Juicing with a DASH

I will admit to feeling a bit hypocritical: I am a nutrition student and am overweight.  I can admit this – if not, then how can I ever ask a client to?  I could make excuses about quitting smoking (which is a REALLY good thing), changes in my hormones, and my long hours of sitting/computer time that have caused me to get where I am weight-wise.  The reality is, however, that I needed to decide to take the steps towards healthy eating.  There is no doubt that I know what they are.  Not so different from smoking cessation, I have to be ready for change. 

So, where does my path to change start? I have decided to mix a bit of alternative with a mainstream-eating plan: I will do a 3-day juice detox and then move into the DASH diet that will include juicing.

I really enjoy juicing, and I believe in the benefits of a detox.  Whether or not we want to believe that the natural filtering process of our bodies needs the additional detox-boost of a juice fast, we cannot deny that fresh vegetable juices provide us a concentrated source of phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals.  If nothing else, a juice detox can give us a really good jump-start on healthy eating plan for the New Year.

When we juice and detox, we are essentially giving our bodies a break from the processed foods, alcohol, and/or high-fat richness of the holidays.  We become immediately more aware of what we are consuming. When we move out of a detox it is a great time to identify how our bodies react to foods, we can begin to identify sensitivities and reactions that we may have been overlooking or masking with a bottle of OTC medication.

The DASH diet is the mainstream diet that is often recommended to reduce high blood pressure and LDL cholesterol – while I have neither of these I have adapted it as a weight loss diet.  I will most likely be prescribing this plan to clients in the future so it seemed prudent to work through the plan myself.  I will be adding fresh juices into the plan as meals and snacks.  DASH is not that different from an exchange diet, Weight Watchers or calorie counting.

I am one to use what I have, and am a member of a winter CSA so I am getting fresh apples and veggies to incorporate into my juice plan.  I own 2 juicers: an Omega 8006 ~ a masticating juicer and a WaringPro ~ centrifugal juicer.  I will share more with you about these in the next few days.  If you are a beginner and would like to try a juice plan you could refer to Dr. Oz’s 3-day plan or you can also order a fresh juice kit: Root Juices for example.

Juice with a DASH: detox is set to begin Friday January 4^th – stay tuned.

         

Immunity Booster: Yogurt

Winter is here and we can be ready for this cold and flu season by boosting our immunity with the foods we eat.  I will spend the next few weeks with some suggestions on ways to boost your immunity, helping you avoid communicable winter illnesses.

I have always been a strong believer of Foods over Supplements.  The bioavailability of the nutrients is usually greater in whole foods then in any pill or supplement form. This is the best way to find all the components of edible health benefits.

So, let’s start this series with my recommendation for you to eat yogurt regularly.

One of the best ways we can protect our heath is by avoiding inflammation; yogurt containing live cultures has an immune-function without creating an inflammatory response.  This fermented milk product contains the probiotics that assist in this protection.

Yogurt’s live cultures not only appear to be beneficial for gut immunity, but are also showing some benefits to allergic reactions and is suggested to lower incidence of upper respiratory illness, which goes right along with the winter cold and flu.

When purchasing yogurt look for the LAC seal – this is the Live Active Cultures identification from the National Yogurt Association. Frozen yogurt, and products made with yogurt, such as yogurt-covered raisins, may be delicious and have separate benefits, but not the ones we speak of here.  Furthermore, “Made with live cultures” does not mean that the cultures are still alive – which they must be for us to receive all the immunity benefits, so make sure your carton has the LAC seal.

Remember that because is not conclusively studied that you should consume a live-culture yogurt product, with all its complementary ingredients such as protein, calcium, vitamins B2, B12, and D.  It very possible that the real benefit of yogurt is in the combination of macro and micronutrients with the probiotics, so take it all in for good health.

Take home message: Eat yogurt with live active cultures at least 4-5 times each week to improve immunity and digestive health.

Nutrition Facts for 1/2 cup of plain low-fat yogurt: 96 calories, 1 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 6 g chol, 75 mg sogium, 16 g CHO, 6 g Protein.

