Reading the Label – How much fat?

   The labels on food give us information that we need and give us the information that the manufacturer wants you to have. For instance, you might be trying to watch your animal fat intake, you know, cutting back on saturated fats. If you are looking to use ground beef in your meal, you might gravitate to the more lean packages. They are usually numbered 73/27, 75/25, 80/20, 85/15, 90/10, 93/7, 95/5 and 96/4. The first number is the amount of lean meat by weight in percentage, the second number is the amount of fat by weight in percentage. 73/27 would be 73% lean meat and 27% fat.

   So, armed with that knowledge, you would definitely go with the package that shouts out, “I’m 90% fat free.” You even select the ground sirloin. You walk away confidently knowing that you picked the one that was 90% lean. You would have gone with the 96% lean but you know that the flavor is in the fat, so you compromise at 10%.

   The numbers may vary slightly, but a serving of 90/10 natural ground beef sirloin weighs 4 ounces or 112 grams. Total calories for this serving is 200. The amount from fat is 100. Cool, the amount of fat is just 50% of the calories. Wait a minute, that’s half!! I thought this was 90% fat free? Shouldn’t it be 20 calories from fat, I mean that’s 10%, right? How does that work? Half the calories are fat. Let’s check the label. The total amount of fat by weight is 11 grams. Okay, 11 is 10% of 112. But I thought I was being good. 11 grams of fat is 17% of the Daily Value of a diet based on 2000 calories. Of this fat, 4.5 grams is saturated fat or 23% of the Daily Value. But it is very low sodium and it has 22 grams of protein.

   At least, you think, I drink 2% milk. I mean, that’s a lot better than whole milk right? It’s 98% fat free, how can that be bad.  It’s a good choice. It’s low fat. At least I think so. Let’s look at the label. Again, the numbers may vary slightly. The serving size for 2% milk is 1 cup (240ml, or 244 grams). The total calories is 130. The calories from fat is just 45. Hey, that means that 35% of the calories come from fat. The total fat is 5 grams, and that is 2% of 244 grams. It has 15% of the Daily Value of Saturated Fat, 3 grams.

   Whole milk is about 47% of calories from fat. However, fat free milk is actually fat free. There are many alternatives to cow’s milk. There are nut milks, soy milk, hemp milk as well as combination milks such as Coconut Almond milk. Some of them are quite good, especially if you wish or must avoid dairy.

   Marketers use fat by weight for their labels. This is how they can claim such low fat content even though fat might make up a substantial amount of the calories. It is easy to be captivated by the claims on the packaging. Check the label. If you are trying to limit your fat intake, you may want to use a calculator to figure out the percentage of fat that is coming from your foods. Be warned that the information is on the label, it just isn’t necessarily easy to read.

   Fat is not bad, but you may want to watch your total intake of saturated fat. Certain saturated fats, such as coconut and avocado are very good for you, much better than animal fats. I still eat meat, but I use it now more for flavoring.

 

   If you are concerned about where your calories are coming from, read the label. Do not trust the marketing on the package. The package is designed to attract your interest and prompt you to buy the product. You may still buy the product, but now you can arm yourself with the information you need before you consume it. Good health and a great life to you.

 

Ceaseless Wonderment

   I have embarked on an online study program for nutrition and I signed up for a second class to learn about plant-based nutrition. I have always had an incredible thirst for learning. The more I learn, the more I realize that there is so much more to learn. If God gives me 5,000 years to live on this earth, I still don’t think I would run out of things to learn about. In that time, there would be more discoveries, more understanding, rethinking things that were once thought to be understood as well as the social, civil and moral changes that would take place.

   The universe is a ceaseless source of wonderment. Think back, if you will, to a time when you were just a child. Things were magic then. You could imagine anything at all. You could see castles, dragons, jungles and pirates on the sea. The magic was all around you and most importantly, the magic was in you. It was that wonderment that made you appreciate the most mundane thing. A cardboard box could magically become a boat, a car, a lion’s cage or a treasure chest.

