Category Archives: Nutrition

Read articles in the category “Nutrition” from dietaryrehab.com

Whole30 Meal Plan: Rules And Tips To A Successful 30 Days On The Whole30 Plan

June 27th, 2019

Matt Poteet, Pharm.D.

The Whole30 diet is a diet created for healthy people, by healthy people. These individuals once found themselves exercising with no results. They were eating healthy but still had no energy and had other skin, digestive, and allergy issues as well. Now with the Whole30 diet they can truly eat healthy and see the results they deserve.

Some healthy foods such as grains, dairy, and legumes can have negative impacts on the body. The only way to actually get the results you want from your diet is by ridding your body of these foods completely. In 30 days, this meal plan will help you to eliminate all the blood-sugar disrupting, gut-damaging, inflammatory food groups from your body. After removing these foods from your diet your body can heal and recover from their various side effects. This helps individuals reset their bodies and reset their lives, and change their relationship with food completely.

How Does It Work?

One of the characteristics of the Whole30 diet that you won’t find with many other diets is you still get to eat food – real food. Keep in mind that the fewer ingredients the better. Or if a food has no additional ingredients because it is a whole food, add that to the keep pile. Individuals follow the rules of the Whole30 diet for 30 days. Their bodies, mindsets, and their relationship with food will be completely transformed after those 30 days.

Who Developed It And Why?

Co-founder Melisa Hartwig developed the Whole30 meal plan. The goal was to change individuals’ lives, specifically by changing the way they think about food. The Whole30 diet changes your tastebuds, cravings, and overall relationship with food. Thirty days on the diet rewires your mouth and your mindset to eat whole and healthy, permanently. Hartwig herself tried the diet, as well as millions of others. They can say with confidence that the Whole30 diet has permanent, life-changing effects.

What Results Should You Expect?

First and foremost, you should expect to eat good food every day, for 30 days. If you are strict to the diet for 30 days, without one bite of pizza, or lick of ice cream, the changes are permanent. You won’t face another uncontrollable craving or have another inner battle about which meal tastes better. Your tastebuds will transform over the course of 30 days.

You should not, however, expect to step on the scale or track body measurements every day. The main focus of the Whole30 plan is not weight loss, though weight loss will most likely occur. Rather, it is about increasing healthy eating habits and decreasing the amount of body fat a person gains. The Whole30 plan recommends taking your body weight before starting the program and after 30 days to see the overall impact eating Whole30 has on the body.

Foods To Avoid

At its foundation, the Whole30 program is an elimination diet. This means it is all about the foods individuals avoid. The diet is not about eating all organic, or local, or pasteurized, it is simply about avoiding the bad stuff – even if you didn’t know it was bad. These are the most important foods to avoid for 30 days.

Sugar, real or artificial: This includes maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, coconut sugar, date syrup, stevia, Splenda, Equal, NutraSweet, xylitol, etc. It is important to read labels because sugar may be in products in ways you don’t immediately recognize.
Alcohol: This means any alcohol, including cooking wine and other cooking alcohols. In addition, you should avoid tobacco.
Grains: This means all grains including wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, millet, bulgur, sorghum, sprouted grains, and all gluten-free pseudo-cereals like quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat. You should also avoid adding wheat, corn, and rice into foods in the form of bran, germ, starch, and so on. If you are unsure, read the label.
Legumes: Also known as beans, you should avoid black, red, pinto, navy, white, kidney, lima, fava, peas, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts. That means peanut butter too. This rule also includes all forms of soy – soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and any way that that soy may have snuck into prepared food as an ingredient (like lecithin).
Dairy: If it comes from a cow, don’t eat/drink it – or if it comes from a goat or sheep either. This includes milk products, like milk, cream, cheese, kefir, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, or frozen yogurt.
Carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites: When these ingredients appear in any form on the label of processed foods or beverages, it is not acceptable for the Whole30.
Baked goods, junk food, or treats: This rule can be tricky. Some specific foods that fall under this rule include: pancakes, waffles, bread, tortillas, biscuits, muffins, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, pizza crust, alternative flour pastas, cereal, or ice cream. Avoid commercially-prepared chips (potato, tortilla, plantain, etc.) and french fries as well. The issue with buying or baking these treats, even with compliant ingredients, is they totally miss the point of Whole30. In the end even a pancake made with coconut flour will compromise your life-changing eating habits. A good rule of thumb is ‘when in doubt, leave it out.’

The Exceptions

Of course, like any good diet, there are exceptions. These foods are acceptable in the Whole30 program, even if other diets have identified them as ‘unhealthy.’

Ghee or clarified butter: Ghee is the only source of dairy you’ll get with Whole30. This does not include plain old butter, which has milk proteins that could impact the results of your program.
Fruit juice: If products or recipes include fruit juice as a stand-alone ingredient or natural sweetener, this is fine for the purposes of the Whole30.
Certain legumes: Maybe not all legumes are bad for you, especially ones that are green and have more pod than bean. Whole30 allows green beans, sugar snap peas, and snow peas.
Vinegar: Whole30 program allows almost all forms of vinegar, including white, red wine, balsamic, apple cider, and rice. However, you should avoid malt vinegar which, contains gluten.
Coconut aminos: All brands of coconut aminos are acceptable. This includes products with the words “coconut nectar” or “coconut syrup” in their ingredient list.
Salt: All iodized table salt contains sugar, which makes it difficult to stick to the no sugar rule. Since most restaurants and pre-packaged foods contain salt, this is the exception to the no sugar rule.

All it takes is 30 days. At first glance, these lists may seem like a significant change, but in the end, it’s what’s good for you.

Tough Love And Mantra Of The Whole30 Program

For individuals stepping into the Whole30 program, they may not be able to speak with Hartwig herself, but this is her and the Whole30 program mantra: “This is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Quitting heroin is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard.” This tough love stance is what it takes to form new habits and change a life. Anyone can do it.

A Typical Day Of Eating On The Whole30 Diet

Eating on the Whole30 Diet is more enjoyable than most people think. A typical day of eating may include one or two Whole30 meal plans. With the Plan A meal, every recipe is 100 percent compliant, with a wide variety of different fat, protein, and carbohydrate sources to choose from. You will eat Plan B meals after your initial 30 days is up. You will continue eating real, nutrient dense foods but begin experimenting with reintroducing some foods during this time period.

