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What to Eat for a Healthy Pregnancy

Pregnant or trying to get pregnant? What you eat is crucial to your new baby's health.

Additional Info

Segment Number 2
Audio File eat_right/1502nd4b.mp3
Featured Speaker Tamara Melton, RD
Organization Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Guest Bio Tamara S. Melton is a registered dietitian nutritionist and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Spokesperson. She owns LaCarte Wellness, a nutrition and wellness consultation and writes and speaks about maternal nutrition and childhood obesity prevention. Tamara is also a busy mom of two girls, ages one and two.
Transcription Melanie Cole (Host): When you get pregnant, eating is one of the best parts of being pregnant, but it can also be one of the toughest parts. Do you know what to eat? Do you have to give up sushi? Can you still drink coffee? All of these questions are being answered today by my guest, Tamara Melton. She is a registered dietitian/nutritionist with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and a spokesperson for them as well. Welcome to the show, Tamara. First of all, are there any foods that can help you get pregnant?

Tamara Melton (Guest): Well, when you’re working to get pregnant, the best thing you can do is to be as healthy as possible. When you’re trying to get pregnant, you should focus on eating a varied diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, drinking plenty of water, and if they need to get to a healthy weight—we found that babies are healthier if mom is at a healthy weight—maybe they would try to get closer to a healthy weight before getting pregnant, if possible. But there are no special foods that you’ll have to eat that will—we found through research—that will actually help you get pregnant.

Melanie: Are we really eating for two?

Tamara: No. In your first trimester, those first 12, 13 weeks of pregnancy, you actually don’t need to increase your calories at all, unless you’re underweight. Most moms who have normal and healthy weight, they are just fine. Second trimester, you can add on about 350 calories. That’s honestly like a small meal. That’s not even that much. Then in the third trimester, get 500 extra calories and if you would breastfeed your baby after you have the baby, you can keep on having those extra 500 calories. That’s really not that much extra, so it’s not eating for a whole another person. You definitely have to make sure that you still are balancing it but you do get a little bit extra calories when you are pregnant and then afterwards when you’re breastfeeding.

Melanie: Can we still drink coffee? Do we have to give up sushi? Answer some of those questions for us, Tamara, if you would.

Tamara: Moms are really interested as to what foods should they avoid. Alcohol, obviously, smoking and drugs are pretty easy, people know that, but coffee is one that some moms wouldn’t know. Because I know when I was pregnant, I do get tired. We have found that if moms stick to about 300 mg or less per day of caffeine, then the baby is just fine. That’s about one to two cups of coffee. Sushi, if you like sushi, if you like your meat medium rare, those are things that you definitely want to avoid because the different bacteria that is in raw meat that wouldn’t affect mom can actually pass through the placenta and they can be harmful to your fetus. You do want to avoid raw sushi. If you get it and it’s cooked, it’s fine. Then also, making sure that your meats are cooked really well and that there’s no blood that you can actually see in your meat. Those are some things that moms want to avoid. Some of the things they avoid are like deli meats that are unpasteurized or raw milk. We also want to avoid shark and swordfish, tilefish, and king mackerel because those really heavy fishes have a lot of mercury in them and that could also affect the baby and be harmful as well.

Melanie: What about smoked fish, smoked seafood and lox and things?

Tamara: Cold smoked fishes they should also avoid as well, and also cold deli salads. Moms should avoid those as well if possible. Those can also have some bacteria in it that won’t affect mom so much. She may not even feel sick, but it could affect the baby and be harmful. They should also avoid those, too.

Melanie: What about washing vegetables or buying organic when you’re pregnant? Is that a very important thing to do?

Tamara: When you’re pregnant, you definitely want to give your baby the best nutrients, but you don’t necessarily have to buy organic food. If that’s what you’re already used to eating or what you prefer, it’s definitely fine. But just as you mentioned, Melanie, washing the fruits is really important, so making sure that you wash those fruits and vegetables that you may not think about. Fruits and vegetables that we don’t eat the skins of, sometimes we don’t wash them, like cantaloupe or melons or things like that. They can actually have listeria on it. Listeria is very harmful to a fetus. So make sure that you wash all of your fruits and vegetables because if it’s something that you’re going to cut into, like we do with our melon, you’re going to take everything that’s on the outside, it’s going to come in contact with the fruit that you eat. Making sure that you wash those really well with soap and water, just like you would your hands, then that will make sure that you try to rinse off as much of that harmful bacteria that could affect your baby.

Melanie: How much weight should we gain during pregnancy and do we give in to those cravings, Tamara?

Tamara: If you’re starting out at a healthy weight, if your body mass index is at a healthy weight when you came in, or when you are pregnant, you want to gain between 25 and 35 pounds over the whole pregnancy. If mom is underweight or overweight, that’s going to change a little bit. Your doctor can definitely help out with that. Your doctor will weigh you at every appointment. They’ll be able to keep track. Most women don’t find much weight gain happening in the first trimester. That definitely happens in the second and third trimesters, so keep an eye on that. If you’re concerned about it, if you think you’re gaining too much or not enough, definitely keep up with your doctor and let him or her know to see what is it that you need to do. You might be eating for two; then maybe you need to cut back a little bit. Exercise is always helpful, too. Not only does it help you to manage that weight gain, but it can help to give you the energy, which is really hard to come by when you are pregnant.

Melanie: What about those cravings? Some moms they say crave dirt. Does that mean we’re nutrient deficient in iron or some mineral? Do we give in to those cravings or do we try and just really eat healthy the whole time?

Tamara: If you have those cravings for those non-food items, like you said, if someone would crave dirt or even like cornstarch or something like that, you want to avoid those types. One reason is there could be something harmful there. Another reason is that if you’re eating and you’re not taking in other nutrients, you’re going to get full of items that are not giving you any nutrients. Let’s say you have a craving for pickles. You have a craving for pizza. You have a craving for ice cream. I know during my first trimesters, I just felt sick, so whatever I felt like eating, which wasn’t necessarily the healthiest, was all I could take in. If you’re managing it and you still try to balance that as much as you can, getting the fruits and vegetables, water especially, and protein, giving in to your craving every now and then is okay, but you do want to make sure don’t go overboard and give in to every craving especially if it’s not healthier food. Even if it is healthy foods, but you’re not getting in something like protein, try to make sure that you balance that out. It’s just all about balance, just like it is when you’re not pregnant.

Melanie: What if in that first trimester—and you mentioned that you felt sick and I was lucky I didn’t with either of my kids—but what if you feel so sick or you’re having that morning sickness that you just don’t feel like eating anything at all?

Tamara: If you have morning sickness—that is something I definitely had when I was pregnant with my girls—you can do a few things to help out with that. One is to, when you first wake up in the morning, have some crackers or something like that right at the bedside. A lot of women if they eat something like that, like some dry crackers and sip some water right before they rise, it seems to help out with the morning sickness. Then if you can eat something small every hour throughout the day, if you have not taken a really big meal, those bigger meals are ones that seem to make the nausea really just go overboard. Then make sure that you’re taking in enough water. It seems to also help, too. Those are just some things that you can do. Also, the texture and temperature of food, sometimes just having a cold smoothie because cold and wet foods tend to help with nausea and easing that. Maybe you make a smoothie and you can get your good nutrition in that way and you can even get fruits and vegetables and even protein if you wanted to. You could take that in. Just do the best that you can. That’s all you really can do. But eating every hour, taking in enough water, and maybe just having those crackers around, can be helpful to kind of ease that morning sickness.

Melanie: We only have a minute and a half left or so, Tamara. Can you tell us any foods that would help with that morning sickness? Is tuna and parsley or ginger or any of those things, do they work? Then please give your best advice for healthy eating during pregnancy so that they have a healthy baby.

Tamara: Sure. If you have morning sickness, the ginger that you mentioned is really, really helpful. You can get that from a true ginger ale or if you have ginger. There’s crystallized ginger, too, you can take that in. Parsley, I guess that works for someone. I haven’t found it helped with everybody, but whatever it is that kind of eases your nausea is what you should focus on. As far as advice for an overall healthy pregnancy, my suggestion is to focus on the foods that are going to give you the most bang for your bucks. Really focus on those fruits, vegetables, hydration, your lean proteins, making sure you’re balancing it. You’re going to as you get further along, baby takes that more, I mean, you’re just not going to have as much space. Just focus on those things and don’t worry about it so much. Enjoy this time. Pregnancy goes by very, very quickly. Really enjoy that time and the healthy habits that you put into place would be very, very helpful after you have baby and you could teach those same habits to your baby when your baby is born.

Melanie: Great information. You’re listening to Eat Right Radio with our good friends from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For more information, you can go to eatright.org. That’s eatright.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.
Length (mins) 10
Waiver Received No
Host Melanie Cole, MS

Keeping Your Resolution to Eat Healthy & Lose Weight

Have you made healthy New Year's resolutions in the past, only to fall short?

Additional Info

Segment Number 1
Audio File eat_right/1502nd4a.mp3
Featured Speaker Jim White, RD
Organization Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Guest Bio Jim White is the owner of a chain of fitness facilities named Jim White Fitness and Nutrition Studios. He is the spokesman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American College of Sports Medicine. Currently, Jim holds positions on the advisory board for Men’s Fitness and Oxygen magazine and has received the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition Community Leadership Award. Other honors include receiving the 2012 Healthcare Hero Award, and the 2013 Entrepreneur Excellence Award and, most recently, the 2014 Young Entrepreneur Award. White was voted as one of the Top 40 Businessmen under 40 in the Hampton Roads region and recognized as Virginia’s Young Dietitian of the Year.

His media work and affiliations include ABC Family Channel, Today, TLC, Radio Disney, GQ, Men’s Health, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and much more.
Transcription Melanie Cole (Host): You made those resolutions to eat healthy and lose weight, and now you don’t want to lose steam. Now, you really want to keep those resolutions going and hit the ground running as it were. My guest today is Jim White. He is the owner of a chain of fitness facilities named Jim White Fitness, and he’s a registered dietitian/nutritionist. Welcome to the show, Jim. Tell us a little bit about your best advice for keeping those resolutions to eat healthy and lose weight in this New Year’s.

