Greetings! It is Friday again, which means it is time for the usual Five for Fridays! If you are just joining, this is where I highlight some of the recent food and nutrition related stories. This is also my soapbox where I offer my rants and not-so-scientific personal opinions! Sometimes, I also highlight the work of some of my favorite nutrition bloggers. Your comments and personal opinions, especially if you disagree with me, are most welcome and highly valued!

So, here are this Friday’s five! Enjoy and let me know what is on your mind.

Fruits and vegetables do not reduce cancer risk, but that’s no reason to give up on them

It appears that eating fruits and vegetables only slightly reduces your risk of getting cancer according to a recent study analyzed by Dr Ayala in her very insightful article “Another apple-a-day may save more lives than the Toyota recall“. Does it mean that we should ignore the advice of 5 fruits and veggies a day and bypass the produce aisle in the grocery store?

Absolutely not argues Dr Ayala and I agree completely. A diet rich in fruits and veggies has many benefits for your overall health and well-being. If there is anything you should ignore, it is studies like this and the sensational headlines that inevitably follow in the mass media.

I have a real problem with such studies and I am amazed they get funded in the first place! I doubt if they offer any value to the common public, except probably to the media machine hungry for anything that can be labeled as health related.

By the way, check out the long list of authors who wrote the original paper in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Granted that everyone has to make a living, but come on, this is crazy! Work on better hypotheses and solve some real problems!

To lose weight, take a cold shower

This may sound totally insane, but new research is suggesting that you can train your body to burn more calories simply by getting used to a cold environment! Turns out that exposure to cold activates brown fat inside your body, which is known to produce heat (which means burning calories) in contrast to the insulating nature of the regular fat. Believe it or not, researchers are discovering that obese mice are able to burn off half of their fat within a week simply by living in a cold environment even if they eat more than 1.5 times their usual diet.

It appears that our bodies have a built-in heat producing mechanism to offer protection against cold. Babies are born with brown fat which helps them keep warm long before they learn how to shiver. Even adults have this brown fat but it is not active. Cold environment activates the brown fat, and so does a special protein discovered by researchers at Harvard. Some are now thinking about developing a drug to encourage production of brown fat to solve our obesity problem!

Don’t get too excited though! Keep in mind, that a healthy weight is a result of achieving and maintaining the right energy balance your body needs. Energy in minus energy out equals weight gain (or loss) – it is that simple. You don’t have to torture yourself by taking a cold shower every day, or wait for a fancy anti-obesity drug!

Don’t fall for the low fat label, you may actually eat more calories

Would you believe that putting a low fat label on snacks causes people, especially those who are overweight,  to underestimate the calories and actually eat more? There is a devilish effect from this health halo, writes registered dietitian Janet Helms on her blog Nutrition Unplugged this week.

I found this research quite fascinating, although, not really surprising. This is the result of clever marketing messages on the package, which are designed to lower the resistance and enhance the urge to eat. This is no different from advertising for other products which often targets the hidden desires and aspirations of consumers. Brand associations are powerful, and once they stick, consumer choice is nearly automatic. Why is it that you always pick the same brand of toothpaste, shampoo and laundry detergent even though other options, including cheaper store brands, are available on the same shelf? It is the job of the marketer to make the product irresistible by serving consumer needs at many different levels. And some of them are very good at what they do!

The problem, I think, is not with the marketing slogans on food products. Although this notion is quite popular among today’s experts who propose imposing limits on food marketing, even to the extent of imposing a twinkie tax! The problem is in a total lack of awareness and self-empowerment on the part of the common consumer.

How can you fight the influence of such powerful marketing? Not by banning these products, but by making smart choices. Consider a mix of an offensive-defensive strategy by building your family’s personal brand. That will be your anchor which can offer some strength against the currents of powerful brand marketing. Also check out Janet’s insightful suggestions on how to enjoy real foods and practice mindful eating.

Many ways to enjoy vegetables, give it a try

More people are trying to include veggies in their diet and that is great news! Even better, there are so many ways to enjoy vegetables whether you like them raw, medium or well done according to the Fooducate blog, which offers helpful tips for making smart choices in the supermarket. There are many useful tips in this particular article, but this one resonated with me the most:

If you are thinking about incorporating more vegetables into meals, worry less about the healthiest preparation method, and figure out the tastiest and most convenient use case for you.

I think this is great advice. A large variety of vegetables are available in a typical supermarket today, whether in the fresh produce section or in the frozen foods aisle. Plus there is no shortage of recipes – you can check out our own simple recipes section for ideas! So go ahead, give it a try and share your vegetable story!

Calling all recovering picky eaters

My blogger friend Jenna of KidAppeal is on a mission! Inspired by Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, she wants to register 1000 recovering picky eaters in a month and help them develop a taste for a wide range of wholesome food. Interesting idea; so I am supporting her by spreading the word out. Now, you might be considered a recovering picky eater if:

• there are foods you don’t eat simply because you don’t like them even though they are good for your health; and
• you want to shrink the list of objectionable foods because you want to eat better and set a good example

If this is you, check out her blog and sign up! You got nothing to lose except a few bad habits!

Enjoy and let me know what is on your mind.

Photo Source: robbie jim on Flickr

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Greetings! Here are 5 nutrition related articles that caught my eye this week. Enjoy and drop me a comment to share your thoughts.

