by kelsey | Dec 10, 2014 | Cooking Tips, Diabetes, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
I apologize for the duplicate posting, but I wanted to remind you all that I will be speaking at the Diabetes Support group TOMORROW (Thursday, December 11th). The information below was posted last week and includes all of the details. I hope to see you there!
“Beth Ries, RN with Prairie Lakes Hospital started a diabetes support group last month. This group is much needed and I am so glad she is heading it up! December’s meeting will be Thursday, December 11, 2014 from 6:00 – 7:30 at Prairie Lakes Hospital’s West Conference Room and I will be the speaker focusing on holiday eating! We will discuss holiday snacks and holiday tips and tricks. We will also be making some healthy, low carb, yummy treats. Please register online at www.prairielakes.com so Beth can have an accurate head count to make sure there is enough yummy goodness to go around! Anyone who is affected by diabetes whether it is yourself, a friend, or family member is invited to attend. Please join us, invite a friend or 2…or bring the whole family for an evening of fun and learning! Looking forward to seeing you on December 11th!
For any questions, feel free to email me at kelsey.raml@brownclinic.org.”
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Dec 9, 2014 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health, Winter
5 of the Healthiest Winter Foods
As the official start of winter is approaching, I thought it was timely to discuss some of the healthiest winter foods. Winter is always challenging to get fresh produce at a reasonable price, but these top 5 winter foods are not only reasonably priced, but offer a great source of nutrients. Be sure to add them to your grocery list and include them in your meal planning!
1. Pomegranates: this heart-healthy food is rich in antioxidants that can contribute to improving blood flow to the heart and keep arteries unblocked.
2. Dark Leafy Greens: kale, chard, and collards thrive during the winter season while the rest of the produce section looks bleak. These greens are rich in vitamin A, C, and K. They are also an excellent source of folate.
3. Citrus fruits: limes, oranges and grapefruits are juiciest in the wintertime and can brighten up a dull winter. They are loaded with vitamin C. Citruses are a rich source of flavonoids like hesperidin, which is credited for boosting HDL (good) cholesterol while lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides.
4. Potatoes: they often given a bad rap for being one of the white starches along with white rice and white bread but unlike those starches, potatoes are a whole food and contain many beneficial nutrients. They have two excellent immune boosters – Vitamin C and B6—while also providing a good source of folate and fiber.
5. Winter Squash: comes in a variety from butternut to acorn to delicata and even spaghetti squash and they are all excellent choices in the winter. One cup of squash has 80 calories and is high in both vitamin A, C and K while also boasting a good source of potassium, B6, and folate.
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Dec 3, 2014 | Diet, Food, Goals, Motivation, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
The holidays are in full swing, which means festive food, and busy schedules. Many families are enjoying old traditions, or making new ones. Unfortunately also during these Christmas experiences, many people find themselves experiencing weight gain. Countless family gatherings and baking Christmas goodies all month are grounds for overeating, without any time to spare for exercise. By making few simple changes over the day, the holidays do not have to mean weight gain! Here are some simple tips to try out between traveling, parties, cooking, and company.
- An Early Resolution? – Rather than waiting for New Years to start a resolution, make it easier on yourself and gradually work up to your resolution by New Years. This will also help you to stay focused and maintain weight over the holidays, so you can see faster results after. If your goal is to lose weight, maybe you will try to walk two days a week now, and by New Year’s you will be built up to walking 5 days a week!
- Stress less about Exercise- Rather than stressing about shopping and cleaning this year, think of this as a time to multitask. Housework is one of the best ways to get in a workout over the holidays. Whether it’s moving around the kitchen while you bake, or vacuuming before company…it all burn calories! Shopping through the mall crowds, standing in line, and bringing bags out to your car all are positive experiences now that you can count it as a workout, right?
- Quality Time– Rather than taking away from family time to work out, invite your family to do something as a group. Wake up on Christmas morning and enjoy some yoga together before presents, or take the kids out ice-skating or sledding after the famous Christmas dinner. Just remember, building a snowman or looking at Christmas lights will also provide memories that last longer than the memories watching a movie would.
- Think Before You Eat – Eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed. If you find yourself overeating at one meal, go light on the next. Try to fill your plate with the lower calorie items such as vegetable dishes, and lean proteins, then take smaller portions of the rich foods. Eat slowly, socialize, and enjoy every bite!
