Blog

Healthier Halloween While Supporting Our TroopsDate Posted : October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween!  Welcome again to what I like to call “The Eating Season.” It starts with Halloween and continues through the holiday season until at least Super Bowl Sunday and often even into Valentine’s Day. If you do choose to indulge in some Halloween treats, just remember having fun with food and friends is all part of healthy eating. Just make sure that one Halloween party doesn’t continue for the rest of the week. Focus on the 90/10 rule – 90% of the time be consistent and more targeted with healthy choices while having fun 10% of the time. For example, if you eat 3 meals and 2 snacks daily, seven days a week, that would total 35 meals and snacks. So having fun about 10% of the time would mean that you might make a more fun choice for about 3-4 of those meals or snacks. Just keep in mind portion sizes. A “fun” snack might be having 1-2 fun-size candy bars but not the entire package.

In a quest to stay on track, many people remove temptation from their house by bringing that excess Halloween candy to work. Another suggestion is to send it to Boatsie’s Boxes – a non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to supporting our troops. Items, such as candy, can be sent to the address listed in the following link:

http://www.boatsie.com/contactdonationinformation.html

Not overrun by Halloween candy? Here is the link to the list of other items needed.

There are no comments to this post. Click Here to leave one.

The Power of PumpkinDate Posted : October 17, 2011

With Halloween this month, I have “pumpkin on the brain” syndrome as jack-o-lanterns are decorating the lawns of many houses in the neighborhood. Since cans of pumpkin are now on sale in the grocery store, I couldn’t help but stock up. Now I’m adding pumpkin to everything – smoothies, pancakes, and soups. I really like pumpkin because it packs a great nutritional punch of being high in potassium, Vitamin A, and beta-carotene while being low incredibly low in calories. One cup of canned, unsweetened pumpkin has only about 83 calories and over 500 milligrams of potassium. What’s so great about potassium? While we all think about needing potassium to prevent muscle cramps, a number of studies link a high potassium diet with a decrease in blood pressure. Pumpkin is also a food superstar when it comes to eye health with its high level of vision protecting nutrients of lutein and zeaxanthin along with Vitamin A.

Here are some quick and easy recipes to use canned pumpkin. Just make sure you buy the plain, canned pumpkin rather than the canned pumpkin pie mix with added sugar.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

3/4-1 cup low fat vanilla soy milk, almond milk or other low fat milk

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Drizzle of honey or non-calorie sweetener of your choice

6-8 ice cubes

Optional ingredients:

-      1 scoop vanilla protein powder

-      1 tablespoon almond butter

 For additional drama, top with a spray of light whipped cream.

 Nutritional Info: Calories will from about 150 for the original recipe up to around 350 if adding in all the optional ingredients

Spiced Pumpkin Mousse

Serves 10

Don’t be afraid of the tofu in this dish. Tofu is a great way to add protein and creaminess to a dish without all the saturated fat and cholesterol. Just remember to get the silken style of tofu for this recipe.

 Ingredients

 Two 15-oz cans 100% pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

One 1-lb pkg silken tofu, drained well

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup nonfat plain or vanilla Greek-style yogurt or light whipped cream

1 oz dark chocolate, cut into thin shards (about 1/4 cup)

 Instructions

 1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine pumpkin and tofu. Process until combined, about 30 seconds. Add maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Process until combined, about 30 seconds more.

2. Transfer mousse to a resealable container, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

3. Drain any water that has accumulated from the mousse. Give it a quick stir and scoop 1/2 cup mousse into each of 10 small glasses or ramekins. (You may have some mousse leftover.) Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

4. Top with a dollop of yogurt or whipped cream and 1 tsp of chocolate just before serving.

 Nutrition Info for 1/2 cup mousse, 2 tsp yogurt, 1 tsp chocolate: Calories 130, Fat 3.5g, Carbs 22g, Fiber 4g, Protein 4g

There are no comments to this post. Click Here to leave one.

Q&A on Gluten-Free DietDate Posted : September 18, 2011

Gluten-free foods were originally developed for people with celiac disease, a potentially life-threatening disease. People with celiac disease cannot digest this protein. Gluten is a part of whole-wheat flours, barley, bulgur, couscous, semolina, spelt, triticale, and rye grains (among others). 

Some researchers believe that people who do not have celiac disease still may have gluten intolerance, leading to a wide range of symptoms from bloating to rashes. This gluten sensitivity may affect as much as 15%–30% of the population. It is commonly believed that many people with celiac disease go undiagnosed for years or are erroneously diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome or anxiety.  

My friend recently started on a gluten-free diet. What does that mean?

More than likely, your friend was recently diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance.  Celiac disease is a genetic autoimmune condition that causes intestinal damage when gluten (the protein found in wheat, barley, and rye) is eaten. Because it is an autoimmune condition, it is different from a food allergy.

Untreated, celiac disease can lead to many short-term and long-term medical problems. Currently, the only treatment is to follow a strict, gluten-free diet for life. Current thinking is that 1 in 133 people may have this condition. Risk is higher when other family members are diagnosed.

Some people may follow a gluten-free diet for other reasons. Gluten intolerance may exist with other diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome and fibromyalgia. Gluten intolerance is a less well-understood condition, and no real tests exist to determine if someone is intolerant.

What do people on gluten-free diets eat? 

People on gluten-free diets eat many of the same foods you do. Naturally gluten-free foods include meat, poultry, fish, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, and more). 

Many new gluten-free foods that are not naturally gluten free are now available. These are foods that are made safe, such as gluten-free brownies, cakes, and pretzels. Instead of focusing on what people cannot have on a gluten-free diet, it is more encouraging to focus on what they can eat.

