Baby You Can Drive My Car....to the healthiest menus

For National Nutrition Month..........
I wish there was a GPS system for navigating food choices. Let’s say your meal plan for the day directed you to consume 2000 calories nicely mapped out to include breakfast, lunch, dinner and a couple of snacks. But, then you decided to veer off course and grab a couple of mid-morning donuts and a cappuccino. The GPS voice would loudly announce, “Recalculating! Recalculating!” All of a sudden, your edible journey is re-routed to skip the afternoon snack and dessert at dinnertime might disappear, too. This kind of a GPS system- I’ll call it Good Plate Sense – might also reward you for taking a sensible short cut when available such as skipping the cheese slices on your burger at lunch which shaves off about 100 calories. “Recalculating! When you arrive at the dinner destination, you can add a glass of wine.”
Write it if you bite it.
Keeping track of food intake including what you eat, drink and how much of each can be a hassle. But, research shows that spending a little time on self-monitoring adds up to significant gains in weight control success according to a review of 15 studies on dietary self-monitoring in weight loss research programs. The results published in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association found associations in all of the studies between recording what you eat and weight loss. Some weight loss subjects used paper diet diaries to write down their food intake and some used electronic PDA diaries or internet based diaries; but the review found no difference in the amount of weight lost between groups. They did find that the dieters with the PDA diaries were more likely to keep up with daily food intake recordings, but it didn’t affect the weight loss overall. That’s good to know if don’t have a fancy PDA and have to write down what you eat on the back of an envelope or the restaurant receipt.

Are we there yet?
Keeping track of what you eat helps you know when to say ‘when’. Even if it’s not printed on the menu, most chain restaurants share nutrition information on their websites which you can access from a smart phone when dining out. For instance, if you know your daily calorie cap is 2000, then it’s easy pretty easy to figure out that ordering the full rack of baby back ribs at Outback Steakhouse which contains a little over 1,500 calories doesn’t leave you much room for other meals that day! Outback’s Interactive Nutritional Menu Tool on the company’s website helps you steer toward leaner choices such as the 9 ounce steak with a side of green beans for less than 500 calories. Brian Castrucci, Director of Maternal and Child Health within the Georgia Department of Community Health says the nutrition information on the menus at IHOP affected what and how much he ordered, “I saved 50 calories by choosing ham instead of bacon and 500 calories by saying no to a stack of three more pancakes. I never would have thought it would impact my eating habits, until I saw it impact my eating habits.” A recent study by the New York City Department of Health showed that 15% of fast-food patrons in the city who use nutrition information posted in restaurants eat an average of 106 fewer calories than those who ignore the calorie content. I believe access to nutrition information helps us plan our journey just as a car’s GPS system tells us how many miles to go before we get to our final destination.

Fast Foods: The Best and the Worst: MyFoxATLANTA.com

Kids' Menus and Kid-Sized Plates

Deep fried chicken fingers, burgers and mac ‘n cheese are the usual food finds on children’s menus. But, a nationwide focus on obesity is prompting more chefs and restaurant owners to add healthier choices to kids’ menus. They are hungry for ideas.
At a recent Southeast Regional Conference of the American Culinary Federation held in Atlanta, I presented the basics on childhood nutrition and meal planning along with some comments on menu choices around the city. For instance, at Marlow’s Tavern families can start with a platter of raw vegetables and humus and parents can order their brood mini-burgers or kid-sized versions of entrees such as grilled salmon with a side of fresh fruit. Instead of sodas, ask for a blend of sparkling water with 100% fruit juice. Low fat or non fat milk is always a great choice too!
More restaurants are willing to serve smaller portions that fit smaller appetites; and that’s for all age groups! Another good trend for good nutrition, eateries are offering whole grain pastas and pizza crusts. California Pizza Kitchen has recently added a multi-grain penne pasta to their menu. Wherever you dine with the kids, watch out for the 3 “B”s: the bread, butter and beverages you consume before you get your meal can pile on 100’s of extra calories.

