The Healthy Scone: Practical Nutrition for Real People

New Store, New Puppy = Eek!

2010-07-20T09:36:00.000-04:00

Hey team! I just wanted to update as to my whereabouts these days! (I hate posts that explain the lack of posts, but I do understand the concept.)

The new store opened to great success and crowds.. Yowzers! It was awesome to see the line of people around the block to get in at the Grand Opening at 7 am. We answered tons of "health food" questions and hopefully we'll start to establish our store as the place to go for healthy eats in the neighborhood. Needless to say, I be workin my butt off, nailing some extra hours helping out as much as I can.

On top of that..we got a puppy!!!!!! He is adorable and quite the happy little lab-pit bull mix. And wouldn't you know.. I investigated dog food nutrition and we are feeding him organic kibble. :) So between the store's grand opening and the grand puppy arrival, leisure time at the computer is scarce.

However, I have been nibbling on some new healthy eats, just to test more and more of the awesome items in our section. (Though many of these trials are processed and probably won't stick around in my daily intakes, I like to have tasted them so I can deliver knowledge-based service when customers ask opinions of me.) A very quick review of 4 items:

1. Genisoy Cinnamon Streusel Crisps.. YUM! I have to mind my portions on this deliciously crispy and light-tasting snack. With the lack of sleep lately, I'm prone to pastry cravings, and though yes, it is processed, it's a decent substitute and gets me 3 g protein and fiber per serving. They also come in chocolate and chocolate mint, and no trans fats! (unlike the cinnamon scone I longed for..)

2. Frontier Bac'Uns Vegetarian Bits. Two customers on opening day asked for these and my curiosity was piqued. I also had Ed try them - unbeknownst to him. I added them to the crock pot chicken stew I made last night, and it really was delicious! For a fraction of the saturated fat and sodium of real bacon, these soybean-protein-based bits add a nice bacon flavor. I wouldn't go overboard with these though.. I become slightly troubled as to what constitutes the bacon flavor in these, though it is an all-natural product.

3. Justin's Organic Honey Peanut Butter. Justin's is suddenly sweeping the nation as Starbucks is now using this brand of organic peanut butter in their protein pack trays. It is newly available in jars (a little pricey at about $8 per jar) and so I grabbed one for my very own. I am a peanut butter NUT (hehe) so I slathered this stuff on crackers, carrots, celery - lots of 'C' food apparently, and it was.. eh. It is really thick, even after some unnecessary stirring, and I could barely taste the honey flavor. I absolutely appreciate that they didn't want to load up on sugar in there, but I found it to be lacking in flavor overall. It just kind of felt like I had a uncomfortable mouthful of peanuts - boring! Justin's also makes classic PB, as well as classic, maple, and honey almond butters, but I think I will just stick to Sunbutter for the moment. Maybe we'll let the new puppy eat this PB out his Kong toy. Sorry, Justin.

4. Snikkidy Snacks Pizza Puffs. This review comes to you courtesy of boyfriend Ed! He shopped while I worked and decided to adventure on his own through the natural snack aisle.. He really liked them, (though I was skeptical when I saw the bag in the pantry.) He said they satisfied his snack craving without tasting really heavy, and the pizza flavor wasn't overbearing or heavy. He especially liked the light and fluffy texture. So, for those of you who enjoy the occasional Cheeto, perhaps you oculd give these little all-natural trans fat-free puffs a try instead! They also come in macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese, and ketchup flavors. (The ketchup flavor comes in 'Stix' form, not puffs, fyi.)

Perhaps if you've seen these items but not tasted them, you now may be inspired to do so, or to not to do so. Have a lovely week!

Ruff Ruff woof! - from the pup.

Look Mom, Straight A's!

2010-07-10T09:00:00.003-04:00

Healthy nutrition in action! Yesterday there was a free health screening at work, where a bunch of nurses came in and set up a little circuit to measure height, weight, waist:hip ratio, blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. I am stoked to report that my results were great, no doubt due to clean nutrition and regular exercise.

I was especially excited about a cholesterol total level of 154; my brother has high cholesterol and had me convinced that it was a hereditary thing. (Total cholesterol level should be under 200.) It may or may not be, but I seem to be kicking its butt regardless. The waist:hip ratio was also an interesting health measurement. I ranked a 71, which means I'm in a group of decreased risk for diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. Hooray!

The only two blips I encountered, one of which I was already aware, is that I tend to have lower blood sugar and I have low blood pressure. The nurse verified that these were likely due to a healthy cardiovascular system and a sodium-controlled diet. I do get a little dizzy occasionally upon standing, but I've had low blood pressure ever since I lost the first 30 pounds and I'm careful about it. I wish I had my exact results from a physical from when I was 40 pounds heaveier for comparison. I think I intentionally blacked out the specifics, but I remember it wasn't pretty. The nurses were definitely singing a different tune this round!

Which brings me to my tidbit o' the day: get a physical. However your body looks, however you feel, however whatever, it's nice to know what's going on inside you. I'll never forget the story of a woman who felt perfectly fine, and decided to participate in the free health screening at her office. Some of her esults were fine, but she ended up having incredibly high blood pressure. She left work right from the health screening and went to the hospital, and had to have an immediate medical attention. She ended up having some rare disorder that entailed risk of stroke with every step she took. (I apologize for blanking on the name of her disorder, I will edit if I can properly locate the information.) Scary stuff! But it's scarier to think that she had no idea something was amiss. So even if you feel great, or even if you intend to use your current stats as a 'Before' set, you will have that many more comparisons on how to measure your health improvement.

A lot of workplaces offer free health screenings, and that is awesome. If yours doesn't, talk to your HR rep or department and suggest it or ask about your options. If it's just not happening at wrk, please take it upon yourself and get your butt to your Doc. If you get a basic health screening and a result isn't sitting right, take the extra step and get a full physical to learn more. I need to follow my own advice and make sure that my occasional dizziness is the low blood pressure, as I suspect.

I'm glad to be validated by my health screening results, and I feel like I have some more oomph as both a nutrition 'blogger' here and as a grocer of organic and natural foods. I acknowledge that I also need that full physical in my physician's office. I will if you will!

Have a healthy weekend, and keep an eye out for some cholesterol-busting recipes and info soon.

Weekend Sugar Buzz

2010-07-05T11:51:00.000-04:00

Happy 5th of July to all my fellow USA'ers. What a busy weekend of celebrating! Hope you all enjoyed some sunshine and were successful in monitoring holiday food indulgences. I admit that I wasn't as neat and tidy in my intake as I would have liked, and that is why I'm currently sitting here typing away, sweaty as a pig from my ouchie badass combo lift-and-sprint workout this morning. I'm quite proud of Ed and I for getting our butts out of bed so early to get good workouts in before the 'dangerous heat wave' arrives. Feels like it's already here to me! I will confine myself to the air conditioning as much as possible for the rest of the day, water bottle in hand.

I was surprised this weekend by how many sweet foods I was surrounded with at each party. Each barbecue/meal/ whatever had a display of muffins or cupcakes or pie or brownies or cookies etc. etc. etcetera. Attack of the SUGARS! Added sugar is probably my biggest dietary no-no, considering I am an apple-shape type of girl, and excess sugar always finds its way right to my belly. So what's a girl with a sweet tooth to do?

Sugar is most definitely an addictive substance. When you take in added sugar, your body physiologically craves more of it. You can't blame it; sugar is the most easily useable form of dietary energy. It's typically packaged already almost entirely broken down, so your body can just slurp it up and put it to work. That's fine if you are mid-long run and need a boost, but if you aren't burning that up right away, and I mean ASAP, it's going to plop down and stay put somewhere on that body of yours.

I notice this sugar-wanting reaction in myself even after one cookie - I can eat one tasty treat and fully enjoy it, guilt-free, but then I can sense a heightened awareness of the sweet foods in my vicinity. It's quite sickening how food-centric I can become if I don't monitor myself. I've learned how to -usually!- not give in, and how to see over the tasty bite of sugary goo to the other side - the consequence side. Those extra miles on the treadmill I'll have to wade through to return to my most-fit self if I indulge. I can usually see that an extra cookie isn't worth it.

So what do we do when we want to kick sugar to the curb? We enter the world of sugar-replacers, and find a new set of issues to tackle. How many times have we heard about the 'evils' of artificial sweeteners? Sweet n' Low in particular has some creepy tales in its history, and I won't touch the stuff. Equal isn't much better, and Xylitol might back your system up with so much gas from indisgetible substances that you need to plan to stay home the rest of the day when you eat it, lest ye embarass oneself by way of one's noisy backside.

Me? I go for the little yellow packet, aka Splenda. I have been trying to knock this habit, because I have this creepy feeling that down the road, I'm going to wish that I had done so. I really want to be using clean sweeteners, but I don't like giving up calories so I can use agave syrup or honey each time a food needs some sweet. I like the taste of Splenda, and I like that it has no calories. I've read the unsubstantiated reports of heart murmurs in lab rats that ingest Splenda, but honestly, that research isn't very thorough and it doesn't hold much water. But something must be up with it, even if they don't yet know what that something is. Now, I don't automatically buy into the idea that it must bad for you, but I am suspicious that something so handy comes without a price. (Then again, am I just a skeptical bastard, used to believing that there's no such thing as a free lunch? Maybe. But it is always worth being concerned about what we are putting into our bodies.)

In my opinion, the biggest issue with artificial sweeteners as a whole, obviously apart from some specific health concerns, is that they get you accustomed to very sweet foods. When you're used to the hurt-your-dental-work levels of sweet, you tend to not as keenly appreciate the sweetness of naturally sweet foods like fruit and even tomatoes, peppers, or carrots.

However, if you can cut back on your total usage of sweeteners, I'm sure you can find a way to balance appreciation for natural sweetness and a need to quiet the almighty sweet tooth. I don't often bake with artificial sweeteners; I mainly use them to flavor tea, coffee, plain yogurt, and perhaps the occasional protein shake. So, I was stuck with the issue of wanting an alternative to clean up my sweets. Bing bing bing! Call in the stevia. My yoga-teacher buddy Liz goes through stevia like it's nobody's business. Stevia is an all-natural sweetener made from dried and powdered leaves from the stevia herb. It is supposedly 30-100x sweeter than sugar, depending on the brand and extract concentration. It also ranks a zero on the GI Index, which is pretty nifty:

Recently I tried 2 stevia-based sweeteners and I have 2 very solid opinions to share, to potentially enhance your own sweetener search:

Test #1: NuStevia white stevia powder by NuNaturals. Awesome. I tried this in tea and it really gave a good flavor with no odd aftertaste. I also mixed it into my Fage Greek yogurt and it was a nice subtle sweetness - just enough to take the sour cream flavor away. The downside? A little expensive (though perhaps worth it): $9.99 for a box of 50 packets. I think this brand and type of sweetener may be my winner in the end, and I think I could probably find it cheaper online.

Test #2: Onto the other side of the stevia spectrum: Sweetleaf sweetener packets. I got this type first because the price point was a little lower at $5.99 for 50 packets and it's a pretty popular stevia manufacturer. But.. EW. I mixed this into a large container of plain greek yogurt and man, I wish I hadn't. I have always heard that stevia can be bitter when used in excess amounts. Wow, they are right about that! I took one bite of yogurt and almost had to spit it ou, and I rarely have this reaction to any kind of food. I thought 'Ok, maybe it had a bad reaction with the lactose in the yogurt or something weird..' so I tried some right from the packet - Bam! Same bitter-hyper-sweet mix with a lingering bitter aftertaste. I was very sad about my tainted container of Fage, but I pseudo-successfully recovered its flavor with a dollop of buckwheat honey. Overall, I am disappointed with this purchase, and the box is currently shoved into the back of my pantry. Maybe I can sell it on ebay.. hmm.

There are definitely other stevia-based products to try, like Truvia, nuva, flavored liquid stevia, etc. I have tried only these 2 brands so far and had firm experiences with them, and that is why I bring my report to you. Good luck with your sweet findings and let me know if you have any tasty opinions on what I should try next!

Good Eats at the Relay for Life

2010-06-25T10:21:00.002-04:00

Hello friends.. just finished up my bee pollen-laced oatmeal breakfast and am ready to get my busy day going. This weekend should be fun and very active - I'm a Team Captain (should I capitalize that? ... I'm going to.. it makes me feel special.) in the Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society. I'll be coordinating my small but mighty team in this 24-hour walk to raise some money (and have some fun while we're at it.) My team includes myself, my brother, my Mom (who's flying in from Ohio to offer up some laps and help us out), and my friend Nancy from an ex-jobsite of mine from days gone by. At this point, with the Relay starting tomorrow, I have an afternoon crammed with last-minute preparations and organization.

Apart from the fact that the weather report for the entirety of the 24 hours is 90 degrees F and 40% chance thunderstorms (eek.) my first priority was... FOOD! Of course. Though we'll be walking our butts off (at least one representative from the team needs to be walking the track at all times) and burning some extra calories, I didn't want us to use that as an excuse to go overboard and be cramming a bunch of junk into our systems all weekend. So here's the general food list we have going..

This is kind of an oddball weekend, camping out at a high school football field - I don't think I'll be eating entirely clean the whole time, because I'm trying to think on behalf of 4 other people. If I wasn't the Captain, I might have packed my own individual meals to bring, but to not isolate myself and to maintain the team feeling, this weekend I'm just bringing medium-to-good healthy foods and winging it on portion sizes throughout the 24 hours.

First of all - hydration! With that weather report looming, we need to be making sure we are taking in plenty of fluids. We have water, Powerade 0, Gatorade mix, and instant coffee.

Snacks? We have quite the arsenal: organic tortilla chips, organic pretzels, whole wheat crackers, popcorn, (we are going to need our carbs to keep the energy high), roasted edamame, natural almonds and walnuts, 2% string cheese, hummus, all-natural salsa, and just for fun so I don't impose my will on my team entirely: M&Ms and Blow-Pops. I like to think that I won't be eating too many of those M&Ms!

Meals! These might be a challenge because really we're eating a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and breakfast all told. We are definitely bringing a variety of simple sandwiches (low-sodium turkey, lean roast beef, etc. on light whole wheat) because the event coordinators said the only food available for purchase will be Chick-fil-A (barf!) and hamburgers and hot dogs. Um... no thank you. Not to be snobby, but unless I can read the ingredient label for myself and cook it myself, I don't eat hamburgers and hot dogs. Even then, it's a rarity - just too much potential for food safety issues and random chemicals. We may be doing sandwiches and/or protein shakes for all 3 meals when it comes down to ease and stressfree eating. Clean protein on-the-go can be a toughie, as I've said before. I am just endlessly thankful that we get to bring a cooler. That broadens our options considerably.

The point is that we are fighting the good fight (against cancer!) and against the cop-out that 'we can't eat healthy - it's too complicated, we're too busy, we'll burn everything of, etc.' Yes, we'll burn some extra calories, but we're being smart about it and giving our body some good fuel. We'll leave the track on Sunday feeling proud and strong (well, we will be very tired I imagine, but we won't have eaten 8 hoagies and 2 bags of Doritos in the past 24-hours). I think it's going to be an awe-inspiring event with the Survivor and caregiver laps, memorial luminarias burning at night, and the atmosphere in general. I would highly suggest searching for and joining a Relay for Life in your area. Check out http://www.relayforlife.org/. Wish us luck and have a great weekend!

Buzz Off!

2010-06-19T15:48:00.001-04:00

BUZZ Buzzzz Buzzz buzzz... anyone else notice how it sounds like giant bees are in attendance at every World Cup game?? My house has recently been inundated in the bee-buzz-like bullhorns of international soccer as Ed has suddenly become obsessed with seeing every game in the series. I like them too so I have no complaints - and I swear this wasn't meant to be a lame segue into today's post, merely a vignette into my nice day at home with Ed, but it inevitably is a nice introduction to my nutrition topic du jour, so I'm just gonna roll with it.

Bee pollen! ..What the hell?.. That's what I said anyway, when the fourth customer in two days had bee pollen questions for me in my store. By Shopper #4 I knew where our bee pollen supplement selection was located, but not a whole hell of a lot about it and why Shoppers #1-4 were willing to spend $8 on it. Then I kept coming across it as a supplement listed in many a meal plan on TheKitchenTable. Interest officially piqued, I needed to see what was up. So the other night, blissfully free of chemistry homework and gymtime over with, I attacked the internet for info on this hippie-hype-sounding "nutrient."

As it turns out, I spent eight of my very own dollars on a jar of pollen granules one week ago, and have officially begun my 'Pollen Potential Testing Period'..

The buzz on bee pollen (yup, I intend to wear that one out while I can) is that it's supposed to serve a number of different functions. I think we know by my accidental rant that I get aggravated by 'miracle food' claims, but I'm an open-minded kinda woman, and I read enough to find it worth my while. Bee pollen is the little grains of flower pollen that collect on bees' legs as they move from flower to flower. While it's on their legs, they secrete an enzyme into it and it is then called 'bee pollen.' They collect it right off the legs of bees and cleanse it to create supplements. Here are some of the common claims or bee pollen fans and manufacturers - some I will further explain a little bit; some are more or less self-explantory based on other given info:

Claim #1: Gradually increasing dietary intake (up to one teaspoon daily) of locally harvested bee pollen is supposed to build up your tolerance to airborne allergens. I don't have allergies, but this idea is familiar from another field.. it's reminiscent of systematic desensitization in phobia treatment.. You know, the dude afraid of spiders gets over his fear by first looking at pictures of spiders, then looking at spider footage on TV, then being in a room with a spider, then touching a spider, until he is comfortable enough with them to not have the phobia any longer. However, with food and real physiological allergies, this is your health and body system you are playing around with. And for the record, they mean allergies to flowers and plants, NOT to bee stings!!! You are NOT advised to take bee pollen if you have a bee allergy. (I know, you want to say 'duh', but I wouldn't be surprised to read some story of someone having gotten seriously sick/hurt/dead at some point by misunderstanding this.)

Claim #2: Bee pollen is a natural energizer and weight loss supplement. This claim stands on the fact that bee pollen contains decent concentrations of the B vitamin complex, and also contains Vitamins A, C, D, and E. (These guys are huge bee pollen cheerleaders - though I am instantly not a giant fan because they throw the word 'superfood' right there in the first sentence on the main page.. *eye roll*) Bee pollen also contains lycopene, selenium, and beta carotene, all of which are key nutrients you want to intake daily. It also contains a good concentration of amino acids, including glutamic acid, which is a big kahuna in proper brain function. The idea is these nutrient concentrations are high because pollen is used in flower reproduction and must be available to support a potential new seedling. According to the afore-linked website (and the general word from others I found) is that bee pollen is composed of approximately 55% carbohydrates, 35% protein, 3% vitamins and minerals, 2% fatty acids, and 5% other substances. About 1 tsp has 10 calories.

Claim #3: Bee pollen lowers bad cholesterol. This seems to be loosely related to its phytonutrient content.

Claim #4: Bee pollen aids sexual health and PMS relief. This claim is based on the fact that bee pollen contains a gonadotropic hormone very similar to the human pituitary hormone gonadotropin, which plays a role in sexual performance. (Note: just because these hormones are similar doesn't mean that one can replace the other.. I am leary of this one.)

Claim #5: Bee pollen improves the appearance of skin and slows the aging process. Again, fingers point to the phytonutrient content.

Claim #6: Bee pollen aids in digestion. Ditto to phytonutrients, and their general aid in helping normalize your GI tract so your body can absorb more nutrients from any food.

Claim #7: Bee pollen is a natural antibiotic. This one is a little tricky to explain/believe; if you're interested in this aspect I would delve into the research yourself. Caution: For the love of honey please check with your doctor before ditching any meds and going all homeopathic on me.

Now, if it sounds good and you're willing to give this stuff a whirl, and you've checked that it doesn't interact with anything else you're taking, and you have no bee-related allergies, here's the deal on bee pollen shopping:

1. Look for freeze-dried bee pollen granules as opposed to heat-dried versions or pills. When pollen is freeze-dried into granules, nutrients and enzymes are not damaged by heat, nor are they oxidized and therefore degraded. (Some nutrients interact with air and turn rancid and useless.) This isn't a supplement that you want to choose randomly - beeeee picky!

2. If you're looking to bee pollen for the claimed allergy assistance, look for multi-colored, locally harvested bee pollen granules. The multiple colors usually means that it is mutli-floral and you will be increasing your defenses against more than one type of plant. Pollen that is harvested locally helps to ensure that you are building defenses agianst plants that grow where you live. Why spend $8 to build up immunity against plants that tend to grow across the county and not in your town? Dumb.

3. Bee propolis and royal jelly are not the same as bee pollen. If you want to try those, be my guest, but this post is on bee pollen granules.

Another word: bee pollen tastes a little funky. It's vaguely sweet, but with a sort of musty, musky taste. Most commonly, it is reccomended to add it to your warm oatmeal together with your sweetener of choice, or to mix it into a post-workout shake. That way, you won't get the full whammy of an odd taste and you will be more likely to stick with your new supplement to see if it really works for you.

Honestly, I very possibly have noticed a boost in energy since I've started taking this stuff. I say this ever-so-tentatively because I hate to give any supplement full credibility when I'm not 100% sure. But, as I have promised, I will always report honestly, and my opinion is, so far, a thumbs up. I tend to be slightly grumpy-groggy until around 11 am each workday, and for seemingly no other reason (workouts haven't changed in intensity, other dietary intake about the same, sleep patterns about the same, no one big stressor before or after intake began) than the change of starting to take the pollen granules, I was feeling pretty darn perky by about 9 am each day. Please acknowledge along with me that one week is not long enough to determine any food/supplement's value. But, on the other hand, I didn't have any weird side effects like nausea or headaches, and my face didn't swell up like Will Smith's in Hitch.

