April Fool's Day Fun with Food

The Evidence Analysis Library of the American Dietetic Association has a section on pediatric overweight and recently I was give the opportunity to translate the science into section for the consumer side of the ADA website (http://www.eatright.org/)

One thing that struck me was the behavioral science of raising a child to have a healthy weight and a positive body image. Family function can have many positive effects on a child's eating behaviors and weight. Some of the patterns most related to healthy body weight include family closeness, support, and mind-stimulating activities.

My niece, Angela, has all that (and more!) covered in raising her 2 daughters. This April 1 she surprised her oldest daughter with some fun (definitely mind-stimulating!) creative lunch choices. The pictures show Cheez-Its replaced with marshmallows (re-sealed with double sided tape to make it authentic), "Sushi" made with rice krispies, fruit rolls, jelly beans, and black sprinkles, "grilled cheese" from toasted pound cake and yellow icing, and of course, an apple complete with a gummy worm. How much fun is that? What a wonderful way to have fun with a child...OK, the actual substitutions were not as healthy as the original foods, but can you image how the April Fool's surprise from mom's April Foods delighted her elementary school-age daughter??!!

Food coma? What I've learned about eating from my dogs.

I'm a dog lover and I've learned a lot about eating from observing my dogs. Bella, a 10-year old shepherd-collie mix, eats like an intuitive eater, not like a dog. Her good eating habits include:

Eating slowly

Chewing every bite before swallowing

Eating to hunger and leaving food in her bowl when full

Drinking plenty of water

Samson, a 2-year old German shepherd (pictured here asleep with his head still inside the food bowl) has also taught me some lessons about how not to eat. His bad eating habits include:

Gulping down his food

Seemingly swallowing food whole without chewing (I know this because sometimes he has to stop eating and clear the food that gets stuck in his huge jaws.)

Licking the bowl clean (he even picks up his bowl and drops it at my feet when he is finished eating as if saying, "more, please.")

And, sneaking over to Bella's food bowl to finish off her food

So, try to model Bella's food habits even though many of us eat like Samson!

Diet Books...They are Everywhere!

On a recent trip to Ireland I was browsing in a gift shop when my friend and fellow dietitian said, "check out the diet book section." Sure enough, just like in the U.S., diet books are big sellers. A quote attributed to Andy Ronney is one of my favorites, "The biggest seller is cookbooks and the second is diet books--how not to eat what you've just learned to cook."

All diet books are basically the same--low calorie meals, encouragement to be physically active, and some secret gimmick that all authors throw in to make you think that their diet is superior to all of the others.

Losing weight isn't that hard--it is the keeping it off that is the real challenge. Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating says we make about 250 food decisions a day. Most of those decisions have little to do with hunger. We eat because we are with others who are eating, we eat for recreation, we eat because we smell freshly baked cookies in the mall, and we eat because it tastes good. By trying to cue into why we eat and pay more attention to hunger and portion control we may have a fighting chance against weight gain, or as I like to call it, weight creep. Face it, no one gains 20 pounds overnight but we do gain a few pounds a year as we age and that can end up as an extra 20 pounds over the years.

Evelyn Tribole, author of Intuitive Eating suggests we make peace with food and honor health. Don't label foods as good or bad, think about food in terms of health and nourishment. A handful of almonds and a orange for an afternoon snack provides more nourishment than vending machine candy bar--and the almonds and orange taste pretty good, too.

Another strategy is to stop multitasking when eating--don't text and drive? Well, don't eat and drive. Distracted dining is a sure fire way to increase calories without enjoying food.

Lastly, we all know weekends are "special." Dawn Jackson Blatner, Chicago-based spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association told me about a 2003 Obesity Research study that showed that we eat 115 more calories each day Friday through Sunday...that is an extra 350 calories each weekend that can result in a 5 pound weight gain a year. So, watch those weekends and don't go on the Monday diet....that is, don't eat whatever is in sight all week and they say, "I'll start my diet on Monday." Brian Wansink says the "best diet is the one you don't know you're on." Couldn't agree more!

