Category Archives: Food

Dining out with allergies is tough

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Although 170 foods have been reported to cause allergic reactions, there are eight common foods that cause allergies: milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Serena Gordon, HealthDay


When you have serious food allergies, eating at a restaurant can literally mean risking your life. But new research suggests you can take steps to protect yourself when dining out.


In fact, the more steps you take to protect yourself from exposure to the allergic substance, the less likely you are to have an allergic reaction, the study found.


The researchers asked 39 people with allergies (or their parents) about 25 behaviors people might do before eating out. Nineteen of those surveyed had experienced a food allergy reaction while dining at a restaurant.


“Overall, when you look at the results and the strategies that people used, people who had an allergic reaction [after eating out] used significantly less strategies compared to non-reactors. Non-reactors used an average of 15 strategies, reactors used an average of six,” said study author Dr. Justine Ade, a pediatric resident at University Hospitals’ Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland.


Up to 15 million people may have food allergies, according to the nonprofit organization FARE (Food Allergy and Research Education). Although 170 foods have been reported to cause allergic reactions, there are eight common foods that cause allergies in the United States: milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish. FARE reports that sesame allergy is also a growing threat.


Eating food outside the home has been linked to numerous deaths in people with food allergies, according to the researchers.


Although the study didn’t evaluate how well any particular strategy worked, it did note how often people used individual strategies.

The top 5 strategies people use

  • Speaking to the waiter on arrival (80 percent)
  • Ordering food with simple ingredients (77 percent)
  • Double-checking food before eating (77 percent)
  • Avoiding restaurants with higher likelihood of contamination (74 percent)
  • Reviewing ingredients on a restaurant website (72 percent)

The strategies used least often

  • Placing food allergy order separately (23 percent)
  • Using a personal allergy card (26 percent)
  • No longer eating at restaurants (39 percent)
  • Choosing a chain restaurant (41 percent)
  • Going to a restaurant during off-peak hours (44 percent)

Ade said it may sound like a lot of work just to eat out, but “these are things that become second nature for some people, and it probably takes less than five minutes to do most of these things.”


People with food allergies aren’t the only ones who worry about what’s on their restaurant plate. Alice Bast, CEO of Beyond Celiac, a nonprofit health and awareness group, said that every time someone with celiac disease eats out, they play “gluten roulette.”


Celiac disease is a digestive disorder, and symptoms are triggered when someone with the disease eats gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.


“Dining out is one of the biggest challenges of living with celiac disease,” Bast said. “When you’re out of control of your food, it’s easy to feel anxious about the possibility of becoming sick. There are always risks when someone else is preparing your meal, especially if they don’t take it seriously, or if they are just unaware of how to take the appropriate precautions.”


Both experts said it’s important to be vigilant and take the steps that you can to make sure your food is as safe as it can be. In the case of food allergies, Ade said it’s important to carry an epinephrine injection pen every time you eat out.


Ade presented the findings at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology annual meeting, in Seattle. Research presented at meetings is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Subtract the additive

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Propionate is a preservative commonly found in breads and other manufactured foods. Researchers are trying to pin down the effects on humans, but in animal trials the ingredient led to weight gain. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Amy Norton, HealthDay


If you’re watching your weight, you probably know to avoid sugary and fatty foods.


But what about preservatives?


Eating a preservative widely used in breads, baked goods and cheese may trigger metabolic responses that are linked to obesity and diabetes, an early study suggests.


The additive, called propionate, is actually a naturally occurring fatty acid produced in the gut. When it’s used as an additive in processed foods, it helps prevent mold.


But in the new study, researchers found that feeding mice low doses of propionate gradually caused weight gain and resistance to the hormone insulin—which, in humans, is a precursor to type 2 diabetes.


And when the researchers gave healthy adults a single propionate dose, it spurred a release of blood sugar-raising hormones—and a subsequent surge in insulin.


None of that proves propionate-containing foods raise the odds of weight gain and diabetes, said senior researcher Dr. Gokhan Hotamisligil, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health.


“The point is not to say this additive is ‘bad,’” he stressed.


Instead, Hotamisligil said, his team is interested in understanding the effects—good or bad—of the various “molecules” humans consume in their diets.


“There’s a scarcity of scientific evidence on a lot of the things we put in our bodies through food,” he said. “Propionate is just one example.”


Still, Hotamisligil said, the findings do raise an important question: “Could long-time consumption of propionate in humans be a contributing factor to obesity and diabetes?”


When it comes to processed foods, the concern is usually directed toward ingredients like added sugar, sodium and trans fats. But there’s also a host of additives that, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, are “generally recognized as safe.”


Despite that “GRAS” status, though, there is typically little known about how those food additives might affect metabolism, according to Hotamisligil.


Dr. Emily Gallagher is an assistant professor of endocrinology at Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine in New York City.


She agreed it’s important to dig into the potential metabolic effects of food additives.


“People may look at food labels and think they are making healthy choices,” said Gallagher, who had no part in the study. “But without our knowledge, very small amounts of certain additives in food may be causing detrimental metabolic effects.”


That said, it’s too soon to point the finger at propionate, according to Gallagher.


She called these early findings “thought-provoking,” but said longer-term studies are needed to better understand any health effects from the additive.


For the animal portion of the study, the researchers gave mice propionate in their water. The immediate effects included an increase in three hormones that spur the liver to produce glucose (sugar). Over time, chronic exposure to the additive caused the mice to gain weight and become resistant to the hormone insulin, which helps lower blood sugar levels.


The human portion of the study included 14 healthy people given a dose of either propionate or a placebo with a meal. Compared with the placebo meal, the additive caused the same hormonal response seen in mice, plus a surge in insulin in the blood.


Whether those effects over time could harm people’s health is unknown.


Many factors, including overall diet and exercise, affect the risks of obesity and diabetes, Gallagher pointed out.


For now, she said, the findings support the general advice that we should be limiting processed foods in favor of healthier, whole foods.


Hotamisligil agreed. “I’m not saying, if you don’t eat propionate, you’ll live forever,” he said. “But these are the types of foods we should limit anyway.”


The findings were published online recently in Science Translational Medicine.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


The darker side of inflammation

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Beat chronic inflammation—and all of its side effects—with a vegan diet. And if that won’t work, there are other options. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Allan Adler, Spectrum Health Beat


As it relates to biological processes within the human body, inflammation is often considered a necessary process.


When the body recognizes a threat from something foreign—an invading bacteria or virus—it activates the immune system to protect itself. Much benefit is derived from the inflammatory process, but only when it truly alerts the body to fight the foreign invaders.


Chronic inflammation is another story altogether. It often presents itself in well-known inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune disorders and ulcerative colitis, among various other illnesses.


But chronic inflammation has even a darker side, according to Thomas Boyden, MD, medical director of preventive cardiology with Spectrum Health.


Chronic inflammation can cause coronary artery disease and contribute to the process that causes heart attack and stroke, Dr. Boyden said.


Fortunately, there is a simple solution to help reduce the harmful effects of chronic inflammation: Eat a healthier diet.


In a society where the penchant for meats and over-processed foods runs high, it is admittedly no easy feat for most people to follow a proper diet.


But the most ideal way to reduce chronic inflammation is, in fact, to follow a plant-based diet, Dr. Boyden said. Basically, you would eat nothing that was once alive and moving, such as red meat, poultry, pork or fish. Stay away from animal products such as dairy.


Those who can accomplish this vegan regimen could reduce their risk of heart attack, stroke, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, Dr. Boyden said.


Realistically, this type of diet doesn’t work for most people, so he highly recommends the Mediterranean diet as the best alternative.


“You can eat fish, poultry and dairy, but it is basically a plant-based diet that allows you to eat small portions of animal-based foods,” he said.

A workable diet

The Mediterranean diet is an entirely accessible, achievable solution for eating.


Spectrum Health offers a 10-week program, Eating the Mediterranean Way, presented by Irene Franowicz, RD, CDE, outpatient dietitian and certified diabetes educator.


“I always find it interesting to hear the different reasons that people want to join the program,” Franowicz said. “We’ve had a lot of success with weight loss, lowering blood sugars and cholesterol. Besides these factors, I also have people join because they may have Alzheimer’s, rheumatoid arthritis or cancer in their families, and they want to reduce their risks.


“I think people have great success with long-term weight loss because the diet is sustainable, delicious and satisfying,” she said.


Another reason people often find success with the Mediterranean diet: It emphasizes good fats such as olive oil, nuts, seeds and omega-3 fatty acids. These types of fats are not only delicious and satisfying, they also keep people from feeling deprived of food.


Better still, these fats help fight inflammation.


To reduce inflammation, it’s generally smart to avoid animal products as often as possible, Dr. Boyden said. Avoid saturated fats, too, which are often found in those products.


And more specifically: Stay away from foods that are fried, sugary or processed.


You should avoid artificial sweeteners, too. They’re made from chemicals—and why would you want to put a synthetic chemical in your body?


“They are not healthy,” Dr. Boyden said, explaining how artificial sweeteners can actually stimulate the brain to tell you you’re hungry. They can also make you gain weight.


“Truthfully, if you change your diet, you really do change your life,” Dr. Boyden said.


Dr. Boyden and Franowicz listed some of the obvious foods that exacerbate inflammation, as well as those that help fight it.


Foods that cause inflammation:

  • Butter and margarine
  • Fast food and fried foods
  • Red meat (burgers, steak) and processed meat (hot dogs, sausage)
  • Refined carbohydrates such as white breads, sweets and pastries
  • Sodas and sweetened beverages

Foods that fight inflammation:

  • Olive oil, nuts and avocados
  • Fatty fish like salmon twice a week
  • Tomatoes and greens like kale, spinach, swiss chard
  • Blueberries, strawberries, cherries, oranges
  • Whole grains (farro, quinoa, wheatberries)
  • Small amounts of dark chocolate

Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


Whip up a peach-perfect meal

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A peach streusel is a healthy way to sate those cravings for something sweet and summery. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Len Canter, HealthDay


Sweet plums and peaches are great on their own, a good source of potassium and a sweet low-cal snack with only 40 calories each.


But you can also use them as the foundation of dishes perfect for summer entertaining.


When it comes to picking out the best stone fruit, look for firm, unblemished skins—no scratches or bruises. If they’re firm to the touch, let them rest on a countertop or windowsill or in a basket for four to five days until ripe.


If you love fruit pies, but not their calorie overload, fruit crisps are a great swap. They’re lower in calories because they have only a streusel topping, no pie crust. This also makes them easier to prepare.

Stone fruit crisp

  • 4 plums or peaches, halved, pitted and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 pint raspberries

(For the streusel)

  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup rolled oats

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


Place the stone fruit slices in a large bowl along with the lemon juice, vanilla and cinnamon. Toss well. Arrange fruit in an 8-inch baking dish, overlapping them slightly, and then sprinkle with the raspberries.


In a clean bowl, use a pastry blender or fork to mix the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, butter and rolled oats until well combined. Sprinkle over the fruit and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until top is golden and the berries are bubbling. Cool 5 minutes before serving.


Yield: 4 servings


For a twist on traditional salsa, this fruit-based variation really satisfies.

Stone Fruit Salsa

  • 1 pound ripe peaches, plums or a mix, pitted and diced
  • 1/2 cup minced red onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, leaves and stems
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, toss well and refrigerate for about an hour before serving to allow the flavors to develop. Use as an accompaniment for grilled chicken or fish, or as a dip for whole-grain pita wedges or crackers.


Yield: 4 servings


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.





BMI, meet DNA

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Why do some folks manage to lose significant weight with casual dieting, while others will lose nary a pound with a strict plan? It often comes down to genetics, researchers say. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


While some people fight the “battle of the bulge” for a lifetime, others seem to effortlessly stay slim. And now scientists say it all boils down to genetics.


Certain DNA helps decide whether weight gain is a torment or not for people, British researchers report.


“It’s easy to rush to judgment and criticize people for their weight, but the science shows that things are far more complex,” said study leader Sadaf Farooqi.


Instead, “we have far less control over our weight than we might wish to think,” said Farooqi. She’s a professor at the Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science at the University of Cambridge.


One U.S. expert agreed.


“We stigmatize people based on weight and subconsciously blame them for not taking care of themselves,” said Dr. Mitchell Roslin, chief of obesity surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “We state they lack willpower, but instead, this study shows that the most thin and the heaviest have genetic dispositions that control their body weight.”


Of course, any number of factors affect weight, including eating habits and exercise levels. But some people stay thin despite unhealthy lifestyles, while others struggle with overweight and obesity despite their best efforts, the British team noted.


Prior studies on “obesity” genes have focused on people who were already overweight or obese.


But the new study also focused on thin people (those with a body mass index of 18 or below), trying to discover why they often have an easier time staying slim.


To do so, the Cambridge group analyzed the DNA of more than 1,600 thin, healthy Brits. They then compared that data with the genetics of nearly 2,000 severely obese people and more than 10,000 normal-weight people.


The investigators spotted several common gene variants already linked with obesity. They also found new genetic regions tied to severe obesity, and some others linked to “healthy thinness.”


The researchers then added up the contribution of the different genetic variants to calculate each person’s “genetic risk score.”


“As anticipated, we found that obese people had a higher genetic risk score than normal-weight people, which contributes to their risk of being overweight,” study co-author Ines Barroso, of the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said in a university news release.


“The genetic dice are loaded against them,” Barroso said.


Thin people also had fewer genetic variants known to raise the odds of being overweight, according to the study published recently in the journal PLoS Genetics.


