Giant Bagels = 4+ Servings of Grains

July 29th, 2010 | Posted by Nicole in Nutrition News - (0 Comments)

I went to Einstein’s today in search of one of their salads, and because it is right around the corner from work. I know… going to Einstein’s and not getting a bagel seems a little ridiculous, but I just didn’t feel like 60g of refined carbs in my diet that day.

So, I get up to the order counter, and I find out that their salads come with a giant bagel. Oh, how nice. I decide to take the bagel and save it for a time when I am feeling the need for carbs. As a side note, the salad was actually wonderful because it was packed with mixed greens and grilled chicken (sans creamy dressing as well).

It seems like we used to have bagels that were 2 or 3 grain servings (not 4 or more like today). As we have come to realize, America’s portions have just continued to grow. 

Healthier Choices at Bagel Restaurants:

  • Pumpernickel, Sun-Dried Tomato, and Plain bagels have less calories.
  • Choose a reduced fat cream cheese for about 60 calories and 5g fat per 2 Tbsp.
  • Choose a side fruit salad, and have half a bagel with the fruit.
  • Have a cup of broth-based soup when available.
  • Stay away from sandwiches, paninis, and wraps made at Bagel restaurants because they tend to be loaded with meat, sauces, cheese, and bread (average about 700 calories).
  • Stay away from “Gourmet” bagels which just means more calories.
  • If you’re looking for a dessert item, choose a mini cookie, fruit, or split a dessert with a friend!

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Trip to PA: Part 2

July 25th, 2010 | Posted by Nicole in Blogging | Food Review - (0 Comments)

First, I must mention the secret cookie chef (of the family we stayed with in PA) who created this secret chocolate chip cookie recipe:

 I don’t even really like chocolate chip cookies that much, but these were delicious. They are not “healthy”, but do include one secret ingredient which is a healthier modification (and makes the cookies more delicious): Vegetable Oil. Ssshhh. Now, you know the secret ingredient to fabulous chocolate chip cookies (and how to make them with less saturated fat). But, I can not reveal the secret cookie chef’s full recipe.

Also on our trip we stopped by a farmer’s market which I was very excited about. There are tons of small farms in the area of PA where we stayed. Near Atlanta, where I live, we don’t see farms within a 5-10 minute drive. 
So, I took advantage of this and bought some fresh plums (which were the best I’ve had in years), corn, cucumbers, and of course a few pastries (tomato basil and onion croissant below).

Again, not the healthiest.
Healthy Tip: We shared these croissants among 7 people. Each person got to try a small bite. When it comes to trying foods that you don’t get very often, you have to have a good relationship with food so that you allow yourself to try new things and not miss out. A few bites will not harm your health (if anything it will keep you happy!).

Then, there was our stop to get a Philly Cheese Steak in Philadelphia at Geno’s. We went from farmer’s market in the country to processed food in Philly.

This stop was in high demand, so I went along with although I did not part-take in eating a cheese steak (because it just looked nasty to me… especially that cheese). According to my Mom, this event was on her “bucket list”. OK, I was just not that thrilled (probably because 1 cheese steak with set you back over 700 calories, 30g fat, 100g carbohydrates and is filled with processed ingredients).


Our final day was a trip to NYC where I noticed they label all the menu items with calorie amounts. I like this idea because it helps you to decide on a slightly better choice while eating out. In addition, if you didn’t want to pay attention to the calories, the values are in very faint print so it would be easy to put out of sight (out of mind). For lunch, I chose a 500 calorie tuna sandwich on whole grain bread.
For dinner, of course we had to have some NY pizza. It is seriously the best. The crust is always crispy and thin, and the cheese is always nice and flavorful with the perfect amount of sauce.

We had been walking all day long, from 33rd St. up past 72nd street, and then back to 33rd. So, this pizza hit the spot! And one piece of NY style pizza (just cheese) is only about 350-400 calories (and that is a large, slightly thicker slice… plenty of food).

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Road Trip to PA

July 22nd, 2010 | Posted by Nicole in Blogging | Food Review - (0 Comments)

My 17 year old brother had to visit his girlfriend in PA (he lives in GA… I know, so cute), so I documented the good, bad, and ugly foods we ate (mostly good though!).
First, were the terrible combos…

Yeah right! Perfect hunger management–give me a break.

Plus, look at what they look like! Looks gross. We all know that combos are loaded with sodium, and refined grains. Not a good snack choice (my brother chose these of course, not me).
My choice was cashew nut clusters (below).

