Protein, along with carbohydrates and fats, is an essential macronutrient. We need it for growth and repair of cells, tissues, and organs. Eating an optimal amount of protein is important for building organs, muscles, skin, and hormones. Studies show it’s useful in weight loss, increasing muscle mass, and increasing overall strength.
Health professionals are still debating the optimal amount of protein one should eat. Current studies are putting that number somewhere between 10-35% of total calories consumed. That gave me the idea of categorizing top vegetarian foods by the percentage of protein they provide. It’s a new way of looking at how best to get your protein without getting a lot of other things. We are just looking at vegetarian foods, because we already know that animal based foods are very high percentage of protein, and it’s the vegetarians that are constantly searching for good protein sources. I hope this list empowers all of you to seek out great protein sources that you may not have approached before.
Mindful eating is the conscious awareness of what you eat, how you eat, and the purpose of eating being aligned with your desired health goals. On the other hand, mindless eating is the unconscious decision to eat without any alignment to health goals. It’s just eating for the sake of eating! The mindless version of eating can lead to overeating and weight gain.
Some tips to keep you aware of your eating decisions include:
Eat when hungry. Everyone’s got an internal clock that will tell you when you are hungry. Eating with your internal clock is better for your weight.
Use smaller plates. This is an automatic way of reducing the portion size.
Portion food out. This means take the amount you’d like to eat out of a bag of potato chips and put that in a bowl. This way you aren’t eating the whole bag!
Volumize your foods. Eat high volume foods which are low in calories to satisfy hunger with high water or high fiber foods. Choose low calorie density foods like vegetables and make a large grilled vegetable platter, or a large salad.
Eat slowly. Taking some time to chew properly and swallow before the next bite allows a fuller feeling when eating. Some strategies for this one include eating with a non-dominant hand or using chopsticks.
Keep evidence of quantity eaten at eye level. This can include empty cans of beer, meat bones, left over crusts, shells, fibers, etc. These visual clues can subconsciously affect fullness.
Eating with others. Eating with other people can cause you to nibble on extra food you may not have eaten solo. On the other hand, eating with a slow eater may cause you to also eat slower. Strategically, you can remove your plate when you are done eating and continue to socialize with other diners.
Reduce variety of items. If dinner includes 4-5 plates of various foods, then even if you take a small amount of each one, it can add up to be more than if there was a 1 food meal.
Unplug. Watching TV or other distraction while eating may lead to rapid or mindless eating. By removing the electronic unit (TV, phone, ipad, computer, etc) while eating, the focus can go back to the food, texture, and flavor.
Make it inconvenient. The more work one has to do to eat a food, the less likely you will eat it. If you have to climb up a stool to get your snack or dessert, you may forego it every now and then.
Keep high impact foods out of eye level. Keep sweet and high fat foods away from eye level, as research shows that when food is in sight, it pushes people to consciously decide whether to eat it. Seeing it more often increases the chances you’ll eventually choose to eat that food.
Read labels. Many foods – health foods even- are labelled with words that conjure an image of wholesomeness or healthy, that we assume they are healthy. Learn about the new and improved labels which note honest nutrition information. Ask restaurants to provide you with nutrition information when you dine out.
Don’t buy in bulk. Stockpiling foods can push one to eat more unless the extra food is kept out of eye level.
Coffee drinkers may have a reduced risk of heart failure according to the latest research… as long as it’s caffeinated. The American Heart Association published the results showing that the more coffee people drank, the lower their risk for heart failure – with the exception of decaf drinkers.
Prior to this research, people thought that coffee may not be great for the heart because its sometimes associated with palpitations or high blood pressure. So if you drink between 1-3 cups of caffeinated coffee, then you may be benefitting from this. But if you are not a regular coffee drinker, there is not enough evidence to suggest that if you increase your coffee consumption, that you would reduce your heart disease risk as much stopping smoking, losing weight, or exercising. This means the most high-impact action for someone wanting to minimize heart disease is to stop smoking, or lose weight or exercise regularly.
I’ve been Libby-ing (an app that reads you library books) Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s book, Keep Sharp- Build a better Brain at any age. And I’ve been thinking about the nutrition that helps fuel the brain. If we provide all that an organ needs, it serves as optimal fuel for optimal function, right?
