Nutritious Foods

By Stephanie Breakstone, Prevention

More and more research suggests that what we eat is linked to how long we live. “The Biggest Loser” nutritionist Cheryl Forberg, R.D., sets eating guidelines to help contestants get healthy. “What works best for weight loss helps slow the aging process as well,” says Forberg, an expert in anti-aging nutrition.

1. Have a daily dose of omega-3s. “I like to call them the anti-aging fat,” say Forberg. Getting the recommended amount can help lower cholesterol, keep cells functioning properly, and combat inflammation, which reduces your risk of cancer, stroke, and heart attack. Flaxseed, walnuts, and some leafy greens contain omega-3s, but seafood is the best source. Research published in the December 2008 Journal of Nutrition found that DHA, an omega-3 found in cold-water, fatty fish, helps keep aging brains healthy.

Have two 3-ounce servings of salmon, herring, lake trout, or other fatty fish a week; and a daily serving of ground flaxseed, walnuts, soybean oil, spinach, or kale.

2. Eat antioxidants every four hours. These nutrients slow the aging process by protecting our cells from harmful free radicals. But some, such as vitamin C, are water soluble. “That means they only remain in our body for four to six hours, so you have to replenish regularly,” explains Forberg. Vibrantly colored fruits and vegetables are loaded with these disease-fighting substances.

Have a fruit or veggie at every meal and snack—and aim for three to five different colors a day.

3. Double your fiber. It may help protect against cancer and can keep blood sugar levels steady and promote heart health. In fact, according to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, every additional 10 g of dietary fiber consumed daily reduces the risk of death from coronary heart disease by 17 percent. The daily recommendation is 25 to 35 g per day; most Americans eat half or less.

Boost your intake with star sources: cooked lentils (8 g per ½ cup), cooked chickpeas (6 g per ½ cup), barley (16 g per ½ cup), apples (4 g in one medium), and raspberries (8 g per cup).

4. Stop when you’re 80 percent full. Centenarians in Okinawa, Japan, practice this eating ritual; they also consistently consume a lower-calorie diet, which researchers hypothesize is a key component to longevity. Eating slowly can automatically help control calories: A recent study found that women who ate at slower rates felt fuller and ate fewer calories than those who ate more quickly.

The key is to stop when you’re satisfied, not stuffed, says Forberg. A reminder: “You shouldn’t have to unbutton or unzip anything.”

5. Get about 25 percent of calories from healthy fats. The good-for-you variety—like monounsaturated fatty acids—can lower bad LDL cholesterol, raise cardio-protective HDL cholesterol, and decrease your risk of atherosclerosis. Plus, studies suggest that a higher intake of these fats may also contribute to longer life expectancy. For a 1,600-calorie diet, that’s about 44 g per day.

Healthy fats include 1/4 cup of pistachios (7 g), 1/4 cup of almonds (11 g), 1 tablespoon of olive oil (10 g) or 1/4 cup of avocado (3.5 g).

6. Pack protein into every meal and snack. Protein provides essential building blocks for the daily repair of nearly every single cell in your body. Getting enough is critical to your health and vitality, especially as you get older, when cellular damage can become more frequent. Aim to get 30 percent of your daily calories (or 120 g based on a 1,600-calorie diet) from lean protein.

Good sources of protein include skinless white meat from chicken, pork, or turkey (about 21 g per 3 ounces), fat-free milk (8 g per cup), egg whites (7 g for two), and beans (about 8 g per 1/2 cup).

Material adapted from The Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start by Cheryl Forberg, R.D.; Melissa Roberson; Lisa Wheeler; and The Biggest Loser Experts and Cast (Rodale; available Feb. 17 wherever books are sold). Copyright 2009 by Universal Studios Licensing LLLP, The Biggest Loser and NBC Studios, Inc., and Reveille LLC. Permission granted by Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, Penn. 18098.

Provided by Prevention

Thus, supplementation becomes important, but how much to supplement? That is always the question as vitamins are only useful if they are bio-available and dosed in the correct amount for our own unique body chemistry. If you choose to supplement try to consume CoQ10 with a meal that contains some form of fat which allows youru body to absorb this fat soluble nutrient better. Consult your physician before taking large doses of CoQ10 (or any supplement for that matter). You should also contact your physician if you are taking any other medication related to any heart condition. I am currently researching this antioxidant and would encourage you to read up on this enzyme via case studies and clinical trials. I will post more information as I feel CoQ10 may be one of the most vital supplements we can take. Unfortunately like so many of the vitamins discovered in the past 30 or 50 years (Q10 was identified in 1957) there is still so much research to be done. CoQ10 holds out tremendous promise. The body of research continues to grow, and in addition to an array of heart benefits, CoQ10′s antioxidant properties may be useful in cancer treatments, diabetes, periodontal disease, and obesity. One of my concerns – with supplementation of any nutritional vitamin, herb, or mineral – is always the purity of the supplement, the “additives” that are used (i.e. fillers), and impurities introduced in the manufacturing process. It’s better to error on the side of a lower dosage than a higher one.

