Eating For Health

Most of us know that filling our plates with fruits and vegetables is a healthy thing to do.   Why, because fruits and vegetables not only provide vitamins, minerals, fiber but also phytonutrients.   It is these phytonutrients that are especially helpful in reducing our risk of many chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.   So is our food supply being engineered to maximize the phytonutrient content or are these nutrients being bred out of our food supply? The New York Times had an interesting article on Breeding the Nutrition Out of Our Food .   Researchers compared the phytonutrient content of wild plants to the produce we buy in our supermarkets.   Dandelions – used to be a food source for Native Americans.   Researchers found dandeliions have 7 times the phytonutrient content of spinach.   Potatoes – the purple potato native to Peru has 28 time more of the anthocyanins than the russet potatoes we eat in the USA.   Apple – previous spec

Last week we talked about how a mobile app can help with weight loss goals.   But Apps can not only help one track what they eat, they can help one achieve fitness goals as well as weight goals.   Not everyone wants to lose weight, so one can use an App to put on pounds and “bulk up” as well as lose unwanted pounds.   So what Apps are out there?   The NYDailyNews recently reviewed the top 6 smartphone apps for losing weight.   MyFitness Pal – - Calorie Counter and Diet   Tracker - one of the more popular Apps.   Both PC Mag and Wired’s editors have chosen this app.   This App counts calories with a database of over 2million foods, and users can share their triumphs and frustrations.   It tells you if you get too many calories or not enough for the day.   This app not only tracks food intake but also your exercise.   This app comes with a bar code scanner so you can easily record packaged food items.   Downside, it doesn’t tell you what you are lacking, like eat more grains,

There are many apps available that help one track food eaten, calories, exercise but can these apps really help you lose weight?   Well researchers at Northwestern University decided to find out.   There study showed that people using a weight-loss regimen along with a mobile app that tracked food eaten and activity resulted in an average weight loss of 15 pounds.   Not only did the subjects in the study lose weight, they kept the weight off for at least a year.   The study focused on 69 overweight and obese adults about 58 years of age, mostly men.   Twice a month they were provided health education classes on nutrition, exercise and behavior changes for six months.   Then for six months the classes were once a month.   Each subject was given a weekly calorie goal based on their weight and a weekly activity goal based on their current activity level.   What was different between the experimental and control group was that one group kept a written record of what they

As a professor of Nutrition and Child Health and Nutrition classes for undergraduates, I am always curious if the students not only learn the material as shown by the grade they learn in the course, but do they apply what they have learned to their own health habits and lifestyle?    So I decided to ask students at the end of every class if they have made health or lifestyle changes as a result of taking the undergraduate class.   The responses are very interesting as to the changes each student has made.   Below are some of the health and nutrition issues we cover in the health class. Whole Grains – MyPlate (which replaced the Food Pyramid) stresses at least half our grains be whole grains.   Yet, not only do many Americans eat few or no whole grains, many do not even know what foods are whole grain. Fruits and Vegetables – MyPlate notes half our plate should be fruits and vegetables.   But another way to ensure one is getting enough fruits and vegetables is to focus on 5 A