Code Blue - Resuscitation! Club Med is Now Open on the School of Medicine Campus!

Club Med is a Dining restaurant on the School of Medicine's campus that re-opened today. Club Med was last on the medical campus in 2008 but was closed during an extensive remodel of buildings at the School of Medicine.

Today Club Med has been revived and has strong vital signs! The menu features flatbread pizza (check out my Tuscan flatbread pizza above with mozzarella cheese, kalamata olives, pepperocinis, fresh basil and tomatoes. I added red pepper flakes, of course, because I love the spicy heat on pizza), warm turbo sandwiches (such as the Sante Fe chicken in the first picture), freshly made salads (see the chopped salad in the first picture), deli sandwiches, sushi and other tasty options for breakfast and lunch.

Club Med will be open Monday-Friday for breakfast and lunch. Stop by and check it out - if you see someone in a short white coat walking around looking lost, it's a new medical student. Help her/him out!

Can You Feel Summertime Slip, Sliding Away?

It's the end of August and Labor day weekend, the unofficial end of summer, is swiftly approaching. Those of us in San Diego are lucky to have plenty of summery weather ahead of us but everyone feels the back-to-school vibe - more traffic, schoolkids at bus stops, new fall line-ups getting heavy promotion on the television.

I just looooooooooove summer and like to hold on tightly to it as long as I can. In honor of my favorite season, here are some yummy summer recipes. Let's savor the next few weeks!

Here is an simple go-to recipe that I make at home, especially when I haven't planned anything and I want to eat in the next half hour (oh gosh, that's really frequently...)! What do I love about this recipe? It uses items that I often have around in the summer and I love me some black olives. If you're not an olive-lover like I, substitute in something else (cherry tomatoes, green beans) or just skip them.

Quick & Easy Summer Spaghetti
Serves 4
12 ounces of spaghetti (about 3/4 box)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic minced
5 small zucchini, sliced
3/4 cup black olives
salt and pepper to taste
optional: grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to directions on the box
2. Meanwhile heat oil in skillet, add garlic
3. Add zucchini, salt and pepper to oil and garlic, cook until zucchini is tender
4. Add black olives, simmer for a minute or so
5. Add zucchini mixture to the pasta and toss to combine
6. Sprinkle with parmesan if desired



Check out this Corn and Summer Vegetable Saute from Cooking Light: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/corn-summer-vegetable-saut-10000001622502/
What do I love about this recipe? It's loaded with vegetables so it's loaded with nutrients. It has beans in it, which are great vegetarian protein sources and fabulous fiber boosters, AND it has a jalapeno in it. I love jalapenos!


And here is another fun, summer recipe using an ingredient that really says, "summertime" - hot dogs! This recipe is called: Hot Dogs Run Through the Garden - http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe-hot-dogs-run-through-garden-10000001634699/ Alright, I realize that hot dogs really can't be turned into being actually healthy themselves, however, consider that you have had a summer cookout and possess leftover hot dogs that you want to use up. Why not add a bunch of veggies on top? You'll enjoy that salty, snappy hot dog and actually get some good nutrition from the added veggies. It's better than eating the dog with a bag of chips, people!

Happy eating and SAVOR THE SUMMER!

Why is Celiac Disease on the Rise?

At this point, everyone knows someone who is following a gluten-free diet who has either has been diagnosed with celiac disease or thinks he has some form of gluten intolerance.

Many people wonder why celiac disease has been on the rise in recent years. Many theories exist for the rise in celiac disease - many of them are false and the answer might be a combination of factors.

Alession Fasano, MD, a celiac disease expert at the University of Maryland School of Medicine cites several possible explanations for the rise:

• more gluten in the grains that we eat


• earlier exposure to gluten in childrens' diets


• variations in breast-feeding practices


• and the most popular theories involve: improvements in sanitation and sanitation in modern society (also known as the "hygiene theory" or "clean theory")

Check out a good article on the topic: http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=651247

Experts estimate that approximately 1 out of 133 people in the United States has celiac disease. That sounds like a lot when you hear it that way - however, put another way, that's 0.7% of the population. Certainly the numbers are on the rise but there are many people making assumptions that gluten-free is the diet for them and they are not necessarily making a good choice. Make sure to consult a physician before putting yourself on a gluten-free diet. If you don't need to follow the diet for medical reasons, don't! There are a lot of delicious gluten-containing items that you would miss dearly over the long run. And there is no medical justification at this time to follow a gluten-free diet unless you have some sort of intolerance to it.

