Health Halo ... in 'Low-Fat' Foods

Low fat foods are a trend now - they are more available and more customers are asking for them. They are labeled as 'low-fat', 'reduced fat', 'light' or 'lite'. But what you may disregard is that foods with fat extracted from them will have to increase ‘something’ during processing - whether sugar, salt and/or artificial ingredients and flavors - to compensate for any loss in taste! In fact, not only do lipids make the food taste better, but they also give a delicious slippery texture on the tongue and throat. Therefore, new flavors and ingredients must be added to get customers to buy such products - taste and mouthfeel. The highly used ingredients added are commonly high-fructose corn syrup, sodium and artificial sweeteners. So, if you want to have low-fat foods, keep in mind to assess how much you, your health, your weight loss/maintenance program and your body need that extra ingredient you’re about to have.

Photo credit: lifehacker.com

On another hand, a study from Cornell Univeristy shows that when foods are labelled as ‘low-fat’, people were less guilty to eat them, they were encouraged to eat up to 50 % more and they took around 90 extra calories than they would have had if that claim was just not present on the food label! This trick is called Health Halo: when customers check such claims, they automatically underestimate the caloric content – consequently eating more.


Bottom line

1- Know what such claims mean for the nutrient you're looking for. 'Low, Little, Fewer' adjectives are different than 'Lower, Reduced' claims as well as they are different when describing fat, saturated fat, cholesterol or calories. So check this FDA's explanation sheet to understand more what each claim for each nutrient REALLY means. Therefore, read your food label properly – the food product might have lower nutrient or fat content than the original product and not in absolute content.

2- Don’t freak out from fats. Go for healthy ones – olive oil, olives, avocados  nuts, seeds and sunflower/corn/canola oils while ditching trans and saturated fats from fried, junk, refined and fast food! Your body requires them; they are much needed in absorbing vitamins A, D, E and K, protecting your organs, providing your with energy, producing hormones, developing your brain and in maintaining healthy cells and skin.

Don’t take low-fat foods for granted and definitely don’t treat them as free food!

Shopping for Fish this Summer!

The intake of fish and seafood increases with summer so it’s pretty crucial to ensure that what you are buying is fresh and safe! Just follow these tips for buying and storing fish and shellfish to keep your meal safe and delicious!

Shopping for Seafood

A faint sea odor is normal, but fresh seafood should not smell "fishy". Freshly cut fish, peeled crustaceans (shrimp, lobster and soft shell crabs) and mollusks (scallops, oysters, clams and mussels) should be moist, not slimy or dry around the edges.

Fresh fish should have clear, well-rounded eyes, not clouded, dry and sunken. The gills should be bright red, not darkened or slimy so ask that the gills be lifted up and check for sliminess and color! You can also place your finger on its skin for fish should feel moist and springy (skin should bounce back when you touch it) instead of having a mushy hole in it.

Fresh prawns, shrimp, lobster, soft shell crabs and rock shrimp should have a uniformly light-colored tail without any discoloration. Mollusks in the shell should be alive and hold tightly to their shells when handled. Moreover, when buying fresh oysters, look for a natural creamy color within a clear liquid.

Always buy fish last! You can pass by, choose your fish, ask them to be cleaned then pick them up at the end of your supermarket tour; I mean that’s what I do. This way  you will go directly to the cashier and then head home and right back to the fridge. If you know you’re running errands after your supermarket trip, keep a small fridge with ice in your trunk, where it’s best to place fresh milk and meats till you get home. By doing this, you will ensure that the temperature of foods that need to be stored in a cold temperature won’t increase to a point of proliferation health hazardous bacteria .

It's best to buy fresh seafood the day you're going to eat it. Now if you want to buy frozen fish, make sure there is no sign of thawing and refreezing crystals in the bottom of packages. If there are any tiny refrozen crystals, simply don’t buy that specific package. If that isn't possible, properly store it in the fridge or freezer until it is prepared and cooked.

Storage

Fresh fish, shrimp, scallops and lobster tails can be stored in tightly sealed storage bags or plastic containers and kept on ice in the refrigerator. Using this method, fresh scallops and crustacean tails will keep 3-4 days and fresh fish will keep 5-7 days.

Scallops, crustacean tails and fish can be frozen in water and stored in a freezer for 4-6 months (0 degrees Fahrenheit or lower). To thaw, leave them in the refrigerator overnight or you can place them under cold, running tap water immediately before you cook them.

