Eats « Weekly Gravy

Tired of that spare tire? Low-calorie diets work, but can be difficult to follow. A much simpler approach to losing weight might be to just stop eating every other day. It’s called alternate-day fasting (ADF). As the name implies, you starve yourself by fasting one day and then you feast the next, and then repeat that pattern again and again. In just the month-long trial of the ADF diet, study volunteers lost more than seven pounds. That weight loss occurred even though people on the ADF diet ate about 30% more on the days they were allowed to eat than they normally would. Even with that extra food on feast days, the study volunteers still consumed fewer calories overall because of their fasting days, the researchers explained. “This is an easy regimen — no calculation of calories — and the compliance was very high,” said the study’s senior author, Frank Madeo, a professor of molecular biology at Karl-Franzens University of Graz, in Austria. Madeo said the researchers didn’t study how the ADF diet might compare to other types of intermittent-fasting diets or to a more typical lower-calorie diet. He said that the ADF study didn’t appear to have any impact on the immune system (at least in this short-term study), but that diets that simply rely on lower caloric intake may dampen immune system function.… read on >

The health risks of sugary drinks, from juice to soda, are well known. They can lead to overweight and diabetes, stroke and other problems in the brain, including poorer memory and smaller brain volume. But diet sodas aren’t the answer. A number of studies have found an association between artificially sweetened beverages and an increased risk of stroke, heart disease, heart attack and other heart-related deaths in women. The most recent was published earlier this year in the journal Stroke, with researchers suggesting that, even without identifying a specific cause and effect, people should seriously consider the potentially harmful effects of artificially sweetened drinks. And there’s more. Researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine followed 4,000 people of both sexes over 10 years. Using MRI tests, they linked just one artificially sweetened soda a day to brain changes that can lead to dementia, as well as the type of stroke caused by a blockage in a blood vessel. These risks were triple those of people who don’t drink diet sodas. It didn’t seem to matter which common artificial sweetener — saccharin, aspartame or sucralose — was consumed. While some people see diet soda as a way of weaning off regular soda, it may be healthier in the long run to skip this type of transition. If you like soda’s carbonation more than the better… read on >

“Eating the rainbow” is a great way to harness the different micronutrients in fruits and vegetables. Among the reds (and yellows), naturally sweet beets are a great source of folate, the B vitamin, fiber and potassium. If you shied away from beets as a kid, it’s time to give them a try. A fun introduction involves using a spiralizer to prep the beets. It’s an essential kitchen tool for those who love a big plate of pasta but not the carb and calorie overload that comes with it. The spiralizer turns veggies like beets, as well carrots and sweet potatoes, into spaghetti-like squiggles. Spiralized beets make a nutritious swap for the standard pasta used to make classic cold sesame noodles, a zesty, do-ahead dish that family and guests alike will love. Cold Sesame Beet Noodles 4 large beets, peeled 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or Sriracha 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/3 cup unsalted vegetable or chicken broth 1/4 cup peanuts, roughly chopped 4 scallions, chopped Select the spiralizer blade for the thickness of the noodles you want to make. Fit a beet into the front of the spiralizer where spikes hold the vegetable in place. Next press the hand crank into the other side of the beet. To make noodles, turn… read on >

Do you eat healthy during the week, then ease off the brakes on the weekend? You’re not alone. But such a five days on-two days off eating regimen can erode diet quality, according to a study published recently in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Not only did participants take in more calories on weekends than on weekdays, they were less healthy calories, to boot. They consumed more alcohol and fat, and ate less of the good stuff, like yogurt, fruits, dark green and orange vegetables, chicken, nuts and seeds, and whole grains. And if the calories you consume on the weekend exceed the number you take in during the week, that’s a net surplus — read: weight gain. Besides stalling any weight-loss efforts, weekend junk-food binges can also negatively impact the healthy bacteria in your gut. A lab study published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research found that cycling on and off junk food was almost as detrimental to the delicate balance of the gut microbiome as eating it all the time. In particular, a junk-food diet reduces the microbes needed to metabolize flavonoids, a category of micronutrients thought to help with weight loss and brain health. If you look forward to letting loose on the weekends, find other ways to unwind. For instance, try a new activity — you’ll burn… read on >

