Sheila Kealey

This Week in Food, Health, & Fitness

This week, read about sports nutrition for stress fractures, 5 great Fall foods, the accuracy of running apps, healthy eating habits for lazy college students, new research into intervals and periodization, Vegan glam, Isagenix, and more.

Prone to stress fractures? Consider your sports nutrition.
Weight bearing exercise is generally good for bone health, because bone responds to the stress of exercise by becoming stronger. But some athletes are more prone to stress fractures than others, for example active women who are underweight and amenorrheic often have decreased bone mineral density. Although a variety of factors contribute to fractures, recent research suggests that what an athlete eats before, during, and after exercise can influence bone turnover. Making the right choices could potentially offset bone loss and prevent stress fractures.

Carbohydrates during exercise might benefit bones. It is already firmly established that eating carbohydrates helps endurance performance; this week a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology looked at how carbohydrates (8% glucose solution, similar to most sports drinks) during exercise influence bone metabolism during a strenuous 2-hour treadmill run. Researchers found that compared to placebo, runners who ingested carbohydrates during their run had reduced markers of bone resorption (breakdown). The effect was small and requires further study, but if you’re someone who goes without food/carbs during long workouts (and are prone to stress fractures), it seems this would be an good strategy to adopt, especially since carbohydrates will help other performance measures as well. (Journal of Applied Physiology, October 2015)

As I’ve reported before, another strategy for bone health is a calcium-rich meal before exercise. Athletes lose calcium through sweat during exercise, which puts them at risk for bone loss, especially if their activity is non impact since it doesn’t benefit bones. A study in female cyclists found that eating a dairy-rich meal 90 minutes before riding can counter bone loss. The pre-ride calcium-rich meal keeps blood calcium levels stable, so your body doesn’t borrow calcium from your bones to replace what’s lost in sweat. (PLOS ONE, May 2015)

5 Foods That Taste Better in October Than They Will All Year. Hard to limit it to 5, but it’s a great time to enjoy apples, pears, pumpkins, persimmons, & grapes. (Time)

Physics of falling says professional athletes are running wrong. A Norwegian physicist theorizes that runners could be much faster if they ran in a way that used gravity (Proceedings of the Royal Society, Sept 2015). His study was quickly shot down by Alex Hutchinson (Runner’s World) here.

How accurately do running apps track your distance? A good explanation of the measurement error you can expect to find with GPS apps. (Beth Skwarecki, Lifehacker).

Walking quieter routes to work can avoid peaks in air pollution. Commuting to work by walking on quieter side streets rather than main roads can help people avoid exposure to peaks in harmful air pollution. (European Respiratory Society’s International Congress, 2015.)

33 Healthy Eating Habits Lazy College Students Will Appreciate. A lot of these tips are actually pretty good! (Buzzfeed)

What’s better – a long walk or a short stair climb? Both are good, but stairs are more intense physical activity and you will have more health benefits for a shorter activity time. (Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times).

21 “easy” food swaps you can make now without missing out. This is a great takedown of an article full of nutrition misinformation. Before you go swapping coconut oil for the fat in your recipe, sea salt for regular salt, or rice malt syrup for sugar, read this article. (Diane Chard, Bite My Words).

For coaches & athletes – best interval formats and periodization. Alex Hutchinson reports on a talk by exercise physiologist Stephen Seiler from the Norwegian Olympic federation (he often studies xc skiers) looking at two questions that most coaches and athletes ponder: (1) how do the intensity and duration of intervals interact? and (2) does periodization matter? The article provides a nice summary of complex questions. You can view Seiler’s talk here. (Alex Hutchinson, Runners World).

‘Vegan Glam’! Where Is the Vegan Julia Child? New York Times readers respond to article about trendy vegans. (New York Times)

Volkswagen emissions cheating caused $100 million in health costs. The far-reaching impact of a company’s horrible action. (Grist)

Unsaturated fats, high-quality carbs lower risk of heart disease. Although “butter is back” was a popular headline, the study that prompted this has been called into question. In a new study, Harvard researchers debunked a controversial paper suggesting that saturated fat intake did not affect heart health, and note that the quality of both the fat and carbohydrate consumed are important. When they compared saturated fat intake with intake of other types of fats and different types of carbohydrates, they found that replacing saturated fats with refined carbohydrates didn’t benefit heart health, but replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats (found in nuts, seeds, fatty fish, and vegetable oils) and/or nutritious carbohydrates did benefit heart health. In practical terms, your entire diet is important. . . it doesn’t help if you limit butter, bacon, and burgers if you replace those foods with white bread, cookies and processed carbs, but replacing those foods with nuts, fatty fish, and healthy carbs will benefit your heart. (Sept 28, 2015, Journal of the American College of Cardiology).