Favorite Recipe Sites

When you're looking for a new recipe, where do you go? I love online cookbooks and recipe databases. Here are some of the ones I visit most regularly for personal and professional use:

• www.allrecipes.com - It's well-named since it really has a huge database of choices.


• www.eatingwell.com - A great site for mostly healthy recipes


• www.vrg.org - the Vegetarian Resource Group's website. This is a Baltimore-based (shout-out to my hometown!) vegetarian/vegan group that has a wealth of information on vegetarianism and veganism. I refer a lot of college students who are making their first forays into vegetarian/veganism here.


• www.cookinglight.com - a good, old standby.


• www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/RecipeIndex - I love many part of the Mayo Clinic's website. These recipes can be very useful too.

Do you have a favorite recipe website? Let me know!

Colon Cleansing: Among the Odd Topics That People Ask Me

So this might not be something that you would think people would ask a dietitian but I assure you, they do...people want to know what's up with colon cleansing.

Here's the deal: DON'T DO IT. It is not medically recommended and from the stories I have heard, it's incredibly unpleasant. There are potential risks: pain, vomiting, serious and even fatal infections. Your body does NOT need help cleaning its colon. It knows what it's doing in there so let it be!

Check out this article for more information: http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/AlternativeMedicine/27280 , which cites the Journal of Family Practice article entitled, "The dangers of colon cleansing."

And that's the Real Deal today.

Why You Might Be Wrong When You Think, "I Need To Eat More Protein"

People often ask me how much protein they need and are almost always surprised by my estimate of their daily recommended amount. It's likely that the amount of protein that you need is less than what you are used to consuming on a daily basis.

The average male needs approximately 65 grams of protein per day while the average female needs 55 grams protein per day. Of course, there is variation among people but those ballpark figures should help you to understand that consuming sufficient protein is relatively easy for most people, even vegetarians!

Eating too much protein can be a bad thing on two fronts:
1) your health - if you eat too much animal-based protein, especially processed meats or red meats (anything from lunchmeat to hot dogs to chicken fingers to steaks), you could be raising your risk of heart disease and cancer.
2) your environmental impact - the amount of energy it takes to get animal-based food products all the way to your plate is tremendous. There is a significant amount of water consumption that goes into one piece of steak. Perhaps that is a newer way to think about how we eat...but it's becoming more important as we look at global water shortages and environmental impacts.

Here is a pretty cool summary article on the topic of protein consumption with information from my favorite nutrition professor, Marion Nestle, of NYU: http://shine.yahoo.com/event/green/how-much-protein-do-you-really-need-2523319/

Dining Services has joined the Meatless Monday movement by offering only meatless options at the grill station of our 5 residential restaurants every Monday from September through June (the academic year.)

Dietary Supplements: What Should You Take?

I really posed a big question with the title of this post! I can't answer the question precisely for each individual because we all vary with our dietary intake and needs. For example, there are some people who struggle with iron-deficiency anemia and would need to take supplemental iron but for many people, iron supplementation is unnecessary and potentially harmful. There are conditions that warrant supplementation - people with inflammatory bowel disease, for example, often need a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement and additional vitamin B12 due to absorptive challenges. There are some trends that exist among groups of people. Often women do not take in the recommended amount of calcium per day from food so there are many women who could benefit from calcium supplementation.

So...how do you know whether you should take dietary supplements and how do you learn the specifics like dosages and timing of supplementation? Talk to your doctor or dietitian - healthcare professionals can look at your medical history and dietary intake to make individualized recommendations for you.

Here is a great resource for information as well from NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements: http://ods.od.nih.gov/HealthInformation/DS_WhatYouNeedToKnow.aspx

Is the Old Adage Calories In Vs. Calories Out Enough to Guide Weight Loss?

Probably not. Although technically calories in versus calories out is a good guideline for how the body gains and loses weight: if you consume more calories than you burn off resulting in a net gain of calories, you'll gain weight (and vice versa), it's not enough to help people effectively manage their weight.

Researchers from Harvard reviewed information gathered in the Nurses' Health Study, Nurses' Health Study II and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study over study periods of 12-20 years. Every 2 years, the nurses, doctors, dentists and veterinarians in the study filled out detailed questionnaires about their eating habits and weight.

The average participant gained 3.35 pounds every 4 years or 16.8 pounds over 20 years.

So, what's not surprising?

