Tapping into the Bottled Water Debate
In the past thirty years, bottled water sales have grown faster than those of any other beverage worldwide. In 2008, US bottled water sales topped 8.6 billion gallons (about 29% of the total bottled beverages sold in the US). The year before, Americans spent over $15 billion on bottled water, with over 100 different brands available in the US (ISU, 2000; Finewaters.com, 2009; Lighter footstep, 2008). Why are we paying so much for something that, literally, falls out of the sky?
To start with, bottled water is convenient. Central to its success, however, are consumers’ worries about the quality of water from municipal or private supplies. Industrial by-products, agricultural chemicals and bacteria may make their way into water sources if proper care is not taken. Copper and lead were/are often used to make the pipes that carry water to our homes, and residues of both products may have toxic effects if consumed. In addition to health concerns, these factors can also affect the taste and color of our drinking water, making tap water a less appealing option (EPA, 2005).
So what’s the problem? If you can afford it, why shouldn’t you buy bottled water? Read more
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Too Much Saturated Fat Is Bad for You
by Shereen Jegtvig
Saturated fat is found mostly in animal products (beef, lamb, pork, lard, butter, cream, whole milk and high fat cheese) and some plant sources like coconut oil, cocoa butter, palm oil and palm kernel oil. Saturated fat is fairly solid at room temperature (think of butter or the fat you see in a raw marbled steak. Eating too much saturated fat increases the amount of cholesterol in your blood (much more so than consuming high cholesterol foods) and research shows diets in saturated fat increase inflammatory conditions in the arteries.
Many years of research has resulted in the American Heart Association and other expert groups, including the School of Public Health at Harvard to recommend limiting the amount of saturated fats in your diet. This doesn’t mean you can never eat red meat or cheese again, just watch your portion sizes and add variety to your diet with poultry, fish and seafood, and vegetarian dishes. Replace butter with heart-healthy oils like olive and canola oil, and buy non- or low-fat dairy products. Limit your daily saturated fat intake to less than 10% of your daily calorie intake (less than 20 grams for most of us). Read more
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The Myths Surrounding Soy: Part 2
by Shereen Jegtvig
With my last post, I was able to *burst the bubble* surrounding a couple of myths regarding the humble soyabean. While a few people may be allergic or sensitive to soy, the vast majority of people enjoy some terrific health benefits associated with eating soyfoods. It is well documented that soy based foods are a terrific source of protein that’s low in fat – and of the fat that it does contain, most of it is considered good for you!! So let’s take a look at a couple more myths surrounding soy and soyfoods.
Some of the soy myths revolve around protein inhibitors found in soy and other legumes. Some claim that eating soy will damage your pancreas and make it larger. Apparently the fear is that the protein inhibitors prevent your body from breaking down and digesting proteins, so the pancreas has to work overtime to make enough enzymes to digest proteins. There aren’t any studies that back up this claim. For one thing, if the protein inhibitors prevented you from digesting protein, you’d think it would be difficult to digest the protein in soy, but that’s just not the case, soy protein is very easy to digest. Also, any kind of cooking or preparation of soy destroys almost all of those protein inhibitors long before you even eat the soy. Read more
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The Myths Surrounding Soy: Part One
by Shereen Jegtvig
It’s interesting how one food can stir up so much controversy. I get a lot of emails asking about the dangers of eating soy. Dangers of soy? A food that’s been eaten for thousands of years? You’ll also find soy on a lot of superfoods lists. How can that be?
Let me help debunk the soy myths.
Soy isn’t dangerous for your health. In fact, soy and soyfoods are good for you. Studies show soy can reduce cholesterol levels, which improves your heart health, and soy protein is a complete protein, meaning it contains all the essential amino acids (rare for a plant protein). Soy also contains phytoestrogens (plant chemicals similar to, but not the same as, female hormones) that help many women ease the discomforts of menopause. More studies suggest eating soy and soyfoods during childhood may reduce the risk of breast cancer in adulthood. Read more
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