Pizza is a vegetable. Great call Congress.

I have not blogged in a very, very long time; and I know for the 4 of you who look at this blog it must have been a heartbreaking few months. This article on how corrupt and stupid our governing agencies are when it comes to food brought me out of my thesis writing stupor long enough to put up this snazzy post. Just another fine example of the almighty dollar coming before the general good of the people. I'll be back soon with more rantings and ravings, just you wait.

Chocolate: good for the soul, good for the heart

Heart Disease, Diabetes and Stroke: More Chocolate, Less Risk? - ABC News

I really liked this article from ABC that that reported on a new review of published research on chocolate.

The review looked at 7 studies and controlled for age, diet, physical activity, body mass index and smoking and discovered that chocolate consumers had reduced risk for heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

I really like this article because instead of jumping to unfounded conclusions like a lot of the media tends to do, it merely points out that habitual chocolate intake and lower disease risk are correlated; but that it doesn't necessarily mean that that chocolate is the sole cause of the lower risk. Other factors weigh in as well. For example, a there was a study that reported that people that prayed lived longer than people the didn't. But that could also be because people who pray go to church more, are more social and therefore have a social outlet and support. Or perhaps people that pray more experience less tress because of praying. So you can never really say that correlation implies causation, but the research is interesting nonetheless and seems to support past research that has implied similar benefits of chocolate.

Formula for weight gain

So with all of my close friends either having just given birth or just about to, I have suddenly become very interested in all sorts of baby stuff, because if there's one thing a new or expectant mom needs, it's unsolicited information.

As a student of nutrition, we learn all about the health benefits of breastfeeding over formula feeding but obviously breastfeeding is sometimes not an option. Many people seem to have strong opinions about both options but obviously it's pretty difficult to say unless you're the one in that situation.

One of my coworkers just completed her Lactation Education Certification and we were having a discussion about formula fed babies and weight gain. Unfortunately, babies who gain weight rapidly during the first 4 months to 1 year of life tend to struggle with being overweight or obese later in life. Coincidentally, NPR's Patti Neighmond ran a story on why formula fed babies may experience faster weight gain, so I figured it was worth a read. I found it interesting that part of the reason formula fed babies may gain weight faster (thus possibly leading to weight issues later in life) is that  babies who are breastfeeding may satiate sooner thus consuming less breast milk. Babies' stomachs are pretty tiny as newborns and thus they really can't eat very much and the colostrum that newborns consume in the early stages of breastfeeding is very low in fat. Additionally human breast milk changes in caloric density during the life stage of the baby to address changing nutritional needs which means that volume for volume the calories, fat, carbohydrate and protein will be different between breast milk and formula depending on the life stage of the baby. Isn't the human body crazy?!

While the article brings to light some new research, it is still pretty preliminary stuff and shouldn't be used to judge mom's who aren't breastfeeding. Neighmond also profiles a few different types of formulas making this article a good resource if you had formula questions.

If you're like me and have no idea how to change a diaper, there are plenty of other things out there to read.

Bread for Bread

Lester Brown, President of the Earth Policy Institute wrote an amazing article in the April edition of Foreign Policy Magazine entitled: The New Geopolitics of Food which NPR recently highlighted in an interview with Mr. Brown. The article does a fantastic job demonstrating how food insecurity and politics are inextricably linked. If you aren't up to reading the article, I've summed up some of the main points below but the full article is definitely worth a read:

Imported food items (often grains) are the most susceptible to rising prices. In countries where poverty prevails, rising prices are felt much more severely. Brown gives the example that a rising price of wheat may mean the difference between $.10-$.20 more for a loaf of bread for us but for cities/countries where grain is purchased in the raw and where 50-70% of income is spent on food, you may actually be paying double the price for your food every day. The frustration and desperation felt by people trying to feed themselves and their families with food they can no longer afford will (and has) lead to political unrest. 

Why the issue with rising prices? It's really a simple supply and demand issue. 

