Diet Soda and Waist Circumference

Research on diet soda and aspartame presented at the American Diabetes Association's 71st Scientific Sessions from June 24-28 in San Diego have sparked a lot of media attention.
As Science Daily summarizes:


ScienceDaily (2011-06-28) -- In the constant battle to lose inches or at least stay the same, we reach for the diet soda. Two studies suggest this might be self-defeating behavior. Epidemiologists report data showing that diet soft drink consumption is associated with increased waist circumference in humans, and a second study that found aspartame raised fasting glucose (blood sugar) in diabetes-prone mice.


The study presented by researchers at the University of Texas Health and Science Center at San Antonio looked at the relationship between drinking diet soft drinks and long-term change in waist circumference in 474 participants, aged 65-74 yrs at baseline, in the San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging (SALSA). They found that over the 9.5 year study average increases in waist circumference of people drinking two or more diet soft drinks a day were five times larger than people that did not drink diet soft drinks.
Here is the graph posted at the American Diabetes Association website:

http://ww2.aievolution.com/ada1101/index.cfm?do=abs.viewAbs&abs=10061


I could not find this research in a published peer reviewed journal  and did not attend the conference so was not able to look at  the details of the study such as how diet soft drinks are defined e.g. is it only sodas or other drinks with artificial sweeteners? It is a very interesting study and gives one a lot to think about.  Notice the age range is 65- 74 at baseline would the results be different in a younger group? What about waist circumference among regular soft drink users? There is some interesting research into artificial sweeteners and blood sugar too, but that is for another post.
I did come across another study by the same authors looking at the same group in the San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging (SALSA) observed a connection ( they did not state it cause and effect) between artificial sweetener use and increase BMI over the 7 to 8 year study period. This study did not distinguish between type of artificial sweetener and did not include fruit flavored drinks/powders/mixes.


The article was published in the journal Obesity in 2008 and the full text is free at www.nature.com

Lettuce Eat Well Free Lunch and Learns

Bring a bag lunch to the Center of Healing Arts ( 205 S. Almon Street in Moscow) 

and learn about a variety of food and nutrition topics.

The free Lunch and Learns
 held one Wednesday a month 

start next June 29

from noon to 1 pm.

Next week's topic:

The New Food Plate 

and

Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010

Lettuce Eat Well website

I have activated my business website for Lettuce Eat Well.

Find out more about my nutrition consulting practice at www.lettucebewell.com

Health Life Log - A Logbook to Track Your Health by Knock Knock

This log has everything in one place.

I might have to get some in bulk to use with Lettuce Eat Well.

Health Life Log - A Logbook to Track Your Health by Knock Knock

Veggie Van Art

www.freedigitalphotos.net

EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides | Environmental Working Group | EWG.org

EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides | Environmental Working Group | EWG.org

This is a great resource for prioritizing your organic or no-spray produce purchases.

You can also find a list of "Clean Fifteen" on the EWG website too.

Why Supermarket Tomatoes Suck | OnEarth Magazine

Why Supermarket Tomatoes Suck | OnEarth Magazine

Kids Eat Right Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the week

Caprese Salad on a Stick

A new spin on the classic Italian salad is fun for the whole family! Pair with your favorite grilled entrée and whole grain side dish and you have a well-balanced meal. more »

Try it out if you get the chance and let me know what you think of this recipe.

USDA Revises Recommended Cooking Temperature for All Whole Cuts of Meat, Including Pork, to 145 ºF

USDA Revises Recommended Cooking Temperature for All Whole Cuts of Meat, Including Pork, to 145 ºF

Food Irradiation and e.coli outbreak

In light of the most recent scare of E.Coli related deaths and illness in Europe I thought it would be a good time to take another look at food irradiation. This week's Newsweek article "Rise of the Superbacteria" Carl Zimmer interviews  Philip Tarr a microbiologist and an expert on E.coli strains from Washington University on the European outbreak most heavily affecting Germany.  The strain causing illness and deaths is called O104:H4 a strain that has never been associated with epidemics before however the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cite two cases of diarrheal illness in the Republic of Georgia caused by a with a slightly different structure that was less resistant to antibiotics.
As of June 8 the World Health Organization reports the 2808 people have developed

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) or Haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS)( a type of kidney failure) and 26 people in Germany have died as a result of these conditions.   E. Coli strains range from not causing any illness to those producing Shiga toxins that cause diarrhea often bloody, mild fever, urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, and kidney failure. 

