Category Archives: Foods

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If you are going to do one thing for your health in 2020, do this.

Eat less processed foods. There you have it.

Most of you have heard me talk about processed foods before. Their detriment cannot be overstated.

There are so many health problems associated with eating processed food.

One study found that eating processed foods lead to an early death. The following is a list of health issues that have been linked to eating processed foods and foods rich in sugar:

  • Unbalanced microbiome
  • Leaky gut
  • Inflammation
  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • Stroke
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes
  • Dementia
  • Hypertension
  • Dyslipidemia
  • Alzheimer’s
  • Aging
  • Brain health
  • ADHD
  • Anxiety
  • Mood swings
  • Cancers
  • Sleep apnea
  • Gallbladder disease
  • Liver disease
  • Gynecological problems such as infertility
  • Kidney disease
  • Headaches
  • Fatigue
  • Cataracts
  • Arthritis
  • Rash/eczema in children
  • Gallstones
  • Hemorrhoids
  • An increase in reactive oxygen species, in turn damaging cells and tissues
  • A reduction in high-density lipoproteins – the good cholesterol!
  • Interference with ability to absorb calcium and magnesium
  • An over-acidic digestive tract
  • A decrease growth hormone in the body – problematic for growing children
  • Increased likelihood of development of food allergies
  • Decreased testosterone production
  • Can cause exacerbation of acne
  • Can cause free radical and oxidative stress
  • Slow function of adrenal glands

The following are the health issues that can be prevented, treated, or improved by eating unprocessed whole foods:

  • Microbiome imbalance
  • All GI disease (IBS, IBD, GERD)
  • Heart disease
  • Obesity
  • Cellulite
  • Waist circumference
  • Abdominal fat
  • Diabetes
  • Mood
  • Cognition and brain function
  • ADHD
  • Autism
  • Dementia
  • Menopause
  • Hiatal hernia
  • Kidney stones
  • Cataracts
  • Arthritis
  • Rash/eczema in children
  • Gallstones
  • Hemorrhoids
  • An increase in reactive oxygen species, in turn damaging cells and tissues
  • A reduction in high-density lipoproteins – the good cholesterol!
  • Interference with ability to absorb calcium and magnesium
  • An over-acidic digestive tract
  • A decrease growth hormone in the body – problematic for growing children
  • Increased likelihood of development of food allergies
  • Decreased testosterone production
  • Can cause exacerbation of acne
  • Can cause free radical and oxidative stress
  • Slow function of adrenal glands
  • Gallstones
  • Inflammation
  • Cancer
  • Cataracts
  • Arthritis
  • Diverticulosis
  • Vaginal infections
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Age-related macular degeneration
  • Body odor
  • Aging
  • Acne
  • Allergies
  • High cholesterol
  • High blood pressure
  • Eczema
  • Menstrual breast pain
  • Oral health

These lists were first published in my eBook.

Why are processed foods so bad? 

Three reasons, and each are associated with the health issues above (in the first list):

  1. Sugar
  2. Processed starches, refined flours
  3. Vegetable oils that are high in pro-inflammatory omega-6s

How to eat more whole foods and less processed foods? 

  • Drink more water and less soda, juice, or coffee “drinks”
  • Eat more potatoes and whole grains (rice, quinoa) and less breads, cereals, and pasta
  • Make your own salad dressing with olive oil and eat less store bought salad dressings (made with vegetable oils)
  • Cook fresh whole foods (chicken, potatoes, broccoli) at home and eat less take out (pizza, chinese, etc)
  • Have fruit handy to avoid going to the vending machine when you need a snack.
  • Find minimally processed foods as options

Would you like more ideas on how to eat whole foods? If so, email me and let me know or write in the comments below!

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Whole Foods Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Which Diet is Best?

Spoiler Alert!
There is no one-size-fits all diet. I tailor my clients’ diets, to their health situation, body’s needs, and personal wants. But I need to believe in something. I need to give my clients general easily followed dietary guidelines.

So, I went through all the research on what foods cause disease, research on what balance of macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fat) leads to disease or health, and I listened to other experts in my field talk.

One guideline comes shining through.

Whether it is paleo or vegan, high carb or low carb, diet to prevent cancer or to heal the gut, to reduce inflammation or improve energy, they all have one thing in common. They are based on whole foods not processed foods.

What IS a Whole Food?

