Smart Eating!

Eating to Prep for Job Interview, Important Presentation or Big Test


The saying goes that you only have one chance to make a first impression.

Job interviews have always been an important time to take this advice to heart. And with millions of Americans currently out of work and fewer positions to fill the competition is keen. This month, however, there’s some good news for all job hunters. U.S. labor statistics reveal a glimmer of hope that more employers are saying, “We’re hiring!” For the first time in a long time, unemployment rates are holding steady and job openings, especially for part timers, are starting to appear. This is also an active time of year for students interviewing for college admission or for summer internships. Certainly, preparing for an interview is vital including dressing the part to help stand out from the competition. What you eat and drink before the important interchange can make a difference too. If you're a morning person- ready and raring to go with the rising sun- but scored a late afternoon appointment with career destiny, you can structure your meals and snacks to help keep you alert later in the day. The same goes for heeding advice on what you should avoid eating before a face to face interview-uh, not the time for garlic or onions!
So, what’s the best thing to eat before an interview to stay focused and calm?

Meal Choices Can Make or Break Your Brain Power. While grabbing a biscuit or bagel might be easy choices for breakfast on the fly, nutrition scientists who study foods’ affect on the brain say eating nothing but carbs is a bad choice for a big day. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology study compared two groups who ate either a high-protein or high-carbohydrate breakfast. Two hours later the carb group had levels of the sleep inducing amino acid tryptophan that were four times higher than the protein group. A job interview is no time to nod off! So make sure to add an egg to that breakfast biscuit or drink a glass of non fat milk and add some peanut butter or smoked salmon to a bagel to boost the protein power of your morning meal. Lean protein foods such as eggs, chicken, turkey, fish and beans help your brain stay alert by supporting the production of neurotransmitters needed to for smart thinking.

Brain cells crave choline
Found in egg yolks, peanuts, soybeans and flaxseeds the nutrient choline helps support the brain’s messenger service, called neurotransmitters. It’s also linked to new memory cell production. And chances are you're not getting enough choline in your diet, especially if you're an egg white omelet fan. According to Boston based nutrition consultant and registered dietitian Elizabeth Ward, “In fact, fewer than ten percent of older children, men and women meet the recommended Adequate Intake for choline.” Ward says one egg which contains 125 milligrams of choline can help close the gap.

B Alert – B vitamins, such as folate or folic acid, play a key role in forming the brain’s memory cells and have been shown to improve alertness in adults.
Found in orange juice, green vegetables, cantaloupe and whole grain foods including those enriched with folic acid such as breads, cereals, pasta and rice.

Pay Attention with Tea
Coffee may be the go-to beverage for most who want to add some pep to their step but, too much caffeine can cause nervous jitters- not a good look during a job interview. So maybe you should switch to tea today. New research on drinking tea highlights its effect to calm us down so we can concentrate better and focus on the task at hand. John Foxe, Ph.D. Professor of Neuroscience, Biology and Psychology at City College of the City University of New York found that theanine, an amino acid present in the tea plant increases alpha brain-wave activity which induces a calmer, yet more alert, state of mind. Theanine is found in green, black and oolong teas.
Water for the Brain
If your brain feels a bit fuzzy or you feel irritability coming on you might just be thirsty. Dehydration can make you feel listless, lethargic and contribute to concentration problems. Make sure to drink water or other thirst quenching drinks to keep your brain hydrated -but keep an eye out for restroom signs at your interview location!

Chew Gum While Waiting- While gum chewing during an interview is not advised because it may detract from what you’re saying, research shows that gum can help you stay focused and alert. Researchers at Baylor University found that chewing gum improved students’ scores on math tests. And in a lab setting participants who chewed gum showed reduced stress and improved mental alertness.

What if it’s an interview during a meal? Unless you’re applying for a job on the hit TV show Mad Men, this is no time for the judgment impairing three martini lunch. If it’s a dinner interview and the others are having glass of wine; it’s OK to follow suit but remember you’re the one in the spotlight. And let’s just say you’re a vegetarian or have strong feelings about your low-carb diet. This is no time to share your passion for dietary concerns, especially if the boss-to-be is digging into a rack of ribs or big bowl of pasta. Choose easy to eat foods such as soups and salads or simple entrees of chicken or fish so you can keep up with the conversation during lunch. Chomping corn on the cob or swirling spaghetti noodles might be a bit distracting.

Just What the Doctor Ordered!

Chef Instructor Bill Briwa of the Culinary Institute of America, Greystone in Napa Valley loves to share the secrets of adding flavor to recipes with a world of spices.

Imagine a day when your doctor hands you a recipe instead of a prescription and you’ll share the vision of physicians, dietitians and other health professionals gathered recently in the kitchens of The Culinary Institute of America’s campus in Napa Valley.

