Fresh Indian cuisine

Indian cuisine is one of my favorite picks when we go out to eat! The last time I went to a local Indian lunch buffet, I found it unique that one of their Dals had been made with yogurt. Any of the lentil curry dishes may also be made with coconut milk or heavy cream.

This morning, I put about ¼ cup fat-free yogurt (at room temperature) in a skillet and combined it with about ½ cup curry sauce, making sure it was completely dissolved before I put the heat on low. For anyone who will attempt this recipe, I will say that it is not error-proof. On my first try, I combined the ingredients at medium heat, and it was too hot for the ingredients to create the desired consistency! The yogurt curded before it had the chance to mix well with the curry sauce, and unfortunately, once yogurt curds it is irreversible. The same philosophy applies with other protein foods if the food is mechanically treated or when heat is applied – the proteins in the food “denature” and the consistency will not revert back to the way that it was before. However, if the temperature is not too hot, and the ingredients are mixed well enough before adding heat, the consistency should remain. I let the heat stay on low for about 10-30 minutes once the ingredients were vigorously mixed together.

I made a vegetarian curry and a chicken curry with this sauce. I kept it low in fat for my husband and added cooked lentils to the paste and created vegetarian dal. For the chicken curry that I prepared for lunch today, I had added 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and mixed that together before combining the curry sauce, and then adding onions, chicken, and peas. At least for me, the heavy cream gave the flavor more definition.

The curry sauce can be one that you choose pre-made or can be made from scratch with a great recipe.

 Enjoy!

Qick & easy teriyaki sauce

My allergy to monosodium glutamate (MSG) has not kept me away from enjoying the teriyaki sauce that I absolutely love! This quick & easy recipe is additive-free, and will give you piece of mind! The best part is that you can substitute the soy sauce to a low-sodium soy sauce (if you'd like), it goes great over chicken, veggies, tofu, etc; and it is gluten-free! Enjoy!


Ingredients
6 Tablespoons of soy sauce
4 Tablespoons of brown sugar
1 clove of garlic
1 1/2 cup of water
2 Tablespoon of cornstarch


Directions
Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, and minced garlic in a medium size bowl.
Strain the mixture to eliminate the garlic pieces.
Mix the cornstarch in the mixture BEFORE cooking it. Press your spoon against the chunks until the cornstarch is completely disolved.
Bring the water and teriyaki mixture over medium heat in a pan, and bring to a boil, while constantly stirring.
Your sauce should be thickening as you stir, and as a few minutes go by.

Pink Slime!

As much as 70% of store bought ground beef (and makes up 25% of any beef
patty with it) have the filler known as “pink slime”. Before
the ground beef is packaged for sale, the remnants of the animal are
ground up, sprayed with ammonia, and packaged as ground beef. The
ammonia is supposed to kill the bacteria remaining in the intestine of
the carcass. A former USDA scientist said that the ground-up
connective tissue and beef scraps that are normally meant for dog
food.


This has become a growing concern for consumers and parents of
children who eat school lunches that have the filler. Currently,
vendors do not have to list the pink slime on labels. Advocates for
candidness are starting and signing petitions at websites like Change.org
and/or forwarding concerns directly to first lady Machelle Obama.


It’s no wonder there have been outbreaks of E. Coli, leaving folks
wondering where it came from. I believe that even presenting the
opportunity for harmful bacteria such as E. Coli even with sterilizing
compounds like ammonia is unacceptable, simply because of human error. They may spray or pour all they want to decontaminate it, but spots
are probably always missed.


Over many years, I have always had a hunch that meat vendors wouldn’t
tell consumers everything when it came to processing ground beef
before packaging it for sale. Ever since that, I had been buying the
steak cuts and putting them in my food processer to create the same
product (minus the slime :-)). Even though most people are okay with
eating packaged ground beef, I will never look at eating it the same
way again – it just won’t set well with me. As mentioned throughout
many of my posts, it is important to know what you’re eating. How can
we do that when we have omitted information?


References:

http://www.kmbc.com/r/30646429/detail.html
www.thelunchtray.com
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/health/2012/03/09/pink-slime-in-70-percent-ground-beef-reports-says/

Watch out for nutrient claims

My last post was about spending some quality time in the grocery store checking out nutrition labels and compiling a list of your favorites to make future grocery trips quick and easy. Below are some health claims that many companies and grocers slap on many products that have been packaged and processed for consumer convenience. However, these claims can be confusing and/or misleading depending on how much the consumer is knowledgeable about what the USDA says a label can use the term if it fits certain nutrient parameters.

