Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
New study shows saturated fat may not be so bad for you after all
March 20 2014
If you want to eat a healthy diet, avoid red meat, cheese and butter. That’s how the conventional wisdom has been dispensed for the last several decades after a few studies showed a connection between saturated fats and elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol.
A new study raises questions about current guidelines which generally restrict the consumption of saturated fats and encourage consumption of polyunsaturated fats to prevent heart disease. The research was published in the March 18th issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.
An international research collaboration led by the University of Cambridge analyzed existing cohort studies and randomized trials on coronary risk and fatty acid intake. They showed that current evidence does not support guidelines which restrict the consumption of saturated fats in order to prevent heart disease. The researchers also found insufficient support for guidelines which advocate the high consumption of polyunsaturated fats (such as omega 3 and omega 6) to reduce the risk of coronary disease.
While the Canadian Heart and Stroke foundation and the American Heart Association have yet to weigh in on the subject, this study could lead to new guidelines being brought forward. A shifting view on the health profile of saturated fats isn’t a license to eat a T-bone drenched in butter every night. But the evidence supports the idea that beef and other animal fats can be part of a nutritious diet when used in moderation. At MealEasy, we’ve always stressed that mindful eating and consuming a variety of homemade, non –processed foods is the key to a healthier you. Consuming saturated fats IN MODERATION has always been MealEasy’s way of thinking.
It’s so simple, it could work!
March 17 2014
Brazil has come up with a novel way to fight obesity. Unlike food guides in Canada and the United States, it does not include arranging food groups in pie or pyramid shapes, adding up recommended servings listed in grams, or color-coding nutrient groups that correspond to sectors of the agricultural industry – dairy, meat and grain. Nor does it require people to measure servings of pasta by the half-cup, or carve up steak into helpings the size of a deck of cards.
The authors of Brazil’s proposed dietary guidelines boiled down the 87-page document into 10 basic steps:
1. Prepare meals using fresh and staple foods.
2. Use oils, fats, sugar and salt in moderation.
3. Limit consumption of ready-to-eat food and drink products.
4. Eat at regular mealtimes and pay attention to your food instead of multitasking. Find a comfortable place to eat. Avoid all-you-can-eat buffets and noisy, stressful environments.
5. Eat with others whenever possible.
6. Buy food in shops and markets that offer a variety of fresh foods. Avoid those that sell mainly ready-to-eat products.
7. Develop, practice, share and enjoy your skills in food preparation and cooking.
8. Decide as a family to share cooking responsibilities and dedicate enough time for healthy meals.
9. When you eat out, choose restaurants that serve freshly made dishes. Avoid fast-food chains.
10. Be critical of food-industry advertising.
Buy real food you can cook at home….that’s the key!
Great News with Easter Just Around the Corner
March 12 2014
It might seem too good to be true, but dark chocolate is good for you and scientists now know why. Dark chocolate helps restore flexibility to arteries while also preventing white blood cells from sticking to the walls of blood vessels. Both arterial stiffness and white blood cell adhesion are known factors that play a significant role in atherosclerosis. What’s more, the scientists also found that increasing the flavanol content of dark chocolate did not change this effect. This discovery was published in the March 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal.
“We provide a more complete picture of the impact of chocolate consumption in vascular health and show that increasing flavanol content has no added beneficial effect on vascular health,” said Diederik Esser, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Top Institute Food and Nutrition and Wageningen University, Division of Human Nutrition in Wageningen, The Netherlands. “However, this increased flavanol content clearly affected taste and thereby the motivation to eat these chocolates. So the dark side of chocolate is a healthy one.”
To make this discovery, Esser and colleagues analyzed 44 middle-aged overweight men over two periods of four weeks as they consumed 70 grams of chocolate per day. Study participants received either specially produced dark chocolate with high flavanol content or chocolate that was regularly produced. Both chocolates had a similar cocoa mass content. Before and after both intervention periods, researchers performed a variety of measurements that are important indicators of vascular health.
During the study, participants were advised to refrain from certain energy dense food products to prevent weight gain. Scientists also evaluated the sensory properties of the high flavanol chocolate and the regular chocolate and collected the motivation scores of the participants to eat these chocolates during the intervention.
“The effect that dark chocolate has on our bodies is encouraging not only because it allows us to indulge with less guilt, but also because it could lead the way to therapies that do the same thing as dark chocolate but with better and more consistent results,” said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. “Until the ‘dark chocolate drug’ is developed, however, we’ll just have to make do with what nature has given us!”
