Scientists agree: Coffee naps are better than coffee or naps alone

by Joseph Stromberg

If you're feeling sleepy and want to wake yourself up — and have 20 minutes or so to spare before you need to be fully alert — there's something you should try. It's more effective than drinking a cup of coffee or taking a quick nap.

It's drinking a cup of coffee and then taking a quick nap. This is called a coffee nap.

It might sound crazy: conventional wisdom is that caffeine interferes with sleep. But if you caffeinate immediately before napping and sleep for 20 minutes or less, you can exploit a quirk in the way both sleep and caffeine affect your brain to maximize alertness. Here's the science behind the idea.

How a coffee nap works

To understand a coffee nap, you have to understand how caffeine affects you. After it's absorbed through your small intestine and passes into your bloodstream, it crosses into your brain. There, it fits into receptors that are normally filled by a similarly-shaped molecule, calledadenosine.

Adenosine is a byproduct of brain activity, and when it accumulates at high enough levels, it plugs into these receptors and makes you feel tired. But with the caffeine blocking the receptors, it's unable to do so. As Stephen R. Braun writes in Buzz: the Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine, it's like "putting a block of wood under one of the brain’s primary brake pedals."

Now, caffeine doesn't block every single adenosine receptor — it competes with adenosine for these spots, filling some, but not others.

But here's the trick of the coffee nap: sleepingnaturally clears adenosine from the brain. If you nap for longer than 15 or 20 minutes, your brain is more likely to enter deeper stages of sleepthat take some time to recover from. But shorter naps generally don't lead to this so-called "sleep inertia" — and it takes around 20 minutes for the caffeine to get through yourgastrointestinal tract and bloodstream anyway.

So if you nap for those 20 minutes, you'll reduce your levels of adenosine just in time for the caffeine to kick in. The caffeine will have less adenosine to compete with, and will thereby be even more effective in making you alert.

Experiments show coffee naps are better than coffee or naps

Scientists haven't directly observed this going on in the brain after a coffee nap — it's all based on their knowledge of how caffeine, adenosine, and sleep each affect the brain independently.

But they have directly observed the effects of coffee naps, and experiments have shown they're more effective than coffee or naps alone in maximizing alertness.

In a few different studies, researchers at Loughborough University in the UK found that when tired participants took a 15-minute coffee nap, they went on to commit fewer errors in a driving simulator than when they were given only coffee, or only took a nap (or were given a decaf placebo). This was true even if they had trouble falling asleep, and just laid in bed half-asleep during the 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, a Japanese study found that people who took a caffeine nap before taking a series of memory tests performed significantly better on them compared to people who solely took a nap, or took a nap then washed their faces or had a bright light shone in their eyes. They also subjectively rated themselves as less tired.

Interestingly, there's even some evidence that caffeine naps can help people go for relatively long periods without proper sleep. As part of one study, 24 young men went without proper sleep for a 24-hour period, taking only short naps. 12 of them, who were given just a placebo, performed markedly worse on a series of cognition tests, compared to their baseline scores. 12 others, who had caffeine before their naps, managed scores roughly the same as their baselines for the entire day.

How to take a coffee nap

Taking a coffee nap is pretty straightforward. First, drink coffee. Theoretically, you could drink another caffeinated beverage, but tea and soda have generally have much less caffeine than coffee, and energy drinks are disgusting. Here's a good database of the amount of caffeine in many types of drinks.

You need to drink it quickly, to give yourself a decently long window of time to sleep as it's going through your gastrointestinal tract and entering your bloodstream. If it's tough for you to drink a lot of hot coffee quickly, good options might be iced coffee or espresso.

Right after you're finished, immediately try to go to sleep. Don't worry if it doesn't come easily — just reaching a tranquil half-asleep stage can be helpful.

Finally, make sure to wake up within 20 minutes, so you don't enter the deeper stages of sleep, and you're awake when the caffeine is just starting to hit your brain.

Voila: the perfect coffee nap.

How to Get Rid of Man Boobs

by TOM FONTAINE

With so many men now looking overweight or obese, developing a set of man boobs (or gynecomastia to give the condition its proper name) is alarmingly easy these days.

Unfortunately, getting rid of the dreaded 'moobs' is a lot more difficult, and it's certainly not a simple case of pounding your chest with specific exercises. Melting away this unsightly phenomenon requires a finely tuned diet and, crucially, the right fitness programme.

