Blog

Obese America: Is Corn Syrup to Blame?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

In a recent discussion about fructose and heart disease risk, a reader brought up the issue of high fructose corn syrup and I promised to address this hot topic in a new post.  Let me just say up front that a lot of people are likely to disagree with my view on this subject. But what’s a blog without a little controversy once in a while?

For those who haven’t been following along, there has been a lot of heat around the widespread use of high fructose corn syrup in processed foods.  Manufacturers can save big bucks by using HFCS in place of more expensive table sugar, or sucrose. (One reason that HFCS is so much cheaper than sugar is that corn is heavily subsidized by our government via the Farm Bill, but that’s another story!)

Many products (most notably soft drinks) that used to be sweetened with regular sugar now use HFCS instead. It’s also true that the increased use of HFCS in the food supply roughly corresponds to rising obesity rates.  And there is research suggesting that fructose may be more readily stored as fat than glucose, which is metabolized differently.

These facts have led many to conclude that the rise of HFCS in industrial food production has led to our current national health crisis of obesity and related disorders (such as diabetes and heart disease).  Not surprisingly, some savvy marketers have even managed to position sugar as healthy, touting virtuous HFCS-free soft drinks that are sweetened with good old fashioned sugar. But hang on a second.

High fructose corn syrup sounds like it would be high in fructose, right? The truth is that it contains roughly the same amount of fructose as…regular sugar.

Sucrose is about 50% fructose and 50% glucose. Regular corn syrup almost entirely made up of glucose. In order to make it a more appropriate substitute for sucrose, raw corn syrup is enzymatically treated to convert some of the glucose into fructose, bringing fructose/glucose ratio up to that of regular sugar.

Look, I’m not saying HFCS is good for you.  All I’m saying is that HFCS is not higher in fructose than sugar…it’s just higher in fructose than regular corn syrup.  Personally, I think the rise in obesity rates has less to do with the influx of HFCS into the food supply and more to do with our increased consumption of soft drinks and other calorie-dense foods.  As portion sizes (of everything) get bigger, our calorie intake increases and we gain weight.

Local vs. organic: the environmental debate

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Yesterday, I wrote about new research showing that organically-grown produce contains more disease-fighting nutrients than conventionally-grown vegetables.  Yet another reason to choose organic whenever circumstances and budget allow. After all, as any eco-conscious eater knows, organic farming is also better for the environment–or is it?

What if your organic produce is flown in from Chile? Do the fossil fuels burned transporting your organic food cancel out the environmental benefit of using fewer petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides?  Obviously, local and organic would be ideal. But if you can’t have both, which is the better choice?

Eating “right” has gotten a lot more complicated

With the local food movement gathering steam, I’ve heard many people argue that local, conventionally grown food is more environmentally friendly than organic food from far away.  But a recent post on the Terrablog cites new research from the University of Wales, finding that:

“In general, the food miles are actually a minor portion of the total ecological footprint of food. In the study of a basket of foods in Cardiff, transport amounted to only 2% of the total environmental cost. Growing conditions, packaging and processing made up the bulk of the impact. In fact, a separate article in the same journal shows that local food systems actually have slightly higher carbon emissions!”

What’s the “Ethicurian” to do? (I can’t take credit for that clever term, by the way. It’s the title of a great new blog devoted to helping people “chew the right thing.”)  For what it’s worth, the readers of the Terrablog pretty much dismissed this new research as bogus.  What do you think? What are your priorities in choosing the foods you buy?

On today’s menu: weeds

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Part of the fun of a CSA-share is the opportunity to try vegetables that would otherwise never end up in my shopping cart, such as the sweet potato leaves I wrote about a couple of weeks ago.  One of our options this week was purslane, a plant related to the portulacas you might plant in your garden.  I first read about purslane in Artemis Simopoulos’s book The Omega Diet.  Purslane is one of the richest vegetable sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

See also: Purslane as a source of omega-3s: A reality check

A big part of the reason that the meat from pasture-raised cattle (and wild game) is higher in omega-3 fats is because grazing animals favor these succulent wild greens and will eat them preferentially over other grasses.  It makes good grazing for people, too. According to research published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 100 grams of purslane contains 300-400 mg of omega-3 fats (alpha-linolenic acid), along with over half a day’s supply of vitamin E, a third of the day’s vitamin C, and a quarter of the day’s vitamin A.  But does it taste good?