Often carbohydrates are lumped into one category, which leads to much misunderstanding, because the health impacts of various types of carbs can be dramatically different (soda is not the same as oats). It’s critical to distinguish healthy carbohydrates (vegetables, legumes, whole grains), and generally unhealthy ones (refined/processed).

Calcium supplements do not prevent fractures. Two new studies looked at calcium intake and fracture risk in people over 50 years of age. One study compared supplementary dietary calcium to calcium supplements and found only a small but non-clinical increase in bone-mineral density. Another study conducted a systematic review of the research and found that the evidence for preventing fractures from increased dietary calcium or dietary supplements was weak. The editorial calls for revisiting guidelines for calcium supplementation (BMJ).

Why taller people are at greater risk of cancer. While it is well known that being overweight contributes to cancer risk, the relationship between height and cancer risk is not as well known or understood. This is a good explanation of a complex topic. (World Cancer Research Fund).

Lose weight, create wealth, join Isagenix!? Ah huh… A nutrition scientist’s view of the weight loss scam. (Cocoa & Bliss).

Previous articles on Isagenix . . .

Does Isagenix Help You Lose Weight, or Lose Your Money? (Fooducate)
Isagenix under the microscope. (CHOICE online)
Isagenix Study Is Not Convincing (Science-Based Medicine)
Defending Isagenix: A Case Study in Flawed Thinking (Science-Based Medicine)

New Recipe: Beets & Arugula in a Curry Vinaigrette

Sweet and colourful, beets will certainly brighten up any meal! Their brilliant red hue comes from pigments called anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants studied for their disease-prevention potential. Beets, arugula, and celery are also good sources of dietary nitrates, which have been linked to improved athletic performance and blood pressure regulation.

This beet and arugula salad is great anytime, but terrific when fresh beets and apples are in season. It takes a little longer to prepare than my typical salads, but if you cook the beets in advance it is pretty quick to put together.

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Beets & Arugula in a Curry Vinaigrette

Sweet and colourful, beets will certainly brighten up any meal! Their brilliant red hue comes from pigments called anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants studied for their disease-prevention potential. Beets, arugula, and celery are also good sources of dietary nitrates, which have been linked to improved athletic performance and blood pressure regulation.

Ingredients

2 lbs. beets, cooked and peeled (about 4 cups cut up)
3 green onions, minced (or about 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion)
½ cup raisins
4 cups of young arugula leaves
2 firm apples
1 cup celery, chopped (about 2 large stalks)
½ cup chopped walnuts

Curry Vinaigrette

1-2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Scrub the beets, wrap in foil and bake on a cookie sheet or in a pan at 400° for 30 minutes (this may take longer depending on the size of the beets). Beets will be tender when their skin is wrinkled and slips off easily.
While the beets are cooking, prepare the vinaigrette. Mix together the garlic, salt, curry, ginger, and rice vinegar. Then add the olive oil. Set aside.
When the beets are cooked, unwrap and place them on a plate to cool. When cool enough to handle, peel, slice in half, and then into wedges. Toss them with 2-3 tbsp. of the curry dressing and half of the green onions. Set this mixture aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. (You can do this the night before serving.)
Quarter the apples and slice them into thin pieces (size of sliced mushrooms). Combine the apples with the celery and raisins, and the rest of the green onions and dressing.
To serve, arrange the beets on the arugula, and spoon the celery/apple mixture on top. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Alternatively, you can gently mix all ingredients together (I think this method works better, and still looks o.k. — if you don’t mind beet-tinted apples and arugula – pictured below).

Makes EIGHT 1/2-Cup Servings

Nutrition Notes

This salad is tremendously nutritious! Beyond beets, most other ingredients have potential health benefits, for example . . ..

