Processed foods and your health

Who doesn’t eat processed foods?  Almost all the foods we eat undergo some processing.  Bread is processed, crackers are processed.  Real cow’s milk is pasteurized to kill some bacteria and is fortified with vitamin D.  But highly processed foods have many nutrients and fiber removed.  Now many health professionals are talking about ultra-processed foods. 

Is some processing of foods needed?

Yes.  As noted, cow’s milk is pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria.  They also add vitamin D to milk which is a good thing.  Some foods are frozen, like frozen vegetables and frozen fruit to prolong shelf life.  Grains are processed to make bread, crackers, cereal. 

What type of food processing is not good for our health?

You may have heard of refined grains.  All grains start out healthy as whole grains.  Then many grains are refined, which removes one or more parts of the grain.  White flour and white rice are both refined because they have the healthiest parts of the grain removed, the bran and the germ.  This refining process also removes more than half of the nutrients in the grain and most of the fiber.  Since so many nutrients are removed, the government recommended adding some B vitamins and the mineral, iron, back.  You will see “enriched” on the package as these refined grains have some, but only some of the vitamins and only on mineral added back.

Have you heard people say, “bread makes me fat”?  Interesting as when they make white bread and white rice, the refining process creates a more easily digested starch.  And some studies have shown that this can increase your risk for gaining weight and increase your risk of type 2 diabetes.  However, eating whole grains like whole grain bread and brown rice, not only doesn’t increase weight gain, it helps lower your risk of gaining weight.  Other studies have found that eating whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, and whole grain breads can even help “fight your belly fat bulge” and lower your risk for heart disease.  (See, Why Ultra-Processed Foods are Bad for Your Waist Line.)

Processing of foods can be bad for our health when the processing, like refining grains, removes vitamins, minerals, fiber and even removes antioxidants.  Not only that, but many processed foods often have added sugars, salt and saturated fat. 

What are ultra-processed foods?

Many of us have too much processed foods in our diet, now we can add ultra-processed foods to the mix.  NIH notes that it isn’t just how foods are processed but what else is added to the foods.  Ultra-processed foods often have added sugar, added salt, added fat, things like hydrolyzed protein, starches, artificial coloring, flavoring, emulsifiers, and other chemicals.  The BMJ notes “ultra-processed foods include packaged baked goods and snacks, fizzy drinks, sugary cereals, ready meals containing food additives, dehydrated vegetable soups, and reconstituted meat and fish products – often containing high levels of added sugar, fat, and/or salt, but lacking in vitamins and fibre [sic].”  

Confused about reconstituted meat?  Think about those lunch packs for kids with the “meat” slices and not real cheese but a cheese product.  Harvard Health has an interesting chart by a dietitian, Katherine D. McManus, that provides examples of minimally processed, processed, and ultra-processed foods.

Minimally Processed	Processed	Ultra-Processed
Corn	Canned Corn	Corn Chips
Apple	Apple Juice	Apple Pie
Potato	Baked Potato	French fries
Carrot	Carrot juice	Carrot Cake
Wheat	Flour	Cookies

 (Chart from Harvard Health Blog, 2020) 

Most of us, including my family, eat ultra-processed foods.  Who doesn’t enjoy some pie, chips, cake or cookies?  But some people have entire meals of ultra-processed foods – fries, reconstituted meat, cheese products, not real cheese and then enjoy their ultra-processed dessert.  Some students in my classes have no fruits or vegetables in their diet except for French fries.  Consumer Reports states, “About 60 percent of Americans’ total daily calories come from ultra-processed food…”.  Focusing one’s diet on more fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and whole grains like oatmeal, whole grain bread, quinoa can help one cut back on ultra-processed foods.  And make more foods at home.  When you bake at home, you can make cookies, cakes and other desserts without the artificial preservatives or the artificial colorings found in store bought bakery items. 

