Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
The Greatness of Green Tea!!! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Green tea is everywhere these days! Green tea is found in everything from tea bags to lattes and even ice cream! But as we all know these forms are chock full of sugar and additives …
FRUITS~NATURE’S TREAT By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Fruit is one of those groups that we all know and love. In my experience, it’s always that food that most people don’t seem to have problems getting into their daily diet. However, let’s explore this …
MY PLATE~OUR DIET GUIDELINE AND FOUNDATION FOR HEALTH
By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT
March is National Nutrition Month so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to go back to basics. We all remember when we were growing up and learning about the food pyramid in school. It taught us about the different kinds of foods and how much to eat. Let’s now return to that simpler time and discuss MyPlate.
Every so often, the USDA (United Stated Department of Agriculture) re-evaluates and makes updates or modifications to the food pyramid. This happened a few years ago and they released MyPlate. This show use what is recommended we eat for a healthy diet. While there are guidelines specifically for such things like vegan, vegetarian or even heart hearth, let’s just focus on the traditional and basic MyPlate for this discussion.
MyPlate features the five basic food groups, which include vegetables, fruits, proteins, grains and dairy. They’ve sectioned out a plate to show us what they recommend for a health balanced diet. For example, you’ll see on the image above how it’s recommended that have of your daily intake should consist of fruits and vegetables, with more vegetables than fruit. Keep in mind that these are basic guidelines and may be adjusted depending on one’s specific needs, like vegan diets or if someone is diabetic.
You’ll notice a few groups are missing from MyPlate. These are such things like fats, sugar and even water. While these are important dietary topics, they aren’t considered food groups, and MyPlate concentrates on the five basic food groups. These sub-groups (as I like to call them) are definitely important, and we will discuss them more in depth this month.
Something I do want to add to this is discussion on healthy dietary guidelines to the addition of a multivitamin. These can help enhance the good eating habits we establish for ourselves based on the My Plate recommendations. But which is best? Let’s look at the options.
DAILY MULTIVITAMIN with GRAPE SEED EXTRACT: This is a very basic and easy to take multivitamin. Due to only needing to take one a day, I like to recommend this for anyone new to multivitamins or teens who are just needing a little extra nutrients throughout the day.
MULTI ENERGY POWDER: This is a multivitamin that is very easy to take, as it comes in a powder and just needs to be mixed into water. I like this for any adult, particularly those who just don’t want or like to take too many pills.
CORE MULTIVITAMIN: This is the classic, comprehensive multivitamin. It is made up of a wide variety of essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It’s a great all around choice for any adult.
CORE MEMORY MULTIVITAMIN: This is a new formula that is for those individuals looking for a good multivitamin as well as support for healthy brain and memory function. This is the classic Core Multivitamin with Choline, Ginkgo Leaf Powder and Lithium (as Lithium orotate) added.
MEN’S MULTIVITAMIN: This is a multivitamin specifically made for the needs of men in mind. It is the Core Multivitamin with Maca, Quercetin, Black Cumin Seed and Beta-Sitosterol added. I like to recommend this for men over the age of 40 to help support their specific needs like prostate health and healthy libido.
PERFORMANCE MULTIVITAMIN: This multivitamin was designed for those individuals that lead an active lifestyle or are looking to help support their energy levels. The Performance starts with the Core Multivitamin and adds Rhodiola Rosea Root and Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) to help with energy and endurance. I like this for adults that need a little extra pick-me-up to get through the day.
WOMEN’S MULTIVITAMIN: This multivitamin was made for the unique needs of women. The Core Multivitamin came together with Iron, Collagen Hydrolysate, Purple Corn Flower and Diindolymethane (DIM) to not only supply vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, but to also address healthy iron levels, immune system connective and breast tissues. I like to recommend this for any women still experiencing menses.
