Many clients are off the sugar train but want to know how to eat salt healthier. In fact I just had a health coach colleague ask how his clients could eat more sodium cleanly. So because the universe is uniting me with these clean salt/sodium queries, here’s my take.
This blog is NOT intended for kidney patients or folks with high blood pressure. There are occasions where some folks need to ensure adequate sodium in their diets, and there are times where you occasionally want a salty or savory treat (vs a sweet one). So for those occasions,
Here are some clean foods that can serve as a savory snack. Watch the fat and calories if you are maintaining your weight.
Roasted Chickpeas/Mung beans. Indian stores carry assorted roasted lentils, and that’s a smart way to get your plant based protein, fiber, and minerals which include magnesium-critical for maintaining good health.
Salted nuts. Brazil nuts are especially good for cholesterol lowering (see previous blog about this), and macadamia nuts are especially good for nervous and immune systems.
Nori snack. Great for heart health, digestion, and long chain omega-3 health. This is especially good for escorting toxins out of the body and I use this on days where I have gotten an X-ray or mammogram.
Salted baked kale chips. Crisps up like a thin potato chip, and yet it is just fiber, minerals, and water. This is a win-win however you eat it.
Olives. Salty and sour olives in any color give you the benefit of a ferment with the filling of a healthy fat. It is cell-protective and helps with chronic inflammation.
Edamame. Frozen, boiled, or steamed are healthier options than roasted edamame. But this snack is packed with plant based proteins, vitamins, and minerals. It blends into a creamy hummus well too.
Guacamole. Creamy, salty, sour guac is always a win-win in my home. Eat it with vegetables, chips, or in a wrap – it’s packed with minerals, fats, and fiber.
Nut butters. Two tablespoons constitutes a serving for nut butter. Whether you spoon it out or spread it on fruits or rice cakes – it is filled with protein and healthy fat.
Stuffed dates. Doubling as both a sweet and savory snack, it’s a winner when filled with a nut butter
Air-popped popcorn. Not weighed down with butters, this crispy snack satisfied the salty cravings and fills your nostrils with memories of pre-corona movie theatre days.
Grains, nuts, and true seeds are all edible little nutrient dense gems with compounds that boost health. Some are more potent than others, but they all supply minerals, fiber, and healthy omega-3 fats. Many provide plant-based proteins too. Here are my favorite seeds to incorporate weekly into your diet. Remember to discuss dietary changes with your practitioner, who would know the best for you regarding your bio-individual conditions, medications, and any interactions.
Seeds still support our health today. Learn more about these five superfood seeds and how you can enjoy them more often. These seeds are often used as toppings for salads, yogurt, toast, cereal, grain bowls, and blended into sauces, dressings, puddings, and smoothies. There are some egg alternatives made from these seeds and water!
Chia Seeds
They are 40% fiber and 60% nutrient filled gems that help with digestion, heart disease, diabetes, muscle building, and high blood pressure. The fiber helps satisfy the appetite and feed the good gut bacteria.
A 1-oz serving of chia seeds contains 4 g of protein, 9 g of fat. It is full of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants and is a complete protein, which is rare for a plant-based protein. It supports bone health and muscle building.
Hemp Seeds
A cousin to cannabis/marijuana, hemp is trendy. As a supplement it’s used for a variety of anxiety-related issues. It’s a complete protein, which is rare for plant-based proteins. It’s 25% protein and 75% fiber- and nutrient-dense gems containing all nine amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids in a ratio with omega-6 that is optimal for health (anti-inflammatory).
It is known to boost health: heart health, stress response, relaxation, optimal hormone and brain health. The fiber helps with microbiome nourishment, motility, and overall GI issues.
Flaxseeds
“Liquid Gold” is the way flaxseed meal was described to me. The meal is not a liquid but a powder; but the expression ‘liquid gold’ refers to oil. Flaxseed oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. The meal, ground flaxseeds, is an easy form to eat and doesn’t get stuck in your teeth which can be annoying.
It’s 40% oil – mostly omega-3 fatty acids so very anti-inflammatory. It’s 60% fiber- and nutrient-dense. It’s used to boost digestion, bowel regularity, weight loss/maintenance, & detoxification. It contains components that help reduce your risk of estrogen-related cancers, and help stabilize your blood-sugar.
