FitSugar

You Asked: Potassium and Sodium, What Is the Connection?

FitSugar — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:00:00 PDT

Dear FitSugar,
Since you have been covering a lot of ground on sodium and potassium, I heard that sodium and potassium levels compete with each other, so if the presence of one mineral rises, the amount of the other drops. Is that true?

I thought this was an interesting question, but a little out of my league, so I asked my friend, nutritionist Rania Batayneh, MPH of Essential Nutrition For You.

Here's what she had to say:

With regards to sodium and potassium in the body, the first thing to know is they are key electrolytes in the body- the third of importance is chloride. These electrolytes found in the body have a great influence on the flow of water between the various fluid compartments because of something referred to as osmotic pressure. They also influence the contraction of muscles and the transmission of nerve impulses by the nervous system. With regards to your question, it is seen in cells, for example, that potassium is constantly pumped into cells and sodium is constantly pumped out of the cell. This maintains our Na+/K+ (sodium/potassium) balance. Furthermore, it is often said that sodium (salt) is considered to be the dietary factor most related to blood pressure, but is appears that the sodium/potassium ratio is more important that the absolute amount of sodium.

I find that all very interesting and it reinforces the notion what you put in your body affects your body on a cellular level. Rania is a wealth of knowledge! If you have some specific questions for her, I encourage you to take advantage of her free 15 minute consultation. Especially if you would like to talk about creating an eating strategy that is right for you.

You Asked: The Science of Snacking

FitSugar — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 08:45:00 PDT

Dear FitSugar-
Do you know how many calories you can allow in a day for snacking? What should a snack consist of nutrition wise?

I love snacking and I too had some questions about snacking so I consulted nutritionist Rania Batayneh, MPH of Essential Nutrition For You. Here's what she had to say:

One key factor you should think about when you snack in between meals is that it is all about SMART SNACKING. If you are simply adding calories to your day that may result in weight gain depending on your activity levels. You want to make sure that your snacks are between 100 – 200 calories and ideally you will want to fuel your body every 3-4 hours, so you may end up having both a mid-morning and a mid-afternoon snack.
Now, one purpose of snacking is to prevent over-eating or being starved at lunch or dinner. With that said, you want a snack that has a balance of protein, carbohydrate and some fat. For example a string cheese and an apple comes it at 160 calories, a non-fat fruit flavored yogurt averages from 60-140 calories, or 1/4 cup of nuts comes in at 200 calories.

Need some more inspiration when it comes to healthy snacks, check these Snack Attack ideas for all your snacking needs. You should also take advantage of Rania's free 15 minute consultation if you would like to talk about creating an eating strategy that is right for you.

Nutrition Questions Answered

FitSugar — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 14:30:00 PDT

March is National Nutrition Month (here are some quizzes to test your nutritional knowledge) and since the month is about to go "out like a lamb" I thought a short interview with a nutritionist would be a great way to end our celebration of the month.

I met with nutritionist Rania Batayneh, MPH, of Essential Nutrition For You. I had a lot of questions for her and she in turn had some really great answers. So informative, in fact that I wanted to share them with you. Here is a bit of the interview for you to read. You are sure to learn a thing or two from it - I sure did.

FitSugar: Is it important to eat protein at breakfast?

Rania: I always recommend that my clients have a balance of protein and carbohydrate at every meal. You can incorporate protein into your breakfast by eating a ½ cup of non-fat plain yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit. Other ideas include a veggie omelet with 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites and 1 slice of toast. If you are more the cereal or granola type, you will get protein in your milk, or you can try it with ½ cup of cottage cheese which will give you 14 grams of protein.

FitSugar:I have heard that it is good to avoid carbs at night…is that true and why?

Rania: Our bodies use carbohydrates during the day to fuel our brain and muscle. At night we are less active, so that means that we do not need that “immediate energy” that comes along with carbohydrates. Now, realize that vegetables are carbohydrates but they are not the starchy variety that you want to eliminate. Enjoy veggies and a protein source at night.

