by kelsey | Apr 27, 2017 | Diabetes, Diet, Food, Heart Health, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Currently, about half of all American adults have one or more chronic diseases, many of which are associated with poor dietary intake and lack of physical activity. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is a resource that provides nutrition and dietary advice designed to help Americans achieve and maintain a healthy body weight, meet nutrient needs, and reduce the risk of diet-related chronic diseases. Every five years, a new edition of the Dietary Guidelines is published. A committee of researchers in the fields of nutrition, health, and medicine develop this document through the analysis and evaluation of current scientific evidence.
The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasize the importance of following a healthy eating pattern. An eating pattern is the combination of foods and beverages that make up a person’s dietary intake over time. A healthy eating pattern includes:
Vegetables, a variety including dark green, red and orange, legumes (beans and peas), starchy, and other subgroups
Fruits, especially whole fruits
Grains, at least half of which are whole grains
Dairy, fat-free or low-fat, including milk, yogurt, cheese
Protein foods, a variety including seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes (beans and peas), and nuts, seeds, and soy products
Oils, including those from plants such as canola, corn, olive, peanut, safflower, soybean, and sunflower; oils are also naturally present in nuts, seeds, seafood, olives, and avocados
A healthy eating pattern limits saturated fat, trans fat, refined starches, added sugars, and sodium. Keep in mind that improving your eating pattern and lifestyle doesn’t have to happen overnight. Start with small shifts in food choices. For example, try shifting from: white bread to whole wheat, full-fat cheese to low-fat, soft drinks to water, potato chips to unsalted nuts, and butter to olive or canola oil. A healthy eating pattern should be paired with appropriate levels of physical activity. Adults need at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week, and children ages 6 to 17 years need at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day.
For more information on an eating pattern specific to your body’s needs, contact a local registered dietitian or healthcare professional.
-Written by Amanda Berckes, SDSU Dietetic Intern
by kelsey | Apr 26, 2017 | Diet, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
According to the Boston Medical Center, approximately 45 million Americans diet each year and spend $33 billion on weight-loss products in their pursuit of a slimmer body. However, over a third of American adults are obese.
Fad diets usually help people lose weight quickly; however, the pounds usually come right back when quitting the diet. In the end, such diets are unsuccessful because they do not promote healthy eating habits and behaviors that can be incorporated into an individual’s everyday life.
Here are a few things to look for to help you identify a fad diet. Beware of diets that…
- Omit or restrict food groups or macronutrients (i.e. cutting out all carbs or foods from the grains food group): The main food groups are vegetables, fruit, protein foods, grains, and dairy. Foods from these groups provide the nutrients our bodies need to function properly.
- Are very low in calories (i.e. less than 1000 calories a day): Severely restricting calories will cause a person to lose weight, but they will likely miss out on essential nutrients and become lethargic from the lack of energy intake. Plus, very low-calorie diets are not sustainable over the long run.
- Promise quick weight loss (i.e. more than 2 pounds a week): A realistic and healthy weight loss goal is ½ – 2 pounds a week. Slower but more apt to keep it off!
- Make you purchase a specific company’s products (i.e. pills, shakes, meal replacement bars, etc.) ; Oftentimes meal replacements can be included in a healthy diet and help you lose weight. However, people often struggle when they stop consuming those products because they did not learn how to make healthy food choices.
- Do not have scientific evidence to back them up: Fad diets usually have claims without scientific evidence to back them up. Instead, they use endorsements and testimonials to entice people. These endorsements lack credibility as they could be from paid actors or diet coaches trying to make money by selling their products.
- Doesn’t allow you to enjoy your favorite foods every once in a while: Food should be enjoyable! The key is portion size and moderation. When told to give up certain foods, people tend to overindulge on “cheat days” or once they reach their weight loss goal.
- Doesn’t promote physical activity: To lose weight, a person must create a negative calorie balance by burning more calories than they consume. Engaging in physical activity will aid in weight loss and help keep the pounds off. Not to mention the many other benefits of regular exercise!
