When you peel fruits and vegetables you throw away a large chunk of its nutritional value. Such as a large dietary fiber loss when you throw out an apple skin, along with vitamin C, and various other minerals.

You may be tempted to throw out produce skins due to pesticides. Instead opt to thoroughly wash your produce to remove potential contaminants. If you are especially concerned, consider buying organic produce.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson, RD
eNutritionServices

Are you a die hard fan of ice berg lettuce? Iceberg lettuce is a source of vitamins A, C, K, and B6; along with some fiber, potassium, and folate. This probably sounds great, but compared to romaine lettuce, iceberg falls short nutritionally.

Romaine lettuce has 7 times more vitamin A than iceberg lettuce and about twice the amount of calcium and potassium. Also, dark leafy greens contain the antioxidant beta carotene. Antioxidants help protect against inflammatory disorders, such as heart disease.

So, next time you make a salad, by-pass the iceberg and reach for the leafy romaine.

Be sure to sign-up for The Heart of Health and grab your special report “Stop Wasting Money – Take Control of Your Health”!

A reader from The Heart of Health, Jessica, sent in a question about omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. If you are struggling with weight loss, you should visit Jessica’s blog allabouthabits.com, for some weight loss motivation. She openly shares her weight loss struggles.

The question:

About omega 3′s and 6′s, I heard that they should be taken together, and not just having one omega 3 or omega 6 alone. It has something to do with digestion and breakdown process. Is that right?

The answer:

There are two types of fatty acids – essential and non-essential. The body can synthesize non-essential fatty acids, while the only way we get essential fatty acids is from what we eat. Omega 3 and Omega 6 are both essential fatty acids – we must get them from foods and/or supplements.

Omega 3 – ALA, EPA, and DHA are all acronyms that represent omega 3 fatty acids. If we consume ALA, our body will convert it to EPA and DHA.

Omega 6 – Omega 6 is also known as linoleic acid.  Linoleic acid is converted to GLA, another omega 6 fatty acid, in the body. GLA and EPA (an omega 3 fatty acid) work together to promote bone and heart health.

So, yes, omega 3 and omega 6 work together and both are needed for bodily functions.

But, omega 6 does not require supplementation. The typical American diet is very high is omega 6 fatty acids. A main source of omega 6 fatty acids is corn oil, which is very prevalent in our society. Other sources include sunflower oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, pistachio nuts, and pumpkin seeds.

The ideal ratio between omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids should be 1:1 or 4:1. A typical diet in the U.S. is 11:1 to 30:1. This poor ratio is linked with heart disease, among several other health issues.

Certain conditions can interfere with the conversion of linoleic acid to GLA, such as advanced age, excess alcohol consumption, viral infections, and various other factors.  In these situations a GLA deficiency would be present and supplementing the GLA omega 6 fatty acid would be beneficial.  However, this is not the case for the majority.

To reduce heart disease risk you want to increase the amount of omega 3 fatty acids in your diet and decrease omega 6’s. Omega 3 is a common deficiency in the U.S.

Omega 3 and omega 6 are both essential fatty acids and work together to promote health. However, if you follow a typical U.S. diet, you want to increase your omega 3 intake and decrease your omega 6 intake. Therefore, supplementing omega 3 AND omega 6 is not beneficial.

I hope my answer has not confused you more! I will be publishing at least two more articles this summer related to fatty acids.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Be Heart Healthy and Lose Weight

Ensure your success with lower cholesterol levels, high blood pressure control, and weight loss by knowing how to achieve change!

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Hi everyone,

I have decided to take this blog in a new direction.  I am launching an ezine – The Heart of Health – this coming Saturday (May 3rd).  This ezine will include a note from myself, weight loss and heart health information, and eNutritionServices program highlights. 

Exclusive to subscribers is the free report “Stop Wasting Money – Take Control of Your Health”  Learn to make your goals a reality!  If you would like to subscribe, go to http://www.lisanelsonrd.com/hearthealth.html and subscribe to The Heart of Health.

