According to Salge Blake:

“Arsenic occurs naturally in the environment as well as from contamination by humans. Inorganic arsenic is the harmful kind, so just like with cholesterol, getting a measurement of total arsenic doesn’t say very much.

“The FDA has been tracking the potential contamination in apples and other juices for years and concludes that there is no evidence of any public health risk from drinking apple juice.

“However, on another note, children ages 2 to 18 years consume more than half of their fruit intake as juice. Unfortunately, 100% juice lacks the fiber in whole fruits and when consumed in excess, can displace other healthy beverages, such as fat-free and low fat milk. While 100% fruit juice can be part of a well-balanced healthy diet, the majority of American’s daily fruit intake, young and old, should be from whole fruit.”

Contact Salge Blake at 617-353-7470; salge@bu.edu.

“With an alarming percentage of the state’s youth either obese or at risk of becoming obese, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has proposed nutrition standards for competitive foods and beverages, which are all food and/or beverages sold or provided in public schools, other than those that are provided as part of federal nutrition programs. These foods include those sold not only in the school cafeteria but also in school stores, vending machines, fund-raising activities, and even school-sponsored events.

“The proposed regulations set limits for the amount of many nutrients, such as fat, saturated fat, sugars, and sodium, that these competitive foods and beverages can contain per serving. The final regulations will be released on Wednesday, July 13th and are expected to go into effect on August 1st.”

Contact Joan at 617-353-7470, salge@bu.edu, Twitter: @joansalgeblake

In the videos below, Boston University Clinical Associate Professor of Nutrition Joan Salge Blake offers simple food-handling tips to help reduce the risk of foodborne illness at that next big holiday cook out.

Contact Joan at salge@bu.edu.

By:  BU’s Joan Salge Blake (@joansalgeblake, salgeblake@comcast.net)

While the Food Pyramid had close to a 20 year run, it’s time has come. As a registered dietitian and nutrition professor, I can honestly say that the Pyramid left me scratching my head as it did little to help the public translate healthy eating onto their plate.

Enter the latest graphic symbol of nutrition advice, MyPlate, released today by the USDA to visually help Americans translate the science-based, 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans into their everyday life.

The new MyPlate is a dinner plate split into multiple sections, each representing not only a different type of food but also the relative proportion that these foods should dominate your diet. At a blink of an eye, you will now see that half of your plate should be devoted to waist- and heart-friendly vegetables and fruit with a smaller portion for whole grains and lean protein foods such as fish, skinless poultry, and lean meats. The circle shape next to the plate is a visual reminder to make sure that non fat and low fat dairy foods such as milk are not forgotten at mealtime.

With over 65 percent of Americans overweight, this visual shift of foods on your plate can make a dramatic effect on your calorie intake. Devoting more than half of the surface of the plate to low calorie vegetables will crowd out higher calorie grains and protein foods, potentially cutting over 100 calories from your dinner.

There at also 7 important nutrition messages that accompany the new MyPlate:

Balancing Calories
● Enjoy your food, but eat less.
● Avoid oversized portions.

Foods to Increase
● Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
● Make at least half your grains whole grains.
● Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

Foods to Reduce
● Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals ― and choose the foods
with lower numbers.
● Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

Goodbye, Food Pyramid. Mangia to the new MyPlate.

For more information, visit: www.choosemyplate.gov

Foods and drinks with high amounts of added sugar can wreak havoc on your diet by adding around 350 extra calories a day.  Joan Salge Blake, Clinical Associate Professor of Nutrition at Boston University’s Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, offers sensible alternatives to sugar-laden soft drinks and sweets.

]]> http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/05/10/skip-the-sugar-keep-the-taste/feed/ 0 http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/04/26/whats-the-deal-with-the-dukan-diet/ http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/04/26/whats-the-deal-with-the-dukan-diet/#comments Tue, 26 Apr 2011 17:33:29 +0000 Lauren Davalla http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/?p=1382 Joan Salge Blake, Clinical Associate Professor of Nutrition at College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College spoke to the Fox 25 Morning Show this morning, breaking down the truths and myths of the highly debated French protein-based Dukan Diet said to be helping Kate Middleton and her mother prepare for the Royal Wedding on Friday:

“The trend is to upgrade to more choices and more fresh foods that are better for you.  If you splurge on a pricey suite or other premium seating area you can not only enjoy the best view of the game, but can order from an extensive restaurant-style menu featuring the most upscale and trendy foods.

