Santa Claus, one of the most popular children’s icons, is not an appropriate role model for kids these days, a comical holiday report from the British Medical Journal says.

A review of literature found that:

Santa made a reckless role model, noting his frequent cookie snacks, occasional cigars and refusal to don a helmet during “extreme sports such as roof surfing and chimney jumping.”

“Santa promotes a message that obesity is synonymous with cheerfulness and joviality” (Ronald McDonald took that theme to new heights)

We still love you Santa, but this year we’ll leave you carrots and lowfat dip on the kitchen table instead of cookies and milk.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

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This is a brief heads up.

Recently we’ve had glitches with this website being down or giving various error messages.

We’re switching to a new hosting provider in order to rectify this and provide a more stable browsing experience.

We’ll update here when everything is back up and running.

Thanks for your understanding.

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A couple of weeks ago we wrote about the sacred cow of OJ nutrition being mercilessly slayed over at the Los Angeles Times. To quickly remind you – the theme is that Orange Juice is high in sugar, low in fiber, and contains vitamins and minerals that are abundant in a normal diet – overall it does more bad than good for most people.

The Florida Department of Citrus was obviously not happy with all this OJ negativity. They sent a letter to LA Times reporter, Karen Kaplan, respectfully disagreeing with the articles content. They also sent copies to blogs such as Fooducate. (download WORD doc here).

As an additional measure, the Citrus folks enlisted a dietitian, Gail Rampersaud, to write letters to all the skeptics, extolling the virtues of the Juice. An LA Times Article from Wednesday brings the dietitian’s letter, and a response from one of the skeptics, Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at UC San Francisco. It’s pretty much a re-run of previous arguments, with a few additional twists.

Pro-OJ:

• One glass counts as a fruit serving.
• Good source of vitamin C, which many people don’t get enough of.
• Citrus juices are more nutrient dense than apple or pineapple juices.
• 100% OJ is free of added sugar.
• The majority of  kids are not getting enough fruit in their diet. A study showed that kids 2-11 who drank OJ were likely to be consuming more fruit as well.
• The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recognized the nutritional importance of including 100% orange juice in the diet.

Against-OJ:

• The problem is not with fruit, it’s with juice.
• Juice has no fiber.
• Half the calories are from fructose (a sugar). Fructose in high quantities is a burden on the human metabolism.

And you just have to love Dr. Lustig’s eloquence:

The upside of juice consumption is so infinitesimal compared to the downside that we shouldn’t even be having this discussion.

In his response letter he further writes:

I am not against fruit. As far as I am concerned, the most important nutrient contained in fruit (not just citrus, but any fruit) is fiber. “The juice is Nature’s way of getting you to eat your fiber.” Thus, I am not against fruit; indeed I am for it. So the Florida Department of Citrus can rest easy in terms of the citrus crop.

The problem with Florida’s department of citrus is that there’s way too many oranges produced. Too much for people to consume as fruit. So we got juice.

Can anyone else think of a surplus crop whose processing has turned into a profitable business with an unhealthy downside?

If you answered corn and high fructose corn syrup – give yourself a pat on the back.

What to do at the supermarket:

I am still torn by the saddening news that orange juice is not that healthy after all. Decades of programing my brain that this is healthy cannot be erased overnight. That said, in our family the issue is not so critical because we drink tap water 99% of the time. My kids can have whatever they want the rest of the time.

If you are debating between soda pop and orange juice – go for the juice.

If you’re debating between orange juice and water – go for water. And if that’s too hard, you can always water down a glass of OJ and halve the sugar content in an instant.

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Thanksgiving is only a few days away, and there have been countless online discussions and recommendations on what to eat, how to eat, and how to stay healthy. We can’t help but weigh in with our list as well.

1. No Guilt. Folks, holidays are no time to start a diet or feel bad about poor eating habits. It’s all about family, tradition, and having a good time together. That said, a few simple adjustments, barely noticeable, but highly effective, can help you lower your stress levels this holiday.

2. Prepare a home cooked meal. It may be rich and full of calories, but at least it’s low on preservatives, additives, colorings, and other artificial stuff your body does not need. Prepare the meal together with your spouse and children, and get the added benefit of quality time together, before all the guests arrive.

3. Serve on small plates. Countless studies have shown that when plates are smaller, less food is placed on them, and less is eaten. Resist the urge to show off the entire China set, and use just the appetizer plates and soup bowls.

