Category: Nutrition
A HOTR Breakfast
| May 24, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Breakfast, HOTR Eats, Nutrition |
They say you can tell a lot about a person by looking in their pantry. Well, what about their cereal cabinet?
My Cereal Addiction
My shelf is currently stocked with 9 different types of dry cereal…all open, and all just for me. This is in addition to a container of oat bran (from the bulk food section) and some rolled oats.
While I do appreciate the sticking power of oatmeal, cereal is my true love. I tend to eat oats most days of the week only because they fill me up for hours…whereas an equally calorie-dense bowl of cereal will leave me wanting to snack away the morning. But that doesn’t stop me from buying multiple types of cereal every time I go to the grocery store. A girl’s gotta have options — especially when a typical bowl means a mixture of at least 3-4 different types!
So what do we have in this cabinet? From left to right:
Front row: Grape Nuts, my two absolute favorite varieties of granola: Trader Joe’s Just the Clusters Maple Pecan and Just the Clusters Vanilla Almond, and 3 varieties of Bear Naked cereals: Bear Naked Fit Vanilla Almond Crunch, Cranberry Raisin cereal, and Banana Walnut cereal. In the back, we have Barbara’s Shredded Oats, Barbara’s Shredded Spoonfuls, TJ’s lowfat Honey Almond granola, rolled oats, and a container of oat bran.
Here are a couple pearls of my cereal wisdom:
Go to Joe’s
Not only does Trader Joe’s have an amazing selection of delicious cereals, but they typically have the best prices. The Just the Clusters granolas were under $3. And I typically find the Barbara’s cereals in bigger boxes at a lower price (compared to a regular supermarket). If you live near a TJs, you should definitely check out their cereal selections – and experience first-hand how hard it is to limit yourself to buying just one (last trip it was all I could do to stop at 5)!
Get Bear Naked
(The cereal, I mean…)
Bear Naked Fit Granola boasts less fat and sugar than typical granolas. Per serving, it contains 2.5g of fat (no saturated or trans fat) and only 4g of sugar. I have seen a lot of bloggers raving over Galaxy Granola, but honestly I like this better. I find it a lot more flavorful, which is probably due to the fact that it’s sweetened with brown rice syrup and cane juice instead of fruit.
As an added bonus, the Bear Naked company has a really cool packaging project: The Bear Naked Sustainable Packaging Project. Basically, the company is trying to collect its empty cereal bags in an effort to effort to cut down on how many end up in landfills. The used bags will then be made into new products such as umbrellas, shower curtains, and tote bags. All you have to do is collect a certain number of bags and send them in to get cool gear (each size bag is equal to a different number of points). I’m almost a third of the way to a new reusable grocery bag, just with the cereal in my cabinet right now.
The only downside is that it’s a little pricey. I think this bag cost me somewhere around $5, and it’s not very big.
Bear Naked Cereals are much more reasonably priced. I love them because they are jam packed with goodies! I love cereals that have more “add-ins” than flakes. And these bags are also part of the company’s Sustainable Packaging Project.
An Ode to Oats
But, as much as I love my cereal, most days I just use it as a topping for my oats. As I mentioned earlier, oatmeal just sticks with me for so much longer. I know this is nothing novel in the blog world, but I figured it was worth mentioning my typical weekday breakfast.
I’m a creature of habit. which means that most mornings I have some variation of the same, semi-boring mixture:
-
1/2 cup rolled oats (old fashioned, not instant!)
-
1/2 cup almond milk
-
1/2 cup water
-
Ground flaxseed
-
drop of vanilla
-
huge sprinkle of cinnamon
Sometimes, I’ll add fruit (typically frozen mixed berries or half a banana…or fresh strawberries if I have them), and if I’m feeling really adventurous, cocoa. The toppings are what I like to have the most fun with.
