Natural Flavors

I am thoroughly disgusted by what I have found out regarding natural flavors. I really shouldn't be surprised. I have heard rumors of these things before, but reading a transcript from someone who creates flavors for a living really sealed the deal for me. No more natural flavors for this family! It won't be easy, and it may be a slow process to remove them from the house, but I think it will be worth it.

So are natural flavors really natural? Yes, they are, but not in the way that any normal person would think. Here is the definition of natural flavors according to the FDA:

The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.

That doesn't sound too bad, right? The problem is that when you see something that is strawberry natural flavored, you probably assume that it is flavored from strawberries. That is most likely NOT the case. It also makes sense that things that are meat flavored would come from natural meat sources and things that are fruit flavored would come from natural fruit sources, but that's not always true either. The most disturbing thing that I found is that the flavors vanilla and strawberry can both come from the contents of the anal sac of beavers.

WHAT?!

Yeah, that's what I said too.

Natural? Technically, yes.

Good to consume? Maybe not.

Good on the conscience? Heck No!

I am starting to think that the only reason that is the most disgusting one I could find is because it is the only one that has been "leaked" to the public. That little tid bit of information was given to 60 Minutes by a Flavorist (one of the people that actually come up with and create the natural flavors that go into our foods). I can only imagine that the companies who sell these flavors want to keep their ingredients under wraps so that they can stay in business! So, what other interesting (read: horrifying) things are we consuming under the label "natural flavor"?

Those companies have another reason to keep their ingredients hidden from the public eye. They may be promoting obesity through triggering overeating. The Flavorists are tasked with creating flavors that are irresistable and fleeting. That way, we can't just eat one (I mean, when was the last time you ate just one cookie?) and the next time we see that same thing on the shelf of the store, we will buy it again. It makes sense for the food companies. It doesn't make sense for us as consumers.

So, what are we to do as consumers? In my opinion; Eat whole foods. Whole foods don't contain natural flavors. Maybe if enough people can stay away from packaged foods and those that contain natural flavors, the companies will start to lose money and have to change their practices. It sure would be nice to live in a world where we don't have to scrutinize food labels!

Thanksgiving feasts are nearly upon us! How to enjoy them responsibly.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow! Does that stress you out? Why? Does thinking about all of the food and all of the choices that you will have to make surrounding food stress you out?

Don't let it!

You CAN make healthy choices!

You CAN eat everything that you want to and not gain five pounds over night.

You CAN eat to satisfaction and not to that uncomfortable overstuffed feeling!

You don't have to have an unhealthy relationship with food.

Believe in yourself and in your ability to make healthy choices for yourself.

Will there be 10 different things that you want to eat tomorrow? Ok. You can! Just take one spoonful of each item. You can have it all...in small portions.

Are you looking forward more to desserts than dinner? That's Ok!Eat a few bites of turkey and a green veggie and save room for a couple of slices of pie. Then enjoy your pie and don't feel guilty about it!

Or maybe it's the appetizers that you like the most. That's fine too! Turn those into your main meal and scale back on the actual dinner.

Do you have to make choices? Yes! but you CAN do it and feel satisfied and not stuffed and guilty!

Think ahead, make a plan for what will be satisfying to you and stick to your plan. Enjoy your family time and be thankful for a life that allows you to make healthy, satisfying choices.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Are you Addicted to Food?

My big realization of the week: I am addicted to food!

After doing some research on food addiction, I realized that I am, in fact, a food addict. That is a hard realization to come to as a health professional, fitness fanatic and self proclaimed nutrition coach.

The sad things is, I believe most Americans are food addicts. I also believe that it stems from a very, very bad and wrong food environment.

Refined, processed food (sugar) is as, if not more addictive than cocaine, heroine and morphine.

We live in a world where high fat, high sugar and high salt foods are readily available in abundance. Processed foods surround us, and they are addictive! Dr. Pam Peeke explained why in a podcast that she recorded with Chalene Johnson.

These Processed foods that are high in fat, sugar and/or salt are hyper-palatable according to Peeke. That means that they send our brain into overdrive with the pleasure response that they create. Think about the difference in sweetness and perceived pleasure from something natural such as a banana compared to a high-sugar, processed food such as a cupcake. Big difference, right? And that's why it is dangerous. Addictions stem from dysfunctions in the brain related to pleasure and self-control which are regulated by dopamine.