What Kids Need Children are not just small adults when it comes to nutrition. For instance, under age two, they still need the essential fatty acids in whole milk to ensure proper brain development.
After that the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend skim, 1 % or 2 % milk to get kids the calcium they need for strong bones without the added fat and calories they don’t need. More restaurants today offer low fat milk and skim. Growing kids need a variety of nutrients so it’s important that their daily calorie quota comes from a variety of sources.
Here’s the daily meal plan recommended for an active child: Active is considered 30-60 minutes of physical activity a day
1600 calories
Grain Group- 5 ounces (1ounce= slice of bread, ½ cup rice or 1 small roll)
Vegetable Group- 2 cups
Fruit Group – 1 ½ cups
Milk Group - 2 cups (1 cup = 1 cup milk, 2 pieces of string cheese or 1 cup yogurt)
Meat and Beans Group – 5 ounces (1 ounce = slice of cheese, ¼ cup beans or 1 ounce meat)

Small Measures How small is small enough when choosing restaurant portions for kids? Buying the small order of fries for the small fry in the family may actually be too large if you’re trying to follow the latest advice on childhood nutrition. A typical small sized order of fast food French fries contains about 230 calories and includes around 30 fries. If you’re counting these potatoes as a vegetable for your child; just 10 fries are considered a serving. Eating more protein than they need is common for American kids, too. Dr. Margaret Condrasky, professor of food science and nutrition at Clemson University, informed chefs attending the culinary meeting, “Adult males need only about 60 grams of protein per day. So children need far less. That’s why a proper portion for children can be two or three ounces of meat.” Condrasky added that kid-friendly foods such as peanut butter on whole wheat bread, macaroni and cheese as well as Mexican beans and rice offer vegetable sources of good quality protein for children, too.

The secret to seeking the best children’s menus at restaurants wherever you dine today may be to find the staff most willing to split adult sized entrees for the family to share or to serve just part of an entrée or pasta dish to a child and box up the rest in a take out container to enjoy at another meal.

Nutrition on Tap

A recent lunch at Local Three Kitchen & Bar got me thinking about the popularity of craft beer. This farm-to-table focused Atlanta restaurant boasts a beverage list with nearly a dozen craft beers on tap and two pages of bottled beers representing an impressive bevy of breweries from locally crafted to internationally known. Printed next to the name and origin of each lager, pilsner and ale is the percent alcohol by volume (ABV) contained within such as a Blanche de Bruxelles from Belgium with a demure 4.5% and to a Unibroue La Terrible from Quebec with a hefty 10.5%. (For comparison, wines range between 12 percent and 14 percent ABV.) In any potent potable as the percent alcohol content goes up so does the number of calories, so this got me wondering more about beer’s nutrition profile. Long associated with an unhealthy paunch –the beer belly - it turns out just the opposite can be true. Registered dietitian Andrea N. Giancoli who professes, “I love my lagers” says “Beer contains more water than wine so it’s more hydrating and fills you up so helps curb your intake. Dark beers are especially satisfying because they’re richer tasting.” Giancoli shares nutrition facts on beer’s health benefits in the Winter 2011 issue of the American Dietetic Association’s member publication, ADA Times. She says, “When it comes down to it, we’re a nation of beer drinkers so dietitians should know more about this popular beverage so they can better advise Americans.”

Heart Health and Beyond
Red wine often gets all the glory as a heart-healthy drink, but it’s the ethanol in all alcoholic beverages, including beer and spirits, that’s associated with a lower incidence of heart disease, gallstones, risk of type 2 diabetes and improved brain function in older adults. The recently released US Department of Agriculture’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans include a recommendation for moderate alcohol consumption: one drink per day for women, two drinks per day for men.
What’s a drink? Wine- 5 ounces, Beer-12 ounces, Spirits- 1.5 ounces.

With beer as your drink of choice, you’re downing more than ethanol for your health. “Beer specifically has been associated with additional health outcomes, including lowering the risk of kidney stones in men compared to other alcoholic beverages, possibly due to its high water content and diuretic effect,” Giancoli notes, “Compounds in hops may also slow the release of calcium from bone that is implicated in kidney stones. Additionally, beer drinkers seem to have a more protective effect towards greater bone mineral density due to the high content of the mineral silicone in beer.”

