Nutrition News

December 2001

In this issue:

• Food sources of iron
• Great news about avoiding diabetes
  
• Recipe of the month - salmon filets
  
• Favorite food of the month - Silk soymilk creamer
  
• NutritionWorks upcoming events and happenings
  

Hi there!
Happy holidays and a wonderful New Year to all!
May 2002 bring peace, health and happiness to you and your loved ones.

Thank you to those of you who have bought NutritionWorks gift certificates. We greatly appreciate your support and look forward to working with the recipients of these gifts of wellness.

Please contact us if you need a last minute holiday gift - a nutrition consult makes a great birthday gift too! Initial consults as well as packages are available.

We have lots of upcoming events in January and February so read on for those details, as well as lots of other useful information.

As always, we appreciate your feedback so email us your comments or any nutrition news you have to share.

Take care,
Sandi and Kathleen

Food sources of iron
Iron deficiency anemia is a common problem particularly for infants, children, adolescents and pregnant women. The elderly may become deficient due to poorer absorption as well as decreased intake of high iron sources in the diet. Athletes (particularly female athletes) are another group that is at high risk for iron deficiency anemia.

One of the first symptoms of low iron is weakness, fatigue or loss of stamina. It is vital to have your iron stores checked by your primary care provider before you take any iron supplements. Excess iron can be damaging and may increase the risk of heart disease.

However, it is a great idea to include some good sources of iron in your daily diet. Heme iron is found in animal products like chicken, pork and clams.

Non-heme iron is found in vegetable products. Good sources of non-heme iron include: blackstrap molasses (add to your smoothie instead of honey), wheat bran, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, dried prunes, raisins, dates, spinach and lentils.

Vitamin C increases the absorption of iron from vegetable products so have some orange slices in your spinach salad, or some tomatoes in your lentil stew!

Many more factors inhibit or promote the absorption of iron so if you are battling with low iron stores, be sure to contact us for more detailed nutritional information.

Great News About Avoiding Diabetes
It's only common sense: when people at risk for diabetes get regular exercise, follow a low-fat diet, and lose weight, they improve their chances of staying well. (We're talking about Type 2 diabetes, the common form often called "adult-onset," not Type 1, once called "juvenile diabetes," in which the body stops producing insulin.)

A recent study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) showed that relatively simple measures can lower diabetes risk dramatically. The three-year study included 3,234 Americans. All were in a prediabetic state. That is, they had impaired glucose tolerance-their bodies were not processing blood sugar efficiently. One group in the experiment followed a low-fat diet with a goal to losing about 7% of their body weight during the first year, and they exercised moderately-half an hour daily. Most of them simply walked. They got counseling about making these changes, as well as follow-up. A second group took metformin (brand name Glucophage, and currently in use to treat diabetes) twice daily. A third group took placebo pills. These other two groups got general advice about healthy habits but no follow-up. Almost 30% of the placebo group developed diabetes during the study. About 22% of those taking metformin did. The most dramatic effect was in the life-style-change group, where only 14% developed diabetes-that's a 58% reduction. The effect was even greater in those over 60.

What does this all prove?
An encouraging finding to emerge from the study is that the changes needed to head off diabetes are not drastic-and they work well in all racial, ethnic, and age groups. Study participants increased their intake of fruits and vegetables, and decreased fat. They cut down on sweets, but didn't have to give them up entirely. Weight loss was 5 to 7% of body weight, but nobody had to go hungry. Walking 30 minutes a day, as one researcher pointed out, is a far cry from having to run a marathon.

Industrialized nations, particularly the U.S., are in the midst of an obesity-and hence a diabetes-epidemic. More than 16 million people already have Type 2 diabetes, and the numbers are rising. Diabetes is dangerous and potentially disabling: it can result in kidney failure, amputations, and blindness. Heart disease and stroke are common complications.

But this news could hardly be better.
There's a way to prevent or at least delay diabetes-and it's a practical, even easy, way. People will need instruction, along with support and encouragement. If you think you are at risk-that is, you are overweight and sedentary-get a blood test for diabetes. Encourage high-risk members of your family to be tested. In fact, we recommend that everybody get tested beginning at age 45. However, people at high risk, especially those belonging to a minority group or with a strong family history, should be screened and counseled starting at age 30.

