Numbers Game: Objects on Plate May Be Larger Than They Appear

The surface area of an average dinner plate in the United States increased ______ percent from 1960 to 2005.

Source: Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink.

a) 9
b) 17
c) 28
d) 36

Leave your guess in the "comments" section and come back on Saturday for the answer.

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You Ask, I Answer: Celery & Negative Calories

Does celery really have negative calories?

Ted Allen's new show Food Detectives recently tackled this question.

They claim [it is true, since]the process of digesting the "tough to digest" fiber present in celery takes more calories than the 8 calories per stalk of celery.

-- Nicole (last name withheld)
Alberta, Canada

I disagree.

Although cellulose (the "tough to digest" fiber the show refers to) can not be broken down by humans, it does not make celery a "calorie-negative" food.

The Mayo Clinic specifically looked into this nine years ago and concluded that celery does not result in negative calorie deficit.

Simply put, its thermic effect (the amount of energy it takes for the body to digest it) does not surpass its caloric content, especially given that its thermic effect burns approximately 0.5 calories.

Even if celery was discovered to be a negative calorie food, it wouldn't be a life-changing discovery.

If each stalk resulted in a two calorie deficit, that would mean it would take 25 stalks of it (plain -- no dips allowed!) to simply burn an additional 50 calories.

Or, you could quickly slash 50 calories from your day by replacing your standard Starbucks Venti beverage with a Grande, or starting off your morning with a medium orange rather than a cup of orange juice.

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Another Dark Side of Lighting Up

Many discussions on the health effects of cigarette smoking leave out a very important fact -- it can speed up the development of osteoporosis.

Several studies -- here is one example -- have found a link between cigarette consumption and decreased bone density.

Although one could argue that it may be behaviors and lifestyle choices common in smokers (i.e.: lack of physical activity) and not cigarettes themselves that may be the actual cause, there is no denying that smoking in and itself has a detrimental effect on bone health.

Nicotine, for example, inhibits calcitonin, a hormone that inhibits the dissolution of bone tissue.

Additionally, the massive amounts of free radicals created by smoking decrease levels of estrogen, consequently accelerating bone loss in women.

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You Ask, I Answer: Raw Honey

I thought that the claims about honey being an "immune enhancer" were referring primarily to raw/unprocessed honey.

Is there enough difference between processed and unprocessed honey to make a difference?

-- Kristin
Via the blog

The topic of raw honey is quite convoluted.

For one, there is no legal definition of what raw honey is, meaning there is no set of criteria manufacturers must meet to label their honey as "raw."

The consensus among raw honey enthusiasts, however, is that raw honey is completely unfiltered and unheated, and sold as it exists in the beehive (wax and the occasional bee leg included).

Apart from offering a much different taste from the honey sold in conventional supermarkets, advocates claim raw honey is healthier due to the presence of pollen and living enzymes.

This is where the "unheated" part becomes controversial. After all, raw honey crystallizes and must be heated in order to liquify for consumption.

The raw honey crowd claims this is irrelevant, since they make sure not to heat raw honey past the 105 degrees Fahrenheit mark (the "magic number" for raw foodists, since this is the temperature where the enzymes they so desperately crave are killed.)

Let's discuss.

First up, pollen. Raw honey-ers believe the flower pollen found in local raw honey is great for allergy control, as it allows the consumer to create a tolerance -- and not develop allergies to -- local pollen.

However, the vast majority of pollen allergies in humans relate to grass, not flowers.

As far as living enzymes in raw honey, I simply don't see the relevance to human nutrition.

Enzymes creates by bees don't play any role in human physiology or metabolism.

Besides, enzymes are proteins, so they get broken down during digestion anyway.

For what it's worth, this small, 36-subject study published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology in 2002 didn't find any difference between raw honey and a placebo when treating symptoms of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.

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You Ask, I Answer: Almond Milk

I am trying out almond milk and wondering why calcium is listed [on the nutrition label] as 0% [per serving] when it is made from almond base made from almonds.

What are your thoughts about almond milk, anyway?

-- Dennise O'Grady
Bay Head, NJ

"Almond base" is basically a combination of almonds and water.

In order to save money, many companies that sell almond milk use a pretty high water to almond ratio.

Consider the following: 23 almonds contain 7% of the Daily Value calcium.

