Food manufacturers were given significant advance notice of the initiative, enough time to reformulate their products.  The process of partially hydrogenating vegetables oils was invented by a German Scientist at the turn of the century.  Crisco was on the shelf with recipe books in 1911.  The FDA determined partially hydrogenated fats were “generally regarded as safe” (GRAS status) in 1958.

CELEBRATING THE PROBLEM

Americans were admonished to switch to margarine in the 1970′s in a misguided effort to reduce risk of heart disease.  An appalling lack of science and an overabundance of hubris spurred a revolution in processed foods.  I remember reading full page ads in the LA Times, exhorting companies to abandon the saturated fats of the day.    Soon “healthier” vegetable oils were replacing palm and coconut oil as well as butter, lard and other saturated fats.  What a mess.

Partially hydrogenated fats were found in suspected places and unsuspected places.   Ironically the biggest source of trans fat came from bread, crackers and bakery items–about 40% of all trans fat in the food supply.   The partial hydrogenation of vegetable oil allowed these products to last longer on the shelf.

SOURCES OF TRANS FATS

Ironically, french fries and other fried foods contributed far less trans fat than bakery items.    Unfortunately, the public health bias regarding fast food meant undue attention was placed on that sector.

My husband works in the food industry, when I called Cargill and Archer Daniel Midland and asked them how much liquid shortening was sold with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, the answer was blunt and direct:  99%.  Practically every restaurant, cafeteria and food service institution in America was using liquid fry oil with partially hydrogenated fat, regardless of whether you were talking about the local diner, the restaurant of a five star hotel or your community schools and hospital.

THE TROUBLE WITH TRANS FATS

Over time researchers started to question the GRAS status of trans fats.  While FDA scientists didn’t start addressing the issue until after 2000, industry scientists were already aware that there was an problem in the early 1990′s.

One veterinarian from Wake Forest University ran a study on monkeys, giving both the experimental and control groups the same number of calories, the same amount of fat and the same amount of activity.  The only difference was the type of fat used in their chow.  The experimental monkeys were fed 7% of their calories from trans fats.  Olive oil made up the rest of the fat and 100% of the fat in the control group.

After 8 years, the control monkeys gained 1.2% of their body weight.  The experimental monkeys gained 6.8%.  If we try to translate that data into human terms, this would be equivalent to a 130 pound human female gaining 10# of fat just because the she ate food containing manufactured  trans fat.  And most of it would be in her belly.

LABELING TRANS FATS

Labeling trans fats in foods set up a firestorm.   Mostly it has been a good thing.  The one unfortunate truth is that the FDA allows manufacturers to state “O” trans fats when in fact a product has less than 0.5 gm of trans fat per serving.  The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2.5 grams of trans fat per day.

Trans fats on food labels

It is quite easy to eat more than “one serving” of anything.   How many people eat just one ounce of a muffin?  Most commercial muffins, cookies, and other bakery items are eaten in 2, 4, and 6 ounce portions.

It is important to note that not all trans fat is the same.  Ruminant animals (cows and the like) also produce naturally occurring trans fats.  These trans fats are actually thought to be health promoting.  It is the artificially manufactured trans fats from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils that scientists believe to be the problem.

LESS TRANS FAT TODAY AND OBESITY TRENDS HAVE FLAT LINED

Since 2006, sales of foods adulterated with trans fats have plummeted.  The CDC report that we carry less trans fat is our blood underscores the consumer response to labeling trans fats.  Just last week Shari Roan of the  LA Times reported that obesity rates are leveling off.  The usual experts touted how all our public health efforts are starting to work. I’m not so sure.

For the most part, public health efforts are wishful thinking guided by some science and driven by the need to do something.  Telling people to eat less fat didn’t work out so well.  Telling people to avoid saturated fat didn’t work out so well.  Neither has the tired and overused, “eat less, exercise more.”

