Words on Wellness

There is a lot of confusion about sugar and its health implications. The main thing to remember is the body does not know the difference between natural or added sugar. Sugar found in fruits and milk products is considered natural sugar and is labeled fructose (fruit) and lactose (milk). Natural sugars are generally found in nutrient-rich foods that contain other health promoting nutrients such as dietary fiber, vitamins, or minerals.

Added sugars are generally found in nutrient-poor foods that do not contain other health promoting nutrients, including sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, dairy, and desserts and candy. Added sugars are those added during processing and include high fructose corn syrup, maltose, dextrose, glucose, sucrose, white and brown sugar, raw sugar, malt sugar, invert sugar, corn syrup, fruit juice concentrates, molasses, and honey.

To avoid excess calories MyPyramid/MyPlate and the 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting foods with added sugars. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar for women and 9 for men per day; the current intake is 22-30 teaspoons.

healthy living, nutrition health facts, sugars

October is Vegetarian Awareness month. 

A well-planned vegetarian diet can meet the needs of people of all ages, including children, teenagers, and adults. It starts with the menu and ends with enjoying tasty foods. MyPyramid and MyPlate www.choosemyplate.com are helpful tools for a healthy diet, whether or not it is vegetarian.

People following vegetarian diets may do so for a variety of reasons. Whatever the reason, people can obtain all the nutrients they need from a vegetarian diet. However, they must be careful to eat a wide array of foods to meet their nutritional needs, paying close attention to protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and vitamin B12.

There are three main types of vegetarian diets:
1. Vegan: excludes all meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products, and any foods that contain these products.
2. Lacto: excludes meat, fish, poultry, and eggs, as well as foods that contain them. Dairy products are allowed.
3. Lacto-ovo: excludes meat, fish, and poultry, but allows eggs and dairy products. It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. For more information on eating healthy, visit www.eatright.org.

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Great lunch ideas when you do not have refrigerator access:

• Peanut butter sandwiches (check the label because some peanut butters may require refrigeration)
• Popcorn (great whole grain addition to your food intake)
• Bread, crackers, bagels (choose whole grains)
• Fresh fruit with the peel on
• Unopened single-serving containers of fruit, fruit juice, and shelf-stable pudding
• Dried fruits
• Nuts (combine fruits, nuts, and cereal for a healthy granola)
• Cookies, cereal bars

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Stores are advertising school supplies, new clothes, and shoes. It must be back-to-school time! To ensure your kids have a successful school year, start kids out with a healthy breakfast.

Research shows that many of us believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet more than half of all Americans do not eat breakfast every day, according to the 2009 Food and Health Survey: Consumer Attitudes toward Food, Nutrition, and Health, conducted by the International Food Information Council Foundation. Are you one of those non-breakfast eaters? If so, read on to see how this morning meal boosts brainpower.

How totally cool that breakfast fuels kids’ brains for school! Research shows that children who eat breakfast:

• Show improvements on math, reading, and standardized test scores
• Pay better attention and perform better on problem-solving tasks
• Are less likely to be absent or tardy — and are more likely to behave better in school
• Consume more important nutrients, vitamins, and minerals such as calcium, dietary fiber, and protein
• Are less likely to be overweight

Adult breakfast skippers, take note — eating breakfast may help boost your brainpower,too. Remember, your kids are more likely to eat breakfast if you do, too. Eating breakfast together is even a better bonus — it helps instill more healthful eating habits in kids as they grow up.

Source: International Food Information Council Foundation, August 2010.

healthy living, nutrition breakfast, children

Don’t skip breakfast to save precious morning minutes! Try these lightning fast meals that can help propel you and your kids throughout the day.

