Consumer Reports - Use Caution when Eating Pork

If you have attened any of my education  classes and support groups,  you may have heard me say "pork is not the other white meat."  Pork has similar ill effects on health as beef.  This includes raising heart disease and cancer risks. 

Consumer reports has now provided a few more reasons you should use caution when consuming pork.  These include antibiotic resistant bacteria and medications found in the meat.  Be sure to click on the Consumer Reports link above to learn how you can protect yourself and your family from these concerns.  It is, however, never a bad idea to decrease your pork consumption anyhow.

Crustless Apple Pie - Recipe

 Crustless Apple Pie

Love a nice slice of Apple Pie, but do not want all of the calories.  Cut out the crust, which is mostly butter, and save 250 calories per serving

(411 calories per slice vs. 152 calories per crustless apple pie serving)

Ingredients

·        10 apples, peeled, chopped

·        2 tbs. lemon juice

·        2-3 swipes of lemon zest

·        1 cinnamon stick

·        ¼ cup of agave syrup or combination of agave and brown sugar

·        Light cool whip

Directions

1.     Place all ingredients, except cool whip, in a crock pot. 

2.     Cook on low for 4 hours

3.     Serve hot or cold, top with additional cinnamon if needed and cool whip.

*Yields 6 servings:  152 calories, 40 g. carbohydrate per serving

Food and Nutrition Apps for Smart Phones and Tablets

Food and Nutrition Apps for Smart Phones and Tablets

Now that 'smart phones' are becoming more and more popular, many people are taking to looking up diet, exercise and nutrition information on their phones (or Ipads and the like).  Here is a list of apps you can download to help keep you accountable over the holidays.  These phone apps are a great way to log your food vs a handwritten journal. My favorite is Lose It! The new edition also lets you scan the barcode so the nutrition information automatically loads into your daily log of food. How convenient! Another great category of apps are recipe finders. These help you find quick easy and healthy recipes right from your phone. Other categories to search: running/walking mileage apps, pedometers, water intake app, and coupons. More blogs posts to come on recommended apps for  these other health categories.

Journals:

            Calorie King

                        - Search foods for their food label info

                        - Great for people who log their calories, carbohydrates or fat intakes

            Lose It!

                        - Food and exercise log

                        - A personal favorite!

          Myfitnesspal

                        -Very similar to Lose It

            Fitday

                        -Food Journal

            Sparkpeople

                        -Food Journal

            Fooducate

                        - Aids you in grocery store

                        - Scan items to compare products and see reviews

                        -Each food product gets a rating to see how healthy it is

            Daily Burn

                        - Training plans and exercise

My Net Diary

                                -Calorie Counter

IPEE

-tracks hydration

Munch 5-A-Day

-tracks fruits and vegetable intake throughout the day   

The Eatery

-          Snaps photos of your food to help you food journal

Kelly Devine Rickert, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN

Registered Dietitian

Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics

WellGroup Health Partners

Franciscan St. James Health

708-679-2717 (For appointments)

 

Top 10 tricks to Slim Down Your Thanksgiving Feast

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and give thanks for our family, friends and blessings in our lives. But of course.. it’s also about the food! What’s a Thanksgiving without the feast? But, if you are trying to watch your waistline this holiday season, be aware that a typical Thanksgiving feast could add up to more than 3,000-4,000 high fat calories according to Kelly Devine Rickert, Registered Dietitian for St. James Hospitals and Media Spokesperson for the Illinois Dietetic Association. Does this mean that you need to skip the stuffing or grandmas pumpkin pie? “Of course not”, states Devine Rickert. “Holidays are meant to be enjoyed but no need to consume 2 days’ worth of calories and fat into 1 meal! Moderation is key.”

Devine Rickert gives these 10 tricks on how to whittle down those calories without skimping on taste this Thanksgiving season.

Turkey time

-          Turkey is naturally low in fat (think the white breast meat) but try and skip the high fat skins.

-          Baste your turkey with white wine or low sodium broth instead of butter to save on fat calories.

Stuffing

-          Swap low-sodium chicken broth for most of the butter in your stuffing. Saves at least 50 calories per serving and cuts the fat in half.

-          Add more vegetables to your stuffing! Onions, carrots, mushrooms and celery are all tasty additions

Casseroles

-          Use low-sodium or reduced-fat varieties of cream of mushroom (or cream of celery) soup. Per can of condensed soup, you'll save 120 calories and 16 grams of fat by going with reduced-fat version.

Potatoes

-          Switch out the high fat whole milk for skim or 2% milk and replace the butter with a heart healthier substitute such as Smart Balance or Brummel and Brown.

-          If making candied sweet potatoes, cut the sugar in half or use a low calorie sweetener instead.

Breads

-          Instead of high fat croissants or biscuits, aim for mini whole grain rolls from your local bakery to increase your fiber intake.

Gravy

-          What’s Thanksgiving dinner without gravy? Significantly cut calories by skimming the fat from your pan juices before making the gravy.

Pie

-          Skip the top crust if you can and aim for fruit based pies such as apple or pumpkin. A typical slice of pie can pack in as many as 400 calories so portion size and moderation is key!

Stuffing with cranberries

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
10 slices whole-wheat bread, toasted and cut into cubes
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped fresh cranberries
1 cup whole water chestnuts
1 cup chopped apple

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly coat a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large skillet, heat the chicken broth over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and sauté until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, parsley, tarragon, paprika, nutmeg, cranberries, water chestnuts and chopped apples. Add the onion and celery mixture. Stir to mix evenly.

Spoon stuffing into the prepared baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes. Serve immediately

Nutrition:

120 calories, 2 g fat, 5 g fiber.

Credit: Mayo Clinic Staff (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes)

Tina's Quick Tex Mex Quinoa ("Keen - wah")

Last night I did not have a lot of ingredients lying around and we wanted tacos.  With a few items I had in the kitchen I was able to whip this up in 20 minutes.  A meat-free tex mex treat that can easily be served with traditional taco toppings.  Sure to please even the pickiest eaters. 

Quinoa (pronounced "Keen-Wah") is a whole grain, that is also high in protein.  For individuals who have had bariatric surgery, this should not "get stuck" like rice or other grain foods.  When you cook with Quinoa, meat or other protein sources are not needed.  It is as simple as cooking rice, 2 parts liquid such as water or broth to 1 part quinoa. 

Tex Mex Quinoa

1 c. quinoa
2 c. water or chicken broth (I prefer the broth for a richer flavor)
1/2 - 1 diced onion
1 c. diced peppers or Trader Joe's Frozen Pepper Strips
2 tsp. fresh diced cilantro (or two frozen "cubes" of cilantro)
1 tsp. fresh chopped garlic (or 1 frozen "cube" of garlic)

1-2 cans black beans rinsed and drained (per your preferences and # serving)

1 can diced tomatoes rinsed and drained

1 packet of taco seasoning

1 tsp. cumin

1. In a large skillet to sauce pan combine quinoa, water/broth, onion, peppers, cilantro, garlic and cumin.  Bring to a vigorous, rolling boil over high heat. 

2.  Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Quinoa will uncoil when done.  As you quinoa is cooking open and drain the black beans and tomatoes in a colander. 

3.  When quinoa is finished add black beans, tomatoes and taco seasoning to taste.

4.  Serve with your favorite tex mex toppings such as salsa, guacamole, onions, pico de gallo, etc. 

Left overs can be served cold or hot.