NUTRITION NEWSBrought to you by the Student Nutrition Association of UC Davis - Fall 2008

get your morning cup of joe!

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In 2002, results from a Dutch study indicated that coffee may reduce a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The study found that men who consumed 6 or more cups of coffee a day were 50% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Women who drank 6 or more cups of coffee were 30% less likely todevelop type 2 diabetes.

Another study, released in 2006, tracked 128,000 men and women over a span of 20 years. It found that individuals who consumed several cups of coffee a day had no increased risk of developing heart disease when compared to those who didn’t drink coffee.

counted as part of a person’s daily fluid requirements. A 2005 study -

is similar to water.

health risk, but that doesn’t mean you should guzzle down 6 cups of coffee a day.

-efits of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

a look at recent findings on COFFEEby: Melissa Cannon

Inside News:

Healthier Snacks?!3rd and U CafeSports NutritionSurviving the

Dietetic InternshipArtificial SweetenersYogurt Drink: Yakult

AcaiNutrition Bowl

Making Smart Convenient Snack Choices

Many of us have heard that fresh, unprocessed foods are the healthiest for us, but how could we deny that ready-made snacks are great time-savers? For this reason, it’s important that we make good choices among the many varieties of snack products. Here is a list of packaged foods that you may consider to enjoy as your snack: • Energy Bars such as Odwalla, TLC, and Fiber One are often high in fiber and fortified with vitamins. For example, a Chewy Sweet & Salty Almond Bar has 6 grams of fiber, 7 grams of protein, fortified with B vitamins, and is also high in monounsaturated fats. Watch out for those jam-packed with lots of sugars, though. • Nuts/Trail Mix are rich in protein, fibers, and unsaturated fats. They also nourish you with vitamin E and minerals. Don’t over-consume them though as they are high-energy foods! • String Cheeses are rich in protein and calcium! Reduced fat versions are also available. • Yogurt is a good source of protein and calcium. Choose light yogurts to reduce calorie intake, and try out original flavored yogurt topped with fruits or fruit jam. Frozen yogurt at Cultive is also great! • Crackers do contain a decent amount of fiber even though they may be starch-rich. Tris cuit and Snyder’s multigrain pretzel stick each has 3 grams of fiber per serving. You may also enjoy stoned wheat crackers topped with cheese, tuna, or veggie salad. • Ice Cream is a moderate source of calcium although each ½ cup of ice cream can contain 6-10 grams of fat and 15-20 grams of sugars. Light ice creams are now widely available. • Chips, cookies, and cakes are often high in sodium and fats. Each ounce of chips often contains 9-10 grams of fats. A 4 ounce serving of cheese cake can contain 30 grams of total fat and 15 grams of saturated fat.Having them once in a while won’t hurt, but do enjoy them in moderation!

There is no such thing as good foods and bad foods. What we truly need is to keep track of our calorie and nutrient needs. As a general rule of thumb, pay attention to protein, vitamin, and mineral contents on the food label, favor the healthful fiber and monounsaturated fats, and minimize sugar and saturated fat intakes.

RestaurantReview

Third and U Café is located on 3rd street just as the name implies. Conveniently it is just a block away from campus making it a good breakfast and lunch stop for hungry students. It also has a nice ambiance with doors opening to the outside. The café’s menu consists of a wide array of sandwiches, burgers, and salads as well as breakfast sandwiches at an average price of $4.50. There are vegetarian options here as well, but no vegan options. Each sandwich can come on a variety of breads ranging from 9-grain, sourdough, light rye, foccocia, and ciabatta. The restaurant does offer more heart healthy options like smoked chicken apple sausage and a Philly Cheese Chicken sandwich instead of the steak. There is also the choice of less mayo, for which you would have to specify. However, if you do decide that you really want a lot of mayo and the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich, go for it. Satisfy your craving, as all foods are healthy in moderation. The only downside about the café when the SNA members went was that the café was out of iced tea. Otherwise the plates, service, price, and food were good!

3rd and U Cafeby: Megan Hetherington-Rauth

by: Cathy ChioTeng Lei

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Nutrition News

by: Jessica Markie & Alex Nella

Exercise Nutrition

Studies have that matching intake and expenditure levels helps maintain lean mass, reduce body fat levels, improve sense of well being, and enhance athletic performance. • Exercise increases the rate of energy usage and water lost as sweat. It is imperative to augment energy and fluid consumption to meet the additional nutrition burden with well timed and properly structured meals. • To prevent continuous drops in blood glucose, which occur every 3 hours, changing to 5-6 meals per day will more effectively match energy expenditure and energy intake. This can be changed easily by eating a bit less for breakfast and finishing the rest later as a snack. Following the same pattern for lunch and dinner will create 6 meals and a more balanced energy intake. • On days of training, special care should be taken to ensure quality meals before and after. Pre and post workout nutrition is essential to optimize performance, delay fatigue, speed recovery, and rebuild energy stores.