Bottom line: if it’s too good to be true, it probably is!
-Written by Amanda Berckes, SDSU Dietetic Intern
by kelsey | Apr 25, 2017 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Heart Health, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Salt is in a lot of our foods and most commonly found in packaged, processed foods. Limiting your salt or sodium intake can help prevent the buildup of extra water in your body and this can be beneficial for high blood pressure, heart failure, kidney disease, or other conditions that result in fluid retention. It is recommended to keep your sodium intake between 1500-2300 mg/day. 1/4 teaspoon of salt has about 600 mg sodium, so it doesn’t take much to get to that recommendation, which is why being more aware of your salt intake and choosing salt-free seasonings is beneficial for your health! You can use Mrs.Dash or No Salt to add flavor, but herbs are especially useful to add flavor without adding salt. If you aren’t familiar with working with herbs, you can use the chart below to select an appropriate herb for your food selection. Give these a try!
Food
|
Herbs to try
|
| Eggs |
Basil, dill weed (leaves), garlic, parsley |
| Fish |
Chervil, dill, fennel, garlic, basil, bay leaf (crumbled), French tarragon, lemon thyme, parsley |
| Poultry |
Garlic, oregano, rosemary, savory, Lovage, marjoram, sage |
| Beef |
Bay, chives, cloves, cumin, garlic, hot pepper, marjoram, rosemary, savory |
| Lamb |
Garlic, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme (try making little slits in the lamb to be roasted and insert herbs) |
| Pork |
Coriander, cumin, garlic, ginger, hot pepper, pepper sage, savory, thyme |
| Cheese |
Basil, chervil, chives, curry, dill, fennel, garlic, chives, marjoram, oregano, parsley, sage, thyme |
| Soups |
Bay, chervil, French tarragon, marjoram, parsley, savory, rosemary |
| Salad |
Basil, borage, burnet, chives, lovage, parsley, French tarragon, garlic. Herb vinegars are great on salad for extra flavor. |
| Tomato Sauce |
Basil, bay leaf, marjoram, oregano, parsley, celery leaves, cloves |
| Fruit |
Anise, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, ginger, lemon verbena, mint, rose geranium, sweet cicely |
| Bread |
Caraway, marjoram, oregano, poppy seed, rosemary, thyme |
| Vegetables |
Basil, burnet, chervil, chives, dill, French tarragon, marjoram, mint, parsley, pepper, thyme, savory |
| Italian Blend |
Basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, savory, thyme |
| Barbecue Blend |
Cumin, garlic, hot pepper, oregano |
Herb Blends to Replace Salt
|
|
| Saltless Surprise |
2 teaspoons garlic powder and 1 teaspoon each of basil, oregano, and powdered lemon rind (or dehydrated lemon juice). Put ingredients into a blender and mix well. Store in glass container, label and add dry rice to prevent caking. |
| Spicy Saltless seasoning |
1 teaspoon each of cloves, pepper, and coriander seed (crushed), 2 teaspoons paprika, and 1 tablespoon rosemary. Mix ingredients in a blender. Store in airtight container. |
by kelsey | Apr 19, 2017 | Cooking Tips, Diabetes, Diet, Food, Weight Management
Snacking can be included in a healthy diet as long as you are making a good choice and watching your portions. I encourage snacks to have a balance of nutrients–especially healthy carbohydrates and lean proteins to help keep energy levels stable and provide satiety. Give these a try!
