Ask the Experts: Fruit Timing; Kefir vs. Greek Yogurt; Healthy Fat; Black Walnuts
Q: Does it matter when I eat fruit? Should I eat fresh fruit before lunch and before dinner or after lunch and after dinner?
A: Diane McKay, PhD, associate professor at Tufts’ Friedman School, replies: “It looks like there is a common myth out there about the timing of fruit consumption. And it is false.
“The bottom line is it’s more important to focus on how much fruit you eat—whether you consume enough—rather than exactly when you eat it, or whether it is fresh, dried or frozen. Con-suming fruits, or any other fiber-containing foods, along with a glass of water, before a meal will help fill you up, and that may result in eating less of your meal—taking in fewer calories at mealtime. Making this a habit can reduce your overall calorie intake over the long run and result in weight loss.
“Of course there is an argument to be made for consuming fruit after a meal, too. It is a great low-calorie, nutrient-dense dessert. If you eat fruit in place of high-sugar, high-fat, high-calorie desserts like ice cream, cookies or candy, that, too, will result in a lower intake of calories over time—and reduced weight—with little effort.”
Q: How do the nutrition and probiotic benefits of kefir compare with those of Greek yogurt?
A: Rosy Rojas, an intern at Tufts’ Frances Stern Nutrition Center, answers: “Kefir and Greek yogurt are two trendy probiotic dairy products that are actually fairly similar nutritionally speaking. Both prod-ucts are great sources of calcium, potassium, zinc, vitamins B12 and B6, and protein; however, there are some notable differences. Greek yogurt has more than twice as much protein as kefir. This helps makes Greek yogurt a useful tool for satiety, weight loss and maintaining or building lean body mass. Consequently, the higher protein also makes Greek yogurt higher in calories compared to kefir. Another nutrition difference is that kefir tends to have more calcium and potassium than Greek yogurt. For these reasons, kefir may marginally be a better choice for individuals hoping to prevent osteoporosis or increases in blood pressure.
“Both Greek yogurt and kefir are worthy sources of probiotics. But, unlike Greek yogurt, kefir has a greater number and wider variety of beneficial bacteria, and also contains helpful yeast. The abundance of pro-biotics in kefir is thought to provide bigger health benefits than Greek yogurt, particularly in relation to gut health. Other health claims, such as cholesterol reduction and cancer prevention, for probiotics like kefir and Greek yogurt have received a lot of hype in recent years. But there currently is not enough evidence to fully support these health claims.
“Kefir and Greek yogurt are enjoyable on their own, but can also be topped with fruit, added to smoothies, and even used to substitute for other dairy items (e.g., sour cream, mayonnaise, heavy cream, etc.) in sauce and condiment recipes.”
Q: I carefully watch the types of fat that I consume. Should I try to get more fat into my diet, such as a table-spoon or two of olive oil or safflower or sunflower oil?
A: Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, executive editor of the Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter, responds: “Current recommendations are to consume a moderate-fat diet, with specific guidance to favor polyunsaturated fat (vegetable oils such as soybean and corn oil) rather than saturated fat (mainly from animal fat, meat and dairy). Hence, it would make sense to use a vegetable oil to make salad dressings and in sautéing vegetables. Olive and canola oils are high in monounsaturated fat. If you prefer olive oil, that is a good choice as well. It is better to incorporate healthy fat into food preparation—particularly by substituting for less-healthy choices such as sugar and refined carbohydrates—than to simply drink it, which adds calories. ”
Q: Do black walnuts have nutritional characteristics similar to other walnuts?
A: Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, director of Tufts’ HNRCA Antioxidants Research Laboratory, says: “The problem in answering this question is that very little nutrient information is available on black wal-nuts except from the principal grower/supplier. In contrast, the available nutritional information on English walnuts comes from diverse sources and has largely been replicated. Nonetheless, in my opinion, the only truly significant difference is in the higher protein content of the black walnut. While some of the vitamins and minerals are higher in black than English walnuts, the differences would contribute very little to total intakes in usual diets.”
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