How to Detox Your Fridge

Many people do not realize that the key to a healthy lifestyle is found at home. The most common diet and health sabotages for most people are found in their very own kitchen.  When making changes to improve overall health and diet, the first step should be to detox one’s refrigerator and pantry. Here are some guidelines to get started:

Dairy (Milk/Yogurt) and Cheese:

When purchasing dairy and cheese products, the goal is to buy low fat or fat free, especially when trying to lose weight, lower cholesterol and improve overall health. Many people do not realize that the fat found in dairy and cheese is primarily saturated fat. Saturated fat can increase LDL cholesterol, which is bad cholesterol in the blood that many people take medication to lower. As a result, it has been recommended that once older than the age of 2, everyone should consume low fat or fat free dairy products.  Regardless of fat content in dairy and cheese, the healthy nutrients such as vitamin D, calcium, riboflavin and protein are still present. The sugar content is also a concern for some when buying milk and yogurt.  Many people will look to other types of milk such as almond, rice or soy milk, thinking that these are healthier choices because they contain less sugar. Many will either avoid yogurt or will purchase watered down versions of yogurt because they appear to contain less sugar. It is actually more important to look at the total carbohydrate, total fat and saturated fat content of the milk and yogurt one chooses, not the sugar content.  1 serving of milk or yogurt contains no more than 15 grams of carbohydrate.

Sandwich items (Condiments/lunch meat):

When making a sandwich, it is better to buy lunch meat from the deli than pre-package meat. Most deli sliced meats will contain less unwanted items like salt, nitrates, unknown fillers and fat. The best condiment to add to a sandwich is mustard. Unlike mayonnaise, mustard contains very little overall calories and no fat calories. If one is going to purchase mayonnaise, it is better to purchase the light mayonnaise or one that is made with olive oil and limit the serving to 1 tsp.  Another helpful hint is to always add vegetables to sandwiches to help limit the impact that any unwanted items in the deli meat can have on the body. 

Vegetables

The following list is all non-starchy vegetables. As a result, consumption of these vegetables will help lower weight, cholesterol, blood sugars and risk of certain types of cancer. It is a good idea to stock the refrigerator full with these vegetables. These vegetables are practically calorie free when consumed by themselves. As a result, try to limit or avoid added fat to these vegetables.  They can be cooked any way but fried and can be eaten at anytime.

Artichokes	Carrots	Okra
Artichoke Hearts	Celery	Onions
Asparagus	Cauliflower	Pea Pods
Green beans	Cucumber	Peppers (all)
Bean Sprouts	Eggplant	Salad greens
Beets	Green Onions/Scallions	Sauerkraut
Broccoli	Kohlrabi	Spinach
Brussels Sprouts	Leeks	Summer Squash
Cabbage	Mushrooms	Tomatoes (all)
Bamboo Sprouts	Chayote	Jicama
Rutabaga	Watercress	Greens (all)
Tomato/Veggie Juice	Zucchini	Radishes
Turnips	Kale	Bok Choy
Water Chestnuts		Daikon

Juice or sugar filled drinks

According to Advisory Committee on Dietary Guidelines for Americans in 2005, those who consume a lot of added sugars from drinks, such as fruit juice, coke, flavored drinks and sweet tea, tend to consume more calories and fewer vitamins and minerals. This is true of any type of drink that contains added sugar, whether it is sugar cane, honey or agave nectar. As a result, it is thought that there is a connection between drinking sugary drinks and an increase risk for Diabetes, Heart Disease,and Obesity. Sugary drinks increase the risk of diabetes because 15 grams of carbohydrate, which is around 4 oz of most sugary drinks, spikes the blood sugar 50 points in 15 minutes. This is a rapid spike in blood sugar. When the blood sugar spikes, the body forces the pancreas to produce enough insulin to compensate. Overtime the repeated rapid blood sugar spike will wear down the pancreas and cause it to not be able to produce enough insulin to compensate. As a result, the blood sugar starts to rise in the blood and the diagnosis of Type II Diabetes follows. Sugary drinks also increase the risk of heart disease because all refined sugar can be made into triglycerides in the body. Triglycerides are bad cholesterol found in the blood that many people take medication to lower.  The big picture is that there are no added health benefits to consuming calories from liquid, unless consuming milk. Sugary drinks use up daily calorie and carbohydrate allotment and therefore decrease room for more fiber filler and nutritious foods. Many sugar filled drinks claim to prevent/limit dehydration because of the sodium and potassium content. It would be a healthier idea to drink water and eat fresh fruits and vegetables to accomplish the same thing.

