The Building Blocks of Nutrition, Part Five

I don't know about you, but I always think of "vitamins and minerals" together, so when I was studying up for this post I found it very educational (although probably pretty elementary, really) to distinguish between the two — vitamins A, B, C, D and E, for example, compared to things like calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, which are minerals. Just like with vitamins, minerals are numerous and varied in terms of what they do for the body and how you can get them without taking a pill, and their functions are equally vital to keeping your body and noggin in tip-top shape. Here are some of the most important minerals you need in your diet and how to ingest them through food only.

• Calcium, as we all probably know, is important for healthy bones and teeth, but did you know it also protects your muscles, heart, nerves and blood? Makes it seem all that much more significant, doesn't it! Calcium can be found in many foods, but you're right if you immediately thought "milk." Yogurt and cheese fall close behind, but for those who are lactose intolerant don't just write off calcium — you can also get it through leafy green vegetables (think spinach, Swiss chard or beet greens) and broccoli/cauliflower. Just keep in mind that calcium absorption is dependent on your vitamin D intake, so make sure you get a good combo of both if you're not a fortified-milk drinker.
• Magnesium also protects the bones, as well as aiding in alkaline balance (very important in terms of cancer prevention) and neuromuscular activity. It may be something you never concern yourself specifically with consuming, but because of these benefits you really should give it a second thought — it's also rather easy to consume, being found in oats, dried herbs, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate (hooray!) and cashews, to name a few. Eat these bad boys and protect yourself from muscle spasms, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and even anxiety. Who knew?
• Think potassium and think bananas, right? Right! But there are a ton of other yummy sources of this helpful mineral also. Potassium is needed because it fights fatigue, irritability AND high blood pressure — it's truly amazing how one mineral can cover so many bases. Besides bananas, you can reach optimal levels of potassium in the body by consuming avocados, dried apricots, pistachios, sunflower seeds and halibut. Notice, none of these are junk foods!
• Iron is another one you probably immediately associate with a specific food — red meat. However, if the animals you're eating grazed on iron-deficient soil, which can certainly happen, you need to get your iron from other sources, such as whole-grain bread, kale, egg yolks and salmon. It can be difficult to obtain through diet alone, so be vigilant and avoid things that decrease iron absorption, like antacids and excessive coffee consumption.
• Selenium is a mineral I wanted to cover because it can protect against prostate, breast, lung and colon cancer, which is no small feat. The levels in foods can vary according to the soil in your region just like iron, but Brazil nuts are widely known as high selenium carriers, and you can also find it in shrimp, mushrooms, brown rice and eggs. If you often take an anti-inflammatory medication like Aleve, you may need more than the recommended dose for your age/sex/weight because of the way these two agents interact in the body, so keep that in mind if you want to protect yourself from disease and infection!

One of the points I want to be sure comes across as I wrap up this series is that you need to be wary of getting into a food rut and eating the same meals and snacks over and over. In order to consume all of the fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals you need to function at top speed, you really do need to eat a wide variety of natural (and organic when possible!) foods, from fruits and vegetables to meats and poultry. Eating seasonally can certainly help, and if you're savvy about how you spend your food dollars, even just rotating purchases according to what's on sale when can help you continually rotate what fruits, vegetables and proteins you consume. In addition, always remember that you can't get vitamins and minerals from a plastic bag, pouch or 100-calorie packet — and if you think you can, the marketing professionals have won. Eating a "fortified" cookie is not the same as eating a salad! By focusing on all of the nutrients you need, you can slowly decrease your intake of unhealthy foods and replace them with natural options rich in magnesium, potassium, calcium and everything else your body needs to support a long and healthy life.

Next up: Green Beauty Care Review #2 — Dr Bronner's Bar Soap

Green Beauty Care Shampoo Review — Giovanni Smooth as Silk

This is new territory for me, dipping a toe into the world of beauty blogging, but I have to say, I remember posting on facebook last year how I wished someone would finally invent some "green" beauty products that actually work after throwing away a full bottle of useless, but safe, nail polish remover. Since then I've calmed down and have walked into this area of chemical-free beauty products with a much more serious and dedicated fervor, so I'm pleased to say that I've already had much better results with the soaps and shampoos I've tried in 2012 — starting with Giovanni's Smooth as Silk shampoo and conditioner.

