The season of food is upon us. The road to weight gain is paved with good intentions, of others. Not wanting to be rude, we accept the offers of baked goods, sweets, gift boxes of processed meats and cheese. We will be invited to parties or show up at work where the food is laden with fat, sodium, and things we cannot pronounce. From now through pretty much February (Valentine’s Day remember), we are bombarded with food. Confidential to you—I am quite leery of food like meats and cheeses that can last a year without going bad, hmmm.
Sodium-DON’T Take it with a grain of salt
Diets high in sodium are linked to raised levels of blood pressure.
What exactly is blood pressure? There are 2 numbers,
· The top number, your systolic pressure, measures the pressure in the arteries while the heart is pumping blood.
· The bottom number, your diastolic pressure, measures the pressure between the beats.
· If you are healthy, your arteries are muscular and elastic. They stretch when your heart pumps blood through them. Your blood pressure rises with each beat and falls between beats.
· How much they stretch depends on how much force the blood exerts.
· Your heart normally beats about 60 to 80 times per minute.
· ** Special thanks to Lew Vadheim, MD for sharing this information in an easy to understand format.
Some sodium information:
· Sodium chloride is the chemical name for salt. Were you one of those smart mouthed kids trying to show off when you learned that NaCl was table salt? Oh, Mother, please pass the NaCl? · 90% of the sodium we consume is in the form of salt.
· We all need a small amount of sodium to keep our bodies working properly.
· The recommended guideline is about 1 tsp (teaspoon) per day, that’s less than 2300 milligrams (mg). People with hypertension, African-Americans, middle-aged and older adults should be using even less, they should aim for 1500 mg per day.
· The average intake for Americans aged 2 years and up is more than 3400 mg.
· The majority of sodium we are consuming is found in processed and restaurant foods.
What can you do to lower your sodium intake?
· Learn to read food labels at the store. If you are buying a processed food and the label says it is less than 300 mg of sodium per serving, that is your preferred choice.
· Choose fresh foods. If you want to season them use herbs and spices, not salt. You can find spice mixes that are sodium/salt free. They are flavorful, too. I was in a class and the instructor brought popcorn in and I remember eating some and getting these wonderful bursts of flavor that wasn’t salt. It was one of those mixes and so good.
· Here’s a good rule of thumb, the more calories a meal has, the more sodium will be found on your plate. Share a dish with someone, take half home for another meal or order a half portion if available.
· Eating out? Ask the waitperson if there are low sodium options or if the chef will not add salt or MSG to your food. Don’t be shy, you are paying for your food, ask for what you want. Be firm and friendly.
DASH
“The DASH diet is based on the research studies: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, and has been proven to lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, and improve insulin sensitivity. The DASH diet provides more than just the traditional low salt or low sodium diet plans to help lower blood pressure. It is based on an eating plan proven to lower blood pressure, a plan rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat or nonfat dairy. Your doctor may have recommended this eating plan.”
http://dashdiet.org/dash_diet_book.asp?google&gclid=CMjJ5OXjoKQCFdFO2godl37B4g
Tips to carry you through the season: Reprise from November 9, 2009
You’ve been working hard at watching your calories-recording fat intake, carbohydrates. You’ve been so good about moving your body more. Now it is THAT time of year and you fear losing your momentum. Here are some ideas to help you maintain the progress you made during the year.
· Don't arrive at a party starving; you're likely to overeat. Instead, before you leave home eat a piece of fruit, a small salad or a lean protein snack. Eating a healthful snack will prevent you from overindulging on cookies and egg nog.
· At the appetizer table, fill your plate three-quarters full with fresh vegetables and fruit. Reserve the remaining quarter for anything you want, so you don't feel deprived. A small taste will satisfy your craving and not throw you off course, remember moderation.
· Drink plenty of water; it helps reduce your appetite. Try to avoid alcoholic beverages, they are empty calories. If you must drink soda, try switching to diet. There are 10 teaspoons of sugar in a 12 oz can of soda. Better yet, try sparkling water with a lemon or lime slice.