By limiting your carbohydrates at night, your body will actually be burning fat at night- thus allowing you to become naturally leaner and feel less bloated in the morning.

There are a couple of more questions, so

FitSugar: What do you think of fasting as a means to detox your body? Are there foods you recommend for detoxing the liver, and/or kidneys?

Rania: I am not an advocate of “detox” diets or fads that exist out there. What most of us do not know is that the body naturally detoxifies itself through our lungs (think….breathing), sweating, and through the liver and kidneys (always check to see that your urine is not too bright yellow- a sure sign that you are dehydrated).

For optimal “detoxing” make sure that you are hydrating daily, eating at least 25 grams of fiber/day to keep you regular and limit your consumption of packaged and processed foods. Think fresh is best and natural.

FitSugar: Do you have a supplement you recommend?

Rania: In all of my years as a Nutritionist I have never recommended a supplement until now- MONAVIE- you can learn more about it on my website at www.essentialnutritionforyou.com. I have been using if for 3 months now and what I notice most is a boost in my energy, my skin looks better ( I don’t’ need to use my Retin-A every night) and best of all, my sugar cravings are down. I used to be a dark-chocolate chip kind of girl and now I go anywhere from 4-8 days without it. I enjoy using this product and I believe that prevention is the key to living well.

Check out Rania in action on MSNBC - gives her interpretation on the recent study claiming that diet soda is making Americans fat.

National Nutrition Month: Seeing a Nutritionist

FitSugar — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:00:00 PDT

There is so much nutritional information out there to process and at times it just gets overwhelming. Since, March is National Nutrition month I thought I would go see a nutritionist to help me weed through all the information and get some personalized info too. Let me tell you it was a pretty cool experience.

I met with Rania Batayneh of Essential Nutrition For You, who is also a wellness coach. I have to say this combo makes a lot of sense since we want to eat well so we can live well. Rania holds a Masters in Public Health with a Nutrition focus, but you can also choose to meet with a Registered Dietitian. While many seek the advice of a professional when they are stalled dieting, there are other reasons to work with a nutritionist or dietitian - like to improve energy, to eat healthier, regain the feeling of your fitness level from yesteryear.

Here's highlights of what to expect:

Initial Phone Interview: Assess and clarify your goals and discuss your basic health and eating history. This is an informational interview for you too, so use it to get a feel of the person and see if they are someone you want to work with.
Food Journal: Track all that you eat for 5 days including a weekend (from experience Rania knows a lot of structure and good habits fly out the door on Saturday and Sunday). This is valuable information for the nutritionist to learn how and what you eat.

There's more, so

Metabolic Rate: This measures how efficiently your body burns calories so you know how many calories you can consume to maintain your weight, or how many calories you can healthily cut if you are looking to lose weight. The test is done after a 12 hour fast.

The nutritionist will analyze all this information and figure out how to optimize your diet based on your goals. For instance if you suffer from an energy drop in the afternoon, you might be told to have a protein/carb snack and then learn foods that meet these requirements. You will hopefully learn that changing your diet doesn't mean suffering and eliminating an entire category of food. Rather than being told exactly what to eat, you leave with a bigger picture - what to eat and why, as well as eating, cooking and shopping strategies. Reminds me of the saying "If you give a man a fish he will eat for the day. Teach him how to fish, and he will eat forever."

All and all, I would say it was an informative experience. After an initial meeting, you can choose to meet weekly which is beneficial if you are working with a wellness coach. Or you can meet in person every three to four weeks, but chances are high you will keep in touch with your nutritionist via e-mail. Just e-mail your food journal, the nutritionist analyzes it and sends back food suggestions and new strategies if needed. Pretty cool and easy to fit into the busy life that likely got you off the healthy track in the first place.

Nighttime Fasting: A New Way to Lose Weight?

