Fertility Diet follow up

I got an email yesterday from the authors of the Fertility Diet in response to my last posting about the book. Apparently they had gotten one negative, rather lengthy review on Amazon from a woman that took issue with the book. (They were pleased to see a positive response from a dietitian to counter her opinion.) The critic's main argument is that the book takes too many leaps by making recommendations based off of just a few studies and that women will believe that changing their diet is a cure for infertility and fail to seek help from their doctors. While she presents an interesting case, I don't agree with her analysis. When analyzing whether recommendations are sound I look for several things - these are the questions you can ask yourself when deciding if a "diet" is appropriate:
- Is it based off of research? Is there a body of research and not just one study? Are the studies large, lengthy and reputable?
- Do the recommendations jive with what we know from other research?
- Will following this eating pattern harm the person in any way?
- Is there a lifestyle component to the recommendations?
Since the recommendations passed these criteria and following the eating pattern is more healthful for multiple reasons, I gave it a green light. In addition, I think that people are wise enough to know that while diet and lifestyle are an important part of health, seeing a doctor for a specific condition is a necessary aspect of care.
Nutrition is an interesting field because we learn new information everyday while we have to make recommendations based off of the best knowledge that we have at the time. So, while nutrition is a definite science with hard data there is an element of judgement that comes into play. To make the best diet choices for yourself, you can look to credentialed experts for help and be your own judge by asking and answering the right questions. And most important of all - will eating this way work for you, can you implement these recommendations into your daily life? Only YOU can answer these questions.

Whole Wheat PopTarts Nutritionals

I just got the nutrition information on the Whole Wheat PopTarts (see my 1st post on Oct 8th) -- unfortunately, the product does have high fructose corn syrup as well as corn syrup listed twice on the ingredient label. However, I do like that the first ingredient is whole wheat flour and that they have 3 grams of fiber. BottomLine: The new Whole Wheat PopTarts did not achieve healthy food status, but are a better alternative to the current PopTarts.

Back to School Snacks

Well, it is time to say goodbye to the lazy days of summer and get back into a regular routine. My daughter started her preschool today and as I was packing her snacks she was trying to talk me into providing all treats to help her through her first day. Although, the treats would make her happy, they would not help her get through the day. So, we compromised. I let her pick one treat. Here are the snacks she took to school,
-- A chocolate Z bar by Clif (this was her treat)-- has a great ingredient deck and nutrition and she loves it!
-- Tasty little crackers (TLC) by Kashi with almond butter (peanut butter is not allowed at her school).
-- Baby carrots -- I hope she eats them.
-- Strawberries with powdered sugar -- just a little, otherwise, she will not eat them.
Quick tip for moms -- try and eat the way you want your kids to eat. By doing this, you will not only eat better but will also be a healthy-eating role model.
I also ran across an article that has some interesting recipes and good information for back to school lunches, click here for the article.

Eating Junk Food During Pregnancy - Bad Idea

A study just published shows a link between what you eat during pregnancy and breastfeeding and your child's future eating habits. "Our study has shown that eating large quantities of junk food when pregnant and breastfeeding could impair the normal control of appetite and promote an exacerbated taste for junk food in offspring," says lead author Dr Stéphanie Bayol. "This could send offspring on the road to obesity and make the task of teaching healthy eating habits in children even more challenging." Now, this study is interesting but it used rats so the results would need to be verified in humans. Click here for the report.

Two Angry Moms...making a difference

Check out Two Angry Moms...these women are on a mission to make school meals healthier. They are asking parents to join their children for lunch at their schools the week of Oct 15-19th and ask questions about the food and ingredients. You can also ask for a copy of their wellness policy.

Coffee good for women's memory

If you love coffee as much as I do and have "mommy brain," (as I do) you're going to love this news. Research was just published on over 7,000 women showing that drinking coffee may protect women's memory and even halt the development of dementia. Many of the women we talk to in our nutrition practices ask about whether coffee is okay and some even tell us they've switched to energy drinks thinking they're better. NO WAY! Coffee not only has zero calories, it's looking better and better in terms of numerous health benefits. Plus, taking a coffee break and sipping slowly provides its own mental recharge for the harried mom. Since having kids I can't seem to remember a thing - perhaps I just haven't been drinking enough coffee!

