Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Eggs: Friend or Foe?

I hope I see the day my roommate dies. She started it AND she’s waiting for me to die too.My roommate is also a future dietitian. We agree on most dietary issues, but we do have our disagreements. She tends to sway strictly vegan, while I tend to be slightly more liberal… open-minded… some may even say…reasonable. One of our biggest disagreements is on the consumption of eggs. She does not believe that eggs should be eaten. Ever. While I believe that eggs have a healthy place in a balanced diet.

One day I was making a delicious 1.5 egg omelet (1 whole egg and 1 egg white) with spinach, cilantro, onions, and tomatoes. My roommate walks in the kitchen, looks at me, and laughs. “What?” I ask. “I was telling my boyfriend that I’m going to live longer than you because you eat eggs.”I laugh. “Huh. Well, we’ll see about that.”“May the healthier one live longer,” she adds. “Yes, may I,” I reply.

Little does my roommate know, competition runs in my veins. I come from a lineage of bad losers and even worse winners. The first time I played Mario Kart on Nintendo 64, my brother, David, made me cry because he completely demolished me. This may appear hypersensitive, but you do not know my brother. David could make Hitler cry. When my family plays foosball our living room becomes a war zone. We also play ping pong, tennis, chess, checkers, and sometimes we straight up wrestle until the other one shamefully begs for mercy. Needless to say, when someone challenges me to the death, I’m going to win.

Eggs have acquired a bad reputation for primarily one reason: egg yolks are high in cholesterol. With heart disease being the number one killer in America, blood cholesterol levels are something that should be monitored. What people seem to be unaware of is what alters your blood cholesterol levels. Saturated and trans fat have more effect on raising your cholesterol levels than dietary cholesterol.

Eggs contain 212 mg of cholesterol, which is 71% of your ‘daily value.’ I must admit that this ‘daily value’ is misleading because cholesterol is not necessary in your diet because humans make their own cholesterol. The purpose of this daily value is more to set a limit on cholesterol consumption. People, especially those with heart disease or diabetes, should not exceed 300 mg of cholesterol a day.

The reason why you should shy away from foods high in cholesterol is because these foods are usually high in or accompanied with saturated or trans fat. Saturated fat raises your LDL cholesterol and trans fat raises your LDL cholesterol and lowers your HDL cholesterol. These fats have a significantly worse effect on your cholesterol levels than dietary cholesterol alone.
When people eat eggs it usually means they’re eating cheese, buttered toast, doughnuts, bacon, or other meats high in saturated fat, which will negatively affect your cholesterol levels as opposed to if you had eaten a vegetable omelet with whole wheat toast.

Supposedly egg consumption has never been linked to heart disease. I learned in class that eggs do raise blood cholesterol levels, but they raise HDL and LDL in correct proportions so that it does not hinder your health.

The reason I believe that eggs are a part of a healthy lifestyle is because they are a great source of high quality protein. A large egg contains 6 grams (3.5g in the white) of protein.
Eggs also contain a variety of beneficial nutrients:
RDA of Major Nutrients from Two Large Eggs





Eggs also contain thiamin, choline, calcium, potassium, magnesium, lutein, zeaxnthin, and omega-3’s (if you get the right kind of egg).

B12: The only vitamin that comes exclusively from animal products, necessary for brain function.

Iron: If you are an athletic vegetarian, you definitely need a good source of iron, this is especially true for females.

Selenium: Acts as an antioxidant in your body

Calcium: Important for bone health, which is particularly important for small framed females
Lutein and Zeaxnthin: Both are caratenoids, a type of antioxidant. They assist with vision and prevention of macular degeneration and oxidative stress.

If you choose to eat eggs, I would highly recommend eating eggs with omega-3’s. These eggs get their source of omega-3’s naturally from chickens eating flax seeds. If you choose to buy these types of eggs, I suggest that you eat the whole egg, because the omega-3 content and the majority of nutrients are in the yolk.

Omega-3 eggs are fairly new to the market and there has been little scientific research done on the effects of these eggs and heart disease. However, the research I read said that eating 1 egg a day will not increase your risk for heart disease. A small study showed the omega-3 egg consumption lowered A1c levels (which is beneficial for diabetics). Since omega-3s are generally low in the typical western diet, these eggs could benefit heart disease more than hinder. The omega-3 in these eggs are ALA and DHA (refer back to a blog post: A big FAT lie), and we all know that the only known source of DHAs for vegans is microalgae supplements. DHAs are typically found in fatty fish.


Why eggs are GOOD for ME: They are a great low-calorie unprocessed protein full of vitamins, minerals, caratenoids, and omega-3s. I am a vegetarian, female, runner, which puts me at the highest risk of iron deficiency, so getting some extra easily absorbable iron can only benefit me.
Why eggs are NOT BAD for ME: They are essentially my only source of cholesterol. I never eat trans fat, and I have a low saturated fat intake. My diet consists of vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and fruit. A couple eggs a week will more likely benefit me than hurt me.