Be careful of what you read
March 08 2014
“People who eat diets rich in animal protein carry similar cancer risk to those who smoke 20 cigarettes each day,” reports the UK’s Daily Telegraph, CNN and other news sources.
We have decades of very good evidence that smoking kills and – fortunately for meat lovers – this latest unhelpful comparison with high protein diets largely appears to be a triumph of PR spin.
The warning was raised in a press release about a large study which found that for people aged 50-65, eating a lot of protein was associated with an increased risk of dying.
However, the study, which assessed the diets of Americans in a single 24-hour period (rather than long-term), found in those aged over 65, that a high protein diet was actually associated with a reduced risk of death from any cause or from cancer. These differing findings meant that overall there was no increase in risk of death, or from dying of cancer with a high protein diet.
In this study, on average people ate 51% of their calories in the form of carbohydrates, 33% as fat and 16% as protein (11% animal protein). This is likely to be higher in fat and lower in carbohydrates than that recommended in the food guide which shows the relative proportions of food that we should aim to eat.
And, in those aged over 65, a high protein diet was actually associated with a reduced risk of death from any cause or from cancer.
There are several reasons to be cautious when interpreting the results of this study, including that the researchers did not take into account important factors such as physical activity in their study.
The claim in much of the media, that a high protein diet in middle-aged people is “as dangerous as smoking” is unsupported.
We need to eat protein; we do not need to smoke.
While certain diet plans, such as the Atkins diet or the “caveman diet” have promoted the idea of eating a high-protein diet for weight loss, relying on a single type of energy source in your diet is probably not a good idea. Consumption of some high-protein foods such as red meat and processed meat is already known to be associated with increased risk of certain cancers. Consuming red meat in moderation should be your goal.
Please remember,this is just one study. But it caught our attention because of the imbalance we often see in new and fad diets. One nutrient or food group is idolized, and the other is vilified. That’s just wrong.
The point here is that a healthy diet is a balanced diet. This means less processed food and more home cooking. This means a balance of proteins from plant and animal sources, along with complex carbs (whole grains, fruits, vegetables), and healthy fats.
Are you eating too much sugar?
March 06 2014
The World Health Organization (WHO) is again urging people to lower the amount of sugar they eat, suggesting there are health benefits to restricting so-called free sugars or added sugars to less than five per cent of one’s dietary intake.
What does that mean? Well, for the average adult, that would be about six teaspoons (30 millilitres) of sugar a day — less than the sugar contained in a single can of sugar-sweetened soda. For children, it could be as low as three teaspoons (15 ml) of sugar a day, said Dr. Francesco Branca, director of the WHO’s department of nutrition for health and development.
In the draft recommendations issued Wednesday, the global health agency said people should limit their intake of sugar to no more than 10% of their daily calorie intake, but if they could get to five per cent, that would be better.
“The five per cent would probably be the ideal one and the 10 per cent is the more realistic one,” said Branca.
Free sugars are sugars added to foods by manufacturers, cooks or the people eating the food — brown sugar on oatmeal, for example — as well as natural sugars found in fruit juices, honey, syrups and molasses. Intrinsic sugars are the sugars in whole foods like fruit; intrinsic sugars are not included in the WHO intake limit recommendations.
The sugar in an apple is intrinsic. The sugar in apple juice is free sugar.
The recommendations are likely to be contentious. And nutrition experts who have been waiting for the recommendations expect push back from the food industry, which would need to dramatically reformulate products if consumers were to be able to meet the targets and still eat prepared and packaged foods.
In 2004 when the WHO tried to include the 10 per cent sugar limit recommendation in its Global Strategy for Diet, Physical Activity and Health, the U.S. Congress — under pressure from the sugar industry lobby — threatened to withdraw U.S. funding for the agency. The direct reference to the 10 per cent figure was removed from the final report.
The American Heart Association suggests that added sugars make up no more than half of one’s daily discretionary caloric allowance, which it says would be no more than 100 calories or six teaspoons (30 ml) a day for most American women and 150 calories a day or about nine teaspoons (45 ml) of sugar for men.
Eating a diet of homemade whole foods and cutting back on sweets, processed foods and sodas is a great way to achieve these recommendations.
Here’s how to reduce your risk of stoke
March 03 2014
Your diet accounts for about 80% of the benefits you reap from a healthy lifestyle. But in order to truly optimize your health, your healthy lifestyle must include exercise.
Exercise helps in preventing obesity and diabetes, reducing stress, and lowering your blood pressure. By maintaining a fitness regimen, you can also go a long way toward warding off the risk of stroke.
Thankfully, up to 80 percent of strokes are preventable. Research shows that lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, weight, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and smoking can have a direct bearing on your individual risk.
