Nisha Jackson PhD, MS, WHCNP, HHP

Welcome to my six-step plan for weight/fat loss, as this week is all about drinking your water! Drink eight to ten 8-ounce glasses of water per day. It’s really that simple!

To make it even simpler, fill a clean half-gallon jug with water and make it a goal to drink it all. Adding lemon or sugar-free flavorings may make it more interesting.

Water speeds up your metabolism, wakes you up during the day, relieves tired muscles, prevents injuries, reduces wrinkles, and works to eliminate headaches. Adequate hydration can also help enhance exercise endurance.

Did you know that thirst is sometimes mistaken for hunger? So again, drink plenty of water!

Best of Health! Nish!

Nisha Jackson PhD, MS, WHCNP, HHP

Welcome to my six-step plan for weight/fat loss, as this week is all about fruits and veggies. Today I’m sharing my “Many-Veggie Soup” that will fill your tummy up and give you the “daily five (veggies) in one bowl.”

This simple recipe for no-fat, high-vitamin soup is a lifesaver. It’s delicious, great for lunch, and for taking the edge off before the evening, so you don’t have to fill up on starches. Plus, you can read here the benefits of eating your veggies.

Many-Veggie Soup

6 cups broth, vegetable or low-sodium, nonfat chicken or beef
2 cups chopped green cabbage
2 carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup cut green beans
1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes, or 3 Roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tsp. each dried thyme, basil, and oregano
2 small zucchini, split lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 cup packed fresh small spinach leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Place the broth in a large soup pot. Add the cabbage, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and green beans. Drain the tomato juices into the mixture. Add the dried herbs, and bring the post to a boil. Turn the heat down once the pot is bubbling, and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the zucchini and parsley, and cook another 10 minutes. Drop in the spinach leaves, season with salt and pepper, and taste to adjust the seasonings.

This nutritious, delicious, forgiving soup can accept almost any vegetable you have on hand, but add strongly flavored ones only sparingly. Vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and turnips can too easily dominate the lively flavors of the other vegetables.

Here’s to a great week of incorporating more fruits and veggies into our diet! Next week we’ll be discussing the importance of drinking water and how unhealthy being dehydrated can be for you.

Best of Health! Nish!

Nisha Jackson PhD, MS, WHCNP, HHP

Welcome to my six-step plan for weight/fat loss. As you follow along this next six-weeks, I will help you evaluate your eating habits. We’ve already talked about the importance of eating protein with every meal and tips on how to kick the sugar habit. This week it’s all about fruits and veggies!

Taken from The Dole Nutrition Handbook, fruits and vegetables not only taste great, but research also proves that they can help promote health and fight disease.

-Eating the USDA’s recommended minimum of 9 servings of fruits and veggies a day could possibly cut your stroke risk by half.

-Eating fruit and veggies boosts bone-mineral content.

(Especially for WOMEN: A University of Tennessee study revealed that girls ages 8 to 12 who consumed more than three servings of fruit per day had greater bone mass (and less calcium excretion) than those who consumed fewer than three servings. Fruits and vegetables help the body hold on to calcium as well as supplying many other oft-overlooked nutrients, such as potassium, folate and vitamins K and C, which support bone health.)

-Eating more fruit protects your heart.

-Eating more than four servings (that’s 2 cups) of vegetables per day could yield a nearly 40% decrease i the rate of age-related mental deterioration.

-Eating more vegetables protects the prostate.

-Eating more vegetables protects reproductive health.

-Eating fruits and vegetables can also protect your health by keeping you trim.

My advice is to aim for 5 servings of vegetables per day, and to eat 2 fruits per day. Fresh is best and juice doesn’t count.

Here’s the rule of thumb: The more highly colored a fruit or vegetable, the better it is for you. Iceberg lettuce hardly counts as a vegetable. Deeply green kale, chard, and spinach, on the other hand, are loaded with vitamins and minerals.

As we discussed in the prior 2 weeks of adding more protein and kicking the sugar habit, by relying on fruits and vegetables, you will actually feel fuller as you cut back on other fattening foods.

Another TIP: Give your fruits and veggies a “shower” before eating or preparing – not a bath. Just give fresh produce a quick dip and scrub, as vitamins can leach out the longer they sit in the water.

Best of Health! Nish!

Next Post: Many-Veggie Soup recipe which gives you the “Daily 5 in One Bowl!”

Nisha Jackson PhD, MS, WHCNP, HHP

On Monday we discussed the benefits and importance of eliminating sugars from our diet. Today we’ll talk about the process and we’ll walk through 6-days of how our body needs time to adjust both physiologically and emotionally.

In Pamela Smith, R.D.’s book, When Your Hormones Go Haywire, she says that it will take 5-6 days to feel comfortable physically as we kick the sugar habit:

1. Day 1-2: You may feel slightly sluggish, irritable, and dissatisfied with your eating.

2. Day 3: This will be one of your most difficult days as your body begins to feel the chemical change. It may seem that every cell in your body is crying out for food particularly something sweet. Expect this day to be a struggle, but not one impossible to overcome.

