⊗ Close
Search

Enter the words or phrases you want to find

Blog

Do Omega 6 Fats Cause Inflammation?

by Carolyn Dunn, PhD, RD, LDN
A plastic bottle of sunflower oil beside an empty pan on a gas stove

You may have heard that foods high in omega 6 fats (soybean oil, safflower oil, sunflower seed oil, vegetable oil) can cause inflammation in the body. Since inflammation is the root cause of most chronic illnesses including heart disease this would not be good. So, where is this theory coming from that omega 6 fatty acids cause inflammation? One reason for this claim is that omega 6 fats such as linoleic acid can be converted to arachidonic acid in the body. Arachidonic acid can be converted to prostaglandins which can set off an inflammatory response. BUT WAIT – in reality, hardly any linoleic acid gets converted to arachidonic acid.

According to Dr. Frank Sacks, professor of cardiovascular disease prevention at the Harvard TH Chang School of Public Health, “Although the pathway is there, it’s not active unless there is a deficiency of omega 6 fats. When you eat omega 6 fats, you’ll see an increase in linoleic acid, but you will not see an increase in arachidonic acid or prostaglandins.”

Many studies show that consuming foods containing omega 6 fat, especially when they replace saturated fat, lowers the risk of heart disease. “There is no good clinical research that shows adverse effects for omega 6 fats. In fact, studies actually show beneficial effects.” Sacks says.

This points to something we teach intro nutrition students. Just because there is a pathway for something to happen in the body – linoleic acid to arachidonic acid to prostaglandins – does not mean it will happen. Logic without proof is not a reason to change dietary recommendations. 

You might also enjoy:

Is sucralose making you eat more?

My favorite sprouted grain—Ezekiel English muffins

Can you eat rice and pasta and still lose weight? The answer lies in something called resistant starch.

Don’t miss another great blog: Subscribe Now

5 Tips for Using Your Freezer to Waste Less Food

by Sarah Myer
Woman standing in front of fridge with both the fridge and freezer doors open making a grocery list.

Cooking during the pandemic definitely changed how we use the freezer. These 5 tips have been helpful to reduce food waste, reduce meal prep time, and help us use our freezer more effectively.

Freezing Food is about Preserving the Quality of the Food

Oftentimes you will see the phrases “Best if used by,” “Sell by” and “Use by,” among others. It can be confusing but these dates refer to product quality and flavor and are not expiration dates. (The one consistent exception to this is infant formula. That date does mean what it says and any unused formula should be discarded after that date.)

The next time you notice a food product whose label date has passed, check for signs of spoilage like color, consistency or texture before deciding to consume or throw away.

Know How Long Something Can Be Refrigerated or Frozen

Technically, if you freeze something, it should last forever. But in reality, the quality of the food diminishes the longer it is in a freezer. Here are some guides from NC State Extension and FoodSafety.gov that may help.  

Freeze food when it is fresh

The freezer cannot reverse time. It just stops it for a while. It is best to freeze food that is fresh or food that has just been cooked (but cooled properly).

This is especially important for fruits and vegetables. Blanching fresh fruit and vegetables before freezing will kill enzymes that cause produce to turn brown and deteriorate.

  • Frozen vegetables will be mushier than their fresh counterparts so consider using vegetables in soups, sauces, or mixed side dishes.
  • Sauces and stocks freeze well. Making extra sauce and freezing it has definitely helped us on busy nights when there isn’t a lot of time for meal prep or dinner.    

Do not put hot food in the freezer

This is both a health safety issue and a food quality issue. The food danger zone is 40o to 145o. Food should not be in the temperature range for more than 2-6 hours depending on the food. Cooked foods should be cooled down to under 40o before being frozen. Bacteria can grow in this temperature danger zone and your freezer temperature can be raised if you have a lot of hot food in your freezer.

Do not put food in the fridge to cool down immediately after cooking. Ideally, food should be left to cool down to room temperature on the stove or counter, and then transferred to the fridge to keep cooling down to 40o or below. Then food can be frozen. If the food is not cooling down quickly, you can portion out the food into smaller portions or add an ice bath to the food to cool it down.

