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4 Super-Healthy Foods

Healthy shoppingRaise your hand if you want to eat healthy.

Healthy eating isn’t just good for cinching your waistline — it’s great for overall health.

From glowing skin, to heart health, to maintaining healthy teeth and bones; eating foods packed with certain nutrients can also protect your immune system and fight infections.  It can boost your libido and decrease that lousy (LDL) cholesterol and boost your good (HDL) cholesterol.

Healthy eating shouldn’t be a struggle. It’s easy to get sucked into the marketing trap when you’re food shopping and you encounter all those in-store specials. Sometimes, those specials are just bad for your health. Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*

Eating Healthy: Try A Mediterranean “Wonder Food”

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA

Last week, I returned from Italy — Florence (Firenze) to be exact (a magical city in Tuscany) — only to realize how much I miss the delicious Mediterranean food. Trattorias (little informal restaurants) can be found along the cobblestone streets through the narrow alleyways. The trattorias boast magnificent Mediterranean cuisine — it’s healthy and ingredients are simple. Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*

The Friday Funny: Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Nutrition Update: Misconceptions, “Magical” Foods, And The Merits Of Fish

Photo of Nutritional Food

Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., R.D., Distinguished Professor of Nutrition (Department of Nutritional Sciences, Penn State University) about what she learned at the American Dietetic Association Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo in Chicago.

Please listen to the podcast here:  [audio:http://blog.getbetterhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/pennykrisetherton.mp3]

Penny’s take home messages:

1. Corn is not evil. The vegetable itself can be quite nutritious, though high fructose corn syrup is an empty calorie food additive.

2. There is no magic food that will melt your fat away.

3. There is no magic pill that will help you lose weight. You must decrease your calorie intake and increase your exercise.

4. Increasing protein a little bit can increase satiety.

5. Omega-3 fatty acids and iron can improve brain health.

6. Regular fatty fish consumption can reduce the risk of heart disease (2 servings/week).

7. Food first – try to get all your nutrients from the foods you consume. Consider vitamins and supplements only after you’ve been unable to get your dietary needs met from food.

8. Fish oil supplements are safe and pure. There are differences in the amount of omega-3 fatty acids that the supplements deliver, so read the label carefully.

9. A healthy diet is about eating a broad range of nutritious food (don’t scrimp on your veggies), it’s not about supplementing a poor diet with some supplements.

10. Accurate nutrition information is really important. Two trusted sources are: MyPyramid.gov and the American Heart Association

**Listen to the podcast**

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