How a Man’s Diet Affects Fertility Too

When it comes to conceiving a baby, diet and lifestyle are just as important for men as for women.

One-third of the cases of infertility are related to the male partner, with some of the most common causes of sperm-related infertility including low sperm count, slow moving sperm, abnormal shape and size of sperm and problems with semen.

Diet and lifestyle choices can affect the health of a man’s sperm, so use the following information to guide you in making healthy choices.

Eating for Fertility

• Get Your Fruits and VegetablesColor your plate with at least 2½ cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit: leafy greens, purple and yellow vegetables, apples, oranges, kiwi, blueberries and melon.
• Choose Whole GrainsEat at least half of all grains as whole grains each day, such as a bowl of oatmeal in the morning, whole-grain bread at lunch and brown rice with dinner.
• Eat Low-Fat DairyDairy products are full of calcium, vitamin D, potassium and protein — all nutrients that keep your body functioning well. Choose at least 3 servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy, such as 1 cup of milk or yogurt or 1 ounce of cheese each day.
• Cut Down on MeatEat less red meat and choose leaner protein sources: fish, turkey, chicken breast or pork chops. Eat vegetable proteins including beans, nuts, seeds and tofu.
• Be Smart about FatsLimit saturated fats from meats, full-fat dairy products and fried foods. Replace with healthy fats. Snack on an ounce of walnuts or almonds each day, drizzle extra-virgin olive oil on roasted vegetables and salads or add avocado to your sandwich.

Other Healthy Lifestyle Choices for Conception

• Don’t Drink Too Much AlcoholOver-consuming alcohol is linked with poor production of normal, healthy sperm. If you drink alcohol, follow these guidelines for men: no more than two drinks a day (one drink equals 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1½ ounces of spirits).
• Avoid Cigarettes and MarijuanaTobacco use is linked with low sperm counts and slow moving sperm; smoking marijuana over a prolonged period of time can result in low sperm counts and poorly developed sperm.
• Keep a Healthy WeightResearch has shown that overweight and obesity can lead to fertility problems by creating hormonal disturbances. Eat right and balance calorie intake with exercise. By eating fewer processed foods and more whole foods — such as fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and lean proteins — there’s less room for mindless eating and empty calorie consumption. On the flip side, being underweight has negative effects on sperm, such as decreased count and poor function.
• Exercise in ModerationAim to exercise five days a week for 30 minutes. Too much exercise has been shown to decrease testosterone, which can indirectly lower sperm counts. Avoid steroid use; it can affect fertility by causing testicular shrinkage.
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Breakfast Basics for Busy Families

Eating breakfast can improve children's behavior and school performance, as well as help them maintain a healthy weight. But a survey by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation reveals that breakfast isn't eaten all of the time by 42 percent of Caucasian and Hispanic children, and 59 percent of African American children.

This news is startling; when children skip breakfast, research shows us that their brains and bodies suffer all day long.

While breakfast might seem like a hurdle in your busy morning, a healthy diet doesn’t need to take extra time to prepare.

• Get organized the night before. Get out a pan for pancakes or a blender for smoothies. Prepare muffin or waffle mix so it’s ready to cook in the morning.
• Keep breakfast simple. On busy days, get the family going with something as quick as a bowl of whole-grain cereal with a banana.
• Pack your breakfast to go. If there’s no time to eat at home, plan a nutritious option to eat in the car or bus. Busy teens can grab a banana, a bag of trail mix and a carton of milk.

Protein — a missing component in many morning meals — helps children go strong and stay focused until lunch. Go lean with protein choices: a slice or two of Canadian bacon, an egg, a slice of lean deli meat or low-fat cheese, a container of low-fat yogurt or peanut butter on toast.

Add in nutrient-rich whole grains to energize both kids' bodies and brains along with an extra nutrition punch. Plus, whole grains provide a longer lasting source of energy and curb hunger as they tend to digest more slowly. Serve kids whole-grain cereals such as oatmeal or whole-grain breads, muffins, waffles or pancakes.

