Great Grains

As we learned in The High School Reunion Diet, Carbs aren’t all bad for you.  It’s a matter of knowing the smart ones from the dumb ones. While the marketing terms of the packagers may take some decoding, ‘whole grain’ means smart carbs.

When reading a nutrition label for carbohydrates, be sure to read carefully, because the wording can be tricky. For example, “Made with whole grains” is a different thing from “100% Whole Grain.”  We don’t know just how much “made with’ really indicates.  It could be 2%, or it could be 92%.  There’s no way to know.

To be sure, flip over the box and check the list of ingredients. Whole grains should appear at the top, and be referred to as “whole.”  Stay away from refined flours and even ‘multi-grains’ unless they’re listed as whole. Your body will appreciate that whole grains offer sustained energy, while refined grains–often with added sugars that extend shelf life (i.e. white bread)– spike your blood sugar and then crash it, leading to a dangerous instability that can cause diabetes and other serious medical conditions.

For a list of common grains and what they do for your body check out this article on GirlHabits.

BARNEY’S NEW YORK WINDOW

Barney's NY WindowBarney's New York WindowReaders of The High School Reunion Diet know that youth, beauty and health are sustained and renewed through true nutrition —  the nutrients you get through great, natural food on a daily basis.  But topical skin care is also an important element.  The new Colbert, MD skin care line, launched at Barney’s New York under the name “Daily Nutrition for The Skin,” offers three daily antioxidant-drenched products.  With a uniquely effective QuSome delivery system that ensures product can penetrate the skin and renew it at the cellular level, Colbert, MD is a scientific breakthrough in topical skin care.   Both the product and the book are sold at Barney’s New York: at the Madison Avenue in Manhattan and Beverly Hills stores.

Learn the Labels: Huh? How Much Sugar is in That Soda?

Nutrition labels on the back of American foods are written in in grams. As consumers, we’re not used to grams, and maybe didn’t learn to translate their meaning in school. So we’re already at a disadvantage when it comes to reading nutrition labels.

Here’s a quick lesson–and take it from an MD,  it’s imperative that you know how much sugar you’re consuming in every can of soda or bowl of cereal or glass of fruit juice.  So remember to always turn the package or carton or bottle over to check the line on the label that indicates the amount of the product’s “sugars.” (Conversions provided by Gourmet Sleuth):

1. Candy Bar- Candy bars contain an average of 30 grams of sugar.  That’s about 6 teaspoons.

2. Soda- Usually has 39 or more grams of sugar, or  8.2 teaspoons–even more than the candy bar, which we were well aware was full of sugar.  Can you imagine putting over eight teaspoons of sugar in your morning tea or coffee? Soda sports this much in every serving;  it’s dangerous and there is no excuse for drinking it.

3. Fruit Juice- Often you’ll find more than 22 grams of sugar in a single serving of fruit juice; this amount translates to 4.6 teaspoons.  Remember, The High School Reunion Diet teaches us to eat our fruit whole.  A whole fruit still has its fiber, which slows the conversion of sugar (fructose) into glucose in our systems.  This is important in preventing the kind of insulin resistance that results from habitual eating or drinking of sugars.

Those are just three examples of products with high sugar content.  But almost all packaged foods contain added sugars–not only for sweetness, but for consistency and shelf life.  We recommend avoiding packaged foods as much as possible, and always checking the sugar content on any packaged food–not just the usual suspects like cereals, yogurts with fruit and/or syrups; ‘health bars,’ ’sports drinks,’ ’smart’ snacks et al.

For more on the effects of sugar on your long term health and beauty, see the section titled “Drug Test” in The High School Reunion Diet.

Eat the List Recipe: Rosemary and Salmon

Now that you all understand the benefits of Spices and Fish, here’s a great recipe to combine them both courtesy of AllRecipes.

Preperation

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  2. Arrange half the lemon slices in a single layer in a baking dish. Layer with 2 sprigs rosemary, and top with salmon fillets. Sprinkle salmon with salt, layer with remaining rosemary sprigs, and top with remaining lemon slices. Drizzle with olive oil.
  3. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

Rethink the Spices

On a recent blog post I found a shocking claim. The blogger who wrote this particular post was claiming that all spices are a negative when added to our favorite foods. After all, he wrote, they just “irritate” your system.

