Posts Tagged ‘protein’
Monday, July 11th, 2011
Eating salads is a great way to curb your appetite and add nutrients to your diet. However, lurking in restaurants, the salad bar, or your fridge are salad staples that may up your fat and calorie intake more than you realize. If you want to know what to keep and what to toss, check out this advice on how to make healthy salads.
Healthy Salad Basics
Restaurants/Salad Bar: Most restaurant salads would be healthy if it weren’t for the way they were prepared. At a restaurant and/or a salad bar, take a moment to look over the selection before you start preparing your plate. First things first: When you do begin assembling or ordering your salad, ask for your vegetables and main dishes to be served without the sauces or pile up a large amount of leafy greens. For an added nutrient boost, swap iceberg lettuce for darker greens, such as, romaine lettuce or spinach, as they pack more vitamins and minerals. Try to take up about three-fourths of your plate with greens, then pile on lots of other veggies — sliced peppers, grape tomatoes, shredded carrots, sliced beets, and more. Avoid marinated veggies that look super-shiny — those are probably loaded with oil.
Fridge: Be sure to keep loads of fresh veggies on hand so that you can make healthy salads at meal times or make Ready-to-Go Salad Bags. These portable salads are made to eliminate dirty dishes, save time, keep you healthy and losing weight! Making salads every time you want to eat one can be a deterring factor, since it takes a lot of prep time.
First, prep all your veggies by washing them thoroughly, then cutting them up into bite-size pieces. Next, lay all of your veggies out on a long counter or table top so that you have your salad assembly line ready to go. Then, take a zip lock bag and start at the end of the counter that has your greens. Put greens into the bag first, then move down the line filling it with veggies. End with toppings (not dressing), then squeeze any extra air out. Zip and put into the refrigerator. Dressing can be added at meal times by pouring the dressing into the bag and shaking thoroughly.
Healthy Salad Toppings
Toppings and dressings can turn a healthy salad into a diet disaster, but not if you choose wisely.
Crunchy toppings: Skip the croutons, tortilla chips, Chinese noodles, and anything else that might be fried. Add some crunch to your salad with things like sliced water chestnuts, thinly sliced almonds (just a tablespoon or so), and crispy raw veggies.
Dressings: By now we all know that creamy salad dressings, such as ranch and blue cheese, really pump up the fat and calorie counts of our salads. Finding a reduced- or low-fat dressing isn’t always so easy. Not only do you have to taste test until you find one you like, but as with all other food choices, you will need to always check and compare the nutrition labels. It’s possible that a reduced-fat dressing could have more calories than a regular kind. Typically, when fat is removed from a reduced-fat product, something else is added to compensate, such as sugar (which accounts for the extra calories) or salt. Look for reduced-fat dressings with 100 calories or less per 2 tablespoon serving.
If you don’t find a light dressing that suits you, consider making your own. Oil and vinegar is a good choice, if used in moderation. Simply combine one part olive oil to two parts vinegar, adding additional herbs and spices to taste.
Other calorie-cutting options include adding the juice from a few lemon wedges to your salad or using picante sauce or salsa as dressing. If you really crave regular dressing, you can dilute it with either lemon juice or vinegar to cut calories and fat.
Another problem with salad dressing is that few of us use the standard 2-tablespoon serving and instead land somewhere between drizzling and dousing our salads. Dipping your fork into a small container of salad dressing before you spear your salad, rather than pouring it on, is a good way to use less. And now that spray dressings are available, automatic portion control is even easier. Try a light spray variety, such Wish Bone and Ken’s Salad Spritzers, which provide only one calorie per spray (about 10 spritzes are suggested for every cup of salad).
Give Your Salad Protein Power
Stick with lean protein to keep the calories, total fat, and saturated fat to a minimum.
Good lean protein choices include:
- egg whites
- grilled chicken
- boiled or steamed shrimp
- grilled salmon
- roasted turkey breast
- water-packed tuna
- low-fat or fat-free cheese
If you don’t eat meat, remember that you can get protein from other food sources such as:
- tofu
- lentils
- garbanzo beans
- black beans
- nuts (watch portion sizes)
- avocado (watch portion sizes)
 Share on Facebook
Tags: calories, dressings, fat, protein, restaurant, salad, toppings
Posted in weight loss | Comments Off
Monday, June 27th, 2011
According to the American Dietetic Association position paper on vegetarian diets, people who eat a vegetarian diet have a lower risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure. They also tend to have lower LDL cholesterol levels, body mass index (BMI) readings, and overall cancer rates (1). However, when it comes to a vegetarian diet, there are right and wrong ways to go about adopting this healthful way of eating. For this reason, education on a healthful vegetarian diet is critical.