These are a better option (even though they are made with just a little sugar) because they are full of vitamins and minerals, protein, and healthy fats.

Up next, I must mention Starbuck’s oatmeal. I chose to get nuts and dried fruit with it. The oatmeal was certainly a healthy choice, but it did not have very good flavor. I can make better tasting oatmeal at home. But, when on the road Starbuck’s oatmeal is a healthy choice.

At least it looks pretty.
One last road trip item to mention: sparkling green tea.

Ok, my first thoughts were, “how can this be good for me?”. All I could think about was the citric acid eating away at my tooth enamel, and the artificial sweeteners. Yuck. The carbonation made me feel like I was drinking soda. I felt like I was committing a health sin. But, I look on the side of the bottle and it explains how it contains all these antioxidants from the green tea. So, in my mind maybe the good and bad even out. 


In the future, I will not be drinking these unnatural drinks too often.
More food stories from the PA trip to come… including our trip to Philly to eat a Philly cheese steak, and trip to NYC to M&M World.

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Recipe Makeover: Blueberry Tart

July 15th, 2010 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

During these summer months I just love to eat fresh berries. My Mom made this blueberry tart, and it gave me the idea for a healthy version. After all, blueberries are so packed full of antioxidants called anthocyanins, why not make them into a delicious dessert!

Instead of a sugary, full-of-butter(and saturated fat!) crust, try making a crust with walnuts and dates (heart-healthy fats and fruit).
Walnut Pie Crust:
Combine 2 1/2 C. walnuts and 1 1/2 C. pitted dates into a food processor. Chop until it has a crumbly texture. Press into your tart tin.

Now, for the blueberry topping:
1. Defrost 2 1/2 C. frozen blueberries, or use 2 1/1 C. fresh blueberries and combine with 2 TB brown sugar, splash of fresh lemon juice and its zest, and a pinch of cinnamon in a saucepan on medium heat. Heat for about 15-20 minutes.
2. Mix 2 TB cornstarch or arrowroot with 2 TB cold water. Stir until blended thoroughly.
3. Add cornstarch slurry to blueberry mixture. Stir constantly to incorporate the thickener for a minute or two.
4. Remove from heat, and fill tart. Chill tart for 2 hours, and then serve cold!
*Variation*: Add a creamy layer to the tart by mixing 2-3 TB fat free sour cream, and 6 oz. reduced fat cream cheese (almost a whole 8 oz. package).
Nutrition Facts (tart w/o cream layer; serving is 1 slice; 10 slices per tart): 293 calories, 18g fat (containing omega-3 fats), 1.7g saturated, 32g carb, 4.4g fiber, 6g protein. Good source of iron and thiamin.
One last pretty picture of the tart my Mom made (not the healthy version, but healthier version will look a lot like this!)

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Study Break

July 10th, 2010 | Posted by Nicole in Blogging - (0 Comments)

As you may have noticed, my blog posts have become a little more infrequent because I am in super study mode. I am studying for my RD exam (to be a dietitian), and will not be done with study mode until next week. Posts will resume next week! Until then, I will be studying more 500+ flashcards (I know, ridiculous). They say when you are about to go insane is when you have mastered the information needed to pass.

Until then, I will look like this

UPDATE:
I passed my exam, and am now a Registered Dietitian!! Wahoo! As a side note, I will now post more accurate Diet-related information (correct terminology, etc.). Posts before this I never really proof-read or payed super close attention to my nutrition language. But, from now on I must protect the Dietetics profession :)

And now I look like this: Super happy

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It’s Ok for a Day…

July 7th, 2010 | Posted by Nicole in Blogging | Nutrition News - (0 Comments)
  • To eat fake raisin bran (with barely any actual wheat bran in the cereal… more like frosted flakes with raisin bits)
    So, when out of town this weekend, I had no choice but to eat sugary sweet cereal (I haven’t eaten cereal this sweet in probably 10 years). Seriously, 20g sugar. Most raisin bran’s tend to have higher amounts of sugar because of the raisins (natural sugar), but if you look at the label there are 10 sources of sugar. In addition, this cereal contains trans fat. Even though the first ingredient is a whole grain, and it contains 4g fiber (pretty good!), this cereal is not really raisin bran in my mind. If you look at the label, actual wheat bran is way down near the end (meaning there is little actually in the cereal).

