diet

Donuts are one of the many processed foods that may forever be altered if the FDA decides to crackdown on trans fats.

According to the Food and Drug Association’s news release, hydrogenated oils are not generally recognized as safe for consumption due to their high dietary source of trans fats.

Scientists reached this conclusion over 20 years ago in the early-1990s as studies gradually revealed the correlation between trans fatty acids and cardiovascular health complications. By 2002, the American government openly acknowledged the validity of extensive scientific research, stating that large amounts of trans fats are unsafe for human consumption. More than a decade later, the FDA has finally taken the initiative to restrict these hazardous man-made fats from American food supplies.

At the turn of the 20th century, partially hydrogenated oils were first introduced in food processing in order to increase a product’s shelf life, and completely alter the textures and consistencies of packaged foods.

The process of hydrogenation chemically modifies liquid fats, changing them into solids at room temperature. The carbon atoms in saturated fats are thus saturated with hydrogen atoms, directly altering the chemical structure of the fatty acids.

While small trace amounts of trans fats are found in some animal products, humans most commonly consume them as an artificial byproduct of partially hydrogenated oil.

The American Heart Association recommends less than one gram of trans fats per day. Once one factors in the amount of naturally occurring trans fats found in some meat and dairy products, “This leaves virtually no room at all for industrially manufactured trans fats” to be consumed in the average diet.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, trans fats have been shown to raise low-density lipoprotein (bad) cholesterol levels while also lowering high-density lipoprotein (good) cholesterol levels. This ultimately increases the risk of experiencing life-threatening health complications such as heart disease and stroke.

FDA commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. is hopeful for the monumental initiative that the FDA is taking in recognizing the dangers of trans fats in processed foods. “Further reduction in the amount of trans fat in the American diet could prevent an additional 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths from heart disease each year,” Hamburg said.

As of late, many food manufacturers have already taken the step towards eliminating these hazardous fats from their products. McDonald’s, for example, has not fried their French fries in trans fats for nearly a decade.

As a result, the FDA reports that from 2003 to 2012, trans fat intake among Americans has decreased drastically from 4.6 to roughly one gram per day. Yet, trans fats “remain an area of significant public health concern,” Hamburg stated. Health specialists unanimously agree that human consumption of any level of trans fats is generally unsafe.

Recently under pressure from health advocacy groups, the U.S. government officially made trans fat labeling mandatory as of 2006.

While this may pose a seemingly simple solution to the issue of trans fat consumption in the United States, misleading labeling continues to leave many Americans at risk. Current law makes it completely legal to list trans fat content as zero if a product has lower than .5 grams a serving. As a result, if you were to consume four servings of a food product that has .4 grams of trans fats, you have already unknowingly exceeded the American Health Association’s suggested daily trans fat intake.

These numerous legal loopholes allow food manufacturers to openly deceive unsuspecting consumers. So how do we know exactly what we are eating? The FDA advises Americans to look for key ingredients on food labels: “shortening”, “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil”, and “hydrogenated vegetable oil.” These words may all hint at the presence of artery-clogging trans fats that are absent from nutritional facts due to legal technicalities.

Luckily, UCLA’s On-Campus Dining Services have made it easy and convenient for health-conscious students to gain a better understanding of exactly what they are eating. For students who wish to avoid trans fats as well as other unhealthy food additives, Dining Services provides dining hall menus and nutritional information that is updated daily.

While trans fats are still present in a select few dishes on campus, Dining Services has developed an honest and truthful method of labeling these ingredients regardless of whether a dish contains less than .5 grams of a particular substance.

However, UCLA’s Dining Services has recently made progressive steps towards improving the quality and nutrition of on-campus dining. Bruin Plate, the newest addition to UCLA’s five on-campus dining halls, boasts both fresh and healthy dishes using locally grown and organically raised ingredients. Be sure to visit Bruin Plate, Sproul’s new residential restaurant, for healthy and wholesome dining options.

Author: Amanda Washington

Nommo Staff

For a while now cranberry juice has been known to have beneficial health properties. Cranberries are a good source of vitamin C and are rich in antioxidants. In order to retrieve the full benefits from cranberry juice consumption, it is important to drink the right kind. Many cranberry juices are sweetened in some way to make it more palatable due to its tartness. You want the cranberry juice that does not have a lot of additives and is in a more pure form. Because the juice can be tart, diluting a cup with water can make the juice more enjoyable for some.

