Full Figure Forum - Diet and Nutrition

How Much Salt Is Safe?

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:34:03 -0500

An increasing body of evidence indicates that we should reduce the amount of salt in our diet. The American Medical Association (AMA), the American Heart Association (AHA), the American Dietetic Association (ADA), and the National Institutes of Health have begun a campaign to cut the salt intake of Americans by one-half. The AMA is even pushing the Food and Drug Administration to withdraw salt's designation as "safe," according to UCLA's Healthy Years.

"The consequences of too much salt are hypertension, or high blood pressure, which increases the risk of a stroke or heart attack," says Amy Schnabel, MS, RD, Clinical Nutrition Manager at the UCLA Medical Center. Ninety percent of Americans will develop hypertension unless they take steps to prevent it. Two studies reported in the April 19, 2007 issue of the British Medical Journal showed that people who cut back on the amount of salt in their diets by 25-35 percent could reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by as much as 25 percent and lower their mortality rates by 20 percent.

Functional Foods' Functions Increasing

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 08:32:00 -0500

As consumers around the globe increasingly keep attuned to the effects diet can have on their health, researchers are now eyeing innovations in functional foods that could address disease prevention as well as maintain a fit lifestyle.

On the cutting edge of functional food research is Japan which boasts the most developed functional food market in the world, according to the global research firm EuroMonitor and reported here on the opening day of the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting & Food Expo, the world's largest annual food science forum and exposition.

In Japan, there are more than 650 products approved as Food for Specified Health Use, the world's first policy of legally permitting the commercialization of numerous functional food and health claims. And now the country is looking toward functional foods as a way to better address maladies specific to its culture-specifically allergies and fatigue, according to Makoto Shimizu, a professor at the University of Tokyo.

Peeking Into A Dietitian's Pantry

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 10:29:48 -0500

After teaching students about human nutrition all day, Marjorie Fitch-Hilgenberg, associate professor of dietetics at the University of Arkansas, goes home at night to put her lessons into practice. To make it easy to serve a nutritious meal after a long day at work, Fitch-Hilgenberg keeps her pantry and freezer stocked with some versatile staples.

"I don't worry about dinner when I know I can open my cupboard and freezer and find everything I need for a quick, healthy, home-cooked meal," Fitch-Hilgenberg said.

Fitch-Hilgenberg keeps on hand a variety of fruits and vegetables, grain products, sources of protein, dairy products, and seasonings and condiments.

Good News For Peanut Allergy Sufferers, Allergen-Free Peanuts

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 12:25:51 -0500

An agricultural researcher at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has developed a simple process to make allergen-free peanuts. The new process -- believed to be a first for food science -- could provide relief to millions of peanut allergy sufferers, and be an enormous boon to the entire peanut industry.

Doug Speight of the N.C. A&T Office of Outreach and Technology Transfer said food companies are showing a strong interest in licensing the process, which does not degrade the taste or quality of treated peanuts, and might even render them easier to process for use as a food ingredient.

Links between food cravings, types of cravings, and weight management

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 10:18:29 -0500

Accepting food cravings and keeping them in check may be an important component of weight management, according to findings from the first six-month phase of a calorie-restriction study conducted at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University. Supplemental results from the Comprehensive Assessment of the Long-term Effects of Restricting Intake of Energy (CALERIE) trial provide new insights into food cravings, specific types of foods craved, and their role in weight control.

"Cravings are really normal; almost everyone has them," says corresponding author Susan Roberts, PhD, director of the USDA HNRCA's Energy Metabolism Laboratory. At the start of the study, 91 percent of the participants reported having food cravings, which are defined as an intense desire to eat a specific food. "Most people feel guilty about having food cravings," says Roberts, "but the results of this study indicate that they are so normal that nobody needs to feel they are unusual in this respect."

Preventing obesity and raising fit children is a family affair

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 11:11:42 -0500

The numbers of overweight children are increasing, and many parents are rightly concerned about their children's weight and how it affects them.

The good news is that parents can help their children live healthy, active lives.

"Sometimes it's best to change your vocabulary." That's what pediatrician Peggy Supple, M.D., of Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove often has to remind the parents of children struggling with obesity.

"I find that overweight children respond better to the word 'activity' than to the term 'exercise,'" Supple explains. "I think it's because some children associate exercise with sweat and work, things they may feel are negatives. To really make an impact with overweight children, you must help them increase their level of activity throughout the day."

Healthy diets are important, even in your college years

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 04:09:03 -0500

With the number of Americans overweight and obese at an all-time high, the diet choices of young people are of concern, especially as they prepare to leave home for the first time in the fall and fend for themselves at college.

College is a time of tremendous change in lifestyles and routines, so it can be difficult for students to establish or maintain healthy eating habits. In some cases, tight time schedules, limited budgets and other influences can lead to weight problems. And patterns of gradual weight gain over the course of college can trigger health problems well beyond your college years.

Study suggests that sugar should not be excluded from slimming diets

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:04:15 -0500

New study challenges conventional thinking that high carbohydrate, low fat slimming plan should contain little or no added sugar (sucrose).

