Vegetables Garden

Be inspired to plant some fruits, vegetables, or herbs at your home or at your apartment. 

I dream of having a garden of my own basil and rosemary herbs sitting next to our living room that I use  almost a daily basis in salads,veggie wraps, or pesto.

Check out the pics below. 

Stay Away From Processed Foods!

Put down that salt shaker and not far away from processed foods! Long suspected as an accomplice in the heart of the disease indirectly, by increasing the blood pressure of salt has finally been directly implicated as a culprit in cardiovascular risk.


Researchers reported that those who cut their salt intake from 25% to 35% reduced their risk of cardiovascular events over the next 10 to 15 years from 25% to 30%. The regime no added salt (NAS), which is the regime most commonly prescribed. This diet is for patients diagnosed with congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, ,heart disease chronic or acute renal failure, hypertension, or edema.


The American Heart Association recommends that most people limit the daily intake of salt to 2,300 milligrams - less than a teaspoon (2,400 mg). For people with heart failure, the recommendation is not more than 2000 mg per day. Achieving this goal requires more than simply restrict the use of salt, however: More than 80% of Americans' salt intake comes from processed foods, including 20% ​​of meat and meat products and about 35% of products bread / cereals.


The nutrition label provides the amount of sodium per serving, so always check the serving size. Judging by the number of milligrams instead of the percentage, because it relies on a diet 2400 mg per day and will be inaccurate for any other level.


NAS snack, you will do well to fresh fruits and vegetables. There are some pre-packed snacks that do not normally contain sodium, such as gelatin desserts, and ice. But to be safe, you should always check the sodium content of the sign. However, it is important to remember that even if the nuts are low in sodium, but they are also high in fat and calories.


Here is a list of some other foods that contain common snack 0 mg sodium, or nearby: Read more about this Article...http://ht.ly/5NmWH

Cherries reduce inflammation

This post was originally published as Cut Belly Fat w/ Tart Cherries by Laurel on Health Food.

Natural News posted a new cherry study from the University of Michigan. Researchers found that adding tart cherries to your diet may help reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. The study fed mice one of two diets: a high fat, moderate carbs diet (45% calories from fat, 40% calories from carbs) OR a low fat, high carbs diet (10% calories from fat, 75% calories from carbs).

Mice that were given added cherry powder to either diet had an 11% reduction in cholesterol after three months. In addition, the mice who had cherry powder had 54% body fat compared to 63% body fat in the mice that did not eat cherry powder. Most of the fat reduction was around the belly area of the mice.

The mice that ate cherry also had a 40% reduction in the TNF-alpha inflammation marker and 31% reduction in the IL-6 inflammation marker. The researchers found that “the activity of the genes producing these two compounds was reduced in the mice, suggesting that tart cherries may reduce inflammation at a systemic level.” (Natural News)

If you’re interested in learning more about tart cherries, check out this great informational page on About.com’s alternative medicine site: What are Tart Cherries and Tart Cherry Juice?

You can probably find tart cherries at your local health food store. I also searched online and found them on Amazon. You can get dried tart cherries, tart cherry juice, etc. I also wasn’t surprised to find tart cherries in a pill form.

Update: This article was featured on the Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival 98.

Reduce your risk of stroke by 31%

This post was originally published as  Diary of My Fruits and Veggies by Laurel on Health Food blog.

If you really think about it, how many servings of fruits and vegetables do you actually eat every day? Most recent recommendations say we should aim for about eight to nine servings each day. However, a recent study from Harvard University found that just five daily servings will help men and women reduce their risk of stroke by 31%. A nutrition professor at the University of New Haven, Rosa Mo, RD, says that five servings a day gives you “significant antioxidants and fiber to reduce heart disease and cancer risk and keep your weight in check.”

That’s great news! However, I’d rather us think we need those eight to nine servings so we shoot for the stars. Most people probably have one piece of fruit and one (maybe two) servings of vegetables a day. There are even those who swear off fruits and vegetables all together. Sigh.

So, what’s in a single serving? Here are a few examples: 1/2 cup raw, frozen, cooked, or canned fruit or vegetables, 3/4 cup 100% fruit juice, 1 cup raw leafy greens, 1/4 cup dried fruit, one medium sized fruit.

For me, I think I do a pretty good job getting my fruits and veggies in, but like any normal person, I have my good days and bad days. So today I decided to begin a fruit and veggie diary. Instead of a diary listing ALL the foods I eat (which I find really hard to keep up with in the long term), I am going to keep track of every fruit and vegetable I eat (100% fruit juices count).

