It seems there’s a always a hot new “miracle” food or supplement that sweeps the country.  Acai used to be the front runner.  Now it appears to be raspberry ketones.  Instead of goji berry, it’s African Mango.  Saffron extract is the new Sensa.

Now there’s a new crop of products promising miraculous fat-burning, belly-blasting results. Increasingly these miracle products are getting their big break on the Dr. Oz show.  Viewers hang on to every word Dr. Oz says and run out immediately after a convincing segment to buy the supplements touted on the show.  Marketers of these pills love to say “endorsed by Dr. Oz”  and his quotes are frequently cited in the ads for these products.  You can find websites now that feature all the supplements that Dr. Oz promotes, a search on Amazon for “Dr. Oz supplements” results in 1,406 listings, and other online supplement sellers categorize their pills according to Dr. Oz recommendations – such as Dr. Oz Weight Loss.

Perhaps no one has helped fuel the sale of  diet supplements more than Dr. Oz.  And that’s a shame.  Dr. Oz is a tremendous communicator and he’s brilliant at translating technical topics into simple, consumer-friendly language.  And how wonderful to have a popular talk show that’s all about health. Unfortunately, his focus has shifted to the glorification of “miracle” pills and his viewers are gobbling it up.  Before you’re tempted to spend your hard-earned money on the next hot thing, here’s what you need to know.

Raspberry Ketones

What it is: Natural compounds that give red raspberries their distinct aroma.  Primarily used in the U.S. as a flavoring agent, they’re now bottled up in a pill (typically produced synthetically in a lab) and sold as a weight loss supplement.

What’s the promise: Dr. Oz described raspberry ketones as a “revolutionary metabolism booster that you’ve never heard of”  and a “fat burner in a bottle.”  Marketers sell raspberry ketones in pill and liquid form, claiming that the supplement can stimulate fat loss, inhibit fat absorption and increase fat burning or oxidation.

What you should know: No human clinical trials have been conducted.   The claims are all based on animal or test tube studies from Asia, where raspberry ketones seem to have gotten their start as a weight loss supplement.  It’s important not to jump to major conclusions based on what happens in the body of a rat or inside a test tube.  Most of the supplements add other ingredients, such as caffeine, that provides a stimulant effect.  Read more from Appetite for Health: 5 Things Dr. Oz Didn’t Mention About Raspberry Ketones.

Here’s the segment that got the raspberry ketone frenzy started:

African Mango

What it is: A supplement made from extracts of the seeds of the West African mango known as Irvingia gabonesis.

What’s the promise: The pills are promoted as fat burners, especially belly fat.

What you should know: A study in Cameroon funded by a supplier of African mango supplements did show improvement in body fat among individuals consuming the pills compared to a placebo, but it is far from a miracle pill, particularly if you do nothing else besides take this pill (as promoted on the Dr. Oz show). You’re better off eating real fruit (like the lean West Africans do).

Saffron Extract

What it is: A pill or chew made from extracts of the culinary spice saffron, known as one of the most expensive spices in the word.

What’s the promise: Touted as an appetite suppressant, the supplements claim to control compulsive eating by affecting serotonin levels in the brain.

What you should know:

One study seems to be the basis of the meteoric rise in popularity of saffron supplements, although there are better ways to promote satiety with whole foods rather than pills, and more important things to do if someone is dealing with emotional eating (such as make an appointment with a registered dietitian who specializes in this area).

Here’s Dr. Oz talking about saffron extract. Just listen to the number of times he says “miracle,” “breakthrough,” and “revolutionary.”

What’s especially troubling to me is that this type of sensationalism reinforces a “fix it with a pill” mentality.  Instead of encouraging you to eat, for instance, more fresh raspberries and mangoes, the focus is on popping a pill of these foods.  And typically it’s a small extract of the real thing with other ingredients added in — so who knows how much of this “miraculous” ingredient you’re even getting.  Plus, often it’s a synthetic version of the compound made in a lab. Yes, there are lots of convincing testimonials that get people excited, but these “success stories” on TV or in an ad, are not a sufficient substitute for science.