Live, hard-shell mollusks can remain alive for a week to 10 days stored un-iced in the fridge, kept at 34 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fresh soft-shell crabs can be stored up to two days if wrapped in plastic and packed in ice in the fridge. They can keep for up to six months when wrapped in several layers of plastic and stored in a freezer (at 0 degrees Fahrenheit). It is important to thaw these overnight in the refrigerator only.

So bon appetite, grill your fish and seafood and enjoy ample of healthy omega 3 fatty acids!

Sources: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/

Rainbow Plates this March!

 

March is considered to be the annual month of Nutrition with this year’s theme being “Eat Right with Color”. A rainbow of fruits and vegetables creates a palette of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals on your plate, each with a different bundle of healthful benefits.
It is important to know that variety within each food group is essential because each offers unique nutritional benefits and supply different nutrients.

Green produce indicates antioxidant potential and may help promote healthy vision and reduce cancer risks. Fruits and vegetables that are green are rich in phyto-nutrients and antioxidants that
Fruits include avocado, green apples, green grapes, green pears, kiwifruit and limes whereas vegetables include artichoke, asparagus, zucchini, dark green leafy vegetables, spinach, mloukhiye, green peppers, broccoli, parsley, rocket, peas, okra, cabbage, mint and the list goes on! This is the most abundant variety we have in Lebanon from which we can benefit a lot when making our famous Fattouch salad!

Orange and deep yellow fruits and vegetables contain nutrients that promote healthy vision, healthy heart, better immunity and reduce the risk of some cancers.
Fruits include oranges, mango, cantaloupe, tangerines, pineapple, apricots, peach, papaya and yellow figs while orange vegetables include carrots, yellow pepper, pumpkins, sweet corn and sweet potatoes.
The rich orange color offers antioxidants such as carotenoids, bioflavonoids and the antioxidant vitamin C. The deeper the yellow/orange color, the more carotenoids these foods have!

Purple and blue options may have antioxidant and anti-aging benefits and may help with memory, urinary tract health, recurring infections and reduced cancer risks. Fruits that are purply are blackberries, blueberries, plums, raisin and purple figs while vegetables are eggplants and purple cabbage. These contain phenolic antioxidants and anthocyanins, which is responsible for the dark purple color.

Red and pink color indicate produce that may help maintain a healthy heart, vision, immunity and may reduce cancer risks. This color group delivers lycopene, a powerful carotenoid, as well as anthocyanin. Reddish fruits include strawberries, pomegranate, cranberries, red or pink grapes and watermelon and the vegetables can include beets, red onions, red bell pepper and tomatoes

Last but not least, the last member of the palette is white, tan and brown foods that contain nutrients promoting heart health and reduce cancer risks. These include fruits such as banana, pears, dates and white peaches in addition to vegetables such as cauliflower, mushroom, onions, turnips, potatoes and garlic. Selenium in mushrooms and allicin in garlic and onion are of great antioxidant potential.

In whatever meal you are having, always include a bowl of colorful mixed vegetables followed by a snack of delicious fruits!

For more information, check Eat right.org

Healthy Kids Snacks Ad in Beirut - Gone Wrong!

So I received an e-mail couple of days ago entitled: "*Company's Name* Beirut - Healthy Kids Snack". Intriguing, I said. Finally, some promotion for healthy snacks in my country for once!

Boy was I wrong! Unfortunately, all I got was what you see below.

• So in their Ad, which is not shown above since I had to crop it out - their phone number was all over the poster, they said "Toss out the junk food and start making snack time fun again!"
  >> I'm sorry to say but what they are promoting FOR KIDS is what everyone calls junk food: Food high in refined carbohydrates, low in fiber, prepared with ghee/butter, high in sugar, high in trans and saturated fats!
  
• They continued to market "When kids need that little something to get them through the day, this the collection to turn to"
  >> Wow! I mean whatever happened to the "common" ways of fueling your body with a bowl of skimmed milk, plain cornflakes and some fresh/dried fruits?
  
• Now "All our products are freshly baked without preservatives and made with the best ingredients" Yummy! Best ingredients! I love those... but what are they again? Probably the best sugar or butter in the world? Yum-Yum!
  
• Well from the huge variety given, you can only see one "your healthy cookies" description as a caption for the oat cookies -probably because these are the only ones with some fibers! So maybe- maybeee, these might be healthy, depending on how they are prepared.

