I am thrilled that the company that I consult with, www.mynetdiary.com, is listed with iTunes App Store Essentials: 

 http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewRoom?fcId=384704782&id=25204&mt=8

Also, MyNetDiary is mentioned in this FoxNews video: 

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/special_report/mobile-apps-to-improve-your-life-072810

Enjoy!

Best,

Kathy Isacks, Registered Dietitian, LLC

 

Delicious in both savory and sweet dishes, this amazing seed/nut is versatile and serves as a key ingredient in dishes from the Philippines, India, and Indonesia.  In the United States, most of us are familiar with coconut from sweets and Thai curry.  Thai curry typically uses coconut milk as the base (rather than cow’s milk cream).

Coconut Basics

In “On Food and Cooking,” Harold McGee describes mature coconuts as large seeds with a woody shell, fruit (coconut meat), and liquid.  It takes about a year for coconuts to fully mature. 

Coconut meat refers to the fleshy fruit which at maturity, contains water (45%), fat (35%), carbohydrates (10%) and protein (5%).  Flaked coconut available in supermarkets is typically dried coconut meat that has been shaved, with sugar added to it.  You can also find unsweetened coconut from natural foods grocers.

Coconut milk, the incredibly delicious ingredient used in so many tropical cuisines, is made by adding coconut meat paste to liquid and then straining out the solids.  It can also be made by using dried shredded coconut – this is commonly available as canned coconut milk. 

Coconut oil can be made in various ways, some of which involve heat and solvent extraction (refined), and some which are considered healthier, such raw cold pressed oil (virgin). 

Coconut water comes from young coconuts (5-7 months old).  The liquid contains about 2% sugar – similar in sweetness to 1 teaspoon of sugar in 1 cup of water.   

Is Coconut Healthy?

Coconut fat contains a large percentage of fatty acids that are saturated.  This is in stark contrast to other non-tropical vegetable oils which are typically low in saturated fats and higher in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. 

Most health care providers have been trained to advise their patients to avoid tropical fats since the saturated fat content is so high.  Coconut fat is particularly high in lauric acid, which has been shown to raise blood cholesterol levels.  However, part of that increase is due to an increase of HDLs, the healthy type.  This results in lower total cholesterol:HDL ratio, which is itself a biomarker for lower risk for heart disease.  For more information on the effect of dietary fats and blood cholesterol levels, please see Mensink’s article published in 2003.    

Does this mean coconut oil is a super food and should be used daily in large quantities?  No.  Like all fats, respect for the high caloric content means limiting portion size. 

Does this mean you should use coconut oil for all your cooking and baking instead of other vegetable oils?  No.  Have a mix of oils in your pantry and still aim to watch your total fat intake (20%-35% total calories) and saturated fat intake (7%-10% total calories). 

Coconut Oil & Weight Loss?

I found this well-written post by Ken Woliner, MD that challenge’s Bruce Fife’s claims that coconut oil serves as a weight loss and thyroid aid.  

If your total caloric intake is less than your total caloric expenditure, you will lose weight no matter what you eat.  Weight control is a numbers game.  And I am generally suspicious of fads that claim you can easily lose weight by simply eating a particular food or drinking a particular juice.  Use common sense. 

Light Coconut Milk

I find that reduced fat coconut milk works well in place of regular coconut milk in both baked goods and curries.  The savings in calories and saturated fat grams is significant when you make the switch.

My Favorite Coconut Treats

Cooking Light’s Double Coconut Cake (also makes great cupcakes)

A Grande Finale’s Coconut Macaroon Cookie:  Forget commercially made macaroon cookies!  These are baked fresh and are moist and just slightly chewy.   My taste buds sing when I eat this macaroon.  It’s the coconut and hint of butter all rolled into one lovely mound of a cookie- neither too light nor too heavy. 

