Posts Tagged ‘nutrition’
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009
Advertisers work hard to earn their money. They can take any food and make it sound nutritious. Very few laws protect the consumer from advertisers’ half-truths. It is up to us to learn how to tell what it a valid claim and what is just hype. How can you wade through the misleading information to find the truth? Easy… just look at the nutrition label and the ingredient list! The nutrition label and the ingredient list have all the information that you need to determine whether a food is healthy.
Last night was a perfect example. My kids and I were at my girlfriend’s house for dinner. She was telling me about this healthy snack she had found for her daughter. “And the best part is that she loves it!” my friend raved. She then showed me a package of Sunmaid Vanilla Yogurt Raisins. “They are raisins covered in yogurt so she’s getting fruit and milk.”
Here is how Sunmaid describes this product:
Sun-Maid starts with only the best, 100% natural raisins from sunny California. Then we cover them with a creamy, vanilla yogurt coating to create our delicious, convenient Sun-Maid Vanilla Yogurt Raisins.
They are the perfect high-energy snack food for people who are on-the-go. They also help you meet the 5-to-9 daily fruit and vegetable servings recommended by nutrition experts. Packed into the zip-close bag, Sun-Maid Vanilla Yogurt Raisins are easy to use in your party mix or cookie recipes or to pass around as a snack.
Sounds healthy, right? Then I looked at the nutrition label.
1 small package (about 25 pieces) of this “healthy snack” has 120 calories, 4.5 grams of fat and 4 GRAMS OF SATURATED FAT.
That is a ton of saturated fat (the bad fat). I particularly dislike the claim that they help you meet your fruit and vegetable servings.
Looking further down the label, I noticed that the product contains 2% RDA Vitamin C, 0% RDA Vitamin A, and 4%RDA Calcium.
I certainly would not consider this a serving of fruit or vegetables. And despite the “yogurt” covering the raisins, there is very little calcium. I decided to inspect it further and turned to the ingredient list.
Ingredients:
Natural California Raisins, Yogurt Coating (Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated palm kernel Oil, Nonfat Milk Powder, Nonfat Yogurt Powder, Whey, Titanium Dioxide, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla), Confectioners Glaze, Corn Syrup, Dextrin, and Maltodextrin.
It seems that the raisins are not covered in yogurt but in a “yogurt coating” made mostly of sugar and partially hydrogenated oil (which is a trans fat- the WORST type of fat you can have). So while the raisins may be natural, the yogurt coating certainly isn’t.
Needless to say, my friend was dismayed to learn that this healthy snack was in no way healthy. “I should have looked more closely,” she said. I replied, “I bet raisinets are healthier than these yogurt raisins.” For fun, we went online to look.
The same serving size of raisinets has about the same calories (raisinets 118, yogurt raisins 120), slightly more fat (raisinets 4.8 grams, yogurt raisins 4.5 grams) but SIGNIFICANTLY LESS SATURATED FAT (raisinets 3.1 grams, yogurt raisins 4 grams).
The ingredient list for raisinets:
Milk Chocolate (sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, milk, lactose, milkfat, soy lecithin, vanillin – an artificial flavor, natural flavor), Raisins, Sugar, Tapioca Dextrin, Cocoa Processed with Alkali, Confectioner’s Glaze.
Instead of an artifiical yogurt coating, at least raisinets are made with real milk chocolate. Now, I am not saying raisinets are good for you. But at least when you are giving your children raisinets to eat, you aren’t fooled into thinking they are healthy. Shame on Sunmaid for misleading parents into thinking their yogurt raisins are healthy.
This is a great example of how you can’t trust a product’s claims and must turn to the nutrition label for the truth. Don’t let yourself be misled! Always get the facts before serving a new food to your children!
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Tags: child, children, diet, healthy, healthy snacks, moms, nutrition, nutrition labels, parenting, parents, snacks, weight loss
Posted in Weight Loss Study, weight loss | 12 Comments »
Thursday, May 28th, 2009
Mothers continually struggle with trying to get their kids to eat more vegetables. The question arises, should moms sneak veggies into their children’s food? Or should they spend their energy convincing their kids to eat vegetables on their own?
It is clear to me that it is worth the extra effort to get your children to eat vegetables knowingly and willingly. Sure, you can spend your time mashing up carrots and chopping up spinach to sneak into your daughter’s pancakes. But what will happen five or ten years from now when she is living on her own? She won’t be used to the true taste of a veggie and she certainly won’t have the time (or patience) to julienne her own greens. Your victory will be short-lived.
