Eating For Health

In my last post I talked about saturated fats.   Well there is another fat that acts like a saturated fat but is even worse for your heart health than saturated fats.   If olive oil is the good fat and saturated fats are the bad fats, what are the truly ugly fats in terms of heart health?   The truly ugly fats are trans fats. What are trans fats?   You don’t go to the store and buy “trans fats” like you buy cooking oil.   Trans fats are man-made fats, solid fats manufacturers make from liquid oils.   Why do manufacturers make trans fats?    They do this because trans fats have a longer shelf life, are easier to ship and store, and are more stable than liquid oils.   Unfortunately for us, what is good for manufacturers is not so good for our heart health.      In actuality, manufacturers began to use trans fats because of the consumer back lash against saturated fats.   It was actually thought that trans fats were a better health alternative than saturated fats.   Then in the 1990’s

Good fats are ones like olive oil that are good for your heart. Bad fats are saturated fats because they raise your blood cholesterol. What are saturated fats and why should you cut back on them? Saturated fats are fats most of us consume every day. They are called saturated fats because their structures are saturated with hydrogen. When we think about heart disease we think about how much cholesterol is in our blood. Having an elevated blood level of cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease. Why? Because too much cholesterol can lead to accumulations in the arteries which eventually restricts blood flow in our arteries. This restriction can also raise your blood pressure. What causes elevated blood cholesterol? One of the major culprits is saturated fats. The more saturated fat you eat the higher your bad or LDL cholesterol becomes. Most of us know that we should watch how much cholesterol we take in each day. But dietary cholesterol actually has less an effect on o

How much soda does the average American drink every day? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Americans love their sugary drinks. Half of us drink either a sugared soda or sugary drink each day. Many consume a whole lot more than one can a day. About 5% of us, or 1 in 20 Americans, drink more than four cans of soda a day. That's a whole lot of one's daily calories devoted to sugar. 50% of Americans consume a sugared beverage every day. Males consume more sugared beverages than females. Teenage boys are in the lead. Males 12 to 19 years of age drink about 2 cans of sugared soda a day. Poor vs Affluent – poor people drink more sugared soda than the more affluent. Blacks – get more of their calories from sugary beverages than any other racial group. So what is so bad about drinking soda that provides about 155 calories in a 12 ounce can OR 240 calories in a 20 ounce bottle? Sugared drinks are associated with increased calories. Sugared drinks

We all know that exercise is good for us. But how much exercise do we need? If you are a Minimalist : if you hate exercising and want to do the least possible to get by, how much exercise do you need for at least some health benefit? Well, you are in luck Some research just out of Taiwan indicates as little as 15 minutes of exercise a day can provide some health benefits. We are not talking about being fit and trim at 15 minutes a day but some exercise is clearly better than no exercise. In the Taiwan study, they wanted to know if exercising less than the recommended 30 minutes a day, had some health benefit. They studied 416,000 Taiwanese adults, asked them how much they exercised the previous month and followed them for 8 years. Those who did little exercise, only 15 minutes a day, did cut their risk of death by 14%. They also extended their life by 3 years over those who did no exercise. What does this research say for all of us: Some exercise is better than no exercise. Get

     I actually like a commercial on TV. It is the General Mills commercial advertising that all General Mills cereals are whole grain. In my nutrition class, I teach that an easy way to get some whole grains into their diet and the diet of children is to eat a cereal for breakfast that is whole grain. If they have children, an easy way to choose a breakfast cereal is to look for the "G" because ALL General Mills cereals are whole grain.      Many people in American aren't eating any whole grains and many others eat far less than the 3 recommended servings of whole grains. Kristin Harris, Ph.D., the senior nutritionist at General Mills, noted "60% of Americans feel like they are getting enough whole grains, but 95% are not." (Environmental Nutrition Newsletter, May 2011). A General Mills study found that only 5% of Americans are getting the recommended 3 daily servings of whole grains. Maybe because only 55% of Americans know how to identify whole grains. So

Which foods put on the pounds and which foods help you keep those pounds off? Everyone it seems has their own ideas of which foods are "fattening" and which foods promote weight loss. But a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (June 23, 2011) puts some scientific research behind the claims of which foods promote weight gain and which foods are associated with a leaner body. Read on to learn more. What they did: the researchers from a variety of institutions in Boston studied 120,877 men and women in the US over a period of many years. They then looked at which foods were most associated with weight gain and which foods were associated with no gain in weight. Knowing which foods fall into which categories can help those who want to lose weight, gain weight, maintain weight and those who are physical trainers or just interested in a good, healthy lifestyle. Are there foods that seem to promote weight gain? This article says YES there are a number

