By Jennifer Ashley-Earl, RD, LD

This month reinforces how integrated food is within our own health.   Food is medicine. Food is emotional. Food is delicious. Food is sustaining and let’s face it… food is Festive! Knowing more about the correlation between Diabetes and Heart Disease can make your holiday eating a healthy adventure. Whether you are 20 years old or enjoying your Boomer Years, American’s are finding diabetes is becoming quite a common word.

Not as common in every household, is the understanding of how heart disease is associated with diabetes. Heart conditions such as high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides (cholesterol), and low HDL cholesterol are correlated to diabetes due to increasing cardiovascular risk factors.   Even though you can’t change whether heart disease runs in your family, you can take steps to control your risk.

Make sure that your holiday diet is as “heart-healthy” as you can make it. Meet with a registered dietitian to plan a diet that meets these goals:

1. Include at least 14 grams of fiber daily for every 1,000 calories consumed. Foods high in fiber may help lower blood cholesterol.
2. Cut down on saturated fat. It raises your blood cholesterol level. Saturated fat is found in meats, poultry skin, butter, dairy products with fat, shortening, lard, and tropical oils such as palm and coconut oil. Keep the cholesterol in your diet to less than 300 milligrams a day. Cholesterol is found in meat, dairy products, and eggs.
3. Minimize the intake of Trans fat. Limit your intake of crackers, cookies, snack foods, commercially prepared baked goods, cake mixes, microwave popcorn, fried foods, salad dressings, and other foods made with partially hydrogenated oil. Check for Trans fat in the Nutrition Facts section on the food package.
4. Enjoy foods and beverages such as BeneVia’s Heart Health which include PHYTOSTEROLS.  Phytosterols are typically derived from plant sources. Two 8 oz serving of BeneVia’s Pineapple Lulo Heart Health Beverage offers 1.3 grams of Phytosterols.  Up to 1.5 g/day of Phytosterols can help increase the good cholesterol (HDL), reduce the bad cholesterol (LDL), reduce total Cholesterol and improve your total cholesterol ratio.

Research Findings: Cardiovascular disease/prevention and Nutrition

Phytosterol at (1.5g/day) can help positively effect plasma lipoproteins.

Jones et al. AJCN 1999;69:944-7

Holidays, Heart Health and Diabetes can go hand in hand.  Use these tips to make your holiday as Festive as Possible and create your own Real Food Fairy Tales of Health!

Up to 30% of people 50 yrs and older have been estimated to have some risk or degree of cognitive decline or impairment.  By age 65, 50% of these people have been confirmed to have cognitive decline with 1 in 8 diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. (Annals Intern Med, 2008; 148:427-434)

Experts believe that Inflammation and oxidation are involved in age-related cognitive decline.

• Omega-3 DHA = anti-inflammatory
• Lutein = anti-oxidant

DHA is present in abundance in certain fish (such as tuna and bluefish) and marine animal oils. DHA is a predominant fatty acid in the brain. Low DHA status is associated with cognitive decline. Elderly individuals had a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease if ate 1 or more fish meals/week. (Morris et al. 2003) Low levels of omega-3 DHA in the blood plasma may be a risk factor for cognitive impairment and/or dementia.

Lutein is one of over 600 known naturally occurring plant pigments, known as carotenoids. Rich dietary sources of lutein include green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale. Lutein selectively accumulates in human brain. Lutein status is related to cognition.

Lutein and DHA work together…Lutein as an anti-oxidant protects the highly oxidizable DHA. DHA as an anti-inflammatory agent protects lutein. DHA modifies transport of lutein into neural tissue.

Studies in large populations that evaluate intake find that adequate dietary omega-3 DHA and lutein are related to better cognitive function. Nutrition and specific nutrient intake may make a difference in cognitive health! To learn more about product with Lutein and Omega- 3 DHA visit www.gobenevia.com

Take a look at the special eBook we’ve created that can help you understand this and more:

I’m relearning how to cook.

This time though, I’m learning a new healthier and more nutritious way to cook.

I didn’t grow up knowing how to cook, let alone cook in a healthy style, nor did I take formal cooking classes.  Like so many others, I gradually taught myself how to prepare meals over the last 25 years of marriage and 20-plus years of child rearing.  I have discovered that the ability to read a recipe and the willingness to spend a little time is all I need to create a nourishing and satisfying meal (almost!) every night.