Each meal plan has decadent meal options, here’s what a typical day of eating the Whole30 diet may include:

Breakfast

(Plan A) Green Shakshuka with shaved Brussels sprouts
(Plan B) Smoked Salmon Breakfast Stacks, Skillet Roasted Breakfast Veggies, One Pan Chicken Apple Squash, Brussels, Bacon, & Chicken Skillet with Ranch
Paleo Pizza Potato Skins

Lunch

(Plan A) Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
(Plan B) Cauliflower Rice Meatballs, Creamy Coconut Milk Meatballs, Halibut Nicosia Salad, Mango Chicken with Cauliflower Rice, Sweet Potato Noodles with Beef Bolognese

Dinner

(Plan A) Crispy to the Root Chicken Thighs
(Plan B) Paleo Sloppy Joes, Roasted Tomatoes and Shrimp with Zucchini Noodles, Lamb Burgers with Rosemary Pesto Sauce, Easy Whole30 Chili

Meal Prep

On the Whole30 diet, being successful can mean the difference between being prepared or not. A well-written shopping list and preparing food for the third week are two helpful tips for staying on track. A Whole30 shopping list should contain proteins, veggies, pantry staples, nuts, seeds, and oils. When it comes to preparing food it is best to write out the menu for each meal, each day. These simple preparation tips make failure seem impossible.

Support

Another way to succeed on the Whole30 diet is with all the support possible. As with any diet or exercise system, the buddy system makes the hardest goals seem attainable. With the Whole30 diet, try getting friends and family members on board. This diet is beneficial for everyone, not just those who want to diet and lose weight.

The Whole30 is about improving the entire lifestyle to live a more healthful life, everyone needs a little of that. With a few diet buddies on board, you can share meal plans and share success stories. Even without buddies on board, share success stories across social media, with others, spread the word about accomplishments and it helps make the journey seem shorter and more worthwhile.

Whole30 Vs. Paleo

Many individuals have never heard of the Whole30 diet, but they have heard of Paleo. The two diets are very similar, but there are several important differences. The idea behind the Paleo diet is to eat as our Paleolithic ancestors once did. This includes eating plant-based meals with quality proteins and fats.

The Whole30 diet is stricter and is an elimination diet. The idea is to reboot the body and after the 30 days, mindfully add certain foods back in. This marks yet another difference between Paleo and Whole30; Paleo is a long-term diet, Whole30 is not. Whole30 is only for 30 days, with the intention that after the body will only seek and prefer certain foods. Lastly, sugar plays an important role in each diet; in one you can have sugar, in the other you cannot. For example, cinnamon almonds are okay on the Paleo diet, but not for Whole30.

What To Do When The 30 Days Are Over

After the 30 days are over, the reintroduction phase begins. The reintroduction portion of the Whole30 is critical to the learning experience. Within ten days, individuals will slowly, carefully, and systematically reintroduce some of the off-plan foods they were excluding. The idea is to evaluate how they make each individual feel in the context of a healthier relationship with food, metabolism, digestive tract, and the immune system.

Today diets and individualized meal plans are everywhere. Some advertise as being fast, cheap, easy, and prove the best results. The Whole30 diet is wholesome. There are no gimmicks, no subscriptions, the purpose is to change eating habits permanently, not to make money. If you feel that the Whole30 diet is right for you, learn more about individualized meal plans.

TAGS: Meal PlanWhole30 Plan

Why Parents Are Killing Their Kids With Fast Food

April 25th, 2019

Matt Poteet, Pharm.D.

In today’s dog eat dog, running behind and never catch-up world, our children suffer the most because we do not have time to cook, let alone cook a healthy meal. More and more kids nowadays are eating fast food and we, their parents, are not always giving them the healthy food choices that are now available. A 2016 study found that 91% of parents had fed their children fast food, up from 79% in 2010. The same study also showed that although nearly all parents responded positively to healthier options for their kids, only about half of them were giving them a healthier option in their kids meal.

Risks of Fast Food

Obesity is just one of many health issues for which children will be at risk with the more frequent consumption of fast food. Fast food has mostly empty calories and no nutritional value, leaving the body hungry for vitamins, minerals and other key nutrients necessary for a growing child. On top of that, fast food is loaded with more fat, sugar and sodium than children need, and eating this kind of unhealthy food can have negative health consequences over time, such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other health issues.

When the norm for children is to eat fast food about 2-3 times a week, they run the risk of rhinitis, asthma and eczema, and, later as teens, acne. And that’s not from fats, but the empty calories and white flour products. The risk for asthma is about 25% for younger children and goes up to 40% for teenagers.

If a child is eating fast food 4-6 times a week on a regular basis, the risk for memory and concentration issues increases. Research suggests that the high saturated fats found in fast food is what may negatively impact brain function and memory, including memory speed and flexibility and prospective memory (remembering to do something). This will lead to problems at school with learning and retention and, of course later in life, on the job.

There’s More

The 2016 study also mentioned that over one third of the parents who fed their children fast food, gave them regular size meals, instead of the kids meals. Each meal is about 1500 calories – nearly the entire caloric allowance for an adult for the day!

Other health issues that eating fast food brings on (and not only to children, but adults as well) include constipation, bloating and tooth decay. And excess sodium in the food can lead to high cholesterol, heart disease, including arrhythmia, stroke and heart attacks later in life. Also the risk of kidney stones and kidney disease.

Because fast food has all those empty calories, it can keep a child from participating in extracurricular activities. Fast food does not provide adequate nutrients for physical activity. Nutrients you would get from eating fresh fruit and vegetables. And the lack of physical activity not only keeps children out of peer groups but also impairs physical and mental health. Lack of physical activity contributes to obesity and children will also suffer from depression, low body image and low self-esteem.

Lifestyle Changes

Since Ray Kroc first marketed the golden arches and McDonald’s, our food preferences and lifestyles have changed and with each successive generation, it has gotten worse. We have become a society of single parent and dual parent/dual income households, in which we are more inclined to take the easy way out for dinner choices. It used to be that going to get a hamburger at the local diner was a reserved for the weekend. Nowadays, it’s Monday through Friday at the local fast food place, because there’s no time to cook, and weekends are now reserved for the special home-cooked family dinner, if at all.

A generation ago, more than three-quarters of the money spent on food was spent on ingredients to cook at home. Today more than half of money spent on food is spent on food eaten outside the home. Government surveys from 1977-78, 1988-91 and 1994-96 reveal the alarming trend: more and more Americans eat fast food and junk food with each subsequent survey. This is what has lead us to obesity, heart disease and diabetes, and our children are the ones that are suffering the most.

