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Is Chicken Less Inflammatory Than Beef?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

You’ll find lots of articles in the popular press about the value of anti-inflammatory diets. But many of them perpetuate certain myths about food and inflammation–in particular, that red meat is inflammatory and chicken is anti-inflammatory. I think that’s because many people simply assume that all the foods that we’re used to thinking of as “healthy” are anti-inflammatory and foods that we have been trained to view as “unhealthy” are inflammatory. In reality, the research on foods and inflammation challenges some of these assumptions.

A boneless, skinless chicken breast–that Holy Grail of diet food–is low in total fat and saturated fat, it’s true. But that’s not the whole story. Chicken is also relatively high in omega-6 fats, including arachidonic acid, a fatty acid that directly feeds cellular production of inflammatory chemicals. Continue reading “Is Chicken Less Inflammatory Than Beef?” >

Is Coconut Sugar a Healthier Choice?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Q. Makers of coconut sugar claim that it has a low glycemic index and is high in potassium and some other minerals.  Would using coconut sugar make my cookies the healthiest on the block?

A. Replacing cane sugar with coconut sugar might make your cookies a little higher in potassium.  And to the extent that coconut sugar has a lower glycemic index than regular sugar, the cookies might not cause quite as high a bump in blood sugar–although I’m sure it would still be significant.

But here’s the thing: The fact that coconut sugar has a lower glycemic index is a tip-off that it has a high fructose ratio.  (Same is true of agave nectar.)  There’s been a lot of buzz about fructose lately: how fructose doesn’t stimulate the release of hormones that signal satiety or fullness, leading to over-consumption and how over-consumption of fructose triggers fat storage or even liver damage.  Most of the hysteria, of course, has been focused on high fructose corn syrup. Ironically, high fructose corn syrup is a lot lower in fructose than “healthy” sweeteners like coconut sugar and agave nectar. Continue reading “Is Coconut Sugar a Healthier Choice?” >

Does Cooking With Oil Create Trans Fats?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Note: This post was updated on 11/24/2013 to correct a typo in the temperatures required to isomerize fats.

Q. How exactly is trans fat created? If I bake with some (say, 1/4 cup) oil in a batter, does that make trans fats?

A. We’ve all read a lot about the dangers of trans fats.  Most of the trans fat in our diet comes from artificially hydrogenated oils that are still widely used in food manufacturing. These “Franken-fats” are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) that have been twisted into an unnatural configuration called a trans-isomer. This means that the molecule contains the exact same number and type of atoms as it did before, but they are arranged in a different shape.

But what a difference that small change makes!  Polyunsaturated fats and their trans-isomers produce completely opposite effects in the body. While PUFAs help to improve cholesterol profiles and reduce your risk of heart disease, trans fats contribute to heart disease by fueling inflammation, raising bad cholesterol and lowering good cholesterol. Continue reading “Does Cooking With Oil Create Trans Fats?” >

Folate vs. Folic Acid: What’s the Difference?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Q. I was listening to your podcast about vitamins, and which ones not to take too much of. You mentioned folic acic as one to watch out for.  I checked out my multi- and it had 400mcg of folate.  My B complex that I take at the same time also has 400mcg of folate.  I know you had said to not exceed 400mcg/ day of folic acid in your supplements.  Is folate the same as folic acid?

A. The words ‘folate’ and ‘folic acid’ are often used interchangeably but there are important differences between them. Folate is the naturally-occurring form of the vitamin. Spinach, lentils, and garbanzo beans are all good sources of dietary folate. Folic aid is the synthetic form of the vitamin that is used in most supplements and in fortified foods.   (If your supplements lists “folate,” it suggests that food sources were used instead of synthetic folic acid.)

Continue reading “Folate vs. Folic Acid: What’s the Difference?” >

How safe is imported food?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

I was just reading a very interesting article on the safety of imported foods. Unfortunately, the publication (ADA Times) is for members of the American Dietetic Association so I can’t post a link for you. But here are a few nuggets you might like to know (with thanks to managing editor Liz Spittler, who researched and wrote the article).

Nearly 1/5 of the overall American food supply (and 80% of the seafood we eat) is imported. This represents a massive increase. While inspectors used to handle a million “entry reviews” a year, the number now approaches 25 million.  In response, the FDA is modernizing its oversight systems, including a new computerized screening process that helps inspectors zero in on the imports that are most likely to be a problem.  The FDA has also opened offices in five countries overseas in order to increase oversight and American food safety experts are training foreign food processors on the latest food safety techniques.

Continue reading “How safe is imported food?” >

How much Vitamin D is Safe?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Q. I’ve read a lot about the health benefits of Vitamin D. But isn’t there also a limit of how much Vitamin D I should supplement? Is there a danger or limit that avoids a possible toxic amount?

A. The Institute of Medicine recently doubled the safe upper limit (UL) for vitamin D from 2000 IU to 4000 IU. That’s still quite a bit lower than the 10,000+ IU a day that some vitamin D researchers recommend. The IOM tends to be rather conservative and research suggests that 10,000 IU a day is unlikely to cause problems.  But I think the IOM may be trying to provide a counter-balance to what some see as “irrational exuberance” being displayed by some vitamin D aficionados. Continue reading “How much Vitamin D is Safe?” >