As you can see, the foundation of a healthy diet starts with our meals as outlined by MyPlate and then can be enhanced by the right multivitamin. I look forward to getting in depth all month long discussing each food group and “sub-group”. We’ll be seeing how much we need of each and compare the best choices versus what to watch out for. A perfect way to begin spring!
www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/what-is-myplate
www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/multivitamin/
Heart Health: The Complete Summary Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND I hope this series on heart health has been both informative and interesting! While I took the time in this series to review some rather severe heart conditions I also wanted to do a quick …
Reds Hx… for our heart! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND I wanted to talk about Reds Hx next because it’s really the perfect partner to Greens Hx. Since Reds Hx is so full of heart healthy nutrients I am going to jump right into things …
FEBRUARY~LOVE AND HEARTS…THE RECIPES
By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT
February is an interesting month. Not only is it Valentine’s Day which is always full of love but it’s also heart health awareness month….quite fitting if you ask me. Let’s spend this month together discussing love and the heart.
Let’s begin with the perfect Valentine’s Day dinner menu. These are all great recipes that not only contain healthy foods for the heart, but are also said to aphrodisiac-like effects (foods that are said to increase blood flow and libido…more on this in our next article), making this a perfect Valentine’s Day menu. This is great to share with a special someone or for a Valentine’s Day get-together.
BEET AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD
2 Golden Beets
2 oz. Plain Goat Cheese, softened
2 scoops Beets Hx
1 cup Arugula
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus a little extra
Sea Salt
Fresh Black Pepper
Preheat oven to 400′. Cut off both ends of the beets, including the green tops. Peel off skin and cut beet into six wedges. Repeat with the other beet. Add beet wedges, a tablespoon of olive oil, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to a sheet of parchment paper, toss together and fold up. Place package on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until beets are soft.
Blend goat cheese and Beets Hx until well combined. Make six dollops per plate, about an inch apart. Once beets are done, set them aside to cool slightly. As they are cooling, toss arugula with a drizzle of olive oil. Next, place a beet wedge on each dollop of goat cheese and add arugula between each beet stack. Serve and enjoy!
BONUS PAIRING:
WINE~Try a Sauvignon Blanc 2 oz.
MOCKTAIL~Try mixing 1 oz. cherry juice with water and pour over ice
TUNA STEAK with LEMONY ASPARAGUS
2 Tuna Steaks, 4 oz. Each
1 bundle Large Asparagus stalks
2 teaspoons capers
2 capsules Turmeric with Ginger
2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus extra
Juice of a lemon
Sea Salt
Fresh Black Pepper
Preheat oven to 400′. Take an asparagus stalk and snap off the bottom, leaving the green stalk and “tree top” for to prep. Cut the asparagus stalks so all are the same size and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the juice of a lemon, contents of two capsules of Turmeric with Ginger. Mix together until combined. Add in the capers.
Add asparagus to a baking dish and sprinkle with a dash of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Pour lemon juice mixture over asparagus and lightly toss. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until asparagus is tender.
While asparagus is baking, massage both side of the tuna steaks with olive oil and season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Heat a nonstick pan on medium high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Once hot, add tuna steaks and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Place a tuna steak and half the asparagus and each plate, serve and enjoy!
BONUS PAIRING:
WINE~Try a dry Rosé 2 oz.
MOCKTAIL~Try mixing 1 oz. cranberry juice with water and pour over ice…bonus points if you add in the contents of a Cranberry Extract capsule
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
1 Avocado
½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
4 scoops Cocoa Hx
2 capsules Maca Root (contents inside capsule), optional
2 teaspoons Honey
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
6 Raspberries
Set aside raspberries. Add all other ingredients to a blender and blend until all ingredients are well incorporated and smooth. Add evenly into two martini, wine or parfait glasses and top with raspberries. Eat and enjoy!
BONUS PAIRING:
WINE~Try a Prosecco or Champagne, 2 oz.
MOCKTAIL~Try mixing 1 oz. white grape juice with sparkling water/seltzer
Each course should make enough for 2 servings, with the exception of the drinks, which is enough for one glass. Share this meal with a special someone, or adjust the recipes to have a small dinner party with great friends and fun conversation. Enjoy….and much love and health to you in February!