And Another Thing

If the film ‘Super-Size Me’ didn’t scare us, it should have. Granted, we don’t normally eat fast food for breakfast, lunch and dinner like Morgan Spurlock did for 30 days, but it brings the unhealthiness of fast food to light. After 3 weeks, even his doctors were begging him to quit, because he was already showing signs of heart related problems along with severe malnutrition. At the end of his month-long experiment, he had gained 24 lb, a 13% body mass increase, increased his cholesterol to 230 mg/dL, and experienced mood swings, sexual dysfunction, and fat accumulation in his liver. (It took him 14 months to regain his health on a vegan diet.)

We, thankfully, do not eat like that on a regular basis, but even eating just 3-4 times a week can have serious health consequences to us adults. Our children deserve so much better from us. And yet, we keep doing it. We are, quite literally, killing our children. Slowly, painfully, with obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol.

Healthy options

Our children learn from us, not necessarily what we say, but what we do. Our actions speak volumes and our children are keen observers. If we parents change how we eat, or at least what we eat when we go out, and give our children the healthy options available (though they are hardly advertised well), they will learn to eat healthy and carry that over into adulthood and their own children. Healthy options can include ordering the fruit instead of fries or water instead of soda for that hamburger meal, or it could be eating at a healthier restaurant. Our jobs, our lifestyles mostly preclude our ability to eat a sit-down home-cooked meal all the time, but when we can, eating healthy should not be the exception, but the rule.

Does this mean no more milkshakes? No fries? No hamburgers? All that greasy goodness, dripping with cheesy emptiness? No, it means relegate it to the occasional family outing (Read: monthly or biweekly). Because we can’t say never. Fast food should be a treat. A quick bite between baseball practice and piano recital, when too much is going on and there’s not enough hours in the day. And when you do go, add the healthy alternatives, rather than greasy french fries or calorie rich milkshakes. Make the healthy choice for your kids, so they can, in the immortal words of Spock, live long and prosper.

TAGS: ChildhoodFast Food

Show Your Heart Some Love This Year with 10 Heart-Healthy Foods

March 22nd, 2019

Matt Poteet, Pharm.D.

Heart disease continues to hold the top spot as the leading cause of death for Americans, accounting for about one in every four deaths each year in the United States*. So consider adding a few heart-healthy foods to your regular diet to help curb your risk of developing heart disease.

The Value of Eating Well

Eating healthier is much easier than most people realize. Sometimes, simply making a few small changes to your everyday eating routine can have tremendous results in a relatively short time.

Heart disease happens for a number of reasons. Some people inherit genetic markers from their parents that predispose them to these conditions, while others simply fail to maintain appropriate eating habits and inevitably damage the health of their hearts. Adding a few of the following heart-healthy foods can make a major difference in your overall health and reduce your risk of heart disease.

Salmon

Fresh fish is one of the best sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, an essential nutrient for a healthy heart. Fatty fish like salmon has exceptionally high Omega-3 concentration, so consider adding fresh fish to your eating routine at least once or twice per week.

Avocados

One of the most popular “super foods” available, avocados contain a healthy balance of monounsaturated, saturated, and polyunsaturated fats that help absorb fat-soluble vitamins. They also contain vitamins B, E, and potassium, another essential nutrient for optimal heart function.

Walnuts

Walnuts and other nuts are a great source of healthy fats and Omega-3 fatty acids. They are also rich in antioxidants, help promote healthy blood pressure, and decrease inflammation. Walnuts are easy to add to salads for an enjoyable crunch or eaten on their own as a snack.

Berries

Fresh berries like blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries are rich in fiber and antioxidants. Raspberries in particular have high concentrations of polyphenols that lower the risk of heart disease as well as fiber, vitamin C, and manganese, another essential nutrient missing from most Americans’ diets.

Leafy Green Vegetables

Vegetables should ideally comprise the bulk of anyone’s diet, but dark, leafy greens are particularly beneficial. Kale, collard greens, spinach, and cabbage are just a few of the best options for adding veggies to your diet. These vegetables not only promote better digestion but also contain other essential vitamins and minerals that can improve heart function and lower the risk of heart disease.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal can be a delicious breakfast option that also provides fantastic benefits for your heart. Oatmeal is rich in beta-glucan, a type of fiber that helps lower LDL cholesterol levels. LDL cholesterol can eventually cause blockages in the blood vessels of the heart, and it’s easy to add fruits, low-fat yogurt, fortified plant-based milks, and nuts to your morning oatmeal for a satisfying and nutritious breakfast.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate is a sweet and delicious way to add more antioxidants to your diet. Dark chocolate helps break down LDL cholesterol and increases HDL cholesterol, the “good” type of cholesterol. Consider reaching for dark chocolate treats as sweet and healthy snacks, or incorporate them into other foods. Small chunks of dark chocolate in your morning oatmeal can be a delicious and healthy way to start the day.

Olive Oil

An abundance of olive oil in the Mediterranean diet may explain why people hailing from this region generally face a lower risk of heart disease than Americans. Extra virgin olive oil is the purest form available, so consider using it to cook or adding it to salads as a way to prevent LDL cholesterol accumulation, strengthen the walls of your blood vessels, reduce blood pressure, and prevent severe blood clotting.

Almond Butter

Peanut butter is probably one of the most popular foods in the country, and while it certainly contains many health benefits like high protein density and a good amount of monounsaturated fats, unsalted almond butter offers even more health benefits. A serving of almond butter contains about 25% more monounsaturated fats than an equivalent serving of peanut butter, making it an ideal choice for improving blood sugar levels and fighting heart disease.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes get their red color from lycopene, a very powerful antioxidant that promotes healthy cholesterol levels. Tomatoes are also a fantastic source of vitamin C and potassium, two more essential nutrients for a health heart.

Start Making Changes to Your Diet Today

Many Americans struggle to eat better, but completely changing your diet overnight is usually a bad idea. Make the transition to healthier eating easier on yourself by adding heart-healthy foods to your diet. Think of new ways to approach your morning routine with heart-healthy additions to your usual fare and find new snacking options that can help promote better heart function and lower your risk of heart disease.

Try These Heart-Healthy Diet Recipes Today

TAGS: Heart Healthy

Why Angiogenesis Inhibitors In Food Stop Cancer And Where To Find Them

January 31st, 2019

Matt Poteet, Pharm.D.

Angiogenesis is the medical term for the growth of new blood vessels. This may sound harmless or even positive at first, but when new blood vessels grow and supply blood flow to cancerous tumor cells, it can hasten tumor growth and encourage the spread of some cancers throughout the body. Small capillary blood vessels near cancerous cells can cause those cells to multiply much more quickly, thanks to the ready supply of healthy blood.

