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Hello,

It can be hard to eat healthy.  This article gives us some tips on how to get more veggies in our diets.  Please enjoy.

5
Ways to Sneak More Veggies Into Your Diet

By Appetite for Health

July 24, 2012

Sometimes when asked what I do for a living, my response is:
“I tell people to eat more vegetables.” Of course there is much more
to what I do as a nutritionist… and much more to healthy eating than that… but consuming more
vegetables is one of the most important steps in improving the quality of your
diet. For all the excesses in the current American food culture—too much sodium, saturated fat, and calories, for
example—few people are over consuming veggies. In fact, surveys show that 68
percent of Americans do not meet the minimal guidelines for vegetable
consumption (three servings daily). Only 26 percent of the nation’s adults eat
vegetables three or more times a day and just 23 percent of meals include a
vegetable.

This is despite clear evidence that vegetables can improve our
chances of better health. Studies show that a diet rich in vegetables may
reduce risk for heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancers. Vegetables high in
potassium may lower blood pressure.

Veggies are also one of your best allies in the battle against
“the bulge.” Because they are lower in calories per cup, when you eat
them in place of other higher-calorie foods you can lower your total calorie
intake. Research shows that in addition, their high water and fiber content can help keep you fuller for longer, reducing the likelihood
of overeating.

Given their importance to your overall health, eating more veggies
should be a top priority. Try these tips to ensure you’re getting enough:

1. Start a garden. Over the
years, I have found that one of the best ways to get people excited about
eating vegetables is to have them grow their own. Research studies have
supported my observation: Young or old, gardeners have been found to consume
more veggies than non-gardeners. The simple act of gardening connects us to the
earth, the soil, and the food we eat. Few can resist nature’s bounty when it’s
springing up right in your own yard. Plus there is nothing like the taste and
freshness of veggies straight from the garden.

Don’t have space for a garden? Many local urban centers have
thriving community gardens. Find one in your area and ask to volunteer.

2. Veggies for breakfast . For
breakfast? You bet! Your morning meal is the perfect place to get a jumpstart
on your daily veggie servings. Stuff an omelet with broccoli, spinach, peppers, asparagus, or any other vegetable
that suits your taste buds.

Short on time? Scramble your eggs with a half-cup of salsa. Roll
it into a whole-grain tortilla and take it with you as you fly out the door.

3. Soups. Add more
flavor and nutrition to your favorite soups with veggies. Many homemade soups
already contain a nice amount of vegetables, but you can bump up the veggie
servings in canned soups too. I love adding carrots to chicken noodle soup, and
edamame or green beans to minestrone. Just add the raw or frozen vegetables
while you are cooking or heating the soup. And don’t forget that leafy greens
such as kale, Swiss chard, and spinach make great additions too.

4. Don’t forget frozen. If your
response to the idea of “starting a garden” was laughter, this tip is
for you. You don’t have to become Farmer of the Year to get more veggies in your diet. If time is tight or if
convenience is an issue, don’t overlook frozen vegetables. I love them because
I can store them in my freezer and don’t have to worry about multiple trips to
the grocery store on a weekly basis. This way I always have veggies in the
house to cook.

Concerned that frozen veggies aren’t as nutritious as fresh? According to the International Food
Information Council, frozen produce is virtually identical in terms of
nutrition to fresh produce. Vegetables chosen for freezing tend to be processed
at their peak ripeness, a time when—as a general rule—they are most
nutrient-packed. The “flash-freezing” process tends to leave them in
a nutrient-rich state. Fresh produce loses vital nutrients and vitamins as soon
as it’s harvested, and it can then take nearly two weeks to arrive on
supermarket shelves. So by the time you buy it and eat it, the nutrient value
of your vegetables may be diminished.

5. Move your veggies to the
top shelf of the refrigerator. You’ve heard of “out
of sight, out of mind” right? Try doing the opposite. As long as they are
bagged properly, veggies will last as well as if in a vegetable crisper. Keep
fast-to-eat vegetables like baby carrots, precut red and green pepper strips,
broccoli florets, tomatoes, and cucumbers as accessible as possible so you can
quickly grab them for snacking and meal prep.

Hungry for more? Write to
eatandrun@usnews.com with your questions, concerns, and feedback.

Katherine Brooking, MS, RD,
is a registered dietitian
with a master’s degree in nutrition education from Columbia University. She is
a frequent nutrition contributor to top-tier national morning shows including
the Today show, Live with Regis and Kelly, The Early Show on CBS, Good Morning
America Health, as well as dozens of local affiliate stations across the
country.

