National Nurtrition Month: Explore New Foods and Flavors

Nutrition professionals are encouraging you to “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Well” by exploring new foods and flavors. Whether you are trying new veggies, whole grains, or creating new recipes to excite your taste buds, you are exploring new foods and flavors.

Here are 3 quick tips for enjoying the taste of healthy eating:

1. Color Your Plate with Salad
   Enjoy a variety of vegetables including dark-green, red, and orange vegetables on a bed of fresh leafy greens like spinach or romaine. These fresh veggies offer a beautiful touch of color, delicious flavor, and great nutrition. Bell pepper, carrots, cucumbers, and broccoli are great lower carbohydrate veggie choices that will not have a large effect on your blood glucose levels.   One cup raw, or half a cup cooked, of these nutritious non-starchy vegetables is considered one serving and contains very few carbohydrates. Now that is food for thought!
2. Great Grains
   Enjoy the taste of eating well by choosing foods with different textures and taste. How? By trying a variety of whole grain foods. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends making at least half of your grains whole. To be sure that you’re eating a whole grain food check the ingredients list on the food package. Fiber-rich whole grain foods like 100% whole-grain breads, pastas, tortillas, quinoa, brown rice, and even popcorn are great additions to a balanced healthy diet. It is important to note that these nutritious foods should be eaten in moderation because they have been shown to increase blood glucose. Enjoy the foods you love but eat less.
3. Power-up with Protein
   Choose a variety of foods from the protein group to help build strong muscles and stabilize blood glucose levels. Keep meat and poultry choices lean and low-fat to decrease the amount of saturated fat and calories because diets high in saturated fats raise the levels of “bad” cholesterol in the blood. Explore new tastes by trying lean ground turkey, salmon, tuna, and eggs. Vegetarian sources of protein can include tofu, nuts and seeds. Almonds, cashews, walnuts and pistachios as well as pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds are all commonly eaten nuts and seeds. Minimize your sodium intake, which can help with lowering blood pressure, by choosing unsalted nuts and seeds.
   Enjoy the taste of eating right by using these quick tips at your next meal!

Back to the Basics: Nutrition Tips for Healthy Eating

General
• Limit frequency of restaurant dining and fast food
• Limit frequency and portion size of desserts
• Drink 8-11 cups of water daily
• Avoid or limit all beverages with calories
• Make slow, gradual changes to nutrition plan

Vegetables
• Eat a variety of vegetables as frequently as possible
• Try to include all colors throughout the week (red, orange, green, yellow, purple)
• Season with herbs and spices rather than sauce, cheese, butter or oils
• Aim for vegetables to cover half of the entire plate

Fats
• Try lemon juice, vinegar or vinaigrette on salads (For a kick try salsa with fat free sour cream)
• Dip the fork into dressing first to limit the amount, but still add flavor
• In recipes, substitute applesauce for margarine, shortening and oils
• Remove hidden or unnecessary fat: butter on bread, cheese in sandwiches, use mustard rather than mayonnaise

Meats
• Choose lean cuts (loin, round, or flank)
• Avoid heavily marbled meats (brisket, ribs, T-bone, porterhouse, rump/chuck roasts, bacon, regular hamburger, etc.)
• Trim meats before and after cooking
• Remove skin from poultry before cooking
• Buy meats less than 3 grams of fat per ounce or labeled as 90% lean
• Limit egg yolks to 3 per week
• Try two egg whites or 1/3 cup egg substitute in place of one whole egg

Dairy
• Reduce milks stepwise from whole milk to skim or 1%
• Substitute low fat yogurt in place of mayonnaise or sour cream when cooking

Grains
• Aim to choose 100% whole grain breads, cereals, crackers and snacks
• Many grains are low in fat, but only recommended in proper portions

Back to School Lunch Tips

It’s that time of the year — the kids to go back in school and parents to return to “normal” schedules.  School, afterschool activities, filling lunch boxes, and grocery store trips are on the agenda.  Don’t let these extra steps in your day interfere with making healthy food choices and getting regular exercise and physical activity.  Some parents may feel like they struggle with choosing healthy and tasty foods for the kid’s lunch boxes or whipping up a quick, simple and nutritious dinner for those busy weeknights.  Parents: don’t forget your lunch too!  As parents, we must model healthy choices to set an example for our children because they are watching you.  Smart food choices can be made with a little creativity and help from the following ideas for kids and adults.

Make sure you fill your lunch box with a combination of lean or low-fat protein along with fiber from whole grains, beans, nuts, vegetables and/or fruits that will provide your body with fuel for the afternoon and keep you full and satisfied until dinner.

For those who access to a refrigerator and microwave, leftovers make a perfect cost friendly and time-saving lunch.  Just make a couple extra servings for dinner and keep refrigerated in an air tight container for the next day.

