Vitamins

Vitamins are essential nutrients to the body. That means the body can not make the vitamins and that they have to be obtained through the diet. There are two kinds of vitamins: fat-soluble vitamins and water-soluble vitamins.

Fat-Soluble vitamins

Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the fat of your body. You can go a few days without these vitamin intakes. The fat-soluble vitamins are vitamins A, D, E, and K. Let’s start with vitamin A.

Vitamin A is essential to vision, bone growth, reproduction and more. Vitamin A is present in foods of animal origin. So meats, eggs, milk are rich in Vitamin A. Also vitamin A can be found in its precursor beta-carotene. Rich food source of beta-carotene include, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, mangos, cantaloupe, apricots, as well as dark green veggies. Basically if a fruit or veggie is orange or dark green there is vitamin A present.

Vitamin D raises calcium levels in the blood and is important to bone formation and maintenance. Vitamin D is a really cool vitamin that body can synthesize through sun shine! You can get Vitamin D by sitting out in the sun. Other sources of vitamin D can come from fish and fortified milk. Most labels in the grocery store say that the milk is fortified with vitamin D.

Vitamin E is important antioxidant in cell membranes. Much of vitamin E comes from vegetable oils and products made with them.

Vitamin K is necessary for blood to clot. Good sources of vitamin K come from green leafy veggies.

Water-Soluble vitamins         

Water-soluble vitamins are easily absorbed and excreted from the body. They must be comsumed frequently in the diet. Sometimes the vitamins can be lost or destroyed during food preparation and processing. The water-soluble vitamins include vitamins Bs and C.

Vitamin C helps protect against infections, acts as an antioxidant, and it helps with the absorption of iron. Vitamin C can be found in fruits and veggies. It can also be found in animals, especially the liver of animals. YUCK!

Vitamin B’s are plural because there are several of them. They are usually numbered B₁, B₂, etc.. However, some of the B’s are so important that they have named. These vitamins work everywhere in the body to help metabolize carbs, lipids, and protein. Important vitamin B’s are:

·         Thiamin(B₁) –Found in pork and whole grains

·         Riboflavin(B₂) -Found in milk products and enriched grains

·         Niacin(B₃) –Many sources like animal products, fruits and veggies, and legumes

·         Folate(B₉)-Sources include legumes and enriched grains

·         Vitamin B₁₂-Only found in animal origin

·         Vitamin B₆- Found in meat

Vitamins-the pill kind

Although there are vitamins out there for us to take, I strongly feel that most people should get all their vitamins through their diet. All if these foods that vitamins are present in are very healthy for our bodies. I also think it is a waste of money, when you just spend money on foods full of these vitamins. However, I understand sometimes people do need the extra help of a vitamin pill.

Proteins-Which meat to eat

Protein is a nutrient needed for the growth of the body. Four calories are found in each gram of protein. Proteins are made up of 20 basic building blocks called amino acids that provide the material for all proteins. Most Americans eat more protein and grains than vegetables and fruits on a daily basis. There are different kinds of protein that you should be aware of.

There are two kinds of protein:

1.       Complete protein- which means all the amino acids are present to build new body tissue. Sources of complete protein are found in animal’s sources of protein which include meat, eggs, or dairy products. Basically if it comes from an animal it is a complete source of protein. 

2.     Incomplete protein- this lacks one or more amino acids that body cannot make from scratch. These are found in vegetables, grains, and nuts.

The more complete protein that you can eat daily, the better!

Problems with proteins

One concern with protein is that you can get too much protein. Yes, that’s right I said YOU CAN GET TOO MUCH PROTEIN!!! Eating excessive amounts of protein requires lots of calcium which is needed to neutralize the amino acids. This could cause calcium to be pulled from your bones! The body only needs about .35 grams of protein daily for every pound of body weight.

The lack of protein altogether could be harmful as well. Vegetarians need a source of complete protein for their bodies. Vegetarians that don’t eat meat, poultry, or fish need a source of complete protein that they could get from eggs, milk, and other dairy products.

Best kinds of protein

The best kinds of protein to eat are fish and poultry. If you like meat, I suggest when buying meat to choose lean choices! Most packages say if it is lean or not. Also consider eating dried or cooked beans and nuts.

Lipids are Fat!

