April is Earth month, and the 22nd marked the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Considering each of us eats over 1,000 meals every year, and there are over 6 billion of us out there, those bites of food not only impact our nutrition but also the environment. In a recent post, Whole Foods Market blogger, Joe Dickson, illustrates a powerful example:

The bowl of cereal I’m eating right now contains corn (which might be organically grown or not, genetically modified or not) and is bathed in milk (which might be organic or not, from cows given synthetic growth hormones or not, or it could be soy milk — GMO or not, organic or not, and let’s not even get into almond, hemp or rice milks). That yellow color could be natural or not, and the whole box could be preserved with synthetic preservatives to make its shelf life virtually infinite. This is a very simple meal (eight ingredients), and a relatively minor one in the grand scheme of my day, but the choices I’ve made with this little meal have touched at least half a dozen different crops, some cows, growers and my own health.

My motto at Mental Kitchen is “eat smarter!” Choosing healthy foods that nourish our bodies is oh-so-important, but choosing healthy foods that protect the Earth as well is truly eating smarter.  Here are 5 tips to get you started.

1. Eat less beef.  Beef contains heart-clogging saturated fat, and according to The Daily Green’s 10 Surprising Reasons to Eat Less Meat, it takes 2lbs of grain and 600 gallons of water to produce one 4oz hamburger patty.  Two pounds of grain would feed one person for 9 days.  Replace one or two hamburgers or steaks each week with a black bean burger or portobello mushroom fajitas.
2. Eat Sustainable Fish.  According to the Monteray Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch 70% of the world’s marine fishery resources are fully fished, over-exploited, declining or recovering, and many fish now contain dangerous levels of heavy metals and toxins, like PCB’s.  The SeafoodWATCH’s fantastic website ranks fish and shellfish into Best, Good, and Avoid  categories to guide consumers trying to make healthy and sustainable choices. Download the handy, regional pocket guides or the free iPhone app, and there’s also a sustainable sushi guide. 
3. Drink tap water. As it turns out, tap water is just as safe, if not more so, than bottled water, and drinking tap water is much better for the environment.  But bottled water is big business with worldwide sales reaching $50-100 billion each year.  Of course Aquafina (PepsiCo), Dasani (Coke), and Poland Spring (Nestle) don’t want you drinking tap water (that your tax dollars already pay for) from reusable stainless steel bottles.  Plus, bottling water consumes precious fossil fuels.  The NY Department of Environmental Conservation estimates that the oil used to make water bottles consumed by New Yorkers equals 66 million gallons of gasoline, enough to power 120,000 automobiles for a year.  Check out the Mother Nature Network for an additional 5 Reasons Not To Drink Bottled Water.



4. Choose more organics. Although the evidence is mounting, the jury is still out on whether or not pesticides damage human health.  But there’s no doubt that synthetic chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides deplete the Earth’s natural resources and destroy nature’s biodiversity.  Who didn’t have to read Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring in high school biology class?  Her work crystallized the obvious.  If a certain chemical or compound is not good for other living organisms, like plants or insects, then it probably isn’t good for human organisms either.
5. Visit the local farmer’s market.  Local produce, dairy, and meats are fresher, riper (meaning tastier), and contribute less air and water pollution than conventional and even some organic foods that have to travel 1000’s of miles to your supermarket.  Plus, many small farms practice organic agriculture but can’t afford the USDA’s organic certification process, meaning many goods at local markets are pesticide-free.  Just ask the farmer.  To find farmers’ markets in your zip code, visit www.localharvest.org.  

Eating Smarter is Eating Greener!

Breakfast: Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal

Microwave 1/2 cup rolled oats with 1/2 cup plain soymilk, 2-3 chopped walnuts, & 1 Tablespoon dried cranberries for 90 seconds.  I always start the day with coffee and skim milk as well.

