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White Carbohydrates – Healthy Powerhouses

Sugar.

White bread.

Giant, doughy bagels.

Breakfast cereals with a cartoon on the box.

Krispy Kreme donuts.

Yup, these are ALL white carbohydrates. And these are horrible for you. Even the “whole wheat” Krispy Kreme that is an embarrassment to anything remotely healthy.

On the flipside, garlic, cauliflower, onions, oats, oat bran, white button mushrooms, chick peas, and shallots are also white carbohydrates. They’re just not refined white carbohydrates.

So, I admit – I’m a fraud. I have told you in the past that “white carbohydrates are bad for you.” But now I’m here to back peddle a bit and reframe my statements.

Those white carbohydrate based foods have unique properties that can literally save your life!

Obviously blanket statements in nutrition don’t work. Even “trans fats” are bad can be misleading, as there are many different types of trans fats. But let’s stick to the topic at hand and explore how these unique foods can help you reach your goals.

Oats and oat bran are great sources of a particular fiber called beta-glucan. Beta-glucan basically absorbs fat like a dry sponge in a glass of water. This is why data suggest including these foods regularly can slash your risk of heart disease, by decreasing dangerous lipids (blood fats). They’ll also fill you up more than junk carbs, so give these a try.

Garlic has health properties second to none – data show it can boost immunity, acts as an antifungal agent, wards off the common cold (and the common neighbor if you go overboard), and may even lower the risk of heart disease. And, let’s focus on basics – it adds a ton of flavor and nutrition with virtually zero calories. Mohr Results Tip – slice garlic and let it stand exposed to the air for at least 10 minutes. Doing so will open up the “healthy cells” that are inside the cloves (they also are what give it its unique smell and flavor).

Cauliflower is known as a cruciferous vegetable, super high in fiber, but also other unique cancer fighting nutrients that are otherwise difficult to get from the diet. Try this: wash it, break it apart to smaller pieces, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle a pinch of salt and a pinch of nutmeg. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees until tender. Voila! Or, make mashed “potatoes” with it – follow this video to see how!

Chick peas are a great source of soluble fiber, protein, and are high in vitamins and minerals. They’re also the base of a great food, hummus – try hummus as a snack, as the first layer in a wrap, or just a side with some raw veggies.

White button mushrooms offer a ton of health properties. In fact, a study published in the journal, Appetite, showed that when two groups were given the same volume of food in a meal, either from mushrooms or meat, those who included the mushrooms lost more weight! Now, you may be thinking, “of course they lost more weight, they ate less calories” – but the key was they rated their “satisfaction” with hunger and eating just as high as the other group. Take home point – less calories, but they didn’t overeat to make up for it. Some data also suggests mushrooms are a unique source of vitamin D, and may have immune boosting properties as well. Sauté them with some chopped garlic and you’ve got a winning combination.

Shallots are in the same family as onions and garlic, sharing some of the same health properties, but with a more mild flavor. Mix them with eggs, salad dressing, or sautéed with veggies.

Next time you hear a blanket statement about nutrition, take it with a grain of salt – and if it sounds too good to be true, it is.

By the way, refined white carbohydrates ARE horrible for you, so don’t use this as an excuse to stop at the nearest Krispy Kreme shop for a bite to eat — even if you do order the “whole wheat” option.

Eat a Snickers and Fight Heart Disease

Got high blood pressure? Pop a bon bon. Pre-disposed to heart disease? Forget oats, reach for a candy bar. At least that’s what some may suggest.

Alright, that might be somewhat of a stretch, although sometimes we hear the message that “chocolate is healthy” and rationalize that chocolate bar or candy bar on a daily basis.

Research has shown, however, that dark chocolate – but not milk chocolate or white chocolate – has heart health properties.

So the question is – does a chocolate a day really keep the doctor away?

Let’s take a look some of the data that are out there.

Research published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and others have examined this question – and the answers are promising.

It starts with the antioxidant properties of dark chocolate. Antioxidants can be thought of as scavengers in the body that gobble up dangerous free radicals and other destructive molecules.

Think of antioxidants like Pac-Man – and the destructive molecules as the dots in the game that Pac-Man gobbles.

