I’ve been trying to eat more organic and “real”  food (as well as staying away from soybeans) since seeing the movie “Food Inc.”

Are beans like pinto  beans, black beans, and kidney beans genetically modified?

Should I buy organic?

Susan (last name withheld)
Grand Rapids, MI

While I understand your concern about soybeans, there is no need to completely shun it from your diet.

Keep in mind that the vast majority of genetically-modified soybeans are used to make processed food.

Since soy is a subsidized crop, the production of soybean oil, soy flour, and soy protein isolate is extremely cheap.

Next time you are at the store, take a look at processed “junk” food and you are bound to see some, if not all, of these ingredients.

If you see the words “non-GMO” or “not genetically modified” on a package of tofu or tempeh, you can trust those soybeans have not been tampered with.

While it is absolutely possible to have a healthy diet without a single soybean, tempeh (fermented soy) is chock-full of nutrition and healthy compounds.

Companies like Lightlife and Turtle Island offer non-genetically-modified varieties.  If you like how it tastes, certainly continue to consume it!

While genetically modified kidney beans, pinto beans, and black beans certainly exist, they are not as rampant as genetically modified soybeans.

Buying organic is a fairly good precaution — organic food can not, by definition, be bioengineered.  I say “fairly good” because there are some loopholes.

I do want to point out that many conventional (meaning “not organic”) beans are NOT genetically modified.

However, since there are currently no mandatory labeling guidelines for genetically modified food, consumers are kept in the dark.

1 Comment beans, genetically modified food, organic, soy, You Ask/I Answer

Sweet potato skins contain roughly three times the antioxidants contained in the vegetable’s flesh.

This probably helps you understand why I always advocate eating the skin of fruits and vegetables (as long as they are edible, of course).

Not only are skins a good source of fiber and certain nutrients — they also provide their own share of antioxidants and phytonutrients.

For example, one hundred percent of an apple’s quercetin (an antioxidant that  has been linked to lower inflammation levels as well as decreased risk of prostate and lung cancers) content is in its skin!

Whether you make sweet potato mash, baked sweet potatoes, or oven-roasted sweet potatoes, leave the peeler in your kitchen drawer!

2 Comments antioxidants, numbers game, quercetin, sweet potatoes

I was wondering if you knew if there is any nutritional value in the shells of peanuts, specifically sodium?

Should we be eating peanut shells?  I can’t seem to find any concrete evidence on the web.

— John V.
(Location unknown)

The only thing peanut shells offer is fiber.

If peanut shells are salted, you are also getting sodium from them, but the average American diet is already significantly higher in sodium than it needs to be.  No one should concern themselves seeking out good sources of sodium!

All the nutrition is inside the peanut shell.  I have never eaten peanut shells — and never intend to.  I can think of hundreds of much tastier, healthier, and easier-to-swallow sources of fiber.

I agree with the accompanying illustration — “lose the shells”!

No Comments fiber, peanut shells, peanuts, sodium, You Ask/I Answer

As a bariatric patient, we’re not supposed to drink anything while eating or for a while after.

It has to do with the “pouch” our surgeries create that help us feel full on small amounts of food, and the drinking flushes the food through meaning we get hungry faster, eat more, etc.

Anyways… someone said something on a site I’m on about how nobody should be drinking while eating, since even a normal stomach would have a similar reaction.

Is there any merit to that?

— Rob (last name withheld)
(Location unknown)

None whatsoever.  This is why armchair nutritionists on online message boards should rarely be trusted.

What you are referring to, Rob, is a condition known as dumping syndrome.

It’s quite common following bariatric surgery, and occurs when food travels from the stomach to the small intestine much more quickly than it should.

A small number of exceptions aside, individuals who have not had bariatric surgery do not need to worry about this.

As I always say, our bodies are very, very smart machines.

A regular stomach not only acts as a large reservoir of now-liquified broken down food (it can hold roughly 1.5 to 2 quarts!), but also transports that into the small intestine in a controlled fashion thanks to a powerful, ring-shaped muscle known as the pyloric sphincter.

Bariatric surgery results in the pyloric sphincter being bypassed during digestion, hence the possible complications.

3 Comments bariatric surgery, dumping syndrome, myths, water, You Ask/I Answer

In the past, you have written that seaweed is a good source of omega-3 for vegans, but what are the benefits for those of us who already eat fish?

Is there any reason to eat sea vegetables if you already get omega-3s from animal sources?

— Tom Emilio
(Location withheld)

Absolutely!  Their EPA content (one of the two omega 3 fatty acids found exclusively in fish and seaweed) is only one of their many benefits.

All sea vegetables are great low-calorie sources of iron, magnesium, potassium, selenium, vitamin A, and vitamin K.

Another bonus?  Sea vegetables have their own share of unique phytonutrients and antioxidants that help lower risk for heart disease and many different cancers.  This is why I often say that oceans have a very worthy produce section!

Many people erroneously assume all seaweed is slimy, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

You can purchase sheets of thin, crunchy nori (wonderful mixed into salads or used to wrap vegetables and avocado), dried chewy dulse (pictured, right), or hijiki (which, when cooked, has a consistency similar to that of rice).

3 Comments antioxidants, iron, magnesium, phytonutrients, potassium, sea vegetables, seaweed, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin K, You Ask/I Answer

I just bought a bag of lettuce.  On the package it says something like, “Washed Three Times!”

Is it really safe to eat lettuce right out of the bag?  Or should I wash it the same way I wash heads of lettuce when I buy them?

— Cassandra (last name withheld)
New York, NY

Bagged greens are washed in a chlorine solution that removes a significant amount — though not all — bacteria.

That said, the bacteria that may still remain in bagged lettuce are not necessarily ones that can be removed simply by rinsing under cold water.

E.Coli, for example, is only killed by heat.  If a bag of lettuce that you purchased happened to be contamined with E.Coli, rinsing and washing would make absolutely no difference.

It’s perfectly safe to eat bagged lettuce that states it is ready-to-eat.

Remember, too, that as much as news editors love stories about “the bacteria living in your refirgerator…. RIGHT… NOW!”, the human body is exposed to plenty of bacteria every single day that does not get us sick.

Unless you are immunocompromised, elderly, pregnant, or a young child, there is no reason to obsess about eating food that is 100 percent free of all bacteria known to man.

3 Comments Uncategorized

Sweet potato skins contain roughly _____ times the antioxidants contained in the vegetable’s flesh.

a) 1.5
b) 2.5
c) 3
d) 4.5

Leave your guess in the “comments” section and come back on Saturday for the answer.

2 Comments antioxidants, numbers game, sweet potatoes

Despite the fact that calorie-wise they are similar to white sugar, I have heard that honey and maple syrup might possibly be superior sweeteners based upon the fact that they contain significant amounts of antioxidants.

Any truth to the matter?

— Corey Clark
(Location withheld)

Maple syrup and honey do indeed contain some antioxidants, but you need to remember context.  They are both sources of added sugar and, for the most part, empty calories.

Yes, maple syrup contains manganese and zinc, but it (along with honey) provides no fiber, protein, or fats — all essential for satiety.

Ergo, you are looking at empty calories.  Two hundred calories of maple syrup or honey will not satisfy hunger in the same way 200 calories of nuts or beans do.

Since the goal with all added sugars (white, brown, honey, maple syrup, agave, brown rice syrup, etc.) is to minimize intake, antioxidant content is a moot point.

Ideally, added sugar intake should be limited at two tablespoons per day.  This amount of either honey or maple syrup won’t provide much in terms of antioxidants.

No Comments antioxidants, honey, maple syrup, You Ask/I Answer

A few days ago I was reading a pamphlet on heart-healthy eating, which recommended eating 2 grams of plant stanols every day.

What are they? What foods are they in?

I’ve never heard of them before or seen them on a food label, so how do I know how many grams I’m eating?

— Mike Appenbrink
New York, NY

Plant stanols are naturally-occurring compounds in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

Stanols are closely linked to sterols; they both fall under the “phytosterol” umbrella (phytosterols have a similar molecular structure to cholesterol, and compete with it for absorption).

