Wizard Recipes

Although often thought of as a vegetable, the eggplant is botanically a fruit. It is a member of the nightshade family, which includes the tomato, potato, and pepper.

In addition to the purple eggplant, there are many other types of eggplant, varying from white to green-yellow and purple-black. Eggplants also vary in shape and may be oblong, round, tear-dropped, or lobed. Eggplants range in length from 2 to 12 inches.

Varieties

The eggplant is available in many varieties. In the United States, the most common eggplant is the large, cylindrical or pearshaped variety with a smooth, glossy, darkpurple skin. Another popular variety is the Japanese or Asian eggplant, which ranges from solid purple to striated shades and has tender, slightly sweet flesh.

The Italian, or baby, eggplant looks like a miniature version of the larger common variety. The egg-shaped White Egg has tougher skin and firmer, smoother flesh.

Origin and Botanical Facts

First cultivated more than 4,000 years ago, the eggplant is believed to be native to India, from where it was subsequently brought to China. In the Middle Ages, Arab traders brought it to Spain and northern Africa. By the 18th century, both the French and the Italians cultivated eggplant, which they called aubergine. Thomas Jefferson introduced the eggplant to the United States.

However, it was not until the 20th century that Americans began to use the eggplant as a food. Previously, it was used as a table decoration. Today, the eggplant is most popular in the cuisines of southern Italy and the Middle East.

The eggplant is a frost-intolerant perennial grown as an annual. It will sustain damage if the temperature falls below 65 Fahrenheit. Eggplant is available throughout the year. The peak season is from July to October. Florida and North Carolina produce half the domestic crop.

In the winter months, California and Mexico are also major suppliers.

Uses

Eggplant is very perishable and should be stored in a cool, dry place. It can be refrigerated in a plastic bag for 3 to 4 days. Because it contains a heat-sensitive toxin that can induce diarrhea and vomiting, eggplant must be cooked before eating.

To prevent the discoloration that occurs when the flesh is exposed to air, eggplant should be left intact until just before cooking. Peeling is recommended for older eggplant, because the skin toughens with age. Because a carbon steel blade will blacken the flesh, a stainless steel knife is preferred for cutting eggplant.

Eggplant can be stuffed and baked, broiled, roasted, fried, stir-fried, or stewed. Because they are very porous, eggplants soak up oil easily during frying. Oil absorption can be minimized by salting to draw out the moisture and compact the flesh.

This process also eliminates the natural bitter taste. Using a nonstick pan also can help cut down on fat absorption.

Nutrient composition

Eggplant is composed mostly of water and contains only small amounts of nutrients.

Milk and dairy products provide many of the key nutrients needed daily, particularly calcium. Milk and dairy products also supply high-quality protein. Because of its animal source, milk protein is complete - meaning it provides a sufficient amount of the nine essential amino acids.

Dairy products are also naturally rich in B vitamins and most of the minerals considered to be essential in the diet, including calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, iodine, and selenium. In addition, milk also contains several vitamins and minerals that have been added to meet the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration.

Low-fat and nonfat milk may be fortified with vitamin A because this fat-soluble vitamin is lost when the milk fat is removed. Vitamin D is added to all milk to help the body better use calcium.

Milk also is a good source of carbohydrates. With the exception of cheeses and butter, milk products are higher in carbohydrates than protein or fat. Milk’s carbohydrate is lactose, a sugar unique to milk that is actually two sugars (glucose and galactose) linked together.

Food scientists call this type of sugar a “disaccharide.” Lactose is not as sweet as other sugars. It helps the body absorb calcium and phosphorus and may even help in the growth of friendly bacteria needed in the intestines.

In addition, galactose, one of the sugars in lactose, is a vital part of brain and nerve tissue. It is released when the body digests lactose. Lactose is a bit of a paradox, however.

Although it has these beneficial properties, many people have difficulty digesting .

Despite all the nutrients in milk, the nutritional advantages of dairy products must be weighed against the potential health drawbacks of two key components in milk: sodium and fat.

Whole milk, cream, and cheeses contain substantial amounts of fat, especially saturated fat. These fats add calories and have been tied to higher cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease. However, it is important to note that low-fat and nonfat milk varieties are available and are significantly lower in fat than whole milk.

In addition, depending on how much is consumed, milk or products made from milk may be a major source of sodium - a special concern for anyone following a low-sodium diet.

As many as 50 million Americans are estimated to have lactose intolerance - an inability to adequately digest ordinary amounts of dairy products such as milk and ice cream.

Worldwide, nearly 70 percent of the adult population is thought to be lactose intolerant, and the condition is very common among American Indians and those of Asian, African, Hispanic, and Mediterranean descent.

Lactose is the sugar that is naturally present in milk and milk products. It must be broken down by lactase (an enzyme found in the intestine) before the body can use it. If there is not enough lactase, undigested milk sugar remains in the intestine. Bacteria in the colon then ferment this sugar. Gas, cramping, and diarrhea can follow.

Most of us begin to lose intestinal lactase as we age. However, this occurs to varying degrees. Thus, people with lactase deficiency vary in their ability to comfortably digest milk and milk products.

As obvious as the symptoms of lactose intolerance may be, it is not easily diagnosed from the symptoms alone. Many other conditions, including stomach flu and irritable bowel syndrome, can cause similar symptoms.

See your physician to determine whether you are lactose intolerant. Measurement of the hydrogen in your breath after you have taken in lactose is a useful test because large amounts of hydrogen indicate that lactose is not being fully digested and that you are probably intolerant.

Persons with milk allergies should avoid milk, but those with lactose intolerance often do not need to follow a diet that is completely lactose-free. The following suggestions may help:

• Avoid eating or drinking large servings of dairy products at one time. (Several smaller servings over the course of a few hours are much easier to digest.)
• Drink milk or eat dairy products with a meal.
• Choose hard or aged cheeses, such as Swiss or cheddar, over fresh varieties. Hard cheeses have smaller amounts of lactose and are more likely to be tolerated.
• Take lactase tablets or drops, such as Lactaid or Dairy Ease. These types of products contain the enzyme that breaks down lactose, reducing the amount that your body must digest on its own.

For help with meal planning, you may want to see a registered dietitian.

If pesticides and food additives pose any potential risk at all, would we be better off eating only “organically grown” foods? What is an organic food? Organic farming methods are those that use only nonsynthetic products (substances that are naturally found in the environment).

Can you be sure that the organic products you buy are really grown and produced organically? In 1998, Congress enacted the Organic Foods Production Act, which regulates production and processing standards for organic foods.

This act specifies that foods sold as “organically grown” or “organically processed” must be certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However, organically produced foods may not be 100 percent organic.

By law, they must have at least 50 percent of their ingredients produced naturally, and organically processed foods must contain at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients.

Are these foods better? Not necessarily. Nutritionally, organically grown foods may not be significantly different from the same products grown with conventional farming techniques.

The nutrient content of a product is determined by many factors, including the composition of the soil, the genetic makeup of the plant, the degree of maturity at harvest, and methods of handling after harvest. The taste of organic products may or may not differ from that of conventionally grown foods.

Organic methods tend to be more costly (in terms of both labor and materials), production is lower, and consumer prices tend to be higher. In addition, organic methods are not always safer.

Some pesticides reduce the risk of exposure to certain harmful organisms that represent a much greater potential risk than does exposure to the pesticide. In most instances, personal preference rather then proven benefit determines whether you choose to eat an organic food.

What About Genetically Engineered Foods?

Modern genetic-engineering techniques are a refinement of traditional plant-breeding methods. Genetic engineers first select a desired plant trait. They then isolate and modify the gene(s) responsible for the trait. Finally, they attempt to introduce the altered gene into other plants.

In essence, genetic engineering accelerates the natural mixing of genes that normally would occur among various plant species.

Genetic engineering of plants has yielded several benefits. Farmers can protect crops against weeds with genetically engineered biodegradable herbicides that need fewer applications. Genetic engineering also can extend the time before spoilage begins, enabling growers to harvest foods closer to peak freshness.  Crops can be genetically engineered to be drought- and temperature-resistant.

Genetic engineering can increase crop yields and enable plants to tolerate a wider range of climates. Genetic engineering also can increase the amount and quality of protein in beans and in grains such as rice.

Although there are benefits associated with genetically engineered foods, there also are lingering questions about the long-term effects on the environment and the ability of producers and the government to ensure the safety of the process.

Therefore, the debate continues regarding how genetically engineered foods should be developed and regulated.

