Fruits and vegetables are the backbone of a healthy diet. They are almost always low in fat and calories, and packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and so much more. And oh, there’s no cholesterol.

But, according to the 2009 State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables, only 14 percent of American adults are eating the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables. The government study says that even less (10 percent) of high school students are getting enough fruits and vegetables.

The report is meant to shine a light on a campaign to get at least 75 percent of Americans to eat two or more daily servings of fruit, and for at least 50 percent to consume three or more daily servings of vegetables.

“A diet high in fruits and vegetables is important for optimal child growth, maintaining a healthy weight, and prevention of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, all of which currently contribute to health care costs in the United States,” says Dr. William H. Dietz, director of the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity.

No state in the Union even came close to the national objectives for adult consumption of fruits and vegetables. So, how can we start moving in the right direction?

According to the government report, they would like to see grocery stores stock more “high-quality fruits and vegetables.” This suggestion is a little puzzling, since every grocery store I’ve been to has plenty of fruits and vegetables to choose from.

The second suggestion is perfectly logical: increase the availability of healthy foods in school cafeterias and vending machines.

Lastly, the report suggests that states create “food policy councils” that evaluate the access to fresh produce on a community and state level.

(via: Health News)

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Americans Not Eating Enough Fruits and Veggies

1. Eat food that has lived a good life.
If you’ve ever seen a time-lapsed photo of a flower’s journey from bloom to whither, then you already have a perfect example of how your food should have lived. Whether it’s a vegetable, a fruit or an animal, they all have one thing in common: They lived! Start by eating only these foods and the rest will follow.

2. Just because it isn’t plastic doesn’t mean it’s real food.
The concept of modern food packaging is meant to fool you into thinking what you are about to eat is “fresh”, and therefore guilty of being real by association. “Packed fresh” and “over processed” do not cancel each other out. Be wary of packaged goods.

3. Your workouts should be defined by strife.
When you see someone working out with a smile on their face, chances are they aren’t trying hard enough. Fitness under the Paleo lifestyle is meant to be difficult, challenging and explosive at the same time. So dismiss the concept of “cardio” and opt for a more high intensity interval approach.

4. An ever-changing variety will set you free to reach your goals
Cavemen and women had all kinds of physical and nutritional obstacles in their way. This led them to eat what they could and exert their power as was necessary. Thus was born the concept of variety being the spice of life. So spice up your meals, workouts and your life by avoiding consistency for too long!

5. Cavemen evolved by outsmarting the world – Give them credit!
You will hear all kinds of criticism for embracing this way of life. But the bottom line is that cavemen had to out-hustle, out-smart and out-last every animal on the planet to become the dominant species. In order to understand this way of life you must give credit to the architects who forged the way!

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Top Five Cave-Person Checklist Starting a Paleo Diet

While this isn’t exactly new news, this important study provides a direct reason why these high glycemic foods wreak havoc on the heart and increase risk of heart disease. The researchers showed that after you eat a carb-laden food like a bowl of corn flakes or a Twinkie, your brachial arteries become distended, or swollen, for several hours. While it’s important for the arteries to have a certain amount of elasticity in them, over time, a sudden expansion of the arteries, which follows after noshing on a carb-filled snack, can cause a number of negative health effects, including reduced elasticity, which can cause heart disease or sudden death.

Medical professionals are not only warning against the consumption of high glycemic foods, but the results appear to be even scarier for those who binge on such foods and consume too much of them in one sitting. Their risk of death from a heart attack is greatly increased.

So what does this study mean for you? Doctors are recommending that when you eat carbohydrates, consume those with whole grains like oatmeal, whole grain bread, brown or wild rices and starches like sweet potatoes and legumes. Since these foods contain fiber in addition to a number of other essential nutrients, they result in a slow and steady release of blood sugar and don’t expand the arteries like the culprit “white” foods do. Toss in 30 minutes of physical activity every day and you’re the picture of perfect health!

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High Carb Foods Raise Risk of Heart Disease

The researchers concluded from their analysis that “the dominant components of the Mediterranean diet score as a predictor of lower mortality are moderate consumption of alcohol, low consumption of meat and meat products, and high consumption of vegetables, fruits and nuts, olive oil, and legumes.” In addition, the researchers found that the elevated consumption of fish and cereals and avoidance of dairy products seen in the typical Mediterranean diet had little to do with the benefits of this diet.

Even though these results are very interesting and shed some light on this diet, the researchers made a point to say that these findings need more research to strengthen them their findings “could not be assumed to be universally applicable.”

Our society is very caught up in knowing what the specific element is that makes an item healthy. Instead of eating an apple and knowing it’s good for you, our society wants to know what exactly is in the apple that’s good for us.

