By Anna Shlachter, MS, RD, LDN
April 27th, 2012
Today’s blog post is written by Allison Fischer, Dietetic Intern at Loyola University. Allison is doing a rotation at ENC and completes her internship in May 2012.
Enjoy!
Updates on Choline and Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a nutritionally significant period of life and a healthful and balanced diet is required to support proper growth and development of the baby and mother. Choline is an essential, but not a widely known nutrient for which mothers have increased needs during pregnancy. An interview with Cornell researcher, Dr Marie Caudill, highlights the significance of choline and further research endeavors.
Choline is required for proper cell functioning, cognitive functioning, and stress modulation. Adequate maternal intake can have significant long term impact on the child such as improved memory and learning. It is also believed that reductions in stress hormones mediated by choline can improve the temperament of babies and reduce future anxiety and stress related diseases. While choline can be taken later in life, choline exposure in utero has a stronger effect over time.
For more information make sure to check out The Scientist: Prof. Caudill Researches the Effects of Choline on Fetal Development in the Cornell Daily Sun and be on the lookout for her published findings in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.
Tags: choline, pregnancy
By Anna Shlachter, MS, RD, LDN
January 13th, 2012
What makes them incredible? Eggs are one of nature’s most nourishing creations and an Egg A Day is OK for everyone! Eggs are an affordable, convenient source of high quality protein with varying amounts of the 13 essential vitamins and minerals. To top it off they are only 70 calories, so it is considered a nutrient dense food meaning a high amount of nutrition compared to their calorie content. In addition, scientists often use egg protein as the standard against which they judge all other proteins. Based on the essential amino acids it provides, egg protein is second only to mother’s milk for human nutrition. All this great nutrition for only 15 cents an egg!
Where are the nutrients in an egg-the white or an egg yolk? Here are some highlights: 60 % of the protein is found in the white and 40 % of the protein is in the yolk. However, many of the other key vitamins and minerals are found primarily in the yolk-choline, vitamin D, selenium, riboflavin, phosphorus, B12 and more. Cholesterol is also found in the yolk, but more than 40 years of research has shown that healthy adults can eat eggs without significantly affecting their risk for heart disease. You can see this side by side comparison of the egg and egg white at http://www.enc-online.org/docs/Nutrient%20Content%20of%201%20Large%20Egg%202010.pdf
Happy Friday and check out the Facebook post from Incredible Edible Egg for a review of the lower cholesterol information as well as a recipe for mini breakfast pizzas.
Tags: 70 calories, AEB, B12, choline, eggs, phosphorus, riboflavin, selenium, vitamin D
By Anna Shlachter, MS, RD, LDN
January 12th, 2012
We hope you’ve enjoyed our blogs and found the information useful in your practices and even perhaps your own lives. Marcia mentioned some of the trends for 2011 in her blog post and I wanted to share some other exciting highlights.
- Obesity became a top search for our blog which was excellent! We’ll continue to blog about the obesity story as new research and information becomes available.
- Research and trends regarding satiety, nutrient density, protein, choline, vitamin D, lutein and zeaxanthin, cholesterol, and other key topics were the highlight of many of our blogs.
- We had several blogs about cholesterol- including Mythbusters- trying to spread the word that over 40 years of research shows that the same results- EGGS are A-OK!
- Breakfast was among a top trend although eggs can be enjoyed anytime!
- We introduced you to some great new programs such as SuperTracker, Healthy Dining Finder, Kids Live Well and more.
- New MyPlate materials are available for purchasing or downloading!
- As Marcia pointed out, recipes are very popular and right now we have two sets of recipes- MyPlate Recipe Booklet and Egg-A-Day Recipe Cards. You can always visit www.aeb.org for more recipes.
- We highlighted our health professional audiences with blogs from professional meetings and exhibits we attended.
So now I am asking you, our readers: What do you want to know more about in 2012?
Tags: anniversary, breakfast, choline, eggs, obesity, protein
By Anna Shlachter, MS, RD, LDN
November 17th, 2011
By: Kasia Ciaston
Today we have another blog by our Dietetic Intern Kasia Ciaston.
Early research conducted on choline from the 1930’s established the link between low choline and liver/muscle damage. Since then, choline has been deemed as an essential nutrient and the latest evidence demonstrates the increased significance of choline throughout the lifecycle. Data collected by the 2005 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey revealed that 90% of the U.S. population was consuming less than adequate amounts of dietary choline. Although choline is produced internally, there are sub-populations with increased requirements due to genetic variations. A recent article in Nutrition Today explains emerging research demonstrating the vitality of choline consumption at all stages of life.
