Hey Health Nuts!

Are you experienced in health education, nutrition or culinary arts?

Are you motivated to help reduce obesity and hunger in New Orleans?

Be a Part of Shopping Matters®

Come help the Edna Pilsbury WIC clinic lead grocery store shopping tours and teach families key shopping skills like buying fruits and vegetables on a budget, comparing unit prices, reading food labels and identifying whole grains.

 To learn more about the program or sign up to be a tour facilitator email Davita Petty at dpetty@tulane.edu

For many people, it can sometimes be a struggle to maintain a routine of healthy eating (we definitely experience this first-hand in New Orleans!). The first step of eating healthy is learning how to shop for healthy foods at the grocery store. This can be especially difficult and overwhelming if a person has never been taught healthy shopping habits, is trying to provide for a family, and is shopping on a tight budget. Studies have shown that learning how to find good value foods at a good price has the effect of “improving sense of self-control, self-esteem, and empowerment” in regard to food shopping (Webber, 2010). Furthermore,  shoppers with this opportunistic outlook increase their fruit and vegetable intake, especially when given incentives such as food vouchers through programs such as WIC (Herman, 2006).

If you are reading this blog, you are probably personally interested  and actively learning about living a healthy lifestyle. Why not give back to the community by becoming involved in a program that spreads the knowledge of healthy shopping and cooking habits? I encourage anyone interested in volunteering in New Orleans to contact Davita Petty (dpetty@tulane.edu) and become involved in this organization! You will learn how to teach New Orleans families to shop for healthy foods on a budget through the WIC program. You will probably learn a lot about healthy shopping for yourself too!

Resources:

Shopping Matters Website: http://join.strength.org/site/PageNavigator/SOS/SOS_ofl_shoppingmatters_home

Herman, D. R., Harrison, G. G., & Jenks, E. (2006). Choices made by low-income women provided with an economic supplement for fresh fruit and vegetable purchase. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 106, 740–744.

Webber, C.B., Sobal J., Dollahite, J.S. (2010). Shopping for fruits and vegetables. Food and retail qualities of importance to low-income households at the grocery store. Appetite, 54, 297-303.

A recent study out this month in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity has shown that improved body image may lead to improved weight loss. In this randomized controlled trial, the treatment group that participated in group sessions covering topics such as emotional and external eating and improving body image and acceptance lost an average of 7% of their body weight after one year compared to the control group which averaged less than a 2% loss of their body weight. The body image intervention aimed to increase participants’ body acceptance and satisfaction, and decrease their preoccupation and investment in their appearance. The study concluded that body image is important to address in weight control programs.

This really makes a lot of sense if you think about it. Several factors are included in the big equation to living a healthy lifestyle, including the regulation of eating behaviors. By regulation, I mean not overindulging in food and also not severely restricting caloric intake. I’m talking about that happy medium in between that can often be so difficult to reach! But our own negative body image may actually be making that goal even more difficult to obtain.

Research has repeatedly shown that body image plays a huge role in eating behaviors and can also predict disordered eating patterns. Body image problems are highly prevalent in overweight and obese people, and a negative self-image is actually a positive predictor of poorer weight outcomes and increasing chances of relapse.

Poor body image is also associated with the adoption of unhealthy weight control strategies (i.e., severe calorie restriction) as well as binge eating. Furthermore, many models of bulimia nervosa cite body image concerns as having the most causal role in disease development.

Something I found particularly interesting in this recent study is the discussion of two different dimensions of body image that combine to form one’s total body image, and the importance this may play in weight loss. First, there is evaluative body image which refers to one’s personal appraisals and associated emotions about their own appearance. Second, there is body image investment referring to the importance that one places on their own appearance. Both of these components of body image are found to predict eating disturbances, however, it is body image investment that presents the greatest predictive power for the development of disordered eating that goes above and beyond that of only body dissatisfaction.

Of course, these “ideal” and often unobtainable body images, as well as the great importance we tend to place on them, don’t come out of nowhere. They come from the sociocultural pressures we are surrounded by in the media. Check out the video below for a great perspective on it regarding women. I’m sure the media has an “ideal” unobtainable body image for men also.

So what do we do about it? Simply ignoring sociocultural pressures is a difficult task. But I think self-awareness of the issue is a great start. As this study concludes, efforts to improve body image appear to be crucial in designing and implementing weight loss plans. So if you are trying to eat healthier and lose weight, don’t let a poor body image sabotage your goals. A little less loathing and a lot more love can go a long way!

Joy Bauer, health and nutrition expert for The Today Show, caught my attention this week! (video above)

Many people think that drinking diet sodas is a great alternative to drinking the full-calorie version. As far as cutting down on daily caloric intake, cutting out full-calorie sodas from your diet can definitely help in weight loss. But switching to diet sodas with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame may not be a great substitute. Recent research indicates that drinking diet sodas may also have an adverse effect on waistlines as well as increasing the risk for type 2 diabetes. Although this particular research was done in older adults, I think it is definitely something for Gen Y to consider before picking up another bottle of diet soda.

Two studies presented on June 25th to the American Diabetes Association’s Scientific Sessions indicate that drinking diet sodas can have adverse effects. In a human study, diet soda users experienced 70 percent greater increases in waist circumference compared with non-users over a 10 year period of time. In a study on lab mice, mice exposed to a high fat diet with added aspartame had an increased fasting glucose level compared to mice who were given solely the high fat diet.

Of course, these studies are not without their faults. Animal models are not always an accurate depiction of human pathophysiology and more studies should be conducted to determine the effect of diet sodas on human blood glucose levels. Also, the human study did not take into account the food intake of the participants who drank the diet sodas. Perhaps people who drink diet sodas end up eating more high-calorie foods and overcompensate for the calories they are cutting by drinking diet drinks (as Joy Bauer points out, it’s the story of the guy ordering the double bacon cheeseburger with a diet coke!). Whatever the reason, more studies should be done to determine the true significance of artificial sweeteners and weight gain and risk for type 2 diabetes. I’d also personally like to see studies done in younger adults, as I know from personal experience that we are major consumers of diet sodas as well! I’m sure more research is to come regarding this health issue.

But one thing cannot be disputed-NOTHING is better than water! One study presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in 2010 indicated that people who drank two glasses of water before each meal ate between 75 and 90 calories less per meal and lost 5 more pounds over a 12 week period compared to those who did not drink water before meals. This may not seem like much, but if a person were to eat 75 less calories per meal for two meals a day for a year, it would be approximately 14.5 pounds of weight loss! Furthermore, thirst and dehydration are often mistaken for hunger. People will grab for snacks to satisfy this feeling, when in reality it is water and hydration they need to curb their craving.

So if you have taken that major step from regular sodas to diet sodas, consider taking one more natural step to water. Although the current studies linking artificial sweeteners to weight gain are certainly not conclusive, nothing can dispute the fact that water is always the better choice!

More info:

Dr. Gourmet’s take on the issue (he’s a great resource for any of your nutrition questions): http://www.drgourmet.com/eatinghealthy/soda.shtml and http://www.drgourmet.com/askdrgourmet/dietsoda.shtml

Still want a tasty and healthy alternative for water? Check out these great recipes: http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/diet-nutrition/story/2011/07/Skinny-low-calorie-beverages-for-hot-summer-days/49131146/1

Make sure to tune in to WTUL News and Views this morning at 8am! If you miss it, the episode will be posted under the “Media” tab later today.