Eat Everything in Moderation – Not Necessarily!

Contrary to popular belief you may be surprised to learn that eating everything in moderation is good for your health.  A new study found that greater “diet diversity” was not actually associated with better outcomes relating to our waistlines, as well as risk of type 2 diabetes.  It turns out that eating everything in moderation was more likely to add inches around your middle.  Moreover, “diet diversity” was connected to poorer diet quality.

Why is this you may be asking?  The problem is that consuming a more diverse diet may include items like sodas, cookies, chips, and cupcakes.  When you think about it, even in moderation these choices contribute to higher intakes of trans-fats, sugar, sodium, starch, and refined carbohydrates.  In actuality, Americans with the healthiest diets eat a small range of healthy foods. That means that eating everything in moderation is worse than eating a smaller number of healthy foods states Dariush Mozafarian, MD, DrPH from Tufts’ Friedmann School.

Another noteworthy finding was with diet quality.  The researchers studied how diet quality related to metabolic health.  At five years there was not much association with diet quality and change in waist circumference.  However, at 10 years, a higher diet quality was associated with about a 25% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This shows that eating a basic healthy diet is more beneficial than eating a diverse diet.

And, as far as everything goes in moderation you’re better off choosing a range of fruits and vegetables, which offer vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients than widening out to include foods like donuts, chips, and fries.  It’s best to choose a few healthy favorites and stick to them.

Reference:  Health & Nutrition Letter, Tufts University, February 2016, VOL. 33, NO. 12, Eat Everything in Moderation? Not Necessarily Good Advice (p.6).

Weight Loss Mistakes

Weight Loss Mistakes

Did you know that right now of every three American adults, one is obese, one is overweight, and only one is lean?  With that in mind, all of us are in jeopardy for gaining more weight. Understanding a little more about what happens to excess calories can help us to make wise choices.  That said here are common mistakes that we make when thinking about our weight.

1.    I can lose it later: 

·       Many of us think that we can indulge all we want when we’re on vacation or during the holidays, and get back to healthy eating behaviors later.  Unfortunately, we’re wrong.  It takes longer than we think to lose the weight we just put on in that period of time.  Why?  For one, we’ve lost muscle.  About 25% of dieters lose lean muscle mass, and muscle burn calories.

·       When we lose weight our liver, kidneys, and other organs shrink.  When that happens they use less calories to function and alter our metabolism, which means we need to eat less.

·       Don’t forget when you lose weight you burn fewer calories when moving around because there’s less of you.  So the same activities you were doing at a heavier weight have become much easier at a lighter weight.

·       Once you reduce calories your metabolism starts to slow down.  That’s because your body is trying to hold on to its fat stores during what it thinks is a famine.  That said you burn fewer calories throughout the day.  And, “once you lose at least 10% of your weight and your weight is stable, you may need to eat 10 to 15% fewer calories to keep the weight off.”

The takeaway:  It’s harder to lose all the weight gained due to a slowed metabolism and less lean muscle mass.

2.     Once it’s off, it’ll stay off:

·       We’re excited when we initially start losing weight and are usually pretty good about staying on track.  However, after some time passes we start to go back to our old eating habits, and eat more.  Eventually, we wind up gaining back the very weight we just lost because we’re subtly increasing our calories, which means we may not notice initially.

The takeaway:  Many of us regain our weight by gradually increasing our caloric intake.

3.    Fat is fat, no matter where it is:

·       You may be aware that when you overeat your body stores fat, but did you know that certain things cause you to store it in your legs, and certain things cause you to store it in your belly?  Science has shown that fat stored in the legs is caused from actually gaining new fat cells.  However, fat stored in the belly is from an increase in fat cell size.  That’s why you’ll typically see weight lost in the belly first and the legs last.  Also, fat stored in your legs is healthier than fat stored in your belly.  People who tend to gain fat in their legs have a better metabolic profile, which means they are less likely to get high cholesterol and high triglycerides, diabetes, and hypertension.

The takeaway:  Increasing your caloric intake can cause fat to wind up in your legs that can be challenging to lose, or it can be stored as belly fat that can lead to other health concerns.

