#6 HEALTHIEST FRUITS - AVOCADOS

 Continuing our list of the healthiest fruits compiled by scientist and found in a health journal I picked up in my oncologist's office. I don't know if you consider avocado a fruit or a vegetable, but it is categorized as fruit. Without further ado from me, below is the quote from the health journal.

"Avocados are unique fruits that are high in heart-healthy fats and fiber and low in carbohydrates. Half an avocado provides nearly 7 grams of filling fiber and just 8.5 grams of carbs, making it a smart choice for those on low-carb diets. The fruit's monounsaturated fats have been shown to help promote healthy blood lipid levels, and they contain significand amounts of vitamin C, vitamin E, folate, and magnesium. Studies suggest that eating avocados supports blood sugar regulation, weight management, and heart health."

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OLIVE OIL FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Studies have shown that the high concentrations of monounsaturated fatty acids in olive oil seem to protect against joint inflammation.  The participants in one study who consumed approximately 3 tablespoons of olive oil a day lessened their chance of developing rheumatoid arthritis by 60%.  If you suffer from RA, it might be worth it for you to add more olive oil to your diet.  Beware though that olive oil can be high in calories so use as a replacement for butter, etc. Don't be afraid of olive oil because of the fat content. Olive oil contains healthy fats your body needs.

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ALMONDS

Almonds are an excellent food that should be eaten several times a week.  Several doctors recommend at least 10 a day.

They are heart healthy with their antioxidant power.  By the way, almonds have twice the antioxidant power with their skins on so keep that in mind.

They also serve as an anti-inflammatory.  Inflammation is a real danger to our bodies and eating anti-inflammatory foods is a must for good health.

Almonds are also a fantastic source of fiber which may help to prevent colon cancer.

Almonds are also good blood sugar regulators probably due to their protein content.

Almonds are very low in Cholesterol and Sodium.  They are a good source of riboflavin, magnesium, and manganese.  They are also a very good source of Vitamin E.

Note:  The fats in almonds are mostly healthy fats.  A 1-oz serving has 14.0 grams of fat but only 1.1 grams are saturated fat and there is 0 trans-fat. Polyunsaturated fat is 3.4 grams with a whopping 8.7 of those 14 grams are healthy monounsaturated fat.

1 oz serving (24 whole almond kernels) has:
163 calories.
0 cholesterol
0 sodium
6.1 grams total carbs
3.5 grams dietary fiber
1.1 grams sugars
6 grams protein

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YAY FOR FRIED FOODS

Hallelujah! Just what we have been looking for, a study that says go ahead and eat fried foods! But before you get too excited finish reading this post. A fairly large Spanish study a few years ago found that eating fried foods posed no heart risk so long as the foods were fried in a mono- and poly-unsaturated healthy fat. This study was conducted on 40,757 adults ages 29 to 69 and was published in the British Medical Journal. The key here is to use the proper fat for frying! I can personally vouch for this fact. I love fried foods and for many years I had extremely high cholesterol and suffered a heart attack. I have inherited some cholesterol and heart problems but even so after changing my diet to only using olive, canola, or coconut oil for frying my cholesterol has been in the normal range for several years now. I do take a cholesterol medication but had taken the same meds back when it was extremely high, too. So relax, buy the proper oils and enjoy some fried foods from time to time! In fact, heart-healthy omega-3 fats are essential to a healthy diet.

DO YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR OIL?

Dr. A. Marc Gillinov, cardiac surgeon and surgical director at the Cleveland Clinic says many of us need to change our oil! He is talking about cooking oils. Dr. Gillinov suggests swapping other types of cooking oil for extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil. He went on to say, "They are low in saturated fats and a source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids."

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TRANS FATS AND INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION

Having intestinal problems? Try cutting the trans fats from your diet. By the way, on food labels trans fats may be listed as "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" oils or fats. Almost all commercially prepared pies, cakes, cookies, etc contain trans fats. Studies have shown trans fats can make intestinal inflammation jump for up to three hours after consuming them. Once again, I know I say it often, read nutritional labels and know exactly what you are eating.

ALMONDS FOR WEIGHT LOSS?

Can you believe it? Studies have shown that people who eat a serving of almonds at least twice a week are less likely to gain weight! Almonds are high in calories so eat no more a small handful a day. There are various types of almonds available, but you should stick to the whole roasted ones and avoid the candy-coated ones! Here are more benefits of almonds:

• Almonds are also high in vitamin E, an antioxidant that fights the effects of the sun.
• Almonds are high in monounsaturated "good" fats that help to lower cholesterol. When you add almonds to your healthy, low-fat diet, you can reduce your chances of heart disease by 30% to 45%. Stay away from salted almonds though as salt may raise your blood pressure.
• Almonds are a quick source of protein. 1/4 cup of almonds provides as much protein as an egg.

