The one supplement you need to be taking: Vitamin K2

If there’s one vitamin you need to know more about, it’s vitamin K2. Unlike it’s vitamin K1 counterpart, vitamin K2 is rare in the Western diet and therefore hasn’t received much mainstream attention. However, emerging research shows that vitamin K2 may play an essential role in preventing bone loss, improved vascular health and reduced cancer risk.

Let’s start by differentiating between the two forms. Vitamin K1, phylloquinone, aids in blood clotting and is found mostly in leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale, collards and broccoli. Vitamin K2, menaquinone, is the form produced by intestinal bacteria and found in natto and some fermented cheeses and animal products.

Preventing Bone Loss

In discussing bone health and the prevention of osteoporosis, most of us are familiar with the role that calcium plays as a building block for strong bones and teeth. However, when we take a deeper dive, we see how vital vitamin K2 is as well in the overall process.

Osteocalcin is a vitamin K-dependent protein that helps create the bone matrix upon which calcium crystallizes. Essentially, osteocalcin helps to provide the ‘glue’ that holds the calcium in the bone. Without the presence of osteocalcin, the bone would be fragile and prone to breakage. Vitamin K2 is needed to activate this osteocalcin protein and regulate where calcium ends up in the body.

In studies where vitamin K2 was given along with other essential bone-building minerals, high consumption of vitamin K2 resulted in better levels of activated osteocalcin and a reduced risk of fracture.

Improved Cardiovascular Health

Since often the first symptom of cardiovascular disease is a heart attack, doctors and researchers are constantly evaluating ways to detect earlier warnings. Blood cholesterol levels were used for decades, followed by measurements of c-reactive protein. Now, it seems that looking at how much calcium you have in the arteries can be just as, if not more, effective.

Calcium build-up, especially around the heart, is a huge risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Therefore, reduced accumulation of calcium in the arteries may help prevent heart disease and risk of heart attacks. In the Rotterdam study of almost 5000 men and women, those who had the highest intake of vitamin K2 were 52% less likely to develop calcium deposits in the arteries and were 57% less likely to die from heart disease over a 7-10 year period.

Food Sources and Supplementation

Unless you regularly consume liver, certain fermented cheeses or natto (a fermented soy product), then chances are you aren’t getting enough of this important nutrient. For this reason, a supplement is often recommended.

There are two main types of Vitamin K2 available for supplementation: MK-4 and MK-7. While both are forms of vitamin K2, MK-7 has been shown to be more effective than MK-4 at producing osteocaclin and reducing overall cardiovascular risk. In the studies referenced above, vitamin K2 was most often found in the MK-7 form over MK-4.

Of course, before taking any new supplements, it’s always a good idea to discuss your health history first with your doctor. Depending on your needs and current diet, adding a vitamin K2 supplement may be helpful in reducing risk of both cardiovascular incident and bone fractures.

Alex Caspero MA, RD, RYT is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Yoga Teacher. She is the founder of Delish Knowledge (delishknowledge.com), a resource for healthy, whole-food vegetarian recipes. In her private coaching practice, she helps individuals find their “Happy Weight.” 

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

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5 Reasons Why You’re Not Losing Weight

How frustrating is it when you just can’t lose weight? You’re trying to eat right and exercise, but the numbers on the scale don’t move. Many registered dietitian nutritionists work one-on-one with clients and have experience as to why your waistline isn’t shrinking. I asked 5 dietitians the most common reason folks don’t lose weight and you’ll be surprised by what they had to say.

1. You’re cutting too many calories
“When you diet and restrict calories too low, your body’s metabolism starts to slow down, necessitating a larger caloric deficit to lose weight. Meanwhile, your hunger hormone (ghrelin) gets out of control, which simultaneously leads you to overeat,” says Abbey Sharp, RD, blogger at Abbey’s Kitchen.

Instead: Sharp recommends stopping the good food, bad food mentality, and focusing on your body’s unique hunger and satiety signals. Once you stop restricting, your body will stop feeling the need to overcompensate and binge whenever it gets the chance. When you eat mindfully, you eat in response to your body’s true needs, which helps prevent episodes of overeating.

