Back to School: Back to Trans Fat?

Lots of different foods that are packed in lunchboxes across America are historically trans fat contributors...like

• donuts


• chips


• fruit pies


• candy bars


• store-bought muffins


• some crackers


• cookies

Instead of these sweet and crunchy items, pack more healthful lunchbox options every chance you get. At the very least, check the label of all packaged or processed foods for trans fats - especially products in the aforementioned categories.

Some companies have lessened or eliminated the use of partially hydrogenated oils in their products in order to bring the trans fat amount to zero or near zero. Other products, like a popular brand of packaged donuts, still have shockingly high amounts of trans fats.

If you find one of these products that still has a shockingly high amounts of trans fat, let us know!

Related Topics:

• Wondering What to Pack for School Lunches?
• What Are Your Kids Having for Lunch?

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Got Heart? One More Reason to Watch Your Sodium

There is that well-known benefit of lowering blood pressure associated with eating a lower sodium diet. But more and more researchers are finding that there are definitely desirable long-term benefits as well.

A new study, published in the British Medical Journal April 20, 2007, looked at the data from two trials involving adults age 30-54 with pre-hypertension. Trial #1 with 744 participants included dietary sodium reduction and counseling regarding lower sodium intake for 18 months while Trial #2 involved 2382 participants and lasted 36-48 months.

The researchers followed up on these participants 10-15 years after the original trials.

They found that the people who participated in the sodium lowering interventions had a 25-30% lower risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event.

So, it looks like this is more evidence suggesting the short term benefit to reducing sodium in your diet is a reduction of blood pressure but the long term benefit seems to be a reduced risk of cardiovascular events.

~~Elaine

Related Topics:

• Reduce Salt in Your Diet
• Ornish Lifestyle Program

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Taste Test Tuesday: Fiber One Oats & Chocolate (naturally flavored) Bars

When you are reading labels and a small chewy bar with 140 calories has 9 grams of fiber...it gets your attention. Wowie Zowie! That's a lot of fiber. Then you look at the grams of sugar thinking...is this another case of the "sugar helping the medicine go down?" Well, sort of. Each bar contains 10 grams of sugar, which calculates to about 28% calories from sugar.

So what's in this 9-gram fiber bar? The first ingredient is chicory root extract (sounds awfully "wholesome"), then comes chocolate chips, then rolled oats, crisp rice, and barley flakes. After that come the sweeteners like high maltose corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and sugar (which would explain the 10 grams of sugar per bar).

How did they taste? The taste was as good and quite comparable to other popular chewy granola bars out there...and at least this one has a PUNCH of fiber. It has a nice substantial size to it too, so given the size (volume) and the amount of fiber, I'm hoping this bar will stick with you a bit longer than most.

1 Bar (40 grams) Oats & Chocolate =
140 calories
2 g protein
29 g carbohydrate
10 g sugar
9 g fiber
4 g fat
1.5 g saturated fat
0 g trans
0 mg cholesterol
90 mg sodium

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Truth About Fiber
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What's in Your Cupholder? Not Soda, I Hope!

What's wrong with drinking lots of soda each day? Let me count the ways...

It seems to me, handing 16-ounce bottles of sweetened soda to a nation that is in the middle of an obesity epidemic may not be the best idea. When I think of "junk food" pretty much the first thing I think of is sweetened soda and drinks because it's the perfect example of a food/beverage that contributes calories without any nutritional value.

Study after study is coming out adding weight to my argument. The latest was in the journal Circulation (2007; 116: 480-488). Consumption of sweetened soft drinks has been linked to obesity in children and adolescents but these researchers set out to discover whether it increases metabolic risk in middle-aged individuals.

(I'm now confirming that I, in fact, do not yet qualify as "middle aged" if I am technically in my "mid-forties," right? ...but I digress.)

According to their results, drinking one or more soft drink per day was associated with increased odds of developing metabolic syndrome (obesity, increased waist circumference, impaired fasting glucose, higher blood pressure, high triglycerides, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. And that was after adjustments were made for age, sex, physical activity, smoking, dietary intake of saturated fat, trans fat, fiber, magnesium, total calories, and glycemic index.