One of the nutrients of concern in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans is vitamin D because today so many Americans are not getting enough of this nutrient. Vitamin D has become a hot topic as so many researchers are finding out how very important this nutrient is to our health. Not too long ago vitamin D deficiency was rare. Children drank milk with their meals and played outside. Now many parents don't give their children milk with meals anymore and many keep their children inside all day. Not surprisingly, these are the type of children that could be at risk of Vitamin D deficiency. Adults who limit their intake of milk and who are mostly indoors may also be at risk. How much vitamin D do you need? Because so many Americans are at risk of vitamin D deficiency and so many important roles have been found for vitamin D , the Institute of Medicine r ecently increased the recommended intake for vitamin D. Age Recommended Vitamin D Intake 1 year – 70 years 600 IU

RIP Food Pyramid and good riddance. USDA has basically announced the death of their 20 year old, often maligned food pyramid and replaced it with a picture of a plate and a glass of milk. The new Choose My Plate nutritional guideline is very easy to understand and immediately tells the consumer what a balanced meal is and what types of foods to include in each meal. Take a look: This new guideline for eating clearly shows that half your plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables, about a fourth grains and about a fourth protein. It also clearly notes that dairy should be part of your meal. How much simpler can a dietary guideline to good eating get? Reactions to this new USDA healthy eating pictorial have been favorable. Jennifer Wilkins, PhD, RD from Cornell University notes: MyPyramid was poorly understood by the public and ineffective as the symbol of a healthful diet. Of course the title of her article says it even more clearly, "Good Riddance to My Pyramid"

Potassium: The 2010 Dietary Guidelines also noted the nutrients of concern for Americans meaning many Americans are not getting enough of these nutrients. One of the nutrients that many Americans are not getting enough of is potassium. This is really a surprise to me since potassium is in so many foods. But it shows how little fruits and vegetables Americans are eating. What foods are high in potassium? The richest sources of potassium are found in fresh, unprocessed foods. Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day is one of the easiest ways to ensure enough potassium in your diet. Eating whole grains, dairy products, meats and fish also provide potassium in our diets. Fruit and Juice Amount of Potassium Banana 422 mg Raisins 544 mg per ½ cup Orange 237 mg Watermelon 320 mg / wedge Cantaloupe 427 per cup Orange Juice 500 mg per cup Nuts   Almonds 400mg / 2 oz Brazil Nuts 340 mg/2 oz Peanuts 374 mg/ 2 0z Veget

Another recommendation in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, is to achieve a healthy weight. Easier said than done. Many people have made a fortune on weight loss books and fad diets. Too many people fall for the quick fix, only to fail once again. Maybe the goal should be to eat healthier and exercise more. At least then even if one didn't lose weight or reach their target goal they would still be healthier. Some students in my classes start the class overweight and admit to little or no exercise. Then we start talking about healthy eating and how important exercise is to one's overall health. One of the first things I emphasize is to eat five fruits and vegetables a day, then adding whole grains and exercise – any kind of exercise. One of my students came to the third class announcing he had started eating more fruits and vegetables and was losing some weight; probably because these healthier foods were displacing some of his more caloric choices. Then he added break

Many people are successful at losing weight but then aren't so successful in maintaining their weight. When I was a clinical dietitian I started a weekly weight loss program for diabetic patients. One man asked if he could be in the class even though he wasn't a diabetic. Prior to the class we did a weekly weigh in. Well this "guest" in the class began losing weight and kept losing. Within a few months he was nearly at his target weight. Since so many were successful in this class, I decided to graduate this group of diabetic patients, and I started a different class for a different patient mix. A few months later I saw the man who had been such a successful loser, only now he was back where he had started. He said without the weekly weigh-ins and the support of the class he couldn't keep the weight off. So once one is successful at losing and are at or near their target weight, what should one do to maintain the loss? Well, if one knew for sure they would be wr

Once you determine your BMI is in the healthy weight range, how do you stay there? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has some good suggestions. See: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/prevention/index.html . Changing body composition: as we grow older our bodies change whether we want them to or not. We will gain body fat and lose muscle. This shift to more body fat and less muscle slows our metabolism making it even harder it is to maintain a healthy weight. Adding to this, many of us are less physically active as we get older, burning less calories each day which can lead to weight gain. So how can you maintain and not gain? Eat healthy: CDC notes the Dietary Guidelines approach to eating healthy is: Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars Stays within your daily calorie needs 2.  M

