By Gwen Schoen
Most of us know that eating fruit is a good boost for your health, but does that mean you should just plop an apple into your lunch sack every day and call it nutrition accomplished? Here's a quiz to find out if you are making the best choices when it comes to fruit.
1. Figs are higher in potassium than bananas.
True or false?
2. Figs are excellent sources of calcium.
True or false?
3. A recent study shows that lychee may help prevent the formation of breast cancer cells due to its powerful antioxidant activity.
True or false?
4. Oranges have more vitamin C than guava.
True or false?
5. Guava can protect against food-borne pathogens such as listeria.
True or false?
6. Apples are high in fiber, which helps lower cholesterol.
True or false?
7. Apples have more fiber than Asian pears.
True or false?
8. Watermelon and papaya are rich sources of lycopene.
True or false?
9. Rubbing a slice of papaya on a sunburn will help your skin to heal faster.
True or false?
Source: May 2008 issue of Prevention magazine
Answers: 1. True; 2. True; 3. True; 4. False; 5. True; 6. True; 7. False; 8. True; 9. True.
Should you eat organic? This being Earth Day and all, I'd love to answer that million-dollar question with a few irrefutable facts (for one side or the other), leaving everyone feeling satisfied that the choice (one way or another) is easy. But the reality is that this simple question has a very, very complex answer.
Taken at face value, the answer is a simple one: For both environmental and health reasons, you should probably eat organic whenever possible. By choosing organic foods, you reduce your intake of pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals (whether as part of the growing process for fruits and vegetables, or as part of the feed for animal-based foods), and you also reduce their use in farming, which in turn helps the environment.
On the other hand, many individuals will choose organic foods based on their perception that they are somehow more nutritious than their non-organic counterparts. At this point, however, there is virtually no evidence that this is the case (note, however, that at least one study has shown an increase in the anti-oxidant content of foods grown in soil that has been organically farmed for several years, leading researchers to speculate that gradual improvements in the soil's quality may eventually get passed into the food over time). And though your tongue may tell you different, there is no solid evidence that organic foods taste any better.
So if you're looking to reduce the pesticide load for yourself and the Earth, it seems that you have a pretty straightforward choice. But once you start to factor the carbon footprint issue into the picture, things get pretty muddy. Are you better off to choose an organic plum from Chile, or a locally grown, conventionally farmed apple?
The first problem with that question is that there's no clear way to define what "better off" means. Is it better for the environment to use fewer pesticides in farming, but to transport the food by carbon-spewing airplane across many thousands of miles? Or is it better to buy food that may have been exposed to some type of chemical, but has only a few hundred kilometres to travel by transport truck?
And what about other resources not factored into the organic designation, like water and energy use? Perhaps the organic option requires a much greater input of water and fertilizer, or requires vast amounts of energy to produce (as with meats, organic or not)? Suddenly the organic choice doesn't seem so pristine. But the same apply to locally grown foods, and the energy needs for either type of food will increase significantly if the product requires processing before it reaches the shelf. For example, that same locally grown apple might see its carbon footprint increased if it needs to be shipped from Ontario to Quebec and back again to be turned into applesauce.
Before you throw in the towel and say "forget it -- as long as China is opening X number of coal mines per day, then it really doesn't matter what I do anyway, so I'm going to buy a huge T-bone steak and a pineapple from Thailand and not care a hoot about it," remember that these answers are not readily available to the average consumer.
At this point, there really is no way you can know whether the carbon footprint for that bag of organic milk is less than for the non-organic milk, or that the cow was treated better or lived a more fulfilled life. As I said off the top, this is a very complicated situation -- and there are many great minds debating the issue to achieve some level of consensus that will be practical for the consumer.
So, in the interim, what can a savvy, modern-day shopper do? For starters, print and clip the attached sidebar and put it on the fridge:
- Buy food in season, when you can. And if you have the option, try growing some food of your own.
- Eat fewer processed foods. They're much more energy efficient to produce and generally better for you.
- When you do buy food in season, consider freezing some of it, especially if it's a favourite that you eat frequently and have to buy out of season for the rest of the year. For instance, now's the time to start stockpiling blueberries.
- At the same time, don't go too crazy on the freezing, as a large amount of resources (about 20% of the total energy requirements for a given food, from seed to sewage treatment or compost transport) are spent on household energy use to store and prepare our food; in other words, don't plug in an extra couple of freezers to hold your summer bounty. Also, avoid mega-bulk purchasing, which not only requires extra energy for storage, but tends to lead to overeating and gradual weight gain.
- Buy only what you need. All of this discussion is moot if you throw out half of your food. That said, don't teach yourself to overeat just for the sake of saving a buck, or because your mom told you to always clean your plate -- just try smaller portions!
