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By SARA ARTHURSSTAFF WRITER

Go online even briefly and you may come across the claims: "This superfood will cure all diseases!" "Eat THIS and lose 10 pounds overnight!" And so on.

Dietitians have heard it all. And they'd like to politely encourage you to seek out truth rather than myth.

"There's a lot of misinformation out there," said Martha Gonzalez, clinical nutrition manager at Blanchard Valley Health System.

How often do people misunderstand the facts about nutrition?

"It's all the time," she said.

Gonzalez said people now pick up information from Facebook and elsewhere on the internet.

She pointed out anyone can claim to be a "nutritionist." A dietitian, by contrast, is licensed by the state after going through specific training.

And the years in school studying nutrition include "a lot of science classes," said Rachel Snyder, a registered dietitian at the health system.

There's no "bad food" or "good food," Gonzalez said. Instead, both she and Snyder stressed the importance of variety.

Snyder has noticed that people believe "this new hot trend" or fad diet will solve everything.

Someone reads about a "superfood" -- say, kale, or apple cider vinegar -- and becomes convinced it will solve all their dietary problems.

She said a "superfood" is characterized as one that is very healthy and high in antioxidants, which protect against free radicals that can damage cells, causing disease. But Snyder said this is often reported as a cure-all: "Let's put kale in every single thing."

Not that Snyder is not a fan of kale. "Kale is great," she said. Just be sure to incorporate it into your diet with a lot of other foods, too.

Good nutrition involves looking at your diet as a whole: "One food does not cure all," Snyder said.

What you eat does, of course, make a huge difference in your health.

When dealing with a health issue, one of the first approaches should be changes to your diet, such as eating more fruits and vegetables if you have Type 2 diabetes, Gonzalez said. Some people with diabetes can discontinue medications after changing their diet, she said.

It starts with more fruit and vegetable consumption, Gonzalez said. Eat fresh vegetables, and cook or grill them yourself, rather than eating TV dinners. And be sure to watch fat and processed food, she said.

Plenty of nutritional subjects elicit strong opinions, but one of the biggest is carbs. They're bad, right? Everyone knows that.

It's not that simple, Snyder said. Carbs are actually the main source of energy for your body.

Dessert is full of carbs. But you also find them in fruits and vegetables, grain products like pasta and bread, and dairy -- all of which are part of a balanced diet, Snyder said.

So, when people say they are "cutting out all carbs," she asks what they mean -- are they just cutting out dessert, or are they also cutting out fruits, vegetables and whole grains?

Snyder said it would be valuable to make at least half of your grain consumption whole grains.

You could use whole-grain spaghetti instead of white flour, but you do not need to cut all pasta out of your diet, she said.

Gonzalez said protein is usually associated with meats including fish and poultry. But you can also get protein from beans, lentils and nuts, and these nonanimal sources of protein can help those who want to watch their cholesterol, she said. Eggs and milk are also good sources of protein.

So, yes, vegetarian and vegan diets can include plenty of protein.

One source of vegetarian protein is soy. Snyder works with cancer patients, and said those with breast cancer worry that soy may be dangerous to their health. However, research has indicated that soy is actually protective, she said. But she said tofu and soy milk are preferable to soy that has been very heavily processed.

Soy is high in a chemical called "phytoestrogen," and that name scares people because they worry too much estrogen can cause health problems. In fact, this is a different type of chemical than human estrogen hormones, Snyder said.

And, she said, there are "so many positive benefits" to soy.

Another thing "everyone knows" is that raw vegetables are superior to cooked, as cooking removes all the vitamins.

But once again, it's not so simple. It depends on what you're cooking and how you're cooking it. If you boil green beans, the nutrients will indeed leach into the water, leaving fewer nutrients in the cooked beans. But you actually get more lycopene out of cooked and canned tomatoes than raw ones.

Snyder said eating cooked green beans or raw tomatoes one day is fine. Again, you're striving for variety. The biggest thing is to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet, whether raw or cooked.

What about coffee? Is it OK?

"Well, I drink coffee," Snyder said. Gonzalez does, too.

The women agreed that it depends. If you consume lots and lots of caffeinated beverages, "we may get irritable," Snyder said.

