Buyer Beware: The Dangers of Confusing Food with Supplements

Are you looking for the magic pill for weight loss, increased energy or anything else that ails you? You aren’t alone. While the draw of dietary supplements is strong and the claims compelling – don’t be fooled – these products are not the same as food. For example, a recent study identified green tea extract as a potentially dangerous ingredient. While sipping on green tea can benefit health, the supplemental form commonly found in weight loss and bodybuilding supplements has been linked to many cases of liver damage. Here are 4 other supplements that are much more dangerous than their food-based counterparts.

 

Why Supplements Can Be So Dangerous

Unlike foods and medications, the dietary supplement industry has very little FDA oversight. For this reason, many products sold on store shelves and online are manufactured without proper safety testing. These dangers may be the culprit for a dramatic uptick in liver disease over the last decade. Health conscious consumers are rightfully confused. When a nutrient gets attention for its health benefits, it’s logical to look for more from a supplement, but this can do more harm than good. While there is a time and place for supplements when a true deficiency has been detected, some of the most popular nutrients out there can treat your body very differently when taken in supplement form. The good news is, however, it’s spectacularly hard to eat your way into toxicity if you stick to the whole food sources.

 

Red Yeast Rice

Touted for its cholesterol lowering properties, this supplement has made the Consumer Reports list of 15 Supplement Ingredients to Always Avoid. Not only can it negatively affect the action of cholesterol-lowering prescription drugs, it may also affect proper function of the muscles, kidneys and liver.

 

Iron

Your body relies heavily on iron for healthy blood. According to the National Institutes of Health, populations at risk for deficiency include infants, children, teen girls and both pregnant and pre-menopausal women. Eating iron rich foods like dried fruits, fortified cereals, dark-meat poultry and red meat can help you meet those daily needs, while supplements can be toxic to the liver.  For this reason, if you choose to take a supplement monitor blood levels regularly and work with your doctor and registered dietitian to establish a proper supplement dosage.

 

Vitamin A

This essential nutrient is found in red and orange fruits and veggies as well as milk, cheese and meat. The animal based sources are known as retinol and high doses from supplements can cause skin changes, liver problems and birth defects in pregnant women.

 

Vitamin B6

Lots of folks reach for B vitamins like B6 to help boost energy and brain function, but the truth is only calories from food will truly give you energy and nutrients the body needs. Large doses of B6 can lead to nerve damage when taken for long periods of time. Since this nutrient may appear in many different supplements, it’s vitally important to take inventory of all the supplements you are taking. Vitamin B6 can be found in a wide variety of foods including chickpeas, chicken, potatoes, cottage cheese, nuts, raisins, tofu, rice and watermelon.

 

Dana Angelo White, MS, RD, ATC, is a registered dietitian, certified athletic trainer and owner of Dana White Nutrition, Inc., which specializes in culinary and sports nutrition.

*This article was written and/or reviewed by an independent registered dietitian nutritionist.

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The Best Vegetarian Chili EVER!

My husband has always been a bit skeptical of vegetarian chilis. The classic response from him when I make a vegetarian chili recipe is: *taste* *pause* “this is pretty good. but it’s not chili.” My theory is that he responds this way because he used to eat meat (he turned vegetarian at age 15) and […]

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Market Watch: Cherries

Sweet, tangy and conveniently bite-sized, cherries are one of the most reliable treats of summer. Beginning in June and ending in late August, the cherry season outlasts that of the other stone fruits and berries at the market. That’s because there are dozens of varieties that ripen at different times, ensuring a plentiful supply all summer long. Unlike peaches or nectarines, cherries are always sold tree-ripened, meaning that you’ll never have to sit around waiting for just the right moment to eat them. Sweet cherries range from golden with a tinge of red to deep purple and nearly black. The most popular variety is the Bing, but other common types include the Rainier, Brooks, Sweetheart and Queen Anne. The most popular sour, or tart cherry is the

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, which is harder to find fresh and is often made into juice, or sold frozen and canned. Happily, cold-tolerant cherries are grown in many regions of the country, from the Northwest and upper Midwest to the East coast. That means there’s usually a plentiful supply at roadside stands, farmer’s markets and grocery stores near you.

