Why Are The Salad Bars Being Removed From Boston Schools?

Oh, no.  Say it ain’t so.  How could the Boston School Department be contemplating eliminating the salad bar in our schools?  Currently, one in three children are at risk for diseases such as diabetes and heart disease due to their poor health and dietary habits as well as excess weight.  Eating more fruits and vegetables is exactly what we want our kids to be eating more of to better manage their health.  

A school-based salad bar may be the best way to do it.  Research supports that kids will increase their consumption of produce when they are given a variety of choices from a school salad bar.  “I have found that anytime children can select for themselves it [fruit or vegetable] consumption does increase, “ claims Deborah Beauvais, RDN, School Nutrition Director in Rochester, New York, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.  

This was the motivation for launching the Let’s Move Salad Bars to School initiative in 2010.  As part of this initiative, any school that is participating in the National School Lunch Program can apply, and if eligible, receive a grant for a FREE salad bar.    To date, more than 2,800 schools across the United States have received these grants. 

I was interviewed by Fox25 about this issue.  Click HERE to view the segment.

Recently, the initiative partnered with the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition to assess the outcome of the program.  This is what they uncovered:

•    Nearly all donated salad bars continued to be in use.
•    A majority of the salad bars are used daily.
•    Most schools reported increased student participation in school lunch.
•    A majority of the schools reported purchasing more fruits and vegetables.

The survey also showed that the use of a salad bar reduced food waste in the schools.  If children choose the exact veggies and fruit that they like from the salad bar, they will eat them.  In contrast, if they are served a predetermined meal, and they don’t like the veggie du jour, it likely will end up in the cafeteria dumpster. 

There appears to be many schools that are having success with their salad bars across the United States.   For the Mount Horeb Area School District in Wisconsin, they serve over 1,500 kids and partners with local farms to get their some of their produce.  The Minneapolis Public Schools serve 35,000 kids, and the Culinary and Nutrition Service Director, Bertrand Weber, made implementing a salad program a top priority.  According to a post on the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools website, Weber stated that any barrier for salad bars can be overcome with preparation; proper planning can help with foods costs; sanitary procedures can be created with assistance from local healthy authorities; and staff can be trained.

Perhaps, the Boston School Department may want to contact these school districts and brainstorm with their food service directors on how to successfully implement the program.   If it can be successfully done in Minneapolis, it could work in Boston.

Be well, Joan

Follow Joan on Twitter: @JoanSalgeBlake

FDA Approves a New Sugar Substitute

Source:  FDA

Trying to cut down on your sugar intake and still sweeten your ice tea, cereal, coffee, or plain Greek yogurt?  You can use the blue packet (Equal or Sweet One), the yellow packet (Splenda), or the pink packet (Sweet N’Low), all of which do not add any sweet calories to your foods.   The new kid on the block is advantame, which doesn’t have a brand name (such as Sweet’N Low, a brand name for saccharin, or Equal, a brand name for aspartame) as yet.  These sugar substitutes are considered high-intensity sweeteners that are FDA-approved food additives. 


“Sugar substitutes are called ‘high-intensity’ because small amounts pack a large punch when it comes to sweetness,” says Captain Andrew Zajac, U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS), director of the Division of Petition Review at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Since they also do not raise blood glucose levels, they can be used by individuals with diabetes who are trying to better manage their sugar intake.

Advantame has been approved as a sweetener and flavor enhancer in baked goods, soft drinks and non-alcoholic beverages, confections, gum, frosting, frozen desserts, gelatins and puddings, processed fruits and fruit juices, toppings, and syrups.   It has also been approved for use as a sweetner in Australia and New Zealand.

“In determining the safety of advantame, FDA reviewed data from 37 animal and human studies designed to identify possible toxic (harmful) effects, including effects on the immune, reproductive and developmental, and nervous systems,” Zajac says.  After conducting a thorough assessment, FDA concluded that advantame is safe for human consumption in the above food products.

Interestingly, advantame is chemically related to aspartame and contains the amino acid, phenylalanine.  Since some individuals should avoid or restrict the use of aspartame because it contains this amino acid, FDA evaluated whether these individuals should avoid or restrict advantame as well.  Since advantame is 20,000 times sweeter than table sugar and 100 times sweeter than aspartame, a little goes a long way.   According to the FDA, advantame is so sweet that a person would use only a small amount so the phenylalanine intake would be negligible.

For more on this new sugar substitute, click here.

Be well, Joan

Follow Joan on Twitter:  @JoanSalgeBlake

The Reason You Can't Keep the Weight Off

Anna, a 47 year-old professional woman is a pro at losing weight.    She admits to trying every new fad diet on the market and has lost and regained approximately 125 pounds over 14 years.   Anna’s problem is that she can’t keep the weight off.  “Every time I lose the weight I not only gain the weight back but then some,” claims Anna.   “Once I lost 24 pounds and gained back 30 pounds.” 