So what fuel does our brain need for optimal memory and focus? And how does that translate into ideal foods for us to eat? I have to admit I don’t eat all these things, but understand the value of the basic nutrition in boosting brain function:
The first question about optimal fuel has to do with the brain and its composition. It’s 60% fat – so healthy sources of omega-3 fatty acids (the anti-inflammatory promoting fat) are a great idea! Caffeine shows positive effects on the brain, and antioxidants are helpful in neutralizing damage from free radicals. Vitamin C is key in preventing mental decline so that’s a powerful antioxidant to consume daily – it may even help protect against depression, anxiety, or Alzheimer’s disease. Also vitamins B6 and B12 help with regulating mood and memory.
The second question about which foods is listed here:
Fatty Fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, but if you don’t eat fist, then look to pumpkin seeds, walnuts, flax seeds, spirulina, edamame, and beans.
Caffeinated Coffee or green tea may sharpen your focus and increase alertness. The combination of the caffeine and antioxidants are astounding. Just ensure that you don’t sugar up that brain boosting beverage. Sugar is not helpful to the brain.
Dark Chocolate also contains both caffeine and antioxidants. Studies show this is also useful with mental tasks and mood boosting.
Berries, especially blueberries are loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents.
Turmeric or Curcumin (active ingredient in turmeric) has brain boosting aspects specifically with memory, mood, and cell growth.
Oranges are known for good vitamin C nourishment, and there are many more fruits that can provide it too.
Eggs are a good source of vitamins B6 and B12 which can support optimal brain function too.
If you are looking for help with creating an optimal meal plan for brain boosting, contact your local nutritional therapist or give me a quick email and we can talk more about how nutrition can help you be the best you! I look forward to your call!
A reported 5 million people have some form of lupus, an autoimmune condition causing pain, fatigue, hair loss, and cognitive & physical issues affecting every facet of daily life. One of the challenges for lupus sufferers is time spent in the sun creates inflammation on the skin as well as rashes for some folks.
In summers, many people avoid being outdoors during the hottest and fiercest sun of the day. Lupus sufferers MUST avoid the sunniest part of outdoor life. While this may seem logical, a study has shown that Lupus sufferers can use a sunscreen (UV protection) to lessen their usual inflammatory response in the sun. It can also reduce tissue/skin lesion damage – so win/win right?
The thing with sunscreens is that it only works if it’s still on! So read your sunscreen instructions, and ensure you REAPPLY when you need to. Some people prefer to lather up with a crème lotion version and then reapply with a spray. When reapplying ensure that your skin is glistening with it. Remember to use more than 35 SPF, and use waterproof if you are in the water.
Our brains have the capacity to continually improve regardless of age or deterioration. The following highlights some of the best strategies to improve your brain health:
Use it so you don’t lose it. Find new brainy activities to stimulate new connections between nerve cells. Learn a new language, do daily crosswords or jigsaw puzzles.
Shake it. Get moving by increasing the number of minutes you move or adding new ways you can move that body. Cardio activity allows the brain to be more efficient and “plastic” which means how it can adapt. While movement is so important, we must ensure that the head is protected – especially during contact sports.
Clean eating. Improving your diet impacts brain function. Studies show that eating more of a Mediterranean diet, focused on fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, and plant-based proteins is most beneficial to the brain.
Relax. High blood pressure is associated with a higher risk of cognitive decline, so chill. Take deep breaths, and pamper yourself with something relaxing. This may also reduce the anxiety and depression tendencies which can lead to poorer cognitive function.
Be sweet enough. Diabetes can be a risk factor for dementia. So with clean eating, reduce the amount of processed sugars because you are already sweet enough…right?
Lower cholesterol. More focus is placed on plant-based proteins which can nourish those muscles yet keep the cholesterol intake very low. This helps since higher LDL cholesterol is associated with dementia.
Baby Aspirin. Check with your doctor, because this item is controversial and dependent upon your bio-individual health. Taking a baby aspirin may reduce the risk of dementia, so get the guidelines from your doc.
Don’t smoke. Avoid tobacco. (sweet, simple, concise, & no confusion on this message!)
Minimize alcohol. Excessive alcohol is a major risk of dementia. Limit yourself to 1-2 drinks/day.
Socialize. Now that people have more information and control over covid19 transmission, take the necessary precautions and LIVE life. That means meeting with other friends and family and networking with others again face to face. It’s time to feel normal again.
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