A new research study from the U.K. shows that chocolate could cut heart disease and stroke risk by one-third. This was a large scale analysis of other studies with over 100,000 participants who were studied for a minimum of 8 years.
Those who ate the most chocolate had a lower heart disease and stroke risk when compared to those who ate the least amount of chocolate. All types of chocolate and all sources of chocolate were counted, milk chocolate to dark chocolate and from bars, drinks, and cookies.
As fascinating as this study is, it doesn’t necessarily prove without a doubt that chocolate is protective against heart disease and stroke. Other factors were not taken into account, so chocolate eaters may be participating in other heart-healthy activities or eating habits. The positive news is that chocolate isn’t bad for you, especially in moderate amounts (this study confirmed about once or twice per week).
The components in the chocolate that helped improve heart-health were not individually studied. But, previous research has showed beneficial polyphenols in the chocolate. These substances have antioxidant properties (which help prevent free radical damage to cells in the body), lower blood pressure, and prevent inflammation.
Even though this study didn’t distinguish between different types of chocolate, previous research studies show that dark chocolate may be best for heart protection.
Another interesting thing to note is that some previous chocolate studies have been funded by chocolate companies, whereas this study was done by researchers at the University of Cambridge in England. The studies that they reviewed did not have funding from the chocolate industry and included participants from various countries.
One negative aspect of chocolate is that too much can lead to weight gain. Weight gain over time can lead to overweight and obesity, which are known risk factors for heart disease. Overdoing it can cause more harmful effects than good.
WebMD has more information about chocolate and the heart.
USA Today also has an article with more information about chocolate and the heart.
This blog includes articles on health, wellness, physical activity, healthy eating, and food safety.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Nutrition myths
There are a lot of nutrition myths circulating out through email and various websites. One recent one is that you should only eat fruit on an empty stomach. The claim is that it will rot in your stomach when mixed with other foods and could cause a whole host of health problems. The truth is that fruit is digested the same, whether eaten on an empty stomach or not. Fruit, and any other food, is digested faster without any other food in the stomach, but that is not a harmful thing. Also, fruit doesn't rot in the stomach. The chemical components on the stomach would not allow that to happen.
Here is an article with more information about this myth.
Another current myth is that bananas are the perfect food. While bananas are nutrient-dense and a healthy food, they are not the perfect food. A healthy eating plan includes a variety of different colorful fruits and vegetables.
There are many nutrition myths out there, if you have one that you are curious to know more about, email Melissa and she will address it on the blog.
For more nutrition myths, visit the Mizzou Nutrition Mythbusters website.
Here is an article with more information about this myth.
Another current myth is that bananas are the perfect food. While bananas are nutrient-dense and a healthy food, they are not the perfect food. A healthy eating plan includes a variety of different colorful fruits and vegetables.
There are many nutrition myths out there, if you have one that you are curious to know more about, email Melissa and she will address it on the blog.
For more nutrition myths, visit the Mizzou Nutrition Mythbusters website.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
10 un-healthy foods
The Center for Science in the Public Interest recently published information about their 10 Super Foods for Better Health. They also published information about some of the 10 most un-healthy foods you could eat. These are just some examples of alarmingly un-healthy foods, not necessarily the worst ones out there.
Here is that information.
1. Marie Callender's chicken pot pie - the label is deceiving, because the nutrition information is only for half of the pot pie. This pie has 1,040 calories, 22 grams of saturated fat (most people need no more than 20 grams a day, maximum) and 1,600 mg of sodium. Lesson to be learned: make sure you read the serving size information on food labels.
2. Olive Garden's Tour of Italy - this meal of lasagna, chicken parmigiana, and fettuccine alfredo racks up 1,450 calories, 33 grams of saturated fat, and 3,830 mg of sodium (a day and a half's worth of sodium). A bread stick will add 150 calories and 400 mg of sodium. This one meal is enough calories for an entire day and more than enough saturated fat and sodium.
3. Campbell's condensed soup - one can of this soup will make 2 1/2 servings. If you eat the entire can of soup, you are looking at 1900 mg of sodium. Try one of the healthy request varieties, reduced sodium, or other brands with lower sodium.
4. Chipotle chicken burrito - has 970 calories, 18 grams of saturated fat (same amount as three 6-inch Subway BLT subs), and over 2,000 mg of sodium. Skip the tortilla, sour cream, and/or cheese to cut the fat and calories, but the sodium will still be high.