Jim White (Guest): Well, as you know, Melanie, I know you’re in a fitness nutrition world, this is the time when we see all of our patients and clients, everyone is ready to just drop all the way and change their lives forever. It’s a great thing. I think this time of year, it’s a fresh start. During the holidays, it’s hard to eat healthy around all those good-tasting food and all, but it’s a great time to really start again to a healthy lifestyle. One big thing is to be realistic. We watch a lot of these shows on TV where people are losing, 20 or 30 pounds in a week, but let’s be realistic. According to American College of Sports Medicine, it’s recommended that we lose about one or two pounds, safe fat loss, a week. This isn’t meant to be done over a short period of time. We’re in our bodies for a long time, so really take the time and be realistic with your goal. That’s the first recommended advice that I would give. Another thing is really talk about it by being social about it, whether it’s telling friends that you’re on a program or you started eating healthy or maybe even put it on Facebook or some social media that you’re more likely to have more adherence toward the program. Tell your friends. Don’t keep it a secret. I think that’s a great way to stay motivated these years.

Melanie: We want to set goals and then we want to be social about it and tell our friends. Could that backfire? Could telling your friends, say, “Oh, what are you eating that? I thought you were trying to lose weight.”

Jim: Well, there are going to be criticisms. It could be jealousy. It could be… people are, for whatever reasons, but really ask why are you losing this weight, and most people, we should be doing it for ourselves. It’s our own health. It’s the way we look. It’s our own confidence. Rather than appeasing other people. I think if we do it to appease other people by looking, feeling better for our people, I think that’s where we’re going to really struggle. By doing it for ourselves, I think that’s what our big concern should be. Throwing out the accountability is so important. I would always recommend accountability, whether it’s finding a registered dietitian or a certified personal trainer to help you can only make it better. If you don’t have the means for that, keep it accountable yourself. Really put it out to your friends and try to have even healthy competitions with your friends. That could be a great way to stay on track. Some eating advice: Eating is, what they say, 80 percent. As a dietitian, I want both halves with fitness, nutrition, but it is you are what you eat. My first advice is, I always say, frontload your plate with fruits and vegetables. Just think one piece of fruit is about 80 or 60 calories, and one serving of vegetables is around 25 calories. You’re not breaking the bank when you eat fruits and vegetables. You’re getting so many nutrients with the fiber that’s involved with them. It really fills you up. I’d incorporate fruits and vegetables throughout the day. Also, incorporate protein with each meal and I would try to even get a whole grain with that. With the combination of protein and the fiber and the whole grains, you’re likely to ward off hunger longer, give yourself long-lasting energy and, of course, when you’re hitting those weights, that protein is going to rebuild up muscles. It’s really important to combine protein and carbohydrates at each meal. Another thing is stop eating before you’re stuffed. I really think a lot of people feel that they should feel that stuffed feeling when they eat, especially going out to eat at a restaurant because we know that the portion sizes can be huge. Try to limit that. It’s okay to not be stuffed. To feel satisfied is what our goal is. With that, we can cut off the major calories that can really ward off some of that weight gain.

Melanie: We’re frontloading our fruits and our vegetables and we’re being social and we’re setting our goals. What do you think about journaling, Jim, as a way to keep track because it’s so easy to be mindless and just put something in your mouth or finish the food on your kid’s plate or any of these things that’s so easy to be mindless about it. What do you think about journaling and actually writing down what you eat?

Jim: Actually, studies show that by journaling you can stay 30 percent more adherence on your diet. I’d recommend journaling. Write it down. That’s the old school method now with all the tech out there. There’s a lot of great apps where you can chart your food. I’m telling you, even with my clients, when I have them chart their food, they’re like, “Wow! I cannot believe I’m eating this much,” or “I didn’t realize how much unhealthy foods I’m eating.” It’s a great way for someone to really look in and see how they’re eating and really evaluate. Then if you’re working with somebody, like a dietitian or sort of a personal trainer, they can look in and they can fill in the gaps on areas that you may be weak in your diet or maybe not have a lot of variety, or adequately. I can’t say more. Journaling is a great way to really increase that adherence. Not only with the nutrition, there’s a lot of great fitness devices out there. Now, that’s almost like journaling for your own body. Tracking steps, tracking your miles, tracking your pace, even your heart rate, these are great parameters to make sure you’re exercising to the fullest and getting the most out of your workout. By doing both those together, with these devices, with these new technological apps, it’s almost creating adherence with us. If we can afford a personal trainer, can afford a registered dietitian, it keeps us in shack, if that’s most minimal things we can use for ourselves.

Melanie: Does eating more fiber help us to sort of burn more calories, push everything through, help lose weight really?

Jim: Yeah. Not necessarily burn more calories, but yeah, absolutely, by having more fiber, it’s going to ward off our hunger. Of course, fiber we know improves cholesterol levels. Most of your fiber foods are most of your higher nutrient foods. The average American only consumes around 12 grams of fiber, so at least 25 to 35 grams of fiber for men and women. Very important to get that throughout the day and that’s where those whole grains come in. That’s why we want to make half of our plate filled with whole grains. Another thing is a lot of us drink our calories. In fact, in the last decade, about half the population drinks sugary beverages. About one in four of those beverages is around 200 calories. If we switch all of our sugary beverages to water, this is a great way to decrease calories throughout our day. Of course, you know when you decrease calories, that’s when that weight come off. By increasing that water, there’s so much of us that are in deficit of water also. Just a two-percent dehydration can really affect us, like in performance. We need to drink more water anyways. By decreasing those high sugary caloric drinks and switching with water that can be an easy way to drop off some calories.

Melanie: We only have a few minutes left, Jim, but what about, you mentioned whole grains, so what about carbohydrates as far as breads and starches and pastas? Do they have room on the plate for eating healthy and losing weight?

Jim: Absolutely. We’re in the low carbohydrate mindset as American. Everyone is afraid to eat carbs, but we need carbs. We need carbs for energy. We need carbs for fuel. We need carbs to provide us essential vitamins, to provide us fiber. We need carbs for the brain. We need the whole grain carbs for all these. What I would do is definitely space them throughout the day. Have some oatmeal for breakfast and have a sandwich, whole grain bread, for lunch and maybe some brown rice or sweet potatoes for dinner, and make sure you’re exercising to use those carbohydrates for energy. Yeah, we definitely don’t want to not include those or any food group in our diet. Probably the biggest advice that I can say is give yourself permission to eat. Everyone is really trying to follow the strict meal plan and I don’t know why everyone is so…

Melanie: Just 10 seconds left, Jim.

Jim: I’m really trying to, but I would do is give the 80-20 rule. Cheat every once in a while and really enjoy your life and you have a good meal plan.

Melanie: Thank you, and it’s such great advice. You’re listening to Eat Right Radio with our good friends from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For more information, you can go to eatright.org. That’s eatright.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.
Length (mins) 10
Waiver Received No
Host Melanie Cole, MS

Low-Calorie Drinking for Holiday Parties

As the holidays approach, parties become numerous, as does the challenge of keeping your commitment to healthful eating and drinking.

Additional Info

Segment Number 1
Audio File eat_right/1451nd2b.mp3
Featured Speaker Joy Dubost, PhD
Organization Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Guest Bio With more than 15 years of experience, Dr. Dubost has worked in the areas of clinical nutrition, research, public health intervention, education and communications. She owns Dubost Food & Nutrition Solutions, LLC., which specializes in scientific advising, education, and communications. Joy is a frequent speaker to health professionals and the public. She has authored research articles for scientific journals, and writes nutrition and food science articles for professional and consumer publications. Dr. Dubost is a national media spokesperson for the largest nutrition professional association in the U.S., the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She is frequently quoted in local and national publications, including USA Today, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, and NY Times and has made numerous radio and television
Transcription Melanie Cole (Host): Festive drinks are as much a part of the holiday fun and tradition as the delicious food, but you know those calories really add up as you start adding in the alcoholic beverages. My guest today is Dr. Joy Dubost. She is a registered dietitian/nutritionist. Welcome to the show, Dr. Dubost. Drinking – people don’t realize the calories that are added in when they start drinking a glass of wine or a margarita or something even more thick and frothy as the drinks add on. Tell us what we can do to make that holiday cheer just a little bit less damaging to our total caloric count at the end of the day.

Dr. Joy Dubost (Guest): Well, you are so right and I appreciate you bringing me on to talk about this topic because people really don’t think about calories from beverages in the same way that they think about calories from food, especially at a holiday party. You know, on average, alcoholic beverages are the sixth leading source of calories among Americans, and I would venture to say, even though I don’t necessarily have the research to support this, that most people bring up their level of drinking or drinking more frequently because there are so many best of parties going on at this time of year. It is something to be mindful of and there are ways to make sure that you’re not quickly adding up those calories which unfortunately can lead to the weight gain.

Melanie: Let’s start with some of the more innocuous ones, wine and beer. If we’re going to stick with wine, how many calories in a glass of wine.

Dr. Dubost: In 2010, a dietary guideline defined what a standard drink is. What they said is that a five-ounce glass of wine, notably five ounces—which many of us don’t always cap off at five ounces—that has about 12 percent alcoholic content, is about a hundred calories. Just keep that in mind that five ounces is about a hundred calories. The issue comes in is that the wine glasses, if you’ve noticed, have increased in size as well as if you’re out at social functions, you keep refilling that glass, and so soon, you just don’t realize how many calories you’ve actually consumed because it just, for one, goes down so quickly and, two, you just keep refilling. You have to keep in mind from that standpoint that you need to limit your drinks.

Melanie: What do you think, Dr. Dubost, about Skinnygirl and things of that nature that are supposed to be lower calorie fun drinks for us?

