Lower Your Risk For Disease

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Written By Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

These 5 steps should be the major and most important ones you and your family follow for better health.Major food-related health risks:1. Not getting enough fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  Visit www.choosemyplate.gov for individualized serving recommendations for these groups and the milk and meat categories.2. Eating too many fatty processed foods that contain too much fat, saturated fat, trans-fat and cholesterol. Visit health.gov/DietaryGuidelines/ for more information on fat intake.3. Eating too much refined sugar and starch foods with little fiber. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories every day. These foods usually displace fiber-rich foods in the diet.4. Eating too much salt found in many processed foods and restaurant meals. Visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov and search on DASH diet to find out more about sodium intake and a heart healthy diet. Most people eat twice as much as what they should.5. Food poisoning and infections  - avoid these by washing your hands often and using safe food handling practices. Visit www.fightbac.org for more information on food safety.Don’t forget about physical activity - for more information, visit the new guidelines here:http://www.health.gov/PAGuidelines/Fruits & Veggies More MattersThe “Fruit and Veggies More Matters” slogan of Produce for Better Health Foundation has replaced the 5-A-Day Program to help individuals increase consumption of fruits and vegetables to 5 or more servings per day to improve the health of Americans.You will find wonderful tips, recipes and interesting research articles about fruits and vegetables on these websites. Visit:

  • www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org
  • www.nhlbi.nih.gov/chd/Tipsheets/fruitvege.htm
  • www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov
  • www.choosemyplategov

Minimal or minor food-related health risks- Pesticide residues in food- Mercury, PCB, other contaminants- MSG, artificial flavors & colors, preservatives- Mad Cow Disease- Microwaving, irradiating foodsFor more information on these issues and more, visit:www.quackwatch.comwww.snopes.com 

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Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there, she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland, where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Arts, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, two art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography & motion studio where her love is creating fun recipes and content.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.

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