Breakfast is a perfect time to enjoy fruits and vegetables children need for optimal health. Try fresh seasonal fruit alone or in cereal, add frozen fruits to yogurt, or toss chopped vegetables into an omelet.

Whatever your morning routine, remember that breakfast is an important meal for the family, and doesn’t have to be time consuming!

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Smart Nutrition Solutions for Any Case of Morning Madness

We all experience "morning madness" — whether it's a time crunch, a picky eater or lack of appetite in the morning, many things can keep you from making it out the front door on time. The good news is that healthy breakfast options are available for no matter what morning hurdles you face.

Quick Breakfast Fix: Running low on time? Here are speedy breakfast ideas to get you and your family out the door and ready for your day.

• Mix low-fat yogurt with whole-grain cereal, and serve with a glass of orange juice.
• Blend low-fat milk, frozen strawberries and a banana for a 30-second smoothie to enjoy with a bran muffin.
• Add dried cranberries and almonds to quick-cooking oatmeal.

Picky Eater: Do your children demand certain foods every morning? You can make subtle changes to give their traditional breakfasts a nutritional boost.

• Doughnuts: Offer whole-grain toaster waffles with reduced-sugar syrup. If doughnuts are on the menu, consider serving the smaller option of doughnut holes and add other food groups such as low-fat milk and fruit to ensure some extra nutrition to get you through the day.
• Bacon: Switch to Canadian and turkey bacon, which is much lower in fat than regular bacon.
• Toast with peanut butter: Use whole-grain toast to boost fiber and use peanut butter instead of butter or jam. Add a glass of low-fat milk or orange juice.
• Sugary cereals: Substitute low-sugar, whole-grain cereals and berries.

Lack of Appetite: Many kids complain that they just don't feel like eating when they get up. If this is true for your child, here are some things you can do:

• Spread it out: Have your child eat a piece of fruit and drink a glass of low-fat milk before they leave the house. Then, on the bus, they can eat an oatmeal muffin or a low-sugar breakfast cereal bar.
• Eat breakfast at school: Many schools serve a variety of nutritious breakfasts for kids. Encourage your children to take advantage of these options if available.
• Be a role model and eat breakfast: If your child sees you making time to eat a healthy meal, he or she will follow your good example.
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Heart Health for Women

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Heart disease is the leading cause of death in American women. What a woman eats and her lifestyle choices play a big part in her heart health.

Other Risk Factors

While you can change what you eat and whether you exercise, there are some risk factors for heart disease you cannot change. These include:

• Aging: As women get older, their risk for heart disease goes up.
• Gender: More women than men have heart attacks and strokes as they age.
• Family History: If a woman has a close blood relative with heart disease, the chances she will have heart disease are greater.
• Race: Black women have a higher risk of heart disease than white women. Their chances of dying from a stroke are also greater.
• Previous Heart Attack: If a woman has already had a heart attack, she is at risk of having another one.

Take Care of Your Heart

Choose heart-healthy foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat or fat-free dairy, lean protein and heart-healthy fats. Limit your calories by filling up on high-fiber foods like whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Fiber can help you lose weight and keep the pounds off by filling you up faster and for a longer time.

Fat Matters for the Heart

The amount and kind of fat you eat makes a difference. Fat should make up 20 percent to 35 percent of your total calories, but only 10 percent of those fat calories should come from saturated fat. Research shows that eating too much saturated fat is not good for the heart. Foods like bacon, sausages, fatty meats, butter, ice cream and other full-fat dairy foods contain saturated fat.

Unsaturated fat is a different story. It has been shown to be beneficial for cholesterol levels and overall cardiovascular health. Foods like olive oil, canola oil, avocados, nuts and seeds contain unsaturated fat.

Omega-3 fatty acids, a type of unsaturated fat, have been found to be helpful in preventing sudden death from heart attacks. Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna and herring, contain two types of omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

The recommended intake for omega-3 fatty acids is 500 milligrams per day. That’s basically two 6-ounce servings of fatty fish per week.