4. Color your table. The turkey, stuffing, gravy, and potatoes are all shades of beige-brown. Thank goodness for the cranberry sauce. But what about some hearty salads as sides too? Corn on the cob, Broccoli, beans, carrots and peas, beets, leafy greens, as well as peppers, eggplants, and so many other veggies can be an integral and healthy part of the meal.

5. Hors d’oeuvres. Make them small. Tiny. Bite size. What great French Chefs call amuse bouche. This is important because  people consume 300 calories BEFORE the meal begins, just snacking.

6. Drink water. And fine wine. But not soft drinks, juices, and other useless calories.

7. Wait before dessert. Take 20-30 minutes after finishing off the main course to let your body feel full. You’ll then be happy with a small portion.

8. Plan the days after. You’ve got a long weekend, 3 full days, ahead of you. Some of us will exercise by sprinting during Black Friday’s big sales at the shopping malls. But for the rest, how about planning some physical activity outdoors. Hike, jog, walk around the neighborhood. And have plenty of fruit and vegetables stocked up for preparing and eating together with leftovers from the holiday meal.

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Con-Agra, the food industry powerhouse with brands such as Chef Boyardee, Hunt’s, Hebrew National, Marie Callender’s, and Healthy Choice, announced this week a new public awareness campaign urging Americans to consume 100 calories less in a day. Using “proprietary research”, the Omaha, NE based company concluded that even such a small reduction in calories can have many health benefits and cost savings in medical bills. And of course the company used the announcement to plug its products:

Explains Barbara Ivens, ConAgra’s senior director, nutrition: “Making simple dietary improvements — such as substituting a Healthy Choice meal for a takeout lunch, Egg Beaters instead of eggs, and Orville Redenbacher’s SmartPop! as a whole grain, calorie-controlled, sodium-controlled snack — empowers people to make meaningful changes that can translate to healthier lives, less costly health care and increased productivity.”

What you need to know:

Cutting down just 100 calories a day will help people lose almost a pound of weight every month (3500 calories equal one pound of body weight). Problem for most Americans is that we consume much more than the allotted 2000-2500 calories per day.

How much more? Try over 1000 (one thousand!!) calories more per day than necessary.

Calories have lost some of their respect in the past years with carbs taking the spotlight. It seems they are now making a comeback as people realize that a calorie from any source is still a calorie. Many people have no idea what their caloric intake is or what it should be, and thus can’t even plan a diet correctly.

What to do at the supermarket:

Here is one very important tip: When selecting products, look at the calorie count AND the serving size to calculate how much you are going to be putting in your body.

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This month is seeing several religious fasting traditions – Muslims with the Rammadan, and Jews with Yom Kippur. The latter is a 25 hour fast beginning this evening at sunset. Rammadan, which ended last week, lasted an entire month! Luckily, followers of Islam are allowed to eat before sunrise and after sunset each day during the fasting month.

Historically, fasting has been tied to spiritual healing, a cleansing of the soul, and prophetic visions. In modern times, some people have opted for occasional fasts as a quick weight loss solution.

What you need to know:

While fasting once in a while is not going to kill a normally healthy person, it does pose  several risks:

Undernourishment and malnourishment – our body is an amazing machine that needs a host of nutrients to keep it running smoothly.

Muscle loss – When our body is undernourished and inactive – it tends to burn the pounds away in the form of muscle, not fat. Big bummer.

Going crazy – Perhaps the modern day interpretation of historical fasts leading to visions and prophecies is simply the fact that going too long without food leads to deteriorating mental capacities, sometimes inducing hallucinations and other psychological side effects.

Weight gain – Silly as it sounds, after the fast some people put more into their body than they would have given the opportunity to eat  regular meals.

To summarize, a better way to lose weight is to eat right rather than not eat at all.

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Which of these sugars is the most nutritious – Raw, brown, or refined?

Before we answer, let’s take a minute to remind ourselves how sugar is produced.

The raw materials utilized are either sugar cane stalks or sugar beet (a root). Sugar cane is pulverized an then mixed with water and lime to create a sticky liquid. The liquid is boiled until the water evaporates and the sugar begins to crystallize. A centrifuge then separates the sugar crystals.

This is raw sugar. It is also called turbinado or demerara sugar. Its crystals are relatively large and have a brownish tinge.

Raw sugar is further  processed to create the white sugar that we know. This involves washing, purification, and bleaching using chemical processes. The result is smaller, whiter crystals called refined sugar or table sugar.