Vitamin D is big business these days

According to the Nutrition Business Journal quoted in a recent New York Times article, consumers gobbled up $235 million worth of vitamin D supplements in 2008 compared to a mere $41 million in 2001! Also, more physicians are ordering vitamin D tests for their patients and prescribing supplements to correct for low vitamin D levels.

This is incredible! Clearly, there is a buzz about vitamin D these days. Screaming headlines about low levels in children and adults followed by all kinds of studies claiming a “role” of vitamin D in diabetes, heart disease and cancer are creating a mass hysteria. The message is – pay attention to your vitamin D level and start loading up on it just in case because otherwise you will have a high risk of getting these terrible diseases. This is quite misleading in my opinion.

I am not against taking a vitamin D supplement. But there are  few things you should consider before you take that step.

There is a reason why the current recommendation of 400 IU per day of vitamin D has not been revised. A lot of people believe that this amount is too low. Still, there are no clinical studies which show a prevention or treatment effect of vitamin D for these diseases. Taking high doses of vitamin D (like 1000 or 2000 IU per day) is no guarantee of good health and prevention of diseases if the overall nutrition and lifestyle is poor. Supplements are not a drug folks, even though some people may try to sell them to you like that.

Bottom line – rely on food sources for your vitamin needs first, not on supplements. And if you do have a medical condition, talk to your doctor and ask for a pharmaceutical grade vitamin supplement. Here are 5 ways to tell if our child may have a vitamin D problem.

Tax soda like cigarettes – here we go again

The state of New York is on a mission to tackle the problem of obesity. While it is a worthwhile goal, which will surely have a positive impact on long term public health and healthcare costs, their approach to solving this problem is not smart at all. In fact, I think it is driven purely by politics and motivated by their deficit problem.

Tax sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) including soda they say, because that will cause people to drink less of it, which means they will not become overweight or obese since SSB’s are known to cause obesity. They have released a sugar sweetened beverage tax toolkit to provide a rationale for this tax, which in my opinion is a lot of mumbo-jumbo and twisted logic. Still, it makes an interesting read and gives you an insight into the limited range of creativity among public health officials and regulators.

I no fan of soda. But I am totally against another tax in the name of trying to improve public health when the real motivation is to fix the deficit problem. I continue to believe that soda tax will do nothing to reduce its consumption, at least not in any significant way. There are many other ways to discourage soda makers to produce healthier products or encourage the public to limit their soda consumption. But then they are not as easy as slapping another tax!

Manage salt for better health

Salt is something we can’t live without. It is also something we consume too much of and – if we continue this way – there is little doubt that most of us will not live long enough to enjoy it for long. Dr Ayala has a nice article this week on her blog about how too much of (cheap) processed food in our diets is causing us to consume way too much than just a pinch of salt we need for good health. It is a great reminder because this week is world salt awareness week.

The food industry is taking notice. Many companies are quietly working on reducing the sodium content of their products while preserving taste and texture. New salt reduction technologies are being developed and deployed in these products. Some may still have an issue with it; but I have a more pragmatic approach. There is a reason why processed food sells – it offers convenience at a reasonable price. There is no reason to completely eliminate it, just balance it with more cooking at home, read the nutrition facts labels and select the right products. Try to limit daily sodium to less than 2300 mg (1 tsp of salt) and avoid products where a single serving has any more than 15 – 20% of this daily value. Another thing you can do is to reduce the portion size of these foods both at home and in restaurants.

5 out-of-the box ideas for helping your kids eat well

Jenna of KidAppeal has a great blog post this week with a few out-of-the box ideas for you if you need help getting your kids to eat well (who doesn’t!). I really liked her idea of “making food relevant” and “having fun”, because you do need to be able to engage them at the table. We have recently discovered that story telling works with our twins in capturing their attention long enough for them to try the food at the table. Talking about diesel food for a diesel engine does not make sense to an adult, but it captures my son’s attention! You can also play a game, read from their favorite book, solve a puzzle or simply have a conversation about what they did at school or daycare. It will help if the TV is off so they can focus on you and the food.

By the way, Jenna has a weekly feature Big Words Little Foodies every Tuesday where she invites parents to share funny things their kids say about food. Check it out and share your funny stories!

Food rules from Michael Pollan

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants”. This is the essence of Mr. Pollan’s message in his new book Food Rules – An Eater’s Manual which gets a nice review in this week’s New York Times. I think this is sound advice, one that was commonly practiced as late as just a few generations ago prior to the modern day (processed) food revolution. But it also requires not only a change in your mindset about food but also a change in lifestyle. Giving up the western diet (meat, refined sugars, fat and salt via processed food) may sound simple in a book, but difficult to accomplish and sustain unless you make significant changes in your lifestyle.

What food rules do you live by these days? What changes, if any, do you plan on making in the near future?

Enjoy and let me know what is on your mind.

Photo Source: adactio on Flickr via everystockphoto
©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Greetings! Here are 5 nutrition related articles that caught my eye this week. Enjoy and drop me a comment to share your thoughts.

Snacks are in, Meals are out

That is our eating culture today according to this story in the recent New York Times. Research conducted by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services between 1997 and 2002 found that fewer children ate 3 meals a day while the percentage of those who had a snack instead went up by 40%. This should hardly be a surprise since snacks are now available everywhere. And parents are asked to bring snacks to sporting events or other extracurricular activities. It is no wonder that the traditional family meal is no longer a tradition now except around the Holidays!

