You Ask, I Answer: Vegemite

[What can you tell me about] the nutritional content of vegemite?

Is it safe to eat some every day on top of toast, or should I be worried about preservatives/salt/etc?

-- Jade Miller
(location withheld)

Vegemite is a concentrated brewer's yeast extract mixed with spices and malt extract that is quite popular in Australia and New Zealand.

The Brits have their own version known as marmite, which replaces the sweeteners with salt and also adds vegetable extract.

Among connoiseurs, the general consensus is that marmite has a strong flavor.

Anyhow, vegemite offers a mere 9 calories per teaspoon (unless you are very fond of the substance, one teaspoon is all you need to spread on your toast) along with 1 gram of protein and 1 gram of carbohydrates.

It is a very good source of niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, and folate.

There is no need to be concerned with sodium, since that one-teaspoon serving only adds 152 milligrams to your day.

As far as I'm concerned, feel free to spread the vegemite love on your toast each morning!

You Ask, I Answer: Mushrooms

From a nutrition standpoint, are all varieties of mushrooms pretty much the same?

Sometimes I see portobello mushroom steak as a vegetarian option at restaurants.

Is it higher in protein than other types?

-- Linda Ahern
Santa Ana, CA

All mushrooms are good low-calorie sources of potassium, phosphorus, and two B vitamins (riboflavin and niacin.)

A cup of chopped mushrooms also offers approximately ten percent of the selenium daily value (although oyster mushrooms come up short in this mineral.)

Portobello mushrooms are not higher in protein than other varieties.

A five-ounce serving only delivers 5 grams of protein (that same amount of tofu offers 15 grams; five ounces of seitan contribute 30 grams; half a cup of black beans adds up to 10 grams.)

Portobello mushroom "steak" as a vegetarian option on a restaurant menu strikes me as rather uninspired, particularly when it is the only meat-free choice.

I can't tell you how many times I have been at events where that is the sole vegetarian dish, and it is literally nothing but a huge, grilled portobello mushroom inside a hamburger bun. Snore!

Many chefs love it, though, because it's very easy to prepare.

You Ask, I Answer: Pasteurization

Is it true that orange juice loses some of its micronutrient value through pasteurization?

If so, do these nutrients get added back into the juice following pasteurization?

And lastly, if pasteurization does effect the nutrient content, what does that mean for milk?

Please help me clear up this confusion.

-- Anonymous
Via the blog

Since pasteurization involves heat, some of the Vitamin C (a nutrient sensitive to heat) in orange juice is lost in the process – approximately fifteen to twenty percent.

It’s actually not a big deal, since 8 ounces of pasteurized orange juice still deliver more than a day’s worth of Vitamin C.

Unlike the Enrichment Act of 1942 (which mandates that nutrients originally found in grain products but lost in the milling process be added back in), there is no such law for fruit juices.

Regardless, I am a proponent of opting for a whole fruit over a juice. Not only do you get slightly higher vitamin and mineral values -- you also get more fiber!

As far as milk is concerned, nutrient losses as a result of pasteurization (simply heating it at 161.5 Degrees Fahrenheit for a 15 seconds) are not very significant.

Since the B vitamins present in milk (riboflavin and niacin) are heat sensitive, there are some small losses, but these vitamins are enriched in grain products and otherwise easily accessible in the diet.

It would take a VERY limited diet to be deficient in either of those two nutrients.

I do not think of pasteurization as a process that is majorly depriving us of nutrients.

Many raw milk enthusiasts will spout off statistics about pasteurized milk offering less absorbable calcium, although I have yet to see any of this information published in any respectable journals.

They will also talk about valuable enzymes "being destroyed" by pasteurization, not realizing we don't need to get digestive enzymes from food -- our bodies naturally produce them.

Back to the absorption issue.

Research has demonstrated that we absorb approximately one third of calcium in milk -- raw or pasteurized.

If high-quality, "junk-free" milk is on your mind, I would be more concerned with getting it from non-hormone-treated, grass-fed cows rather than worry about pasteurization.

I can't think of any particular health benefits associated with raw milk.

Perfect Pickings: Nut Butters

Wonderful as spreads on English muffins or dips for Granny Smith apples and celery, nut butters are delicious and pack a good deal of nutrition.

All varieties -- peanut, almond, cashew -- provide 180 - 200 calories and 8 grams of protein per 2 tablespoon serving.

They are also good sources of vitamin E, niacin (Vitamin B3), manganese, and phosphorus.

Reduced fat nut butters are simply marketing gimmicks. On average, they offer a mere ten less calories than their regular counterparts.

How so? The small amount of fat that is taken away is replaced with extra carbohydrates (usually double that of regular nut butter).

The key to finding the healthiest, least processed nut butters is to read the label.

Brands like Jif and Skippy lis the following ingredients:

"Roasted Peanuts, Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Oils, Salt."

In essence, crushed peanuts with sugar and trans fat.

No, thanks.

You can do better than that by reaching for natural nut butters. Their labels tell the tale:

"Peanuts, Salt."