Whole foods are foods that are in their real natural form. A whole food is food that has not been altered since it was harvested from the ground or animal. A chicken breast, a pear, a sweet potato, and an onion are all whole foods.

A processed food goes to a factory and is altered, treated,or combined as an ingredient into some food product. Not only is the food refined and changed from its natural form, but sugar and other junk ingredients are often added as well. Bread is an example of a processed food; wheat doesn’t come out of the ground looking like a loaf of bread.

Are ALL processed foods bad?

We can also eat minimally processed foods, such as olive oil. It doesn’t come off the olive tree in a glass bottle. But it is still a whole food, one ingredient, and good for you.

Some foods have to be scrutinized to decide if they are really minimally processed. Almond milk may fall into either category of minimally or largely processed. When choosing a brand of almond milk, it is important to examine the ingredients. Some brands of almond milk add sugar, carrageenan gum, xanthan gum, and preservatives. Other brands of almond milk contain only almonds, water, and salt. The latter brands are obviously the minimally processed whole foods.

How do I navigate the choices? What SHOULD I eat?

As you decide about what foods to eat, practice asking yourself “is this a processed food?” It is a simple straightforward way to look at food. Let it guide you to make healthful choices. Remember, you do not need to be perfect or eat whole food 100% of the time to feel the benefits. Try as often as you can. The more you stick to real whole foods, the more your body will thank you for it.

Intrigued? Want to know more?

This article is an adaptation of a chapter of my eBook. If you liked it, consider reading the rest!

Health Takes Guts Meal Plan Header with Vegetable Grain Bowl

Health Takes Guts® Meal Plans

The easiest way to help you meet your health goals

“What’s for dinner?”

We all dread that question…

And for good reason. No one wants to wait until the last minute to try to prepare something nutritious and healthy – that’s stressful!

But if you’ve ever wished there was a simpler way to eat better, we’ve got good news…

Now you can enjoy hand-curated meal plans—created just for you by dietitians—with easy-to-use subscription service.

For just a few dollars a month, you’ll receive delicious, nutritious meal suggestions, perfectly tailored to your unique dietary needs.

Healthy and delicious

All meal plans include tasty, nutritious foods, customized to fit your lifestyle.

Full and complete

Breakfast, lunch and dinner—with meal plans, you’ll never have to ask, “What should we eat?” ever again.

Detailed and accurate

As you customize your plans, nutrition facts and smart grocery list will automatically adjust.

Simple and affordable

There’s never been a better way to help you eat great food without agonizing about what to make.

Every recipe suggestion is thoroughly tested to ensure it’s delicious, easy to make, and helps you meet your health goals.

Here’s how the Health Takes Guts® Meal Plan works:

    For less than $1 per day, you’ll receive weekly, customizable meal plans with over 30 recipes! Add and remove recipes based on your preferences, then adjust the number of servings if you want leftovers.
  • Each recipe contains nutrition information with easy prep and make directions.
  • Meal planner includes a smart grocery list that tells you exactly what to buy.
  • You’ll also receive valuable coupons from health-focused brands—a real win-win.

Check out the meal plan options.

Still unsure about using meal plans to help you meet your health goals? No worries, we offer a 3-DAY FREE TRIAL for all plans – we’re confident you’ll love it!

There’s never been a better way to help you eat great food without agonizing about what to make.

Selection of food high in sugar

Why Sugar and Processed Foods are not Healthy

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to eating. However, there is one plan that is safe for most people and can help most health conditions: a whole foods diet. Whole foods are better for the microbiome than processed foods. Eating real food in its whole form promotes good health. Eating sugar and processed foods promotes disease.

The following is a list of health issues that have been linked to eating processed foods and foods rich in sugar:

  • Unbalanced microbiome
  • Leaky gut
  • Inflammation
  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • Stroke
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes
  • Dementia
  • Hypertension
  • Dyslipidemia
  • Alzheimer’s
  • Aging
  • Brain health
  • ADHD
  • Anxiety
  • Mood swings
  • Cancers
  • Sleep apnea
  • Gallbladder disease
  • Liver disease
  • Gynecological problems such as infertility
  • Kidney disease
  • Headaches
  • Fatigue
  • Cataracts
  • Arthritis
  • Rash/eczema in children
  • Gallstones
  • Hemorrhoids
  • Can increase reactive oxygen species, in turn, damaging cells and tissues
  • Can reduce high-density lipoproteins – the good cholesterol!
  • Interfere with ability to absorb calcium and magnesium
  • Can lead to an over-acidic digestive tract
  • Can decrease growth hormone in the body–problematic for growing children
  • Increase likelihood of development of food allergies
  • Decrease testosterone production
  • Can cause exacerbation of acne
  • Can cause free radical and oxidative stress
  • Slow function of adrenal glands