Concluding Remarks

I would love to see randomized controlled trials with humans, conducted by researchers that do not produce or sell coconut oil!  My guess is that virgin or cold pressed coconut oil is likely to be higher in healthful phytochemicals than the high heat/solvent extraction methods (refined oils).  It would also be nice if studies looking at the effect of coconut oil distinguished between intake of refined coconut oil and virgin coconut oil. 

Hope you enjoyed this post.  Please comment – I enjoy reading them!

Best,

Kathy

Katherine Isacks, Registered Dietitian, LLC

Yup, I’m a dietitian and I love butter!  It’s not just the taste and smell it’s also the way it feels in my mouth.  Butter is simply delicious and seems to make just about everything taste better. 

Issues

The only thing I don’t like about butter is the high saturated fat content.  Too much in the diet might raise your LDL level.  High LDL levels are strongly linked to a higher risk of heart disease – the #1 cause of death for adults in the United States.

Although butter contains cholesterol, I am not as concerned about its content because:

1.  The amount in one tablespoon is 30 mg – about 10% of the 300 mg daily limit recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA) for people without heart disease.  For those of you with diagnosed heart disease, one tablespoon of butter is 15% of the 200 mg daily limit recommended by the AHA.

2.  Dietary cholesterol has a much weaker effect on blood cholesterol levels than saturated fat or trans fats.    

When I Use Butter

I use pure butter in meals for special occasions and in treats that I indulge in a couple of times a month.  When I bake for special occasions, I use butter in recipes that call for it. These special occasions are infrequent and the portion size is typically limited.

On a more regular basis, I use butter in small amounts as called for in recipes from healthier cookbooks (e.g. Cooking Light).  The total amount of saturated fat from butter used in this way is typically very small – usually 1-2 grams or less per serving.

Butter vs. Margarine

I often hear people exclaim very confidently that butter is healthy and certainly healthier than using margarine.  I don’t agree that butter is healthy but I do think it is healthier than stick margarine.  Stick margarine is a solid due to a very unhealthy ingredient:  partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (or trans fats).  Intake of trans fats is linked to two changes that are diametrically opposed to heart health – higher LDL levels and lower HDL levels.  Ideally, intake of commercially produced trans fats should be 0 grams, although the AHA recommends an upper limit of less than 1% of your total calories in a day.  Just one tablespoon of stick margarine provides 3 grams of trans fats – too high for any intake under 3000 calories.

It is important to note that there are many margarine and butter spreads on the market that contain no hydrogenated oils whatsoever and are lower in saturated fat than pure butter.  For instance, one tablespoon of pure butter contains 7 grams of saturated fat whereas the same amount of Land O’ Lakes Light Butter with Canola Oil contains only 2 grams. This is a significant difference per serving when you consider the AHA’s recommendation to consume less than 7% total calories from saturated fat.  To put that into grams, see the table below.

If you want to start experimenting with soft spreads, then start by looking at the ingredient list.  If there are any partially hydrogenated oils, then simply put it back on the shelf and pick another brand.  Because of an odd quirk in our labeling law, products with less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving can be listed as 0 grams.  Manufacturers can then advertise the product as “trans fat free.”  If you eat several different types of products that just pass under the 0.5 gram level, then you could easily be consuming more than 1% of your total calories from trans fats. 

What About Lard and Shortening?

Per tablespoon, lard is actually lower in saturated fat (5 grams) and cholesterol (12 mg) compared to the same amount of butter.  Although you wouldn’t simply replace butter with lard for taste reasons, you could start using lard again for recipes that have traditionally called for it.

Vegetable shortenings, even if advertised as “trans fat free” typically have some partially hydrogenated oils in them.  If you can find an affordable brand that contains no partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredient list, then buy that if you making vegetarian foods.  Unlike partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, fully hydrogenated oils are typically free of trans fats.

What About the French?