But don't despair, with a great deal of hard work you can banish man boobs for good. Here's everything you need to know.

Why do some men get man boobs?
If you are self-conscious about your body and, in particular, are embarrassed about your so-called 'man-boobs', then don't be, you're certainly not alone and with the right attitude and expert advice, they'll soon become a thing of the past.

Personal trainer, Gavin Walsh, says: "Gynecomastia is a serious cause of embarrassment for many men. There are a number of causes, the most common of course being overweight. However, others include hormonal imbalances, medication and taking illegal drugs."

How do I determine the cause of mine?
For the majority of you out there, carrying excess body fat is most likely the cause of your man boobs. Walsh says: "To be classed as healthy, your body fat should be less than 22%, and anything above this will begin to contribute to man boobs."

For others, however, there could be a more serious issue that needs to be addressed. Walsh continues: "The female hormone oestrogen, for example, is sometimes overproduced within the male body, causing growth in the chest area similar to that of females during adolescence. Elevated levels of oestrogen could be caused by excess fat, but it could also be caused by any medication you are taking. And if you smoke a lot of cannabis and have suddenly sprouted breasts, this could be the reason why."

What's the first step to getting rid of them?
As with any fitness or weight loss goal, losing your moobs is all about commitment and willingness to adopt a healthier lifestyle for longer than just a few weeks.

Walsh says: "If the moobs have been caused by poor food choices and little physical activity then, in theory, they should be easy to get rid of. However, sticking to an exercise programme and eating healthily for several months might prove difficult for many men who have neglected their bodies over the years. When it comes down to it, it's a question of how badly you want to lose your moobs. If you want it enough and can commit to making the necessary changes, then you will find the diet and exercise programme a lot easier to stick to."

What should be my approach to exercise?
Working out regularly is obviously going to be key to staying flat-chested, but forget about doing nothing but chest exercises.

Walsh says: "Don't be fooled into thinking you can reduce man boobs by doing lots of press-ups or chest presses — unfortunately it's not that easy. Instead I recommend an exercise programme combining cardiovascular exercise and weight training 3-5 times a week for at least 12 weeks to establish if your weight is the issue. Measure your chest at the start and every few weeks from then on to monitor your progress. If the cause of your moobs is your weight, then a dedicated 12 weeks of exercise should yield results and you will know that you are on the right track. Keep it going and it'll be moobs no more!"

Are any exercises particularly good?
Your workout schedule should be a sweaty mix of high-tempo cardiovascular training, like interval training or spinning classes, mixed in with weights to promote muscle growth.

Bench presses, press ups and other chest exercises will of course feature, but you should make sure your training in the gym targets the entire body. Building up your back muscles, for example, will help your posture and it's amazing the difference standing up straight can have on your the appearance of your chest.

Toned arms, shoulders and stomach will, when combined with low-body percentage due to all the fat-burning cardio you have been doing, also help to give you an overall torso which most men would kill for.

What should I do about my diet?
To say goodbye to your moobs forever, regular exercise and, just as importantly, a healthy, balanced diet needs to become something you adhere to every day, not just when you feel guilty or down about your body.

Walsh says: "A good healthy diet is perhaps more important than exercise when it comes to restoring any hormonal imbalances. Foods that will help reduce oestrogen levels include berries, grapes, melons, pineapples, broccoli, cabbage, corn and green beens. However, if the moobs are simply a result of being overweight then plenty of exercise combined with a healthy diet will work best. A drastic reduction in alcohol, sugar, and refined processed foods will go a long way, as will eating more fresh fruit, vegetables and lean meats."

What if it's not because of my weight?
For some men it may just be a case of losing the excess weight and the man boobs will vanish. If this isn't the case for you, however, then you still have options.

Walsh has this advice: "If you have given exercise a serious go and it hasn't helped, then you should visit your GP to discuss the possibility of a hormonal imbalance and perhaps elevated levels of oestrogen. It's also worth speaking to your doc if you have recently prescribed new medication and ended up with moobs."

How do I keep my chest a moobs-free zone?
Once your exercise and diet regime has taken effect, it's important that you don't slip back into your old lifestyle, which will only undo all your hard work.

Walsh says to think of it as a case of 'if it's not broken, don't fix it'. "If you've changed your diet and started an exercise programme that has delivered real results," he says, "then keep it going. They key is to accept that this is a lifestyle change rather than a short-term fix, especially if you don't want to wake up with another pair of moobs six months from now."