You are much better off teaching your sons and daughters to enjoy the taste and the crunch of a vegetable. It may seem easier said than done but there are some strategies you can use to make the process easier.
1. Serve your child vegetables from the beginning and continue through toddlerhood.
Every baby is given vegetables as some of their first foods. But somehow, by the time a child is 2, his sole vegetable is usually potatoes in the form of french fries. Parents often stop serving vegetables because the child is too old for pureed veggies and too young to eat hard chunks of vegetables on his own without choking. Yet this is the most crucial time to serve your kids vegetables as snacks. Try steaming or microwaving vegetable chunks until they are soft and no longer a choking hazard. Be sure to serve all different types, including broccoli, carrots, zucchini and cauliflower. Half of your child’s mealtime plate should be vegetables.
2. Allow your children to see you enjoying vegetables.
If you crinkle your nose at the sight of a brussel sprout, it is likely your children will too. On the other hand, if you look forward to eating vegetables, your children will get the message that veggies are a healthy and delicious part of their diet.
3. Serve vegetables as its own course before the meal.
What mother hasn’t experienced her kids crying that they are STARVING while she is cooking dinner? This is a perfect opportunity to get your kids to eat their vegetables. Put out a plate of chopped veggies for your kids to pick on while you cook. When vegetables are the only option, kids are more likely to eat them. Give them another choice and they will often go with the less healthy version.
4. Serve vegetables in funny designs.
A bowl of zucchini may not seem fun but place the zucchini on a plate in the shape of a smiley face and suddenly eating it becomes a game. Presentation can make a big difference. Plate the vegetables in different shapes and your children may enjoy eating them more!
5. Serve vegetable soup.
Most kids love a bowl of vegetable soup, particularly on a cold day. When you are having a particularly hard time getting your children to eat their veggies, throw them into a soup.
6. Take your kids shopping.
Take your children to the grocery store and spend some time in the produce aisle. Go through the types of vegetables with them so they know the different options. Allow your children to pick which special vegetable they want to try that week. Then, when you serve it, make a big deal that this is your child’s “Special Vegetable of the Week”.
7. Start a vegetable garden.
Even better than letting them choose a vegetable from the supermarket? Letting them pick one off the vine. Start a vegetable garden with your children so they can grow their own vegetables. Get them involved by allowing them to water and tend to the garden. Then when the vegetables are grown, have your kids pick them and help you prepare them for eating. The more invested your children are in the process, the more likely they are to eat the vegetables!
8. Serve vegetables with a healthy dip.
Everybody loves veggies with dip. The key, however, is picking a healthy dip. You are not helping your children by getting them to eat vegetables covered in full-fat ranch dressing. Rather, give them a small amount of light or fat-free dressing to dip. You can also try a small amount of heart-healthy guacamole or hummus. Remember, the idea is for your kids to eat vegetables with a little bit of dip- not dip with a little bit of vegetables!
9. Serve vegetable stir-fry.
A great dinner option is some type of protein (chicken, lean steak, or fish) with stir-fried vegetables. My kids love when I make chicken teriyaki (which is mostly veggies with small chunks of chicken). Sometimes I even add a few pineapple rings for extra sweetness!
10. My favorite way to serve my kids vegetables…
Anybody who has ever gone out to lunch with me and my family knows my ordering quirk. Instead of ordering french fries for my children, I order them sliced cucumber. Like french fries, they can be eaten with their hands and they have a nice crunch. Obviously they don’t taste the same as french fries but my kids enjoy them. My children know that unless it is a special occasion, french fries are not an option for them. It took awhile and there was definitely fighting and complaining in the beginning. But I held strong and they have learned to eat the cucumbers instead.
There are many ways to get your children to enjoy eating vegetables. You may have to get creative but in the end it is well worth it!
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Posted in nutrition | 9 Comments »
Thursday, May 21st, 2009
Improving your child’s diet does not have to be an arduous task. Little changes add up to big nutritional gains. Here are 10 quick and easy steps to makeover your child’s diet and prevent weight gain.