When a person has a cancerous tumor, limiting blood flow to the area may seem impossible, but proper diet can help prevent angiogenesis and reduce the amount of blood flow a tumor receives. When cancerous cells have access to a rich blood supply, they can multiply and proliferate more easily, eventually leading to rapid cancer growth in nearby parts of the body. Excessive angiogenesis also increases the risk of many other medical conditions, so developing an antiangiogenic diet early in life can help prevent a multitude of medical complications later on.

Angiogenesis Inhibitors

While certain prescription medications can inhibit angiogenesis, these substances bond signaling molecules on the surface of healthy cells. This essentially blocks cancer cells from interfering with normal cell function. There are many types of angiogenesis inhibiting medications. Some restrict blood flow, some change the ways tumors grow, some help normalize a tumor’s vasculature to improve the efficacy of chemotherapy drugs.

However, these medications treat preexisting cancers and can come with unpleasant side effects such as nosebleeds, high blood pressure, headaches, rectal hemorrhaging, back pain, and peeling of the skin. Some increase one’s risk for blood clots, heart attack and stroke. In light of these risks, many people who have an increased risk for or who have already developed early stage cancer are turning to antiangiogenic diets, focusing on prevention in hopes of avoiding the need for treatment.

Success Stories of Antiangiogenic Diets

Angiogenesis inhibitor medications only effectively treat preexisting cancers but do not do much in the way of preventing cancer. Additionally, these medications typically come at significant expense and side effects that can range in severity from unpleasant to life-threatening. For this reason, many cancer experts recommend including angiogenesis inhibitors in food as part of a healthy diet.

The story of Kathy Bero caught the attention of Harvard University cancer researchers after she claimed to defeat inflammatory breast cancer with an angiogenesis inhibitor diet and holistic therapies like reiki. Bero received a breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 41 and started to experience kidney and liver failure when she did not respond to conventional treatments.

After she suffered heart and lung damage as a side effect of chemotherapy, she resigned herself to stopping chemotherapy and letting her illness take its course so she could enjoy her remaining days without suffering the negative side effects of ineffective chemotherapy. She began a holistic home treatment regimen that included an antiangiogenic diet and reiki, a form of touch-based holistic therapy revolving around the concept of channeling energy. Twelve years later, Bero is cancer-free, and her story continues to baffle and intrigue cancer researchers all over the country.

What Food Stops Cancer? Example Meals with Angiogenesis Inhibitors

Antiangiogenic food stops cancer cell growth. In addition, they can also help prevent the development of other medical conditions: obesity, diabetic ulcers, age-related blindness, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. Some of the best anti-angiogenic foods include:

Purple potatoes
Leeks
Garlic
Green tea
Kale
Strawberries
Blackberries
Raspberries
Walnuts
Citrus fruits
Pineapple
Pumpkin
Bok choy
Artichokes
Tomatoes
Red onions
Turmeric
Lavender
Ginseng
Red wine, in moderation
Olive oil
Tuna
Dark chocolate

However, this is not an exhaustive list and most foods rich in antioxidants also have antiangiogenic properties. These foods can help prevent cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, pulmonary embolism, blindness, ovarian cysts, and obesity.

There are many ways to craft a meal with antiangiogenic foods. For breakfast, granola with nuts, seeds, and berries is a great option to start the day with proteins and angiogenesis inhibitors. Add a mix of fruits and vegetables for lunch, such as a salad with dark, leafy greens and citrus fruit like orange slices or lime.

Strawberries and dark chocolate make for a delicious and decadent snack or dessert packed with antiangiogenic properties. For dinner, fish like tuna steak, grass-fed beef, or liver offers a fantastic balance of nutrients with antiangiogenic properties. Have a glass of red wine with a side of leafy greens and antiangiogenic vegetables to further boost the antiangiogenic properties of your meal.

Foods to Avoid

Avoid packaged, processed, and frozen foods as they contain many artificial ingredients, preservatives, and other potentially harmful substances. Processed foods, fast food, and foods made with artificial ingredients do not offer the nutritional value of whole foods. These are the types of foods that can actually increase the risk of developing countless negative health conditions. When buying animal products look for organic, grass-fed meats and dairy products made without hormones and antibiotics.

How Can Dietary Rehab Help?

Dietary Rehab is a best-in-class resource for nutritional support, dietary advice, and specific dietary tips for individual health conditions. Our services include dietary support to restore and preserve health. Maintaining wellness is our priority for every one of our clients. Visit Dietary Rehab online and contact us to learn more about how we can help you bring angiogenesis to the forefront of your diet.

TAGS: CancerHealthy LivingPrevention

Is Farmed Fish Beneficial or Harmful to Health?

December 7th, 2018

Matt Poteet, Pharm.D.

The debate of farm-raised fish vs. wild-caught fish has persisted since the dawn of the aquaculture industry. Many fish farms have appeared in recent years to meet the world’s increasing demand for fish, but there are distinct differences in the nutritional value of fresh-caught fish and farm-raised fish.

There are valid arguments on both sides of this debate. On one side, farmed fish helps meet the demand for fish at a lower cost than fresh-caught fish, while also preventing the destruction caused by commercial fishing. Wild-caught fish typically offer better nutritional value, but commercial fishing has already damaged the world’s ocean ecosystems to staggering levels.

Benefits of Farm-Raised Fish

Farmed fish generally subsist on a cheap diet of corn and soy. While this offers little in nutritional value, it does help keep prices manageable. Unfortunately, the drawbacks of farmed fish far outweigh the perceived benefits.

Potential Drawbacks of Farmed Fish

Supporters of fish farming primarily claim that fish farms reduce the need for commercial fishing operations that damage different fishes’ natural habitats and wild fish populations. However, fish farms have the potential to cause serious ecological damage. Fish kept in farms typically spend their lives in very tightly packed pens, making it easy for sickness, diseases, and parasites to spread in farm populations.

Sickness and parasites from farmed fish can also affect the surrounding wild fish populations. For example, a sea lice infestation recently wiped out roughly 80% of the pink salmon population off the coast of Western Canada*. This contamination could easily affect local wild fish populations which will then harm the predatory species that depend on those fish as food sources, such as birds, bears, and killer whales.

Some predatory farmed fish like salmon also require enormous amounts of feeder fish like mackerel and anchovies. For example, it can take as much as two pounds of feeder fish for every pound of farm-raised salmon. This puts incredible strain on the anchovy and other feeder fish populations, which have faced overfishing nearly to the brink of extinction. Ultimately, fish farming is one of the least sustainable forms of fishing and poses significant risks to the environment and consumer health.