Oats in a Mug (OIAM)
When I eat hot oats, my favorite thing to do is have them in a mug (or, because they should have a cool acronym: OIAM). The mug keeps the oats warmer longer because it’s small and insulated. I like to layer it like a parfait: a layer of nut butter, granola, and fruit; then a layer of oats; another layer of granola/fruit; another layer of oats; and then topped with more nut butter/granola/fruit. This way you get goodness with every bite.
I probably should’ve used a clear mug to give you a better picture!
And every morning, I have my breakfast along with a cup of coffee and a cup of water.
Ready When You Are Oats (RWYAO)
But now that it’s getting warmer, I find I’m craving warm oats less and less. In this situation, it seems like the most common solution is to make overnight oats. However, I’m not much of a planner when it comes to doing things the night before. Even though I know it’ll make my life easier, I rarely pack my lunch or lay out/iron my clothes the night before, instead choosing to run around in the morning like a crazy person. So it goes without saying that overnight oats is not something I eat very often.
The good news? You don’t have to wait all night for your oats to get soft and creamy! All you need is a few minutes, and you’ve got yourself a nice refreshing bowl of cool oatmeal. Just mix up your ingredients, set it on the counter and go about getting dressed. Once you’re ready, your oats will be too!
This really is the simplest breakfast you could ever make, besides pouring yourself a bowl of cereal. I generally use oat bran, because it’s smaller than rolled oats (and so becomes softer quicker). All I do is combine 1/2 cup of oat bran and a very generous 1/2 cup of milk (I usually use almond), plus a big sprinkle of ground flax, a little vanilla and cinnamon. Mix so that the oats are covered and walk away. It only takes 5 minutes for the mixture to get creamy, though you could give it longer for good measure.
Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Topped with Bear Naked Banana Walnut cereal and nut butter.
Of course when I have extra time in the morning or am looking for a treat, I try to mix up my breakfasts with fun meals like pancakes, or banoatcakes, or stuffed French toast.
As you can probably tell, all of these meals have a good amount of calories, and contain fat and fiber to keep me full. I’m not going to spend time drilling the benefits of breakfast into your head, since I’m sure it’s nothing you haven’t heard before. However, I will say this: not only should you eat breakfast every morning, but it should also be something substantial. A great breakfast will jump-start your metabolism after a night of not eating. Plus, when you stay full longer, you’ll be less likely to snack during the day.
So eat your breakfast!
Pour Some Sugar on Me
| May 16, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Nutrition |
Sugar really is a wonderful substance. It can make almost anything taste good, and the more you eat it, the more you want it. I will be the first to admit that I am in love with sugar. I have a huge sweet tooth and love nothing more than a really good dessert at the end of (or even before!) a meal.
It’s too bad sugar isn’t all that good for you. If it were, I’m sure the United States as a whole would be a much healthier country.
While it isn’t news to say that sugar is best in moderation, how often do you actually stop to think about how much of it is in certain foods or drinks? The other day, EC forwarded me an email that really painted a clear picture of the sugar content of popular foods. While some of these amounts won’t surprise you, I thought it was interesting and definitely worth sharing.
However, I do feel as though I should present this with a quick caveat. Obviously, these pictures are looking at sugar and sugar only. They say nothing about the nutritional quality of the food as a whole. So while an apple does contain more sugar than a serving of Special K (or even Trix cereal, surprisingly), this information should be taken with a grain of salt. Not only is the type of sugar in an apple different than the sugar that is added to cereals (last I checked, an apple doesn’t contain HFCS…), the apple is also packed with a lot more nutrients. Plus, let’s be honest, who only eats one tiny little serving of Trix cereal in a sitting?
That being said, there are other things in this picture-list that don’t have any redeeming qualities from fiber, healthy fats, and/or vitamins…
Amount of Sugar in Common Foods and Beverages
Each cube equals one teaspoon of sugar.
Anything on this list surprise you?
Before I sign off, a quick announcement: sadly my guest post (and core workout) have been postponed until next week. My guest poster had a very important certain someone come out for an unexpected visit…which (I think we can all agree) is slightly more important than finishing her post for my blog. 
And because I don’t want to give you any false impressions about my eating habits, I’ll tell you that I’m off to make an exciting new dessert for my last night with the family! I think it’ll be delicious, though still relatively healthy (just don’t tell my sisters that it’s going to be gluten-free! ). Keeping my fingers crossed that the recipe turns out well — and if it does, I’ll be sure to post it on the blog.
Don’t Judge a Food By Its Health Claim
| May 13, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Nutrition |
…or as Michael Pollan says:
If you’re concerned about your health, you should probably avoid products that make health claims. Why? Because a health claim on a food product is a strong indication it’s not really food, and food is what you want to eat. {emphasis added}
Navigating the food aisles of a grocery store can often be tricky. It seems like more and more companies are trying to appeal to the consumer’s quest for health by coming up with unfounded claims about the benefits of eating their food. We see products that supposedly reduce cholesterol, fight heart disease, prevent arthritis, and help you lose weight.
What makes it even more confusing is that terms like “healthy” and “all natural” are not actually regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (unlike “organic”, which is a legally regulated term). This means that companies can use it however and whenever they’d like. If just one ingredient in the food came from the earth, it can be advertised as natural, no matter how processed and refined it truly is (interesting article about that here.)
And that’s not all. When it comes to marketing food, companies have gotten pretty good at stretching truths. Other commonly used terms that promise more than they actually deliver:
-
Multigrain – although this sounds healthier, the food really just needs to have more than one grain to qualify, and one of those grains could be plain old white flour
-
Whole Wheat – this is not inter-changeable with “100% whole grains” (which is what you actually should choose). Unfortunately, most of the time when you see “whole wheat” on a label, the first ingredient is just “enriched wheat flour”…or white flour in disguise
-
Reduced fat – since fat has been unfairly given such a bad rap, many people naturally gravitate towards the lower fat versions of their favorite foods. Unfortunately, most of the time the fat has just been replaced with extra salt or sugar (hey – they’ve got to make it taste good somehow!)
-
Reduced sodium – again, the sodium has to be replaced with something in order to make the food still taste good. Usually that “something” is fat or sugar.
-
Lightly sweetened – usually means the sugar is replaced with something else, like HFCS
-
A good source of… – fill in the blank (usually whole grains). I mostly see this on cereal boxes. And while these cereals might contain whole grains, you would probably have to eat the whole box in order to get a significant amount of it!
-
Trans fat free – this is a big one. Hopefully by now you know that trans fat (the man-made fat) is bad for you. And if you don’t – Trans fats are bad for you!! When something claims that it’s “trans fat free” don’t trust it until you actually read the label. A food just has to have less than .25g per serving to be technically allowed to use this term. While that might not seem like much, consider this: the recommended amount of trans-fat per day is only 2 grams. Doesn’t take long for it to add up!
It’s really easy to fall into the trap of buying foods that aren’t as healthy as you might expect. For example: I used to buy Fat Free Half & Half at the grocery store. I figured I was probably getting enough calories and fat in my breakfast already, and didn’t want to add more with my daily cup of coffee. So without actually reading the label, I just assumed that the Fat Free version was the better choice. That is, until a couple of months ago when I actually took the time to study the carton:
Fat Free Half & Half – there’s a lot more in it than just milk and cream
I was shocked to see that they were adding corn syrup to my creamer…along with a bunch of other artificial ingredients. Then and there I made the decision that I was much better off avoiding the highly refined version and sticking to organic full fat creamer instead (or going without):
Trading artificial ingredients for a little more fat
Reading Ingredient Lists
There are many packaged foods that aren’t quite as good for you as it would seem at first glance. I’ve included some examples below of “healthy” options that don’t quite cut it. Not surprisingly, condiments are big offenders.
