Different Cycles, Different Needs

From menarche to menopause, women undergo cyclical physiological changes that can have dramatic effects on metabolism, nutritional needs, and efforts to stick to a nutritional plan. For example, during the menstrual cycle, many women report significant food cravings that may cause them to overconsume. Later in women’s lives, with the advent of menopause, nutritional needs again change rather dramatically. With depletion of the hormone estrogen, the body’s need for calcium to ward off bone deterioration becomes pronounced. Women must pay closer attention to their exercise patterns and to getting enough calcium through diet or dietary supplements or run the risk of severe osteoporosis.

Changing the Meat and Potatoes Man

Although men do not have the same cyclical patterns and dietary needs as women, they do suffer from a heritage of dietary excesses that are difficult to change. The “meat and potatoes” kind of guy has been part of the American way since our earliest agrarian years. Consider the following:

• Men who eat red meat as a main dish five or more times a week have four times the risk of colon cancer of men who eat red meat less than once a month.

• Heavy red meat eaters are more than twice as likely to get prostate cancer and nearly 5 times more likely to get colon cancer.

• For every 3 servings of fruits or vegetables per day men can expect a 22 percent lower risk of stroke.

• High fruit and vegetable diets may lower the risk of lung cancer in smokers from 20 times the risk of non-smokers to “only” ten times the risk. They may also protect against oral, throat, pancreas, and bladder cancers, all of which are more common in smokers.

• The fastest-rising malignancy in the U.S. is cancer of the lower esophagus, particularly in white men. While obesity seems to be a factor, fruits and vegetables are the protectors. (The average American male eats less than 3 servings/day, although 5-9 servings is recommended. Women average 3-7 servings/day.)

Is there something in the meat that makes it inherently bad! By eating so much protein a person fills up sooner and never gets around to the fruits and vegetables. Thus, any potential protective factors may be lost.

Folate A type of vitamin B that is believed to decrease levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that has been linked to vascular diseases.

Recommended Dietary Allowances(RDAs) The average daily intakes of energy and nutrients considered adequate to meet the needs of most healthy people in the United States under usual conditions.

Adequate Intakes(AIs) Best estimates of nutritional needs.

What Do You Think?

Think about the women that you know who seem to have weight problems. What are their ages? What factors may have influenced them to have more problems keeping weight off than you may have? What advantages, if any, do men have in controlling their eating behaviors and managing their weight?

Determining Natural Needs

Determining the right amount of a nutrient that people of different ages, sex, activity level, or physical condition must obtain daily is no easy task. Since the early 1940s various special national committees have been working on policies to provide sound advice for Americans.

• Recommended Dietary Allowances-Adequate Intake For more than 50 years, a document called the “Recommended Dietary Allowances(RDAs)” has been the gold standard for nutrient intake in the United States. Established by the Committee on Dietary Allowances, the RDAs are the average daily intakes of energy and nutrients considered adequate to meet the needs of most healthy people in the United States under usual conditions. Revised every 5 years, the RDAs reflect the fact that a person’s actual level of need for a nutrient can be influenced by age, sex, body size, growth, and reproductive status. Thus, pregnant and lactating women have their own set of RDAs. Today, RDAs are based on the quantity necessary to provide health benefits. When evidence doesn’t support an RDA, Adequate Intakes(AIs) are used as the best estimates of nutritional needs.

• Daily Values, RDls, and DRVs From the RDAs came the more familiar U.S.. RDA(U.S. Recommended Daily Allowances) established by the Food and Drug Administration(FDA.) The U.S. RDAs were set as maximum values to account for potential nutrient loss during absorption, cooking, and storage of food. People followed the US. RDAs for years until the entire system was overhauled and made even more specific for consumers. In 1993, the FDA supplemented most US RDAs with”% Daily Values,” a set of standard values purported to represent the nutrient needs of the typical consumer. Daily Values are made up of two sets of reference values. The first, the Reference Daily Intake(RDI), reflects the average daily allowances for proteins, vitamins, and minerals based on the RDA. The second, the Daily Reference Values(DRV), is for nutrients and food components, such as fat and fiber, that do not have an established RDA but are highly correlated with health. At the same time the new Daily Values were issued,the FDA also issued a new food label that is now familiar to most consumers. Some of the RDIs and DRVs are included with the Daily Value information now found on food labels.

What Do You Think?

Of all of the nutrients discussed in this site, which one do you worry about not getting enough in your diet the most? What is the basis for your worry? Are you planning to take any action to make sure your daily intake is adequate? What steps will you take?

