Your nutrition questions answered
Evie asks: “Is fruit more nutritious when ripe than unripe? For example, would a green banana have less potassium than a yellow one?”
The nutritional content of fruits (including those fruits we think of as vegetables) absolutely changes as the fruit ripens. Whether you would consider it more or less nutritious might depend on your definition, though! Continue reading “Is fruit more nutritious when it’s ripe?”
Q. “My physical therapist suggested I go on an anti-inflammatory diet to help with joint pain. From what I can find on the Internet, this is a diet that limits saturated fat and simple carbohydrates (white flour, sugars) and concentrates on fruits, veggies, fish, olive oil and whole grains. Is there evidence that an anti-inflammatory diet can help with pain?” Continue reading “Can an anti-inflammatory diet ease aches and pains?”
Kelly writes:
“I recently gave birth and despite my best efforts, breastfeeding did not work out for us. Can you provide some kind of framework to make a good choice of formula? I’m sad I can’t give my son breastmilk and I want to give him the next best thing. Are there certain ingredients to look for or to avoid ? Is organic worth it?
Although breast-feeding is considered to be ideal, there are many for whom this is not possible. (As a side note, my sympathy goes out to those who are made to feel guilty or inferior for feeding their infants formula. Promoting the benefits of breast-feeding is one thing; demonizing or criticizing women who cannot or do not breast-feed is another.)
I also sympathize with parents faced with the daunting prospect of choosing the “right” formula from an overwhelming array of options. Let me start by ratcheting down the angst: Babies are remarkably resilient. Like larger humans, they have the ability to thrive even when they do not always have perfect diets. That said, of course we want to do the best we can for them.
Although this should not take the place of the advice of your pediatrician, here are a few thoughts on what to look for and/or avoid in a baby formula. Continue reading “What to look for when choosing an infant formula”
Food dehydrators can be a great way to preserve fresh fruits and vegetables and to create portable, nutritious snacks. Although dried fruits are ever-popular, you can also dry vegetables and herbs.
So, when fresh garden tomatoes are overflowing your counter-tops in September, you can load them into your dehydrator and dry them to use through the winter. Green beans or kale leaves can be lightly salted and turned into addictive crunchy snacks. With a little extra prep, you can make your own homemade fruit leathers, crackers, and jerky! More ideas here. Continue reading “Are there nutritional benefits to dehydrating fruits and veggies?”
Q. Is hominy healthy? I know it’s made from corn, but I can’t seem to find an answer on whether it’s a whole grain or not. I’ve also read that it’s sometimes soaked in lye, which can’t be good for us, right? Anyway, I have a delicious sounding chili recipe that calls for it, but I wasn’t sure what to think. Continue reading “Is hominy healthy?”
Q. Can you eat cheese on an anti-inflammatory diet?
A. Although dietary choices can affect the level of inflammation in your body, it’s too simple to say that a single food or nutrient “causes” inflammation. Continue reading “Does cheese cause inflammation?”
Q. I am a healthy, normal weight woman in my early 20s. I am also a vegetarian. Because there is a strong family history of type 2 diabetes (both parents and all four grandparents), my doctor suggested I adopt a relatively low-carb diet to reduce the risk of getting the disease myself. But does going low-carb require me to give up my vegetarian lifestyle? Can a plant-based diet also reduce my risk, even if it’s high in complex carbs like whole grains and beans?
A.The good news is that being a vegetarian does substantially reduce the risk of getting Type 2 diabetes, despite the fact that vegetarians diets tend to be higher in carbohydrates than omnivorous diets. Much of this risk reduction has to do with the fact that vegetarians are less likely to be overweight.
However, does this still hold true when diabetes runs in the family? Keep in mind that genes aren’t the only things that are passed down from generation to generation. We also tend to inherit lifestyle habits and eating patterns. Continue reading “Should I stop being vegetarian to reduce my risk of diabetes?”
I just ate an apple that had 116,000 calories.
No, it wasn’t the size of my house. That’s really how many calories a large apple contains.
As calorie, as you might remember from high school, is the amount of energy it takes to increase the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. Turns out that an apple contains quite a bit of energy–enough to raise the temperature of 116,000 grams (or about 30 gallons) of water by 1 degree Celsius. Continue reading “Calories vs kcals vs joules”
