Author: Jessica Serdikoff

Before I was a dietitian, I dreamed of becoming a pastry chef. (Because the two are so similar, you know?) Although my career twisted into this new, health-focused direction, I never lost my passion for baking. If anything, I’m now more passionate than ever, determined to channel all of my nutritional knowledge into producing a better baked good. Since this is the season of giving and all, why not share some of the tips I’ve learned along the way?

MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE HEALTHY HACKS: BAKING EDITION

Instead of white (all-purpose) flour, try something with more fiber. My favorite is white whole wheat flour, which is a whole grain (so there’s plenty of fiber), but it’s softer in texture than traditional whole wheat. Whole wheat pastry flour, oat flour, and the more elusive barley flour also make formidable allies when baking. Grain-free flours like almond meal and coconut flour earn honorable mentions, but their textures do not lend themselves to substitutions in absolutely every recipe.

Best in: most quick breads, brownies, and chocolate chip cookies

Avoid with: angel food cake, sugar cookies, or other delicate desserts

The *: I find the complexity of whole grain baked goods to be unparalleled by their refined counterparts. I bake almost exclusively with them. Not every recipe will disguise these higher fiber flours completely (many will), but I challenge you to give them a chance.

Instead of shortening, try coconut oil. Make sure that it’s solidified, as it melts at fairly low temperatures; storing it in the fridge is a safe bet. Coconut oil has the consistency of shortening without containing trans fats or undergoing the same degree of chemical processing. You can also try baking with butter in place of shortening, although it won’t always come out exactly the same.

Best in: any dough or batter, when solidified

Avoid with: frostings; go the all-butter route here instead, and make sure it isn’t stored in a particularly warm environment

The *: Honestly, there are enough recipes out there that you’re generally better off finding one that doesn’t call for shortening in the first place. It takes the guesswork out of the process since there isn’t really anything in nature that is quite like man-made shortening.

Instead of butter, try mashed avocado. One medium avocado is usually about one cup mashed or the equivalent of about two sticks of butter. Avocados have a creamy texture, mild flavor, and more monounsaturated fats than saturated ones, which is great for heart health.

Best in: recipes that call for creaming butter

Avoid with: recipes that call for melted butter, or plain recipes like sugar cookies or vanilla cake.

The *: No, your dessert will not turn green, but you do have to mash the avocado really well. Any clumps that remain in the batter will remain green even after baking, so mash, mash, mash! It’s also best to start with recipes that are more likely to hide those clumps: anything chocolate, for example, or recipes with “stuff” in them like nuts, dried fruits, or chocolate chips.

Instead of sugar, try…okay, this is the really hard one. Sugar is important for flavor and structure in baking, so messing with it means messing with chemistry. Yikes. First, simply try decreasing the sugar by about 25%, which often can be done without ill effects. Next, go for a less refined or processed sugar, like lower-glycemic coconut sugar, naturally low-fructose pure maple syrup, or nutrient-rich, true-source certified honey. Some fantastic recipes actually use dates as the sole source of sweetness, although I’ve had more success following recipes that call for this than trying to make dates work in a recipe built for regular sugar.

Best in: any recipe calling for granulated or brown sugar

Avoid with: recipes that require powdered (confectioner’s) sugar

The *: When using maple syrup or honey, decrease the other liquids in the recipe by about 25% and decrease the oven temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit, since both of these sweeteners brown at lower temperatures than regular sugar.

This list merely scratches the surface of what’s possible with healthier baking. Sometimes we get so nervous to fail in the kitchen (and life!) that we become too afraid to try. It’s just a cookie (or cake, or…) recipe! If it flops, it flops. I’ve had cupcakes that crumbled (layer them with some whipped coconut cream and fruit and call them a parfait), peppermint pudding that tasted like toothpaste (dilute with some stale bread, chocolate, and milk for a tasty bread pudding), and black bean brownies that were described quite generously as “kind of earthy” (there was no saving those). It’s okay! We learn from those flops. We grow from them.

And more often than not, we bake up something magical.

If there were ever a mascot for the entire holiday season, it would almost definitely be a giant sugar cube. We decorate gingerbread houses and dole out trays of cookies; there are Advent calendars and stockings both stuffed to the brim; and every other night is booked with yet another holiday party. It’s not Christmas that’s all around us, as Bill Nighy croons in Love Actually, but rather sugar that surrounds us all this season.

What a shame that sugar is also the root of all evil, according to the majority of recent health headlines.