- And if you don't eat everything you buy, at least use a composter or organic waste bin for whatever's left.
• Jennifer Sygo is a dietitian in private practice at Cleveland Clinic Canada, which offers executive physicals, prevention and wellness counselling and personal health care management in Toronto.
Cheryl Forberg offers these facts about children's nutrition. You can also check out her advice/suggestions regarding healthy kids' snacks and exercise routines in the new Kids' Corner section of the Diet Center!
1.On average, children ages 11-18 eat at fast food restaurants twice a week.
2.When children and teens eat fast food, they consume more calories, fat, carbohydrates, added sugars and sugar-sweetened beverages. They also consume less fiber and milk, and fewer fruits and non-starchy vegetables.
3.At least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week is the recommended minimum. However, only 23% of children and nearly 40% of adults get no free-time physical activity at all.
4.A national study reports that only 8% of elementary schools, 6.4% of middle/junior high schools, and 5.8% of senior high schools provide daily physical education or its equivalent (150 minutes per week for elementary schools, 225 minutes per week for middle/junior and senior high schools is advised) for the entire school year for students in all grades in the school.
5.Six out of 10 children ages 9-13 don't participate in any kind of organized sports/physical activity program outside of school, and children whose parents have lower incomes and education levels are even less likely to participate. Nearly 23% don't engage in any free-time physical activity.
6.Among children and teens aged 6-19 in the US, 16% (over 9 million) are considered overweight.
7.Among children ages 2-5, the prevalence of overweight has increased from 7% to more than 10% since 1994.
8.The obesity epidemic threatens everyone, but not everyone is equally at risk. Among children and adolescents, obesity is more common among African Americans and Hispanics.
9.Most overweight children have at least one major physiological risk factor (besides overweight) for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol, high triglycerides, high insulin or high blood pressure.
10.Overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. This increases to 80% if one or more parent is overweight or obese.
11.Overweight children are more likely to have abnormally thick heart muscle ue when they become adults, which increases the risk of heart attack and heart failure.
Exercise
Kids may require lots of food fuel to stoke their metabolism, but they still need to be active. An hour of moderate activity each day is recommended. Though some kids love to ride their bikes or play basketball, far too many prefer to plop down in front of the television after school and often, they don't budge til dinnertime. Parents may need to intervene to keep things moving. When kids find activities that they enjoy, they're more likely to stick with it and they'll do it more often.
Here are some tips to keep them moving:
1.Limit their hours of TV or computer games - if they want to watch/play beyond that, have them stand up! (This is especially helpful to kids with weight issues. Standing up burns more calories, and this may make them more inclined to go and do something active rather than standing to watch television)
2.Step it - set a good example and take the stairs when you're together (rather than elevators.)
3.Go for a family walk before or after dinner; in addition to exercise, it's a great way to spend more time together, sharing your news of the day.
4.If it's feasible, encourage them to walk or ride their bikes to and from school.
5.Spend less time at the movies and more time playing soccer or swimming.
6.Involve them in walking the dog, yardwork, housecleaning - anything that's active.
7.A small investment in basic equipment can make a big change. Help your children find a new activity they love: hula-hoop, mini-trampoline, jumprope, kickball, badminton, roller skates, basketball or swimming!
8.Set a good example and be an active parent -- eat healthy and exercise!
By R.J. Ignelzi
Copley News Service
Forget Oprah's latest book club selection. Never mind what's topping the New York Times best-seller list. The must-read for nearly everyone is thought-provoking, empowering and available on nearly every grocery store shelf.
It's the nutrition label on most food products.
While it's not as captivating as a Stephen King or John Grisham novel, reading and utilizing this material on a regular basis may make you and your family healthier.
WELL READ - Your health may depend on how closely you heed your food's nutritional labels. CNS Photo by Crissy Pascual.
"Reading a food label can guide you to better food selections," says Christine Zoumas, a registered dietitian and a senior nutrition researcher at the University of California San Diego Medical Center.
"There are certain nutrients you want to limit, like saturated fat and cholesterol, and other nutrients you want more of, like fiber. By reading the nutrition facts on the labels you can compare different products and make sure you're getting (the healthiest ones)."
PORTION SIZE TIPS - Other keyword: Serving, weight, health, fist, light bulb, mouse, baseball, thumb, dice
However, for many consumers, today's nutrition labels with the long lists of numbers, percentages and stock "nutri-speak" phrases only offer up a heaping helping of confusion. In order for food labels to help you achieve a more healthful diet, you need to be able to translate them into language and concepts that are meaningful to you. That doesn't mean you have to walk around the grocery store with a calculator and a dictionary. By simply zeroing in on a couple of label items and looking at how these fit into your daily diet, you'll get the biggest nutrition bang for your buck.
