Category: Nutrition Education

Getting enough fiber is something people don’t think about all that often. Most of us haven’t a clue how many grams of fiber we’re taking in on a typical day.
We’re not even close to meeting the recommended intakes of 20-35 grams a day for healthy adults (25 daily grams for those eating 2,000 calories per day, for example, and 30 grams for 2,500 calories a day) according to the American Dietetic Association. The mean fiber intake in the U.S. is 14-15 grams a day.
We get fiber from unprocessed foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and beans, and most Americans aren’t exactly loading their plates with these items. Americans are definitely eating more prepared and processed foods.

A higher-fiber diet has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels and prevent constipation. High-fiber foods also tend to contain more nutrients and fewer calories, are digested more slowly, and help us feel full sooner.

How do we get that fantastic fiber in our diets, below are 5 easy ways to add foods to try and get the daily 25 grams.

1. Get Those Whole Grains

1 cup of cooked brown rice = 4 grams of fiber.
1/4 cup of whole-wheat flour, used in baking = 3 grams of fiber.
The next best thing to whole-wheat bread is fiber-enriched white bread (such as School Bus or Iron Kids). 2 slices = 3 grams of fiber.
7 Reduced-Fat Triscuit crackers = 3 grams of fiber.

2. Choose High-Fiber Breakfast Cereals

1 cup of Raisin Bran = 7.5 grams of fiber.
1 cup of Quaker Squares Baked in Cinnamon = 5 grams.
2 slices of whole wheat bread = 4 grams.
3/4 cup of cooked oatmeal = 3 grams of fiber.
1 cup of cooked Cream of Wheat = 3 grams of fiber.
1 cup of Multigrain Cheerios = 3 grams of fiber.
1 cup of Wheaties = 3 grams of fiber.

3. Eat Beans a Few Times a Week

1 cup of canned minestrone soup = about 5 grams.
1/2 cup of vegetarian or fat-free refried beans, used to make easy microwave nachos = about 6 grams of fiber.
1/4 cup of kidney beans, added to green salads = 3 grams of fiber.
A bean burrito at Taco Bell (or made at home) = 8 grams.

4. Work in Fruits Whenever You Can

Try to get several servings every day. Add fruit to your morning meal, enjoy it as a snack, and garnish your dinner plate with it. You can even have fruit with — or instead of — dessert!

1 cup of strawberries= 3.8 grams of fiber
1 apple = 3.7 grams of fiber.
1 banana = 2.8 grams of fiber.
1 pear = 4 grams of fiber

5. Work in Veggies Whenever You Can

Again, aim for several servings every day. Include a vegetable with lunch, have raw vegetables as an afternoon snack or pre-dinner appetizer, and enjoy a big helping with dinner. And make a point of having vegetarian entrees several times a week.

1 cup of carrot slices, cooked = 5 grams of fiber.
1 cup of cooked broccoli = 4.5 grams of fiber.
1 cup of raw carrots = 4 grams of fiber.
1 sweet potato = 4 grams of fiber.
1 cup of cauliflower, cooked = 3 grams of fiber.
2 cups of raw spinach leaves = 3 grams of fiber.

So on the note of fiber, I want to share the whole wheat and Oat pancake recipe. Its from Epicurious, but I added a cup of blueberries. It was filling and delicious. It had the fiber from the oats and the whole wheat flour and the added antioxidants and fiber from the blueberries.

Whole-Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons well shaken buttermilk
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 cup blueberries

PREPARATION

Soak oats in 3/4 cup buttermilk for 10 minutes

Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl.

Stir egg, butter , brown sugar, remaining buttermilk, and oat mixture into dry ingredients until just combined.

Heat a griddle over medium heat until hot and lightly brush with oil. Working in batches pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle until bubbles appear on the surface and undersides are golden brown, about a minute. Flip with a spatula and cook other side, about 1 more minute.

Recipe is by Andrea Albin.