Right now, we are experiencing this problem first hand. It takes a lot of effort to create a distinction between mealtime and snack time. Healthy snacks have a place in a child’s diet, but when they begin to demand their favorite snacks at regular mealtimes, you have to draw the line. Snacks are meant to keep them from getting too hungry between meals. Not as a substitute for regular wholesome family meals. So we are trying to be gentle, yet firm in our approach to having our twins understand this difference. Share your tips for getting your child to eat regular meals and not demand snacks and mealtimes.

Obesity rates are flat, but that’s no reason to celebrate

New data from CDC suggests that obesity rates among US adults have reached a plateau, which means they are not rising anymore. But the bad news is that the number is quite high – nearly 34% of the US adults are obese, which is nearly double the number about 30 years ago. Although the number of obese children is at about 17%, this number as tripled over the same time frame. Some may see this as “halting the obesity epidemic”, but I think that attitude does nothing to solve the problem at hand.

This graph in the New York Times is interesting. It shows that Hispanic and African American children 2-5 year old have a higher rates of obesity (BMI is >95% of children in this age group) compared to White children of the same age. Same conclusion can be drawn for adults 20 and older. There is a clear correlation between race and, more importantly, the socioeconomic status, and obesity. And I don’t think there is any coherent strategy to target this group of people to solve this problem. There is no reason we should get complacent about “flat” rates of obesity in the US. This problem is deep and quite severe.

Fuel Up to Play 60

This is an interesting program sponsored by the National Dairy Council and the NFL to encourage kids to eat healthy, play at least 60 minutes a day and do fun activities in and out of school. Kids and Schools can enroll in a competition of sorts where they score points by tracking their food choices and activities. Even the USDA has joined in as a partner.

I think this is a great project. More than anything else, it will get kids to pay attention to what they are eating on a daily basis. I strongly believe in the power of measurement – you get better only when you measure. That is why tracking the food choices and physical activity is a good idea. And of course if they win, they get to hang out with NFL players, which is also very cool!

The only thing to watch out for is that undoubtedly dairy products including flavored milk will be pushed into schools and kids will be encouraged to grab them so they can “score” points. Milk is a far better option than soda or other sugary drinks in schools, but too much flavored milk is also not good. The reason is that it has added sugar in addition to the natural sugar found in plain milk.

Bottom line – stick to plain milk, eat fruits and veggies and give up on soda and junk food. But do bring this program to the attention of your child’s school if they don’t know about it. 60,000 schools have already signed up!

Here are 2 neat recipe ideas for you this week

Take the beef out of your burger and (still) enjoy the experience

Who doesn’t love to sink their teeth in a thick, juicy burger?! But with so many scary stories of E. coli contaminated beef recently, even the most devoted burger fan is probably looking for safer options. This article in the Well column of the New York Times offers 5 ways of enjoying a beef-less burger! You can make burger-like patties by combining fish, chicken, turkey, vegetables, beans  and mushrooms. Sounds like a good idea, certainly worth trying.

Cold quinoa salad with feta cheese

We like quinoa and we love feta cheese! That is why this simple recipe on The Nourished Kitchen caught my eye. First you cook the quinoa and chill it before preparing the whole salad. Aside from the feta cheese it also calls for chicken and pine nuts, both very healthy ingredients. I could also consider experimenting with finely chopped pieces of apple. Overall, it looks very good and worth a try.

Enjoy and let me know what is on your mind.

Photo Source: adactio on Flickr via everystockphoto
©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Hello everyone! It has taken us a while to get back to normal (whatever that means!) after our week-long Disney vacation. Hope you all have been doing good. Here is this week’s 5 for Fridays where I am once again focusing on the idea of a soda tax. Feel free to share your opinion in comments below.

Calls for soda tax are getting louder

Looks like the pundits have spoken again, this time in a louder, high pitched, unified voice! In a recent health policy report titled The Public Health and Economic Benefits of Taxing Sugar-Sweetened Beverages published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, several “experts” have proposed that a 1 cent tax be imposed for every oz. of a sugar-sweetened soda. They estimate that such a tax will generate about $15 billion in the first year in addition to the state-level revenues. They have even setup an online tax calculator for different states and major cities! They propose that these extra dollars can be used for childhood nutrition programs, obesity prevention programs or healthcare for the uninsured.

Now I am sure that such talk is music to the ears of many people, especially those in the government trying to figure out how to pay for the healthcare reform. It might be appealing to those at the state and local levels also as their budgets are under severe stress. It is not a surprise that this idea has attracted the attention of most of the prominent mass media in recent weeks. Watch out, they are trying to build a mass hysteria!

I think this is a very misguided proposition. I have written about it in a recent post explaining why I don’t believe in a twinkie tax or a soda tax. And just to be clear, my arguments have nothing to do with the politics of the situation, rather they are based on an understanding of how business works.

For this week’s 5 for Fridays, I thought of compiling a summary of various viewpoints I have read on the web lately in response to this idea. Check them out and let me know what you think!

