How to cut back on soda and other sugar sweetened beverages

Are you drinking one or more sugar sweetened beverages every day?  Some of the students in my class drink sweet tea which is common in the South.  Other common sugar sweetened beverages besides soda and sweet tea include:  Caramel Latte’s, sports drinks, fruit drinks (not real juice), or other beverages loaded with added sugar.  One student drank Gold Peak Sweet Tea and noted they added 347 calories to their day.  This would be 347 calories of added sugar and empty calories.  It is also common for parents to serve even very young children sweet tea or a soda at meals instead of milk.  The meal is then loaded with empty calories instead of the nutrition a glass of real milk provides.  

 

This sweet tea is loaded with added sugar.

Why cut back on sodas and other sugar sweetened beverages?

• The Dietary Guidelines for 2015-2020 recommends limiting foods and beverages high in added sugars:
• Added sugars:  Less than 10% of calories per day starting at age 2.  Avoid foods and beverages with added sugars for those younger than age 2.
• Added sugars add empty calories and few nutrients – these added sugars replace nutritious foods that would add vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals to your diet.
• Weight gain – all those extra added sugar calories can add on the pounds.  One student drank so much sweet tea that it added 700 empty calories to their day, every day.   If people drinking all those empty sugar calories every day want to lose weight, the only change needed would be to cut out the sweet teas, the sodas, the sports drinks.  No other changes need to be made in their diet, and they would easily lose weight.  It is also easy to chug down a soda, sports drink, sweet tea and consume many more calories than you need.
• Blood lipids – added sugars can increase the level of triglycerides in your blood.  This can increase your risk of heart disease.
• Cavities – all that sugar can lead to tooth decay and expensive dental bills.

Dietitians have some recommendations on how to cut back on sodas and all that added sugar in sugar sweetened beverages.

1. Break the habit – some people make it a habit to drink sugared soda – they order a soda with lunch at a fast-food restaurant.  They stop to buy gas and run in for a drink and choose a soda.  Rather than reaching for a soda or other sugar ladened beverage – choose seltzer water, real fruit juice, milk with lunch, black coffee or unsweetened tea.
2. Taste – some people crave the taste of soda because of the fizz, the caffeine or the quick burst of energy.  Satisfy the caffeine urge with black coffee, unsweetened tea or a diet soda.  Satisfy the fizz urge with flavored seltzer water.
3. Plan – keep alternatives handy – have sparkling water, flavored seltzer water in the fridge ready to grab. Or, make your own fruit-infused water and keep some in the fridge.  Plan on getting the unsweetened tea.  One of my daughters goes through a fast-food drive through just to get unsweetened tea.  This same daughter used to always get sweet tea but broke this habit over time by getting half sweet tea and half unsweetened tea and slowly lessening the amount of sweet tea.  If you are used to drinking 2 cans of soda a day, aim for one a day for awhile and then one every other day.
4. Make sweetened beverages an occasional treat.  One of my husband’s professors brought out a can of Dr. Pepper at the end of class every Friday.  He explained he used to drink a lot of Dr. Pepper but now treated himself to one can, once a week.
5. Keep the sugared sodas and sugar sweetened beverages out of your home.  That way you have to work a bit to get some sugared beverages.  Less tempting if you don’t see the sweetened beverages every time you open the fridge.
6. Pay attention to labels – a student in my class noted she was getting a serving of fruit from drinking a fruit punch sports drink.  But this drink not only had no fruit, it was loaded with added sugar.  Reading the ingredient label would have indicated the “fruit” punch was loaded with high fructose corn syrup and no fruit at all.  The fruit punch sports drink was no healthier than a sugared soda.
7. Enjoy tea as tea has health benefits but be sure it is unsweetened tea.
8. Choose the can or glass when choosing beverages.  Remember that plastic containers can add plastic to your body (see How much plastic are you eating?), so look for seltzer water and juice in cans and if making fruit-infused water, make it in a glass container.  

Choose glass bottles or cans to avoid all the plastic.

