Are Restaurants Getting The Message?

Recent news stories released earlier this summer suggest that restaurants might actually be starting to provide healthier options for their patrons, which considering the present rate of obesity in the U.S. is excellent news.

According to one recent press release, 60% of consumers responding to a marketing survey want to eat food that tastes great while dining out and 23% are looking for healthier meals.  Apparently, restaurants are starting to make the necessary changes to accommodate their customer's wishes.  According to this marketing research, menu items labeled as healthy increased by 65% with some of that improvement due to an increase in dishes that contain fruits and vegetables and an increase in vegetarian options.  Whether these menu changes are resulting in diners eating healthier or vice-versa, the survey reports that about half of the individuals responding attempt to eat healthier at restaurants by choosing lower fat items, eating more fruits and vegetables, and consuming less calories.

Additional news from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health's Nutrition Coordinating Center indicates that fast food restaurants have been successfully lowering the trans fat in their food items.  By using their nutritional values database of thousands of food items, the researchers were able to analyze changes in trans fat levels in french fries made at 5 major fast food restaurants from 1997 - 2008.  According to this analysis, McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's all successfully reduced the amount of trans fat in their french fries without increasing the amount of saturated fat.  This is a significant step considering that trans fat has been shown to have a negative impact on heart health and health authorities recommend that trans fat consumption be held as low as possible.

Overall, these stories provide excellent news for those of us who enjoy the occasional dining-out experience, but still want to eat healthy.  While this is a great step in the right direction, improving the availability of healthy food choices is an ever-evolving challenge for restaurants.  As nutrition researchers learn more about the health effects of foods and food ingredients, dietary recommendations continue to get updated.  New recommendations due out later this year, particularly in regards to sodium intake, are likely to present additional challenges to restaurants as well as the rest of the food industry.

While restaurants continue to strive for healthier, yet still flavorful, menu items, there are actions we can all take towards healthy eating when dining out.  Below are some general tips that might help us all make healthier choices when eating out at any restaurant:

• Eat a piece of fruit before going to a restaurant in order to curb your hunger and decrease the chance of overeating.
• Share your meal with a friend... this will help reduce portion sizes.
• Order from the appetizer menu… the portions are usually smaller.
• Try to limit the amount of bread that you eat (1 piece is best).
• Look for items that are baked, broiled, braised, grilled or steamed… they are generally lower calorie choices.
• Watch out for foods high in fat and calories… terms like fried, crispy, creamed, cheese sauce, au gratin, and basted often describe higher calorie foods.
• When choosing the salad bar, skip the non-vegetable foods like meat, cheese, eggs, etc.
• Drink low calorie or calorie free options such as diet soda, water, or unsweetened tea.
• When your food arrives put half of your meal in a to go box.

Whether you are looking to lose weight or maintain the healthy body weight you have already obtained, my easy diet plan can help.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more about my delicious, hunger-satisfying foods!

Fruit & Vegetable Consumption Reduces Inflammatory Status

Nutrigenomics is the study of the interactions between diet/nutrition and gene expression and it has become an increasingly important aspect of nutrition research.  Research over the last several years has continued to suggest that certain components of the human diet, especially components of fruits and vegetables like fiber, vitamins and minerals, and flavonoids, might reduce chronic inflammation.  This has been an important area of research due to the fact that many chronic health conditions have been associated with increased levels of inflammation.  While many studies have examined the impact of various nutrients on inflammation, few studies have looked at actual fruit and vegetable intake in relation to chronic inflammation status in humans.

Using a nutrigenomic approach, a new study (free to download) explored this relationship between the consumption of fruits and vegetables and markers of inflammation.  For this study, 120 healthy men and women at a normal body weight were enrolled.  Blood levels of chemicals associated with inflammation and expression of genes associated with inflammation were measured, while dietary intake of fruits and vegetables were determined with a food frequency questionnaire.  Changes in the inflammatory markers were examined in relation to levels (low, medium, and high) of fruit and vegetable consumption.  The study investigators reported:

• Individuals with the highest level of fruit and vegetable intake (> 660 grams per day) had a lower body mass index, waist circumference, and blood pressure.
• Individuals consuming fruits and vegetables at the highest level consumed higher levels of vegetable potein, fiber, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin C and consumed lower levels of fat, particularly saturated fat.
• Levels of C-reactive protein and homocysteine, two inflammatory markers, were lower in study volunteers consuming high levels of fruits and vegetables and high levels of fiber (> 19.5 grams per day).
• The expression of several genes associated with chronic inflammation (ICAM1, IL6, and TNFalpha among others) was suppressed in volunteers consuming the highest levels of fruits and vegetables.

Overall, this study emphasizes the importance of fruit and vegetable consumption for reducing chronic inflammation.  Not only was a high level of fruit and vegetable associated with a lower body mass index, it was associated with a lower expression of genes associated with inflammation.  Consumption of higher levels of fruits and vegetables also resulted in an overall healthier diet pattern, which likely aided in the suppression of inflammatory markers.  Since chronic inflammation has been associated with various health conditions, consuming a diet rich in anti-inflammatory fruits and vegetables has the potential to improve human health.

Consuming at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables is an integral part of my easy diet plan.  Visit us to learn more about our delicious foods.

Knowledge of Dietary Fats is Lacking

An article in the April issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association examines the knowledge of dietary fats among U.S. consumers.  According to this new article, it appears that our knowledge is lacking.

This new study uses data collected from nearly 1,800 people who participated in the U.S. FDA Health and Diet Survey to assess their awareness and understanding of six different dietary fats.  The results of this study were rather disconcerting:

• Nearly all of the study participants were aware of saturated fat and most understood that it increases the risk for poor heart health.
• Less than 70% of the study population had heard of trans fat and partially hydrogenated oil and of those, less than half understood that these fats are unhealthy fats.
• Only half of the people who had heard of omega-3 fatty acids knew that this was a healthy fat that lowers the risk of poor heart health.
• Only a very small percentage of the study group recognized polyunsaturated fat as a heart healthy fat.

The results from this study dramatically shows our general lack of knowledge about dietary fats and emphasizes the need for a better way to spread the message about healthy and unhealthy fats.  Getting the message out could be done in a number of ways including improved food labeling, more media coverage related to proper diet and nutrition, and increased access to nutrition research.  Public access to nutrition (and other) research is growing.  For example, all of the journals in My Favorite Journals on this blog's sidebar are open to the general public and free to read.

Limiting the amount of unhealthy fats in one's diet is a great way to start eating healthier.  Another way to start eating healthier is to follow my easy plan... all of my Slim and Beautiful Shakes are low in total fat, making them a delicious way to limit the amount of unhealthy fats consumed.