But I bet reducing trans fat in the food supply maybe one effort that has really paid off.  I suspect eating less trans fat has a whole lot to do with obesity rates leveling off.   How do you reduce partially hydrogenated (trans) fats in your diet?

Yes, it takes time to cook beans from scratch, but the effort is worth every delicious bite.  Mostly the issue is thinking ahead.  You will always want to soak the beans.  In addition to amazing flavor, cooking beans from scratch is one way to hedge against additional doses of Bisphenol A (BPA) found in the linings of most canned foods.

THE CONVENIENCE OF CANNED

Canned beans are a convenient and easy source of low glycemic carbohydrate.   I love them, but not the BPA found in the can’s lining.  BPA is linked with nasty metabolic consequences including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and infertility in exposed workers.  We don’t study the impact of agents that potentially  interfere with normal metabolic processes nearly enough.  I am working to limit our exposure.

My husband operates a food distribution company and I have long enjoyed the cost savings when he  brings home staples like canned beans by the case.  Yes, the heat treatment in canning can significantly reduce the vitamin content of these foods, especially heat sensitive vitamins like thiamin.  At the same time, our diet is mostly whole foods; I know we get enough of most vitamins and minerals.

THE DANGER OF ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS

Endocrine disruptors like BPA are found in virtually everyone who is screened.  95% of these agents enter our body via the food supply.  They bioaccumulate–the more you consume the more you store.

Avoiding plastics is one way to limit exposure.  Avoiding canned lining with BPA is another.  There are a few brands that package in bisphenol A free cans, including Eden foods and some, but not all, canned products at Trader Joe’s.

Just yesterday I called my husband to replenish our stock of Pomi tomatoes (the tetrapak does not contain bisphenol A).  This summer I am seriously considering canning my own.

As for more cannellini beans, Bill told me yesterday that they are done for the season.  Next year  I will definitely be buying more cannellini beans from Coleman Family Farms.

Boredom is uncomfortable. It is much more fun to be engaged in a preferred activity or spending time in good company. Food and drink provide immediate gratification. Both are relatively cheap, available 24/7, can be consumed alone or with others, and are not illegal.

SELF SOOTHING WITH FOOD AND DRINK

Businesses including entertainment, technology and law firms commonly stock roomfuls of snacks and treats, effectively coercing workers to work longer hours and right through lunch. Other workers pay for their gustatory entertainment at cafeterias, vending machines or upscale convenience stores found in high rise office buildings. Food and drink would be ideal coping mechanisms if it weren’t for those pesky side effects when you consume more than your body needs or can handle.

Ideally we eat delicious and satisfying food when we are hungry and stop when we are satisfied. This is food’s rightful place. Without hunger, entertaining ourselves with food opens Pandora’s Box.

OVER EATING, OVER DRINKING, INFLAMMATION

Eating more than we need triggers a cascade of metabolic consequences that increase inflammation. To add insult to injury, most popular snack foods contain one or more problematic ingredients known to increase makes things worse all by themselves: excessive fat–especially trans fats; refined starch, sugar and high fructose corn syrup; sodium and alcohol.

Inflammation is linked with everything from heart disease, diabetes and cancer to autoimmune disease states and Alzheimer’s. This is true whether weight is normal or excessive. People who don’t gain excessive fat weight eating poorly do not “get away with it” in the long run.

How can people step away from using refined starch, sugar, caffeine or alcohol to cope with boredom? What are your favorite ways to self soothe without using food?

Food matters. Food impacts us on many levels: physically, physiologically, mentally, emotionally, culturally and socially. When your business is about food it is important to understand food in the fullest sense.

The science of nutrition is not just about nutrient content. Nutrition embodies the full range of our food environment, from farm to plate: How our food is grown, how it is packaged and transported, what is purchased and how it is prepared and consumed. Let Bonnie help you navigate the world of food and sound nutrition to your advantage. Learn how you can cultivate and celebrate food’s rightful place in your world.

• Product Support and media representation (radio, television, webinars)
• Staff in-services and training
• Consulting and preparing copy for newsletters, brochures, periodicals, and other written media
• Book authorship, chapter writing, editing

Past and Current Clients

Clippers Professional Basketball Team

Dudell and Associates

Guthy-Renker Publications

Junior’s Restaurant, Westwood

Kathy Smith Lifestyles

McDonald’s Corporation

Mika Shino

Montebello Unified School District

Nemco Foods

Porter Novelli/ McDonald’s Owner Operators of Southern California (MOASC)

Rick Johnson PR

The Bagel Factory, Los Angeles

Nutrition science is a young and dynamic discipline. New information is available everywhere, but often without a sense of what it means and how to use it effectively. Too often nutrition news is translated into sound bites instead of sound advice.

Each presentation, every workshop is designed to provide participants with insight and perspective to help you weave nutrition science into the art of eating well. Our food supply is abundant and can be highly adulterated. It is more important than ever for each of us to cultivate an approach to food that works.

Bonnie has presented to a wide range of lay and professional groups. Presentations are personalized and designed to connect, educate, problem solve, motivate and inspire.

CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR HEALTH and EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS

California Association of Physician Assistants (CAPA)

California School Nurse’s Organization (CSNO)

Los Angeles District School Nurses

California Hispanic Nurse’s Association

Community College Nurse’s Association

California State Meeting – American Academy of Pediatrics

Orange County Pediatricians

High Desert/Palm Springs Physician Group

Kaiser Permanente Dept of Pediatrics—Pacoima

St John’s Hospital Physician In-service

UCLA Medical Student

California Dietetic Association

Los Angeles Dietetic District

Orange County District

Pasadena/San Gabriel District

PHF-WIC Foundation dietitians and paraprofessionals

Riverside County Dietitians

Greater LA Dietetic Intern Consortium

Dietetic interns and nutrition students at local universities; CSUN, CSULB, CSUSB, Pepperdine, UCLA/Veteran’s Hospital; Cal Poly Pomona, PHF-WIC

UCLA Certificated Program for Exercise Instructors

Certified Strength and Conditioning Coaches (CSCS)

IDEA Health and Fitness Association

Professional Development—Santa Monica College Staff

Elementary, secondary teacher in-services throughout the Greater Los Angeles area

Brentwood School Wellness Program

St. John’s Therapeutic Preschool – staff in-service

COMMUNITY AND LAY PRESENTATIONS

Los Angeles County Fire Department

Southern California Edison

American Cancer Society—Westside Chapter

Federal Aviation Administration

Santa Monica’s Farmer’s Market 30^th Anniversary “Good Food Fest”

Industry Hills Aquatic Club

Santa Monica College PE Department

Pepperdine University Athletic Department

NBA – Clipper’s Basketball Organization

Santa Monica College Athletic Department

Cerritos College Athletic Department

AYSO- Southern Division Conference

California Parent Teachers Association (PTA)

Parent education groups at schools throughout the Greater Los Angeles Area

St. John’s Therapeutic Preschool—parent groups

Assorted Kiwanas, Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce and other civic presentations

Diets aren’t the answer. There is no one right way to eat.

Figuring out what to eat and how to navigate our incredibly abundant food supply is challenging for most people. More information doesn’t seem to be the answer. Maybe it is time to find out what approach to food works for you, than listening to one more relative, friend, or expert tell you how to eat. (MORE….)

There is more nutrition information available today than ever before, and it doesn’t seem to help people bridge the gap between knowledge and behavior. Maybe it’s time for a different strategy. Let Bonnie help you develop an approach to food that works for you.

Consulting with Bonnie is more collaboration than instruction. This is a chance to be truly heard and have your concerns and personal experiences taken into consideration. You know what you like, and what you don’t. You may know where you want to go but not how to get there. My mission is to help you develop an approach to food that works for you in the real world.

