Simple And Healthy Eating - News Digest March 23, 2024

As you can see, I’m changing the format of my blog just a bit, to reflect current news items related to simple and healthy eating. As you will notice, much of what is in the news on this topic backs up what I’ve written here on this blog in previous posts. But let’s see what’s being noticed and documented around the country and the world.

Best Varieties of Berries to Eat For Health

Registered dietitians have something to say about berries, according to this article on the website realsimple.com. The eight berries they mention as being super healthy are: blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, acai berries, mulberries, strawberries, cranberries, and goji berries. (What are “mulberries?” I’ve never seen them in any store, as far as I know…)

In addition: frozen berries are, for all practical purposes, just as healthy as fresh berries. Can you eat too many berries? Probably not. They are one of the “super-est” superfoods! (There I just added a word to the English language…) Full of amazing antioxidants and great for your skin.

From a budget-friendly point of view, unless you own a berry farm, blueberries are undoubtedly one of the least expensive berries, and the berry my wife and I have counted on for years to get our daily berry quotient. Costco is your friend when it comes to buying frozen berries – high-quality and relatively inexpensive.

Carbs and Your Digestive Tract

Are carbs good for you? That all depends on what kind of carbs we’re talking about, according to this article in Health Digest. There are simple carbs and there are complex carbs. Some carbs digest quickly, and some carbs don’t digest until they get into the large intestine. The complex and slow-to-digest carbs are the ones to go for.

The fact is that complex carbs like brown rice, whole-grain bread, bananas, beans, apples, carrots, potatoes, and peas have a lot of fiber, which is essential for a healthy digestive system. A diet that virtually eliminates carbs is also a diet likely to virtually eliminate fiber. So don’t believe all the fad diets that talk about eating almost nothing but protein and fat. The right kind of carbs are great! That’s my opinion and experience, for sure – but the value of complex carbs also seems to be backed by research.

Eating Just One Avocado a Day…

…could add years to your life, according to an article on the earth.com website. It seems this information came from a study done at Penn State University’s Department of Nutritional Sciences. In this study, they took 1008 people and put half on a limited avocado diet, and the other half on a “one avocado per day” diet for 26 weeks. The people who ate one avocado per day not only got the nutritional benefits of avocado, they also tended to eat less other unhealthy snacks. It seems the avocado may have eliminated some of the craving for unhealthy snacks.

Avocados are “packed with fiber, vitamins E, C, B6, and potassium.” So replacing other snacks with an avocado could very well be a primary contributing factor in your overall health.

Is Intermittent Fasting Really All That Great?

I haven’t written much about intermittent fasting in this blog, although it is a simple and popular way people have been using as a weight loss strategy.

However, according to a study by the American Heart Association, as documented in an article on CNET, you have a 91% greater chance of dying from cardiovascular disease if you limit your eating window to eight hours or less per day. They were quick to point out, however, that it isn’t necessarily the intermittent fasting that caused the deaths, but some associated factors that may have played a role, like disordered eating patterns and mental health challenges. So they’re not saying don’t do intermittent fasting, but also don’t automatically assume it’s a good way of eating for you, just because it’s a popular plan.

It’s an option, not the only option.

A Colon Cancer Doctor on Preventing Colon Cancer

So what does a colon cancer doctor recommend if you want to prevent colon cancer? This is according to an article on Yahoo! News. Dr. Michael Shusterman, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center on Long Island, recommends three things in particular, which he also tries to follow in his personal life.

Eat less red meat. There is a strong correlation between eating red meat and colon cancer. Especially when red meat is cooked, carcinogenic substances are created that can wreak havoc on a digestive system. His suggestion: make red meat a treat, not a dietary staple. Eat chicken or fish instead.
Eat more tree nuts. This would include nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, and macadamia nuts. Even though there is mixed data on this, the good doctor feels like there is enough positive association between tree nuts and not dying of colon cancer, that we should incorporate them into our diet.
Get enough Vitamin D. Dr. Shusterman notes there are studies indicating that getting enough Vitamin D has a positive effect when it comes to preventing colon cancer. He takes 1000 to 2000 mg per day.

From a budget-friendly perspective, not eating red meat is very budget-friendly, meat is not even close to cheap! Nuts are relatively cheap at Costco, but there’s enough good to be said about nuts on all fronts that you really can’t go far wrong adding nuts to your diet. That’s my personal opinion, but one that’s backed up by studies, too.

Keeping Your Immunity Levels Up…

During the recent virus event, boosting immunity was one of the top concerns for millions of people. Now that that’s kind of “over,” we shouldn’t just go back to being our normally unconcerned previous selves! There are all kinds of diseases out there, and we need to keep our immunity as high as we can. The New York Daily News has an article on the 10 best foods to boost your immunity.

What are these foods, in a “nutshell?” They are: