Go Nuts with Gifts This Year

I’m kind of notorious for giving food gifts, buy hey, they’re perfect! Food is practical and enjoyable. And since healthy foods act like preventative medicine, giving nutritious items to friends and family members is a great way to show how much you care. Plus, you can do your holiday shopping at the same time as your grocery shopping! My favorites include:

-Fresh or dried fruit, including anything from pears to pomegranates – they’re beautiful, fragrant and amazing for you. Did you know that eating at least 5 servings of produce each day can cut your cancer risk by 30%? And you can always add healthy kitchen gadgets like peelers, slicers, paring knives, cutting boards, etc.

-Nuts or seeds – they’re loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein. And studies show that they can help control blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, and even control weight – that’s because they’re so satisfying people tend to eat less after enjoying a small handful of nuts.

-Tea – it’s perfect hot or cold, it has zero calories, and tea is rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals (those body guards that protect cells from aging and disease). And you can buy them in lots of decadent flavors like sugar plum, vanilla, or mango.

-And last but not least chocolate. Who would have thought chocolate would become a leading health food but it has! Studies have found that dark chocolate contains substances that help relax blood vessels, lowering blood pressure, and it has also been linked to boosting HDL, the “good” cholesterol.

You can also make specialty or theme baskets, like a breakfast basket filled with oatmeal, spices, walnuts, and dried fruit, a snack basket loaded with popcorn, whole grain crackers, and nuts, or one filled just with healthy marinades, salsas, and condiments.

P.S. This is a photo I took of a cracked walnut – can you see the heart?

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Svelte Shopping Part 2

Well, I have a long way to go. How about you? If you’re still out and about picking up gifts, here are a few more tips I hope will help:

-If you stop for coffee, order carefully. A chilled medium blended coffee drink typically provides over 500 calories (about a quarter or more of your daily needs), 22 g of fat (about half a day’s worth) and 59 grams of sugar (15 tsp worth). Order hot coffee drinks made with skim or soy milk (add ice if needed) and flavor them with spices instead of syrups or added sugar.

- If you need to eat in a food court, choose wisely. Lower calorie healthier options include: grilled chicken sandwiches without the sauce; veggie burgers; grilled chicken salads with low fat dressing minus the bacon and croutons; chicken soft tacos; bean burritos; half subs on whole wheat made with lean deli meat without mayo or bacon.

-Snack smart. Mall snacks are more than tie-overs to your next meal. Most have close to as many calories (or more) than an actual meal should provide. For example: one original style soft pretzel provides over 350 calories; one classic cinnamon bun has over 800 calories; a half cup serving of premium ice cream provides about 300 calories; and a 16 ounce smoothie can contain 300 calories or more. Bring your own healthy snacks instead or split a higher calorie snack with a friend (or two).

Now, according to studies, most Americans only gain one true pound of body fat between Halloween and New Year’s Day, but the problem is they never lose it. That means those pounds accumulate each year. So statistically, you’ll be ten pounds heavier ten years from now. And when you consider that one pound of fat is the equivalent of four sticks of butter, you can see that even one pound makes a big difference to your health. But, by using savvy strategies you can beat the odds! Happy shopping!

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Svelte Shopping Part 1

I don’t know about you but I just started my holiday shopping. And let me tell you, it can be a nutritional minefield (two words: cinnamon buns!). So, I decided to dedicate today and tomorrow’s posts to svelte shopping strategies. Here we go:

• First and foremost - don’t wait too long to eat. Set your cell phone or watch to go off every 4-5 hours to remind you to stop and eat something. Getting too hungry will increase your risk of overeating later.
• Bring something. Keep healthy snacks in your bag so you won’t be tempted by mall treats or fast food. Good options include: energy bars with 250 calories or less; a small baggie of dried fruit and nuts; or even a peanut butter sandwich (don’t bring perishable foods - you may end up with food poisoning). Bonus: you’ll save money by bringing your own snacks.
• Skip the soft drinks. A large fast food regular drink has over 300 calories, 21 tsp of sugar and zero nutrients. A 150 pound adult would have to walk briskly (at 4 miles per hour) for 60 minutes to burn that off. Choose water or unsweetened iced tea instead.

