Not just adults need fiber

Penn State Live: " A Penn State analysis of the diets of a nationally representative sample of U.S. preschoolers, ages 2 to 5, shows that more than three-quarters of the children are not getting enough fiber."

Not only can a low fiber diet lead to problems in it's own right, but also high fiber diets tend to be more nutritious (which makes sense: more high fiber fruits and vegetables less low fiber junk food.).

From the PennState Live article:
"If parents feed their preschoolers fiber-rich foods, they are most likely providing important nutrients for the children as well,” Kranz said. "An easy substitution to get more fiber into their diets is to change to whole-grain products and high-fiber cereals. Also, children usually like sweet potato, baked beans, grapes and oranges and they're all high-fiber, high-nutrient foods."

"The study is detailed in the February issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association in a paper, Dietary Fiber Intake by American Preschoolers is Associated with More Nutrient-Dense Diets. The authors are Kranz; Diane C. Mitchell, Penn State Diet Assessment Center coordinator; Anna Maria Siega-Riz, associate professor of maternal and child health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and Helen Smiciklas-Wright, Penn State professor of nutritional sciences."

ScienceDaily -- Browse Topics: Health - Diabetes Vinegar with a Splash of Cherry Extract for Diabetes?

ScienceDaily -- Vinegar with a Splash of Cherry Extract for Diabetes?
Short version: a little vinegar before a meal may prevent a rise in blood sugar levels.

Interesting study, and EASY to replicate:
"The vinegar study, which was published in Diabetes Care, involved 10 people with type 2 diabetes, 11 people with prediabetes—who are at high risk for diabetes—and eight healthy people. Before eating a breakfast of orange juice and a bagel with butter, which contained 87 grams of carbohydrates, the participants were assigned to consume 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water sweetened with saccharine, or a placebo"

The researchers, led by Carol Johnston, PhD, RD, a professor of nutrition at Arizona State University, measured the participants' blood sugar before and after the breakfast. They found that vinegar consumption slowed the rise of blood sugar after the high-carbohydrate meal."

"Vinegar appears to have effects similar to some of the most popular medications for diabetes," the author says. "There are also studies suggesting that if people with prediabetes take these medications, they might reduce their chances of getting diabetes." "

From ScienceDaily

Good new, Bad News on Grapefruit

Good news first, then the bad news.

From the Keynoter:

"Scientific evidence is beginning to stack up in favor of long-held claims that grapefruit helps fight obesity, lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of certain kinds of cancer."

Then the bad news. From ScienceDaily.com and from a study atthe University of Rochester.

"Grapefruit juice can be dangerous for people on certain medications, nurse researchers remind doctors, nurses, and everyone who takes medicine and enjoys grapefruit juice, in a paper in the American Journal of Nursing, a journal of the American Nurses Association."

How?

"Karch, an expert on drug interactions, explains that grapefruit juice is one of the foods most likely to cause problems with drugs, because it is metabolized by the same enzyme in the liver that breaks down many drugs. The cytochrome P-450 3A4 enzyme breaks down grapefruit juice into useful components for body, just like it breaks down dozens of medications. Karch says when the system is overloaded, the grapefruit juice can “swamp” the system, keeping the liver busy and blocking it from breaking down drugs and other substances."

So if you are on medications (especially cholesterol lowering medication), be sure to ask your doctor is Grapefruit is soemthing you can eat!

Berries for Good Health - The Health Benefits and Nutrition of Berries

I stumbled upon this article that summarizes some of the nutritional benefits of berries.

Berries for Good Health - The Health Benefits and Nutrition of Berries:

"Berries in general are a good source of vitamins and phytochemicals.
Phytochemicals are components of fruits or vegetables that may help to prevent
diseases...."

While berries out of season are not both expensive and not very good (we rarely carry them for those reasons), frozen berries have most of the benefits of fresh fruit and at a fraction of the cost.