Including too many ready-made items in a Sunday roast could lead to excessive salt intake, says research from a health charity.

In a survey of 600 supermarket products, Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) found that unnecessary amounts of salt are being hidden in certain items of prepared food.

But cooking and preparing fresh food reduces levels dramatically, it says.

UK supermarkets say they are leading the way in salt reduction in Europe.

Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) said a family Sunday roast can be a “balanced and healthy” meal.

But it found that choosing all ready-made products for a typical Sunday lunch – meat, vegetables and condiments – could result in nearly 10 grams of salt being consumed.

An adult’s daily maximum recommended salt intake is 6g.

But if people read the labels and buy fresh meat and veg, it is also possible to cook a roast dinner with less than 2g of salt, CASH says.

This salt content is almost six times less than the total for the saltiest products.

Some of the saltiest products CASH found were a peppered beef brisket joint with mustard and pepper stuffing from Asda (2.3g per 212.5g portion), Tesco Finest root vegetable mash (1.6g per 250g portion) and Sainsbury’s red cabbage (1.01g per 150g portion).

A portion of Morrison’s English mustard contains 0.5g of salt, as much as a packet of crisps.

Just a trace

However, CASH’s survey also found many pre-prepared products which were low in or contained only a trace of salt.

Asda’s butter-basted chicken breast joint contains only 0.3g of salt per portion.

And it found Sainsbury’s buttered green vegetables and Tesco Value Yorkshire puddings contained just a trace of salt.

Sarah Cordey from the British Retail Consortium said the survey disregarded the large amount of fresh food customers use when preparing a Sunday meal.

She said the big supermarkets are doing “all they can” to reduce salt content.

“Our members are Europe’s leaders in salt reduction and have made excellent progress in the last decade.

“The Food Standards Agency has found supermarkets’ own-brand goods contain less salt than their branded equivalents,” she said.

RECOMMENDED DAILY SALT LEVELS

• Age 1-3 : 2g
• Age 4-6 : 3g
• Age 7-10 : 5g
• Age 11+ : 6g

“Stores are keen to help customers achieve healthier diets.

“Retailers continue to lead the way on providing clear and detailed nutritional labelling on food products to give consumers all the information they need to make the choices that are right for them.”

However Professor Graham MacGregor from the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, and chairman of CASH, said they should do more.

“Unnecessary amounts of salt are still being hidden in our food,” he said.

“This puts both adults and children at risk of developing high blood pressure which causes strokes, heart attacks and heart failure, the commonest cause of death and disability in the UK.

“It is the food industry’s responsibility to take the salt out.”

source: http://medicalnewsonline.net/latest-health-news/high-salt-levels-in-ready-made-sunday-lunch-warning/

WANT to lose weight? There’s an app for that. In all the things your mobile phone can help you with, healthy eating is now among them.

• Not just an apple a day: The app is also available on average mobiles

Scottish researchers have developed the DietPhone application to help make it easier to collect detailed information and monitor food intake.

They believe it will help people control their eating habits, improve their health and free up time for dieticians and doctors to see more patients.

The team behind the app, from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, believes it could also help people with eating disorders such as anorexia, and be useful for weight-conscious sportspeople.

The DietPhone programme, which can be downloaded onto an average mobile, contains information on around 2,000 items of food and 10,000 portion sizes. After each meal or snack, the app user records what they have eaten through a drop-down phone menu.

The data is then sent to a central computer where it can be analysed by a doctor or nutritionist, who can then provide feedback.

Senior lecturer and researcher Michael Clapham said: “Collecting dietary intake information from individuals is extremely time consuming, costly and complicated. People usually fill in a diet diary for between three to seven days which involves writing down descriptions of what food has been eaten and how much.

“This then has to be delivered to a dietician or nutritionist who has to painstakingly go through the paperwork to analyse the results. Often, due to embarrassment and lack of time, the food intake is not recorded accurately.”

Clapham said some mobile phone products were already available to help people monitor their diets, but the information they provided was usually limited to calorie and fat content.

“We have expanded that greatly so you get the zinc, the iron, selenium, vitamin A and B vitamins,” he said.

“That is way too much information for the normal person on the street. So what we are doing is that the person has the information on their phone, that comes up on the dietician’s or the GP’s website so when you go to their clinic, they have what you have been eating and they can discuss that with you.”

Clapham said the DietPhone app should help GPs work more efficiently.

“If you are given a booklet to fill in, or the dietician interviews you, it could take 15 minutes. GPs don’t have that time or skill. They are not going to sit you down and do a complete diet history.

“But if it flips up on their screen, that is much easier.”

He said the app could also be used in patients with diseases where diet is important, such as coeliac disease, cystic fibrosis, diabetes and cancer.

Ken Aitchison, the technical researcher involved in the development of the app, also said the technology had the ability to help the overstretched NHS deal with diet-related illness.

