I have written for at least three years that science does not support a health benefit from organic foods or one that are labeled as all natural. Organic produce may contain less pesticide residue (but you still need to wash what you buy).
I cannot locate the post, but I remember recently pointing out that none of the three healthy eating indexes I shared with you (the HEI from the Dietary Guidelines, the AHEI from Harvard and the heart healthy diet defined by AHA) mention the word organic when making recommendations on what to include in a diet pattern.
In case you missed it, the networks are abuzz with results of a recent study that confirmed these already known facts. A new finding was that non organic meats were more likely to be contaminated from bacteria because of non-medicinal antibiotic use in livestock (creating resistance). This finding supports the argument for some kind of regulation on the use of antibiotics in animals that are not sick (which I thought we already had).
Watch the video embedded here or click this link instead.
Showing posts with label obesity prevention. Show all posts
Showing posts with label obesity prevention. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
The High Price of Whole Foods
I made dinner for a group this week. My goal for the meal was to highlight a nutritious low calorie vegetable - prepared in a way the maintains the nutrition, tastes good and does not add calories.
My choice this month was kale, fresh kale. I discovered kale about a year ago when my sister steamed it for me with some fish. It was delicious. Its a meaty green - but less 'meaty' than chard. It needs to be fresh or it does not taste the same.
My preferred method of preparation, after rinsing it well in the sink and cutting off several inches of each stem, is to season with cumin and simmer with a bouillon cube (vegetarian or chicken).
I have purchased kale at Walmart, but it scares me a little (enough not to want to risk it when serving to others). I have also bought it at an upper end grocer, Harris Teeter. (I would buy it at a farmer's market in a second if one were near by).
I was headed to Harris Teeter Tuesday when I noticed that the new Whole Foods store had opened. I went in to get my vegetarian proteins (usually cheaper) and also scoped out the kale. It was locally grown, as it is at the other store, and was being sold in bunches. The kale was priced at 2.49 a bunch. I had to feed 25 people. I couldn't do it, too expensive.
I went over to Harris Teeter and the kale was loose and priced at 1.99 a pound. I filled two huge bags which cost less than one bunch at Whole Foods.
That my friends - is ridiculous.
My choice this month was kale, fresh kale. I discovered kale about a year ago when my sister steamed it for me with some fish. It was delicious. Its a meaty green - but less 'meaty' than chard. It needs to be fresh or it does not taste the same.
My preferred method of preparation, after rinsing it well in the sink and cutting off several inches of each stem, is to season with cumin and simmer with a bouillon cube (vegetarian or chicken).
I have purchased kale at Walmart, but it scares me a little (enough not to want to risk it when serving to others). I have also bought it at an upper end grocer, Harris Teeter. (I would buy it at a farmer's market in a second if one were near by).
I was headed to Harris Teeter Tuesday when I noticed that the new Whole Foods store had opened. I went in to get my vegetarian proteins (usually cheaper) and also scoped out the kale. It was locally grown, as it is at the other store, and was being sold in bunches. The kale was priced at 2.49 a bunch. I had to feed 25 people. I couldn't do it, too expensive.
I went over to Harris Teeter and the kale was loose and priced at 1.99 a pound. I filled two huge bags which cost less than one bunch at Whole Foods.
That my friends - is ridiculous.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
What is the diet myth?
If you check back to these past posts, you will see that we began this discussion some time ago - before the popular press started picking out pieces of the research for its headlines.
The original intent for this blog had been and still is to keep a watch on those headlines and provide better interpretations of research - for your personal consideration.
To paraphrase the work of both Kevin Hall and Boyd Swinburn - the diet advice is misleading and incorrect because it does not consider the implication of weight LOSS. People are hearing that diets don't work because metabolism changes when people diet - but do you know WHY it changes? It changes because you burn less calories when you weigh less. It is a good thing.
People who have weight loss goals should keep this in mind (note: I do believe in weight loss - but, I don't endorse "diets" the way people usually refer to them).