If you are baking with a recipe that requires a lot of eggs (more than 3), I would suggest using regular eggs and omitting the yolks. This will cut down on the cholesterol content as well as the caloric content. You could also use ground flax seeds OR baking powder instead of eggs.
Breakfast should be your meal with the highest protein content. Eggs are such a good breakfast because it is an easy way to incorporate vegetables AND fiber. A high protein-high fiber breakfast will keep you well satiated throughout the day.

Like everything else in this world, eggs should NOT be eaten every day. Eggs are pretty high up on my food pyramid. I don’t think ANY food should be eaten every day. Getting a VARIETY of food, while eating a plant based diet, is going to provide you with optimal health.

Hopefully you understand that I am not looking forward to my roommate’s death. I love her. As we were laughing about who was going to die first, we told each other that in the event of one of us dying, it was okay for the other to take a second and smile, knowing that the other was wrong, and in this case I, was right.

Realistically speaking, we are probably going to be centenarians sitting on our porch in Loma Linda talking about the glory days and how we single handedly kept Loma Linda a Blue Zone.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

GLUTEN-FREEks

Everyone has problems. Apparently, some people’s problem is gluten. I was talking to a friend that was SUPER excited to tell me about this SUPER HEALTHY cereal they had eaten and I just HAD to try it.

“OMG CAROLYN, it is SO healthy. It’s vegan and it has nuts and no trans fat and no soy AND it’s gluten-free!” (We’ll get to the demonization of soy in a future post).


I am use to hearing stuff like this now, but at the time, I wasn’t sure how to process what I was hearing. Gluten-free; I had started to see it more often, but I still wasn’t 100% sure why gluten was “bad.”

Shouldn’t people only avoid gluten if they’re allergic? I thought to myself. So I asked, “What’s wrong with gluten?”

“…I don’t know… It’s just not good for you.”

Looking back on this situation annoys me, not because of my friend, but because people just need to stop and think about why they do the things they do. Problems stem from people being incapable of thinking for themselves... Which leads to bad decision making. This is really unfortunate, but the norm for today’s society.

Gluten, found in its natural sources, is not bad for you, unless you have Celiac’s disease.

What is Celiac’s disease? It is an inherited condition that damages the lining of the small intestine. This damage is due to a reaction from eating gluten. It causes malabsorption of vitamins, calcium, protein, carbohydrates, fats and other important nutrients. Your body can't function properly without these. (Who knew your body couldn’t function properly without carbs?!).

Gluten is a plant protein found in wheat, rye, and barley.

Gluten is found in a wide variety of food. It is used as emulsifiers, stabilizers, and thickeners. If you see any of the following in the ingredients list: flour, self-rising flour, enriched flour, graham flour, durum flour, gluten four, food starch or modified food starch, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), or malt or malt flavorings, there is most likely gluten in those products, and depending on your sensitivity to gluten, you may have a reaction… IF YOU HAVE CELIAC’S DISEASE.

I met a young man who had Celiac’s disease, and I had a great time talking to him about what he eats. Gluten is found in a lot of things, and it takes a lot of hard work to avoid it. Having Celiac’s Disease is not easy.

On the other hand, I’ve met a couple of people who have not been diagnosed with Celiac’s disease, but claim to “feel better” when they avoid gluten. Okay, first of all, there is nothing wrong with this. If avoiding gluten makes you “feel better” go for it. The last thing I want is someone in agony because they had a wheat flake in their cereal. But let me say this, sugar pills make people feel better all the time.

Anyway, what I take issue with is when people say gluten is legitimately bad for you. Here’s why:

Gluten is found in whole grains, and it is going to take an infinite amount of research to prove to me that something found in a natural whole grain is bad for you. Have we not learned anything from history? First, there was the prohibition of fat, but now there are HEALTHY fats. Then there was the carb crusade, but oops, only the simple carbs from processed foods are bad for you. Not to mention for the longest time, people thought being a vegetarian was unhealthy… and surprise, surprise, they were wrong.

Perhaps we should take a look at commonly eaten foods that contain gluten:

Breaded foods, breads, bagels, croissants, buns, cakes, donuts, and pies, most cereals, cold cuts, hot dogs, salami, sausage, crackers and many snacks bought at the store, such as potato chips and tortilla chips, gravy, pancakes, waffles, pasta and pizza, most soups, stuffing, beer, some candies, communion breads, croutons, marinades, sauces, soy and teriyaki sauces, some salad dressings, self-basting turkey, and many more…

Is it just me… or did I just list off a BUNCH of junk food. That’s crazy how when people avoid eating gluten… they feel better.

What does a gluten-free diet look like?

You’re gonna be eating a lot of grains like rice, corn, quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat; as well as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts. Any processed foods you’re going to be eating are going to be made from whole grains, and when you go out to eat, you’ll be limited to only the healthiest foods.

Hmm… I wonder what it is about avoiding gluten that makes people feel good… Could it perchance be the fact that they CANNOT eat processed fatty foods, but instead eat “special” WHOLE grains like quinoa and amaranth as well as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts?