Brown sugar is simply refined sugar with molasses mixed in. Molasses are a brownish syrup derived from sugar cane as well.

Many of the brown sugars for sale are nothing more than marketing tricks. Manufacturers add some molasses to the refined sugar and expect us to believe that it is the more natural and healthy form of the sugar. This despite it having gone through a longer manufacturing process.

So which sugar is the most nutritious?

Truth be told, our headline was a trick question. None of the sugars, including raw sugar, should be considered nutritious or healthful food. Sugar is great in dessert preparation and is to be used in moderation, a spoonful here or there.

But best to get your minerals and vitamins from other sources.

What to do at the supermarket:

Don’t bother spending more money for brown sugar’s false health benefits. Spend the money saved on fresh fruit.

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The Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition is hosting its fourth annual nutrition symposium on Friday and Saturday (9/11-12/09). This year’s conference, Nutrition Agenda 2009 and Beyond, will dedicate a half  day to presentations and discussions about Nutrition Labeling and Scoring. (download program PDF here). Not surprisingly, the event is sponsored by the food industry.

The past year has seen an explosion in food labeling and scoring system introductions, and it will be very exciting to hear from the inventors and initiators of these systems what they’ve learned so far, consumer reaction, and of course what they think of their competition.

We’ll be participating online, and also live-blogging and twittering each session as it progresses.

Especially interesting to hear will be remarks from Dean of the nutrition school, Dr. Eileen Kennedy, who is also chairman of Smart Choices. She has been thrust into the spotlights after an interview last week in the New York Times where she said Froot Loops are a smart nutritional choice.

Hopefully there will be some Q&A sessions, so if any of you dear readers are interested in asking a question, drop us a line or send us a twit. We’ll try to accommodate…

Here’s the lineup for tomorrow morning:

8:30am NuVal Nutrition Scoring System Update
David L. Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP
Chief Science Officer, NuVal
Power in Numbers: How the breadth and depth of the NuVal system can position it to be the universal standard for all nutritional guidance systems.

9:00am Guiding Stars (Hannaford Supermarkets) Program Update
Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, Tufts University, Friedman School
The Guiding Stars Program: Evaluating and Extending Nutrition Profiling

9:30am Nutrient Rich Foods Index
Victor Fulgoni, PhD
Nutrition Impact, LLC
Nutrient Rich Foods Index and Relationship to Better Nutrition and Health Status

10:00am Refreshment Break – wonder if they’ll serve healthy snacks…

10:20am Smart Choices Program Update
Joanne Lupton, PhD
Texas A&M University
The hope is that the Smart Choices Program will be the most widely used front-of-pack labeling program in the United States, and ultimately assist people in making positive dietary changes to help enhance public health.

10:50am FDA Perspective on Labeling and Scoring
Barbara O. Schneeman, Ph.D.
Director of the Office of Nutrition, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements in the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the Food and Drug Administration

11:20am Panel Discussion

Food Label are an immensely important issue in public health. They are also very controversial and misleading. That is why many aspects are tightly regulated by the FDA.

Unfortunately the sly food manufacturers have figured out ways to impress upon consumers only the good side of their products, misleading shoppers into buying processed foods disguised as healthy. Our fear is that some of the new labeling schemes will only worsen the situation.

Stay tuned for tomorrow…

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1. pepper corns
2. small furry animal poop
3. canola oil
4. none of the above

Answer below. Read more…

Actually, both are not at the top of the healthy oil list.

Palm oil has 50% saturated fat. Palm Kernel Oil has 80%. These are very high values compared to oilve oil (14%) and canola oil (7%). Saturated fat is attributed to increasing the bad cholesterol (LDL) in our bloodstream thus raising the risk of heart disease.

Although both oils are from palm trees, they are actually 2 different types of oil. Palm oil comes from the fruit itself (reddish orange), whereas palm kernel oil is extracted from the seed (the white in the image above).

Palm oil (NOT palm kernel oil) isn’t all bad though, as it contains large quantities of oleic acid (40%), a healthy fatty acid also found in olive oil and canola oil. Palm oil also contains good levels of vitamin E.

Both palm oils are also at the center of a larger sustainability debate as rain forests are being cleared in order to grow the palm trees. The trend has accelerated in the last decade as palm oil has been used not just for human consumption but as a bio-fuel.

What to do at the supermarket:

Better options are canola and olive oils.

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