Looking for gift ideas? Here are some of the gifts I'm giving this year

It's Black Friday but analysts expect the malls to be quieter this year. For one thing, many are cutting back on holiday spending in response to persistent economic uncertainty.  Also, many now choose to save the gas and the hassle of driving around town and shop on-line instead.

If you're shopping on-line for holiday gifts, here are some of my favorite off-the-beaten-track gift ideas that you can feel good about giving:

Gift Baskets that are wholesome and eco-friendly

Nutritionist Randi Luckman offers a welcome new twist on the ubiquitous holiday gift basket. No pesticide laden fruit and carcinogenic packing peanuts here: These moderately-priced, personalized baskets are filled with wholesome natural treats, hand-selected according to Randi's strict ecological and nutritional standards.

HealthGifts is not strictly holiday-based, but health-based. A Take Heart basket, for example, provides nutrients for the heart, as well as primers for stress reduction and cardiovascular exercise. The chocolate-lovers basket spotlights fairly-traded, organic cacao grown through sustainable resources.”  Find out more at www.HealthGifts.com

Soda Maker: Soda that's good for you, easier on your wallet and better for the planet

This is a great gift for families or anyone that drinks soda or sparkling water.  About the size of a two-liter bottle of soda, this unit contains a CO2 cartridge that fizzes up to a hundred liters of water for about 20 cents a pop. When the cartridge is empty, exchange it for a full one, just like you do with the propane tank on your gas grill.

You can flavor your homemade soda with fruit juice or enjoy as is. Kids love to make their own soda and you can feel good about letting them enjoy  soda that's free of phosphates, artificial sweeteners, and high fructose corn syrup.  Plus, there are no bottles to recycle and no fossil fuels (or elbow grease) are wasted lugging bottles around.  I have one in my kitchen and have given several as gifts. Everyone loves them.  Learn more at www.SodaStream.com

Sustainable Seafood and Gourmet Products

   Vital Choice is a small family-run operation that's become one of my most trusted resources for safe, sustainable seafood as well as other special gourmet items that you don't find from larger retailers.  Randy Hartnell researches his products and his vendors thoroughly and I trust him to pick only products that are excellent quality, good value, and responsibly-grown and harvested.

Vital Choice is probably best known for their amazing wild salmon--available in flash-frozen steaks, smoked, salmon sausage, and more.  If you have a seafood connoiseur on your list, they might enjoy savoring the differences between Alaskan Sockeye, King and Silver Salmon fillets, for example.  You'll also find a small but distinguished selection of wild dried fruits, nuts, and seasoning mixes.  You'll find a variety of holiday gift specials on ther website at www.vitalchoice.com.  Vital Choice contributes a portion of its net profits to a variety of causes devoted to improving the health and well being of people and the planet that sustains us.

A great book for cooks and entertainers (or those who want to become either)

Written by my friend, caterer and hostess-without-equal Kerry Dunnington, This Book Cooks is a wonderful collection of recipes that celebrate  fresh, flavorful, and unexpected ingredients.  The book shares some of Kerry's award-winning recipes, like her Rainbow Salad, Greek Shrimp Salad, Apricot Meatballs, and Corn Chili Bread. The book even includes recipes for dog biscuits!

I particularly love the menu suggestions, where thought is given to color, balance variety and texture, and beverage pairings.  Find out more at www.thisbookcooks.com.  Kerry will sign and gift wrap books if you order from her directly at thisbookcooks@verizon.net

Is any kind of fruit juice is worth $2 an ounce?

Q. I keep seeing things about acai juice being a great way to lose weight. From what I've read, it's very high in antioxidants. How does that help you lose weight?

A. Yes, that doesn't really make sense, does it? In fact, I think most of the health claims for these expensive "superjuices" like acai, goji, and mangosteen are overblown.   Like any fruit, these so-called super-fruits are good sources of antioxidants and phytonutrients. But the idea that an exotic juice can cure cancer (and everything else) is ridiculous. 

Another red flag for me is that many of these products are sold through multi-level marketing organizations. While I'm sure its theoretically possible for MLMs to sell health products without resorting to outrageous testimonials and unsubstantiated  claims, I've never actually seen it done.

As it happens, I just did a podcast episode on superfruits. You can read the text or listen to the episode here: http://nutritiondiva.quickanddirtytips.com/superfruits.aspx.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Among grains, barley is a good choice for an anti-inflammatory diet

Dear Monica,

I'm enjoying learning about anti-inflammatory foods - an anti-inflammatory diet sounds very promising for my particular concerns.  I'm a bit confused, though--I downloaded a pocket guide to IF ratings from About.com, and it appears to be based on your book.  But the IF data doesn't correspond with what's on NutritionData.com.  For example, NutritionData lists Barley as moderately to strongly anti-inflammatory (depending on whether it's hulled or pearled) and the pocket guide lists Barley as one of the best anti-inflammatory grains. Which guide should I trust most?  Thanks for your guidance.