The recent studies suggest that our expectations be tempered by these three things:
1) time frame
2) amount of the change(lifestyle)
3) new steady state weight
Dr. Hall explains that half ones goal weight may be lost in the first year but it takes two more years to lose the other half. It is not a fast process, it is a myth to think so. Accepting this is important if you don't want to sabotage yourself. In regards to the second factor, it might be helpful to cut 200 calories instead of 100 or to cut 100 for one year and than an additional 100 the next (individual advice cannot be provided here). It is wise to add some exercise into the equation for a gazillion reasons.
When you reach your goal - understand that this new body has a new metabolism - you didn't damage your metabolism - you do not have some predetermined set weight that you are destined to return to - you have a NEW body - treat it right and don't give it more food than it needs!
The original intent for this blog had been and still is to keep a watch on those headlines and provide better interpretations of research - for your personal consideration.
To paraphrase the work of both Kevin Hall and Boyd Swinburn - the diet advice is misleading and incorrect because it does not consider the implication of weight LOSS. People are hearing that diets don't work because metabolism changes when people diet - but do you know WHY it changes? It changes because you burn less calories when you weigh less. It is a good thing.
People who have weight loss goals should keep this in mind (note: I do believe in weight loss - but, I don't endorse "diets" the way people usually refer to them).
The recent studies suggest that our expectations be tempered by these three things:
1) time frame
2) amount of the change(lifestyle)
3) new steady state weight
Dr. Hall explains that half ones goal weight may be lost in the first year but it takes two more years to lose the other half. It is not a fast process, it is a myth to think so. Accepting this is important if you don't want to sabotage yourself. In regards to the second factor, it might be helpful to cut 200 calories instead of 100 or to cut 100 for one year and than an additional 100 the next (individual advice cannot be provided here). It is wise to add some exercise into the equation for a gazillion reasons.
When you reach your goal - understand that this new body has a new metabolism - you didn't damage your metabolism - you do not have some predetermined set weight that you are destined to return to - you have a NEW body - treat it right and don't give it more food than it needs!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Is Weight Training Supposed to Get Easier?
One of the professors in my department (Public Health) works out in the Student Rec Center like I do. It should just be called the Rec Center because it is there for all of us. Anyways, his research and work regards work site wellness programs. Individual level factors that can improve health or increase risk of disease are his focus.
I have run into him in the gym the last couple of Mondays. Today as he was coming back into the academic building, he said, "I thought these workouts were supposed to get easier." To which I replied, "No, they aren't. If they get easy it means you're doing it wrong." He laughed and said, "That's exactly right." Because it was - but I knew what he really meant and he knew what I meant(gym rats think alike).
I did follow up my comment by mentioning some friends or relatives that I have who don't understand (or choose to ignore)that the weight training piece of their workout needs to be periodically revised.
But put that aside a minute. I want to break this 'easier' concept into two parts.
There is a physical and a psychological component to weight training. I make this distinction because I don't want anyone who is considering starting to exercise or who is new to exercise to abandon all hope and run back to the couch.
Psychologically it DOES get easier. It becomes a routine with benefits. Emotional well being, strength, conditioning and better metabolism are a few of the pay offs.
As people who are new to exercise and many older exercisers are uncomfortable with the progressive nature of weight training - i.e. adding reps, weights and new routines, I offer this link to a CDC page which offers suggestions on how to keep those workouts working for you.
I have run into him in the gym the last couple of Mondays. Today as he was coming back into the academic building, he said, "I thought these workouts were supposed to get easier." To which I replied, "No, they aren't. If they get easy it means you're doing it wrong." He laughed and said, "That's exactly right." Because it was - but I knew what he really meant and he knew what I meant(gym rats think alike).
I did follow up my comment by mentioning some friends or relatives that I have who don't understand (or choose to ignore)that the weight training piece of their workout needs to be periodically revised.
But put that aside a minute. I want to break this 'easier' concept into two parts.
There is a physical and a psychological component to weight training. I make this distinction because I don't want anyone who is considering starting to exercise or who is new to exercise to abandon all hope and run back to the couch.
Psychologically it DOES get easier. It becomes a routine with benefits. Emotional well being, strength, conditioning and better metabolism are a few of the pay offs.
