Is Tilapia the new RED meat?!?!?! (from Jill)

You may have heard news reports saying that a popular fish, Tilapia, is now thought to be LESS heart healthy than a burger, so let us clear up these confusing media headlines. A study was done to analyze the amount of two types of polyunsaturated fats (specifically omega-3 and omega-6) in commonly eaten fish. What they found was that tilapia had similar amount of omega-6 fats to that of bacon and 80% lean hamburger which is possibly related to increased inflammation in the body. However, there is no definitive evidence that this is true. In addition, the media left out the part of the statement from the researchers that talked about “all other nutritional content” of the fish – such as lower calories, total fat and saturated fat – as compared to bacon and burgers. The final word from the American Dietetic Association is that “…Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, including trout, salmon, tuna and mackerel, may offer better health benefits. However, because fish that are low in omega-3’s, such as tilapia, catfish, cod and mahi-mahi, are still low in total and saturated fat and high in protein, they can remain part of a healthy diet”.

New Vitamins D recommendations for Kids (from Jill)

A report came out monday of this week (so you may have read about it by now) that says that the nation's leading pediatricians group says children from newborns to teens should get double the usually recommended amount of vitamin D because of evidence that it may help prevent serious diseases. The new recommendation of 400 units daily will mean that millions of children will need to take daily vitamin D supplements.

Every age group seems to be effected from infants to teens. The only group that might be getting adequate Vit D are babies who take formula since most contain vitamin D. However, the academy recommends breast-feeding for at least the first year of life and breast milk is sometimes deficient. For older children who drink milk, most commercially available milk is fortified with vitamin D, but most children and teens don't drink enough of it since four cups daily would be needed to meet the new requirement. Besides milk and some other fortified foods like cereal, vitamin D is found in oily fish including tuna, mackerel and sardines. Given the limited sources, it's hard to get enough through diet; the best source is sunlight because the body makes vitamin D when sunshine hits the skin. While it is believed that 10 to 15 minutes in the sun without sunscreen a few times weekly is sufficient for many, people with dark skin and those in northern, less sunny climates need more. Because of sunlight's link with skin cancer, "vitamin D supplements during infancy, childhood and adolescence are necessary," the academy's report says.

The new advice is based on mounting research about potential benefits from vitamin D besides keeping bones strong, including suggestions that it might reduce risks for cancer, diabetes and heart disease. But - AND THIS IS IMPORTANT - the evidence isn't conclusive and there's no consensus on how much of the vitamin would be needed for disease prevention. As with all research, you may want to wait to see if future studies prove the same findings and, in the meantime, it would be appropriate to try to figure out your child's Vitamin D intake and/or discuss it with your pediatrician (especially if you child doesn't like dairy foods or fortified cereals)

Should I avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup (from Jill)

First of all, let's learn what this substnace is....High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a manmade sweetener that’s found in a wide range of processed foods including things that don't even tast sweet. Things like ketchup, cereals, crackers and salad dressings. It also sweetens just about all of the (regular) soda Americans drink.

HFCS used in foods is between 50 to 55 percent fructose (a naturally occuring type of sugar in fruit) —so chemically, it’s virtually identical to table sugar (sucrose) becuase that is also 50 percent fructose. Metabolic studies suggest our bodies break down and use HFCS and sucrose the same way.

Yet, after HFCS began to be widely introduced into the food supply 30-odd years ago, obesity rates skyrocketed. And because the sweetener is so ubiquitous, many blame HFCS for playing a major role in our national obesity epidemic. As a result, some shoppers equate HFCS with “toxic waste” when they see it on a food label. But when it comes right down to it, a sugar is a sugar is a sugar. A can of soda contains around nine teaspoons of sugar in the form of HFCS—but, from a biochemical standpoint, drinking that soda is no worse for you than sipping home-brewed iced tea that you’ve doctored with nine teaspoons of table sugar or an equivalent amount of honey.

A nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, barry Popkin, Ph.D., who previously suggested, in an influential 2004 paper, a possible HFCS-obesity link, stresses that the real obesity problem doesn’t lie just with HFCS. Rather, it’s the fact that sugars from all sources have become so prevalent in our food supply, especially in our beverages. People think that “natural” sweeteners sometimes added to upscale processed foods and many "organic" foods are safer but, if a sugar is a sugar, then what we really want to be looking for are lower sugar foods - on the whole - not just the source of sugar in the product. Some of the other sugars you may find on a label is honey, brown sugar, rice syrup, brown rice syrup, concentrated fruit juice and other types of "syrups" but, what you want to remember is that they all have the same caloric effects as sugar.