No, no, no! It’s not that at all! It’s definitely because they are avoiding Satan reincarnated in gluten form.

As I’ve stated before, gluten is found in a lot of food. I highly doubt that it is optimal for anyone to eat that much gluten. I always say getting a variety is the key to optimal health. If wheat is your ONLY source of grain, switch it up with some rice, buckwheat, corn, or quinoa.

Moral of the story? Americans probably do get too much gluten and from the worst sources. Lower your processed food intake and everyone will feel better. That is all for today.

If you’re concerned that you may have Celiac’s Disease, check out these websites:

www.celiac.org

www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/index.htm

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Fat Kids

When I was in elementary school, my teacher would delegate two captains to select teams for whatever sport we were playing during PE. Our class would line up and the two captains would choose players one at a time, each trying to obtain the ‘best’ athletes first. Looking back on this makes me laugh. Every day we would line up and let people decide who was the most valuable and who was the least. When it would come down to the last two choices, the team captains would roll their eyes in disappointment, as if it was a detriment rather than an asset to have either player on their side.

It seems as if it would be somewhat devastating to consistently be the last kid chosen for a team at recess. Sure these kids weren’t the most athletic, but perhaps they had some other talent… like art or science.

The point of the story is that everyone and everything has some type of value to it, which brings me to today’s post: Light colored vegetables have been labeled the fat kids of the playground.

They too are often overlooked and unappreciated. They are tossed aside while ‘better’ foods such as Romaine lettuce, spinach, or carrots are chosen.
“But there’s nothing in there. It’s just cellulose and water.”
I cannot count how many times people have said nonsense like this to me. I know someone who actually picks iceberg lettuce out of their salad!

Who thinks this way? It is completely logical to me: Celery, iceberg lettuce, and other light green vegetables would not exist if they had no purpose.

Let me start off with saying that celery is a good source of fiber and a great low calorie snack. In addition to that, it has trace amounts of quite a few nutrients and contains a high amount of vitamin K.
Celery has shown to have antiviral and antimicrobial benefits. This is especially beneficial because there have been several bacterial infections associated with the risk of certain cancers, and viruses are now recognized as one of the leading causes of cancer.
Celery also contains lutein, which is a caratenoid. Studies show that high amounts of dietary lutein is correlated with reduced risk of colon cancer. Other foods that contain lutein include spinach, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, oranges, carrots, and greens. Lutein is also necessary for optimal eye sight.

Flavones; yet another wonderful thing found in celery. “The only important edible sources of flavones identified to date are parsley and celery.” Flavones show beneficial effects against atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus and certain cancers.
So the next time someone nay says you for eating celery, you can just smile because you know you’re going to live longer than them.



Now onto iceberg lettuce. Iceberg lettuce is another good source of vitamin K. In fact, women who consumed lettuce (iceberg or Romaine) one or more times per day had a 45% lower risk of hip fracture than women who consumed lettuce one or fewer times per week.
Interestingly enough, iceberg lettuce has a higher antioxidant content than green leaf Romaine lettuce! Iceberg lettuce is also a good source of polyphenols.
Furthermore, iceberg lettuce is incredibly high in choline. Choline is a micronutrient that helps with cell structure and function. It is a dietary source of methyl groups, which is important for cell replication. Choline is also needed for neural function as well as lipid transport and metabolism.
Spinach and Romaine lettuce may have a higher amount of nutrients that iceberg lettuce, but it doesn’t necessarily make them better, they’re just different. The point is getting a variety. Eating mostly spinach and romaine is great, but it certainly isn’t going to hurt you to throw some iceberg lettuce in there, in fact, it might even help.


So next time you get a sandwich with iceberg lettuce, instead of disdainfully saying, “Psh, there’s nothing even in this,” you should say, “I’m lucky that there’s lettuce in this sandwich! It’s good for me and it’s definitely better than no lettuce!”






References
Alan Crozier, Michael E. J. Lean,, Morag S. McDonald, and, Christine Black Quantitative Analysis of the Flavonoid Content of Commercial Tomatoes, Onions, Lettuce, and Celery. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 1997 45 (3), 590-595
Feskanich,, Diane, and Peter Weber. "Vitamin K intake and hip fractures in women: a prospective study." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 69.1 (1999): 74-79. Web. 13 Jul 2010. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/69/1/74?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=iceberg+lettuce&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT.
Halvorsen, Bente, and Monica Carlsen. "Content of redox-active compounds (ie, antioxidants) in foods consumed in the United States." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 84.1 (2006): 95-135. Web. 13 Jul 2010. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/84/1/95?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=iceberg+lettuce+antioxidants&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT.
Lampe, Johanna . "Spicing up a vegetarian diet: chemopreventive effects of phytochemicals." American Society for Clinical Nutrition 78.3 (2003): 579S-583S. Web. 12 Jul 2010. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/78/3/579S?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=celery+benefits&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT.
Llorach, Rafael, and Francisco Tomás-Barberán. "Lettuce and Chicory Byproducts as a Source of Antioxidant Phenolic Extracts." J. Agric. Food Chem 52.16 (2004): 5109–5116. Web. 13 Jul 2010. http://0-pubs.acs.org.catalog.llu.edu/doi/full/10.1021/jf040055a.
Manach,, Claudine. "Polyphenols: food sources and bioavailability." American Society for Clinical Nutrition 79.5 (2004): 727-747. Web. 12 Jul 2010. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/79/5/727?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=celery+benefits&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=10&resourcetype=HWCIT.
Slattery, Martha, and Joan Bensen. "Carotenoids and colon cancer." American Society for Clinical Nutrition 71 (2000): 575–82. Web. 12 Jul 2010. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/71/2/575?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=celery+benefits&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=10&resourcetype=HWCIT.
Wikipedia Pages
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavone#cite_note-1

