January 24th, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in Health Tips
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I loved yogurt when yogurt wasn’t cool.
In fact, I grew up on a small dairy farm in Canada where our sole product was yogurt. My parents bought a cow (Daisy) “in an unguarded moment” and ended up having to get creative to get rid of all the extra milk that she produced for our family. One thing led to another – and I wound up as the VP of Sales and Marketing for a growing yogurt company taking Canada by storm. So when I saw today’s news release about Dannon being sued for exaggerated health claims for their yogurt, my dairy ears perked up.
First of all, if it’s true that Dannon is claiming that their yogurt has greater health benefits than other yogurts with active cultures, that’s false advertising.
I also think it’s pretty sneaky that they (allegedly) ran ad campaigns exaggerating the health benefits of yogurt, and then marked up their product by 30% to make consumers feel that they were getting added value from what was there all along. Typical big business move, right?
Secondly, yogurt bacteria do have beneficial uses (eating yogurt may decrease colon infection rates in hospitals, and can reduce the chance of vaginal yeast infections after antibiotic use). There is no conclusive evidence that yogurt treats or prevents diarrhea. However, it’s silly to extrapolate that these friendly bacteria will improve the health of your entire immune system – so you’ll never be sick – or that they will perfectly regulate your bowels – regardless of your underlying disease. As with many foods that have been shown to have some specific health benefits (green tea, blueberries, flax seeds) the media tends to blow them out of proportion.
And finally, what should you know about yogurt? Know that for those who are not allergic to milk products, it is a healthy nutritional option (especially the low fat variety without too much sugar) that may be especially important if you’re in the hospital or have received any antibiotics recently. Yogurt contains protein and calcium, which are important components of a healthy diet. But beyond this nutritional benefit (and the infection reduction in at-risk populations), I wouldn’t ascribe any particular magic powers to this tasty treat – as much as I’d like to.
1. Look for the “active cultures” sign on yogurt containers. The National Yogurt Association (NYA) established its own criteria for live and active culture yogurt in conjunction with its Live & Active Culture seal program. In order for manufacturers to carry the seal, refrigerated yogurt products must contain at least 100 million cultures per gram at the time of manufacture. Don’t pay extra for a yogurt because they have live cultures. The majority of them do!
2. Yogurt bacteria don’t live forever in your gut, so you’ll need to eat yogurt (or take active cultures) regularly to repopulate the colonies. I can’t find any data to support an exact consumption frequency. I guess it also depends on how many bacteria are contained in the yogurt or supplement you’re taking.
3. Acidophilus pills (one of the most popular yogurt bacterial strains) are available at health food stores for those who’d rather not eat yogurt but still want the benefits of the culture. These pills must be refrigerated to keep the culture alive (kind of like keeping milk cool) – and make sure you check the expiration date too. For more information on acidophilus, check out this supplement database.
4. The most common side effect of eating live yogurt cultures (in pill form or in yogurt form) is bloating and gas.
So don’t be surprised if you encounter it!
And I think that’s a nice thought to end on.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
October 16th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in News
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Several frozen hamburger meat recalls have been issued in the past month. First it was the Cargill. Inc. plant in Butler, Wisconsin (supplying Sam’s Club) recall and now it’s the J&B Meats, Coal Valley, Illinois (supplying Tops and Sam’s Choice Brands).
So how does this meat get contaminated? As I mentioned in an earlier blog post about cows, they are kind of dirty creatures. They tend to stand around in manure and flick it all over themselves. In addition, there are certain intestinal bacteria that colonize them (including a certain type of E. coli, called 0157:H7) that are harmless to them, but are very harmful to humans. If their manure is used to fertilize veggies (or gets into the veggie’s water irrigation supply) – spinach poisoning can result. If the bacteria get into hamburger meat (as can happen during the butchering process and meat grinding) beef recalls may be in order.
E. coli 0157:H7 poisoning is scary because it can cause life-threatening illness (bloody diarrhea and kidney damage), especially in the young and immunocompromised. There are no antibiotics to treat it, and so the best “treatment” is prevention.
Keep in mind that the vast majority of meat is not contaminated with this bacteria, and that the small risk is usually associated with hamburger meat in particular. Ground beef (as you can imagine, though it’s a little disgusting to think about it) is more likely to have been in contact with the bacteria-laden intestines of the cow, since many different parts of the animal are used and ground into hamburger. It is much less likely for a whole steak, for example, to be contaminated with E. coli.