If you are a soda drinker and you can't imagine ever cutting it out of your life, cut back on it as far as you can. There are all sorts of other beverage options out there, many of which are the opposite of junk food because they offer nutritional benefits with little or no calories, like green or black tea; even coffee is suspected of having health attributes.

Related Topics:

• Help for Soda Lovers
• WebMD Video: Metabolic Syndrome

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Do Food Commercials Make You Eat More?

If you've ever wondered if watching advertisements for assorted types of processed food products encourages children to eat more, some research suggests your suspicions are more than warranted.

Researchers from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom, exposed 60 children between age 9 and 11, of varying weights, to both food advertisements and toy advertisement, followed by a cartoon and free food.

More food was eaten after the food advertisements than after the commercials for toys. Interestingly the obese children increased their consumption of food the most (134%) compared to overweight children (101%) and normal weight children (84%).

First of all, I'm not surprised by these results. That is the whole point of food advertising, isn't it? To encourage consumption of the product? If it didn't work, why would food and beverage companies continue to spend millions on advertising? It does appear, though, that obese and overweight children are particularly vulnerable to this and that in itself is alarming and worth noting to appropriate government agencies.

~~Elaine

Related Topics:

• Children and Media
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Taste Test Tuesday: Trader Joe's Black Bean & Cheese Taquitos

Black Bean Taquitos...not something my kids would normally get in line to try. But let me tell you, these were darn good. What impressed me on the label was that 4 taquitos (about what I would call a pretty reasonable serving as an entrèe) contained 7 grams of fiber. These taquitos seem pretty balanced with each serving having 12 grams of protein and 11 grams of fat to balance the 42 grams of carbohydrate.

I know the 11 grams of fat might be a bit higher than you expect from a bean-based taquito (32% calories from fat). But most of those grams are from mono and polyunsaturated fats with only 2 grams coming from saturated fat.

The first five ingredients are:

• tortilla (corn, water, lime)
• black beans (black beans, water, onion, garlic)
• mushrooms
• jack cheese
• jalapeño peppers

Pretty wholesome stuff here! To keep the nutritional content what you see on the label, follow the package directions for heating in the microwave and skip the option for pan-frying in one inch of hot oil.

4 taquitos = 310 calories, 12 g protein, 42 g carbohydrate, 11 g fat, 2 g
saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 7 g fiber, 180 mg sodium.
Calories from fat: 32 percent.
15% Daily Value for Vitamin A
20% Daily Value for calcium

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• Beans: Protein-Rich Superfoods
• Easy Ways to Keep Your Portions Healthy

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Trans Fat Tidbits

By now I'm sure you've heard that Trans Fats are "bad" fats; these heart disease promoting fats form when oils are partially hydrogenated. Food companies have been seemingly madly trying to reformulate their products so that the trans fat amount (at least on the label) reads, "zero."

[Keep in mind that the FDA allows companies to claim "zero" grams of trans if a food has up to .5 grams of trans fat per serving]

Well, luckily the nonprofit Center For Science In The Public Interest is on the case. They conducted an admittedly limited supermarket survey and found that at least 150 different products (in the categories of stick margarines, pot pies, fruit pies, microwave popcorn, frozen pizzas, pastries and donuts, cookies and other convenience foods) still have a day's worth of trans fat. The American Heart Association advises Americans to consume no more than 2 grams of trans fat per day.

So what about natural trans fat?

Trans fats are found naturally in meat, butter, milk and cheese and they do have a different chemical structure than the ones that are created when oil is partially hydrogenated. Most of the natural trans we get is thought to come from milk that contains fat. If you tend to choose skim milk and lean meats, chances are pretty good that you are getting very little natural trans.

Stay tuned on whether some forms of natural trans fats, such as CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) may actually be helpful. More research needs to be done.

~~Elaine

Related Topics:

• Where are Trans Fats Hiding?
• Trans Fats: The Science and the Risk

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Taste Test Tuesday: White Bread Lovers 100% Whole Wheat Bread

If you like white bread but know you should be eating 100% whole wheat bread, this is the bread for you. Sara Lee just launched a couple new choices in its Soft & Smooth bread line including their 100% Honey Wheat Bread.

