10 MORE #NUTRITION MYTHS THAT IMPACT YOUR #HEALTH

Another harmless myth

1.  Eating fiber lowers blood cholesterol.  Only soluble fiber reduces blood cholesterol by ushering it out of the body before it can settle in arteries.  Good sources of soluble fiber are oats and oatmeal, legumes (peas, beans, lentils) barley, fruits and vegetables, especially oranges, apples and carrots.

Whole wheat flour, wheat bran, nuts and many vegetables are good sources of insoluble fiber, which pass through the digestive system in close to their  original form.  They benefit intestinal health and reduce the risk and occurrence of hemorrhoids and constipation.

2.  Milk is the best source of dietary calcium.  Ounce for ounce, dried figs and soybeans contain more calcium than milk does—good news for the lactose-intolerant.

3.  Multigrain breads are always whole grain.  Multigrain means only that more than one grain is present, and the primary grain is often white flour.  The first words on the list of ingredients must be “whole wheat flour” or some other whole grain flour.

4.  Free-range chicken is more healthful and guaranteed to be produced more humanely than other chickens.   No and no.  Free-range chickens are not more nutritious than other chickens; nor are they safer from Salmonella or other infections.  “Free-range” means only that the chickens have access to leaving the cage, not that they go outside to their outdoor pen.  Because most chickens spend their first few weeks caged, they’re generally afraid to venture outside when their cage doors are finally opened.

5.  A label listing trans fats as “0” means it contains no partially hydrogenated oil.  The “0” means very little because of a loophole in the labeling law.  It simply means that the food can contain up to 0.5 grams of trans fats per serving, and since labels list a serving as something ridiculously small and unrealistic, there may be quite a bit of trans fats in an actual serving that a person consumes.

6.  Vegetables should be cooked for as little time as possible and are most nutritious served raw.  This is generally true, but not always.   Cooking or canning corn, tomatoes and carrots boosts their beta carotene, lycopene and some other vital phytochemicals.

7.  Adding baking soda to the water soaking dried beans cuts down on the gas-forming substance in the beans.  Baking soda may help a bit, but it increases the loss of B vitamins.  Replacing the soak water a couple of times before cooking removes a good part of the carbohydrates called oligosaccharides that produce gas.

8.  Ground meat labeled “75% lean” is a good choice because only 25% of its calories come from fat.  They got us again with another loophole.  The meat is 25% fat by weight, which is totally different from the percentage of calories from fat.  A 3-ounce broiled patty of this meat would have about 235 calories and 16 grams of fat.  Multiply 16 by 9, the number of calories in a gram of fat, and you get 144, about 62% of the total calories.

9.  Flaxseeds are a good source of alpha-linolenic acid, a healthy omega-3 polyunsaturated fat.  Only if you grind them.  Whole flax seeds, often sprinkled over “whole-grain” breads & rolls, pass right through the body.

10.  Fresh pasta is better for us than dried pasta, and spinach pasta is better than plain.   Fresh pasta has no nutritional benefit over dried.  The amount of spinach or other vegetable used in pasta is miniscule and contributes insignificant nutritional value.  On the other hand, whole wheat pasta is the most healthful, having 3 times more fiber per serving than plain pasta.

Source:  University of California, Berkeley Food and Nutrition Issue, Summer 2012.  And other sources

SAY YES TO 7 OFF-LIMITS FOODS AND LOSE #WEIGHT

Milton Stokes, MPH, RD, is a dietitian who has this to say about some of the foods forbidden for persons dieting:  “Thanks to fad diets that aren’t based in solid science, I often see clients avoiding foods that would help them control overeating or fight belly fat and ultimately lose weight.

“Worse still, having an off-limits list is like stuffing your cravings into a plastic bag.  Eventually it’s going to burst open, unleashing all your food urges at once, which leads to bingeing.”

The recommendation is to watch portions and choose high-quality, nutrient-rich foods.

Whole-wheat bread

Bread contains carbohydrates that boost brain chemicals, such as serotonin, that act to curb overeating.  The digestion of carbohydrates prompts the release of insulin that helps channel tryptophan to the brain where it gets converted into serotonin.

When serotonin levels are optimum, we have fewer cravings.

Breads made from whole-grain flour are most nutritious, but beware of imitations:

Bread labeled as Wheat Bread is made from white flour + coloring.

Breads labeled as Multi Grain are probably made with white flour.

The first ingredient on the breads’ labels will read “Wheat Flour,” which is white flour.

Unless the first ingredient says “Whole Wheat Flour,” you’re eating white bread, a high glycemic carb.

One serving of bread is one slice, a small roll, or half an English muffin.

Whole-grain pasta

Research done at the British Nutrition Foundation revealed that eating fluid-rich foods keeps us feeling fuller longer, compared to eating dry foods.  The carbs in pasta, like bread, help boost serotonin to avoid food cravings. dark chocolate

Select whole-grain pasta for the fiber, and add chicken or fish and a lot of vegetables.