7 Surprising Reasons to Give Up Wheat

The dark side of this "health" food could be destroying your body.

BY LEAH ZERBE

Is wheat bad? Here's the quick backstory: The modern version of wheat is a far cry from the ancient plant. In fact, the newer, high-yield wheat we've been eating since the 1980s is full of genetic changes that seem to inflame our bodies, cause our guts to leak, and trigger autoimmune diseases.

To figure out some of the strange health problems associated with wheat, we flicked through the pages of the New York Times best-selling book Wheat Belly, and spoke with its author, cardiologist William Davis, MD.

But is a wheat-free diet really for you? Regardless of whether you suffer from celiac disease—an ailment triggered by wheat's gluten—or not, many experts now believe anyone giving up not just gluten, but wheat altogether, could enjoy tremendous weight loss and health benefits. "It means making soups, salad dressings, and dinners yourself, the most assured way to avoid problem ingredients," says Dr. Davis. "Wheat Belly also discourages people from resorting to the unhealthy gluten-free replacement foods."

Is wheat bad? You be the judge…

Sugar-Saturated Bodies
You've been brainwashed into thinking you need whole wheat as part of a healthy diet. The truth is, whole wheat, whether in bread or pasta form or hiding out as an ingredient in canned soup or frozen dinners, could be sending you on a path toward type 2 diabetes. Get this: Eating two slices of whole wheat bread could spike your blood sugar levels more than if you'd eat two tablespoons of pure sugar! "Aside from some extra fiber, eating two slices of whole wheat bread is really little different, and often worse, than drinking a can of sugar-sweetened soda or eating a sugary candy bar," Dr. Davis writes in Wheat Belly.

Man Boobs
The chronic spikes in blood sugar and insulin spur the growth of dangerous visceral fat, an accumulation that leads to fat encasing your liver, kidneys, pancreas, small intestines, and, on the outside, your belly. This unique abdominal fat manufactures excess estrogen in both men and women. That increases the risk of breast cancer in women and could lead to dreaded "man boobs" in men. Use it as a signal that you need to cut wheat. "I'd go as far as saying that overly enthusiastic wheat consumption is the main cause of the obesity and diabetes crisis in the United States," Dr. Davis writes in Wheat Belly.

Bagel Face
Skin is your largest organ and a major part of your immune system. Unfortunately, it is not immune to wheat's wicked health effects. According to Dr. Davis, also author of the new Wheat Belly 30-Minute (or Less!) Cookbook, wheat exerts age-advancing skin effects, including wrinkles and lost elasticity, due to the formation of advanced glycation end products, nasty muck that accumulates and ages us as it elevates our blood sugar. Wheat's been shown to advance aging and cause wrinkles, but it's also linked to other skin problems, including herpes-like skin inflammation, oral ulcers, psoriasis, and erythema nodosum, shiny red, hot, painful lesions that usually appear on the shins.

Ticker Trouble
Ironically, the government pushes whole wheat as a healthy way to keep your heart in good shape. Dr. Davis says that no matter what type of wheat, be it organic, stone-ground, sprouted grain, or home-baked, it's still wheat, a combination of compounds that trigger high blood sugar, visceral fat, unhealthy cholesterol particles in the blood, and inflammation—all bad news for your heart.

Baldness
There are many different causes of baldness, some of them hereditary, some of them side effects of medical treatments like chemotherapy. But one type, alopecia areata, could pertain to eating wheat, Dr. Davis says. Referring to hair loss that occurs in patches, usually from the scalp but sometimes in other parts of the body, too, alopecia areata is fueled by eating wheat and the celiac-like inflammation that flares up in the skin as a result, according to Wheat Belly. Dr. Davis has seen hair growth return in many of his bald patients after they give up wheat—no hair plugs, creams, or surgery required.

Frail Bones
You've probably heard of "hormone disruptors," but how about pH disruptors? Acids that stress your body's normal pH are common in American diets, and animal products are often blamed. Enter wheat, the most commonly ingested grain in the American diet. Grains are the only plant foods that generate acidic by-products. And when your body is chronically acidic, it starts pulling calcium carbonate and calcium phosphates out of your bones to maintain a healthy pH. That's bad news for bone health: Your bones could eventually become demineralized, setting you up for osteoporosis and fractures.