You should also remember that not all of the sugar in a product is an added sugar (one of those listed above). Some foods - fruit, whole grain starches and dairy - have naturally occuring sugar. A good "rule of thumb" is to look for products with less than 5 grams of sugar. Some leeway can be given to allow up to 10 g sugar IF that sugar is coming from some of those natually occuring sugar in the product. How can you tell? Read the ingredients and, if there are no added sugar sources listed in the first 3 ingredients, you can assume that most of the grams of sugar listed on the label are coming from whole foods and not added sugars

Could a Little Temptation Be a Good Thing? (from Jill)

When trying to lose weight, many people will often keep any tempting foods from their kitchens to prevent overeating them. However, a new study suggests that keeping some sweet treats around might be a good way to build willpower.
In three tests that presented female college students with tempting foods, researchers found that the women exerted greater self-control when they had previously been confronted with a sweet treat they had access to — rather than just pictures or smells. This is very different from the old way of thinking about ways to overcome overeating and the implication, say the researchers, is that challenging yourself to resist temptation may be more effective than banning all sweets and snack foods from the house for both short-term and long-term success. As with all research, there should still be more studies to determine if this is truly accurate or not but it's something to think about.....

Another reason to avoid trans fat (from Jill)

In the past few years, there had been many reports abot the dangers of trans fats and where these types of fats occur in our diets. Many people have made a concious effort to limit the amount of saturated fat in their diet to the recommended 1% of calorie intake. A new study from the Jewish Hospital Cholesterol Center in Cincinnati, OH has found a link that will be of great importance to one population of people, in particular - pregnany women. Their study found a link between women who had a higher percentage of calories from trans fat (4.7% of calories compared to 2.2% of calroies) and the rate of fetal mortality - 52% among the women with the higher intake compared to 30% among the women with lower intake. While more studies need to be done to confirm this link, it is certainly another thing to consider when choosing foods during preganacy. If you are concerned about the foods you are choosing while pregnany, or what to learn more about trans fats, make an appointment with your local TNT Health Educator, today.

Nut Allergies - from Jill

Peanut Free Diet Information- As many kids head back to school and many schools are not allowing peanut-containing foods onto school grounds, there are many quesitons parents have about what to send to school.

1) What IS considered “peanut free”?
Any of the following ingredients would be considered “peanuts” and so should not be part of any of the products you send to school with your child:
Peanuts
Peanut Butter
Peanut flour
Beer nuts
Cold-pressed Peanut oil (and heat-pressed should also be avoided)
Ground nuts
Mixed nuts
Nu-Nuts flavored nuts
Hydrolyzed plant protein
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
Goober peas or nuts

2) What types of products may contain these ingredients?
Candy
Cookies
Pastries
Crackers
Chocolate
Cereal
Granola
Ice Cream
Spaghetti Sauce
Soup
Chili
Ethnic dishes such as African, Chinese, Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese
Marzipan
nougat
3) Are ANY nuts allowed? While peanuts and treenuts (i.e., almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, etc) are not related foods, the potential for cross-contamination is high. This means that where treenuts are found, peanuts are also commonly found. It is a good idea to avoid all nuts if you are peanut allergic! If the manufacturer has gone to the trouble of printing a warning such as “may contain trace amounts of …” or “processed in plant that contains nuts”, then that means that it is usually significant enough to cause an allergic reaction and should be avoided.

If you are looking for more infomation on healthy meals and snacks that are nut-free, contact your local TNT Health Educator and make an appointment today!

Disappointing ratings for charlotte (from Jill)

I read an article at the end of last week that listed Charlotte as the number FIVE consumer of junk food - IN THE COUNTRY! We were even ranked higher than New Orleans which is definitely not a health food destination! WOW! The rankings were based on a yearly grocery bill of products bought at major grocery chains throughout the country and counted the amount of "unhealthy" foods purchased. Anything from cookies, salty snacks, high fat condiments and higher fat frozen meals were included in the "unhealthy" category.
With all the media focused on healthy eating and other articles highlighting the plethora of walking paths, local farmer's markets and other opportunities for healthy lifestyles, this is a disappointing ranking and one that i KNOW we can do something about. If you are ready to improve your diet and lifestyle, please contact you local TNT Health Educator today :-)