NutritionEd:

I found a very interesting article the other day in the Globe and Mail regarding satiety. It is well established now that protein in food provides more satiation during eating than the other macronutrients (CHO and FAT). What is interesting about this article is that researchers found a certain type of fat, oleic acic, appears to also have a satiating effect.

In a study involving lab mice, the researchers found that when oleic acid reaches the small intestine it is converted into a hormone called oleoylethanolamide, or OEA. This hormone, in turn, sends hunger-dampening signals to the brain. That means you can go longer without eating.

I find this very interesting as I had learned in school that Fat, overall, was low on the satiety totem pole. (that sensation of feeling “full” after consuming a fatty meal is likely the protein rather than the fat… or simply nausea.)

The possibility that certain fats are more satiating than others shouldn’t be surprising I suppose. Though the mechansim is signicantly different, carbs also have varying degrees of satiety.  ie: high fiber = full faster… hopefully everyone knows that by now!

So, could the dawn of the next food combining “craze” soon be upon us? Do you think the food industry will jump on research like this and, before you know it, we’ll be offered bizarre foods like Extra Virgin Olive Oil Protein Bars? Hmmmm, could be tasty.

Click here for the the Globe article or here for the paper’s abstract.

Over the last few years I have (thankfully) acquired a healthy appetite for salmon. Whether it be broiled in the oven or wrapped in foil and BBQ’d (my favorite) I am discovering a plethora of ways to enjoy this fatty salt water fish. And why not? It’s chalk full of omega 3s, Vitamin D, protein, PCBs, and….wait PCBs?? What? Doesn’t Health Canada recommend eating fish at least twice a week yet it can also be harmful? I think some clarification is in order!

Sadly, like many mainstays on the market today, we encounter the increasingly popular phrase “Risk vs. Benefit”. In regards to fish (and for this post specifically salmon) there are both risks and benefits associated with salmon consumption. Thankfully, for the majority of us, the benefits to your health twice a week outweigh any risks.

Benefits

Through the power of it’s high omega 3 and vitamin D content, coupled with its profile of other heart healthy fats and protein content, eating fish such as salmon has been shown to reduce the risk of:

• Heart disease & Stroke
• Some cancers
• Alzheimer’s
• Diabetes
• Depression

However, it leaves one a little unnerved to wonder if you’ll be part of the minority who, statistically, will suffer the consequences of contaminated fish.

Risks¹

Contamination of salmon with chemicals such as PCBs or dioxins can increase your risk of:

• Cancer (such as non-hodgkin’s lymphoma)
• Reproductive system abnormalities
• Behavioural and developmental deficits (specifically for a growing fetus and for children)
• Systemic affects (such as liver disease and diabetes)

Certainly for some populations there is reason for more concern than for others. For example a middle aged person who has a predisposition to heart disease (such as a family history or lifestyle), or who has already had a heart attack, would benefit immensely from a diet rich in fish such as salmon. However, a developing child or a young person with few risk factors for such a disease may want to take steps to mitigate any potential harm from eating contaminated fish. This is because of the nature of chemicals such as PCBs (aka polychlorinated biphenyls). For one, they are fat soluble and over time can accumulate quite easily in the fatty tissues of our bodies (just as they do in fish through bioaccumulation). Secondly, they are considered “Persistent” chemicals meaning that they break down very slowly. To limit the amount of these chemicals entering and remaining in our bodies I suggest you purchase only wild salmon or canned salmon (which is apparently not farmed).

One obstacle to purchasing the appropriate type of salmon is that many providers neglect to include it’s origin on the label. A general way to get around this is to simply avoid products from countries like Norway and Scotland. Atlantic salmon is also less desireable. Instead, ensure you find pacific coast salmon such as from Alaska or California.

In summary, eating fish such as salmon generally outweighs any risks. With a little care for exactly what you purchase it is perfectly advisable to continue eating at least 2 servings of fish a week.

A great reference you can use which I found linked off of NutritionData is the Pocket Seafood Selector. This little resource can help you identify not only which salmon varieties are safer it also lists numerous other type of fish which are to be sought after or plain avoided.