To help me out, I made a small spreadsheet and I’m keeping it in my Google docs. I split it up into different color groups so I make sure to get a variety of nutrients. You can view it here (I filled in Monday as a sample):

You can also check out this page from the Sanitarium Health Food Company to get an idea of the different color groups, examples, and what nutrition they provide.

Heart-Healthy Lycopene

This post was originally published as Heart-Healthy Lycopene by Laurel on Health Food blog.

Lycopene is the healthy phytonutrient that gives the bright red color to produce such as watermelon and tomatoes. Studies show that lycopene helps keep your blood vessels in their best shape, prevents cancer, and keeps your cholesterol at healthy levels. Here are some of the best food sources of lycopene:

• Watermelon
• Tomatoes (red, orange, and tomato products)
• Pink grapefruit
• Guava
• Papaya

Summer is the perfect time of year to boost your lycopene intake because most of these fruits are in season. Here are a few lycopene-rich recipes to get you started:
Tomato, Cucumber, Onion, and Avocado (TCOA) Salad (Laurel’s recipe)
Caprese Salad (Laurel’s recipe)
Watermelon & Feta Salad with Pine Nuts (ChefMD recipe)
Papaya Green Onion Salad (Bobby Flay recipe)

Here’s a few ideas for summer parties. Puree fresh or frozen guava, papaya, or watermelon and mix them with lime juice and a shot of rum or tequila for a healthy cocktail. You can also chop up these fruits into small pieces, add fresh cilantro, lime, and jalapeno for a delicious salsa to put on top of grilled fish or to serve with chips.

3 Diets that Fight Cholesterol

Diets are confusing. The U.S. food industry is even more confusing. But, here’s something I know for sure—there is no magical diet that works for everyone. You really have to experiment until you find out what types of food, drink, and lifestyle works well for you. With that said, it helps to have a place to start. A major part of my health coach training was learning about all the major dietary theories and trying out their rules on my own to see what works for me.
Last week I wrote about Good Cholesterol and Bad Cholesterol and gave some tips on how you can prevent illness by managing your cholesterol levels. If you’re one of the millions of people worried about high cholesterol or if you’re taking cholesterol medication, you may be looking for specific advice on what to eat. The following 3 diets may help cut “bad” cholesterol, raise “good” cholesterol, and improve cardiovascular health.
Note: There are tons of diets out there, and plenty that will help reduce the risk of heart disease (most vegetarian diets are a good place to start). These are just my 3 favorite dietary theories for reducing “bad” cholesterol levels. Remember to listen to your body and check with your doctor before making any major changes to your diet or exercise routine. There are upsides and downsides to every diet.

3 Diets that Fight Cholesterol
(Specific dietary guidelines referenced from Integrative Nutrition by Joshua Rosenthal.)

Macrobiotics Diet
This diet focuses on eating all natural whole foods and balancing your “yin” and “yang.” Macrobiotic dieters eat 40-60% whole grains, 25-30% fresh vegetables, 5-10% beans, 5-10% soups, and 3-5% sea vegetables. Plus you can eat fish a couple times per week. They avoid: dairy, refined sugars, chocolate, meat, eggs, coffee, hot spices, nightshade vegetables, and tropical fruit. Strong focus on Japanese foods. For more information: “What is Macrobiotics?” by Phiya Kushi.

Mediterranean Diet (Laurel’s favorite!)
Focuses on fresh foods, healthy fats, and small portions. It’s a great diet for helping to raise your HDL or “good” cholesterol levels. People on this diet eat lots of fruit, vegetables, nuts, fish, whole grains, beans, and wine (in moderation). They eat less saturated fats found in meat and dairy and very little processed foods, refined grains, trans fats, or refined sugars (if any). For more information: WebMD “Mediterranean Diet” Summary, and ChefMd’s Mediterranean Diet recipes.

Raw Foods Diet
Raw foodies eat only raw foods or fresh food prepared below 116 degrees. They believe high cooking temperatures harm the natural enzymes and nutrients present in fresh food and your body’s ability to absorb those nutrients. This diet is full of fresh vegetables and fruit, seeds, nuts, beans, grains, dried fruits, coconut milk, seaweed, raw chocolate (mmmm), etc. It avoids meat, dairy, and any cooked foods (116 degrees and above). For more information: “Living and Raw Foods FAQ” and Sunfood.com.

I hope you enjoyed this post! I’ll be writing about some more dietary theories over the next few months, so stay tuned!
Wishing you the best,
Laurel