BASIC NUTRITION AND WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

• Food and nutrition recommendations to help your body metabolize energy effectively
• Personalized food plans for the way you live and the degree of support or structure that will work for you
• Targeted work that can help develop effective self regulation and resilience, especially for those with a history of eating disorders, substance abuse, and other addictive behaviors
• Personalized assessment of metabolism and body composition
• Specific strategies to fill in the gaps of your skill set: meal planning, food shopping, food preparation, eating away from home or purchasing prepared foods.
• Insightful strategies to successfully eat “close to the earth”

MATERNAL AND CHILD NUTRITION

• Nutrition support during pregnancy and breastfeeding
• Expertise to address weight challenges, hyperglycemia and gestational diabetes (GDM)
• Key support to help parents effectively nourish and nurture infants and children, especially problem feeders and picky eaters
• Effective strategies to address nutrition needs for children with special needs including development and sensory Integration challenges
• Critical resources to help your child develop effective self regulation and resilience
• Practical and effective strategies to compliment mindful parenting with an approach to food that allows you to truly nurture and nourish your child

SPORTS AND PERFORMANCE NUTRITION

• Eating for maximum energy utilization
• Effective strategies to gain muscle and lose excess fat weight
• Instruction for proper hydration and fluid balance
• Unique feeding strategies to meet metabolic needs for different sports, environmental conditions, and specific positions or events

MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS

• Cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, hypertension
• Hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, pre-diabetes, type II diabetes
• Other inflammatory diseases: gout, arthritis, asthma
• Gastro-intestinal conditions: constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), spastic colon, colitis, celiac disease
• Conditions of impaired energy metabolism: chronic fatigue, impaired immune system, chronic infections, candida

Bonnie Modugno, MS, RD, is a registered dietitian providing expert witness research and testimony in child support cases since 1998. Bonnie is the owner of More Than Food, Inc, a food and nutrition consultation business and Nutrition Works, a nutrition consultation business, located in Santa Monica, California.

For over 14 years Bonnie has provided expert witness testimony in child support cases, primarily for leading family law firms in Southern California. She plans and executes research to determine nutrition needs of dependent children and the costs of providing for those needs. Nutrition research can be specific to individual food preferences, allergies, customary food access and patterns of intake.

Bonnie Modugno earned her bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition in 1979, a master’s degree in education and psychology in 1982 and is a certified lactation education (1984). She taught basic nutrition and nutrition for nursing students and exercise instructors at Santa Monica College and UCLA Extension for 15 and 12 years respectively.

Bonnie specializes in infant and child nutrition, energy metabolism, weight management and eating disorders.

• 600 Calories

• 35% Calories from fat, 10% saturated fat (except if fat is in nuts, nuts butters, seeds, eggs and reduced fat cheese)

• 0.5 gm trans fat

• 640 mg sodium per meal or 480 mg sodium for a single item

• 10% of sugar based Calories and 35% of fat based Calories in beverages

Meals must also contain:

• 1/2 cup fruit or 3/4 cup vegetable

There is no parameter for the source of the foods, level of processing, or adequate protein. There is no discussion of total calories from refined sugars and/or starches in the food.

When compared to nutrition data that the government collects, very few kids eat like this. Over 5500 children’s meals were analyzed from 2002-3 NHANES data by Univ of Washington’s School of Public Health. The analysis included the original requirement that each meal contain 1/2 cup of fruit and 3/4 cup of vegetable. Less than 1/10 of one percent of meals met these specific guidelines.

There is a big problem with such seemingly sound recommendations. No science is available to show that this particular meal composition will decrease child obesity. There is no science, but lots of good intention. Good intention is not good enough.

NO INSIGHT INTO METABOLISM, HUNGER OR SATIETY

What is horribly missing in the discussion regarding child obesity is the incredibly complex and not yet fully understood mechanism of satiety (a sense of feeling satisfied after a meal) and energy partitioning. The key question is why does the body compel us to keep eating even after we have enough, and where do are those calories go?