· When socializing, stay more than an arm’s length away from the food tables or if you must, if it is everywhere, then stand near the healthier snacks, the veggie tray, fruit platters or something you don’t like, avoid the temptation.
· If you are planning a party or there will be a company party, talk to the party planners about healthy meetings. It’s OK to tell them you are watching your food intake and request that some low-calorie, healthy foods are provided, and it is also OK to bring your own.
· “Taste is the number one reason why we make the choice to eat one food rather than another. So, here is the key to healthy holiday eating. Stop imagining that you have to give up your favorite holidays treats, like those once-a-year cookies made by a special relative. As soon as you even imagine being deprived, you want to eat more. Instead, plan to enjoy one or two cookies rather than a whole plate. To get the most flavor and pleasure from slow down and savor every bite.”, November 2008 www.eatrightmontana.org
For more information on cutting back on salt, visit The Nutrition Source
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/salt/
Low sodium recipes:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/recipes.html and http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dash-diet-recipes/RE00089
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/25/health/policy/25vegetables.html
And, now, something to make you think:
Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
Stephen Wright, comedian
Information to support your lifestyle changes. Nutritious recipes and sometimes a laugh or two.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Quinoa and Squash Gratin
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
Salt to taste
2 to 3 garlic cloves (to taste), minced
1 1/2 pounds summer squash, diced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3 large eggs
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese (2 ounces)
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a two-quart baking dish or gratin. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the summer squash, thyme and rosemary. Cook, stirring often, until the squash is tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.
2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, and stir in the squash mixture, the cooked quinoa and the cheese. Mix well and season, then scrape into the baking dish. Place in the oven, and bake 35 minutes or until it’s set and the top is lightly browned. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.
Yield: Serves four to six.
Advance preparation: You can prepare the squash through Step 1 up to a day or two before you assemble the gratin. The gratin will keep for four or five days in the refrigerator and reheats well.
Nutritional information per serving (four servings): 220 calories; 12 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 173 milligrams cholesterol; 16 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 103 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during cooking); 13 grams protein
Nutritional information per serving (six servings): 146 calories; 8 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 116 milligrams cholesterol; 11 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 69 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during cooking); 8 grams protein
Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com. Her new book, “The Very Best of Recipes for Health,” was published in August by Rodale Books.
1 medium onion, chopped
Salt to taste
2 to 3 garlic cloves (to taste), minced
1 1/2 pounds summer squash, diced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3 large eggs
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese (2 ounces)
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a two-quart baking dish or gratin. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the summer squash, thyme and rosemary. Cook, stirring often, until the squash is tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.
2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, and stir in the squash mixture, the cooked quinoa and the cheese. Mix well and season, then scrape into the baking dish. Place in the oven, and bake 35 minutes or until it’s set and the top is lightly browned. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.
Yield: Serves four to six.
Advance preparation: You can prepare the squash through Step 1 up to a day or two before you assemble the gratin. The gratin will keep for four or five days in the refrigerator and reheats well.
Nutritional information per serving (four servings): 220 calories; 12 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 173 milligrams cholesterol; 16 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 103 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during cooking); 13 grams protein
Nutritional information per serving (six servings): 146 calories; 8 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 116 milligrams cholesterol; 11 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 69 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during cooking); 8 grams protein
Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com. Her new book, “The Very Best of Recipes for Health,” was published in August by Rodale Books.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Making Lemonade from Lemons
I recently had a pity party. I really don’t like them and I don’t like being invited to them, so I tend to not burden my friends with an invitation.
I found myself wallowing in the old “what am I, chopped liver?” thoughts. I went home that night and really spent time by myself, thinking. Yeah, I know, scary stuff-me thinking. But I did. And what I realized is a hurtful childhood memory was driving my pity party. Lucky me, I am pretty astute to that particular episode and the feelings that arise from the memory of it. This did help me flash forward to the present and say, “hey, wait a minute, I’m not 10 years old anymore” (haven’t been for a looong time). The realization helped bring me back to the current situation I was in and the reason for my pity party. I then thought things through carefully and sorted out my woes and felt much unburdened and refreshed when I was through and I managed to not do any emotional eating, though a Snickers was sounding mighty comforting.