Either way, I suggest that home-made cookies, plain cakes, cheesecakes, brownies and muffins should be taken in moderation for both adults and kids.

So next time it's SNACK TIME and "kids need that little something to get them through the day" 
>> Go for a cup of strawberries, a banana, a fruit salad, dried fruits, freshly squeezed juices, vegetable sticks, whole wheat toast with home made marmalade, multi-cereal kaak with a cup of skimmed milk, a handful mix of unsalted nuts, a cup of skimmed milk with plain cornflakes, a cup of plain skimmed yogurt with some mint and cucumbers, freshly made fruit smoothies, a cup of hot chocolate made with unsweetened cocoa! You can also mix "moderation with healthy" - a cup of milk with cookies, fruit dipped in dark chocolate or whole wheat pancakes with honey/marmalade/chocolate paste and fruit slices.

This way you will incorporate healthy eating in your kids' lifestyle, establish a healthy and clear idea of what healthy and unhealthy is, decrease any risk of childhood obesity and earlier onset of diseases, decrease dental caries risk, make sure they are getting enough vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals and fibers and above all "making their snack time fun"!

Five Ridiculously Good Foods!

Avocado 
These smooth, buttery fruits are a great source of not only "good" fats such as mono-unsaturated fats but other key nutrients as well. One Ohio State University study found that when avocado was added to salads and salsa, it helped increase the absorption of specific carotenoids, plant compounds linked to lower risk of heart disease and macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness. “Avocados are packed with heart-protective compounds, such as soluble fiber, vitamin E, folate, and potassium,” says Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of 10 Habits That Mess Up a Woman's Diet.
However, they are a bit high in calories. To avoid weight gain, use avocado in place of another high-fat food or condiment, such as cheese or mayo and always keep in mind that, after all, it's a fat.  

Oatmeal 
Fiber-rich oats are even healthier than the FDA thought when it first stamped them with a heart disease–reducing seal 10 years ago. According to new research, they can also cut your risk of type 2 diabetes. When Finnish researchers tracked 4,316 men and women over the course of 10 years, they found that people who ate the highest percentage of cereal fiber were 61% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

To reap the benefits, eat 1/2 cup daily—preferably unsweetened. For a versatile breakfast, top with different combinations of fruit, yogurt, and nuts. You can also use oats to coat fish or chicken or add texture to meatballs. Check my more detailed article about Oats!


Salmon
Salmon is a rich source of vitamin D and one of the best sources of omega 3s fatty acids. These fats have a wide range of impressive health benefits: form preventing hear diseases to smoothing your skin, decreasing inflammation, aiding weight loss, boosting your mood and minimizing the effects of arthritis.
Moreover, omega 3 aids in decreasing memory loss and slows the rate of digestion, thus, making you feel fuller for longer! Watch out to get plenty of fish - at least 2 to 3 servings per week, this way your body will take its needs of proteins and omega 3 altogether! 


Apples
One of the healthiest fruits you should be eating or you probably already are, hence the saying: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away!" Fortunately, it's abundant in Lebanon. The Iowa Women's Health Study, which has been investigating women for nearly 20 years, names apples as one of only 3 foods (along with pears and red wine) that are most effective at reducing the riskof death from heart disease among postmenopausal women. Other massive studies have found the fruit to lower the risk of lung cancer and type 2 diabetes, even help women lose weight! Apples are rich in fibers, vitamins, minerals and water, so it's actually a win-win situation when you have yourself one of these!

However, keep in mind that one thing can make an apple unhealthy is when it's mixed with caramel, sugar, flour, butter or/& stuffed within a pie or on a tarte! Instead, have a fresh crunchy apple as a dessert or even added to salads!

Dark Chocolate
Yes, yes, dark chocolate! It is filled with flavonoid anti-oxidants that help keep platelets from sticking together, consequently clogging your arteries. It also can help decrease the risk of cancers with its anti-oxidative abilities. And there's more to add! According to a study from Denmark, it may also help you lose weight by keeping you fuller for longer! Researchers gave 16 participants 100 grams of either dark or milk chocolate and 2 hours later offered them pizza. Those who consumed dark chocolate ate 15 % fewer calories that those who had milk chocolate!
So not to make a huge fuss about it, have a small portion of 70 % cocoa or more from time to time! Desserts should not be banned if you are trying to watch your diet, just know what and how much to have!