Morning Snack: Stonyfield Farm Nonfat Keylime Pie yogurt

Lunch: Chickpea, Lentil Salad

I prepped this salad the night before to take to work the next day.  In a tupperware, combine 1/2 cup chickpeas, 1/2 cup Trader Joe’s steamed lentils, 1/2 cup chopped carrot, celery, green pepper, and cucumber.  Top with 2 T plain hummus and 1/4 sliced avocado.  I usually crush 2 Ryvita crisps into this salad right before I eat it.

Afternoon Snack: Crumbs Cupcake

Crumbs’ large cupcakes can top 600 calories, and contain more than the recommend 6 1/2 teaspoon per day sugar allowance.  I didn’t need it, but I wanted it. Could I have eaten half and been satisfied?  Yes, but I wanted the whole thing.  It was so pretty, and so delicious, and I enjoyed every bite!   But I also enjoyed the 45-minute, grueling spin class I took later in the evening to burn it off.

Dinner: Steamed Broccoli, Shrimp, Water Chestnuts

I wanted to balance my afternoon indulgence with a healthy dinner.  Steaming is a great cooking method to lighten up meals because you don’t need to use any oil or cooking fat, and it’s super fast and easy.   Simply place a steamer basket in a pot with 1-2 inches of water.  I filled the basket with 2 cups chopped broccoli, 5 frozen shrimp, and 1/2 cup water chestnuts, and then drizzeled 1 Tablespoon of Veri Teri Hoisin before eating.

Tip: Water Chestnuts provide a satisfying crunch to asian-inspired stir-frys and salads.  If you want to make a meal “light” yet filling, replace some or all of the rice or noodles with water chestnuts.

Evening Snack: Large Orange & Red Grapes

This day’s menu provided plenty of fruit, veggies, lean protein sources (shrimp and beans), whole grains (oats and rye), low-fat dairy (yogurt and soymilk), and heart healthy plant fats (walnuts and avocado)  Although I overdid it sugar-wise (large cupcake), I managed to stay within my daily calorie needs (1800-2000 calories/day)  by choosing nutrient-dense whole foods for my other meals.  It’s all about balance folks.

Grocery List & Pantry Staples: rolled oats, walnuts, canned chickpeas, Ryvita crispbread, Trader Joe’s steamed lentils, canned water chestuts, frozen shrimp, non fat yogurt, Veri Teri Hoisin

First of all, if you don’t know know what your cholesterol is, it’s time to get it checked. The American Heart Association suggests “all adults age 20 or older have a fasting lipoprotein profile — which measures total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol and triglycerides — once every five years.”

If your doctor tells you that your cholesterol levels are on the rise, don’t panic. Studies have shown that nutrition and lifestyle changes, including weight loss, regular exercise, and smoking cessation, can reduce total blood cholesterol by as much as 30% and significantly improve cardiovascular hearth.

Read on to discover 5 heart-healthy nutrition tips that will keep your cholesterol in check .

1. Reduce Saturated Fat & Eliminate Trans Fat

Choosing smaller portions and leaner cuts of beef and pork, opting for fish, shellfish, and skinless poultry, switching to non-fat milk and yogurt, and reducing intake of cheese, ice cream, and butter, as well as fried foods and processed/packaged meats, snacks, & baked goods, will significantly lower the amount of saturated and trans fat in your diet. These fats raise cholesterol and your risk of heart disease.

2. Replace with Heart-Healthy Unsaturated Fats

Unsaturated fats are categorized into polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Seafood, vegetable oils, like olive, canola, and sesame, nuts, seeds, avocados, and olives are all terrific sources of unsaturated fats. These fats lower cholesterol and reduce your heart-disease risk.

3. Add More Fiber Rich Foods To Your Diet

Fiber, especially soluble fiber, can actually help lower cholesterol. Good sources of this kind of fiber include beans, oats, barley, flax seeds, and many fruits and veggies like apples, oranges, and carrots. Try to eat at least one serving from this group once or twice a day, like oatmeal for breakfast and beans at lunch or dinner. Whole-grain breads and cereals, corn and many veggies like cauliflower, green beans, potatoes, root vegetables, and fruits eaten with the skin are great fiber sources as well. Aim for 25g of fiber everyday.