During an interview in Atlanta this week, when I told him of beer’s nutritional pluses, Kevin Concannan, who is the USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services (as well as a beer drinker) replied, “This is the best news I’ve heard in years.”

A Toast to Beer’s Many Boasts - Source of B vitamins including vitamin B12: One 12-ounce regular beer provides 3 percent of the recommended daily amount of B12 for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database
- Fluid fiber: While the USDA Nutrient Database currently lists beer’s fiber content as zero, Giancoli says recent research conducted by brewing chemists shows lager contains up to 2 grams of soluble fiber per liter, while dark beers can contain up to 3.5 grams.
- Protein in small amounts: One 12-ounce regular beer contains 1.64g protein
Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Co-owner of Local Three, Ryan Turner, who promotes artisan food and craft beer pairings on the restaurant’s menus reveals, “I didn't know about the protein, but I was aware of the nutrients and fiber. I need to justify my own consumption somehow with my doctor, so this is great to know.”

Hearts & Health: Seeing Red for Valentine's Day

Seeing Red to Find Healthy Foods

From long stemmed roses to heart shaped cards and boxes of chocolates, red is the primary color for expressing sentiments on Valentine’s Day. So with hearts in mind here are a few reasons to seek out the red colored foods that promote heart health.
Blue, purple, green, yellow, orange or red; the natural pigments in foods are clues to the identity of nutrients that lie within. (This does not include the many colors of M & M’s.) The color map to good eating applies principally to plant based foods. The Produce for Better Health Foundation’s website www.fruitsandveggiesmoremattes.org includes a list of foods arranged by color. Since individual pigments are associated with different health promoting plant compounds called phyto-chemicals, it’s important to eat fruits and vegetables from each color group. That’s why it’s a good idea to eat a rainbow of produce to benefit from the unique array of vitamins, minerals, and fiber that each color group has to offer.
When you see red in fruits and vegetables it’s a sign that they contain the healthy plant compounds called lycopene and anthocyanin. These dietary good guys, classified as antioxidants, are associated with promoting heart health, memory function and a lowered risk of certain cancers including prostate cancer. Reddish orange tones in foods such as red peppers and tomatoes are an indication that beta-carotene, another potent antioxidant, is also in the healthy mix.

A Red Hot List of Healthy Foods

Fruit:
Red apples
Blood oranges
Cherries
Cranberries
Red grapes
Pink/Red grapefruit
Red pears
Pomegranates
Raspberries
Strawberries
Watermelon

Vegetables:
Beets
Red peppers
Radishes
Radicchio
Red onions
Red potatoes
Rhubarb
Tomatoes

Chocolate covered berries and cherries:

Sure these confections are a sweet indulgence but you can feel good about the fruit inside - if it’s a fresh cherry and not a maraschino- because cherries and strawberries contain anthocyanins, the mineral potassium, vitamin C, and fiber. Jumbo sized fresh strawberries dipped in dark chocolate are a delicious and nutritious choice for your Valentine. What about the chocolate? If it’s a dark chocolate then you’re getting the health benefits of even more antioxidants.

The Juicy Scoop on Florida Grapefruit

Sure it's easy to find fresh seasonal fruit under the summer sun, but did you know that winter is the best season for citrus? Gorgeous grapefruit from Florida are tumbling into supermarket produce sections and ready for you to section into breakfast bowls, over dinner salads, over yogurt and even as a wonderfully sweet and tart dessert. Cut juicy pink grapefruit in half and run under the broiler for a few minutes to caramelize the natural sugars in Florida grapefruit. Refreshing Florida grapefruit tastes like sunshine and not only brightens up winter taste buds; it offers a terrific source of vitamin C, potassium and dietary fiber.
One-half of a medium Florida grapefruit contains only 60 calories. With fewer than 100 calories per 8-ounce serving, grapefruit juice contains fewer calories than many commonly-consumed 100 percent fruit juices. It's the juice you want for weight control!!
Not only is it peak grapefruit season, but February is National Grapefruit Month, so here are some delicious ideas for infusing the fresh flavors of Florida grapefruit and 100 percent grapefruit juice into meals and snacks.

