September celebrates Healthy Food Choices

• Fruits and Veggies –More Matters Month

• National Cholesterol Education Month

• Whole Grains Month

The Power of Fruits and Vegetables

• Fiber• Folate• Vitamin A• Vitamin C• Potassium• Calcium• Iron• Magnesium• Selenium• And Zinc just to name a few

Health Benefits of Fruits and Veggies

• Fruit and vegetables in your diet have many positive effects upon health.

• Their high fiber content helps control blood glucose levels, may reduce cholesterol and probably reduces the risk of colon cancer and other cancers.

• They contain antioxidants and phytochemicals that may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

• More than any other foods, they contain essential vitamins and minerals that are vital for good health and disease prevention.

• How much do I need?• Most of us are aware of the current

advice of five portions a day.

Fruits and Veggies are Key to Weight Management- Why?

• Generally high in fiber, water and nutrients

• Lower in calories with generous portion size

• Fruits and veggies give your body the fuel that it craves so that ….

• You don’t crave the “other stuff.”

• Item:_ Calories:• 12 grape tomatoes- 25• ½ cup of (cooked) spinach- 32• 1 cup of cantaloupe- 54• 1 small pear- 86• 1 cup of cherries- 87• 1 cup of watemelon-46• No cholesterol/No Fat!• No Added Sugar or Salt!

Fat and Cholesterol is a Big Deal• Primary Sources of Fat and

Cholesterol:– Animal protein– Dairy products– Oils and fats and processed

versions of them– All products made with the

above/9 calories per gram– Your total Cholesterol should

be below – 200 mg/dl– Can you tell which bag came

from the blood donor with normal cholesterol levels?>>>

Reduce Your Risk for High Cholesterol and Heart Disease and Stroke

• Eat Lots of Fruits and Veggies

• Increase your physical activity

• Eat legumes- beans/peas

• Eat Lots of Whole Grains….

• Examples include-

• Oats/Oatmeal• Brown Rice• Quinoa• Buckwheat/pancakes• Whole grain breads

Make Your Food and Activity Your “Medicine for Health”

• Current Minimum Recommendations:

• 5 Servings of Fruits/Veggies per day• 6-8 servings of whole grain

depending on age and gender• 150 minutes of physical activity per

week• Consider eating less meat and more

protein from beans and grains.• Macronutrient info – go to:• http://nutrition.about.com/od/

askyournutritionist/f/fat_protein.htm

• 1 cup of cooked lentils has 18 g of protein (serving is ½ cup)

• 1 cup of cooked broccoli has 4 g of protein (serving is 1 cup)

• 1 cup of brown rice has 5 g of protein (serving is ½ cup)

• Greek yogurt- 6 to 10 g of protein per serving (1/2 cup)

Latest Research on Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

• Work of Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., MD

• Research provides additional support that plant based nutrition substantially reduces the chances of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers.

• Coronary artery disease does not exist in societies where a plant based diet is the norm such as central Africa, the Papua Highlanders of New Guinea, the Tarahumara Indians of northern Mexico, and inhabitants of rural China.

• Why is this?........

The work of Dr. Esseltyn- strict vegan approach

• “This toxic diet with its burden of animal protein, dairy, processed oils, white flour, sugar, and excess saturated and trans fats and free radicals marinates in our bodies injuring our delicate cellular matrix with every bite at every meal. Science shows us how this occurs. We depend mightily on the capacity of our endothelial cells, which comprise the single cell layer lining our arteries, to manufacture nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is the strongest vasodilator in the body. It causes blood vessels to enlarge, prevents blood flow from being sticky or sluggish, and inhibits arterial plaque formation.”

• The brachial artery tourniquet test quantifies the endothelial responses. The test requires an ultrasound measure of the diameter of the brachial artery below the elbow before and after an upper arm tourniquet stops blood flow to the forearm for 5 minutes. Normally when the cuff is released and the brachial artery ultrasound measurement is repeated the artery dilates or widens. This occurs from a healthy out pouring of nitric oxide from the endothelium.

