The yogurt aisle has exploded with options over the last decade for a good reason! Yogurt is packed with calcium, probiotics and protein that can be part of a healthy breakfast or snack. Let’s talk about what to look for when you are trying a new yogurt. 

The first things you’ll notice are names like “Greek Yogurt,” “Light Yogurt” or “Low Fat Yogurt.” In general, Greek yogurts will be higher in protein and more satiating. We recommend sticking with these. While light yogurts may be lower in calories, they often don’t contain enough fat or protein to keep you full. 

Look on the back of the yogurt container, and you’ll be able to see the nutrition panel. There are a few lines in particular we want to focus on. First, look to see how much saturated fat the yogurt contains. For a 5-8oz container of yogurt, keep saturated fat under 3g. Next, look at the “Added Sugars” line under the carbohydrates. Ideally, we want less than 10g of added sugars – and even less is better! Finally, look at the amount of protein that each portion contains. To help you stay full, we recommend a minimum of 10g of protein, but more is better!

There are several brands that generally follow these guidelines that would be a good place to start: Chobani (look for their Zero Sugar line); Siggi’s; Oikos (look for their Triple Zero line); or Fage! A note: If you have sensitives to non-nutritive sweeteners, be sure to look closely at the ingredients. 

Do you have a milk allergy? Yogurt is still a great choice for a convenient, high protein breakfast and these tips on evaluating the nutrition label still apply! Be sure to look for a soy, coconut or almond based yogurt to be allergy friendly.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological condition that includes a broad range of characteristics that affect how individuals interact socially, communicate, learn, and behave.

While a focus on nutrition can be beneficial for all individuals, why would one want to specifically focus on eating and eating behaviors when they or someone they love have an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis?

1. ASD is characterized by slow motility and constipation. While there may be other gastrointestinal issues found with ASD, these two are the most common. They are characterized by early fullness, painful bowel movements, and infrequent bowel movements. A registered dietitian can assist individuals with ASD in increasing water or water-rich foods in their diet, increasing low intensity movement, and adding more fiber rich foods.
2. ASD is associated with sensory sensitivities including food texture preferences along with food texture aversions. This also means the environment in which an individual with ASD is eating may be an important factor in their overall eating experience.
3. Picky eating is a common struggle with ASD. This could be related to food texture preferences but it could also be related to other sensory sensitivities, digestive discomfort, or a resistance to change. ARFID is also a form of picky eating that is linked with ASD. One study showed 35% of pediatrics diagnosed with ASD also met ARFID diagnoses criteria as well. [1]  ARFID stands for Avoidant/Restrictive Food intake. Similar to picky eating, ARFID is characterized by a limited variety of foods one is willing to eat or like. Unlike picky eating, this list of foods tends to get smaller over time and may be an adverse reaction to a negative experience such as choking or vomiting.  This disorder can lead to fatigue, difficulty sleeping, nutrient deficiencies, growth stunts, constipation, and failure to thrive. 
4. A connection has been found between ASD and nutrient deficiencies. This could be related to picky eating, texture sensitivities, and/or methylation abnormalities. A dietitian can help identify and address nutrient gaps! 

[1] Williams K, Hendy H, Field D, Belousov Y, Riegel K, Adams W. Implications of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) on children with feeding problems. Child Health Care 2015; 44: 307–21.

Have you considered trying to decrease the amount of meat you eat for health or other reasons? It can be very intimidating at first to imagine a life without meat, but it doesn’t need to be something to stop “cold turkey.” (Pardon the pun!) Let’s explore some ways to decrease your meat intake: 

Flexitarian: This flexible approach aims to decrease your intake of meat while increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. This is an excellent introduction to decreasing your meat intake. A note of caution: You still need to aim for a protein source with all meals. Consider starting with “meatless Mondays” and look for vegetarian recipes you would enjoy.

Pescatarian: Do you enjoy seafood and feel you could consume it on a daily basis for your protein? Then the pescatarian diet might be the right fit for you. Those following this approach avoid meat and poultry but work to consume a high amount of plant-based foods and seafood.  Whether or not you consume dairy or eggs varies is based on your own personal goals. 

Vegetarian: With this regimen, you would not consume any meat or fish products. As with the pescatarian diet, the inclusion of milk and eggs is based on your individual choices. Be aware, it’s easy to fall into the trap of consuming highly processed foods that are meat-free, so make sure your emphasis is on whole foods with minimal saturated fat and sodium.  We recommend the addition of a multivitamin that contains Vitamin B12 if you’re not supplementing through foods.

Interested in trying some of these out? Start here for some ideas for meeting your protein needs:  https://banisternutrition.com/what-is-soy/

If you perform the same exact exercise twice, once in Oklahoma and once in Copper Mountain, Colorado, will your body burn the same amount of calories?

Spend time in the mountains and you will quickly notice breathing becomes challenging and your heart rate is higher than normal.  Sea level air is more compressed by all of the air above it, which is a lot of weight pushing down. When you compress a gas such as oxygen it becomes dense. As you go up in elevation there is less density meaning less oxygen. Every breath you take draws in less oxygen. In the mountains, our very remarkable bodies can make several adaptations over weeks or months to make the most of the limited available oxygen.  Your breathing rate speeds up to compensate, working the diaphragm muscles harder.  Your body makes more red blood cells to carry oxygen, and those blood cells become more efficient at delivering the oxygen to your tissues. Simultaneously, your cells’ mitochondria (energy-producing furnaces) multiply to take in as much oxygen as possible. Changes your body goes through to adapt to the higher altitude can lead to a slight increase in basal metabolic rate (BMR), the amount of energy needed to keep your body running smoothly. With time the BMR lowers but does not return to baseline, so metabolism overall remains ‘slightly’ elevated at higher altitudes.

Although it seems we are working harder to perform daily activities and exercise can be difficult, the additional number of calories burned at higher altitudes is not huge. The slight increase in calorie expenditure is due to increased breathing to get more oxygen into the body, whereby the rib cage and other muscles work harder for ventilation.

While there is a slight increase in the metabolic rate from altitude impact, factors that play a bigger role in burning calories are:

• Some people just naturally have a higher metabolic rate.
• Typically, men have a higher % muscle mass than women, which results in men having 10-15% higher metabolism than women.
• Metabolic rate is highest in childhood. After the age of 20, a person’s metabolic rate tends to drop two percent per decade. This decrease in metabolic rate strongly supports why we must stay active throughout our lives to prevent the typical weight gain of 10 pounds per decade.
• Intensity of cardiovascular exercise. Intensity and duration of cardiovascular aerobic exercise increases calories burned.
• Resistance training. Intensity of weight training increases calories burned during and immediately after the exercise. Resistance training also increases % muscle mass, which will support increased calorie burn over all.

The “take away” is that, yes, metabolism increases slightly at higher altitudes resulting in greater caloric expenditure, but this difference is insignificant. Calorie burn is influenced to a more significant degree by the above factors – regardless of your altitude.

CB