  We think that when we set aside those types of thoughts that we become more mature, a grown up. But really, you can bring that magic with you even today. It just takes being mindful of what is around you, paying attention to the moment, savoring the experience.

   Since I started my grain free diet, I have a better appreciation for the food that I eat. I taste it. I experience the texture, the taste while it is in my mouth and the finish after I swallow. It is magical. That attention to the food helps me pay attention to other areas in my life. While I am hiking with my son, or walking through the parks with my dog, I am awed by the diversity the universe affords us. The vast number of plants, insects, wildlife that abounds. It makes each walk an incredible journey in the intelligence of nature, the infinite touch of God.

   Even as we strive to understand quantum physics, genetic expression, and the human mind, each discovery leads to more questions and more opportunity to be in awe of what is around us. And just as we do understand some universal law, we can find exceptions. Everything in the universe expands when it is heated and contracts when it is cooled – everything that is except for water. Water expands when it is heated and when it freezes. The reason and mechanism is an understanding beyond me. It is magic.

   Magic can be the awe of those things that are not yet understood. Rabbits come from magician hats and if you put two of them in a closet, you find 200 when you open the door 10 minutes later. That’s how it works in the cartoons. But really, the universe has such incredible diversity, that there is no one person that could possibly learn everything there is to learn. But, I promise, that as long as I am able and cognitively aware, I will wear myself out trying to learn more and more. Knowing that all that I learn will show me how much I have left to learn. In the global library of knowledge, I know next to nothing. But what I do know I hope will settle in my heart as wisdom.

   Be in the moment, pay attention to what is around you and do forget the magic that fills every day. Heck, I think that just waking up in the morning is such a blessing. It means that I get to enjoy another day in God’s incredible creation and experience the ceaseless diversity and wonderment that waits for me.

Can Gluten Free Diets Make You Sick?

   It is possible that gluten free diets can make those people sensitive to substances other than or in addition to gliadin (the gluten found in barley, rye and wheat) feel unwell or even worse. It is possible that gluten free products contain other things that make you sick. Not because they are gluten free, but because you may be sensitive to the sugars or other things in gluten free products. They are usually loaded with various sugars and other starches. So, can a gluten free diet make you sick? I don’t think so. A better answer would be to find out what really bothers you and work from there. We shouldn’t just assume that gluten is the problem for every gastrointestinal ailment.

   Other dietary triggers that can potentially cause gastrointestinal symptoms can include lactose and casein from dairy products, certain preservatives and poorly digested carbohydrates known as FODMAPS. If you are sensitive to gliadin, there has been some research done on cross-reactivity, where your body reacts to peptides similar to wheat gluten. However, as with most studies, there are conflicting results and theories.
   Since gluten is found in grasses and grains, their effect can range from non-toxic to initiating auto-immune responses (such as celiac disease). Even cutting out all grains might not solve your stomach issues, if the real culprit is dairy, or one of the many FODMAPS.
   This further reinforces that we are all different. There is no blanket treatment or diet. There is no one answer that fits all. We can do our best to be tested, if possible, and proceed with caution. I would still suggest eating real food, limit manufactured or processed foods and those foods that contain so many chemicals that you need a Masters in chemistry just to figure out what you are placing in your mouth.
   If you are suffering, I hope that you find relief soon. Take care and may you find and maintain good health.