This is one bullet you may well be able to dodge.

Adapted from UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, November 2001

Recipe of the Month

Salmon filets
Allow 6 ounces salmon per person
1 carrot, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
2 slices lemon
Several sprigs of parsley
6 bay leaves (Turkish, or 1/2 of a California bay leaf)
Salt to taste
1 cup dry white wine
Juice of half a lemon

1. Cut the salmon filets into individual portions.
2. Place in a saucepan the carrot, onion, sliced celery, lemon, parsley and bay leaves.
3. Add the fish, cold water to cover, salt to taste, the wine and the lemon juice. Bring the pot to a boil, uncovered.
4. Adjust heat to simmer and let fish cook for 5 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and leave fish undisturbed for 10 minutes. Then remove it carefully to a serving platter; the salmon will be perfectly done. It is delicious served either hot or cold.

Source: Dr Andrew Weil

Favorite Food of the month
Silk soymilk creamer made by White Wave is a wonderful substitute for regular creamer. It is made with organic soybeans and canola oil. It has a similar amount of calories and fat grams as regular creamers, but unlike most other creamers, it has no saturated fat or hydrogenated oils. This makes Silk a heart healthy and delicious option! It is found in some grocery stores (Fred Meyer natural food section tends to carry it) and in all natural foods stores. Try it and let us know what you think!

NutritionWorks Happenings

• Kathleen and Sandi are going to be teaching community classes at the Experimental College this upcoming winter quarter. Check out the following website: http://depts.washington.edu/asuwxpcl/
  catalog/exercise.html for details on our classes. We are offering one-session workshops on fad diets, vegan nutrition, and the latest in soy. We also have a 4-week in depth series on the benefits and challenges of a vegan diet.
• Kathleen's interview with Megan Sukys for the KUOW show called The Human Condition was aired this month. Kathleen spoke about the Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease. By the beginning of January, there will be a link on our website so you can listen to the show at any time.
• Kathleen and Sandi will be at the Puget Sound Consumer Coop (PCC) to educate shoppers about ways to maintain a healthy weight. Kathleen will be at the Fremont PCC on January 16th from 4-7pm. Sandi will be at the Greenlake PCC on January 22nd from 5-8pm. Come and visit us there, get your questions answered, pick up handouts and recipes, and taste some yummy food!
• Sandi will be participating in an exciting event on January 20th sponsored by Vegetarians of Washington. This is a free workshop from 1:30-5:00pm. You can join in for the whole afternoon or for the segments that most interest you. It will start with a yoga class, followed by Sandi's nutrition presentation "Osteoporosis and a Vegetarian Diet", and will end with a cooking demonstration by the wonderful vegan chef, Birgitte Antonsen, from Café Ambrosia.
  For more details and to register, contact us, or Vegetarians of Washington at www.vegofwa.org.
• Watch out for an interview with Kathleen in an upcoming edition of the PCC monthly newsletter. She was interviewed on the topic of Eating Healthfully and gave some great advice, which will be included in the article.
• Sandi will be teaching more classes at Sno Isle Co-op in Everett. Join her on January 23rd from 6:30-7:30pm for a fascinating class on Eating Your Herbs and Spices. Call or email us if you would like to register for this class. Cost is $5 if you are a member of any Co-op and $10 for non-members.
• We have a wonderful seminar coming up on 23rd February at the Woman Spirit Center in Issaquah. It will be from 9:30am-12:30pm and will focus on Women's Health issues with a focus on menopause, heart disease and osteoporosis. Mark your calendars now - more details to follow!

For more details or to register for any of classes, please call us at (206) 551-3407 or email us at NutritionWorkSeattle@hotmail.com
We look forward to having you join us!

We'd love to hear from you

• Let us know if you'd like us to write about a particular topic or if you have a question you would like printed in the newsletter!
  
• Want to share? If you have had success with managing your health or weight by using a specific technique or would like to share favorite ideas or foods or recipes, please send those in and we will print them in the next newsletter, honoring your privacy if requested of course.
  
• If you know of anyone who would like a nutrition or wellness presentation offered, please let him or her know about NutritionWorks!

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