She said research has shown that coffee is protective against Alzheimer's disease. Pay attention to how much you consume, though, and how late in the day.

Snyder noted that with a beverage like diet soda, the more you drink it, the less water you're drinking. The same is true of coffee.

With beverages, in general, pay attention to excess sugar. Snyder said excessive sugar can lead to weight gain and a variety of chronic diseases.

And there's no scientific evidence that "detox" diets work, Gonzalez said.

"Our body detoxifies naturally," with the liver, kidneys and lymphatic system excreting toxins.

Snyder said if you fuel your body with the right types of foods it will help the organs detoxify -- you don't need to do a detox cleanse. Again, eat fruits and vegetables instead.

A weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds in a week is considered safe, Snyder said. If you're scrolling Facebook and you see a post that says you can lose 20 pounds in a week, consider it a "red flag."

"Just don't even click on it," Snyder said.

Gonzalez said diet and exercise need to go together.

"You can't do one without the other," she said.

Strive for exercise that raises your heart rate, such as a brisk walk. And eat fruits and vegetables, lean meat and other sources of protein.

But you can have treats, as long as they're in moderation. After all, we live very, very close to Dietsch's. Just don't eat it every single day.

"There's some calcium in ice cream," Gonzalez said. "There's vitamin D."

Gonzalez hears from people who say if they "just don't eat," they won't gain weight. This is a myth, she said.

We need food for so many things, including energy. Your sleep is affected by your eating and vice versa, so you need to keep eating to have a healthy metabolism, she said.

But, Gonzalez said, it may be more beneficial to eat five to six small meals a day, rather than three large ones. If you eat breakfast and skip lunch, you will be starving by dinner, she said.

The general rule is that women should not eat fewer than 1,200 calories and men should not eat fewer than 1,500. So if you're following a diet that only calls for 800 calories, "maybe rethink things," Snyder advised.

She said calories indicate the amount of energy. Carbohydrates and protein have 4 calories per gram, while fat has 9 calories per gram.

How many calories you need depends on your height and weight. And the more active you are, the more calories you need, Snyder said.

Then there's the "five-second rule," the belief that if you drop food on the floor it's safe to eat if you pick it up within 5 seconds. Not true, Gonzalez said.

If you feel like you're not well informed about nutrition, there are plenty of resources that can help you.

Don't be afraid to reach out for help, Snyder said. You can ask your doctor to make a referral to an outpatient dietitian, who will work with you to establish and work toward goals.

And there are good, reputable sources online. Snyder and Gonzalez recommended the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' eatright.org, the USDA's MyPlate and the American Heart Association. Snyder said parents can use MyPlate as a reference to teach their children about nutrition.

Gonzalez said there are also apps like My Fitness Pal, which can be "very handy." They have their limits, but can help you get started, she said.

Gonzalez has been in the field for more than 20 years and said, in that time, the internet has had both positive and negative effects. People are interested in learning and, though there is a lot of misinformation out there, there is good information out there, too.

Arthurs: 419-427-8494Send an E-mail to Sara ArthursTwitter: @swarthurs

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WITH AUDIO: Myth busters: Dietitians set the record straight, from superfoods to the 5-second rule - The Courier

Photo: Peggy Greb, U.S. Department of Agriculture [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.When you think of major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, agriculture might not immediately come to mind. However, food production contributes about a quarter of all emissions, a magnitude comparable with other major sectors like energy production and transportation. Food production is also responsible for about 70% of fresh water use and takes up more than one-third of all potentially cultivatable land.

Thus, changes in diet can potentially have big effects on the environment. But scientists are just beginning to quantify these impacts and identify the dietary changes necessary to achieve them.

I think if we want to reduce our environmental footprint, we definitely need to pay attention to our diets, says Lukasz Aleksandrowicz, a PhD candidate at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Aleksandrowicz and his colleagues systematically reviewed scientific studies measuring the environmental impacts of shifting from a typical Western diet to a variety of proposed sustainable diets. These included vegetarian diets, vegan diets, and Mediterranean diets, as well as more fine-tuned changes, such as replacing beef with chicken or reducing the total number of calories consumed.

