  I hear this sentence every day:  “I know I should exercise and work on my food but something always gets in the way.”

Fortunately or not our health does not go on vacation.  The studies clearly show lifestyle is the MOST effective treatment for the prevention of type 2 or adult onset diabetes.

When you eat “clean” or in an anti-inflammatory way and exercise on a regular basis the body builds up metabolic memories.  The great news is that these memories actually get reserved for a rainy day.  A recent diabetes study showed that good control of blood sugars through healthy lifestyle can cut the risk of heart disease in half.  Sounds pretty good to me!

Metabolic memory keeps the healthy and unhealthy behaviors in its memory bank- like credits and debits.  If your body has early healthy metabolic memories/credits it actually prevents and helps your body in the future – even if you have unhealthy behaviors/debits later on.  

Healthy Lifestyle behaviors now prevent later diabetes complications of the heart, kidney, and eyes.

Why mess with your body’s memory?  Why not start developing great health memories this moment?

The resolve to start Monday may come and go and the body’s metabolic memory is ticking away.  It is waiting and ready for you at this moment – the choice is all yours to live in the black.  Remember, it’s prevention, not prescription!

AuthorSusan Dopart | CommentPost a Comment |
tagged , , , , , , , in
Page 1 2 Next 5 Entries ยป