As people who are new to exercise and many older exercisers are uncomfortable with the progressive nature of weight training - i.e. adding reps, weights and new routines, I offer this link to a CDC page which offers suggestions on how to keep those workouts working for you.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Pictures Speak Volumes of Volume
I owe my friend and blog reader Jessica a big thank you for tonight's post and picture. She sent this to me today and I was giddy with excitement. It is a perfect example of what I am trying to promote - getting more food per calorie - nutrient density over caloric density or Low Energy Density - LED.
Three things to say about the photo.
1) The stomach on the right is full of veggies that have NOT been cooked in oil, fat or butter.
2) A person who has had WLS (weight loss surgery - like gastric bypass/stapling/banding) cannot choose to eat like stomach 3 but CAN eat similar to stomach one, on the left. I find this to be a fundamental problem with the procedure because WLS in NO way forces a person to cut calories. It only prevents them from eating a lot of volume at one time.
3) I just posted a new volumetrics dinner example to my You Tube channel tonight.
Without further Ado - Let The Stomachs Speak for Themselves...
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Odds and Ends
Salt - There was news out this week that Americans are consuming an average of 3300 mg of sodium a day which is twice what is recommended. Salt and sodium - for the purposes of limiting intake- are the same thing. The food you purchase may say low salt or low sodium (note that 'reduced sodium' does not mean LOW - it means less than the regular version and could still be high). Labels may list sodium mg on the nutrition fact panel. The biggest source of all this salt is processed foods, including; lunch meat, cheese, soups, pasta, chicken and breads. In fact, 44% of our extra salt comes from only 10 foods. According to the CDC, 90% of us are getting too much salt and in population studies, the more salt consumed the higher the rates of hypertension or high blood pressure. Read more about the sources of this salt in the February 2012 Vital Statistics Report from the CDC.
Ensure - Perhaps you have seen the commercial for the new Ensure "flavor" - muscle something or another. This is (once again) an example of misrepresentation of science or clinical studies. There is no proof that this product will strengthen your muscles. There is an ingredient in the drink that may have done so in some condition or context (like a lab and maybe with animals and not people even). This product is not your way to bigger or stronger muscles. The commercial does have one thing right - if you do not exercise you will lose some muscular functioning as you age.
Pets - A few days ago I made note of the incomprehensible notion of overweight/obese children and soldiers. I later heard that we had reached another milestone in the USA - 50% of our dogs are considered obese. (I wonder how THAT is measured. Do they have doggie BMIs?) Dogs are active by nature - the only explanation that makes sense - high fat, high calorie people food in their bowls.
Push - Women 'choosing' to have c sections instead of giving birth naturally is not new. It was mentioned in the news and in this blog some time ago. However, the risk to the baby is now becoming apparent. It is a dangerous habit for a society to get into - I hear it is called "Too posh to push." Problem is, those lazy Mom's are putting the infant at risk. Read more from the Mayo Clinic. [this is only in reference to cesarean sections by choice, btw - not medical need]
Medifast - AAACK - Can I express my discontent for diet programs any more often or emphatically? Blek. Plans that require you to eat packaged foods are just not appropriate - they are not "real life." Anyways, the commercial for Medifast has an actress who expresses her excitement for the program. She exclaims that when she finally got down to a size 10 after x amount of years, she cried. Well - you know I talk back to these ads... guess what I said to this one? "You're gonna cry harder when you realize that 10 is really a 14."
Ensure - Perhaps you have seen the commercial for the new Ensure "flavor" - muscle something or another. This is (once again) an example of misrepresentation of science or clinical studies. There is no proof that this product will strengthen your muscles. There is an ingredient in the drink that may have done so in some condition or context (like a lab and maybe with animals and not people even). This product is not your way to bigger or stronger muscles. The commercial does have one thing right - if you do not exercise you will lose some muscular functioning as you age.
Pets - A few days ago I made note of the incomprehensible notion of overweight/obese children and soldiers. I later heard that we had reached another milestone in the USA - 50% of our dogs are considered obese. (I wonder how THAT is measured. Do they have doggie BMIs?) Dogs are active by nature - the only explanation that makes sense - high fat, high calorie people food in their bowls.