Nutrient Claims¹: Generally speaking, if a package wants to claim that they have an “excellent source of protein” for example, it has to have 20% or more of the daily value.

Nutrient Content Claim	What the Claim Means Per Serving
High (rich in, excellent source)	20% or more of the Daily Value
Good	10% to 19% of the Daily Value
More	Contains at least 10% more of the Daily Value for vitamins, minerals, protein, dietary fiber, or potassium.*
Light	Has at least ⅓ fewer calories or 50% less fat.* If more than half the calories are from fat, fat content must be reduced by 50% or more.
Less or fewer	Has 25% less of a nutrient or of calories

Fat Claims¹

Fat free	Less than 0.5 gram fat
Low fat	3 grams or less total fat
Reduced fat	At least 25% less fat than the regular version

Saturated fat claims¹

Saturated fat free	Less than 0.5 gram saturated fat and less than 0.5 gram trans fatty acids
Low in saturated fat	1 gram or less saturated fat & no more than 15% calories from saturated fat
Reduced saturated fat	At least 25% less saturated fat* and reduced by more than 1 gram fat

About trans fat²:

As of January 1, 2006, all packaged foods including dietary supplements under the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must list the amount of trans fat on the Nutrition Facts label. The trans fat amount is to be listed below the saturated fat line and expressed to the nearest 0.5 g increment when below 5 g and to the nearest g increment when above 5 g.

However, if the total fat is less than 0.5 g per serving and no claims are made about fat, fatty acids, or cholesterol content, there are two options for declaring trans fat. The manufacturer may either list the trans fat amount as zero (0 g) on its respective line or add a footnote stating “Not a significant source of trans fat.”

Even though scientific reports have confirmed the relationship between trans fat and an increased risk of CHD, none have recommended an amount of trans fat that FDA could use to establish a Daily Value (DV)³.

Sodium Claims¹

Sodium free or salt free	Less than 5 milligrams sodium
Very low sodium	35 milligrams of sodium or less
Low sodium	140 milligrams of sodium or less
Reduced sodium	At least 25% less sodium*
Light in sodium	At least 50% less sodium
Salt free	Less than 5 milligrams sodium

Sugar Claims¹

Sugar free	Less than 0.5 gram sugars
Reduced sugar	At least 25% less sugar*

Calorie Claims¹

Calorie free	Less than 5 calories
Low calorie	40 calories or less
Reduced calories	At least 25% fewer calories*

Fiber Claims¹: (If food is not low in total fat, the label must state total fat in conjunction with the fiber claims.)

High fiber	5 grams or more
Good source of fiber	2.5 grams to 4.9 grams
More or added fiber	At least 2.5 grams more*

Cholesterol claims¹

Cholesterol free	Less than 2 milligrams cholesterol and 2 grams or less saturated fat
Low cholesterol	20 milligrams or less cholesterol and 2 grams or less saturated fat
Reduced cholesterol	At least 25% less cholesterol and 2 grams or less saturated fat*

Lean Claims¹

Lean	Contains less than 10 grams total fat, 4.5 grams or less saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams cholesterol
Extra lean	Contains less than 5 grams total fat, less than 2 grams saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams cholesterol

Organic⁴: Below, I’ve listed the parameters for packages that choose to wear the organic seal with the following labels attached to it. People who sell or label a product "organic" when they know it does not meet USDA standards can be fined up to $11,000 for each violation.⁵

If the product want to claim:	Product:
"100 percent Organic"	Must contain 100 percent organically produced ingredients, not counting added water and salt.
"Organic"	Must contain at least 95% organic ingredients, not counting added water and salt. Must not contain added sulfites. May contain, up to 5%: a. nonorganically produced agricultural ingredients which are not commercially available in organic form; and/or b. other substances allowed by 7 CFR 205.605.
"Made with Organic [specified Ingredient(s) or food group(s)]"	Must contain at least 70% organic ingredients, not counting added water and salt. Must not contain added sulfites; except that, wine may contain added sulfur dioxide in accordance with 7 CFR 205.605. May contain, up to 30%: a. nonorganically produced agricultural ingredients. and/or b. other substances, including yeast, allowed by 7 CFR 205.605.
Some organic ingredients	May contain less than 70% organic ingredients, not counting added water and salt. May contain, over 30%: a. nonorganically produced agricultural ingredients. and/or b. other substances, without being limited to those in 7 CFR 205.605.