Hallucinations
Dr. Davis has seen thousands of patients enjoy fewer mood swings, better moods, deeper sleep, and better concentration when wheat is tossed from their diet. Getting off of it comes with short-term challenges, though. About 30 percent of people kicking the wheat habit experience withdrawal symptoms like irritability, extreme fatigue, brain fog, and even depression—all signs of addiction. And get this. Wheat's even been implicated in schizophrenia. Davis writes in Wheat Belly, "There have been reports of complete remission of the disease, such as the 72-year-old schizophrenic woman described by Duke University doctors, suffering with delusions, hallucinations, and suicide attempts with sharp objects and cleaning solutions over a period of 53 years, who experienced complete relief from psychosis and suicidal desires within eight days of stopping wheat."

Secret Wheat Hideouts
The bread aisle isn't the only place modern wheat hides. It's in tons of processed foods, including many:
• Frozen dinners
• Salad dressings
• Couscous products
• Different gums
• Canned soups and soup mixes
• Artificial food dyes (and some natural flavorings)
• Fast-food fries—they're often fried in the same oil as breaded chicken patties
• Many other places!

Secrets to Going Wheat-Free
It may take a little time to adjust, but going wheat free is easier than you might think, so long as you're willing to start cooking again. (The recipes can be fast and simple.) Three key steps are to:
• Start cooking from scratch (you'll save money and your health!).
• Create simple salad dressing using extra-virgin olive oil, vinegar, minced garlic, and onion powder.
• Avoid fast-food joints and convenience foods in your supermarket

Seven Dangerous Myths About Weight Loss -- Or Are They Little White Lies?

by Matthew Herper

The cover copy of a thousand magazines was attacked this morning in the august pages of the New England Journal of Medicine by Krista Casazza, David B. Allison, both from theUniversity of Alabama, Birmingham, and a long list of co-authors. Much of what you’ve been told about weight loss is wrong and, in the current style of journalists everywhere, they break these misconceptions down into a list of widely-held myths, which they then attack with dry academic savagry.

1. Eating a little less and exercising a little more, over the long term, won’t produce large, long-term weight changes. For a half century, experts have talked about the 3,500-kilocalorie (kilocalories are what we call “calories” in everyday speech). That means for every 3,500 calories you burn or don’t consume, you lose a pound. But this rule was derived from short-term studies. More recent data, the authors say, shows that people lose much less weight when they burn it over a longer period of time.

2. It’s not important to set realistic weight loss goals to avoid frustration. Be ambitious instead. Two studies, the authors say, actually show that interventions designed to improve weight-loss by setting more realistic goals did not lead patients to lose more weight, and several studies show more weight loss with aggressive goals.

3. There’s no reason to think that slow, gradual weight loss is better over the long-term compared to losing lots of weight fast. A pooled analysis of randomized clinical trials that compared rapid weight loss and slow weight loss (or, to be more precise, extreme diets and less grueling ones) found that though the extreme diets resulted in the loss of 66% more weight (16% of body weight versus 10% for the regular diets), there was no difference at the end of a year.

4. There’s no reason to make sure patients are ready for weight-loss treatment. Actually, studies don’t show that measurements of how ready people are to begin dieting, once they seek out a weight loss plan, have any predictive value about how much weight people will eventually lose.

5. Physical education classes don’t play much of a role in preventing childhood obesity. Studies show that phys ed, as it currently exists, doesn’t have a significant impact on obesity.

6. Breast-feeding doesn’t protect against obesity later in life. The authors argue that breastfeeding, despite statements by the World HealthOrganization to the contrary, doesn’t prevent obesity. Instead, they argue, this is the effect of researchers only publishing breast feeding studies when they have a positive result.

7. Sex doesn’t burn that many calories. Despite the many times you’ve heard that sex burns between 100 and 300 kcals, that’s based on an old, small study. More recent estimate: 14 kilocalories, on average.

Maggie Fox at NBC, who did a wonderful write-up of the New England Journal article, points out that a lot of the authors disclose financial ties to drug or device makers. She quotes NYU’s Marion Nestle saying that the study only makes sense if “the only things that work are drugs, bariatric surgery, and meal replacements, all of which are made by companies with financial ties to the authors.” The worry is that this is just another way to deliver patients toAllergan, which makes the Lap-Band surgical device, or Vivus and Arena Pharmaceuticals, which make newly approved obesity drugs.

