Dietitian Points to Eating Right

A Registered Dietitian (RD) is a health professional who can provide advice on nutrition, food and healthy eating choices to help you look good and feel great.
Information about careers in dietetics, legislative laws and regulations concerning nutrition, and articles by nutrition professionals.


A nationally known diet consultant and nutrition director for the Coalition for Cancer Prevention, is free and open to the public. The talk is sponsored by HOSA, the Juniata student club for those studying for the health professions.

Eisman will talk about how much protein should be part of a healthy diet, as well as warning which foods can be good for heart health, yet can also increase cancer risk. He also will address how to incorporate more nutrients into a vegetarian diet. In addition, he will relate his topic to the global marketplace, detailing how what America eats can affect other countries and the planet.

Eisman is the founder of VEGEDINE, the Association of Vegetarian Dietitians and Nutrition Educators. He currently teaches the VEGEDINE correspondence course in Vegetarian and Vegan Nutrition and wrote the course textbook.







In addition to his book, "Don't Let Your Diet Add to Your Cancer Risk," Eisman also wrote, "The Noble Diet," as well as numerous articles in such publications as The Journal of Nutrition education and Vegetarian Times.

Eisman has extensive experience in public health, serving as a nutritionist for the state health departments in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. He also has taught classes on nutrition at Florida State University, Broward (County) Community College, and Miami-Dade Community College

The Seder Plate And Your Health

Passover begins tonight at sundown, marking the first of eight days and nights of no leavened bread to commemorate the Jews' liberation from Egyptian slavery. Tonight and tomorrow night, observant Jews will participate in Passover seders, structured dinners throughout which the story of Passover is retold.

Themes from the tale are symbolized by five, sometimes six, food items on the seder plate, many of which are also eaten throughout the meal.

Unlike other Jewish holidays, Passover foods are decidedly more nutritious. Compare spring greens and bitter herbs to the deep-fried latkes and jelly donuts of Hanukkah! Below, we've spelled out some of the perks of the seder plate components. Just match the numbered item on the plate to the corresponding explanations below. Then let us know how Passover inspires you to get (or stay) healthy in the comments.


1. Roasted Bone
A symbol of the offering brought to the temple in Jerusalem, the bone is the only inedible item on the seder plate. The bone is traditionally from a lamb or chicken. However, non-meat-eaters might be onto something with their vegetarian substitutions, at least when it comes to health. Both beets (since they appear to "bleed") and sweet potatoes (the "Paschal Yam", a play on the "Paschal Lamb") are loaded with nutritious perks. The deep red color of beets comes from a host of phytonutrients that act as anti-inflammatories and antioxidants. And sweets are loaded with beta carotene, which ups immunity and protects your skin, while providing a hefty dose of fiber.

2. Romaine Lettuce
One of two bitter herbs on the seder plate, romaine is decidedly less nutritious than horseradish (more on that below). (Both bitter herbs symbolize the bitter times the Jews faced as slaves in Egypt.) But that's not to say this lettuce has nothing to offer. A serving packs more than your daily recommended amount of vitamin A, a good dose of C and some fiber, too, all for very few calories.

3. Charoset
Apples, walnuts and red wine all earned spots on our list of the 50 Healthiest Foods Of All Time. This tasty mixture is meant to resemble bricks and mortar on the seder plate, a reminder of the Jews' slavery in Egypt. Together, the ingredients offer fiber, protection against heart disease, inflammation reduction and lowered cholesterol.

4. Karpas
Often parsley or celery, some say this spring veggie symbolizes the newness of the season. (Some use a boiled potato or a raw onion.) While often discarded as a garnish, parsley is actually a very good source of a number of vitamins and nutrients, including A, C and K, folate, calcium, iron and potassium. It's also been used for medicinal purposes, including for UTIs, digestion issues and asthma, among other conditions, according to WebMD.


5. Horseradish
Grandpa might encourage you to eat this bitter herb to clear out your sinuses, but horseradish has doctor-approved perks, too. In fact, the root can be used for UTIs, joint pain and coughs, according to WebMD, thanks to possible bacteria-fighting powers. It's also a member of the brassica family of plants, which includes nutritional powerhouses like kale and broccoli and seems to offer some cancer protection.

6. Hard-Boiled Egg
Another reminder of Passover offerings, eggs have faced controversy due to their naturally-occurring cholesterol. But the dietary cholesterol in eggs has been shown to play no role in increasing risk of heart disease in most people, according to the Mayo Clinic. Eggs are rich in choline, important for memory, as well as lutein and zeaxanthin, key for eyesight. Eggs are also a great source of protein.