Phytosterols have been clinically shown to lower LDL (unhealthy) cholesterol while keeping HDL (healthy) cholesterol levels steady, thereby improving our LDL:HDL ratio. Here’s the catch — in order to get those health benefits, you need to consume two grams of them a day. They are present in hundreds of plant-based foods, but in miniscule amounts.  You would need to eat an excessive amount of calories to consume two grams.

Cue companies like Finland’s Raisio Group, which formulated Benecol, a proprietary (ka-ching!) blend of stanols that can now be found in handful of processed products — from margarines and corn chips to orange juice and cereal.

So, yes, long-term daily intake of two grams of stanols can help reduce LDL cholesterol by an average of fifteen percent, but I don’t consider stanol/sterol-fortified margarines and milks a necessity in a heart-healthy diet.

There are many other things you can do to improve blood lipid profiles: consume at least 25 grams of fiber a day, prioritize monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, limit added sugars and refined flours, and avoid trans fats.

Whole foods may contain negligible amounts of sterols, but they contain many heart-healthy phytonutrients.

Something tells me the educational materials you read were written or sponsored by one of the big stanol companies. My advice? Eat real food — there are plenty of benefits to be reaped.

1 Comment Benecol, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, stanols, You Ask/I Answer

According to figures from the National Cancer Institute, thirty percent of all cancer cases can be attributed to tobacco, while 35 percent are caused by dietary factors.

While it is true that one explanation for increased cancer rates over the past 100 years is the mere fact that we are living longer, it is also abundantly clear that as diets have become hypercaloric and largely composed of highly processed and refined foods, our cancer risk has significantly increased.

The thousands of clinical studies that have looked into the effects of diet on cancer point to these factors being most important for cancer risk reduction:

• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Consuming a diet high in fruits and vegetables
• Prioritizing monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids
• Strictly limiting added sugars and trans fats

2 Comments cancer, monounsaturated fat, numbers game, sugar, trans fat

I have teamed up with the generous folks at McCormick to help add zest and health to your cooking!

I have five McCormick “Super Seven” spice packs to give out to Small Bites readers.

Remember: spices are a wonderful — and delicious — way to reduce sodium and add healthy antioxidants and phytonutrients to your meals.

The packs contain:

• Oregano leaves (0.75 oz.)
• Ground cinnamon (0.75 oz.)
• Crushed red pepper (0.75 oz.)
• Thyme leaves (0.37 oz.)
• Curry powder (0.37 oz.)
• Ground ginger (0.37 oz.)
• Rosemary leaves (0.37 oz.)

Not sure what spices go with which foods?  No need to worry — the packs also include a “30 Ways in 30 Days” super-swaps calendar that provides helpful suggestions for the different spices.

If you’d like to enter this giveaway, please follow the instructions below.  Good luck!

1.    Re-Tweet any Small Bites blog post in this format: “RT @andybellatti (write whatever you want here) (Link to post here)”

• Example: “RT @andybellatti Are tree nuts healthier than peanuts? http://smallbites.andybellatti.com/?p=4837”  Note: You can shrink (or TinyURL) the link to save space.

2.  Re-Tweets in any other format are not eligible for this giveaway.
3.  Only one entry per Twitter account.
4.  Re-Tweets sent until Friday, February 12, 2010 at 11:59 PM (Eastern time) are eligible for this giveaway.
5.   Winners will be selected at random and notified (via Twitter) by me on Monday, February 15, 2010.
6.   Giveaway is only open to individuals living in any of the 50 states and Puerto Rico.

4 Comments giveaway, spices

A peanut butter sandwich is as American as apple pie.

What are your thoughts on peanut butter, though?

I’ve been hearing that peanuts, which I know are actually legumes, aren’t as healthy as tree nuts.

Should I be making my sandwiches with almond butter instead?

— Fred (Last name withheld)
Brooklyn, NY

I don’t have any issues with peanuts or peanut butter.

When it comes to nuts (and, yes, for the sake of this post we’ll treat peanuts as such), my recommendation is to always have one serving of some nut every day.