Farooqi’s conclusion: “Healthy thin people are generally thin because they have a lower burden of genes that increase a person’s chances of being overweight and not because they are morally superior, as some people like to suggest.”


These “thin genes” appear to be passed along through generations, the study authors added. About 74 percent of the thin people in the study had a family history of people being thin and healthy.


Does all of this mean that less genetically gifted people should just shrug and give in to becoming obese? Not so, said nutritionist and weight-management expert Michelle Milgrim.


“While genetics may play a leading role in determining our ‘weight destiny,’ there is a growing body of research to suggest that how we live our lives is as important as our genetic predispositions,” said Milgrim, who manages employee wellness at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, N.Y.


“Staying active, sitting less, cutting out processed and fast foods and focusing on eating a balanced diet of whole foods are general healthy recommendations for everyone, despite your genes,” she said.


In the meantime, the Cambridge researchers said their research might someday end up helping everyone stay thin, regardless of their personal DNA.


“We already know that people can be thin for different reasons” Farooqi said. “Some people are just not that interested in food whereas others can eat what they like, but never put on weight. If we can find the genes that prevent them from putting on weight, we may be able to target those genes to find new weight-loss strategies and help people who do not have this advantage.”


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



Allergic to red meat? Blame a tick

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Based on new findings, scientists suspect people are more likely than first thought to develop a red meat allergy if they’re bitten by a tick. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


Certain tick bites can cause a red meat allergy—and now scientists are shedding new light on the condition, known as alpha-gal syndrome.


Alpha-gal is a sugar found in most mammal blood, but not in humans.


“Our original hypothesis was that humans developed the allergy after being exposed to alpha-gal through a tick that had fed on a deer, dog or other small mammal that has alpha-gal,” said researcher Scott Commins.


When people develop an allergic immune response to alpha-gal, it can lead to a red meat allergy, explained Commins, who is an associate professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill.


“This new data suggests that ticks can induce this immune response without requiring the mammal blood meal, which likely means the risk of each bite potentially leading to the allergy is higher than we anticipated,” he said in a university news release.


In this study, scientists did a series of laboratory experiments with human immune cells and saliva from four species of ticks: Lone Star, deer, Gulf Coast and American dog. Some had fed on blood containing alpha-gal, others had not.


As expected, saliva from Lone Star and deer ticks that had recently fed on blood containing alpha-gal caused an immune cell reaction. But saliva from ticks that had not recently fed on blood also triggered a reaction, the findings showed.


“These results suggest that more tick bites than we initially suspected could pose a risk for developing red meat allergy,” Commins said.


However, no saliva from the Gulf Coast or the American dog ticks caused a reaction, according to the report.


The study was presented Saturday at an American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology meeting, in San Francisco. Research presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.


There is no treatment for alpha-gal syndrome, other than avoiding foods and products that cause a reaction, the researchers noted.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



Sharpen your metabolic insight

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Scrutinizing what you eat—and how much—will play an outsized role in shaping your metabolism in your mid-30s and beyond. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Len Canter, HealthDay


Your metabolism rate determines how fast you burn calories. That can influence how fast you lose weight—and how easily you can gain it.


After age 25, metabolism naturally slows by 5 percent every decade.


So if you eat as much in your 40s as you did in your 20s, you’re going to add extra pounds—especially if you exercise less and lose muscle. In addition to weight training to maintain muscle, these tips from the American Council on Exercise can help.


Stick to well-spaced meals at the same times each day. This lets your body know to expect fuel at regular intervals and prevents it from conserving calories and adding to fat stores.


Calorie cutting is important if you need to lose weight, but reducing your intake to starvation levels also puts your body in conservation mode, slowing down metabolism.


So rather than speeding up weight loss, starvation ultimately slows it. And that’s why it’s so easy to regain lost weight when you start eating normally: Your metabolism tends to stay slow.


Dehydration can lead to a 2 percent drop in the number of calories burned, so drink at least eight glasses of water throughout each day and even more when you sweat a lot.


Watch the alcohol. Besides adding empty calories to your diet, processing alcohol diverts the liver from burning fat.


Also consider milk and other dairy choices for their calcium, a mineral involved in fat metabolism.


Dairy also delivers whey and casein—proteins that help build and preserve muscle. Remember that the more muscle you have, the more calories it takes to maintain it.


Finally, keep the hormones that regulate hunger and fullness on an even keel by getting enough sleep—at least seven hours a night.


Otherwise, you might find yourself craving sugary, fatty and starchy foods. Plus if you’re sleep-deprived on a regular basis, your body may not burn calories efficiently.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



Navigating the yogurt aisle

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You can tame those daunting jaunts down the yogurt aisle by keeping an eye on sugar content. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Kristi Veltkamp, Spectrum Health Beat


Ah, yogurt. A simple staple food, around for hundreds of years, has somehow gotten complicated.


You can now peruse the yogurt section for hours, reading labels as you try to choose the best option. Do you go Greek? Regular? Drinkable? Full-fat or fat-free? Flavored or plain? Grass-fed? Non-dairy?


Do I even need yogurt?


It’s enough to frustrate you into skipping that section altogether.


It’s true—there are more options than ever before. But options are a good thing as long as you know what to look for.


The bottom line: Yogurt can be a great food to incorporate daily.


It’s an excellent source of probiotics, those beneficial bacteria for gut health, and it packs plenty of protein, calcium, potassium, magnesium and vitamins B6 and B12.


It has even been shown to help prevent Type 2 diabetes.


Yogurt is made from milk and then fermented with live bacteria cultures that feed on the lactose, the sugar in milk. For those with lactose intolerance, this makes it easier to digest.


Greek yogurt is made when traditional yogurt is strained longer to remove the whey. It’s thicker than traditional yogurt, with higher protein, fewer carbs and less calcium.


Kefir yogurt is a drinkable yogurt made with kefir grains for the bacteria culture. It’s often 99 percent lactose-free and it’s the best source of probiotics.


Personal preferences on flavor and nutrition goals should steer your choice.

Here’s a guide on what to look for when working through the yogurt aisle:

Simple is better

When possible, go for plain. The ideal yogurt does not have any added ingredients beyond the milk and bacteria cultures. Anything flavored is bound to have added sugars or artificial flavors and sweeteners.


Keep in mind, yogurt naturally contains sugar, which means anything over 8 to 12 grams of sugar would come from added sugars. For many flavored brands, you might as well be having a bowl of ice cream with the amount of sugar added.

Doctor it up

For most, plain yogurt will not do the trick. Start with the plain and add your own ingredients.


Top favorites include fresh or frozen fruits, nuts and seeds, granola and honey. Yogurt is also great in smoothies, used in place of sour cream or mayo, or used to make salad dressing or veggie dips.

Lactose intolerance

If you have lactose intolerance, you should be able to tolerate most yogurts. However, those with more severe lactose intolerance may want to look for yogurts that are labeled lactose-free.


Several brands have a lactose-free variety. This means you do not have to cut it out completely.

Grass-fed or organic

My rule of thumb: “You eat what you eat eats.” In other words, the nutritional quality of any animal product can be affected by what the animals has been fed.


Grass-fed products will ensure the animal ate a natural diet, which could improve the nutritional quality of the milk. Organic will also ensure there are no added antibiotics or hormones. It’s also better for the environment.


If you’re OK with spending a little extra, go for grass-fed and organic items.

Low-fat or full-fat

While it is true that whole milk is high in saturated fat—and saturated fat increases cholesterol—findings suggest that full-fat yogurt does not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Whole milk yogurt can be enjoyed in moderation by some, while others may prefer low-fat for reducing calories.

Dairy-free variety

For those who choose to follow a vegan diet or have dairy allergies or intolerances, dairy-free yogurt is a nice option. These items still provide beneficial probiotic bacteria and are an easy snack.


The drawback is that the yogurts made from nut milk generally do not have protein and most non-dairy yogurts are loaded with sugar. If you choose to go this route, opt for unsweetened.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



Healthy fats in Mediterranean diet won’t boost weight

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Study shows a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetable fats such as olive oil and nuts had little effect on body weight or waist circumference compared to people on a low-fat diet. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


An eating plan that includes healthy fats such as olive oil and nuts isn’t likely to cause weight gain, a new study finds.


That’s good news for people who’d prefer to try the Mediterranean diet—which includes healthy fats—over a diet that’s low in fat. And the study authors suggest that current health guidelines may be creating an unnecessary fear of these healthful fats.


“More than 40 years of nutritional policy has advocated for a low-fat diet, but we’re seeing little impact on rising levels of obesity,” said study lead author Dr. Ramon Estruch, of the University of Barcelona in Spain.


“Our study shows that a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetable fats such as olive oil and nuts had little effect on body weight or waist circumference compared to people on a low-fat diet. The Mediterranean diet has well-known health benefits and includes healthy fats, such as vegetable oils, fish and nuts,” Estruch explained in a journal news release.


However, he also pointed out that not all fats are created equal. “Our findings certainly do not imply that unrestricted diets with high levels of unhealthy fats such as butter, processed meat, sweetened beverages, desserts or fast-foods are beneficial,” Estruch added.


The study included more than 7,400 women and men in Spain, aged 55 to 80. The study participants ate one of three eating plans: an unrestricted-calorie Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil; an unrestricted-calorie Mediterranean diet rich in nuts; or a low-fat diet meant to avoid all dietary fat.


All the participants had type 2 diabetes or high heart risk. More than 90 percent were overweight or obese, the study authors noted.


After five years, total fat intake fell from 40 percent to 37 percent in the low-fat diet group, and rose in both Mediterranean diet groups, from about 40 percent to 42 percent. The percentage of proteins and carbohydrates decreased in both Mediterranean diet groups, the findings showed.

People in all three groups lost some weight: an average of almost 2 pounds (0.88 kilograms) per person in the olive oil group, 1.3 pounds (0.60 kg) in the low-fat diet group, and 0.9 pounds (0.40 kg) in the nut group, the researchers said.


Waist circumference did increase slightly in all three groups, though less so in those on the healthy fat diets. The low-fat group had an increase of about a half-inch (1.2 centimeters) per person. The olive oil group saw an increase of about one-third of an inch (0.85 cm), and the nut group only saw an increase in waist circumference of 0.14 inches (0.37 cm), the study authors reported.


The report was published June 6 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.


“The fat content of foods and diets is simply not a useful metric to judge long-term harms or benefits,” Dariush Mozaffarian, professor in the School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University in Boston, wrote in an accompanying commentary.


“Energy density and total caloric contents can be similarly misleading. Rather, modern scientific evidence supports an emphasis on eating more calories from fruits, nuts, vegetables, beans, fish, yogurt, phenolic-rich vegetable oils, and minimally processed whole grains; and fewer calories from highly processed foods rich in starch, sugar, salt, or trans-fat,” Mozaffarian explained.


“Dietary guidelines should be revised to lay to rest the outdated, arbitrary limits on total fat consumption. Calorie-obsessed caveats and warnings about healthier, higher-fat choices such as nuts, phenolic-rich vegetable oils, yogurt, and even perhaps cheese, should also be dropped,” Mozaffarian wrote.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Noodle your veggies

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Pasta made from zucchini noodles—zoodles, as they’re called—has about a quarter of the calories you’d find in regular noodles. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Len Canter, HealthDay


Want to get more veggies into your diet but feeling bored with the same old side dishes?


Making noodles from vegetables is the answer. They’re a great substitute for high-calorie, low-fiber traditional pasta and work just as well as a base for your favorite sauces.


While it’s possible to use a sturdy vegetable peeler to turn carrots or zucchini into noodle-length strips, a tool called a mandoline will cut your prep time in half. Just be aware that the mandoline blade has very sharp edges. You’ll want to hold the pusher accessory as you run the length of your vegetables across the blade. In addition, wear a thick kitchen glove to protect your fingers.


Zucchini is perfect for the mandoline because it slices easily. You can make the following sauce ahead of time. It yields enough for another meal.



Zucchini Noodles With Marinara Sauce

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Red chili flakes to taste
2 28-ounce cans San Marzano tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup white wine or broth, any variety
1 basil sprig
2 large zucchini
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive, safflower or grapeseed oil
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Brown the garlic in two tablespoons of oil for two to three minutes. Add chili flakes, the tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste, salt and black pepper and stir. Next, add the wine or broth and the basil. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, 30 to 40 minutes until the sauce thickens. Set aside.

Wash the zucchini. Cut off the stems and discard. Insert the fine tooth blade into a mandoline and tighten the screw to hold it in place. Press the pusher into the center of the first zucchini and hold the pusher as you run the vegetable over the surface of the mandoline to form the noodles. Repeat with the other zucchini.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the tablespoon of the oil of your choice. Add the zucchini noodles and cook two to three minutes, stirring often until they soften. Top with marinara sauce and toss well. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.




The magic of herbs

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Herbs are a healthy way of adding flavor to your diet. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Kristi Veltkamp, Spectrum Health Beat


Don’t eat fat. Use less salt. Stay away from sugar. No processed foods. On and on these ‘Do not eat’ signs flash before our eyes.


But how about we stop looking at what to take out of our diets and more at what to put into our diets?


Herbs are one of the most power-packed foods out there and they often fall under the radar when it comes to giving your body a boost.


Want to use less salt, have more flavor in your dishes, and provide a dose of antioxidants to your meal? Add herbs.


Herbs are one of the highest ranked foods for antioxidants and they pack a punch of flavor to boot.