Does A Vegan Diet Help Your Skin?

Filling up on whole grains, vegetables, and fruits is beneficial to your skin! Find out how a vegan diet can improve your skin......

What exactly does meat do to our skin?

You already know that a healthy diet is synonymous with healthy skin. But what about vegan diets? Can you chalk up a youthful, glowing complexion to ditching chicken and ice cream? Whether you nix animal products for health reasons, ethical reasons or both, we got the lowdown from our experts on how this affects your pretty face.


For starters, it can be loaded with saturated fat, which increases the risk for cardiovascular disease. Unhealthy arteries means your skin isn’t getting the glow-inducing nutrients it needs to stay healthy. One study found red meat consumption in particular is positively associated with increased inflammation in the body, which worms its way into your skin to break down collagen and elastin (the building blocks of a youthful complexion).

More from YouBeauty.com:
The 30-Day Meat-Free Challenge To Help Your Skin
Eat Carrots, Look Prettier

It may even contribute to breakouts, according to one study that concluded acne is linked, in part, to our western diet of excessive animal proteins. Researchers recommended we limit the total leucine -- an amino acid found in meat -- intake predominantly provided by animal protein to decrease acne on our skin.

Ditto for dairy.


One study examined the diets of 47,355 women and found a positive link between milk and acne. That's because the majority of milk we consume is produced by pregnant cows, meaning there are high levels of hormones present. That can be an open invitation to oil secretion, breakouts and acne.

But if you think simply ditching the meat and dairy is the answer to a more flawless complexion, it's not.

“The benefits that you get from removing meat and dairy from your caloric intake all depend on the foods that you choose to replace those calories,” explains Kristin Kirkpatrick, R.D., YouBeauty Nutrition Expert. In other words, a vegan who replaces the calories with more fruits and vegetables and other nutrient-dense foods will see a major benefit in her complexion and overall beauty.

That’s because fruits and veggies have a higher water content than cooked meats, and eating foods with high water content (like cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe) help hydrate our skin, plump out fine lines and bring on a radiant glow.

Same goes for essential nutrients. A well-balanced vegan diet is typically higher in vitamin C, says Kirkpatrick. “Vitamin C is needed for collagen metabolism, which increases the elasticity of the skin, providing a smoother and less-wrinkled complexion.” You can get your highest dose in foods like papaya, strawberries, oranges, kale, lemon, cauliflower and garlic.

Diet Found To Curb Heart Risks

 Diet Found To Curb Heart Risks Huffington Post Mediterranean diets have long been touted as heart-healthy,In the first-ever clinical trial to evaluate the impact of a Mediterranean diet on heart health, researchers in Spain followed 7,447 men and women.



Diet Found To Curb Heart Risks

Mediterranean diets have long been touted as heart-healthy, but that's based on observational studies that can't prove the point. The new research is much stronger because people were assigned diets to follow for a long time and carefully monitored. Doctors even did lab tests to verify that the Mediterranean diet folks were consuming more olive oil or nuts as recommended.

Most of these people were taking medicines for high cholesterol and blood pressure, and researchers did not alter those proven treatments, said one study leader, Dr. Ramon Estruch of Hospital Clinic in Barcelona.

But as a first step to prevent heart problems, "we think diet is better than a drug" because it has few if any side effects, Estruch said. "Diet works."

Results were published online Monday by the New England Journal of Medicine and were discussed at a nutrition conference in Loma Linda, Calif.

People in the study were not given rigid menus or calorie goals because weight loss was not the aim. That could be why they found the "diets" easy to stick with – only about 7 percent dropped out within two years. There were twice as many dropouts in the low-fat group than among those eating Mediterranean-style.

Researchers also provided the nuts and olive oil, so it didn't cost participants anything to use these relatively pricey ingredients. The type of oil may have mattered – they used extra-virgin olive oil, which is minimally processed and richer than regular or light olive oil in the chemicals and nutrients that earlier studies have suggested are beneficial.

The study involved people ages 55 to 80, just over half of them women. All were free of heart disease at the start but were at high risk for it because of health problems – half had diabetes and most were overweight and had high cholesterol and blood pressure.