Those with drug addictions and those who are obese have decreased numbers of dopamine receptors. This is linked to a reduced ability to resist temptation and with less enjoyment of food or drugs.

You see, before processed foods were available, our ancestors would take a bite of a ripe piece of fruit, the pleasure (dopamine) receptors in their brain would light up telling them how good that was and they would feel satisfied.

Today we have super sweet, super pleasurable foods that we buy in multipacks. We eat one Oreo, our brain lights up like crazy and we feel wonderful, but a couple of hours later we feel hungry again and we remember how good we felt after eating that Oreo, so we have another...and another. Now our brain is thinking, "that's too intense! We can't live this way!" so it does the only thing that makes sense. It reduces the number of pleasure receptors in order to bring us back to equalibrium. So tomorrow when we have one Oreo, the pleasure sensation is less intense. As a result, we eat another, and another, and another trying to replicate the same level of pleasure as we got the very first time we ate an Oreo. Our bodies just weren't meant to be inundated with such rich foods 24/7. Our brains are wired to set us up for addiction to hyper-palatable foods.

How does this scenario unfold for you? If you have had a long and stressful day at work, do you come home and try to eat away the stress through pre-dinner snacks that make you feel full even before you sit down and devour your whole dinner as well?

Or maybe a long and whine filled day at home with the kids sends you reaching for the tub of ice cream after their bedtime? (That one is so me!) Or maybe you have created a habit of eating every time you sit down to watch something on TV and you eat so mindlessly that before you even realize it you have devoured an entire family-size bag of chips.

If any of the above scenarios sounds familiar to you, you may be a food addict too.

So, where do we start to recover from our food addictions? Well, I'm not 100% sure. I AM sure that Pam Peeke has some great advice in her book entitled The Hunger Fix which I plan to purchase. I also read an article by someone prone to addiction that said the only way to recover is through abstaining completely. That means whatever it is that you overeat on a regular basis, you have to get out of your house and vow to never eat again.

I'm not sure that I am quite to the total abstinence stage myself, but I do know that when I make a dessert for a special occasion, from now on, whatever is left after the guests are gone and all of my family has enjoyed one serving, will be tossed out. I will not be buying any chocolate just to have on hand. I will not be buying any kind of candy or processed sweet just to have in case I get a craving. When I want something sweet, I will have to go out and get (one serving) of it right then and there. When I go out to events where there is a smorgasbord of desserts, I will choose one. I will enjoy it slowly and then I will move on and enjoy the company of friends and family even more. When I sit down to rest in the evenings after my intense day with my WONDERFUL children, I will brew a cup of decaf coffee or hot tea and sip that while I decompress instead of searching through the cupboards for something, ANYTHING sweet.

But perhaps, you are an all-or-nothing type of person. In that case, maybe abstinence is the answer.

Or perhaps you fall into one of the statistics that Pam Peeke talked about in the podcast: women with a history of abuse are 90% more likely to be a food addict and 50% of obese people have a history of trauma or abuse. If that's the case, then please see a therapist. Start there, and begin the healing process because even though you may know intellectually that food can't fix the problem, your brain is still signaling you to try that method first and you have to get off of that never ending circuit!

If you are intrigued by this post, I encourage you to listen to the podcast. It was very enlightening and entertaining.

Lastly, boycott processed foods! We need to get our country back on track in so many ways, and this is an easy place to start that will better our own health immediately, and hopefully the health of our entire country eventually.

High Protein Diet: Good or Bad?

I have been following a high protein lifestyle for years. I swear by it for competition prep. I also tend to recommend it to my clients because of the success that I and many of my friends have had following it. I feel good when I follow a whole food, high protein diet and I haven't ever had negative side effects. I know that many have concerns regarding eating a lot of protein, so I wanted to go over what I know and believe about this style of eating.

