Iron & Zinc: good news for the female AND male followers

The American Journal of Epidemiology published a study this February regarding the benefits of plant-sourced Iron & Zinc on Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS)  symptoms!  http://consumer.healthyday.com brought the information to the forefront.

* Read about this promising, interesting, study, AND read ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM for the complete take home information.

Consumption of non-meat sources of iron (soybeans, lentils, spinach/greens, chickpeas, tempeh, potatoes, dried beans, pumpkin seeds,  etc.) proved to be about 1/3 less likely to cause PMS for women who consumed it than those who did not.  Researchers are unclear as to why.  They think it might have to do with iron boosting serotonin in the brain.  Low serontonin levels play a role in clinical depression.  There was 40% lower PMS in women who consumed iron from plant sources.  PMS risk dropped significantly for woman who consumed more than 20mg of Iron daily.  The lowest risk was with women who consumed about 50mg.  (The recommended daily intake is 18mg for adult women.)

Zinc.  Higher level of zinc intake also was associated with less PMS over the 10-year study.  Zinc sources:  fortified cereal, baked beans, yogurt, chickpeas, milk, peas, almonds, cashews, oysters, avocados, pomegranates.  Consuming 10mg per day showed a slightly protective effect from PMS symptoms.  Women from aged 9-70+ years need 6-8mg/day, depending on age.

Higher potassium levels were linked to higher levels of PMS.  There was no connection found, interestingly, with Sodium and PMS.  (This does NOT mean women should eliminate potassium from their diet to avoid PMS!)

The researchers reported that PMS is MULTIFACTORIAL.  It is likely more complicated than one or two supplements or mineral deficiencies (Please look who gets to experience PMS:  – multifactorial complicated – WOMEN!  No wonder it’s not straight forward!).

****CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR before starting ANY supplements!  Too much iron can cause vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, dehydration, or death.  Too much Zinc can interrupt your copper balance (affects immunity).****

****NOTE:  The study found an ASSOCIATION between dietary iron and zinc and decreased PMS symptoms.  IT DID NOT prove cause-and-effect.****

If women choose to shift to a more plant-based diet (it will automatically include iron & zinc), it may contribute to better health, and may reduce PMS.

The rest of the story (so to speak). The Physical Activity focus of the “Critical Role Parents Play in Determining the BMI of Their Children”

Where “We” are in “Modern Life”

• Adults & Children have experienced a dramatic decrease in energy expenditure
  • Kids don’t walk/bike to school or play outside as much “today”.
    • Screen Time has taken over
    • TV viewing is associated with an increase in consumption of high calorie snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages with a lower intake of fruits and vegetables
      • Advertising is aggressive:  Marketers know that kids watch an average of 3-4 hours of TV per day. They capitalize on selling a lot of unhealthy products to them.
  • Physical Education has been eliminated at many schools.
  • “Everything” is convenient or automatic
    • Automatic Door Openers
    • Elevators/Escalators
    • Online Shopping
    • Remote Control
• Less movement = Less calories burned

Where healthy “We” should be in “Modern Life”

• Children need an average of at least 12,000 “steps” per day & 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day to maintain good health.
  • How Many Steps?

Here’s some ideas on how parents can incorporate physical activity into the family’s daily life

• Allow children (and them) to access TVs & computers in communal rooms only.
• Limit screen time to a MAXimum of 2 hours per day (wean down).
• Enroll children in organized youth athletics or active programming.
• Engage the whole family in physical activity.
• Find safe places for children to play outdoors.
• If safe, have children walk or ride bikes to school:  if not, create a parent chaperone system to escort walking children to school.

To reverse childhood obesity means to start with parents and caregivers.  They need to be leaders.  Families need to adopt an overall healthy lifestyle.

