yummy cool whip

Fiber

If you get an adequate amount of fiber each day you can reduce excess weight, keep disease at bay, and never worry about constipation. It's recommended you get a min of 25 grams a day; the average American only consumes around 10 grams.

Start to think of fiber as your body's janitorial staff. Insoluble fiber puffs up in your intestines, like a sponge, and moves digestive and cellular debris out. Soluble fiber mixes with the water from your food to make a gel. This mops up fat and sugar, helping to lower your cholesterol and regulate your blood glucose levels.

Fiber contains no calories, takes up more space than food without fiber, and moves more slowly through your tract. You'll eat less and be satiated for longer!

Insoluble fiber sources

• wheat; 1 cup buckwheat cereal= 10 grams fiber
• corn
• oat bran
• nuts; 24 almonds= 5 grams
• flaxseed
• skins/peels of many fruits and veggies (apple, potato); medium apple= 4 grams fiber
• dark leafy greens

Soluble fiber sources

• legumes (peas, beans); 3 tbs of lima beans= 13 grams fiber
• barley
• oat bran
• nuts; 30 peanuts= 5.5 grams fiber
• many fruits and veggies (carrots, oranges, inside of apples)

You produce more than a thousand pounds of poop every year, make it easy on yourself and get plenty of fiber!

"Natural" Chicken

I had 3 choices today when I went shopping for chicken. Organic, all natural with no hormones added, and the last was just plain old chicken. I couldn't resist the sale price of the all natural chicken, I fell into temptation!

For future reference, guidelines state that any product can be labeled as "natural" if it contains no artificial flavoring, coloring, chemical preservative, synthetic ingredient, and has been minimally processed- it has only been handled as necessary to slaughter, clean, and make it ready for cooking. It says nothing about how an animal was raised, what it was fed, if it received antibiotics, or if it received hormones.

As for the statement "no hormones added" on the package? Sordid sales technique. Federal law prohibits the use of hormones in poultry (and pork).

So...what exactly made this all natural chicken different than the plain old chicken? Pretty much nothing. I can only take solace in the money I saved over not buying organic, which I'm not.

Yolks

Eggs are a super nutritious food, even the yolk. So many people only dine on the whites and toss the yolks to the dogs. But if your relatively healthy you can consume 1-2 yolks a day without risk to your cholesterol level or heart health. The yolk is packed with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, omega-3s, vitamin A, D, E, and B12.

Concerned about your heart and arteries?

Okay, so the 200 mg of cholesterol and 2 grams of saturated fat in each yolk make it sound like I'm lying to you. However, most of the cholesterol in your blood comes from your liver, not the cholesterol you eat (emphasis on the word most). You should be more concerned with the saturated fat content of foods, that's what will drive up your blood cholesterol levels. To this point, thank you chickens for putting more healthy fat than saturated fat in your yolks!

Cool things mushrooms can do

1. They neutralize those nasty free radicals. The plain old white button mushroom contains more antioxidants than carrots, green bell peppers, and tomatoes!

2. The antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals in mushrooms aren't denatured or deactivated by cooking like they are in fruits and veggies. In fact, they become more concentrated because cooking removes water. Eating the same volume of cooked mushrooms over raw delivers 2-4 times the nutrients (dependent on the species).

3. Mushroom extracts have demonstrated anti-tumor activity in test tubes. Within humans it ups the immune system's activity.

4. Just like us, mushrooms produce vitamin D when placed in UV light. If the package doesn't already say vitamin D added you can just place the mushrooms on your windowsill for an hour before you cook them. Easy!

...interesting side note, kids with a vitamin D deficiency are more like to be obese.

Happy meal crack down

San Francisco city officials will revisit a vote today which regulates meals that come with a free toy. Last week they voted in favor of the law, requiring any toy-toting meal to fall under 600 calories or only 35% of the calories from fat, no sugary or fatty beverage, and it must contain a fruit or vegetable.

This is obviously geared towards McDonald's happy meals. And I say kudos to SF for attempting to tackle childhood obesity. I don't think this is restrictive enough, considering a child only needs 1,200 calories a day, but at least a step in the right direction.

Of course there is a spectrum of comments going on under the news reports. One woman expressed, "I have two grandchildren who eat McDonald's Happy Meals. Neither are obese or even overweight. In fact they are skinny as rails. Why should they be forbidden to eat what they want to eat? Who has the right to take away their mother's rights? Get lost!".

It's not all about weight! You can be skinny and unhealthy. Think of what these kid's arteries are going to look like! What does this woman care anyways? It's not like parents have to prepare these meals, they're just the wallet. The kids will eat slightly healthier without parents having to do anything.

