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March 24, 2009
The word “sugar” conjures up images of candy, cake, cookies… pretty much all the sweets that we try to avoid. For the most part, we know we need to avoid them. But do you know why it’s important to limit sugary foods? And can you name all the foods that contain high amounts of sugar?
Sugar v. Insulin and the Diabetes Connection
 Eating items high in sugar stresses your body, flooding your bloodstream with insulin on a regular basis. Simple carbohydrates don’t require much energy to be broken down into blood glucose (they’re already small glucose chains), and so they pass into the bloodstream pretty much as soon as you eat them. This causes a rapid spike in blood sugar levels, and an equal spike in the release of insulin in order to shuttle all that sugar where it needs to go throughout your body.
FACT: If you perpetuate this process by eating foods high in sugar on a weekly (or daily) basis, then over time this pattern will lead to insulin resistance and eventually type II diabetes. Read more on the relationship between sugar and insulin.
What Qualifies As Sugar?
Sugar doesn’t necessarily mean chocolate or candy either. Soda, granola bars, crackers, fruit, refined white bread, milk, and even yogurt contain a LOT of sugar.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat them – fruit, for example, has tons of vitamins and antioxidants that are important for overall health and longevity. Instead you should limit your portions of these sugary items and space them throughout the day.
Example:
My typical sugar intake looks like this:
½ cup skim milk with my oatmeal for breakfast
½ cup pineapple with cottage cheese for a mid-morning snack
Lots of veggies, lean protein, and some whole grains for lunch
6 oz. low-fat plain yogurt and ground flaxseeds for an afternoon snack
Lots of veggies and lean protein for dinner
You can see that I did eat sugar throughout the day, but I watched my portions. I also ate the sugary items in combination with other non-carbohydrate foods to help slow digestion and the rush of sugar into the bloodstream.
How Much Is Too Much?
I strive to look for items with 10g or less of sugar. This can be found by reading the nutrition facts on the food item. Once you start looking, you’ll be surprised how much sugar is in the foods you eat regularly!
For more on weight loss, try “10 Ways to Make Weight Loss Work for You.”
For more on carbohydrates and sugar:
Simple v. Complex Carbohydrates
What to Eat: Carbohydrates
Now I’ll ask you: What are your tricks for avoiding sugary foods?
March 18, 2009
Q: How much protein should I be eating every day, especially if I’m working out regularly?
A: Opinions vary widely on the specific amount of protein to consume in a day. Most nutrition professionals would quote about 0.8 grams protein per kilogram body weight (about 54 grams for a person that weighs 150lbs), while some bodybuilding websites (and personal trainers I’m sad to admit) recommend upwards of 2 grams per kilogram. That means eating your bodyweight in protein every day!
 One of the big names in high-protein diets that comes to mind, of course, is Atkins. Dr. Robert Atkins’ philosophy (or at least the profit-driven marketing version of his philosophy) was high-protein, high-fat, and low (almost no) carbohydrates. His plan has been revised (some) in recent years, but in my opinion strict control of ALL carbohydrates is unnecessary and unhealthy. Beyond that, the liberal use of high-calorie protein choices like cheeses, dairy, and red meat can be a dangerous combination if you don’t watch your portion sizes – a huge problem area for many Americans given the unrealistic portions served to us at restaurants (insert obvious company names here). This is especially true for those of us with risk factors and/or a family history of heart disease (yes, me included…).
The truth is there is no place in the body to store excess protein like there is for fat (we all know about fat cells) and glucose (both in the liver and in muscle cells). Once our body metabolizes its protein needs for the day, any extra protein we consume is automatically transformed into fat for energy storage – the same way bread, butter, and chocolate cake are stored. When you take in a large amount of calories in a day, it no longer matters what type of food they’re from or how healthy the source is… a calorie is a calorie, and they all go to your hips (or waist, or arms… you get the idea).
I recommend my clients consume anywhere between 15-20% protein daily. Your caloric intake can vary widely depending on your age, gender, activity, and fitness goals, but someone aiming for a calorie intake around 1500 per day would aim to take in 56-75 grams of protein per day. (Please see a registered dietitian for an exact calorie and protein prescription; this is just an example.)
One whole egg, two egg whites, one ounce of low-fat cheese, 1/3 cup low-fat cottage cheese, one ounce of chicken or beef, and one and a half ounces of fish all contain approximately 7 grams of protein. If you shoot for 3oz of chicken at dinner, you’ve already met a third of your protein requirements for the day! I try to consume protein with everything I eat – not only does that ensure I get enough protein, but it also helps balance my carbohydrates and slow their digestion (remember the carbohydrate and insulin connection).
