As see on Oprah...Food 101 with Michael Pollan
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The TRUTH about food!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Better Dining Out: Chinese choices
Our family LOVES Chinese take-out. But, we are so careful to be sure that we make wise choices. You can always ask your local restaurant to substitute ingredients. MSG is a culprit in Chinese cooking and we try our best to keep this modified ingredient out of our diet.
Admit it, you’ve got the local Chinese restaurant on speed dial. Chinese tops many people’s favorite cuisine lists, and it’s a common go-to when you don’t want to cook. Here are some tips on what to order next time you’re in the mood.
Order Less: Oily and Deep-Fried Foods
In the U.S., many Chinese menu favorites are battered, deep-fried and coated in sweet and oily sauces. General Tso’s chicken is a perfect example: it clocks in at 1,300 calories, 11 grams of artery-clogging saturated fat and 3,200 milligrams of sodium (that’s a day and half’s worth)! Egg rolls, fried dumplings and crispy wonton strips are other fried foods to avoid.
Like some Japanese dishes, some Chinese menu items are drenched in oily sauces, so ask for sauces on the side and dip food lightly in a few tablespoons to keep calories under control.
Since soy sauce is a staple ingredient, sodium may be high in some dishes. If you have high blood pressure, keep this in mind, or ask your server whether they have a lower-sodium version.
As with many restaurants, portions can be out of control. When you order Chinese, just plan on having half for lunch or dinner the next day or share with the group –- that’s a great way to save some cash, too!
Order More: Fresh, Steamed or Stir-Fried Dishes
Fresh vegetables, seafood, tofu and lean meats such as chicken and pork are main ingredients in many Chinese food options. Whole grain noodles and brown rice are also typically available. Cooking methods such as steaming and stir-frying help keep food light and fresh. Choose steamed dumplings or stir-fried veggie and meat dishes. It also never hurts to ask them to use less oil.
Start your meal with wonton soup or hot and sour soup rather than a greasy appetizer. Split an entrée with a friend (that also helps cut overindulgence). It’s never a bad idea to order an extra side of steamed mixed veggies, too — just to up the nutrients.
By Dana Angelo White, Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Consultant
Monday, January 25, 2010
Read Those Labels
Read Those Labels
When you shop for groceries, you may consider health claims on the packages, like "fat free" or "sugar free." You may even look at the Nutrition Facts panel to see how many calories and so on are in a serving. But most of the time, we tend to overlook a critical question about a particular food: What's in it? This week, make a small change in your grocery-shopping routine and read the ingredients lists on food labels to help yourself make educated decisions about what goes in your cart.
Many food products sold today are full of additives that can contribute to poor nutrition. For example, refined sugar is packed into many "healthy" foods, like cereals and flavored yogurts, providing empty calories with no nutritional benefits. So do yourself a favor and watch out for it on the ingredients list, where ingredients are listed in order of quantity, from most to least. Avoid products in which added sugar (also called high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, glucose, cane sugar, and corn syrup) is one of the first ingredients. Also watch out for artificial sweeteners, which are not necessarily safe in excessive amounts.
Many processed foods on the market today also contain way too much added salt, which can lead to high blood pressure and other health problems. So read labels before you buy canned, frozen, and packaged goods, and look for lower-sodium varieties.
Another ingredient to watch out for is "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" oil, which signifies the presence of trans fat, the worst type of fat for your heart. Look for products with zero grams of trans fat on the Nutrition Facts panel.
In fact, when shopping, a good rule of thumb is to go for the food products with the fewest ingredients — and ideally, only ingredients that you recognize and can pronounce!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Lean Mean Protein
Today's Small Change: Lighten up.
Lean Mean Protein
Did you know that making one small change in your diet can help you lose more than 6 pounds a year? Just by choosing a lean piece of meat over a high-fat one each day — skinless chicken breast over the same amount of prime rib, or 95 percent lean ground beef over 85 percent lean — you can do just that.
The small savings in calories you'll make by replacing high-fat sources of protein in your diet with lower-fat ones daily can really add up over the course of a year — and make the numbers on the scale go down. And if you think that leaner cuts of meat are less interesting or flavorful, think again! For instance, many "wild" meats, such as venison, buffalo, and elk, are incredibly lean and flavorful.
Choosing low-fat or fat-free dairy products instead of full-fat ones can also cut a significant number of calories as well as heart-damaging saturated fat out of your diet over the long term. Low-fat cottage cheese, yogurt, and milk, for example, are great sources of protein that keep the saturated fat at bay.
And when you're looking for lean sources of protein, don't forget about eggs. They're low in calories and fat and rich in B vitamins, vitamins E and A, and choline. As for their high cholesterol content, it turns out that eggs may have been unfairly maligned. Doctors now know that dietary cholesterol doesn't influence your blood cholesterol nearly as much as saturated and trans fats do. Since an egg has just 5 grams of fat (1.5 grams of saturated fat), one whole egg a day can fit neatly into a healthy low-fat diet.
Start lightening up your diet today by replacing one high-fat protein source with a lower-fat one. Make the change permanent, and you may soon start feeling lighter yourself.
credits: Healthy Living With Ellie Krieger
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
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