Farming methods are rapidly evolving. New foods and novel ingredients are continuously being introduced into the marketplace. Pesticides and fertilizers are used to increase yields.

Genetic engineering potentially can produce safer, more nutritious, and cheaper forms of foods. Substitutes (such as sugar, fat, and salt substitutes) enable some people to eat foods that would otherwise endanger their health.

However, not everyone would agree that these changes are an advance because many have been accompanied by uncertainty and, in some instances, controversy. What about additives? Organic foods? Irradiated foods? What does it mean when a food is enriched or fortified? Read on.

What About Pesticides?

Pesticides and modern pest management practices have helped to ensure that we have a reliable, affordable, varied, nutritious, and safe food supply. Pesticides are chemicals that kill or prevent the growth of weeds (herbicides), bacteria (disinfectants and antibiotics), molds and fungi (fungicides), and harmful insects (insecticides).

Some pesticides occur naturally in soil, whereas others are found in compounds isolated from particular plants. Many farmers try to control pests in the most effective, least disruptive manner by practicing what is known as integrated pest management.

This approach includes companion planting with plants that contain natural pesticides, crop rotation, use of sterile strains of insects or insect pheromones (to alter reproduction patterns and thereby reduce the insect population), natural insect predators, pest-resistant plant strains, mathematical forecasting techniques, and, when necessary, chemical pesticides.

Should you worry about pesticide residues? The answer is a qualified “no.” The upper limit of the amount of pesticide residue permitted on both raw and processed foods has been carefully established and is enforced by several government agencies.

These upper limits are far less than the levels of exposure that are considered harmful. However, to reduce your exposure to pesticide residues further, you can take the following steps:

• Carefully select the produce you buy (avoid cuts, holes, or signs of decay).
• Thoroughly wash all produce with water (not soap) to remove surface residues.
• Scrub carrots and potatoes and other root vegetables thoroughly. Wash other fresh fruits and vegetables with a brush. Resist the temptation to peel apples, pears, cucumbers, potatoes, and other produce with edible skin, because peeling removes a valuable source of fiber.
• Remove the outer leaves (and any inner leaves that appear to be damaged) from leafy vegetables such as lettuce and cabbage.
• Eat a variety of foods rather than large amounts of a single food.

Although cereal has traditionally been a synonym for grain, most people think of it today as the food that comes packaged in a bright box and is poured into a bowl of milk in the morning for breakfast.

Hundreds of cereals are available in just about any American supermarket today. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, inventor of a flattened, toasted wheat flake in the late 1800s, would probably be surprised at the enthusiasm for his invention and the derivatives of it.

For several decades after Kellogg’s wheat flake was introduced (followed closely by corn flakes and shredded wheat), marketers touted the cereals as the key to both health and vitality.

Today, corn, wheat, oats, and even some lesser-known grains such as amaranth and quinoa are puffed, popped, baked, shredded, or processed into “Os,” letters of the alphabet, and even in the shape of popular cartoon characters.

Unfortunately, cereal’s reputation as a healthful food has suffered. Many cereals are a wise breakfast choice, but too many of them (particularly children’s cereals) also have sugar and artificial flavorings and colors added to them.

Granola-based cereals and many that purport to be rich in oat bran or fiber also may be high in fat. Checking the labels to see what you are getting is always a good idea. One ingredient to look for in particular is hydrogenated fat, which contains a type of fat called trans fatty acids. Trans fatty acids have been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Preparation Tips

Consider the nutrition of the other main ingredient in a bowl of cereal: milk. The type you choose can have a major effect on the nutrition of a meal based on a bowl of cereal. Choose skim milk. Skim milk reduces calories and saturated fat significantly yet provides the same nutrients as whole milk.

Whole grains for hot cereal can be purchased at specialty stores and in the natural food aisle of many supermarkets. Follow label instructions for cooking.

Serving Suggestions

Try adding cold cereal to reduced-fat or nonfat yogurt for a crunchy, creamy treat.

Or, top off cold cereal with sliced fruit of your own choosing. Fruit added to cereals by manufacturers is often high in sodium and sugar, and usually there is not a lot of it in the box.  Add nutrition to a bowl of hot or cold cereal by sprinkling wheat bran or germ over it.

