Eating For Health

How many times have we heard someone say, “I just ate a cookie and I ruined my diet”?   “I just ate a piece of chocolate cake and I ruined my diet.”     Does one sugary dessert “ruin our diet”?    Hardly, yet so many people have the misconception they can’t enjoy a dessert or some sugary snack as it has dire consequences for “their diet”. So what is the real story?    According to most nutritionists, it is our overall diet that we eat day in and day out that is important.   Some things to ask yourself? Did I eat breakfast? Did I eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables today? Did I eat some whole grains today? Did my meals follow the MyPlate food plan? If so, you actually have a pretty good diet.    Focus on getting the nutrients you need by eating healthy overall.     If you answered the questions, YES, then you probably have a pretty good overall diet.    The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has an updated position statement on Total Diet Approaches to Healthy Ea

This week I was asked if Naked Juice was nutritious because it had so much sugar in it.   I hadn’t heard of Naked Juice but just having the word “juice” in it means the product contained juice and was not one of the many unhealthy “fruit drinks” on the market.    I immediately Googled Naked Juice and the front of the label says clearly, “ NO ADDED SUGAR ”.   I didn’t have to look any further to figure out they didn’t add sugar to this product.   So why was the caller confused?    The food label noted, “Sugars 28 grams”, yet the product didn’t have one crystal of added sugar.   So why does the label say, “Sugars 28 grams” (which would be a lot of added sugar) because the juice contains the natural sugar, fructose.   Two naturally occurring sugars are fructose found in fruits and lactose found in milk.    These aren’t added to fruits and milk but are naturally found in them.    In contrast, added sugars are any sugars added to foods during processing.   This would include w

Guest Author:    W. Chandler  Some carbohydrates are bad for you. Simple carbohydrates such as sugar are bad for you.   White bread is bad in that most of the nutrients are removed in processing.   The carbohydrates that are high in fiber, found in whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans are actually good for you. Since fiber slows the process of absorption these foods may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. It may also lower your chance for certain types of cancer. These carbohydrates may also help lower chances of high cholesterol. Carbohydrates high in fiber also help you feel full, so you are hungry less often.      Works Cited Ellis, D. R. (n.d.). Why Carbohydrates are Good For You! Retrieved March 31, 2013, from http://nutrition.mednet.ucla.edu/articles/Carbohydrates_are_Good_for_U.pdf Magee, E. M. (n.d.). Good Carbs, Bad Carbs: Why Carbohydrates Matter to You . Retrieved March 31, 2013, from WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/carb