Party Planning!

As the holidays approach, so do all of the holiday food traditions. From cookie exchanges to holiday parties, many of the season’s festivities focus on food. Despite the fact that we usually follow up the holidays with New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, many of us hold on to the extra pounds we pick up. Research suggests that prevention may be the best strategy. It appears that in an attempt to keep things consistent, our bodies may actually resist changes in our weight even when we eat less and exercise more. Unfortunately though, our bodies seem to be less resistant to weight gain than to weight loss. With this in mind, you may be more successful if you take a few small steps to maintain your weight instead of focusing on losing weight after the parties are over.

Choose Strategically.
Start your plate with nutrient-dense choices such as fruits and vegetables that can help fill you up on fewer calories. Stick with small portions for foods with added sugars and fats, which can quickly add extra calories. Choosing unsweetened drinks, lower fat dairy products, and baked instead of fried items more often can save enough calories to keep things in check…and make room for the occasional cookie exchange.

Find time to move.
Success in health needs to include both eating well and being more active. If you find yourself too busy to stop at the gym, move more by making activity part of your day. Try parking further away, taking the stairs or walking to a coworker’s office instead of calling or emailing.

Do well…most of the time.
It is important to remember that what you eat on most days is more important to your overall health than what you do occasionally. So, if you find that you may have overdone it a bit at a holiday party, remember that it is only one day and get right back on track!

REFERENCES:
1. Britten P , Cleveland LE , Koegel KL , Kuczynski KJ , Nickols-Richardson SM. Impact of Typical Rather than Nutrient-Dense Food Choices in the US Department of Agriculture Food
Patterns. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2012;112(10):1560-1569.
2. Hill JO, Wyatt HR, Peters JC. Energy balance and obesity. Circulation. 2012;126:126-132.)

Written by Jennifer M. Roberts, MS, RD.
December 2015

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Eat Seafood More Often

The American Heart Association advises eating 2 servings of fish per week to maintain good health. Each serving should be 3.5 oz cooked, which is about the size of a deck of cards

• Fish is a great source of high quality protein as well as many vitamins and minerals, omega-3 fatty acids and some even contain vitamin D.
• It may reduce the risk of stroke, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic conditions.
• Fish consumption has also been linked to boosting memory and reducing stress hormones.

Fatty fish, such as salmon, lake trout, herring, sardines and tuna, contain the most omega-3 fatty acids and therefore provide the greatest benefit, but most types of seafood contain small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Depending on how the fish you choose to eat is cooked, will determine how healthy that choice turns out to be. For example, broiling or baking fish is a healthier option than deep-frying.

It is important to note that mercury is a toxin that accumulates and, for that reason, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that pregnant and lactating women and young children avoid eating certain fish: swordfish, shark, tilefish and king mackerel. The EPA has no health warning to limit seafood consumption for any other population group. Scientific studies have found that the benefits of eating seafood greatly outweigh the risks and that removing or reducing seafood from the diet can have negative effect on ones health.

References:

1. "Fish: Friend or Foe?" http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fish/.
2. "Does mercury contamination outweigh the health benefits of eating fish?" http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/omega-3/art-20045614?pg=2.
3. Eating Seafood Sustainably. Sylvia Geiger, MS, RD
. Today’s Dietitian
 Vol. 14 No. 6 P. 38 (June 2012). http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/060112p38.shtml.

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To Juice or Not To Juice?

Depending on who you talk to, juice is either part of the latest health trend or on the list of things to avoid. Understanding what juice does and doesn’t offer can help you decide if it is right for you.

The Up Side:
Fruits and vegetables offer a variety of health-promoting nutrients, many of which are still available in the juice squeezed from them. Juices can be a convenient and tasty way to get those nutrients. Juices also offer a way to get fruits and vegetables that you may not usually eat in the whole form. For example, cranberry juice is a popular alternative to whole cranberries and a great way to get some important antioxidants. People who don’t normally eat spinach may find that when juiced with other vegetables and fruit, they enjoy it.