Cook pasta only to the al dente stage.  If you cook it till it’s limp, the heat converts the complex carbohydrates into simple carbohydrates.  Think sugar.

One serving of pasta is one half cup, about the size of a scoop of ice cream.

 Potatoes

When boiled or baked, the starch in potatoes absorbs water and swells.  Once cooled, portions of the starch crystallize into a form that resists digestion.

Resistant starch gets fermented in the large intestine and creates fatty acids that may block the body’s ability to burn carbs.  Instead, you burn fat.

One serving of potato is about the size of a fist.

Peanut Butter

Diets high in the mono-unsaturated fatty acids found in nuts prevent belly fat from accumulating, boost calorie burn and promote weight loss.

A recent study in the Harvard School of Public Health showed that women who eat one serving of nuts or peanut butter 2 or more times per week gain fewer pounds than women who don’t eat them.  One reason is that a snack of peanut butter helps you stay full for up to 2 ½ hours, compared to ½ hour for a carb only snack.

I (gently) indulge almost daily.

One serving of peanut butter is 2 tablespoons, about the size of a golf ball.

Cheese 

Cheese is an excellent source of calcium, which improves the body’s ability to burn fat and calories.  Insufficient calcium may trigger the release of calcitriol, a hormone that causes the body to store fat.

University of Tennessee researchers found persons on a low-calorie diet who included an extra 300-400 mg of calcium a day lost considerably more weight than those eating the same number of calories with less calcium.

No one is certain why, but eating calcium-rich foods is more effective than taking calcium supplements.

One serving of cheese is 2 ounces.  If you choose low-calorie cheeses, you’ll get health benefits for half the calories.

Dark Chocolate

Chocolate is the most commonly craved food; total deprivation of it causes people to binge on it.  According to British research, people who tried not to think about chocolate ate 2/3 more of it than people who talked about it.

So, be good to yourself.

Dark varieties are more satisfying than milk chocolate, so treat yourself to a couple of squares of high-quality dark chocolate instead of bingeing on junk chocolate bars.

Fruit

Though fruit contains the natural sugar fructose, it won’t raise blood sugar levels like table sugar does.  Also, it’s high in water and fiber and low in calories.

In one study in Brazil, women who added 3 small apples to their meals lost 2 pounds in 10 weeks—without dieting.

The journal Obesity Reviews critiqued 16 separate studies and found that eating fruit is overwhelmingly associated with weighing less.

Include 3 servings of fresh fruit every day, but skip juices, which are high- calorie.

One serving of fruit is one cup.  Good choices are fresh melon at 50 calories, grapes at 60 calories, berries at 70 calories and citrus fruits at 75 calories.

Source:  Prevention, November, 2011  And other sources

LOW-FAT-MUFFINS-ARE-HEALTHY MYTH

  from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), January, 2012

Fats in full-fat muffins are generally plant-based oils, oils rich in heart-healthy, unsaturated fats.  The low-fat muffin, disguised as a sweet way to lose weight, is probably the gateway to gaining weight.

Once the fat’s cut back in the muffin, what we’re eating is white flour and sugar-refined carbs, which our bodies break down almost as fast as we can swallow them. 

And then our blood sugar quickly dips and drops, telling us that we’re hungry. And that one low-fat muffin really wasn’t that much to eat.  And that it’s OK to eat another one, especially since they’re low-fat. 

Etc.

No low-fat processed foods, including baked goods, are as flavorful as foods prepared with full-fats.  So processed food manufacturers (don’t confuse them with cooks or chefs) increase the salt content, a fitting complement for the refined carbs.

Salt, white flour, sugar and other heavily refined carbohydrates seem to increase the risk of heart disease at least as much as diets high in harmful saturated fat. 

Chefs and registered dietitians at The Culinary Institute of America, working with nutrition experts at HSPH, are creating new muffin recipes using healthy fats and whole grains—and less sugar and salt. 

You can create more healthful versions of your favorite baked goods in your own kitchen.  Start replacing half the butter with a healthful oil, such as canola.  Replace half the refined flour with whole grain flour.  Pare back the amount of sugar and salt you use.

My Take on low-fat baked goods: 

Ptooey! 

I’m not a fan of breakfast cereals, other than oatmeal, so I bake Oat Bran Whole Wheat Muffins for an occasional breakfast treat.  I use butter in baking because I have no cholesterol or heart problems.  And because I like the flavor.

Instead of sugar, I include dried apricots and cranberries I’ve gently simmered in Tawny Port.  Instead of salt, I add salted sunflower seeds—very healthful fat. 

All in all, they’re sturdy, stick-to-the-ribs (instead of the midriff) muffins.