Nuts are good for you. Does this include Brazil nuts?

People are finally realizing that almonds, walnuts, and peanuts are health foods, but still think that Brazil nuts, cashews, and macadamia nuts can’t possibly be good for you. All of these nuts are great in slightly different ways.

Almonds have more protein than the others and plenty of monounsaturated fat, the kind that’s in olive oil. But macadamia nuts, cashews, and Brazil nuts have a lot of monounsaturated fat too. Walnuts are my personal favorite with lots of cholesterol-lowering polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fats. But Brazil nuts also contain polyunsaturated fats.

Don’t worry about these minor differences- enjoy a variety of nuts and you’ll get all the healthy fats you need, together with minerals, vitamins, protein, and as a bonus, plant sterols that will lower your blood cholesterol.

Had gastric bypass for weight loss? See a nutritionist.

I keep reading in scientific journals about serious vitamin and mineral deficiencies caused by gastric bypass surgery for weight loss. Does this make it to the popular press? It must not, because otherwise people who’ve had stomach surgery would know to work with a nutritionist to prevent these deficiencies. Symptoms- anemia, fatigue, weakness, night blindness, etc. etc.

Should we avoid gluten?

I was asked what all the fuss about gluten is about, and whether we should all try to avoid gluten. Gluten is just a particular component of wheat that some people react badly to. It’s quite serious, resulting in chronic diarrhea that can deplete the body of calcium and tons of other nutrients. Diagnosis hasn’t always been swift, with people usually suffering for years before they figure it out. If you are truly gluten intolerant (also called celiac disease), you need to avoid even the tiniest amounts. For most of us, there is no known value to eating less gluten, although like milk, we probably didn’t evolve to eat the huge amounts of wheat we tend to eat now.

Ignore the rumors- soy is a great food

Because the Japanese traditionally eat soy products and have low rates of breast cancer along with generally good health, we think that soy is probably a good thing. Tofu, edamame, and soymilk have all withstood the test of time.

If you like to engage in ‘nutritionism’, evaluating food on the basis of known nutrients (from Michael Pollan), you might base soy’s benefits on it being rich in protein, iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium potassium, B vitamins, and healthy omega-3 fat.

Why have people heard that soy might not be great? Some people are allergic, some are intolerant, some abused it by eating it 6 times a day, but you could say the same of whole wheat. Don’t become obsessive about any one food.

Next time you order a cappuccino, try it with soymilk. Instead of letting milk’s evil saturated fat clog your arteries, you’ll be lowering your cholesterol with soy’s healthy unsaturated fats and plant sterols. Yeah, I know the taste is an acquired one.

No more trays in cafeterias- we really don't need that much food.

I read in the news that more and more college cafeterias no longer offer trays for you to put your dishes on. Various reasons have been given- one is that it makes the cafeteria seem more home-like and another is that it saves water since trays no longer have to be washed.

An added benefit seems to be that it reduces food waste. You can pile a lot more food on a tray than you need. And, human nature being what it is, once that food is in front of you, you are pretty likely to eat more than you need. Have you ever noticed that you eat too much at an all-you-can-eat buffet?

The solution? Not using a tray is a good one. Otherwise, try not to serve yourself too much food. If you do make the mistake of taking too much, don't make a second mistake and justify eating it by saying, "I can't stand to waste food". Better to compost the food than to make your poor body deal with it.

Green- it’s good for the planet and for your health

Check out this excellent 12 minute video made by 2 students from Gunn High School- http://vimeo.com/4017912

You’ll get to see me (in a small role) talking about eating fresh, local, unprocessed foods for your health and for the earth’s health.

What kind of water should you drink?

When you’re thirsty, hopefully you reach for plain water, not a sugary, calorie-rich vitamin water, soda, or even (unless you need the calories) real juice. But should you turn on the tap or open a bottle? It's unfortunate that fear of pollutants has made us avoid drinking tap water, which on average is safer and cleaner than bottled water.
Another good reason not to drink bottled water is that plastic bottles contain chemicals called plasticizers that leach into the water given time and heat. If you want a water bottle to carry around, just use a glass one, i.e. a used tonic water bottle, or dump the plasticizer-rich water out of a plastic bottle and fill it with fresh tap water.
Of course now the water isn’t sterile, and bugs will eventually grow, so just refill your bottle with fresh water every morning. Don’t leave your water bottle in a hot car for a long time- if the bottle has been opened, the heat will encourage bugs to grow, and opened or not, heat will help leach plasticizers into the water.