Wait for more! Brought to you with amendment from Prevention website!

Stop N' Shop Smart!

Understanding food labels can for sure help you shop for health and nutrition but you should know that’s just not it! Part of shopping smart is to know few yet very important tips to save time, money and get help in “buying” your health.

The Famous List

• To start with, keep a shopping list and stick to it. This will help your memory and

  

  Photo credit: Theglobag.com

  save you time as you walk in the supermarket. With a specified list, you are less likely to spend money on items that are unhealthy and that deep down inside, you know you don’t really need, money and calorie wise.
• In your daily life when you run out of things keep a list in the kitchen with a pen to directly take a note of. Organize them in categories such as dairy, meats, canned foods, condiments, etc.

Shopping Tips

• Avoid extra shopping trips to the supermarket. If it possible shop 1 or 2 times per week. This way you will save time, expensive gasoline trips, and yes we ought to take that into consideration too.
• Don’t shop when you are hungry. You are less likely to succumb to impulse items, cravings for unhealthy snacks and foods that are high in fat and sugar. Just think about it, just after lunch, you are more likely to say “Don’t show me that food again” while if you are really hungry, you might decide to snack on cookies while you shop.
• Try to shop during off hours. If possible shop when the store is not crowded, on weekdays rather than weekends or early in the morning/late in the evening. This will make shopping less stressful and actually more fun and relaxing.

Seize the Day with your Fruits & Vegetables

• Take advantage of seasonal produce such as fresh fruits and vegetables to increase the rainbow colors in your diet and to increase your vitamin intake, fibers and antioxidants.
• Buy perishable foods in amounts that will be consumed during their peak quality. An extra bunch of cauliflower that spoils in the fridge is not considered to be saving, no?
• For fresh fruits consider ripeness, some fruits like bananas, pears, peaches and pineapples can ripen after picking. If you are buying fruits to eat them today choose them ripe. But if you are not planning to eat them until later in the week, buy them un-ripen.

Be Smart

• Read the food label to compare types of foods, which contain less saturated and trans fats, less sodium, more fiber and less sugar. And yes be flexible as you shop. Amend your eating habits if you find a product is better than another you already used. Note that you don’t have to be professional to be able to compare foods’ nutritional content, challenge yourself next time you are at the supermarket and make a smart healthy choice.
• Buy family size packages only if you really consume this much. If you buy large quantities and you don’t need them, you’ll succumb to the all Lebanese tradition that “It’s a shame to throw them while others are starving” and Voila! You end up eating them.
• Don’t forget to read the expiration date at the supermarket and when you are at home, use the FIFO rule: first in, first out so that you would use the older foods you bought first.

Icy Section

• Buy foods that need a fridge last, such as frozen foods, poultry or even milk. This way, you will go directly to the cashier then head home and right back to the fridge.
• When buying frozen foods, they should be solid. There should be no sign of thawing and refreezing crystals in the bottom of packages. If there are any tiny refrozen crystals, simply don’t buy that specific package.

Your Eggs & Cans

• Before buying the eggs, open the carton. Avoid cartons with cracked eggs. Just make sure they are clean and whole. Now when you reach home, don’t wash eggs before you place them in the fridge. Only wiping them with a clean cloth is fine.
• As for canned foods, buy them bump or bulge free. If they are swollen, damaged, rusted or dented, reject them because these are warning signs for bacteria.

Buckling Up

• Make sure to put meats and vegetables apart in your trolley and in separate bags in your car trunk. This way you will prevent any risk of cross contamination.
• Take groceries home immediately and store them once you reach home. If have few errands to do before reaching the house, keep chilled containers in your trunk to store perishable foods in. This way, the foods will stay cooler for longer.

Wherever you are buying make sure to include lots of fruits and vegetables, minimal amount of snacks/junk foods, go lean in your meats, go low fat/skimmed in your dairy and don’t forget to read your food label!
So as you see, it’s easy and simple to be a smart food shopper! You will help yourself and your family by knowing exactly what you need and out smart marketing tricks that may encourage you to buy foods that are not on your list and extra calories that are neither on your mind nor your hips!


Brought to you by Paty M! You can also check this published in Fitness Newsletter.


This is my first article in my new lovely blog! All the thankings go back to Chantal Souaid, whom from her own personal blog experience, encouraged me to blog about My Nutrition World!