Episode 7

May 17, 2009 · Filed under Podcast Show Notes

Food Focus: Kale

Do you eat Kale? I use to only know it as a garnish on the side, but who knew this leafy green had sooo many nutrients like.

• Vitamin K
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Manganese
• Dietary Fiber
• Copper
• Calcium
• Vitamin B6
• Potassium
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Vitamin E
• And the list goes on.

Let’s talk about the Vitamin A that Kale provides. 1 cup of kale provides 192.4% of the daily value for Vitamin A. Wow! And for you calorie counters out there that is only 36.4 calories.

As you just heard this an excellent source of vitamin A on account of its concentrated beta-carotene content. Once it’s inside the body, the beta-carotene converts into vitamin A, so when you eat kale, it’s like getting both these beneficial nutrients at once.

Also, kale is a very good source of fiber. 1 cup of kale provides 10.4% of the daily value for fiber. Kale is known to reduce high cholesterol levels. Fiber can also help out by keeping blood sugar levels under control, so kale is an excellent vegetable for people with diabetes. Lastly, Kale’s fiber binds to cancer-causing chemicals, keeping them away from the cells lining the colon, providing yet another line of protection from colon cancer.

If you weren’t eating Kale before I hope you will add it into your diet now.
Try this Kale and Garlic recipe. So quick and easy and so delicious!

Food Review: Cheerios

I was reading an article the other day on Consumer Reports Health.org that was titled FDA sinks Cheerios health claims; calls cereal an ‘unapproved drug.’

I know many people who eat Cheerios so I wanted to do a food review to look at the actual ingredients to see if it really is bad for you. For those that did not read this article from my post on Twitter or Facebook, then click on the link above for the original article.

The article was basically saying that Cheerios makes a lot of health claims on their boxes and promotional websites, which go beyond what is allowed for foods.

So lets take a look at a box of Cheerios. On the front it says it’s a good source of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, 100 calories per serving, it contains whole grains, clinically proven to help reduce cholesterol, but now on their promotional website they say a lot more. This is what they are saying:

“Cheerios is also an excellent source of folic acid and a good source of fiber. On top of all that, Cheerios is the only leading ready-to-eat cereal that has been clinically proven to lower blood cholesterol levels when eaten as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.”

They also say:
“14 vitamins & minerals, low fat, good source of calcium, good source of fiber, helps reduce risk of heart disease, and excellent source of iron.”

Actual ingredients:
Whole grain oats, modified corn starch, sugar, oat bran, salt, calcium carbonate, oat fiber, tripotassium phosphate, corn starch, wheat starch, vitamin E added to preserve freshness.

I do see actual ingredients in here like whole grain oats, oat bran, salt and oat fiber, but how much of this is truly in there. I’m not sold as far as the nutrients its claiming on the box. I’m definitely agreeing with the article for too many claims.

You definitely can get more nutrients from some homemade muesli. Here is the Muesli recipe from Karen Knowler. Yum!

Definitely the original cheerios is much better than the other new versions out there, for example the Multi Grain cheerios is basically coated with sugar and has more sugar ingredients in it as it has 12 grams of sugar per serving vs the 1 gram that the original box has. Please just read your labels before purchasing your food. It’s very important.

Affirmation of the Week:
I possess an endless supply of creativity, energy and tolerance for any project that I assume.

Remember repeat after me with interest and desire.

Tip of the Week:

If you are looking for a natural way to cleanse your body drink a glass of room temperature water with some lemon.

Lemon and water both have clarifying actions in your body. Both lemon and water help flush out toxins in our system. Although lemons are acidic, they are alkalizing in your body.

Most of the foods we eat are very acidic and too much acid can bring about health problems. That’s because our body actually prefers to be alkaline. Instead, most people bombard their systems with too many acidic foods and drinks, which have long lasting detrimental effects. That’s why a glass of lemon water in the morning can help with clearing the toxins from our system.

Remember if you have a specific food or off the shelf item that you want me to bring up in one of the episodes or if you have a favorite affirmation or you have a tip of the week of your own and want to share. I welcome your thoughts and ideas contact me at info@healthyinnerbeauty.com. I’m here to help you any way that I can.