4.     All extra calories are equal:

·       It turns out that calories are not equal.  For instance, women due to their female hormones tend to store fat in their legs.  And, smokers and those who are heavy drinkers tend to store fat in their belly.  Saturated fat and added sugars like sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup may also wind up in your belly.  Research has shown that fructose significantly increases visceral fat found in the belly, while glucose did not.  To help reduce visceral belly fat try limiting added sugars from soft drinks, cookies, cakes, ice cream etc.

The takeaway:  Calories from foods high in sugars and saturated fats create deep-belly fat.

5.    I can work off the extra calories:

·       It’s a common thought that if you exercise more you can just work off that big meal you ate.  However, studies have found that changing what you eat actually causes weight loss, not exercise.  Why is that?  One reason why physical activity does not cause as much weight loss may be due to the fact that it does not rev up your metabolism states a study in Obesity Reviews.  Also, exercise does not prevent your metabolism from slowing down as you continue to lose weight.  Typically, as you lose weight your metabolism slows down, which means you burn fewer calories with the same work out.  For example, say a 150 pound person works out for 30 minutes on the elliptical.  They would burn about 306 calories.  Once that same person loses 10 pounds, at that point they will only burn 286 calories.  In order to burn the same amount of calories as before they would have to work out longer. 

The takeaway:  Exercise is great for your health, for preventing disabilities and problems with old age, but just don’t rely on it to lose weight.  Instead, focus on what you’re eating.

Reference: 

Bonnie, L., Nutrition Action, April 2015, 8 Weight Mistakes, p.1, 3-6.

Eating Well, March/April 2014, Diet vs. Exercise: Which is better for weight loss?, p.14.

6 Ways to Love Bitter Greens

6 Ways to Love Bitter Greens

We know that some of you don't particularly care for bitter greens. We can understand that, which is why we wanted to share a few tips to help you finally enjoy these healthy greens!

1. Start by being open to trying new things. Research has shown that being willing to try new foods is helpful to liking them too.

2. Keep on trying! Believe it or not your taste buds change, so repeated exposure (up to 8 times) will help you widen your palate.

3. Add fat. Adding some fat will soften the flavor. Think about how the flavor of coffee softens when you add cream to it. The same thing happens to bitter greens! This is why some recipes suggest to massage bitter greens with oil. The fat hides the flavor and massaging breaks down the fibers in the leaves.

4. Just a spoonful of sugar. A small amount of sugar can help decrease the bitter flavor of greens and make them more pleasant.

5. Add salt. Adding something like a finishing salt can mask that bitter flavor. Think of olives - when first picked they are incredibly bitter, but soak them in a salty brine and they become something we love.

6. Try adding salt, sugar, and fat - then, back off. Start by adding all three (salt, sugar, and fat) to your liking, then slowly back off until you're only adding a minimal amount, or none at all. This will slowly change what your perception of bitter is.

Reference: Eating Well, January/February 2016, 6 Ways You Can Learn To Love Bitter (p. 78).

More on Bitter Compounds

More on bitter compounds!

Here are more compounds found in bitter foods that provide a multitude of benefits!  Read below to see what healthy things are in the foods that you eat.

Naringin

Found in: tomatoes, citrus fruits like grapefruit

What it does: Associated with improvements in diabetes, obesity and cognitive diseases. May also protect cells from UV damage.

Anthocyanins

Found in: Berries, black beans, cherries, peaches, pomegranate, plums, red onion, eggplant, red cabbage

What it does: Improve vision and protect against aging, heart disease and cancer. The antimicrobial properties they possess may even help prevent foodborne illnesses, by killing pathogens before they have a change to make us sick.

Quercetin

Found in: Apples, onions, leeks, rasicchio, radishes

What it does: Acts as an antihistamine and has anti-inflammatory properties that may protect agains heart disease and cancer

Proanthocyanidins

Found in: Apples, berries, cocoa, grapes, kiwi, avocados, mangoes, hops

What it does: Mitigates tumor growth and helps prevents bacterial infections, such as UTI's

Oleocanthal

Found in: Olive oil

What it does: Has been shown to inhibit cancer cells - and has anti-inflammatory effects similiar to ibuprofen

Reference: Eating Well, January/February 2016, A World of Bitter (p. 76-77).

A World of Bitter

Did you know that there are healthy compounds lurking in the bitter foods you eat?  Let's explore and see what's lying in your foods.


Glucosinolates
Found in:  Cruciferous vegetables, like arugula, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower, kale
What it does:  Shown to prevent cancer and the progression of cancer.  One of the components of glucosinolates, sulforaphane, appears to be the tumor-fighting star of the show.