I added the blueberries at the end and served the pancakes with bananas on top. The recipe does take some time but is great for a lazy Sunday morning. You will stay full till dinner.

Lots of articles and studies are being done on Sugar. The FDA has made it mandatory that all boxed items have added sugar on their label.

We as consumers have to really step up and take care of our health. We need to read labels and the list of ingredients. Sugar has many sneaky names hidden in the label so beware.

The below article is taken from the Tufts Health and Nutrition Update-

“In addition to those white crystals in your sugar bowl, added sugars come in many forms, including corn syrup, honey, molasses, maple syrup, brown sugar, agave syrup, fruit juice concentrates, and evaporated cane juice. Most forms of sugars are chemically similar, so switching from one kind of sugar to another won’t make a huge difference in terms of your health. The key is to cut back on sweet treats in general. It’s estimated that 75 percent of packaged foods sold in the U.S. contain added sugars. If you see a sweetener listed as one of the first three ingredients in a packaged food, it likely contains a significant amount of added sugar.

Nearly half of added sugars that people consume are in the form of sugar sweetened beverages, especially soft drinks, but also fruit drinks, coffee, tea, and sports and energy drinks. Other major sources of added sugars include sweets and snacks such as candy, ice cream, cookies, granola bars, flavored yogurts, cake, and doughnuts. People also get a significant amount of added sugars from less obvious sources, such as pasta sauces, salad dressings, ketchup, barbecue sauces, breakfast cereals, breads, baked beans, and many other packaged foods.

Spotting Added Sugars in Packaged Foods

The American Heart Association recommends woman and children limit intake of added sugars to 6 teaspoons or less a day, and men aim for less than 9 teaspoons. But food labels list sugar in grams! To figure out roughly how many teaspoons of sugar are in a packaged food, divide the number of grams by 4.

Added sugars go by many names on package labels, but the body metabolizes them all in essentially the same way. Check ingredient lists for:

• Sugar (white granulated sugar, brown sugar, beet sugar, raw sugar, sugar cane juice)

• Other common names for sugars: (cane juice, caramel, corn sweetener, fruit juice/fruit juice concentrate, honey, molasses

• Nectar (agave nectar, peach nectar, fruit nectar)

• Syrup (corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, carob syrup, maple syrup, malt syrup)

• Words ending in “-ose” (including sucrose, dextrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, lactose, galactose, saccharose, or mannose)

• Foreign or unusual names for sugars (demerara, muscovado, panela/raspadora, panocha/penuche, sweet sorghum, treacle)”

I wanted to talk about probiotics as I have been doing research on gut and foods that heal the gut.

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for your health, especially your digestive system. … But your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are often called “good” or “helpful” bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy.

I personally feel that taking a probiotic supplement is not the best way to go for your health. We need to get all our nutrients from the fresh food we eat.

Lactobacillus is one of the active bacteria that our gut needs, in order to prevent the bacteria from diminishing we need to eat cultured foods that have probiotics in them.

Examples include, fermented foods like yogurt, kefir sauerkraut, kimchi, miso and Lassi and many others. Apple cider vinegar is also fermented and is great to use in salad dressings. I have a great dressing recipe, which I will add.

We need to add these foods regularly to our diet. I personally have added kefir and yogurt to my diet, both have active cultures of Lactobacillus. The Food and Drug Administration require yogurts that have active cultures to be labeled. It’s very important to understand that all yogurts do not have active cultures, especially the sweetened ones. Pasteurized milk does not have any cultures as the pasteurization process kills all active bacteria.

The sheep milk yogurt, I ate in Crete daily, is cultured with raw milk and the lactic acid is what gives the slightly sour taste, but because it’s made with whole milk, it’s creamy. The Fat in grass fed animal milk is fine in moderation as it has omega 3s which have shown to have benefits to the body. Sheep milk protein is easier to digest than cows milk protein.

So read the labels on yogurt and try add some of the above fermented foods in your diet.

