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5 Compelling Reasons to Hit the Hay

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

The usual prescription for a healthy lifestyle includes a healthy diet and regular exercise. But there’s another critical element that often gets overlooked: Sleep.  Experts recommend a minimum of 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. Yet most American adults report that they get 6 hours of sleep or less on most nights.

Need a little extra motivation to make getting enough sleep more of a priority? Here are five compelling reasons to turn off the television or computer and hit the hay:

Reason #1: Skimping on sleep increases stress hormones, which accelerates the aging process.

Reason #2: Under-sleeping increases insulin resistance, which is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes.

Reason #3: Sleep deprivation affects hormones that regulate appetite–making you feel hungrier than you would if you were well-rested.

Reason #4: If you’re losing weight, getting more sleep enhances fat loss (as opposed to lean-tissue loss).

Reason #5: Women who sleep more than eight hours a night have a 72% lower incidence of breast cancer than those who regularly sleep fewer than six hours a night.

I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point!  If you are taking good care of your health in every other way, don’t cheat yourself on a good night’s sleep. If you think you don’t have time to get more sleep, just think of how much more you will be able to accomplish when your body and brain are fully rested and energized.  Stop thinking of sleep as a luxury and start thinking of it as an essential part of your prescription for a long and healthy life.  For more information on how to improve the quality of your sleep, check these tips for healthy sleep

References:

Knutson KL, Van Cauter E. Associations between sleep loss and increased risk of obesity and diabetes. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2008;1129:287-304. Link to article

Nedeltcheva AV, Kilkus JM, et al. Insufficient sleep undermines dietary efforts to reduce adiposity. Ann Intern Med. 2010 Oct 5;153(7):435-41. Link to study.

Verkasalo PK, Lillberg K, et al. Sleep duration and breast cancer: a prospective cohort study. Cancer Res. 2005 Oct 15;65(20):9595-600. Link to study

Is Kelp High in Sodium?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Q.  On this website, it says that kelp is very high in sodium.  But it also says that 10 grams (2 tablespoons) of fresh kelp has just 23 mg of sodium, or 1% or your daily needs. These two statements seem to contradict each other. Which is correct?

A.  Sea vegetables tend to be higher in sodium than land vegetables–after all, they grow in sea water! Nonetheless, fresh kelp is not high in  sodium.  Dried seaweed will obviously be a more concentrated source of sodium.  In fact, dried kelp granules are often sold as salt substitute.

Powdered kelp adds a salty, savory flavor to dishes but has just a fraction of the sodium of regular table salt. Plus, kelp is rich in other nutrients, including iodine.  For more about the nutritional profile and health benefits of different types of seaweed, see my podcast “Is Seaweed Good For You?”

Why Does Nutrition Data Say Kelp is High In Sodium?

As for the contradictory information you found on NutritionData.com:  As it happens, I’m fairly familiar with this site.   I spent four years as Chief Nutritionist for Nutrition Data and although I’m no longer associated with them, it seems I am destined to remain the Chief Explainer for the site!

In any case, you’ve stumbled across a little weakness in the way the site reports nutrition info.  The statement “This food is very high in sodium” is automatically generated for any food that contains more than 20% of the daily allowance for sodium in a 200-calorie serving. That’s all well and good for foods like potato chips or pasta, where 200 calories represents a reasonable portion.  But in order to get 200 calories’ worth of kelp, you’d have to eat an entire pound of the stuff–which I doubt you’d ever do.   Nonetheless, 200 calories’ worth of kelp contains about 1000 mg of sodium, or almost half the daily allowance, so it triggers the Nutrition Data “high sodium” warning.

Bottom line: Computer programs are powerful, but they sometimes lack common sense!

Does Caffeine Increase Fat-Burning During Exercise?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Q. I read recently that the consumption of caffeine prior to exercise will assist the body in using body fat as fuel, up from 21% to 40%. The remaining fuel comes from stored carbs. Any truth to the story?

A. There may be a grain of truth to the story but not much more.  Taking caffeine  before exercise has been shown to increase energy expenditure (the number of calories burned) during exercise by around 10%.  So if you would normally burn 200 calories in a half-hour, some extra caffeine might help you burn 220.  Continue reading “Does Caffeine Increase Fat-Burning During Exercise?” >

What are Nightshades and Why Do People Avoid Them?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Q. What’s the deal with nightshades? Why are they supposedly bad? I love eggplants and tomatoes but wonder if I should limit my consumption of this group of foods.

A.  Here’s the deal: Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant (as well as potatoes and tobacco) all contain an alkaloid called solanine.  The Latin name for this family of plants is Solanaceae, but they are more commonly known as the “nightshades.”

People with arthritis are often advised to avoid nightshade plants because they supposedly aggravate joint pain. But nightshade plants aren’t a problem for everyone, just a small number of people who have a particular sensitivity to solanine.  It’s a little bit like an allergy…some have a noticeable reaction while others have no reaction at all.

Continue reading “What are Nightshades and Why Do People Avoid Them?” >

What’s the Deal with Ultra-Pasteurized Milk?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Q. I would like to hear more about ultra-pasteurization of milk. I have noticed that organic milk does not spoil as fast as non-organic milk. Is it the ultra-pasteurization? And why is organic milk ultra-pasteurized while regular milk is not?

A. Ultra-pasteurization, which heats milk to 260 degrees F. as opposed to the 160 degrees F. required for regular pasteurization, triples the shelf life of milk. Most big-brand organic milk is now ultra-pasteurized, so that’s probably why you’ve noticed that it doesn’t spoil as quickly as normal milk.

As to why the ultra-pasteurization process has been widely adopted by the organic market and not the conventional milk market, I can only speculate. Continue reading “What’s the Deal with Ultra-Pasteurized Milk?” >

This Week’s Podcast: How to Eat Less Without Feeling Hungry

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Quick and Dirty Tips for Eating Well and Feeling FabulousAs you may have noticed, whether I’m talking about reducing your risk of heart disease, preventing Type 2 diabetes, or slowing the aging process, one piece of advice keeps coming up over and over again: Maintain a healthy weight. Of course I realize that this is a lot easier said than done.  In order to lose weight, you have to eat less and when you eat less you usually feel hungry, which most of us find unpleasant. So this week, I have some tips for you on how to eat fewer calories without feeling hungry.