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Monthly Archive for May, 2010

Eating Awareness

Published on May 27, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

By Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, LD

Think back to what you had for dinner last night. Try and remember everything on your plate – the protein, the carbohydrate, the fat. Now ask yourself – where did it all come from? If you had a vegetable, do you know if it came from the farm around your house or perhaps did it travel hundreds even thousands of miles to make it into your grocery store? If you had chicken, do you know if it grazed outdoors and had a wonderful life or was it locked away and provided a miserable existence? If your food came from a box, did you read the label first and if so, did you understand all the ingredients? The fact is, most of either don’t know or don’t want to know where our food comes from. To many of us, food is something that can be found in a box, thrown in the microwave and consumed in front of the TV. This blog will focus on two important aspects of food awareness: where our food comes from (“whole” food as opposed to processed foods) and how to read a label.

What is food and where is it coming from?

Celebrated author Michael Pollan once said that if food came from a plant, eat it and if it was made in a plant, do not. Although humorous, this phrase sums up the current state of our food industry. Pollan’s advice actually has widespread implications and examines the very question; what is food. A strong argument could be made that even though processed foods may begin as whole food; it is altered in such a way that the end result does not even resemble food.

Advances in science have allowed the food industry to evolve – making food easier and cheaper to grow and with more desirable characteristics in terms of shelf life and freshness. These advances sometimes cost you as well. Consider the average cracker on the market today. It has on average 8 or more ingredients, several of which are additives that are added for taste, color or shelf life. The additives used may increase your risk for certain diseases and conditions. Additionally, the cracker is most likely made with refined non-whole grains and will cause a rapid rise in blood sugar and insulin followed by a rapid fall. This rise and fall may cause you to be hungry again soon and overall less satisfied. It also may contribute to inflammation if you continue to consume similar foods throughout the day. Finally, that cracker may be loaded with saturated fats, Trans fats (hydrogenated oils) and a whopping amount of sodium. All of these put you at risk for heart disease, stroke, and hypertension. Think about it, that’s just your cracker – what else are you eating throughout the day that has numerous ingredients, many of which you don’t have a clue even what they are?

The Encyclopedia Britannica defines food processing as the following: Any of a variety of operations by which raw foodstuffs are made suitable for consumption, cooking, or storage. Food processing generally includes the basic preparation of foods, the alteration of a food product into another form (as in making preserves from fruit), and preservation and packaging techniques.

White bread is made by taking a fabulous piece of wheat and stripping (or altering) it of it of the bran and the germ; two components responsible for providing fiber and b-vitamins. What’s left is the endosperm. In this example, food (wheat) has been stripped to make something else (white bread).

The loaf of white bread and box of crackers are just two examples of many where food has been processed to the point where it does not even resemble the original form. Other than boxed or bagged whole grain pasta, rice or bread try to get all your foods from sources that are minimally processed or better yet, have undergone no processing at all.

“Whole” foods are foods that have not been processed or altered prior to “packaging” and may include meat, poultry, fish, fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts. Meat, poultry, and fish that are considered “whole” are those that were provided natural feed (grass as opposed to corn for a cow), provided amble space and humane living conditions, and void of antibiotics, hormones or coloring. Plant based foods are the most easily identifiable whole foods available for consumption and walnuts are a great example of a whole food that has lots of benefits. They provide a great source of ALA omega three fatty acids, magnesium and phosphorus. In addition to this, walnuts provide 4g of protein and 2g of fiber per serving. These benefits are produced in nature, by the plant – not in a plant.

Decoding the current food label

Many of us are concerned about how many calories we are consuming and we sometimes get so fixated on those calories that we begin to lose sight of the quality of those calories. In addition to this, the aisles in the grocery store are filled with confusing health claims, making the label a foreign language. First things first, foods that do not have a label are usually the healthiest. Consider your produce section with all of its cancer fighting phytochemicals, the nut aisle where you’ll find omega 3 abundant walnuts and the fish market where you’ll find great lean sources of protein. None of the items will have a label. Follow these rules to attain more “whole” food sources

The more ingredients a food has, the higher the chances that it has been processed.
Try and avoid in the first 5 ingredients:

Saturated fats (on labels most would be displayed as plant based saturated fats such as palm, coconut or cottonseed oils)

Trans fat (anything containing hydrogenated oils)

Simple sugars and syrups such as high fructose corn syrup, cane juice, honey, etc.