A 2005 poll showed that 3% of 8- to 18-year-old children were vegetarians (1). While it’s been well established that a vegetarian diet can be healthful and adequate in nutrition, children and teens do require age-appropriate intakes of nutrients. Especially important for vegetarians are protein, calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin D, and vitamin B12 in amounts sufficient to support growth and development (2). Guidance from parents in making deliberate food choices helps maintain balance and variety, ensuring that nutritional needs are met. If your child has decided to “go veg” here are the nutrition considerations that need to be taken into account:
Protein – Iron is the most common nutrient deficient in vegetarians, and especially in vegans, who don’t eat any animal products, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Pediatric Nutrition Handbook says. That’s because iron-rich plants contain a type of iron that’s harder for the body to absorb than the iron found in animal products. Age-dependent protein needs for children range from 16 to 44 g per day (3). For many people, protein is synonymous only with meat, fish, and fowl, however, there are many plant-based foods that are high in protein, such as, beans, peas or lentils, nut butters, soy foods, and eggs (for lacto-ovo vegetarians).
Vitamin D – The American Academy of Pediatrics recently doubled the amount of vitamin D it recommends for infants, children, and adolescents to 400 IU per day beginning the first few days of life (4). Vegetarians can get vitamin D from fortified foods, supplements, and sunlight exposure.
Vitamin B12 – The requirement for vitamin B12 is tiny but critical. It can be found in fortified cereals, fortified soy and other nondairy milks, fortified veggie meats, and cow’s milk, eggs, and yogurt for lacto-ovo vegetarians.
Calcium – Sufficient calcium intake can be obtained from a variety of plant-based sources, but fortified orange juice as well as soy, rice, almond, and other plant-based milks are an easy and efficient way to help meet kids’ calcium needs (3). Fill in the gaps with fortified breakfast cereals, almonds, and almond butter.
Zinc – Getting enough zinc isn’t typically on new vegetarians’ minds, but vegetarian diets often contain less zinc than non-vegetarian diets (5). Because this mineral is a critical component in so many functions of the body, it’s wise to know good food sources. The National Institutes of Health says that nonmeat sources of zinc are more difficult for people to absorb. One way to make plant zinc more absorbable, they say, is by “soaking beans, grains, and seeds in water for several hours before cooking them and allowing them to sit after soaking until sprouts form.” They also say that consuming leavened grain foods, like bread, helps the body to better absorb the zinc, compared with unleavened grain foods, like crackers. There are many other kid-friendly options that are high in iron, such as veggie burgers, dates, almonds, and cheese. A good multivitamin also helps cover the bases.
References
1. Craig WJ, Mangels AR; American Dietetic Association. Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian diets. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109(7):1266-1282.
2. Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine. Vegetarian diets for children: Right from the start. Available at: http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/veg_diets_for_children.html . Accessed June 2011.
3. Melina V, Davis B. The New Becoming Vegetarian: The Essential Guide to a Healthy Vegetarian Diet, 2nd ed. Summertown, Tenn.: Healthy Living Publications; 2003.
4. American Academy of Pediatrics. New guidelines double the amount of recommended vitamin D. October 13, 2008. Available at: http://www.aap.org/pressroom/nce/nce08vitamind.htm . Accessed June 2011.
5. The Vegetarian Society. Zinc information sheet. Available at: http://www.vegsoc.org/info/zinc.html . Accessed June 2011.
Share on Facebook
Tags: academy, american, children, pediatrics, protein, vegetarian, zinc
Posted in weight loss | Comments Off
Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
Now that the warm weather is here, many of us will be spending time at carnivals, fairs and amusement parks — spots that can be pretty scary when it comes to meals and snacks. If you are wondering what to watch out for (besides the 100 foot drop roller coaster), here are a few rules to live by:
Not So Amusing Carnival Fare
Funnel Cake and other Fried Desserts - Snacking on snickers, dough, or oreos, that have been dipped in batter and deep fried can contain one day’s worth of fat and can pack in a whopping 700+ calories each!
