Chewing Over Oats, Yogurt and Other Dietary Options

Lean Plate Club columnist Sally Squires hosts a weekly Live Online discussion for readers looking for ways to eat smarter and move more throughout the day. Here are some excerpts from last week's chat. To read the transcript in full and see the schedule of upcoming discussions, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/liveonline .

Vienna: Is there any nutritional difference between steel-cut oatmeal and regular quick oats?

Squires: This question comes up a lot. But from my previous reporting, the Food and Drug Administration -- which granted oats its health claim for heart disease -- makes no distinction between steel-cut and other kinds of oats.

McLean: Is there any nutritional variation in the type of yogurt you eat? In other words, one type of yogurt -- such as Yoplait, Dannon, Breyers, supermarket brand, etc. -- as opposed to Fage, Activa, etc.?

Squires: There may be slight variations in the strains of yogurt that each product provides, although there are also regulations that help govern this. Fage yogurt has less water. Some yogurts contain added gelatin. Some will be whole fat, of course, vs. low fat or nonfat. But to be classified as a yogurt, all need to contain active strains of healthy bacteria, and that seems to be a very good thing for your health. Taste-wise, I love Fage Total yogurt. Trader Joe's now has a Greek-style yogurt and a Greek-style cheese yogurt that are also quite good, but there does not appear to be a low-fat or nonfat version.

Alexandria: Since we're talking about yogurt today, is it true that the whey contains a lot of the protein in yogurt? I make yogurt at home and mostly eat the creamy white stuff. Should I not be discarding the whey?

Squires: Not if you want to get an even greater nutritional punch from your homemade yogurt. The whey is the liquid that rises to the top of yogurt. It contains a lot of vitamins and other important nutrients. So go ahead and eat it, too.

Fort Lauderdale, Fl.: We're chocoholics who love the benefits of dark chocolate but don't want the saturated fat. Have you heard of any good sources or products for this?

Squires: You might try CocoaVia, a Mars product that has plant sterols that will help lower blood cholesterol levels. You might choose bittersweet chocolate, which is lower in cholesterol. Yes, I know that you're worried about saturated fat, but chocolate also contains healthy stearic acid and antioxidants. So it's all a matter of finding balance. Cocoa might be another option for you.

Arlington: I love tofu and soy-based products, but I just found out I have thyroid problems and my doc advised me to cut out soy. Anything I can do?

Squires: You might try seitan, rice milk or regular cow's milk. Did your doctor indicate whether you could be treated for this soy allergy with desensitization -- allergy shots?

The consolation: There are still a lot of foods out there to enjoy. Let us know how you do.

Somewhere: I eat a mostly vegetarian diet with the occasional fish to get some protein in. Still, I get so confused about dairy recommendations. Sometimes I hear to have three servings a day, while many vegans I know claim that it interferes with digestion and is actually bad for you.

I also have a similar question about wheat. I've read in more than a few places that wheat is also bad for many people. Is this true in general or only for people with gluten allergies?

Squires : Wheat is something that will likely be quite unpleasant for those who have gluten allergies, but I know of no evidence to suggest that others should not eat wheat. It's a grain that has been around for thousands of years.

That fish that you are eating is not only a good source of protein but also of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

There are some who will say that no one should ever have dairy. But the vast majority of evidence supports a strong role for dairy foods. The latest dietary guidelines recommend three servings of milk per day for adults.

For those who are lactose-intolerant -- and about 10 million people are in the United States -- there are other options, including soy milk, rice milk and calcium-fortified juice. There is also milk that contains lactase, the enzyme that people who are lactose-intolerant are missing.

In fact, it appears that the more varied the diet, the better to help reduce the contribution of any one type of food. In Japan, the dietary guidelines advise eating 30 different foods daily. Try it! It can be quite challenging, especially since you can only count one food once per day. ·