Aging Gracefully: The Fountain of Youth in Your Grocery Cart
Eight questions with one of the foremost nutrition and fitness experts.
By: Joy Bauer | Source: AARP.org | Date Posted: 2008-08-22
Joy Bauer is a leading authority on nutrition whose clients include celebrity actors, fashion models, Olympic athletes and business executives. She operates one of the country's largest nutrition centers, with locations in Manhattan and Westchester, N.Y.
Q: What's the biggest food mistake people make?
A: It’s hard to choose just one, but if I had to, I’d say that the biggest mistake people make is trying to lose weight too quickly.
While you can initially lose a lot on a crash diet, most people inevitably overeat or binge when their bodies revolt from being too hungry and depleted. Of course, that means they tend to gain back all of their lost weight.
Even if you’re miraculously able to stay on your restrictive crash-diet plan, it’s counterproductive. Your metabolism eventually slows down as your body conserves energy. Once you begin to eat normally again, you tend to regain weight rapidly because your body is still in starvation mode.
Q: If changing the way I grocery shop can promote my health, what differences should I make?
A: Five Golden Rules:
1. Never shop when you’re hungry.
2. Never shop without a list; there’s no such thing as running in to pick up a few things.
3. Avoid grabbing food samples. It’s estimated that each mouthful is approximately 25 calories. That’s 100 calories after just four bites!
4. Shop the outer perimeter of the supermarket, where the healthier items are, first. Unhealthier foods are located in the center aisles. So if you start by picking up your produce, dairy, and meat in the outer aisles, your cart will start to get full. You will be less likely to buy the “bad” stuff, since there will not be enough room in your cart.
5. Bigger is not always better.
Q: Is there a particular food that you recommend people eat every day?
A: Yes. Vegetables! The more, the better.
Q: What's the best food for eye health?
A: Spinach hits the trifecta! It comes packaged with vitamin C, beta carotene, and large amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, a matched pair of antioxidants found in high concentrations in the tissue of the macula. Because they absorb 40 to 90 percent of blue light intensity, these nutrients act like sunscreen for your eyes.
Studies have shown that eating foods rich in lutein and zeaxanthin can increase the pigment density in the macula. Greater pigment density means better retina protection and a lower risk of macular degeneration. At least one study has confirmed that eating foods with high amounts of these antioxidants seems to reduce the risk of developing macular degeneration.
Spinach makes a great side vegetable with dinner. It is also the perfect base for any kind of salad. It adds color and dimension when sautéed in an omelet. So try some today.
Q: Is there a food we buy that we think is good for us but really isn't?
A: There are plenty of “foods that fool”: They sound healthy, but they’re really not!
Granola: Granola is one of the most calorie-dense cereals on the market. A typical serving, about 2/3 cup, has 220 calories and more than four teaspoons of sugar. What’s more, most people pour two-cup portions. That’s a whopping 660 calories and 51 grams (12 teaspoons!) of sugar.
Two-percent reduced-fat milk: Two percent reduced-fat milk is not that low-fat, nor is it low calorie, when you consider that whole milk is 3.3 percent fat.
Whole milk: 150 calories
2-percent reduced-fat milk: 120 calories
1-percent reduced-fat milk: 100 calories
Skim milk: 80 calories
Switch from 2-percent reduced-fat milk to skim milk. Assuming you have one serving each day, at the end of the year, you will have saved more than 14,000 calories and dropped four pounds!
Chicken Caesar salads: Thanks to excessive dressing, croutons, and cheese, a standard Chicken Caesar salad can total more than 1,000 calories and 90 grams of fat. So the next time you’re in the mood, request no dressing (you’ll save up to 475 calories) and lose the croutons (another 70 calories of savings). Instead, toss with one or two teaspoons of olive oil and unlimited vinegar. This lighter version practically slashes the calories in half.
Yogurt-covered nuts: This yogurt is strictly food for the soul. It’s filled with calories, sugar, fat, and clearly, no active cultures. In fact, 20 yogurt-covered nuts have 460 calories, 32 grams of fat, 14 grams of saturated fat, and eight teaspoons of sugar. Yikes! Skip the candy and enjoy the real thing: raw almonds and a container of nonfat, flavored yogurt.
Banana chips: Bananas fried in oil and sugar, healthy? One cup typically provides 300 calories, 20 grams of fat, 18 grams of saturated fat, and 19 grams of sugar (or 4.75 teaspoons).