Check back tomorrow for the next 3 tips but before I go; here are today’s fun facts:

• This year is the 60th anniversary of the film It’s a Wonderful Life
• The song Frosty the Snowman was written in 1950 (that's 56 years ago - talk about staying power!)
• Did you know there is a U.S. National Snow Sculpting Competition each year (similar to sand sculptures, but with snow!)?

photo courtesy of National Cancer Institute

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Office Eats

Ok, it’s officially holiday season. And during this time of year, some of the greatest temptations you face may be at the office (homemade holiday cookies, fudge, ribbon candy, brownies, office parties – yikes!). So, today I’m offering up some tried and true tips for getting through the season (at work anyway) without packing on those holiday pounds:

-Ask your office mates to agree to set up a designated “zone” where all the office goodies will go. Keeping treats in one location can help you reduce temptation. If food is out of sight and out of arm’s reach, it may stay out of mind.

-Ask your co-workers to agree to a either a no food gifts pact, or a healthy-only food gifts pact. Instead of chocolates and cookies, give each other healthy fare such as: green tea; fresh fruit; unsweetened dried fruit; unsalted dry roasted nuts; or fresh or dried herbs.

-Use the one splurge rule. There are bound to be plenty of goodies to choose from at the office each day. Pick just one treat per day to indulge your sweet tooth and balance it with healthy meals and snacks you bring yourself. For example, if you bring a salad topped with grilled chicken and light vinaigrette dressing for lunch, and fruit as an afternoon snack, you can enjoy one reasonably sized brownie guilt free.

-Use the buddy system. Ask a health conscious co-worker to be your buddy for the rest of the year. You can eat meals together, carve out 10-15 minutes of your lunch break to go for a brisk walk, and call on each other for support when you’re feeling the urge to overindulge.

photo courtesy of National Cancer Institute

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Ok, here’s part 2 of how to enjoy a safe holiday meal. These 5 simple tips can make a world of difference in keeping you and your family healthy:

-After your meal, don’t leave any perishable foods out on the counter top or table for over 2 hours (preferably 1 hour). Bacteria grow rapidly between the temperatures of 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit (F) which means if you pick at left-out leftovers, you’ll get a mouthful of bacteria (that you can’t see, smell, or taste).

-When packing up leftovers, place them in shallow sealable containers or ziplock bags (rather than non-sealable aluminum foil or plastic wrap).

-Don’t pack your fridge too full – this can block air circulation and increase the temperature (remember, above 40 degrees F bacteria multiply like bunnies).

-Be sure the temperature of your refrigerator is 40 degrees F or below (check your refrigerator thermometer to be sure). Even at 45 degrees, bacteria grow, grow, grow (believe it or not, they still grow at less than 40 degrees, just not as quickly).

-If you plan on enjoying leftovers, be sure to reheat them to 165 degrees F to kill any bacteria. This is especially important for gravy and other risky foods like casseroles (be really careful if you’re in a high risk group such as a pregnant or nursing woman, or if you’re recovering from an illness or injury).

Ok, that does it. Have a safe and healthy holiday weekend – I’m off to enjoy some pumpkin pie!

photo courtesy of National Cancer Institute

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How Safe is Your Thanksgiving Meal?

One of the most important things you can do to stay healthy this Thanksgiving involves how you eat rather than what you eat. Believe it or not, over 200,000 Americans get sick every day from food borne illness (food poisoning) from improper food handling, cooking, and storing. Thanksgiving is actually one of the riskiest days of the year for food poisoning, and the effects can be quite serious. Food poisoning is most risky for pregnant women, small children, older adults, people with chronic diseases (such as heart disease or diabetes), those who have recently had surgery or are recovering from an injury, and anyone with a weak immune system. In fact, this preventable illness leads to 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths each year. The good news is, you can keep yourself and your family safe by following some basic food safety guidelines:

-If you’re serving turkey tomorrow and you purchased a frozen one, plan for 30 minutes per pound to defrost it, and always defrost in the refrigerator – never on the countertop or in the sink. The bacteria in raw turkey grows very rapidly between the temperatures of 40 and 140 Fahrenheit (F), so thawing at room temperature is a guaranteed risk. According to a recent survey conducted by the American Dietetic Association, nearly one in three Americans (31 percent) typically thaws frozen meat on the kitchen counter, under hot water in the kitchen sink, or in the oven – all big food safety no-nos.