The study found that moderate exercise (such as taking a brisk walk) reduced women’s stroke risk by 20 percent. It also helped to mildly offset the increased stroke risk in older women using postmenopausal hormone therapy.
As a general rule, eating unprocessed, natural foods will help to reduce your risk of stroke. As for specific items to avoid, the following are at the top of the list:
• Trans fats are known to promote inflammation, which is a hallmark of most chronic and/or serious diseases, including strokes and heart disease. Women in particular would be well served to avoid trans fats as stroke rates are on the rise in middle-aged women, and poor dietary choices are likely a significant culprit. In one 2010 study, post-menopausal women who consumed the most daily dietary trans fat had a 30 percent higher incidence of ischemic strokes.
• Certain preservatives, such as sodium nitrate and nitrite found in smoked and processed meats have also been shown to damage your blood vessels, which could increase your risk of stroke.
• Artificial sweeteners may also increase your risk. Previous research has shown that drinking just one diet soda a day may increase your risk of stroke by 48 percent.
Nutrition label changes coming soon
February 28 2014
After more than 20 years since the original labeling law went into effect, the FDA is working on revamping nutrition labels on packaged foods.
Please note that it could take 2-4 years before these changes are actually implemented. The FDA is now allowing the public (and corporations) to comment for 90 days. Manufacturers will have a 2-3 year grace period to change their labels.
Here are some of the highlights of the proposed nutrition label changes proposed by the FDA.
1. New easier to read layout.
2. Focus on Calories. Americans need to reduce their calorie intake. By making calorie information much larger, it will be easier to spot on the nutrition label.
3. Real serving sizes. For years we’ve known that the suggested serving sizes are not realistic. For the new labels, the FDA is overhauling its definition of standard servings for tens of product categories. The serving size has an immediate effect on all other numbers on the nutrition panel, because they are all calculated per serving.
4. Serving size depends on package size. Many food and beverage items come in a single serve package, yet claim to contain 2 or more servings. The FDA won’t have any more of that. If you’re a 20 ounce bottle of Cola being dispensed in a vending machine, you are one serving. Of course, the calorie value will reflect that. Instead of consumers seeing just 80 calories per serving (of 8 ounces), they will now see 200 calories (for 20 ounces).
5. Two columns of data. For packages that may be consumed as a single portion or as several servings, two sets of information must be presented.
6. Getting rid of “calories from fat”. As we all know, fat is not evil. We need good fats. Counting calories from fat is not the right way to count calories.
7. Show added sugars. This is a great addition, and one that food companies will furiously try to repeal. Americans consume 16% of their calories from added sugars. The most current recommendation is that only 5-15% of calories come from added sugars AND solid fats. Obviously America needs help separating natural occurring sugars (fruit, yogurt) from added sugar. You’d be surprised how much sugar is added to bread, pasta sauce, and other foods. The challenge will be implementing this correctly. Manufacturers may start to use fruit purees instead of table sugar to avoid labeling added sugar, despite the fact that they are identical from a nutrient perspective.
8. Mandated Vitamin D and Potassium information. Currently these two nutrients do not have to be listed on the nutrition facts panel. But Americans are woefully deficient in both. Vitamin D helps build stronger bones (along with calcium). Potassium has multiple roles, among them regulating mineral and liquid balance in the body, reducing blood pressure spikes from excess sodium, and helping muscles contract. Expect more foods to be fortified with vitamin D.
9. Optional Vitamin A and C information. Currently these 2 nutrients need to be listed. But since most Americans get enough, displaying their amount will not be mandatory.
10. Changes to recommended daily value for some nutrients. Sodium goes down from 2400 to 2300. Fiber will go up from 25 grams a day to 30.
Magnesium helps fight diabetes…are you getting enough?
February 26 2014
According to a new study published this month in Diabetes Care, adults with the highest intake of magnesium were half as likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. Magnesium-rich diets were also linked with a 37-per-cent reduced risk of developing pre-diabetes.
It’s estimated only half of North Americans achieve daily targets for magnesium: 310-320 milligrams for women and 400-420 mg for men. Experts contend that 79 million adults aged 20 and older have pre-diabetes and that number is expected to rise. It’s also a number that’s largely preventable by managing weight, exercising more and eating a healthy diet. Careful meal planning can help you make sure you get enough magnesium.
The study, which followed 2,582 adults (average age 54) for seven years, also determined that a high magnesium intake cut the risk of pre-diabetes progressing to Type 2 diabetes by one-third. Magnesium is needed for the proper action of insulin; too little can cause insulin resistance, a precursor for Type 2 diabetes. Excellent sources of the mineral include legumes, nuts, leafy greens, halibut, yogurt and wheat germ.
