Author: Jessica Serdikoff

Five years ago, I stopped eating non-grass-fed beef products, and my family questioned my sanity. Back then (said like it was ancient history), grass-fed beef was really hard to find where I live; now, it is only pretty hard to find. You could forget about seeing it on most restaurant menus. You basically had to hunt it down and sometimes special order it to cook yourself.

It also cost way more than my family had ever spent on meat.

A lot of people ask me now if it’s worth it. Given that I still stand by my decision, my obvious answer is yes…for me. But why, and does that mean it’s unequivocally better for everyone? What does the other side say?

THE PROS

– Many articles claim that grass-fed beef is leaner than grain-fed. It has less marbling, which is an important measure of internal fat that doesn’t get trimmed before cooking or eating.

– The ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats is more favorable in grass-fed beef, with a higher omega-3 content and lower omega-6. This ratio is a big deal.

– Cows evolved to eat grass. Feeding them grains can lead to more cattle sickness, which can promote more antibiotic use, which in turn sets the stage for stronger, antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can infect us. It also raises some ethical red flags, since the grains slowly cause liver abscesses and acidosis (both treated with more antibiotics, naturally), the latter of which can lead to sudden death syndrome.

– Most non-grass-fed cattle finish their lives in feedlots: essentially, expansive pens full of cattle as far as the eye can see. Not quite the image you normally conjure when you think of how your food was raised, right?

THE CONS

– It costs more upfront.

– Less marbling may mean less fat, but it also means a tougher, chewier product if care is not taken during preparation.

– If grass-fed is leaner, that means that it contains minimal amounts of fat. If it contains minimal amounts of fat, then how can it possibly be a significant source of omega-3 fats specifically? (It’s not.)

– Some authorities suggest that cows raised 100% on pasture result in huge increases in greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and land use, resulting in a larger carbon footprint. Feedlots, they argue, are far more efficient.

– Farmers like to remind us that all beef is grass-fed, but some is “grain-finished.” (In a feedlot. For “only” six months.)

– Grass-finishing can take up to a year longer than grain-finishing, which puts a strain on the beef supply.

I’ve actually had a farmer argue that their cows would rather never roam free, and in fact, prefer their indoor stalls with grain-filled food bins. My colleague’s response was spot on: “Well sure, I’d like to spend all day lying on my couch eating Cheetos too, but that doesn’t mean it’s good for me!”

Which leads me to…

THE BOTTOM LINE

You know what I’m going to say: FIT!

First of all, arguing that it’s not a big deal to finish a cow on grain if it spends “most of its life” on pasture is like saying it’s not a big deal if a human were to subsist entirely on corn muffins from age 50 onwards, as long as they ate salads every day before that. It’s ridiculous.

But look, here’s the thing: critics are right. We can’t convert all of our feedlots to grazing pastures and continue to pump out the tremendous quantities of beef to meet our nation’s current demand. Grass-fed or not, we eat too much red meat in this country, and it has a lot of hidden costs too few people are talking about. That statement is wildly unpopular, I know, but I’m not going to sugarcoat it for you.

Eat less meat.

One benefit of eating less? You might find that you can afford to buy grass-fed and finished, saving up for one, pricey purchase each month rather than lots of cheap ones. You can also save money by purchasing straight from the farm, usually in large-quantity cow shares that can be split with other families.

If, in the end, your family really cannot afford grass-fed meat, don’t panic. The worst thing would be to succumb to analysis paralysis, where the overwhelming idea of perfection prevents you from making any change at all. If you have to buy conventional beef, you can still impact the health of your family and your planet by focusing on portion size and frequency.

There is no one, right answer. My response has been to eat very small quantities of 100% grass-fed beef. For some, that may seem too extreme; for others, not extreme enough. But it’s my choice based on my evaluation of the facts. What will yours be?

Are you sick of hearing about red and processed meats causing cancer yet?
I understand. Stay with me.
I have read a lot of responses to the WHO’s categorization of processed meat as a Class 1 carcinogen, with red meat, in general, falling not far behind in Class 2A. At first, there was an uproar (from the meat industry). Then, there was fear (from the general public).
And now, it seems, there is placation. Don’t worry, health organizations all over assure us; you won’t get cancer from eating one hot dog.
It’s not that they’re wrong. You won’t get cancer from eating a hot dog, but this sugarcoated, tell-them-what-they-want-to-hear response makes me cringe all over. It encourages people to shrug off science and go right back to what they were doing before the report made headlines.
This is not a green light to go back to your Sausage Egg McMuffin every morning.
(I mean, you can. It’s a free country, but don’t expect me to say it’s what the dietitian ordered.)
Here is what you need to know about red and processed meats and your health.

