Decoding Food Packaging, Nutrition Labels and Claims

Food packages are filled with information and phrases to make a product appear healthy, jump off the shelf and into your cart from multigrain to no trans fat to all natural. Some words may indicate a truly healthy product while others may not.

Instead of Multigrain... Opt for Whole Grain
Multigrain Simply means that there is more than one type of grain in the product, it DOES NOT mean whole grain. To get the fiber, vitamins and minerals from whole grains you need to choose products with the words whole grain and double check the ingredient list, whole grains should be the first ingredient on this list!

Instead of Natural... Opt for Reading the Label
If you buy natural foods thinking you are helping your health or the environment, think again. There is no criteria for the use of the word natural on food products. Instead of allowing the word natural to grab your attention, check the nutrition facts of the product and the ingredient list!

Instead of Sugar-Free... Opt for Lower Sugar
The words sugar-free on a food package indicate that there is less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving, although to maintain sweetness, many products move in sugar substitutes like sugar alcohols, sucralose or aspartame. Plus many may have even more calories and fat than their non-sugar free counterparts. For example: 3 sugar-free chocolates has 5 more grams of fat compared to the 'regular' chocolates. The best bet - opt for foods that are naturally lower in sugar and double check the ingredient list to make sure a sugar substitute has not been added instead!

For more on decoding food packages check out Molly's article 5 Ways to Out Smart Food Labels on MensFitness.com and watch this quick interview on Misleading Claims with Molly from Bridge Street (News Channel 9):

Little Ways to Eat Right, Every Day

 

There are little ways, subtle changes you can make to eat right - every day - your way!

Try working these tips into your eating routine:

 

- Have breakfast every day! And add a piece of fruit like an orange, apple or banana.

 

- Skip or skimp on the sugar in your coffee. Cutting out 2 packets of sugar per day (2 teaspoons worth) saves 32 calories per day and over the course of the year that would total 11,680 calories saved or about 3.3 pounds!

 

- Try new foods! Keep your taste buds interested by adding in new foods, try interesting fruit and veggies like permission, starfruit or parsnips.

 

- Fill half of your plate with fruit and/or veggies. A great way to have a full plate with fewer calories is to fill-up half of your plate with fruit and/or veggies! When you are out to eat ask for double veggies or add a side of fruit with your meal.  

 

- Go Meatless on Mondays - Make it a goal to have at least one meatless meal per week, try a veggie stir fry with quinoa, bean burritos, veggie burgers or eggplant Parmesan.

 

Happy National Nutrition Month®

9 Foods To Help Your Heart

What you eat can help your heart. Foods that are rich in fiber, omega-3 fats and antioxidants top the list of foods to include. Incorporating these foods into your eating routine can help to lower your total cholesterol, increase healthy (HDL) cholesterol and drive down lousy (LDL) cholesterol levels. Try these quick ideas:

Flax: Opt for ground flax seed or liquid flax seed oil. A favorite liquid flaxseed oil is Barlean's Omega Swirl Flaxseed oil, it tastes SO GOOD and is great on plain yogurt, in smoothies or as a topping for oatmeal.

 

Brown rice: When you're out to eat ask for brown rice instead of white rice, there is more fiber and nutrients! And when cooking at home trade-in white rice for whole-grain brown rice or brown rice blends.

 

Walnuts: The nut that is loaded with the most heart helping omega-3 fat are walnuts. Try adding them to quick breads or muffins, oatmeal, salads and trail mix for heart helping crunch.

 

Quiona: This seed cooks up similar to brown rice and is full of fiber and a complete source of protein. It works great as a stand-in for rice with stir-fry or in grain based salads like tabbouleh.  

 

Oatmeal: Start your morning with a bowl of hot oatmeal! If you are short on time, cook up a batch of oatmeal and then store in an air tight container and heat your portion of oatmeal every morning. Try topping oatmeal with fresh fruit to limit the amount of added sugar.

 

Berries: The bright red and purple colors of berries are linked to helping heart health and they go great in a salad or as a side dish at most meals. Try adding a serving of fruit to every meal!

 

Salmon: Some fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring and sardines have heart helping fats. The American Heart Association recommends having heart healthy fish two times per week.

 

Avocado: A fruit that is rich in monounsaturated fats which can help boost healthy (HDL) cholesterol levels. Try using avocado as a spread on sandwiches instead of mayo, adding avocado to salads and serve guacamole as a dip for sliced veggies or multi-grain tortilla chips.

 

Beans: All types of beans are full of fiber which helps to lower cholesterol levels, add in beans to soup, salads and rice dishes to increase the fiber. If you're worried about kids picking them out, opt for light colored beans like pinto beans to help them blend in better.

  

Another Reason to Skip Diet Drinks

Drinking diet soda is linked to depression? And drinking coffee may keep you happier? Yes, according the results from a National Institutes of Health study. The study evaluated beverage consumption (teas, fruit punch, soda, diet teas, coffee...) of over 264,000 adults (ages 50 to 71) from 1995-1996. The researchers then went back to that same group ten years later to ask about how many had been diagnosed with depression? The answer: 11,311 had been diagnosed.