4. Increase Fruits, Vegetables, & Beans

Aside from olives and avocados, fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains don’t supply much fat, but they are loaded with nutrients that enhance heart health such as complex carbohydrates, fiber, B vitamins, and minerals like potassium and magnesium. These foods are the base of any heart-healthy diet. Need some ideas? Click here to download a list of 50 Ways To Add More Fruits and Veggies to Your Diet.

5. Increase Physical Activity

Regular physical activity promotes cardiovascular health, lowers cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides, and raises HDL (the good stuff). The Surgeon General recommends at least 30 minutes of exercise each day, and 60 minutes if you are trying to lose weight. Walking counts! Buy a pedometer and start tracking your steps, building up to 10,000 per day. Omron’s GOsmart™ Dual-Axis Pocket Pedometer is the best one I’ve come across.

Last week I outed the most pesticide-ridden produce, the Dirty Dozen that you should most definitely buy organic! But just because some fruits and veggies carry excessive pesticide residues, it doesn’t mean you have to switch to 100% organics. Lots of fruits and veggies remain safe to buy conventionally. Here’s a list of the Clean 15 with links to delicious, healthy recipes.

Onions Terrific diced raw in salsas or summer gazpacho, roasted along with sweet potatoes, or sliced thick atop a juicy burger.

Avocado Toss with grilled chicken, watermelon cubes, cilantro, diced jalapeno and lime juice for a yummy summer salad.

Sweet Corn Delicious right off the cob.

Pineapple Slice into yogurt, grill thick slices to accompany mahi mahi, or toss into fruit salad or smoothies.

Mango Cube and eat with avocado, puree and freeze into popsicles, or add to chicken salad.

Asparagus Perfect sauteed and added to risotto and pasta dishes.

Sweet Peas Forget canned peas! Add fresh or frozen peas to Indian curry dishes for a sweet flavor burst.

Kiwi One the best vitamin C sources available, and you can eat the tangy skin. No need to peel.

Cabbage Move over soggy cole slaw. Slice into thin ribbons, saute, and add to stir fries or Thai noodle dishes for a terrific nutrient boost.

Eggplant Don’t fry this lovely purple veggie! Roast, cube, and toss into any salsa or hummus. Eggplant pairs wonderfully with coconut milk, so add to any green or red curries.

Papaya I have difficulty finding fresh, delicious papaya. But when I do, it’s amazing sliced with a squeeze of lime juice.

Watermelon The quintessential summer fruit. Perfect on it’s own, but delicious paired with fish or served with crispy shredded duck or pork.

Tomato I’m skeptical about this listing. Tomatoes were on the Dirty Dozen list not to long ago, and the EWG can’t explain the change. I’d still buy these babies organic.

Sweet Potato Microwave, spread with a little butter and brown sugar, and, voila, you have a delicious, nutrient-packed breakfast. Try it!

For a more detailed explanation of which foods it’s better to buy organic and which remain safe to buy conventionally, check out Cindy Burke’s guide To Buy or Not To Buy Organic.

We all know eating more fruits and veggies is smart advice for our health and waistlines, but what about those pesky pesticide residues?

According to the Environmental Working Group, both U.S. and international government agencies acknowledge that pesticides have been linked with a variety of toxic effects on the nervous and hormone systems, as well as skin, eye, and lung irritation, and various cancers. Yikes! What can you do to minimize your exposure to these nasty compounds?

For starters, switch to organic produce, meats, and dairy. I know shopping for organics can get pretty pricely. Luckily, the EWG has tested numerous fruits and vegetables for pesticide residues and conveniently ranked them from best to worst.