Another type of omega-3 fat, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), is also proven to have cardiac benefits. Flaxseeds and walnuts contain ALA. Consume two tablespoons of ground flaxseed or one ounce (about a handful) of walnuts each day for heart health.   

Fruits and Vegetables Matter

When it comes to loading your plate, fruit and vegetables are where it’s at. Not only are they low in calories and high in fiber and antioxidants, they can also help keep blood pressure in check. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. What makes fruits and vegetables so good? They are packed with potassium, a mineral that has been shown to lower blood pressure in clinical studies.

Aim for 4,700 milligrams of potassium every day for good blood pressure. That’s at least two cups of fruit and three cups of vegetables daily.

Slow and Steady Weight Loss for Heart Health

If you are overweight or obese, gradual weight loss offers the best results for overall health. It doesn’t take much to see results; your overall health will improve noticeably with a five to 10 percent drop in weight. Get at least 30 minutes of regular exercise most days of the week; this will help with weight loss and keep your heart beating strongly

Raising Healthy Eaters from Preschool to High School

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Food, nutrition and eating skills are among the most important things you can share with children — food to fuel busy, successful lives, nutrition to nourish strong bodies and smart brains, and eating skills to enjoy the social aspect of meals with family and friends.

As with any part of raising children, no one does a perfect job with nutrition, not even nutrition professionals. As a parent, grandparent or adult caregiver, you can help raise healthy eaters during these critical years by doing your best to:

• Serve regular, balanced meals and snacks with a variety of nutrient-rich foods.
• Provide calm, pleasant meal times where adults and children can talk together.
• Allow children to use their internal signals to decide how much and what to eat.
• Explore a variety of flavors and foods from different cultures and cuisines.
• Share an appreciation for healthful food, lovingly prepared and shared with others.
• Make food safety, including washing hands, a part of every eating occasion.
• Teach basic skills for making positive food choices away from home.
• Find credible food and nutrition resources when you don’t know the answer.

While this may seem like an intimidating list, two family habits go a long way in making this happen: regular family meals and involving kids in nutrition from the ground up.

Make Family Meal Times a Priority

Sometimes a very simple act can have important, long-lasting benefits. According to parenting and health experts, that is exactly the case with family meal times. Eating and talking together helps:

• Foster family unity.
• Prevent behavior problems at home and school.
• Enhance academic success.
• Improve nutrition.
• Promote healthy weight for kids.

With that impressive list of benefits, it’s worth making the time and effort to enjoy more family meal times each week. Look for easy ways to add just one family meal to the schedule. If evenings seem too hectic for family dinners, set aside time for a weekend breakfast or lunch. After a month or two of this new pattern, you can add another family meal each week. Before you know it, you will be eating together on most days.

Get Kids Involved in Nutrition

This one is fun for everyone and it can happen anywhere: your kitchen, the grocery store or a community garden. Every trip through the supermarket can be a nutrition lesson. Kids can learn to categorize food into groups: grains, fruits, vegetables, milk foods and meat/beans. They can choose new foods that they want to try, such as picking out a new fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruit each trip. As children get older, they can help plan the menu at home and then pick out the foods to match the menu items while shopping.

Nutrition is just one of many reasons to have a garden. The process of planting, watching over and harvesting a garden provides daily opportunities for children to learn valuable lessons and enjoy physical activity, while reaping the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor.

Coping with Picky Eating Phases

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Every parent of a young child has been through the pain of a picky eating phase: the time your child refused to eat anything except peanut butter for weeks, then announced “no more peanut butter!” Or the month when your child wouldn’t eat anything white and got hysterical if foods touched each other on the plate.

Toddlers Are Naturally Picky Eaters

All kids go through stages of being picky about food. Between the ages of 1 and 3, they are expressing independence about everything, including food. These frustrating behaviors are actually perfectly normal:

• After rapid growth during their first year, toddlers start growing more slowly. They need less food and are less interested in eating.
• Kids are hesitant or even afraid to try new items. They want to see, touch and think about it several times before eating it.
• Toddlers are busy. They have a whole world to explore and it’s hard to sit for a meal. They are also very busy telling everyone “I can do it myself!”

