Baby Boomers Watch Your Sodium

I admit to being a member of this distinguished group of adults (albeit a young member). But here's some preliminary research that baby boomers need to know:

* People seem to be more sensitive to sodium/salt as they get older and likewise their blood pressure is more likely to drop when they cut back on salt in their later years.

* Sodium may increase the risk for stroke beyond its affect on blood pressure, according to research reported at the 2005 American Stroke Association International Conference. Stroke risk was higher in people who ate more sodium, regardless of their blood pressure, reported researchers. Their results also found that people consuming more than 4,000 milligrams of sodium a day almost doubled their stroke risk compared to those getting 2400 milligrams or less.


If you use the recipes I develop, you know I aim low on the salt threshold. I figure people can add salt at the table if they need to but I want them to see the milligrams of sodium per serving cooking it my way. The thing about salt is that if you cook lower sodium for 6 weeks or so, your taste buds will eventually adjust. Things will taste better and more flavorful than when you started cooking lower sodium. So hang in there and keep reading those labels if you are buying processed foods. Aim for 1400 milligrams of sodium or less per day and you could dramatically reduce your risk of stroke!

~~Elaine

Related Topics: Baby Boomers: A New Way to Grow Old, The Baby Boomer Heart: Healing Fitness

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Taste Test Tuesday: New Green Teas!

Bet you haven't tasted these fun green tea flavors before!

It has never been easier and more fun to drink green tea than it is right now! I love that people who want to drink green tea (and there are SO many health reasons to want to do that), have all sorts of flavor options now.

If you aren't crazy about the taste of regular green tea, please give some of these flavored green teas a try. Lots of tea companies have many green tea flavors to choose from.

Celestial Seasonings, a tea company based in one of my favorite places, Boulder, Colorado, has just released two new green tea flavors that I'm almost sure you haven't tasted before:

* Tropical Acai Berry Green Tea

Antioxidant Acai Berries come from the Amazon region and Celestial Seasonings has married the natural flavor of these berries with mango and banana for a tropical tea treat.










* Goji Berry Pomegranate Green Tea

Nutrient-packed tiny red Goji berries grown in Eastern Asia are partnered with natural pomegranate flavor with and a touch of cinnamon and orange peel thrown in to round out the flavor of this new green tea.








How did they taste?

They both taste great and they are both a pretty red color but the Goji Berry Pomegranate tea is a fruitier, sweeter tea while the Tropical Acai Berry has a deeper flavor with mango having a subtle influence.

~~Elaine

Related Topics: More Good News for Green Tea, Green Tea Soda That Helps Burn Calories

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Is There Such Thing as Diabetic Diarrhea?

This isn't pretty but over the years I've heard some people with diabetes complain of having periodic diarrhea. In fact, a friend recently asked me what could be going on. I mentioned that perhaps undigested carbohydrates in the intestine were holding onto excessive water and causing watery stools (I told you this wasn't pretty). But I wanted to know if a dietitian who specializes in helping people with diabetes might have discovered any other possible reasons why this could sometimes be happening--so I asked a certified diabetes educator/dietitian that I recently met in Kansas City: Diana Rodenberg CDE, RD, MS, Clinical Nutrition Specialist at Saint Luke's Health System Diabetes Centers in Kansas City, Missouri.

Q: I wanted to know if some of your diabetic clients experience diarrhea after meals sometimes and if so, what might be going on here specific to diabetes?

A: There are two fairly common reasons why someone with diabetes might have diarrhea, and there are many not so common reasons.

MEDICATION?
The first thing I look at is their medications. If they take Metformin, it can cause stomach upset and diarrhea, especially if it is taken on an empty stomach. If they take it after they eat it will usually help. The problems usually diminish over time, but if they continue to have problems they may need a change in meds.

POOR BLOOD SUGAR CONTROL?
Poor blood sugar control can also cause diarrhea, the mechanism is not fully understood, but I suspect it is the osmotic effect of undigested carbohydrate entering the large intestine. Moderate carbohydrate intake 45-60 grams per meal (women) and achieving good glucose control may help.

