Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, Breaking Bronx features a health-related story, event or tidbit as part of an online expansion of our Be Healthy! column.

March is National Nutrition Month, and with just a few days left until the end of the month, we thought we’d share some diet and nutrition tips from Katie Downes, a Registered Dietician here in the Bronx who works with the Visiting Nurse Service of New York.

“Many of the patients I care for in VNSNY’s Long Term Home Health Care Program find eating healthy meals a challenge—especially those who live alone,” Downes said. “I spend time with each person to help them better understand the importance of proper nutrition.”

Read on for some of her nutrition tips and quick, healthy recipes. For more of Downes’ recipes, and some yummy looking pictures, check out the VNSNY Facebook page here.

• Up the Produce Factor: Shoot for two cups (or two pieces) of fruit and two to three cups of vegetables every day. Those that are high in pigments called carotenoids – such as carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers and dark green leafy vegetables – are particularly beneficial. According to a 2001 Harvard University study, just one extra serving a day can reduce your risk of heart disease by four percent.
• Get Omega Smart: When it comes to fats, the right balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids can help to reduce inflammation. How can you find the right balance? Downes says to cut back on processed and fast food which can be high in omega-6s and focus on increasing omega-3s found in fatty fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel, or vegetarian sources such as walnuts, flax seeds and cruciferous vegetables.
• Eliminate Trans Fats: This type of fat is abundant in processed and fried foods. It increases shelf life and boosts flavor, but it also clogs arteries, contributes to weight gain and causes inflammation. Avoid crackers, cookies or other packaged baked goods (or stay well within portion sizes) and limit fried foods or those made with hydrogenated oils.
• Go with the Grain: Whole grains are packed with compounds that can help protect against disease, and they’re teeming with B vitamins and vitamin E, minerals like iron and magnesium, and fiber—all of which are great at holding off inflammation and promoting cardiovascular health.

Recipes:

Breakfast Parfait
Drop a few berries into the bottom of a tall glass. Add a spoonful or two of plain yogurt, a few teaspoons of wheat germ and a tiny drizzle of honey if you like. Add another layer of berries, this time to cover the yogurt, then continue the layers to the top of the glass.

Caldo Verde
Peel and chop 3 pounds of potatoes. Put in a large pot and cover with water or chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then cook until tender. Use a potato masher to crush the spuds coarsely. Meanwhile, trim the stems from a bunch of kale, collards, or other cooking greens; chop the leaves and rinse them well. When the potatoes are done, slice 2 or 3 pre-cooked sausages (try Italian-flavored, or spinach-and-herb) and add to the pot. Stir in the greens, a few handfuls at a time, just before serving.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.