Dr. Dubost: I think they do have a place, particularly when you are at such parties and whether you go with the Skinnygirl cocktails, which do limit the caloric intake. Now again, if you’re going to continue to drink, those calories will still add up. Sometimes people think, “Well, I can have more because it’s limited in calories.” You can’t always go with that mindset because alcohol is still contributing calories. On average, it’s seven calories per gram of alcohol. Regardless, I think they do have their role, but you still have to be mindful of what you’re consuming and whether you go with something like Skinnygirl. There are other tips that you can incorporate into whether you’re planning a party and providing the alcoholic beverage or whether you’re out socializing at a restaurant or bar. There are ways to make sure that you stay in check with those calories.

Melanie: Give us some of your best tips to do that.

Dr. Dubost: Sure. For instance, when you’re… we already talked about the wine and making sure that you top it off and being mindful and knowing your limit with those type of alcoholic beverages, you could also do like a wine spritzer to help dilute, if you will, the calories because you’re combining it with a type of spritzer or carbonated water. The only thing I just want to mention is along the lines of beer—I’m a huge fan of beer. I’m actually a beer steward with the Master Brewers Association of America, so I enjoy my beer as much as anybody else—but on average, the alcoholic content for a 12-ounce beer is five percent, although most people consume about 4.2 percent because actually light beer, which is around 90 to 100 calories, is the most commonly consumed alcoholic beverage, which I think is quite notable. You can see that people are trying to pay attention to their calories by drinking the light beer. Your average beer has about 150 calories.
There is one thing though with the beer. It’s that you’ll note the caloric content is pretty standard, although the beer calories can vary based on the alcoholic content, but most of the labels will list, particularly light beers, what the caloric content would be and you know that’s not a change because it’s not like the wine where you continue to refill the glass. You get one 12-ounce beer; you’re going to know your calories. It’s an easier way to track the calories with the beer, if you will, versus some other mixed drinks or even wine where the mixed drinks may have varying amounts of alcohol in it. Just that little tip on the beer side.

Melanie: What about some of the mixed drinks? Some of those mixers are where the calories come in two-fold in margarita mix and all the sugar and all those. What do we do about those?

Dr. Dubost: Yeah, so the tips I would provide is really lighten it up. Mix your favorite spirit with either diet soda, diet tonic, or calorie-free seltzer. We talked about the caloric contents of beer and wine. With regard to any kind of liquor such as gin, rum, vodka, or whiskey, basically the definition of standard drink there is one-and-a-half ounce shot of an 80-proof liquor, which typically what you would get, is just under a hundred calories. If you take that and you combine that with any type of diet product or calorie-free seltzer, you’re going to limit your calories there. Again, that’s basically a one-and-a-half ounce shot. The key is that you must want to use the shot glass to measure it out. Another thing you can do is add flavor. A lot of these spirits come in a variety of flavors, so instead of thinking of using sugar-rich syrups, you can actually look for spirits that come in flavors like grape fruit or pomegranate with little calories and that will help lower the caloric intake because you’re not adding flavors from bottled juice or any kind of mixers.

Melanie: Speaking of juice, you know, that would seem to be sort of a healthy alternative. I don’t love the Skinnygirl just because I don’t like the additives and the artificial sweeteners and those kinds of things, but juices add a lot of calories, but yet they’re kind of a healthy alternative.

Dr. Dubost: That is true. That is definitely true and I think a hundred percent juice has a role in the diet. When it comes to things of this nature, when we’re talking about alcoholic contents, you’re getting calories from other sources and the point is try to lower your calories. I think in the case of this, you can do what I mentioned about looking for those flavored vodkas, tequilas, or rum. You can actually switch up the sugar. Agave nectar, for instance, when used in some of those mixers, is a bit sweeter, so you could use a little less of it. Although it’s still contributing the calories, but use a little bit less. The point is you want to try to lower the amount of calories coming in so that it’s not adding up the calories beyond what alcohol provides.

Melanie: I love agave nectar myself, too, Dr. Dubost, so that’s a great suggestion as well. What about things like eggnog? My goodness, you can just load up on that. It’s like eating your cake.

Dr. Dubost: It’s so true. In that case, that should be your dessert. If you’re going to go and have alcoholic drinks during these parties, you also have to monitor your food intake. If you’re going to have a sweet indulge in alcoholic beverage, that should be your dessert to help save on the calories and look for the lighter eggnogs because there’s quite a few good ones out there.

Melanie: I know Whole Foods does carry an organic, lighter eggnog. In just the last 30 seconds or so, Dr. Dubost, your best advice for lower calorie holiday drinking to enjoy our cheers.

Dr. Dubost: Watch your glass size, make a few tradeoffs, like skipping the appetizers or the desserts, and then just really mind how many portions of alcoholic beverages you have through the night.

Melanie: That’s great information. Enjoy your holiday cheer. Just watch what you’re doing as you’re doing it. You’re listening to Eat Right Radio with our good friends from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For more information, you can go to eatright.org. That’s eatright.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks for listening and stay well.
Length (mins) 10
Waiver Received No
Host Melanie Cole, MS

Enjoy the Holidays without Weight Gain

Famous last words: “I’ll lose that extra weight after the holidays.”

Additional Info

Segment Number 1
Audio File eat_right/1451nd2a.mp3
Featured Speaker Jennifer McDaniel, MS, RD,
Organization Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Guest Bio Jennifer McDaniel, MS, RD, CSSD, LD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD). She is a national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and is a regular on-air contributor for KTVI Fox 2 News.

Jennifer is founder and owner of Saint Louis based private practice, McDaniel Nutrition Therapy, a nutrition consulting company that specializes in weight management, sports nutrition, and corporate wellness
Transcription Melanie Cole (Host): Do you find yourself saying one of the following, “I’ll lose that extra weight after the holidays,” or “My New Year’s resolution will be to lose weight and eat healthier”? We all say that all the time, but you’re not really sure what goes on at the holidays and how much weight actually does pack on with some of the food that we eat during the holidays. My guest is Jennifer McDaniel. She’s a registered dietitian/nutritionist and a certified specialist in sports dietetics. Welcome to the show, Jennifer. Let’s talk about, first of all, how much weight do people really gain over the holidays?

Jennifer McDaniel (Guest): Melanie, I think you might be surprised. Do you want to take a guess? I’ll give you a couple of options. I’ll give you one pound, three pounds, or five pounds. Over the course of the holiday, how much weight do you think on average an American gains?

Melanie: Five, for sure.

Jennifer: Okay. The good news that I have for you…

Melanie: Or more.

Jennifer: No. Actually, it’s only one pound.

Melanie: Really?

Jennifer: This was studied by the New England Journal of Medicine. It was studied a couple of years ago, so maybe that number has changed slightly. But they came out with the average weight gain being only one pound over the course of the holidays. Now, the bad news that I have to share with you is that we don’t lose that pound. That’s a very short period of time that we’re talking about. We gain one pound of weight and we gain it every single year. That’s why we’re sharing some good strategies on healthy holiday weight and keeping a healthy holiday weight today.

Melanie: One of the things that I always hear is, “I’m going to be really good this holiday,” Jennifer, and “I am just absolutely going to keep on my diet and even try and lose.” Is that a ridiculous time to try and lose weight or to stick with your diet plan?

Jennifer: Well, I tell my clients that if they maintain their weight over the holiday season that we can claim that as success. Because yes, the holidays sort of work against us. Just this past week, we attended two holiday eating events. My kids brought in holiday cookies. We’re stressed. The to-do lists are longer. So it’s certainly a challenging time of the year to really focus on healthy eating and exercise. At the same time, when we do this and we take care of ourselves over the holidays, we will enjoy them in a healthier way as well.

Melanie: All those social events, and as you say, the cookies and things that come into the house, what do we do about that? Who has willpower that strong, Jennifer? Give us some tips and strategies for dealing with those tempting things that are in front of our face for three solid weeks.

Jennifer: Yes, I think you hit the nail on the head, Melanie. We want to take willpower out of the equation and we really want to set up a household and a kitchen in particular where it’s easy to make healthy decisions. For example, when my son brought those holiday cookies in, instead of putting them in the cupboard, where, when I open up the cupboard, the first thing that I see and my family sees are those cookies, is I mummified them. I wrapped them in aluminum foil and I put them on the top shelf where it’s hard to see. If we can make those tempting foods inconvenient and invisible, you are not going to be as tempted to eat them. On the flip side, one of the things that we have done in our own household to make healthy eating easier is I had actually taken a produce out of my produce bin, which I often call composting bin, and I prepped and taken a little extra time to, say, cut up the carrots, cut up some bell peppers, put fresh fruits and vegetables in clear containers front and center in my kitchen and in my refrigerator. When I open that up, that’s the first thing I see. We really want to make healthy foods front and center in our kitchens and we want to make those tempting treats more inconvenient and invisible, for sure.

Melanie: Let’s talk about how busy we are. I love that you used “mummify them.” That’s very cool. We’re all so busy. It’s a very stressful time of the year. And so some of us stress eat and just grab some of those things that maybe we didn’t sort of get out of our sightline. How does the being busy, the stress, maybe even a lack of sleep, affect the fact of our weight gain during the holidays?

Jennifer: Yes. Certainly, when we are sleep-deprived, our hunger hormones do not work for us. They work against us. We find that our cravings are more intense. And what we have seen actually in one study is that if we got 96 more minutes of sleep, that that cut our junk food craving by 62 percent. Sleep really plays a role in terms of how we respond to certain foods. And also, when we’re awake for longer amounts of time over the course of the day, we try to sort of overcompensate for that and eat more because we’re awake for longer hours of the day. Sleep certainly plays a role. In my household, we really try to make sleep a priority. I think it’s important to remember that we are going to be so much more efficient in those job tasks if we do them in a well-rested state. In terms of stress, I think that this is certainly a time of the year, the holidays, in which we don’t forego exercise. Yes, it’s cold. It’s darker and it’s not as nice outside, but I know that if I strap on these tennis shoes and I go for even a brisk 15 to 20-minute walk, I come back refreshed, I come back less stressed, and it’s much easier to make healthier decisions. This time of the year, this is when I really implore my clients to maintain that exercise schedule to help them deal both with stress and also to sleep better.

