Superfood of the week: Yogurt!
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Yogurt should be dubbed the superfood of LIFE with all of the amazing nutrients and body boosting benefits this creamy breakfast treat offers. So what exactly makes yogurt so super? A few things actually!
To start with, yogurt is stock full of probiotics, which to those who don’t know, is healthy bacteria. I know you might be thinking “bacteria, isn’t that bad for you?” and normally, that answer is yes. However, probiotics, which mean “for life” are a healthy type of living organism that have serious health benefits when eaten in adequate amounts.
Another benefit of yogurt is that it is naturally full of calcium, which helps to prevent osteoporosis and works to build strong bones. Many yogurt’s are also made with added vitamin D, which combined with calcium have clear skeletal benefits, as well as help repair broken bones.
Along with those benefits, recent studies have found a strong link between yogurt and lower blood pressure! A recent study which followed nearly 5,000 students found that those who ate dairy everyday had lower blood pressure than those who did not. [They saw a 50% reduction in those who ate dairy 3 times a day!]
Along with added nutrients, yogurt also helps to aid weight loss efforts and helps to alleviate common gastrointestinal problems, such as constipation, bloating and diarrhea. Yogurt can also help prevent colon cancer! Some varieties of yogurt, like Fage Greek yogurt for example, contain up to 16 grams of protein, which will fill you up faster and keep you fuller longer. [This is, in part, due to the fact foods high in protein and fiber take longer for your body to digest].
If those aren’t enough reasons to start eating, I’ll give you one more! People who eat yogurt as a part of their weight loss nutrition plan lose more abdominal fat than those who don’t! Due to yogurt’s healthy bacteria, people who eat it have slimmer stomachs than those who don’t!
However, not all yogurt is treated equally. Some yogurts house up to 5 teaspoons of sugar, which is enough to be classified as a dessert! So before you hit the dairy section, check out my choices for the best yogurt out there to ensure you are getting the “cream of the crop!”
Fage Total 0%: 90 calories, 0 gm. fat, 7 gm. sugar
Dannon Activia: 170 calories, 3 gm. fat, 17 gm. sugar
Stonyfield Fat Free French Vanilla: 130 calories, 0 gm. fat, 17 gm. sugar
Dannon All Natural Nonfat Yogurt: 90 calories, 0 gm. fat, 7 gm. sugar
Claire
Tags:benefits of yogurt, dairy, fiber, healthy bacteria, losing weight, protein, super food of the week, weight loss, yogurt
Days 24-25: Finding healthy food at the airport
Finding healthy food at the airport is getting just as hard as trying to find roundtrip tickets for less than $300 these days. In just the past 3 years, I’ve become quite the avid traveler, which has led me to consume a few too many high calorie, high sodium, low nutrient meals in the hustled atmosphere of the nation’s airports. However, through my years of experience I have gotten quite good at sniffing out the healthy options when my layover is too long or my stomach starts to grumble. Even if you find yourself at a smaller airport and all they seem to have are McDonald’s or Burger King, don’t fret, you can find healthy options there too!
McDonald’s
This fast food favorite has gotten it’s fair share of backlash for offering only fatty, deep friend food. However, they have revamped their entire menu and have introduced a great variety of healthy foods, ranging from salads and snack wraps to grilled chicken sandwiches. That big yellow M never looked so healthy! Here are my top choices from there along with the nutritional breakdown, courtesy of McDonald’s USA. [All of the nutritional information for the salads does not contain salad dressing. Truthfully, they are so flavorful you don’t need it!]
Premium southwest grilled chicken salad 320 cal.
Premium bacon ranch salad with grilled chicken 260 cal.
Honey mustard grilled snack wrap 260 cal.
Chipotle barbq grilled snack wrap 260 cal.
4 piece chicken mcnuggets 190 cal.
Hamburger 250 cal.
Ranch snack wrap [grilled] 270 cal.
For a complete list of nutritional facts for McDonald’s, visit http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/nutrition_exchanges.html
Starbucks
This favorite coffee shop is a staple at just about every major US airport. Even though coffee seems harmless and calorie free, some of their concoctions contain up to 1000 calories and 20 grams of fat, which many people do not account for in their daily calorie counts. So if you have an early flight and need an instant pick me up, steer clear of the frappachinos and super mocha lattes, as those are often breeding grounds for fat and calories. Here is what I usually get when I’m dying for some caffeine.