-Carefully wash anything at all that has come into contact with the raw turkey or juices, including your hands, utensils, counter tops, dish rags, sponges, plates and any other items. Unfortunately, you can’t see, smell or taste the bacteria, so it can continually re-contaminate your kitchen and hands if you aren’t careful. Keep a “better safe than sorry” philosophy - wash any potentially contaminated item thoroughly with hot soapy water, or place items in the dishwasher or hot cycle of the washing machine right away.

-Always cook the dressing or “stuffing” separately from the turkey – cooking it inside increases the risk of consuming live bacteria. But, after carefully cooking the dressing and the turkey separately, it’s safe to place the dressing into the turkey before serving if you really want to.

-Be sure to cook your turkey thoroughly. The estimated time needed to roast a turkey is: 15 to 18 minutes per pound (unstuffed). For example, a 20-pound turkey will take at least 5 hours to roast.

-Cook your turkey to an internal temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit (F) to kill all of the bacteria. The only way to really know if a turkey is at the right temperature is to use a meat thermometer (insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the muscle away from the bone). According to the ADA survey, nearly three out of four Americans say they don’t know the proper temperature to which a whole turkey should be cooked - and more than half (52 percent) don’t consistently use a meat thermometer to ensure doneness. Instead, 40 percent wait for meat to "look done" or for "the juices to run clear," while a small percentage (5 percent) use unconventional methods such as wiggling turkey legs, poking meat with a fork or even conducting a taste-test (none of these are accurate). The ONLY way to know if your turkey is safe to eat is to use a meat thermometer.

-Always wash your hands before and after handling any food on Thanksgiving day. And of course, be especially careful about hand washing after using the bathroom, changing diapers, touching your nose, face or hair, or handling pets.

-Throughout the day, be sure to wash all kitchen surfaces often, including cutting boards, utensils and counter tops. Use hot soapy water and don’t re-use dish towels – you could just be spreading around bacteria that you can’t see.

For more information about food safety on Thanksgiving and all year round, visit the ADA’s food safety web site www.homefoodsafety.org. And check back tomorrow for more Thanksgiving meal food safety tips (about the proper handling, storing, and re-heating of leftovers).

photo courtesy of freeimages.co.uk

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Crantastic!

It’s an age old debate – fresh cranberry sauce or the jiggly canned jelly kind? Growing up, I was never a fan of either one, and neither was anyone in my family. But a few years back, I was asked to do a TV interview about the healthiest Thanksgiving sides, and since cranberries are incredibly good for you and a tradition on most Thanksgiving tables, I started experimenting with recipes. Well, I fell in love! I now make this cranberry sauce every year, but not just for Thanksgiving. It makes a great topping for just about anything including oatmeal, winter fruit salad, brown rice, a baked sweet potato, or even a sandwich or wrap (note: it tastes better and better with each day that goes by).

You’ve probably heard that cranberries help prevent urinary tract infections and it’s true. But other studies suggest that this gorgeous berry is also linked to improved gastrointestinal and oral health (by helping the healthy bacteria that live in our digestive system and getting rid of not so good bacteria in our mouth), a lower risk of age-related vision loss, the prevention of kidney stones, a lower LDL (the “bad” cholesterol), higher HDL (the “good” cholesterol), and a lower risk of certain cancers including prostate and breast cancer.

Ok, here it is – I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Cynthia’s Fresh Cranberry Sauce
1.5 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup 100% orange juice
2 Tbsp maple syrup
One fourth tsp cloves
Half tsp cinnamon
One fourth tsp ginger
1 tsp grated orange rind
Combine berries, juice and maple syrup in saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes until berries pop. Remove from heat and stir in spices and rind. Cool to room temperature and then chill in a covered container. Drain off excess liquid if you prefer a thicker sauce.

Oh and here are today’s fun facts:
-Cranberries are sometimes called "bounceberries" because ripe ones bounce.
-The Cranberries are a popular Irish alternative rock band.
-Only 5% of all cranberries grown are sold as fresh (the rest are sold as juice, sauce/jelly, or dried).