They were assigned to one of three groups: Two followed a Mediterranean diet supplemented with either extra-virgin olive oil (4 tablespoons a day) or with walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds (a fistful a day). The third group was urged to eat a low-fat diet heavy on bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, fruits, vegetables and fish and light on baked goods, nuts, oils and red meat.

Independent monitors stopped the study after nearly five years when they saw fewer problems in the two groups on Mediterranean diets.

Doctors tracked a composite of heart attacks, strokes or heart-related deaths. There were 96 of these in the Mediterranean-olive oil group, 83 in the Mediterranean-nut group and 109 in the low-fat group.

Looked at individually, stroke was the only problem where type of diet made a big difference. Diet had no effect on death rates overall.

The Mediterranean diet proved better even though its followers ate about 200 calories more per day than the low-fat group did. The study leaders now are analyzing how each of the diets affected weight gain or loss and body mass index.

The Spanish government's health research agency initiated and paid for the study, and foods were supplied by olive oil and nut producers in Spain and the California Walnut Commission. Many of the authors have extensive financial ties to food, wine and other industry groups but said the sponsors had no role in designing the study or analyzing and reporting its results.

Rachel Johnson, a University of Vermont professor who heads the American Heart Association's nutrition committee, said the study is very strong because of the lab tests to verify oil and nut consumption and because researchers tracked actual heart attacks, strokes and deaths – not just changes in risk factors such as high cholesterol.

"At the end of the day, what we care about is whether or not disease develops,"
Rena Wing, a weight-loss expert at Brown University, noted that researchers provided the oil and nuts, and said "it's not clear if people could get the same results from self-designed Mediterranean diets" – or if Americans would stick to them more than Europeans who are used to such foods.

Dr. George Bray of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., said he would give the study "a positive – even glowing – comment" and called it "the best and certainly one of the largest prospective dietary trials ever done."

"The data are sufficiently strong to convince me to move my dietary pattern closer to the Mediterranean Diet that they outline," he added.

Another independent expert also praised the study as evidence diet can lower heart risks.

"The risk reduction is close to that achieved with statins," cholesterol-lowering drugs, said Dr. Robert Eckel, a diet and heart disease expert at the University of Colorado.

"But this study was not carried out or intended to compare diet to statins or blood pressure medicines," he warned. "I don't think people should think now they can quit taking their medicines."

Healthy Snack Tips with Avoid Mistakes

Healthy Snack Tips with Avoid Mistakes "Only about 50 percent of people need to snack,"you're miles divided from dinner, though that salad during lunch didn't utterly fill we up. What should we break on?


"Only about 50 percent of people need to snack,"



Healthy Snack Tips with Avoid Mistakes

 For some, a snack can help maintain metabolic health, regulate blood sugar and lead to better, healthier meal choices and greater portion control during lunch or dinner. But for others? "It's just an added source of calories," she says.

Ask yourself this question: When you snack, do you eat less or more healthfully at your next meal? If the answer is no -- and you don't have an underlying health condition that requires regular snacking, like hypoglycemia or diabetes -- it might make sense to eschew the extra bites and wait for a big meal.

Confusing the terms "snack" and "treat"
It's hard to tell: those office cookies, a can of soda or even a handful of pretzels can seem like a small enough dose of guilty pleasure calories -- especially if you're careful to eat healthful meals. But not only is that bad-for-you treat contributing to excess calories, it won't do much to satiate your hunger.

Some foods can be confusing -- how can you tell if that chocolate-y energy bar or super sweet smoothie is really a good idea? Keep track of your fullness, advises Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D.

"Snacks offer nutrition and fullness to help bridge one meal to the next," Blatner says. "Treats don't give either."

Having 'healthy' carbs alone
"So many people think that an apple or orange (alone) is a healthy snack," writes Cheryl Forberg, R.D in an email to HuffPost. "While they are both great, they are so much better with protein (add a mozzarella cheese stick, a few slices turkey or almond butter on your sliced apple)."

That's because the protein helps to slow the release of sugar into the blood stream, which in turn prevents a big insulin spike, she explains. That spike can cause an energy crash and send you searching for more food to nibble on. And protein is also more likely to keep you feeling full.

Skipping fruits and veggies
But it's important not to go all-protein either: "Produce gives hydration, fiber and nutrients to between-meal nibbles," Blatner says.

Being mindless
Many of us snack while we're working, which might help us get through our tasks faster -- but it also helps us power through that bag of chips with great speed.