She also recommends avoiding the pitfalls of “all-you-can-eat” seats currently being offered a stadiums across America costing between $35-50.00 in addition to ticket price:

“An extra $30 for hot dogs? Those are expensive hot dogs! They are also high in sodium and fat.”

Also:

“Eat before heading out to the ballpark so you don’t make a meal of these foods, and will be satisfied with snack-sized portions. “Decide what you would really like to eat, factor that into your food intake for the day, and enjoy it while you’re at the ballpark,”

Here are a few other tips:

• Whenever possible, ask questions about portion size, caloric content and how much fat, salt and cholesterol a food item or dish contains.
• Look for plant-based foods, which are lower in saturated fat and higher in fiber. Most ballparks now serve some combination of whole-grain bread, fresh fruit and salad. Skip the butter on the bread, and choose an oil-based — not creamy — salad dressing.
• Go for grilled, not fried. A grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato is much lower in saturated fat and calories than a fried hamburger (either way, skip the fries).
• Instead of hot dogs and hamburgers, try new cuisines — but ask the server to modify as needed to reduce fat and calorie content. For example, a Tex-Mex burrito filled with beans and shredded lettuce can be quite filling (but ask the server to skip the cheese and give you extra salsa instead, so you can sneak in more veggies). Sushi, grilled salmon, steamed edamame and other Japanese foods are also good high-protein, low-fat choices.
• If you feel like having a full meal, watch the action from one of the stadium restaurants. Choose steamed or poached entrées, instead of those deep fried or sautéed in butter. And keep your intake of saturated fat low by avoiding cream-based soups, sauces and salad dressings, and dishes that are made from or garnished with cheese.
• Limit your intake of sugar by chugging bottled water or diet soft drinks, instead of regular soda, “energy drinks” or sugar-added fruit juice — and keep in mind that the typical 20-ounce size soft drink is actually 2½ servings.
• If you’re one of those who insists on “traditional” ballpark fare, choose wisely. Snack on peanuts in the shell (low in saturated fat, high in fiber, B vitamins and protein); scrape the salt off the soft pretzel; guzzle low-carb or alcohol-free beer (fewer calories and carbohydrates than regular beer); and substitute sorbet or fruit ice for ice cream in a tiny plastic baseball hat (frozen fruit-based desserts have very little saturated fat, as compared with ice cream).
• If you don’t want to strike out nutritionally, avoid ballpark franks (too much salt and saturated fat), as well as Cracker Jacks and cotton candy (both are high in sugar).

“If you went to bed weighing 130 pounds and woke up registering 180 pounds on the bathroom scale, then you need to seek out extreme measures from a health care provider. Quickly…

Since it is highly unlikely that this amount of weight gain occurred overnight, then it is equally unlikely that it can safely be shed from your body in a day, a week, or even month.

Following an extremely restrictive, unbalanced very low calorie diet coupled with unrealistic amounts of daily exercise is not your weight loss solution and may cause unhealthy symptoms and side effects such as nausea, dehydration, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, and loss of lean muscle mass, to name a few ill effects.

Before you consider the latest advertised and promoted fad diet program for drastic weight loss that is Twittering through your Smartphone , click here for a review and critique of a variety of Hollywood Celebrity’s Dramatic Weight Loss attempts over the years.

For the best advice, guidance, and support for losing weight, consult with a registered dietitian in your area. To find one, visit the American Dietetic Association website at: www.eatright.org.”

Joan can be reached at: @joansalgeblake, salgeblake@comcast.net

The (Food) Dating Game

We all have played the dating game. That is, the Food Label Dating Game. It’s when you find that a package of raw chicken breasts in the back of the refrigerator and the date has expired, and thus, the game begins. Should I cook it and eat it? Should I toss it? Will I get sick if I eat it?

Keep in mind that the date on the food package does not refer to food safety, but to the quality of the food. In other words, this is the date in which you should consume the product in order to enjoy it at its best quality. Whenever you see a date on the label, there must be a phrase next to the date that tells you how to interpret it.

If there is “Sell By” next to the date, you should purchase the product on or before that date. If there is “Best if Used By” or “Use By” next to it, this refers to the date by which you should consume the product in order to enjoy it at its best quality. If you don’t plan to consume a product by its Use By date, you can freeze it. However, once frozen, the Use By date doesn’t apply.

To help you to decide if you should eat it or toss it, the FDA has created a handy list to help you make a decision. If you are still unsure, error on the cautious side.

When it doubt, toss it out.

Joan can be reached at salgeblake@bu.edu or @joansalgeblake.

Joan can be reached at salgeblake@bu.edu or @joansalgeblake.