The Down Side:
With about 50-115 calories per cup, fruit and vegetable juices are not low calorie drinks. For that reason, drinking a lot of juice could potentially make weight management more difficult. Research suggests that people who drink juice don’t necessarily have more trouble controlling their weight than people who skip juice, so moderation is likely important. Juicing leaves behind some important nutrients such as fiber, so it is important to also get fruits and vegetables in the whole form. If you are at risk for foodborne illness, the FDA suggests that you only drink pasteurized juices that have been treated to kill bacteria. If you choose to drink freshly squeezed juice that has not been pasteurized, it is important to drink it quickly after it is squeezed and make sure that good food safety practices are followed when handling the fruits, vegetables and juice.

The Bottom Line:
Juices offer a refreshing way to get more fruits and vegetables into your day. When choosing juices, look for pure juices that do not have added sugar or salt. True juices will list the amount of juice on the label as a percentage. “Drinks” and “Ades” don’t always contain juice and won’t offer the same benefits. Keep an eye on portion sizes as calories can add up quickly at about 100 calories per cup for some of the most popular juices. Don’t rely on juices alone to meet your fruit and vegetable requirements. Include whole fruits and vegetables too.

REFERENCES:1. DA Hyson. A Review and Critical Analysis of the Scientific Literature Related to 100% Fruit Juice and Human Health. American Society for Nutrition. Adv. Nutr. 6: 37–51, 2015. 2. Talking About Juice Safety: What You Need to Know. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Available at www.fda.gov.Written by Jennifer M. Roberts, MS, RD.
November 2015

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Limit Your Sugar Intake!

Choosing beverages that contain lots of added sugar are not the best choice! Sugar-sweetened beverages contain a lot of extra calories and almost no nutrients.  If you are consuming high-sugar drinks (i.e., soda or juice) regularly, over time it can lead to weight gain, which in turn will increases your risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease as well as other medical issues.

As of now, there are no federal guidelines regarding the amount of sugar you should consume. However, the American Heart Association recommends that we consume less sugar – no more than 6 teaspoons (tsp.) or 100 calories a day of sugar for most women and no more than 9 teaspoons or 150 calories a day for most men.

There is no nutritional need or benefit that comes from sugar that is added to beverages. Here is something to consider: a can of regular soda contains about 9-10 tsp. of sugar and a 12 oz. bottle of apple or cranberry juice contains about 10-11 tsp. of sugar, which provides about 150 calories (~40 gm. of sugar).

• Try to limit your intake of flavored coffee. The calories from sugar added to these beverages will add up quickly.
• Read food labels. Sometimes a bottled beverage will contain more than one serving.
• Choose a diet or low-calorie beverage, but take in to consideration that these beverages contain artificial sweeteners.

Choose water for hydration

• Water does not contain nutrients or calories
• If you don’t like plain water try adding a very small amount of juice for flavor or add fruit to infuse the water with flavor

Choose milk as a nutrient dense option

• Low-fat milk (skim milk, 1% low-fat milk)
• Milk provides important nutrients: protein, calcium and vitamin D
• Choose a low-fat version to supply fewer calories and less fat
• Flavored milk will provide about 5-6 tsp. of added sugar (per 8 oz. serving)

Choose beverages (and foods) that contain natural sugars

• Low-fat milk (skim or 1%)
• Fresh and/or frozen fruits
• Fresh and/or frozen vegetables

These items supply important nutrients. You do not need to count the naturally occurring sugars toward your daily intake of added sugar.

References:

1. Harvard T.H. Chan, School of Public Health Newsletter, Healthy Drinks http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/ Accessed October 12, 2015
2. Water: How much should you drink every day?  http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256 Accessed October 12, 2015

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What We're Cooking This Semester

with Northeastern campus executive chef Tom Barton

I would like to welcome everyone back to campus. Hope everyone had a great summer and hope everyone is settling in. We have received a few questions about some of our local products that we serve so I thought I would take this opportunity to talk a little more about the products that we do purchase locally.

Right now is a GREAT time to buying local. What we buy changes from week to week based on our menus and what items the farmers feel is in peak condition to send to us. The past few weeks have been filled with potatoes, carrots, onions, beets, kale, chard, lettuces, squashes of all sorts, tomatoes, corn, and, of course, apples. Keep an eye out at Stetson for Chef Sam's fresh corn station – if you like Mexican street corn you'll love this!

