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Paging Dr. Gupta: Healthy Holiday Eating

Aired November 21, 2002 - 11:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Just a week from now, many Americans will be sitting down to a feast of turkey and all the trimmings. With the bounty of the holiday season, you might be tempted to overindulge. But some traditional Thanksgiving dishes can be good for you. This morning, we're Paging Dr. Sanjay Gupta and serving up some healthy tips for healthy eating this holiday season. We'll talk nutrition and food. Also, joining us from the Boston bureau is Liz Weiss, registered dietitian.
Good morning, and happy early Thanksgiving to both of you.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Getting hungry.

KAGAN: First, you have to do a little work, my friend, and start with some of the e-mails.

GUPTA: Liz, you know -- welcome, Liz. We have a lot of questions on this topic, as you can imagine. I want to get to one of the first ones right away, and this is sort of a question I was thinking about as well. You can take a look at the question.

Here, it coming from Phyllis Roth in Florida, who asks, "Holidays can be very stressful for many people. Do you have any suggestions for foods other than heavy carbohydrates that promote calmness and tranquility?" The sort of calming foods. I need some of that as well.

You got any suggestions, Liz?

LIZ WEISS, REGISTERED DIETITIAN: Well, protein foods tend to increase chemicals in the brain that actually calm us down. So if you have turkey without the skin, of course, if you have turkey, that will help to calm you down, but I don't want people to forget about some of the other things they can do for themselves to stay calm, that is get a good night's rest, take a long walk, get a back massage, there are things we can do besides our diet to calm us through this somewhat stressful time of the year.

KAGAN: Holidays are the time when many of us have wishes. And here's a wish from one viewer. It's coming from Mary in St. Louis. She is kind of hoping, "Is there anything as a healthy cheesecake or other holiday cake or pie?"

Liz?

WEISS: Well, the fruit pies tend to be on the healthier side, apple pies or blueberry pies. Sometimes the crust can be high in fat. But you know, with dessert in general, I really think people should enjoy their favorite desserts, just watch your portions, have a smaller amount of your favorite dessert. And when it comes to topping it with whipped cream, a little bit goes a long way. So instead of a half a cup of whipped cream, maybe a tablespoon. So enjoy those desserts.

KAGAN: Would that be a big no? There's no such thing as a healthy cheesecake?

WEISS: It really depends. Some recipes are healthier than others. You can certainly look around on various Web sites for recipes, but just watch your portions.

KAGAN: There you go -- Sanjay.

GUPTA: Everything in moderation, no question about it. I don't think I want to know, necessarily, the answer to the next question. It comes to us from Andy in Texas, who asks, "What is the typical calorie count for the traditional holiday dinner?" Brace yourselves -- Liz.

WEISS: You don't want to know. It can actually be upwards of 3,000 calories, and it's easy to see why, because people get to their holiday festivities, they start eating all those appetizers. If you have a few ounces of brie (ph) cheese and a handful of crackers, you have got 300, 400 calories right there, as well as veggies and dip. If you get to the party, and you're starving, you've blown it on appetizers alone. So you need to pace yourself, again, enjoy your favorite foods, just Watch how much you eat. And if you're the holiday food preparer, if you're the host, instead of putting a stick of butter in some recipes, because we've all done it, you can certainly cut that in half.

KAGAN: What was that number again, Liz? How many calories?

WEISS: It can be upwards of 3,000 calories. It really depends, of course, on how much you eat and how the food is prepared. But I've seen that number climb upwards of 3, 000.

KAGAN: Wow, all right, Sanjay, I guess this next question is for you, no math involved, "Most dietitians, and you did it today, say fat is bad for you. My doctor says that your body doesn't store fat. It stores sugars and carbs made into sugars. You put me on a low-carb, no sugar diet, and it works. Why do you all still cling to the low- fat scam?"

That one is from Benjamin in Barnett, Missouri.

GUPTA: Am I being accused of clinging to a low-fat scam? Well, I'll you, this is actually a very big and serious topic. The Atkins Diet is something you and I have talked about, Daryn, time ago, and very popular. That's where 60 percent of your date comes from fat, and less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day.

And I have to agree on one sense, that we need to do a lot more research into how good those potential diets are for you, not only in terms of losing weight, but also in terms of your cholesterol profile, your heart, all those sorts of things. There was a study that came out a couple days ago, a small study funded in part by the Atkins Foundation, I'll say as well, which showed that the cholesterol profile did not worsen with the Atkins Diet as many people thought it might.

