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Healthy eating is as easy as ABC
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By Susan Mah, M.H.Sc., R.D.
Once upon a time, healthy eating simply meant eating three square meals a day. Talk to any healthy eating guru today, and you’re bound to hear a bunch of multi-syllable words like “antioxidants,” “carotenoids” and “fortification.” If your head is starting to spin, don’t worry. You can still eat well without having to carry the medical dictionary along. The theme of this year’s National Nutrition Month is the ABCs of healthy eating: A is for Antioxidants, B is for B-vitamins and C is for Calcium. These three nutrients were recently examined by the National Academy of Sciences, an expert group that includes representation from both Canadian and American scientists. Here’s what they found:
A is for Antioxidants
WHAT is an antioxidant?
Imagine what happens when you slice an apple and leave it on the kitchen counter. After some time, the apple turns brown. The oxygen reacts with the apple and this process is called oxidation. Another example is the rusting of a car.
A similar, albeit more complex “rusting” process, happens in your body. When the food you eat is metabolized or broken down, oxygen reacts to form harmful substances called free radicals. Free radicals are also created by smoking, pollution and radiation from the sun. These free radicals attack different parts of healthy cells, causing damage and diseases, ranging from cataracts to cancer to heart disease.
Antioxidants, then, are components of food that prevent or counter the oxidation process. Vitamin C, Vitamin E and carotenoids (such as beta-carotene and lycopene) are just a few of the many antioxidants highlighted in a comprehensive report published by the National Academy of Sciences.
WHY are antioxidants important?
The antioxidant effect is essentially the good guy versus bad guy scenario. Antioxidants are the good guys, neutralizing the free radicals (the bad guys) and preventing them from attacking cells and from damaging DNA. In this way, antioxidants help to maintain health and possibly prevent disease.
For example, LDL (low density lipoprotein, also known as the “bad cholesterol”) alone does not cause heart disease. Free radicals damage LDL, making it easier for LDL to move into your arteries and clog them up. Antioxidants are thought to attach to LDL, prevent it from incurring this damage and slow down or even prevent clogging of the arteries. The carotenoids beta-carotene and lycopene (most commonly found in carrots and tomatoes, respectively) give food a bright colour and may reduce the risk of lung and prostate cancers.
WHICH foods contain these antioxidants?
Here are some of the top picks.
Vitamin C: oranges and orange juice, grapefruits and grapefruit juice, kiwi fruit, strawberries, broccoli, brussel sprouts, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes
Vitamin E: vegetable oils (i.e. safflower, sunflower, corn, canola, olive), margarine made from these oils, wheat germ and wheat germ oil, nuts (especially almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts), peanut butter, sunflower seeds, avocado
Carotenoids: carrots, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash, broccoli, pink grapefruit, tomatoes, tomato products, dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and swiss chard
HOW much do you need?
Vitamin C: 75 mg/day for healthy adult women; 90 mg/day for healthy adult men; (add 35 mg more if you smoke)
Vitamin E: 15 mg/day for healthy adult women and men
Carotenoids: Because there is contradictory research data, there are no recommendations at this time. Follow some of the tips below.
TIPS to get more antioxidants
• Give yourself a high-five! That’s the minimum number of servings of fruits and veggies that you need every day. From Vitamin C in oranges to beta-carotene in sweet potatoes to lycopenes in tomatoes, vegetables and fruit pack in some of the most powerful antioxidants. In fact, five servings of most fruits and vegetables offer more than 200 mg of Vitamin C. Make your way up to 10 daily servings, especially if you smoke, including some of the top picks from the list above.
• Have a glass of orange or grapefruit juice with your breakfast and to meet your daily requirement for Vitamin C.
• Pile on the peppers, tomatoes and a few slices of avocado in your sandwich or salad for a super mix of Vitamin C, beta-carotene, lycopenes and Vitamin E.
• Ask for tomato sauce with your pasta. Tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato juice and other tomato products—even ketchup!—are rich in lycopenes. Watermelon, pink grapefruit and apricots also contain small amounts of lycopene.
• Use as little water as possible to cook vegetables and fruit (steam or sauté them instead), and don’t bother thawing them if they’re frozen. Vitamin C is lost in the cooking water as well as during the thawing process. If you do boil veggies or fruit, use the water in a soup or stew. Avoid adding baking soda to the cooking water if you boil veggies. While it preserves the colour of the food, it destroys the Vitamin C.