NEUROPATHY?
Autonomic neuropathy is another possibility, especially in people who have had diabetes for a long time. It is caused by damage to the nerves that control the GI tract. Good glucose control may help, but they often need medications.

BACTERIAL OVERGROWTH?
It could also be bacterial overgrowth. Detected by a hydrogen breath test. Probiotic therapy may help.

CELIAC DISEASE?
Celiac disease is also a possibility, it is more common in people with type 1 diabetes.

UNRELATED TO DIABETES?
Or it could be IBS or another problem not related to diabetes.

~~Elaine

Related Topics: Diabetes and Artificial Sweeteners, Healthy Eating and Diabetes

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Taste Test Tuesday: Marie's Lite Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing

Can we say since it is spring and almost summer that it's officially salad season? I hope so since it gave me a reason to try a lite blue cheese salad dressing that I noticed in my grocery store. It's a brand I've bought before and liked (Marie's). You usually find this brand in the refrigerated section of your produce section.

I have to say it doesn't look as inviting as regular blue cheese dressing - it has that pale, thin but gelatinous look to it. I guess this shouldn't surprise me since the first ingredient is "water." The second is nonfat buttermilk and the third is soybean oil, then polydextrose (an additive made from dextrose that is probably added for its stabilizing and thickening qualities). Then finally the featured ingredient is listed fifth - blue cheese.

It tastes pretty good and my family liked it well enough, it's just the look of it that isn't like regular blue cheese. What do you expect, I guess, for 7 grams of fat per 2 tablespoon serving. You might be better off buying the original blue cheese dressing and blending a tablespoon of it with a tablespoon of low fat milk. I haven't tested this out, but buying the good tasting "lite" option is certainly the easiest option!

Each 2 tablespoon serving contains:
80 calories
7 grams fat
1.5 grams saturated fat
0 grams trans
5 mg cholesterol
4 grams carbohydrate
1 gram protein
1 gram fiber
310 mg sodium

~~Elaine

Related Topics: 10 Tips & Tricks for Healthy Salads, The Best Lite Salad Dressings

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Tea: To add milk or not add milk - that is the question

I'm a purist when it comes to tea. I don't need sweetener and I don't need milk. But I've noticed other people like to add one or both. I've seen it reported recently that the casein and similar proteins in milk may bind to the tea flavonoids (phytochemicals) thereby make them less active in the body.

Well I did some searching around to try and answer the question - to add milk
to tea, or not to add tea - that is the question.

I couldn't find anything definitive one way of the other so I asked well-known researcher Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., from Tufts University's Antioxidant Research Laboratory. According to Dr. Blumberg the evidence is "mixed" with some studies showing an inhibition of absorption and others (the majority of the available reports) showing none. He believes there isn't a consensus on the issue. I believe that, since I spent an hour trying to hunt down some solid information on this and ended up more confused than when I started.

If you want to play it safe than you could drink milk an hour after you drink your tea. The reason I say "an hour" is because a Dutch study noted that tea flavonoids are absorbed from the gut and that there was a significant increase in antioxidants circulating in the blood in their study participants about 1 hour after tea was consumed. [Journal of Nutrition October 2003, 133:3285S-3292S, Rietveld A., et al. "Antioxidant Effects of Tea: Evidence from Human Clinical Trials"]

~~Elaine

Related Topics: Drinking Black Tea May Soothe Stress, How Does Green Tea Help Your Health?

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Taste Test Tuesday: Whole Wheat Thomas' English Muffins

Have I mentioned lately that I consider myself to be "in the trenches" as a working mom with two teenage girls? One of them is a bit more "picky" or "high maintenance" when it comes to food than the other but they both have their own sometimes annoying food idiosyncrasies (Where DO they get that from? LOL)

Well we are all pretty much on board the whole grain train these days and I recently found a 100% whole wheat bread product that my daughters both have been enjoying for breakfast: Thomas' 100% Whole Wheat English Muffins. Sure enough the first ingredient is whole-wheat flour, the second is water, then yeast, wheat gluten, wheat bran, honey, farina, and several others.