Before I'd even used the stuff I was discussing it with my mom, who raved about the scent, which I hadn't even noticed, having picked it up at Target and placed it directly in my shower caddy. I have to admit, it reminds me of a really pricy shower gel I used once from a company out of London that I also remember hearing was safe for the whole family (and darn it, I have no idea what it's called now) — but this stuff is much cheaper, and as you'll find out in a later post I've also found a different (cheaper) bath soap that feels quite nice and authentic on this green beauty journey. Bottom line, this shampoo and conditioner smells much better than products I've tried from Burt's Bees, for example, so props for that.

It also gives a good lather, which I understand is tough to create without SLS. My son asked for bubbles in his bath yesterday, and having switched to an all-natural baby shampoo for him too, I knew it wouldn't create those nice fluffy bubbles he's used to — so I squirted in some of my Giovanni shampoo while the water was running, and sure enough, BUBBLES! Just enough to make him happy, and I danced a little bit inside too knowing that now I don't have to make a separate purchase for him in the future if I don't want to — the whole family can use one product.

That said, I do have one caveat — this shampoo is not perfect for me, at least compared to the conventional versions I was using immediately prior (Pantene Blonde Expressions and Neutrogena Triple Therapy Volumizing Conditioner). Before, without any products at all I could blow dry (okay, and tame a few flyaways with lip balm or natural face lotion — yeah, I've really given up all my conventional styling products) and have amazing, beach-blonde, pregnant-lady hair. (A) I know that my hair may only be this lush because of the pregnancy and (B) the Giovanni shampoo obviously won't bring out my natural highlights, but...it's not as light and fluffy and bouncy as it was with the other stuff. In fact, it can be downright flippy and dry-looking, even though this is a moisturizing line.

So I have two options: either find some green styling products (volumizer? mousse? flyaway tamer?) or try something new next time. To feed the old beauty-product addict inside of me I know I'm going to end up trying something else first, but at least the stuff isn't horrible, and it's perfectly suitable for the days I do NOT blow dry and just tie my hair back (which is pretty frequent).

Final verdict: Thumbs sideways. Love the smell, love the fact that they somehow maintained the lather without using SLS or SLES, don't love the way my hair looks when blow-dried compared to the results with conventional products. I'll live with it until it runs out, but next time I'm going to try a volumizing formula for my fine, straight hair.

Next up: The Building Blocks of Nutrition, Part Five — Minerals

The Building Blocks of Nutrition, Part Four

Vitamins are essential to human nutrition, but not the kind of stinky yellow horse-pill vitamins you force yourself to swallow every third day if you remember to — I mean all the vitamins naturally found in healthy foods, like apples, bananas, squash, sweet potatoes, corn, oats and barley. Vitamins you can't get from, say, Ritz crackers, ice cream sandwiches and French fries. Your pretty little bottle of Centrum IS a good reminder that the list of vitamins you need to function goes from A to Z, but you need to rely on food to get you there, not pills. Let's see how much ground we can cover in one post.

• Vitamin A is good for the eyes. If you're anything like me, your mom used to tell you to eat your carrots specifically for this reason — and she was right! Go Mom, go Mom, it's your birthday, go Mom...Okay but seriously, we've talked about carotenoids before, and as mentioned they really are found in foods that are orange, including sweet potatoes, apricots, papaya and pumpkin. Yum!
• There's a whole class of B vitamins, and they're just as important to your health as your eyesight. You're probably most familiar with B6 and B12, but B1, B2 and B3 help the body produce energy, B5 promotes healthy growth and development, B7 helps the body break down the carbohydrates and proteins that you consume and B9 helps the body make and maintain DNA — pretty important, I'd say. So although you may be used to worrying only about a few of these, eating a wide variety of protein — chicken, fish, pork and lean red meat — in addition to whole grains, nuts, eggs, fruits and vegetables (citrus, peas, green leafy vegetables) is vital in maintaining optimal levels of the entire B complex. That's a lot of food!
• For many years, vitamin C has been touted as a cure for the common cold (or a preventive agent),   although this may or may not be true. The real value in vitamin C lies in its wound-healing abilities and its contributions to building and maintaining proteins in the skin, ligaments, tendons and blood and repairing and maintaining cartilage, bone and teeth. All quite significant, I think you'd agree! So be sure to chow down on plenty of vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables: Cantaloupe, kiwi, mango and strawberries; broccoli, peppers, spinach and cabbage. I've said it before and I'll say it again, with all the hard work you have to do to get in all of your daily fruits and veggies and their ever-important vitamins, there's really no room in your diet for greasy fast food or sugary treats!
• You may know vitamin D as the sun vitamin, and that IS correct — not many foods contain this important vitamin, yet we always hear we should stay out of the sun and/or sunblock ourselves to death before going out in it. So it's a delicate balance to strike, but especially in these dismal winter months it's necessary to monitor your intake of vitamin D so as not to develop a deficiency, which can cause inflammation and affect immune function and bone health, to name a few. Although small amounts of vitamin D can be found in mushrooms, salmon, fortified orange juice and fortified milk, 5 to 30 minutes of sun exposure just twice a week will usually get you enough D. Don't think this means you need to go on an ice walk twice a week in frigid temps; even if you just park your car in the farthest spot a couple days a week at work or the store you can surely total up to at least 10 minutes of walking (between 10am and 3pm). If you're bundled up, the sun hitting your face is good enough.
• Vitamin E can be found in many foods, and it can prevent both heart attack and high blood pressure — no joke! You can find it in vegetable oil, chicken, lean red meat and eggs, so please don't bother taking a supplement here. Not much research has been conducted in terms of the proper dosing of vitamin E pills, so it's much safer to take it through food. If you avoid taking it in dangerously high doses, you'll protect yourself from stroke and prostate cancer, so don't mess around.