Some of the ways cranberry juice can improve your health:

1. Prevents Urinary Tract Infections

UTI’s result when a certain microorganism exceeds normal levels in the urinary tract. Cranberries contain the compound proanthocyanidins that provides anti-clinging properties preventing the microorganism from sticking to the urinary tract and potentially building up.

2. Prevents the build-up of Plaque

Cranberry juice has the ability to stop the growth of the bacteria that causes plaque. So drinking regular amounts of the juice can increase your oral hygiene.

3. Maintains Healthy Weight

Cranberry juice is very acidic, and these acids help break down fat deposits in the body. So if you’re trying to get to maintain or lose weight, cranberry juice may help.

4. Increases Cardiovascular Health

Cranberry juice has been shown to decrease the risk of heart related diseases and can help in maintaining a healthy heart. For instance, the flavonoids in cranberries can decrease the risk of atherosclerosis, a disease where build-up occurs in the arteries.

5: Prevents Cancer

It’s been suggested that cranberry juice also has antitumor properties. It’s consumption increases salicylic aid in the body, which can inhibit the development and spread of cancer cells. Salicylic acid can also decrease swelling and prevent blood clots.

By doing something as simple as making cranberry juice a regular part of your diet you can easily decrease your likelihood of disease and better different aspects of your health.

Author: Colleen King

Nommo Staff

In the words of notable author Lemony Snicket, “Tea should be as bitter as wormwod and as sharp as a two edged sword.” However, not all teas are created equal or even bitter necessarily. Tea comes in an assortment of flavors and different hues of color depending on what type of tea leaf it originates from.

According to teavana.com, all tea originates from a plant called Camellia sinensis and is produced in different varieties depending on the region it is grown in, the time of the year, and the harvesting method. Each type of tea has a distinct taste and set of health benefits that range from reducing stress to maintaining a healthy weight, according to the Huffington Post.

The most common types of tea are green, chai spiced, chamomile and earl grey. Green tea is probably the most widely known tea within the United States because it contains antioxidants which may interfere with the growths of some cancers, burn fat, and improve cholesterol levels.

Spiced chai can be used as an alternative to coffee because, it can be enjoyed without additives due to its aromatic and delicious taste. Also, three cups of chai tea on average contains the same amount of caffeine as a single cup of coffee, and so you can enjoy more for fewer calories. Similarly, Earl Grey tea also contains significant amounts of caffeine.

Interesting fact: according to livestrong.com if you drink large amounts of Earl Grey tea and then stop, you may experience caffiene withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, depression, and nasusea.

On the other hand, tea is an appealing beverage, because when consumed unsweetened, it is completely calorie-free with no natural sodium, fat, or carbohydrates. In fact, teausa.com states that as “An ancient beverage steeped in history and romance and loved by many… [tea] is the most commonly consumed beverage in the world after water.” Tea’s popularity can also be attributed to its high concentration of flavonoids, which act as antioxidants to destroy harmful free radicals within the body.

A Variety of Teas. Source: culinate.com

Seven types of teas and their health benefits as stated by Dr. Oz:

1. Passionflower Tea: Has several anti-anxiety benefits, try a cup before going to bed to calm your mind.

2. Oolong Tea: Boosts metabolism. Its concentration of both antioxidants and caffeine assists your body in burning fat faster.

3. Ginger Tea: Acts as an anti-inflammatory agent to help reduce brain inflammation; it can work like aspirin to reduce headache pains.

4. White Tea: Contains ECGC, an antioxidant that help prevent new fat cells from forming.

5. Licorice Root Tea: Has a sweet taste and is an anti-inflammatory that kills some types of bacteria.

6. Yerba Mate Tea: Full of antioxidants and vitamins that give you an energy boost.

7. Black Tea: Full of polyphenols, an antioxidant that inhibits the growth of bacteria in your mouth and minimizes bad breathe related to plaque buildup.

If you’re interested in drinking tea regularly but not into its acquired bitter taste, try different flavored variations like spearmint, spiced chai, oolong or my personal favorite cranberry-apple. Also, healthier alternatives to pure white sugar can be added to sweeten tea. The next time you decide to brew a cup perhaps try adding some raw brown sugar, agave nectar, honey, or a bit lemon for additional flavor.