Simple carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta and rice

If sodium is above 600mg per serving, put it down (you should limit your sodium consumption to 1500mg-2300mg/daily).

If the ingredient label contains several words you can’t pronounce, it means its full of food additives and most likely not good for you.

The grocery store can be a confusing place filled with front of package claims meant to disguise foods high in fat and sugar as “healthy.” Following these simple tips shared in this blog may help you on your way towards being a more savvy food shopper. Take Michael Pollan’s advice – “if it was made from a plant, eat it” and you’ll be just fine.

Advice from Kristin on the Best Foods to Plant in Your Garden

About Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD

Kristin Kirkpatrick is a registered dietitian and wellness manager for Cleveland Clinic’s Lifestyle 180 program, as well as an expert resource and blogger for the Dr. Oz. show. Kristin has been helping individuals reach their personal goals for over 10 years and her interests include weight management, nutritional genomics and community/worksite wellness.

Watch Kristin on The Dr. Oz Show Watch Kristin as she and Biggest Loser’s Bob Harper join Dr. Oz to help Steve, the Unhealthiest American. Four months after his first appearance, Steve, returns – and the results are unexpected. After starting off strong, Steve admits to losing steam and slacking on his health regimen. Dr. Oz and his team regroup to get Steve back on track.

Webcast with Dr. Oz & Dr. Roizen: Tips on Exercising & Curbing Your Sweet Tooth

Published on May 24, 2010 in Healthy Eating, Video and Wellness. 0 Comments

Dr. Roizen & Dr. Oz hosted a live webcast, answering important health questions from viewers and sharing their tips for successful, healthy living. See the rest of the videos at DoctorOz.com here.

Going Vegetarian: The Hows & Whys Explained

Published on May 24, 2010 in Healthy Eating, Vegetarianism, Wellness and nutrition. 1 Comment

By Elizabeth Jarrard of Don’t (White) Sugar Coat It

There are many reasons for why one decides to become a vegetarian or vegan. Maybe you don’t like the idea of having to kill animals for sustenance, you want to be more environmentally friendly, or you are looking to improve your diet. Whatever the reason, you’re definitely not alone. More than 5 million Americans are vegetarian[1] and these people are not all tree-hugging, dreadlocked hippies! Maybe you have heard of Alicia Silverstone and Tobey Maguire, even Aristotle and Einstein! I personally believe strongly in the power of a plant-based diet. I have been vegan for more than a year and a half, and vegetarian for many years before that. I ran my first marathon on an entirely plant based diet, and find my energy levels drastically increased when eating this way. But don’t just take my or anyone else’s word for it. As a nutrition student I strongly believe in the importance of scientific proof to back up nutritional claims. Before you decide whether this diet is right for you, it’s important to arm yourself with some facts! While a simple Google Search will find you bundles of information, I’ve outlined some of the Whys and Hows of vegetarian nutrition just for you!

WHY:

For Your Health The typical vegetarian diet includes lower intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol and higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, soy products, fiber, and phytochemicals when compared to the Average American diet, and this has been shown to reduce the likelihood of having chronic diseases. Vegetarians also appear to have lower LDL (Bad) cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension.[2] Vegetarians are also at a lower risk for developing type 2 diabetes.[3] Studies have found that diets high in fruits in vegetables may reduce cancer risk, while a meat heavy diet increases the risk of certain cancers. [4] Plant foods contain many beneficial compounds that, by acting through multiple mechanisms, provide protection against heart disease. [5] Vegetarians have been shown to have a 24% lower risk of dying of heart disease than non-vegetarians.[6]While you don’t have to be sickly thin to be a vegan or vegetarian, people with these diets usually have lower body weights and BMIs.[7] With over 2/3 of Americans either overweight or obese, this is welcome news to the healthcare community. Obesity is associated with many chronic disease, mainly, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain types of cancer.

