Nutrition News by Charlyn Fargo

Have you thought about ordering those products off the Internet that promise weight loss without the work? A lot of college students do. And many of them, according to a new research survey, actually purchase them. The study, published in the January 2010 issue of the Southern Medical Journal, found that college students with weight problems were three times more likely to open or read spam e-mail as well as three times more likely to purchase weight loss products from these e-mails compared to those without weight problems. Some 41.5 percent of college students with weight problems opened and read the spam e-mail advertising weight loss products, and 18.5 percent bought the weight loss products.

The research — conducted by Joshua Fogel, associate professor of the business program in the department of economics at Brooklyn College — also showed that increased psychological stress was associated with an increase in purchases of weight loss products advertised in spam e-mail. Fogel analyzed data from a survey of 200 college students, who were asked if they had weight problems and if in the past year they received, opened/read or purchased weight loss products from spam e-mail. The Perceived Stress Scale measured psychological stress.

Fogel thinks this should raise warning flags because there is no quality control for what is advertised in spam e-mail. These products can range from harmless to potentially dangerous. Some spam e-mail products even advertise and sell prescription medications without requiring proof of a valid prescription.

"We were shocked to see such high percentages of college students buying products — 18.5 percent," said Fogel. "Just because they got an e-mail in their inbox advertising weight loss, they believed it. There was no way to know the herbal connections or if the product was credible. They had no idea if the product would physically harm them."

2010 TRENDS

The Chicago Tribune recently listed its top nutrition trends for the new year. Here are a few predictions:

1. Fresh is the new functional. Shoppers want fresh, less processed.

2. Simplicity (especially in labels) is the new sophistication.

3. Low carbon is the new low carb. Sustainability is big in green restaurants and eco-labeling.

4. Dining in is the new going out. We will eat more meals at home, but they will be more "warming and heating" from the freezer.

5. Sodium is the new trans fat.

Sodium reduction will be the next major health movement. — Chicago Tribune

Q & A

Q: I'm confused by the changing headlines about low-fat diets for weight control. What's the best advice?

A: The bottom line is that reducing dietary fat is a successful strategy for weight control only to the extent that it helps achieve the crucial goal of controlling calorie consumption. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine testing effectiveness of equally reduced calorie diets — whether low or high in fat, low or high in carbohydrates and average or high in protein — showed no difference in weight loss. Two large studies looked at whether the proportion of calories coming from fat and the type of fat made any significant difference in weight gain. One study showed no difference, while the other study suggested that greater consumption of animal fat or saturated fat might increase weight gain.

Even though evidence is not conclusive, we do know that fat is our most concentrated source of calories, so reducing consumption of high-fat foods and added fat is still a valuable tool for cutting calories, as long as the calories from high-fat choices are not replaced by other foods. — American Institute for Cancer Research

RECIPE

This Cooking Light recipe for Chicken Tamale Casserole is the most searched recipe on their Web page. The tamale dough is replaced with a corn bread mix.

Chicken Tamale Casserole

1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided

1/3 cup fat-free milk

1/4 cup egg substitute

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn

1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)

1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained

Cooking spray

1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top.

Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream. Serves 8.

Per serving: 354 calories, 18.9 g protein, 36.3 carbohydrates, 14.1 fat, 58 mg cholesterol, 2.5 g fiber, 620 mg sodium.

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian from Springfield, Ill. For comments or questions, contact her at charfarg@aol.com. To find out more about Charlyn Fargo and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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