Fruits

The fresh fruits that have the most health benefits are the ones that the peel is consumed as well as the body of the fruit. The peel is where a lot of the wanted fiber and nutrients are found. It is very important to get a variety of fruit to ensure the consumption of a variety of nutrients. Try to keep the fruit serving to the size of a tennis ball, which is a ½ cup to 1 cup for most fruits. When buying fresh fruit, buy the smallest sized fruit to help limit the risk of calorie overconsumption.  If purchasing any prepackaged fruit, make sure that it is packed in its own juice not syrup.

Alcohol

Alcohol is actually digested more like a fat than it is as a carbohydrate.  There are 7 calories per gram in alcohol. As a result, when trying to lose weight one needs to count any alcoholic drink as a fat source to limit themselves from over consuming calories. It is recommended that a man consume no more than 2 alcoholic drinks per every 24 hrs and a woman is limited to 1 alcoholic drink per every 24 hrs. Serving Examples of alcohol are: 12 ounces of Beer or 5 ounces of Wine or 1.5 ounces of 80 proof liquors. Dark beer contains more antioxidants than light beer, however the portion has to be limited to avoid over consumption of calories. Try to mix liquors with calorie free mixes, such as diet soda, soda water, diet tonic or water.

Butter vs margarine

Neither one is considered “healthy”. Butter can increase LDL cholesterol and margarine can increase triglycerides. In other words, both options increase bad cholesterol. Try to purchase the lighter options of both. There are also options that are yogurt based which do not have as big of an impact of bad cholesterol.  Try to limit the portion of all the above options to less than 1 TBS.

Side Condiments and Salad Dressings

Most side condiments, like BBQ, ketchup and cocktail sauce, main ingredient is sugar. As a result it is a good idea to limit all added condiments. Other options to keep in the refrigerator to flavor food are lemon juice, lime juice, and different vinegars. Be very careful of salad dressings. A majority of salad dressing are high in fat and sugar. 

Tune in next time for tips on how to detox your pantry. 

XOXO!!

The Dietnista

Milk Does Do A Body Good

Happy Wednesday!

Are you still keeping track of what you eat? I love to use “My Fitness Pal” to keep track of my intake. If you go to the settings under food diary, you can set the log to keep track of carbohydrates, protein, fat and FIBER!!! These are all things that we have focused on in past blogs. Remember you want to aim to consume at least 20 grams of fiber per day or more. If you need a refresher course on how much carbohydrate, protein or fat to aim for at breakfast, look back on the blog titled “Breakfast is for Champions”.

Now we are going look closer at another important factor to consider when putting together your breakfast, milk. Yes it is true, milk does a body good. Why might you ask? Because of the calcium, protein and other vitamins and minerals that are found in milk. We are going to focus closely on calcium. Calcium is very important in bone growth and strength. Calcium helps build strong bones in children because it slows down the growth of the bone so that it can develop properly. Calcium also plays an important role in muscle contractions, such as your heart beating, and normal nerve function.

So what happens if you do not get enough calcium? If children do not get enough calcium it could limit their bone growth and a severe deficiency may stop children from reaching their mature height.  It is thought that a majority of bone growth is formed during early years of adolescents.  By your twenties, bone-growth is usually completed, but bone continues to become denser until your early thirties. Whatever amount of calcium a woman has stored into her bones when she enters into her thirties, will be the amount of calcium that she will have entering into menopause. It is thought that the female hormone, estrogen, helps to protect the bones. So as estrogen levels decrease, so does bone density and calcium storage.  The take away message from this is calcium intake is extremely important from age 10 to 3o years to ensure strong and dense bones. A lifetime of a deficiency in calcium can increase your risk of osteoporosis or brittle bone disease by decreasing the bone density and increasing bone loss.  Your bones are a living tissue and are constantly taking in calcium and using it. To keep your bones strong you need to consume adequate calcium on a daily basis to continue to supply the needed amount of calcium. Other parts of your body use calcium besides your bones.  Your muscles need calcium to contract and release. As a result, every time your heart beats you are using some of your stored calcium. Studies also show that proper calcium intake can also help with high blood pressure and certain cancers ricks, such as colon cancer. 

