Tag Archive for: phytonutrients

Yes, the Nutrients Are There

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My question is whether you get any nutrients besides sugar and fat from those marshmallow-covered yams or the green beans swimming in condensed mushroom soup and topped with fried onions from a can. The research on cooking techniques and retention of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients in vegetables and fruits is not extensive but overall, the answer is yes. Here’s a synopsis of what I found.

Cooking and Nutrients

The vitamin that seems to be lost regardless of whether it’s boiled, microwaved, or sauteed is vitamin C. Microwaving seems to preserve the most nutrients, but close to 90% of vitamin C is lost.

For some nutrients, such as beta-carotene and other carotenoids, starting with fresh vegetables as opposed to frozen seems to help retain nutrients. The amounts of carotenoids in carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and yams seem to increase when they are cooked. The same may be true in greens such as spinach and collard greens. Adding bacon doesn’t appear to cause any issues. Using nuts and fruit to make the veggies more attractive can add nutrients as well; for added color and texture, we added slivered almonds and pomegranate seeds to the brussels sprouts with parmesan—yum!

Casseroles may provide the best cooking style when appropriate. Whatever minerals leech out of the vegetables or fruits will be retained in the liquid of the casserole.

Surprise Finding

Cooking may reduce the amount of pesticide residues in vegetables. It’s nice to know that blanching, boiling and even stir frying may decrease residues by 10–80%. The research didn’t look at the liquid used for blanching or boiling, so we don’t know whether it’s a chemical change in the structure of the pesticide or it just leaches it out. Still, it was a welcome surprise.

The Bottom Line

Traditional holiday foods do retain beneficial nutrients. They can’t offset all the fat and sugar that were added, but we’re getting some of the vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients the foods contain. To me, the real lesson is that the way the food is prepared may help you eat more vegetables and fruit. Steamed green beans? Yecch. But covered in a sauce? Maybe that will help get more vegetables into your picky eaters. As long as we control the amount and the frequency, we can feel good about eating holiday foods all year long.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. Food Sci Biotechnol. 2017 Dec 12;27(2):333-342
2. Nutr Bull. 2022 Dec;47(4):538-562.  doi: 10.1111/nbu.12584.
3. Foods. 2022 May 18;11(10):1463. 

Nutrients in Holiday Foods

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I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. With all the traditional and maybe not-so-traditional foods associated with the holidays, did you wonder how you fared from a nutrient perspective? We had a few of those foods that make you wonder: cheesy grits, corn pudding, and cranberry chutney to go along with the turkey. And don’t forget that pumpkin pie.

Never one to leave well enough alone, I wondered how much nutrition we actually get from traditional holiday foods that typically include more fat and involve more than just lightly steaming vegetables. How much butter and cream did you add to those mashed potatoes? How long did those greens beans cook? How about those marshmallows on the yams?

Do we end up with any nutrients—especially phytonutrients—from all those vegetables and fruit? Yes, you do, and how you cook the food makes a difference; in fact, one nutrient may increase with cooking! I’ll tell you what the research says on Saturday, but one thing’s for sure: Thanksgiving beats Halloween for nutrition.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Flavanols: The Real Brain Food

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As I suggested in the last memo, the researchers did not prove their hypothesis that there would be an increase in measures of memory in all participants of the clinical trial. While disappointing, the secondary hypothesis might have been even more important because it was statistically significant.

They found that those with the lowest intake of flavanols from foods and drinks had the most improvement in measures of memory function. Makes sense: people who did not eat enough fruits and other foods containing flavanols saw benefits by supplementing with a specific amount of flavanols every day.

Researchers didn’t test to see if eating little to no foods containing flavanol resulted in a decline in memory function; that would fall into the category of “first do no harm.” Understanding that flavanols are beneficial for more than just memory, it would not be responsible to have a person decrease intake of them.

They also did not find additional benefits of taking the supplement for those with the highest intake of flavanols from their diet. That means that a great diet has great benefits.