I'll devotedly stick with it for one month or one bottle, whichever comes first, and then formulate my opinion on whether I will continue to take it. My purpose today was to give you some background on this supplement in case, like me, you're wondering what the hell is up with bee pollen, and why Shopper #4 knows about it when I don't. I officially have the skinny on the Bee-P, and so do you.

Buzz buzz buzzzzzzzz.

Eureka! Clean Eaters Community Discovered

2010-06-06T20:29:00.000-04:00

Hello friends! Wowzers Magee I have been a busy woman these past few weeks. Sincere apologies for a boring blog! But I've wrapped up my first leg of training for the new job in BumFrickNowheresville and now I'll be training at a store much much closer to home until my store opens in July.. hooray for the end of 1-hour-and-30-minute commutes at 5 am! Along the way, I've been learning tons of new tidbits every day about organic and natural foods and about different lifestyles people live when it comes to food.

For example, we just had a big ol' seminar about the Raw revolution.. hmm. I don't know about that one folks. Though it is interesting that a fairly wide-known raw cafe is literally down the street from my apartment. Ed and I scoped it out today on our way back from our daily pilgrimage to Starbucks - unfortunately, and cliche-ily, it was a small, ~~smelly~~ fragrant, pricy smoothie bar.. in kind of a rundown-type area. Bummer! I was willing to give it a whirl, just for the randomness of it, but I can make a $12 smoothie of carrot juice and dates at home for a bout 35 cents. Sorry, pal.

Like this raw business, I keep coming across new topics that I'd love to have a write-up about. For some reason I keep procrastinating my post on the weirdly interesting topic of chia seeds.. I will get to it! But for now, it's time to move on because clearly, I'm not ch-ch-ch chia'ing it just yet. Now, I am still a busy bee this evening, taking a break from studying up for a chemistry final.. (My life is that glamorous. Be jealous.) But I found another great motivational and info-packed website to keep the fire of my clean eating burning and I want to share..

And yes! I'm proud/happy to report that I've maintained the clean eating I started about 5 weeks ago (except for the occasional treat from the adjacent bakery at work.. oops), and I haven't missed a single workout in the M&F Hers Transformation Challenge! I've had to blob together 2 days' worth of workouts occasionally, as I did today, because tomorrow I will literally be at work until 4:30, drive to class, and be in class until 10pm, getting home at 10:45. Wah wah yes I'm whining, but I typically don't feel like manning up for a solid back/abs routine after that kind of day. My ass (and the rest of me) will passed out by 11. So I was proactive and banged out 2 good lifting sessions and a 3 mile run today. Rarr.

Ok, so this new site I discovered.. I came across it on the Eat Clean website - they have a new community forum and meal plan post. You know I love food logs! I was excited to immerse myself in a new and different online community focused on clean eating and healthy living. New perspectives are priceless. I often visit the forum on Livestrong, but this site, cutely called The Kitchen Table, is more specifically-focused on clean eats and Tosca Reno. It is relatively new to the web, and it's neat to get in on the ground floor - it's a smaller, closer comunity full of enthusiastic people. Stories and pictures from members have helped to renew my motivation and refresh and lengthen my goals. The meal planning tool is cool because it's more or a less a fill-in-the-box of your day's clean eats. You list which lean protein, complex starch, healthy fat, supplement, etc. you had at each meal. Therefore, if you failed to include say, a complex starch at one of your meals, you consequently feel like a dumbass and make a mental note to tighten it up the next time around. We can all use some scrutiny when it comes to our meal choices - complacency or plain old forgetfulness easily sneaks in when we are busy accomplishing all the 32 million little things that compose our nonstop days. I hope this site brings you some new ideas! Hang tough with your healthy choices - summer is officially here! Congrats if you are donning that 2-piece bathing suit of which you always dreamed. If you're not where you wanted to be by the time swimsuit season arrived, it's ok! - not only is it just the beginning of summer, but there's always another reason to eat mindfully. It's all worth it and you know it.

Training and Tea Trials

2010-05-17T17:26:00.001-04:00

Training for my new job + grad classes starting up again for the summer session has resulted in my neglectfulness of my virtual soapbox here. Apox upon me! Even now I only have a few minutes in my University library before class to log a quickie post about my new foodie-type fascination - bulk loose tea.

Working in the natural foods section of my awesome grocer/employer, I am responsible for the maintenance of the impressive section of bulk tea bins. Recently, I had to weigh each tin's contents for inventory purposes, and then re-order each, if necessary. This required me to open each tin for the first time. I did so, and with each bin of tea there came a wave of unique and delicious aromas, over and over.. Chocolate chai (with big hunks of real chocolate!), Blueberry Rooibos (chock full o' dried blueberries), Peach White tea (with dried peach slices), Mandarin Sencha, etc etc.. Wow. I made a mission to try a new loose tea each day to educate my tastebuds and my brain so I can provide "knowledge-base service" to my customers. Not only did I get out of bed a little quicker this week (especially on "chocolate chai day" - wow, by the way..) but I found a whole new world of low-cal treats!

Sure, you can gussy up your cup of tea with cream and sugar and make it just as fattening as any whipped-up-frappa-whoosy-whatsy, but if you keep it clean and simple, you can really enjoy a guilt-free treat of tea to slide nicely onto your food log without batting an eye. (yes, the hunks of chocolate count once they are melted into your cup, but most loose teas do not contain hunks of chocolate.. and I was honest on my food log and made room for it, thanksverymuch.) I could go on and on about the health benefits of regularly including real tea in your intake (3 cups of a day is ideal), but like I said, this is a quickie and I'm focusing on the superficial niceties of tea.. like yumminess factor vs calories.

My biggest learning from this open-minded tea adventure? Bulk loose tea kicks the ass of any pre-packaged tea bag you'll meet. They may as well sweep the dust off the tea packaging company's floor and fold it into the sachets you find in those boxes. (No real offense to tea bag lovers, but, well, you try bulk loose tea and tell me what you think is better.) Loose tea is vibrant and flavorful and, well, fun. Tons of varieties, and a nice change up from the normal routine. I look forward to a quiet moment with a warm cup of tea before the craziness of my day begins. I bet you often have a busy day on your agenda as well. So, I invite you to head to your local Teavana (now taking the mall-world by storm, plus they have a cool-ass 'perfect tea' dispenser thingey) or well-stocked grocer, and 'Give teas a chance.'

(Lame final words, I know.. These 4:45 am wake ups are murder on a keen sense of humor.)
P.S. Aforementioned post on 'new potential superfood' coming soon.

Caution: "Miracle Foods" Ahead

2010-05-12T13:46:00.000-04:00

It's my first opportunity to bring some good nuggets o' knowledge from my new natural foods workplace to the pages of my blog.. hooray! Working with the public is very educational. Topic of the day? So-called miracle fruits and/or foods. Yesterday, on a few separate occasions, customers came by asking for items that they couldn't even pronounce.. magazine article in hand - literally pointing to the name of an item and wanting it.. not knowing if it was a juice, or a snackfood, or a supplement.. they just want it! Now!

I'm always wary of food fads. On behalf of your dignity, emotions, and your wallet, I beg you to also be wary. These are some cautionary signs that signal to me to get out my skepticism boots and ask: 'is this food sounding more like a "miracle fruit/food" whose healthful qualities may in fact be all, or at least over-dramatized, hype?' Here are my red flags:

(The item in question may hit one, a few, or all of these points)
1. Touted as a miracle food - "the key we've all been missing to fast weight loss," "instantly slimming," "fat flushing," etc.
2. The food or ingredient in question seems to be suddenly popular and everywhere (not just 'health food stores' but in larger grocery stores and Target, on TV Shows like Oprah and Rachael Ray, magazines and tabloids, infomercials, gym and spa juice bars)
3. 'Comes from' some jungle, desert, or rainforest about which I've heard little or nothing about (seems to be made to sound exotic and 'newly discovered' 'a secret of Tribe 'X' all these years')
4. I start hearing or overhearing recommendations from friends/family that sound something like the following: "You need to try it; my sister-in-law's husband's uncle's cousin swears by it!"

Don't get me wrong - I love trying new foods! As a matter of fact, I'm gearing up for my next post to introduce an awesome one to you (one that will likely be caught up in the next hype, but has legitimate healthful qualities that can survive scrutiny). But I would never describe something as a miracle food, as I have literally, as I'm typing this, heard Oprah in a commercial refer to something revealed on her next show. (Oprah is a firestarter for waves of 'miracle food' insanity.. grr. Like the woman, but come on now.)

Foods can be wonderfully healthy, but no one specific food is the 'answer we've been looking for.' We need to be educated about the foods we're putting into our bodies; it's the fuel for everything we do. Why would I ingest something I know nothing about? I would never in good conscience recommend to my readers that they try something without explaining it first, or at least giving a few key facts and providing real links to more comprehensive information from trusted sources. These 'miracle food' commercials and packaging tend to just say you need it, because it has "300% of your daily antioxidants/etc," and people who have included it in their eating plans have lost weight. We all know that there are waaay too many factors in a person's life to determine that a specific, singular ingredient caused an individual's weight loss. More than likely, the person in the study who ingested the 'miracle food' and experienced good results ate other nutrient-dense foods, in the proper caloric amounts and macronutrient proportions, stayed hydrated, and exercised. This tidbut of info is usually included in the fine print.

Chances are it won't hurt to integrate a new natural fruit or grain into your plan, and sometimes they really do offer some great benefits - but are they much greater than any other variety of fruits and veggies? So much greater that they are (often) up to 200x as expensive as other items found in the produce section? 'Miracle foods/fruits' manufacturers are typically riding high on the wild publicity, and you could end up paying $40 for a bottle of acai essence or goji extract or hoodia capsules.. Be careful people. Often the amount of real ingredient in that pill or bar is not nearly close enough to the amount used in whatever study that concluded it contributed to any kind of result, if the ingredient ever contributed anything in the first place. A healthy weight loss rate is about .5-1% of your body weight per week - less if you're including healthy weight training in your plan (because muscle weighs more than fat). Rapid weight loss is usually water and/or muscle loss - yikes.

Additionally, we've learned by now, I fervently hope(!), that food in its natural, whole state is usually much more preferable over pills, supplements, or juice blends of that food. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing, but when you're eating foods in their whole states, they come naturally, synergistically packaged with other nutrients and fiber to control how much your body can absorb. Thanks for watching out for us, Mother Nature! You're dandy.

This all being said (no less in a tirade I didn't know was coming.. oops!), if adding an extract/etc to your intake makes you feel better, helps fire your motivation, doesn't interact with any medications or intolerances/allergies you have, and you are removing some empty calories from your regular dietary intake to make room for the calories from your new food - keep at it.

It is tempting to try new fad foods. Some foods that have been swept up and over-processed into bars and pills actually are quite good for you. Remember to not confuse superfoods with miracle fruits/foods. Sometimes they seem interchangeable, but in my book, they are very different. (I recommend again, Superfoods Rx by Dr. Steven Pratt to read up! Sumemr reading perhaps?..) Where miracle foods are usually a moderately healthy food with claims that they alone are the missing key to your weight loss, superfoods are foods that have an impressively high nutrient quality/quantity per serving. Sometimes they can be both. For example, a superfood that got swept up as a miracle fruit/food are goji berries. Goji berries, like most small berries, are very high in antioxidants and fiber, and are an ingredient in some very healthy granola mixes.

If you take anything away from this lil post o' mine, let it be a heads-up to be skeptical and make up your own mind, based on real evidence, on whether a new food find will help you reach your goals. There's a lot of potential profits for food manufacturers out there. I promise I won't ever post a random food recommendation simply because I heard about it on TV. I might hear about it and check it out, but if I find nothing impressive, I won't bother to write up a post about it. Keep an eye out for my next recommendation.. a unique kind of food with potential superfood-iness qualities ..which I think we will notice is on the rise of the food fad world. We will have to stay tuned.. and skeptical. Oi.

Note: Googling 'miracle food' can be an entertaining visual aide after reading this post.

Have Job, Need Food

2010-05-10T19:53:00.001-04:00

Woooooooo doggie. Today was my very first day at the new job - I am BEAT! But relieved/excited/proud. Wow.. I was in training for my department, the natural foods section, all day today and I literally only sat down once for ten minutes in 8 hours.. not used to that, Muscle & Fitness training and all! New-job-training is always tiring - learning new methods and terminology and inevitably having "I'm new and therefore I am stupid" moments. But, happily, everyone - even higher-up-type dudes - were very very friendly and the day went quickly.

The highlights of my day? Explaining organic foods to customers! I got asked 4 separate times about quinoa - where is it, and more importantly, what the hell is it and why is every fitness magazine telling me to buy it? (Shall I write a post about quinoa? Surely there must be a detailed account of the fab grain on the internets of knowledge somewhere.. ahh yes... here's one.) These types of questions are, as you know by now, right up my alley, and I was happy as a pig in you-know-what to be able to help and share my ~~obsession~~ passion.

Least favorite part of my day? Being hungry! Oof.. One 30-minute lunch break (20 minutes of which was taken up standing in line for a salad) and one ten-minute break that I didn't know I would get and thus was caught unawares and foodless. My attention span waxed and waned throughout the day due to hunger pangs - and that's not good! If I'm waking up at 5 am and don't have a break until 10, I need to figure something out pronto.

First thing I did when I got home? (after I banged out my Muscle & Fitness Transformation Challenge workout of course - goals, people!) Meal prep. Here's my plan..

I refuse to go down in a 'starvation mode' battle with my body because I'm going 4+ hours without food in the day. So, I need to plan super-quick protein-rich snacks that I can scarf in my two ten-minute breaks (I missed one of the 2 today) and a balanced lunch that is higher in protein and cheaper than buying a salad at the store every day.

The store has 600 employees, about 400 of which are on-site on a busy day; I am slightly tentative about leaving my food in the break room fridge, but I really have no choice to give it a go. Luckily it's a big fridge and there's a microwave there as well. This week I will mainly try mini-wraps for snacks, because that's what I have handy. Money is super-tight until my new paychecks start rolling in, so my creativity can't run as amok as I'd like, but I did make a point to load up on varied proteins for the week. I'm trying to avoid processed protein bars, but I may sneak one in if I have to. If I do, I'll make sure to eat whole foods for the rest of the day, scout's honor.

This week's high-protein snack options for ten-minute breaks (the other break-snack would entail a piece of fruit if I need something):

1. Trader Joe's reduced-carb whole wheat wrap + 2 slices Kayem very low sodium Roast Beef + 1/8 avocado (173 calories, 11g fat, 11g carbs, 5g fiber, 2 g sugars, 13g protein)

2. Trader Joe's reduced-carb whole wheat wrap + 1/2 Fuji apple + 1 tbsp Sunflower Seed Butter + ground cinnamon (188 calories, 11g fat, 20g carbs, 7g fiber, 9g sugars, 7g protein)

3. Trader Joe's multigrain Slim + 1 hardboiled cage-free egg + 1 oz lite shredded mozzarella cheese (215 calories, 10g fat, 22g carbs, 6g fiber, 2g sugars, 15g protein)

4. Possibly a protein or Lara Bar - but this is a last resort!

This week's balanced lunches (2 of each, already cooked and tupperware-packaged in the fridge so they will require no further thought):

1. 4-5 oz baked chicken breast with tarragon, 1/2 sweet potato, 6 stalks asparagus

2. 1 Trader Joe's Extra Lean Ground Beef Patty with reduced sugar ketchup on 1 Trader Joe's multigrain Slim, 1 cup arugula with 1/8 avocado and balsamic dressing

This may sound a little boring, but it's clean, and I think I'm gonna be nonstop on my feet this week, learning the ropes of how a giant grocery store does its thang. And I've already spotted some healthy new foods in my department that I have yet to try! Chia seeds, Goat's milk yogurt, various double-deep-dark chocolates.. I thought I'd looked closely at this section of this store before, but apparently not! Even some items in our expansive tea section have caught my eye - Chocolate-covered strawberry flavored tea? Yum.

As I experiment I will pass along to you anything I've found that has greatly enhanced my slimming clean eating plan. For now, I am going to bed (yep, at 8 pm. Jealous? ..probably not..) to ready myself for tomorrow's adventures.

Pesto-Turkey Meatballs

2010-05-06T18:10:00.001-04:00

Hooray for balls! Hehe.. Couldn't help myself. My friend Colleen and her hubby hosted an awesome BBQ party recently, and I brought my favorite homemade turkey meatballs with basil for an hors d'oeurve. I was very complimented by her rave reviews (and she makes an amazing healthed-up buffalo chicken salad! I think I will snag her recipe and post it here soon if she'll let me.) and she just asked for my recipe. I was happy to oblige and emailed my recipe right over, and thought I'd post it here for you fine people as well! These yummy meatballs are low in calories and high in protein and flavor, and very versatile. You could serve them alone with toothpicks and a dipping sauce, mix them in with marinara sauce, in a mushroom sauce atop some high-fiber noodles, in hoagies, or tossed into an escarole soup. I'm literally getting hungry as I'm typing this.. I better get on with it so I can get dinner cooking!

My recipes are usually from-the-hip, meaning I might toss in a little of this, a little of that as I go, but this is as simple as I could get it, for sharing purposes.

Mallory's Healthy Pesto-Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:
10 oz 93/7 lean ground turkey
1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 tbsp wheat germ
little less than 1/4 cup egg beaters (enough to wet everything)
little less than 1/4 cup plain steel cut oats
about 1/2 tbsp Gourmet Blends Basil tube (found it at Wegmans in the produce section)
Optional:
about 2 cups your favorite pasta sauce (enough to cover all the meatballs, or as much as desired) or to stay clean, try fire roasted canned diced tomatoes by Muir Glen

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with Pam or other nonstick spray.
2. Here's the really hard part: put everything except the sauce in a big bowl and squish it together with your fingers! Oh, very ladylike.
3. Spray hands with Pam and form 20 meatballs from mix and bake until brown and cooked through.
4. Warm sauce or tomatoes on stovetop or in microwave-safe bowl. (If using.)
5. Immediately mix meatballs with sauce and let rest for at least 5 minutes to let sauce absorb a little to soften the meatballs.

Makes 5 servings of 4 meatballs with the following nutritional content:
Calories 115, Fat 5g, Cholesterol 40mg, Sodium 115mg, Carbs 6g, Sugar 1g, Fiber 1g, Protein 13g

I hope you enjoy this clean protein-ified recipe and find ways to use it as a replacement for other not-so-healthy full-fat meatballs.

Grocery Trip Tips

2010-05-04T07:21:00.001-04:00

Ahhh vacation.. well, stay-cation. I tweaked my schedule so that I can enjoy a few mellow days at home between quitting work for my brother and starting training for my new job. I'm eating like a champ, exercising my way through M&F Hers workouts, and finally getting around to procrastinated laundry and assorted to-do's. But first things first, and with me, that means food!

I just got home from a nice little grocery outing at Trader Joe's. Last week I spent only $40 on my clean eats and today I was right around the $45 mark. Not too shabby! Especially considering the nutrient quality of the foods I chose, and the price comparison with my 'regular' grocery shopping, which usually totals about $70 per week for me (Perhaps I should make a permanent change). Though I'm only shopping for myself, I uncovered 2 blog-worthy tips for healthy grocery shopping that I think are pretty universal.

First, I realized a behavior I've developed that I definitely think is contributing to both my dollar-saving and food-shopping fun.. The almighty grocery list! You've heard it touted a million times, for good reason. With clean eating, the list is pretty straightforward in terms of categories: produce, protein, dairy, and grains. Avoiding the high prices of processed snackfood items really reinforce the concept that we shouldn't buy them anyway!

On my handy dandy list, I like to note the number of fruits and veggies I need for the week, instead of listing specific varieties. This way, I have the flexibility to choose what looks the best, and it's still fun to pick out what I want for my weekly produce. Then I choose either fresh or frozen, factoring in cost and probable usage for the week. For example, I had originally picked up a carton of fresh peeled diced mangos for $4, but then I found the same item in the same net weight, frozen, for only $2. Sold. Plus, if I'd gotten the fresh, I'd have to be eating mango every day this week so it didn't spoil.

Stick to your list! ..Except for one item. When I go for groceries, I allow myself one or two splurge items. At Trader Joe's (and really any natural foods store, if you're a food junkie like moi), it's important to set your limit on this one - there are always some fun-sounding temptations calling my name, sparkling in their snazzy cute packaging.. Dark chocolate-covered edamame? Mini mushroom tartlets? Freeze-dried pineapple? It all sounds awesome - but on what kind of item do I really want to use my splurge? I only get one. Today I needed coffee, and I decided to make that my splurge - I picked up a special canister of Gingerbread Coffee (I'm a sucker for anything holiday-flavored, even when it's 88 degrees out). It's something I needed, but it's a special version - an upgrade, if you will. I will say time and time again, that splurges are important because they keep your healthy efforts fun. There's no shorter way to the death of your motivation than boredom. Outsmart your boredom bugs and head em off at the pass. Happy food shopping.

The Physical Challenge, just like Double Dare

2010-05-03T09:10:00.000-04:00

One year ago at this very moment, my sister-in-law and I were running at the beach in New Jersy for our first half-marathon together. Racing crowds are so energetic and positive. As I finished the race, I damn near burst into tears. Definitely a triumphant day! Reminiscing got me thinking about what I'm working toward now when it comes to healthy eating and exercise. I currently work with educating people about natural foods, and I'm working toward my Registered Dietician's exam, ultimately landing me in a position to help a lot of people modify their eating habits. Awesome.

