You Are What You Eat... Breathe, Use, & Drink

The adage "you are what you eat" is a well-hearsed one. But a recent finding may call for an update to that old saying because everything we breathe, use, or drink can get absorbed into our fat stores.

Image credit: A Chuck & Beans cartoon by Brian from the Shoebox Blog via http://www.blabla.co.za

Just like how methylmercury clings to the fatty tissues in fish, many pollutants and toxins we encounter are fat soluble. They can't be excreted out so they reside in our fat. So what happens when someone goes through weight loss?

Fooducate to Educate

2010 was a year for many things, and without a doubt, smartphone apps were huge last year. Riding on this trend and convenience, Fooducate created a new app for all you iPhone users to help you become more nutrition-savvy in 2011.

A Sans Candies Trick or Treat

Many moons ago, I went trick-or-treating my friend from grade school. We were both getting some serious candy loot when we stumbled upon "Peanuts Lady". Instead of giving us handfuls of miniature teeth-rotting substances, she gave us, yup, you guessed it, peanuts! Handful of peanuts that were still in shells! I'm pretty sure I looked at my friend with a WTF expression on my face (only if that was a contraction in use those days).

Drop Dead Gorgeous

Straight, obedient hair even on a rainy day is the stuff of many women's dream. That was my dream for many years, too. I was a devoted patron of Japanese thermal straightening until I realized how much crappy chemicals the treatment involved. So when Brazilian blowout was available, I thought I had found my new hair savior that is friendly to both my health and the planet....

The Amazing, In-Edible Egg

The recent egg recall that involved half a BILLION eggs sparked a lot of interest about food safety in the States.

Food safety regulations in the U.S. are too lax in many ways. As described by the video, we've had plenty food scares in the past few years. Beef, lettuce, tomatoes, peanuts, and eggs just to name a few. So who or what is the culprit?

Carcinogenic Baby Powder

It feels like my home has been plagued by ant problems one way or another every summer. So instead of the usual insecticide-dousing around the house, I've been sprinkling baby powder along the windowsills and on ant trails this summer. Apparently, the talc in the baby powder can deter and even kill these insects. I thought I had found a brilliant alternative to buying chemical junk from home improvement stores. Little did I know that I was in for a HUGE surprise.

Talc is a moisture-wicking compound that is often found in baby powder. It can reduce diaper rashes and keep babies dry and happy. A little known fact is that talc is actually a potential carcinogen (or cancer-causing substance)! Good grief! Although the evidence isn't conclusive, talc has been linked to ovarian and lung cancers. So while I was joyfully lining my window with baby powder, I was exposing myself to greater risk of respiratory disease. Such a kill joy. Not to mention all the babies who are regularly powdered up with this stuff. Eek.

If you're in search of some effective non-toxic methods to get rid of ants, here are just a few tips from wikiHow.com (visit the site for more ideas for terminating ants).
1. Cornmeal. Ants eat it, and the cornmeal expands in their digestive organs when they drink water. Seems like a painful death, but at least they had a good last meal.
2. Salt. Dries up the ants but is only effective in dry environments.
3. Vinegar, peppermint oil, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Deter ants with their scent but maybe harmful to pets and irritants to curious children.

To learn more about the carcinogenic effects of talc, check out cancer.org and cancer.gov.

Photo credit: re-nest.com

Smart (aka Deceptive) Labeling

Just when you think you're getting the hang of reading labels, food manufacturers throw you a curve ball and makes food labels even more confusing to decipher.

A recent inquiry to Kellogg's® by a fellow health educator revealed a surprisingly contradictory practice from an answer that didn't really, well, answer anything. Before, the label for these cereal bars didn't separate the ingredients for the crust and the filling. Now, all packages of Nutri-Grain® Cereal Bars look like the one above. When my fellow health educator emailed the company and asked about the change, she was replied with the following:

Thank you for contacting us regarding Kellogg's® Nutri-Grain® Cereal Bars. There has not been a change in the Nutri-Grain formula since 2008 when more whole grains were added to the crust.

As far a the weight of each component, we do not have that information readily availabe but I would think that the filling would be more dense and weigh more than the crust.

I hope these answers helped address any concerns you may have about Kellogg's® Nutri-Grain® Cereal Bars. If you have any additional questions or concerns, simply reply to this email or contact us at 1-800-962-1413.