Pre-Workout Meal For Anaerobic Workouts (~2-4 hours prior): • High amounts of complex carbohydrates with moderate to low GI carbohydrates (brown rice, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, oatmeal, high fiber cereals, corn peas, beans) • Moderate amounts of lean protein (essential amino acids i.e. eggs, chicken or fish) and low quantities of fat (peanut butter, ground flax, fish, olive, or canola oil)

Pre-Workout Meal For Aerobic Workouts (~2-4 hours prior): • A high carbohydrate meal made up of low glycemic, complex grains with low to moderate amounts of lean protein and fat (slows digestion, could cause irritation) For All Workouts: Hydrate, 8-16 ounces of fluids (water or Gatorade)

Pre-Workout Snack/Optional Supplements (~45-90 minutes prior): • Multivitamin, whey protein powder, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, peanuts and fruit (other supplements used at personal discretion) • Keep in mind: the less time until the workout, the less you should consume

Post-Workout Nutrition To optimize your results, post-workout nutrition is essential. Strength and muscle gain does not occur while you workout, but afterwards during the recovery stage. After a workout your muscle glycogen stores (your muscle’s energy source) have been depleted. In order to gain new muscle, there must be sufficient energy available; there-fore you must replenish your muscle glycogen stores before your body resorts to breaking down existing muscle for energy use. If you do not replenish your glycogen stores, then you will essentially inhibit the muscle building process. Liquid meals work best since they are digested the fastest.

Post-Workout Meal For Anaerobic Workouts (0-60 minutes afterwards): 1. Rapid replenishment of glycogen stores – SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES that are quickly and easily digested and absorbed such as Gatorade, white bread, rice cakes, bananas – 0.8 grams of carbohydrates per kg of body mass (ex: 150lb person needs 55g) 2. Stopping protein breakdown and initiating protein synthesis – Consume 0.4 grams of protein per kg of body mass (ex: 150lb person needs 27g), branched chain amino acids, can be taken in pill or powder form or in foods with high quality protein (eggs, chicken, fish), other supplements, antioxidants (vitamin C, E, and beta-carotene)

Post-Workout Meal For Aerobic Workouts (0-60 minutes afterwards): High carbohydrate 0.8 grams per kg of body mass, see above), moderate protein (lean meats, eggs, beans), low fat meal

For All Workouts: DON’T FORGET to drink plenty of water throughout the day ~1gallon (16 cups)

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Nutrition News

Nutrition News

Rochelle’s Tips for

Surviving the Dietetic Internshipby: Giselle Willeford

You may find her sipping an Americano on the Sausalito seashore. Or you may find her on Irving Street, eating sushi at Ebisu or vegan food at Shangri La. She may be on a hike at Mt. Tam, running in Golden Gate Park, or browsing the farmer’s market at the Ferry Building. But most likely you will find her at the hospi-tal. She is Rochelle Lacey, a dietetic intern at UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco. Rochelle, originally from Ventura, California, received her Master’s Degree in Nutritional Biology from UC Davis in 2007. She chose UCSF as her first choice in dietetic internships because it has one of the best programs available in the state and she loves being near the beach. UCSF is a teaching medical facility so it gives its interns more exposure to patients and professionals in the field. Rochelle loves the program because she is able to connect with patients and help them to feel better. She believes the interns really bridge the gap between doctor and patient. Also, at UCSF you get a lot of one-on-one time with your preceptor. It’s an overwhelming experience, with so much to learn and constant evaluations, but Rochelle says it is worth it and encourages future dietetic interns to choose a program that is right for them. Being a dietetic intern is a full time job. The hours vary by day but are usually 8:00a.m. to 5:00p.m., with some required weekends throughout the year. Interns change rotations every few weeks and some rotations, like those in foodservice, require you to start work on some mornings at 5:30a.m. On top of hospital time, interns are still students of nutrition, with homework assignments and studying to be done in the eve-nings. They don’t have time for another job. Although UCSF offers its interns a living stipend, it may not be enough to cover all expenses (especially the sky-high rent in San Francisco) and not all dietetic internships offer this. So what should you know if you are planning on becoming a dietetic intern? Rochelle has a few suggestions to prepare you for this (sometimes) yearlong process: • Take out a loan if needed. You don’t want to be stressing about money while you are interning and the experience is well worth it. • If you are considering a Master’s Degree, Rochelle suggests that you do your internship first. It gives you the needed on-the-job experience and your undergraduate classes will still be fresh in your mind. Alternately, you could choose a dietetic internship that offers a master’s degree simultaneously • Focus on your coursework. Physiology, anatomy, biochemistry, and, of course, nutrition all provide a strong platform for the dietetic internship experience. • Volunteer in a hospital as an undergraduate. UCSF has a clinical emphasis; volunteering will help you get a feel for the environment in which you will be working. Currently, Rochelle is working the staff relief rotation at the medical center and will finish the program on July 25th, 2008. She will then be ready to take the examination to become a Registered Dietitian (RD). She is applying for a dietetics job at UCSF, which she hopes to start after completing the RD exam. She is also considering other options, such as outpatient diet counseling at a renal dietetics or dialysis center, or even nutrition counseling at a spa. Her interest lies in community nutrition but she knows that having a strong clinical foundation will help her no matter what job direction she chooses for herself.