According to the USDA, one cannot rely on meat color to be sure that a sufficiently high temperature has been achieved in the cooking process. The best way to be sure that your hamburgers have been hot enough to kill any potential bacteria lurking therein is to use a thermometer and to make sure that the center of the meat reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
So the take home message is this:
- Ground beef may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria, especially if it’s purchased at Sam’s Club or Tops.
- Regular beef is less likely to be contaminated.
- Don’t rely on meat color to ensure that it’s safe to eat.
- Cook all red meat to 160 degrees Fahrenheit to be sure that any bacterial contaminants are killed.
- See your doctor immediately if you have bloody diarrhea, fever, or other symptoms of E. coli poisoning.
This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
September 7th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in Health Tips
5 Comments »
Is it safe to eat microwave popcorn? In case you missed it, a surprising new case of diacetyl lung damage
(so-called popcorn lung) was discovered in a patient who is a popcorn fanatic.
He reported eating 2 bags of artificial butter flavored popcorn per day
for years on end and began to notice shortness of breath.
My bottom line: avoid diacetyl, don’t avoid popcorn. Popcorn itself is
not harmful or dangerous (unless you’re under age 5 and are at risk of
choking or inhaling it) – just make sure it’s not laced with chemicals.
Five years ago the New England Journal of Medicine published a study linking a popcorn chemical (diacetyl) to a serious lung condition in 8 popcorn factory workers.
The lung condition, also known as bronchiolitis obliterans, is an
inflammatory reaction to diacetyl that can reduce lung capacity by as
much as 80%. Certain people who inhale too much of the chemical form
scar tissue as a reaction, making the lungs stiff and causing cough and
shortness of breath.
In this week’s case, the astute pulmonologist examining the popcorn addict remembered the 2002 NEJM article, and thought to ask him about popcorn exposure as part of her work up for his breathing complaints. As it turns out, his exposure to popcorn chemicals is the likely cause of his lung damage. Sadly, though, once the scarring occurs there is no way to return the lungs to their original state of heath. The only known treatment for popcorn lung is a lung transplant.
There has been incredible interest in this story because microwave popcorn is a part of most of our lives. The United States is the single largest consumer of popcorn worldwide, and we purchase over 1 billion pounds of unpopped corn per year. We naturally wonder: could this happen to me? Am I (or my kids) at risk?
First of all, I think that diacetyl should be avoided by all consumers of popcorn. ConAgra, the parent company for Orville Redenbacher and Act II, has agreed to immediately remove this chemical from its artificial butter flavored popcorn. Nonetheless, we should scrutinize the labels of any popcorn that we intend to purchase to make sure that it doesn’t contain diacetyl.
Second, the good news is that not everyone’s body forms scar tissue in reaction to this chemical. In the same way that we’re not all allergic to the same environmental agents, our bodies are not all going to respond to diacetyl by developing lung scarring. That said, why tempt fate by inhaling fumes that have harmed a small number of people?
Third, it does seem that it requires prolonged and high exposure to diacetyl to be at risk for popcorn lung. So if you’re not a buttered popcorn maniac (consuming several bags per day for years on end) your risk is extremely small, even if in the past you’ve eaten the occasional microwave popcorn containing the chemical.
If you are looking for alternative healthy snack options check out this link.
Hope this post allows some of you to breathe easier!This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
August 20th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in Opinion
5 Comments »
I returned from Trader Joe’s with several bags full of
organic produce and frozen goods today.
It cost me substantially more than it would have at a regular grocery
store, but I figured it was worth it since the food was probably of higher
quality. It also seemed that I might be
helping small farmers by purchasing goods there, which pleased me. And yet I had this nagging feeling that maybe
this was a marketing ploy… that the “experience” of Trader Joe’s was what I was
really buying.
Dr. Clark
directed me towards this interesting, if not controversial blog about organic foods. In it, the author explains the “real story”
behind Trader Joe’s:
Trader Joe’s is a
supermarket chain specializing in organic, vegetarian, and alternative foods
with hundreds of locations throughout the United
States, centered in organic-happy Southern
California. Shoppers appreciate its image of healthful food in a
small-business family atmosphere. Really? In 2005 alone, Trader Joe’s racked up
sales estimated at $4.5 billion. The company is owned by a family trust set up
by German billionaire Theo Albrecht, ranked the 22nd richest man in the world
by Forbes in 2004. He’s the co-founder and CEO of German multi-national ALDI,
with global revenue in grocery sales at $37 billion. According to Business
Week, the decade of the 1990’s saw Trader Joe’s increase its profits by 1000%.… Trader Joe’s customers are willing to pay
their premium prices to get that healthful image. But they should not kid
themselves that they’re striking a blow at big business and supporting the
little guy.
