Inaccurate Nutrient Calculations (and statements) are Everywhere

Lately, I've been reading several articles about the national restaurant menu labeling legislation passed in March and the abundance of professional opportunities expected to arise in the upcoming months. Specifically, I'm referring to Section 4205 of H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act, which mandates that restaurants and food vendors with more than 20 locations make calorie and nutrient information readily available to consumers. (What, you haven't read the whole bill?)

It's abundantly clear to me that menu calculations must be conducted by someone with both nutrition and culinary expertise. Let me provide an example:

Last week, I received nutrition information from a vendor to use in my calculations of a patient's food record (this vendor supplies certain types of meals to the hospital). Here's the info I was sent for one meal (fish and mixed vegetables):

350 calories 

3.5g total fat
116.20 calories from fat
5.90g total carbohydrate
31.40g total protein

What's wrong with this picture? Well, let's start with the basics: fat has 9 calories per gram, protein and carbohydrate each have 4 calories per gram. Clearly, the item above must have more than 3.5g of fat if the fat is contributing 116.2 calories (116.2/9 = 12.9 g of total fat is more likely to be the case). However, if you multiply all the macronutrients (fat, carb, protein) by their calories, I still don't end up with 350 total calories:

Goodbye Pyramid, Hello Plate

The Food Pyramid is dead, but don't mourn it - I certainly don't! Especially the most recent (indecipherable) vertically-striped version...

Today, the USDA introduced its new symbol to accompany the 2010 Dietary Guidelines: MyPlate. (wow, that makes so much sense - we eat on plates!)

I like the visual of MyPlate much better than MyPyramid. It's very similar to the visual I draw when teaching the plate method of healthy eating. Overall, MyPlate is definitely an improvement. However, I'm not sure how I feel about the dairy being stuck out there in right field - it seems too much like an afterthought.

Also, Marion Nestle points out in her recent blog post, protein is a nutrient, not a food. Today, my nutrition director, Dr. Wahida Karmally, observed that many people think they are only eating protein when consuming meat; they don't know they are eating fat and cholesterol too. Calling that section of the plate "protein" seems to reinforce this misconception - not to mention there's plenty of protein in dairy (just go for low-fat and non-fat varieties, of course!).

So, what do you think?

Interview: The Small Change Diet

My book review and interview with Keri Gans, MS, RD, CDN, author of The Small Change Diet, is featured as SuperKidsNutrition.com's Book of the Month!

I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling to make diet or lifestyle changes. The word "diet" doesn't really belong in the title. Check out the review and interview to find out why!

Happy National Nutrition Month!

March is National Nutrition Month! This year's theme is "Eat Right with Color."

There are so many delicious colors to choose from! Tonight, I made Green Pizza (ok, there's a bit of red in there too).

Ingredients:

Frozen whole wheat pizza dough
Tomato sauce (homemade)
Low-fat mozzarella cheese
Frozen chopped kale
Chopped bell peppers
Ground flax seeds (added to the crust when rolling out)
Olive oil (to mist the baking sheet)

Yum! And, no, I did not slave away on this - I got home from work at 6:45 and we were eating it by 7:30pm. However, if you remember to put the dough in the fridge to defrost during the day (unlike me), you'll be eating in 30 minutes instead of 45.

Interview: Living Skinny in Fat Genes

Check out my book review and interview with Dr. Felicia D. Stoler, author of Living Skinny in Fat Genes: The Healthy Way to Lose Weight and Feel Great - SuperKidsNutrition.com's featured Book of the Month!

Winter CSA

This year my husband and I joined the Wintersun Farms winter CSA for the New York City area. We've had 2 pickups so far, and I am truly loving it! (If you are not familiar with CSAs, this post has some info). Each month we receive frozen vegetables and eggs from Hudson Valley farms. Last week we received:

Chopped Kale (12 oz)
Raspberries (6 oz)
Crushed Tomatoes (24 oz)
Pureed Butternut Squash (16 oz) 
Broccoli Florets (12 oz)
Edamame (12 oz)
Fresh Pea Shoots
Eggs (1 dozen)

In December we received:

Green Beans (12 oz)
Blueberries (8 oz)
Crushed Tomatoes (24 oz)
Pureed Butternut Squash (16 oz)
Diced Bell Peppers (12 oz)
Corn (16 oz)
Fresh Pea Shoots
Eggs (1 dozen)

I can't wait to make butternut squash soup and more tomato sauce...already ate most of the kale. It was delicious with minimal seasoning - just a tad of salt, pepper and garlic powder. I am waiting for inspiration for how to use the raspberries and blueberries - such a treat this time of year!
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Playing video games can be good for kids...

...if they're playing the right ones, that is! For a while now, I've followed the research on video games developed to increase physical activity (ironic, isn't it?) and fruit, vegetable and water intake among adolescents.

For a full recap, you'll have to read my masters' thesis, but for now, let's focus on two of my favorites: Escape from Diab and Nanoswarm: Invasion from Inner space. The latest research on these two games will be published in the January 2011 issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine, but you can read the abstract online: Video Game Play, Child Diet, and Physical Activity Behavior Change: A Randomized Clinical Trial by Baranowski et al.

Hot Chocolate + Blizzard = Happy

Ah, there's nothing better than a rich cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter's night...when there's approximately a foot of snow outside...and more to come!

I steer clear of powdered hot chocolate mixes. Most have dismally small amounts of protein (about 2g) and calcium (43mg), are full of added sugar and, well, they're just not chocolatey enough for me! I usually make my own hot chocolate, which is just quick and convenient as a mix - and much more nutrient-dense.

Here's my favorite recipe for hot chocolate:

Rouge Tomate: Nutritious and Delicious!

Yesterday, I took my mom out for lunch at Rouge Tomate for her birthday. What an exquisite dining experience! My interest in Rouge Tomate was first piqued by a nutrition career panel I attended last winter. One member of the panel was Natalia Hancock, RD, culinary nutritionist for Rouge Tomate. A restaurant with a nutritionist on staff? Yes, it's true! Check out Rouge Tomate's philosophy to learn more.

First, the setting:

Looking down to the lower level.

Main level.

Lower level.

Alpha-Carotene, Beta's not-so-little sister?

Just before Thanksgiving, I came across this article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. In short, the authors analyzed data from 15,318  adults who participated in NHANES, and followed them over a 14-year period.  Carotenes are antioxidants, and it has been hypothesized that they may lower risk for cancer and cardiovascular disease. In this case, the authors discovered that those adults with the highest blood concentration of alpha-carotene had the lowest risk of death from all causes - yes, this includes cancer and CVD.

Now, while this is quite intriguing, please note that it is an association, which does not establish cause and effect. Still, this article highlights something I often explain: that nutrients cannot replace food.