Imported Fish Risks

Another serious risk of eating farmed fish arises with foreign-sourced fish. For example, there are no health and safety inspectors overseeing the fishing industry in China, and some Chinese fish farm workers have reported appalling conditions at many Chinese fish farms**. Some workers have reported sewage in fish pens, rampant disease, filthy working conditions, and dyes used to conceal contaminated fish.

Why Go for Fresh-Caught?

Unless you buy fish directly from a fish farm and have confidence they use safe and healthy practices, there is simply no way to tell where the farmed fish in your grocery store came from. Many farmed fish can be some of the most toxic food in the average store, depending on its source. It’s ultimately better to choose wild-caught fish whenever possible. It may be more expensive, but it is healthier than farmed fish and discourages the fish farming industry from persisting.

Better, Natural Nutrition

Wild-caught fish survive on a natural diet, which can include smaller prey fish, ocean-based plants, algae, and other natural foods. This leads to healthier development, and fish in the wild may roam and move as they please rather than contending with the hyper-confinement of a pen at a fish farm. Penned fish generally experience severe stress during their entire lives, increasing the chances of infections and other health issues and diminishing their nutritional value.

Devastating Struggling Ecosystems

Fish is a highly sought-after food due to its perceived nutritional value, but wild-caught fish offer significant nutritional benefits over farmed fish. For example, one of the most commonly farmed fishes in the world is tilapia, one of the most farmed fish in the world. Many people avoid tilapia due to its generally unsavory reputation and potential health risks, but choosing wild-caught salmon puts strain on the wild salmon population.

Tilapia nutrition is a far cry from the dietary value of wild-caught salmon, and wild-caught salmon is harder to procure. Naturally, the salmon will cost much more. This creates incentive for commercial fishing operations to capitalize on fish in high demand, but they in turn devastate existing wild fish populations. This approach may not be as harmful as fish farming, but it isn’t sustainable either.

Finding Out Which Fish Is Right For You

If your main concern is nutritional value then avoiding farmed fish is your best option. This may be more expensive, but take the time to shop around your area to see the types of fresh fish available. This will be more difficult in some areas than others due to distance from the ocean and shipping issues.

Some fish provide more health benefits than others, and some people may benefit from different types of fish. For example, some wild fish have higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids while others have higher protein content.

Schedule Your Nutritional Assessment Today

If you are unsure about your fish options, the Dietary Rehab team can help. The best way to approach nutrition is with an individualized breakdown of your unique nutritional needs. Preexisting medical conditions, allergies, and food sensitivities are important considerations when developing a diet plan.

A nutritional assessment can help you with your dietary and weight loss goals. If you’re looking for ways to improve your overall health or boost your immune system, an assessment can help with that as well. Learn more about the dietary counseling services that we offer at DietaryRehab.com.

TAGS: FoodsNutritionNutritious Ingredients

Is the Mediterranean Diet Really All That Healthy?

September 18th, 2018

Matt Poteet, Pharm.D.

If you are like many people who are looking to get healthy and reduce your risk of heart disease, you have probably considered, or already abide by, the Mediterranean diet.

Originally, a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine stated that people in a test group who followed the Mediterranean diet had fewer incidents of heart attack or stroke than those who were simply told which fats to eat or avoid. The conclusion was that the Mediterranean diet is actually a way to decrease the risks associated with cardiovascular disease.

The study was touted as a blind study with a control group and two test groups that were randomly chosen. There were a number of study locations that people could visit to sign up and participate. These participants were given either olive oil, nuts or instructed to avoid certain types of fats. The results did show that those given olive oil or nuts had a lesser incidence of cardiovascular events, such as heart attack or stroke.

Flaws in the Original Mediterranean Diet Study

Unfortunately, many of the claims this study made were recently retracted due to a number of exaggerated details that were found in a later review of the original research. The review found a potential error in the randomization process.

When researchers reviewed the study, they found that one of the study locations had enrolled each patient that went to the same clinic on the same exact diet plan, rather than randomly assigning a plan. This meant 467 patients were using the same diet plan all at the same location.

Another issue had to do with households that contained more than one study participant. These participants were immediately placed on the same diet the other member of their household was following. A more accurate way to test the effectiveness of the diet would have been to assign each participating member of the household to a different plan. Although, one could see why they placed them on the same plan, since most households cook and eat together.

Another issue with the original study had to do with the selection process in general. Most, if not all, of the study participants were selected from largely homogeneous genetic communities in the Mediterranean region. This can affect the results in a negative way, as people with the same genetic qualities and living in the same communities often have the same types of health risks.

Therefore, the study only focused on a select group of individuals rather than a widespread and diverse panel of participants.

Important Distinction

Because of the initial study results, the media touted the findings as showing a benefit for anyone who is at a higher risk for cardiovascular diseases or incidents. While eating healthfully will always have a number of benefits, claiming that one diet can benefit anyone in general can be very misleading.

The revised study now says that it is unsure if the diet would have any such benefits in people with a lower risk of heart problems or from different regions of the world.

Should the Diet Be Ignored Now?

With the retraction of the initial results following a review of the original study, many people have begun to question whether the diet is really as healthy as originally advertised. While the randomization and selection process may change the results of this particular study, it doesn’t mean the diet is not healthy or that those looking to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease shouldn’t try it.

The key factor to look at when deciding if a nutrition plan is healthy or if it will have the benefits you desire is whether it is a sustainable diet. With the multitude of fad diets that come and go each year, many people are skeptical of trying anything called a diet.

It’s More Than a Diet

The Mediterranean diet is not so much a diet as it is a conscientious lifestyle change for those who follow it properly. By avoiding certain foods and adding more of others, you begin to rethink the reasons you eat what you eat each day. If you stick with the lifestyle change, you will see the results that your body is capable of.

It is also important to know what your own body is capable of achieving when adopting a diet. While you may see the models on the covers of magazines and think, “I can do that if they can,” you may be overlooking whether your body type is even capable of looking that way.

Consider your bone structure and muscle structure when setting goals for what you want to achieve. This is important no matter which diet plan you choose to follow.

Feel Free to Stick with the Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet is more than a fad. It is a total lifestyle change in the way you prepare and eat food. It works by focusing on healthy fats, lean protein, fruits and vegetables. (Lean protein includes fish and chicken while avoiding red meat, which can be higher in unhealthy fat.)

If you are interested in more information on health, diets, recipes and overall lifestyle changes, enter your email address above to subscribe to our blog. Also, click below to learn more about the specifics of the Mediterranean diet.

Mediterranean Diet: Foods to Focus On

TAGS: Healthy LivingHeart DiseaseMediterranean Diet

Health Benefits of Blueberries and Raw Blueberry Juice

July 6th, 2018

Matt Poteet, Pharm.D.

