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Can what you eat affect the mood you are in?   Can eating better actually affect whether you get down in the dumps or not?   My sister sent me an interesting article, Eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains slashes depression risk by more than 10%.    Now 10% doesn’t sound much but eating more of certain foods can improve the mood you are in and can help you have more energy throughout the day.   So often we hear that to eat healthy we have to cut things from our diet.   A current fad is cutting gluten from our diet which is not really a healthy thing to do unless you have Celiac disease.    Now many people are on the Whole30 diet that cuts out grains and dairy.   One person on this diet told me how tired they were, too tired to exercise.   No wonder, cut out the grains from your diet and you are cutting out the carbs needed to energize yourself for the day and you are cutting back on the many B vitamins our bodies need to make energy...

Did you make a resolution to drop a few pounds in 2018?   Or are you thinking about summer, swim suits, shorts and want to just drop the few pounds you gained over the holidays?   Are there some “habits” you can adopt to help you take off some weight without going on a crazy diet?   Just listening at the gym, one hears all kinds of myths and crazy diets people go on to lose weight.   Many of these diets result in you losing more nutrients than pounds.   Many people are trying the Whole30 diet and then surprised to hear that the U.S. News & World Report has ranked it as one of the worse diets to be on in 2018.   In fact, the experts ranking the diets tied the Whole30 diet with the Raw Food Diet “ as the worst of the worst for healthy eating. ”   Probably because the diet bans grains, dairy grains and beans so you are cutting out important nutrients like calcium and vitamin D from your day.   Probably a good thing it is only a 30 day diet and no...

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...

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...

But too many of us aren’t getting the calcium we need.   About 80% of teenage girls and 60% of teenage boys aren’t getting enough calcium in their diets. Most adults are also low in getting enough calcium taking in about 500-700 mg when they need 1000 mg of calcium a day.   The Dietary Guidelines recommend adults have 3 cups of milk or dairy servings every day.  How much calcium do you need each day? Probably more than you are getting.   The chart below shows how much calcium different age groups are getting.   If you aren’t drinking milk or having a yogurt at every meal, you are probably low in your calcium intake. Age Recommended Calcium (mg/day) Children 4-8 1000 Children/teens 9-18 1300 Adults 1000 Women over 50 and men over 70 1200 What foods provide calcium? Although some people take calcium supplements, calcium is best absorbed from food.   Dairy foods – are the best sources of calcium.   MyPlate shows dairy a...

America is growing, not just in terms of population but also in size.   The Editorial in our local paper reads:   Obesity rates remain a national concern .   As the editorial notes, too many Americans are getting bigger.   Trust for Americas’ Health released their 2017 Obesity report.   The report found that, “far too many Americans, both adult and children, are significantly overweight to the extent that it jeopardizes their overall health and well-being.”    States vary a lot in the number of adults who are overweight or obese.   West Virginia leads the nation as 37.7% of the adults in West Virginia are obese with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. The state with the lowest rate of obese adults was Colorado at 22.3%.   If you are interested in your state, visit Adult Obesity Rate by State, 2016 .   Some states and their rankings are noted below: States % Obese Adults (BMI 30+) District of Columbia, Hawaii, Massachusetts...