Brewed coffee 5 cal. 0 gm. fat
Nonfat caramel machiato 140 cal. 1 gm. fat
Nonfat coffee mocha 170 cal. 2 gm. fat
Skinny vanilla latte 90 cal. 0 gm. fat
Blueberry oat bar 250 cal. 10 gm. fat
Starbucks perfect oatmeal 140 cal. 1.5 gm. fat.
Egg white spinach and feta wrap 280 cal. 10 gm. fat
Cinnabon
I know what you’re thinking, there is no healthy options at this place! Which I can’t blame you, I’ve thought the same thing. How can a place that distributes cinnamon rolls oozing in icing actually serve something that is relatively healthy? Well, surprise! There are a few low-fat, low-calorie options hiding behind that tantalizing smell. If this is one of my only choices, here’s what I go for when I’m flying.
Cinnabon cinnamon bread 120 cal. 3 gm. fat
Strawberry minibun 250 cal. 5 gm. fat
Cinnabon mocha latte 190 cal. 4.5 gm. fat
Cinnabon vanilla latte 190 cal. 4.5 gm. fat
Cinnamon crisps 130 ca. 6 gm. fat [per serving, 1.5 servings per container]
Panda Express
Chinese food can be very tricky. There are healthy options, however, sometimes even those are loaded up in salt and …GASP…msg, so you need to be super careful when you are ordering from any fast food chinese place. But I’m not going to pretend here friends, I’m a huge Chinese food fan, so when I see that adorable little panda sign I ussually bolt right there to get my fill on my oriental favorite. If you are like me and crave the chicken low-mein or general tso’s chicken, you are in luck because I have found some delicious, low sodium, low-fat and low-calorie dishes at our favorite Panda. So if you are stuck with a long layover and can’t stomach another cracker, try one of these for a healthy fill me up!
3 Cream cheese rangoons 190 cal. 8 gm. fat 180 mg. sodium
SweetFire chicken breast 440 cal. 10 gm. fat 370 mg. sodium
Sweet and sour chicken 400 cal. 17 gm. fat 370 mg. sodium
Mixed veggies entrée 35 cal 0 gm. fat 260 mg. sodium
Steamed rice 400 cal. 0 gm. fat 0 mg. sodium
One fortune cookie 70 cal. 2 gm. fat 0 mg. sodium
For a complete list of Panda Express’s nutrition information, visit http://www.pandaexpress.com/menu/nutrition.aspx
Sbarro
Who doesn’t love a nice, greasy piece of pizza that is the size of their head? I sure do! However, my waistline and size 6 jeans do not feel the same sense of longing. Although I’m a pizza phene and would much rather eat cheese and pepperoni than a salad, I know that, in the long run, the salad is the much better choice. However, Sbarro, which gets the bad rap for having really greasy, over-sized portions, actually has food other than salad that is satisfying and low in fat and calories [plus, a piece of pizza that won’t blow your calorie budget!]. So don’t let the name fool you, you can find some healthy options at this common Italian joint!
Pasta Primavera salad 190 cal. 10 gm. fat
Mixed vegetables [with butter sauce] 190 cal. 15 gm. fat
Low carb cheese pizza 310 cal. 14 gm. fat
String bean and tomato salad 100 cal. 7 gm. fat
Greek salad 60 cal. 5 gm. fat
Meatballs 139 cal. 9 gm. fat
Au Bon Pain
This is one of my favorite little deli’s and I’m really happy to see it has popped up in so many airports. What is great about this place is there are quite a few healthy options for the health conscious traveler and offer a wide variety of healthy snacks as well. Of course like any other restaurant, they also have their high fat and calorie nightmares, but with so many healthy choices, who needs them?
Garden vegetable soup 80 cal. 2 gm. fat
Chicken and dumpling soup 210 cal. 7 gm. fat
Tomato bisque 210 cal. 9 gm. fat
Demi ham sandwich on baguette 330 cal. 5 gm. fat
Demi tuna sanwich on baguette 320 cal. 7 gm. fat
Thai peanut chicken salad 240 cal. 8 gm. fat
Honey 9 grain bagel 350 cal. 4 gm. fat
Apple cinnamon oatmeal 280 cal. 4 gm. fat
Fruit cup 70 cal.