• Pick a rainbow of veggies and fruit. The bright red, yellow, orange and dark green ones pack in the most amounts of antioxidants. Peppers, cantaloupe, carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, swiss chard and broccoli are just a few of the bright stars.
• Snack on sesame seeds and nuts. Despite the slightly high fat content, they are great sources of Vitamin E, a nutrient that may be difficult to get in enough quantity.
• Cook food with a little oil to get a good source of Vitamin E. Sunflower, safflower, canola, cottonseed, olive, peanut and wheat germ oils are top choices.
• Check with your health-care professional before taking antioxidant supplements. It’s easy to get too much of a good thing. Vitamin C supplements are generally safe and may help to ease symptoms of the common cold, but megadoses of over 2,000 mg per day can cause diarrhea and gastrointestinal problems. Your doctor may recommend Vitamin E supplements if you have a specific health problem. But don’t self-prescribe because Vitamin E can interact with anticoagulant medications and more than1,000 mg per day may make you more prone to internal bleeding. While beta-carotene containing foods are fine, skip the beta-carotene supplements for now as they have controversial effects.
B is for the B-Vitamins
WHAT are the B-vitamins?
The B-vitamins include thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid, Vitamin B6 and
Vitamin B12.
WHY are the B-vitamins important?
These vitamins are certainly busy “B”s, working together in different ways. Folic acid and Vitamin B12 are involved in making DNA, your genetic blueprint. Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12 and folic acid team up to make red blood cells. Vitamins B6 and B12 keep your nervous system healthy.
Folate, also called folic acid or folacin, is found in many foods in small amounts. It is especially important at least one month before you become pregnant and through the first trimester of pregnancy to reduce the risk of neural tube defects that affect the baby’s brain and spinal cord. About 50 per cent of pregnancies are unplanned, so if you’re of childbearing age, planning to become or are pregnant, eat plenty of folate-rich foods and take a daily multivitamin with 400 micrograms of folic acid.
Vitamin B12 supplements may be necessary for strict vegetarians and adults over the age of 50. This vitamin is only found in animal foods such as meat, fish, poultry, milk, milk products, cheese and eggs. Fortified soy-based meat substitutes, soy beverages or rice beverages will contain Vitamin B12. If you’re a vegan and not eating any of these fortified foods, then you’ll need a supplement. Adults over 50 may also benefit from a Vitamin B12 supplement since about 10 to 30 per cent of older adults don’t absorb food-based Vitamin B12 properly.
WHICH foods contain B-vitamins?
Here are some of the top picks.
Thiamin: enriched breads/cereals/pasta, green peas, beans (i.e. kidney beans, navy beans, soybeans), lentils, nuts
Riboflavin: eggs, cheese, green peas, milk, milk products, meat, nuts, spinach, beans (i.e. navy beans, soybeans), lentils, enriched breads/cereals/pasta
Vitamin B6: meat, fish, poultry, organ meats, enriched cereals, beans (i.e. kidney beans, navy beans, soybeans, chick peas), lentils, potatoes, bananas, watermelon
Vitamin B12: animal products (i.e. meat, fish, poultry, milk, milk products, cheese, eggs), foods fortified with Vitamin B12 (i.e. fortified soy or rice beverages, fortified soy-based meat substitutes)
Folate: liver, beans (i.e. kidney or navy beans, soybeans, chick peas), asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cantaloupe, corn, green peas, honeydew, lentils, liver, nuts, oranges, orange juice, peanut butter, canned pineapple juice, romaine lettuce, spinach, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, enriched breads/cereals/pasta
HOW much do you need?
Thiamin: 1.1 mg/day for healthy adult women; 1.2 mg/day for healthy adult men
Riboflavin: 1.1 mg/day for healthy adult women; 1.3 mg/day for healthy adult men
Vitamin B6: 1.3 mg/day for healthy adult women and men; 1.5 mg/day for healthy women aged 51+; 1.7 mg/day for healthy men aged 51+
Vitamin B12: 2.4 micrograms/day for healthy adults
Folate: 400 micrograms/day for healthy adults
TIPS to get more B vitamins
• Eat a variety of foods every day to get your mix of B-vitamins. Most Canadians get adequate amounts of the B-vitamins from food. Each of the food groups in Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating provides different options.
