yydjjk

Eggs, who doesn’t like eggs?   Hard-boiled, egg salad sandwiches, scrambled, so many ways to enjoy eggs for breakfast and lunch.    But for years, eggs have gotten a bad wrap.   Many people avoid eggs or eat them sparingly because of the cholesterol scare.   And for years, the American Heart Association recommended limiting our egg consumption. But newer research says we can enjoy eggs once again. What about eggs and cholesterol? New research has not found a link between egg consumption and heart disease, even among men at genetic risk for heart disease.   It seems high blood cholesterol levels are more linked to the saturated fat in meats rather than the cholesterol in eggs.   In one Finnish study, over 1,000 men were followed for 21 years.   They found egg consumption and dietary cholesterol did not significantly increase risk of heart disease.   But they didn’t over consume eggs either, about one egg a day.      How many egg...

Traveling this holiday season?   Who isn’t up for a fast food breakfast?   My favorite is a McDonald’s Egg McMuffin, orange juice and black coffee.   Are there healthier breakfast choices at fast food establishments?   What are the not so healthy choices? The ones loaded with fat, sugar and calories? WebMD has a great slide show, Better Best for Fast-Food Breakfast . McDonald’s Healthier Breakfast Options Egg McMuffin – only 300 calories, 12 grams of fat and 6 grams of saturated fat.   Yes, there is bacon but it’s lean Canadian bacon so more protein and less fat.   Egg White Delight McMuffin – if you want less cholesterol – 250 calories, 8 grams fat and 4.5 grams saturated fat Breakfasts to pass on Big Breakfast with Hotcakes – a whopping 1050 calories with lots of fat (56 grams) and lots of saturated fat (19 grams) and loaded with sodium, 1960 mg. Burger King Healthier Breakfast Options Egg & Cheese Croissan’wich - like the Egg McMuffin this sandw...

Chocolate was in the news this week.   Nestle is planning to reformulate chocolate to make it lower in calories.   Who doesn’t love chocolate?   And more recently they have discovered chocolate actually has many health benefits.    But the downside has been that chocolate is often loaded with sugar and fat which somewhat negates its health benefits.   So, what does Nestle plan to do to make chocolate lower in calories? Nestle will lower the sugar content in chocolate. Lowering the sugar content sounds good from a calorie and health perspective but not from a taste perspective.   How can Nestle lower the sugar content but keep the taste? Restructure the Sugar Molecule: Nestle has found a way to basically reform the sugar crystal, making it hollow on the inside.   But one still gets the sweet taste from the hollowed-out sugar crystal so they say the reduced sugar chocolate will still taste sweet.   The Nestle technology officer explained it th...

Who hasn’t used the 5 second rule?   You drop some food on the floor and if it is less than 5 seconds, is it safe to eat?   If it is on the floor longer than 5 seconds, is it really more contaminated?   Does the type of floor matter?   The type of food?   Is the 5 Second Rule another food myth?    Believe it or not, researchers have actually studied the 5 second rule.   What foods did they drop and what did they find? A number of researchers have studied the 5 Second Rule the most recent study about Myth Debunked , was published in September in the journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology.   Previously, a high school student studied gummy bears and fudge-striped cookies dropped on a floor contaminated with E. coli.   He found that food was contaminated in less than 5 seconds.    So, what did the 2016 researchers find? What is the 5 Second Rule – the belief is if you drop any food on the ground/floor and pick it up in...

Everyone knows exercise is good for you, but exercise can be walking every day.   Recent research has good news about how healthy walking is.    Walk After Eating For those with Type 2 diabetes this is especially important but walking after eating is a healthy practice many of us may want to consider.   Walking at any time during the day is a healthy habit.   But walking after eating a meal, seem to have special health benefits. o    Lower blood sugar levels – every time you eat, your blood sugar goes up as your body digests the food.   Taking a walk after you eat, helps lower your blood sugar level. Those who walked after eating had 12% lower blood sugar levels than those who walked at other times a day.   Those who walked after dinner, lowered their blood sugar by a whopping 22%.    So walking anytime is good, but walking after the evening meal is an especially healthy habit. o    Helps prevent heart disease – Higher b...

Now that the leaves are turning and summer crops are gone, purchase some healthy fall produce.    Some farmers’ markets are still open and if not, head to your local supermarket.   Here are some healthy choices for fall produce: (Adapted from:   9 Fall Produce Picks to Add to Your Plate ) Pumpkins – not just for carving but for eating.    Pumpkins are loaded with vitamin A, full of fiber, basically fat free, offers lots of potassium.   Make some pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins.   Pumpkin pie does have some added sugar but also offers a lot of healthy nutrients. Sweet Potatoes – so many people avoid potatoes because they think they are fattening.   It is the add-ons like sour cream, that add the calories.   Sweet potatoes are low in fat but loaded with nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.    When eating out, choose the baked sweet potato over the baked white potato for a nutrition boost.   Enjoy so...

What fun to go hiking in the fall.    We just got back from hiking in the Shenandoah National Park.   Cooler weather, wonderful views, trees starting to turn colors and a great and fun way to exercise.    If you are hiking or going on a picnic this fall, bring some homemade trail mix.   If you make it yourself, or “make” it from bins in your local grocery store you can pick the options and the quality of the mix.   Sports Nutritionists and other recommend trail mix as a healthy way to refuel.   The fruit in trail mix offers many health benefits such as being good for your heart.   A 2016 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found those who ate one-half cup of fruit a day lowered their risk of heart disease.   And for those who forgo nuts because nuts are high in fat, a lot of research shows a handful of nuts a day can help you maintain, not gain weight.   Other studies show that eating nuts can help you lose weight.   ...