 

Cherry Facts

Low in calories, all types of cherries contain pectin, a type of soluble fiber, which helps to lower cholesterol. They’re also a good source of vitamin C. Lately, it’s tart cherries that have received the most attention for their health benefits. Containing powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins (the compounds that give them their bright red hue), tart cherries have been shown to help reduce the inflammation associated with arthritis, gout and muscle pain after exercise.

No matter the variety, look for cherries that are firm and shiny with bright green stems. If possible, taste one, and, if you have the patience, select cherries one by one instead of grabbing handfuls. Reject any that are bruised, soft, or small.

Refrigerate them in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week and rinse them under cold water just before eating. If using cherries in recipes, you may want to pit them. With a paring knife, slice them in half and pop out the pits with the tip, or use a cherry pitter for the job. In a pinch, you can also use a paper clip to pry out the pits. (First bend back the long end, and use the other end as a scoop).

 

What to Do with Cherries 

Although they’re delicious eaten by the handful, cherries shine in all manner of desserts. From the classic French clafoutis to all-American pies, cobblers, and crisps, cherries are a baker’s dream. But beyond desserts, cherries are easily incorporated into appetizers, salads, and simple sauces for chicken, pork or fish.

To add a hint of sweetness to a salad of peppery greens like arugula or watercress, top with slivered fresh cherries and sliced almonds. Or, mixed halved or quartered cherries into a grain salad made with bulgur or quinoa, chopped walnuts, crumbled feta cheese and fresh herbs. For a quick and unusual appetizer, roast pitted cherries at high heat until beginning to caramelize, about 15 minutes, then spoon onto fancy crackers spread with goat cheese. Serve sprinkled with lots of cracked black pepper and chopped rosemary. Cherries are also delicious in a fresh salsa served over grilled fish: Combine roughly chopped cherries with minced red onion, cilantro, and Serrano peppers and season with a squeeze of lime juice. Or, for a quick-cook sauce that’s divine spooned over pork tenderloin or chicken, sauté shallots and fresh ginger in olive oil, add halved cherries and red wine, and simmer until the fruit is just tender.

You don’t have even crank up the oven to use cherries in desserts. Instead, whip up a quick, (and healthy) cherry-cheesecake parfait: Whisk together part-skim ricotta and cream cheese and sweeten to taste with honey. Spoon the mixture into pretty glasses and top with pitted cherries that have been cooked until tender with a few tablespoons of water. Serve sprinkled with a handful of granola. For a frozen treat, puree sweet or tart cherries with lemon juice and sugar to taste, then pour into a baking dish and freeze about 6 hours, scraping the mixture every once in a while with a fork until fluffy.

If you still haven’t gotten your fill of cherries, it’s easy to extend the season. Freeze whole or pitted cherries on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to freezer bags and store up to 6 months. Then, simply use as you would fresh cherries in recipes. Here are a few more ideas to get you cooking:

 

Frozen Fruit Smoothies

Cherry Ricotta Cheesecake

Banana-Cherry Custard Muffins

Gluten-Free Grilled Cherry Cobbler

 

Abigail Chipley is a freelance recipe developer, writer and cooking teacher who lives in Portland, Oregon.

*This article was written and/or reviewed by an independent registered dietitian nutritionist.

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Drinking Tea May Bring Deeper Benefits Than You Realized

Coffee, tea or … well, both have their fans. But only one of them is traditionally drunk with crumpets at teatime, so, hey, tea definitely has that in its favor.

 

What’s more, a new study suggests that drinking tea, especially for women, could actually affect us at a genetic level and modulate our risk for certain diseases, especially cancer. The results were somewhat different for coffee. Big ups for tea then.

 

“Previous studies have reported health benefits of tea and the aim of our study was to investigate if tea consumption lead to epigenetic changes on the DNA, which might be one of the mechanisms behind these health effects,” the study’s lead author, Weronica Ek, a researcher at department of immunology, genetics and pathology in the Science for Life Laboratory at Uppsala University, in Sweden, tells Healthy Eats. “We did find epigenetic changes in women, but not in men, drinking tea.”

 

Ek says the study suggests that the changes may be one of the factors behind tea’s health benefits, but adds that it’s too soon to tell precisely how or even whether the changes affect our health. It’s also not clear why, exactly, or again, even whether, tea may affect men and women differently, how the kind of tea people drink may factor in, whether it’s simply a matter of healthy people choosing to drink tea over coffee, and the role that other elements, such as whether or not people added milk to their tea, may play. “Further research is needed to confirm how (or if) these changes affect our health,” she cautions.

 

As for whether people should choose tea over coffee, Ek won’t say. “I would suggest that people drink the beverage that they enjoy,” she demurs. So there you have it, coffee fans. You’re good to go.

 

Nevertheless, Ek’s study provides yet another piece of evidence pointing to potential health benefits from drinking tea.

 

“Tea, specifically green tea, has been reported to have a host of health benefits, including protection against cancer, heart health, diabetes and metabolic syndrome,” Elizabeth Ann Shaw, MS, RDN, CLT, nutrition communications consultant @ShawSimpleSwaps, tells Healthy Eats, citing a National Institute of Health literature review on the topic. “Although further research is needed on larger sample sizes and populations, it’s exciting to see there are other benefits outside of a great, refreshing beverage.”

 

Shaw also notes that both black and green tea contain antioxidants, which are key to ridding our bodies of the free radicals that can “wreak havoc” on our health. “Just like fruits and vegetables, tea is another great addition to increase your antioxidant intake to help boost your immunity, too,” she says.

 

Still, Shaw warns, although drinking tea may be beneficial, it’s important to be mindful of the caffeine you may be taking in as you sip it — unless it’s decaffeinated — and any added sugar.

 

“Most bottled teas on the market contain added sugar that can easily add up,” she says. “Choose natural brewed teas and add flavor, if desired, with lemon wedges.”

 

Pinkies up!

 

Amy Reiter is a writer and editor based in New York. Her work has appeared in publications including The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Glamour and Marie Claire, as well as Salon, where she was a longtime editor and senior writer. In addition to contributing to Healthy Eats, she blogs for Food Network’s FN Dish.

*This article was written and/or reviewed by an independent registered dietitian nutritionist.

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Are Mangoes Really the “King of Fruits?”

So many “superfoods,” so little time. We know. But when the superfood in question is as juicy and pulpy-perfect as a mango (mmmm … mangoes), it’s worth paying attention.

 

Research suggests mangoes may have a variety of health benefits, including, according to two recent studies, partly funded by the National Mango Board conducted by researchers at Texas A&M University and Oklahoma State University, possibly reducing the risk of chronic inflammation and metabolic disorders.

 

“Eating mangoes provides the body with a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants as well as dietary fiber,” says Emily Kyle, MS, RDN, owner of Emily Kyle Nutrition.

 

The fruits are packed with vitamins A and C and are a good source of vitamin B6, as well as the minerals potassium and magnesium, Kyle says. What’s more, she notes, the antioxidants in mangoes may offer protection against some cancers, including breast, colon and prostate.

 

Kyle, who was not involved with the recent studies, says mangoes can rightfully be considered a “superfruit” or even a “king of fruits.”

 

“They may help lower bad cholesterol levels in the body, prevent and reduce the incidence of constipation with their high fiber content, and may even be able to improve gut health with their unique enzymes,” she says.

 

And of course, they are delicious — enjoyable straight up as well as when in everything from slaw to salsa, salad to smoothies. Kyle especially enjoys eating them for breakfast over plain Greek yogurt. (Check out her gorgeously photogenic Immune Boosting Tropical Breakfast Bowl.)

 

Kyle warns that eating mangoes is “not a ‘cure all’ or a ‘magic pill’ for good health.” But as part of an overall balanced diet, she notes, “they no doubt provide exceptional nutritional benefits.”

 

Bring on the golden-orange tropical orbs!

 

Amy Reiter is a writer and editor based in New York. Her work has appeared in publications including The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Glamour and Marie Claire, as well as Salon, where she was a longtime editor and senior writer. In addition to contributing to Healthy Eats, she blogs for Food Network’s FN Dish.

*This article was written and/or reviewed by an independent registered dietitian nutritionist.

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The Art of the Salad with Chef Joshua McFadden, Author of Six Seasons

When you think of Italian food, chances are hearty classics like meatballs, osso buco and pastas with a slow-cooked ragus first jump to mind. So you might be surprised that those aren’t necessarily the most crave-worthy dishes on Chef Joshua McFadden’s Roman-inspired menu at Ava Gene’s, his much-touted restaurant in Portland, Oregon: the veggies are.