Looking at the health benefits, blueberries seem to be the perfect food. Considered a superfood because they’re rich in antioxidants, high in fiber, vitamin C and vitamin K, as well as Manganese, these little darlings pack quite a nutritional punch! And the health benefits are equally as awesome.

Antioxidant Rich

Blueberries, whether fresh, frozen, dried or as juice, have as many antioxidants as five servings of other fruits and vegetables! We all know that antioxidants neutralize free radicals and the damage they cause to our bodies. Eating blueberries every day can help stop cellular structure damage, DNA damage, early aging, and various types of cancer. The antioxidants in blueberries also have anti-inflammatory properties. Because of the high antioxidant content, blueberries can help fight chronic inflammatory diseases including arthritis, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s, and even cancer.

Neuro-Protective Agent

Adding blueberries to your diet protects your brain from degeneration and neurotoxicity as well as oxidative stress, by slowing down the damage to the brain cells caused by aging. This decreases your risk of dementia, Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s. Putting blueberries in the daily diet, helps build dopamine, an essential neurotransmitter, in your body. Dopamine enables your body to perform smooth, controlled movements as well as maintaining an efficient memory, good attention span and problem-solving functions.

Cancer Prevention

Clinical studies have shown that gallic acid rich foods like blueberries can kill cancer without harming healthy cells, unlike chemotherapy or radiation therapies. And because they also contain folate, which assists in DNA repair and synthesis, blueberries prevent cancer cells from forming and mutating DNA strands. Some newer studies even show that the antioxidants in blueberries even promote the death of cancer cells.

Eye and Skin Health

Those antioxidants are also working on your eyes, preventing the age related problems like macular degeneration, cataracts and myopia.

Because of special antioxidant compounds called carotenoids, flavonoids and other compounds, even things like hyperopia and retinal infections and sun damage can be prevented or reduced.

Your skin’s collagen relies on vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, in order to prevent damage caused by sun, pollution and smoke. Vitamin C also supports collagen’s ability to smooth out wrinkles and improve skin texture.

Digestive Aid

Fiber rich blueberries have both soluble and insoluble fiber which can help maintain a healthy digestive track, relieving both diarrhea and constipation. Wild blueberries have pre-biotic potential which promotes probiotic bacteria in the colon, aiding digestive health. There is a good chance they can help cure Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Crohn’s Disease. Blueberries can also alleviate symptoms such as bleeding and pain caused by ulcerative colitis. One of the antioxidant compounds, pterostilbene, inhibits genes that cause inflammation, thought to be a risk factor for colon cancer.

Heart Health

Higher daily intake of blueberries has been shown to reduce the risk of developing hypertension by up to 8%. Research shows that, by eating blueberries and drinking raw blueberry juice, total and low density LDL cholesterol can also be reduced by up to 12% and 15% respectively and could help prevent heart disease. The blueberry, with its vitamin C and B6 as well as fiber, potassium, folate, and phytonutrient content, vigorously supports heart health. There is also a study, published in the journal, Circulation, stating that blueberries, eaten together with strawberries, may reduce your risk of heart disease by up to 33%.

Healthy Weight Loss

Since blueberries are high in dietary fiber, low in calories and low on the glycemic index, these blue marvels aid in weight loss. Dietary fiber is a bulking agent in the digestive track and gives that full feeling for longer, thereby reducing overall caloric intake. Snacking on blueberries, with their high fiber content will give you that full feeling and reduce your appetite. They also have the ability to block enzymes in your intestines that block carbohydrate absorption. Blueberry flavonoids, once absorbed, aid the body’s weight management by slowing the rate in which fat cells develop and multiply a well as decreasing the amount of fat that is stored in each cell.

Other Health Benefits

Blueberries can also treat urinary tract infections. They have a compound of large polymer-like molecules which inhibit the growth of E. coli bacteria. This compound is only found in cranberries and blueberries. Your immune system can also be boosted with these blue marvels because of the antioxidants in them. The flavonoid rich wild blueberry is a mood enhancer and can act as an effective antidepressant. Because of the low glycemic index of blueberries, they can be helpful with Type 2 Diabetes. They have a positive impact on sugar regulation and can also help people with Metabolic Syndrome and insulin resistance, including lowering blood pressure. Higher intake of blueberries has been shown to decrease the development of Type 2 Diabetes in people who have Metabolic Syndrome by up to 23%.

Eating Healthy

Living longer, healthier and looking younger are the ideals we all strive for. Blueberries and raw blueberry juice is definitely a good addition to the healthy lifestyle we all want and want to keep. The best blueberries are organic and fresh. However, you can freeze them, dry them, juice them, save them, bake with them, do all kinds of things with them. They are a very versatile and forgiving fruit, in that they do not lose any nutritional value freezing or drying them. So, eat a handful a day and don’t forget to follow our blog to eat healthy, live healthy (and longer) and be happy.

TAGS: DietHealthy LivingNutrition

How Diet and Exercise Promote Health Microbiome Inside Our Bodies

March 5th, 2018

Matt Poteet, Pharm.D.

Good-for-You Bacteria

Bacteria isn’t always something to be avoided. While it’s good to fight bacteria on surfaces and protect yourself from potential sources of infection, some microorganisms are actually good for you.

Inside the body, millions of bacteria create a microbiome that enables digestion, keeps your gut healthy and supports immunity. Recent studies suggest healthy bacteria could be a major factor in developing celiac disease.

Celiac sufferers are often frustrated when a gluten-free diet alone doesn’t control their symptoms. An issue with the balance of their internal bacteria may be at root of the problem.

What Is a Microbiome?

Micro means small and biome means a community of living organisms. Within every human is a collection of between 10 and 100 trillion bacteria, most of which live in the digestive system. From the salivary glands in your mouth through your intestines, microorganisms work to break down food and perform a host of other functions.

Each person’s microbiome is like a genetic footprint, because it impacts the diseases they are predisposed to, their body weight, heredity and more. The same bacteria also exist on surfaces and throughout the environment.

Gut bacteria help:

Extract nutrients from food
Process vitamin K
Digest cellulose
Support nerve function.

Some researchers say up to 90 percent of diseases relate to the strength or weakness in a person’s microbiome. What you eat, how many hours a night you sleep and the bacteria in your surroundings all influence the health of your microbiome.

Poor gut health creates chronic inflammation in the intestinal walls and can cause:

Food sensitivity
Fatigue
Depression
A range of other conditions

Microbiome and Diet

What you eat affects your microbiome. In studies that analyzed humans and 59 other types of mammals, what each organism ate drastically affected their internal bacteria.