A team of scientists at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh has found that a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet (containing sucrose) combined with physical activity achieved the greatest health benefits in overweight subjects. The study, which will be published in the August issue of International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, provides evidence that the exclusion of sucrose, as is normally advocated in a weight loss diet, is not necessary to achieve weight reduction. In fact, the palatability of sucrose may even help dieters stick to their eating plans.

Aultman dietician offers tips to manage summertime eating

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 06:01:20 -0500

Aultman Weight Management Registered Dietician Marita Loyola knows the hustle and bustle of summertime activities can hurt dieters' hard work and even those just wanting to just maintain their weight.

"You're striving to live a healthy lifestyle, but along comes summer: a busy, happy-go-lucky time," said Loyola. "It's a time for family, cookouts and vacations. Even with the best of intentions, healthy eating goes by the wayside."

To avoid packing on extra pounds, Loyola recommends the following smart eating strategies while enjoying the summer months:

1. Drink up. Water, that is! Don't mistake hunger for thirst. Drink at least 64 ounces of water each day to prevent dehydration and to help curb your appetite. It will also help you stay energized and improve your stamina.

Poor Diet affecting lung health of teenagers

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 09:57:28 -0500

A new study of US and Canadian teenagers suggests that not getting enough essential nutrients in their diet is linked to risk of developing respiratory conditions such as asthma and poorer lung function. The study is published in the July issue of the journal Chest.

Lead author, Dr Jane Burns of the Harvard School of Public Health, said in a prepared statement that:

"Our study, as well as other research, suggests that higher intakes of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory micronutrients are associated with lower reports of cough, respiratory infections, and less severe asthma-related symptoms."

Organic tomatoes better for heart and blood pressure

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 09:47:24 -0500

Organic tomatoes have significantly higher levels of flavonoids, compared to non-organic tomatoes, according to the results of a ten-year study carried out by researchers at the University of California.

Flavanoids are a class of water-soluble pigments that are present in many plants. Scientists have identified a few thousand different flavonoids. Flavonoids are known to lower hypertension (high blood pressure), thus lowering heart disease and stroke risk. Studies have also indicated that flavonoids may protect us to some extent from cancer and dementia.

The researchers believe that it is the quality of the soil that gives the organic tomatoes their higher flavonoid levels, specifically, the absence of fertilizers.

Calorie density key to losing weight

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 08:42:13 -0500

Eating smart, not eating less, may be the key to losing weight. A year-long clinical trial by Penn State researchers shows that diets focusing on foods that are low in calorie density can promote healthy weight loss while helping people to control hunger.

Foods that are high in water and low in fat – such as fruits, vegetables, soup, lean meat, and low-fat dairy products – are low in calorie density and provide few calories per bite.

“Eating a diet that is low in calorie density allows people to eat satisfying portions of food, and this may decrease feelings of hunger and deprivation while reducing calories” said Dr. Julia A. Ello-Martin, who conducted the study as part of her doctoral dissertation in the College of Health and Human Development at Penn State. Previously, little was known about the influence of diets low in calorie density on body weight.

Food tastes change from English to Mediterranean

Fri, 18 May 2007 04:28:14 -0500

As new research shows that Western-style diets, when compared to Mediterranean diets, increase the risk of lung disease by four times, a survey of British consumers shows that many are already switching to paella and pasta because they believe it's a healthier option.

Many have switched because they believe it's a healthier option but are we getting confused about what's good for us and what's not?

It's paella not pie on the menu tonight for two thirds of people in England, as new research shows our eating habits have changed from traditional English food to a more Mediterranean diet.

Pure fruit juice not associated with excess weight in children

Thu, 17 May 2007 04:32:52 -0500

Using the same database that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses to confirm the rise in obesity rates, researchers have concluded that 100 percent juice is not associated with young children being overweight or at risk for becoming overweight

The research abstract, presented today at the Pediatric Academic Societies' annual meeting in Toronto, looked at dietary intakes of 3,618 children ages 2-11 using the well-known National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

According to Dr. Theresa Nicklas, "We did not find a relationship between 100 percent juice consumption and overweight among children." She adds, "Even among the children who consumed the most juice, we found no association at all with the children being overweight or at risk for overweight." Dr. Nicklas, a child nutrition researcher at the USDA Children's Nutrition Research Center at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, found that 100 percent juice consumption also did not decrease the amount of milk consumed in children's diets, which appears to be a common misconception.

Kids don't notice "Stealth Vegetables"

Tue, 08 May 2007 07:22:04 -0500

Parents who want their kids to consume fewer calories and eat more vegetables might find a healthy solution with "stealth vegetables." A Penn State study shows that decreasing the calorie density of foods by adding vegetables and other lower-calorie ingredients leads to a reduction in children's calorie intake and an increase in vegetable consumption.

"To combat the epidemic of childhood obesity, the World Health Organization recommends reducing children's consumption of calorie-dense foods. Many children are not eating enough foods that are low in calorie density, such as fruits and vegetables," said Dr. Barbara Rolls, who holds the Helen A. Guthrie chair of nutritional sciences at Penn State's College of Health and Human Development. "Parents often find it difficult to get their kids to eat vegetables."