The girls seem to like it toasted with a spread of peanut butter but I'm guessing teens might also like making these into mini pizzas (split in half, spread with pizza sauce and top with shredded cheese and chopped vegetables.)

Each English muffin contains:
130 calories
3 grams fiber
6 grams protein
25 grams carbohydrate
1 gram fat (0 g saturated fat and 0 g trans fat)
0 mg cholesterol
240 mg sodium

Would I buy it again? You bet - I already have!

~~Elaine

Related Topics: Teen Girls Replace Milk With Soda, Video: Teens and Osteoporosis

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PBS TV: FAT - What No One Is Telling You

Just came across information for a PBS show called FAT: What No On Is Telling You. You can search viewing times in your area by punching in your zip code into the PBS website.

I haven't seen the show yet but I can already tell I'm going to like quite a few of the messages it seems to be sending. For example, an interview with the Director/Producer, Tom Spain (available to read at the above mentioned PBS website) was truly inspired.

Here are some of the wise words from Tom Spain that I can definitely agree with...

The big surprise, and the big dilemma, is the complexity. One researcher told me early on: If you're going to deal with the subject, you have to honor the complexity... I've since learned this is a social phenomenon, an emotional phenomenon, a genetic phenomenon, it's a food supply phenomena. It's such a vast subject that's way beyond the reach of medicine or weight loss programs...it's just huge.

In response to the challenge that a filmmaker has to take an issue and make it clear and simple, but this topic is far from being either, Tom Spain answered, "It's a matter of balance, between getting a clear view on something we know about, and then suggesting there are things we don't know about. Much of this story is about things we don't yet know."

Being someone who eats healthy, exercises almost every day (and always has) and is on TV with some regularity to promote my various books, I have been taken to task once or twice for not fitting into the ideal "ultra thin" physique people have in mind for someone who talks about health.

What I can tell you is that fit comes in all shapes and sizes and I happen to know from personal experience that some of us are simply not designed to be ultra thin. And you know what? That's just fine with me. My wish for all of us is to eat and exercise for the health of it and let the pounds fall where they may. The focus should be on being fit! There is no magical size or weight for all women; one size does not fit all. We know it is more difficult for the female to lose weight than the male body. We know that some of us are genetically programmed to be better body fat storers (thanks to my ancestors who probably survived many a potato famine).

Okay then! So let's have some compassion for people who don't fit into our ideal and may be working harder than you can ever imagine to get fit and shed pounds in this culture that works the exact opposite way. And let's understand that the issue of obesity or overweight doesn't have a simple answer.

~~Elaine

Related Topics: Not Overweight? You May Still Be Fat, Diet and Women

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Taste Test Tuesday: Aidells Portobello Mushroom Sausage

I've been known to pick sausage off my pizza or out of dishes I am served. It's not that I don't like "sausage" per se... it's that I only like higher quality lean sausage. Ever since I can remember I haven't liked to actually "see" the fat in my food. If it's got identifiable animal fat particles on it or in it, it's not going on my fork, I can tell you that.

So, I'm always on the lookout for great-tasting lean sausage, which tends to be products made with chicken or turkey. Today I was developing a particular recipe with a Mediterranean flair and was looking for a leaner sausage to fit the bill. I noticed this Portobello Mushroom Sausage from Aidells (a company based in California that is available in 40% of the grocery stores around the country) had an impressive 8 grams of fat and 2.5 grams saturated fat and 140 calories per serving (90 grams). Each serving also contains 14 grams of protein, 3 grams carbohydrate, 1-gram fiber, and 630 milligrams of sodium.

The first five ingredients are"
Chicken
Turkey
Sauteed onion with soybean oil,
Broth
Portobello mushrooms

How did it taste? Really nice! It worked wonderfully in my recipe and I'm already brainstorming other ways to serve this sausage... like grilled or barbecued and served on a whole wheat bun with sweet or spicy mustard and onions. It can be chopped and added to any egg dish too, like a frittata or omelet or scrambled egg or breakfast casserole dish.