If you’re not quite ready to make an all-out switch to organics, start with the “Dirty Dozen.” By shopping for organic versions of the twelve worst pesticide offenders, you’ll dramatically cut your exposure:

Buy Organic: 

Peaches
Apples
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Lettuce
Grapes (imported from outside U.S.)
Carrots
Pears

Need a reminder when you hit the produce aisle? Download the pocket size Shopper’s Guide To Pesticides or EWG’s free app Dirty Produce.

Stay tuned for recipes featuring “The Clean 15,” the fifteen foods that are still safe to buy conventionally.

Saturated fats, the kind found in animal products, clog blood vessels, raise cholesterol, and contribute to heart disease.  Think butter, ice cream, whole milk, cheese, various cuts of beef and pork, poultry skin, baked goods, etc.  Swapping in heart healthy plant fats for some of the animal fats in your diet can decrease your risk of future heart attacks and strokes.  Plant fats include olive and vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, olives, and the brilliant avocado.

Although there are dozens of avocado varieties, California-grown Haas avocados are among the most popular and readily available in the US. Loaded with fiber, an array of vitamins and minerals, and heart-healthy fats, this fancy fruit should star in more dishes than guacamole. Check out this chart to compare avocado with other common dips and spreads, and you’ll see that ounce-for-ounce, avocados are lower in calories, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium than butter, cheese, or mayo.  But keep in mind that although they are uber-healthy, avocados remain a concentrated fat source, and the calories can add up quickly if you’re not paying attention to portions.  So, stick to a 1-2 oz serving per day; the equivalent of 1/5 -1/4 of a medium avocado.

Aside from spreads and dips, avocados are delicious sliced and drizzled with lime-scented olive oil , tossed into salads, corn salsas, or black beans, paired with fish, or as a garnish to omelets and scrambled eggs. The possibilities are endless, but here are a few easy tips to get you started:

Breakfast Spreads Rather than butter or cream cheese, spread 1/5 of a ripe avocado on whole grain toast or an English muffin for an easy, heart-healthy breakfast.

Sandwich Toppers Swap the cheese out for a few slices of avocado on a roast turkey wrap or sandwich. Add squirts of honey and Dijon mustard, for a surprising flavor boost.  Use mashed avocado instead of mayo in tuna or chicken salad; mix with 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds, freshly chopped cilantro, and a dusting of chili powder.

Snack On It Avocado is great on crackers with a few cucumber or red pepper slices or stuffed into mini pita pockets with a few chickpeas. Or try it cubed with fresh mango, strawberry slices, and a squeeze of lime juice as a refreshing mid-day snack.

Check out the California Avocado Commission to find hundreds of recipes, from creative takes on guacamole to avocado daiquiris, plus tips for selecting and storing this mighty fruit.

You know fruits and veggies are good for you, but just how many fruits and vegetables do you need to eat each day to enjoy their health benefits?  The short answer is about 2 1/2  cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit.  Any combination of cooked, uncooked, fresh, frozen, canned (in natural juices), dried, whole or chopped will do.  The more variety, the better.

Both the National Cancer Institute and the Institute of Medicine, as well as a slew of other public health agencies, have long recommend 5-9 daily servings of fruits and vegetables, about 4-5 cups in total, to ensure adequate intakes of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and the antioxidants and phytochemicals concentrated in plants.

Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in calories and provide essential nutrients and dietary fiber. They may also play a role in preventing certain chronic diseases. When compared to people who eat only small amounts of fruits and vegetables, those who eat more generous amounts, as part of a healthy diet, tend to have reduced risk of chronic diseases. These diseases include stroke, type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer, and perhaps cardiovascular disease and hypertension.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005. 6th Edition, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, January 2005.