• When volunteers consume cornflakes their brachial artery tourniquet test is normal. If they consume sausage, olive oil, or saturated fat they fail the test. The ingested fat so injures the endothelium that it cannot produce nitric oxide. Regular consumption of the toxic western menu is a cardiovascular disaster. The time is long overdue to challenge the failure of drugs and technology to stop the coronary disease epidemic.”

• Dr Esseltyn advocates no intake of any fat or oil at all• After 5 years on Dr. Esselstyn’s plant-based diet, the average total

cholesterol levels of his research group dropped from 246 milligrams per deciliter to 137 mg/dL (Above 240 mg/dL is considered “high risk,” below 150 mg/dL is the total cholesterol level seen in cultures where heart disease is essentially nonexistent.) This is the most profound drop in cholesterol ever documented in the medical literature in a study of this type.

• Caldwell Esseltyn MD is a preventive cardiology consultant in the Department of General Surgery Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, and the author of the forthcoming, “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease” , 2007. He is also a former Olympic Gold medal winner.

• Former President Bill Clinton follows his recommended regimen.

Think Vegetables and Grains are Boring-Let’s Add some Excitement to Your Kitchen• Great sites for fabulous

vegetable and grain recipes and cooking techniques:

• www.eatsmartmovemorenc.com/• www.wholefoodsmarket.com/• www.eatingwell.com/recipes_me

nus• www.wholegrainscouncil.org/reci

pes/cooking-whole-grains

Keep it Simple

• 5 servings of fruits/vegetables per day

• As Aristotle said-”let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food”

• Plenty of water• Whole grains with each meal• Lean sources of Protein• Physical Activity every day• And Sleep- 7 to 8 hours

Super Foods rich in nutrients and anti-oxidants-

• Kale/Spinach/Bok Choy• Blue berries/Cantaloupe

• No fat Greek yogurt• Broccoli/Collards• Beans/Lentils• Walnuts• Whole grains such as

oats• Arugula

More Research• The New England Journal of Medicine, a team of Harvard

researchers has revealed the results of a study of 120,877 people showing that small changes in lifestyle behaviors such as:

• physical activity,

• sleep duration, and

• TV-watching are strongly correlated with long-term weight gain (and most recently shorter life span)

• But the most important factor was diet—and among the report's most intriguing findings is precisely how much weight gain (or loss) can be attributed to consuming an additional daily serving of a variety of specific foods over a four-year period.

• The following 10 foods were found to be especially correlated with long-term changes in weight (the first five foods promoting weight gain, the second five promoting weight loss).

• The 5 foods that significantly contribute to weight gain:

• Potato Chips• Potatoes• Sweetened Beverages such as soft drinks• Unprocessed Meat• Processed meat such as hot dogs

• The 5 foods that significantly contribute to weight management:

• Vegetables• Whole Grains• Fruits• Nuts• Yogurt- (try Greek yogurt)

Don’t like to eat veggies and fruits-Drink them instead

• Green Smoothies are easy to make and go down in one sitting

• You can easily get 2 to 4 servings of veggies and fruits in one smoothie.

• One of my favorites:• 1/4 cup of cooked spinach leaves• ½ banana• 1/4 to ½ cup of blue berries• ½ cup of no fat yogurt or almond milk or

kefir (your base)• ¼ cup of water • Handful of ice• Blend until smooth• Tons of green smoothie recipes out there-

watch for using “your base” products that have added sugars, salt, or fats in them.

Couple of Recipes for You• Mango-Lime Bean Salad

MAKES 2 SERVINGS• Everyone loves this, so double or even

triple the recipe! It vanishes in a flash, and also works well as a salsa. It really is our all-time favorite summer salad. The red onion adds a dash of color and the zest (the peel) intensifies the lime flavor.

• 1 mango, peeled and diced 1 small red onion, diced to taste (start with 1/2)1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsedzest of 1 lime1 juicy lime, squeezedcilantro, a lot, 1/2 cup or more

• Combine all ingredients. Serve on a bed of baby lettuce.

• Sautéed Kale• Serves 4 to 6• Ingredients:• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil• 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced• 1 head kale, washed and dried• Salt• Directions:• In a large sauté pan over medium-high

heat, heat the olive oil. • Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds or so. • Add the kale and sauté for several

minutes. It will wilt a bit. • Sprinkle with salt and serve as a side

dish.