Category: Healthy Eating Tips

Practical tips for improving your nutrition

How does cooking affect the nutrients in meat?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Rotisserie chickenKate writes:

“I’m concerned about cooking the nutrients out of my food. There is plenty of information about fruits and veggies but what about meat? What is the best way to cook common meats to preserve the nutrition? Thanks!”

Good news, Kate! The primary nutrients in meat (protein and minerals) are pretty resilient to heat, so cooking meat does little to reduce its nutritional value.  Some of the fat may render out of the meat as it cooks but most people consider this to be a plus. If you’re cooking meat in liquid (as in a stew or soup), some of the minerals and protein may leach from the meat into the cooking liquid. But if you consume the broth, little will be lost.

The vitamins and antioxidants in fresh fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, are a little more fragile–and that’s why you’ve probably seen more about the effect of cooking on the nutritional value of these foods. Continue reading “How does cooking affect the nutrients in meat?” >

An easier way to stay on track

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

diettrackerKeeping a record of everything you eat–whether you jot it down in a notebook or use a mobile app like My Fitness Pal–can be a very effective tool for improving your eating habits. Part of it is increased awareness and part of it is the accountability. Even if no one ever sees your diet log but you, you may decide to pass on that random cookie or doughnut hole if you know it’s going on your “permanent record.”

On the other hand, it’s kind of a pain. Even with the convenience of a smart phone app, logging every bite you eat every day quickly becomes tedious. Most people start to drift away from the habit after a week or two–often, when they have a day they’d just as soon be “off the record.” And the benefits of that increased awareness and accountability gradually slip way. Continue reading “An easier way to stay on track” >

DASH diet (with a twist) could help with gout

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

imageAlthough gout sounds like something Henry the VIIIth might have suffered from (actually, he did), this painful form of arthritis is still very common today.  It occurs when uric acid builds up in the blood rather than being excreted in the urine. Uric acid crystals can cause exquisite pain in the joints, often in the big toe.

Gout is typically managed with medications that reduce uric acid levels in the blood along with dietary modifications, such as avoiding alcohol, red meats, shellfish, and sugary beverages. But a new look at some old data suggests a new way to keep gout at bay. Continue reading “DASH diet (with a twist) could help with gout” >

The absolute worst time to decide what to eat

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

power-of-planningThree years ago, in an episode of the Nutrition Diva podcast, I talked about the power of planning:

“I find I make far better choices when I plan ahead—and I bet the same is true for you. One of the interesting things about human nature is that we tend to make different choices for our future selves than we do for our present selves.

“Choices that we make for our future selves are more likely to be in line with our larger goals, such as eating healthy or saving money. Decisions that we make in the moment tend to focus more on short-term desires and instant gratification.” Continue reading “The absolute worst time to decide what to eat” >

Unintended consequences of the clean eating movement

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN
Is this chemical in your food?
Is this chemical in your food?

Eating “clean” has been a buzzword for a couple of years now, even though the term is so vague that it’s hard to know whether you’re doing it or not.

There is no concrete definition for “clean” food but for most people it suggests eating foods that are closer to their natural state and less processed. Although it’s pretty easy to identify a green bean as “clean” and a jelly bean as not, foods like cheese or bread or orange juice occupy a gray area somewhere in between.

See also: Why processed foods can be good for you

“Don’t eat anything you can’t pronounce” is another common refrain, and this has led food manufacturers to “clean up” their labels by removing preservatives and other additives. But our mistrust of multi-syllabic words is having an unintended consequence:  Continue reading “Unintended consequences of the clean eating movement” >

Why nutritionists and consumers can’t agree on what’s healthy

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

thumbs-up-feature-crop-600x338

The New York Times recently polled hundreds of nutritionists and consumers to find out whether they agreed on which foods are “good for you.” Everyone agreed that that kale, almonds, olive oil are good for you and French fries and soda aren’t. But in between were a lot of foods, such as granola bars and coconut oil, that were ranked a lot higher by consumers than nutritionists. There were also a few, such as quinoa and sushi, that got high marks from nutritionists but not from consumers.

The Times concluded that consumers are confused about which foods are healthy.  I think the Times is confused about how diets work. Continue reading “Why nutritionists and consumers can’t agree on what’s healthy” >

What are the NGPA questions based on?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Q. What is the basis for the questions in  the Nutrition GPA quiz?

A. The questions in the Nutrition GPA app are based on decades of research into the foods and eating patterns most strongly and consistently linked to overall dietary quality, nutrient intakes, and health outcomes. Click here to see some of the research underlying the Nutrition GPA™  concept.

These questions are designed not only to gather information about your intake of specific nutrients, but also to infer as much as we can about your overall diet quality, using as few questions as possible.  So, for example, what other foods tend to go along with that food? Or, what might you NOT be eating because you’re eating this instead?

Answering these simple yes-or-no questions will give you a quick assessment of each day’s nutrition. Your daily grades are averaged to calculate your Nutrition GPA (grade point average), so that you can how your nutritional choices stack up over time, and which way you are trending.