Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Dorm Room Diet Tips to Share

Katie and her roommate Nora in their dorm room at University of the South

This weekend I'm heading on up to Monteagle to visit my daughter Katie at Sewanee, The University of the South. It's mother/daughter weekend for her sorority TKP and of course most of the plans revolve around parties and what to do for dinner! The moms, apparently, are also going to help the girls clean up the sorority house and gardens. Bonding and burning calories!

Made me think of this great blog post written by Samantha Miller, “The Ultimate Dorm Room Dieting Guide: 100 Tips, Tools & Tricks.” It's really well researched and the only thing missing is a link to this blog!! Enjoy and please share with any college dorm life folks in your life.

http://www.universityreviewsonline.com/2005/10/the-ultimate-dorm-room-dieting-guide-100-tips-tools-tricks.html

Monday, February 22, 2010

Nutrition Nuggets to Chew On

.
Terrific Illustrations by Laura Coyle. http://www.coyleart.com/


Nutrition Tid Bits

From tidbits discussed at dinner parties to food bloggers’ pithy posts, all kinds of diet facts and fallacies are being shared about what to eat and not to eat and how it all might affect our health.
Since I spend most of my time keeping up with the latest in nutrition science and food trends, I thought I would weigh in on some of the most talked about topics today. So dig in and digest a few nuggets of nutrition knowledge to help cut through the clutter.

It’s complicated. Simplistic advice such as “shop the perimeter of the grocery store to find the healthiest food products” just doesn’t make sense anymore. I get the idea that fresh produce is often on the store’s perimeter and potato chips are in the aisles; but isn’t the perimeter also where you find the beer and the bakery? Center aisles are home to many of the healthiest foods, including canned beans, brown rice and whole-grain cereals. Whether you’re shopping for foods low in sodium or high in vitamin C, the nutrition facts label is your guide, not a supermarket’s floor plan.


Never say never. Popular nutrition advice to avoid white foods makes me see red. The original intent was to encourage eating whole-grain breads and brown rice instead of white rice or baked goods made with refined white flour. But now there are breads on the market that appear white but contain ample fiber content, and did you know that enriched white rice contains four times more folic acid than brown rice? Even white foods in the vegetable kingdom, such as garlic, onions and cauliflower, deserve equal billing with their green and red colleagues. White plant pigments, according to the Produce for Better Health Foundation, indicate powerful cancer-fighting phytonutrients are present such as indoles and flavanols. Ever wonder what gives dairy products such as milk and cottage cheese their white color? It’s the high-quality protein called casein.

Fat-free isn't always free. Nonfat milk is a great choice, delivering an impressive nine nutrients with each glass you drink or cereal bowl you fill, without the fat and calories you may be trying to avoid. But watch out for other fat-free foods that have extra sugar or salt to make up for the missing flavor from the fat. Some reduced-fat peanut butters actually contain the same number of calories as regular peanut butter because sugar has been added to make it taste better. Since fat delivers taste satisfaction, dietitians often recommend low-fat versions of yogurt, cottage cheese and mayonnaise, rather than the usually less than enjoyable fat-free versions.
Daisy Brand cottage cheese is my favorite. It tastes like cottage cheese used to taste...delicious...because there's only three ingredients and it's all natural. Did you know that other brands of cottage cheese have up to 20 ingredients, including things like modified food starch ( look out gluten free crowd ) and thickeners like guar gum. You can find Daisy brand in most parts of the country and in Super Targets nationwide. Fresh as a Daisy!

Nutrition to the rescue? Now hear this. It’s hard to know what to do with snippets of emerging nutrition research. Case in point: Several studies suggest certain nutrients such as folic acid, vitamin B12 and a combination of antioxidants (vitamins A, C and E plus magnesium) may reduce the risk of age-related hearing loss and noise-induced hearing loss. A study conducted at the University of Georgia found that low blood levels of vitamin B12 in a group of women over age 60 were linked to hearing loss; but researchers aren’t sure B12 is the hero until findings are confirmed by other studies. So, in the meantime, taking a daily multivitamin and eating a variety of foods is the best way to protect yourself while waiting for nutrition scientists to tell us more about specific supplementation. A menu suggestion to include these ear-friendly nutrients would be a spinach salad (folic acid) with tomato (vitamin A and C), walnuts (vitamin E), hard-boiled egg (vitamin B12) and dressing made with vegetable oil (vitamin E). Sound good?

