Nutritious choices made simple®
This is likely one of the most common fluid “prescriptions” on the planet. However, despite its historical use, there is little in the way of actual science to back up the recommendation that eight glasses of water is required for good health. In fact, according to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), one needn’t keep track of water consumption at all. Rather, healthy people should “let their thirst be their guide,” meaning that what we need to do is listen to our bodies rather than count our cups.
For years, we’ve heard various health authorities recommend that we consume less salt in order to reduce our risk of high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. Though obtaining accurate data on sodium consumption is not easy, it’s been established that most Americans consume substantially more sodium than is recommended. But what does the science say about how salt impacts the health of your heart?
Have you ever noticed that dried beans often sit ignored on the supermarket shelf? I’m assuming it’s because people don’t want to take the time to cook them, or they simply don’t know how. Either way, it’s a shame, because dried beans are inexpensive, versatile and nutritious. Cooking dried beans should not cause you distress—and it won’t if you let your slow-cooker do all the work.
When evaluating whether you want to make a recipe, it’s usually easy to judge whether it’s appetizing—many recipes have pictures to tempt you. But if what you’re looking for is a healthful recipe, how do you judge whether a recipe is really healthy, or just masquerading as healthy? We’ve come up with a few questions you can use as guides as you read through a recipe—they’ll help you identify (and steer clear of) the posers.
Yes, it’s the holiday season and most likely you have more than the usual amount of sugar on hand in your pantry. That’s okay—it’s the holidays. If, however, you’re trying to limit your own sugar intake for health reasons (or if you’re going to be cooking for people who are), I’m here to show you that it’s possible to swap fruit for some sugar in your recipes no matter the season (or the reason). The trick is to know where to logically switch sugar for fruit, and in what amounts.
As prime baking season approaches quickly, many home cooks are laying in their supplies—among them the typical fats used in baking such as oil, shortening and butter. Adding fruits and vegetables to your baked goods (and removing some of the fat in the recipe) will add fiber, protein and additional nutrients that fats don’t contain. Many cherished holiday recipes can be tweaked to contain less fat with a simple substitution—without sacrificing taste or texture. Others do rely on butter for flavor and crisp texture, such as shortbread, spritz cookies and cutout sugar cookies–these would not be good choices for trying out a butter sub! Swapping out fat for more healthful ingredients isn’t difficult, but it does some comfort with experimentation.
The first two segments of this series covered some sugar basics and information about the glycemic index. This third and last segment will explain how the Guiding Stars system accounts for the sugar content of foods.
If you follow nutrition news, you’ve no doubt heard of the glycemic index (GI), and maybe you’ve wondered if you should be taking the GI into consideration when choosing foods. Some folks think that the glycemic index is a way to tell how sugary a food is. In reality, it’s more complicated than that.