Health Value Of Foods

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• QWhich milk and dairy products should I eat most often?

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  A Intermountain Registered Dietitians , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered on behalf of Intermountain Healthcare

  The following are sample servings (portions) for heart- healthy dairy:
  Stick with dairy products that are 1% fat or less, and aim for 3 servings (3 cups) every day.
  Sample servings (portions):

  • 1 cup low-fat, skim, or fat-free milk
  • 1 cup fortified soy milk, rice milk, or almond milk
  • 1 cup low-fat yogurt or calcium-fortified soy yogurt
  • 1 ounce low-fat cheese
  • 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• QWhat is the nutritional value of cherries?

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  A Dr. Michael T. Murray, ND , Naturopathic Medicine, answered

  Sour cherries are lower in calories, with 58 calories in 3 1/2-oz (100 g) versus 70 calories in 3 1/2- oz of sweet cherries. Sour cherries are also higher in vitamin A, with 1,000 IU per 3 1/2-oz, than their sweet counterparts, which contain 110 IU per 3 1/2-oz. In addition to their content of flavonoids, melatonin, and perillyl alcohol (POH), both varieties of cherries contain significant amounts of several nutrients. Sour cherries are an excellent source of vitamins A and C, a very good source of copper, and a good source of manganese. Sweet cherries are a good source of vitamin C and copper.

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• QWhat types of grains should I choose for a healthy diet?

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  A Intermountain Registered Dietitians , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered on behalf of Intermountain Healthcare

  Grains and starches are a staple of diets all over the world. However, you need to learn to make healthy choices within this group. Choose whole grains and unprocessed starches, which contain dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Examples are whole wheat, brown rice, oats, barley, cornmeal, and sweet potatoes. Limit or avoid refined starches such as white bread, white pasta, and white rice.
• QWhat vegetables should I eat most often?

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  A Intermountain Registered Dietitians , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered on behalf of Intermountain Healthcare

  Most often you should eat:

  • Fresh and frozen vegetables
  • Canned vegetables that have been rinsed and drained
  • Low-sodium vegetable juices

  Occasionally you may eat:

  • Avocado
  • Canned vegetables

  Avoid or eat sparingly:

  • Vegetables in butter or cream sauce
  • Fried or glazed vegetables
  • Sauerkraut
  • Salted or pickled vegetables
  • Regular vegetable juices
• QWhat are healthy alternatives to red meat?

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  A Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answered

  Here's how to eat less red meat without sacrificing flavor:
  

  • Grill something new. Fire up your grill and lay out beefy-tasting veggie burgers -- yes, veggie burgers. I'm a big fan of many types of veggie burgers, from spicy to barbecue to classic. I recently had a veggie burger "taste off" of more than 20 different brands at my house.
  • Opt for low-fat, low-sodium tofu dogs instead of traditional hot dogs. Pair with sauerkraut on a 100% whole-wheat bun and top with a thin ribbon of yellow mustard, which contains brain-healing turmeric. Heterocyclic amines, nasty compounds that form when meat is cooked at high temperatures, are linked to many cancers, including colon cancer, breast cancer, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, and prostate cancer.
  • Skip the beef and eat more beans. In your favorite soups, stews, and casseroles, use mild and trendy black beans; big, creamy kidney beans; and/or white cannellini beans. Beans are excellent meat substitutes because they're high in protein and filling fiber, and ultra low in fat. (Meat contains high levels of saturated fat, which can turn on inflammation-triggering genes, increase skin wrinkles, decrease sex drive, increase low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol -- as well as your waist size -- and make blood sugar control harder.) The calorie trade-offs are another plus. You'd have to eat more than 4 cups of black beans -- and that's not going to happen -- to match the calorie count of one 10 oz. rib eye steak (860)! One cup of black beans delivers just 190 calories along with 14 to 20 grams of protein and nearly 20 grams of cholesterol-lowering, inflammation-soothing, heart-smart fiber.
  • Don't give up "umami." U what? Umami is a naturally occurring glutamate that delivers the subtle, savory taste of beef. It turns out plenty of other good-for-you foods tickle your taste buds in the same way. Foods with big umami impact include mushrooms, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and even carrots. Grill big Portabello mushrooms or sauté some shitake mushrooms to add to scrambled eggs. In one study, people who ate mushroom-based dishes instead of meat-based ones consumed 420 fewer calories, and in a blind taste test said the food tasted even better and left them feeling just as full for just as long.

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• QWhat are the health benefits of spinach?

