Myths about Healthy Eating

Myths about Healthy Eating, the Fruits and Veggies Edition:

I hear all the time, it costs too much to eat fruits and vegetables.

That excuse can no longer be used... Here are some ways to cut costs on fruits and veggies, ideas to incorporate more into your diet, and ways to preserve that produce before it goes completely bad...

How to save on fruits and veggies, and EAT MORE of them: 

1) Buy in-season produce

Look at the weekly ads, see what is on sale that week and plan your meals accordingly.  This week my local Ralph's has plums on sale for $0.99 a pound, and red or green leaf lettuce heads are $0.99 each.  For a couple bucks you can make a salad with the lettuce and a cut up plum (still a little crunchy is just fine).  Sprinkle with some nuts of your choice, splash on some vinaigrette dressing and SCORE! You have an amazing salad to compliment your dinner tomorrow night.

2) Pick frozen

No one ever said you had to buy just the frozen stuff to be healthy (well, at least this dietitian didn't).  Eating frozen fruits and veggies are perfectly fine, and in some cases are packed with more nutrition than the stuff you buy fresh in the produce section.  To get the most bang for your buck, make sure you purchase fruits and veggies withOUT added junk in them.  Read the ingredients and make sure only the fruit or veggie is listed.

You do NOT want to see this: ingredients: corn, salt, butter.... etc.  
You want to see:  ingredients: corn.

I know most people say that frozen doesn't taste as good as the fresh, well.... pick your battles.  My husband will not let frozen broccoli in the house.  He only wants fresh, so I buy other frozen products to make sure we compromise.  One of my favorites:  frozen bell pepper to add to skillet meals or pasta sauce to give my spaghetti a little extra color and flavor.

3) Get creative

Buy the canned stuff and find fun ways to prepare it! As long as you are buying fruit packaged in it's own juice or light syrup you should be good (none of that heavy syrup stuff).  For the veggies, make sure you buy no-added salt products.  Used the canned stuff to add some extra canned tomatoes to your pasta dish, or put some canned mandarin oranges in your fruit salad.  You can even put some grilled pineapple on chicken chicken with a little bit of teriyaki sauce.

One of the best reasons to adapt to canned fruits and veggies is because they do not go bad like the fresh stuff.  If you didn't have time to get to the grocery store this week, no problem you can whip something up with the canned goods you have at home AND not sacrifice by not eating your fruits and veggies this week.  The best of both worlds.

4) Buy from your local farmers! 


I love taking my kids to the local farmer's market to get some produce.  I have never seen my oldest eat so many pieces of fruit in her whole life.  Last time we went, she spent her OWN MONEY to buy fresh peaches, nectarines, grapes, and plums.  It was too cute watching her talk with the farmer's about the foods and which ones she wanted to eat.  Side note, the samples they had got her even more excited about buying everything.  Because of her excitement, one of the farmer's was happy to give her a few bunches of grapes on the house.

At your local farmer's market, not only will you get some wonderful experiences for your family, but you will also get some of the freshest fruits and veggies around.  The farmer's can help you pick the best produce and to know when it will be perfectly ripe.  This will help eliminate waste! Not to mention, the farmer's are often more than happy to throw in an extra piece of fruit on top of what you already bought at no cost (the grocery store NEVER does that).

5) Freeze it yourself OR make something different

If you have produce that is getting overly ripe and you have not eaten it yet... again, get creative.  You can quickly cut up that bell pepper and put it in a freezer ziploc bag, push out all of the air and put it in the freezer for the next time you make spaghetti.  Just don't forget to label it (put what it is and the date you packaged it).

Another good idea is to make something different than you normally would.  Think banana bread.  You won't finish your bananas before they go brown, then mash them and make a quick banana bread! You can take this same principle and apply it to other produce.  Recently, I had some slightly overly ripe grape tomatoes.  Instead of throwing them away because they looked a little shriveled up, I cooked them up!  I diced them, put them in a pan with a little olive oil, fresh garlic, basil and sautéed them.  Once the room smelled wonderful, I pulled them off the stove and used as the pizza sauce for a pizza I made that night.  It tasted amazing!! It was so good, I made them again the following night to put on top of bread.

6) Repurpose your produce 

If you didn't get to the produce in time to eat it, freeze it or cook it up in a different way... at least you can compost it.  Start a composting bin and put all of your slightly decomposing fruits and veggies in there after you clean out your fridge.  Bad image, I know but you've done it at least once in your life!  You can also add trimmings from other produce that you actually ate on time.

