the healing power of humor

xoxo
Danielle

source: http://www.greatcleanjokes.com/

Meatless Monday!

I read an article in January's issue of Today's Dietitian which sparked my interest in the Meatless Monday campaign. Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative to help individuals reduce their meat consumption by the recommended 15% which will improve not only your health but also your carbon foot print.

Some of the health benefits of cutting out meat one day a week include:

• reducing risk of heart disease
• limit cancer risk
• lowering cholesterol
• lowering blood pressure levels and hypertension
• fights type 2 diabetes
• improve your diet by increasing fiber and lowering saturated fat and total fat intake

Some benefits for our planets include:

• reduce carbon foot print – it is estimated by the UN that the meat industry generates about 1/5 of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions
• reduce water usage – the usage of water for livestock are much larger then needed for vegetable of grain growth. (1800-2500 gallons of water go into one pound of beef)
• Reduce fuel dependence – 40 calories of fossil fuel goes into the production of 1 calorie of beef as opposed to 2.2 calories of fossil fuel into making 1 calorie of grains.

With all these benefits no wonder the meatless Monday movement gets so much support! Some supporters include Chef Mario Batali, Oprah Winfrey, food activist Michael Polland, The Food Network, and Gwyneth Paltrow. 

Go to www.meatlessmonday.com to pledge to me meat less every monday and for recipes! 

xoxo, 

Danielle 

I also write a blog for the fresh diet 

check it out here: 

http://blog.thefreshdiet.com/category/food-for-thought/fresh-advice/

Dietary posttasium health benefits

In the most recent Today's Dietitian I read an interesting article about the vast health benefits of dietary potassium that I thought was interesting.

Increasing potassium intake is a big factor of the DASH diet which I have spoken about before.

According to the article, individuals should be intaking about 4,700 mg/day of potassium but actually the average intakes only 1,755 mg/day. Only 2% of Americans meet the daily requirement for potassium intake.

Potassium has a role in controlling the electrical activity of the heart, regulates acid-base balance, building muscle, and making proteins.

It is important to note that supplements are discouraged due to the adverse effects of high amounts, and getting more potassium from foods is recommended.
The easiest way to get more potassium in your diet is from fruits and vegetables.

The health benefits of potassium include:

•  Protect your heart 
• higher potassium intake is linked with lower blood pressure 
• 20% reduced risk of dying from any cause 
• 37% lower risk of death from heart disease and ischemic heart disease 
• reduces risk for a stroke 
• protect your heart and prevents heart disease even if you do not have high blood pressure 
• Prevents muscle wasting 
• High potassium intake defends against loss of muscle mass that is naturally associated with aging and is associated with higher lean body mass and muscle 
• protects against sacropenia which is progressive loss of muscle mass 

•  Kidney Stones 
• Reduces against the risk for kidney stones 

Fruits and vegetables highest in potassium 

• Swiss Chard
• Lima Beans 
• Squash 
• Spinach 
• White Potato
• Parsnips 
• Pumpkins
• Kohlrabi
• Tomato Juice 
• Sweet Potato
• Banana 
• Apricots
• Orange 
• Raisins

The best way to get these health benefits is along with consuming less sodium.

Xoxo,
Danielle

diet sweetners are associated with higher weight gain

A new study in rats found that non nutritive sweeteners, aspartame (used in diet coke and pepsi) and saccharin (sweet and low,) are associated with a her body weight.

rats that consumed these non nutritive sweeteners, even though both groups consumed same amount of calories per day, had higher levels of weight gain than the rats who were fed sucrose, standard table sugar.

29 rats were involved in the study, and half the rats were fed yogurt sweetned with sucrose and half with the aspratame and saccharin. Both groups consumed the same amount of calories per day, the rats that ate the yogurt with sugar ate less of the other foods during the day and the rats who ate the yogurt with the sugar substitute compensated for the calories saved  by eating more food that day.

The study concluded that the addition of the sugar substitute resulted in higher weight gain compared to the regular sugar yogurt, despite the fact that total calorie intake for the day were similar in all groups. 

This suggests that non nutritive sweeteners like saccharin and aspartame induce weight gain in other mechanisms such as reducing calorie expenditure or promoting fluid retention.

More studies need to follow in humans to confirm this, but my belief has always been that regular sugar, sucrose, in small amounts is better than sugar substitutes.
Read my previous post here that associates diet soda with higher fat storage.

xoxo,
Danielle

The Fresh Diet

I am the new nutritionist at The Fresh Diet, a gourmet meal delivery system that sends you calorie controlled fresh and delicious food to your door.

I have a blog with them,
check it out:
http://blog.thefreshdiet.com/category/food-for-thought/fresh-advice/

and check out thier site for more information:
www.thefreshdiet.com

I received these meals my self for two weeks and it is delicious and convenient

Post more stuff soon!!

xoxo,
Danielle