1. An interesting commentary in the New York Times explains why sodas are a tempting tax target. It is quite clear that there is a link between caloric imbalance and obesity. It is also known that soda consumption has skyrocketed over the last few decades. Put the two together and it is easy to see why the sugar-laden soda with its empty calories is the prime suspect for our obesity problem. Let us tax it to reduce its consumption; after all it has worked for tobacco. It is not a basic need anyway and even Adam Smith justified taxing such unnecessary which have become objects of almost universal consumption!

What I did like about this article is that it tries to address the bigger problem and talks about a broader Pigovian approach to get rid of the subsidies for corn syrup. Much more difficult to accomplish politically I am sure.

2. Another commentary on Forbes.com shows a serious skepticism about the effect of a soda tax on obesity and makes its case using numbers. Data suggests that even a 58% tax on soda, which is equivalent to the combined federal and state taxes on cigarettes, could at most lead to a mean BMI reduction of 0.16 points. Moderate decrease in consumption is expected in response to taxes, however there is a belief that people will simply switch to the diet option or other drinks. The return on these tax dollars in other words is not expected to be significant.

Let us leave the numbers aside for a minute – people can argue over them endlessly in my opinion. But I agree that the soda tax does not change the demand in any fundamental way.

3. In an excellent review Dr Ayala digs deeper into why these health experts favor taxing sugary drinks and offers her opinions on why such a tax should be supported. What I liked the most about her review is that she actually takes the time to explain why excessive consumption of sugary drinks leads to obesity and serious health problems.

Dr. Ayala is a pediatrician and an outspoken supporter of obesity prevention, healthy lifestyle and good nutrition choices. I respect her a lot, but on this matter we have a difference of opinion. I am personally no fan of soda anymore, but that is by choice not because of price. I do agree with her that a public debate on the ills of sugary drinks regardless of whether a tax is imposed on them or not will be good for everybody.

4. The Health Blog on the Wall Street Journal presents an interesting calculation to show that even when the penny an ounce tax is imposed on the soda and it is completely passed on to the customer, it will still be cheaper to buy soda than orange juice. The main idea is to show that the tax will have to be much higher in order to bring the price of soda in line with other so-called healthy options.

One observant reader left a comment that the box of orange juice also shows a lot of sugar per serving, so probably not a good example. Great point, and I agree because there is a lot of added sugar in these ready-to-serve orange juices. The underlying point however is that consumers should really read the labels and decide for themselves if they should be buying a particular food item or not. When consumers make healthy choices they are truly empowered and demand will change in a fundamental way.

5. Fooducate blog, which I read regularly, suggests we consider a calorie offset instead of the soda tax. Here is how it will work – for every ton of added sweetener, a company would contribute $3000 to a government program aimed at obesity reduction. This is equivalent to the penny an ounce tax on the finished product.

Interesting idea because it directly affects the cost of production rather than price of the product. It also encourages the manufacturer to reduce the sugar content or switch to healthier products. I also suggested several other ideas that can affect the cost of production in my post on twinkie tax.

This is a good debate. However we should focus on the big picture and not try to put a band-aid on it by using taxes. I think the experts have their heart in the right place because they are worried about our health problems and lack of effective policy. But they need to get more creative and offer something better than a soda tax!

Enjoy your weekend!

Photo source -macrophile on Flickr via everystockphoto
©2009 Littlestomaks.com

Greetings! It is Friday again. We are getting ready for a week-long trip to the Disney World with our kids. This is the first time for them and I can tell they are excited. My daughter keeps saying “next week we will go to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!” It should be fun and we are looking forward to this little time off!

I am taking a slightly different approach to my regular Five for Fridays this week. Instead of writing about 5 nutrition news of the week, I am going to cover just one news in more detail and try to look at it from 5 different ways.

The big news this week was a report issued by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) which urges local governments to take a decisive action in controlling childhood obesity. Reading the report brief, it is hard not to be impressed by many of the suggested recommendations from the committee. The media, however, picked on one of the most provocative idea that a “twinkie tax” be imposed on junk foods and sugary drinks to limit their consumption. A 10% tax on sugary beverages could reduce their consumption by 8-10% according to some experts.

To these experts, I say a better way would be to simply ban all junk food and sugary drinks. Seize the products from the stores, treat them as controlled substances and shut the manufacturers down! It has a better chance of working if that is the culprit behind childhood obesity.

Obviously no one will stand up for it because this would be considered so un-American.

Here are 5 reasons why I believe a “twinkie tax” will have no real effect on the obesity problem:

1. Tax is like using a spigot when a dam is needed- let us face it; consumers love sugary foods and drinks. There is a huge demand for them and as a result, there is a huge supply. Imposing a small tax will be like trying to control the flow of a river by a spigot when we need to build a dam. The real question is, how high the taxes should be before the resulting prices are simply prohibitive for most consumers to give up on these products?
2. Tax does nothing to the production cost – manufacturing junk food is cheap! Cheap raw materials and large scale production keeps unit cost at a very low level. What is not cheap is packaging, marketing and distribution of these products. It would be very easy to keep the same sticker price by simply reducing these costs by a small amount. It will take a lot to cut them to a level which can affect their availability on the shelves.
3. Tax will actually increase the desire for these foods – let us say the price does go up to a point that these products become out of reach for some consumers. Do you really believe that their desire for these foods will diminish? In fact, if they can’t have them as often as they would like, they will actually want more of them. They will find some other way to get them anyway.
4. Tax will do nothing to the consumption of healthy foods – those who favor taxes on junk foods justify their idea by suggesting that the money could be used to promote awareness of healthy options. This is absurd! It makes the assumption that those who will give up junk food because of high prices will actually be able to afford healthy foods if they become aware of them. Not true at all in my opinion. As long as the availability of healthy foods remains limited, the current demand from consumers with higher income will continue to keep their prices high. A lot of people eat junk food not because they don’t know it is unhealthy, rather because it is cheap, readily available and tastes good.
5. Tax will encourage producers to develop bad habits – dealing with taxes is like dealing with a strict teacher in school. You try to find a way around him rather than developing a desire for learning. This is particularly true if the producer is confident that the demand for his product is not going to be changed in a fundamental way. You can expect more lobbying, more promotion and even more products at a lower price point. Is this what we want?