1. Don’t allow junk food in the house.
If it isn’t in the house, your kids can’t eat it. Or at least they will have a more difficult time getting their hands on it. Your first line of defense starts at the grocery store. Leave your kids at home when you are grocery shopping, if possible. Make a list before you leave your house and stick to it. Don’t get distracted by the tempting treats in the market. Buy healthy snacks to keep at home and save the junk for when you are out and can’t avoid it.
2. Don’t let your kids drink their calories.
Many children lose weight simply by giving up sugary beverages. Parents greatly underestimate the number of calories and grams of sugar in what their kids are drinking. Did you know that one can of soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar? You would never knowingly give your child that much sugar to drink! And juice is not much better. I think of juice as sugar water. Children do not need to drink juice for its vitamin C. They get plenty of vitamin C from other sources. Think about it. When was the last time you met somebody with scurvy? Replace these sugary drinks with water, Crystal Light, or flavored seltzers.
3. Bigger is not better.
These days, even kid-sized servings are humongous. Most children in my weight loss practice have gained weight from eating too much healthy food, not from eating all junky foods. Remember, all food (even healthy ones) have calories and if you eat too many calories, you will gain weight. Be sure to serve your children appropriate portions of their meal. At a restaurant, share entrees or ask your waiter to pack part of your child’s portion away before he starts to eat it. We all know how difficult food is to resist when it is sitting in front of you!
4. Everything in moderation.
Tell a child (or an adult) that she can’t eat something and that is all she will want to eat. No food should be off limits. Banning foods leads to uncontrollable cravings. Instead, practice moderation. It is okay to eat ice cream as long as you save it for special occasions and limit it to an appropriate serving size.
5. Don’t promote the ‘clean plate club’.
The best thing you can teach your children is to eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. Do not push your kids to eat more than they need, even if you think they have not eaten enough. Our understanding of a proper portion size for a child is overinflated. Push your child to eat the amount you think they need and they will eventually get used to eating that much. And then who wins?
6. Go back to nature.
Processed foods, while more convenient, tend to contain more calories than more natural foods. Whenever possible, stick to foods in their purest forms. Fruits, vegetables, meats and grains should make up the bulk of your child’s diet. Save the fast foods and processed foods for occasional treats.
7. Promote fat-free or low-fat dairy products.
Kids need the calcium in dairy to help their bones grow normally. But regular dairy products are very unhealthy because they contain so much saturated fat. Try to avoid full-fat dairy products. Instead, give your kids low-fat or fat-free cheese, yogurt and milk.
8. Nuts are a healthy snack.
Nuts are a great snack for children over the age of three who do not have any allergies. Nuts contain lots of protein, fiber and good fats that will keep your child full for hours. Children enjoy many different types of nuts, like pistachios, peanuts and almonds. Peanut butter is also healthy! Just be sure to stick to an appropriate portion size and make sure somebody is watching your younger child eat nuts as they can be a choking hazard if eaten too quickly.
9. If it’s fried, don’t eat it.
Teach your kids that fried foods are unhealthy and try to stay away from them whenever possible. In a restaurant, ask them to grill or bake your food instead of frying it. A great way to prevent cravings for fried food is to serve a healthier version at home. When my kids want fried chicken and french fries, I serve them chicken that has been breaded and then baked in the oven with potatoes that have been baked to a crisp. They love it and it satisfies their cravings for fried.
10. Incorporate movement into your child’s daily activities
While vigorous exercise is important, any increase in your child’s movement is helpful. Encourage family walks and bike rides. Grab a ball and play some basketball. When going to a store, pick the worst spot so you have to walk further to get to your destination. Ban elevators; take the stairs instead.
Incorporating these ten easy steps into your routine will greatly improve your child’s diet and your child’s health. Sometimes the smallest changes lead to the greatest gains.
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Posted in Child Obesity | 1 Comment »
Monday, May 11th, 2009
Nothing makes a child feel more grown up than going out to eat. Yet children, like adults, eat significantly more calories at restaurant meals than they do when eating at home. In fact, the children’s menu is often the least healthy section of a menu! Think about the typical children’s fare. Chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, pizza, hamburgers and hotdogs. And don’t forget the side dish that accompanies them all: french fries. To make it worse, most kids’ meals come with free dessert.
But eating out does not have to be a nutritional disaster. Follow these ten guidelines and your child can enjoy a restaurant meal without sacrificing good nutrition.
