NEW: DOLESUPERFOODS.COM

Online Resource Features Foods with Targeted Benefits

While all fruits and vegetables are good for you, some are so exceptionally high in nutrients with targeted health benefits that they belong in a class of their own: Superfoods.

We've taken the concept of nutrition powerhouses one step further by creating Superfood categories based on those vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes that help support the function and protect the health of your Eyes, Heart, Immune System, Skin, Bones, Joints and your Brain.

The wealth of scientific knowledge on health and nutrition can be overwhelming.  That's why we created this new online resource - dolesuperfoods.com - to help you access information in a simple, easy-to-understand format.  Our new website shows you which foods can help you meet specific health concerns.  Want to max your memory?  Try Superfoods for your brain such as strawberries or spinach.  What should you eat for a glowing complexion?  Try Superfoods for your skin such as red bell peppers, cantaloupe or papaya.  We've also identified those Antioxidant Superfoods that score highest in terms of their capacity to neutralize free radicals, and thus defend against DNA damage and some negative effects of aging.

POUNDS UNDERMINE THE PILL

Heavy at Higher Risk of Unplanned Pregnancy

If you're on the pill, unwanted pounds may increase your risk of unwanted pregnancy.  Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center compared the body-mass-index of 248 women who became pregnant while taking birth control pills and found that overweight women were 60% more likely and obese women 70% more likely to conceive than women of a lower weight.

Oral contraceptives have never provided fail-safe protection against pregnancy.  But while previous studies have identified a failure rate of less than 1% for the general population, these new findings suggest that up to 7% of heavier women may get pregnant, even when conscientiously taking their contraceptive pills.

Why might the pill be less effective for larger women?  The exact biological mechanism has yet to be pinned down, but several factors may contribute to the higher failure rate.  First, the more you weigh, the higher your metabolism - which may shorten the duration of a medication's effectiveness.  (This may be unwelcome news for those who like to blame a sluggish metabolism - as opposed to hyper-eating or inactivity - for excess pounds, but it's simple physics: it takes more muscle to lug around a load of fat, and more muscle means a higher metabolic rate).  Another possible pill-kill: fat-soluble birth control hormones (estrogen and progesterone) could get “trapped” in excess fat.

A higher risk of unplanned pregnancy for overweight/obese women could translate into a higher number of weight-related pregnancy complications (i.e. - gestational diabetes, hypertension, pre-eclampsia, congenital malformations, prenatal death, risk of becoming overweight later in life).  

In particular, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found the risk of pre-eclampsia (the leading cause of premature delivery, maternal and fetal death) rose sharply with even small increases in pre-pregnancy body fat.  Overweight women were twice as likely and obese women three times as likely to develop pre-eclampsia when compared to normal-weight peers.

So if you're overweight and taking the pill, slim down to lower the risk of contraceptive failure and evaluate your birth control options with your doctor.  If having children is in your future, weight management and a well-balanced diet are essential for your health and theirs.  Fruit and vegetable consumption can lower a woman's chances of giving birth to a child with leukemia, while pregnancy Superfoods like beets, cauliflower and oranges may even help boost your baby's brainpower!

NO SWEAT

Workout-Breakout Link Debunked

If worries that working up a sweat might aggravate your acne and are keeping you from kickboxing class, you just lost one more excuse for avoiding the gym. 

Stanford researchers recently debunked the widely held conventional wisdom that workouts can cause breakouts.  A study of 23 male subjects found exercise-induced sweat had no significant negative (or positive) impact on acne of the chest and back.  Skin breakouts were not affected by the frequency of exercise, length of time sweating during exercise or time between exercise and showering.

Acne is caused by the skin’s oil glands producing too much sebum, an oily substance, which leads to plugged pores.  While over-scrubbing can actually make acne worse, cleansing twice a day will help prevent oily build-up, while a healthy diet can help minimize inflammation, support skin cell turnover and speed healing.

To learn more about which fruits and veggies are essential for a glowing complexion, check out our natural beauty brochure at dolenutrition.com.