The first thing you should focus on is the serving size listed at the top of the nutrition facts box.
"Nothing else matters if you don't know what size serving you're talking about," Zoumas says. "In order to interpret all the nutrients and calorie information, you must look at the serving size."
To avoid misleading consumers into believing a food is low in fat or calories by unrealistically reducing the listed serving size (for example, a candy bar that's supposed to count as three servings), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has standardized most food serving sizes.
The agency says the serving sizes must be reasonable portions, in a weight or household measurement that's easy for people to understand, Zoumas explains.
However the listed serving size may not always reflect the portion size people actually consume.
"The (listed) serving size for most drinks is 8 ounces. But, most of us are looking at 16-ounce or 24-ounce drinks. The serving size for Oreos is two cookies. But, for many people, one serving is a lot more than that," says Patti Wooten Swanson, nutrition, family and consumer adviser for the University of California Cooperative Extension Service of San Diego County. "You have to take this into account when comparing the calories and other nutrients of different products. If one is larger or smaller than the other it can make a big difference (in nutritional values).
"In addition to noting the calories for a serving, it's important to check out the nutrients you want plenty of - fiber, calcium and vitamin C - and those you want to limit - saturated fat, trans fats, cholesterol and sodium.
Nobody expects you to memorize all the recommended daily allowances (RDAs) for each nutrient. Instead, check out how nutrient-rich or -poor a product is by reading the percent of daily values, listed as percentages next to each nutrient.
Based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, the percent of daily values shows how much of a nutrient in one serving contributes to the recommended daily intake of that particular nutrient. So, for example, if you see that the amount of calcium in one serving of a food supplies 38 percent of your calcium needs for one day, you've got a winner. You're more than a third of the way to satisfying your bone-building calcium needs for the day.
However, if you see that a single serving contains 46 percent of the recommended intake of saturated fat, consider putting it back on the shelf. Saturated fat is one of the nutrients we need to limit in our diet, and getting half of the recommended daily amount in one serving is asking for trouble.
People with certain health conditions or concerns should pay close attention to those nutrients that may affect them. Diabetics should concentrate on the sugar and carbohydrate amounts. People with hypertension should focus on keeping the sodium low. Those with heart problems need to watch their saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol grams. And women should look for products offering as much calcium and vitamin D (if listed) as possible.
In addition to offering long lists of numbers and percentages for the nutrient content of a product, food makers can also make nutritional claims. Often found on the front of the package in big, bold lettering, these claims aren't just random advertising hype to help attract shoppers. Regulated by the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the claims have to be substantiated by the nutritional facts.
READING FOOD LABELS
- Serving size: Pay attention to this and the number of servings in the package. The size of the serving on the food package influences all the nutrient amounts listed on the label.
- Calories: The number of calories this food contains for the stated serving size. (You have to burn 3,500 calories to lose one pound of body weight.)
- Percent of Daily Value: Shows how much one serving of a nutrient contributes to the total daily recommended intake of that nutrient for a 2,000-calorie a day diet.
- Total fat: Should make up no more than 20 percent to 35 percent of your total calories. Saturated fat and trans fats raise cholesterol and increase risk of heart disease and stroke. The American Heart Association recommends consuming less than 7 percent of total calories as saturated fat or trans-fat. Most fat should come from monounsaturated or polyunsaturated sources (fish, nuts, canola and olive oils).
- Cholesterol: Too much of it in your diet may lead to too much of it in your blood, which can lead to heart disease and stroke. Consume less than 300 milligrams per day. People with heart disease, high LDL (bad) cholesterol levels or who take cholesterol medication should consume less than 200 milligrams per day.
- Sodium: Healthy adults should consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day (about one teaspoon). African-Americans, older adults and people with high blood pressure should consume less than 1,500 milligrams per day.
- Total carbohydrates: This listing includes the healthy carbs (whole grains, fruits and vegetables) and the unhealthy or refined carbs (sugar). Try to keep the sugar grams low and load up on the fiber. Adults should eat 21 to 35 grams of fiber daily. Soluble fiber (oatmeal, barley, dried beans) can help lower cholesterol levels. Insoluble fiber (whole grains, fruit and vegetables) protects against bowel disorders and may help digestion.
- Protein: The government food safety advisory and regulation panels don't offer any daily value percentages for protein since getting enough of it has not been a problem in the American diet.
- Vitamins and minerals: Only two vitamins (A and C) and two minerals (calcium and iron) are required on the food label. Manufacturers can voluntarily list other vitamins and minerals in the food.
Merrie Monteagudo contributed to this story.