For the Planet’s Health: Vegetarian diets are also usually LOW CARBON diets. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimates the meat industry generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide, even more than transportation![8]Livestock production also takes a significant toll on natural habitats, and in large scale operations can render much of the landscape barren.[9] Growing plants also uses less water than livestock need. While an estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef. Soy tofu produced in California requires 220 gallons of water per pound. [10]Plant-based protein also requires 1/20^th of the fossil fuel energy needed to produce beef! By reducing meat consumption, we can help to cut our fossil fuel demand

HOW:

But What am I going to eat? There’s a whole bounty of foods to choose from! Nuts, Grains, Fruit, Vegetables, and Beans are the basis of vegan diets, and vegetarians also eat dairy and eggs. These foods are loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals, to protect you from cancer and heart disease. If you find that you are missing sausage in the morning, there are also many faux meat products to choose from. I much prefer Tofu scrambles to egg whites, any day! Instead of looking at this as an EXclusion diet, think of it rather as an INclusion diet-have you ever tried green chickpeas or Romanesco cauliflower? Browse the produce section of your grocery store and pick out something new to try this week!

What About Protein? This is hands down the most common question any vegetarian will ever receive, and ultimately of very little concern. The American Dietetic Association [11]A recommends that healthy Americans get around .4 g of protein for every pound of body weight. For a woman who weighs 150 lbs that is 60 g of protein. A common misconception is that meat is the only source of protein. Quite the contrary-in fact only fruits and oils have no protein. Beans, Nuts, and Grains are great sources of protein in a vegetarian diet. 1 cup of chickpeas provides 18g of protein (1/3 of our example’s needs) and 1 oz of walnuts (about 14 halves) has 4g of protein. Plant proteins also provide many other nutrients. Those walnuts are also an excellent source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, needed for heart and brain health.

Myth: I can’t cook, and I won’t be able to eat out with my friends ever again! Contrary to popular belief, all vegetarians do not have to sit alone at their kitchen table with a plate-full of iceberg lettuce. Due to the increased popularity of meat-free diets, almost all restaurants now offer a wide-array of vegetarian dishes! Don’t be afraid to ask your waitress if special accommodations can be made. Pepperoni can easily be held on a pizza, and Cesar salads are perfectly fine without the chicken. Certain cuisines are very vegetarian friendly-try Indian or Asian! Invite your friends to dinner at your house to highlight some fine vegetarian cooking. Besides the plethora of cookbooks you will find in your local bookstore, the internet is a cornucopia of great vegetarian and vegan recipes! Some of my favorites are www.fatfreevegan.com, www.vegnews.com www.happyherbivore.com www.vegcooking.com www.vegweb.com.

Do I need to supplement my diet with a multivitamin? If you are eating a well-balanced healthy diet, then you have very little be concerned about. The two nutrients that cause strict vegetarian and vegans are Iron, Calcium and B12. Incorporating fortified soy milk, and whole grain cereals in the diet will help insure these needs are being met.

Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables! Even though you are no longer eating meat, you cannot eat all junk food! Just because oreos and potato chips are vegan, doesn’t mean they should be eaten every day. A diet of soda and Doritos is not a healthy diet, vegetarian or not. Remember the root of the word vegetarian, and eat your fruits and vegetables. Try to get 5-9 servings of both each day. Before you get scared away from that number-incorporate 1 piece of fruit and 1 cup of vegetables with every meal, and have two pieces of fruit as a snack every day!

Whether you’re a carnivore, omnivore, flexitarian, pescetarian, or locavore, everyone can incorporate more vegetarian meals in their life! Join many cities and people around the country and try implementing “Meatless Mondays” in your life. Set aside just one day a week to be vegetarian.

A well-planned vegetarian diet is healthy for all stages of the life cycle, from pregnancy, through adulthood, and appropriate for athletes. If you incorporate a wide range of whole, plant-based foods within your diet, these foods may provide health benefits in the prevention of certain chronic diseases. You can also sleep well at night, knowing you have lessened your impact on the environmental degradation and needless animal suffering. While I strongly believe that everyone should find the diet and lifestyle that best suits them, I hope you will consider some of the benefits of a plant-based diet, and join us at least once a week!