Information comes from the “Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Weight Management Matters”, Winter 2013, Vol 11, No. 3

Andrea Bloom, MBA wrote the article.  She is founder & CEO of ConnectWell:  http://www.connectwell.biz/

Hot Off the Press: The Critical Role Parents Play in Determining the BMI of Their Children

The Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics Weight Management Dietetic Practice Group published “The Critical Role Parents Play in Determining the BMI of Their Children”.

Learn & become empowered!

• 31.8% of children in the United States are overweight or obese.
• 16.9% of the 31.8% are obese.
• Most obese children become obese adults & subsequently suffer health consequences associated with obesity.
• Children are dependent on their parents to structure their home environment, including food choices (home & restaurants).
• Parents model eating & physical activity behaviours:  they drive what the family does.

Sadly, if both parents are obese, children are statistically less apt to be of healthy weight as adults.

• Fetuses of obese mothers develop insulin resistance in the womb.
• Parental weight status is strongly associated with their offspring up to age 5.

Strategies to counteract obesity need to be targeted to women AND their partners PRIOR to conception.  Families need to get away from the “obesogenic food environment”.  Here’s how:

1. Create balanced eating pattern of whole foods from the 5 primary food groups (lean protein, low/non fat dairy, fruits, vegetables, fibrous grains).
2. Plan family meals together:  involve children in meal planning.  Prepare & shop for food so the children can learn & adopt healthy eating habits.
3. Remove sugar-sweetened beverages from the home.
4. Send children to school with a healthy, homemade lunch and water.
5. Avoid packaged foods that are high calorie, made with refined grains, and made with sugar/sugar equivalents (e.g.  high fructose corn syrup, ingredients that end in “ose”).
6. Learn about portion sizes and moderate them.  At restaurants, take extras home or share meals.
7. Avoid fast food restaurants.  When you go out, choose places that have fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
8. Teach other adult caregivers  what foods & beverages to serve your children.

It’s a tall list: gradually work to get ALL eight items a part of your lifestyle.  If all of the 8 are part of what your family does, stay tuned:  Food is 1/2 the story.  The rest will be here next week!

Promising: Hass Avocados Help Hamburger Meals be More Healthy!

“The Royal Society of Chemistry”, in November, 2012, published a small study that gave promising beneficial results for eating Hass (or Haas, depending on your preference) Avocados (1/2 of one) with 8.82oz (raw, then cooked) 90% plain, lean, ground beef.

• Study subjects were 18-35 years old.
• The burgers were plain (no condiments/no bun):  they were eaten with 1/2 an avocado.
• Researchers think that the avocado may neutralize interleukin-6 (IL-6):  a protein that is a measure of inflammation (inflammation of the arteries which leads to heart disease)
• Researchers found that when subjects ate the burger alone, there was a 70% increase in IL-6.  When the subjects ate the burger PLUS the avocado, there was only a 40% increase.
• When the fresh avocado was eaten with the burger, there was no increase in triglyceride levels beyond what was observed eating the burger alone despite the extra calories and monounsaturated & polyunsaturated fats and antioxidants found in the avocado.

More will come, for certain!  Another way to serve this up:  try 90% lean beef  tacos with homemade guacamole on fibrous tortilla shells.  Serve with veggie toppings:  yum!

Check out this website for more info on Avocados, including recipes:  http://www.avocadocentral.com/

 

Small Changes Can Equal Big Results

Being healthy sounds like a simple, desirable, achievable goal.  Starting from where you currently are and moving to the picture of health might mean making changes that become an overhaul of your current lifestyle.  The changes might be only a few, but they may equal a difference that is too hard.  Overhaul/hardship, because they are so different, might lead to dropping the whole idea of health for good.

Don’t overhaul/don’t change everything at once:  make small (consistent, persistent) changes.  The journey might take longer, but you will get to your destination.  A woman full of wisdom once said, “We are all health seekers.”.  She meant that even if you don’t let a morsel of unhealthy food pass your lips, you still have more health to seek.  Another woman, full of wisdom does this:  she pretends that a documentary filmer is following her around at all times to demonstrate what a healthy lifestyle looks like.  With this in mind, she works to partake in healthy habits most often.