Cutting back on the sugared beverages leaves room for healthier choices in your diet.  I prefer my “added sugars” to be in desserts and not waste all those calories on a sugared beverage.  How can you cut back on sweetened beverages in your day?

Enjoy the health benefits of tea without the added sugar.

 

Sources: beverages , Dietary Guidelines , triglycerides , Dietitians , quick burst of energy , How much plastic are you eating?  Image sources:  Sweet tea , San Pelligrino   , Unsweetened tea

Foods that fill you up

Ever eat a meal and in no time at all you are hungry again?  My students often ask why sometimes they eat a meal and shortly after they are hungry?  But sometimes they eat a meal and they are hungry hours later.  Why do some meals fill you up and keep you feeling full for hours, yet other meals or food seem to leave you with an empty stomach not long after you eat?

One reason is that some foods are digested rapidly and some foods take much longer to digest.  Some foods seem to fill you up and leave you feeling satiated.  What is satiated?  The book I use to teach nutrition, defines “satiety” as “the feeling of fullness and satisfaction that occurs after a meal and during eating.  Satiation determines how much food is consumed during a meal.”

The Satiety Index

My daughter sent me an article on the Satiety Index that rates different foods as to how full they make you feel after a meal.    Susanna Holt, PhD from Australia, developed this index as a way to determine how foods satisfy your hunger.  She had people eat 240 calories worth of 38 different foods and then every 15 minutes had them report how hungry they felt after eating the different foods. 

Can you guess what food ranks the highest in satiety?  I am not surprised as it is one of my favorite foods – potatoes.  “Of all the foods tested, potatoes were the most satisfying”.  We often serve baked potatoes at meals and almost every time either my husband or I comment on how filling potatoes are.

Potatoes fill you up.

Interesting that Holt used white bread as her baseline and gave it a score of 100.  Foods that were more filling than white bread earned a score higher than 100 and foods less filling than white bread earned scores less than 100.

Some findings were quite interesting.  We learn in nutrition class that fat has lots of calories and one would think that would fill you up.  But fat is a weakling when it comes to satiation.  You eat a meal high in fat and one would think it would make you feel full, but just the opposite, you may not feel full and overeat as a result.  Holt found that boiled potatoes (low in fat) have a high satiety index, 3 times that of white bread.  But French fries – which are high in fat, have a lower satiety index.  Probably the opposite of what one would expect.  So, eat boiled potatoes and you will feel fuller than eating some high fat French fries. 

We also learn in class that foods high in fiber fill you up.  High fiber foods stay in your stomach longer, resulting in a feeling of fullness.  Protein foods are another food that stays with you longer, also creating a feeling of fullness.  The nutrition book recommends drinking some real milk at meals as real milk has protein that will help you feel full and satiated.  The satiety index confirms both principles as Holt notes, “Roughly speaking, the more fiber, protein and water a food contains, the longer it will satisfy.” 

Here are some of other findings:

• Fruit – especially whole fruit ranks 1.7 times more filling than white bread.  One would not think so since fruit has the simple carb, fructose, in it.  But whole fruit also has fiber which fills you up and stays in your stomach longer.
  

• Cereal – choose whole grain cereals like any General Mills cereal or oatmeal as whole grains would be more satisfying than refined grain cereals.

Holt gives some meal advice to dieters or those who are health conscious:

• Rice cakes and fruit – may seem healthy but eating this “meal” will result in hunger shortly after eating.  The meal is low in fat but also low in protein and won’t keep hunger at bay.

• Sandwich on whole grain bread and an apple – the sandwich should have protein – meat, tuna, or cheese.  The protein would keep hunger at bay longer.  Whole grains and the apple have fiber to delay stomach emptying and protein in the sandwich stays with you longer.   According to Holt, “This kind of meal can keep hunger at bay for a very long time”.   

This week when you are planning snacks or meals, think about the “satiety index” and be sure your meals or snacks have some high-quality protein such as real milk, cheese, yogurt, lean meat, or tuna.  And add in some foods with fiber – fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, and whole grain bread, whole grain cereal or whole grain crackers.  