2. You’re eating too much of a healthy food
“My clients often have trouble losing weight because they are consuming too much of a good thing,” claims Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN, author of The Protein-Packed Breakfast Club. “When I share that 1/5 of an avocado is one serving, people gasp.” Other good-for-you foods that are high in calories include nuts, nut butters, olive oil, and hummus.

Instead: Measure portions of higher calorie good-for-you foods until you get the hand of it.

3. You’re eating more than you think
Oftentimes folks underestimate the amount of food and calories they are eating. They forget about the handful of nuts or half a homemade muffin they were offered by their officemate. Drinks also tend to fall off the grid, and if you’re downing specialty coffees or numerous cocktails during happy hour you’re for sure taking in hundreds of calories there.

Instead: “When I first started in private practice 22 years ago, I found that without fail, my clients who consistently kept a food diary were the ones who were more successful in their weight loss efforts,” says Colleen Gerg, MA, RDN, a nutrition and mindfulness coach. Writing down everything you eat and drink creates awareness of habits and keeps you honest.

4. You’re stressed out
“Stress affects our eating, exercise, and sleep habits-most often in negative ways. Stress also affects our cortisol levels which makes it hard to lose weight,” declares Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD owner of Nourish Nutrition. Clyde explains where “I have so many clients who are trying to be perfect at following restrictive diets who just are terrified to ‘fall off the wagon’ and stressed out about sticking to their diet.”

Instead: If your diet is stressing you out, it’s time to find a better way to eat healthy and lose weight. There is no need for you to be miserable when trying to lose weight.

5. You’re not getting enough sleep
Most people don’t get the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night. “Lack of sleep can make us feel foggy headed and lethargic the next day,” explains Lauren Manganiello MS, RD, CDN owner of Lauren Manganiello Nutrition & Fitness in NYC. “Our body then craves food, especially sugar, to help combat our lack of energy. It’s very difficult to eat mindfully and listen to our hunger cues when we’re sleep deprived.”

Instead: Get to bed at a decent hour and remove things keeping you awake. This means turning off the television and charging your electronic devices in a separate room so you don’t have the urge to get on them in the middle of the night.

 

Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, is a registered dietitian and consultant who specializes in food safety and culinary nutrition. She is the author of The Greek Yogurt Kitchen: More Than 130 Delicious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Day.

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

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Reducing Sugar Intake Improves Health Quickly, Researchers Find

We know sugar is not exactly the healthiest thing we can consume, but a new study underscores just how dramatically and speedily eliminating it from our diets can affect our well-being.

The study, which will be published in the September issue of Gastroenterology, looked at obese children who habitually consumed sugar (fructose). The children’s sugar consumption was restricted for nine days without a change in overall calories; the sugar calories they had been consuming were replaced by complex carbohydrates.

In that short amount of time — just nine days — the children showed less conversion of sugar to fat, a reduction in liver fat, and improvement of insulin, glucose and lipid metabolism. The findings indicate that reducing sugar intake even short-term may lower the risk for obesity, fatty liver disease, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

“The magnitude of the metabolic changes in only nine days was surprising,” the study’s lead author, Jean-Marc Schwarz, PhD, a professor at Touro University California, tells Healthy Eats.

The results suggest that fructose – specifically the conversion of sugar to fat (de novo lipgenesis, or DNL) — disrupts liver metabolism, Schwarz says, adding that rapid reduction of DNL may drive the speedy metabolic improvements that occurred when sugar intake was restricted.

The key takeaway from the study for consumers? “Stay away from sugary drinks, juice and food with added sugar,” which can be found in many processed foods, Schwarz advises. “This will improve both your glucose and fat metabolism.”

And the improvements may occur more quickly than you might expect.

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.

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Talking with Toby Amidor, Author of The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook

Healthy Eats sat down with writer and registered dietitian Toby Amidor, author of the new book The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook.

 

Healthy Eats: Congrats on yet another awesome book! What sets this book apart from others focused on make-ahead meals?