Here are some ideas to help with change….

• Do you plan what your family will eat for multiple days?  Start here!  Give yourself 1/2 hour to 1 hour weekly to plan meals.  Remember to use skills from class:  meals need 3 healthy food groups, snacks need 2.  Give yourself time to prepare them (try meals that can be prepared ahead).  If 3 meals plus 2 or more snacks to plan is daunting, start with breakfast:  grocery shop so that your family and you will eat 3 foods from 3 food groups at all breakfasts.  Don’t like breakfast?  Drink milk or 100% juice before leaving the house and bring 2 foods from 2 food groups for a mid morning snack.  When you have breakfast down, start working on breakfast AND lunch.
• When you are in the grocery store, where do you shop?  The perimeter has the most healthy items:  hopefully you’ve got a grocery list with healthy food on it.  When you are out there shopping, stay on the perimeter.  If you do not have a list and you are gathering foods for a meal that you need to make on the fly, don’t go into the middle of the store.  Here are some ideas from the perimeter:  they might take 10 minutes to gather.  Bagel/Roll*Hummus*Carrot Sticks  :::  Fruit*Low Fat Yogurt*Bread Stick :::  Low Sodium/Low Fat Coldcut*Part Skim Cheese Slice*Bagel/Roll       Use the aisles of the center of the store that have whole grains (3gm Fiber:  cereal, rice, pasta) and beans/nuts/seeds.  Consider:  Peanut Butter*Fiberous Crackers*Apple  :::  Beans*Tomatoes*Sweet Potato Chips
• Snacks!  The snacking industry has convenience down.  Single serving packaged goods are available and easy.  Nature does too!  Bananas, Apples, Oranges, Pears:  they come packaged and ready to go – buy those & have them available.  Baby Carrots, Berries, Celery Sticks, Pepper Slices:  they can be packaged in little ziplocks or in small plastic containers for grab-n-go!
• Special?  EVERYTHING is readily available for consumption these days.  Change mindset.  Consider altering the culture of your family by making soda, sugary snacks, salty/fatty snacks something not “normal” to have in the house.  At the same time talk up healthy foods/their presence, and don’t talk about less healthy foods as “forbidden” (we all want what we can’t have).  If there are no fruits in your house now, start buying them:  buy less of the “junk” food.  Eventually don’t buy it:  go out for it.

What other ideas do you have to be sure your family is eating healthy?

Salt & Sodium

Here’s something from www.choosemyplate.gov  to take with you into the weekend…

Salt & Sodium:  10 tips to help you cut back

Americans have a taste for salt, but salt plays a role in high blood pressure.  Everyone, including kids, should aim for 2300 milligrams of sodium (1 teaspoon) or less daily.  Adults over 51, African Americans, people with high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease should reduce their sodium intake to 1500mg per day.