3. Day 4: If you make it through the third day without overeating or killing someone, this one won’t be so difficult!

4. Day 5: This may be a day of a ravenous appetite; you can expect to be hungry for food – not sweets necessarily, just food.

5. Day 6-7: By now it should be getting easier and easier; you have more energy, and you have more control over your appetite.

The goal of eliminating sugars from our diet is not only for better health and hormone balance, but the surprise of feeling good makes it all worth the effort.

Best of Health! Nish!

Nisha Jackson PhD, MS, WHCNP, HHP

Welcome to my six-step plan for weight/fat loss. As you follow along this next six-weeks, I will help you evaluate your eating habits. Last week we talked about the importance of eating protein with every meal. This week it’s all about sugar.

Pure and simple: Just get it out of your diet if you want to lose body fat.

By sugar I mean candy and sweets, of course, but also starchy processed foods that begin their conversion to glucose the instant they pass your lips. If you are trying to reduce fat and fatigue, have no more than two starchy carbohydrates per day, and keep them as unrefined as possible.

Baked potatoes with the skin or a slice of sprouted wheat bread are good choices – not bagels, chips, crackers, and heaping bowls of pasta.

Sugar is an acquired taste – the more you will eat the more you will want. But we want to turn those cravings around to “the less you will eat, the less you will want.”

In Pamela Smith, R.D.’s book, When Your Hormones Go Haywire, she shares 3 fabulous tips in helping you kick the sugar habit:

1. Know your enemy: Sugar is called by many names: honey, brown sugar, corn syrup, fructose, and so on. But it’s all sugar! Much of our problem with sugar lies in the fact that it is hidden in nearly every packaged product on the grocer’s shelf.

2. Know yourself: How much is enough for you, and how much triggers your desire for more? Does nibbling a little bit of sweets lead to a lot?

3. Know that withdrawal is real: If you are sugar sensitive, you are apt to experience physical symptoms of drug deprivation. You may feel shaky, nauseous, or edgy, or you may experience headaches or diarrhea.

Learn to accept the realities and benefits of “no sugar” in your diet as eliminate it during this 6-week period. By just saying “no,” it will allow your blood sugar and brain chemical levels to stabilize and it will allow your energy and appetite for healthy foods to return!

Best of Health! Nish!

Nisha Jackson PhD, MS, WHCNP, HHP

Welcome to my six-step plan for weight/fat loss. As you follow along this next six-weeks, I will help you evaluate your eating habits. On Monday (Week 1) we talked about the importance of eating protein with every meal, and today here are some healthy snack ideas for you to incorporate into your diet.

High-Protein, Low-Fat Snacks

-Hard-boiled egg

-Water-packed tuna, lightly salted (3.5 oz.) on celery and/or whole-grain crackers

-Cooked shrimp (3.5 oz.)

-Skim milk (1/2 cup)

-Cottage cheese 1 percent (1/2 cup)

-Plain fat-free yogurt (1/2 cup)

-Almonds (1 oz.)

-Dry-roasted peanuts (1 oz.)

Eating high-protein foods will help you stay satisfied so you’re not tempted to gorge on junk.

High-Protein, Healthy Snacks

-Nachos: 0.5 oz. baked tortilla chips, 1 TBSP salsa, 1 oz. low-fat jack cheese, 1 TBSP avocado

-Ham, fruit, and nuts: 4 slices, half an apple or other fruit, 8-10 macadamia nuts

-Low-fat cottage cheese, fruit, and nuts: 1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese, canned light fruit, 8-10 almonds

-Cheese, grapes, and nuts: 1 oz. part skim mozzarella string cheese, 1/2 cups grapes, handful of peanuts

Don’t forget to include protein with every meal!

Next week (Week 2) we’re talking about sugar, how to eliminate it from your diet, and the secret sugars hidden in starchy processed foods.

Best of Health! Nish!

Nisha Jackson PhD, MS, WHCNP, HHP

Welcome to my six-step plan for weight/fat loss. Follow along the next six-weeks as I’ll be helping you evaluate your eating habits.

Many of us have goals to eat healthier and to exercise more, but we need a boost to get started. If increasing girth and the maddening development of an abdominal spare tire bewilders you, this six-week plan will help reduce fat, improve energy, elevate mood, slow aging, and reverse insulin resistance.

It’s time to get started and to let protein be your friend!

Gone are the days of thinking that protein is bad because it is “high fat.” Lean proteins are brain food and muscle fuel. Without protein we lose muscles mass, reduce metabolism, and gain weight. With insufficient protein we can feel restless, tired and emotional.

Add protein to each meal in the form of eggs, fish, low-fat turkey, chicken, pork, lamb, or lean beef. Dairy products contain protein, but stick to low-fat products. Soy products, such as tofu, are excellent sources of protein, as are certain grain and legume combinations that form complete proteins.

Eating high-protein foods will help you stay satisfied so you’re not tempted to gorge on junk. Make sure and include some protein with each meal. Next post I’ll share some high-protein/low-fat snacks that you can incorporate into your diet, and next week will be on eliminating sugar.