1. Processed meats and cigarettes are both Class 1 carcinogens, but that does not mean that eating bacon every day is equally as carcinogenic as smoking cigarettes every day.

We have to get this out of the way first, because as biased as I am against processed meats, they are not worse than smoking. Quitting smoking is the single most positive change you can make for your health, period.

2. That being said, this recent “announcement” is not breaking news.

We have known for years that there is a notable relationship between red and processed meat consumption and disease, including heart disease and, yes, certain forms of cancer. Eat lots of red and processed meat, and you have a substantially higher risk of getting one or more of those diseases.
Does that mean everyone who downs a double bacon cheeseburger for lunch every day will definitely wind up with cancer? Of course not. There are also people who smoke twenty cigarettes a day and live to be 100. It’s called genes, and some people get the good ones. Feelin’ lucky?

3. If you’re not as lucky, here’s how these meats and meat products could impact your life:

• For every 50 grams of processed meat or 100 grams of red meat you eat every day, your risk of colorectal cancer goes up 18%. That’s three slices of bacon or about one plain quarter-pounder.
• Daily consumption of that same 50 grams of processed meats (but not unprocessed red meats) has been associated with a 42% increased risk of heart disease and a 19% increased risk of diabetes.
• People eating over 100 grams of red meat per day may be over three times as likely to get pancreatic by age 39, and the highest red meat consumers have a 40-50% increased risk.
• High meat intake has been associated with a 17 percent increased risk of breast cancer among women, though more research is certainly needed.

4. Despite what the commercials from the 1990s wanted us to believe, pork is not “the other white meat.”

It is, in fact, red meat; and if you cure it or stuff it into a sausage casing, then it’s also a processed meat. Oh, and if you swap out the pork for turkey but still call it bacon, that counts, too. It’s important to understand how the report defined all of these terms.

5. Stop looking for loopholes.

We can’t cheat our way out of this one. Turkey bacon is still bacon. Uncured bacon is (probably) still bacon. One slice of bacon is still bacon.
You don’t eat cake every day and call it healthy, do you? Desserts aren’t the only edible treats; other foods are meant to be consumed more sparingly as well.
Eat a hot dog on the 4th of July, but not on a random November afternoon. Have a few slices of Christmas ham, but don’t stock up on it for weekday lunches. The answer doesn’t have to be veganism (unless you’re into that), but why is it so controversial to say that eating bacon every day is less than ideal?
And last but not least, know this:

6. You can change a lot of your risk by eating more fruits and vegetables.

It always comes back to this, doesn’t it? Forget about the meat for a second. Ignore the lobbyists for the beef council, the PETA members and life-long vegans, the physicians and mommy bloggers and your Great Uncle Joe.
Nutrition is complex, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. When the messages get too messy and you feel overwhelmed, focus on just one thing:
Eat more fruits and vegetables.
(Especially the vegetables.)

Saturated fat is bad! No, only certain kinds! Wait, they’re all fine; vegetable oils are bad! Forget fats; it’s the carbohydrates that are killing us!
It’s no wonder nutrition confuses so many people. Sometimes even I feel lost in all those news stories about the “latest research.”
Coconut oil has been, for me, one of those challenging topics to wrap my head around. All of my years of schooling taught me that saturated fat increases heart disease risk, and coconut oil is about as saturated as fats get. Now, everyone and their mother is using coconut oil because it’s full of “heart healthy” fats. Where is all of this coming from? Who is correct?
Has my entire education been a sham?
Let’s start with the facts…
All fats contain a mixture of fatty acids, which can be saturated, monounsaturated, omega-6 polyunsaturated, or omega-3 polyunsaturated. Humans like neat categories, though, so we divide up food sources of fat according to the predominant fatty acid found inside of it. For example, coconut oil is considered a saturated fat because 92 percent of its fatty acids are saturated. As a comparison, butter is only 66 percent saturated, and we consider that to be a saturated fat, too. Clearly, not all saturated fats are identical.
In fact, saturated fats can be further subdivided by length. Some saturated fatty acids are considered long, some are medium, and some are short. Anywhere from 55-70 percent of coconut oil’s fatty acids are medium chain saturated (referred to as “MCT” from here out) and 22-33 percent are long chain saturated, compared with 8 percent and 39 percent, respectively, for butter. More on this in a minute.
For a long time, we thought saturated fat was the be-all and end-all of heart health, so a diet high in saturated fat was a big deal. (Shameless self-promotion: You can read more about that whole controversy in my butter-versus-margarine article.) Now many people say that’s not quite right. They’re generally the people who endorse eating coconut oil.
So what do these folks have to say?