“We see huge potential for the NHS to use DietPhone to allow more people to benefit from specialist dietary advice,” he said.

“Not only could this technology be used to assist Scotland deal with some of its most significant health problems, the simple technology has the potential to improve the health of different groups on a global scale.”

The university aims to start work with a Scottish health board on the DietPhone.

Carina Norris, a Fife-based nutritionist, said: “There are a lot of problems with getting people to complete diet diaries. They lose them, they get bored. But most people are not going to lose their phones as they do their diaries.”

source: http://news.scotsman.com/health/Healthy-eating-top-of-menu.6585004.jp?articlepage=2

Although nutritional supplements such as vitamin C may calm the symptoms of inflammation, it may be important not to ignore the signs.

Inflammation could be your body’s way of indicating abnormal cell growth that may lead to colon cancer. According to a new study published in The Journal of Nutrition, mice who were fed a high-fat diet were more susceptible to inflammation of the colon, which could eventually lead to cancer.

A diet high in fat and low in fiber, vitamin D and calcium has already been proven to be related to colon cancer. However, a new study suggests it sparks an inflammatory reaction that could eventually trigger the disease.

After feeding mice either a diet of 5 percent fat and a large amount of calcium and vitamin D or a diet made up of 20 percent fat and limited amounts of calcium and vitamin D, it was discovered that the mice in the second group gained more weight and experienced inflammation systems more frequently.

The inflammatory response was also shown to trigger the carcinogenic, or cancer formatting process.

Findings that were presented during the American Academy of Neurology’s 62nd Annual Meeting indicated that individuals who follow a Mediterranean diet may be at a lower risk for brain damage and thinking problems.

Researchers examined 712 patients and their diets over the course of six years. They gave the participants MRI scans that revealed that 238 of these individuals had some form of brain damage.

The study claims that people who followed a Mediterranean diet were 36 percent less likely to suffer from cognitive problems. Individuals who moderately followed the plan were 21 percent less likely to have brain issues. Scientists noticed a pattern between these findings and high blood pressure.

“The relationship between this type of brain damage and the Mediterranean diet was comparable with that of high blood pressure,” said study author Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas. “In this study, not eating a Mediterranean-like diet had about the same effect on the brain as having high blood pressure.”

The most common bread sold and consumed by the American public is by far white bread.

We have all grown up eating our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on white bread and our morning toast on white bread, but why?

Most likely because it’s cheaper and lasts longer then any other style bread. The issue I bring up though is it’s nutritional value, which is close to none.

When a producer has wheat refined into white flour about 25 known nutrients are removed. However after the refining process only about 4 are replaced. On average 87 percent of essential minerals are lost.

The funny thing is that the producer will put “enriched with vitamins and minerals” to give it a healthy appeal. The same procedure is used in making most pasta’s, white rice, and white sugar.

This all boils down to the fact that we are consuming two thirds of our diet on refined empty calories. This is a main culprit with low energy, obesity, low mineral intake and unstable insulin levels.

The solution is to consume whole wheat breads and pasta, brown rice, and limit refined products. You not only will see countless health benefits, but the taste improvement will be extraordinary. Give it a try and experiment with different foods that are closer to what nature intended and not what the food corporations wanted.

Also, many people in the world eat a poverty vegetarian diet that is mostly starch and salt—clearly not healthy.

A desirable vegetarian diet would consist of healthy carbohydrates, fats, and protein packages, along with plenty of vegetables and fruits. Healthy carbohydrates mean whole grains and few refined starches and sugars.

Healthy fats include almost all of the vegetable oils that have not been partially hydrogenated (meaning they won’t contain trans fats); palm oil and coconut oil in modest amounts are also OK. Of course, the protein package most distinguishes vegetarian diets, and not including red meat will make the diet healthier as this is related to higher risks of heart disease, diabetes, and probably some cancers.

Alternative vegetarian sources of protein would include a combination of nuts, beans, and soy products; these are not only lower in saturated fat and don’t contain cholesterol, but they also are great sources of micronutrients, healthy fats, and fiber.

Some versions of a vegetarian diet also include eggs, fish, or dairy products. Considerable evidence links high dairy-product consumption to an elevated risk of fatal prostate cancer, so I think limiting these foods to not more than one to two servings a day makes sense. The advice about elevated need for calcium is simply wrong.

The World Health Organization’s recommended adequate intake for calcium is 500 mg per day, which is easily obtained with a diet containing less than one serving of dairy a day. Also, all the large prospective studies consistently show no relation between intake of milk and risk of fracture.

If you do decide to follow a strict vegan diet, meaning no animal products at all, vitamin B12 deficiency is likely to develop. This can result in seizures, neurologic degeneration, and death. Therefore, everyone on this type of diet should be taking a vitamin B12 supplement or using foods fortified with vitamin B12.

Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by a decrease in bone density. This leads to fractures and other bone problems.

One of the first things to do to prevent osteoporosis is determining if you are at risk for developing the disease.

Identifying Your Osteoporosis Risk Factors

There are several things that can determine the likelihood of developing osteoporosis. Being female, for example, is a common osteoporosis risk factor. Women, particularly Caucasians or Asians, are the people the most likely to get osteoporosis. Few males will develop the condition. If you are a woman, chalk up one risk factor in your count.

Osteoporosis often runs in families. If your mother or grandmother had osteoporosis, you are likely to develop the condition unless you modify your lifestyle. Along those lines poor nutrition is also an osteoporosis risk factor. Women who do not eat enough calcium and vitamin D are going to be at risk for bone loss.

Some people have a condition known as malabsorption. This condition causes them to not absorb nutrients properly from their digestive system. If you have this condition, it can cause you to not absorb the calcium you need correctly. This is also a risk factor for osteoporosis, and many patients with this condition are surprised because they have a healthy diet yet still develop osteoporosis.

Menopause and the lowered levels of estrogen that occur at this time in a woman’s life is another risk factor to consider. When you lose your menstrual cycle, whether when you are in menopause or when you are younger, you are also at higher risk for osteoporosis. If you are in menopause or have unexpectedly lost your period, you should talk to your doctor about osteoporosis testing.

Finally, if you have been immobilized because of a medical condition, such as a stroke, you are at a higher risk for developing osteoporosis. If you have several of these risk factors already, even if you are young, you may want to schedule a bone density test and start following an osteoporosis diet. The test can determine if you have damage from bone loss, and the diet will help keep it from developing.

Preventing Osteoporosis Through Diet

If you have risk factors for osteoporosis, you should consider some dietary changes that can help prevent the disease from developing. The earlier you start these dietary changes, the better. Following a good osteoporosis diet will help all areas of your health, particularly your bone density.

First make sure your diet is high in fruits and vegetables. As early as you can start implementing these foods into your diet, do so. There is a direct connection between high bone density and fruit consumption. The alkali buffers in fruits and vegetables help reverse the normal loss of calcium that your body undergoes.

Vitamin D is another important part of an osteoporosis diet. You can get vitamin D simply by spending some time in the sun. This essential vitamin helps your body absorb calcium better. Twenty minutes of sunshine each day will prevent a deficiency of vitamin D. If the sun is out of the question for you, then you need to eat foods with fish oils, such as fatty fish meat. Fortified foods, like fortified milk, also provide your body with vitamin D.

You can add calcium supplements into your diet to help prevent osteoporosis. Make sure that any multivitamin you take has calcium. You can also chew a couple of tablets of Tums antacids every day to help you get enough calcium.
Drinking milk or eating cheese and yogurt also provides your body with the calcium it needs to fight bone loss. Incorporate as much dairy into your day as your body can handle. This way you are giving it every chance it needs to absorb calcium.

While osteoporosis is not curable, you can help prevent the disease from progressing through a proper diet. If you have not yet been diagnosed with the disease yet have risk factors present, you can help prevent the disease from occurring at all through a good, healthy diet that is rich in calcium.

Generally, a calorie-restriction diet may call for 20 to 30 percent fewer calories than usual.

Interest in the calorie-restriction diet as an anti-aging tool has grown as researchers have learned that restricting calories can extend the lives of animals.

However, the possible role of a calorie-restriction diet for slowing the aging process in humans is still under investigation. Short-term studies have shown that a calorie-restriction diet can have both benefits and risks for humans, and it’s unclear whether the diet can extend a person’s life.

If you’re interested in trying a calorie-restriction diet for anti-aging, consult your doctor and a registered dietitian to make sure you get enough vitamins and other nutrients.

Proponents of the calorie-restriction diet claim that restricting calories slows the aging process, reduces the risk of various chronic diseases and leads to a longer life. If you’re overweight, a calorie-restriction diet may also help you achieve a healthy weight. But a calorie-restriction diet can have both positive and negative health effects, and researchers haven’t determined whether the regimen truly extends a person’s life.

Diet details
Research has shown the following health benefits for animals on a calorie-restriction diet for anti-aging:

• Rodents that reduced their calorie consumption by 30 to 60 percent before age 6 months increased their maximum life spans by 30 to 60 percent.
• Rodents that reduced their calorie intake by 44 percent as adults — age 1 — increased their maximum life spans by 10 to 20 percent.
• Rodents that followed a calorie-restriction diet developed fewer chronic diseases associated with aging — such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer — or delayed the development of these diseases.
• A calorie-restriction diet decreased the deterioration of nerves in the brain and increased nerve creation in animals with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and stroke.