Label Everything

This is one of my favorite tips from the “It’s Always Freezer Season” cookbook by Ashley Christensen and Kaitlyn Goalen. They even have a google spreadsheet with a list of everything they have in their freezer. We don’t have that much space in ours, but labeling everything has definitely helped us be more confident about the food we pull out of the freezer.  

Labels should be easy to find whether you store your frozen foods in glass, plastic, or plastic bags. Make sure you include the date as well as a description of the food.

You might also enjoy:

How to Manage Holiday Stress

Tracking Still Works

A Food Thermometer is Key to Food Safety

How to Plan for Busy Fall Schedules

Don’t miss another great blog: Subscribe Now

How to Modify Any Workout

by Annalise Hafner

There are countless workouts available online, but they likely are not always a perfect fit for you. The good news is you can modify any workout you find! Maybe not yet, but after reading through these tips, you will have the skills to make any workout your own.

Start by focusing on the FITT principle for physical activity.

That is, think about the frequency, intensity, time, and type of physical activity you include in your routine.

  • Frequency refers to how often you engage in physical activity. Choose to adhere to a workout plan 3 to 4 days out of the week rather than everyday if that better fits your needs and current physical activity levels. Find a schedule that works for you.
  • Intensity refers to how hard you are working during your physical activity session. You always have the option to lower your intensity by slowing your pace, grabbing lighter weights, or performing 2 sets rather than 3, for example. In the same vein, you can always increase your intensity to make a workout more challenging.
  • Time refers to the duration of your physical activity session or intensity intervals. Decrease the total moving time for a cardio plan or shorten work intervals during a HIIT workout to modify the time.
  • Type refers to how you are being physically active. You do not have to stick to one type of activity. In fact, it is great to vary your movement patterns and engage in different activities. Maybe a strict jogging plan is not for you. Try jogging with the plan some days and cycling or doing bodyweight strength workouts on the other days to add variety.

Look up exercise modifications to make any workout your own!

In addition to the countless workouts available on the internet, you can also find modifications to any exercise.

  • Search for exercise modifications. For example, “how to modify a plank” or “alternate exercise for jumping jacks” yield a variety of resources and options.
  • Try searching for standing or no jumping workouts on YouTube for routines with fewer exercises you may have to modify.

Key Takeaway: You have the ability to make any workout fit your needs and work for you! Do not let one exercise or one aspect of a workout stop you from trying it out. It may take practice and a little more effort on your part at first, but learning to modify workouts can empower you to move more and try different activities.

You Might Also Enjoy:

Holiday Challenge Week #2: Workout of the Week

8 Stretches to Do During the Workday

Stretch the Stress Away

Don’t miss another great blog: Subscribe Now

Happy Planksgiving!  30 days of Thanks and Planks

by Kelly Nordby, RD, LDN

It’s Thanksgiving!  What a great time to give gratitude for family, friends, colleagues, and a support system that is absolutely crucial to keeping us upright…our core! Be sure to check out the plank modifications and challenges below to create a challenge that works for you.

Woman planking

My aerobics instructor shared that she was doing a Planksgiving Challenge…30 days of thanks and planks.  Just to be team players, several of us offered to join her about a third of the way through the challenge.   On day 1, you begin with holding a plank for 1 minute and incrementally work up to 5 minutes.  I have been choosing the forearm plank, but everyone chooses the plank position that works best on an individual basis.

I have to say that the idea of holding a plank for 5 minutes is daunting, but we have gradually worked up to 3 minutes so far and while I am not comfortable by the end, it is not as bad as I thought that it would be.  Doing it with the support of others and an upbeat song that lasts about the duration of that day’s plank is key!!

The challenge that we are doing is adapted from ilovekickboxing.com; however, I googled “Planksgiving Challenge” and about 564,000 results came up, so apparently there are many out there who are giving thanks to their abs.