Hello,
Do you eat enough fiber in your diet?  Research shows that eating the right fiber may prolong your life.  Please enjoy the article.

Could Getting More Fiber Help You Live Longer?
Getting enough fiber—and the right kind—may prevent early death
By ANGELA HAUPT , KATHERINE HOBSON
Posted: February 14, 2011
Hear fiber and you probably think of bran cereal, which doesn’t exactly make you salivate. But new research suggests more fiber could equal more years. Analyzing data from nearly 400,000 men and women ages 50 to 71, researchers found that those who consumed the most fiber were 22 percent less likely to die from any cause during the nine years they were studied. Men were 24 to 56 percent and women 34 to 59 percent less likely to die of heart and infectious or respiratory diseases, according to findings from the National Institutes of Health’s AARP Diet and Health Study, published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Why fiber reduces the risk of early death is unclear. Perhaps it’s because fiber lowers levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, improves blood glucose levels, reduces inflammation, and binds to potential cancer-causing agents, helping to flush them out of the body, says lead author Yikyung Park, a staff scientist at the National Cancer Institute.
What is clear, however, is that participants only benefited when fiber came from grains, like oatmeal, cornmeal, and brown rice. Fiber from fruits, vegetables, and beans had no impact on death risk. “Whole grains are rich sources of fiber, but also good sources of vitamins, minerals, and other phytochemicals that may provide health benefits,” Park says. And grains have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties—another reason researchers say grain fiber is beneficial.

Clearly, “all fibers are not created equal,” cautions James Anderson, an endocrinologist at the University of Kentucky-Lexington. “Different fibers have different properties.” And while the latest study emphasizes grain fiber, past studies have found that fiber from fruits and vegetables can benefit heart health.
Here’s a field guide to fiber sources:
Soluble fiber: Foods high in soluble fiber, so called because of its ability to dissolve readily in liquids—include oat bran, oatmeal, beans, peas, rice bran, barley, citrus fruits, strawberries, and apple pulp, according to the American Heart Association. Soluble fibers have been linked to lower levels of “bad” cholesterol. Viscous fibers found in foods like oat bran and beans seem to work particularly well because they form a gel in the gut that slows down fat formation and absorption, says Joanne Slavin, a professor of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota and author of the American Dietetic Association’s 2008 position paper on dietary fiber. (The Food and Drug Administration allows heart disease health claims for oats, barley, and psyllium, the fiber found in Metamucil.) Soluble fibers also regulate blood glucose levels, says Anderson. But most soluble fibers, except psyllium, don’t have the laxative effects that many people associate with fiber, so don’t rely on them for that purpose.

Insoluble fiber: High levels of insoluble fiber, too, have been associated with a lower risk of heart disease—perhaps through other mechanisms. So while there’s an ongoing debate over which types of fiber confer which heart-protective benefits, the take-home is that no one should rely solely on soluble fibers to get the maximal heart benefit. The AHA lists whole-wheat breads, wheat cereals, wheat bran, cabbage, beets, carrots, brussels sprouts, turnips, cauliflower, and apple skin as foods high in this type of fiber. Unlike soluble fiber, it doesn’t dissolve in liquids or form a gel but instead passes through the digestive tract pretty much unchanged. Because insoluble fiber hustles things along in the digestive tract, it’s also a good source of relief if you’re constipated. In addition, insoluble fiber (and to some extent, the soluble kind) may help you feel fuller and possibly help weight control.

Resistant starch and others: The starch products not digested in the small intestine “fit the newer definitions of fiber,” says Slavin. They’re found in legumes as well as starches like potatoes, pasta, and rice that have been cooked and cooled (as in potato or pasta salad, or sushi), and barely ripe bananas. And they’re also being added to foods to increase fiber content without affecting taste, as well as to reduce caloric density; a product called Hi-maize, for example, is added to pastas and energy bars. In addition, resistant starch is a “prebiotic” that, when fermented in the large intestine, increases beneficial bacteria, says Hope Warshaw, a nutritionist and author of the Real-Life Guide to Diabetes. (She’s also a consultant to National Starch, the maker of Hi-maize.) It doesn’t, however, seem to have the cardiovascular effects of other soluble fibers, says Anderson.
This article was originally published on 5/5/2009. It has been updated.