Delicious on its own, grapefruit also pairs perfectly with a number of foods to provide added flavor and nutrients to your favorite dishes, making a tasty addition to citrus salsas, salads and post-workout smoothies. Here are some ideas to add tangy sweetness to your meals:

• Toss grapefruit segments into a shrimp stir fry to add a punch of tangy flavor and great texture.
• Reach for grapefruit segments as a topping for cereal, waffles, pancakes, or in a low-fat yogurt parfait.
• Bake half of a medium Florida grapefruit with a topping of brown sugar for a twist on the traditional breakfast treat.
• Marinate chicken in grapefruit juice for zesty, mouth-watering flavor.
• Freeze grapefruit juice in ice pop holders for a nutritious frozen treat.
• Prepare salad dressing with grapefruit juice instead of vinegar for a citrus flavor burst.
To learn more about the health and nutrition benefits of grapefruit and 100 percent grapefruit juice, check out the new Florida grapefruit Facebook page and application, “Juicy Scoop.” http://www.facebook.com/juicyscoop
This interactive new site offers the inside scoop on the most effective workouts, best new restaurants, functional foods, cool styles and beauty secrets. Also, be sure to check us out on Twitter @JuicyScoop to receive all of the hottest updates.

Juice Scoop Event in Atlanta this Thursday.I'll be at Lennox Square Mall on Thursday, February 3rd from 5pm - 8pm with tasty samples of my recipe for Grapefruit Avocado Salsa. Prizes and fun with a fitness expert and make up artist, too.

Kitchen Gadgets to Love

Whether they’re competing on “Iron Chef” or getting ready to prepare a dish for a restaurant guest, professional chefs begin by gathering ingredients and getting organized. This is called “mise en place” — a French phrase that loosely translates to “everything in its place.” If one of your resolutions for this year is to eat more healthfully and to learn to prepare delicious and nutritious dishes, why not give your kitchen a diet makeover so that it will be easier for you to whip up quick and healthy meals at home? Here are a few tools that cooking pros love:

Garlic press. Add aromas and healthy antioxidants to sauces, salad dressings or sauteed vegetables with minced garlic. These s little gadgets allow you to crush unpeeled cloves without scenting your fingers with garlic perfume. Find them at Cook’s Warehouse. www.cookswarehouse.com

Slow cooker. Quickly becoming a fixture in modern kitchens, slow cookers do the work for you while you’re away for the day. Toss ingredients in before work so dishes are ready for dinner. Slow cookers and pressure cookers concentrate flavors so less salt or fat is needed in recipes, and long braising times tenderize lean cuts of meat.

Microplane grater. This long, thin and graceful gadget makes it easy to add fresh lemon zest to recipes and can be used to grate hard cheeses such as Parmiagano Reggiano . A Microplane is much easier to use than stand graters that can threaten manicures and knuckles.

Immersion blender. Dietitian Jill Nussinow, an expert on vegetarian cooking, shares her favorite gadgets for a healthy kitchen on her website www.veggiequeen.com and includes the hand-held immersion blender for turning steamed veggies into smooth purees for delicious soups or to thicken sauces without adding butter, cream or flour. Also great for making single serve fresh fruit smoothies.

Mini-food processor. These petite powerhouses are less expensive than big food processors and take up less counter space. Easy to use to chop up a batch of onions, bell peppers, celery, parsley or shallots in the just the right amount for recipes.

Mini kitchen scale. “Take the guess work out of portion sizing and get better results when following baking recipes”, says Susan Nicholson, Atlanta based dietitian and author of 7 Day Menu Planner for Dummies. Her cookbook includes kitchen basics section called “The Tools of the Trade: Cookware and Appliances.”

