HealthCastle.com Nutrition Tidbits Podcast

Listen to fun diet tips by registered dietitians and medical doctors to lose weight and reclaim health. Nutrition Tidbits Podcast brought to you by the largest online nutrition community HealthCastle.com.

Nutrition Tidbits Podcast - Bonnie Taub-Dix discusses which green label term really means it. Host: Gloria Tsang, RD Guest: Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN With Earth Day approaching, there's a renewed interest in our food supply and how they impact the environment and our health. Dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix, author of the book Read It Before You Eat It, helps us learn which label term really means it, and which one is just marketing gimmick.   Transcript: Gloria Tsang, RD: Welcome to the Nutrition Tidbits podcast. This is Gloria Tsang, Editor-in-Chief for Healthcastle.com. With Earth Day approaching, there's a renewed interest in our food supply and how they impact the environment and our health. Joining me today is dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix, author of the book Read It Before You Eat It. She is here today to help us learn which label term really means it, and which one is just marketing gimmick. Thank you for joining me Bonnie. Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN: Hi Gloria! Gloria Tsang, RD: Now there are so many terms that we are going to talk about so let’s just dig right in. Does organic produce mean that the product is good for the environment? Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN: You know that really depends. Organic products are better for the environment but question is when you see the word organic on a label, is that product better for you? And the answer is that it really depends upon the product because organic is a  word that is like a health halo where a lot of people assume that organic means local and sustainable and some people even believe that organic means low in calories; which of course it doesn’t have anything to do with it because organic on a candy label still means organic candy or organic cookies, it is still the product that it is. Gloria Tsang, RD: That’s good to know. For most of our readers, the most confusing thing about organic is that when they see organic on meat products. We often see now there is humanely treated, you know, things like that are on meat products. What about organic in meat products. What does that mean to us? Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN: Well, organic poultry, dairy and meat and eggs usually mean that it is produced without the use of growth hormones or antibiotics. Humanely raised and slaughtered definition doesn’t tell you about the nutrition quality of the food. That really depends upon the product. And that’s the very, very important thing, probably the most important thing about organics products, is that it really is more important to look at the profile of the food. The total profile: does it contain sodium, sugar, trans fat, saturated fat. Organic shouldn’t override or supersede looking at the nutrition facts panel to see what’s really in your food. Gloria Tsang, RD: With the local food movement, again getting back to orgnanics. Does purchasing organic food mean we are actually supporting the local economy? Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN: No, in many cases it does but again, you have to check your label. We have so many organic products that come from other countries like China and that is far from local. So organic doesn’t mean local and also local doesn’t mean organic because there are many local farmers that may not use organic methods of raising their produce. So again, you want to look at organic, local and sustainable. Those labels should be on your food to give you the total picture. Gloria Tsang, RD: That is a good point. So the next most confusing term is natural. I have seen this term on an array of products from snack bars to ice cream to cereals. So what does it mean when it says natural on the front of the package? Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN: I can answer that quickly. It doesn’t mean anything. All that it means is that you are probably going to see a lov...

Listen to fun diet tips by registered dietitians and medical doctors to lose weight and reclaim health. Nutrition Tidbits Podcast brought to you by the largest online nutrition community HealthCastle.com.

  Commerical granola bars are not the only option. Learn how to make healthy and tasty granola bars at home, with wholesome ingredients. What comes to mind when you hear the word “granola”? Is it something nutritious, natural and tasty? Many commercial granola bars you find in the store tend to be none of those things. Some even contain high fructose corn syrup and trans fat! Luckily, you can make your own bars in just minutes, and provide a natural product for anyone to enjoy! Today in this No More Packaged Food series, we show you just how simple it is to make your own granola bars. First, mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl (granola, oatmeal, dark chocolate chips, and ground walnuts). Then, add in the wet ingredients (honey and natural peanut butter) and mix them well. Pour this mixture into a pre-oiled baking pan, pat it down, and chill for 2 hours before cutting into bars. Then, wrap each bar individually so that they are ready for you anytime you need them. There you have it, easy, tasty and at a lower cost. Given the ease of making these bars from scratch, there is absolutely no excuse for buying the over-engineered stuff from the store.

Listen to fun diet tips by registered dietitians and medical doctors to lose weight and reclaim health. Nutrition Tidbits Podcast brought to you by the largest online nutrition community HealthCastle.com.

