A simple salad

The past week I had to travel out of town for a few days.  On the way home I grabbed a simple grilled chicken salad from the cooler at the airport.  The salad  was California Pizza Kitchen's BBQ Chicken Salad.  I thought I had chosen the best option available.  The salad was simple: grilled chicken with BBQ sauce, jimica, black beans, tomatoes, cheese and on the side, ranch, extra BBQ sauce and tortilla strips.  It was in a small container.  Below is a picture of my salad.  How many calories do you think were in this salad?

708 calories were in this salad!  I was shocked.  This is a great example of how restaurants sneak in extra calories.  To be safe, assume the calories in restaurant foods are at least TWICE (or more) the amount that would be in there if you would have cooked it yourself.  Also, most restaurant salads are over 1000 calories unless they are on a lower calorie menu.

To cut calories in this salad you can do the following:  ask for a salad without cheese, throw away the fried tortilla strips and use light/fat free salad dressing or only use the extra BBQ sauce and forget the dressing all together.  The moral of this story is to choose your salads and toppings carefully and never to assume something is low in calories. 

Pedometer tips

Pedometer Tips

1.       Purchase one! I find it best to spend some money on one so they don’t keep falling off and breaking and so that you have more invested in the pedometer (AKA meaning you will be more likely to use it!).

a.       Recommendations: Fitbit Zip (www.fitbit.com). (They also sell at Best Buy, apple stores, etc) Retails for $59.99

b.      Omron brand. Can buy at Target, Best Buy, etc

2.       Wear ALL DAY LONG! No matter what clothes you are wearing or changing in and out of. Many people make the mistake of wearing their pedometer only for workouts.

3.       The goal is 10,000 steps per day (or about 4-5 miles of walking.) This includes day to day activities and exercise). Average your first 3 days wearing your pedometer and increase by 500-1000 each week until you are close to your goal. Example: If your average is only 4,000 steps, then aim for 5,000 everyday. Once you start being consistent with 5,000, increase it.

4.       Most pedometers work best if you wear above one leg or the other on your waistband.

5.       Don’t forget to log your steps! Keeping a log helps you track changes over time. (Click on link below to some great free resources).

Good luck!

Click here for a free monthly pedometer journal!

Kelly Devine Rickert, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN

Registered Dietitian

Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics

Franciscan St. James Health

708-679-2717 (For appointments)

Eggs!

Eggs!

Looking for a high protein, low cal breakfast to jump start your day? Look no further than your egg carton in your refrigerator! Eggs and egg whites are a great source of protein to help keep you filled up and satified until lunchtime. 

People are always asking, can I use real eggs or do I have to use egg whites or egg substitute? Well for many people having about 3-4 eggs a week should be fine. (Note: If you battle high cholesterol, heart disease or diabetes, you should moderate your intake more than others.)

 Personally when I make an omelet, I typically use 1-2 regular eggs and 2 egg whites. Egg yolks do contain cholesterol but also contain great nutrients such as Vitamin D, lutein and zeaxanthin, and choline (nutrients that help with eye, brain, nervous and cardiovascular systems). Here is a great egg white omelet recipe for you to try at home!

 

Egg White Omelette

 

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 plum tomatoes, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, all excess water squeezed out
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 12 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons water
• Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, tomatoes, spinach and a pinch salt. Cook until the onion is soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add pepper, to taste, and another pinch salt; and cook for another minute. Remove the spinach mixture from the heat to a bowl. Cover and keep warm.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites, water, and a pinch salt and pepper until frothy. Lightly coat a medium nonstick skillet or omelet pan with cooking spray and heat the skillet over medium heat. Add 1/4 of the egg whites, swirling to evenly cover the bottom of the pan. Cook until set, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Using a rubber scraper lift the eggs up and let the runny uncooked egg flow underneath. Spoon 1/4 of the spinach mixture onto half of the omelet, fold over, and slide onto a serving plate. Repeat with remaining egg whites and spinach mixture.
Recipe courtesy The Deen Brothers

Kelly Devine Rickert, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN

Registered Dietitian

Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics

Franciscan St. James Health

708-679-2717 (For appointments)

Reading Food Labels!

A Look at Reading Food Labels

A lot of people ask me what to look at when looking at the food label. Here are a few tips…

1.  Look at the carbohydrate section first. Compare the grams of fiber and sugar. You want to pick foods (cereals, breads, crackers, etc) that have the least amount of sugar and a good amount of fiber (3-5+ grams). One serving of carbohydrates is 15 grams. (15 grams is one serving for a snack, and anywhere from 30-75 grams of carbohydrate per meal)

2.  Next you want to look at the fat to make sure it does not contain any trans fat and has very few grams of saturated fat. One serving of fat equals 5 grams.

3. Also you want to check the label and see if the food has any protein. Protein helps fill us up so I usually advice for people to eat at least one ounce of protein in their snacks and about 3-6 oz for their lunch and dinner. (1 oz = 7 grams protein)

4. Sodium is also important to look at because if you ingest too much of this nutrient, it can cause bloating and an increase in your blood pressure. You don’t want to consume over 2300 mg in one day of sodium.

5. Last but certainly not least you want to look at the serving size and servings per container! 

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)

Fiber is Your Friend!

Top 10 Ways to Increase Fiber in Your Diet!

1. Aim for at least 3-5 g of fiber per serving in your whole grain foods such as breads, pastas, rice, cereals and snack foods.

2. The goal is consume 25-35 grams of fiber per day, but the average American is only consuming around 12. Try for most of your carbohydrate choices to be higher in fiber (less processed!).

3. Start your day with a high fiber cereal like Kashi with added fresh fruit.

4. Soluble fiber can help lower total and LDL (read..the "bad") cholesterol. Eat items such as oatmeal and crunchy fruits and vegetables such as apples and broccoli.

5. Serve poultry, fish and meat on a bed of couscous, bulgur or barley.

6. Go Meatless for dinner once a week on your household. Aim for a high fiber pasta such as Dreamfields or Barilla Plus, add vegetables such as artichokes, tomatoes, broccoli and serve with a  side of whole grain toast sprinkled with garlic.

7. Don’t forget the fiber at your snacks! Whole grain crackers (Kashi, Fiber One for example), fruits, vegetables,  paired with some low fat cheese  or peanut butter can make a great afternoon snack.

8. Add barley, beans or crackers to soups or have a whole grain roll or a slice of bread on the side.

9. As a great high fiber evening snack, pop some popcorn kernels on your stove with olive oil, sprinkle with a dash of garlic or pepper.

10 Don’t forget to up the water (aim for the 64 oz. per day) and fluid intake if you are increasing the fiber in your diet.

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)