~~Elaine

Related Links: Recipe: Chicken Apple Sausage Strata, Laporte-obello Grilled Cheese Sandwich

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I think someone just called me FAT!

Wow! Did you see the comment to my Fat Talk blog?

I think someone just called me fat!

First of all I am not naturally thin but I am very fit and healthy and that's kind of my point. THIN is not what I preach. I preach eating and exercising for the health of it. Fit comes in all shapes and sizes and it takes someone who isn't naturally thin but is (and has always been) healthy to understand that.

Not that I need to defend who I am but I was a dancer growing up and through college and was always interested in eating healthy. I have had two children (now teens) and a hysterectomy and I've never felt better. I don't have any joint aches and pains and I exercise almost every day including a kick ass cycling class and pilates. I don't smoke nor do I have anything close to an eating disorder. I don't need to take any medication because I don't have any health problems that would warrant it. I don't overeat because I naturally eat when I am hungry and stop when I am comfortable. I eat light at night because I like going to sleep with only some tea in my stomach. My family often calls me "bird" because I eat like a bird (small amounts).

What kind of a society do we live in where people are actually judging someone like this?

These are the kinds of comments that make me wonder if I should have chosen another profession. But then I realize, I need to be out there representing what's real and hopefully all these other people will listen to what I have to say because they can relate to me. Because they know I have the true view of health (mind, body, spirit) as my focus. Being obsessed with being thin and being obsessed by weight is not being in balance. Embracing the fact that there are many healthy shapes in the world is.

Marilyn Monroe is a perfect example of beauty coming in a wonderful curvaceous size 14. There are plenty of modern day Marilyns!

Here are a few truths that I know after living on this planet for 45 years:

* Just because someone is thin doesn't mean they are happier or healthier or have a better marriage (that's code for sex life)
* Someone can eat healthier and exercise more than others and because of their personal metabolism and body type will not be as thin as others are (and by the way - that's okay)
* When you focus on health and let your body find its happy place, you free yourself to work on what truly matters in life.

~~Elaine

Related Topics: Body Image: Bigger Can Be Beautiful, What is a Healthy Weight?

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Taste Test Tuesday: Celestial Seasonings Cold Brew

It's officially iced tea season! The sun is shining, all sorts of plants are in bloom and most afternoons are down right warm (at least in my part of the country). The thing about iced tea is you usually have to brew it the night before with hot water then let it cool overnight or at least for a few hours. It generally requires some forethought, not something I have an abundance of in my busy life.

Well, do you have 5 minutes? Because that's all you need to make a new line of "cold brew" flavored iced teas by Celestial Seasonings. It's fast because you brew it with COLD water. Why didn't I think of that!

What's their secret? Celestial Seasonings uses a tea extract that's a finer cut of tea with more surface area -- allowing it to brew quickly and in cool water.

Each box contains 48 tea bags and it takes 4 bags to brew a quart of iced tea (about the amount I like to make at a time). You can brew just one cup too if you would like, since iced tea is usually best if consumed within about 3 days after brewing.

There were several flavors available and I couldn't decide between Peach Ice and Blueberry Ice, but I ended up with the blueberry box. It also comes in Lemon Ice and Raspberry Ice flavors. Now that I've tasted the blueberry flavor, which was just what the Recipe Doctor ordered this afternoon, I can't wait to brew the Peach Iced tea. According to the company, the Raspberry Cool Brew is the top-selling flavor with Peach as the second.

The Blueberry Ice tea bag ingredients are:
Tea with tea extract, hibiscus, natural blueberry flavor with other natural flavors (contains soy lecithin), and blueberries.

So how did it taste?
I really liked the flavor. I followed the box directions on brewing to the "tea" and it was not too strong and not too blueberry tasting. I didn't need to sweeten it either -- but then I prefer my tea straight.

~~Elaine

Related Topics: It's Iced Tea Time, Healthy and Unhealthy Summer Drinks