Thanks again for writing us. We appreciate your interest in our company and products.

          Sincerely, 
          Jill DeLong
          Sr. Consumer Specialist
          Consumer Affairs Department

The rule for listing ingredients is that they are listed in order by weight from the most to the least amount used to make the food. If even Kellogg's® believes that the filling weighs more than the crust, then why on Earth is the crust's ingredients listed first? 

For label-savvy consumers, seeing "whole grains rolled oats" as the first ingredient is a lot more appealing than "high fructose corn syrup." Capitalizing on this fact, food manufacturers decided to separate the components of the same food item (i.e. crust and filling) so their products can be seemingly healthy. If you've eaten one of these cereal bars, you would know how unappetizingly sweet they are- all thanks to the FIVE kinds of sugar in this one little bar!

Special thanks to Suzy S. for challenging Kellogg's® and sharing the response on Healing Foodie!

Nutrition Facts... or Fiction?

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Food labels and restaurant nutrition info have been under scrutiny lately because some of them are providing consumers with fictitious nutrition facts.

As a health-conscious consumer, it frustrates me to see such dishonesty stemming from slack regulations and missing moral compasses. But on the other hand, it just goes to show that we may need to rely less on others to do the cooking for us. Cooking from scratch cuts down on potential nutrition "fibs" and reduces the usage of mysterious ingredients since you're in charge of what goes into the pot.

Also, shopping the perimeter of a grocery store can help us steer away from caloric traps, salt mines, and chemistry labs that are situated in the middle aisles with attractive packaging. The center aisles are most likely where we can find chips, candies, sodas, ice-cream, and all sorts of frozen food-like substances. Fresh food- fruits, veggies, meats, dairy, breads, and other grains- usually line the perimeter of grocery stores.

While frozen entrees are convenient, they were still prepared in a factory by mechanical arms with mysterious ingredients to keep the texture and flavor intact after freezing, transporting, and reheating. To put it simply, I'm going to borrow a line from my food hero, Michael Pollan. "If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't."

Meatless Protein - Not an Oxymoron

A recent discussion on protein supplements for athletes prompted me to think about protein intake for this Meatless Monday.

Studies have shown that vegetarian athletes can excel at their sports as well as their omnivorous counterparts. Also, it's fairly difficult to be deficient in protein in industrialized countries even for vegetarians and vegans. Protein is found in practically every kind of food we eat so it's more likely for Americans to overdose on protein than to be not having enough.

While animal sources are "gold standards" of complete protein*, it is possible to get high quality protein from plants, too. Soybeans, buckwheat, quinoa, spirulina, and amaranth are considered complete protein. And the added bonus from these foods is that they are low in fat and contains lots of fiber for good digestive health!

Here is the nutrition breakdown of a couple of my favorite protein-packed plant foods.
Quinoa per 3.5 oz or 1/2 cup uncooked grains
Protein: 14 grams      Calories: 368 kcal      Fat: 6 grams (0.6 grams saturated)
Edamame (young soybeans) per 3.5 oz or 1/2 cup serving
Protein: 11 grams      Calories: 127 kcal      Fat: 6 grams (0.5 grams saturated)

There may be a small place for protein supplements in the athletic world somewhere out there, but it's hard to surpass what the Earth has given us for thousands of years. If these grains and beans worked for our ancestors who hunted for a living, I have a feeling they'll work just fine for us, too. 

Quinoa with chopped kale and carrots
Quinoa, cooked in vegetable broth
Kale, chopped into small pieces
Carrot, diced
Garlic, rough chopped or minced
Salt and pepper

I apologize for having no measurements... I haven't formed the habit of measuring ingredients when I cook yet.

* Complete protein simply means that the food source contains all 8 of the essential amino acids that humans cannot synthesis in the body. Incomplete protein, usually from plant sources, does not provide all 8 of the essential amino acids but can be combined with other plant sources to form complete protein. 

Freedom from Disease and Abnormality

FINALLY! A rap song about more important issues than hardcore parties and women as objects! Reeeeeee-freshing!

"You wouldn't give your mama artificial love. Why would you feast on artificial grub?"

Update: Dirty Dozen vs. Clean 15

Breaking news: The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has revised the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15! 
The new guide to pesticides is now available to download at foodnews.org in PDF. Tech-savvy folks, no need to fret; the app for this new guide is coming soon!