As you can see, there's much more behind "eating healthy" than just maintaining a stable weight and avoiding junk food — I've long been a believer in food as medicine, and we've been given so many different varieties of meats, fruits, grains and vegetables that we should be both grateful and respectful of our food choices and how they can affect everything from our immunity to our dental care. If you have a choice today between a wholesome snack and something less than virtuous, don't just think of it in terms of taste, convenience or calories — think of what vitamins and physical benefits the foods offer you, and make a choice based on your beliefs and values. If health and vitality are important to you, let that show at every meal.

Next up: Green Beauty Care Shampoo Review — Giovanni Smooth as Silk

Sodium Laureth What?

Both sodium laureth sulfate and its close relative sodium lauryl sulfate are commonly used in countless kinds of shampoo, bubble bath, toothpaste, soaps and detergents — it's what makes the products foam up, what gives them their bubbles. But did you know they are also very dangerous, and highly irritating?

Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) can actually damage your hair follicles in the case of shampoo/baby shampoo, cause damage to the skin in the case of bubble bath or body wash and can cause permanent (yeah, you heard me, permanent) damage to the eyes in children — not to mention your everyday liver toxicity. It's another one of those great chemicals like phthalates that gets inside your system and stays in the body's tissues — only in this case, being metabolized by the liver, your body really has to expend a lot of energy to get rid of it. The EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database classifies these agents as likely to be toxic or harmful. There is "strong evidence" to support this claim, including over 40 studies that you can read yourself if so inclined! If you're at home, get up, go to your bathroom and examine your toothpaste, shampoo, body wash and baby shampoo. I'll bet you any amount of money that at least one of the products you use every day has sodium laureth sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate as one of the first few ingredients. If you're reading this on the go, stop at a drugstore or grocery store. Try to find a popular shampoo or body wash WITHOUT one of these bad boys. I seriously think you'll come up empty handed.

So if something is so toxic and harmful, why are we "allowed" to buy the stuff and scrub it on our heads, faces, bodies and, did I mention, all over the insides of our mouths? Well, think about it this way, for one: You can still buy cigarettes and foods with trans fats, both of which are linked to cancer. Consumer products companies generally loathe replacing chemicals in their precious formulas, because that costs huge amounts of time and money — and, after all, it's only our health and vitality at stake. Don't expect your favorite brands to do away with SLS any time soon, because there is no government agency that actually regulates how much a manufacturer uses or claims not to use in a given product! We might as well be talking about herbal supplements or bottled water, two other areas where the government basically sits on their collective ass rather than stepping in to protect our health and wellness (more on that later). Vote with your dollar and look for something safe — I'll provide some examples below for you to munch on. Let's not risk developing cancer because we love our Paul Mitchell shampoo so much, mmkay? Here are some practical alternatives to swap out the next time your toothpaste and detergent are running low.

