Food and Nutrition

11 FOODS AND DRINKS DIET EXPERTS WON'T TOUCH

By Dana Leigh Smith

What do ketchup and cereal have in common? Nutritionists won’t eat them.

Imagine that you were given the opportunity to peek into the daily diets of nine top-notch nutritionists and dietitians. What would you take note of? Likely not the array of fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean meats, dairy and healthy fats on their plates—that’s practically a given. What you’d really want to hone in on was all the things they didn’t let pass their lips!

If eaten in moderation, many experts feel there is a place for just about every food in a balanced diet. But as it turns out, there are a number of foods out there that they personally wouldn’t let into their grocery cart, let alone their mouth. Some are in line with what you might expect—but others are pretty surprising (like cereal!). Although, you may not be ready to give up your Frosted Flakes quite yet, get a sneak peak into the eating habits of those who live and breathe nutrition daily.

1

GRANOLA

“One of the leading health food impostors, this common yogurt and ice cream topper has nearly 600 calories, 30 grams of fat, and 24 grams of sugar in one tiny cup. That’s the equivalent of eating not one, but two slices of cheesecake. Which would you prefer? While some granola brands do offer up some nutrition such as fiber, protein and iron, the cons certainly outweigh the pros here. Switch to a lighter alternative like Cheerios or Special K. They pack the same satisfying crunch with a fraction of the calories, fat and sugar.” - Lisa Moskovitz, R.D., founder of The NY Nutrition Group

2

EGG
BEATERS

“Eggs that come out of a container are not a health food. Heat pasteurized and made from factory-farmed eggs, this product is processed so much that makers actually have to add in synthetic vitamins to boost its nutrient density. This is as far removed from a natural egg as you can get.” - Dana James CDN, a nutritionist from Food Coach NYC

3

KETCHUP

“Sure it tastes good on just about everything, but what you might not realize is how quickly the sugar and calories in ketchup can accumulate. Just one measly tablespoon has up to four grams of sugar and 20 calories—which might not seem like a lot—but the average consumer will douse their food with at least four or five. Plus, it’s loaded with high fructose corn syrup, which has been shown to increase appetite and, over time, lead to health problems such as obesity and diabetes. If you really can't live without the stuff, use an all-natural version with no added sugar, chemicals or HFCS.” - Lisa Moskovitz, R.D., founder of The NY Nutrition Group.

4

JUICE

“Juice is just a sugary beverage masked to be a healthy. Although there are some vitamins in it because of its fruit content, some varieties have just as much sugar as a soda. Plus, when you transform produce into juice, you take away its fiber—one of the major benefits of consuming whole fruits and vegetables.” - Leah Kaufman, MS, RD, CDN a New York City-based Registered Dietitian

5

SPAM

“Spam is high in both blood pressure-spiking sodium and artery-clogging fat, which no one really needs to be eating more of. Unless you're saving in for a horrific power outage, there are better canned proteins to choose from!” - Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, President and Founder of Toby Amidor Nutrition

6

COLD
CEREAL

“Most cold cereals are carb-laden, sweet and highly processed. They are definitely not the breakfast of champions—at least not thin champions. If you start your day with a bowl, you will continue to crave carbs as the day goes on. Plus, since it’s not particularly satiating, you will likely be hungry just two hours later.” - Lauren Slayton, MS RD, founder of Foodtrainers

7

FLAVORED
COFFEE CREAMER

“I avoid flavored coffee creamers because they are filled with fake ingredients that can do more harm than the flavor is worth. Packed with partially hydrogenated oils (which are just trans fats in disguise), artificial sweeteners, carrageenan and artificial coloring, this seemingly innocent coffee addiction can raise dangerous LDL cholesterol levels and increase the risk of blood clots and heart attack. The healthier choice would be a half and half that only lists milk and cream as ingredients.” - Gina Consalvo, MA, RD, LDN, Pennsylvania-based owner of Eat Well with Gina

8

CHEESE
FRIES

“When I see cheese fries on the menu, I wonder why the dish even exists. They take a perfectly nutritious potato, deep fry it and then to top it all off, they load it up with salty, greasy, processed cheese. No, thank you.” - Christine M. Palumbo, MBA, RDN, FAND, a Chicago area registered dietitian and nutrition communications consultant