No one (myself included) wants to hear that desserts are unhealthy, though. So the market has been flooded with sugar alternatives, sweeteners that claim to be just as tantalizing but without the calories or health concerns. Love ’em or hate ’em, they’re everywhere, and new ones seem to hit the market every year.

But are they safe?

FIRST, SOME BACKGROUND

When I refer to non-sugar sweeteners or sugar alternatives, I generally mean “nonnutritive” sweeteners, or ones that don’t contribute significant calories. They could be “artificial” (Splenda/sucralose, Equal/aspartame, Sweet’N Low/saccharin, Sweet One/acesulfame-K) or “natural” (stevia, monk fruit extract). We’re going to talk about all of them in this article, because although they are indeed quite different from one another, they all fit under the same umbrella.

THE PROS

Nonnutritive sweeteners, whether natural or artificial, do not affect blood sugar levels appreciably, which is important for individuals with diabetes. Stevia, in particular, may lead to a more favorable insulin response. After conducting analyses of currently available research, both The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and The American Heart Association support their use as part of an overall healthy diet. Sucralose, in particular, has been the subject of much research, something that Splenda as a company reminds us in its FAQ section.

A quick note on saccharin (Sweet’N Low) specifically: Research shows that normal intake is below the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) level determined by international scientific expert committees of the United Nations. Saccharin did spark controversy in the 1970s for animal studies linking it to cancer, but we now know this link is not a concern for humans.

The short version of this side of the story? They’re safe in that they are not associated with cancer (important!), and they also don’t seem to have any negative impact on the environment (also important). As far as their effectiveness, well, that’s another story…

THE CONS

There is much more research that still needs to be done! Some of the research shows short-term weight loss associated with these sweeteners, but nothing conclusive in the long term (so the weight is often regained).

Perhaps even more troubling is the recent research on rats (not humans, admittedly) that made headlines and implicated nonnutritive sweeteners in glucose intolerance (which can develop into full-blown diabetes) and altered gut bacteria. With lackluster gut bacterial populations being linked to everything from obesity to mood, that’s kind of a big deal and warrants further investigation.

Oh, and a bunch of the organizations that cite these sweeteners’ safety happen to be quietly supported by some of the biggest names in the food industry (think Coca-Cola, Dannon, Monsanto, PepsiCo, and Nestle, to name a few). There’s nothing inherently wrong with companies funding research on their own products (who else is going to do it?), but the whole thing is still pretty sneaky and certainly raises questions of bias.

A quick note on stevia and monk fruit extract: These “newbies” on the market are not yet considered Generally Recognized as Safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because of lack of research to date. That’s not to say they’re dangerous; they’re just not studied nearly as extensively as other sweeteners.

THE BOTTOM LINE: FIT OR FLOP?

I do not recommend nonnutritive sweeteners to my clients, artificial or natural, so I guess that means I’m calling this a flop. In general, we’re better off focusing on eating food instead of products, and these sweeteners are definitely products. I don’t like being a company’s guinea pig, and without more research, that’s really what’s going on. Still, that doesn’t mean that they can’t be used safely and effectively. Ultimately, that’s not really the point.

The solution to our sugar habit is not to find a loophole in the system; it’s to take that scary, uncomfortable road toward shifting our diet patterns overall. Swapping regular ice cream with sugar-free ice cream might make you thinner but it won’t make you healthier, and that’s the real issue.

We have come to rely on that sweet flavor so much. It’s time we start challenging those lazy taste buds of ours. There’s a big, complex world of flavors outside of sugar and it’s waiting for us. Go on, take a bite!

If you’re ever in the mood for a migraine, start researching GMOs.

Seriously, I feel like I’m eight years old, playing an exhausting round of he-said-she-said. But I’m going to do my best to sort it all out for you in 800 words or less, because you deserve to not be so darn confused about the food you’re eating.

Are you ready? Deep breath. We can do this.

First of all, GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. Sometimes you’ll hear the process referred to as Genetic Engineering (GE) or biotechnology. Scientists find some gene from one thing and stick it into the DNA of something else. If those “things” belong to the same family, it’s called cisgenic. If those “things” belong to different families, it’s called transgenic. So if, in theory, a scientist were to put a gene from a Granny Smith apple into the DNA code for Golden Delicious apples, that’s cisgenic, because they’re both apples; but it’s transgenic if they were to put a gene from a spider into the DNA code for a tomato, because spiders and tomatoes are not the same. Obviously, transgenic biotechnology is a touch more controversial. Cisgenic is basically what farmers have been doing forever, but they called it “cross-breeding” and it took a long time and less expensive equipment.