WATER WORKS

Fight Hunger, Help Heart, Burn Calories with H₂O

As summer temperatures rise, so does your body's need for H₂O - the often neglected nutrient that makes up 50-75% of your body weight.  Dieters of days gone by actually dehydrated themselves (think diuretics, sweat boxes) for quick weight loss results.  Today we know that not only is dehydration unhealthy - causing fatigue, constipation and toxicity - it may actually derail your diet.

Thirst is often mistaken for hunger, making it harder to stick to limits and resist temptation.  Moreover, as explored in previous issues of the DNN - "Could Water be Weight Loss Elixir?" - water consumption may increase calorie burn.  German researchers found that drinking about 17 ounces of water raised study subjects' metabolic rate by 30%.  The mechanism may well be the energy required to heat the water to match the body's temperature.

Water may also play a role in regulating the stress hormone cortisol - high levels of which have been associated with increased abdominal fat.

Beyond weight management, proper hydration serves as your body's "river of life" - transporting nutrients to the organs (including the body's largest organ, the skin) while flushing toxins from the system.  That may be why Harvard researchers found a link between a lower risk of bladder cancer and higher water intake.

Drinking enough fluids may also help support heart health, by affecting factors such as the thickness of blood and plasma.  In fact, those who drink five or more glasses of water a day have half the risk of fatal coronary heart disease when compared to those who drink less than two according to a recent study in the Journal of Epidemiology.

Like all things alimentary, meeting your body's H₂O needs is largely a matter of habit.  Keep a water bottle nearby, and if your taste buds need a tad of encouragement, try flavoring with antioxidant-rich juices like cranberry, concord grape and pomegranate (see this issue's Dole Spa for other tasty tips on putting some "oh!" in your eau).

You'll also get hydration help from a diet is rich in fruits and vegetables, as these foods can provide roughly 20% of your water needs.  Cucumbers, celery, zucchini, tomatoes, watermelon, strawberries, spinach, grapefruit and broccoli are all over 90% water.

DOMINO FAT

Toxic Fat New Heart Disease Indicator

While cardiovascular treatment has advanced light years in recent decades, less is known about the disease's early stages - i.e. just how heart-stopping arterial build-up begins.  Recently, researchers at theUniversity of California, San Diego developed a diagnostic test for a newly identified fat (known as oxidized phospholipids) whose presence in the bloodstream strongly reflects the levels of blockage in the arteries.

These toxic fat molecules hook up with another lipoprotein that binds to blood vessel walls and may explain the genesis of events that lead to cholesterol deposits, inflammation, blockage and ultimately heart attacks.

In other news from the heart front: the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced funding for research into the merits of treating both good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol together.  While lowering LDL has been shown to lower heart disease risk, for some a dearth of HDL cholesterol may be a significant risk factor in its own right.  The new research will look at the role of niacin - also known as vitamin B3 - in raising HDL levels.  High levels of triglycerides, another blood fat that's a risk factor for heart disease, can also be lowered with niacin.

What about niacin for  your noggin?  This B vitamin might play a role in reducing Alzheimer’s risk, according to research from the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging in Chicago.  In a four-year study of 800 seniors, those with the highest dietary intake of niacin were found to have an 80% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s than those bereft of this vital B vitamin.

As with all drugs, medications based on niacin can have side effects that possibly include skin rashes and liver damage.  There are natural sources of niacin, however, such as salmon (one serving of which provides 36% of your daily needs), portabello mushrooms, green peas, button mushrooms and red potatoes.

There are also other diet and lifestyle changes that can help you boost your HDL - including losing excess weight, increasing aerobic exercise, quitting smoking, limiting trans fats and increasing your intake of both monounsaturated fats (nuts, olive oil, avocado) and soluble fiber (fruit, vegetables, oats, legumes).