Thereby, if your brand of almond milk contains zero percent of the calcium Daily Value per serving, it's fair to conclude that each serving probably contains two or three actual almonds (eleven almonds provide 3.3 percent of the Daily Value, 6 almonds provide 1.82 percent, and three almonds provide .91 percent.)

Almond butter, meanwhile, lists almond as its sole ingredient.

It is no surprise, then, to see that two tablespoons provide ten percent of the calcium daily value (this means that it takes approximately 35 almonds to make two tablespoons of almond butter!)

My thoughts on almond milk aren't particularly strong either way.

I enjoy the taste quite a bit myself, but I wouldn't suggest that anyone specifically seek it out or avoid it.

I do, however, recommend that people choose varieties fortified with calcium and vitamin D, particularly if they are vegan.

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You Ask, I Answer: Nitrates in Commercial Baby Food

[In regards to your earlier posting about nitrates and baby food], someone told me that baby food companies can screen for nitrates, any truth to that?

-- Kate (last name unknown)
Via the blog

That is certainly true, but it does not mean those products are nitrate-free.

Nitrates are naturally occurring in many vegetables and can not be removed.

That said, since nitrate levels in vegetables can differ depending on growing conditions (i.e.: the amount of nitrogen in the soil and water), it is very possible to get batches of spinach with higher amount of nitrates than others.

When screening nitrate amounts, individual companies simply set up their own criteria ("we only use vegetables containing x number of parts per million of nitrates or less") and apply it when making baby food.

"Screened for nitrates" does not mean "nitrate free."

Remember, though, babies six months and older are in no danger by eating foods that naturally contain nitrates.

"Screened for nitrates" is a marketing, much like adding vitamins to soda or a pinch of fiber to cookies.

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Celebrity Diet Secrets: A Steaming Pile Of... Goop

Last September, Gwyneth Paltrow launched a lifestyle and wellness website named Goop, which she describes as a "collection of experiences [of] what makes life good."

Well, wouldn't you know it, in her latest newsletter, "Gwyn" talks about... detox diets!

"I like to do fasts and detoxes a couple of times during the year, the most hardcore one being the Master Cleanse I did last spring," she writes.

Turns out the the A-lister's detox specialist -- who I refuse to name in this post since I do not want to promote him with yet another Google hit -- told her the Master Cleanse wasn't healthy because it doesn't adequately meet the liver's nutritional demands.

Forget the liver, how about the fact that it simply doesn't provide much of anything in the way of nutrition and that there is absolutely no reason to believe that lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper play any role in detoxing?

I digress.

Gwyneth then proceeds to share her own "detox-doctor approved" seven-day elimination diet to "help decrease the amount of work your digestive system has to do."

If it's any consolation, she will "be suffering along with you to kickstart [her] year a bit lighter."

Before going into detail, she shares tips from her detox-doctor, including:

"If your bowel movements get sluggish, you can accelerate things by drinking half a cup of castor oil or using a mild herbal laxative. Bowel elimination is paramount for correct detoxification."

Well, yes, bowel elimination is paramount to overall good health, as it is one of the body's ways of removing waste material.

That said, the castor oil and herbal laxative suggestions are ridiculous and, in my opinion, are tacked on in an attempt to make this detox plan seem special.

Whatever happened to simply speeding up digestive transit by consuming a higher quantity of fiber-rich foods?

Anyhow, you can see Gwyneth's week-long detox plan here. Disturbingly, the average day barely adds up to 1,000 calories!

For the record, "there can be no dairy, grains with gluten, meat, shellfish, anything processed (including all soy products), fatty nuts, nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant), condiments, sugar and obviously no alcohol, caffeine or soda."

Which makes me wonder:

* What are examples of non fatty nuts?
* What about those four nightshade vegetables makes them detox "enemies"? I would just love to hear her "detox doctor" explain this one.
* If sugar is banned for this plan, then why is the Master Cleanse -- which calls for cups and cups of maple syrup (sugar!) -- considered such a pinnacle of health?
* If dairy is banned, why do some of Gwynth's recipes call for whey protein powder?
* If sugar is banned, why do some of Gwyneth's recipes call for agave nectar?
* If "anything processed" is banned, why is almond milk used in some recipes?

Above all, why do celebrities with no health credentials think they are authorities on nutrition?

Thank you to Kristin MacBride for passing along the newsletter link.

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