Do you D?

What is it about D? Vitamin D comes from a few major places- the sun, fortified milk, fortified breakfast cereal, eggs, supplements, and salmon. Other than those mentioned, there are only few places to get vitamin D into your diet.

If you live in the northeast or anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line, it's not surprising that you might be deficient during the winter time. This because in the region north of this line, the sun isn't strong enough during the winter months to allow you to make enough to reap the full benefits. Even if you don't live north of this line, and with conscious effort, most of us fall much shorter than we would imagine in the D category.
Did you know? Only 10% of people in the United States get enough D? Did you also know that your body doesn't make as much as you get older?  

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Why is D so important? Vitamin D plays a major role in calcium absorption and in bone formation. We all know that getting enough calcium is essential to preventing bone fractures, and for forming healthy bones when you're young. You reach peak bone mass (the point at which your bones are the strongest and have the most bone tissue) in your mid-20's (around age 25). At this point if you don't have enough bone tissue to last you the rest of your life, you risk fractures, brittle bones, and osteoporosis (for us women, though! men can get it too). Women are at hightened risk because during menopause we stop making estrogen. Estrogen is a key component to building bone mass.
You have two cells in your bones- osteoblasts and osteoclasts. The easy way to remember what both of these cells do is by thinking of it this way- "blasts" build and "clasts" corrupt. During our early years our osteoblasts that cause calcium in the body to be stored as bone, are more active- this is mainly caused by estrogen (in women). After menopause when women stop producing estrogen- the osteoclasts become more active and they take calcium out of your bones- and therefore make them weaker. Why does this happen? So that there is enough calcium in your blood- your body likes a steady level and the biggest store is in the bones so it is taken from there in times of need. 

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So what does this mean? 

You need to have enough calcium in your bones to last you the rest of your life at age 25. There is a huge misconception that if you get the amount that is recommended- between 1000 and 1200 mg/day, that you have enough- WRONG!! This will only be enough IF you are eating your calcium with the right foods/ supplements. Calcium absolutely will not absorbed nor will it be used to build healthy bones without vitamin D present. This is why fortified milk is great, because you have both calcium and vitamin D together, which will allow for the best absorption. 

So thats one way vitamin D is essential to the body, vitamin D has also been found to play a major role in immunity- helping to fight off diseases and viruses. The verdict is still out, but the importance of the vitamin was highlighted in the most recent vitamin D requirement released by the National Institutes of Health- Office of Dietary Supplements- a great website for finding out how much of what you need. The NIH recommends that everyone between the age of 1 and 71 get 600 IU/ day (International Units- the measurement for vitamin D), and 800 IU/day for ages 71 and older. 

Even though this is newly released information, a new study that was released in the Anticancer Research journal suggests that 4,000 IU might be necessary to fight Cancer- such as Breast and Colon, Multiple Sclerosis and Type 1 diabetes. This isn't to say that you should go out and buy a huge whopping dose of vitamin D, but it does mean to keep your eyes and ears open to the progression that is taking place among the vitamin D researchers. 

The "upper limit"- which is the limit set by the FDA at the maximum amount a person can take without adverse affects, is 10,000 IU, so this 4,000 IU level is way below this point. This article suggests that the main mechanism that would cause need for increased intake of vitamin D has to do with how much is in your blood.  The researchers found that with below 4,000 IU/ day, blood levels of vitamin D are not maintained at levels high enough to fight these Cancers and diseases; but at 4,000 IU the blood levels are significantly higher and can majorly benefit fighting disease. 

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So what should you take away from this? Make sure you can get as much D as you can from the foods you eat, and consult your healthcare practitioner about a supplement. This is an important vitamin to warding off the many winter viruses! 

-Healthy Gal

My Wheat-Free Short List

Being gluten-free (amongst other things) provides a challenge to getting enough whole grains. Rice gets boring and there are only a limited amount of Quinoa dishes you can make. Corn and soy provide great alternatives to wheat, but only if you can tolerate them.
Even when you're gluten-free, you absolutely have to get enough whole grains. Whole grains are absolutely essential to any weight-loss, weight-maintenance, and healthy diet. So even if you're restricted, please fit them into your daily routine- they are nothing to be scared of!
Back to my short list...
I find myself researching different gluten and wheat-free products constantly that I can recommend to my Mom or to other friends and family who ask me about gluten and wheat-free alternatives, but I rarely find anything super tasty or something that I'm dying to try. But there are a few out there that I love! Here's a (very) short list of my absolute favorite gluten/ wheat free grain products (email me for more suggestions):
1. Lundberg Family Farms Brown Rice Pasta-

This pasta has 190 calories per roughly 1/3 of a cup dry pasta (on the side of the box is measured in grams- slightly confusing!), 4 g of fiber, 4 g of protein, and 3 g of fat. The 4 g of fiber in here is great, along with the protein, it's a well-balanced choice.
I like this pasta slightly al dente, about 8 minutes does the trick. I like to pair it with my favorite pesto or tomato sauce- yum!
(Try the Lundberg Rice-Cous Cous, Risotto, or plain Basmati, short grain, or Jasmine Rice's, this company sells amazing products! They also sell Rice Chips- these contain corn flour but are truly delicious and family-friendly too!)
2. Namaste Foods Pizza Crust Mix

This pizza mix is not only delicious, but you won't even know that you're missing flour and other gluten allergens- so it's safe to serve to picky family members! The mix is made of brown rice flour, tapioca flower, arrowroot flower, xanthan gum, granulated garlic and other spices. It takes about 10 minutes to make and about 10 minutes to cook! 

With about 100 calories per slice (thats just the crust- not including whatever you choose to put on it!), 

1 g of fiber, and a whole lot of vitamin C, this pizza is a great way to shake up your gluten free diet!
3. Rice and Shine Breakfast cereal.

For me, breakfast is a tough meal because most breakfast foods are off the gluten-free and free of: corn, soy, eggs menu! This is a great one and can be jazzed up with your favorite fruit, a dash of almond or hemp milk (find the low sugar options), nuts, brown sugar, or honey- so many options!
The only ingredient in this breakfast wonder is brown rice grits (ground up brown rice). It has a nutty flavor and is really delicious, at any time of day.
This option has 150 calories per serving (1/4 cup dry cereal), 2 grams of fiber (fairly good- could be better), 3 grams of protein, no cholesterol, and 1 g of fat. Additionally, B1, B2, and B3 vitamins are in here- they're in all wheat foods because its mandated by the FDA, but us wheat free people can miss out on these!
Overall, this is a pretty great option!

Alright so I've given you a short list of my favorite wheat-free items. Please please email me if you have a question about a wheat-free product!
I'll post more soon!

-Healthy Gal

Making the better choice...

In the fight to help American's get healthier (and lose weight!) restaurants and food companies have begun to put calorie counts on their menu's and on their food-signs. In the good-old-days you used to be able to be completely naive about the calorie, fat, and sugar content of the food you were eating- well no longer! It's hard to walk into most chain-based restaurants now without being bombarded by the calories, fat, carbohydrates and sugar in the food you are about to eat- I don't know about you, but for me this surely ruins most pleasure about buying myself a treat. Generally, if I am going to buy myself a "treat" and am bombarded with the nutritional content of what I am about to consume- I will usually shy away from that option if it's bad... but isn't that the point?
Isn't the point of this information to cause us to shy away from this-

to this? 

... if only we all looked so happy picking out vegetables.

Though sometimes I wish that these helpful reminders were left off the menus, I can't help to remember why these are there... to promote the exact reaction in the general public as they do in my case; however, this reaction isn't yet the typical one- especially in kids and teens.
I think the reason I am so affected by these calorie counts (not only because I can't eat most things that have a calorie count) is because I have the knowledge of the sugar, fat, and calories that are to be consumed during the average day. But for people who don't know better it seems like these are just numbers...
A recent article published in the International Journal of Obesity, available on Reuters, found that the calorie contents on foods don't affect kids and teens the way they are supposed to. The findings of this paper were based on the number of teens who reacted to calorie counts in New York City after it was mandated that fast food restaurants in NYC put the correct nutritional information of the foods they serve front and center on their menus.

Though it was found that the kids did notice the signs, it didn't help them in making the right choice, and they still chose the Big Mac and fries. Heres the problem- not only are 33% of American's obese (adults),  but on average 15% of kids and teens are overweight and/or obese now too (in some states that number is at 30%)!

So we need to act fast... it's really important to teach your kids about these numbers. Teaching kids that the option with the lower sugar, fat, and calorie content is the one to choose is the best way to start.  Don't overload them with information because they won't listen- but teaching kids about making smart choices given two options is the way to start.

                                                                           

Here's the good news. While many kids weren't influenced by the calorie contents when making their choices, 9% were influenced and made their decisions based on what they thought was the better choice.  Teaching your kids why its important to make smart choices is the best means of preventing overweight and obesity because knowledge is power!

Making smart decisions all the time just isn't possible, even when you know it all,  but try to make the better decisions when you can!
Remember, everyone deserves a treat every now and then too!

-Healthy Gal

The sky's the limit!

At this point I've shared with you (my readers) about my love for cooking, my passion for nutrition, and I've shared a few different news articles that are important to the nutrition world- it's about time I share some exercise and fitness information!
As anyone who knows me can attest- exercising is my hobby, my go-to, my stress reliever, and the way I spend any and every extra minute I have in my day. At this point I've tried all sorts of crazy workouts- boot camps, trainers, boxing, running, ballet classes, and 3 hour intensive zumba classes (though I love this because I teach it), and the list goes on... Well today I tried a new one- an hour long "SkyRobotics" class.
This hour-long trampoline class brought me back to my childhood in so many ways, except this was so much cooler. After signing the waiver form, which warned me of the "unusual cuts, bruises, and injuries" I may be subjected to, I was equipped with a super-cool pair of high topped sneakers (that gave me terrible blisters- all those who try it out wear high socks!) and I was ready to go.

Because the website informed me that I was going to burn 1,000 calories during this hour long jumping expedition, I wore my heart-rate monitor to test it out- it wasn't quite 1,000.
After a brief warmup, the instructor had us do lots of "rouncing"- running combined with bouncing, intervals, jumping jacks, pushups, running in place, splits, side shuffling, and lots of other activities- all which were dangerous but entertaining.
By the end of the class, and 400 calories lighter, I had a few blisters, very staticky hair, and my legs felt like jello.
Whats my overall rating of this crazy workout?
1. Lots of fun and inexpensive ($12.00 per class; first time jumpers get a discounted rate of $6)
2. A great workout- my heart rate hovered around 162 during the intervals (maximum heart rate is approximately 220- your age... though this varies based on genetics)
3. A good way to shake it up- and shaking up your workout routine is the best way to ensure consistent and continual results because over time your body will adapt to a usual routine.
4. Overall- definitely try it out- its lots of fun.


Where can you find out where your nearest SkyZone is? Check out their website- ...www.skyzonesports.com
Here's a few things I wouldn't recommend about this workout:
1. Eating anytime before going (give it a few hours- I ate 2 and a half hours prior to and I still felt it!)
2. Serious knee injuries? Don't go- I have no injuries and mine are bugging me hours later.
3. Going without tall socks- terrible blisters! Bring long socks

Have any exercise questions or kinds of exercise you're curious about? Send me an email!




-Healthy Gal

Tomato News and A Recipe!

As one of my favorite fruits, Tomatoes are packed with the good-for-you stuff- lycopene. Lycopene has been shown to be a powerful preventer of cancer, heart disease, and macular degeneration (an eye condition in which the center of your retina, the macula, deteriorates and can eventually lead to blindness).  Besides the fact that tomatoes are so good for you, they are delicious and a great addition to any dish (I think!). But how often do you branch out and buy different color tomatoes? I certainly don't do it, ever. I always stick to the safe choice- the red ones. However! There was recently a study done by the USDA that found that there is actually more of the good-for-you stuff in the yellow tomatoes! 

The fact that the yellow-orange tomatoes (called tangerine tomatoes) are actually better for you is shocking to me. When you type lycopene into google, the first sentence that pops up about lycopene is that it is found in red fruits and vegetables- which obviously yellow tomatoes are not! 
Besides being filled with lycopene that prevents cancer, heart disease, and macular degeneration, why else are tomatoes so good for you (and I don't mean ketchup!)? They've got fiber, vitamin C (32% of the recommended daily amount) and vitamin A (25% of the recommended daily amount)! 

Though I didn't use yellow tomatoes, I made a great piece of salmon last night in under 20 minutes! (Sorry I forgot to take a picture!)

