Red Carpet Diamonds

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  • Get more antioxidants from your tea
    Tea may be just about the perfect beverage: refreshing, invigorating, and (contrary to conventional wisdom), a good way to stay hydrated. Plus it's full of good-for-you polyphenols, catechins, and other valuable antioxidants that help stave off ovarian and other cancers, osteoporosis, heart disease, and even gum disease! 

    Here are three ways to squeeze more health benefits from that tea bag:
  • Five snacks that fill you up for fewer calories
    FullnessFactor.jpgIt's one thing to find low-calorie snacks but if you're watching your weight, what you want are low-calorie snacks that really fill you up!  Nutrition Data's Fullness Factor helps you zero in on foods that keep you fuller, longer. 

    For example, of these 30 Low-Calorie Snacks, here are the top five in terms of hunger satisfaction:

    Turkey slices with bread-and-butter pickles  Fullness Factor 3.0

    Buffalo mozzarella with tomatoes  Fullness Factor 2.9

    Edamame   Fullness Factor 2.7

    Subway Turkey Breast Wrap  Fullness Factor 2.4

    Hummus and carrot sticks   Fullnss Factor 2.3

    Hint: Foods with more protein and/or fiber have higher Fullness Factor!

    Find the Fullness Factor of any food on Nutrition Data!

    Get more Food and Diet Tips from SELF.com!





  • Your Food Safety Toolkit
    sponge2.jpgThe recent salmonella outbreak and egg recall has dominated the news for over a week now and renewed calls for stronger food safety agencies and policies.

    See Also: What You Need to Know About the Egg Recall

    However, while it doesn't make the newspapers, by far the biggest cause of food-borne illness is improper handling in the home. A few simple habits can greatly reduce the risk of food contamination in your kitchen.
  • Got reflux? Acidic foods aren't the problem
    Q. I am interested in identifying foods that would be bad for someone with acid-reflux related conditions like GERD and Barrett's Espophagus. Is there something on NutritionData.com that would tell me if a food is acidic and should be avoided?

    A. Nutrition Data doesn't show the acidity (pH) of foods. However, acidic foods are not what causes GERD (reflux) or heartburn.

    HEALTHY SELF TIP: Sleeping on your left side can help reduce nighttime reflux

    The burning sensation and other symptoms of reflux occur when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus. Your stomach is supposed to be acidic! Acid helps to break down foods (especially proteins) for digestion and also has the important job of killing any pathogenic micro-organisms your food might contain.  In fact:

    People who take acid-blocking medications have a much higher risk of food poisoning.
  • Evidence against BPA is stacking up
    As consumers have grown increasingly worried about the potential harm from BPA in plastic water bottles and canned food, food manufacturers have mounted a massive campaign aimed at convincing us that we're over-reacting.  See for example this article from the industry-funded International Food and Information Council: Science and the BPA Controversy

    But it's getting harder and harder to claim that consumers have nothing to fear from "normal" BPA exposure.  New data out of Italy links BPA from foods to changes in testosterone levels. These are not lab rats being given huge doses of BPA.  These are humans, simply going about their normal lives and eating their usual diet.

  • Are we getting the whole story on whole grains?
    whole-grain-bread.jpgWe keep hearing that eating more whole grains is good for your heart.

    See also 15 Grains to Eat More Of

    For example, Dr. Steve Parker writes about a recent study showing that eating more whole grains can lower your blood pressure on Nutrition Data's Heart Health Blog.

    But that's not really the whole story. Every study I've ever seen (including this most recent one) shows that eating whole grains instead of refined grains is good for your heart. So are those heart-healthy benefits really the result of adding whole grains to the diet? Or are we seeing the benefits of subtracting refined grains?

    As far as I can see, what the research on whole grains really shows is that if you're going to eat grains, whole grains are better for your heart than refined grains. But if you don't eat a lot of refined grains--or you don't eat a lot of grains, period, I haven't seen any evidence showing eating more whole grains makes your heart any healthier. Have you?

    Here's the study design I'd like to see:

    Group 1: eats refined grains
    Group 2: replaces refined grains with whole grains
    Group 3: replaces refined grains with vegetables

    Or this one:

    Group 1: eats 3 servings of refined grains per day
    Group 2: eats 3 servings of whole grains per day
    Group 3: eats no servings of grains per day

    Your thoughts?
  • Egg Recall: A half billion eggs from just two farms?!
    egg-recall.jpgThe size and scope of the current salmonella-tainted egg recall is overwhelming. But the detail that staggers me is that the half billion eggs involved all came from just two farms: Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa

    See Also: Don't Panic: What You Need to Know About the Recent Egg Recall

    The FDA is still investigating to determine what caused the outbreak. It may have been contaminated feed, poor hygiene practices, or just plain bad luck. But look at what happens when you have a single "farm" distributing hundreds of millions of eggs across dozens of states.
  • Weight Fluctuations: How much is normal?