1. Small Red Beans (Dried)
2. Wild Blueberries
3. Red Kidney Beans
4. Pinto Beans
5. Blueberries (cultivated)
6. Cranberries
7. Artichokes (cooked)
8. Blackberries
9. Prunes
10. Raspberries

If you enjoy Mexican entrees be sure to go heavy on the beans and light on the cheese, tortilla (full of lard and refined white flour), sour cream, and sauces which may contain Mono Sodium Glutimate. I love Mexican food and find it quite easy to order a “salad” with multiple beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and lettuces. Very tasty and it’s easy to avoid the “bad” part of the entrees. There really is no easier way to enjoy Berries than with a fresh bowl of oatmeal (I like to top mine off with a small amount of Organic Rice Milk). On an interesting side note while it’s very easy to find Organic Berries, most berries – blueberries and cranberries in particular require the use of little or no pesticide as insects seem to avoid them. It should also be noted that there are hundreds of micronutrients in berries that work together to help cleanse and strengthen your body. So for the same reasons you would eat orange peel rind (the white part) and not just taje a “Vitamin C” tablet in order to get the full benefit of the “C Complex”, or a “Vitamin A” supplement which would exclude the 100′s of other Carotene substances, you should wash and eat the whole food skin and all for the most benefit. If the food is not organic then go ahead and peel it first as most grocery store foods are heavily sprayed with preservatives and waxes to make it look better under the store lights. I would also suggest purchasing a juicer (You may need a couple of types of juicers for different types of foods) for foods which are difficult to eat in quantity. We’ll cover this more in a different area. For now just try to work into your diet organic whole foods that contain Antioxidants.

You hear the term Antioxidant – what are Antioxidants and what do they do?

An antioxidant is a chemical that prevents the oxidation of other chemicals. In biological systems, the normal processes of oxidation (plus a minor contribution from ionizing radiation) produce highly reactive free radicals (In chemistry, free radicals are uncharged atomic or molecular species with unpaired electrons or an otherwise open shell configuration. These unpaired electrons are highly reactive, so free radicals are likely to take part in chemical reactions.) These can readily react with and damage other molecules: in some cases the body uses this to fight infection. In other cases, the damage may be to the body’s own cells. The presence of extremely easily oxidisable compounds in the system can “mop up” free radicals before they damage other essential molecules.

So you take antioxidant vitamins supplements to reduce the number of “free radicals”. The problem is blood chemistry is a very delicate balancing act. Certain Antioxidants are readily excreted and not stored by the body (Vitamin C as Ascorbic Acid), however other Vitamins such as the Synthetic form of Vitamin A may accumulate in the tissues and do more harm than good. As a general rule it’s always better to get your vitamin from real organic natural food sources.

Antioxidant Vitamins from Whole Foods – The following vitamins have shown positive antioxidant effects:

Vitamin A – Beta-Carotene

Retinol (Vitamin A or beta-carotene) has been discovered to protect dark green, yellow and orange vegetables and fruits from solar radiation damage, and is thought to play a similar role in human body. Carrots, squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kale, collards, cantaloupe, peaches and apricots are particularly rich sources of beta-carotene a precursor to one of the most well known antioxidant vitamins – Vitamin A.

Ascorbic Acid – Vitamin C

Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) is a water-soluble compound that fulfills this role, among others, in living systems. Important sources include citrus fruits (like oranges, sweet lime, etc.), green peppers, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, strawberries, raw cabbage and tomatoes. In it’s synthetic form (i.e. pill or capsule) it is usually bound with calcium or sodium as a buffer so it will not upset your stomach. Straight ascorbic acid powder should probably be avoided (Unless directed by a physician) or taken only with meals as it is highly acidic.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E (tocopherol) is fat soluble and protects lipids. Sources include wheat germ, nuts, seeds, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, vegetable oil and fish-liver oil. It’s actually hard for many individuals to get enough Vitamin E from their everyday diet so they choose to supplement. If you do this it’s generally acknowledged to keep our supplementation to 400iu per day or less. Recent studies have suggested that high levels of supplementation in a controlled group of Heart Patients actually resulted in more deaths than the patients taking placebo. As with most foods, vitamins, drugs, or herbs the key is getting the “right amount”.

Selenium

Selenium is best obtained through foods, as large doses of the supplement form can be toxic. Good food sources include fish, shellfish, red meat, grains, eggs, chicken and garlic. Vegetables can also be a good source if grown in selenium-rich soils. I am personally an egg eater (I prefer Eggland’s Best Cage Free Vegetarian Fed Brown Eggs). I eat about 3/4 dozen per week. I do not believe that cholesterol from eggs is going to cause my body to build up mass blockages in my arteries. In fact if you read the purpose of cholesterol in your body you will find it is a very beneficial substance. They may sell 10 Billion Dollars of the Cholesterol lowering Drug Lipitor each year but are they curing heart disease? NO! It’s about the money. Why do the arteries clog and not the veins? (Veins return blood to the heart). It’s because of tears in the arteries due to a variety of factors the cholesterol accumulates (It does so to repair the damage). If you want to lower your cholesterol there are many ways to do it naturally through dietary changes which we will not get into on this page. Just think – foods that are good for the liver are good for the heart.

Several food additives (including ascorbic acid and tocopherol-derived compounds) are used as antioxidants to help guard against deterioration of food. Please be cautious of food additives as many contain other “masked” impurities that are harmful. For example Textured Soy Protein sounds innocent enough until you find out it masks a significant portion of Monosodium Glutamate MSG. And when selecting vitamins your best bet is to stick to well known brands that adhere to some kind of normalization and testing procedures. Periodically consumer reports will test vitamins for purity and the results are not unsurprising. Many vitamins are full of impurities and do not have anywhere near the stated amount of the active ingredient. They also contain a significant portion of “fillers” that do your body no good. Get your vitamins from fresh organic foods whenever possible.