• Jason Powersmile toothpaste contains no sulfates or preservatives (no animal testing, either). I use the stuff every day. If you don't have a local earthy-crunchy health food store like I do that sells it, try Whole Foods, Wild Oats or Amazon. They sell everything!
• Dr Bronner's Pure Liquid Castile Soap can be used in a million different ways, but I'm most excited about using it to clean dishes as even Seventh Generation's dish soap contains SLS. (That was a shocker to me. SMH, Seventh Gen.) You can get tons of different varieties of Dr Bronners on Amazon also, or at Target and health food stores too.
• Natural Newborn sells chemical-free baby wash, lotion, massage oil and more. Keep in mind, however, shipping can be slow from these smaller organic companies as they're often small and family owned, so order with enough lead time in advance (not when you've already run out of your baby's old favorite).
• The Skinny Bitch book I'm reading now recommends Amazon Beauty Rahua shampoo and conditioner, Sukihair Clean Balance Shampoo and Glory Locks Hair Cream aside from the Giovanni Smooth and Silk line I told you about in an earlier post. I'm looking forward to trying all of the above!
• Face washes can also contain SLS as a foaming agent, so try (again, Kim's picks) Terra Firma Cosmetics Face the Day Cleanser, Suki Sensitive cleansing bar or OSEA Ocean Cleanser (which sounds the yummiest to me). I'll review all of the products for you as I try them, starting with the Giovanni haircare and Jason toothpaste I mention using above.

Don't mess around with this stuff, guys. I know it's easier to just go on using what you always use and ignoring what you may consider to be paranoia or conspiracy theory, but what have you got to lose? Are you really that attached to your bottle of Pantene? Don't keep it shallow, sister. Pass along this info to your beauty-obsessed friends, your wives who do the shopping, your moms and girlfriends and whoever you think is otherwise too lazy to care. Get them to care by showing that YOU care about THEIR health and well-being! Try one product and let me know how it goes — I promise there are alternatives out there for everything, and I'll help you find the best ones.

Next up: The Building Blocks of Nutrition, Part Four — Vitamins

The Building Blocks of Nutrition, Part Three

Fats, lipids and oils are the third class of macronutrients necessary for complete nutrition. I find it funny these days that people are still afraid of "fat," when it seems like eons ago that the low-fat and fat-free craze ended — but I suppose low-fat and non-fat yogurts, for example, still fly off the shelves. In my book, nothing fat-free is healthy — unless it's naturally that way, like apples and bananas. Let's review in more detail why fats should always be a part of your diet.

Fats are primarily a source of energy for the body, and of course they also act as insulators (yes, think blubber). Fat helps maintain temperature, it cushions organs; in the form of fatty acids fats and lipids are essential to many bodily functions, although too much of a good thing, of course, can lead to diabetes, heart disease and several other significant ailments. Oddly enough, however, we're not afraid of fat because of that — we're afraid that fat will make us fat. Well, it can. But so can eating too much sugar, carbs or a mix of everything all together. So here's what you can do to make sure you're getting enough — but not too much — fat in your daily diet.

• Pick unsaturated (plant-based) over saturated (meat-based) fats most of the time. I say most of the time because there are obvious health benefits to eating lean meats, but a plant-based diet has been shown to reduce your risk for disease and it's also better for the environment. Make "Meatless Monday" a weekly ritual in your house, and incorporate foods with healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats — such as avocados and sesame seeds— into your meals as often as you can.
• Do NOT consume trans fats. Period. If you see the word "hydrogenated" on something you're about to put in your shopping cart, drop it — fast — and run in the other direction. This is just another one of our man-made food messes, and hydrogenated oils, whether from soy or vegetables, are possibly carcinogenic. Thanks, Cool Whip, but I'll make my own whipped cream.
• Get your omega-3s. If you don't eat fish 3 times a week or more (and who in the Midwest does?),  try eating walnuts, enriched eggs or sprinkling ground flaxseed in your yogurt or cereal. Omega-3 fatty acids protect against not only heart disease and other physical health risks but also ADHD and depression — so in these gray winter months, it can be especially vital to monitor (and likely increase) your intake.
• Mix your fats. I don't necessarily mean mixing salmon and tofu, but rather it's important to know that adding fat to certain foods can actually enhance the absorption of the nutrients in that food. Carotenoids, for example, found in red, yellow and orange peppers, are better absorbed into the body when combined with a healthy fat. Don't dip pepper strips in fat-free ranch dressing; roast them, dress them with olive oil and sprinkle over a little basil and feta cheese. Instant delicious side dish!
• Choose wisely. Yes, this applies to every food choice you make, but especially here — ice cream and full-fat cheeses don't really count as good fats, but other yummy treats like peanut butter and roasted pumpkin seeds do. Start to examine your options not just from the point of view of calories, which many people get hung up on, but also what kind of fat goes into the production of the food. Stick margarine, vegetable shortening, French fries, candy bars...none of these items contain healthy fats, so there's no reason they should be a regular part of your diet.

