It's Too Expensive to Eat Healthy!?

THAAAT’s why we’re an obese nation. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the amount of food we eat… nothing. Don’t get me started on expensive produce and school lunches unless you want an ear-full. Yes, it can be more expensive to eat healthier, and its not fair, get over it and make it work. I can’t afford a brand new car, so cry about it.

Get ready, it’s a long one…

I’ve had all kinds of clients and patients; senators, doctors, lawyers, housekeepers, retirees on fixed income, wealthy retirees, single mothers, welfare recipients, commodity recipients, wealthy with a personal chef, and middle class soccer moms alike, we all need help eating better. Eating “healthy” is not dependant on social class. Every person needs more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, antioxidants, less saturated fat, less salt, less simple sugars and most definitely less calories (3rd world countries excluded from that last one). Like anything else, it may be easier for some, but absolutely not impossible for most.

My family is blessed. Even our hardest of economical times pales in comparison to what some have and are currently struggling with. I won’t pretend that we’re scraping bottom, because we’re not. BUT, we are on a ridiculous budget for the new-year to keep it that way. For many, putting your wife on a budget means cutting off the shoe fund, well, in the Dietitian’s home, it’s cutting off the food fund – grrrr. There are a couple of things I do to be sure that I’m within, and well below (because I’m an OCD over-achiever) the allotted food budget (understatement of the century BTW – how bout’ we nix ALL Starbucks budgets and see how THAT flies… I digress…).

Lets start with commodity and bulk items. Believe it or not, Twinkies, Little Debbies, Hostess Cakes and sodas are not essential food groups, yet they wind up on the most financially challenged menus. Rice, beans and a dozen eggs are all cheaper and healthier options. Water, in most of this nation, is clean, environmentally friendly when out of the tap and last time I checked, calorie free, affordable and (provided you can pay your water bill) it’s versatile too!

Peanut butter, a commodity food, imagine that. Peanut butter! A good fat. A great source of protein. Jelly’s help-mate in every way. Boring over time, yes, (well, not in our house hold) but perfectly nutritious for any snack, meal, garnish, cooking oil, or fat leavening. Use it, use it, use it and get creative. Natural peanut butter is probably not on the government’s give-away list, but most peanut butters still have redeemable qualities. Tis’ better to have PB and J every day of the week than a Happy-Meal any day of the week. And who says dinner has to be hot? Well, then throw it in the microwave. Ta dah!

Ingredient shop, don’t brand shop. Just because they’ve sprinkled oats on top, dyed it brown, called it whole grain and charged you an extra buck-50 does not mean it’s the better option. Many cheaper breads are considered excellent sources of whole grain. You’re looking for words like whole wheat, whole grain, rolled oats, oat flour vs. bleached, and enriched in the first 3-5 ingredients.

Feel free to buy store-brand, look for 2-for-1 deals, lowest price shop and/or find coupons on foods like unsalted nuts and/or natural peanut butter, 100% juices (if you MUST have juice), dried beans, frozen vegetables (just the vegetables- no “sauce mixes”), frozen fruit, canned tuna, low fat milk, toasted oats and other whole grain cereals, oatmeal, and lean meats (freeze).

Some brands I can’t find equivalents to, so, when it’s a great sale or a 2-for-1 deal, I buy it, whether we’re low or not. Such items include Kashi peanut peanut Bars, Barilla whole-wheat pasta, and Bertoli natural pasta sauce (I like the simple ingredients, tomato, herbs, sugar, olive oil) – to name a few.

Look at the price per unit or ounce instead of the over-all or ticketed price. This is shocking with cheese – it may require some additional grating on your part, if you can handle it ;), but it’s usually cheaper to buy a block of low fat cheese vs. a bag of the pre-shredded stuff. And, sometimes buying the largest size is not always the cheapest, compare, compare, compare.

Buy the ground beef that’s on sale and rinse it after browning for less saturated fat. Yes, this is true - it removes most of the fat. You can’t just drain, literally rinse the meat after you’ve browned it.

Find items you’re willing to sacrifice on quality for price, especially if it’s the end of the month and your budget is getting close (or if you’re simply trying to prove a point by staying WAY below the budget – me? No! ;) ). Such items include… dish soap, window cleaner and other house-hold cleaners, plastic baggies, trash bags, diapers (questionable) etc.