Push - Women 'choosing' to have c sections instead of giving birth naturally is not new. It was mentioned in the news and in this blog some time ago. However, the risk to the baby is now becoming apparent. It is a dangerous habit for a society to get into - I hear it is called "Too posh to push." Problem is, those lazy Mom's are putting the infant at risk. Read more from the Mayo Clinic. [this is only in reference to cesarean sections by choice, btw - not medical need]
Medifast - AAACK - Can I express my discontent for diet programs any more often or emphatically? Blek. Plans that require you to eat packaged foods are just not appropriate - they are not "real life." Anyways, the commercial for Medifast has an actress who expresses her excitement for the program. She exclaims that when she finally got down to a size 10 after x amount of years, she cried. Well - you know I talk back to these ads... guess what I said to this one? "You're gonna cry harder when you realize that 10 is really a 14."
Friday, February 10, 2012
The following statement was made on NPR Morning Edition Yesterday and the transcript is available here.
About a quarter of entry-level candidates for the military are too overweight to serve or to make it through their first enlistment, according to the Pentagon. And the Defense Department spends $1.1 billion a year on medical care related to excess weight and obesity.There are two things that I just can't seem to wrap my mind around. Infants and toddlers who have weight problems and troops that are overweight or obese. This is further evidence that something is wrong on a population or systems level. Yes - at the end of any given day - the individual chooses the food that goes into their mouth, but what are they choosing from? Our foods are over sized, over processed and calorically dense (with sat fats and sugar). They are mass produced, sold cheap and mercilessly marketed to children and others. We need a strategy that changes the food availability so that the individual strategies we try, like health promotion and eduction will actually have a chance of making a difference.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The Powerlessness of Obesity "Treatment"
I would like you to take a look at this two-page editorial which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine - NEJM - in 2009. It is in response to a research study, which we probably discussed at some point, which reviewed the impact of different macro nutrient combinations on weight loss in a reduced calorie situation.
I have always contented and made arguments regarding, the futility of diets.
Here are two specific points in the article by Dr. Martijn Katan that I want to bring to your attention:
Evidently, individual treatment is powerless against an environment that offers so many high-calorie foods and labor-saving devices (p924)
AND
...we may need a new approach to preventing and to treating obesity and it must be a total-environment approach that involves and activates entire neighborhoods and communities. ... because the only effective alternative that we have at present for halting the obesity epidemic is large-scale gastric surgery(p924) (YIKES!!)
In the article, Dr. Katan gives an example of an intervention in France where one of the strategies used was "cooking workshops." To which I say, "Volumetrics anyone?" My You Tube channel is ready to hit the road :)
Referenced Editorial by:
N Engl J Med 2009; 360:923-925
February 26, 2009
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Healthy Deluge
I lingered in the frozen food aisle during my weekly grocery trip today.
This is more an indication of my desire to put off writing the
evaluation summary proposal that is due Monday then any intent to buy a healthy choice entree. Oh sweet procrastination.
Anyways -
On the one hand, it is awesome that there are so many choices from so many manufacturers or brands in low calorie frozen meals, but on the other-not counting the lack of any standardized front of pack labeling system (wow - that was dizzying) - they are ALL processed.
I tend to cook most all of my own food unless I go out for dinner. These items are too expensive and not as low calorie and "whole" as I can make myself.
I will say that the abundance of lower calorie meals is a good thing and it must certainly lower the price of the category in general. If I were to buy frozen meals, there is no doubt that I would choose the lean cuisine, lean gourmet, smart ones, store brand or what have you - over any regular frozen dinner.
This is more an indication of my desire to put off writing the
evaluation summary proposal that is due Monday then any intent to buy a healthy choice entree. Oh sweet procrastination.
Anyways -
On the one hand, it is awesome that there are so many choices from so many manufacturers or brands in low calorie frozen meals, but on the other-not counting the lack of any standardized front of pack labeling system (wow - that was dizzying) - they are ALL processed.
I tend to cook most all of my own food unless I go out for dinner. These items are too expensive and not as low calorie and "whole" as I can make myself.
I will say that the abundance of lower calorie meals is a good thing and it must certainly lower the price of the category in general. If I were to buy frozen meals, there is no doubt that I would choose the lean cuisine, lean gourmet, smart ones, store brand or what have you - over any regular frozen dinner.
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