This study is very interesting, but it may be better for you to practice the entire Mediterranean diet on the whole as a lifestyle rather than focus on the specific foods. This diet focuses strongly on fruits and vegetables, and that alone will do wonders for your waistline and your health. This diet also steers away from major downfalls in a typical American diet like sugar, preservatives, and unhealthy fats (saturated and trans fats). I encourage you to try this diet out if you’re looking to drop a few pounds and improve your health.

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Components of the Mediterranean Diet that Work Best

Looking to weather the financial storm without sacrificing flavor or nutrition?  Then look no further than lentils, a vegetarian Super Food that will nourish you and your family without breaking the bank.  Economic crisis or not, there are plenty of reasons to love lentils:

• Lentils are high in protein, including the essential amino acids isoleucine and lysine.  And when combined with whole grains, lentils give your body all of the amino acids it needs to form a complete protein.

• Lentils are rich in complex carbohydrates and high in fiber, helping your body balance its blood sugar levels while providing steady, slow-burning energy to keep you fuller for longer.

• Lentils are high in iron.  This is especially good for vegetarians, growing children, and pregnant women, all of whom have greater needs for iron in their diet.

• Lentils are a great value for your nutritional buck.  Canned lentils are cheap as is, but you can stretch your dollar even further by purchasing dry lentils in bulk.

If you’re new to cooking with lentils, red lentils are a great place to start.  Their small size means they tend to fall apart within 20-30 minutes of cooking, making them perfect for soups.  The following soup recipe, known in the Middle East as Shorabat Addas, manages to turn just a few ingredients into something delicious and refreshing.

Red Lentil Soup (Shorabat Addas)

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry red lentils
• 8 cups water or vegetable stock
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• cayenne, salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lemon, juiced

Instructions

1. Wash lentils. Combine them with water or stock and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until lentils are tender.

2. Meanwhile, sauté garlic and onion in the olive oil over a low heat until transparent. Add the spices, onion and garlic to the cooked lentils.

3. Add lemon juice just before serving.

4. Garnish with parsley, paprika and yogurt, if desired.

You can find more of Monica’s vegetarian recipes at SmarterFitter.com.

Guest Blog Series: Look for the following badge on your favorite health sites to see if they have been a featured guest blogger on DietsInReview.com. See other posts in the Guest Blog series.

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Red Lentil Soup; A Vegetarian Super Food

What is Protein?

• Found in muscle, bone, skin, hair, pretty much every other body part or tissue
• Makes up enzymes that are part of numerous chemical reactions in the body
• As hemoglobin, it carries oxygen in your blood
• Proteins are built of many amino acids; in which the amino acids come together, form a protein, and take on one its numerous roles in the body. Unlike fats and carbs, the body doesn’t store amino acids, so a daily supply is needed to make new protein.

How Much Do I Need?

This is a much-debated question. It’s recommended to consume a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight per day. (There are 2.2kg in a pound, so to determine how many kgs you weigh, divide your weight by 2.2., i.e. 150 pounds divided by 2.2 = 68.2 kg. A 150 pound person needs about 55 grams of protein daily). Beyond this recommendation, there’s isn’t that much concrete information on the ideal amount of protein one should consume.

*Notice: this amount is individualized, you’re basing it off your current body weight (therefore, it varies person to person).

Not All Protein is Created Equal.

• Complete proteins- contains all the amino acids needed to build new proteins. Animal sources are mostly complete proteins.
• Incomplete proteins-lack one or more essential amino acids (essential-amino acid the body can’t make or form from another amino acids). Common sources are fruits, veggies, grains, nuts. *This is important for vegetarians! In order to meet your protein needs, you need to eat a variety of protein-containing foods daily.

The Source of the Protein is Important for Good Nutrition. Animal and vegetable proteins have about the same effects on health, however, it’s the package of the protein that determines how healthy it is.

Example: a 6 ounce porterhouse steak will give you 38 grams of protein, but also 44 grams of fat and about 16 grams of saturated fat… not good! Be smart when choosing your proteins. Choose leaner meats, like fish and poultry; lower in fat dairy products, eggs, beans, lentils, whole-grains and nuts. If you can’t completely cut out red meats, try to choose leaner cuts, pay attention to portion size, and consume them in moderation.

Protein and Weight Control.

Eating enough protein helps with weight loss and maintenance for a few reasons:

• High-protein foods are slow moving from the stomach to the intestine = feeling full for longer = eating less and getting hungrier later.
• Protein has a steady, gentle effect on blood sugar
• The body uses more energy to digest protein than to digest fat or carbs.

*Don’t go crazy though and not eat any carbs. Carbs are much needed by the body!

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What You Need to Know About Protein