New to the Dirty Dozen are blueberries and potatoes while carrots and pears are no longer on the "most dirtied" list. As for the Clean 15, honeydew melons, cantaloupe, and grapefruits are the new comers. 

One thing to keep in mind is that the Clean 15 fruits and veggies may still have trace amounts of pesticides on their skins. While the EWG deem these the cleanest produce as far as chemicals are concerned, it is still worthwhile to support organic whenever possible. Organic agriculture is more sustainable for the environment and has less ecological impact for animals, plants, and the planet. Not to mention organic produce tastes so much better!  

In case, you're not familiar with the Dirty Dozen, click here to read about it and how it can affect your health.

Special thanks to my fellow nutrition guru Lindsey P. for letting me know about the update!

Skinny Fat

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I remember taking a bioelectrical impedance test with a hand-held gizmo when I was in 9th grade PE. My friend C was what some people called a "skinny girl" and was most definitely slimmer than me. When it was her turn with the gizmo, I couldn't believe the "26%" that was flashing on the small screen! At that time, I couldn't understand why her body fat percentage was so high. After all, she was the "skinny" one. And of course, our PE teacher only supplied us with a shallow explanation of our results. It wasn't until I was in college that I learned about subcutaneous and visceral fat.

Finally, the myth of skinniness equates health is slowly being debunked!  

But skinny fat? I wish a more healthful name is used instead of sensationalizing an important health concept with a word that has so much association with superficial appearance.

Got High Cholesterol? You're Not Alone.

Hypercholesterolemia, or high cholesterol levels in blood, is becoming more problematic for the American people. About 1 in 6 adults have high cholesterol, and one of those adults is our nation's commander-in-chief, President Obama.

Since he has taken office, his cholesterol numbers haven't been as healthy as previous years. To combat his cholesterol issue, he is walking more to improve his numbers.

I hope more of us will follow Obama's footsteps (no pun intended) to achieve healthier cholesterol levels. Simple ways to add in more steps to your day include parking farther in the parking lot or taking the stairs instead of the elevator (this can save a lot of electricity, too!). 

Read more about our President's health at MSNBC.


Photo: Charles Dharapak at MSNBC 

Do You Know Your FBS?

Most of us are familiar with checking cholesterol levels in a blood test before. But what about fasting blood sugar (FBS) test?

Glucose, or blood sugar, is a type of sugar that is used by the body. It is referred to as blood sugar because it's the body's main fuel. While it's normal for blood sugar to go up after meals, the problem arises when it remains elevated even when eating hasn't occurred (aka fasting). Having constantly elevated glucose level can lead to damage in the eyes, nerves, kidney, and blood vessel that is sometimes irreversible.

The prevailing myth about Type II diabetes (formerly known as adult onset diabetes) is that diabetic individuals get the illness by eating too much sugary foods. Although this may contribute to the onset, consuming too much sweets doesn't cause diabetes. The body is simply burnt out from keeping up with the blood sugar rollercoaster. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar. Diabetes results when insulin is either not produced at all or is produced in insufficient amounts.

Another myth about diabetes is that people with the illness cannot eat carbs. The truth is people with diabetes can consume carbohydrates but in limited amounts. It fact, carbs are essential. Diabetic and non-diabetic individuals should keep in mind the type and the amount of carbs when choosing them. Also, carbohydrates isn't the same as table sugar. Just because a food doesn't taste sweet doesn't mean it doesn't contain carbs. Crackers, rice, oatmeal, and potatoes are some common foods that don't taste sweet but do contain lots of carbs. 

Traditionally, Type 2 diabetes affect people who are overweight or obese. However, a great majority of Asians who are diagnosed with it aren't very overweight. In fact, their BMI, or body mass index, is sometimes within normal range. This makes it more difficult to watch out for signs of diabetes. Unfortunately, it also gives the illusion that "everything is working A-okay in the body" when it isn't so.

Symptoms of diabetes aren't apparent until the body is close to losing the battle. If you haven't had a fasting blood sugar (FBS) test, today is the day to talk to your doctor about it!

For more info, feel free to leave a comment or email me. Visit WebMD for "10 Myths about Diabetic Diet Plan".