Best of Health! Nish!

Nisha Jackson PhD, MS, WHCNP, HHP

Does it seem as though you’re eating about the same as when you were younger, but you keep piling on the pounds, especially around the middle?

Or maybe you’ve never had a weight problem, but since you hit forty fat is bulging or jiggling in places you never dreamed that it would. I have experienced this frustration firsthand. If I had to name one thing that upsets women in their forties the most, it is this inexplicable weight gain.

There is one primary force at work here: insulin resistance; that’s when insulin, usually your good buddy, becomes your personal fat-storage hormone. If your diet is sparse on protein and heavy on refined carbohydrates, such as breads, pasta, bagels, crackers, desserts, candy, sweet snacks, and non-diet soft drinks, you are most likely storing fat at an accelerated rate right around the middle. And it matters little if dessert and snacks are so-called low fat.

A high-carbohydrate diet also induces exhaustion, especially in the late afternoon; increased food cravings, usually at around 4 p.m. and after dinner; irritability and low moods or depression; and bloating and water retention. Sound familiar?

The process goes something like this: When we eat, the glucose from our food is transported to the cells for storage. Insulin, produced by the pancreas, is the key hormone to open the cell doors for glucose storage. Unfortunately, individuals who overload on foods that raise insulin levels overproduce the hormone, causing “resistance” at the cellular level.

This is a problem because when the cells in the muscles, nervous system, and organs close their doors to the high levels of insulin in the blood, the body compensates by stashing the glucose in other areas, resulting in increased fat storage. Over time even the fat cells become resistant, and the blood sugar has nowhere to go. When excess blood sugar remains in the bloodstream, the diabetes epidemic in the United States claims another victim.

Because it’s the New Year, many of us have goals to eat healthier and to exercise more, but we need a boost to get started. If increasing girth and the maddening development of an abdominal spare tire bewilders you, the next 6 weeks I’ll be blogging and sharing my “Six-Step Plan for Weight and Fat Loss” that will set you on the path for a healthier lifestyle!

Will you join me?

Best of Health! Nish!

Nisha Jackson PhD, MS, WHCNP, HHP

Taking care of yourself is the best thing you can do to boost your immune system. When asked from patients whether they should get the flu shot or not, I typically assess them for the risk (according to the guidelines produced by the Centers for Disease Control), and then begin identifying how effective their immune system is.

How good is your immune system? Do you get sick often? Do you take supplements to boost your immune system? Do you manage your stress, eat well and sleep at least seven hours nightly? Do you take Vitamin D?

If patients do not answer these questions in a way that makes me feel that they have a good “back-up plan” with their immunity, and/or they are at risk, then I typically recommend the flu vaccine.

Federal health officials now urge flu vaccination for:
-everyone 50 years of age or older
-all kids 6 months of age and older
-those who have chronic lung or heart disorders, or chronic disease like diabetes
-residents of nursing homes
-police, firefighters, and other public safety workers
-health care workers, including caregivers and those in contact with high risk groups
-those planning to travel to the tropics at any time or to the Southern Hemisphere from April through September who did not receive a flu vaccine the previous year

The flu season is from November to April, with most cases occurring between late December and early March, but the vaccine is usually offered between September and mid-November (and may be given at other times of the year). Even when there are only two or three months left in the flu season, it’s still a good idea to get protection if the vaccine is available in your area.

If you want to get the flu shot and aren’t in the high-risk groups listed above, talk to your doctor about vaccine availability.

Best of Health and Happy New Year!

Nish

Nisha Jackson PhD, MS, WHCNP, HHP

What is it with wintertime and the blahs? If you’re familiar with Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as SAD, this is when you feel down in the dumps when the weather is a little on the dreary side. And it’s easy to feel this way this time of year.

SAD is caused by a biochemical imbalance in the hypothalamus due to the shorter days, less daylight hours, and lack of sunlight in winter.

Once you become aware or your realize you are prone to SAD, here are some ways to give yourself a boost!

1. One treatment suggestion that appears to have helped the greatest number of people is called the “light box”. Light therapy has proved to be effective in up to 85% of the cases.

2. Avoid major stressful changes if possible.

3. Eat properly with little or no sugar, and little or no processed white starchy foods. Increase the fiber, protein, fruits, and veggies in your diet. Add more nuts, seeds and good fats like olive oil, avocados, flax seeds and fish oil.

4. Add B-Complex to your supplement arsenal.

5. Add more daily exercise (outside if you can).

6. 5HTP an amino acid will help you sleep and lift your spirits – take in the evening.

7. St. Johns Wort is an herbal remedy which has shown to be effective. Do not use this supplement in conjunction with another antidepressant unless consulting your medical provider.

8. Take Vitamin D3, probably one of the most important things you can do for mood during the winter. Have your Vitamin D level checked and then supplement to get your level up to the optimal range.

9. It may also be of great benefit to have your hormone levels tested and balanced during this time.

Good luck, and keep lookin’ up into 2011! Happy New Year!

Best of Health! Nish!