If fruits and veggies are so good for us, why aren’t we eating more of them?   Lack of media exposure may be partly to blame, but unfortunately, these agencies don’t have the billion dollar marketing budgets that companies like Coke, McDonald’s, and Frito-Lay do.   Consumers are endlessly exposed to the lure of sugar-laden sodas, super-sized, super caloric value meals, and salty snack chips, while fresh fruits and veggies are quietly disappearing from most Americans’ diets.   What if the American Idol judges sat at a table set with lush tropical fruit and colorful crudites rather than large, red, plastic Coke cups?  Would Americans be more inclined to chose a healthy snack or beverage if their “idols” chose them?  Maybe I’m reaching, but you see my point.

All is not lost, and there are great resources available to help in your quest to eat smarter.  The CDC has launched it’s new Fruits and Veggies Matter More campaign offering tools and information to help you do just that. There’s a calculator to find out how many fruits and vegetables you need each day, based on  your age, gender, and physical activity level.   There are plenty of tips, recipes, and visuals to get you started.

Veggie Up!

In Part 1 of this salad series I cited a study that found that people who eat daily salads have increased levels of disease-fighting vitamins and antioxidants, specifically vitamin C, vitamin E, lycopene, and carotenoids.   Are cooked veggies as protective as raw salad veggies?

Of course!! The study likely looked only at salad and raw veggie intake because it was funded by The Association for Dressings and Sauces. Sell more salad, sell more salad dressing.  All fruits and vegetables are loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants unique to plant foods, and cooking even enhances the activity of some of these compounds, like the lycopene found in tomatoes.  While eating a salad-a-day is a great advice,  you will get plenty of health-promoting nutrients by eating a combination of fresh and cooked vegetables and fruits as well.

The best advice it so eat a variety of different fruits and veggies each week.  Take a peek at the chart produced by the Produce for Better Health Foundation, and you’ll notice that different colored fruits and veggies have different compounds.

Variety is truly the spice of life.  Incorporate a variety of colorful fruits and veggies into your diet and you’ll reap a variety of health benefits.  Need some ideas? Click here to download a list of 50 Ways To Add More Fruits and Veggies to Your Diet to your meals and snacks.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of this series to find out how many fruits and vegetables you need to eat each day to boost your levels of these important nutrients.

Could a “salad-a-day” keep the doctor away? There are no guarantees, but eating more veggies will give your body more disease-fighting nutrients vital to optimal health.

A UCLA/Louisiana State University study of dietary data on more than 17,500 men and women finds consumption of salad and raw vegetables correlates with higher concentrations of folic acid, vitamins C and E, lycopene and alpha and beta carotene in the bloodstream. The study is the first to examine the relationship between normal salad consumption and nutrient levels in the bloodstream, and also the first to examine the dietary adequacy of salad consumption using the latest nutritional guidelines of the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Salad a Day.org –UCLA/LSU Study Details Nutritional Value of Salad.

Fruits and vegetables are concentrated sources of many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (substances that prevent or repair cellular damage) that Americans simply do not consume enough of.  The study supports the notion that people who eat more vegetables, have more these disease-fighting nutrients coursing through their bloodstreams, such as:

Folate (Folic Acid): a vitamin that plays essential roles in making DNA and RNA and thus new cells, prevents anemia, protects against heart disease, and prevents certain birth defects of the spine. Best Sources: beans, nuts, spinach, leafy greens, avocado, and cereals and grains fortified with folic acid.
Vitamin C:  powerful antioxant, required for the healing of wounds and the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of the body, including skin, scar tissue, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Best Sources: citrus fruits, strawberries, broccoli, collard greens, bell peppers, tomatoes, cantaloupe, potatoes.
Vitamin E:  antioxidant that helps the body form red blood cells and use vitamin K, and its antioxidant activity may protect the heart and prevent certain cancers, heart disease, dementia, liver disease, and stroke. Best Sources: Salad oils (soybean, corn, safflower, and cottonseed), nuts, wheat germ, spinach & green leafy vegetables.
Caratenoids: antioxidant pigments found in plants that are converted into vitamin A, promote normal vision, and protect the skin and tissues of the mouth, stomach, intestines, lungs, and urinary tract from infection.  Best Sources: red, orange, and deep-yellow fruits and veggies, and dark green leafy veggies.  Think bell peppers, mangoes, sweet potatoes, spinach, and tomatoes.