PALMITATE IN CEREALS

Many people, particularly those who are watching fat intake closely, wonder whether palmitate, a common ingredient in cereals, is the same as palm oil. Palm oil is high in saturated fat-the type of fat linked most closely with cardiovascular disease.

Palmitate is a form of palmitic acid, one of the saturated fatty acids found in palm oil. Vegetable fats, such as soybean oil, also contain palmitic acid. However, cereal manufacturers add a very small amount of palmitate to stabilize vitamin  A and maintain the nutrient’s potency.

You will often see the ingredient listed as “vitamin A palmitate.” There is no need to worry about the tiny amounts of palmitate added to cereals.

Losing body fat and keeping it off are not easy. Losing weight and then maintaining a healthful weight require collaboration with knowledgeable health care professionals.

Obesity is not only a medical issue but also is a lifestyle issue. Your habits can help you maintain a desirable body weight or they can hamper your efforts to lose weight or even cause you to gain further weight.

The types and amounts of food you eat and the exercise you perform will determine whether you gain, lose, or maintain your weight. Therefore, experts recommend that any weight loss program should consist of three main components: nutrition, exercise (or activity), and behavior modification.

Nutrition

Liquid meals, over-the-counter diet pills, and special combinations of foods promising to “burn” fat are not the answers to long-term weight control and better health. Learning to eat differently-to enjoy a well-balanced diet of fewer calories- is the best strategy to achieve health and weight goals.

You should begin by substituting the words “healthful nutrition program” for “diet.” Most people try to lose weight by eating 1,000 to 1,500 calories a day.

In many instances, eating fewer than 1,400 calories makes it difficult to eat a balanced diet containing the recommended levels of nutrients. Therefore, nutrition programs that are too low in calories may be hazardous to your health.

You can lose weight by eating fewer calories or by increasing exercise. A caloric deficit of 3,500 calories is required to lose 1 pound of fat. Over 7 days, this can be achieved by cutting 500 calories each day from your usual food intake or by cutting 250 calories each day (such as one or two fewer cookies) and burning an additional 250 calories with exercise (such as by walking briskly for 30 minutes).

The good news is that a relatively small loss of weight can make a big difference in reducing the risk of health complications from obesity. Even a 10 percent weight loss can lead to improvement in your blood sugar level, lipid values, and blood pressure.

Once this degree of weight loss has been achieved, further weight loss goals can then be set, if needed. Rather than aiming for an “ideal” weight, which may not be achievable or desirable, focus on achieving and maintaining a healthful weight.

It is helpful to review the energy density of the food consumed. Fat contains 9 calories/gram, protein 4 calories/gram, and carbohydrates 4 calories/gram. Alcohol contributes 7 calories/gram.

For most people, the volume of food consumed determines how full you feel. Therefore, eating a small amount of an energy-dense food (such as fat) is usually not filling, whereas eating a large enough amount to fill you up results in a very large calorie intake.

To lose weight, decrease your total calories by cutting back on the fat while filling up on low-calorie high-nutrient foods such as vegetables, fruits, and grains. You also can eat lower-fat versions of foods. However, be careful, because low-fat is not always lowcalorie.

Healthful eating habits also avoid the feast or famine phenomenon. Distributing food selections throughout the day provides nourishment to support daily activities and can help to eliminate energy highs and lows. Three meals and occasional snacks also keep one’s appetite in check.

It is also important to avoid the hazards of repeatedly losing and gaining weight. Although repeated dieting is still a matter of debate, some studies suggest that it may lower the rate at which calories are burned.

When a person is off the diet and more food is eaten, the body stores fat faster and more efficiently. This effect causes regain of the lost weight. In this circumstance, the amount of weight regained often is more than that lost in the first place.

How Your Body Uses Food

The number of calories used by an individual is determined by three factors: basal metabolic rate, the thermic effect of the food eaten, and the calories used during physical activity.

The basal metabolic rate is the amount of energy needed to maintain bodily functions when an individual is at rest. This component accounts for 60 to 75 percent of the daily calorie requirement in sedentary adults.

The major determinant of the basal metabolic rate is the amount of fat-free mass in the body. Muscle is one example of fat-free mass. Resistance (strength) training can increase the amount of muscle and therefore increase the basal metabolic rate.

Resistance training also can help prevent the loss of lean mass that normally occurs with aging. Men tend to have more muscle than women and therefore burn more calories.

