Heart Health5 Tips to Prepare Healthy Meals Quickly
Do you need to get in and out of the kitchen fast? Here are 5 tips to speed up meal prep while still delivering a heart healthy meal:
- Purchase vegetables, such as baby carrots and salad greens, pre-washed and ready-to-eat.
- Select fruit packaged and pre-sliced.
- Use the microwave to cook vegetables quickly.
- Find recipes that require minimal cleaning and preparation of ingredients.
- Choose meats at the store with low levels of visible marbling (white, fatty streaks) to decrease time spent removing the fat.
If you have a good tip, feel free to share below!
All the best,
Lisa Nelson, RD
Lose WeightObesity Rates Have Stabilized
Researchers periodically evaluate data from NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey). Recently rates of obesity were compared over the past 50 years.
Between 1960-1980 the number of adults who were obese stayed relatively stable. Between 1976-1980 and 1988-1994 data the number of obese adults in the US increased 8 percentage points. Then between 1999-2000 data reported further increases in the number of U.S. obese adults.
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Continue readingLose Weight4 Diet Mistakes That Lead to Weight Gain
Aging throws some hurdles into your heart health and weight loss plans. For one your metabolism drops every decade as you age. Here are some mistakes to avoid if you want to see success:
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I had the opportunity to interview hypertension expert Dr. Mark Houston last month (February 2010). Here are three of the questions he answered.
Continue readingLower CholesterolCholesterol Medication, Grapefruit, and Fungi
Currently there are cholesterol medications that interact with grapefruit meaning individuals that are prescribed these medications need to avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice. There’s a component in grapefruit called furanocomarins (FCs) that interfere with the enzyme activity that metabolizes (breaksdown) certain medications. Therefore grapefruit can inhibit the medication from entering the bloodstream.
The USDA Agricultural Research Service found a fungus (Aspergillus niger) that will bind with FCs causing the component to be inactive. This may mean avoiding grapefruit may not be necessary in the future for individuals taking certain medications.
I’m curious to know your thoughts. I’m not so sure I like the idea of altering the FCs in grapefruit. Who knows if there is a benefit we haven’t learned yet related to FCs? Also, what if inhibiting FCs causing a new problem? Share your thoughts below!
Eight steps to lower your cholesterol
All the best,
Lisa Nelson, RD