According to Brown, rising food prices weren't always such a big problem. This year isn't the first year entire crops have been wiped out by drought or heavy rains. It is however one year in a series of years in which supply is dwindling. Richer nations have been able to offset decreases in grain production by using grain stores or by planting on available land. Fortunately, in the past, these types of disasters were uncommon. Currently, however, we are seeing a rise in the frequency of droughts, hurricanes, and formidable weather due to rising global temperatures. Brown cites that a rule of thumb for temperature rise is the 1 degree Celsius rise in temperature will lead to a 10% decrease in grain yields.

We have planted on almost all of the land that is available and much of the land which is vacant is barren. Production is low from poor growing conditions due to global warming, reserves are low or non-existent due to years of increasing frequency of grain shortages and vacant land is either unusable or unviable. Supply is falling short of demand, the latter of which is rising at a rapid rate. 

Rising demand is fueled by a few things: increasing population, affluence and biofuels. 219,000 extra mouths to feed every day globally puts a massive strain on global grain production – particularly since most of us consume grains either directly or indirectly as food for animals as a large part of our daily diet. As  affluence increases, so does the consumption of cattle and other grain intensive animals as people feel more inclined to eat further up the food chain. Biofuels also increase demand. Brown states that last year we produced 400 billion tons of grain and 125 million was used for ethanol production.  Demand has put an intense stain on grain supplies and little to no attention has been given as to how to properly address remedying the situation.

To tackle some of these issues, the article suggests stabilizing the world population through family planning. 215 million women stated they would like to plan families but do not have access to family planning; most of these women represent the poorest populations. Additionally, focusing on raising water productivity will also help sustain grain production. We have tripled our grain production but paid title attention to how to sustainably provide water for the crops. 

Brown warns that failing to take climate change and the food crises seriously will result in increasing shortages and rising prices-and we have already had glimpses at what this will mean on a global scale: runaway food prices and riots. 

I appreciate Brown’s attempt at taking food insecurity seriously and addressing its underlying causes when it comes to grain production. His well thought out causes of the issue and suggestions for solutions demonstrates the real need for action in this area.

I believe it is also imperative the international community finally get serious about food production/consumption and reassess our food chain and how it is broken. Thanks to Lester Brown for garnering attention to such an important issue. 

Peace out Pyramid.

 Today marks the long-awaited and much-needed retirement of the 20 year old symbol of a healthy diet: The Food Guide Pyramid.

  MyPyramid.gov was the updated, snazzier version of the Food Guide Pyramid, the weird, 70's style guide for healthy eating that seems to somehow incorporate triangle shaped confetti as part of a healthy diet.

Problems with the Food Guide Pyramid were mostly that is was extremely confusing to most ordinary folks, so the USDA came up with MyPyramid.gov to show just how awesome healthy eating can be.

The idea was to promote healthful eating by designating the larger bars on the pyramid as grains (orange), veggies (green), fruits (reds) and dairy (blue) while the slimmer bars were meats and beans (purple) and fats and oils (yellow). The androgenous person climbing the stairs to the pyramid is supposed to promote physical activity; but how your average person is supposed to deduce this from a stick figure walking up the side of the pyramid is beyond me.

 Mypyramid.gov was the United States Department of Agriculture's way of conveying healthful eating and exercise for the average American. Once on mypyramid.gov there was all sorts of helpful info about eating right and you could even get a personalized diet by entering your age, gender and height. The website itself is pretty useful and easy to navigate but many nutrition professionals felt the pyramid was difficult to understand and did not address one very important issue: portion sizes.

 That is why the brand new MyPlate.gov guide is so fantastic.

  

The new feature replaces the pyramid with a plate and emphasizes vegetables and fruits as the more important groups while decreasing the amount of protein-a good message for the post-Atkins, protein-crazed American. Additionally there is no place for fats and oils and the dairy group is represented by glass-implying milk instead of cheese and fattier dairy items.

 When you click on each area of the plate the website takes you to a description of appropriate foods form that group.

