Spooky Nights

Last night we visited my in-laws for an annual trick-or-treating and Halloween party.  I stuck to my word and supplied some veggies to keep something in the stomachs of my children that was healthy. They actually ate very little candy :) and my brain was a big hit. I used cauliflower and added some veins to make my brain that oozed with monster dip.  That would be a guacamole that I made with avocados, a little lime juice, tomatoes, red onion and cumin.  I was pleasantly surprised that on a night filled with more candy than kids need in an entire year all of the veggies were gone!!!

The oddly healthy twist to Halloween continued as Phil & I ventured into downtown Uniontown for a Haunted Walking Tour hosted by the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce. While it was definitley not a walk to get your heart rate up, it was a great chance for us to get in the Halloween Spirit and experience a few spooky thrills hearing the tales of ghosts that haunt the Fayette County Courthouse, Jail, State Theater, City Streets, Cemeteries, Titlow Tavern and even the building that now is home to DiMarcos. It didn't take much effort and we were able to transform a holiday that usually leads to a pound or two of added weight into a great night that didn't make us "fall off the wagon," but still had all of the treats, tricks and frights that are Halloween.

You can add some fun to your spooky nights too!  While there aren't Haunted Walking Tours in Uniontown tonight, look at other communities, visit haunted hayrides, look at your local historical sites many of them are hosting ghost tours this weekend.  If you are one of my Fayette County friends, check out Nemacolin Castle in Brownsville, Allen's Haunted Hay Rides, Rich Farms or Haunted Hills Estates. 

If you are going to a Halloween party, try making my veggie brain with monster dip or something else creative to make sure that you can enjoy these Spooky Nights and not regret it the next time you step on the scale.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween

For a dietitian, Halloween is one of those holidays where you just cringe.  At our local Halloween Parade this week, I heard a mother say "All this candy is great, now we don't have to stop and get the kids dinner!' I by no means turn into a Halloween Witch when it comes to Halloween Candy, but I do think that you need to set some limits and also to make sure that you don't skip the real food too!

I will admit getting my kids to eat real food before trick or treating is a little bit of a challenge but the Trick is to make that real food a Treat too.  You can try things like making a skeleton out of veggies and making the head a bowl of low fat dip.  I haven't decided but I think I will be making a "brain" out of cauliflower and filling it with monster dip (ok maybe it is my own version of guacamole but at least it has some nutrition).  You can make witch or monster fingers with grilled chicken strips with slivers of red bell pepper inserted into the tips to make the finger nails.  I even got a recipe that made mini-jack-o-lanterns out of oranges and filled them with fruit salad. Sometimes you just need to rename things to make it fun too! A great homemade tomato-based soup can easily be transformed into Vampire Blood Stew or something similar.  Be creative and don't forget to have fun with the healthier treats this Halloween too!

Happy Halloween!

Misleading Labels

This week when I was grocery shopping at a local discount grocery store, I stopped to read the labels on bread. I was in a store I don't usually shop in and they had different brands so I felt I should compare.  First I picked up the package for the Whole Grain bread that was with the "healthy breads" the ones the store groups together. It had the fancy label and highlighted that the bread was whole grain. I will say it looked good :) I read the label and each slice was 100 calories with 3 grams of fiber. It was the "best" of the healthy breads in this discount grocery store so I tossed it in my cart.

I walked down a few feet and saw that hiding among the rest of the bread was another loaf of whole grain bread.  It's package didn't differ from the white bread except for a very small 100% whole wheat on the top.  I figured I should read the label just to see what this store had to offer.  The slices were a little smaller, the size of a regular bread pan not the wide pans that companies use to make whole grain bread.  I HATE when they do that.  So as I looked at the Nutrition Facts Panel, I found it only had 50 calories per slice and 2 grams of fiber.  So per calorie, I got more fiber and I could have two pieces for the same 100 calories.. I continued to compare the labels and found it had less sodium too! Then when I looked at the ingredient list I saw that sugar was lower on the ingredient list. SOLD!!!

Just behind me were two ladies shopping together.  One saw me reading the labels and watched me put down the "healthy package" loaf and pick up the other so she grabbed it too.  Her friend looked at the labels and insisted she by the Whole Grain loaf I originally had because it had more fiber. She put back the one she originally had and grabbed the loaf her friend suggested. I was tempted to turn around and try to educate them on reading the entire label not just one item but I did that once and ended up almost teaching a class in the middle of the store.

Companies will do what they need to do to sell you their product. Marketing and packaging are used to the product.  The food industry knows you want the fiber so they will highlight it on the package.  Remember, there is always more to the store and reading the entire label is the only way you will know which is the better choice.  Of course, it takes time to read all of those labels. But remember if you are buying mostly fresh and frozen fruits and veggies and lean meats, that doesn't leave too many things you have to read the labels on.  Plus you can remember you favorite brands. 

This past week the Institute of Medicine recommended a food rating system with criteria and standardized labels for packaging that would standardize the qualifications for labeling food as healthy and making the criteria the same across packaging.  It could be a great idea but I suspect it will not happen overnight due to conflicting views that will develop over what the criteria will be.  In the mean time, take the time to read the whole label.  If you have questions about it, just send me a message and I'll be glad to help :)

All the Flavors of Fall

When fall arrives, my menu seems to change a little. I love to add things like apples and pumpkin into my meals. Last night I updated an old favorite and made a great healthy brinner for my family.  (FYI Breakfast for Dinner=Brinner).  I added the flavors of fall to a breakfast staple that really upped the nutritional value too.  My menu was simple pumpkin pancakes topped with cinnamon apples and toasted walnuts or as I like to call it fall on a plate. 