Most of us are aware of the “French Paradox.”  Despite having a much higher intake of total fat and saturated fat, France has a much lower incidence of heart disease compared to the United States and other non-Mediterranean countries.  The French consume most of their saturated fat intake from butter, cheese, and meat products.  They also consume, consistently, a lot more red wine than Americans.  It is hypothesized that resveratrol in red wine is highly protective against heart disease.  As a general rule, heart disease is lower in most Mediterranean countries.

Concluding Remarks

I wouldn’t go hog-wild with butter in the hope that if the French can do it, you can too and still avoid heart disease.  If you want to mimic the French, then I recommend that you try adopting their complete lifestyle, not just the butter habit. 

Hope you enjoyed this post.  Please comment – I enjoy reading them!

Best,

Kathy

Katherine Isacks, Registered Dietitian, LLC

Resources

American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada.  Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada:  Dietary Fatty Acids. JADA. 2007;107: 1599-1611.  Available at: http://www.eatright.org/About/Content.aspx?id=8353 Accessed February 2010.

American Heart Association.  Defining and setting national goals for cardiovascular health promotion and disease reduction.  Circulation. 2010;121:586-613.  Available at: http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/121/4/586  Accessed February 2010.

American Heart Association.  Know your fats.  Available at: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=532   Accessed February 2010.

AskExtension.org.  Butter or margarine which one is better for my health?  Available at: http://www.askextension.org/questions/133/Butter+or+margarine—Which+one+is+better+for+my+health%3F  Accessed February 2010.

Ferrières, Jean.  The French paradox:  lessons for other countries.  Heart. 2004;90:107-111. Available at:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1768013/  Accessed February 2010.

Harvard Health Beat.  Butter vs. margarine.  Available at: http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/HEALTHbeat_062106.htm  Accessed February 2010.

Yale New Haven Hospital.  Not all Fats are Created Equal.  Available at: http://www.ynhh.org/online/nutrition/advisor/fats.html  Accessed February 2010.

Did you know that the American Heart Association recommends that we limit added sugars as a part of a heart healthy diet?  Their current guidelines are: 

• 100 calories or less per day for women = 25 grams (e.g. 6 teaspoons of sugar)
• 150 calories or less per day for men = 38 grams (e.g. 9 teaspoons of sugar)

The good news is that this daily limit applies to ADDED sugars, not to sugar found naturally in foods such as fruit (the major source), veggies, whole grains, and other unprocessed foods.  Just to be clear, honey, maple syrup, molasses, agave syrup, and brown sugar are all considered added sugars.

So, what does this have to do with heart healthy breakfast ideas?  Plenty!  Many of us unwittingly choose breakfast foods that are high in added sugars.  With a little detective work you can find lower sugar options for nearly any breakfast food.  Here are some tips to help you curb added sugar.

Sweet Taste, Less Sugar

If you have a sweet tooth, then add just a teaspoon or so of your preferred sugar to unsweetened food rather than buying presweetened versions.  You’ll get a sweet taste for fewer sugar grams if you add it yourself.  Sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, and molasses all contain about 4 grams of sugar per teaspoon.  Artificial sweeteners count as zero.  For variety and extra nutrients, try sweetening food by adding cut up fresh fruit or a small amount of dried fruit.

Oatmeal

Traditional rolled oats have no added sugar or salt.  You can easily cook oats in either a microwave or on the stovetop.  If you love sweet oatmeal, then try limiting added sugar to 1 teaspoon.  Add spice such as cinnamon to increase flavor.  Experiment making oatmeal with skim milk or soy milk– it increases the protein content of the meal while providing more flavor.  Some folks also like to add a tablespoon of nut butter to their oatmeal to increase the amount of healthy fats, protein, and calories.  The idea is to have a healthy hearty breakfast that will sustain you for the morning. 

Traditional steel-cut oats also have no added sugar or salt.  Delicious and hearty, the texture of this oatmeal is more pearly than mushy. 

As an added benefit, oats are high in heart healthy soluble fiber.  Soluble fiber can help lower unhealthy cholesterol levels.

