Pats Power Hour

Nutrition

Getting started
Chefs' Corner
Nutrition News

Getting Started

Healthy Diets For Women On The Run

Many of us have complicated and busy lifestyles, but that doesn’t mean our nutritional needs have to suffer. For a fast-paced lifestyle, here are ten easy “superfoods” women can incorporate into their snacks and meals.

Top ten fast and fabulous foods for female nutrition

1. O.J. with added calcium. Calcium-fortified orange juice helps ward off PMS, high blood pressure and osteoporosis. Down a glass a day to help you rise and shine!

2. High fiber cereal. When you're food shopping, select a cereal with at least 7 grams of fiber per serving. Fiber is a cancer fighter, and it helps cancel out calories.

3. "Youth" berries. Blueberries are antioxidant stars; they can slow down your aging clock. Toss them on your cereal for a power-packed breakfast. Dining out? Order your dessert first, and make it fresh berries. Most restaurants have them in season. While you’re eating your delicious appetizer of raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries you're also ingesting fiber, antioxidants, and ellagic acid, a compound being studied to fight colon cancer.

4. Apples and nuts. Take fruit and nuts with you to work—great protein and anti-oxidant protection that also gives you sustained energy release.

5. Water. Most of us are dehydrated and don't even know it. Fatigue, poor concentration and headaches are signs of mild dehydration. Keep bottled water in your office and filtered or bottled water at home; aim for eight glasses a day. Fizzy water is fine, too, and sure beats coffee or cola!

6. Whole grains. Choose whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, whole grain cereals. You'll boost fiber, reduce empty calories, and feel fuller from the nutrients.

7. Dipped carrots. Yes, some fat is good for you (see above for a discussion on good and bad fats). Eat your carrot sticks with a cube of cheese or dip, which will aid in absorption of those cancer-fighting carotenoids.

8. Lean protein. The more active you are, the more protein you will need. Fresh fish, hormone-free chicken (try removing the skin to reduce the fat content), eggs, and lean meats like turkey or pork tenderloin are all good sources. Soy products can also provide protein, although some people are sensitive to soy and cannot digest it properly. The more variety you can incorporate into your diet, the better – so try and find different sources of lean protein every day.

9. Beans. Beans may not be the most glamorous food, but they are nutritional powerhouses. With 5 grams of fiber in a half cup of beans, they can help fight colon cancer and also fill you up so you don’t overdo it on calories. Try tossing some beans into your salad at lunch, or enjoying a cup of veggie chili.

10. Cocoa. Love chocolate? Cocoa, which has much of the fat removed, has more antioxidant power than tea. The flavonoids in cocoa can keep blood platelets from clotting, which may prevent heart attacks. Plus, the milk in hot cocoa loves your bones! If you're lactose or caffeine sensitive, or don't like cocoa, be sure to take your calcium supplement instead.

Suzanne Barston, Jeanne Segal Phd., and Deborah Cutter, Psy.D., contributed to this article http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_women_nutrition.htm

Chefs' Corner

Breakfast:

The biggest complaint that people have about breakfast is that they don't have time. Here are a few quick solutions that can fit any schedule.

If you drive to work, you can have a 1 - 2 handfuls of grapes, a banana, a bagel with peanut butter (cut in 1/4)
Whole wheat waffles are a great grab and go item.

Lunch:

Large salad with onions, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc....you can load up on veggies In a healthy manner. You could also add last night's chicken/steak/fish
If you are surrounded by fast food, choose the chicken combo meal, preferably not fried. They all have one.
A cup of almonds, cashews, or dried fruit make great snacks. The dried fruit is healthy and it can curb a sweet tooth naturally.

Dinner:

Instead of eating hamburgers, have a turkey and spinach burger with garlic. Its just a matter of making better decisions while shopping.
Find the local farmer's market and eat locally grown food. You will have a better sense of where your food is coming from.
Mashed sweet potatoes are a great substitution for mashed potatoes. Also, sweet potatoes are the most nutrient dense food.

Grocery store tips:

Start reading the labels on your food and pay attention to serving size.