Anna’s story doesn’t surprise James O. Hill, PhD, the executive director of the Anschultz Health and Wellness Center at the University of Colorado, and the co-author of the book, State of Slim.  From his Denver-based research facility he and his colleague, Holly Wyatt, MD, have studied their patients as well as looked for clues about weight maintenance in the National Weight Control Registry.   The registry is a scientific database of thousands of successful weight loss “losers” across the country who, on average, maintained a 70-pound weight loss for six years.

“Through my research, I have uncovered that weight loss maintenance is much different than losing weight, and it involves a different set of skills and habits,” claims Hill.  According to Hill, losing weight is a matter of consuming fewer calories than you need.  If you eat less, you’ll weigh less.   Period.  But  weight maintenance is a whole different situation. After years of analysis, they pinpointed several key factors that are very important for keeping the weight off.

According to Hill, there are metabolic adaptations when weight reduction occurs that actually promote the regain of the weight.   One of which is what he calls the “energy gap.”  Hill explains it like this:  A person who weighs 220 pounds needs to consume 2,350 calories daily to maintain his/her weight.  If that person loses 40 pounds, dropping to 180 pounds, this person will need to consume only 2,030 calories daily to maintain this smaller body mass.   Thus, there is an energy (calorie) gap of 320 calories (2,350 – 2,030 = 320 calories) from the initial starting weight to the ending weight.  In essence,  to maintain this new level of weight, a person would need to either eat 320 calories less daily or expend 320 calories (or any combination of the two) in order to maintain the lower body mass..

Through his research, Hill has uncovered that the BEST way to close that gap, contrary to popular thought, is not to meticulously watch your diet to make sure that you eat 320 calories less daily, but rather, to move more.    “Physical activity, not dieting, is the single best predictor to keeping the weight loss off during weight maintenance,” claims Hill.

Based on the data from the participants in the National Weight Control Registry and his patients, Hill discovered that those who successfully maintain their weight loss exercise for 60 minutes each day.   They close the gap by moving more daily then they did when they were heavier.  Hill recommends individuals who want to maintain their weight loss, exercise for 70 minutes a day, six days a week, which over a week, equates to 60 minutes daily.   Hill likes to give folks a day off weekly.

He suggests that weight loss maintainers do this in one of two ways:

1.    Schedule two 35 minutes of daily planned exercise such as walking briskly in the morning and evening;  OR

2.    Get yourself a pedometer and walk 7,000 steps throughout your day PLUS schedule 30 minutes of a planned exercise, such as a brisk walking, at another time during the day.

Anna has decided that she is getting a pedometer and planning to visit her gym for 30 minutes every day.  She hopes to count steps daily and avoid counting the pounds she typical gains back. 

Be well,

Joan

Follow Joan on Twitter: @JoanSalgeBlake

Is Sugar Making Us and Our Kids Fat?

Katie Couric’s documentary, Fed Up, provides a chilling look at the current obesity epidemic among children.  This issue has been a concern of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) and other health organizations and agencies as 17 percent of American children and adolescents are obese, which is triple the rate it was a generation ago.

Obesity isn’t just a kid’s problem.   Almost 70 percent of American adults are overweight with about half of these folks falling into the obese category.  While the film follows the struggles of several children battling with dramatic weight issues, all their parents were also overweight.  Hence, the leaf doesn’t fall too far from the tree. 

The film fingers the food industry and their marketing to children of their sugar-ladened beverages and snack foods as the weight-promoting culprits.  Granted, “there are too many added sugars in the average American diet and that has contributed to obesity,” states Angela Lemond, RDN, and spokesperson for AND.   The World Health Organization (WHO) recently recommended that sugars should be reduced dramatically in the diet. 

But sugar isn’t the only source of excess calories in the diet.  The No. 1 source of calories among Americans age 2 and older is calorie and fat-ladened, refined grain-based desserts, such as cookies, cakes, pastries, pies, donuts.    Americans are consuming, on average, approximately 140 calories of bakery treats daily.  (Sweetened beverages were either third or fourth on the calorie list depending upon the age of the consumer.)

When I was growing up, desserts and sweetened beverages used to be “special occasion” foods that were available only on holidays or in a small, limited amount on the weekend.  They weren’t a daily food group.  So, is it really the sugar or the frequency that we are eating calorie-ladened sweets and treats? 

The film suggests that consumers are being bamboozled with constant advertisements to purchase and consume these products.  “The movie seems to take the responsibility out of the consumer’s hand,” states Kristin King, RDN, and AND spokesperson.  “Ultimately, the choice is just that – a consumer choice.  For parents, they are the ones that buy the food.  If they are concerned the child is overweight, don’t buy it.” 

In the film, President Bill Clinton, summarizes the issue at hand by saying, “we have to change the diets of Americans.”   This is exactly what the science-based Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) have advocated for years.  We are consuming more calories than we did decades ago, and we are also more sedentary on a daily basis due, in part, to labor-saving technology.   Not exactly a good combination.  We don’t walk to do errands, rather we drive a car or shop online.  We don’t push a lawnmower; we sit on a riding one to cut the grass.

While the movie is a call to action to become “Fed Up” with the situation and reduce the amount of sugar in your daily diet, it’s doesn’t tell you what to eat and drink on a daily basis.  If you want to “take control” of your diet and weight, you need to just look at the top healthy diets for weight management that are based on science.    All of these diets have similar qualities:  They are not only loaded with whole fruits, veggies, and whole grains, which are rich in nutrients and stomach-filling fiber in every bite, but they also limit higher calorie sweets and treats on a daily basis. 

