Food for Fun and Thought

How Much Water Should You Drink?

June 11, 2014 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Do you want to take a nap? Maybe you have a kind of niggling but not-quite-full-blown headache?

Try guzzling some water.

Dehydration Can Cause Fatigue

Lots of machines don’t function well when they have low water levels, and neither do you. Even being mildly dehydrated can slow your metabolism, drain your energy, and make you feel tired.

Some Signs of Mild to Moderate Dehydration

In addition to feeling tired, here are some signs of mild to moderate dehydration:

a dry, sticky mouth
feeling thirsty
not urinating as much
having fewer or no tears when you cry
dry skin
headache
constipation
feeling dizzy or lightheaded

Don’t you wish you had a dipstick to measure the water levels in your body – like you measure the level of oil in your car?

About 60% of Your Body Weight Is Water

Water is the main chemical component in your body and accounts for about 60% of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on it.

You need water for the chemical and metabolic processes to take place in your body; for body fluids like tears, sweat, and urine; to flush toxins out of your vital organs; and to carry nutrients to your cells.

How Much Water Should You Drink?

There’s not one definitive answer to the question: “How much water should I drink?” The answer really depends on many things including:

your health
your age
how active you are
where you live

For the average healthy adult who lives in a temperate climate, the Institute of Medicine recommends around 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total water intake a day for men and 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total water intake a day for women.

What’s Total Water Intake?

Total water intake isn’t just plain water. It includes the plain water you drink, the water in all of your other beverages, and the water in your food. All fluids count toward your daily total.

On average, food supplies about 20% of your total water intake. Many fruits and vegetables — like watermelon, grapes, lettuce, and tomatoes — are 90% or more water by weight. Food from grains like oatmeal and pasta are also hydrating because they swell up with water when they’re cooked. Even meat is full of water.

Beverages like milk and juice are mostly made of water, too. Even beer, wine and caffeinated beverages — coffee, tea or soda — can contribute, but they shouldn’t be the major portion of your daily total fluid intake. Calorie-free and inexpensive water is your best bet.

Three Tips To Avoid Overeating At A Barbecue

May 22, 2014 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

It’s the start of the summer barbecue season and the accompanying temptation of a table loaded with delicious food.

Here’s three easy tips to help avoid overeating:

1. If you’re full, stop eating and clear your plate right away. If a plate with food on it sticks around in front of you, you’ll keep picking at what’s on it until there’s nothing left. An exception – a study has found that looking at the “carnage” – the leftover bones from barbecued ribs or even the number of empty beer bottles – can serve as an “environmental cue” to stop eating.

2. Do you really need to stand in front of the picnic table, kitchen table, or barbecue? The further away from the food you are the less likely you are to eat it. Don’t sit or stand where you can see the food that’s calling your name. Keep your back to it if you can’t keep distant. There’s just so much control you can exercise before “see it = eat it.” If staying near the food gets to be too much, go for a walk, a swim, or engage someone in an animated conversation. It’s pretty hard to shove food in your mouth when you’re busy talking.

3. Before you grab some tasty ribs, dogs, burgers or pie — ask yourself if you really want it. Are you hungry? Is it worth the calories? Odds are, the tempting display of food in front of you is visually seductive – and may smell great, too — but you’re reaching out to eat what’s in front of you for reasons not dictated by your stomach but by your eyes. Have you decided that you want to splurge on something specific? Try picking it ahead of time and commit to your choice so you don’t find yourself wavering in the face of temptation.

Ten Tips To Make Your Chinese Takeout A Bit Healthier

May 20, 2014 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN 1 Comment

Are you planning on ordering some takeout Chinese food? Are you careful to order dishes that are filled with vegetables because they probably have fewer calories and less fat ? Think again.

Chinese takeout can be a friend – or the devil in disguise. Commercial Chinese food – or what you usually get for takeout – can be extremely high in fat (a caloric nightmare) and very high in sodium. Then there’s portion size: those little white boxes hold a lot. How often do you eat right out of the box – or refill your plate because it’s too little to really save – and why throw it away?

Ten Tips

1. Learn how to interpret the menu and look for foods that are:

Steamed
Jum (poached)
Chu (broiled)
Kow (roasted)
Shu (barbecued)

2. Aim for a plate filled with more veggies than meat and ask for them to be lightly stir-fried rather than battered or deep fried (crispy means fried). All vegetable dishes are not on the “good choice” list. A serving of eggplant in garlic sauce (eggplant soaks up oil) has 1000 calories; 13g saturated fat; 2000mg sodium. Mu shu pork (without pancakes) has a lot of vegetables and also has 1000 calories and 2600 mg sodium. An 8-inch pancake adds about 90 calories, a 6-inch pancake adds 60 calories. Mu shu chicken is a better choice with about 5g less fat less and 200 fewer calories per serving.

3. Eat with chopsticks: it takes longer to eat and you can’t scoop up as much of the sauce or oil as you can with a fork.

