up'n coming research

"The Relationships between Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake and Cardiometabolic Markers in Young Children" 
Source: Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. February 2013

Ethan C. Kosova, MD, MPH; Peggy Auinger, MS; Andrew A.Bremer, MD, PhD


7-UP, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, sports drinks, chocolate milk, vitamin water...in all sweetened beverages. The consumption of sweetened beverages has increased to a daily value from 4.8% in the 70's to 10.3% of a total calorie intake today.

??Water or Sweetened Beverage??

A recent research article from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics decided to do a cross-sectional analysis of 4,880 children between the ages of 3 to 11 evaluating the relationship between sugar-sweetened beverage intake and cardiometabolic markers in young children.

Cardiometabolic markers that were included: blood total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglyceride, C-Reative Protein concentrations (which is a marker indicating any inflammation within the blood), waist circumference and BMI (height to weight ratio).

Children consume a total of 175kcal/day from just sweetened beverages. 

The conclusions led to believe that the consumption of sweetened beverages was positively associated with decreased HDL cholesterol, increased C-Reative Protein concentrations and increased waist circumference in children ages 3 to 11. 

This is not only prevalent in just children but on all age groups.

It's not horrible to have a soda here and there but if it's your only source for replenishing your body with fluids try to ween yourself off the soda & replace it with an 8oz (2 cups) glass of water. Your body is approximately 50-70% of your total body weight and the most abundant molecule within the body. You need water not only to quench your thirst but also it is the "key" to start the many chemical reactions in your body. To name one: is in metabolism where water is used to break down food to eventually produce energy. So grab a bottle and I dare you to try and fill your water bottle 3x's a day with some of that H20 :)

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Stool Gazing
Jo Ann Hattner, MPH, RD 
Source: Food & Nutrition Magazine Winter 2012

Quite the Taboo to talking about the number 2 but in all truthfullness it gives you much insight into a person's health and lifestyle. Consistency, color, shape, ease of passage...give many clue's about a person's digestive health. 

A model stool is bulky, soft, easy to pass and has a uniform, torpedo-like shape. 

Stools that look like small pellets or pebbles lumped together can be a result of slow transit time, too little fiber (to retain fluid) or low-carb diet that's high in proteins and fats. Drinking more water, adding more fiber to the diet, eating whole grains and yogurts with live cultures may improve stool consistency & passage.

Some common stool issues:

Black stools: may be a result of taking iron supplements

Green stools: may be a result from simply eating green foods 

Red stools: may be from red food coloring found in candies or bleeding hemorrhoids

Yellow stools: are normal in breast-feeding infants 

If you feel your inconsistent keep a food diary of water intake and stool frequency this may help you to identify your irregularities. 

 

 A Healthy Colon is a Happy Colon!
Fiber is known for giving bulk and helping with regularity. But prebiotic fiber (such as banana's, onions, garlic, whole wheat or barley) can enhance the health of your colon. The non-digestable carbohydrate reaches the lower digestive system and is fermented in the colon by microbiotia. This activity optimizes the pH of the colon and decreases pathogens.

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Offering "Dip" Promotes Intake of a Moderately-Liked Raw Vegetable among Preschoolers with Genetic Sensitivity to Bitterness
Jennifer O. Fisher, phD; Julie A. Mennella, PhD; Sheryl O. Hughes, PhD et al.,
Source: February 2012 Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

      Are you or someone you know having  difficulty in trying to increase vegetable consumption for your/their preschooler? You are not the only one for less than half of children aged 2-5 years and only 5%-10% of children aged 4 to 8 years eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables each day. The lowest is the green leafy vegetables which have the maximum amount of nutrients which includes broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, and collard greens.
     A recent study including 152 preschoolers who attended the Head Start Centers in metropolitan Houston, TX were presented with four ways to eat their broccoli with:

1.  regular salad dressing as a dip
2. low and fat salad dressing as a dip
3. low fat + regular salad dressing mixed together as a dip
4. plain

A common issue for vegetable acceptance in preschooler is for the bitter taste these leafy greens give (specifically called 6-n-propylthiouracil). Those more sensitive to this bitterness were least likely to eat these leafy greens. But when presented with a dressing that the preschoolers liked along with repeated exposure to the moderately-liked vegetable the preschoolers ate the vegetables!

My suggestion is to have a yogurt based dip rather then sour cream to make it a more nutrient dense snack.