THE PROS

– Saturated fat, in general, is no longer thought to be the demon it once was in promoting heart disease.
– MCTs are unique because they aren’t treated the same as longer saturated fats in the body. Evidence suggests they are excellent sources of energy, and some claim they do not pose adverse health risks. They may even have health benefits. Remember, about two-thirds of coconut oil’s fats are MCTs.
– Certain native islander cultures have used coconut oil as a dietary staple for a long, long time, and their rates of disease are distinctly lower than ours.
BEFORE YOU BUY THAT COCONUT OIL, THOUGH…
A lot of those studies I linked to above are just a smidge flawed. Some are old. Others are small or not representative of the general population’s demographics, and they gloss over some key points.

THE CONS

– Just because certain cultures consume coconut oil healthfully does not mean that people of all descents respond to it the same way. More and more, we’re learning that different diets may be optimal for different people, and it has a lot to do with genetics.
– Many studies look at MCTs in isolation, not in the context of actual food. If, perhaps, a food existed that was 100 percent MCT, then we might be onto something. However, we’ve already established that foods are complex and made up of many different types of fats. We need to do more studies on food, not isolated nutrients.
– Other studies claim there is insufficient evidence to promote MCT and coconut oil at this time, and for now we should treat coconut oil like any other saturated fat.
– Speaking of saturated fat, it might not be as detrimental as we once thought, but that’s assuming that we maintain a moderate total fat intake. Even the studies that support the use of coconut oil tend to say that their findings are not meant to be extrapolated to diets in which more than about 35 percent of calories come from fat.

THE BOTTOM LINE: FIT OR FLOP?

If we’re talking about putting coconut oil on everything, then it’s a FLOP in my book. But if you want to start replacing some of the other saturated fats in your diet with coconut oil, I’d call it FIT.
It comes down to the individual. Did your ancestors eat a lot of coconut oil? Is it your primary source of saturated fat, or do you also consume red and processed meats, high-fat dairy, and baked goods? What does the rest of your diet look like? How active are you?
These things matter.
When it comes to coconut oil (and life!), remember the three Cs: context, caution, and common sense. They rarely steer you wrong.

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who cook with olive oil, and those who believe that doing so will cause cancer.
No, that’s not how the saying goes? Hmm.
Let’s try this again: do you cook with olive oil? Should you cook with olive oil? Whether it’s on your radar or not, this is a hotly contested question, and I fully admit to having flip-flopped around it quite a bit as a nutrition expert.
Before we get into olive oil specifically, let’s address the underlying topic at hand: smoke points. Every oil has its own temperature at which it begins to smoke continuously. Smoking is an indication that it can no longer withstand the temperature and is starting to break down, which can ultimately lead to the formation of free radicals. Continuing to heat an oil beyond its smoke point can lead to it reaching its flash point, a.k.a. the temperature at which it ignites into flames. Yikes!
We don’t want that.
So the question is: what is olive oil’s smoke point? You would think this would be easy to find out, but in fact, there is no one, single answer. Grab any two olive oils from the shelf, and you could wind up with two wildly different smoke points. Olive oils can be filtered or not, refined or not, light, extra-virgin, virgin, pure, and the list goes on. Each of these nuances affects not only the flavor, but its ability to withstand heat.
Since there is no one, definitive answer, let’s consider the pros and cons of cooking with olive oil.

PROS

– The majority of the fat found in olive oil is monounsaturated, which means that it can help manage cholesterol levels.
– If you add olive oil to your cooking, you can stop relying on the inflammatory oils with which we normally cook (corn, vegetable, and soybean).
– A lot of resources indicate that it’s actually perfectly safe to heat olive oil, depending on the variety (we’ll get to that in a second), as high as 410 degrees Fahrenheit.