Composting can not only help with supplying fertilizer for your own personal garden, but it can also help take away a little bit of the sting from letting your produce get too ripe.


Final thoughts


To avoid your produce from spoiling before you eat it keep these things in mind:

• Write a list of all the produce you have in your fridge and put it on your fridge with a magnet. 
• If it's out of site, it's out of mind.  The list will remind you every time you walk by the fridge that there is some amazing produce in there waiting to be eaten!  
• Or the list can serve as a reminder that it may be getting close to being overly ripe, and remind you to get it ready to put it in the fridge.  Again, keep a list of what you have stocked up on in your freezer for later use.
• After purchasing fruits and veggies from the store or farmer's market, take them home and prepare them... right away, before putting them away!  [Caution, this can only be done for certain types of produce and is definitely not a good idea to do with highly perishable produce like berries, but this can help you to eat more fruits and veggies by making them quick and easy to grab later in the week.]  
• You bought celery to use for "frog on a log" later this week (you know, the snack with celery topped with peanut butter and raisins)?  Make sure you cut the celery sticks up before putting them in the fridge.  When you are done, put them in a little bit of water in a container and place them front and center in the fridge so they are there staring at you when you open the doors looking for a quick snack to whip up.  
• Plan your meals! Don't just go to the store and buy what ever produce you think you will need for the week.  
• Plan you meals out for the week (or two) and buy your produce accordingly while at the grocery store or farmer's market. This will help to make sure you do not over buy.  
• Be sure to plan ahead for any nights you won't be able to make dinner... back to school night, soccer, or the monthly get together you have with your friends this Saturday night.  
• Being creative is key!! 
• Make fruits and veggies differently than you have in the past. Don't be scared to try new recipes.  And certainly, don't be afraid to TRY NEW fruits and veggies!! 

Remember, make small changes NOW in anticipation for bigger changes in the future.
Starting today by doing something small is the key to your success when it comes to eating healthy!

Enjoy! KC

A 20 oz bottle of coke = 240 calories.  Those calories can add up faster than you think.  Here is some food for thought...

Do you have a weekly habit of drinking soda or another sweetened beverage (i.e. sweet tea, juice, or coffee beverage with added sugar)?  One drink consumed on a weekly basis equals nearly a 4 pound weight gain a year.    

Do you drink 3 beverages a week?  That would equal nearly an 11 pound weight gain annually.  

Do you have a habit of drinking one 20oz soda a day?  This would equal roughly a 2 pound weight gain every FOUR weeks!  Which would be a 25 pound weight gain each year!  All from one beverage, consumed daily.  

Start today and cut back on the number of soda or sweetened beverages you consume each week, or month.  If you were to cut out 4 sodas a month, you would reduce your weight gain by 3 pounds a year.  Can you cut out more than that? Reduce the amount of soda or sweetened beverage consumed annually by 3 sweetened beverages a week, and you could save yourself an 11 pound weight gain annually,  or nearly a pound a month!  

Think about your drink, pick a better beverage... one without empty calories (or calories just from sugar, which are found in sweetened beverages).  A great substitute is sparkling water!  Not the kinds with sweetener in them, but one such as Arrowhead sparkling water, La Croix, or Trader Joe's sparkling water.  These all have carbonated water with a hint of NATURAL flavor (usually from the essence of fruit, you know the kind of stuff you get when you squeeze the peel of an orange).  

**All calculations are based on a 240calorie beverage.  If you consume a beverage with more calories, you will gain even more weight annually!!!**

Quick Nutrition Tip

Watching what you are eating? Take a step in the right direction by taking pictures of everything you eat and drink. Its like a digital food journal! It may open you eyes, and/or make you more aware of the choices you are making daily.

Watch your budget and your waistline

One of the best ways to improve your diet and your food budget is portion control!  

As Americans, we eat very large portions.  Think steak house dinner with a 12 or 16oz steak for one person, served with a huge baked potato.  This is after your appetizer of bread and salad, and maybe even a bloomin' onion or baked potato skins.  All of which is way more food than any one person needs in one sitting.  The steak alone exceeds one person's protein portion for the entire day! 

