PORTIONS
Tom WallaceStar Tribune Published April 24, 2003©
Copyright 2003 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
Change in Obesity Graphic
SUGAR
• Energy surge (insulin surge)
= drops blood sugar level—so
two hours later, you feel
famished and tired
• Replace simple carbohydrates
with complex ones so the
absorption is more controlled
• "Sugar is supposed to be
eaten, of course," says Dr. Oz,
"but it should come together
with fat or some element like
fiber—as you would find in
fruit—so you can absorb it a
bit more slowly."
Eating 5 to 7 teaspoons of sugar
a day -- whether it's called honey
or sucrose, whether it's in soft
drinks or doughnuts -- ups your
risk of pancreatic cancer by 70%.
CARBOHYDRATE SPIKES…
350
300
250
200
Simple
Complex
150
100
50
0
Current
30 min.
60 min.
90 min.
HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN
SYRUP
MAKES YOU NOT FEEL FULL –
keeps you feeling hungry!
• Food products that
contain high fructose corn
syrup should be avoided.
• "It blocks the ability of a
chemical called leptin,
which is the way your fat
tells your brain it's there,"
says Dr. Oz. "It's not so
much the 150 calories in
the soda pop—it's the
fact at that same meal
you will normally
consume an extra
hundred calories of food
than you would have."
ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR
(White Flour)
• Enriched flour is actually
poor in nutrition because
most of the grain's nutrients
are destroyed in the refining
process
Instead, he says to look for
whole grains and whole grain
flours. "It has its kernels, it has
its B vitamins—all the things
you want to be in there.”
• "The reason they enrich it is
because they already
stripped out anything that
was worth a darn in it, then
they add a little bit back so
it doesn't look so bad.”
Carbs…
• Breads should have the
words "whole" or "stone
ground" first on the
ingredients list. Often,
you might see
"unbleached or bleached
enriched flour" which is
not the bread you are
looking for - this is
processed bread with
some whole grains added
for color. The first
ingredient should be
whole grains…
• Try to avoid
carbohydrates with zero
fiber. Carbohydrates that
are nothing but fiber will
also not provide optimal
nourishment- a
combination of both is
good. I typically look for
at least 1/6 of the total
carbohydrate count as
fiber - so something with
20 grams of carbohydrate
would have around 3 - 4
grams of fiber.
SATURATED FAT
• Found mainly in animal products
• Saturated fats are solid at room temperature, like lard.
• "You can actually use this kind of material for furniture
polish—lots of fun things—but don't put it in you.”
Dr. Oz
HYDROGENATED OILS
• To increase their shelf life
= certain oils are
hydrogenated
• This process turns the oil
into a solid at room
temperature, but it also
makes the oil unhealthy.
• "This stuff is great because
it doesn't go bad, but it's
very bad for you.”
• Avoid food products that
contain hydrogenated oil,
often labeled as "trans
fats."
HEALTHY OILS
• There are many healthy oils:
–
–
–
–
–
olive oil
sesame seed oil
flaxseed oil
grape seed oil
canola oil
• The healthiest oil to cook with
is extra-virgin olive oil. This
is because it does not change
it’s molecular make-up when
heated.
The following provides the definitions for special
statements: (FAT)
No Fat or Fat Free: Contains less than a ½ gram of fat per
serving.
Lower or Reduced Fat: Contains less fat or calories of the
original version or a similar product.
Low Fat: Contains less than 3 grams of fat per serving.
Lite: Contains 1/3 of the calories or ½ the fat per serving of
the original version or a similar product
Low Calories: Contains 1/3 the calories of the original version
or a similar product.
GARLIC
• Garlic is great for our bodies. "It actually helps the
bacteria in your intestines and it also relaxes the arteries
and it has a benefit with cancer," says Dr. Oz.
• Salad dressing made with fresh garlic, lemon and olive
oil is great!
TOMATOES
• Dr. Oz recommends eating
10 tablespoons of tomato
sauce per week. "Inside the
tomato is a chemical called
lycopene, an antioxidant."
• Dr. Oz says there are added
benefits from eating tomato
sauce or paste as opposed
to plain tomatoes. "A raw
tomato is fine, too, but if you
get a little fat with it—either
with some nuts or a little
olive oil and dressing—then
it's perfect," says Dr. Oz. "It
helps you absorb it better
into your intestinal system."
SPINACH
• "This is the best thing
for your eyes," he says.
"It's better than carrots,
and a lot of macular
degeneration—which is
a tragic ailment that
affects vision—can
actually be avoided by
eating these kinds of
foods that are rich in
carotenoids and also
have folic acids and a
lot of other benefits."
NUTS
• To maximize the benefits of
the healthy oils found in nuts
such as:
– Almonds
– Hazelnuts
– Walnuts
• They should be eaten raw and
stored in the refrigerator
• Stay away from “roasted”
varieties.