Why it's better:

• emphasizes portions
• easier to understand
• eliminates fats and oils 
• emphasizes dairy from milk instead of cheese, ice cream, etc.,

 Why it isn't better:

• physical activity is gone
• while myplate emphasizes portions, it doesn’t really give an estimate or suggested amount unless you enter your info for a personalized plan.

 All in all the USDA did a good job recognizing the need for a change from mypyramid. It has been suggested by some that mypyramid has always been a giant billboard for whichever industry can afford to pay the highest price. For example, I know a few RDs feel the reason the dairy group is as large as it is (was) on the pyramid was because the dairy council was a big contributor to the USDA and that the dairy industry as a whole would like us to believe we are getting a lot more calcium from dairy products than we actually are. I can't comment on that because I haven't researched it enough but as we all know, pretty much every industry is influenced by money, so I wouldn’t be surprised.

However, for now the new MyPlate.gov guideline for healthful eating helps calls attention to the out of control portion size issue currently plaguing our country and its citizens. For a gander at how other countries define healthy eating, peep these dietary guidelines form around the world.

Antioxidants

Here is a super neato table that helps makes sense of the various antioxidants and where to find them.

Antioxidants work by acting as an electron donor to a free radical, which is basically an out of control molecule that causes cellular damage because it has an unpaired electron. Cellular damage and mutations are linked to pretty much every ailment possible including cancer, neuromuscular disease and degenerative diseases. When an antioxidant molecule donates its electron, it neutralizes the free radical.

Vitamins can act as antioxidants as well including vitamin C and vitamin E; but be careful with mega doses, they can also cause damage, basically negating any good effects they may have.

P.S. It only took about 19 times to get this damned thing to load right, so there is a little extra love in this post:)

Counter Advertising

I love these New York Department of Health counter ads for soda. I wish there were more money spent on this type of public awareness. A presentation I heard recently cited that McDonald's spent $665 million last year on advertising and the 5 a day fruit and vegetable program spent $4 million. Sad state of affairs since 34% of the United States is overweight. 

Finally, bacon gets its moment.

So there I am, minding my own business in my car when I am assaulted by the commercial for Denny's Baconalia. Because we really don't celebrate bacon enough in this country, especially at Denny's. If there is one thing that never gets the recognition it deserves, it's fried pork products.

As I struggle to keep the car on the road, I hear the list of items on this super fun, limited time menu. One of them is an ice cream, bacon, maple syrup sundae. Okay I get it, sweet and salty. But bacon on ice cream, oh Denny's, what am I going to do with you??

So I go to the website and try to find the nutrition info for this little gem which-big surprise-is nowhere to be found. I call the number on the website here is the info:

Maple bacon sundae:

calories: 810
fat: 40 grams
Sodium: 460 mg
sugar: 85 grams
CHO: 97 grams

So the question is, is it worth the calories and fat? As a non-meat eater, I wouldn't know but I'm not against desserts nor am I against creative cooking; however, this just strikes me as excessive and semi-depressing. thoughts?

Where's the beef?!

 Guess what? Someone out there is upset at Taco Bell. No, they are NOT upset Taco Bell has made the ingenious move to put Flamin' Hot Fritos in their latest burrito (why waste time getting hypertension the old-fashioned way?), if you can believe it. Apparently,  the beef in the menu items at Taco Bell is not real beef, or does not meet the Standard of Identity and Reasonable Quality for beef, set forth by the USDA.

Now, despite the repeated attempts to humiliate Latino food and culture, I indulge in Tace Bell from time to time; the main reason being if I haven't brought food to school, it's the only convenient, fast vegetarian option before class at night. I don't eat there often, maybe a handful of times since I went back to school, but any time I am craving feeling bloated and guaranteeing a full night of abdominal cramps followed with a slight case of diarrhea, I will grab a bean and cheese burrito from the place.  Since I don't eat the beefy items on the menu, I can't attest to how they taste, but I guess I sort of assumed that everyone knew there wasn't really any beef in all that salt, filler, seasoning and fat. But I was wrong! There is a person out there who is actually wants REAL beef in his tacos at Taco Bell. I'm not sure about ya'll, but if I were a meat eater, and I was thinking to myself: "Self, let's go get us a delicious, real beef treat right now!" I would not follow that thought with:"Taco Bell will do the trick!" But what do I know.

