Did you say I was fat?!

Hello all,

While doing some studying in my nutrition text book the other day I came across some info that you may or may not know.  Here are the meanings of some terms that I'm sure you're familiar with, but may not know the particulars about, unless you've done the research, or are into the science of things.  So, the first term I'd like to tell you about is hydrogenation - this is the adding of hydrogen to an unsaturated fatty acid to make it more saturated and solid at room temperature.  Hydrogenation turns the reconfigured fatty acid into a transfatty acid which is not good for you.  The transfatty acids raise your LDL cholesterol (the bad one) and lowers the HDL cholesterol (the good one) and increases your risk for heart disease.  Transfats are used in processed foods to provide a richer texture, longer shelf life and better resistance to rancidity.  Crisco was the first that most of you may be familiar with.    The main source today of transfat in your diet would come from commercially prepared baked items, margarine, fried potatoes, snacks and salad dressing.

This is just one of the many reasons why I tell people to read the labels and whenever possible to make your foods from scratch.  I know this is time consuming for those of you who don't really like to cook, or who don't plan their time well enough to be able to cook.

I bet you didn't know that your body makes cholesterol on its own.  That's right each and every one of us makes cholesterol in our bodies and it is the precursor of the sex hormones - testosterone and estrogen. 

Now, back to the fat comment.  Some people try to avoid fat at all costs.  But your body needs some fat for insulation of your body and organs; if for some reason your body went into starvation mode, the first thing your body would use for energy is fat.  It has a place, the problem is that some people consume way too much fat, and lead sedentary lifestyles.  Not only that, but the type of fat people eat plays a role in someone's being overweight or obese.  There is saturated fat, and unsaturated fat, to name two.   Foods that contain saturated fatty acids, or saturated fats are unhealthy for you, the saturation comes from hydrogen bonds "saturating" the fatty acid chain, meaning they are tight and this makes the fat solid.  Unsaturated fats, or unsaturated fatty acids have double hydrogen bonds that cause kinks, keeping them from packing together tightly and therefore making them liquid, like oil for instance. 

Hope you find this information helpful


Take care and have a great day!

Jeri

How Sweet it is!

Hello All,

Hope all of you are doing well on this lovely fall day!  Today I'd like to chat with you about sugar and artificial sweeteners.  Sugar is something most of us use on a daily basis.  Sugar or sucrose, also known as table sugar is a naturally occurring (found in nature, not man made) product from Mother Nature.

Here is some information about the artificial sweeteners some folks use for things like sweetening their coffee or tea, to baking.  Sorbitol which is found in sugarless gum and other products is 50-70% as sweet as sugar.  Mannitol, also found in chewing gum, and jam, is used to add bulk to powdered foods and is also 50-70% as sweet as sucrose.  These two sweeteners are considered "reduced calorie sweeteners" however if too much of these items are consumed, diarrhea can result.

Sucralose, whose trade name is Splenda is 600% sweeter than sucrose, and is considered a calorie free sweetener, this is one of the newer items on the market today.  Some artificial sweeteners that you may recall from the past are saccharin known as Sweet n low is 200-700% sweeter than sucrose.  Aspartame known as Nutrasweet or Equal is approximately 200% sweeter than sucrose, and the one calorie free sweetener that everyone is trying is Stevia whose trade name is Truvia, or PureVia is also 200% sweeter than sucrose.

Why am I telling you all this?  I want to try to educate you about some of the food choices you make on a daily basis.  If you use an artificial sweetener, your body does not metabolize it in the same way that it does table sugar, which is why people with diabetes use artificial sweeteners, as they cause a slower rise in blood glucose than sugar does and don't promote dental caries (tooth decay if you don't practice proper dental hygiene). 

For example sucrose and fructose are the most commonly used sugars.  Calorie wise just one teaspoon of honey contains 21 calories, compared to one teaspoon of sugar which is 16 calories.  High fructose corn syrup has gained popularity over the last several years because it is less expensive to manufacture.

So, if you're in the grocery store and want to pick up a few snacks, read the label.  I was recently offered a "healthy" granola bar by a friend at school.  I declined the sugary sweet and then asked her if I could read the label, as I was curious about what was in that particular brand.  I believe I counted 8 different forms of sugar in that one granola bar.  Now don't get me wrong I like a little sugar from time to time, but that would have been way too sweet for me, and I think she decided to put it back and opted for some trail mix instead.   

So, I hope you'll find this information useful.  You'll read the label the next time you're in the snack isle at the grocery store and decide to cut back on your sweeteners, real and artificial.

Take care everyone, and have a simply marvelous day!

Jeri