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This coming Sunday, we’ll celebrate a historic day in United States History: July 4, 1776.  Though current renditions of the holiday are more about fireworks and water sports than national independence, Independence Day, of course, celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and freedom from Britain.  I propose we sign another Declaration of Independence; an independence from nutrition myths and quackery.

This coming Sunday, we’ll celebrate a historic day in United States History: July 4, 1776.  Though current renditions of the holiday are more about fireworks and water sports than national independence, Independence Day, of course, celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and freedom from Britain.  I propose we sign another Declaration of Independence; an independence from nutrition myths and quackery.

The origin of most nutrition myths is understandable.  It seems like each week, we’re presented with conflicting research about the hottest trends in nutrition.  It takes a keen eye and a skeptical view to separate fact from fiction.  Though it’s impossible to clear up every bit of nutritional error with one blog posting, I’ll cover some of the most prevalent erroneous nutritional tidbits.  Prepare to be disappointed, astounded, and enlightened! 

Myth #1: 3,500 calories equals one pound

Now, I must confess.  I’ve been guilty of lamenting this to clients.  In order to lose one pound of weight, you DO need to decrease your caloric intake by 3,500 calories.  This is most commonly explained using a one week time frame.  Decrease your caloric intake by 500 calories per day; over a seven day week you’ll be in a caloric deficit of 3,500 calories and voila! you’ve lost one pound.  While it is true that 3,500 calories equals one pound of fat, it’s not that simple.  Things get interesting after you’ve lost about 10% of your body weight.  After this point, the body utilizes its amazing (and in this instance, frustrating) ability to slow metabolism.  Because your body thinks its entering starvation mode, metabolism slows and you must then be in a caloric deficit of more than 3,500 calories to lose one pound.  The exact caloric deficit needed after a 10% weight loss probably varies slightly from person to person.  The solution?  Move more to burn more calories.

Myth #2: Sugar causes Diabetes

There are two main types of Diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2.  The causes of both varieties of Diabetes are very different, though neither has to do specifically with eating too much sugar.

Neither Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes are caused by excess sugar.  Type 1 Diabetes occurs when the pancreas, for a multitude of reasons (some of which are unknown), stops producing insulin.  In “normal” pancreatic function, insulin is released from the pancreas after we ingest any food.  Insulin basically works like a key, unlocking every cell in our body so glucose (which is what every macronutrient we ingest ends up as, though carbohydrate, protein and fat all take different pathways) can enter cells and provide us with energy.  Without insulin, glucose is not allowed to enter cells, it remains in the blood stream and the amount of sugar in the blood (known as blood glucose) skyrockets.  People with Type 1 Diabetes must replace the insulin they don’t produce with external sources of insulin, such as a shot.

Type 2 Diabetes also results in glucose not being taken up by cells, but not because the pancreas isn’t producing insulin.  In Type 2 Diabetes, the pancreas still produces insulin in response to ingested food.  Type 2 Diabetes occurs, generally, from insulin resistance.  Insulin is produced, but isn’t allowed to unlock cells for glucose’s entrance.  Most often this is because of being overweight.  Once excess weight is lost, insulin resistance usually disappears and normal blood glucose levels return.

Myth #3: All fats are bad

I dislike the 80s and 90s for a lot of reasons, most of which have to do with bad music.  The biggest reason I dislike the 80s and 90s is that this time period is what nutrition professionals refer to as the “low fat craze”.  In a haste to eradicate as much fat as possible from many packaged foods, a lot of producers made products even unhealthier by adding more sugar and calories.  Myriad research has proven that not all fats are created equal.  For the sake of space limitations, check out this great guide to fats from the American Heart Association. 

Myth #4: Dietary cholesterol has a big impact on blood cholesterol

It’s true; you should limit your intake of dietary cholesterol to less than 300 mg per day (less than 200 mg per day if you have a heart condition).  But research has shown that trans and saturated fats actually do more to raise serum, or blood, cholesterol than the cholesterol that’s in the food we eat.  On the flipside, consume soluble fiber (found in fruits, oats, and legumes) to lower LDL, or “bad”, cholesterol.