It's easy to see how a little knowledge can dispel food myths and help you become healthier from the inside out. Don't fear the fat, just get to know the good and bad things about it. Here — this is your free pass to toss anything and everything "fat-free" and "low-fat" from your cupboards and cabinets. A low-fat cookie does not a healthy choice make! If you can find smart swaps for your fatty pitfalls, you're one step closer to a total health makeover.

Next up: Sodium Laureth What?

How to Part Ways With Phthalates — BPA's Partner in Crime

I'm really not sure which is worse, BPA or the use of phthalates, both of which mimic hormones in the body and have been linked to numerous health problems. If you read my post on BPA you know that the nasty chemical is found in everything from baby bottles and cans of baby formula to receipt paper and food storage containers, and phthalates sadly follow suit. They have been found in baby powder, lotion and shampoo, and if tested you'd probably have traces of it in your body, as studies have shown in the past. I don't know about you, but I'm not cool with random chemicals storing themselves in my fat cells. Unfortunately in today's modern society that's practically impossible to avoid altogether, but following is a breakdown of other sources of phthalates and what you can do to avoid them.

• Cosmetics. I used to blow inordinate amounts of money at Sephora, but I've been purging my makeup supplies for months now and am down to just 2 mascaras, powder, powder blush and 1 lipstick/1 lip gloss. Not even the good kind — they're probably still laced with chemicals — but it's the bare minimum until I start replacing each item. Check out this site for safe foundation and Ecco Bella for phthalate-free lipstick. I'll continue to provide you with sources for safe cosmetics as I buy and try!
• Shampoo and conditioner. I love envisioning scrubbing chemicals on the outside of my brain just about as much as I do smearing them on my face. Check out the Giovanni Smooth as Silk line of "eco chic" organic haircare products on Amazon or at Target; they're safe to use and smell phenomenal. Stop disrupting your endocrine system with the phthalates found in conventional shampoos and conditioners and embrace healthier alternatives for all of the products you currently use.
• Anything that has a "fragrance." This could include everything from your laundry detergent to the perfume you blissfully spritz on your wrists each day. There ARE organic perfumes out there that I'm also looking to sample, but when it comes to household products that you're also overly fond of, use up what you have and then buy something unscented from Seventh Generation. That goes for your dish soap, your baby shampoo, your hand soap, your body wash...now, I know Seventh Gen doesn't make all of those products, but start researching EVERYTHING before you buy. If it says "fragrance" on the ingredient list, leave it on the shelf. It's fun to try new products, so use this as an excuse to break out of a beauty rut and try a new scent or soap — the state of your health will thank you in the end.
• Plastic food storage containers. Get rid of anything with the number 3, 6 or 7 in that cute little triangle on the bottom of whatever you're looking at (think reusable plastic bottles, lunch meat containers and anything you buy that comes in a tub). To put it lightly, phthalates are "slightly to moderately toxic," which is just a smidgeon too toxic for me, thank you very much. NEVER heat up even the "safe" plastics in the microwave (put it on a plate, for crying out loud!), and seek out glass containers for storing your leftovers in the fridge. BPA and phthalates love plastic just as much as you love your leftover Chinese food, so do yourself a favor and store more safely.
• Children's toys. This is a tough one, because while usually hand-me-downs are great, if they're scratched or damaged plastics they're probably not the best thing to be hanging out in your 2-year-old's mouth. Choose green options as often as possible when buying new gifts or treats (good for the environment seriously means good for you, too, in this case!), and keep a watchful eye over any favorite plastic toys you already own for signs of wear and tear. The minute your child outgrows his love of that little yellow car, get rid of it.

I definitely feel like this is another topic I could go on and on about for hours (we didn't even get to nail polish, deodorant, aftershave or any of the other countless products that contain phthalates if you're not careful about what you buy), so as I said above I'll keep you posted as I discover healthy, effective alternatives. I've been frustrated in the past with the quality of some green beauty products I tried, but I'm devoted to me and my family's health and I will switch to better choices every chance I get. If you need any more product sources or tips for what to look for when buying, just ask!