POMEGRANATE
• "We've done studies on
them showing how they
actually can change
the way your arteries
age — it's a very potent
antioxidant"
• "It also probably affects
cancer rates, especially
prostate cancer, but
those studies haven't
been finished yet."
Between 1977 and 1996, portion sizes for key
food groups grew markedly in the United States,
not only at fast-food restaurants but also in homes
and at conventional restaurants.
Portion sizes increased for salty snacks, desserts,
soft drinks, fruit drinks, French fries, hamburgers,
cheeseburgers and Mexican food.
This trend has only continued over the past 10
years…
What you're served
Cheesecake Factory
classic burger: Half-pound
hamburger, French fries,
grilled onion, tomato slice
and lettuce, 1/4 cup
mayonnaise sauce, 3/4
cup ketchup.
1,635 calories, 88 grams
fat.
What you should eat
• A half of a burger, by any
other name, is a full meal.
Hold the mayo and more
than half of the French
fries, limit ketchup to 2
tablespoons, skip half or
more of the grilled onion,
but pile on all the lettuce
and tomato you can eat.
• 630 calories, 29 grams fat.
What you're served
• Appetizer platter from TGI
Friday's: Nine chicken
wings and 1/4-cup bluecheese sauce, four
mozzarella sticks with 1/4cup marinara sauce, two
bruschetta (grilled bread
with chopped tomatoes).
• 2,760 calories, 172 grams
fat.
What you should eat
• Appetizer platter from TGI
Friday's: One chicken wing
with 1 teaspoon bluecheese sauce, one slice
bruschetta with all the
chopped tomato, half of
one mozzarella stick with 1
tablespoon marinara
sauce.
• 215 calories, 13 grams fat.
What you're served
• Chocolate Oreo Mudslide
cheesecake, Cheesecake
Factory: 9 ounces
• 820 calories, 57 grams fat.
What you should eat
• Chocolate Oreo Mudslide
cheesecake, Cheesecake
Factory: 4.4 ounces
• 400 calories, 28 grams fat.
What you're served
• 12-inch Subway Italian
BMT sandwich: Sandwich
consists of salami,
pepperoni, ham, pickles,
cheese, banana peppers,
green peppers, jalapeno
peppers, olives, onion,
white bread, lettuce and
mayonnaise.
• 935 calories, 42 grams fat.
What you should eat
• No salami, pepperoni,
mayonnaise or cheese; 1
slice ham (1.9 ounces),
and all the remaining
ingredients, with about
half the original amount of
olives and bread.
• 270 calories, 6 grams fat.
What you're served
• The salad that comes with
Olive Garden's chicken
giardino meal contains 6
cups of tossed salad, 4
tablespoons of dressing
and .7 ounces of croutons.
• Full meal with pasta and
salad has 2,045 calories,
73 fat grams.
What you should eat
• Recommended~ salad
portion: 1 ½ cups tossed
salad with 1 tablespoon
dressing and .2 ounces
croutons, 6 oz of pasta
and one, 4-ounce
breadstick.
• What you should eat
has 1,040 calories, 24
fat grams.
Large pepperoni pizza, Pizza Hut
• A slice of reality: Think
again before helping
yourself to another slice
of pizza. Two (3”) wedge
slices of pepperoni pizza
are 600 calories & 14g of
fat.
• Five pieces pushes it up
to 1,505 calories & 35 g
of fat.
Starbucks
An 8-ounce cup of
regular coffee is 5 fatfree calories.
• 20-ounce Caffé Mocha
560 calories & 35 g fat.
Caribou Coffee
Medium Cappuccino 16oz.
Calories 180
Total Fat (g) 7
Total Carbohydrates (g) 18
Sugars (g) 17
Medium Caramel Cooler 20 oz
Calories 570
Fat (g) 16
Total Carbohydrates (g) 103
Sugars (g) 91
Medium Hot Apple Blast 16 oz.
Calories 470
Total Fat (g) 11
Total Carbohydrates (g) 91
Sugars (g) 83
Chocolate Chunk Cookie
Calories 479
Total Fat (g) 20
Cinnamon Roll Popover
Blueberry Muffin
Calories 410
Fat (g) 18
Calories 580
Fat (g) 30
Soda
• Liquid liability: Drink 8
ounces of soda (nondiet)
and you'll consume 120
calories.
• "Upgrading" to 40-ounces
of soda increases the
calorie count to 500 –
• And the 64-ounce Big
Gulp at 7-Eleven? 800
big ones. Gulp.
What happens when you drink soda?
Have you ever wondered why Coke comes with a smile? It’s because it gets you high.
They took the cocaine out almost a hundred years ago. You know why? It was redundant.
