Tag Archives: research on food choices

Launching The Nutrition Scene: An Online Nutrition Community

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A New Vision, A Larger Mission…. Here we GO!

Since We began our healing journey as a family back in 2006, we have experienced so many ah-ha moments, so many trials and victories, and have witnessed first hand the impact of God’s Plan for us in numerous areas of our lives. We have stopped along this journey multiple times to sit in the “Waiting Zone” knowing that God is shifting us once again, and in HIS time not ours. These last few years we have experienced this like no other. God has brought so much to us, and also taken much from us, in order to communicate clearly and effectively on this next mission he has called us to. This mission is one to impact more lives on a larger scale, and to do so as a family! With this being said, we are eager to announce our initial launch of this mission, from our family to yours!

We are bringing to you a new community, an online community for all things Nutrition! We are launching The Nutrition Scene with the goal in mind of helping individuals, couples, and families begin their nutritional journey to good health. With the onslaught of conflicting information, research, and news in the market today, many find it very difficult and frustrating to first,,, know what to do and what to change, and secondly, how to go about doing it. We have encountered many people throughout the years from friends, family members, teachers, neighbors, professionals, and community members asking us “how did you do it?” or “How do you stay on track?”  and “How do you know what to do, what to buy, what to feed your family?”

From questions about specific health matters, to cooking and food prep, to eating out and traveling, and raising healthy kids, we have heard it all and helped so many along the way. We find ourselves constantly giving out advice and guidance to anyone that asks. So with that in mind, here we are…. Ready to embrace all of you and give you the guidance, wisdom, and encouragement that you need to start making changes. Whether it be jumping in, ALL in, at once or taking baby steps towards a better you and a healthier family, we are here to serve and provide. We wish you luck in your quest for health as you embrace these changes and embark on the next step in your journey to Life-Long Health and Wellness!

Kindly in Health,

Tracy Mastandrea,RD,LD/N and the Mastandrea Family

TNS-Final

Here’s our plan of Action for this coming year:

Phase 1 of The Nutrition Scene

~Bringing you the latest and greatest, and the TRUTH for all things Nutrition to our online community nutrition scene. We will be sharing recipes, nutrition facts, Q&A sessions, product recommendations and reviews, traveling and tips for eating out, budget advice, raising healthy kids, and much more via our social media sites:

12923689-small  Twitter: @NutritionScene

fb-logo    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenutritionscene

youtube_logo_small   You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbQGS33m5pfMu3sZm1Ru3_A

images      Instagram: https://instagram.com/thenutritionscene/

~Phase 2 of The Nutrition Scene

Meet our family! We will be introducing you to our family, our home, and our lifestyle over the next few months. We want you to get to know us, from our home to yours!

~Phase 3 of The Nutrition Scene

Launch of our online Nutrition Store and our website coming soon!!!

 

 

Xylitol- an alternative sweetener

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When using xylitol in recipes you need to be careful what type of xylitol you get. You want to get a xylitol made from 100% birch bark. My favorite brand is Ultimate life’s “the ultimate sweetener.” It can be purchased through Luckyvitamin.com at a good price. Xylitol is good to use in baking recipes because it substitutes more equally to sugar. Typically if a recipe calls for a 1/4 cup of sugar you would use a 1/4 cup xylitol as a replacement.

I still prefer pure Stevia as the number one sweet alternative, however Stevia is difficult sometimes to bake with. So xylitol is another option…

A few warnings with xylitol, animals can NOT have it so please keep it away from your pets. Also, some people experience stomach sensitivity to xylitol, if you do you would not want to consume it.

 

 

GMO health concerns and the USDA

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The USDA is in charge of the national organic program, however, there are a few facts you should know.

Do not trust the USDA!

Although their stamp of organic goes a long way, there’s no guarantee. Over time we have seen the FDA endorse food additives, chemicals, GMO, and many more disease causing foods so you must be your own investigator.

