So, apparently, my raised beds make quite the happy little home for beets because I have beets out the wazoo. Beets out the wazoo but not beet recipes out the wazoo, which leads me to ask – does anyone have any good recipes for beets?
Here was the menu for tonight:
Sauteed tofu cubes
Steamed broccoli
Wheat berry salad with raisins, beets and citrus vinaigrette
My five year old launched into her typical tirade when she saw me making these lasagna rolls, moaning “I don’t like spinach…I don’t like mushrooms….yada yada yada” while rolling around on the floor. She may not often provide encouragement while I am making dinner, but she does provide entertainment. One of these days, she’ll remember that she actually does like these lasagna rolls before taking the first bite.
Spinach and mushroom lasagna rolls
Sauteed green and yellow beans
Ground turkey meatballs
Ice cream
Another year has begun and with it comes another year of school lunches (did anyone else just hear that collective groan?) Perhaps you have noticed the healthy changes that have taken place in the school lunch menu. The cafeteria staff has been working hard to improve the nutritional quality of their meals and the health of our children. Kudos to them on behalf of our children!
For those families that prefer to bring a lunch from home, now is the perfect time to review the FVP strategy for bag lunches (see the Quick Bite article from January 26, 2011 or click on the following link http://www.aquickbite.net/?p=18). To review, choose one fruit, one vegetable, and one protein as the starting point for the lunch. This will help ensure that your child hits these frequently missed food groups. The start of the school year is a good time to start new, healthy habits.
At the original posting of this strategy, a question was raised about the mixed message this sends to athletes who are being taught to eat lots of carbohydrates. In response, first it is important to remember that fruits are carbohydrates. Secondly, additional carbohydrates, such as bread or pasta, can be added to the lunch if desired after the fruit, vegetable, and protein as chosen. Starting with these other food groups is a good idea because these are the groups often forgotten. And finally, it is true that carbohydrates are a key fuel for athletes, particularly just before an event. However, most people overestimate carbohydrate needs and/or the intensity of the event. For example, a first grader does not need to carb load or guzzle Gatorade for a T-ball game. Some student athletes can benefit from a carbohydrate-rich meal and if you have questions on the carbohydrate needs for your student athlete, feel free to contact Amy at amy@aquickbite.net.
Corn and smoked mozzarella frittata
Sauteed zucchini with cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs
Whole wheat bread
Sliced peaches
A few weeks ago, on one of those beautiful Vermont summer nights, I took my children to watch an outdoor viewing of the movie Gnomeo and Juliet. For those of you not familiar with this movie, it is a newly released animated children’s version of Shakespeare’s classic story of forbidden love, Romeo and Juliet. However, in this case, it is two garden gnomes that fall in love despite coming from dueling backyards.
So, midway through, I was all set to give this movie a Siskel and Ebert style two thumbs up until it happened. One line, one unnecessary and casually made line, that made me cringe as a mother to two girls and made the nutritionist in me snarl and gnash my teeth at the screen. The line was this (told to Juliet by her nurse) – “he won’t like you once he find out how much you weigh.”
Seriously? In a children’s movie? This comment represents the body image issues and dysfunctional relationships with food that plague too many Americans these days. Some may argue that this was only one innocent comment but many of my clients with eating disorders may disagree as many can often trace the start of their struggles back to a single similar comment. The comment plants the seed that is easily watered by image-driven media and fertilized nicely by societal pressures. Shine some sunlight from the popular ultra-thin celebrity role models out there and watch that seed grow!
Empower yourself and your child against these negative influences by creating a list of 10 things you like about yourself that have nothing to do with appearance. Share your list with your child and encourage them to create a list of their own. Consider writing this list down and posting someplace visible as a daily reminder that who you are is not about what you look like.
Nine – as in the number of calories, or energy, per gram of fat. This is a significant tidbit of nutritional knowledge for anyone interested in gaining or losing weight.
Many theories abound about why the body gains weight (genetic predisposition, hormone imbalances, etc.) but one of the most basic and commonly accepted theories is of an energy balance. In this theory, weight is in balance, or stable, when the energy in (calories eaten) equals the energy out (calories used by the body to function.) Weight loss happens when more calories are used than are eaten. When more calories are eaten than are used by the body, weight gain occurs. It occurs because our ever thrifty body doesn’t like to waste anything so it stores the excess calories in the form of fat.
Carbohydrate, protein, fat, and alcohol all provide calories. Carbohydrate and protein provide four calories per gram and alcohol provides seven calories per gram. Fat, the big daddy of them all, provides the most amount of energy with nine calories per gram. Thus, fat and fatty foods provide more calories when compared to other foods that don’t contain fat.
