Americans have a sweet tooth and its getting them in big trouble, health-wise.  Unfortunately, food manufacturers continue to manipulate this sweet tooth by adding more and more sweeteners to increase their sales.  According to a recent survey by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, most of the added sugar in our diets (about 30%) comes from sweetened beverages such as soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks.  This comes as no surprise.  The percentage of calories that come from sweetened beverages has nearly doubled since the 1970’s and these drinks have long been the target of public health campaigns, including most recently the soda tax.

Yes, decreasing the intake of sweetened beverages would be beneficial at reducing the contribution of added sugars to the diet. But are we missing the bigger picture?  If 30% of calories come from the added sugars in drinks, this means that a whopping 70% of added sugars comes from foods, such as candy, breakfast cereals, and desserts. Sweeteners are also creeping into other foods as well, such as such as crackers, tomato sauce, and salad dressings.

Ingredients on a food label are listed in descending order by weight.  Avoid choosing foods that have a sweetener within the first few ingredients in the list or have multiple sweeteners in the ingredient list.  This handout can help identify the various sweeteners used by food manufacturers.

  The average trick-or-treater will return home on Halloween night with a haul that adds up to 7000 calories. To put that number into perspective, consider these other calorie comparisons:

• 1 pound of body fat = 3500 calories
• An apple contains about 60 calories
• The average daily calorie needs for an 8     year old child is 1300-1400 calories
• The calories in a “fun-size”      candy bar (those smaller versions that tend to be given at Halloween) is     about 100 calories
• Each one of these activities will burn     100 calories:

• Pushing a stroller, 35 minutes
• Walking your dog, 26 minutes
• Physically playing with your kids, 23      minutes
• Raking leaves, 23 minutes
• Elliptical Trainer (moderate      intensity), 20 minutes
• Weight Lifting (moderate intensity), 15      minutes
• Running, 9 minutes

 Step aside chia seeds.  Your time saving the world from their nutritional woes is over because there is a new nutrition superhero in town.  Moringa oleifera (marketed by some brands as Moringa Zinga) is quickly rising in popularity after being featured by Dr. Oz on his talk show.  Moringa, also known as the horseradish tree, drumstick tree, sujuna, ben tree, or ben oil tree, is an edible tree native to Africa and Asia.  Almost every party of the tree can be used for food, offering a large amount of versatility when incorporating into the diet.  Beyond this versatility, why the hum to add moringa to your diet?  According to the National Research Council, moringa contains, gram for gram, 4 times vitamin A of carrots, 7 times the vitamin C of oranges, 4 times the calcium of milk, 3 times the potassium of bananas, and 2 times the protein of yogurt.  This high nutrient density has earned the plant the nickname of the “miracle tree” or “mother’s best friend.”

Bottom line: The miracle tree may offer a promising nutritional content but without any quality clinical trials, the validity of health claims are hard to measure.  If you are considering adding moringa to your diet, view it more as a multivitamin, and consult a health care professional for further information.