1. DO YOUR RESEARCH
Many fast food and restaurant chains post nutritional information on their websites. If you frequent a favorite chain and often choose certain menu items, be sure you look up the nutritional data online. You may be amazed by the calories, saturated fat and sodium in your favorite dish.
Going to a restaurant that doesn’t post their nutrition information online? You can still learn a lot from a simple web search. Go to www.calorie-count.com or www.calorieking.com and type in the name of the dish you usually order. These websites have average nutritional information for thousands of foods. Chances are, you will find what you are looking for.
2. READ THE MENU CAREFULLY
Make sure you know what you are ordering. Pay attention to the descriptions on the menu. Dishes labeled deep-fried, pan-fried, basted, batter-dipped, breaded, creamy, crispy are usually high in calories.
3. DON’T BE AFRAID TO SPECIAL ORDER
Many menu items would be healthy if they were prepared differently. Small substitutions often lead to major calorie savings. Be sure to tell your waiter that you are trying to eat healthy. Most restaurants are happy to prepare your food the way you would like it.
Ask for your vegetables and main dishes to be served with the sauce on the side. If your food is fried or cooked in oil or butter, ask to have it broiled or steamed. Some restaurants even have non-fat cooking spray in the kitchen! When I go to a restaurant, I always ask for “no butter, no oil, no mayo”. These ingredients are often stuck into dishes where you least expect them.
4. SKIP THE KID’S MENU
The kid’s menu is usually the least healthy section of the menu. I like to avoid it altogether. Many restaurants will allow you to choose ‘half-orders’ of dishes on the adult menu. If the restaurant doesn’t do half-orders, consider splitting a dish with your child. Which brings us to our next tip…
5. WATCH YOUR PORTIONS SIZES!
Watch portion size; share or bring leftovers home. At a typical restaurant, a single serving provides enough for at least two meals. Even children’s menu portions are overblown! To overcome this obstacle, take half of your meal home or divide the portion with a dining partner.
It is best to decide how much your child should eat as soon as the dish is served. How many times have you told yourself you would only eat half your dish and then sat at the table picking at the plate until it was finished? Kids do the same thing. When your child’s meal is served and is overflowing, ask the waiter for an extra plate. Place an appropriate portion on your child’s plate and hand the rest to the waiter to wrap up.
6. AVOID BUFFETS
Avoid buffets, even seemingly healthy ones like salad bars. You’ll likely overeat to get your money’s worth. If you do choose buffet dining, opt for fresh fruits, salads with low-fat or fat-free dressings, broiled entrees and steamed vegetables. Resist the temptation to go for seconds or wait at least 20 minutes after eating to make sure you’re still hungry before going back up to the buffet.
7. CHOOSE CALORIE-FREE BEVERAGES
Remember that soda and juice are both huge sources of hidden calories. Try switching to water with lemon or unsweetened iced tea.
8. EAT MINDFULLY
Encourage your kids to eat mindfully. Mindful eating means paying attention to what you eat and savoring each bite. Being mindful also means noticing when you are almost full and laying down your fork. Mindful eating relaxes you so you digest better and makes you feel more satisfied. Teach your children to really taste their food and pay attention to what they are eating.
9. SLOW DOWN!
If your children are shoveling their food into their mouths, they won’t be able to tell that they are full. It takes twenty minutes for your body to realize it is satisfied. Have them put their forks down between bites or take a sip of water between mouthfuls. If your kids finish their meals in less time and still feel hungry, ask them to wait. Once the full twenty minutes has passed, they will probably no longer feel hungry.
10. REMEMBER THE BIG PICTURE
Think of eating out in the context of your whole diet. If it is a special occasion or you know you want to order your favorite meal at a nice restaurant, cut back on your other meals that day. Moderation is always key, but planning ahead can help you relax and enjoy your dining out experience without sacrificing good nutrition or diet control.
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Posted in weight loss | 6 Comments »
Thursday, May 7th, 2009
A new study suggests that there may be a link between child obesity and allergies. The findings, published in the May issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, indicate that controlling your child’s weight may prevent her risk of developing allergies.
The researchers analyzed data on 4,000 children and young adults ages 2 to19 from a new national dataset designed to obtain information about allergies and asthma. Obese children and teens in the study were significantly more likely to have an allergy to something, especially a food allergy. Obese children were 26 percent more likely to have allergies than normal-weight children. The increased risk of food allergies was even higher. The rate of food allergies was 59 percent higher in obese children.