CONS

– Most resources that recommend cooking with olive oil specify that the more refined varieties have higher smoke points than their unrefined, extra-virgin counterparts. This is problematic, because it’s the extra-virgin olive oils that have most of the health benefits.
– Not to open up a can of worms, but too many olive oils on the market are not what they claim to be. Are you really getting what you pay for? Really, read that article as soon as you finish this one; it’s important and too few people are talking about it.
– Even if the smoke point is as high as 410 degrees Fahrenheit, that still leaves plenty of cooking for which olive oil is poorly suited: grilling and high-temperature roasting, to be precise. It’s also entirely possible to reach these temperatures on the stovetop.

THE BOTTOM LINE: FIT OR FLOP?

This one has to be a big ole FLOP. It really is best used in dressings, dips, drizzled garnishes, and sauces added at the end of cooking. Look, it’s fine to add a little olive oil to a pan to quickly sauté some vegetables over medium or low heat. Really, you will survive, and it adds a very nice flavor. However, for any recipe heated above 350 degrees Fahrenheit or on the stovetop for an extended period of time, I recommend a higher-heat oil. (My favorite is avocado oil.)
As for olive oil, splurge on the highest quality, most reliable bottle you can find. There are fancier ones available, but I have to give a shout-out to California Olive Ranch, because they’re totally legit (technical term) and readily available in a lot of grocery stores. (I’m not affiliated with them in any way, pinky swear.)
Once you’ve chosen your bottle, store it in a cool, dark place; your refrigerator is ideal, though I’ve found that a shelf in my dining room is a solid option. That cabinet that butts up against your oven is not a wise choice. Yes, it’s a little inconvenient, but yes, it really is that important. Heat and light break down oil, turning it rancid and, you guessed it, creating more free radicals. Why bother worrying about smoke points if you’re dealing with spoiled oil in the first place?
Extra-virgin olive oil may not be ideal as an all-purpose cooking oil, but its potential health benefits are uncontested. Follow this guide for storing and using it, and you won’t be disappointed.

Soy: is there any ingredient quite so controversial? The headlines it makes are divisive, passionate, conflicting, and downright confusing. One expert recommends it emphatically; the next calls it the worst thing you could possible eat. They can’t both be right…right?!
Well…
I can’t, in 800 words or less, give you a full run-down on all things soy, but I can tell you one thing: there is a big difference between traditional soy foods and more processed soy derivatives that are now so pervasive in our food chain. There are people who do believe that soy should never be consumed in any form, but there is little argument to be made that watching out for the latter, more processed soy would go a long way in mitigating the health concerns they raise. So let’s start there.
Traditional soy foods have been consumed for centuries in parts of the world, and can be either fermented (tempeh, miso, soy sauce) or not (tofu, whole soybeans, soy nuts, full-fat soy flour). These products are minimally processed and generally contain soy in its whole form. Cultures with traditionally higher intakes of soy also tend to have lower rates of breast and prostate cancer, heart disease, bone fractures, menopausal symptoms, and age-related brain diseases. (Important: that doesn’t mean soy is definitely the reason for these health benefits.)
However, traditional soy is not the source of most of our soy intake these days, and especially not in societies whose traditional cuisines did not include soy until recently. Rather than eating whole, minimally processed and sometimes fermented soy, we are consuming highly processed soy in the form of isolates, isoflavones, lecithin, concentrates, and so on and so forth. These forms of soy are troublesome for a number of reasons:
1. They are much more likely to come from GMO seeds, which really is another post entirely. Long story short: it has some pretty serious implications, if not for our own health, than at the very least for the health of the planet. Grumble if you will; I stand by that statement.
2. The method of extracting these isolated and processed forms of soy uses hexane, which comes with its own baggage.
3. Soybean oil specifically (and “vegetable oil,” which is almost always made of soy) is rich in omega-6 polyunsaturated fats, which are pro-inflammatory when over-consumed. Spoiler alert: we over-consume them.
4. Individual compounds behave very different when extracted or isolated than they do when packaged naturally with other compounds in the form of a whole food, and not in a good way. Which leads me to the last point…
5. Processed soy is, quite simply, a red flag indication of an overall processed product. The same way that a baked potato is a more nutritious choice than French fries, so too is a serving of seared tofu more nutritious than a soy burger or protein bar. Period.
Lately, I have noticed how preoccupied we have gotten with specific nutrients. We get hyper-focused on one antioxidant, ingredient, or compound, stripping it of context and losing sight of the bigger picture. Instead of looking at our diets and food system as a whole, we slice and dice them into pieces and suddenly, they have lost all sense of meaning.
Take soy protein isolate for example. It has been used for a while in products like meat analogs (fancy talk for those vegetarian burgers, chicken patties, turkey, and the like), but these days, you can find it in just about anything. Why? Research has associated eating whole, traditional soy protein with health benefits, so we have tried to pull the protein out of the soy and place it in the foods we already eat. (We also have a bit of an obsession with protein right now, and soy protein isolate is cheap.) However, jamming some extra isolated soy protein into a low-fiber, sweetened cereal, for example, does not a health food make.
We do this a lot with our diets: instead of eating fish, want to take fish oil pills; instead of eating a diet rich in fiber, we want to mix a sawdust-like powder into our water; instead of eating our vegetables, we want to buy pastas, wraps, and chips that mix corn or white flour with only enough vegetable puree to color them green or red.
The hard truth is that there are no short cuts when it comes to nutrition. It takes time, effort, and persistence. That also means, though, that it’s less complicated than we make it out to be. Forget the package claims and headlines for a second and ask yourself this: does the food you’re eating (and its ingredient list) look like it came from nature or a factory? Make sure the answer is nature more times than not. Everything else is just noise