Antioxidants help fight free radicals that damage cells and cause cancers and heart disease. The ORAC scale measures the antioxidant levels of foods and, right at the top of the list, you will find various herbs. Among the best are oregano, rosemary, thyme, parsley and basil.

Get started with these 7 top tips:

  • Buy or cut fresh herbs a few days before or the day you are going to use them.
  • Store them in an open bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer.
  • Wash and pat dry your fresh herbs just before using them.
  • Use three times as much fresh herb if a recipe calls for dried herbs. For example, if a recipe includes 1 teaspoon of dried parsley, use 3 teaspoons of fresh parsley.
  • Use 1/3 the amount of dried herbs if the recipe calls for fresh. For example, if the recipe includes 3 tablespoons of fresh dill, use 1 tablespoon of dried dill.
  • Add fresh, freshly ground, or leafy dried herbs (basil, parsley, oregano, dill) at the end of cooking.
  • Add hardy dried herbs (thyme, bay leaves, anise, caraway, fennel) near the beginning of cooking.

Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


The key to avoiding diabetes

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Those approaching menopause should be extra careful about diabetes. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Diana Bitner, MD, Spectrum Health Beat


Diabetes is a far too common disease, and unfortunately, it is on the rise.


The statistics are sobering: Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death among Americans. Sadly, 1 in 11 (29 million) Americans suffer from diabetes, and 1 in 3 (86 million) have pre-diabetes.


The good news is that some forms of diabetes can be prevented, and the best way to prevent this disease is to become educated about what it is and how you can avoid it.


First, let’s be clear about the definitions.


Type 1 diabetes is typically diagnosed in kids or young adults. In Type 1 diabetes, the body (specifically the pancreas) does not make insulin and, therefore, cannot process sugar. The sugar then stays in the blood and can’t get in the cells to be used as energy. Symptoms of this type of disease include weight loss, fatigue, thirst, frequent urination and extreme hunger, even after eating. Type 1 diabetes does not tend to run in families, and diagnosis is done with a simple blood sugar test.


Type 2 diabetes does tend to be hereditary, by both genetic risk factor for insulin resistance and health habits (physical activity and diet). Type 2 diabetes is preventable and is caused by high blood sugar from insulin resistance. Symptoms of this disease include those listed for Type 1 diabetes, plus blurred vision and headaches.


What exactly does insulin resistance mean? Here’s how it works: Insulin is the key to getting blood sugar into the cells—brain cells, liver cells and muscle cells. If someone has insulin resistance, it takes more insulin to get the door of the cell to open. Therefore, while waiting for the pancreas to make more insulin, the blood sugar rises and not only gets pushed into fat, but also causes the many complications of diabetes. As the belly fat increases, it leads to more insulin resistance.


Here’s a simpler way to think about it: When someone with pre-diabetes says they are “craving carbs,” or they are a “carbaholic,” I like to say that they aren’t actually craving carbs; instead, their fat is craving sugar. Unfortunately, when they eat the sugar, it goes straight to their fat, instead of going to their muscles, brain or liver. When people with pre-diabetes eat sugar, they are starving themselves and feeding their fat. To stop the craving, they must stop the sugar for 10 days and tell the fat to “shut up.”

Not all carbs are bad

Now let’s focus on carbs.


Carbohydrates are necessary fuel for our bodies—especially our muscles and our brain. Our liver needs to store a little bit of carbs as glycogen for when we need a boost, like after walking at a good pace for 40 minutes. However, there is a difference between healthy and unhealthy carbs.


Complex (healthy) carbs raise the blood sugar slowly and allow the pancreas to make insulin slowly and push the sugar into the right cells—not into the fat on your body. We need complex carbs at breakfast, morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack, and then not so much for the rest of the day. Healthy carbs include whole grain whole wheat bread, brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, oatmeal (cooked—not the sugary packets), beans, peas and green vegetables.


Simple (unhealthy) carbs raise your blood sugar quickly, overwhelm the insulin in your body and get pushed into your fat. Think of simple carbs as a treat—white rice, white tortillas, baked goods, candy, many cereals, and anything made with mostly white flour.


Unfortunately, too many people think they are doing the right thing by staying away from all carbs. That is the wrong tactic.


When my patients (all women, of course) tell me they don’t eat any carbs, I let them know that’s the wrong approach to good health. The goal is to achieve an even blood sugar with minimal insulin spikes. High insulin can make us hungry for sugar and then pushes the sugar into fat. A healthy diet only contains one small treat per day—a piece of chocolate, a serving of alcohol, or a white flour tortilla.


Think of these types of carbs like a budget—you can have some carbs, but you can’t have them all at once.


Blood sugars and Type 2 diabetes can cause many complications—kidney disease, hypertension, stroke, skin problems, neuropathy, foot problems, infections resulting in loss of toes, eye issues (glaucoma and blindness), and impotence in women and men.


High blood sugars damage and clog small blood vessels, and if organs, including the eye, heart, kidney and sex organs, do not get blood, the various organs can’t work properly and problems occur.

Risk factors to know

It’s important to know the risk factors associated with this disease. Family history of diabetes, being overweight (especially with belly fat), and inactivity are all serious risk factors. In addition, women have two other factors that can work against them: having diabetes during pregnancy and menopause.


Menopause increases the risk by causing insulin resistance, and menopause can also make things worse by causing poor sleep from night sweats. The cycle continues because poor sleep makes it more difficult to have the energy to exercise and make good food choices. Menopause can definitely wreak havoc for women and diabetes.


I see many menopausal women in my office each year, and so many of them tell me about their struggle with weight. I remember one patient in particular I’ll call Sue.


Sue came to see me for heavy bleeding around the time her menopause had started. We did an ultrasound, which showed a thick uterine lining, so I scheduled a dilation and curettage.


During her exam, I also asked her what was the No. 1 struggle in her life. She started crying and told me her weight was her biggest struggle. Over the years, she had managed to keep her weight at a “tolerable” level, but in the past six months (around the time she started menopause), her weight continued to climb and she was giving up.


I couldn’t let Sue leave my office without trying to see what she could change to help with her weight struggle. We went through her diet, and she mentioned that she was avoiding carbs most of the day. She would eat some protein throughout the day and try to starve herself by eating little else.


By the time she began preparing dinner, she was extremely hungry and tired. As a result, she would eat the same meal she had just made for her family—some type of meat and a potato or pasta.


Even though Sue limited her portions throughout most of the day, she was actually causing herself to put on more weight. Her body was so hungry that whatever food was being consumed was being pushed into belly fat. Sue was surprised to learn she was making it worse, but I helped her develop a simple and easy plan to incorporate complex carbs into her diet.


By the time I saw her for her dilation and curettage several weeks later, she was feeling better, had more energy, and had lost six pounds for the first time in years.


It’s important for all of us to know as much as we can about diabetes in order to avoid falling victim to this disease.


Knowing the risk factors plus ways to avoid diabetes (exercise and diet) are imperative.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Let’s get grilling

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A surefire route to healthy grilling: Toss some fresh fruits and vegetables on the grill and drizzle on some olive oil. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Irene Franowicz, RD, CDE, Spectrum Health Beat


Tired of the same old barbecue? Looking for healthier options that transcend those humdrum hot dogs and banal burgers?


It doesn’t matter if you’re a vegetarian or a meat-lover, or even something in between—there are plenty of ways to add variety and flavor to your summer grilling plans.


And the best part is, you can keep it healthy along the way.

Healthier hot dog

At a ball game or barbecue, hot dogs just seem to call your name. And they appear so innocent because they’re so small and simple.


But don’t be fooled. Done wrong, a single hot dog can pack on the calories.


If you get a dog with all the fixings—cheese, chili, ketchup, mustard, mayo and baked beans—and you add coleslaw, macaroni salad or potato salad as a side, you’re looking at anywhere from 750 to 2,000 calories. Not to mention all the fat.


But you don’t need to avoid hot dogs altogether. You just need to choose wisely.


Look for a hot dog that has less fat than its original version.


For example: A Hebrew National standard beef frank has about 150 calories and 13 grams of fat, but the “97 percent fat-free” version has 45 calories and 1 gram of fat. The better-for-you version has 105 fewer calories and 12 grams less fat.

It’s simple math.


You can also get turkey, chicken or veggie franks as a healthier option to make at home. It’s also recommended you choose a whole wheat bun for added fiber.


If you trade in your pork brat for a turkey brat, you’ll cut your calories in half and drastically lower your fat intake. A pork sausage has anywhere from 290 to 455 calories and 23 to 38 grams of fat per link. A turkey or chicken sausage, on the other hand, has about 140 to 180 calories and 7 to 12 grams of fat.


If you’re vegetarian, opt for veggie sausages made of soy, bean or tofu protein. Just about every grocery store offers delicious gourmet chicken sausages that are additive-free and they have great flavors such as sun-dried tomato, gouda and apple, and spinach feta. (For the sake of comparison, the typical chicken sausage has about 180 calories and 12 grams of fat.)


As a side, meanwhile, fill up on grilled veggies and veggie-and-bean salsas (sometimes called “cowboy caviar”). Or choose fruit salad instead of pasta and macaroni salad.


It’s truly all about making healthy substitutions that suit your taste.

Meat mythology

Somewhere along the way, you’ve probably heard that ground turkey is a healthier option than ground beef, particularly if you’re looking for fewer calories and less saturated fat.


But that’s not always the case.


Turkey breast is lean, but dark turkey meat is not. And some ground turkey contains both.


A quarter-pound of regular ground turkey contains 3 grams of saturated fat, but the same amount of extra-lean ground turkey has just 0.5 grams of fat. The right cut of turkey offers a sizable difference.


A few tips for ground beef:

  • With ground sirloin, always opt for the 90/10 ratio over the 80/20 or 85/15. Just 4 ounces of 90/10 contains 190 calories and 11 grams of fat.
  • Beware of 80/20 ground chuck. About 4 ounces has 280 calories and 20 grams of fat.

For juicy, grilled burgers that are good for you, don’t just look to beef to satisfy you.


Try veggie burgers with guacamole topping for good fats, or try grilled salmon patties. These are easy to find in your local grocery store. You can also try ground lamb with spinach and feta if you’re looking for a Greek twist.

Marinate your protein

Kansas State University researchers found that using herbs and spices in marinades can reduce carcinogenic compounds in grilled meats by up to 88 percent.


Other research has found that oils, vinegar and even beer can cut down on carcinogens in meat. The marinade could create a protective barrier between the meat proteins and the heat of the grill, or the antioxidants in the marinade may combat the carcinogens.


If you want to reduce charring, use a George Foreman Grill. It works beautifully for salmon, flank steak, burgers (veggie and meat) and pork tenderloin. Smaller, 1-pound tenderloins are great, and flank steak is an excellent lean meat for grilling.

Go beyond the bun

You don’t have to rely on mainstays like burgers and hot dogs for your outdoor cooking. A few quick examples of some creative alternatives:

  • Pizza. Grill a pizza and make it caprese by topping it with fresh-sliced mozzarella, tomato slices, basil and a drizzle of garlic olive oil and fig balsamic.
  • Fajitas. Grill your chicken strips, onions and peppers and top it with fresh salsa and guacamole in a corn tortilla.
  • Portobello. You can make a vegetarian burger by grilling portobellos, red peppers, goat cheese and basil pesto.
  • Tacos. Grill up fish tacos and add your favorite slaw, or try a Korean taco made with flank steak and guacamole. There are so many great recipes for this on the internet.
  • Veggies. Toss them with olive oil, and use sturdy ones that won’t fall through the grill. Asparagus, sweet potatoes, onions, multicolored peppers, zucchini and eggplant are all great options. They can take just five to 10 minutes depending on the heat. Toss with pesto or garlic for added flavor.

Grill your dessert

With all these healthy grill options, you’ll of course need to leave a little room for a fun dessert.


Grill a slice of pound cake and serve it with grilled pineapple with chipotle olive oil and Persian lime olive oil, or grilled peaches with a little olive oil and a cinnamon pear balsamic and your favorite gelato.


These tips are bound to brighten up your grilling this summer. They’ll also keep you healthy while you still get to enjoy great-tasting food.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


Relish the bounty of summer

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Farmers markets offer a great opportunity to introduce your kids to new types of fresh fruits and vegetables. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Alyssa Allen, Spectrum Health Beat


The growing season is here—and that means it’ll be easier than ever to get your fill of fresh fruits and vegetables.


But only if you keep seasonal fare top of mind.


Spectrum Health dietitian Caren Dobreff has plenty of tips to help you and your family make the most of summer produce.


It could pay off in your waistline and your wallet.


During the off season, fresh fruits and vegetables are often harder to find and more expensive, given the steeper costs for transportation and logistics.


“Buying fresh fruits and vegetables in season and locally is much more cost effective,” Dobreff said.


Local food pantries and community and government organizations also run programs that make fresh items accessible to everyone, regardless of income.


Also, consider yourself fortunate if you live in a state that values the agriculture industry and local farmers markets.


“(You’re) able to capitalize on those nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables as we go into the growing season,” Dobreff said.


That’s good news all around, as the list of the health benefits from a diet rich in fruit and vegetables is long, Dobreff said. It includes lower risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, some cancers, diabetes and digestive problems.


An added benefit to eating fresh: slimming down.


“Weight management can be an outcome without it being the primary goal,” Dobreff said.


Under the current guidelines, the typical 2,000-calorie-a-day diet calls for about 2 1/2 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit. For children ages 13 and younger, the guideline varies by age—anywhere from 1 to 1 1/2 cups of vegetables and the same for fruit.