The short answer is that eating more has historically been advantageous and linked with survival. The human body has exquisitely evolved to adapt to survive scarcity. Chilean miners are a case in point.

Without rapid metabolic adaptation in response to the minimal food intake available to the miners after the cave in, they would have been dead before they were found. Within days of near starvation, the body shifts to preferentially burning fat for fuel. You won’t feel great, but you will be alive.

TOO MUCH REFINED SUGAR AND STARCH IS THE PROBLEM

Research has begun to suggest that excessive intake of refined sugars and starches is probably more of the problem in child obesity than either total fat or saturated fat intake. We are at a nutritional crossroads and it is time for some clarity in the health and nutrition debate.

1. There is no one right way to eat. It is simplistic and over-reaching to think that the nutrition parameters outlined in the toy ban are appropriate for all children. It is important to hold parents and caregivers accountable and responsible for what children get to eat. They know their children better than any politician.

2. We do not have the research that tells us what is healthy for all children. Did the supervisors ever consider that the nutrition information they are working with is not all there is to know?

3. Thin kids drink the same amount of soda as heavier kids. They also eat about the same amount of calories, carbohydrate, protein and fat. So is the issue that heavy kids eat and drink too much, or is it that some kids just get away with it? Maybe it’s time to stop using body size as the litmus test for what kids get to eat.

4. There is no refuge in the neighborhood supermarket. People can make poor food choices anywhere.

5. Knowledge is not behavior. It is easy to talk about what you should eat. The real test is what you do eat. Too many people—including health professionals– don’t walk the walk.

6. It’s not where you eat; it’s what you eat when you get there. At many sit down restaurants the fries come in one pound servings and the beverage refills keep coming at no extra cost. The portions are not small, medium and large—just mostly very large.

7. Fast food restaurants were the first restaurants to offer “choose your side” menu options for kids so that they could also enjoy fruits and vegetables on their plate. In 2004 McDonalds adopted the Happy Meal option nationally, allowing families to choose 1% low fat milk and apple dippers instead of soda and fries at no extra cost.

In 2005 I surveyed 14 sit down restaurants with a kid’s meal menu located in Los Angeles, California. Less than 7% of offerings on these menus offered a fruit or vegetable in the meal. By 2007 the landscape had changed dramatically. 70% of the same restaurants were now offering a fruit or vegetable option on the kid’s menu. By 2009 the National Restaurant Association made healthier kids meals a priority.

SOME CHANGE CAN BE GOOD

When I suggested the Happy Meal option to McDonald’s Owner Operators of Southern California (MOASC) in December of 2002, I was encouraged by the reception and willingness of these business owners to be part of the solution

Today McDonald’s is one of the largest sellers of apples and salads. McDonald’s adopted standards for animal welfare and feeds championed by animal scientist, Temple Grandin, PhD. McDonald’s is already answering Michelle Obama’s call for every player in the food and nutrition community to address factors that contribute to child obesity.

McDonald’s creates impact with even small changes. I wonder why public health proponents, journalists and the public at large cannot see the opportunities to work with McDonald’s, instead of pretending that if fast food went away there would be no child obesity.

STUMPED BY A FIXED MIND SET

Anne Dweck, PhD, a professor of psychology at Stanford University talks of a fixed mind set versus a growth mind set. I’d like to think health professionals embrace a growth mind set, learning new things and incorporating that new knowledge into their current thinking.

Too many public health pundits, public and clinical health care workers, teachers and other “influencers” continue to denigrate the food at McDonald’s no matter what it is and how it has changed. This is a sign of a fixed mind set. The fixed mind set is marked by refusing to consider new information.

These same influencers continue to believe that all fast food is bad as if all other choices are good. Not only is this not true, but this simplistic thinking leads people to believe they are eating well as long as they are not eating fast food. This is a sign of a fixed mind set.