Regardless of how you eat it, the bottom line with protein should be lean – egg whites, low-fat cheeses and dairy products, chicken, fish, lean red meat in moderation. Remember some fat is good, but it carries more than its share of calories and, unfortunately, a lot of protein comes with fat in tow. I know I don’t need those extra calories hanging onto my hips for the next 20 years! Eat smart, combine lean protein with fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and you’ll see the difference eating protein can make towards your fitness goals!
Read more on protein:
What to Eat: Protein
March 17, 2009
Q: Why is protein so important?
(This is especially relevant for those of you who manage to fit some regular exercise into your schedules – congrats, by the way!)
A: Every cell in the body contains protein; it is the main component of muscle, bone, skin, hair, and pretty much every other tissue and organ. Protein makes up the enzymes that power chemical reactions in the body, and it forms hemoglobin – the compound that carries oxygen in your blood. Overall, the human body is comprised of at least 10,000 different proteins, all functioning to create and maintain all the tissues and systems that make you who you are.
 A molecule of protein is made up of amino acids. Just like simple sugar molecules can be linked together to form various types of carbohydrates, different amino acids can be linked together to form various types of proteins. This is why amino acids have been called the “building blocks” of proteins (if you can remember back to freshman biology…).
There are 20 amino acids that can be arranged to make proteins. Their precise order in the protein chain, along with the 3-dimensional structure of the chain (basically, how the chain folds up, origami-style), determines the specific function of the protein. Simply by varying the sequence of amino acids and the 3-D structure, 20 amino acids are able to form over 10,000 unique proteins!
Every organism is able to synthesize, or produce, some of the amino acids it needs – but most can’t synthesize all 20 of them. In humans, there are eight* amino acids that our bodies can’t produce. However, we must have all 20 to create the specific proteins our bodies need to grow and function properly. Thus, these eight are called “essential amino acids”, and we must consume them in our diet on a daily basis in order for our bodies can continue to build muscle, tissue and enzymes.
You can see how important this is when you are working out regularly. After you strength train, your body needs to repair any muscle damage (just minor damage – completely normal and necessary) and refuel your energy stores. It does this rebuilding by linking amino acids. If you’ve trained with me, you’ve heard me talk over and over about the importance of consuming protein after your workout. You need to consume those amino acids (especially the eight essential ones) to make sure your body is able to repair itself and recover quickly from the stress of the workout. Pairing this protein with a good source of carbohydrate (like the combination of low-fat cottage cheese and fresh berries) ensures that you’ll be getting all the nutrients your body needs to recover quickly from the workout session and rebuild itself even stronger.
* Some sources quote nine or even ten essential amino acids. There are several “semi-essential” amino acids in addition to the eight mentioned above, which sometimes get grouped together. The semi-essential, or conditionally essential, amino acids can be synthesized internally if the conditions are right. However, the eight essential amino acids for humans are phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophan, isoleucine, methionine, leucine, and lysine.
Read more on protein:
Your Muscles Need Protein
March 16, 2009
Q: What are trans fats and why are they so bad for us?
A: There’s been a lot of hype in the news about trans fats over the last few decades, especially as the federal government has made the labeling of trans fats mandatory on nutrition labels. New York City banned trans fats from their restaurants and food chains back in 2005, while big-name companies like Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and KFC have switched to healthier oils, reducing the amount of trans fats in a lot of their food items. By now, most consumers have been warned about the dangers of trans fats, but many still wonder why it is such a big deal. The real explanation must include a little history…
Saturated fats are solid at room temperature (think butter) while unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature (think vegetable oil). Trans fats, however, are unsaturated fats that have been chemically altered to be solid (saturated) at room temperature.
Back a few decades ago, there was a big push to reduce saturated fats from food items due to the new-found link between saturated fat and heart disease. To retain the consistency, taste, and shelf-life of baked goods and processed foods, food manufacturers sought out an alternative to saturated fats that would keep the public “healthier”. It was assumed that since unsaturated fats are considered the healthier fats to eat, transforming them into solid fats would be a fantastic solution. But in fact, the new product turned out to be the most dangerous type of fat yet, and unfortunately it took quite a few years for scientific studies to prove that trans fats were, in fact, even worse than saturated fats.
Trans fats are dangerous to consume because they have been altered into a form that is unnatural and unfamiliar to the body, thus it is hard for the body to break them down. Trans fats build up in arteries just like saturated fats do, contributing to high blood pressure and coronary heart disease.
Today, food manufacturers are aware of the issue and are required by law to put trans fats on their nutrition labels. However, consumers should still be wary of packaged foods – there could be trans fats present in a food item even when the nutrition label says “0 grams” (less than a gram, but still there nonetheless). You can check to make sure the food item does not contain trans fats by looking through the ingredient list. Any ingredient including the words “hydrogenated oil” or “partially hydrogenated oil” means there are trans fats present in the food item.