By now, you might be tempted to believe that I am not a tax-and-spend kind of a guy! Let me clarify – this is not a political discussion for me. I am looking at this situation purely from a business perspective. In fact, if you are a proponent of taxes, I suggest the following ideas might work better:

1. Tax the raw materials, or lift the subsidies that result in low commodity prices. Now that is a touchy political issue, isn’t it?
2. Tax the machines that make these products. The trickle down effect on the manufacturing sector would be tremendous!
3. Tax the utilities used by producers of these products. Make their electricity, water and gas more expensive. I bet the utility companies will be delighted!
4. Tax the transporters of these foods by making them pay more for gas and use of highways and railroads. Maybe they will consider going after producers of healthy foods then!
5. Tax the retailers who stack their shelves with these products. Make them pay more for healthcare and unemployment taxes. Perhaps that will persuade them to opt for healthy foods instead!

No matter how you look at it, taxing these products is not a sustainable solution. In my opinion, we should rather focus on finding ways to make healthy foods cheaper and more readily available to consumers of all socio-economic backgrounds.

Another approach would be to change the demand patterns in a fundamental way. Businesses innovate in response to consumer demand, not necessarily in response to legislation. For example, the demand for soda in our household is zero. It is as if the soda aisle does not exist in the store. Not even offers like buy-one-get-one-free tempt us anymore. I am not saying that this has had an impact in the bottom line for Coke and Pepsi. But imagine, if just 1 in 5 shoppers bypassed the soda aisle in every store in America. That would certainly force them to find out what consumers like me want and develop products to satisfy this need. That is what drives innovation. Not taxes.

I hope the “experts” can exercise their brain cells to think about that for a while!

What is your opinion? I would love to hear your comments.

©2009 Littlestomaks.com

Greetings! It’s Friday, which means it’s time for another Five for Fridays! Here are 5 interesting nutrition stories of the week that caught my eye. Enjoy and drop a comment to let me know what’s on your mind.

Food industry turns sour on high sugar prices

If you ask me, more than a “fat” or “sugar” or “junk food” tax, I like the current situation better. A shift in global supply and demand of sugar, coupled with government policies that limit the import of cheap sugar in the US, domestic sugar prices are going through the roof and the food industry is crying foul! Some of the big food companies have sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack threatening price increases and worker layoffs if import quotas are not raised. Some will argue that the current quotas are against the idea of free trade. In general, I do not favor them either. But in this case, it is better to have these quotas to manage the demand for sugar rather than have a tax to control the demand for the final product. Let the companies figure out for themselves how to manage the increased cost of their raw materials. If they increase prices, demand for their product will go down. If they layoff workers, then they would need to increase their productivity to meet the current demand. Either way, it will force them to innovate.

Another front-of-box labeling system claims to be “smart”

A new front-of-the-box nutritional labeling system designed by a coalition of nutrition experts, scientists, food companies, retailers and research organizations goes live this week. It is a very simple system with a green check mark indicating the “smart choice” based on current nutrition guidelines. Also the calorie per serving and number of servings in the package are clearly shown under the check mark. There has been some criticism of this initiative, mostly because it is sponsored by food and beverage companies. Although it is not perfect, it is yet another attempt to simplify the life of most consumers who are often confused by the full nutritional facts label and the ingredients list on the back. There are many other creative versions of these front-of-the-box labeling without any standardization.  A traffic light system of food labeling is getting popular in UK and Australia. Clearly, there is a need to standardize such labeling so it does not turn into a clever marketing ploy by manufacturers. Have you come across such labels on products in store? What is your opinion of them?

Link between food stamps and obesity

A new study finds that people on food stamps are likely to be more obese compared to those of the same socioeconomic background who are not on the program. This implies that those receiving food stamps make food choices which are not very healthy. Although I think the study is interesting, its conclusions are highly speculative. The main goal seems to be influence changes to the food stamps program so that it encourages the recipients to consume nutrient-rich, low calorie foods. One idea is to force these people to attend a course in nutrition before they can get food stamps. That is quite ridiculous in my opinion! We cannot teach nutrition to kids in school – how can we expect people trying to find their next meal to learn about nutrition by sitting in a class? Still, it is something to think about. The challenge is to link food assistance with healthy foods. If only we could find them in the supermarkets at an affordable cost! What do you think?