Steven Charlap, MD, founder of MDPrevent,  is so incensed with what he sees going on every day on the Dr. Oz show that he dissects the dialogue on his blog.  He’s been criticized for taking on Dr. Oz, but here’s his response:

The other day I received a comment in response to something I wrote about the Dr. Oz show. It read, “You don’t challenge a wizard.”  It was an obvious cross-reference between the fictional Wizard in the Wizard of Oz and Dr. Mehmet Oz.  In response, I impulsively wrote, “He’s not a real wizard. He just plays one on TV.”  After writing my response, I started thinking about the similarities behind the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz and the actual Dr. Oz. Unlike the Wizard, Dr. Oz does not hide behind a curtain and use smoke and mirrors to impress his audience. Instead, on an almost daily basis he blatantly engages his audience with new secret cures and potions.  However, both characters do pretend to be something they are not. The Wizard worked hard to create the impression that he was all powerful, which turned out to be an illusion.  Dr. Oz pretends to have magic pills and miracle cures, to have powerful remedies to jump-start diets and create lean bellies, to make wrinkles disappear and treat dementia, which also all turn out to be illusions. So maybe we would all be better off if he actually hid all those supplements behind a curtain.  They say that life sometimes imitates art. Has there ever been a better example than the Dr. Oz show?

All of this chasing the next  big “breakthrough” and “miracle” is distracting.  I agree with Dr. Charlap:

Almost none of the pills Dr. Oz recommends have any real value. There are no magic, miracle, or power pills one can take to stay healthy, and that task mostly remains with us as individuals.  Be grateful that you have the ability to impact your health. The alternative may be far less pleasant.

Once again, it’s the magical thinking that bothers me. Sure, there could be beneficial supplements and aids for helping you lose weight, but these are not miracles in a bottle. It’s a disservice to all of Dr. Oz’s loyal viewers to make it seem like a pill is all you need. It makes everything else seem less important — like eating real foods, being active. I just wish Dr. Oz would channel his brilliance in getting America to cook more at home and to look to whole foods for the miracles. The answer doesn’t lie in a bottle. Dr. Oz is helping to sell a lot of supplements. I just wish he would inspire people to be just as enthusiastic about what they eat.

Raspberry Ketones and African Mango images courtesy of Rich Private Label Nutraceuticals on flickr

Did you know that 9 out of 10 Americans fall short of daily whole grain recommendations? There are lots of reasons why it’s important to make at least half your grains whole — from helping to fight heart disease and diabetes to promoting a healthy weight.

It’s easier than ever to get your whole grains with the wider availability of whole-grain breads, pastas, snacks and other products on the market. Some tasty new whole-grain items made Prevention’s list of the healthiest and most delicious packaged foods of 2012.  Wanted to share a few with you.

For side dishes and salads, I typically prefer whole grains like farro, bulgur and quinoa, instead of couscous and orzo (which are pastas instead of grains), but I liked these whole-wheat versions.

RiceSelect Whole Wheat Orzo

This may look like rice, but it’s the Italian pasta orzo (which means “barley” in Italian).  Made from whole durum flour, this light 100% whole-wheat pasta cooks in just 8-10 minutes.  Try is as a satisfying side dish (9 g fiber per serving) or use it as a base for Meditarranean-style pasta salad.    [riceselect.com $7.29]

Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pearl Couscous

Also known as Israeli couscous, this larger-style couscous is rarely sold in a whole grain form. It’s much easier to find smaller grain whole-wheat couscous; for instance, RiceSelect sells a whole-wheat couscous.  The pearl style as a chewier taste, and I’m sure this whole-wheat version would have a satisfying bite.  I’m eager to try it. A 1/3 cup serving contains 190 calories, 5 g fiber and 7 g protein.  [bobsredmill.com $3.99]

365 Rice and Lentil Medley

This brown and wild rice medley is studded with green and red lentils, which adds a lot of protein, fiber and folate.  This would make a great swap for white rice or convenient, nutrient-rich addition to soups and stews. [wholefoodsmarket.com $3.99]

Popcorn is a super whole-grain snack, but here are two other options that received one of the 26 Prevention Healthy Food Awards for 2012.

