DEAR DR. BLONZ: I am not very active and do not eat enough fruits and vegetables, so I have tried taking a powdered wheatgrass supplement product for a few months to cover my bases. Is this the best thing to take as a fix for my situation? -- S.T., Casa Grande, Arizona

DEAR S.T.: The product you are referring to is a powder made from dehydrated wheatgrass. It, and other products like it, supplies a modicum of nutrients and a bevy of healthful phytochemicals.

Aside from testimonials, there is little peer-reviewed scientific evidence to support any health benefits to such a supplement. As would be expected, it has a “grassy” taste, but it certainly won’t hurt you. Assuming the company follows good manufacturing processes, I have no problem with dehydrated greens or other such dried-food dietary supplements. The only people who need to be cautious are those with wheat or grass-related allergies.

That being said, such supplements should not be thought of as a substitute for good eating. You need to rethink your complacency with the “I do not eat enough produce” stance. I would guess that you already know that healthful foods, along with regular physical activity, are the way to go. It is not that hard to get on track; it’s all a matter of priorities. Consider it an investment -- one with a science-grounded, long-term payoff you will realize as the years pass.

Pardon the blatant sermonizing, but a wheatgrass supplement is not a fix. The effects of our day-to-day decisions are often subtle and unnoticed, whether beneficial or negative. Chronic diseases, such as heart disease and certain cancers, are cumulative affairs; the manifestations don’t come to the fore until the disease process has been ongoing for years, if not decades. Taking care of yourself increases the odds that your body will be better able to fend off ill health and chronic ailments.

Put simply, there is no evidence that wheatgrass, or any other supplement, would be sufficient to counter the tide of an ongoing unhealthful diet and lifestyle.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I was hoping to get your opinion on the safety of drinking Kava, a brand of “acid-neutralized” instant coffee. I read mixed safety reviews online. -- D.K.

DEAR D.K.: The information you found on the internet was likely a mix of details about the coffee brand (Kava) and a similarly named tropical herb (kava, or kava-kava). The herb, scientific name Piper methysticum, is associated with liver damage.

I know of nothing wrong with, or dangerous about, the reduced-acid Kava coffee. In this product, the acid normally present in coffee is neutralized by a potassium compound (potassium hydroxide), so it will contain more potassium than regular coffees. Those who need to avoid too much potassium would therefore be wise to rethink this brand, but that is about the only issue.

Send questions to: “On Nutrition,” Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: As a middle school teacher, I am concerned by what many parents give their children for lunch. I want to develop a lesson strategy that involves sending home a newsletter to the parents. Our children’s dietary habits are at stake here, and I do not wish to be a part of the demise of wholesome, nutritious habits. -- F.T., Chicago

DEAR F.T.: A balanced meal, even if processed, is better than no meal at all, or one based on snack foods. But it’s not the foundation on which long-term healthy eating habits are established. One problem with prepackaged, processed foods is that it’s often the foods’ convenience, not their nutrition, that sells them. Consider also that the value of whole foods is greater than the sum of their “nutrient” parts.

The Nutrition Facts label lists calories, protein, fat, carbohydrate and a selection of vitamins and minerals. You won’t, however, find any notation for the healthful phytochemicals found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. A fabricated, fortified food could wear the same Nutrition Facts label as a whole food where these nutrients occur naturally with all their associated healthful compounds, but it would not truly be as healthful.

Lessons and a newsletter are great ideas, but I would proceed cautiously. The idea is to enlist the support of the parents -- not alienate them.

In the classroom, gather a list from the children of their favorite processed foods, and then find and present the ingredient lists of those foods. Go through the ingredients, explaining which are true “food,” which are good for you and in what ways, etc. You will have to do some online research on food ingredients. The lesson can be an eye-opening exercise, and it can be made quite entertaining. The idea is to give the children important facts, empowering them to go home and begin using their new knowledge on their next shopping trips and while checking the foods in their pantries.

At home, it’s important to get children involved in menu planning. Parents should discuss food options and ask for input. If there is more than one child, they should take turns. If possible, take them along on shopping trips to increase the odds that they’ll eat fruits and vegetables that they select.

At the grocery store, a child is at the receiving end of a tremendous effort devoted to influencing their minds and their parents’ shopping behavior. This effort goes hand in hand with the highly produced advertisements clustered around children’s television shows. Therefore, it’s best not to have children go shopping on an empty stomach. Parents should plan ahead about how they’ll react when their child bargains for dubious items. Depending on past experiences, it may be helpful to go over basic ground rules before entering the store.

Parents also need to enlist their children’s help with meal preparation. Being involved before the meal can increase satisfaction with what’s to come, whether it’s making a lunchtime sandwich, helping measure ingredients or simply arranging food on a serving plate.

All these efforts can have a greater chance of success if paired with ongoing, in-school lessons about the value of wholesome, healthful foods and their importance to growth and good health. I applaud your energy and wish you well in your efforts. I wrote a Supermarket Buying Guide for the Berkeley Wellness Letter to help with these types of issues, and it is available at no charge online: goo.gl/1pOkw9.

Send questions to: “On Nutrition,” Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I enjoy the unique flavor of sesame oil, and was wondering if there are any health benefits. Is it OK to use in salads and also to saute vegetables, chicken, meat and fish? Are there any reasons why I should not use it? I often use extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar for my salads. -- J.P., San Jose, California

DEAR J.P.: Sesame oil is a healthful oil that is composed of approximately 40 percent monounsaturated, 42 percent polyunsaturated and 14 percent saturated fatty acids. It is also a source of compounds called tocopherols, such as vitamin E. The naturally occurring antioxidant lignans in sesame seeds act as natural preservatives for the oil, and together with the tocopherols, they lend this oil its healthful attributes.

Pure sesame oil has a mild flavor and a high smoke point, making it ideal for high-heat cooking methods including those you mention. Toasted sesame oil, pressed from the toasted seeds, has a distinctive nutty flavor used to complement many dishes in Asian cuisine.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: You had written about the diuretic effects of alcohol, and I was wondering if there was any way to minimize this effect. On the rare occasion that I have a few drinks with friends, I tend to be up many times during the night to urinate, which takes all the fun out of it! Would it help to eat salty foods while drinking? -- P.O., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

DEAR P.O.: My regrets, but there is no satisfactory solution here. Alcohol affects how much urine the kidneys produce, which then gets sent to the bladder in queue for elimination. It does this through a mild inhibitory effect on the hormone that limits how much urine gets produced (thus resulting in greater production). Interestingly, it is the amount of alcohol, not the total amount of liquid, that determines the effect. So a shot can have a similar diuretic effect as a much larger 20-ounce beer.

Your mention of adding salty foods would add a new wrinkle to the situation. Taking in sodium chloride (salt) tends to increase thirst, as a healthy body is engineered to eliminate excess sodium, but the kidney is limited in the concentration of sodium it can put in the urine. Thirst gets stimulated by salty foods because the body “knows” it will have to dilute the sodium to the tolerable concentration before it can be eliminated. This concept is why thirst cannot be satisfied by drinking seawater: The concentration of salt in that fluid is too high, so drinking seawater sets the body back even further.

You can see where things might lead if you seek to satisfy your salt-bred thirst by consuming more alcoholic beverages.

Send questions to: “On Nutrition,” Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.