 

We call them salads by default, but there really should be a different word for McFadden’s layered and complex vegetable dishes, often made with grains, nuts, cheese, and sweet-and-savory combinations of vegetables and fruits.

 

Luckily the “vegetable whisperer” is now sharing the recipes for 200-some of these dishes in Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables. Peak-season produce is the star of each and every dish, including Cucumbers, Celery, Apricots and Pistachios, and Raw “Couscous” Cauliflower with Almonds, Dried Cherries and Sumac. Or Celery Salad with Dates, Almonds and Parmigiano — McFadden’s take on childhood favorite “Ants on a Log.”

 

The book is divided into six micro-seasons (Fall, Spring and Winter — plus Early, Mid and Late Summer) to help home cooks pinpoint which veggies are at their peak throughout different points in the quickly-evolving months of June through September.

 

So what inspires the chef’s balanced, unexpected, deceptively simple and very interesting “salads” (for lack of a better term)? McFadden credits an unexpected source as one of his early inspirations: a crispy watercress salad at cult-fave Thai spot Sripraphai in NYC’s Woodside, Queens neighborhood. “That was one of those moments that changed my idea of where I could go, even with simple, Italian-style food. Because the dish was at a temperature that you didn’t expect, and there were layers of ingredients like cashews, peanuts, chiles, sauce, mint, and fermented shrimp that weren’t expected. It was a symphony of flavors, instead of something one-note,” says McFadden. “And then while working at Franny’s I started working with colatura, the Italian fish sauce. From that point on, it opened up doors to start playing with flavors, and not be so classic — even with Italian food.”

 

But getting creative with your cooking shouldn’t be daunting for home cooks. McFadden likes to remind people that it should be fun: “And no one knows how to do it until they do it!” So cook your way through Six Seasons, learning McFadden’s clever techniques along the way, and then keep his four-point formula for a perfectly-balanced vegetable dish in mind as you make your own seasonal creations at home.

 

 

1. Creative Combinations

So how does McFadden come up with these combinations of cauliflower and cherries, celery and dates…and make them work? “It becomes fairly obvious when you’re thinking in the context of a season, and what ingredients you have available,” he says. “Whether it’s citrus, tomatoes, or parsnips…that’s your starting point. So what are you doing to that produce? Hopefully not much, but whatever you treat it and add to it, you want say ‘What the hell just happened?’ when you taste the finished dish.”

 

2. Acidity

McFadden considers acid to be an essential component to every dish…but not in the traditional way salads are dressed. “We don’t make vinaigrettes,” he says. “I’m a real big believer in dressing first with vinegar or lemon juice — or whatever acid you’re using — and then getting the dish to a point with salt, pepper, chile and all the other components you’re using that you don’t need olive oil. And then you taste it all and add the olive oil as its own ingredient, which brings it all together and adds another layer.” (Take for instance the recipe for Cucumbers, Celery, Apricots, and Pistachios below, where McFadden calls for the apricots to be plumped in vinegar before getting mixed with the rest of the salad.)

 

3. Texture

When McFadden was a kid, he hated crunch from nuts added to cookies or stuffing. But now he understands how texture can take dishes to the next level. “It’s fun to pull that out of vegetables and then enhance it with nuts and puffed grains. Not just for texture, but also for flavor. And it’s really cool that it’s all healthy too.”

 

4. Variation

McFadden wants the seasoning in his salads to be uniform…but likes to mix up the size and shape of ingredients. At one point while cooking at Franny’s, he realized he should stop ripping up fresh herbs, and started using the whole leaves as…well, leaves. “A basil leaf is like a salad leaf…why rip it up? Why can’t you just have explosions of flavor from herbs? I don’t want every bite of a dish to be exactly the same, so why I would I cut it up?”

Cucumbers, Celery, Apricots, and Pistachios

Recipe excerpted from Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2017.

Serves 4

 

This dish hits every flavor note—sweet, sour, salty, bitter . . . and it’s all kinds of crunchy. The more herbs you pack in there, the better. Mint, parsley, basil, and celery are just the beginning—you can add sorrel, every kind of basil you can find, chives, even some cooked grains or couscous. Serve this with grilled lamb, friends, the great outdoors, and cold pink wine.