When I still had children living at home, even when they were teenagers, my cooking tended toward quick, kid-friendly, comfort food.  Fast forward to now, with the new title of “empty-nester” and aging baby boomer on my letterhead.  I find that the old stand-by dishes simply don’t work anymore…but that’s okay.

What I have discovered is that, as our lives change, so does our body’s need for specific nutrients.  For example, we need more lean protein, less fat, and an emphasis on complex carbohydrates.  Eating a healthy diet is more important than ever as we age and cope with the inevitable muscle loss that is a part of the healthy aging process.

I seem to read about Mediterranean cooking in every magazine I see so I’m trying to cook more with olive oil, and to add fish, whole grains, and fresh vegetables to the menu on a regular basis.   I’m also enjoying weekly trips to the local farmer’s market where I can find in-season fruits and vegetables to inspire me.

A delicious beet and goat cheese salad was on the menu last week, thanks to my latest visit to the local vendors.  A few years ago that would never have made the weekly menu!  Healthy, nutritious and good tasting – and not too complicated to make – are the recipes that make the cut.  Here’s one of my new favorite recipes.

Frittata with Leek and Potatoes Recipe

• 2 tbs Olive oil
• 1 large leek, sliced thin
• 2 medium red potatoes boiled and cut into medium dice
• 2 tbs fresh parsley, minced
• 1/3 c Emmenthaler cheese, shredded
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 6 large eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat oil in nonstick ovenproof skillet. Add leek. Sauté for 5 minutes or until soft. In bowl, stir in cheese, parsley, salt and pepper and eggs. Pour mixture into skillet. Add diced potato.  Distribute egg evenly. Cook for about 60 seconds. Transfer skillet to oven and bake for 4 minutes or until egg is cooked through.  Serve warm, room temp or chilled.

So, I’m learning how to cook with a whole new repertoire of healthy and nutritious recipes.  It’s rather liberating, in fact, as I experiment with unusual flavors, different ingredients, and new (to me, anyway) techniques.  I find myself more willing to try various cuisines that my children likely would have distained.

I’m open to all kinds of new recipes that fit the “Healthy and Nutritious” label.  Do you have a favorite go-to recipe to share?  Let’s inspire one another to cook a healthy and delicious meal that will nourish the body, mind, and spirit.  Enjoy!

Thinking about your Thanksgiving Turkey Day Dinner and worried about the potential of the 1000′s of calories that the average American consumes in one meal.  So how can we enjoy our family and friends and experience the same great taste with fewer calories?

Start a family tradition of a hike in the woods, on the beach or around the block. Join one of the Turkey Trots that many communities have with the proceeds going to a great cause.  This will be good for your body and good for the community.

Make sure to eat a good breakfast so you are not “starving” by the big turkey day meal. You should always include good sources of protein in your breakfast to help with satiety. High leucine protein (such as BeneVia) is important help with muscle recovery before and after exercise.

Thanksgiving Day Meal

Five key ways to reduce the calories and still have a tasty meal:

1)    Moderation: This is the most important part of any dining experience.   Remember some helpful serving size tools:

a.     A serving of meat (2 to 3 oz) should be the size of a deck of  cards

b.     A ½ cup of vegetables should be the size of a computer mouse

c.     A ½ cup of pasta should be the size of a computer mouse

2)    The Potatoes: Choose baked potatoes or even baked sweet potatoes are better than tradition potatoes.  Sweet Potatoes are a good source of Vitamin A, C, Fiber, Manganese and Potassium.   If you are dying for mashed potatoes try this recipe:

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Garlic

Substitute Sweet Potatoes for regular,

Substitute skim milk for cream,

Add a little non-fat yogurt for sour cream

Added 3 cloves of roasted garlic.

3)    Veggies:  Great choices of vegetables are raw or roasted vegetables. Remember with salads adding 2 tbsp of Regular Ranch Dressing will add 148 calories and reduced fat can be 80 calories for 2 tbsp.  I enjoy full fat dressing but will significantly reduce the amount that I use 1 tbsp or make my own oil and vinegar.