Light¹: The term "light" can also be used to describe texture and color, if the label explains the intent (e.g. "light brown sugar" and "light and fluffy")

Healthy¹: A "healthy" food is low in fat and saturated fat and contains limited amounts of cholesterol (60 mg or less per serving) and sodium (480 mg or less per serving). If it is a single-item food, it also must follow the "10-percent" rule. This means that it provides at least 10% of the DV per serving of at least one of these: vitamins A or C, iron, calcium, protein and fiber.

Certain fresh, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables and certain cereal-grain products are exceptions to this rule. They can be labeled "healthy" even if they don’t have at least 10% DV per serving of the above nutrients.

Meal-type products (e.g. frozen entrees and multi-course frozen dinners) must provide 10% DV of two or three of these: vitamins A or C, iron, calcium, protein or fiber, as well as meet the other criteria. Sodium content cannot exceed 360 mg per serving for individual foods and 480 mg per serving for meal-type products.

If a food is labeled "healthy" or makes a health claim, it can’t contain any nutrient that increases risk for disease. It must contain no more than 20% of the DV per serving of: total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, or sodium. Therefore, low-fat and fat-free milks qualify to make the calcium and osteoporosis claim, yet whole milk contains too much saturated fat to make that claim.

Natural: This buzzword has been turning up left and right more recently on more packaging labels than ever before, but guess what? “Natural” is not recognized by the FDA or USDA to be any healthier or lower in fat, sodium, carbohydrates, etc. It is also not used to necessarily define whether or not a product uses artificial ingredients, pesticides, flavor enhancers, etc. This is why it is still important to read the nutrition labels and ingredients on the back, just to make sure the wool is not being “pulled over your eyes”.

For those who have been trying to reach health and/or nutrition goals and have not seen results over a long period of time, one might consider looking over the food package labels again with this information in mind. And for everyone, watch out for misleading claims and have fun shopping!

References:

¹ Sizer, Frances and Eleanor Whitney. Nutrition Concepts and Controversies, Ninth Edition. 2003.

² http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/food/nutrition/nutrition/dietary_guide/hgic4061.html

³ http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/facts/nutrition/TransFatFactSheet.pdf

⁴ http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5078591&acct=nopgeninfo

⁵ http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?&template=TemplateC&navID=NationalOrganicProgram&leftNav=NationalOrganicProgram&page=NOPOrganicSeal&description=The%20Organic%20Seal&acct=nopgeninfo

*compared to the reference, or regular, food this would replace

Save yourself time

It is commonly believed that if we are going to walk into a grocery store to read labels, it is going to be very, very time consuming! And even if we are too lay to do so, I think we can all agree that we all want to have a piece of mind, and know what we are putting in our mouths. The good news is that most of us only have to read the food labels once in a blue moon!  Wouldn't it be nice if it could be as easy as walking down the isles and grabbing your food items without having to read the labels time after time? It can be, if you are familiar with which foods have ingredients that you can trust, and feel good about. Here's a few tips on making your grocery experience less time consuming, and more health-conscious:

• 1.      Plan to spend 2 hours (give or take depending on how much you shop) at the grocery stores you normally go to do the all the "work"
• 2.     Take notes! Bring a spiral notebook; and if you're a visual learner like myself, bring a camera!

• 3.      Snap photos of the products that you will continually buy because you like that the product have no _____ (you fill in the blank)! 
• 4.     When the pictures are developed/printed, paste them to the inside of the binder below some titles, i.e. snacks, etc.

This method can work with so many goals, whether that be weight loss, restricted diet, allergies, etc. You will have a log of foods that are in the "safe zone" for you to eat, and then when you stop by the grocery store, you can just grab and go without wasting time with the labels every time you go. Granted, if you can remember all your favorite products, then there is no need to even keep a log!

