Exclusive Interview: Health and Nutrition Questions

One of the great things about being in academia is that you're surrounded by really smart people.  One such smart person is a fellow grad student in the Foods and Nutrition program.  Kata is the one who taught me how to make fondant, and she and her roommate Corrie are the ones who created this beautiful cake we saw back in August. 

Since this blog is geared towards those of us who are trying to eat right and stay healthy, I've asked Kata to donate some of her time and expertise.  She hedged and told me to put in a disclaimer that she's not a registered dietitian yet.  I figured she would still know a whole lot more about nutrition than, say, a dinky linguist with a food blog.  Just sayin'.

So below, my dear readers of Sunny-side Up Recipes, get a chance to read this exclusive interview with Kata, asking questions I've been dying to know the answers to.

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Me:  When reading a nutrition label, what are some key things we should look for (and/or be aware of)?

Kata:  It's a bit overwhelming to start reading food labels.  What is important?  Can you classify something as "good for you" or "bad for you" in a black and white sort of way?  Well, there are a few approaches to looking at things and different individuals may have different dietary needs which should impact what is important in their overall diet.  For a generally healthy person, here is the basic approach that I personally take. 

First of all, look at what an actual serving size is (under the Nutrition Facts heading) and consider how many servings you eat (portion control!). 

When trying to eat a healthy and balanced diet, it's a good idea to know what your caloric needs are and how many servings of each food group you should strive for.  My Pyramid allows you to get a personalized plan to estimate your dietary requirements. http://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid/index.aspx     

Knowing those two things, my goal when choosing foods is to get the most nutritional bang for your buck.  When I choose something, I try to make sure it's providing a serving for a food group, not merely giving me calories for the day (that I could easily get from something else that's more nutritious).  It's great when you can pack in more nutrients to the number of calories that you consume. 

With that in mind, I try to avoid trans fats as much as possible.  (They increase your bad cholesterol (LDL) and decrease your good cholesterol  (HDL)).  I also try to choose foods that are low in saturated fats & sodium (aka salt). 

Me: Is ground turkey better for you than ground beef?

Kata: Ground turkey usually has less fat than ground beef.  (One of the main reasons to think about "What type of meat?" is the amount of saturated fat.) You can also buy ground beef that is fairly lean (95%/5%).  The bottom line is that it's a good idea to choose low-fat meats (to help to reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet). 

Me: What are some healthy ways to cure the midnight munchies? 

Kata:  Reach for something that is low in fat and can curb your craving.  If you're looking for a healthy midnight snack, I would suggest popcorn (that doesn't have a lot of butter), or fresh fruit such as an apple, or serving of low-fat yogurt.  Whatever you decide to eat, pay attention to the number of servings you consume.  If you are reaching for a bag of pretzels or chips, put one serving in a bowl and put the bag away! (Otherwise, before you know it, the bag is half gone and you're the only one who has been eating from it! Can you tell I'm speaking from experience?)

Me: What are some nutrients that people in our age group (e.g. 20s-30s) tend to not get enough of?  How can we supplement them?

Kata:  Fiber!  Now, I'm not saying you have to run out and buy a supplement or start eating prunes (although you might be surprised, they're not as bad as you might think!).  You can easily increase fiber in your diet by eating whole grains (think about bread, cereal, granola bars) as well as incorporating more fruits & vegetables and beans.  If you are eating a grain product, such as bread, aim for whole grains.  When you look at the ingredients list, it should say "whole wheat flour".  It's a good idea to gradually increase the amount of fiber that you eat.  Don't up your intake all at once (as this may cause GI problems).  Just to give you a basic idea, the broad recommendation for fiber intake for a 2000 calorie diet is 28g / day and according to the USDA, only 33% of 19-50 year olds achieve the fiber recommendation.

Fruits and vegetables!  Again, few people meet this recommendation.  Grab a piece of fresh fruit or some veggies for a snack and incorporate them into meals too!

Calcium!  It's another nutrient that we often don't get enough of.  Dairy is really important, and low-fat dairy is a great option.  Skim milk, low-fat yogurt, and low-fat cottage cheese are all good choices to help meet your recommendation for calcium without adding lots of saturated fat.  Other products, such as orange juice or cereal, etc. that are calcium fortified are also an easy way to incorporate calcium into your diet.

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That concludes the exclusive interview with my dear friend Kata Yackley!  There will be a sequel to this at a later time with more questions!  And if you have further health questions you want me to ask her, leave it in the comments.  Thanks, Kata!