Arugula is part of the cruciferous family of vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables contain several compounds that researchers are investigating for their disease-fighting potential: these include glucosinolates, crambene, indole-3-carbinol and isothiocyanates. Arugula is also a good source of dietary nitrates, which have been shown to help lower blood pressure and benefit athletic performance.
Walnuts are a good source of healthy fats, and contain more of the omega-3 fat alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) than other nuts. Eating walnuts has been associated with lowering cholesterol, reducing breast cancer risk (in mice), helping control blood sugar, and reducing the risk of diabetes.
Apples are a good source of fiber, and rich in antioxidants and other protective compounds. Don’t peel your apples, because you’re throwing away important nutrients. Not only does the peel account for about 75% of an apple’s dietary fiber, but also about two-thirds of an apple’s antioxidants are found in its peel. In addition, apple peels contain biologically active components with anticancer effects called triterpenoids. Ursolic acid is another protective compound in apple peels that might prevent muscle atrophy associated with aging and help control blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides, and possibly increase brown fat. Read more about the health benefits of apples here.
Green Onions are rich in protective phytochemicals. The sulfur compounds — which give onions their pungent taste and smell — help lower blood cholesterol and protect arteries. Onions are one of the richest dietary sources of flavonoids, especially quercetin, which is linked to reduced muscle damage after exercise, and reduced chronic inflammation that can trigger heart disease and some cancers.

Nutrition per 1/2 cup serving

170 calories
3 g protein
23 g carbohydrates
9 g fat (<1 g sat),
0 mg cholesterol
4 g fiber
150 mg sodium
500 mg potassium
60 mg calcium
40 mg magnesium

More Salads & Side Dishes

Recipe adapted from Food for Thought: Healing Foods to Savor, by Sheila Kealey and Vicky Newman with Susan Faerber. California: Regents of the University of California, 2012.

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This week in Food, Health, and Fitness

This week, read about BJM’s attack on the US Dietary Guidelines, self-talk for runners, a sneaky experiment about calorie counts, altitude training, respect for sports psychology, carrot wars, time-restricted eating, the Banting diet, and how you can learn anything.

Attack on US Dietary Guidelines

Many health experts were shocked this week when the British Medical Journal published an article by a clearly biased journalist. Nina Teicholz, author of the book Big Fat Surprise, criticized the 2015 US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report (ironically for its lack of good science). True experts in the field of nutrition and health are responsible for crafting the US Dietary guidelines. I wrote about the guidelines and earlier criticism here. It is puzzling many why a journal would publish such an article, but they are certainly getting a lot of press for their actions . . .

I think the best part of the new guidelines is an emphasis on dietary patterns, rather than nutrients or specific foods. Although much of nutrition research focuses on investigating the influence of intakes of specific nutrients or foods on health, at the end of the day, it’s our overall diet that counts. Also, this emphasis reflects a growing appreciation of the complex interaction among nutrients and other food components. And here’s a quick graphic I put together to summarize the current guidelines.

Teicholz promotes a high fat/low carbohydrate diet in her book, and she calls any contrary advice bad science. For a run down on the “science” and writing in Teicholz’s book, have a look at the following: THE BIG FAT SURPRISE: A CRITICAL REVIEW Part 1; Part 2.

Here are some excellent rebuttals to Teicholz’s BMJ piece:

More Headlines of Interest This Week:

Self-Talk for Ultramarathoners. Alex Hutchinson reports on an ongoing study suggesting potential benefits of self-talk for ultramarathon performance. (Alex Hutchinson, Runner’s World).

A sneaky experiment about calorie counts. A new study looks into the best way to convey calorie counts to help weight control. Numbers or traffic lights? (Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, September 2015).

Altitude Training. A few articles this week may be of interest to athletes and coaches who are training or racing at altitude.

Altitude training and performance. This is an excellent presentation of the latest research on altitude training & performance by exercise physiologist Yann Le Meur.
Iron Levels and Altitude. Alex Hutchinson looks at a study that recommends that athletes with low ferritin levels take supplements while training at altitude.

The Myth That Links Poor Families to Fast Food. A new study by scientists at the Centers for Disease Control debunks the misconception that low-income Americans are the biggest consumers of quick-chain fare. It seems the wealthiest Americans are the most likely to eat fast food. (The Atlantic, reporting on NCHS data brief, September, 2015)

Sport Psychology Still Doesn’t Get the Respect It Deserves. Don’t underestimate the role of mental preparation for athlete development. Sports psychologist Jim Taylor makes a compelling case for why mental training should be treated the same as physical and technical training in sports.

The carrot war gets serious. The frozen and canned food lobbies want a place in the school lunch program. (Politico)

Novel research method to study eating habits and time restricted eating. An emerging field of research is looking into how the timing of meals in relation to our circadian rhythms (which influence biological processes and metabolism) affects health. Researchers from the Salk Institute are investigating what they call “metabolic jet lag,” a name they use to describe when circadian rhythms become distorted due to irregular eating times.

