The problem (once again) is the added salt. Daily Grill

We know that calories and saturated fat are an issue at such places, but Chevys is really over the top. Chevys Fresh Mex

This week, however, I spotted a new product from one of the frozen food companies that consistently gets good marks: Michael Angelo’s. They call these new products “Pocket Calzones,” and although they’re a bit high in sodium for their size, I decided to give them a shot. Maybe Michael Angelo’s could succeed where other companies had failed. Michael Angelo’s Pocket Calzones

That’s a tablespoon and a half (4.5 teaspoons), for men, and about 1 tablespoon of salt (3 teaspoons) for women.

We know that reducing the amount of salt we eat can help reduce blood pressure and your risk of heart disease – from stroke to heart attack. If everyone in the United States over 35 years old reduced their salt intake by only 3 grams per day, what kind of impact would that have on our country’s overall health? Quantifying the Effects of Less Salt

While it’s easy to know which is which when you’re following a structured plan like The Real World Diet, most people don’t consciously plan their meals. When you buy a 400-calorie package of cookies from the vending machine or eat a plate of finger foods at a company cocktail party, do you consider those “snacks” or “meals”? You might eat more later if you’ve mentally tagged that food a “snack.” Is It a Meal, or Is It a Snack?

There’s been a lot of controversy about whether calorie counts should be a part of restaurant menus or not. Laws have been enacted around the country, with the most notable being in New York City. The legislation has been vigorously fought by the restaurant industry, with them actually suing to block these requirements. I have been saying for years that information matters and that knowing what is in the meal you eat makes all the difference. The real question is, does this work and can it work for you?Information Matters

Featured Recipe

Mexican Style Risotto with Whitefish

I had set out to do this recipe using salmon, but when I went to the market the drum was so much better looking. Take this approach when you are looking at recipes – you don’t usually have to stick to a particular fish. Generally speaking you can substitute another whitefish for recipes where the fish is lighter and another dark fish with dark fish recipes.

This recipe has a lot of ingredients, but don’t let that intimidate you. About half of them are spices. For some folks this may be a bit too spicy and you can leave the cayenne pepper out if you like.

This recipe is safe for Coumadin users, is low in sodium (salt) and is gluten-free. Those who are lactose intolerant but can tolerate cheese may be able to enjoy it. Those with GERD / Acid Reflux should avoid it.

How to Begin an Exercise Regimen
Exercise with Jacques Courseault

Exercising is an important lifestyle change that you should begin making if you haven’t already. The purpose of this article is to get you from sitting in your computer chair, to the point where you are seconds away from sweating, burning calories and improving your overall health. How to Begin an Exercise Regimen

Recently a study focusing on the effects of consuming fructose versus glucose was published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. A multi-university team of researchers recruited 32 men and women between the ages of 40 and 72 to participate in a feeding study. A Serious Look at Fructose

I just don’t understand why there’s no real effort at making this better.  I ask repeatedly but get a shrug.  There is one meeting that I have some influence with and this month it’s going to be different.  Stay tuned…

I see this a lot and it’s really frustrating.  Time and again I will go to a meeting, Grand Rounds or a lecture and what is served is almost always pretty disgusting.  Not just because the food is so unhealthy but it’s also so bad.  Generally speaking, doctors eat what you eat.  They tell you not to and then this is what they have for lunch.  It’s not just doctors, though.  Nurses and staff who see illness daily that’s clearly related to lifestyle order food from the most awful places.  There are some exceptions and I promise to share those with you as well.

The next time your doctor asks you to lose weight or eat better ask him or her what they had for lunch!   It may (or may not) surprise you.

Eat well, eat healthy, enjoy life!

Dr. Gourmet

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/339/nov24_1/b4567?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=midlife+obesity&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=date&resourcetype=HWCIT

Most all of the baked goods were made with white and not whole wheat flour (although oatmeal was available).  Similar bread offerings at lunch.  The lightest item at lunch was a crab vinaigrette in lettuce cups.

For an afternoon snack — Snickers!  Snickers!  Amazing!

It’s just amazing how folks put together conferences like this and don’t even think about the food.

Dear Dr. Gourmet,

Q: I am very worried about my father’s health. He eats a hamburger, french fries and Coke almost every day and he rarely eats any vegetables. He has incredibly high cholesterol and blood pressure, type II diabetes, liver and kidney problems and an alleged potassium deficiency that occasionally causes his legs to not be able to support his weight.

He claims that all of his health issues are hereditary and not influenced by his diet. I do not believe that.