Next up: The Building Blocks of Nutrition, Part Three — Healthy Fats and Oils

The Building Blocks of Nutrition, Part Two

Carbohydrates are arguably the most important solid food group in that they make up our main source of energy and, depending on who you listen to, should constitute 50 to 60 percent of your diet. Now, that doesn't mean 50 to 60 percent of what you eat should be bread; as I'll explain below, carbohydrates include both sugars AND starches...and, not to confuse you again, but sugars don't mean cakes and candies. I mean the natural sugars found in fruits and even some vegetables. Let me explain all of that in a bit more detail, because I already feel like I've lost some of you!

• Starches are exactly what you think they are — bread, potatoes, pasta and rice are probably some of your favorites. What's important to keep in mind here, however, is that not all starches are created equal — whole-wheat bread knocks the socks off of its refined white-flour counterpart, as you should have learned yesterday; a sweet potato is better than a regular potato because of the extra iron and anti-oxidants packed in the beautiful orange-colored flesh. Pierce it and microwave it for 15 minutes, or bake in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour and top with butter for a healthy real-food treat. (Babies love a good mashed sweet potato, too!) Choose whole-wheat versions of your favorite kinds of pasta, also, and pick brown rice rather than white, which is essentially a plate of empty calories. You might as well drink a can of soda.
• Sugars, again, as a building block of nutrition can sound deceiving — but if you're not kidding yourself you know that Snickers bars and scones are not exactly a food group. If you're really counting your carbs, know the following: Carbs, in the form of sugars, can be found in everything from grapes to milk and beer. If you're smart, you'll get your natural sugars from a variety of sources every day, and as the seasons change — use 2% milk for your latte in the winter and your iced coffee in the summer, and vary your intake of fruits and vegetables according to the calendar. With all of the sugars found naturally in foods like pineapple and carrots, there's absolutely no need for you to travel outside the realm of healthy nibbles to get refined sugar from artificial additives and processed foods.

Your recommended intake of carbohydrates and all foods, really, depends on a variety of factors, such as age, weight and if you're pregnant or breast feeding, so visit ChooseMyPlate.gov for a personalized breakdown, including printable reminders and tips about how to eat well on a budget. I think our food "pyramid" is still light years behind what they use in Mediterranean countries, for example, but if you're just beginning your health journey it's a good place to start. The main point is to fulfill your nutritional needs naturally, because it's in the adding on of all the extras we've become so accustomed to — cookies, chips, French fries — that you also add on fat, pounds and the risk of developing various types of diseases. Understanding that you can get your carbohydrates from plenty of other sources besides the bread basket is just one way you can break out of an eating rut today!

Next up: How to Part Ways With Phthalates — BPA's Partner in Crime

One Change You Can Make Today — Switch to Whole Grains

Just hearing "whole grain" makes me think of those cheesy Cheerios commercials where women are always the target of the "I lost weight by switching to whole grains" marketing ploy. Yes, switching from white bread to whole wheat could help you lose weight, but that shouldn't be your motivation. You'd be surprised to hear how bad white bread/flour/cakes/cookies are for you...so, of course, I'm going to tell you!

Junk foods, like soda made with sugar and, in this case, scones, brownies, white bread and crackers made from white flour contribute to the rise in diabetes in our country, for one thing. And sure, you can be genetically predisposed to the condition, but these genes only get turned on when you eat the white stuff. If you're at risk for diabetes, that should be enough right there to make the switch. But I'll keep going.

There's a reason for the saying "The whiter the bread, the quicker you're dead!" — and if you haven't heard it said before, now you know that white flour can also raise your level of "bad" LDL cholesterol, in turn increasing your risk for blood clots and high blood pressure. So again — anyone who has high blood pressure should be tossing the Wonder Bread in the trash right about now. Feed it to the squirrels or ducks or drop any unopened packages off at a food pantry so at least you don't have guilt about "wasting food because there are starving children in Africa." There are starving children everywhere, I might add.

If you're still in doubt because you don't think you're at risk for diabetes OR high blood pressure, I strongly urge you to pick up a copy of Gary Taubes' book Good Calories, Bad Calories. In it you'll find that refined (white) flour can also contribute to higher rates of cancer, heart disease, Alzheimers and a lengthy list of other ailments both minor and major.