Dobreff’s 5 tips to highlight the summer bounty:

1. Keep it in sight

Make bowls of fresh fruit visible in your kitchen and keep prepared, chopped vegetables easily accessible in the refrigerator.


“We eat with our eyes and we are cued or prompted with foods that are ready to eat and easily in reach and visible,” Dobreff said.

2. Tweak recipes

Substitute traditional, all-meat dishes with vegetables.


Make a meatloaf using lean beef or ground turkey and replace half the meat with diced, cooked vegetables such as onions, mushrooms, zucchini or bell pepper. Substitute half the pasta in macaroni and cheese with broccoli, or half the ground beef in spaghetti sauce with mushrooms.

3. Prioritize plant-based

How about meatless Mondays? Try a new plant-centered recipe each week, such as broccoli salad with balsamic vinegar, nuts, diced red onions, garbanzo beans and diced apples. Another option: veggie burger with lettuce, tomato and sliced red onion on a toasted whole grain bun.


The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers a simple tip: At every meal, fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables.

4. Involve the kids

Drum up excitement in your kids by getting creative with fruits and vegetables.


Visit local farms where you can pick your own strawberries, blueberries, cherries or other produce. Make trips to the local farmers market so your kids can talk to area growers about their foods.


Help your kids plant a garden or, even easier, put together some patio pots.


“Bell peppers, tomatoes, green beans and peas are great patio growers and are easy to maintain,” Dobreff said.


Find a local cooking class to take with your family. At home, have the little ones pick out a new recipe that features fruits and vegetables—and then involve them in meal preparation.


“If your kids struggle with eating whole fruits and vegetables, remember that kids’ palates are sensitive and it can take over nine or 10 times of trying a new food before it’s accepted,” Dobreff said. “Don’t give up. Let a little time pass and try again.”

5. Get closer to the land

Join a community supported agriculture organization—a CSA—or take advantage of local farmers markets.


By getting closer to the land, you learn more about what’s in season. You can then incorporate these findings into your meal planning.


In Michigan, for example, asparagus is an early arrival in May and June, followed by lettuce and greens, sugar peas, radishes, beans, peppers, tomatoes and more. Some vegetables, like Brussels sprouts, potatoes and squash, are available well into the fall.


Sage advice: Get outside and start enjoying the benefits of the growing season.


“Successful healthy eating patterns are sustainable, easy to incorporate into the long haul and have stood the test of time,” Dobreff said. “Equally important is that they are backed by research and evidence.”


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


Strawberries—the guilt-free treat

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Jams and trifles are an effective way to turn a whole basket of berries into a treat the whole family can enjoy. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Len Canter, HealthDay


Berries are nature’s natural sweetener and they come loaded with benefits. Fiber, vitamins and antioxidants sweeten the deal.


Fresh strawberries are a plentiful spring and summer fruit, so load up on them at the farmer’s market. One cup contains 100 percent of your daily vitamin C needs and has just 46 calories.


Here are two great ways to turn a basket of berries into sweets. The first is a simple, low-sugar refrigerator jam that you can use in many ways, from a tasty topping for toast to a sweetener in smoothies.

Low-sugar strawberry jam

  • 4 tablespoons cold water
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
  • 1 pound strawberries, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon honey

Place two tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the surface. Do not stir. Set aside to soften.


Meanwhile, place the strawberries in a heavy saucepan, along with the other two tablespoons of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until berries are softened, about five minutes. Stir in the gelatin and the honey. Chill at least one hour before serving.


Yield: About 2 cups

Strawberry trifle

A fresh trifle is a tasty way to showcase seasonal berries, but most traditional recipes are heavy in fat and sugar, mostly from the lemon curd. By lightening up homemade curd and using yogurt instead of cake layers, this dessert is guilt-free.

  • 2 large lemons, zested and juiced
  • 1/4 cup sugar or sugar substitute
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons butter, cut into bits
  • 4 cups assorted berries, stemmed and halved
  • 2 cups plain 2 percent Greek yogurt

Whisk the lemon juice and zest, sugar and eggs in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Stir in butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick and clings to the whisk, about six minutes.


Transfer lemon curd to a bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the fridge until cold, at least 60 minutes.


When chilled, layer half the curd in the bottom of a glass bowl. Add a third of the berries, then top with 1 cup of the yogurt. Repeat with layers of curd, berries and yogurt and finally top with a layer of berries. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 60 minutes before serving.


Yield: 8 servings


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


The shadowy side of sunshine

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Patients need to be informed about the risks of unfettered use of vitamin D, researchers warn. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


Vitamin D is the healthy “sunshine” vitamin, but it can have a dark side, one Canadian man discovered.


A team of Toronto physicians reported on the case of a 54-year-old man who developed kidney damage after taking extremely high doses of vitamin D.


It’s a cautionary tale for consumers, medical experts say.


“Although vitamin D toxicity is rare owing to a large therapeutic range, its widespread availability in various over-the-counter formulations may pose a substantial risk to uninformed patients,” said study co-author Dr. Bourne Auguste. He’s a clinical fellow in home dialysis at Toronto General Hospital and the University of Toronto.


As reported recently in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the man was seen by doctors after he returned from a holiday in Southeast Asia, where he spent much of his time sunbathing. Vitamin D is naturally synthesized by the skin upon contact with sunlight.


Testing showed that the man had elevated blood levels of creatinine, a marker for kidney damage or malfunction. The patient was then referred to a kidney specialist and underwent further testing.


Doctors learned that the man had been prescribed high doses of vitamin D by a naturopath—even though he did not have vitamin D deficiency and no history of bone loss.


Over 30 months, the man had taken eight to 12 drops of vitamin D—a total of 8,000 to 12,000 International Units, or IUs—per day.


The typical recommended daily allowance of vitamin D is 400 to 1,000 IU, with a higher amount (800 to 2,000 IU) recommended for adults at high-risk of osteoporosis, and for older adults.


The patient far exceeded those dosages, however, and that led to extremely high levels of calcium in his blood. It’s those high blood calcium levels that triggered his kidney damage, Auguste’s team said.


“Patients and clinicians should be better informed about the risks regarding the unfettered use of vitamin D,” the study authors concluded.


Dr. Maria DeVita directs nephrology—kidney medicine—at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Reading over the case report, she said that “overuse of the vitamin, as is true of many supplements, may have dire adverse effects.”


DeVita said, “Vitamin D is necessary for the development and maintenance of strong bones, (but) the take-home message is too much of a good thing is not good.”


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Smart Gardening: Pollination in vegetable gardens and backyard fruit

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Blueberries at harvest display poor pollination. Right cluster was visited by bees while left cluster was not. Courtesy Michigan State University Extension

By Esther E. McGinnis, North Dakota State University; Nathaniel Walton and Erwin Elsner, Michigan State University Extension; Janet Knodel, North Dakota State University


Bees are important insect pollinators for bountiful home vegetable gardens and backyard fruits. Both European honey bees and native bees, such as bumble bees, help ensure fruit set and higher yields. Learning about the process of pollination can help smart gardeners attract and safeguard these important insects.

What is pollination?

Figure 1. Flower anatomy in a perfect flower. Courtesy Michigan State University Extension

Pollination is the deposit of pollen grains from the anther (male structure) onto the pistil (female structure) of the same plant species (Fig. 1). Pollen can be transferred within an individual flower or between separate flowers. Successful pollination results in the production of viable seeds and a fruit to protect them.


Most crop plants are pollinated by insects or wind. Many agronomic crops, such as wheat and corn, rely on wind pollination. In contrast, many fruits and vegetables require or benefit from insect pollination. Common insect pollinators include bees, butterflies and flies. Of these pollinators, bees are the most important in home gardens.

The role of pollinators in the vegetable garden

Common plants in the cucurbit family include cucumbers, squash, zucchini, pumpkins, watermelon and muskmelon. Most cucurbits depend on bee pollination because each plant produces separate male and female flowers rather than having both sets of reproductive parts in each flower.

Figure 2. Cucumber flowers. Female flower with ovary on left, male on right. Courtesy Michigan State University Extention

Gardeners frequently ask why they have so many flowers on their cucumbers, but no fruit set. Look closely at the flowers to answer this question. In many cucumber cultivars, the first set of flowers are all male, which do not bear fruit. Both male and female flowers will then be produced in the second wave of blooms.


If female flowers are present but no fruit develops, then the problem may be a lack of pollinators. In the short-term, you can fill the role of the bee with hand- pollination. Take a clean paintbrush and insert it into the male flower to gather pollen. Then, transfer pollen to the stigmas of an open female flower. Hand-pollination works best in the morning. For a long-term solution, create pollinator habitat near or in the garden to attract bees.


Such flowers are called “imperfect.” Bees are essential to cross-pollinate or carry pollen from the male flower to the receptive female flower.

Figure 3a. Tomato flower anthers forming a tube around the pistil. Courtesy Michigan State University Extension

The cucurbit male flower contains three to five stamens with pollen- producing anthers. The female flower produces a single style with three stigmas. The easiest way to distinguish between the two flower sexes is to look for an ovary below the yellow petals. Female flowers have a swollen ovary or fruit and male flowers do not (Fig. 2).

Figure 3b. Portion of anthers cut away to revel pistil. (Courtesy Michigan State University Extension

In contrast to cucurbits, Soloanaceae crops such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants produce “perfect” flowers that contain male and female reproductive structures. Flower anatomy differs from the idealized image in Figure 1. Tomato anthers form a tube that completely surrounds the pistil (Fig. 3a). Figure 3b shows the anthers partially removed to reveal the pistil. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants can be pollinated simply by wind shaking the pollen from the anthers onto the stigma. However, bumble bees can improve fruit set and size because they vibrate the flowers and shake pollen loose from the anthers.


Leafy greens (lettuce, spinach, arugula), cole crops (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale), root crops (carrots, beets, radishes, onions), legumes (peas, beans) and tuber crops (potatoes) do not require bees to produce an edible harvest.

The role of pollinators in growing fruit

Bee pollination is important for growing tree fruits and small fruits. Many tree fruits such as apples and pears are self-incompatible (Table 1). This means two separate cultivars must be planted to produce fruit. For example, a ‘Honeycrisp’ apple blossom will not set fruit if a bee deposits pollen from a second ‘Honeycrisp’ apple tree. Instead, the pollen must come from a cultivar that is genetically different and has an overlapping bloom time.

Fruits such as sour cherries are self-compatible and can set fruit in the absence of a second cultivar (Table 2). However, self-compatibility still requires bees to transfer pollen within the flower or between flowers for full pollination. The number of cherries on a tree is directly related to the number of bee visits.


Raspberries are another example of a self-compatible fruit that relies on bees for full pollination (Table 2). The average raspberry flower contains 100 to 125 pistils. To produce a normal berry that does not crumble, at least 75 to 85 of the pistils must be pollinated.

Best management practices to attract and protect pollinators

  • Plant native and other well-adapted flowering plants for season-long bloom in or near the garden.
  • Create nesting habitat for ground- and cavity-nesting bees.
  • Do not spray insecticides or fungicides on flowering plants or fruit trees just before or during bloom.
  • If pesticide applications are necessary, choose a product with the least toxicity to bees.

Resources

For more information on a wide variety of Smart Gardening topics, visit www.migarden.msu.edu or call MSU’s Lawn and Garden hotline at 1-888-678-3464.


Download a printable PDF: Smart Gardening: Pollination in vegetable gardens and backyard fruit


This work is supported by the Crop Protection and Pest Management Program 2017-70006-27175 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.


This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

All fruit and vegetables are not created equal when it comes to proper storage conditions

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Physiologically immature (top) and mature (bottom) pears. Courtesy Michigan State University Extension

By Ronald Goldy, Michigan State University Extension


“A little knowledge goes a long way” is a common saying. According to University of Vermont’s Meredith Niles, the average person in the U.S. wastes approximately a pound of food a day. That is roughly 1,150 pounds a year for an average U.S. family. This is food purchased and brought home that you were not able to eat before it spoiled. Therefore, if knowing more about proper storage of fresh produce reduces any of this loss, it is worth gaining that knowledge.


The first thing to know is that not all produce like to be stored at the same temperature. Each produce item has an ideal temperature or temperature range that is best for maintaining quality. Higher temperatures cause them to mature or spoil quicker. Lower temperatures will cause “chilling injury,” and if low enough (below 32 degrees Fahrenheit) they may freeze. For some produce, chilling injury can happen at what might be considered not that cold. Chilling injury shows itself as off color (bananas skin turns brown), or the flavor goes bland (tomatoes). Items that have frozen will look like they have been cooked and will have what is called a “water soaked” appearance.


Table 1 shows common storage conditions required for common fruit and vegetables. Most in-home refrigerators are set at 35 to 40 F, a range covering most of what is on the list, but some things do best at higher temperatures. As shown in Table 1, tomatoes, potatoes, bananas, squash, pumpkins, etc. store longer at temperatures above 50 F. Some high-end refrigerators now have a special compartment for storage of these higher temperature items.


Fruit and vegetables are categorized as climacteric or non-climacteric. Climacteric fruit reach a certain developmental stage and once attaining that stage, continue to develop to full physiological maturity, even when removed from the plant. Climacteric fruit such as peaches, plums, cantaloupe, bananas, pears and tomatoes continue to gain flavor and get sweeter by changing starch into sugar. Many also go from firm to soft and juicy (peach and plum), or at least softer (avocado and cantaloupe). They are also sensitive to ethylene gas, which they self-generate, further aiding the ripening process.