Fox News (notice the lack of hyperlink?!) had this article on the whole thing, a good lesson in having to have you product be what it says it is!

Btw, click here to see the nutrition facts for all of the items at Taco Bell, including the new, exciting Beefy Crunch Burrito which has a whopping 1,250 mg of sodium; only over half the amount you are supposed to have in a day. good job Taco Bell!

I suck.

I suck at a lot of things I try. I suck at putting on makeup. I am pretty sucky at tennis. I REALLY suck at swimming, which makes triathlons interesting. I suck at remembering details. I suck at holding onto things, like hotel keys, cameras and cars. I also recently discovered I SUCK big time at surfing.

Actually, to say I suck at surfing would imply that I am good enough at it to lack skill. So I negative suck at surfing. I assumed once I moved to San Diego I would instantly become a good surfer. My friends Jason learned to surf when he moved here and does it all the time now! But for me, this was  not true. As a matter of fact, I  think I may be getting worse.

I went a few times when I first moved here on a foam board. Since then I have been on various sizes of boards hearing that "You can catch anything on a long board." Oh really? Like what? Seaweed? Humiliation? I thought that "catch anything" meant any size of wave, not so. Turns out you need some semblance of skill to be able to do that, no matter what size board you have.

Oscar, who is an excellent surfer, has taken me a bunch of times and has tried, unsuccessfully, to scare me into learning to surf. He will yell things like "Don't do THAT! Don't ever do that!! You'll kill yourself!" causing me to yell back "Don't do what?! There was just like 50 things I just did! What do you-" cue wave smashing into my face. So our little "surf lessons" turn into me scared to death trying not to do anything but cling to my board for dear life while Oscar then yells at me for not doing anything. This usually ends with me getting out of the water and reminding Oscar that when I teach him how to snowboard it does not include me yelling at him that he may die or kill someone. This reminder is usually delivered with a slew of various curse words.

Aside from surfing with Oscar I have also surfed a few times with my friend Tara. Tara, who is the picture of calm, was apparently not warned that every move you can make on a surf board is a potential death wish. I know this because she is not afraid to paddle out and get thrown about by the waves which leads her to eventually catch one. Needless to say I much prefer surfing with Tare except last summer while we were surfing together I got stung by a sting ray. In addition to being fun to surf with, turns out Tara is also very good at picking me up and carrying me out of the water with blood dripping from my ankle.

So as you can see, my surf stories mostly consist of me being really crappy at the sport or getting injured by various aquatic life forms. However, a couple years ago my good friend Ashley was kind enough to pass along her surfboard to me when she moved back to Utah.I have the board, I have the wet suit, I just lack the skill.

So here is my new resolution: I am going to conquer this surfing thing. Even if it just leads me to decide I  don't really like it, I am going to at least get good enough to figure out how in the hell to do it. I know 33 is a little late in life to learn a new sport but you know what? My Dad was in his 40's before he learned to snowboard and he kills it now so it can be done. If you're like me and looking to try something new in 2011 but can't get beyond that initial frustration, just picture my 40-something Dad on a snowboard in the middle of a blizzard and realize you probably can't look as stupid as he did. Thanks Dad!

Black Souls

During our venture up to Big Sur, Oscar and I stopped along the central California coast to do some wine tasting, good thing, too, since we never made it up to Napa. Probably our favorite place was Red Soles Winery in Paso Robles. We did a tasting and bought a bottle of their delicious 2007 Cabernet reserve. 