There’s a point to that. I’m a great believer in clinical trials, but it’s always important to remember that just because a clinical trial does not show an effect doesn’t mean that effect doesn’t exist — although it always means that effect is smaller than you hoped. Every single one of these myths seems likely to me to have seemed like a little white lie when told by an individual doctor to an individual patient. Saying that just dieting and exercising a little helps likely gets a lot more patients dieting and exercising; likewise, patients are probably less scared by the prospect of gradual weight loss; breastfeeding may prevent infection and raise IQ; telling people sex can be part of their workouts can be encouraging.

But I agree with the authors that, on a larger scale, these myths are harmful: because we can’t set good public policy about obesity if we’ve convinced ourselves that approaches that work don’t. And although I’m not sure how perceiving these myths as true would impact peoples’ weight loss (the myths wouldn’t help, but I’m not sure they hurt) the way we repeat them almost certainly leads to a sense that scientist understand weight loss far better than they do. On the flip side, there is undoubtably a benefit to keeping the conversation about weight loss going in an appealing way — that’s exactly why people in white lab coats tell little white lies. The problem facing us, is, essentially, the Dr. Oz problem: how do we have an appealing conversation about health without repeating balderdash? This is one of the big problems of medicine, and we are not close to solving it.

Slimmer Leona reveals how walking the dog helped her shed 5 stone

• By Sally Hind

LEONA, 40, weighed 15st 8lbs at her heaviest after stuffing her face with chip suppers and crisps.

SUPER-SLIMMER Leona Guthie lost five stone – by walking her pet Scottie.

And she said yesterday: “You don’t need any fancy diet pills or exercise machines to get yourself fit. All I needed was a dog.”

Leona, 40, weighed 15st 8lbs at her heaviest after stuffing her face with chip suppers and crisps. She was so overweight that doctors turned her down for a hernia operation.

But her life changed after she gave a new home to Scottish terrier Barney, who was “depressed” because his old owner didn’t have time to take him for walks.

Leona, a support worker from Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, is now a trim 10st 8lbs after two years of regular exercise.

She said: “I walk Barney in the morning before work, then at supper time and usually before bed time.

“It will add up to at least a few miles a day and I really enjoy it. Sometimes we’ll even go running on the beach, which he loves.”

“There were times before when I’d not want to get out of bed. I just wouldn’t have any will at all.

“Now I’m a different person, much happier with life in general. I rescued Barney and he rescued me.

“I can’t believe I can now walk miles without even being out of breath.

“It’s a great feeling and I encourage everyone else to do the same. All you need is a dog who loves their walks to keep you motivated.”

Leona is now on the waiting list for her hernia op. And son James, 22, and daughter Jenna, 18, are delighted with her new look.

The proud mum said: “Jenna pulled up some pictures on the computer of me a couple of years ago and made a before and after image.

“I was flabbergasted to see what had happened. She was really proud of what I had done, and it was a great feeling to see the transformation.”

Office Chair: How to Reduce Back Pain?

by John J. Triano, DC, PhD

Sitting in an office chair for prolonged periods of time can definitely cause low back pain or worsen an existing back problem. The main reason behind this is that sitting, in an office chair or in general, is a static posture that increases stress in the back, shoulders, arms, and legs, and in particular, can add large amounts of pressure to the back muscles and spinal discs.

When sitting in an office chair for a long period, the natural tendency for most people is to slouch over or slouch down in the chair, and this posture can overstretch the spinal ligaments and strain the discs and surrounding structures in the spine. Over time, incorrect sitting posture can damage spinal structures and contribute to or worsen back pain.

Guidelines for Office Chair Setup

An ergonomic office chair is a tool that, when used properly, can help one maximize back support and maintain good posture while sitting. However, simply owning an ergonomic office chair is not enough - it is also necessary to adjust the office chair to the proportions of the individual's body to improve comfort and reduce aggravation to the spine.

The first step in setting up an office chair is to establish the desired height of the individual’s desk or workstation. This decision is determined primarily by the type of work to be done and by the height of the person using the office chair. The height of the desk or workstation itself can vary greatly and will require different positioning of the office chair, or a different type of ergonomic chair altogether.