Pregnancy
Choline requirements during pregnancy and lactation are particularly high. Choline is present in high concentrations in amniotic fluid and breast milk which in turn increases maternal demand for the nutrient. A low of intake of choline in this population has been linked to preeclampsia, premature births, and very low birth weights. Emerging science shows that like folic acid, low choline intake doubles the risk of neural tube defects
In animal studies conducted with rats, low choline intake during pregnancy was linked to long-term cognitive impairment. Rats consuming adequate choline exhibited slower declines in memory and attention.
Childhood
Studies suggest that choline-sensitivity continues after birth into infancy. Adequate choline during this stage may enhance brain development, memory, and learning abilities later on in life.
Adulthood
Increased amounts of homocysteine in the body have been linked to higher risks for cardiovascular disease, bone fractures, cancer, and cognitive impairment. Due to the essential role of choline in the breakdown of homocysteine among other metabolic markers – choline has been tagged as playing potential roles in reduced inflammation and cardiovascular risk
The implications of choline within the health care field are far and wide. The importance of choline throughout the lifecycle is becoming more prominent, but more research is still needed to substantiate its claims to fame.
Tags: choline
By Marcia Greenblum, MS, RD
March 7th, 2011
When observing focus groups around the country which included physicians, nurses, dietitians and personal trainers it was interesting to see how these health professionals viewed eggs and dietary cholesterol. Most health professionals felt eggs were a healthy food choice especially compared to available alternatives. In fact, it was often heard that eggs got a bad rap and they did not feel that the food deserved to be the icon of indulgence. What we heard is that eggs offered many valuable nutrients lacking in their patient’s diets and suggested an egg is a better choice than sweetened cereals, breakfast bars or donuts. What concerned most health professionals were what other foods people choose to eat with eggs. They generally agreed that eggs need to choose new friends and could be considered healthy if they weren’t accompanied by the saturated fat and sodium found in other breakfast foods. This striking misperception is often exemplified in restaurant menus that list egg white omelets accompanied by high fat and high sodium bacon or sausage with white toast as the healthy choice, giving the impression that egg yolks are the unhealthy element.
In fact, scientific research has shown that the egg yolk supplies about 40% of the high quality protein in an egg important for muscle building and retaining muscle especially when aging or losing weight. The yolk is also known as a naturally good source of vitamin D, lutein and choline, all nutrients that are needed for health. What makes eggs especially healthy is that they can be a great vehicle for eating vegetables and whole grains that supply many other important nutrients making an egg breakfast done right a great way to start the day. To me, the recent research that showed eating eggs at breakfast did indeed keep one satisfied for longer than an isocaloric bagel breakfast confirmed that eggs at breakfast is the healthiest choice to make.
~ Marcia
Tags: breakfast, choline, eggs, fruit, Health Professionals, high-quality protein, lutein, toast, vitamin D
By Marcia Greenblum, MS, RD
January 27th, 2011
As a registered dietitian I’ve always been asked about “healthy foods”. I know at parties people watch what I take from the buffet table and feel a little uncomfortable eating decadent foods when I’m around. This is strange since my philosophy is to enjoy foods but make a diet of those which supply the most nutrients whenever possible.
This is why I was happy to see the list of “The 10 most healthy foods” posted last week on the HealthKicker blog. This list offers a reasonable list of foods that are both delicious and nutrient rich. The list doesn’t mention only trendy foods that are examples of good marketing but instead foods that have stood the test of time. On the list are berries, dark leafy vegetables, whole grains, fatty fish, dairy, beans/legumes, nuts, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and eggs. Not very radical but reasonable, these foods won’t make you stand out at parties but will help supply the nutrients needed for maintaining good health. In fact, just recently my youngest child who is now officially an adult came home from college and remarked at dinner that he never noticed that I always cook “healthy”. By this he meant, I offer a variety of vegetables at meals and I rarely fry foods or use gravies. I consider it a success that it took so long for him to notice that this was different than what he observed others eating. He hasn’t suffered, but learned to enjoy foods and preparations that are naturally healthy.
I mentioned trendy foods and this is a point worth repeating. HealthKicker blog points out the various reasons natural foods are full of nutrients. For example, the nutritional content of an egg as a source of high-quality protein, choline, lutein and zeaxanthin is mentioned in relation to the role in pregnancy, eye health and the prevention of age-related macular degeneration. This is very timely information considering the upcoming release of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines which is our government’s guidance for getting adequate nutrition from the American food supply. In fact, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee concluded in their scientific report that the consumption of one egg a day is not associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease or stroke in health adults. Now that’s a food trend that good to see is back in style.
- Marcia
Tags: cholesterol, choline, lutein, protein, saturated fat, zeaxanthin
