Health Front
News That's Good for You
August 2008
Reprinted with permission from Taste For Life
Be a Smart Organic Shopper
The economy may be slowing down, but the demand for all things organic hasn’t. Almost 60 percent of U.S. households purchase some organic products, primarily because consumers consider them higher in many nutrients, lower in pesticides, and better for the environment. No wonder more and more stores are expanding their organic options.
Here are some tips for making the most of your organic dollar.
- Best buys: Select organic apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, grapes, spinach, and strawberries. This organic produce avoids higher levels of persistent, synthetic chemicals used in conventional farming. Also consider organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products, because pollutants tend to be stored in the fats these animal products contain when conventionally produced.
- If cost is less of an issue and you’re concerned about the environment: Enjoy organic processed foods and produce including cauliflower, sweet corn, broccoli, mangoes, and sweet peas. Pesticides are lower in the nonorganic versions of these fruits and veggies but are still a factor.
- Use coupons for organic as well as conventional foods, buy organic in the bulk section at your favorite store, and shop specials.
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- "Consumer Reports Helps Consumers Become Savvy Organic Shoppers," www.consumersunion.org
- Organic Trade Association, www.ota.com
In the Know
Caught between rising costs and lower spending power? The Nielsen Company recently reported which categories are most immune—and which are most vulnerable—to tough economic times.
The most recession-proof products include seafood, dry pasta, candy, beer, and pasta sauces. Those most vulnerable to price changes? Carbonated beverages, eggs, cups/plates, food preparation/storage, and tobacco.
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- "Nielsen Reveals Consumer Goods Categories Among Those Most Immune, Most Vulnerable to Recession," www.businesswire.com, 6/4/08
Weighty Substitutes?
Few will deny that the U.S. is in the midst of an obesity crisis. But how effective are sugar substitutes when it comes to losing weight? Not very, according to an editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Research indicates that the opposite may occur—sugar substitutes encourage overeating.
It all has to do with the difference in how the brain responds to sweeteners as opposed to sugar. By better stimulating the brain, sugar provides a sense of fullness. No such feedback is produced by substitutes, so we’re likely to continue eating. Nor are artificial sweeteners effective at balancing blood sugar levels.
"These purely synthetic compounds are produced through complex chemical processes," says Margaret M. Wittenberg, author of New Good Food, "and because they have no counterparts in nature, our bodies are ill-equipped to deal with them."
Instead of a diet drink, brew up some iced tea and, if needed, sweeten with a little fruit juice. Serve summer-ripe fruit in lieu of a calorie-laden, fatty dessert, and you’ll benefit from filling fiber along with lots of vitamins and minerals.
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- "JAMA Questions Sense of Sweeteners for Weight Loss," www.foodnavigator.com, 5/08
- "New Good Food" by Margaret M. Wittenberg ($19.95, Ten Speed, 2008)
Guys, Eat Your Legumes
Beans, lentils, garban- zos, and dried peas may reduce your risk of prostate cancer. A multiethnic cohort study involving more than 82,000 men links the highest intake of legumes with an 11 percent lower risk of total prostate cancer and a 26 percent reduced risk of nonlocalized cancer. Similar risk reduction was associated with the consumption of soy products as well as the consumption of legumes excluding soy.
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- "Legume and Isoflavone Intake and Prostate Cancer Risk . . ." by S. Y. Park et al., Int J Cancer, 6/08