For anyone who’s not gasping right now, we have a little re-education to do! Which is ok, we’re all raised with a few misunderstandings about food.

After all, nutrition fibs die hard.

The good news is this: Spices are excellent for you! Especially the ones listed in The High School Reunion Diet.  Just for a quick example, did you know Rosemary is said to increase memory? And Oregano has powerful anti-oxidants that work miracles on a body.

The best part? Spices are what make our food taste good. They prevent that fish dinner from tasting the same every night. In fact, some of the best overall diets subsist on a matter of 10-15 core foods. The people who know how to utilize spices well are the ones who really enjoy those core dishes.

So throw out all that misinformation on spices being a bad thing. It’s time to bring taste back to the American plate!

Learn why we love the Greenmarket

Locally grown produce has benefits that far outreach the delicious taste and oftentimes organic health benefits. Especially in Manhattan, where fresh fruits and vegetables can be so difficult to find, the Union Square Market offers a huge variety of fresh, locally grown goods.

Dr. Colbert always seems to be at the Farmer’s Market picking up tasting ingredients for his High School Reunion Dishes. See how the Greenmarkets in New York help local farmers and then make the trip to pick up the ingredients for meals on The List.

Switch to foods with lower Glycemic Indexes

Food.sify.com recently came out with an article about the Glycemic Index. Everyone who has read the High School Reunion diet knows that not every carbohydrate is bad for you. In fact, there are ’smart’ carbs and ‘dumb’ carbs dependent on the foods’ Glycemic Index. It seems the knowledge is starting to catch on everywhere! Prepared with the list of good and bad carbs found in the High School Reunion Diet, you can check out the recent article for ways to switch over to all those wonderfully smart carbs.

For example, switch white rice with whole grain, organic rice. After all, white rice is similar to white bread- it lacks almost all nutrition.

Let’s here your suggestions for how to switch to foods with low GIs.

Obesity now linked to poor cognitive health

The obesity epidemic has always led to higher diabetes rates, poor physical health and joint pain among other things. However, obesity has now been linked in multiple scientific studies with cognitive decline in humans’ older years.

The link is yet to be proven concretely considering obesity often lowers a person’s life span. However, within some twins and other similar individuals it’s been shown that cognitive abilities decline faster when the person has issues with being overweight.

Along with cognitive decline, depression is far more likely with high Body Mass Indexes.

Which is why we’re such big fans of Michelle Obama’s war on obesity! After all, if everyone took a few minutes to think about food before buying/eating it, pounds would be shed nationwide.

Dr. Colbert is a Guest on NBC’s Martha Stewart

Dr. David Colbert of High School Reunion Diet fame appeared on the Martha Stewart Show this morning, March 3.   The charming Ms. Stewart started the show off with a trip down memory lane with her guests, reminiscing about their high school days.  Martha reported that she’d been an athlete and a “goody-two-shoes.”  David noted that his favorite part about high school was leaving it.  Later in the show, the Doctor shared his Shopping List, recommending we eat certain foods on a daily basis to stay young and healthy, inside and out.  Included were:

MARTHA: The Martha Stewart Show

MARTHA: The Martha Stewart Show

Greek Yogurt for its anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effect, and its ability to fight infection

Blueberries for the antioxidants and phytonutrients (read: pretty skin)

Kale, which he gave an A for its Vitamin A.  (Makes your eyes see better and sparkle more)

Spinach, as the most nutritious plant on planet earth

Red and Orange Bell Peppers, because great color means great nutrients

Almonds, for the kind of fat that helps keep you thin

Olive Oil, the world’s most famous fat, to be used in cooking every day

To see a clip of Dr. Colbert on the show, please go to NBC.com and click on The Martha Stewart Show

Check Your Beverage

Here’s a must see: this video from WebMD reveals how many hidden calories there are in beverages. Just like the doctor says in The High School Reunion Diet: lay off the soda, eat the whole fruit instead of drinking the juice, and be wary of sugar-waters advertising themselves as ‘health’ or ’sports’ or ’smart.’  Know what you’re drinking or read the label before you try something new.  

Tap and spring waters are sugar-free and since you can’t get too much pure water, drink up!

What Are You Drinking?

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