Archive for the ‘Nutrition’ Category
What Kind of Nutrition Information Do We Need on the Front of Food Packages?
Are you one of those people blocking the aisles in your supermarket while you read the nutrition label and ingredient list of every box of cereal or loaf of bread, trying to decide which one is best for you and your family? If you’re reading this article, you are probably like me – well-intentioned, diligent, exhausted, cross-eyed and unfortunately, still confused.
Recently, the Institute of Medicine issued a report concluding that simplified front-of-package food labeling could help improve Americans’ diets and health. The report emphasizes the importance of listing calories and three problem nutrients: saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium.
However, the Institute of Medicine report fails to address the very critical problem of added sugars which are a big contributor to the epidemic of chronic diseases in this country. Many foods are now “low fat” but loaded with sugar, and a system that ignores added sugars might rank sodas as healthy since they are low in fat and sodium.
Other countries have experimented with a system that ranks foods with a red, yellow or green light on the package indicating whether the food is healthy or not. Food manufacturers had tried introducing their own front-of-package labeling system which had to be revoked when it was apparent that they were not doing a good job of policing themselves. Recently they have said that they will try again.
But who can trust either the government or business to really disclose the truth about what’s in your food? Ideally what is needed is a system developed by experts unaffiliated with the food industry, the FDA or the USDA. And it must be able to analyze the more than 50,000 food items found in a typical grocery store and assign a recommendation or ranking to each item.
According to Dr. David Katz, an Associate Professor at the Yale University School of Public Health, and the Director and founder of Yale’s Prevention Research Center, the health problem we face today is a related to the nutrition disinformation in the marketplace. An expert in nutrition and preventative medicine, he points out that “real food is shockingly elusive.” What we get in supermarkets is a lot of processed and fake foods.
The health crisis in the U.S. today, resulting from an epidemic of obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, is not the fault of an ignorant or lazy population lacking in willpower, but a combination of “obesegenic factors” that conspire against our efforts to eat well. There is no one answer to the problem of obesity but better food labeling can remove one of the obstacles to good health and that obstacle is a lack of reliable nutrition information.
There is an enormous amount of nutrition information in the marketplace especially on packaged food. However, the food industry is allowed to make nutrition claims that are completely confusing if not misleading. For example, a consumer worried about sodium might assume that, given a choice among potato chips, Fritos, Wheat Chex and YooHoo, the wise choice would be the Wheat Chex. Wrong. It has over twice the amount of sodium per 100 calories as the Fritos and three times the amount as the chips. Even the YooHoo is higher in sodium than the Fritos or the chips.
Another example is reduced fat peanut butter which is marketed as a healthy alternative to regular peanut butter. Consumers think they are doing a good thing in buying the reduced fat version. Wrong. Although the reduced fat version has a half gram less of saturated fat, it also has 66% more sodium, over twice as many carbohydrates, 33% more added sugars and less fiber.
Ideally any food labeling system should allow consumers to make a better, healthier choice by taking into consideration all of the factors that go into a “healthy food,” including vitamins, minerals, fiber, Omega-3 fatty acids, bioflavanoids and carotenoids, as well as saturated fats, trans fats, sugar, cholesterol and sodium. In addition, any scoring system should take into account the quality of proteins and fats, glycemic load and energy density. Foods with a significant amount of vitamins and minerals but a relatively low amount of calories should be ranked more favorably. Those containing nutrients that have proven in studies to have a higher correlation with major chronic diseases and serious health conditions, such as trans fats, should receive a less favorable ranking.
So long as manufacturers are able to make health claims for unhealthy foods, the obesity epidemic will continue to be fed by misinformation.
Juicer Recipes – Fruit Nutrition and Phytochemical Information List
Here is a list of the most commonly used fruits in juicer recipes and their nutritional content. Fruits have a substantial amount of vitamins and minerals which are specified below. I’ve also included the different phytochemicals found in these fruits. Phytochemicals are natural bio-active compounds found in plant foods that have potent properties to protect against disease.
Apples
Prevent Dog Disease With Proper Nutrition – What the Dog Food Companies Won’t Tell You
If you are looking to prevent dog disease with proper nutrition, then you will find a lot of great information in this article. And who doesn’t what to protect their beloved K-9? You are about to learn why commercial dog food is very unhealthy and even deadly, what foods are actually good for dogs, which foods to avoid, and what to look for in a healthy dog food recipe. After you have absorbed this information, you will have learned everything you need to know to prevent dog disease.