But how about exercise-and training-wise? Yes, I'm always striving for more comfort in that adorable bikini in my drawer - and that is getting to be a stronger motivation every day we inch closer to summer weather. But wow did that half-marathon feel good. Crossing that finish line let me leave a lot of crappy self-esteem issues in my dust. My sister-in-law has since finished a full marathon and another half. Ed and Dr. Ben are in training for the Half-Ironman in August. (I'm surrounded by impressive people!) If you haven't tried a race yet, sign up for one. You won't regret it. I considered another race myself, and I'm pondering running the Philly Half in September. While I consider running-based training again, I've found a challenge that really excites me. The Transformation Challenge, endorsed by my favorite IFBB competitor Nicole Wilkins Lee.

Yesterday I picked up a copy of M&F Hers and happily found an article featuring Nicole Wilkins Lee, who swept up wins left and right at the Figure Olympia 2009. Every girl who's serious about training and fat loss can benefit from having a favorite fit model or athlete who inspires you - when you read the magazines over and over, you're bound to develop some favorite role models. I don't want to be as muscley, nor do I want to compete in the IFBB, but Nicole is amazingly fit, positive, adorable, and has really helped training click for me. Who inspires you?

Most recently, Nicole is the fit model for this diet & exercise program contest being sponsored by M&F Hers & Nutrigenix called the Transformation Challenge. The deal is you have to send full-body before pics and measurements by May 14th, and then the end results on July 12. They provide 8 weeks of training plans and menu ideas, and you work it. If they think your results are Win-worthy, you get to travel to meet Nicole and train with her and superstar trainer Kim Oddo. Intimidating, but sweet! Since she's been such an inspiration to me.. and because I happen to need some specific focus (and some fat loss!), I'm signing up. Ooh scary! Talk about accountability.

What I like is that signing up for this plan will take the thinking out of training. So much of the time I wonder if I'm training enough, or which part I should train. Should I train my back or my chest or my shoulders this day or that day, or if should just do some cardio?.. I feel a little haphazard. What brings it home for me is that I love the food plan they lay out - it's pretty much a continuation of the ten-day I've been doing, so signing up will force me to continue it.

Think I can hack it? ..Think you can hack it? Maybe you could sign up too. If you leaned out by July 12th, wouldn't you be a happy camper? I will be. I want to wear that damn bikini!, and be healthier, and more confident, and set a good example. Depending on my success, maybe I'll post my before and after pics, though that may be one tic off the deep end of the bold-o-meter. We shall see. Stay tuned.

Notes on my Clean Menu du jour

2010-05-02T16:58:00.002-04:00

I hope everyone's finishing up a good weekend! A reader asked me about the kinds of meals I'm eating through this clean adventure o' mine - good question! Your wish is my command. But firstly, this whole plan wouldn't work as well if I didn't have such a clear, simple food log. There's a super easy way to track your macros - I champion (yet again) using Livestrong's My Plate. It doesn't get easier than that, and it's how I custom-tailor and track my daily intake. OK, off my soapbox and onto my meals.

Ideally, I would sit down and plan entire days so each meal/snack worked with each other meal/snack to comprise my 'perfect' macronutrient day. When I say perfect, I mean around 45% protein, 35% carbs, and about 20% fat, roughly. This is different for everyone. You have to see what works for you and what doesn't. Over the past 3 years I've gained a lot of knowledge and been through the gamut of combinations. I know from experience that these percentages will get me what I want in terms of energy and fat loss. Maybe they would work for you as well, and I'm happy to share my insights on the matter.

So, yes, in a perfect weight-loss world, entire days would be planned in advance, and this is how I originally was planning to work this ten-day plan. Occasionally I have time to sit down and plan some whole days. However, as I realized that I do in fact have a life, I realized that sometimes meals will be more on-the-fly or more on-the-go than I'd prefer, even in a relatively "quiet" week. Luckily, however, if you can put some meals together in advance and save them in tupperware in the fridge, you use some simple rules of thumb to plan each meal. In doing this, you are likely to achieve the overall macro breakdown you desire. My food rules of thumb for this ten-day are pretty common to clean eaters. They are, basically (remember - I don't like super-rigid rules):

+ Eat every 2-3 hours
+ Eat within 30 minutes post-workout
+ Three meals and 2-3 snacks each day, with dinner having the smallest calorie count
+ Each meal is focused around a lean protein, ideally a different type at each meal
+ 2 fruit (not juice) servings before 2:00 pm (ideally eaten together with a protein or fat serving)
+ 3 full servings of vegetables, usually at lunch and dinner time (or at breakfast in an omelet)
+ Less grain-based carbs at dinnertime (veggie-based carbs at dinner are great)
+ 2 dairy servings each day, usually before 2:00 pm (I like nonfat yogurt or 0% greek yogurt)
+ Water, tea, and coffee for beverages, or maybe occasional Crystal Light - but NO soda, diet or not

There are some other minor things I try to throw in there, but I don't hold myself to an all-or-nothing rulebook. For example, I'm still on that cinnamon kick about which I posted awhile back. I try to take a cinnamon capsule after any fruit servings or dairy to combat the subsequent blood sugar wallop, but if I miss it, I just don't miss it the next time.

I have a handful of breakfasts from which I choose, and a handful of morning snacks, lunches, etc. If I just choose one from each list for each meal, I usually get pretty close to my daily goals. I don't have an actual list written out, just a general list in my head of options, based on what is in my fridge/pantry/freezer. I like to grocery shop once a week to replenish goodies. Sometimes I'll tweak a meal here or there - gotta keep it interesting! But here are some examples of what I've been eating (keeping in mind that it might not be 100% clean, but preeetty good on the clean-scale):

Breakfasts:
(that typically accompany coffee with skim milk and flavor extract):
+ 1/2 cup Country Choice Multi Grain Hot Cereal with cinnamon, prepared with water, and 1/3 cup 0% Fage yogurt with 1/3 cup blueberries
+ 2 egg whites scrambled with one serving Trader Joe's organic firm tofu, diced onions, wilted spinach, and 1-2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, with one slice Ezekiel bread and 1/2 tbsp Low-Sodium Better n Peanut Butter
+ Special K Protein Plus cereal (not "clean") with 1/2 cup light soy milk mixed with 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein isolates and 1/2 grapefruit
+ 1 hardboiled Eggland's Best egg on one whole grain light English muffin (not "clean") with hummus and 1/2 oz goat cheese, and maybe a nonfat plain latte instead of usual coffee
+ 2 slices cinnamon raisin Ezekiel sprouted grain bread with 1 tbsp Low-Sodium Peanut Butter and 8 oz water + 1 scoop whey protein isolates (note: I try to stick to a maximum of 2 shakes as meals per day)

Morning Snacks:
+ 1 cup nonfat yogurt with 1/3-1/2 cup frozen berries OR fresh pomegranate seeds OR honeydew melon slices OR mango chunks
+ 1 low-carb wheat wrap (45 cal) from Trader Joe's with 1 tbsp sunflower seed butter, cinnamon, and 1/2 sliced apple with skin (yum.. this tastes like apple pie)
+ 1/2 serving raisins with 7-10 almonds
+ Protein shake with 1 scoop whey isolates, 1/2 banana, and 2 tbsp Dagoba Xocolatl drinking chocolate

Lunches:
+ Spinach leaves with shredded red cabbage, diced tomato, alfalfa sprouts, 3 kalamata olives, 4-5 oz boneless skinless chicken breast, and balsamic vinegar
+ 1/2 cup whole wheat rotini (not "clean") with 4 oz boneless skinless chicken breast, Muir Glen crushed roasted tomatoes, and broccoli
+ 1 can solid albacore tuna in water, mixed with 1/4 avocado (loved when a friend called this Tunamole Guacafish!) with 7 Kashi Whole Grain Roasted Garlic crackers (not "clean") and cucumber and celery sticks
+ 3 oz 99% lean ground turkey with 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup shelled edamame (also called mukimame), diced carrots, snap peas, and 1 tsp olive oil and spices
+ 1 light whole grain Flatout wrap with 2 servings Columbus low-sodium sliced seasoned roast beef (happily discovered at Trader Joe's) with 1 tbsp artichoke hummus, spinach, and sprouts
+ 1 broiled extra lean ground beef patty with 1/4 avocado, and arugula salad with Wegmans Yogurt Dressings (not "clean")

Afternoon Snacks:
+ Protein shake with 1 scoop whey isolates, 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
+ 1 serving Trader Joe's Wasabi Wow! trail mix
+ Diced fresh veggies with 2 tbsp Low-Sodium Better n Peanut Butter
+ Diced orange and yellow peppers with one round Babybel light cheese
+ 1/2 cup Fage 0% greek yogurt with 2 Suzie's agave-sweetened puffed Kamut cakes for dipping

Dinners:
+ 4 oz plain baked Wild Salmon with 1/2 sweet potato and 1 cup broiled brussels sprouts
+ Homemade Black Bean Burger with 1/4 avocado, Nature's Promise organic salsa, and 2 heads steamed baby bok choy
+ 4 oz slow-cooked pork loin with 1 1/2 cups steamed green veggie with low-sodium low-sugar ketchup (not clean)
+ Roasted tofu with veggies stir-fried in Pam - like this recipe for savory orange-roasted tofu from EatingWell
+ Scrambled egg whites under 3-4 oz cooked bison steak and steamed asparagus
+ 4 oz cooked peeled and deveined shrimp stir-fried with veggies and 1/2 serving whole wheat spaghetti, garlic, lemon juice, and 1-2 tsp olive oil

None of these lists is exhaustive, but those are some random examples of my menus. I get endless inspiration from my favorite magazines, Muscle & Fitness Hers and Oxygen. Eatingwell.com is also quite inspiring if I'm staring dumbfounded at my fridge and just need a way to make ingredients come together in a tasty way. I highly suggest checking any of those 3 sites out and seeing if that doesn't rev your healthy-cooking engines.

More soon to come on my progress and an exciting personal challenge, but for now, I'm glad my eating plan survived the weekend. Second half of ten-day, here I come!

Day 4 of the Quest for Clean

2010-04-30T08:30:00.002-04:00

I'm approximately 30ish% of the way through my ten-day clean eating plan, (today is morning of Day 4) and I thought a subjective and objective update on how it's going would be appropriate, from my kitchen to your computer screen. Some ups, some sorta-but-not-really downs.. it's all part of the learning process. Arguably more important, firstly, I bring you my subjective evaluation: Days 1 through 3 of my Clean Eating Adventure felt good.

I'm finding myself with noticeably more energy, particularly at night when I'm leaving work (a time when I have previously been notoriously grouchy-tired.) Dr. Ben (aka my brother) attributes my improved energy to all the other changes that are going on for me right now - phasing out of working for him, ending my semester in school, gearing up for new job training, weeks of solid workouts catching up to me - not so much the food switch-up. I think he is probably right, because although I'm liking my higher-protein zero-processed food days, I don't think three days of a new eating pattern would present a major change like that just yet. Who knows? Too many variables in the air on that one.

I'm definitely fuller throughout the day.. or I guess the word would be satiated. I like food- I like preparing it, and I like eating it - and with this plan, I am doing a lot of both. One downside I'm finding is fitting in 5-6 meals throughout the day. For example, I just got back from the gym and I'm drinking a little protein shakey, and I have to head out to training from noon-3 and then class from 5 until 9pm tonight. When to eat? Granted this is an unusually on-the-run day, but I will literally be eating all my food in the car today.. and sometimes clean eating doesn't always come in an easy on-the-go form. I have a chicken breast and spinach whole grain wrap, but I might have to sneak in a granola bar today - and that is processed. Hmmph.

Another mini-gripe is that sometimes I don't know what to eat. I was sneaking to the back room at work, scarfing a hard boiled egg and a handful of almonds around 3 pm each day. I'm chalking this up to lack of time to find new recipes to try with my varied protein sources this week. Think that one's easily remedied.

I think the variety of foods I stocked up on is going to be key as I continue through the week. Big spinach salads, artichoke hearts, asparagus, hummus, kalamata olives, avocado, nut butters, sprouts, grapefruit, pomegranate seeds (pictured above) - yum! And what a variety of phytochemicals for my body. And then there's all the different proteins.. Every meal is based around a lean protein, and if I was eating chicken at every meal I would lose my mind pretty quick. My experiments with tofu have been hit-or-miss.. Hit=Tofu + Egg scramble; Miss=Homemade Tofu Stir Fry. Whey powder and sliced roast beef have been quite yummy. ... Not together. Ew.

Ok, my objective evaluation? The scale. I haven't lost anything yet. That's ok - it's only been 3 days, so any loss would probably only be water loss (this lack of processed food, not that I ate tons before this anyway, has brought my sodium levels down by at least 1000mg each day so far, which will get excess water out of me). Secondly, I'm not a devotee of the scale 100% of the time - it's not always about that number. I have noticed less bloatiness in my tummy, regardless of the number on the scale. I wish I had taken original measurements, but I do know that I am fitting into some cute jeans from Old Navy that were previously buried on a shelf because they caused too much top on my muffin top. I'm wearing them now, as a matter of fact.

Anyway, big news and wrinle in this plan is actually good news - Ed decided to come home for the weekend from his business trip! Very sweet and of course I'm pumped to have him around (seriously, no sarcasm. He is fun and me likey.), buuuut.. he usually presents some challenges with clean/healthy eating on the weekend. ...Or really, it's not that he presents them, or urges me to eat poorly, but our schedule isn't as regular and there are more temptations (larger dinners/alcohol). He just "hates to see me not having fun" - what he doesn't quite grasp (try as I may all my different tactics!) is that what I enjoy, more so than a heavy meal, is waking up feeling awesome. I love waking up not hungover on a Sunday, knowing I watched my portions the night before, feeling slim and ready for a good workout. I enjoy taking steps closer to my summertime goals, rather than making up ground at the beginning of the week. Motivation and progress is continuous, flowing, moving project. Some special weekends, you need to go wild and not be so nutty about your intake. But this weekend, for me, I vote that it's more important to keep an eye on the swimsuit prize. I intend to stay solid on my clean eating plan, otherwise how will I get a true result of this whole thing?

How about you? Is it a splurger or a saver kinda weekend? Choose wisely (a la Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) and enjoy your weekend everyone.

Ten Days as a Lean Mean Clean Queen

2010-04-26T13:12:00.005-04:00

Ed left this early morning for a business trip to San Francisco for ten days. (Sad.) He's actually going to be about 30 minutes away from most of my Mom's side of the family - wish I could have tagged along! With finishing up this semester of school and starting training for my new job, the timing was just not gonna cut it. Bummer! However, I've decided to make good use of this mandatory Me-time: Strict clean eating for ten days. (If you don't know clean eating and Tosca Reno yet, you should.) We had a pretty indulgent weekend with friends and I am feeling sluggier than usual this Monday morning, so I've decided to scour all of my past issues of Oxygen magazine and whip up a week of planned-in-advance healthy meals, tailored to my ideal calorie level and macro breakdown.

This means I got to indulge myself in some healthy grocery shopping! Does anyone else look forward to shopping for food? (I have grocery issues - eh, just lump that together with my scone and coffee issues.) We've been on a tight-ish budget recently, which meant we've whittled down our pantry, fridge, and freezer foods to a respectable emptiness, so I didn't feel too bad for stocking up. It was refreshing to replenish my clean eating staple foods. Today's grocer choice was Trader Joe's - and I got some great deals! Impressive. Seeing my fridge fully stocked, I already feel more motivated to work toward my goals.

Speaking of which, motivation.. This is what is fueling my next ten days: "A goal without a plan is just a wish." Amen to that! I had a higher-calorie-than-planned weekend, but I enjoyed it, and it's not the end of the world. All I can do is clean it right back up and fire up some refreshed goals. Ed's family is planning a July 4th BBQ-Pool Party.. I want to feel comfortable in my swimsuit and be able to wholly enjoy myself. The ultimate goal is a two-piece bathing suit for Ed and Dr. Ben's Half-Ironman in August.

My ten-day healthy meal plan is processed-food free, which means I will be prepping a lot this week. Get out your tupperware! I stocked up on more varied protein sources than just the chicken, whey, tuna, and eggs I usually eat - ground turkey, wild salmon, shrimp, low-sodium lean roast beef, firm tofu, edamame, and dried beans will show up in my menu this week. (Hopefully this will vanquish any boredom I might start to feel.) I also varied up the regular veggie choices - nix'ed the baby carrots for the duration, opting instead for asparagus, brussels sprouts, bok choy, celery and red onions. I will also eat bigger breakfasts and smaller dinners. I (and a lot of people, I find) tend to eat the other way around - a quick bowl of oatmeal in the morning and then way too much food, even it's healthy stuff, too close to bedtime.

I'm not going to give myself strict rules, and it might not be exactly what Tosca would advise (seen above.. sidenote that I just noticed.. what the heck is she mixing? looks like black leaves? hmm.. any thoughts on that?); I'm just aiming for some adjustments to my eating patterns and variety to my choices. (Notice I never used the word 'diet?') With Ed away, I won't be tempted to add sauces and cheese and extraneous carbs to our shared meals. That's fine in moderation for maintenance, but let's see if I can lean out a bit more as summertime approaches. I'll keep you posted on progress, and any fun finds along the way!

Friday Night "Cheat": Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

2010-04-24T08:13:00.001-04:00

Yum. Ed and I have been eating superbly healthy as of late, and as the weekend approaches, so do our cravings for some "treat" food. We really didn't want to order out last night, essentially spending extra money by phoning in an order for salty, greasy dishes and subsequent bloaty tummies. No, thanks. So, I got my butt in the kitchen and test-ran a new recipe!

Not in the mood for pizza, we navigated to the second-most-ordered junkie-type food: burgers. I wanted to keep it interesting, because it's fairly easy to health up a burger (lean meat, pack the patties with chopped veggies, light cheese, etc) So.. how about we remove the bun, and replace it with a different grain.. like.. whole grain pasta? Something along the lines of Hambuger Helper, but very much not. And man, that Bacon & Blue burger from Wendy's sounds good, but the nutrition label stops me in my tracks. Hmm.. bacon.. Bacon! Normally, this nitrate-ridden, salt-packed meat is a no-no, but in measured tablespoon portions, bits of real bacon pack enough flavor to really make a nice difference in a dish. And in a cheat meal, cheese is a must for us. Looking to combine these ideas, I found a bunch of recipes for healthed-up hamburger helper-type foods. So, I melded a tidbit from each recipe and created tonight's dish: Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta.

Recipe:
Ingredients
8 oz Barilla Plus Pasta (We used rotini, but penne would be great too)
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1 lb Extra Lean 96/4 Ground Beef (leaner the better)
4 tbsp Real Bacon Bits (or 3 strips real bacon, cooked and crumbled)
1 can Campbell's Heart-healthy Low-Sodium condensed tomato soup
about 1 cup reduced fat shredded cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. (Spray with light coat of nonstick cooking spray to avoid stickiness.) Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook onions over medium heat until transparent. Add beef and cook until no longer pink; drain fat.

2. Add to skillet the pasta, soup, and bacon; heat through. Remove from heat and sprinkle cheese on top. Cover skillet and let stand for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

This recipe, according to Livestrong:
Serving size: about 1/5 to 1/6 of whole dish. Calories: 388, Fat 11g, Cholesterol 73mg, Sodium 630mg, Carbs 32g, Sugars 6g, Fiber 3g, Protein 40g.

Definitely a cheat dish, but would be great as a meal on a heavy workout day with that wham-bang of protein. I thougt the fiber count would be higher, but you could always mix in some veggies to bump that up a bit.

I thought it was very tasty - a step up from Hamburger Helper, not only in health but also in taste, but just as easy. I was missing a punch of flavor and was very tempted to toss on more cheese, but I stayed strong and ended up adding some Mrs. Dash Grill Seasoning for a little kick. We had side salads of romaine, sprouts, and red cabbage to go alongside. Ed loved it! He probably ate more than he should have but -- and I quote him saying this: "This is a lot tastier than that pizza I wanted." Mission accomplished. Have a great weekend!

Popovers - Who Knew?

2010-04-23T15:58:00.003-04:00

I certainly didn't! Last night in my Food Lab (yes, I have 'food lab' as part of my graduate education.. life is good.) after a informational lecture, we broke up into groups to cook, as usual. But, not like usual, we were baking instead of cooking. In cooking, you can get away with a dash of this or that, but with baking, it comes down to a chemical science of acids and bases, gluten formation and gelatinization, etc. We were practicing recipe standardization, which is basically what chefs/cooks/other various people who cook do to get the best version of the recipe they can. They might write one up, try it, and decide to make a change in the ingredient list or in a step in the preparation. Then they make that recipe, and tweak that. Then they try that one, and so on and so forth until they have, according to them, the best version possible.

So, each group in my class had a different quick bread to design and bake, and then we had to analyze nutrition data for our product. (Quick breads are just that - baked goods that are prepared and ready in a short amount of time, and aren't leavened with yeast.) My group made Mocha scones with espresso and dark chocolate. ... hmm. Wow. I only just realized, as I'm typing this, what a loser I am for choosing scones for my project.. unintentionally mentioned here! I swear I didn't choose to make scones just so I could 'blog' about it! Lame.

My point is, another group made rosemary-scented popovers. Have you had popovers? WOW! They are delightful. And potentially a new healthy treat.

Popovers are a quick bread made with eggs and flour but without butter or cream, that rapidly "pop" in a very hot oven due to rising steam trying to escape. Then the oven temp is turned down so the rest of the bun can cook evenly. This makes them hollow inside, with a nice crispy golden top. The rosemary popovers my friends made were awesome. I'm a huge rosemary fan to begin with, and the aroma was enhanced by the warmth from being fresh-baked. They were incredibly airy and pleasantly eggy. I ate one and then, cringing, asked my buddy about the nutritional damage, expecting due disaster.. she said they only had 70 stinkin' calories. Say what? Yup, no fat (apart from a bit found in the egg yolks used), but a few carbs and 2 grams of protein were pretty much all this treat contained. Hello, opportunity!