References

1-http://www.epa.gov/ost/fish/

2-”Fish Intake, Contaminants, and Human Health: Evaluating the Risks and the Benefits,” JAMA, October 18, 2006–Vol. 296, No. 15

3-”Wild versus farmed salmon, The pros and cons : http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/35370.php

One of the things I’m really loving about being a Dietitian is that it’s a profession. I love being a part of something which takes itself seriously, a career that has responsibility, integrity, and progression. One aspect of the nutrition profession is being part of the Dietitians of Canada which is an amazing way to keep up to date and informed about the nutrition situation in canada and where it’s heading.

The latest benefit of my membership came in the mail today; a letter from the Agriculture department of the government of Canada. It details a new web-based resource entitled “Seafood and Health: Sorting Fact from Fiction.” This resource is exactly inline with my motivation for creating this blog. It tries to sift through all the research out there and put forth advice which is credible, helpful, and realistic.

Seafood is certainly one of the realms of nutrition which has been receiving a lot of attention these days. The paradox of the vaunted power of Omega 3′s vs the cautionary tales of mercury and PCB contamination have left many people dizzy and confused. Indeed, the question of where the benefit/detriment threshold lies is a tough one to answer. Thankfully, this government resource steps up to the plate and does a thorough job of providing the answer.

I must admit it, I was rather pleased with myself after reading the latest Nutrition Action news letter. Inside was an interview with someone professing the benefits of what he calls “NEAT”; which stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.

Basically, NEAT is all about what I alluded to in my ”Idiosyncrasies” post. All the little activities you do in the day (be it foot tapping, shuffling around, STANDING, and of course walking) can equate to significant energy expenditure. He discusses these various activities and relates how easy it can be to significantly expend more calories every day through incredibly simple means. For example, his office has no chairs. Seriously, he even claims to work by walking at a steady pace on a treadmill; even when on the phone! Now I’m not advocating we all throw away our chairs but his efforts are definitely thought provoking.

In the News is going to be a regular feature on my blog this year. Posts under this heading will shed some light on various food-related information, advice, and discoveries which are currently hot topics in the world of Nutrition. I got the idea for this feature after my last trip back home to Alberta. Every time I’m there a good friend of mine asks me, “What’s Hot” in my field right now. Unfortunately, my answers are usually rather insipid because, although there are so many topics I find interesting, I tend not to get caught up in the hype of nutrition in the media. I also have a penchant for comparisons and drawing on recent personal experience when confronted with situations such as this. When Hayden posed the question to me again this Christmas my immediate impulse was to discuss Crohn’s Disease; which was something I had learned a lot about in my final Stage at school. To be honest, I think he and his fiancé should be thankful I refrained from this gastrointestinal topic and instead commented on good old Sodium and Fiber instead; after all we WERE eating at the time!
So, in an effort to transcend beyond the realm of default topics like sodium (which frankly has been a “hot” topic for years), In the News will feature more insightful and controversial issues. For my first post I wanted to write about something which has been gaining popularity in media over the last few years; Omega 3 Fatty Acids.

All Omegas are not created equal

Without trying to sound like a broken record, the food industry is replete with savvy marketing and catchy phrases all designed to garner sales. I’m not sure what I find more frustrating, products that tout miracle effects based on limited research or products that take legitimate science and tweak it to their own ends. The latter is something I see more and more of with Omega 3 fatty acids. There is no question that omega 3s are good for you and hold impressive anti-inflammatory properties. This includes a myriad of health concerns such as heart health, cognitive development, cancer and even rheumatoid arthritis. However, certain mitigating factors (as usual) cloud the issue of omega 3s and, as a result, many consumers have difficulty making informed food purchases.

To compound matters, people are often unaware of the questions they should be asking to avoid falling prey to media and advertising hype. Consider these 3 questions before making your next purchase of an omega 3-containing product:

1. “How bioavailable is it?” (ie: how much does the body absorb)
2. “What is the recommended daily intake?”and
3. “What is Omega 3 anyway?”

