Planning Thanksgiving Menu

Many of you will be sitting down and planning your Thanksgiving menu and shopping for those yummy treats. Here are some ideas to make things a bit healthier!

Turkey: There are so many options out there. If you aren't into cooking the entire bird, simply get one of the turkey breasts and stick it in the crock pot. I made a breast this week for a TV segment I was doing and it turned out really well. I added sun-dried tomatoes, fresh rosemary, low sodium broth, garlic, and white wine. It gave it a bit of a different flavor than the usual plain turkey with gravy. Check out HoneySuckle White turkey's website for more ideas and recipes. HoneySuckle White is also partnering to feed 1.8 Million meals with Feeding America.

Cranberry: I always make cranberry jello using a recipe my Aunt Tammy gave me. It is very simple. Take one package of sugar free cranberry or cherry jello, a can of whole cranberries, an apple, and a banana. Make the jello but only use one part of the water (hot) then add the can of cranberries. Stir well and add chunks of apple and slices of banana. Refrigerate until firm. I love this recipe because you save calories using sugar free jello and you boost nutritional value buy adding the fresh fruit instead of just eating plain cranberry sauce from the can. You can add whipped cream or cool whip as desired.

Sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes: Mmmm....no Thanksgiving is complete without sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes. Use reduced fat milk or fat free half and half instead of heavy cream. I have to have the marshmallows on top of those sweet potatoes!

Green bean casserole: Use the 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup and fat free milk. The onion topping is also not an option for me: have to have it!

Baked goods: Whenever possible, use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (ICBNB) baking sticks instead of butter. You will save 70% of the saturated fat and get rid of all cholesterol if you replace those for your butter. You can use the tub of ICBNB at the table for those nice warm hard rolls. I made this fudgy brownie torte recently and it was VERY rich and worth every calorie!

Beverages: You are going to consume thousands of calories worth of food, why also load up on sugary drinks? Make iced tea for a calorie free beverage instead! You can also make tea blends like this recipe for a Lipton's Autumn Brew that uses tea and apple cider. Leave out the sugar or use 12 packets of Truvia instead of the 1/2 cup of sugar to reduce the calories even more.

Pumpkin: Check out this recipe for crustless pumpkin pie! You will save a lot of calories by eliminating the pie crust.

Pecan Pie: Oh, baby...a slice of pecan pie is 600-700 calories for most recipes. It is one of the highest calorie desserts you can get. But it is oh, so good. Pecans are healthy: they are the highest in antioxidants of all the nuts! Check out this recipe for Light Georgia Pecan Pie with Honey Pecan Topping from the Georgia Pecan people. November is Georgia Pecan month because that is when pecans are in the height of the harvest. No wonder pecan pie goes so well at Thanksgiving! This recipe is just under 400 calories for a slice. You can leave off the topping and come in under 300 calories, too.

Excuse me while I go and wipe up the drool that has accumulated on my computer after thinking about this delicious meal!

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Alcohol Reduce Heart Disease Risk?

I get this question a lot: Isn't drinking some alcohol good for me? What about the antioxidants in red wine?

A new study out of Spain published in the medical journal Heart found that indeed alcohol in almost any quantity is associated with nearly a one-third reduction in incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD)....in men. They did not find a statistically significant difference in women.

Researchers believe that alcohol may have a positive affect on the heart because it is a slight blood thinner which can affect clotting factors. Some evidence also points to increasing HDL (or good) cholesterol and reducing inflammation.

When you hear this kind of information, it makes you a bit thirsty, doesn't it? Mmmm...a nice glass of wine or a cold brew sounds wonderful. Drink up...but only in moderation. There is still pretty good evidence out there that women should only have one drink per day and men should limit themselves to two drinks. And no, you cannot save them up for the weekend! When you have more than one or two at a time it is too much of the toxins in alcohol to continue to be good for the body. High levels of alcohol have been associated with liver disease and some recent studies link drinking even small amounts to cancer.

So if you don't drink, should you start because it is good for your heart? NO! Get out and exercise to raise your HDL, take fish oil omega-3s to reduce inflammation, and eat fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, and whole grains for your antioxidants! Talk to your doctor about taking a baby aspirin daily to thin your blood.