Dividing Up the Responsibility

How can you ensure toddlers get the nutrition they need without going crazy? Take a deep breath and relax. Adults want kids to try new foods for all the right reasons; unfortunately, we often go about it the wrong way. Forcing or bribing children to eat foods rarely gets the desired result.

An adult’s job in feeding kids includes buying and preparing a variety of tasty, healthful foods; offering regular meals and snacks; and making the eating environment as pleasant as possible. The rest up to your children. Whether they eat, how much they eat and what they eat is their responsibility.

Children are often more open to new foods when everyone surrounding them is relaxed about eating. Although they may not eat perfectly every day, they tend to eat well enough over the course of several days or a week.

Making Meals and Foods Toddler-Friendly

There’s no need to become a short-order cook or beg your child to eat green things. However, you can make eating more toddler-friendly.

• Toddler-Size Their Eating Environment. Most young children are more comfortable in a booster seat so their legs don’t dangle. They also like cups, plates, utensils and food servings that are the right size for small hands and mouths.
• Turn Down the Noise. Toddlers are easily distracted by almost anything, including television, music, phone calls and loud conversations. Help your toddler focus on food by keeping things calm.
• Think Bright Colors and Fun Shapes. Like adults, toddlers eat with their eyes first. Use cookie cutters to make almost anything into an appealing shape.
• Keep Young Chefs Busy in the Kitchen. Helping prepare meals is one of the best ways to get kids to try new foods and to eat what’s good for them.

Ethnic Foods for a Healthy Plate | healthcasket.in

Eating right is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. A healthy plate can include foods from all corners of the globe. In fact, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americanscalls a healthy eating pattern “an array of options that can accommodate cultural, ethnic, traditional and personal preferences and food cost and availability.”

Regardless of your heritage, follow these guidelines: make half your plate fruits and vegetables; about one-quarter protein, such as lean meat, poultry, seafood or beans; and about one-quarter grains, preferably whole grains. With each meal, add fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt or cheese.

With increasing varieties of food available today, nutritious, healthy meals can fit within any cultural preferences.

Examples of healthful menus items from ethnic traditions include:

Chinese: Stir-fried chicken and vegetables such as bok choy, snap peas, carrots and bean sprouts; brown rice; and a dish of lychee fruit.

Italian: Minestrone (a hearty, tomato-based soup with, vegetables and pasta) with kidney beans added for folate, fiber and protein; gnocchi (flour or potato dumplings) with chopped vegetables like spinach mixed into the dough and served with lycopene-rich tomato sauce.

Greek: Tzatziki sauce (a creamy dressing of low-fat yogurt, garlic and cucumber) served on pita sandwiches or as a dip with vegetables; and dolmas (grape leaves stuffed with ground meat, vegetables such as bell peppers, eggplant and squash, rice, dried fruit and pine nuts).

Mexican: Jicama (a crisp and slightly sweet root vegetable) peeled, sliced and served on a salad with lime vinaigrette or chopped for a crunchy addition to salsas; and gazpacho (a cold tomato-based raw vegetable soup) made with spinach or cucumbers.

Or, try these additional menu ideas for ethnic foods that add flavor, variety and nutrition:

• Fruit chutney (Asian Indian)
• Grilled pineapple as part of a chicken shish kabob (Middle Eastern)
• Mango or other tropical fruit smoothie (Latin American)
• Baked pumpkin sprinkled with cinnamon (African)
• Polish beets (European)
• Stir-fried greens (Asian)
• Cactus salad (Latin American)
• Succotash (Native American or Southern U.S.)
• Couscous (African)
• Quinoa (Latin American)
• Naan bread (Asian Indian)
• Egg noodles (German)

Total Diet Approach to Healthy Eating [Infographic] The foundation of a healthy lifestyle includes physical activity and consuming a balanced variety of nutrient-rich foods and beverages in moderation. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics refers to this as the total diet approach to healthy eating.