Chocolate is one of the top 10 breakfast trends named by the Food Channel, based on its research in conjunction with Culture Waves, the International Food Futurists and Mintel International.  You may think of Cocoa Puffs from your  youth, but there are lot more chocolate breakfast cereals on the shelf these days, including Chocolate Cheerios, Frosted Mini Wheats and Special K. Just take a look at all these chocolate cereals from Candy Addict.

image courtesy of nettsu on flickr

But we’re not just talking cereal, chocolate has become a bona fide adult trend too, according to the Food Channel.  It was one of the breakout stars at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, which featured  chocolate tea, hot chocolate on a stick, chocolate belgian waffles and pancakes, and chocolate granola.  Lots more ideas are in the book dedicated to the topic:  Chocolate for Breakfast by Barbara Passino.

chocolate belgian waffles by irrational_cat on flickr

chocolate pancakes by isabellacester on flickr

chocolate breakfast cake with peanut butter cream cheese by Brown Eyed Baker on flickr

chocolaté croissant by Castle Vision Photographic on flickr

chocolate mint breakfast by onesmileahead on flickr

hot chocolate on a stick by Ode to Inspiration on flickr

One chocolate breakfast food that got in hot water recently is Nutella.  Maybe you heard about the $3 million  class-action lawsuit that Nutella-maker Ferrero agreed to settle for marketing the chocolate-hazelnut spread as a healthy breakfast for kids.

image courtesy of Helen Chang on flickr

The claim was filed by California mom Athena Hohenberg who said she was deceived by the ads for Nutella that promoted the spread as a nutritious breakfast.  She had been feeding her 4-year-old daughter Nutella in the morning until she learned from friends that it was “the next best thing to a candy bar,” according to court documents. Here are the words that got Italy’s Ferrero in trouble:

“[MOM]: As a mom, I’m a great believer in Nutella, a delicious hazelnut spread that I use to get my kids to eat healthy foods. I spread a little on all kinds of healthy things, like multigrain toast. Every jar has wholesome, quality ingredients, like hazelnuts, skim milk, and a hint of delicious cocoa. And Nutella has no artificial colors or preservatives. It’s quick, it’s easy, and at breakfast I can use all the help I can get.

[VOICEOVER]: Nutella—breakfast never tasted this good.”

How I see it, read the label Athena.  Don’t blame the advertising.  Don’t let someone else decide if something is a smart choice to serve your daughter in the morning.  Pick up the jar and turn it around.  See that each two-tablespoon serving contains 21 grams of sugar and half the 200 calories come from fat. Yes, maybe it is similar to a candy bar.  Is Nutella on whole-grain toast better than a chocolate donut?  Yes.  Is it better than whole-grain cereal and milk? No.   Nutella is a beloved food in Europe and increasingly here in the U.S.  There’s even a World Nutella Day on February 5 to celebrate the chocolate-hazelnut spread worldwide. Was it a good idea to promote the spread as a healthy breakfast food for kids?  I don’t think so.  But let’s leave lawsuits out of this.  As Forbes wrote: Nutella case proves that stupid people can have smart lawyers.

Here’s the commercial so you can see for yourself.  What do you think?

