#nutr351

Keeping our gut happy and healthy can be difficult with the endless processed foods in the stores and convenient fast food restaurants. With billions of dollars going into medical bills for treating digestive and digestive-caused disease, it is important to find ways to balance the bacteria in our stomachs. Probiotics are one of these ways to keep our body healthy and able to combat these diseases. 

Probiotics main function in our bodies is absorbing nutrients and fighting infections. More specifically they can aid in regular bowel movements, the inflammatory response, producing enzymes and B-vitamins, absorbing minerals, glucose, vitamins, and fatty acids, and also protecting against pathogens, toxins, and infections. The list of benefits goes on.

One of the most recommended reasons for ingesting probiotics by doctors is after taking antibiotics. Antibiotics are very harsh on the stomach. They disrupt the balance of the bacteria in your stomach and create a poor environment for the good bacteria to live in. If antibiotics are taken for too long, this can lead to the growth of Clostridium difficile, or C. diff. Probiotics are important at these times because it helps balance out the environment of your stomach, while also introducing more good bacteria. Other reasons to take probiotics are after eating a lot of sugar, GMO foods, high carbohydrate meals, high stress, and other chemicals/medications.

There are different types and forms of probiotics. The most well-known is yogurt. Others are vinegars/fermented foods, kefir, supplements, kimchi, kombucha, sourdough bread, miso, and tempeh. However, each form contains different strains of bacteria which in turn have different benefits. Yogurt does not contain all the necessary strains and cannot completely protect agains the harmful side effects of antibiotics. Supplements can help with this, however, it is important to know which kinds to get. Some probiotic strains are to combat C. diff while others combat diarrhea. Florastor is one that is often recommended. It is strong enough to survive against antibiotics and protects against C. diff and the harmful side effects of antibiotics.

References

Freuman, T. D. (2014, July 29). How (and Why) to Take Probiotics When Using Antibiotics. Retrieved from http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/2014/07/29/how-and-why-to-take-probiotics-when-using-antibiotics

B. (2014, March 3). Probiotics: Pros and Cons. Retrieved from http://www.berkeleywellness.com/supplements/other-supplements/article/probiotics-pros-and-cons

As a kid, I have fond memories of my family’s big Sunday meal.  My grandparents, on both sides, loved large family meals and I was lucky enough to be the grandchild of Grandmothers who had learned from their parents the value of a home cooked meal.  While I happily devoured the delicious food, I had no interest in spending my Sunday (or any day for that matter) in a hot kitchen.  Looking back now, I would give anything for a one on one cooking lesson from my Great Grandmother whose cinnamon rolls were know by our entire community.  

In modern America, where convenience foods and busy schedules lead families to eating take out or ready made meals, you have wonder - who is teaching our kids to cook?  This isn't a new concern.  An article in the New York Times from 1992, suggests then that the population was already losing it’s cooking techniques to convenience foods and ready to eat frozen meals, citing a test on cooking at three quarters of the test takers flunked (Hall, 1992).  The continued loss of family cooks for our youth to observe and learn from has led to the assumption that cooking means thawing a frozen meal and heating it up.  Most Americans learn to cook from parents or family members but if the trend of convenience cooking continues, there will be few to learn from.  There is certainly a correlation between the rise of high caloric, low nutrient meals and the rise of preventable chronic disease and obesity rates.  

If America’s adults don't know how to cook whose responsibility is it to teach them? “ A broad majority of the public supports requiring cooking skills to be taught in schools either through existing health education (64%) or through dedicated home economics courses (67%). Slightly less than half of all Americans (45%) support increasing funding for cooking instruction for participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Broad public support for teaching cooking skills in schools suggests that schools are one promising avenue for policy action (Wolfson, Frattaroli, Bleich, Smith, & Teret, 2017).  However, most home economics programs in public schools have been wiped out, meaning that while most support this policy, little is being done to put it into action.  I think we need to require more culinary and home economic programs in our public schools much in the same way we require physical education but thats not enough.  Programs like Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and SNAP-Ed, which focus primarily on low income populations are great ways to expand people’s confidence and experience in the kitchen by offering cooking demonstrations and nutrition lessons.  Women, Infant and Children (WIC) is another great resource because they require educational opportunities for their recipients to continue getting access to those resources.  While these programs are great, there is a gap in available educational resources for individuals and families who do not qualify for food assistance programs yet can’t afford cooking classes or nutrition lessons.  While it is not a priority in this administration, I’m hopeful that public policy changes will improve the availability of culinary and nutrition programs in the future. 