These are the health issues that can be prevented, treated, or improved by eating unprocessed whole foods:

  • Microbiome imbalance
  • All GI disease
    • IBS
    • Crohn’s
    • Ulcerative colitis
    • GERD
  • Heart disease
  • Obesity
  • Cellulite
  • Waist circumference
  • Abdominal fat
  • Diabetes
  • Mood
  • Cognition and brain function
  • ADHD
  • Autism
  • Dementia
  • Menopause
  • Hiatal hernia
  • Kidney stones
  • Gallstones
  • Inflammation
  • Cancer
  • Cataracts
  • Arthritis
  • Diverticulosis
  • Vaginal infections
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Age-related macular degeneration
  • Body odor
  • Aging
  • Acne
  • Allergies
  • High cholesterol
  • High blood pressure
  • Eczema
  • Menstrual breast pain
  • Oral Health

This is an excerpt from my eBook. Check it out for more details on how to eat a whole foods diet.

Feeding the Brain: How to Protect the Brain Through Proper Nutrition

According to the National Institute of Health, as many as 5 million Americans age 65 and older may have Alzheimer’s disease and that number is expected to double for every 5-year interval beyond age 65. But Alzheimer’s is only one of many dementia disorders; an estimated 20 to 40 percent of people with dementia have some other form of the disorder. Part of the aging process will always include memory loss for older American men and women. Not every older American will be at risk for Alzheimer’s disease. A healthy lifestyle can play a part in improving your memory.

Foods That Induce Memory Loss

The foods that hinder memory are common staples in the American diet. White breads, pasta, processed meats and cheeses. Research has linked all of these foods to memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
There is a long list of food that may minimize memory function throughout life:

Processed cheese: American cheese, mozzarella sticks, Cheez Whiz and Laughing Cow- build up proteins in the body that are related to memory loss.
Processed meats: bacon, smoked turkey from the deli counter and ham- smoked meats like these contain nitrosamines- cause the liver to produce fats that are toxic to the brain
Beer: Most beers contain nitrites- linked to Alzheimer’s
White Foods: pasta, cakes, white sugar, white rice and white bread- higher consumption could send toxins to the brain
Microwave popcorn: contain diacetyl- a chemical that may increase amyloid plaques in the brain

Dietary modifications are not easy to make, but both DASH diet and Mediterranean diet are both beneficial to brain health and memory power. What are best ways to describe these diets? DASH diet means Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, which makes it lower in sodium. The Mediterranean diet has the incorporation of healthy fats and supper foods.

DASH Diet

The DASH diet may assist dieters to reduce blood pressure by a few points in two weeks. A person’s systolic blood pressure could be lowered by eight to fourteen points, to make a substantial modification in possible health risks. The DASH diet has a focus in veggies, fruits, low-fat dairy foods, as well as modest amounts of whole grains, fish, poultry, and nuts.

Grains: 6 to 8 servings a day
Veggies: 4 to 5 servings
Fruits: 4 to 5 servings
Dairy: 2 to 3 servings
Lean Meat, Poultry and Fish: 6 servings or fewer in a day
Nuts, Seeds and Legumes: 4 to 5 servings a week
Fats and Oils: 2 to 3 servings a day
Sweets: 5 Servings or fewer in a week

The goal should be to make healthier choices with a wide variety of picks in different food categories. The variety of food choices keeps the daily diet nutritious and to avoid boredom or extremes.

Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet has a focus of fish, fruits, veggies, beans, high fiber breads and whole grains, nuts, as well as olive oil. Meat, cheese, and sweets are very limited. The Mediterranean diet, an average of 35% to 40% of calories comes from fat. The fats allowed in the Mediterranean diet are mainly from unsaturated oils such as fish oils, olive oil, and certain nut or seed oils (canola, soybean or flaxseed oil) and from nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds), which can be protective to the human heart.
A Mediterranean diet may:

• Prevent heart disease
• Lower the risk of a heart attack
• Lower cholesterol
• Prevent type II diabetes
• Prevent metabolic syndrome
• Stroke
• Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia
• Depression
• Parkinson’s disease

The customary Mediterranean diet calls for:

• Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables: grapes, blueberries, tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, figs, olives, spinach, eggplant, beans, lentils and chickpeas
• Eating a variety of whole grains: oats, brown rice, and whole wheat bread, pasta, and couscous
• Choosing healthy fats: nuts, olive oils, and certain nut or seed oils like canola, soybean, and flaxseed.
• Limit unhealthy fats: butter, palm oil, and coconut oil. Limit fats found in animal products, such as meat and dairy products made with whole milk.
• Eating mostly vegetarian meals: whole grains, beans, lentils, and veggies
• Eating fish: tuna, salmon, mackerel, lake trout, herring, or sardines
• Eating moderate amounts of low-fat dairy: milk, cheese or yogurt
• Eating moderate amounts on poultry and eggs
• Limiting red meat: a few times a month
• Limiting sweets and desserts: few times a week

A healthy lifestyle can play a part in improving your memory. The human brain needs healthy fats, fruits, veggies, lean protein, and sufficient vitamins and minerals. Food choices will always play a role in healthy brains.


This blog was written by guest blogger: Tracy Williams. She has her degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Dominican University. She enjoys freelance writing and public speaking related to nutrition topics. Please feel free to connect with her at www.tracysplate.com.

Basics of Healthy Eating

Fresh vegetables background

Interested in learning about nutrition?

I will be giving a talk on the basics of nutrition and how to eat healthy.

Monday May 9th at 7:00pm at the Morse Institute Library in Natick.

It is free.

Bring a friend! Spread the word!

Grain-free Cookies

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Baked goods are a double whammy, as they contain processed starch AND sugar, two major health offenders. Even gluten free cookies, while free of processed wheat, still have processed rice flour and other starches which contain no nutrition and just break down into sugar in our bodies. If we take the starch out of the cookie…we can take away at least one offender.

These cookies are nut butter based, so they have a nice amount of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. And they are moist and delicious!

Recipe:
preheat oven to 350 degrees

1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup cashew butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup chocolate chips*

*any chips can be used: dark or milk chocolate, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, or white chocolate chips

mix all ingredients (except chips) into a bowl
after well mixed, add chips
grease a cookie pan
spoon little balls of dough onto pan
bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes

Enjoy!

Grain-Free Tabouleh

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Parsley happens to be one of the healthiest foods. It helps our bodies get rid of all the toxins that are inevitably in our cells. Both internal metabolic by products as well as toxins from food and the environment are constantly being introduced into the body. Our body has the task of getting rid of them.

The challenge of including a significant amount of parsley in my diet, regularly, seemed a difficult one. Tabouleh came to mind but I am gluten-free so I can’t eat the couscous. Instead of substituting the couscous with some other grain, why not just make a vegetable-only tabouleh?? This keeps it very low calorie and practically carb-free and the proportion of parsley is all the higher.
2 bunches of parsley (washed and chopped)
1/2 of cucumber-diced into small pieces
1 large handful of grape tomatoes, diced into small pieces
2-3 scallions
salt (to taste)
lemon
garlic infused olive oil

(The vegetables can be altered to your preferences. For instance, you can use more or less cucumber or tomato, as well as adding yellow pepper or any other vegetable.)

Wash and chop all the veggies
Combine into a bowl and mix
Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the parsley mixture until all leaves are damp
Drizzle oil over mixture
And sprinkle salt.

Enjoy!

And if you are more interested in detoxing, Dr. Fitzgerald is running a very comprehensive yet accessible program in January. Check it out!

Got Sauerkraut?

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And the third Fermented Food: Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is an effective way to get your probiotics without worrying about FODMAPs or dairy. There are FODMAPs in cabbage but the bacteria eat them in the fermentation process. Bacteria basically ferment the FODMAPs in a jar instead of in your intestines. It is relatively easy to make your own sauerkraut with cabbage and salt. After shredding and pounding the cabbage, the salt pulls water out of the cabbage and creates the brine. And it can be left in a loosely sealed jar (to let the gas escape) for 2-3 weeks. If you buy sauerkraut, make sure the product is jarred and needs refrigeration. That indicates live organisms. Canned sauerkraut has had all the microbes killed in the canning process. Start with ¼ of a teaspoon a day and work your way up to as much as you can tolerate several times a day.

mage courtesy of Lavoview at FreeDigitalPhotos.net