Your Favorite Fast Food's Top 5 Delicious Decisions

Subway:

1. Egg White & cheese Muffin
2. 6'' Black Forest Ham
3. 6'' Turkey Breast
4. Foot long Veggie Delight
5. Chicken Tortilla Soup

Dining Out:  Every Monday

What is Omega-3??

What exactly are Omega-3’s? 

We've been hearing a lot about Omega-3 fatty acids these days. An Omega-3 is an essential fat that is good for your body. These fats play vital roles in the structure and health of cell membranes. Research has shown that they may reduce risk of heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), depression, ADHD, joint pain and other life-threatening diseases.

Studies have shown that consuming the proper intake of Omega-3’s can greatly improve your quality of life. The most common and top sources are found in:

1. Sardines

2. Wild Salmon

3. Canned Tuna
4. Mussels

5. Rainbow Trout

Vegetarian? Go for:
1. Flax seeds
2. Walnuts
3. Canola oil
4. Soybean oil
5. Olive oil

Going Coconuts

Coconut products are being touted as the latest “super food”. But what do we really know about the health effects of these products and why is there so much media hype surrounding them? Lets take look at coconut milk.

Coconut milk, along with almond milk, has recently become a very popular milk substitute for vegans and those with allergies or milk intolerance. However, considering that for most this drink will be substituting milk, there are a few points to consider:

· Coconut milk has only 1 gram of protein compared to soy and cow’s milk which has 8 grams of protein per serving.

· Coconut milk has less calcium than milk. In fact, it takes 3 cups of coconut milk to equal the calcium in just one glass of milk. Pretty important to consider if there are no other sources calcium rich foods in your diet.

· Coconut milk has a higher amount of saturated fat (5 grams) than low-fat 1%/fat-free milk (1 gram or less). The type of saturated fat in both are indeed different, but it is not yet clear what those exact effects are on our health. Heart health being the main concern.  

The composition of coconut milk is not close enough to that of soy and cow’s milk to suffice as a “milk substitute”.  In addition, the fat in coconut milk has not been thoroughly studied in humans to come to a definite conclusion. It can certainly be enjoyed as a special treat once in a while in moderation. In the mean time, let’s not go nuts over coconut milk.





Check back next week when we take a look at coconut water.

By: Iliana Roldan

How much water do you drink?

Recent research has shown that increasing water intake by a few glasses a day, you can reduce your risk of kidney disease.  However, aggressively increasing your fluid intake is not the answer: this can cause other health problems.  NO CHUGGING!!
Between 2 - 3 liters of fluid daily may benefit the kidneys.   What does this mean to you?  Make sure you are getting at least 8 glasses of water every day!! 

Where Did My Fat Go?

It is obvious to see where most people accumulate fat on their bodies. Extra belly fat, less than firm arms, and perhaps even a double chin. In a perfect world, we would be able to zap fat off of our bodies as we see fit. Unfortunately, our genetics do not neccesarily cooperate so easily.

Nature does not allow us to choose where we can eliminate fat. During weight loss, we tend to lose fat all over our body evenly. This means that our body shape will generally remain the same after losing those excess pounds. So, if you were pear shaped prior to weight loss, your body will probrably remain pear-like afterwards, just a smaller version.

It is important to have realistic expectations regarding body image during weight loss. It can be difficult to grasp this concept when tons of magazine and internet headlines promise otherwise, but the simple truth is that science does not support these claims. Stick to the facts and avoid falling into the gimmic traps.

Adapted from CNN.com

By: Iliana Roldan