What's your biggest challenge to eating healthy?

Opinion Polls & Market Research

What's the new Food Pyramid for Seniors look like?

Q. What's the new Food Pyramid for seniors look like?

A. See for yourself!  Here's the modified food pyramid for older adults, just released by the Tuft's University nutrition researchers. You can also view or download a pdf version at the Tuft's University Nutrition Institute website.

The modified pyramid is intended to supplement the food pyramid developed by the USDA to guide citizens toward healthier food choices. The new pyramid for seniors includes visual reminders of the importance of regular physical activity, drinking enough fluids, and the possibility need for supplements to prevent deficiencies of certain nutrients, including vitamin D and calcium.  Researchers also tried to make the pyramid more appropriate for older adults by showing easier to prepare options such as pre-cut or frozen vegetables and dried fruits.

The real question is, do these pyramids really make diet guidelines simpler and easier to understand--especially when we start adding things like exercise as a new "food group"?  I know a picture is supposed to speak a thousand words but I'm not sure this cluttered pyramid simplifies things all that much. For example, the widths of the different food groups is supposed to correspond to the recommended amount of that food group but that doesn't come through very clearly. 

Personally, I think the guidelines can be communicated at least as effectively in words:

For good health, eat 2-3 servings of lean protein, 2 to 3 servings of dairy products or other calcium-rich foods, 6 to 10 servings of whole grains, 5 or more servings of highly-colored vegetables, and 2 to 3 servings of fruit every day. Keep fats and sugars to a minimum. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water and exercise daily.

What do you think?

Fresh fruit's now bad for your health?

Apparently, this is my week to revisit old topics with new updates. A couple of days ago I posted an article re-examining the role of saturated fats in the development of heart disease.  Today, I'm returning to the topic of fructose and heart disease.

Although research has shown that fructose-sweetened drinks can raise triglyceride levels and promote arterial damage, most nutritionists, myself included, have also held the position that the fructose found in whole fruits is not to be feared.  Now, here comes new research from University of Florida indicating that eating too much fresh fruit can indeed produce negative effects due to the fructose content. (Here's a good summary of the new research on The Diet Blog.)

I think the operative words here, though, are "too much."  Fruit is good for you. It's full of disease-preventing antioxidants and fiber. But because it's also high in sugar, it's not an "eat in unlimited quantities" kind of food.  Actually, the fact that so many diets have lists of foods which you can "eat in unlimited quantities" speaks volumes about what's actually wrong with our diets. It's not the "good" or "bad" foods we eat--it's our inability to exercise moderation and restraint. But I digress.

Back to fruit and fructose: Let's use some common sense here.  The researchers warn that "eating multiple apples at one sitting could send you over the fructose edge."  I think that still leaves us PLENTY of room to enjoy the pleasures and health benefits of fruit.  I usually recommend two to three servings of fruit per day--but not all at one sitting.

Your thoughts?

Saturated fat: maybe it's not as bad as you are led to believe?

The (over-stated?) evils of saturated fats is a topic we've discussed on the blog before.  In a great article on dLife, biochemist Richard Feinman sorts through the confusing and contradictory evidence against saturated fat, and suggests that, if the goal is to prevent heart disease, restricting carbohydrates and managing blood sugar issues may be far more important than restricting saturated fats.

Saturated fat's bad rap stems chiefly from the fact that people who eat diets high in saturated fat tend to have higher LDL cholesterol.  Once upon a time, LDL levels were considered to be the primary risk factor for heart disease. But in recent years, we've developed a much more sophisticated understanding of heart risk factors. LDL cholesterol is just one of many risk factors that doctors look at today--and not even the most meaningful one, at that.

So is it really necessary to avoid saturated fats? A consensus seems to be building in that direction. The wheels of our government health agencies turn awfully slowly.  I don't see the recommendation to limit saturated fat to 10% of calories changing any time soon. 

But here at Nutrition Data, you control your own dietary destiny. You can set your own Individualized Daily Values (IDVs) on the Preference Settings page. For instance, here's how I have mine set:

Calories   DV=2000   My IDV=2150

Fat  DV=65g  My IDV=70g

Saturated Fat  DV=20g  My IDV=35g

Carbohydrates   DV=300g   My IDV=270g

Protein  DV=50g   My IDV=100g

Just for fun: test your holiday nutrition IQ

It's party season and many people have put their healthy eating habits on a back burner until January 1st. Why not take the Better Choices approach instead? In every situation, there are going to be some foods that are healthier choices than others.  Trim 30 calories here, 10 grams of fat there, get a few some vitamins along the way--over the course of the season, these small choices can really add up. It's a way to enjoy all of the festivities and still keep your diet on track.

Just for fun, here's a quick quiz to test your holiday nutrition IQ. All of the answers can be found right here on Nutrition Data, of course, but see how well you do without peeking!

Healthy Holidays from Nutrition Data

Quiz by Quibblo

You can use the same Better Choices strategy to improve your diet year round. Read more about the Better Choices Diet.

New pre-stocked pantries make diet tracking easier

Whether you're trying to improve your nutrition or watch your calories (or BOTH), tracking and analyzing your diet is the best way to get handle on what you are actually getting from your food.  I won't kid you: it takes a bit of effort to log in what you eat. But even if you only do it for a few days or a week, I guarantee you will learn a lot and probably make some lasting changes based on what you learn.

