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Feeling upbeat?   Feeling down in the dumps?   Can the food you eat affect the mood you are in?   Apparently so, according to How Food Affects Your Mood .   Although most “experts” will tell you there is no relationship between eating a lot of candy and a sugar high causing hyperactivity.   But ask any Mom or Dad and they will dispute this.   Want to improve your mood with food?   Here are some suggestions from WebMD and other sources: 1. Don’t Forget the Carbs   - so many times we hear people say, “I am watching my carbs.”   So many times I hear my students say, “that food is high in carbs” as if that is something bad.   We want carbs in our diet – lots of carbs.   Carbs are our primary energy source.   Low carbs=low energy.   But we want “good” carbs in our diet to give us energy. Not refined carbs loaded with added sugar.   Sure that will give you an instant energy boost and then a crash when you feel even more tir...

Trying to drop those few pounds?   Are there tips and tricks one can use to help them be successful in taking off a few pounds?   Last week we reviewed the Best Diets for Weigh Loss as ranked by the U.S. News & World Report.    Time magazine has an excellent article on 8 Weight-Loss Strategies That Actually Work in their Feb. 5, 2018 issue.   There are numerous articles on helpful tips for weight-loss including 9 Habits of People Who Have Successfully Lost Weight .   What are some of these strategies and habits?      1.  Breakfast – we all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.   But what should you eat at breakfast and should you eat a big breakfast?   Skipping breakfast and you are more likely to be overweight?   Why?   Probably because you hit the candy bar or soda machine around 10 AM or so.   Not only can skipping breakfast routinely increase your chances of being overweight, it appa...

Are you looking for a diet for good health?   Last week we talked about “eating healthy” and reviewed 3 diets that promote good health, the Mediterranean Diet , the   DASH Diet , and the Flexitarian Diet .    Mediterranean Diet- A healthy diet Unfortunately, some people choose diets that are actually bad for their health.   Why?   Maybe they are looking for a quick weight loss fix.   Maybe they are duped into thinking a diet is healthy when it is actually bad for their health.   When the US News & World Report ranks the Best Diets for health, they have diets that fall at the bottom of their rankings.   What diets are ranked the lowest and why?   Let’s review some of these not so good for you diets and provide you with some pros and cons of these diets.    Whole30 Diet   This diet is popular once again.   Even though it was created in 2009, many people are currently trying the Whole30 approach.   Whole30 cl...

What does “eating healthy” mean?   What are healthy diets to follow?   Not for weight loss or weight gain, but just a healthy eating pattern?   I recently heard a person say they were on a vegetarian fast diet.   For 4 weeks they were giving up meat and all animal products including dairy.   Not really a healthy diet choice.     Another person said they were eating healthy and following the Whole30 diet.   According to the Whole30 website, food groups like grains and dairy have a negative impact on health.   US News & World Report gives the Whole30 diet a poor rating and a low ranking.   Why?   The diet is quite restrictive and excludes grain (an important food group), legumes, even peanut butter, and dairy – another important food group.   Whole grains are hugely important in our diets for fiber, trace minerals and other nutrients.   Rather than excluding whole grains, Americans should be eating more whole grain...

Can you eat to improve your memory?   Apparently so.   A recent article in CommonHealth describes how one can eat to essentially clog up those brain pathways or how one can eat to unclog your brain and improve your memory.   Another article reviews 15 foods to eat for a healthy brain.   What food clog up your brain? We all know that eating high fat foods, especially those high in saturated fat, can clog up your arteries and are not good for your heart.   Another fat, trans fat, is especially bad as it builds up in our blood vessels and damages them.   So those French fries loaded with fat and foods high in saturated fat like bacon, are not only not good for your heart, they might not be good for your brain. The Diets high in cholesterol and fat might speed up the formation of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain.   These sticky protein clusters are blamed for much of the damage that occurs in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. Recommendation 1 for a ...

Who doesn’t want to stop father time?   We can’t turn back the clock, but we can establish some habits that will keep us healthier as we age.   WebMD has some good advice in their article, The Secret to Healthy Aging .   They acknowledge there is no fountain of youth but establishing some healthy habits can make your life more enjoyable and extend your life span.   What tips do they offer?      1. Keep Moving – keep exercising and stay physically active.   So many health benefits to exercise:   reducing heart disease risks, you sleep better, have a better memory, less depressed, stronger bones and you are less likely to fall when you are older.          2. What kind of exercise? Aerobic or Cardio is a good way to strengthen your heart and to get fit.    But one doesn’t have to go to the gym to get some aerobic exercise.   Walk at a faster pace, go for a bike ride or ride a stationary bik...