Once you start looking for it, you’ll be amazed (and appalled) by how many food items still contain some amount of trans fat. But as an educated consumer, you can have control over the amount of trans fats you eat – by always reading labels carefully and avoiding heavily processed foods. If you’d like to learn more about trans fats, check out the FDA’s website.
Read more on fats:
Fat-Free: Too Good To Be True?
What to Eat: Fats
The Fats You Really Should Avoid
March 12, 2009
Q: There always seem to be contradicting reports about fat… Which are “good” and which are “bad”?
A: Fat is present in almost every food we eat – even naturally “fat free” items like carrots and lettuce have trace amounts of fat, which just goes to show you how vital this nutrient is.
Fat is a terrific energy source (when your body burns 1g of fat, it gets 9 calories of energy; in contrast, when you burn 1g of carbohydrate or protein, you get less than half that – only 4 calories of energy).  Fat is also a key component of cell membranes throughout the body and, if you eat the right type of fat, the nutrient can reduce internal inflammation. Eating fats ensures delivery of essential fatty acids to your body (like omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids*). Fats also help with the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins that require fat in order to be absorbed from food and transported throughout the body). Examples of these include vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Fats have, traditionally, been divided into two categories: saturated and unsaturated (or “bad” and “good”). Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature (think oil), while saturated fats are solid at room temperature (think butter). But I’m going to break them down a little further for you, into four categories: monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, saturated fats, and trans fats.
Monounsaturated fats (or MUFAs as they are affectionately termed) are mostly found in plant-based food sources. Examples of these include olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, avocados, pecans, and peanuts. These are excellent for you to cook with or to throw on top of your salad for some flavor.
Polyunsaturated fats (or PUFAs) are mostly plant- and fish-derived, including sunflower oil, sesame oil, soybean oil, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, soybeans, tuna, salmon, walnuts, and most other nuts. PUFAs are usually a fantastic source of Omega-3 fatty acids (fish and flaxseeds are great examples) which are severely lacking in the average American diet.
Saturated fats, by contrast, are solid at room temperature. Basically any animal product will contain saturated fat – examples include beef, lamb, pork, bacon, cheese, full-fat yogurt, butter, whole milk, etc. Snack foods and bakery items that use tropical oils (like coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils) also contain saturated fats, which add to the taste and shelf-life of processed foods (after trans fats were forcibly removed, food manufacturers added saturated fats back in). Saturated fats are linked with heart disease because they have been found to raise harmful cholesterol levels (LDL, or the “bad” cholesterol).
How Bad Could They Be?
Studies have found that eating just one meal rich in saturated fats (say, a cheeseburger and fries from McDonald’s) is enough to raise blood cholesterol levels and damage arteries – just one meal!
In general, aim to keep your saturated fat to less than 20g per day. What does this look like? To give you an idea, one small (3oz) piece of filet mignon has about 10g saturated fat. If you already have risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure or a family history of heart disease, and if you’re a man over 45 or a woman over 55, then the American Heart Association recommends no more than 7g saturated fat per day. It is definitely a challenge to avoid saturated fats in today’s society, but the key to success is in choosing low-fat dairy products, eating red meat in moderation, and really paying attention to those nutrition labels on packaged foods.
Trans fats, the fourth category, are another type of saturated fat or, more accurately stated, an artificially-saturated fat. I’ve devoted an entire post to trans fat, but I’ll review the details again here as well. Trans fats are usually found in processed baked goods. Not only do trans fats raise LDL cholesterol like regular saturated fats, they lower “good” cholesterol levels (HDL) as well. Studies have proven that the incidence of heart disease increases exponentially with the amount of trans fat you consume in your lifetime, and preliminary studies have shown trans fats to raise insulin resistance, increase fat around the abdomen (which is also a risk factor for heart disease), and promote internal inflammation. You can tell a food item contains trans fat if its ingredient list reads “hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil”. If you focus on eating whole, natural foods like vegetable oils, fish, whole grains, and fresh produce, then you’ll naturally be eating trans fat free.
The take-home lesson: You should be aiming for a balanced diet rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These foods include olive oil, vegetable oils, avocados, seeds, nuts, and fish. Ensuring your fats are unsaturated will give you the greatest health benefits, while still allowing your meals to be tasty and flavorful. Eat foods containing saturated fat in moderation, especially if you have a family history of heart disease. And lastly, avoid trans fats altogether. Be especially aware of the restaurants you frequent – ask if they’ve eliminated trans fats from their kitchens or research it for yourself online. As an educated consumer you have the power to control your health and the health of your family. Just remember: Not all fats are bad!
*Your body can’t produce these fatty acids and needs a steady supply in your diet in order to get them.
Read more on fats:
Fat-Free: Too Good To Be True?
The Truth About Trans Fats
The Fats You Really Should Avoid
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