Lipids are the family name for fats. I really wanted to talk about fats because there are different kinds of fats. Some are good and some are bad. I want to distinguish what are considered bad fats from good fats. We do need fats for our body, but they need to be the right kind of fats. One important thing you should know is that fats provide nine calories per gram.

Good fats-Unsaturated Fats

Unsaturated fats have been considered the more heart friendly fat because they are easier for the body to break down and utilize, thus minimizing cholesterol deposit in the arteries of the heart.  These are soft or liquid at room temperature. Unsaturated fats vegetable products like safflower, sunflower, canola, corn and olive oils. There are two other kinds of unsaturated fats:

• Omega-3 fatty acid- is an unsaturated fat found in fish like trout, tuna, salmon, and herring.
• Omega-6 fatty acid-unsaturated fat found in vegetable oils

Bad Fats-BEWARE!

 Saturated fats are found mainly in foods of animal origin, such as meat, eggs, animal milk, lard, butter, cheese, as well as palm coconut oils. Too much saturated fats are associated with heart disease and some cancers. I have a history of heart disease in my family, so I read the label on most packages to see how much saturated fats are in foods I buy.

Trans fats are worse than saturated fats in my opinion. I learned that trans fats will not only raise bad cholesterol, but it will also lower your good cholesterol!!! That is so bad!!! READ THE FOOD LABELS!!!! The Dietary Guidelines advise that less than 1% of total calories come from trans fats a day!  BEWARE: My Food products with less than .5 grams of trans fat are labeled as “trans fat free”.

Anything hydrogenated

Here is a video I found on youtube that explains hydrogenation better than I can.

Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, including margarine, vegetable shortening and peanut butter have flooded the market. Stay away from these, because hydrogenated fats that are even worse for the heart and arteries than saturated fats. I was really disappointed when my dietician told me about how must peanut butter is hydrogenated.

Well I hope I got my point across about good fats and bad fats!

Carbohydrates-the good and the bad

There is a lot of talk about carbs when it comes to dieting. Some diets want you to stop eating carbs all together. I don’t like those diets because carbs are a source of energy for the body and are needed to keep the body fueled. I don’t think it is an effective way to be healthy or to lose weight. Last semester I learned from my nutrition class that carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram and the recommended intake for carbs is 45 to 65 percent of daily calorie intake. That is a good chunk of your daily calories. That is why I don’t believe it is healthy to cut out the carbs. I think it is better to reduce the amount you eat, but not too significantly. Starch and sugar are two types of carbs. Some examples of starch carbohydrates are vegetables, whole grains, bread, rice, and pasta. Sugar carbohydrates are desserts, all fruits, and can be found in dairy products. Looking closely at the two types the unhealthiest thing I see about carbs is found in sweets in the sugar carbs. Most of the items made with sugar contain empty calories, that have no nutritional value.  So here are some ways I have thought of to cut back on the empty calorie sugar:

·         Try sugar substitutes

·         Limit chocolate, cakes, cookies, and other sweets

·         Use low-sugar versions of your favorite desserts or sweets

·         Try having fruits, like grapes, instead of sugary snacks

These are just some suggestions on lowering sugar intake.

Now for the fun part, Jalapeno Poppers! I picked this recipe because it uses jalapenos and cheese which are a good source of carbs. I make these as appetizers for family events.  I included the link for the recipe which I found on Weight Watchers.  Here is a picture of it that I took after my batch today.

Ingredients:

Olive oil cooking spray                                                          

1/2 cup of low-fat shredded Cheddar cheese    

 1/4 cup of low fat cream cheese    

 1 Tbsp fat-free mayonnaise     

 8 small jalapeño peppers   

 1/4 cup fat-free egg substitute (use an egg if you don’t have this)

 7 Tbsp cornflake crumbs (or any kind of cracker crumbs, I use Ritz crackers and Better Cheddars)

Instructions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet with the cooking spray.

2.       In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese and mayonnaise; mix well and set aside. Cut the jalapenos into halves lengthwise and remove seeds. Stuff the jalapenos with the cream cheese mixture.

3.       Place egg substitute in a dish. Place crumbs in a separate dish. Dip the jalapeno halves into the egg substitute and then roll in crumbs to coat the top.

4.       Bake until filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!

 It’s that easy and very tasty! If you prefer to have a spicier kick to it I suggest not taking out all of the seeds. Hope everyone has a great Labor Day!

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/prt/RecipePage.aspx?Type=1&RecipeID=90601