Eating Healthier: Six Simple Steps Most of us are interested in learning how to eat a healthier diet. As a coach, you can support your client by making simple suggestions as well as giving her resources like website links and online articles to read. I ve compiled a short list of recommendations, including a few online excerpts from my book The Best Natural Foods on the Market Today: A Yuppie s Guide to Hippie Food. Use the following six steps to get on a healthier eating track. 1. Learn about whole foods diets Distinguish the whole foods (fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, lean meats, milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter) from the processed foods (foods containing refined flours, refined sugars, preservatives and other additives, processed oils, and/or synthetic sweeteners) in your current diet. Research shows that adding more plant-based whole foods can lower blood pressure levels, lower cholesterol levels, improve blood sugar control, increase regularity, and improve energy levels. The two short articles below explain why whole foods are important for good health. Whole Foods Diet: Beyond Vitamins http://www.bestnaturalfoods.com/beyond_vitamins.html Whole Foods Diet http://www.bestnaturalfoods.com/whole_foods_diet.html 2. Increase green leafy vegetables Studies show that a single serving of green, leafy vegetables lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease by 10%and other major chronic disease by 5%. The nutrients in green leafy vegetables calcium, magnesium, vitamin K, and folate are essential for healthy bones (see article below). Strive to eat larger salads and larger servings of these greens: broccoli, bok choy, kale, collards, cabbage, mustard greens, turnip greens, spinach, Swiss chard, and mixed salad greens. Osteoporosis Prevention: What You Need to Know http://www.bestnaturalfoods.com/osteoporosis_prevention.html 3. Get your omega-3 fats Omegas 3s are fats that promote the synthesis of prostaglandins that have anti-inflammatory and blood-thinning properties. These fats are being investigated for their role in reducing heart disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, depression, and other diseases. Encourage the regular consumption of all fish (particularly those that are rich in omega 3s: salmon, sardines, herring, and tuna). Encourage the consumption of omega 3 eggs from chickens fed a special diet. Four of these eggs have the omega 3 content of 3.5 ounces of salmon. http://www.bestnaturalfoods.com/benefit_of_omega_3_eggs.html For those that don t eat fish: http://www.bestnaturalfoods.com/omega_3_fats.html 4. Avoid trans fat (hydrogenated oils) Trans fats are created when liquid oils are hydrogenated. These fats are used by the food industry to increase the shelf life of their foods. Eating trans fats increases total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol and lowers HDL cholesterol. Those that eat higher levels of trans fats also have more inflammation (as measured by C-reactive protein) and are at a greater risk for diabetes. Foods with trans fats include hard-stick margarine, snack chips, commercial cookies, doughnuts, pastries, and fast-food french fries. A brief overview can be found at:
http://www.bestnaturalfoods.com/trans_fat.html 5. Add nuts and seeds to the diet The regular consumption of nuts and seeds correlates with a reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes. Those consuming five or more servings of nuts per week have a 35% reduced risk of heart disease and a 27% reduced risk of diabetes compared with those rarely consuming nuts. Nuts and seeds are a good source of nutrients that have been shown as essential for heart health, including vitamin E, folic acid, magnesium, copper, and arginine. Consuming single, handful-sized servings of nuts and seeds as part of a healthy diet can support weight loss by increasing satiety and reducing overall food intake. Adding nuts to delicious smoothies is a great way to improve the diet. Arguably the best smoothie recipe: http://www.bestnaturalfoods.com/healthy_smoothie_recipe.html 6. Add new foods to the diet Be open and willing to try new foods. Below are two that offer real nutritional value. Flaxseed or Flaxseed Oil Flaxseed and flaxseed oil is recognized today as having beneficial medicinal qualities. The flaxseed is the single greatest plant source of an essential fat called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a short-chain omega-3 fat in the same family as the long-chain omega-3 fats found in fish. Omega-3s, when consumed as part of the diet or as a supplement, reduce inflammatory markers in the body, thin the blood, improve insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure, and offer numerous other health benefits. http://www.bestnaturalfoods.com/flax_seed_oil.html Quinoa Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is an ivory-colored grain native to the Andes Mountains of South America. This nutrient-dense grain can be used in place of white or brown rice. Unlike many whole grains that take close to an hour to prepare, quinoa cooks in only 15-20 minutes. Increasing whole grains lowers your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. http://www.bestnaturalfoods.com/cook_quinoa_in_quinoa_recipes.html Wellcoaches Corporation 2005 Page 2 of 5 6/12/2005