Interesting that sometimes only small changes are needed to eat healthier.  Students in my class are required to keep 24-hour diet recalls listing all food and beverages eaten in a 24-hour period.  One student had some Ritz crackers for a snack.  Changing those Ritz crackers to Ritz Whole Wheat crackers and adding some cheese would have made for a higher “satiety index” snack and a healthier snack.  Another student drank some fruit punch for a snack and thought this was a serving of fruit.  In actuality, the fruit punch contained no fruit or fruit juice at all.  If that student had a snack of an apple and some yogurt, they would have a healthier snack and one with a higher “satiety index”.  

Choose whole grain crackers and add some fiber to your day.

How can you raise your “satiety index” this week and eat meals and snacks that fill you up and keep you feeling full longer?

 

Sources:  book , Satiety Index , notes , According , Ritz Whole Wheat crackers  Image sources:  Satiety Index , Ritz crackers , Potatoes

Healthy Fast Food?

So easy to go to a Fast-Food drive thru and pick up a quick bite to eat.  Fast Food meals can easily add extra calories and fat to your day and probably a lot of added sugar.  If you are going for some Fast Food, are there some healthier choices?  Dr. Oz and others have some recommendations.  Yes, you can choose some healthier options at Fast Food establishments and this blog will give you some ideas on how to do so.

Dr. Oz provides 4 healthy Fast-Food suggestions (these suggestions are adapted to make even healthier):

      1.  Hamburger – some people put hamburgers into a junk food category.  But hamburgers provide protein and a serving of grains. I would recommend a cheeseburger and not a hamburger.  Add cheese and you now have 3 out of the 5 food groups recommended by MyPlate.  Dr. Oz not only includes hamburgers on his Fast-Food list but states: “If you’re craving a burger, go for it!” 

• Choose a hamburger with a patty the size of the palm of your hand, not the double burgers (unless you can afford the extra calories).
• Make it a cheeseburger.  Add the cheese and you add some dairy to your meal.  MyPlate recommends dairy at every meal.
• Add healthy sides – choose apple slices, a side salad. 

2.  Grilled chicken – many Fast-Food establishments offer grilled chicken as an option. 

• Grilled chicken – not fried chicken. Skip the fried chicken which adds a lot of added fat to your day.  A grilled chicken breast is a healthy way to get some protein in your day and is a much healthier option than fried chicken.  Order a sandwich with grilled chicken or choose grilled chicken nuggets, not fried chicken nuggets.
• Order some healthy sides to go with the grilled chicken – Cole slaw, green beans, corn on the cob.

3.  Deli Sandwiches – no reason to make bread the enemy.  We want grains at every meal. 

• Choose healthy breads:  Choose healthy bread options like whole wheat bread, a whole wheat bagel or other whole grain bread.  Panera, Subway – many Fast-Food places offer whole grain bread options.
• Load up on veggies – when I go to Subway, I choose almost every vegetable option offered for my sandwich:  spinach instead of lettuce is a healthier choice, tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, onion, olives.  Load up on the veggies.
• Choose cheese – add some cheese to your sandwich and add dairy to your meal.
• Go light on Mayo – mustard has almost no calories.  Mayo is loaded with calories (about 100 calories per Tablespoon).  If you like mayo, ask for it on the side and then you are in control as to how much mayo is on the sandwich. 

4.  Burrito Bowls – Usually full of beans, tomatoes and other healthy veggies. 

• Sides – choose brown rice which is whole grain and adds important nutrients and fiber to your day.
• Add guacamole – avocados have fat, but a heart-healthy fat.
• Add cheese or choose milk to drink to add dairy to your meal.

Some specific advice when eating at Fast-Food establishments:

Subway – I like Subway as they offer so many healthy food choices.  Choose from their Fresh Fit menu and choose the whole grain bread like nine-grain wheat, choose the turkey breast, oven roasted chicken, roast beef, or Black Forest Ham, and add in as many veggies as you can on the sandwich and add in the cheese.  You now have a meal that provides a high quality, healthy protein, whole grains, veggies and a dairy serving.  For vegetarians, choose the Veggie Delite option, again on nine grain wheat bread.  Want some chips?  Subway offers a good selection of chips in a reasonably sized package.  If you are choosing potato chips, choose Lay’s chips as Lay’s uses heart healthy oils in their chips.  Better yet, choose Sunchips as Sunchips are whole grain and a healthy chip choice. 

