| Question | Answer |
| Im able to eat this way at home, but when traveling it is so hard to find fresh fruits and veggies in restaurants. How can we find places that offer better choices? | Great question. I usually look for grocery stores near where I am staying and try to have some foods like cut veggies, hummus, hard boiled eggs, burritos, prepared foods like stir fry etc when possible. I also look for the basics if I'm eating out or at events-salads, veggies, basic proteins etc.- I honestly find those more satisfying anyway. Also, if we really load up on the 'healthy' food at home, sometimes we can be less focused on it when we travel. |
| What strategies do you recommend for families/individual who work 2-3 jobs to make ends meet and do not have time to cook? | This is a very common question in my world-I suggest finding some time to plan and prioritize planning so that you don't end up grabbing prepared and fast food all the time. I know that time is an issue, but I will push back to encourage people to really look at how they are using their time (ie, on social media, watching tv, statistics show average 4-6 hours/day) and to prioritize using some of that time to focus on food. It can take a few hours once per week to cook some bulk foods-beans, grains, veggies and have them throughout the week. Research shows so many benefits including affordability. It takes some time on the front end, but will actually save time and prevent many chronic issues over the long run. Being unhealthy/suffering from chronic metabolic conditions is much more expensive and time consuming in the long run. |
| Are you aware of any dietary recommendations specific to micronutrients? How do we measure micronutrients and the importance of diversity? | There are recommendations for micronutrients, but frankly, I think it is hard to measure, or for people to understand and do the math to calculate these types of things-even macronutrients are difficult to calculate-in my opinion, the best way to ensure that you're getting the macro and micronutrients you need is to strive to make most of what you eat divers, whole versions of vegetables, fruits, grains and proteins, and to get most of those from plant sources. |
| I recently read an article regarding the "Altman rule" for looking at labels on snacks and chips. Food is considered low glycemic load if it has: 1. more than 3 grams of fiber and 2. the sum of the fiber and protein is greater than the total sugar. Comments? | As I mentioned, the math can get confusing and difficult, and I believe often adds more stress than contributes to overall health. I think the thing that is easiest to remember is to focus on foods that don't have ingredient labels at all, or who's ingredients lists are short and contain things you can identify. Whole foods contain lots of fiber, which will always mitigate/slow down any absorption of sugar that is also in a food. The more processed something is, the less this is true. |
| Is there a benefit to eating fresh fruits and vegetables over frozen fruits and vegetables? | Frozen vegetables are an excellent option if fresh are not available. I think fresh vegetables tend to taste better and you can prepare them in more ways, but you can learn creative ways to prepare/include frozen veggies. Vegetables always are better than no vegetables. |
| Is sugar from pure, not from concentrate, orange juice healthier/safer than other forms of sugar such as HFCS drinks? Assuming OJ is pulp-free. | Naturally occurring sugar is 'better' than HFCS in the sense that it is something our body recognizes and knows how to process-it is, however, still sugar in our bodies and we need to consume it all in moderation. The more something is broken down, ie: juice rather than the orange, the more quickly that sugar will be absorbed into our blood-the fiber is gone so it can't mitigate the absorption. |
| Is air frying (at home) considered an OK way of cooking? | Great way to cook-it is just convection cooking-with a fancy name-great marketing. |
| Is non-dairy milk considered more processed than dairy milk? | Non dairy milk is definitely processed. No milk is necessary for us to consume, water is the only necessary beverage, but if you want to drink milk and don't want dairy, non dairy milks are an option-they should be enjoyed in moderation however. |
| Is red meat in moderation significantly less healthful than poultry? And where along the curve does pork fall? | All meat is impacted by how it's raised/produced. There is red meat that is very high quality because the cows are eating grass and there is red meat that is unhealthy and lower quality because the cows are eating grains, and getting sick and need anitbiotics-same food, different nutritional profile. That said, all meat should be eaten in moderation. Ideally our diets should be heavily plant forward. |