It is noteworthy that sometimes companies may change their recipe and add ingredients without notice.  Case in point: Taco Bell’s hot sauce didn't always have “yeast extract” in their recipe, and then one day all of a sudden, I noticed that it appeared in their ingredients label. Check out the difference in the two 2 sauce packet ingredients! This is of concern to me since I am allergic to MSG (monosodium glutamate) and all forms of it. This is to say that if you are going for a strict diet, eliminating certain ingredients, you may have to "check on it" every once in a while, especially when something is "off" about it. Before I started reading ingredient labels, I had believed that if it was organic, "natural" that I didn't have to worry about finding additives in my food, however, I still saw "organic yeast extract", which would mean for me that I still cannot eat that, nor can I trust that every time I see an organic label, that it can't contain flavor enhancers in the organic form :-)

To speak more specifically about Macronutrients labeling such as fat, carbs, and protein on the nutrition facts get a lot more attention from the FDA and the CDC (Center for Disease Control) because preservatives and flavor enhancers have already been "dealt with" and placed in a category known as "generally recognized as safe" to eat.2,3 A bigger issue that the CDC are concerned about is the obesity and heart disease epidemic in the U.S.

The FDA has been tackling the issue of confusing or misleading labels more recently, and among various proposals, one idea that sounds good so far is employing the use of "traffic light" symbols on packages to indicate whether high brow like fat or sodium are within acceptable range. As you can probably guess, green = good, and red = poor!5 This has worked well in the United Kingdom, and it might not be a bad idea for helping Americans with obesity by being more up front about what products are in acceptable range, and what is not. Weight watchers already has a similar approach with their points system to track ways to keep a diets in check, centering around caloric intake, and energy expenditure.4

And as always, the best foods for you have no labels! Next week, I’ll explain what the USDA's (United States Department of Agriculture) parameters for labeling things like, "very low sodium", "low fat", etc in order for it to be advertised that way.

¹ http://www.livestrong.com/article/71755-autolyzed-yeast-extract/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35839186/#.T0keN1HwP8s
2 CDC.gov
3 FDA.gov
4 http://www.weightwatchers.com/plan/eat/plan.aspx
5 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35839186/#.T0keN1HwP8s

Essential Amino Acids and its Importance

The importance of protein consumption:

I’m here today to discuss the importance of getting all ofthe essential amino acids through the diet to which sustains variousbodily components such as hormones, enzymes, antibodies, cartilage, and DNA.The amino acids that your body breaks down in the small intestine is taken upby the liver and can either be used to make peptides, proteins or evenused to make glucose. It is widely known what foods contain protein and howmuch is in it, just by following the nutrition facts listed on the back of suchitems.

Though, not all sources of protein arealike. Most meat sources, and some other food sources supply all the essentialamino acids¹, and these foods are also known as “complete proteins.”Animal proteins, such as meat, fish, milk, and eggs are good examples ofcomplete proteins. There are also plenty of non-meat sources of completeproteins, such as almonds. Incomplete proteins do not contain adequate amountsof one or more of the essential amino acids,² the ones that the bodycannot synthesize. Protein quality⁴ is measured by factors based on nitrogencontent and digestibility just to name a couple. An amino acid score of 100 ormore is considered a complete protein, for example, a walnut has 30g ofprotein, but its amino acid score is only 58 - which indicates that itis an incomplete protein⁵. Looking at it more closely, it isdeficient in the essential amino acid, lysine³.

For those who prefer a vegan/vegetariandiet, it can be as easy as knowing about each food’s protein quality andgetting creative to create fabulous meals and meeting the body’s demands foradequate protein. Just because most plant foods are incomplete proteins does notmean that they should be sworn off as protein sources. It is possible to pairfoods containing incomplete proteins with different limiting amino acids toprovide adequate amounts of the essential amino acids. I like touse  www.nutritiondata.com, type in afood item and take note of its protein quality. These tools can especially beused for pairing up incomplete proteins to create complete protein meals. Complementaryproteins are kind of like puzzle pieces. Let’s say  one person has 2 pieces of a 4-piece puzzle,and another person has two remaining pieces, neither of them have a completepuzzle. But when they are combined, the two individuals create a completepuzzle². Red beans and rice for dinner would also provide a completeprotein profile for example.

So, why is getting all 9 essentialamino acids important? Essential amino acids can be seen in many elements  in the human body, for example, the structureof hemoglobin A contains 8 amino acids, and 5 of which are essential amino acids.¹ Among hemoglobin A, there aremany other peptides and proteins³ that contain essential aminoacids. How would we get by without them?

References:

¹ McKee, T., and J. R.McKee. Biochemistry: The molecular basis of life

4th. New York: Oxford University Press,2009.

² Lindshield, Brian."Flexbook." Chapter 2 - Energy Yielding Macronutrients. Kansas StateUniversity, Manhattan. 20 June 2011. Lecture.