Keep breathing. We’ll get to the science and the name-calling gossip in just a second. Before that, one more very important point: the debate on GMOs is not just about your health. This debate is political and economic. It’s about our food and yet, in the end, it really has very little to do with the food at all. That’s why it’s so complicated. We aren’t just asking if GMOs are safe to consume; we’re also asking if they’re sustainable and ethical to produce. And that’s where the sparks really fly.

(SOME OF) THE PROS

– There is an overwhelming amount of evidence showing that genetically modified feed does not have an appreciable impact on animal health and productivity. In fact, a large number of international health organizations have made public statements regarding biotechnology’s safety.

– Genetically engineered crops are designed to reduce the need for toxic insecticides which do pose serious health risks, particularly for those working in the fields.

– European countries developed GMO bans not for health and safety reasons, but for political ones regarding self-sufficiency and protectionism. (See? Politics.)

– One initial study did not find an association between Bt corn (a GMO) and honeybee health, though the scientists emphasized that more research is needed in this area. Hold that thought.

– Crops genetically engineered for insecticide resistance promote more species diversity in the surrounding fields compared to conventional crops. Also, hold onto to that one.

(SOME OF) THE CONS

– Other studies have shown concerning associations between glyphosate, the herbicide used on “Round-Up Ready” (GMO) crops, and bee colony health. Anecdotal reports from beekeepers and farmers, though not the hallmark of flawless science, also appear a bit bleak. Oh, and Bt corn (a GMO) might also mean bad news for the butterflies.

– Despite claims that GMOs are intended to reduce the need for chemicals sprayed in fields, they actually result in higher herbicide use, which can lead to herbicide tolerance and “superweed” development. Exposure to these chemicals has been associated with cancer, Parkinson’s, hypothyroidism, and immune suppression.

– Health aside, biotechnology allows a company to put a patent on life. The companies then own those crops (and, now, animals) they engineer. That’s a scary thing.

– The Environmental Working Group published a report debunking the oft-made claim that we need GMOs to feed the world’s growing population. In short, traditionally bred crops far outperform the GE crops across the board.

THE BOTTOM LINE: FIT OR FLOP?

Here’s what my research taught me: GMOs are both helpful and harmful to crop diversity, bee colony health, monarch health, reduction of chemicals sprayed on crops, and sustainability, depending on who you ask. Every single argument from one side of the fence directly contradicts an argument made from the other side.

It makes me think that we don’t really know what effect these crops are having or will have on our planet. It also makes me wonder what phenomenal feats we could accomplish if we funneled all of that biotech money into some of the more traditional methods discussed in the EWG’s report.

If you ask me to evaluate the current evidence on safety, I have to give GMOs the thumbs up, but safety is only part of the story. There are also the farmers bullied by the likes of Monsanto, an agricultural system obfuscated by politics, and yet-to-be seen latent and long-term consequences of a science younger than I am. And to that, I say: FLOP.

I’m pretty sure I’m the only person in the universe not taking a fish oil supplement.

Ok, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration; apparently only 10% of the population takes one, but I rarely go a day without someone asking me about it. It’s enough to make a girl wonder, what’s with all the fuss? Am I missing something? Are you?

Could we be adding years of blissful health to our lives by popping one simple pill every day?!

First, to be clear, we’re not going to cover all omega-3 supplements in this article. We’re really focusing on the fish oil omega-3 supplements, since omega-3’s can come from a host of different foods. In general, the omega-3’s found in fatty fish (DHA and EPA) are thought to be more efficiently used than the one found in plant-based foods (ALA), like chia and flax seeds.

THE PROS

– ConsumerLab.com released a report indicating that fish oil supplements do not pose the same risk of mercury and PCB contamination that comes with eating omega-3 rich fish, like salmon. Consumer Reports generally agreed with those findings. In theory, then, you can reap the benefits of fish without the risks.

– Fish oil supplements effectively lower triglycerides, which are associated with heart disease, obesity, and diabetes when elevated.

– Regular consumption of omega-3 rich fish has been associated with a host of health benefits, but pills are much easier to swallow for most Americans than eating actual fish. Packaging the omega-3s into pill form is a way to increase consumption in a way that pleases most consumers.

– There is some evidence that fish oil supplements may have a slight benefit for a myriad of conditions beyond just cholesterol, including high blood pressure, menstrual and arthritis pain, ADHD, asthma, osteoporosis, kidney disease, bipolar disorder, and Raynaud’s syndrome. Quite the Jack-of-All-Trades!