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  A Dr. Michael T. Murray, ND , Naturopathic Medicine, answered

  There are many lores regarding spinach (e.g., the source of Popeye's strength). Historically, it was regarded as a plant with remarkable abilities to restore energy, increase vitality, and improve the quality of the blood. There are sound reasons why spinach would produce such results, the primary fact being that spinach contains twice as much iron as most other greens. Spinach is also one of the most alkaline-producing foods, making it useful in helping to regulate body pH. Spinach is one of the richest dietary sources of lutein, making it an especially important food for promoting healthy eyesight and preventing macular degeneration and cataracts.
  
  Spinach, like other chlorophyll and carotene containing vegetables, is a strong protector against cancer. In addition to carotenes such as lutein, researchers have identified at least thirteen different flavonoid compounds in spinach that function as antioxidants and as anti-cancer agents. Many of these substances fall into a category of flavonoids known as methylenedioxyflavonol glucuronides. The anti-cancer properties of these flavonoids have prompted researchers to create specialized spinach extracts that can be used in controlled studies. These spinach extracts have been shown to slow down cell division in human stomach cancer cells (gastric adenocarcinomas) and, in studies on mice, to reduce skin cancers (skin papillomas). A study on adult women living in New England in the late 1980s also showed the intake of spinach to be inversely related to incidence of breast cancer. In other words, the higher the intake of spinach, the lower the incidence of breast cancer.

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• QIs eating coconut oil good for my health?

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  A HealthCorps answered

  Coconut oil contains 92 percent saturated fat, which helps it to remain a solid at room temperature and keep from going rancid. Eating a lot of saturated fat may raise your risk of heart disease. But coconut oil also contains 60 percent medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). These fats are transferred during digestion directly to the liver, where they are likely to be burned as fuel, and they also help raise your metabolic rate just a bit. So one would assume that these fats would be less likely stored as fat.
  
  Preliminary studies suggest that having small daily portions of coconut oil can lead to modest weight loss. Researchers are also currently studying whether coconut oil can help lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
  
  In the meantime, a good rule is to include this oil as one of the healthier fat options in a balanced diet, but use it in moderation to keep calorie counts in check.
• QWhat are some wheat products?

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  A Intermountain Healthcare answered

  The following names are different types of wheat you may see on a label:

  • All purpose flour
  • Bulgur
  • Bran
  • Bread crumbs
  • Cake flour
  • Cereal binding
  • Cereal extract
  • Couscous
  • Edible starch
  • Einkorn
  • Flour
  • Germ
  • Gluten
  • Graham flour
  • Gum base
  • Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
  • Hydrolyzed plant protein
  • Hydrolyzed wheat protein
  • Kamut
  • Modified food starch
  • Pasta flour
  • Semolina
  • Spelt
  • Triticale
  • Vegetable gums
  • Vegetable starch
  • Wheat
  • Wheat flour
  • Wheat germ
• QWhat are the health benefits of mushrooms?

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  A Dr. Michael T. Murray, ND , Naturopathic Medicine, answered

  For the past 30 or more years, phytochemicals found in mushrooms have been the object of anticancer research. Most of this research has centered on their polysaccharide and beta-glucan components. While most of this research has focused on shiitake, mistake, and reishi mushrooms, even the three common mushrooms have been shown to contain polysaccharide and beta-glucan components and anticancer properties.

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• QHow can I eat more vegetables if I don't like many of them?

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  A Keri Gans , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered

  Don’t focus on the veggies you don’t like. Just eat the ones you do like. For example, if you plan on pasta, top it with ratatouille, a kind of veggie stew that originated in the Provençal region of France. Tomatoes are a key ingredient, along with zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, carrots, and spices. The more room for veggies, the less room for the pasta.
  
  Also, think of the produce section as an uncharted island -- it can seem that way for those who don’t like vegetables -- and yourself as an adventurer. Explore the produce section, frozen-foods section, or canned veggie aisle for vegetables you’d like to try, whether fancy heirloom tomatoes, canned artichokes, collard greens, frozen baby brussels sprouts, or sugar snap peas.
  
  ’d also encourage you to scour the Internet for interesting low-fat, low-calorie veggie recipes that you can make in fifteen minutes or less. If you can put a pot of water on the stove, and put a steamer on top of that, voilà -- steamed veggies. If you can place cut-up mushrooms, zucchini, onions, and red peppers on a baking tray, and then spray them with canola oil spray, you can make roasted vegetables. Add some herbs and spices -- rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic, balsamic vinegar—and you’re well on your way to knowing how to prepare them in tasty and waist-trimming ways.

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