I recently returned from the International Association of Culinary Professionals annual conference in New York City — which featured a culinary expo that was ideal for food trend spotting.  The conference is attended by world-famous chefs like Jacques Pepin, renowned cookbook authors, food writers, bloggers and even a few celebrities, like Mo Rocca — one of my all-time favorites (isn’t he just brilliant on “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!”) Here’s me with Mo Rocca eating a chorizo-crusted duck wing with bleu cheese sauce made by Sara Moulton.  Mo was the emcee of the IACP awards ceremony that honors the year’s top cookbooks and other culinary writing.  It turns out, Mo is quite the food lover himself.  He’s hosting a new show on the Cooking Channel called “My Grandmother’s Ravioli,” where he learns to cook the treasured recipes of grandparents everywhere.  I just couldn’t love him more.

Now, back to the trends — or at least a look at some of my favorite tastings at the culinary expo. First, I really liked Chef Salt — a line of artisan salt blends created by a dynamite trio made up of international salt expert Mark Bitterman, David Joachim and Andrew Schloss (pictured here).

The salt blends included Bamboo Curry, Tunisian Fire, Holy Mole and Bacon BBQ, which is shown below mixed with olive oil to make it easy to sample with bread. Available online and in select stores throughout the country, the seasonings are described as “bringing the art and craft of professional cooking into the home kitchen.”  The creators said “our thought was to put the chef in the jar.”  I especially liked the Bacon BBQ blend, which I’m sure would be amazing as a rub on steak or salmon, added to beans and grains, or tossed into a savory stew or chili.  Amazingly smoky (without any real bacon inside), the blend includes smoked salt, smoked pepper, smoked paprika, sundried tomato powder and smoke-dried jalapenos.

“We paid special attention to texture in this blend, making sure that the spices are ground to uniform fineness so that all exposed surfaces of whatever you are cooking — ribs, chicken, sweet potatoes, or burgers — get an equal opportunity to inhale the smoke.”  I was lucky that I scored a full-size jar of the Bacon BBQ to take home and I can’t wait to experiment with it.  There are also recipes for the chef-crafted salts on their website that I want to check out.

Moving from salt to sugar…I just adored these handcrafted sugars imported from Japan.  Chambre de Sucre (”the sugar room”) displayed a variety of decorative sugars for a cup of tea or coffee.

Made by the oldest family-owned business in Japan, the handmade sugars were also shown as garnishes for  flutes of champagne.  Besides the traditional tea service, the company said you can “drop ceremoniously into champagne cocktails.”

In addition to stirring into tea and coffee, some of the sugars are meant to be eaten along side your hot beverage to offset the bitterness.

From fancy sugars to fancy marshmallows…Mitchmallows are handmade marshmallows created by Mitchell Greenberg, who was at the expo telling his story and sharing his love of these puffy confections. This was a major trend I noticed at the expo — so much of what we were seeing was all about handmade combined with an interesting backstory. And it was taking a food or ingredient and expanding it to multiple flavors. Mitchell was a fanatic about marshmallows, and he had a vision that this childhood favorite (actually an ancient treat from Egypt) could be reimagined as a both a sweet and savory treat.  The fun flavors and shapes included such varied options as Ginger Wasabi, Chocolate Chipotle, Pretzels & Beer, and Beaujolais.

A passion, a dream, and a new food business.  Loved that about Mitchmallows and the other food artisans I met at the expo.

Here’s another example of a handcrafted food with an interesting backstory, and one of my favorites on the exhibit floor Black and Blanco.  Here’s their story:

The idea for Black and Blanco was born out of a tiny kitchen in a small one bedroom apartment in NYC.  My mom is from Morocco and bakes all kinds of cookies, my favorite being the ’sandie,’ My girlfriend Heidi flipped out over them and suggested we create a healthier version. Replacing the white flour-white sugar-GMO oil = a cookie that rocks.  I played Jazz piano professionally in the NYC creative warzone for over 15 years. Heidi was an aspiring actor who paid the rent baking at a natural food market.  Both of us have combined our passion for healthy cooking and creativity to make Black and Blanco. In our first product, the Sandcastle cookie, we use 100% organic whole grain rye and organic extra virgin coconut oil.  Sounds simple, tastes amazing.