What evidence can I use to convince him that his diet is unhealthy and is likely contributing to his health problems?

A: Well, I’d like to think that you’ve come to the right place.

Your father could not be more wrong about health issues being only hereditary. There is clearly a factor of how our family history can and does affect our health but this can certainly be overcome by eating healthy and maintaining a reasonable weight. The best place for you to get started….

Q: My husband went on Coumadin this week and one of the doctors told him, “NO cranberries.” When we read how low the vitamin K is in cranberries, we questioned this.

The nurse researched it for us and was told that cranberries kill some type of bacteria in your body and that the bacteria affecst the Coumadin. Is this correct?

A: Well, my standard answer for this has been to send folks to an article written for the Dr. Gourmet website back in 2006.

After reading your email I decided it was time to revisit this. There wasn’t good science about the issue of an interaction between cranberry juice and Coumadin (warfarin). The good news is that we now have pretty good evidence that it’s OK to drink cranberry juice.

Q: My family and I picked some wild mushrooms (what in our area, Northern MI are called beefsteak mushrooms or false morels) and are wondering how safe they are to eat? Some say not at all, others say if you cook them correctly. So my question is how would I prepare and cook them to be safe?

A: You do have to be very, very careful if you are going to eat wild mushrooms. Some, like the morels that I used to get in Virginia, are easy to know whether they are safe or not. There are a number of resources for you.

“The approved foods include those that derive less than 35% of their total calories from fat and less than 10% of calories from saturated fats. They should be trans-fat free, get less than 35% of their total calories from sugars (with an exception made for certain types of yogurt), and contain less than 200 milligrams of salt per serving.”

Clearly the goal in limiting children’s access to these unapproved foods was to improve their diet. Faced with fewer junk food options, however, did they make better choices?

Q: I really enjoy making low calorie, healthy soups at home. With these, I always calculate the number of calories per serving by adding the calories of all of the ingredients, and then dividing by the number of servings. My question is… do I need to account for the amount of water I put in the recipe, or will that be automatically changed by the number of servings that the recipe makes?

A: The great news is that the soups that you are making are usually just as you say – low calorie and healthy. It’s also great that you are calculating and keeping track of your calories. We know that this is one of the best ways to stay healthy. Even better news…

Q: Lately I find myself eating my oats straight out of the box without cooking them. Are there any health benefits from doing so or are there any preservatives that must necessarily render the oats healthier if they are cooked? I really enjoy eating the dry oats so I’d appreciate your view on this.

A: There should be no problem with you eating uncooked oats. In a way these have already been cooked. Rolled oats are steamed in the process of getting them into that round cardboard box. There are no preservatives in most such products.

Q: Why didn’t you include salt content in your evaluation of hot dogs?

A: This is a great point and I so much appreciate you writing.

The challenge is that there almost very few hot dogs on the market that are lower in sodium. The average hot dog runs in the range of 500 to 700 mg per serving. I am aware that Hebrew National makes a product labelled Reduced Fat Beef Franks that is lower in sodium at 360 mg each. I have not been able to find them….

The researchers at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research have taken this type of study a step further. They correlated income and census data for the state of California with the results of a large-scale telephone survey which asked about weight status and specific health issues. This information was further correlated with a geographic survey of California….

The researchers used data collected from two surveys: the first, a telephone survey, is known as the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which is an annual health survey of United States residents who are 18 or over. The second set of data, regarding types and locations of restaurants, came from the 2002 U.S. Economic Census.

The Body Mass Index, obesity status, and other health variables of the more than 714,000 included participants in the BRFSS were correlated with the number and types of restaurants in their area and then compared with other locations in the United States.

The results are very interesting. Those people who lived in areas with the highest total number of restaurants tended to have lower weights. The same was true for those whose areas had more full-service restaurants than fast-food restaurants. However, those who lived in areas with more fast-food restaurants than full-service restaurants tended to have higher weight.

The question, of course, is Why? The researchers theorize that those who choose to go to full-service restaurants may be looking for healthier foods. Or maybe that the foods served at full-service restaurants are less likely to be calorie-dense. (Anyone who’s seen the bakery counter at their local Cheesecake Factory knows that’s not necessarily true.)

What this means for you

Regardless, the fact remains that fast foods tend to be more calorie-dense and have more saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium than is appropriate for a healthy diet. Sure, I’ve listed the best choices at various fast food restaurants on the Dr. Gourmet website, but your best choice is still not eating at fast food restaurants at all.