Healthy Mother, Healthy Baby: Prenatal Nutrition 101

There may never be another time in your life where you receive a doctor’s order to consume 300 more calories per day! Your baby-to-be needs those extra calories. While pregnant, eating a healthy diet is crucial to making sure your baby is getting all the essential nutrients to develop properly. Before we get started, keep in mind that weight gain is a normal part of pregnancy. Not everyone will gain the same amount and that’s ok. Gaining the same amount of weight is not recommended for everyone—it depends on your starting BMI. Here’s a link to the Institute of Medicine’s guidelines. What does a healthy diet look like for a pregnant woman? Pregnancy is special time in life, so it makes sense that you have special nutritional needs. Here are a few tips to help deliver a healthful diet while pregnant: 1. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables remain an important source of vitamins and minerals during pregnancy. 2. Make at least half of your grains whole. Whole grains offer key vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Enriched grains should be included in your diet, too. These grains have been fortified with B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate) and iron, all of which are important for healthy growth and development. So important, in fact, that in 1998, the United States FDA required folic acid be added to enriched flour to reduce the risk of neural tube birth defects. 3. Choose fat-free or low-fat dairy. For example, try switching to skim or 1% milk. This can help reduce your saturated fat intake. Milk products (e.g., milk, yogurt, cheese and fortified soy beverages) can be an excellent source of vitamin D and calcium necessary for your baby’s bone growth. 4. Make sure to get enough protein. Protein’s main roles are […]

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An Open Letter to Internet Dieters

Dear Chronic Internet Dieter, They say the first step is admitting you have a problem. We get it. Google is the answer for (almost) everything. Guides for child-proofing your living room, what movie that guy was in, and even scripted break-up speeches. But when it comes to diet and food advice, the Google method is killing us. Watch out for: Not going to Google for diet advice probably makes it feel like all is lost (as though you’ve left your cell phone at home—quelle horror!) But it isn’t. Thankfully, there are legit steps you can take to improve your weight and health status. Eat more fruits and veggies, up your protein and fiber intake (since they make you feel more satisfied), and be mindful of your portion sizes. Look to sources like MyPlate, EatRight.org, and (my home!) FoodInsight.org to find food information from professionals that aren’t just of-the-moment fads. Weight-loss quick-fixes won’t go away—just take it from these experts who wish they would—but they can be outsmarted. Go forth and conquer, former Internet dieters! You’re better than the fads. Yours in health and sanity, Liz

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The Whole (Grains) Story [INFOGRAPHIC]

We all know grains are good, but there is more to the grains story than that. Prepare to be wowed by the nutritional benefits of whole grains. Check out this infographic to learn more about what whole grains are, why they are good for you, and how much you should be eating. The Whole (Grains) Story from Food Insight References

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Snacks: Purposeful Partner or Unnecessary Nuisance?

I’m always nervous I’m about to get a side-eye from friends and family when I pull out a snack. It’s as if, because I’m a registered dietitian, I should only eat three meals each day and never need anything in between. The truth is, most of us eat snacks daily, and that’s OK! If you’re curious about snacks and how you could incorporate them into your eating plan, keep reading. Start with the Dietary Guidelines. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide recommendations for what nutrients to consume on a daily or weekly basis. Key recommendations include the following: vegetables (including dark green, red and orange and legumes), fruits, grains (at least half of which should be whole grains), fat-free or low-fat dairy, a variety of protein foods (including seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds and soy products) and oils. The Dietary Guidelines also explain healthy eating patterns that one could adopt, which include sample portion sizes for each food group to be consumed daily. That’s where snacks can come into play. Make the most of snack time. We can make a snack out of any type of food. Similar to MyPlate recommendations, they are most beneficial for and satisfying to us when they are a good mix of food groups. A few good examples are an apple with a slice of cheese or some peanut butter, a few crackers and a palm full of nuts or a hard-boiled egg with a smear of hummus. If you’re on the go, grabbing a pre-packaged snack can be a great option. Skimming the labels for a combination of carbs, protein and fat will be helpful in making your choice. At the same time, not every snack needs to be nutrient-dense — we all need some chocolate or an ice cream […]

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Caution with Cyclospora

Recently, you may have stopped to wonder if something hazardous is lurking in your salad. Many of us love eating fresh vegetables as a way to reach MyPlate goals, but none of us want to get queasy in the process. While we aim to keep our prepared and ready-to-eat foods safe for consumption, there are times when microbial contaminants can slip past our “food safety defenses” and cause illness. Case in point: an infamous microbial fiend that has been influencing our food system lately. Parasite Patrol In late July 2018 the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert on salad mixes, as well as beef, pork and poultry salad wrap products that were potentially contaminated with an infectious parasite. The culprit that caused the alert and a significant number of food recalls was Cyclospora cayetanensis. The company that produced the Cyclospora-contaminated salad mix, made up of romaine lettuce and carrots, reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the carrots in the mix went to only specific restaurants and did not reach other markets or restaurants. However, the salad mix producer also reported that the romaine lettuce also was distributed to other locations and was used for a variety of salad wraps. As of Aug. 2, 2018, the FDA tallied 395 laboratory-confirmed cases of Cyclospora infections across 15 states, resulting in 16 hospitalizations but—thankfully—no deaths. Learning More About Cyclospora Cyclospora infections most often are linked to people living or traveling in tropical or subtropical regions. However, in the United States foodborne outbreaks linked to Cyclospora have been linked to various imported fresh fruits and vegetables (as noted above). Cyclospora differs from other microbial pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses, in that it is a parasite. According to the Centers for Disease Control […]

