My Salad Creation

 I just wanted to share with you a special salad I created last year. It has some strange combinations and it won't hurt my feelings if you don't like it. It has a very surprising dressing! I hope you enjoy my slideshow.






You can always substitute the nuts and dried fruit for whatever kind of nuts and fruit you enjoy. You can also use any kind of honey you like. I hope this inspired you to make your own salad that is special to you!

The Protein Group

There are so many sources of protein available in our country. All the subgroups of meat, poultry, seafood, beans and peas, eggs, processed soy products, nuts, and seeds are considered part of the Protein Foods Group. Beans and peas are also part of the Vegetable Group. Great sources of meat are beef, ham, pork, and lamb. Examples of poultry are chicken, turkey, duck, or goose. Soy products have good sources like tofu and veggie burgers. Any kind of nut or seed, like walnuts, sunflower seeds, pecans, or almonds counts as a good example of protein. Then there are different types of seafood that are great sources of protein, like crap, lobster, tuna, and salmon. Men ages 19-30 need to eat six and a half ounces a day of some source of protein. Women in the same age category need to only eat five and a half ounces a day. This is really easy for most Americans to eat more protein than they need daily. Usually Americans eat way too much protein and not enough fruit and veggies. According to the chart provided by Choose My Plate, it tells you to weight your protein to figure out how much is an ounce. I know that is not an option for most of us. However, it does provide with some examples as to what things are equal to an ounce. One sandwich slice of turkey (4 ½ x 2 ½ x 1/8”), or one egg, or a ¼ cup of cooked beans or peas are all equivalent to an ounce.

Additionally, the website provides the health and nutritional benefits of eating protein. All the different subgroups of protein supply many nutrients like, B vitamins (niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, and B6), vitamin E, iron, zinc, and magnesium. Proteins function as building blocks for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. They are also building blocks for enzymes, hormones, and vitamins. Proteins as I mentioned earlier in my older posts, are one of three nutrients that provide calories. B vitamins found in this food group serve a variety of functions in the body. They help the body release energy, play a vital role in the function of the nervous system, aid in the formation of red blood cells, and help build tissues. Cholesterol is only found in foods from animal sources. Some foods from this group are high in cholesterol. These include egg yolks and organ meats such as liver and giblets. To help keep blood cholesterol levels healthy, limit the amount of these foods you eat. Instead of eating eggs yolks all the time, try eating egg whites, which are cholesterol free! Here are some tips to eat the right kinds of proteins:

·         Always choose the lean option! Choose extra lean ground beef. The label should say at least “90% lean.” You may be able to find ground beef that is 93% or 95% lean.

·         Buy skinless chicken parts, or take off the skin before cooking.

·         Boneless skinless chicken breasts and turkey cutlets are the leanest poultry choices.

·         Trim away all of the visible fat from meats and poultry before cooking.

·         Broil, grill, roast, poach, or boil meat, poultry, or fish instead of frying.

·         Vary your protein choices!

 

·         Choose seafood at least twice a week as the main protein food. Look for seafood rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, trout, and herring.

There are also tips for vegetarians available on the website if you are interested in looking at these.

The Grains food group

It is time to discuss the grain food group. My information about this group comes again from Choose My Plate. Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain is a grain product. Bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and grits are examples of grain products. The grain food group has two subgroups called the whole grains and the refined grains. Whole grains consist of whole wheat flour, brown sugar, and oatmeal because they contain the entire grain kernel. Refined grains do not contain the whole kernel and are made to last longer. White rice, white bread, and white flour are examples of refined grains. According to the website is BETTER to WHOLE GRAINS instead of refined grains. This is a chart to help people find their daily recommendation of grain intakes. For women ages 19-30 it recommends six ounces daily and for men ages 19-30 it is eight ounces. I know it might be hard to think about how many ounces you’re eating, but here’s what counts as an ounce. One slice of bread counts as one ounce, one small flour tortilla (6" diameter) is one ounce, and one large bagel is equal to four ounces. If you are unsure about what counts as an ounce, please look at the chart. It will provide some helpful answers.

Eating whole grains provides many nutritional health benefits. Here are a few of them:

·         Consuming whole grains as part of a healthy diet helps reduce the risk of heart disease.

·         Eating whole grains may help with weight management. (This totally surprised me!)

·         Eating grain products fortified with folate before and during pregnancy helps prevent neural tube defects during fetal development.

·         Grains are important sources of many nutrients, including dietary fiber, several B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate), and minerals such as iron, magnesium, and selenium.

