It’s Eat What You Want Day, so feel free to go wild with some Wild Oats natural and organic products. We’ve been treating ourselves to our Honey Graham Teddy Bears and Organic Chickpea and Chimichurri Hummus. What Wild Oats products do you plan on indulging in? Something salty? Or something sweet perhaps?

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This is National Egg Month!!  Do you ever wonder about eating too many eggs?  The caution with eggs is related mostly to the cholesterol content for people who need or wish to watch their cholesterol levels.  The nutritional value of eggs is excellent.  With only about 70 calories, a single egg contains over 6 grams of protein, 8 minerals and 9 vitamins.  Those are all generally good.  A single egg also contains about 190mg of cholesterol which might not be good for someone who is working to keep their cholesterol levels down.
So, our topic today looks at eating eggs daily, both for the effect on our cholesterol levels and also our overall health.  I’ll talk about 2 new “egg” studies that were published this year.

One study looks at the effect of eating a 400 calorie breakfast that included 2 eggs each morning compared to a 400 calorie breakfast that contained a bagel and no eggs.  This study looked at both men and women between the ages of 18 and 35 and all of whom did resistance exercise .

The results, at the end of twelve weeks, showed –
●  Cholesterol levels were unchanged in both groups
●  HDL (“good cholesterol”) was unchanged in both groups
●  LDL (“bad cholesterol”) was unchanged in both groups
●  Trigylcerides were lowered (a good thing) in the “egg” group but not he “bagel” group
●  Blood pressure was unchanged in both groups
The study conclusion was that eating 2 eggs daily in people who exercised did not adversely affect lipids and blood pressure and improved triglyceride levels.

The other study looked at men and women with known coronary artery disease and the effect of eating eggs with breakfast.  This study looked at actual coronary blood flow as well as blood pressure.  The participants were placed in 1 of 3 groups:
●  breakfast that included 2 whole eggs
●  breakfast that included “Egg Beaters” which are made with egg whites only and contain no cholesterol
●  breakfast that contained high-carbohydrates (like bagels or cereal) but no eggs or Egg Beaters.
The results of this study  …..  the “egg” group did as well as the other groups, having no problems with blood flow or blood pressure!

Well, these two studies definitely point toward an “OK” for most of us who enjoy eggs!  If your doctor has told you to decrease your egg consumption or the total amount of cholesterol in your diet, definitely follow that advice.  The goal here is to see what the research shows so that we can make educated decisions.   For the rest of us …. Nice!!  Oh, and of course, eggs aren’t just for breakfast!  Hard boiled eggs are super convenient to add protein anytime during the day  …. to a green salad, as a mid-day snack, or for our egg-salad sandwiches!  One more part of a healthy diet … and a nice way to celebrate Egg Month!

Garbanzo Bean Nutrition Tidbit

Garbanzo beans are the world’s most consumed legume. Some varieties of garbanzo beans can be popped and eaten like popcorn.

Garbanzo beans, known as chickpeas, are also one of the world’s oldest foods: 7,500-year-old remains have been found in the Middle East. They are called “garbanzo beans” in Spanish and Latin cultures, and the word “chickpea” is derived from the French chiche to cicer, Latin for ‘chickpea’. “Apicius”, an ancient collection of Roman recipes and one of the oldest cookbooks known to humankind, features recipes for chickpeas.

The Nutritional Benefits of Wild Oats Organic Garbanzo Beans:

Nutritionally Authentic:

USDA Certified Organic food product

Nutritionally Affordable:

Fat-free

High in antioxidants and fiber, available at an affordable price

An inexpensive protein source

Nutritionally Accessible:

Shelf-stable pantry solution, easy to store and use quickly in recipes

Medical Nutrition Therapy Tips and Solutions:

Pregnancy:  beans are high in B vitamins, especially folate. Folate is important for women to consume during their child bearing years because it prevents against neutral tube birth defects.

Anemia: Garbanzo beans are high in iron, and eating foods rich in iron prevents against anemia.

Vegetarians: They are an excellent source of protein for vegetarians.

Children: Bump up your child’s fiber intake by serving them heart healthy, preservative free hummus and organic vegetable sticks.

Child/Adolescence/Teenage: Pack a 1/4 cup hummus in an airtight to-go container, along with some whole grain crackers and organic vegetable sticks, as a grab-n-go snack for kids and teens on the run.

Athletes all of ages: Easily digestible fuel source for before or after exercise.

Adult/College/Elderly: Boost brain function by including magnesium-rich garbanzo beans in your daily diet.

Elderly: Pureed to soft texture; can be eaten without teeth.

Diabetes: Garbanzo beans have a nice balance of carbohydrates and fiber, so they won’t spike blood sugar rapidly.

High Blood Pressure: Rinse the canned beans to wash away added sodium.

The power of NO.

Panera Bread captured that power this week when it announced that it was banning 150 artificial additives including colors, flavors, preservatives, and sweeteners from the products in its stores. The internet was buzzing with the news.

Chipotle Mexican Grill caused a similar buzz the week before when it announced that it was prohibiting certain ingredients in its products as well.

That’s great when we go out to eat. But what about the majority of the time, when we are making meals at home, or even pulling snacks out of the cupboard.

When Wild Oats launched its line of consumer products early last year, it also unveiled a list of 125 ingredients that would never be in any of its products. That list began when Wild Oats was still a line of actual grocery stores.  Things like aspartame and high fructose corn syrup are items that customers are regularly avoiding these days. Ingredients like ascorbic acid and calcium propionate are less known, but equally as troubling.

The fact is that most of us don’t have time to research all of the items that we ought to be eliminating from our diets. The Organic Seal is the gold standard of assurance that these ingredients aren’t in our food. But when organic isn’t available, it’s nice to know there is a growing list of retailers and restaurants who are doing that homework for us in the other products we buy.

It feels good to say yes to the companies that are saying no.

Everyone wants beautiful and youthful skin, without resorting to drastic, “frozen-looking” measures! Thankfully, there are natural approaches you can take to help to repair and transform your skin without looking like an overdone Real Housewife. Here are some easy and unique natural wrinkle fighters to help improve your skin’s texture and tone.

Shea Butter
Shea Butter is a natural humectant, which means that it helps to naturally pull moisture into the skin. Look for products that utilize 100% Organic Raw Shea to moisturize and protect to improve skin’s firmness. Try doting it on your “crows-feet” on the sides of your eyes to help repair this critical area. Look for organic shea oil infused with other ingredients for just $12.99 from Nubian Heritage.

Concentrated Flower and Berry Extracts
You’ll see a variety of products on the market with concentrated extracts from flowers and berries that are full of beneficial antioxidants and omegas that feed aging skin. Some of these ingredients, like white peony, raspberry extract and rose water, have been used for centuries to help beautify and renew the skin. Make sure to check out lines like Leaf People and Red Flower that are producing products with focused ingredients that are aimed specifically for wrinkles.

Silica
Silica is a mineral that helps with our connective tissues, which is a crucial component to healthy and youthful collagen. You can utilize silica both internally and externally. Look for it in colloidal gel form or as a cell salt. People report that simply rubbing Silica gel on their face produces great, wrinkle-free results!