If you’ve been wondering what the paleo diet is all about; if you’ve been following the paleo diet for any length of time; or if you’re looking to adopt a healthier lifestyle through diet: this article is for you.

First a Little Background

The paleo (“paleolithic” or caveman) diet posits that our ancestors evolved over millions of years to eat whole, unprocessed foods that they either foraged or hunted. Farming, whether it be plants or animals, is a relatively new practice, and paleo enthusiasts argue that our bodies have not had time to adapt to these “new” foods, particularly when consumed as frequently as they are today.
Paleo diets encourage fruits, vegetables, wild-caught fish and seafood, and pasture-raised or wild animal proteins. Nuts, seeds, chocolate, wine and spirits, and raw honey may be consumed in moderation. Dairy, grains, legumes (including peanuts), added sugar, and all stereotypically “processed” foods are out.
It’s really no wonder paleo has gone as mainstream as it has over the past year: It offers a new outlet for anyone who loved the Atkins carbohydrates-are-evil approach 20 years ago; and it conveniently fits into the recent boom in gluten-free dieters by rejecting gluten-containing grains. It in no way sought to capitalize on these popular diets (and in fact has been around for many decades), but they surely aided its momentum.
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So it’s popular, but is it healthy?

THE PROS

Avoiding processed foods is by far the greatest component of the paleo diet. Suddenly, we’ve eliminated cakes, candy, ice cream, chips, fast food, and basically every other trigger food in the Western diet. If you followed no other tenet of the paleo diet but this one, you would be healthier. Period.
More homemade meals is a happy byproduct. If you can’t rely on those quick convenience foods mentioned above, you’re going to wind up making more food yourself. Restaurants also become iffy, since the animal proteins they serve are not often pasture-raised and the fish not often wild-caught. Out of necessity, you will be cooking and prepping food more which is associated with improved health whether using paleo-friendly recipes or not.
(As an aside, the more popular paleo gets, the more companies and restaurants will offer convenient paleo-friendly items, which will make this particular benefit less of a give-in.)
Dairy, grains, and legumes do bother some people. These individuals may feel better when they do not consume these foods or, at the very least, when they consume them less. If you think you may react poorly to one or more of these foods, a registered dietitian can help you pinpoint them and suggest nutritious alternatives.

THE CONS

There are many experts debunking the accuracy of the paleo diet, but that doesn’t really concern me. Whether today’s paleo diet is The Real Deal doesn’t matter as much as carefully considering the risks and weighing them against the potential benefits.
Most people can’t sustain extreme diets that label certain foods as “good” and others as “bad.” The “bad” forbidden fruit become infinitely more appetizing, until you fall off the wagon into a gluttonous, guilt-ridden binge of potato chips and Ben & Jerry’s. I’ve seen it happen with paleo. It’s not pretty.
Restrictive diets risk nutrient deficiencies. Cutting out dairy removes our largest source of calcium, while beans and whole grains offer fiber, potassium, and B-vitamins, among other nutrients. It is absolutely possible to get these nutrients elsewhere, but it takes a bit more effort and a substantial amount of nutritional knowledge.
Loose interpretations may miss the point. It’s true that the heart of a paleo diet is vegetable-rich, but the average individual only hears, “you can eat meat but not grains.” Thinking of paleo as an excuse to eat more meat and go low-carb is not a recipe for improved health. Another risky interpretation is going overboard on the paleo-friendly versions of non–paleo-friendly recipes, especially dessert.