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Nutrition News

Have you ever tried Yakult? Living in the Bay Area, I grew up with the icy cold, milky drink the size of wheatgrass shots. Yakult has a citrusy yo-gurt taste that I can only merely compare to melted Swirl’s yogurt. Now to the science: what’s so special about it? Well, it’s a fermented mixture of both skimmed milk and the probiotic, Lactobacillus ca-sei Shirota (LcS). It’s a health drink! According to the company Yakult, the probiotic strain of bacteria stimulates the immune system. It increases benefi-cial bacteria (bifidiobacteria) and decreases harm-ful bacteria (enterobacteriaceae). In many other non-manufacture experiments, LcS was proven to promote an array of health benefits to the body. In one study, it “enhances cellular immunity” to the respiratory tract. However, on the downside, a bottle of Yakult is 48 kcal and 11.2g of sugar. (The sugar is used to feed the bacteria.) But, it has virtually no fat at less than 0.1g and some calcium. For five 2.7-ounce serving for about $2.00 (your mileage may vary), it’s economically ideal for college students. As the probiotic market is growing in the US, be sure to look for Yakult in a nearby supermarket. But for now, most Asian supermarket carries the drink.

YAKULT by: Mary Wang

SaccharinPros: It does not have any calories and does not raise blood sugar levels; it is 200-700 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). It is also often chosen to be the safest non-nutritive sweeteners from FDA. Cons: Data shows that saccharin is “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” because there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in animals, and it may cause allergic reactions.

AspartamePros: It is 160- 220 times sweeter than sucrose with very little calories, and the amount for sweetening is so small that it is negligible.Cons: Some studies show that it can cause headache, depression, cancer and increased hunger.

SucralosePros: It is 600 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). It has nearly no calories and may not be fully absorbed. Cons: Chlorine is present in the sweetener, and it is a dangerous component. There are not enough long-term studies on humans to show the digestion and absorption of sucralose.

Acesulfame KPros: It is 200 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar) and is often used as a flavor-enhancer or to preserve the sweetness of sweet foods.Cons: The sweetener is tested improperly and lack of long-term studies. It also contains mathlene chloride which can cause cancer and some other sicknesses.

NeotamePros: It is much sweeter than aspartame but without the phenyl-alanine dangers. It is also approximately 7,000 to 13,000 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar).Cons: It does not have enough long-term studies to support the safety of it.

Artificial Sweeteners- What’s Inside?by: Clara Lam

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The Nutrition College Bowl is an annual event giving nutrition and dietetics students from various colleges and universities a chance to demonstrate their nutrition knowledge through competition. It is hosted by the California State University Northridge, and will occur in the spring of 2009. UCD sent its first team last year, comprised of four senior nutrition students, coached by Nutrition Department faculty member Nancy Hudson. Last year UCD lost in the semi-final round to Central Washington University, who ended up winning the competition. The department hopes to participate again this year, and is currently looking for a new team! Nutrition College Bowl is a great opportunity to show your nutrition knowledge, make new friends and teammates, and network with nutrition students, nutri-tion faculty, and dietitians from all over the westcoast! If interested in joining the team or want more information, please email snaucd@gmail.com

Get Ready For...

7th Annual Nutrition College Bowl!!!by: Rachel Perez

You probably already know about the pome-granate fruit through the ads of commercial juice. Oh, so is açaí a similar fruit? I wondered how this new spe-cies of berry would benefit me while I was drinking my cup of açaí smoothie. Açaí (ah-sci-ee) is claimed to be a natural food that is rich in antioxidants. Yes, it has a similar nature of superfood. The berries grow in the Amazon rainfor-est, where Northern Brazilians live, becoming a part of their diets for hundreds of years. Açaí berry has a unique tropical flavor as well as great nutrition value. It contains high levels of antioxidants (known as antho-cyanins – contain strong antioxidizing power), essential healthy fats such as Omega fatty acids, some amino ac-ids, and fiber. The combination of antioxidants combats free radicals and reduces damage to your body’s cells, repairs those cells and also slows aging process. The fatty acids in açaí, mainly Omega 3 and 6, help lower “bad cholesterol” (LDL) and maintain “good cholesterol” (HDL). The health benefits of açaí berries are wide-spread and are starting to attract the public’s attention. For more information about this Brazilian berry, you can find a number of studies on it simply by searching “acai” on any search engine.

by: Selby LeungAçaí… # 1 Super Food in the World?!

If you’re a nutrition major and are interested in getting the scoop on current nutritional issues, meeting new people with similar interests, discovering more options for your

major, and getting involved in community service, come to one of our meetings!

Contact us: snaucd@gmail.com

Are YOU interested in Health and Nutrition?

SNA Newsletter Contributors:Melissa Cannon, Clara Lam, Sherry Lam, Cathy ChioTeng Lei, Selby Leung, Jessica Markie, Alex

Nella, Rachel Perez, Megan Hetherington-Rauth, Mary Wang, Giselle Willeford

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Nutrition News

PLANK WALK by: Austin Ngo