SCIENTIFIC UPDATE
By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
Another Reason to Choose Whole Grains
We've all heard it — "Eat more whole grains." Yes, we know whole grains are higher in fiber so we're less likely to be constipated, but are there other benefits of whole grains? And, just what is a whole grain? According to the Whole Grains Council, it's a grain that still has all the important parts and naturally-occurring nutrients of the grain seed. Whole grains include whole wheat, brown rice, quinoa, and oats. The USDA recommends that at least half of our servings of grains be whole grains, although it would be great to have even more whole grains in our diets.
A recent study suggests that higher whole grain intakes are associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. Researchers followed more than 90,000 women in the United States, checking with them every few years to see what they were eating and how their health was. Women with the highest intake of whole-grain foods [about 1 1/2 servings per day] had the lowest risk of premenopausal breast cancer. If individual whole-grain foods were looked at, the only significant result was that eating more brown rice was associated with a slightly lower risk of premenopausal breast cancer. Women with the highest intakes of white bread had the highest risk of breast cancer, both pre- and post-menopause.
Farvid MS, Cho E, Eliassen AH, Chen WY, Willett WC. 2016. Lifetime grain consumption and breast cancer risk. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 159(2):335-345.
Iodine in Plant Milks
Iodine is a nutrient that is needed for the thyroid gland to function normally. Studies have reported that iodine intakes of vegans in several countries are lower than those of non-vegetarians. Staples of a vegan diet, including most fruits, nuts, and vegetables, are low in iodine, although their iodine content varies depending on the soil they're grown on and irrigation and fertilization practices. Cow's milk and other dairy products are a main source of iodine for many people in the United States. These products are not naturally high in iodine. They contain iodine because iodine-containing disinfectants are used to clean milking machines and the iodine from these products ends up in the cow's milk. Are plant milks a source of iodine? Researchers examined the iodine content of plant milks in the U.S. They analyzed 30 different plant milks from 16 companies. Products were based on soy, almonds, rice, coconuts, pistachios, walnuts, hemp, and cashews. The milks were very low in iodine, containing about 3% as much iodine as cow's milk. Some have suggested fortifying plant milks with iodine, but presently this is not a common practice. Vegans can get iodine from iodized salt, iodine supplements, and sea vegetables although the amount of iodine in sea vegetables is variable.
Ma W, He X, Braverman L. 2016. Iodine content in milk alternatives. Thyroid. 26(9):1308-10.
Baby Food
Babies and toddlers in the U.S. tend not to eat enough vegetables; almost 1/3 of them don't eat a single vegetable on a typical day. This is concerning because vegetables are important sources of vitamins and minerals. Being exposed to the flavor of vegetables early may make it more likely that children will eat vegetables and that this habit will continue into adulthood. Many parents of young vegetarians try to make sure their babies and toddlers get plenty of vegetables; however, the companies that make baby foods may not be supporting the parents. There is a lack of vegetables (and of a variety of vegetables) available in commercial baby and toddler foods. This may be contributing to babies' and toddlers' low vegetable intake.
When babies are first given vegetables, they're often given single vegetables (like baby food carrots) instead of a mixture of vegetables. That way, if they're sensitive to a particular vegetable, it will be easy to tell which vegetable they had a reaction to. Among all infant/toddler foods containing vegetables sold in the U.S., fewer than 10% were single vegetables (like strained peas). There were no single vegetable products that contained dark-green vegetables or that contained dried beans or peas. When researchers looked at products for infants and toddlers, they found that only 6% contained kale, 7% included broccoli, and 9% had any kind of dried beans or lentils. More than half of products contained carrots and sweet potatoes. These foods are good sources of vitamin A but do not introduce children to the flavors of other vegetables that may not be as sweet. As the researchers say, "the commercially available infant and toddler foods in the United States may not provide caregivers with the variety and specificity of products they need to adequately expose their infants and toddlers to vegetable flavors."
This study points to the importance of not relying exclusively on commercial products. If caregivers are able to make their own baby and toddler foods, they can include foods that are the basis of a healthy vegan diet like dried beans and peas and dark green vegetables. See www.vrg.org/recipes/babyfood.htm for ideas for making baby food from scratch. Concerned caregivers may also want to contact companies making infant and toddler foods and request more wholesome products including those appropriate for vegans and those containing dried beans and peas and dark green vegetables.
Moding KJ, Ferrante MJ, Bellows LL, Bakke AJ, Hayes JE, Johnson SL. 2018. Variety and content of commercial infant and toddler vegetable products manufactured and sold in the United States. Am J Clin Nutr. 107:576-583.
Some in the U.S. Are Reducing or Eliminating Meat. Why Aren't the Numbers Higher?
A recent scientific paper starts with a surprising statistic — the U.S. has the fifth highest meat consumption per person in the world. Despite ample evidence that excess meat, especially red and processed meat, is associated with higher risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, and some cancers and that meat consumption has significant negative effects on the environment, many people continue to eat meat. National surveys, including those commissioned by The Vegetarian Resource Group, suggest that people are trying to reduce the amount of meat that they eat or that they eat vegetarian meals sometimes. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University investigated people's behavior and attitudes related to reducing meat consumption.
They surveyed more than 1100 U.S. adults and asked them how often they ate red meat, processed meat, poultry, and seafood. They asked participants if they were eating more, less, or about the same of foods in each category compared to 3 years ago. They asked how often study respondents replaced meat with specific foods such as veggie burgers or other "fake meats," nuts, tofu, beans, grains, vegetables, dairy products, eggs, or seafood. Two-thirds of respondents reported decreasing their consumption of at least one category of "meat" (red meat, processed meat, poultry, seafood) over the past 3 years. More than half reported reducing processed meat; about 40% said they reduced red meat consumption; 26% reduced seafood; 21% reduced poultry; and 10% reduced consumption of all four categories. Those more likely to reduce red and processed meat consumption were older and had a lower income. Cost and health were the most common reasons for reducing meat consumption. About 12% of respondents said that they reduced meat consumption because of concerns about animals or the environment. Those reducing their meat consumption said that they did it by buying less meat (64%), eating smaller portions (56%), eating meatless meals (42%), having meatless days (32%), and avoiding meat completely (9%). Non-meat meals frequently contained vegetables but also commonly contained cheese and other dairy products. Beans, nuts, tofu, and meat analogues were eaten relatively infrequently. More than a third of those who had reduced red or processed meat consumption had increased poultry or seafood consumption. A common reason given for continuing to consume meat/poultry/fish was that these foods are part of a healthy diet. These results suggest that more meat consumers need to know about healthy food choices to replace meat. Some respondents said that meatless meals were boring or weren't filling. This suggests that attempts to promote eliminating (or reducing) meat should include many ideas forinteresting, hearty meals. Recipes and product tastings are powerful tools to help move people toward a healthy vegan diet.
Neff RA, Edwards D, Palmer A, Ramsing R, Righter A, Wolfson J. 2018. Reducing meat consumption in the USA: a nationally representative survey of attitudes and behaviours. Public Health Nutr. 21:1835-1844.