Author: Arielle Tripp

Nommo Staff

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According to popular belief, college students and coffee have always been synonymous with one another. Many students rely on it as a morning pick-me-up when those eight hours of sleep are simply not an option. And while it may also be a popular belief that coffee is an absolute detriment to one’s health, recent research has revealed that there are notable health benefits to that morning “cup of Joe.”

The American Chemical Society reports that coffee is one of the greatest sources of antioxidants in the American diet. Coffee beans are known to be dense in antioxidants which can be used to counter free radical damage that is known to cause hardening of the arteries and various other chronic conditions.

According to Harvard Medical School’s monthly health letter, coffee has also been shown to create a strong defense against diabetes. As the risk of diabetes becomes a growing concern among many Americans, the American Diabetes Association reports that Afrikan Americans are twice as likely to be diagnosed with the metabolic disease. In fact, “18.7 percent of all non-Hispanic blacks, ages twenty and older, have diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes.” Researchers have discovered that coffee drinkers have a significantly lowered probability of developing type-2 diabetes within their lifetimes.

Coffee is also known to prevent diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinsons. It may also ease symptoms experienced by Parkinson’s disease sufferers. The natural caffeine in coffee beans is shown to reduce movement symptoms such as shaking and difficulty walking.

Research has also shown that there is a connection between coffee consumption and reduced risk of developing skin cancer. In a lengthy study women who drank more than three cups of coffee a day had nearly a 20 percent decrease in the likelihood of developing a common form of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma.

Despite belief that coffee is detrimental to the heart, recent research also suggests that the daily cup of coffee can improve cardiovascular health. Coffee may possibly prevent heart failure and decrease the risk of developing high blood pressure.

While coffee is known to have many notable health benefits, like all good things, it is best enjoyed in moderation. Coffee should not be a substitute for a full night of sleep, but should rather be consumed to eliminate early morning and mid-day grogginess. Unfortunately, as college students continue to drink coffee irresponsibly, they gradually discover that their health ultimately suffers. Students should opt for low-sugar and low-calories coffee drinks and skip their daily Grande Caramel Frappuccino from Starbucks.

Source: freshplaza.com

To most people, nothing better compliments potato salad or fried chicken on a hot summer day like a delicious slice of watermelon, but have you ever wondered where the stereotype of Black people liking watermelon comes from?

Watermelons are associated with historic Black stereotypes because during the 19th century this fruit was a daily part of a slave’s regular diet. As Keith Woods of the Poynter Institute states, “Since the earliest days of plantation slavery, the caricature of the dark-skinned black child, his too-red lips stretched to grotesque extremes as they opened to chomp down on watermelon, was a staple of racism’s diet. Over time, the watermelon became… part of the image perpetuated by a white culture bent upon bolstering the myth of superiority by depicting the inferior race as lazy, simple-minded pickaninnies interested only in such mindless pleasures as a slice of sweet watermelon.”

Today, Afrikan Americans are still stereotyped as watermelon enthusiasts and depicted in pop-culture as ‘ghetto’ for enjoying the fruit. In fact, after his inauguration, memes were spread all over the internet of President Obama carrying a watermelon aboard Air Force One. However, a survey by the USDA Economic Research Service showed that Asians and Latinos were the strongest consumers of watermelon in America. Ironically, the survey also showed that the amount of watermelon the average American ate in 1996 was 5.9 kilograms for Whites and 6.0 kilograms for Blacks; a difference of only 0.1 kilograms.

Despite their stereotypical relationship with Afrikan Americans, watermelons over the years have been linked to several health benefits. According to a study in the Journal of Agricultural Food and Chemistry, drinking watermelon juice before an intense workout can reduce an athlete’s soreness because watermelons are rich in amino acids that help relax blood vessels and improve circulation. In addition, watermelons are over 90 percent water and full of vitamins and minerals, but low in calories; a single wedge of watermelon fulfills one-third of the recommended daily values of vitamin A and C, as well as potassium.

If you have ever tried a slice of watermelon you know how enticing and thirst-quenching it can be. Though, the next time you sink your teeth into the juicy red flesh of a watermelon or any other food item, ask yourself: What exactly are we eating?

Author: Arielle Tripp

Nommo Staff