Sarah

Dear Sarah,

The pocket guide on About.com is indeed based on my book The Inflammation Free Diet Plan. Since these were published, some modifications have been made to the formula--specifically in the way that the effect of carbohydrates is weighted.  The new formula does produce minor changes in some IF Ratings...and the ratings here on NutritionData.com represent the most up-to-date listings.

Nonetheless, barley is still a good choice for an anti-inflammatory diet.  Keep in mind that virtually all grains are considered inflammatory because they are high in carbohydrates and relatively low in antioxidants and other anti-inflammatory nutrients. So you're not going to find any grains with positive IF ratings.  But compare the IF Rating of barley with the IF rating of rice and you'll see that barley is much LESS inflammatory than rice. 

Keep in mind as well that the IF Rating depends on serving size. While 1 cup of cooked pearled barley has an IF rating of -127 (moderately inflammatory), a half cup has an IF Rating of -64 (mildly inflammatory).    As you'll read in the book, the idea is not to eliminate all foods with negative ratings from your diet--simply to balance the effects with postively rated foods.

Finally, when comparing the IF Ratings for grains, be sure that you're comparing cooked to cooked (or raw to raw). For example, the listing for hulled barley is for uncooked grains.

Here's another post with answers to lots of questions about the IF Rating and anti-inflammatory diets.

Where can I go for some basic information about a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet?

Q.  I am supposed to go on a low fat, low cholesterol diet (along with exercise).  How do I know how much of this I can have a day?  My cholesterol was found to be very high and I am at a potential cardiac risk.  Is there somewhere I can go to read or find out some basics?  Thank You for your site!!

A.  You can learn more about nutrition and heart health on our Heart Health Resource Center. There, you'll learn more about all these factors and how to use and customize the tools on Nutrition Data to support your diet and health goals.

There is some controversy over whether the old prescription of a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet is really the best advice for those concerned about heart disease.  First of all, research indicates that reducing dietary cholesterol is not very effective in reducing your blood cholesterol levels. (See also this post: Rethinking cholesterol)

There's also a fairly convincing argument to be made that reducing carbohydrates, especially simple carbohydrates, and emphasizing healthy sources of fats like olive oil, might be a better way to reduce heart disease risk than reducing fat and cholesterol.   The irony is that a low-fat diet is likely to be higher in carbohydrates.

If you'd like to read more about this, here are a few articles that outline some of the issues. You may wish to discuss these with your physician:

http://www.umm.edu/heart/low_fat_diets.htm

http://seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Health/6-02-07-LowFatDietWithFruit.htm

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/08/health/webmd/main2164981.shtml

Despite recent research, the American Heart Association still promotes the low-fat, low-cholesterol diet for patients at risk and many doctors go with those recommendations as well.  The AHA recommends that you limit your dietary cholesterol to 300mg or less and fat to 20% or less of calories. If you take in 2000 calories a day, that would amount to 44 grams of fat a day.

Whatever you and doctor decide is right for you, you can use the diet tracking tools here on Nutrition Data to keep track of your cholesterol and fat intake. (You'll find more information about how to do this on the Heart Health Resource Center.)

Our blogs are now searchable!

If you've been on either the NutritionData Blog or our Diet and Weight Loss Blog, I'm sure you noticed that both have gotten a fresh new look!  The new design is a lot easier to read, don't you think? But there's also a great new feature:  You can now search the blog for content by keyword!

You'll find the search box in the upper right hand corner of the page.

Nutrient Search: Find foods highest (or lowest) in certain nutrients

During our recent focus group lunches with ND users, several mentioned that they wished there were a way to search for foods by specific criteria, such as "foods high in magnesium" or "foods low in selenium."  As a matter of fact, we have a tool that will do just that.

You can access the Nutrient Search Tool under "Tools" in the main navigation.

To find foods that are high or low in any nutrient, ND's nutrient search tool is the place to go.   For example, I used the nutrient search tool to create this list of foods that contain the least amount of phosphorus per 100 grams. It might be even more helpful to narrow your search to specific food groups. For example, here is a list of dairy products that are lowest in phosphorus per 100 grams. (Dairy products can be a significant dietary source of phosphorus.)

But the nutrient search tool is even more powerful than that.

Looking for calorie-dense anti-inflammatory foods

Q.   Recently I've become very interested in consuming more foods that have an anti inflammatory effect. This website is a great place to find such information. However, I'm having a hard time. My current caloric need is between 4000 and 4500 calories per day and in order to achieve this, I eat a lot of oatmeal and pastas. I also include a lot of fruit and vegetables. However, it seems like the large amount of fruits and grains I consume make it nearly impossible to achieve an anti-inflammatory diet. Do you have any advice for any anti-inflammatory, calorically-dense foods I could substitute? Thanks.