SNO-CONE – The problem with sno-cones is all that sugar-laden syrup the crushed ice is drowned in. If you want to keep your sno-cone calorie counts low, you need to do one of two things. You can either a. use sugar free syrup (which means your treat will likely be calorie-free), or b. carefully monitor the amount of syrup that is poured over your ice. Sno-cone syrups usually contain 80-100 calories per ounce. Therefore, a 12 oz. sno-cone with 6 oz. syrup contains a shocking 540 calories! Stick with half the amount of syrup and your sno-cone will contain half the calories.
Ice creams - Ice cream sold at carnivals is often full fat and served in sugary waffle cones. That adds up to a ton of calories –close to 1,000– for a large sized cone. Many vendors do carry individually wrapped frozen novelties. So if you absolutely must have ice cream, consider getting one of those. Otherwise, try to stick with some cold water or a diet beverage and hold off on the frozen treats until you get home.
Amusing Carnival Fare
Cotton Candy - While cotton candy isn’t exactly good for you a 1 oz. cone only contains approximately 100 calories, no fat and less sugar than one can of regular soda. This doesn’t mean you should eat cotton candy every day. However, it might be a more sensible choice in comparison to many carnival treats.
Lean protein - In general, when it comes to meals, stick with deli meats or grilled lean protein (like chicken), rather than hot dogs, pizza, or hamburgers.
Fresh fruit - Amusement parks, carnivals and fairs typically have fresh fruit or smoothie stands.
OR
BYOT (Bring your own treats) – Keep a stash of these travel friendly treats in your bag to help you avoid eating the high-calorie snacks that pop up at parks:
- Sugar-free hard candies
- Sugar-free mints
- Sugar-free gum
- Turkey jerky
- Light cheese snacks
- Trail mix (made with nuts, high fiber, low sugar cereal, and dried fruit)
- 100-calorie packs of almonds
Share on Facebook
Tags: amusement, calories, carnival, fair, fat, food, protein, sugar
Posted in weight loss | Comments Off
Monday, May 30th, 2011
The average BBQ meal contains 3,500 calories, but don’t let that stop you from hitting up a slew of BBQs, backyard cookouts, and pool parties this summer. Even though BBQs can be packed with fattening foods, there’s usually a ton of delicious, good-for-you food choices there, too. Check out Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right’s top cookout tips :
1. Drink water. When you get dehydrated, not only does your energy drop (not ideal at a party), but you also become more likely to eat when you’re just thirsty and make not-so-smart food decisions. Remember to drink before your thirsty; by the time you are feeling thirsty, you are already past the point of being adequately hydrated.
2. The “Grill” of Victory- Grilling makes practically everything taste great, and it keeps added fat to a minimum. As long as the food isn’t drowned in oil beforehand, you’re pretty much good to go. Grill lean protein, fruit, and veggies. Some best on-the-grill bets include: fish, veggie burgers and bison, fat-free franks, and grilled chicken breast. Then go condiment crazy with these low-cal choices, such as, ketchup, pickles, salsa, mustard, and hot sauce. Foil packs and skewers are also good ways to secure smaller bits of lean protein and veggies.
The best type of meat to consume is sustainably raised, ie: pasture-raised, grass-fed beef, and free-range. When the animals are raised in their natural environment (roaming in the pasture, feeding off the grass, exposed to the sun) they are the healthiest and therefore have more nutrients and are better for us. By consuming sustainably raised animals you will also be avoiding the negative effects of excess hormones and antibiotics. This plus the moral and environmental considerations makes this one of the most important steps toward eating healthier and more sustainably. For fish, look for wild or organic farm-raised fish. Try to minimize swordfish and tuna, which have a higher concentration of mercury, and focus on fish like cod or salmon, which are higher in healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
3. Slender Side Dishes- Pair your choice of lean protein with crisp veggies and salad. Try corn on the cob, asparagus and onions, which are awesome when grilled, and they’ll fill you up. Also, remember to avoid mayo-laden side dishes, such as cole slaw, macaroni salad, and potato salad. Even a relatively demure 2/3-cup serving of ordinary potato salad can have close to 20 grams of fat… which makes eating it especially silly considering how many other fun things there are to chew. But slaw can be saved! If you can get to a sink, rinse your coleslaw (until the water runs clear) to wash calories and fat grams down the drain.
4. Find guilt-free frozen treats. Stick to fruit pops and fruit bars instead of standard ice cream treats. You get the cool refreshment without the extra fat.