I agree, the cookies were amazing.  I loved the version with black sesame seeds (another trend that I wrote about recently).  Here are Black and Blanco owners Steve and Heidi from Queens, New York.  They were participants of the “Taste of the 5 Burroughs” part of the culinary expo.  Aren’t these just the kind of people you want to support!

Several vegan foods were showcased at the expo, including this interesting Faux Gras from Regal Vegan.  This vegan pate, a riff on duck or goose liver foie gras, is made with lentils, walnuts and caramelized onions.  It was really delicious, although I must admit, I still like the real thing, too.

So there were lots of trendy vegan products on display, but meat was also celebrated in a big way. Eating less meat is certainly on trend, but when you have meat, why not make it an amazing experience. DeBragga New York’s Butcher was part of the expo displaying some beautiful dry aged meats.  They also specialize in Wagyu Kobe beef and naturally-raised beef.   It’s part of the trend of high quality food experiences; quality is better than quantity. Everything they shared at their booth was incredible.

Another example of the multiple flavor trend, 7th Taste olive oils featured an amazing array of flavored oils, including the varieties featured below:  mushroom, ancho chile, lavender and truffle. There seemed to be lots of different chiles added to foods, including Brooklyn’s Spoonable caramels.

Peanut Butter & Co. , a company with a PB& J sandwich shop in NYC, also went crazy with flavors, from dark and white chocolate to cinnamon raisin swirl, maple and fiery hot peanut butter.

Now here’s a drink that’s not easy to forget — a real ginger ale that made ginger the hero.

Created by Bruce Cost, this Fresh Ginger, Ginger Ale is made with cane sugar and real bits of fresh ginger.  You actually have to shake it up before you drink it. The flavors include original ginger, jasmine green tea and pomegranate.  The drink is surprisingly refreshing with a tangy, effervescent taste.

So here’s what stood out to me at the IACP annual conference:  handcrafted, homemade, artisanal, backstory, quality ingredients.  Sustainability and “ethical” eating was a common theme.  The expo included multiple vegan foods, along with other foods that touted the absence of wheat, refined sugars, preservatives, soy and GMOs.  Plant-based proteins got a lot of praise, including lentils and nuts. Ultimately, the expo was all about flavor.

The little black dress is a timeless classic.  Now it appears that ”eating black” is also in style.

Black garlic, black rice, black quinoa, black beans, black lentils. 

These ebony-hued foods are not only dramatic in appearance, in most cases they offer a specific health advantage, too.   That’s good thing, since black foods are riding high in popularity.

Could it be that black is the new black in foods?  That was the topic of my latest post for WebMD’s blog Real Life Nutrition.  Hope you’ll check it out. And let me know if you’ve enjoyed any black foods recently.

Black garlic image courtesy of FotoosVanRobin on flickr
Black rice image courtesy of Simplicity Patterns on flickr
Black quinoa image courtesy of Bingi1 on flickr

Your friends on Facebook and your friends down the street — or even friends that live hundreds of miles away — may hold a lot of power when it comes to your health.  Whether online or offline, your friends are part of your social network, and these connections may be the key to making lasting, positive changes in your life.

That’s the topic of a new book called The Social Network Diet, by Miriam Nelson and Jennifer Ackerman, and it’s the focus of several new studies. Co-author Miriam Nelson wrote about the social network influence for the Huffington Post, and it was the topic of my recent post for WebMD. 

This social network effect was first observed several years ago when Harvard researchers released a study that tracked  more than 12,000 people for three decades and found that the risk of becoming obese spread almost like a virus from person to person. Friends are more powerful than our genes when it comes to weight gain, the researchers concluded.  A person’s chance of becoming obese climbed by 57 percent if a friend of the same sex became obese. This effect was even stronger among close friends. Among close mutual friends, if one friend became obese, the other friend’s chances increased by 171 percent.