Shape — Thu, 24 May 2012 04:09:52 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to Cynthia Sass, a registered dietitian with master's degrees in both nutrition science and public health.

If you couldn’t let anything cross your lips from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m., but you were allowed to eat anything you wanted for eight hours a day and still lose weight, would you try it? That’s the apparent bottom line of a rat study published in the journal Cell Metabolism, which recently stirred up the weight loss pot.

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Scientists put groups of mice on different diet regimens for 100 days. One group of rodents ate healthy food while animals in two of the groups chowed down on high-fat, high-calorie feed. Half of the junk food eaters were allowed to munch whenever they wanted to while the others only had access to feed for the eight hours they were most active. The conclusion: even though they ate a fatty diet, the mice who were forced to fast for 16 hours were almost as lean as those who ate the healthy fare. Interestingly, the round the clock junk food eaters became obese and developed health problems, even though they consumed about the same amount of fat and calories as the time-restricted junk food fed mice.

See if a nutritionist thinks nighttime fasting works after the break!

Phone It In: Free Apps to Help You Drop Pounds

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:03:47 PDT

Losing weight is a difficult struggle for most, but you don't have to go at it alone. For busy women wanting to drop pounds, being able to keep track of weight-loss goals on their phone is not only convenient, it offers the support and motivation needed to follow through. Here's a list of the best weight-loss apps - and they won't cost you a dime!

Lose It!: Fill in some important info about yourself, including age, height, current weight, goal weight, and how many pounds you want to lose per week and you're ready to go. The app tells you how many calories you should have each day to meet your weight-loss goal, and also keeps track of the calories you consume each day and the calories you lose via exercise. The "My Day" feature gives you a quick snapshot of your day, how many calories you've consumed and burned, and how many cals you have left. Easy to use and easy to read.
Easy Weight Loss Tips: We could always use more advice on how to lose weight, and this little app offers quick diet, exercise, and nutrition tips to help you on your quest, such as, "Keep a bowl of cut-up vegetables in a see-through container in the refrigerator."

Keep reading to hear about two more free weight-loss apps.

13 Health Gimmicks You Can Stop Wasting Money On

Business Insider — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:15:21 PDT

Consumers have a tendency of falling for the next big health gimmick. Save your money on health duds with these Business Insider tips.

No matter how many times we're told otherwise, Americans' obsession with get-healthy-quick schemes will likely never die. Too bad most of these fads aren't worth their weight in salt - or your hard-earned dollars. We've put together a list of some of the worst budget-sucking health trends that still persist today.

Coconut Water

Coconut water may be nature's version of Gatorade but some brands have already caught fire for over-hyping its nutrient content. Vita Coco agreed to settle a $10 million class action lawsuit over an independent study that showed the drinks didn't pack near as many electrolytes as advertisements implied. Some coconut waters are also loaded with added sugar, which will do nothing to help your waistline.

Alternative: Pick up your own young green coconuts on the cheap from an Asian produce market. Just crack them open with a cleaver and pop in a straw.

"All-Natural" Foods

30 percent of Americans bought more natural foods in 2011, according to a Rodale study. But what are we really paying more for? There's no clear cut regulation on what makes food "natural," which means just about any company can slap that label on its packages, add a fancy green theme and jack up the price.

Says Andrew Schrage of MoneyCrashers: "Before buying any food that is touted as being 'all natural,' take a look at the ingredient list before you check out. Keep in mind that butter and salt are indeed natural ingredients. So stocking up on natural foods may not achieve anything other than increasing your grocery bill."

Read on for more.

Going Vegan Could Mean Missing These Key Nutrients

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:41:38 PDT

Not eating animal products means a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and although it can also be used to lose weight, it's important not to skip out on valuable nutrients that often come from meat and dairy.

Vitamin B12
Most women need 2.4 mcg of this vitamin each day. It's essential for maintaining a healthy nervous system as well as healthy blood cells. Found mostly in poultry, beef, fish, and dairy products, this B vitamin has vegan sources as well including fortified cereals, fortified soy milk, kale, spinach, and nutritional yeast.