The thermic effect of food is the energy required to digest, metabolize, and store nutrients. The thermic effect of food accounts for about 10 percent of the total daily calorie use. The number of calories burned during exercise can vary tremendously depending on the amount of exercise performed.

For most so-called sedentary persons, the activities of daily living (such as walking, talking, and sitting) account for 15 to 20 percent of the daily calorie use.

How do you determine whether you are overweight or obese? Scientists can use sophisticated tests to measure body composition.

However, these are not necessary for most individuals. You can measure your change in weight over time. Alternatively, you can calculate your body mass index (BMI) and determine its relationship to health risks.

What Is There to Lose? To Gain?

Although no one is without health risk-even the fittest person can have a heart attack, diabetes, or cancer-health and well-being are apt to be in less jeopardy if BMI, body shape, and family health history do not indicate problems.

However, if your BMI is 25 or more, if your fat is primarily located in your upper body, and if you have a personal or family history of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, or sleep apnea, losing weight can greatly improve your health.

Keep in mind that BMI and waist circumference are just starting points. Other factors also are important. When in doubt, seek a medical evaluation by your physician.

A thorough history, examination, and blood studies can clarify whether your weight is having adverse effects on your health. The appropriate plan of action then can be tailored to meet your individual needs.

Getting Started

Losing body fat and keeping it off are not easy. Losing weight and then maintaining a healthful weight require collaboration with knowledgeable health care professionals.

Obesity is not only a medical issue but also is a lifestyle issue. Your habits can help you maintain a desirable body weight or they can hamper your efforts to lose weight or even cause you to gain further weight.

The types and amounts of food you eat and the exercise you perform will determine whether you gain, lose, or maintain your weight. Therefore, experts recommend that any weight loss program should consist of three main components: nutrition, exercise (or activity), and behavior modification.

If obesity were merely a matter of aesthetics, it would be of less concern. But obesity is a health issue. It is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, lipid abnormalities, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, certain cancers (such as breast, colon, and gallbladder in women and colon and prostate in men), stroke, degenerative arthritis, respiratory problems, sleep disturbances, and gallbladder disease.

Obesity places a huge burden on society in terms of lost lives, ongoing illnesses, emotional pain, discrimination, and economic cost (nearly $100 billion annually). The most ominous burdens posed by being overweight are reduction of the quality of life and shortening of life span.

The likelihood of dying early (compared with the average age at death of all people in the population) progressively increases the more overweight you are.Diseases caused by obesity are the second leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States.

The Battle of the Bulge

With countless diet programs and products promising to help you shed pounds, losing weight should be easy. Simply eating too much and not being active enough are the causes of most overweight problems.

But you also know it is hard to lose weight and even harder to keep it off. The cause of overweight and obesity is a chronic imbalance of calories ingested and calories burned. Genetic and environmental factors also contribute to obesity.

Americans spend more than $33 billion a year on weight-loss products and services, but they are losing the “battle of the bulge.” Despite the great desire of Americans to be thinner, they have become more obese.

Some have even declared that the United States has an “obesity epidemic.” It is estimated that more than 50 percent of adult Americans are overweight. The prevalence of obesity also is increasing in several other countries.

Get the Terms Straight

“Overweight” and “obesity” are terms that often are used interchangeably, but they have different meanings. “Overweight” refers to having excess body weight compared with the norm for a person’s height, but the term does not account for what tissue is making up the weight.

For example, athletes are often overweight according to weight-for-height tables because they have increased muscle mass. However, for most people, overweight means having too much fat.

“Obesity” refers to body fat in excess of what is healthful for an individual. In healthy women, an acceptable level of body fat ranges from 25 to 35 percent. In contrast, an acceptable range of body fat in men is from 10 to 23 percent.

In general, high-dose vitamin or mineral supplements add little to our health and may in themselves cause illness. Those that contain more than 100 percent of your estimated daily needs may result in serious nutrient imbalances or even toxicity.

Such imbalances do not occur when your source of vitamins comes from foods rather than supplements, because foods contain safe amounts of multiple nutrients.

As you know, most Americans, including athletes, consume considerably more protein than recommended, and more than their bodies can use. Protein or amino acid powders provide no benefit and are a poor substitute for protein-rich foods that contain necessary vitamins and minerals.