Dunkin Donuts
Donuts and health are never words that often share the same sentence. When one thinks of a donut, they think of deep fried, golden rings of fat, often drenched in sugar. [Which is making my mouth water, what about you?] Well when I’m up at ungodly hours trying to catch a flight, the last thing I need is a sugar filled fat ball that will make me crash 20 minutes later. Instead, I need something hearty, full of fiber and protein that will keep me full throughout my plane ride so I don’t find myself munching on candy or salty pretzels. Luckily Dunkin Donuts has really revamped their image by introducing healthy breakfast sandwiches, whole grain bagels and low-calorie speciality coffees. They even got nutritionists, professors of medicine, doctors and fitness experts on a panel they call DDSmarts Nutritional Advisory, which helps navigate Dunkin Donuts menu to include more healthy, whole grain products! You go Dunkin, you keep this up and I will certainly “run on you.”
Egg white veggie flatbread 290 cal. 9 gm fat. 11 gm. protein
Egg white turkey sausage flatbread 280 cal. 6 gm. fat 19 gm. protein
Egg white and cheese wake-up wrap 150 cal. 6 gm. fat 8 gm. protein
Egg white and cheese on an English muffin 270 cal. 5 gm. fat 16 gm. protein
Multi grain bagel 390 cal. 8 gm. fat 17 gm. protein
Latte light [small] 80 cal 0 gm. fat 7 gm. protein
Coffee with skim milk 15 cal. 0 gm. fat 2 gm. protein
For more information on DDSmart, visit https://www.dunkindonuts.com/aboutus/BreakfastChoices/
Although these are just a few of the most common eateries found in airports, there are hundreds of speciality food shops and sit down restaurants at most airports that also offer great, healthy eats for when you are stuck at the airport. The last thing you need to feel on a flight is starving, so happy eating!
I love…how certain songs can inspire you in ways you never thought possible.
Nutrition in the News: Drink to be Thin and Obese boarding school
There have been endless studies that have mentioned the negative side effects of alcohol to your health and only a few that actually address its benefits. I’m not saying that you should drink 5 vodka tonics or a bottle of wine a day, however, I am saying that light to moderate drinking actually has health benefits and is not as detrimental as we once thought.
A study published in Time which was done by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that women who drank moderately over the span of 13 years were 30% less likely to be overweight and 70% less likely to be obese! The study found there to be a few explanations to why this could be. They found that women who drink more tend to eat less to combat it, either by a conscious effort or sub consciously.
I find this to be not only interesting but true! Whenever I drink, with a meal or at night, I tend to get fuller faster because of the calories in the drink. Also, many drinks, such as blended margaritas and bloody mary’s are much heavier, therefore fill you up quicker than just a standard drink. Also, they also found that women metabolize alcohol quicker, leaving fewer calories to be absorbed into the body. Although this is interesting and certainly helps me remove the guilt I sometimes carry after a few drinks on Friday night, it is still important to remember the key part of the article: moderation and responsibility.
If you drink moderately and still consume a healthy amount of calories from the right foods, you will see a higher percentage of weight loss. However, act responsibly and know your limits. Also, never replace a meal with alcohol, as that can have a detrimental affect on your health and your metabolism. For the full article, visit http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1970612,00.html.
Obese Boarding School: A Reality
With the percentage of children who are obese increasing each year, it’s no surprise that many health administrators and terrified parents are desperate to find a solution, even if it involves sending these kids thousands of miles away from home for treatment.
An article featured in Time investigated a new version of the standard “fat camp” called WellSpring Academy, which is a boarding school for obese teens. It is a place that houses 8th-12th graders, all in differing stages of weight loss. They must stay for at least 4 months and stay in dormitories, much like a standard boarding school. The school also has standard academic classes, like mathematics, english and science on top of the strict excercise and nutritional classes.
The rate of success is high, the students lost up to 25% of their weight while at the academy and continue to lose up to 70% more within a year of leaving. The kids weight loss, nutrition and fitness therapists also remain in constant contact with the kids for 6 months after they leave to help give them motivation and advice in adapting back to their normal lives.