I’d never bought or cooked with purslane before. In fact, I’d never even seen it at the grocery store. But in her weekly email to us One Straw Farm shareholders, our farmer Cheryl Wade gave it a big drumroll:

“The tips, either in or out of flower are cute enough for garnish and add a definite zip to fresh salads. You can also steam it, stems and all and serve it with oil and vinegar or butter and soy sauce or most people need nothing on it at all. When you have a bumper crop you can start steaming piles of Purslane and popping it in the freezer as a blessed addition to soups. It does a nice job of thickening the soup, too. Purslane can be substituted for spinach or wild greens in lasagnas, filled pastas, and Greek-style tarts.”

I couldn’t wait.  When I got to the market on Thursday, however, I opted out of the purslane and chose other vegetables instead. Why? Because once I saw it, I realized that I’ve got all the purslane I need growing in my garden! I bet you do, too. It sprouts up everywhere, in between the cracks in the terrace, along the sidewalk, and in flower and vegetable beds. In fact, I spend a good part of the summer weeding it!  Here’s what purslane looks like:

Purslane

As it happens, my personal crop was a little depleted by some power weeding we did over the weekend, but experience tells me it will be back soon. So instead of weeding the next batch, I plan to harvest it and try some of Cheryl’s suggested preparations. I’ll let you know how it goes. If you haven’t weeded your garden recently (and haven’t sprayed any chemicals on it), you might enjoy some purslane today. Here’s a couple of other serving suggestions from The Omega Diet (p. 157):

“When you first try purslane, serve it raw tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Delicious. Once you’ve gained appreciation for its delicate flavor and unique texture (like a cross between tender pea pods and a buttery lettuce), add it to mesclun, toss it in soups, or saute briefly in butter and serve with a light cream sauce.”

Are you a TOFI?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

And, no, this article has nothing to do with soybean curd! I’m referring to some new research that is really going to change how we look at health, weight, and body size.

By now, I’m sure you’re familiar with the BMI (body mass index). It’s a formula that combines your height and weight to tell you whether you are underweight, overweight, or like Goldilocks, just right. You can calculate your BMI here and then find your category:

BMI Categories:

· Underweight = <18.5
· Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
· Overweight = 25-29.9
· Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
(Note: The BMI categories may not apply to people with greater than average muscle mass, such as body-builders.)

But now, researchers are saying that a having normal BMI isn’t good enough. Continue reading “Are you a TOFI?” >

Adventures with vegetables

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Sweet potato leaves: who knew they were so delicious (and good for you)?!

Sweet_potato_leaves

As part of our commitment to eat more local foods, (see my post “Six ways to make your diet healthier (for the planet)”), we joined a CSA this year.  Back in March, we paid a lump sum  to a local organic farmer in exchange for a share of this year’s crops.  Now that the growing season is underway, we get a  basket every week, full of whatever vegetables they’re harvesting that week.

It’s been a fun challenge to get through the weekly mound of fresh greens, lettuces, beets, and squash before the next one arrives.  This week’s basket included a vegetable I’d never had before: sweet potato greens, presumably plucked from the crown of sweet potatoes that we’ll be enjoying later this season.

Like most greens, sweet potato leaves are  very low in calories. Plus, they’re an excellent source of vitamin K. (You can read more about this little-known nutrient in this post on  Vitamin K and blood thinners.)

The farmer suggested sauteeing them in a bit of oil, salt and pepper (what doesn’t taste good that way?!).  So this morning I did just that and folded the lightly wilted greens into an omelet with a bit of Boursin cheese.  DELICIOUS!  Turns out that sweet potato greens are tender and mild –not at all bitter–and without that “chalky” feeling that spinach can leave on your teeth.  Check your local farmer’s market this weekend for this delectable treat!

Will Taking Vitamins Improve Your Health?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

It’s a hotly debated question among health researchers. New studies come out every year but we don’t seem to be getting any closer to a definitive answer. About half the studies show that people who take vitamins are healthier and the other half find that taking vitamins makes no difference…or, in a few cases, actually make things worse. I have to admit that I’ve held, at various times in my career, different views on the question.

(See also this Nutrition Diva podcast episode on Multivitamins.)

We know that the nutrients in food play important roles in keeping us healthy. Calcium helps prevent osteoporosis, folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects, antioxidants repair cellular damage, and so on down an ever expanding list of nutrients and co-factors. It seems like supplementing an (imperfect) diet with additional nutrients is a reasonable way to make sure we’ve got our bases covered.

If we’re talking about a 25¢ one-a-day multivitamin, I guess the vitamin as insurance policy makes sense. But it’s gotten way more complicated than that. For one thing, the list of “basic” nutrients gets longer and longer. A multivitamin used to involve 15 or so nutrients (A, B, C, D, E, and a few minerals.) Now, a typical multi boasts several dozen compounds, from astaxanthan to vanadium. But it’s still not truly complete. Next to it on the shelf you’ll find the anti-oxidant booster, the bone health formula, the immune booster, plus the the formulas for your eyes, skin, nails, hair, memory, joints, and prostate. Before you know it, you’re forking out a couple hundred bucks and month and swallowing a fistful of vitamins every day. But are you getting your money’s worth?