Encourage your kids to eat veggies by these market meal ideas

Hop over to Kidappeal for some interesting ideas for a quick summer market meal, green beans, tomatoes and eggs. Very simple recipes and the pictures look great. I really liked Jenna’s tip on taking the kids to the Farmer’s market and getting them to pick their favorite fruits and veggies. And then serving a “market meal” like the one described in this post. Over the summer, we have taken the twins to a local Farmer’s market a couple of times on Fridays after we pick them up from Daycare. Have not had much luck with fresh, organic fruits and veggies – in fact, our local Whole Foods happens to have a better selection, although their prices are way too high! But we have enjoyed some local pita bread and apple-stuffed pastry from the market. Most importantly, we can get the twins on a short train ride in the nearby Mall, which really makes them happy!

5 practical ideas for becoming a positive role model

Want to encourage your toddlers to develop healthy eating habits? Check out this guilt-free guide to becoming a positive role model by Registered Dietitian Maryann Jocobsen who offers 5 simple and practical tips. My favorite one – don’t try to be perfect! Food is not just nutrition and a set of rules, but also about enjoyment. It is important to help your child build a positive relationship with food. Also remember that it does not happen in a day, or a week or even a few months. This is truly a long-term project!

What are some of your favorite tips in getting your kids to eat healthy?

Enjoy your weekend! And let me know what you think.

Photo source -baronsquirrel on Flickr via everystockphoto
©2009 Littlestomaks.com

Greetings! It’s Friday again, so here are 5 interesting nutrition stories of the week that caught my eye. Enjoy and drop a comment to let me know what’s on your mind.

Great ideas for nutritious snack combinations for kids

Check out these cool practical tips for snack combinations your kids are sure to enjoy! They are all very healthy and nutritious options, and best of all, you are likely to find most of the ingredients in your refrigerator or pantry already. Registered Dietitian Maryann Jacobsen, a guest writer on this blog, offers these ideas based on her knowledge of nutrition and real-life experience as a Mom. I am sure cookies and milk will be a hit with my son as well as whole wheat cracker with peanut butter or cheese! He also loves to snack on strawberries which are a great source of vitamin C. His twin sister on the other hand favors cheerios with milk and honey. Go for snacks that offer a combination of carbs, proteins and fat without too much sugar or salt. There is, after all,  a smart way to let your kids enjoy snacks!

The real cost of our addiction to cheap junk food

It is no secret anymore that we are a country of BIG people! What may surprise you, or even give you little shock, is new data from the CDC that the cost of treating obesity-related diseases soared to $147 billion in 2008. That’s about a 100% increase over the last 10 years! Obese people spent nearly $1500 more than what people of normal weight did on medical costs in 2006. Even though it probably does not include those without health insurance, the message should be clear to everybody. The Dollar Value Meal may not put a dent in your wallet, but the extra calories with each meal will continue to add on and hit you later in life! Of course, some will argue that it has nothing to do with junk food but the fact that people just don’t exercise anymore. Whatever! There is a lot of talk about fixing the Healthcare system so it becomes affordable for everyone. I am sure that bringing technology to the doctor’s office and going paperless for medical records will help. But maybe we should also tackle the hidden (and rapidly rising) cost of obesity head-on. Else, the whole thing might come crashing down under its enormous weight!

Fat tax will reduce obesity say “experts”

A new report from the Urban Institute says that a 10 percent tax on fattening food would reduce consumption while raising more than $500 billion over 10 years. The idea is that if you tax these foods, their price will go up and people will eat less of them so they will not get obese. Just the way we have reduced smoking by taxing, warning labels and education, we can reduce obesity by following a similar policy. I think there are two problem with this logic. Although the link between cheap, junk food and obesity is clear (see above), that is not the only factor. Obesity is a multi-dimensional problem and I don’t think we can solve it simply by taxing fatty foods. And I don’t really buy the tobacco example – even with heavy taxation, legislation and restricted advertising over many years, people are still smoking! Second, the final price of these foods that a consumer pays may not go up by that much. This is because an easy way of dealing with the extra cost of taxation is to reduce the cost of operation (fire people, improve efficiency etc.) and decrease the product quantity. How far should we go in raising taxes before a real effect in prices is seen at the store?

We need to address the fundamental reasons why people prefer these foods. They are cheap, convenient, readily available and taste good. Why can’t we do all that for nutritious foods? Simply by lowering the supply chain costs of fruits and vegetables, we can bring their prices down and improve their availability. That is just one idea.

I think the approach should rather be to create conditions that lower the price of healthy options. Taxing fatty foods, or sugary beverages, I think is a very short-sighted approach which lacks creativity.

CDC offers interesting ideas for tackling obesity

When it comes to tackling obesity, the CDC suggests that we think global but act local. A new report entitled Recommended Community Strategies to Measure and Prevent Obesity in the United States offers simple ideas at the community level. Offer incentives for food retailers to locate in under-served areas, give out coupons to buy fruits and veggies, encourage people to buy “local” are some of the good ideas in this report. They came up with 24 strategies which can be organized in 6 categories -

1. promote availability of healthy foods and beverages
2. support healthy foods and beverages choice
3. encourage breastfeeding
4. encourage physical activities and limit sedentary activities among children and youth
5. create safe communities that promote physical activity
6. encourage communities to organize for change

I think these are smart ideas. Certainly, it will not happen overnight and will take resources and effort from everybody, but it reflects the right mindset on this problem. What do you think?