The basic recipe for lean plain popovers (no butter used) is:
2 eggs, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 C). Grease and flour six 6-ounce custard cups.

2. In a medium bowl, beat eggs slightly. Add flour, milk and salt until just smooth; being careful not to overbeat. (Too much beating causes too much gluten formation and too much toughness.) Fill custard cups 1/2 full.

3. Bake at 450 degrees F (230 C) for 20 minutes. After they have "popped," decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 C) and bake for 20 minutes more or until golden. Immediately remove from cups and serve warm.

Because popovers are hollow, they can be used a ton of different ways. (Oh how I love versatile foods.) You can fill plain or sugared popovers with diced fruit, flavored whipped topping, peanut butter, or pudding. If you go the savory route and add an herb like rosemary to the batter before baking like my classmates did, (though they were pretty kickass on their own) you could fill them with shredded cheese, chicken salad, dill cream cheese, or maybe even hummus. Just make sure you're not spoiling the healthful qualities of the popover by filling it with fat.

I encourage you to give these treats a whirl in your very own kitchen. I certainly intend to. Let me know how it goes!

What's cookin' with Vegan Kids?

2010-04-20T11:16:00.002-04:00

Recently, a vegan friend of mine and I were chatting about how she wanted to have kids soon, and plans to raise them in her own vegan lifestyle. She knows I'm a nutrition junkie and was asking me all kinds of questions about what would be different for vegan kids versus vegan adults. I happily delved into this topic as my newest project, and I even ended up writing a term paper on the subject. I'll do my best to contain my rambling self, but some tidbits are definitely interesting enough to report!

Veganism, which is completely plant-based diet, can be an awesome nutritional plan that helps lower the risk of chronic diseases that have origins in childhood, like obesity and high cholesterol. Establishing healthy eating habits from the get-go is a great idea for your kids. Vegan kids tend to eat above and beyond the dietary recommendations for fruits and veggies, and due to this awesomeness, they usually get plenty of vitamins and minerals, are within healthy weight ranges, and have strong immune systems. However, they might be at risk for some necessary nutrients that must be addressed to ensure normal growth and development. What I like is that some of the technigues and tidbits I gleaned from my research can be totally applicable to myself as an omnivores. I just looove finding ways I can continually improve how I get nutrients outta my food and into my body.

Filling in the Gaps

So, vegan kids. Because vegan kids don't eat dairy, eggs, fish, or meat, they may be at risk for malabsorption or insufficient intake of: calcium, vitamin D, B12, and bioavailable protein. However, because there are more and more vegan options available more widely these days, simple tweaks to eating plans can easily remedy these problems. (Yummy soy-based Earth Balance spread, for example!) Some foods can even be eaten together to create a positive symbiotic absorption relationship. (aka, each helps the other get absorbed better. They're like good pals that hang out in the GI tract.) Examples of this buddy system are protein and zinc, vitamin C and iron, and different veggie-based proteins eaten together. Fortified 100% fruit juices and soy milk can also provide many essential nutrients that might be missed. Overall, a whole foods-based multivitamin supplement is a good idea. (I don't normal prescribe to tablet supplements, but in such a restrictve eating plan, allowances must be made.)

Calcium Sneak

As far as calcium goes, I was interested to hear that the load of oxalic acid and phytates in spinach actually hinder it from being a good calcium source. (Have you ever eaten a TON of spinach and gotten a weird gritty-numb feeling on your tongue? That's oxalic acid doing its thing. Not a problem, but interesting to note.) Calcium is in spinach, and that's why spinach is usually touted as a great source of calcium, but the bottom line is that we can't absorb it. Bummer. (We get lots of other phytonutrients from spinach but notsomuch calcium.) So, parents of vegan kids need to look elsewhere to make sure their kids get enough bone-building calcium. An easy remedy is a calcium supplement eaten between meals, or the aformentioned fortified drinks. Done and done.

Does this make my Fatty Acid look big?

Another nutrient that might not find its way in without intention are the good fattty acids, particularly DHA & EPA, the first of which is very important in the very early years. The best sources come from fish, but since they are a no-no in veganism, we can look to nuts and nut butters for these fats. Peanut Butter, almond butter, and vegetable-based oils, including Smart Balance, do the trick. These fats work well with vegetables, because many vitamins in veggies are fat soluble (A, D, E, and K) and so the fat provides a vehicle for vitamin delivery.

Maximum Fiber Occupancy: One Vegan Kid

An interesting tidbit I found is that because vegan kids eat so many fruits and vegetables, they often feel so full from all those fiber-rich sources that they don't eat enough calories in overall. Kids sometimes have a hard time sitting still log enough to eat a meal, let alone already feeling extra full. They feel full (from the low-cal fiber load) and want to go play, but aren't taking in enough food to grow and devlop as they should. So, here is one instance where refined grain sources are recommended. What?? Yes, we omnivores need to focus on whole grains, but if these kiddos feel too full, they don't need to feel more full from the fiber in whole grain products. Instead, enriched, refined grain sources may provide enough added nutrients to round out daily intake amounts.

Quick Tips for Parents of Vegan Kids:

All in all, as a parent of a vegan child, you have to take the time and learn not only about general nutritional needs, but nutrient-vs-nutrient absoprtion issues, the variety of plant-based foods available on the market and where to get them, and also how to prepare them. You probably will need to pack their lunches for school, as very few true vegan dishes are readily available in average school settings.

Vegan kids might feel 'different' from their omnivore peers, and so emotional support must be available as well. It's tough enough being a kid in school these days without eating different foods too! Their healthy choices must be positively reinforced at home.

Though veganism and vegetariansm have not been shown to cause eating disorders, they have been identified as a possible 'cover story' for disordered eating. Some vegan teens may use their restrictive eating patterns as an excuse not to eat with others, or to be highly selective with their dietary intake. Like I said, it's not necessarily linked, but it is something to keep an eye on.

More and more individual teen members of families are choosing veganism in an omnivore family. Plan a vegan night, and try new dishes that the entire family can enjoy. Or, prepare a vegan side dish so that your vegan child feels included in the meal. My vegan buddy introduced me to vegan cupcakes. He-llo!!! YUM. The culinary world ceases to amaze me, which is why I'm so obsessed with it.

As with any healthy food choices, above all - keep it fun! A healthy lifestyle may not always be the easiest path to take, but it is worth it. I definitely encourage you to investigate further and develop your own opinion. (Start by visiting http://www.vegweb.com/.) Head out and aim to try one new vegan food this week. You might be surprised at the healthy tastiness that awaits you.

Me + New Food-Related Job = Good

2010-04-19T10:39:00.001-04:00

Just a quickie post to announce that I officially got a new job! A job all about organic food! My current job is decent, but not in the food field and thus not a longterm gig. This is exciting stuff.. it will be (hopefully) the last job I have before I begin my career as a registered dietician. As I finish up school and my mandatory internship, I'll be working in the Natural Foods section of the an awesome grocery store in my area. There's a blurb in my New Employee manual that disencourages posting the name of the store all over here (even though I would rave with joy each time!) I'll be in the organic and natural foods section inside the store, so I'll be spending some -hopefully most- of my time educating customers about my favorite healthy food finds.. which is what I love to do! And I will happily receive a paycheck for this.. which is also something I love to do! As I uncover even more behind-the-scenes info on current and upcoming healthy foods, I will of course share my finds with you lovely people. I'll keep you posted.

Isn't that Sweet?

2010-04-17T10:46:00.009-04:00

Dessert.. hmm.. what to do, what to do when it's time for dessert? Sometimes you just have a sweet tooth, simple as that. But how can we endulge and not flood our systems with sugar at the end of a perfecty decent, balanced day? Yes yes, fruit is lovely. But it's also a little a moderate sugar source, and sometimes you just don't. want. fruit. You wanna be bad. Not bad-bad, but.. just.. not good. I believe in a controlled splurge to maintain sanity. I do not, however, believe in a daily splurge and we therefore need some sane dessert options beyond 'fresh fruit.' Typically, if it's not a special occasion, and I need a treat at home post-dinner, I more or less choose from 5 different options, and they keep me pretty happy.

1. Flavored Cottage or Ricotta cheese. Hello South Beach! This is one of the only recipes I retained from this era of my dieting past, when I blindly bought into the deprivation thing. I like Friendship 2% Digestive Health Cottage Cheese mixed with 1 tsp flavor extract, like coconut, almond, banana, or just vanilla (You know I love extracts!) and one packet of Splenda. This snak is high protein and relatively low-cal. And, if you choose the Digestive Health cottage cheese, you get some fiber too, to slow any milk sugar that might otherwise raise your blood glucose levels a bit. Or, you can use fat-free ricotta cheese, as recommended in the real South Beach plan. Just watch your serving sizes and enjoy.

2. 2ish Squares (about 1/3 serving per the nutrition label) Endangered Species 75% Cacao dark chocolate with 1 tbsp Low Sodium Better N' Peanut Butter. Bye-bye sweet tooth demons! As we all know by now, and as we love to hear, dark chocolate packs cholesterol-lowering polyphenols - and the darker, the better. What I love about this particular chocolate, is that there are little crunchy bits of real cocoa nibs, adding texture and even some fiber, not to mention the company trades ethically and supports preservation of endangered species. Right on. The BNPB adds some sweetness to the very dark chocolate and some healthy fat for creaminess without too many calories.

Both 3 & 4 come in the forms of No Sugar Added Pops. In Jenny Land, aka, the world of Jenny Craig, my processed-foods-happy ex-employer, sugar-free popsicles are considered a 'free food' - meaning that you can eat all you want and not affect your weight loss plan. Ehh.. I preach moderation, and so I cannot fully support this theory, but these options are totally allowable within reason for a low-impact indulgence. In our house, 'fudgies' own a good part of our freezer.

No Sugar Added Fudgesicles aka 'Fudgies,' are bomb-diggity. Bomb. Dig. Ity. 40 calories per tasty, creamy, chocolatey bar and 2 g of fiber to boot. Good stuff, and one usually does it for my sweet tooth.

The second Pop treat I love are Edy's No Sugar Added Fruit Pops - in tangerine, strawberry, and raspberry. These grown-up versions of the Popsicle brand popsicles are made with real fruit and are juicy and yummy. At only 25 calories per pop, you can double up and not spend the next day cursing yourself and your choices of the previous evening.

5. Wasabi Wow! Trail Mix from Trader Joe's is a nice mix of sweet and salty, and is packed with heart-healthy peanuts and cranberries. The pow! comes from Wasabi peas, which used to be a downfall of mine in my chubbier college days. Be sure to pre-portion out the correct servings and divide into smaller baggies to make sure you're sticking to the 130-calorie portion listed on the nutrition label.

Plenty of other waist-friendly homemade sweet options are readily available via Mr. Internet, like health-ed up muffins and bars, but let it be know that I'm not a fan of SmartOnes packed desserts, 100-calorie packs, or the like. These things pack either a bunch of salt, sodium, additives, or preservatives for very little nutrition, and this can really gunk up your system. And 100 empty calories right before bed can really mess things up. Think of how much more you could get from 100 calories! Check out Livestrong's fabulous article on other options for 100 calories! Try 2 weeks without any hyper-processed Nabisco-or-whatever 100-cal packs and see how much better you feel. And as always, track your foods. Please!

Remember: What do you really want? 100-calories of mini, crumbly, dry Lorna Doone cookies, OR less-jiggly-thighs in that cute jean skirt this summer? Be good to yourself. Explore new healthy foods. And stay sweet.

Eat Your Kale! Part Two

2010-04-16T10:47:00.003-04:00

Ta da! I bring you the follow-up to my Ode to Veggie Buying post, Veggie recipes! Coming atcha. These are some of my favorite ways to sneak veggies into my days, so I'm not just using steamfresh bags over and over and over, boring myself (and my tastebuds) to tears. Some of them are pretty darn simple, but worth mentioning. So, without further adieu, here be my top 8 Veggie-getter-inners. Enjoy!

1. Leafy greens blended into a morning (or anytime) smoothie, particularly spinach. Say what?? Oh yes, a favorite trick from Jackie Warner that I have latched onto, I blend up a handful of spinach with berries, milk, ice, and protein powder for a kickass shake that delivers an awesome nutrient punch. You really don't taste them and it doesn't turn the shake green. Much. Be bold. Give it a whirl. Literally.

2. Roasted vegetables. This is a standby favorite for me and Ed. Chop up peppers, onions, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, any non-starchy veggie! Spray with Pam cooking spray, and lots of garlic and all the excellent Mrs. Dash salt-free flavors, and broil. Though be forewarned - I hope you have built up your fiber intake like we discussed! Poor Ed - I fed him a large serving of roasted veggies one evening last year and the kid was.. indisposed for a good portion of the night. But if your body's prepared, rroasting veggies can give them an awesome texture (crispy on the outside, creamier on the inside), and more pronounced flavor. You can mix them in with rice, or soup, or served cold on salad, or just on their own. My best tip: bake first, then broil. This softens the veggies up before browning, especially eggplant. Do your best to not add salt. Think: Mrs. Dash Mrs. Dash Mrs. Dash.

3. Sick of spinach salad? Try wilted leafy greens. Toss that bag of spinach or arugula or kale right into the saute pan with some fresh garlic and Pam cooking spray. You get different nutrients from cooked spinach than you do from fresh. (When you cook it, you partially break down some cell walls and some nutrients are more available for your body to soak them up.) Wilted greens are great mixed in with whole wheat pasta, or as a serving bed for grilled meats.

4. Kale chips. WHAT a discovery! I found a recipe for baking crispy chips out of kale - all you do is trim away the tough stalks and tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. Spray with Pam, sprinkle with pepper and garlic powder, and bake at about 350 degrees fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes until the edges start to brown. They get crispy and satisfy that salty potato chip craving. It's quite amazing.

5. Serve your rice or meat dish inside a stuffed pepper. It's like putting chowder in a soup bowl in San Francisco, except you are adding fiber, Vitamin C for very low calories. And talk about presentation points! You will be cooking Iron Chef-style in your very own home. See this great recipe here.

6. As previously mentioned, bulk up soups with added veggies. Even if it's a vegetable soup to begin with, volumize that sucker with big chunks of fresh, sauteed, or roasted zucchini, onions, or mushrooms. (Thank you, Dr. Barbara Rolls for your awesome research. Let's Go Penn State!) You can increase the satiety (fullness) you feel after the meal and improve the overall nutritional profile of your meal by adding veggies.

7. Veggie omelets. Bits of leftover broccoli in the fridge? A quarter of an onion hiding in your crisper? Chop those babies up and toss them in a veggie white omelet. Very low-cal, high in protein, a veggie omelet is a great snack to use up extra veggies which might otherwise get tossed into the garbage.

8. Make veggies fun! Recently we had a party at our place, and I wanted to have some healthy options out there for my guests. I made doctored-up chicken salad with cut veggies, and fresh cooked shrimp, but I wanted more veggies! But you can only display so many baby carrots and cucumber slices. Enter the idea of veggie kebabs! (Pic at Left) I got some bamboo skewers and slid on chunks or red and green peppers and grape tomatoes, alternated with kalamata olives and cubes of low-sodium cheese. It was pretty, colorful and fun, and even Ed's fellow big muscley-manly-man friends were grabbing a skewer of veggies to snack on. (I can't be held responsible for the cupcakes in the background.) It was a nice way to add pizzazz to a crudite (raw veggie appetizer) plate.

So yes, they may be simple sneaks, but these little tricks are mighty! Try a different tactic each day this week and watch your inatke reach that 5 cups-a-day recommendation in no time. Happy experimenting!

Eat Your Kale! Part One

2010-04-09T14:10:00.003-04:00

Ok, it is officially time for us all to be getting in the 2-and-a-half cups of vegetables each day recommended by the Dietary Guidlelines. C'mon people! These many-hued, many-textured gems are what should make up a sizeable bulk of your nutritional intake for each day, and they will maximize your weight loss potential.

I don't really want to go on and on about how awesome vegetables are, but they are! And we Americans aren't eating enough of them, particularly leafy green and orange varieties. (We are eating pleeenty of starchy veggies like white potatoes and corn - the latter of which is actually a grain. Sad.) So, in this post, though I am tempted to go on a tangent about anthocyanins and plant hemicellulose, I will instead divert my energies first toward providing handy veggie-purchasing tips that will save you money and super-fuel your body right.

What I often hear as a big no-veggies excuse is the taste. I'll take care of that in veggie post number two, with some awesome recipes from my repetoire that I use often. Another excuse I hear is regarding the price of fresh veggies. I understand that one, but there are some rules of thumb to aide you, and you're in the right place to learn about that.

1. First of all, let's consider the option of frozen veggies. Frozen veggies are parboiled (quick-cooked at high temps to kill microorganisms) and then flash frozen at the peak of freshness, and thus are awesome. They won't retain the texture of the crisp veggie from the produce section, but they tend to be cheaper, last longer, and provide about the same nutrient profile as the fresh variety. Sometimes they are even more nutritious because they haven't sat around on transport trucks, still respiring (breathing) and ripening on display shelves, losing nutrients all the while.

2. Secondly, consider point of origin. If you are lucky enough to have a local farmer's market and you can purchase produce that is grown locally, it likely not only has more nutrients, but will be loads cheaper. (More and more farmer's markets and Co-Ops are popping up all the time! Check out the USDA's listing of Farmer 's Markets or LocalHarvest.Org.) Remember to always check produce for signs of hygienic handling and typical signs of freshness and proper storage. Locally-grown does not always equal fresher. Extra packaging and care is necessary when produce is shipped from far away, and that costs more. So, when choosing something exotic, be choosy. (but yes, stay adventurous!)

3. Check out seasonal produce. Fruits & veggies in season are usually cheaper because they are more plentiful and more apt to be grown locally. If you don't know in which month lots of asparagus or ugli fruit or brussels sprouts would be handy, some grocery stores will post signs with which varieties are in season. Or, you can have a peek at these lists of seasonal produce at AmericanFood.

4. Consider price per nutrient. If you're really going for a nutrient per dollar ratio, it's tough to get it exactly right. For example, consider eggplants versus carrots. Eggplant flesh (purple rind aside, because most people cut that part away), in general, doesn't offer much in terms of vitamins and minerals, but does have some fiber and lots of water. Carrots, on the other hand, provide fiber, betacarotene (which our bodies can use to make Vitamin A), and plenty of other nutrients. Yet, eggplants tend to be pricier than a bag of (partially-processed) baby carrots. Hmm. Also, fruit and vegeatble juices - keep an eye on those ingreient lists. Not only are you missing out on fiber from whole foods, but are they adding in synthetic nutrients? Is your cranberry-blueberry drink made of 50% apple juice? I found a good French article about the p-p-n topic here, but basically, choose nutrient-heavy hitters for the mainstays of your shopping cart, like dark leafy greens, sweet potatoes, broccoli, orange peppers, and tomatoes.

(Sidenote: Check out this cool article I found: What Does 200 Calories Cost? Wish they had a picture of diabetes medicine next to all those foods too!)

5. Similarly, consider price per edible portion versus refuse waste. Typically, for produce, we pay price per pound. Some veggies that have a nice low percent EP:RW (meaning, you eat most of it) ratio are tomatoes, cucumbers, onions. Items (though tasty and nutritious) that don't have such a great ratio are garlic, beets, kale bunches, cauliflower. So, is it worth it to buy the pre-packed bag of shredded kale? It might be. It's up to you. I usually throw away so much of the tough stalks of kale and inedible end pieces that I look sadly into my garbage can at the end of the meal, so I like those bags. If I had a backyard, my mulch would be glorious.

6. Learn how to store produce. Too much nutritious food goes into the garbage due to storage loss. Take a few minutes and review how to store your favorite (and new favorite) veggies to get the best bang for your buck.

7. Lastly, for goodness' sake, buy what you will use. I understand you're all pumped up to eat healthy and load up on the phytochemicals, and that is awesome, but will you be home this week? Will you have time to try that homemade veggie pizza recipe you found? If yes, then awesome! Go for it and enjoy. But is it an iffy week with deadlines and yoga classes and carpooling? Maybe you should opt for a few Steamfresh bags this week instead of that fresh bunch of kohlrabi. Save yourself from literally throwing money away. It's ok. Just get em in somehow.

Ok, thus endeth my veggie-buying rant for the day. Keep an eye out for some yummy recipes coming your way soon. Til, then, eat a carrot, and enjoy your Friday!

Cinnamon to the Sorta-Rescue

2010-04-06T11:25:00.000-04:00

Happy Day-After-the-Day-After-Easter! Today I bring you a sweet treat to consider instead of the traditional belly-busting leftover giant chocolate bunnies that adorn so many tables across the country this week. Instead of milk chocolate - or, even worse - PEEPS (yikes) - try and spice it up. Cinnamon is where it's at!

As an apple-shaped type of person, meaning I carry some tummy chub instead of thigh & butt-based chub (though there is a bit there as well), I am constantly on the hunt for legitimate 'belly-fat' fighting foods and exercise tactics. Subsequently, I've tried many a variety of twisty-turny kickbox pilate'd tae bo crunch and burn. While I tackle those moves, I search for food-based strategies to help me out. Recently, cinnamon has piqued my interest.

I've test-run the 'Flat Abs' diet, chock full of MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids), the Mediterranean diet, and general low-Glycemic Index foods. I like parts of each, and I did lose a bit on the South Beach diet years back, (but it was too restrictive, and as you often hear - it came back). Lately, I've modified my personal food pyramid to include more protein - it's time to test one side of the Great Protein Debate. So far, very filling. Thumbs up.

