DASH friendly product: Nonfat greek yogurt

I love sour cream but since DASH diet regimen; I had to say goodbye to my old love and go out in the hunt for some healthy yet delicious new option. I search and search until nonfat greek yogurt enchanted me with its tangy and creamy richness.

What not to love about yogurt? Full of probiotics, excellent for digestion (even better tolerated than cows milk alone) and packed with calcium ... is a doctor and dietician dream food. Yup! Amazing! Any yogurt is good (mainly if its plain with no sugar added) but nonfat greek is over the top. Our Mediterranean friends really hit the ball out of the park with this one. No fat added, double the protein and half of the sugars compared to regular yogurt. And just around 110mg of sodium in 8 oz. ( 8onz equals 1 cup equals 1 diary in DASH).

I love it in backed potatoes, dips, marinates and desserts. Is the most versatile product and its healthy too...

That is why is an outstanding DASH product.

My favorite brand is Chobani but go and explore all the different brands of nonfat greek yogurt. If you love yogurt for breakfast or dessert... consider instead of sugar or splenda adding organic honey even add vanilla and cinnamon and omit the sugar all together.

Enjoy!

DASH friendly products: Golden Flax

Well, well, well... I'm always looking for products to share with you guys. I give all the credit for introducing me to this new product to my husband. It's FLAXSEED!

Lets talk about flaxseed. In my youngster years, my bestfriend used it as a hair product. O.o! For real! She was able to manage her beautiful curly hair without any over-the-counter-full-of-chemicals products instead she used good and cheap flaxseed. Also its been used as a linen fiber but flaxseed most importantly is a great superfood.

Yes, a superfood!

Is thought that it helps fight against cardiovascular diseases (stroke, peripheral vascular disease, myocardial infarction), diabetes and cholesterol.

Why? Because is full of Omega-3 fatty acids ( good fats), fiber ( helps prevent colorectal cancer, constipation and maintain healthy weight) and plenty of lignans ( excellent antioxidant).

Just to be clear, flaxseed is not the cure for any of the above mentioned diseases and researchers are still studying all its impact in humans. Some patients should avoid using it without the consent of their primary care physicians.  These people are pregnant women, children, women during breastfeeding and patients with triglycerides over 500mg/dL.

But considered it as a great supplement that used in conjunction with a healty diet and regular exercise, can help you achieve a well balance lifestyle!

This presentation of flaxseed is really convenient because is already prepared (no boiling or drying). It doesn't need to be refrigerated. It gives a nice texture to cookies, juices and smoothies. Some vegeterians even used it, instead of eggs in recipes.

Feel free to explore with flaxseed in any of its varieties and presentations. Enjoy!

DASH friendly products: CANNED FOOD

Canned foods

Meal time happens at least 3 times a day. And on today's hectic times, sometimes getting healthy and nutritional foods on your families table gets harder and harder. Most of us think that an "easy" fast food meal will satisfy our hunger and allow us go back to our very busy schedules. 

Just with investigating different fast food chains nutritional fact information, you could realize that you are eating tons of saturated fats, salt and meat products full of antibiotics and very little vegetables and vitamins .... Realizing that eating a burger with almost the entire amount of calories that you should eat through a day... is not a very smart idea. 

Eating fast food only makes you tired, sleepy and at an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases, obesity and cancer. Just watch Super Size Me or even Food, Inc and you will get a big glance of what is really going on. 

Not only documentaries are noticing the pattern; also you can find tons of articles about how good is for your body eating organic fruits, vegetables, dairy products and meat. So getting into a healthy life style is a win, win for you and your family. Even DASH ( Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is supported by many studies... showing evidence of how good is for lowering your blood pressure and for your body.

organic, no salt added/low sodium canned beans

But spending too much time cooking is complicated and you should not be a victim of time. Some days you don't even have time to go grocery shopping or to the farmers market or even you are just plain tired. So getting canned foods can help you shorten the amount of cooking time and are always available on your pantry. 

Not all canned foods are created equal. Look for canned foods that are made from organic produce, no preservatives and no salt added. So the product will be made from quality ingredients/produce that are harvested at their peak of ripeness and normally cooked and processed within hours. Canned foods are great because they offer comparable nutrition at sometimes lower cost. Most of them are packed with vitamins and minerals as well as their fresh counterparts and in some canned food products have even more.

So remember good canned foods are your friends and will help you stay on track on your diet. Will also help you, thanks to shortening cooking times and their convenience.

Great for spaghetti, stews, chili and almost anything that your imagination and appetite desires.

DASH friendly products: SNACK: frozen greek yogurt

Frozen greek yogurt

Oh, I love ice cream but ice cream is full of sugar and fat. Since been on DASH diet doesn't mean that you have to miss out on your favorite things. I went "ice cream shopping" and I found this delicious and nutritional option that will fulfill your craving for ice cream; it has tons of flavor, great texture and yummy flavors. It comes in strawberry, blueberry and raspberry.

This product is made from natural ingredients, no preservatives and the best thing NO CORN SYRUP. Yasso is delicious made from non fat milk, non fat greek yogurt, fruit puree and beat juice for color. Only 70 calories per bar. Thanks to the yogurt, these bars are a great source of calcium and protein. Even better, they are really low in sodium with just 40mg per bar. One bar equals 1 dairy on your DASH diet daily requirements.

So consider, next time you are buying/craving ice cream... buy Yasso, frozen greek yogurt.
You could fine them in any mayor grocery store in the country.

Enjoy!

DASH friendly products: sugars

Remember moderation, moderation, moderation is the key in everything and it also applies to the use of sugars in your daily diet. Even artificial sweeteners have a daily recommendation quantity. 

The Mayo Clinic couldn't said it better : " Get informed and look beyond the hype. While artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes may help with weight management, they aren't a magic bullet and should be used only in moderation. Just because a food is marketed as sugar-free doesn't mean it's free of calories. If you eat too many sugar-free foods, you can still gain weight if they have other ingredients that contain calories. And remember that processed foods, which often contain sugar substitutes, generally don't offer the same health benefits as do whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables. " 

FOR SUGARS:

1) Demerara sugar is unrefined cane sugar. Doesn't have any added molasses. As it is barely processed. It is excellent for sweetening teas and coffee. 

2) Agave Nectar: low-glycemic sweetener and dont spike sugar levels

3) Raw organic honey: just be careful because it contains small amounts of botulism toxins. So if you suffer from some immunodeficiency disease, please avoid.

Avoid: 

Artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup because both have been linked with the incidence of diabetes. Their sweetening power is at least 100 times more intense than regular sugar.

Artificial sweeteners have a possible association with the appearance of cancer. But yet only in certain studies and on animals. They are still FDA approved. 

In addition, artificial sweeteners are also associated with non alcoholic fatty liver. It bypasses the normal digestive stages and are immediately taken into the liver. The liver basically shuts down all other metabolic processes, including metabolizing fat, to contend with the sweetener. So the fats in the liver are not properly processed and released- without being fully metabolized- so they attach themselves to the liver.