Hungry Monkey is now on my reading list

I love the title of this book! Ask any parent of a toddler and you will hear their struggles with a picky eater. This book is written by a “food-loving” father who wanted to find new recipes and new ways of cooking that could satisfy his own taste buds and still be acceptable to his 5 year old daughter. I came across a review of Hungry Monkey in the New Your Times which also offers a few selected recipes – they look very good. It is also a part parenting memoir, so I am sure there are some real-life examples and lessons learned. I definitely want to check it out, and when I do, I will write my review here.

Enjoy your weekend! And let me know what you think.

Photo source -Thiru Murugan on Flickr
©2009 Littlestomaks.com

Happy Friday! Here are 5 interesting nutrition stories of the week that caught my eye. Enjoy and drop a comment to let me know what’s on your mind.

Clues to the Mediterranean diet

It is now well accepted that the Mediterranean diet has good health benefits. But why it works so well and how important are the individual components in providing this health benefit has not been so clear. In a new study Anatomy of the health effects of Mediterranean diet, researchers have found that low to moderate consumption of alcohol, low consumption of meat and meat products, high consumption of vegetables, fruits, olive oil and legumes are the main factors which contribute to the healthfulness of this diet. It is tempting to break down a diet into its specific components to explain why it works or why it does not work. That is what Michael Pollan might call classic nutritionism - a tendency to break apart foods into components to explain effect on health. But, diet is only one of the factors for overall health and longevity – lifestyle and culture, as well as good healthcare are also critical. Still, I think that studies like these are useful, as long as we don’t lose sight of the big picture.

Now a sweetness enhancer rather than an artificial sweetener

Consumers want low or zero calorie sweeteners, no after-taste and naturally sourced ingredients in their food and beverages. That is why there is a lot of buzz about Stevia extract,which is being touted as the real, natural sweetener since it is produced from a plant. But it does give an after-taste, something the food companies are trying fix by adding taste masking ingredients in Stevia formulations. Taking a slightly different approach, Redpoint Bio – a company I wrote about recently in my article on salt reduction technologies – has now discovered a totally natrual sweetness enhancer RP44 that can work with almost any type of sugar. What it means is that this new ingredient can allow a dramatic reduction in the level of sugar needed in beverages or baked foods. They still have to get FDA approval, so it will be a while before it begins to appear in processed foods. I am not necessarily thrilled by this invention because it does nothing to reduce our reliance on processed foods. But it does show that specialty food additive industry is busy at work trying to help the food processing industry meet new customer expectations.

Food industry asks Obama to create a Presidential Commission for fighting obesity

In a letter to the President, several organizations, industry experts and academics are urging a creation of a Presidential Commission on Healthy Weights, Healthy Lives to combat the obesity epidemic. The idea is to coordinate the activities of the Department of Human Health and Services, USDA and other agencies involved in food and health policy. Sounds like they want more bureaucracy on top of an already monstrous bureaucracy – this is insane! I feel bad saying this because there are some very decent organizations behind this – the American Diabetes Association, American Public Health Association, Shape Up America, United Fresh Produce Association, Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and a few others. Food companies who are the purveyors of sugary-salty-fatty foods are notably missing from this list. I really don’t believe that more regulation will have that big an impact – I think policy should shift towards consumer awareness and incentives for prevention so that consumer demand forces food industry to innovate and move away from these unhealthy foods. It is beginning to happen, but not at the scale at which it can be sustained at the grassroots level.

Grocery stores going back to basics for recession-struck shoppers

The middle aisles, where you find canned veggies, fruits, cereals, pasta and sauces, is bringing the dough for grocery stores and supermarkets in the current recession according to this Wall Street Journal story. Private label and store brands are selling well and filling more shelves in these stores as consumers go for basic food staples for dining at home. I was amazed to learn that a store can make nearly 70% of its profits from these middle aisles! They are also providing more coupons for items in these shelves and bundling ingredients for home-cooked meals. Seems like low cost packaged food is winning the race in this recession and the fresh produce along the outside aisles is falling behind. Have you noticed a change in your grocery store? How has your shopping changed in the current environment?

Six ways to get your toddler to sit at the dinner table

Here are some great tips from Pediatrician Dr. Joanna Dolgoff to get your toddler to sit at the dinner table with you and not run around the whole house or in the restaurant! We struggle with this problem too since our twins are now out of their high chairs and insist on enjoying their new freedom while we try to eat dinner. My favorite tips from her article are – bring activities to the table (coloring, reading), and engage your child in a conversation. Check out her post and share your tips in the comments below.

Enjoy your weekend! And let me know what you think.

Photo source - Spiralz on Flickr
©2009 Littlestomaks.com

Time for another Five for Fridays! Enjoy and feel free to share a nutrition news story you found interesting.

Grab a candy to fight your recession blues

Sugar is proving itself to be recession proof! According to this story in the New York Times, the recession seems to have a “sweet tooth” and those most affected by it are seeking comfort in candy. Companies in the business of candy like Cadbury, Nestle and Hershey are reporting strong profits when many other businesses are fighting to stay afloat. Low prices, fancy colors and packaging and clever marketing surely helps to draw those seeking a quick relief from their troubles. Interestingly enough, candy makers did very well even during the great depression. So you could say that human behavior hasn’t really changed during the last 80 years or so. So if you want to be a hero at work during these tough times, display a box of candies on your desk for uplifting the mood of your co-workers!