Instead, enjoy a fresh, frozen banana for only 110 calories (with no fat or added sugar).
Trail mix: Although loaded with healthy nutrients, traditional trail mix is also loaded with calories that add up quickly. In fact, ½ cup typically equals 350 calories. (That’s the same number of calories as in 11 cups of air-popped popcorn).
Vitamin water or Life water: These beverages provide many more calories than plain ol’ water. In fact, you’ll be taking in 125 calories (and eight cubes of sugar) for every 20-ounce bottle you guzzle!
Q: We all know milk is good for our bones. What other, lesser-known foods can stave off osteoporosis?
A: Vitamin D is a powerful nutrient. It enables calcium to do its job. In fact, some researchers believe that vitamin D is even more important than calcium in the fight against osteoporosis. Foods that supply a hearty dose of vitamin D include wild salmon (fresh or canned), Atlantic mackerel, sardines, and shrimp.
Q: There's been a lot of hype about fiber keeping heart disease at bay (for example, eating oats is said to lower cholesterol). How much truth is there to that?
A: Soluble fiber may help reduce LDL-cholesterol (that’s the bad cholesterol) by grabbing it and escorting it through your digestive system and out of your body.
Soluble fiber may also reduce the intestinal absorption of cholesterol. Research has shown that eating an additional 5 to 10 grams of soluble fiber a day can reduce LDL cholesterol by 3 to 5 percent. If you eat a few foods rich in soluble fiber every day, you’ll get at least 5 grams. It is a small improvement, but every percentage point counts!
Some of the best foods for soluble fiber include oat and rice bran, oatmeal, barley, lentils, Brussels sprouts, peas, beans, apples, blackberries, pears, raisins, oranges, grapefruit, dates, figs, prunes, apricots, cantaloupe, strawberries, banana, peach, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, sweet potato, tomato, raspberries, corn, and ground flaxseeds.
Q: Can you recommend a tasty but good-for-you snack for the mid-afternoon munchies?
A: Optimally, afternoon snacks should be no more than 200 calories and should provide a combination of protein and high-quality carbohydrate. Here are a few healthy examples:
• One cup nonfat plain or flavored yogurt
• Apple + 10 almonds
• One rice cake topped with one ounce low-fat cheese
• Pepper sticks with 2 heaping tablespoons hummus
• One serving of soy crisps
• Low-fat granola bar
• Half cup low-fat cottage cheese topped with fresh berries
Q: What's the biggest food mistake people make?
A: It’s hard to choose just one, but if I had to, I’d say that the biggest mistake people make is trying to lose weight too quickly.
While you can initially lose a lot on a crash diet, most people inevitably overeat or binge when their bodies revolt from being too hungry and depleted. Of course, that means they tend to gain back all of their lost weight.
Even if you’re miraculously able to stay on your restrictive crash-diet plan, it’s counterproductive. Your metabolism eventually slows down as your body conserves energy. Once you begin to eat normally again, you tend to regain weight rapidly because your body is still in starvation mode.
Q: If changing the way I grocery shop can promote my health, what differences should I make?
A: Five Golden Rules:
1. Never shop when you’re hungry.
2. Never shop without a list; there’s no such thing as running in to pick up a few things.
3. Avoid grabbing food samples. It’s estimated that each mouthful is approximately 25 calories. That’s 100 calories after just four bites!
4. Shop the outer perimeter of the supermarket, where the healthier items are, first. Unhealthier foods are located in the center aisles. So if you start by picking up your produce, dairy, and meat in the outer aisles, your cart will start to get full. You will be less likely to buy the “bad” stuff, since there will not be enough room in your cart.
5. Bigger is not always better.
Q: Is there a particular food that you recommend people eat every day?
A: Yes. Vegetables! The more, the better.
Q: What's the best food for eye health?
A: Spinach hits the trifecta! It comes packaged with vitamin C, beta carotene, and large amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, a matched pair of antioxidants found in high concentrations in the tissue of the macula. Because they absorb 40 to 90 percent of blue light intensity, these nutrients act like sunscreen for your eyes.
Studies have shown that eating foods rich in lutein and zeaxanthin can increase the pigment density in the macula. Greater pigment density means better retina protection and a lower risk of macular degeneration. At least one study has confirmed that eating foods with high amounts of these antioxidants seems to reduce the risk of developing macular degeneration.
