Health and nutrition questions answered by St. Landry Parish nutritionist

By Jennifer Duhon, MS, RD, LDN
Area Nutrition Agent
St. Landry Parish
LSU AgCenter

There is much hype when it comes to nutrition. Many want to know what is best for them in terms of what they put into their bodies.
Here are a few common products that we give the facts on.
Sea salt vs table salt
Sea salt is obtained from the evaporation of sea water. It has either no processing or very little processing and may contain trace minerals like magnesium, potassium, and calcium.
These minerals are also what can cause the different colors of sea salt we see on the shelves at the supermarket. A granule of sea salt is larger, less uniform in shape, and crunchier than a granule of table salt.
Table salt is mined from salt deposits and undergoes processing to make smaller, more palatable, and uniform granules. In the processing, table salt loses trace minerals and usually has small amounts of iodine added. Both sea salt and table salt contain sodium and chloride; the only differences are the small amounts of minerals found in each.
In some instances, companies claim that their sea salt product contains less sodium than table salt. You can compare these particular products to table salt which has approximately 575 mg sodium per ¼ teaspoon.
Sea salt has become overwhelmingly popular over the last decade with claims that it is healthier for you than table salt.
While the two products do have some differences, the actual sodium content of sea salt and table salt are about the same depending on brand.
There is still not sufficient evidence to support potential health benefits associated with the scant amounts of minerals found in sea salt.
Regardless of which type of salt you choose, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends 2,300 mg sodium per day for all individuals between 9-51 years of age. If you are over the age of 51, have hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease, no more than 1,500 mg sodium per day is recommended.

Coconut oil
Coconut oil seems to be catching on these days for having major health claims.
Coconut oil is about 90% saturated fat, which is a higher percentage than butter (about 64% saturated fat), beef fat (40%), or even lard (also 40%). Too much saturated fat in the diet is unhealthy because it raises “bad” LDL cholesterol levels, which increases the risk of heart disease. So it would seem that coconut oil would be bad news for our hearts.
However, what’s interesting about coconut oil is that it also gives “good” HDL cholesterol a boost. Fat in the diet, whether it’s saturated or unsaturated, tends to nudge HDL levels up, but coconut oil seems to be especially potent at doing so.
Saturated fat is divided into various types; some having more health benefits than others.
The higher percentage of lauric acid found in coconut oil is most likely responsible for the unusual increase in HDL. Plant-based oils are more than just fats. They contain many antioxidants and other substances.
Coconut is a wonderful flavor and there’s nothing wrong in using coconut oil occasionally.
Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so cooks are experimenting with using it instead of butter or vegetable shortening to make pie crust and other baked goods that require a solid source of fat.
But, for now, it is recommended to use coconut oil sparingly.
Most of the research so far has consisted of short-term studies to examine its effect on cholesterol levels.
As of now it isn’t certain how coconut oil affects heart disease. And truthfully, coconut oil is not as healthful as vegetable oils like olive oil and soybean oil, which are mainly unsaturated fat and therefore both lower LDL and increase HDL.
Coconut oil’s special HDL-boosting effect may make it “less bad” than the high saturated fat content would indicate, but it’s still not the best choice among the many available oils to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Sugar vs sugar substitutes
Sugar and Sugar substitutes are the two products that we can use to sweeten our foods. Sugars, or nutritive sweeteners, provide carbohydrates and calories to our bodies and also cause our blood sugar to rise.
Sugars can be those that are added to foods or occur naturally in all foods such as breads, fruits, vegetables, milk, and yogurt.
Sugar substitutes, also known as non-nutritive sweeteners, provide little to no carbohydrates and calories to our bodies and do not cause blood sugars to elevate.
These non-nutritive sweeteners are actually a lot sweeter than sugar making them an easy transition from sugar. They can be used to sweeten soft drinks, jellies, candies, preserves, fruit juice and yogurt.
The sugar substitutes that are currently deemed acceptable by the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) include acesulfame K, aspartame, fruit extract (monk fruit extract), saccharin, stevia, and sucralose.
It is a fact that individuals who consume sugar substitutes are at a lesser risk for dental caries.
There are also studies supporting that individuals who consume sugar substitutes may be able to better control their weight and control their blood sugars, especially for individuals with type 2 diabetes.
According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a variety of both nutritive (sugars) and non-nutritive (sugar substitutes) sweeteners can be enjoyed in moderation with a healthy, well-balanced diet.