While the study found a link between obesity and allergies, it did not necessary prove that obesity CAUSES allergies. More research is needed to make that determination.
“Given that the prevalence of both obesity and allergic disease has increased among children over the last several decades, it is important to understand and, if possible, prevent these epidemics,” said Cynthia M. Visness, Ph.D., lead author on the paper and a scientist at Rho Federal Systems Division, Inc. in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Hopefully this new study will give parents of obese children an additional reason to start their kids on a weight loss program.
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Posted in Weight Loss Study | 9 Comments »
Monday, May 4th, 2009
Kids should be taught to eat a variety of foods from an early age. Children who are exposed to various foods during childhood are more likely to learn to enjoy those foods in adulthood, even if they don’t like them while they are young.
The mistake parents often make is giving up on a new food after just one trial. It typically takes at least six to eight exposures of a new food before children will accept it. Sometimes it can even take ten to fifteen trials before children develop a liking for a new food. Eating a variety of different foods ensures your children are getting all the nutrients they need to grow.
Tips to Introducing New Foods:
1. Lead by example. Try new foods yourself.
2. Don’t let your children know that you don’t like certain foods. If you tell your children that you hate broccoli, it is unlikely that they will give it a fair chance.
4. Institute Dr. Dolgoff’s “Two Bite Rule”. Children must try two bites of each new food they are served. If they don’t like the food, they do not have to eat the rest. However, they do need to eat two bites of it each time it is served. It is likely that with time, your children will learn to like it. It is advised to wait at least one week before serving the same food again.
4. Do not force feed your children. Two bites is all you should insist they eat.
5. Continue to encourage your child to try new foods, different tastes and textures.
6. Introduce new foods with a variety of other foods, such as a casserole or a stir-fry dish, which may disguise a particular taste they may not like.
7. Don’t expect children to eat all foods offered to them; encourage tastings at first.
8. Select foods that are healthy and are already varied, such as multi-grain breads or cereals.
9. Serve a variety of foods from an early age. For example, expose your toddler to fish (besides shellfish) early on so he develops a taste for it from the beginning.
10. If your child still does not like a particular food after twenty or more tastes, you may move on. Your child may truly dislike the food.
~Reminder~
• Parents decide on what foods will be eaten and when meals will be served.
• Serve meals at the same time every day, if possible, to create patterns.
• Eliminate distractions during meal times. Turn off the television and computer. All attention should be focused on the meal.
• Expect rejection to new foods; continue to try again.
Did You Know?
Children are much more sensitive than adults to four sensations: Sweet, Sour, Bitter, and Salty. Children have five times more taste buds than adults.
Exercise for this week:
Bring the kids to the supermarket for a special trip. Walk through the fruit and vegetable section and have them pick out a new fruit or a vegetable that looks fun and interesting, such as a mango, pomegranate, papaya, apricot, escarole, swiss chard or Chinese eggplant. Then go home and research together on how to prepare the food item of the week!
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Friday, May 1st, 2009
In the quest for an ‘ideal body’, mothers are putting their daughters’ self-images at risk. Dieting in normal-weight women is rampant in our culture. It seems that everybody wants to be supermodel thin. But at what cost? Women need to understand that in their own pursuit of perfection, they are teaching their daughters that ‘good’ is not ‘good enough’.
I have yet to meet a woman who is completely happy with her body. My friends are beautiful, intelligent, successful women who spend a large amount of time talking about dieting and complaining about their bodies. What messages are their daughters picking up?
It is one thing for an overweight mother to go on a diet to prevent future health risks. It is another thing for a size eight mom to diet down to a size four. Body size has a strong genetic component. It is very likely that a size eight mom will have a size eight daughter. And don’t we want our daughters to feel great about themselves? If they see us dissatisfied with our bodies, they will be dissatisfied with their own bodies. All this diet talk from normal-weight women is not healthy.
When a normal-weight woman tries to diet down to an unrealistic size, she normally winds up gaining weight. Weight regain rates in adults are extremely high, often approaching 80%. Maybe not immediately, but within a year or so, the weight usually returns. Weight regain is even more likely when the dieter starts out within the normal weight range. Not all bodies are meant to have such low levels of body fat. We can’t fight our own body physiology. It is a losing battle. Yet thin women continue to engage in it day after day.