Toby Amidor: Each of these make-ahead meals is delicious, healthy and made with minimally processed ingredients. I also kept in mind reusing a dish for different meals. For example, my Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken recipe can be made into a Barbecue Chicken Pizza. Both recipes are provided in my cookbook, along with additional ideas on pairing meals.  I also give food safety guidelines for safe meal prepping. From defrosting to cooking to reheating, there are simple steps to follow to keep food safe and prevent illness when cooking in batches.

 

You’re a working mom of three, so you know how stressful it can be to get a healthy meal on the table! How can this book help busy folks eat better?

Having meals ready to go reduces my weeknight stress level tremendously. If I do forget something at the market, or want to whip up side salad, that’s quick and easy. My mid-week grocery runs are only for a handful of items and not a cartful. I also get my kids involved in selecting the recipes they want for the week, and leftovers are used for packed lunches, including my own. This means I’m also saving money mid-week and don’t have to drop $10-15 for lunch every day. Over a month that adds up to over $60 that I saved!

 

What are some of your favorite ingredients for meal prep?

• Olive oil: Meal prep is all about keeping it simple. Although you can use a variety of oils in the recipes, most of them use olive oil — a must have for any meal prep kitchen.
• Canned beans: I always keep a few cans of no-salt added canned beans. I can use them to make a chili, toss over a salad, or add to a quinoa bowl in a flash.
• Lemons: This citrus fruit is one of my favorite flavor-enhancers. I use the juice and zest in marinades, dressings, and batters.
• Quinoa: Many of the dishes in my meal prep cookbook can be eaten with grains. I like to have cooked quinoa on hand for that extra boost of protein. I can add chopped fresh herbs to it or dried fruit and use it as a side for lean protein, stir fry, or over a salad.

  

Tell us a little about the meal plans featured in the book.

As everyone has different goals, my cookbook has a 2-week meal plan for three types of diets: clean eating, weight loss, and muscle building. The clean eating meal plan includes fruits, vegetables, lean protein, low fat dairy, whole grains, and healthy fats. Canned, frozen, and fresh foods are used (with no-added sugar and low sodium varieties). I have visited numerous farms and seen the canning and freezing process where foods are picked at their peak nutrition and quality and then preserved. The weight loss meal plan includes recipes that are lower in calories, but full of nutrition and flavor. The muscle-building meal plan is geared towards those who like to hit the gym and weights numerous times a week.

 

Apricot Chicken Drumsticks

Courtesy of The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook

Makes: 4

 

Cooking spray

8 skinless chicken drumsticks

2 tablespoons canola or safflower oil

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

¼ cup apricot jam

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Coat a shallow 9-by-9-inch baking dish with the cooking spray.
2. Brush the chicken with the oil and sprinkle it with the salt and black pepper. Put the chicken in the baking dish and bake until a thermometer inserted in the center of a drumstick reads 165ºF, about 35 to 40 minutes.
3. Just before the chicken is ready, in a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast the sesame seeds until slightly browned, stirring them frequently so they don’t burn, about 5 minutes.
4. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the apricot jam and soy sauce. Cook, stirring frequently, until it boils, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the stove.
5. Let the chicken cool for 5 minutes, then drizzle the apricot sauce over it and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds.

 

REFRIGERATE: Store the cooled chicken with the sauce and seeds in a resealable container for up to 1 week. To reheat, microwave for 1½ minutes. It can also be reheated in a saucepan over medium heat.

 

FREEZE: Store the cooled chicken with the sauce and seeds in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave for 1 minute. It can also be reheated in a saucepan over medium heat.

 

Per Serving (2 drumsticks with 1 tablespoon sauce and 1½ teaspoons sesame seeds): Calories: 541; Fat: 32g; Saturated Fat: 7g; Protein: 46g; Total Carbs: 14g; Fiber: 1g; Sodium: 766mg

 

Photos courtesy of Nat & Cody Gantz (left and bottom right), and Melani Lust Photography (top right).