Some researchers say that a calorie-restriction diet triggers a survival mechanism in animals with short life spans, such as rodents, that allows them to outlive food shortages. However, it’s unclear whether people may benefit from a calorie-restriction diet the same way. Some researchers estimate that a long-term calorie restriction diet may only increase a person’s life expectancy by 4 to 17 percent.

Researchers haven’t identified a precise calorie limit for a calorie-restriction diet. It’s even difficult to make general recommendations about calorie thresholds, due to variables such as body composition, genetics, age and daily energy expenditure. Generally, however, a calorie-restriction diet may call for 20 to 30 percent fewer calories than usual. If you’re interested in a calorie-restriction diet for anti-aging, talk to your doctor.

Limited research on the calorie-restriction diet for anti-aging suggests that it can lead to positive changes in:

• Blood pressure
• Blood sugar
• Body fat percentage
• Cholesterol level
• Weight

Research also suggests that a calorie-restriction diet can improve memory in older adults. Most of these changes also reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, but it isn’t clear whether they’ll translate to a longer life span.

The calorie-restriction diet isn’t safe for everyone — particularly older adults and people who are lean. Side effects of the calorie-restriction diet might include:

• Menstrual irregularities
• Hormonal changes
• Reduced bone density
• Loss of muscle mass

If you’re following a calorie-restriction diet, you can offset some losses in bone density and muscle mass through regular physical activity, such as walking or jogging, and by making sure you get enough calcium and vitamin D.

Excessive calorie restriction can cause:

• Anemia
• Dizziness
• Depression
• Irritability
• Lethargy
• Swelling in your legs and feet

Possibly. It’s thought that red or purple grape products may reduce your risk of heart disease by relaxing your blood vessels, allowing your blood to more easily flow.

This benefit is most likely due to substances called antioxidants found in the skin and seeds of grapes — especially dark red and purple grapes. One particularly important antioxidant, resveratrol, is also found in grape juice — especially juice made from dark purple Concord grapes.

Recent studies have suggested that red and purple grape juices may provide some of the same heart benefits of red wine, including:

• Reducing the risk of blood clots
• Reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol
• Preventing damage to blood vessels in your heart
• Helping maintain a healthy blood pressure

Both red wine and grape juice also contain antioxidants called flavonoids, which have been shown to increase your high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or “good”) cholesterol and lower your risk of clogged arteries (atherosclerosis), and may help lower blood pressure.

Eating whole red or purple grapes has benefits, as well. Some research suggests eating whole grapes also delivers the same antioxidants that are in grape juice and wine. You also get the benefit of the fiber if you eat whole grapes.

These findings on grape juice are good news for people who want the cardiovascular benefits of red wine without the alcohol. Remember, if you do choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation — no more than one drink a day for women or two drinks a day for men.

Three months into the study about 70 percent of subjects were eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables on an average day, up from 20 percent at the starting point. That increase held for the rest of the year-long study.

It was surprising to see such a large jump in the number of participants reaching the guidelines so early on, said study leader Dr. Christine Cole Johnson, and also to have those results hold for the next nine months. “In most nutritional studies, you’re happy if you get a half-serving increase,” Johnson said. But this study showed average increases of at least two servings daily.

Because the study included men and women aged 21 to 65 from around the country, the results indicate that a well-designed website could be used to educate more widely on the importance of fruit and vegetable consumption, Johnson said. “We think this could reach a large number of people and change habits on a national level,” she said.

The results of the study are published in the latest issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

In the study, conducted at five U.S. sites, the researchers assessed change in fruit and vegetable intake associated with visiting a website that provided tailored nutritional information, with or without motivational emails, and an untailored “control” website.

The two websites had the same basic design, but the tailored website provided personalized nutritional information based on responses to a survey given at the outset, while the control site provided general information about nutrition related to fruits and vegetables. With the tailored website, “the messages they were given were based on concerns they had (about increasing consumption) and how to address those,” Johnson said.

When the study began, the participants averaged 4.4 fruit and vegetable servings daily according to a 16-item “food frequency” questionnaire and 3.3 according to a 2-item questionnaire about average daily fruit and vegetable consumption.

By the end of the study, both questionnaires showed that daily fruit and vegetable consumption had increased by more than two servings, on average. Participants who accessed the tailored website showed comparable increases, whether or not they received email counseling, of about 2.7 servings daily, while those who used the generic website increased their daily servings by about 2.35.

The study participants reported an overall high level of satisfaction with the websites and the information they received on them, Johnson said. Statistically, it’s hard to say what effect the motivational emails had on the results, she said, but study participants reported that they liked that feature and found it helpful.

Non-minority women over 50 with high levels of education were the most likely to stick with the program and increase their servings, the study found.

It was somewhat surprising, Johnson noted, that the web-based program was less popular with younger participants. Study co-author Dr. Gwen Alexander is currently working on a program aimed at younger participants. “It needs to be in front of them, accessible and easy,” Alexander said.