There are oodles of online sites and apps available nowadays for tracking diet and physical activity. Each has its own pros and cons. One that I recommend to clients is the USDA’s Supertracker (www.supertracker.usda.gov). It is free, relatively user-friendly, visually appealing, and has some nice analysis features. After setting up a profile, the program will create personalized diet and activity goals. As information is added during the day, you can track your progress towards these goals. One of my favorite features is the identification of empty calories, or calories from added fats and/or sugars. These calories are called empty because they are found in foods that provide little, if any, nutrients. Being more aware of how many empty calories you are consuming and where these calories are coming from can help you improve the quality of your diet. My chief criticism about the Supertracker tool is that the food database can be lacking, forcing you to pick the closest food to the one actually eaten. Despite this, the Supertracker is worth a look.
Food safety is your friend
Written by amy on October 10th, 2012
On September 22nd, there was a large peanut butter recall for Trader Joe’s brand Valencia peanut butter due to a possible link to salmonella illness. Since that time, the recall has grown to nut butter sold under 14 different brand names and stores nationwide. While the majority of recalled items and stores are not predominant in Vermont, there are a few products being voluntarily recalled, such as Newman’s O’s Peanut Butter Sandwich Crème Cookies, made by Newman’s Own Organics, that available in local grocery stores. The Food and Drug Administration has an ongoing list of recalled items on their website (www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm). Check out the website periodically to stay up to date on this and future food recalls.
What’s Amy eating?
Written by amy on September 29th, 2012Quesadillas with leftover bean chili
Steamed broccoli
Baked apples with walnuts and apples
Vanilla ice cream
Getting your kids off their keister
Written by amy on September 26th, 2012
Take advantage of these fabulous fall days to get outside and get moving! The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends (how many times have you heard this??) at least 60 minutes of activity each day. No one argues that it can require some effort and creativity to get in the full 60 minutes some days BUT the benefits and importance of staying active should push this up the priority list. Setting limits on sedentary behavior, such as video games, computer, and television time can help open up more time for staying active. Use reward charts to help motivate your children to do something active without nagging. Be a good role model yourself and encourage your children to join in if they are able. Remember, staying active doesn’t just mean going to the gym. Play tag or monkey in the middle, kick around a soccer ball, find some youtube videos that can teach some new dance moves and get your groove on, squeeze in an after dinner family walk, bike or walk to the store instead of taking the car – get moving!
What’s Amy eating?
Written by amy on September 26th, 2012This was a veggie heavy meal thanks to our garden and this week’s CSA share from Groundworks Farm. In fact, the entire meal was local, right down to the salmon from Lake Champlain. I balanced out the nutrients by including the potatoes and winter squash as the starch component.
Grilled salmon
Roasted root vegetables (butternut squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, shallots, beets, apples)
Sliced tomatoes
Green salad
Watermelon
Shake up your mornings
Written by amy on September 20th, 2012
Fueling up the body and mind with breakfast is one of the most important parts of a healthy diet. Some mornings, such as those crazy, run-out-the-door-we’re-late-for-school-and-I’m-late-for-work mornings, having an easy to prepare and transportable idea breakfast is key. Enter the yogurt shake. Throw some fruit, yogurt, possibly even a nut butter, in the blender and breakfast is ready. Possibilities are only limited by what you have in your pantry or fridge. Try to include three food groups in the shake for a more balanced breakfast.
* For easy cleanup, fill the blender with water, add a teeny drop of dish soap and run for a few seconds. Rinse and done.
Yogurt Breakfast Shake
1 8 oz plain nonfat yogurt
1 6 oz low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 ½ cups milk
1 cup strawberries
1 large banana, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
2 tbsp brown sugar
4 ice cubes
In blender, process all ingredients except, ice cubes, until smooth.
Add the ice cubes and blend until the shake if frothy.
Makes 4 servings.
Squash Pickles
Written by amy on September 20th, 2012
Feeling overwhelmed with summer squash? By this time of the year, it is not unusual to see roadside tables of summer squash free to a good home because the homeowners are becoming buried in the harvest! Squash pickles are a good, unique way to make use of summer squash. Try them as an alternative to potato chips.
Summer Squash Pickles
3 small summer squash, sliced ½ inch thick (about 3 cups)
½ cup sliced onion
1 large red bell pepper, cut into ¼ inch strips
1 tbsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
¾ cup white vinegar
¾ tsp mustard seed
¾ tsp celery seed
¼ tsp ground mustard
In large bowl, combine all vegetables. Sprinkle with salt, stir, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Drain.
In saucepan, combine remaining ingredients. Heat to a boil and add vegetables. After the mixture returns to a boil, remove from heat.
Ladle into jars and allow to cool for 30 minutes before covering and placing in refrigerator. Allow at least 24 hours before serving.
Makes 2 pints.
Legalize it
Written by amy on September 16th, 2012
Peter Tosh once sang a song entitled, Legalize It, and while he himself may not have been referring to anything related to nutrition, the term itself does illustrate a key concept to healthy eating.
All foods have a place in a healthy diet. There are no “good”foods, no “bad” foods, no “forbidden” foods. Some foods have more nutrients and should be eaten more often, and there are some foods that have less nutrients and should be eaten less often. But all foods are “legal.” Having “illegal”, forbidden foods, often results in the attachment of feelings to food. For example, if all foods are ok, there is no reason to feel guilty for eating a “bad” food or disappointment from eating foods that aren’t “treats.” Eating a forbidden food may become alluring and extra exciting to a child and make that food very valuable. When feelings become attached to food, physical hunger becomes muddled with emotional hunger.
Teach your children the basics – eat when hungry, stop when full. Let them eat unhealthy foods every once is a while. Legalizing it is not the same as encouraging it.
What’s Amy eating?
Written by amy on September 5th, 2012Back to school, back to scheduling mayhem! To have a homemade soup ready for dinner on a night when we arrive home at dinnertime, I made it the night before after getting the kids in bed. Note – I would only attempt this with a super easy to make soup because otherwise, that would just be crazy. I also make a double batch and freeze half for another night’s dinner. Gotta plan ahead to maintain some degree of sanity.
Tonight’s menu:
French Lentil Soup
Steamed Broccoli
Marble Rye bread
Cantaloupe
Donuts are more fattening than chicken – true or false?
Written by amy on August 23rd, 2012
False. Donuts do contain more fat than chicken but it is the calories, not the fat content that determines if the food is fattening or not. Any calories (energy) eaten beyond the amount needed by the body are saved by the body. The body stores excess calories (energy) in the form of body fat. Body fat is, in essence, the body’s rainy day fund. So, if you eat 100 calories of donuts or 100 calories of chicken and these are 100 more calories than your body burns, the 100 calories are turned to fat. Dietary fat does provide more calories (energy) per gram, thus making foods high in fat high in calories as well and more likely to tip your energy balance toward
weight gain.