Bottom line – Those looking to gain weight should add some healthy fats to their diet to tip the energy balance towards gaining weight. Those looking to lose weight have two choices – increase the calories used in the day by adding activity and exercise OR decrease the amount of calories eaten in the day, starting with any excessive calorie-rich fats.
When faced with an overwhelming number of eggs in the fridge, I tend to resort to homemade pudding or a frittata. Guess which one my kids vote for? Unfortunately for them, they were outvoted tonight.
Frittata with sauteed mushrooms, red bell peppers, carmelized onions and feta (*a frittata is basically a healthier version of a quiche because it doesn’t have the buttery crust of a quiche)
Green salad with cucumbers, yellow bell peppers and tomatoes
Sourdough bread
Watermelon, peach, and blueberry fruit salad
Ginger cookie
Years ago, it was pretty much just the talk of athletes. Then, Dr. Atkins brought it to the forefront. Now, everyone is asking for it.
What is this increasingly popular nutrient? Protein. Protein is known as the basic building block of the body because it plays a role in virtually all structures and functions in the body. A protein is made up from a set of 20 amino acids, of which 9 cannot be made by the body and must be supplied by the diet.
How much protein do most people need? In general, most people after the age of 15 need 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of their body weight. For example, a 70 kg healthy woman needs 56 grams of protein daily (70 x 0.8 = 56). Protein needs increase in situations of growth such as childhood, muscle building, and wound repair. For example, a child aged 7-10 or a casual athlete would need 1.0 grams per kilogram of their body weight.
How much protein is in one serving of food? On average, there are 7 grams of protein per egg, per serving of nuts and nut butters, per ounce of meat, pork, or fish, and per serving of cheese. Tofu and beans deliver 8 grams of protein per serving. Milk and yogurt also weigh in with a high protein content of 8 grams per servings but aren’t often classified as a protein because they contain a lower ratio of protein to carbohydrate and fat content.
A general rule of thumb for protein is to make a protein food comprise ¼ of your plate. It is recommended to choose a plant-based protein at least twice a week and a fish at least twice a week as well. And, be sure to include a protein with snacks. Protein takes longer to digest and aren’t cavity-producing so protein-rich snacks will keep the stomach full longer and the teeth enamel stronger when compared to carbohydrate-only snacks.
Gotta love this time of year – stocking up at local farms and then a quick trip out of our garden make dinner easier and tastier. Last night’s dinner used up the last of the blueberries we had picked from Pelkey’s farm and the last of the peaches from Sam Mazza’s. Time to head back out for more picking!
Grilled salmon (smeared with a wee bit of honey and mustard on top prior to grilling) (Ok, this was a grocery store purchase but such is life you’ve got a hankering for seafood and omega-3s and you live in Vermont. Pooh pooh away if you want, diehard localvores.)
Grilled corn on the cob
Sauteed zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes (heat some olive oil in a skillet, toss in a couple smashed garlic cloves and the chopped up veggies and saute 6 minutes or so)
Blueberries and sliced peaches
On NBC’s popular reality show, “The Biggest Loser,” contestants compete to lose the most amount of weight. Each episode ends with a climatic weigh-in where contestants reveal the amount of weight they have lost since last week’s episode. In these reveals, it is not unusual to see weight losses in the teens and even as high as twenty-odd pounds. Hmmmm. Are there any reality shows on television that are actually close to reality?
The reality is that in 7 days, the most amount of weight that should be lost is 1-2 pounds. Any more than that is not only unhealthy, but it is also not “true” body mass but mainly fluid losses. Furthermore, that degree of loss is usually achieved through extreme actions and changes in routine. For example, exercising for 4+ hours a day or dropping caloric intake from 2200 to 1000 calories per day. These changes are more often than not hard to sustain. Thus, the actions or changes do not last and the weight is regained.
As this show climbs in popularity, I have noticed a trend in my clients to expecting similar results in their weight loss efforts. They feel frustration and disappointment time and time again if they don’t lose more than ten pounds in a week. I encourage these clients to do two things. First, focus on the positive changes you feel as a result of the healthy changes made. For example, are your pants more comfortable? Are you sleeping better or feeling less short of breath? Are you feeling more energy? The second thing that I encourage my clients to do is change the station. Television shows, such as The Biggest Loser, are not based in reality and create false expectations that lead to eventual disappointment in people trying to lose weight.