Thursday May 16, 2013
Your body needs sodium to maintain body fluid balance, plus your nerves and muscles need it for normal function. They typical Western diet gives you all the sodium you need. In fact, it usually gives you way more sodium than you need (the average American consumes at least 3,400 milligrams per day). The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests no more than 2,400 milligrams and even down to 1,500 milligrams for people aged 51 or older, African Americans, and people with hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease. That's about half the population of the United States.
Recently the Institutes of Medicine took a look at the research evidence regarding the importance of lowering sodium. It looks like reducing sodium to 2,400 milligrams is still a good idea, but most of us may not need to get down to 1,500 milligrams. It's hard to know for sure, because the evidence isn't that great either way. So, for now, the Dietary Guidelines' recommendations stand, but if you have questions about sodium and your heart disease risk, talk to your health care provider.
More About Sodium
Tuesday May 14, 2013
Right now I'm looking out my window at a beautiful sunny day and I wish I outside playing instead of inside working. This got me thinking about summer fun (summer's not far off) and hanging out at the beach or the pool so I thought I'd offer some ideas for foods that may help you on your quest to get ready for wearing a bikini:
Foods for a Bikini BodyWhat are your favorite foods for staying slim and sexy?
Tuesday May 7, 2013
I was sitting around today lamenting the fact that changing a person's diet is really difficult. We get stuck with lots of bad eating habits, plus it can be difficult knowing where to begin. So, I thought I'd write up five quick tips for changing your diet -- right here, right now:
Five Easy Ways to Improve Your Diet Right NowMonday May 6, 2013
I'v been busy finding meal ideas that are healthy and delicious (
here's a whole week's worth of meal plans). I'd say most of them are fairly easy to prepare as well. Here are a few of my latest ideas, each one features a main dish along with sides and dessert:
Want more? Sign up for my
Healthy Meal Ideas Program and get a daily email with a link to a new meal plan, list of ingredients, and tips for getting everything done at the same time.
Thursday May 2, 2013
Are you planning any road trips this summer? When you're on the road, it may seem like healthy food is difficult to find and that you're doomed to eat junk food until you reach your destination. But that doesn't have to be the case; you can find healthy foods while you're traveling if you know where to look.
Many convenience stores offer fresh fruit (you just need to search beyond the greasy chips and candy bars that are usually displayed prominently). You might want to pack a small cooler with fresh snacks and beverages that you have at home. This also saves you money since many things at the convenience stores are a little more expensive than what you already bought at the grocery store. Here are some more of my tips for healthy eating when you travel: Healthy Eating On the Road
What about tips for those of you who dine out frequently? I enjoy cooking so we eat most of our meals at home. But it's fun to try out different restaurants and socialize a bit. The thing is, dining out can mean extra pounds if you're not careful. So I've got my tips for finding healthy foods on a menu:
How Do I Find Healthy Food On a Menu?Tuesday April 30, 2013
I wrote an introductory piece about raw food diets with a couple of links to our Alternative Medicine and Vegetarian Cooking Guides at About.com who have excellent detailed information on following a raw food diet.
Do you follow a raw food diet? I haven't. I consider my diet to be mostly plant-based with lots of vegan dishes, and seafood maybe once per week, but other than salads, I don't do many raw foods (except for a few pieces of sushi now and then).
Let me know if you have any experience with eating only raw foods. If you haven't tried a raw food diet, then take a look at my article: What Is the Raw Food Diet?.
Saturday April 27, 2013
Need help with dinner ideas? Sign up for my
Daily Family Meal Ideas program and I'll send you an email with a new dinner plan every day. Each meal is nutritious and I'll include links to all the recipes, an ingredients list for the entire meal, and a few tips for preparing and serving your dishes. Here are a few examples:
Sunday April 21, 2013
Drinking more water is probably a good thing - it doesn't have any calories and your body needs fluid. You can get your water from a variety of sources - from your tap, from a fountain or from a bottle. Bottled water is a popular choice. It's one of the fastest growing bottled beverage trends -- in fact, it may overtake soda sales one day in not too distant future. But I think a lot of people feel guilty about buying and tossing plastic bottles - I mean, after all, you can get water out of any tap or drinking fountain. Is buying all that bottled water bad for the planet?
This was a concern I had so I was happy to learn that bottled water has a smaller environmental footprint than other bottled beverages. I spoke with Jane Lazgin, director of media and communications for Nestle Water, about bottled water and the environment. Turns out that making water bottles takes less plastic than other soft drink bottles. Since plain water isn't under pressure like soft drinks, the bottles don't need to be as thick.
If you want to learn more, see the video: Let's Care for Water
So... although tap water is still the most environmentally friendly source of drinking water, I think you can feel good about buying bottled water when you're out and about. And, while you're at it, be sure to drop that bottle into a recycler when you're finished.
More About Water
Wednesday April 17, 2013
A reader asked me if pasta is bad for your health. It isn't bad -- you just have to watch your portion sizes. It's great for a low-fat diet, but tough to fit much regular pasta into a low-carb diet. Here's more:
Nutrition FAQ: Is Pasta Bad for Your HealthSaturday April 13, 2013
This week I created a
balanced meal plan for one week's worth of meals and snacks. It's designed for someone who eats about 2,200 calories per day and doesn't have any health problems or dietary restrictions:
