November 2008

Links to a Healthy Weekend

November 8, 2008

Happy Saturday! I hope you are all having a lovely weekend. I hear it is snowy in many parts of the US so I thought a picture of warm sunshine might cheer you up if you aren’t too fond of it. I would love to see some snow about now and I am hoping for a white Christmas during my time home in December.

Here are a few things I really enjoyed reading this week. I hope you will too.

The Tangled Noodle had a really great post about cultural identity, ethnicity and food. It was a reminder to me how food can be a comfort and in some ways defines us. Sometimes I think this is forgotten when it comes to health. Food is such an important part of our lives we can’t remove it we should embrace it and work on developing a healthy relationship with it.

Back to the Fridge brought up an interesting question about the cost of food, wondering if it is still cheaper to eat-in with current times. My take is that for unhealthy foods, those dollar menus may make eating out less expensive, but for wholesome, healthy foods it is still less expensive to eat at home. Eating at home is one of the main ways my husband and I save money for travel.

That’s Fit had a what I consider a rather saddening post about the rise in prescription medications among children for obesity related conditions. I wish so much this was a problem that as a society we could get under control. Changes are moving in the right direction, but I fear we have a long way to go.

The ACSM released their predictions for the Top 20 Fitness Trends for 2009. Looking at the list not a whole lot has changed from last year, but this is a positive thing in my opinion. It is nice to see that we’ve come across tools and exercises that have staying power like the stability ball and group cycling. I’m definitely glad that number 1 and 2 will continue to be a priority.

Savory Squash and Healthy Supermarkets

November 6, 2008

I’ve really gotten into the pumpkin craze and have been amazed at all the recipes floating around. I still tend to lean towards sweet with my pumpkin and butternut squashes so I continue to look for more savory recipes.

I found this one for butternut squash, but I didn’t have it on hand at the moment. I decided to try it with pumpkin instead since I had some already roasted and waiting to be used.

I loved the combo although I think next time I will caramelize the onions before throwing them in. They needed to be more soft and tender.

Savory Pumpkin Side
Modified from Amazing Butternut Squash

2 cups roasted pumpkin puree
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup onion, finely chopped
1 egg
1 tsp brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ c crushed crackers, cereal or bread crumbs
2 tbsp grated Parmesan
1 tbsp butter, melted

Mix first 6 ingredients in a bowl until combined well. Transfer to a baking dish. Mix butter, Parmesan and crumbs and sprinkle on top of pumpkin mix. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for about 35 minutes or until bubbly.

Did your favorite grocery store make the top 10? I got this article from Health Magazine yesterday. Top 10 include:

Whole Foods
Safeway
Harris Teeter
Trader Joe’s
Hannaford
Albertsons
Food Lion
Publix
Pathmark
SuperTarget

If you are located near a Trader Joe’s let me say I am so jealous and I hope you have counted your blessings. I love that store and have only been able to go when I travel. I keep telling my husband we should base our next move on their locations!

We had a SuperTarget near us when I was in undergrad and I loved that too. I was always able to find unique and fun things there. I was also able to visit a Harris Teeter while traveling in Alexandria, VA and really liked it.

What’s your favorite?

How Does Your Juice Rank?

November 5, 2008

1. Pomegranate juice
2. Red wine
3. Concord grape juice
4. Blueberry juice
5. Black cherry juice
6. Açaí juice
7. Cranberry juice
8. Orange juice
9. Tea
10. Apple juice

I was looking through some of my magazines this past weekend and came across this article about a recent study that looked at the antioxidant level of popular drinks and juices.

After my post about my fortunate access to açaí I had to write a post about this. I was so amazed to see it so far down on the list. However, I was very happy to see red wine up there and to know that cranberry juice made the top 10. I love cranberries!

Normally I like to go back and read through a study when I find research like this which brings me to one my biggest pet peeves in the research world. I understand that it is a money making business, but the prices of access to research journals are absolutely ridiculous.

What good are you doing for society when you produce great research, but no one can find it due to it costing a fortune? It does make me miss the days when I worked for academia and had free access to just about any research journal I wanted.

Anyway, I thought I’d also give a little update on açaí. I had heard that it is really caloric. Now, I know a ton of foods that have nutrient benefits that far outweigh the calorie content, meaning it is worth it because they are so healthy.

They often sell little packets of natural fruit pulp here to be made into juices. A friend of mine bought one pack of pineapple and one pack of açaí. This was just natural pulp, no sugar or anything.

The pineapple had 60 calories. The açaí…250 calories!! That is just in the berry itself. I found it quite amazing. The health benefits are probably worth it and I’m not giving it up, but I might need some extra time at the gym!

Did your favorite natural fruit juice make the list?

By the way, I didn’t have access to the whole research article, but here is the abstract if you want to take a look.
Comparison of Antioxidant Potency of Commonly Consumed Polyphenol-Rich Beverages in the United States

Photo by Emily Roesly, morguefile.com

A Quest for Pasta Sauce

November 4, 2008

After learning about all the added sugar in jarred pasta sauce a long while back, I really wanted to make the change to homemade sauces. Even though everyone seemed to rave that they were so easy to make, I couldn’t find one that I really liked or that was easy enough for me.