One of the dietary recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, is to achieve and keep a healthy weight. First, how does one even know what a healthy weight is? There used to be height/weight tables everywhere so you could easily look up your height and determine a good weight for your height and gender. Now it is a little more complicated as instead of height/weight tables, they have what is called, BMI tables. What is BMI? It stands for Body Mass Index, a newer creation of how much you should weigh for your height. For most people, it is a good indicator of your body fatness. Yes, one can calculate mathematically, BMI=weight (kg)/height (meters 2 ). But the easier way to calculate your BMI is to go online to one of the BMI calculators. Go to CDC.gov and type in BMI and you will get calculators for adults and children. Or go directly to: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/ . You will see on the left the:             Adult BMI Calculator              C

Every five years the federal government updates its recommendations on eating right for anyone over the age of 2. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee issues a report based on the latest scientific research. It took the federal government more than seven months to issue the 2010 Dietary Guidelines which actually came out this year, 2011. These guidelines are issued jointly by USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services. Ironically, the head of USDA, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has admitted that prior to heading USDA; he had never read the guidelines. Now not only has he read them, he is taking them to hear and applying them to his own diet. What is in these new guidelines? Foods we should eat less of and foods we need to eat more of. Maintain calorie balance over time to achieve and sustain a healthy weight. Many Americans need to reduce calorie intake and increase physical activity in order to maintain a healthy weight. Control total calorie intake to manage bo

A relative wrote to us indicating as they are getting older, it is harder to keep the weight off. He thus started to track his calories every day using an online calorie counter. The next day I was listening to a podcast and the announcer said he had lost 40 pounds by just tracking his calories and the amount of exercise he did each day with an iTunes App called, "Lose It." So I downloaded the "Lose It" App and have it on my IPod touch. For about a week now I have been entering my foods for each meal and also the exercise I have done. It is really easy to use. You can search new foods to enter or it keeps track of the foods you often eat so they are stored and easy to reenter each day such as a glass of orange juice for breakfast. It tells you the number of calories you should eat each day and a recommended amount to eat to lose weight say a pound a week. Each day you have a Daily Calorie Budget and once you enter the food you eat, it keeps track of how many calor

The theme for this month is, Eat Right With Color.   The American Dietetic Association is sponsoring National Nutrition Month and promoting more color in one’s diet by eating more: fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and dairy in their diets every day.  This blog is following the recommendations of National Nutrition Month by promoting eating five fruits and vegetables a day and adding more whole grains to your diet.  For more information on National Nutrition Month, including recipes and more information on eating healthy go to the American Dietetic website at:  http://www.eatright.org/nnm/

     The February issue of the Tufts Health and Nutrition Letter had a front page story on whole grains and belly fat.  They noted that replacing white bread with whole wheat bread and whole grains for refined grains like using brown rice instead of white rice may help you fight your belly fat.  Researchers have looked at the diets of 2,834 men and women participating in the well-known Framingham Heart Study.  They found that those who ate 3 or more servings of whole grains a day and who limited their intake of refined grains to less than 1 serving a day had 10% less belly fat or adipose tissue.  However, those who ate three servings of whole grains, but also ate four or more servings of refined grains, had less of an effect on their belly fat.  Thus, it is not only important to include whole grains in one’s diet, it is important to replace your refined grains with whole grains. 

An easy way to get in a serving of whole grains every day is to eat a breakfast cereal that is all or mostly whole grain.   But with the myriad of breakfast cereals on the market, where does one start?   First off, the first ingredient must be WHOLE GRAIN .    Only then is it a whole grain cereal or at least a mostly whole grain cereal.   Then look for the amount of sugar added and the amount of fiber per serving.   Ø   You want cereals that are less than 5 grams of sugar. Ø   Finally, look for the amount of fiber in the cereal.     Choose the   cereal with at least 3 grams of fiber per serving. Whole Grain Cereals: ·          Oatmeal:   Old fashioned oat meal seems devoid of nutrients if one just goes by the food label but it is rich in vitamins and minerals because none have been taken out in processing.    ·          General Mills cereals – to make it even easier to choose a whole grain cereal, choose General Mills cereals as every cereal is whole grain.   Yes, some are high