Dietary Highlights: Recommended Daily Values: 19% of Calcium, 13% of Riboflavin (B2), and 10% of B12

Kopp-Hoolihan, L. (2001). Prophylactic and therapeutic use of probiotics: A review. American Dietetic Association.Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 101(2), 229-38

Van, d. W., Keen, C. L., & Gershwin, M. E. (1999). The influence of chronic yogurt consumption on immunity. The Journal of Nutrition, 129(7), 1492S-5S.

Meyer, A., Micksche, M., Herbacek, I.,& Elmadfa, I. (2006). Daily intake of probiotic as well as conventional yogurt has a stimulating effect on cellular immunity in young healthy women. Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism, 50(3), 282-9.

National Yogurt Association: http://www.aboutyogurt.com

Acid Reflux, are you suffering?

Heartburn is a painful burning feeling just below or behind the breastbone. It usually comes from the esophagus. The pain often rises in your chest and may spread to your neck or throat. Contents from the stomach can back up (reflux) into the esophagus.

Altering your diet and lifestyle may help alleviate both heartburn and the more serious GERD, but neither should be overlooked and left untreated.

Lifestyle changes 

Some lifestyle changes that can help control your acid reflux symptoms. These include:

Maintain a healthy weight.

Quit smoking.

Limit alcohol.

Avoid eating 3 hours before lying down.

Raise the head of your bed.

Do not wear clothing that is too tight around your waist.

Reduce Stress.

Dietary Changes

Eat smaller more frequent meals

Eat Slowly

Chew thoroughly

Foods to Limit or Avoid, these may make it worse:

Spicy foods      Fatty foods             Mint

Chocolate        Alcohol                   Caffeine

Citrus fruits      Tomato-based foods

Keep a Food Diary:

Ultimately, every person responds differently to foods. Food diaries that include the symptoms you experienced after eating the food allow you to refer back to it to monitor any trends you notice with certain foods.

Call your health care provider if symptoms worsen or do not improve with lifestyle changes or medication.

Also call for any of the following symptoms:

•     Bleeding

•     Choking (coughing, shortness of breath)

•     Feeling filled up quickly when eating

•     Frequent vomiting

•     Hoarseness

•     Loss of appetite

•     Trouble swallowing (dysphagia) or pain with swallowing (odynophagia)

•     Weight loss

To Soy or not to Soy?

Well…. There certainly appears to be some benefits to incorporating soy into our diets when we look at the laundry list of symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause such as Menstrual Irregularities, Hot flashes/Night sweats, Sleep problems, Irritability, Weight Gain, and Sexual Issues.

These symptoms may all be associated with hormone imbalances.  Soy can have positive benefits with this trigger.

Soy contains isoflavones called genistein, daidzein and glycitein.  These phytosterols are “estrogen-like” and can act as replacements in the body during this lifespan period when estrogen levels may drop.  Providing this plant-based replacement assists in alleviating symptoms of Perimenopause and also helps to reduce breast cancer risk.

Tip: Add some Soy to your diet.

Soy is not just tofu either: there are many other products that include soy.  Endamame is a favorite snack – high quality protein, contains fiber, and is much lower in calories then many other protein foods.

Try some, yum.

Tired, tired, tired.

Fatigue, yet another symptom of pre-menopause, is one of our body’s ways of telling us to make some lifestyle changes.  Of course if you are not getting enough sleep this could be a cause.  Also if you are not getting a good quality sleep, frequent waking for example, this would also cause fatigue.  AND, once again, hormone imbalances can be the contributor to your fatigue.

Once you follow the recommendations for some quality sleep, you can also try some good dietary habits to alleviate your fatigue:

* Eat a good breakfast – this is the fuel for your day.

* Don’t turn to caffeine or sweets for energy – stick to complex carbs and proteins: nuts, seeds, fresh fruit and veggies.

* Choose smaller more frequent meals to combat fatigue.

Tip: Fight Fatigue with Whole Foods.

Complex Carbs like whole grains, brown rice, fruits, and veggies along with Quality Protein such as lean meats, beans, and low-fat dairy can help fuel your body through these difficult times.

Remember to also get some exercise and good sleep.

If you take care of yourself you are sure to feel more perky.