"Don't eat standing at the fridge, watching TV or answering emails," Blatner says. "Multi-tasking snacking (not being present) is a big no-no because the snacks will never satisfy!"

'Health halo' grazing
Even if you've got the right idea when it comes to what kind of food to snack on, portion control can still be a problem. Blatner calls this "health halo" snacking. So-called "health halo" snacks include foods that are healthier than their alternatives -- think: granola bars instead of candy bars, multigrain chips instead of potato chips -- but can still rack up the calories, added sugars and saturated fats because their health profiles make snackers feel at liberty to simply eat more.

"There are really healthy snacks out there, but you need to eat the right amount," says Heather Bauer, RD. She recommends finding single-serving packages or creating your own portions with small bags.

Best Spring Foods For Health

What are the best healthy cooking methods & foods for spring
Best Spring Foods For Health. We look forward to spring because it marks the end of cold weather and the beginning of new life. Instantly connect to what's most important to you. Follow your friends, experts, favorite celebrities, and breaking news.


Best Spring Foods For Health
We look forward to spring because it marks the end of cold weather and the beginning of new life. And if you're anything like us, you look forward to the season's best foods -- fiddlehead ferns and ramps, pea shoots and microgreens.

But these young, green foods aren't just delicious and unusual, they also may have a unique nutritional benefit: a density of phytonutrients that makes them particularly healthful.

Phytonutrients in plants are developed for the protection of the plant, explains Melina Jampolis, M.D., a medical nutritionist. For example, consider the pinot noir grape: it is most delicate and so wine made from the pinot noir grape has the highest levels of reservetrol.

"My theory -- and this is just a theory -- is that consuming these foods in their immature state may mean higher levels of antioxidants and phytonutrients," Jampolis says. "It all goes back to nutrient density: there's not a lot of empty space in younger plants."

But sprouts and shoots aren't the only healthful foods of the season. Consider eggs -- triggered by longer daylight, birds begin their heavy laying season as spring arrives.

And eggs have a unique nutritional profile all their own -- and certainly different than bird meat. The yolk, for example, contains the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin and the phytonutrient biotin, which are all heart-protective. What's more, the quality of egg protein is considered the gold standard in terms of measuring the quality of all other protein sources. That's because the amino acids that comprise egg protein are the most digestible and the most easily absorbed by the body, according to Jampolis.

Spring is also the beginning of berry season -- little nutrient powerhouses full of cancer and heart disease-fighting antioxidants.

A Mediterranean diet is good for your heart

 A Mediterranean diet is good for your heart,deaths is likely to encourage those with health-robbing diets to eat like a Greek fisherman.

But switching from an all-too-familiar American diet heavy in saturated fats, salts, sugars and chemicals to a plant-based one rich in fruits, vegetables, olive oil, fish, nuts, beans and occasional red wine can be intimidating.

It doesn’t need to be, according to medical experts.

Mediterranean cooking is basically simple, even for the novice. Success depends more on the quality of the ingredients — readily available in mainstream groceries — than the talent of the cook.

Experts also advise a slow and steady evolution of heart-clogging to heart healthy. Gradual, incremental steps — swapping french fries for black beans, breakfast pastries for scrambled eggs — are recommended.

“It takes a while to change anything, especially how we eat,” said nutritionist and author Stephanie Green, owner of Nutrition Studio in Phoenix. “Don’t feel you have to change everything at once or follow the diet perfectly. You’ll only stress yourself out and fail if you make too many changes too quickly.”

A study released in February offers ample incentive to adopt the Mediterranean diet — introduced in 1993 by Oldways, Harvard School of Public Health and the World Health Organization.

The findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed, for the first time, that the Mediterranean diet reduced heart-disease risk and death. Until the study of randomly assigned 7,447 people in Spain who were overweight, evidence that the Mediterranean diet prevented heart disease was scientifically weak. Previous accolades were based on studies that found those living in Mediterranean countries to have lower rates of heart disease.

According to the latest findings, the diet helped those following it even though they did not lose weight and most were already taking statins, blood-pressure medications or diabetes drugs to lower their heart-disease risk.

“The study proves that eating a plant-based diet works. The findings are very important,” said Jorge Alegría, a Scottsdale-based Mayo Clinic cardiologist who lost 40 pounds and lowered his blood pressure and cholesterol after adopting a plant-based diet five years ago. “This is a diet that encourages you to eat all the colors of the rainbow.”