THE CONS

– Supplements aren’t regulated, which means you don’t always get what you pay for: one analysis of over 50 top-selling fish oil supplements found significant discrepancies between what the label advertised and what was actually inside the bottles. That same analysis found measurable amounts of mercury in every single brand tested, which calls into question the findings mentioned above.

– The overwhelming majority of reviews have found that fish oil supplements do not change your risk of adverse heart events at all. What’s the point in having low cholesterol if you’re just as likely to have a heart attack?

– There’s a lot of mixed and contradictory evidence. Although one of the links above claims that the supplements may slightly benefit bipolar disorder symptoms, yet another states the condition may actually be exacerbated by the supplementation. It also points out some other side effects and concerns, including nausea, loose stools, and nosebleeds.

THE BOTTOM LINE: FIT OR FLOP?

No one gets loose stools and nosebleeds from eating fish, but you might from taking fish oil supplements. I think that one sentence sums up my opinion on this topic pretty well. Flop!

Look. Nutrition is an evolving science, and the truth is, we really don’t understand all of the complexities of the human metabolism and how it responds to the things we feed it. Here’s what we do know: eating two servings of fish a week has been associated with improved health, but those benefits don’t seem to translate to the isolated supplements.

Whole foods are like bundle deals, packages of a lot of nutrients that all work together to have an effect on the body. More and more, we’re learning that isolating just one of those nutrients and putting it into pill form just doesn’t work the same way. We evolved to eat food, not pills.

I know, I know, pills are easier, less expensive, and don’t taste like, well, fish. That’s a big deal-breaker for a lot of people. It’s also hard to find quality seafood in some areas of the country, and there’s a growing concern all over about the contaminants in a lot of fish. However, eating fatty fish is just one step you can take to improve your health. If it’s too far of a reach for you right now, focus on all of the other foods and activities you can embrace that will also bring you benefits.

So now it’s broken record conclusion time: eat more fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and whole grains; squeeze in some servings of fatty fish if and when possible; get enough sleep; find ways to chill out; and work up a sweat a few times a week. If it makes you feel better and you can afford it, you can consider a low-dose fish oil supplement to be a safety net, but don’t lose sight of how all of your choices, not just this one, impact your health.

Agave nectar: it sounds almost ethereal, doesn’t it? It makes me think of Aztec gods and goddesses and a world far more luxurious than my own.
Seeing an entire row of the stuff in my local supermarket, bottled up and sandwiched between stevia packets and one-pound bags of bright white powdered sugar is, well, somewhat less glamorous. This once-niche product is now officially mainstream, and there seems to be a pretty substantial divide between its advocates and haters.
To catch anyone up to speed who is unfamiliar with agave, yes, it is also used to make tequila. There are over 100 species of agave though the blue variety (agave tequilana) is generally preferred for making the syrup.
So what’s the deal? What makes it different, for better or worse, than any other liquid sweetener on the market?

THE PROS

Agave nectar is fairly low on the glycemic index (GI), which means it’s less likely to spike blood sugars than, say, regular table sugar. Keeping blood sugars steady, rather than spiking and crashing, is a good practice for anyone, though it’s particularly important for anyone with pre-diabetes or diabetes.
Agave tastes sweeter than table sugar, which means you can often get away with using less.

THE CONS

The reason agave is so low GI is because it is anywhere from 70-90% fructose. Yes, fructose, the type of sugar in high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) that has everyone all up in arms, except…high-fructose corn syrup is only 55% fructose. So agave has more fructose than the all-dreaded HFCS, leading former agave supporters like Dr.Oz to say “Oops, my bad.” Fructose is a concern because it isn’t processed like other types of sugar and, therefore, could be contributing to the soaring incidence of diseases like insulin resistance (diabetes), obesity, and non-alcoholic fatty [linkbuilder id=”6438″ text=”liver disease”].
Processing agave is not as simple as squeezing sap from the plant into a bottle and shipping it to a grocery store near you. It is, in fact, a highly processed sweetener that has been stripped of the original plant’s nutrition. It may have been natural when farmers in Mexico extracted it manually years ago, but as is the case with most commercialized food products, that no longer holds true.

THE BOTTOM LINE: FIT OR FLOP?