But first, a note about BBQ sauce. While this condiment doesn’t exactly claim to be healthy, I encourage you to look at the ingredients if you haven’t already do so. Many have high fructose corn syrup listed first. Ketchup is another big culprit. When you’re at the grocery store, look for alternatives that are sweetened with a natural source of sugar.
Not surprisingly…HFCS gets the #1 spot here
Pass on these light/fat free dressings:
Less calories and fat, but the 4th ingredient is HFCS
Again with the corn syrup…along with countless other un-pronounceable ingredients
And instead choose:
Newman’s Own Balsamic (better) or any Organic dressing (shown here: Seeds of Change)
As an added bonus, the fat in salad dressings is actually beneficial. Eating fat with your salads helps your body absorb vital nutrients, and can even protect against heart disease.
While CoolWhip seems like a healthier alternative to whipped cream…
Upon closer inspection, you’ll see that’s not true.
It’s hard to read, but within the first 5 ingredients we have corn syrup, hydrogenated vegetable oil, and high fructose corn syrup…along with a bunch of other strange sounding components
So although I wouldn’t classify it as a health food, stick to real whipped cream when you want a treat.
Or better yet, make your own!
Another sneaky offender: coconut. Despite its high fat content, coconut has gotten a lot of good press lately in the health world. But not all bags of coconut are created equal.
Oh coconut, how I love thee…if only I knew what those other crazy things in this bag were
Choose organic, unsweetened coconut instead (doesn’t necessarily have to be reduced fat).
It would seem like a spinach wrap would be just as healthy as a whole wheat one. It’s packed with veggies, right?
But not all wraps are created equal, especially when it comes to organic vs. non-organic.
Organic Whole Wheat Wraps
Spinach Wraps…with just a few more ingredients
Finally, let’s compare two of my favorite cereals: Zoe’s Granola and Cracklin’ OatBran.
As much as I love Cracklin’ Oat Bran, its ingredient list leaves a lot to be desired. Corn syrup, modified wheat starch, and artificial flavorings are all present. And while Zoe’s also has quite a few ingredients, it does a better job sticking to natural sources. When buying cereal, it’s important to look beyond the nutrition facts and actually read the ingredient list. The more additives and long unrecognizable terms you find, the better off you are avoiding that cereal.
The Take-Home Message
It’s just as important to be aware of what goes into the food you’re eating as the nutrition facts and health claims that are on the label. Be a smart consumer – before adding something to your cart, take a few minutes to browse the ingredient list. Chances are, if you can’t recognize the ingredients, you probably shouldn’t be eating it.
For more information about good (and bad) choices at the grocery store, check out this article by CSPI: 10 Worst and Best Foods.
Now the one question that remains – Koli wants to know if his hoof (the only animal “part” I have purchased in years) is certified organic?
Quinoa Pasta and Other Adventures in Eating
| April 26, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Dinner, HOTR Eats, Nutrition |
It can be so easy to get stuck in a “food rut” and eat the same dishes over and over, week after week. But part of consuming a wholesome, balanced diet is allowing yourself to try a variety of foods. Yes, this means that sometimes your “food adventure” will be a complete failure and you’ll end up hating whatever you made. But other times, you might stumble across something amazing!
Over this past week, I’ve tried to be a bit more adventurous with my eating, and have experimented with some new things that I thought I’d share with all of you.
Quinoa Pasta
Quinoa (pronounced: keen-wah) is a wonderful food. Not only is it gluten-free (read: easily digestible), but it is also contains a balanced set of all 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. And if that weren’t enough, it’s also high in dietary fiber, phosphorous, magnesium, and iron. All the nutrition packed into quinoa makes it a great addition to any diet, regardless of whether or not you eat meat (you can read more about the health benefits here).
By itself, quinoa is a little bland tasting. To add flavor, I usually cook it in vegetable broth and then load it up with tons of sautéed veggies and herbs/spices. I actually think it makes a great base for flavorful dishes.