A New Seven Countries Study

Move over Ancel Keys, there is a new seven countries study that could have a global impact on the way we eat when we eat out. Unilever Food Solutions, the food service arm of Unilever, today released the "World Menu Report." They randomly selected 3500 people (500 from each country) who eat out at least once a week. The seven countries were:

• USA


• UK


• China


• Germany


• Russia


• Brazil


• Turkey

What they found was that consumers all over the world want information about what they eat when they eat out. The top three things that consumers want?

• the source of the food


• how the food was prepared


• the nutritional value of the food

People in developing countries were more concerned with food sourcing and food safety issues than those in developed countries, In the U.S., about two-thirds of diners responded that nutrition information would be welcomed when eating out and what they most wanted was information on calories, fat, saturated fat, sodium, and sugar. Consumers say they want a gentle push--not a sledgehammer approach--to nutrition information. And, taste is still king so innovation by chefs, restaurant operators and the food service industry is needed.

In the past the notion of "stealth health" was pervasive, especially in the U.S. In other words, make meals healthy but don't tell anyone that it is healthy or they might not eat it. (How many of us have used that approach with our spouses or children? I'm guilty as charged.) But, today transparency is the new watchword. Diners want health, transparency and innovation. They want food to taste good and be good for them and they want to know about it. Reformulation is top of mind for chefs and the food service industry to give consumers what they want--good taste and good health.

Consumers around the world are responding to foods that are local, sustainable, authentic, and artisan. But, the challenge is to make sure that those words are meaningful and not just a marketing gimmick. Diners also want to know about food allergens or ingredients they might be sensitive to, including MSG and gluten.

With this report, Unilever Food Solutions hopes to raise awareness within the food service industry about ensuring transparency about what is in our food when we dine out. That is something we can all applaud.

How do you choose your vitamin/mineral supplements?

ConsumerLab.com posted survey results about popular supplements. While not a "scientific" study in that the respondents were self-selecting (that always introduces bias into a study) it did show some interesting trends about supplement use. The five most popular supplements were fish oil, multivitamins, vitamin D, calcium and CoQ10. The first four didn't surprise me given the media attention to fish oil and vitamin D, but the CoQ10 did...until I thought about the role of CoQ10 in protecting the heart muscle in those older adults who have congestive heart failure. There is also some support for using it when taking a statin to lower cholesterol, although the evidence for that is not as clear.

But, what I really thought about when I saw the survey is how does one choose among the hundreds of supplements on the shelves of grocery stores, pharmacies, and retail stores (there are even whole stores devoted to selling supplements anddon't even get me started on the Internet sales!)

I offer these tips in choosing supplements:

1)Know what supplements you really need. Ask your doctor or qualified health professional (like a registered dietitian) about what supplements might be best for you. I often find that people supplement with nutrients that are plentiful in their diets yet not taking nutrients that they are lacking. A quick way to evaluate your dietary intake is to go to mypyramid.gov and analyze your usual dietary intake. You might find that you get plenty of vitamin C because you drink orange juice, eat broccoli, and snack on tangerines, yet your intake of omega-3-fats are low because you don't like to eat fatty fish.

2)Look for third-party verification that you are getting a quality supplement. Ever noticed the "USP" symbol on your supplement? That stands for United States Pharmacopeia and it means that the supplement meets strict criteria for quality ingredients and quality manufacturing processes. ConsumerLab.com is another group that tests supplements to make sure that the supplement contains what it says it contains on its label. Third party verification doesn't mean that the product will work for you, but it does insure that you are getting what you are paying for and getting a quality product.

3)Take supplements according the dosing instructions and make sure to check sources like WebMD for any nutrient-drug interactions. For example, if you take a blood thinner you don't want to take a vitamin supplement that has a lot of Vitamin K as it can block the effectiveness of the drug. Also remember that supplements are a supplement to a healthy diet--eating a poor diet and expecting a supplement to keep you healthy is wishful thinking. Supplements take time to work;they are not like an antibiotic that can cure an infection in a few days. For example, glucosamine and chondrotin may help those with osteoarthritis but it can take months to know if it is working.

4)If claims for supplements sound too good to be true then they probably are. Think about how many people say that vitamin C is the cure for the common cold...if that was true, wouldn't we all just take vitamin C and never suffer through another cold again? So, be realistic about your expectations for supplements.

