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Should our toddlers really be eating this much fake sugar?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Would you let your two year old drink diet soda?

Would you let your 7-year-old drink diet soda?

How about your 2 year-old?

A disturbing new study finds that 27% of elementary-school kids and 20% of our preschoolers are consuming artificial sweeteners on a daily or near daily basis.  This represents a 300% increase since 1999.

[bctt tweet=”20% of preschoolers consume artificial sweeteners on a daily basis.”]

With all the scary news about sugar these days, many parents may imagine that they’re doing their kids a favor by offering them sugar-free pudding or low-calorie fruit “juice.”  And the fact that artificially sweetened foods are “sugar-free” might make them seem safe for every day consumption. I suspect they are anything but. Continue reading “Should our toddlers really be eating this much fake sugar?” >

Should I stop being vegetarian to reduce my risk of diabetes?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

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Q. I am a healthy, normal weight woman in my early 20s. I am also a vegetarian. Because there is a strong family history of type 2 diabetes (both parents and all four grandparents), my doctor suggested I adopt a relatively low-carb diet to reduce the risk of getting the disease myself.  But does going low-carb require me to give up my vegetarian lifestyle? Can a plant-based diet also reduce my risk, even if it’s high in complex carbs like whole grains and beans?

A.The good news is that being a vegetarian does substantially reduce the risk of getting Type 2 diabetes, despite the fact that vegetarians diets tend to be higher in carbohydrates than omnivorous diets.  Much of this risk reduction has to do with the fact that vegetarians are less likely to be overweight.

However, does this still hold true when diabetes runs in the family? Keep in mind that genes aren’t the only things that are passed down from generation to generation.  We also tend to inherit lifestyle habits and eating patterns. Continue reading “Should I stop being vegetarian to reduce my risk of diabetes?” >

Calories vs kcals vs joules

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

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I just ate an apple that had 116,000 calories.

No, it wasn’t the size of my house. That’s really how many calories a large apple contains.

As calorie, as you might remember from high school, is the amount of energy it takes to increase the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius.  Turns out that an apple contains quite a bit of energy–enough to raise the temperature of 116,000 grams (or about 30 gallons) of water by 1 degree Celsius. Continue reading “Calories vs kcals vs joules” >

NYT protein piece generates more heat than light

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

imagesThere’s been a lot of buzz this week about a column in the New York Times on the potential consequences of eating “too much” protein.

Well columnist Roni Rabin worries that the popularity of protein powders, drinks, and bars are “making it possible to effortlessly consume protein in amounts that far exceed dietary recommendations.”

She goes on to write that “the vast majority of Americans already get more than the recommended daily amounts of protein.”

But are they really? The Institutes of Medicine–a relatively conservative bunch–recommends that we get between 10 and 35% of our calories from protein. For a 150 pound adult, that translates into a range of 55 to 180 grams of protein per day. Continue reading “NYT protein piece generates more heat than light” >

Is coffee good or bad for PCOS?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

coffee-722270_640Q.  My 22-year-old daughter has a mild case of PCOS and we are wondering about the effect of coffee on this condition. There is conflicting advice about this online. What are your thoughts?
A. You’re right! There are conflicting points of view regarding coffee/caffeine and PCOS. Many PCOS experts list coffee as a food to avoid. Yet this PCOS support website recommends coffee in an article on “Best beverages for PCOS”.

Much of the confusion centers around the effects of coffee on insulin sensitivity. As you may know, PCOS sufferers are more likely to develop insulin resistance, which increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Continue reading “Is coffee good or bad for PCOS?” >

This year, give thanks by reducing food waste

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

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Those of us in the U.S. are celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow and I just read a disturbing statistic: Of the 700 million pounds of turkey that will be purchased for tomorrow’s holiday feasts, about 235 million pounds will end up in the trash.

Food waste is a problem year round, of course. But on a day when we gather to give thanks for abundance, let’s honor the harvest  by pledging to reduce the amount of food that goes into the trash this weekend.

The food advocacy group Foodtank has compiled an excellent list of tips for a food waste-free Thanksgiving. Tops on my list will be making sure that leftovers are put away promptly. Anything that won’t be eaten within a few days will go into the freezer for future use.

Using smaller plates and letting guests serve themselves not only reduces the amount of food that gets scraped off plates and into the trash but it may actually help you from over-eating. (Here are some other tips on how to avoid overeating on Thanksgiving.)

What are your plans for reducing food waste this holiday season?

How to Build Muscle on a Plant-Based Diet

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

weights-652486_960_720Tanya writes:

“I recently decided to change to a vegan diet. I’m also an avid gym goer trying to build strength and muscle. The biggest reason I didn’t become a vegan sooner is that I’d heard that plant based proteins are not as “bioavailable” as animal protein. Not sure how true this is, so I ask my favorite nutritionist.”

It’s true that animal-based protein generally has a higher biological value than plant-based protein. Because animal proteins deliver essential amino acids in proportions similar to the body’s requirements, it’s easier for our bodies to use these amino acids to synthesize new proteins.

This doesn’t mean that vegans cannot build strength and muscle, but they will probably have to work a bit harder at it.  Continue reading “How to Build Muscle on a Plant-Based Diet” >