We've also just added a new feature that makes it a bit easier to get started. I've put together some pre-stocked pantries that you can import to your own pantry with a single click.  You can choose from low-fat, low-carb, heart-healthy, and more. (See our Prestocked Pantry page for the complete list.) Once your pantry is stocked with the foods you eat, simply indicate the quantity and add it to your total consumption for the day. (See our Pantry Help page for more information.)

Happy Tracking!

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Poll: What motivates you to eat healthier?

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Good health, good eating

Here's a great gift idea for anyone that enjoys cooking and healthy foods.  Our sister site Epicurious.com has launched a very cool feature called Tastebook, which lets you custom design and print your own hard-cover cookbook. You can fill your Tastebook with any of the over 25,000 chef-tested recipes on Epicurious.com (simply add your favorites to your Epicurious recipe box to import) or add your own personal recipes. 

The editors have even put together some great collections to get you started. Choose from Quick and Easy, Meatless, Healthy, Kids Favorites, One Pot Meals, or more--then add and substract recipes as you like.  Or, you create your own Tastebook on any theme you want.  For example, a Gluten-Free cookbook, an Anti-inflammatory Recipe collection, or Low-Carb Meals.  (Use Epicurious's Advanced Search feature to zero in on the recipes that meet your dietary goals.)

Add notes, photos, personalized messages...you can even order additional pages to add to an existing Tastebook. What a cool way to collect your favorite recipes for your own kitchen or as a gift for anyone who enjoys eating healthy and well!

Can food take the place of sleep?

If you or someone you love works at night, you're probably uncomfortably aware of the fact that several studies have suggested a link between night shift work and increased cancer risk.  Then again, a 20-year Swedish study recently found NO connection between night shift work and cancer risk. The Swedish scientists argued that any increased cancer risk observed in previous studies was actually related to what kind of work people did rather than when they did it.

However, a panel of cancer researchers affiliated with the World Health Organization is once again raining on the night owl's parade.  After an in-depth examination of all the available evidence, including epidemiological data, animal studies, and biological research, the panel has concluded that working the night shift DOES in fact seem to raise the risk of breast, prostate, and colon cancer. In fact, this panel is recommending that night shift work be added to the list of "probable carcinogens." (Read more about the panel's findings here.)

Many people who work the night shift don’t do so by choice but by necessity.  Having night shift work classified as a possible carcinogen will raise some interesting questions for employers and others about whether the benefits of round-the-clock commerce outweigh the risks to employees. But having medical, safety, and security workers available around the clock is obviously critical.

If you do work the night shift, here are three things you can do right away that may lower your risk.

Round Up of Good Posts

Here are several interesting posts from health and nutrition blogs this week:

On The Flying Trapeze, Sara Grace explains  "Why I don't bother with Fat-Free Baked Goods."  In a nutshell: they don't taste as good and are not as satisfying. I agree with Sara: I'd rather have one really good treat than a big pile of so-so, fat-free compromises.

On The Weight of the Evidence, Regina Wilshire defends the very low-carb (ketogenic) diet against  negative findings published by Barry Sears (author of the Zone) and colleagues from Arizona State University.  While Sears and Co. conclude that the ketogenic diet increases the risk of osteoporosis, fatigue, and "bad" cholesterol,  Regina points out some weaknesses and inconsistencies in the studies.

On the Diet Blog, J.M. Graham muses on a recent study finding that it costs (a lot) to eat heatlhy foods. Is a healthy diet becoming unaffordable for too many people? I agree with several commenters who point out that buying healthy whole foods (as opposed to organic frozen meals and highly-processed "healthy" snack foods) is one way to keep the cost of eating healthy down.

Resolved to do more healthy cooking from scratch? Jessica Seinfeld's new cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, shows you how to sneak more nutrition into favorite dishes. Her recipe for Macaroni and Cheese (with stealth squash and cauliflower) is profiled by Dana Lilienfeld on our own Diet and Weight Loss Blog. Dana posts a new healthy recipe, with complete nutritional analysis, every day.

And finally, those on gluten-free diets may be feeling a little deprived with all the holiday goodies making the rounds these days. If so, be sure to check out Mike Eberhart's post on his new "Miracle gluten-free baking ingredient." on the Gluten Free Blog.

Dietary Dogma: The latest dust-up over low-carb diets

Have you seen the headlines? Low-Carb Diet Reduces Heart Risk Factors!  A new study (summarized here on Science Daily) finds that low-carb diets are more effective than low-fat diets in reducing the amount of inflammatory markers and saturated fats in the blood.  That's right: even though a low-carb diet may contain more saturated fats, you may have more fat in your bloodstream if you follow a low-fat diet.

But hang on, where is that study that just crossed my desk a couple of weeks ago? Ah yes, here it is: Researchers at the University of Maryland found that people on the Atkins diet (50% fat) experienced increased cholesterol and inflammatory markers, compared with those on South Beach (30% fat) and Ornish (10% fat) diets.

(Incidentally, the first story got approximately ten times as much attention in the media and blogosphere than the second.)

But with conflicting scientific studies being released monthly, who are we to believe? How do we make good decisions about how to eat?

The debate over salt continues

Is salt bad for you? Is it harmful for everyone or just some people? How much is too much?

These long-standing questions are once again in the news, thanks to a new initiative by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) which is urging the FDA to enact new legislation to require food manufacturers to reduce the amout of sodium in packaged foods.  Let's sidestep the question of whether it is the government's (or the CSPI's) role to police what we put in our mouths and focus on the actual underlying question: Is salt really bad for you?