So…when I came across quinoa pasta in the grocery store a few days ago, I knew I had to give it a try!
The Quinoa “Supergrain” Rotelle is actually a blend of corn flour and quinoa flour (in fact, it is made from only those two ingredients). While I’m not gluten intolerant, I thought this might be a good break from my usual starch-filled pasta dishes.
To test it, I whipped up my “fall back” pasta dish: sautéed veggies with my Dad’s “secret-recipe homemade marinara sauce.” (Okay, so the recipe isn’t really secret, it just sounds more mysterious that way. ) In my opinion, my Dad makes THE BEST marinara sauce I’ve ever had. He follows a recipe given to him by my dear Italian great-grandmother. Every time I go home for a visit, he is kind enough to make up a huge batch and then can it so that I can take it back to RI with me. As a result of being so spoiled, I haven’t bought pasta sauce in years (nor do I want to!).
Anyway, I digress. Back to the Quinoa Rotelle.
When cooked, the Rotelle was a little more yellow than regular noodles – similar in color to egg noodles.
As far as taste goes: I thought it was pretty good! The noodles were a bit chewier than normal pasta, and while the taste was slightly different, it was hard to tell after I smothered it with sauce and other veggies.
In the mix:
-
Dad’s Marinara Sauce
-
Spinach
-
Cherry tomatoes
-
Mushrooms
-
Tempeh
-
And topped with parmesan cheese
While the overall taste was pretty good, I’ll admit that I did find myself missing the starchiness of normal pasta. There was nothing unpleasant about it at all, I just found myself wanting it to be different. So the final verdict: Despite the motto on the box that claims “you’ll never go back to plain noodles again,” I think I’ll stick to eating quinoa as a grain and my pasta with flour. However, I would definitely recommend this as a good alternative for anyone who is trying to cut back on or avoid gluten.
Other Noteworthy New Foods
Parsnips
Before last week, I had never even tried a parsnip…nor had I wanted to. But after seeing the recipe Angela posted for nut-butter coated parsnip fries, I was intrigued. A few days later, I impulsively bought a bunch of parsnips (who does that!?) and cooked myself up a batch.
I’ll admit I burned a couple in the process.
But these were absolutely amazing!! So simple to make and so addictive.
I may have put the cold {slightly burnt”) leftovers on a salad the next day for lunch. Delicious! 
Maple-Coconut Tempeh
I’ve talked about tempeh several times before on the blog, so it won’t be surprising when I tell you that I love it. However, I’ve only ever had it savory. So once I saw Caitlin’s “Tempting Tempeh” recipe, I knew I had to try it! As promised, not only was this recipe super easy, but it was also incredibly delicious. It was like eating a snack for dinner!
And finally, my new favorite snack:
These Back to Nature Organic Stoneground Wheat Crackers are nothing short of amazing! They are super flavorful and contain no trans fat, hydrogenated oils, preservatives, artificial flavors, or any of other questionable crap. I found them in the organic section of my local grocery store and they were actually cheaper than the more popular Kashi version.
This week I challenge you to try at least ONE new food that you haven’t before – whether it’s something you’ve always been afraid you wouldn’t like, or just a food you’ve been interested in but have yet to try. My next food “adventure”: Kale. I have heard great things about it’s nutritional benefits, but the super potent taste has always scared me a bit. So I plan on cooking up some kale chips and trying it in salad this week. I’ll report back later with the results!
An Ode To My Water Bottle
| April 22, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Nutrition |
Whenever one of his 4 girls has any sort of physical ailment, my Dad’s diagnosis is the same: “You must be dehydrated.”
Headache, stomachache, broken bone…it doesn’t matter, the solution never changes. “Drink more water,” Dr. Dad would prescribe and send us on our way.
Although he was joking (most of the time) and my sisters and I typically just rolled our eyes at his suggestion, his underlying message rings true: you feel better when you are well-hydrated. Clearly it’s not going to magically heal whatever ails you, but water is as important to our daily nutrition as the food that we eat.