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UNDERSTANDING FAT INFORMATION ON NUTRITION LABELS

 

Understanding fat in the diet is important. Yes, your body does need fat. There are healthy fats such as monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats and unhealthy fats such as trans fats and saturated fats. When you read the nutrition label on a food product it will list total fat. This number includes both the healthy and unhealthy fats. What is more important to you is what is listed under that number. There will be a breakdown of the unhealthy fats. Total the unhealthy fats number to decided where this product will fit into your diet. The lower the unhealthy fats number, the better the product is for you.

As you can see in this example almost half of the fat grams are unhealthy fats. Not a good choice. By the way, if you look on down you will see this item has only 1 gram of sugar per serving. I have no idea what this product label is for but it is a perfect example of a food product where they remove sugar and add fats for flavor. Always be aware of the fat grams on sugar-free or low-sugar products.

DOES EATING FAT MAKE YOU FAT?

For decades we were told how important it was to give up fat, especially if you wanted to lose weight. Dr. Walter Willett, noted nutritionist and chair of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health has said, "The whole idea that reducing fat intake is the most important thing you can do was never supported by any good evidence." That said, there are different types of fats and some should be avoided.

Trans fats, usually listed on food labels as 'partially hydrogenated oils' are artificially manipulated fats that food producers use to enhance the shelf life of processed foods and these fats should be avoided. Studies have shown they raise LDL 'bad' cholesterol which usually leads to heart disease. As I always say on this blog, any foods that are artificial or artificially manipulated are not good for the body.

Polyunsaturated fats, including omega-3 fatty acids that are found in olive oil and some fish, are very good for ones health. Polyunsaturated fats have been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Saturated fats found in red meat, cheese and butter, are better than trans fats but not as good as polyunsaturated fats.

As you can see, fat is not just fat. However, we need some fats to be healthy so totally eliminating fats from your diet is not a good thing.

Gary Taubes, whose internatinal best-seller Good Calories, Bad Calories has said the idea that eating fat makes you fat drove national nutritional policy for decades and may have contributed to our current health problems as everyone rushed to replace fat with carbs.

Choose your fats wisely and you won't gain weight.

POTATO CHIPS

We have posts on this blog about being a  "Junk Food Addict" and potato chips fall into the category of junk food. There are also several posts on this blog about "Couch Potato Calories" and potato chips fall into that category, too. Let's have a little post now about potato chips. We all know there are many different kinds and flavors of potato chips on the market today but for this post let's say we are just talking about the general potato chip (my favorite 😟).

• 1-oz of potato chips has around 150 calories
• 1-oz of potato chips has around 10 grams of fat and 3 of those are saturated (bad) fat.
• The average potato chip is deep-fried and usually not in a healthy oil.
• The average potato chip has too much salt.
• If you eat just 1-ounce of potato chips a day, 3 times a week, within a year you will have consumed roughly 23,400 calories in potato chips. That translates to a 7-pound weight gain per year, just from chips. And really now, let's be honest here, are you going to eat only 1-ounce of chips 3 times a week? Most of us eat more than that at a time.
• In addition to weight gain, the fat, salt, carbs, etc are just not conducive to good health!

So, what can you do to cut back on or totally eliminate these chips from your diet? Replace them with a healthier food!  Try rice cakes or popcorn cakes. Dry roasted edamame is also a good choice. Nuts are healthy if they are not coated in sugar, etc. But beware of the calorie count in the nuts you choose. And if you want to really go healthy, replace chips with fresh veggies such as carrot sticks, etc.

ARE YOU EATING THE RIGHT KINDS OF FATS?

Are Americans eating too much fat? Or are we Americans simply eating the wrong fats? According to Chef Dr. John La Puma, the answer is that we are eating the wrong fats. We are eating too many bad trans fats that are in most packaged, processed foods and unfortunately the good essential fats are getting left out. We are not eating enough good fats such as Omega 3s. Dr. La Puma, author of Chef MD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine,  says "Omega 3s are anti-inflammatory and help protect the immune system, brain, heart, and arteries. The doctor has stated that Omega 3s can help lower high triglyceride levels in the blood, a silent risk for heart disease.

The American Heart Association has said the omega 3s can protect against irregular heart rhythms that can cause sudden death, slow the rate of arterial hardening, and help to reduce blood pressure. Those are some pretty important reasons to be sure you are getting the omega-3s you need!

Here are a couple of simple ways to increase the omega 3s in your diet; trade the chips in your diet for nuts and some of the steak for salmon.

