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Eat more: UV-blocking foods

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By Monica Reinagel, MS, LD/N, October 9, 2010

It's true: Certain fruits and vegetables act as sunscreen from within. Researchers found that women whose diets provided 16 milligrams of lycopene every day were protected from the damaging effects of UV-rays, including reddening of the skin and cellular damage.  And lycopene is no one-trick pony: It's also been found to help ward off heart disease and osteoporosis.

Skin Saving Superfoods

Lycopene is found in watermelon, guava, and tomatoes.  Cooked tomato products like salsa, tomato juice, and spaghetti sauce are especially good sources. You can get a skin-saving dose of lycopene from:

• 1/3 tomato puree
• 1/2 cup salsa or marinara sauce
• 6 ounces of V-8
• 2 cups watermelon balls

Make sure to eat some of these skin-loving foods every day! For more foods that keep your skin healthy and glowing, check out SELF's Food Lovers Guide to Great Skin

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Trying to cut back on sugar? Start here

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By Monica Reinagel, MS, LD/N, October 8, 2010

As I'm sure you've noticed, fat is no longer the bad guy. Now, everyone from the American Dietetic Association to the American Cancer Institute to the American Heart Association agrees that sugar is the prime mover in obesity and disease.

Bonus: Need a diet that leaves room for wine or dessert? Check out the Workweek Diet!

Getting Americans to cut back on added sugars is now job #1 for public health experts and educators and there are all kinds of new guidelines on how much sugar is OK.   Frankly, calculating how many grams of added (versus natural) sugar is in every food you eat is a pain in the neck. But when you look at where the added sugars in the typical American diet are coming from, it gets a whole lot simpler.

According to the most recent data, almost half (46%) of the added sugars we consume come from sodas, sports drinks and other sweetened beverages.

Most Americans are eating about twice as much sugar as they should. Simply giving up sweetened beverages would almost solve the problem in a single stroke.  How easy is that?

What's that? You don't drink sweetened beverages? In that case, baked goods like cakes and cookies are likely to be the next biggest sources of sugar in your diet.  But don't overlook cereal as a stealth source of sugar.  Ready-to-eat cereals account for almost as much sugar as candy in the American diet!

Even "healthy" choices can contain more sugar than you might realize. Each of these seemingly wholesome cereals contains enough added sugars to blow more than half of your budget for the entire day:

Quaker 100% Natural Cereal with Oats and Raisins (15g per serving)

Post Fruit and Fibre with Walnuts and Raisins (16g per serving)

Quaker Nutrition For Women Instant Oatmeal (13g per serving) Nature's Path Optimum (16g per serving) Kellogg's Smart Start Antioxidant Cereal 14g per serving) Total Raisin Bran (19g per serving)

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LOW blood pressure is my problem! Should I eat more salt?

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By Monica Reinagel, MS, LD/N, September 8, 2010

Q. I have low blood pressure (90/60 is my average). I eat a lot of salt to compensate, but are there other foods I can eat to help keep my blood pressure up?

A. A bit of extra salt can help with chronically low blood pressure but don't overlook the importance of staying well hydrated. Drinking more water can help keep your blood pressure from sinking too low. And eating a balanced, nutritious diet, including plenty of fresh vegetables--well, what doesn't that help?

Try SELF.com's Seven Day Super-Foods Diet Plan

What causes low blood pressure?

It's also important to know what's causing your blood pressure. It could be that there is an underlying condition that requires treatment. Work with your physician to identify or rule out possible culprits.  For example, certain medications, including some antidepressants, can cause low blood pressure.

Low thyroid function can also cause low blood pressure. Hypothyroidism is fairly common, easily diagnosed with a blood test, and can be successfully treated with replacement thyroid hormones.

With certain types of anemia, the body is not able to produce enough red blood cells and this can cause low blood pressure. Different types of anemia can be caused by insufficient intake of iron, B-12, and/or folate. But before you start taking vitamin supplements, it's important to know what nutrients--if any--you might be lacking. For example, taking folic acid can mask the signs of B-12 deficiency. And taking extra iron if you don't need it can cause problems, as well.

More from SELF.com: I'm tired! Should I take an iron supplement?

If she hasn't already, ask your doctor to do some basic blood work. If you are anemic, your doctor should be able to tell you what nutrients, if any, you might need to supplement. For more about the causes and treatments for low blood pressure, see the Mayo Clinic's Hypotension Fact Sheet.

More from SELF.com: Do I need to worry about my salt intake if I don't have high blood pressure?

Ask Monica: Nutrition Q&A, foodanddietqanda, Heart Health, medicalissues | Anemia, Blood Work, Culprits, Diet Plan, Different Types Of Anemia, Foods Diet, Hypotension, Hypothyroidism, Insufficient Intake, Iron Supplement, Low Blood Pressure, Low Thyroid Function, Mayo Clinic, Nutritious Diet, Red Blood Cells, Salt Intake, Thyroid Hormones, Types Of Anemia, Vitamin Supplements, What Causes Low Blood Pressure

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