WebMD has some ideas for adding whole grains to your meals and snacks:

• Snack on whole grain cereal like any General Mills cereal.  A great way to add whole grains to a kid’s day.
• Use some whole grain flour or oatmeal when making cookies.  Try the oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe on the oatmeal box.  Another way to sneak some whole grains into your kid’s day.
• Chips – choose some whole grain chips like Sun Chips.
• Popcorn – whole grain and a great snack

Below are some suggestions for avoiding ultra-processed foods and eating more whole foods (list adapted from Consumer Reports):

1. Focus on unprocessed foods like fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, real cow’s milk, eggs, meat, poultry, seafood, yogurt, real 100% juice, water.
2. Read the ingredients and look for coloring (e.g. yellow No. 5), artificial flavors, or ingredients you don’t know like potassium benzoate added as preservatives.  (The next time you are in a grocery store, compare the ingredients in Sunny D to the ingredients in 100% orange juice.)
3. Make it yourself – make your own cookies, your own salad dressing, your own protein shake, smoothie.
   
4. Shopping at the grocery store – the healthiest foods are around the perimeter of the store (except the bakery).  Think produce, meats, and dairy.  But frozen fruits, vegetables, meats are also a healthy choice.
5. Skip the artificial creams and sweeteners for your coffee or tea.  Most are loaded with added sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup.  Use real milk, even whole milk, instead of the fake creams.
   
6. Snacks – plan your snacks.  Running errands?  Take some healthy snacks with you.  Plan healthy snacks for your break at work. You will be less tempted by the vending machine if you brought your own snack from home.
7. Pack your lunch – even if working from home, learning from home, take the time to pack or at least plan your lunch.  Be sure to include all 5 food groups in your lunch. 

How can you eat more whole grains, fruits, vegetables and nuts this week?  

Shop the perimeter of the grocery store and choose whole foods.

Sources:  pasteurized , starch , whole grains , studies , Why Ultra-Processed Foods are Bad for Your Waist Line , ultra-processed , NIH , notes , Health , Blog , Consumer Reports, WebMD  Image Sources:  foods    , Processed , Whole foods

Eat blueberries for a health boost

Blueberries – why are they considered a super healthy food?  Growing up, I went blueberry picking with my grandfather.  At first, more blueberries went into my mouth than into the bucket.  Who knew I was boosting my health every time I went blueberry picking?

Why are blueberries so healthy?  What make blueberries a power food? 

Health.com discusses the  5 Health Benefits of Blueberries, According to a Nutritionist. 

1. Antioxidants – blueberries are “blue” or some say “purple”.  This coloring means blueberries provide different antioxidants than other colored fruit.  Berries, in particular, have higher antioxidant levels than other fruits.  Antioxidants are great for our health as they help protect our bodies and cells from damage and thus protect us from some diseases and “protect against inflammation”.  Blueberries provide the antioxidant, anthocyanin which lowers our risk of certain cancers, helps our memories, and promotes healthy aging.  Interesting that wild blueberries, the kind I picked all those years ago with my grandfather, have higher antioxidant levels.  About twice “the antioxidant power of ordinary blueberries…”.  But you don’t have to go out and pick blueberries, you can buy frozen wild blueberries at your local store or buy fresh blueberries, both are full of good antioxidants. 

Blueberries are high in antioxidants.

2. Nutrients – in addition to antioxidants, blueberries pack in some important vitamins and minerals including vitamin C (who knew?) and vitamin K.  Vitamin C promotes a healthy immune system and vitamin K is needed for blood clotting and even for healthy bones.  And blueberries provide the mineral, manganese, which is rarely mentioned.  Manganese helps convert the food you eat into energy and also helps with bone development.  Blueberries are also a good source of fiber which many Americans are low in.  Fiber helps fill you up and may reduce your risk of heart disease.

 

3. How do blueberries help your brain?  Some people promote “brain food” but there are foods that do seem to improve brain function and one of these foods is blueberries. How?  One reason is those anthocyanins as these have been found to “help protect brain cells from damage”.  Interesting, that berries, including blueberries, have been found to affect the neurons in your brain by helping to prevent their aging degeneration and help your  neurons communicate and in a good way.  Basically, blueberries promote good brain function.