Answering these questions before you venture down the store isle can help isolate the truly useless omega products from the truly beneficial. Unfortunately, a consumer usually needs to do a little bit of leg work to arm themselves with the answers. Hopefully by reading this I can save you some of that effort. Note that the following is regarding foods which have been enriched with omega 3; as opposed to foods which contain it naturally, such as Salmon.

Bioavailability

Perhaps this isn’t the best word to use when describing the absorption of omega 3 in your gut however the point is the same. Certain factors affect the degree to which omega 3 in foods can be absorbed and utilized by the body. For example, take flax seeds. Products which extol the virtues of this seed often frustrate me because consumers need to know something very important; flax seeds contribute virtually no omega 3 in the diet! Indeed, only ground flax seeds allow access to the omegas inside. Our body is simply unable to digest whole seeds. About the only benefit you get from eating whole seeds is some fiber-like activity; which can actually irritate some people’s bowels. So make sure you check the ingredient label for whether the flax is ground or not.

Recommended intake

At this time the DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) for omega 3 is given only in terms of what we call “AI” or “Adequate Intake”, meaning at this level of intake you are likely covering all your body’s needs. The AI for omega 3 is currently set at 1.6g/d for men and 1.1g/d for women… which doesn’t sound like a lot does it? Unfortunately, most omega-containing foods, like omega 3 eggs or Omega 3 orange juice, contain a quantitatively insignificant amount of omega 3, therefore meeting your daily requirement can be challenging. Further, and here’s the real catch, the type of omega 3 provided is often the type least useful to us; which leads me to the next and most important question.

What IS omega 3 fatty acid?

Or should I say, what ARE omega 3 fatty acids! How many of you thought that omega 3 fatty acid was only one type of molecule? I imagine quite a few of you. In fact, there are numerous types of omega 3s out there and the most useful ones are often the hardest to find! The 3 most commonly seen omega 3s are alpha-linolenic (ALA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) fatty acids. The most important of these 3 is DHA, followed by EPA and lastly ALA. The variable utility of these fatty acids is due to some rather complex (but interesting) biochemistry. Basically, ALA can be converted into EPA and DHA by the body. Which is great except this process is both very slow and very inefficient and so a direct dietary source of DHA and EPA are more appropriate.

Further, there are currently no dietary recommendations for the amount of DHA and EPA one needs in the diet to promote health though it wouldn’t be amiss if you strived for an average of ~300mg each per day.

So in conclusion, if you want to take a proactive approach to your health through diet it is important to know that DHA and EPA omega 3 fatty acids are the ones you should look for. And I sure hope you like fish, because it is simply the best source around and is far cheaper than popping pills!

I thought it would be fun to make my first post of 2008 a simple analysis of all my own idiosyncrasies when it comes to nutrition. From the few posts I’ve done since this blog began it may be apparent that I’m not your every-day food & nutrition-obsessed Dietitian. Rather, I prefer to look at nutrition and lifestyle in a more reasoned and conservative manner. Here are some little things I do, inadvertently or not, throughout my day which I feel promotes a healthy lifestyle:

• Eat salad with every possible meal. Admittedly, living with my girlfriend (now fiancé) has made this endeavour far more successful as preparing healthy food for more than one person seems easier than just for yourself. However, cooking for one is no excuse for skipping your leafy greens!

• Read food labels. As I mentioned in previous posts, there is an overabundance of certain nutrients out there such as sodium and omega 6 fatty acids. It is not a cliché to say information is power. The more you know about the food you eat the more appropriate and healthy your purchases will be. However, as I’ll mention later on , do not obsess about nutrients. Be aware of them, account for them, but don’t lose yourself in the details.

• Fibre it up. William Shatner may be an anachronistic TV hack however he’s also promoting the truth. If given the opportunity I’d happily endorse All Bran bars as well (if anyone from Kellogg is reading this email me). Fibre is such an understated nutrient. It’s health benefits are as impressive as they are varied such as promoting regularity, managing cholesterol and helping achieve weight loss. And I’ll always remember “The Colon Talk” my class was given in high school. Having your Biology teacher extol the virtues of eating fibre for a healthy colon is really quite a memorable experience.