Grilled Fruits and Vegetables Add Color, Nutrition and Flavor | healthcasket.in

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Grilled Fruits and Vegetables Add Color, Nutrition and Flavor

Summer is a great time to fire up the grill. Consider yourself a grill master? Spice up any cookout by adding fruits and vegetables to the menu.

Beyond the benefits of adding color, variety and flavor to the menu with fruits and vegetables, you're also serving up a variety of vitamins and nutrients. Remember, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables at each meal.

Throw a kabob of color onto the grill with marinated vegetables including red or yellow bell peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, cherry tomatoes and onions. Simply brush the vegetables with olive oil and your favorite spices and grill over medium heat, turning until marked and tender (about 12 to 15 minutes, and 8 to 10 minutes for cherry tomatoes and pre-boiled potatoes).

Whether you're a vegetarian or an avid meat lover, a grilled, marinated Portobello burger is a tasty alternative. Marinate and grill mushrooms, gill sides up, over medium-low heat with the grill covered until they are marked and softened (about 15 minutes). Flip and grill until cooked through, being careful not to char the gills (1 to 2 minutes).

For a flavorful dessert, try fruit kabobs with pineapple slices or peach halves. Grill on low heat until the fruit is hot and slightly golden. Serve them on top of low-fat frozen yogurt or angel food cake.

Another tasty option — grilled watermelon! Since watermelon is primarily made up of water, when you put it on the grill some of the water evaporates, leaving an intense watermelon flavor. Grilling watermelon slices only takes about 30 seconds on each side.

If you're grilling meat as well, choose healthier options such as lean cuts of beef, pork, chicken or fish. As you grill, keep raw meat and poultry (and raw meat juices) separate from ready-to-eat foods, including fruits and vegetables. This means using separate plates, cooking utensils and cutting boards.

Remember to always use a food thermometer when cooking meat, poultry or fish to ensure it reaches a safe minimum internal temperature. Using a food thermometer is key to reducing your risk of food poisoning.

Low-fat, Greek or Organic: An Explosion of Culture | healthcasket.in

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The grocery store dairy aisle has gone multicultural. In the last five years a mind-blowing 2,500-percent increase in sales of Greek-style yogurt have lead the charge in a diversifying yogurt section. A shopper in 2007 had essentially two decisions to make when choosing yogurt: "fruit on the bottom" or the kind with strawberries or blueberries already mixed in. Now, a consumer can select from the following: full-fat, low-fat or non-fat; Greek or regular; drinkable Kefir; organic or conventional; and even yogurts with added fiber. And more varieties are probably being added as you read this.

Ancient Food

Yogurt is one of humanity's oldest processed foods, with evidence of its creation potentially going back 7,000 years. It’s made and used in a variety of ways in societies from India to Europe to the Middle East to Africa. All these varieties of yogurt share a few things in common. Each is made with live cultures, which are a kind of good bacteria that transform liquid milk into the sour taste and thick consistency of yogurt. And Academy Spokesperson Sarah Krieger, MPH, RDN, LD/N, says all yogurts contain important nutrients like calcium, vitamin D, protein, potassium and B vitamins.

Whey Cool

No matter the type you choose, Krieger, has one piece of advice: "Eat the whey!" she says. The whey is the liquid that can pool at the top of a yogurt container, and it is the source of much of yogurt's calcium. You can stir it back into the rest of the yogurt. Or, "use it in smoothies or instead of water in hot cereal," Krieger suggests.

Whey (actually the absence of it) is key to Greek yogurt. "Greek yogurt has most of the whey removed" through a process of straining, Krieger says. "Leaving a product that is thicker, with more protein, but less calcium — unless calcium is added back. Read the ingredients to see if calcium has been added."

Lactose Intolerance Help and Other Health Benefits

For people with lactose intolerance who don't want to give up on dairy's nutritional benefits, yogurt can be a good option. "Yogurt contains less lactose than ice cream and milk," Krieger says. "A person with many symptoms from lactose intolerance should eat yogurt with other foods — including nuts, fruit or cereal — and possibly in smaller amounts."