Many of the items listed above fit perfectly into our "root to tip" vegetable program. In short, we use as much of the vegetable as possible – including the peel and the tops. Many of the vegetables we leave the peel on for added flavor and nutrition. Carrot and beet tops could be braised with other vegetables or made into a "pesto" and be incorporated back into the preparation.

We are also using some IDP – Imperfectly Delicious Produce. These are items that would have been left in the field because they don't look 100% perfect but they still taste great! IDP items that we have been using include small cut broccoli, baby kale, romaine lettuce, and cauliflower.

We will be buying and using many local products well into November and December. Our choices are certainly limited at that time but we are still able to get many local hard squashes and potatoes.

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Off To A Healthy Start?

No matter how many times we’ve heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, many of us still don’t give breakfast much thought. Whether we choose fast over healthy while on the run or skip breakfast all together, much of the time we are not providing our bodies with the proper fuel to start the day.

Is breakfast really that important?
Recent research says yes. People who eat a healthy breakfast tend to get more of the important nutrients we need. Traditional breakfast foods tend to be good sources of key nutrients like fiber, calcium, vitamin D and others that we may not otherwise be getting enough of. Healthy breakfast eaters may also be better at managing their weight.

What’s for breakfast?
While simply eating breakfast is a good thing, it is what we eat that is most important. Try these suggestions for a healthy breakfast:

• Whole grain cereal with low fat milk and fresh fruit
• Low fat yogurt with granola and dried fruit
• Whole wheat pancakes or muffin with fresh berries and a glass of skim milk
• Peanut butter and banana on a whole grain bagel
• Vegetable egg white frittata with whole wheat toast
• Not usually hungry in the morning? Start off small to get in the breakfast habit.
• Venture off the traditional breakfast menu. If you like salads, try them at breakfast. It might seem funny at first, but the key is to get the energy you need to start your day off right. Whichever food you choose to gain that energy is up to you!

Make it a family affair.
Children with parents who eat breakfast are more likely to eat breakfast themselves. Make breakfast a daily habit for your family. Everyone will reap the benefits and you may help to instill a lifelong healthy habit in your children.

REFERENCES:
1. O’Neil, Carol E. et al. Nutrient Intake, Diet Quality, and Weight/Adiposity Parameters in Breakfast Patterns Compared with No Breakfast in Adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2008 J Acad Nutr Diet. 2014; 114: S27-S43.
2. Pearson N, Biddle SJ, Gorely T. Family correlates of breakfast consumption among children and adolescents. A systematic review. Appetite. 2009 Feb;52(1):1-7. Epub 2008 Aug 22. Review.

Written by Jennifer M. Roberts, MS, RD.
October 2015

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An Apple A Day?

We’ve all heard the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” but a recent study suggests that apples may keep the scale from tipping too.

Can apples really help with weight management?
A recent study found that children ages 2-18 who ate apples were less likely to be obese and had better diets overall than children who didn’t eat apples. The relationship between having a healthier weight was seen with whole apples and total apple products, but not with apple sauce or apple juice individually. The researchers suggest that this may be because whole apples tend to be more filling than apple juice or sauce. It is important to note that while eating fruit overall has been associated with being healthier, this single study doesn’t necessarily mean that an apple a day is the key to weight loss or management. It may in fact be that children who eat apples tend to have other healthy habits too.

Is it just apples? How about other fruit?
Fruit overall offers a lot of beneficial nutrients for relatively few calories. While this specific study looked just at apples, many previous studies looked at the impact of eating fruit. While the results for weight management are not conclusive, the health benefits of eating fruit are pretty clear. People who eat the recommended amounts of fruit (and vegetables) tend to be healthier than those who don’t. So, if you don’t like apples, don’t worry. Including a variety of other fruit, especially whole fruit, into your day is likely to offer benefits too.

Bottom Line
With almost no downside, adding an apple a day, especially if it replaces something higher in calories, may be a good way to start improving your eating habits and health overall. A lot of advice for being healthy or losing weight focuses on foods we shouldn’t eat when it may actually be more beneficial to focus on the foods that we should eat.

REFERENCES:1. O’Neil CE, Nicklas TA, Fulgoni VL 3rd. Consumption of apples is associated with a better diet quality and reduced risk of obesity in children: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2010. Nutr J. 2015 May 14;14(1):48.

Written by Jennifer M. Ignacio, MS, RD.
September 2015

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