Women's Nutrition

September 27, 2000

Dietitian Christine Palumbo answers questions about Quaker Oats nutritional benefits and women’s health.

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Christine Palumbo: Welcome all you chatters out there who are hungry for information on women's nutrition. As a registered dietitian and recognized expert in the field of women's nutrition, I'm happy to be joining you today to share information that can be useful in your quest to make your life healthier! We'll be together for one hour. Feel free to start asking your nutrition questions now!

Tania: Is instant oatmeal really healthy?

Christine Palumbo: Yes it is. Instant oatmeal is a whole grain, and it contains all the nutrients and benefits of oatmeal.

Lucie: As a woman, what health issues should I be concerned about?

Christine Palumbo: This will depend to a large degree on your own personal family health history, but all of us women need to be especially concerned with osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Sar: How would you compare oatmeal to other sources of fiber?

Christine Palumbo: Oatmeal is a whole grain, and as such provides substantial quantities of fiber, particularly soluble fiber. In fact, today's Journal of the American Medical Association published a study that showed that women who ate 2-3 servings of whole grains every day had a much-lowered risk of ischemic stroke, and that's good news!

Persian Kitten: How much oatmeal do you have to eat to see cholesterol reduction?

Christine Palumbo: The FDA allows Quaker Oats to make a health claim for 1 1/2 cups of dry oatmeal, so it doesn't take much. So actually, about two servings of oatmeal may show a reduction in your blood cholesterol level assuming that you eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet.

Nancy: Hi, Christine. I have a thyroid problem (slow thyroid). I want to know what to do to keep my weight down.

Christine Palumbo: The first step is to visit your doctor and make sure that the slow thyroid is indeed keeping your weight at an unacceptable level. If your doctor prescribes thyroid medication, do take it, and then it's time to look at the other aspects in your life that keep your weight higher than you'd like it. Make sure you get regular physical exercise. One good way to exercise is to walk about three miles, maybe four days a week, and cut back on your portion sizes. Don't snack, and don't eat at night. Be patient, because you didn't gain the weight overnight, and it certainly won't come off overnight, as well.

WildOats: What do you think of all these low carb diets that are out now? Are they sound nutritionally?

Christine Palumbo: The high protein, low carbohydrate diets that have been so popular in the late 90s and early 2000 are really recycled versions of similar diets that were out in the mid 1970s and also back in the 50s and 60s, so what's old is new and what's new is old. These diets did not work over the long term back then, and they don't work over the long term now. People who follow these high protein, low carb regimens often experience a temporary weight loss. However, after a while, the weight loss is not sustained, and it's difficult to maintain this diet over a long period of time, and there are side effects that people don't want to talk about. One of which is severe constipation, and another one is, "You stink, because you have bad breath." That's why people can't stay on them very long. They're gimmicks, not healthy, and most credible nutritionists and dieticians advise against them, and I do, too.

Karen: What do the key nutrients in B vitamins do for me?

Christine Palumbo: Women need to make sure they get enough of the following key nutrients in their diets. The first is calcium, which is important for bone health, and it also helps with blood pressure regulation. Another key nutrient is soy protein. Soy protein helps promote hormone balance. The next is soluble fiber, and it's important for heart health, and that's found in beans and oatmeal. Another key nutrient for women is iron, which is for energy, and that's found in beef and other lean meats, as well as fortified cereals. B vitamins help our bodies use the energy from the food we eat, and there's also one specific B vitamin called folic acid, and it's important for healthy childbearing years.

Persian Kitten: Why are grains so important to our diet?

Christine Palumbo: The USDA food guide pyramid is based on grains. In fact, it recommends between 6-11 grain foods everyday, depending on your calorie needs. Grains provide carbohydrates for energy, and they provide many of the key nutrients that we just discussed. If they are whole grains, there are many health benefits that they provide. The key to choosing grains is to choose the healthier grains, such as those found in whole wheat bread, bulgur, brown rice, and oatmeal, and to minimize the amount of refined grains such as those found in things like cake, white bread, white rice, and the like. The best and healthiest grains are whole grains!

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