9

HOT
DOGS

“When you’re grilling outside, hot dogs may be the first thing that comes to mind, but they should not be the first thing to hit your plate. Not only are they high in fat, one dog also has more than a quarter of the day’s sodium. Throw this salty dog in a bun and drown it in condiments, and you’ve got yourself a diet disaster. Not to mention, research has shown a correlation between processed meats and colorectal cancer.” - Jim White, R.D., personal trainer and registered dietitian

10

NUTELLA

Nutella is one of those foods that people believe to be healthy because it contains a nut. Although hazelnuts are naturally healthy on their own, they lose their nutrients when they’re transformed into the sweet spread. With over 20 grams of added sugar and only two grams of protein, there’s little reason to indulge.” - Leah Kaufman, MS, RD, CDN a New York City based Registered Dietitian

11

CHEESY

PUFFS

“First they crunch, then they melt in your mouth. Cheesy puffs may be delicious, but the unnaturally bright orange snack should be avoided. Not only do their scary chemicals make them totally addictive, but because they are made up of so much air, the brain can’t tell that the stomach is filling up even though the calories are adding up.” - Libby Mills, MS, RDN, LDN, Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Food and Nutrition


                        

THE DANGERS AND SIDE EFFECTS OF DRINKING COKE

    

By Dana Leigh Smithhttp://www.eatthis.com/

Russell Brand is to Hollywood as soda is the beverage aisle: They’re both alluring bad-boys, and we just can’t seem to get enough.

Though most of us know that sipping a chemical-laced cola is bad for our health and can make it near-impossible to lose weight, sometimes a craving for an ice-cold can is too difficult to ignore. We get it. But if you’re looking for a way to kick the habit for good we have the answer.

A new infographic created by a former pharmacist breaks down what happens inside the body the first hour after polishing off a can of Coke in five- and ten-minute intervals. And honestly, it's downright horrifying. If this doesn’t help you overcome your cola habit, we’re not sure what will.

AFTER TEN MINUTES...

According to the graphic, ten minutes after your last sip an entire day’s worth of sugar hits your system. The only reason it doesn't make you sick to your stomach is because Coke is filled with phosphoric acid (a chemical used in fertilizer and soap), which cuts the flavor of the sweetness.

AFTER 20 MINUTES...

Your blood sugar spikes, which causes an insulin burst. In response, your liver converts all the sugar it can get its hands on into fat—and right after you’ve downed a Coke, there are at least ten teaspoons worth in your system.

AFTER 45 MINUTES...

Because of all the sugar, you’ll be hit with a surge of dopamine—much like when someone takes heroin.

60 MINUTES AND BEYOND...

Fifteen minutes later, nature is sure to call—and you’ll literally piss away all the electrolytes, calcium (a nutrient that boosts satiety and builds strong bones) and water that your body was about to absorb and utilize. After a bit more time passes, expect a major sugar crash that leaves you sluggish and irritable.

Images Courtesy Of The Renegade Pharmacist & Fotoatelie / Shutterstock.com

Freaky New Food Ingredients Are Turning Up in Your Food, Watchdog Group Finds

Food and Nutrition

                                

                                                      

Freaky New Food Ingredients Are Turning Up in Your Food, Watchdog Group Finds

 

 

By Leah Zerbe

http://www.rodalenews.com

Food ingredients definitely not worth eating are hiding out in your favorite foods, a new investigation uncovers.

In just the past few months, we've learned many Americans are unknowingly eating a plastic yoga mat chemical routinely used in bread and had the news that trans fats once thought "safe" are causing 20,000 heart attacks a year. But recent food-safety politics don't end there. A new investigation from a national watchdog group just identified a gaping loophole that's allowing hundreds of new and questionable chemicals into the food supply, possibly endangering public health.

According to Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), some food companies are using a loophole in the Food Additives Amendment of 1958 allowing manufacturers to hire their own experts—sometimes their own employees—to perform safety reviews of new chemical food ingredients. Many are using their own tests to say that a new food ingredient meets the "generally recognized as safe," or GRAS, requirement of the law. Companies aren't even required to submit the company-sponsored safety data to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for review.

That's right, companies are allowed to determine if an ingredient is safe before pumping it into processed foods. Can you say conflict of interest? Ultimately, Congress has final power in closing the loophole that lives in the federal GRAS law. Until then, NRDC is asking the FDA to limit the activity, urging the federal agency to require a mandatory alert if a company is self-approving a new chemical to be used in food.