Melanie: Are you a fan of eating before you go to a party, Jennifer?

Jennifer: Totally. I think that even if it’s a dinner party, just taking in 100 calories of a gratifying, satisfying snack can help you eat hundreds of calories less at that party, maybe…

Melanie: Can it really, or does it make it so you double up? Because you eat anyway or you feel like, “Well, I should eat because this person is serving all these things.” Does it double up the calories, or does it really curb your appetite so maybe you just don’t eat as much?

Jennifer: I would say for most of my clients and in my own personal experience, if I have something like a big apple before I head into a party, I can much easily turn down those appetizers. There’s a lot of things that it makes it easier for me to do if I don’t go in there hungry, but if I enter into an eating event or social eating event in a hungry state, my resolve is going to be much lower, especially if you pair alcohol with that as well.

Melanie: With New Year’s Day right around the corner—and we only have about a minute and a half left—if we were to set resolutions -- and are you a fan of setting resolutions where healthy eating and exercise come in, what would those be?

Jennifer: I think that this is a time of the year to assess where we are and where we want to go. There’s nothing wrong with setting some goals. But I think that those goals need to be ones that are sustainable goals and realistic goals and things that are going to make healthy eating easier for you. Things that I personally am going to be setting for 2015 is I’m going to try to keep an organized kitchen where healthy eating decisions are on autopilot. When I bring groceries home, instead of just putting them away, I’m going to take a little additional time when I have it to cut up that produce and put it in the clear containers that I mentioned earlier. Keeping an organized kitchen is something that I think can help all of us. The other thing that I feel is really important for people to do is to keep a monitoring system of their progress. Whether that’s something like just stepping on the scale every single morning to see how weight is progressing and looking at trends of weight over time, that allows us to be aware of small changes in our health over time versus realizing, “Oh, I can’t fit into that size of jeans anymore.” That’s going to be a much larger change. So really setting up a monitoring system, whether it be weighing yourself daily or keeping a food journal. Some of my clients will keep a food journal when they hit a certain number on the scale two days in a row and like, oh, it’s time to pick up that food journal again. It’s really going to help me with my awareness and my accountability. We know that when people keep a food journal, they lose two times more weight than those who don’t. The monitoring systems are important, and that will help you stick to goals throughout 2015.

Melanie: Then give us your last bit of best advice for getting through the holidays, with only that one pound you talked about as opposed to the five that I thought it was.

Jennifer: I think really the most important thing is to really try to stay on your schedule as much as possible. Eating every three to four hours. Not going for long periods of time because you forgot to bring a snack with you during that grocery or that mall shopping trip. Really kind of sticking to your eating schedule so you don’t find yourself in a hungry state, and then also really prioritizing that time for yourself, time to exercise and time to hit the sleep button when it’s time to go to sleep. Making sure that you’re rested so you can really handle these holidays in a healthy-minded state.

Melanie: Thank you so much. You’re listening to Eat Right Radio with our good friends from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For more information, you can go to eatright.org. That’s eatright.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks for listening and stay well.
Length (mins) 10
Waiver Received No
Host Melanie Cole, MS

Get the Real Details on Diabetes

Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States, and it is estimated that 79 million Americans have diabetes.

Additional Info

Segment Number 2
Audio File eat_right/1446nd3b.mp3
Featured Speaker Jessica Crandall, RDN
Organization Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Guest Bio Jessica Crandall, RDN, CDE, is the Wellness Center Director at Sodexo Denver Wellness and Nutrition. As a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator, Jessica has a passion for helping clients in achieving their goal weight by guiding them with diabetes education and prevention as well as cardiac diet modifications. Jessica is a Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Read more about Jessica here.
Transcription Melanie Cole (Host): Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, and it’s estimated that 79 million Americans have diabetes. After hearing this diagnosis of diabetes or prediabetes, you might have several questions. Here to answer them today is Jessica Crandall. She is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator. Welcome to the show, Jessica. Let’s talk about blood sugar. Everybody hears this. It’s very confusing. They don’t understand what is a good normal blood sugar, what would indicate prediabetes or all-out diabetes. Tell us a little bit about blood sugar.

Jessica Crandall (Guest): When you’re looking at your blood sugar, you want to make sure that you’re checking -- in the morning, fasting is a great time to check, and your blood sugar should be between 70 to 120. If you’ve eaten a meal, then your blood sugar should be between 70 to 140 mg/dL two hours after a meal. If your blood sugar number is trending higher, that is an indication of diabetes or prediabetes, and that’s something we really want to get under control.

Melanie: Should we be checking our blood sugars on a regular basis or only if we’ve been told that we are prediabetic or diabetic?

Jessica: I strongly encourage my clients to check their blood sugars on a yearly basis with their physician if they’re not diagnosed with diabetes, but if they have the genetic tendency to have diabetes or if there is strong family history, then I encourage they might check a little bit more frequently, especially as we age. Because we know that as we age, we tend to develop diabetes a little bit more prevalent in the population of the elderly. Something that might be a little bit more concerning for you and that you might want to check more frequently as you get older. Once you become diagnosed with diabetes, it is encouraged that you check it several times throughout the day, and your doctor or dietitian or diabetes educator can give you guidelines on how frequently they want you to check.

Melanie: If you are diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes, what are the most important foods to stay away from, and then what are the best foods that you really want to load up on?

Jessica: The nice thing about the diabetes diet is that it really can encompass any food. The one thing that you want to make sure of though is carbohydrates. If you’re consuming them in excess, that can cause your blood sugar to rise. It’s not that we have to restrict carbohydrates and cut them out completely, but we really want to make sure we’re getting adequate amounts and not excessive amounts. Once again, no restriction, but just the appropriate amount of carbohydrates. One of the best ways for us to focus on getting carbohydrates and in the right amount is by looking at our vegetables and making sure that half of our plate is full of vegetables and a quarter of our plate is full of protein, because neither one of those foods, vegetables and protein, cause an elevation in blood sugar significantly. Then the remainder of the quarter should be carbohydrates. Once again, half of your plate, vegetables; quarter of it, protein; and a quarter of it, fruit or carbohydrate sources.

Melanie: Carbohydrates. again, a confusing word for people because while rice and potatoes are carbohydrates, so are the vegetables that you mentioned, and so are the white flour, white sugar products that people see in a box on the shelf.

Jessica: Yes, you’re right.

Melanie: When you say that a quarter, let’s clear that up a little bit. When you say a good carbohydrate, obviously our vegetable’s half the plate. The proteins, good lean meats and fishes on quarter of the plate. When that other quarter of the plate, what are those carbohydrates you want us to be eating?

Jessica: The carbohydrates really encompass five different food groups. Those five different food groups are fruits, your grains, your starchy vegetables, your sweets, and then your dairy. Once again, we don’t encourage the sweets be consumed, but if they are consumed, do so in very small amounts. Those carbohydrates encompass five different food groups, and really making sure you know the appropriate range. If you’re looking at a food label, most women should be consuming no more than 30 to 45 grams of carbohydrates per meal and around 15 grams of carbohydrates for snacks. Males, on the other hand, are around 45 to 60 grams of carbs per meal and 15 grams of carbs per snack. Looking at that food label and trying to find out how many grams of carbohydrates you are consuming will be helpful.

Melanie: How does activity impact blood sugar? Because if someone is a diabetic and they are an exerciser, then that has an effect, an insulin-like effect. So explain how they should be sort of titrating their exercise with their blood sugar monitoring.

Jessica: Of course, it’s important to monitor your blood sugars before you’re active. One of the things that I encourage my clients to do is to be active on a daily basis. Because it kind of cleans out the stored form of glucose that’s actually in your cells, and it takes it away so that you have more room to put sugar that you’re consuming or carbohydrates you’re consuming in a stored form. Long story short, exercise helps us to keep our blood sugars in a healthy range. We want to make sure that we’re making sure we’re monitoring our blood sugars, because sometimes they can dip a little bit low if we’re being really intense with our exercise. But also, we want to make sure we encourage exercise so that we keep that blood sugar in a healthy range.

Melanie: What foods do you recommend if you’re an exerciser and you want to keep this nice, neat level of blood sugar going? We are 70 to 120 right in and around there. When you’re exercising and it’s going to bring those levels down a little bit, what do you recommend to bring it back up?

Jessica: A good balance of keeping your blood sugars stable is going to combine carbohydrates and protein and a fiber together. Think carbohydrate being that fruit, for example, with the protein and fiber such as nuts. If you have that combination, you’re going to get a better, slower release of carbohydrates, giving you more sustained energy as well as a better release of carbohydrates or sugar so that your body doesn’t have that spike in blood sugar or that drop. Really the combo of that carbohydrates, fiber, and protein before exercise or as a snack would be a great thing for you to be focusing on.

Melanie: What about weight? Obesity, we know, is a major risk factor for diabetes, but how does that impact blood sugars?

Jessica: As we gain weight, our body has to secrete more insulin to keep up with the carbohydrates we’re consuming. It’s more taxing on our bodies the more weight we gain. Really important that we maintain an ideal body weight or even lose a percentage of our body weight. Even up to seven percent can significantly help out with keeping those blood sugars, and that’ll help your blood sugar range.

Melanie: Can the progression of diabetes be prevented, Jessica?

Jessica: Absolutely. I think one of the great things about being a dietitian is focusing on diet and exercise to help encourage my clients to slow the progression to a halt of that diabetes progression, really preventing the disease state from getting worse, because it is a progressive disease. You can either be the driver or you can be in the back seat. So encouraging my clients to stay motivated to check their blood sugars, eat the right food, and be active are three critical elements in controlling their diabetes and the prevention of the disease progression.