If your Thanksgiving Meal is not complete without Green Bean Casserole try these tricks to reduce the calories but not the taste.

Betty Crocker’s Green Bean Casserole

(The changes to lower the calories and sodium)

2 cans (14.5 oz each) Green French Style Green Beans (Use Fresh Beans to reduce the sodium in the dish)

1 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup (Only use a ½ can of mushroom soup to just coat the beans and reduce the calories)

¼ cup of milk (Use 2 tablespoons of skim milk)

1 cans French Fried Onions (Use corn flakes)

4)    Alcohol:  Remember moderation for your waistline and also for your safety and the safety of other drivers.  A regular beer (12 oz) is a 150 kcal, light beer (12 oz) is 110 or less kcal, 1 oz of liquor is from 65 to 188 kcal, and red wine (4 oz) is 80 calories and dry white wine (4 oz) is 75 calories. For a fun alternative to alcohol try sparkling water with  BeneVia –Memory and Focus, good source of high essential amino acids such as luecine, with a twist of lime or orange.

5)    Dessert: The best dessert to keep the calories low is pumpkin pie minus the crust (150 kcal) .  You can save close to 150 calories by not eating the crust of the pie.  Fresh fruit is always another great option.

Enjoy all your blessing this Thanksgiving and enjoy the great food! ]]> http://www.gobenevia.com/2010/11/tools-to-surviving-thanksgiving-day-dinner-without-adding-pounds/feed/ 0 http://www.gobenevia.com/2010/11/tools-to-surviving-thanksgiving-day-dinner-without-adding-pounds/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gobenevia/~3/uQzPul-Le4M/ http://www.gobenevia.com/2010/11/featured-fan-charlie-snyder/#comments Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:39:48 +0000 The BeneVia Team http://www.gobenevia.com/?p=3110 Five years ago, our featured BeneVia fan for November, Charlie Synder, was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. Since then, he’s ran his first half marathon and marathon and rode his bike in his first metric century (62 miles) and century (100 miles). For Charlie the century was pretty intense, as a 47-year-old diabetic riding 100 miles on an 18-year-old mountain bike in 94-degree heat. These events were also very satisfying for him because he was raising money for the American Diabetes Association.

“As a Boomer-in-Training and a diabetic, it’s important for me to live a healthy lifestyle and eat nutritious foods to help me achieve my goals. That’s where the delicious BeneVia drinks come in,” explained Charlie. Next up for him? “… I’ve signed up as the Chair of the Southern Colorado Tour de Cure diabetes fund-raising ride, which is next May.”

For more information visit Charlie’s Tour de Cure page to learn more.  Good luck Charlie!

Interested in becoming a featured fan of BeneVia for December?  Leave a comment below and let us know how to contact you and a member of the BeneVia team will be in contact with you.

Dr. John E. Morley, M.B., B.Ch. presents new clinical recommendations for healthy aging at November conference

LITTLE ROCK – November 3, 2010 – With 60% of consumers 50 years and above having at least one preventable chronic health concern, Registered Dietitians provide important health care management support for consumers. Understanding the growing need for more research around the changing life of “baby boomers”, BeneVia® is releasing the results of clinical research revealing improved health outcomes for age-associated health issues and healthy aging  at the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE; Booth 2430) which takes place November 6-9, 2010 in Boston, MA.  In conjunction with the clinical results, HealthSpan Solutions, LLC will also be launching a new Low-Sugar formula of BeneVia® in all four products at this year’s event.

BeneVia® will distribute summary results of its recent research portfolio demonstrating how specific nutritional formulas can be used to target and improve specific health conditions. BeneVia will be provide educational sessions for Nutrition Professionals with a focus on Healthy Aging, Functional Medicine and Weight Management during the conference so that dietitians can sample each of the four Benevia® nutritional juice beverages and review results on health outcomes for specific health conditions. “We are very excited about BeneVia’s participation at the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) and the opportunity to partner and help educate health professionals about nutrition for healthy aging and active lifestyles,” said Jennifer Ashley, RD, LD, and Head of HealthSpan Solutions Medical Marketing.

