Fiber is the Future

If you love peanut butter – its taste and texture, but not the fat and calorie profile – you must check out PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter from Bell Plantation.

Powdered peanut butter? I know, I was skeptical too. But then I saw it endorsed in CSPI’s Nutrition Action Healthletter, so I gave it a shot. And folks, rest assured: this is no astronaut food.

By pressing slow roasted peanuts – PB2 ends up with 85% less fat and calories than traditional peanut butter.  You simply mix 2 Tbsp of PB2 with 1 Tbsp of water. Stir until smooth. Voilà!

It’s PB, but without the pain in the B of those extra calories…

I bet you’re wondering: does 85% less fat and calories mean 85% less nutrition?

Quite the opposite: in a 2 Tbsp serving you get:

• 45 calories
• 1.5 grams of fat
• 0 g saturated fat
• 94 mg sodium
• 5 g total carbohydrate
• 2 g dietary fiber
• 1 g sugar
• 5 g protein

That’s the same amount of fiber you get in a 200 calorie 2 Tbsp dollop of the real thing. Not bad for something that looks, tastes and feels like real peanut butter!

So branch out of your peanut butter safety zone, and get on board with powdered peanut butter. You can purchase PB2 from Amazon or direct from the company.

A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine finds that red meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease-related death, cancer-related death and total death.

The study, conducted by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed the consumption patterns of 37,698 men and 83,644 women enrolled in national-level health studies over a 20 year period. The researchers found that:

• Adding 1 extra portion of unprocessed meat per day increases death risk by 13%, cardiovascular disease death by 18% and cancer death by 10%
• Adding 1 extra portion of processed meat per day increases death risk by 20%, cardiovascular disease death by 21% and cancer death by 16%

If you’re looking for the silver lining: replacing high fat cuts of red meat with leaner choices such as fish, chicken or nuts reduces early mortality risk.

A new report out from the CDC says that breads and rolls are the number one source of salt in the US diet.

These findings are surprising because they indicate that it’s the amount of breads and rolls we eat – and not necessarily the sodium content per serving – that is pushing US salt intake over recommended intake levels.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend we eat no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. People aged 51 and over, African Americans and those with hypertension, diabetes or chronic disease should limit salt intake even further, to 1,500 mg of sodium per day.

It is estimated that 90% of Americans eat more salt than they should each day and the CDC report finds that just 10 foods are responsible for 44% of the sodium intake in the US. Breads and rolls make up 7% of the salt we eat.

The top ten contributors of salt in our diet are:

• Breads & rolls
• Cold cuts & cured meats
• Pizza
• Poultry
• Soups
• Sandwiches
• Cheese
• Pasta dishes
• Meat dishes
• Snacks

Cutting back on breads and rolls – especially those made from refined wheat flours (i.e. white flour with brown food coloring and a few micronutrients thrown back in) can not only help reduce calories and promote weight loss, but we now know they may also be a vital link in lowering our excessive sodium intake levels too.

Watch out for 100% whole wheat bread though – while it might be better for you from a whole grain and fiber standpoint, sodium can rack up here too. Look for 100% whole wheat breads that are lower in sodium, keeping in mind that salt is an essential component of the bread-baking process.

A new study to be published in the February issue of the journal Gastroenterology appears to show that the formerly friendly relationship between fiber and diverticular disease prevention has soured.

The article – which doesn’t beat around the bush with its austere title, “A High-Fiber Diet Does Not Protect Against Asymptomatic Diverticulosis” looked at 2,104 individuals and found that a high fiber diet does not necessarily reduce the prevalence of diverticulosis.

Diverticula are the outpoutchings in the wall of the large intestine. While the presence of diverticula – called diverticulosis – doesn’t necessarily mean pain or progression to diverticulitis, about 10-25% of those with diverticulosis will eventually develop diverticulitis, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases.

This particular study, conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, found that, despite previously accepted theories:

• Those with the lowest intakes of fiber were 30% less likely to develop diverticula than were the high fiber eaters
• High rates of constipation were not associated with greater diverticula risk
• A high fat diet and sedentary lifestyle do not increase diverticula risk

The authors go on to conclude that having more bowel movements is actually associated with more diverticulosis.

Without offering a plausible explanation behind the findings, the researchers summarize their findings with a thought provoking recommendation: maybe it’s time the food police reconsider previous dietary hypotheses regarding asymptomatic diverticulosis.

A new study published in the online edition of Nutrition Reviews concludes that eating up to 50% of your grains from refined grain sources does not significantly increase disease risk.

The review article, entitled “Evaluation of the evidence between consumption of refined grains and health outcomes” looked at 135 articles published on the topic from 2000-2010.

The author, Peter G Williams of the University of Wollongong (Australia) found that consuming half of grains from refined grains – provided the refined grains did not have added fat, sugar or sodium – did not increase risk of developing heart disease, diabetes or promoting weight gain.

Although there was no established link between high refined grain consumption and disease development, the author still warns that it’s not a reason to eat less whole grains, saying, “Nonetheless, eating more whole-grain foods remains an important health recommendation…most consumers will need to reduce their current consumption of refined grains to no more than one-third to one-half of all grains in order to meet the targets for whole-grain foods.”

The sticking point is the study looked at refined grains WITHOUT added fat, sugar or sodium. This excludes sugared cereals, fatty fries and salted snacks: the very refined grains that account for so many excess carb calories in the American diet, once again proving the point that when it comes to carbs, you’re safer to say, “If it’s white – walk away!”