Early findings in animals and preliminary small studies in humans suggest it might be better for health to restrict our feeding period. The Salk investigators developed an app to get a snapshot of timing of eating patterns, and used the app to help study participants limit their feeding to a 10-11 hour period. After 16 weeks, participants with a restricted feeding window lost weight and reported better sleep and energy levels. You can download the smartphone app (and contribute your data to their research) here. (Cell Metabolism, September, 2015).

Stay Fast As You Age. Amby Burfoot looks at recent research showing that lower-leg strength training is important to maintaining running speed over time. (Runner’s World).

Banting or Ranting? Many hold sports physiologist Tim Noakes in high esteem after reading his popular books (e.g. Lore of Running). But he is losing respect among scientists. Here’s a look at the claims of Tim Noake’s Banting diet, that limits carbohydrates to about 50g/day (that’s about the carb content of one apple . . .). (Daily Maverick).

More bad science from Noakes . . . recently he seems to be in the anti-establishment/conspiracy theorist camp, disregarding science (that doesn’t support his opinions), promoting his high-fat low-carb diet as evidence-based, and stating that a proven link between vaccines and autism have been covered up.

Sitting Is Bad for Children, Too. A lot of research shows that sitting too much is bad for the health of adults, and a new study by researchers at UBC Kelowna show it’s a concern for children too. Looking at 9- to 12-year-old girls, they found that prolonged sitting was bad for vascular function. The study authors recommend regular exercise breaks to offset the detrimental effects of uninterrupted sitting in young girls. (Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times, reporting on Exp Physiol, Sep 2015).

You Can Learn Anything

A great reminder from Kahn Academy.

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This Week in Food, Health, and Fitness

This week, read about the credibility of food bloggers, how mindfulness training can make you a better athlete, blood pressure guidelines, more benefits to a Mediterranean-style diet, the importance of rehab for sprained ankles, larger packaging leads to consuming more food, caffeine at night resets your inner clock, and more.

The Credibility of Food Bloggers

Today’s food bloggers do lot more than provide recipes and pictures. Nutrition advice abounds: even when not explicit, the ingredients that make up the dishes are often the result of nutrition myths and misconceptions. Two articles this week looked at the culture of food bloggers and their credibility.

In this article When the cult of wellness promotes misinformation that leads to eating disorders and garbled medical advice Sali Huges looks into the misinformation peddled by popular wellness gurus. (Sali Hughes, The Pool). She has some clever lines, including this:

“If wheat is Kryptonite to the clean-eating brigade, then coconut oil (delicious, versatile, also full of cholesterol score-raising saturated fat, according to my registered dietician friend Leo Pemberton) is the messiah. Eat it, drink it, dollop it into porridge, use it to heal your wounds, make your Corian worktops gleam, and “cure” your skin of sun damage. “

Earlier this summer, the Guardian published a similar story (pseudoscience and strawberries) about how some health bloggers should carry a health warning.

And just how do people rate the credibility of food bloggers? This is disheartening, but provides insight into why people follow the advice of some wellness gurus: a study published this week by Cornell University researchers found that readers are more skeptical of a blogger’s advice when the blogger is overweight. Weight bias and stereotypes are pervasive in society, and seem to affect health-related judgements as well. (Health Communication, September 2015).

In the name of health, should you drink only almond milk? Use coconut oil for fat and only “natural” sweeteners or agave for sweetener in your cooking? Ditch gluten and grains? Check out my Myths and Misconceptions about Healthy Eating, and here are 10 Ways to Spot Health Quackery.

Can mindfulness training make you a better athlete? There is a growing amount of research into mindfulness and health. A number of studies suggest that mindfulness training can help how people respond to stressful situations, leading researchers from UC San Diego to wonder if mindfulness training could help elite athletes perform better. In a small pilot study, they investigated if a 7-week mindfulness-based training course could help BMX riders. The study didn’t investigate performance, but researchers did find that the riders improved on several measures of self-awareness and stress response. (Outside, reporting on Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience).

More benefits to eating Mediterranean style. This week two studies added to the evidence for eating a Mediterranean-style diet for better health. One investigation found that women who consumed a Mediterranean-style diet had a lower risk of breast cancer. The study studied women for almost 5 years, and controlled for a variety of factors that could influence breast cancer (JAMA Internal Medicine).

Another study looked at mental health, investigating the effect of healthy dietary patterns on the development of depression. Researchers studied Spanish adults for 10 years, and found that adhering to a healthy eating pattern rich in vegetables, nuts and legumes was associated with a reduced risk of depression. (BMC Medicine, September 2015).