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ADD COCONUT OIL TO YOUR DIET

 

In spite of what you may have heard over the years about coconut oil and cholesterol, you need coconut oil in your diet!  Several years ago the scientific and medical worlds went crazy with all kinds of cholesterol warnings and unfortunately coconut was lumped into the "bad for you" category.  Once the research really got into the heart of the matter and discovered there were two types of cholesterol, LDL and HDL, they kind of left it there without going public to correct some of the products they had falsely smeared.  Ladies and gentlemen, coconut contains the HDL or good for you cholesterol!  If you do not have coconut oil as a part of your diet, add it.  Coconut oil is a natural antibiotic that can help defend your body against viruses.  Coconut oil is also very effective in the brain in helping to prevent and/or help the symptoms of Alzheimer's, dementia, Parkinson's disease, ALS, etc.

Two important things to remember:

1. Alzheimer's and other similar diseases start in the brain up to 20 years before symptoms are shown.  Add coconut oil to your diet now.
2. Use only PURE Coconut oil!  If you do not use pure coconut oil, you will be getting "hydrogenated" products in your coconut oil.  Hydrogenated simply means "trans fat" which is  not good for you.  Pure coconut oil may be more expensive but it is worth it!

This is the coconut oil I use.  Buy any brand that suits you as long as it is "Pure."

CUTTING BACK ON BUTTER IN BAKING

You can cut back on the butter in your baked goods in a heart-healthy way without affecting the final product.  In almost all recipes, you can cut the amount of butter in half by substituting heart-healthy canola oil or no sugar added applesauce for half of the butter.  You will still have a final product that is tasty but it will be healthier!  Yes, I said almost all recipes.  Use your common sense.  You cannot make buttercream icing for example with canola oil or applesauce!

You can make healthy baked goods.  My granddaughter is holding a very healthy cake she made using applesauce for some of the butter. (This is a 2012 photo.)

AVOCADO IS A STOMACH-FRIENDLY FOOD

 Did you know the avocado is a stomach-friendly food?  Most of us are aware that the avocado is rich in heart-healthy oils making it a good addition to our diets.  But few people realize the same avocado that is good for your heart is also good for your stomach.  This versatile food is exceptionally high in potassium, fiber, and the same heart-friendly oils are also stomach-friendly.  The avocado when eaten on a regular basis is good for your digestive system, keeping waste moving along.  A good way to get more avocado in your diet is to add thin slices to a sandwich or a salad.  Use instead of fattening mayonnaise on sandwiches to increase a sandwiches' good-for-you status (using whole-grain bread will help with that, too!).

Note: Uninformed people may tell you that you shouldn't eat avocado because it is high in fat.  The truth is that is heart-healthy fat!  And like everything else, you eat in moderation!

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SMART BALANCE OMEGA BUTTERY SPREAD

I am often asked about "healthy" margarines. Personally, I don't really think there is such a thing as I believe our body is made to use natural, not man made, foods. But for those of you who use margarines, here is some information on this particular one. Note that half the fat is saturated fat and the amount of fish oil is minimal.

1 tablespoon of this spread = 80 calories, 5 grams (2.5 g sat) fat, 85 mg sodium 

This product is made from a natural blend of soybean, palm fruit, fish, flaxseed, canola, and olive oils. There is a small amount of omega-3 fats which are heart-healthy fats. 

Works well as a topping, and also for cooking and baking. 

NOTE: This same product in the "Light" version has 30 calories less, 1 gram less saturated fat, and should not be used for baking as it has a high water content. 

CHOOSE SNACKS THAT INCLUDE PROTEIN + FIBER

Dr. Melina Jampolis, an internist specializing in nutrition for weight loss and disease prevention suggests our snacks should include protein plus fiber. She has stated that protein and fat trigger the release of hormones in the gut that keep us feeling satisfied for hours. Protein also puts the brakes on the body's insulin pump and we know that high levels of insulin can lead to tummy fat. Fiber slows digestion, another key to feeling full. Dr. Jampolis says that many high-fiber carbs such as oatmeal, fresh fruits and veggies are water-rich which means we get to eat a bigger serving for fewer calories!  Below are some of her snack combo suggestions:

• hummus and nuts + carrots or whole-grain crackers
• a hard boiled egg + 1/2 cup grapes
• a packet of instant unsweetened oatmeal with cinnamon and chopped nuts
• a cup of low-fat Greek yogurt + a cup of your favorite berries
• 1/2 cup high-fiber cereal with skim milk
• a 100-calorie pack of almonds + a kiwi

Remember snacks should be no more than 200 calories!