Nutrition 411: New Products to Individualize Nutrition Care

  For registered dietitians (RDs) and nutrition professionals, fall signifies the largest meeting of nutrition professionals in the world, the American Dietetic Association-hosted Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE). You are encouraged to make plans now to attend next year’s FNCE, October 6–8, 2012, in Philadelphia. Thousands of nutrition and health professionals come together for educational sessions and networking. Hundreds of vendors display a vast array of products for the development of nutrition intervention programs as innovative and individualized as the patients they serve.

  This article discusses some products you may want to use to expand your nutrition programs for patients with diabetes who need to lose weight, patients with wounds that require extra protein, or families seeking to add some variety to their diet. All information was taken from product websites and printed literature. All medical and health claims should be evaluated by the reader.

Blue Bunny® NUTRIplus™ Supplemental Ice Cream
  Blue Bunny has introduced a nourishing ice cream treat, available in vanilla and orange cream, for patients or residents who require extra nutrition. Served frozen directly from the freezer or at a pudding consistency when at room temperature, NUTRIplus ice cream provides 240 calories, 9 g of protein, and 17 essential vitamins and minerals in an easy-to-eat cup. Visit www.bluebunny.com/foodservice/nutriplus.

Calcet® Creamy Bites
  If an individual is unable to meet the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for calcium— 1,000–1,200 mg/day for adult women — through diet alone, a RD may recommend a calcium supplement. For some people, this means a large pill to swallow and often unwanted side effects. Calcet Creamy Bites, available in chocolate fudge or lemon crème, contain chewable calcium citrate, the most readily absorbed form of calcium, without the gas production associated with calcium carbonate. Each small square delivers 500 mg of calcium and 400 international units of vitamin D3; just two servings each day provide the total RDA for both. Visit www.creamybites.com/rd.

Glucerna® Hunger Smart™
  Glucerna Hunger Smart Snack Bars and Shakes (Abbott Nutrition) are for use as a meal or a partial meal replacement and specifically designed for people with diabetes. Maintaining a healthy weight is an essential aspect of diabetic management; this product provides 15 g of protein to help manage hunger. A unique ingredient, CarbSteady™, has carbohydrates that digest slowly over time to help minimize blood sugar spikes. This gluten-free, kosher product is suitable for lactose-intolerant individuals. Shakes are available in vanilla and rich chocolate; snack bars come in chocolate chip crisp and chocolate peanut crisp. Visit www.glucerna.com.

Carrington Farms Flax Paks
  Flax is associated with lowering blood cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of heart attacks and stroke. Flax seeds are a rich source of fiber and alpha-linolenic acid, an essential omega-3 fatty acid. Carrington Farms Flax Paks are portable, convenient, single-serve packets with a premeasured daily dosage. They require no refrigeration, making them convenient for use in restaurants, airports, hotels, any travel situation, and at home. The product is easy to add to baked goods, orange juice, and yogurt or on top of cereal, salads, or casseroles. Visit www.carringtonfarms.com/.

PureFit™ Bars
  PureFit Bars provide nutrients and calories essential to a well-balanced diet. Kosher-certified and vegan-approved, PureFit Bars do not contain dairy, wheat, gluten, artificial ingredients, sugar alcohols, or common allergens. PureFit Bars contain 18 g of soy protein and non-GMO soy. They are available in berry almond crunch, almond crunch, chocolate brownie, peanut butter crunch, and granola crunch. Visit www.purefit.com/nutrition-info.

Kibow® Biotics
  Kibow Biotics is a proprietary and patented probiotics dietary supplement scientifically formulated and clinically tested to help maintain kidney function. When the kidneys become impaired, poisonous waste builds up in the bloodstream; in high concentrations, they become extremely toxic and can severely damage many organ systems if not properly excreted. Kibow Biotics metabolizes and excretes these poisonous waste products into the feces. As the probiotics grow and multiply, they consume more nitrogenous waste and effectively help maintain healthy kidney function, metabolizing and excreting toxins from the impaired kidneys. Visit www.kibowbiotech.com/.

Sunsweet® SupraFiber™
  Fiber is an important element of a healthy diet. It acts like a scrub brush to help clean out bacteria and other buildup in the intestines. Fiber also reduces the rate sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream, which keeps blood glucose levels from rising too fast. In addition, high-fiber foods seem to play a role in weight loss, making individuals feel fuller longer. SupraFiber is a fiber supplement that contains fiber from whole foods and superfruits, such as prunes, acai berries, pomegranate, and blueberries. Each serving provides 5 g of fiber, 20% of an average adult’s minimum daily requirement (based on a standard 2,000-calorie daily diet). It contains no preservatives, added sugars, or sweeteners and is 100% natural, gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, preservative-free, and psyllium-free. Visit www.sunsweetnaturals.com/suprafiber.html.