Now, wee need to doing about studies to find out if the diets are actually healthy and if they keep the weight off. As a lot of people know that are watching, while diets may work, get pounds off quickly, keeping them off is the key to that.

Liz, wouldn't you agree with that?

WEISS: Yes. The other thing I want to realize. If you consume too many calories, whether they come from carbohydrates, protein or fat, too many calories will be stored as body fat. So we can't just blat blast carbohydrates. I think people need to look at their overall diet, and they need to consume complex high-fiber carbohydrates, they need to consume healthy, lean proteins. When it comes to fat, the kind of fat I recommend are the healthy fats, mono- and poly-unsaturated fats found in thing like olive oil, canola oil, nuts and avocados. So get the saturated fat down in the diet. That's the stuff that raises hear disease, and eat the healthy fats. So let's not blast carbohydrates, let's just look at an overall well- balanced diet, and again, keep those portions down.

KAGAN: Before we go, forget the nutrition stuff. Your favorite Thanksgiving food -- Liz?

WEISS: Oh, my gosh, you're stumping me here. Well, you know what, I love sweet potatoes. And I love when my mom makes a wonderful sweet potato casserole. Because besides the fact that it tastes great, sweet potatoes are loaded with beta carotene, and that's good for you, too, so that' an added bonus.

KAGAN: Well, my mom's sweet potatoes are loaded with a lot of marshmallows. That's what I like.

Sanjay, your favorite Thanksgiving food?

GUPTA: Well, I'll tell you, I wasn't thinking about beta carotenes when I was thinking about my favorite food. My plate is typically some turkey, some corn, mashed potatoes and half the plate is cranberry sauce. Love the cranberry sauce. I just dip everything in it. I slather it all over the turkey, really good. Cranberry sauce by far.

KAGAN: Getting messy.

Very good. Well, an early happy Thanksgiving to all of you, thanks for joining us, and we'll try to watch those calories.

A vote for sweet potatoes here. Sweet potato pie. Liz is right -- You had that for your birthday.

Liz is right, I start eating it about 10:00, 11:00 in the morning the next morning.

It's your appetizer, your main course.

That's why I was not knot surprised to hear 3, 000 calories.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired November 21, 2002 - 11:38   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Just a week from now, many Americans will be sitting down to a feast of turkey and all the trimmings. With the bounty of the holiday season, you might be tempted to overindulge. But some traditional Thanksgiving dishes can be good for you. This morning, we're Paging Dr. Sanjay Gupta and serving up some healthy tips for healthy eating this holiday season. We'll talk nutrition and food. Also, joining us from the Boston bureau is Liz Weiss, registered dietitian.
Good morning, and happy early Thanksgiving to both of you.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Getting hungry.

KAGAN: First, you have to do a little work, my friend, and start with some of the e-mails.

GUPTA: Liz, you know -- welcome, Liz. We have a lot of questions on this topic, as you can imagine. I want to get to one of the first ones right away, and this is sort of a question I was thinking about as well. You can take a look at the question.

Here, it coming from Phyllis Roth in Florida, who asks, "Holidays can be very stressful for many people. Do you have any suggestions for foods other than heavy carbohydrates that promote calmness and tranquility?" The sort of calming foods. I need some of that as well.

You got any suggestions, Liz?

LIZ WEISS, REGISTERED DIETITIAN: Well, protein foods tend to increase chemicals in the brain that actually calm us down. So if you have turkey without the skin, of course, if you have turkey, that will help to calm you down, but I don't want people to forget about some of the other things they can do for themselves to stay calm, that is get a good night's rest, take a long walk, get a back massage, there are things we can do besides our diet to calm us through this somewhat stressful time of the year.

KAGAN: Holidays are the time when many of us have wishes. And here's a wish from one viewer. It's coming from Mary in St. Louis. She is kind of hoping, "Is there anything as a healthy cheesecake or other holiday cake or pie?"

Liz?

WEISS: Well, the fruit pies tend to be on the healthier side, apple pies or blueberry pies. Sometimes the crust can be high in fat. But you know, with dessert in general, I really think people should enjoy their favorite desserts, just watch your portions, have a smaller amount of your favorite dessert. And when it comes to topping it with whipped cream, a little bit goes a long way. So instead of a half a cup of whipped cream, maybe a tablespoon. So enjoy those desserts.