This bread has the taste and soft texture of the "honey wheat breads" on the shelf that ARE NOT 100% whole wheat, but it's made with 100% whole-wheat flour. Yes, indeed, the first ingredient is "whole wheat flour." You have to look after tasting this bread because it seems so much softer than the 100% whole wheat breads you've tasted before.

It does list high fructose corn syrup as its 4th ingredient with honey as its 5th, but in two slices of the bread there are 5 grams of sugar, 26 total grams of carbohydrate, and 4 grams of fiber!

And thanks to fortification, two slices also contributes 10% Daily Value for calcium. I'll tell you what you won't find in this bread; partially hydrogenated oils (and trans fats) and artificial colors and flavors.

It's no hearty 100% multi-grain bread mind you, with oats blanketing the top, but it's a great bread for white bread lovers who are trying to make the transition to whole grain, and that's an important step to take. I'm glad there's a bread to help them do just that.

~~Elaine

Related Topics:

• Tips for Reaping the Benefits of Whole Grains
• Whole Grains Get Hearty Support

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What to Look For in an Energy Bar

When traveling or spending a day hiking or wherever your summer plans lead you... packing a couple of energy bars along can come in handy. They have to taste good to you, of course, but what about what's inside?

According to the American College of Sports Medicine (and shouldn't THEY know what to look for in an energy bar) if exercising, it's important to select a bar (PDF file):

• With about 25-40 grams of carbohydrate


• With less than 15 grams of protein, because it's not a crucial fuel source during exercise.


• Without too much fat (some bars can pack a wallop of fat grams) because fat slows digestion and isn't helpful as fuel during exercise.
  

They also suggest eating one bar about an hour before a long workout and if exercising for more than an hour, eat one high-carb bar per hour of exercise (and don't forget to drink ample amounts of water too).

Do my favorite sports bars follow all of the above?

• Luna Iced Oatmeal Raisin: 28 grams carbohydrate 10 grams protein, 3.5 grams fat


• Clif Bar Blueberry Crisp: 43 grams carbohydrate, 9 grams protein, 5 grams fat
  

Do yours?

~~Elaine

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• Energy Drinks for Sale

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Taste Test Tuesday: 5 Bites of Heaven

Dove Miniatures come in vanilla, double chocolate and my favorite...cherry royale!

If you ever find yourself face to face with a Dove Miniature, (individually wrapped chocolate covered ice cream pieces) promise me you won't shove the whole thing in your mouth and swallow it within about 10 seconds.

Instead, get in a "mindful" space, just be aware of your taste buds and what they are tasting, and literally take small mouse-like bites, savoring each small bite. Roll the small bite around with your tongue and really experience the creaminess and the hint of dark chocolate blanketing each bite.

I was able to enjoy about 5 heavenly bites in one Dove Miniature. What did
these 5 bites of heaven cost me? Are you ready?

60 calories
4 grams of fat
2.5 grams saturated fat
5 mg cholesterol
6 grams of carbohydrate
1 gram protein

A small price to pay, don't you think?

~~Elaine

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• Dark Chocolate is Healthy Chocolate
• Recipe: Vanilla, Chocolate or Coffee Ice Cream

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The Soda Fountain Gets a Makeover

What screams "ice cream social" or "American soda fountain favorite" more than a root beer float? With the awesome light vanilla ice creams out now and a couple of diet root beer sodas on the supermarket shelves, a totally cool but low cal root beer float is only a minute away. Here's how to put one together for only 100 Calories!

The 100-Calorie Root Beer Float

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup (ice cold) diet root beer
1/2 cup scoop of light vanilla ice cream or low fat frozen yogurt

Directions:

1. Pour ice cold diet root beer into a tall mug or glass (ice cold root beer so the vanilla ice cream won't melt as quickly).
2. Plop in a scoop of light vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt into the glass. Serve with a long spoon and/or a straw.

Yield: Makes 1 serving

Per serving: 100 calories, 2 g protein, 17 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat, 1.5 g
saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 0 g fiber, 90 mg sodium. Calories from
fat: 27 percent calories from fat.

~~Elaine

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• Frozen Treats Pack Calories
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