Hi everyone! How is your weekend so far? It’s still raining here, but it’s finally supposed to stop tomorrow. Oh, and it will be 85 degrees. What?! This weather is crazy. You should see my hair from all of this humidity…..
I received this question on my blog yesterday;
I find it interesting that you like Splenda. I’ve heard bad things about it, how its made, and I am unsure of the effects of it on my body. I’d be curious to hear your take on Splenda in general…personally I feel that it is no less harmful than Equal, Sweet n Low, etc. I try not to use it, but I’m no scientist or nutritionist, and I don’t even know if any of this is really true. Thoughts?
My thoughts: I actually met the (brilliant) man who helped invent Splenda. He was one of my preceptors during my dietetic internships! He was one of the smartest and men I’ve ever met, and he was very careful about what he put in his body. I asked him about Splenda and whether it was bad for us, and obviously he said, “NO WAY!”. I don’t just take his word for it, obviously, but with Splenda and all sweeteners, I use my motto of “Everything in moderation”. Splenda is ok as long as you don’t use a ton of it every day (I say 4-5 packets max). ANYTHING can be bad for you in high doses, even calcium, beans, fruit, etc.! This is why I use multiple different kinds of sweeteners, so I won’t allow one to do harm to my body. I don’t know much about the science behind Splenda, but I trust it for me, and for others.
Today’s post is filled with some of the latest nutrition and health information presented by The American Dietetic Association’s ADA Times Magazine!
– A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that subjects who drank coffee with their lunch (regular or decaf, with or without sugar) were 1/3 less likely to develop diabetes than those who did not drink coffee.
– Remember my rant about America’s Toxic Food environment? I talked a bit about how “healthier” fast foods always cost more. One study in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that weight and diabetes risk decreased in the communities where fast food prices were increased. This same study also showed that the reverse was true; when fast-food prices decreased, residents’ weights and diabetes risk were greater! It’s pretty obvious that the reason why the unhealthy foods are sold for cheaper prices is because they cost less for the company, right? But maybe if fast-food restaurants increased the price of their “not so healthy” options, rather than decreasing the price of their healthier options (which would cause them to lose money) more people would buy the healthier options. Wishful thinking? Probably.
– Do you have Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in your family? One study showed that pregnant women who drank a lot of milk, or other foods with high vitamin D, during their pregnancy reduced their child’s chances of developing MS as an adult. Let’s face it, vitamin D is the miracle vitamin!
– Have colon cancer in your family? I do. This interested me. The Journal of Nutrition published a study done on Japanese men and women and found those who consumed at least 327 mg of magnesium per day were 52 percent less likely to develop colon cancer than those who consumed less than 238 mg per day. It wasn’t disclosed whether this was in food or supplement form, but I think it was in the form of food (always the best idea anyway). In a previous post I said not to take more than 350 mg of magnesium via supplements, so be careful when purchasing magnesium supplements.
Source of Magnesium: Nuts, seeds, soybeans, quinoa, walnuts, tomatoes, beans, oats, fortified foods, tomatoes, seaweed, tempeh
Another great way to reduce your risk of colon cancer is to eat your broccoli!
Coming Up
On Monday I will post some of the latest food trends and industry news, once again found in the ADA Times Magazine. Are you are RD, or planning on becoming one soon? Joining the American Dietetic Association is worth the price
Next week I plan on posting some videos, just as a test-run of sorts. I need to know if they take forever to load on your computers, and whether or not you can see them. They are fun, and very easy to create, but take forever to load!
Thanks for reading everyone, and have a great weekend!