While we were driving up to the place, I was speculating that the name Red Soles comes from the bottoms of your feet running red as you stomp grapes. We were asking the girl that was pouring our wine about that and she said that yes that was what the name meant. She went on to tell us the original label of the wine was two red footprints, one for each of the owner's, who are a husband and wife team. Up on the wall of the tasting room there is a painting of the original label. So one day, the husband and wife are working in the tasting room and up pulls two black SUVs and out get several very well dressed men. They come inside and much to the chagrin of the owners, they are not high class wine buyers but attorneys. From Barefoot Winery. They were there to serve a cease and desist order for copyright infringement for the Red Soles label design. This tiny little winery!! The Red Soles owner's attorney told them they could probably win the case, but it would cost a ton of cash, and Barefoot has a lot more of that than Red Soles, so they changed their label. 

So there you have it, big corporate bullies, even in the wine business.  

The old vitamin C myth

Right when I decide it's about damn time for a vacation, my body deals me a swift punch in the face. Literally. Of course I get the most obnoxious head cold right in the middle of our trip. Maybe drinking wine every night and eating what I affectionately refer to as "the beige diet" which consists of eating nothing with any color whatsoever, did not help.

Now why is it whenever you get sick everyone has the cure? Have some tea! Have some Airborne! Have a nap! Have some soup! Drink some OJ! Take some zinc! Guess what? Once you are sick, you're sick. That's it. End of story. Remember back when that supplement Airborne was all the rage? It fizzed for God's sakes it must work!! It's effervescent! Well, it was scam. I said so the whole time. What do I love more than being right? Well, nothing actually. But the makers had to pay a whopping $23.3 million dollars in false advertising. Why? Because loading up on things like vitamin C and whatever the hell else is in Airborne isn't going to form a force field of health around you. What will protect you is a healthy immune system which is best achieved by a well-balanced diet and exercise and not some glorified form of Alka-Seltzer.

Imagine my sheer annoyance this morning when my chiropractor noticed my sniffles and told me to "eat some tangerines for the vitamin C and load up on zinc". Whoaaaaaa doc. Why don't you stick to cracking my neck and not dole out nutrition advice, whad'ya say?

What vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is: an antioxidant, necessary for collagen synthesis, necessary for carnitine synthesis, necessary for neurotransmitter synthesis (norepinepherine, serotonin and others), necessary for some hormones, a PRO-oxidant. That's right, at super high concentrations, vitamin C has been shown in lab tests to promote cell and lipid damage.

What is is not: a direct quote from my Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism book states "the possible pharmacological effects of vitamin C on the incidence, severity and duration of the common cold have been almost totally refuted by some investigators. High doses of acorbate (vitamin C) appear to be only weakly prophylactic, if at all, and to be of little or no use for treating colds".

The RDA for men and women is 90 mg and 75 mg, respectively. Now deficiencies are associated with weak immune systems, scurvy, cardiovascular disease and high levels have been shown in some research to help with cataracts and macular degeneration but super high levels are NOT good. Any anti-oxidant can turn into a pro-oxidant if taken in too high a dose. Since vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin, you will usually just pee out any extra and doses of 2 grams have been taken with no reported adverse effects, However, high doses of up to 10 grams a day have been shown to possibly cause kidney stones. Diabetics are at risk of vitamin C deficiency because it looks remarkably like a glucose molecule, so they may excrete it accidentally.

The bottom line on vitamin C,  a deficiency definitely puts you at risk, but "loading up" on vitamin C isn't going to do your immune system, or your pocket book, any good. Stick with a well-balanced diet and you're good to go.

Zinc: what it is: an important micro mineral in the body, necessary for tissue and cell growth, cell replication, bone formation, skin integrity, host defense and cell-mediated immunity. Indeed, a very, very important micro mineral for immunity. Deficiencies affect cell-mediated and humoral immunity.

What it is not: a cure for the common cold. Another direct quote from my book "a meta-analysis of zinc salt lozenges and colds found no statistically significant benefit associated with the use of zinc lozenges for the treatment of colds."

The bottom line: a zinc deficiency is certainly going to put you at risk for getting sick, if you are meeting the current RDA for zinc, which is 40 mg, you will have plenty to keep your immune system functioning.