What I did: 

2 TBSP of my favorite Trader Joe's Tomato Sauce- "Rustico" tomato sauce

1 piece of "portioned" salmon - about 4.5 oz from whole foods

3 large cherry tomatoes

1.5 tsp dried basil

Turn on the oven to 375 degrees, put the salmon on a baking sheet (slightly oiled with olive oil), put the two TBSP of tomato sauce on the salmon- and spread it, slice the cherry tomatoes and put them on top of the salmon and sprinkle the basil on top! Pop it in the oven and 20 minutes later (more if you like your salmon well done) the salmon is done to perfection! 

It was an experiment, and absolutely delicious!

Try it out!

-Healthy Gal 

A Nutritiously Dense, Low Calorie, Delicious Soup

I just wanted to write a quick post on the most delicious, almost maintenance free, satisfying soup I made in about 1/2 an hour lastnight!

Cooking Light Magazine is one of my absolute favorites, and I both stock pile recipes on my computer and have a large pile on my coffee table. I love the magazine because the recipes are simple, cost effective, and (most of the time) allergy free-ish- or I'm able to alter them to my liking. 

Soup is not something I frequently make because it's time consuming, and I'm a very impatient cook; however, last night all I wanted was a great, chunky, vegetarian chili. So I searched "chili" on their website, www.cookinglight.com, and up popped loads of recipes that both contained and worked without meat. 

The vegetarian chili I chose is called "Chunky Vegetarian Chili", and after its assembly- about 1/2 hour later, I was curled up on my sofa watching TV eating my soup- it couldn't have been better.

Because I love to have leftovers, I didn't cut the recipe in half, but here's what it calls for:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I used Olive oil)

2 cups chopped onion (I used 1 big yellow-vidalia onion)

1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper (about 1 medium pepper)

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper (about 1 medium pepper)

2 minced cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder (add a little bit more if you like spicier)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano (I added a little bit more)

1/2 tsp salt ( I left this out- the beans have salt on them)

1/2 tsp pepper

2 (16 oz) cans stewed tomatoes- don't drain them

2 (15 oz) cans black beans ( I used 1 can of these), rinsed and drained

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans (I used 2 of these), rinsed and drained

1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

to prepare:

Heat the oil in a pot big enough to make the soup in over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell peppers, and garlic and sautee for about 5 minutes (until tender). Add the sugar and remaining ingredients and bring it to a boil- then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. 

After I was finished preparing the soup I added hot sauce (about 1 tsp) because mine wasn't spicy enough, and it was delicious! 

It's important to rinse and drain the beans before using them because beans have a lot of sodium in them (about 340 mg per serving and there are 2.5-3 servings per can!). By rinsing and draining the beans you are eliminating SOME of the sodium, though not all of it. 

Why is this recipe good for you? Mostly because beans contain a huge amount of fiber, the soluble kind- this is the kind that is hard to find and most foods contain "insoluble" fiber. Soluble fiber helps make your colon healthy and promotes growth of good bacteria (helps grow the kind in probiotics, like that found in yogurt)- and overall it helps digestive health. Soluble fiber acts different and opposite of insoluble fiber, which makes you have to go to the bathroom more. 

Other reasons why this soup is great? It's low in calories and fat. With only 257 calories per serving, and 2.7 grams of fat, 12.8 grams of protein, and 14.2 grams of fiber its a very nutritiously dense and delicious meal! 

I will certainly be making it again soon (once I finish all of my leftovers!).

-Healthy Gal

Here's to More Exciting Packaging at Whole Foods

Do you ever think about the kind of lifestyle your cow or chicken had before it ended up on your plate? Well wonder no more... Whole Foods has come up with a way to keep you informed about how your meat was treated, what kind of lifestyle it had and where it was raised... sort of weird, right? Well, it sounds like it could be extremely interesting; however, it's actually a confusing and only somewhat helpful system.