Shopper s Guide to Pesticides in Produce (Excerpt from The Best Natural Foods on the Market Today: A Yuppie s Guide to Hippie Food, Vol. 1 by Greg Hottinger, MPH, RD) Thanks to a grant from Stonyfield Farm and the efforts of the Environmental Working Group (EWG), we now have a complete Shopper s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. The guide (see below) ranks pesticide contamination for 47 popular fruits and vegetables based on an analysis of more than 100,000 tests that were conducted by the USDA from 1992-2001. Pesticide residues were measured in six different ways, after which a composite score was determined and assigned to each crop. The EWG estimates that a person can lower his or her pesticide exposure by 90 percent by replacing the top twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables with the least contaminated. Of the top twelve containing the greatest pesticide contamination, eight are fruits: peaches, strawberries, apples, nectarines, pears, cherries, red raspberries, and imported grapes. The four vegetables that make the top twelve list are: spinach, celery, potatoes, and sweet bell peppers. Of the twelve least contaminated fruits and vegetables, seven are vegetables. These are: sweet corn, avocado, cauliflower, asparagus, onions, peas, and broccoli. (Choose organic corn to avoid varieties that have been genetically engineered.) The five fruits rounding out the least contaminated category are pineapples, mangoes, bananas, kiwi, and papaya. Harmful effects from pesticides as demonstrated in animal studies include cancer, nervous system damage, and reproductive irregularities. Pesticides are more damaging to a developing fetus and are more toxic to all of us when we are exposed to multiple contaminants. EWG recommends washing produce, peeling vegetables and buying organic whenever possible. The complete list is provided below. For additional information, see http://www.foodnews.org/ Shopper s Guide to Pesticides in Produce (The crop with the highest pesticide contamination is assigned a score of 100) Rank Food Combined Score 1 Peaches 100 2 Strawberries 89 3 Apples 88 4 Spinach 85 5 Nectarines 85 6 Celery 83 7 Pears 80 8 Cherries 76 9 Potatoes 67 Wellcoaches Corporation 2005 Page 3 of 5 6/12/2005
10 Sweet Bell Peppers 66 11 Raspberries 66 12 Grapes - Imported 64 13 Carrots 57 14 Green Beans 57 15 Hot Peppers 55 16 Oranges 53 17 Apricots 51 18 Cucumbers 51 19 Tomatoes 48 20 Collard Greens 48 21 Grapes - Domestic 47 22 Turnip Greens 41 23 Honeydew Melons 40 24 Lettuce 40 25 Kale 39 26 Mushrooms 36 27 Cantaloupe 36 28 Sweet Potatoes 35 29 Grapefruit 34 30 Winter Squash 34 31 Blueberries 30 32 Watermelon 27 33 Plums 26 34 Tangerines 25 35 Cabbage 25 36 Papaya 23 37 Kiwi 23 38 Bananas 19 39 Broccoli 18 Wellcoaches Corporation 2005 Page 4 of 5 6/12/2005
40 Onions 17 41 Asparagus 16 42 Sweet Peas 13 43 Mango 12 44 Cauliflower 10 45 Pineapples 6 46 Avocado 4 47 Sweet Corn* 1 * Author s note: Approximately 40% of all corn planted in the United States today is genetically modified (see Section Three: Genetically Engineered Foods). The Best Natural Foods on the Market Today: A Yuppie s Guide to Hippie Food, Vol. 1 Nutritionist Greg Hottinger, RD, has compiled an easy-to-read guide that shows you how choosing specific brands of your favorite foods can greatly improve the nutritional quality of your diet and your health. Includes recipes, valuable product coupons (1 st edition only), and information on pesticides, GMO foods, and food additives. Sign-up for a free electronic newsletter called Hippie Wisdom and receive $3 off of your copy of The Best Natural Foods on the Market Today by entering the coupon code: 1894662 at www.bestnaturalfoods.com. --------------------------------------------------------------- Greg Hottinger, MPH, RD, nutritionist, is known for his warm presence as a speaker and coach, his enthusiasm for sharing the wisdom of healthy eating, and his ability to inspire others. His professional experience includes nutrition educator at the Duke University Diet & Fitness Center and the Duke University Center for Integrative Medicine. He is a Wellcoaches coach and co-owns NOVO Wellness, a weight loss coaching business. Wellcoaches Corporation 2005 Page 5 of 5 6/12/2005