Sesame Seeds
Tahini is sesame butter, and used as a staple in Middle Eastern recipes. These seeds are nutrient dense gems of minerals, antioxidants, and contain anti-inflammatory properties. They are known to help with hypertension, relaxing, sleep, free-radical damages, brain- and heart- health.
Pumpkin Seeds
Pepitas are pumpkin seeds without the husks. Having been used for thousands of years, they are nutrient dense with minerals and vitamin E. They are known for fighting radical damage, boosting immune function, and reducing the risk of various cancers. They are also known for being delicious- especially when slightly roasted.
Out of control blood sugar fluctuations compromises normal bone modeling and that can increase the risk of fractures. Post-menopausal women with poor glycemic control are at high risk for bone fractures.
Bone mass or bone density are different from bone architecture and functional strength. While many post-menopausal women show to have a normal range of bone mass or density, they do feel some weakening of bone architecture. Researchers believe that poor glycemic control increases AGEs (advanced glycation end products) in the bone, which impacts the collagen network and function of the bone cells. This is based on studies showing:
Low bone mass (63%) and bone architecture deterioration (73%) are observed in postmenopausal women with T2D
If you are a postmenopausal women with T2D, talk to your doctor about methods of fracture assessment like FRAX or TBS-adjusted FRAX.
Maybe something important came up, and you had to miss your second COVID vaccine appointment. Don’t panic if you missed your designated second vaccine dose. The recommended interval between Pfizer vaccines are 21 days apart. The recommended interval between the Moderna vaccines are 28 days apart. This means that it’s optimal to get your shot in that interval. But if you couldn’t make it and you missed it, and your new challenge is to get back into the scheduling window… as long as you are able to get your second dose within 6 weeks of your scheduled date – you are fine according to the CDC. The new goal would be to get your second vaccine as close as possible to the original date you were scheduled to: 21-day interval for Pfizer and 28-day interval for Moderna.
That said, it is unknown how effective the vaccine will be when it is delayed beyond the 6-week interval. Contact your vaccine distributor for scheduling/re-scheduling your second dose if you have missed that date.
Lastly, Please be sure and take a picture of your COVID vaccine card so you always have a picture on your phone in case you lose it.
Since sugar has been linked to obesity, heart disease, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, fatty liver disease, and Type 2 diabetes – the healthful path is to avoid or break-up with sugar. Easier said than done… but not impossible! Sugars are short chain To do it effectively one should become an expert at reading nutrition labels AND know all of sugar’s aliases:
Glucose: sugar metabolized by every cell in your body
Barley malt
Brown rice syrup
Corn syrup
Dextrin
Dextrose
Diastatic malt
Ethyl maltol
Lactose
Malt syrup
Maltodextrin
Maltose
Rice syrup
Fructose: sugar metabolized by the liver
Combinations of Glucose and Fructose
Sucrose: table sugar (composed of glucose and fructose evenly); extracted from sugar cane/beets; a refined sugar: not considered healthy.
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS): an almost even mix of glucose and fructose made from corn starch processing used in foods and beverages
Agave nectar: produced by an agave plant; consists of 80% fructose and 20% glucose and doesn’t spike blood sugar; used in healthier foods like cereal bars and yogurts
Beet Sugar
Birch Syrup
Blackstrap molasses
Brown Sugar
Buttered Syrup
Can juice crystals
Cane sugar
Caramel
Carob syrup
Castor sugar
Coconut sugar
Confectioner’s sugar / Powdered sugar
Date sugar
Demerara sugar
Florida crystals
Fruit juice & concentrate
Golden sugar
Gord
Grape sugar
Honey
Icing sugar
Invert sugar
Maple syrup
Muscovado sugar
Panela sugar
Rapadura
Raw sugar
Refiner’s syrup
Sorghum syrup
Sucanat
Sugar beet syrup
Treacle sugar
Turbinado sugar
Yellow sugar
Sweetener without glucose & fructose
D-ribose: not as sweet
Galactose: not as sweet
If you are new to label reading, you will be amazed at how many foods contain sugars… such as condiments, spaghetti sauces, soups, and yogurts. When an alias is used on the label, it’s difficult to understand if the food is fortified with sugar unless you are familiar with the aliases. When more than one sugar is used, then the sugars can be listed further down in the ingredient list giving a misconception that the quantity of sugar used must be quite low… even when the product is mostly sugar.
The main takeaway from this is to limit the amount of sugar you consume and to be aware of all the aliases.
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