Friday, July 9, 2010

My Fight with Fiber

Fiber. Fiber. Fiber. By now you’ve got the message. Eat more fiber.
“Fiber helps to lower cholesterol.”
“Fiber will reduce your risk of diabetes.”
“Fiber is associated with weight loss.”
Apparently fiber does more than just make you go to the bathroom. A high fiber diet has shown to have greater health benefits than any other diet. Fiber appears to reduce the risk of developing various conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, diverticular disease, and constipation. Fiber helps to lower cholesterol as well as stabilize blood glucose levels. And yes, it has shown to induce weight loss.
Oh precious weight loss. If I could just eat enough fiber… I could finally be thin… This is the thought of many misguided Americans.
So it’s time for us to start using our brains and figure out that a single component from food is not going to make us thin or healthy. Fiber is found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts. Eating fiber from whole foods (meaning unprocessed food) will provide you with essential vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants and phytochemicals. These fiber-containing super foods do not have processed sugars, enriched flour, artificial sweeteners, trans fat, preservatives, or hidden agendas.
Now that fiber is being publicized as the savior of food, people can’t get enough of it. People are buying products crammed with fiber. Fiber One offers cereal, granola bars, yogurt, and even cottage cheese, packed full of fiber. You can get 35% of your fiber in one granola bar! If you ate a serving of Fiber One cereal, a granola bar, and a yogurt, you would exceed 100% of your daily fiber requirement!
Kellogg’s offers a Special K fiber-filled drink mix. Not only does it contain 5 grams of fiber, but it also contains 5 grams of protein! So if you are not getting enough protein on your low-carb fiber-enhanced fad diet, go ahead and guzzle one of these!
The people buying these products are missing the point. It’s not just about fiber! It’s about the whole food. One of the reasons fiber is so good for you is because of the package it comes in, and I’m not talking about a cardboard box or a pill bottle. For example, apples are a great source of fiber, but they’re also a good source of vitamin C and tannins!
Most processed foods contain ingredients you don’t really want. Let’s take a look at all the extra goodies we’re getting in our fiber.
Strawberry Kiwi Protein Water Mix
Ingredients
POLYDEXTROSE, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF SOY LECITHIN, SUCRALOSE, ETHOXYLATED MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM, RED #40, NIACINAMIDE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), VITAMIN B12. SWEETENED WITH NONNU TRITIVE SWEETENERS.


Hopefully when you read through that long list of ingredients, you saw high fructose corn syrup, sucralose, artificial flavoring, and preservatives. Are these really things you want to be putting in your body?
If you’re looking for ways to be “healthy” this is not the best way to go, but it is also not the worst. Given the choice between Fruit Loops and Fiber One, I’d choose Fiber One every time. But as far as optimal health goes, you should stick with oatmeal, shredded wheat, Grape Nuts, or even Cheerios.
Following the “better out than in” motto is not going to work with essential nutrients such as zinc, iron, and copper. Eating a diet that is too high in fiber could actually cause vitamin or mineral deficiencies. Think about it. If you are eating predominantly fiber and pushing everything out, you aren’t giving your body enough time to absorb essential nutrients. Now, this is not going to happen when you’re eating fiber that is packaged in delicious fruits and vegetables. This can happen when you’re supplementing fiber.
Curious about how much fiber you should be getting? The average woman should be getting about 20-25 grams a day and the average man should be getting about 30-35 grams a day.
Let me put it in perspective:
Breakfast: Oatmeal, apple, soy milk
Lunch: Avocado sandwich (on whole wheat bread) and carrots and hummus
Dinner: Brown rice, kidney beans, and broccoli
That’s 42 grams of fiber. It is not difficult to get enough fiber in your diet.
You don’t need to pop fiber tablets like candy or buy fiber enriched foods. All you need to do is eat whole grains like whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, or brown rice, start incorporating more vegetables in your diet, substitute beans and legumes for meat, and start snacking on nuts or fruit instead of chips. Meat, candy, potato chips, crackers, cookies, ice cream, milk, eggs, or anything that is not a plant, will not give you fiber.
Understand that I absolutely love fiber, but from the right source. I think food is only worth eating if it contains fiber.
If there is a day where you’re feeling a little congested, I suggest you sprinkle psyllium on your cereal and drink lots of water. That’ll clear you right up :)

Calculate how much fiber you ate today!
http://www.fullplatediet.org/fiber-calculator/

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Just Another Cliche

You know what really irritates me to no end? When people say, “Everything in moderation.” The conversation usually goes something like, “Carolyn, would you like a doughnut?”