An added feature of the conference will be a presentation of the clinical research on muscle strength,and natural muscle loss (sarcopenia) in Aging by a leading Gerontological Researcher, Dr. John E. Morley, M.B., B.Ch . “Proprietary research results showing how specialized high leucine/essential amino acid protein blends can overcome age-resistant responses of muscle to aging demonstrates an important and practical way to manage healthy aging”, Mrs. Ashley commented. Dr. John E. Morley, M.B., B.Ch., is known internationally as a gerontological researcher, clinician, and educator.  He is the director of Saint Louis University’s Division of Geriatric Medicine.  Dr. Morley will also appear at BeneVia’s exhibit Booth 2430, where he will be signing copies of his book The Science of Staying Young, on Monday November 6 from 9 to noon.

“For older adults, a healthy and active lifestyle is important for long term health,” said John Troup, Ph.D., President & CEO of HealthSpan Solutions, LLC, makers of BeneVia®. “It takes daily attention to nutrition and the use of specific active nutrients targeting specific disease states to improve health.  The BeneVia® commitment to healthy aging and partnership with RD’s is significant in healthcare management that will help professionals support older adults and their management of chronic diseases. BeneVia’s family of products help consumers manage age-associated health issues including loss of muscle, cardiovascular health, diabetes, cognitive performance and immune responses We are proud to offer the leading products in adult nutrition for health and age specific management” Troup concluded.

Study results are available online after the conference has ended.

Full Press Release: HealthSpan Solutions Launches New Lower-Sugar BeneVia at the 2010 ADA Food & Nutrition Conference and Expo

“Each day, our staff and volunteers do both great and small things for the people and families that we serve. Each deed or act of kindness matters and when we attempt to thank them for what they do, each are humble and unassuming – fiercely waving away recognitions because quite simply they feel that they are here to serve and make life better for our seniors. Period. It’s what they do. It’s what we do.“

The goal of Senior Services of Albany is to foster independence and enhance the quality of life of older adults by providing innovative services and caregiver support”. SSA lives up to the mission every day by the services they provide the community.

The SSA has exciting and helpful array of programs for the Senior’s of Albany like Health and Fitness classes , Care Giver Support, Community Nutrition and Meal on Wheels.

We hope that you’ll pass on the information about the great work that this group is doing in the Albany, NY area.   We found what they were doing was amazing and felt not only the desire to share this with all of you, but to feature them as BeneVia’s “Fans” of the month.

By John Troup, PhD

Active snacking is an effective way to deliver and maintain the recommended level of nutrient intake to fight the age-associated health issues like muscle loss & sarcopenia or loss of muscle.  Although recent scientific studies have shown that 30grams of intact/whole protein intake is the single dose or amount of protein required to stimulate muscle building activity, nutrition practices show that trying to achieve that level of intake is not practical.

The illustrations below show what the per meal typical protein intake is and only at dinner time is 30gr of protein achieved.  A simple solution, then might be to increase the per meal protein but using available whole food protein sources (beef, fish, chicken etc) would bring with it high levels of fat and additional calories not needed.  Similarly, if a typical adult nutrition beverage was used as a meal supplement, not only would an excess of calories and fat be delivered, but the amount of protein available to help build muscle would not be optimal

Click Graph to Enlarge

Click Graph to Enlarge

Given the above options of timed delivery and type of supplementation, the alternative of using a high leucine/essential amino acid blend like ViaLeuPro  in BeneVia nutritional drinks would provide the advantage of low volume use, yet optimal ability to build muscle and low caloric intake (100calories or less). 

Using this approach, a BeneVia drink could be taken with breakfast and lunch to achieve the optimal level of muscle building or – perhaps more ideally – could be taken in between meals so to ensure that more time with fewer gaps in muscle building activity take place for more effective total improvement in muscle mass and function.  Thus a consistent level and rate of protein synthesis stimulation is achieved for a more effective outcome in fighting sarcopenia.

Supplementation with low volume highly concentrated protein blends with high leucine/essential amino acids will provide a convenient and 4X more effective method of optimizing muscle building capacity without a significant caloric load.

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Most Effective Sources to Manage Natural Muscle Loss & Sarcopenia’s Muscle Loss

• Cost Effective with Optimal Nutrients Criteria Points to BeneVia®, Table 1 (below) shows a Product Comparisons with High Leucine/Essential Amino Acid combinations. Nutrient and Pricing per serving comparisons.

