Celebrate Your Fuel

There is no shortage of random holidays. Heck, Chase's is a whole book dedicated to every event, everywhere in the world, for every day of the year. One year my cousin Sarah and I were looking for something to celebrate on a whim and utilized Chase's book to come to the decision to celebrate Jon Stewart's birthday (which just happens to be November 28th).

I recently learned of a couple food related holidays. No, not Halloween or Thanksgiving. I may live under a rock, especially concerning pop culture, but I'm not that sheltered. The holidays that I'm thinking of are less about stuffing your face with food and more about putting some thought into what you are stuffing your face with. These days are Food Day, on October 24th, and National Eating Healthy Day, on November 7th.

Food Day dubs itself as "a national celebration and a movement for healthy, affordable, and sustainable food." The idea to know where your food comes from is not a new concept nor is it exclusive to the yoga mat toting, patchouli wearing, bike riding/ hybrid driving population. Although your odds of seeing/ smelling at least one of those defining characteristics exponentially rises in a Whole Foods parking lot. Since authors such as Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser brought the idea of knowing where your food comes from, the "eat real food" concept has gained momentum. (Shocking this isn't common sense.)

More and more stores are offering natural, organic, and locally grown foods. Farmers markets have been popping up in city centers and people across the spectrum are drawn to them. Do you wonder how your diet stacks up to these ideas about healthy, sustainable food? Go ahead and take the Eat Real Quiz and see how your fare fares on it.

National Eating Healthy Day is brought to us by the American Heart Association. In 2010 the AHA launched a goal to get the nation on the road to better heart health. Their aim is to get more employers to initiate wellness programs. There's no reason though that we can't recognize this day as individuals.

The ideas that the AHA promotes are being aware of the difference between healthy fats and not-so-healthy fats and watching sodium in your diet as part of its eating healthy campaign. Healthy fats, for instance, are mono- and polyunsaturated fats that are found in plant products. These types of fats are found in olive oil, avocados, salmon, and nuts for example. As for sodium, many canned products contain large amounts of sodium. Try to look for "low sodium" on product labels or reach for fresh or frozen veggies rather than canned.

I would like to take the AHA's "eating healthy" concept a step further. A lot of chronic diseases, not just those that affect the heart like high blood pressure or high cholesterol, can be prevented with a healthy diet. Fruits and vegetables not only contain vitamins and minerals, but also phytochemicals which may reduce your risk for certain cancers. Check Eat to Defeat Cancer for a list of their suggested foods. Whole grains contain fiber which can help fill you up and has been linked to reducing cholesterol as well. To round out these additional eating healthy concepts, fat free and low fat dairy products contain bone building calcium.

But why limit yourself to celebrating these ideas once a year? Go ahead, you party animal you, and celebrate these days as often as you like. Your body, and the planet, will appreciate you for it.

Notice: Wearing one of these on your head while celebrating either holiday will hamper your ability to appropriately execute your celebration. 

       

Mission (Mostly) Accomplished

My apologies for not keeping up with my nutrition blog in the last two months. To say my life has been hectic would be an understatement. Please note, this entry is not nutrition related in the least. That is unless you are one of many aspiring RDs out there trying to find your place in the nutrition world. That being said, let's move on to my excuse(s).

In April I received a call that I was candidate for a position with Portland Public Schools as a Nutrition Program Manager. This was a dream opportunity for me. Not only would I be able to work in school foodservice, but I would be working with a team already revolutionizing what people visualized when they thought about "school food." I also would be living in Portland, a place that I fell in love with when I visited for a friend's wedding two years ago. This is one of the places that Mr. NN and I had on our "places to live" list after our wedding. 

I'll spare you the boring details and give a brief interview of what the last week of April/ First week of May was like. I flew out to PDX the last weekend in April for the interview, came back to OKC Tuesday, took my final final exam, picked Mr. NN from the airport Wednesday, Friday both of sets of our parents came to OKC and that day I graduated from UCO with my Master of Science. The next day Mr. NN and I started our drive back to Wisconsin. 

Begin "downtime" week.. until Thursday. That day I received the offer from Portland Public Schools. I also found out they needed me to come out for the month of June. So much for what I just unpacked. That weekend I went with Mr. NN and his mom to Michigan to celebrate his cousin's graduation from college. Fast forward the month of May: found a room to rent in Portland, repacked, cleared away some wedding to- dos, and left for Portland, OR on Memorial Day.

June 1st I attended my first work happy hour, which made me feel at home. On June 4th I actually started training for my position and so I wouldn't be lost when the 2012- 13 school year starts (at least that's the goal). The people I work with are fantastic and love food as much as, if not more than, I do. My last day was June 28th and that evening I began my journey home. In Minneapolis on June 30th I was finally reunited with Mr. NN and if all goes according to plan (which it better after this past year) we won't be separated again like that for a long time (like ever). 