While the source of the e.coli strain causing illness in Europe is not yet identified Germany health officials have advised against eating raw sprouts, tomatoes, leafy salads, and cucumbers grown in North Germany.

The CDC's website lists the most common sources of E.coli here is an excerpt:

 

"Exposures that result in illness include consumption of contaminated food, consumption of unpasteurized (raw) milk, consumption of water that has not been disinfected, contact with cattle, or contact with the feces of infected people. Some foods are considered to carry such a high risk of infection with E. coli O157 or another germ that health officials recommend that people avoid them completely. These foods include unpasteurized (raw) milk, unpasteurized apple cider, and soft cheeses made from raw milk. Sometimes the contact is pretty obvious (working with cows at a dairy or changing diapers, for example), but sometimes it is not (like eating an undercooked hamburger or a contaminated piece of lettuce). People have gotten infected by swallowing lake water while swimming, touching the environment in petting zoos and other animal exhibits, and by eating food prepared by people who did not wash their hands well after using the toilet. Almost everyone has some risk of infection."

This leads back to the idea of food irradiation as PHilip Tarr said in this week's Newsweek article "We'r going to have to rethink food safety. It may even be necessary to take a drastic step, such as irradiating fresh produce. I can tell you how to cook a hamburger to make it safe, but I can't tell you how to prepare a head of lettuce to make it safe. "

Another barrier ( fear of getting sick) to Americans eating fresh produce is a concern considering most Americans don't eat much produce. The top vegetable eaten is potatoes usually in the form of french fries. 

Here is a link to the CDC's page on Food Irradiation: Food Irradiation

Kids Eat Right Article

Whole white wheat flour: tasty and nutritious

by Nour El-Zibdeh, RD

Ages: Baby, Toddler, Preschooler, Gradeschooler, Teen

Topics: Grains, Vitamin C, Calcium, Fiber, Iron, Cooking Methods, Food Library, Meal Planning,Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Snacks

Do your kids turn up their noses when you try to get them to eat bread or other foods made with whole wheat? Then you haven't tried whole white wheat flour!

Whole white wheat flour is made from wheat kernels that have white-colored bran (the outer shell). The term "white" refers to the type and color of the kernels, and the flour is considered a whole grain. It is completely different from the traditional white flour you are used to, known as refined all-purpose flour, which is not whole grain and is made from red wheat kernels after the bran has been removed. What most Americans traditionally identify as "whole wheat flour" is milled from red wheat kernels, whose bran has a dark color, heavy texture, and a strong flavor that some don’t like.

In the Kitchen

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that people eat more whole grains and many think their only choice in the kitchen is whole wheat flour. But this type of flour, while full of nutrients, is not a favorite for baking because the final product is often heavy and unsmooth. To get around this, recipes often mix whole wheat flour with refined all-purpose flour, but the final baked product won't be 100% whole grain.

Whole white wheat flour, on the other hand, is lighter in color and texture, milder in flavor, and sweeter in taste. You can use it alone in your recipes to get all the fiber, vitamins, and minerals in the whole grain, without sacrificing the taste. "Baked goods prepared with whole white wheat flour tend to mimic their refined counterparts in color and texture," says Marisa Moore, MBA, RD, LD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. It is a great way to boost your family's whole grains intake with minimal effort because "the milder flavor of whole white wheat may be more acceptable to children," she adds. The sweetness of whole white wheat also allows you to use less sugar or other sweeteners when baking.

In the Store

Most mainstream grocery stores sell several brand names of whole white wheat flour and products made with it. Moore advises parents to "look for words like '100% whole wheat' on the package when shopping for bread and other products touting a whole grain status." Alternatively, you can look for the Whole Grain Council's "100% Whole Grain" stamp. To distinguish between products made with whole white wheat flour and others made with regular white flour, look at the ingredients list and make sure the type of flour used is whole wheat, not refined or enriched wheat.

My Food Plate Released

The new food icon to help people eat healthy was released this morning. It looks like the Idaho Plate Method. It is very easy to remember and understand. Find out more at www.myfoodplate.gov