Ok, so maybe I’m not
helping the little guy. But isn’t it
healthier to eat organic food?
From Canada’s
Department of Agriculture (hat tip to Moof for finding this reference):
· Some studies have shown traces of pesticide
residues in both food sources, regardless of production method.
· Nutritional value of plants depends on
genetics, availability of water, amount of sunlight, maturity when picked, how
long it took to come to market and whether it was properly handled and
refrigerated. Numerous laboratory tests have not found any substantial
nutritional differences in organically and conventionally grown produce.
· In blind taste tests, consumers generally
cannot differentiate between organically and conventionally grown food.
· Organic produce is marketed as pure and
healthy. Conventionally produced goods are equally safe and nutritious due to
strict regulations and guidelines.
In a recent
article in the Chicago Tribune, raw foods were not found to be as healthy
as initially suspected. The natural
sprouted plant enzymes that are supposed to be really good for you are actually
destroyed by stomach acid and never absorbed in the body. A raw food diet lacks Vitamin B12, which can
cause dangerous deficiencies.
A study by the Center for Global Food Issues found that
although organic foods make up about 1 percent of America’s diet, they also account
for about 8 percent of confirmed E. coli cases.
For a long list of organic food contaminations, check out the Canada Free Press.
What about hormones
given to animals to increase milk production or bulk them up?
In theory, this is the most concerning and potentially
convincing reason to preferentially select organic meats. I could imagine that eating animals pumped
with hormones could have a negative impact on humans – though the research I
found from the WHO and Cornell
University did not support my initial fears. They write:
Studies indicate that
if correct treatment and slaughter procedures are followed, the levels of these
hormones may be slightly higher in the treated animal’s meat or milk, but are
still within the normal range of natural variation known to occur in untreated
animals.
FDA scientists have
concluded that eating foods with slightly higher levels of rbGH would not
affect human health. This is because the amount of rbGH that is in milk or milk
products as a result of treatment of the animals is insignificant compared to
the amount of growth hormone that is naturally produced by our bodies. Also,
rbGH is a protein hormone and is digested into smaller fragments (peptides and
amino acids) when eaten. The rbGH hormone used on dairy cattle is effective in
promoting growth in cows, but does not work in humans. Scientists know that
rbGH is not recognized as a hormone by human cells.
Well, isn’t organic
farming better for the environment?
The Canadian Department of Agriculture states that organic
farming methods lead to increased soil erosion, lower crop yields (which
require more acres to produce the same amount of food), and require more
pesticides. Although regular farming
methods use different pesticides than the organic variety, neither types of
pesticides are particularly safe for humans.
Organic pesticides such as
rotenone may be a risk factor for developing Parkinson’s Disease – though
more research is needed to fully elucidate this risk.
So should you go
organic?
If you enjoy the flavor or the food quality of certain
produce (and don’t care about price) then purchase it gladly. Make sure you wash it well (organic or not)
and peel the skin if you have any doubts about remaining pesticides. Buy food directly from local farmers when you
can, support free range farming (it’s so much kinder to the animals), and don’t
believe the hype about organic foods automatically being healthier or more
nutritious for you.
Conclusions: organic food is not necessarily more
nutritious, it still may contain harmful pesticides, it is more likely to
contain harmful bacteria, there’s no convincing evidence to suggest that
hormones or antibiotics given to cattle have a negative impact on meat eaters,
and one thing’s for certain: organic food costs at least 20% more than
non-organic.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
August 14th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in Announcements
5 Comments »
I watched the final episode of “Hell’s Kitchen” last night – a cooking show where a mean chef berates young chef hopefuls in a series of competitive cooking contests. The host of the show was almost as vicious as my vascular surgery preceptor in medical school… you docs out there know what I mean.
Anyway, I had the pleasure of being the sous chef for Chef Rock at a recent charity event for celiac disease awareness. GastroGirl (Jackie Gaulin) and I helped him whip up a delicious, gluten free meal and CNN’s Heidi Collins taste tested our dish. Although our shrimp and grits lost to a rival “coriander encrusted skate” I always thought that chef Rock was a winner.
And here he is: the top chef of Hell’s Kitchen. Congratulations, Rock! I’d be delighted to work as your sous chef in Las Vegas… see you at the B. Smith’s victory party!This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