Iron
The RDI of iron for women is 18 mg, and while animal products contain iron, there are tons of vegan foods high in this mineral as well. The body needs iron to make hemoglobin, which helps carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body, which is why an iron deficiency often causes fatigue. Be sure to include fortified cereal, fortified soy milk, beans such as garbanzos and lentils, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, potatoes, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, and peanuts in your vegan diet.

Keep reading to find out what other nutrients vegan diets might be missing.

3 Reasons to Love Leafy Greens

Leta Shy — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:31:29 PDT

You've probably been told since you were a kid to eat your veggies, and perhaps none are as important as those leafy greens. And for good reason. Here are three important reasons to get more leafy greens in your diet.

They're packed with nutrition: Leafy greens pack a lot of nutrients in just one serving. For example, a cup of raw spinach gives you more than your daily recommended daily intake of vitamin A, which is crucial for healthy skin, eyes, and teeth (if you think that's impressive, check out the rest of this chart - a cup of romaine lettuce gives you twice the amount of vitamin A!). Other important nutrients you can find in greens include magnesium (an essential mineral that helps keep your body and mind feeling alert, relaxed, and functioning properly), iron, vitamin C, and cancer-preventing phytonutrients. Not only that but greens like spinach, kale, and bok choy give your body a healthy dose of calcium.

They're versatile: You don't have to chow down on a salad every day; leafy greens can be added to any number of meals. Sauté leafy greens in a bit of olive oil and seasoning for a healthy warm side, or steam the leaves for a few minutes to maintain even more of the nutrients. You can even sneak raw leaves into a juice or smoothie to get much-needed nutrients without having to go the salad route. For an indulgent way to sneak leafy greens into your diet, try making these vegan brownies with spinach baked right in!

They help you detox: The nutritious benefits of leafy greens don't stop at disease-fighting vitamins and minerals. Leafy greens like kale, spinach, and chicory contain high levels of chlorophyll, which help your body detox and alkalize. Cabbage and other cruciferous veggies like broccoli, kale, and turnips help detox your body by promoting better liver function.

Have we convinced you? Try these five fast and easy ways to sneak veggies into your diet.

Get Smart About Soy

Health — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 04:48:14 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

There are so many ways to get this good-for-you protein into your daily diet. Here's how to do it - and why you absolutely should.

By Sally Kuzemchak, RD

If you bypass tofu at salad bars, skip the meatless dishes at Chinese restaurants, and avoid edamame when you're out for sushi, well, it's time to give soy-based foods a second look. "Whole soy foods are a great substitute for meat," says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Their healthy protein content makes them a good option even if you're not one of the growing number of people going "flexitarian" or opting to eat less meat.

Here's your guide to making this legume a regular and great-tasting part of your diet.

Soy 101
All soy products are made from soybeans, mostly grown here in the United States. You can buy whole soybeans dried or canned, or in the produce section or freezer aisle as edamame, the common name for soybeans picked before they're fully mature. (Edamame can be purchased either in pods or shelled.)

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Beyond whole beans, soy takes on a number of different guises. Roasted soybeans are sold as soy nuts or ground into soy nut butter. Soybeans can be soaked in water, cooked, and filtered to make soy milk and soy yogurt. Adding a coagulant to soy milk curdles it, producing tofu, which ranges in texture from "silken" (very soft) to "extra firm," depending on how much liquid is removed.

Soybeans can also be fermented into a paste called miso (the base for miso soup) or a cake or patty called tempeh, which is often used in place of meat in sandwiches or grilled and eaten on its own. Finally, soy can be found in many packaged foods - such as frozen meatless burgers, cereals, and energy bars - often in the form of "soy protein isolate," meaning it's mostly the protein from soybeans you're getting.

Keep reading for more on soy.