First, let me explain what high protein diet means. A high protein diet is any way of eating that is higher in protein than the recommended daily allowance set forth by the USDA. So, anything over 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight would qualify. For example: a 150lb healthy adult eating the RDA for protein would be eating 55 grams of protein per day. One can get that much protein from one cup of Greek yogurt, three ounces of lean meat and two tablespoons of peanut butter. That's not a whole lot of protein and therefore it's pretty easy to spill into a high protein diet pattern without even thinking about it. If that same person were to eat two eggs for breakfast, a snack of one container Greek yogurt, a turkey and cheese sandwich for lunch, another snack containing a handful of nuts and a steak for dinner, they would consume about 70 grams of protein, which would be considered high.

Now let's look at what studies have shown about the effects of a high protein diet on weight loss efforts and other positive effects of this nutrition plan.

According to a review in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition "There is convincing evidence that a higher protein intake increases thermogenesis and satiety compared to diets of lower protein content. The weight of evidence also suggests that high protein meals lead to a reduced subsequent energy intake."

So, high protein meals make you feel full and satisfied. They also keep you from eating extra calories at future meals and they increase your metabolism. Win, win, win!

A 2004 Study in the Annals of Internal Medicine Concluded that "Compared with a low-fat diet, a low-carbohydrate diet program had better participant retention and greater weight loss. During active weight loss, serum triglyceride levels decreased more and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level increased more with the low-carbohydrate diet than with the low-fat diet."

This study found that a high protein diet had a positive effect on cholesterol levels. It increased the good cholesterol and decreased the bad. It was also easier for participants to stick to than a low fat diet. Win, win!

According to a 2006 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition "An HP diet, compared with an AP diet, fed at energy balance for 4 d increased 24-h satiety, thermogenesis, sleeping metabolic rate, protein balance, and fat oxidation. Satiety was related to protein intake".

This study confirms the outcomes of the previous two studies mentioned. High protein diets keep you feeling full longer than lower protein diets, promote fat loss and increase ones metabolsim. Win!

Lastly let's look at the research done on the negative side effects of this type of eating.

The following results were found in a review published in 2005 in the Journal Nutrition and Metabolsim: Although the efficacy of high protein diets for weight loss has been evaluated, there have been no reports of protein-induced diminutions in renal function despite subject populations that are generally at risk for kidney disease (e.g., dyslipidemia, obesity, hypertension) [14,15,22,85-87]. A randomized comparison of the effects of high and low protein diets on renal function in obese individuals suggested that high protein diets did not present a health concern with regard to renal function their study population [65]. In this study, 65 overweight, but otherwise healthy, subjects adhered to a low or high protein diet for six months. In the high protein group, both kidney size and GFR were significantly increased from that measured at baseline. No changes in albumin excretion were noted for either group and the authors concluded that, despite acute changes in renal function and size, high protein intake did not have detrimental effects on renal function in healthy individuals. Similar findings were recently reported by Boden et al. [88] in a study of 10 subjects who consumed their typical diet for 7 days followed by strict adherence to a high protein diet for 14 days. No significant changes were noted in serum or urinary creatinine and albumin excretion, suggesting no ill-effects of a high protein diet on renal function.

You may be thinking that high protein diets cause kidney damage or problems, but the above review did NOT find that to be the case.

The following excerpt was taken from that same review published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism in 2005: "Athletes, particularly in sports requiring strength and power, consume high levels of dietary protein [89,90]. In fact, many athletes habitually consume protein in excess of 2.0 g/kg/day [91]. Supplementation with amino acids will further increase dietary protein levels in these individuals [92]. Yet there is no evidence that this population is at greater risk for kidney disease or losses in renal function [90]. Poortsmans and Dellalieux [93] found that protein intakes in the range of ~1.4–1.9 g/kg/day or 170–243% of the recommended dietary allowance did not impair renal function in a group of 37 athletes. We found no data in the scientific literature to link high protein intakes to increased risk for impaired kidney function in healthy, physically active men and women."

That last phrase is key! Nothing indicates that a high protein diet increases kidney problems in HEALTHY, PHYSICALLY ACTIVE men and women.

In conclusion, I fully agree with the advice given by the Mayo Clinic on following a high-protein diet. If you have renal disease, don't follow a high protein diet. However, if you are healthy and physically active, then it's a great way to kick off weight loss, build muscle or allow you to maintain your current weight. Just make sure that you are focusing on whole foods, lean meats and get in plenty of fruits, veggies and fiber.