During all this I was studying for the CDR Exam, the exam that would officially make me a RD (or as I like to think of it: master of all things nutrition related (until new research comes out)). 

Today, July 11, 2012, it is official: I am Cathy Kozik, RD. 

(At least until August.)

What will I do now with all this free time? 

Oh wait, I guess I should finish planning my wedding.

Maybe I'll write more in here too.         

Alcohol Awareness Month

It seems as if there is a month/ week/ day for everything. For example, according to National Health Observances, April is Alcohol Awareness Month, Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month, National Autism Awareness Month, National Child Abuse Prevention Month, National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, National Donate Life Month, National Facial Protection Month, National Minority Health Month, National Sarcoidosis Awareness Month, Occupational Therapy Month, Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month, STI Awareness Month, and Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month. That is a lot of stuff to be aware of and these are only the health related topics.

Considering most of my readers are from Wisconsin, I decided to pick the topic that most of us are quite familiar with. Alcohol. We are a state known for our beer production and German heritage. I remember hearing in college that girls from Wisconsin were ineligible from participating in Spring Break drinking contests in Florida due their ability to drink everyone, including men, under the table. Heck, I went to a school referred to a Slosh-kosh and we always had spring break over St. Patrick's day due to drunken riots that occurred on campus in the 1960s. Needless to say folks, we might have a bit of a problem and should take a closer look.

Let's start with the basics. Alcohol, a close-cousin to fat, contains 7 calories/ gram. One standard drink contains 15 grams of alcohol and generally equals to 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, and 1.5 ounces of hard liquor. These amounts are based off of the typical alcohol by volume (ABV) or proof. If you're drinking a stronger beer it contains more alcohol and thus less of it would be needed for it be considered a standard drink. If you're curious about what is in your favorite cocktail, visit this cocktail calculator.

Guidelines for alcohol consumption are no more than 1 standard drink per day for women and no more than 2 standard drinks per day for men. Alcohol consumption does not work like a bank account. If you only go out once a week it does not mean that you can drink all 7 or 14 drinks in one night. This is because alcohol is metabolized in your liver and drinking extreme amounts can inhibit the efficacy of your liver function. These pathways in the liver work as hard and as fast as they can to keep up with alcohol intake. As the liver becomes overloaded, it uses back-up pathways to metabolize alcohol which aren't as efficient and lead to there being more by-products. One of the by-products, acetyl-CoA, can be used for energy but if there is no need for it be used then it is used to make fat. This is why people who drink a lot often tend to develop "beer bellies."

Besides weight gain, there is litany of other health issues that can arise from excessive alcohol consumption. Fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, high blood pressure, depression, and an increased risk of breast cancer in women are just a few health concerns. Risky behavior behind the wheel and in the bed also increase with alcohol consumption. Other detrimental health links include increased risk of injury, assault, and potentially even death.

What this all comes down is think before you drink. If you or someone you know might have a problem with alcohol visit Rethinking Drinking. There are plenty of tools on the site that help recognize harmful behaviors and create plans to cut down/ stop drinking. Alcohol Awareness Month is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

America Runs on Green... Symbols on Foods

Today is my last official day of eating as an American. Although judging by what is left in my pantry, not all of it will be thrown away come tomorrow. (A girl on a budget has to eat after all.) Since today was the last official day, I decided to visit a couple places I have been meaning to go to but haven't made it to yet. This was also coupled with the fact I had an all day Saturday class, which already made it easier to grab something out rather than pack my own food.

Breakfast: Dunkin' Doughnuts

I was between two options, the 2 doughnut combo or the bagel and cream cheese combo. Since I knew I wouldn't eat two doughnuts I went with the bagel. While looking over the bagel selections a little green running man caught my eye by the bagels caught my eye. If I have learned anything from food marketing it is that little green symbols represent a "healthy" choices. I opted for a multigrain bagel and veggie cream cheese (which unbeknownst to me was low fat). The nifty thing about DD is that they give you the cream cheese prepackaged, so you have control over how much you use. Thinking I had done pretty good, I went to check out the nutritional information. The bagel has 330 calories without the cream cheese. Calorie wise, I would have better off going with the Boston Kreme doughnut that had 270 calories and no extra condiments needed to make it tasty. Then again that doughnut had 10 grams more of fat and 10 less grams of protein than the bagel. In any case, I was hungry two hours later and in need of a snack. Luckily, I had a pack of graham crackers and peanut butter to help me through the last hour of class before lunch.