Low sugar instant oatmeal:  although I am not a big fan of instant oatmeal, I understand that it is a timesaver.  If you always buy flavored oatmeal, then I would at least choose the low sugar varieties.  Instant oatmeal will still be higher in sodium than traditional oatmeal.

Buckwheat

Despite the name, it is not wheat.  A whole grain/grass, it is delicious and low in both sugar and sodium.  It has a nutty flavor and a wonderful texture that is somehow soft and crunchy at the same time.  After cooking, you can add a small amount of low fat whipped butter (lower in both saturated fat and calories) and a teaspoon of maple syrup if you like it sweet.  If you like it very sweet, then consider using sugar free maple syrup.  Buckwheat (groats, Kasha) can also be used in savory dishes.

Hot Oat Bran Cereal

Yet another hot cereal that is minimally processed – low in both sugar and sodium.

Cold Breakfast Cereals

Many adults assume that high fiber cereals are lower in sugar than cereal marketed to children.  Guess what?  Your favorite high fiber cereal might be higher in sugar than your child’s cereal!  Food companies will often try to mask the bitterness of bran and whole wheat with sugar.  So start reading the food labels of your favorite cereals and make the switch to lower sugar options. 

How much sugar is too much?  You decide.  I recommend no more than 5 – 10 grams of added sugar per serving of breakfast cereal.  Here are some of my favorite lower sugar breakfast cereals:

• Post Shredded Wheat Spoon Size, 1 cup = 0 g sugars
• Cheerios, regular, 1 cup = 1 g sugars
• Kellogg’s Bran Flakes, 1 cup = 7 g sugars
• Kashi Go Lean (regular not crunchy), 1 cup = 6 g sugars

Another option is to mix cereals – one cup of low sugar cereal plus 1 -2 tablespoons of a higher sugar cereal.  My favorite combination is 1 cup shredded wheat (0 g) + 2 tablespoons Nature’s Path Pumpkin Flax granola (2 g) = 2 grams total sugar. 

Dried fruit cereal is typically very high in sugar since it comes from both dried fruit and added sugar.  You’ll save money, have softer fruit, and eat fewer calories and sugar if you add your own cut up fruit to plain cereal.  Buy dried fruit that is not processed with added sugar, cut it up finely, and limit your portion to a tablespoon or so.  If you add fresh fruit, then use one piece or 1 cup of berries.

High Protein/High Healthy Fat Breakfast

If a high carb breakfast is not to your liking, then consider eating fish for breakfast.  It is a fantastic source of protein, provides heart-healthy omega-3 fats, and will stave off hunger all morning long. 

Salmon and Veggie Egg Scramble (or make as an omelet)

Sauté green onions, mushrooms, and preferred veggies in olive oil.  Use as many veggies as you like.  Add 2-3 oz of cooked salmon (leftovers are great to use) and stir to heat. 

Whisk 1 whole egg + 2 egg whites + 2 tbsp of skim milk.  Add to veggies and salmon and stir until egg is cooked. 

Have orange wedges on the side.

I would love to hear your ideas on lower sugar breakfast dishes.  Please post comments!

Best,

Kathy

Katherine Isacks, Registered Dietitian, LLC   

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Nutrient data for this article obtained from MyNetDiary

Online Resources

American Heart Association, “Sugars and Carbohydrates”

American Heart Association, “Sugars 101”

American Heart Association, “Dietary Sugars and Cardiovascular Health:  A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association.”   Circulation 2009; 120; 1011-1020.

Dried fruit – Mother Nature’s original candy!  As a dietitian with a serious sweet tooth, I would like to dedicate this post to dried fruit.  A powerhouse of calories, dried fruit will reward you with all the sweetness you crave along with nutrients and antioxidants.  Consider it a delicacy and practice portion control unless you are trying to gain weight.

Calories

Dried fruit is fruit that has had most of its water removed so it is both smaller and lighter compared to its fresh fruit counterpart.  This is especially useful if you need to travel light and want a nonperishable source of carbohydrates in the form of sugar.