What is considered to be one drink? All of these contain the same amount of alcohol:

• 5 oz of wine
• 12 oz of beer
• 1.5 oz of 80 proof liquor (a shot glass)

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Raise Your Hand for Chocolate Milk

Some schools have recently eliminated chocolate milk from their school cafeterias. They claim that it is too high in sugar. I understand the concern with the childhood obesity epidemic, but when you look at the research it is obvious that flavored milk is not the problem. New research found that when chocolate milk was eliminated from schools, the milk consumption dropped by as much as 67% at those schools!

• All milk contains a unique combination of nutrients important for growth and development, including three of the five “nutrients of concern” – calcium, potassium and magnesium.
• Flavored milk is not a major source of added sugars in a child’s diet, providing less than 2 percent of total added sugar intake. Studies have shown that children who drink flavored milk meet more of their nutrient needs, and do not consume more added sugar, fat or calories.
• Research has also shown that kids who drink flavored milk are not heavier than non-milk drinkers, so people who are looking for a culprit for childhood obesity, chocolate milk is not it.
• Low-fat chocolate milk is the most popular milk choice in schools and kids drink less milk (and get fewer nutrients) if it’s taken away.

Dairy farmers and milk processors have started a new campaign called Raise Your Hand for Chocolate Milk to increase awareness that chocolate milk can be and is part of a healthy diet for kids.

Read here about the Top 5 Reasons to Raise Your Hand for Flavored Milk

Check out www.raiseyourhand4milk.com for more info and to sign a petition.

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Cereal: It's What's for Breakfast!

I am a big cereal eater. My husband eats cereal EVERY morning for breakfast. We love it! My two year old started his cereal eating career with Cheerios. I remember cutting them in half when he was first starting out and now he shoves a fistful in his mouth at a time! They do grow up fast, don't they???

My husband and now my 2 year old love Lucky Charms. You may think that it is quite odd that a dietitian is allowing her family to eat sugary cereals, but I find that there is not as much sugar added to these cereals as you may think. Plus, they are a great way to get vitamins, minerals, fiber (depending on the variety you choose), and they are vehicle for nutrient dense milk.

Cereal is actually lower in calories than many other food marketed toward kids for breakfast. Some studies back up the health benefits of cereal for breakfast.

• Kids who frequently eat cereal for breakfast have healthier body weights, have better nutritional status, and are less likely to have weight gain during adolescence.
• Cereal is a lower calorie breakfast choice compared to many other foods at only 110-130 calories/serving (and that includes pre-sweetened cereals).
• Cereal is nutrient dense and provides a good or excellent source of at least 10 key nutrients and very few calories.
• Overall, cereals—including presweetened cereals—provide less than 4% of a children’s sugar intake.
• A study of cereal eaters determined that relatively little sugar in children’s diets comes from cereal (0.4% - 4.0%), regardless of how much sugar the cereal contains. Children consuming all cereals, including presweetened, have significantly lower BMI and lower waist/height ratios than children who do not consume cereal. Children consuming all cereals have higher intakes of vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin C, calcium, iron, zinc, carbohydrates and sugar, and less fat, cholesterol and sodium in the total diet compared with children who consume no cereals.

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Does Low Carb Make You Angry?

As if we haven't seen enough bad press for low carb diets, check this out: a study just published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that dieters who followed a low carb diet for a year were more depressed, angry, and confused than people following a higher carb diet.

The researchers studied two groups of people for one year. Both were on a reduced calorie diet and both lost an average of 30 pounds. However, the group on the low carb diet had detrimental effects on their mood.

I know I am pretty angry when I don't have chocolate for a long time! ;-) Seriously, other smaller studies have not shown changes in mood with low carb diets, but we will have to see if future studies show a similar affect. It makes sense...we know that carbs cause release of serotonin, the feel good hormone. There is a reason people say they are "addicted" to carbs. One is because they are our body's preferred source of energy, so we need them for energy and we can "crave" them. The other is that they literally make us feel good (and they taste great!)

Carbs can cause weight gain, just like any food when eaten in too high of a quantity. The key to lasting weight loss and staying happy while doing it is just simply cutting back on carbs and total calories, not cutting them out!

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