Myth #5: Sweeteners like Agave Nectar are healthier than sugar

Here’s what you need to know about caloric (we’re not talking about Splenda or Sweet n Low, which are non-nutritive sweeteners) sweeteners: Sugar is sugar is sugar.  All sweeteners, whether it’s Agave, honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, white sugar, or any of the endless variants thereof, contain roughly 4 calories per gram.  As far as I’m concerned, they’re all the same in terms of calories.  Sure, there are miniscule details that separate agave from honey from brown sugar from maple syrup, but these differences aren’t drastic enough to make one sweetener better or worse than the next. 

My advice: limit intake of ALL sweeteners; whether it’s cutting back on high fructose corn syrup intake from soda or limiting the amount of sugar you sprinkle on your cereal in the morning.  The reason is simple: ALL sweeteners are a source of empty calories.  By this, I mean that these sweeteners basically contribute only calories to our diet.  If you’re not convinced that sugars are empty calories, consider which of these options would keep you fuller for longer: drinking 350 calories of Coca-Cola (a Burger King large), or eating 350 calories worth of oatmeal (roughly one cup dry).

I’m sure you all have today, June 21st, marked on your calendar as a very special day.  I do.  If you’re not in the equinoxial loop, you should know that today is officially the first day of summer!  If you experienced a winter anything like the one endured by Northeast Nebraskans, you’re probably more than a little grateful to see summertime.  Since today will be the longest day (in terms of daylight) of the year, you have one less excuse for not getting out and enjoying the weather.  The topic of today’s post concerns one of my favorite summer time activities (directly behind being in a kayak or canoe), grilling!  It’s the perfect time of year to whip up your favorite grilled recipe; lounge in the patio furniture while the food cooks, get your daily dose of vitamin D and enjoy the warmth!

I’m sure you all have today, June 21^st, marked on your calendar as a very special day.  I do.  If you’re not in the equinoxial loop, you should know that today is officially the first day of summer!  If you experienced a winter anything like the one endured by Northeast Nebraskans, you’re probably more than a little grateful to see summertime.  Since today will be the longest day (in terms of daylight) of the year, you have one less excuse for not getting out and enjoying the weather.  The topic of today’s post concerns one of my favorite summer time activities (directly behind being in a kayak or canoe), grilling!  It’s the perfect time of year to whip up your favorite grilled recipe; lounge in the patio furniture while the food cooks, get your daily dose of vitamin D and enjoy the warmth!

Food safety is a concern with any type of cooking, but even more so with outdoor grilling.  Obviously, the first obstacle is that food is being stored one place and cooked in another.  Transit time is important.  Second, outdoor grilling is a skill many people aren’t comfortable with.  Cook times?  Internal temperatures?  Grill lid up or down?  All these questions can be a little daunting for the novice grill guy (or gal!).  Not to fear, following are my list of important points to remember when grilling.

·         Storage rules are the same with grilling as with any other cooking method.  Keep all perishable foods properly stored in the refrigerator at a 32°-40°F.  Your freezer should be at 0°F. 

·         The temperature Danger Zone is between 40° and 140°F.  Try to keep your perishable food below 40°F during storage and above 140°F for service.

·         Transit time is especially important when grilling.  Since food is stored in the kitchen and grilled outdoors, try to limit the amount of time between storage and cooking.  Certainly keep transit/preparation under two hours.

·         Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator.  This process takes longer, but results in a better product and is safer than other thaw methods.  In a pinch, you can defrost in a microwave, but only if the food will be prepared immediately.

·         When marinating meat, do so in the refrigerator, not on the counter.  I recommend marinating in a zip-top plastic bag, then place the plastic bag in a baking pan to refrigerate.  This will minimize the chance of contamination of other foods should your bag spring a leak.

·         DO NOT remove food from the grill using the same utensil (tongs, grill fork, etc.) that you used to place raw, uncooked food on the grill!  If you only have one set of tongs and must use the same utensil, thoroughly wash with soap and hot water before removing food from the grill.  Similarly, don’t put that cooked steak on the same plate you used to carry the raw, uncooked meat.