  Focus on getting fruits and veggies from three different color groups to maximize the benefits from the produce you eat. We have been hearing the 5-a-day slogan for the past 10 years? March is the Nutrition Month and it's time to ditch this mantra and embrace 3-a-day instead. Yes we all need to try to eat more fruits and vegetables.  But it's more important to eat different 3 color groups. That's because they all contain different sets of antioxidants. So let's go 3-a-day: in other words, 3 colors a day. Let's take a look at the 5 different color groups. Green veggies are no strangers to us. Indeed, when we say vegetables, most people think of veggies within the green color group. That's because green veggies are full of fiber and also a vitamin called lutein, that reduces the risk of storke and protect against macular degeneration. The next group is white. White is also no stragner to us. That's because potatoes are in this group. But other than potatoes, there are other nutrient-rich produce in this group, such as cauliflower, mushroom and bananas. Collectively, white produce contain antioxidant anthoxanthins and allicin, which helps lower blood pressure and protect against stomach cancer. Red color produce are delicious. Red-colored produce contain lycopene, that's another powerful antioxidant that helps prevent prostate cancer. Orange group produce contains potassium and beta-carotene that helps prevent cancer, especially the lung, esophagus and stomach cancers. The last group purple is my favorite, but is probably the group most people eat the least.  They contain powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins, which help prevent heart disease and lower the risk of cancer. So how do you go about adding more fruits and veggies in your diet and more importantly, more colors? The easiest thing to do is to add veggies or produce in every single meal. Or if you are making salsa on movie night, can you add more corn niblets or diced carrtos? You see the combination is endless, just use your imagination. There's really no right or wrong way of eating fruits and veggies, as long as you are eating more.

Listen to fun diet tips by registered dietitians and medical doctors to lose weight and reclaim health. Nutrition Tidbits Podcast brought to you by the largest online nutrition community HealthCastle.com.

  No more sweet and sour sauce in a bottle. Here is an easy recipe that you can make your own delicious sweet and sour sauce from fresh ingredients - and toss the additive-laden bottled version. Which dishes come to your mind when you think of Chinese food? For many of us, it’s the Sweet & Sour dish! The bottled stuff has a long ingredient list. But, you can easily make this sauce at home with some simple ingredients, in just under 2 minutes. Today in this No More Packaged Food series, we’re cooking up Sweet & Sauce chicken to show you how easy it is to prepare this dish. What you need to do, is to  dice some chicken breast in cubes, and cut up some bell peppers and pineapples into small chunks. Your next step is to pre-mix the sauce.  Our sauce recipe includes 1 Tbsp sugar, 1½ tsp corn starch, ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce,1 Tbsp tomato paste, 1½ Tbsp vinegar, and ¼ cup water.  When the chicken cubes are almost done, mix in the pre-mix sauce.  Then, add the remaining ingredients in the cooking pan. The whole process of premixing the sauce only takes 2 minutes! You will have 2 minutes to make a healthy version of the sweet & sauce sauce, won’t you?

Listen to fun diet tips by registered dietitians and medical doctors to lose weight and reclaim health. Nutrition Tidbits Podcast brought to you by the largest online nutrition community HealthCastle.com.

