Nutrimental Healthcare

So, working as a clinical dietitian has its benefits in being able to help a very wide variety of patients, but lately I've been barraged with so many questions about the ketogenic diet. I did a previous post on the specifics of this diet and have actually been involved in helping people to get off of it (check out article in Shape Magazine ). Here's the deal: Finding a dietitian to work with is as tricky as finding the right doctor or teacher who really "gets you" and understands and supports YOUR current goals. However, just like any provider it's my ethical duty to inform you about your options and make recommendations based on scientific evidence which supports that, then let you make an informed decision from there. So regardless of what I personally feel about this ketogenic diet, here is the evidence I have found thus far: 1. The vast majority of evidence for the use of this diet for medical purposes is indicated for individuals with epilepsy and other s

It turns out that the long-villanized egg has been cleared of its previous charges that it effects lead to heart disease. A new study in China of more than 500,000 people over the course of a 9-year follow up indicates that eggs do not effect heart disease risk, which corresponds to the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 released in 2016 about dietary cholesterol having no effects on the increased risk of elevated blood cholesterol, a marker of increased heart attack and stroke risk. Eggs actually contain valuable nutrients that are imperative to maintaining health including high quality protein (all other protein foods are actually rated against the egg, which ranks 100 on the 1-100 scale), choline (a super-imporant part of acetylcholine , a neurotransmitt er  in the  p arasympathetic  nervous system  that contracts  smooth muscles , dilates  blood vessels , increases bodily secretions, and slows heart rate), and a range of other B-vitamins like B6, B12, and antioxid

By now you've probably at least heard of trans fats, but may not know much about them. Are they good or bad for our health? What are they? Here's the quick and dirty: In response to the bad science erupting in the 1970's regarding heart disease and saturated fat consumption, the food industry created an alternative type of fat, trans fatty acids. These fats are made by applying high heat and pressure, along with some type of metal catalyst such as nickel, platinum, or palladium, to a fat (usually vegetable oil) to saturate, or fill up, all the bond sites. This alternative was used to create a similar tasting fat in processed foods, but without all the heart attacks and strokes. What was discovered much later was that heart disease continued to soar while saturated fat consumption was down, leading to the realization that trans fats were actually worse on heart health than the previous saturated fats, which is why the FDA ruled that by the end of 2018 all manufacturers mus

So for those of you who are still skeptical of the very basic nutritional dogma that states: Eat mostly real foods, others in moderation, and get a little exercise and everything will be fine. Here are some really neat new studies for your reading enjoyment! https://www.news-medical.net/news/20180323/Eating-regularly-rather-than-dieting-can-help-in-long-term-weight-management.aspx https://www.news-medical.net/news/20180405/Moderate-amounts-of-pasta-in-diet-leads-to-weight-loss.aspx

We often see new studies emerging with the latest research on the childhood obesity epidemic. See here for the latest . For some it's a matter of kids being less active, both at school and at home. In a never-ending search to make our kids smarter and more productive (3K, really?) the core standards of curriculum for students K-12 help to develop the requirements which all students must meet to pass grade levels and tests. However, the sacrifice for more academic time is met through cutting the arts (visual, performance, technical) and reduced recess and physical education time. My Kindergarten and 1st grade children have gym class once per week and 2 recess times per day (one immediately after lunch, the other either mid-morning or mid-afternoon), which may be taken away to punish them for poor classroom behavior. Continuing on, the first thing many children will do after school is grab a snack and sit on the couch for several hours watching television before having to address

Hello all, I had another topic for my blog this week, but I have been sidetracked with a number of discussions from curious clients, patients, coworkers, and friends about how to tell the difference between all the nutrition information out there and who to trust. This is a very tricky task, especially to the "untrained" eye of the public consumer just looking for a few helpful tricks to lose weight or feel healthier. Here are a few things to watch out for and consider. First of all, there are 3 types of professionals in the field of nutrition. The most highly trained and well versed are Registered Dietitians, who must complete a Bachelors degree at an accredited university (found here ), then complete a 1200 hour internship in the areas of food service management, community nutrition, and clinical nutrition. After that they much pass a national registration exam and maintain accreditation by completing 75 hour of continuing education every 5 years. There are additional s