Here are tips and resources for you to take control of your diet and the health of your entire family:

• Don’t buy bakery items in super-sized packages that are available at wholesale warehouse stores.  If you want to bring home a treat weekly for the family, buy a normal size package from the supermarket.  When it’s gone, it’s gone.  Most importantly, don’t replenish it until the following week.
• Do buy fruits and veggies at these warehouse stores so there are tons of them in the house for the entire week.   Stock your freezer with frozen produce (without added sugars and fat) for backup during the week.  Use your supermarket store circular to snag the produce and other healthy foods on sale each week.  Fruits and veggies are Mother Nature’s finest as they don’t contain added sugars but are loaded with filling fiber.  The more of them you have on hand in the house, the more that will be eaten by everyone.
• Move often during day.
• Drink more tap water throughout the day.  Infuse your glass with a slice of fruit for some kick.  You will save tons on your weekly food budget by buying less bottled beverages.
• Find five new healthy, quick-to-prepare recipes to slim down your repertoire of meal options.  Here are several free resources to help you do that:

•     Kids Eat Right
•     MyPlate
•     Produce for Better Health Foundation         

Perhaps the sequel to “Fed Up” will be “Take Control.”   It clearly sounds more empowering.

Follow Joan on Twitter at:  @JoanSalgeBlake

Fun and Healthy Mother's Day Gifts that She WANTS

Sunday, May 11, is not only Mother’s Day but also the kick off National Women’s Health Week, designed to empower women to take care of their health, which includes eating healthy and being physically active.  With this theme in mind, I polled many moms and asked them what fun and healthy gifts would  they want on Mother’s Day.   Based on the polling results, these health-conscious moms want cookbooks loaded with fast and easy meals that contain tons of veggies, kitchen gadgets, healthy feel-good foods, and convenient ways to get more physical activity into their lives. 

I then polled a group of moms and colleagues who are also Registered Dietitians and Nutritionists (RDN) and asked them what specific healthy gifts they wanted this year.  Ironically, they want the same things, and they provided me with their healthy wants. 

Here is the list of the gift ideas that my RDN colleagues shared with me to help you with your Mother’s Day shopping:

Cheryl Forberg, the Chef and Nutritionist for NBC's The Biggest Loser, can’t live without Chefspecs.  These reading glasses are especially designed for use when you are cooking in the kitchen.  What is unique about these specs is that they not only come with a handy magnetic case that resides on the refrigerator door so you never lose them, but they also have a defogger so you can look into a boiling pot of water without steaming the lens.  (I cook a lot of linguine so I am putting this one on my list.)  Most importantly, when you get these glasses dirty, you can put them in the dishwasher with your other culinary utensils. 

Joy Bauer, the nutrition and health expert for NBC’s TODAY Show wants a rowing machine. She just finished binge-watching House of Cards, and when Frances (the character played by Kevin Spacey) started working out on his rower, she plunked it right on to her "Mother’s Day gift wish list.”  Although she admits that it is a bit extravagant so her chances are pretty darn slim, I hope that she gets it.   Working out while watching entertaining media is the perfect feel-good combo for busy moms.

“Even though I'm very good about getting in my veggies, sometimes fruit is a little tougher for me, and both can be a challenge for my 12-year-old,” claims Elisa Zied, author of Younger Next Week.  So this Mother’s Day, Elisa wants a NutriBullet.  She plans to use this handy, dandy machine to concoct delicious smoothies that tastefully and efficiently get key nutrients into her and her family’s diets.  (I am emailing this blog post to her husband.)

Keri Gans, the author of The Small Change Diet, wants to make a small, but time-saving change in her kitchen as she wants a slow cooker.  Why?  With her busy schedule, “the idea of throwing everything into one pot in the morning and letting it cook dinner without me even having to watch it seems like a dream come true.”    Personally, I hope she gets it along with a healthy slow cooker cookbook.

Tammy Lakatos Shames and Lyssie Lakatos, co-authors of The Nutrition Twins' Veggie Cure, both are asking for a fruit infusion pitcher. They enjoy drinking water during the day, but they want to be able to reach into their office refrigerator for a glass of thirst quenching water that's infused with their favorite fruits and refreshing vegetables.  It helps make their office feel more like a spa.

While author, Elizabeth M. Ward has of tons family-friendly recipes in her book, How to Feed Yourself & Your Family Better, she is in a “recipe rut.”  (Aren’t we all?)  So she is longing for the new Cooking Light Dinnertime Survival Guide, by Sally Kuzemchak, RDN.  The cookbook contains recipes that are quick, easy, and jam-packed with veggies that your entire family will enjoy. 

Lastly, I would like to end Mother’s Day (and every day, for that matter) with a cup of chocolate tea.  You can buy chocolate tea both loose and in bags.  I will take it any way that I can get it.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Be well, Joan

                                  Follow Joan on Twitter:  @JoanSalgeBlake