So what’s going on? Miriam Nelson, a nutrition researcher at Tufts University, believes that when someone becomes obese, it becomes more socially acceptable for people close to that person to gain weight. The change in social norm of acceptable body size can spread quickly, rippling through social networks, even among people who live hundreds of miles away from one another. She believes that these changing norms are one reason for the rapid spread of obesity.

On the positive side, there’s growing evidence that losing weight may be similarly “contagious.”   Read more about the power of social networks at Real Life Nutrition on WebMD. 

Are you on Pinterest?  This virtual pinboard is a lot of fun, and it’s a been great tool for tracking food trends.  The Food & Drink category on Pinterest is one of the largest and food pins are re-pinned more than pins in any other category. Food lovers are an enthusiastic bunch.  We like to share.

If you’re on Pinterest, I encourage you to follow me.  I primarily pin recipes, including boards on whole grains, salads I want to try, tasty a.m. options, beans and legumes, cocktail nibbles and even a board dedicated solely to hummus, but you’ll also find a board featuring some of my nutrition articles, including posts from Nutrition Unplugged, along with clothes I covet and kitchens I love.  If you check out my Pinterest profile, you’ll also see a shared board for Healthy Aperture, the online food photo gallery I created with fellow food and nutrition blogger Regan Jones.  Many different bloggers are contributing to this board, which is dedicated to exposing what’s healthy on the web.

Pinterest is a treasure trove of content, and I find it extremely valuable to see what foods are gaining popularity. You can search for terms within Pinterest, or check out the Popular category to see what pins are getting repinned and “liked” most often.  Here are some of my observations of food trends based on Pinterest.

• Kale has been called the new bacon.  I don’t know about that, but I’m sure seeing lots of pins featuring this dark leafy green — from crispy kale chips and creamy kale smoothies to raw, massaged, marinated and braised kale in salads, soups, pastas, entrees and more.
• Quinoa is the hot grain on pinboards.  I’m seeing quinoa in savory pilafs, sweet breakfast porridges, salads, muffins, vegetable patties, pancakes and even desserts.
• Sweets are a favorite of pinners, and some of the most popular themes are salted caramel, nutella and red velvet.   If anything, red velvet seems to be the new bacon.  Beyond red velvet cakes, cake pops and cupcakes, I’ve seen red velvet pancakes, waffles, bread pudding, cheesecake, fudge, donuts, ice cream, crepes, popcorn and marshmallows. Just do a search on Pinterest and you’ll find lots of boards featuring nothing but red velvet recipes, including Red Velvet Addiction and Red Velvet Obsession.
• Popsicles may be the new cupcakes. All sorts of frozen treats on a stick are showing up on Pinterest, including boozy popsicles spiked with vodka, rum and other liquors.  I’ve seen lots of boards dedicated to popsicles, for both kids and adults.
• Food in jars seems to be big, and I’ve seen pins of layered salads, vegetables and desserts in jars.  For parties, drinks in jars are a popular trend.
• Buffalo chicken is going crazy.  Pins include buffalo chicken dips, appetizer bites, grilled cheese, soup, pasta, mac’ and cheese, pizza, and wraps.  One pinner I follow has an entire board dedicated to Buffalo Chicken Love. Who knew there was a buffalo chicken movement brewing?
• Grilled cheese sandwiches have grown up, and I’m spotting tons of souped-up sandwiches with interesting ingredients layered between two slices of bread, such as White Cheddar Grilled Cheese with Avocado and Tomato.  This pin was repinned 88 times, so that really tells you that grilled cheese sandwiches are hot!
• Other pins that I’m seeing quite often include nut butters, pestos of all kinds, kimchi, mini appetizers and desserts, and meatless entrees.

What trends have you noticed on Pinterest?

Famously known for making you cry when you cut them and giving you bad breath when you eat them, onions just don’t get any respect. Yet, this Rodney Dangerfield of vegetables has a lot to boast about.  The surprising health benefits of onions was the topic of my latest post for WebMD’s Real Life Nutrition blog.  Hope you’ll go over to the page and check it out.