Diet can hurt or help healthy bacteria, and bacteria affect how the body digests food. When gut bacteria are in balance, people are more likely to maintain a healthy body weight. As a mice with a healthy body weight receive gut bacteria from obese mice, they gain weight quickly without eating additional calories because of how their new microbiota process food.

Foods That Cause Inflammation

When the gut microbiome undergoes changes due to antibiotics, sickness, stress, lifestyle factors or poor diet, tissue becomes damaged and the intestines become inflamed. Thus, the intestines become permeable and can leak antigens that lead to chronic disorders.

Lowering inflammation helps support gut health. There are several food groups to avoid:

Refined vegetable oils like corn or canola oil contain high amounts of omega-6 fatty acids, known to cause inflammation.
Pasteurized dairy products irritate allergies and threaten healthy bacteria.
Refined carbohydrates like sugar, white bread and white rice are produced by stripping away the beneficial fiber. They cause blood sugar spikes and increased intestinal permeability.
Packaged granola or boxed cereal might seem like a healthy choice, but it’s often packed with refined sugar.
Trans and hydrogenated fats used in fried food and packaged snacks also create inflammation.

Farmers feed livestock corn and other inexpensive ingredients to fatten them up quickly, so meat, eggs and poultry from many sources are high in omega-6s.

Celiac Disease Foods to Avoid

For those with gluten intolerance, food can cause intense reactions. Celiac disease foods to avoid include:

All types of white or graham flour
Anything that contains the word “wheat,” like wheat bran or wheat germ
Pasta
Malt beverages
Barley

Gut-Healthy Foods

While some foods cause inflammation, others support healthy gut bacteria and reduce intestinal irritation. Celiac disease and a gluten-free diet follow the same rules that are beneficial for everyone.

Carbohydrates should come from fresh fruits and vegetables. Vegetables reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, arthritis and other illnesses. The best choices are dark, leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli; and squash.

If you eat fruit, consume it in its whole, raw form. Juices and fruit that is canned or processed contain added sugar and often have the healthy fiber removed. Instead of soda or energy drinks, choose organic coffee and green tea.

Consume high-quality meat like fish caught in the wild, poultry that is allowed to wander and find its own food, and grass-fed beef. When animals have the chance to find and ingest a range of nutrients, they have healthy microbiomes of their own and provide protein, healthy fat and nutrients without excessive omega-6s.

Choose beneficial fats like those found in nuts and seeds, coconut oil and butter from grass-fed cows. Beans and legumes are extremely healthy, as are grains like quinoa and amaranth.

Other Ways to Support Microbiome Health

What you eat every day either nourishes or destroys a healthy microbiome, but there are other activities that impact gut health. Doctors have been prescribing antibiotics for more than 80 years, and they have saved countless lives.

However, antibiotics don’t just kill harmful bacteria, they destroy entire microbiomes. While individuals recover from the infection for which a doctor prescribed antibiotics, their system tends to develop a higher risk of infection. Avoid taking antibiotics except when they are the only way to fight infection.

People sensed the connection between brain and gut long before science backed it up. When you’re nervous, you feel butterflies in your stomach. When something catastrophic happens, you feel like you’ve received a physical blow to your torso. Seeing something traumatic can make you feel nauseated.

Stress causes biochemical changes, disrupting the digestive system’s internal stability. When people are under prolonged stress, they suffer in the following areas:

Gastric secretions
Intestinal motility
Permeability of mucous membranes
Intestinal blood flow

Constant stress exposure in mice, for example, encourages some bacteria to grow rapidly, reducing diversity and wiping out the intestinal balance. Even small amounts of chronic stress slow down normal functions.

Exercise for Better Microbiome Helath, Gut Bacteria

Prioritize stress reduction to support microbiome health. Exercise is a natural way to reduce stress, and a new study finds it can encourage healthy bacteria growth. The study followed sedentary men and women, half of whom were obese. Researchers asked all participants to engage in progressively more intense sessions of walking and jogging three times a week.

As a result, exercise changed the gut bacteria in all participants. While individual results varied, almost everyone showed an increase in the microbes that create short-chain fatty acids. (Short-chain fatty acids boost metabolism and fight inflammation.) Lean volunteers showed the greatest benefit. The volunteers’ microbiomes returned to their original levels six weeks after they stopped exercising.

Your Microbiome and Disease

Chronic inflammation causes disease. An autoimmune disease develops when the body’s immune system becomes confused and attacks body systems. Researchers have linked inflammation with a person’s likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Gut health protects the body from free radicals, which weaken systems to make them more susceptible to many types of cancer. Harmful bacteria break down joints and supportive tissue, causing inflamed joints and arthritis. Nutrition also affects hormonal balances and brain chemistry, so a suffering microbiome can lead to depression.

The health of your body’s microbiome impacts every internal system. To reduce your risk of chronic disease and support a healthy microbiome, avoid antibiotics and foods that cause inflammation. Instead, eat fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and protein from quality sources. And finally, cut down on stress and get regular exercise to reduce inflammation and fight disease.

Find Nutrition Counseling Now

TAGS: DietHealthy LivingNutritious Ingredients

The Benefits of a Magnesium-Rich Diet

January 15th, 2018

Matt Poteet, Pharm.D.

Why You Need Magnesium

Magnesium plays many important roles in the body. It’s also one of the micronutrients in which we are most deficient, with an estimated 80 percent of American adults having some level of deficiency.

A magnesium deficiency can lead to several troubling symptoms, from fatigue and muscle aches to insomnia and anxiety. Many adults may be experiencing side effects of low magnesium and not even realize it.

Do You Have a Magnesium Deficiency?

Since magnesium plays a role in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body, a deficiency can lead to serious and noticeable symptoms. Some of the most common include:

Circulatory Symptoms

A magnesium deficiency, if it persists long enough and is severe enough, can contribute to hypertension (high blood pressure) and cardiovascular disease. In some cases, it can be linked to preeclampsia (pregnancy complication that causes high blood pressure) or eclampsia (onset of seizures in a pregnant woman).

Nervous System Symptoms

A magnesium deficiency can cause troubling symptoms within your brain and nervous system. These symptoms may include:

Trouble sleeping
Migraines
Mood swings
Fatigue
Restless leg syndrome

Immune System Symptoms

Low levels of magnesium can contribute to recurrent bacterial infections or fungal infections, which may be the consequence of a depressed immune system. You may also be at risk for tooth cavities.

The Benefits of a Magnesium-Rich Diet

On the other hand, a magnesium-rich diet can come with a host of benefits. Some of the most notable include:

More Energy

Magnesium helps increase your energy levels and combat fatigue by activating ATP, which fuels cellular activity within the body.