There are conflicting views about how much water you need to drink per day. I’m sure you’ve all heard the 8 x 8 rule, or that you should drink 8, 8-ounce glasses of water (or 64 ounces total) per day. This rule also says that any fluids you drink besides water don’t count towards this total. While new research suggests this isn’t true, I know that I personally do not feel my best if I don’t drink enough water during the day.
As it is, I drink a lot of water. Mostly because I love it. I know this might sound weird, but the taste of pure, cold water is one of my absolute favorite things in the whole world. In fact, on a typical day I only ever drink two things (besides the occasional smoothie): a cup of coffee, and copious amounts of water. Anything else – any sort of even slightly flavored liquid – just does not quench my thirst.
The way I see it, drinking enough water has lots of benefits;
- First and foremost, it just makes me feel healthier
- I feel more alert when I’m hydrated
- I have more energy during the day…and when I’m working out
- I avoid consuming liquid calories
- I snack less (quick caveat on this one: I don’t really think that drinking water is a replacement for hunger. If I’m really hungry, no amount of water I drink is ever going to replace food. However, sometimes when I get thirsty, I’m more likely to think I’m hungry – or want to think I’m hungry – and snack instead)
- Water helps fend off headaches and stomach pains, two things I get when I haven’t had enough.
And finally, by drinking lots and lots of water throughout the workday…
- I get in extra steps from all my trips to the bathroom at least once an hour. All that walking back and forth adds up!
I realize not everyone shares my love for this wonderful, tasteless substance. So if you’re one of those (normal) people, I’d like to introduce you to the one thing I love AS MUCH as I love water: my water bottle.
Yes, you read that correctly. I love my water bottle. A lot. And I carry this baby with me everywhere I go (literally). This beauty is made by Camelbak and holds over 32 ounces of glorious H2O.
Not only that, but it makes drinking water fun. Seriously. The Camelbak spout (aka the “Big Bite™ valve”) makes drinking super easy. You just bite the top and sip the water through the straw. No tilting, no spilling, no tiny cap you have to keep track of. And you don’t even need your hands, leaving them free to continue on their multi-tasking ways. Yes, you look like a little kid when you’re happily sucking away on this but after a few sips you won’t mind any longer. I promise.
In addition, this bottle is 100% BPA-free so you don’t have to worry about any nasty effects from plastic toxins. I personally don’t really like the way metal water bottles make my water taste, and so this allows me to drink a lot, yet be environmentally friendly.
Sometimes when I’m at work, I pass the time by drinking water. No, really I do. (Ok, before you write me off as being completely nuts, please understand…my job really is that boring.) This bottle also comes in handy when you’re at the gym. You can easily drink water while working out on a machine or running on a treadmill without worrying about it spilling all over yourself.
And for those of you who think 32+ ounces is a bit large, don’t worry, the bottle actually comes in smaller sizes…which are a lot more convenient to carry around.
If you’re in search of a water bottle or want to find a way to make drinking water easier, I highly recommend something similar to my “Camelback Better Bottle”. And since today is Earth Day, there’s no better time to stop buying those bottles of Poland Springs and invest in something reusable!! It was really the best $15 bucks I’ve ever spent (and the smaller sizes cost less).
Let it be noted, while this may sound a bit like an advertisement, Camelbak did not pay me to write this review, nor did they give me a free water bottle to try (though if they want to, I’d be more than happy to be a “tester!”). I’ve just been using this thing for over a year now and absolutely love it. I may or may not have gone so far as to have given it to loved ones as a gift.
Happy Earth Day! And, while we’re at it, I thought I should give recognition to another, less-publicized holiday that is being “celebrated” today…National Jelly Bean Day! Why this day occurs so long after Easter is beyond me, but for those of you who have been devouring these balls of sugar like it’s your job, today is your day to indulge guilt-free!
Recent Comments