There are three points we can take from this study:

  • Regular intake of flavanols from supplements can compensate for weaknesses in the diet.
  • Eating flavanol-containing foods provides a wide variety of flavonoids including anthocyanidins, flavan-3-ols, flavanones, flavones, and isoflavones. In my opinion, eating and drinking plant-based substances is a better approach; using additional flavonoids from supplements is a great insurance policy.
  • The memory tests used in the study focused on one area of the brain: the hippocampal area. Supplementation did not appear to impact the prefrontal cortex component of cognitive aging.

If we want to age with a vengeance, I think we should look at it as though every little bit helps. I also think that the earlier we begin developing the habit of eating more fruits and vegetables, plus drinking teas, coffee, and cocoa drinks, the better our brains will be. And as a bonus, the rest of our body gets to enjoy the benefits as well.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: PNAS May 2023. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2216932120h

What’s Brain Food?

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If I ask what you think a good brain food would be, what would you answer? I think for most people, it would probably be fish, especially cold-water fish such as tuna and salmon. I don’t think we can discount how important omega-3 fatty acids are to the function of our bodies, especially our nervous system. But based on recent research, I don’t think we have to get quite as exotic as cold-water fish. I think we can find what we need in the produce section or at farmers markets. I’m talking about the phytonutrient class called flavanols.

Researchers recruited over 7,500 people—men over 60 and women over 65—as potential subjects. After meeting the criteria established for inclusion in this clinical trial, researchers ended up with just over 3,500 subjects. To test the theory that flavanols would improve memory, researchers used three different online memory tests. They used a form of the Healthy Eating Index to evaluate dietary intake of flavanols. They also used a test for the urinary excretion of flavanol by-products to confirm the amount of flavanols in the diet.

Half the subjects got a flavanol extract from cacao that contained at least 500 mg of cacao flavanols, including 80 mg of epicatechin; the remainder of the subjects received the placebo. Subjects were tested before the study began and then at the end of one, two, and three years.

The primary goal was not met; not all subjects saw an improvement in memory after the first year. The secondary goal was met, and it may prove to be even more important. I’ll finish this review on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference:   PNAS May 2023. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2216932120

Four Tips for the 4th!

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We are fast approaching the three-day holiday weekend to celebrate the 4th of July here in the U.S. It got me to thinking: just because it’s a holiday, it doesn’t mean we should completely abandon some of our health habits that might be strained a little bit, given the celebrations associated with Independence Day. This is going to be a time to be outside, most likely in the heat and humidity given the advanced forecasts, with plenty of foods that may not be typical of our normal diet. So I decided to give you four tips for your health this holiday weekend.

Protect Your Eyes

I’ve been watching barbecue competitions on the Food Network, and I’ve noticed the master chefs squinting because the sun is constantly in their eyes. Don’t do that. Wear a hat with a brim to shield your eyes from direct sunlight, then add sunglasses to your ensemble. While there’s no direct evidence that a single exposure creates critical damage to the eyes, there’s no point in exposing your eyes to the most powerful and strongest sunshine of the year. Don’t forget that this applies to kids as well; keeping kids in good-quality sunglasses isn’t easy, but we have to protect those little eyes—or maybe opt for a cool hat. It’s also important if spending time in a pool or lake; the glare of the sun off the water can be just as damaging.

Protect Your Skin

I recently spent a significant amount of time researching the potential benefits of taking collagen for skin health, and the single most damaging factor to skin as we age is exposure to the sun. If you’re going to be outside for parades, family gatherings, in the pool, etc, make sure that you use sunblock to protect your skin. It will require re-application as the day goes on, but it’s worth it. If you want to avoid the problems of aging skin, protect it now, and again, don’t forget about protecting the skin of your children and grandchildren. A bad burn early in life may have consequences later on.

Drink!

