If you’re not on the miso bandwagon already, jump on! You might remember miso soup from your last trip to a Japanese restaurant. A bowl filled with dashi stock, silky tofu and seaweed is set in front of you. Inside that bowl floats a cloud of flavor, a fog of salty richness that disperses with a gentle stir of your chopsticks. That, my friends, is pure delicious and nutritious miso.

Oh, Okinawa!

Have you heard about how the residents of Okinawa island are the longest-living people in the world? Here are some facts about the Okinawans from About.com[1]. Okinawans have…

- more people over 100 years old per 100,000 population than anywhere else in the world

- the lowest death rates from cancer, heart disease and stroke (the top three killers in the US)

- the highest life expectancy for both males and females over 65

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Whole grains have been identified as one of the healthiest foods.

When people consult with me on what to eat for healthy weight loss, I tell them that one of the best health moves they can make is to replace refined food products with whole grains alternatives. Whole grains have been identified as one of the healthiest foods on the planet. Disassembled, whole grain is made up of bran, endosperm and germ. Unlike books, you can actually judge whole grain by its cover, as its outermost layer, bran,is rich in iron, riboflavin, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, thiamine and zinc. When you eat white rice and white flour, the nutritious outer layer has been husked off and all you’re eating is endosperm. What a waste of goodness!

‘Ingrained’ In Your Diet

Eating bran cereal, white cereal, oats, whole wheat bread and whole-wheat flour is one of the most effective ways to lose weight because of the high fiber content. Fiber rich food requires prolonged digestion, which prevents frequent over-eating because you feel full. You’ve probably felt how short-lived fast food sustenance is; you could eat one junk food meal now, but in 2 hours you’d just be looking for more food again.

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Do Tortilla chips with flax seeds have any health benefits?

If you look around in your grocery store these days, you’ll see a wide range of products that tout the fact that they’re healthy because they are fortified with flax and/or flax seeds, such as tortilla chips, cereals, breads, baked goods, and more. The question is, does this really mean all of these products are healthier?

Flax in Two Forms

Let’s start by discussing the actual health benefits of flax. Flax is an excellent source of fiber and Omega 3 fats, a.k.a. “the healthy good-for-you-fat.” These fats actually help you lower your cholesterol, but like all food, should still be eaten in moderation and balance. According to the National Cancer Institute, flax also has potential cancer fighting properties, although further study is needed.

Flax and all of its nutritional benefits can be absorbed in the body in two ways. It can either be ground up or sprinkled into foods, or it can be used as flax seed oil. However, flax seed oil has a very delicate chemical nature. Because of this, it must remain refrigerated and lasts only approximately 90 days. This oil can be used as a topping on vegetables or added to salads and dressings. However, it cannot be cooked.

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They may not be in the Guinness Book of World Records, but these foods are deserving of accolades and recognition. Be sure to add these to your diet to give yourself a much needed nutrition boost.

Salmon is not only nutritious but delicious as well.

1. Salmon

Salmon is a great source of Omega fatty 3 acids.  This health booster is great at lowering “bad” LDL cholesterol while increasing “good” HDL cholesterol. Salmon is also a very versatile protein source and can be a good substitute for meat.

It is recommended that you consume 2 servings of salmon a week. Wild salmon is considered the healthiest, and can be sold canned or frozen too.

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With all the anti-fat themes present in the media, you might wonder if there is such a thing as good fat. Isn’t all fat bad?

I have good news for you…the answer is no! Fat plays its own role in our as a useful tool to better absorb soluble vitamins and by lining our stomachs, helping us feel full. When we’re feeling lethargic, fat serves as an emergency energy reserve. Fat is also used in nutrient transport and in insulating nerves. We also need fat to build cell membranes, and it’s also a major component in some hormones. Although fat is required in our diets, we need to make an informed choice about which type of fat to eat.

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Dairy products contain saturated fats.

Today we gently tackle another topic: saturated fat. Found mainly in fatty meats, butter, cheese and whole milk, saturated fats are composed of “saturated” hydrogen atoms, which make them rigid in structure and hard at room temperature. Saturated fat is also found in coconut milk, coconut oil, palm oil and cocoa butter.

Saturated Fat Dangers

Medical experts conclude that saturated fat raises LDL or “bad” cholesterol in the blood. It is damaging to the heart and arteries since LDL accumulates in artery walls and can trigger inflammation, leading to a heart attack or stroke.

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Take a sip of soft drink, and you’ve just tasted high fructose corn syrup, one of its main ingredients. High-fructose corn syrup, or HCFS, is a mixture of sucrose and fructose, and is popular in a wide range of sweetened food. Sadly, new research has linked HCFS to an increase in obesity, diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis. HCFS is so common in processed foods and over-consumed by the average person that many health experts believe that it will support increasing rates of metabolic disease in the future.

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Beware of Refined,Enriched or Organic on the Labels

It’s impossible to walk through the supermarket without noticing the strange words attached to our food products. Instead of simple milk, flour and sugar, we see products proclaiming that they are ‘refined,’ ‘fortified,’ ‘organic’ and ‘enriched.’ To clear up the confusion, today we’re going to tackle the real meaning behind the word enriched. We need to hold manufacturers responsible for what additives they decide to ‘enrich’ our food with…for our eating pleasure of course.

The Reason Behind Enrichment

One reason manufacturers say their product is enriched is because it adds to the hype. It seems like you’re somehow getting added value. Although it may seem a good idea at first, the enrichment process refers to the adding back of nutrients and/or vitamins that were lost during processing. That means the enriched milk you’re buying for your kids is mostly powdered milk and water, with substances added to bulk it up that are definitely NOT milk. What you’re buying is definitely not a whole, healthy or premium item. The manufacturer has created a product that is cheaper to produce while convincing the average consumer that the product is somehow better than its natural counterparts.

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Trans fat has long been a hidden public menace, clogging up our arteries like bad wasteand increasing the incidence of coronary heart disease.

A lot of people think they’re trans fat free, and I hope they are. We’re all learning to buy brands that proclaim ‘no trans fats’ while roaming the shopping aisles. However, not everything the typical person eats boasts a ‘no trans fats’ label, as trans fats are too deeply ingrained into our public consumption cycles for us to simply assume they’re gone. It may surprise you to know that trans fats have been commercially available since the 1910s. That’s one hundred years of trans fats!

Trans Fats are Chemical Preservatives

The main reason why trans fat is used in almost all food products is that it prolongs the shelf life of processed food products. It is also known to enhance the flavor of food, and is a superior baking agent to lard, which was a big deal back in the early 1900s.

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In my previous post on how to read food labels, I listed some ingredients to avoid which were bad for your health. Foremost on the list is white or refined sugar, and I’d like to explain why.

Do You Even Know What Refined Sugar Really Is?

Refined sugar is sometimes referred to as "White Death"

White sugar is crystallized sucrose made from beet or cane juice. Sounds safe right? Did you know that during the refinement process, all vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber and water are stripped away? What is left is this chemical product that has no nutritional value, and is a whopping 774 calories per cup. Amazingly, the typical American still consumes two to three pounds of white sugar every week.

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