About Elizabeth Jarrard:

Elizabeth is a Dietetics student at Boston University (Go Terriers!). You can find her running, sweating in Hot Yoga, cooking in the kitchen, dining out, and promoting sustainable local food systems. What she loves most about nutrition is being able to translate nutrition science into simple principles so the average person can increase their wellness and prevent disease. You can find Elizabeth at www.dontwhitesugarcoatit.com where she keeps a blog about healthy eating and fitness.

Follow Elizabeth on twitter @ellie88!

References

[1] Craig, WJ., Mangels, AR, Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets. Journal of the AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION July 2009 Volume 109 Number 7 p. 1266-1282.

[2] See 1.

[3] Tonstad, S, Butler, T, Yan, R, Fraser, G. “Type of Vegetarian Diet, Body Weight and Prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes.” Diabetes Care May 2009 vol. 32 no. 5 791-796

[4] Cross AJ, Leitzmann MF, Gail MH, Hollenbeck AR, Schatzkin A, et al. (2007) A Prospective Study of Red and Processed Meat Intake in Relation to Cancer Risk. PLoS Med 4(12): e325.

[5]Rao, V, Al-Weshahy A. “Plant-based diets and contol of lipids and coronary heart disease risk.” Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2008 Dec;10(6):478-85

[6] Key TJ, Fraser GE, Thorogood M, Appleby PN, Beral V, Reeves G, Burr ML, Chang-Claude J, Frentzel-Beyme R, Kuzma JW, Mann J, McPherson K (1998). “Mortality in vegetarians and non-vegetarians: a collaborative analysis of 8300 deaths among 76,000 men and women in five prospective studies.”. Public Health Nutr 1 (1): 33-41. PMID 10555529.

[7] Newby, PK, Tucker, KL, Wolk, A. “Risk of overweight and obesity among semivegetarian, lactovegetarian, and vegan women.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 81, No. 6, 1267-1274, June 2005.

[8] Steinfeld, H. e al. Livestock’s Long Shadow: Environmental issues and options. Food and Agriculture organization of the UN. Rome 2006.

[9] Marlow, HJ, et el. “Diet and the environment: does what you eat

matter?American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 89 (5): 1699S. (2009)

[10] Kreith, M. “Water Inputs in California Food Production.” Water Education Foundation. 1991.

[11] www.eatright.org

Stress Management: Identify, Plan & Attack!

Published on May 12, 2010 in Wellness and healthy living. 1 Comment

By Corinne Dobbas, BS, of Green Grapes Blog

Stress. Somehow the word alone creates tension. Yet not all stress is bad. Keep in mind that stress is a normal physiological reaction that allows us to meet the demands of our daily grind—pushing us to accomplish tasks and increase productivity. Think about all those deadlines, meetings, and presentations that you have going on. Would you be able to get them done just as fast without that extra added push of stress? For most of us, the answer is no.

However, when stress no longer motivates, but begins to “weigh you down”—the fine line between healthy and unhealthy stress has been crossed. If not properly managed, stress will begin to take a toll on your health. You may exhibit physical symptoms (i.e., fatigue, nausea, and insomnia); mental symptoms (i.e., poor concentration, burnout, and restlessness); social and emotional symptoms (i.e., isolation, anxiety, and feeling insecure), and/or behavioral symptoms (i.e., overeating, undereating, and relationship conflicts).

Know that stress is subjective. Everyone reacts to stress differently and has their own sources of stress called stressors. Your stressors may actually lessen the impact of another person’s stressors. Despite there being different symptoms and sources of stress for each of us, we all have one thing in common—the need to learn how to manage stress.