How adults in the U.S. learn to cook by educational attainment, Home Cooking Survey, 2015 (N = 1112). Note: Models are adjusted for means of learning to cook, gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, household income, and cooking perceptions. Difference from those with a high school education or less significant at * p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001. a Respondents were shown the stem “I learned how to cook from …” and then were shown the above options in randomized order. (Wolfson, Frattaroli, Bleich, Smith, & Teret, 2017)

Hall, T. (1992, January 14). New 'Lost Generation': The Cooking Illiterate. Retrieved April 02, 2017, from http://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/15/garden/new-lost-generation-the-cooking-illiterate.html

Ending food deserts will be a very daunting task because of the thousands of food deserts and the millions of people living in them. 46.5 million people are receiving food assistance through programs each year in the United States. 23.5 million of these people are living in areas without super markets or places that sell fresh fruit or vegetables. Unfortunately eliminating food deserts isn’t as easy as building a super market in the impoverished area. Problems such as high underemployment, lower household assets, and demographic characteristics all lead to food deserts. These must be improved in order to eliminate food deserts. Michelle Obama had goal to eliminate food deserts in America in 7 years, but it has already been 4 years and there has not been much progress. Many corporations like Wal-Mart, pledged to help Michelle reduce childhood obesity, by eliminating food deserts. Their goal was to build about 300 stores in food deserts. She also backed a $200 million program modeled after a successful program in Pennsylvania. This program would boost local businesses in hope to decrease the unemployment rate and bring more money into the community. This expensive programs success in boosting the areas economy is still yet to be seen, but people are hopeful. Unfortunately many Wal-Mart stores are closing because their profits were low for many quarters. Wal-Mart is still committed on ending food deserts, but adding stores is clearly not the answer. They are now making generous donations to local food banks, and increasing budgets for stores that surround food deserts.

Many people and organizations have tried to end food deserts, and some of them have proven to be successful. This first innovative solution is food Co-ops. Big grocery chains such as Wal-Mart clearly were not successful in their attempts, but local food co-ops have proven to work. It is not an easy task to start and run a co-op, but it can be done. Worker owned cooperatives could grow the local economy, empower people and provide jobs. Another option to help end food deserts is mobile food markets. These markets provide fresh, culturally appropriate, high quality and affordable foods. Those in the community can choose to work for these markets as well. Mobile food markets typically partner with businesses, nonprofits, growers, and community groups. Communities in need have also created bus stop farmers markets. This offers an easy way for people to access healthy and fresh foods. They no longer have to journey a far distance to purchase fresh food. In Los Angeles, they created a Kitchen that recovers healthy local food from the waste stream and gives it back to those who are hungry or unemployed. They employ adults, typically adults exiting prisons or foster kids and give them culinary training. The meals provided by this kitchen are distributed to the areas most vulnerable and to the elderly population.  

Government run policies and big corporations will not decrease the amount food deserts. But it has shown that privately owned businesses, compassionate, generous and hardworking people, and a collective effort from the community will help end food deserts. Next Americans need to be put back to work, get off welfare systems or food assistance programs and give back to their community. The economy will grow and in turn grocery stores will enter the area.

A. (2016, January 27). ​Walmart shutdowns create new food deserts. Retrieved March 31, 2017, from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/walmart-shutdowns-create-new-food-deserts/

Corapi, S. (n.d.). Why it takes more than a grocery store to eliminate a 'food desert' Retrieved March 31, 2017, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/takes-grocery-store-eliminate-food-desert/

Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2017, from http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/impact-of-hunger/hunger-and-poverty/hunger-and-poverty-fact-sheet.html?gclid=Cj0KEQjwtu3GBRDY6ZLY1erL44EBEiQAAKIcvuJ6r8zQ5wkyVzOFgoUd_mC_U13f9zQz0f1UXunpEL8aAnR88P8HAQ