Wow, imagine that!

If you are buying no-salt-added varieties (which I prefer solely from taste perspective; nut butters with salt offer a very decent 140 milligrams per serving, far from a high-sodium food), the sole ingredient is peanuts.

Natural nut butters need to be mixed when you first open them, as the oil separates from the solid nut paste.

After mixing, store in the refrigerator to delay spoilage.

Soda 911

After much buzz, Pepsi has finally launched Tava, its new "vitamin enhanced" calorie and caffeine-free sparkling beverage drink, largely aimed at the female 35 - 49 demographic.

A lot of money and effort has been dedicated to Tava.

It's no surprise. Over the past two years, soda sales have been slipping.

Consumers are instead reaching for just as sugary, but healthier sounding beverages like Vitamin Water or artifically sweetened drinks in fancy glass bottles containing trendy fruits like pomegranate and acai.

Not surprisingly, soda companies are fighting back, no-holds-barred style.

The New York Times recently profiled Tava's alternative marketing strategy -- bypassing traditional media and instead focusing on online advertising and music and art festivals in certain states (among them Colorado, New York, Washington, Florida, and Utah).

Pepsi definitely spent a lot of time -- and money -- dressing up what is basically flavored sparkling water and aspartame with with lots of pretty accesories.

First we have the vitamin factor, clearly thrown in to compete with Diet Coke Plus.

Tava offers 10 percent of the daily requirement of Vitamins E, B2 (riboflavin), B6 (pyridoxine), and a trace mineral known as chromium.

What's the chromium fortification all about? Personally, I think it's just part of the "exotification" of Tava.

Don't get me wrong; chromium is an important mineral. It teams up with insulin to help cells take up glucose and thereby maintain blood sugar levels.

Some recent research also suggests possible links between chromium and heart health.

The good news is that chromium is easily available from whole grains, vegetables, raisins, legumes, nuts, chicken, seafood, and dairy.

Since it is found in many foods and a trace mineral, chromium deficiency is extremely rare.

It is mainly seen in hospital patients on tube feedings, pregnant women, and people whose diets are very high in processed foods.

People eating a variety of foods do not need further supplementation.

Then there's the three flavors.

We're treated to "exotic" names like Mediterranean Fiesta (black cherry citrus), Brazilian Samba (passion fruit lime), and Tahitian Tamure (tropical berry).

In an attempt to class up the joint, Tava's website offers "suggested food pairings" for all its drinks.

For instance, if you're sipping on Mediterranean Fiesta, you're suggested to do so while nibbling on dark chocolate truffles or BBQ spare ribs.

But wait, there's more! Tava comes with a grassroots focus as well.

The website features emerging artists and musicians, and displays "inspirational" messages reminiscent of those often seen on Senior yearbook pages like, "sometimes it's okay to think inside the box, " "set your mind to shuffle," and "what if what if didn't exist?"

Oh, and if you're wondering what Tava means, the Frequently Asked Questions page proclaims that the name was created to "evoke feelings of possibility and discovery."

Do you think Tava will be a hit in Pepsi's roster or a beverage bomb like their Crystal and Blue varieties?

Everything that Sparkles Is Not Gold

Diet Coke Plus -- the current "it" drink among the young Hollywood crowd, if you believe the Coca-Cola PR wizzes -- will soon appear in a supermarket or convenience store near you.

And don't you dare call it a soda! According to the marketing gurus, Diet Coke is a "sparkling beverage".

Jumping on the Vitamin Water bandwagon about five years too late, Coca-Cola will now offer their classic diet soda with 15% of the recommended amounts of niacin, B6, and B12, and 10% of the magnesium and zinc daily values per each eight ounce can.

Despite a massive push by vitamin companies, most of us do not need extra dosages of vitamins and minerals if we eat in a balanced and healthy fashion.

I would only really advocate extra dosages to people with absorption deficiencies or, in the case of Vitamin D, to people whose exposure to sunlight is limited (we can't rely on food alone to get our Vitamin D needs).

It is very rare for healthy adults to be deficient in the vitamins and minerals present in Diet Coke Plus.

Niacin, by law, must be added to all bread products, a staple in most everyone's diet. B6 and B12 are mainly found in protein-rich foods, and given the protein overload in the United States diet, there is little reason to worry about these two vitamins.

Zinc is found in many animal products and is also added to nearly all ready-to-eat cereals, which millions of people have for breakfast.

Keep in mind, too, that you can get the same amount of zinc in Diet Coke Plus in just one ounce of pecans, or a cup of yogurt.

Ironically, Diet Coke still contains phosphoric acid, which, as I explained in issue two of Small Bites, decreases our blood calcium levels. Now THAT'S a mineral many people, especially women, are not getting enough of.

If you enjoy Diet Coke, feel free to continue to have it once in a while. However, do not for a second think this new product is a health food.

If you're a Pepsi fan, you too can have unnecessary extra vitamins and minerals when their very own Tava drink is released later this year.