We tend to eat more dried fruit than we would fresh fruit.  If you have ever eaten dried mango, then you know exactly what I mean.  I find it exceedingly difficult to limit myself to three pieces of dried mango (about 160 calories) whereas I would not have any problem eating only one fresh mango (about 135 calories).  There is no mystery why.  Fresh fruit is more than 80% water by weight – this helps us feel full and contributes to our daily water requirement.

To add fuel to the fire, dried fruit often has added sugar which is largely unnecessary since it is already high in naturally occurring fruit sugars.  You can choose to purchase dried fruit without added sugar, but you will have to look a little harder to find it.  I generally find dried fruit without additives (like sulfur or sugar) at natural foods coops and grocers.

Dried fruits are calorie dense – the calories per ounce will always be higher than their fresh fruit versions.  See the table below for calorie content of dried vs. fresh fruit by portion size as well as by ounce.  Data was obtained from MyNetDiary food and exercise tracker.

Nutrients

Unlike most candies, dried fruit packs its calorie punch with a nutrient kiss.  The type and amount of nutrients will vary with the type of fruit. I offer this information to persuade readers to choose dried fruit over candy to satisfy their sweet tooth.  Dried fruit also provides natural dietary fiber – something that candy does not.  As well, some of the naturally occurring sugars in fruits (e.g. in prunes) have a laxative effect – this is especially helpful for regular bowel movements.

Antioxidants

As with fresh fruit, many dried fruits are great sources of antioxidants.  ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scores reflect a food’s antioxidant activity:  higher scores mean more antioxidant activity.  Take a look at the table of ORAC scores published by The Nutrient Data Laboratory of the United States Department of Agriculture.  Even after accounting for appropriate portion size (e.g. 30 – 45 grams vs. 100 grams), dried fruit is still a good source of antioxidants.

Long Live Fruitcake!

I giggled when I read last week that the staff of my favorite pastry shop, A Grande Finale, planned to march down Main Street in Louisville, Colorado to bring back fruitcake.  I missed the march, but I couldn’t resist visiting the shop to try the Brandied Fruitcake.  It was fantastic – exotic dried fruits in a perfectly not-so-sweet cake matrix, all imbued with brandy.  Eating the fruitcake brought back very happy memories of my mom – she also made a wonderful fruitcake every Christmas.  Thank you, A Grande Finale, for doing justice to this holiday favorite.

I love reading comments!  Please share ideas and recipes by posting a comment.  Thanks so much for reading my blog.

Best,

Kathy

Katherine Isacks, Registered Dietitian, LLC

For more information about calories and weight control, please read my articles published at MyNetDiary and test drive their super diet and exercise tracker.

Pumpkin, one of my favorite winter squashes, comes to center stage during the month of November. Both the fleshy part and the seeds are nutrient-rich and work well in both sweet and savory dishes.

Nutrients

Pumpkin flesh (or the mushy part) is a fantastic source of fiber, potassium and beta-carotene (an antioxidant and precursor to vitamin A). Pumpkin seeds also get a gold star for nutritional content. They are high in minerals such as magnesium, manganese, iron, and zinc. They are also a good source of protein and Linoleic Acid, an essential fatty acid.

Pumpkin can play an important role in lowering blood pressure. A diet rich in potassium, magnesium, and calcium, while limited in sodium, can help lower blood pressure. See the DASH Diet (“Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension”) for more information.