The “Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives” conference presented by researchers from Harvard Medical School brings medicine and menus together to illustrate the benefits of eating a healthy diet. “We need to practice what we preach” declared Dr. David Eisenberg, Director for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies at the Harvard Medical School, “What doctors eat predicts their willingness and ability to advise patients about what they eat.” Eisenberg, who created the Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives conference, led a recipe demonstration on Asian stir fry techniques. An M.D. handy with a cleaver and a wok, Eisenberg was the first US medical exchange student to the People’s Republic of China in 1979, “That’s when I learned the significance of a teaching kitchen. If we’re going to get people to eat better we have to realize that taste trumps nutrition science every day.”

While there were plenty of grim diet related health statistics to review including maps revealing states with the highest obesity rates, the focus was on cooking up solutions. Dr. Robert Israel, an internal medicine physician with Providence Hospital in Mobile, Alabama leapt at the opportunity to exchange his doctor’s coat for a chef’s hat in a workshop on cooking whole grain side dishes, “This is wonderful. It’s what we should have been doing twenty years ago.” The CIA-Harvard conference was packed with nutrition knowledge and real life recipe advice. Here’s an overview of healthy highlights.

Robert Israel, MD of Mobile, Alabama joins Paige Martin, RD,
a dietitian from Atlanta for a CIA cooking class on Whole Grain dishes.

Recipes for Wellness

1. Eat lots of vegetables- Advice to eat more plant based foods was abundant. Harvard School of Public Health’s Dr. Walter Willett, a course co-director, emphasized “Populations that eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day live longer lives and have less heart disease, stroke and cancer.” Cooking up solutions: Cookbook author, Chef John Ash says, “Instead of steaming, try roasting vegetables such as cauliflower and Brussels sprouts- the high heat brings out naturally sweet flavors.”

2. Say yes to good fats- Not all fat is created equal. Trans fat is the most harmful. Avoid partially hydrogenated vegetable oils The preferred forms of fat intake include: olive
oil, canola oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, and fish oil. Omegas 3’s in seafood are beneficial. Eat seafood at least twice a week. Cooking up solutions: “Give bottled salad dressings the boot” says cookbook author Joyce Goldstein, “Save money and have fun making your own salad dressings with olive oils and vinegars. Add a splash of fresh orange or lemon juice.”

3. Upgrade your carbs – To help control swings in blood sugar and support a healthy heart and digestive system, minimize refined sugar and white flour products; instead eat whole grain breads, oats, barley, brown rice, quinoa, wheat berries and other whole grains and cereals. Eat Fewer Refined Carbohydrates: white bread, white flour, sugary cereals, pasta, jellies, sugar candy and soft drinks. Cooking up solutions: CIA chef instructor Tucker Bunch shares these tips, “Most all grains, such as quinoa, brown rice, wheat berries and faro, can be cooked ahead and then combined with seasonings such as sautéed garlic, fresh basil, olives, lemon juice and olive oil to make a delicious side dishes.”

4. Eat Mindfully - Grab and go eating might save time but, it’s not getting a doctor’s or dietitian’s approval. Advice to slow down to appreciate and savor flavors, aromas, colors and textures of foods is becoming just as important as nutrient recommendations. Eisenberg says mindless munching whether in front of the television or in the car must be addressed, “Mindfulness and intention affect all behaviors including what and how much we eat.” Cooking up a solution: Savor and really think about the pleasure of enjoying a square of dark chocolate or dollop of whipped cream on top of a bowl of fresh berries.

Mediterranean Grain Medley

Ingredients

Farro or Soft Wheat Berries, fully cooked 3 cups

Salt and Black pepper to taste

Quinoa, fully cooked 2 cups

Extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup

Fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup

Crimini mushrooms, quartered 2 cups

Shallots, diced 2 Tsp

Garlic, chopped 1 tsp

Organo, chopped 1tsp

Chick peas 1 cup

Parsley, chopped 1 tsp

Cherry tomatoes, cut in half 1 cup

Mint or basil, minced 1/4 cup

Kalamata olives, cut julienne 2 Tbsp

Hot red pepper flakes 1 tsp

Method:

Heat a large saucepan over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the mushrooms. Toss so the mushrooms begin to brown.

Add the shallots, garlic, oregano and cook until aromatic. Season with S and P.

Add the chick peas, herbs, tomatoes and olives to the pan, tossing to mix well.

Adjust seasoning, adding salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and lemon juice to taste.

Fold in the cooked grains to heat through.

Don't Flip Out about Eating Out, Flip Your Plate!

The Plate Flip: Make vegetables the Star. Small portions of meat with mostly vegetables on the plate with one glass of wine = a meal that pleases both taste and health.

It’s easy to understand why nutrition advice today includes cautionary tales of restaurant menu items that deliver more than a day’s calorie limit with overblown portion sizes and whopping amounts of sugar, salt and fat. But, registered dietitian Connie Guttersen doesn’t think that means declaring a ban on dining out, “Eating is out is part of the daily American lifestyle. Strategies for success are essential to help diners who need to lose or maintain weight loss and feel good about eating in restaurants.” She says access to the facts certainly helps diners decide what to order. For instance, nutrition information on menu items at P.F. Chang’s reveals wide swings in calorie costs. Choose the Orange Peel Beef and you’re looking at 1400 calories on the plate versus the Cantonese Shrimp with only 350 calories a serving.