When you spend hours and hours in outdoor activities, you have to maintain your fluid intake and then some. The general recommendation is half your body weight in ounces per day; if you weigh 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of fluids every day. If it’s a hot, humid day, it should be four to eight ounces about every 15 minutes. The only fluid that doesn’t count is alcoholic beverages; alcohol is a diuretic which means you will lose more fluid than you take in. So you have to make sure that you focus on other types of fluid as well. This might be a good time to check out Paula’s Sugar-Free Sweet Tea recipe on the Health Info page of drchet.com; she spent weeks researching and testing to find a way to have Southern-style sweet tea without the calories, and I think she came as close as possible. Contrary to widespread belief, caffeine is not a diuretic; tea, coffee, energy drinks, and other caffeinated drinks add to your total the same as non-caffeinated.

Red, White, and Blue

Hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, and other grilled meats seem to dominate our diet during the July 4th cookouts. I wouldn’t think of changing that, but I would add some red, white, and blue to it. The vitamins and phytonutrients in fruit can offset some of those high fat foods we may eat. Look for strawberries, watermelon, raspberries, and tomatoes for the red. Apples, pears, and bananas for the white. Blueberries, blackberries, and Concord grapes for the blue. Emphasize fruit snacks instead of salty, and get a cup or two with every meal for the healthy nutrients and great tastes.

The Bottom Line

Enjoy Independence Day to the fullest, but take a couple of minutes to take care of your health while you celebrate. You’ll reap the benefits by keeping your body independent of the potential challenges celebrations can bring. Paula and I will do the same. Enjoy the holiday weekend and we’ll see you next Tuesday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

2020 Supplement Facts Labels

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Supplement Facts labels can be confusing to say the least. How much of each substance is in a product? Is the source of the supplement natural or synthetic? And what exactly is an International Unit (IU) anyway? I’ve noticed that supplement labels have eliminated IUs and replaced them with weights in milligrams (mg) and micrograms (mcg). What’s going on?

In 2016, the FDA modified the rules for indicating label amounts and gave companies until January 1, 2020, to comply. The RDAs were changing and they wanted to standardize the units of measurement. The IU represented the biological activity of the vitamin, but the source of the vitamin could impact the actual amount of the vitamin in the supplement and thus, the biological activity.

For example, if a product contains natural vitamin E, to find out the mg, the IU would be multiplied by 0.67; but if it was synthetic vitamin E, it would be multiplied by 0.45. That means that a label that indicated 100 IU would now say 67 mg if it were natural vitamin E but 45 mg if it were synthetic. The label would also have to give the form of the vitamin.

The changes impact most of the fat-soluble vitamins and phytonutrients. It’s going to take time to get used to it and understand it, but I see it as a positive move that will help us all understand supplements better.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: http://bit.ly/2HSQ1Jm

Is Vaping Healthy?

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Two years ago, I wrote this about vaping’s potential negative effects: “We won’t know how harmful it is for years, possibly decades, when those who began vaping years ago are tested and found to have higher rates of lung disorders.”

I was wrong; we’re seeing serious lung issues now and even a few deaths. Reports of respiratory illnesses include pneumonia and asthma-like symptoms that impede breathing. Another issue appears to be seizures in some cases. The problem is that no one can identify what’s causing the problem.

One cause might be heavy metals that are aerosolized from the vaping devices as well as metal juice cartridges such as chromium, nickel, and lead. They may be irritants to lung tissue. Lead could also explain seizures in some vapers.

I think that the juices targeting young vapers could be a major source of contaminants. Juices may be natural or synthetically produced, and we might point the finger at synthetic flavors. However, there’s no research on what incinerating natural juices would produce. Phytonutrients are meant to be eaten; what could happen to them when they’re burned? They may end up being toxic due to the change in chemical structure caused by exceeding normal cooking temperatures.

There are still other possibilities so I’ll finish this up on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Research Update on Coffee and Alzheimer’s Disease

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I began drinking coffee when my mother put coffee with sugar and milk into my baby bottle—sounds shocking today, but that’s the way it was. Over 60 years later, I still love coffee, especially strong coffee. That’s why a health headline suggesting coffee may reduce Alzheimer’s and other neurological conditions caught my attention. I had to check it out.

