BS on Diet Myths

What is a fact and what is a myth? It is so hard to distinguish with all the nutrition information out there now-a-days. As a Registered Dietitian, I am here to provide evidence-based nutrition information based on research.

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Did you know every week there are over 50 new recipes by home cooks published to Allrecipes? It’s a great way for people to share family favorites, new recipes they’ve created or a twist on something traditional.

Here are 20 of our newest recipes for you to try this week! And don’t forget to snap...

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Nutrition Apps

Do you need an app on your phone to hold you accountable? With technology advancing, having these tools available to you can only benefit you. Here are some newer and older apps that I recommend: 

MyFitnessPal: This tracks fitness and nutrition goals. With a large food database, you can find almost anything!

Calorie Counter: This tracks fitness and nutrition as well as providing nutrition labels and inspirational tips. 

eaTipster: This was developed by dietitians and provides daily nutrition tips to your phone.

Sparkpeople food and fitness tracker: Another tracking app to assist in weight management.

Aegis Shield: this app lists banned ingredients in nutrition supplements according to sports programs. 

UPcoffee: This app shows how your caffeine intake may be affecting your sleep.

Pocket Dietitian: Provides meal planning and other tips for people with kidney disease, high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.

Sparkrecipes: This app provides healthy, quick recipes for anytime and any occasion.

Fooducate: Educates you on different health claims, nutrition labels, ingredient lists, and marketing trends. All you do is scan the food’s barcode and the app will give the item a “grade” and provide alternative, healthier options. 

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Pre-holidays, here's how to eat healthy

Follow these tips for healthy eating

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Halloween aka "Caloriween"

That's right: Halloween is here and with that comes plenty of candy as well as alcohol and other party snacks. These types of foods are often impossible to avoid when put in front of you. So what can you do? 

1. Tell yourself no. If you can do this, congrats to you. 

OR

2. Tell yourself you can have 1-2 treats. (the more likely option)

So I decided to look at some popular candies and their nutrient contents in terms of calories, sugar, and protein in order to determine the "best" option for you this Halloween. 

Snickers (regular size): 250 calories, 27g sugar, 4g protein

Reeses (2 cups): 210 calories, 21g sugar, 5g protein

Twix (2 cookie bars): 250 calories, 24g sugar, 2g protein

KitKat (1 pkg): 210 calories, 21g sugar, 3g protein

Hersheys (1 bar): 210 calories, 24g sugar, 3g pro

Payday (1 bar): 240 calories, 21g sugar, 7g protein

Take 5 bar (1 pkg): 210 calories, 18g sugar, 4g protein

3 Musketeers (1 bar): 240 calories, 26g sugar, 1g protein

Overall, these all are way more sugar than what is recommended that we consume in a day. My recommendation would be to choose dark chocolate versions of any of these bars to get additional nutritional benefits. If I had to choose one of these candy bars to eat this Halloween, I would most likely choose the Take 5 bar as it is lowest in sugar. 

Remember, everything in moderation :) 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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The 5 biggest breakfast myths

How does breakfast really affect weight loss, energy levels and appetite throughout the day? Here's a reality check on the biggest breakfast myths.

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How to pick the best cereal

Now-a-days, there is an entire aisle of the grocery store devoted to just cereals. So how can we choose which is the best one for us? Below are some tips to help with your cereal search! 

The Less Sugar the Better

Pick cereals with <5-10g of sugar per serving

 Feel Full with Fiber

Look for cereals with ≥3g of fiber per serving

 Hopped Up on Whole Grains

Read the nutrition label and look for whole grains

Focus in on the Fat

Select cereals with no trans fat and no saturated fat

Got Milk?

Reach for reduced fat (1%) or fat free milk.  

Top 8 Best Cereals:                           Top 8 Worst Cereals:

Cheerios                                          1.  Honey Smacks

Shredded Wheat                              2.  Corn Pops

Fiber One                                         3.  Apple Jacks

Grape Nuts                                      4.  Franken Berry

Wheaties                                          5.  Trix

Total                                                 6.  Eggo Cereal Maple Sy rup

Kashi GoLean                                   7.  Basic 4

All Bran                                             8.  Smorz

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Bang for your bite: These foods are packed with healthful surprises

Can beef and beer count as good for you? Read on.