P.S. It is recommended that people taking the drug warfarin avoid cranberry juice because it can interact with the medication.

photo courtesy of yunphoto.net

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B.Y.O.V. (bring your own veggies)

Right now, media clips about getting through the holidays without gaining weight are almost as popular as stories about TomKat, Brangelina, and Britney. In fact, as a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, Halloween through New Year’s Day, a.k.a. “eating season” is usually a pretty busy time for me. So, today, I thought I’d share some of the "thankslimming" tips I typically dish out to reporters around this time of year:

-START A NEW TRADITION. If your holiday typically revolves around eating (or eating and watching football), try something new this year. TiVo the game and spearhead a family/friends fun day! After a light dinner (or smaller portions of more decadent food) gather up your bunch for some good old-fashioned charades, or an active store-bought game like Guestures. Or, rent a learn-to-dance video and get everyone in on the action, or move the furniture, turn on the CD player and have a dance off! If you live in a milder climate, move the party outdoors for anything from horseshoes to badminton. If it’s snowy, why not go sledding, ice skating, or build a snow family complete with carrot noses? Planning an after dinner activity can really help take the focus off of food, and you may be more motivated to not get so stuffed if you have a fun activity to look forward to.

-PARE DOWN YOUR MENU. A lot of hosts end up serving multiple sides and desserts because it's what they always do, but many aren't favorites and end up getting eaten just because they're there. If you're hosting dinner this year, survey your family and friends to find out what the can't-live-without dishes are and forego the rest. It's less work for you, less food on the table, and fewer leftovers.

-KEEP YOUR APPETIZERS LIGHT. Many people get filled up on heavy appetizers like cheese and crackers before the meal is even served. And considering that a typical Thanksgiving meal is about 2,000 calories (what most of us need per day if we’re active), well, adding 600 calories worth of appetizers isn’t a great idea if you’re trying not to gain weight. Instead, serve up fresh veggies with hummus or salsa for dipping, and a fresh fruit platter alongside low fat vanilla yogurt mixed with a little cinnamon. Fruits and veggies are filling (which may help you avoid piling your dinner plate), but they're light enough to prevent you from feeling sluggish - and of course they're loaded with nutrients. If you're going to someone else's house, bring a veggie tray as a "safety dish."

-DON’T POUR YOUR CALORIES. Liquid calories aren't filling (so you won't compensate by eating less food) but they can add several hundred calories to your intake. That’s why I recommend sticking with calorie free beverages like fresh brewed iced tea, hot tea, or water with sliced lemon, lime, or orange wedges (or clementines, pink grapefruit, or blood orange slices). You can also brew and chill infused teas, which provide flavor without added calories. Or freeze fresh mint and lemon wedges into ice cubes to make iced tea special and add color and flavor.

-SWAP SIDES. Serve more watery veggies and fewer starchy veggies. For example, if you want to serve mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes, swap the corn and peas (other high starch veggies) for grilled asparagus and mushrooms or veggie kabobs with onions, peppers, tomatoes, etc. A half-cup of corn contains 70 calories but a full cup of asparagus provides just 30 (1 cup of button mushrooms has just 20).

More to come tomorrow…

But before I go, did you know?
-In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated the second Monday in October.
-The cornucopia is also known as the horn of plenty because in Greek mythology, Zeus gave Amalthea a goat's horn which had the power to give to the person in possession of it whatever he or she wished for.
- Irv Kupcinet said, “An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.”

Image courtesy of National Cancer Institute

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Go Bananas!

I absolutely go banana for bananas. I love them as is, on whole grain toast with peanut butter, whipped into smoothies, baked into bread, frozen, grilled in the skins (they’re amazing – slice them open, top with crushed pineapple and dark chocolate chips and close them back up), or sliced and added to fruit salad, oatmeal, cold cereal, or brown rice pudding – delicious!