One serving is made up of 13 walnuts halves.  In the case of almonds, that’s 23 individual pieces.  If you’re talking pistachios, you’re looking at 49 kernels!

The issue with nuts is that you could label any one as “better” or “worse” than the next, depending on what criteria you use.

Consider these lists I compiled:

FIBER CONTENT (per ounce)

• Almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios: 3 grams
• Brazil nuts, walnuts, peanuts: 2 grams
• Cashews: 1 gram

PROTEIN CONTENT (per ounce)

• Peanuts: 7 grams
• Almonds, pistachios: 6 grams
• Cashews: 5 grams
• Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts: 4 grams
• Pecans: 3 grams

MONOUNSATURATED (heart-healthy!) FAT (per ounce)

• Hazelnuts: 12.9 grams
• Pecans: 11.5 grams
• Almonds: 8.7 grams
• Brazil nuts, peanuts: 6.9 grams
• Cashews: 6.7 grams
• Pistachios: 6.6 grams

OMEGA 3: OMEGA 6 RATIO (per ounce)

• Walnuts: 1:4
• Pecans: 1:20
• Pistachios: 1:51
• Hazelnuts: 1:89
• Cashews: 1:125
• Brazil nuts: 1:1,139
• Almonds: 1:2,181
• Peanuts: 1:5,491

All of them, meanwhile, are good sources of vitamin E, magnesium, and manganese.  Calorie amounts range from 155 (cashews) to 195 (pecans).

I always recommend varying your nut intake since each variety contains unique phytonutrients and antioxidants that have been linked to an array of health benefits.

Peanuts, for example, are a wonderful source of resveratrol (the same antioxidant in red wine and grape skins), while pecans contain high amounts of beta-sisterol, a cholesterol-lowering phytonutrient.

5 Comments almond butter, almonds, calories, fiber, magnesium, manganese, monounsaturated fat, nut butters, omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, peanut butter, peanuts, pecans, phytochemicals, phytonutrients, pistachios, protein, resveratrol, vitamin E, walnuts, wine, You Ask/I Answer

Please join me in extending an appreciative welcome to the very first Small Bites intern — Laura Smith.

Over the next few months, Laura will play an instrumental role by assisting me with a variety of tasks, ranging from research to on-the-ground reporting.

Laura — who is currently training for her first marathon — is a freshman at University of Nebraska Lincoln majoring in dietetic-journalism (isn’t that a wonderful major?).  Her mandatory coursework covers a wide scope, from Medical Nutrition Therapy and Biomolecules & Metabolism to Advanced Reporting and Principles of Editing.

I will let Laura tell you a little more about herself:

“I first became a nutrition junkie when I started running long distance my junior year of high school.

I saw the direct effects my food choices had on my training, and realized that eating the best foods would help me be the best runner I could be.  At that point, I wanted to learn all that I could.

I began reading blogs (like Small Bites!), health magazines, Internet articles, books (“Eat This, Not That” was very eye-opening) and documentaries like “Food, Inc.”, which had a tremendous effect on how I view food and what I eat.

After graduating I would  love to work for a health and fitness publication so that I could research and write about nutrition to help inform the public how to navigate the nutrition landscape.”

5 Comments administrative announcements

In some of your posts, you have mentioned that tempeh (pictured, left) is more nutritious than tofu.

Is that just because tempeh is fermented, or are there more reasons?

— Sarah Bertanke
(Location withheld)

While tempeh’s fermentation process certainly gives it a nutritional (and probiotic!) boost, there is more to this tale.

FYI: Fermentation reduces soybeans’ phytate content, thereby making their zinc and iron much more bioavailable.

Whereas tofu is made by coagulating soy milk with a precipitating agent (in most cases calcium sulfate, thus the high amounts of calcium in tofu), tempeh is made from whole soybeans.

The presence of said soybeans — in some cases along with wild rice or flax — makes tempeh a high-fiber food.

While four ounces of tofu provides 1.5 grams of fiber, that same amount of tempeh adds up to 11 grams!

Due to its “whole food” status, tempeh is also an excellent source of manganese, magnesium, and potassium.