Our gut health is crucial to prevent many diseases and with all the processed foods we consume the gut bacteria are diminishing which then leads to inflammation and many other health problems.

Sugar sneaks into our diets in many, many ways. Here’s how to cut it out.
— Read on mobile.nytimes.com/2018/03/19/smarter-living/4-easy-ways-to-cut-down-your-sugar-intake.html

March is national Nutrition month and this month the  Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic  posts useful  fact sheets. I  am adding the links as I think they are very informative and the ides are great. Todays fact sheet is about how to add more fruits and vegetables in our diet. please read and print as its helpful for parents with young kids.

 

Click to access eat-right-adding-fruits-and-vegetables.pdf

Yesterday, I was talking to a friend about the best type of bread to buy. I decided to blog about my opinion on the most nutritious bread for good health. I am not an expert on gluten or allergies, so this is for people without any wheat problems.

First and foremost all brown breads are not healthy. Many brown breads have caramel color that makes them brown.

Secondly the word Natural, healthy or light should not be your reason for choosing that bread. Reading the ingredients should be the most important.

As a Nutrition Educator, on the label the words 100 percent whole wheat should be the first or second ingredient. That means the bread is made with the whole wheat grain. Wheat flour is not the same as 100 percent whole wheat. Wheat flour is whole wheat processed, the bran and the germ of which are the outer layers of the whole grain are removed. The flour is now light and fluffy and not coarse. That’s why wheat or white bread melts in your mouth. That processed flour is then enriched with the vitamins that are missing and that’s called “enriched flour.” If it’s white it’s bleached.

The bran or outer layer has the most nutrients like fiber, vitamin E and all the B vitamins. Bread like 12 grain or seven grain also have wheat flour as their first ingredient.

Lastly the bread should have very few ingredients, the more ingredients the more it’s been processed.

Breads from fresh bakeries are great but their only negative is the shelf life. Having no preservatives means the bread will not last long.

I love hearty breads as they fill you up and keep you fueled. After 100 percent whole wheat, they can have flax, oats and other grains. That’s a personal choice. Flax seeds have omega 3 the healthy fats.

Watch out for the sugar, fat and sodium too.

Remember all bread is a carbohydrate, but in moderation is okay, it has fiber, which we lack in our diet and fiber is shown in studies to help against many diseases.

So if you are choosing to eat bread, I hope this helps.

I always think it’s important to make small changes otherwise they do not last. Switching from white to whole wheat is a huge taste difference. So go slow.

Sugar is a hot topic, we all know that too much sugar is harmful for our health in many ways, but as I keep saying moderation is important. As all my friends know, I love desserts and chocolates, but I do try to only eat home made deserts and avoid any boxed desserts. The problem with many desserts, especially the processed packaged ones is that they have a lot of sugar substitutes.I am not talking about sugar free substitutes, I am talking about other names for cane or refined sugar. All these other types of sugars are still being tested on their effects on the body.

When you read  the ingredients on a food label, its important to know, where the added sugar comes from.  Here are some of the sneaky names sugar has:

• Common Names For Sugar

“According to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, added sugars show up on food and drink labels under the following names: Anhydrous dextrose, brown sugar, cane crystals, cane sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, crystal dextrose, evaporated cane juice, fructose sweetener, fruit juice concentrates, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, liquid fructose, malt syrup, maple syrup, molasses, pancake syrup, raw sugar, sugar, syrup and white sugar. Other types of sugar you might commonly see on ingredient lists are fructose, lactose and maltose. Fructose is sugar derived from fruit and vegetables; lactose is milk sugar; and maltose is sugar that comes from grain.”

As you can see, sugar is hidden in many foods and reading the food ingredients is a wise thing to do if you have the time.

Some foods that I find a lot of sugar in that we don’t realize are, flavored yogurts, sugary sodas, sugary drinks and salad dressings and tomato sauce. If the drink does not say 100 percent juice, then it does have added sugar.