- Peanut butter and banana or apple
- Greek yogurt and fruit
- Hummus and carrots
- Low-fat cottage cheese and red pepper
- Snack mix with nuts, oats, and dried fruit
- Oatmeal topped with fruit and nuts
- Beef jerky and apple
- String cheese and whole grain crackers such as Wheat Thins or Triscuits
- Half of a turkey sandwich
- Almonds and fruit
- Yogurt
- Light popcorn
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Apr 12, 2017 | Cooking Tips, Diabetes, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
This is a recipe Amanda Berckes, SDSU Dietetic Intern created. A healthy twist on homemade pizza! You can substitute the topping for your favorites if you don’t like the below options, such as switching the sausage for Canadian bacon or switching up the veggies. This recipe can save you 50-100 calories per slice compared to a typical slice of pizza and adds a bunch of really great nutrients. It is a favorite of her’s so enjoy!! -Kelsey
Homemade Pizza
Ingredients:
- 1 whole wheat thin 12” pizza crust
- ½ cup pizza sauce
- 2 tsp pizza seasoning blend
- ¾ cup chopped red bell pepper
- ¾ cup chopped green bell pepper
- ½ cup pieces or sliced mushroom
- ¼ cup chopped onions
- 6 oz lean turkey sausage
- 1 cup 2% shredded mozzarella cheese Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400°
- Lay crust on pizza pan and spread sauce on top
- Add seasoning and toppings
- Bake pizza for 6-10 minutes or until crust is golden brown along the edges
- Cut pizza into 6 pieces
Tips:
- Sprinkle a little corn meal on the pizza pan before putting the crust down to prevent sticking.
- If you prefer a crispier crust, bake the crust for 3-5 minutes before adding sauce and toppings.
- Sauté vegetables to soften them before adding to pizza.
| Nutrition Facts |
| Servings: 6 |
| Amount Per Serving: 1 slice |
| Calories 185 |
| % Daily Value * |
| Total Fat 7 g |
10 % |
| Saturated Fat 2 g |
11 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 0 g |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g |
| Trans Fat 0 g |
| Cholesterol 26 mg |
9 % |
| Sodium 248 mg |
10 % |
| Potassium 100 mg |
3 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 19 g |
6 % |
| Dietary Fiber 3 g |
13 % |
| Sugars 4 g |
|
| Protein 14 g |
27 % |
| Vitamin A |
20 % |
| Vitamin C |
66 % |
| Calcium |
17 % |
| Iron |
8 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. |
-Written and created by Amanda Berckes, SDSU Dietetic Intern
by kelsey | Apr 11, 2017 | Cooking Tips, Diabetes, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
‘Tis the season for grilling!
Grilling is a fun and convenient way to cook, especially with the weather getting nicer. Cooking on the grill can also be a very healthy cooking method. Keep the following tips in mind to have a healthy and delicious grilling season.
- Go light on the sauces. Grilling and dipping sauces can be high in added sugar and/or sodium. Make your own sauce, add spices and herbs, or cut back on the amount of sauce used. Let the delicious flavor of grilling do its job.
- Choose lean protein sources. Fish and skinless poultry taste great on the grill and are typically lower in saturated fat than red meats. Meat and pork can also be good choices—just opt for leaner cuts and watch the portions. Choose “loin” or “round” cuts and meats that are 90-95% lean. The recommended portion size of meat is 3 ounces, which is about the size of a deck of cards.
- Choose a whole-grain bun instead of white for added nutrients and fiber. If you’re watching your calorie or carbohydrate intake, go with half of the bun or use a lettuce wrap.
- Cut up colorful vegetables (like bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, onions, squash, potatoes, carrots, etc.) and grill them on kabobs or in aluminum foil. Toss the vegetable pieces in a little bit of oil to prevent them from drying out and sticking to the grill.
- Fruits can be grilled too! Cut up fresh fruit and put them on kebabs. Choose firm fruits like apples, peaches, pineapple, pears, or cantaloupe. These fruits are less likely to fall apart or become too mushy on the grill. Bananas can even be grilled—just keep it in its peel to protect the banana’s soft texture.
- Don’t forget to clean your grill regularly. Failing to do so can cause food to stick to the grades, uneven cooking temperatures, and shortened longevity of the grill.
Written by Amanda Berckes, SDSU Dietetic Intern