The tenet of the diet remains unchanged since its inception: Fresh fruits and vegetables are the centerpiece of every meal. Strive for seven to 10 servings a day of veggies and fruits. Olive oil is the primary source of fat.

Eat fish once or twice a week. Fresh or water-packed tuna, salmon, trout, mackerel and herring are healthy choices.

Limit red meat. When eaten, make sure it’s lean and keep portions small. Same with sugar and desserts. Have a glass of red wine with dinner. Season food with bold flavors: basil, oregano, rosemary, lemon, garlic and mint. Eat whole grains and legumes in abundance.

The diet, however, requires a commitment to cooking at home, according to Nancy Harmon Jenkins, author of “The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook,” first published in 1994 and recently updated. Thankfully, the cuisine is improvisational and forgiving.

“You have only two cloves of garlic instead of the called-for six? Use two and don’t worry. The chard looks good while the spinach is yellowed and wilted? Use chard instead of spinach. The dish may end up a little less predominantly flavored with this or that, but somewhere in the Mediterranean, you can be certain, someone has made it like that before,” she wrote.

To get started on a Mediterranean eating plan, experts offer the following tips:

Set realistic goals and make changes incrementally over a minimum of six months. A “baby step” can be as simple as swapping a pastrami and Swiss on white for almond butter and sliced berries on whole grain.

Replace butter with extra-virgin olive whenever possible. Begin by replacing olive oil for butter in mashed potatoes.

Drizzle whenever possible. Olive oils lose nutritional punch when heated, so use cold whenever possible. Dip bread in olive oil instead of slathering with butter. Pour a bit over grilled fish or roasted vegetables.

Swap cream-based salad dressings for vinaigrette. They typically are made with three parts oil to one part acid. Adding mustard, herbs, garlic, citrus zest and Parmesan enhances the flavor and helps to stabilize the mixture. Vinegars are the traditional acid, but citrus juice, wine and sake work as well. The vinaigrette also can double as a marinade for fish and chicken.

Enjoy colorful foods and add a new fruit or vegetable every week, or at least monthly. Be patient when introducing foods. It can take several tries to acquire a taste for a new flavor. If at first you don’t like the taste, try preparing it differently and with a favorite flavor. For example: Shave Parmesan over roasted asparagus or toss dried cranberries into sauteed kale.

Try roasting. Roasting vegetables and fruits dramatically deepens their flavor. Add roasted pineapple, mango, beets, peppers, onions, tomatoes, eggplant and garlic to soups and salads.

Grow herbs in patio pots. They thrive in our warm climate and make it easy to add fresh flavors inexpensively.

Opt for wild-caught salmon and other seafood varieties over farmed. Wild varieties, such as Copper River king, chinook, coho and steelhead, have more omega-3 heart-healthy fats and flavor than their farm-raised kin.

Canned works, too. Increase seafood consumption with canned tuna, salmon and sardines. All can be served with diced vegetables and tossed with vinaigrette or tossed in whole-wheat pasta with olive oil and tomatoes.

Use lemon instead of salt. Salt can increase blood pressure, called the “silent killer,” by holding excess fluid in the body and placing an added burden on the heart. Lemon juice offers a healthful alternative. Adding a splash of juice close to the end of cooking time enhances flavors in the same way as salt.

Go nuts. Keep almonds, walnuts, pistachios and other nuts on hand for snacking instead of chips and crackers. Yes, they are fattening. About 80 percent of calories in nuts come from fat, but it’s healthy unsaturated fat heralded in the Mediterranean diet, not the artery-clogging kind. Nutritionists recommend about 1½ to 2 ounces a day.

Eat fruit with breakfast.

Embrace whole over processed grains. Whole grains are cheap, nutritional powerhouses, easy to fix and, if you choose the right grain, quick to cook. Brown rice and barley take nearly an hour of cooking, so if possible, cook early in the morning and reheat for dinner. An elite group of grains — quinoa, bulgur, oats and cornmeal or polenta — go from box to table in less than half that time.

Choose low-fat dairy. Switch to skim milk, fat-free Greek yogurt and low-fat cheeses in moderation.

Portions still matter. Use a quarter- or half-cup measure to control portion size when plating food. And serve food on small plates to make portions look more generous.

Adopt a Mediterranean philosophy. Food garnished with fresh herbs, olive oil and garlic and shared at a table with friends and family is good tasting and good for you.

“Eating the Mediterranean way,” Green said, “is good for the soul.”