Eating For Health

What are “mid-calorie” foods and are they of any health benefit?     Should we even bother to pay extra for cookies and other goodies in calorie reduced packages?   Many of us have tried reduced calorie, low calorie foods that have few calories but also little taste.   Some manufacturers are trying to lower calories but not lower taste.    These new products are termed “mid-calories” as they are not necessarily low calorie but less calories than the full fat, full sugar version.   Ice Cream – who doesn’t like ice cream?   Dreyer’s is rolling out ice cream with less fat and thus less calories.    This “slow churned” brand has half the fat and 1/3 the calories of their regular ice cream.   Yes, some fat but less calories and more taste than fat free ice cream.   On the other hand, having a package of cookies around might mean we eat the whole package.            ...

This week 2 stories highlighted the news in nutrition.   New York City   bans large, sugary drinks .     This story got a lot of coverage across the media.   Mayor Bloomberg took a stance against the supersized sugary drinks.   What actions were taken?             Many food establishments in New York City are being banned from serving sugary beverages in containers larger than 16 ounces.               Food establishments affected by this ban are pizzerias, movie theaters, fast-food restaurants, delis, even the concession stands at Yankee stadium So is this ban which is effective in March, a good or bad thing?   That depends on who you talk to.     Some public health experts support the ban because of America’s growing problem of obesity.   The   Wall Street Journal   noted that the beverage and restaurant industry are opposed to this ban, as are 6...

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...

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:         ...

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...