So how much calcium do you need daily? It is recommended that teenagers consume at least 1,300 mg of calcium per day. As an adult, because there is very little bone growth, only 1,000 milligrams of calcium are needed daily. Above the age of 50, it is recommended to increase calcium intake to 1,200 mg per day to limit the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures.  It is important that when taking calcium you include vitamin D, which is usually found in most calcium supplements.  Vitamin D helps to pull calcium into your bones and teeth. We will explore Vitamin D in the future. If you do not feel that you consume enough calcium you can take a calcium supplement daily. I would recommend a calcium citrate based supplement, such as Citracal. There is now an extended release Citracal to limit the unwanted side effects like constipation and stomach upset. When trying to increase you calcium intake, be careful consuming too much caffeine. Over consumption of caffeine intake can increase urinary calcium excretion. Alcohol consumption and smoking cigarettes can also decrease calcium absorption.

Can you get too much calcium? The answer is yes, if consumed in a large amount over a prolong period of time. This is usually the case if you consume dairy products plus calcium fortified products plus daily supplementation of more than 1500 mg. Too much calcium can limit the absorption of other vitamins and minerals, such as iron, zinc and magnesium. Kidney stones are also a byproduct of too much calcium over a large prolonged period of time, especially if you do not drink enough fluid to flush the kidneys out. Regular intake of dairy products will not provide too much calcium intake and cause the above side effects.

What are good sources of calcium in the diet? The best calcium sources are your low fat/ fat free dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, cheese and ice cream. You can also find calcium in dark- green leafy vegetables, such as kale, broccoli, spinach, bok choy, collard greens, okra, mustard greens, turnip greens and fish with edible bones, such as salmon and sardines.  When trying to lose weight, lower cholesterol and improve overall health, it is important to aim to consume fat free dairy products to limit calories and saturated fat. Regardless of a dairy products fat content, you will still get all of the added nutrients, such as vitamin D , calcium, riboflavin and protein. It is all marketing to call whole milk “Vitamin D” milk. All milk contains Vitamin D. Some people are concerned about the sugar content of milk. The sugar in milk is naturally occurring lactose. Only flavored dairy products contain added sugar.  People with diabetes should focus more on the carbohydrate content of milk and make sure that they limit themselves to 1- 8 oz serving of fat free milk per meal.

What are some examples of 1 serving of calcium (300 mg)?

 8 oz of fat free milk/8 oz fat free yogurt/1 ½ ounces of low fat/fat free cheese/ ½ cup of low fat/ fat free shredded cheese/ 2 cups of low fat/fat free cottage cheese/1 cup of low fat/fat free pudding made with milk/1 cup of fat free frozen yogurt/1 ½ cups of fat free frozen ice cream. Everyone should aim to have at least 3 servings of calcium per day.

Note: If you deal with gas, intestinal cramping or bloating after consuming dairy products you might be lactose intolerant.  Try drinking milk in small amounts or switch to other dairy products, such as yogurt.  If problems continue, look into calcium supplementation from a calcium citrate supplement or try using products such as Lactaid to help your body digest the lactose.  Soy, almond and rice milk do not have the same amount of calcium as cow’s milk. You would have to consume the calcium fortified version of all of the products.

Add a serving of milk to your breakfast everyday so that you can start your day off right with serving of calcium. Remember a serving of milk is:

1 serving of milk/dairy (preferably fat free) = 15 grams Carbohydrate:

 8 oz cow’s milk/6 oz yogurt/ 8oz soy milk/8oz almond milk

Have a great week!

The Dietnista