The problem stems from an outdated law that doesn't align with the modern world's level of chemical development for new food ingredients. Originally passed in 1958, NRDC says the exemption was designed to prevent a lengthy FDA approval process for common ingredients like vinegar and vegetable oil—things generally recognized as safe in the scientific community. Decades later, companies are using the exemption loophole to approve hundreds—or even thousands—of new chemicals to be used as food ingredients, NRDC says.

Here are some other key findings from the report:

• Currently, 275 chemicals used by 56 companies appear to be marketed as GRAS and used in many food products based on the companies' own safety determinations.

• When FDA does catch wind of a chemical proposed for use in food, the agency often asks tough questions, according to information NRDC received through a Freedom of Information Act request. Under the loophole, companies aren't required to answer them and may continue to sell the chemical for use in food.

• Companies have sometimes certified their chemicals as safe for use in food despite potentially serious allergic reactions or adverse reactions in combination with common drugs.

• If a company does take the voluntary step to have FDA review its safety data, it's able to withdraw the request if it appears the FDA might reject it.

                                               

That seems to be what happened in four NRDC case studies. FDA had serious concerns about these four ingredients' safety, but they went on to be marketed to the public anyway:

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG)
 

A company determined it as safe for use in beverages including teas, sport drinks, and juices, despite FDA's citation of evidence that it may cause leukemia in fetuses in human cell tests. Animal studies showed it affects the thyroid, testes, spleen, pituitary, liver, and gastrointestinal tract.

Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA)
 

A company determined it as safe for use in beverages, chewing gum, coffee, tea, and candy, despite FDA concerns that estimated exposure was much higher than what the company itself considered safe.

Sweet lupin protein, fiber, and flour
 

A company determined it as safe for use in baked goods, dairy products, gelatin, meats, and candy, despite FDA-raised questions about whether the chemicals would cause serious allergic reactions in those with peanut allergies.

Theobromine

 
A company determined as safe for use in bread, cereal, beverages, chewing gum, tea, soy milk, gelatin, candy, and yogurt and fruit smoothies, even though FDA thought the amount people would actually eat could be five times higher than the safe consumption level reported by the company.

The best way to avoid these questionable additives is to eat organic and cook from scratch as much as possible. For more foods to avoid—and healthier replacements—read 14 Foods You Should Never Eat.

Health

                                                                      

20 Life-Changing Shortcuts to Make Adulthood Easier

 

                                                           

                                                              Don't you want to know how to get a glass of white wine cold in five minutes?

By Anna Breslaw

By Cosmopolitan.com | Healthy Living

Don't you want to know how to get a glass of white wine cold in five minutes?

1. Always get the name of the person you are speaking with. Because an effective way to argue with some corporate person on the other line is not: "The person I spoke with last time I called Con Ed said that I'd paid my bill." That sounds like you either spoke to a ghost or are trying to scam the electric company. Save yourself some time and energy: "I spoke to Ashley, her employee number is 1234567, and she said I'd paid my bill." 

RELATED: 24 Things That Are More Fun When You Get Older

 

2. Leave your heels under your desk at work and wear sneakers for the commute. It may feel fun and rom-commy to be running through the streets to work in your heels, but that wears off its charm the second you feel the first blister forming. 

3. You don't have to drop a zillion dollars on anti-aging face cream - just get a drugstore brand with retinol. Our beauty editor Carly Cardellino says that you do not need to let an upscale makeup store salesperson talk you into getting a $300 serum made of crushed-up diamonds. Just go to CVS. 

4. Use adhesive velcro to stick phone and laptop chargers underneath your desk. You WILL NOT be the girl whose phone dies every afternoon at 4 p.m. 

5. Did you accidentally send a text to the wrong person? DON'T PANIC. Put your phone on airplane mode and it will fail to deliver. You're so welcome. 

6. Order your drinks at "kids' temperature" at coffee shops. You'll save yourself a burnt tongue, the biggest #firstworldproblem our nation faces today. 

7. Marshmallows help sore throats. So you've got an excuse to treat yourself when mouth-breathing Linda at work gives you a cold. 

RELATED: 16 Signs You're Finally Becoming a Grown-Up

 

8. If some dude keeps blowing up your phone, send him the following text message. "SERVICE ERROR 305: MESSAGE DELIVERY FAILED. FURTHER MESSAGES WILL BE CHARGED TO YOUR ACCOUNT." Take that, Neckbeard. 