A few changes in my diet have helped reduce my excessive sugar consumption:

• Swap salad dressings with plain olive oil and balsamic vinegar and add some spices for a kick. The reduced fat dressings usually have the most sugar, unless they are made with sugar free substitutes.
• Swap sugary sodas and drinks with water and tea. I try to add lemon or oranges to my water and keep it in a jug in the fridge. A little bit of fruit juice to seltzer water is another idea. I also try to drink more herbal teas in the day.
• Swap flavored yogurts with low fat yogurts as a little bit of fat helps lower the sugar without affecting the taste. Or buy plain 2 percent fat yogurt and some fresh fruit or honey.
• Beware of sugar in the bread you buy. I just discovered “Bread Alone”it has only 6 ingredients and 2 grams of sugar, which comes from honey. There are many great brands available.

Its very hard to totally cut out sugar from the diet, but every small change makes a difference. Its important to start slow and make baby steps.  Sugar is addictive and we need to be aware of the foods that we find it in. There is a lot of science, showing us how sugar can affect our bodies through Insulin production. Which plays a role in a lot of the major diseases.

On a positive note, if  we read the Nutrition Facts Panel on the food label and see the amount of added sugar that in itself is a step in the right direction.

 

 

One of my favorite things to do in Chicago was grocery shop. My husband and kids thought I was crazy and wasting money.  I can spend hours in a grocery store that is clean, large and not crowded. I hope I find one of those near where I live.

Anyways, I love reading food labels.  I enjoy finding food products that are healthy and have less preservatives and added sugars so I can substitute them for  products that a have a whole list of ingredients that can harm my health.  We have so many choices in the grocery store, that it can take ages to accomplish this.

Teaching nutrition for over 20 years, I have realized that learning how to read a food label should be a requirement once kids learn to read. Every single person, should know what they are putting in their body, especially if its packaged.

The Food and Drug Administration or FDA are responsible for the regulation of the food labels in this country, and they do a pretty good job with the basics. The latest addition of separating natural sugar from added sugars  is great as its so important for us to know how much sugar is added to the product. Natural sugars are the sugars found naturally in the food, like the sugar found in fruits and milk.

The food label can sometimes be misleading too and  last Tuesday after going to a talk at the Hunter College New York Food Policy Center , I  decided to talk about the word “Natural”.  “Natural” as defined by the FDA, means the food contains no added colors, artificial flavors or synthetic substances.

Foods that say “natural” can still have added sugar, pesticides and a host of other ingredients that you have never ever heard off. Foods that say “natural” are not necessarily foods that are good for your health.

Try not to only read the front of a package, read the Nutrition Facts Panel at the back and read the ingredients. If a food has a lot of ingredients you have never heard off, then think twice before putting it in your cart.

We all have our favorite foods and its not easy to change, but educating ourselves is very important.

 

 

 

In this blog, I also want to explain the meaning of some of the terms I use. I have been teaching college level nutrition for 25 years and I read Nutrition journals and articles. So explaining Nutrition concepts in simple language is very important to me.

The word antioxidant is very important and useful for health and wellness. Examples of natural antioxidants in our foods are Vitamin A,C,E Remember ACE.

Our  body produces produces Oxidants or free radicles, to fight off viruses and other foreign bodies that can cause major diseases. These Oxidants are needed in the short run but the problem occurs if we are chronically producing oxidants.  Too much oxidation over time plays a huge role in chronic diseases such as heart disease and Cancer. Unfortunately these oxidants are also found in the environment. We get them from pollution, cigarette smoke and Ultra Violet rays from the sun.

Antioxidants can help prevent that oxidation process, but the most important thing to remember is to get them from wholesome foods. I do not believe in popping Vitamin A,C,E just to prevent diseases, unless prescribed by your doctor.

We should try to get these three Vitamins from the colorful foods in our diet. The deeper and darker the color of the food the more antioxidants in that food.

So try to make your daily meals as colorful as possible. I found this image on google images, but you can see what I mean about colorful foods being good for our bodies.