What’s a Mediterranean-style diet? Although studies have slight variations when defining “Mediterranean,” generally, the diet is rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, olive oil, and low in red meat.

A sprained ankle may have lifelong consequences. This article looks at three new studies suggesting that ankle sprain rehabilitation should be taken seriously. The research found that young people who have ankle instabilities brought on by ankle sprains are less active, and studies in mice show that surgically sprained ankles that have healed cause ongoing physical issues (poorer balance, less movement). (Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times).

Yoga eases arthritis pain. A randomized trial in sedentary adults with arthritis showed that 8 weeks of yoga (three times weekly) improved pain, energy levels, mood, and physical function. (Journal of Rheumatology)

Could cocoa hold the key to Alzheimer’s prevention? Cocoa is a rich source of polyphenols, micronutrients that protect against cell damage. This paper reviews the benefits of cocoa, focusing on research looking into cocoa polyphenols effect on brain again, in particular, Alzheimer’s disease. (Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, September 2015).

The SPRINT trial: current blood pressure guidelines questioned. Health researchers have debated over blood pressure targets for years. The Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) was designed to review the recommended targets (a systolic blood pressure of < 140 mm Hg for healthy adults; 130 mm Hg for adults with kidney disease or diabetes). Preliminary SPRINT results show that more stringent blood pressure targets (<120 mm Hg) could save more lives and reduce cardiovascular events. The results were so dramatic that this large clinical trial was stopped prematurely to share the early results.

These results will likely lead to more physicians prescribing blood-pressure lowering medications. Although lifestyle changes are more difficult than taking a pill, they can be effective at reducing blood pressure (and have many other benefits). The main lifestyle habits that help lower blood pressure include

maintaining a healthy weight
eating a healthy diet like the DASH Eating Plan — generally low in sodium (salt) and processed foods and rich in vegetables and fruit (nitrate-rich vegetables may have added blood-pressure lowering benefits – also, see study described below)
engaging in exercise (spreading light workouts throughout the day is achievable for many and helps blood pressure) and reducing sedentary behavior (sitting less)
managing and coping with stress, and limiting alcohol intake.

Consumption of nitrate-containing vegetables is inversely associated with hypertension. This research adds to the growing evidence that nitrate-rich vegetables are good for blood pressure. In the 3-year study, researchers found that those who ate more nitrate-containing vegetables had a lower risk of high blood pressure. This study included celery, lettuce, and spinach as “high nitrate” vegetables; other nitrate-rich vegetables include beets, cilantro, arrugula, and rhubarb (you’ll find a table of nitrate-rich vegetables in this article). (Journal of Nephrology)

Other recent research showing the benefits of nitrates for vascular health include this study published in July, showing that a daily bowl of spinach soup improved blood pressure and vascular health; also, recently this study looked at the beneficial effects of dietary nitrates on health and reviews the evidence of dietary nitrates for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Larger-sized portions, packages and tableware lead to higher consumption of food and drink. A comprehensive systematic review of existing research shows that we consume more when food or drink is offered in larger portions, packages, or tableware. The findings highlight the important role that our environment plays in our eating behavior. Given that many Americans and Canadians are overweight (in the US, more than one third of adults and 17% of children and adolescents are obese; in Canada (2008) 25% of adults are obese and 37% are overweight), policies to reduce portion sizes could have far-reaching health impacts. (The Cochrane Collaboration)

Here are some ways you can alter your own food environment to promote healthy eating.

Caffeine at night resets inner clock. A new study shows that caffeine (the amount in a double espresso) 3 hours before bed influences melatonin and can shift circadian clocks, and could make it harder to wake up the next morning. Researchers speculate that consuming caffeine more than 5 or 6 hours before sleep wouldn’t have such an effect. (Science Translational Medicine)

The Science Behind Breakfast (and 6 Healthy Morning Meals)

While there has been quite a bit of research on breakfast, it seems the science isn’t entirely clear on the overall health benefits of this first meal of the day. This week I provide a brief summary of the latest research into breakfast, and six of my favourite breakfast recipes.

New Recipe: Beets & Arugula in a Curry Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Curry Vinaigrette

Directions

Nutrition Notes

Nutrition per 1/2 cup serving

More Salads & Side Dishes

Attack on US Dietary Guidelines

More Headlines of Interest This Week:

You Can Learn Anything

The Credibility of Food Bloggers

The Science Behind Breakfast (and 6 Healthy Morning Meals)

Read more weekly updates on current health and wellness topics, the latest nutrition research.