Moving to Brazil really threw my quest into overdrive because the canned pasta sauces here are not to my liking. They leave an aftertaste that is not appetizing at all. I finally gave up on them a few weeks ago.

The main problem I was having was that canned tomatoes were no where to be found. Seriously, I couldn’t find them anywhere. People kept telling me they had them in larger cities, but our stores here only had those not-so-tasty sauces.

To my delight about a month ago I spotted some on the bottom shelf. Grocery shopping here is like that. Something non-existent will randomly show up. Then you better stock up because it is sure to be gone again in a month. Quite frustrating when you are trying to plan meals ahead of time.

So I started throwing my own sauce together with canned tomatoes that I diced up myself. I’m really happy with the results.

Last weekend my husband said he had a craving for chicken parmesan so I decided to try an easy skillet version. I was surprised that it turned out so well. Not that this dish is incredibly hard to make, but it had been a really long while since I’d put it together. With my new sauce I find it to be even better.

Easy Pasta Sauce

One can of whole tomatoes, diced with juice
2 tbsp tomato sauce or paste (what I get here is like a mix between the two)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
¼ tsp crushed red pepper

Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Skillet Chicken Parmesan

About 6 very thinly sliced chicken breast pieces, or chicken cutlets
1 egg
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
½ tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Tomato Sauce
¾ cup shredded cheese (I used a combo of parmesan and smoked provolone)

In a bowl beat the egg a bit. In another bowl add the bread crumbs and mix in the oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg and then the bread crumbs. Place into a skillet coated with olive oil until nicely browned and cooked through.

Top chicken with pasta sauce and let simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Top with cheese while still hot and allow it to melt before serving. Makes 3 servings without pasta and 4 servings with pasta.

Do you have a favorite pasta sauce recipe? If so, I’d love to have the link or hear about it. My next step will be putting in the time to make it with fresh tomatoes.

Ready for New Nutrition Guidelines?

November 3, 2008

Looking around on the USDA web-site today I realized something. It is almost the end of 2008. Well I already knew that, but I had forgotten how close we are to 2010.

My point? The USDA and Health and Human Services release dietary guidelines every 5 years. That means the release of a revised set is right around the corner.

Like most people, I’ve had issues with our national guidelines in the past. That being said, I am grateful to live in (or I guess be from) a country where this information exists. It is at least a starting point and provides thought provoking information to reflect on.

I also think we’ve come a long way. For example, the importance of physical activity finally found a place in the 2005 guidelines. I’m actually really hopeful for changes to come.

I had a pretty cool job working in Cooperative Extension before our move abroad. I got to work on a project with other nutritionists and exercise professionals to develop a curriculum tool based on the 2005 guidelines.

This meant that I had access to notes and research that went into the development of those guidelines – two massive binders full. It was really eye-opening to see how much work and science goes into their creation.

While I was always critical of the old pyramid with all the carbs on the bottom, seeing the basis for the development of the 2005 guidelines I became more appreciative of their presence. It can be difficult to translate science into something usable and understandable to the general public. Change can be confusing and nutrition tends to be a complex subject with all those macro and micro nutrients to worry about.

Personally, I’m all ears about what is to come in the new guidelines. Even if I don’t agree with it all, I know it will give me new ideas to explore.

The committee will be holding public meetings in Washington DC (the first one was last week) for the next several months. The new/revised guidelines will be released in fall 2010.

If you have something to say regarding the 2010 revision, you can submit and view public comments by visiting the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.

So how do you feel about government-based nutrition information? Do you use it to guide your choices or do you have other resources you rely on?

Photo by Heather Kitchen courtesy of Free Range Stock

Links to a Healthy Weekend

November 1, 2008

Happy November! I hope everyone is having a great weekend and recovering well from a night of Halloween fun.

There was some excellent reading this week around the web regarding food, health and wellness. These are a few of the things that I really enjoyed.

Fit Bottomed Girls reported on a new study released about the safety of Splenda. As you know, I gave it up a while back and I think as the results of these kinds of studies keep coming I’m going to grow more content with my decision.

The Discomfort Zone had an informative and entertaining guest post about the raw food diet. I learned quite a bit by reading it. While I eat a lot of raw foods I couldn’t go 100%, but I really enjoy learning about what works for other people.

The Art of Non-conformity offered a thought provoking and motivating post reflecting on the phrase “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” Need some inspiration this weekend? Definitely take a few minutes to read it.

This non-American Life is one of my favorite ex-pat blogs. This week she reported on her recent trip to Italy and has some photos of the amazing food she ate there. Don’t click the link if you are hungry! You can check out the rest of the blog for more beautiful photos of her travels.

From French Fries to Flaxseed had one of my favorite fall recipes of the week – Turkey Mushroom Shepard’s Pie. I liked the healthier spin with turkey and the use of white cheddar.

Photo of Cape Meares, Oregon coast

Newer Posts

Links to a Healthy Weekend

Savory Squash and Healthy Supermarkets

How Does Your Juice Rank?

A Quest for Pasta Sauce

Ready for New Nutrition Guidelines?

Links to a Healthy Weekend

Thanks so much for reading!

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