Choose from the Fresh Fit menu at Subway.

Taco Bell – Choose a Quesadilla, Bean Burrito , Power Menu Bowl.  The Power Menu Bowl has grilled chicken, tomatoes, guacamole, cheese, rice, black beans, lettuce.   For vegetarians, choose the Power Menu Bowl- Veggie which replaces beans for the chicken.    Taco Bell doesn’t seem to offer milk as a beverage choice.  Choose a meal with cheese to get your dairy and then choose water, unsweetened ice tea, coffee or iced coffee to drink to skip all the added sugars in soft drinks.

Chipotle – so many healthy food choices at Chipotle.  Choose burrito bowls, salads, and choose brown rice, not the white rice.  Choose a chicken burrito bowl and add some fresh tomato salsa which adds a lot of healthy antioxidants to your meal.  Choose the brown rice which adds whole grains to your day.  For vegetarians, choose the burrito bowl with brown rice, beans for the protein, guacamole for healthy fats.   Add some healthy fresh tomato salsa and cheese for dairy. 

McDonald’s – Order a cheeseburger and get protein from the hamburger patty and cheese, a serving of dairy from the cheese and a serving of grains from the bun.  Add some ketchup or mustard and some onions and pickles.  Or choose the Fillet-O-Fresh which provides a healthy protein.  The bun provides a grain and choose cheese to add dairy to the meal.  Add some fruit by choosing apple slices.  Skip the sugared sodas and choose unsweetened ice tea, water, or milk to drink. Even chocolate milk would be a better choice than the sugared sodas. The chocolate milk at McDonald’s is low fat and has reduced sugar.   For breakfast, I like the Egg McMuffin.  I ask them for “no butter” – which isn’t real butter anyway.  You get high quality protein from the egg and ham, a grain serving from the English Muffin and dairy from the cheese.  I also order orange juice, which is real juice and not a fruit punch.  

Enjoy a cheeseburger.

There are healthier food options at Fast-Food establishments.  Try to skip the fried foods and look for grilled.  Try to get as many of the MyPlate food groups in your meal as you can – grains, protein, dairy and fruit and veggies.  One can enjoy eating out at Fast-Food places and make healthier choices when doing so.  The next time you go to a Fast-Food place, look at the menu and use the above recommendations when choosing what you will eat.

Sources:  healthy Fast-Food, states , Mayo , advice, Fresh Fit, Veggie Delite, Sunchips ,  Bean Burrito, Power Menu Bowl, Power Menu Bowl- Veggie, burrito bowl, cheeseburger, Fillet-O-Fresh, chocolate milk , Egg McMuffin, orange juice   Image Sources:  Cheeseburger , sandwich , milk

What are the best diets for diabetes?

So many Americans have diabetes.  The National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2020, which is published by the Centers for Disease Control, provides information on the prevalence and incidence of diabetes and prediabetes, and the risk factors for this disease and complications and costs.  Here are some facts from this report.

Diabetes Facts:

• 34.2 million Americans have diabetes. This equates to 10.5% of the U.S. population
• Diagnosed – 26.9 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes
• Undiagnosed – 7.3 million have diabetes but are not yet diagnosed. 

Prediabetes Facts:

• 88 million Americans aged 18 and older have prediabetes.  This is 34.5% of the U.S. population.
• Of those who are 65 and older:  24.2 million have prediabetes.  

 

What is the best diet for those with diabetes?

As noted in the past few weeks’ blog posts, the U.S. News & World Report ranks diets best for overall health, best weight-loss diets but also the Best Diabetes Diets.  Two of the diets they recommend for people with diabetes are the Mediterranean Diet and the DASH diet.  In this blog post I will focus on the Mediterranean Diet.