• Eat a variety of foods.
• Balance your food intake with physical activity; maintain or improve your weight.
• Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.
• Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables, and fruits.
• Choose a diet moderate in sugars.
• Choose a diet moderate in salt and sodium.
• If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.

Snacking, or “grazing,” is clearly a trend, and it does not have to be an unhealthy one. The key issue is not the time or frequency of eating but what is eaten. Nutritionally dense foods eaten as snacks are just as good for health as when they are consumed as meals. The converse is also true; foods low in nutrient density eaten at mealtime are just as worthless as they are when eaten as snacks. The problem occurs when a person’s diet is dominated by foods low in nutrient density. With the exception of foods restricted for medical reasons, all foods can contribute to a healthful diet. Rather than to rule out snacking, you should promote snack foods that enhance wellness.

Fast-Food Eating

Changes in the American family are mirrored in the trend toward eating in fast-food restaurants. Family meals at home are becoming the exception rather than the rule. Breakfasts and lunches are seldom eaten in a family setting by many american families, and as many as 25% of american house­holds do not have a sit down dinner as often as 5 nights a week. Instead, more families plan mealtimes at fast-food restaurants. If the findings of a recently reported longitudinal study of 1120 women representative of the population at large, eating at fast-food restaurants presents a challenge to the nutrition conscious person. The study examined the effects of three eating patterns fast-food restaurants. If service restaurants, and home-mixed (70% at home and 30% away from home). The results indicated that the women in a fast-food eating pattern consumed the greatest amounts of calories, total fat saturated fat, and sodium. Women who ate primary at full-service restaurants consumed diets with the highest overall fat density. Nutrient densities for fiber, calcium, vitamin C, and folate were particularly low in both away-from home eating patterns. In contrast, women in the home mixed eating pattern consumed the most healthful diets.

From a nutritional viewpoint the criticisms of fast-food eating are the same as those of the rest of the american diet: too much protein, fat, calories, and sodium and not enough complex carbohydrates and fiber. The average meal of a cheeseburger, milk shake, and fries supplies about 1500 calories, 43% of which comes from fat. Chicken and fish are just as fatty as other protein sources at fast-food restaurants because they are breaded and fried. Frying has the same effect on potatoes. Milk shakes get most of their calories from sugars.

Eating at fast-food restaurants does not have to be nutritionally worthless. Many restaurants are now aware that americans are becoming more knowledgeable about the nutrient content of food and are demanding wholesome, safe, and nutritious foods. Consequently there has been a trend toward more nutritious menus, including salad, pasta, and potato bars. With good judgment in the choice of foods, an occasional meal at a fast-food chain does not have to compromise a well-balanced diet.

Frozen dinners have also become part of the American diet. Consumers spend billions of dollars a year on them, and food manufacturers are constantly turning out new lines. The challenge for health-conscious consumers is to determine which ones fit easily into a nutritious diet.

In a study of frozen foods, strict criteria were used to identify entrees that are suitable for people wanting to limit their intake of fat, calories, and sodium while including essential vitamins and minerals. The results were encouraging. A total of 173 frozen dishes had less than 20% of calories from fat, 73 contained less than 200 milligrams of sodium per 100 calories, and 50 had at least 30% of the RDA for vitamins A and/or C. The results of a later study were equally encouraging. It identified 22 dinners that contained 0% to 10% of calories from fat and 33 that contained 11 % to 20% of calories from fat. Frozen dinners can be evaluated by applying the following criteria:

• No more than 30% of calories from fat, preferably less
• No more than 200 milligrams of sodium per 100 calories
• At least 40% of RDA for vitamins A and/or C

However, just because a dinner meets the above criteria, it does not necessarily provide every nutrient. Some meals are likely to be deficient in some nutrients, so foods that will compensate must be added.

• Keep fruits and vegetables cool. Freeze food that is not going to be eaten within a few days. Chilling inhibits the process that degrades vitamins.
• Store foods in moisture proof containers at temperatures near freezing and away from exposure to air.
• Avoid cutting fruits and vegetables into small pieces. This exposes more surface area to air and speeds vitamin loss.
• Leave skin on fruits and vegetables. The skins are nutrient rich. Also, the outer layer of fruits and vegetables contains more vitamins and minerals than the inner or center parts.
• Cook with small amounts of water and a tight lid.
• Store canned goods in a cool place, preferably below 65° F.
• Avoid overcooking food. Also, reheating reduces vitamin content.
• Don’t soak foods. Water soluble vitamins and minerals will be lost in soaking.
• Keep milk cold, covered, and away from strong light.