Our Planksgiving 30-day Challenge* (feel free to adapt to your own personal fitness goals):

  • Feel free to adapt to your own personal fitness goals. Adjust the times and modify as you see fit.
  • Plank Modifications
    • Place your forearms or hands on a stable chair or on the wall.
    • Lower your knees to the floor.
  • Plank Challenges
    • Try a plank march, alternating the arm you begin with.
    • Raise and lower one leg at a time while maintaining your plank position.
  • Disclaimer: Individuals should seek medical evaluation and clearance from a doctor before beginning any exercise regimen. All activities should be carried out at a pace and intensity that is comfortable for the individual.
Day 1 – 1 minDay 11 – RestDay 21 – 3 min, 15 sec
Day 2 – 1 min, 15 secDay 12 – 2 min, 30 secDay 22 – 3 min, 30 sec
Day 3 – 1 min, 30 secDay 13 – 2 min, 45 secDay 23 – Rest
Day 4 – 1 min, 45 secDay 14 – 2 min, 45 secDay 24 – Rest
Day 5 – RestDay 15 – 3 minDay 25 – 3 min, 30 sec
Day 6 – 1 min, 45 secDay 16 – RestDay 26 – 4 min, 15 sec
Day 7 – 2 minDay 17 – 3 minDay 27 – 4 min, 30 sec
Day 8 – 2 minDay 18 – 3 minDay 28 – 4 min, 45 sec
Day 9 – 2 min, 15 secDay 19 – 3 min, 15 secDay 29 – Rest
Day 10 – 2 min, 15 secDay 20 – 3 min, 15 secDay 30 – 5 min

Happy Planksgiving!

*adapted from ilovekickboxing.com

Is it ok to eat a hot dog every now and then?

by Cathy Thomas
A hot dog with ketchup and mustard

For most of us, we should strive to eat healthy most days of the week. However, “cheat” days are part of our lives and on some eating plans, encouraged. So what do you eat on splurge days? Pizza, pasta, hamburgers, sweets or hotdogs? Researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences published findings in Nature Food detailing their newly developed Health Nutritional Index, analyzed individual foods based on their composition to calculate each food item’s benefits using 15 dietary risk factors.

According to the author’s calculations, a beef hot dog on a bun resulted in a loss of 36 minutes of healthy life “largely due to the detrimental effect of processed meat,”. The interesting news is that a peanut butter and jelly sandwich was associated with an increase of 33 minutes. Foods like baked salmon, salted peanuts, and rice with beans were also associated with gains between 10 and 15 minutes.

It is important to know that swapping 10% of daily caloric consumption from beef and processed meats for fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and certain kinds of seafood could reap significant health benefits, with the team citing a gain of some 48 minutes per person per day making these foods the winners and gave us precious more minutes.

So knowing this, I am saying no to hot dogs. NO MORE HOTDOGS on my menu as well as limiting highly processed meats. I am looking forward to more wonderful days of enjoying this great life and good health. Hotdogs and highly processes meats, you lose, health, you win!

You might also enjoy:

Is sucralose making you eat more?

A Food Thermometer is Key to Food Safety

My favorite sprouted grain—Ezekiel English muffins

Don’t miss another great blog: Subscribe Now

Getting Ahead of The Holiday Meal Cost

by Casey Collins
a whole roasted chicken on a silver platter surrounded by a holiday table setting

Everyone loves the holidays, but let’s be honest, it can get expensive, especially when you have several guests to feed. Our NC State colleagues on the More in My Basket team have created a great six-part series on how to prepare and get ahead of the holiday meal cost. They recommend planning your menu in advance because it allows you the opportunity to be sure all your favorite dishes are included. You also want to stick to your menu items and buy in advance over the course of several grocery trips. This will help spread out the expenses and lower the impact on your monthly food budget.

If you don’t have time to implement all of the planning strategies before Thanksgiving, use what you can and plan ahead for your next big holiday meal.

View the links below to read more on each topic and get downloadable pdfs for each part of the series.