What was striking about the results is: Those who had 4 or more sodas per day were 30-percent more likely to have depression. Those who had 4 or more cans of fruit punch per day were 36-percent more likely to develop depression. The biggest risk of depression was among those drinking diet soda, diet teas or other artificially sweetened beverages. Those that had 4 or more cups of coffee per day had a 10-percent lower risk of developing depression.

The bottom-line: replace sugary and artificially sweetened drinkings with unsweetened options like:
- water
- plain coffee or tea
- decaf herbal teas
- water
- mineral water
- seltzer water

The results of the study will be officially presented in March 2013 at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting.

Diet Do's and Don'ts

Here are some dieting do's and dont's to get your New Year started, watch the tips that I shared with Bridge Street today in Central NY.

Veggie Paella

Paella in the making!

Quick, easy and delicious! Paella is a Valencian rice dish that originated in its modern form on the east coast of Spain.
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
8 ounces seitan strips (vegetarian "white meat")*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups butternut squash cubes (frozen)
1 cup yellow squash (1 medium)
1 cup zucchini (1 medium)
1 cup carrots, chopped (2-3 carrots)
1 cup asparagus, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 can diced tomatoes (14-ounce)
2 cups green beans (frozen)
1/8 teaspoon all-spice
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste

*Or substitute 8-ounces of chicken sausage!

Directions:
1. In a large pot or skillet heat oil and add seitan, garlic and garlic powder.
2. Add butternut squash, yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, asparagus, peas, tomatoes, all-spice and paprika. Simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add rice and vegetable broth and cook for 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
4. Season to taste and serve!

Deaths, Energy Drinks and Investigations

The concern about the safety of energy drinks continue to grow as the reported deaths potentially linked to consumption of 5-Hour Energy Drink and Monster Energy Drink are released from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Additionally, the federal government and the New York Attorney General’s office are investigating the claims.

To date there have been 13 reported deaths potentially linked to 5-Hour Energy Drink and 33 reported hospitalizations with symptoms including increased blood pressure and abnormal heart rate. Yet, the concerns are not isolated to just 5-Hour Energy Drinks, there have been 5 reported deaths related to Monster Energy drinks and 35 hospitalizations and 13 reported hospitalizations related to Rockstar Energy Drink. It is important to note, the deaths and hospitalizations are reported to the Center for Food Safety Adverse Event Reporting System (CAERS) which is a surveillance system and some of the reported information cannot be verified for accuracy.

When it comes to caffeine, the most widely consumed central nervous system stimulant, some maybe okay and definitely, more is not better: Although health experts vary with the recommended ‘safe’ amount of caffeine to consume, generally the equivalent of one to two cups (8-ounce cups) of coffee which totals about 260 mg of caffeine, is considered a safe daily amount to consume for adults.

Yet when it comes to energy drinks, coffee and teas, it can be difficult to know exactly how much caffeine you are having. Plus with energy drinks, they are not regulated as far as the contents of caffeine and the other additives which often include b-vitamins, taurine and ginseng. For example, 2 fluid ounces of 5-Hour Energy Drink has 2000% (40 mg or 0.04 grams) of the daily value for vitamin B6, which you are likely are getting other sources and possibly other supplements.

Caffeine facts: Once caffeine is ingested it is absorbed by the body quickly, after about 45-minutes you can feel the effects of caffeine. In the body, caffeine is mainly processed by the liver and after about five to seven hours, half of the caffeine is eliminated from the body. This is important to note because if you have coffee in the morning and then add in an energy drink in the afternoon, your body is still processing the caffeine from your morning coffee and if you have no idea how much caffeine is in what you are drinking you could quickly go over 260 mg of caffeine in a hurry. The bottom-line, think twice before you reach for a jolt from an energy drink and reevaluate your overall caffeine intake..

Know much caffeine you are having: Check out caffeine content apps or Web sites to use as a reference as to how much caffeine are in products you routinely reach for. This can help you at least establish a baseline for how much you are having from the various products you choose on a routine basis.

 

Starbucks Coffee (16 fl oz): 320 mg caffeine

5-hour energy (1.93 fl oz): 207 mg caffeine

Dunkin Donuts regular (16 fl oz): 203 mg caffeine

Starbucks Latte (16 fl oz): 150 mg caffeine

Coffee, brewed (8 fl oz): 133 mg caffeine

Red Bull Energy Shot (2 fl oz): 80 mg caffeine

Red Bull (8 fl oz): 80 mg caffeine

Tea (8 fl oz): 53 mg caffeine

 

Source: CSPI Caffeine Chart http://www.cspinet.org/new/cafchart.htm

 

 

 

References:

FDA Report: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/OfficeofFoods/CFSAN/CFSANFOIAElectronicReadingRoom/UCM328270.pdf

Caffeinated Drink Cited in Reports of 13 deaths: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/business/5-hour-energy-is-cited-in-13-death-reports.html?_r=1&

Caffeine and the central Nervous System: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1356551

Caffeine and Heart Disease: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyDietGoals/Caffeine-and-Heart-Disease_UCM_305888_Article.jsp

Vitamin B-6 Fact Sheet: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/