Weight Management for a Healthy Lifestyle

Weight Management 

for a 

Healthy Lifestyle

Managing your body weight, as some of you know, can be challenging! Especially with today's wide availability of tempting foods that work their way into your mouth, like convenient, high calorie, grab and go foods. 

It takes will power and determination to resist salty snack chips, cookies, donuts, candy, chocolates, pizza, burgers, bacon, mayo, sugary drinks, subs, processed meats, cheese, high fat fries and fried chicken. These abundant, nutrient-poor or high-salt, high-sugar, high-fat foods affect the waistlines and arteries of all people (regardless of income and status). 

My standard recommendation for everyone is to eat more GardenCuizine! More fruits, more vegetables and whole grains = more dietary fiber, nutrients and a healthier you.

Weight Management recommendations

• Make half your plate cooked or raw non-starchy vegetables like: tossed garden salad, tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, onion, zucchini, and carrots
• Select low fat foods (technically 3 grams or less total fat; 5 grams or less may be more attainable

The best way to tell how much fat, salt, sugar or fiber

 is in a food is to read the food label

• Select low sodium foods (140mg or less)
• Select foods low in sugar (5 grams or less)
• Select high fiber foods (5 grams or more per serving)
• Don't skip meals!
• Eat balanced from all the food groups
• Don't forget a daily calcium source (low fat milk, soy milk, yogurt, powdered milk, collard greens, spinach, kale, okra, white beans, calcium fortified OJ...)
• Be honest to yourself and with your dietitian 
• Set and write down realistic goals, then take action!
• Keeping a food diary/journal has been shown to help dieters be successful at losing weight

Related Links

Weight Management and Calories
Health Risks of Being Overweight
Use the Nutrition Facts Label for Healthy Weight Management
Blog post Copyright (C)2012 Wind. All rights reserved. 

What to do about Food Chemicals Eaten in Small Amounts? @marionnestle #GardenCuizine

Chemicals in Health Foods

Sustainable > Garden > Organic > No matter how healthy you may try and eat, it’s practically impossible to avoid food chemicals. We live in a world surrounded by products and foods created by scientists and flavor chemists. Food chemicals enhance or preserve food. Unless you grow your own, even plain and pure garden produce may be pretreated with chemicals to prevent sprouting and prolong shelf life. All food chemicals and additives are regulated. Some are considered Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the FDA. 

GRAS list items by definition, are not considered food additives. And, not all GRAS list items are synthetic chemical flavorings or preservatives. Certain herbs, spices, seeds, essential oils and natural extracts are also listed.

Some food chemicals have become controversial to those seeking good health. Some ask, "Why doesn't the FDA ban all unhealthy chemicals?" Good question. I'd like to believe the science just doesn’t support that decision or they would. But, why did Canada declare BPA as a toxic substance last year? BPA is banned for use in baby bottles too, in both Europe and Canada. To me, this negates all the reassuring news reported by the American Chemistry Council that BPA has not been proven to be dangerous, not even to infants and children.  

This leaves it up to us to read product labels and eat foods containing chemicals of concern with discretion. The Center for Science and Public Interest recommends avoiding:

• Sodium nitrite
• Saccharin, Aspartame (Nutrasweet), Acesulfame-K
• Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)
• Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (trans fats)
• Potassium bromate
• Olestra
• Food Dyes

Not all food chemicals are bad. Among health practitioners, the general consensus is that the benefits outweigh the risks; especially, for those used as preservatives to prevent potentially dangerous microorganisms and bacteria.

Marion Nestle with a Ph.D. in molecular biology and a Masters degree in public health nutrition recently addressed this topic of food chemicals on her Food Politics blog. Rather than posting a long comment on her blog, you can read my comments here. My least favorite food chemicals include: food dyes, sodium benzoate and BPA (Bisphenol A).

Food Dyes

Food dyes have made health news with some studies that suggest an association with ADHD. My dislike for food dyes began while working as a pastry chef in a French Patisserie. Black was the worst. We would squeeze all colors together to create black when we needed it. Truly a color in frosting you want to avoid. Food dyes are added to foods you wouldn't expect too, like yogurts, salad dressings, snacks and cereals. The Center for Science in the Public Interest recommends avoiding food dyes, specifically ARTIFICIAL COLORINGS: BLUE 2, GREEN 3, ORANGE B, RED 3, YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6.

