Your Sugary Schools

by | Mar 27, 2014 | Nutrition, Sugars | 0 comments

Sweets

Dear American School Principals,

I am a pediatric registered dietitian in Laguna Beach, California, and have spent my professional life teaching parents what and how to feed their children. I am not a nutrition extremist; I believe in birthday cakes on birthdays, candy on Halloween and dessert on occasion.

The last several years have felt like a steep uphill battle because much of the good work I do to build healthy eating habits in the home is sabotaged by unhealthy food being given to children everywhere they turn. The banks offer lollipops. The grocery stores hand out cookies. And parents and coaches now bring sugary snacks to soccer and baseball games, as I reported in “Soccer Snack Insanity.”

But the most disheartening trend I have seen is in our American schools. Kids are given food for every conceivable occasion. Every week, parents from all over our country flood my inbox with concerns about their schools giving their kids sugary foods in the classroom. Foods like ice cream, candy and cookies are showing up for every birthday and holiday imaginable. Let’s do some math. If there are an average of 25 students in an American classroom, that is a lot of celebratory cupcake parties throughout the school year. And let’s face it, most of your students are having birthday parties outside of school with plenty of sugar.

And are you aware that candy is sometimes used as a teaching tool? I have heard from many parents that if students answer a question correctly, they are rewarded with gummy candy or chocolate pieces. How can schools teach and promote a nutrition and health curriculum and then turn around and use food so inappropriately? This is sending the wrong message to the exact audience at the exact age where we have an opportunity to establish a lifetime’s worth of healthy eating habits.

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Low Carb Mag March Edition

by | Mar 10, 2014 | Exercise, General Health, Low carb diet, Nutrition | 0 comments

2014-03-10_1215Hello and welcome to our march edition.

Lots has happened over the last 12 months and they seem to have buzzed by so fast – I really have a hard time believing that a year has passed since we published our first issue.

So what’s new for this edition?

Actually a lot is happening.

Firstly, You might have noticed our cover mentions a Free Lunch.

Well, that’s on account of the fact that the magazine is now going to be free for those of you who want to get it every month. I go into the whys and wherefores of that in the ‘Why Free’ article so I won’t repeat them here.

The second thing is that the magazine is now available for all platforms…

As usual from ITunes Newsstand for the iPad and iPhone, but now for also for every other platform – Android tablets, desktops and in fact
anywhere you can access the internet. You’ll see the link for it on the masthead of the website within the next few days.

So that’s the big news.

On top of that we have got a great interview with chef and author Alain Braux who takes us into his world and tells us why he got involved in paleo and what it has done for him and of course what it can do for you.

You’ll be seeing more of Chef Alain over the next few months – so watch this space…

You have asked – so we’ve answered – literally in this case as our experts answer more of your most burning questions about low carb and paleo in
the Q & A article.

You might have noticed that travel season is starting for some – especially those in the northern hemisphere wanting a bit of winter sunshine. It’s those travels that have been the inspiration for our article on unusual meats. OK, so you might have tried wild boar; but what about ostrich or crocodile or even live food that bites back?

See unusual meats for more on that

On top of that we look at the lighter side and revisit some of the old diet and weight-loss adverts of yesteryear.

Plus all the regulars such as our great step by step recipes and this month’s exercises too.

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Added Sugar Replaces Fat as Ingredient to Watch For

by | Mar 6, 2014 | Nutrition, Sugars | 0 comments

Michelle Obama unveiled a series of proposed changes to the food label last Thursday. These changes, she said, will help consumers make better, more informed decisions.

The nutrition label was due for an update, as the way we eat and nutrition science have moved along quite a bit, and a revision has been in the works for a decade, but given how difficult it is to change anything in the food industry, most expected little tweaks rather than bold changes.