 

4. Low in calories – blueberries are low in calories, only about 80 calories in a cup – so eat up.  Blueberries are also low in fat and low in sodium so fit into most people’s diets.

 

5. Healthy hearts – what can blueberries do for your heart?  One study found that eating a cup of blueberries a day can reduce your risk factors for heart disease by about 15%.  May not seem like a large amount but anything that helps stem off disease is a good thing to add to your day.    Basically, blueberries help keep your arteries nimble and not so stiff so easier for blood to flow through.  Other studies have found that blueberry eaters have a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes.  

 

The next time you see some fresh blueberries on sale, buy some.  Or, stop by the frozen food section and pick up some frozen wild blueberries which provided even more of those healthy antioxidants.  For the cooks in our audience, try some blueberry recipes from the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council.  They have blueberry drink recipes, breakfast and bread recipes and many more ways to add blueberries to your day.  Try the Blueberry Turmeric Smoothie for a real antioxidant boost to your day.  

Blueberry Turmeric Smoothie (modified to use real milk and not fake milk)

• 2 cups milk
• 2 frozen bananas
• 1 cup frozen blueberries, rinsed
• ½ cup ice cubes
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• ½ teaspoon minced fresh turmeric

Blend all ingredients until smooth.  Makes 2 glasses.  You can add some honey to sweeten.  For a nutritional boost add some chia, hemp, or ground flax seeds.  

Visit the Blueberry Council for more information.

 

Sources:  Health Benefits of Blueberries, According to a Nutritionist , protect , inflammation , anthocyanin , wild blueberries , twice , vitamins , minerals , Fiber , found , neurons , calories , study , diabetes, Smoothie , Blueberry Council    Image Sources: Antioxidant Activity , bowl , blueberries

 

 

Tasty Snacks for Kids

Snacks – should kids have snacks?  Do snacks ruin a kid’s appetite?  Are snacks healthy?  So often I hear that kids shouldn’t have snacks.  So untrue.  All kids not only should have snacks but actually need snacks.  Kids, especially younger kids, have very small stomachs.  They can’t eat large amounts of food at meals so they get hungry between meals.  USDA sets a meal pattern for child care centers and this meal plan has a morning snack and an afternoon snack.  School-age kids should have an after-school or afternoon snack every day.  But this snack shouldn’t be gorging on junk food.  What are some guidelines for healthy snacks and what are some snacks kids can make for themselves? And, how can you use making snacks to teach some math, colors, shapes?

What are some guidelines for healthy snacks for kids?

1. Fruits and vegetables – a great way to get your kids to eat more fruits and veggies is to serve them at snack time. 
2. Remember whole grains – many kids today get no whole grains in their day.  There are some creative ways to sneak whole grains into a snack.  Oatmeal cookies, whole grain Goldfish crackers, whole grain pretzels.  A bowl of any General Mills’ cereal is a great snack for a kid.
3. Protein – kids are hungry at snack time.  Protein helps fill them up.  Think cheese, yogurt, hummus.  Flavored milk, like real chocolate milk is a great treat for snack time.  Yes, some sugar in chocolate milk but kids will drink it and it will add some calcium, vitamin D and a good quality protein to their day.

 What are some snacks kids can make themselves?  

Kids are on many different schedules this school year.  Some are home, some go to school part-time and some are back to a normal school schedule.  Whether your kid is home and needs a snack, or comes home from school and needs an afternoon snack, what are some snacks they can make themselves or help make? 

1. Ants on a log is a well-known favorite for kids – easy to make, just celery – you can have some celery already cut up in 3 to 4-inch sticks and ready for this snack, peanut butter, and raisins and maybe some nuts (if your child has no nut allergies).  For variety, try some nut butters, use trail mix for the topping, or let your child sprinkle some of their favorite cereal on their “logs”.   To help your kid learn math, have them measure out 2 teaspoons of peanut butter (or nut butter) and 10 raisins.  Or, make some of the fun variations and use cream cheese instead of peanut butter and vary the toppings.