“No thanks,” I reply with a smile on my face.

They look at me, half way roll their eyes, and say, “Well, you know, everything in moderation,” and stuff a doughnut in their mouth.

I smile again and continue doing whatever it is I’m doing and think to myself, Huh; I wonder what they think moderation is... and if they are aware of their BMI...

First of all, I do not like their attitude! It’s like they think I’m the bad guy for refusing a doughnut. And more often than not, I’d say the reason they say ‘everything in moderation’ is because they want to sooth their own guilt for not refusing junk food. It could also be because they know it angers me and want to be a smart ass.

Guilt is not a feeling you should have from eating. If you are feeling guilty about eating something, just don’t eat it. If you choose what you eat wisely, you will feel better about yourself in the end. Discipline is something Americans have a hard time with. Refusing something we want is not a part of our culture.

Now that’s how I feel about the context of ‘everything in moderation,’ but I also don’t like the content of the message. I honestly don’t even believe in this everything in moderation mumbo jumbo First off, who decides what moderation is? And secondly…EVERYTHING?!? REALLY?!

I’m not here to tell you what it means to be moderate, because I think it’s something you definitely need to think about on your own. An alcoholic may think 1 glass of wine or 1 beer a night is incredibly moderate, whereas I consider an alcoholic beverage a few times a year to be moderate. My point is moderation seems to be a matter of opinion.

For example, today you may have a bag of M&Ms but you NEVER have M&Ms! Yesterday you had a grilled cheese and French fries, but you rarely ever have fast food. Tomorrow is your friend’s birthday party so you’ll probably have some cake and ice cream, but your friend only has a birthday once a year! (Just like all your other friends.)Then it’s the weekend, you ALWAYS go out to eat on the weekend, that’s what weekends are for!

“Everything in moderation!”

Hopefully you see what I’m saying, but in case you don’t: Eating different kinds of junk food everyday is not moderation. Eating 100 extra calories a day will lead to gaining 10 pounds in 1 year. If America understood moderation, I highly doubt we would have the array of health problems we have today. Remember, heart disease is the number one killer in America, second is cancer, and type II diabetes is also running rampant. I read that obesity is soon to surpass smoking as the number one cause of cancer. It sure looks like our ‘everything in moderation’ routine isn’t working out too well.

Now to the ‘EVERYTHING.’ Are you kidding me? A few things you should never have (in my humble opinion of course) bottom feeders, pork, partially hydrogenated oil, and quite possibly battery acid.

Bottom feeders, such as crab and lobster, eat feces and whatever else there is on the bottom of the ocean. Do you want to eat something that eats feces?! Pork is filthy too. It doesn’t have sweat glands so its waste just stays in its body, marinating its edible parts. Partially hydrogenated oil is a form of trans fat. It raises your bad cholesterol and lowers your good cholesterol. Have I mentioned heart disease is the number one killer in the United States? As for battery acid, who knows, maybe that one can be included in everything in moderation.

Okay, sure, eating these things a couple times a year will not kill you (except for the battery acid. That may kill you, don’t eat it), but it also will not provide you with optimal health. So, if you can define moderation in a healthy way, you may not develop these illnesses as quickly, or maybe not even at all. But if you eliminate at least some unhealthy things from your diet, you increase your chances of having a happier, healthier life.

So maybe a proper saying would be, “Some things in moderation… if you know what moderation is”

Monday, June 14, 2010

Steps to a Healthier You.


I recently came to the realization that I do not live in the real world. I live in a house with 3 other ‘mostly’ vegans. We rarely have animal products in the house and our refrigerator is always stocked with lots of fruits and vegetables. We make granola and whole wheat cookies for fun.

Living in this environment, sometimes makes me forget that there are people who have no clue about healthy eating. The other week, my roommates and I threw a kabob party. It was a success. We had four types of marinated tofu and a variety of vegetables to grill.

Sounds like a good time, right? Well apparently, not everyone thought so.

I ran into one of my friends before the party and asked him if he was going to make it.

“Oh yeah, I was thinking about going, but then I saw that there were going to be vegetables, and I don’t like vegetables.”

I laughed. He doesn’t like vegetables, I thought to myself, that’s a good one.

“Yeah, I’m just more of a meat person. I’m actually having a barbeque tonight with some friends. I just bought a ton of meat. I just don’t like vegetables.”

“Wait, what? You’re serious?” At this point, I was trying to grasp the concept of not liking vegetables. How can someone omit an entire food group? Surely there are some vegetables he likes.

“I will eat carrots, uncooked, those little ones.”

If he’s not eating vegetables what is he eating?! I had a sinking feeling in my chest. This nice young man is going to die an early death because he has a terrible diet.