Called an "Animal Welfare Rating System,"in which it rates the upbringing of pigs, chicken, and cows on a scale of 1 to 5. The program is lead by the Global Animal Partnership, a company that is dedicated to making lives of farm animals better.
OK, so what exactly are you going to find in the meat aisle at Whole Foods? Well first, you'll notice colorful stickers with a rating of 1-5 on all meat products (along with new, annoying, and somewhat unappealing packaging).
What does it mean to be rated one of these numbers? Here's the scale:

Level 1: No crates, no cages, no crowding- they all have some elbow room and can spread their wings.
Level 2: Enriched environment- they have a bale of hay to rub up against or a gadget to play with when they want to.
Level 3: Enhanced outdoor access- this means that your pig or chicken was allowed to go outside and lay in the sun.
Level 4: Pasture centered- these animals lived outside mostly and were able to roam and run around- aka they were able to get cardio exercise

Level 5: Animal centered; all physical alterations prohibited- this means they had no manicures, pedicures, or feather clippings- they haven't been altered- almost the best
Level 5+: Animal centered; entire life on the same farm- they have all the perks of level 5, but never had to pack up their things and move... they have been entirely catered to, and they were comfortable until they reached your plate.

So... though this is interesting, what does this actually tell us? I'm not sure, other than the fact that we know they are not antibiotic fed, and they have no hormones (but thats why we buy from Whole Foods in the first place, right?). This system doesn't seem to alter the calorie or nutrient content of the food, like adding salt or sugar does, so other than knowing that your animal was treated well, it doesn't seem that you will have any added health benefits outcomes from buying a package with a label "5" on it, other than the fact that to you, it might taste better.
So all in all, because we can't expect to be truly healthier, just more humane- which is a great thing, from buying level 5 meats-I think the best we can expect from this, is just knowing that the chickens, cows, and pigs were healthy and happy before we saw them on in the refrigerator at whole foods.
Additionally, look for more colorful packaging!

Thoughts on this?

Shop well!

-Healthy Gal

A Quick Way to Find Out Nutrition Info

While perusing the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) MyPyramid.gov website today, looking at the new dietary guidelines for Americans, which were released on Monday, I found the greatest tool. I can't tell you how often I end up spending countless hours looking for nutrition information about a product on the internet that is absolutely impossible to find. This tool, called My Food-A-Pedia, allows you enter the in the name of the product you want to search for, and it then gives you a list of matching products and then voila! In front of you is information about calories and what food group it came from. Not only does this awesome tool allow you to find information on processed food, but it also lets you find information on fruits and vegetables (cooked all kinds of different ways).  Additionally, lets say you type in whole wheat penne and you scroll down and click on whole wheat pasta, you then can click on any "condiment" you put on it. This not only gives you the information on the basic food you added but it will allow you to see exactly what happened to the calorie and nutrient (if there are a few different groups its now coming from) content of the food once you added additional sauce or butter, Olive oil etc... so cool!!!
Now ofcourse, while this is so great, I have a major complaint. When I look for any of the products us gluten-free people like to/ can/ have to eat, such as rice pasta, nothing comes up. Hopefully with time! Otherwise, I think this is a totally great tool, and will certainly save me a ton of time!

Comments welcome!
Enjoy!

-Healthy Gal

My favorite new allergy-free snack

Sometimes being allergic to absolutely everything makes it hard to find great snacks! The other day however I found the most delicious new (practically) allergy-free snack from a company called 18 Rabbits.  18 Rabbits makes granola and granola bars that are organic, kosher, and wheat (and sometimes dairy) free. Because I am not celiac, I am allergic to wheat, I can eat non gluten free items as long as they don't have ingredients I am allergic to.

But! I recently found out I can eat oats! Did you know? Oats are naturally gluten free but they are highly cross contaminated (meaning they are often mixed with non-gluten free foods, or processed on machinery that is shared with other non-gluten free foods).
I tried the 18 rabbits "Funky Figs and Cherries" granola bar-absolutely delicious.

In terms of nutrition information, this bar has 220 calories (1 bar is equal to a serving size), 8 grams of fat- 2.5 saturated fat, 4 grams of fiber (a good amount!), and 12 grams of sugar. Though there is a decent amount of sugar in this bar, it mostly comes from more-natural sources like maple syrup and honey- and this particular bar is wheat and dairy free. The 4 grams of fiber is from soluble fiber (a kind of fiber that adds to digestive health), and overall I think this is a great product ontop of it being absolutely delicious!
A truly great find! I only wish more places sold them!


Let me know if you have any thoughts

-Healthy Gal