The Washington Post - 20.02.2020

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Wellness

BY CARA ROSENBLOOM

One of my favorite parts of

being a dietitian is teaching

group nutrition classes, whether

at workplaces, hospital wellness

clinics or community centers.

I enjoy answering common food

and health questions, and I often

surprise people with facts

that run counter to their long-

held beliefs. Some nutrition

questions are asked so frequently

that I thought it would be helpful

to share them and the answers

here.

Is vegetarian (or keto or... )

the best way to eat?

I n any given class, the subject

may be “keto” or “the Mediterra-

nean diet” or “vegetarian,” and

the answer is always the same:

There’s not one best way to eat.

We are all different, and it would

be impossible to choose one plan

that would be right for everyone.

The best plan for you is the one

that meets your medical and

nutritional needs, while also

b eing affordable, accessible,

e njoyable and something you can

stick with for the long term.

Sometimes that may not be clear,

but seeing a dietitian can help

you figure it out.

Is sugar (or salt or fat) the

biggest problem in our diets?

No single nutrient or ingredi-

ent is the cause of poor diets. We

live in an environment where

highly palatable and cheap food

is available everywhere. Pizza,

chips, pastries and soda are

d ietary staples, and the average

American gets almost 60 percent

of their daily calories from such

ultra-processed foods. What’s

most problematic is eating too

much of those ultra-processed

foods and not enough whole

foods (such as vegetables, fish

and nuts) over a long period of

time.

Do microwaves cause

cancer?

Many people have asked me

about the safety of using these

appliances to warm up last

night’s lasagna. They worry

when they hear the word

“ radiation.” Although radiation

may be linked to damaged cells

and an increased cancer risk

when it’s high frequency and

there’s prolonged exposure

(think gamma rays and some

ultraviolet radiation), micro-

waves use l ow-frequency radia-

tion for short periods. Micro-

waves only operate when the

oven is on and the door is shut —

so they are not constantly emit-

ting radiation. Well-functioning

microwaves are deemed safe by

the World Health Organization

and the World Cancer Research

Fund, as long as the door closes

p roperly and the microwave has

no dents or leaks.

Do I need to drink eight

glasses of water daily?

D rinking water is vital because

we lose fluid every day through

sweating, urinating and breath-

ing. But how can it be possible

that each one of us — regardless

of age, gender, size, activity level

and diet — requires eight glasses

per day? The answer: It’s not.

That number comes from a

1945 U.S. Food and Nutrition

Board recommendation, which

was not based on research. And it

didn’t recommend drinking only

water for hydration; it noted

that fluid can come from other

beverages and food, too. So,

there’s no scientific basis for

the “eight glasses” number. In

most cases, thirst is your best

i ndicator that you need a drink.

If that sense is compromised,

keep beverages visible so you

remember to sip throughout

the day. Exactly how much to

drink is not a static number for

everyone.

Is food labeled “organic”

more nutritious?

Organic refers to a method of

farming, but it’s not a health

claim. An organic logo does not

tell you anything about the calo-

ries, fat, salt, sugar or vitamin

content of food. A cake made

with organic white flour, organic

sugar and organic butter is still

cake — it’s not suddenly “healthy

cake” because the ingredients

were grown using organic farm-

ing methods. Nutritious foods —

whether conventionally or

o rganically grown — are those

that provide the body with fiber,

vitamins, minerals, protein and

other key nutrients.

Should I avoid fruit because

it has too much sugar?

The No. 1 source of added

sugar for Americans, providing

47 percent of the sugar in their

diet, is sweetened beverages —

items such as soda, lemonade,

fruit punch and energy drinks.

Fruit provides 1 percent of the

added sugars Americans con-

sume. (Note: Health advice to

limit “added sugar” does not

apply to the natural sugar in

fruit.) Even if Americans met

their daily fruit intake — and

88 percent do not — it wouldn’t

come close t o the volume of sugar

we get from ultra-processed

foods and beverages. If you need

to cut back on sugar, swap sweet-

ened beverages for water. Keep

enjoying fruit, and aim for one or

two cups per day.

Do I have to drink milk to get

calcium?

Dairy products such as milk,

cheese and yogurt are a great

source of calcium, with about

250 to 350 milligrams per serv-

ing. (Adults require 1,0 00 to

1,200 milligrams of calcium per

day, depending on age and gen-

der.) Dairy products are certainly

an easy and convenient way to

get enough calcium, but they’re

not the only way. Fortified plant-

based beverages (such as those

made from almonds, oats, ca-

shews, etc.) also have 300 milli-

grams o f calcium per c up, as does

a serving of canned salmon or

sardines, as long as you eat the

bones. Foods such as kale,

a lmonds, white beans and tofu

have about 100 milligrams of

calcium per serving, and broccoli

clocks in at 40 milligrams per

cup. The bottom line: Milk is not

essential, but calcium is. With

some mindful planning, you can

get enough calcium whether

your diet includes dairy or not.

Are fresh vegetables better

than frozen?

The nutritional differences be-

tween fresh, frozen and canned

vegetables is minuscule. Only

9 percent of Americans get

enough vegetables daily, so it’s

much more important to con-

sume any vegetables, in any state.

Vegetables are filled with vita-

mins, minerals and fiber, which

help reduce the risk of develop-

ing heart disease, Ty pe 2 diabetes

and some types of cancer. The

best advice is to buy whatever

vegetables you can source and

afford, and then prepare them in

ways you enjoy most.

Is discarding the salt shaker

enough to cut sodium intake?

People may be told to slash

sodium consumption when bat-

tling heart or kidney problems,

but skipping a sprinkle of salt is

not enough. Only 11 percent of

the sodium we consume comes

from salt that is added at the

table or when cooking. A

w hopping 71 percent of sodium

comes from processed, packaged

and restaurant food. (The rest is

naturally occurring in items such

as milk, water and vegetables.)

If you need to cut salt, choose

fresh and whole foods over pack-

aged products and fast foods.

When that’s not possible, com-

pare food labels on similar prod-

ucts, and choose the option with

lower sodium.

Will eating soy give men

“man boobs”?

Soy contains an estrogen-like

compound that weakly mimics

human estrogen, which makes

some men concerned that eating

soy will cause enlarged breasts.

We can trace this back to a

2008 case study in a medical

journal, which described a man

who did develop breasts after

ingesting soy, but he was eating

upward of 12 servings of soy

foods daily. Once he reduced his

intake, his breasts disappeared.

Guidelines suggest that one or

two servings of soy foods per day

is fine, so feel free to enjoy some

edamame or a tofu stir-fry, as

long as the serving size remains

moderate.

[email protected]

Registered dietitian cara

Rosenbloom is president of Words to

Eat By, a nutrition communications

company specializing in writing,

nutrition education and recipe

development. She is the co-author of

“Nourish: Whole Food Recipes

Featuring Seeds, Nuts and Beans.”

nutrition

A dietitian answers her 10 most frequently asked questions

IStock

A common question that dietitian Cara Rosenbloom receives is: Will eating soy give men “man boobs”?