Can I spell it out for you any further? Let me also challenge all of your excuses. My kids don't like whole-wheat bread. Cry me a river. Trust me, they won't starve if you make the switch. THEY WILL GET USED TO IT. They may even start to like it. Is it the husband or wife who's stubborn on the issue? Make them read this and give them a swift kick in the pants. Tell them you want them to be around to see your grandchildren get married, not just your children. Think it's too expensive? Believe me, if you're leaving the refined-flour crackers, cookies and coffee cake in the grocery store you'll have much more room and funds for the whole-wheat bread instead. And don't even try to make the excuse that whole-wheat products are hard to find, because that's just not true any more. Just don't be fooled by something that says "wheat" or "made with" whole grains — it has to be labeled 100% whole grain, and turn the product over to check the label, too. Lisa Leake at 100 Days of Real Food has a great article on this if you're still hungry for more information.

I admit, my excuse I sometimes don't even realize until in hindsight — that a recipe calls for "four thick slices of country bread," and something like that IS hard for me to find in a whole-wheat version. So in my case now I've learned to read the whole recipe. What is the bread being used for, bread crumbs? Whole-wheat bread crumbs DO exist, honey, and I'll even go so far as to say that Whole Foods carries a kind that is super crunchy and delicious and would make a great crispy topping or binding agent in any meal. So even when you're doing a good thing by cooking at home, NOW you need to take that extra step also and convert the recipe to whole grains. We'll move on to sugar and saturated/trans fats in future posts, but for now keep taking this one step at a time. Let me know how you've learned to swap out white flour in recipes or what great whole-grain products or purveyors you've fallen in love with. It feels good to make the switch — eliminating white flour can also reduce bloat and, as insinuated above, assist in weight loss. So if you can't JUST do it for your health, do it for vanity. I don't care what your motivation is to start, because you'll reap the rewards either way in the end.

Next up: The Building Blocks of Nutrition, Part Two — Carbohydrates

The Building Blocks of Nutrition, Part One

If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times: Drink More Water. But do you really know why? It's important to stay hydrated, but why? And how do you know if you're hydrated enough or not?

Individual water needs vary from person to person, but the bottom line is that we all need it because water is the medium in which all other nutrients are found. What that means is that water is responsible for transporting nutrients and oxygen into the cells in your body, protecting vital organs and helping to absorb and metabolize those nutrients efficiently. In addition, water regulates body temperature, detoxifies and protects/cushions your joints. Every cell in your body needs water to function optimally, and yet we all find it so difficult to get our daily intake anywhere near the standard recommended 8 eight-ounce glasses a day...right? I know I do, and it's even more important for pregnant women. I tend to get super thirsty at night these days, which I don't think is just a reflection of the dry winter air — I think it means I'm not hydrating enough during the day. In fact, I'm sure of it. So let's go over some tips that I myself need to put into practice in order to get an adequate amount of the clear stuff in my system each day:

• Make it pretty. I still remember seeing a picture in an issue of Martha Stewart Living that went along with some caption about how she keeps pitchers of water wherever she goes — at her desk, in her kitchen, backstage, et cetera — and they were these tall, beautiful, clear glass vessels that made me want to be her. I've yet to pick myself up something similar, but there is something more appetizing to me about drinking out of glass rather than plastic. Serve your glass of water in a goblet at home, or get a SIGG water bottle with a cool new design that you want to show off. If it's more appealing visually, you may find it more fun to drink in terms of satisfaction. 
• Make it tasty. Think beyond lemons, people. Infuse your water with cucumber slices, mint, muddled berries, limes or whatever floats your boat. Try new combinations, and I recommend keeping it cold — it's a lot more refreshing and thirst-quenching that way, and you can even try adding your flavors to water and freezing pretty little ice cubes. Good for entertaining, too!
• Get your water from food. Summer fruits like melons are great hydrators, but in the winter you'd probably be better off opting for broth-based soups, potatoes and squash. As long as they are prepared healthfully, there's no shame in adding more fruits and veggies to your diet! If you struggle to drink it all up, serve it up on a plate instead.
• Guzzle before eating. If you can get into the habit of making yourself drink water before you sit down for each meal and snack, I bet you'll even start to eat less. Thirst can easily be mistaken for hunger by the body, because you just feel "empty" — but running on fumes may just mean you need a drink, not a power bar. Wherever you are, quickly grab a cup of water, stop at a drinking fountain or sip some of your coffee or tea before you dig in. It will become second nature, and the benefits are twofold as you both hydrate and cool the jets on your appetite.
• Try and try again. Try downing a glass of water every hour on the hour. Try a new water filter to see if it improves the taste (and quality!) of your home supply. Try hot water with lemon first thing in the morning. The point is to keep at it and to not give up on Day 2 if you didn't manage to drink your 64 ounces the day before — experiment with different ways to get all your liquids in, and know thyself: If you guzzle at the gym, try to go more often! If you're super thirsty in the morning, double what you're drinking now. Fit it into YOUR personal lifestyle and habits, and share any tips you have with the rest of us!