Alleviates Anxiety

Magnesium plays an important role in GABA function, which helps produce serotonin. Serotonin is one of your “happy” hormones that promotes relaxation. This helps explain why some people with magnesium deficiency struggle with insomnia or anxiety.

Aids Digestion

Magnesium helps your muscles relax within your digestive tract, and helps moves stool through your intestines. Magnesium deficiencies can lead to constipation, so increasing your levels can ease gastrointestinal discomfort.

Relieves Aches and Pains

Magnesium also plays a role in muscle contractions. When you have a magnesium deficiency, you may experience cramping or spasms. Having adequate magnesium can help your muscles relax and reduce cramps and weakness.

Fuels Your Heart

Magnesium is essential to your cardiovascular health. There is more magnesium in your heart than anywhere in your body. It works symbiotically with calcium to support a healthy blood pressure and prevent hypertension within your body.

Natural Sources of Magnesium

While there are many magnesium supplements available on the market, many people can get adequate magnesium through a healthy diet. By incorporating some of the following magnesium-rich foods into your diet, you can replenish your levels and enjoy more energy, less pain and improved body functions.

Avocado

Avocado may be classified as a fruit or a vegetable, but either way it packs a serious nutritional punch. These humble little husks contain 15 percent of your recommended daily intake (RDI) of magnesium, plus they’re loaded with heart healthy fats, potassium and fiber.

Nuts

Nuts also work to deliver both heart-healthy fats and magnesium. Almonds, cashews and Brazil nuts have the highest amount of magnesium, with about 20 percent of your RDI in a one-ounce serving.

Legumes

This family of nutritious foods – which include soybeans, peanuts, peas, chickpeas, beans and lentils – are loaded with magnesium. In fact, one cup of cooked black beans contains nearly one-third of your RDI.

Leafy Greens

The basic ingredients of your salad, spinach in particular, can provide much of your magnesium for the day. A cup of spinach yields one-third of your RDI. A spinach salad garnished with cooked chickpeas for lunch could provide you with half of your magnesium for the day or more.

Dark Chocolate

For you chocophiles, here’s a cause for celebration: Not only is dark chocolate loaded with antioxidants, it’s also a good source of magnesium (about 15 percent for a few squares).

Keep in mind that this is still a treat to be enjoyed in moderation. Stick to a serving instead of a whole bar.

The Bottom Line

Magnesium serves several vital functions throughout the body. If you’re feeling fatigued, stressed, anxious or have trouble sleeping, these could be warning signs of a deficiency.

Incorporate magnesium-rich foods into your healthy and active lifestyle. You might be impressed with the results. For more information on healthy living and a well-balanced diet, bookmark or follow our blog.

TAGS: DietHealthy Living

What Is Coffee Flour: The Newest Paleo Grain?

September 15th, 2017

Matt Poteet, Pharm.D.

If you bake, you probably know there are many different types of flour. Nut flours like almond and hazelnut offer many of the nutritional benefits found in whole nuts. Oat flour has extra fiber and is gluten-free. Coconut flour is often substituted for white flour in paleo recipes.

Coffee flour is new on the scene, and it offers amazing health benefits.

Coffee Flour Improves Health and the Environment

With coffee four being touted as not only good for you, but also good for the environment, we had to dive deeper into this mysterious new ingredient. We wanted to find out for ourselves what the benefits and potential uses for coffee flour are all about.

What Is Coffee Flour?

The coffee you drink every morning comes from the Coffea plant. Coffee growers raise the plants for their fruit – little red cherries that each contain one or two seeds. These farmers harvest, dry and grind the seeds to make America’s favorite morning beverage.

Until now, growers had no use for the rest of the plant; they threw away the cherry pulp. Recently, a former coffee house employee invented a process to dry discarded cherry pulp and grind it into flour.

What Makes Coffee Flour Unique?

Coffee flour doesn’t taste like coffee. It has a smooth flavor that’s more like tea or molasses. Some blends contain light citrus notes, and others are slightly bitter.

Coffee flour works well in:

Muffins
Granola bars
Other baked goods

But you don’t have to worry about the afternoon jitters if you use coffee flour in your favorite recipes: There’s only around 62 milligrams of caffeine per one tablespoon serving – about the same amount contained in a serving of dark chocolate.

Health Benefits of Coffee Flour

Coffee flour only has 34 calories per serving, but it packs a powerful nutritional punch. Here are some of its health benefits:

It contains 1.8 grams of soluble fiber and 3.4 grams of insoluble fiber per serving, making it a high-fiber flour.

Fiber helps your body digest food, absorb nutrients and balance blood sugar. It also helps you stay full longer. It’s low fat, too: While almond flour contains 3.5 grams of fat per tablespoon and coconut flour has 1 gram for the same amount, coffee flour only has 0.056 grams.

It’s also an excellent source of potassium, which reduces blood pressure and preserves both bone mass and lean muscle. It contains 310 milligrams of potassium per serving, almost as much as a whole banana.

Coffee Flour Uses

Coffee flour can be incorporated into most recipes. Just use it in place of 30 percent of the flour your recipe calls for. If you are worried about a different taste in your favorite food, try mixing coffee flours with other kinds of flours. Coffee flour also thickens smoothies, soups and sauces.

Coffee Flour’s Role in the Environment and Jobs

While we are all concerned with healthy eating, we also want to ensure our farming is done with the health of the planet in mind. Therefore, it’s comforting to know coffee flour has socioeconomic and environmental benefits. Instead of dumping waste in rivers or rotting in landfills, farmers turn this coffee byproduct into a sustainable source of income.

Since the plant pulp that is used was once thrown away or used for fertilizer, this new use is much better for the environment. It’s also a boon to many poor economies, too.

Coffee is grown in some of the world’s poorest countries. This new industry creates jobs, as workers are needed to harvest, dry, mill and package the pulp. A whole new industry from coffee flour is currently improving agricultural communities on three continents.

Coffee Flour in Paleo Recipes

Coffee flour is non-GMO, vegan and gluten-free. It’s the perfect ingredient in many sweet and savory paleo recipes. Try it as part of your favorite paleo recipes to boost both flavor and nutrition.

Dietary Rehab helps people understand nutrition to overcome obesity and chronic disease. We help people enjoy healthy eating and feel good while doing it.

Browse through our recipes and feel free to substitute coffee flour for an extra-healthy boost to an already nutritious and tasty recipe.

Explore New Healthy Recipes

TAGS: Coffee Flour RecipesModern DietaryNutritious IngredientsPaleo Diet