NutritionEd:

Every time I visit my mom’s house for dinner we inevitably come around to the topic of salt. The infamous NaCl molecule has been a point of contention between myself and, well, most of my family for as long as I’ve been involved in the kitchen (since I was about 14).

My position is that while salt is necessary for many aspects of successful cooking (both for chemical as well as gustatory reasons) it can also be used over zealously and without regard to accepted nutrition practice. (see my post “Sodium in our society” for information on that)

My mom’s position, on the other hand, is a little more… liberal… shall we say. She is of the belief that salt should be added to pretty much any home cooked meal as long as it is used in the preparation phase only. She adheres to the axiom that you require less salt to reach a desired flavour if you add it during cooking as opposed to at the table; something I totally agree with. However, what she and many people don’t seem to understand is that certain situations require no salt AT ALL in order to reach a desired flavour.

For example, steamed vegetables. The other day my wife and I were over for a delicious Roasted Ham dinner and we made steamed broccoli as an accompaniment. I surreptitiously placed myself in charge of this task as I hoped to have it ready before my mom could intervene with the salt shaker. Sadly, I was naïve in this endeavor and we proceeded to, yet again, “discuss” the use of salt. My argument that the broccoli would taste superior if we left it as nature intended once again fell on deaf ears and she, being the matriarch, summarily tossed in a few dashes of salt. </sigh> I tried.

I suppose I’ve been on this crusade against salt ever since my father suffered a heart attack in the 80s. Speaking from first hand experience it is quite a traumatic experience for a young boy to see his father lying in a hospital bed with a dizzying array of beeping and flashing equipment surrounding him. I’ll always remember the nutrition advice given for such cases back then; cut down on salt and cholesterol. Although the latter may not be the heart killer we were all led to believe, the recommendation to cut salt has stood the test of time… and numerous subsequent studies. Indeed, just the other day the World Heart Federation was in the news stipulating that millions of lives all over the world could be saved if people simply cut ½ a teaspoon of salt each day from their diet. Hmmm, ½ a teaspoon… sounds about as much as my mom put in that broccoli…

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.

How can it be the end of January already?? Although I don’t really do New Years “Resolutions”, one of my “goals” this 2008 was to post more often. I certainly thought I would have more time since I have now graduated from McGill University (yay me). However, the combination of looking for work and getting life on track has left me neglectful of my beloved blog (and all the 2 or 3 readers out there… yeah need to work on getting more exposure)

Anyway, I have many ideas to write about this year so it should be interesting. 2008 looks like it will be a good year for the nutrition field!

Super Food!

Cancer Killer!

Crazy Happy Weight Loss Without Lifting A Finger Call Now Satisfaction Guaranteed!

…

Slogans like these are both familiar to us all and yet flagrantly misleading. Let me tell you right now, there is no super food, no wonder nutrient, no gastronomic holy grail which will cure disease. The world and human evolution just isn`t that simple. It`s a whole body, total nutrition approach tailored to specific needs which provide the most benefit. And doesn`t that make more sense than the idea of one plant or one food being a cure-all?

Sadly, there are times when I am simply astonished by the gullibility of some consumers. Granted, many of these people are facing delicate, unfamiliar situations and the savvy marketing campaigns out there can make it hard to tell fact from fiction. As a result, every year Billions of dollars of sketchy nutritional products are successfully finding their way off store shelves and into naive consumer`s cupboards.

Thankfully, there is often little harm in people consuming things like celery extract or distillations of exotic fruit (well, your wallet might complain.) Other products, however, can be far more sinister in their utilization. One prime example is the now infamous (to me) Gogi Juice. This product, it is claimed, can help you fight all sorts of cancer; and naturally to boot! Why bother with all the conventional approaches like chemotherapy or radiation therapy?  Gogi Juice is all you need! Can you imagine? The marketing of this juice has been so successful it has led people to abandon their doctor-prescribed therapy and instead rest their hopes of a cure on a cancer killing campaign using…. juice. It`s absolutely incredible, and it should be illegal.

Now to be fair, I cannot say that the Gogi BERRY doesn`t have cancer fighting properties wtihin it. Indeed there is a small study in the literature which shows the berri “may“ have such health benefits. (a study which companies promoting gogi juice have exploited and exaggerated). Of note is that this study is in regards to the BERRY, not JUICE. Only in pure and concentrated form may the compounds in a gogi berry impart any cancer fighting qualities.

So don`t fall for the hype or rhetoric surrounding `natural` nutritional supplements. We all know we should be careful to trust in a sales pitch. So heed your intuition and proceed with caution. And of course if you`re ever in need of more substantiated information on something speak to a registered dietitian.

Every now and then I hear the terms “Good” and “Bad” cholesterol being bandied about. When I hear this it causes a little nerve in my head to go “ping!” and I get mildly discombobulated. It’s like the media has played up HDL to be the mild mannered vascular hero of the 21st century and LDL the sinister villain that needs to be defeated. In reality, LDL has a very valid and necessary function in the body and only when levels get too high are we presented with a “Bad” situation.

LDL (low density lipoprotein) and HDL (high density lipoprotein) serve as carriers of cholesterol (and other molecules) throughout the body. They work in somewhat of a cycle, with LDL traveling out from the liver dispersing its contents as it goes, and HDL acting like a sieve and collecting cholesterol on its way back to the liver where it can be broken down or reutilized. See? No harm in that is there? It’s only when the concentration of LDL exceeds a certain point (>4.1 mmol/L) and/or HDL drops past a certain point (<1.03 mmol/L) that we should be concerned about our health.

Now, don’t let my little post here mislead you into thinking LDL isn’t that big of a problem. It definitely is, because when you have chronically high LDL circulating in your blood you are at increased risk of developing atherosclerosis which can lead to heart disease and stroke. This is serious business.

Further, if you are young, don’t disregard this as not applying to you. Research has found that atherosclerosis can start developing in your early teens. And with the childhood obesity epidemic continuing unabated we are now finding children with high blood pressure. Children! On blood pressure medication! The ramifications of this are incredible. So in short, you are never too young to be concerned about the health of your heart… or your blood vessels.