Have You Seen This?

I’ve seen these futuristic, video game-like machines twice in the past week, so I figured it was time to do a little research and figure out what was new in the world of pop (I’m from the Midwest. It’s pop to me).

Meet Coca-Cola Freestyle. Maybe you already have… according to Wikipedia, these touch screen soda dispensers were released by Coca-Cola to stores in June of 2010. But I am old, and my kid is still too young, so I am out of touch with what's hot in the junk food world.

These machines offer over 100 different flavors of beverage, and market them as being “made for you.” It’s a genius idea. If I were seven years old, hanging out at a Freestyle machine and choosing flavors with my friends would probably be really fun and cool. It’s like this generation’s version of going to 711 and mixing all the soda fountain flavors together into one big plastic cup.

Nutritionally, though, these machines are a disaster. Apparently there are over 60 diet and/or low-calorie flavors, which screams artificial sugars. And the ones using real sugar are still packed with real sugar, as well as artificial flavors and colors.

You know all of this though. Soft drinks are very harmful to our health, whether we are drinking an original Coke or a Caffeine-Free Diet Coke with Raspberry Orange flavoring. I just wanted to write about this to bring it to your attention. Just when it seems like we are gaining some momentum in the world of nutrition with things like organic gardens at elementary schools and gluten-free options on chain restaurant menus, something like this pops up. To me, the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine is just a reminder that we need to continue to educate ourselves and our families on the importance of nutrition, and make a consistent effort to incorporate fresh, healthy foods into our diets. No matter how much publicity healthy eating receives, there will always be equally strong pulls in the other direction. The more we know, the easier it is to choose wisely!

Back to Work!

Hello! After five wonderful months of baby bliss, I am finally getting my nutrition business up and running again. And that includes reviving this little nutrition blog, which I am really excited about!

Please check out my updated website for new information on my services and new office location.

One of the great things about being a nutrition therapist is the variety of opportunities that come my way. I love working one-on-one with clients; it’s very fulfilling for me, and I think I am good at it. But getting out of the office to give an occasional presentation, educate a group of people, or attend a seminar provides me with a sense of balance and helps me to stay on top of the ever-changing nutrition world.

Last week, I was honored to be a part of a panel of nutritionists to discuss the nutritional aspects of raw, local honey. The panel was hosted by a Denver farm, Ekar Farm, as part of its celebration of National Honey Month. My most loyal readers know that I talk about the health benefits of honey often, and I even had a local beekeeper, Jessica, guest blog about honey two years ago (revisit it HERE).

I will not repeat what Jessica wrote about the health benefits of raw honey. I would, however, like to explain in more detail why honey should be your sweetener of choice.

There is a big difference between the way the body metabolizes table sugar and the way the body metabolizes fresh, raw, local honey. Table sugar consists of two molecules, glucose and fructose, bound together to form sucrose. Sucrose is considered a disaccharide, meaning the two sugar molecules are bound together.

When we consume table sugar, our body needs to use its stores of enzymes to break down the disaccharide sucrose into fructose and glucose. It then needs to metabolize the sugar. Metabolism requires many different vitamins and minerals, and since table sugar contains zero vitamins and minerals, our body must supply them. So, vitamins and minerals are pulled from the stores inside our body in order to metabolize the sugar. For this reason, table sugar is considered an “anti-nutrient”. Not only does it not provide us with any nutritional value, it actually steals nutrients from our body.

Honey, on the other hand, is much more self-sufficient! Like table sugar, honey is made up of fructose and glucose, however the bees actually add an enzyme to the nectar that breaks down these sugars. So, when we consume the honey, our body does not need to use up its own precious enzymes to break down the sugars. This leaves more enzymes to aid in digestion of other foods we consume throughout the day. In addition, honey contains high enough levels of vitamins and minerals to support its own metabolism, and even contribute to the body’s stores in the process. Honey contains B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin E, zinc, iron, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phytonutrients, amino acids, antioxidants, and more. While some of these nutrients help fuel the metabolism of honey, others are absorbed by the body and used to support our health.

Finally, I want to reiterate the importance of buying your honey locally and raw and unfiltered. Local honey is especially beneficial to people with seasonal allergies. As the bees buzz around different trees, flowers and plants, they leave trace amounts of local allergens in the honey. In this way, eating a tablespoon of local honey is similar to getting an allergy shot from your doctor! Some people believe that for the local honey to help with seasonal allergies, it should be purchased within 50 miles of your home.

Raw honey is important because any type of heating or processing will kill off many of the honey’s nutritional benefits, including its active enzymes, vitamins and minerals. Honey that is not raw has been processed so much that it really is not much different than table sugar. So, it’s definitely worth the splurge!

Need some ideas on how to incorporate raw, local honey into your diet? Try drizzling it on top of your oatmeal or yogurt; topping whole grain crackers with some nut butter and raw honey; using it in homemade salad dressings; or even adding it as a sweetener to your coffee and tea.

Remember: honey is naturally much sweeter than sugar, so you don’t need much!

Are You Hypoglycemic?