Go without everything but the essentials – we call it the “beans and rice” budget in our household for a reason. Because if it comes down to it, you know we’ve covered all nutrients with rice, beans/lentils, and value sized mixed veggies… watch me. You will thin the waste-line and the pocket book by simply simplifying! What do you already have in your freezer or pantry that can hold you over just one more week? Get creative.

Fast food is not part of a healthy diet, so don’t worry that the healthiest things on the menu are the most expensive, get an 89 cent burger and eat less fast food. 4 words… peanut butter and jelly.

This is obviously not an exhaustive list – I haven’t even TOUCHED on baby food - there are many more clever, money saving mammas out there – feel free to email me your tips and I’ll share my favorites here!

Happy spending… or not.

Control-Alt-Delete

It’s that time again – NEW YEAR CLEANING!! A control-alt-delete for the home if you will. The first week of January is the time when our family purges the house of the processed, sugary, fatty (oh so yummy) edible (debatable) junk that’s accumulated since Halloween. Search it out, cupboards, fridge, pantry, random candy bowls that look oh so festive with green and red M & M’s. Wasteful, yes. Necessary, absolutely! Your home, your work and for some perhaps your car, are where you spend the majority of your time. That time needs to be free of the munchies that add extra, empty calories to your day, fat to your mid-section and drive you CRAZY simply by being there. These are also the things that sabotage your efforts to eat better and for some, lose weight. If you were an alcoholic, would you keep booze in the house to drink-it in moderation? NO, because your track-record with booze is about like mine with chocolate chip cookies. There are some things we simply don’t eat in moderation! You can only ignore them for so long. The first bad day, busy week, emotional break down, hormonal moment, sleep-less night, “special occasion” and for many “cheat day,” weekend or “reward”, will cause you to go straight for them, over-eat them and then beat yourself up about it. If the junk is not there, you won’t eat it – funny how that works.

Now, there is the periodic “date night” which, as the home-body mother of a two year old and a 9 month old, typically consists of putting the boys to bed, throwing in a movie without loud, obnoxious cartoon characters or puppets bossing me around, while making and eating way too many chocolate chip cookies – or, who am I kidding, the dough! Hey, judge not, lest ye be judged! BUT, the remainder of the dough goes bye-bye that night or next morning! Or cooked and given to a neighbor or sick friend or whatever. NOT kept in the house. Don’t freeze it or hide it or tell yourself you won’t eat it or you’ll “eat it in moderation” – it won’t happen. Its not about lack of will-power or failure, its about knowing and accepting yourself and your limitations. I know that if there is chocolate chip cookie dough in the house, I will eat it. If its not there, I may resort to other stress relievers with long-term benefits like, reading my bible, meditation or praying, exercise or taking a walk, talking it out with someone (9 month olds are great listeners), or simply going to bed to name a few calorie, chemical, and sugar/bad-fat-free options. This may not be an issue for you – Awesome! I’m not talking to you. ;)

Be Informed. Be Picky.

It’s the Holidays and many weeks have gone by since my previous post. I’ve had ample time to get teed off with many a nutrition conundrum (my new year’s resolution is to use big words BTW). So, I’m going to take a break from diving into my fridge for now – as riveting as it is – to bring you my latest “are you kidding me?!” moment.

So, I was recently informed of a new, “revolutionary” way of eating that will solve all of the world’s weight and digestive issues – Oh, THAT’s what I was missing. All those classes, tests, research papers, labs and clinicals for nothing. And I’m so relieved that they were able to let the world know in a mass forwarded email – whew. Its times like these when I’m grateful for Snopes – if nothing more – than to confirm my sanity. The media and popular opinion works against the Dietitian more times than not, in fact, the Dietitian has been known to work against the Dietitian when we begin to stray from research toward popular opinion and “rumor” or “fad”. The email shared with me had such literary and scientific scholars as Suzanne Somers and Mary Lou Henner backing its concepts. Oh, well that makes all the difference in the world, why didn’t you say so?! Apparently if you’re popular (for any reason) you can now give nutrition advice? What…oh…right – because the masses are dumb enough to buy it. Hmmm, dumb may be harsh… uuuh, nope, dumb it is.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I’m the last and official word on anything and everything nutrition-related. I’m also not going to ask you to only listen to my advice or instruction, nor could I even begin to know everything there is to know about nutrition – its HUGE and often-times is changing based on new research and discoveries, farming methods, economical conditions etc etc. What I AM going to ask you to do is – be picky. Do your own research and come to your own convictions and decisions regarding nutrition for yourself and for your family.