1. Think Fresh:  Stay away from processed foods (less often, smaller portions).  Watch out for these:  frozen pizza, cured meats, ready-to-eat foods (canned chili, ravioli, soups).  Fresh foods are lower in sodium.
2. Enjoy Home-Prepared Foods:  Cook more often at home:  this lets you choose ingredients and control the amount of salt in them.
3. Fill up on veggies & fruits, they are naturally low in sodium.
4. Choose Dairy & Protein Foods that are Lower in Sodium:  Better choices:  fat-free/low-fat milk & yogurt.  For protein foods:  fresh beef, pork, poultry, & seafood.  Avoid high sodium deli/luncheon meats, sausages, canned products, and salty nuts & seeds.
5. Adjust your taste buds:  Salt is an acquired taste.  The less you eat, the less you want.
6. Skip the Salt:  don’t add salt to cooking, keep it off of the counter & table, and use herbs/spices/lemon/vinegar/garlic/black or red pepper/ginger/etc.
7. Read the Label:  Look for foods that are lower sodium.  Remember:  5% of the Daily Value (DV) is LOW, 10% DV is a GOOD SOURCE, and 20% DV is a HIGH SOURCE.  You are looking for low sodium, reduced sodium, or no salt added.
8. Ask for low-sodium foods when you eat out:  Restaurants may prepare lower sodium foods at your request, & will serve sauces & salad dressings on the side so you can use less.
9. Pay attention to condiments:  Foods like soy sauce, ketchup, pickles, olives, salad dressings, & seasoned packets are high in sodium.  Choose low sodium soy sauce & ketchup.  Have a carrot or celery stick instead of olives or pickles.  Use only a sprinkling of flavoring packets instead of the entire packet.
10. Boost your potassium intake:  Choose foods with potassium, which may help lower your blood pressure.  Potassium foods are :  potatoes, beet greens, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, beans (white, lima, kidney), and bananas.  Also:  yogurt, clams, halibut, oranges, orange juice, & milk.

Have a healthy weekend!!!!

Celebrate National Almond Day: February 16

February:  it’s not just for Valentines!

February 16 is National Almond Day.  “California Almonds” published information:  “All About Almonds”.  Here are some highlights

• Ounce for ounce, Almonds are one of the most nutrient-rich tree nuts on earth:  Highest in protein, fiber, calcium, vitamin E & magnesium
• 1 ounce (23 Almonds) packs a lot of nutrients in just 160 calories.  They’re a good source of vitamin E & magnesium.
• They have “good” fat:  13 grams!  (They have ONLY one gram of saturated fat.)
• Almonds are a good source of fiber (3.5grams) & they have 6gm of protein per ounce.  They are the best choice of all tree nuts for these nutrients.
• I serving is…..  Almonds lined up on a sticky note or 1/4 cup or 1 shot glass full, or one handful that fits in your palm area.

Here are some links about Almonds to check out:

Click to access ABC_Nutrition_Recommendations_for_Heart_Health_8.24.11.pdf

Click to access ABC_SnackingJustGotSmarter.pdf

http://www.almondboard.com/HealthProfessionals/RecipeIdeas/Pages/Default.aspx

Happy National Almond Day!

Vitamin D: Calcium’s Essential Partner

Vitamin D promotes the absorption of Calcium and it maintains enough calcium (& phosphate) in the blood to keep bones healthy (mineralized).  It’s needed for bone growth & remodeling (keeping skeleton structure).  Without enough Vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen.  Children can develope “Rickets”, and adults can develope “Osteomalacia”.  Calcium and Vitamin D TOGETHER protect adults from “Osteoporosis”.  Other than promoting bone health with Calcium, Vitamin D balances cell growth, has roles in neuromuscular and immune function, and reduction of inflammation.

You can tell if you have a Vitamin D deficiency by taking a blood test.

Here are the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for Vitamin D:

Age	Male	Female	Pregnancy	Lactation
0–12 months*	400 IU (10 mcg)	400 IU (10 mcg)
1–13 years	600 IU (15 mcg)	600 IU (15 mcg)
14–18 years	600 IU (15 mcg)	600 IU (15 mcg)	600 IU (15 mcg)	600 IU (15 mcg)
19–50 years	600 IU (15 mcg)	600 IU (15 mcg)	600 IU (15 mcg)	600 IU (15 mcg)
51–70 years	600 IU (15 mcg)	600 IU (15 mcg)
>70 years	800 IU (20 mcg)	800 IU (20 mcg)

Very FEW foods naturally have Vitamin D.  Fatty fish and fish liver oils are two of the highest edible sources.