·         Invest in an instant read thermometer.  An ordinary $10 thermometer works just fine.  More experienced cooks can tell if meat is done by simply pressing to feel firmness.  The USDA doesn’t recommend this, though it’s certainly your choice.  I recommend using a thermometer to begin your grilling journey.

·         If you need to store cooked meat to be served at a later time, do so in a 200°F oven.

·         Though it’s up to your preference as to when your meat is cooked well enough, here are the recommended internal temperatures for different types of foods:

o    Steaks & Roasts - 145 °F

o    Fish - 145 °F

o    Pork - 160 °F

o    Ground Beef - 160 °F

o    Egg Dishes - 160 °F

o    Chicken Breasts - 165 °F

o    Whole Poultry - 165 °F

·         For more on food safety, visit the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service website here.

 

If you read the May 17 blog post (and I know you did), you’re intimately familiar with just how important getting adequate dietary fiber is.  If you didn’t, I’ll recap:

If you read the May 17 blog post (and I know you did), you’re intimately familiar with just how important getting adequate dietary fiber is.  If you didn’t, I’ll recap:

·         Contrary to what you’ve probably been led to believe, fiber appears to NOT have a profound impact on colon cancer risk.  Don’t despair; the list of diseases and conditions that fiber does prevent is impressive.
·         A number of large studies have indicated that fiber has a cardioprotective effect.  That is, it prevents heart disease.  In fact, a Harvard study of over 40,000 subjects found that a high total dietary fiber intake was linked to a 40% lower risk of coronary heart disease.
·         Various studies have found that a diet high in cereal fiber was linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.  A diet low in cereal fiber and rich in high-glycemic-index foods (which cause big spikes in blood sugar) seems particularly bad.
·         Diverticular disease, an inflammation of the intestine that results in gastrointestinal pain, has been shown to occur approximately 40% less in people who consume adequate fiber.

As a general rule, I recommend trying to consume 25-35 grams of dietary fiber per day.  It takes a little planning to work in adequate fiber, but the list of benefits above is good reason to plan ahead and get your fiber.

For those of you who aren’t the greatest at planning ahead, I’ll lend you a hand.  Here are a couple of my favorite quick and easy “full of fiber” recipes.  The granola can be made ahead, left a room temperature and snacked on for a week and a half.  The fruit smoothie is super fast to prepare, but if you’re really pressed for time you can make it at night and enjoy for breakfast the next morning!

Granola:

4 Cups Old fashioned oats

1 ½ Cup sliced almonds, walnuts or pecans

¼ Cup light brown sugar

½ tsp salt

½ T cinnamon

¼ Cup canola oil

¼ Cup honey

1 T vanilla

1 ½ Cup dried cranberries and/or cherries

 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients together (except

dried fruit and nuts) in a large bowl. Stir liquid ingredients together in a

mixing cup and drizzle over dry ingredients and combine. Pour into a

Pam sprayed jelly roll pan and bake for 30 minutes. Stir approximately

every 10 minutes. Toss in dried fruit and nuts after removing.

This isn’t necessarily a low-calorie snack; for that reason it makes a great breakfast meal.  You can eat it covered with low-fat milk as a cold cereal or with some low fat yogurt.  One 2 ounce serving contains approximately 250 calories and 6 grams of fiber.  This recipe is also packed with heart healthy poly- and monounsaturated fats!

Fruit Smoothie:

1 C low fat/fat free yogurt
½ C fresh or frozen fruit (any combination)
3 T fruit juice
1 ½ tsp honey

Blend all ingredients in blender and enjoy!
Note: I think frozen fruit actually works better for this recipe.  Need an added bonus?  Frozen fruit often retains more nutrients than fresh fruit that’s been trucked in from across the world and is usually cheaper.

Nutrition information varies slightly for type of fruit and yogurt used, but entire recipe contains approximately 330 calories, 6 grams of fiber and 14 grams of protein.  Again, not necessarily a low-calorie snack, but this too makes a great breakfast.  It just doesn’t get any more quick and easy!

 

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