Isoflavones
Found in: Soybeans and soy products like tofu and tempeh
What it does: Soy may not strike you as a bitter food, but two of the components of isoflavones - genistein and daidzein - read as subtly bitter to our taste buds and may explain why soy tastes bad to some people.  Isoflavones have been linked to a lower risk of breast and prostate cancer and improvements in blood and oxygen flow and bone density.

Chlorogenic Acids
Found in: Coffee, black tea
What it does: Reduces inflammation - the kind caused from chronic stressors, from lack of sleep to smoking - and may lower risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's, type 2 diabetes and arthritis.

Catechins
Found in: Black and green teas, chocolate cocoa, grapes, red wine
What it does: May prevent heart disease as well as lung and prostate cancer. It also keeps "bad" LDL cholesterol down.

Reference:  Eating Well, January/February 2016, A World of Bitter, (p.76-77).

Produce Helps With Weight Loss!

Produce Helps With Weight Loss!

Heidi here with some more good news about fruits and vegetables!  We all know that they're healthy and that we should be eating more, but now there's more incentive - they have shown to help with weight control.

A new study that analyzed data on 133,468 men and women found that those who ate more fruits and non-starchy vegetables had modest weight loss.  There were stronger weight-control benefits for certain types of produce, in particular berries, apples, pears, citrus fruits, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and leafy green vegetables.  And,  bioactive compounds of phenolic rich fruits like berries and apples may be a contributing factor of why they are more strongly linked to less weight gain.

Something else to consider with produce is their fiber content and where they fall with the glycemic load.  Dr. Mozaffarian from Tufts' Friedman School hypothesized that the more fruits and vegetables we consume with a higher fiber content and/or lower glycemic load may be correlated with healthier weight changes over time.  The reason being is that high fiber foods help keep us feeling full.  Plus, foods with a lower glycemic load (measures how fast a typical serving increases your blood sugar) may decrease hunger by reducing the amount of blood sugar spikes. To test this theory, a study was conducted which reported that vegetables with higher fiber and a lower glycemic load like broccoli were strongly associated with maintaining a healthy weight.  Also, fruit consumption was associated with weight benefits regardless of fiber or glycemic load.

Another thing to consider in the starch content of vegetables.  Foods like corn, peas, and potatoes happen to be associated with weight gain - sorry potato lovers!  In addition, corn was more strongly correlated with weight gain.

Lastly, let's looks at fruits.  There are benefits to each daily serving of fruit, which was a weight loss of 0.53 pounds.  Increased consumption of blueberries, prunes, apples, pears, strawberries, grapes, raisins, and grapefruit were inversely associated with weight changes. Lastly, fruits rich in phenolics like berries had the strongest benefits due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

The bottom line:  Eat your fruits and vegetables as they all add vitamins and nutrients.  For those of you watching your weight eating more fruits and non-starchy vegetables in place of less-healthy foods with help!

Here's to healthy eating!

Reference:  Health & Nutrition Letter, Tufts' University, Fruits and Vegetables Linked to Better Weight Control, January 2016, Vol. 33, NO 11(p 1 & 3).

 Are Your Snacks Healthy?

It’s common for most of us to include snacks during the day.  However, are you aware of the choices you are making?  Recently, Americans are snacking more than ever, and not necessarily on healthy items.  Data received from IRI, a market research company, found that we are eating more decadent foods.  We saw a 3.1% increase in 2014 from the previous year compared to only a 2.5% increase with healthy snacks.  So, why is this happening?

It appears that we are looking to indulge and make splurges when we snack, and that means picking things like baked goods, jerky, refrigerated meats and cheese.  With the help of food marketers making these items seem permissible it’s easy to choose these items over healthier snacks.  Terms that are being used to make these types of foods seem friendlier are claims about fiber content, energy benefits, natural, organic, and hormone-free.

However, we want to remember that snacks can still taste good and still be healthy.  So instead of these “decadent’ snacks try to opt for items like fresh fruit, vegetables with a healthy dip like hummus, and nuts.  Your taste buds will be happy, and you’ll be feeding your body whole foods which are the best source of vitamins and nutrients.

Reference: Vice Beating Virtue in the Snack Aisle, Health & Nutrition Letter, Tufts University, June, 2015 (pp.1-2.).