The kids loved it, Phil loved it and the ultimate comfort food had much a lot more nutritional value that your traditional pancakes.  Adding the pumpkin added fiber and lots of beta-carotene.  I even added healthy omega-3's by topping with walnuts and got some great protein too.   I even got in a serving of fruit by adding the apples. Sometimes adding just a few ingredients can spice up a meal and make it more nutritious. Be creative and you can make nutritious food, delicious food.


PS.  Click here to view the recipe.  I switched out half of the flour with whole wheat flour, used canola oil instead of vegetable oil, used half the brown sugar, and just to save some money I used pumpkin pie spice instead of all the others, its the same thing anyway.

Here We Go Steelers

This past Sunday, I spent a wonderful day with Phil watching a fantabulous Pittsburgh Steelers' victory.  We started the game by visiting old friends and meeting some new ones at a traditional Pittsburgh Style tailgate.  While it had all of the important elements of a Pittsburgh Steeler tailgate, this one had something that many do not.  On the buffet table amidst the wings, dip, and potato chips, I saw healthy choices.  A low fat, bean and veggie loaded chili.  It didn't stop there either there was a great big bowl of fresh fruit and fresh veggies cut up. The choices weren't just sitting on the table either. People were grabbing those pieces of fruit and filling up on the veggies.  And I will add that our hosts did not know that I am a dietitian.

So many times we don't include the healthy options because we think everyone does not want them at events like football games.  Instead of assuming, if you would think about grabbing veggies or a piece of fruit yourself include them in your menu. You never know who else might want a better option. 

An Apple a Day

Every news website, tv channel and newspaper is remembering the legacy that is Steve Jobs.  The "creative genius and visionary" has influenced so much of our world. While everyone else will be talking about the technology and business sense, I would like to thank Steve Jobs for helping to create healthier and more fit people. You might laugh at that logic but in terms of health, the ipod, itunes, and perfectly created playlists are they key to a great workout for me and so many other people.  Without my ipod, I might only walk for 20 minutes instead of 40. I could not ride a stationary bike for more than 15 minutes without being bored.  Sure there were "walkmans" and portable CD players but the ipod has made it easier for all of us to find the music that will inspire and motivate us to continue with our workouts.  Steve Jobs vision allowed us to create a playlist that we can use to train for a marathon, a triathalon or just to walk our first mile.   Think about how difficult it was to carry that big portable CD player while you were running. It wasn't easy!

Take it a few steps further and the iphone has revolutionized the way that I can help people to change the way they eat and take care of their diabetes.  By using apps to track calories or count carbohydrates, people can easily make changes and on-the-spot decisions to live healthier lives. IPads are even used in medical centers across the country to teach patients how to lead healthier lives.   If used to its full potential, the technology and applications made available by apple can help each of us to live healthier lives; it can't do the work but it can make it easier and more enjoyable.  Like they always said..an Apple a day keeps the doctor away.

RIP Steve Jobs

Girls Night Out

I feel very fortunate that I have a bunch of girlfriends that make me laugh, listen to me complain and love to get together for a night out with just friends.  Not that I don't love my husband and my children but I think that a monthly night out with the girls is exactly what I need to stay healthy both mentally and physically.  We get together at least once a month for dinner and great conversation.  I will admit that it usually revolves around food but we usually pick a restaurant that allows us to make relatively healthy choices.

Regardless, it isn't always about the food. Sometimes it is mani-pedis, of course that is tough with a big group.  There are also spa nights or days at the spa. Of course that can get pricey but there are so many other things you can do. My friends have spent days navigating ropes courses, taking golf lessons, and running or walking 5Ks together.  A bunch of us actually plan to do a turkey trot 5K on Thanksgiving morning. You just need to take a few minutes to think and you can come up with a million things to do with your girlfriends that aren't all about food.

I will share that while I love to cook, that is the only thing that I do that is "domestic."  As a result, I am determined to use a few girls nights to learn a little more about sewing.  Many of my friends have been sewing together for quite some time. They get together to go to classes or just stay at home and work on making quilts. While I am pretty sure that I won't be quilting anytime soon, maybe I'll be able to at least make curtains for my bedroom. It doesn't have to be about sewing though.  You can get together and learn how to make different crafts or visit a craft center where you can all work on something different. Some florists will even host classes where they teach you how to arrange flowers. This is an easy activity you can even do at home for very little money.

There is always shopping excursions but anyone could think of that.  Instead think of outside the box things that you can do with your friends that don't revolve around food.  Think of taking a new exercise class hula hoop, belly dancing, or trapeze.  Set up a night at a local martial arts studio and learn some self defense moves.  Take a few lessons from the guys. Go to a sporting event like a pro of college football game. Heading to Penn State for a football game with my friends is one of my favorite girls' day out activities.  Spend the day canoeing or even white water rafting.  Take a kayak class.

This month, grab you friends and do something to get you in the Halloween spirit.  Get together and have a psychic party. Visit a local haunted house or take a haunted hayride.  Look for ghost tours in your community.  I know where I live there are tours of a haunted castle and even the City of Uniontown will share tales of ghosts that haunt local landmarks with walking tours through the city.  If you aren't into Halloween, grab your girlfriends and find a corn maze. 

Regardless of what you choose to do with your girlfriends, remember it doesn't always have to be about food.  Whatever you choose, those friendships are great for your health! Have fun!