Getting Ahead of the Holiday Meal Cost 6-Part Series:

Cookbook laying open on a white countertop.

Part 1 – Finding Your Recipes and Preparing Your Kitchen

canned vegetables on a wire shelf in a grocery store

Part 2 – Canned Goods

clear glass containers with dry pantry ingredients

Part 3 – Dry Ingredients

5 spoons filled with brightly colored spices on a black background

Part 4 – Spices

freezer section in a grocery store

Part 5 – Frozen Items

Inside view of a fridge with fresh vegetables and brightly colored containers

Part 6 – Perishables

For more information or questions about the series, contact the More in My Basket team.

You may also enjoy:

Baking Food Safety

A Food Thermometer is Key to Food Safety

Food Gifts in 2020

Don’t miss another great blog: Subscribe Now

Find Your Fitness Connection

by Annalise Hafner

Whether you use the word “fitness” or “exercise” or “physical activity” to describe your daily movement, everyone could benefit from a change up to their current routine no matter how small. Some of us really enjoy running or going to the gym, while others find joy in other forms of movement. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with running or going to the gym (these are amazing ways to engage in physical activity!), there are countless other ways to get our bodies moving. If you are looking to try a new routine or new activity, look no further!

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend adults engage in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity OR 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity each week. Aerobic activity can be moderate or vigorous intensity. Moderate-intensity activities, like brisk walking, make your heart beat a little faster than normal. Vigorous-intensity activities, like jogging or running, elevate your heart rate even further. We can meet this recommendation through a variety of activities. The goal is to find activities you enjoy – that is your fitness connection!

Are you looking to start a new routine?

Check out these sample programs from our colleagues at Eat Smart, Move More NC. Feel free to modify or adapt them as you see fit to meet your current fitness levels. Change up your walking or jogging route for some added variation.

Are you looking to try a new activity or change up your current routine?

Review the list below and pick one new activity to engage in. Many can be done easily from home and require little to no equipment. Others may require access to an outside facility or fitness studio, but are worth looking into if you are interested.

  • Swimming or Water Aerobics: Low-impact aerobic exercise that engages most muscles in the body.
  • HIIT: High-intensity interval training combines short, maximal effort work intervals with rest intervals. HIIT workouts are adaptable, quick and effective. Check out example HIIT Workouts, Low-Impact HIIT Workouts for Older Adults or Tabata Workout at Home for inspiration.
  • EMOM: A type of HIIT workout, every minute on the minute workouts are also very adaptable. Choose 1 or 2 exercises and a number of repetitions for each. Every minute on the minute you complete the exercises and repetitions and then rest for the remainder. Follow this format to create a short and effective workout.
  • Boxing/kickboxing: Cardio boxing workouts focus on air punches and do not require any equipment. If you have access to a gym or boxing studio, these classes can be a great way to get your blood pumping and relieve stress.
  • TRX: Total resistance exercise training utilizes suspension straps and your bodyweight for a great muscle strengthening workout.
  • Yoga: Mind-body exercises that involve strength, flexibility, balance and core training. Start your morning off with these simple yoga stretches for a relaxing start to your day.
  • Pilates: Low-impact muscular strength and endurance and flexibility training. A great bodyweight workout you can do from home.
  • Barre: Ballet-influenced exercises that involve strength, cardio and flexibility. You can opt to use light weights or bodyweight.
  • POUND: Did you know drumming can be a full body workout? POUND combines cardio, strength, pilates and yoga to get your heart rate up while drumming along to the music.
  • Powerlifting or Olympic lifting: These require specific equipment and techniques but certain gyms offer small group or personal training.
  • Rock climbing or bouldering: If you have access to an indoor climbing center, it may be worth checking out. All equipment is available on site and the courses are generally changed at some frequency for added variation and challenge. Bouldering is a form of free climbing that does not require a harness.
  • Hiking: If you live near a trail, lace up your shoes and get moving.

