Are you one of the millions of Americans who take some type of dietary supplement? If so you might be wondering about the usefulness of some supplements.
A recent report out of the National Institutes of Health reported that gingko biloba was not effective in improving memory. While this study was on one supplement it is just another of a line of studies questioning the value of supplements.
A recent position paper from the American Dietetic Association states that many Americans lack awareness of safety, proper usage of them or even if they need supplements. The position goes on to state - “the best nutrition-based strategy for promoting optimal health and reducing the risk of chronic disease is to wisely choose a wide variety of foods. Additional nutrients from supplements can help some people meet their nutrition needs as specified by science-based nutrition standards such as the Dietary Reference Intakes.”
If you’re confused by all the supplement options; want to know if you need to take any and if so how much, your best advice is to do two things. First, visit your physician for a health check-up and second contact a Registered Dietitian for a review of your eating habits. Locate a dietitian in your area by visiting eatright.org and click on Find a Registered Dietitian.
Position Paper of the American Dietetic Association accessed at eatright.org.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Happy New Year!
It maybe hard to believe that we are at the start of another year, and now another decade, but in fact the month of January is six days old. As you look forward to the New Year do so with resolutions that are realistic, achievable and enjoyable – yes resolutions can be enjoyable.
Resolutions start with an assessment of what you’d like to change and then a determination of how to make those changes. If you’d like to improve your eating habits this year start first with a good understanding of healthy eating. Mypyramid.gov provides a good outline of what we need for health, how much we need for our own health needs and how to make changes to achieve these goals.
As you make changes remember to take small steps; a new goal per week is reasonable and goals can be as simple as boosting dairy intake by one cup per day.
When it comes to enjoyable, start by adding foods you like – if you need more vegetables consider boosting portions of those you already eat or maybe mix some new choices in with current favorites. If you need to add cheese or margarine to make vegetables palatable do that but try to keep the amount in balance to the vegetables – In other words this is about more vegetables.
Finally, if a resolution is harder than you expected give it more time. Remember the goal for healthy eating is a pattern for life, not another diet.
It maybe hard to believe that we are at the start of another year, and now another decade, but in fact the month of January is six days old. As you look forward to the New Year do so with resolutions that are realistic, achievable and enjoyable – yes resolutions can be enjoyable.
Resolutions start with an assessment of what you’d like to change and then a determination of how to make those changes. If you’d like to improve your eating habits this year start first with a good understanding of healthy eating. Mypyramid.gov provides a good outline of what we need for health, how much we need for our own health needs and how to make changes to achieve these goals.
As you make changes remember to take small steps; a new goal per week is reasonable and goals can be as simple as boosting dairy intake by one cup per day.
When it comes to enjoyable, start by adding foods you like – if you need more vegetables consider boosting portions of those you already eat or maybe mix some new choices in with current favorites. If you need to add cheese or margarine to make vegetables palatable do that but try to keep the amount in balance to the vegetables – In other words this is about more vegetables.
Finally, if a resolution is harder than you expected give it more time. Remember the goal for healthy eating is a pattern for life, not another diet.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Happy Thankgiving
One of the joys of Thanksgiving is the chance to spend time with family and friends. One of the challenges of Thanksgiving is that the occasion usually involves lots of food. There is Good News - you can enjoy the food without overdoing, if you follow a few simple tips.
* Don't starve all day in anticipation of the big meal, you will still end up eating more than you need due to hunger
* Space meals throughout the day about three to four hours apart and enjoy smaller portions each time
* Fill your plate with lots of vegetables, whole grains and lean turkey slices and then add the higher calorie foods.
* Eat slowly. Savor the Flavor and Enjoy the company
* Monitor your alcohol intake since alcohol can cause you to overeat
Finally, remember to enjoy the reason for the day by taking time to really visit with family and friends. In the end this will help you control eating and help you feel better.
* Don't starve all day in anticipation of the big meal, you will still end up eating more than you need due to hunger
* Space meals throughout the day about three to four hours apart and enjoy smaller portions each time
* Fill your plate with lots of vegetables, whole grains and lean turkey slices and then add the higher calorie foods.
* Eat slowly. Savor the Flavor and Enjoy the company
* Monitor your alcohol intake since alcohol can cause you to overeat
Finally, remember to enjoy the reason for the day by taking time to really visit with family and friends. In the end this will help you control eating and help you feel better.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Halloween Sweets Can Fit Into a Healthful Eating Plan
As you prepare for Halloween take some time to think about how to manage the candy, cookies and pastries that are so much a part of the holiday. Sweets can add enjoyment and variety to a healthful eating plan but if you aren't careful they will also add lots of fat, sugar and calories. The best way to enjoy Halloween is to have a plan that allows for small portions of treats.
Current dietary guidelines recommend keeping sugar intake to less than ten percent of your daily calories so if you are an "average" adult consuming 2000 calories that would mean less than 200 calories from added sweets. One chocolate candy bar can easily provide 200 calories so think about choosing mini or fun size bars to control your intake.
Some tips can make Halloween enjoyable but also healthy.