Tempeh is also significantly higher in protein and omega-3 Alpha-Linolenic fatty acids than tofu.

Although I enjoy the taste of both, I am partial to tempeh’s nutty flavors and unique mouth-feel.

2 Comments alpha linolenic acid, calcium, magnesium, manganese, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, soy, soybeans, tempeh, tofu, You Ask/I Answer

“Mrs. Q” appeared in the blogosphere at the beginning of 2010 and has quickly become the talk of nutrition and foodie cyberspace.

In case the name does not ring a bell, she is the author of the Fed Up With Lunch: The School Lunch Project blog (a must-read!), where she chronicles her experiences as a school teacher who, starting this month, has vowed eat school lunch every Monday through Friday for one year.

FYI: The picture that accompanies this post depicts a typical lunch for Mrs. Q these days.

The project is absolutely fascinating, as it perfectly captures the problems of school lunch — poor nutrition, odd flavors and textures, environmental unfriendliness (plastic, plastic, and more plastic!), and the effects of cheap crop subsidies on individual health.

Unlike every other critic of school lunch, though, Mrs. Q lines up every day to get a taste.  Consider it a more realistic “Super Size Me” (while many individuals consciously choose to eat McDonald’s thirty days in a row, these school children — many of whom are on cost-reduced or free-lunch programs, have little to no say when it comes to their lunch options).

This past weekend I had the opportunity to interview Mrs. Q via e-mail.

Read below to learn more about her project and her thoughts on school lunch.

When did the state of school lunches first come up as an area of concern for you?  I know you have been a teacher for four years, but is this an issue that became important to you recently (after the birth of your child), or did you have a partial interest in this before you began your teaching career?

I really never gave much thought to school lunches before I became a teacher. I moved around a lot as a kid and I had various different quality lunches, but I don’t remember much. When I started teaching I noticed how bad they were, but I didn’t think there was much I could do. It was only after becoming a parent that I started worrying about the kids. Interestingly my son is at a daycare that gets semi-institutional food, but their meals are higher quality with more variety. For example, their menu includes items like rice, noodles, tuna, ravioli, yogurt, soynut butter on graham crackers, eggs, etc.

Has school lunch ever come up as a concern in meetings with administrators, other teachers, and/or parents?  If so, what was the context in which it was discussed?

At my school I have never been to a meeting where this was discussed. It’s only been over lunch with other teachers where we have brought this up casually.

How do you manage to maintain anonymity in your school?  I assume you wait in line for your lunch alongside students.  Is it common for teachers to purchase school lunch every day?  Also, where are you taking those photographs (which are styled very well, by the way!)?

Not a single soul in the school knows about what I’m up to. I am friendly with the lunch room manager and I just told them that I’m going to be eating a lot of school lunches because I’m lazy and I don’t want to prepare food at home.  It is true that not having to pack my lunch in the morning does save me time, but of course my excuse is a half-truth.

As a teacher I can cut in front of the students. I usually try my best to get lunch either before most students line up or after they have been served. I don’t like cutting in front of them when I know that this could be their only/best meal of the day.

It is not common for teachers to buy lunch every day. Most teachers do not buy lunch. There is one teacher who is considered to buy lunch “frequently” and that is once a week. I have to say that last year I looked at her and thought that was different.

I used to eat lunch with other teachers in the teachers’ lounge but I have been so very busy that I started eating by myself in my room. That way it is a “working” lunch. Now I’m eating lunch by myself, it’s very easy to take pictures of the food. The other bonus of the food is that it can be eaten fast and I really need that with my workload. The lunches I used to pack for myself were bigger and required heating up, which took minutes off a short lunch (20 minutes to eat & use the facilities).

The pictures are taken with my cell phone camera, which is an old model! My mother also commented that she liked the photos, which I thought was pretty funny. My mother is an artist so she thinks she gave me an “artist’s eye” and she is taking the credit for that.

You have now been eating school lunch for 10 days.  What can you tell me about any physical and/or emotional changes you have experienced?