My bet's on french fries being the vegetable...

So meaty!

Harvard School of Public Health has reported that eating processed meat (deli meat, bacon, sausage, hot dogs) increases your risk of heart disease by 42%, and diabetes by 19%. This is higher than the risk associated with eating unprocessed red meats- beef, pork, lamb- and researchers attribute it to the very high sodium and nitrate content in processed meats.

So what can you do? Limit your intake, especially if you have high blood pressure, prehypertension, or hypertension. Try cooking a chicken on Sunday and slicing meat off for your sandwiches throughout the week.

November fruits and veggies!

We Western United Staters can look forward to these items as our freshest picks this month:

apples

artichokes

avocado

beets

bok choy
broccoli
brussels sprouts
cabbage
chard
cilantro

fig

grapes

grapefruit

green beans

gourds

kale

lettuce

mandarins

persimmons

radish

raspberries
snow peas
spinach

turnip

Check out some good recipes here!

Hunger Games

Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, is a book rapidly spreading through the teenage (and adult!) population. The protagonist, Katniss, spends her days in the woods hunting and gathering. She knows the fruits, roots, veggies, and game in season for every day of the year. This knowledge of sustenance keeps her family fed in an otherwise starving community. AND she is healthy, lean, and strong; if you know the book you understand how dire these traits are for the hunger games!

The story line for such an awesome book has of course already been purchased by Lionsgate. I'm excited by this for multiple reasons, one of them being this is the PERFECT opportunity to teach kids about wholesome, simply prepared nutrition. Ms. Collins has depicted a diet of fresh ingredients for her heroine, who's admired for her conditioned body and ability to perform stealthy tasks. I'm a huge proponent for meals consisting of minimal, whole ingredients. We need to make a move into this type of lifestyle, no more packaged "foods" with ingredients we can't pronounce. Meals are fuel! Treat them as such! Would you fill your car's fuel tank with a mixture of gas, pine-sol, and windex?? Hopefully not, so on the same note, minimize your intake of non-food foods. Any which way preservatives, flavors, dyes, and extra sugar get used or stored in the body is adverse. Get to know what each item has to offer , you can even see fast food items here.

Make soda, candy, pastries, etc. treats for yourself (i.e. eat sparingly). I would lose my mind if I couldn't have a Hershey's bar with almonds, or gooey melty cheesy anything every know and then. It's just a matter of budgeting it into the calories, vitamins, and minerals I've consumed that day.

I hope a discussion is started about Katniss's diet. In this society of children raised to accept obesity and diabetes as normal, we sure can use a role model to remind ourselves what food really is.

Thanks for introducing me to the series Katie!

Ciggies

We all know smoking cigarettes leads to cancers and heart disease. But new research coming out of Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, CA shows smoking in your middle ages leads to:

• 114% increased risk of developing dementia
• 157% increased risk of developing alzheimer's disease
• 172% increased risk of developing vascular dementia

These conditions don't start until later in the smoker's life. In the past, smokers often passed away from other conditions before their brain health could be assessed. Kudos to the researchers for being able to obtain this data!

A quick side note, nicotine from smoking is actually beneficial to individuals with schizophrenia. In 2004 numerous research institutions concluded that nicotine receptors in the brain were stimulated when smoking, and improved the attention and short-term memory of schizophrenics. Upon quitting smoking their cognitive function declined again. Individuals without schizophrenia do not experience these effects.

Microwaves

Microwaving food is a very quick and energy efficient way to heat liquids, warm up leftovers, and prep frozen veggies. But is there any need to be worried about microwave radiation or nutrient degradation?

As long as your microwave seals properly you have nothing to worry about! No radiation remains in the food. Even better, the items you microwave will retain more nutrients than if you had warmed them up in the oven. This is because nutrients degrade the longer they're cooked. Also, some items, like frozen veggies (which can be just as nutritious as fresh veggies), don't require water when cooked in a microwave. This means less nutrients leaching out into the water.

There are just a couple rules to follow when cooking with a microwave:

1. NEVER use any kind of plastic wrap or container in the microwave. Not even if it says microwave safe.

2. Stir food occasionally for even heating and don't overcook. Overcooking zaps the nutrients.

Not all fat is equal

Nature Genetics is about to publish research on the genetics of fat that included a quarter of a million people. The international consortium uncovered 18 new gene sites associated with obesity, adding them to a list of 20 already identified genes. 13 new sites that affect fat distribution were also discovered.