Current dietary guidelines recommend keeping sugar intake to less than ten percent of your daily calories so if you are an "average" adult consuming 2000 calories that would mean less than 200 calories from added sweets. One chocolate candy bar can easily provide 200 calories so think about choosing mini or fun size bars to control your intake.
Some tips can make Halloween enjoyable but also healthy.
- Determine how much candy you can eat per day and portion it out into small bags
- Consume healthful foods outlined in Mypyramid.gov before eating sweets
- Slowly chew sweets so that you really savor the flavor
- Keep activity in your routine to help manage the extra calories
Happy Halloween!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Annual American Dietetic Meeting
The annual Food and Nutrition Conference of the American Dietetic Association wrapped up today. The meeting was attended by more than 7,000 food and nutrition professionals. During this four day meeting attendees had a chance to learn about vitamin C supplementation, the importance of choosing healthy fats like corn, soy, canola and oil instead of butter and animal fats, how sustainability can, and should, include a component on nutrition and more than 70 other sessions.
In addition to the sessions 350 exhibitors displayed their new products, whether they were food, equipment or educational materials. Items found included many gluten free options, even a bread that really tasted good, organic options, healthy products from Starbucks as well as many other companies.
In addition to the sessions 350 exhibitors displayed their new products, whether they were food, equipment or educational materials. Items found included many gluten free options, even a bread that really tasted good, organic options, healthy products from Starbucks as well as many other companies.
Monday, October 5, 2009
International Congress of Nutrition
Today in Bangkok the 19th International Congress of Nutrition was kicked off by a welcoming address from Thailand's Royal Highness. The conference is off to a good start with several sessions on the issue of undernutrition. In addition a session on sodium reduction looked at sodium intake worldwide and steps that have been taken by Unilever to reduce sodium in their products. The challenge to the audience was to take an active role in educating consumers about sodium and its role in health and food production.
Another session looked at the role of diet in disease development with a special focus on how diet can impact inflammation in a positive and negative way.
Tomorrow brings session on fats, nutrition in pregnancy and more session on genetic modulation and disease. In the evening tomorrow I will coordinate with others to conduct a workshop and cooking demo on the importance of fats in a healthful eating plan and how to choose healthy fats.
Another session looked at the role of diet in disease development with a special focus on how diet can impact inflammation in a positive and negative way.
Tomorrow brings session on fats, nutrition in pregnancy and more session on genetic modulation and disease. In the evening tomorrow I will coordinate with others to conduct a workshop and cooking demo on the importance of fats in a healthful eating plan and how to choose healthy fats.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sat and Trans Fat: How do they Compare?
Over the last several years there has been a great deal of attention paid to trans fats with consumers avoiding them like the plaque and food companies searching for options but the question is do you know how trans fats compare to sat fats? Possibly even more important than that question is the question, do you know how much fat is needed to be healthy? Yes it is true some fat is needed for health but the important issue is choosing the right fat so to make it simple let’s start at the beginning.
Fat is important to overall health since it serves as the means of moving fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K throughout the body. Fat is also needed for brain and nervous system health. Two fatty acids cannot be made by the body so they must be supplied by the diet making a minimum intake of at least ten percent of your daily calories an important part of your diet. Linoleic acid and alpha-linoleic acid are both found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds. In addition, omega 3 fatty acids found in fatty fish and fish oils can also help provide the fats we need.
After consuming at least the minimum amount of fat it is important to choose healthier fats. Saturated fats are predominately found in animal foods and they will increase blood cholesterol. Trans fats are found naturally in animal foods but are mainly consumed when choosing partially hydrogenated fats. Trans fats increase blood cholesterol and can lower the good cholesterol but the bottom-line is that saturated and Trans fats should both be kept to a minimum intake.
When it comes to fats focus on the following –
· Choose more oils, soft margarine, nuts, seeds and fatty fish
· Use fat free dairy foods to get your 3 A Day of Dairy
· Focus on lean meat and poultry
· Keep meat and poultry portions moderate
Fat is important to overall health since it serves as the means of moving fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K throughout the body. Fat is also needed for brain and nervous system health. Two fatty acids cannot be made by the body so they must be supplied by the diet making a minimum intake of at least ten percent of your daily calories an important part of your diet. Linoleic acid and alpha-linoleic acid are both found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds. In addition, omega 3 fatty acids found in fatty fish and fish oils can also help provide the fats we need.
After consuming at least the minimum amount of fat it is important to choose healthier fats. Saturated fats are predominately found in animal foods and they will increase blood cholesterol. Trans fats are found naturally in animal foods but are mainly consumed when choosing partially hydrogenated fats. Trans fats increase blood cholesterol and can lower the good cholesterol but the bottom-line is that saturated and Trans fats should both be kept to a minimum intake.
When it comes to fats focus on the following –
· Choose more oils, soft margarine, nuts, seeds and fatty fish
· Use fat free dairy foods to get your 3 A Day of Dairy
· Focus on lean meat and poultry
· Keep meat and poultry portions moderate
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