Help your kids learn to measure and count with this snack.

 

 2.  Yogurt and berry parfait – let them choose the berries they like.  Berries can be fresh or frozen.  Your child can make a parfait of yogurt, berries and a topping of granola or their favorite General Mills or other healthy cereal.  Some chopped nuts can add some crunch and more protein.  

3. Veggies and dip can be a good snack but may not have enough calories if you only provide a low-calorie dip.  Carrots and fat-free Ranch dressing are not really a good snack as this won’t provide your child with enough calories.  Carrots and hummus as a dip would be a much wiser and healthier choice.  For younger kids, have some veggies (baby carrots, cut up: cauliflower, broccoli, radishes or some cucumber slices) cut up in the fridge and let your child choose what veggies they want.    

4. Apple “cookies”.  Core an apple for your kid(s).  Slice the apple into round slices (donut hole).  Have your child put peanut butter or a nut butter on the apple slices and sprinkle with some chocolate chips.  Serve with a glass of real milk.  

 

 

 

 

5. The hungry dragonfly AKA PBJ Fruity Caterpillar Kebobs - so much fun for a kid to make and then to eat.  This idea from Pinterest which has so many fun ideas for snacks for kids.  Parents and kids can even watch a video on how to make this fun snack.  As your kid is helping prepare this snack, use it to teach colors, shapes, math.

• Ingredients - banana slices, grapes (cut in half for small kids so they don't choke), strawberries, whole grain bread slices, peanut butter, jelly, and some kebob skewer sticks.
• Spread peanut butter on a slice of bread.  Spread jelly on a different bread slice.  Put together.
• Cut the PBJ sandwich into little, one-inch circles.
• Cut tops off strawberries but leave intact for the caterpillar "head".
• Assemble your caterpillar on the kebob:  Bread circle, banana slice, grape, bread circle, banana slice, grape, then a strawberry top.
• For caterpillar "eyes", either use "sugar eyes" used in cake decorating or pieces of banana or some small chocolate chips. 
• Vary the fruit - use blueberries or other fruit on your kebob.

A fun snack kids can help make. 

 

       6.       Microwave Pizza Pitas 

• Whole grain pita - rub some olive oil on the pita pocket, cover pita with some spaghetti sauce (from a glass jar, better for the environment), top with grated cheese and maybe some pepperoni slices.  Add a pinch of garlic salt or Italian seasoning.  A minute or less in the microwave should melt the cheese.  Or, use some whole grain English muffins for your "pizza".     

What fun snacks can you help your kids make this week? If a child helps make the snack, they are more likely to eat it. 

Some fun variations.

 

Sources:   USDA , snacks , Goldfish , make , help , video  Image Sources:  Hungry , Apple Cookies  , Ants on a Log  , variations   

Some Nutrition Myths

 So much nutrition information on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and all over the internet.  Easy to find nutrition information, but what it true and what is a myth?  A while back I had a student in my class who seemed to know a lot about nutrition.  One day I asked him why he was taking my nutrition class as he seemed so knowledgeable about nutrition.  He replied that he wanted to know what was true and what wasn’t.  What were really the facts and what were myths and misinformation?  Just because something about nutrition is on the internet, doesn’t make it true.  What are some popular nutrition ideas that are in fact nutrition myths? 

 

      1.  Will going on a gluten-free diet promote weight loss? Will going gluten-free improve your health?

Go to the store and package after package is labelled “gluten-free”.  Some are so odd like “gluten-free juice”.  Why would juice have any grains in it?  A “gluten-free apple” when fruit has no gluten.  Gluten is a protein found in some grains: rye, wheat and barley.  Fruit and veggies would not have gluten unless they had some bread coating or some grain added to them.  There is no research that supports going gluten-free will help with weight loss.  Gluten-free diets are for those with Celiac Disease and those who are sensitive to gluten.  Both of which are rare.  According to the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, “Despite the health claims for gluten-free eating, no published experimental evidence supports weight-loss with a gluten-free diet or suggests that the general population would benefit from avoiding gluten.”   

