Eat the right foods when you drink!

Drinking alcohol interferes with vitamin B absorption, especially thiamin. In heavy drinkers, this can lead to a deficiency called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome characterized by impaired memory, confusion, staggered walking and rapid eye movement. It is confusing to recognize as these symptoms are already common in drinkers.

Encourage any drinkers you know to be careful with their diets and take a B-1 supplement. Wernicke-Korsakoff is a severe problem that may be avoided by consuming the following rich sources of thiamin:

• Pork chops
• Brazil nuts
• Sunflower seeds
• Wheat germ
• Oatmeal
• Fortified breakfast cereals

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Hands, Elizabeth; Nutrients in Food. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000.

Insel, Paul, Turner, R. Elaine, Ross, Don; Discovering Nutrition. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2003

Falling asleep at 3pm?

Bagels, white bread, rice, pasta and sweets are sending us on a blood glucose roller coaster. When we eat these foods, our blood sugar spikes sky high. As a result our pancreas secretes tons of insulin which subsequently crashes blood sugar back down. These crashes make us tired, hungry and ironically, give us cravings for more sweets and carbohydrates.

Whole grains and specifically insoluble fiber (wheat bran, soy fiber, millet, beans, nuts) are the keys to keeping your energy steady and controlling cravings though the day.

Take these steps to steady your energy:

• Count your fiber for a day. You should get 25-30 grams dietary fiber each day. Make sure it is distributed through the day as opposed to just eating 1 bowl of Fiber One™ Cereal.
• Eat raw fruits and nuts for snacks (e.g., an apple and 15 raw almonds; half cup blueberries + oz walnuts).
• Slow-cook onions, bell pepper and black beans in a crock pot with Goya™ seasoning and serve with brown rice. Or get a naked burrito from Chipotle or Qdoba; go light on rice and cheese, but load it up with lettuce and salsa.
• Chose whole-wheat bread with 3-5g fiber/slice. Eat a sandwich each day:

1. Roasted turkey with sprouts, tomato and avocado.

2. Tuna salad with low-fat mayo, baby spinach and red onion.

3. Peanut butter and jelly.

Want to trim your abs? Eat more whole grains!

Recent research out of Penn State showed dieters who eat whole grains lose more fat from their abdomens than dieters eating refined carbohydrates.

Dieters ate either refined carbohydrates (white bread, rice, pasta, etc) or whole-grain carbohydrates. Everyone ate 1550-1800 calories per day. Both groups averaged 8-12lbs weight loss over the 12-week study. However, the whole-grain group lost more of the dangerous fat from their midsections. Furthermore, only the whole grain eaters lowered their c-reactive protein, an inflammatory measure linked to heart attacks, stroke, hypertension and diabetes.

To enhance your diet’s effect on your abs, follow these rules:

• Read ingredient labels on bread, rolls, pasta and cereal – make sure whole wheat, whole oat or another whole grain is the first ingredient. If it says “enriched wheat flour” toss it back.
• Make sure carbohydrate foods give you three or more grams dietary fiber for every 100 calories.
• Switch from white to brown rice. (Trader Joe's carries a 3-min microwavable brown rice in their frozen section.)
• Eat oatmeal, popcorn & whole-wheat pasta.

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Katcher, H, et.al., The effects of whole grain-enriched hypocaloric diet on cardiovascular disease risk factors in men and women with metabolic syndrome, Am J Clin Nutr 2008:87:79-90
“Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter”, May 2008

www.wikipedia.org

Before I was even a twinkle in my father’s eye, my mom took folate.

If you are thinking of becoming pregnant, if it is even remotely possible, or if you know a young mother-to-be, think folate.

Between the 14th and 30th day after conception – long before a woman even realizes she is pregnant – folate helps prevent a spine-damaging birth defect called neural tube defects (NTD). Babies born with NTD suffer paralysis, lack of bowel control and may have smaller-than-normal brains. Sadly, NTD affects 4,000 pregnancies yearly in the US alone, even though good folate status all but guarantees prevention.

Please spread the word. Inform women who are trying to conceive to consider taking 400mcg folate or folic acid daily. Most pre-natal vitamins do the trick. Send your friends and family this update or connect them with: www.BetterLivingNewsBites.blogspot.com

Miracle berries lower risk of heart disease.

Scientists in Finland discovered eating just 5.25oz of a combination of berries daily lowered blood pressure, raised HDL (good cholesterol) and reduced platelet function. Participants reduced all three of these heart attack risk factors in only 8 weeks of berry eating.

The study looked at berries common to Finland – bilberries, lingonberries, chokeberries, black currants, strawberries and raspberries. However, the researchers suspect that the wide range of polyphenols, natural plant substances in berries, are responsible for the effects. If you cannot get your hands on bilberries and lingonberries, try blueberries and cranberries as a substitute. Eat a wide range of berries with some frequency. Use these strategies:

• Sprinkle dried cranberries on your breakfast cereal.
• Spread raspberry/blackberry puree on toast and sandwiches.
• Enjoy a bowl of blueberries with a dollop of low-fat vanilla yogurt.
• Layer fresh berries on your next peanut butter sandwich.

If you know someone with high blood pressure or cholesterol, please forward them this message. They can receive these updates free by signing up at http://www.betterlivingnewsbites.blogspot.com/.

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www.americanheart.org
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/bilberry-000225.htm
Favorable effects of berry consumption on platelet function, blood pressure, and HDL cholesterol Erlund et al. Am J Clin Nutr 2008;87:323-31