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"Let Food Be Thy Medicine"
Hippocrates
 
April 2018
Jean Varney
Jeannie Varney
 Nutrition Consultant
 HC, AADP
703.505.0505

 

  

Welcome to the Eat Right Be Fit Live Well monthly link roundup.

 

Each week I read many interesting articles relating to nutrition, fitness and wellness. Here are some of my favorites from the past month. While every article may not be relevant to your personal circumstance, I hope at least one will spark your interest and provide you with a healthy tip you can incorporate into your daily routine.   

 

 

Best,

 

Jeannie

 

 

 

 

 

 
March Articles
The Key to Weight Loss is Diet Quality, Not Quantity, a New Study Finds:   Thank you Stanford University! With all the noise on the internet, it's hard to know the best approach to weight loss and longevity. I promise you, it's not about giving up entire groups of macronutrients. Let me simplify: lose the sugar and processed foods, stop counting calories and forget diets. They don't work. Instead, eat real, whole food and focus on VEGGIES. For some, this may mean high carbs (veggies, whole grains, beans, lentils, fruits, low or no-fat dairy and some nuts, seeds, oils etc.) for others it may mean high fat (veggies, fish and other animal protein, nuts, seeds, and some fruit and whole grains.) Yes, calories count but you shouldn't have to count them if you abide by these healthy tenets.  This advice won't sell many books but it will trim your waist and keep your brain and heart healthy! (NY Times)

  The Two Easiest Lifestyle Tweaks To Improve Your Blood Sugar:  If you're not willing to give up your refined carbs entirely, at least eat them at the end of your meal to minimize their effect on blood sugar. In other words, salad and protein first, bread, chips, or sweets last. The beloved saying, "Life is short, eat dessert first" is disastrous for the waistline, your heart and your risk for type II diabetes. 
(WeightyMatters.com)

6 Habits That Are Making You Lose Muscle, Not Fat:  Dieting often results in loss of muscle, which in turn slows your metabolism. To preserve muscle while losing weight, avoid these pitfalls. (Womenshealthmag.com)

Artificial Sweeteners May Change Our Gut Bacteria in Dangerous Ways:  Addicted to your Splenda, Equal or other artificial sweetener? See how these low calorie substances may be causing weight gain. I highly encourage you to wean yourself off these products. (Scientificamerican.com)

Are Antibiotics Making Us Fat?   Are the antibiotics fed to livestock making you fat? Quite possibly yes! If you eat animal products, choose organic varieties of dairy, eggs, pork, beef, lamb and poultry. For better health, try plant-based proteins in place of animal protein a couple times a week. My favorites are beans, nuts, edamame and tofu. (Berkeleywellness.com)

Fiber Facts: Why fiber is important:  Instead of counting calories, count grams of fiber. Consuming 25-35 grams of fiber a day is associated with reduce risk of cancer, heart disease, obesity, and type II diabetes. How much fiber do you eat daily? Use this chart to calculate your intake. Consuming mostly legumes, fruits, veggies and whole intact grains will get you to your target. (kaiserpermanente.org)

14 Best Vegan and Vegetarian Protein Sources:  Plant-based proteins are healthier for you than animal proteins. Substituting them for meat/poultry a couple times a week, will improve your health. Two others not on the list that I highly recommend: lentils and soybeans. (Health.com)

Diet Review: Mediterranean Diet:  Here's a great summary of what you should be eating. How closely does your diet resemble the heart healthy, waist friendly and longevity boosting Mediterranean diet? (Harvard School of Public Health)

Does cooking make your oil dangerous?  I frequently hear concerns about cooking with olive oil. However, research doesn't support these fears. I recommend both olive and organic canola oil for sautéing, roasting and baking.  Avoid saturated fats found in palm, coconut, lard, and butter. (Nutritionaction.com)

Are Lectins The New Gluten?   If you refrain from eating beans and whole grains because you've read the lectins they contain are bad for your health, please think again! These carbs are two of the healthiest foods you can eat and are associated with reduce risk of obesity, heart disease, and type II diabetes. Just don't eat them raw - but then again, who does? (What's Good Blog)

7 Steps to Eating More Mindfully:  UNPLUG while eating please! Try sitting down, taking a few deep breathes, chewing your food completely, noticing the flavors in your mouth and giving thanks. Doing so will help with weight loss, digestion and quite possibly even your relationships. I'm working on this and boy is it difficult! (Cleanplates.com)

The Dirty Truth About Hand Dryers:   Who knew? When washing and drying your hands, stick to hot, soapy water and paper towels to avoid spreading or contracting germs. (Cleveland Clinic)


About Jean Varney 
 
Jean Varney is the founder and president of Eat Right, Be Fit, Live Well LLC, a health and nutrition consulting firm committed to empowering men and women to improve their health through sustainable changes to their diet and lifestyle.  Based in the Washington DC metropolitan area, Jean coaches clients nationwide by phone and in person.  She focuses on helping individuals make smart choices about the foods they eat in order to maintain high energy levels, avoid unwanted weight gain and decrease their risk of heart disease, cancer, type II diabetes and other chronic illnesses.  Jean received her training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City.  To learn more about her practice, please visit her website at: www.EatRightBeFitLiveWell.com.