Somewhere along the way, bananas got an undeserved reputation for being fattening. That’s probably because they’re low in water compared to other fruits. That means there’s more carbohydrate (and therefore more calories) per bite, but they provide no fat, cholesterol, or sodium. I get around the calorie issue by buying this baby variety – they’re no longer that the length of my finger, which means they’re naturally portion controlled (and perfectly wrapped). One of these little guys provides just 50-60 calories.

And bananas are incredibly nutritious. You’ve probably heard that they provide potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. Buy they’re also a good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C and fiber. A mashed banana is the secret ingredient in my famous healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe (I guess it’s no secret anymore!). A combo of sunflower oil and mashed banana holds the cookies together (instead of butter or margarine and eggs). Mmmm, that sounds so good I think I’ll go make a batch right now.

But I can’t sign off without doling out today’s fun facts:
-Bananas are thought to have originated in Malaysia about 4,000 years ago
-India is the top banana producing nation
-Bananas are America’s most popular fruit - over 96% of American households purchase bananas at least once a month
-The riper a banana is, the sweeter it will taste
-In the song Hollaback Girl, Gwen Stefani spells banana (several times!)

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Sulfite Sensitive?

Ok, I’m nowhere near ready, but I guess the holiday season is here. I started seeing holiday goods the day after Halloween and I just broke down and bought some holiday cards (made from Kenaf, an eco-friendly fast growing type of Hibiscus). And if there’s anything that flows even more than eggnog this time of year, it’s got to be wine.

Now, some people say wine goes right to their head, but I’m not talking about feeling tipsy. If you’ve ever experienced a headache or that “stuffed up” feeling after even a few sips, the culprit is probably sulfites. Some people are even more sensitive than others and can experience an upset stomach or hives.

Sulfites are a natural product of wine making, so all wines will contain some. But if more have been added (to reduce the growth of bacteria) the bottle must say “contains sulfites.” So if you’re a wine lover and you’re sulfite sensitive (like me), look for wines without those two little words, or check out some of the organic varieties. Organic wine makers typically avoid adding sulfites – but not always. To be sure, check the label. Low sulfite wines will carry the words "sulfites are naturally occurring" or "no sulfites added.” Cheers!

Oh, one more thing - did you know?
-France is the world’s top wine maker followed by Italy, then Spain, then the U.S.
-164 countries import California wine
-30 million gallons of wine were lost in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
-10,000 varieties of wine grapes exist around the world

P.S. To learn about biodynamic wines, click here.

photo courtesy of iband

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2 + 2 = 8

You’ve heard the phrase, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” right? Well, this really holds true in the nutrition world. For example, eating a whole grain - defined as a grain that still contains all of its “parts” – the bran (outer coating), germ (the part that sprouts into a new plant), and endosperm (food for the germ) provides far greater benefits than eating just the bran alone. And the benefits are enhanced even more if whole grains are consumed as part of a diet high in plant-based foods. Why? We’re not 100% sure yet, but we know something’s at play.

This theory, called food synergy, probably explains why a just released study found that taking antioxidant supplements does not help slow the buildup of artery-clogging plaques and reduce the risk of heart disease. Many, many studies do consistently show that a higher intake of produce and other plant foods lowers risk, but plant foods contain a whole lot more than antioxidants. There are thousands of other natural substances in fruits, veggies, whole grains, spices, and herbs, and the combination of them, along with other factors (i.e. less of the not so good stuff like saturated fat) seem to work together, and possibly enhance each other to protect us from disease.

Isolating one component out (like antioxidants) is called reductionism, and it just doesn’t seem to work. Popping an antioxidant pill is like taking Mickey Mouse out of Disney World and leaving the rest behind – it’s just not the same! That’s why most registered dietitians (myself included) advocate a food first philosophy (after all, we’re called dietitians, not supplementitians).

Another great example of food synergy involves osteoporosis. While calcium is the main mineral that provides structure to bone, many other nutrients affect bone density including vitamin D, protein, sodium, potassium, vitamins K and C, and possibly even some phytochemicals. So taking calcium alone and ignoring the rest of your diet won’t guarantee prevention.