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A Background on Carbohydrates and Sugars

This article provides an overview of how carbohydrates and sugars are classified, common types that are found in foods, their impact on health and what the latest dietary guidance recommends about their consumption. Carbohydrates are one of the three basic macronutrients needed to sustain human life—the other two are fats and proteins. Carbohydrates encompass a broad range of fibers, starches and sugars. Foods that contain carbohydrates provide a variety of other important nutrients to the diet (such as vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants). Carbohydrates occur naturally in whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy products. Carbohydrates are in most packaged foods as well. Carbohydrate classification The basic building block of a carbohydrate is a simple union of the elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen (CHO). The chemical definition of a carbohydrate is any compound containing these three elements which typically has twice as many hydrogen atoms as carbon and oxygen atoms (CH2O). Some types of carbohydrates may have more carbon atoms than oxygen atoms, but all carbohydrates will have twice as many hydrogen atoms as oxygen atoms (CxH2yOy). There are three classifications of carbohydrates: sugars (these include monosaccharides and disaccharides), oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. Saccharide originates from the Greek word for sugar, “sákkharon.” Mono-, di-, oligo- and poly- refer to the number of sugar units present in a carbohydrate. Sugars in foods When you hear the word “sugar,” you likely think of the white granulated version found in sugar bowls and tabletop packets. That type of sugar is called sucrose. But there are many other types of sugars, all of which scientists classify according to their chemical structures. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides; these are made up of single sugar molecules. The three main monosaccharides that we consume are fructose, galactose and glucose. These monosaccharides combine in various pairs to […]

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The Healthy Dietary Patterns Highlighted in the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

We recently summarized the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), which were released in December 2020. In case you missed that article, here is a refresher: The DGA provide science-based advice on what to eat and drink to promote health, reduce the risk for chronic disease and meet daily nutrient needs. The DGA are the foundation of federal food, nutrition and health policies and programs, and they have been revised every five years since 1980. The 2020–2025 DGA provide four overarching guidelines that encourage healthy eating patterns at each stage of life, stressing that many individuals will need to make shifts in their food and beverage choices to achieve a healthy eating pattern: These guidelines are not intended to be overly prescriptive; rather, they are meant to be customized based on an individual’s personal preferences and needs. This article focuses on the first guideline—following a healthy eating pattern at every stage of life—and explores the three recommended eating patterns that are highlighted in the DGA. The Importance of Healthy Dietary Patterns A hallmark of the DGA is the importance placed on healthy dietary patterns as a whole—rather than on individual nutrients or foods in isolation. But what is a dietary pattern? A dietary pattern is the combination of foods and beverages consumed over the course of any given day, week, or year. As a result, dietary patterns can be more closely associated with overall health status and disease risk than consumption of individual foods or nutrients. According to the DGA, a healthy dietary pattern consists of nutrient-dense forms of foods and beverages across all food groups, in recommended amounts, and within calorie limits. As with the previous version, the 2020–2025 DGA provide examples of three dietary patterns that align with DGA recommendations; they are defined as Healthy U.S.-Style, Healthy Vegetarian […]

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Dietary Guidelines for Americans for Adults Ages 19-59

Adulting can be hard. We are constantly juggling priorities, including work, family, school, a social life and so much more. While healthy eating can be daunting to add to the mix, it doesn’t have to be.  In fact, eating healthy foods can help us manage the stress that comes with adulting. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) provide special nutrition considerations for adults – essentially, what Americans should be paying particular attention to during adulthood. The DGA provide science-based advice on what to eat and drink to promote health, to reduce the risk of chronic disease and to meet nutrient needs through every stage of life, including for adults. Here are a few places to start:  Go Big on Bone Health Calcium and vitamin D are important for healthy bones when we’re young and as we age. Calcium is in dairy products, canned sardines and salmon and some leafy green vegetables. Vitamin D is found naturally in fish like salmon and trout, and most milk is fortified with vitamin D. Many foods are fortified with both calcium and vitamin D, including breakfast cereals and plant-based dairy alternatives. Focus on Fiber  Fiber is good for heart health, digestive health and more, but most of us don’t get enough of it. Try to incorporate fruits, vegetables, beans and lentils into meals and snacks. Additionally, look for breads, cereals and pasta made with whole grains. Get Cooking Cooking at home can be a great way to learn new skills, while enjoying quality time with your friends and family – it’s also easier on your wallet than takeout. Try out recipes that balance the food groups in MyPlate and you’ll be on your way to building healthy, nutrient-dense meals. Remember, what you put on your plate is just one piece of the health puzzle, but it’s a very important one. Check out our video above to learn more […]

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