5)Lastly, look at the various options for supplements. I don't eat enough fatty fish (the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 suggest eating 2 fatty fish meals a week) so I take fish oil. The first supplement I tried made me taste fish oil all day so I take one that controls that problem.

Nasty Green Drink

On a recent trip to Austin my friend introduced us to her latest culinary obsession, "the nasty green drink." She had recently had an infection and took a strong course of antibiotics and said her body was crying out for a large dose of healthy fruit and veggies. Since it is hard to eat a large amount of F&V, she tried the blender.

She used 2 cups of raw spinach, 2 cups of red Swiss chard, 1 cup broccoli, 1 grapefruit (quartered), 1/2 cup of blueberries and 1 bottle of Propel fitness water for the liquid and a touch of sweetness.

The result? Three glasses of the nasty green drink that smelled like freshly mowed grass. While one friend described it as "earthy," we all agreed that it she was wise to drink it through a straw.

I analyzed the drink and it contains about 215 calories, mostly from carbohydrate (50 grams) with some protein (7 grams or about what is in 1-ounce of meat) with a trace of fat (1 grams). It is low in sodium (270 milligrams) and very high in potassium (1,000 milligrams). It is also rich in vitamin C (230 milligrams or about what is found in 3 servings of orange juice) and folate (200 micrograms or half of the recommended amount).

Where the drink really soars is in phytonutrients or plant chemicals known to keep us healthy and fight disease. With 4.5 milligrams of beta-carotene (about the amount that you would get if you ate 6 to 8 servings of F&V) it is rich in the compounds that are thought to be the active ingredients in F&V. It also is loaded with lutein and zeaxanthin (9 milligrams) two compounds that protect our eyes. Researchers think these compounds act as a natural sunblock and fight free radicals that can damage the eye.

And, the nasty green drink is loaded with vitamin K which is thought to help keep our bones strong. If you are on a blood-thinning drug (like coumadin) the amount of vitamin K in this drink would prevent the drug from working.

While this drink is not for everyone (me included), dig out your blender (mine is hiding in the cupboard above the fridge; the one that no one can reach) and come up with your own healthy drink. My friend has the ability to listen to her body but most of us don't listen, unless our body is calling for chocolate and then we hear it loud and clear!

No Magic Foods but Maybe a Magic Diet for Longevity

People always ask me what is the "best" food to eat or supplement to take for healthy aging. Despite the hype surrounding the latest and greatest magical food or pill (acai, pomegranate juice, glucoasamine, etc.) the better question might be what is the best dietary pattern for long life? A recent research paper published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (January, 2011)looked at dietary patterns of over 2,500 adults over a ten-year period. The men and women were between the ages of 70 and 79 when the study was started.

Researchers identified dietary pattern clusters and labeled them as:
1) healthy food cluster
2) high fat dairy products cluster
3) meat, fried food and alcohol cluster
4) breakfast cereal cluster
5) refined grains cluster
6) sweets and desserts cluster

Researchers found that that the 374 people who were in the healthy food cluster had a significantly lower risk of mortality (death)than the other clusters. The healthy food cluster included low-fat dairy foods (low fat yogurt or frozen yogurt, skim or 1% milk) fruit (fresh, canned or frozen), vegetables (not French fries, though), whole grains, poultry (not fried chicken) and fish and seafood (again, not the fried variety). They also found that those in the healthy food cluster got more exercise and had more non-smokers.

Two other interesting findings in this study; one of them unexpected. The unexpected finding was that eating red meat was not associated with higher mortality. That is good news because many older adults shun red meat thinking that all red meat is high in bad fats. Choosing lean cuts of red meat and keeping portions in check is a good way to get needed nutrients (zinc, iron and vitamin B12) that may be lacking in an older person's diet.

Another finding was that those who ate foods from the healthy cluster had higher blood levels of 2 B-vitamins (folate and B12) that help to lower a blood protein, homocysteine. High levels of homocysteine have been linked to poor cognitive function, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease.

So, this new year,take a look at your whole diet instead of focusing on a single food or nutrient for good health and long life. And, don't forget to exercise like this older couple I spotted walking in Budapest.