Packed lunch ideas:

• 2 slices of avocado, 3 ounces of deli turkey, and fresh tomato slices on 2 slices of whole grain bread or 6 inch tortillas (whole wheat or corn)
• 1 Whole grain pita pocket filled with tuna salad made with low fat mayo (or plain Greek yogurt) and fresh tomato slices and lettuce leafs
• Make your own “lunchable”: whole grain crackers, fresh deli meat, and low fat cheese
• 1 cup baby carrots and ¼ cup salsa
• 1 stalk of celery filled with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter (add raisins for “Ants on a log”- fun for the kids)
• 1 cup of raw broccoli and cherry tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of hummus
• ½ cup low fat cottage cheese with ½ cup of fresh fruit
• 2 tablespoons of dry roasted nuts
• 1 cup of low fat yogurt or greek yogurt
• 1 ounce of low fat cheese stick and ½ cup of fresh fruit
• 1 small apple and 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
• ½ cup applesauce (no sugar added)
• ½ cup fat free (or sugar free) chocolate pudding

Over the past three decades, the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool children ages 2-5 years and adolescents’ ages 12-19 years, and it has more than tripled for children ages 6-11 years. Along with the rise in obesity is also the rise in Type II Diabetes which used to be unheard of in young children. Now kids between 10-20 years old represent a very high percentage of the new cases of diabetes being diagnosed.

Portion Distortion: Test Your Knowledge

Portion sizes of food have been gradually increasing over the years.  With this increase in the amount of food served at restaurants, comes an increase in the amount of fat and calories that are consumed resulting in weight gain.

To test your knowledge, take this quiz from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute and see how many more calories you are eating from larger serving sizes compared to 20 years ago.

Ten Diabetes Superfoods

It is important to work these foods into your individualized meal plan in appropriate portions.  The following foods are low glycemic index foods and are high in nutrients that are often lacking in the Western diet, including potassium, calcium, fiber, magnesium, and vitamins A (carotenoids), C, and E.  It is always best to achieve your daily nutrient needs through the diet and foods that you eat.

Beans
You have a variety of options to choose from (kidney, pinto, navy, or black beans).  These are very high in fiber and provide about 1/3 of your daily requirement in just a ½ cup and are also good sources of magnesium and potassium.

Beans are considered starchy vegetables, but a ½ cup provides as much protein as an ounce of meat without the saturated fat. You can use canned beans to save time, but be sure to drain and rinse them to get rid of as much sodium as possible.

Dark Green Leafy Vegetables
These foods are so low in calories and carbohydrates, you can’t eat too much.  Some to choose from include spinach, collard greens, and kale.

Citrus Fruit
Pick your favorites and get part of your daily dose of soluble fiber and vitamin C.  Some to choose from include grapefruit, oranges, lemons, and limes.

Sweet Potatoes
A starchy vegetable packed full of vitamin A and fiber. Try in place of regular potatoes for a lower glycemic index alternative.

Berries
They are all packed with antioxidants, vitamins and fiber. Make a parfait alternating the fruit with light, non-fat yogurt for a new favorite dessert.  Some to choose from include blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries.

Tomatoes
The good news is that no matter how you like your tomatoes are a great source of vitamin C, iron, and vitamin E, whether pureed, raw, or in a sauce.

Fish High in Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Salmon is a popular choice in this category. Stay away from the breaded and deep fat fried variety… they don’t count in your goal of 6-9 ounces of fish per week.

Whole Grains
The germ and bran are the part of the whole grain that contains all the nutrients. These foods also provide magnesium, chromium, omega 3 fatty acids, and folate.  Some a, such as pearled barley and oatmeal, also provide fiber and potassium.  Processed grains, like white bread made from enriched wheat flour, do not give you these healthy benefits.

Nuts
Nuts are a great source of protein, but also provide healthy fats both of which can aid in managing your hunger. Other benefits are a dose of magnesium and fiber.

Some nuts and seeds, such as walnuts and flax seeds, also contain omega-3 fatty acids.

Fat-free Milk and Yogurt
Dairy products contain calcium which can help build strong bones and teeth. Some dairy products are also fortified with vitamin D.  The connection between vitamin D and good health is an emerging topic of research.

*Adapted from American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org)*

Tips for a Healthy Plate

Make half of your plate fruits and veggies

• Fresh, frozen and canned vegetables all count.  For canned vegetables, choose ‘reduced sodium’ or ‘no salt added’ varieties. 

Make at least half of the grains you eat whole grains

• Choose breads, cereals, pasta and rice that are 100% whole grain.  Be sure to check the ingredients list on packaged foods to find those containing whole grains.

Switch to fat free or low fat dairy products

• Fat free and low fat dairy products have the same amount of calcium and other nutrients as whole milk, with less fat and calories. 

Include a variety of proteins in your diet

• Incorporate a variety of protein including seafood, nuts, beans, lean meat, poultry and eggs into your diet.

Be sure to speak with your diabetes educator about an eating plan more specific to your needs.  During your next appointment ask your diabetes educator about how to make a healthy plan specific to you and your lifestyle.

*Adapted www.ChooseMyPlate.gov*

Happy National Nutrition Month!

March is National Nutrition Month — for tips on how to eat right with diabetes, please visit the nutrition section of the DiabetesAmerica website!