Once the workstation has been situated, then the user can adjust the office chair according to his or her physical proportions. Here are the most important guidelines - distilled into a quick checklist - to help make sure that the office chair and work area are as comfortable as possible and will cause the least amount of stress to the spine:

1. Elbow measure
   First, begin by sitting comfortably as close as possible to your desk so that your upper arms are parallel to your spine. Rest your hands on your work surface (e.g. desktop, computer keyboard). If your elbows are not at a 90-degree angle, adjust your office chair height either up or down.
2. Thigh measure
3. Check that you can easily slide your fingers under your thigh at the leading edge of the office chair. If it is too tight, you need to prop your feet up with an adjustable footrest. If you are unusually tall and there is more than a finger width between your thigh and the chair, you need to raise the desk or work surface so that you can raise the height of your office chair.
4. Calf measure
   With your bottom pushed against the chair back, try to pass your clenched fist between the back of your calf and the front of your office chair. If you can’t do that easily, then the office chair is too deep. You will need to adjust the backrest forward, insert a low back support (such as a lumbar support cushion, a pillow or rolled up towel), or get a new office chair.
5. Low back support
   Your bottom should be pressed against the back of your chair, and there should be a cushion that causes your lower back to arch slightly so that you don’t slump forward or slouch down in the chair as you tire over time. This low back support in the office chair is essential to minimize the load (strain) on your back. Never slump or slouch forward in the office chair, as that places extra stress on the structures in the low back, and in particular, on the lumbar discs.
6. Resting eye level
   Close your eyes while sitting comfortably with your head facing forward. Slowly open your eyes. Your gaze should be aimed at the center of your computer screen. If your computer screen is higher or lower than your gaze, you need to either raise or lower it to reduce strain on the upper spine.
7. Armrest
   Adjust the armrest of the office chair so that it just slightly lifts your arms at the shoulders. Use of an armrest on your office chair is important to take some of the strain off your upper spine and shoulders, and it should make you less likely to slouch forward in your chair.

Stay Active To Reduce Back Pain in the Office

No matter how comfortable one is in an office chair, prolonged static posture is not good for the back and is a common contributor to back problems and muscle strain.

To avoid keeping the back in one position for a long period, remember to stand, stretch and walk for at least a minute or two every half hour. Even a quick stretch or some minimal movement – such as walking to the water cooler or bathroom - will help.

A twenty minute walk will help even more, promoting healthy blood flow that brings important nutrients to all the spinal structures.

In general, moving about and stretching on a regular basis throughout the day will help keep the joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons loose, which in turn promotes an overall feeling of comfort, relaxation, and ability to focus productively.

Alternatives to Traditional Office Chairs

While this article is about traditional office chairs, some people prefer more active, ergonomic chairs, such as a Swedish kneeling chair or a Swiss exercise ball.

While a traditional office chair is designed to provide complete support, these alternatives help promote good posture without a back support. They also require more active use of one's muscles (e.g. for balance and to sit upright). If you have an injured back or other health problems, it is advisable to first talk with your doctor prior to using one of these types of chairs.

There is no single type of office chair that is optimal for all patients, and people should determine their individual preference for comfort while following the guidelines explained in this article to promote good posture and back support while sitting in an office chair.

Fresh vs. frozen: Eat enough of the good stuff and it doesn’t really matter

By Gabriella Boston


It’s midwinter and near-impossible to find fresh local produce beyond root vegetables. So what is the second-best choice? Frozen? Or well-traveled fresh? What about when it comes to meat?

It depends, of course. The experts cite many, many variables. But perhaps we’re asking the wrong questions.
Produce

Most frozen produce is picked at peak season and then immediately frozen to retain nutrients and freshness. Fresh produce from faraway places, on the other hand, loses some of its nutrient value while traveling and then sitting on a shelf for days or longer. But the amount of nutrient loss varies greatly depending on the type of produce, says Jeff Blumberg, professor of nutrition science and policy at Tufts University.

“If you are looking at something like fresh spinach, you are losing up to half the folates after about eight days,” Blumberg says.

In fact, in general green leafy vegetables are the most delicate and susceptible to nutrition loss, while vegetables and fruit with a skin or shell (think oranges or squash) are more robust and stay nutritionally intact longer, he says.

That being said, even the green leafy variety doesn’t lose nutrients across the board, says Kristen Ciuba, a District-based nutritionist.

“You are not going to lose the fiber or the minerals,” Ciuba says.