I was at an eight year old’s birthday party recently with a group of beautiful, thin (but not super-skinny) mothers. I listened to them talk about dieting, unaware that their children were in earshot. One little girl asked her mom (a size six at most) why she didn’t eat any birthday cake. The mom nonchalantly replied, “Ugh. I am trying to resist it because I have to lose some weight.” I am sure that little girl looked at her slim mother and then down at herself and thought, “Do I need to lose weight?” And if she didn’t think it now, she will surely think it before long.
Women have to give up this futile fight for their daughters’ sakes. Dieting in normal-weight women will not result in long-lasting weight loss and is extremely detrimental to their daughters. Moms need to think about how their negative body talk and constant conversations about dieting sound to their little girls. We need to do all we can to support positive self images in our daughters. Berating our own normal bodies is not helpful. Instead, we should focus on teaching our children to make healthy food choices from an early age. We should model healthy exercise behaviors from the beginning. And we should keep the focus on heart health, not the size of our thighs. We need to celebrate all the different shapes that women come in. The best way to teach your daughter to love her body is by showing her that you appreciate your own.
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Monday, April 20th, 2009
The main causes of obesity are eating too much and exercising too little. But a new study has found a link between child obesity and exposure to certain chemicals found in plastic. Is it possible that there is more to the obesity epidemic than we previously thought? Are there other steps parents should take to help prevent obesity in our children? How can a parent avoid the toxic chemicals in plastic when it seems that plastic is everywhere?
A long-term study of East Harlem girls performed by researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital found that exposure to certain chemicals used in plastic may be linked with childhood obesity. The specific chemicals are called phthalates, which are used to make plastics pliable and in personal care products.
Phthalates are absorbed into the body and affect the glands and hormones that regulate many bodily functions. In this sense, they are considered ‘endocrine disruptors’. Studies have long suggested that these chemicals may cause cancer but this is the first study that suggests that they may promote obesity, as well.
Animal studies also support the notion that these chemicals may cause obesity. Bisphenol A (also used in plastics)and perffluorooctanoic acid (used in non-stick surfaces) have been shown to promote obesity in mice. But this new study from Mount Sinai is the first to show a link between chemicals and obesity in humans.
In this study, researchers looked at the level of phthalates in the urine of 400 East Harlem girls, who range in age from 9 to 11. “The heaviest girls have the highest levels of phthalates metabolites in their urine,” said Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, a professor of pediatrics at Mount Sinai, one of the lead researchers on the study. “It goes up as the children get heavier, but it’s most evident in the heaviest kids.”
Not only were the phthalate levels higher in the heavier children as compared to the leaner kids, but the levels in all of the kids studied were significantly higher than the average levels measured by the CDC for kids throughout the country. This may help explain why children in this neighborhood have a higher overall obesity rate (40%) than kids in the rest of the country (33%).
This study may change how we think about obesity. Perhaps diet and exercise are not the only major players involved. Environmental exposure to toxins, such as these chemicals found in plastic, may be more important than previously recognized.
It is important to point out, however, that this study does not prove that exposure to these chemicals causes obesity. Right now, it just seems to be linked to obesity. It could simply be an accidental finding that has no causal relationship with obesity at all.
This question will be looked at further in a larger study that will monitor 100,000 children across the country.
So what can a parent do now? It is likely best to reduce exposure to pthalates as much as possible. Unfortunately, these chemicals are so widely used that it is impossible to avoid them completely. Further complicating the problem, labels usually don’t identify phthalates.
Phthalates are used in a large variety of products, from enteric coatings of pharmaceutical pills and nutritional supplements to viscosity control agents, gelling agents, lubricants, and emulsifying agents used in products such as adhesives and glues, building materials, personal care products,medical devices, detergents, packaging, childrens’ toys, modelling clay, waxes, cleaning materials, paints, printing inks and coatings, pharmaceuticals, food products and textiles. Phthalates are also frequently used in soft plastic fishing lures, nail polish, adhesives, caulk and paint pigments. Phthalates are used in a variety of household applications (shower curtains, adhesives, perfume), modern electronics and medical applications such as catheters and blood transfusion devices.
The most widely-used phthalates are the di-2-ethyl hexyl phthalate (DEHP), the diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP) and the diisononyl phthalate (DINP). DEHP is the dominant plasticizer used in PVC, due to its low cost.
As of 2004, manufacturers produced about 363 thousand metric tonnes (800 million pounds or 400,000 short tons) of phthalates each year.