Liz Weiss gives us some hints on how to go about cooking more at home. Host: Gloria Tsang, RD Guest: Liz Weiss, MS, RD Eating healthy is usually one of the top 3 new year's resolutions. And yet, it's hard to eat healthy if you don't start cooking more at home. Dietitian Liz Weiss just released her family cookbook No Whine with Dinner. She is here to give us some hints on how to go about cooking more at home.   Transcript: Gloria Tsang, RD: Welcome to the Nutrition Tidbits podcast. This is Gloria Tsang, Editor-in-Chief for HealthCastle.com. Eating healthy is usually one of the top 3 New Year’s resolutions.  And yet, it's hard to eat healthy if you don't start cooking more at home.  Joining me today is dietitian Liz Weiss. She just released her family cookbook No Whine with Dinner. She is here today to give us some tips on how to go about cooking more at home. Thank you for joining me Liz. Liz Weiss, MS, RD: It’s good to be here. Happy New Year. Gloria Tsang, RD: Happy New Year. I often hear from readers “I want to eat no packaged foods so I should learn cooking” or “I should cook more at home.” Why does it seem so hard for so many people to cook at home. Liz Weiss, MS, RD: Well people think. And I want to say think, that cooking at home require lots of time, lots of energy, lots of money and advanced cooking skills. It really doesn’t if you make a plan. If you find a few recipes that you like, write down a shopping list, hit the grocery store and come home. Keep it simple. You don’t have to go with the most gourmet recipes, just keep it simple. If you have plans, you can come home and cook healthy meals for yourself and for your family. In the end, you save a lot of money because it cost a lot of money to eat out. And you also end up, and as a dietitian, this is what I love, you end up eating a much healthier diet. Because restaurant meals tend to be high in sodium and saturated fat and calories. You don’t know what you are eating! When you cook at home, you have much more control. You can get more fruits and veggies on the table; more whole grains. The opportunities are really endless when you cook at home. Gloria Tsang, RD: What exactly do you mean when you say “have a plan”. I think that is the hardest to grasp for most people. What do I do? What is step 1 to make a plan? Liz Weiss, MS, RD: Right. And I was not born with the organizing gene, my husband will tell you that. But if you can try to get even a little organized… here is one thing. Say you go to a grocery store typically on a Sunday, sit down and plan out what you are going to make that week. And then make a grocery list. Actually, on my website mealmakeovermoms.com, we have a free downloadable supermarket shopping list. You can just fill that out or make your own list. And then go to the grocery store knowing what you are going to buy and what your plan of attack is. And then when you get home, you can start cooking. Some people like to do all their cooking on a weekend, other people don’t mind doing a little bit of cooking everyday of the week. But find those recipes, make that grocery list, go to the store and also have a well stocked pantry. Because for people who are not planners and want to do the last minute thing, if you have a well stocked pantry, you are more likely to be able to whip up quick meals at home. Gloria Tsang, RD: So what do you say to those that say they don’t have time to cook. I think time is the number 1 reason that people tend to go out and grab take out. It seems to be less to do that than to try to cook something, serve and wash dishes. So what do you say to those people who say they don’t have time to cook? Liz Weiss, MS, RD: Well, I actually think it takes more time to order from a restaurant or order take out.

Listen to fun diet tips by registered dietitians and medical doctors to lose weight and reclaim health. Nutrition Tidbits Podcast brought to you by the largest online nutrition community HealthCastle.com.

Dr. Roger Clemens explains what those olive oil terms really mean, and what you should put your money on. Host: Gloria Tsang, RD Guest: Roger Clemens, DrPH If you ever make a trip to the grocery store to pick up a bottle of olive oil lately, you know how confusing it can be. Dr. Roger Clemens, spokesperson for the Institute of Food Technologists' and professor at the USC School of Pharmacy, explain what those olive oil terms really mean, and what you should put your money on.   Transcript: Gloria Tsang, RD: Welcome to the Nutrition Tidbits podcast. This is Gloria Tsang, Editor-in-Chief for HealthCastle.com. If you ever make a trip to the grocery store to pick up a bottle of olive oil lately, you know how confusing it can be. Joining me today is professor Dr. Roger Clemens. He is the Institute of Food Technologists' spokesperson and professor at the USC School of Pharmacy. He is here today to explain what those olive oil terms really mean, and what you should put your money on. Thank you for joining me Dr. Clemens. Roger Clemens, DrPH: It's a delight to join you and your audience today, thank you for asking. Gloria Tsang, RD: Now cooking oil is always a hot topic on HealthCastle.com, partly because we cook every day and we use the oil every day. There are so many terms found on a bottle of olive oil; light, extra light, extra virgin, cold pressed, etc... What terms really do matter and which do not? Roger Clemens, DrPH: For all practical purposes based on the regulations that cover olive oil, the terms which you really look for are this. There are two types of virgin olive oils. These are the kinds of olive oils fit for consumption; and within that category they are called extra virgin olive oil and virgin olive oil. And then there are olive oils which are not fit for consumption and they are olive oil and refined olive oil; which are the terms that are used in the current regulations that cover this particular area. Gloria Tsang, RD: Now what does cold pressed really mean? Roger Clemens, DrPH: Cold pressed refers to the squeezing or the crushing of the olive oils without any chemical means; without the use of any particular solvents for extraction. Gloria Tsang, RD: We understand that there is a new standard by the USDA on olive oil. Can you tell us more about that? Roger Clemens, DrPH: Yes, it truly is about this new standard which went in to effect just a few days ago. This standard actually is over fifty years old and it was already in the regulations but finally came to surface because there is so much pressure and interest by the consumer to say, what am I buying at the grocery store? So on October 25, 2010, the USDA issued a regulation to talk about what composes of or the standards of grading olive oil and what that olive oil really means in terms of composition. Gloria Tsang, RD: There are culinary considerations in choosing one type of olive oil over the other, but for this segment we are going to focus on health. We know that olive oil is a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids, aka Omega-9. Do all grades of olive oil contain the same amount of monounsaturated fatty acids? Roger Clemens, DrPH: That is a great question, really important for your listening audience. They do not all contain the same amount. Actually, they are intended to contain the same amount but not all olive oil contain the same amount. It really depends on the tree, the location of that tree, the climate in which that tree was grown, whether it was grown in Italy or in the United States, it's quite variable across the board. The flavor profile is much different as well. The amount of allowable defects in flavor and odor also variable to where the product was grown and the time of year it was harvested.