In fact, the list of more simple nutrient interactions dietitians must learn about in college include the good:
-Vitamin C helps absorb more iron from plant foods
-Fat helps absorb vitamin A (as well as beta carotene and other carotenoids like lycopene), and vitamins D, E, and K
-Selenium and vitamin E work as an antioxidant team and vitamin C helps recharge E
And not so good:
-Too much zinc can interfere with copper absorption
-Too much calcium can interfere with iron absorption

This list isn’t complete, and doesn’t even include interactions between nutrients and herbs. So, I guess my message today is: oversimplifying nutrition science is missing the forest for the trees – big time! For right now, the best strategy seems to be getting nutrition from a wide variety of whole foods, not from a bottle.

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Yup, it's really purple!

Isn’t it beautiful? Purple cauliflower actually grows in the wild. It contains the same pigments (called anthocyanins, another one of those body guards I’m always talking about) that give blueberries and purple grapes their gorgeous color. That’s fantastic because anthocyanins are linked to a reduced risk of cancer, diabetes, heart, and neurological diseases. But other than that, this vibrant variety has the same nutritional value as the plain old white stuff (which is pretty darn great already).

Did you know that cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C? Just 1 cup cooked provides over 90% of the vitamin C we need daily. It’s also a great source of fiber with a whopping 8 grams per cup cooked (that’s over 30% of what’s recommended daily), and it contains potassium as well as B vitamins.

Cauliflower is a proud member of the cabbage family, along with its cousins broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts. This mighty group is collectively known as “cruciferous vegetables” and scientists believe they contain compounds that kind of disable and eliminate cancer causing substances. One study done in the Netherlands found that in over 100,000 people followed for more than 6 years, those who ate the most vegetables had a 25% lower incidence of colorectal cancer, but the people who ate the most cruciferous vegetables experienced a 49% lower risk – isn’t that amazing?!

Ok, I’m off to mist these flamboyant florets with an herb infused oil and steam them. Yum - I can’t wait!

But before I say buon giorno (purple cauliflower is big in Southern Italy), here are a few fun facts:
-Purple has often signified royalty and been the favored color of many kings and queens, and the term “born in the purple” has been used to denote a noble birth
-Prince’s Purple Rain album was released in 1984
-The song Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley was #1 for 6 weeks in 1958
-Alice Walker wrote the book The Color Purple which received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983
-Ben Affleck and his wife Jennifer Garner named their baby Violet - awwww

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Nutrition Games Part 2

Hello! Here are the answers to yesterday’s Nutrition Balderdash post:

Formononetin is:
B) A phytochemical found in legumes.

Ciguatera is:
A) A toxin found in more than 300 species of Caribbean and South Pacific fish.

I picked some pretty obscure nutrition terms for Balderdash, but today I choose some “every day” nutrition items for a quick version of Nutrition Jeopardy. Here we go (the answers are below - don't look if you want to guess):

1. It’s known as the sunshine vitamin.

2. Vitamin C helps to absorb this mineral.

3. It is produced by a process called partial hydrogenation and ingesting it is linked to the risk of heart disease.

4. These products do not have to be proven safe or effective before being marketed to consumers.

5. Eating more of this substance found in whole grains, fruits and vegetables can help reduce the risk of heart disease.

I love games because well, they’re fun, but they also help me remember things. When I was in college I had to memorize a lot of material in courses like biochemistry, physiology, and metabolism, and games always helped. In fact, they’ve helped me remember important info since I was a kid – do you remember tricks like Roy G. Biv for the colors of the rainbow and songs like “a pint’s a pound the world around” and “30 days hath September…?” I hope today’s game might help you learn some memorable nutrition info! Here are the answers to Nutrition Jeopardy along with links to additional info:

1. What is vitamin D.
2. What is iron.
3. What is trans fat.
4. What are dietary supplements.
5. What is dietary fiber.

Have a great weekend!

Image courtesy of National Cancer Institute

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Nutrition Balderdash

I keep seeing this commercial for the game Balderdash (you know the one that asks what a laminak is). I’ve played it and it’s really fun but definitely challenging! Basically, within each category, the cards contain little known but true statements about people, words, movies, laws, etc. The players make up phony answers, read them off along with the correct answer, then vote on the real answer. So, being a game lover, I thought I’d create a food/nutrition edition. Ok, here we go:

Which of the following is the correct definition for the term formononetin:

A) The chemical reaction that causes burnt toast to taste burnt.