| Can you give an example of a supplement that would not be desirable to take due to toxic effect in low doses? | Low dose and high dose are relative terms based on the context where they are used. Once toxicity is oberved, the associated dose will be considered as too high for safety. There are many cases of dietary supplement toxicity, such as Hydroxycut. Please refer to the FDA website for more professional info: https://www.fda.gov/food/information-consumers-using-dietary-supplements/questions-and-answers-dietary-supplements |
| I follow an anti-inflamatory/ Mediterranean diet. I recently learned microwaves are a huge no-no in anti-inflamatory. Do we suspect or already know if air fryers will also cause damage to our food? | Air fryers are just small convection ovens so I don't think the same will be true. That said, we do know that gas ovens in general are bad for us and the environment, so I think we'll see a shift toward induction burners and electric ovens. |
| Can you discuss the modifications made to plants (GMO, etc.) that may increase the sugar content? I remember when a grapefruit was sour and now they are so sweet. Not added, but bred to be sweeter. | Can't speak to that specifically, but I prefer to choose/eat foods that haven't been altered from their original form in general. |
| If someone kept the total calories the same, but increased sugar, would you still see the same increase in fat? (Is the added fat due to more calories or more sugar?) | Calories from sugar will be processed differently and a big increase will likely lead to weight gain and many other metabolic issues. |
| Can you comment on prescriptions for food. Is this idea gaining ground? | Yes! I am involved with health care organizations around the country who are doing Veggie RX and other similar programs. It's a great step in the right directon-still doesn't address the root causes of food insecurity and diet related diseases but it's a start. |
| How do you feel about these programs that send all the ingredients you need to cook food at home that claim to be healthy (i.e. "Freshly" or "hello Fresh")? | It seems to be getting lots of people to cook more at home than they might have otherwise-I believe cooking at home is critical to health and well being, but I'd love to see people have the confidence and skills to do it on their own. |
| Are burgers and buns processed foods and bad for you? | All bread is processed to some degree-having it/them on occasion is fine, as long as highly refined carbohydrates are not your main source of food/calories. |
| Why the discrepancy between subsidies and the recommended guidelines? Politics? | Yes-this is our food system. It is very politicized. |
| Any comments regarding non-nutrutive intake of PFAS re-packaging and cooking utensils | Non stick cookware has evolved and no longer contains harsh chemicals, but you should always look into that. I prefer cast iron, but also use diamond non stick pans on occasion. Not sure about other utensils. |
| Where can one sign up for cooking lessons and how costly are they? | Look for me at my website: transformingthetable.com. I'll be offering classes after the new year. |
| Regarding over consumption of non-nutrients and toxicity or harm such as alcohol, can this happen with vitamin D or other supplements? How does one know how much is too much? | Again, please refer to the FDA website: https://www.fda.gov/food/information-consumers-using-dietary-supplements/questions-and-answers-dietary-supplements |
| If salt and sugar are high in 'processed foods" and thus, then why not say so instead of using the term processed? The latter confuses the consumers. | Lots of confusing terminology-I don't think it's an accident. Also processed and ultra processed are different. |
| What do you eat in a typical day? | Lots of vegetables, whole grains, some beans or eggs or tofu or chicken, and I love treats. I have chocolate or cookies or ice cream with some regularity. |
| Is organic food better? | Organic food is free of many pesticides and chemicals-I prefer my food without those, but 'better' is very subjective. Better how? It does not guarantee nutritiousness or sustainability in how it's produced. |
| I'm curious why BMI is still a basis for being in good or poor health. It seems we get hung up on weight when it isn't the correct indicator of health. Examples could be a thin person that is unhealthy becuase of a fatty liver or a fat person that has great organ and body health. | Agreed there are many issues with our current approach to weight and how it relates to health. This is a big discussion in medical education right and public health. Weight is not the only indicator of health or disease. |