1. Oats vs Oat Bran- Many people know that Oats are a healthy breakfast choice. I used to eat oatmeal every morning and load it up with super-foods (hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seed), fruits, and cinnamon and honey. Yes, this is still a healthy option, however I was recently introduced to Oat Bran by my boyfriend. I decided to do some research on this and was so surprised at the differences I found in Oat Bran as opposed to Rolled Oats. Here is a side by side comparison of OatBran as compared to Oats per 1/2 cup: This information is according to
Quaker Oats.
Nutritional Values Oatmeal Oat Bran
Carbohydrates: 27g 25g
Fiber: 4g 6g
Soluble Fiber: 2g 3g
Protein: 5g 7g
Calcium: 0% 2%
Iron: 10% 20%
Thiamin: 2% 25%
Phosphorus: 0% 25%
Riboflavin: 2% 6%
Magnesium: 0% 20%
Zinc: 0% 10%
After finding this information, I have incorporated Oat Bran into my daily Breakfast. My typical breakfast consists of Oat Bran topped with cinnamon and SF syrup (or honey) and a one egg & egg whites omelet with salsa, veggies, and hot sauce! It is so good that I literally eat it every morning and never get bored with the taste.
2. Dirty Dozen & the Clean 15
Below are a list of the foods that you should always buy organic due to their high pesticide use. If you can't buy all organic produce, you should at least buy theses 15 (plus 2 new) organic.
2013 Dirty Dozen List
1. Apples
2. Strawberries
3. Grapes
4. Celery
5. Peaches
6. Spinach
7. Sweet Bell Peppers
8. Nectarines
9. Cucumbers
10. Potatoes
11. Cherry Tomatoes
12. Hot Peppers
2013 Clean 15 List
This produce is associated with the least amount of pesticide contamination. If you can't afford to buy organic but want to be exposed to the least amount of possible pesticides, these 15 fruits and vegetables are what you should ompt for to buy not organic.
1. Mushrooms
2. Sweet Potatoes
3. Cantaloupe
4. Grapefruit
5. Kiwi
6. Eggplant
7. Aspatagus
8. Mangoes
9. Papayas
10. Sweet Peas- frozen
11. Cabbage
12. Avocados
13. Pineapple
14. Onions
15. Corn
3. Farm raised salmon vs. wild caught salmon-
Confession: I used to eat farm raised salmon just about every other night. I figured that with salmon being my favorite food and with it be considered one of the healthiest fish you can eat that nothing was wrong with farm raised salmon. WRONG. To my surprise, after doing my research I found out that it is better to not eat salmon at all than to eat farm raised salmon (in my opinion). Farm raised fish was developed to meet the growing demands of fish. Now, due to the compact living and feeding conditions, farm raised salmon and fish have more diseases, toxins, artificial dyes, antibiotics, and fat. Does that sound appetizing to you?? Just wait..
Here are some additional characteristics of farm raised salmon:
- lower levels of Omega 3s, proteins, and higher levels of fat
- fed fishmeal that is conventionally grown containing GMOs, pesticides, & herbicides.
- intended to have lower levels of mercury but actually have just as much mercury as wild caught
- PCBs (highly toxic compounds) are 8 times more present in farm raised salmon
- Diseases, pests, & lice usually present. Given high doses of antibiotics to try to control these diseases
- Disease & Waste pollute our ecosystem
4. Low Fat, Fat Free, & Sugar Free
These are the common "diet" terms. When I was going to low a point in my life, I was a cardio queen and was all about the low fat, fat free, & sugar free manufactured products. Truth is.. once again I my perception on these food was 100% wrong.
Let's start with fat free/ reduced fat. When something is fat free, you have to assume that they are adding something back to make the food taste good because taking away the fat also takes away a lot of what gives the food flavor. Typically this means adding high amounts of carbs and sodium. Look at peanut butter for instance. Regular peanut butter is 16g fat and 7g carbs per serving. Reduced fat is 12g of fat and 16g of carbs per serving. So although you are losing those 4g of fat you are gaining 9g of carbs!! Also, take a look at a reduced fat cheese stick for instance. A reduced fat cheese stick can have up to 430mg of sodium!! Say whatttt? And that's for ONE cheese stick. Point Made.
Now, sugar free. When sugar is removed from something it is typically replaced with a sugar substitute. Just because the word sugar is not in the ingredients does not mean that your food/ drink does not have some form of sugar in it. The FDA approved 4 sugar substitutes that can be put in your food and drink.
-Saccharin (Sweet n Low)
-Aspartame
-Acesulfame-K
-Sucralose (splenda)
Some other forms of sugar that may be in your "sugar free" foods and drinks.
- Corn Syrup (Sugar produced from starch)
- Dextrin
- Dextrose (Glucose)
- Fructose
- High- fructose corn sypur
- Honey
- Lactose (milk sugar)
- Sucrose (table sugar)
If it is sweet, it probably has some form of sugar in it. Just read your labels and be careful because some sugar alcohols can create a craving for more sugar. I would recommend stevia as the best sugar replacement. "Stevia is a South American herb used as a natural sweetener for centuries. The leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant have a refreshing taste, zero glycemic index, zero calories and zero carbs. It is 25-30 time sweeter than sugar, and far more healthy!"
Stevia.com