 

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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What Nutritionists Pack Their Kids for Lunch

Registered dietitians have picky kids too! When my son was younger, he would never eat fruit when he was younger, but he would go for green vegetables. Go figure!? For his lunch, I would pack broccoli because I knew he would eat it. I asked other RDs from around the country pack in their kids’ lunchboxes, and some of their answers may surprise you.

 

Fruit

It’s no surprise that fruit tops the list of RD-approved lunch fare.

 

​“My 2 year-old son Lucca loves fresh raspberries, so I pack him a container of organic raspberries every day he attends daycare. If the berries don’t look good at our local grocer, I’ll slice up organic strawberries, which he also loves. He puts the raspberries on his finger tips and eat them off one by one.”  ​

–Jenny Shea Rawn MS, MPH, RD is a Cape-Cod, MA, based Registered Dietitian, nutrition communications consultant and healthy food blogger at MyCape Cod Kitchen.  

 

“I always include a fresh fruit that’s easy to eat, like watermelon chunks, grapes, or fresh or frozen mango, depending on the season. Adding fruit helps curb sweet indulgences and boosts water intake.”

–Melissa Halas-Liang, MA RD CDE of SuperKidsNutrition

 

 

Smoked Salmon

This RD got creative with the protein in their twin’s lunch box:

 

“Smoked salmon cucumber tortilla pinwheels are a favorite lunch of my girls. I spread whipped cream cheese on a corn tortilla or a whole-wheat wrap, top it with thinly sliced smoked salmon, and a few cucumber sticks. Roll it up and slice into pinwheels. They come home with an empty lunch box every time! I usually add some more cucumbers and/or tomatoes in the box, along with a serving of fruit to round out the meal.”

 

–Culinary nutrition expert and mom of twins Jessica Levinson, MS, RDN, CDN founder of Small Bites by Jessica 

 

 

Dip

Dips are another kid-favorite that RDs take full advantage of:

 

“My girls are dippers, so the number one way to ensure they eat most everything in their lunchbox from celery sticks to grilled chicken strips is to include some sort of dip. Ranch, hummus, and guacamole are favorites in our household and regular suspects in the lunchbox. I always feel like I’m getting a two-for-one when they eat hummus or guacamole with vegetables since they’re packed with good-for-you ingredients like chickpeas and avocado, respectively.”

–Holley Grainger, MS, RD

 

“I try to pack carrots or bell pepper strips packed with a small container of ranch dressing for my older son. It’s tempting to skip the veggies because you think your kid won’t eat them–but even if they eat a couple of bites, that’s a win, because they’re learning that veggies show up at other meals besides dinner and they’re eating them because they want to (not because someone is sitting next to them at the kitchen table coercing them).”

–Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD, Real Mom Nutrition

 

Pasta Salad

Most kids love pasta salad, but this RD takes it to the next level:

 

“I love making my kids whole wheat pasta salad.  I mix in garbanzo beans, chopped black olives and any veggies that I have on hand.  For dressing I use red wine vinegar, EVOO and Italian herbs.  I use kid-friendly shaped pasta like fusilli or penne.  Including the beans in the pasta salad makes it a complete protein with all the essential amino acids.”

–LeeAnn Weintraub, MPH, RD of Half A Cup

 

Nut Butter-Banana Wraps

Some RDs got right down to kid-friendly basics — with a twist.

 

“A favorite in our house is a nut butter banana wrap: spread nut or seed butter on a whole grain tortilla or piece of flatbread, set a banana across the center, roll it up, and cut it in half. The wrap provides whole grains, protein, healthy fats, and a fruit. I round out the lunch by including a side of crunchy vegetables and either a milk or yogurt to add calcium and a bit more protein.”

 

–Katie Sullivan Morford, MS, RD, author of the book Best Lunch Box Ever and the blog Mom’s Kitchen Handbook

 

 

Think MyPlate

RDs also practice what they preach and pack their kid’s a well-balanced lunch, as presented by USDA’s MyPlate.