THE ANTI-NUTRIENT

Oxalates and Calcium, Iron Absorption

Oops!  Looks like I forgot to eat my Superfoods for the brain when I included rhubarb as a food to help mend fractures in last issue's Director's Corner on "Anti-Injury Eating."  While the USDA lists both frozen rhubarb and raw rhubarb as very good sources of calcium - the tart red-stemmed veggie is also extremely high in oxalates - minerals which interfere with calcium's bioavailability (i.e. the body's ability to use calcium).  Fortunately, one of our eagle-eyed DNN readers brought the error to our attention, which prompted us to further investigate oxalate's nutrient-blocking activity.

Oxalates bind to certain other minerals - like calcium and iron - turning them into a crystal that cannot be absorbed into the bloodstream.  The irony of oxalates is that they're often found in highly nutritious foods - spinach, sweet potatoes, chard, blackberries and tofu to name a few.  But by barring the body's access to calcium, oxalates can turn a would-be Superfood for bones into a feeble calcium contributor.  What's more, most kidney stones are composed primarily of calcium oxalate.  Though there are several factors at work in kidney stone formation, those seeking to treat symptoms or limit their risk may want to cut back on high-oxalate foods.

While oxalates within a particular food may undermine that food's calcium availability, it's important not to exaggerate the compound's effect.  For example, oxalates from one food are unlikely to interfere with the calcium from another - i.e. the oxalates in rhubarb pie may limit the rhubarb's available calcium, but won't affect the nonfat yogurt with which you topped your treat.  Moreover, there's evidence that cooking fruits and vegetables can significantly reduce a food's oxalate content. 

Finally, don't lose sight of the total nutrient "forest" for the oxalate "trees."  For example, though its oxalate content may prevent rhubarb from contributing its calcium to help mend fractures, just one cup of the diced red stem provides an excellent source of vitamin K and a good source of manganese (both of which support strong bones) and vitamin C (which helps promote collagen formation and wound healing).  If you've never tried rhubarb before, here's your chance, with this issue's featured recipe: Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp.

5-A-Day To Throw Away

Bad Foods to Dump from Diet

"All foods can fit into a healthful eating style"?  "Classifying foods as 'good' or 'bad' may foster unhealthy eating behaviors"?

So says the American Dietetic Association - but I beg to disagree.  Diet denial - cringing at the prospect of facing facts on foods that harm - is far more likely to foster unhealthy eating than being frank about french fries or truthful on trans fats.

Let's start with the proposition that it matters what you eat.  If it doesn't matter what you eat then there would be no need for poison warnings on bottles of Draino.  If you accept that ingesting synthetically derived chemicals meant to unclog drains can kill you immediately, why would you balk at the notion that ingesting synthetically derived chemicals that clog your arteries can kill you gradually? 

Is it because it's called "food"?  Because cookies might crumble under the weight of dietary disapproval?  Because people might starve without a steady supply of Starbucks Venti Mocha Coconut Frappuccinos?  Because the only thing really gauche in our anything-goes era is "being judgmental" - a faux pas which apparently now applies to food?  Because junk food companies that make products that increase disease risk have a huge financial vested interest in promoting the "all foods can fit into a healthy diet" myth?

The answer is probably all of the above.  But considering that two-thirds of Americans are either obese or overweight, perhaps it's time we drew the line on dietary relativism and recognized the reality that some foods are so high in calories, so devoid of nutrients, so dense with compounds that raise disease risk, that they really ought to be dumped from your diet.  Besides, as we discuss in every DNN, there are so many Superfoods that you really ought to try to include in your diet, there's little room left over for these fattening, toxin-filled foods that promise momentary pleasure but deliver unwanted pounds and increased disease risk.

Here's our pick of 5-A-Day to dump - five categories of unhealthy foods that you need to throw away:

Pork rinds: Do you really need deep-fried pieces of pork skin and fat as part of your "balanced diet"?  I don't think so.  An average-sized bag contains 125% of the daily value of "total fat," 75% of the daily value of sodium and a belly-bulging 541 calories.  In addition to increased cardiovascular disease risk, diets high in animal fats are linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer and as much as a 33% greater risk of breast cancer.