Activate your “brown” fat to lose weight

Trying to lose weight by diet and exercise and not happy with your progress? Well, recent research would suggest that you might do better by locking yourself up in a cold room for 2 hours! That is if you don’t freeze to death first! Jokes apart, it seems like we all carry part of the baby fat well into adulthood that is programmed to protect us against cold by burning calories into heat. Researchers call it the “brown fat” or “brown adipose tissue (BAT)” to be more precise, which is called into action when we find ourselves shivering in the bitter cold. Men have more of it than women, and so do lean people than overweight people. So what is it and how do you get more of it? This is a question that some researchers are very interested in because everybody in the world seems to want to find the silver bullet for the obesity problem! Turns out that when mice are injected with a certain growth factor called BMP7, they develop more of the brown fat. Now before you get any smart ideas about self-injecting yourself with this growth factor, keep in mind that it is not available on ebay and that human beings are not mice! I am sure you won’t do that, but just making sure!! Read the full story from the Washington Post here.

There are Blue states, there are Red states. And then there are Obese states!

Just stumbled upon this cool animated map of the US showing the progression of obesity between 1985 and 2007 across different states. Obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index of over 30, or about 30 lbs over-weight for a 5’4″ tall person. It is amazing to see the dramatic change in the obesity landscape of our nation in a little over 2 decades. In 1985, there were 13 states with obesity rates of less than 10% and none over 15% although no data was available for more than half of the states. By 2007, Colorado was the only state with less than 20% (notice, there was none with less than 10%), 19 states and Washington DC had obesity rates between 20 – 24%, 25 states between  25 – 29% and 3 had over 30%. These were Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, where about 1 in every 3 adults could be considred obese. It would be interesting to see a similar data for children because childhood obesity is also on the rise. I wonder if there is a link between distribution of adult obesity and childhood obesity.

Nutrition experts pick top functional foods

The New York State Dietetic Association has announced its selection of top functional foods in an effort to educate the public about their benefits when included in a balanced and varied diet. These foods contain essential nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals or probiotics. The top five are – Salmon (omega-3 acids), Oats (fiber), Blueberries (anti-oxidants), Low fat milk (calcium, vitamin D) and Low fat yogurt (probiotics: gut-friendly bacteria). Read the full story here. How many servings of these foods are you able to include in your child’s diet? Or your own diet?

40% of all oil consumed by Americans is trans fat

According to this post in Fooducate, we consume about 1/2 a cup of oil every day on a per capita basis. And since almost half of it is hydrogenated to some degree, it means that it contains trans fat. I am skeptical about the accuracy of this estimate; but that is not the point. I think most of this oil is consumed via fast food, snacks and restaurant foods. Even if you solve the problem of hydrogenated oil containing trans fat, the fast food, snacks and restaurant foods are not going to suddenly get “healthy” despite the marketing hype. Sure enough, the article points out that an Iowa company is trying to genetically engineer soybeans that will make an oil that has no “artery clogging trans fats“, and when that happens “McDonalds, Frito-Lay and other companies may snap up the oil and promote heart healthy fried foods and chips“! This is practically insane. We should certainly worry about trans-fat, but also not forget that fast food, chips or other fried food is not really nutritious and healthy. Continue to read the label for trans fats and don’t fall for the zero trans fat claim (see my commentary on trans fats in last week’s Five For Friday). And of course, don’t fall for the hyped up snacks and fast food even if it is made out of some fancy soybean oil!

Enjoy your weekend!

Image source: Ansik on Flickr
©2009 Littlestomaks.com

There is a certain perception, especially outside the US, that Americans are fat and lazy. Even our own media bombards us with stories of poor eating habits (think cheeseburgers and fries) and inactive lifestyle (think couch potatoes). Then there are alarming statistics on rising rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. And you really begin to pay attention, and raise the volume on the TV, if the story is focused on weight problems in children. After all, who would want their children to grow up in poor health?

But is it really that bad? Is it simply an American issue?

Check this out..

This came from a report issued by the WHO Regional Office for Europe following a November 2006 Ministerial Conference held in Istanbul, Turkey.

What’s wrong with this picture? Our media shows us images of slim, healthy-looking Europeans biking to work, eating healthy-looking food and living a stress-free life. On the other hand, the Americans are shown eating junk food, driving to work in gas-guzzling SUV’s and living a hectic stressed-out life. And all this is supported by “facts” and “numbers” with fancy charts and interviews with “experts”.

Now, let us not stop there…here is another interesting fact:

I don’t have anything against the Europeans or the Aussies. In fact, I have many good (and very healthy) friends from both of these continents. And before you get the urge to say that “you got your head in the sand“, let me say that we do need to pay attention to the numbers and make smart nutrition choices for ourselves and our children. After all, that is why I am writing this blog!

As a parent, it is natural to be concerned. Concern leads to caring; caring leads to action; and action leads to results. All I am trying to say is that it is not useful to be alarmed by the so called news in the mainstream media. In this age of short attention spans and low ratings, the media needs a big horn to get the message across. It is up to us to filter the noise, take a deep breath, and look at the data in a calm manner so we can make our own decisions.

It is my intention to help you do exactly that through this blog. Let me know how I am doing.