I do believe that some people see life through the “glass half full” all the time or “glass half empty” all the time. I am not sure where I fall on this. I do know I am trying to be more positive and have lots of talks with myself, hmmm, that makes me sound a bit, well, let’s say that it sounds like I am one donut shy of a dozen. I guess I should say I am trying to think things through more and look at things in a more positive light. And you know it does help with how I feel about things and view the world, OK, maybe not the world, my cynicism remains intact on the world. Trying to look at things in a more positive manner can change a person’s outlook , demeanor and how we approach life’s problems.
Enough about me, let’s talk about you. How can you take life’s bitter, hard to swallow moments and make them palatable?
· Make a list with 2 columns. In one column list out what is not working for you. In the other column, list 3 possibilities. Write what matters to you, what is important, what is of interest to you. Look at the 2 side by side, you will see what is currently missing in your life. This may help you put things in perspective and even help move you forward. (Special thanks to my friend Judith for this). What I learned is, we can’t always make sweeping changes, much as we like but we can work on how to make the current “issue du jour” work for us. No easy task but a challenge to get you thinking and motivated.
· Here is another way to think about this and I do love this and take full credit for it, take a globe and hold it. I think so many of us are conditioned to look at the US where we live and maybe look east to Europe or west to Asia. Do you ever think of turning the globe over and looking at Australia, New Guinea? That is how I started looking at problem solving. We get so conditioned to doing what we are used to, and there is the old adage, “do what you’ve always done and you’ll get what you’ve always gotten” or another way “stupidity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results”.
I do my very best thinking and introspection when I am walking or riding my exercise bike. Exercise is quite good for clearing cobwebs, during or after the event. Your body is revved up and you are de-stressing which can certainly clear your mental vision. It can help you think things through.
Some other tools to help you:
· You use your Keep Track book for monitoring food consumption and physical activity. How about keeping a journal of your feelings? This can help put things in perspective for you. Reading something a few days after you wrote it down can open your eyes, especially after you have calmed down and are not in that vortex of emotions. It can open a pathway for you to make changes, or at least get you thinking about them. It can also help you if you are stress or emotional eating. “I’m mad at my spouse so I will eat this chocolate cake”. As if that is really making things better with your spouse.
· You are going through some wonderful life changes right now by participating in Lifestyle Balance. This is quite empowering. You are taking care of YOU. How great does that feel? Pretty wonderful I suspect. Savor that moment and wrap it up in your brain for a rainy day when you may be having a pity party. Open it up when you need to and enjoy it, relive it. You have taken positive action to care for number one, yes, that's you, keep it up.
30 Days to More Fruits and Veggies
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/calendar_2007-09.pdf
Weekly Humor:
My mother taught me about JUSTICE . "One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"
I found myself wallowing in the old “what am I, chopped liver?” thoughts. I went home that night and really spent time by myself, thinking. Yeah, I know, scary stuff-me thinking. But I did. And what I realized is a hurtful childhood memory was driving my pity party. Lucky me, I am pretty astute to that particular episode and the feelings that arise from the memory of it. This did help me flash forward to the present and say, “hey, wait a minute, I’m not 10 years old anymore” (haven’t been for a looong time). The realization helped bring me back to the current situation I was in and the reason for my pity party. I then thought things through carefully and sorted out my woes and felt much unburdened and refreshed when I was through and I managed to not do any emotional eating, though a Snickers was sounding mighty comforting.
I do believe that some people see life through the “glass half full” all the time or “glass half empty” all the time. I am not sure where I fall on this. I do know I am trying to be more positive and have lots of talks with myself, hmmm, that makes me sound a bit, well, let’s say that it sounds like I am one donut shy of a dozen. I guess I should say I am trying to think things through more and look at things in a more positive light. And you know it does help with how I feel about things and view the world, OK, maybe not the world, my cynicism remains intact on the world. Trying to look at things in a more positive manner can change a person’s outlook , demeanor and how we approach life’s problems.
Enough about me, let’s talk about you. How can you take life’s bitter, hard to swallow moments and make them palatable?
