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Food and Nutrition Author: Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN - Food and Nutrition Columnist - HealthNewsDigest.com Last Updated: Sep 7, 2017 - 10:06:33 PM



Nutrition In A Nutshell

By Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN - Food and Nutrition Columnist - HealthNewsDigest.com
Mar 21, 2015 - 9:38:48 AM



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(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Science is a continuing dialogue and nutrition is a science. Nutrition research is like a pendulum that swings back and forth before settling on the right answer. Findings from one study stand until challenged by newer research that supports or disproves earlier results. This may seem confusing. Don't eat fat. Eat some fat. Pick the right fat. Each piece of advice has been part of the changing message about fat over the last decade. Why does the advice change?

Researchers use a combination of their findings and their trained judgment to turn research data into eating advice. This advice evolves as newer findings come out. When recent findings contradict earlier information the media is quick to announce the controversy. Except, this is not actually controversy it is the evolution of science which is a continuous process. Studies that result in no effect or find no connection between a food and a disease get little news. No effect is actually good news. It would be nice to know when something doesn't cause cancer or raise your risk for heart disease.

Here is some nutrition research turned into eating advice that you can feel confident putting to good use.

Meds and some foods don't mix:

  • Pine nuts and cashews are high in vitamin K and can interfere with anticoagulant drugs like Coumadin (warfarin).
  • Don't wash down meds with grapefruit juice, especially cholesterol-lowering medications.
  • Pomegranate juice can interfere with blood pressure medications, antidepressants, AIDS drugs, and some narcotic pain relievers.

If you take medication regularly, check with your doctor or pharmacist about food and drug interaction

Fat facts:

  • Cholesterol levels change with the season. They are often higher in winter. Get more than one reading before changing or starting medication.
  • Eating eggs doesn't raise cholesterol. They are low in fat and contain less cholesterol than once believed (186 milligrams instead of 213 milligrams in a large egg). The reduction in cholesterol was achieved through changes in feed, breeding methods, and better cholesterol analysis techniques.
  • Saturated fats - animal fats - anger your immune system and increase inflammation which can stiffen blood vessels.
  • Trans fat puts you at risk for heart disease and should be avoided. The good news is that many foods have been reformulated and there is less trans fat in our foods.


Carb connections:

  • It's not the carbs, it's how much of them we eat. In Italy, 3 ounces (315 calories) is considered an average portion, in the US it is 6 ounces (630 calories).
  • Eating too much sugar does not cause diabetes. Poor food choices, lack of exercise and carrying too much weight are the major risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
  • No one eats enough fiber and most people eat too much sugar. We should reverse this. Limit foods with added sugar - sweets and treats - and eat more whole grains, at least 3 servings each day.

Exercise is excellent:

  • Keep moving - 150 minutes of exercise weekly is powerful medicine. That is only 20 minutes a day.
  • Exercise preserves muscle during weight loss and prevents sarcopenia (muscle loss) as we age.
  • Meds are not a get-out-of-jail-free card. Coupling regular exercise with your medication will give you over 50% better results.


Calories count:

  • Eating calories at night does not increase weight gain. Eating too many calories no matter what time of day is the culprit.
  • Eat whole foods instead of drinking juices. You eat less when you chew.
  • Liquid calories do not fill you up as well as food. Chewing is satisfying.


Salty wisdom:

  • One teaspoon of salt has 2,400 milligrams of sodium (40%), the rest is the mineral chloride (60%).
  • At every age we eat too much salt each day. Aim for 2,300 milligrams of sodium or less daily.
  • The salt shaker makes up just 6% of our daily sodium intake, 77% comes from processed and restaurant foods.
  • Thirty percent of Americans have high blood pressure and you develop a greater sensitivity to sodium as you get older.
  • Eating too much salt makes your body lose calcium which can increase the risk for osteoporosis (adult bone thinning).
  • Treating high blood pressure may help prevent dementia.


Bottom line: How long you live will be determined one-third by your genes and two-thirds by your lifestyle choices. Choose well.

© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with sales of more than 8.5 million books.

Look for:

The Diabetes Counter, 5th Ed., 2014

The Fat and Cholesterol Counter, 2014

The Most Complete Food Counter, 3rd ed., 2013

The Calorie Counter, 6th Ed., 2013

The Complete Food Counter, 4th ed., 2012

The Protein Counter, 3rd Ed., 2011

The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, 3rd Ed., 2010

The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008

Your Complete Food Counter App: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/your-complete-food-counter/id444558777?mt=8


For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to: www.TheNutritionExperts.com.

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