Think Outside the Box Activities

  • FootGolf: A sport that combines soccer and golf. The main goal is similar to the main goal of golf: to get the ball from the teeing ground into the hole in the least number of shots possible.  
  • Pickleball: This sport is played on a badminton court and combines badminton, tennis and ping pong. It is a fun way to stay active and with a smaller court, it places lower stress on your knees and joints than tennis.
  • Geocaching: A treasure hunt of sorts, geocaching could be a fun way to change up your walking route. All you need is a phone or GPS.
  • Plogging: Picking up trash while jogging, or plogging, is an environmentally friendly way to get moving and keep your community clean.

If you need more guidance or inspiration, check out our suggestions for more free ways to exercise at home for additional online resources. Let’s get moving!

You Might Also Enjoy:

8 Stretches to Do During the Workday

Stretch the Stress Away

5 Tips to Stay Motivated For Exercising at Home

Don’t miss another great blog: Subscribe Now

How to Manage Holiday Stress

by Annalise Hafner

Stress can be a powerful and often unnoticed force in your life. It can influence weight, mental health, quality of sleep, and have effects on blood pressure, heart rate, and the immune system. When chronic stress is present, a hormone called cortisol is released which increases glucose in the bloodstream. This increase in glucose is the reason you are more likely to reach for a doughnut or cookie during stressful times. There is typically no shortage of stressful situations (and sweets) during the holiday season. But the good news is, you can manage it. Take away the effect that stress has on your life with these strategies: 

  • Ensure you are getting 7-8 hours of sleep at night. You can tackle almost anything life throws your way after a good night’s sleep. 
  • Take a few moments for yourself. Clear your mind by listening to your favorite song or podcast or read a few pages of a good book. 
  • Exercise. All types of exercise have been shown to reduce stress. Stretching and meditating exercises such as yoga or Tai Chi are excellent ways to distance yourself from the stress and refocus your mind. Cardio exercises release endorphins which can create positive feelings.
  • Breathe. Take a few deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. See our tips on mindful breathing.

Take some time out of your day right now to pause and do a quick activity that will relieve stress. Some ideas for quick stress relievers can be found here.


Bonus tip:

During times of stress, eating a healthy, balanced diet is perhaps even more important to support your body’s needs. Here at Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes, we love to eat the Med way! A Mediterranean-style eating pattern is an evidence-based approach to a lifestyle of healthy eating. For more information and resources, check out medinsteadofmeds.com.

You might also enjoy:


Essential Tips for Taking Breaks During Work

How to Plan for Busy Fall Schedules

Don’t miss another great blog: Subscribe Now

Tracking Still Works

by Kelly Nordby, RD, LDN

Tracking is once again a winner when it comes to helping us achieve and maintain a healthy weight.  Tracking has long been a key strategy included in most weight management programs, including the Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less and Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes programs.  Writing down everything that we are eating and drinking and how we are moving, helps us become more mindful about these important behaviors.  It is only when we are more mindful about what we are currently doing that we can put a realistic plan in place to make healthy changes. 

While the research has sung the praises of tracking for decades, a recent Duke University study confirmed these results.  Researchers found that even without following a particular eating plan, those who tracked their daily food consumption using a free smartphone app lost a significant amount of weight. The results are encouraging and show that using automated, free tools, rather than more costly in-person interventions could be an effective low-cost route to weight loss.

Which apps are best?  Below are some recent reviews of the top tracking apps (in no particular order):

MyPlate Calorie Counter

  • Android rating:  4.6
  • iPhone rating:  4.7
  • Price:  Free with in-app purchases
  • MyPlate is a comprehensive tracking tool that tracks both food and exercise on an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android Phone.  The bar code scanner finds and tracks food easily.  Create custom foods and meals.  Keep track of weight and progress over time.  Set up a personalized daily calorie goal based on profile information. 

SuperFood – Healthy Recipes

  • Android rating:  4.6
  • iPhone rating:  5.0
  • Price:  Free with in-app purchases
  • This app provides free access to many, many healthy recipes with regional ingredients that you can save in the grocery list.  A calorie calculator helps to track calories and nutrients.  Local and seasonal dishes including vegetarian recipes are available.  Nutrient analysis is provided for each recipe.  A cooking mode keeps the screen on while cooking.

