Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Fiber, Fiber, Fiber!!
This week’s blog is on Fiber! I know… you are all on the edge of your seats thinking that I’m going to speak about bowel movements and how fiber impacts them!! I’m sorry to disappoint however raising 3 children I’ve had enough poopy talk from them!! Some benefits of fiber you may not know about are the fact it lowers your cholesterol, prevents gall and kidney stones, lowers your chance of breast cancer, and increase your fiber slowly ;c) How, you might ask, does fiber lower your cholesterol? The plant cell walls which we know as soluble fiber bind to the cholesterol in your gut and prevent it from being absorbed! Any chance to lower our cholesterol without taking a pill gets a ‘thumbs up’ from me! Going hand in hand with the removal of cholesterol in your system is a lowering of the risk of developing gall stones, which are hardened pieces of cholesterol! The phytates (a very fancy word for a yummy acid) in high-fiber plant foods prevent the crystallization of calcium salts which are kidney stones! High fiber foods also contain lignans which are compounds that are known anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral! The reason lignans are pivotal in the reduction of your chance for breast cancer is because they bind to estrogen receptors and remove them! I know that you now want to increase your dietary fiber, who wouldn’t?? First thing to do… increase slowly and drink extra water until your body is used to it!! Of course this method is not necessary if you choose to stay inside by yourself for a few days! It will only take a few days for your body to adjust!! How much fiber do you need, you ask? Only 20-25 grams a day!! A very easy way to increase your fiber intake without creating large changes to your diet is by adding flaxseeds to your meals! One serving of milled flaxseed will add 4g of fiber!! So go buy some flaxseed and make sure you are buying whole grain breads and eating your veggies!!! Oh and have a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast with some raspberries (total 8g of fiber) and get a jump on the day!!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
5 Cool Facts about Protein!
Our nutrition blog this week is to discuss 5 interesting facts about protein or protein sources! Here are mine:
1. Meat sources contain higher levels of the amino acid arginine which aggravates the herpes simplex virus. I get cold sores on a regular basis and was told to take Lysine for them, but I didn’t know why. Lysine is the amino acid that works in tandem with arginine. When I have too much arginine, I have too little lysine therefore increasing the chance for a flare up. From now on I will take lysine if I am having meat in my meal ;c)
2. I was very excited to learn that the amino acids in the combination of beans and rice make a complete protein! For months now this has been a daily meal of mine and I thought that I might not be getting enough protein, but I am! Yahoo!! And who would have thought that grains contain protein? ;c)
3. Did you know you can eat too much protein? I didn’t! I was amazed to find out that eating too much protein will cause too much ammonia in your system, acidic pH levels, insomnia, nausea, irritability, kidney stones, osteoporosis, and body odor. Wow! With all the media hype about eating more protein we, Americans, actually on average consume more protein than we need! Which leads me to my next item…
4. A person only needs .36g of protein per pound of body weight a day. For me that is only 40g of protein a day which is only 160kcal a day and only 9-10% of my daily total calories!! Most protein bars out on the market contain 25-30 grams of protein in each bar! That is almost my whole entire daily need!
5. This one is the biggie!!! Ready??? Deficiency in protein=deficiency in immunity!!! Protein is EXTREMELY important for your immune function!! Now before you go consuming extra protein when you get sick… remember… too much protein is not good either! We need to eat a BALANCED diet of protein, fats, and carbohydrates! The amino acid Glutamine is the body’s most potent and completely natural antioxidant! Protein is also responsible for cellular rejuvenation and detoxification!
1. Meat sources contain higher levels of the amino acid arginine which aggravates the herpes simplex virus. I get cold sores on a regular basis and was told to take Lysine for them, but I didn’t know why. Lysine is the amino acid that works in tandem with arginine. When I have too much arginine, I have too little lysine therefore increasing the chance for a flare up. From now on I will take lysine if I am having meat in my meal ;c)
2. I was very excited to learn that the amino acids in the combination of beans and rice make a complete protein! For months now this has been a daily meal of mine and I thought that I might not be getting enough protein, but I am! Yahoo!! And who would have thought that grains contain protein? ;c)
3. Did you know you can eat too much protein? I didn’t! I was amazed to find out that eating too much protein will cause too much ammonia in your system, acidic pH levels, insomnia, nausea, irritability, kidney stones, osteoporosis, and body odor. Wow! With all the media hype about eating more protein we, Americans, actually on average consume more protein than we need! Which leads me to my next item…
4. A person only needs .36g of protein per pound of body weight a day. For me that is only 40g of protein a day which is only 160kcal a day and only 9-10% of my daily total calories!! Most protein bars out on the market contain 25-30 grams of protein in each bar! That is almost my whole entire daily need!
5. This one is the biggie!!! Ready??? Deficiency in protein=deficiency in immunity!!! Protein is EXTREMELY important for your immune function!! Now before you go consuming extra protein when you get sick… remember… too much protein is not good either! We need to eat a BALANCED diet of protein, fats, and carbohydrates! The amino acid Glutamine is the body’s most potent and completely natural antioxidant! Protein is also responsible for cellular rejuvenation and detoxification!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Nutrition Discussion Question
Below is my answer to the following question for my nutrition class; What are some of your ideas about what we can do to decrease the use of hormones, antibiotics, and environmental pollutants in our food supply and still meet worldwide food demands?