The conversation ended with me convincing him to come to my house for dinner sometime and I would cook a delicious healthy meal with lots of vegetables. If I convince one person in this world to eat more vegetables and less meat, my life will be well lived.

The health implications of a diet high in meat are astronomical, especially from red meat. Meat consumption is associated with heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke. These are four of the leading causes of death in the United States and for the most part, they are preventable with diet.

Here’s the problem with meat, it is usually high in saturated fat and cholesterol. People that have high amounts of meat in their diet, usually have low amounts of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, fiber, and antioxidants. So not only are they ingesting unhealthy fat and cholesterol, but they are not eating foods that are suggested to prevent diseases.

Although studies are not 100% conclusive, a number of studies have shown the correlation between meat and increased risk of mortality. One study in particular showed a correlation of increased mortality due to heart disease and cancer specifically with red meat versus white meat. Red meat consumption included all types of beef and pork and white meat included fish, turkey, and chicken.

A study conducted on women showed that an average intake of about 2 ounces of red meat a day increased the risk of metabolic syndrome and inflammation.

A potential mechanism for increase incidence of cancer could be the formation of carcinogens in meat during high temperature cooking. Iron found in meat (heme iron) may increase oxidative damage and increase N-nitroso compound (a proposed carcinogen). (Click here to read up on N-nitroso compounds http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/nnitrosofaq.pdf )

Other than transfat, saturated fat is the main dietary culprit for raising LDL levels (bad cholesterol). It starts with bad cholesterol, and then suddenly you have plaque build-up, hypertension, atherosclerosis, a blood clot and BAM... heart attack. Okay, so I may be exaggerating. It doesn’t happen that quickly… the heart attack won’t come until after you’ve established a job and have a wife and 3 kids.

So next you’re going to tell me, but I only eat lean meats, so there’s less fat. And yes, that is better than the alternative, but still not the best J But understand, it is not only the meat that is unhealthy, it is the lack of vegetables, beans, legumes, and whole grains that is also hurting you. If you want optimal health, you will incorporate beans, legumes and whole grains as protein sources.

The American Heart Association recommends the following:

  • Choose poultry without the skin, and trimmed lean meats
  • Choose fish baked or grilled fish, especially oily fish containing omega-3 fatty acids such as mackerel, lake trout, herring, albacore tuna and salmon.
  • No more than 6 ounces of meat per day. (Which is still a lot in my humble opinion.)
  • Select meat substitutes such as dried beans, peas, lentils or tofu. (This is my personal favorite)

Be careful:

  • Choose low-sodium, low-fat seasonings such as spices, herbs and other flavorings in cooking and at the table.
  • Shrimp and crayfish are higher in cholesterol than most types of fish.
  • Some types of fish may contain high levels of mercury, PCBs, dioxins and other environmental contaminants; ex: Shark, swordfish, tilefish (golden bass or golden snapper) and king mackerel.
  • Check the amount of sodium in processed sandwich meats; some have 25% or more of the daily value.
  • Ham and Canadian bacon are higher in sodium (salt) than other meats.

Types of lean red meats (if you insist):

  • Lean beef (round, sirloin, chuck, loin). Buy "choice" or "select" grades of beef rather than "prime."
  • Lean or extra lean ground beef (no more than 15% fat).
  • Lean lamb (leg, arm, loin).
  • Lean cuts of buffalo are very low in total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.

So today’s post is about taking small steps toward a healthier life. Maybe now you'll choose chicken instead of beef or salmon instead of pork. I’m not asking that anyone become a vegetarian today, although that would be amazing; I’m recommending that you limit your meat consumption, especially red meat. If you don’t eat meat, inform others of the health concerns linked to a high meat diet.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

The Whole Story

I have always been (and sometimes still am) a sucker for commercials and advertisements. As a child, I was convinced that happiness came from Iron Kid’s bread. Those kids looked SO happy. I wanted to have fun like those kids. However, my mom wouldn’t let me get that bread. Did she not want me to be as happy as those children? She made me eat brown bread, with NO kids skate boarding on the package. Why, WHY, WHYYY could I not have that bread?!

I use to LOVE white rice. I would eat white rice and soy sauce at least twice a day. (It was the Asian in me). When I was about 10 years old, my family started getting brown rice. My world was turned upside down. WHY would my mother do this to me?! BROWN RICE WAS DISGUSTING. I thought I was eating rocks. I refused to eat it. One day, I decided to put my 10 year-old pride aside and give brown rice one last try. I’ve loved it ever since.

When I went home for Spring break, I cooked dinner for my grandpa, grandma, brother and sister-in-law. I put together a healthy vegan Indian meal accompanied by basmati brown rice. At the dinner table, my brother and grandpa both stated that they only cook white rice. WHITE RICE?! I sat there and short circuited for a few seconds… but I…teach people…I’m going to be a… dietitian…my own family doesn’t eat…whole grains… how has this happened?

So what’s the big deal? What’s the difference between whole grains and refined grains?