Climacteric fruit can be left at room temperature until consumed or mature and then refrigerated. Since many climacteric fruit soften as they ripen, to minimize bruising during shipment and extend shelf life, they are harvested firm and physiologically immature. If not left to fully mature, this results in crunchy peaches, nectarines and plums; green, starchy bananas; and bland tasting cantaloupe. Many consumers are used to this condition and taste and think that is the way it is supposed to be. However, if left at room temperature for a few days, the fruit would develop more flavor and sweetness. Peaches, nectarines and plums reach optimum flavor when soft and juicy, bananas reach optimum when they are yellow and have brown speckling on the skin and cantaloupe when the fruit is somewhat soft.


Non-climacteric fruit are fruit that need to stay on the plant to reach full physiological maturity. Once removed, they will not continue to mature, gain flavor or sugar. Their highest eating quality is at harvest. Some examples of non-climacteric fruits, as shown in Table 2, are cherries, grapes, oranges and raspberries. For food safety, it is important that once all whole fruits and vegetables are cut-up, they need to be eaten or refrigerated within 2 hours.  

Physiologically immature (top) and mature (bottom) bananas. Courtesy Michigan State University Extension

Table 2 is a list of common climacteric and non-climacteric fruit. All climacteric fruit in Table 2 are labeled as ethylene sensitive in Table 1. Table 1 also has some fruit and non-fruit items as ethylene sensitive. As a gas, ethylene is hard to contain and many things respond in negative ways if stored with ethylene generating fruit. Cabbage and Brussels sprouts will turn yellow or crack and start to grow, carrots develop a bitter flavor due to ethylene-induced isocoumarin production and cucumbers deteriorate quicker. Other ethylene-sensitive items respond in different ways.


Knowing how to properly handle and store produce can make for a more nutritious and tasteful experience as well as decreasing your food waste and making your produce dollars go farther.


Go here for the Storage Conditions Tables.


This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).


Sodium stealth bombs

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Simple table salt ought not trouble you at mealtime. The real concern is how much salt went into processing and preparing the meal itself. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Sarah Mahoney, Spectrum Health Beat


Quick, name a food that contains too much salt.


If you’re like most people, you won’t have any trouble identifying the usual suspects. (French fries, chips and pretzels—we’re looking at you.)


The leading sources of excess sodium in the average American diet are less obvious.


Packaged foods such as bread, desserts and even canned vegetables—vegetables, for Pete’s sake!—can be prepared with alarmingly high salt levels.


That should be a cause for universal concern.


While there’s been some debate about precise levels, current guidelines call for an intake of 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day.

|
The American Heart Association goes even further, recommending all American adults try to limit themselves to 1,500 milligrams per day. This is also the level recommended for people with high blood pressure and heart disease.


African Americans are also advised to stick to the lower level.


The reality? The average American eats well over twice that amount, or about 3,400 milligrams a day, and sometimes more.


“Most people don’t realize that the problem isn’t using their salt shaker, but all the foods they eat with those hidden sources,” said Caren Dobreff, RD, projects dietitian at Spectrum Health.


Such as? “Toast and cereal,” Dobreff said. “Because sodium is widely used for flavor, as a leavening agent (think baking soda), as a preservative, it turns up in places you don’t expect.” Portion sizes can add to the confusion since few people limit themselves to a single slice of bread or a half cup of cereal.


The immediate impact of too much salt can be a bloated feeling due to water retention.


“Water retention can make your socks or shoes or waistband feel snug,” Dobreff said.


Over time, too much sodium may increase the risk of high blood pressure, stroke and heart failure, as well as osteoporosis, stomach cancer, kidney disease and headaches.


The best defense: Tune up your sodium radar.


Restaurant foods contribute to about a quarter of the typical American’s dietary sodium. Meals prepared at home account for another 10 percent. Surprisingly, less than 5 percent of dietary salt is added at the table.


This means the worst offenders—about 65 percent, reports the American Heart Association—are foods we buy at the store.

Here’s how to protect yourself from sneaky salt attacks:

Read the label

Manufacturers of packaged foods must list nutritional information on the label. This includes listing sodium content.


The fine print will help you discover, for example, that 3 ounces of deli meat such as ham or turkey can contain up to 1,050 milligrams of sodium. A cup of chicken noodle soup packs 940 milligrams, a slice of American cheese has 460 milligrams and a piece of bread has 230 milligrams. That’s pretty salty.


Check chicken labels, too, especially if the package notes, “Contains broth.” Meat processors often plump the chicken by injecting it with sodium, improving moisture retention. This enhanced chicken can increase sodium content as much as 440 milligrams.


Most red meat cuts have 100 milligrams or less, but processed meat—think cold cuts, sausages and hot dogs—can have hundreds of milligrams of added salt.

Research your restaurant favorites

While it’s harder to learn what’s in your favorite restaurant foods, most national chains have nutrition details on their websites.


A little digging before you get there will help you discover that a slice of pizza at your local shop may well have 760 milligrams of sodium, while a cheeseburger has a whopping 1,690 milligrams. At some fast food joints, just 3 ounces of breaded chicken strips contain 900 milligrams of sodium.


And don’t be fooled when restaurants label something low- or reduced-sodium. Reduced-sodium soy sauce, for example, can still have as much as 500 milligrams per serving.

Cook from scratch

Cooking from scratch offers the most control over how much salt winds up on your plate. A tomato, for example, contains a mere 6 milligrams of sodium. But half a cup of canned low-sodium diced tomatoes has already more than tripled to 20 milligrams.


A helping of regular canned tomatoes is 10 times saltier, at 220 milligrams.


“Look for ways to create flavor explosions,” Dobreff said. She recommends high-impact seasoning like citrus, vinegar, herbs and spices, such as cumin and chili powder.

Don’t get duped

As appealing as some popular gourmet salts sound—pink Himalayan, Hawaiian black lava, grey sea salt, kosher salt and even dusting salt—they’re still just sodium chloride.


“Some people like to experiment with them for flavor and some are prepared more naturally,” Dobreff said. “But the sodium is roughly the same.”

Plan a counterattack

When you’ve got a major salt craving, play nutritional offense. Keep whole fresh fruits and vegetables and unsalted roasted nuts and seeds on hand. We tend to snack on what we can see and what our arms can reach.


“Buy a lower-sodium type of pretzels or chips, for example, and count out the amount of a single serving,” Dobreff said. “Then enjoy them. But be careful to balance them out with foods that day that are high in potassium, such as bananas, citrus fruits, papayas, avocados or potatoes.”


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Enjoy sugar, but in moderation

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By Diana Bitner, MD, Spectrum Health Beat


Too much sugar is never good for you. Combine it with extra stress, and you have a recipe for disaster.


There are certain times of the year we know we will indulge in extra sweets: holidays, birthdays, graduations and work outings. These are also times when we might feel more stressed.


But is it possible to enjoy sugar in moderation and be healthy at the same time? Absolutely.


If you can master the basics of healthy eating, despite the extra stress you may be feeling, you can keep your eating in check during any occasion.

Belly up and listen

What I’m really talking about is belly fat. I take this topic very seriously because belly fat can kill you. It can happen to any of us, and it’s something I discuss with nearly all of my patients at one time or another.


Shelly is one of those patients. She came to see me for her physical, and she was upset because her favorite jeans did not fit.


She was just 50 years old and still having periods, and she began to notice her metabolism changing. She had gained her usual 5 pounds over the summer because of numerous summer parties, backyard barbecues, fruity cocktails and beer.


She typically didn’t drink during the week, but it was just too easy to crack open a cold beer when she was doing yard work under the summer sun. When friends would stop over, she’d mix up some drinks. I’m sure we can all relate to these same situations.


In the past, Shelly would go back to her normal routine when fall arrived. The 5 pounds would come right off. She would only drink on the weekends and she’d begin a better routine of regular exercise and sleep.


This year, however, something was different: She didn’t lose the 5 pounds and she actually started gaining weight.


Knowing that the holidays weren’t far off, she was worried her weight would get out of control and she would have even bigger issues.


Shelly was smart to be worried.


Once belly fat starts, it gets a mind of its own and can get out of control quickly. That’s exactly what was happening to Shelly—she was gaining all of her weight in her belly. I knew she was concerned and disappointed.


She said she always had a flat belly, but now that was changing.

Icky, sticky

A recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine proves what we already know: Belly fat leads to early death in men and women by increasing our risk of heart attack and stroke—up to 10 years earlier than it might have happened if we didn’t have any belly fat.


The reality is most of us will die of heart attack or stroke at some point. But belly fat makes it happen sooner.


How? Belly fat is deep on the inside, wrapped around your bowels and liver, and craving sugar. As belly fat grows, your liver uses it to make bad cholesterol, and then the belly fat produces inflammatory chemicals to make your blood vessel linings sticky.


At the same time, the fat makes your body insulin-resistant, raising insulin levels and keeping blood sugar high by making you crave sugar.


This combination—sticky blood vessels, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol—causes plaque to build up in the blood vessels, blocking blood flow to your brain and heart muscle. All of this can lead to heart attack and stroke, and once the belly fat gets going, it doesn’t give up easily.


Bottom line: We can’t let the belly fat start.

Back to basics

Another factor that makes belly fat grow is stress—both good stress and bad stress.


Added stress can raise insulin levels and use up stress hormones such as cortisol and DHEA. It can cause our sleep to be interrupted, leaving us sleepy and fatigued. We know that sleep deprivation leads to insulin resistance, causing us to crave and store more sugar. It’s a vicious cycle.


During Shelly’s physical, I asked if I could measure her waist circumference. Measuring waist circumference is easy, but it can feel more personal than a pelvic exam.


Here’s how it’s done: Take a tape measure and wrap it around the small of your back, over your hip bones and around your belly.


We measured Shelly’s belly and it was 39 inches. Healthy is 35 inches.


After seeing that number on the measuring tape, Shelly made it a goal to lose 4 inches of belly fat.


After hearing what I had to say about belly fat, Shelly knew she needed to get off the sugar, reduce stress in her life, and change her sleep habits.


In other words, she needed to get back to the basics.

Grow with SEEDS

By having a plan, you can succeed even during the toughest of times.


When you adopt these habits and work hard to follow them every day, it is easier to get back on track if you have a stressful day or have a sleepless night.


When I talk about the basics, I am referring to the SEEDS—Seven Essential Elements of Daily Success—concept as a way of life.


Here are the seven basic things I discussed with Shelly:

  • Drink plenty of water (eight glasses a day). Add one more for each cup of coffee or for each serving of alcohol.
  • Get plenty of sleep (seven hours a night). Take power naps if necessary to be sure you are getting enough sleep.
  • Take your vitamins daily, including Vitamin D and a multivitamin.
  • Eat a balanced diet, including plenty of healthy carbs and protein, with only one sugar treat (including alcohol).
  • Eat plenty of fiber (think vegetables) and take a fiber pill if needed.
  • Exercise regularly (30 minutes a day, with a mix of walking, aerobic activity, strength training and stretching).
  • Start a gratitude journal and do metered breathing each night before going to bed.

You may have noticed that alcohol is mentioned more than once in the list of SEEDS.


Beer, wine and liquor are all forms of alcohol, and they all contain sugar. Since alcohol is often a part of a celebration or party, it’s important to limit your other forms of sugar (pasta, white bread, cookies, etc.) if you will be consuming a drink (or two or three) that same day.


And remember to add an extra glass of water for each drink consumed.


Shelly may not have been excited to see that her waist circumference was 39 inches, but she was happy with our discussion.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Plant science at the dinner table: Asparagus

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Bacon-wrapped asparagus. Photo by Dixie Sandborn, MSU Extension.

By Dixie Sandborn, Michigan State University Extension


When I was young, I remember May was the only time of year we would eat fresh asparagus. Spring was the only time it was available fresh at the grocer, picked at a local asparagus farm or from wild patches along roadsides in the county.


Now, thanks to Peru and other countries in the southern hemisphere, much or our produce, including asparagus, is available fresh throughout the year.


Growing up, asparagus was simmered or steamed and served with butter, salt and maybe a dash of pepper. I am happy asparagus has become a much more versatile vegetable. Asparagus can be eaten raw but is generally cooked. It can be roasted, sautéed, added to pasta dishes, soups and stir fries and even deep-fried.


Asparagus is tasty and high in many important vitamins and minerals.

Here are a few facts about asparagus:

  • Asparagus is a member of the Liliaceae family.
  • It grows on a flowering herbaceous perennial plant.
  • Asparagus has been consumed for over 2,000 years, originating in the Mediterranean.
  • There have been wild varieties of asparagus discovered in Africa.
  • China is the world’s biggest asparagus producer followed by Peru and Germany.
  • Michigan is the No. 2 producer of asparagus in the U.S.; California ranks No. 1.
  • Oceana County is the leading Michigan producer of asparagus.
  • Michigan celebrates asparagus at the annual Asparagus Festival in Empire, Michigan.
  • There are about 120 farmers in Michigan growing over 9,500 acres of this green gem.
  • Michigan asparagus is snapped (picked) by hand resulting in a product that is tenderer.
  • Forty percent of Michigan asparagus is sold fresh in May and June. The remaining crop is processed or frozen.
  • We eat the stem of the asparagus plant.
  • The red berries of asparagus are poisonous to humans.
  • Asparagus is very low in calories, there are only 19 calories in six medium spears.
  • Asparagus is an excellent source of many nutrients and vitamins including vitamin K, folate, copper, selenium, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C and vitamin E.
  • It is also a very good source of dietary fiber, manganese, phosphorus, vitamin B3, potassium, choline, vitamin A, zinc, iron, protein and vitamin B6.
  • White asparagus is favored in Germany. To keep asparagus white, dirt is mounded around the shoots so sunlight never touches the plant and therefore the plant does not produce chlorophyll.