Maybe you’re ignoring onions – avoiding these pungent vegetables on a salad bar and skipping them on your sandwich or burger.  But “holding the onions” means you’re missing out on the bevy of bioactive compounds hiding underneath the paper-like skin.

Onions, like garlic, belong to the Allium family. Both bulbs are rich in sulfur-containing compounds that are responsible for their distinctive odors and for many of their health benefits.  Yet garlic seems to get all the glory.

It’s true that garlic is more heavily researched, but the scientific support for onions is not too shabby. People often underestimate the nutritional prowess of pale vegetables compared to deeply hued plants, but white and yellow onions contain a lot more health-enhancing polyphenols than you might expect. Red onions contain even more.

Onions are especially high in quercetin – one of the most well-studied flavonoids believed to protect against heart disease, stroke, and certain types of cancer. Population-based nutrition studies, or research that compares groups of people based on what they eat, have found that people who consume a lot of onions and other Allium vegetables have lower risks of stomach, colon, and prostate cancer.

Other studies suggest onions have anti-inflammatory benefits and anti-bacterial effects.  Onions are rich in fructans – a type of carbohydrate that acts as a prebiotic, helping to fuel beneficial bacteria in our digestive tract.

To reap the benefits of onions, you need a bit more than a sprinkling on your salad once a week.  Also, don’t count on deep-fried onion rings or the nearly 2,000-calorie Bloomin’ Onion at Outback Steakhouse as ways to increase the amount of onions you eat.

Aim for at least one serving of an Allium vegetable on your plate every day – including onions, scallions, garlic, leeks, shallots, and chives. For onions, that’s about one-half of a medium onion.  Here are some tasty ways you can do that:

Do you like onions or do you avoid them?  What are your favorite ways of eating onions?

Red onion heart photo courtesy of Max F. Williams on flickr.com
Raw onion sandwich courtesy of DocileFascist on flickr.com
Balsamic roasted onions courtesy of LindseyFrances on flickr.com
Bloomin Onion photo courtesy of sourskittled on flickr.com

No one seems to be neutral about mushrooms. You either love ‘em or hate ‘em. I’m officially on team mushroom. How about you?

I’m fervently fond of fungi, and now there are a lot of new reasons why you should be a mycophile too.  That was the topic of my most recent post on WebMD’s blog Real Life Nutrition called Mighty Mushrooms.

Image courtesy of HK2046 on flickr

Scientists are unearthing a variety of potential benefits linked to mushrooms – from boosting our immune system and fighting infections to protecting against heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Many of the medicinal qualities of mushrooms are traced to beta glucans – the same type of fiber that gives oatmeal its cholesterol-lowering abilities. Mushrooms are also packed with some surprising levels of nutrients, including B vitamins and the minerals selenium, potassium, and copper.

Some of the latest news about mushrooms involves vitamin D. Researchers found that bringing mushrooms out of the dark and exposing them to ultraviolet light causes their vitamin D content to soar, making them an unlikely but significant source of this important bone-building, immune-enhancing nutrient.

Mushrooms are also packed with antioxidants – even more than many deeply hued vegetables, including carrots and tomatoes. When it comes to one particular antioxidant, mushrooms are at the top of the heap. Penn State researchers found that mushrooms are the richest source of ergothioneine. Mushrooms contain 12 times the levels found in wheat germ – once thought to be the highest natural source of ergothioneine.

Other studies suggest mushrooms can help with weight management. That’s not surprising since mushrooms are about 90% water and contain few calories and virtually no fat. Dr. Lawrence Cheskin, director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center in Baltimore, conducted a study that used mushrooms as a meat substitute. Participants in the study saved 350 to 400 calories a day by using sliced, diced, or ground up mushrooms in place of meat in lasagna, chili and other entrees.

The Mushroom Trend

Fried shiitake mushrooms at La Birreria at Eataly by ChrisGoldNY on flickr

Beyond the renewed attention by the medical community, mushrooms are becoming culinary stars– no longer relegated to the supporting cast in a salad or on a slice of pizza.