Lunch: Chick-Fil-A

Ah, a chain I never eat at because the one day of a week it sounds good to me (Sunday) it is closed. This also happens to be a chain that I always pronounce "Chick-Fil-ahh" rather than "Chick-Fil-A" (nice play on words there guys). To get the authentic Chick-Fil-A experience, I went with the original chicken filet sandwich with waffle fries. Admittedly, I was more impressed with the fries than the sandwich. Then again, I am a sucker for a good fried potato product. (Sonic sweet potato tots, I have my eye on you.) In addition, the sandwich was way smaller than I expected for the price I paid. If I was going to eat a fried chicken sandwhich from a fast-food place I would have rather had a McChicken. This time knowing I did pretty bad, I went to the nutrition calculator and let me say... "yikes!" That little sandwich alone had 430 calories! The whole meal had 830 calories with a whopping 38 grams of fat, 85 grams of carbohydrates, and 35 grams of protein. Sadly, this meal didn't hold me over that well. Almost 1,000 calories (which is was closer to 900 total with condiments) and I still felt a rumble in my stomach a couple hours later.

This time I was saved by a group presenting in my class about food security and a portion of the group was from Saudi Arabia. Since many Oklahomans (and Americans in general) are unfamiliar with common foods in Saudi Arabia, they brought in some (delicious) typical dishes. My particular favorite was the Kabsah rice. I'm fairly certain you can't go wrong with a rice and meat dish (please note my slight carb addiction).

Snack: Yes after all that, I was still hungry. What the truck? I had an Oatmeal Raisin cookie to temporarily satiate me. These raisins were my first, and only, fruit of the day.

Dinner: At home

Really not that interesting, just nachos made with refried beans and pre-made salsa con queso paired with Skinny girl brand "margaritas" (which tastes closer to paint remover than a margarita.) Ole, right?

Round-up: I ate out twice today and after only two meals I was already almost to my estimated energy requirement. It's easy to see from this why so many Americans are duped by signage in stores. Even I, someone with an extensive nutrition background, was taken by the green running man. Needless to say, I am way over my alloted calories for the day. Similar to how most Americans are when they put their nutrition in the hands of others.

Let this "experiment" be a lesson to you all. When you put your nutrition at the hands of others, you're no longer in control of what is going in your body. If you are going to eat at restaurants, be proactive; look at the menu and nutrition facts to aid you in making decisions before you go out. You might be saving your belt a few notches later.

Jack LaLanne Would Be Proud

I am coming to an end of this American Diet. Like many Americans trying to lose weight, the thought of doing a cleanse has crossed my mind. Over the past couple weeks I toyed with the idea of doing an all liquid diet just to quick putting junk in my body and get in vitamins, which have been sorely lacking. Now I'm not talking about the cleanses endorsed by celebrities (who we all know are the people to go to for nutrition guidance). Also, let me clarify that I am not aiming for weight loss, my goal is for regularity and a sense of mountain fresh throughout my body and soul... a sense of "ahhh." (Think relief "ah" and not screaming and running from an axe murderer "AHHHHH!")

A recent article in the health section of TODAY was published about the growing popularity of juice cleanses. In this new trend of fasting, people are drinking juice that they either made at home or purchased in the store. Some of the juice fasts out there promote really cleaning yourself out and giving yourself and an enema with it (I'll just drink it, thank you).

I know after years of science and nutrition classes that the body is an amazing machine. One doesn't need a cleanse to detoxify themselves. We have a liver and kidneys to do that. We don't need to do fasts or liquid diets to rest our digestive system or to clean it out, that's what fiber is for. But every once in a while even I fall victim to the idea that I can survive off of liquids for a day. Then by night fall I am ready to gnaw off my arm and proceed to hunt for some form of solid sustenance.

Juice fasts aren't the most horrible diet ever, especially compared to the alternative (Master Cleanse?). You do get plenty of vitamins and minerals, not failing to mention carbohydrates. However, as noted in the article, a key nutrient is missing in these diets. You're missing protein, the key component of repair and muscle maintenance. The body is an amazing machine, but it can't make protein out of carbohydrates.

If you are considering doing a fast, I have a couple recommendations for you. First, add protein powder to your juice. This way you're still drinking liquids and you're still getting protein. Brands such as Odwalla not only make juice drinks but protein smoothies as well. Just because you are on a juice fast, that doesn't mean that's the only thing you can drink. Try to add in beverages such as water and tea. Not only are these are calorie-free options, but constantly consuming sugary beverages like juice can increase your risk of cavities. I also second the article in recommending going with more vegetable juices than fruit juices. Vegetable juices are lower in sugar, meaning less calories, and can contain different vitamins and minerals in them. If you're juicing at home, please note that fruits and vegetables can have toxins in their seeds and, with extreme consumption of these seeds, can lead to poisoning.