The bottom line: Fit or flop?

FLOP, but not because going paleo doesn’t have its merits.
There are a lot of awesome components of the paleo diet: namely, eating more vegetables; eschewing highly processed, chemical-laden convenience foods; and swapping factory-farmed meat out for wild game and pasture-raised options. However, I think we lose something when we vilify entire food groups and slap a label on ourselves, which only winds up feeling claustrophobic and divisive.
Instead of “following the paleo diet,” can’t we just agree to eat more real food? Paleo, raw, vegan: they’re just splitting hairs and distracting us from the real issue: our society is completely disconnected from our food, and that’s a problem.
Eat lots of vegetables. Cook more from scratch. Involve the whole family. Savor your food. Let’s stop harping on our differences, gather around the table together, and talk about all that we agree on for a change.

It might seem odd for a dietitian to love Halloween so much, but I can’t help it. The energy in the air is so contagious! It’s all just so fun.

I’m supposed to be the big stick in the mud who reminds everyone how completely unhealthy a night devoted to candy is, especially for our beloved children. Did you know the average Trick-or-Treater collects an estimated 3,500 to 7,000 calories in candy? That’s almost three cups of sugar, depending on the candy. You (or your kid) would have to walk 180 miles to balance out those extra calories!

Sound the alarm, people! This is not a drill!

Here’s the thing, though: Halloween is really just one night. The average American child consumes 32 teaspoons (2/3 cup, over four times the daily maximum), of sugar every single day. That’s basically like going Trick-or-Treating once a week. Cut out the Trick-or-Treating on this one night a year, and we still have a huge health problem on our hands.

Still, the heavy emphasis on candy surrounding Halloween doesn’t help. If we get creative, it can be a fantastic opportunity to make holidays in general healthier without losing that wonderful spirit.

WHEN IT COMES TO GIVING OUT TREATS…

You don’t have to be the lame house that gives out pencils. No one gets excited about pencils. Consider these tips for balancing out healthy treats with a healthy dose of fun:

– If you’re going to stick with candy, at least go for the fun-size bars. Yes, the houses that give out full-sized bars are the talk of the town, but when kids are loading up pillow cases with candy, a smaller portion size can make a big difference.

– Look for brands without all of the “junk” in them. High fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, dyes, and artificial colors can all be avoided with a little attention to the label. Candies without these ingredients will still contain refined sugar, but it’s a step in the right direction.

– Experiment with darker chocolates. Kids tend not to love super-dark varieties, but even a 72% can help increase antioxidants and fiber while minimizing added sugar.

– More and more, kid-friendly brands of non-candy foods are coming out with Halloween-friendly packages, but take a moment to consider whether they’re really much more nutritious. Fruit snacks, pretzel sticks, and graham crackers are also pretty empty calories that break down in the body quickly into sugar. Fruit leather made from 100% fruit (not juice), air-popped popcorn, or a mini fruit-and-nut bar make better options.

– Think outside the candy wrapper! Stickers, bouncy balls, temporary tattoos, and bubbles are just some of the ideas that are a bit more fun than a pencil or eraser, but not food-based. I tend to shy away from plastic trinkets that will likely wind up in the trash the next day, but something they can nevertheless be a nice alternative to candy.

– Consider going allergen-friendly this year, either with non-food treats or allergen-free ones.

WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR OWN CHILDREN….

– Drum up the fun by putting a larger emphasis on the fall season than Halloween itself. Go pumpkin and apple picking, spend a day on a farm, come up with homemade costumes together, or host a party full of healthier snacks and spirited activities.

– If you can, try to send them off trick-or-treating with small bags or baskets as opposed to large pillow cases.

– Rather than them trading candy with friends, encourage them to pare down their haul and donate ones they don’t like as much.

– Freeze some to pull out later in the year: Gingerbread house decorating, Valentine’s Day, Easter, or just the occasional snack in the context of an overall well-balanced, nutrient-dense diet.

– Bake up a delicious dessert together that you can share with friends, family, or neighbors. It’s still dessert, but sharing it with many people can spread the candy out, and it gives you and your kids an activity to participate in together.