The bottom, bottom line: what you really need when you are getting sick: fluids and rest. Your body requires extra energy and fluid to battle the little war in your body so take care of it when you're ill. Sometimes we just get sick, and have to be sick and suffer and sniffle and be gross, but hey, that's life and that's just the way it goes. Just stay home and don't get everyone else around you sick;)

Big Sur, yes sir!

Oscar and I decided to take a much needed trip over winter break. The original plan was to go up to Napa Valley for wine tasting but when we made it to Big Sur I fell in love. Described by many as the place where the ocean meets the mountains, or vice versa, whatever, it's truly a beautiful place. I really wanted to stay and do some hiking and hangout, the place has a sort of mythical, deep feel about it. I definitely needed to get out of San Diego for awhile and the get away was perfect. Here are a few pics from the trip.

Cannery Row

On the Buzzard's Roost hike

Pfeiffer State beach

Guilty pleasure...chocolate bon bons!

I love these chocolate bon bons form Trader Joe's. At 60 kcals a bon-bon, things could be worse...

Beets and leeks and radishes oh my!

So another couple, Oscar and I decided to join a CSA about a month or so ago. We joined the Be Wise Organic Farm in San Diego to commit to buying local. I am somewhat ambivalent about the organic part, but I do believe in eating food locally and Be Wise has a great reputation.

Anyway, every Tuesday we meet up and divide our box between the two couples (we are signed up for weekly deliveries). The box is fruits, vegetables and herbs and boy oh boy is it a ton!

Produce from the box, I actually left out quite a bit. Note the beets, laughing at me.....

The fun thing about CSAs is that, to quote Forrest, you never really know what you're going to get. For the past few weeks I have been trying to get creative with beets, fennel. leeks and radishes. Thank God for Allrecipes.com, and an understanding boyfriend. I mean truthfully, there is only so much you can do with beets. I have made salads, I have made soups I have made salads and soups and dyed our kitchen sink purple every week for the past month and a half and every week, more beets!  Beets are extra good for you but I am running out of ideas....Any suggestions?

Some of  my CSA creations include: carrots and fennel (not good), carrot and celery soup (delish!), cream of broccoli soup (with healthy modifications, delish!), LOTS of salads and fruits and seasoning with lots of dill, parsley and marjoram (I think it's marjoram). Aside from the random vegetable issue, I really love having our produce coming locally. I know everything is in season, and luckily living in Southern California, we have an awesome year round growing season so we always have a great selection and it also forces me to find new ways to cook!

Post-partying points

I realize this post may come a little late as most of those nursing a hangover are well into the "thank God that's over with" phase, but I came across a few tips I thought I'd share for future recovery.

Graduate school has turned me into many things, and a cynic is one of them. I tend to feel as though most people are lying to me, and the ones that aren't lying probably don't know what they're talking about. Imagine my surprise when I found a few nutrition fact based items on the Today Show to help get you over your New Year's Day lack of will power from the night before.

1) Eat before you go out. Even though some places and parties will have some food and what not, you will more than likely be munching on this stuff as you are drinking. Eat a high fat meal before (high fat meals tend to get absorbed more slowly and will therefore delay the absorption of alcohol) you do any drinking.

2) Drink water. Alternating a glass of water in between drinks keeps you hydrated and drinking at a slower pace.

3) Beer before liquor doesn't make you sicker...total myth. It's just that once you are drinking, you will usually let down your inhibitions and may drink hard alcohol or shots, which you normally would not.  The total amount of alcohol is the real factor.

4) If you do get a hangover....eat something with potassium-a banana, eggs for example and drink a sports drink. When you are hungover you are mostly dehydrated and a sports drink may help replace lost electrolytes.

5)Hair of the dog and coffee actually make your hangover last longer since they are both diuretics and will continue the dehydration (and drunken) process. Stick to water, sports drinks or juice, which has fructose and may help you burn off old alcohol more quickly.


