Janel, Registered Dietician, talks about the benefits of antioxidants

During our POM tour we had a nice meeting about the benefits on antioxidants hosted by Janel Ovrut. She is a registered dietician residing in Boston. I took a few notes and if I messed up on some facts then blame me

What is an antioxidant?  (click)

What are some benefits of antioxidants?

Prostate health, immune system, and eye health.

She talked to us a little more about what foods to avoid or keep in check in order to keep a healthy lifestyle.

#1 Too much saturated fats…..you can only get these from animal products so just enjoy these in moderation

#2 Trans fats. In a few cities these are becoming illegal and for good reason. It’s a man-made fat that contributes heavily towards heart disease.

#3 Too much sugar!  High fructose corn syrup, white sugars and artificial sweeteners. I have recently begun a test at my home with a naturally occurring sweetener that I will talk about in a separate post. I just need to bake with it to see if it will hold up. Also, keep in my that there are natural sugars and non-natural sugars.  Some fruits contain sugars in them that are good for your system. For example, POM pomegranate juice has sugars in it but none of those sugars are added to enhance flavors.

#4 Too much red meat. I’ve cut back a lot

#5 Starches. Potatoes, pasta, rice, and others. Keep them in moderation. They’re not bad but too much can do you harm.

Great things to eat!!!

#1 Fruits and Vegetables

#2 Tea

#3 Fatty fish that contain Omega 3′s like salmon, tuna, and mackerel. Also, flax seed and walnuts!

#4 Whole grains

#5 Legumes like beans, peas, and lentils

#6 Yogurt

#7 Nut butters. They contain lots of Vitamin E. Things like peanut butter, hazelnut butter, pecan butter, etc…..

#8 Pomegranates!!!! DUH! Drinking a 16 ounce bottle of POM juice is like eating 5 pomegranates! Before I left on this trip a lot of people were complaining about the cost of pom juice but after hearing that stat I can say you’re actually getting a great deal on the juice since it’s equivalent to eating 5 pomegranates!

#9 Lean meats, trim the fat!

#10 Oils!  Olive oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and the best Grape Seed Oil.  I’ve mention grape seed oil before so it was nice hearing it from someone else!  (click)

#11 Flax seed oil

#12 Chia. What is chia? (click)

#13 Fresh herbs and spices. I can’t tell you this enough. I try to cook with these whenever I can. Using fresh is so much better for you and when it’s included in food it takes your food to new levels!

#14 Dark chocolate. See, not everything has to sound healthy!

Along with the do’s and don’ts Janel suggested people eat five smaller meals throughout the day instead of 2 small meals then a gigantic dinner.  She also suggested hydrating often but not to the point where you’re drinking 2 gallons of water per day…just drink when you’re starting to feel thirsty. Also, when you choose a juice to drink make sure it’s 100% fruit juice because there are a lot of companies out there that start adding sugars, preservatives, and other garbage in their products.  Keep it simple!

If you would like to learn more about Janel’s work then visit her site. If you live in the Boston area then she is open for consultations.

(Click here for her site)

Eric