• Fidget… a lot. It is in my nature to tap my feet and bob my knee up and down when sitting. I also shuffle around a lot when doing standing work and I have a relatively fast walking pace. If you don’t have these oddities, well, then that’s a shame. Because research has shown that fidgeting and fast walking can account for significant energy expenditure if performed chronically. Take that you calm and even-tempered Bohemians!

• Whenever possible, take the stairs. I find the “path of least resistance” phenomenon fascinating. Have you ever stopped in a mall or office building where there are stairs and an escalator side by side but the escalator is “slightly” closer to the herd’s path? Invariably everyone will take the escalator, even if it means waiting in line to get on. This phenomenon occurs with little awareness and a lot of herd mentality. Break the cycle I say! Taking stairs is an excellent way to get a bit of exercise and it may even get you to the top faster. 

• Lastly, water. Drink… your…. water. Maintaining adequate hydration through water and not juice or pop keeps your cells and organs happy and healthy.

So that is some of the philosophy I follow in my daily routine of life. An interesting juxtaposition to my apparent simplification of lifestyle is that I actually see nutrition as being far more complex and mysterious than most people do (probably due to my chemistry background). Sure, I adhere to the above principals (which incidentally match Canada’s Food Guide rather well) yet my lifestyle focuses on FOOD and not specific nutrients; and food is inherently complex. My answer to addressing the complexity is, well, to acknowledge it and then simplify.  Following ideals like the Food Guide addresses the intricacies of food without getting bogged down in the details, which so many people seem to do.

Further, as I eluded to in my post on “Super Foods”, I feel it is more important to know what types of food you eat rather than focus on what specific nutrients you consume. I’m not saying this isn’t important of course. To know which foods are high in Omega 3 vs. 6 Fatty Acids is crucial to helping maintain a balanced diet that covers all your bases. However, focusing on single nutrients can be rather daunting and, well, distracting in my opinion. People who fixate on these are missing the larger picture; which is the amazing power of whole foods.

For example, take Vitamin C. Without this tasty vitamin you would basically bleed to death… if your body didn’t disintegrate first (Vit C is key to keeping your connective tissues, well, connected). Now, I hear of people downing Vitamin C pills or consuming high Vitamin C products in their diet because they feel it can treat colds or ease constipation. Regardless of whether these assertions are true, focusing on single nutrients in this way is unnecessary and detracts from a more holistic point of view. Instead of wasting your money why not have…. some green pepper? Or heck even a plain old orange? The beauty of foods such as these is that they have MORE than simply vitamin C. They have fibre, folate, minerals, and antioxidants which, together, represent high nutrient density. Quite simply, a pill will never exceed the nutritional versatility of whole foods.

To emphasize my point, here are some examples of nutrients that people may obtain unnecessarily from pills:

B Vitamins – Think you need B6 for depression or if you’re a girl for your PMS? Instead of popping pills, try cooking some chicken or eating a banana. B6 can be found naturally in many sources of food

Vitamin E – Taking this to help your heart? Well, first you better stop because Vit E supplementation may actually be dangerous, especially if you smoke! Secondly, why not eat some seeds or nuts as tasty snack?

Lutein and Zeaxanthin – If don’t know what these are and/or can’t pronounce them don’t worry, just stop getting it from pills and eat some eggs or carrots!

Zinc – Taking zinc to fight a cold? Why not eat some beef instead? Or if you’re vegetarian and you eat legumes then you’ll get more than enough zinc to meet your needs

The Catch

As is typically the case for such a long winded opinion article, there are some small caveats to things I’ve written here. Recent research is trending towards the belief that certain nutrients have high requirements coupled to a lack of availability from contemporary food sources. Indeed our vitamin D requirement may be higher than previously established, especially for people of northern latitude such as in Canada. Unfortunately it can be challenging to obtain sufficient amounts of vitamin D with a balanced contemporary diet. As such, supplementation may prove to be inevitable. Unless of course you are like the Inuit and like eating a LOT of animal offal.

