National and international health observances in November
For additional resources on the topics above, click here
Holiday decoration also a great nutritional value
Before chucking the innards of your family’s fearsome Jack o’ Lantern, simmer on this: Pumpkin is a great source of vitamin A, potassium and fiber. And those slippery, white seeds are full of fiber and polyunsaturated fatty acids, one of the “good” fats. Then there’s the added bonus: pumpkin is also naturally low in fat and calories. Though fresh is usually best, canned pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie mix) is just as good, if not better, than a pumpkin straight off the farm, says Dr. Jo Ann Carson, a registered dietitian at UT Southwestern Medical Center. “Canned pumpkin has more nutrients per cup than fresh cooked pumpkin, mostly due to removal of water, packing in more pumpkin per cup,” Dr. Carson said. One cup of canned pumpkin has 83 calories, 7 grams of fiber and about twice the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin A.
Dr. Carson offers the following tips for incorporating pumpkin into your diet:
- Make pumpkin pie without the crust. Pumpkin custard is nutrient-rich without the extra calories and unhealthy fat contained in the crust.
- Add pumpkin to muffins, pancakes and cookies to increase their nutritional content.
- Simmer chunks of pumpkin with green beans to make a colorful vegetable dish.
Nutritionally speaking, don’t get tricked into too many treats
The season of gluttony, also known as the winter holidays, is upon us. Though some might argue that the never-ending gorgefest doesn’t start until Thanksgiving, Halloween could hold its own as a fanciful excuse to eat massive amounts of sticky, gooey calorie-laden treats. But celebrating the spooky date doesn’t mean it’s time to nudge the scale under the cabinet. Bernadette Latson, a registered dietitian at UT Southwestern Medical Center, says parents should remember that Halloween only lasts a single day.
“As a dietitian and mom, I recommend allowing trick-or-treat to proceed as it will, then have fun sorting the loot with your children,” Ms. Latson says. “Young children love to organize treats into types, colors, favorites.” She says parents should let their kids indulge in a few favorites, but immediately toss the rest. “The next day, Halloween is over and the treats are over too,” she says. “It’s bad for the kids and everyone else in the house to leave any of that loot lying around, so dispose of it immediately and go back to regular eating.”
__________________________________________________________________________________
What is an antioxidant?
by Rosemary Son, RD/LD
Clinical Dietitian
“Rich in antioxidants!” Heard that word lately? Lots of food labels proclaim to have an ‘immunity boost’, others say that they are high in ‘antioxidants’. You may have even noticed it on cosmetic products. But when it gets down to it, what does that actually mean? What is an antioxidant anyway?
Webster’s Corner: To understand this, let’s break the word down. ‘Anti’ means ‘against’, that’s the easy part to understand. ‘Oxidant’? What is that? The dictionary states “a chemical agent that oxidizes”. So what does that mean?
The Body Machine: Believe it or not, your body is an amazing biochemical machine that’s metabolizing, breathing and maintaining life all the time. The body is made up of trillions of microscopic cells that all work together toward one goal: being alive. Part of that natural process of getting business done involves breaking things down, rebuilding, defense, maintenance and the list goes on.
Taking Care of Business: One of the natural processes that goes on in the body and in the cell is taking stuff in (water, oxygen, food, messages from other cells), letting stuff out (carbon dioxide, proteins, messages to other cells, waste). They are all interconnected. Oxidation is a quite natural and inevitable occurrence. That means that your body’s cells carry this out on their own, it’s just what some would call ‘the cost of doing business’.
Breathe In, Breathe Out: ‘Oxidation’ sounds a lot like ‘oxygen’, the gas in the air that gives us life, for a reason. Oxygen is necessary to power the cell-level machines that generate energy to run the body, but if left uncontrolled can “burn the cell up” causing damage to its machinery. Think of it like a furnace at a steel mill. The fire is a powerful force that allows the cell to run more smoothly, but it must be kept under control. Sometimes sparks escape and can cause fires that take a long time to contain and put out. On the cell level, these ‘sparks’ can be called free radicals.
Necessary Evils: Some natural, and highly necessary actions where your body can generate oxidants (aka free radicals) are digestion, allergic response, and the immune response to an invader.
The body keeps oxidation in check (like when the body gets enough rest, sleep, relaxation, nutrition) naturally. The stresses of every day life can push the limits of your cell’s resources. Suppose there is fire after fire after fire: lack of sleep, fatigue, worry, stress, sickness, poor nutrition, alcohol, smoking, and even deep fried food!
Over years of having to put out fires, the body can get worn out. From damage repeatedly over and over the body’s defenses can weaken and over time things like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes can emerge. Note: while oxidation does not cause these diseases per se, they certainly weaken the body’s overall maintenance ability and certainly do not help.
Rusting On the Inside: Have you seen what happens to a piece of metal out in the weather after several years? It will look rusted and brittle, or green like the tops of old buildings and monuments. That is what happens over the course of time to cells as the body ages and grows old. You could almost call it “rusting”!
We all know that aging is inevitable, but how rapidly or ‘gracefully’ we age can be determined by factors in our diet and lifestyle.
Where antioxidants come into play are in the diet. Antioxidants are chemicals that “stop” the fire from getting out of control. Think of them like having an emergency fire extinguisher inside your cell. Think of them like the cell’s personal volunteer fire department. They help the body help itself by reducing the damage done by oxidation.
So where do you get antioxidants? The best sources are from fruits and vegetables, but they don’t stop there. Eating a diet that is rich in whole grains, fiber and generally modest in such things as fat and sugars.
Yam or Yukon gold? Spinach or Iceberg?: A good rule of thumb on choosing fruits or vegetables (or any food really) that is really rich in antioxidants is the color. The more colorful it is, the more beneficial.
So that’s why they say to eat 5-9 a Day. Remember back in the old days when they said to get 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day? The latest research has realized that actually we need all the help we can get! Did you know most people still hardly get even 3 servings of fruits or veggies a day?
So how do you get them all in? Many people might say that fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive, but if you factor in savings of health care costs and increased health and longevity they are actually quite a bargain. In a land of such plenty, there is plenty to choose from. The simple truth is that the more fruits and vegetables you eat, the better off you are.
Here are some helpful tips from the Centers for Disease Control on how to increase your fruit and vegetable intake (taken from: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/tips/index.html )
Stir low-fat or fat-free granola into a bowl of low-fat or fat-free yogurt. Top with sliced apples or berries.
Have fruit as a mid-morning snack.
Add strawberries, blueberries, or bananas to your waffles, pancakes, cereal, oatmeal, or toast.
Top toasted whole-grain bread with peanut butter and sliced bananas.
Add vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms or tomatoes to your egg or egg white omelet.
Canned, dried, and frozen fruits and vegetables are also good options. Look for fruit without added sugar or syrups and vegetables without added salt, butter, or cream sauces.
Those are just a few helpful hints. Visit http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/index.html for personalized serving tips, recipes, choosing produce and more. Bon appetit!