Vitamin supplements are sometimes needed by people with irregular diets or unusual lifestyles or by people following certain weight reduction regimens or strict vegetarian diets. In addition, infants and pregnant and lactating women may need supplements. When taken as supplements, vitamins should be viewed as medicine and therefore recommended by a physician.

When shopping for supplements, it is easy to be misled by advertising hype and inaccurate labels. According to a 1995 investigation,24 Americans spend an estimated $5 billion annually for vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements. As much as 35% of this expenditure goes for products with no scientifically proven health value. More than one third of Americans’ investment in vitamins is wasted on pills and powders whose potency has expired or on items diluted by additives that do little more than boost prices. Consequently it is important for consumers to be discriminating in their purchase of supplements.

Natural Versus Synthetic Vitamins

Many people mistakenly believe that vitamins in food are better than vitamins made in the laboratory. A vitamin has the same chemical structure regardless of its source, and the body generally cannot distinguish between natural and synthetic vitamins. The one exception is vitamin E. Natural vitamin E appears to be better absorbed and used by the body than the synthetic version. (If it’s natural, the ingredient list should show dalpha tocopheral. If it shows dlalpha tocopheral or other tocopherals, it may not be natural.)

Foods grown with natural, organic fertilizers also are not more nutritious or do not have more vitamins than food grown with chemical fertilizers. In fact, natural fertilizers cannot be used directly on plants. They must be broken down into the same com pounds found in chemical fertilizers. Vitamins do not come from the soil but are manufactured by genetically controlled processes within the plants themselves. (This is not true for some minerals, such as iron.) Few studies have considered whether organic foods offer better nutrition than crops grown traditionally (with the use of pesticides, herbicides, etc.). Environmental concerns, and not nutritional ones, should be the major motive for buying organic foods.

Water performs many functions. It is vital to digestion and metabolism because it acts as a medium for chemical reactions in the body. It carries oxygen and nutrients to the cells through blood, regulates body temperature through perspiration, and lubricates the joints. It removes waste through sweat and urine, protects the fetus, and assists in respiration by moistening the lungs to facilitate intake of oxygen and excretion of carbon dioxide. It also assists with constipation relief and provides satiety, thus serving as a deterrent to the over consumption of food.

The average adult consumes and excretes about 96 ounces of water a day. Approximately 600 calories of energy are removed with the evaporation of each liter of perspiration. For this reason, people who have a high fever or who are exposed to high temperatures, hot climates, or strenuous physical activity considerably increase their need for more calories, as well as liquids. Long airplane flights also demand extra fluid intake; a traveler can lose about 1.5 liters (6 cups) of water during a 3-hour flight. The dehumidified air in an airplane is so dry that it induces excessive, although often unnoticed, perspiration and evaporation. Although most water intake comes from beverages, solid foods also make a significant contribution. Most fruits are more than 80% water, meats are 50% water, bread is 33% water, and butter is approximately 15% water.

Some beverages and foods can increase the need for water. Alcoholic beverages, tea, and coffee contain water but can have a contradictory effect on the body. An ounce of pure alcohol requires 8 ounces of water to be metabolized. Caffeinated beverages stimulate the adrenal glands and serve as diuretics, increasing water output and the need for water. The sugar and sodium found in many beverages and foods place an extra burden on the body because they require water to be dissolved, used, and excreted.

How much water should you drink? People are advised to drink six to eight 8 ounce glasses of fluids per day, regardless of thirst. Although thirst is the body’s first sign of dehydration, the thirst mechanism is not always reliable, especially during exercise and illness. A person can drink just enough fluid to quench a thirst but not enough to satisfy the body’s needs. One way to determine proper water consumption is to check the urine. A trickle of deep yellow, cloudy urine that lasts only a few seconds indicates more water is needed. A flow of pale yellow or clear urine for 10 seconds means that a sufficient amount of water is being consumed.

People on high protein diets need more water than they thirst for to provide the kidneys with enough water to flush out the waste products of protein metabolism. Under normal circumstances, too much water cannot be consumed because the body is efficient at getting rid of what it does not need. However, water consumption should occur through out the day. A sudden drinking binge in a short period early in the day will not satisfy the body’s needs later; the excess will be excreted by the kidneys.