by kelsey | Mar 21, 2012 | Food
Have you heard that the USDA now requires all meat to be labeled in the grocery store? It’s pretty exciting news as you are now able to know the full nutrition content of these products! Next time you are in the grocery store, I encourage you to take a little time to check out the new labels. Just keep in mind we recommend choosing lean sources of meat such as white meat poultry without the skin, 90% or greater lean hamburger, fish, pork loin, etc. Processed meats such as sausage should be limited. When you examine the meat labels, pay special attention to the fat content and make efforts to choose meats that are lower in total and saturated fat. This will not only help promote heart health, but also help your waist line!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Feb 9, 2012 | Cooking Tips, Food, Heart Health
This morning, I had the opportunity to judge the heart healthy contest at the Watertown Winter Farm Show with two other judges. We evaluated several very tasty and delightful items. I applaud all of the contestants that took the time to tweak their recipes and finds ways to improve the nutrition status of their food item. Overall, participants make changes to the fat content, sugar content, and/or enhanced the recipe such as adding more fiber through various grains such as cracked wheat, oat bran, etc. Overall, it really showed me that adapting recipes doesn’t have to be a scary thing! There are so many options and ways to improve recipes and with a little time and energy you too, could turn your favorite, not the best for you, recipes into healthy, heartful ones. Next time you’re in the store, I encourage you to check out the various options, read labels, and think critically about how you could improve the nutrition of the foods you’re making.
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jan 19, 2012 | Diet, Food, Weight Management
Carbohydrates tend to get a bad rap in relation to weight management. A popular question I get when I discuss weight loss strategies with my patients is if they should cut out the carbs and choose more protein. As you probably know, there are always fads in nutrition and sometimes the USDA’s MyPlate gets criticized because it doesn’t got along with that fad. MyPlate’s recommendations have been heavily researched for many, many years and science has proven that this balance is what keeps our body functioning at its highest abilities. 1/4 of your plate should be grains and we recommend at least half of your day’s intake be from whole grains over the white grains. There is a great deal of biochemistry that backs this recommendation, but more basically put, the reason why is that our brain and central nervous system depend on adequate carbohydrates for energy. Proteins and fats can be used for energy when there is not sufficient carbohydrate intake, however if this is done long term, it puts a great deal of stress on the body as the processes to convert proteins and fats into energy are not as efficient. An insufficient intake of carbohydrates long term can lead to significant issues with the kidneys, liver, and other major organs and can even result in death due to ketosis. Carbohydrates do have a purpose in our diet and a moderate intake is essential for fueling our body with energy as well as weight management. Carbohydrates are mainly found in grains, but they are also found in some beans and lentils, fruits, dairy products, and a few starchy vegetables. You have heard me discuss it before, but again…moderation is key!!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jan 18, 2012 | Food, Weight Management
Meal planning is a great tool for eating healthy. By planning your week (or even month) menu, you will be less apt to run through the drive through or grab a food choice that is quick and convenient. Those quick choices are usually higher in fat, calories, carbs, and sodium, thus making them a not so ideal option for you. Meal planning is one of my goals for this year as I was falling into a bad habit of getting home from work, not having anything ready or prepared and then scrambling to make something quick. Since the new year, I have made an effort to sit down for a few minutes every weekend to look at my schedule and see what the week ahead will bring. I then take a look at some of my cookbooks and decide a few options for the week. Batch cooking is another tool that works well with meal planning. An example of this is baking a couple chicken breasts or browning a pound or two of hamburger and using that in a few different dishes throughout the week. Meal planning will not only result in healthier eating, it will result in less stress as you won’t be scrambling to figure out what to make! Give it a try!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jan 12, 2012 | Diet, Etc., Exercise, Food, Weight Management
I was recently asked about the use and benefit of energy drinks during exercise and I thought this would be a great topic to share on our blog as well! Usually the quick rule of thumb is that water is best for low to moderate intensity workouts that last one hour or less. If your workouts are more moderate to high intensity and last more than an hour, then a sports drink may be a good choice. If you are working out in a hot environment and you usually sweat alot, then you will need additional fluids. The sports drinks help replenish our electrolytes that are lost during high intensity, longer workouts, however they do have sugars which is why they are not really necessary for lighter-moderate workouts. There are now lower sugar options such as Gatorade’s G2, which is a nice alternative to the higher sugar content in the regular product. Another helpful tip is to be sure to get adequate hydration before and after your workouts to keep your body’s fluids more balanced.
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jan 10, 2012 | Diet, Food, Weight Management
Have you ever wondered how many calories or fat grams are in a hot dog? Or what about the big pasta dish you had yesterday? Well there are excellent online tools that can help you with this information. Two of my favorite sites are USDA sites:
https://www.choosemyplate.gov/SuperTracker/foodapedia.aspx
and
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
Both of these sites allow you to select the food you’re looking for, then serving size and give you a complete nutrient breakdown. Sometimes we really don’t want to know what’s all in our food or how bad it is, but looking it up is sure enlightening and can help you make better choices in the future! I highly recommend checking these sites out!
-Kelsey