    Q. I have heard that it is completely normal for a person's weight to vary throughout the day, but by how much does it change? Is it a sign of weight gain if I weigh over three pounds more at the end of a day than at the beginning?

    A. A weight fluctuation of three to five pounds over the course of a day is completely normal and doesn't suggest that you've gained weight.  Weight can be temporarily affected by things like the amount of fluids you've consumed, the timing of your last work-out, or (how to put this?) the status of your digestive processes. In the end, it's not the daily fluctuations that matter as much as the overall trend: Are you gaining, losing, or maintaining?

    Tip: Chart your progress toward your goals with SELF.com's weight, diet, and workout logs.


    How often should you get on the scale?


  • Are your drinking habits healthy?
    These days, it may not seem like a big deal to have a drink before dinner and a couple of glasses of wine with dinner. Yet, according to the National Institutes of Health, consuming that amount of alcohol puts you in a high risk category.

    Rethinking Drinking, a website run by the NIH, can help you assess the risks and/or benefits of your drinking habits.You might be surprised to see how just low the threshold for "low-risk" drinking is, especially when you consider the size of a "standard" drink is just 1.5 ounces of hard liquor. The newly (or once again) popular martini drinks usually contain the equivalent of 2 to 4 servings of alcohol.

    graphic_lowriskdrinkinglevels.jpg

    What do you think? Is this too heavy-handed an approach? Are we American's showing our latent puritanism here?  Are the risks of moderate drinking being overstated?
  • Can Phil Mickelson beat arthritis with vegetarian diet?
    golfer.jpgGolfer Phil Mickelson recently announced that he suffers from psoriatic arthritis, an autoimmune disease that has more in common with rheumatoid arthritis than with regular wear-and-tear osteoarthritis.

    Read:  "Mickelson diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis" in Golf Digest.

    The good news is that he's been able to control the symptoms with a combination of medication and lifestyle changes, including adopting a vegetarian diet, featuring "lots of fruits and vegetables and some whole grain wheat and pastas and stuff." 

    See Also: Safest and most effective OTC Painkillers

    Although this is no doubt a big nutritional upgrade for Mickelson, who has a notorious love of fast food, if reducing inflammation is the goal, he might want to go easy on the fruit and whole wheat pasta.
  • McStatins? That's not even funny
    AJC.gifI really hope they meant it as a joke. But even if they did, it's not funny.

    In a paper published this week in The American Journal of Cardiology, the authors suggest that fast food joints should dispense free cholesterol-lowering medications along with the cheeseburgers and fries to offset the harmful effects of the food.  Maybe this absurd proposal is simply a way to attract media attention. If so, it worked. But the authors stooped pretty low to make their point--which was fairly weak.

    What was their point, anyway?


  • Can leafy greens lead to vitamin A overload?
    Q. Are leafy greens dangerous? The tolerable upper limit for vitamin A is 3000mcg (10,000 IU) and I can get that much from just four outer leaves of romaine lettuce.Vitamin A toxicity sounds like a very serious thing. Should I really only have one lonely leaf in my daily salad?

    A. You're right: vitamin A toxicity can be serious business. But you have nothing to fear from your leafy greens!

    Vitamin A is really a whole family of related compounds, which includes retinoids (pre-formed vitamin A) as well as carotenoids, which are sometimes called as pro-vitamin A because they are converted to retinol in the body.

    In terms of toxicity, only pre-formed vitamin A is a concern.
  • Counting Carbs: Which Number Matters?
    Q. I'm restricting my carb intake to lower my blood sugar levels and lose weight. What number should I use to track my daily carb intake? The number of carbs listed on the nutritional label? The number of net carbs (not exactly sure what that is)? The GI number? The GL number?

    A.  Let me see if I can clear up the confusion about what all these numbers mean. Each number tells you something slightly different about the quality and quantity of carbohydrates in a food. You could choose any of them as your "marker." Each has pros and cons, which I'll outline below.