Don’t rush off to the nearest coffee bar just yet, especially if you don’t drink coffee. This was a laboratory experiment to examine a by-product of coffee roasting called phenylindanes. The researchers examined whether these chemicals could prevent the aggregation of amyloid-beta and tau, the building blocks of the plaques and tangles of Alzheimer’s disease. Turns out, they can prevent those clusters and that’s great, but these are test-tube studies.

We’ve seen this many times before. Test-tube studies show beneficial effects of some nutrient and a product is rushed to market with no human trials. While that wasn’t the intent of the researchers, it probably will happen; you can still buy green coffee bean extract for weight loss even though the major clinical trial has been not just discounted but retracted.

I think it shows there’s power in plant nutrients. Eating or drinking a wide variety of all plants will help reduce inflammation, and thus the production of harmful chemicals in our bodies. The benefits are not just limited to raw vegetables or fruits. Cooking can have a beneficial impact on the phytonutrients just as the roasting of coffee beans may have. We don’t have to focus on a single nutrient for benefits.

The keys to health don’t change. Eat better. Eat Less. Move more. And have a cup of coffee or two along the way if you like it.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Reference: Front. Neurosci., 10-2018 https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2018.00735

 

Thanksgiving Wishes

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I got a few questions about the safety of microwaving after my Memos on nutrients in broccoli. In doing the research, I saw no evidence that there were any changes to the chemical composition of the vegetables. The science clearly demonstrates that the phytonutrients were not altered nor decreased. I know the Internet says crazy stuff about microwaves, but the science just doesn’t support any negative effects on the food itself.

I’m not a fan of cooking elaborate meals in a microwave because the heat is not distributed equally, but for steaming veggies and reheating leftovers, no problem. If you really want to maximize your nutrients, save any of the water remaining in the pans or containers for making soup. If minerals or other nutrients leach out, that’s where they’ll be.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Paula and I would like to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. Because this is a busy time of the year, this will be the only Memo this week. Enjoy family and friends—and make sure you eat your vegetables, no matter how you decide to prepare them.

And here’s a tip for easier digestion: abide by the Golden Rule of dinnertime and don’t discuss politics or religion. Especially this year.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

I’m Recommending a Broccoli Bath

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This week’s final question is whether cooking destroys the nutrients in vegetables. If it does, is there any method better than others for preserving the nutrient content? Let’s take a look.

Researchers examined three cooking methods with several vegetables including broccoli. The methods were boiling, sous-vide cooking, and water immersion cooking at temperatures below 212 degrees F, water’s boiling point. The objective was to see the effect on phytonutrient content of each vegetable.

Your first question is probably this: what is sous-vide cooking? I didn’t know even after all the cooking shows I’ve watched. Sous-vide is French for under vacuum. The general idea is that the food is placed in a plastic bag, air is removed by vacuum, and the food is cooked in a water bath at relatively low temperatures (130–150 degrees) for a longer period of time. A low-tech alternative is to place the vegetables in a plastic bag, immerse the bag in water until the air escapes, and submerge it in a low-temp water bath during cooking.

Which worked best? Sous-vide cooking preserved chlorophyll, carotenoids, phenolic content, and antioxidant activity to a greater extent than boiling for all of the vegetables tested. Second was cooking in hot water below the boiling point (150–160 degrees). The lower temperature improved the qualities of the samples cooked in water including the color of the vegetables. Boiling resulted in the greatest loss of the most nutrients.

If you usually microwave broccoli as we do, that’s a good method as well. It compares most closely with cooking vegetables at a low temperature as long as you cook it for as short a time and with as little water as possible. A microwave steamer is your best bet.

The important point is that cooking, including boiling, does not remove all beneficial nutrients. Probiotics will be sacrificed but some vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients will still be in the cooked broccoli.

 

The Bottom Line

The bottom line on broccoli, as well as almost all vegetables, is that processing, whether by cutting, freezing, or cooking, will not remove the nutrients from the vegetables. The most important thing you can do is to eat them. The benefits to your body will be there.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Reference: Food Chem. 2017 Feb 15;217:209-216. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.08.067.