Calories

Although pumpkin flesh is low in calories, the seeds are not! This is great news for those of you trying to GAIN weight – enjoy! If you are trying to lose weight or maintain your weight, then exercise portion control. If you buy packaged seeds, then choose the smaller ¾ oz – 1 oz snack sizes to limit calories to about 90 – 120 calories. If you prefer to roast your own, limit the amount of oil you add to seeds before roasting to help control calorie content. As well, either limit added salt or choose brands that limit salt. For instance, David brand contains only 5 mg of sodium in their ¾ oz package. That is excellent considering most of us need to limit sodium to 2300 mg or less every day. Check out this webpage from the “World’s Healthiest Foods” for a information on how to roast pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin Desserts

Pumpkin desserts are often lower in calories than other desserts because the pumpkin creates body and moisture with very little fat content. Although this can help lower calorie content somewhat, pumpkin desserts are not necessarily low in calories. Weight control always boils down to calories so watch portion control of pumpkin desserts just as you would with other desserts. For more information about calories and weight control, please read my articles published at MyNetDiary. And while you are there, be sure to test drive their super diet and exercise tracker.

Pumpkin Recipes:

All Recipes: savory pumpkin recipes

Cooking Light: sweet recipes

Ellie Krieger’s Pumpkin Flan

Ellie Krieger’s Pumpkin Pie Muffins

University of Illinois Extension: sweet & savory recipes

Please share ideas and recipes about pumpkin by posting a comment. Thanks so much for reading my blog.

Best,

Katherine Isacks, MPS, RD

Katherine Isacks, Registered Dietitian, LLC

http://isacksrd.com/

Many people have trouble tolerating wheat for one reason or another.  People have told me that despite testing negative for Celiac disease (a disease where the body creates an immune response to gluten

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley.  All wheat varieties contain gluten and sometimes the variety name is used rather than the term “wheat:” einkorn, durum, faro, graham, kamut, semolina, and spelt.  Triticale is a hybrid of wheat and rye. 

Grains that are naturally gluten-free can become contaminated with gluten when they are processed in a facility that also handles wheat, rye, and barley.  As well, many processed foods use gluten as an additive to improve stability, flavor, structure, and protein content.  See Celiac Disease Foundation’s Diet & Lifestyle Guide for more information about hidden sources of gluten.

Bread

Gluten creates an excellent springy structure perfectly suited for bread.  When you switch to gluten-free flours, you will have to learn how to make bread with other ingredients to provide structure.  There are a lot of great recipes on the web – simply search for “gluten free bread recipes.”  Ideally, choose whole grain flours to insure adequate dietary fiber intake.  As well, grocers such as Whole Foods sell prepared gluten-free breads.

If you make muffins (quick breads), then simply bake in paper or aluminum foil muffin cups in a muffin tin.  The cups will provide enough structure to hold the muffin shape.  I have made great muffins with 100% quinoa flour, buckwheat, and/or soy flour. 

Gluten-free Grains

·         Amaranth

·         Arrowroot

·         Bean

·         Buckwheat

·         Corn (maize)

·         Flax

·         Garfava (garbanzo and fava bean mix)

·         Millet

·         Montina (Indian rice grass)

·         Nut flours

·         Potato

·         Quinoa

·         Rice

·         Sorghum  

·         Soy

·         Tapioca

·         Teff (African grain)

Oats

What about oats?  Oats may or may not be contaminated with gluten.  If you have Celiac disease, then you will want to avoid oats unless you can be sure that the oats are gluten-free.  Here are some companies that sell gluten-free oats:  Gluten Free Oats, Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Oats, and Cream Hill Estates.

Web Resources

Amazing Grains

Alternative Field Crops Manual – technical but thorough

Celiac Disease Foundation

Celiac Sprue Association

Cooking Bread.com – Gluten free section

Cook’s Thesaurus – useful for cooking/baking, includes lots of photos

Ener-G – loads of modified products, including gluten-free

Gluten-Free Mall

GlutenFree.com

Whole Foods Gluten Free Bakehouse 

Please share your favorite gluten-free or wheat-free recipes and cookbooks with other readers by leaving a comment.  Thank you for reading my blog!