Hypoglycemia is a fancy word for low blood sugar. The concepts of low and high blood sugar can be confusing at times, because they are so closely related and both indicate a diet too high in sugars and carbohydrates. So what distinguishes one from the other?

We all have a pancreas. Right after we eat a meal or snack, the pancreas secretes a hormone called insulin. Insulin’s main job is to take the glucose (sugar) from the foods we eat and put it into our cells. Once inside our cells, that sugar is stored for future energy production.

In a healthy body, insulin lowers blood levels of sugar after a meal by increasing the rate at which cells absorb this sugar. When we are exercising our haven’t eaten in a while, our body helps us regulate our blood sugar levels by releasing some of this stored sugar back into the blood, providing us with the energy we need to go about our lives.

However, poor dietary and lifestyle choices can interrupt this careful balance of sugar in our blood. A diet high in refined sugars, trans fats, and other processed foods, and low in fiber and fresh fruits and vegetables, can lead to hypoglycemia. When a lot of sugar is consumed, it is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream, leading to a hyperglycemic state. Due to the rapid increase of sugar in the blood, the pancreas secretes large amounts of insulin and that insulin works to put this sugar into cells. This then causes blood sugar levels to drop very quickly, leading to a hypoglycemic state. As this cycle continues with each meal or snack a person eats, the insulin eventually becomes tired and worn out, leading to poor function and eventually more serious diseases, such as diabetes.

Symptoms of Hypoglycemia

• Cravings for sweets or carbohydrates
• Irritability if a meal is missed
• Tired or weak when a meal is missed
• Dizziness when going from sitting to standing suddenly
• Frequent headaches or migraines
• Forgetfulness or low concentration
• Tiredness an hour or two after eating
• Heart palpitations
• Occasional shakiness
• Afternoon fatigue
• Occasional blurry vision
• Depression or mood swings
• Being overweight
• Frequent anxiety or nervousness
• PMS

What Can You Do About It?

Exercise can help prevent the onset of hypoglycemia and type II diabetes, and can also help to control these issues. Exercise enhances the sensitivity of insulin, making it more efficient inside the body. In addition, it strengthens the body so it can function at a higher level. It makes sense if you think about it. When you have excess sugar in the body, it is just sitting there waiting to be used as energy (or, to be stored as fat). When we exercise, we demand more energy from our cells, utilizing all that excess sugar.

Avoiding alcohol can really help people with hypoglycemia, as alcohol interferes with normal glucose utilization and increases the secretion of insulin. Smoking increases free radicals and contributes to symptoms of hypoglycemia and diabetes, so quitting smoking is very important (for a thousand other reasons too!). Finally, as usual, focus on a whole foods diet – eliminate or reduce refined sugars and fats, excess caffeine, and all processed foods. Increase dietary fiber in the form of vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, and drink plenty of water each day.

As I have said in the past, blood sugar issues are at the root of many of our health problems (I know this from personal experience!) and it is very important to choose wisely for proper blood sugar control!

Date Sugar

My little sis lives on her own now, and she frequently calls or texts me from the grocery store to ask about a certain food or new product. She is a conscious shopper, which is something I encourage everyone to be. She also isn’t afraid to try new foods. This is so important – if you get into a routine of buying the same things at the grocery store each week, you will never learn about new foods and eating becomes more of a chore and less enjoyable.

This week, sis asked me what I think about date sugar. Although I have baked with dates, I have never tried date sugar before (new food!), so I had to do a little research. What I found is that date sugar is simply dehydrated dates, and it is used as a sugar for sweetening or baking – similar to the way you’d use brown sugar. Bob’s Red Mill makes date sugar, and this is a company that has very reputable products that are minimally processed.

Date sugar seems like a good sugar alternative if you like the flavor of dates. However, IT IS STILL SUGAR! That is the key point I want to make. Just because the sugar comes from a date does not make it any healthier or react any differently inside the body. Keep in mind that most of the regular white sugar we see comes from beets – a root vegetable! But that doesn’t mean we’re eating veggies when we consume sugar.

My advice on sugar is this: if you like something sweet every once in a while, choose something that is made with REAL ingredients: butter, eggs, whole wheat flour, and – most importantly – a form of real sugar. This will be more likely to satisfy your craving, and then you can get back to your healthy diet. Artificial sugars have countless side effects to our body and its many systems, including neurological, psychological, gastrointestinal, and endocrine issues. Since our body does not recognize “fake” sugars, they are not processed like real food and instead are deposited into our tissues, where over time they build up and cause symptoms. While symptoms may start small, such as occasional headaches, they can quickly progress to much more serious health issues.

But consuming too much real sugar isn’t great either. Which leads me into my topic for next week: hormones! We have been learning a lot about hormones and it’s one of my favorite topics, because it seems that balancing hormones is one of the major components of health and well-being. Next week I’ll talk more about hormones – specifically adrenaline, cortisol and insulin – and the important roles they play in the body.

Fruit = Sugar = Fruit

My teacher gave us a friendly reminder yesterday that fruit, despite all of its wonderful nutrients, is still classified as a simple sugar. Yes, that means it’s in the same category as things like juice, soda, candy, or fat-free ice cream.