As discussed in my previous post, eggs are an amazing source of high quality protein. What they are also high in is cholesterol. Like many Canadians I bet your first thought is cholesterol = bad. But is it really a cause for concern? Is society’s perception well founded in that dietary cholesterol from eggs can lead to heart disease?

Ever since that fateful day in 1984, when Time Magazine published an article with this picture on the front cover, eggs have become synonymous with cholesterol. Unfortunately, as is often the case with media hype, articles such as this led society down a path of sweeping generalizations and unwarranted beliefs about eggs. Dietary cholesterol = risk of heart disease therefore eggs = risk of heart disease! Right? Wrong! The data from recent research on eggs indicates otherwise and the nutrition community has been trying to remove the misconceptions ever since.

Newsflash: Healthy* individuals eating up to 1 egg every day will not increase their risk of heart disease and stroke!

So what does increase the risk of heart disease and stroke if not dietary cholesterol?? The answer should come as no surprise to anyone for these two culprits have been very active in the media for many years; saturated and trans fat! High intakes of these fats in your diet have been implicated in raising the dreaded LDL cholesterol (mentioned here in one of my first posts). High levels of LDL in your blood correlate strongly with something called Atherosclerosis. (basically the build up of plaque in your arteries leading to narrowing or constricting of blood flow). Atherosclerosis is considered one form of heart disease.

Interestingly, some research is emerging that eggs may even play a role in treating heart disease! Egg protein has been shown to increase ones satiety after a meal and, therefore, facilitate weight loss; one of the principal features of heart disease management. Eggs are also nutrient dense in that for only a few calories you receive substantial amounts of vitamins, minerals, and other valuable nutrients such as choline, lutein & zeaxanthine.

Put simply, eggs truly are one of nature’s powerhouse foods.

* Note the word “healthy” individuals. If you have diabetes, heart disease, or currently have high cholesterol you may benefit from limiting cholesterol in your diet; including that from eggs.

1. Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Rimm EB, et al. A prospective study of egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in men and women. JAMA 1999;281:1387-1394.
2. Qureshi AI, Suri MF, Ahmed S, et al. Regular egg consumption does not increase the risk of stroke and cardiovascular diseases. Med Sci Monit 2007; 13(1):CR1-8

As I’m finishing up my degree in Dietetics with a rotation at the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency in Ottawa I figured it would be fun to write something interesting about, well, eggs! As most people probably know, eggs are synonymous with two things; protein and cholesterol. My first post on eggs will deal with protein.Eggs are often associated with the term, “High Quality” protein, but what does that mean? Here is a little summary:

Protein quality, from a nutrition perspective, is a term used to describe how well a protein from food matches the body’s requirements and, therefore, how useful the protein is for our body. This is determined by looking at the building blocks which make up the protein; called Amino Acids.

There are 20 primary amino acids, 9 of which our body cannot make on its own. These are considered “essential” and so must come from our diet. A protein’s quality is determined by asking the following questions:

1. Are all the 9 essential amino acids present in the protein?
2. Are the ratios of essential amino acids in the protein ideal?

The first question is answered fairly easily with a “yes”. In fact, pretty much every source of protein has at least some of all the essential amino acids. However, if the protein is deficient in 1 or more essential amino acid then it is considered incomplete. For your reference, grains are typically low in the amino acid lysine, while legumes are low in methionine. Animal products, on the other hand, are high in all the essential amino acids and are usually considered complete. (the exception being gelatin)

Answering the second question is a bit more complex. Basically, the body needs a certain proportion of essential amino acids in the protein in order for it to be used most effectively. If all 9 are present yet 1 or more are not very abundant then the protein is of lower quality because the body will not be able to use the protein to its fullest potential.

The “gold standard” used when determining protein quality is the egg (typically chicken egg). Eggs have all 9 essential amino acids in its protein and the ratios of these amino acids are very similar to the ideal protein needed by the body. You simply can’t find better protein in your diet than egg protein! As a result, egg protein is considered the #1 quality protein and all other proteins from all other food sources are compared against this standard.

