Green Banana Flour: A More Healthful Substitute For Wheat?

It's a little more expensive than wheat flour, but green banana flour might be a more healthful ingredient for baking bread and cakes. Banana flour is made from unripened fruit and does not taste like ripe bananas. But it contains resistant starch that behaves like fiber, helping to control sugar levels and prolong satiety. As a starch that is not absorbable, it contains fewer calories, though it is rich in potassium and magnesium, both healthful minerals. British company Nutryttiva sources green bananas from Brazil, and so far its flour is selling well. “We only started selling it last month, but so far sales are doubling each week,” a representative says. The company notes that green banana flour costs more than wheat flour, but about 25 percent less is used in baking.

"The latest wonder food: More and more crave banana flour as a way of curbing the carbs because it helps you feel fuller for longer ", Daily Mail, February 21, 2015

Sluggish Sales Of “Diet” Foods Prompt Repositioning Of Major Brands

Big food companies are trying to adjust quickly to a trend in U.S. consumer eating preferences that is having a negative impact on sales. Americans apparently care more about simple, natural ingredients, gluten-free products, protein and ethnic flavors -- and less about calories. Nestlé, for example, is dealing with this new reality by repositioning its Lean Cuisine frozen dinners as a ”healthy eating and healthy lifestyles” brand, rather than a diet food. The company is also introducing new ethnic flavors such as Sweet & Spicy Korean-Style Beef. Kellogg is deemphasizing weight loss in its Special K snack bar line to focus more on healthy ingredients, even if they are calorie-packed.

"Food companies aim to reinvent diet foods to stay relevant", Reuters, February 20, 2015

Nurture More Important Than Nature When It Comes To Obesity

Though some research has shown that mom's unhealthful diet in pregnancy may preordain a child’s poor diet and health issues, a new study in mice suggests other factors play a bigger role. Having too many food choices, the U.S. researchers found, increases the obesity problem. For the study, two sets of mothers were fed a high-fat diet or a low-fat diet. The offspring then ate a high-fat diet, low-fat diet, or a choice of foods. The offspring that had a choice experienced an increase in body weight, body fat, and glucose levels. The researchers said their findings suggest the possibility that a human's natural environment can affect food choices, and ultimately a person's weight, much more than their mother’s diet during pregnancy.

"Mitigating or Exacerbating Effects of Maternal-Fetal Programming of Female Mice Through the Food Choice Environment. ", Endocrinology, March 07, 2015

Intermittent Fasting Is Beneficial, Except When Antioxidants Are Consumed

Fasting has been shown in animal studies to extend lifespan and thwart diseases related to aging. Now U.S. researchers have shown that a feast-or-famine – or intermittent fasting – diet pattern offers some of the same benefits of long-term fasting for people, though the benefits may be lost in the presence of antioxidants. Intermittent fasting causes oxidative stress, which activates a protein called SIRT3 that, when increased in mice, extends lifespan. In a small clinical study, SIRT3 was indeed activated by intermittent fasting, but the benefits vanished when high levels of antioxidants were added to the diet. This reinforces research that has shown that flooding the system with supplemental antioxidants neutralizes the benefits of fasting or exercise.

"Practicality of Intermittent Fasting in Humans and its Effect on Oxidative Stress and Genes Related to Aging and Metabolism. ", Rejuvenation Research, March 07, 2015

Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease Should Avoid A High-Acid Meaty Diet

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients who eat more meat than fruits or vegetables are at much higher risk of kidney failure than patients who eat less meat, according to a long-term study of 1,486 CKD adults. Meats increase the dietary acid load on kidneys, which can be debilitating. Patients who consumed high acid diets were three times more likely to develop kidney failure than patients who consumed low acid diets. The researchers recommended that CKD patients reduce their intake of meats and increase intake of fruits and vegetables, which are low-acid foods.

"High Dietary Acid Load Predicts ESRD among Adults with CKD. ", Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, February 27, 2015