Spinach makes a great side vegetable with dinner. It is also the perfect base for any kind of salad. It adds color and dimension when sautéed in an omelet. So try some today.
Q: Is there a food we buy that we think is good for us but really isn't?
A: There are plenty of “foods that fool”: They sound healthy, but they’re really not!
Granola: Granola is one of the most calorie-dense cereals on the market. A typical serving, about 2/3 cup, has 220 calories and more than four teaspoons of sugar. What’s more, most people pour two-cup portions. That’s a whopping 660 calories and 51 grams (12 teaspoons!) of sugar.
Two-percent reduced-fat milk: Two percent reduced-fat milk is not that low-fat, nor is it low calorie, when you consider that whole milk is 3.3 percent fat.
Whole milk: 150 calories
2-percent reduced-fat milk: 120 calories
1-percent reduced-fat milk: 100 calories
Skim milk: 80 calories
Switch from 2-percent reduced-fat milk to skim milk. Assuming you have one serving each day, at the end of the year, you will have saved more than 14,000 calories and dropped four pounds!
Chicken Caesar salads: Thanks to excessive dressing, croutons, and cheese, a standard Chicken Caesar salad can total more than 1,000 calories and 90 grams of fat. So the next time you’re in the mood, request no dressing (you’ll save up to 475 calories) and lose the croutons (another 70 calories of savings). Instead, toss with one or two teaspoons of olive oil and unlimited vinegar. This lighter version practically slashes the calories in half.
Yogurt-covered nuts: This yogurt is strictly food for the soul. It’s filled with calories, sugar, fat, and clearly, no active cultures. In fact, 20 yogurt-covered nuts have 460 calories, 32 grams of fat, 14 grams of saturated fat, and eight teaspoons of sugar. Yikes! Skip the candy and enjoy the real thing: raw almonds and a container of nonfat, flavored yogurt.
Banana chips: Bananas fried in oil and sugar, healthy? One cup typically provides 300 calories, 20 grams of fat, 18 grams of saturated fat, and 19 grams of sugar (or 4.75 teaspoons).
Instead, enjoy a fresh, frozen banana for only 110 calories (with no fat or added sugar).
Trail mix: Although loaded with healthy nutrients, traditional trail mix is also loaded with calories that add up quickly. In fact, ½ cup typically equals 350 calories. (That’s the same number of calories as in 11 cups of air-popped popcorn).
Vitamin water or Life water: These beverages provide many more calories than plain ol’ water. In fact, you’ll be taking in 125 calories (and eight cubes of sugar) for every 20-ounce bottle you guzzle!
Q: We all know milk is good for our bones. What other, lesser-known foods can stave off osteoporosis?
A: Vitamin D is a powerful nutrient. It enables calcium to do its job. In fact, some researchers believe that vitamin D is even more important than calcium in the fight against osteoporosis. Foods that supply a hearty dose of vitamin D include wild salmon (fresh or canned), Atlantic mackerel, sardines, and shrimp.
Q: There's been a lot of hype about fiber keeping heart disease at bay (for example, eating oats is said to lower cholesterol). How much truth is there to that?
A: Soluble fiber may help reduce LDL-cholesterol (that’s the bad cholesterol) by grabbing it and escorting it through your digestive system and out of your body.
Soluble fiber may also reduce the intestinal absorption of cholesterol. Research has shown that eating an additional 5 to 10 grams of soluble fiber a day can reduce LDL cholesterol by 3 to 5 percent. If you eat a few foods rich in soluble fiber every day, you’ll get at least 5 grams. It is a small improvement, but every percentage point counts!
Some of the best foods for soluble fiber include oat and rice bran, oatmeal, barley, lentils, Brussels sprouts, peas, beans, apples, blackberries, pears, raisins, oranges, grapefruit, dates, figs, prunes, apricots, cantaloupe, strawberries, banana, peach, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, sweet potato, tomato, raspberries, corn, and ground flaxseeds.
Q: Can you recommend a tasty but good-for-you snack for the mid-afternoon munchies?
A: Optimally, afternoon snacks should be no more than 200 calories and should provide a combination of protein and high-quality carbohydrate. Here are a few healthy examples:
• One cup nonfat plain or flavored yogurt
• Apple + 10 almonds
• One rice cake topped with one ounce low-fat cheese
• Pepper sticks with 2 heaping tablespoons hummus
• One serving of soy crisps
• Low-fat granola bar
• Half cup low-fat cottage cheese topped with fresh berries
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