For example, I’ve mentioned this before, but I personally have no problem with sucralose (Splenda) and small amounts of aspartame (Equal), many of my peers do – Dietitians and non-Dietitians alike – MDs and non-MDs. There is absolutely nothing wrong with abstaining from artificial sweeteners for yourself and your family if that is the informed conclusion you’ve come to, Informed being the key word here.

As a Christian, I don’t just take my pastor’s word for it. I go to the Word and look it up for myself. If you’ve never done this, DO IT. The Pastor can help clarify and enlighten the Word for you. He can aid you in your “walk” and be there for questions as they arise. But, blindly following leaders is what gets us into trouble. Seek out credentials, publishings, bios, work history etc. Read legitimate, science-based, peer-reviewed and duplicated research on important topics. Google searches will only get you so far, and typically the first thing to pop up is the highest bidder – proooobably not the government funded, non-biased, grant-funded research. Proooobably the privately funded product discreetly being promoted – just a hunch.

As we enter the New Year, commit to educating yourself. Don’t do anything rash and don’t take anyone’s word for it. Not even mine ☺

The Fridge - Part 1

So, 1 anniversary getaway, 2 sick babies, 1 stomach flu, 1 out of town music thang with the hubby and a whole lot of catching up later...some staples in my fridge part 1…

Skim milk – essential. Post-workout recovery drink. Loaded with nutrients, easy protein/carb mixture for blood sugar. Mixed with Chocolate it can persuade the most stubborn of 2 yr olds to do juuuust about anything and cereal is just not the same without it. There are two things I get the most comments about and feel I “defend” often because of all the misinformation and non-scientific “research” (AKA opinion and ulterior motive driven vomit – yeah, I just said vomit), milk and artificial sweeteners. I don’t have the patience or time to talk about artificial sweeteners right now, plus, they’re not in my fridge – so here’s my word on Milk (incase you care). Pure, pasteurized, non-organic, non-fat cow’s milk: I’m assuming you’re reading this blog because you’re somewhat interested in my reasoning for such stringent, dare I say controversial bovine contributions to our complete nutrition, well, in the smallest “nut shell” this long-winded female can muster…

There’s more evidence to lend early puberty in girls to the dramatic rise in pediatric obesity (puberty can occur sooner if a girl is overweight) and higher consumption of soy formula/soy products than to milk. Milk has always contained a very small amount of BST (the cow-specific hormone in milk), or the synthetic form (rBST) to increase milk production – ALWAYS. Girls today, hands down, drink LESS milk than their mothers did. Now I’m no statistician but… well, I think you got it. Treated and non-treated milk has the same amount of the hormone and roughly 90% is killed in pasteurization (FYI what’s left is broken down and made inactive in the gut). All milk is tested for antibiotics and pesticides (pesticides that may have been used to treat the food they’ve been fed); with its strict safety standards milk is among the most highly regulated and safest foods available at the grocery store. Now, “Organic” has to do with the treatment of the cow and the food it was fed. If you can afford buying organic consistently – organic is just fine. I prefer to save my money for things myself (more like, my very little children) come in direct contact with, like produce etc. instead of trace amounts that you may vicariously get in milk – your prerogative. Now, if I can foresee some comments I may get… No, Soy is not the same but some soymilks are fortified with Calcium, behind other dairy products, goat’s milk, some vegetables and fortified items, its a distant 5th and always organic – another blog, another time. Pasteurized milk is unsafe and most definitely NOT okay to give your children in any capacity – I liken this to Russian Roulette by the way – it MAY have more nutrients since it has not been heated to such high temperatures to kill the bacteria…but, at what cost – seriously? And the ONLY difference in whole vs. skim vs. 1% vs 2% is the amount of saturated fat and calories – its like putting chicken broth in the fridge and skimming off the lovely fat that has accumulated in the fridge over night – mmmm. What’s left is 1%/2% and when done again – Skim. If it’s a taste thing…well – that’s YOUR problem, and your arteries, make it work. Lastly, there are those that like to argue that, “we are the only species that drinks milk past weaning…” Well, we’re also the most intelligent species; the only ones fighting cancer and aids. My opinion, my research readings, aaaaand my blog.