Guttersen knows a lot about the good, the bad and shockingly unhealthy choices offered in restaurants today. As a nutrition instructor at the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone campus in Napa Valley she’s on the front lines of gathering the food facts on menu items and sharing them with the next generation of chefs in training and adding to the skill sets of experienced chefs. Nutrition coursework is an important focus in culinary schools today as chefs gain the food knowledge and cooking techniques needed to prepare healthier menus that are just as appealing and sell just as well as restaurants’ more decadent choices. Guttersen, who spoke at the Healthy Kitchens/Healthy Lives conference held recently, says there are plenty of examples that illustrate good nutrition is making its way into food service including trends to offer small plates, seasonal produce, and flavors added to recipes with spices, herbs, fruit salsas and vinegars instead of butter, cream and cheese. So, what’s her best advice for diners to navigate a menu in search of breakfast, lunch or dinner that will support a healthy lifestyle? “Try not to micromanage by fretting about the exact calorie count of a dish. Instead, be mindful and visualize a healthy plate with at least 75% plant based foods. Eating mostly vegetables, fruit and grains should become second nature. It’s what we call the ‘plate flip’. Meat shouldn’t be the star of the plate.”
5 Strategies to Success in Healthful Dining Out

Watch the Three B’s - Before you even order your entrée you can easily consume more than 600 calories with Bread, Butter and Beverage. Two pieces of bread (400 calories), 1 teaspoon or pat of butter (100 calories) and a soft drink or alcoholic beverage (200 calories).

Look for Healthy Preparations- Instead of deep fried or bathed in butter or cheese sauce look for menu descriptions that indicate leaner cooking techniques such as: Plank Roasted, Oven Roasted, Brick Roasted, Grilled, Seared, Stir Fry, En Papillote, and Poached in wine or broth.

Feast on Vegetables- Choose lots of different colors and varieties as the star of the plate, prioritize seasonal, local and organic. Guttersen says, “Build smarter salads with dark greens, added nuts and seeds and small amounts of flavorful cheeses.” Salad dressings can add flavor with healthy oils such as olive or canola.

Go For Whole Grains- Discover a world of healthy grains including quinoa, wild rice, faro, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, barley, amaranth, wheat berries and oats.

Flip Your Plate- Protein portion whether beef, chicken, fish or tofu only needs to be four ounces. Include plant sources for protein: nuts, seeds, soy ( tofu), and beans. Consider the Pastry Flip for dessert emphasizing fruit and small amount of pastry or granola topping.

This is the Best News Yet!

Light Drinking Might Help Keep Women Slim
HealthDay News
Updated: 12:25 p.m. Monday, March 8, 2010
Posted: 12:11 p.m. Monday, March 8, 2010
Count staying slim as one of the apparent benefits of light-to-moderate alcohol consumption, at least for women.
New research found that women who drank the equivalent of one to two drinks a day were least likely to gain weight -- 30 percent less likely, in fact, than teetotalers.
"Our study results showed that middle-age and older women who have normal body weight initially and consume light-to-moderate amounts of alcohol could maintain their drinking habits without gaining more weight, compared with similar women who did not drink any alcohol," said study author Dr. Lu Wang, an epidemiologist with the division of preventive medicine at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston.
The findings are published in the March 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
Previous evidence on the health benefits of alcohol have been mixed. Some research has found that men and, to a lesser extent, women who drink moderately over the long-term have a lower risk for heart disease.
But another study found that even moderate drinking might raise the risk for breast, liver and other cancers in women.
Wang and her colleagues followed 19,220 women, 39 years or older, for an average of 13 years. All participants started the study with a normal body-mass index.
Although, on average, the women all tended to gain weight as time progressed, abstainers gained the most. The amount of weight gained decreased as alcohol consumption went up, the study found.
The researchers said they were unable to draw conclusions about heavy drinkers because there were so few in the study and because these women also tended to smoke, indicating they had very different lifestyles from the other participants.
There could be any number of reasons for the findings, including different ways that women metabolize alcohol, compared with men.
Also, the researchers pointed out, women tend to substitute alcohol for other foods, whereas men tend to simply add alcohol to everything else they're ingesting.
"The impact of alcohol consumption on body weight needs to be considered in the context of energy balance," Wang explained. "Among women, those who regularly consume light-to-moderate alcohol usually have a lower energy intake from non-alcohol sources. On the other hand, alcohol intake tends to induce increased energy expenditure beyond energy contents of the consumed alcohol in women. Taken together, regular alcohol consumption in light-to-moderate amount may lead to a net energy loss among women."
Marianne Grant, a registered dietitian and health educator at the Texas A&M Health Science Center's Coastal Bend Health Education Center in Corpus Christi, said that "it's possible that women who are of healthy weight are not as efficient in metabolizing alcohol."
"But, as always, the message is to enjoy alcohol in moderation," she warned. "Don't go with this as a weight-loss method. The keystones of healthy nutrition still hold."
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on maintaining a healthy weight.
Copyright © 2010 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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

http://tinyurl.com/yjjsex4

Nutrition Nuggets to Chew On

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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.

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.