Since the majority of people don’t eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, they don’t have optimal levels of these protective power-house nutrients.

But do you really need to eat a salad-a-day to get meet your vitamin quota? Are cooked veggies as protective as raw? How many fruits and vegetables do you need to eat to boost your levels of these important nutrients? Tune in tomorrow for Part 2 of this blog post.

Sugar may be okay in moderation, but one person’s idea of moderation is different from another’s.  In fact, the average American consumes 22 to 30 teaspoons of added sugars a day.  That’s not moderation. Not even close according to current guidelines which suggest limiting added sugars to 6 1/2 teaspoons a day for women and 9 1/2  for men.

All of this excessive sugar in the American diet is a major contributor to the rising rates of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.  And the nation’s children, adolescents, and young adults are developing these chronic diseases at much younger ages than previous generations.

How to cut back on the sweet stuff?  Here are five tips to get you started:

1. Read labels & ingredient lists to find hidden sugar sources.
Added sugars would be any source of  sugar aside from those naturally occurring in whole fruit, milk, and plain yogurt.  Sugars have a variety of names, but all pack in around 45-60 calories per tablespoon.  Examples are agave syrup or nectar, apple or grape juice concentrate, brown rice syrup, brown sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, evaporated cane juice, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, honey, jellies, jams, maple syrup, molasses, preserves, and of course, table, confectioner’s, baker’s, and powdered sugar. Basically, ingredients with the words juice, syrup, nectar, and words ending in “-ose” indicate sugar.  Even organic and natural sugars are still sugars and contribute extra calories to the diet.

2. Eat your fruit, don’t drink it.
The natural sugars in fruit don’t count towards the 6-9 1/2 teaspoon recommendation, but juices are more concentrated than fresh fruit, making them higher in calories, and many do have added sugars.  Fruit smoothies?  Don’t even go there.  One cup of fresh or frozen strawberries has less than 90 calories, but a strawberry smoothie can tip the scales at 500+ calories and can be loaded with added sugars.  Eat 2 cups of fresh fruit per day, and skip all other juices, fruit drinks, smoothies, juice bars, etc.

3. Leave those fancy coffees alone.
Drink coffee or lattes with skim milk and only 1 pump or packet of sugar.  Coffee itself only has 5-10 calories per cup, but fancy coffee drinks are major sources of excessive sugar (flavor syrups, chocolate, caramel, etc) and can range anywhere from 250-600 calories. Plus they’re expensive–switching from $5 lattes to $2 cups of coffee will save you hundreds of dollars and thousands of calories per year. Use that savings to buy a new clothes to show off that slimmer figure.

4. Limit the variety of sweets & candy in the home or work space.
Studies show that people will eat more if there’s a variety to chose from.  For example, if there’s ice cream, candy kisses, and chocolate chip cookies laying around, you will eat more than if just one is available.  Why do we do this?  Perhaps it was our ancestors’ way of ensuring a balanced diet: a variety of food increased the variety of nutrients.  But this behavior is not helpful when is comes to sweets.

5. Sharing makes life sweeter.
Split desserts, cookies, cupcakes, pastries, muffins, and donuts with a fellow diner or co-worker.  Very few of us have room in our diets for regular 500-700 calorie treats, but the occasional 250-350 calorie indulgence is much more manageable.

If you want to make room for more sugar in your diet, you’ll have to burn more calories through daily physical activity.  For example, the average woman would need to run (not jog) for about 45-75 minutes to burn off a 400-700 calorie cupcake from Crumbs or a full hour for a 500-calorie frappucino from Starbucks.  Lace up those running shoes!