Asparagus is easy to grow if you have a sunny spot and some sandy soil. To help get you started, check out these Michigan State University Extension resources: “How to grow asparagus” and “Growing asparagus at home.”


My go-to recipe for asparagus is simple: roasting it with a little olive oil and sea salt. However, I recently purchased some fresh asparagus and decided to research various recipes. I adapted a bacon wrapped asparagus recipe. Here is the final version after a few attempts.

Bacon-wrapped Asparagus — 4 servings

Bacon wrapped asparagus
Bacon-wrapped asparagus ready to go in the oven. Photo by Dixie Sandborn, MSU Extension.
  • ½ pound fresh Michigan asparagus (I like very thin stalks)
  • 4 slices thin-cut bacon
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 ½ teaspoons dark brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide asparagus into four bundles. Carefully wrap a piece of bacon around each bundle and secure with a toothpick. Place the bundles on a baking tray.


In a sauce pan, combine butter, brown sugar, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is bubbly.


Pour this mixture over the asparagus bundles and place the dish in the preheated oven.


Bake for about 20 minutes, then broil for 5-6 minutes, watching carefully and turning often, until the bacon is crisp.


This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).


Picnics, potlucks and … pathogens?

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Proper food preparation and smart organization can help you avoid cross-contamination and spoilage. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Kristi Veltkamp, Spectrum Health Beat


The end of the school year is fast approaching. The warm-weather days are finally here. You’ve penciled in your must-see, must-do events for the summer.


Boating. Amusement parks. Local festivals. Pretty much anything that gives you an excuse to soak up the sunshine.


But few things rival the all-time summer classic: picnics and potlucks.


And while those grand gatherings of food and friends may seem like they’re free of worry and strife, they’re actually a golden opportunity to contract foodborne illness—particularly if you don’t pay attention to food preparation and handling.


How many people really stop to think about the safety of the food that has been sitting in the sun all day? Foodborne illnesses happen more often than you’d expect.


You can smarten up your food safety by following these sensible tips on preparation, handling and storage.

Keep it cold

Place cold items into a cooler with ice or frozen gel packs. The temperature should remain below 40 degrees. Frozen meats should also be placed into a cooler to ensure they stay cold longer.


Once the cold food is served, it should not be left out for more than two hours. If the outdoor temperature exceeds 90 degrees, this time frame drops to one hour. If your cold food has been out longer than this, you need to throw it away. To help cool food when it’s out, you can place dishes such as chicken salad or potato salad directly onto a bowl of ice.

Rule the cooler

Your cooler should be in tip-top order, with everything organized according to accessibility, use and safety. This avoids spillage, contamination and overexposure to the warm temperature.


If you place an in-demand food item at the bottom of the cooler, for example, you will repeatedly expose other top-level, lesser-used items to the outdoor temperature. This is unwise.


For starters, consider placing beverages into a separate cooler, so your food cooler doesn’t need to be opened as frequently. This will keep the temperature down on your cold foods. And place your lesser-used items toward the bottom of the cooler.


The trick is to limit the number of times the coolers are opened, so you keep your food cold as long as possible.

Avoid cross-contamination

Keep raw meat, poultry and seafood securely wrapped to prevent any juices from contaminating prepared dishes and raw foods. Consider using a separate meat cooler, in fact, or placing raw meat below the prepared dishes.

Prep your produce

When you’re packing things up at home, take time to rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running water. Scrub any firm-skinned produce with a vegetable brush, and make sure you cut and prep all your servings so that you’re not messing with it at the picnic.

Grill it right

If you want to use a marinade, do it while the meat is in the refrigerator at home. Don’t re-use the marinade after the meat is cooked!


Also, if you are partially cooking the meat before grilling, do so immediately before leaving the house. Meat should be cooked thoroughly and kept hot until served.


Hot foods should be kept above 140 degrees when holding for serving and they should not be left out for more than two hours.


Avoid re-using platters or utensils that were used with raw meats.


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers a handy chart that details safe cooking temperatures. The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers seven tips for safe picnics, including this time-tested truth: “When in doubt, throw it out.”


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


Kentwood Summer Concert Series offers music, food trucks, for every taste

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, Food, Going Local, Local Entertainment, Recreation, Upcoming Events

  • Brena (Facebook)
  • Blue Soul Express (Facebook)
  • That Beatles Thing. (Facebook)
  • That Beatles Thing. (Facebook)
  • Melophobix, cover of latest release. (Facebook)
  • Hannah Rose and the GravesTones (Facebook)
  • The Crane Wives (Facebook)

By WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org


From The Beatles’ classics to “cage-free funk” — Got to love that description! — there will be something for just about everyone as the City of Kentwood’s Summer Concert Series returns with free concerts at 7 p.m. on select Thursday nights from June to August.


This year’s series features West Michigan favorites such as The Crane Wives, Brena and Melophobix. And while you can bring your own picnic dinner, food trucks will be at each concert.


“Our summer concert series is a great way to celebrate summer in Kentwood with family and friends,” Val Romeo, Kentwood Parks and Recreation director, said in supplied material. “This year’s lineup again includes a great mix of genres. We welcome all to enjoy the variety of live outdoor music and local eats we’ll have on the lawn behind City Hall.”


Concert-goers are encouraged to bring a blanket or chair, and may also bring their own beer or wine.


The lineup for Kentwood’s Summer Concert Series is as follows:


June 20 — That Beatles Thing offering hits from The Beatles classic catalogue. No more need be said. For more information visit here.


June 27 — Blue Soul Express, delivering classic soul, R&B, funk and blues. If this is not perfect for a summer boogie party, nothing is. For more information visit here.


July 18 — Hannah Rose and the GravesTones, serving up some funk, blues and rock n’ roll. If you’ve never seen them, let’s just say Hannah can wail. For more information visit here.


July 25 — The Crane Wives, described by someone as “female-fronted, harmony-driven folk-rock”; lets just say West Michigan is lucky they are taking a local break from their busy summer tour schedule. For more information visit here.


Aug. 1 — Brena, offering up oldies, top 40 hits, classic rock, R&B and country. For more information visit here.


Aug. 8 — Melophobix, with “Cage Free” being not only the title of their latest release but also their funky musical outlook. For more information visit here.


All concerts will begin at 7 p.m. and conclude around 8:30 p.m. on the lawn behind Kentwood City Hall, located at 4900 Breton Ave. SE.


More information is available at kentwood.us/parks.



The heal-better diet

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Rich in healthy fats and plant-based foods, the Mediterranean diet is the ideal meal plan for fighting inflammation. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Sarah Mahoney, Spectrum Health Beat


Looking for a better way to bounce back from a sports injury or orthopedic surgery? The solution may be as close as your fork.


Experts say choosing the right foods—and avoiding the wrong ones—can help bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments repair faster, getting you off the couch and moving again.


“There are two things to keep in mind,” said Kristi Veltkamp, RD, who counsels Spectrum Health patients on eating well. “First, make sure you are managing inflammation. And second, get the nutrients needed to help you heal and repair.”


Inflammation after any injury is normal.


“There’s often heat, swelling or redness,” Veltkamp said. “To calm that inflammation, look for foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like those found in salmon, walnuts and flax seed. Olive oil also helps. And try to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.”


If that all sounds familiar, it should. It’s the basis of the Mediterranean diet, which is shown to reduce inflammation, Veltkamp said.


Also avoid foods that are high in sugar, refined flour or trans fats. Alcohol, which slows healing, should be avoided as well.

Building blocks

Alongside managing inflammation, you should focus on getting plenty of the nutrients required for healthy rebuilding.


Start with protein.


“The majority of our tissues are made up of protein,” said Matthew Axtman, DO, a sports medicine specialist with Spectrum Health Medical Group Orthopedics. “So even though protein is part of your normal diet, look to increase healthy sources, like chicken, fish and nuts.


Dr. Axtman recommends getting plenty of vitamin C.


“It helps build collagen, which is the basis of tendons and ligaments,” he said. Look for it in citrus fruits, kiwi, peppers and tomatoes.


Calcium is also essential, especially if you’ve injured a bone. You can find it—along with Vitamin D, which aids in absorption—in dairy products and dark-green, leafy vegetables.


Avoid salt and caffeine during your recovery because they cause you to urinate more. This makes your body lose calcium, Dr. Axtman said.


Meanwhile, those deep-green vegetables are also a great source of fiber.


“If you’re sitting around more and moving less, it can affect your gut,” Dr. Axtman said. “Fiber-rich foods will help.”

Mind and body

During the rebuilding process, it may help to take supplements for about two to four weeks. This holds true even if you typically prefer to get all your nutrients from a balanced diet.


“While you’re healing, consider adding vitamin A, naturally found in many orange vegetables, at 10,000 IUs a day,” Veltkamp said.


Look for a multivitamin that contains 2 to 4 milligrams of copper and 15 to 30 milligrams of zinc, which is shown to help with wound healing.


Veltkamp also recommends HMB, a protein that can help prevent muscle wasting. It’s found in sports supplements such as Myoplex Muscle Armor.


Finally, give a little thought to the emotional aspects of eating. Recovery can be as tedious as watching grass grow, so it’s easy to fall into the trap of eating from boredom instead of hunger.


“Have a list of things you can do when you feel like reaching for food for the wrong reasons,” Veltkamp said. “Like knitting, taking a bath, anything soothing and distracting.”


It’s normal to have food cravings during recovery, but that’s because food can make us feel better. Don’t be afraid to treat yourself now and then.


“Just look for healthier alternatives,” Veltkamp said. “Like chocolate-banana smoothies.”


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Ladies, cherish your heart

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Work with a care team to reduce your cardiovascular disease risks. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Diana Bitner, MD, Spectrum Health Beat


For many women, cardiovascular disease is personal because they have lost their mom or sister to a heart attack or stroke.


They get how heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, and that too many women are robbed of happy years with family and friends. They have experienced firsthand a loss that could have been prevented.


Women’s heart disease is more common than thought, and especially increases after menopause if women do not take estrogen medication.


There are other risk factors, which include belly fat, pre-diabetes or diabetes, lack of exercise, sleep deprivation, and a diet high in processed foods, unhealthy carbohydrates and saturated fats.


Prevention of heart attacks and strokes is possible, but has to start with a goal and a plan.


Once a woman decides to not have heart disease, or if she survives a heart attack and wants to prevent another, she needs a team. On that team, at minimum, should be a preventive cardiologist and a certified menopause specialist. This team will put the patient in the middle, and partner with her to help her achieve her wellness goals.


An example of how such a team collaborates might be best told by a patient I’ll call Laura.


Laura came to see our menopause specialists because her hot flashes would not go away and interfered with her life.


She had been told hormones might not be safe because she was overweight, had high cholesterol and took blood pressure medication. Her family had a history of cardiovascular disease and her loved ones had suffered heart attacks.


Her biggest concern? To not have a heart attack herself. She was also desperate to get the hot flashes to stop.


As menopause specialists, the first thing we do after understanding a woman’s story and risk factors is to consider treatment options.


We always start with the SEEDS and Laura definitely had room for improvement in this area. She realized she needed to drink more water, cut the sugar, and get more restful hours of sleep each night.


These lifestyle habits alone could significantly ease her symptoms, but since she was only two years out from her last period, we also had the option of considering hormones. We know that FDA-approved hormone medications used the correct way can actually help reduce risk factors for heart disease and could definitely help her feel better.


In reviewing her history, I saw she had enough risk factors that I wanted the opinion of preventive cardiologist Thomas Boyden, MD. After an evaluation, testing and suggestions for how to prevent heart disease, Laura was cleared to proceed with our treatment plan.


The end result? Laura felt more informed, had the tools to be successful from her care team, and she could start taking hormones because they would be a safe option for her.


Laura now had hope for how she could age differently than her relatives.



Reprinted by permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Money’s tight? You can still eat right

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You can save money on produce by purchasing it in season and preserving it for later, either by canning or freezing. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Health Beat staff


Gas prices are going up again and food isn’t getting cheaper. That’s the outlook in American homes this year.


Amid a tight budget and high prices, what steps can you take to ensure you and your family eat healthy, great-tasting food?


Planning is the name of the game, Spectrum Health registered dietitian Kristi Veltkamp said.


“Lack of planning is the biggest deal-breaker,” Veltkamp said.


Does your after-school or after-work routine involve the question, “What’s for dinner?” Do you rummage through the refrigerator or pantry at the last minute, hoping to whip up something suitable for dinner?


It may be time to sit down and think carefully about how you’re spending your food money. It can help you avoid the desperate, late-evening runs to fast-food restaurants or pizza parlors—or pricey restaurants—and it’ll keep your wallet and your waistline in top shape.

Veltkamp’s 5 tips to keep your food budget under control:

1. Plan your meals 

This is the No. 1 solution to save money. Planning your meals ahead of time allows you to build according to your budget. It sets you up for success each week, Veltkamp said.


It’s not just about dinner, either. “You can pack your lunch so you don’t have to go out at work,” Veltkamp said. “And you can plan to use the leftovers.”


You should also aim for more vegetarian meals—they’re cheaper and healthier. “Meat tends to be the most expensive item,” Veltkamp said.