The best source of  Vitamin D is the sun.  Skin is exposed to the sun and it converts what in your body is “pre-vitamin D” to Vitamin D.  A person needs 5-30 minutes of sun (UVB radiation) exposure in optimum conditions (including the time range of 10am-3pm), at least twice per week, to the face, arms, legs or back withOUT sunscreen.  Unfortunately, UV radiation is a carcinogen, and it is responsible for 1.5 million skin cancers and 8,000 deaths due to metastatic melanoma, each year, in the US.  The American Academy of Dermatology advises that people use “photoprotection” (including sunscreen)  with exposure to the sun.  Protection blocks the activation of Vitamin D.

What to do?

Use diet:

Food Sources of Vitamin D

Food	IUs per serving*	Percent DV**
Cod liver oil, 1 tablespoon	1,360	340
Swordfish, cooked, 3 ounces	566	142
Salmon (sockeye), cooked, 3 ounces	447	112
Tuna fish, canned in water, drained, 3 ounces	154	39
Orange juice fortified with vitamin D, 1 cup (check product labels, as amount of added vitamin D varies)	137	34
Milk, nonfat, reduced fat, and whole, vitamin D-fortified, 1 cup	115-124	29-31
Yogurt, fortified with 20% of the DV for vitamin D, 6 ounces (more heavily fortified yogurts provide more of the DV)	80	20
Margarine, fortified, 1 tablespoon	60	15
Sardines, canned in oil, drained, 2 sardines	46	12
Liver, beef, cooked, 3 ounces	42	11
Egg, 1 large (vitamin D is found in yolk)	41	10
Ready-to-eat cereal, fortified with 10% of the DV for vitamin D, 0.75-1 cup (more heavily fortified cereals might provide more of the DV)	40	10
Cheese, Swiss, 1 ounce	6	2

* IUs = International Units. ** DV = Daily Value. DVs were developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help consumers compare the nutrient contents among products within the context of a total daily diet. The DV for vitamin D is currently set at 400 IU for adults and children age 4 and older. Food labels, however, are not required to list vitamin D content unless a food has  been fortified with this nutrient. Foods providing 20% or more of the DV are considered to be high sources of a nutrient, but foods providing lower percentages of the DV also contribute to a healthful diet.

Talk to your doctor/pediatrician!  Ask about a blood test.  In the Northeastern US, it is more common than not to have a Vitamin D deficiency.  If you are deficient, ask your doctor for recommendations, including asking about whether you should supplement.  IF your doctor gives you the green light to supplement, think of asking your pharmacist about the best choice for supplementing.  Sometimes Vitamin D supplements are inaccurately labeled re: the content of the Vitamin D supplement.

A New Look & Some Calcium

Good Afternoon.  Hopefully you will note and like our new look.  It is very much more characteristic of the YMCA, don’t you think?  Now we have the whole package.  The YMCA’s Marketing Department rocks!

Last night at Parents Time Out, there were excellent questions and input.  We covered a lot!  Here’s some simple, yet important information that all of you and your families can use.  Our discussion helped drive the topic of today’s blog.

CALCIUM

Calcium is a mineral.  The body needs Calcium to maintain strong bones and teeth, for muscles to move, nerves to carry messages to the brain and body, help blood vessels move blood through the body, and to help release hormones and enzymes (proteins that speed up chemical reactions in the body).  In short:  calcium has a huge responsibility, and you can’t live without it!

Here’s how much Calcium You and your Family NEED DAILY:

• Birth to 6 months old          200mg
• 7-12 months old                 260mg
• 1-3 years old                      700mg
• 4-8 years old                      1000mg
• 9-18 years old                    1300mg
• 19-50 years old                  1000mg
• Men 51-70 years old          1000mg
• Women 51-70 years old     1200mg
• Adults 71 and older            1200mg
• Pregnant Teenagers          1300mg
• Pregnant Adults                  1000mg

When we think of Calcium, we often think that it comes exclusively from dairy foods.  Not so.  Here is a list of Calcium Sources to help you plan where you might get it every day:

• Almonds, 1/4 Cup:  94mg
• Almond Butter, 2TBSP:  111mg
• Baked Beans (canned), 1 Cup:  138mg
• Black Strap Molasses, 2TBSP:  400mg
• Black-eyed Peas (boiled), 1 Cup:  211mg
• Bok Choy (cooked), 1 Cup:  158mg
• Broccoli (cooked), 1 Cup:  62mg
• Collard Greens (cooked), 1 Cup:  357mg
• Cheese Food (pasteurized American, e.g. Velveeta), 1oz:  162mg
• Cottage Cheese (1% milk fat), 1 Cup:  138mg
• Iceberg Lettuce, 1 head!:  97mg
• Kale (cooked), 1 Cup:  179mg
• Milk (skim, cow’s), 1 Cup:  306mg
• Mustard Greens (cooked), 1 Cup:  152mg
• Navy Beans (cooked), 1 Cup:  126mg
• Oatmeal (fortified), 1 Packet:  100mg
• Okra (cooked), 1 Cup:  135mg
• Oranges, 1 Cup:  72mg
• Orange Juice (CALCIUM-FORTIFIED), 8 oz:  350mg
• Plant Milks,  8oz:  300-500mg (check the label:  they’re fortified!)
• Peas (boiled), 1 Cup:  94mg
• Rice Milk, 1 Cup:  200-300mg (check the label:  it’s fortified!)
• Salmon (canned), 3oz:  181mg
• Soybeans (cooked), 1 Cup:  175mg
• Spinach, 1/2 Cup:  146mg
• Soy Milk, 1 Cup:  93mg (check the label, sometimes there’s more!)
• Tahini, 2TBSP:  128mg
• Tempeh, 1 Cup:  184mg
• Tofu (processed with nigari versus calcium sulfate), 3-4 oz:  130-420mg (check the label!)
• Trail Mix (nuts, seeds, chocolate chips), 1 Cup:  159mg
• Turnip Greens, 1 Cup:  249mg
• Yogurt (plain, whole milk), 8 oz:  275mg
• Yogurt (plain, low fat), 8 oz:  415mg
• Yogurt (skim milk), 8 oz:  305mg
• Yogurt (soy, plain), 6 oz:  300mg

There are so many healthy ways to get Calcium.  Make sure you do:  stay healthy!

Speaking of Rainbows: It’s American Heart Month & just a week until Valentine’s Day…..

How wonderful to have the Valentine’s Day holiday as a reason to promote healthy RED foods (the first color of the rainbow!)

US News: Health provided some great information

Top Five Red Foods that give you Bang for your Nutrition Buck

1. Tomatoes:  Lycopene is the phytonutrient (compound that brings benefit to the body) that makes them Red.  Lycopene is an antioxidant.  Tomatoes contain potassium & vitamin C which are heart-healthy nutrients.  (cooking tomatoes boosts their heart-healthy qualities by increasing lycopene content:  spaghetti sauce, chili, & soups)
2. Tart Cherries:  Anthocyans, antioxidants, provide anti-inflammatory & heart-health benefits.  They als reduce post-exercise muscle & joint pain.
3. Strawberries:  8 strawberries have the same amount of vitamin C as an orange!  They may reduce inflammation & protect LDL (“bad” cholesterol) from oxidation.
4. Red Bell Peppers:  Also full of Lycopene, which is NOT in green peppers.  They are good sources of soluble fiber (cholesterol lowering) & vitamins A & C.  They are a good source of potassium too:  162 milligrams in one cup:  potassium can help lower blood pressure.  They only have 24 calories per cup.
5. Red Grapes:  They are rich in antioxidants Y fiber.  They have been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, reduce heart muscle damage related to a high-salt diet, reduce blood triglyceride levels, LDL cholesterol levels, & improve blood vessel function.

So whether you are appealing to heart health or eating a rainbow these are fantastic choices!  Eat up!

There’s even more info at eatandrun@usnews.com ….  Thank you Mitzi Dulan, RD, CSSD!