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• Table Two below, shows the comparison of various food types and amounts needed for optimal leucine intake.

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• Table Three below, shows the protein comparisons with major dietary food types and alternatives vs BeneVia.

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• Table Four below, shows the common nutritional protein sources.

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Now that we know that sarcopenia (muscle loss) can be managed, minimized and/or avoided by using optimal nutrients like high leucine/essential amino acids, the challenge for healthy aging is to then understand what nutritional practices and habits can be followed to maximize muscle building potential.  First its important to realize that while it seems many of us don’t consume enough key nutrients, we do consume enough or more calories.

So its first helpful to find a way to supplement while minimizing the effect of more caloric intake – this can be done using specially formulated nutritional drinks with ViaLeuPro in BeneVia beverages.  Secondly, its important to make sure the supplement is taken at a convenient time and when maximal muscle building effect can take place.  Timing of intake, can also be an important advantage so as to keep as high as a rate of muscle building activity through the day as possible.  In this way, several options can be important.

The Objective of Supplementation should include the following considerations:

1. Maximize the effect of protein for a net positive gain in muscle building capacity
2. Increase active nutrients to a therapeutic level for improved health benefit
3. Do so without increasing age accelerators to the diet.

Net Positive Gain for Muscle Building

Use Supplementation at Times that keep muscle building activity as high as possible and for as long as possible during the course of the day. Active Snack Times in Morning & Afternoon fill the gaps and increase overall muscle building capacity. Three Options for Supplementation presented below (Adapted by: Volpi E, Am J Clin Nutr 2003;78:250-258; Paddon-Jones D and Rasmussen BB. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care 2009;12:86-90):

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Optimal Muscle Building is Achieved by consuming 30g of quality intact protein per meal  or by Supplementation of 7–15g of a high leucine/EAA protein blend.  Lower volumes increase benefit and compliance

Increase Active Nutrients to Therapeutic Levels for Targeted Health Benefits

Active nutrients play a significant role in targeting specific health benefits and are not readily available at therapeutic levels in the typical diet.

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Avoid Adding Age Accelerators to the Diet When Adding Active Nutrients

Selection of food items should avoid those that add high levels of fat and   saturated fat and that would result in 20% or more calories to the typical intake level of around 1800 calories/day  unless food items are substituted. Saturated fats are key age accelerators and should be minimized.

Smaller convenient portion sizes are also important to improve compliance and to avoid satiation such that a net decrease in caloric intake is unnecessarily achieved

By John Troup, PhD

Maintaining and/or improving muscle function and preventing sarcopenia (muscle loss) as we age is clearly an important part of our individualized health care objectives for healthy aging.  But not all proteins or protein sources and blends are created with the same effect.  While there are a number of protein types and sources available, not all have the same level of effect or improvement.  Table 1 (below) presents this comparative table with the first line of data comparisons showing which source nutrient or protein has the highest effect on building muscle.

From a review of the scientific literature, its clear that the combination of high leucine/essential amino acids has the most significant effect on building and restoring muscle mass. Not only is the muscle building capacity the highest but the practical outcomes of improved muscle function and muscle strength are the most positive with this blend of high leucine/essential amino acids. Based on the proprietary science in developing this blend, it is now a patented formulation and exclusively available in BeneVia® nutritional beverages and called ViaLeuPro™.

Recently, a new nutrient called HMB (hydroxymethylbutyrate) a metabolic by product of the amino acid leucine, has been purported to be effective in building muscle and stimulating muscle protein synthesis.  A review of the scientific literature suggests, however, that this metabolite, HMB has little to no effect on protein synthesis alone and only when combined with the amino acid arginine is any stimulation of protein synthesis observed.  Even this combination of HMB/arginine however has only moderate effect on muscle building potential – especially when compared to intact protein sources or to the high leucine/essential amino acid mix, called ViaLeuPro™.

Table One: Comparative Effects Reported on the Effect of Muscle Energetics and Functional Outcomes of Selected Nutrient Energy Sources in Nutritional Beverages.  Results represent studies with subjects 60yrs and older.

ViaLeuPro™ is the most effective energy source that helps build muscle and improve muscle function for healthy aging.

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