Ok, now to the this is why your unhealthy, America rant: this packaging should be considered false labeling for putting a healthy happy My Pyramid on the back of the box. Way to get people to think this is a healthy choice. No, this cereal will not help you rise to the challenge. A healthier cereal choice would be 5g of sugar or less, at least 4g of fiber (which this one has), whole grains, no partially hydrogenated anything, no saturated fat, a few grams of protein, and low sodium (less than 140g). I think raisin bran is generally a healthy cereal, I eat it all the time. But, you need to watch out for the sugar content, and make sure the main ingredient is whole wheat bran.

  • To eat wild hog
    I am a big believer in trying everything once. How do you know if you don’t like something unless you’ve tried it. I think I have tried everything that I now say I won’t eat or don’t like. Even if I think the food is unhealthy I will still try it. The wild hog was smoked and made to have as BBQ this 4th of July weekend. It did look quite suspicious, but I tried it and it was ok.

  • To eat a hamburger
    I don’t normally eat red meat for health reasons (maybe 2-3 times per year), and I don’t even like the taste of steaks and most red meat. But, I do enjoy a nice grilled burger every once and a while–this was one of those occasions!
  • To run a 10K for the first time and come in 9388th place
    So there were over 50,000 runners (Peachtree Road Race) and coming in 9388th is not too bad. For a little bragging, my super fast boyfriend came in 177th overall.
    Running this race has gotten me motivated to run more races in the future. The race was so much fun, there were crowds lining the street for the entire 6.2 miles. Runners dress up in crazy costumes; most people just run it for the fun of it like I did. I just signed up at the last minute, and was glad I did!
  • To eat a 90 calorie cookie that is only 2 inches wide
    Ok, this may not seem like any big deal. But hello, to eat one tiny cookie at almost 100 calories per cookie is insane. And they are not even that good. 
I looked up the nutrition facts for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies (Chips Ahoy):
90 calories per cookie, 5g fat, 2.5g saturated, 10g carb, 5g sugar, 1g protein.
Ingredients: ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN {VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID), PALM OIL, PEANUT FLAVORED DROPS (SUGAR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED PALM KERNEL OIL, PARTIALLY DEFATTED PEANUT FLOUR, SKIM MILK, WHEY, PEANUT BUTTER {PEANUTS, HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED AND/OR RAPESEED OIL}, DEXTROSE, SALT, SOY LECITHIN – AN EMULSIFIER), SUGAR, SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHUNKS (SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, DEXTROSE, COCOA BUTTER, SOY LECITHIN – AN EMULSIFIER, VANILLIN – AN ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR), PEANUT BUTTER (PEANUTS, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, HYDROGENATED RAPESEED AND/OR COTTONSEED AND/OR SOYBEAN OILS, SALT), MOLASSES, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA AND/OR AMMONIUM PHOSPHATE), SALT, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WHEY (FROM MILK), CARAMEL COLOR, SOY LECITHIN (EMULSIFIER), ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR. CONTAINS: WHEAT, PEANUT, MILK, SOY. MANUFACTURED ON EQUIPMENT THAT PROCESSES TREE NUTS.
This is ridiculous. If you eat 3 or 4 cookies that would be 270-360 calories, probably 2g trans fat, and up to 20g total fat. And half of the fat is saturated. No good.
Anyway, what is important to learn from this weekend is that moderation is what is most important for overall health. I don’t normally eat these types of foods, but eating them once a year will not hurt you. It’s eating these foods everyday that is the problem. To be able to try new things, and allow yourself to eat what you really feel like eating is important for overall health. I knew that when I went back home I would be enjoying my fruits, veggies, lean proteins, and healthy fats once again.

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What is this Food?

July 2nd, 2010 | Posted by Nicole in Food Review | Nutrition News - (0 Comments)

To be continued, and cracked open later tonight!

….Yes, this fruit is a tamarind.
Tamarinds are popular in South Africa and other tropical areas. You crack the hard shell open and find this soft fruit that looks and tastes a little like a date or prune. You bite into it and pull it apart from the stringy-twig-like pieces.

And then, don’t forget to spit out the shiny hard pit which looks like a bead for jewelry (some countries do use the pit to make jewelry). 
Nutrition Facts: Tamarinds which taste like prunes and dates have similar properties. Tamarinds are known for their laxative effects. Surprisingly, tamarinds have antimicrobial/antibacterial properties which may help kill off any potentially harmful food borne illnesses. Countries all over the world use tamarind for medicinal purposes, but there haven’t been many studies to confirm any of the practices. Potentially, they could have cholesterol-reducing benefits.

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