Listen to fun diet tips by registered dietitians and medical doctors to lose weight and reclaim health. Nutrition Tidbits Podcast brought to you by the largest online nutrition community HealthCastle.com.

David Kirby reveals some shocking facts behind the meat and dairy farming system in the country, and how these factory farms may threaten our health. Host: Gloria Tsang, RD Guest: David Kirby Many of us are paying more attention on where our fruits and veggies come from, and how they are grown. What about meat? David Kirby, journalist and author of Animal Factory, reveals some shocking facts behind the meat and dairy farming system in the country, and how these factory farms may threaten our health.   Transcript: Gloria Tsang, RD: Many of us are paying attention on where our fruits and veggies come from and how they are grown. What about meat? Welcome to the Nutrition Tidbits Podcast. This is Gloria Tsang, Editor-in-Chief for HealthCastle.com. Joining me today is journalist and author David Kirby. Author of the book Animal Factory. He is here today to reveal some shocking facts behind the meat and dairy farming system in the country and how these factory farms may threaten our health. Thank you for joining me David. David Kirby: Thank you. I am very happy to be here. Gloria Tsang, RD: In your book, you said the idea of the Old McDonald’s Farm is the thing of the past. And that CAFO is the new form, What exactly is CAFO? David Kirby: CAFO is a government designation that stands for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation. Most people know that as a factory farm. I almost prefer the term factory farm; at least it has the word farm in it. To think that you are getting your food from a concentrated feeding operation is kind of Orwellian. It says a lot because they cram hundreds or thousands of animals in to very small spaces that are not healthy for the animals or the workers and generate massive amounts of manure and waste that is typically liquefied, stored for a while in a lagoon that can off gas and cause air and water pollution; and then, sprayed on to fields where it’s often over applied and you get run-off, over nutrification of water waste and fish kills. Gloria Tsang, RD: From your description, I can clearly picture the environmental impact. What about the health of the animals? Do you have any data about how healthy or unhealthy these animals are? David Kirby: Yes, there is more and more data emerging. One of the biggest problems is over reliance on antibiotics of course to promote growth and stave off disease. But that does lead to the emergence of antibiotic resistance disease, which can be passed on to humans including MRSA. The other problems is, when animals are crammed together, it is very hard to scientifically measure the psychological well being of an animal. But you can imagine that it is miserable for them. I like animals and when I see a cow in a mega dairy, it looks pretty miserable to me, compared to a cow that is out on pasture with her calves eating grass and taking in fresh air and sunshine. However, we can measure some of the health effects. There are some studies that show animals kept in confinement in concentrated numbers fed a steady ration of feed that is not really what they meant to eat, and there is a lot of aggression and fighting because of the over-crowding, they get stressed out. When animals get stressed out, just like us, their immune systems become compromised. Of course, they are often overdosed on antibiotics and vaccines and things like that. So they are more prone to disease, certain diseases and infections. Also, we are now learning that stressed out animals with immune problems are more likely to shed their pathogens that they are carrying. In other words, more likely to infect other animals and humans in the transportation and caring and feeding of the animals. Gloria Tsang, RD: You mentioned the use of antibiotics and the health conditions of these animals, how do these conditions impact our health,

Listen to fun diet tips by registered dietitians and medical doctors to lose weight and reclaim health. Nutrition Tidbits Podcast brought to you by the largest online nutrition community HealthCastle.com.