I think I might have gluten intolerance. Should I go ahead and try the diet and see if I feel better?

If you eventually would like to have the test to diagnose celiac disease or if you strongly suspect that you have it, then you may want to have the test for celiac disease first. Starting the gluten-free diet before testing actually can alter your test results. If you already have started the gluten-free diet and/or are not interested in celiac testing, then it is OK to continue and see if your symptoms improve. Keep in mind that it can take several days or weeks to feel better on a gluten-free diet. 

The good news is that many people who follow a gluten-free diet by choice, rather than by necessity, consequently eat fewer processed foods, as well as more fruits and vegetables. This is a good idea regardless of whether or not you have celiac disease. In addition, manufacturers are rushing to catch up with a growing desire for these foods. This is excellent for sufferers of celiac disease, who must eat gluten-free foods or risk serious illness. In 2003, only 135 gluten-free products were introduced to the market, while 832 new products debuted in 2008.  

Luckily, people with celiac disease are able to deduct some of the cost of food on their taxes, but this is often not enough for the average person who must follow the gluten-free diet or risk serious adverse health effects. People with celiac disease are at a higher risk for vitamin and mineral deficiency, and often take supplements to make up for the nutrients lost from foods when gluten is removed.

Perhaps the biggest problem with the widespread use of an unnecessary gluten-free diet is the real possibility that it takes attention and understanding away from people who have celiac disease and must eat this way or suffer serious and often irreversible health consequences. In general, it is unnecessary to follow a gluten-free diet unless you have are diagnosed with either celiac disease or gluten intolerance.

For instance, replacing wheat flour with potato starch will not lead to weight loss, but replacing white bread with quinoa or another high-fiber grain may. In other words, replacing gluten-containing processed foods with gluten-free processed foods is not likely to result in weight loss. On the other hand, replacing any processed foods with whole foods is likely to encourage weight loss.

Source: RD411

There are no comments to this post. Click Here to leave one.

Quick and Easy Veggie OmeletDate Posted : September 7, 2011

Ever wonder what a dietitian eats for dinner?  Here’s a peak at one of my healthy “go-to” dishes that I make when I want something quick and easy.

For my omelet, I chop up all kinds of veggies that I have in my refrigerator such as broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, onions, peppers, and spinach. 

Next I put a combination of whole eggs and egg whites in a bowl and whip them with a fork to give them some volume.  I typically use either 1-2 whole eggs and 3-5 additional egg whites so I have enough eggs to cover the veggies in my pan when I cook them.   Whole eggs still get a bad rap because they are high in cholesterol, but studies show that it’s saturated fat – not cholesterol in food – that tends to raise our cholesterol levels.  Even if you’re concerned about cholesterol levels, the American Heart Association recommendation is to limit dietary cholesterol to <300 mg/d. The average egg yolk contains on average 213 mg of cholesterol.  Since the cholesterol is in the yolk, have your whole egg and supplement with egg whites which are pure protein.  A large egg is about 70 calories while an egg white is around 15-17 calories.

Now that my prep is done, I take a generous tablespoon or more of sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil and add it to my non-stick skillet.  I then add my veggies and cook them until softened.  The sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil infuse a wonderful flavor to the rest of the veggies.

Next I pour my eggs over the veggies and let them cook.  I will also cover my skillet with a lid to help keep the heat in.

I like to add a sprinkle of feta cheese since it makes the omelet taste rich and creamy, but you can use any kind of cheese you prefer.

When the eggs are set, I fold the eggs in half to finish my omelet.

Depending on what you use, this entire omelet is only about 320-400 calories but provides a huge portion.  I served this with a side of buttnernut squash that I roasted in the oven at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour.

Here’s the end result:

There are no comments to this post. Click Here to leave one.

Quinoa, Mango and Black Bean SaladDate Posted : August 24, 2011

Here’s a great recipe for a quinoa salad I made over the weekend.  While everyone thinks of quinoa as a grain, it’s actually a seed.  Quinoa is one of the few plant proteins that is a complete protein, which means that it contains all the essential amino acids that our bodies cannot produce on their own.  Quinoa is also gluten-free so it’s a great choice for those with Celiac disease or gluten-intolerance.

Quinoa, Mango and Black Bean Salad

2 servings, about 2 cups each 

Ingredients

1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 cup water – Please note: I recommend checking the quinoa to liquid ratio on the back of the quinoa  package you’re using and following the guidelines specific to that brand
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 small mango, diced or use ½ cup – 1 cup of peeled and diced fresh mango (found in the produce section at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods)
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Toast quinoa in a small dry saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it crackles and becomes aromatic, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a fine sieve and rinse thoroughly. Return the quinoa to the pot and add water. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook until the quinoa is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.  The quinoa should look translucent or clear.

2. Meanwhile, whisk orange juice, cilantro, vinegar, oil, ginger, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl. Add mango, bell pepper, beans and scallions; toss to coat.

3. When the quinoa is finished cooking, add to the mango mixture and toss to combine.

Nutrition Per serving : 422 Calories; 9 g Fat; 74 g Carbohydrates; 19 g Fiber; 15 g Protein

Tips & Notes

•Make Ahead Tip: This salad can be made up to 2 days in advance (cover and refrigerate). Serve chilled.

•Note: Toasting it before cooking enhances its flavor, and rinsing removes any residue of saponin – quinoa’s natural, bitter protective covering.

Source:  http://www.eatingwell.com/

There are no comments to this post. Click Here to leave one.