Similarly, pills that promise to deliver all the fiber we need daily are a bad risk, because these pills invariably provide only one type of fiber, whereas each type of fiber found in foods of plant origin appears to confer unique health-promoting benefits.

The fatty acids we need also are available in more than adequate amounts in various foods.

Supplements are not substitutes. Supplements do not replace the hundreds of nutrients in whole foods needed for a balanced diet, and they will not fix poor eating habits. If you are considering taking a supplement, heed the following:

• Do not self-prescribe.
• See your doctor or health care provider if you have a health problem.
• Discuss any supplement that you are taking. Supplements may interfere with medications.
• Read the label. Supplements can lose their potency over time, so check the expiration date on the label.

Also, look for the initials “USP.” They stand for the testing organization, US Pharmacopeia, which establishes testing standards for compounds. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not analyze supplements before they enter the marketplace.

• Stick to the Daily Value (DV). Choose supplements that are limited to 100 percent or less. Take no more than what is recommended by your doctor or health care provider. The toxic levels are not known for some nutrients.
• Do not waste dollars. Synthetic supplements are the same as so-called natural types. Generic and synthetic brands are less expensive and equally effective.
• Store in a safe place. Iron supplements are the most common cause of poisoning deaths among children

Simple sugars make foods sweet. They are small molecules found in many foods and in many forms. Some simple sugars occur naturally in foods. For example, fructose is the sugar that naturally gives some fruits their sweet flavor.

Table sugar, the sugar that we spoon onto our cereal and add to the cookies we bake, also called sucrose, is the most familiar simple sugar. A ring-shaped molecule of sucrose actually consists of a molecule of fructose chemically linked to a molecule of another simple sugar called glucose.

Sugars such as fructose and glucose are known as monosaccharides, because of their single (mono) ring structure, whereas two-ringed sugars such as sucrose are known as disaccharides. Another disaccharide, lactose, the sugar that gives milk its slightly sweet taste, consists of glucose linked to yet another simple sugar called galactose.

The inability to digest lactose to its constituent sugars is the cause of lactose intolerance, a condition common to adults of Asian, Mediterranean, and African ancestry.

The table sugar that we purchase is processed from sugar cane or sugar beets. As an additive to many different types of prepared or processed foods, sucrose adds nutritive value (in the form of calories only), flavor, texture, and structure, while helping to retain moisture.

Today, sucrose is most often used to sweeten (nondietetic) carbonated beverages and fruit drinks (other than juice), candy, pastries, cakes, cookies, and frozen desserts. One of the most commonly consumed forms of sugar is called high-fructose corn syrup.

High-fructose corn syrup is also commonly used to sweeten sodas, fruit drinks (not juices), some ice creams, and some manufactured pastries and cookies. Other forms of sucrose include brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, and turbinado (raw) sugar.

Foods that are high in added sugar are often low in essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately, these foods are often eaten in place of more nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, and low-fat whole-grain products, and they may prevent us from obtaining essential nutrients and lead to weight gain.

Nutritionists are concerned by the enormous increase in sugar consumption by Americans during the past 30 years, particularly because much of this sugar is in the form of soft drinks.

On average, teens today drink twice as much soda as milk, and young adults drink three times as much soda as milk. As a result, their intake of calcium-rich foods is low, a factor that is thought to contribute to lower bone mass. This can lead to an increased risk of bone problems as we grow older.

The increase in sugar consumption also has been attributed to the increasing availability of low-fat versions of such dessert and snack foods as cookies, cakes, and frozen desserts.

Often, the sugar content of these foods is high because sugar is used to replace the flavor lost when the fat is decreased. Sugar promotes tooth decay, when consumed in forms that allow it to remain in contact with the teeth for extended

Thus, foods that are high in sugar, or sugar and fat, and have few other nutrients to offer appear at the top of the Food Guide Pyramid because they should be eaten sparingly.

In contrast, choosing fresh fruits, which are naturally sweetened with their own fructose, or low-fat yogurt, which contains lactose (natural milk sugar), allows us to get the vitamins and minerals contained in those foods as well as other food components that contribute to health but may not have yet been identified.

On the positive side, there is no credible evidence to demonstrate that sugar causes diabetes, attention deficithyperactivity disorder, depression, or hypoglycemia. No evidence has been found that sugar-containing foods are “addictive” in the true sense of the word, although many people report craving sweet foods, particularly those that are also high in fat.