By learning proper portion sizes and using portion control in your eveyday life, not only will you cut your food costs, but you will also cut down on your waist line!   That 12oz steak dinner could be shared with someone else at the dinner table, and you split the bill.  In fact, you could even split a 6 oz steak and get the proper amount of protein needed with an even smaller price tag.  You save on cost, and calories. Don't forget it will also save you from that horrible feeling of being overly full.  

Get started today by watching how big your portions are while eating.  Think your portions are alright, consider comparing them to recommendations by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans or Choose Your Plate. You may be surprised at how far off your portions are compared to what you should be eating.  For example, a baked potato should be the size of a computer mouse… not the size of your plate. 

Watching what you are eating???

Try using smaller utensils, plates, bowls, and cups!!!  

Research has shown people who use smaller bowls and spoons eat less then people who have larger bowls and spoons.  One of the researchers sited in the study below- Painter, JE- did a TV spot with people eating ice cream.  The people who had the little pink sample spoons from Baskin Robbins and a small bowl ate less and were JUST AS SATISFIED with the smaller amount of ice cream eaten when compared to people who had larger bowls and spoons and ate more ice cream.  

Also, if you keep the food you have eaten in front of you, you are less likely to overindulge. Don't let the server clear all the plates and dishes from your table while you are eating at a restaurant.  Keep the empty soda/drink cups on the table too!  

Final application:  When eating nuts (such as pistachios) if you crack the nut and eat it from the shell while keeping the cracked shells in front of you, you are less likely to overindulge and are more satisfied with less pistachios eaten than compared to someone who eat pre-cracked pistachios (or other nuts).  Basically- crack the nuts yourself, you will slow down, eat less, and still feel full!  

When you serve your dinner at home tonight, use the salad plate instead of the standard dinner plate.  Use the small (short) cup, instead of the big 16oz cup.  And don't clear the table of any foods eaten until you are completely done eating.  Happy Eating! 

Research citation:  Wansink B, Painter JE, North J.  Bottomless bowls: why visual cues of
portion size may influence intake.  Obes Res. 2005 Jan;13(1):93-100

Healthy foods cost more???

Think it's too expensive to eat healthy... think again!

A new research study that was just released shows ounce for ounce, calorie for calorie... healthy foods cost the same as junk foods. And in some cases, healthy foods are cheaper! 

Myth Dispelled! Healthy Foods not more expensive... read on

A Diet You Can Manage

First off, a diet is completely an inaccurate term- I was just trying to get your attention. It is not a diet, it is a lifestyle. Let's talk about ways we can make eating healthy part of your everyday life.

To start a lifestyle of healthy eating, it takes many small steps. Take the following scenarios for example:

• When someone decides to run a marathon for the first time, how do they approach it? Do they wake up one day and run a marathon? No.
• When someone wants to start a company, does it happen over night? No. 

So then why do we expect to have a perfect "diet" instantly?
Why do we think we can wake up on Monday and go on a diet to lose weight. Really?! And we think we are going to be successful with that?

Tell me, a persons who wants to run a marathon but doesn't train at all...do they make it to the finish line? No. They might if they hitched a ride or took a short cut, but that is cheating! They did not run across the finish line because they work hard to get to that goal, they did it by cheating.  You want to train for a marathon and pass through the finish line because you trained and worked hard to make it to your goal!  Winning is only fun if you put hard work into it, not if you stole it by cheating.

The same basic principle of working hard to achieve your goal applies to eating healthy! You need to take several small steps to get to your ultimate goal if you want to be successful.

Truly your GOAL should be TO EAT HEALTHY & BE SUCCESSFUL DOING IT.   Not just to diet or lose weight.

Ideas for getting started TODAY:

-Write a food journal for three days.

• Write down EVERYTHING you eat AND drink. Make sure to estimate serving sizes as accurately as possible.
• Be honest. If you ate 4 fun size Snickers bars, write very single one of them down. If you don't, you are only cheating yourself. 
• Do not eat differently than you normally would.  Otherwise, you will not get an accurate depiction of what you eat on a daily basis. 
• Lastly, make sure one of those days is a weekend! Some people have a tendency to eat differently on weekends, or drink beverages they don't normally drink during the week (eh, em... alcohol).
• After you track what you eat for a few days, enter it into a program such as MyFitnessPal. This is a government ran app, you can track your daily food intake, and track your exercise. 
• If you prefer, you can even enter your food intakes into the app on a meal or daily basis instead of waiting until the end of the three days.  Do note, you may pay more attention to calories, fat and protein consumed if you enter your intakes in to MyFitnessPal the same day you are eating, this can cause you to have a slightly different picture of what you actually eat.  This is because you are paying more attention to your food, and you are less likely to eat mindlessly (i.e. those 4 fun size Snickers bars).  