·         Dietary fiber from whole grains or other foods, may help reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Fiber-containing whole grains help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories. (SWEET!)

If you have trouble with getting whole grains into your diet here are some tips to help. Remeber whole grains are better than refined grains. You should always try to eat whole grains!

1. Substitute a whole grain product for a refined product by eating whole wheat bread instead of white bread or brown rice instead of white rice.

2. Try substituting whole wheat or oat flour for up to half of the flour in pancake, waffle, muffin or other flour-based recipes.

3. Most importantly choose foods that name one of the following whole-grain ingredients first on the label’s ingredient list: brown rice, buckwheat, millet, oatmeal, quinoa, whole-grain barley, whole-grain corn, whole oats, whole rye, whole wheat, and wild rice.

The Vegetable group

Any veggie or 100% vegetable juice counts as a member of the Vegetable Group. Vegetables may be eaten in several ways like raw or cooked, fresh, frozen, canned, or dried, and may be whole, cut-up, or mashed. Vegetables are organized into five subgroups, based on their nutrient content. These groups include dark green veggies, starchy veggies, red and orange veggies, beans and peas, and other veggies. Examples of dark veggies are broccoli, spinach, and kale. Some examples of starchy veggies are corn, water chestnuts, and potatoes. Carrots and sweet potatoes are examples of the red and orange veggies. Navy beans, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, and kidney beans obviously belong to the beans and peas group. The other group includes lots of other vegetables such as asparagus, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and onions. However, I don’t fully agree with the vegetables that are all listed on the website. Some of the vegetables listed have seeds in them and that clearly makes them a fruit according to my biology teacher.  Again there is a chart to help you find out how many cups of veggies you need a day.  According to this chart, women ages 19-30 need two and a half cups a day and men the same age range need three cups daily. Twelve baby carrots are equal to one cup, one large ear of corn (8” to 9” long) counts as a cup, and one baked potato (2½" to 3" diameter) also counts as one cup of veggies.

I think that this is the hardest food group for me because I usually don’t buy veggies. I get my veggies when I eat salad, but the cafeteria doesn’t provide many options for this food group other than salads. Choose My Plate also gives easy tips to incorporate veggies into your diet. Here are just a few. Try adding more veggies to salads by adding baby carrots, shredded red cabbage, or spinach leaves. I love salad with these veggies in them and you can buy pre-made salads with these in most grocery stores. Buy fresh vegetables in season because they cost less and are likely to be at their peak flavor. My family usually buys corn in the summer because it is in season and very cheap. Stock up on frozen vegetables that you can just pop in the microwave for a few minutes. Order a veggie pizza with onions, mushrooms, and fruit like tomatoes, peppers, and olives. That is a great way to get both fruits and veggies. Grill vegetable kabobs as part of a barbecue meal. Try broccoli, mushrooms, corn, and onions.

All of this information was provided by Choose My Plate.

The Fruit Group

As I said in the beginning of my blog, I would talk about each of the food groups. So I wanted to start with my favorite, which is the fruit group. I really love fruit! All my information that I have gathered for each food group was from the government website: Choose My Plate.

Any fruit or 100% fruit juice counts as part of the Fruit Group. Fruits may be fresh, canned, frozen, or dried, and may be whole, cut-up, or pureed. We know what fruits are, but did you know that most of the veggies we eat are considered fruits? Yes, anything that was a seed in it is considered a fruit! Pumpkins, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, and etc., are all fruit. This website provides a chart to show you how much you need fruit you need daily. According to the chart, women age 19-30 need two cups each day. Men also need two cups a day from men age 19-30. There is also a chart that tells what is considered a cup of fruit. For some fruit it is really easy to tell how much a cup is because you can cut it up and measure it with measuring cups. For some fruit that isn’t as easy. For example a large (8" to 9" long) banana is considered a cup. One large small wedge (1" thick) of watermelon is one cup of fruit.

There are many health benefits and nutrients that come from fruit. Most fruits are naturally low in fat, sodium, and calories. Fruits are sources of many essential nutrients that are underconsumed, including potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin C, and folate. Fruit sources of potassium include bananas, prunes and prune juice, dried peaches and apricots, and orange juice help to maintain healthy blood pressure. Dietary fiber from fruits help reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease. It helps reduce constipation. Fiber-containing foods such as fruits help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories. Whole or cut-up fruits are sources of dietary fiber, but fruit juices contain little or no fiber.  Fruit are so important to health and nutrition!

