“My daughter is gluten and dairy intolerant. She is breastfeeding and her baby has dairy and soy induced colitis. What foods can my daughter eat to get her calcium needs met and can she take a calcium supplement without causing intestine problems for the baby?”
Congratulations on the new baby in the family! The good news is that there are plenty of calcium-rich foods that are dairy, soy, and gluten free. Continue reading “Dairy, soy, and gluten-free sources of calcium”
Category: Ask Monica
Your nutrition questions answered
Does drinking milk increase your IGF levels?
Steve writes:
“I have been seeing a lot of information about milk and dairy raising levels of IGF1 in our bodies. The claim is that will increase the growth of cancer cells, particularly in hormonal based cancers like prostate and breast cancer. Apparently, high levels of IGF1 are good if you are growing but less important once you have matured. Can you put our minds at ease, please? ”
Drinking a lot of milk might raise your IGF-1 levels, but it’s not because of the hormones in the milk itself. Any IGF-1 that may be present in foods such as dairy products is broken down during digestion and doesn’t have any biological effect in humans. The amount of protein you take in, on the other hand, has a more direct effect on IGF-1 levels.
Dairy contains protein, of course, but so does meat, fish, beans, legumes, and so on. Continue reading “Does drinking milk increase your IGF levels?”
What’s a moderate intake for non-caloric sweeteners?
Even before we knew that artificial sweeteners like Splenda promote the growth of gut bacteria linked to obesity, I’ve always advocated for moderation in the use of noncaloric sweeteners.
Even though they don’t contain sugar or calories, artificial sweeteners usually don’t promote healthy eating patterns. They tend to encourage consumption of foods without much nutritional value, such as diet sodas and sugar free desserts. Ironically, the use of artificial sweeteners can actually lead people to consume more unhealthy foods (the “Give me a diet Coke and supersize the fries” syndrome.)
Finally, it’s really hard to develop an appreciation for the subtler pleasures of fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods if your taste buds are constantly bathed in the intense hyper-sweetness of non-caloric sweeteners.
For all these reasons, I’ve always suggested that you consume artificially sweetened foods and beverages with the same restraint that you’d use with sugar-sweetened versions. But what exactly does that mean? Continue reading “What’s a moderate intake for non-caloric sweeteners?”
Whole milk yogurt vs. fat free Greek
Larry writes with an interesting dilemma:
“I eat yogurt pretty regularly as a mid-day lunch/snack. I usually add nuts, hemp seeds, a bit of granola and cinnamon. My ideal choice would be full fat plain Greek yogurt but my local store only has fat-free Greek. If I have to choose between fat free Greek and full fat regular yogurt, which would you recommend?”
Here’s the salient nutrition info on both options (for an 8 ounce serving) followed by some considerations for each point.
Calories: We shouldn’t always assume that fewer calories better! If you eat small frequent meals, for example, or you’re trying to lose weight, you might be looking for lower calorie options. But if you eat fewer, more widely spaced meals, or you’re extremely active, a higher-calorie meal may be preferable. Either way, however, a difference of 35 calories is pretty trivial in the context of your total daily intake (much less in the context of a yogurt, nut, hemp seed, and granola snack). So I think I’d have to call a draw for this criterion. Continue reading “Whole milk yogurt vs. fat free Greek”
Are avocado pits nutritious?
Amanda writes:
“I’m seeing a lot of claims about health benefits of eating avocado pits, but I’m having a terrible time finding solid nutritional information for them. Have you got any data?”
Amanda’s note was the first I’d heard about eating avocado pits. (My first thought was: How on earth do you eat one?) But a quick Google search reveals that adding avocado pits to smoothies is indeed a trending topic among the nutritionally ambitious.
None of the the standard nutritional databases I rely on include nutrition information on avocado pits, which are traditionally regarded as “inedible refuse.” However, I was able to dig up a couple of obscure papers on the nutritional value of avocado pits. (Thanks to my friends at the Hass Avocado Board for the assist.)
A lot of the excitement has to do with the fact that the antioxidant activity of the pit is much higher than the antioxidant capacity of the part you usually eat. More antioxidants = more better, right? Actually not so much. Continue reading “Are avocado pits nutritious?”
Maple syrup and diabetes: a reality check
Mark writes:”There are a lot of articles on the internet about how real maple syrup contains has phytochemicals that help prevent diabetes. As a type 2 diabetic but also someone who considers myself well able to discount the latest “miracle cures,” I’m wondering whether there’s any research to back this up. Is there any benefit for people who are already diabetic?”
The buzz about maple syrup and diabetes does in fact have some published research to back it up. There are a series of studies, all done by the same researcher (and funded in part by the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers), which have identified a variety of antioxidants and polyphenols in maple syrup that have a variety of potential effects on human health. Continue reading “Maple syrup and diabetes: a reality check”
Kale craze raises heavy metal concerns
Jeff recently sent me a link to an article in Harper’s Bazaar, warning that our recent obsession with kale may have a sinister side-effect: heavy metal poisoning.
We’re not talking about kale that’s being grown on industrial waste sites, either. Even organically managed soil contains a variety of naturally-occurring heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, and thallium. These metals are absorbed by plants grown in the soil, and leafy greens like kale and collards are particularly good sponges. Continue reading “Kale craze raises heavy metal concerns”
How to Peel a Fresh Pomegranate
Tis the season for fresh pomegranates, which grow in tropical climates and are harvested from October to January. Pomegranate seeds are sweet-tart, antioxidant-packed, little flavor bombs. They’re great on salads, in pilafs, or all by themselves as an exotic, low-calorie snack or dessert. One of my new favorite recipes is this roasted butternut squash and black rice pilaf with pomegranate seeds.
Getting at the seeds (technically: arils) can be tricky, however, and the juice can stain your fingers and clothes (and walls!) if you’re not careful. Here’s the trick: Cut off the top of the fruit and then slice the rind from the “north” to “south” in several places, without cutting too far into the fruit. Soak the scored fruit in a bowl of water for ten minutes. Then, while holding the fruit under the water, separate its sections and scrape the seeds away from the rind with your fingers. Discard the rinds and remove any pith floating on the top of the water (the seeds will sink to the bottom). Finally, drain the seeds in a colander. The seeds will keep in the fridge for several days.