Whole grains are made up of three main parts, the endosperm, germ, and bran. The germ contains the majority of fat and the bran contains a large amount of fiber and other nutrients. The endosperm makes up about 80% of the grain and contains the bulk of carbohydrate and protein content (Slavin).

The refining process separates the bran and germ from the endosperm. When the bran gets removed, disease-preventing nutrients, phytochemicals, and antinutrients like tannins and phytic acid are also removed (Slavin). (I know ‘antinutrient’ may sound bad, but it’s not).

Whole grains obviously include the bran, germ, and endosperm, which makes food made from whole grains important sources of these nutrients and phytochemicals.

So whole grains contain dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals; fortified grains provide micronutrients such as thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid, and iron, but they are missing fiber and phytochemicals (Slavin).

What do antioxidants and phytochemicals do? So glad you asked. They reduce the damaging effects of chronic inflammation. One of these effects is DNA repair and stabilization. Now, you may not know this, but DNA is kind of important. So if your DNA is screwed, you are screwed. Antioxidants and phytochemicals also help with cell cycle control, protein repair, removal of reactive molecular species, and induce detoxification.

A study on postmenopausal women investigated the relationship of whole-grain intake with death attributed to oxidative stress and inflammation. This includes most chronic degenerative diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, asthma, ischemia-reperfusion, ulcerative colitis, Crohns disease, type 1 and 2 diabetes, and several types of neurodegenerative diseases.

The study found a reduced risk of death in >35% of those who reported the highest intake of whole grains (Jacobs).

“Several population studies have shown correlations between increased intake of whole grain and decreased risk of developing diet-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, certain cancers, and obesity (Frolich).”

To be fair, I should tell you that there was little relation between refined-grain intake and any cause of death. Refined grain consumption had a positive relationship with inflammatory death, but it was barely significant (Jacobs). So refined grains may not KILL you, but do you really want to live your life always being on the brink of death?

Another study I looked at showed that potatoes (cooked or French-fried), white rice, white bread, and carbonated beverages were most consistently associated with increased risk of type II diabetes (Barclay). (Just something to think about.) I also read that a diet high in whole grains significantly increased serum levels of retinol, a-carotene, and a-tocopherol after 16 weeks. These are vital antioxidants that everyone should want in their bodies (Jacobs)!

My suggestion for you:

If you HATE brown rice, you can try the 50/50 approach. Cook half white rice, half brown rice. Now I’ve never done this before, but brown rice takes a little longer to cook than white rice. If you are cooking the rice on the stove, you may want to add the white rice about 10 minutes after the brown rice.

If you’re feeling unusually daring and want to give up white rice completely, I suggest brown basmati rice. It has that fluffy texture that every white rice lover seems to not be able to live without.

Rice is just the beginning. There are so many different grains you can try.

Lucky you, I found a website that describes 6 different grains and how to cook them.

http://www.forecast.diabetes.org/magazine/food-thought/get-know-6-great-grains

These grains take a shorter amount of time to cook than rice! And who doesn’t love saving time? Varying your food is important; therefore, you should try to get an assortment of grains in your diet.

My personal favorite is Quinoa (KEEN-wa). It only takes about 10 minutes to cook and serves the same purpose as rice. You can roast some veggies seasoned with salt, pepper, and cayenne and place them on a bed of quinoa. Words cannot describe how delicious this is.

You also have to be careful for marketing ploys. Multi-grain might mean ‘lots of different refined grains in one bread.’ ‘Wheat bread’ is not equal to ‘whole wheat’ bread. Always read your labels. If ‘enriched wheat’ (or any other grain) is anywhere is there, put it back on the shelf.

Now you can start living a healthier life. Luckily, I had a mom who loved me so much, she didn’t care how much I whined, because she knew what was best for me and now I’m better off for it. I hope everyone has told their mom happy Mother’s Day :)

References

Barclay, A, & Petozc, P. (2008). Glycemic index, glycemic load, and chronic disease risk—a metaanalysis of observational studies. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 87, 627–37.

Frolich, W. (2010). Whole grain for whom and why?. Food and Nutrition Research , 54,

Jacobs, D, & Andersen, L. (2007). Whole-grain consumption is associated with a reduced risk of noncardiovascular, noncancer death attributed to inflammatory diseases in the iowa women’s health study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 85, 1606-1614.