A quirk in quality testing could mean that pot-laced chocolates are more potent than their label indicates, researchers report. Many states that allow the sale of marijuana-infused edibles — gummy bears, cookies and chocolates — require package labeling that shows the products’ level of THC, the compound that gets you high. But potency testing on chocolate products appears to be slightly skewed, said David Dawson, a research principal with CW Analytical Laboratories, one of California’s longest-operating marijuana testing labs. It turns out that larger samples of chocolate used in testing actually produce less accurate results than smaller samples, Dawson said. “It’s pretty striking and definitely goes against your basic gut instinct,” Dawson said. “As the amount of sample you are testing increases, it should be more representative of the whole of the product. Thus, you should be getting more solid values,” Dawson said. “We saw the opposite here, where we actually start getting less accurate and precise values the more actual product we are testing at a given moment.” The testing flaw tends to cause a chocolate product’s THC levels to be reported as lower than they actually are, Dawson said. For example, a bar containing 97 milligrams of THC might test at 93 milligrams. The variance “isn’t enough to truly pose a danger to consumers, but it is enough to possibly make a good… read on >

Americans eat three times as much cheese as just 50 years ago, but not because we’re enjoying careful indulgences like a cheese plate with fruit and whole grain crackers. Experts point to the cheese overload in pizza and other Italian dishes, Tex-Mex favorites and the ubiquitous mac-and-cheese. That’s a lot of saturated fat and calories. But most people don’t have to avoid cheese completely — it’s just a question of being more judicious in your selections. Because the dairy fat found in cheese as well as in whole-fat milk and yogurt has been given a slight reprieve in the war on saturated fat, eating small amounts is OK. But you probably don’t want to depend on cheese alone to get in the recommended three dairy servings a day, especially if weight control is an issue for you. Because of its high fat content, cheese packs a lot of calories into a small package. A one-ounce serving is the size of two pairs of dice, so portion control is key. Ounce for ounce, some types of cheese naturally have less fat and therefore fewer calories than others. For instance, feta, goat and mozzarella have 70 to 75 calories per ounce compared to Brie, manchego and Swiss, to name just a few, which average between 100 and 120. If eating cheese helps you get needed calcium, know… read on >

Dairy foods have been getting a lot of attention from researchers in recent years, notably from studies done both jointly and separately by scientists at Harvard and Tufts universities. They looked at the relationship between full-fat dairy and the risks for heart disease and diabetes. A 3,000-participant study found that people who included dairy fat in their diet had a lower risk of diabetes. One theory for the link is that people who skip or limit dairy might compensate by eating more refined, low-fiber carbohydrates, which can increase diabetes risk. A study that followed more than 200,000 people over several decades looked at the relationship between dairy fat intake and heart disease. It found no increase in heart disease risk among people who ate dairy fat, although the risk was lowered when calories from dairy fat were replaced with calories from plant-based fats or whole grains — 24% when they were replaced by polyunsaturated fats and 28% when replaced with whole grains. On the other hand, the risk went up by 6% if those calories went instead to foods with other types of saturated fat, like red meat. A third piece of research reviewed nine studies that looked specifically at butter, another source of saturated fat, and its role in heart disease, diabetes and all causes of death. The analysis found that while plant-based fats… read on >

Planning for your children’s return to school this fall should include thinking about how to pack healthy lunches that they’ll enjoy. Try to include children in the process of creating their lunches, including buying food and packing (or helping pack) their lunches. This lets them make their own choices and helps them learn about nutrition, according to Manisha Vaidya, a clinical dietitian at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Many grocery stores offer a variety of ready-to-pack cut fruits and veggies, as well as dried fruits and unsalted nuts, pre-portioned cheese and single-serve yogurts, hummus and cracker cups, and tuna and chicken pouches. Direct your children to these fruit, veggie, grain and protein products for their lunch shopping and menu planning. A good-quality lunch box, water bottle, thermal beverage container, some cool packs and some reusable containers will help lunches stay cool and fresh, increasing the chances that children will eat more of their lunches, according to a university news release. Ensure food safety. Put an ice pack in your child’s lunch box if they’re having yogurt/deli sandwich/fresh vegetables, or fruits. Teach children about hand sanitation and safe food handling and storage. Create a reward plan with your child for finishing school lunches and choosing healthy snacks. It can be something such as a trip to the bookstore, a play day at the park with… read on >

(HealthDay News) — To maintain a healthy weight, how much you eat is just as important as what you eat, says the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Your optimal portion size may or may not match the serving size listed on a product. It’s dependent on your age, weight and metabolism, among other factors. To manage food portions at home, the agency recommends: Do not eat out of the box or bag. Take out a serving and eat it off a plate. Avoid eating in front of the TV or while busy with other activities. Focus on what you are eating, chew well and enjoy your food. Eat fewer high-fat, high-calorie foods. Freeze food you won’t serve or eat right away. Eat meals at regular times. Buy low-calorie snacks.