Body In Mind Nutrition

Latest report recommends taking Calcium and Vitamin D supplements with caution:  "The 14-member expert committee was convened by the Institute of Medicine, an independent nonprofit scientific body, at the request of the United States and Canadian governments. It was asked to examine the available data — nearly 1,000 publications — to determine how much vitamin D and calcium people were getting, how much was needed for optimal health and how much was too much. "      

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/30/health/30vitamin.html?_r=1&nl=health&emc=healthupdateema2

In reaction to pediatric obesity, my concern is that we have become unbalanced in the way we talk to our children about what they eat and their bodies.  There is no denying that pediatric obesity is a very real problem.  However, it is also becoming very clear that eating disorders in our children is also a real problem.  "Among children younger than 12 with eating disorders, hospitalizations surged 119 percent between 1999 and 2006. That's according to government data contained in an American Academy of Pediatrics report released online Monday."

Learning how to talk to your children about what, and how much, they eat can be a challenging task, especially if you have your own eating issues and concerns.  As a parent, it is your responsibility to provide your children with a variety of healthy foods with SOME treats, encourage and model an active lifestyle, and to limit the time your child spends in front of the computer and television. It is also your responsibility to educate yourself about what you can do to protect your child from developing an eating disorder.  However well intended and loving you are re: your child's weight, please be aware of going too far in controlling your child's eating and weight.  Powerful messages from our culture at large and your child's own social circle contributes to your child's perceptions as well.  Educate yourself about the warning signs of an eating disorder and seek professional help sooner rather than later.  Please see the resources section of my website for more information.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gTIKgGZ4OnwM1A4w6xa4BEG_Pjcw?docId=4d513ceeeef44c9ea9bc5163adacf708

A large scale study supports the recommendation to include more protein in your diet if you want to manage your weight.  I continue to caution against simplifying these types of recommendations.  Where the protein comes from will continue to make a big difference in supporting your health.  Plant-based proteins, such as nuts, seeds, soybeans, etc. have additional health supportive components.  The most powerful piece of this puzzle continues to be the level of satiety we all feel when we include protein in our meals and snacks.  The feeling of satisfaction that your body experiences prevents overeating and the cravings that can result in overeating.    Include smart protein choices in every meal and snack if possible!!

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/209291.php

"the richest Americans can afford to buy berries out of season at Whole Foods—the upscale grocery chain that recently reported a 58 percent increase in its quarterly profits—while the food insecure often eat what they can: highly caloric, mass-produced foods like pizza and packaged cakes that fill them up quickly. "

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/11/22/what-food-says-about-class-in-america.html#

This is another perspective to add to the conversation about how to feed your kids.  Do you shoot for what you know they will eat and is convenient or do you continue to challenge their evolving palates?  "I read somewhere that children who reject foods on first sight will be more willing to taste those foods the 3rd or 5th or 10th time they loom over the edge of the dinner table. This is the guiding principle behind Dad’s Weird Suppers."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/magazine/21food-t-000.html?ref=magazine

The most recent information on how a low-fat "diet" may increase the risk for heart disease contributes to the confusion about smart food choices.  Walter Willett, M.D. -He added that while the pervasive dietary guidance given to consumers has been to eat fats sparingly, to load up on starch and eat non-fat products, “the food industry quickly realized sugar was cheaper than fat and laughed all the way to the bank.”