References:

Whitney, E. N., Rolfes, S. R., (2004) Understanding Nutrition, Wadsworth Publishing; 10 edition
http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Pre-Sma/Protein.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_amino_acids

“What should I eat before I work out?”. If you’re like me, you ask yourself this question every time you go to the gym. And if you’re TRULY like me… then you probably don’t have a definite answer. It seems rather intuitive that one should eat a high energy meal before you work out because you will need it during your exercise. But what should you eat if you are exercising to lose weight? To answer this, we must first look at something called the glycemic index of food.

Briefly, the glycemic index (GI) is a system for understanding the relative glucose (sugar) response a certain food will impart in your blood. A high glycemic index food will result in a more pronounced “spike” in blood glucose than will a low glycemic index food. Such a spike has various metabolic consequences; some of which affect the body’s ability to burn fat. The GI system was originally designed for people with diabetes in order to help them control their blood sugar when they eat foods containing carbohydrates (aka “carbs”). However, in recent years the concept has been expanded to numerous other fields including weight management.

For many years, researchers have known that, for men, eating a low glycemic index meal before you work out will result in a higher rate of burning fat than if you ate a high glycemic index meal with the same macronutrient profile (i.e.: carbs, protein, & fat). A recent paper in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has now confirmed that this is also the same for women.

What is it about the low glycemic meal that results in this increased rate of fat oxidation? The answer is rather complex but part of the responsibility lies with the remarkable hormone insulin. Insulin is what’s called an “Anabolic” hormone meaning it promotes the synthesis of many components the body needs for life. It is also closely tied to the storage and utilization of energy. When your body has a high amount of glucose in the blood (aka blood sugar) insulin is responsible for promoting its dispersal throughout the body in order to provide energy to cells and subsequently bring blood levels down to normal. However, if the body doesn’t need energy then it will revert to storage mode and convert glucose into fat which is then directed into fat cells by, you guessed it, insulin. Voila, your fat mass will increase.

Now, don’t let this turn you into a low-carb crazy person! I’m actually working on another post regarding low-carb diets and their pitfalls so stay-tuned. The above information is merely meant to explain the actions of insulin in response to a normal meal and how eating a high glycemic food before exercise will cause your blood sugar to dramatically rise and your body’s “desire” to burn fat will subsequently be impeded. Therefore, on the flip side, if you eat a low glycemic meal then your body will not be as inhibited to burn fat and your exercise will be more effective at helping you lose weight. And to burn even more fat, research has shown that drinking skim milk, as opposed to an energy drink, immediately after resistance exercise can encourage muscle gain and fat loss. Who needs supplements eh?

If you are interested in learning more about the GI index click here. This site provides a more thorough description of the GI concept and also lists many foods which are deemed high or low glycemic foods.

As I recently posted, there are many things to consider when choosing an oil to use at home. In my post I mentioned olive oil as being a wise choice for use in many applications because it has a unique texture and flavour, it is composed of a healthy proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids, and there are some varieties which are fairly stable when heated.

Further to this, I’ve found a report published by the Mayo Clinic which extols more specific advice. The report offers tips on choosing which variety of olive oil is best such as:

1. If you’re not cooking with it, choose virgin or extra virgin olive oil because it is the highest in antioxidants
2. Choose oil that has been packaged most recently (no more than one year old) because vegetable oil, of any kind, will decay and become rancid over time (although olive oil is more stable than others if kept in a cool dark place)
3. Choose the price that fits your lifestyle. Olive oil can vary widely in price yet yield little discernible difference in texture and flavour.

One small caveat, if you are cooking and you insist on using olive oil, try to use light olive oil instead because it has a higher smoke point than virgin and is therefore more stable. There’s not much point using high antioxidant virgin olive oil if all you are doing is degrading it into the very product you want to neutralize in your body; free radicals. Honestly, however, the use of canola or grapeseed oil would be preferred for high temp cooking. Why not have both available in your cupboards? Just remember to store them appropriately (olive oil in the dark, grapeseed in the fridge)