Some people think going gluten-free will improve their health.  Not true.  A survey conducted by Consumer Reports indicated many people thought gluten-free diets were more nutritious and even contained more vitamins and minerals.  Just the opposite is true.  63% of the survey respondents “thought that following a gluten-free diet would improve physical or mental health.  About a third said they buy gluten-free products or try to avoid gluten.”  Consumer Reports noted that gluten-free diets are not more nutritious and may even be less nutritious.  Why?  According to Laura Moore, a dietitian at the University of Texas, “If you go gluten-free without the guidance of a nutritionist, you can develop deficiencies pretty quickly.” 

Rather than avoiding gluten, people should be adding whole grains to their diet.  Whole grains add important nutrients and fiber to one’s diet.

 

 2.  To lose weight or to eat healthy, you have to give up your favorite foods.     

Whether you are trying to lose weight or trying to eat healthier, you don’t have to give up your favorite foods.  How often I hear, “Chips are unhealthy.”  Not true, as there are so many healthy chip choices.  I love chips and have no intention of giving them up.  Yes, to lose weight you might have to cut back on some favorite foods or forgo some really high calorie favorite foods for a while.  But giving them up totally and you may feel deprived and lose interest in losing weight or eating healthier.   

3.  To be physically active, you have to exercise for long periods of time.    

      Yes, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, recommend regular physical activity to include 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate physical activity each week.  But this isn’t running marathons.  It includes brisk walking.  And you don’t have to do it all at once.  Even 10-minute spurts are good for your health.  In fact, for those with Type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, or even for people without diabetes, walking after meals is especially beneficial as walking lowers blood glucose levels.  No time for a 30-minute walk?  Then take 10-minute walks after meals. Build exercise into your day – sit less and move more.  NIH recommends taking a 10-minute walking break at work, taking the stairs, walk with a friend at lunch.  “Break up your sitting time by getting up and moving around, even if it’s for only ten minutes at a time.  Those minutes will add up over days and weeks.”  Hate those commercials on TV?  Walk around during commercials, go up and down some stairs, do some stretches.  

        4.  Sea salt is healthier than table salt. 

So many people have replaced regular table salt with sea salt, thinking it is healthier.  Another myth.  Both salts provide the same amount of sodium, about 2300 milligrams a teaspoon.  Some say sea salt has more minerals like iron and magnesium, but only in trace amounts so not really healthier.  Table salt is fortified with iodine, an important food source of iodine in our diets.  Sea salt is not fortified with iodine and has little or no iodine.  I like sea salt on my foods but don’t want to miss out on my iodine.  So, I mostly use regular table salt but occasionally use sea salt.  Or, use iodized salt when cooking and use sea salt at the table.    

Look for iodized salt.

        5.   A calorie is a calorie. 

Is eating 300 calories of oven-roasted chicken breast the same as eating 300 calories of cake?  One might think so, but another myth.  Your body burns up more calories to digest and absorb protein than it does carbs.  Some foods are harder to digest and your body doesn’t absorb or use all the calories in the food.  “Corn and beans, for example, contain something called resistant starch, a type of carb that is really hard to digest.” Foods high in protein such as chicken, fish, turkey, steak use up more calories to digest and absorb than foods high in fat or carbs.  Adding protein foods to each meal will fill you up and burn up more calories.  Add some lean meat such as lean red meat, poultry or eggs and nuts to your meals for a protein boost. 

Just because something is popular such as gluten-free foods, doesn’t mean they are healthier.  There are many nutrition myths out there and just because you read it on Facebook or other social media, doesn’t mean it’s true.  The student in my class who knew a lot about nutrition?  He learned what were the nutrition facts and what were the myths and there are a lot of nutrition myths.  Take the time to verify the nutrition information you read on the internet.  It may be true or it may be another nutrition myth.

Sources:  Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants , survey , dietitian , foods, chip , Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans , walking , salts , calorie , food , Add  Image sources: Gluten free , salt , myths