Getting Enough Protein

Like many of you out there, the first thing I did when I went gluten-free was to find alternatives to my favorite carbs... bread, pasta, cakes, and pies. So getting enough carbs has not really been a problem... in fact with a number of local gluten-free bakeries, it is to the point where I no longer feel deprived.  What's more, fruits and vegetables are not lacking either. Since my husband and I joined a CSA, we have been thoroughly enjoying the abundance of fruits and vegetables from our weekly share and are having fun thinking up new and creative ways to serve up fresh fruits and vegetables at every meal... even breakfast! So it has come as quite a surprise to me that I am still not eating a well balanced diet. In keeping a food diary using my LoseIt.com phone app, I discovered that I am not maintaining a healthy balance among fats, proteins, and carbs in my diet. It was only when I took a closer look at my food diary, I discovered that my daily intake of protein was noticeably lacking. Upon reflection... this makes perfect sense.  In eating omelettes with egg beaters for breakfast, vegetables are playing a starring role, with shredded cheese, sausage, or ham playing supporting roles at best. In having salads for lunch and stir fries for dinner, again vegetables ... rather than meat.. are the star of the show. So like many of you who are striving to eat healthy... I have been short-changing myself of much needed protein with some unforeseen (and preventable) results such as hair loss, easy bruising, fatigue, or brain fog. And while this is bad enough.... there's more bad news. In my quest to eat healthier, I may even be preventing myself from achieving what I have been really trying to accomplish. In being protein deficient, I may be preventing my body from recovering from years of chronic inflammation, thereby preventing the healing process altogether. It got me to thinking... as more and more people are moving towards a healthier lifestyle and are exploring a gluten-free, vegan, or vegetarian diet...how many are protein malnourished? To them I say... do not overlook the role protein plays in a healthy diet... otherwise, you too may be dramatically slowly down the healing process! To learn more, check out  the The Hidden Signs of Protein Deficiency.

Carb Sense

   Carbohydrates are essential for good health. They give our body energy. But, we must be aware of how carbs effect our body. There are simple and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbs are absorbed quickly into the blood stream, whereas the body has to work at releasing the carbs in their more complex forms. Both enter the blood as glucose. How quickly they raise blood sugar is behind the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load numbers.

   The increase of sugar in the blood stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin, which is a hormone that the body uses to regulate the blood sugar by informing your body it is time to store the sugar as glycogen and fat. Simple carbs cause a higher sugar load and causes a higher insulin response.

   But aren’t there good carbs? Yes. Eat more fresh vegetables, more fresh fruits and less grains and cereals. Vegetables have sugar but it is harder for your body to get to it and causes a gradual absorption into the blood stream. Fruits have more sugar, in the form of fructose, which usually has a higher glycemic load than vegetables. Nature usually pairs these sugars with fiber.

   Fiber is not digested by your body, so these carbs basically pass through you. These can be subtracted from the total carbs to get your “net” carbs, also sometimes called impact or effective carbs. If you eat something with a Total Carb count of 16g, with 4g of fiber, then this food would have 12g of net carbs.

   You may notice that the fiber and sugar carbs listed on the label do not add up to the total carb count.  For instance, a sweet potato, 5” long (130g) has 112 calories. It has 26g of Total Carbohydrate, 4g of fiber and 5g of sugar. So what is the other 17 grams? Those are complex carbohydrates or starches. It has a medium glycemic load of 11. Foods with a glycemic load of 10 or less are considered to have a low glycemic load. High glycemic load (20 and higher) foods increase blood sugar the most.

   Keep your net carb count low by using fresh vegetables, supplemented by fruit. Not only do fresh vegetables offer complex carbs, they are usually packed with lots of nutrients. Foods such as raw cauliflower, broccoli, tomato and even celery are very nutrient dense, make you feel full and accomplish all this with limited calories.

   Happy eating. You don’t have to necessarily count carbs, just realize where they come from. Stay away or limit obvious starches like breads, cereals, and potato, as they quickly turn to sugar and increase your insulin (storage hormone) response. Good health to you.

Is the Food Pyramid Making You Fat (and Sick)?

Unless you are superactive (let's face it, most of us aren't), the USDA's Food Pyramid may be providing the American public misguided nutritional information at best and at its worse may be making many us fat, if not sick. Initially developed to provide the American public with nutritional information in an easy to understand format, the Food Pyramid is based on very old scientific research and a lot has changed since the 1960ss research that supports it. For the full article highlighting the key issues, check out http://www.gll-getalife.com/entry/the-food-pyramid