Much to the chagrin of my family, I’ve been on a smoothie and fresh juice kick for the last few years. I have managed to concoct a few nasty-tasting batches of dirt-brown drinks. Just the sounds of the blender and juicer was enough to scatter the family (I discovered how to get alone time). They would yell “none for me!”. Once I learned not to use so many items in my juice, the taste and color improved significantly.

A couple of years ago, my friend Deb and I attended a 3 day conference in a small Pennsylvania town.  Food options were limited to fast foods, and the thought of eating fast food salads for 3 days was less than appealing. Deb and I decided the time was right for a juice detox. We bought bags upon bags of fresh fruit and vegetables and I brought along my juicer.  For 3 days we juiced all of our meals. We decided the only downside to the whole process was cutting up all of the fruits and vegetables. Kale proved to be the most difficult, as it clogged up my juicer more than a few times.

Microgreens (seedlings of edible vegetables and herbs) have gained popularity as a new culinary trend over the past few years. Small in size, at about 2 inches, microgreens can provide surprisingly intense flavors, vivid colors, and crisp textures and can be served as an edible garnish. My local grocer has been carrying baby spinach, kale and a mixed salad blend. I find they are much easier to juice and eat raw because I don’t have to cut them up and they are more tender than the full grown variety.

What I didn’t know until now, was the nutritional content of the micro-greens. How healthy are these compared to mature veggies? One might assume that it would take the mature plant to develop and store all of the nutrients. Researchers have recently answer that question.

Here is what they found:

 ”Among the 25 microgreens assayed, red cabbage, cilantro, garnet amaranth, and green daikon radish had the highest concentrations of ascorbic acids, carotenoids, phylloquinone, and tocopherols, respectively. In comparison with nutritional concentrations in mature leaves (USDA National Nutrient Database), the microgreen cotyledon leaves possessed higher nutritional densities.”

One can conclude that in the case of micro-greens, size does matter… smaller is better.

Reference: J Agric Food Chem. 2012 Aug 8;60(31):7644-51. doi: 10.1021/jf300459b. Epub 2012 Jul 30.

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New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proposed limiting the sale of super-sized sodas in an attempt to curb the obesity epidemic.

Opponents to the ban argue the people have a right to eat and drink what they want and their 1st Amendement rights are being violated. However, the obesity problem has become a global problem and health care costs associated with obesity related diseases affect all of society.

Diabetes and obesity are inextricably linked components in a global epidemic affecting as many as one-third of individuals in susceptible populations. According to the World Health Organization, there are more than one billion overweight adults at risk of type 2 diabetes, as well as other chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and certain forms of cancer 1.

Is it time for someone to step in? Get more information on the Bloomberg story and many others at EveryDayHealth.com.

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Calcium supplements have fared well as preventative measures in heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis in epidemiological studies (studies that look at disease frequencies and distributions in people who have the disease). However, when researchers compare diseased individuals to non-diseased individuals, as done in observational studies, calcium supplementation as shown no effect⁽¹⁾.

Calcium supplementation may cause overall cardiovascular mortality from heart attacks and stroke

A new study published in the May issue of the journal Heart warned this about calcium supplementation,

“Increasing calcium intake from diet might not confer significant cardiovascular benefits, while calcium supplements, which might raise MI [heart attack] risk, should be taken with caution.”

Osteoporosis and osteopenia (low bone mineral density) is a major public health threat for 44 million Americans⁽²⁾. These data raise new questions about the need for calcium supplementation altogether. Since calcium supplementation may not prevent disease and may cause cardiovascular deaths, what can we do to protect ourselves now?

Americans get more than enough protein, maybe too much

I believe the answer may lies in the American diet. Currently, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends each day 46 gms of protein for men and 36 gms for women⁽³⁾.

Below is an example diet from the CDC showing the amount of protein in several foods.

Protein content in common food item:

• 1 cup of milk has 8 grams of protein and 300 mgs of calcium
• A 3-ounce piece of meat has about 21 grams of protein and 21 mgs of calcium
• 1 cup of dry beans has about 16 grams of protein and 15-50 mgs of calcium
• An 8-ounce container of yogurt has about 11 grams of protein and 350 mgs calcium

If eaten in the same day, these four foods satisfy a mans daily requirement of 46 gms of protein and almost 75% of his calcium requirements.

It pretty obvious that most Americans are not lacking in protein, or calcium. Yet, nations who consume the most dairy also have the highest rates of osteoporosis⁶.

Excess dietary protein causes urinary excretion of calcium

 

“Increasing  protein consumption increases urinary calcium excretion over the entire range of protein intakes, from marginal to excess. Each 10-g increase in dietary protein increases urinary calcium by 16 mg, and doubling protein increases urinary calcium by 50%”⁽⁵⁾.

According to Vanderbilt University, even endurance athletes may receive limiting benefit from consuming additional protein⁽⁴⁾.

Protect your calcium stores by consuming less protein

When we talk about preventative health as it relates to osteoporosis, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer, we need to understand that the westernized diet is responsible for a declining health. We do not need calcium supplements, protein drinks, protein bars or any other processed food stuff. These item only benefit the manufacturers and not the consumer. Save your money and protect your health.

References

(1) Heath 2012:98:920-925 doi:10.1136/heartjno-2011-301345

(2) http://www.nof.org/node/40. 2012

(3) http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/protein.html. 2012

(4) http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/Protein.htm. 2012

(5) http://jn.nutrition.org/content/133/3/862S.full. 2012

(6) Nutrition Action Healthletter, June, 1993

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