Friday, April 14, 2023

Blueberries and Greens ARE Superfoods!


Holistic Habits by Cheryl A. Mothes, Ph.D. Natural Health Nutrition Counselor

Content is a daily radio script from my KHIS radio spot - tune in at 6:15 (CST) every morning to Justin and Meredith’s morning show on 89.9 FM.

 After eating about two cups’ worth of blueberries, a big spike in artery function improvement is seen. Less than a cup is good, but between one and two cups seems better. And if you eat blueberries week after week, you get long-term benefits in terms of reduced artery hardening and a boost in your natural killer cells, one of your body’s natural first lines of defense against viral infections and cancer! Eating blueberries also feeds our good gut bacteria. WOW get some blueberries and have a marvelous Monday everyone!

  The antioxidant lutein is the dominant dietary pigment in the retina of our eye and in our brain and is found in abundance in dark green leafy vegetables. Eye doctors recommend increasing greens to prevent and treat macular degeneration, but greens can also improve visual processing speed in young healthy people AND have also been found to significantly improve cognitive function in young adults and seniors. Stay tuned to learn more and plantify your plates with greens like spinach, kale, and arugula to benefit your vision, no matter what your age! 


Yesterday we talked about the antioxidant lutein that is found in greens and eye health – it turns out that Alzheimer’s patients have significantly less lutein in their eyes and their blood, and a higher occurrence of macular degeneration. Those with higher lutein have better hearing and higher academic achievement among schoolchildren. The earlier we start loading up on lutein, the better! Go to NutritionFacts.org to get the Daily Dozen foods we should eat, beginning with greens, and have a wonderful Wednesday everyone! 

Would you like some recipes? Go to the NutritionFacts.org recipe page, where not just every recipe is health-promoting, but every ingredient of every recipe is health-promoting—a “green light,” whole plant food. But how can you make things sweet without sugar or salty without salt? Those are some of the challenges they took on for the recipes at NutritionFacts.org. And if you are not familiar with Dr. Greger’s “stop light” system for evaluating foods, it is there too! 

For Fix-it Friday, here is some wonderful Roasted Carrot Soup!

 Roasted Carrot Soup

Vegan/No Oil

 INGREDIENTS

 1-pound carrots, washed, peeled, and cut into 1/2" coins

1 tbsp. tamari

½ tbsp. garam masala

5 each garlic cloves, skins smashed but left on

1/2" knob of fresh ginger, minced.

1 medium Spanish onion, cut into quarters, and separated.

3 cups vegetable broth (hot)

1 can full-fat coconut milk, room temperature juice of 1 large lime

1 tsp salt

pinch of cayenne for heat, optional

 INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425. On a large baking sheet lined with a Teleflex sheet add the carrots, garlic, and onions. Drizzle with tamari and garam masala. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Roast for 30-35 minutes, turning halfway and baking until vegetables are fork tender. Remove from oven, and remove skins from the garlic. In a vita mixer, add all the remaining ingredients to the vegetables. This process can be achieved in increments. Blend until smooth. Using a vita mixer will heat the soup. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Garnish with fresh chives.

 From The Archives:

 Monday's healthy habit is about Physical Education and Sports Week! And in the Blue Zones, those areas where people live longer, stronger, and better, they do not do so much "fitness" as much as they play and move and have fun together. Plus, they do it outside - in the fresh air and sunshine, and grass! Think about the ways you and your family can make your own "PE" that is fun! Walk with friends, find "hill climbs" to race up with your children, and find ways throughout the day to get up and move. Blue Zones people "move" every 20 minutes! And remember that deep breathing outdoor air in the sunshine helps us process those nutrients we are eating, too! 

Tuesday's power of the plate tip is to help us prevent stroke and high blood pressure - this is stroke awareness month and high blood pressure education month. Did you know that the number-one risk factor for death in the WORLD is high blood pressure? And it contributes to strokes in major ways. What is sad is that a third of American adults have high blood pressure, and more teenagers are being diagnosed with it. The two most powerful dietary risks for death are eating too little fruit and too much sodium. The blood pressure of elderly Indians that live in the Amazon is as low as adolescents - they have the lowest consumption of sodium in the world. So, power up your plate with whole foods that are LOW in sodium, check labels, and prevent both high blood pressure and stroke! 

Wednesday's holistic health habit for national stroke and high blood pressure awareness month is to load up with whole grains! Three portions of whole grains a day were able to help people reduce their risk of stroke by 25% - which is the same as taking medications! Here is the challenge - many packaged and processed foods say "whole grain" on them - but they are loaded with sodium and other additives that cancel out the benefits of whole grains. There is a wonderful universe of whole grains out there - it is more than just substituting brown rice for white rice. Millet, oats, quinoa, amaranth, teff - you can find ALL of them at local stores or online and they add the diversity that our gut microbiomes love! 

Thursday's holistic habit to live longer and stronger is more about whole grains and a reminder that 3 servings a day reduce blood pressure and stroke. There are lots of products that say "multi-grain", "100% wheat", "seven-grain" and other words that can distract us from knowing what they truly are. Here is a tip:  read the label and the ratio of carbs to fiber should be five or less - meaning fewer grams of carbs for every gram of fiber. Wonder Bread has 30 grams of carbs to 3 grams of fiber - 10 times, which is DOUBLE the goal. Ezekiel Bread, on the other hand, has only 15 grams of carbs to 3 grams of fiber so they pass the test. You can use this rule on cereals and snacks to help your family choose the right ones - or eat whole, unprocessed grains to make sure! Remember, it is 5 grams of carbs to 1 gram of fiber. 

Friday's health on the shelf message for protection against high blood pressure and stroke, since this is national high blood pressure and stroke awareness month, is in addition to lowering sodium and increasing whole grains, add ground flaxseeds. They alone can result in the most potent blood-pressure-lowering effects that can be achieved. Buy your seeds whole and grind them just before you add them to your smoothies, salads, cooked rice, or oatmeal - just buy an inexpensive coffee grinder. It is important to grind them and then eat them right away - do not buy flax that's already ground, or it loses its nutrients. AND nitrate-rich veggies like beets and greens improve our blood pressure as well! 


Cancer Prevention, Sleep Enough (Not Too Much), and More on Meat Analogs

Holistic Habits by Cheryl A. Mothes, Ph.D. Natural Health Nutrition Counselor Content is a daily radio script from my KHIS radio spot - tune...