•
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•
•
•
•
In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your
recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming
sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.
20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this
by turning any sugar it can get it’s hands on into fat.
40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure
rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine
receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.
45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of
your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.
>60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower
intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of
sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.
>60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to
pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that
was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.
>60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You
may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water
that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could
have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong
bones and teeth.
Einstein Bros. Bagels
• Large, sesame bagel,
A large bagel from Einstein's
weighs 4 ounces and is 320
calories and 3 1/2 grams of fat.
• Many bakeries sell them up to 6
1/2 ounces in size (475 calories
and 6 fat grams).
• Smaller bagels such as those from
Lund's are 1 1/2 ounces (120
calories and 1 1/2 fat grams).
• Hold the cream cheese (99
calories and 10 grams fat for 2
tablespoons).
Large, unbuttered popcorn from
a movie theater
• A 3-cup serving of plain movietheater popcorn is 165 calories and
9 grams of fat.
• But if you've been known to scarf
down an entire bag (there are 30
cups in the bag shown here), the
tally changes to 1,650 calories and
93 grams of fat.
• And that doesn't count the free
refills. Or 6 tablespoons butter,
which would add 610 calories and
69 grams fat to the total.
Fat Matters, But Calories Count
Read the nutrition labels and compare the calories in products.
Fat isn’t the only thing that = calories…sugar is a major
contributor.
1 Fig Cookie
– Fat free
51 calories
– Regular
56 calories
• 1/2 cup Vanilla Frozen Yogurt
– Nonfat
100 calories
– Regular
104 calories
• 2 Tbsp. Peanut Butter
– Reduced Fat
187 calories
– Regular
191 calories
Nutrient data taken from Nutrient Data System for Research,
Version v4.02/30, Nutrition Coordinating Center, University of
Minnesota
More tips…
• Sugar Free: Contains less than 1/2 gram of sugar per
serving.
• No Preservatives: Contains no preservatives
(chemical or natural).
• No Preservatives Added: Contains no added
chemicals to preserve the product. Some of these
products may contain natural preservatives.
• Low Sodium: Contains less than 140 milligrams of
sodium per serving.
• No Salt Or Salt Free: Contains less than 5 milligrams of
sodium per serving.
• Baked Not Fried: Used mostly for potato chips,
crackers or corn chips, this label means the product is
usually sprayed with a light oil then baked in an oven
instead of fried in the oil.
Spotlight on Calcium:
• Remember, a food with 20%DV or
more contributes a lot of calcium to
your daily total, while one with
5%DV or less contributes a little.
• Experts advise adult consumers to
consume adequate amounts of
calcium, that is, 1,000mg or
100%DV in a daily 2,000 calorie diet.
• For certain populations, they advise
that adolescents, especially girls,
consume 1,300mg (130%DV).
Calcium is required all of our lives for healthy bones,
teeth, muscle, nerve function, and for blood clotting.
Muscle pains, cramps, twitches convulsions, and
even cancer may suggest calcium deficiency.
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body.
99% of the calcium in the body is found in the bones and teeth.
Calcium Deficiency??
• Those at risk of calcium deficiency include the
elderly, people who don't eat dairy products, those
on high protein diets and those who drink a lot of
alcohol and/or soda. People on weight reducing
diets are also at risk for calcium deficiency, as
calcium-containing foods are often high in calories.
Athletes whose menstrual periods have stopped
may also be at increased risk of calcium deficiency
which can lead to stress fractures, shin splints,
weak bones, poor bone healing and eventually
osteoporosis.
• People who do not get enough natural sunlight or
are otherwise lacking in Vitamin D, will show signs
of calcium deficiency. This is the reason Vitamin D
is often included in calcium supplements.
Between 10 and 40% of dietary
calcium intake is absorbed.
• Calcium from milk and milk products is absorbed more
easily than that from vegetables. Absorption is enhanced
by vitamin D, proteins, lactose, phosphorus, stomach
acid and magnesium.
• Calcium competes with zinc, manganese, magnesium,
copper and iron for absorption in the intestine and a high
intake of one can reduce absorption of the others.
(why moderation is so important!)
• There are many research studies, which elude to the fact
that high phosphorus and/or phosphoric acid (found in
meat and soft drinks) leaches calcium out of the bones.
This has a negative effect on bone density, leaving
bones porous and spongy. When calcium is pulled from
the bones, it is released through the kidneys resulting in
stone formation (kidney stones) before it is excreted.
What blocks absorption??
• A high protein diet, especially derived from
animal foods, causes calcium loss in the
body. The higher sulphur-to-calcium ratio
of meat increases calcium excretion, and a
diet rich in meat can cause bone
demineralization.
• High amounts of sodium, fat, and/or sugar.
Again, a diet focused on
moderation and variety is the
best diet you can eat.