I will be using this blog as an extension of my ezine, where I can provide additional information and photos.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson, RD, LN

Holidays are especially tricky when it comes to sticking to healthy eating.  All that candy. . . .I had a challenge this year trying to figure out how to do a fun Easter egg hunt for my two year-old that didn’t include candy in every egg.  I liked the idea I came up with so much I decided to share it.  We (my husband and I) got her a Dr. Seuss book.  I scanned the cover and printed it off on cardstock.  We then cut the picture into 9 large puzzle pieces.  Put a piece in each egg and after she found all the eggs containing pieces she put the puzzle together and received the actual book!  She had fun and I was happy she didn’t receive a ton of candy (we still included candy in a few eggs).

Hope you enjoyed your holiday:)

Lisa Nelson, RD, LN

What is one thing you would like to learn about nutrition?  Do you have a question related to heart health, weight loss, or some other nutrition related issue?  Submit your question for possible answer in this blog or The Heart of Health ezine.

Easter is just around the corner.  I hope you all have a great holiday!

Lisa Nelson, RD, LN

March is National Nutrition Month – Are you thinking about what you are eating?

I wanted to add a quick note to my blog about a free gift I am offering this month for new clients that sign up for the Balance Program.  The Balance Program provides clients with 9 weeks of nutrition coaching.  Weekly topics include:

• Lose weight without diets or counting calories
• What foods to eat to lose weight, reduce aging, and boost your energy
• Simple ways to balance your meals for weight loss
• Strategies to improve your metabolic rate
• How much and what kind of exercise you need
• How to tackle emotional eating
• Healthy convenience foods
• Scanning food labels for the healthiest products
• And more!

When you sign up during the month of March you will receive The Journey from Comfort to Possibilities by Stefanie Zizzo.  This gift is valued at $29.95.  So, if you are looking for help with balancing your food choices, check out the Balance Program further at http://eNutritionServices.com/weightloss.html.

This seems to be an area of confusion for many people. Some swear by butter only and others opt for margarine. Who is right? It is time to clear up the confusion.

First of all, both are fats. Therefore, the number of calories in 1 tsp of butter is equal to the number of calories in 1 tsp of margarine. The difference is the type of fat they each contain.

Butter consists of saturated fat. Saturated fat is found mainly in animal sources. Sources of saturated fat include meat, milk, cheese, ice cream, shortening, lard, coconut oil, and palm oil. The more saturated fat a product contains the more solid it will be at room temperature. For example, a stick of butter has more saturated fat than tub butter. Saturated fat leads to increased cholesterol levels.

Margarine is made of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Vegetable oils are unsaturated. Unsaturated fats are better for our health than saturated. The key words to make note of are “partially hydrogenated”. To make oils solid, hydrogen is added resulting in a trans fatty acid byproduct. These trans fatty acids have given margarine a bad rap, because they are just as bad for our cholesterol levels as saturated fat. So what is the solution? Read labels when you are shopping. As of January 2006, all packaged food products must list the content of trans fats on the nutrition fact panel. Therefore, check the margarine food label to make sure trans fats equal zero. Some products have also added a label that states “no trans fat” or “trans fat free”.

Regardless of which you choose, margarine or butter, you still need to limit the amount you add to foods. One tablespoon of margarine or butter equals approximately 100 calories.

Bottom Line: Margarine is the better choice over butter for your health. Select margarine’s that have zero trans fats. Even better, opt for a “light” margarine with “no trans fats”.

Let’s start with what you should know about flaxseed to make sure you are getting the most from this supplement.

Flaxseed is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.  Omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to decreased risk of developing heart disease.  Most American’s consume a diet high in omega 6 fatty acids (corn oil, beef, and chicken).  The goal is not to switch completely to omega 3’s only, but to improve the ratio by increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids.  One option to do so is by adding flaxseeds to your diet.

You can buy flaxseed two different ways – whole seed or ground.  In order for the body to utilize the omega-3 fatty acids, flaxseed must be ground.  If the flaxseed is not ground it passes straight through the body without being absorbed.  Flaxseed is high in fiber, so by ingesting whole flaxseed you have increased your fiber intake, which is beneficial, but if you grind your flaxseed you will have the added benefit of increasing your omega-3 fatty acid intake.  Using a coffee grinder is a simple way to grind your flaxseeds.  Another option is to purchase flaxseed already ground.  Flaxseed has a tendency to go rancid, for this reason keep ground seeds refrigerated.  You can increase your intake by adding flaxseed to foods during preparation, such as spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, chili, hot cereal, muffins, pancakes, and yogurt.