 

1 1/2 pounds cucumbers (a mix of varieties if possible)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 medium celery stalks (leaves reserved)

1/2 cup dried apricots, quartered

1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup pistachios, lightly toasted (see below) and chopped

1/2 cup lightly packed mint leaves

1/2 cup lightly packed flat-leaf parsley leaves

1/2 cup lightly packed basil leaves

1/2 cup lightly packed celery leaves (if you have them)

1/4 teaspoon dried chile flakes

Extra-virgin olive oil

 

Peel the cucumbers if their skins are tough or waxed. Trim the ends of the cucumbers, halve lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Cut the halves crosswise on an angle into very thin slices.

Put the cucumbers in a colander and toss them with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Set aside for at least 20 minutes to extract their water and give them a “quick-pickled” flavor.

Meanwhile, cut the celery crosswise on an angle into very thin slices and soak in ice water for

10 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and pile into a serving bowl.

 

Put the apricots, garlic, and vinegar in a small bowl. Let the apricots plump for 10 minutes.

 

Pat the cucumbers dry and add to the celery, along with the pistachios, mint, parsley, basil, and celery leaves (if using). Remove the garlic from the apricots and discard it. Add the apricots and vinegar to the bowl, along with the chile flakes and 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with black pepper, but don’t add more salt yet because the cucumbers will have absorbed a bit. Toss, taste, and adjust the flavors with more salt, vinegar, chile flakes, or black pepper until it’s bright and zingy. Finish with another drizzle of olive oil. Serve right away.

 

 

Toasted Pistachios

Quantity is up to you

Heat the oven to 350°F.

Spread the nuts on a pan in a single layer. For a small quantity, a pie plate is good; for more, use a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake until you smell the nuttiness and the color is deepening slightly, 6 to 8 minutes for most whole nuts.

When the nuts are done, transfer them to a plate so they don’t keep cooking on the hot baking pan. Determining doneness can be tricky, because the final texture won’t develop until they’re cool, so at this stage, you’re mostly concerned with color and flavor. To be safe, take them from the oven, let cool, taste one, and if not done enough, pop them back into the oven.

 

Photographs by Peden + Munk (top) and Laura Dart and A.J. Meeker (bottom).

 

Per serving: Calories 279; Fat 21 g (Saturated 3 g); Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 654 mg; Carbohydrate 21 g; Fiber 5 g; Sugars 11 g; Protein 6 g

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Can Packaging Give Your Food a Health Halo?

We all try our best to eat healthy and buy nutritious food for our families. But the amount of information, misinformation and just plain marketing speak we’re hit with every trip to the grocery store can make goal hard to achieve. “Many foods contain front of package nutrient claims that make you think you are eating a healthy food,” says Alissa Rumsey M.S., R.D., author of Three Steps to a Healthier You. “This so-called ‘health halo’ often causes people to overeat foods they think are healthy.”

 

A recent study, published in the Journal of Business Research, supports this theory. Researchers presented two different foods (a cookie and a granola bite) in two different packaging options (an unportioned bag or a bag that contained several individually packaged single-serving packs) to a group of 171 students. What they found is that the granola bites had a powerful health halo that that cookies did not — and that affected how much the students ate. So when faced with a full, unportioned bag of granola bites, the students ate substantially more of them than they did of the cookies. “They perceived the granola to be a healthier snack alternative and chose to eat more of it,” explains Myla Bui, associate professor of marketing, Loyola Marymount University, and lead author of the study. “Consumers are paying less attention to nutrition information and serving sizes and relying instead more on preconceived notions regarding a food’s healthfulness.”

 

Interestingly, the participants said they would eat about the same amount of cookies or granola bites if eating them from the individually portioned packages. So if you are worried about intake of even seemingly healthy (but in the case of the granola, high in calories and fat) snacks, portion-control servings are the way to go. “For foods that are easy to over-consume, never eat them directly out of a large bag,” advises Rumsey. “Make your own portion-controlled packages by putting a single serving into plastic snack bags or reusable containers.”

 

Sally Wadyka is a Boulder, Colorado-based journalist who writes about nutrition, health and wellness.

*This article was written and/or reviewed by an independent registered dietitian nutritionist.

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