Nutrition Articles

Stock Up on Superfoods

Holiday Stress 101

It's the holiday season and for many people that also means it's the stressful season.  Instead of sweating every little thing this year, try fighting off your holiday stress with these amazing, stress-fighting superfoods.

• Avocado : they give you a burst of vitamin B, which will help to keep you alert and awake, while reducing anxiety.
• Bananas : help to keep you energized and reduce your blood pressure.
• Brown rice : complex carbohydrates (like those in rice) help to raise your body's serotonin levels, without the carb crash that is typically associated with eating carbohydrates.
• Dark chocolate : also increases the levels of serotonin in the body, giving you those feelings of joy and happiness.
• Fish : the omega-3 fatty acids in fish help to lower adrenaline levels in the body, which can result in a calming effect in your mind and body.

It's Turkey Time How many calories are in your meal?

November is here and once again families will gather around to take part in the traditional Thanksgiving feast.

But, before you carve that turkey or dig into those casseroles, here is a handy calorie calculator that can tell you exactly how many calories are in your meal.

Main Course:

6 oz. cured ham: 300 calories

6 oz. white and dark turkey: 340 calories

½ cup stuffing: 180 calories

½ cup cranberry sauce: 190 calories

½ cup mashed potatoes: 150 calories

½ cup gravy: 150 calories

½ cup green bean casserole: 225 calories

½ cup candied sweet potatoes: 150 calories

1 dinner roll: 110 calories (45 extra calories with one pat of butter)

Drinks:

1 mixed drink: 250 calories

1 glass of wine: 120 calories

1 glass of cider: 120 calories

1 cup eggnog: 343 calories

Salads and Appetizers:

3 cups salad (with light dressing):  100 calories

½ cup jello with fruit: 120 calories

½ cup Waldorf salad: 110 calories

1 cracker with cheese: 70 calories

½ cup mixed raw vegetables: 25 calories

½ cup mixed nuts: 440 calories

1 oz. tortilla or potato chips: 150 calories (75 extra calories per tablespoon of dip)

Desserts:

2 small chocolate chip cookies: 150 calories

1 piece apple pie: 410 calories

1 piece pecan pie: 480 calories

1 piece pumpkin pie: 180 calories

½ cup whipped cream: 75 calories

½ cup ice cream: 145 calories

Leftovers:

1 turkey sandwich with mayo and cranberry sauce: 450 calories

1 open-face turkey sandwich with stuffing and gravy: 290 calories

Spotlight on Turkey

Eating Healthy

• One good thing about the nutritional value of turkey is that it is very low in fat and high in protein.
• It is also a good source of iron, zinc, phosphorus, potassium and B vitamins.
• Turkey is also naturally low in sodium. It typically contains less than 25 milligrams (mg) of sodium per ounce on average.
• The meat fiber in turkey is easier to digest than other types of meat, so that makes turkey a good choice for individuals that have digestion problems.

Recipe: Turkey Chili

• 2 cups chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 (35 oz.) cans stewed tomatoes, crushed
• 2 (15 oz.) cans kidney beans, drained
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¾ cup chicken or turkey stock
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried hot red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon salt, plus more if desired to taste
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 to 4 cups shredded, cooked turkey meat
• Sugar
• Shredded cheddar cheese, chopped red onion, sour cream for optional garnishes

In a large, 8-quart thick bottom pot, cook the onion and green pepper over medium heat, stirring until golden, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring, for a minute or two more.  Add a bit more olive oil if needed.  Add tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, beans, oregano, salt, pepper and cooked turkey meat.  Bring mixture to a simmer and reduce heat to low.  Simmer, uncovered for an hour.

Salt to taste.  Add 1 to 3 tablespoons of sugar to take the edge off the acidity of the tomatoes, if desired.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped red onion or sour cream.  Serve alone, over rice or with corn bread.

Slimming Foods for Fall

Fall can be time for festivals, pumpkin patches, get togethers, football games and many more events where food plays a huge role in the activities of the day.  If you are like most people you want to watch what you eat during the fall season, as you know that the holidays are just around the corner : which means more overeating!

But, even though fall is synonymous with fattening foods there are some fall food items that can actually help you to slim down.

One of these foods is the apple.  Apples are low in calories and high in fiber (95 calories and 4 grams of fiber per medium fruit) and are great tasting!  In a recent study, dried apples have been found to help people lose weight and lower their cholesterol.

Another great fall slimming food is the squash (and who doesn't love squash from butternut to acorn?)  Just one cup of cooked squash packs 214 percent of the recommended daily value for vitamin A and a third of your recommended daily dose of vitamin C.  Squash are also only 80 calories per cup :compared to its more fattening fall friend the sweet potato at 180 calories per cup.

A good way to add squash to your existing soups and stews is to puree the squash, so you are adding texture and creaminess to your food, without adding all of the extra calories.

Broccoli is another great fall slimming food : a cup of broccoli is just 31 calories and 2.4 grams of fiber.  Plus experts say that when you add fresh vegetables to any food you tend to eat fewer calories so you can add broccoli to virtually any meal to decrease your caloric intake.

Lastly, there is kale.  These days dark, leafy vegetables like kale are the go-to when you are talking about healthy foods.  Kale is packed with vitamin A, loads of fiber and isothiocyanates that help your body to detoxify.

A Little Bit About Fats...

Those people looking to understand what dieticians are talking about when they compare good fats to bad fats will not find these terms on food labels.  Instead you will see words like polyunsaturated and trans fats.  Here is a brief explanation of those fats and how they affect your body.

Saturated Fats

Saturated fats are the fats that stay solid at room temperature, such as lard, coconut oil and cow butter. Saturated fats are what dieticians consider “bad fats” because they raise your bad cholesterol level, thereby raising your total cholesterol level. People whose diet consists of many foods high in saturated fats typically are at a higher risk of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular disease.

Monounsaturated Fats

Monounsaturated fats have a lower melting temperature than saturated fats, which means that they do not stay solid at room temperature.  These types of fats can be found in: peanut oil, olive oil, nuts and avocados. Monounsaturated fats are what dieticians consider the“good fats” that lower bad cholesterol without lowering your levels of good cholesterol.  In addition, monounsaturated fats help to prevent against cardiovascular disease.

Polyunsaturated Fats

Polyunsaturated fats are fats that can stay liquid even at lower temperatures, such as corn oil and sunflower oil.  Polyunsaturated fats are also found in soybeans, fish, fish oil and in grain products.Dieticians consider polyunsaturated fats the “good fats” as they lower cholesterol and they help prevent cardiovascular disease by lowering the amount of fat in the blood.

Trans Fats

 Trans fats are man-made fats that are created during the hydrogenation process.  These types of fats are unnatural and toxic to your body.  Trans fats are abundant in packaged and processed foods. Dieticians consider trans fats the “bad fats” as they can cause cancer, diabetes, obesity, birth defects, low birth weight babies, and sterility.