Melanie: Now, tell us about the really bad stuff. If people are junk food junkies and they’re eating even something like McDonald’s or fast food. Which of these foods, if you had to pick a few foods, Jessica, would you say, “I need you to really stay away from those foods because those foods are going to really exacerbate your diabetes or take prediabetes and turn it into all-out diabetes.”

Jessica: I think any excessive sugar form is something we definitely want to stay away from, so that white sugar, things like honey, but liquid calories are probably the most prevalent thing that I see my clients consuming, as well as white, refined grains. Liquid calories come from sodas, juices, lattes that have a lot of extra sugar in them. Those are things that we really want to cut out of our diet just because they’re not contributing healthy calories or good carbohydrates. The other thing is though the white sugars or those white carbohydrates that are going to be like your white refined breads, white rice. The more fiber we have in our diet, the better. So avoiding those white grains is going to be a better way for us to control our blood sugars. If you were eating in a restaurant that had fast food, maybe taking off the bun or swapping it up for a healthier substitution.

Melanie: In just the last minute, kind of wrap it up for us about your best advice for diabetes, prediabetes, and the best foods, the way to keep track, in just about 30 or 40 seconds here.

Jessica: I think the best thing is making sure you’re doing it on a continuous basis. Find foods that you enjoy and that you can gravitate towards that you like, such as your lean proteins, a variety of vegetables, and incorporating fresh fruit as well on a continuous basis, breakfast, lunch, dinner, as well as snacks. Be active every single day. It will help to slow the disease as well as prevent the progression of the disease.

Melanie: That’s absolutely great information, and you’re listening to Eat Right Radio with our good friends from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For more information, you can go to eatright.org. That’s eatright.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening and stay well.
Length (mins) 10
Host Melanie Cole, MS

The Healthy Side of Thanksgiving

The holidays are full of rich traditions and calorie-filled dishes. How can you eat healthier through the holidays and still maintain your figure?

Additional Info

Segment Number 1
Audio File eat_right/1446nd3a.mp3
Featured Speaker Angela Ginn
Organization Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Guest Bio Angela Ginn is a registered dietitian nutritionist who works as a senior education coordinator educator at University of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology, where she counsels patients on treating and managing diabetes and other endocrine diseases. She is the owner of Real Talk Real Food, a consulting practice for health-are corporations and organizations and develops nutrition education programs for disease prevention.

Learn more about Angela Ginn here.
Transcription Melanie Cole (Host): As the holidays approach, so does the weight gain or so we think. Does it necessarily have to be that way? The holidays are full of rich traditions are calorie-filled dishes. We’re going to learn today about the simple ingredients you can use that can make it just a little bit of a healthier holiday. My guest today is Angela Ginn. She’s a registered dietician nutritionist who works as a Senior Education Coordinator Educator at the University of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology. Welcome to the show, Angela. Let’s talk about the upcoming holidays. People get nervous. What’s your single best advice around the holidays for people and those calorie-laden dishes we’re all about to eat?

Angela Ginn (Guest): The first thing you want to do is be realistic. When we think about weight loss, we want to make sure -- we push that away and think about weight maintenance and make sure that we don't have to sacrifice the taste of tradition to stay on track during the holiday.

Melanie: I think that’s a very important point. It’s not a great time to try and lose weight, but it is a great time to work on maintaining your weight. What do you like to do to keep some of these dishes because some things, mashed potatoes loaded with butter, are you a person, Angela, that wants us to experience everything in smaller portions which is difficult or make the things that we are making a little bit healthier and less calories?

Angela: I think about the ingredients and sometimes, guess what? It is okay to have the real thing. When we think about ingredients, we may use -- and I'm thinking about being a home cook, if it’s a strong tasting cheese you can use a lesser amount like Romano or extra sharp cheddar or blue cheese because it has more flavor. If you’re thinking about muffins, guess what? You can actually cut back on the oil on its own and that cuts back on calories.

Melanie: Well, so those are great bits of advice. Now, what about the turkey? Is that good, bad or really neither for us?

Angela: Turkey can be wonderful. We want to make sure we limit the fried turkey, though, during the holiday and we watch out for the turkey skin. Trimming that extra visible fat from meat and avoiding the skin can be helpful to making you stay on track during this holiday season.

Melanie: The meat, it’s a good source of protein. Now, let’s enter the side dishes before we hit some of those deserts. The side dishes, typically, are where some of the most calories exist. So speak about side dishes and what ingredients, Angela, do you want the listeners to be able to use to make some of those side dishes just a little bit healthier for us?

Angela: Your key actual ingredients that add calories, think about these: home milk, whipping cream, sour cream, cream cheese, mayonnaise, margarine or butter. We can make easy switches from those. When you’re thinking about whole milk, choose skim milk. If you’re thinking about whipping cream, you could use evaporated skim milk. Instead of sour cream, you can use a Greek yogurt, plain Greek yogurt and instead of regular mayonnaise, you can use a low fat version and even -- we talked about oil earlier -- oil, you can substitute baked goods with apple sauce instead. These are ways that you can cut back on the grams of fat and also the calories and don't have to sacrifice the taste.

Melanie: So we don’t have to sacrifice the taste. Do you think really that -- now, I know Greek yogurt works wonderfully as a substitute for sour cream and it’s absolutely just as good, but if we’re using substitutes for mayonnaise or any of these others, are we going to lose some of the substance, the texture or the taste?

Angela: You shouldn’t, and that’s where adding flavor comes into play. Adding more herbs and spices helps you when you’re using less fat or sugar and spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, vanilla and almond abstract really bring out the natural sweetness in foods when you’re trying to cut back on the sugar. And when we think about herb vinegars and lemon juice and even some soy sauce, that even helps to cut back the fats but still add flavor. Marinating is a great way as well that you’re able to tenderize your meat and not add the extra fat.

Melanie: What about adding extra salt? People salt everything on Thanksgiving and these holidays, so what about reducing your sodium intake while still maintaining the flavor in these foods?

Angela: That’s when you season with fresh vegetables, with herbs and spices and you know, you could use dry spices or use fresh spices. Now, when you’re working with certain things like mashed potatoes, they do require a little bit of salt, just a pinch and I always take the salt shaker away from the table when we have dinner because guess what? If you season your food properly and add a lot of extra flavor with herbs and spices, everybody won't even miss that salt shaker on the table.

Melanie: Let’s head in to the desert realm, Angela, where we pack in the calories because even if you’re full and stuffed to the brim, you always find room for the Pecan pie and the pumpkin pie and the little wonderful cookies people bring.What can we do about those? Give us your advice on limiting your intake and then making those things a little bit healthier for us?

Angela: When we are thinking about being realistic we plan ahead. The one thing -- when you show up to the party or to Thanksgiving, make sure you don't arrive hungry and the other thing is you also don't want to skip meals because when we skip meals, we tend to overeat. Also, make sure when you are done eating, get away from the table. And if you know there is something very special in that desert line that you’d like, you may cut your portion size of your dinner. Just cut it in half and find a fruit based or grain based desert that you enjoy. I always pick --when you want to have pie chose pies with one crust instead of two. And even try to seeif there’s a fruit pie so you can enjoy a little bit of fruit as well.

Melanie: Fruit is a great option. And now, if you’re going to be the person to make those pies and make those things, is there a way to cut some of the -- I mean, baking is different than cooking so can we cut some of the things in our baking recipes to make them a little bit less calories?

Angela: We actually can and one way is the sugar. We can cut the calories with less sugar. Some people use just less sugar, regular sugar alone, some people use sugar substitutes and I will say that when you’re baking especially baked goods like cakes and cookies, you want to be mindful and use sugar blend, not just the straight sugar substitute because sugar does have a place. Sugar has a place in browning, also giving it texture and moisture. So you want to be mindful of making those substitution and I always say, practice ahead of time. Don't wait till the day before Thanksgiving to try a new recipe. You want to make sure you practice this new recipe ahead of time that it has the same great taste as the prior one without the extra sugar.

Melanie: And now we only have a few minutes left, Angela, but what about alcohol intake? Are there certain bits of advice you want to give about the calories that people don't realize the amount of calories they add just in a margarita or a glass of wine or some beer. Speak about the alcohol a little bit.

Angela: Calories are pretty high when we drink alcohol and they also can stimulate your appetite. So if you want something to drink, you want to limit yourself to one or two drinks per occasion and then always consume it with food. You want to avoid any sweet wines and liquors and try to have club soda or calorie-free sparkling water with lime and when you do mixers, try to use a diet beverage. That can also cut back on the calorie.

Melanie: In just the last minute, if you would give us your best advice for a healthy Thanksgiving and a healthy holiday season upcoming in the ways that we can cut our calories and even eat a little bit healthier as we head into these holidays.

Angela: Just remember you don't have to sacrifice the taste or tradition. You just want to stay on track so be realistic, plan ahead, avoid overeating, think about your food choices, pile your plate with a half a plate of veggies and also get active. Activity can be a great way to be a part of the holidays and making sure you don't overindulge.

Melanie: That is great advice. Thank you so much, Angela Ginn. You're listening to Eat Right Radio. You know, this is our good friend from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For more information, you can go to eatright.org, that’s eatright.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening and stay well.
Length (mins) 10
Host Melanie Cole, MS

Can You Eat Meatless?

There are a lot of healthy reasons to become a vegetarian.

Additional Info

Segment Number 2
Audio File eat_right/1443nd5b.mp3
Featured Speaker Vandana Sheth, RD
Organization Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Guest Bio Vandana Sheth is the owner of a nutrition consulting practice focusing on diabetes, food allergies, obesity/weight management, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular nutrition and disease prevention, working with individuals, groups, community organizations and schools. She has written articles on nutrition for magazines and other professional publications and has served with numerous community organizations as a nutrition expert specializing in food allergies and vegetarian nutrition.