Instead, the proposal surprised with a few very meaningful modifications. The new suggested label updates the serving sizes, admitting that people don’t drink just half a bottle of soda, leave a bagel half eaten, or serve just half a cup of ice cream. Calories will be displayed loud and clear, grabbing our attention as the largest, most prominent item on the label. But the most audacious part of the proposal: food companies will have to list how much sugar they add to a product. Up until now, when a kid had flavored milk a parent could only know the total sugar in the drink — the sugar naturally occurring in milk, and the sugar added as sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or the many other sugar forms. This extra line on the food label is especially important for products that contain fruits and dairy, both of which have innate sugars, but to which manufacturers can add sweeteners for taste and appeal, and up until now we had no way of knowing how much.

nutrition facts label proposed revision

Nutrition facts label proposed revision. Source: Food and Drug Administration. Red highlights are my addition.

 

Why is added sugar targeted?

Sugar makes food taste good. That’s why sugar is added to everything. Does sugar just make us consume too many calories or is there something inherently fattening and unhealthy about added sugar?

Evidence is now mounting, connecting too much sugar directly to high blood pressure, high triglycerides (blood fats, a risk for heart disease), fatty liver and insulin resistance.

A recent study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that Americans who consume more added sugar have a higher risk of death from heart disease. A study in Public Health Nutrition, found that sugar consumption around the world was directly associated with overweight, obesity and high blood pressure. While low intake of cereals and physical inactivity were also contributors, nothing predicted how fat a country would be as much as how much sugar it consumes. Another recent article published in PLoS One looked at the relationship between sugar availability and diabetes prevalence in 175 countries. After accounting for many factors, such as obesity, exercise, poverty, age, etc., the study found that the higher the added sugar in the countries’ food supply, the higher the diabetes rates. The authors’ conclusion: “Every 150 kcal/person/day increase in sugar availability (about one can of soda/day) was associated with increased diabetes prevalence by 1.1 percent.”

The World Health Organization recommended in 2003 that “added sugar” be limited to 10 percent of a person’s caloric intake. The American Heart Association (AHA) limited further, and recommended that women should consume no more than 100 calories of added sugars per day (6 teaspoons), and most men, no more than 150 calories (9 teaspoons). One 12-ounce can of Coke contains 130 calories in added sugars, which puts women over the AHA upper limit — no room for bread, sweetened yogurt, and just forget about dessert.

Yet the average American consumes about 16 percent of his daily calories in added sugar.

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Diet Soda Health Risks: Study Says Artificial Sweeteners May Cause Weight Gain, Deadly Diseases

by | Mar 5, 2014 | Artificial Sweeteners, Nutrition |

Soda Diet soda may seem like a far healthier alternative to regular pop, but a new study warns that this may not be the case at all.

In fact, according to a group of researchers at Purdue University, drinking diet soda may not only be as bad for your health as the regular stuff, but it may be causing you to pack on the pounds.

“It is not uncommon for people to be given messages that artificially-sweetened products are healthy, will help them lose weight or will help prevent weight gain,” report author Susan Swithers said, according to a media release. “The data to support those claims are not very strong, and although it seems like common sense that diet sodas would not be as problematic as regular sodas, common sense is not always right.”

Swithers and her team reviewed a dozen studies on diet soda and its impacts on health published in the past five years to prepare for their report. They say they were shocked by what they found.

“Honestly, I thought that diet soda would be marginally better compared to regular soda in terms of health,” Swithers, a behavioral neuroscientist and professor of psychological sciences, told CNN. “But in reality it has a counterintuitive effect.”

The researchers found that just like with regular soda, the consumption of artificially sweetened beverages like diet soda is also associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. Drinking just one can of diet soda per day is “enough to significantly increase the risk for health problems,” according to the media release.

The report explains that diet soda and artificial sweeteners trick the body into thinking that it is consuming real food and sugar even though it isn’t, which could lead to metabolic confusion and overconsumption.

“You’ve messed up the whole system, so when you consume real sugar, your body doesn’t know if it should try to process it because it’s been tricked by the fake sugar so many times,” Swithers told CNN.

The health risks of consuming diet soda have made headlines before. In 2011, a study conducted by researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine found that daily diet soda consumption was linked to a higher risk for stroke and heart attack.