Of course antioxidants aren’t just in dark chocolate – fruits, veggies, tea, and other foods are all loaded, which is why we suggest you eat a varied diet, including those foods regularly. In fact, while dark chocolate is a great source of certain antioxidants, and one of the highest sources of flavonoids and catechins, other foods are better sources of other antioxidants. That’s why variety in the diet is king.

A recent study published in the Southern Medical Journal examined the effectS of dark chocolate on inflammation, lipid levels, and the stickiness of the blood (known as platelet reactivity) in 28 individuals.

They fed the individuals 1 oz of dark chocolate daily for 7 days. The results:

• LDL (the bad cholesterol) dropped by 6%
• HDL increased by 9%
• hsCRP (inflammatory marker) decreased

While this was a short study, it can be combined with the other positive data that are available to support the inclusion of dark chocolate into the diet. Other studies suggest including dark chocolate into a varied diet lowers blood pressure too.

Take home points:

• This isn’t a “free pass” to gorge on chocolate daily – it still contains lot of calories and fat, so if you want to include chocolate, keep those calories in check, but reducing your intake elsewhere.
• Aim for chocolate that has at least 70% cacao (it will tell you this on the package). Our preference are 100% cacao nibs – add them to yogurt for added crunch and you’ve got a great treat that’s healthy, yet not loaded down with sugar.
• Dark chocolate does not mean King Size Twix, Heath Bars, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, etc. It means quality chocolate, without the added junk.
• Limit that intake to about 1 oz per day.
• Make sure the addition of chocolate is part of all the other heart health diet strategies we’ve talked about, including exercising daily as well.

Cheat Your Body Into Thinking It is Full

I came across a pretty good article on Yahoo Health today about the importance of using energy density to basically trick your body into thinking it has eaten more food than it really has.  The energy density of a food is basically its caloric value per gram. The energy density approach to weight loss has been made popular by nutrition researcher Barbara Rolls (who is here at Penn State) with her book Volumetrics. Energy density also plays a large role in Naked Nutrition.

Focusing on low energy dense foods allows you to eat more food and still lose weight (and isn’t that what we all want?).

Here’s a blurb from the Yahoo Health article (it has some good take home points).

Choose very low-density (aka, low-calorie) foods

* Load up on fresh fruits and vegetables. Try shopping at your local farmer’s market for the freshest, most delicious fruits and vegetables at a reasonable cost.
* Limit starchy vegetables like corn, peas, and butternut squash since they’re higher in calories (although they do pack a great nutritional punch).
* Drink nonfat or 1-percent milk only.
* In your cooking, use clear soups or broths, without added fats.
* Consume lean proteins: low-fat cheeses and vegetable protein, skinless chicken breast, broiled or grilled fish (no skin), 93-percent lean (or leaner) ground turkey or meat.

Limit high-density (aka, higher-calorie) foods

* High-fat chips. Even the baked varieties are high in calories and do little to satisfy hunger.
* Cookies. You know it: high in both fat and sugar.
* Chocolate. Dark chocolate has antioxidants and therefore some health benefits, but try to limit yourself to a few small squares per sitting, especially if you’re working on weight loss.
* Nuts. Again, these have health benefits but also a lot of calories per ounce, so use them sparingly.
* Butter. Lite butters are better choices, but watch the amounts you use of those too.
* Oils. Even though olive oil is very heart-healthy, like all other oils it packs about 120 calories per tablespoon, so again use sparingly.

Get the Biggest Weight Loss Bang Out of Green Tea

Green tea has become extremely popular over the past several years. When I went to the Experimental Biology Conference in April there was a TON of research regarding Green Tea and just about every ailment you could think of.

Probably the most popular ‘use’ of green tea is for weight loss (I have a quick video about this that I’ll be posting soon). The driving force behind all the green tea goodness is the antioxidants. Read more

The Death of Organic Food

The increasing pressure/push to buy organic foods by the media, grocery stores, and probably your friends is ever increasing. In the past 8 months the organic food section in my local grocery store has exploded to the point where I sometimes have TROUBLE finding the non-organic versions of certain fruits and vegetables. As much as I’d like to buy a heart of organic romaine lettuce for $5 – I’ll take the regular version at 6 for $5, Thank You. Read more

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