Bottom Line:  the oversimplified message of "low-fat" rather then smart fat has lead to an increase in the consumption of carbohydrates, and in some cases, more refined carbohydrates.  A heart healthy diet includes heart healthy fats, such as monounsaturated fats from nuts, seeds and olive oil.

http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/11/17/10-tips-for-a-sustainable-thanksgiving?fb_js_fbu=757915220

The often overlooked connection between celiac disease and other autoimmune diseases:  "As previously discussed, when individuals with celiac disease follow a gluten-free diet, their anti-tTG levels return to normal. A growing amount of research suggests that when people with celiac disease and ATD adopt a gluten-free diet, not only do their celiac-related antibody levels improve, but their thyroid antibody levels also decrease."

http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/110310p52.shtml

"Emerging research supports the possible role of vitamin D in protecting against cancer, heart disease, fractures and falls, autoimmune diseases, influenza, type 2 diabetes, and depression. Many health care providers have increased their recommendations for vitamin D supplementation to at least 1,000 IU."


http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/731722?src=mp&spon=17&uac=144206BZ

 "As a member of the ginger family, cardamom has been used to make heavy and acidic foods easier to digest for more than 5,000 years. Throughout the Middle East even coffee is brewed with ground cardamom seeds, reducing its acid and neutralizing the stimulating effects of caffeine (plus, it tastes good!). Cardamom is also one of the richest sources of the phytochemical cineole, a potent antiseptic for bad breath, gum disease, sore throats, and respiratory conditions."

http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/2786?utm_source=EatingWisely&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=EatingWisely

"While the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease says food allergies occur in 6 to 8 percent of kids, and about 4 percent of adults, there's a lot of self-diagnosis, overdiagnosis, and just plain misdiagnosis Bahna says."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/11/12/131279854/allergy-expert-says-peanut-bans-are-an-overre

You don't have to skip dessert this Thanksgiving!  Check out this Pumpkin Rice Pudding Recipe!!!  I'm on my way to the kitchen ya'll....


http://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy-meal-makeover-pumpkin-rice-pudding/package/index.html

I wanted to let you know about a great new resource to help with feeding our kids.  This can be the first place to look when you are wondering about feeding your kids.  Teaching your kids about how to eat well (other than by setting an example!!!) is a tough job.  There are lots of tough questions, like: What is the best way to handle a picky eater?  What do I do if my child will not try a new food?  What do I say if my child wants candy?  Does my child eat enough protein?  Check it out!

http://www.eatright.org/kids/

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/dr-weils-simple-roasted-root-vegetables/?ref=healthupdate&nl=health&emc=healthupdateemb2

The effort to educate and offer healthy choices to consumers is a big enough job.  The intrusion of big business and government policy sure does make the job even tougher.  Educate yourself about who is funding the research!!

" The organization’s activities, revealed through interviews and records, provide a stark example of inherent conflicts in the Agriculture Department’s historical roles as both marketer of agriculture products and America’s nutrition police.
In one instance, Dairy Management spent millions of dollars on research to support a national advertising campaign promoting the notion that people could lose weight by consuming more dairy products, records and interviews show. The campaign went on for four years, ending in 2007, even though other researchers — one paid by Dairy Management itself — found no such weight-loss benefits.   "

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/us/07fat.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha1
  

If you notice that you struggle more with making healthy food choices and overeating when you are stressed, I have good news!!!  A new study finds that the changes which occur in your very CELLS when you meditate can alter your ability to cope with stress. Learning the skill of calming your mind and eating mindfully can alter your ability to change your eating habits.  Check it out....

"The effect appears to be attributable to psychological changes that increase a person's ability to cope with stress and maintain feelings of well-being. "

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/206714.php

"Dr. Goldacre has his favorite nemeses, one of the most prominent being the popular British TV nutritionist Gillian McKeith, whose books and diet supplements are wildly successful. According to her Web site, “Gillian McKeith earned a Doctorate (PhD) in Holistic Nutrition from the American Holistic College of Nutrition, which is now known as the Clayton College of Natural Health.” (The college closed in July of this year.) Clayton was not accredited, and offered a correspondence course to get a Ph.D. that cost $6,400. She is also a “certified professional member” of the American Association of Nutritional Consultants, where, Dr. Goldacre writes, he managed to get certification for Hettie, his dead cat, for $60. Ms. McKeith has agreed not to call herself “Dr.” anymore. "      

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/02/science/02scibks.html?_r=1&nl=&emc=a210