My last two posts have discussed the importance of drinking water and the importance of not consuming too many sugary beverages.  Now I would like to focus on the water content in certain foods.  We do not get all of our daily water intake in liquid form.  Approximately 20% of our water intake comes from different foods we eat.  Many of the fruits and vegetables we eat have a high water content, which helps us stay hydrated.  Not only does it keep us hydrated, but it also feeds our bodies with antioxidants, vitamins, electrolytes, and fiber.  I want to share with all of you some of the highest rated foods in water content.  Cucumbers have a water content of 96% and are full of vitamin C, K, and B.  Cucumbers are great in salads or on a sandwich.  They are also a great snack to eat in sliced form.  I personally prefer english cucumbers over the traditional ones.  Next on the list is zucchini, which is very similar to cucumbers and has a water content of 95%.  Beware though because once cooked, they lose most of their water content.  Zucchini is another great option to add to a salad, especially a pasta salad.  Another food that is great on salad or on a sandwich is tomato, which has a water content of 94%.  Cherry tomatoes are also high in water content and are an easy snack to pack and eat.  Celery is the next vegetable on my list of foods high in water content, yielding a content of 95%.  Celery is also great in salads or alone as a snack.  I personally enjoy a crisp celery stalk with some peanut butter on it.  I also read that celery is a natural remedy for a headache.  This makes sense because some headaches are caused by dehydration and with such a high water content it is a perfect remedy for that pesky headache.  I have been discussing how the foods above are great to add to salads, but have not mentioned the main staple of a salad which is lettuce.  Iceberg lettuce has a water content of 96%.  I personally have always opted for romaine lettuce because it has more nutrients than iceberg lettuce.  I never realized that iceberg is actually beneficial because of it’s high water content.  I actually buy my lettuce in bulk from Costco and every Sunday I spend time washing and prepping my lettuce for the week.  I then store the lettuce I prep in mason jars and they stay good for the entire week.  Now let’s switch gears and talk about the water content in different fruit.  Strawberries are extremely healthy and offer a water content of 92%.  I have always heard that strawberries is one of the most important fruits to buy organic.  However, when you cannot afford the more expensive organic strawberries I would like to offer an alternative.  Organic or not, I always soak my strawberries in water mixed with apple cider vinegar.  The vinegar helps to get those berries extra clean and seems to make them last longer.  Watermelon is one of my favorite foods to eat in the Summer and has a water content of 92%.  The most frustrating thing about watermelon is how messy it is and how annoying it is to cut.  I have found  a number of ways to cut and eat watermelon on Pinterest and highly recommend checking them out.  Pineapple is another one of my favorites and has a water content of 87%.  It is also high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.  I also recently read that with pineapple having such a thick layer of skin, it protects the fruit inside from pesticides and harmful chemicals.  This is not a comprehensive list of all the foods that offer a high water content.  I tried to focus on ones that are commonly eaten and sought after by consumers.  I mainly wanted this post to open eyes and bring awareness to the fact that water is not only something we get from drinking a nice cold glass, but is also found in a variety of food we eat.

This past month, our athletic department at MSU hired a new nutritionist. As her first project she has set up a ‘Fuel up’ station that is available before and after practices held at MSU to ensure athletes have proper nutrition before, during, and after practices and games.

This is an amazing new opportunity for us athletes and ensure that we don’t binge the few times we are at home. I saw what is available at the Fuel Up station and noticed that there is a lack of vegetables and complex carbs, but other than that it is an amazing step forward for health for the student athletes at MSU.

Still, we need protein, veggies, and more options with calcium, so at home we were told to get more milk and meat and veggies at home which is incredibly helpful to know what you’re missing with a busy schedule. We were told to eat 1.5 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight in a day in order to maintain healthy muscle mass.

In previous posts, we talked about the good and bad research and defined what exactly GMOs are. We've talked about some of the flawed research that showed possible human health issues with GMO consumption, and the volumes of research that shows none. From the research that I've done while writing these articles, one thing is clear: though current scientific consensus shows the safety of GMO crops, there will always be a need for further research and long term studies. Until the research is unequivocally one-sided, there will always be great debate among the public on whether or not the production and consumption of GMOs is a net positive or net negative. However, there remains another issue with GMOs that is hotly debated— the issue of whether or not GMO products should be labeled. Like anything, there are positives and negatives to GMO labeling.

For the majority of their history, products containing GMO ingredients were not required to be labeled. Products with and without GMOs were unmistakably similar. In the last 5 years, there have been several legislative actions taken to require GMO labeling at the state or federal level. In 2013, Connecticut became the first state to require labeling— Vermont and Maine soon followed suit. Still, labeling laws have faced great opposition from multiple sources, including the food industry giants themselves. In July 2016, Obama signed into law a federal bill which requires products containing GMOs to be labeled. The USDA has yet to finalize the rules of the bill, but food companies that use GMOs will be required to either label their product by text, a symbol, or an electronic code.

Labeling GMOs seems like common sense; after all consumers should be able to know what they are consuming, right? Labeling allows consumers to make informed choices. However, GMO labeling does not come without consequences. First of all, the argument that GMO labeling is the only way for consumers to make informed choices is inherently flawed. There are already options for those who wish to eat GMO free. Organic foods are prohibited to use GMO ingredients, so consumers have the option to buy organic foods already. Also, though the information may not be convenient, it is not difficult to research foods that contain GMOs.