B) A phytochemical found in legumes.

C) The name of the formula dietitians use to calculate an individual’s calorie needs.

D) The technical name for the process by which gelatin solidifies.

Here’s one more.

Which of the following is the correct definition for the term ciguatera:

A) A toxin found in more than 300 species of Caribbean and South Pacific fish.

B) A phytochemical found in carrots that specifically protects lung cells.

C) An enzyme that digests carbohydrates.

D) A type of dietary fiber found in cabbage.

Check tomorrow’s post for the answers!

Image courtesy of aymlis

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Thank you to Grand Rounds at MSSPNexus Blog

A big thank you to MSSPNexus Blog for hosting this week's Grand Rounds and for including my Portion Disortion post.

Each week a health/medical blogger hosts Grand Rounds which features noteworthy posts from the world of wellness blogging.

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Sticker Shock

If you’ve ever shopped for a car, appliance, or even clothes you’ve probably had this experience – you check the price tag and are flabbergasted by what you see. I recently saw a sink at a home improvement store that was over $2,000 – a sink (oh the vacation I could take with that chunk of change)!

Anyway, even with all of my nutrition science training, I’m still sometimes astonished by the calorie levels in various foods. And if I’m surprised, you’ll probably be too. Here are a few stunners along with the number of hours and minutes a 150 pound person would need to walk (at 4 miles per hour) to burn them off:

One 22 ounce* acai (the “hot” fruit everyone’s talking about) smoothie from Planet Smoothie – 510 calories – 1 hour 53 minutes

One stick of butter – 800 calories – 2 hours 58 minutes

One 15 ounce* jar Cheese Whiz – 1,170 calories – 4 hours 20 minutes

One whole Tombstone frozen pepperoni pizza – 1,560 calories - 5 hours 46 minutes

One 16 ounce* tub Betty Crocker Rich and Creamy chocolate frosting – 1,950 – 7 hours 13 minutes

*Reference – 1 can of soda = 12 ounces

It pays to read labels AND do the math (i.e. calories are listed per serving; if there are 13 servings per jar as with Cheese Whiz, and your recipe calls for the whole jar, you must multiply those calories by 13!).

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Dining Out Discourse

I read the news every day, starting with the health section, and a few days ago the headline, “Eating Out May Encourage Binge Eating” hooked me. I was planning to dine out that very night with two friends in Chicago and we had already decided we were definitely ordering dessert! Nutrition and food-related research that affects both my personal and professional life really catches my eye, so I read on.

In a nutshell, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing followed two groups of women for two weeks. One group was categorized as binge-eaters, the other dieters. Now, I don’t fall into either of those groups but many of my clients do, so I inquisitively kept reading. Here’s what they found:

Both groups consumed between 200 and 300 extra calories by dining out (a lot less than I expected). Now that’s no biggie if it happens once in a blue moon, but both groups of women dined out frequently. On average, they ate at a restaurant or picked up take-out 7 of the 14 days they were followed, and that adds up. At that frequency, if the extra calories aren’t burned off by increased physical activity, the scales would tip by 10-15 pounds by the end of one year (that’s a weight gain equivalent to 40-60 sticks of butter).

I wish they had looked at a third group of non-dieting, non-binge eating women, but if you fall into one of these two groups, please don’t be discouraged and don’t give up!

-To the dieters – dieting leads to feelings of deprivation which causes rebound overeating. That’s why (among other reasons) I’m not a fan. Check out my previous post about giving up on diets for good. It’s at the bottom of the August archive: Moderation Isn’t a 4 Letter Word.

-To the binge eaters - at the core, bingeing isn’t really about food, and the cycle can be broken. Please see my previous post Eating Your Feelings in the September archive.

And regardless of which group you fall into if any, click here to find out what it takes to burn off those extra bites with this handy dandy calorie calculator.

P.S. This photo is of a Thai meal I recently enjoyed out with a friend.

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What a Pear

I just polished off a pear (the one on the left) and the one on the right will be taking a trip with me tomorrow (fruit is always a staple in my carry-on bag). Right now my local market is overflowing with pears of all shapes, colors, and sizes and I’m loving it! There are hundreds of varieties grown throughout the world, but in the U.S., the fantastic four include Bartlett (red and yellow), Anjou (the one on the right, which also comes in red), Comice, and Bosc (left one – now in my belly).