Sodium benzoate
 
Sodium benzoate (C₇H₅NaO₂) does not occur naturally. It is made by the neutralization of benzoic acid with sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, or sodium hydroxide. Its on the FDA’s GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) list. A decade ago, even the World Health Organization admitted there was limited science supporting its safety. Sodium benzoate is added to many foods, including: soda, syrup, margarine, olives, relish, jams and jellies, liquid pectin, pie fillings, low fat salad dressings and ready-made fruit salads.

BPA (Bisphenol A)

Since the 1950's, Bisphenol A (BPA) has been used in many things, primarily as an epoxy resin on metal food cans and as an ingredient in popular polycarbonate plastics. Plastics include everything from trash bags to baby bottles, food storage containers and even Ball® brand canning lids (plastic seals) used in home canning of wholesome, pure and natural foods from the garden. 

Even though BPA has been reported not to accumulate in the body and biological metabolites are excreted within 24 hours, I think the majority of us would prefer to limit exposure to this endocrine disruptor.

Note: For those wanting BPA-free canning lids. I've seen at least one company who markets them. I did write a letter to Ball® (Jarden Home Brands) last month and have yet to get a reply addressing this public concern.

Shop Smart
 
The best course of action may be to consume fewer processed foods and not buy products you believe to be inferior. When people buy foods made with food chemicals of concern, it casts a “vote of support, I like it” to the makers. Without a slip in sales, companies using these questionable ingredients will never have reason to reformulate their products with healthier alternatives.

>>> Edited October 6, 2011 

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a new state law October 4, 2011 banning the sale of any baby bottles or cups that contain more than 0.1 parts per billion Bisphenol A. Other states in the US have also moved to ban BPA.

Related Links:  

What to do About Food Chemicals Eaten in Tiny Amounts by Marion Nestle 
Chemical Cuisine Center for Science in the Public Interest 
Frequently Asked Questions About GRAS

Artwork: Synthesis of polycarbonate from bisphenol-A and phosgene courtesy Roland1952 Wikipedia Free Documentation License
Blog Article Copyright ©2011 D.Wind. All rights reserved.

Understanding Food Label % Daily Values

 Understanding Percent Daily Values
(%DV) on Food Labels

Why are Percent Daily Values on food labels? Nutrition Facts Labels contain a list of Percent Daily Values (%DV) to aide consumers (us) in comparing and interpreting the level of nutrition content in the food. 

Percent Daily Value is a measurement between 0 and 100%, based on a 2,000 calorie a day intake by adults and children age 4, and older. A total daily nutrient intake of 100% represents the highest limit recommended by public health experts for the foods total fat, sodium, carbohydrates, and certain vitamins and minerals. 

Food labels include %DV to assist us in comparing and interpreting the level of nutrition content in the food. Values can be low, good or high.  

• Daily Values less than 5% are considered 'LOW'. 
• Daily Values between 10 and 19% indicate a 'GOOD' source of the nutrient.
• Daily Values greater than 20% indicate the food is an 'EXCELLENT' source, or in the case of cholesterol, sodium, and fat -- a 'HIGH' source.

Reading the Label
Referring to the candy bar label shown above: The product label indicates 10g of saturated fat with a %DV of 50% for a serving size of 45 grams (3 bite size squares). 50% is well above 20%, meaning the product has a 'high' amount of saturated fat. 

A %DV of 50% means you would receive half of the saturated fat suggested for the entire day! Obviously, limited consumption of this product would be recommended, since it is high in saturated fat. Some products are not so obvious as to what they may contain, making the nutrition facts label a real help.

Your Caloric Needs are Unique

Allow for some adjustments based on your age, sex, weight and activity level from the 2,000 calories a day that the DVs are based on. Caloric energy needs vary with each individual; yours may be higher or lower than 2,000 calories a day.

Food Labels~ A Useful Reference

Food labels are meant to be used as reference guide for you, your family and friends as an aide in selecting products better for optimum health. 

Prudent food selections based on label reading, along with portion control and daily physical activity, will greatly benefit you and your family's health and well being. For more information on how to read Nutrition Facts Labels on product packaging, see the related links posted below. 

%DV does not pertain to infants or children under four years old. Pregnant, lactating women and persons with metabolic disorders and disease may have different nutrient needs as well; consulting with a licensed medical Doctor and Registered Dietitian is recommended.  
Related Links: 
Reading Food Nutrition Labels
Interactive Nutrition Facts Label
The New Nutrition Facts Label
 
Copyright © 2009 wind rev 08/22/2021