There have been no issues yet. Ten days is not very long. One day after lunch I felt nauseous, but thankfully it passed. But the big thing was that I realized I am lactose-intolerant because I never before consumed milk at lunchtime and I had some “aftereffects” towards the end of the day. I had reduced my milk consumption to almost nothing because I had to go totally non-dairy for my son while I was breastfeeding. Also during the winter I wanted to have a hot breakfast to combat the cold outside and so I switched from cereal to oatmeal.

With the re-introduction of milk, my body is sort-of getting a lactose jolt. I’ve stopped drinking the milk for now. I may purchase some lactose-enzyme so that I can drink the milk at school and stay true to the goals of my project.

What effect does knowing, from the moment you walk into your school, that you are eating school lunch do to your psyche?  For example, do you now view food more through a “sustenance” lens than a “pleasurable” one?  Does it make you “dread” lunch?

It’s only been 10 days so I don’t think about it at all. I’m sure there will be “moments of dread” in the future. The first few days I started doing this I was so nervous buying lunch. My heart was pounding. But now I’ve gotten in a rhythm. I just breeze in and out and no one cares. At this point I keep wondering if there will be new meals that I haven’t tried still coming. Since I’ve only had one repeat meal, I’m not bored yet.

I’m so busy at work that I don’t think about the project at all. It might be hard to believe but that’s how it is. Teaching is a “performance” job: you have to be “on” all the time. If I have a bad night with my son and don’t get much sleep, I can’t just tell myself, “oh, I’ll just have an easy day in my cubicle and surf the net.” I still have to go into a classroom, teach, and manage behavior. I can’t ever “phone it in.” How about leaving early? Teachers can never leave early. What principal would hire a sub for just the last hour of the day? It’s a very demanding job and I have a lot of things on my mind, mostly how to meet the students’ needs. I don’t think about the project at all until it’s lunchtime and I think, “Oh yeah, I’d better get my three bucks and head to the cafeteria.”

Have you spoken to your students (now or previously) about the lunch offered by your school?  If so, do your students consider this to be “normal” food, both in terms of taste and appearance?  Your photos clearly illustrate why many children think vegetables are “gross” — the ones they are exposed to at school are simply steamed.  No care is taken to make them taste appealing!

I don’t want to reveal too much about my students, but some have special needs. That means that it’s hard for them to express themselves and answer questions. I have asked kids at the end of the day, “What did you have for lunch today?” They don’t remember! As for the idea of “normal” food, the kids don’t know anything else so they probably couldn’t even conceptualize what “normal” means. What is “normal” to Americans anyway? The vegetables must be steamed like you suggest, but I thought there was something funny going on with the broccoli: it was almost sugary. So who knows what is put on some of the stuff.

It seems to me, based on your posts, that students are not given any choice whatsoever when it comes to their lunch.  Is that correct?  Meaning — do students have a choice between unflavored and chocolate milk?  Or, say, a choice between a side of rice or a side of steamed vegetables?

There is no choice. The little packages are stacked and the kids grab one stack, put it on their tray, and move to the end of the line where they hand in their lunch ticket. Sometimes I see a small “a la carte” cart with pretzels and cookies for the kids to buy. I don’t see it all the time and probably less than 20 students in the whole school would ever buy extra food. There isn’t much time to eat.

How familiar are you with the state of school lunches in your school district (and surrounding ones)?

I’m not familiar with the rest of the district. I think most of them are like my school from what I know. I know one school had a salad bar, but that was a few years ago and I don’t know what happened to it. That school made headlines at the time.

What is the age range of the students eating these lunches?

Age 4 to age 11.

Is there anything I did not cover that you would like to say?

The school also serves breakfast to any students that come early and who want it. It’s very caring of the school. Unfortunately it doesn’t appear that too many students take advantage of the free breakfast benefit (maybe 20% of the school?). As far as I can tell, breakfast is not available to the teachers. If I can get more information about breakfast, I’ll post it on my blog.

Many thanks to “Mrs. Q” for her participation.  Be sure to check out her fascinating blog or follow her on Twitter.

24 Comments controversies, Mrs. Q, school lunch, Speaking With...