Q: I am Vitamin D deficient and should be taking 2,000 IU’s a day. Without taking vitamin supplements or drinking milk, what else can I eat or drink organically to make up for the deficit that would be equivalent to taking 2,000 IU’s a day?
A: The best way to avoid deficiency is to consume foods rich in vitamin D3, get some sunshine and take a supplement.
Continue reading “Preventing Vitamin D Deficiency through Diet and Lifestyle”Q: What can I do to support bone health?
A: Excellent question! Simple lifestyle changes can have a big impact on our bone health. Here are a few things that you can start doing right now!
Continue reading “How to Support Bone Health through Diet and Lifestyle”Many ingredients besides salt can give dishes rich satisfying flavor. The following tips will help you transition to a lower sodium diet without sacrificing flavor by creating what is called umami. Often called the “fifth taste” umami suppresses bitter compounds (in foods like kale and broccoli), heightens the existing flavor of dishes and increases the perception of saltiness.
Continue reading “Creating Umami: How to cook with less salt”Nutrition and eating healthfully have a direct impact on your energy, motivation, and productivity. To keep energy levels up, eat nutrient dense snacks at regular intervals throughout the day—about two hours before, and two hours after a meal. A nutrient-dense snack provides: protein, healthy fat, fiber, and about 150 calories. The following snacks will silence cravings and keep you from overeating in the evening.
Continue reading “How to Handle Your Next Snack Attack”You will probably catch at least a sniffle during cold and flu season, and the good news is that certain foods can help soothe symptoms.
Continue reading “Foods that Fight Cold and Flu Symptoms”Q: “I am an avid juicer but have heard conflicting reports: Is it healthy? If so, does adding the pulp contain more nutrients?”
Marie, Newington
Q: My husband is a big protein advocate and says I don’t get enough. There are a lot of things like protein shakes and pre-workout supplements floating around the market. I’d love to know: How much is “enough”?
N.S., Newington
A: Adequate protein intake is associated with improvements in lean body mass, strength, balance and functional health, especially as we age. The amount of protein you need is based on several factors including: body weight, muscle mass, physical activity and age.
Q: I’ve heard that there are some foods you should not mix in order to avoid fat storage. For instance: Don’t consume a fat with a carb or a carb with a protein. I may have the combinations wrong but is there any truth to this and if so, what are the best combinations to maximize fat burning?
LM, Rocky Hill
A: There isn’t enough evidence to support the claim that eating certain foods together maximizes fat burning but there are several lifestyle patterns that can support your metabolism.
Continue reading “Q&A: Do certain foods increase fat-burning”
Q: I am wondering which is healthier to use: Butter or light spreadable margarine, like light I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter? The latter contains palm kernel and palm oil, which I thought aren’t too healthy, but I thought that butter has more saturated fat and calories.
Joyce
A: Yes, light I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter! does have less saturated fat and calories than butter but it also contains palm oil, monoglycerides and diglycerides that aren’t so healthy.
Monoglycerides and diglycerides are emulsifiers, structurally similar to fat that are often used to combine water with soybean oil (or other fat) to make lower calorie buttery spreads. When mono- and diglycerides are manufactured in a lab, or when exposed to heat for processing and prepared foods, trans fatty acids — the least healthy of all the fats — can be formed.
Continue reading “Q&A: What is healthier, butter or margarine”
Q: Does it make sense to get tested after you have already excluded a possible food allergen? If yes, would we have to ingest the things we are allergic to for the testing to provide a result?