Learn more about Vandana Sheth here.
Transcription Melanie Cole (Host): There are many reasons that people decide to become a vegetarian—personal preference, ethical motivations, environmental concerns, religion. A lot of reasons people decide to become a vegetarian, but it may not be as difficult as you might think. My guest is registered dietitian/nutritionist, Vandana Sheth. Vandana, welcome to the show. Tell us about what are the different types of vegetarian, because people hear about all these different types. Explain the different types to us.

Vandana Sheth (Guest): Sure. There are so many different types of vegetarian diets. Basically, vegetarians who consume plant-based food as well as dairy products like milk are considered lacto vegetarians. You have those that include egg products, and they are considered lacto-ovo vegetarians. Individuals or people who consume strictly plant-based food or animal products are considered vegans. Of course, there are different people who might have an occasional vegetarian meal or they may pick, and choose when they have animal-based products, and sometimes the term “flexitarian” has been used for people like that.

Melanie: Well, I’ve even heard of people that consider themselves vegetarians to a degree, but then they, as you say, they’ll eat dairy and eggs, but even occasionally they’ll eat fish. It really is kind of a personal preference. Tell us how you become a vegetarian. What would you say is the first step?

Vandana: The first step is recognizing that really a plant-based diet or even having vegetarian options is not that foreign. We often have plant-based foods in our diet, naturally. For example, if you have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, right there it’s a vegetarian option. If you think about your breakfast, if you have cereal or oatmeal with some nuts and seeds and either milk or a dairy alternative, it’s another vegetarian option. It’s fairly simple to do this, but recognizing how to go about it so that it’s healthy is key.

Melanie: How do we go about it so that it’s healthy and making sure to get our proteins in?

Vandana: Sure. The first thing is if you think about the USDA visual icon, the My Plate visual that’s out in the market now, think of the plate where you have half your plate filled with colorful fruits and vegetables. One-fourth of it is filled with your whole grains or carbohydrates, such as brown rice, quinoa, bread, tortillas, and one-fourth is filled with your lean protein. Now, if you are going plant-based, simply switch out that animal-based protein for plant-based options, such as beans, lentil, tofu, nuts, seeds, et cetera, and right there you’ve made that a plant-based meal.

Melanie: It’s not really as difficult and it’s about being creative really, isn’t it, Vandana? Because you have to try and see where those replacements are. What do you think of things that replace a meat-type product looking just like it, like MorningStar Farms or Boca crumbled beef, using those in tacos? Do you think that’s the way to go or you should really replace it with beans and things where you’re not trying to actually look like you are eating meat?

Vandana: Well, it depends on where you’re starting from. From my clients who -- this is a whole new way of living or trying a plant-based food. That might be an easy transition. For example, if they went to a barbecue or a potluck dinner where they are serving hotdogs and hamburgers, then having a veggie burger or some kind of plant-based dog would be an easy option. But really, ideally you want to enjoy plant-based proteins the way they are, so get it naturally from beans and lentils because you’re getting not only the protein, but you’re getting the fiber, adding spices and herbs, making it flavorful.

Melanie: Give us your favorite recipe, your favorite vegetarian recipe, something that our listeners can cook right now tonight.

Vandana: Okay, a real quick recipe would be brown rice, stir-fried vegetables in olive oil, garlic, and ginger. Add in some tofu or beans, and right there you have a quick, simple, healthy meal.

Melanie: Wow! That is quick and simple. I myself love beans and rice and black beans with cilantro and lime. You just absolutely can’t beat that. There are so many vegetarian foods, so many ways to eat. Give us another one of your favorites. Give us a breakfast that we can eat that’s healthy and vegetarian.

Vandana: Okay, sure. One of my favorite hot breakfasts in the cold months is having hot quinoa. We often think of oatmeal as a hot breakfast option, but I cook up a batch of quinoa in the weekend and just scoop some out, warm it up, add some either plant-based beverage or add some dairy, cinnamon, chopped nuts, and dried fruit, and right there it’s a delicious, warm breakfast.

Melanie: What are your favorite proteins? Do you like nuts? Do you like legumes? How can we get the protein, and are there any nutrients that you feel vegetarians tend to miss out on?

Vandana: As Americans, we often think if you cook plant-based, you might not meet your protein needs. Really, it’s not that difficult. Protein needs can easily be met on a vegetarian diet. Some excellent sources are legumes, lentils, beans, peas, tofu, edamame, having nuts and seeds, and all the misconception was that you needed to combine foods to get all your nutritional value, and that’s not so. You could have herbs at one meal and you could have a protein-based meal at another time, and your body is capable of blending it and getting it right.

Melanie: What about iron?

Vandana: I’m sorry. Exactly. Iron is another key nutrient that you might wonder if you get enough of if you’re a vegetarian. Some key sources are green leafy vegetables, tofu, tempeh, blackstrap molasses. Something else to think about on a vegetarian diet is the iron may not be absorbed as effectively as if it comes from meat products. So combine that with a vitamin C rich environment. For example, if you are having a spinach salad, toss in some tomatoes, red bell peppers which are high in vitamin C. Your body will absorb almost six times more iron from that spinach.

Melanie: What about being a vegan? Because it seems that if you tell somebody you’re a vegan, then they may look at you differently or say, “Oh, this person isn’t willing to try all those things.” Tell us why someone would be a vegan versus, say, a lacto-ovo vegetarian.

Vandana: Sure. Again, some of the same reasons apply. If you were doing it for health reasons, for environmental reasons, if you’re doing it for religion or for ethical motivation, regardless of your reason, if you’re a vegan, something to think about is that you’re strictly focusing on plant-based food. You would be able to meet all your nutritional needs on this vegan diet. However, you do need some planning in place, and one key nutrient to think about is vitamin B12, because that mainly comes from animal products. If you’re on a vegan diet, you want to ensure you’re either getting it through fortified food or from a supplement that has vitamin B12.

Melanie: That’s interesting. You want to make sure that you’re getting your B12 if you’re a vegan because the foods may not contain them. What do you say to vegetarians that say, “Should I be supplementing with a multivitamin or a little extra folic acid or iron supplements?” Do you generally tell them, or are these found in nature pretty easily?

Vandana: Well, you can find most of the nutrients you need in nature. If you are following a vegan diet, then I will ensure that you are making sure your food labels, that you’re reading them carefully. For example, if you’re having a plant-based dairy alternative, such as soya milk or almond milk, just make sure it’s fortified with vitamin D, calcium, vitamin B12, and right there you’re getting those nutrients that you might otherwise miss.

Melanie: What about for the whole family? Is it okay for kids to eat vegetarian?

Vandana: Absolutely. In fact, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says that a vegetarian diet, including a vegan diet, can be healthy for people at all stages of life, from infancy all the way through senior citizens. The key is, again, making sure you’re getting a wide variety, it’s well planned, and you’re getting the right portions of different nutrients throughout the day.

Melanie: In the last 30 seconds, if you would for us, Vandana, please give us your best advice on becoming a vegetarian.

Vandana: Be creative. Recognize that a plant-based diet can be healthy. It can actually have lots of positive health benefits. But making sure that you are balancing it out eating a variety of food, colorful fruits and vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds, and again, be creative.

Melanie: Great information. Thank you so much for listening to Eat Right Radio from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks for listening. Stay well.
Length (mins) 10
Host Melanie Cole, MS

The Cruelty of Judging Hunger by Obesity

There is no greater sadness or travesty than stunting the human potential.

Additional Info

Segment Number 1
Audio File eat_right/1443nd5a.mp3
Featured Speaker Libby Mills, MS, RDN, LDN
Organization Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Guest Bio Libby Mills, MS, RDN, LDN is an entrepreneurial Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, culinary professional and Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Renowned for her ability to connect with everyday people, Libby combines her energy, wit and creativity to bring food, nutrition and health alive through her professional speaking, writing and cooking/nutrition coaching. A dynamic educator, Libby incorporates her passion, knowledge and experiences into any opportunity to inspire and empower others to make healthful choices. Locally, Libby is known as the host of Libby's Luncheonette, a weekly Philadelphia radio show featuring nutritious eats and tips that focus on our local food system and how sustainable choices can positively affect our personal, community and ecological health and well-being.

Learn more about Libby Mills
Transcription Melanie Cole (Host): There is no greater sadness or travesty than stunting the human potential and threatening the health and development of children. Food insecurity represents one of the most serious social and health issues in the United States. My guest today is Libby Mills. She’s an entrepreneurial registered dietitian/nutritionist, culinary professional, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Welcome to the show, Libby. Tell us, what is the truth about the hunger-obesity paradox? And state what that is for the listeners.

Libby Mills (Guest): Melanie, I’m glad you asked, and I think the first place to start is really looking at food insecurity. It’s heartbreaking to think that anyone has to go hungry, especially a child. There are 16 million children in our country that are affected by hunger due to food insecurity. Let’s face it. Everyone should have food to eat, and no one should ever have to go hungry, yet many households just don’t have enough money or resources to guarantee that there’ll be enough food for everyone to eat. These people live in constant uncertainty, wondering if they will have food to eat or not. I don’t know about you, but when I have to work through lunch, all I can think about is when and what I’ll have for dinner that night, right? Anyway…

Melanie: That’s all I do all day anyway, Libby, is think about what I’m going to have for dinner all night. I know that it must be heartbreaking when it is a child. What’s the health and social impact of hungry children? It seems inconceivable to us with a fast food restaurant in every corner that there are children in this country that are literally starving, and yet obesity is such a huge problem with children these days.