If you just so happen to carry the majority of the 38 variants you will, on average, be 15-20 pounds heavier. This isn't obesity though, just a heavier set person. An obese individual may carry the majority of variants, but almost always there are environmental factors (like poor diet choices) contributing to the weight.

The 13 gene variants for fat distribution control whether you'll be an apple shape (all in your tummy) or a pear shape (hips, butt, and thighs).

If you're an apple shape you'll have more complications associated with your fat, such as type II diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. ACS's Journal of Proteome Research has recently published research that the apron of fat we all have over our lower tummy-greater omentum- isn't just some idle storage unit for excess calories. Apparently, these fat cells secrete hormones and other substances just like our other organs. Scientists were surprised to discover fat cells secreting hormones like leptin, which controls appetite, and adiponectin, which makes the body more sensitive to insulin and and controls blood sugar levels. These are just 2 of the 80 proteins they found in fat cells. Of course, more research is needed to figure out what all these proteins are up to.

As a fellow pear shape, I must admit the lower risk of disease is no consolation when I get dressed everyday. But as a woman, I just have to accept my body puts fat there for a specific reason; baby, spawn, whatever you'd like to call it. If your a women, 7 of the 13 fat distributing gene variants have a much stronger effect on you than men.

Genes don't have the final say in someone being overweight. That excuse will only work for a small, small percent of the population. For the majority of us, it's a combo of our genes and diet. Since we can't modify our genes yet, that only leaves one other option.

The dirty dozen

My wallet and I understand purchasing organic fruits and veggies can simply be too expensive. But it doesn't have to be an all-or-none decision. With a little knowledge, you can decide which pieces of produce you should buy organic, and which ones you can let slide.

I'd be a bad health advocate if I didn't start off by saying (1) it's always best to buy local and in season, and (2) buying organic is also much better for the environment and, therefore, better for everyone.

The Environmental Working Group tested 49 of the most commonly eaten fruits and veggies-conventionally grown- to see how much pesticide residue they contained. All the produce was washed and peeled (if normally consumed this way) before testing began. This little table identifies those with the highest and lowest pesticide content. You can see how all 49 produce items ranked here.

The EWG reported that people who eat their 5 a day from the dirty dozen list consume an average of 10 pesticides a day. If eaten from the clean fifteen list you only take in an average of 2 pesticides a day.

Don't know why you should care about pesticides? This page helps break down why.

By the way, peeling conventional produce helps reduce pesticide residue, but takes away valuable nutrients.

Cancer and deodorant/antiperspirants

In my house the idea that deodorant/antiperspirant causes cancer has been debated for several years. My opponent says wearing deodorant daily is toxic to the body and will inevitably give me cancer. I say, if I don't wear deodorant daily he, and everyone else, wouldn't hang around long enough to have this discussion with me.

Obviously, an online search can turn up any answer you want to hear. So I chose to trust the National Cancer Institute (associated with the National Institutes of Health) for accurate information. The conclusion? "Researchers are not aware of any conclusive evidence linking the use of underarm antiperspirants or deodorants and the subsequent development of breast cancer...More research is needed to specifically examine whether the use of deodorants or antiperspirants can cause the buildup of parabens and aluminum-based compounds in breast tissue...research is also necessary to determine whether these chemicals can either alter the DNA in some cells or cause other breast cell changes...".

Not exactly the definitive answer I was looking for...

So what have the most recent studies taught us?

1. 2002- This study looked at women who reported shaving their underarms and using a deodorant/antiperspirant. They interviewed 813 women with breast cancer and 793 women with no history of breast cancer. Results? No increased risk for breast cancer with these habits.

2. 2003- This study examined the frequency of underarm shaving and deodorant/antiperspirant use among 437 breast cancer survivors. They concluded that women who shave and use these products more frequently, and/or began to do so at a younger age were diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age. However, this does not demonstrate a link between these habits and cancer. Genetics could be a large factor and was not included in this study.

3. 2006- Researchers examined deodorant/antiperspirant use and other factors among 54 women with breast cancer and 50 without. They concluded no association between cancer and antiperspirants, but reported family history and use of oral contraceptives as increasing the risk of breast cancer.

Pretty much everything we do and everything surrounding us causes cancer. At this point, deodorant is at the bottom of my list of things to avoid. And I'd appreciate if other people didn't avoid it as well.

12 essential talking points for the deodorant enthusiast!

Monumental trial about to begin

Our FDA has approved the first trial using human embryonic stem cells to treat people with spinal cord injuries. Cells will be coaxed into becoming nerve cells, then injected into the spinal cords of recently injured patients. Results will take years to obtain, but hopefully will be very well worth it!