A. You're right: Grains and fruits are two groups of foods that, although wholesome, are counted as inflammatory, mostly because of the high carbohydrate content.  That doesn't mean that you should eliminate these foods from your diet.  Just take care to balance their effects by consuming plenty of anti-inflammatory foods.

Olive oil and olives, salmon and other oily fish, flax seeds, avocadoes, almonds and brazil nuts are all calorie-dense foods that are also anti-inflammatory.  Including foods like spinach, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, berries, garlic, onions, chili peppers, ginger, and turmeric (e.g., curry powder) will also help.  Although these foods are low in calories, they are all highly anti-inflammatory.

Analyzing recipes: accounting for unused ingredients

Q. I'm analyzing a a recipe that calls for chicken breasts to be coated in 2/3 cup of Bisquick Baking Mix. But after coating the chicken, there is quite a bit of mix left over. How do I calculate this correctly?

A. This question applies not only to items that are coated but also to foods that are marinated before cooking.  Usually, a substantial amount of the coating or marinade does not make it into the final dish. If you include the entire amount of ingredients, your anaysis will be off.

The most accurate solution is to measure the amount of coating (or marinade) left over and subtract this from the amount called for in the recipe.  So, if after coating the chicken breasts, there is 1/3 cup of Bisquick left, then you'll want to include only 1/3 cup in your recipe analysis.

Statins for everyone! (Then again, maybe not.)

A study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that some people with normal cholesterol levels may benefit from taking cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins), even more than those with elevated cholesterol do!

What are we looking at here?

In addition to lowering cholesterol, statins also turn out to have potent anti-inflammatory actions. For those with systemic inflammation, statins appear to dramatically lower the risk of heart attack and stroke--not by lowering cholesterol but by reducing inflammation. 

Paul Ridker, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, is quoted in this summary of the study from NPR.:

"When I, as a cardiologist, prescribe statins to patients with high cholesterol, I do so because I believe they'll lower the risk of a heart attack or stroke by about 20 or 25 percent. What's so remarkable in these new data is that the risk reduction in patients with [with normal cholesterol levels but elevated inflammation makers]  is 45 to 50 percent — almost twice as effective."

How many people are affected by systemic inflammation?

Systemic inflammation is actually quite common and usually has no symptoms. It can be measured with an inexpensive blood test for C-reactive protein, or CRP.  If you are overweight (even a little) your CRP levels are very likely to be elevated.

I don't usually give stock tips in this blog but, you can see where this is heading, right? Drug companies will now be arguing that statins should be prescribed to everyone over 50--regardless of their cholesterol levels. But statins are not without drawbacks, which include high cost and side effects.

If only there were a safer, cheaper alternative.  Oh wait, there is.

Interestingly, another study just out this week from finds that supplementing with 1000mg of vitamin C is slightly more effective in reducing CRP levels (when they are elevated) than statins. Vitamin C is obviously far less expensive and doesn't come with a long list of side effects, potentially dangerous drug interactions, and other risks.

The vitamin C study is especially interesting in the wake of new results from The Physician's Health Study II that found that vitamin C supplements had no effect on heart attack risk. (It's been a big week!) However, it should be pointed out that the dosage used in the Physician's Health Study was only 500mg--and the CRP levels of the subjects were not included in the analysis.

My take-home from the week's news:

• Knowing your CRP level is at least important as knowing your cholesterol level
• Lowering elevated CRP levels appears to dramatically reduce risk of heart attack and stroke.
• Reducing elevated CRP levels has a bigger impact on risk than lowering elevated cholesterol.
• Vitamin C, in sufficient dosages, appears to be a safe and inexpensive way to lower elevated CRP levels.
• The anti-inflammatory effects of 1000mg Vitamin C are comparable to the anti-inflammatory effects of 20mg of Crestor.

Any thoughts or reactions?

Avoiding peanuts may be causing more peanut allergies

In another of those annoying reversals (what? you mean butter's actually better for me than this yucky margarine you made me switch to?!?), researchers now think that keeping our kids from eating peanuts early in life may actually be causing more peanut allergies, not less.

Even if you don't have kids yourself, you've probably noticed that severe peanut allergies have gotten to be a much bigger deal lately.  The child care facility at my gym has large signs informing parents that no peanut-containing snacks may be brought in because so many kids have peanut allergies.

Last year, I was even on a flight where they couldn't serve peanut snacks because there was a child on board with a peanut allergy so severe that having a packet of peanuts open on the plane would be enough to cause a grave reaction.

If you have kids, then you've probably been told not to give your children peanuts or peanut butter before the age of nine months. Your OB may even have warned you not to eat peanuts during your pregnancy. The idea is to prevent peanut allergies.  But now, researchers have found that kids (and mothers) who eat peanuts sooner actually have fewer peanut allergies.

Isn't that ironic? Here's a link to a summary of the study and to the study itself.

The experts feel that more research needs to be done before the guidelines are revised. So check with your pediatrician before you go off-road.