The review showed that sustainable diets could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and land use by as much as 70% and reduce water use by 50%. Most of the scenarios achieved smaller environmental footprints by replacing animal-based foods, especially beef, with plant-based foods.

Photo: Jon Sullivan [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.Although consuming less meat had a positive environmental impact in most of the studies reviewed, there may be some trade-offs. For instance, diets that might be favorable in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions might have more detrimental effects on other environmental indicators like water use. Aleksandrowicz says that more research needs to be done to identify the environmental impacts of specific food items.

Another complication is that most of the available studies focus exclusively on Europe and the U.S. The results may not make sense for low-income countries or in populations that rely economically on herding cattle or other livestock.

Aleksandrowicz says that although more work is needed to evaluate the impacts of shifting to sustainable diets, the major action we can take to reduce environmental impacts from agriculture is decreasing our meat consumption.

Its important to put the environmental impacts of agriculture on peoples radar, he says. I hope this kind of research helps people understand that the food choices they make have an impact on the environment, and that they can make more sustainable choices.

Reference:

Aleksandrowicz, L., Green, R., Joy, E. J. M., Smith, P., and Haines, A. (2016). The Impacts of Dietary Change on Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Land Use, Water Use, and Health: A Systematic Review. PLOS One 11(11): e0165797. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165797.

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To Decrease Your Environmental Footprint, Eat Less Meat - PLoS Blogs (blog)

Health-conscious foodies and those avoiding gluten now have another option when looking for a fast-casual restaurant offering veggie fare: Noodles & Company is testing zoodles spiralized zucchini at some of its restaurants in an attempt to bring in carb-avoiding customers.

Noodles & Co. announced the new addition to its menu today, revealing that it is testing the zucchini noodles at select restaurants in Baltimore and Colorado.

Visitors at the test locations can ask to substitute their desired meals base noodle for zoodles for an extra $1.50.

Executives with the company say that the new option provides guests with a lighter noodle base for their meals, while attracting customers who follow gluten-free and grain-free diets, or for those who just wish to change the way they approach vegetables and build healthier eating habits.

The new option comes at a time when Noodles & Co. has struggled with slipping sales. The companys first quarter 2017 financial results saw the chain record a net loss of $26.8 million. Comparable restaurant sales decreased 2% compared to the previous quarter.

The addition of zoodles to the menu comes as a way for the company to appeal to consumers ditching grain-based foods in search of what they perceive to be healthier options.

The emergence and growing popularity of noodles made from vegetables you can use carrots, beets, cucumber, and other plants to create the spirals seems to mirror the once high-demand for kale.

Whether or not consumers taste for zoodles is fleeting, only time will tell.

While Noodles & Co. notes that the new vegetable noodles provide customers following a gluten-free diet another option, those who suffer a gluten allergy should still be cautious.

Consumerist has reached out to Noodles & Co. about whether the new meal will be certified gluten-free or if the company will be able to do so in the future.

In the past, some restaurants serving gluten-free options have not been certified. For instance, in 2012, Dominos gluten-free crust received an amber designation by the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.

While the ingredients used by the company met NFCA standards and staff had received basic training on the topic, there was concern about cross-contamination in the prep kitchen.

NFCA warns those with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity should ask questions and exercise judgment when dining at an establishment with an Amber Designation.

Because Noodles & Co. deals primarily in grain-based ingredients, its likely that NFCA would come to a similar conclusion as it did with Dominos. Consumerist has reached out to NFCA, well update this post if we hear back.

It should be noted that Noodles & Co. includes a disclaimer on its website warning about allergies.

Fair warning: if youre highly allergic or intolerant to gluten, check with your doctor before dining here. Were a noodle restaurant, after all. We simply have too much wheat and gluten present to be able to eliminate the cross contamination on our equipment and food prep areas. But if youre gluten-sensitive or choose to avoid it for another reason, we have plenty of options to safely satisfy your appetite for global flavor.

Go here to read the rest:
Noodles & Co. Venturing Into Veggie Land With 'Zoodles' - Consumerist

A

s the debate over the future of health care coverage moves in fits and starts, it may seem like any improvements in health care coverage are equally stalled. But they arent. Insurance companies can take action now to make immediate differences in peoples lives especially those with type 1 diabetes.