Best,

Katherine Isacks, Registered Dietitian, LLC  

Benefits

Cocoa beans (the source of milk and dark chocolate but not white chocolate) contain a large quantity of plant chemicals that have beneficial effects in humans. Some studies have shown that these chemicals, specifically flavanols, are protective against cardiovascular disease by reducing:

• Blood pressure
• Inflammation
• Platelet clotting
• LDL (bad cholesterol) oxidation

Chocolate is also a source of magnesium, copper, and depending upon the manufacturer, dietary fiber! These are all nutrients that we need in our diet on a daily basis.

Choose chocolate that has the highest percentage of cocoa and still palatable to you. Unsweetened, dark, and bittersweet chocolate will have much higher flavanol content than milk chocolate, instant hot cocoa packets, or other chocolate products that have been diluted with milk and other fats. White chocolate is not included in the beneficial chocolate family.

Calories

Chocolate is loaded with fat which causes it to be high in calories. One ounce (or about 1/3 of a 100 gram bar) of dark chocolate is approximately 160 calories and 8 grams of total fat. Exercise portion control with this potentially healthful treat or else the health benefits will be overshadowed by the effects of weight gain.

Saturated Fat

Chocolate fat contains several types of fatty acids, both saturated and unsaturated. The largest fat component is stearic acid, a saturated fatty acid that appears to have a NEUTRAL effect on blood cholesterol levels. This is good news, since a high intake of saturated fatty acids from animal sources (e.g., fatty meats and full fat dairy products) has been shown to raise blood cholesterol levels, especially harmful “LDL” types.

Pick unsweetened, dark, or bittersweet chocolate for this more healthful fatty acid profile.

Eat Chocolate Daily?

How do you weigh the caloric cost against the potential health benefits of eating chocolate? Ask yourself these questions to help you decide:

Do you love dark chocolate and products made with dark chocolate?

Milk chocolate and cheaper chocolate products with minimal cocoa content will not provide the same health benefits as chocolate with a higher cocoa content, such as unsweetened, dark, or bittersweet chocolate.

Will you substitute dark chocolate for other high caloric treats (or junk foods/soda pop) currently in your diet?

If you decide to eat dark chocolate every day, then cut out calories coming from other sweets or junk foods. That is, replace less healthy treats with dark chocolate rather than simply adding dark chocolate on top of your regular food intake.

Remember that chocolate is high in calories and it only takes an extra 3500 calories to gain one pound of body fat. Put another way, if you were previously stable with your food and exercise regimen and decided to eat one ounce (about 6 Hershey’s dark kisses) of chocolate every day, you could expect to gain one pound of body fat in one month.

The health benefits of chocolate will be completely overshadowed by the effects of weight gain if you ignore the issue of calories. Being overweight or obese will increase your risk for hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes.

If eating dark chocolate provides great satisfaction while still allowing you to achieve or maintain your weight within a healthful range (see BMI calculator), then by all means, enjoy this treat on a daily basis!

Best,

Katherine Isacks, MPS, RD

Resources Used For This Post:

Ding EL, Hutfless SM, Ding X, Girotra S: Chocolate and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review. Nutrition & Metabolism 2006, 3:2 1743-7075. Accessed online 9/14/09. The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/3/1/2

Steinberg FM, Bearden MM, Keen, C: Cocoa and Chocolate Flavonoids: Implications for Cardiovascular Health. J Am Diet Assoc. 2003; 103: 215-223.

Is organic produce healthier than conventionally grown produce?

I do not know of a study that has directly tested health outcomes in humans who consume conventionally grown produce compared to organically grown produce. However, there are studies showing harmful effects of pesticides on the neurological and reproductive development in animals. There are also studies that measure and rank the amount of pesticide residue found in conventionally grown versus organically grown produce.

The certified organic seal does not guarantee low pesticide levels or safety but it does insure that farmers have followed stringent guidelines to grow and handle their produce. In general, organic farming emphasizes environmentally-friendly practices, including avoidance of chemicals typically used to spur growth, kill pests, or reduce risk of infection. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a website that thoroughly explains the National Organic Program. If you are wondering what package seals and terms means, then see this guide.