The best thing a parent can do is to learn to recognize the abbreviations for the most common phthalates (mentioned above) and to opt for certain kinds of recyclable plastics over others. We also need to urge the FDA to mandate the identification and labeling of products using these chemicals so consumers can make knowledgable choices when selecting these products.
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Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
Sometimes it seems that there is more nutrition misinformation floating around than actual truth. It is hard to distinguish between what is fact- and what is mere fantasy. Read on for the debunking of some of the more common food myths.
1. You will gain weight if you eat after 8 pm.
The bottom line for weight loss: calories in must be less than calories out. It doesn’t matter when you eat the calories. The problem with late night eating is that most people eat the appropriate number of calories during the day and then go overboard at night, especially when eating in front of the television. So feel free to eat at night- just keep your total number of calories in check.
2. Fat-free foods are healthy.
Not all fat-free foods are healthy. In fact, sugar is the quintessential fat-free food and nobody would dare say that sugar is healthy. Many fat-free products actually contain more calories than the original. To maintain flavor, anufacturers have to add something back when they take out the fat, and that something is usually sugar. Be wary of fat-free snacks and always look at nutrition labels.
3. You should not eat carbohydrates if you want to lose weight.
Carbohydrates are a part of a healthy diet! However, some carbohydrates are healthier than others. Whole grains, like brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and whole wheat bread, can help facilitate weight loss by keeping you full. Diets that don’t include any carbohydrates often fail because dieters get too hungry and feel deprived, increasing the likelihood of a binge!
4. Some foods have ‘negative calories’.
It is a commonly-held belief that chewing and digesting certain foods burns more calories than the foods actually contain. It is said that you can lose weight by eating these foods. These purported miracle foods include cucumbers, celery and grapefruit. Unfortunately, this is not true. No food truly has ‘negative calories’.
5. Decaf coffee has no caffeine.
Decaffeinated coffee contains caffeine; it just contains less caffeine than regular coffee. A cup of regular coffee has 100-150 mg of caffeine while a cup of decaf has 8-32 mg of caffeine. You are better off drinking herbal tea with is truly caffeine-free.
6. Margarine is healthier than butter.
Neither margarine nor butter is healthy. Butter has saturated fat that can increase LDL (bad cholesterol) levels, increasing the risk of heart disease. Margarine, however, often contains trans fats which not only increase LDL but also lower HDL (good cholesterol) and can increase the risk of heart disease even more! I recommend using a little bit of heart-healthy olive oil instead. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fats which are proven to decrease the risk of heart disease.
7. Bananas are fattening.
One medium banana has only 105 calories and is full of fiber, magnesium and potassium which can help manage blood pressure. Bananas also contain vitamin B6 which helps with immune function. It is true that, per serving, bananas may have slightly more sugar, carbohydrates and calories than some other fruits. But they are still a very healthy part of a balanced diet.
8. Cooking veggies destroys their vitamin content.
Cooking vegetables actually increases your body’s ability to absorb the nutrients in certain vegetables. Tomatoes are a great example of this. Lycopene, a phytonutrient that helps prevent cancer, is much stronger in cooked forms of tomatoes than in raw tomatoes. It is true, however, that overcooking some vegetables in large amounts of water can decrease their vitamin levels by allowing the nutrients to slip out of the vegetables into the water. To prevent this, do not overboil veggies. Try to steam, roast, or microwave vegetables with as little water as possible and keep cooking time to a minimum.
9. High-fructose corn syrup is more fattening than regular sugar
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and table sugar (sucrose) contain similar amounts of fructose. The two most commonly used types of HFCS are HFCS-42 and HFCS-55, which are 42 and 55 percent fructose, respectively. Sucrose is almost chemically identical, containing 50 percent fructose. The bottom line: there is no evidence to show any differences between these two types of sugar. Both will cause weight gain when eaten in excess.
10. Salt causes high blood pressure and should be avoided
The truth is that restricting salt in people with high blood pressure can help lower blood pressure. But that doesn’t mean that salt causes high blood pressure in normal individuals. There is no reason for people with normal blood pressure to restrict their sodium intake.
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Tags: Child Obesity, diet, diet myths, food myths, health, nutrition, nutrition myths, obesity, overweight, parenting, weight gain, weight loss
Posted in Adult Weight Loss, weight loss | 4 Comments »
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