Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN American Institute for Cancer Research
Weekly column for the week of March 20, 2006
Q: How late in the day is it safe to eat without having all the food turn to fat?
A: If eating in the evening causes weight gain, then it's hard to explain the low incidence of obesity in European countries where dinner is rarely eaten before eight or nine o?clock. Even though you may be less active at night, you are still burning calories because your organs continue to work even while you sleep. What matters for weight control is how the total calories you eat all day compares to the total you burn up. Studies have shown that if these totals balance out, people who eat in the evening do not gain weight. However, when evening eating is not due to hunger, but to boredom or stress, it often leads to eating more than is needed - and that will cause weight gain. For many people, evening eating also means high-calorie ?junk food,? rather than fruit or other foods low in calories and high in nutrients. These situations pose trouble at any time of day the problem is inappropriate eating behavior, not the time at which it occurs.
Q: How does mesclun lettuce compare to other types?
A: Mesclun is not actually one type of lettuce, but refers to a mixture of baby salad greens. Originally European, it contained many types of herbs and greens not really classified as lettuce, such as purslane, chicory and frisee. Mesclun has now become quite popular in the U.S., even available pre-washed and ready-to-eat in the grocery store and as pre-blended seeds so people can grow their own at home. ?Americanized? versions may include milder-flavored greens including baby oak leaf and other leaf lettuces, romaine and bibb lettuce. Other blends may include greens with a more peppery flavor, such as arugula and mustard. Each batch of mesclun has a slightly different nutritional composition, depending on the particular greens it includes. In general, mesclun?s composition is similar to that of romaine or leaf lettuce: substantially higher in vitamin A (beta-carotene), vitamin C and folate than pale iceberg lettuce, though not quite as high as super-concentrated raw spinach.
Q: Is spelt pasta really the most nutritious?
A: Spelt is one of the earliest cultivated varieties of wheat, and it is a slightly different species than common wheat today. As in regular wheat pasta, spelt pasta is available in whole-grain and white (refined) versions. Whole-grain spelt pasta is similar to regular whole-grain pasta in calories, carbohydrate, fat and protein, although data on content of most of its vitamins and minerals is difficult to obtain. Whole-grain spelt pasta contains more dietary fiber than refined types of spelt or traditional pasta, but not necessarily more than regular whole wheat pasta. Spelt pasta is a nutritious way to add interesting variety to your meals, but it is quite a bit more expensive than regular or whole wheat pasta. Probably the more important factor to consider in choosing pasta or any other grain product (like bread, cereal, or rice) is that, for lower cancer risk and overall good health, our grain choices should include at least three servings of whole grains each day.
Reprinted with permission from the American Institute for Cancer Research
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