With a creative mind, you can find new and innovative ways to use items such as beans and rice, which are cheaper and preserve longer, she said. Tacos made from rotisserie chicken and all the fixings, for example, make for a quick, cheap and easy meal.

2. Get Crocking

If you plan your meals ahead at the start of each week, the Crock-Pot can prove to be a lifesaver not only in money but in time, too.


“When you’re doing the cooking yourself, you’ll save more money,” Veltkamp said.


The tacit message here: Stay away from restaurants as much as possible—they eat up your budget. (They also increase your salt intake.)


Generally, Crock-Pot meals can be healthy. “It depends on what you’re putting into it,” Veltkamp said. Canned goods are OK, but you should rinse them first to cut down on the sodium.


“One of the ways it saves on money is when you use more ingredients that haven’t been prepared—raw products like rice, potatoes, beans or even frozen veggies,” Veltkamp said.

3. Buy in season

Items that are local, fresh and in season should be on your list each week.


“They’re higher in nutrients and they haven’t been delivered across the globe,” Veltkamp said. “And if you buy a lot at once, they’re cheap. You can can them or freeze them and save them for later.”


This includes berries, greens, tomatoes and much more. Veltkamp said some people will toss their herbs in water and freeze them into cubes, then throw them into soups once they’re needed.


One tip: Buy in-season items fresh, then buy them mostly canned or frozen when they’re out of season. Some fresh produce can get pricey when it’s out of season.

4. Buy in bulk

Bulk food stores are sometimes hard to come by without a membership—Costco, Sams Club and the like.


But if you can manage to pick up some essential items in bulk, you can truly save a bundle.


What should you buy in bulk? “Things that aren’t going to spoil fast,” Veltkamp said. “Nuts, grains, rice, beans, flour—non-perishable items.”

5. Shun the junk

This is a big one. Junk foods may sometimes appear like the cheap way to go, but in the long run you’re only setting yourself up for trouble.


Junk foods—processed foods, sugary foods—offer empty calories that only leave you craving more.


“Your body doesn’t need the empty calories,” Veltkamp said. “If you eat healthy, you crave less.”


Healthy foods are simply more filling.


Think about it: A bag of chips is a few bucks, but there are many people who can sit down and make that bag disappear in one evening. A bag of apples may cost slightly more.


“But who sits down and eats a bag of apples?” Veltkamp said. One or two apples will satisfy hunger cravings and also deliver much-needed nutrition.


“Healthier foods tend to fill you up more and make you more satisfied,” Veltkamp said. “You don’t have the cravings you get with those processed foods.”


Bottom line: You’re eating less food and getting more nutrition.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


Meijer Gardens Tuesday Evening Music Club features 10 local-talent shows

Entertainment, Food, Kids Activities, Recreation, Upcoming Events
The family friendly Tuesday Evening Music Club is always an excuse to dance a little. (Supplied/Meijer Gardens)


By WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park recently announced its 10-show lineup for the Tuesday Evening Music Club, which brings local and regional musicians to the Amphitheater stage starting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday evenings throughout July and August, with a special “dress rehearsal” concert set for June 4 with the amphitheater plaza gates open at 5 p.m. and the show beginning at 7 p.m.

May Erlewine and The Motivations, June 4 at 7 p.m. (Supplied)

Concert goers who are not members of the Gardens will need a regular admission ticket but they can purchase that at the new box office at the amphitheater. But for that one night only, the venue will feature 50 percent off all food at the new concessions building as the Gardens unveils the amphitheater expansion and upgrades.

The Tuesday-night concerts — free to Meijer Gardens members and included with gardens admission for other guests — feature with a diverse schedule of live bands and programming ranging from jazz to indie, rock to folk, and even ballet. And there will be more to like off the stage as well.

The amphitheater has undergone significant expansion and improvement over the past two seasons, while maintaining the intimacy of the 1,900-seat venue.

A new concessions building has been added this season, with increased capacity for quicker food and beverage service, an improved point-of-sale system with quick chip technology to speed up purchases. and new restrooms outside of the entry gates for guests waiting in line. An expanded plaza area with additional entry gates will help shorten lines and wait times.

Meijer Gardens also announced two new series sponsors for the Tuesday Evening Music Club: Meyer Music and Michigan Radio 104.1 FM join WYCE and Corporate Live as partners for the series. Meyer Music will be bringing various instruments each week for guests to enjoy in a hands-on, “instrument petting zoo” at each concert.

 
The 2019 Tuesday Evening Music Club lineup includes:

May Erlewine and The Motivations, June 4 at 7 p.m.

Roosevelt Diggs and Jesse Ray and the Carolina Catfish, July 2 at 7 p.m.
     
Big Sherb and Paddlebots, July 9 at 7 p.m.

Matt Gabriel and Kari Lynch Band, July 16 at 7 p.m.

Boy From School and Manhattan, July 23 at 7 p.m.

Franklin Park and 6-Pak, July 30 at 7 p.m.

The Hip Pocket and Soul Syndicate, Aug. 6 at 7 p.m.

The River Rogues Jazz Band and Sam’s Swing Band, Aug. 13 at 7 p.m.

Grand Rapids Ballet, Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. This program will employ a full company of dancers performing works by some of today’s most in-demand choreographers. A mix of classical and contemporary ballets, including Trey McIntyre’s Wild Sweet Love, featuring the music of Queen, Lou Reed, Felix Mendelssohn and many more.

Local favorite Ralston Bowles likes to share the stage. (Supplied)

Ralston & Friends, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. Local favorite Ralston Bowles shares the stage with friends and collaborators from the community and beyond.


For more information on concerts at Meijer Gardens, visit meijergardens.org.

Home vegetable gardeners are asked to ‘grow a row’ for their local food pantry

3-bottom, Food, Local Food, ,

By Kendra Wills, Michigan State University Extension


Feeding America believes that food insecurity impacts one in eight people in west and northern Michigan. To address this issue, Michigan State University Extension is encouraging home gardeners to consider “growing a row” of produce for donation to their local food pantry this season. Many northern Michigan pantries are seeking donations of fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs.


All donations are welcome, but please consider popular items such as: 

  • Peppers
  • Apples
  • Potatoes 
  • Tomatoes
  • Green beans
  • Cabbage
  • Cherries
  • Cucumbers
  • Onions
  • Peaches
  • Carrots
  • Squash (winter and summer) 
  • Pears
  • Radishes 
  • Melons 

Pantries ask that donated produce is clean, fresh, ripe, whole, uncut, undamaged and in separate packaging for different produce types. If using pesticides, make sure to follow the pesticide instructions. Please don’t donate produce that you wouldn’t buy for your own family. 


Under terms of the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, donors are protected from liability, should the product donated in good faith later cause harm to the recipient. Be sure to check with your local pantry on the best days and times to bring in donated produce. 


Michigan State University Extension provides support for home gardeners. Their vegetable gardening website provides an extensive list of resources, from finding the best location for a vegetable garden in your yard, planting techniques, to managing pests and diseases. MSU Extension Master Gardeners also staff a toll-free hotline during normal business hours in the growing season for gardening questions at 1-888-678-3464


This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).


Kentwood’s public art commission, big changes at Woodland Mall on WKTV Journal In Focus

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, Food, Going Local, Local Business, Local Faces, Recreation, WKTV Journal In Focus, Woodland Mall, , ,

By K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org

On the latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus is the art of business — and the business of art — specifically in Kentwood but also in the region as a whole. First we catch up with the new Kentwood Arts Commission — what it does and does not do. Then, talking about new things, we catch up with Woodland Mall, where there has been a massive rejuvenation during the last couple of years and where exciting change continues.

First In Focus is the City of Kentwood Arts Commission, which was established in late 2017 and became fully active early last year. The Arts Commission is tasked with reviewing proposals for the outside display of art on private property visible from the public right of way and within the guidelines of the City of Kentwood Zoning Ordinance. With us is Terry Schweitzer, City of Kentwood’s Planning and Community Development Director.

Woodland Mall Marketing Director Cecily McCabe on the In Focus set with host Ken Norris. (WKTV)

Then In Focus is the Kentwood’s Woodland Mall, which is the midst of a major rejuvenation with additions large and small — the most high-profile being Von Maur’s first-in-the-region location; in fact there is a whole new wing nearing completion focused on the Von Maur addition. But that is just one aspect of what has been a busy couple of years for the local mall. With us is Woodland Mall Marketing Director Cecily McCabe, and we will talk with her about all the changes at Woodland and local retail climate as a whole. To see the video, (recorded in the middle of April) follow this link.

WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.

Power of the sweet potato

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Food, Health, How-To's, Senior Living, ,
Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of potassium, calcium, and vitamins A, B and C. Sweet potatoes are also a source of antioxidants, which are important to reduce cancer and heart disease risk. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Diana Bitner, MD, Spectrum Health Beat


Midlife and menopause are stages of life when weight gain happens fast and weight loss can be very slow.


Let me share a secret that can help: sweet potatoes.


Many people are surprised to learn the sweet potato is a healthy food that can to be added to any meal and help us all keep a healthy weight and get daily vitamins and fiber at the same time.


The sweet potato qualifies as a superfood—a weapon against weight gain, belly fat and diabetes. It can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even as a snack.


The sweet potato has so many health benefits. For weight control, it is a low glycemic index food, meaning that while it contains carbohydrates, the carbs are slowly broken down in the blood and can be used by the brain, muscles and liver and not sent straight to the belly to become fat.


Low estrogen levels, which define the life stage of menopause, cause cravings for sugar or any simple carbohydrate, such as what is found in white potatoes, white rice or white bread. Our body’s response to stress or sleep deprivation can include a rise in insulin surges and insulin response, which can result in an increased waistline.


Including foods such as sweet potatoes in your diet can help slow weight gain and add many good vitamins and fiber.


Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of potassium, calcium, and vitamins A, B and C. Sweet potatoes are also a source of antioxidants, which are important to reduce cancer and heart disease risk. Manganese is also in sweet potatoes and can help with your metabolism.


Being healthy is about using small tips and tricks in daily life. The sweet potato can be used in fast and easy ways. They can be roasted, boiled, steamed, or even eaten raw.


The vitamins are best preserved when steamed, but I tend to roast my potatoes because it is easier. I wash the sweet potatoes, poke holes in the skin to avoid explosions in the oven, and put them on a cookie sheet for an hour at 350 degrees. Once they are cooled, I use the cooked sweet potatoes in a variety of ways to make satisfying and tasty recipes.


For breakfast, especially on the weekend when I have more time, I love to make one of my favorites—sweet potato hash.


Sweet potato hash: 1/2 cup chopped onion, 3 cloves chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 cup of greens such as spinach or Swiss chard, 1-2 cups cubed roasted sweet potato, and optional meat of 1/4 cup cooked sausage or cooked bacon. These ingredients are sautéed together and then topped with a fried egg. Maple syrup added around the edge of the plate makes a tasty treat.


Here are some other ideas:


Sweet potato snack: Cooked sweet potato mashed with a fork, covered with a tablespoon of real maple syrup, chopped nuts such as walnuts, almonds or pecans, and warmed in the microwave.


Fast lunch with sweet potato: Cubed sweet potato with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil, warmed in the microwave and tossed with salad greens and leftover cold chicken or sautéed tofu. This is tasty, filling, and helps avoid sugar spikes.


Sweet potato french fries: For dinner, my kids prefer sweet potato fries, simply made by cutting the raw sweet potatoes into whatever shape works—sliced to be round (fastest) or cut into traditional fry shape. Simply place the pieces on a cookie sheet with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt, and bake at 400 degrees until brown or about 30 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through for evenness.


Sweet potato custard: Mash 2 cups of roasted sweet potato and add 1 beaten egg, 1/2 cup almond or cow milk, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, and spices such as cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Place in a small baking dish or ramekins, placed on a cookie sheet and baked at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Yum!


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


5 W’s for eating the Mediterranean way

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Food, Health, How-To's, , ,
Did you know eating a Mediterranean diet could prevent or even reverse metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors for heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes? (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Jill Seidelman, Spectrum Health Beat


We always hear about the latest fad diet, but don’t we often wonder what really works?


Where should we start? How should we start?


In an effort to develop positive eating habits, many of us have tried several diets over the years. More often than not, these diets provide only short-term solutions that leave us without a strong foundation to make significant, long-term behavioral changes.


The Mediterranean diet, however, isn’t a diet so much as it’s a way of living.


It’s a lifestyle.

Who?

Who should be interested in the Mediterranean diet? You, me and anyone who wants to cook and eat real, healthy, whole, unprocessed foods that bring your weight, health and life back to their prime.


We all know that eating the right fats, reading labels and watching carbs is beneficial, but what does that really mean? We go to the grocery store and we fill up our carts with products we either know, or think we know, are good for us. But are they really?


The Mediterranean diet offers many healthy options, no matter what your taste palate. It balances carbohydrates with grains, good fats and proteins, promoting optimal health and natural weight loss.

What?

The Mediterranean diet is not a “fad,” but a long-term solution: Eat low-glycemic-index foods to help you keep your metabolism steady, feel full longer and eat less.


Low-glycemic foods break down slowly, allowing you to feel satisfied and lose weight at the same time. Examples include: berries, citrus, apples, pears, vegetables, legumes, minimally processed grains, oatmeal, nuts, hummus, kidney beans and chickpeas.


With this type of meal plan, you can still fit in your favorite foods. It’s a way of cooking and eating that’s non-restrictive, so you don’t have to suffer through deprivation.