9. When you heat leftovers, space out a circle in the center of them. It'll make them heat more evenly. Because nobody likes scalding hot potatoes and cold meat, except maybe aliens. 

10. If you've got a ridiculously expensive candle that's burned too low to light with a regular lighter or match, use a dry spaghetti stick.

 

11. To avoid a mess at your #AdultDinnerParties, use unscented dental floss to neatly cut cheese or dessert.

 

12. Plump up a flattened pillow again by putting it in the sun for 30 minutes. I don't know why this works. It just does. I'm 27 now, and I know things.

RELATED: 23 Questions Every Twentysomething Asks Herself Once

 

13. Those plastic hangers you sometimes get when you buy clothes from places like Old Navy have clips that are good for keeping bags of chips fresh.

 

14. Wrapping a wet paper towel around your warm beer and putting it in the freezer will make it frosty in 15 minutes. Like Paula Cole, you don't wanna wait. To have a beer. 

15. And frozen grapes chill white wine while you drink it. Just freeze the grapes. (Delicious summer snack too, bee-tee-dubz.) 

16. A hanging shoe rack is great for storing cleaning supplies on the side of your bathroom door. Instead of tripping over your spray bottle of OxyClean every time you have to pee. 

17. If nothing's worked for a bad breakout or you've been feeling run-down, use apple cider vinegar as an all-purpose healing mechanism. Dilute it with water to use as a toner, shampoo, or dietary supplement... just make sure it's one of these, with "the mother" in it. Salad dressing will not improve your skin. 

18. Run out of bleach for a load of your white laundry? Use white vinegar. It's better for removing pit stains and general body-related clothing stains anyway. 

19. Get removable platform shelves for your cabinets and closets. Double the space! And you will never ever get around to installing actual shelves. 

20. Set up Kayak price alerts for flights to every city you eventually want to visit. Maybe you didn't plan on that long weekend in Paris this year, but for a round-trip flight that cheap, what the hell, right? 

Today's Health Tips

                                                       

 5 Viruses That Are Scarier Than Ebola

 

By By Elizabeth Palermo

Staff Writer 

LiveScience.com 

• Play Video
  Ebola Highlights Growing Global Virus Threat
  
  
  
• View PhotoA microscopic view of the Ebola virus.

The Ebola virus has now killed more than 1,000 people in West Africa. Although the mortality rate of the most recent outbreak isn't as high as in previous events, it's still the case that most people who become infected with Ebola will not survive. (The mortality rate is about 60 percent for the current outbreak, compared with 90 percent in the past, according to the National Institutes of Health.)

But despite this somber prognosis, health experts in the United States aren't particularly worried about the threat of Ebola in this countryor in other developed countries.

"I see Ebola as a significant threat in the specific regions that it has been identified in, certainly central and west Africa," said Cecilia Rokusek, a public health expert with Nova Southeastern University's Institute for Disaster and Emergency Preparedness in Florida. "But in my opinion, it's not an imminent threat for those in the United States." [7 Devastating Infectious Diseases]

Indeed, other viruses pose a larger threat to U.S. citizens, according to Rokusek.

Although some of these viruses have far lower mortality rates than that of Ebola, they are more prevalent in developed nations, and kill more people annually than Ebola does. Here are five viruses that are just as dangerous (if not more so) than Ebola:

Rabies

Over the past 100 years, rabies has declined significantly as a public health threat in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Approximately two people now die yearly in the United States from this virus, which is transmitted to people through saliva when they are bitten by infected animals, such as dogs or bats.

People who know they have been bitten by an animal should receive the rabies vaccine, which prevents infection by the virus, according to the CDC. But, especially in the case of bat bites, people may not always realize they have been bitten.

And rabies has one of the highest fatality rates of any virus; only three people in the United States are known to have ever survived the disease without receiving the vaccine after exposure to the virus.

Still, the disease remains a greater threat in other areas of the world than in the United States. Approximately 55,000 people die of rabies every year in Africa and Asia, according to the WHO.

HIV

Though the number of annual deaths related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has declined in recent years, an estimated 1.6 million people worldwide died of HIV and autoimmune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) related causes in 2012, according to the WHO. The virus attacks a person's immune cells and weakens the immune system over time, making it very difficult for the infected individual to fight off other diseases.