I believe in the premise of organic farming. However, I am also aware that most of us need to budget for food and that even conventionally grown produce is hard for many to afford in the amounts recommended for adults (2½ cups of veggies and 2 cups of fruit daily for a diet containing 2000 calories).

For foods that you consume daily or regularly, you might want to consider going organic for those that contain high pesticide levels when grown conventionally.

Environmental Working Group

I find the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides” particularly helpful in choosing which fruits and vegetables to buy organic. According to the EWG, produce highest in pesticides when grown conventionally include peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, grapes, carrots, and pears. Produce lowest in pesticides when grown conventionally are onions, avocados, corn, pineapples, mangoes, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, papaya, watermelon, broccoli, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes.

For a description of how EWG created these lists, see this link. To view their complete list of produce ranked from highest to lowest pesticide content, please see this link.

Farmers Markets

One way to buy organic more affordably is to seek out produce at farmers markets and farm stands. By buying directly from the farmer, you cut out the distribution cost – this saves some money as well as lowers the carbon footprint.  As well, buying locally grown produce means you are eating seasonally – so you get super fresh, high quality produce that is likely to be higher in nutrients than produce that is trucked or flown long distances. Of course, another benefit of buying locally is that you support local business, which in turn, pays local taxes that serve to support services in the area in which you live.

I can’t guarantee that produce sold at your local farmers market will beat organic pricing at Walmart or Whole Foods. However, if you are buying directly from a local farmer, then there is a good chance that their price will match or beat the price of organics sold at your local supermarket.

More Resources on Buying Organic

Local Harvest:  Community Supported Agriculture

Cooking Light video:  “Editor’s guide to organics.”

CNNHealth: “How to buy the best organic foods.”

BusinessWeek: “Does it pay to buy organic?”

Consumer Reports: “Go organic”

Mayo Clinic: “Organic baby food: is it worth the price?”

Please feel free to post resources or comments about organic produce – I would love to hear from you.

Best,

Kathy

Katherine Isacks, Registered Dietitian, LLC www.isacksrd.com

Throughout the United States, major land grant universities have Extension programs that provide valuable education to the local community.  Many people are unaware that Extension programs exist – which is a shame since they are an excellent source of nutrition information as well as provide information on gardening, food safety, natural resources, and 4-H Youth programs.  Check out CSU Extension if you have time – it is a good example of what Extension websites have to offer.  In general, if you Google “Extension” and “edu” you’ll find loads of Extension websites.  Please note that I do not work for Extension nor is this blog a paid advertisement.  I simply love Extension programs!

Preventing Listeriosis during Pregnancy

If you are a woman between 18 – 45 years of age and are either currently pregnant, have been pregnant within the past 5 years, or are planning to become pregnant, then CSU needs your feedback on an educational video regarding prevention of Listeriosis during pregnancy (which foods to avoid, etc).  It is only 3 minutes long and there is a short evaluation survey to complete afterwards.  Here’s the video.  

Online Food Preservation Classes

For those of you who want to take advantage of your extra garden veggies and fruits, there is an online food preservation class that Extension is offering the week of June 21, 2009.  If you are interested, be sure to contact them soon since registration for the class is required.  Here is there contact information for this class: 

• CSU Extension of Boulder County
• 9595 Nelson Rd, Box B
• Longmont, CO 8/0501
• Fax:  303-678-6281.  Email:  azander@bouldercounty.org

High Altitude Canning

From June 25, 2009 – July 11, 2009, Extension is also offering classes on high altitude canning of jam, jelly, fruit, salsa, and pickles.  Classes are held in Longmont and Littleton.  This is an especially useful class to learn how to can safely at altitude, given the lower boiling point at higher elevation.  Contact information:  CSU Extension of Boulder County at 303-678-6238, and CSU Extension of Arapahoe County at 303-730-1920.

Kathy

Katherine Isacks, Registered Dietitian, LLC  www.isacksrd.com