5. Cheesecake Factory Chocolate Tower Truffle cake - this dessert weighs 3/4 of a pound and adds 1,760 calories and 50 grams of saturated fat. And that's just for a dessert!
6. Pillsbury Grands Cinnabon cinnamon roll with icing - each one has 310 calories, 2 grams of saturated fat, 2 1/2 grams of trans fat (more than enough for one day). That's just for each roll and who can stop at just one?
7. Land O'Lakes margarine - proclaims that it is an excellent source of ALA (a heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acid) but each tablespoon also has 2 1/2 grams of trans fat (more than you need in a day) and 2 grams of saturated fat. It is very easy to use more than one tablespoon of margarine. Better option - look for a tub margarine with little or no trans fat.
8. Starbucks venti (20 oz) white chocolate mocha - made with 2% milk and whipped cream is worse than a McDonald's quarter pounder with cheese. It has 580 calories and 15 grams of saturated fat. If you order with nonfat milk and no whipped cream, it cuts out 130 calories and almost 10 grams of saturated fat. Choose wisely during your coffee break.
9. Haagen-Dazs ice cream - a mere average half cup serving gives you over 300 calories, 10 grams of saturated fat and close to 100 mg of cholesterol (1/3 of the daily amount). It's difficult to only eat a half cup serving, most of us eat 3 or more servings!
10. Cold Stone Creamery's Oh Fudge! shake - made with chocolate ice cream, milk, and fudge syrup is 1,250 calories for the 16 oz Like It size. A large (32 oz) triple thick shake from McDonald's has less. The 20 oz Love It size has 1,660 calories and the 24 oz Gotta Have It size has almost 2,000 calories, 69 grams of saturated fat (over 3 days worth). That's the same amount of saturated fat as 2 16 oz T-bone steaks plus a buttered baked potato.
For comparison, here are the amounts of fat, saturated fat and sodium limits for a 2,000 calorie diet:
Total fat - 65 grams (g)
Saturated fat - 20 grams (g)
Trans fat - as close to 0 grams (g) as possible
Sodium - 2,400 milligrams (mg)
For more information, check out the Center for Science in the Public Interest's website.
Here is that information.
1. Marie Callender's chicken pot pie - the label is deceiving, because the nutrition information is only for half of the pot pie. This pie has 1,040 calories, 22 grams of saturated fat (most people need no more than 20 grams a day, maximum) and 1,600 mg of sodium. Lesson to be learned: make sure you read the serving size information on food labels.
2. Olive Garden's Tour of Italy - this meal of lasagna, chicken parmigiana, and fettuccine alfredo racks up 1,450 calories, 33 grams of saturated fat, and 3,830 mg of sodium (a day and a half's worth of sodium). A bread stick will add 150 calories and 400 mg of sodium. This one meal is enough calories for an entire day and more than enough saturated fat and sodium.
3. Campbell's condensed soup - one can of this soup will make 2 1/2 servings. If you eat the entire can of soup, you are looking at 1900 mg of sodium. Try one of the healthy request varieties, reduced sodium, or other brands with lower sodium.
4. Chipotle chicken burrito - has 970 calories, 18 grams of saturated fat (same amount as three 6-inch Subway BLT subs), and over 2,000 mg of sodium. Skip the tortilla, sour cream, and/or cheese to cut the fat and calories, but the sodium will still be high.
5. Cheesecake Factory Chocolate Tower Truffle cake - this dessert weighs 3/4 of a pound and adds 1,760 calories and 50 grams of saturated fat. And that's just for a dessert!
6. Pillsbury Grands Cinnabon cinnamon roll with icing - each one has 310 calories, 2 grams of saturated fat, 2 1/2 grams of trans fat (more than enough for one day). That's just for each roll and who can stop at just one?
7. Land O'Lakes margarine - proclaims that it is an excellent source of ALA (a heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acid) but each tablespoon also has 2 1/2 grams of trans fat (more than you need in a day) and 2 grams of saturated fat. It is very easy to use more than one tablespoon of margarine. Better option - look for a tub margarine with little or no trans fat.
8. Starbucks venti (20 oz) white chocolate mocha - made with 2% milk and whipped cream is worse than a McDonald's quarter pounder with cheese. It has 580 calories and 15 grams of saturated fat. If you order with nonfat milk and no whipped cream, it cuts out 130 calories and almost 10 grams of saturated fat. Choose wisely during your coffee break.