· Make a list with 2 columns. In one column list out what is not working for you. In the other column, list 3 possibilities. Write what matters to you, what is important, what is of interest to you. Look at the 2 side by side, you will see what is currently missing in your life. This may help you put things in perspective and even help move you forward. (Special thanks to my friend Judith for this). What I learned is, we can’t always make sweeping changes, much as we like but we can work on how to make the current “issue du jour” work for us. No easy task but a challenge to get you thinking and motivated.
· Here is another way to think about this and I do love this and take full credit for it, take a globe and hold it. I think so many of us are conditioned to look at the US where we live and maybe look east to Europe or west to Asia. Do you ever think of turning the globe over and looking at Australia, New Guinea? That is how I started looking at problem solving. We get so conditioned to doing what we are used to, and there is the old adage, “do what you’ve always done and you’ll get what you’ve always gotten” or another way “stupidity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results”.
I do my very best thinking and introspection when I am walking or riding my exercise bike. Exercise is quite good for clearing cobwebs, during or after the event. Your body is revved up and you are de-stressing which can certainly clear your mental vision. It can help you think things through.
Some other tools to help you:
· You use your Keep Track book for monitoring food consumption and physical activity. How about keeping a journal of your feelings? This can help put things in perspective for you. Reading something a few days after you wrote it down can open your eyes, especially after you have calmed down and are not in that vortex of emotions. It can open a pathway for you to make changes, or at least get you thinking about them. It can also help you if you are stress or emotional eating. “I’m mad at my spouse so I will eat this chocolate cake”. As if that is really making things better with your spouse.
· You are going through some wonderful life changes right now by participating in Lifestyle Balance. This is quite empowering. You are taking care of YOU. How great does that feel? Pretty wonderful I suspect. Savor that moment and wrap it up in your brain for a rainy day when you may be having a pity party. Open it up when you need to and enjoy it, relive it. You have taken positive action to care for number one, yes, that's you, keep it up.
30 Days to More Fruits and Veggies
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/calendar_2007-09.pdf
Weekly Humor:
My mother taught me about JUSTICE . "One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"
Yellow Lentils with Spinach and Ginger
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 teaspoon white or black sesame seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 cup yellow lentils, picked over, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup light coconut milk
2 cups baby spinach leaves, stemmed and chopped, or 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (fresh coriander)
Directions
Toast only the white sesame seeds before using. Place the sesame seeds in a small, dry saute or frying pan over medium heat. Cook briefly, shaking the pan often and watching carefully to prevent burning. Remove the seeds from the pan as soon as they begin to turn brown. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot, ginger, curry powder and turmeric and cook, stirring, until the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the lentils, stock and coconut milk. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer until the lentils are tender but still firm, about 12 minutes. The mixture should be brothy; add a little water if needed.
Stir in the spinach, cover and simmer for about 3 minutes longer. The lentils should still hold their shape. Uncover and stir in the salt. Serve hot, garnished with the cilantro and toasted white or untoasted black sesame seeds.
Nutritional Analysis (per serving) 239 Calories, 14 g protein, 36 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol 169 mg sodium, 9 g fiber
Ingredients
1 teaspoon white or black sesame seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 cup yellow lentils, picked over, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup light coconut milk
2 cups baby spinach leaves, stemmed and chopped, or 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (fresh coriander)
Directions
Toast only the white sesame seeds before using. Place the sesame seeds in a small, dry saute or frying pan over medium heat. Cook briefly, shaking the pan often and watching carefully to prevent burning. Remove the seeds from the pan as soon as they begin to turn brown. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot, ginger, curry powder and turmeric and cook, stirring, until the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the lentils, stock and coconut milk. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer until the lentils are tender but still firm, about 12 minutes. The mixture should be brothy; add a little water if needed.
Stir in the spinach, cover and simmer for about 3 minutes longer. The lentils should still hold their shape. Uncover and stir in the salt. Serve hot, garnished with the cilantro and toasted white or untoasted black sesame seeds.
Nutritional Analysis (per serving) 239 Calories, 14 g protein, 36 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol 169 mg sodium, 9 g fiber
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