Cola: 12 ounces of soda contains 150 empty calories - and the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar.  Harvard researchers found that women who drank more than 1 sugar-sweetened soda per day were 80% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than women who drank less than 1 per month.  Try diet soda or see this issue's Dole Spa for a refreshing, non-fattening way to quench your thirst.

Say no to nitrates: Jerky, deli meats, and other cured meats contain nitrates - preservatives to keep color, enhance flavor, extend shelf life.  The problem is that nitrates can be converted to carcinogenic nitrosamines, which may increase risk of stomach cancer.  Here's the good news: diets high in vegetables/fruits that contain vitamin C and phytochemicals retard conversion of nitrites to nitrosamines.

High-sodium frozen dinners: 77% of sodium in the American diet comes from prepared/processed foods - and over 3/4 of Americans consume too much salt.  Ergo: reduce intake of these high sodium foods to reduce your blood pressure (affecting 65 million Americans), and thus your risk of heart attack and stroke.  Check labels:  some of Swanson's Hungry Man meals can push you over twice the daily sodium limit (2,300 mg) in one sitting.  Same goes for many fast food choices - Dunkin' Donuts Salt Bagel has over 4,500 mg. Bonus: help regulate blood pressure with potassium-containing foods like bananas, broccoli and kiwis.

Donuts - duh!: Krispy Kremes, with their retro-vibe and frenzied PR campaigns, may seem like a homey, harmless treat - but these high-calorie sugar bombs are filled with trans fats that pack a double whammy when it comes to heart disease: raising LDL (bad) cholesterol and lowering HDL (good) cholesterol.

As we've explored in previous DNNs, trans fats trick your genes into pushing cholesterol production into overdrive.  40% of trans fat intake comes from cakes, donuts, cookies, crackers, pies, bread, etc., 21% from animal products and 17% from margarine and shortening products.  Some hidden sources of trans fats include microwave popcorn, granola cereal, nondairy creamer and dried soup mix - so again, check those labels!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

Prep: 20 min.

Bake: 30 to 35 min.

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

2/3 cup quick or old fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided

1/4 cup margarine, softened

1 cup granulated sugar substitute

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 cups DOLE® Fresh Frozen Strawberries Halves, partially thawed

2 cups DOLE Fresh Frozen Rhubarb Chunks, partially thawed

Vegetable cooking spray

Combine oats, brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in small bowl. Cut in margarine with fork or knife. Set aside.

Mix together sugar substitute, cornstarch, remaining 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in large bowl.  Add strawberries and rhubarb.  Mix well and pour into 8-inch square baking pan, sprayed with vegetable cooking spray.

Sprinkle reserved oat mixture over fruit. Bake at 375º F., 30 to 35 minutes.

Per Serving: 315 calories, 13g fat (2g sat.),  0mg cholesterol,  185mg sodium,  50g carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 27g sugars),  3g protein, 10% Vit A,  35% Vit C,  8% calcium,  6% iron,  3% potassium,  0% folate.

POSH POURS

What could be more refreshing than those elegant, chilled pitchers of cucumber-infused water offered in spa waiting areas?

Whether it's the hint of flavor or the gracious presentation, even the ordinarily hydrophobic find themselves reaching for refreshment and refilling their glasses.

You can bring the same sense of serenity and healthy indulgence home by making your own spa water with simple ingredients.  Let the water mixtures steep for at least a half hour before serving; add ice according to preference.

Cucumber Water: peel off strips of cucumber skin to expose more of the flesh (and release more of the flavor) before slicing rounds and immersing them in a large pitcher of chilled water. 

Rosemary Lime Water: float lime slices and twirl sprigs of thoroughly washed rosemary in a tall pitcher of cold water.

Watermelon Mint Water:  Add chunks of watermelon (seeds removed) and mint leaves to water for an unusual flavor combination.

SUPERFOODS

Learn which foods have targeted health benefits to K.O. disease.