• Grain Products provide: thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid
• Vegetables and Fruit provide: riboflavin, Vitamin B6
• Milk Products provide: riboflavin, Vitamin B12
• Meat and Alternatives provide: thiamin, riboflavin, Vitamins B6 and B12 (in animal products only) and folate (in meat alternatives only such as chickpeas, kidney, navy or soybeans, lentils, nuts, seeds and peanut butter)
• Order or make a folate fabulous spinach salad instead of one with iceberg lettuce.
• Sprinkle sunflower seeds and wheat germ over yogurt.
• Make sure that the soy or rice milk you drink is fortified. Fortification means that specific nutrients have been added such as Vitamin B12 and calcium.
• Consider taking a Vitamin B12 supplement if you are over the age of 50 or a strict vegetarian.
• If you are of childbearing age, planning to become or are pregnant, eat plenty of folate-rich foods and take a daily multivitamin that contains a minimum of 400 micrograms of folic acid but no more than 1,000 micrograms (1 mg).
C is for Calcium
WHAT is calcium?
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body. About 99 per cent is found in your bones and teeth. The rest is found in the blood and cells where it helps muscle and nerve function.
WHY is calcium important?
Calcium works with other bone-building nutrients such as Vitamin D, to develop strong, healthy bones and teeth. Between age 19 and 30 your bones reach their peak density and strength, depending on their location. After that, calcium is gradually lost.
Osteoporosis is characterized by reduced bone mass, increased bone fragility and a higher risk of fracture. The Osteoporosis Society of Canada notes one in four women and one in eight men over 50 are affected by osteoporosis. Eating calcium-rich foods and doing weight-bearing activity helps maintain bone mass and strength and prevent osteoporosis. However, a recent study suggests that most Canadians, especially women, are not getting enough calcium.
WHICH foods contain calcium?
You can find calcium in a variety of different foods. You get about 150 mg of calcium by drinking a half cup of milk, fortified soy or rice beverage or calcium-added orange juice. The recommended daily intake is 1,000 mg/day for healthy adults and 1,200 mg/day for healthy adults over 51. (See Calcium Kickers.)
TIPS to get more calcium
• Enjoy a variety of calcium-containing foods at every meal.
• Have some melted low-fat cheese or cream cheese on your breakfast bagel.
• Pour yourself a glass of milk, soymilk, rice milk or calcium-fortified orange juice with lunch.
• Boost your energy and calcium intake midday with a handful of almonds or sesame seeds.
• Serve up a generous portion of bok choy with dinner.
• Try fruit-flavoured yogurt for a light and refreshing dessert.
• Don’t count on spinach, sweet potatoes or rhubarb for calcium. The natural oxalic acid in these foods prevents calcium from being fully absorbed. Only five per cent of the calcium in spinach is absorbed.
• Take note of Vitamin D – it helps your body absorb calcium. Vitamin D has been added to milk and only soymilk or rice milk that is labelled “fortified.” The vitamin is also found in a few other foods including fish liver oils, fatty fish and margarine. Your body also produces Vitamin D when exposed to the sun, but in Canada, Vitamin D synthesis is limited between October and March. A Vitamin D supplement may make sense for older adults who do not get much exposure to sunlight. Talk to a Registered Dietitian or physician to find out the best amount for you.
• Check with your health-care professional first before checking out supplements. Calcium carbonate and calcium citrate are the most common forms of supplements. Some contain Vitamin D or magnesium, or both, which you may or may not need, so get expert advice first.
Celebrate Good Nutrition
To learn more about the ABCs of Healthy Eating, check out the Dietitians of Canada website at www.dietitians.ca/eatwell for:
• Fact sheets on antioxidants, B-vitamins, calcium and more
• Answers to some frequently asked questions.
• The Nutrition Challenge – an interactive quiz to test your knowledge of nutrition
• Your Nutrition Profile – a comparison of your food choices to the current nutrition guidelines
• The Virtual Kitchen - a list of nutrition tidbits about the foods you eat
Susan Mah is a Registered Dietitian and Sports Nutritionist in Toronto.
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