However, I am a firm believer in whole grains and fruit intake. But - conundrum! To get the best benefit from this higher protein regimen, I'm trying to limit the amount of sugars I take in. Fruit is sugary, and the general consensus shows that too much sugar can cause excess fat to localize aorund one's mid-section, if one's body is so inclined to dump it there. (The grass is always greener...) I keep reading about cinnamon as an aide to block the sugar spike you might get after eating sugary (whether added or natural) foods, thus lowering the hotly-debated 'Glycemic Index rating' of that food.

Smelling trickery by cinnamon growers and spice manufacturers, I decided to investigate. Because if this held up at all, I could totally add more cinnamon to my daily intake, no prob. ...I am tentatively excited to report that I found a few legitimate sources to back this up. Hoo-rah! One article is found in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, the other in Diabetics Care, and the other was easily Google-able and based on the second article I found. The test was a small group of 60 people, but technically, that is an adequate number for results to be considered significant. The gist of the cinnamon deal is as follows:

Cinnamon contains an active polyphenol ingredient called methylhydroxy chalcone polymer, or MHCP. MHCP is an insulin-mimicker, meaning that it can act like insulin in the blood and help lower blood sugar levels. Consuming about 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon per day (which is approximately 2.5 grams) is enough to help lower blood sugar levels. MHCP can also act like insulin in other ways, like neutralizing free radicals (gotta love polyphenols!) and helping purge 'bad' cholesterol from the blood (from 10-26% improvement vs 0% in the placebo group).

The fat cells in your belly are very effective at storing energy – far more so than fat cells in your legs and butt. There is an extensive network of blood vessels circulating in the abdomen, and so there are many opportunities for excess sugar from your blood to empty into belly fat cells. So, when you eat a sugary food, and there's suddenly a lot of sugar in your blood, your pancreas suddenly goes a little crazy with producing insulin. This spike of insulin tells your body that plenty of energy (sugar) is readily available and that it should stop burning fat and start storing it. Not good for weight loss. If you put extra MHCP in your blood, the sugar in your blood is mediated better, and can be more easily converted to energy, instead of being dumped into long-term fat cells. You still need to exercise to use up the energy, but you have a better chance of using it before it gets too comfy being a storage fat cell.

And don't think I'm suggesting sprinkling cinnamon on your Eastr Peeps will help you out! Don't run for the mall to grab a Cinn-a-bon.. or to Starbucks for THE scone. Instead, sprinkle some Saigon cinnamon in your coffee, tea, oatmeal, cereal, or even on yogurt. I'm even trying Cinnamon capsules (again, not a huge fan of pill supplements, but this is just cinnamon, plain n' simple.) after I eat, say, an apple for a snack.

If you are diabetic, this is just something to consider talking to your doctor about - always as a secondary option.. Listen to your doctor, for Pete's sake! Anyway, I'm not diabetic, but I'm gonna test out this cinna-theory, because I be tired of my belly jiggles. I will keep you posted!

Opa! It's Time for Greek Yogurt

2010-03-31T14:05:00.001-04:00

Branching off of my earlier post on the Great Protein Debate (which is what I will now call it), I wanted to make sure all my readers are crystal clear on what Greek yogurt is. Greece may not be doing so great these days, but Greek-style yogurt is flourishing just fine. It comes up in just about any clean eating or weightlifting website or magazine you'll pick up, and for good reason.

This creamy, thicker version of regular yogurt is slam-packed full of tummy-filling protein and is super-versatile. My yoga-teacher friend Liz eats this stuff all day long, just because she loves the creamy texture so much. (Liz: Fage greek yogurt; Mallory: Better n Peanut Butter.)

More and more grocery stores are offering more and more varities of this great stuff. I've test-ran a lot of brands inclduing Oikos, Chobani, and others, but the overwhelming favorite - to me as well as most fitness and dietetics professionals, is the nonfat Fage brand. (Pronounced 'Fay-yah.') Be sure to grab the 0% fat version or you may be in a world of pain, fatwise. A tub of Fage 0% contains 2 1-cup servings (a nice generous portion) for the following nutriontal profile:
Calories: 120, Total Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 85mg, Carbs 9g, Fiber 0g, Sugars 9g, Protein 20g. (and Calcium 25% DV, as well as live & active cultures for a happy GI tract)

This breakdown is for the plain version, which I would most fervently recommend. The only sugars in there are those found naturally in milk. The protein count is a lovely blend of the milk proteins, both whey - the most commonly found quick-digesting protein powder source, and casein - which digests slower, keeping your tummy full and your muscles nourished in between meals.

I eat greek fogurt probably at least 6 days out of the week, in different ways. And that's the cool part! Do a web search right now for healthy recipes using greek yogurt and you will be inundated in great ideas! Even today on my way to work I bought a new Blender bottle (it's pink.. I'm excited.) and around the neck was tied a teeny brochure with some protein shake recipes. They called for regular yogurt, but they got me thinking.. an easy swap to greek yogurt instead of regular.. I can mix a bit of protein powder with some greek yogurt, 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, a pinch of nutmeg, ground cinnamon, shake up my Blender Bottle and I get.. Easy-as-Apple Pie Shake! Both my taste buds and my muscle fibers will be so excited after tomorrow's workout.

Beyond shake additions, greek yogurt is - obviously - a great high-protein substitute for regular yogurt, which tends to have all kinds of sugar and artificial flavorings. But it can also be used as a replacement for sour cream (just don't sweeten the plain variety) on baked potatoes or nachos, a marinade for meat (yogurt is acidic, so it can help break down tough cuts of meat to make a more tender bite), pancake topping, or a savory sauce. For example, I made greek yogurt tzatziki sauce for lamb kebabs (which marinated in the yogurt). I even like it sweetened as a dip for cut fruit or rice cakes. You could even mix in no-sugar-added cocoa powder, your favorite sweetener, and have a little chocolate yogurt, at the flavor intensity you choose.

Search the web, on Livestrong, Oxygen Mag, or other trusted healthy sites, and get inspired to try this alternative protein source. Like I keep saying, it's all about staying excited about the healthy foods you're eating to fuel that motivation. OPA!

Taming (& Still Loving) the Anti-Diet Beast

2010-03-30T13:53:00.001-04:00

Just a quickie post from work today for you fine people!

As an ex-weight loss counselor, and someone who's working on maintaining the healthy lifestyle I love, I am well-acquainted with one of the biggest challenges you might face in your weight loss regime: the significant other. He/she might say they support you, and they probably really do! They want you to be happy (well, they better at least!) and healthy, and fit, but when it comes down to dinnertime on a Friday night or brunch on Sunday, they are tempting you with fancy rich dinners laden with fat, sugar, refined carbs, and alcohol. We want to be with them and still have weekend fun, and not feel too restricted. What to do??

I definitely love my sanity-saving Saturday night cheat meal, and that's ok. But I like to keep it somewhat in line, and someone who isn't paying quite as careful attention to their nutritional intake can be a little tricky to eat with. Ideally, your partner will see you getting results that make you happier and confident, and will be inspired to change their naughty ways. Sometimes it takes awhile, and maybe he only is open to changing a few habits at a time. Regardless of what your partner does, you need to stay true to what makes you happy - being a strong and healthy individual is a big part of what makes a relationship strong and healthy. It happened that way with me and Ed. He was always active, but he ate a lot of 'junk' - a glass of chocolate 2% milk is not a decent breakfast there, pal. These days, he makes an egg white omelet and a flax whole gran waffle for breakfast, with a small glass of light chocolate soy milk. Wow. For the record, I didn't force him into this! (He might argue that point, but he would be wrong.) Little by little, he started asking me what he should get at the grocery store, or what would be better than this or that, etc. So, there's one way to handle it - be strong, and lead by example.

Another option I want to share with you today, because it came up today, is to make dinnertime more fun. Get in that kitchen! Use some weird gadget or vegetable you haven't used or eaten before. Ed (and I, too) love a fun new dinner - we like eating healthy, but baked chicken breast with rice and veggies can get tedious. So, when he told me he was bored at work today, I told him to hop on eatingwell.com and pick out a recipe, any recipe, and I will make it, or try to, anyway. And that is what we'll do. Eatingwell.com has awesome healthy recipes that are pretty easy to throw together. This way, we're excited about dinner, trying something new, but still sticking to healthful choices. Give it a whirl tonight. See if your grumpy anti-veggie fella will play the game, and test your culinary skills. I'll be testing mine out with Ed's choice, Southwestern Beef & Bean Burger Wraps. I got off easy - I can definitely pull off making a wrap. ;)

Be not afraid of your kitchen - lay down the challenge to your man and give your best shot to creating whichever healthy recipe he requests. Enjoy it, and good luck!

Flatouts Aregood

2010-03-26T22:02:00.002-04:00

Lately I have been very into Flatout wraps.. these things are amazing. They're slam-packed full of fiber (which I just love in my carb choices as you well know), for under 100 calories (or darn close to it), they are BIG so you can jam them full of fillings, and they taste good. Great option for lunchtime on the run or at home. All week I've been packing them full of leftover cooked chicken, or taco meat, or salmon to get a filling lean protein source in midday. One day, I even cooked an egg sunnyside up and snuck that into a wrap with some spinach, hummus, and sliced kalamta olives. These wraps are a great way to work on that goal of eating healthier lunches at the office. ..You are working on that, like we discussed, right?

Flatouts are giant in size but not in calories. So far I have tried all of the light varieties I could get my hands on at Wegmans, including multigrain with flax, sundried tomato, and italian herb. YUM! The nutritional breakdown is as follows (using a sample multigrain with flax flavor):
Calories 100, Total Fat 2.5g, Trans Fat 0g, Sodium 380mg, Carbs 17g, Fiber 8g, Sugars 1g, Protein 9g

That is a breakdown I can make some room for in my day. I only take issue with the sodium, and really people, unless we can really avoid all processed foods including breads, 380mg isn't so bad. So what should you fill it with?

Well.. I would recommend following a basic macronutrient breakdown for the meal and you'll be heading in the right direction. Fill one light Flatout wrap, which we'll count as one fiber-filled carb serving, and add: 1 serving of lean protein, a handful of veggies, and 1 MUFA, aka monounsaturated fat. This is a super basic blueprint that you can tailor to your tastes.

For protein, you can use 3-4 oz of cooked chicken or turkey, canned tuna, or salmon. You could even cook up a mini omelet of egg substitute and fold it into the wrap. If you use a whole egg, remember that it is higher in fat content, though chock full of vitamins and minerals. I was out of handy protein a few days ago and I cooked up a Bruschetta Boca Burger, chopped it into strips and tucked that into a wrap with some light swiss cheese. Delicious!

Most of the time, I like to use the MUFA as whatever spread I need, like Wholly Guacamole, or Smart Balance Light Mayo. Or, you could slice up some kalamata olives as the fat serving and use hummus as the spread. The hummus in this case might be an extra carb-y serving, but you're getting some extra fiber as well. Plus it works great as a "glue" to hold the end of the wrap to the rolled part. Good trick. If you use hummus, you have a little more freedom to add a fat serving - like I said, sometimes I'll use a 1/4 cup light shredded cheese or half a slice of swiss cheese and really live it up, Flatout-style.

Here are some favorite combinations for my Flatout Lunches:

BBQ Chicken Wrap: 3 oz homemade chicken fingers (baked sliced chicken breast coasted in egg beaters and whole wheat bread crumbs), 1/2 slice Land o' Lakes Swiss cheese, about 1/3 serving Famous Dave's Rich n' Sassy BBQ Sauce, spinach leaves in a light sundried tomato Flatout

Italian Veggie Burger Wrap: 1 Boca Bruschetta burger, sliced, with 1/2 slice Land o' Lakes Cheddar cheese, a little bit of diced tomatoes, arugula leaves in a light italian herb Flatout

Chicken n' Sprouts Wrap: 3-4 oz sliced chicken breast, 3 sliced kalamata olives, 1 tbsp hummus, clover sprouts, spinach leaves in any flavor Flatout wrap

Tarragon Chicken Salad Wrap: 1/2 cup tarragon chicken salad (made with sliced chicken breast, Smart Balance Light mayo, chopped fresh tarragon, and candied pecans) with spinach leaves, extra tarragon, and 1 tbsp hummus on a light multigrain with flax Flatout

Italian Tuna Wrap: 1 can Bumble Bee very low sodium albacore tuna in water, mixed with 1 tbsp Smart Balance light mayo, 1/2 tsp dried dill weed, and 1 oz sliced roasted red peppers in a light italian herb Flatout

Mexican Wrap: 3 oz (leftover) very lean low-sodium taco beef, with 1/4 cup shredded light colby-jack cheese, 2 tbsp salsa, spinach, and sprouts in a light multigrain with flax Flatout

Give these a whirl if your lunch needs some pizazz! More and more ideas will come to you as you stare at the leftovers in your fridge. "hmm.. what else can I take out of that tupperware and stuff into this thing?" Cream cheese? Tofu? Cooked egg beaters? Or you could try a sweet version with fruit and greek yogurt. I know a lot of Flatout fans make awesome pizzas out of these! The possibilities are a mile-long. Let me know what you come up with and what combo I should try next. Enjoy the weekend!

And if there's any UFC-fans out there, let's go Georges St-Pierre!!

Your Vitamin Army

2010-03-18T13:25:00.000-04:00

When I was a kid and I was sick, my mom would tell me to 'take my soldiers.' She had this whole elaborate tale of how the medicine the doctor gave me was actually an army of soldiers who went in and fought with the bad guys in my sore throat, and when I got better that meant that they won the battle. MAN did that work! I was like, 'Gimme those soldiers! Get the bad guys out of me!' Panic-stricken, and not wanting to be any part of why the poor battling soldiers may not win, I always took my medicine. So, this morning, when Ed said his throat wasn't feeling too great before work, I told him to take his soldiers. Except I meant more along the lines of fruits and veggies, and their particular branch of the Good-Health Military - antioxidants.

Antioxidants are fab. They are literally like kamikaze soldiers against whatever 'bad guy' is in your system, attacking it. In this case, the bad guys are free radicals. (Of course the body has other bad-guy beater-uppers, like your white blood cells; I'm just talking a-ox's here.) We all know that antioxidants are good and free radicals are bad, but why?

First thing's first - free radicals. Think back to high school chem for a minute. (Stay with me here, it's easy.) We know the whole body's made up of cells. Our cells are made up of molecules, which are made up of even smaller particles called atoms, which are held together by different kinds of bonds. Atoms really like being even stevens. They love having an equal amount of protons (+) and electrons (-) so that they can float around, totally independent, no problems. They float around, doing their thing, with electrons on their most outer parts. Sometimes, a weak bond holding one of these outer-most electrons breaks. The break in the bond can happen for lots of reasons - pollution, smoking, etc. When this break happens, an electron gets lost, and all of a sudden the atom is freaking out because it's unevenly charged. It's incomplete - and it doesn't like that one bit. This is a free radical, and it be hungry for an electron so it can be evened out again. (Can you predict the chain reaction coming?..) The free radical bumps into the nearest stable molecule and swipes one of its electrons. Then that previously-stable molecule becomes a free radical, and so on and so forth. Little thiefs!

Cue our hero, the antioxidant. Antioxidants, those brave little soldiers, jump in the way of the sticky-fingers free radical and lend one of their own electrons to the free radical-thief-guy. "But wouldn't they become a free radical then?" Nope. Antioxidants are mellow guys, they are stable with or without their extra electron.

So now we understand why it's a good idea to maintain the antioxidant level in your body. I loved how Steven Pratt put it in his awesome book Superfoods Rx, when he explained that a giant dose of 1000% of Vitamin C (as often found in popular supplements) really just don't work extra-better. Our bodies can only process a certain amount of nutrients at one time, and we just pee out the rest. Literally flushing money down the toilet there, people. (Well, we pee out some extra amounts of some vitamins - some of them we actually can overdose on. Which is why I - and most educated nutrition professionals - will recommend getting nutrients from foods, not pills. It's tough to overdose on nutrients when they come from food sources. I'll say it again - some nutrients in foods are pairing up with other nutrients and chemicals naturally found in the same food source to make sure you're getting too much at once.)

Different vitamins help reduce different diseases and/or conditions. It's best, as always, to 'eat across the [naturally-colored] rainbow' and enjoy a variety of fruits and veggies in all different colors, and hues of the same color, to give yourself the best chance at a complete micronutrient profile. Superfoods Rx is a comprehensive, well-written, and research-based book if food-sources of vitamins interest you. Read it!

As Dr. Pratt suggests, sip or nibble antioxidants in steady amounts throughout the day instead of overwhelming your body all at once with giant (partially-unuseable doses). He prefers Odwalla C Monster, I prefer watering down 100% Pomegranate juice (Like R.W. Knudsen or Pom) and taking small sips all day. This way, there's a constant small-but-mighty amount of antioxidants floating around my system, ready to fight my battles for me. (And this is the system I sent Ed off to work with today.) Attention Losers-of-Weight: Please remember that fruit juice is often high in sugar and low in fiber, please water pure juice down and add low-cal sweetener if necessary. Just saying.

I hope this helps to clear up the Free Radical vs Antioxidant Phenomenon a bit. Enjoy some reds and greens and yellows and even purples today, and report back.

Beta-Glucan Do It!

2010-03-15T16:49:00.001-04:00

The Quaker Oats company teeters on the edge of a monopoly on a certain, greatly prized, long-digesting polysaccharide, Beta Glucan. And I want you to know about it! Beta-Glucan often pops up in research on the immune system, as it may be used as a 'biological response modifier' (BRM) - aka, it can be switched on to activate the immune system via various chemical signals and things that immunology scientists explain in their own esoteric dialogue. For our - well, my purposes, we're not talking about Beta-Glucan as strictly a 'BRM.' This is for the following reasons: One, because I don't fully understand it on the chemically-immunology-type-way and thus why should I be so bold as to attempt to explain it; and Two, I want to talk about its use in weight loss and smart nutrition. Yes, I am blissfully narrow of purpose, on occasion.

First of all, quick info on polysaccharides - they are molecules of basic sugar units (saccharides) linked together. 'Poly-' means that there are many of these individual chains - sometimes even thousands. Our body uses them to create everything in our body - cells need glucose (a basic building block of poly-saccharides, to explain it very briefly) to make energy to make proteins, or regulate chemical systems, or properly divide cells, or change a lightbulb, or type a blog, etc etc.

Beta-Glucan is a special polysaccharide that officially can stake a claim authorized by the FDA that it can help lower blood cholesterol levels and contribute to heart health. It's found in oat bran and in barley. (In barley, the grain doesn't even have to be whole grain - Beta-Glucan is found in every part of the kernel, making barley flour a great source of this stuff too.) Like I mentioned, Quaker is towering over the Beta-Glucan products market, which is great, because it's easy to find. If you head to the grocery store, I'll bet you'll see the Quaker name and label more or less dominating the oats and barley products. Also, in the near future, keep an eye out for something called 'oatrim,' which is an oat bran or oat flour-based fat replacer being developed by the USDA. P.S. I'm talking about Beta-Glucan from food sources only. You can get it as asupplement - please note that I'm not endorsing random usage of any non-food-based supplement here.

When I was organizing some info on this topic to articulately put this post together, I came across a peer-reviewed research study about carbohydrate digestion in obese people. The first line of the abstract (which is a quick summary of the article) states: "Obese and diabetic patients may benefit from foodstuffs that are poorly absorbed and/or digested at a slower rate." That struck me as - they benefit from food that isn't digested well? Wait a second.. what does that sound like?.. My favorite friend, fiber!

Bingo. Beta-Glucan is an awesomely-slow-digesting kind of soluble fiber. Tests show that even after Beta-Glucan molecules have been battered by the acids and enzymes of our digestive system, they re-clump together before they hit your intestine, like it aint no thang, and then they are indigestible. (Reminds me of the Terminator 2 guy.) When Beta-Glucan is in your system, it absorbs water and puffs up, making you feel full. Not to mention, the heart health stuff? Awesome. Simplified, Beta-Glucan 'sticks' to bad cholesterol particles floating around your system and helps you pass it out. Furthermore, Beta-Glucan ingestion helps regulate glucose absorption in those with Type 2 Diabetes.

This is a reiteration of the whole grains phenomenon, but for weight loss, this is a very handy tip to drive home. Starting your day with oats (perhaps as in protein oatmeal, per se) or eating cooked barley in a salad with lunch can fill you up for the mere calorie count of carbohydrate calories, which are low to begin with! When your meals actually pack nutrition like this (as opposed to low-calorie but low-nutritive value unbalanced meals capped with 100 calorie-packs, or 'light' versions of your old favorite high-cal foods), you will be less tempted to snack later in the day.

If you're not used to barley and need a recipe to work it in to your day, try this great Wild Mushroom Barley Pilaf recipe from Eating Well magazine. Dried barley is also a great addition to almost any slow-cooker recipe.

Bottom line of this food recommendation and any I have/would/will make, is that if you give your body nutrient-rich food sources to work with, in sane portions, you will get to your goals that much faster. Give this handy glucose polymer a try asap, and be amazed at how it fills you up.

Pizza! Ninja Turtles Style.

2010-03-13T10:26:00.004-05:00

Ed and I love pizza on Friday nights. I eat carefully all week, and it's nice to come home to a nice cheesy slice of yumminess on Fridays. Both Ed and I work on Saturdays, and that has (for better or for worse, but we're trying to be positive here, so I'll say for the better) helped us to not drink too many beers or stay up until all hours eating junk on Fridays. (aka continuing the college lifestyle) We're only 26, so I guess that's a little weird, but we like to crash on the couch and watch Netflix on Fridays. We each work long hours and I also have class during the week, so it's our first chance all week to just chill.

Ed's pizza-on-Friday-nights schtick was a thing he and his brother Ray always did on Fridays when they lived together. When Ed and I moved in together, he wanted to continue the tradition, but I used to sort of dread it - I mean, take-out pizza? Grease and sodium city! I have goals, people! ..but I do just looOOve pizza. Mmm. I thought there must be a way to enjoy it without derailing too bad.