A few years ago the pet food recall hit the news, and hit it hard! Many people lost their dogs to disease from contaminated food. This is when the truth about the commercial brands came to light and shocked the world. Here is what we learned. Store bought brands contain meat, which can actually be from dead dogs, road kill, and by-products that are unfit for human consumption and are of almost no nutritional value whatsoever. They can also contain deadly chemicals and poisons from euthanized dogs. Furthermore, they often use fillers like corn, which dog’s cannot digest, and artificial sweeteners, artificial fats, additives, and preservatives. Even without the recall, your dog is at risk for disease from the commercial brands; diseases like kidney failure, liver disease, and infections. The pet food industry is not very heavily regulated, so you never really know what’s in the food you are feeding your dog. But a good dog owner’s thorough research can lead him or her to information about good, healthy dog diets.
Protein is a vital component to a dog’s nutritional needs, so make sure he is getting enough. Good, safe sources of protein include beef, chicken, turkey, and fish. There are also many vegetables that dogs can have, including carrots, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, zucchini, green beans, and spinach. Another important part of a dog’s diet is starch. The most healthy choices are cooked potatoes and brown rice. You will know you’ve found a good, healthy dog food recipe or store product if it contains these whole food ingredients.
There are many foods that are considered healthy for people that are actually bad for dogs. Those foods include dairy products, corn, chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions, and garlic. These ingredients can cause stomach upset and some can even be toxic if given in large quantities. Furthermore, a dog’s digestive system can’t handle processed foods very well, so avoid white bread, white rice, and anything artificial like sweeteners and fats.
Indeed the best way to control what you feed your dog is to make it yourself! Yes, it’s true and don’t let it scare you. There are many simple and quick recipes on the internet, in magazines, and books, so they aren’t hard to find. You already know what ingredients should be in your dog’s food, so you can research and choose the best healthy dog food recipes. Just be sure you pick many different kinds because variety is important to a dog’s diet to ensure he is getting all the nutrition he needs in order to prevent dog disease.
Now that you learned these facts, you can more confidently prevent dog disease by giving your dog the healthiest meals you can find and ensure his proper nutrition. The road you take is up to you. There are healthy store brands on the market, but it may be better to take more control of your dog’s diet by using healthy dog food recipes. You already know what foods are healthy for your dog and which ones are not so it won’t be very difficult at all. Whatever you choose, you will have the peace of mind knowing that you are doing everything you can to prevent dog disease.
Some Information on Nutrition Focused Examination
Malnutrition is the insufficient supply of healthy foods in the dietary requirements or excessive intake of processed foodstuffs which may lead anybody to physical injury. There is malnutrition also if someone is under-nourished or over-nourished. This illness is considered a extensive problem throughout the world and it has been tremendously horrifying to know that this illness is one of the major causes of death worldwide.
There are several moves and solutions done to get rid of malnutrition but to no avail because hunger is still out of control. Complete elimination of starvation is almost not possible but exposure and avoidance could be possible.
The Health Nourishment Assessment is considered one of the essential instruments in determining nutritional problems, so they help to discover the essential ailment. This evaluation is a procedure done step by step and part of the process is physical exam focused to nutrition. The examination is a systematic procedure where the symptoms be verified from information gathered from the clientele. Private information such as the quality as well as the amount of foods that are taken each day as well as any genetic relations were collected. Then a cautious top to end the query must be completed in order to determine any regularity. Following this, laboratory tests will be performed to make clear in order to complete the assessment. Above all, the examination will assist to get ready with the treatment to the exact disease.
The entire medical practitioner uses the examination focused on nourishment to gather proofs and determine the medical cases. It is very essential to consider nourishment as a contributory factor in the disease of the client.
In adding up, nutrition centered examination is likewise utilized by dietitians; they execute this examination to sort and determine what type of diet must be given and the required calorie intake must be required by every client. Malnutrition may influence the studies of the students. It may agitate the interaction of the students and may change the learning process of students. This is the cause why physical examination focused on nutrition must be done to make sure of any objective irregularity that would be indicative of infirmity related to the diet.
Lastly, understanding the Nourishment Focused Examination is very essential to every individual because we are liable to our respective body needs. Every one must be aware regarding the food being eaten and be responsible to watch over their weights. Through this way, you can be able to see every single detail of each physical change that is not usual with your eyes. I f you observe that something is wrong, go and see a physician for advices as early as possible to avoid any further complications.