In order to decrease the negative effects of stress on our bodies and minds, we need to first pinpoint what exactly is stressing us out. Maybe it’s a fear of public speaking, deadlines, or problematic relationships. Or perhaps it’s heights, exams, or a big life change. Take time to identify your stressor. Next, determine what you can do to make whatever your stressor is stress you out less. For example, if you find making your lunch in the hectic AM is tacking on unneeded stress, make your lunch the night before. If a presentation is stressing you out because you have yet to start it, map out your plan of attack and get the ball rolling. Simply identify, plan, and attack.

Until you uncover your stressors and create a plan of attack, below are some practical tips to help you destress your day-to-day.

Sweat it out. The endorphins from your feel-good workout will boost your mood and so will the feeling of accomplishment from a tough sweat session.
Eat healthfully. Amp up your fruit, veggie, and whole grain intake. You’ll find that when you’re eating well, you’ll feel better, be more energized, and have an improved sense of well-being.
Learn to say “no.” Sometimes the focus needs to be on you and not on what you “have to do.” Don’t forget that you need personal time too.
Keep a journal. Simply writing down how you feel can be a fantastic release, and you may come to find that through journaling lies your answer of exactly what it is that you need to do to live more “stress-free.”
Take a deep breath. In times of immediate stress, instantly calm yourself by taking a deep breath in while counting to 10, hold that same breath for 10 seconds, and exhale for 10 seconds. This tool serves as an instant destressor.
Communicate. Talk out your feelings with your friends and family, or a counselor. Sometimes we just need someone to listen.

About Corinne

Corinne Dobbas has a BS in Nutritional Sciences from Boston University and is currently working towards her MS in Nutrition from Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. She is also in the process of completing her dietetic internship at Tufts Medical Center’s Frances Stern Nutrition Center. Come June 2010, she will be a Registered Dietitian. You can find Corinne at GreenGrapesBlog.com writing about nutrition, food, and wellness.

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Live Long and Prosper: The Dietary Secrets to a Fountain of Youth

Published on May 6, 2010 in healthy living. 0 Comments

By Jessica Maillet MS RD LDN CPT-ACSM from A Fete for Food

While “live long and prosper” may strike a chord with Trekkies, to nutrition experts it has an entirely different connotation. The secrets to aging with grace are fairly simple: Live lean, eat clean, choose green, and exercise in between.

Live lean. Maintaining a healthy body weight throughout life will reduce your risk for chronic diseases related to overweight and obesity like diabetes and heart disease. As we age, our metabolic rate slows slightly; exercise regularly and eat the right number of calories for your size and activity level to maintain a rockin’ metabolism into your 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and more.

Eat clean. Choose foods that are wholesome and contain the fewest number of ingredients in their original state. If a food has a label, check the ingredient list to determine if it is a whole food or a processed food; if there are words you cannot pronounce or the list covers most of the product’s side panel, it is probably highly processed. Even frozen fruit can contain other ingredients like added sugar, so do your research!

Choose green. Fill up your plate with plant-based foods. A diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, plant oils, and plant-based protein foods like beans, nuts, and seeds help to maintain a balance of healthy fats, protein, and carbohydrates filled with fiber to keep you body running like a well-oiled machine.

Exercise in between. Develop a love for exercise that you can take with you for years to come. This may be an enjoyment of taking a walk around your neighborhood, a ride on your bike with your child or grandchild, or a swim at your local health club. Exercise keeps your muscles, bones, brain, heart, and many other body parts working like a charm. I recently completed the Boston Marathon, and around mile 16, a woman with a “75” on her race bib passed me. Around mile 19, I realized that this woman was 75 years old and was completing the 2010 Boston Marathon! Now there’s a true love for exercise!

Adopting a healthy lifestyle of staying lean, eating clean, choosing green, and exercising in between can potentially improve the quality of your life. So, live long and prosper!

About Jessica
Jessica is a Registered Dietitian and certified personal trainer with a Master’s degree in clinical nutrition from Boston University and a bachelor’s degree in Human Nutrition from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Check out Jessica’s blog at www.afeteforfood.com as she shows you how to develop a love for healthy foods and physical activity. Her passion is to inspire people to eat wholesome, local, affordable and delicious food that promotes happiness and health, and improves the environment and community in which we all live.

Follow Jessica on Twitter!

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