Read through this paragraph that came DIRECTLY from the USDA site and you will see they support GMO:

“Welcome to the USDA’s Agricultural Biotechnology Website: The USDA supports the safe and appropriate use of science and technology, including biotechnology, to help meet agricultural challenges and consumer needs of the 21st century. USDA plays a key role in assuring that products produced using biotechnology are safe to be grown and used in the United States. Once these products enter commerce, USDA supports bringing these and other products to the worldwide marketplace.”  (http://www.usda.gov)

Why are GMO’s such a problem? When a crop is genetically modified, it allows the crop to produce its own pesticide which protects it from dying when sprayed with pesticides and herbicides, particularly “Round Up” made by the Monsanto Company. This same company is the producers of the GMO seeds. Coincidence?? I think not! So now the crop has been genetically modified and then sprayed with round up. Does that sound appetizing? Do you want to feed this to your children? You might be saying NO and shaking your head to this but you are feeding this to your children. If you are buying any of our standard American products that contain high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, soybean oil, soy oil, or soy period,,, then you are consuming genetically modified substances.

Learn more about the harm of Round Up containing Glyphosate: Round Up Harm

Have you seen the French scientists’ long-term study of GMO effects on rats? The rats get tumors the size of baseballs and die an early death.

Since one of the heads of the FDA, Michael Taylor, used to be a lobbyist and vice president of Monsanto, don’t look for regulations any time soon, especially since Obama appointed him and the re-election is set in stone. Also, watch for articles, lawsuits, and companies that sell out from organic to corporate run pseudo-organic. They are caving by the numbers. It’s all about the money, until people get cancer and can’t buy their way out of it.

What can you do?! Demanding GMO labeling on all products is a huge start, you can also make sure to buy only from reputable companies and getting 100% organic ingredients. The two top GMO crops are corn and soy! I personally stay away from all corn and soy products! If a label has corn or soy in it, I don’t use it! That’s the best way to be safe. Be aware that most restaurants use corn oil or soy oil for their frying and oil needs. So choose wisely when eating out. Start reading your food labels and also check out your local farmers markets. If you get to know your local farmers you can learn from them what they are doing in their fields to keep their crop safe! This will help keep you and your family safe!

 

New Year’s Resolution Idea: I’ll “MEAL” Well

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Most New Year’s Resolutions start off with some type of diet and/or exercise regiment for most people… but how many really stick to it? How long before they fall off their planned course of action? Usually within the first few weeks, statistically speaking.

So what can you do about it? Here’s an idea, make 2012 the year of eating well. You can apply this concept to your entire family: We’ll “MEAL” well together!

This is a lifestyle change versus a fad diet that you will only stay on for a few weeks. You can work together with your family to make basic lifestyle changes in your regular MEALS to dramatically change your health and your life. Did you know over 80% of the diseases we see today are “Lifestyle Diseases”. This means that over 80% of the diseases are preventable with proper lifestyle choices. Who’s in charge of this prevention? YOU ARE!!!

What can you do right now? Starting TODAY?! You can make three basic MEAL planning changes with your family. Here’s where you start:

Change #1) Get rid of the bad fats, replace them with the Good Fats! What are the bad fats you might be asking? They are the man-made fats such as hydrogenated oils and trans-fats. They also include rancid oils such as soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, and vegetable oil. Healthy options include: Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, and Grapeseed Oil.

Change #2) Change the meats that you eat. This is the number one place to spend the extra money on organic, free-range, grass-fed meat and poultry varieties. Remember, if it comes from a sick animal, what quality of product are you getting? 

Change #3) Remove all the refined sugar from your diet.  Our packaged, processed, and convenient foods are loaded with not only preservatives and bad oils/fats, but they also have huge amounts of sugars in them, with high fructose corn syrup being the worst!

To learn more about these Nutrition changes and to get assistance with incorporating these into your daily “MEAL Well” planning, sign up for a nutrition consultation with a Registered Dietitian from TMIhealth. You can submit your request at: Nutrition Consultation Request

 

Find Raw Milk!

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Due to labeling laws in many states, it is difficult to find and purchase pure Raw Milk. Here are some resources for you:

South FL: BM Organics in Ft. Lauderdale- Join their farm fresh club to gain access to raw cow milk and raw goat milk products. I just purchased raw goat milk, raw goat milk kefir, and raw cow milk cottage cheese this week! BMorganics

Source Raw Milk in your area! Use this website to find raw milk in your city: Find Real Milk near you!

Join the advocacy resource for Raw Milk: Raw Milk Resources

Are you still uncertain as to the benefits of raw milk? Benefits of Raw Milk

Learn more and educate yourself on the benefits of raw milk and the truth about what pasteurization does to our dairy supply.