To Prevent Kidney Stones: limit protein, sodium, calcium and oxalate in diet intake and increase fluid.

Beverages: Limit draft beer; chocolate beverage mixes, cocoa, instant tea and instant coffee

Breads and Cereals: Limit grits, wheat bran, instant cereal, any breads or crackers with salted tops, cheese pizza 

Desserts: Limit fruitcake, desserts made with chocolate, nuts, berries, red currants or rhubarb

Fats: Avoid nuts and nut butters, regular salad dressings, bacon fat, bacon bits, snack dips made with instant mixes or processed cheese

Fruits: Avoid Berries (blackberries, gooseberries, black raspberries, strawberries), concord grapes, red currant, lemon, lime and orange peels, calcium fortified fruit juice, grape juice

Meats and Meat Substitution: Avoid baked beans with tomato sauce, peanut butter, tofu, cold cuts, cured meats, hot dogs, bacon and sausage, imitation crab and lobster 

Potatoes: Limit Sweet potatoes

Snacks: Avoid chips, salted crackers and cheese

Soups: Limit canned soups or dehydrated soup mixes 

Vegetables: Limit beans (waxed and legumes), beets, celery, eggplant, leeks, summer squash

Other:

Calcium – 800 mg /day

Vitamin C – do not supplement as increases oxalate in urine

Fluid – 12.5 glasses/cups/day

No matter what time of the year it is, staying hydrated is important. Remember, the human body is composed of about 70% of water weight! This means that water plays a major role in maintaining our bodily functions, including removing waste and toxins, maintaining body temperature, and preventing dehydration.

During the summer months however, the heat makes it all the more important for you to stay hydrated. Whether or not you’re physically active, you lose water everyday. This occurs through urination, bowel movements, and sweating. To prevent dehydration, supply your body with water throughout the day. The current recommended total daily intake of fluids is 13 cups for men and 9 cups for women.

Look out for the signs of dehydration:

• Thirst!
• Dry/Sticky mouth
• Confusion/Dizziness
• Headache
• Nausea
• Low or no urine output; urine looks dark yellow

Good News: H20 Isn’t the Only Way to Stay Hydrated

When you’re thirsty, water can be one of your best bets. If that doesn’t quench your thirst, it turns out that many of the foods we eat contain water but in various amounts. In fact, according to The Institute of Medicine, the average individual’s water intake from food is about 20%. To help meet your daily fluid requirements, try incorporating foods with high water content into meals or as snacks. High water content foods like vegetables and fruits not only help you stay hydrated, but these key foods contain nutritients, minerals, fiber and antioxidants.

If you’re concerned about your H20 intake, here’s a list of our favorite top hydrating foods:

• Watermelon 
• Cantaloupe
• Citrus fruits
• Tomatoes
• Pineapples
• Strawberries
• Watermelon
• Lettuce
• Broccoli
• Cucumbers 
• Celery
• Spinach
• Apples
• Greek yogurt or Kefir
• Bananas
• Grapes

Have you ever looked closely at the label of an olive oil bottle? Strewn across the grocery store aisles, you’ll find bottles labeled with “first cold-pressed,” “extra-virgin,” or “product of Italy.” With so many labels, distinguishing the difference between these terms can be confusing. If you’ve ever wondered what these terms mean or how to choose a high quality olive oil, we’re here to clarify the confusion.

Extra virgin olive oil is made using a process called “first cold-pressed.” In simpler terms, the word “first” refers to the olives being pressed on the first round of extraction. “Cold” refers to the olives being kept no higher than 81.9 °F, and “pressed” refers to the method of extraction. This method indicates that no heat or chemical additives were used to extract the oil from the olives, which can alter and destroy the flavors and aromas of the olive oil. Without adding heat to the processing, the olive oil also retains its full nutritional value. Virgin olive oil has a slightly more acidic level and does not meet the same requirements . Regular olive oil is a blend of slightly defective or low quality olives. For consumption, these olives are refined and tend to have a colorless and flavorless profile. Light olive oil has undergone a similar process but is lighter in color and flavor, not calories!

So, was the olive oil actually “Made in Italy?

When an olive oil bottle is labeled with “Made in Italy,” this does not necessarily mean that it is a high quality product.  For example, you can have a bottle of olive oil produced from several different olives, from several different regions. When olives are blended together, the mixing of olives produce off-flavors.  This term only indicates that the olives came from Italy but does not guarantee the consumer that the oil was produced and packaged in Italy. The highest quality olive oils are made from one type of olive and preferably from the same region.

Are there ways to know the olive oil is actually made in Italy?

Yes, an example of this would be DOP certified, which stands for Denominazione di Origine Protetta (English translation: Protected Destination of Origin). This mark is a guarantee for the consumer that from its raw state to the finalized product, the olive oil has gone through an extensive and quality process. By law, the olives have been pressed, bottled and shipped out of Italy.   

Is it true that the greener the oil, the better?

Many people think that the color of the oil is a reflection of its quality. However, this is a myth. Many producers know that consumers believe this and will add olive leaves to the olive press to release the chlorophyll content, so that the oil looks greener. The color has no bearing on the quality but is more of an indication of when the olives were harvested. Olives harvested earlier in the season tend to be greener, whereas olives harvested later may be more golden. Keep in mind that different olives also exhibit different colors.

Do high quality olive oils have higher amounts of antioxidants?

It may be difficult to think of oil as having anti-inflammatory properties but olive oil does provide many health benefits. One reason is that olive oil is a fruit fat. It is not made but found within the olive, in its finished form, and extracted.

The higher the level of antioxidants in an olive oil, the healthier it is for you. One can actually assess the level of antioxidants in olive oil by the peppery “burn” on the back of the throat. Thus, the more pepper-like burn the olive oil has, the higher its antioxidant content.  In terms of culinary applications however, there are some dishes were you may not want a pair a high antioxidant olive oil (more peppery), with a light dish.

