Category: Ask Monica

Your nutrition questions answered

Potassium-enriched salt?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Q. You recently pointed out the importance of balancing potassium and sodium intake.   They already add iodine, fluoride and/or iron to table salt.   Why is there no potassium-enriched table salt?

A. Actually, there is (sort of).  Low-sodium salt substitutes are usually made with potassium chloride,  a mineral salt formed from potassium instead of sodium.  Potassium chloride tastes salty, but can have a bitter or metallic aftertaste. On the plus side, a quarter teaspoon contains 650 mg of potassium!

See also:  The Great Salt Debate

How much is an International Unit?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Q. Most nutrients seem to be measured in mg but some are shown as mcg or I.U.  How do I convert these measurements into mg?

A.  To convert micrograms (mcg) to milligrams (mg),  divide by 1,000–or move the decimal point 3 positions to the left.   1000 mcg = 1.000  mg.   But generally, you won’t need to convert between these two.  We use micrograms for nutrients that occur in very small amounts (folate, vitamin B12,  vitamin D, and vitamin K, for example).   Instead of writing that a food contains 0.125 mg of vitamin K, it’s less confusing to write that it contains 125 mcg.  You generally wouldn’t find milligram amounts of vitamin K in foods or supplements.

Converting International Units (I.U.) isn’t so simple–because it’s a different conversion for each nutrient.  The I.U. is an arbitrary amount based on the amount of a given nutrient needed to produce a biological effect.  Here are the conversions for the most common nutrients.

Nutrient Amount in 1 I.U.
Vitamin A 0.3 mcg
Beta-carotene 3.6 mcg
Vitamin D 0.025 mcg
Vitamin E 0.67 mg

 

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Shop Smart: Finding the Healthiest Options

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Q. We just moved to Texas from Ireland.  I am trying to find a bread in local markets that has no sugar and low salt.  I am also trying to find canned/jars of plain crushed tomatoes with no salt as I make my own sauce. I am shocked at the amounts of salt and sugar in everything here in the USA.   

A. When you eat foods that are high in salt and/or sugar, you get accustomed to a greater degree of saltiness and sweetness.  I guess the selection of processed foods you’re finding in American grocery stores shows what we’ve become accustomed to.  (The good news? It works both ways: You can retrain your tastebuds to prefer less salt and sugar by gradually decreasing the amounts.)

See also:  The Great Salt Debate

It should be possible to find some brands that are lower in salt and sugar, though, even in a mainstream grocery store.  Ezekiel, Pepperidge Farm, and Nature’s Own all make breads that are relatively low in salt and sugar, for example. Hunt’s and DelMonte both produce canned tomatoes with no salt.

To make the hunt for healthier options a little easier, check out the following tools: Continue reading “Shop Smart: Finding the Healthiest Options” >

Will More Chewing Help you Lose Weight?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

 

Quick and Dirty Tips for Eating Well and Feeling Fabulous

Many magazine and internet articles recommend chewing each bite of food 30, 40, even up to 80 times as a weight loss strategy. And it’s true: Chewing your food more thoroughly can improve digestion, promote weight loss, and affect the nutritional value of foods—but there is a surprising twist to this story. Find out more in this week’s episode of the Nutrition Diva podcast.

 

 

 

 

 

What Kind of Olives Are Healthiest?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Quick and Dirty Tips for Eating Well and Feeling FabulousThis week, answers to some listener questions about olives and olive oil.   Grace asks whether all the different kinds of olives are the same nutritionally or whether some types are particularly good for you. Meanwhile, Tania wonders how olives compare to olive oil in terms of health benefits.  I’ve got these answers and lots more olive lore in this week’s Nutrition Diva podcast. Read or listen to it here.

Why Carbs Don’t Always Have 4 Calories per Gram

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Quick and Dirty Tips for Eating Well and Feeling FabulousIf you’ve dabbled around in nutrition, you’re probably familiar with the 4-4-9 rule, which says that carbohydrates and proteins each contain 4 calories per gram, while fats contain 9 calories per gram. However, this is really only a rough approximation.  Making matters worse, manufacturers are legally allowed to fudge the calorie counts on their labels in certain situations.  If you’ve ever wondered why the calories on the label don’t seem to add up to the carbs, proteins, and fats listed there, this week’s podcast explains it all. Read or listen to it here.

Do Herbal Supplements Really Work? | Podcast

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Quick and Dirty Tips for Eating Well and Feeling FabulousA listener recently wrote with a question about herbal supplements such as St. John’s wort, which is sometimes recommended as a natural treatment for depression. “I know you aren’t a big fan of vitamin supplements,” she writes, “but what about herbal supplements for specific disorders?”

Generally speaking, herbal supplements aren’t used as a source of nutrition but as a concentrated source of bioactive compounds or chemicals that affect the body’s function.   I think you need to use herbal supplements with as much care and caution as you would use a drug. In this week’s episode, I have three questions you should ask before taking any herbal supplement.  Read or listen to it here.

 

Pros and Cons of Nutrition Scoring Systems

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Q. My local supermarket has added ‘NuVal’ nutrition scores to most of the labels in the store. How accurate do you think they are for judging the healthfulness of food? I can’t find details about how the NuVal score is calculated but sodium seems to be a factor. A low sodium version of the same product will score higher.

A. NuVal is the commercial incarnation of the Overall Nutrition Quality Index or ONQI, a nutrition scoring system that’s been in development for several years.  Foods are scored on a scale of 1 to 100,  using a complex equation that takes into account a long list of vitamins, minerals, fiber, types of fat, protein quality, energy density, glycemic load, and so on.    “Good” nutrients like antioxidants or omega-3 fats  bring the score up; “bad” nutrients like cholesterol, sugar, and sodium bring the score down. The basic idea is to save shoppers time and simplify the task of selecting healthy (or at least healthier) foods.  Continue reading “Pros and Cons of Nutrition Scoring Systems” >