Overall, it’s the holidays and you need to enjoy yourself! Don’t restrict yourself from family time and enjoying some of your favorite holiday foods, but be mindful and plan ahead! Stay healthy this season, then after the holidays, your mind and body will thank you!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Dec 2, 2014 | Cooking Tips, Diabetes, Diet, Food, Wellness/Health
Beth Ries, RN with Prairie Lakes Hospital started a diabetes support group last month. This group is much needed and I am so glad she is heading it up! December’s meeting will be Thursday, December 11, 2014 from 6:00 – 7:30 at Prairie Lakes Hospital’s West Conference Room and I will be the speaker focusing on holiday eating! We will discuss holiday snacks and holiday tips and tricks. We will also be making some healthy, low carb, yummy treats. Please register online at www.prairielakes.com so Beth can have an accurate head count to make sure there is enough yummy goodness to go around! Anyone who is affected by diabetes whether it is yourself, a friend, or family member is invited to attend. Please join us, invite a friend or 2…or bring the whole family for an evening of fun and learning! Looking forward to seeing you on December 11th!
For any questions, feel free to email me at kelsey.raml@brownclinic.org.
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Nov 20, 2014 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
The Thanksgiving holiday is always a fun one enjoyed by all as we stuff ourselves and then resort to the couch to watch football or the start of the holiday tv shows. Since Thanksgiving is less than a week a way, I wanted to give you some tips to get through the holiday without putting on all those undesired extra pounds.
- Survey the entire table before you take any food. Decide what foods are worth eating and what can be ignored, and then stick to that decision. Why waste calories on foods that don’t bring you pleasure?
- Eat a snack before you leave home. If you arrive at a party starving, you’ll be more likely to overindulge.
- Eat your calories instead of drinking them. Stick to lower calorie or calorie-free drinks (diet sodas, water, light beer, or wine spritzer) instead of punches, eggnogs, and mixed drinks that can have up to 500 calories per cup.
- Sip a large glass of water between every alcoholic drink or non-alcoholic punch or eggnog. This will help keep you hydrated and you’ll drink fewer calories by the end of the night.
- When you are the host or hostess, include nutritious and lower-calorie foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean meats on the menu. When you are a guest, bring along a lower-calorie dish to share.
- Try not to hang out near the food. Find a comfortable spot across the room and focus on people instead of eating.
- Watch your portion sizes. Don’t cover your plate completely with food. In most cases, especially when it comes to holiday sweets and alcoholic beverages, less is better. Use a smaller plate or bowl and have just a sliver of pie like the picture shows.
- Drop out of the “clean plate club”. Leave a few bites behind every time you eat, especially if you are eating something you don’t really care for.
- Enjoy your favorite holiday treats but take a small portion, eat slowly, and savor the taste and texture of the wonderful foods of the season.
- Skip the pie crust and go for the filling.
- Choose light meat over dark meat.
- Use home-made cranberry sauce over canned cranberries that are jam packed with added sugars.
- In soups, sauces, puddings, and desserts: Replace whole milk or cream with low-fat milk, evaporated fat-free milk, or nonfat dry milk.
Lighten up your recipes:
- To make dips and toppings: Use low-fat or nonfat cottage cheese or sour cream, or non-fat Greek yogurt.
- To make salad dressings: Use nonfat Greek yogurt or low-fat buttermilk.
- In place of 1 whole egg in recipes: Use 2 egg whites or 1/4 cup egg substitute.
- In place of regular cheese: Use fat-free or reduced-fat cheese.
- In place of full sugar: replace half with Splenda or reduce half completely.
- In place of fats: use unsweetened applesauce or oil (1-1 replacement), or prune puree (1 cup of fat=1/2 cup puree).
More importantly is ENJOY your family and friends and all that have to the THANKful for!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Nov 19, 2014 | Cooking Tips, Diabetes, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Today’s post is another reader request and written by Dietetic Intern Brett Delaney. It corresponds with yesterday’s post about the paleo diet. Using almond flour, coconut flour, and coconut sugar are becoming more popular. I hope today’s post gives you a better education on them so you are more aware of the facts and recommendations. Thank you for your requests and keep them coming!! -Kelsey
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Ignoring my terrible play on words (in regards to the title), almond and coconut flours have come to the forefront of food fads and have become new alternatives to wheat based flour. First, it is important to understand gluten-free flours, such as almond, rice, and coconut flours, do not behave like the traditional, wheat based flours do. Since these flours lack gluten, you must adjust other ingredients to compensate or your products may leave the oven too gritty, crumbly, dry or dense.