Yes! To Cookies!
  You can cheat without cheating with Yes! To Cookies, crunchy, gluten-free, sugar-free cookies with less than 1 g of digestible carbohydrate per 3-inch cookie. Made with heart-healthy fiber to promote good digestion and help satisfy hunger cravings, the cookies are starch-free and do not digest to sugar, which can raise blood sugar and cause unwanted weight gain. Plus, this product utilizes a unique blend of sweeteners that will not digest to glucose or cause gastric upset, commonly associated with sugar alcohols. The cookies come in cocoa-licous and strawberry-banana blitz. Visit www.yestocookies.com/.

Dole® Portobello Mushroom Powder
  Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin not commonly present in many foods. It is synthesized when ultraviolet rays from the sun penetrate the skin and regulates absorption and use of calcium and phosphorus for the development of bones and teeth. Individuals who live in colder climates or who use protection from ultraviolet rays may need vitamin D supplementation. Dole Portobello Mushroom Powder has a natural source of vitamin D and is the only 100% vegan, plant-based vitamin D source available. One level teaspoon provides 150% of daily vitamin D needs. The product is one of the most versatile vitamin D supplements and is easily added to soups, stews, sauces, casseroles, dressings, entrees, pasta, and rice or used as a salt substitute. Visit www.dole.com/mushroompowder/.

Food Should Taste Good®
  For individuals looking for an alternative to common snack foods, whether for health reasons or food sensitivities, Food Should Taste Good is an all-natural snack brand created with the notion that great-tasting food should contain real, simple ingredients. These innovative chips do not contain monosodium glutamate, trans fats, or anything artificial. Recognized as a Best Food Award winner by Women’s Health, Fitness, SELF, Men’s Health, Shape, and Eat This Not That, these snacks are certified gluten-free, vegan, and kosher, are lower in sodium, and are a good source of fiber (nine chips contain 3 g of fiber). The chips are available in multigrain, jalapeño, olive, chocolate, the works, sweet potato, lime, cantina, cheddar, blue corn, white cheddar, toasted sesame, hemp, jalapeño with cheddar, hatch chile, blue corn dipping chips, and white corn dipping chips. Visit www.foodshouldtastegood.com.

Dreamfields Past
  This low-glycemic-index pasta is appropriate for patients with diabetes. Its unique patent-pending recipe and manufacturing process result in 5 g of fiber with only 5 g of digestible carbohydrates per serving, lessening postmeal blood glucose rise compared to traditional pasta. Much of the fiber comes from inulin, a natural prebiotic fiber shown to promote healthy digestion, support a strong immune system, and improve calcium absorption. Like other premium pastas, it is made primarily with durum wheat semolina, which is why it has all of the flavor and texture of traditional pasta. The pasta is available in elbow, penne rigate, spaghetti, linguine, angel hair, lasagna, and rotini. Visit www.dreamfieldsfoods.com.

Smart Balance® Fat Free Milk and Omega-3s
  RDs commonly recommend consuming three servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy products every day. Milk is a quick and easy choice; however, a common complaint is that fat-free milk tastes like water. Smart Balance Fat Free Milk and Omega-3s tastes rich and creamy like 2% milk, but without all of the saturated fat. This product contains 25% more calcium and protein than whole milk and heart-healthy eicosapentaenoic acid/docosahexaenoic acid (EPA/DHA) omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are anti-inflammatory and beneficial in the treatment or prevention of high triglycerides, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, and heart disease. Visit www.smartbalance.com/.

Ensure® Clinical Strength
  Ensure Clinical Strength contains 24 essential vitamins and minerals, 13 g of protein, and 350 calories to fill nutritional gaps. For added healing properties, this product contains Revigor™, which helps rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. Its unique immune balance provides a blend of prebiotic fiber to help promote digestive tract health and antioxidants to support the immune system. The product is available in strawberry and cream, creamy milk chocolate, and homemade vanilla. Visit www.ensure.com/products/ensure-clinical-strength-shakes.

Nancy Collins, PhD, RD, LD/N, FAPWCA, is founder and executive director of RD411.com and Wounds411.com. She is also a consultant for Abbott Nutrition. For the past 20 years, she has served as a consultant to healthcare institutions and as a medico-legal expert to law firms involved in healthcare litigation. Colleen Sulewski is a dietetics and nutrition intern at Florida International University, Miami, FL. She is a future registered dietitian and is currently employed by RD411.com. Correspondence may be sent to Dr. Collins at NCtheRD@aol.com. This article was not subject to the Ostomy Wound Management peer-review process.