There are hundreds and hundreds of different types of olives across the world. You may not be able to tell, but every olive has a very different flavor profile that ultimately translates to your food. Some are delicate and some are strong. In many countries, olive oil is the ultimate sauce. If you drizzle olive oil over any dish, depending on the quality of the oil, it can either lower the taste or heighten the flavor. In countries where olive oil is the back-bone of the food culture, olive oil is viewed as one of the most precious items. Not only is it harvested once a year, it is also used in every single meal. So, what should one look for when searching for a high quality olive oil? 

When searching for a high quality olive oil, look for a DOP certification and these specifications: 

1. Harvest Date – You want your oil as fresh as possible!
2. Region – If you don’t know what olives are in it, you have no idea what it might taste like! Knowing the region of the olive oil is very important. Not knowing the region is like buying a bottle of wine and it just says “red wine” – it could be from anywhere! When looking for a high quality olive oil, look for olives that have come from the same region, made entirely from one type of olive.
3. Type of Container – Try to look for an olive oil in a dark or tinted glass bottle, rather than a plastic or clear glass. Any light that enters the bottle can cause the oil to photo-oxidize and taste rancid or bitter. In general, heat, air and light are the enemies of oil. To prevent olive oil from going rancid, store it in a cool, dry area, away from the stove or other hot appliances.

Are “Super foods” worth the money? This answer depends on which food one is referring to. The Willis Report recently asked me if consumers who are being bombarded with trendy super foods like quinoa, goji berries, acai berries, and spirulina getting the most for their money? Well these foods are indeed packed with nutrition especially vitamins, antioxidants and phytochemicals but they are not necessarily better than other more main stream supper foods like blueberries or salmon. See our post “Are Super Foods So Super?
”

While “super foods” like raw pumpkin super chips or oats with goigi berries are extremely nutritious, they don’t always live up to their cost. They could possibly be even less super than a local or frozen food as they may be less fresh if they are exotic, processed, or have added ingredients. Keep in mind there is no formal qualification defining super foods. Rather this term is used loosely implying this specific food has as much or a greater amount of nutrition than another food.  

When comparing prices of foods marketed as ‘super foods’ and sold in specialty health boutiques, I found that pumpkin chips were five times the costs of just purchasing pure pumpkin seeds and flax seeds. Oat based cereal sold, as a super food was twice as expensive as purchasing stone ground oats with fresh blueberries and a chocolate bar from Africa that was only 44% cocoa was sixty-six percent more expensive then a USA dark chocolate bar like Sweet Riot with 70% coca.

The message here is when opting for value, go with the foods that are most wholesome and unaltered like nuts, wild salmon and organic blueberries. See here for more natural super foods:

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/10-everyday-super-foods?page=2.

To find foods that have positive affects on your health without paying top price go with non-packaged fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes and nuts. Stroll the bulk section of your health food store and buy foods sold by the pound rather than by the package.

• “If it is in a package, it is probably processed!
• If it is has been processed, it’s probably not super.
• If it is has sugar as the first ingredient, and
• If it is marketed as super it’s probably not so super.
• Real whole foods are the super foods that are a super deal.”

Keep in mind, if you are buying juices or super chips with agave, these products have added sugar since agave is sugar. Local fresh and or frozen are usually the best foods to buy for greater nutrition, sustainable efforts and economical value.

By Guest Blogger, Jodi Rubin

Eating disorders have always been my passion. They have been my specialty since I began my LCSW private practice more than a decade ago. Over the years, I’ve directed a program for eating disorders, currently teach a curriculum I created on eating disorders at NYU’s Graduate School of Social Work, and have done a few other things. Yet, I have not found a way to connect my love of healthy fitness and honoring one’s body with my passion for helping those struggling with eating disorders.

The issue of eating disorders within fitness centers is a ubiquitous one. I’ve seen people spending hours on the treadmill, heard countless patients recounting their obsessiveness with the gym, and others seeming as though their self-esteem became immediately deflated if they couldn’t work out hard enough, fast enough or long enough. The research I have done has revealed that the presence of eating disorders within fitness centers is “sticky” and “complicated” and gets very little attention. Through no fault of anyone in particular, if people aren’t given the education and tools, then how can anyone feel knowledgable and confident enough to address this sensitive issue?

I went directly to fitness professionals to see what they thought about eating disorders within the fitness industry. As I suspected, it was clear that there was not a lack of interest in this issue. Quite the contrary. Most, if not all, of those with whom I spoke were eager and excited to finally have a forum in which they could learn about eating disorders and how to approach the issue. That’s when DESTRUCTIVELY FIT™: demystifying eating disorders for fitness professionals™ was born. I created this 3-hour training with the goal of educating those within the fitness industry about what eating disorders are and what to do if they notice that someone may be struggling. It has since been endorsed for continuing education by both the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and The American Council on Exercise (ACE) and has sparked the interest of variety of fitness clubs. Check out Destructively Fit™ in the news here!

Some stats for you…
• 25 million American women are struggling with eating disorders
• 7 million American men are struggling with eating disorders
• 81% of 10 year old girls are afraid of being fat
• 51% of 9-10 year old girls feel better about themselves when they are dieting
• 45% of boys are unhappy with their bodies
• 67% of women 15-64 withdraw from life-engaging activities, like giving an opinion and going to the doctor, because they feel badly about their looks
• An estimated 90-95% of those diagnosed with eating disorders are members of fitness centers

Read more about Destructively Fit™ on destructivelyfit.com. You can also follow Destructively Fit™ on Facebook and Twitter. Help spread the word and be a part of affecting change!