The website also provides tips to help people eat fruit. Making smoothies with real fruit and fruit juices are a great way to get fruit. At breakfast, top your cereal and pancakes with fruit. Drink hundred percent fruit juices. Mix fresh fruit with plain fat-free or low-fat yogurt and dried fruits can make a great snack. They are easy to carry and store well. I really encourage you to check it out if you have problems getting your daily fruit.

More healthy tips for Thanksgiving

I have come up with tips to help keep you healthier during Thanksgiving and prevent gaining weight. Some of these tips I found from 10 Tips for a Thinner Thanksgiving article. These suggestions and tips came from an interview with Connie Diekman, MEd, RD, and former president of the American Dietetic Association (ADA). However, some of these ideas I came up with myself.

1)      My first tip is to use real fruits and vegetables instead of the canned stuff. Real fruits and veggies are healthier than the canned items.

2)      Try to use small amounts of butter. In the article from the website it also recommends to use less oil and butter, to use fat-free sour cream and chicken broth, and sugar substitutes.

3)      Eat a small breakfast. According to the article, “While you might think it makes sense to save up calories for the big meal, experts say eating a small meal in the morning can give you more control over your appetite”.

4)      Get some exercise. My family and I have a tradition to go on a family walk together a couple hours after our meal. I think it is a great way to get some exercise for the day and still be with family. The article also includes this in its tips. 'Eat less and exercise more' is the winning formula to prevent weight gain during the holidays," suggests Connie Diekman.

5)      Portion control. It is important to think about how big of servings you are putting on your plate. Some suggestions for the article include surveying the buffet and thinking about reasonable sizes of portions. Another idea from the article is "Don't waste your calories on foods that you can have all year long," suggests Diekman. "Fill your plate with small portions of holiday favorites that only come around once a year so you can enjoy desirable, traditional foods."

6)      Resist going back for more. Try to avoid the temptation of going back for seconds. My family usually has a lot of leftovers that I can enjoy for days after the holiday. If you rather not have the options of have leftovers, you could take your leftovers to a homeless shelter and bless someone with the delicious food you made.

7)      Choose some of the healthiest choices. "White turkey meat, plain vegetables, roasted sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, defatted gravy, and pumpkin pie tend to be the best bets because they are lower in fat and calories," says Diekman.

If you have any other tips for making Thanksgiving healthier, please let me know because I love to hear what other people do. I hope this was some helpful tips for this upcoming holiday!

 

Thanksgiving-Preparation is key

Now that Halloween has passed, Thanksgiving is coming up. This holiday is just another holiday that revolves around eating. However, this might not be a bad problem if you prepare for it. There are always several healthy foods that serve at Thanksgiving. If you need healthy recipes, you can always Google it. I did and found tons of results for healthy choices to have for this important meal with your family.

The website Eatingwell Recipes I came across has all the traditional Thanksgiving recipes in a healthy way. If you start finding healthy recipes now, you can be ready in time to serve a healthy delicious meal.  Here are some of the healthier options to the traditional dinner:

Pear, Prosciutto & Hazelnut Stuffing: Crisping the prosciutto and toasting the nuts adds a powerful punch of flavor to the stuffing without going overboard on fat.

Cranberry, Cherry & Walnut Marmalade: Fresh cranberries get crunch from walnuts and an infusion of sweetness from dried cherries in this take on a classic marmalade.

Lemon-Garlic Roast Turkey & White-Wine Gravy: The zesty lemon-garlic rub for this turkey gives it amazing flavor. Instead of using a conventional supermarket turkey that's been “enhanced” with added sodium solution, here we brine a natural or organic turkey to keep the meat extra juicy without a lot of extra sodium.

Cider-Glazed Roots with Cinnamon Walnuts: Here we roast a variety of roots with a brown sugar-cider glaze. Make them instead of candied sweet potatoes at your Thanksgiving celebration. If you include red beets, the whole dish will take on a gorgeous ruby hue.

Green Bean Casserole: This healthy revision of green bean casserole skips the canned soup and all the fat and sodium that come with it. Our white sauce with sliced fresh mushrooms, sweet onions and low-fat milk makes a creamy, rich casserole.

There are many different resources for healthy recipes for this holiday. Choosing to make it a healthier meal ahead of time, gives you time to prepare yourself for this meal. I like a lot of these recipes because they include a lot of vegetables, fruit, and nuts. I am most excited to try the green bean casserole because I love it and I want to see how it taste compared to the unhealthy verision. I hope you will consider making healthier dishes this Thanksgiving!

Pregnancy Nutrition

I did a podcast this week on pregnancy nutrition. My focus was on the diet for women who are pregnant. For my podcast, I interviewed my sister who had her first child three months ago.

Here is my podcast:

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