Almond flour is typically just ground, whole almonds with the skin removed. Along with being gluten free, almond flour is low in carbohydrates, high in fiber and protein while also being packed with vitamins and minerals. These include iron; riboflavin, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and vitamin E. Almonds have been shown to be beneficial for health heart and lowering cholesterol but tend to be high in fats. Almond flour adds rich, nutty sweetness to breads and cakes and does not hold together as well as wheat flour, so adding liquid to the recipe or reducing the total amount of flour could help achieve the right consistency.
Other important information on Almond Flour
- Store flour in fridge or freezer as it tends to go rancid at room temperature or if not used promptly.
- Almond meal is not the same product as almond flour. It is more considerably courser and doesn’t work as well with baking.
- You can add xanthan gum as a gluten-free binding agent to help with the dryness or grittiness.
Coconut flour tends to create very dense baked goods and contains high amounts of protein and fiber. Coconut flour is not a 1:1 equivalent to wheat/grain based flours. It is best to substitute ¼ cup coconut flour per 1 cup grain-based flour. Since coconut flour is extremely absorbent each cup of coconut flour will absorb as much liquid as 3-4 cups of wheat flour so someone using coconut flour should expect to add about 6 eggs and 1 cup of liquid for each cup of coconut flour used. Beth Hillson, writer for Living Without’s: Gluten Free & More website, recommends beating and mixing the batter thoroughly as it tends to clump densely. She also says that it is best to blend with other alternative flours like rice and almond flours for best results. If using flour blends, 15% coconut works best.
Reference websites
1) Living Without: Gluten-Free Flour Power
2) FunksjonellMat: Baking With Almond Flour
3) Nourished Kitchen: How to Bake With Coconut Flour: Tips and Tricks for Using This Gluten-Free Flour
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Coconut Palm Sugar – Nature’s Low Glycemic Index Sugar?
Coconut palm sugar is produced from the nectar of coconut flower buds. The sugar is caramel colored and very similar to brown sugar. Almost all forms of sugar are fairly similar – in the nutrition sense — with roughly 16 calories and 4 grams of sugar per teaspoon and coconut sugar is not an exception. The proponents of coconut sugar, Dr. Oz among them, claim that it does not raise blood sugar as much as other sugars and use a study produced by the Philippines Food as their crutch and Nutrition Institute which states that the glycemic index of “coco sugar” was calculated to be 35, much lower than normal 65 range receives, based on 10 test subjects. Sweet Tree, a brand of coconut sugar seems to agree with the skepticism of the study stating this disclaimer on their package, “Sweet Tea Tree does not believe GI is a safe indicator of a sugar’s “friendliness” toward diabetics. In our experience we have found that while coconut sweeteners have been shown to have GI levels as low as 35, continued tests have shown fluctuations. We believe this is due to natural variables. Because of this fluctuation, we do not endorse the use of this product by diabetics.” The supporters of coconut sugar also claim that it is ultimately fructose free being that is it made of 70-80% sucrose but sucrose is made up of half glucose and half fructose. Basically, gram for gram, coconut sugar provides the same amount of fructose as regular sugar. These supporters also state that coconut sugar has a larger amount of trace minerals but in order for these to be beneficial, one must consume a large amount of coconut sugar.
It is important to understand that coconut sugar is no miracle product. The American Diabetes Association observed coconut sugar and states: “it is okay for individuals with Diabetes to use coconut palm sugar as a sweetener, but they should not treat it any differently than regular sugar. It provides just as many calories and carbohydrates as regular sugar.” Since there is no evidence or research that back up claims of coconut sugar and its effect on raising blood sugar, it would be best to consider coconut sugar the same as regular sugar.
Reference Websites
1) http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA401323/Is-Coconut-Sugar-a-Healthier-Sweetener.html
2) http://authoritynutrition.com/coconut-sugar/
3) http://www.livestrong.com/article/367337-what-are-the-benefits-of-coconut-sugar/
4) The Glycemic Index Study http://www.pca.da.gov.ph/coconutrde/images/sugarpdfs/TPTrinidad_FNRI.pdf
Written by Brett Delaney, USD Dietetic Intern