Are you really allergic? Food allergies need to be taken seriously and may be on the rise. Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that the prevalence of food allergies in children under 18 increased 18 percent from 1997 to 2007, and related visits to the doctor or emergency room tripled. Meanwhile, the trend toward avoiding gluten-containing foods is really taking off in 2010, and a lot of the momentum is from people who may have no medical diagnosis the avoidance is necessary. The good news for everyone is that the sales surge for allergen-free foods is making it possible for food companies to add more detail to ingredients lists and to improve the variety and quality of products available. Restaurants are joining the effort by adding more gluten-free menu options. Noted Atlanta restaurants include Wildfire, Figo and Shaun’s.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Great Moments in Movie Mayonaise


OK...so I get a lot of press releases but this one from Duke's Mayonaise recounting film's famous lines including mayonaise is my favorite so far. I appreciate the attention to fine film research!

Rollum..........


Undercover Brother (2002)
Characters: Smart Brother (Gary Anthony Williams); Undercover Brother (Eddie Griffin)
Smart Brother (to Undercover Brother): If you’re going to fit in to white America, you’re gonna have to learn to like MAYONNAISE!

Notting Hill (1999)
Characters: William Thacker (Hugh Grant); Spike (Rhys Ifans)
Spike: There's something wrong with this yogurt. William: It's mayonnaise. Spike: Oh.

Pulp Fiction (1994)
Characters: Vincent Vega (John Travolta); Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson)
Vincent: …you know what they put on french fries in Holland instead of ketchup?
Jules: What?
Vincent: Mayonnaise.
Jules: Goddamn!
Vincent: I seen 'em do it…

Night Shift (1982)
Character: Bill Blazejowski (Michael Keaton)
Bill: Wait a minute! Why don't they just mix the mayonnaise with the tuna in the can... HOLD THE PHONE! Why don't they just FEED the tuna fish mayonnaise! [speaks into tape recorder] Bill: Call Starkist!

An Officer & a Gentleman (1982)
Characters: Sgt. Emil Foley (Lou Gossett, Jr.); Zack Mayo (Richard Gere)
Foley (to Mayo): In every class there is a joker who thinks that he is smarter than me. In this class that happens to be you, isn't it mayonnaise?

Airplane (1980)
Character: Captain Clarence Oveur (Peter Graves)
Operator: [I] have an emergency call for you on line five, from a Mr. Hamm.
Capt. Clarence Oveur: Alright, give me Hamm on five, hold the mayo.
So break out your favorite Duke’s Mayonnaise recipe card and enjoy the festivities with your pick for favorite “Mayo Moment” in film.

www.facebook.com/DukesMayo; @dukesmayo

Duke’s legacy began 90 years ago in 1917 with Mrs. Eugenia Duke of Greenville, South Carolina who used to prepare and sell sandwiches to soldiers stationed at nearby Fort Sevier during WWI. Her sandwiches, and the homemade mayonnaise that gave them special flavor, became so popular that soldiers wrote to Eugenia requesting her recipe.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Thindulgence Diet


What's a "thindulgence"? I think you know. It's something that tastes just as good as a high calorie indulgence with a smarter, sleeker, slimmer price tag. The deliciously rich looking frozen drinks in the photo are thindulgences I discovered poolside at the lovely zen like resort, Amanyara in the Turks & Caicos islands. Simply a mix of fragrant fresh brewed tea, ice, a squeeze of lime and a bit of sugar in a blender; this is truly a thindulgent iced tea! Stayed tuned...for more thindulgent ideas for eating out and eating in. Let's start with a tasty toolbox of ingredients to perk up taste buds while whittling your waist line. There are so many smart and
delicious ways to outfox fat with flavor.
Thindulgent Flavor Finds: calories/fat

Vinegars- 0/0
Lemon/Lime juice- 0/0
Salsas- 2T 10 calories/ 0 fat
Picante sauce-2T 10 calories/0 fat
Red wine reduction sauce-2 T 10 / 0 (made w/o butter)
Horseradish 2T 10 cal/0 fat
Tomato based sauces-2T 14 calories/ 0 fat (w/o olive oil in recipe)
Mustards- 2 T- 15/1g fat
Apple butter- 1 T 20 calories/ 0 Fat
Steak sauce- 2T 30 cal/ 0 fat
Barbecue Sauce – 2T-30 cal/ 0 fat
Cocktail sauce- 2T-40 cal/0 fat
Chutneys- 2T- 55 calories/ Fat 0 g