After the holidays we went balls to the walls healthy eating. I'm proud to say that we've stuck with it past the New Year's Resolution phase, and this meant revamping Fridays.. and pizza-fests. We decided to keep it in the kitchen and adventured into the world of homemade pizza and frozen pizzas.

Homemade pizzas can be fabulously healthy. You make it, so you control it. There are tasty recipes out there, including trying flatbreads or eggplant rounds as crusts, or hummus instead of pizza sauce. But for us, after awhile, making our own pizzas ended up defeating the purpose of easy end-of-the-week meal because I had to roll out dough, or spread sauce or sprinkle cheese, or dice something, or whatever. On a Friday, I just wanna EAT.

On to the frozen pizzas.. lots of options from which to choose (Tombstone, Store-brand, Lean Cuisine, etc.), but as far as health and taste go, we narrowed it down to our top 3 favorite brands (not including individual-size pizzas, and clean eating aside, sorry Tosca.) Here they are in order of our favorites from very good to awesome..

#3: Amy's Kitchen organic line of pizzas. (we are slightly falling for the the organic = healthy mindset here, but I don't care!) And I must say, I am loving the flavors. My favorite, far and away, is Amy's 3-cheese pizza on cornmeal crust. Yum. Love the creaminess of the goat cheese and weird grainy firmness of the crust. (Please note that it isn't a gluten-free.. Our friend Shipper has Coeliac - we give him a hard time about it as often as possible and try to scare him with loaves of bread.) Amy's Pesto variety with tomato slices is also delicious. These pizzas are a little expensive dollar-wise and calorie-wise for home-dining. They run about $7.00 per (small-ish) pizza. The nutrition count is still a bit high (especially fat) even for a semi-splurge serving on a Friday night. There are better options out there but the flavor is great!

Serving size 1/3 pizza (they are small-ish), Calories 370, Total Fat 19g, Saturated Fat 4g, Trans Fat 0g, Sodium 580mg, Total Carbohydrate 41g, Fiber 2g, Protein 10g

#2: Ristorante brand by Dr. Oetker pizzas ("Italy's #1 pizza!" ..according to the box..) are very very yummy. This is probably due to the higher percentage of calories coming from fat than our other choices. Our favorite flavor is the Pizza Spinaci, (the spinach tastes so fresh!) but I also love mushrooms and so the Pizza Funghi is a close second. The price is reasonable, at about $5.99 per pizza. Like I said, these pizzas are higher in fat, and that is the only reason I vote them at number 2 instead of number 1. But, the portion size is a little bigger than our #3 choice for the calorie count - if you serve a nice tossed salad alongside, it's a great meal.

Serving size 1/3 pizza, Calories 290, Total Fat 16g, Saturated Fat 5g, Trans Fat 0g, Sodium 750mg, Total Carbohydrate 28g, Fiber 2g, Protein 9g

Our #1 Selection for Taste, Nutrition, & Portion Size: Kashi Brand Frozen Pizzas. We particularly enjoy the roasted vegetable variety. The veggie flavor is nice and pronounced, and the thin crust gets nice and crispy. The price of these pizzas is completely reasonable at about $4.99 per whole pizza. (That's about 1/3 the price for a muuuuch healthier pizza choice than any average take-out pizza!) Best of all, the size is ginormous as compared to the other frozen varieties we tried, for up to 100 less calories per serving, with less fat, and more protein. Bingo!

Serving size 1/3 pizza, Calories 250, Total Fat 9g, Saturated Fat 4g, Trans Fat 0g, Sodium 630mg, Total Carbohydrate 28g, Fiber 4g, Protein 14g

What weekend splurge meal can you recreate? Think outside the box (..of fried chicken.) Have a happy, healthy weekend!

My Peek into The Great Protein Debate

2010-03-10T18:10:00.005-05:00

I'm sitting here delving into my high protein post-workout breakfast, and thought I'd share my latest muse.. Muscle & Fitness Hers Magazine. I am an Oxygen Magazine fan at the core but I was procrastinating getting to campus last night and I grabbed a copy of M&FHers and a green tea at CVS to kill some time, and now I'm positively stuck on the idea of weightlifting and protein and shakes and when to drink the shakes and, and, Eek!.. It's no wonder people get all fired up over their protein - there are a lot of opinons out there.

If you haven't yet been seduced by my propaganda and free advertising and hopped on over to Livestrong to start tracking your food, or you just aren't feeling that site, M&F Hers has a sort-of similar food tracking system (under the 'Trainer' tab), and theirs comes with a "personalized" training program. Most of the program components are free, but you of course have the option to fork over some monies to upgrade. The freebie version is definitely worth giving a shot if you need to focus, organize, or get re-motivated, or if you just honestly don't know what the hell you would do with a dumbbell if you had one.

I told myself I wouldn't try to throw in too much fitness and exercise advice in here because I am by no means an expert on that topic, but sometimes - ok, usually! - nutrition and fitness are inevitably (and succesfully) intertwined. I myself am entering week 4 of a self-inflicted much-more-planned-and-rigid-than-I'm-used-to exercise routine. I truly believe the saying that "the best exercise routine you can do is one you haven't tried yet." So, if I'm out of my comfort range a bit, mostly figuratively and well, literally too I guess, it's probably a good thing. Hence the addition of one full hour of swimming - in a bathing suit - in public - at the gym to which I belong. I've come leaps and bounds and pounds since true terror at the thought of a swimsuit, but still. I just learned, as of last week, how to go underwater without holding my nose. I am so lame! But Dr. Ben and Ed are doing a triathlon in August and their training schedule was contagious. Their goal is to finish all 70.3 miles, mine is to wear a two-piece bathing suit as I cheer for them from the sidelines.
P.S. That is not me in the photo. Not yet anyway.

This morning, my workout schedule had me waking up early and hitting the treadmill for interval training before breakfast. (The idea is that my body will burn up some fat as opposed to glycogen - stored up energy in my muscles - or any sugars I've eaten recently, because I hadn't eaten yet and I'd been fasting as I slept all night.) I got through about 20 minutes of intervals and started to feel very yucky. Round 1 hypothesis (further testing needed): I am the type of exerciser that needs to eat something before a workout, even if it's a little eensy bit of something.

Part two of today's plan included a brand new lifting session for Back, Chest, and Shoulders. I mix and match moves from Oxygen magazine, old favorites, and moves from other magazine tidbits. It's important to keep your body guessing! Today's moves were all courtesy of totally-likeable and huuugely-muscled 2010 Miss Figure Olympia, Nicole Wilkins. She definitely kicked my patootey - well, the patootey of my back and shoulders. i can already tell it was awesome. And fun too, because it was different.

Now for the fun and pertinent food-related part: breakfast! After feeling a little lousy during the intervals on an empty stomach earlier, (though I had paused to eat some nonfat yogurt and half an apple before lifting weights), I was pumped for food. I had simple Protein oatmeal and it was great. If you're not familiar with it yet, (and you probably should be if you're going to be scrolling through nutrition blogs, because it's mentioned a LOT.) The standard recipe is very basic:

Protein Oatmeal
Heat .5 cup steel cut oats with enough water or small amount of milk to achieve desired consistency, then mix with 1 scoop protein powder. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp ground flaxseed, if desired.
Approximate nutrition facts without flax (varies by protein brand, water vs milk, etc): Calories 270, Total Fat 4g, Carbohydrates 30g, Fiber 5g, Protein 34g.

It's a tasty, filling, and complex-carb and protein-packed post-workout meal to make sure I'm getting the most from my workout. Many many weightlifting forums have many many protein pancakes, muffins, bars, cereal, and of course shake recipes. It has nice carb sources to get your blood sugar back up and pumping, but it's really the wallop of protein that usually gets the publicity.

I'm still figuring out where I stand on the protein issue. I definitely know that you need enough biologically available protein to maintain your muscles, not just build bigger ones, and that protein keeps you fuller longer. (Aka, less snacking on random fluff.) Some heavy protein supporters suggest ingesting 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. The FDA and their food pyramid recommend a much lower percentage. I'm still on the fence. I have noticed faster weight loss when my protein percentage is higher, but faster is not always better. I don't want to trick myself into thinking I'm losing weight when I might just be losing water because I'm not taking in as many carbohydrates - because I was too full from the protein! I dig the fullness and the amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, but I don't want to get carried away and become an anti-carb-ist or protein robot.

Some reccomended protein-rich diet plans are just not feasible for real life situations. I can't pause work at 2 pm to 'snack' on 3 oz ground turkey and 1 scoop protein powder. This was an actual snack combination I saw in a recent heavy-protein diet plan - I understand that they don't expect me to blend them together and I agree that it would be a filling, nutritious snack, but how is this convenient? We must keep searching for new options.

For the moment, the Great Protein Percentage Debate must rage on, as far as I am concerned. I will keep an eye from a slight distance and relate any interesting developments. I'll also keep you posted on my weightlifting/swimming/etc progress and whether or not I've gone whacko with turkey crumbles and almonds in my pockets and scoops of protein powder hidden in potted plants in my office.

Triple Dog Dare: Healthier Workday Lunches

2010-03-08T08:18:00.001-05:00

Today is my birthday!.. Hooray! :) I have some nice little plans laid out for the rest of the day, including a long swim at the gym, some fun shopping, and dinner out with some friends, but I thought I'd kick the day off with a post in here about a topic near and dear to me, and one that seems to foul a lot of people up in their weight loss and clean eating goals: eating healthy on the run.

I am mostly talking about lunchtime at work, under the umbrella of wanting to save money, eat healthy, and not having a whole lot of time to prepare food and eat it during your break. I totally understand that it would be easier if we could just eat a frozen meal every day for lunch, or grab a Special K bar or the like, but the reality is that there are better choices with less sodium, less refined carbohydrates, more biologically-available protein, more fiber - basically better choices for lunchtime that will keep you full and coherent for the rest of your work day.

The number one excuse I have heard to shoulder the blame on an unhealthy lunch or snack at work is: I just don't have time to think of and pack up meals ahead of time. What I have to say to that is sorry, but you do, and it's important enough to sack up and do it! This is your body folks, you only get one of them. Today I am here to try and drill some nice tidbits and tactics into you so you can try healthier lunchtimes. (I want to mention healthier snacks too, but that's shpaing up to be a whole entity in itself - stay tuned.)

Before going any further, I think we need to talk about freezer bags. Lunch bags have come a long way baby! No more brown paper sacks - oh no, we are smarter these days and people have created mini freezer bags that keep our food relatively chilly for a relatively long amount of time - say.. til lunch? This is great for people whose workplaces have a busy kitchen area with minimal fridge/freezer space, or no kitchen at all. Every work day I pack up my lunch in a cute polka dot Saya bag by Thermos that I got at Target for $7.99. The cute and chic and eco-friendly baggie options are all over the place - you can probably get an insulated lunch cooler from Kate Spade if you really wanna do it up. So, the method of bringing prepared food to said workspace? No longer an issue.

Now.. what to bring? As I've officially previously admitted, I use to work for Jenny Craig, so yes, I was too guilty of bringing frozen meals to work. And I still do from time to time if things have been truly insane - but this is fewer and far betweener as I see the results of clean eating working their sweet sweet magic. I have some standby favorites for lunchtime meals that I want to share with you. They are, generally, around 250ish calories, nicely balanced, and usually taste just fine at room temperature, or easily heated (not to mention they fit into my cute tote bag). I usually also pack a whole fruit such as a banana, and apple, a cut-up honey tangerine or something similar. This helps with the occasional post-lunch sweet tooth that may arise. Here's a quick list of clean-er on the go meals that I often use:

1. Dr. McDougall's Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup, Light Sodium + 3 oz cubed grilled, skinless chicken breast, and one light Laughing Cow Cheese with carrot discs. The soup is a nice quick base with only 140 calories and 360 mg of sodium, but not nearly enough protein to sustain me, so I add in some cut up chicken, which I bring in a separate tupperware container. I cook the soup with hot water from the cooler and then add the soup to chicken. I love carrot discs as dip or cheese vehicles. (Yes I know I am starting the list with a processed food, but I am trying to show that I'm not a hater. Or a hypocrite!)

2. One can BumbleBee albacore tuna very low sodium, mixed with 2 Tbsp Smart Balance Mayo, and .5 oz walnuts, with 1 serving Kashi Heart to Heart Roasted Garlic crackers, and orange pepper strips.

3. 1 cup baby spinach, .5 cup clover sprouts with one Black Bean Burger patty, 2 Tbsp organic salsa, 1 Tbsp Smart Balance Reduced Fat sour cream. My sister-in-law gave me the best Black Bean burger recipe from the Better Homes & Garden magazine April 2009 issue. It is so cheap and easy and tasty! Definitely worth a try people, AND you can freeze leftovers for nice on-the-go meals such as this.

4. 1 Flatout multigrain with flax wrap with 1 Tbsp hummus, 4 sliced Kalamata olives, clover sprouts, shredded cabbage, and 3 oz sliced chicken. These wraps are great - whatever filling you choose. They pack 8 grams of fiber into 100 calories and they hold everything in place while you eat.

5. "Smelly shrimp salad" (You may want to forewarn your coworkers if you're testing this one.) 3-4 oz chopped cooked shrimp, mixed with 1 hard-boiled egg, .5-1 tsp curry powder, 1 Tbsp Smart Balance mayo, about 1.5 stalks chopped celery, and some onion if you are game, on 2 slices reduced-calorie whole grain bread. I love the taste of this, but maybe I am weird.. and smelly. Hopefully not.

6. 2 slices Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Bread with 2 Tbsp Low-Sodium Better N' Peanut Butter and 1 Tbsp Crofter's Superfood No Sugar-Added Jelly, and one mini-container 1% cottage cheese. I try to pair this carb-ier lunch with a higher protein breakfast, like a veggie & egg white omelet.

Ok, that's 6 different meals, enough new lunch meals to try for a whole work week. Hopefully these ideas are enough to get your brain ticking toward other lunchtime-friendly options. I dare you go to go one whole week without eating processed food for lunch. Yes, it's a little bit tough if your coworkers like to go out to eat, but doesn't that get expensive - both wallet-wise and waist-wise? Test out this way of eating lunch. If you are awesome and tracking your food, you will see your numbers improve dramatically, all by switching up one meal per day. I'm excited for you - new foods and possibilities await you. Enjoy my birthday!

I Love Me Some Coconut Extract

2010-03-04T08:03:00.002-05:00

MMmm.. coffee. I've said it before - I've got a problem. I popped out of bed at 6 am (on my day off) and had to have it! I'm always experimenting with low-calorie ways to mix it up, so I feel like I'm having one of the fancy drinks I mentioned a few posts back. Sadly, many of the extras and whips and pumps and whatnots add boatloads of 'empty cals' - messing up what could be a guilt-free and yummy start to my day. There are so many tempting Coffee Mate and International Delight flavors calling to me from the Dairy section.. are they really worth it? Can't I find a better (and leaner) option?

What I have been playing around with lately and has served me well: Extracts! Hello! Did I miss someone telling me to just use extracts in my coffee? Because it seems very obvious that I should have just done that a long time ago. I especially love coconut coffee - it reminds me of early-morning coffee on the porch at what was our family's cabin at Lake Tahoe. *sigh* Even in Philadelphia with crows squaking outside and a mile-long to-do list for today I can find a moment of solace somewhere near the bottom of my coffee mug.

(Sidenote: Dunkin Donuts makes a so-so coconut-flavored coffee that I will sometimes sip on my drive to class.. this, as well as any flavored coffee grounds, is when the manufaturer sprays the beans or grounds with a micro-spritz of coconut flavor before brewing. So, essentially, we are still talking extracts when we are talking about flavored coffee beans. Additionally, someone just suggested that I should try adding coconut water or coconut milk to my morning cup.. Touche. Duly noted - I am going to try that soon, possibly later today to procrastinate said To-Do list. For now I shall delve into extracts.)

Coconut extract is a delightful option to parry CoffeeMate's yummy Coconut Creme Coffee Creamer - 35 for 1 tbsp, all from sugar and fat. (Granted, it's not like I stick a silly straw into the stuff and drink 500 cals' worth, but.. you should see how much coffee I prepare and then drink myself. It could potentially add up.) I also am liking Almond and Vanilla extracts in my brew.

Imitation vs Artificial Extracts
I recently learned that some manufacturers need to use over 200 different flavor sources to create the flavor profile of their artificial banana extract. Eep! 200? I Googled and Bing'ed and even called McCormick for a specific ingredient list of 'Banana,' but all they gave me was what was listed on the bottle: Water, Alcohol (40%), Natural and Artificial Flavors, and FD&C Yellow 5. Alcohol at 40%? Hell yes! Party time in the Spices and Baking Accessories aisle! I did find some organic extract manufacturers, including an organic Coconut Cream Extract.. a 5 Gallon Bucket of which could be mine for a mere $468.75. McCormick did mention that the ingredients under the umbrella of 'Natural and Artificial Flavors' are on the GRAS list (more on that in a minute) - but there are not 200 N&A Flavors on that list, so I still wonder... hmm.

Side Effects?
My skeptical self is mildly concerned that there's some not-so-great side effect to ingesting extracts as much as I now do, but I may avoid those research studies, at least until I finish this morning mug. ..Ok, I couldn't help but Google mid-post - I found only some research on reactions to extracts when individuals had allergic reactions to specific ingredients, and of course the 'dangers of artificial ingredients' not truly founded on anything scientific for this particular food item. Many common flavor extract ingredients are on the FDA's GRAS list. (This source is incomplete, but helpful within the context of my little ol' post.) GRAS stands for 'Generally Recognized as Safe,' and is a list of food additives that the government has deemed as legal and 'safe under the conditions of its intended use.' (More on GRAS here.)

Super Flavors
Extracts are a nice add-in across many meals and snacks. Obviously they are used frequently in baking, but they can be added to oatmeal, ice cream, club soda, and even to protein shakes. The word in Men's Body Building websites is to try LorAnn Flavours for an extra punch of flavor in Protein Shakes. It's supposed to be a stronger flavor kick than is delivered by a regular (McCormick, generic brand, etc) extract, so less of the substance may be used for the same flavor. The company even makes a champagne extract/flavor.. Morning Mimosa Protein Shake? No thanks. I did, however, order a vial of LorAnn's peanut butter flavor to give it a test run. I don't typically add a scoop of peanut butter to my post-workout shakes anyway, but I will give this a whirl and see if it adds some zest. If it does, maybe I'll try their Salt Water Taffy flavouring.. or maybe not. Their Cheesecake flavour may be worth a go. ..Now I'm distracted and perusing their flavour list.. I'll contain myself. ..Ooh!.. Eggnog flavour? Here's hoping this is a successful experiment. I'll keep you posted.

In the end, though I drink a lot of coffee throughout the day and might therefore be taking in more of it, and as I have not yet read any breaking news about weird side effects, I kind of like my mini-discovery of extracts. And apparently, I have a whole extract-y world to uncover. You do the same and report back. Happy experimenting!

Freebie Download: Wallpaper #1

2010-02-28T17:39:00.001-05:00

As we're all winding down from the weekend, (and maybe trying to re-focus after some weekend treats) I thought it might be pertinent to share a wallpaper I made and I use to re-fuel my motivation to kick some booty. This is actually from my personal desktop, so it's personalized for me with some of my favorite weight loss monsters like BNPB, Bravo TV 'Workout' trainer Jackie Warner (wow her new workout DVD kicks my ass), livestrong, and the ultimate goal - cute 2 piece bathing suits. Seeing this background from time to time as I'm working on my computer can be enough to inspire me, so maybe it would help you as well, despite my personal touches.

I love messing around with graphics; I used to have a graphics website but it got kind of lame as I went to college and didn't update as much. But maybe I can refresh my skills and make some desktop backgrounds for you fine people from time to time. For now, if you'd like to borrow my inspiration, have at it! It's a brand new week and month - let's eat some healthy stuff in balanced days, track our food, and do this thang.

Clickie to download.

Step away from the salt shaker

2010-02-26T14:31:00.002-05:00

...and snip up some herbs.

70% of Americans salt their food without tasting it first. In France, (and I'd imagine most upscale restaurants and maybe in some homes for that matter), this is considered a major foodie faux pas - have you ever seen that episode of I Love Lucy where she orders ketchup (which is highly salty) with her escargot and the chef comes storming out, cursing at her in French? It suggests that the chef did not properly season the food, and you are being so bold as to correct the error or mask the flavor. Most of us don't mean it as an insult - we are just addicted to the stuff. It's just a staple of our day-to-day dietary intake, usually without us consciously thinking about it.

Salt is mixed into processed food for many reasons and is the biggest source of sodium in the American diet (around 77% overall). But we also add it during cooking, baking, and at the table, and salt occurs naturally in a lot of foods. We are salt-a-holics, and we need to re-think what we're doing to our food, because there are tastier alternatives out there - herbs and spices, and different ways of preparing food - that won't negatively affect our bodies. In fact, adding herbs and spices instead of salt can mean you're sprinkling in antioxidants and minerals, instead of a substance that raises your blood pressure and cause bloat. Let's examine, you and I, some sneaky sodium sources, and how to branch out into the herby & spicy world - for the betterment of both your body systems and your taste buds.

Most people need to keep their sodium intake at or below 2300mg/day, which equals about 1 tsp per day. Those with HBP (aka hypertension) should keep it lower, at or below around 1500mg/day. Some athletes require more sodium in their diets because they may sweat it out during heavy workouts, but this is a narrow slice of the population. (I reiterate: sign up at livestrong.com for an easy way to track your sodium intake!) Many fall into categories of special at-risk populations that need to keep salt intake on the low side. These groups include: African-Americans, middle-aged people and older adults, not to mention those with a familial risk for heart disease. A study by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) in 2006 showed that on average, an American takes in about 3500/mg day. That is not ok!

