Slice of Life- Folate and Pregnancy

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citrus-slices-on-tray

We often associate citrus fruits with vitamin C. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that aids in the growth and repair of body tissue. Vitamin C helps heal wounds and repair and maintain healthy bones, teeth, skin, and cartilage.

Let’s talk about folate!

Folate is also known as folic acid and is vital during pregnancy. Folate helps to reduce the risk of spine and brain deformities (known as neural tube defects).

Citrus fruits also provide a rich source of folate. Pregnant women need 600 mcg of folate each day, and breastfeeding women need 500 mcg per day. An average orange contains about 30 mcg of folate and an 8-ounce serving of 100% orange juice provides 15% of the recommended Daily Value for folate, due to fortification.

Some other foods rich in folate include beans, avocados, and spinach and fortified foods such as grains.

If you are considering getting pregnant, our dietitians at Banister can talk to you about a folate-rich diet during preconception for the optimal spine and brain development.

KD

Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. 1998:150- 188.

KIND BARS- ARE THEY REALLY “KIND” TO YOUR HEALTH?

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KIND bars bill themselves as being “healthy”, but the FDA recently issued a warning letter to the brand demanding them to stop using the label for several of its snack bars.

 

The flavors they have asked to remove this label off of is, KIND Fruit & Nut Almond & Apricot, KIND Fruit & Nut Almond & Coconut, KIND Plus Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate + Protein, and KIND Plus Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew + Antioxidants.

 

The reasons why the FDA says these bars should be taken off the “healthy” list is because they have too much saturated fat for the “healthy” label. FDA regulations state that “healthy” products need to have less that 1 g of saturated fat per serving. The bars mentioned have 2.5-5 g of saturated fat per serving.

 

Next time you pick up a KIND bar, read the label, and decide on if it’s the healthy choice for you. sg

 

Reference: http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm440942.htm

Inflammation and Food

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Inflammation is a sign of injury or illness. Increase inflammation in your body can be a risk factor for heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other chronic diseases. Your diet and lifestyle can increase or decrease the amount of inflammation in your body.
 
To decrease the amount of inflammation in your body: 
  • Avoid overeating: More food than you need causes your body to make more fat cells. Studies have shown that eating 20-30% less food can decrease inflammation in your body.
  • Lose weight: A weight loss of 10% or more makes a significant reduction in the amount of circulating inflammatory markers.
  • Moderate carbohydrate intake: Foods that are low in fiber and high in sugar are inflammatory. Limit your intake of sweetened drinks, snack foods, processed foods and desserts.
  • Avoid trans fats: These fatty acids are mostly found in store-bought baked goods, snack foods, frostings, shortening and fried foods.
  • Limited saturated fats: We need some saturated fats but too much can increase the risk of chronic disease. Saturated fats are mostly found in animal fat, dairy products, butter, lard and eggs.
  • Increase your fruits and vegetables: Try to eat 4-5 cups of fruits and vegetables per day. Look for ones that are deep green, orange, yellow, and purple.
  • Use olive oil when you can: Oil is very dense in calories but the fats in olive oil are anti-inflammatory.
  • Increase your intake or walnuts and salmon: All nuts and fish are healthy but walnuts and fatty fish have the most heart-healthy fatty acids.
  • Eat whole grains: Increase your intake of oatmeal, quinoa, and brown rice. These are good replacements for bread and most cold-cereals.
  • Eat more lentils and beans: These super foods are a good source of fiber, protein, carbohydrate, and many vitamins and minerals. Consider few vegetarian meals a week.
Inflammation in your body is a great example of “we are what we eat”. Small changes you enjoy are your best bet for long-term success. Enjoy! mk

Adapted from Today’s Dietitian Vol. 16 No. 2 p 44-51