Pears are a great source of dietary fiber which is one of the reasons why eating pears can prevent you from becoming pear-shaped! One medium pear provides about 100 calories, mostly from carbohydrate, but roughly (no pun intended) 20% of the carbs in a pear come from dietary fiber. Fiber fills you up, but fiber itself is not digested or absorbed. It just sort of travels through your digestive tract, but it never gets to the “other side” (i.e. into your blood) where it must either be burned off or stored as fat. So in essence, that part of the pear is “free food.” And fiber’s great for lowering cholesterol and keeping us ahem “regular.”

Every week I’ve been buying one of each, but when I get them home, I have a hard time deciding how to eat them. I love enjoying them as is, but they’re also great in field green salads (with walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette), or baked with spices (especially Bosc drizzled with 1 tsp maple syrup mixed with 1 Tbsp water and a dash of cloves – yummy!).

Ok, I’m off to pack (going to burrrrr Chicago).

Before I go, did you know?
-Pears are members of the rose family
-The scientific name for pear is Pyrus communis
-Placing a pear in a paper bag will help it ripen faster
-One medium pear provides 10% of the vitamin C we need daily

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Portion Distortion?

The other day I overhead someone say, “People just need to eat less, that’s all.” They weren’t talking to me so I kept my mouth shut, but in my mind I was thinking, “Well, not really.” Nutrition just isn’t that black and white. Large portions don’t always equate to boat loads of calories and small portions don’t always mean minimal calories. Enter Exhibit A, my yummy bowl of soup. It’s filled with 2 cups (the size of 2 baseballs) and contains just 200 calories. That’s the same number of cals in just 2 level tablespoons (a golf ball) of peanut butter (2 cups of peanut butter would provide a whopping 3,200 calories). Now, that doesn’t mean soup is good and peanut butter is bad; they’re both healthy foods. But portion for portion, they’re certainly not equal calorie-wise.

The trick is finding a balance between calories and portion sizes. If you’re watching your calorie intake, you’ll need to be careful with peanut butter, but not so much with soup. And that’s a good thing. Who wants to eat like a bird every day? I know I don’t! But on the flip side, some of my very favorite foods are “calorie dense” (meaning they contain lots of calories in a teensy portion). Sooooo, my strategy is to pair high volume, low cal foods with small amounts of calorie dense splurges.

I like to think of it just like a budget. If I only have $100 to spend, and I blow $90 on one item, I need to think, “Hmmm, what can I get for $10?”

Here are some of my favorite pairs:

Calorie splurge: Cashews - 190 calories for a tiny golf ball sized portion
Budget saver: Sliced apple wedges – 70 calories for a baseball-sized portion

Calorie splurge: Guacamole – 100 calories per mini fruit cup sized portion
Budget saver: Red peppers cut intro strips – 40 calories for a baseball-sized portion

Calorie splurge: Dark chocolate – 300 calories for a petite portion, about the size of 2 matchbooks
Budget saver: Fresh strawberries – 50 calories for a baseball-sized portion

Calorie splurge: Whole grain roll – 190 calories for about the size of a computer mouse
Budget saver: Veggie Soup – 200 calories for a generous portion - about the size of 2 baseballs

Calorie splurge: Dried Calimyrna figs – 100 calories for 2 (about the size of a golf ball total)
Budget saver: Brewed unsweetened tea – 0 calories per the size of my favorite penguin mug

Before I sign off, here’s a small helping of trivia:
-A normal human stomach can hold about 6 cups (6 baseballs) of food.
-20 years ago, a typical bagel was 3 inches in diameter (about the size of a hockey puck) and provided 120 calories. Today’s typical bagel has swelled to double that size (with double the calories of course).
- In 1998, Winchell's House of Donuts created the world's largest doughnut. It stood 95 feet in diameter and weighed 5,000 pounds – yowza!
-Two snack sized Reese’s peanut butter cups (.75 ounces each - leftover from Halloween) provide 220 calories.

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