Let’s Talk Health and Nutrition with Dr. H

Identifying so called "Superfoods"                                                            What is it about certain foods that cause us to think of them as "Superfoods?"  Generally, such foods meet the criteria or have the characteristics of foods that are included in an overall healthy diet.  These so called "Superfoods" are nutrient dense and are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other compounds or components such as phytochemicals.  As such, it is easy to think of them as 'Superfoods" as they are associated with beneficial health effects.  However, it is important to remember that we should not rely on any one food or group of foods with the expectation that they are miracle cures.  By doing this we are likely to eliminate and exclude other foods that would contribute variety and balance to our die...

  What do we mean by Nutrient Dense Foods?? As opposed to the typical American diet which is very "energy rich" and supplies empty calories, nutrient dense foods are rich in vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients that promote good health. Nutrient dense foods are not high in saturated fats, added sugars nor sodium.  Examples of nutrient dense foods are: Fruits, Vegetables, Fish and seafood, Whole grains, Poultry (without skin), Nuts and legumes, Lean meat (unprocessed), Non-fat or low-fat dairy (substitutions such as almond milk) Is there a simple way to rate nutrient density??                                            Yes, the more nutrients you obtain from the food for the calories contained, the more nutrient dense the food is.   Food labels can be very handy for helping you to identify not only caloric and fat contents, but also beneficial...