Frequently Asked Questions about Nutrition

I've thought of a few nutrition questions that I sometimes get from people and some that I was interested in myself and listed them below. I will be working on answering these in this post.

What is a healthy amount of calories? How do I know if I am receiving this?

One of my favorite websites for finding information on finding out how to balance out your meals is actually mypyramid.gov. It's wonderfully interactive and you can even use the "My Pyramid Plan" in order to customize it for your height, weight, age, gender, and physical activity levels.

For example, for me I need 2200 calories and it even tells me how much of each food category I need.



Do I really lose that many nutrients if I eat canned fruits and vegetables?

According to medline plus:

"Many people wonder if frozen and canned vegetables are as nutritious as fresh vegetables. The answer to this question depends on both the time between the harvesting of the vegetable and the canning and freezing process. Generally, vegetables are canned or frozen immediately upon harvest when their nutrient content is at its peak.

The way vegetables are prepared at home can also affect the nutrient content. Vegetables of any type (fresh, frozen, or canned) that are boiled in large amounts of water for long periods of time lose much of their nutritional content compared with vegetables that are lightly steamed.

Vegetables fresh from the farm or just picked are more nutritious than their frozen or canned counterparts, but frozen and canned vegetables are an acceptable nutritional alternative. Just be mindful of the amount of salt added to canned vegetables; try to buy those without added salt. And, don't overcook any vegetables.

Is microwaving bad for you?

I found the most informative/comprehensive website concerning the benefits/cautions for microwaves is actually the FDA. Here they address a few concerns, namely the facts:

"they do not have the same risks as x-rays or other types of ionizing radiation.... To ensure that microwave ovens are safe, manufacturers are required to certify that their microwave oven products meet the strict radiation safety standard created and enforced by the FDA. Microwave energy will not leak from a microwave in good condition."

It also gives tips for good microwaving results and links of other research/perspectives.