In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I list seven good green foods for you. And “green juice” is not one of them. ?

There are many foods people think of as healthy that really aren’t. What are they? I list five here.

Can you guess what they are?

People tell me that they choose primarily “whole foods,” and I often respond by saying I will shop nearly anywhere. And really I haven’t been to Whole Foods (the grocery store) in years.

But using the expression “whole foods” and focusing on what people describe as whole foods often means that people know what they are putting into their bodies. In theory, there are no confusing ingredients, no hidden calories, no added sugars, and no added fats.

But in reality, choosing so-called “whole foods” can help simplify eating so people don’t need to spend extra time figuring out what is in highly processed foods. And you will know what you are eating.

There is a lot that people can do to start healthier eating, but where to start? Today I give your FIVE tips to start on healthier eating. It isn’t complicated, just pick one and get started today.

It is the season of Lent, and while I am not catholic, I know there is an influence of having fish on Fridays, at least during this time of year. Watch television ads or go to a restaurant during lent (which in 2022 started on March 2), and there will very likely be a fish special.

Now, I must address an issue that presents itself more often than I’d like: fish can be healthy, but not when it is fried.

The MyPlate food icon replaced the Food Pyramid in 2011. So why do people not realized that is in the past, and the Plate is the thing to know? And it isn’t a rule, but a guideline.

Following up on a post about macros from nearly a year, ago, I address the question, “ How are foods chosen that will precisely fit a particular macro group?

Get out the calculator and read this first.

Many of us have goals, resolutions, those things we know we should do or want to accomplish, but something tends to get in the way. And these things are often something to focus on year-round, not just at the start of the year, month, or week.

And especially not AFTER a new medical diagnosis.

But MOTIVATION is a big part of us achieving the goals we have. So many things can motivate people, and there are many reasons people choose not to do something they know are good for them.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 looks at many health issues and makes recommendations for lifestyle factors, mostly diet, to help improve the overall health and reduce the risk of chronic disease among Americans over the age of 2.

With American Heart Month in full swing, this article focuses specifically on blood cholesterol values related to risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) – also referred to as heart disease.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S, and about 18.2 million adults have coronary artery disease, the most common form of heart disease.

Hypertension, high LDL cholesterol, and high total cholesterol are major risk factors for heart disease.

I know that not everyone sets resolutions, but many people do set goals of what they want to do this year. So, with just over 6-weeks into the year, dry January behind us, Girl Scout cookie season in full swing, Superbowl Sunday, and Valentine’s Day behind us, maybe now is a time to review those goals again. By now, we may set many of those goals aside because of lack of motivation or no/poor results. Are you one of those people? I hope not.

This year for American Heart Month the big focus is on blood pressure. High blood pressure has several risk factors and several lifestyle factors that directly affect it. Even with family history and age factored into our risk, we can still do many other things to keep that risk lower.

In case you haven’t heard, February is American Heart Month. Heart Month happens every year. People think of heart attacks and the drama we see on television and how that presents itself (or not). In reality, heart disease encompasses several diseases, including high blood pressure and blockages of the blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Here is the thing: people tend to think of how to help their heart AFTER a cardiac episode. So what can they do to improve their health AFTER the issue is already there?

But we can do things each day to reduce the risk of getting some form of heart disease before a visit to the emergency department or the surgery or the medications.

Wrapping up this Nutrition Facts series, it covers all the information at your fingertips on most of your foods. This entry covers those percentages on the right side of the Nutrition Facts panel, how this may apply to you, and how you can use it even if those numbers aren't in line with your specific needs.

Continuing with part 3 of this series on the Nutrition Facts label addresses the required vitamins and minerals: vitamin D, sodium, iron, calcium, and potassium. Why are these nutrients the ones listed? What are the reference amounts are for them?

Continuing with part 2 of this series on the Nutrition Facts label covers the macronutrients: fat, carbohydrates, and protein. I also address the sub-categories of fat including saturated fat and trans-fat, cholesterol, and the sub-categories of carbohydrates including the newest addition to the Nutrition Facts - added sugars.

See why those numbers don’t always add up and why protein seems like an afterthought. It isn’t

As I showed in Part 1 of Deconstructing Food Labels, one of several required information on the food label is the Nutrition Facts panel.

This required piece of information in the iconic black and white Arial font was required since May 1994, with a minor update that trans-fat be listed on labels by January 1, 2006.

Over the next several years, recommended tweaks and refinements to that label brought forth a "new and improved" label that was required starting January 1, 2020, with some leeway of another year for smaller companies for compliance by January 1, 2021.

While the Nutrition Facts panel is an excellent source of information, people don't always know what to pay attention to or how it applies to them. Others find it confusing or misinterpret the information on there.

Concluding the topic of food labels today addresses GMO labels, what this means, and should you pay extra for foods with this label?

While one would think that the label non-GMO is factually correct, this is not true. And just because a food has this label doesn’t mean the same food from a different company IS GMO.

This is part 4 of the series, Deconstructing Food Labels.

Continuing with the series on food labels, today’s topic includes some of those fronts of the package claims that are true but possibly misleading. In addition, because these fronts of the package labels tend to follow trends, what may be upfront today may differ a year from now.

The top terms addressed in this post include:

• Natural

• Organic,

• Made with whole grains,

• Low carb,

• Reduced-fat, low-fat, fat-free

• No added sugar

With so much information on food labels, it is hard to sift through what it all means and if you even need to pay attention to these things.

There are many “front of the package” labels too. Some of these are regulated. Others are mostly there for the hype and marketing to imply that one food brand is what you should choose. There are things like “natural,” “gluten-free,” and “no GMOs.” These are not regulated terms for the most part.

In this article, there are three types of statements allowed on food labels that the Food & Drug Administration regulates. These are Nutrient Claims, Health, Claims, and Structure-Function Claims. Can you trust these? As with many items in nutrition, this is another “it depends” situation.

This is part 2 of a series.

There is a lot of information packed onto a food label. There are required items and other items that are voluntary. Some of the voluntary things seen on the front of the package could be there merely to help sell a product, such as when peanut butter claims it is gluten-free (it is, but then all peanut butter is).

There are regulations about what is required and the use of certain statements making specific claims.

Because this topic is so extensive, I am breaking it into several articles to cover the various aspects. This entry is part 1.