6) Men have a higher amount of alcohol dehydrogenase (the enzyme responsible for breaking down alcohol) in their bodies and more water in their bodies than women-regardless of weight, so quit trying to drink your dude under the table ladies, you'll lose every time!!

Happy New Year!

2011, year of the babes

What in the hell happened to 2010??!! I know it's cliche, but I truly have no idea what happened to this year. Oh wait, maybe it was happening whilst I was busy jamming my head full of knowledge while trying to hold down two jobs. Unforntunaltey, when you try to do too many things, you end up doing all of them half-assed. Which was my case this semester. Oh well. You live and learn and then overeat and over imbibe during the holidays and hope you don't get fired and hope you do pass your classes.


So now it's 2011. I'm officially declaring 2011 the year of the baby. Almost everyone I know is getting pregnant or has just had a baby. I mean EVERYONE. It's a little strange to be the only one of your friends who will never be pregnant. Oscar and I decided long ago we are far too selfish and irresponsible (read self-absorbed and stupid) to have kids.Thus far it hasn't really been an issue but suddenly, everyone around us is el preg and we can't even decide what kind of dog to get.It's slightly disconcerting when you realize everyone around you is taking giant leaps into adulthood while you are still mucking around in late adolescence. Don't get me wrong, I'm really very excited for my friends to start having kids. I used to refer to kids as sticky, whiny balls of neediness, but I'm beginning to realize it's all in the parenting.

I've really warmed up to kids quite a  bit. The last few years, especially this year, has forced me to come to terms with the fact that some children can be all right, particularly if they have the right parents. Fortunately I generally tend to surround myself with awesome people, therefore I also tend to be surrounded with awesome kids, even if they do invade my every sense of self.  For example, I adore Oscar's niece and nephew whom I believe have seen me naked over the holidays  more times than I care to count due to the fact they have no sense of privacy. They walked right into the bedroom every time I was changing and just waltzed on into the bathroom not once, not twice, but three times in the same day. I even love them even though his nephew climbed into bed with us every night and snored directly into MY FACE. I also love, love my niece who is the picture of adorable. However I still struggle.  I don't really know how to talk to kids. I tend to treat them like adults. I also tend to forget they don't understand sarcasm. This Christmas, Oscar's niece Kayla came into our room and asked me "Do you like Nino Oscar"? I dead panned replied "No." Kayla:"What? Why don't you like my Nino? I love my Nino?" She was on the verge of tears. Me: "I'm kidding!! I love your Nino! He is so great!" Kayla was  unconvinced and I noticed her eying me suspicously between bouts of Hello Kitty coloring sessions the rest of the night. Do you see what I mean? Sometimes I feel like I am going to break children, or lose them. They are so damned interested in everything! Also, since displays of emotion in general freak me out, I am instantly terrified when kids start to cry. I usually start laughing out of sheer nervousness, which honestly has a pretty good turnaround rate.

Anyway, I'm definitely excited for all my friends who are expecting kids. As if in a mockery to me, NPR aired a great show today on the importance of folic acid for expectant moms. According to the Institute of Medicine, certain requirements for women will increase during pregnancy due to the synthesis of the new fetal tissue as well as maternal tissue. Amongst these increased requirements are kcalories (+10 during the 1st trimester, +340 during the second and +452 during the third), protein & vitamin C but the one that receives the most attention is folic acid. Folic acid needs rise during pregnancy in response to mom's making extra red blood cells as well as the prevention of neural tube defects (NTD). Folic acid is traditionally found in things like spinach, broccoli and lentils but in the 1990s grains began to be enriched with folic acid to thwart the rise of NTD. The RDA for folic acid is 600 micrograms (mcg) for pregnant women. The Institute of Medicine recommends that 400 mcg of the 600 should come from  folate fortified foods or supplements as it is better absorbed, the remaining 200 mcg should come from food and drink. The tolerable upper intake level (UL) is 800-1000 mcg a day. I really liked this table which shows the RDA's as well as foods which contain them.

I won't pretend to understand the ins and outs of a pregnancy, but a little awareness and good nutritional habits will benefit both mother and baby.