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12 Ways To Quit Sugar (Or At Least Cut Down)

by | Jan 24, 2014 | Nutrition, Sugars | 0 comments

Sugar Sugar is 2014’s bogeyman, having been blamed by leading doctors and experts as being the main driver behind diabetes, heart disease and rising levels of obesity.

Although discussion is underway as to how damaging it can be and what are acceptable levels of sugar intake, here are 12 helpful steps from nutritional therapist Cassandra Burns from Nutri Centre.

Portion control

Aim for foods that have a low glycaemic load, as their impact on blood sugar level is minimal and you’ll be less likely to experience blood glucose highs and lows that will have you reaching for the cookie jar. Make sure each meal includes protein, non-starchy vegetables and unrefined carbohydrates.Limit sweet tasting veg (parsnips, potato and carrots) and opt for green veg like broccoli and spinach, ideally making up half your plate. Good protein (lean turkey, eggs, fish, beans) are digested slowly and make you feel fuller for longer, carbs should be wholegrain varieties for the same reason.

Don’t skip breakfast

If we don’t have breakfast, often by 11am or midday, we become hungry and crave sugar, as our blood sugar levels drop too low. Try two poached eggs on a slice of wholemeal bread with some rocket leaves or a pot of sugar-free yoghurt with nuts and berries.

Quit sugar, not snacks 

A healthy snack between meals can help while you’re giving up sugar, as it stops your sugar levels dropping too low, which can cause sweet cravings. Good examples include: two oatcakes topped with a tablespoon of humous or guacamole or cottage cheese and half an avocado. Avoid bananas and grapes and opt for berries as they are naturally low in sugar.

Limit alcohol 

Alcohol raises blood sugar, but being a liquid, it is even more quickly absorbed into the bloodstream than sugar. Alcohol also contains more calories than sugar: 7 calories per gram versus 4 calories per gram!

Alcohol binges are a classic way to set up a cycle of cravings for sugary, stodgy foods the day after. Stick to one small to medium glass of wine with a meal once or twice a week.

Look after your gut

Overgrowth of unhelpful yeasts in the gut, such as candida, can contribute to, or exacerbate sugar cravings. Ironically, eating sugar and high-starch foods makes the candida overgrowth worse, so we become stuck in a catch-22 situation.

To help solve this, try taking a high-strength, good quality probiotic supplement such as ProVen’s Adult Probiotic 25 Billion loaded with friendly bacteria.

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How to Do the Caveman Diet

by | Jan 17, 2014 | Low carb diet, Nutrition | 0 comments

The “Caveman Diet” (also referred to as the Paleo or Paleolithic diet) is based on the idea that our bodies are better adapted to what our human ancestors ate during the Paleolithic era. The premise of this diet is that you’ll regain lost fortitude and grow to be as strong and vital as our ancestors. While we don’t have the predators, caves, and short lifespans of the caveman to contend with, there is the reality that many of the foods we consume aren’t very healthy for us. And for some, a return to eating like cavemen of yore is a way of restoring a little balance. In case you’re interested in trying out this diet, here are some ways to get started.

Method 1: Get Ready

Decide what extent you’re prepared to take the diet. The elements of the caveman diet vary according to which source or practitioner of the diet you follow. However, it is possible to discern some basic elements that you can use to form your take on this diet:

  • Some followers of the caveman diet eat large quantities of meat and then fast for up to 36 hours at a time. This is supposed to emulate the times of lean in between meals that hunters and gatherers experienced. At this extreme, fruit and vegetables are appropriate but nothing baked, such as bread, or other foods that only came about with the introduction of agriculture. Be aware that some experts dispute the health benefits of fasting and the unsuitability of products created by agriculture for the human body.
  • Some caveman practitioners avoid eating items from the nightshade family. These would not have been available to paleolithic hunter gatherers. Others see this as taking things too far.
  • While some cavemen diet followers consume raw meat, others point out that paleolithic humans had fire and were able to cook.
  • Ultimately, the diet is viewed as very much “do-it-yourself”, to be tailored to suit your body’s own needs.

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