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A healthier version of mac n' cheese

So the other night, I was really craving mac n' cheese, so I starting browsing recipes online and came across this recipe. Let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS! Three of us ate the whole pan (mainly me). Here is what you need:

1 box whole wheat elbow noodles

1 bag of shredded low fat sharp cheddar cheese 

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt 

1/2 cup fresh spinach 

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

some black pepper 

Cook the noodles how you normally would. Place the spinach in a colander (strainer) and pour the noodles and water on top. This will "cook" the spinach. Save a little bit of the cooked water for later. Return spinach and noodles to pot, add the saved water, and mix in shredded cheese. Add greek yogurt and seasonings. 

Like I said, it was delicious and tasted like regular mac n' cheese without the butter or milk and with more protein. Enjoy!

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Tainted supplements sold after recalls, study says

Tainted dietary supplements often continue to be spiked with hidden and potentially dangerous drugs months and even years after being the subjects of product recalls, according to research.

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My Healthy Lifestyle Challenge! Challenge #5

Happy Friday! How many of you were able to complete Challenge 4?!

Challenge #1 (September 28 - October 4):

Make sure at least half of each lunch and each dinner consist of vegetables. So if you took a plate, put a line down the middle, and one half of the plate should be vegetables.

Challenge #2 (October 5 - October 11):

Aim to do some type of physical activity for at least 30 minutes 5 days/ week. This can be as simple as walking your dogs or walking the mall, but try to include some vigorous exercise as well.

Challenge #3 (October 12 - October 18):

Decrease the number of times you go out to eat for meals by half. So if you go out to lunch 3 times a week, aim to cut it down 1-2 times this week.

Challenge #4 (October 19 - October 25):

Are you drinking enough water in a day? It is recommended to consume at least 8 cups of water per day. Carry around a large re-usable water bottle and keep track to see how much you actually drink.

And here is this week's challenge: 

Challenge #5 (October 26 - November 1):

Aim to consume AT LEAST 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in a day. This can be incorporated both into meals and snacks. 

Here is an example of 5 servings: 

Breakfast: 1 apple (the size of my fist)

Lunch: 1 cup of blueberries, 2 cups of lettuce (on your salad)

Afternoon snack:  2 cups raw vegetables (for dipping) 

Dinner: 1 cup cooked vegetables 

That's easy enough! :) 

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Coumadin (Warfarin) and Vitamin K foods

So one of the most popular medications in adults and the elderly is the blood thinner, Coumadin. Every person I run into on Coumadin says "I can't have that because I can't have dark green vegetables". And this is what doctors have been telling patients for years. When you are on Coumadin, you have to avoid foods high in Vitamin K.

However, this is not true!

Yes, Coumadin interacts with Vitamin K. This is because Vitamin K acts as a clotting factor and Coumadin's purpose is to avoid clots. So why wouldn't you avoid it? Well, here is the explanation:

When you are taking Coumadin, you must consume a CONSISTENT amount of foods high in Vitamin K everyday. Let's say that you love your vegetables. You choose to have ~1 cup of dark green vegetables (spinach, kale, broccoli, etc) per day. This is okay because your doctor should adjust your Coumadin dosage to the amount of foods high in Vitamin K that you choose to consume consistently everyday. 

Therefore, the more Vitamin K foods you eat, the higher your dose of Coumadin will have to be. The MOST IMPORTANT thing is CONSISTENCY. You can't have 2 cups one day and then none the next day.

I hope this short post has clarified the Coumadin and Vitamin K food interaction. I recommend discussing this with your doctor and determining the best amount for you. 

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Oftentimes carbohydrates are given a bad reputation, but living without them can also cause damage to our health.

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Eat to live and Live to Drink

As a friend asked me to write a post about drinking alcoholic beverages without gaining weight, I sat here and thought, is it possible?

Previously, I had written a post about alcohol consumption in moderation. It discussed calories of different beverages as well as tips to lower calories. Please refer to this link to read more: http://bsondietmyths.tumblr.com/post/87699083247/every-20-somethings-biggest-problem

However, in this post, I will discuss alcohol consumption on those nights out when you don’t have the responsibility of being DD….