Yogurt has less lactose because the introduced bacteria – also called "live cultures" with names such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. casei, L. reuteri and Bicfidobacterium bifidum (or Bifidus) — help digest the lactose. Even for people with no problems digesting lactose in other forms of dairy, live cultures in yogurt are still beneficial. They promote overall gut health and immunity. To make sure the yogurt product you're considering has these cultures, either look on the ingredient label for the bacteria listed above, or the National Yogurt Association's "Live and Active Cultures" seal.

More Yogurt Options

Other recent yogurt products added to store shelves include drinkable yogurt, kefir, squeeze-able yogurt and yogurt with added fiber. For these products, Krieger advises buyers to check nutrition labels and ingredient lists. Look for added colors or sugars, especially in the kinds marketed to kids.

Rethink Your Drink | healthcasket.in

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Energy balance is the key to weight management for men and women, young or old. For a healthy weight, it's important for adults to balance physical activity (calories out) with food and beverage intake (calories in). While food choices are important, there's increasing evidence that many of us are also drinking our way to weight problems.

Studies suggest calorie intake from beverages has more than doubled since the 1960s, primarily due to a surge in soft drink, sports drink and sweetened tea consumption. According to the research, we don't balance these increased liquid calories by taking in fewer calories from food or by increasing our physical activity. Over the long run, these additional beverage calories can lead to energy imbalance and weight gain.

So, along with eating smarter and moving more, it's probably time to rethink your drinks if you want to maintain a healthy weight.

Here are four tips for quenching your thirst and maintaining energy balance at the same time.

Drink Plenty of Refreshing, Calorie-Free Water

Water does the body good. Without any unnecessary calories, it helps your muscles and brain stay hydrated for optimal physical and mental performance. How much water you need depends on your size and activity level; larger, more active people need more fluids. Drink enough for your urine to be mostly colorless and odor-free.

Drink Nutrient-Rich, Low-Fat Milk Three Times a Day

Milk isn't just for kids; it's essential for adults, too. Nutrient-rich dairy foods help build and maintain healthy bones, teeth and muscle mass. They also may help lower the risk of high blood pressure. For the most nutrients with the least fat and calories, look for fat-free or low-fat options. Research also suggests fat-free milk may be an effective sports drink. Whey protein (high-quality milk protein) in combination with resistance exercise seems to boost the rate at which the body makes lean muscle.

Drink a Maximum of 4 to 6 ounces of Juice a Day

While 100-percent juice can be a great source of several nutrients, it's possible to get too much of a good thing. Whole fruits and vegetables are much better ways to get vitamins, minerals and fluids. Actual food tends to be more satisfying, plus you get the added value of fiber and phytonutrients from the skin and pulp.

Drink Other Beverages with Care

Soft drinks, sweetened teas, fruit drinks and most sports and "energy" drinks are loaded with calories and sometimes caffeine. Coffee drinks are often surprisingly high in calories, fat and sugar. Alcoholic drinks are packed with empty calories. Here are some ways to manage drinks that add extra calories:

• Be a label reader and nutrition investigator. Check calories, caffeine, sugar and fat before you drink. If the numbers aren't on the label, check the company's website.
• Steer clear of super-charged "energy" drinks. Do not consume highly caffeinated beverages with alcohol.
• Choose the smallest sized portion you can buy. Moderation is always a smart way to treat your body well.

Sweet Potato-Orange Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing | healthcasket.in

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Traditional German potato salad gets adopted with Southern charm! Made with beta carotene-rich sweet potatoes and vitamin C-rich mandarin oranges, this sweet and nourishing salad not only makes a flavorful and safe picnic dish, but also complements roasted turkey, chicken or pork, or baked ham at the family table.