Water can give your skin a supple, youthful glow; it can treat dry mouth and its associated symptoms; it can even cure headaches and constipation (sorry, but I had to go there — it's true). Don't let this be just another post that tells you to drink more water; actually try it this time! Get up from your desk, take a little break and make yourself a cup of tea. Associate your new habits with a better, more healthy you, a new way you're taking care of yourself more than ever before...your body will thank you in so many ways, which will do wonders to reinforce the task at hand.

Next up: One Change You Can Make Today — Switch to Whole Grains

Building Another Healthy Habit: Eliminating BPA

Great, this makes my day, another report on federal regulators failing to act on a potentially (potentially? try proven) toxic chemical: Bisphenol-A, or BPA. BPA, for those of you who continue to live under that nice comfy little rock of yours, is a nasty, hazardous chemical found in many different types of plastics — from baby bottles (could there be anything worse?) to water bottles (even some of the reusable kinds) to cans of food and receipts at the grocery store. Yep, it's everywhere.

What's so bad about this is that BPA imitates estrogen in the body, confusing the heck out of your standard endocrine and/or reproductive system, which is linked quite clearly to higher rates of breast cancer. But this is not just a concern for women; BPA can also damage your kid's brain, yielding latent neurologic effects on men, women and children. The stuff stinks, frankly, and as a now-educated and responsible adult, you should be doing everything possible to avoid BPA. How? Let me count the ways:

• Avoid plastic. Yeah, sounds pretty drastic, I know. Food-storage containers, bottled water, children's toys, cups you drink out of — it's all plastic, and it's NOT all safe. Get rid of your plastic drinking glasses like I did, replace food-storage containers with glass when you can, and seek out greener, more natural types of entertainment for your little one to suck on. The idea is to do what you can, when you can. I know not many of you will be ripping the plastic joystick out of your son's hand as he practices his tennis swing on the X-Box, but there are about a zillion ways you can start weaning yourself from plastic in your daily life so keep your eyes peeled for a more detailed post on this in the future. It's simply too much to address in one sitting.
• Buy frozen, not canned. Because just saying "don't buy canned food" would have come off too harsh, right? If you try to save on fruits and vegetables when out of season by buying the canned kind, skip it. Eat what IS in season or buy it frozen (preferably organic in the case of berries, for example). BPA can leach into your food while it's sitting in the can (it's even found in some canning lids if you do it yourself!), and whether or not YOU use it the very day you buy it, you have no idea how long it's already been on the shelf, potentially contaminating the food you and your family are about to eat. Just. Skip it. Look for alternatives whenever possible, like boxed stock and soups or homemade fruit salad rather than fruit cocktail — which is almost always sold in plastic or cans. Even baby formula is said to be unsafe when it comes in a can...unbelievable.
• Wash your hands after handling receipts. During cold and flu season it should become a habit to wash your hands after coming home from practically anywhere (skip the hand sanitizer, dummy, and if you didn't read yesterday's post, do so now!), but wash up especially enthusiastically after shopping whenever you keep the receipt. Shove it in your wallet and get it off your skin as quickly as possible.
• Take action. The government is clearly taking their sweet time banning this harsh chemical in the USA, so click here to be directed to a petition that you can sign asking Congress to get rid of it. Seriously. It takes 30 seconds, people. Just fill out your basic info and click "sign now." Easy!
• Read labels, but cautiously. BPA-free has almost become a buzz word these days, like "green" or "eco-friendly." Just because something is BPA-free doesn't mean it's safe; you don't necessarily know what the company replaced the BPA with during the manufacturing process and if it's any better for you than what they removed in the first place. Be a conscious shopper and support companies you trust; it becomes second nature to walk through stores as if you had blinders on when you know you don't need another plastic sippy cup for Bobby or a quick bottle of Coke to go.

This is an ongoing issue, so be vigilant. In fact, be suspicious. You can never be too careful, but take baby steps and it won't seem so overwhelming. Replace plastics with glass when they become damaged or dinged. Cut out the canned soda and bottled water and get yourself a cute aluminum to-go bottle. Make your own lunch instead of heating up a TV dinner. Get the picture? Good. I don't like explaining myself twice.

Next up: The Building Blocks of Nutrition, Part One