Unfortunately, alcohol can be the sole cause to someone being overweight. When you drink, you are not only adding calories to everything you ate that day, but you are also prone to eat more throughout the evening and after. When you consume such an excess of calories over multiple days/ weeks/ months, you will gain weight. Another reason you are prone to gain weight with drinking is because the breakdown and excretion of alcohol is the body’s number one goal. It will put everything else on hold when you drink. When alcohol reaches the liver, the metabolism of glucose, fat, and protein are paused, so that the enzymes can be used for the metabolism of the alcohol. What do you think your body does with all that paused stuff? It pushes it aside aka stores it in fat and muscles! 

So what are some ways you can prevent weight gain as much as possible without giving up those wild nights out? 

1. Exercise that day that you are planning on drinking. And by exercise, I mean an intense, dripping sweat workout. Remember, the more calories you burn will help to decrease the gap between those consumed and those burned.

2. Eat a healthy, balanced dinner. Please, DO NOT skip dinner to save calories. Alcohol provides your body with zero nutrients while food provides it with all the essential ones it needs just for your body to work. Nutrients from food are needed to make your heart beat, to make your liver break down alcohol, to help you think, etc. 

3. Since you ate a nice, filling dinner before drinking, remind yourself throughout the night that you do not need to snack on anything or get food. Think: Is my stomach growling or am I just craving that pizza?

4. Know calories of drinks. Again, refer to the link above. 

5. Save yourself 100+ calories per drink by ordering diet sodas instead of regular sodas, such as a rum and DIET coke

6. Stick with the light beers. Again, you could save yourself 100+ calories per drink. 

7. Drink water every other drink (Alcoholic beverage, water, alcohol, water, alcohol, water, etc). First, you will probably save a lot of money. Second, you most likely do not need anymore than that. Third, you won’t feel as hungover the next day. And fourth, you will be saving yourself calories. 

Unfortunately, excess alcohol consumption above the recommended intake (no more than 1 drink/day for women and 2 drinks/day for men) can lead to many diseases, including diabetes, obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, and others.

Limiting the “wild nights out” will help with your weight as well! 

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Pre and Pro Biotics

You probably have heard these terms, but why are they important? Research has shown some functional components of prebiotics and probiotics that may be beneficial to our health. But you don’t need some special pill or supplement to add these into your diet! Read on to learn foods high in these components.

Prebiotics are natural, non-digestible food ingredients that are linked to promoting the growth of helpful bacteria in your gut. Research has shown that they may improve gastrointestinal (GI) health as well as potentially enhance calcium absorption. Some foods high in prebiotics include bananas, onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, artichokes, soybeans and whole-wheat foods.

Probiotics are the “good” bacteria — or live cultures — just like those naturally found in your gut. This functional component may boost immunity and overall health, especially your GI health. Some foods high in probiotics include fermented dairy foods, such as yogurt, kefir products and aged cheeses.

In order to enhance the “good” bacteria, it is best to pair the two groups together. Prebiotics are the breakfast for the probiotics! For example, have some sliced bananas with your yogurt. 

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The Four-and-a-Half-Cup Solution

To be sure you are eating enough fruits and vegetables, you need to know your daily goal and have a way to measure how well you are meeting it.

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My Healthy Lifestyle Challenge! (Challenge #4)

Happy Friday! How many of you were able to complete Challenge 3?!

Challenge #1 (September 28 - October 4):

Make sure at least half of each lunch and each dinner consist of vegetables. So if you took a plate, put a line down the middle, and one half of the plate should be vegetables.

Challenge #2 (October 5 - October 11):

Aim to do some type of physical activity for at least 30 minutes 5 days/ week. This can be as simple as walking your dogs or walking the mall, but try to include some vigorous exercise as well.

Challenge #3 (October 12 - October 18):

Decrease the number of times you go out to eat for meals by half. So if you go out to lunch 3 times a week, aim to cut it down 1-2 times this week.

Here is the challenge for the upcoming week: 

Challenge #4 (October 19 - October 25):

Are you drinking enough water in a day? It is recommended to consume at least 8 cups of water per day. Carry around a large re-usable water bottle and keep track to see how much you actually drink. For example, if you had a 20 ounce water bottle, you would need to drink ~3.5 of them in a day to get enough water! Remember, 1 cup of water is equal to 8 ounces.