These influencers continue to extol the virtues of full service supermarkets without considering how people shop and what they really eat at home. This is a sign of a fixed mind set.

CULTIVATING A GROWTH MIND SET IS A MORE CHALLENGING JOURNEY

It is challenging to shift from a fixed mind set into the murkier territory of a growth mind set. The certainty and absolute nature of a fixed mind set is seductive and compelling. And it is often wrong.

Public health advocates have been blaming fast food for increasing child obesity for decades. Today the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to ban toys from kid’s meals that don’t meet their specific definition of “healthy.”

There is no science that has determined that their prescribed meal will improve the situation, but the public health pundits would like us to believe that the changes they propose will mean all children eat more healthfully.

The average McDonald’s Happy Meal customer eats two meals a month at McDonald’s. I don’t know that banning toys from meals that don’t meet these nutritional guidelines is going to dramatically change the health status of these kids. I certainly don’t want to be the mom who decides today her kids get to eat fries—but they don’t get a toy.

Please note: I consult for the Owners and Operators of McDonald’s in California. This blog is an independent enterprise and my personal and professional opinion. It is not the position of McDonald’s Corporation or any individual owner.

An editorial in the Nov, 2010 edition of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition argues the point. The conclusion? “Sodium intake in the US adult population appears to be well above current guidelines and does not appear to have decreased with time.”

Despite almost forty years of admonishing the American public to reduce sodium, little has changed. Americans experience more heart disease and more hypertension. Is it really the sodium?

In the same journal there is an accompanying editorial, written by three scientists (two who have consulted for the Salt Institute). The editorial challenges USDA recommendations to reduce sodium intake for everyone. I am inclined to agree with the naysayers.

I think the scientists pushing for greater universal sodium restriction are missing the boat on at least two accounts. First, sodium intake influences fluid balance in the body. But it does not act independently. Insulin drives sodium re-absorption in the kidneys.

INSULIN DRIVES SODIUM RE-ABSORPTION AND FLUID RETENTION

Overeating, especially eating more carbohydrate, increases insulin secretion. The more insulin, the greater re-uptake of sodium and water. People feel bloated, fuller, thicker. They can gain 3-5 pounds of weight overnight. It may not be fat weight, but they still can’t get their pants zipped the next morning.

This is probably the reason Walter Willet, PhD, a co-author of the original research, states that overeating is more of the problem than actual sodium intake.

LEARNING HOW TO USE SALT: ITS ABOUT FULL FLAVOR

Second, the discussion to reduce sodium is often accompanied by feeble recommendations to make food taste better with herbs and different cooking methods. How we cook our food is not the biggest problem.

70% of sodium intake comes from highly processed and adulterated packaged foods. Eating more whole foods, cooked from scratch, is a far more effective strategy to reduce sodium. In addition, public health educators and dietitians need to teach people how to use salt to make foods taste delicious, not just salty.

Salt is an amazing cooking ingredient. If used correctly salt enhances the complex mix of flavors in food, elevating taste to a whole new level. I think people could learn to appreciate delicious food seasoned with the right amount of salt. It would be far more appetizing to use salt effectively than to try to cut salt out altogether.

TRIGGERING RESISTANCE

On a behavioral level, the scientists get this all wrong. There is nothing like telling someone they shouldn’t do something to trigger resistant behavior. The oppositional two year old lives on inside most of us.

My goal is to encourage people to experience delicious food that is well seasoned. Add just enough salt to enhance all the flavors. Combine this effort with recommendations to eat more whole foods and less highly processed adulterated food. Encourage people to honor how much is enough.

True education always takes more time, more money and more effort than simply telling people to stop using salt. Teaching the public how to use salt may be more successful than the past ineffective efforts to cut salt out. Forty years is a long time to be recommending the same thing, expecting different results.