These first couple of steps may seem tedious, but they are basic... and necessary. Think about it, if (or when) you plan your financial budget, you have to track your spending for a few months to get an idea as to where all your money goes. Same concept! You must track EVERYTHING you eat for a few days in order to get a better picture of what you eat everyday.  Writing down you food intake everyday will also give you an idea as to we're to start you journey to a eating healthy lifestyle.

Let's think of some examples of what you can change after you track your food intake.

• BEVERAGES: Do you drink a lot of calorie and sugar filled beverages? Juice, soda, whole milk, or alcohol? If you are drinking anything other than plain water, plain coffee or plain tea (no added sugars, sweeteners or creamers), you can probably use some help in this area
• Do you drink whole, try switching to 2% milk.  Or if you already drink 2%, aim for 1% or fat-free.
• SNACKS: Do you have a lot of little snacks through out the day? Those little candies from the jar on secretary's desk can add up significantly over time. Consider taking a mid-afternoon snack with you to work, that way you aren't raiding the candy drawer at 2 or 3pm to make it to the end of the work day. This may even help hold you over until dinner better and help you to not over eat dinner! Win-win!
• ADD-ONS: Do you add a lot of ranch, cheese, butter or other fatty, calorie filled food item, dip or added fat to your foods? Try cutting back, if not cutting it out.
• SKIPPING MEALS: Do you skip breakfast? Or another meal? It's probably best to have a least a snack instead of completely skipping. Otherwise, once you do end up eating, you are far more likely to overindulge.  That then leads to extra calories consumed and weight gain, and is not beneficial to your eating healthy lifestyle.

These are just many ideas to get a jump start on your path to eating right for your healthy diet lifestyle.

• By no means should you do everyone of these things at once!!! Repeat, do NOT attempt to make all these changes at one time. 
• You should pick only one thing to change and dedicate your focus to that. Once you have mastered than, move onto the next lifestyle change to master. 
• Changes should be made no more frequently than once a week, and more ideally, should be done with a 2-3 weeks period apart from one another.  This will help you to be successful and master your new changes in lifestyle!!

If you already know one of your weaknesses, without doing the food intake for three days... consider picking a small change you know will help you, but is also FEASIBLE!  If your goal means to give up something you know you will pick up again in 6 months and eat an entire grocery store's worth of that item, pick something else.  You want to pick something that you know you can change, that way you set yourself up for SUCCESS! 

Good Luck! And remember, start today with ONE small change towards a better lifestyle.  

Healthy Eating Myths

So I was reading different stuff on my phone, having fun surfing the Internet and playing with my new twitter account. Man, someone was reading my mind yesterday!!

I recommend going to the link below for the WebMD article about myths about eating healthy... This definitely supports what I posted about last night. Particularly the part about a diet being all or nothing and thinking of it as something too big to tackle. Take the first step now. Make an oath to make one small change every week or month. One small change can make a huge difference in the long run.


@WebMD_Blogs: I don’t have time to #cook, and other myths that keep unhealthy food habits alive: http://t.co/fW7uQ15Y @mtjacobsen

Start Tomorrow, TODAY

Trying to balance the heavy load of family, work, school, household obligations, so on and so fourth, can be really time consuming... I hear it all the time.  People say they don't have time to do this, and they need more hours in a day to do that.

Well, are you ever going to have time to do the things that matter most?  When is your health going to trump everything else and take the front seat?  If you don't have your health, you don't have your life.

Remember this:

Tomorrow will always be waiting for you another day, but the future starts today.  You need to take action today!  Get a start on your future now.... not tomorrow. 

Classic example, I'll start my diet tomorrow or on Monday.  I have heard this one a 1,000 times.  Why does it have to be another day to start?  Why can't it be NOW?!?!

Part of me speculates it because you are too overwhelmed to start the task.  Or do you truly want to take on the task?  Are you just talking big game, and not really ready to act on it?

Starting a "diet" can be overwhelming.  You can't eat this, you should eat that... but don't have too much.  Too many rules! My next post is going to be my take on a healthy lifestyle and eating right... from a realistic dietitian's perspective. 