4. Don’t let the fried noodles near your table – or out of the takeout bag – because one package has about 180 calories; 8g fat; 420mg sodium.

5. Soup – like hot and sour, egg drop, or wonton — is a good lower calorie choice (around 100 calories per cup) to fill you up – but is usually loaded with sodium. One cup of hot and sour soup has 91 calories, 3g fat, 876 sodium.

6. Be careful with the thick sweet sauces like sweet and sour. They are often made with flour, cornstarch, sugar, corn syrup. Better choices are hoison, oyster, and hot mustard.

7. Beware the rice: there are around 200 calories in a cup of white or brown rice. A takeout container often contains two cups. Basic fried rice – without any additions — is about 230 calories per cup — 1 cup of chicken fried rice has 329 calories; 11.96g fat; 598mg sodium.

8. Lay off the barbecued spare ribs – four can have around 600 calories. One-half slice of fried shrimp toast has 148 calories; 9.27g fat; 447mg sodium.

9. Try steamed dumplings instead of the more fatty egg rolls or fried wontons. One egg roll has 220 calories; 11g fat; 412mg sodium. A spring roll, with its thinner wrapper and smaller size, is a better choice at about 100 calories and 300 mg sodium. A meat filled fried wonton has 54 calories; 2.52g fat; 111mg sodium. A steamed dumpling filled with meat, poultry, or seafood is probably the best choice clocking in at 41 calories; 0.98g fat; 161mg sodium.

10. How much are you loading onto your plate – especially out of a takeout container? The amount of food that arrives on your plate in a restaurant, or that’s delivered for your takeout order, is often considerably larger than a standard portion. You could be tallying many more calories than you think. Next time you have Chinese take-out – just to give yourself a guideline — haul out your measuring cup to see how big the portion is that you just plopped on your plate. You might be surprised.

Are You Craving A Smoothie or Milkshake?

May 18, 2014 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

It’s springtime – and visions of milk shakes might be dancing in your head. A thick chocolate milkshake can have around 750 calories for a large (22 ounce) shake. A medium (22 ounce) Burger King strawberry shake has 630 calories with 15 grams of fat and 103 grams of sugar.

You could have a bowl of strawberries instead – one cup of sliced strawberries has 53 calories with no fat, 13 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, and 1 gram of protein. Add a dollop of yogurt on top and your nutrition and calorie intake from the fruit and yogurt is far different than what you would get chugging a milkshake.

Maybe you think smoothies are better alternatives to milkshakes. Sometimes they are – and sometimes they might not be.

Don’t be side swiped by the idea that smoothies are filled with fruit so they must be healthy. They may be made with some fruit and vegetables, but far too frequently they’re loaded with sugar. Unless you have a protein boost added (a whey protein additive at Jamba Juice adds 45 calories and ten grams of protein) or your smoothie is made with yogurt or milk, they have hardly any protein.

Jamba Juice’s small (16 ounce) “Ideal Meal Chunky Strawberry” has 570 calories, 17 grams of fat and 54 grams of sugar. A small (16 ounce) healthy sounding “Berry Topper” has 480 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 55 grams of sugar.

You can make smoothies at home and control the amount of fruit, vegetables, and sugar that goes into them.

What Does The “Organic” Label On Your Food Package Mean?

May 5, 2014 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN 1 Comment

Even though “organic” refers to a method of production rather than the nutritional content of a particular food, the “organic” label can make you think that the food is healthier and tastier. A Cornell University study tested what’s called the “halo effect,” or the idea that people are influenced by how something is described.

The study looked at the “health halo effect” of whether people thought food products labeled “organic” were more nutritious and better tasting than conventionally produced products.

The study participants ranked the taste, estimated the caloric content, and indicated how much they would pay for what they thought were both conventionally and organically produced chocolate sandwich cookies, plain yogurt, and potato chips. Everything was organic, but the products were labeled as either “regular” or “organic.”

Organic Foods Fall Under A “Health Halo”

The study participants:

preferred most of the taste of foods labeled “organic” even though the “regular” food was exactly the same
thought the food labeled “organic” was lower in fat, higher in fiber, significantly lower in calories, and worth more money
thought the chips and cookies labeled “organic” were more nutritious than the ones they thought were not organic.

What Is Organic Food?

According to the USDA, “organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled ‘organic,’ a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.”

Categories Of Organic Products (USDA)

“100% Organic” products are made with 100% organic ingredients
“Organic” products are made with at least 95% organic ingredients
Products labeled “Made With Organic Ingredients” have a minimum of 70% organic ingredients (with strict restrictions on the other 30%)
Products with less than 70% organic ingredients can list organic ingredients on their side panel but not on the front

What Does The USDA Organic Seal Mean?

The USDA Organic seal assures consumers of the quality and integrity of organic products. Businesses that are organic-certified must have an organic system plan and records that verify their compliance. They are inspected annually, with random checks to ensure that standards are being met.