FISH CONSUMPTION

FISH CONSUMPTION

Fish and shellfish are a good source of lean, high-quality protein. Protein is essential for building, maintenance and repair of the body. Seafood is also high in omega-3 fatty acids which are the fats associated with reductions in cardiovascular disease, arthritic pain, cancers, and stroke. They are also powerful protectants of cells—especially those of the brain.

With all these positive effects, are fish and shellfish safe to eat? The 2006 EPA Fish Advisory reported increases in levels and spread of the toxic contaminants mercury, PCB’s, chlordane, dioxins, and DDT. The type of mercury found in fish is methylmercury. It is an established neurotoxin affecting many organs and tissues. The government agencies and research scientists are particularly concerned and focused on the effects to the developing brains of the fetus and newborn. The elderly should also be of serious concern as the process of aging significantly weakens brain cells.

According to an NIH study published in April, fish consumption may effectively expose 300,000+ newborns in the United States to unacceptable levels of mercury. In uteri exposure to high levels of mercury is associated with developmental problems as well as difficulties with visual and motor integration.

The EPA guidelines for women and young children are summarized as follows:

Avoid Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, Tilefish
Limit consumption to 12 ounces per week of those lower in mercury
Light Tuna is preferred to Albacore Tuna as the later is much higher in mercury
Limit consumption of locally-caught fish to 6 ounces per week

When selecting fish, the general rule of thumb is to avoid the larger, older, predator fish. In addition to those sited by the EPA, Chilean Sea Bass, Grouper, Marlin, Orange Roughy, Rockfish, and Atlantic (farmed) Salmon contain higher levels of mercury.

Some suggestions for those lower in mercury include: Wild Alaskan Salmon, Shrimp, Sardines, Crabs, Scallops, Haddock, Sole, and Cod.

The EPA Fish Advisory report can be accessed at:
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fishadvice/advice.html

To view a summary of the NIH study go to:
http://www.ehponline.org/press/060404.html

The full text can be found at:
http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2003/6587/abstract.html

GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR!

GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year to all my readers!

This is the time of year when people make resolutions for life changes. A nutritionist’s office can be a busy place! I thought I would start out the year with some suggestions for effectively reaching your goals for optimal health.

In order to explore and establish resolutions for positive change, first and most importantly, you must examine where you are now with total honesty. This is a very challenging step but important in getting where it is you want to go. Believe me, if you cannot get beyond this first step, you will find it virtually impossible to go on to the next. This self-assessment ought to be an ongoing endeavor, and should not stop once you achieve your original goals. Once you accept that you are in continuous state of personal growth and change, you can actually begin to enjoy the experience of rebirth and rejuvenation that comes through adaptation. The exercise and food choices that work for you at one time of life may not be best for you in another. Personally I feel life would be rather boring if they did!

Once you have taken this step in self-assessment, you must go on to acknowledge your role in getting where you are today. The intention is not to focus on the negativity of the past too much but rather to take responsibility for your actions moving forward. To put it simply, you need to own your situation. Change cannot happen unless you make the commitment.

Now you are ready to set some reasonable goals. Once these are established, you can decide whether or not to seek the advice of a professional to learn how best to achieve them. A professional consultation can help you examine your goals more carefully to determine if they should be modified as well as to jumpstart you into a proper program. For many individuals follow-up sessions give them just the motivational boost they need to go the long haul.

Remember that food is for nourishment and not for nurturing. Enjoying your food is part of life, but I encourage you to give it the proper placement and focus. Your problems of the heart and mind cannot be solved through the mouth.

So let this be a year when you learn to eat right, drink right, exercise right, and think right!

Be well!

DAIRY PRODUCTS

For those who have looked at me in disbelief during a nutritional consult when I recommended full fat dairy products versus low fat products, a study recently published by the Harvard School of Public Health is especially important for you!

In this study which followed 18,555 women in the Nurses Health Study II for eight years, they found eating low fat dairy products may increase the risk of infertility due to lack of ovulation. Conversely, those who consumed full fat dairy foods decreased their risk for infertility.

Now it gets even more interesting. In the fat extraction process there are significant changes in milk composition which have been found to have some androgenic effects in animals. Intake of low fat dairy foods has been associated with androgen excess which is a component of PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) and acne.

So if you are going to eat dairy products, please go for the real deal! Purchase products which are full fat, free of hormones and antibiotics, minimally processed (no ultra-pasteurization!), and preferably organic.

It is important to note that this study did not conclude that consuming excessive amounts of full fat dairy products will increase fertility. It is purely a comparison between the consumption of full fat versus low fat products. Everything in moderation please!

To view the full study go to http://www.oxfordjournals.org/eshre/press-release/freepdf/dem019.pdf

I encourage you to learn more about “Real Milk” by going to http://www.realmilk.com/what.html

SNACK RECIPES

SNACK RECIPES

Many of you have requested some tasty snacks. Three of my favorites are posted here just for you! Two are sweet and one is savory. Enjoy!

Orange Poppy Seed Muffins
Makes 6 large, 10-12 medium or 18 mini muffins

Preheat oven to 350º F and lightly oil muffin pans

Ingredients:

Zest of 1 large organic orange
2/3 cup organic orange juice
1 cup organic whole wheat flour
1 cup organic rice flour (you can use 2 cups of rice flour if you need to avoid wheat)
1 tbsp aluminum free baking powder
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ cup organic canola oil
1/3 cup rice syrup
2 tbsp organic pure maple syrup
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1/4 cup poppy seeds

Wisk the wet ingredients in a small bowl. Combine the dry ingredients in a larger bowl. Gently pour the wet mixture into the dry and fold. Sprinkle in the poppy seeds and gently combine the mixture. Pour the mixture into the greased pan and bake for 35-40 minutes until the muffins rise and are golden. Let cool before removing the muffins from the pan.

Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients:

1 jar of organic, sugar free, crunchy peanut butter (or crunchy almond butter)
2 ripe organic bananas
2 tbsp organic flax seeds
2 scoops of chocolate whey protein powder
chopped walnuts or pecans to taste

Use a fork to mash all of these ingredients together. Be sure to mash the bananas well—they should not be visible. Wash your hands and then roll the mixture into walnut-sized balls. Place them in the freezer for 2 hours on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. After 2 hours you can divide them up into small freezer bags for convenient snacks. *For holidays you can roll them in some organic sugar sprinkles.

Seaweed Nut Crunch

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup organic canola oil
½ cup organic pure maple syrup
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup sesame seeds
6 sheets nori seaweed torn into small pieces
1 tsp shoyu (or to taste)

Pour canola oil and maple syrup in a large skillet. Bring to a frothy boil and add the sliced almonds, stir, and add sesame seeds and nori pieces. Sprinkle in the shoyu. Continue stirring until everything is coated. Pour into one layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool.

Pesticides and Produce

Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently published a ranking of produce according to levels of pesticide contamination.

The list of the "dirty dozen" ranking from highest to lowest (number 1 containing the highest level) is as follows:

1. Peaches (1)
2. Apples (2)
3. Sweet Bell Peppers (3)
4. Celery (4)
5. Nectarines (5)
6. Strawberries (6)
7. Cherries (7)
8. Pears (8)
9. Grapes (imported) (9)
10. Spinach (10)
11. Lettuce (11)
12. Potatoes (12)

These are wonderful, nutritious foods and should not be eliminated from your diet. The best way to cope with this problem is to eat a variety of foods, wash all produce thoroughly, and choose organic when possible to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals.

This link will bring you to the complete list http://www.foodnews.org/fulldataset.php

Junk Food

I just love this picture which was posted on the website for the Organic Consumers Association! The fast food industry continues to contribute to the growing problem of childhood obesity in the United States. Food can be quick and easy without being unhealthy! Childhood obesity must be addressed here and now. It is a matter of great urgency in our country. Consumers must demand change in the fast food industry, but this is only part of the solution. Nutritious food must be made available to kids at home, and exercise must be encouraged. In a future blog I will be posting some healthy snack suggestions for children and adults.

This is the post from the Organic Consumers Association:

"PRODUCT PLUNDERS OF THE WEEK:JUNK FOOD INDUSTRY APPLAUDES ITSELF FOR YEARS OF "ETHICAL" ADVERTISING TO CHILDREN Responding to public pressure, junk food companies have formed a task force that they claim will address the childhood obesity epidemic. The group, which includes companies like Coca-Cola, McDonalds, and Kraft Foods, held its first meeting at the end of March. One of the first items on the agenda was how to greenwash the routine industry practice of advertising junk foods to young children. Advertisers spend more than $10 billion annually on manipulating the minds of children. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, children under the age of six cannot distinguish between program content and advertising. Despite this rather undisputed fact, one of the panel's experts, the chief government affairs officer of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, applauded the junk food industry's track record and offered kudos to the current practice of self-regulation saying, "For more than three decades, the self-regulatory guidelines of the Children's Advertising Review Unit have helped to ensure that advertising to children by food companies is age and nutritionally appropriate, and reflects a balanced approach to health and nutrition." According to task force members, it is hoped that future meetings can be as productive, although the meeting concluded with no real changes to the status quo practices of advertising junk foods to children. Learn more: http://alerts.organicconsumers.org/trk/click?ref=zqtbkk3um_1-a2x312cx3341636& "

Iodine

IODINE

Iodine concentration in humans is quite variable because it is strongly influenced by the iodine content of the grains, vegetables, fruits, fish, seafood, and meats eaten. This depends upon the iodide content of the soil and the plants which are then consumed directly by humans and also the animals they eat. Iodide is the ionic form of iodine and the way it is usually found and functions. Iodide is also found in drinking water and is influenced by the rocks and soils of the specific region.

Though it capable of permeating all tissues, iodide is concentrated in the thyroid, salivary, and gastric glands. It is also found in the mammary glands, ovaries, placenta, and skin. The thyroid is aggressive in grabbing the lion’s share of iodide (70-80%) available to the body and supplied by the diet. In order for the thyroid to synthesize thyroid hormones, adequate iodide must be made available.

There are certain other nutrients which act antagonistically to iodine. They include arsenic, bromide, and perchlorate. Perchlorate is found in nature but is also heavily used in rocket fuel and for other industrial uses. Bromide replaced iodine in commercial baked goods back in the 1960’s. So you can see contamination by perchlorate and bromide exposure have increased over the years.

There is important published research on the effects of iodine deficiency in animals and humans. An extremely interesting focus of this research is the effect of iodine deficiency in breast tissue, more specifically the possible connections to the development of fibrocystic breast condition. The current thinking is that Iodine may modulate the effect of estrogen in breast tissue. This research has been based on small human studies, and larger studies are needed before significance can be established. Research continues in this important area.

So how can you ensure adequate intake from your diet? Lightly season foods with a good iodine-containing sea salt. I particularly like Celtic Salt. Salt water shellfish and fish are fine sources too. My favorite, of course, are the sea vegetables. In a previous blog about Calcium, I discussed just how nutrient dense these vegetables can be. I encourage you again to experiment with Wakame, Kombu, Nori, Dulse, Arame, etc. They are so delicious!

Iodine supplements are readily available. However, I do not advise that you supplement with this micromineral without consulting with your health practitioner. Toxicity can result. Your practitioner can order a urine iodine test to determine your current levels.