Loopholes in labeling

Apparently, if the value of a nutrient is lower than 0.5 grams per serving it can be rounded down to zero and labeled as such. For example, a bag of doritos boasts 0 grams trans fats on the front of their bag, but has partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil (i.e. trans fat) in the ingredients list. Considering a serving size equals 12 chips (who really eats only 12 in one sitting?) that most likely contains 0.4 grams of trans fat, you can end up with a good amount of the oil coursing through you. Think of what happens when you throw bacon grease down the drain, not only does it clog the pipes but everything that goes down afterwards adheres to it. Trans fat, over time, clogs the pipes that feed your brain and heart and raises your bad cholesterol while lowering your good cholesterol. Messing with unhealthy cholesterol levels means plaque build up along artery walls. Blah, blah, blah, heart attack and stroke!

Read those labels!

Cooking oil

Olive oil

Of all the different types of oils, olive oil is the healthiest one you can choose. It's highest in monounsaturated fat, which raises your HDL (healthy high density cholesterol), improves your arteries, and lowers your LDL (lousy low density cholesterol). Olive oil is rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, which will protect your cells against damage that can lead to cancer and heart disease. It also contains the anti-inflammatory compound oleocanthal. Extra virgin olive oil is the good stuff, it contains a high proportion of the plant extracts making it healthier, tastier, and more expensive than other olive oils. Cooking reduces the flavor and health benefits, so save the extra virgin for salad dressings, bread, and pasta. When sauteing or grilling go for the refined version, virgin olive oil, it'll be more cost effective.

Other oils

If you want a more neutral flavor, canola oil is a healthy (mostly monounsaturated fat) alternative to olive oil.

Nut and seed oils are good for the occasional seasoning of dishes. However, it's good to know the smoke point of oils so you don't degrade the oil, creating free radicals and other harmful chemicals. Also, oils that are high in polyunsaturated fat (soy, corn, vegetable, sunflower) form the compound HNE when they're heated. HNE gets into food that's cooked in the oil, then is processed in our bodies. In high concentrations, this compound messes with the activation of caspase enzymes or "executioner proteins" (plays a role in programmed cell death), the laddering of DNA, and releases cytochrome c from mitochondria (too complicated to explain but it's very important in making ATP, our fuel). It's being considered as a causal agent for numerous diseases. And if your fried chicken was in the 150th batch fried in reused oil you'll be consuming way more HNE than the guy who got the 1st.

Walmart and Michelle

Walmart is the largest grocery chain in the US. So it's not a big surprise they could get the First Lady onstage while announcing their new nutrition initiative. Here are the 5 main points discussed:

1. Walmart will be reformulating thousands of everyday packaged food item by 2015, reducing sodium, sugar, and trans-fat.--Good idea, but a processed product with less sugar or fat is still a processed product.
2. Making healthier choices more affordable, especially in regards to fresh produce.--They plan on eliminating inefficiencies and unnecessary costs in the produce supply chain while working with local farmers. We'll see how that works...
3. Developing strong criteria for simple front-of-package seal. --Last time the industry tried to tell consumers what's healthy we got fruit loops as a "smart choice".
4. Providing solutions to address food deserts by building stores in urban areas.--Does the NYC area really need a Walmart?
5. Increasing charitable support for nutrition programs.--PR move.

These ideas sound good, but ultimately I don't think such a behemoth of a corporation will pull it off. It's hard to get nutritious, real food (i.e. minimal ingredients on a label and they all can be pronounced) at cheaper prices, especially for the 140 million people who shop at Walmart every week.

You get that cheese girl!

Yogurt

Depending on what yogurt you purchase, it can be a very healthy or very poor snack. I'm going to pick on yoplait to show you what I mean.

Yoplait's original strawberry yogurt:

• serving size: 1 container/6oz/170g
• calories: 170 (8% of daily value)
• calories from fat: 15 (3% of daily value)
• fiber: zilch
• carbs: 33g (11% of dv)
• sugars: 27g (thats more than 5 teaspoons!)

cultured pasteurized grade A low fat milk, sugar, strawberries, modified corn starch, high fructose corn syrup, nonfat mild, kosher gelatin, citric acid, tricalcuim phosphate, natural flavor, pectin, colored with carmine, vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3.

Everything highlighted is a source of sugar. 108 of the 170 calories are from sugar. That's 63% of the calories!

Yoplait's light strawberry yogurt:

• serving size: same as above
• calories: 100
• calories from fat: none
• fiber: none
• carbs: 19g
• sugars: 14g (this is 64 calories, equaling 64% of the calories as sugar!)

The only difference in ingredients is the replacement of sugar with aspartame (I'd rather take the sugar), and it still has high fructose corn syrup.

A better idea is to purchase a delicious, creamy, plain yogurt and add a bit of jam or honey and fruit (fiber!).

Interesting side note, do you know what carmine is?

"Carmine (pronounced /ˈkɑrmɪn/ or /ˈkɑrmaɪn/), also called Crimson Lake, Cochineal, Natural Red #40, C.I. 75470, or E120, is a pigment of a bright redcolor obtained from the carminic acid produced by some scale insects, such as the cochineal and the Polish cochineal, and is used as a general term for a particularly deep red color of the same name. Carmine is used in the manufacture of artificial flowers, paints, crimson ink, rouge, and other cosmetics, and is routinely added to food products such as yogurt and certain brands of juice, most notably those of the ruby-red variety."

Don't worry, it's completely safe :)

Vaccines and Autism

After 13 years of controversy, the British Medical Journal determined scientist Andrew Wakefield's vaccine-autism link constituted an "elaborate fraud". His 1998 research studied 12 children in which he reported finding a link between the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine and autism.

Investigations into his research by BMJ recently revealed Wakefield fabricated the link by falsifying all 12 patient histories. This has led to the scientific community wasting it's resources and global consequences of parents declining vaccination for their children. In the past decade, many children contracted diseases such as measles and pertussis (whooping cough). For example, California reported 6,000 cases of pertussis in 2010, the most since 1950.

Of course vaccines are never 100% safe. And people like Jenny McCarthy will fight to the death claiming her son' s autism was a result of his vaccination.

Deadly nightshade!

Maybe not deadly...

Ever picked up a green potato or potato chip and wondered if it's safe? I always assumed it was a neutral occurrence, but they actually are poisonous! Potatoes grow underground and when they're exposed to the light they take it as a sign they're no longer enclosed by soil. So, they start to produce chlorophyll to use the sun's energy. The chlorophyll is what gives the potato it's green hue. That's no problem, but the light also triggers the production of poisonous compounds which are similar to strychnine. This is because potatoes belong to the family of nightshade. Serious side effects occur when eaten in large quantities, something close to 4 1/2 lbs worth, like impaired central nervous system, convulsions, hallucinations, disrupted digestion, and it may compromise joint functioning.

To avoid greening of your potatoes store them in a cool, dark place!