Ingredients

3 medium (about 1 pound) sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in ½-inch cubes
¼ cup water
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
½ cup thinly-sliced celery
½ cup chopped green or red bell pepper
½ cup dried cranberries
2 medium green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons grated peeled ginger root
¼ cup light honey mustard dressing
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
½ cup chopped pecans, toasted*

Directions

1. Place the sweet potatoes in a microwave-safe container; add water. Cover; microwave on medium-high for 8 to 10 minutes until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender, not mushy. Drain; chill.
2. Meanwhile, put the mandarin oranges, celery, bell pepper, cranberries, green onions and ginger root in a medium bowl. Add the sweet potatoes; toss gently.
3. Pour the honey-mustard dressing over the sweet potato mixture. Gently combine, coating the ingredients with dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Just before serving, mix in the pecans.

Cooking Note

• Toast the pecans in a small, heavy dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the skillet frequently for 1 to 2 minutes, to release the flavorful oils.

Nutrition Information

Serves 8 (Serving size: ¾ cup)

Calories: 150; Calories from fat: 50; Total fat: 6g; Saturated fat: 0.5g; Trans fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 170mg; Total carbohydrate: 24g; Dietary fiber: 4g; Sugars: 13g; Protein: 2g

Food Allergies and Intolerances | healthcasket.in

Each year, millions of Americans have allergic reactions to food. Although slightly more common in young children and in people who have a family history, most food allergies develop early in life and many are outgrown.

Food allergies occur when your body's immune system reacts to a substance in a food, usually a protein, your body sees as harmful. This sets off a chain reaction within your body. Symptoms can occur within minutes and can be mild — such as a runny nose or itchy eyes to severe and can even be life-threatening.

A food intolerance is not the same as a food allergy. Different food intolerances have different causes. An intolerance occurs when your body is unable to digest a certain component of a food, such as lactose, a sugar found in milk. Symptoms of intolerance may be unpleasant, including abdominal cramping or diarrhea, but they are not life-threatening.

Types of Food Allergies

More than 170 foods are known to cause food allergies. However, eight foods account for 90 percent of all food-allergic reactions:

• Milk
• Egg
• Peanuts
• Tree nuts (walnuts, cashews)
• Fish (pollock, salmon, cod, tuna, snapper, eel and tilapia)
• Shellfish (shrimp, lobster, crab)
• Soy
• Wheat

Eating Well with Food Allergies and Intolerances

People with food allergies or intolerances need to avoid foods that make them sick. But navigating menu items and dishes, where many foods include a combination of ingredients, can be difficult. Allergy-triggering foods may be prepared on the same counters, or with the same utensils as non-allergy causing ingredients. Through cross-contact, a food allergen can creep into what may otherwise be a safe food.

If you have a food allergy or intolerance, be sure to speak with whoever is preparing your food to inform them of your allergy and ask them to be especially careful when preparing your food.

Follow these tips if you have a food allergy or intolerance:

Meet with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. An RDN can help you understand which foods are safe to eat and how best to avoid items that may cause a reaction. When foods are cut from your diet, you may be short-changing yourself on important vitamins and minerals. An RDN can help ensure you get the nutrition you need for your health and lifestyle. Find a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.

Learn About Ingredients in Foods. Eggs, wheat, milk and other allergy-causing foods are often called by other names. To help avoid allergens, the Food and Drug Administration has mandated food companies specify on product labels if any of the eight major allergens (listed above) is contained in the food. If you do not have an allergy to one of the eight, your RDN can guide you on how to further read an ingredient label.

Read Labels Carefully. Manufacturers can change ingredients of products without notice, so double-check ingredient labels every time you buy a food, even a familiar one. Cosmetics and beauty products also may contain common allergens such as milk, egg, wheat and tree nuts.

Talk with Your Day Care, School and Workplace. Make sure the teachers, nurse and administrators at your child's school or day care center are aware of your child's food allergies and that they know how to respond to adverse reactions your child may experience. Similarly, inform your coworkers of allergies you have. Some people are familiar with food allergies and know what to do if a person has a reaction; others may not and will need your help in keeping your risk for exposure low.