Salt grinder. Upgrade your salt shaker and grind salt from large crystals. Freshly ground sea salt (as with peppercorns) can taste more intense so you use less on foods to get the same zing. Amy Myrdal Miller, dietitian at the Culinary Institute of America notes that while table salt and sea salt are both made up of sodium chloride, “sea salt can contain slightly less total sodium. For instance, a teaspoon of fine grain table salt contains 2360 milligrams of sodium. Fine gain sea salt contains 2160 milligrams of sodium per teaspoon.”

2010 Finally Arrives in 2011!!

The calendar may read 2011, but the 2010 update of US Dietary Guidelines for Americans is a tad overdue and is expected to make its debut sometime very soon. As you’ve no doubt heard, the American diet could use some improvements to battle obesity and help prevent diet related illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. The goal of the update includes an emphasis on advice based on the latest nutrition research; a lot of which has emerged since the last guidelines were released five years ago. So, what does a healthy diet look like these days? Are there clearly defined dietary devils and darlings so we know what to avoid and what to add to our plates? Addressing these questions was the job of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) established to update the 2005 Dietary Guidelines by taking a look at current consensus in nutrition science and advising leaders at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on what Americans should be eating today. What we’re waiting for now is the official publication of the 2010 US Dietary Guidelines. Already alerting consumers there may be meal planning changes in the works, the website for mypyramid.gov reminds visitors that the diet advice on the site is currently based on the 2005 guidelines and shares this link to check on the development of the new guidelines. www.DietaryGuidelines.gov

What’s New in Nutrition?A menu of the DGAC’s dietary suggestions which we may soon see incorporated in the final version of the US Dietary Guidelines includes this broad conclusion, “On average, Americans of all ages consume too few vegetables, fruits, high-fiber whole grains, low-fat milk and milk products, and seafood and they eat too much added sugars, solid fats, refined grains, and sodium.” Translation: Spend more time exploring the produce section and less time eyeing fried chicken in the deli.

Get Off The SofasRemember all the talk about “couch potatoes” referring to sedentary habits that contribute to weight gain? Well now couches are joined by sofas! The 2010 Dietary Guidelines report warns that “SoFAS” (solid fats and added sugars) contribute about 35 percent of calories to the American diet for kids, teens and adults. ‘Solid fats’ refers to the fat in butter, cheese, stick margarine, vegetable shortening (oils which are hydrogenated to be solid at room temperature) and the fats in meats. ‘Added sugars’ doesn’t need much explanation but don’t forget that includes soft drinks.



The 2010 “Uncle Sam Diet”, if you will.

DGAC Report: “Shift food intake patterns to a more plant-based diet that emphasizes vegetables, cooked dry beans and peas, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.”

Translation: Check out the vegetarian entrees on menus when dining out, even if you’re not a vegetarian, to increase intake of valuable nutrients including fiber and antioxidants.

DGAC Report: “Increase the intake of seafood and fat-free and low-fat milk and milk products and consume only moderate amounts of lean meats, poultry, and eggs.”

Translation: Lean toward low fat dairy and lean meats. For instance, from flank steak to top sirloin, there are 29 different cuts of beef which qualify as lean with less than 10 grams of fat per serving.

DGAC Report: The committee included advice to encourage the enjoyment of healthy food and pointed to the benefits of Mediterranean-style dietary patterns.

Translation: Enjoy platters of grilled fish and lemons, vegetables drizzled with olive oil and sliced melon for dessert. A glass of wine is OK, too.

DGAC Report: “Significantly reduce intake of foods containing added sugars and solid fats because these dietary components contribute excess calories and few, if any, nutrients.”

Translation: Don’t waste calories on sugar sweetened beverages and deep fried foods. If you do, spend those calories wisely with smaller portions enjoyed less frequently.

DGAC Report: “Reduce sodium intake.”

Translation: Shaking a salt habit doesn’t have to mean suffering with bland foods. Add a world of healthy flavors with fresh herbs, dried herbs, spices, citrus, vinegars, salsas, garlic and mushrooms.

DGAC report: “Lower intake of refined grains, especially refined grains that are coupled with added sugar, solid fat, and sodium.”

Translation: Looks like we better go easy on the donuts and tortilla chips.

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