Butter – another controversial topic – oh I can already see the emails. We choose to do real butter – ingredients being cream, sometimes salt and cultures - In moderation – oh of cooouurse. I try try try to substitute olive, canola or peanut butter in all my recipes for better fat. But all fat has the same calories and calories/gram (9). I also have canola/butter/whipped so ½ good fat and less calories because its whipped. I use Pam spray for grilled cheese and anything else I can pan fry without a pool of fat, when you just need to keep food from sticking. A lot of recipes (like cookies) even taste good with peanut butter instead (remember peanut butter is a good fat – high calorie – but GOOOOOD fat – hgmm hgmm - eaten in heaven)

BUT, alas, sometimes “it” just calls for butter. All food has chemical properties, I’ll spare you details, needless to say, some things don’t bake “right” without butter, you lack a certain, how you say… “crispiness” and sometimes a specific taste - if you’re confused as to which items you should use only butter, consult your husband ☺. That “crisp” and specific taste needs to be reserved for special occasions, perhaps Holidays (like the actual DAY, not the entire 2 months before), and when you decide to go with Paula Dean’s recipe because you just need to get it right the first time – been there, definitely “done that”, I understand – not a daily occurrence!!

To be continued…

What DO I eat?

So I’ve ever so gently stated what you shouldn’t be eating. :) I was asked recently to tell you what you SHOULD be eating. GREAT IDEA! In the coming weeks, I will do my best to give you a glimpse into my Dietetic, yet oh so real, pantry, fridge, menu and life. I’ll be as “transparent” as possible .

Our main filter is to, “know what we’re eating.” Simple is key, real food an added plus! Let’s start with some essentials in my pantry – prepare, it’s a long one…

Whole grain pasta – I prefer Barilla yellow box. Its full of fiber, protein and my men will eat it (and I dare say, enjoy it).

Whole grain flour and yeast for pizza dough in a pinch.

Tomato sauce – any variety with limited salt and sugar added (at the bottom of the ingredient list, if on at all), no high fructose corn syrup (why? because it doesn’t occur in nature and its something I can live without – so I choose to – end of discussion) and extra virgin olive or canola oil (NO OTHERS – I’m a stickler on my fats here). She doesn’t make her OWN sauce - NO! WHY? Tomato sauce is meant to be a “gimme”. Why complicate if we don’t have to?

Side Note: The pantry is a place for non-perishable storage and items for meals when you need something last-min. If the bulk of your daily food is this category, perhaps its time to do some re-arranging. In a perfect world, I’d buy ingredients meal by meal at the local, affordable, organic market on the way home from my afternoon at Starbucks and the spa where I’ve relaxed all afternoon as my children are thriving academically, emotionally and socially with our live in nanny at home - yeah, okay, as I change a stinky and move on…

Low-sodium canned goods: veggies, beans, tuna, chicken, fruit, because I’m from FL and am always prepared for Hurricanes (or ice storms as are apparently the case in Murray, KY).

Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter - the bigger the container, the better because it’s a source of “good fat”, and protein. Ingredients = peanuts (and some salt). With of course, berry preserves of some kind – ingredients of “berries” – imagine that. A good assortment of black, blue, ras, straw, currant, you name it – but simply berries and perhaps sugar and pectin – vit C for preserving is ok too – no shortage of antioxidants (or PB and Js here!).

Extra virgin olive oil for cooking, canola oil for baking and some (SOME) vegetable oil for those baked items my husband insist on anything else making it “taste funny” (i.e. brownies)

Always a jar of no sugar added applesauce (organic if its on sale), because its part of the “dirty dozen” and it can be added to any meal, used to bake with instead of oil at times and even used for the 7mo old in a pinch.

Fritos. They are my husband’s favorite. Are they a “healthy” food? No. But have you read the ingredients? Corn, corn oil and salt. Still follows our rule of knowing what’s in our food, and in moderation it can absolutely be included as part of a healthy diet, perhaps more importantly…YOU try being the husband of a dietitian! I don’t mess with the Fritos.

Kashi’s Peanut Peanut granola bars – in 140 calories they are low in sugar, and for a little bar a great source of whole grain, a substantial amount of fiber, protein and fat. A perfect snack, quick breakfast (or sent to the church nursery for your two-year-old's dinner –“mom of the year” – right here!).

Lastly for now, Cheerios. Plain Cheerios are a very low sugar, whole grain snack or breakfast and I’m convinced, its own food group for any two-year old. They can also easily be mixed with trail mix, granola or slightly more sugary cereals for less calories and sugar per serving. There are other things in my pantry of course – but these are my most of my “staples.”

