- With Mayo Clinic nutritionists
Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
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Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
Katherine Zeratsky and Jennifer Nelson
Jennifer K. Nelson, M.S., R.D., L.D., C.N.S.D.
Jennifer Nelson is your link to a better diet. As specialty editor of the nutrition and healthy eating guide, she plays a vital role in bringing you healthy recipes and meal planning."Nutrition is one way people have direct control over the quality of their lives," she says. "I hope to translate the science of nutrition into ways that people can select and prepare great-tasting foods that help maintain health and treat disease."
A St. Paul, Minn., native, she has been with Mayo Clinic since 1978, and is director of clinical dietetics and an associate professor of nutrition at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
She leads clinical nutrition efforts for a staff of more than 60 clinical dietitians and nine dietetic technicians and oversees nutrition services, staffing, strategic and financial planning, and quality improvement. Nelson was co-editor of the "Mayo Clinic Diet" and the James Beard Foundation Award-winning "The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook." She has been a contributing author to and reviewer of many other Mayo Clinic books, including "Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight for EveryBody," "The Mayo Clinic Family Health Book" and "The Mayo Clinic/Williams Sonoma Cookbook." She contributes to the strategic direction of the Food & Nutrition Center, which includes creating recipes and menus, reviewing nutrition content of various articles, and providing expert answers to nutrition questions.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor of the nutrition and healthy eating guide, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.A Marinette, Wis., native, she is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.
She's active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in wellness nutrition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and nutrition related to weight management and practical applications of nutrition-related lifestyle changes.
Other areas of interest include food and nutrition for all life stages, active lifestyles and the culinary arts.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
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Nutrition-wise blog
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Nov. 1, 2011
Carbonated water and bone health
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
Is there any nutritional downside to drinking carbonated water? This is a question we are often asked. Carbonated water is purported to prevent calcium absorption, thus increasing the risk of osteoporosis.
In reality there's no good evidence that carbonated water causes harm to your bones. The confusion may arise because of research that found a connection between carbonated cola drinks and low bone mineral density. But this association wasn't seen with noncola carbonated drinks. So if you like the bubbles, you can keep sipping your carbonated water.
If you're open to trying other types of water, there's some promising research that mineral waters with calcium may actually benefit your bones.
Keep your bones healthy with calcium-rich foods such as low-fat dairy, fortified foods and vegetables. Regular weight-bearing exercise is important as well.
Both carbonated water and mineral water are usually calorie free, but check the label to be sure. If you're looking to add a little flavor, just add a squeeze of lime or lemon.
9 comments posted
March 23, 2013 2:09 p.m.
This is exactly the info re: seltzer water and bone health I was looking for. Thanks.
- Joy
March 4, 2013 3:59 a.m.
You can avoid nutritional downside by reading about low carbohydrate diets pro and contra effects.
- Anne
December 6, 2011 12:53 p.m.
I recently purchased a Soda Stream & now am wondering what, if anything, can CO water do to your liver? I understand the liver filters everything & thought perhaps the CO could be harmful????
- Gloria
November 15, 2011 4:32 p.m.
Be careful when you choose your bubbly water, though. San Pelegrino and Perrier both have high sodium levels. Try seltzer water instead. Same fun fizz, but no sodium.
- John
November 8, 2011 10:38 a.m.
One correction. I said in my post that "even sugar had 90+ receptor sites for sugar" I meant,"even cancer cells have 90+ receptor sites for sugar." The research at U of Nevada has been ongoing for more than a decade using this diet change along with proteolytic enzymes which tears away the protective protein covering on each cancer cell. They also include a micronized beta glucan (beta-1,3/1,6-glucan) that amplifies the immune response since the micronized formulation fits the receptor sites on the macrophages, T-cells and neutrophils. They are having great success with treating cancer. No chemo and no radiation so the immune system is not compromised, it is amplified while the cancer is weakened by starvation and having its protective covering removed. Those guys and gals are true geniuses.
- Greg
November 8, 2011 10:30 a.m.
Isn't it true that we have a very acidic diet? Doesn't your body neutralize the acid one way or the other beginning with bicarbonate? If there is no available bicarbonate doesn't it take minerals from bones like magnesium, calcium and phosphorus to neutralize the acid? My mother was diagnosed with emphysema and I logically reasoned that there must be some pathogen proliferating in her lungs. She quit smoking yet continued getting worse. The doctors were no help. They kept prescribing drugs that masked symptoms and said it was a mystery as to why emphysema got worse after smoking cessation. All pathogens that invade the body eat sugar, right? Even sugar has 90+ receptor sites for sugar on each cell according to research at U of Nevada School of Medicine. I took all sugar out of my mother's diet along with simple carbs and grains. Two weeks later she was improving. This is the same diet Dr. Fred Pescatore, M.D. details in his book, "The Allergy and Asthma Cure." I still have not found a doctor aware of this book. They still prescribe meds for asthma and allergies. Olive leaf extract nasal spray got rid of the sinusitis. I kept researching and completely reversed my mom's emphysema after her doctor said it was impossible.
- Greg
November 8, 2011 6:38 a.m.
Lemonade can serve as a good replacement to carbonated drinks- it's got taste and health as well.
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November 6, 2011 3:41 p.m.
What about the fact that carbonated drinks can exacerbate GERD and acid reflux. Could that impact calcium absorption?
- Barbara
November 2, 2011 1:17 p.m.
It is the phosphorous that causes the problem. So sodas with phosporous are the problem, not the carbonation. Colas have phosphorous, but so do some non-colas. Carbonated or mineral water, then, is a better choice if tap water is too bland.
- janet
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