Start eating whole wheat bread, using whole wheat flour

Spend the majority of your supermarket time in the produce section, not potato chip and soda aisle

Stop drinking soda, there are 2.5 tablespoons of sugar in each 12 oz can of coke

If you love ice cream, buy all fruit ice cream bars and eat with a warm cup of milk

Nutrition News

Dietary fats: Know which types to choose

By Mayo Clinic Staff www.MayoClinic.com

When choosing fats, pick unsaturated fat over saturated or trans fat. Here's how to know the difference.

Most foods contain several different kinds of fats — including saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and trans fats — and some kinds are better for your health than others are.

It's not necessary that you completely eliminate all fats from your meals. Rather, choose the healthier types of fats and enjoy them in moderation.

Fat: A necessary nutrient

Your body needs fat to function properly. Besides being an energy source, fat is a nutrient used in the production of cell membranes, as well as in several hormone-like compounds called eicosanoids. These compounds help regulate blood pressure, heart rate, blood vessel constriction, blood clotting and the nervous system. In addition, dietary fat carries fat-soluble vitamins — vitamins A, D, E and K — from your food into your body. Fat also helps maintain healthy hair and skin, protects vital organs, keeps your body insulated, and provides a sense of fullness after meals.

But too much fat can be harmful. Eating large amounts of high-fat foods adds excess calories, which can lead to weight gain and obesity. Obesity is a risk factor for several diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, gallstones, sleep apnea and osteoarthritis. And too much of certain types of fats — such as saturated fat or trans fat — can increase your blood cholesterol levels and your risk of coronary artery disease.

Healthy fats

When choosing fats, your best options are unsaturated fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These fats, if used in place of others, can lower your risk of heart disease by reducing the total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in your blood. Cholesterol, which your body produces for building cells, is the main substance in fatty deposits (plaques) that can develop in your arteries. Plaques that build up can reduce blood flow through your vessels, increasing your risk of heart disease and stroke.

One type of polyunsaturated fat, omega-3 fatty acids, may be especially beneficial to your heart. Omega-3s appear to decrease the risk of coronary artery disease. They may also protect against irregular heartbeats and help lower blood pressure levels.

Here are the differences as well as the best food sources of these healthy fats:

* Monounsaturated fat remains liquid at room temperature but may start to solidify in the refrigerator. Foods high in monounsaturated fat include olive, peanut and canola oils. Avocados and most nuts also have high amounts of monounsaturated fat.

          * Polyunsaturated fat is usually liquid at room temperature and in the refrigerator.
          Foods high in polyunsaturated fats include vegetable oils, such as safflower, corn,
          sunflower, soy and cottonseed oils.

* Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats found mostly in seafood. Good sources of omega-3s include fatty, cold-water fish, such as salmon, mackerel and herring.
Flaxseeds, flax oil and walnuts also contain omega-3 fatty acids, and small amounts are found in soybean and canola oils.

Harmful fats

Saturated and trans fats are less healthy kinds of fats. They can increase your risk of heart disease by increasing your total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol isn't technically a fat, but it's found in food derived from animal sources. Intake of dietary cholesterol increases blood cholesterol levels, but not as much as saturated and trans fats do, and not to the same degree in all people.

Here are how these fats differ and what their common food sources are:

    * Saturated fat. Usually solid or waxy at room temperature, saturated fat is most often
       found in animal products — such as red meat, poultry, butter and whole milk.
       Other foods high in saturated fat include coconut, palm and other tropical oils.

* Trans fat. Also referred to as trans-fatty acids, trans fat comes from adding hydrogen to vegetable oil through a process called hydrogenation. This makes the fat more solid and less likely to spoil. Hydrogenated fat is a common ingredient in commercial baked goods such as crackers, cookies and cakes — and in fried foods, such as doughnuts and french fries. Shortenings and some margarines also are high in trans fat. Food manufacturers are required to list trans fat content on nutrition labels. Amounts less than 0.5 grams per serving are listed as 0 grams trans fat on the food label.

* Dietary cholesterol. Your body naturally manufactures all of the cholesterol it needs,
but you also get cholesterol from animal products, such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, lard and butter.

The rest of this story is available for those who subscribe. The subscription is free. Join my mailing list so you can learn more about any of the articles you see on the site.