NEWS CAPSULES

Enlarge Image Image Gallery

The days of wine and peanuts?

Heart-conscious consumers may have a dietary option that doesn’t require a corkscrew.

Recent studies have shown that peanuts contain resveratrol, the same nutrient that makes red wine a potential ally in the war against heart disease.

At a September 1997 conference of the American Chemical Society in Las Vegas, Nevada, scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) presented findings showing that peanuts contain significant amounts of resveratrol. Discovering the presence of resveratrol in peanuts is a step toward determining whether peanuts can help reduce cardiovascular disease and lower total cholesterol, according to the Peanut Institute, which funded the USDA studies.

The amount of resveratrol found in peanuts is relatively low. A typical one-ounce serving of peanuts contains 74 micrograms (mcg) of resveratrol; a typical five-ounce serving of red wine contains 800 mcg.

Another study involving peanuts concludes that a high-fiber, low-sugar diet that includes foods such as peanut butter, beans, yogurt, or broccoli can significantly reduce the risk of ­noninsulin-­dependent diabetes in women. Participants in the six-year study ­included 65,173 women ranging in age from forty to sixty-five. (1)

Healthy eating a goal, not a practice, for most Americans

The results from America’s nutrition report card are in: Nearly 80 percent of Americans surveyed say they are aware that their health is affected by what they eat, but putting their knowledge into practice is a challenge.

According to the 1997 American Dietetic Association (ADA) Nutrition Trends Survey, 40 percent of those surveyed say they fear that eating healthfully will mean giving up foods they enjoy. And despite understanding that good health and nutrition go hand in hand, only 39 percent of respondents say they are doing all they can to achieve a healthful eating plan.

About 20 percent of those surveyed say that eating well takes too much time, and 23 percent say they are confused or frustrated about what constitutes healthful eating.

Based on the survey, the ADA concluded that seven out of ten Americans believe that some foods are good while others are bad (a myth, according to the ADA). However, the number of Americans who think they should cut all fat from their diet—13 percent, down from 17 percent in 1991—is a positive trend because some fat is essential for good health.

“We want people to think moderation, not elimination,” says Bettye Nowlin, a Los Angeles-based nutrition education specialist and registered dietitian.

“As nutrition educators, we face an uphill battle to get people to look at the big picture of their total food intake.”

What’s clear is that Americans don’t want to sacrifice good taste for good nutrition. They want both, and that can be easily achieved, Nowlin says. Modifying recipes, eating some foods less often or in smaller portions, and including a variety of foods in the diet can help make not-so-healthy favorites part of a healthy diet. (2)