 

“I try to mimic MyPlate, and aim for half of their lunch to be fruits and vegetables, even though more often than not those same fruits and vegetables come home again at the end of the day. The vegetables in particular are the hardest part — we’re in a rut of choosing either carrots or tomatoes, and even then they get eaten maybe 50% of the time.”

–Elana Natker, a dietitian in the Washington, DC area and owner of Connect with Sage

 

Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, is a registered dietitian and consultant who specializes in food safety and culinary nutrition. She is the author of The Greek Yogurt Kitchen: More Than 130 Delicious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Day.

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

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A Probiotic Sour Beer Aims to Give Your Beer Habit a Healthy Boost

Even if you love beer, you may not think of it as a health food. (Though you could!) A research team at the National University of Singapore is hoping to change that by creating a probiotic sour beer.

 

Chan Mei Zhi Alcine, a fourth-year student in the NUS Food Science and Technology Program, came up with the idea of what the university says is the world’s first probiotic-containing beer as a way for people who are lactose intolerant or dairy averse to consume probiotics. 

 

“As a believer of achieving a healthy diet through consuming probiotics, this is a natural choice for me when I picked a topic for my final-year project,” Chan said in a press release.

 

Still, the effort to cultivate live probiotics in beer proved challenging because the hop acids impede their growth and survival, she said. It took Chan, working under the supervision of Associate Professor Liu Shao Quan, nine months to perfect the brewing process and recipe. During that time, the team experimented with different strains of probiotics and tinkered with temperature, time and ingredient amounts.

 

The final product includes the probiotic strain Lactobacillus paracasei L26, which, a university spokesperson told Healthy Eats via email, “was first isolated from human intestines and has the ability to neutralize toxins and viruses, as well as regulate the immune system.”

 

That may not sound super-appealing, but the resulting sour beer tastes sharp and tart, “carrying fruity notes from the probiotics,” the spokesperson said.

 

You may be able to judge the probiotic sour beer for yourself soon enough. Chan and Liu have filed a patent to protect the recipe and brewing process and are seeking industry collaborators to bring the product to market.

 

Here’s to your health!

 

Photo courtesy of the National University of Singapore.

 

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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Tomatoes May Reduce the Risk for Skin Cancer

Nothing beats a sun-ripened tomato picked at the height of the season. It’s basically the taste of summer. Yet there may be more reason to eat a tomato than deliciousness alone. Daily tomato consumption may reduce the risk of developing skin cancer, a new study suggests.

 

Researchers at Ohio State University found that male mice that consumed a daily diet including 10 percent tomato powder for 35 weeks and were subsequently exposed to ultraviolet light developed an average of 50 percent fewer skin cancer tumors compared to mice that did not consume any dehydrated tomato.

 

One theory as to why: Potentially bioactive pigmenting compounds – lycopene, which gives tomatoes their color, or possibly glycoalkaloids, for example — may protect the skin from being damaged by UV light, according to study co-author Jessica Cooperstone, an assistant professor in the departments of Horticulture & Crop Sciences and Food Science & Technology at Ohio State.

 

Results were similar for both tomato varieties tested — red and tangerine tomatoes (named for their color, not for any relation to the citrus) – but not for male and female mice. Interestingly, the researchers found, female mice fed a tomato diet did not show any significant difference in tumor growth, compared to female mice who did not eat tomatoes. Male mice have previously been shown to be more prone to tumor growth following UV exposure than female mice — and human males are more likely than women to develop skin cancer as well.

 

“Men get skin cancers at two to three times higher rates than women, even when you control for unproductive UV exposure,” Cooperstone tells Healthy Eats. “The reason for this is really still not known.”

 

As for whether the link between tomato consumption and skin-cancer reduction may hold true for humans, as well as mice, she says, the data, at minimum, should spur further investigation.

 

As part of a balanced and healthy diet, this study, along with others indicates that eating tomatoes may be beneficial. But, Cooperstone warns, don’t throw away your sunscreen – using it regularly is still the most effective way to reduce your risk for skin cancer.

 

“There is some data in the literature that suggests continued tomato consumption can provide an SPF of about 2, so certainly not a sunscreen replacer,” she says.

 

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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