• people gained weight as the aged


• exercise helped prevent weight gain


• weight gain was gradual over the years but added up over the long run


• foods associated with the most weight gain included french fries, potato chips, sugar-sweetened beverages and processed meats

What surprised me?

• yogurt was the food most strongly linked to weight loss


• people who slept less than 6 hours or more than 8 hours per night tended to gain the most (I was surprised that the long sleepers gained a lot too.)


• drinking wine (1 glass/day) did not affect weight but increasing intake of other forms of alcohol did cause weight gain

Check out a great summary of the results published in the The New England Journal of Medicine at the NY Times here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/health/19brody.html?_r=2

Mindless vs. Mindful Eating

When I talk with people about their eating habits, I ask them not only about their food and beverage intake but also about their meal/snack experience. What I mean by "experience" is where do they eat, are they seated at a table or standing in front of the counter, do they eat with others, is the television on, etc.?

I am also amazed by the number of colleagues who eat at their desks or say that they are too busy to stop working for a meal. Mistakes! We all need breaks from work in order to recharge and be efficient and, in addition, nourishment and fueling the body are essential to being good at our jobs!

When I meet with someone who is engaging in mindless eating, I hope to help him/her to become more of a mindful eater with some of the following strategies:

• pay attention to the food that you are eating


• really taste it, savor the flavors, notice the textures, enjoy it


• eat slowly


• listen to body cues on hunger and satiety - stop before getting stuffed


• turn off the distractions such as television


• if at work, get away from the desk and take a break from looking at your smartphone - sit outside if the day is nice, go to a cafe if you have time

Interested in more about this topic? Check out one of my favorite books and approaches to eating, called "Intuitive Eating": http://www.intuitiveeating.org/

High Fructose Corn Syrup

People ask me about high fructose corn syrup fairly regularly. They want to know if it's worse for us than regular sugar and how it impacts weight management. Interestingly, recent consumer research showed that in the past 6 months, out of consumers surveyed, 37% limited or avoided calories, 20% were watching fats and oils, and 17% were cutting back on products with sugar or added sugar, while only 4% were monitoring high fructose corn syrup. Check out http://www.drugstorenews.com/article/research-consumers-more-concerned-fat-calorie-intake-high-fructose-corn-syrup

I am surprised by the lower percentage of people who are concerned with high fructose corn syrup because it's such a hot topic right now. Food manufacturers have begun to respond to demand for "no high fructose corn syrup" products so it will be interesting to see what happens to its consumption in the U.S. over the next few years.

Have you been trying to reduce your intake of high fructose corn syrup?

Chocolate and Exercise, Huh?

Researchers at the UC San Diego have discovered a possible link between eating chocolate and improved exercise capacity. A flavonol in dark chocolate, called epicatechin, was fed to mice in liquid form in a study of oxidative capacity and fatigue resistance in mouse muscle. Check out the study at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21788351

The researchers found that the mice fed epicatechin instead of plain water had increased exercise endurance capacity.

So, should you eat a candy bar prior to your next long run? Sadly, no. The amount of epicatechin fed to the mice in the study equates to a sixth of an ounce of dark chocolate or one half of one square of one chocolate bar. Bummer.

But there is good news about dark chocolate overall. It can be part of a healthy intake. People who regularly eat small amounts of dark chocolate have lower rates of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. So eat some dark chocolate, exercise regularly and go for balance in your life!

Can Chewing Gum Help You Maintain a Healthy Weight?

I am a life-long gum devotee. When I was a kid, I could chew through packs of Hubba Bubba and Bubblicious like nobody's business. I have fond memories of going with my dad to a local convenience store called Lucky's where I could gaze upon the huge display of candies and gums. He would let me pick out a pack or two and would often say, "don't tell your mother."

Anyway, 20-some years later I still enjoy at least one piece of gum following every meal and wonder what sort of role regular gum-chewing has on eating habits and weight management. There have been some studies to suggest that gum-chewing has an effect on digestion or can help with maintaining weight and staving off cravings.

A recent and rather small study published in the journal, Appetite, and paid in part by Wrigley (the gum company) looked at the "Effects of chewing gum on short-term appetite regulation in moderately restrained eaters." Check out the Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21718732

In this study, gum chewers (45 minutes at a time) ate slightly less and reportedly had better satiety through suppressed appetite and craving levels.

Dentists would surely recommend sugarless gum but for some people the artificial sweeteners can cause gastrointestinal symptoms. So, it's up to you. I will continue my gum obsession.