Libby: It is. We’re so used to seeing hunger in the face of the children from Haiti or Somalia or Sierra Leone and countries where agricultural drought or perhaps natural disasters or where the drinking water is undrinkable, or perhaps even civil warfare has devastated social structures. But in this country, food and security looks a lot different. And the truth is about hunger and obesity, they’re linked for our children. In fact, hunger and obesity often occur in the same neighborhoods and the same families. These families really are making critical choices between nutrient-dense foods that are more expensive and less expensive foods that don’t have the same nutrients that children need to grow up the way they need to. It’s really a critical trade-off between food quantity and food quality. In fact, to bring this illustration to life, I was reading a published study in the December 13, 2013 BMJ Journal in which a meta-analysis study, they looked at dietary patterns and retail prices between the years 2000 and 2011. It found that on a 2000-calorie diet, healthy foods cost about $1.50 more than unhealthy options. Now, that doesn’t sound like much, but when you think about a family that already is limited in its income and you add that up for a year, that’s $550 per person, an extra $2,000 for a family of four just to eat healthy. You begin to see why this picture comes to pass. And in fact, I was doing some further reading and found some research by Adam Drew Limsky, and he asks the question, “What does $1 buy?” And you’ve got to hear this, because $1 can buy 1,200 calories of cookies or potato chips, but only 250 calories from carrots. We know that carrots have lots of vitamins and nutrients that a cookie or perhaps a potato chip don’t have, not to mention the lack of extra fat that you would be getting from these higher-calorie, low-nutrient foods, a.k.a. junk food, compared to those carrots. So I think that research really brings to light that trade-off between quality and quantity that these people face on an everyday basis, which is so important in explaining why the hunger and obesity go together and why the hunger and obesity paradox exists. For the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, we’ve made a really special point to bring this to light for people who want to understand it better with our downloadable infographic, Nourish to Flourish, which you can access on kidseatright.org. And it’s downloadable and it explains the situation so clearly in pictures.

Melanie: You see these dollar menus at all the junk food restaurants. Here a dollar menu, here a dollar menu, there. Then you hear people complain that they see people with food stamps going in and buying chips and candy and all these things. Is there a way to, without regulating what they have to buy using food stamps, for example, getting rice, getting canned vegetables, frozen vegetables, whatever is the healthiest way to get some of those nutrient-dense foods in as opposed to these things that just have nothing in them?

Libby: Absolutely. Education is key, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has made educating all people about nutrition and nutritious choices a top priority. That’s one of the biggest first steps that can take place. But understanding that for 25 to 37 cents, a person can buy snack packaged foods like cookies or cakes or chips and get, let’s say, 150 to 190 calories per serving, whereas they couldn’t afford vegetables or fruits for the same amount. For example, nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables cost 39 to 66 cents per serving, and they just generally are more pricey. So, understanding where these people are coming from when you see them buying these snack foods is very critical. But certainly, guiding them towards those nutritious choices where they’re getting fiber and whole grains and beans and lentils, where they’re getting sustenance with that power pack of nutrition, all in one swoop, is definitely a critical step.

Melanie: What about supplementation? Is that on the table as a discussion of ways to get the nutrients, the vitamins, the minerals they need if they are not spending on the healthier choices?

Libby: Well, that’s certainly one option. However, if you’ve ever priced out supplementation at the store…

Melanie: It’s expensive.

Libby: Yeah, it’s an expensive way to go. The truth is it’s really not necessary. By choosing whole grains, by choosing calorie-rich, nutrient-rich beans, lentils, rice, these folks can basically balance their budget while getting the nutrients they need so that they do have some extra money to spend on vegetables. It’s been very interesting comparing prices at the store, because when vegetables are in season, they actually are more affordable. And if you watch the sales at the store, you can stock up or certainly purchase from week-to-week frozen vegetables that can be worked into dishes, like paired with pasta or rice or beans.

Melanie: Libby, how can listeners make a difference?

Libby: Listeners are so empowered right now. One of the most exciting things that listeners can do is they can actually try spending a week on a snap budget. And a snap budget is basically $31.50 a month and…

Melanie: Only have about a minute left, Libby.

Libby: Okay, so this equates to about $1.50 per meal. So they can try this out tracking their spending just to get a feel for what that’s like. Their experiences, they can blog, they can use social media or share with the newspapers or reach out to policymakers in Washington D.C. They can advocate for expanding school meal programs or supporting the SNAP program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. They should also definitely check out kidseatright.org, where they will find lots of information and be able to reach out to a registered dietitian/nutritionist for advice, or perhaps bringing a Kids Eat Right program into their community.

Melanie: Thank you so much. The website is kidseatright.org. You’re listening to Eat Right Radio with our good friends from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening, and stay well.
Length (mins) 10
Host Melanie Cole, MS

Better Health with Whole Grains

Eating whole grains is like adding health insurance to your life.

Additional Info

Segment Number 4
Audio File eat_right/1437nd1b.mp3
Featured Speaker Kim Larson, RDN
Organization Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Guest Bio Kim Larson is a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics and founder of Total Health, a nutrition consulting company specializing in nutrition, fitness and health coaching for individuals, athletes and teams. Larson conducts personal nutrition coaching for corporations, as well as industry consulting work on topics related to nutrition, food and health. She speaks to audiences including consumer groups, sports teams and organizations, corporate wellness programs, community programs, the fitness industry and other health care professionals.

Learn more about Kim Larson
Transcription Melanie Cole (Host): What if someone told you that eating a certain type of foods every day would prevent you from getting heart disease, type II diabetes, some types of cancer and even from becoming overweight or obese? My guest today is Kim Larson. She’s a board certified specialist in Sports Dietetics and founder of Total Health and Nutrition Consulting Company, specializing in nutrition, fitness, health, and health coaching for individuals, athletes, and teams. Welcome to the show, Kim. Is there such a food out there?

Kim Larson (Guest): Yes, there is. I don't know how many people guessed it, but the food group is whole grains.

Melanie: Tell us about whole grains because we hear the word “grains,” we think of carbohydrates, everybody runs away, and they’re not sure exactly what that means.

Kim: Right. Well, there are so many reasons to eat more whole grains, and the biggest one, as you’ve just said, is that they’re a healthy carbohydrate. They’re a high-quality carbohydrate, and they’re also delicious. They add lots of flavor and texture and variety and interest to our diet. They’re very versatile. You can use them as a side dish, like a pilaf. You can mix them in salads and soups and stews and casseroles. And they’re a very easy swap for those refined starches, like white rice or pasta. And they give us a long-lasting energy because they are much more slowly digested than the refined carbs. So when we have people to avoid carbs, we’re really talking not about whole grains. We’re talking about refined starches that are not a whole grain.

Melanie: Give us some examples of whole grains that we can eat.

Kim: Well, the first thing we have to define is what is a whole grain and how do we find it. A whole grain contains the entire grain kernel, which includes the germ, the endosperm, and the bran outer layer. And so, it’s really important to identify the whole grain by looking on the label of food products when you’re shopping or before you put them into your cart. You want to make sure that it says whole wheat on the label and that first ingredient says whole wheat. Now, there’s a lot of other terms that are used on food products, and one is, say 100 percent wheat bread or seven-grain or multigrain, or it might even say wheat flower or cracked wheat. But those terms are very misleading because those are not whole grains. So the first thing we have to do is get to the right type of whole grains, because when we mill flour, we refine it, and it strips away half of the B vitamins, about 90 percent of the vitamin E and all of the fiber in the grain. We want to choose the healthiest grain by choosing a whole grain.

Melanie: So, some examples would be?

Kim: Some examples would be, and you might have heard some of the ancient grains that are becoming very trendy and popular now: quinoa, whole wheat, so that would include whole wheat breads and cereals, whole grain corn, whole oats, like oatmeal, brown rice, barley, faro, spelt, bulgur is another one. And some of these might be new to people, but some of them are really the tried and true old types of grains that we used to fall back on, like brown rice.

Melanie: So, refined grain products are usually enriched, Kim. Are whole grains products enriched as well?

Kim: Well, they don't need to be enriched because we’re getting all of that grain kernel. We’re getting all of the nutrition when you choose a whole grain. Refined products actually have to be fortified. Some of those B vitamins are added back in because those are the ones that are stripped away in the milling process, but we never add back in the grain. And we also miss out on the powerful phytonutrients that milling of flour takes out. Refined flours don't have all of the health components that a whole grain would.

Melanie: Now, Kim, I agree with you. Reading labels is of the utmost important. People see whole wheat bread or white whole wheat bread. Is that a whole grain bread?

Kim: It is a whole grain bread. There are different types of wheat, and it’s really nice now that we have all these different varieties of wheat and grains to choose from, so you could start out by choosing a white wheat for your kids. It’s a little bit softer wheat, but it’s also a whole grain, and you can kind of ease people into a little bit different taste and texture in the whole grains by using some of these different types of varieties of wheat available.

Melanie: You mentioned oatmeal, and oatmeal comes in a few different kinds. There’s instant oatmeal and there’s regular oats and then there’s steel cut. Is there a difference? If we want to really include these whole grains in our breakfast, what do we do there?

Kim: Right. That’s a very good question, and I think there’s a lot of confusion out there on this question. All oats are healthy and they have the same nutritional profile. Steel cut oats and instant oats have many of the same vitamins and minerals and iron and trace minerals in it. But the difference is that instant oatmeal has been processed more, so you’re going to get a little bit less fiber. But they’re still a good choice for breakfast. The best choice is the one that you like and that you like to eat and that you’ll eat every day. In terms of cold cereals, I like to recommend people, look on the label and look for a whole grain cereal that has at least five grams of fiber per serving. That’s the key for trying to get more fiber and whole grains into cereals, and it’s a great time at breakfast to do that.

Melanie: What about pasta? You mentioned whole wheat and there’s whole wheat pastas out there now. They’re a little bit more gritty, and as you say, they have a little bit more fiber. I like them better, but not everybody does. So, what about whole wheat pasta? Is “pasta” the word we’re afraid of?

Kim: Well, I think that yes, there are lots of different types of pastas out there. There’s even brown rice pasta. And so, they’re all a better choice than the regular white pasta. A good way to start getting used to that little bit nuttier flavor, a little bit more texture is to maybe add in to your white pasta about half and try to just add in that flavor and texture and over time, people will get used to it. It still is a healthy choice, but certainly, all the other grains that are out there would be a great swap instead of white pasta.