Fruit contains mainly fructose, which is the sweetest of all of the sugars. Simple sugars such as fructose go straight into our bloodstream after eating them, which gives us a quick rush of energy. Our body tells our pancreas to produce the hormone insulin, which is released and attaches to the sugars to guide them into our cells. This all happens very quickly, leaving us craving another energy burst by way of more simple sugars. As you can see, it’s this process that leads to constant sugar cravings.

But fruit is supposed to be healthy for us, right?

While fruit does contain many antioxidants and important nutrients for our health, it cannot be ignored that fruit is high in sugar. The skin of fruit does contain some fiber, but not much. The best way to approach eating fruit is to consume it with a protein and a fat. This way, the sugar will take longer to get into our bloodstream, and we will feel full for a longer period of time. This prevents the instant spike in our blood sugar. Rather than craving more sugar immediately, we will feel satisfied.

So basically, a piece of fruit alone is not the most well-rounded snack, especially for someone who tends to enjoy or crave sugar a lot. Some foods that would pair well with fruit that include protein and fats include nut butters; nuts and seeds; full-fat yogurt; a smoothie that includes flaxseed oil, nuts and tofu; or even some cheese.

And speaking of fruit, I happened to get an enormous amount of apples and pears from my CSA the past couple of weeks, so I made applepearsauce last night. I couldn’t find a recipe that I approved of so I made up my own – apples, pears, lemon juice, cinnamon, and a little bit of water. I kept the skins on and did not add ANY sugar. It turned out perfectly – nice and chunky, and just sweet enough. We had it with dinner (grass-fed steaks, kale chips, cucumbers and peppers) so there was plenty of protein and fat in the meal. But just a little tip for those of you that make homemade applesauce in the fall – no sugar is needed! The natural sugars in the fruit keep it plenty sweet. Also, if you keep the skin on the fruit, you’ll get a little extra fiber and texture!

Just A Spoonful of Sugar...

...can harm your eyesight!

Yesterday in class, my teacher was describing some differences she notices in herself when she eats too much sugar. One thing that caught my attention: the day after a sugar “binge”, she notices her eyesight is cloudier. She said there is a definite link between high sugar diets and quality of eyesight.

This was particularly interesting to me because of what happened at my last eye appointment. I know that I have always eaten too much sugar, but in the past six months I have cut back significantly. When I went to my annual eye appointment in December, the vision in my right eye had actually improved! I didn’t think much of it until now. I wonder if it is because I have decreased sugar in my diet?

Another interesting observation: I had better-than-perfect eyesight all the way until my sophomore year of college, when suddenly I needed glasses to see even the white board in class. Let’s piece this puzzle together: ages 0-18 I was living at home, playing sports, and eating my mom’s home-cooked meals that always included fresh, high-quality foods. Then at age 18, I move to Milwaukee, WI, the Beer Capital of the World, and live in a dorm nicknamed “The Beer Can”. I was partying a lot (excessive alcohol intake causes high blood sugar), but also working and studying hard, so I drank too much coffee (usually with a sugary syrup) and ate poorly. And to top it off, I was not getting as much exercise as I got in high school. I think I was walking evidence that high-sugar diets and poor eyesight are linked!

Besides our brains, our eyes need more oxygen and nutrients than any other part of our bodies. When we eat excess sugar, the sugar molecules attach to hemoglobin in our blood. This, in turn, makes it more difficult for our blood to deliver oxygen throughout the body. Oxygen is needed to power most metabolic processes and is vital to the proper functioning of many things in our bodies.

A high sugar diet causes blood sugar to spike and dip very quickly. When our blood sugar fluctuates, our tiny blood vessels are shocked and they weaken and become very narrow. This reduces blood flow throughout the body, including oxygen transport to the eyes.

There are other studies I found that link nearsightedness, or myopia, in children to their high-sugar and high-carbohydrate diets. When blood sugar is high, insulin levels elevate. And when the insulin levels go up, the body does not produce as much of a certain protein that is used to shape eyeballs and lenses for clear vision.

In older people, cataracts are a common problem. Cataracts form when sugar molecules attach to the proteins in the lens of the eye. This causes the lens to twist and fold, which leads to cloudy vision. Many older people with cataracts have eaten too much sugar throughout their lives.

Sugary foods include the obvious cakes, pastries, candy and ice cream, but also other simple carbohydrates such as white bread, processed cereals and white pasta.

And now for the good news…

All of these processes can be controlled or reversed through nutrition! Don’t you just love nutrition?!

When you eat carbohydrates, try to stick with only complex carbs such as whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and legumes. And be sure to buy the highest quality you can afford of these items (think Whole Foods freshly baked whole grain bread, not Oroweat 7-grain bread). In addition, making sure you get plenty of antioxidant nutrients like vitamins A, C and E will help prevent or repair poor eyesight. These are found primarily in fresh fruits and vegetables. Controlling alcohol intake will also benefit eyesight (and countless other things) throughout our lives.

So, if you’re like me, you may have taken a little hit in college (but it was oh so worth it… college was so great!), but it is never too late to improve our diets and reverse or prevent the many diseases that are associated with high sugar intake.