Lose It! Calorie Counter

  • Android rating:  4.6
  • iPhone rating:  4.3
  • Price:  Free with in-app purchases
  • Lose It! allows you to set up a profile with your current and goal weight and will calculate your daily calorie budget.  Easily track your food, weight, and activity.  The bar code scanner finds and tracks food easily.  You can also take a picture of food to track.  Extensive food database with more than 27 million searchable foods.  Create your own recipes and choose among a library of workouts.

MyFitnessPal

  • Android rating:  4.4
  • iPhone rating:  4.7
  • Price:  Free with in-app purchases
  • MyFitnessPal also allows you to set up a profile with your current and goal weight and will calculate your daily calorie budget.  Easily track your food, weight, and activity.  Use the bar code scanner to find and track food.  Extensive food database with accurate nutrition facts for more than 14 million foods.  Get ideas from the 250+ healthy recipes and 150+ workouts.  You can also get support from a large online community.

MyNetDiary

  • Android rating:  4.6
  • iPhone rating:  4.8
  • Price:  Free with in-app purchases
  • MyNetDiary comes highly rated and similar to the other apps, it also allows you to set up a profile to track your food, weight, and activity.  A bar code scanner is provided to find and track food.  Build a shopping list, track your water intake, and choose among the 370,000 recipe ideas.  Mediterranean, vegetarian, and vegan recipes are provided, along with a large exercise database.

Nutrients – Nutrient Facts

  • iPhone rating:  4.2
  • Price:  $4.99
  • Get a complete nutrient breakdown for tens of thousands of foods including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fats, fatty acids, sugars, sterols, and caffeine, to name a few.  You can create your own recipes and then create a nutrient analysis.  You can also track the foods that you eat every day and find out nutrients where you may be deficient. 

References:

Duke University. “Tracking food leads to losing pounds: Those who tracked food and weight lost pounds in new study.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 February 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190228154839.htm>.

Michele L Patel, Christina M Hopkins, Taylor L Brooks, Gary G Bennett. Comparing Self-Monitoring Strategies for Weight Loss in a Smartphone App: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2019; 7 (2): e12209 DOI: 10.2196/12209

Healthline:  The Best Nutrition Apps of 2020.  Accessed on 11.04.21. https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/top-iphone-android-apps

You Might Also Enjoy:

US Salt Intake to Decrease with New FDA Guidelines

Snacks and Lunch Packing Hacks

What Does Fitness Mean To You?

Don’t miss another great blog: Subscribe Now

US Salt Intake to Decrease with New FDA Guidelines

by Carolyn Dunn, PhD, RD, LDN
Vintage small mason jar salt shaker tipped over on a wooden table

With almost 75% of the sodium intake of most Americans coming from processed foods, it is not the salt shaker on the table that is to blame for high salt intake. The Food and Drug Administration released new guidelines asking food service, restaurants, and food manufacturers to voluntarily reduce sodium levels in over 150 categories of food including processed, packaged, prepared foods, cheese, pickles, nuts, sauces, deli meats, crackers, and poultry products. The goal is to help American’s decrease their sodium intake by 12% over the next two and a half years. If successful, the average sodium consumption in America would be around 3,000mg – still well over the recommended 2,400mg but a step in the right direction.

Lowering sodium in the diet to recommended levels has been shown to decrease high blood pressure which is the leading cause of heart attacks and strokes. Medical professionals and nutritionists (including this RDN) are applauding FDA’s guidance and ask to food manufacturers to do their part in following the suggestions. It is my hope that this is but the first step to decrease salt in the American diet to a more modest level to save lives.

You Might Also Enjoy:

Can you eat rice and pasta and still lose weight? The answer lies in something called resistant starch.

Snacks and Lunch Packing Hacks

What Does Fitness Mean To You?

Don’t miss another great blog: Subscribe Now