Melanie: Now, giving those whole grains into our children, so we’ve talked about the pasta and we’ve talked about the breakfast cereals, looking for that on the label and oatmeal. How else, because there’s different kinds of granola bars and bars and things out on the market that say “includes whole grains.” How do we get these whole grains into our children, and how much should we all be eating every day?

Kim: Well, that’s also a good question. The best way to get kids to eat whole grains is to start them early, so making sure that you’re combining whole grains with some familiar foods you might eat in your family, like using whole wheat spaghetti noodles, maybe making French toast with whole wheat bread, using a whole wheat pita bread for making individual pizzas with kids. Making it fun for them and getting them used to the texture is another great way to start early with kids. And for adults, men and women, it’s very difficult for us to get our target amounts of fiber every day without whole grains because they’re such a good source of fiber. Men need about 35 grams of fiber a day, and women, about 25. And most of us do not get that right now. So any way that you can begin to flap out white rice and white pasta, white bread for the whole wheat varieties, that is going to be your best way to get additional fiber into your diet.

Melanie: In just the last minute, Kim, give us your best advice for getting whole grains into our diet, these healthy grains, and how much we should have.

Kim: Well, most of us need about five to eight servings of grains a day. Of course, that’s based on your age or sex, your physical activity, but the dietary guidelines want us to get at least half of those servings as whole grains, at least three servings a day because we know that it helps us maintain our weight. In fact, it helps us lose weight and prevent weight gain because that fiber included in the whole grains really fills us up, gives us that long-lasting energy, and is digested a lot more slowly. My best advice is to use the shortcuts and make it easy and convenient to use those grains by pre-soaking them or make a big batch of grains so that you can eat off them for three, four, or five days. And then, look for the quick cooking grains that are available today in the grocery store. They’re either cooked briefly or some of them are parboiled. So they really don't take much time at all. Instead, swapping those out for some other common side dishes that you’re serving in family meals.

Melanie: Thank you so much, Kim Larson. You’re listening to Eat Right Radio with our great friends from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For more information, you can go to eatright.org, that’s eatright.org. This is Melanie Cole. Have a great day.
Length (mins) 10
Host Melanie Cole, MS

Dining at Your Desk May Cause You to Call in Sick

According to a recent Home Food Safety survey, 83 percent of adults chow down a meal or snack at their desk, many in an attempt to save both money and time. Can this make you sick?

Additional Info

Segment Number 1
Audio File eat_right/1437nd1a.mp3
Featured Speaker Joan Salge Blake, MS, RDN, LDN
Organization Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Guest Bio Joan Salge Blake is a clinical associate professor and director of the dietetic internship at Boston University's Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. In 2012, she was nominated by the university for the U.S. Professor of the Year Award and previously received the University's prestigious Whitney Powers Excellence in Teaching Award.

Blake is the author of Nutrition & You (Pearson 2014); Nutrition & You: Core Concepts to Good Health (Pearson 2010); and Eat Right the E.A.S.Y. Way (Simon & Schuster 1991), as well as co-author of Nutrition: From Science to You (Pearson 2014). Blake was named by Good Housekeeping Magazine "The Most Trusted Person to Follow on Twitter" for healthful eating advice.

Learn more about Joan Salge Blake
Transcription Melanie Cole (Host): According to a recent home food safety survey, 83% of adults chow down a meal and snack at their desk, many in an attempt to save money and time. But what is this doing? Is this increasing our risk of food poisoning? How is that happening? My guest is Joan Salge Blake. She is an associate professor and director of the Dietetic Internship at Boston University, Sargent College of Health and Rehab Sciences. Welcome to the show, Joan. Eating at our desk, eating on-the-go, grabbing something from a food truck, let’s talk about food safety. Tell us what you think are the most important issues in food safety today.

Joan Salge Blake (Guest): Right. Thank you so much for having me on and talking about this because this is so important. You know, the survey that was done by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, along with ConAgra Foods, showed that of these adults they surveyed, they revealed that only 50% of those surveyed admitted to washing their hands prior to having their lunch at their desks. When you think about that, that just increases the risk of food-borne illness, because your hands have been working on your office all day long, you’ve been opening doors, you’ve been meeting with the people, and you think about the germs that potentially could be on your hands, and then if you’re picking up a sandwich and eating it, it could be increasing risk of getting pathogens onto your food and then into your body.

Melanie: So people bring their lunches to work, we send our kids to school with their lunches and I put mayonnaise on a kid’s sandwich and send it to them in a little cold pack, but I’m never quite sure, and especially in the summer, so what do we have to know about – okay, so washing our hands before we eat, number one, so important especially if you’re eating at your desk or you’re at school, wash your hands. What else? What about the food itself?

Joan: Right. The food itself, we want to make sure that it stays cold from the time that you leave the house until the time that it’s eaten. One of those important things you want to do is first of all, pack in some kind of vinyl-insulated bag where it can be kept cold. What you’d also want to do, and that was great which you said about having an ice pack in there, but really, that’s only half the job. We want to now make sure you have two of them. One is not going to keep it cold longer and you want to sandwich the sandwich in between the two ice packs, enclosing the food safety bag and lunch bag and then bringing it with you to work or at school. If you have a refrigerator available to you, it would be really ideal for the entire vinyl lunch bag to go into the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat it.

Melanie: Is there such a thing as knowing if something is going to make you sick? We hear rainbow meat, you smell things. My kids are forever smelling the milk before we drink it. Where food safety is concerned, Joan, is there a way to tell before you eat something whether it’s gone bad?

Joan: I wish there was, but there isn’t. We have two things going on here: When something smells a little off, that’s more of food spoilage. It doesn't necessarily mean it’s going to cause you to get sick, but it’s just not going to taste good. The problem with the pathogens that cause food poisoning or food-borne illness is they don't have any odor. Nothing is going to taste off about it and that’s the real problem. There’s no tipoff and that’s why it’s so important to make sure that the food while travelling stays cold, because we know when the food is colder—and when I say that, it’s 40 degrees or below, which is a refrigerator temperature—the pathogens do not multiply as fast. When food is left out at room temperature, they love that warmer temperature and they have a heyday multiplying to the point where it can actually make you sick.

Melanie: Now what about bringing things like hot food or something that you have to heat up at work? Does that automatically make you confident that this is not going to be something that’s going to carry a food-borne illness if you chuck it in the microwave before you eat it?

Joan: That’s a fabulous question. It is very important that we want to make sure that it stays cold that it doesn't multiply and then you want to make sure if you reheat it, you reheat all of it to at least an internal temperature of 165. The problem with the microwave because, you know, you throw it in the microwave and heat it up, if it’s something like a soup or a stew, you want to make sure that it gets heated thoroughly, all of it, not just the outside, and make sure there’s no cold pockets within that soup or chili or any kind of an entrée dish that you’re having. It’s really important that it gets reheated thoroughly, all of it, to that temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Melanie: Here’s something you see at the office all the time. People leave candy on their desks, in a bowl open, maybe M&Ms or Skittles or something like that and they’re sitting there and they don't have a top on them and they’re just sitting out. What can we assume or not assume about these candies as people go by and grab a few? Are there some pathogens that could be sitting in there or are they just getting dusty?

Joan: Well, they get a little bit of both. If you don't know what hand has been in that bowl and where that hand, whether if there’s any germs or pathogens on that hand, it could actually be infecting the entire bowl. Then if you come along and you eat something – Yes, if the pathogen was on there, brought on by somebody else, it could contaminate the whole bowl. So rule of thumb is I wouldn’t be so quick to be just digging into a bowl where the candies are not individually wrapped so that this way, you know that once you peel it, what’s inside of it hasn’t been contaminated by somebody else.

Melanie: What about keeping our area clean where we eat, whether it’s in the little office lunchroom or the desk where we eat, how often do you think you need to clean your mouse, your keyboard, these things that your hands are touching every day? Maybe you had a cold last month and then this month, is there still some virus hanging around on there?

Joan: Another good question. If you’re going to eat at your desk and do this desktop dining here, you really should be cleaning your entire desk surface before—and you can use one of those nice wipes to clean it—you should clean it before and you should clean it afterwards and making sure your hands are washed, so this way, the surface area that you’re eating at is clean. It’s really funny because if this was home in your kitchen, you would never put a dinner out on your table that has dust or dirt or anything. You would always wipe down the table, put out a placemat and have a nice dinner and then you’d wipe up afterwards. But for some reason, people think when they dine at their desk, they forget about cleaning the table before and cleaning the table after. So you really need to remember that if you choose to eat at your desk.

Melanie: Are there certain foods you just really prefer, safer than others, like peanut butter for example? If you use a refrigerated peanut butter—but sometimes peanut butter doesn't have to be refrigerated—do we worry about those kinds of things?

Joan: If it is shelf-stable, the regular commercial peanut butter, it doesn't have to be refrigerated. That’s absolutely fine. What we just want to make sure is that if there’s anything else you’re packing in the lunch that is perishable that it stays cold. And, you know, something people forget is cut-up fruits and vegetables. Once that’s cut, you need to make sure that that produce stays at that cold temperature. Make sure, while the peanut butter sandwich doesn’t have to be kept cold, the cut-up fruits and vegetables do.

Melanie: That’s great advice because I always look at a salad and say, if the lettuce is a little green or a little wilted on the edges or a little bit black around the edges, is that going to make us a little bit sick or is it carrying something? In just the last minute, Joan, please wrap it up for us. Give us your best advice for food safety at our desk, on-the-go, dining at our desk.

Joan: Okay. We want to make sure you are washing your hands. Every time before you go to eat something, always make sure your hands are clean. Wash your desktop and clean it before and after you’re dining, just like what you do with your kitchen table, and carry your food in a lunch bag that is going to keep your foods cold and make sure you pack your lunch with not one but two cold packs.

Melanie: Thank you so much. You’re listening to Eat Right Radio with our friends from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For more information, you can go to eatright.org. That is eatright.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.
Length (mins) 10
Host Melanie Cole, MS

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