³ Wikipedia.org.(n.d.). Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org

⁴Schaafsma G. (2000) The protein digestibility-corrected aminoacid score. J Nutr 130(7):

1865S.

⁵ www.nutritiondata.com

Quick & Easy

As a full-time employee, part-time student, mommy, and wife eating well is important, so that I don’t have to go to the doctor anywhere near as often as I would otherwise. I came up with some ideas of how to pack quick & easy meals to have in my 8-hour/day work week:

Day 1:

PB&J

Beef ravioli (in a small 13oz Ziploc bowl) – you’ll be surprised how quickly it fills you up!

2 hard boiled eggs

5 strawberries w/ a side of whipped cream (in the tiny 3.5oz Ziploc bowls)

Cooked chicken (out of the can for ease of preparation) & mixed veggies (in a large 20oz Ziploc bowl)

Day 2:

Spaghetti & ground beef (instead of meatballs which take longer to prepare)

Salmon (or fish of choice) & mixed veggies

Yogurt

Garden salad

Chicken (from the can) sandwich on wheat/multigrain bread & 1oz bag of chips** (or 1 serving size equivalent)

Day 3:

Sweet & Sour pork, rice, and mixed veggies

Chicken alfredo

1 serving size cookies** (of your choice)

1 serving size applesauce

1 small bean burrito (or 1 serving size equivalent)

The portioned Ziploc containers aid with making sure I don’t overeat. This really works for anyone who wants to maintain, or adjust their daily dietary intake. The portions can always be increased or decreased depending on your total energy expenditure (TEE)*. There is quite a bit of calculation involved with finding out your TEE, but the easiest way to track your daily physical activity level and your caloric intake can be done at http://www.myplate.gov and click on Super Tracker on the left side of the home page.

On day 1, I put portion sizes to display an example of how I use these containers, but it is ultimately based on how much energy I burn throughout the day, versus how many calories I take in, etc. It is also dependent on what I can and cannot eat - I have some food allergies. And of course, these meal options can all be mix & match combos while keeping in mind that each food group and/or nutrient need is met, It’s a balancing act :-)! In regards to my last entry, no one is really ever “too busy”. Eating well should be prioritized like hygiene, because it is your health. 

 

References:

www.rd411.com

* Your TEE is the estimated amount of energy that your body requires per day, taking into account your resting metabolic rate, activity factor (how physically active you are), whether or not you have a fever, and whether or not you are injured and to what degree.

**Don’t be afraid to allow yourself to a SMALL indulgence. Just monitor it.

Do not let a busy schedule get in the way of eating healthy

Have you ever wondered how you were going to squeeze time in to make that healthy deli-fresh sandwich, but you've come to the conclusion that you "just don't have time"? While it is true that most fresher and healthier food choices take longer to prepare, and might leave you feeling somewhat exhausted after making it, all is not lost when the goal is to incorporate fresher food into your diet to reap the health benefits!

While you're riding the bus or waiting in line, plan ahead what meals might satisfy your taste buds for the coming week. This not only makes the line seem shorter, but now you have some idea of what to pick up at the grocery store. If you have food allergies/food modifications, this is the perfect time to think of how you can still enjoy your favorite foods without forgoing them.

Next, save the date. Pick one day a week to arrange all your meals for each day. Keep those grocery bags handy for labeling them Monday-Friday. Sally, a soccer mom with limited time to prepare meals for her three elementary school boys could never imagine conjuring up time to make meals every day, let alone, make meals that her sons will enjoy. Sally also wanted to monitor her caloric intake per day. Now that she can portion her sizes with smaller containers, it is a lot easier for her not to overeat at work. Sunday evenings were dedicated to bonding in the kitchen as a family, and the kids had no complaints, since they were the ones making their plates. "Baked mac&cheese please!"

Right below the frozen fruits and vegetables are the perfect spot for ready-to-eat meals to be stored in the fridge, or freezer if not eaten in the week's-time. This makes for an easy grab in the morning. Lunch sacks ready to go and out the door, no more talking-yourself out of getting up early to make lunch, or having to clean dishes each and every morning!

Yes, picking up those frozen TV dinners is an effortless way to obtain the caloric value for a reasonable price, but can you pronounce most of the ingredients? Are you comfortable eating added chemicals? With the added health benefits of preparing your own foods, this is a life-style change that is worth making!