Continue reading “Will Taking Vitamins Improve Your Health?” >

Tasty Ways to Get Your Vegetables

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

It’s not just kids who resist eating vegetables. The latest reports show that less than one-third of American adults are eating the recommended five servings fruits and vegetables every day.

Believe me, I know how this happens. Even as a professional nutritionist, I have sometimes struggled to follow my own advice! I’d load up my fridge with fresh produce with the best of intentions. But something always got in the way of actually eating them. I just never seemed to have time to make a salad for lunch. Then, we’d end up eating out for dinner while that day’s vegetables wilted in the fridge. On busy days, dinner is often the only meal that includes any vegetables at all, and how many servings of steamed broccoli can you eat at one meal?

But recently, I’ve discovered a couple of really simple strategies that have literally tripled the amount of fresh vegetables we eat every day. And I’m not talking about adding grated carrots to your oatmeal or switching from gin-and-tonics to Bloody Marys. Here’s what’s worked for us: Continue reading “Tasty Ways to Get Your Vegetables” >

Calorie burning sodas: are they for real?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

envigaWhat’s better than zero-calorie soft drinks? Calorie-burning soft drinks! If you live in New York or Philadelphia, you’ve probably already seen the billboards. For the rest of us, the onslaught is scheduled to begin in 2007. But the buzz around Enviga, Coca-Cola’s new “negative-calorie” beverage, is already growing.

The calorie-burning claim for Enviga is based on two “active” ingredients, caffeine and EGCG, a green tea extract. In combination, these ingredients are purported to boost your metabolism and increase the number of calories you burn each day. (The artificially-sweetened soda contains about 5 calories per can.)

Enviga is not the first calorie-burning soda on the market. Elite FX introduced a similar product called Celsius in 2005, but the product never really pushed through into the mainstream. Coca-Cola’s massive marketing push for Enviga will change all that.

The burning question: Does it work?

The Center for Science in the Public Interest doesn’t think so. The plucky consumer watch-dog group is threatening to file a lawsuit against Coca-Cola, based on what it considers to be “fraudulent” claims for Enviga’s calorie-burning powers. Even big companies like Coca-Cola have to take the CSPI’s guerilla tactics seriously. Earlier this year, Kentucky Fried Chicken decided to change their recipe, in part due to the publicity surrounding a similar lawsuit filed against them by the CSPI.

But are the claims for Enviga truly fraudulent or merely exaggerated? Coca-Cola is basing their calorie-burning claim on unpublished research that it conducted in partnership with the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, showing that consuming 600mg of caffeine and 270 mg of EGCG can help you burn an extra 66 to 100 calories per day. Note that the study didn’t actually use Enviga. Instead, the subjects took a pill that contained 600 mg of caffeine and 270 mg of EGCG, the amount equivalent to 3 cans of Enviga. It’s also worth noting that none of the subjects were over-weight.

Those findings are in line with another small Canadian study that was published last year in the British Journal of Medicine, which found that daily consumption of caffeine and EGCG increased energy expenditure by about 180 calories per day. What’s interesting about the Canadian study that they compared the effects of different levels of EGCG, ranging from 270 to 1200 mg per day, plus a standard amount (600 mg) of caffeine. The amount of calories burned was the same regardless of how much EGCG the subjects consumed. It makes you wonder how much of the calorie burning effect is actually due to the caffeine.

Based on this research, I think we can tentatively conclude that the combination of caffeine and EGCG may lead to a small increase in calorie expenditure. You could get that combination from Enviga, from supplements, or even from drinking one cup of coffee followed by one cup of green tea, three times per day. But let’s put the benefit in perspective. If you burn an extra 80 calories per day, it would take you six weeks to lose one pound. It would also take 131 cans of Enviga, which as the suggested retail price of $1.29 a can would set you back around $170.

Or, you could burn the same number of calories by walking at a moderate pace for about 22 minutes every day for 6 weeks. (To see how easy it can be to burn a few calories, visit the ND Calories Burned Calculator)

But, hey, it’s your buck. And regardless of whether Enviga delivers any substantial benefit, I predict Coca-Cola is going to have a big commercial success with it. If you do decide to try Enviga, keep in mind that each can contains as much caffeine as a cup of strong coffee, about 5 times as much caffeine as a can of Coca-Cola. So you might not want to drink Enviga too close to bed time.

To mimic the effects of the research study, you might also want to take your caffeine + EGCG an empty stomach, 30 minutes before each meal.