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Q: I love Buffalo-style
chicken wings. How bad for me are they?
A: No matter how they’re flavored, deep-fried
chicken wings provide a lot of fat and calories in a small portion.
If you eat ten wing pieces (five whole wings), chalk up at least
500 to 700 calories, or 800 to 1000 or more calories if the wings
are battered. It’s not just the impact on weight, though;
those ten wings contain from 35 to 70 grams of fat, with cholesterol-raising
saturated fat averaging about 8 to 13 grams (nearly half to two-thirds
of the recommended maximum for the whole day). If you add celery
(the least of the problem!) and a quarter-cup of blue cheese
dressing to those ten wing pieces, that will bring the total
to between about 800 to 1300 calories. Beyond that, you’ve
got nearly one to two days’ worth of sodium. The best way
to have wings is to have just a couple on the side of a filling
and balanced meal with a large portion of vegetables and some
other main dish, such as a main dish salad or vegetarian chili.
Or better yet, skip the wings and use Buffalo wing-style sauce
to flavor baked or grilled skinless chicken breasts. |
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Q: What is it about
agave nectar that is supposed to make it such a good sweetener?
A: Agave (pronounced uh-GAH-vay) nectar is a bit like
a sweeter, thinner version of honey. Some vegans who don’t
use honey may prefer agave nectar – also called agave syrup
– because it’s plant-based, made from the juice of
the agave plant. Some people choose it because it dissolves quickly
in cold drinks, like ice tea. Some choose it because although
equal amounts of agave, honey and table sugar differ by only
a few calories, agave is sweeter, so you can save calories by
using less. Furthermore, tests suggest agave has a lower glycemic
index than honey or table sugar, meaning the same amount produces
smaller increases in blood sugar than the other two sweeteners.
However, the calorie savings are too small to have any impact:
to add up to even one pound of weight loss a month, you’d
need to be using about 6 tablespoons of honey every day –
not the mark of a healthy diet. Every little bit helps, but don’t
expect the switch to bring any significant weight loss. Remember,
too, that healthfulness of a food is about more than just calories:
a sugar-laden drink or dessert does not necessarily become “healthy”
because you change the type of sugar.
Q: I’ve heard that
in the places around the world where people live healthfully
to old age, goat’s milk is consumed rather than cow’s
milk? Is it a healthier choice?
A: Goat’s milk may be the standard in some of
the countries known for longevity, but that could just be coincidence.
Goat’s milk and cow’s milk are both good sources of
calcium and protein. The clearest benefit of goat’s milk
is that it can be easier for some people to digest because of
differences in the type of protein and fat. Some theorize that
the type of fat, which includes more medium chain triglycerides
(MCTs) may be healthier, but that has not been clearly substantiated.
Isolated animal studies suggest that the composition of goat’s
milk may improve handling of certain minerals in some people,
but this also needs substantiation in human tests. Goat’s
milk is a nutritious option, but overall longevity in many of
the countries where it is consumed can more reliably be attributed
to a plant-based diet featuring more vegetables and fruits and
fewer processed foods and sweets, as well as physically active
lifestyles and people who maintain a healthy weight. |
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