These foods can give you an edge against pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes.
• Legumes (especially black beans)
When it comes to legumes, black beans are a top source of magnesium (second to soybeans): a 3/4 cup serving delivers 100 mg of the glucose-regulating mineral.
• Almonds, cashews, peanuts
Among people with pre-diabetes, eating an almond-rich diet has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. Among individuals with normal blood sugar, regular nut consumption is linked with a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Nuts are a good source of cardio-protective nutrients including unsaturated fat, fiber, folate, vitamin E and potassium. They’re also high in magnesium, with almonds, cashews and peanuts leading the pack and they make a perfect and portable snack.
• Spinach, Swiss chard, kale
Eating more leafy green vegetables – 1.3 servings daily versus only one per week – is associated with a lower risk of diabetes (1 serving = 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw). Antioxidants and magnesium in leafy greens are thought to be responsible for their protective effects.
• Salmon, arctic char, trout, mackerel
So far, two large studies suggest that consuming more of the omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish reduces the risk of diabetes by 32 per cent. Omega-3 fats are thought to improve how the body uses insulin. Try to include at least six ounces of oily fish in your diet each week.
• Ground flax seed
This tiny seed is also a rich source of omega-3. Higher intakes of ground flax seeds have been tied to protection from Type 2 diabetes.
• Coffee
Drinking 3 to 4 cups of coffee (caffeinated and decaffeinated) per day is related to a 25-per-cent lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. Coffee’s benefits may be due to chlorogenic acid, an antioxidant that dampens inflammation, reduces glucose absorption and improves insulin sensitivity. Coffee is also a source of magnesium.
The importance of portion control
February 22 2014
One of the major factors that can help you to achieve your weight loss goals is proper portion control. An important thing to remember as you attempt to manage your weight is that your weight is a direct function of the number of calories that you ingest through food and drink as compared with the number of calories that you burn off. You can burn off calories through normal activity and bodily functions as well as exercise. By adjusting these intake and output levels, you’ll adjust whether you gain, lose or maintain your weight.
How Portion Control Helps to Lose Weight
Portion control directly helps you to lose weight by tipping the scales in favor of the output of caloric energy. When you carefully monitor your portion sizes, you decrease the amount of food that you eat. This decrease in food intake also represents an overall decrease in the number of calories that you eat, provided that you eat the same foods that you did previously. This makes it easier for you to burn off those calories through less activity. You’ll therefore begin to gain weight more slowly or, ideally, to maintain or even lose weight.
Proper Portion Control
Proper and healthy portion control is characterized by moderation and mindful eating. While it’s important to not eat too much of any particular type of food, it’s also equally important to avoid eating too little. Learn about the recommended serving sizes of various types of food, and do your best to adhere to them. Using a meal planning tool can help you keep track of your calorie intake as well as help monitor your portion sizes. This will ensure that you are eating a proper amount and that your body is fully nourished.
Also, it’s important that you not limit the amount of food that you eat too severely when you exercise portion control. Eating moderate portions of only food that is unhealthy in general will not necessarily yield you good results in terms of weight loss.
Other Benefits of Portion Control
There are a number of other benefits of portion control. First, you’ll condition your body to become full after consuming a smaller quantity of food. This means that controlling your portions should become easier and easier over time, and that you’ll have to concern yourself less as time goes on. Additionally, many people find that they generally feel better and have more energy when they’ve eaten moderate portions than they did when they ate overly large portions. Finally, monitoring your portions appropriately can help to improve your digestion process and your regularity as well.
In addition to monitoring your portion size, an effective weight loss program should also contain a healthy mixture of different types of food. You should also include regular cardiovascular exercise as well, in order to achieve the best results. For more information about setting up a diet or an exercise regimen that is suitable for you and your needs, speak with a doctor.
Lack of sleep leads to weight gain
February 20 2014
Here’s another reason to make sure you’re getting enough sleep.
A new study shows that people who sleep less to tend to eat more and be more inactive compared to those who sleep more. This then results in weight gain. It is recommended that adults should sleep between seven to eight hours a night, while children are encouraged to sleep for 10 hours in order to get a full rest.
It has been shown that less sleep can have drastic long-term effects on the mind and body. Everything from cardiovascular disease to an increase risk of car accidents, work performance errors, more fatigue during the day, even obesity if you can believe it.
Along with proper nutrition, a good night’s sleep is vitally important for optimum health.