Ballet Dancers and Nutrition Information
Let’s face it. If you are overweight, or politicaly incorrct FAT, then you should lose
some weight. Dancers are constantly working out, taking class, performing somewhere, so
naturally they are thinner than most people. But not the very young students who are in the age group between 7-14. Yes, there are many in that group who are chubby, overweight and just plain
FAT.
There are about 3500 calories in one pound of body fat. So, if you create a 3500-calorie deficit through diet, exercise or a combination of both, you will lose one pound of body weight. In order to lose 2 pounds of weight, create a calorie-deficit of 7000 calories, and so on…..
Easier said than done. Good eating habits help lose weight. It helps the dancer achieve the energy needed to dance. So what is the magic formula you ask? There isn’t one! YOU as a dancer,
have to find the one-and-only-one-way to stay fit. If you are 7 or 8 or 13 years old you may
not know how to do this, but your PARENTS can help you providing they know something what a dancer needs at that age group. If not, there are many resources, books, nutritionists, friends they can talk to find out all the information needed for the would be ballerina.
Over the years as teachers of ballet, my wife Anne and I have seen children of all ages, different shapes and sizes, thin, too thin, fat, and chubby in the ballet class. And as they all grow older making progress in their dance training, some of the girls do lose weight, some not.
The ones who do arrive at a certain age, weight, height, physical strength, they are the ones who have a better chance of making the “cut” (an expression used in show-biz) at a dance audition.
They are the ones who get into a dance company, the others don’t.
So please future ballerinas, try to learn more about nutrition. You will enjoy learning about what is really good for you and hopefully will help you dance better.
If you like to read up a bit more on Nutrition go to http://www.ballet-feetfirst.com/Pointeshoe-Nutrition.html and don’t forget to find out more information
on other websites and in books.
Preserved and Dried Fruit Vs Fresh Fruit Nutrition
If you’re choosing, would you rather have raisins, or fresh grapes? It may be surprising for you to learn that there are differences between dried fruits and fresh fruits.
Produce departments in most areas are filling up with berries and cherries, and they generally look more appealing than dried fruit. But some people, nutritionists say, prefer dried fruits.
One registered dietitian has said that dried fruit doesn’t have to be washed or prepared or peeled, which makes it easier to serve, especially to children.
Dried food is easier to handle and pack, and it’s non-perishable and portable, but it can contain more calories when you compare it with fresh fruit. Nutrition values also can change, depending on how the dried fruit is prepared.
Nutritional experts say that because of the water used in keeping fresh produce fresh, they can help to fill up your stomach more, and you’ll get more fruit nutrition with fewer calories consumed.
Fresh fruits are naturally rich in fiber, potassium, folate and vitamins C and A. Dried fruits have health benefits as well, but the process of drying the fruit can leach some of the nutrients from it.
Nevertheless, dietitians will tell you that dried and fresh fruits can each play a role in helping to satisfy your sweet tooth. This helps you to combat obesity, and the dried varieties make it easier to get your four fruit nutrition servings each day.
Researchers have discovered that when you dry blueberries, they actually become richer in antioxidants by four times over fresh blueberries. But drying processes can cause nutrients to be lost, and sometimes there will be sugar added as well. So most nutritional experts believe that fresh fruit is better for you, nutritionally.
Pretreatments that take place before the drying process, which include adding sulfur dioxide, can help to protect some of the nutrients, while at the same time degrading others. The sulfur dioxide preserves vitamins C and A, but destroys thiamine. Oftentimes, vegetables or fruits are steamed, or boiled briefly before they are dried, to help speed the drying process up and to kill microorganisms. This preserves thiamine and carotene but it causes a loss of vitamin C. Exposure to oxygen and light during the drying process can also degrade nutrients even further.
Drying with high heat can reduce the effective level of protein that your body gets from the food you eat. The protein is still there, but not as easily absorbed by your body. Fruit nutrition changes with the drying process, while it helps some nutrients and degrades others. The intensity of the drying process, depending on the fruit involved, will have various effects on the fruit you will eventually eat. Some of the effects are good, some not so good, and some parts of the dietary nutrition in fruits does not change appreciably when dried.
On the positive side, dried fruit has other benefits besides increased antioxidants. It is high in fiber, so it can be helpful in controlling diabetes, lowering blood cholesterol and helping to relieve constipation. Dried fruit is also a lot healthier than sugary snacks. And it’s a quick energy source for athletes.
So… dried fruit is better in some ways and worse in others, as far as fruit nutrition statistics go. Eat dried fruits for snacks, but remember to include four servings of fresh fruit in your diet a day.