And even when nutrients are lost, Blumberg adds, some produce, such as spinach, is so rich in folates that “you can afford to lose some of it.” Spinach is so nutrition-dense that it’s good for you either way you eat it, he says.

And this is generally the story on produce. Get your five to nine servings a day in whatever form you can.

Just make sure, says Ciuba, that the frozen variety doesn’t include added salt (vegetables) or added sugar (fruit and berries).


Another thing to keep in mind is to buy whole frozen or fresh fruits and vegetables whenever possible. “Avoid buying chopped, peeled and crushed produce if at all possible,” Blumberg says. “Because whenever you accelerate the degradation process, you lose nutrients.”

Along the same lines, the way produce is prepared actually is more important for nutrition retention than picking the absolute freshest of fresh spinach, for example.


“If you were to boil spinach you would lose much more folate than if you had it sitting in the fridge a few days,” Blumberg says, adding that lightly steamed or raw would be preferable.

Other things to consider are the economics of produce (frozen often is cheaper than fresh) as well as taste and texture. Some produce just doesn’t fare very well when frozen.

Think frozen asparagus. Mushy, right?

“They just don’t taste good when their cellular structures are altered,” Blumberg says.

Both Ciuba and Blumberg emphasize that the main message, though, should be to eat more produce whether fresh of frozen.

“Don’t over-worry this frozen/fresh thing. The most important thing here is to eat plant food in whatever form it may be — up to nine servings a day,” Blumberg says. “Most people don’t eat enough produce, and not being able to buy local produce should not be an excuse to eat even less.”

Says Ciuba: “You’re missing the boat if you won’t eat anything but organic and local. Are you going to replace an apple with an organic cracker?”
Fish, meat and poultry

Although they’re not seasonal, like veggies and fruit, meat and fish are part of the fresh-vs.-frozen debate, too. And the answers here echo those for produce.

“Frozen fish is not inferior, nutritionally speaking,” says Aliza Green, a Philadelphia-based chef and author of “The Fishmonger’s Apprentice: The Expert’s Guide to Selecting, Preparing, and Cooking a World of Seafood, Taught by the Masters.”

“If you had asked me in the ’70s and ’80s, when I first started out as a chef, I would have said ‘only buy fresh fish,’ ” she says. “But I have really changed my mind. The freezing technology is so much better now.”

These days, she says, the freshly caught fish is flash-frozen aboard the fishing boat, keeping it nutritionally intact and “fresh” longer.

It should also be noted that all wild-caught fish – by law – has to be frozen in order to kill parasites, she says. In other words, unless you’re catching it yourself, there is no such thing as fresh, wild-caught fish, she says.

Farm-raised fish, on the other hand, often is shipped and sold to consumers without being frozen first.

So, it comes down to what looks good at the store.

“Fresh fish should not smell fishy — at all,” Ciuba says. “And if it’s frozen, look for freezer burn or crystals.” If you see them it means the fish has been thawed and refrozen, which affects quality.

Overall, in terms of flavor and texture, fresh, farm-raised fish often is preferable, Green says. But if you decide to go with frozen fish just know, she says, that some fish types do better in the freezer than others. Lean, white varieties such as cod tend to become dry when frozen, but the fattier types, such as tuna and salmon, should be fine even when frozen.

The same nutritional rules hold true for meat and poultry, according to the Agriculture Department. “Freezing meat and poultry does not affect the nutritional value,” says CiCi Williamson, a food safety expert with the USDA meat and poultry hotline. “It should be fine for a month or longer,” she says. But keep an eye on the fat content — the fattier the meat, the better it will freeze, just like fish. Look for bigger cuts and vacuum-sealed packaging, and make sure to keep the freezer as cold as possible. For a list of freezer storage times and other information on freezing foods, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has a Freezing and Food Safety fact sheet.

Important aspects of preparing frozen meats and fish, Green says, are to make sure they thaw slowly (in the fridge) and aren’t overcooked.

With fish, prepare with olive oil, lemon and maybe some parsley and perhaps top with fresh salsa — all healthy choices.

“Just don’t over-think the frozen versus fresh,” Green says. “The biggest problem is that people don’t eat enough fish — not that they eat the ‘wrong’ fish.”

In other words, “fresh or frozen?” is the wrong question. Instead, the more important question is: Are you getting enough produce and lean proteins?

Boston is a fitness trainer and freelance writer.