These fragrant, woodsy fungi are now featured front and center on restaurant menus, from grilled portabella “steaks” and baby bella mushroom wraps to porcini-laden pastas, warm ragouts spiked with morels, and shitake risottos. Supermarkets now stock a burgeoning array of pre-washed, pre-sliced fresh mushrooms and myriad packages of exotic dried mushrooms – perhaps the greatest evidence of America’s new love affair with mushrooms.

If you don’t think you like mushrooms, it’s worth giving them another chance. Try grilling or sautéing mushrooms in a little olive oil and garlic instead of eating them raw – you might not be as turned off by the texture. Or grill a meaty portabella mushroom cap to use in place of a burger. These flavorful ‘shrooms are a good place to start if you haven’t been a mushroom fan in the past.

What are your favorite ways to enjoy mushrooms?

There are certain words used to describe foods that make me cringe. I wish we could officially retire them.

I don’t mean health claims on food labels; that’s an entirely different story (and I’ve covered that quite a bit in the past).  Now I’m talking about words that are frequently used in articles about nutrition or on TV food segments. Sometimes they’re used in the titles of recipes or featured on restaurant menus.  Or maybe you just hear your friends use these words to describe specific foods.

I know people mean well when they use these words. I can see how easy it is to go there. But I think these words send the wrong message. I wrote about four wince-worthy food words that I want to see less often in my latest blog post for WebMD’s Real Life Nutrition.  Hope you’ll check it out and let us know what food words bug you.

Here’s my list:

Guilt-Free

This description is often used to describe a recipe or menu item that has been trimmed of fat or lightened up in some way. That’s great, but why introduce guilt into the discussion? If a certain food or recipe is guilt-free (as it should be), that implies the counterpart must be deserving of guilt. A similar food with a little more fat, sugar, or calories shouldn’t make you feel guilty for eating it. All foods should be guilt-free. Let’s come up with a different adjective to describe a better-for-you food or recipe without conjuring up guilt. Find another way to describe lighter desserts or healthier snacks.

Sinful

You might see this term used to describe a luscious chocolate dessert or an ultra-rich ice cream. You can understand what this word is trying to convey, but why interject morality into our food choices? If you’re in the habit of judging food, you also tend to judge yourself by what you ate. If you think something is sinfully bad, then you’re apt to feel bad if you eat it. That means it’s hard for you to fully enjoy certain foods because you feel guilty when you eat them. This not only robs you of the pleasure, but it’s this guilt that often leads to overeating. I don’t think foods should be considered or “good” or “bad” and you shouldn’t feel bad about eating anything. My hope is that we keep morality out of the picture and stick to moderation.

Decadent

Related to sinful, decadent is another common term that’s used to describe foods that you think you shouldn’t eat. The official definition of decadent is “being self-indulgent or morally corrupt.” Again, there’s my problem. I think it all comes down to the misguided notion that certain foods are forbidden. Here’s where I really believe in the principles of mindful eating. The more you try to avoid certain foods, the more power they gain over you. When you know you can enjoy those “forbidden foods” when you want, the urgency to eat them in large amounts will eventually diminish.  Can’t we find other ways to describe a luscious dessert that’s more about taste and pleasure instead of indulgence and guilt.

Fattening

OK, here’s a word that’s getting lots of wear. It’s used so frequently to describe all sorts of foods. But there’s no single food that deserves that moniker on its own. It’s what you do day-in and day-out that really matters. You can have fattening habits. Eating too much is fattening. Not being active is fattening. But a single food does not equate to “fattening,” just because it may be high in fat, for instance. Sure, there are foods that are dense in calories and don’t have much to offer nutritionally.  But it’s one food.  It’s what you do the rest of the day that counts.

Is there anything that you would add to this list?

Images courtesy of cathy scola (brownies) and dawn huczek (banana) on flickr