    Know what you eat: Analyze your diet using Nutrition Data's My Tracking

    Total Carbohydrates, which is the number you'll find on the nutrition facts label, represents everything that's not protein, fat, or alcohol.  It includes starches, sugars, and fiber.  You can establish a target percentage for total carbohydrates, such as 40% of total calories, or a total number of grams, say, 150g. Your actual target number will depend on whether you're going for a moderate carb, low carb, or very low carb regimen.

  • Healthy weight loss: When the usual formulas don't apply

    Q. I want to lose 10-15 pounds, which would put me in the middle of the healthy weight range for my height. I've read that losing 1-2 pounds a week is healthy.  However, when I used the daily needs calculator on Nutrition Data, it said if I cut back to the recommended minimum of 1200 calories per day I could only lose a half a pound a week.  So which is right?  Could exercise help explain the discrepancy?  Thanks!

    A. It sounds as if our Daily Needs Calculator estimates that it takes about 1400 calories to maintain your current weight. In order to lose one pound a week, you'd have to cut back to about 900 calories per day--and that's lower than we usually recommend that you go for more than a day or two because it increases the chances that you'll be falling short on important nutrients.

  • Adding new foods to Nutrition Data
    Nutrition Data gives you the most complete nutritional analysis of the foods you eat, including estimated Glycemic Load, Inflammation Rating, Fullness Factor, Protein Quality, and, of course, a complete breakdown of vitamins, minerals, omega-3s and more.

    But what if the food you're looking for isn't in the database? Perhaps you've stumbled across a new energy bar or brand of hummus that hasn't yet been added to the USDA's nutrient database. 

    How to create your own entries on Nutrition Data

Survey

What do you usually do during weekend?
 

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News Update

Top 10 Must-Haves this Holiday Season

Breaking news: Lady Gaga and Barbara Walters share a style secret!

Know what it is? One look at the accompanying picture will clue you in immediately: These two women share a real knack for bold accessories. This particular image is from the taping ofBarbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2009, and it shows the pop star and the reporter sporting larger-than-life bits and baubles. From Gaga’s huge brooch to Babs’ oversized necklace and belt, the look this season is definitely not demure.

Want to make an entrance at your upcoming seasonal soirees? Any one of these pieces will give you the best gift of all: a load of compliments.

1.  Quartz Bangle. Made from a single piece of smoky light brown quartz, this chunky arm candy is part fine jewelry, part funky. The geometric facets and bold scale guarantee that you’ll shimmer, whether under a disco ball or by candlelight.

2.  Diamond Heart Pendant. The process of micropavé-which sets small diamonds extremely close together to maximize sparkle-is perfect for casual cocktails or special occasions. Plus, the romantic sentiment sets the right tone for the New Year.

3.  Cluster Cognac Diamond Ring. Natural colored diamonds are hotter than ever, and a great way to get noticed among the sea of white ice. This cluster ring is a smart buy for another reason: by pairing several stones together, you get a lot of look for less than what a huge rock would set you back.

4.  Chartreuse Quartz Ring. No holiday season should be celebrated without a colorful cocktail ring. This version, in chartreuse quartz (a vibrant mixture of green and yellow) will not only make you feel like a million bucks, but will remind you that spring is on its way.

5.  Frédérique Earrings. You can either spend tons of time applying makeup, or you can opt for these dazzling diamond drops. The shimmer of 18-karat gold and a half-carat of white diamonds will have everyone looking right at your face.

6.  White Pavé Floret Necklace. It may look discreet, but this 48″ chain dotted with diamonds will look perfect with any ensemble, from jeans and a t-shirt to daring evening wear. Wear it long or double it up-either way, you’re dressed for a party.

7.  Infinity Cross Pendant. In some circumstances, it’s OK to covet! This gorgeous natural fancy colored diamond pendant is a real showstopper, whether worn in worship or simply in a statement of beauty.

8.  Pavé Bracelet. Every girl must have a little bit of rose gold in her jewelry box. This warm metal goes with all skin tones and the repeating motif of the bracelet looks great stacked or alone.

9.  Victorian Band. You don’t need to get married to get a little bit of sparkle this holiday season. Oprah wears a diamond infinity band on her pinky-why not take her cue and make this delicate ring a gift to yourself?

10.          Green Amethyst Ring. The Marquis cut is back and it’s better than ever! Although it had a dip in popularity, this elongated eye-shape is showing up all over again in designer jewels. Be ahead of the curve with this bold ring in a gorgeous shade of green.

Shop all these styles and much more at Jewels Boutique, www.JewelsBoutique.com.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 at 7:30 am and is filed under Celebrity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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