Mediterranean Diet – this diet is also ranked as number one diet for overall good health.  As noted in my blog on Best Diets for Health 2021, the Mediterranean Diet is modeled after foods people eat in Greece and other countries around the Mediterranean Sea.  This diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, nuts and using Olive oil, especially Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  The Mayo Clinic notes there is no official “Mediterranean Diet” but it is a way of eating that emphasizes healthy foods and limits intake of other foods.

Foods to emphasize:

• Fruits – especially fresh or frozen fruit.  An apple is healthier than applesauce. Some people think frozen fruit isn’t healthy, but it is.  So, if blueberries or strawberries or some other fruit isn’t available at a good price buy some frozen fruit.
• Vegetables – fresh or frozen.  The American Diabetes Association recommends non-starchy vegetables fill half your plate.
• Whole grains – are loaded with vitamins, minerals and healthy fiber.  The American Diabetes Association recommends choosing carbs that are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals – which includes whole grains.  Some people are quite confused about whole grains and even think “wheat bread” is whole grain.  Whole grains include:  barley, brown rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, popcorn, and foods made from whole wheat like whole wheat bread (not wheat bread), whole wheat pasta, whole wheat crackers.  There are many whole grain cereals and as I have noted previously, all General Mills cereals are whole grain.  To be sure it is whole grain, look at the ingredient list for the word, “whole”.  Whole wheat, not ‘enriched wheat flour’.  Whole corn, whole rye would also be whole grains.
• Nuts and seeds – enjoy a handful of nuts a day.  I enjoy a handful of peanuts at lunch and often add some ground up walnuts to my morning cereal.
• Fish – they eat a lot of fish around the Mediterranean Sea.  Fatty fish like mackerel, herring, sardines, tuna and salmon are especially healthy as these provide the healthy omega-3 fatty acids.  I am not a big fish fan, but I don’t mind some salmon or a tuna fish sandwich.  If you like fish, aim for eating fish twice a week.
• Healthy Fats – olive oil is the main oil on the Mediterranean diet.  What is so good about olive oil?  It has been shown to reduce total cholesterol and the bad cholesterol, LDL cholesterol.  But there are other healthy fats including Canola oil, Sunflower oil, Safflower and Corn Oil.  We usually have Olive oil (EVVO – extra virgin olive oil) in our pantry but also another oil like Safflower oil.
• Dairy – enjoy dairy as it provides important nutrients like calcium, vitamin D and a high-quality protein.  But focus on real dairy, not fake dairy and focus on low-fat dairy products like low-fat milk, yogurt and low-fat cheese.  Many cheeses are made with 2% milk like Mozzarella cheese, and many grocery stores offer an assortment of reduced fat cheeses.
• Spice it up – spices are good for you.  Full of healthy antioxidants.  I add cinnamon to my oatmeal and try to add spices in most foods we cook.  Another benefit of using spices is that you may use less salt in your cooking.

What foods to reduce:

• Red meat – most Americans love their meat.  But switching it up to eating more chicken, some fish, leaner cuts of meat, can be healthy.  We eat red meat but not every day.  And we choose leaner cuts of meat.  Lean hamburger, enjoy some pork chops but cut off the fat rind before eating the pork chop. Cut back on processed meats like bologna, bacon, sausages, hot dogs.
• Added Sugar – it is impossible to avoid added sugar in our foods as manufacturers add sugar to almost everything, even catsup.  Cutting back on sodas, sweet tea, fake juices like fruit punch and Sunny D are ways to easily cut back on added sugar in your diet.  

Want more information on eating well if you are a diabetic? 

Read more about the Mediterranean Diet at Nourish by WebMD.  The American Diabetes Association (diabetes.org) has a wealth of information on diabetes. 

 

Sources:  National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2020 , Best Diabetes Diets , Best Diets for Health 2021 , American Diabetes Association, Whole grains , Mediterranean Diet , Nourish by WebMD , diabetes.org    Image sources: Diabetes , article ,  Mediterranean Diet