Slavin, J, & Jacobs, D. (2001). The role of whole grains in disease prevention. Journal of American Dietetic Association, 101(7),

Sunday, May 2, 2010

A big FAT lie - Part I

You hear the word FAT and instantaneously you get a negative feeling. Fat… yikes...disgusting…. filthy. The point of my blog today is to explain the health benefits from having fat in your diet. Fat does not just increase your pant size.
So the other day, I was talking to a male friend about the macronutrient composition of an optimal diet. I stated that in my opinion, an optimal diet would be composed of 65% carbs, 15% protein, and 20% fat, which is basically in sync with the USDA recommendation.
My friend replied with saying he thought his diet should be composed of only 1% fat. My jaw dropped. 1% fat?! “You sound like…” I couldn’t finish my sentence. Male pride is a sensitive thing. I thought calling him a high school girl could be damaging to his ego. As I searched for a nicer way to call him a girl, he finished my sentence.
“…a 15 year old girl?”
“Yes! EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING!” I was relieved that he recognized the error in his statement. Unfortunately, many people still believe that fat is the villain.
So people think that if they don’t eat fat, they won’t be fat. WRONG. Calories are calories. Excess of calories from any source is stored as fat. Forget this low carb, high protein, low fat, carb to protein ratio BS! Excess amounts of calories from fats, carbohydrates, AND/OR protein, gets stored as fat.
Why fats get a bad rap: 1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories, 1 gram of protein = 4 calories, 1 gram of fat = 9 calories. So yes, this does mean you need to eat smaller amounts of fatty foods than fruits or vegetables, but you still need fat. (And I know all you protein lovers are horrified that protein and carbohydrates contain the same amount of calories; a topic for a future post).
There are different types of fat. Saturated fat (SFA), trans fat (TF), Monounsaturated Fat (MUFA), and Polyunsaturated (PUFA). In general, you want to decrease your saturated fat intake, eliminate your trans fat intake, and have your fat sources come from foods containing MUFAs and PUFAs. Within your PUFAs you have your omega 3’s and omega 6’s. These are essential fatty acids. Essential because your body does not produce them, therefore you must get them in your diet to function properly.

So maybe you’re thinking, I don’t need that much fat, because it’s just extra cushioning. Wrong. Fat is used as an energy source, cell membrane structure, lung surfactant (protects lungs from collapsing), cell to cell communication, it has structural use for glycolipids and cholesterol, acts as insulation (oh no!), it is a precursor for steroid hormones, and is a carrier of fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E, and K).
• Omega 3’s:
o Sources: canola oil, flax seeds (ground), walnuts, some eggs (read label), soy beans, fatty fish, microalgae
How does it affect my body?
• Omega-3’s are deemed as a preventer of CHD. Compared to saturated fat, trans fat, and monounsaturated fat it lowers your LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol and triglyceride level (the mechanism behind this is incredibly fascinating). They are considered healthy because they are anti-inflammatory precursors which decrease your risk for atherosclerosis.
• Omega-3s are now being associated with neurological functions and behaviors such as depression, ADHD, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia. Studies are showing that a higher intake of omega-3s may decrease the occurrence of these dysfunctions.
• There are also studies showing that omega-3 intake may be protective against osteoporosis, but studies so far are inconclusive.
• Especially important for vegetarians: Within your omega-3 family, you have ALAs, EPAs, and DHAs. Health benefits are mostly found with EPAs and DHAs. EPAs and DHAs are not found in plants (except for seaweed, but not in a sufficient amount). Thankfully, if you eat foods containing ALAs, your body can convert it to EPA efficiently under a good environment. Meaning, low alcohol intake, a transfat free diet, omega-6 intake of no higher than 7-10%, and of course, increasing your omega-3 intake.
• Conversion from ALA to EPA to DHA is inefficient, even with high ALA intake and low intake of omega-6, trans fat, and saturated fat. Microalgae supplementation is something for vegetarians to consider.



• How do you ensure this conversion? Lowering your intake of processed foods, especially those containing trans fat, use canola oil or olive oil instead of corn oil, and eat a source of ALA every day.
Okay, so this is just what omega-3’s do. I haven’t even touched on omega-6’s or monounsaturated fat, but I will someday. Hopefully you understand that fat can be good and it is an essential part of your diet.
So, if you are eating 65% of your calories from carbohydrates, 15% from protein, and 25% from fat, you should use the following as a guideline.
A male, eating 2200 calories, you need about 550 calories from fat, if you are a woman eating 1600 calories, you need about 400 calories from fat:
2 tablespoons of peanut butter: 200 calories
¼ cup of walnuts: 164 calories
1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed: 37 calories
1 tablespoon of canola oil: 120 calories
Like every food group, you need to get a variety of different foods. You should not only eat walnuts for a fat source. You should switch it up with eating cashews or almonds.



Measurements are expressed in grams per 100 grams (3.5 oz) of food item. Trace = <0.1; (–) = 0 or no data.



References:
DeFilippis, A, & Sperling, L. (2006). Understanding omega 3's. American Heart Journal, 151(3), Retrieved from http://0-www.sciencedirect.com.catalog.llu.edu/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6W9H-4JCBT06-8&_user=945456&_coverDate=03%2F31%2F2006&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000048963&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=945456&md5=863f54d2616c58c3aaf575342dc50238#secx1
Kris-Etherton, P, & Grieger, J. (2009). Dietary reference intake for dha and epa. 81(2-3), Retrieved from http://0-www.sciencedirect.com.catalog.llu.edu/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WPH-4WHDHR6-1&_user=945456&_coverDate=09%2F30%2F2009&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000048963&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=945456&md5=a78912c0a483bc4ff70c9ba767c2e023#secx9
Information was also supplied from class notes.