To many desperate teens struggling to lose weight and find normalcy and to their parents, who are scared for their kids health see this place as a dream come true, a place exactly what they need. However, once they realize the academy is not covered by any insurance, some of their dreams are shattered, as the tuition is fairly steep, over $6000 per month. Some children just can not afford it and others are using their college savings in hope this will finally help them change.
Although there are aspects about this camp I definitely think need some changing, I think the overall concept is really incredible and has a higher success rate than most summer camps for obese children. I think the fact that they receive one on one therapy and that the relationship with their therapist continues well after they leave really increases the success rate, as these kids don’t feel blind sided by the real world and still have someone from the camp fully supporting them. I also really like that this doesn’t take kids out of school.
By implementing real academic classes, as well as focusing on weight loss, these kids are able to continue to have a relatively normal life and don’t have to re-take classes or grades due to the absence. However, I think the tuition is definitely steep and I think many of the children from high risk demographics [urban, inner city, come from families of low socioeconomic status] are being discluded just on the fact that they can’t afford it. I think that until coverage can be extended through most health insurance companies, there should be a governmental funding program, like student loans, or scholarships that children can quality for that will allow them to attend the school even if their parents can not make the tuition payments. I don’t think any child who is suffering from high risk obesity should be discluded because they can’t afford it. These are the kids that need the most help.
Although I applaud Ryan Craig [the owner] for implementing a fat-free diet, I definitely have trouble believing that to be attainable for teens to adhere to. I think there should be more variety added to the menu, including items with healthy fat content, so the teens can realistically adhere to the plan for more than just a year. To read the entire article, visit http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1966466-1,00.html.
And look out for MASSIVE updates from the end of February and my trip to Vegas! I will be catching up this whole week!
Nutrition in the News: Can you eat "real" food for a month?
Don’t let this picture fool you, junk food is not something to smile about!
We live in a very processed nation, especially when it comes to food. In this day in age, processed is all that works for some people who are just “too busy” too cook or have to rely on cheap, processed foods due to the recession and millions of job layoffs.
It’s no surprise though, that as our reliance and obsession with processed food continues to increase, the percentage of obese American’s also increases. This frightens us in the health and health care world because it’s a killer that can be prevented. Jennifer McGruther, a blogger for Nourished Kitchen, saw this addiction to processed food and turned an amazing opportunity from it. A challenge, to anyone and everyone, to eat only “real, unprocessed foods” for a month. More than 900 people signed up to try it, stating it would be easy to live without sugary cereals, easy cheese and potato chips. Although not all 900 persevered, many were able to live without these foods for a month, and voiced how hard it was, but how rewarding they feel now. For the full article, visit http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/23/real.food.challenge/index.html?hpt=C1.
So what is my take on the matter? I am ecstatic that something like this has gained movement. As a nutrition buff and someone passionate about preventing childhood obesity and obesity in adults, I see this as a tremendous step in the right direction, especially since many of the people who did this challenge were parents. Giving up processed foods is not an easy feat, it involves more time, more money and more patience so I’m very eager to touch base with the people who accomplished it and ask them how they did it. I think there needs to be more people out there like Jenny who see such a huge, daunting problem, like obesity, and do what they can to make a difference. It motivates me to think of a similar thing to post on this blog, which I’ll have in the next few weeks.
Update on death toll in Chile
In my previous post, I had mentioned that there were only 122 people said to be dead in Chile. However, now as the rubble clears and rescue squads are recovering more bodies, the toll has surpassed 700. It’s now more important than ever to reach out to those in need and donate what you can to help these people rebuild their lives. Cash donations are encouraged, however, they are also taking clothing, canned food and other necessities [such as toiletries].
For a quick way to make a difference, text Chile on your mobile phone and donate up to $10 per text. Below are a list of numbers to text to that correlate with different charity organizations. [From www.nbcwashington.com]
- Text the word “CHILE” to 25383 to donate $10 on behalf of the Habitat for Humanity
- Text the word “CHILE” to 52000 to donate $10 on behalf of the Salvation Army
- Text the word “CHILE” to 20222 to donate $10 on behalf of World Vision
For up to date news on the earthquake and where you can donate, visit http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/02/27/chile.quake.ticker/index.html
Claire
Tags:Chile, Chile 8.8 earthquake, Chile earthquake, deathtoll, over 700 dead, text for donations
