The new year brings with it a lot of promises made and broken, and at the top of the list are resolutions to improve our health. So for the first few weeks you’re free and running, but by the end of the month many of us go back to our old ways, eating too many calories, cutting exercise, and eating fried, greasy foods that clog our arteries , raise our blood pressure, gain weight, and do other scary things that endanger our health.
Interestingly, Tennessee and other southern states consistently rank in the top ten unhealthiest states.
“The finger is pointing strongly towards obesity as the culprit,” says Danielle Townsend, a Registered Dietitian with Primary Healthcare in North Georgia.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, obesity is associated with leading causes of death, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers, as well as poorer mental health and quality of life.
Townsend admits she struggles with her weight, but she’s not alone. Data from the CDC for 2017-2018 reports that 42.4% of adults in the United States are classified as obese.
“I can tell you that obesity is a big part of our lifestyle choices,” she says.
Poor diet, large portions of food, imbalance of nutrients and lack of regular physical activity are factors that lead to poor health.
Science has proven that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can provide numerous health benefits, such as: B. Reducing your risk of several chronic diseases and keeping your body healthy.
However, with all the diets that promote weight loss, it can sometimes seem overwhelming to make major changes to your diet.
“If a diet excludes one food group and you eat 1,000 calories or fewer per day or promises to help you lose a certain amount of weight in ‘just a few weeks,’ that’s generally not a realistic, long-term, or sustainable one way of life,” says Townsend.
The most popular weight-loss diet remains the keto diet, originally designed for children who cannot tolerate anti-epileptic drugs, but it has become a popular diet for people trying to lose weight and get healthy. However, it has a downside. People have had some success at losing weight — consuming just 20 to 30 grams of carbohydrates per day — but that can be associated with increases in serum cholesterol and triglycerides, an increased risk of heart disease, and decreased muscle mass.
Instead of the keto diet, Townsend recommends a low-carb diet with a target daily carb intake of 30-45 grams of total carbs per meal. Most people, she says, cannot continue extremely low-carb intake for the rest of their lives.
“It can lead to false hope, frustration, retroactive weight gain, and binge eating,” she says, offering two alternatives: the Mediterranean or the DASH diet, two diets that don’t cut out certain foods but focus on the whole grain, fresh produce and lean meats and fish, and meatless meals with beans and nuts, both high-protein foods.
Also, drink plenty of water — at least 64 ounces a day for most people — and spend 250 minutes each week on the track or in physical activity.
“Getting well in the right way takes a lot longer, but the odds of keeping it [weight] Off tend to be bigger too,” says Townsend. “How do you say it? Good things come to those who wait. There are many things we don’t like doing, but we do them because they’re good for us. Eating veggies, drinking more water, and taking steps have to be on that list.”
Chicken Lentil Soup
Chicken lentil soup is packed with protein. /Getty Images/iStock/Elena_Danileiko
This is a recent recipe prepared by Danielle Townsend that has proven to be not only healthy but also packed with protein and delicious.
1 pound dried lentils
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, all fat trimmed
8 cups of water
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon (preferably Better than Bouillon brand)
1 small onion
2 shallots
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 cloves of garlic
1 medium ripe tomato
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground annato or Spanish paprika
salt, to taste
In a large saucepan, combine lentils, chicken, water, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cover, over medium-high heat, until chicken is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove and shred the chicken, return to the pot.
Meanwhile, finely chop the onions, spring onions, cilantro, garlic and tomatoes in a food processor or by hand. Add to the lentils with the garlic powder, cumin, oregano and annato and cook, covered, until the lentils are tender, about 25 more minutes, adding more water if needed if too thick. Adjust the salt as needed. Makes about 8 servings.
Swiss chard and mushroom fettuccine
This Mayo Clinic recipe is high in protein, fiber, and healthy carbohydrates, plus chard is a good source of iron and vitamins A and C.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped shallots or green onions
2 garlic cloves, sliced
8 to 10 small mushrooms, sliced
1 pound Swiss chard, stemmed, washed thoroughly and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 ounces uncooked whole wheat fettuccine
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add shallots, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté the vegetables for about five minutes until tender. Add the chard, reduce the heat and leave to stand, covered, for about three minutes. Using tongs, turn the chard over so the uncooked leaves are on the bottom and the wilted leaves are on top. Cover and cook until completely wilted, about three more minutes.
Fill a large saucepan 3/4 full with water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Put the drained pasta back in the pot. Add the chard mixture and the reserved pasta water. Throw to mix evenly. Spread the noodles on preheated plates. Sprinkle each serving with crushed black pepper and 1 tablespoon parmesan. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.
Black bean burger with chipotle ketchup
These burgers can be made ahead of time and frozen.
1 1/4 cups dried black beans, picked and rinsed, soaked overnight and drained
3 cups of water
1 bay leaf
2 plum tomatoes (Roma), peeled and seeded, then diced
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1 chipotle chilli in adobo sauce, chopped
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 red bell pepper (capsicum), seeded and chopped
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 green (spring) onion, thinly sliced
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup fresh whole wheat breadcrumbs
6 whole wheat hamburger buns
6 slices of tomato
6 slices of red onion
3 small lettuce leaves, halved
In a large saucepan over high heat, combine the beans, water, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer until beans are tender, 60 to 70 minutes. Drain and discard the bay leaf.
While the beans are cooking, prepare the chipotle ketchup. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the tomatoes, half the yellow onion, half the garlic, tomato paste, vinegar, chipotle chili, 3/4 teaspoon cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced and the mixture forms a thick sauce, about five minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the remaining yellow onions and sauté until soft and translucent, about four minutes. Add the peppers and remaining garlic and sauté until softened, about three minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, transfer to a bowl and allow to cool. Set the pan aside.
In a food processor, combine the drained beans, onion mixture, brown rice, pecans, spring onion, and remaining 1 teaspoon cumin. Pulse several times until the mixture is coarsely pureed. Fold in the beaten egg and breadcrumbs. Shape the mixture into 6 patties, each about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.
In the same skillet used for the onion mixture, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides and warmed through, seven to nine minutes total.
Serve each burger on a bun topped with 1 slice of tomato, 1 slice of onion, 1/2 lettuce leaf and a dollop of ketchup.
— Recipe courtesy of the Mayo Clinic
source https://www.bisayanews.com/2022/01/26/a-chattanooga-area-dietitian-weighs-in-on-the-keto-diet-plus-recipes-to-help-you-get-and-stay-healthy/
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