KAGAN: Would that be a big no? There's no such thing as a healthy cheesecake?

WEISS: It really depends. Some recipes are healthier than others. You can certainly look around on various Web sites for recipes, but just watch your portions.

KAGAN: There you go -- Sanjay.

GUPTA: Everything in moderation, no question about it. I don't think I want to know, necessarily, the answer to the next question. It comes to us from Andy in Texas, who asks, "What is the typical calorie count for the traditional holiday dinner?" Brace yourselves -- Liz.

WEISS: You don't want to know. It can actually be upwards of 3,000 calories, and it's easy to see why, because people get to their holiday festivities, they start eating all those appetizers. If you have a few ounces of brie (ph) cheese and a handful of crackers, you have got 300, 400 calories right there, as well as veggies and dip. If you get to the party, and you're starving, you've blown it on appetizers alone. So you need to pace yourself, again, enjoy your favorite foods, just Watch how much you eat. And if you're the holiday food preparer, if you're the host, instead of putting a stick of butter in some recipes, because we've all done it, you can certainly cut that in half.

KAGAN: What was that number again, Liz? How many calories?

WEISS: It can be upwards of 3,000 calories. It really depends, of course, on how much you eat and how the food is prepared. But I've seen that number climb upwards of 3, 000.

KAGAN: Wow, all right, Sanjay, I guess this next question is for you, no math involved, "Most dietitians, and you did it today, say fat is bad for you. My doctor says that your body doesn't store fat. It stores sugars and carbs made into sugars. You put me on a low-carb, no sugar diet, and it works. Why do you all still cling to the low- fat scam?"

That one is from Benjamin in Barnett, Missouri.

GUPTA: Am I being accused of clinging to a low-fat scam? Well, I'll you, this is actually a very big and serious topic. The Atkins Diet is something you and I have talked about, Daryn, time ago, and very popular. That's where 60 percent of your date comes from fat, and less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day.

And I have to agree on one sense, that we need to do a lot more research into how good those potential diets are for you, not only in terms of losing weight, but also in terms of your cholesterol profile, your heart, all those sorts of things. There was a study that came out a couple days ago, a small study funded in part by the Atkins Foundation, I'll say as well, which showed that the cholesterol profile did not worsen with the Atkins Diet as many people thought it might.

Now, wee need to doing about studies to find out if the diets are actually healthy and if they keep the weight off. As a lot of people know that are watching, while diets may work, get pounds off quickly, keeping them off is the key to that.

Liz, wouldn't you agree with that?

WEISS: Yes. The other thing I want to realize. If you consume too many calories, whether they come from carbohydrates, protein or fat, too many calories will be stored as body fat. So we can't just blat blast carbohydrates. I think people need to look at their overall diet, and they need to consume complex high-fiber carbohydrates, they need to consume healthy, lean proteins. When it comes to fat, the kind of fat I recommend are the healthy fats, mono- and poly-unsaturated fats found in thing like olive oil, canola oil, nuts and avocados. So get the saturated fat down in the diet. That's the stuff that raises hear disease, and eat the healthy fats. So let's not blast carbohydrates, let's just look at an overall well- balanced diet, and again, keep those portions down.

KAGAN: Before we go, forget the nutrition stuff. Your favorite Thanksgiving food -- Liz?

WEISS: Oh, my gosh, you're stumping me here. Well, you know what, I love sweet potatoes. And I love when my mom makes a wonderful sweet potato casserole. Because besides the fact that it tastes great, sweet potatoes are loaded with beta carotene, and that's good for you, too, so that' an added bonus.

KAGAN: Well, my mom's sweet potatoes are loaded with a lot of marshmallows. That's what I like.

Sanjay, your favorite Thanksgiving food?

GUPTA: Well, I'll tell you, I wasn't thinking about beta carotenes when I was thinking about my favorite food. My plate is typically some turkey, some corn, mashed potatoes and half the plate is cranberry sauce. Love the cranberry sauce. I just dip everything in it. I slather it all over the turkey, really good. Cranberry sauce by far.

KAGAN: Getting messy.

Very good. Well, an early happy Thanksgiving to all of you, thanks for joining us, and we'll try to watch those calories.

A vote for sweet potatoes here. Sweet potato pie. Liz is right -- You had that for your birthday.

Liz is right, I start eating it about 10:00, 11:00 in the morning the next morning.

It's your appetizer, your main course.

That's why I was not knot surprised to hear 3, 000 calories.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com