Stocking a Healthy Kitchen on a Budget

Quick and Dirty Tips for Eating Well and Feeling FabulousThis week’s podcast is for recent college graduates and others who are new to the business of food shopping, meal planning, and preparation. To be honest, even experienced householders often struggle with these tasks.  If you’ve ever unloaded 8 bags of groceries only to discover that you don’t have the makings for a single meal, you know what I mean—and these tips can help. Read or listen to it here.

3 Ways to Fight Childhood Obesity

Quick and Dirty Tips for Eating Well and Feeling FabulousToday, one in every 5 kids is obese and a great many more are overweight. Not only is this a cruddy way to spend your childhood, but overweight kids are highly likely to become overweight adults, battling both their weight and the associated health problems for a lifetime. In this week’s podcast, I outline three simple things you can do to  help your kids maintain a healthy weight. Read or listen to it here.

How Nutritious is 100% Fruit Juice? Not Very.

Q. What should I look for when buying fruit juice? For example the “100% pure and natural orange juice” says it contains 0% Vitamin C. How is that possible? Another one provides 100% Vitamin C but from the list of ingredients we see that Vitamin C is actually added.

A. The USDA considers a half cup of fruit juice equivalent to a serving of fruit but I have my doubts. Processed fruit juice–even 100% juice–is a distant second to fresh whole fruit in terms of its nutritional value. For one thing, fruit juice is a very concentrated source of sugar and calories. All the fiber, which slows the absorption of the sugars in whole fruit, has been removed.

Secondly, many (most?) of the naturally-occurring nutrients are lost during processing, pasteurization, and storage. As you found, manufacturers may compensate for this by adding nutrients back to the juice after the fact. You could get the same benefit from taking a vitamin C capsule.

See also: Juicing for Health and Nutrition

Juice and Diabetes Risk

Nutritionally, I’d rank processed fruit juice only slightly higher than soda and other sweetened beverages. In fact, a large study conducted in China found that people who drink two or more servings of juice a week are 25% more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes compared to those who rarely drink juice. This is consistent with another large 2008 study, which also found that increased juice consumption led to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes–but that eating more whole fruit decreased diabetes risk.

My Advice?

Eat Fruit; Drink Water.  (Same for your kids!)

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My newest book, Secrets for a Healthy Diet: What to Eat, What to Avoid, and What to Stop Worrying About is my essential guide to all the food choices you make every day.  Read a sample chapter here.

 

 

Why Can’t Experts Agree on Sodium?

Quick and Dirty Tips for Eating Well and Feeling FabulousThink the debate over the national debt was contentious? That’s nothing compared to the war being waged in scientific circles about how much sodium it’s safe to eat.  As researchers duke it out in the pages of medical journals, poor consumers are caught in a cross-fire of contradictory recommendations.   In this week’s podcast, I tell you what you need to know to stay out of trouble. Read or listen to it here.

Shop Smart: Finding the Healthiest Options

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” >