Processed Food
An admission: I used to work for Jenny Craig. I worked there for two years, pumping processed food morning til night to my clients, feeling guiltier all the while as I learned more and more about proper nutrition - hellooo? Why do you think I quit? (Among other reasons.) Processed food may be convenient, but at what price? (Body-wise, not dollar-wise. Unfortunately, a lot of processed food is less expensive than whole foods - think 'The Dollar Menu' here people. Stupid but true. Low quality, less-carefully-cared-for ingredients cost less, in food as in any consumer product.)

Like I said, the majority of sneaky salt (I picture a salt shaker looking sinister in the shadows, with a trenchcoat and a hat shifted asconce) comes from processed food. So how do we fix that? Eat less processed food. Yup, I am on that bandwagon. I'm not saying you have to cook every meal, all the time. But perhaps you should take a look at what your meals consist of. If you're 'dieting,' are you eating 100-calorie packs left and right? Are you grabbing the reduced-fat version of Cheez Its? These types of foods may remove some of the fat or calories, but check out the salt content. (The Eat This Not That series explains this fabulously.) Chances are, the manufacturer has tossed in some extra sodium to impart some flavor to that nutrition-less bite of fluff. Lean Cuisines, Smart Ones, Healthy Choice? Not so much, when it comes to sodium. Some of these bad boys can rack up 700 mg of salt. Yikes.

I'm not belittling your choices, maybe just your daily combinations. For example, I myself love the SmartOnes Breakfast Quesadilla. Not exactly clean eating (check out the mile-long ingredient label!) but on a lousy morning when I haven't thought ahead, I love to pop that in the m-wave and head out the door. This tasty breakfast packs 710mg of sodium. So, because I care about my body, I will make sure that come lunch and dinner and snack times, I will be eating clean. That way, I have at least controlled the wallop from the morning by countering it with some healthy low-sodium meals later in the day. Another biggie I want to mention: salad dressing. The 'best' light dressings may be low in fat, cals, and sugar but can pack 500mg of sodium - just for 2 tablespoons! I try to stick with Trader Joe's versions or yogurt-based dressings from Wegmans. Even better? Make your own! Then you take the control back completely.

Herbs & Spices
I recently had to watch a video for a course about herbs and spices. It was made, from the looks of it, in the early '80's (e-NOR-mous hair.. wow.) and I wanted to poke my eyes out after ten minutes of watching it, just to keep things interesting. I was grumpy, because I really was interested to learn more about what spice/herb goes best with what. Such is the nutrition-nerd's quest. (P.S. An herb is a leaf from a fragrant plant, a spice is a flavorful part of a plant - it may be from the root, seed, or body of the plant itself.) So here's the low-down on the most popular and useful herbs & spices that I think ought to be in your kitchen, in front of the salt shaker. This isn't extensive, but these selections are always popping up in my dishes:

Basil: Fragrant, sweet-peppery herb often used in Italian cooking. 2 Tbsp of the stuff provides 60% of your DV of Vitamin K. Distant second in nutrients are iron and calcium. I love basil - fresh, dried, or sold mashed-up in tubes in the produce section. Add it to omelets, meatball mixes (awesome turkey meatball recipe coming soon), homemade dips and sauces.

Paprika: Friendly member of the pepper family, which all contain capsaicin - the culprit some try to talk up as a fat burner. (It does raise your metabolism a minute amount for a brief amount of time - but only in large doses that people don't usually consume.) It is high in Vitamin C and can range in flavor from sweet to to smoky to spicy. It adds a nice red-orange color to eggs, veggie dishes, stews, quiches, and just about anything that needs a slight kick.

Cilantro: is the leaf of the coriander plant and may also be called Chinese Parsley. It has a very unique flavor and aroma, and is common in Mexican and Caribbean dishes. Chop or snip fresh cilantro leaves for a burst of Latin flavor and Vitamin C in salsas, sauces, stews, curries, burritos, chili, and baked potatoes.

Parsley: Not just a garnish! Parsley instantly freshens the flavor of any dish and 2 Tbsp has 153% of your DV of Vitamin K, and lots of Vitamins A and C. It also has a special health benefit of containing volatile oils, (aromatic oils) that have been shown to fight cancer in rats. Maybe that's why my guinea pigs love it so much. Great on just about every savory dish you come up with, or blended into your favorite fruit-based smoothie recipe.

Garlic Powder: Be sure to buy a brand that is just pure garlic, smashed to powder - some brands add 'flavor-enhancers.' A lot of health claims about heart disease or anti-fungal properties usually come with garlic, but no scientific studies have truly shown a significant connection. Bummer. But! It is a great, strong flavor that may help you to overcome your desire to add salt. Garlic is great in so many dishes - meats, pasta, rice, seafood, etc.

Curry Powder: Used in a lot of Indian dishes for a nice kick and special flavor. Curry powder is always a blend of various spices including varying percentages of: coriander, cumin, garlic, mustard seed, cloves, nutmeg, pepper, fenugreek, and others. I love it when my taste buds need a change - I make a great (but fragrant, according to coworkers - sorry guys!) shrimp + egg salad flavored with curry. (how can that combo NOT smell?)

Dill: If I'm making tuna salad, I am using dried dill weed. Funny name aside, fresh dill weed is awesome baked with lemon on fish, and dried dill is tasty in mixed salads, on salmon, and in omelets.

Crushed Rosemary: When my best friend got married last May, her Dad gave away potted rosemary plants to guests to symbolize matrimony (or something), and I was pumped because I looove rosemary. You must crush it up with a mortar and pestle, else one gets twigs of rosemary stuck in one's teeth. But once it's fine enough, sprinkled in omelets it is deliciously earthy, pine-like, and fragrant. Rachael Ray (still on the fence about liking her or not) has a great Rosemary and Ham Scone(!) recipe that I love. Rosemary also contains up to 20% of camphor, a bioactive compound associated with respiratory health.

Tarragon: I make a healthier version of Barefoot Contessa's Chicken Salad Veronique with fresh tarragon and it is wonderful. (I can't recommend the full-fat version. Ina Garten loves "good" mayo way too much.) Tarragon is fairly sweet, almost licorice-like, and adds a great flavor to fish, chicken, lamb, or stews, and is used a lot in French cuisine. I've been spotting more and more crackers with tarragon baked in - I will definitely try them soon.

Whole Peppercorns + Grinder: Sometimes when you want to salt something, you should try pepper first. Adding a full, spicier flavor with pepper may round out the dish enough. I fully support owning a pepper grinder, so you can grind the peppercorns yourself, so you get access to the fresh pepper oils before they are allowed to sit out and lose flavor to the air. Remember that there are more varieties than black - try pink peppercorns, or the spicier white version. Check out the food wall at the closest Williams & Sonoma for all their crazy peppercorn choices.

I hope this post at least gets you thinking about trying some new herbs & spices instead of salt. Branch out; find your favorites, and report back. Do I predict a kitchen herb garden sprouting up for you soon? I hope so. Happy herb'ing.. in the kitchen I mean.

My Beloved Better N' Peanut Butter

2010-02-25T08:49:00.002-05:00

It's a snow day here in Philadelphia.. again! I don't work on Thursdays, my classes were canceled, and I can't seem to sleep, so I figured it's a lovely time for my official post on my peanut-butter-y addiction, all-natural Better n' Peanut Butter.

Such is my love of nut butters that I am sitting here, sipping my Starbucks (of course I had to stop for a Grande - even in a blizzard), having just returned from my 6:45 am trip to the grocery store, through the swirling sky of snowy white, in an attempt to find a nice almond butter to try the Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe from the March issue of Clean Eating magazine. I'm going to be stuck in my apartment all day, and Ed had to unfortunately trudge his way to the office despite the snow, so I thought I'd try some new baking. I didn't find the Almond butter I was looking for (the only brand they had was $8.99 - I ain't cheap but I ain't exactly dying for these cookies today), but I did grab another jar of my daily staple - Low-Sodium BNPB, as I (and fellow enthusiasts) call it for the sake of brevity.

I'd love to get some peanut butter-loving people on the BNPB bandwagon with me, so here's the low-down on this crazy spread.

The FDA requires something called 'standards of identity' for food products. Basically, it's a 'must-have' list of criteria for a food to be legally sold as its common name. For example, for a mixture to be sold as 'mayonnaise,' it must contain oil, eggs, and some kind of acid, and there must be 65% oil in the finished product. That is mayo, according to the FDA, and that is what you've bought when you've bought mayo since 1940, when this Law was enacted.

But sometimes manufacturers make slight differences to recipes to alter the taste of the food, its nutritional profile, or any number of reasons - but that can change the contents of the food or at least the percentages of ingredients. They still want to label it as they had been - instead of trying to convince you to buy some new food you've never heard of and therefore might comfortable with. Plus, on your end, you could miss out on low-fat ice cream, being confused because they couldn't label it as ice cream after reducing the fat content. So, the FDA allows for 'nutrient content claims,' which are specific modifiers on foods that specify how a food has been changed from its original common recipe. They are super-specific, and are few in number - think 'Reduced' or 'Calorie-free.' Why am I explaining all of this stuff? Because it has to do with BNPB.

BNPB is "Less Fat, Less Calories, Low Sodium Peanut Butter." It's still technically peanut butter, but requires three modifiers! Sometimes it's a faux pas in the nutrition world to consume these kinds of foods that require extensive descriptors, but that is dumb and I don't care. It is delicious. You can get the regular-sodium version, but I greatly prefer the Low Sodium variety - the regular tastes like salt paste to me.

The texture is pretty different from normal peanut butter, it is more viscous (syrup-like) as opposed to stiff and firm. That really is the only difference to me. Peanuts are the number one ingredient, but they are used as defatted peanut flour (still high in protein but lower in fat) followed by peanut butter. They use tapioca and tapioca starch for thickening, and all ingredients are naturally-derived. AKA, this isn't some weird concoction of chemicals and artificial sweeteners - they just messed with the proportions of things. It's great on apples, baby carrots (my food-vehicle of choice), rice cakes, whole grain toast - anything you would use real peanut butter for. For half the calories and 85% less fat!

Low-Sodium Better n' PB: Svg Size: 2 TBSP. Calories 100, Total Fat 2g, Trans Fat 0g, Sodium 95mg, Total Carb 13g, Fiber 2g, Sugars 2g, Protein 4g.

as compared to a perfectly nice choice for a standard, MUFA-filled PB, and approximately similar to most natural peanut butters:
Wegmans Natural Peanut Butter: Svg Size: 2 TBSP. Calories 200, Total Fat 16g, Trans Fat 0g, Sodium 10mg, Total Carb 6g, Fiber 2g, Sugars 1g, Protein 9g.

as compared to a what I consider a lousy peanut butter choice:
Peter Pan Peanut Butter: Svg Size 2 TBSP. Calories 210, Total Fat 17g, Trans Fat 1g, Sodium 140mg, Total Carb 5g, Fiber 2g, Sugars 3g, Protein 8g.
(Ed's brother Ray makes peanut butter cookies with Peter Pan Peanut Butter because, more or less in his words, "It's the crappiest! - the huge amount of oily fat in there makes the creamiest cookies." And seriously, those cookies are amazing. I hate when he makes them because I go against my better judgement and devour them. Shame on me. I know better! Shame on Ray too! Gym-junkie and MMA amateur, he knows better too!)

Non-natural peanut butters can be scary territory, especially when you consider how many servings you may unintentionally eat, if you're not a portion-measuring nut like myself. Chemical pesticide residues linger in oils, so a jar of non-organic peanut butter may be a nice little container of chemical residues to spread on your sandwich. Yum. Non-natural peanut butters can (and usually do) contain a ton of low-quality fats, even containing trans fats. Remember! Just because the nutrition label says 0g trans fat, it may still contain the maximum-allowable amount (less than .5g) of this nasty artery-clogging fat that without appearing on the nutrition label. Checking the ingredient label on peanut butters is a must. Look for partially- or fully hydrogenated oils. Those are trans fats, folks. Beware.

All kinds of nut butters have their great attributes, and I recommend getting creative! I love Sunbutter, a nut butter made from sunflower seeds. Like I mentioned, almond butter is good stuff (or so I hear.. I will wait for a jar that is less than $9.00, thankyouverymuch.) And there is soynut butter, cashew butter, macadamia nut butter, hemp seed butter, tahini, etc etc. *Phew!* So many to try! It's worth taste-testing to pick out your favorite flavors for a great daily MUFA source. I would love love love a hazelnut butter recommendation if you have one - hazelnuts remind me of my uncle who lived in Oregon - seems like they are everywhere in that part of the country. I was a hazelnut-nut when I would go to visit. For the record, I am so impressed with those of you who make your own nut butters. The word on the street is that it is quite easy, but I have not the patience currently to try - maybe some day.

All in all, for quantity-without-calorie-lovers, and peanut butter fanatics alike, I would fully recommend this BNPB spread ASAP. It might not be a great MUFA source, but I love it as an all-natural nighttime snack on carrots, and I love that I get the peanut butter flavor for less than the regular caloric kick of normal peanut butter. Remember to refrigerate after opening, and comment to let me know what you think once you have tried it. I hope you happily join me in the BNPB-Addicts-Not-So-Anonymous soon.

Do you know Gnu?

2010-02-22T14:52:00.001-05:00

I cannot believe I forgot to mention my favorite fiber-filled goodie, and so I must quickly update this blog o' mine so that I can spread the good word on: Gnu Foods Flavor & Fiber Bars. This awesome all-natural bar has 12 monster grams of fiber - that is nearly 50% of a woman's daily fiber count. Their high fiber blend is a blend of their own, packed with: whole rolled oats, whole wheat flour, wheat bran, organic kamut (an ancient grain), psyllium, flax, and millet. Then on top of that they pack in chicory root inulin, which is what most manufacturers use to add fiber to their granola bars or cereals. Get in the habit of peeking at ingredient lists, not just nutrition labels.

Gnu bars are super fresh-tasting, with 6 whole grains, sweetened entirely with fruit juice. My favorite flavor, hands-down, is Orange Cranberry - the aroma of the citrus volatiles (the delightfully-fragrant gases that enter the air when you open the package, or cut an orange peel, for that matter) hit your nose immediately and then the sweet, chewy, crunchy bar is lovely and quite decently-sized for a mere 130 calories. There are 6 other tasty flavors available. To my preference, my favorites from best to very good, after Orange Cranberry, are: Banana Walnut, Cinnamon Raisin, Chocolate Brownie, Peanut Butter, Espresso Chip, and Lemon Ginger. I get my supply at Whole Foods, but on their website you can sign up for a monthly shipment of bars, by enrolling in the Joy of Fiber Club. (cute.) Enjoy this new find! Which I just now see - as I am typing this - is mentioned in this month's issue of Oxygen magazine! I am psychic.

My Discovery of Wegmans Mini Scones

2010-02-21T19:40:00.004-05:00

My boyfriend Ed and I have a great Sunday routine. Though it's not likely perceived as particularly special to anyone outside of our coupledom, we're happy with it and it serves as a re-charge for the rest of the week. I wouldn't make public note of it except today it happened to include the makings of the very first Scone Update! (insert dramatic music here)

We rolled out of bed as usual, threw on some hoodies and headed out for grocery shopping at Wegmans and random errands, inevitably stopping at Starbucks, home of The Cinnamon Scone. I wasn't even planning on getting one, but of course I always give it a little longing-filled looksie, regardless. How about this for a slap from the universe to remind me that I definitely wasn't getting a cinnamon scone today? Lame.

Bastards! Pleeenty of berry scones left (which are pretty decent, but a little dry and not enough to tempt me from my sort-of-carefully-derived macro-nutrient breakdown for the day.) Cinnamon is where it's at.

So, we got our coffee and continued on to Wegmans, best food market around (save Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and specialty stores for specific "health food" shopping.) If you've never been to Wegmans, I hope you get to visit one soon. They are fairly localized to the Northeast region of the U.S., expanding all the time. Go visit a long-lost Pennsylvania relativeif you have one, just for the Wegmans experience. Noticeably-friendlier staff, great selection of fresh produce and organic foods, prepared foods section with demos, etc etc. And today.. they shot right up the rankings of grocery stores close to my heart (of which, weirdly, there are many), as I discovered... Wegmans Mini Cinnamon Scones. Needless to say, I did kind of a little jump-skip-dance in place as I tossed the tub o' scones into the cart.

Nutrition Label:

Serving size: 3 mini scones. Calories 230, Total Fat 10g, Saturated Fat 4.5g, Trans Fat 0g, Sodium 240mg, Carbs 33g, Fiber 0g, Sugars 14g, Protein 3g.

which means...

Serving size: 1 mini scone. Calories 76, Total Fat 3g, Saturated Fat 1.5g, Trans Fat 0g, Sodium 80g, Carbs 11g, Fiber 0g, Sugars 5g, Protein 1g.

That is not too shabby people! Plus they are only $2.99 for 15 scones, have a decent shelf life length, and they taste just divine! Moist (without the aid of any partially hydrogenated oils per the ingredients label - score another point for Wegs), sweet but not too sweet, and very cinnamon-y, which makes me happy. What a find! I may not eat them every day - I'll probably bring about half of the container to work, but suffice to say, this is a lovely discovery. Not to mention, these tender scone-y delights come in different flavors. I am partial to cinnamon, as you well know, but I'm down for trying orange cranberry and whatever else Wegmans comes up with in the mini scones line.

Extra-Hot Double Half-Calf Soy Latte No Whip

2010-02-21T14:00:00.002-05:00

Couldn't you just smack the customer in front of you when they order their coffee? Plus, you probably haven't had your coffee yet if you are behind this person in the coffee line, so you're kind of set up for extra aggravation at this kind of multi-syllabic order. Or maybe you are this person with the complicated drink, and you are just picky. And that is ok, as long as you would definitely notice the difference between your complex multi-layered beverage and if someone accidentally gave you a regular cup of house blend with no frills. If you wouldn't notice, what the hell are you doing ordering that contraption? For shame.

I say this because when in college I was a barista for a semester. I worked with one of my best friends, Amanda, and this combo did not always end up as the best possible situation for the consumers (Skim milk for the annoying girl I hated from my stat class? I think not. Whole milk it is! ..I cringe as I type and admit this indiscretion. For the record, I would never do that now. Nutritional profiles are too important and that is unethical and disrespectful. What if they had diabetes? I hang my head in shame. But she was obnoxious.) My point here is that I have the perspective not only as a nutrition geek, but as as both a consumer and a barista, seeing the coffee world from both sides of the counter. Plus I just gave a presentation on coffee in a nutrition course so I'm all pumped up on the topic right now.

Coffee is a source of antioxidants and I am in a co-dependent relationship with it. Coffee's antioxidant properties are how I am allowing myself to weasel in a post about coffee drinks in a nutrition blog. Now, keep in mind, when you are reading studies and bulletins and magazines about how coffee is a 'number one source of antioxidants in the USA,' remember that they may be stretching the truth of the matter. Coffee might be the number once source because Americans drink so much damn coffee. Because it is such a large percentage of what we ingest, it may just make up more of the overall percentage. Got the general idea? This is not always the case, and I tend to be skeptical of most claims on anything.

However, coffee is rich in antioxidants; on whether it is the number one source in USA, I have not formed an opinion. Coffee contains many polyphenols, which are plant compounds that act as antioxidants. Highly simplified, an antioxidant acts like your bodyguard. Free radicals are these free-floating bullies, looking to latch on to your healthy cells and rip part of them away to complete themselves. When you have antioxidants patroling the area (in your bloodstream, or in and around your cells) the antioxidant-bodyguard will take the bullet for you. It throws itself in the way of the free radical and the free radical uses the antioxidant to complete. Satisfied, it leaves your cells alone. That is overly simplified (can't wait to get angry-ish emails from fellow nutrition geeks!) but that's a general understanding. Roasted coffee beans have more antioxidant properties than the young fresh green coffee beans. And, by the way, coffee beans aren't beans at all - they are seeds of coffee fruit. (I was going to go further into detail on the antioxidant properties of coffee, and I may yet in a later post, but if your interest is piqued, please check out the Coffee Science Information Centre's study on Antioxidants in Coffee. Complicated science terms in there but very very thorough.)

As we know, coffee is also a caffeine source, containing approximately 90-150 mg of the buzzy stuff. (Ideally - and as always, generally - speaking, you want to cap off your caffeine intake somewhere around 300mg/day. Anything over about 550mg might cause minor to not-so-minor health issues like jitters, headaches, anxiety, cholesterol complications, etc.) Coffee is also a diuretic, meaning that makes you pee more and thus may end up dehydrating you. That's my 'proceed with moderation' blurb.

Here is the low-down on fancy-schmancy coffee and espresso (e-S-presso, not e-X-presso) drinks and lingo so you can be a coffee snob with the best of them, and hopefully find a drink that suits your morning routine and/or weight loss regime nicely.

Coffee:  These people know more about coffee than I would ever care to know or try to condense here in few sentences. I'm an enthusiast, but.. wow. I will mention that there are flavored coffees and flavored syrups for coffee. Manufacturers usually produce flavored coffee (i.e., vanilla, hazelnut) by spraying regular coffee beans with a flavor spray during the grinding process.

I have such fun looking at random coffee blends from less mainstream sources. My favorite? Some blends I recently spotted at Whole Foods, by Raven's Brew Coffee: Three Peckered Billy Goat Blend: Sup from the Cup That Keeps You Up, & Wicked Wolf Blend: Grandma's Gone but the Coffee's On.

Espresso: Often the basis for premium coffee drinks, espresso is a type of coffee made from a very dark french roast bean. It's made from steam on specialized equipment. You may hear people asking for a single or double shot.. these may also be called 'solo' or 'doppio.'  You may hear a stressed-out student with bloodshot eyes and a quivering voice order a 'quad shot' at 10 p.m. This is 4 espresso shots. Overkill much?