Improving the coverage they offer can help these individuals more easily control their condition. Such changes could also benefit insurance companies keeping people with diabetes healthier would ultimately boost their bottom lines.

Unlike type 2 diabetes, which is much more common, type 1 diabetes has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle and, at least for now, it cant be prevented. It occurs when the body mysteriously mounts an immune system attack against certain cells in the pancreas, severely damaging their ability to make insulin. Without this hormone, sugar builds up in the bloodstream, damaging tissues and eventually causing death.

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Controlling type 1 diabetes requires daily use of insulin and the medical supplies needed to administer it safely. These things are not nice-to-haves they are essential to survival.

Ive seen firsthand the challenges that people with type 1 diabetes face. My son, Turner, was diagnosed with the disease in 2004, when he was 10.

Since then, the scientific community has created better types of insulin, more effective insulin pumps, and monitors that continuously measure blood sugar. Just this year, an artificial pancreas system came to market. Artificial pancreas systems automate blood-sugar management by monitoring glucose levels around the clock and automatically providing the right amount of insulin at the right time.

All of these advancements reduce the burden of managing this life-changing disease, as well as the risks of experiencing potentially deadly blood sugar lows and highs. But they can only do that if people can access them. Increasingly, thats not the case. For many Americans, type 1 diabetes is becoming harder not easier to manage.

Insulin costs are soaring, and for too many people the costs are unpredictable from month to month. Some insurers are taking steps to limit peoples coverage of insulin pumps and other lifesaving technologies. At JDRF, a global organization that funds type 1 diabetes research, weve heard countless stories of people choosing to go without an insulin pump, or stories of how they share insulin and other supplies to make ends meet. As Jessica Hoffer, a 28-year-old from Pennsylvania, told one newspaper: To take away the choice of what is essentially an organ a body part its insane.

Some individuals have called for the government to cap the costs of insulin and take other strong actions. Putting aside the wisdom or desirability of these efforts, waiting for Washington to act will likely take too long for people with type 1 diabetes. Thats why JDRF is encouraging insurance companies to take three practical steps to give people with diabetes the coverage they need to control their disease.

First, insurance companies should keep out-of-pocket costs for insulin and diabetes management tools such as pumps and meters predictable. They can do this by removing insulin and diabetes management tools from the deductible, as health plans do for preventive drugs. Doing so would make costs more consistent throughout the year. They can also move insulin and diabetes management tools to tier 1 or tier 2 benefit levels and provide cost-sharing for insulin and diabetes management tools as fixed-dollar copayments rather than as coinsurance, which is a percentage of the list price of the item or service.

Second, insurers should give people the freedom to choose the type of insulin and other supplies that are right for them. One major insurer entered into an exclusive agreement with a single insulin pump maker, effectively limiting its members choice to one brand. But insulin pumps arent one-size-fits-all devices different ones work better for different people. The same is true of insulin the choice of which one is right should be made by people with diabetes and their physicians, not by insurance companies.

Third, insurance companies should cover all lifesaving technologies, including artificial pancreas systems. These are on the road to becoming one of the most revolutionary advancements in diabetes care since the discovery of insulin.

Giving the 1.25 million Americans with type 1 diabetes the best available tools so they can achieve better blood sugar levels with significantly less effort and risk than they do today will greatly improve their health and quality of life. It would help them avoid costly emergency room visits, inpatient admissions, and complications like heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, and amputation that can result from type 1 diabetes. Covering these tools, including artificial pancreas systems, would be a smart investment in the health outcomes of any plans beneficiaries and also yield profound savings for insurance companies.

Even in the face of ongoing uncertainty over the future of health care, its time for insurance companies to help people take control of their health. When they do, the entire health care system including the insurers themselves stand to benefit.

Derek Rapp is president and chief operating officer of JDRF, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes research.

Continued here:
Insurers can profit while improving the lives of people with type 1 diabetes - STAT

Credit: Arizona State University

Models, athletes and celebrities swear by the ketogenic "keto" diet to help shed those unwanted pounds. The keto diet encourages eating more cheese, butter and bacon; it's a low-carb, high-fat diet akin to the Atkins Diet created in 1972 by cardiologist Robert C. Atkins. The latest fad diet has amassed a following of devoted supporters, including Tim Tebow, LeBron James and Kim Kardashian, but does it really work?