9. Haagen-Dazs ice cream - a mere average half cup serving gives you over 300 calories, 10 grams of saturated fat and close to 100 mg of cholesterol (1/3 of the daily amount). It's difficult to only eat a half cup serving, most of us eat 3 or more servings!
10. Cold Stone Creamery's Oh Fudge! shake - made with chocolate ice cream, milk, and fudge syrup is 1,250 calories for the 16 oz Like It size. A large (32 oz) triple thick shake from McDonald's has less. The 20 oz Love It size has 1,660 calories and the 24 oz Gotta Have It size has almost 2,000 calories, 69 grams of saturated fat (over 3 days worth). That's the same amount of saturated fat as 2 16 oz T-bone steaks plus a buttered baked potato.
For comparison, here are the amounts of fat, saturated fat and sodium limits for a 2,000 calorie diet:
Total fat - 65 grams (g)
Saturated fat - 20 grams (g)
Trans fat - as close to 0 grams (g) as possible
Sodium - 2,400 milligrams (mg)
For more information, check out the Center for Science in the Public Interest's website.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
10 Super Foods...For Better Health
The Center for Science in the Public Interest recently sent a publication to their Nutrition Action Healthletter subscribers that listed 10 Super Foods...For Better Health. Here is more information about those super foods.
1. Sweet potatoes - they contain a lot of vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and carotenoids (antioxidants that helps protect the cells from free radical damage and boost health).
2. Mangoes - one cup of mango gives us 100% of the vitamin C we need daily, plus vitamin A, potassium, and fiber.
3. Unsweetened Greek yogurt - non fat, plain Greek yogurt is tart, but add fruit, cereal, granola, or other toppings to jazz it up. It has twice the protein of normal yogurt, but usually less calcium.
4. Broccoli - contains vitamin C, carotenoids, vitamin K, and folic acid.
5. Wild salmon - wild salmon has less contaminants than farmed salmon and it also helps get the omega-3 fatty acids needed for heart-health.
6. Crispbreads - these whole grain rye crackers are fat-free but have lots of fiber.
7. Garbanzo beans - all beans have a good dose of protein, fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. Garbanzo beans are easy to use in a variety of dishes, including salads, stews, soups, added to chili, mixed with rice, or as a side dish.
8. Watermelon - 2 cups of watermelon has a good amount of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and lycopene. It is only 80 calories and has no sodium.
9. Butternut squash - sliced butternut squash is easy to steam, put in the oven, stir fry, or in soup. You will get a lot of vitamin C, vitamin A, and fiber from this vegetable.
10. Leafy greens - such as kale, collards, spinach, turnip greens, mustard greens, and Swiss chard. They are loaded with vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, lutein, and fiber.
How many of these super foods are you eating regularly? If you aren't eating very many, try to incorporate some of these into your meals a few times a week at least. You may find a new meal or dish that you really enjoy.
Stay tuned next week for ten of the most un-healthy foods!
For more information about the Center for Science in the Public Interest, check out their website.
1. Sweet potatoes - they contain a lot of vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and carotenoids (antioxidants that helps protect the cells from free radical damage and boost health).
2. Mangoes - one cup of mango gives us 100% of the vitamin C we need daily, plus vitamin A, potassium, and fiber.
3. Unsweetened Greek yogurt - non fat, plain Greek yogurt is tart, but add fruit, cereal, granola, or other toppings to jazz it up. It has twice the protein of normal yogurt, but usually less calcium.
4. Broccoli - contains vitamin C, carotenoids, vitamin K, and folic acid.
5. Wild salmon - wild salmon has less contaminants than farmed salmon and it also helps get the omega-3 fatty acids needed for heart-health.
6. Crispbreads - these whole grain rye crackers are fat-free but have lots of fiber.
7. Garbanzo beans - all beans have a good dose of protein, fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. Garbanzo beans are easy to use in a variety of dishes, including salads, stews, soups, added to chili, mixed with rice, or as a side dish.
8. Watermelon - 2 cups of watermelon has a good amount of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and lycopene. It is only 80 calories and has no sodium.
9. Butternut squash - sliced butternut squash is easy to steam, put in the oven, stir fry, or in soup. You will get a lot of vitamin C, vitamin A, and fiber from this vegetable.
10. Leafy greens - such as kale, collards, spinach, turnip greens, mustard greens, and Swiss chard. They are loaded with vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, lutein, and fiber.