Easy and Fun Summer Snack

My daughter and I just created a fun and healthy snack this morning that I wanted to share with you. The best part of this snack, besides the nutrition, is that your child get to have fun while eating it. You can eat this with your child but make sure you let her make your snack...she will love that she is making your food for once.
Ingredients:
Sliced bananas
Peanut Butter on a big spoon
Granola in a bowl
Preparation:
Let your little one take a slice of banana, wipe it against the peanut butter on the spoon (you may need to help depending on the age) and then dip the banana slice and peanut butter in a bowl of granola (the granola will stick to the peanut butter) and eat. We had fun this morning and my picky eater actually ate her snack. Also, I not only got to play with her but I ate healthy too.

New Report by the USDA: Creative Solutions for Controlling the Purchase of Unhealthy Foods

I just came across an interesting report (click here to access a more in-depth review of the report) by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) with proposed methods of helping consumers choose healthier foods -- I must admit, it is one of the more creative (government) solutions to the obesity epidemic yet. It mainly has to do with helping adjust behavior vs. more education. It may work for those who struggle with the temptation to purchase unhealthy foods (which is pretty much everyone).
Here are some of their suggestions --
*using a prepaid "healthy card" in grocery stores and schools - an example would be limiting the purchase of treats and sodas or at least keeping them to a minimum. Also, the report states that in schools it could be pre-determined what portion of the card had to be spent on fruits and vegetables.
*portion sizes - we get it.
*on-line grocery shopping -- this could help avoid the temptation of buying less healthful foods at the store, you would simply drive up and pick up your order.

"Default" Dinner For the Inevitable Busy Day

Last night around 6:30 it hit me that I needed to make dinner. I had such a busy day with work, dropping off the kids at school, more work, a short work-out for me, more work, picking up the kids and t-ball practice -- that I completely forgot that the kids needed to eat something (And, oh yes, I needed to eat too). My husband was coming home late from work, so I could not ask him to get dinner started for me. At this point, it would have been easy to go to a drive through window and just pick something up. I did not, however, give in to my children's pleas for McDonald's, instead, I went home and made one of my "default" dinners. My "default" dinners are not alway completely healthy but last night the one I chose did not include chicken nuggets or macaroni and cheese -- it was just as easy, but much healthier. During dinner I started thinking about the nutritional value of our meal -- remember, I am a dietitian, so I cannot help it -- and decided to run a nutritional analysis on my "default" dinner. So, here is the dinner and the results of the analysis --
-- Sam's Club frozen chicken breasts without skin (I add soy sauce and my kids eat it with ketchup) -- microwave for less than 10 minutes
--Canned black beans (we sprinkle reduced fat feta cheese on top) -- microwave for less than 2 minutes
--Uncle Ben's whole grain 90 sec pouch (we add spray butter and soy sauce) -- microwave for 90 seconds
--Canned green beans -- microwave for less than 2 minutes
--Whole wheat bread slice (with spray butter)
--Skim Milk
The analysis showed a very low-fat meal, less than 10% a good amount of carbohydrates and an excellent amount of protein at 115% DV. Additionally, we ate 34% of the recommended amount of fiber, over 50% of the recommended amounts of most vitamins and 20%-50% of all minerals. The down-side was that folate, vit C and the omega-3 fats were low -- but remember this was just one meal. These nutrients could be made up in other meals. I would love to hear about any of your quick and healthy "default" meal tips.

Post-partum depression linked to nutrition

A researcher at the University of Calgary is studying a possible link between nutrition and postpartum depression. Having analyzed the diets of pregnant and postpartum women over the years, I completely agree that there must be a link. Of the women I have counseled, several have nutrient deficiencies and then they get pregnant and these deficiencies only get worse based on how the women feel during their pregnancy. In 2005 the USDA reported that many Americans do not get enough vitamin E, calcium, potassium and fiber. Additionally, women of childbearing age may not be getting enough iron in their diets. All together, these deficiencies can cause all kinds of problems including affecting energy and mental well being. To help you get enough of these nutrients:
-- eat a handful of raw nuts a day,
-- include beans in one of your meals
-- and eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day (actually count how many you ate at the end of the day before dinner and make up for the number you are missing at dinner and afterwards). As for getting enough calcium, eat some yogurt -- you will not only benefit from the nutrients but bonus, you will get the healthy bacteria that is good for your digestive system. I personally look for the yogurt that does not have any high fructose corn syrup in the ingredient deck -- the jury is still out on how it affects the storage of fat in your body.