Nutrition Wise
In Nutrition Wise, a weekly question and answer column, Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN address hot topics in the field of diet, nutrition and cancer.Panini, Diverticulosis, and Whole Wheat
Q: How do panini rate nutritionally?
Q: Is the plant-based diet recommended to prevent cancer appropriate for someone with diverticulosis?
Q: What is the best way to use whole wheat flour instead of white flour in a recipe?
Mushrooms and Nutrition, Heart Disease in Women, and the Old Food Guide Pyramid
Q: Are mushrooms a good source of any nutrients?
Q: How do the new guidelines to lower heart disease in women compare to diet recommendations for lower cancer risk?
Q: Why was the old Food Guide Pyramid with different levels of food consumption replaced?
Energy Density, Light Beer, and Healthy Cereals
Q: What does energy density mean?
Q: Is light beer a more healthful choice than regular beer?
Q: How do you suggest choosing a healthful cereal from among so many choices?
Coffee and Cancer, Wrap Sandwiches, and Healthy Meals
Q: Is coffee currently considered beneficial, harmful or neutral in its effect on health?
Q: Are wrap-style sandwiches lower in calories than traditional styles?
Q: I am always on the run. What can I stock in my cabinets to make healthy meals possible when I get home?
Scones, Cancer Statistics, Lemonade Detox
Q: Is there much difference in the healthfulness of scones compared to muffins?
Q: Is it true that the latest cancer statistics show we’ve turned the corner in the war on cancer?
Q: What do you think about the popular cleansing approach to weight loss based on laxatives and unsweetened lemonade with red pepper?
Wine, Milk in Tea, Dinner Salads
Q: How do the new, large wine glasses compare to a standard serving of wine?
Q: Is it true that a new study shows we shouldn’t drink milk in our tea?
Q: To make a salad that is the main dish, what and how much should I put in for protein?
Light, Lite, Low? What do the nutrition labels mean?
Food labels may claim the item is light, lite, or low in sugars or fats. What does this mean? The FDA has established guidelines for nutrient descriptives so that manufacturers claims will have meaning. Below are the current FDA guidelines:
Sugar
Sugar free: less than 0.5 grams (g) per serving
No added sugar, Without added sugar, No sugar added:
- No sugars added during processing or packing, including ingredients that contain sugars (for example, fruit juices, applesauce, or dried fruit).
- Processing does not increase the sugar content above the amount naturally present in the ingredients. (A functionally insignificant increase in sugars is acceptable from processes used for purposes other than increasing sugar content.)
- The food that it resembles and for which it substitutes normally contains added sugars.
- If the food doesn?t meet the requirements for a low- or reduced-calorie food, the product bears a statement that the food is not low-calorie or calorie-reduced and directs consumers? attention to the nutrition panel for further information on sugars and calorie content.
Reduced sugar: at least 25 percent less sugar per serving than reference food.
Calories
Calorie free: fewer than 5 calories per serving
Low calorie: 40 calories or less per serving and if the serving is 30 g or less or 2 tablespoons or less, per 50 g of the food.
Reduced or Fewer calories: at least 25 percent fewer calories per serving than reference food.
Fat
Fat free: less than 0.5 g of fat per serving
Saturated fat free: less than 0.5 g per serving and the level of trans fatty acids does not exceed 1 percent of total fat.
Low fat: 3 g or less per serving, and if the serving is 30 g or less or 2 tablespoons or less, per 50 g of the food.
Low saturated fat: 1 g or less per serving and not more than 15 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids.
Reduced or Less fat: at least 25 percent less per serving than reference food.
Reduced or Less saturated fat: at least 25 percent less per serving than reference food.
Sodium
Sodium free: less than 5 mg per serving.
Low sodium: 140 mg or less per serving and, if the serving is 30 g or less or 2 tablespoons or less, per 50 g of the food.
Very low sodium: 35 mg or less per serving and, if the serving is 30 g or less or 2 tablespoons or less, per 50 g of the food.
Reduced or Less sodium: at least 25 percent less per serving than reference food.
Fiber
High fiber: 5 g or more per serving. (Foods making high-fiber claims must meet the definition for low fat, or the level of total fat must appear next to the high-fiber claim.)
Good source of fiber: 2.5 g to 4.9 g per serving.
More or Added fiber: at least 2.5 g more per serving than reference food.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol free: less than 2 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol and 2 g or less of saturated fat per serving.
Low cholesterol: 20 mg or less and 2 g or less of saturated fat per serving and, if the serving is 30 g or less or 2 tablespoons or less, per 50 g of the food.
Reduced or Less cholesterol: at least 25 percent less and 2 g or less of saturated fat per serving than reference food.
Making Sense of Nutrition Research
Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN
American Institute for Cancer Research
Publicity about the recently released results from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) on lowfat diets is a good example of the confusion the media causes when headlines seem to contradict earlier research results and common sense. Some of the media reports on the WHI study said that lowfat diets have no effect on disease risk. Such gross oversimplifications may capture the reader’s attention, but they too often undermine a person’s determination to practice healthier eating and living habits.
Part of the problem is that people now know that their diet and lifestyle habits have a major impact on their health. Consequently, we want answers on how to live more healthfully. It’s frustrating to hear ‘we don?t know yet.’ But it is a mistake to take the most recent reported study as the sole authoritative source of knowledge. If you do, you may think that health advice is constantly changing when new reports appear. True scientific progress doesn’t come in single giant leaps. It’s more like putting a puzzle together, one piece at a time.
Different types of studies have different strengths and weaknesses. Laboratory and animal studies help us to see how a potential dietary influence, like a vitamin or phytochemical, might work. But these studies don?t show if it will work that way in people. Randomized controlled studies provide answers on the short-term effects of dietary or lifestyle practices in humans, but they don?t tell us whether people can achieve the same results on their own. Large epidemiological studies try to track people’s diets and health outcomes years later, but they depend on how accurately people can remember and record what and how much they really ate or did. Other studies can describe what happens when people are given instructions to follow a certain diet or exercise routine, but they can’t determine what the diet or routine can really do.
Furthermore, we don?t eat single foods or nutrients. Our food choices interact inside our bodies, and it’s not easy to tell what part of the diet is responsible for what effect. Conclusions can also change drastically, if factors like weight, exercise, smoking, family history and supplement use are either accounted for in analyses or overlooked. In addition, studies of a few months or even years can?t fully answer questions about health problems like cancer and heart disease that develop over 10 to 20 years or more.
To use science as a guide to healthy living, think like a scientist. Don?t expect black-and-white answers that label a food ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ Your whole diet almost always matters more. Realize that when a study shows no effect, it doesn?t mean there isn?t one. Variables like too short a study time, inaccurate data collection, or too few people observed may have influenced the results. Consequently, never make changes in your eating or lifestyle based on the results of one study. Consider the weight of evidence from many different kinds of studies. Lastly, remember that any change can have multiple effects on your health good or bad. For example, losing excess weight will boost your overall health.
Science can’t yet explain in detail why a healthy diet and lifestyle work. But we have a good idea of what habits best promote health. First, eat a mostly plant-based diet in reasonable portions with limited amounts of saturated fat. Second, limit your salt and alcohol intake, if you choose to drink at all. Third, exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight. These are excellent habits that should bring you a variety of health benefits.