– Turn it into a competition! My sister and I would always try to see who could make their candy last the longest; it wasn’t at all uncommon for me to still be savoring my stash into the new year. (Guess you can’t take the dietitian out of the girl, huh?) If your child doesn’t have siblings, the same concept can be applied to cousins, friends, or even just a personal record carried from year to year.

In the end, it is just one night. Try not to let all of the spooky statistics paralyze you. Build a healthy foundation for your children every other day of the year, do your best to celebrate the holiday in creative ways, but not matter what, enjoy it.

Happy Halloween!

No, not that F-word! Fiber!
Going gluten-free means cutting out a lot of foods, and with them, some very important nutrients. (See also: is gluten-free right for you?) One of these nutrients is fiber. Since a fiber-rich diet is arguably one of the best steps you can take toward improved health, that’s kind of a big deal. Eating enough fiber helps with digestion, cholesterol, blood sugar and insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, reflux, diverticulosis, and even immune health.
With many whole grains off the table when we’re talking gluten-free, we’re going to have to get a little creative. Fortunately, it’s actually a lot easier to keep your fiber up on a gluten-free diet than you might think.
The easiest change to make is to simply start reading labels on the products you already buy, which shouldn’t be much of a stretch since you’re probably already scrutinizing most labels. There are gluten-free products out there that actually have very high levels of fiber in them, you just have to know where to look.
The average woman needs 20-25 grams of fiber per day, while the average man needs 30-38, so you’re looking for a solid 7-10 grams per meal. Five grams is a bit of an over-generalized blanket recommendation for all products, since it will vary based on what else you plan to eat with it and what your individual needs may be, but it’s a solid place to start.
Oh, and check the ingredient list, too; if you see ingredients like “cellulose” or “inulin,” that means the company has added fiber and the product wouldn’t naturally be a good source without them. These added fibers have not been studied enough to know if they offer the same health benefits as naturally occurring ones.
Ultimately, though, products designed to mimic much-loved gluten-containing foods are not the most nutritious choices as diet staples. They’re great for making the transition to a gluten-free diet, and on occasion when you just have a hankering for a sandwich or slice of pizza. The rest of the time, the healthiest options are what we call “naturally gluten-free,” and they are easily the most nutritious sources of fiber for anyone, gluten-free diet or not.
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. Did you know that 90% of Americans don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables? That’s basically everyone, and these nutritional powerhouses are amazing sources of fiber. Berries, cruciferous vegetables (Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, and cabbage), squash, green peas, and dark, leafy greens are particularly high. Stir a full cup of berries into your yogurt in the morning; chop up an apple into a big, spinach salad for lunch; snack on kale chips; or roast up some broccoli and cauliflower for dinner.
NUTS AND SEEDS. Keep a handful of almonds on-hand for easy snacking; make a trail mix with sunflower seeds, dried fruit and air-popped popcorn; use walnuts instead of croutons for a crunchy salad topper; and find any excuse to add fiber-rich chia seeds into your day. Just be wary of cross-contamination! Always read labels carefully and definitely shy away from the bulk bins. Oh, and stick with the seeds if you have a nut allergy.
BEANS, BEANS, THEY’RE…really high in fiber, too. Like, really, really high. Buy chickpea flour for baking and cooking, make a three bean salad and add lots of veggies, roast some chickpeas for a protein- and fiber-rich snack, or puree some white or black beans into brownies if you’re feeling extra-bold. One of my favorite sneakily-healthy desserts is a sweet twist on hummus; it’s great with apple slices (or, you know, a big spoon)!
GLUTEN-FREE WHOLE GRAINS. Wheat, barley, and rye are not the only whole grains in town, nor are they the most exciting. Pick up a bag of certified gluten-free oats, or explore “new” ancient grains like quinoa, black rice (one of my favorites!), buckwheat, corn, and teff. Most grains can be made in advance and stored for a few days in the fridge, so cook up one big batch and have them on-hand for easy meals throughout the week.
Remember, fiber is crazy-awesome, but part of what makes it so great is the fact that the body doesn’t properly digest it. If you go too gung-ho on the fiber all at once, your body will likely revolt in the form of bloating, cramps, and constipation. Not fun. Start slow and drink lots of water as you go, and you should be just fine.
Gluten-free, like many restrictive diets, does put you at risk for certain nutrient deficiencies, but only if you’re not careful. A little bit of planning and a revamped grocery list are all you need to stay on track. Happy shopping!