The Traditional Triplet
Whole-grain ready-to-eat cereal and fat-free milk plus 100 percent orange juice

The Hot and Wholesome Bowl
Microwavable oatmeal with chopped apples and walnuts — made with fat-free milk instead of water for an extra punch of protein, calcium, and vitamin D

The PB & B
Whole-wheat toast topped with peanut butter and sliced bananas plus fat-free milk

The Swirl and Go
Crunchy high fiber cereal, blueberries, and sunflower seeds swirled into low-fat or fat-free vanilla yogurt

The Little Dipper
Graham crackers dipped into low-fat or fat-free fruit yogurt plus 100 percent apple juice

A Little on the Lunch Side
A turkey and low-fat Swiss sandwich on whole-wheat plus 100 percent orange juice

On a Roll
A whole-wheat tortilla wrapped around a low-fat cheese stick plus a bunch of grapes (cut grapes in half for younger children)

The Waffle Tower
A toasted frozen whole-grain waffle piled high with sliced strawberries, a dollop of low-fat or fat-free yogurt, and a sprinkling of sliced almonds

Easy as Apple Pie
A toasted whole-grain bagel half layered with apple slices and reduced fat Cheddar cheese

Something Spicy
Whole-grain cinnamon-raisin toast spread with low-fat ricotta cheese plus 100 percent orange juice

Source: International Food Information Council Foundation, Wake Up to the benefits of breakfast!

For more information about breakfast and health, visit: http://ific.org/publications/other/breakfast.cfm

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The USDA released the new food icon ‘MyPlate’ on June 2, 2011. The intent of the new icon is to simplify the dietary guidance included in the Dietary Guidelines 2010 and MyPyramid. MyPlate is not intended to replace MyPyramid, but rather simplify the message making it easier to follow for Americans.

The key message of MyPlate is the proportion each food group should contribute to your plate.

1. The icon conveys that half of your plate should consist of fruits and vegetables, with vegetables comprising slightly more than the fruits.
2. The other half of the plate consists of grains and proteins, with grains comprising slightly more than the protein.
3. Dairy is depicted as a circle (e.g., glass of milk) off to the side of the plate.

While the proportion of food groups on your plate is fairly straightforward, there are
some key messages not represented by the icon that Americans need to keep in mind.

Balance Calories

• Enjoy your food, but eat less.
• Avoid oversized portions.

Foods to Increase

• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
• Make at least half of your grains whole grains.
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

Foods to Reduce

• Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals – and choose the foods with lower numbers.
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

Each of these messages remains consistent with messages from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 and MyPyramid. The real benefit of MyPlate is the simple, concise message of proportionality on your plate.

healthy living, nutrition dietary guidelines, my plate, proportions

It was once believed that limiting your egg intake was an important step in eating a heart healthy diet. After all, one egg yolk provides 215 milligrams of cholesterol (recommended intake is less than 300 milligrams daily). This myth is slowly being dispelled, however, with the release of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Supported by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, the guidelines are a set of recommendations based on current scientific evidence. They are intended to promote health, lower the risk of chronic disease, and decrease the incidence of overweight and obesity through better nutrition practices and physical activity. The 2010 guidelines state there is no evidence to suggest that eating one egg daily increases blood cholesterol or the risk of heart disease in healthy people. Eggs are an inexpensive, but excellent source of protein, vitamins, and minerals.

healthy living, nutrition cholesterol, eggs, heart

Eggs made news earlier this year because of a salmonella outbreak. Properly handling and storing eggs will reduce the risk of contaminating eggs with salmonella. Salmonella infection is often the result of eating raw or undercooked eggs or egg products, meat, or poultry. It can take from several hours to about two days to cause symptoms. Following is a list of possible signs and symptoms of salmonella infection:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea
• Fever
• Chills
• Headache
• Muscle pains
• Blood in the stool

There are many ways to make sure eggs are safe to eat. Use the following tips:

1. Buy eggs only if sold from a refrigerator or refrigerated case at 45°F.
2. Store eggs in their original carton on a shelf in the refrigerator (not in the door) and use them within 3 weeks for best quality.
3. Wash hands, utensils, equipment, and work surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after they come in contact with eggs and egg-containing foods.
4. Cook eggs until both the yolk and the white are firm. Scrambled eggs should not be runny.
5. Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160°F (72°C). Use a food thermometer to be sure.
6. For recipes that call for eggs that are raw or undercooked when the dish is served—Caesar salad dressing and homemade ice cream are two examples— use pasteurized egg products.
7. Avoid taste-testing egg-containing foods before they are thoroughly cooked.
8. For buffet-style serving, hot egg dishes should be kept hot, and cold egg dishes kept cold.
9. Cooked eggs, including hard-boiled eggs, and egg-containing foods should not sit out for more than 2 hours. Within 2 hours either reheat or refrigerate.
10. Use hard-cooked eggs (in the shell or peeled) within 1 week after cooking.
11. Refrigerate leftover cooked egg dishes and use within 3 to 4 days. When refrigerating a large amount of a hot egg-containing leftover, divide it into several shallow containers so it will cool quickly.
12. Cooked eggs for a picnic should be packed in an insulated cooler with enough ice or frozen gel packs to keep them cold. Don’t put the cooler in the trunk— carry it in the air-conditioned passenger compartment of the car.

Source: Retrieved from “Playing It Safe With Eggs”

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Sodium recommendations have been revised recently. Americans 51 years and older, African Americans, and those diagnosed with high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease are advised to consume no more than 1,500 milligrams (mg) a day.

The recommended amount for everyone else is 2,300 mg, the amount of sodium in one teaspoon of salt. Currently, the average American consumes 3,400 mg daily. If Americans could achieve the lower sodium recommendation, it is predicted that 92,000 deaths and 66,000 strokes could be prevented every year. In addition, 99,000 Americans would be spared a heart attack and 120,000 would be spared heart disease every year.

Hypertension is a chronic condition resulting from elevated blood pressure. It is referred to as the silent killer because it doesn’t have noticeable early warning signs or symptoms.

Below is a table showing the different categories of hypertension. Our goal is to keep our blood pressure below 120/80. We can do this through lifestyle practices and medications.

Your physician may consider prescribing medication when your blood pressure is “high,” at least 140/90. However, it’s important to recognize that high blood pressure is a threat to your blood vessels before it crosses that line. Blood pressure higher than 120/80 is associated with increased risk of some types of cardiac events. The area between normal and hypertension is called pre-hypertension and afflicts roughly 1 in 3 Americans; another 1 out of 3 Americans has hypertension.

Researchers aren’t sure how elevated blood pressure raises the risk of heart attack and stroke, but one possibility is that it may accelerate the clogging of arteries. The higher blood pressure may lead to damage in the blood vessel walls. The body attempts to correct this damage with plaque.

How to begin to adopt the new sodium guidelines?

• Limit meals eaten away from home and buy fewer processed foods.
• Read food labels, watching for words indicating sodium such as: monosdoium glutamate, onion salt, garlic salt, seasoned salt, catsup, BBQ sauce, soy sauce, and bouillon. Try low sodium versions of these items.
• Take the salt shaker off the dinner table.
• Add salt free vegetables, beans, or grains to high sodium foods (pre-packaged mixes or restaurant food). This will cut sodium and increase vegetable intake at the same time. For example: Add 1 pound of steamed broccoli to an order of Chinese take-out. Add a pound of carrots and cherry tomatoes to a pre-packaged dish (skillet dinner, rice, or pasta mix). Add 1 cup of brown rice to any quick-cooking, seasoned package of rice.
• Learn about herbs and spices and experiment with new ways to flavor your food.

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In addition to vitamins and minerals, fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals, which are compounds providing color, aroma, texture and flavor to plant-based foods. Phytochemicals help reduce the risk of many diseases.

More than 2,000 phytochemicals are plant pigments, which provide a rainbow of fruits and vegetables. Just remember, the darker the color, the more phytochemicals and health benefits of a fruit or vegetable. For example, spinach will have more phytochemicals and health benefits than iceberg lettuce.

healthy living, nutrition fruits, phytochemicals, vegetables