So as a nutritionist, I feel the need to keep everyone up to date on Nutrition related stuffs. So something that I would like us to do is make a goal to do our best for preventative health care by being conscious of what we eat! So here are a few things:
1. We have food labels for a reason people. Read them.
2. Trans fats are so much worse that anyone tells you. The reason is because of how they're metabolized. They greatly increase LDL levels(bad cholesterol) and slightly decrease HDL levels(good cholesterol), putting you at greater risk for cardiovascular disease. We really need to be conscious of this- cardiovascular disease runs in just about every family in the USA now. So avoid foods that have partially hydrogenated vegetable oils as an ingredient- just because it says 0g Trans fats doesn't mean anything. That's just per portion size. In some European countries- it's illegal for companies to sell food that contains trans fats- something to think about.
3. Sugars. Seriously, there are so many different ways to say it: sugar, corn syrup, sucrose, dextrose, high fructose corn syrup.....I can go on. Just be aware of how many kinds of sugars it lists on a food label. High sugar foods trigger a high insulin response that spikes above normal levels then will drop, putting you in a hypoglycemic state(triggering hunger). This is in normal people, not diabetics. This response can increase the risk of metabolic syndrome. And weight gain. And diabetes.
4. Because of the high cardiovascular disease risk in the US, really try to replace trans and sat fats with Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Use oils like olive oil and safflower oil. Try eating fatty fish like salmon once or twice a week. If you don't like fish, try a fish oil supplement. If you're a Vegan, try a non-fish based omega 3 supplement.
5. Fast food restaurant portion sizes are much more than you think! A meal at Carl's Junior: Low Carb $6 Burger -570cal, medium fries- 430cal, medium soda- 170. That's 1170 calories right there for one meal. Average calorie intake for women is usually around 1500cal. So something that you think was a healthy, good lunch may not always be that way. Most restaurants have nutrition information posted or available on websites so don't be afraid to check it out to help out!
So, those are the big points for now. Just thought I would share!
1. We have food labels for a reason people. Read them.
2. Trans fats are so much worse that anyone tells you. The reason is because of how they're metabolized. They greatly increase LDL levels(bad cholesterol) and slightly decrease HDL levels(good cholesterol), putting you at greater risk for cardiovascular disease. We really need to be conscious of this- cardiovascular disease runs in just about every family in the USA now. So avoid foods that have partially hydrogenated vegetable oils as an ingredient- just because it says 0g Trans fats doesn't mean anything. That's just per portion size. In some European countries- it's illegal for companies to sell food that contains trans fats- something to think about.
3. Sugars. Seriously, there are so many different ways to say it: sugar, corn syrup, sucrose, dextrose, high fructose corn syrup.....I can go on. Just be aware of how many kinds of sugars it lists on a food label. High sugar foods trigger a high insulin response that spikes above normal levels then will drop, putting you in a hypoglycemic state(triggering hunger). This is in normal people, not diabetics. This response can increase the risk of metabolic syndrome. And weight gain. And diabetes.
4. Because of the high cardiovascular disease risk in the US, really try to replace trans and sat fats with Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Use oils like olive oil and safflower oil. Try eating fatty fish like salmon once or twice a week. If you don't like fish, try a fish oil supplement. If you're a Vegan, try a non-fish based omega 3 supplement.
5. Fast food restaurant portion sizes are much more than you think! A meal at Carl's Junior: Low Carb $6 Burger -570cal, medium fries- 430cal, medium soda- 170. That's 1170 calories right there for one meal. Average calorie intake for women is usually around 1500cal. So something that you think was a healthy, good lunch may not always be that way. Most restaurants have nutrition information posted or available on websites so don't be afraid to check it out to help out!
So, those are the big points for now. Just thought I would share!