5. Alter you cooking methods. The temperature at which you cook your meat and the way you eat it — i.e., well-done, rare, medium-rare, etc. — is also extremely important to focus on. You should avoid cooking your meat at a very high temperature over long periods of time. Hazards with overcooking meats at high temperatures include an increased risk of cancers due to chemicals called HCAs. Try cooking the meats medium-rare and removing any blackened or charred pieces, the worst parts for you. You can cook the meat partially in the oven before putting it on the grill to cut down cooking time, which gives the HCAs less time to form. Or cook smaller pieces, which cook more quickly.
Although it’s fine to splurge on occasion, go out of your way to use these tips at your next summer feast.
Share on Facebook
Tags: bbq, cookout, grill, healthy, protein, summer, vegetables
Posted in weight loss | Comments Off
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
Beans contain a wider variety of nutrients than most foods, including calcium, potassium, vitamin B6, magnesium, folate, and alpha-linolenic acid. Beans are also a great source of complete proteins which are necessary for the normal functioning of the body.
Beans are a fabulous source of fiber! In fact, a cup of beans has twice as much fiber as a cup of most vegetables. Beans provide a major source of soluble fiber, which, when passing through the digestive tract grabs and traps bile that contains cholesterol, removing it from the body before it’s absorbed. Eating a cup of beans a day will lower cholesterol and decrease risk for heart disease by as much as 22%. The high fiber also makes you feel full so you eat less throughout the day, helping with weight maintenance. The soluble fiber in beans also helps to decrease insulin resistance, the starting point for Type 2 Diabetes. Beans are also a great source of insoluble fiber which increases stool bulk and decreases the risk of constipation and hemorrhoids.
Beans also contain compounds called isoflavins which help prevent normal cells from turning cancerous. Soybeans contain phytoestrogens which are thought to decrease the risk of breast and prostate cancer.
Beans fill many dietary requirements, including 32%DV of folate, 9%DV of potassium, and are very high in protein and fiber but and low in fat. Dried or canned beans will give you the same benefit, but canned beans are high in sodium so be sure to drain and rinse well.
Parents are sometimes wary of giving their kids beans due to the “gas factor”. Beans cause gas because they contain large amounts of a particular carbohydrate called raffinose. Our GI tract can’t digest raffinose so it travels to the large intestine where it is rapidly fermented by the bacteria that naturally live in our intestines. The end products of this fermentation are gasses, such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The gases accumulate and eventually leave the body as flatulence. Both the absorbance of gas and the composition of intestinal bacteria vary widely among people so some people experience more gas after ingesting beans than others.
Most kids love to eat hot dogs with baked beans. My mom used to chop the hotdogs up and mix them right in with the baked beans. Beans can also be easily served in Mexican dishes, such as tacos or fajitas. Nobody can resist a hot bowl of chili topped with melted low-fat cheese! My kids love to eat hummus. In fact, that is how I first got my kids to eat raw vegetables! Hummus is also delicious with pita bread. There are lots of ways to get kids to eat beans without a fight!
A younger toddler (age 1 – 2) requires 2 oz of meat/beans each day. An older toddler (age 3-4) requires 3 – 4 oz of meat/beans each day. ¼ cup of dried beans is equivalent to 1 ounce.
| FOOD ITEM |
GRAMS OF PROTEIN |
| 1 cup of most beans |
14 – 15 |
| 4 oz ground beef |
28 |
| 4 oz chicken breast |
30 |
| 1 egg |
6 |
| 1 Tbsp peanut butter |
4 |
| 1 oz cheese |
6 – 10 |
| 1 cup milk |
8 |
| ¼ cup almonds or peanuts |
8 – 9 |
| FOOD ITEM |
GRAMS OF FIBER |
| 1 cup beans |
13 – 15 |
| 1 medium apple |
5 |
| 1 cup broccoli |
4.5 |
| 1 cup sweet potato |
6 |
| 1 cup bran cereal |
20 |
| 1 cup whole wheat pasta |
6 |
| 1 slice whole wheat bread |
2 |
| 1 oz almonds |
4 |
| FOOD ITEM |
MILLIGRAMS OF CALCIUM |
| 1 cup soybeans |
261 |
| 1 cup white beans |
160 |
| 1 cup navy beans |
125 |
| 1 cup milk |
300 |
| 1 cup spinach |
272 |
| 1 oz most cheeses |
220 |
| 8 oz low-fat yogurt |
345 |
Share on Facebook
Tags: beans, child nutrition, health benefits of beans, healthy foods, healthy nutrition, nutrition, protein
Posted in weight loss | Comments Off
|
|