Back up.  Let me reiterate that a REALISTIC dietitian's perspective.

I know that not everyone will stop drinking regular soda, or give up candy or chips, or can afford to eat organic.  We have to work together to find ways to improve our eating habits and our lifestyle.

Stay tuned for more... until then, Sleep Good & Dream BIG! 

Parents pick meals

Tonight is school night for me. I am in class for a four hour peroid, and dinner is up to my husband.  He generally does a good job making something for the girls, but sometimes he lets the oldest pick out what they are going to have for dinner.  The night he lets her pick = problems in the future. Once she starts picking, she thinks she can always call the shots at dinner. 

You pick the meals:
Parents should pick what is going to be eaten, and when it is eaten... the kids should pick which of those foods are eaten, and how much of them. These rules or guidelines for meal times should always be applied at meal time, and are based on priniciples defined by Ellyn Satter.  I would highly recommend going to her website and reading "How to Feed Children" for the age(s) of kids(s) which pertain to your family. She has some amazing information on her website and in her books that I apply with my family on a daily basis.  It works!

Lesson for the day
Mom and/or dad pick dinner, the kids pick which of those foods they eat (and how much of them).

Asian Inspired Meal

Ingredients

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb frozen chicken, thawed
2 medium zucchinis, sliced 1/4 inch pieces and cut in 1/2
4 small red, orange, and yellow bell peppers, julienned
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp lite or reduced sodium soy sauce
Optional
1 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 cup white rice
2 cups water

Add rice and water to a small pot.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce to a simmer.  Cook 15- 20 minutes.

In a large skillet, add oil and garlic. Heat until garlic is aromatic, then add chicken and cook over medium heat.  Cook chicken until nearly done, remove from pan and cut into chunks.  Add back to pan, and add zucchini; cover and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add bell pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes.  For crispier vegetables, remove from pan and serve.  For softer veggies, continue cooking to desired texture.  Top with sesame seeds.  Serve with a quick dinner salad for some extra vegetables with dinner.

To speed up the cooking process, I usually butterfly cut my chicken.

Kid friendly note: have the kids help prepare the vegetables.  Kids are more likely to eat foods that they help prepare, or even grow! Start a family garden and get your kids in the kitchen! Yes, my 6 year old eats this food.  The baby eats the zucchini with the rice, and small pieces of the bell pepper, we are still working on her :)

Sorry this took a little longer than expected to post!! Hope you enjoy!

Welcome to Me

Who am I?

I am a registered dietitian, mother, wife and student.  Currently I am juggling caring for my family, household duties, work, and my Master's thesis.  Most importantly, I am trying to feed my family right. 

I decided to start blogging:

To apply my knowledge of nutrition

with my trials and triumphs of feeding my family...

In an effort to help others learn to eat right.  

Background Info:

Food has been my whole life. 

A majority of memories as a childhood revolve around food.  

I remember helping my mom all day long prep Thanksgiving dinner.  Now Thanksgiving dinner is my holiday!

In the summer I lived with my dad, some of my fondest memories are wearing an apron in the kitchen while picking parsley leaves or walking to the farmer’s market to buy fresh fruit, veggies and herbs.  

For years I teased my grandmother for planning meals days, weeks, and even months in advance.  Now, I do the same thing and I love it!  

Although my life had always revolved around food, I had never thought about having a career involving food or nutrition.  It wasn’t until I took a class at the local community college and the instructor asked me if I had ever considered a career in dietetics (nutrition).  The next semester, I started taking a nutrition class and knew I was destined to be a dietitian.  I spent the next 5 years dedicated to becoming a dietitian.  

Now, I am proud to say I am a registered dietitian!!

Educational moment:

What is a registered dietitian?  A registered dietitian is your nutrition health professional.  To become a registered dietitian, you have to complete a bachelor’s degree in dietetics and nutrition at an accredited school, then complete an internship (aka supervised practice), and then pass the certification exam.  Once you become a dietitian, you need to continue your education to maintain your registration.  

But then what about a nutritionist?  A dietitian may use the title nutritionist, but not all nutritionist are dietitians.  The definition of nutritionist varies from state to state, and not all states regulate the requirements for the title of nutritionist (in California anyone can use the title nutritionist, so be careful).  A nutritionist may or may not have the educational background, supervised practice, certification exam, or required continuing education that is required of a dietitian.  Be cautious when you see this title used.  Make sure they are also a registered dietitian.