Category: Ask Monica

Your nutrition questions answered

This week: Glycerin, apricot pits, shelf-stable milk, curry recipes and more!

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Name an ingredient that can be used to sweeten your coffee, lather up your hands, or blow up a mountain.   Give up? I explain what glycerin is and what it does for you in this week’s Nutrition Diva podcast.   I’ve also got the scoop on apricot pits as a cancer preventive on the Quick and Dirty Blog. And in this week’s Nutrition Diva newsletter, I explain the mysteries of milk that doesn’t need to be refrigerated.

There was also good news for curry lovers this week! New research finds that, in addition to fighting free radicals and reducing inflammation, the active compound in turmeric also stimulates the immune response.  I’ve got details–along with a handful of summer-friendly curry recipes to try– on the What’s Cooking Blog.

And finally, in this interview with Paula Wolfson for WTOP in DC, I’ve got advice on the pros and cons of going gluten free when you aren’t gluten intolerant.

Is There an Optimal Ratio of PUFAs, MUFAs, and Saturated Fats?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Q. Is there an optimal ratio of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, and saturated fats that you’d recommend for optimal health?

A.  Interesting question, and any answer I give will be controversial, but I certainly don’t mind getting the conversation started!

Here’s how the typical American diet (which, one could argue, is clearly not optimal) breaks down, with fat taking up 34% of total calories. Continue reading “Is There an Optimal Ratio of PUFAs, MUFAs, and Saturated Fats?” >

This week: Fructose fears, apricot cures, and grilling tips

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

A public service campaign on one of the networks has as its tagline, The More You Know.  And information is, in general, a good thing. But sometimes it seems to me as if the constant stream of nutrition information and advice coming at you from all directions serves only to ratchet up needless anxiety.  Take, for example, the alarmist rhetoric about fructose that circulates around the internet these days.  I regularly hear from people who are now afraid to eat fruit. In this week’s Nutrition Diva podcast, I explain the two crucial details that the fructose fear-mongers forget to tell you.

In this week’s Nutrition Diva newsletter, I address internet rumors that eating apricot pits can help prevent cancer.  And on the Quick and Dirty Blog, I calm one reader’s fear that eating too many vegetables could  lead to vitamin toxicity and perhaps even cause her hair to fall out.

On a lighter note, as we Northern Hemispher-ites get ready to kick off the summer barbecue season, I have some reminders on how to keep those cook-outs healthy as well as delicious over on the What’s Cooking Blog.  (Don’t you love it when the thing that tastes better is also better for you?)

 

This week: Fish food, carrot tops, grain bellies, and inner toddlers

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

 

Parents quickly learn that redirecting a toddler’s attention toward an approved toy or activity works far better than simply saying “No”  to  undesirable behavior.  In this week’s Nutrition Diva podcast, I have some ideas on how to use the same strategy to tame the “inner toddler” of your appetite and make dieting a little easier.

On the Quick and Dirty Blog this week, a reader wonders how to square research on the benefits of whole grains with the anti-grain arguments put forth in the popular new book, Wheat Belly, by William Davis.  Meanwhile, on the What’s Cooking blog on Recipe.com, I discuss some of the pros and cons of adopting a gluten-free diet.

This month’s Smart Nutrition segment on WYPR-FM focused on the food OUR food eats, and how that affects our health and the environment. And in the random-facts-about-nutrition category, this week’s Nutrition Diva newsletter featured this Q&A on whether carrot greens are good for you–or even edible!

Finally, I had a great time talking with Harris Faulkner of Fox News about all things nutrition–pros and cons of red meat, recovering from surgery, energy drinks, organics, and whether growing your own vegetables actually saves money!

 

Hippocrates was ahead of his time

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN


Back when Hippocrates counseled his followers to let food be their medicine, he wasn’t really advising an alternative course; he was stating the obvious.  Back then, dietary cures were about all that doctors had to offer.  In today’s there’s-a-pill-for-that medical culture, of course, Hippocrates’  advice takes on a different tone.   And although it’s not really how he originally meant it, it’s still pretty good advice–especially when most of today’s chronic illnesses are caused by dietary excesses and indiscretions.

Regular readers know that I always advise getting your nutrition from foods, not supplements.  Case in point: a recent study finding that, while vitamin E-rich foods offer lots of benefits, vitamin E supplements are largely useless. On the What’s Cooking blog this week, I’ve got the top foods for vitamin E, along with some delicious ways to enjoy them.  Meanwhile, following last week’s good news about nitrate-rich vegetables ability to lower your blood pressure, I included some additional information about how to put this research to work  in this week’s Nutrition Diva newsletter.

For those taking blood-thinning medications, this week’s Nutrition Diva podcast explains why people taking these drugs are sometimes instructed to avoid broccoli, spinach, and other super-nutritious vegetables. I’ve also got tips on how to enjoy the benefits of these great foods without interfering with your anticoagulant therapy.

Of course, it’s also possible to over-estimate what foods can do for us.  On the Quick and Dirty Blog, I respond to a reader who wonders whether she should be eating more brown rice in order to get the benefits.  Can you guess what my answer is?

Nutrition Diva goes to McDonald’s (but not to eat)

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

The McDonald’s fast food emporium supplied lots of food for thought this week. In my weekly Nutrition Diva podcast, I answer a listener’s question about whether the benefits of eating fish are cancelled out if it’s a Fishwich. (Don’t miss the debate on the evils of moderation in the comment section!)  On the Quick and Dirty Blog, I consider whether the “healthy” treats at the high-end organic food stores are really any better for you than McDonald’s new line of pastries.  From my weekly newsletter: Guess which cereal is more nutrient dense: Oatbran or oatmeal?  Finally, in view of last week’s findings on the health benefits of beets and beet greens, here more delicious ways to prepare both!

Perils of arsenic in baby food, raw dough, and licorice tea

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Which baby foods contain dangerous levels of arsenicThis week’s off-site posts addressed a range of potential perils in common foods but also included good news on a food that’s often unfairly maligned.   In my Nutrition Diva podcast, I explain what you need to know about  arsenic levels in apple juice, brown rice, and baby formula.   On the Quick and Dirty blog, I explain why it’s really not a good idea to eat raw cookie dough–even if it doesn’t include raw eggs.  My weekly newsletter included a Q&A on the possible appetite suppressing effects of licorice tea–as well as the possible dangers of consuming it every day.

Happy reading!

Breakfast fixes, fake sweeteners, fruit faux pas, and more

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN
Is eating fruit with other foods a no-no?

This week’s off-site posts didn’t have a theme (that I could see) but offered a little something for everyone.The Nutrition Diva podcast reveals how most “healthy” breakfasts fall short. On the Quick and Dirty Blog, I tackle the urban legend that fruit should always be eaten by itself , explain what can happen if your diet is too LOW in salt, and also reveal why so many diet drinks contain phenyalanine.  On the What’s Cooking blog on Recipe.com, I offered some tips on how to cut your grocery bill by reducing food waste.  And finally, I did a fun myth-busting segment on Fox NEWS.