(More to come)

Purpose Driven Food

So, when exactly did calorie free, fat free, sugar free and tasteless become healthy anyway? You need calories to survive right? So why force yourself to eat trash you don’t enjoy. A woman in my office this week says she eats a Nutrigrain bar for breakfast – and because it’s title is nutri and grain its automatically healthy… (another blog, another time, trust me there’s enough ignorance to keep me writing forever!). Marketing at its finest right there. So, moving on… She eats a 100 calorie pack for a snack and states “I do good until I get home…” Where she proceeds to tell me of the binge she had from about 5:30 on. What exactly classifies starvation as doing good!? I hear it ALL the time. ALLLLLL the time. Of the roughly 200 calories she spent before 5 pm she got filler and sugar and was tired and cranky. Picture, if you will, a HUGE wall that you have to move, now, bend down, and pick up 5 or 6 pebbles and LAUNCH them at the wall. That’s a 100 calorie pack, the wall is your hunger, accomplish much? Does your food have purpose? I should write a book on that :). No wonder you binge when you get home, you're starving!

Take low-fat (“healthier”) peanut butter (this one really cheeses me off). You’re eating peanut butter FOR the fat (and protein). Why change a perfect thing? And yes, we will eat peanut butter in heaven – only peanut butter – others need not apply. Thank you Jesus. You need at least 1000 to 1200 calories MINIMUM throughout the day – let me repeat that –1000 to 1200 calories throughout the day. Starting with breakfast, hgmm hgmm, starting with breakfast. Plan on eating at least 250-400 calories at breakfast and at lunch, leaving room for planned snacks if needed. What you eat before 5:00pm drastically determines what and how much you eat after 5:00. Don’t set yourself up for failure. Limited for weight loss, yes, but the calories you are eating should be providing whole grains and/or fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, protein, fats (good fats more often), calming a craving or providing an experience – “nostalgia” if you will. If its not serving any of those purposes, why bother? Save your calories for something of purpose.

High Calorie Decor

The magical candy bowl. Somehow the calories from the candy bowl *Poof* magically disappear. I don't know how many times I've heard from clients, "I did everything you said, I wrote down EVERYTHING I put in my mouth...SOMEHOW I'm just not losing weight". Or this one...(this one's good)... "I don't have ANY idea how my blood sugar got that high". Yeah, yeah, okay. It only takes me a little querying (digging) to find... dah dah dah daaaaahhhhh - the candy bowl! For some, its the mixed nut bowl. When I say "keep track of everything you put in your mouth" I don't just mean the things you sit down and eat with a fork or things that take multiple bites to complete. I mean everything that passes by your teeth that contains calories.

I decided recently to make my famous...and by famous I mean no one knows of this trailmix but me, but it sounds cool right? Anyway, every fall I make a trailmix with dark chocolate, dried pineapple pieces, dried cherries, almonds, walnuts etc etc. The colors just look so "fallee" (yup, my word). Healthy? Absolutely. Pretty? Oh so pretty. Low calorie? Not in the least. It is the perfect example as to why we don't keep candy bowls or trailmix bowls or cookie dough or other sweets in our home (or especially not on the counter, in eye sight or arm's reach whatsoever). Whether I wanted it or not, every time I went by the darn thing I was coerced (and I do mean "coerced", audible voices even) to take some. I DO think I burned more calories from my numerous trips BACK off the couch to get some more. Only the dietitian starts to feel guilt over too much trailmix, sheesh. Anywho. Moral of the story: food, especially yummy, high calorie food, needs to be kept in cupboards and for some, better yet - at the store.

For you work-a-holics out there, "I keep some candy in my desk for low blood sugar or a pick-me-up in the late afternoon" Or "its on my desk for my clients." If you're getting drained by the end of the day - go get a real snack, not a mini candy bar you need to "sneak". Do your clients (and yourself) a favor, offer a sugar free mint or gum. Trail mix and candy is fine, in a controlled situation, not a grab and go one. I promise you, you're eating more than you think. ONE...oh who am I kidding...TWO handfuls of almonds a day - because you know you don't just do it once - can be about a pound in a little over a week if you're already getting your day's worth of calories from your meals. Do yourself a favor, put the bowl away and get it out of your desk.

By the way, pine cones, leaves and gourds are much lower-calorie fall decor :)