Category: Healthy Eating Tips

Practical tips for improving your nutrition

Low Blood Sugar? Maybe Not.

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Q. I have a lot of trouble with low blood sugar.  Any tips for what I should or shouldn’t be eating to help manage this?

A. My first question would be whether low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is really the problem.

Several years ago, my sister told me she had problems with low blood sugar.  She hadn’t actually been to see a doctor. But she’d noticed that when she felt head-achy, queasy, or shaky (which was fairly often), drinking some juice or eating some crackers usually made her feel better–for a little while. She started carrying little boxes of raisins and animal crackers around in her purse and eating them throughout the day to keep her blood sugar from dipping.

As she told me all of this, I wondered if her “treatment plan” was actually part of the problem.  Continue reading “Low Blood Sugar? Maybe Not.” >

Do Dried Herbs and Spices Have Nutritional Value?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Do Dried Herbs and Spices Lose Their Nutritional Value?Q. Do dry herbs and spices have the same nutritional benefits as their fresh counterparts or are they only good for flavor?

A. It depends on which herbs and spices (and which nutritional benefits) you’re talking about!

  • Cinnamon, for example, is only consumed in its dried form but powdered cinnamon has been shown to help modulate the rise in blood sugar after meals.
  • Ginger can be used either as a fresh root or as a dried powder but either way, has anti-inflammatory benefits.  Same with garlic and onions.
  • Dried spices like cloves, cinnamon, and black pepper all have high ORAC scores, which indicate antioxidant potential.  A teaspoon of these spices is comparable to a serving of blueberries or strawberries.

Clearly, there is still plenty of nutritional benefit to be had from dried spices.

The Difference Between Fresh and Dried Herbs Continue reading “Do Dried Herbs and Spices Have Nutritional Value?” >

Tips for Healthy Weight Gain

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Avocados for Healthy Weight GainQ. I’m a 30-year-old man and I’m struggling to gain weight. I exercise 5-7 hours a week. My health is good. I really enjoy vegetables and other healthy foods, but it’s hard to get enough calories without adding soda and dessert to my meal of chicken salad, for example. I know sugar causes a host of bad health effects, but what alternatives are there? How can I get more calories without causing collateral damage?

A.  You’re absolutely right: You don’t want to get those extra calories by loading up on soda and dessert!

Fortunately, I can think of lots of ways to add calories without resorting to foods that undermine your health and nutrition. Continue reading “Tips for Healthy Weight Gain” >

Can You Eat Too Many Veggies?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

A couple of readers have written this week with variations on this question.

Gwen notes that many weight loss plans allow for unlimited amounts of vegetables and wonders whether this rule is really a good one or whether some restrictions make sense.  Jim says he’s not dieting but he’s gradually increased his vegetable intake to the point that he’s now eating up to five pounds of vegetables a day.  He wonders whether that may be excessive and whether he should be concerned that almost all of the calories in vegetables come from (natural) sugars.

Obviously, you can overdo just about anything…even water.  Drink several gallons of water in a short period of time and and you can put yourself into a hyponatremic coma.  (Don’t try this at home.)

But assuming you’re not actually trying to hurt yourself,  how easy would it be to get yourself in trouble by eating too many vegetables? All in all, not that easy.  In most vegetables, the ratio of water and fiber to calories and sugar is high enough to keep you from from over-doing it.  But as you appear to be craving some guidelines, here are a few:

Continue reading “Can You Eat Too Many Veggies?” >

Sweetened with Dates: How Healthy Is It Really?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN
Photo by Mona Mok on Unsplash

Q.  I watch my sugar intake and I’ve been searching for a healthy granola bar. Finally, I found Larabars at my grocery store: Only three ingredients and no added sugar. Awesome! My only concern is that the sugar content, while derived completely from dates, is very high.  If I’m limiting my added sugar intake, should I also pay attention to sugars from natural sources? Thank you for your advice!

A. You have to be impressed by a processed food with only three ingredients!  But I’m glad you didn’t let the glare of that health halo blind you to the high sugar content.

In terms of “added sugars,” the Larabars squeak through on a technicality.  Added sugars usually refers to refined sugar and other concentrated sweeteners like honey or maple syrup. (Yup, even though they’re natural, they’re considered added sugars!)  The naturally-occurring sugars in whole fruit and dairy products are usually given an exemption.

By the usual definition, the dates in your granola bar wouldn’t be considered added sugar. But, frankly, dates are about as close as you can get to sugar and still call yourself a fruit.  (For that matter, I guess sugar cane could technically be considered a whole grain!)

How Nutritious are Dates?

An ounce of medjool dates contains 19 grams of sugar and 2 grams of fiber. An ounce of honey provides 23 grams of sugar and 0 grams of fiber. Neither one is a significant source of vitamins or minerals. (Click the links to see the complete nutrition facts.)

Aside from a gram or two of fiber, a bar sweetened with dates is really not that much different from a bar sweetened with honey.  Ask yourself this: If the bar were sweetened with honey instead of dates, would it be more sugar than you’d be willing to eat?   Although I’m all for whole foods and short ingredient lists, I agree with you that a bar with less sugar might be a better choice.

See also:How much fruit is good for you?

When is White Bread Preferable to Whole Wheat?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

In my recent post “Are Your Nutrition Priorities in the Right Order?” I observed that portion size has a bigger impact on blood sugar than whether a grain product is whole or refined.

Laura’s not buying it! She comments:

So you’re saying that eating 1 peanut butter sandwich on white bread is better nutritionally than eating 2 on whole wheat bread? I find that hard to believe.

Fair enough. Let’s take a look at how these two options stack up. Continue reading “When is White Bread Preferable to Whole Wheat?” >