Perhaps the greatest unintended consequence of GMO labeling is the possibility of scaring consumers away from GMOs, and thus genetic engineering in general. There is already a very popular negative public stigma with GMOs; consumers may equate labels as warning labels, even though there is no proof of safety issues with GMO consumption. GMO labeling would essentially steer some consumers away, even though the products are nutritionally equivalent, or sometimes even superior, to their natural counterparts.

Would people view GMO labels as warnings?

Another unintended consequence of GMO labeling is its effect on prices. When Vermont first passed their law requiring labeling, food prices rose. This was due to companies swapping out ingredients in order to avoid labeling. Using non GMO ingredients rose prices significantly, and thus raised the amount of money families spent on groceries— the amount wasn't great, but any raise in prices can pose as a challenge for low income families.

The current obesity epidemic is a major health related concern for people and governments throughout the world. There are far-reaching consequences of long term obesity that are varied and nuanced for everyone as well as affecting many different areas of public policy. One of the areas that is beginning to gain more attention is the economic impacts of obesity, and more specifically, childhood obesity. Because childhood obesity can create multiple other complications within an individual, there is a substantial increase in health care costs over one’s lifetime. Until recently there has been a lack of coherent evidence with which scholars could analyze this issue. As data become more available, new studies are being done to discover the extent to which obesity is effecting both the health care industry as well as economic situations within a particular city, state, or country. Methods for curbing obesity and especially childhood obesity, which can lead to long term health issues, are becoming more important to local institutions and national governments.

One of the primary ways that public policy has attempted to help curb the rise of childhood obesity is by staging interventions. Essentially, these are methods whereby schools or other organizations encourage healthy eating and lifestyle habits for kids. These intervention methods are often aimed at educating parents as well as children. In addition to parental influence on childhood eating habits, a study published in March of 2017 notes: “…obesity- related dietary behavior in childhood is influenced not only by parents but also by 5 key obesogenic environments: schools, television, the internet, retailers, and advertising campaigns.” (Sonntag, 2017) This creates a complicated network of analysis that makes it difficult to include economic factors.

The results of this study pointed to the need for economic evaluations to be built into intervention programs. This would require proper pre-planning and the beginning stages of the development of any obesity related interventions or policies. It would also mean that studies would need to extend beyond initial testing and include long-term results on health care costs as well as the economic burden on those participating in the study.

Obesity is now a widely recognize health concern around the globe, and it is time to recognize that it has far reaching effects that include economic concerns. As the nutrition and public policy community moves forward with plans to curb the rise in childhood obesity it will be beneficial for these policies to include economic analysis and long term health care effects.

When it comes down to it we can agree that childhood obesity is a problem, that early intervention is important, and that there is countless studies that can back these claims up. What is often more difficult is when the rubber meets the road and you actually have to implement the program. How does one have the motivation, create lesson plans, and what is actually practical enough to work? This blog post will explore these issues.

Motivation; something that is so easy to have when reading an article about childhood obesity. How could anyone not be compelled to want to help. However, that is not when motivation is needed the most. In many settings dealing with childhood obesity a group or person may not see the results of their impact for years. This can be hard for not only the individual but can make it hard to retain investors/grants. People in the community may not welcome you.

So how do you stay motivated? You have find the small wins. The smiles of your participants, the growth that they make in your program, and their enthusiasm to come back. These are the things you will need until you start seeing more of the substantial changes. Personally, this last summer I had the privilege of having one of my long-time participants’ baby sister for the first time. I was overjoyed with the knowledge she already had. When asked how she knew about these things, she credited her older sister. Plain and simple, that’s motivation.

When it comes to lesson plans, it is important that you remember to stay flexible. Too often people get so set in their plans or don’t have any lesson plans. This ultimately makes their program less effective than it could potentially be. I always try to schedule in transition time, this helps with things like bathroom or water breaks, and often allows you time to thoroughly explain the directions of the next activity.

Keeping things educational but fun is a balance that should also be considered greatly in any lesson plan. Pinterest is an awesome resource for activities but don’t afraid to modify if need be. Personally, I have found the most success when I can give the kiddos I work with some practical application of what they have learned that day. For instance, if our lesson was on fruit, we might make smoothies. If we were working on vegetables, we may go back to the main garden area and pick some for them to take home. No matter what your goal is, if you can find something that they can relate to and it’s fun to do, it will help make your program more successful.