This question perplexed me greatly! First thing I thought of is I am so concerned with feeding my own kids I couldn’t even imagine taking on ways to feed the entire world! Second thing was with all the people starving in this world, how is it even possible to decrease the steroids and still produce enough food? Then I came to this website: http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/home . The Rodale Institute has been an organic farm and research facility for almost 30 years! In their pdf for the Organic Green Revolution they state, “studies show that sustainable agricultural practices can actually increase food production by up to 79% while at the same time actively reducing the effects of farming on climate change through carbon sequestration”. What?? I thought the reason we started using hormones was because we couldn’t feed the world this way?? In fact they go on to say, “The researchers
concluded that organic farming can produce enough food to feed the world without increasing the agricultural land base.” They then go on to detail specific ways that the farms themselves can change from conventional farming to organic farming and what these changes mean to us (the world). It is one of the most fascinating papers I have read so far. Here is the direct link: http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/files/GreenRevUP.pdf
So what are my ideas to decrease the hormones, antibiotics, and environmental pollutants in our food supply? Education and action. Plain and simple people need to be educated! Unfortunately eating organically and sustainably has received a bad rap all these years. We need to reach the children first and show them the movies: Food, Inc., The Future of Food, and Fresh (http://www.freshthemovie.com/). Once the children are aware of what is going on behind the scenes and pretty pictures of conventional farming they will definitely spread the word to all adults they know! Once people are educated about what is really in the food they are feeding their children and themselves they will slowly back away from conventionally grown foods. Even if each person in the United States only changes one meal a week, that is 307 million meals a week that are supporting organic or sustainable agriculture! That number is staggering! Americans need goals they feel are attainable and once they are committed they will follow thru! Another feasible goal is to buy one item a week that is locally grown. Did you know that, according to Sustainabletable.org, “even though broccoli is grown all over the country, the broccoli we buy at the supermarket travels an average of 1,800 miles to get there”? That’s an amazing journey! If we support local farmers we will not only put money back into our own community, but we will allow the farmer to stay where he is because there will be demand for his food!! A great website to find organic farms, restaurants, and grocery stores in your area to support is: http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?pd=Home Another thing we can do is buy fruits and vegetables that are in season. If you are anything like me, you don’t know what seasons are peak for what! So if you (like I) need help with that, go to, http://www.sustainabletable.org/shop/seasonal/. Even if we only touch one person with what we have learned so far the ripple effect will be amazing! And if you are interested in reaching more people or becoming more active in the fight for healthier food and environment go to: http://sustainableagriculture.net/take-action/, also the Rodale Institute has a page of action items also!
The reason I posted this answer on my blog is I think it has some great websites to look up that won't make you sad or disgusted like the movie Food, Inc. But maybe you will be willing to try one of my suggestions! Thanks for reading!!
This question perplexed me greatly! First thing I thought of is I am so concerned with feeding my own kids I couldn’t even imagine taking on ways to feed the entire world! Second thing was with all the people starving in this world, how is it even possible to decrease the steroids and still produce enough food? Then I came to this website: http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/home . The Rodale Institute has been an organic farm and research facility for almost 30 years! In their pdf for the Organic Green Revolution they state, “studies show that sustainable agricultural practices can actually increase food production by up to 79% while at the same time actively reducing the effects of farming on climate change through carbon sequestration”. What?? I thought the reason we started using hormones was because we couldn’t feed the world this way?? In fact they go on to say, “The researchers
concluded that organic farming can produce enough food to feed the world without increasing the agricultural land base.” They then go on to detail specific ways that the farms themselves can change from conventional farming to organic farming and what these changes mean to us (the world). It is one of the most fascinating papers I have read so far. Here is the direct link: http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/files/GreenRevUP.pdf
So what are my ideas to decrease the hormones, antibiotics, and environmental pollutants in our food supply? Education and action. Plain and simple people need to be educated! Unfortunately eating organically and sustainably has received a bad rap all these years. We need to reach the children first and show them the movies: Food, Inc., The Future of Food, and Fresh (http://www.freshthemovie.com/). Once the children are aware of what is going on behind the scenes and pretty pictures of conventional farming they will definitely spread the word to all adults they know! Once people are educated about what is really in the food they are feeding their children and themselves they will slowly back away from conventionally grown foods. Even if each person in the United States only changes one meal a week, that is 307 million meals a week that are supporting organic or sustainable agriculture! That number is staggering! Americans need goals they feel are attainable and once they are committed they will follow thru! Another feasible goal is to buy one item a week that is locally grown. Did you know that, according to Sustainabletable.org, “even though broccoli is grown all over the country, the broccoli we buy at the supermarket travels an average of 1,800 miles to get there”? That’s an amazing journey! If we support local farmers we will not only put money back into our own community, but we will allow the farmer to stay where he is because there will be demand for his food!! A great website to find organic farms, restaurants, and grocery stores in your area to support is: http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?pd=Home Another thing we can do is buy fruits and vegetables that are in season. If you are anything like me, you don’t know what seasons are peak for what! So if you (like I) need help with that, go to, http://www.sustainabletable.org/shop/seasonal/. Even if we only touch one person with what we have learned so far the ripple effect will be amazing! And if you are interested in reaching more people or becoming more active in the fight for healthier food and environment go to: http://sustainableagriculture.net/take-action/, also the Rodale Institute has a page of action items also!
The reason I posted this answer on my blog is I think it has some great websites to look up that won't make you sad or disgusted like the movie Food, Inc. But maybe you will be willing to try one of my suggestions! Thanks for reading!!
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