Espresso Macchiatto: Espresso with steamed milk. (Usually these are flavored with one of the extensive varieties of flavored syrups or combinations thereof. Caramel comes to mind most readily.. I wonder why..)

Cafe au lait: Regular brewed coffee with steamed milk.

Cappuccino: 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, 1/3 foam. Ordering a ‘dry’ cappuccino means that there is very little, if any steamed milk. They just want the foam. To order a double is to order an extra shot of espresso in there. Additionally, to order 'half-caff' means that one of the espresso shots is caffeinated, and the other is decaf.

Cafe Latte:  tres chic these days - it is espresso with steamed milk and very little foam.

Cafe Breve: A-HA! A more obscure coffeehouse order for those in the mood to enjoy life's edible pleasures. A cafe Breve is 1/3 espresso, 1/3 warm half-and-half, and 1/3 foam.

Americano: I thank my brother, Dr. Ben, for the tip on this waist-friendly counter to the latte. It is espresso with hot water, no foam. You get the volume and somewhat-similar flavor of the latte, without the calories and milk sugar. (A latte is often a healthy treat depending on your add-ins, don't get me wrong, but this is a nice option if you haven't factored a latte into your day and you need a caffeine hit.)

Cafe Mocha: Ed's drink of choice, a mocha (or white mocha) is espresso, chocolate (or white chocolate) syrup, steamed milk, and foam.

Red Eye or "Sludge Cup" (depending on geography): Regular Drip-coffee with a shot of espresso

Black Eye or "Shot in the Dark" (depending on geography): Regular Drip-coffee with two shots of espresso

To most of these selections there may of course be special requests like extra hot, half-caff, or dry (as described above). Then, to any drink may be added: whole, 2%, or skim milk, soy milk, almond milk, lactose-free milk, half-and-half, flavored coffee creamers, whipped topping, sugar, Turbinado sugar, splenda, equal, stevia, honey, agave syrup, etc etc etc ETCETERA.

The bottom line is that pretty much any whacky combination of coffee terms that you can concoct in your brain can probably be concoted at the coffee bar. Or your house.  My CPA boyfriend calculated that his more-or-less 5 days a week White Mocha order sets him back more-or-less $1,500 a year. Eep! Ok, so that may inspire you to follow the new economy-fueld trend of home-brewing. Personally, I enjoy the morning stop at Starbucks. I go with a large House Blend, 1 tbsp half-and-half. 5 days a week, no fail. That may sound lame, but anything to delay my arrival at the workplace is A-OK in my book.

Hopefully you can now understand why I was justifiably irritated when last week the girl in front of me in line ordered a nonfat Americano from the girl behind the counter. That poor barista was in for a long day.

My Adventure with Sardines

2010-02-16T21:04:00.009-05:00

Settle in and let me regale you with the story of my first experience (to my recollection) with sardines. I consider myself a pretty open-minded person when it comes to trying odd foods, particularly when said food is allegedly nutrient dense. Sometimes, this brings me to some interesting meal options.

Consistently, in my thirst for nutritional knowledge, I kept coming across the topic of sardines. Sardines this, sardines that, sardines and Omega 3's (the importance and name-origins of which I will likely tackle in an upcoming post), sardines and calcium.. yadda yadda yadda. So, hoping as ever to find the next esoteric 'staple' of my healthy daily plate, I decided to emrace my open-mindedness and give them a whirl.

Sidenote with me for a minute here.. Ed and I were on vacation in Virginia Beach a couple of years ago. Being two 20-somethings happily coupled together, we are not so much into the nightclub bar scene anymore. Which means that at 3 am we were proceeding to drink our faces off in our hotel room, making fun of people on TV. Actually much more fun than it sounds, I swear. Anyway, we ended up watching a mini-marathon of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. Now THAT guy has an open mind when it comes to food. I definitely hate that he chews with his mouth open, but you have to be a little awe-struck by the revolting (ethnocentrically-speaking) foods he tries. The episode that comes to mind most vividly is the one in which he eats a slab of shark fat that had been left for weeks to rot and fester in a shack in the middle of Iceland, or Poland, or somewhere. If I have the patience to locate a YouTube video clip soon I will absolutely post it here asap - it must be seen to be believed. And then to have nightmares about.

Edit: Found it! Click here for a video.. and I beg your pardon, it is putrefied shark meat, not fat. Muuuch better. Bleh.

Sardines are readily found near the canned tuna and salmon at grocery store. They have about 25 calories per fish, 1 gram of heart-healthy fat each, and 3 grams of protein each. Before when I said 'to my recollection,' I was referencing my Dad, who when I was little would pop open a can of sardines like it was a bag of chips and down the whole thing. I'm pretty sure he made me taste them once or twice but I don't remember my reaction before or after. Perhaps I have selective amnesia of the event. My Dad prefers the canned sardines smothered in spicy mustard, which is a way you can purchase them. I can easily see why anyone would prefer this variety - sardines are teeny fishes, packaged, full bodies, (usually) with their little heads lopped off. (Anchovies are much the same, except very salty and apparently of a fishier flavor. Haven't tried them except in Caesar dressing, and they really create a tasty flavor there. hmm.. next experiment? Unlikely.) You can also get sardines packed in olive oil, sauces, or in water (least salty and retains most omega-3's), or get them uncooked. And you can get them with or without their little skeletons included.

Yes, you want the skeletons. Gross. But the little bones are what gives the food most of its calcium-rich content, and according to a manufacturer, they add 'nothing but a delicate crunch' to the mouthfeel, and sometimes people don't even notice that they're in there. 3 ounces of sardines, with bones, has about 325 mg of calcium. (Most people need at least 1000mg/day.)

So, I went to the store and I analyzed tins of fish. Holding the tins, I was already pre-grossed out knowing what hid beneath the pull-back metal top. But I'd be damned, I said I was going to try them and I would. I waited until I was very hungry for lunch (I think most of us would agree that food tastes better when we're hungry), and toasted two pieces of rye bread. I spread the bread with spicy mustard.. and opened the tin. I love sushi, I love canned tuna, salmon, crab.. but when I saw those little guys crammed in there? Yuck to the MAX. Shiny fish scales with not-so-cleanly rips where the heads used to be. I tentatively pushed a butter knife into the side of one of the crammed-in fish and it gave way to a firm smoothness. I loaded the knife with hunk after hunk of shiny, greasy, fish mass and plopped it onto my toasted bread. Orange juice at the ready, like a chaser to a Vodka shot, I slammed the other piece of bread on top and took a massive bite.

I definitely felt the spine of the little fish on my tongue, I definitely whiffed fish-aroma as it went up the back of my throat to the olfactories. But all in all, taste-wise, it was doable, similar to tuna but not quite on par. It was a little mental don't-gag battle as I slugged the rest down, where hopefully, my body greatly benefitted from my willingness to experiment and gave super sardine powers for the reaminder of the day. Because I doubt I'll ever eat sardines again. As much as I am not a fan of supplements over food-based nutrients, I think I'll stick to my fish oil pills. Hell, they even make them for kids - chewable strawberry flavor capsules, coming my way!

But I will ask, did I go in too balls to the walls with the straight up outta-the-can sandwich style? Anyone have a healthy sardine sandwich or other sardine recipe that might sway me? I am, as always, open to suggestions and accompanying repentance.

Finding Fiber 101

2010-02-15T20:11:00.007-05:00

I have become quite the fiber-sneaker-inner. It makes you feel full and helps fight heart disease. Enough fiber in your system (25g for women daily & 40g for men daily), helps your body to create larger bulks of food, because the fiber we're talking about is indigestible.  These bulks trigger greater peristalsis - movement of the muscles of your digestive tract - to keep it moving through your system and shorten the transit time. Aka, healthy GI tract and no lingering particles to collect and hang out in there. Dr. Oz likes to say, "Admire your work" when he talks on the benefits of fiber. I won't get into too much detail on that one, but he certainly does - feel free to Google. Suffice to say, he explains the end result pretty well. Just remember: Add fiber gradually to your daily intake, lest ye get a bloaty, gassy belly, as well as frequent, potentially-uncomfortable trips to the restroom.

I thought I'd share some ways to squeeze some fiber into your days so you can begin or enhance your quest to have a nice healthy system going. Many fiber options await you..

A good place to start? Fiber One Original cereal. The other Fiber One varieties are tasty, such as frosted shredded wheat or caramel delight, and they might be good as part of a homegrown trail mix, but they come hand-in-hand with added sugar, which is a no-no most-most of the time-time. Add a mere 1/4 cup of Fiber One Original to nonfat yogurt or your usual morning cereal bowl, and get a whopping addition of 7 grams of fiber for a scant 30 calories. Not too shabby. I also bake with Fiber One by heating a 1/2 cup serving with some water, mashing the concoction, and adding it to the ingredient bowl of muffins right when you mix dry and wet ingredients together. Hungry Girl, (though I am not a diehard fan of her super-low-calorie diet plans), uses Fiber One to great advantage by crunching it up and using it in lieu of breadcrumbs for oven "frying." Great idea! Though I prefer Fiber One to All Bran (a personal preference; only slight differences per the nutrition label), I do like All Bran's Bran Buds. They are verastile and meld nicely into homemade granola or homemade protein bars for very few calories.

We all have been battered near to death by the whole grain wave, and thus we know that grain items made with whole grain tend to have a nice serving of fiber, as they include not only the endosperm of the grain, but also the bran and the germ. My rule of thumb with buying bread and items of the like are that they must have a fiber content of at least 3g fiber per serving.

I love love love english muffins and their nookiness and cranniness. Weight Watchers and Lite Thomas english muffins are staple in my fridge, and each delivers around 8 g of fiber for around 100 calories. Yes, they are processed. I make no apologies, Tosca. But, as an amends, I also support the consumption of sprouted grain bread, which my boyfriend likes to call 'Jesus Bread' because I buy the version that says 'Ezekiel' on it. (He likes his little joke.)  In sprouted grain bread, not only do you get a nice dose of fiber, but you get the benefit of the high nutritional profiles of young, recently sprouted grains.

Do you listen to Howard Stern? Robin Quivers often gets mocked for her mysterious murky green drink (among other things).  Robin adds a very finely ground green-hued powder, cleverly called Green Powder, to her beverages for a monster nutrient kick. It is for the most part a proprietary blend of plant leaves, roots, and extracts in varying levels by various manufacturers. I like Amazing Grass Green Superfood Powder. For a bang of naturally-acquired vitamins and minerals, you also get 2g of fiber for very few calories. It tastes kind of like tea, but does in fact inseparably come with an odd green color. Healthy, but not quite exactly like Mother said: Drink your peas!

Don't look only to breads and grains for fiber. Fruits & veggies are, of course, a gold mine. Learn to love, if you don't already, a baked sweet potato with Smart Balance Buttery Burst Spray, and a sprinkling of nutmeg and cinnamon. 4g of fiber and quite the yum factor and nutrient powerhouse. A handful of raspberries packs about 5g of fiber. Too many fiber-filled options to list from the produce section! And when eating fruits and veggies, be sure to eat the skin if you can, generally speaking. The skin is what protects the rest of the fruit or veggie - you want those protective factors too.

I am not so much a fan of Benefiber and other likely culprits. Broken down, fiber content to calorie and other-nutrient content, there are better bets out there. I started my fiber journey there, and I wouldn't judge you (much) for doing the same, but I urge you to find and enjoy fiber in its natural states, not added to a cup of coffee via Benefiber, or for that matter, a packet of artificial sweetener.

I have only begun to peddle fiber into your life. I could probably write a term paper on smart fiber sources; this could be a multi-part segment. Thrilling! So, more ideas soon. Til next time, happy endings to you all.

Become a Food-Log-a-holic

2010-02-15T12:55:00.007-05:00

As I'm melding together ideas for future informative and comprehensive posts for you fine people, I realized that I can't continue without mentioning livestrong.com. If you are serious about getting healthy/losing weight/training for an event/taking responsibility for your health or nutrition-related illness, this site is your first step. As you read health magazines or books, or listen to your buddies, or talk to trainers at the gym, this is what you can tangibly go home and use. Now. We like instant gratification. You can track everything you eat, in the portions that you eat it, and get an unbiased, detailed report of many important factors. I've been tracking my food on livestrong's TheDailyPlate for a good 2 years now, and while I'm kind of a nut about it, it has been immensely helpful. As a matter of fact, I don't know how I would have done with weight loss without this crazy tool.

First of all, it is easy to use. All you do is search for the food you ate and click 'I Ate This.' They have more foods listed on their site than the ADA has on their online food tracker, so you can be very accurate with your log.

Second of all it is free. FREE. I mean, you can pay for Gold membership but I have done just fine with the free membership - it is a detailed enough account of your day's nutrients to make sure you are hitting the numbers you need to hit.

What numbers? What is she talking about? There are basic nutrional goals that you want to achieve on a daily basis. So again, the instant gratification thing. It's not complicated, you just start to tailor your day to make sure you are doing ok on basic intakes. In later posts I intend to discuss actual behaviors to help with these counts, but for now, here's the what's and how much's...

Macronutrients: Like I said, I have the free version of TheDailyPlate, which does not give you micronutrient - aka vitamin and mineral - breakdowns, but you do get a nice macronutrient - carbs, protein, fat - breakdown, in a lovely pie chart nonetheless! The Daily Plate will show you, based on total calories, the amount of calories you are getting from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Remember, you get 4 calories from each gram of carb or protein, and you get 9 calories per gram of fat. The free version doesn't tell you further specifics such as simple vs complex carbs or saturated vs MUFA's, but you get a nice general picture. If you haven't been tracking your food (naughty!), you haven't had any kind of breakdown yet, so start here and rejoice.

Fiber: Fiber is your friend. But, if I say one thing about fiber and never speak of it again, please gradually build up your fiber intake. If you haven't been consuming the recommended 25 grams/day for women and 40 grams/day for men, and you launch into it fully on the 1st day.. hmm.. how do i put this gently?... you are going to poop your brains out. And probably also be gassy. Neither attractive nor painless, but props to you for your zest to reach your fiber goals. Drink a lot of water to help the fiber do its thing and move through your system.

Sodium: 70% of Americans salt their food without tasting it first. Sound familiar?? Quit that. Given our intake amounts of processed foods, plus our general lack of originality in the herbs & spices department, we take in too much sodium. (Keep in mind everything I say is generalized here. There is always a salt-conscious individual exception here and there. Cheers if it is you; if not, keep reading.) To keep from aggravating our blood pressure, swelling our systems, and messing around with our potassium levels, we need to keep our sodium intake below 2300mg/day. Those with HBP should keep it even lower, around 1600mg/day. (Hardworking athletes sometimes require more sodium, because they sweat out so much during workouts.)

Cholesterol: A hot topic these days. Hopefully you know by now that you want to keep your dietary cholesterol below about 300mg/day. There are many who suggest that intake of saturated fat affects your cholesterol numbers more than actually eating cholesterol, but these people still suggest keeping it at or under 300mg. Cholesterol is found only in animal tissue. (Plants have other kinds of sterols.. a possible topic for later posts.) Keep in mind that one egg with yolk, though chock full of vitamins, minerals, and complete proteins, also just about gets your daily number to the 300mg mark.

Sugar: TDP will give you a total amount of sugar for your day. What we in the nutrition field would love is to see more people looking at cutting back added sugars. Sometimes this gets a litle tricky, because a lot of great foods contain natural sugar, like milk, yogurt, fruit, tomatoes, etc. Ideally, the numbers should be no more than 100 calories' of added sugars for women, and 150 calories' for men. (Because men tend to need more overall calories.) Remembering that there are 4 calories in a gram of sugar (a carb), that is about 25 grams of added sugar for women, and 38 for men. Get used to looking at food labels for sugar disguised by other names: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Dextrose, Fructose, Juice Concentrates, Glucose, Maltose, Malt syrup, Molasses, etc.

So, go join! Picture me cheering for you when you click 'Sign up.' You get out of your food log what you put into it. If you don't track something you ate, or lie about the portion size, you're only lying to yourself. Go ahead, be responsible. Your body will love you for it.

Man, she really likes scones.

2010-02-15T09:30:00.007-05:00

Like it says up yonder, this is the personal blog of a hopefully-soon-to-be-Registered-Dietician. Meaning: I am a Master's student in nutrition education and will be sitting the exam for becoming a registered dietician as soon as possible. I have my Bachelor's degree in Family Psychos.. oops.. I mean Family Psych, but 2 years ago my life took a direction that lead me to.. well, the kitchen. And the grocery store, and the gym, and the internet, and the library.

I have a sick obsession with foods - both healthy and non-healthy. I lost 40 pounds a year and a half ago by simple dietary changes, exercising a lot more, educating myself on dietetics (not diets - those are, in a word, dumb!) I ran my first half-marathon last May in 2:11. Now, people - all of my previous 24 years on the earth until that point I was always the chubby kid clutching a bag of doritos. I still love doritos - damn their triangular neon orange loveliness (and scones too - but I'll get to that) But for the most part I try to practice what I preach and truly do enjoy my day-to-day healthy dietary intake. Preventative medicine people! You are what you eat - hate to break it to you. I used to be a neon triangle, except it wasn't so lovely.

With half - no, probably 75% of the world 'blogging' (oh I'll never get over the lameness of that word) I doubt I will acquire that many readers, but it would be just hot damn fantastic if I could help anyone with dropping some weight. So if you have questions for me, let em roll people - I will do my best.

Now that being said, this will be said: this blog will most likely include ramblings on continued weight loss efforts. I'm still comfortably down the 40, but this apple-shaped body of mine needs to be heading somewhere toward 55ish total pounds lost since the beginning of this business. But, I also do not intend to endlessly whine and give every detail of what I have eaten - that is what my boyfriend Ed and my food journal are for. (Plus, that whining thing? Quit that.)

If you read this little blog of mine, you will be witness to my thoughts & analysis on "new" "health" foods and diet trends. For example, in my head there is brewing a paragraph or 2 on a product called Better N' Peanut Butter. Now, I suspect that ona daily basis I eat too much of this delicious de-fatted, low-sodium, peanut-butter-like colloidal mass. But, as I haven't yet sat down and fully analyzed the situation, I will blissfully spread it on so many carrots that my body, being so chock full of Vitamin A, will turn the palms of my hands orangey-yellow. Mm hmm, see? Aren't you so excited to learn more? Even if you aren't, I would like to read it myself and decide if I need a BNPB 12-Step Program. (I can picture the episode of A&E's 'Intervention' now..)

I'm also very much into re-creating healthier recipes of foods. Sometimes I am quite successful, and in those cases I intend to post the recipes so that you may partake of the yumminess. Sometimes.. well.. things don't quite work out. In that case I will feed it to Ed, who will probably like it anyway. (When we first started dating, I tried to make chicken with some kind of tomato-alfredo sauce, which I burned quite thoroughly. Having no back-up plan, I poured the sauce on the chicken, covered it with some cheese and broiled it and tried look innocent when he came in. As we sat down at my table and delved in, I officially titled the dish 'Cigarette Chicken' and made myself a sandwich. He finished his plate and took the leftovers to work the next day. He is a good boyfriend.)

I am bound to go on random tangents, though I will try to contain myself. This category has/is/will include my guinea pigs' quirks and odd noises, justifying daily trips to Target, leggings: friend or foe, ..and as always, updates on my daily staredown through the shiny glass window at and flirtations with actually purchasing and eating the entirety of the (not-actually-but-abstractly) elusive cinnamon chip scone at Starbucks.

Scone: 510 calories, many a gram of saturated fat, delicious. Me: tired of effin around with these last 10-15 pounds, and butter-loaded scone-lover, not to mention cinnamon. Not to mention warm and flaky, albeit with a cup of Pike Place or whatever pretentiously delicious blend of coffee on which I have just spent too much money, (Though I do think that stopping at Starbucks on the way to work is a one of life's many small joys - knowing that I have a warm place to go and get something sweet in the morning before I actually get to work is a nice mental buffer when I get into the car in the morning).

Anyway, the scone. I've eaten it before - it's not this tantalizing mystery of a giant sweet pastry - I don't even have that much of a sweet tooth (remember the doritos?) I view the scone as something larger than it is. Not sizewise - it's pretty damn big. I mean, I could potentially work it into my daily caloric breakdown - or at least use a shoehorn and squeeze it and its drippings of fat into a place of a meal without destoying my day. (Plus a day, foodwise, is never fully 'destroyed' - nutrtion doesn't have to be as rigid as people think it needs to be. But I like a certain percentage of carbs:protein:fat, if I can manage it.) But it's the principle of the thing. Should I view the scone as a 'treat?' Is thinking about the scone this much before getting it and eating it giving the scone too much power? Hellooo? The scone is a lump of flour, butter, and sugar - it has no power. Has anyone seen the movie 'Defending Your Life' with Meryl Streep? It takes place in Heaven and they can eat as much of anything they want and never gain an ounce. Yes, you mentally call them bastards for a moment, but if we had that option now, would you still enjoy each meal as much?

Are 'treats' like scones the whole point? This blog will not be the Saga of the Scone - I may randomly have a scone sometime soon, but on the path to the 55 pounds, will I come to think of the treat differently? Should I just keep doing what I'm doing, with my carbs:protein:fat with an occasional treat in there? Yes I think so, both subjectively in terms of maintaining my sanity - denial of favorite foods does not work. (All work no treats makes Jack a dull boy) Plus objectively, as an education in nutrition tells me - the (very) generalized synopsis is: don't be an idiot and eat treats all day every day.

The real test will be how long it takes me to get to that 55 pounds lost, and what little valuable nuggets of information I gathered along the way. Care to join me?