About 15,500 people with an AIDS diagnosis died in 2010 in the United States, according to the CDC. In total, an estimated 650,000 people have died of AIDS in the United States since the disease was discovered in 1981. An estimated 36 million people have died worldwide from the epidemic.

Today, people with HIV do live longer than they used to, a trend that coincides with the increased availability of antiretroviral therapy, as well as the decline in new infections since the peak of the AIDS epidemic in 1997. However, no cure for HIV exists.

Influenza

The flu may not sound very scary, but it kills far more people every year than Ebola does. The exact number of people who die each year from seasonal flu virus is the subject of much debate, but the CDC puts the average number of annual deaths in the United States somewhere between 3,000 and 49,000.

The large variation in yearly deaths arises because many flu deaths are not reported as such, so the CDC relies on statistical methods to estimate the number. Another reason for this wide range is that annual flu seasons vary in severity and length, depending on what influenza viruses are most prominent. In years when influenza A (H3N2) viruses are prominent, death rates are typically more than double what they are in seasons when influenza A (H1N1) or influenza B viruses predominate, according to the CDC.

A highly contagious virus, influenza sickens far more people than it kills, with an estimated 3 million to 5 million people becoming seriously ill yearly from influenza viruses. Worldwide, the flu causes an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 deaths every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Despite the relatively low mortality rate of the virus, public health professionals and doctors recommend annual flu shots to keep the risk of complications from influenza at bay.

"Healthy people should get their vaccines every year," Rokusek told Live Science. "Studies have shown that the flu vaccine is an effective preventative measure."

But flu vaccines, which offer immunity from influenza A and B viruses, do not protect against other forms of influenza, which can arise when the virus undergoes genetic changes. New strains of the flu result in higher than average mortality rates globally. The most recent influenza pandemic, the "swine flu" or H1N1 pandemic, killed between 151,700 and 575,400 people globally during 2009 and 2010, according to the CDC.

Mosquito-borne viruses

Spread through the bite of an infected mosquito, viruses such as dengue, West Nile and yellow fever kill more than 50,000 people worldwide every year, according to estimates by the WHO and the CDC. (Malaria — which is also spread by mosquitos, but is caused by a parasite rather than a virus — kills more than 600,00 people yearly.)

At least 40 percent of the world's population, or about 2.5 billion people, are at risk of serious illness and death from mosquito-borne viral diseases, according to the CDC.

Dengue fever, which is endemic to parts of South America, Mexico, Africa and Asia, claims approximately 22,000 lives every year, according to the CDC. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a deadly infection that causes high fevers and can lead to septic shock.

These diseases occur in regions neighboring the United States, making them a threat in this country.

"Dengue is very active in the Caribbean, and travelers to the Caribbean come back to the United States with dengue," said Dr. Robert Leggiadro, a New York physician and professor of biology at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. 

People infected with dengue while traveling abroad can spread the disease at home when mosquitos bite them, and then bite other people, Leggiadro said.

Even more deadly than dengue is yellow fever, which mostly affects people in Latin America and Africa. The disease causes an estimated 30,000 deaths worldwide, according to the WHO.

Less deadly, but still dangerous is West Nile virus, a viral neurological disease that is spread by mosquitos that bite humans after feasting on birds infected with the virus. Although the vast majority of people infected with this virus will not show symptoms of West Nile, the disease has killed an estimated 1,200 people in the United States since it was first seen here in 1999, according to the CDC.

Rotavirus

Not everyone is at high risk of contracting rotavirus, but for children around the world, this gastrointestinal virus is a very serious problem. Approximately 111 million cases of gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus are reported every year globally, according to the CDC. The vast majority of those affected by the virus are children under the age of 5, and about 82 percent of deaths associated with the virus occur in children in developing nations.

Globally, an estimated 440,000 children who contract the virus die each year from complications, namely dehydration. In the United States, a vaccine for rotavirus was developed in 1998, but was later recalled due to safety concerns. A newer vaccine, developed in 2006, is now available and is recommended for children ages 2 months and older.

Despite routine vaccinations for rotavirus in the United States, the CDC estimates that between 20 and 60 children under age 5 die every year from untreated dehydration caused by the virus.

While some parents in the United States have expressed concern about the complications that may arise as a result of vaccinating for rotavirus, Leggiadro told Live Science that vaccination for this and other preventable diseases is the best way to safeguard against diseases that, if left untreated, can be deadly.

 

Follow Elizabeth Palermo @techEpalermo.