Carol Johnston, professor and associate director of the nutrition program in the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion at Arizona State University, explains why the low-carb, high-fat diet is so popular, how it works, and what dieters should be eating to lose weight.

Question: Does the science behind the keto diet make sense? Would nearly eliminating carbs while increasing fat consumption help a person to lose weight?

Answer: The short answer is yes. There is mounting evidence that suggests calorie restricted, low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets are effective for weight loss, and the keto diet is an extreme version of this. Low-carb diets can be more satiating, allowing dieters to feel full longer, eat less, and thus experience greater weight loss success. However, calorie restricted, high-carb diets are also effective for weight loss.

Overwhelmingly, the most important factor in weight loss success is diet adherence. In research trials, most individuals who lose weight regain most of it within a year, regardless of which diet they were on. The downside of many of the fad diets you see today is the lack of emphasis on long-term lifestyle changes, which is necessary for long-term weight loss success.

Q: In your opinion, why is this diet so popular?

A: The keto diet is popular because it is easy to follow and on the surface seems effective. In the first few days after starting the keto diet, a person can experience a significant loss of water weight. When carb intake is restricted for a few days, glycogen stores in the muscle are reduced. Glycogen is responsible for water retention, so when its levels fall, so do our water levels. To the average person, the diet appears to be working. The number on the scale is going down. But, since most of this weight lost is water weight, it will return when the person consumes carbs again. While most people rely on scales to monitor weight loss and think any weight loss is good, the goal is actually to lose fat, which isn't always reflected on the scale. Additionally, the elevated levels of satietyfeeling fullmay help people stick to the diet longer and experience greater weight loss success.

Q: Is the keto diet healthy?

A: Keto diets have safely been used as an effective therapy for epilepsy for years. There are some risks associated with an extremely low-carb, high-fat diet, including elevated blood triglycerides (linked to elevated cardiovascular risk), increased urinary uric acid (which may lead to the formation of kidney stones), and lethargy. Adults on a low-carb diet are also at risk for adverse impacts to their bone health.

Q: We're always hearing about the evils of carbohydrates when it comes to losing weight. How important are carbs to our health and what role do they play in weight loss?

A: Carbs play a critical role in our health. We get energy either by burning glucose from carbs, or by burning fat. The keto diet focuses on the latter. Though carb-restricting diets are popular, carbs are actually less likely to convert into body fat than dietary fat.

Carbs are important for our brain and muscle health. Our brains rely entirely on glucose for energy productionthey can't get it from fatmaking the consumption of some carbs necessary. Our muscles can use either glucose or fat for energy, but during high-intensity exercise, they prefer glucose.

When we eat more carbs than we need, they convert to body fat, which contributes to obesity. In general, average Americansthose with a relatively sedentary lifestyleconsume more carbs and calories than they actually need. Athletes, on the other hand, need to keep their carb intake elevated to support their energy output. Balance between energy intake and output is key to maintaining a healthy weight.

Q: For people who are trying to lose weightwhat foods should they avoid? What foods should they include in their diet?

A: Energy-dense foods should be avoided (gravies, dressings, sauces, sweets, pastries, cakes, cookies, sugary drinks, etc.) and low-energy, nutrient-rich foods should be prominent in the diet (unprocessed plant foods, low fat dairy and lean, unprocessed meats).

Q: What should people know about the effectiveness or safety of fad diets like Atkins, keto, liquid diets, paleo, calorie restriction, etc.?

A: Any diet that restricts calories will typically result in weight loss if a person sticks with it. What is important when following a calorie-restricted diet (about 500 less calories per day) is that it has healthful attributesa diet composed of plant-based, unprocessed foods with low fat contentsuch as the Mediterranean diet. (Note, 500 calories equates to two 12-ounce sodas and a large chocolate chip cookie!)

Explore further: Medical myth: Cutting carbs is the best way to lose weight

See the original post here:
The Keto dietis eating more fat the key to weight loss? - Medical Xpress