Honestly, agave’s time in the spotlight has really already passed. It was like pulling teeth, trying to get Google to show me a single page listing legitimate, verifiable health benefits. But I still hear people making the same misguided claims: it’s natural, it’s better, it’s healthier.
It’s not.
Not all sweeteners are created equal, and agave does not stand in the front of the pack. Pure, 100% maple syrup is largely glucose (as opposed to fructose), does not undergo significant processing, and contains a fair amount of minerals. Raw honey is packed with enzymes and, when purchased locally, may help alleviate mild allergy symptoms. And blackstrap molasses contains both calcium and iron. All of these sweeteners are more natural and nutritious than agave.
That being said, there isn’t a single sweetener out there that is a magic bullet for disease. In the end, sugar is sugar, and we should be consuming less of it no matter the form.
Nature created a full palate of complex flavors: tart berries, sour citrus, and bitter coffee beans, to name a few. The beauty of our taste buds is that we have the opportunity to savor all of them, but only if we resist drowning them in whatever bottled sweetener the current generation has chosen to place on a pedestal. Those complex flavors take some getting used to, but if you give them a chance, you’ll be opened up to a world of delicious possibilities.
Bon appétit!

Are you gearing up for Thanksgiving? Do you have your menu set yet? Let’s face it: the food we await all year is not just food; it’s memory and nostalgia, love and familiarity. There are some really cool healthy twists on Thanksgiving favorites out there.

But that’s not what this article is about.

This article goes out to the true Thanksgiving purists, the ones who want none of the internet’s mashed cauliflower or vegduckens.

I’m here to help. You don’t have to throw in the towel until New Year’s just because your favorite recipes don’t mesh with your health goals.

My Fool-Proof Guide For A Healthy Thanksgiving Without Changing A Single Recipe:

Step 1: Every other day (OK, most others), make sure your diet is jam-packed with nutrient dense foods.

What does your diet look like the other 364 days of the year? Fall in love with veggies. Quench your thirst with water. Don’t overdo it on the fried food and sweets. Learn to appreciate the hearty texture of a good, whole grain bread. You know the drill. Do all that, and one night won’t make much of a difference.

Step 2: Don’t forget breakfast and (maybe) lunch on Thanksgiving day.

Saving your calories doesn’t work; it just makes you cranky and so desperate for food, you pile your plate even higher. Now, sure, maybe don’t go for a five-course lunch two hours before you sit down to the turkey, but do eat sensibly and regularly leading up to the main “event.”

Step 3: Move your body.

Sneak in an early morning run or gym session. Rally up friends for a game of touch football. Run around with the kids before dinner is ready. Round up the troops and take a brisk walk between dinner and dessert. Don’t do it to “earn” the right to eat more or punish yourself for having eaten too much; do it because it puts you in a fresh, motivated state of mind and keeps you from losing sight of your goals.

Step 4: Know thy spread, know thyself.

Ask around to figure out what everyone is bringing, and make a game plan. Get a good mix of better-for-you options and the dishes that define Thanksgiving for you. Oftentimes, we eat something out of habit or because it’s there. Which dishes are Thanksgiving exclusives (Aunt Mae’s prize-winning pumpkin pie), and which can you get pretty much any day of the year (dinner rolls with butter)? Is turkey your jam, but green bean casserole not so much? By all means, eat what you love, but don’t waste your time on the dishes that aren’t that special.

Step 5: Breathe.

Once you have your plate in front of you, pause for at least five seconds. Say a prayer if you’d like, or simply take a deep breath. There’s a lot of commotion involved in getting the meal on the table, and this simple act can be the difference between savoring your food and wolfing it down in the blink of an eye.

Step 6: Eat to satisfaction, not discomfort.

Isn’t it ironic that we talk so much about Thanksgiving food bringing so much joy, and yet we eat so much of it that we make ourselves physically ill? Take a pause before going for seconds. Can you pack a serving up and have it with lunch the next day instead, when you’re not so full? If you don’t eat another bite, will you later regret it, or will you have forgotten all about it? Be honest with yourself. And remember, Thanksgiving happens every year. This same food will be back before you know it.

Step 7: Focus on the holiday.

Thanksgiving is about taking a moment to appreciate your life. How could you celebrate in non-food ways? Enjoy the conversation. Spend some time with relatives, in from out of town. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Sign up for a Turkey Trot or charity walk. Food has become the main event, but it’s really only one part of the holiday. Celebrate the day to its full capacity.

Step 8: Walk away.

What happens at the Thanksgiving dinner table, stays at the Thanksgiving dinner table. Whether you feel great or a bit overstuffed, remember that Friday morning is another day, an opportunity to start fresh. Make yourself a healthy breakfast. Meet up with a friend for a spirited shopping marathon. Sure, make a note of the decisions you made the night before and how they made you feel both physically and emotionally so that you can hopefully learn from the experience, but then move on.

There you have it: a healthier Thanksgiving without messing with tradition.

So go ahead, eat that turducken!

Just, you know, maybe not the whole turducken?

However you celebrate, have a Happy Thanksgiving!