Based on the cuisine of Greece, Middle East, Southern Italy and Spain, the diet entails less consumption of red meat, sweets and saturated fats that are found in butter or high-fat dairy products.


It’s also a sustainable diet that you can live with. If you like to eat “real” foods, if you shop at farmers markets, or if you eat farm-to-table, the Mediterranean way could be the right plan for you.


It’s worth noting that U.S. News & World Report ranked the Mediterranean diet first place in the “plant-based diets,” according to Best Diets 2013 rankings.

Why?

How about, why not? How about cooking like a Greek islander, or learning a gourmet dish from Spain or Italy? Eating like a Greek is not only healthy, it’s delicious.


Mediterranean foods are rich in antioxidants and they have anti-inflammatory effects on the body. So you can live longer, with less disease.

When?

Realistically, we can follow it every day. And since it’s proven to help us live longer, healthier lives, we should.


By incorporating techniques that improve our eating behaviors—meal planning, food choice, and cooking prep—we can reap a lifetime of benefits.

Where?

In the kitchen, the heart of the home, and just about everywhere else. The Mediterranean diet fits a busy, healthy lifestyle, whether you’re learning the art of cooking at home or you’re working to educate yourself on healthy food choices when dining out.

Let’s not forget: How?

Great taste and zero calories aren’t the only benefits of infused water—it can also help flush toxins, improve skin and enhance mood. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

Here’s how to follow a low-glycemic diet such as the Mediterranean diet:

  • You do not need to memorize the glycemic index or count grams of carbohydrates in foods.
  • Choose fiber-rich, natural carbohydrates, including vegetables, fruits and legumes. Eat them along with a source of protein and a healthy fat.
  • Eat grain products in the least-processed state possible. Examples include stone ground whole wheat bread as opposed to white bread.
  • When you have a sugary treat, do it in moderation—and after a balanced meal.
  • Limit fruit juice and avoid sugary soda. Drink more water. If you don’t enjoy drinking water, try an infused water recipe to add a little excitement to H2O.

Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Snapshots: Wyoming and Kentwood (fun) things to do this weekend

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Education, Food, Going Local, Kids Activities, Local Entertainment, Upcoming Events, , ,

By WKTV Staff
Ken@wktv.org

Quote of the Day

“We're all in the same boat ready to float off the edge of the world. The flat old world.”
 
                     ― The Band (from the song "Life is a Carnival")

Wyoming’s annual Spring Carnival will open this weekend at Lamar Park. (Supplied)

Life is a carnival

West Michigan families are invited to come out to Lamar Park, 2561 Porter St SW, and enjoy carnival rides, food, and games April 26 – May 5. The carnival will be open Monday through Thursday from 4–8:30 p.m., Friday from 2– 8:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from noon–8:30 p.m. For the complete story, visit here.



VeggieCon is coming to Kentwood this weekend. (Supplied)

Eat your veggies!

VeggieCon, an event to educate the community more about healthy options, is coming at Encounter Church, 4620 Kalamazoo Ave. SE., Kentwood, on Saturday, April 27. 10 am. to 2 p.m. Along with many family friendly activities, there will be April 27, there will be a fresh produce display on site so people can see what produce is available at local farm stands. For the complete story, visit here.


This strange creature is part of Grand Rapids Public Museum’s “Expedition: Dinosaur exhibition” (Supplied/GRPM)

(Strange) creature comforts

The Grand Rapids Public Museum’s “Expedition: Dinosaur exhibition” has been extended, so visitors can now explore the fascinating world of dinosaurs and the hunt for their fossils through May 12. This exhibit has something for all ages, from life-sized and life-like animatronic dinosaurs – some controlled by visitors – to mechanical and electronic learning stations. For the complete story, visit here.



Fun fact:

240 million years

You may know that the world was full of dinosaurs 99 million years ago, but crocodilian creatures, including current crocodiles themselves – have been on Earth for an estimated 240 million years. Talk about adaptable! (Source)

Make sense of highfalutin’ diets

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Food, Health, How-To's, , ,
Photo by Chris Clark

By Shawn Foucher, Spectrum Health Beat

Photos by Chris Clark


If you’re looking for a sustainable nutrition plan—something that’ll suit you 20 years from now—you should stop looking at high-protein diets.


They’re popular now for dropping pounds quickly but they’re simply not practical beyond the horizon, said Harland Holman, MD, medical director at the Spectrum Health Family Medicine Residency Center.


“You can pick the high-protein diet to lose weight, but what you want to think about is the long-term,” Dr. Holman said. “If you go back to normal dieting, you’d put all that weight right back on. I’d recommend picking a diet you can stick with that’s healthy.”


America is deluged with new diets from year to year—high-fat, low-carb, high-protein—but in the end it seems the basics are best: a plant-based diet with fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and lean meats and seafood.

Photo by Chris Clark

One diet in particular fits the bill: The Mediterranean.


“You’ll lose weight on it and you can also look at all the positive effects, even much later,” Dr. Holman said.


Ample evidence supports the benefits of a Mediterranean-style diet, including reduced risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Research also suggests that diet plays an outsized role in brain health, while a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive or nuts is associated with improved cognitive function in older adults.


Calling it a Mediterranean “diet,” in fact, may be something of a misnomer.


“It’s not a diet—it’s not something you go on and quit,” said dietitian Jessica Corwin, a community nutrition educator at Spectrum Health Healthier Communities. “It’s a way of thinking about meals differently.”


Remember the old Clinton-era food pyramid, early 1990s or so? That majestic work of art featured bread, rice, cereal and pasta prominently at the bottom, recommending a carbtastic 6 to 11 servings per day.

Photo by Chris Clark

Some illustrations of the Mediterranean food pyramid, meanwhile, don’t even show food at the bottom. They feature families playing and people interacting.


Seriously.


“The very base of the pyramid is about having fun, living an active lifestyle, and enjoying your food,” Corwin said. “It’s a stark contrast to our culture’s habit of racing through a meal while standing, driving or watching TV.”


As for actual food, the diet places heavy emphasis on leafy greens, vegetables, fruit and whole grains, building out from there.


Said Corwin: “Those following a plant-based Mediterranean Diet plan their meals around the vegetables, rather than the meat. Instead of saying, ‘OK, Monday we’ll have beef with something else,’ the focus switches to, ‘We have a ton of leafy greens we need to use up tonight, so what should we do with that?’”


First add nuts, beans, legumes, seeds, herbs, spices and olive oil, then fish and seafood. Poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt would come once every other day, or perhaps a few times per week, with red meat and desserts just once or twice a month.

Photo By Chris Clark

But the takeaway is not simply that the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet outpace any high-protein diets.


High-protein diets can increase your health risks. Research has shown that people who regularly consume high-protein foods—red meat, in particular—are effectively increasing their lifetime risk of chronic disease.


“Red meat, animal protein, has been linked to increased cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes,” Dr. Holman said.


A person with kidney problems, meanwhile, may see their condition worsen on a high-protein diet.


“When you have tons of protein, it’s harder for the kidneys to process and clear it,” Dr. Holman said. “Super-high protein levels can affect your kidneys. Most of the time, healthy people are OK, but if you’re predisposed to problems with your kidneys it can cause you to retain fluid.”


A predictable side effect of the diet craze: People are protein-crazy.

Photo by Chris Clark

“Sometimes people don’t think they’re getting enough protein, but they are,” Dr. Holman said. “Most people overestimate how much protein they need.”


Smart dieting is the first step to positive lifestyle change, but don’t feel pressured to make dramatic changes immediately. Dr. Holman said he’ll first ask his patients to maintain a 24-hour food journal, carefully documenting the foods they typically eat in one day.


“You have to think about lifestyle change,” he said. “They’ll pick one or two things they can change. Sometimes it’s just as simple as cutting out soda. And most people don’t realize how healthy nuts are—they should switch to nuts as one of their snacks.”


The payoffs are real: Studies have shown people who adhere to a Mediterranean diet are about 30 percent less likely to develop cardiovascular disease, Dr. Holman said.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Toddlers rule at mealtime when no rules exist

3-bottom, Food, How-To's, Kids Activities, ,
Courtesy Michigan State University Extension

By Christi Demitz, Michigan State University Extension


Toddlers do not have control over much in their lives, but they do control what goes into, and comes out of, their mouths at mealtime. For this reason, many parents find mealtimes challenging when trying to feed a toddler. Out of frustration, parents may serve only the foods the child likes in order to get the child to eat. When you think about it, it does make sense that many toddlers are picky eaters because they are being introduced to new foods that have unfamiliar tastes, textures and smells compared to the breast milk or formula given during the first year of life. Parents can teach healthy eating habits during mealtime by offering a variety of foods to eat, adjusting their mealtime expectations and allowing the toddler some freedom to decide how much to eat. 


Toddlers start eating solid food when their growth starts to slow, but nutrition remains very important. Making mealtime a family affair sets a good example for toddlers as parents and siblings model healthy eating. Kids are more likely to eat more fruits and vegetables when they eat meals with their family. Resist the urge to only feed them their favorite food at every meal or rewarding them with dessert. Instead, prepare and serve healthy meals and let them choose what they want to eat. Keep offering unfamiliar foods. The more young children are offered foods, the more likely they will taste it and eventually learn to like it. 


Consider these tips to get your toddler to eat more than just their favorite food at mealtimes. 


Serving size for toddlers. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends that two year olds get 1,000 calories a day from a variety of sources from each food group. Serving a tablespoon or two of an unfamiliar food can encourage your toddler to try a bite rather than having an overwhelming mound of squash or other unknown food on his or her plate. 


Positive peers. When toddlers see someone their size eating fruits and vegetables, they are more likely to try them too. Look for opportunities for your toddler to eat with friends. Children also learn by watching you, so set a good example by eating the same food you’re serving your toddler.


Feed themselves. Your toddler should try using a spoon or fork by 15-18 months. Toddlers should try to feed themselves, with assistance from mom or dad when needed. Letting children feed themselves helps them to learn the cues of hunger and fullness.


Regular meal and snack times. Having regular meal and snack times helps establish a routine. If toddlers refuse a meal, having regular meal and snack times helps kids manage hunger because they learn when to expect food during the day. It is not advisable to allow kids to eat on demand, because they will not learn the cues of hunger or fullness.


It is common for toddlers to be picky eaters. If your toddler is growing and has energy, he or she is probably eating enough to be healthy. If you have concerns, you should see your doctor or pediatrician. For more tips for handling picky eaters in your family the USDA has a tip sheet for picky eaters online.


Michigan State University Extension offers nutrition education for parents in counties throughout Michigan. To contact an expert in your area, visit the expert page, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).


This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

Make your garden one of delights, not dangers

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Food, Health, How-To's, Senior Living

Protect yourself while gardening. There are more dangers in the soil than you might expect. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Bruce Rossman, Spectrum Health Beat


What’s not to like about gardening? It beautifies your home, produces great food, plus it’s relaxing, stress reducing and a fun calorie-burner.


But it’s not without its hazards.


“A lot of outdoor diseases can be avoided with clothing and precaution,” said Christina Leonard, MD, an infectious disease specialists with the Spectrum Health Medical Group. “Prevention is key in avoiding problems.”

Avoiding infection in the garden

To protect yourself from diseases caused by mosquitoes and ticks, use insect repellent containing DEET and wear long-sleeved shirts and pants tucked into your socks. You may also want to wear high rubber boots since ticks are usually located close to the ground.


It’s also important to be up-to-date on your tetanus/diphtheria vaccination. Tetanus lives in the soil and enters the body through breaks in the skin.


“Gardeners are particularly susceptible to tetanus infections because they dig in the dirt, use sharp tools and handle plants with sharp points,” Dr. Leonard said.


Roundworms and other nematodes inhabit most soil and some are parasitic. The biggest exposure danger is through ingesting eggs on vegetables, so don’t pull carrots and eat them in the garden.


Be sure to wash your hands with soap and warm water before handling food. Wash, peel, or cook all raw vegetables and fruits before eating, particularly those that have been grown in soil fertilized with manure. Wearing footwear and gloves in the garden also helps prevent infection.


Watch those punctures! Sporotrichosis is an infection caused by a fungus called Sporothrix schenckii. The fungus enters the skin through small cuts or punctures from thorns, barbs, pine needles, splinters or wires from contaminated sphagnum moss, moldy hay, other plant materials or soil. It’s also known as rose handler’s disease.


The first signs of sporotrichosis are painless pink, red, or purple bumps usually on the finger, hand, or arm where the fungus entered the body. It’s usually treated with a solution of potassium iodine that is diluted and swallowed, but can cause problems for people with compromised immune systems. Again, wearing gloves will help prevent infection.

Avoiding injury in the garden

  • Dress to protect. Use appropriate gear to protect yourself from pests, chemicals, sharp or motorized equipment, insects and harmful rays of too much sun.
  • Wear sturdy shoes and long pants when using power equipment.
  • Protect your hearing. Wear ear protection with power equipment.
  • Wear gloves to lower the risk for skin irritations, cuts and potential infections.
  • Be sun smart. Wear long sleeves, wide-brimmed hats, sunglasses and sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher.
  • Powered and manual tools and equipment can cause serious injury. Pay attention, use chemicals and equipment properly, and be aware of hazards.
  • Follow instructions and warning labels on chemicals and lawn and garden equipment.
  • Make sure equipment is working properly.
  • Sharpen tools carefully.
  • Keep harmful chemicals, tools and equipment out of children’s reach.

Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.