How many of these super foods are you eating regularly? If you aren't eating very many, try to incorporate some of these into your meals a few times a week at least. You may find a new meal or dish that you really enjoy.
Stay tuned next week for ten of the most un-healthy foods!
For more information about the Center for Science in the Public Interest, check out their website.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Butter vs. margarine
Which is better? What is the difference? Here is more information about the butter vs. margarine debate.
Butter is made from cow's milk (cream) whereas margarine is made from vegetable oil. Margarine must be 80% vegetable oil, if it has less then it is considered a vegetable oil spread.
The best butter options are:
- whipped butter in a tub, because it contains more air and less calories and fat.
- light butter, which has more water and less fat and calories
- a vegetable-oil blend, which has added olive oil or canola oil. This doesn't lower the fat or calories, but provides healthy fat instead of saturated fat which helps lower cholesterol.
The worst butter option is a stick of butter.
The best margarine options are:
- light or low-fat spreads, once again because of the added water.
- butter substitute spray, they have very little fat and no cholesterol.
- soft spreads, because they have less saturated fat and usually no trans fat.
The worst margarine option is a stick of margarine with trans fat. The process of hydrogenation (which adds trans fat) keeps the vegetable oil solid at room temperature. Most solid sticks of margarine contain trans fat or if not, then saturated fat. When baking, use margarine stick with no trans fat.
Other options, such as fortified spreads or spreads with added plant sterols are still up in the air. They may have added omega-3's, but the amounts are so tiny that they may not make much difference. They are typically more expensive too.
The healthiest option may be to go "Mediterranean" and use olive oil for dipping bread and/or cooking.
It is also good to use nut butters as a spread instead of butter or margarine. They still contain fat, but at least it's healthy fat. Plus they usually have protein and a few other nutrients. Try sunflower butter, cashew butter, or almond butter for something new instead of peanut butter.
Regardless of what type of butter or margarine you use, keep your portion or serving small. Fat and calories can add up quickly when you use a larger than a tablespoon amount.
The American Heart Association recommends soft, trans-fat-free spreads instead of regular butter or stick margarine. Choose one that has the least amount of saturated fat and no trans fat. You may need to read the label to tell if it has trans fat, looks for the words "partially hydrogenated." If you see that, the spread has some trans fat, even if only a small amount, which can add up if you use more than one serving.
For more information:
Match margarine to use
Use olive, canola, corn, or safflower oil as your main kitchen fats
Butter is made from cow's milk (cream) whereas margarine is made from vegetable oil. Margarine must be 80% vegetable oil, if it has less then it is considered a vegetable oil spread.
The best butter options are:
- whipped butter in a tub, because it contains more air and less calories and fat.
- light butter, which has more water and less fat and calories
- a vegetable-oil blend, which has added olive oil or canola oil. This doesn't lower the fat or calories, but provides healthy fat instead of saturated fat which helps lower cholesterol.
The worst butter option is a stick of butter.
The best margarine options are:
- light or low-fat spreads, once again because of the added water.
- butter substitute spray, they have very little fat and no cholesterol.
- soft spreads, because they have less saturated fat and usually no trans fat.
The worst margarine option is a stick of margarine with trans fat. The process of hydrogenation (which adds trans fat) keeps the vegetable oil solid at room temperature. Most solid sticks of margarine contain trans fat or if not, then saturated fat. When baking, use margarine stick with no trans fat.
Other options, such as fortified spreads or spreads with added plant sterols are still up in the air. They may have added omega-3's, but the amounts are so tiny that they may not make much difference. They are typically more expensive too.
The healthiest option may be to go "Mediterranean" and use olive oil for dipping bread and/or cooking.
It is also good to use nut butters as a spread instead of butter or margarine. They still contain fat, but at least it's healthy fat. Plus they usually have protein and a few other nutrients. Try sunflower butter, cashew butter, or almond butter for something new instead of peanut butter.
Regardless of what type of butter or margarine you use, keep your portion or serving small. Fat and calories can add up quickly when you use a larger than a tablespoon amount.
The American Heart Association recommends soft, trans-fat-free spreads instead of regular butter or stick margarine. Choose one that has the least amount of saturated fat and no trans fat. You may need to read the label to tell if it has trans fat, looks for the words "partially hydrogenated." If you see that, the spread has some trans fat, even if only a small amount, which can add up if you use more than one serving.
For more information:
Match margarine to use
Use olive, canola, corn, or safflower oil as your main kitchen fats
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