This image of Jack LaLanne was taken from www.thesharkguys.com.


This all being said, I'm not implying that fasting is ridiculous and no one should do it. In some religions followers are asked to fast for days. I can condone a fast for a sacred holiday. That is the difference, these people do it for a spiritual reason while most others do it for weight loss. When you think about it, common religions in America focus on food for holidays, and how much they can consume, rather than going without. Funny how that works.

Easter Diary

Dear Me,

I apologize in advance for what I am about to put my body through. Week one wasn't a bad attempt, but I didn't give it my all. Granted my vegetables were probably on par with what most Americans get (mainly freeze dried, in tomato sauce, or came on what I ordered) but I had a little too much fresh fruit. My apologies. On to celebrate Easter!

Sunday, April 8th

Wake Up Snack

Since I was going to hang out in the fitness center to watch Mad Men I decided I might need a little fuel in my tank. This green egg happened to be just the ticket. What better way to kick start one's day than with jelly beans and chocolate eggs? Doesn't every 8-year-old wish they could do this? When you're an adult, kid, you can!







Breakfast

I forgot how much I like sugar covered donuts. So soft and airy I wonder how something that feels as if it can dance on your tongue could be bad for you. Then I read everything in them and the nutrition facts. (If you want to enjoy them I don't advise doing it until after you've eaten them, or even at all. I'm pretty confident most people disregard both of these anyway.) Obviously, food doesn't have to be a culinary masterpiece for me to enjoy it. However, this "coffee" beverage leaves something to be desired. It tastes more like they dropped a coffee flavored candy in the can, added water, and called it day. Then again, unlike that McDonald's latte, this only has 100 calories (and somehow 3 grams of fiber).

Brunch

It isn't Easter Sunday if you don't go out for breakfast after church. At least, in my family it isn't. So I went to Beverly's Pancake House, a greasy spoon I have had my eye for the last year. I was a little hesitant to try it out based off of the reviews online. Most of these reviews were written about late night service so I decided not to let them deter me. I'm glad I didn't. The service good and the portions were generous. I probably could have gotten three meals out of what I was given. Instead, I opted to eat all the pancakes and half of the omelet and hashbrowns. I saved the leftovers for breakfast tomorrow. Not so shockingly, I was full by the time I was a quarter of the way through the omelet and halfway through the pancakes. But rest assured, I wasn't about to give up and I rallied. Then came the Easter breakfast sedative effect. Looks like I'm off for a nap.

Mid afternoon

Wow, the sounds rumbling in my GI tract could rival a Harley. This may not end well.

Early Evening **Insert Easter candy and Bock beer here**

Dinner

Being I would be cooking for one, I didn't have a traditional Easter dinner. To be fair, the last couple Easters we have spent with Colin's parents and have had non-traditional Easter fare anyway. This year instead of fajitas and margarita it was sangria and leftover Mexican. Not a bad trade off.

Later that evening...

Gosh darn it, it's a holiday! And what is a holiday without dessert? (Never mind all the candy I have eaten today.) So I went out and got myself one of those little lemon pies. Not one of those found by the slice in the bakery. Nope, more like in the candy aisle in a little cardboard box with the photo on the box of what is inside. Which is basically a fruit-flavored filling, sugar-glazed, hot pocket. Nothing like what a maternal figure makes, but it did the job.

Monday, April 9th

I'm glad Easter is not everyday. I woke feeling like I had motor oil instead of blood in my veins. I typically like a morning walk, but this morning instead of getting a walk in I went straight to the fitness center. I made it through my workout and felt bogged down afterwards. I get the same feeling after being on vacation for a few days. You know what vacation is like, you eat most of your food from restaurants and hotel breakfast bars and on top of it are not able to work out. The thing is, during this experiment I haven't changed my workout routine much. I think this diet is beginning to take a toll.

After breakfast leftovers, toast, and a Diet Mountain Dew... I'm feeling fine! No complaints here, let the cycle continue!

Is this how people usually operate?

What The...

Week one recap of attempting to eat like an American.

Amount of soda consumed: 137 ounces= 1.07 gallons.

Sweets: 1 pint of ice cream, Snickers and Peanut M&Ms (post-workout "revivers"), and a few jelly beans and chocolate eggs.

Fast food or restaurant meals: 4

My first meal out was at a taqueria near the clinic I had a rotation at. I decided that I could save the lunch I brought for dinner while in class that night and grab a burrito in the mean time. Unlike American-ized Mexican places, this burrito did not come with the usual add-ons (sour cream, cheese, lettuce, or tomato). It did however come with onions and hot sauce. These would be contributors to my first case of indigestion (along with the Dr. Pepper I opted for). Me still being somewhat health conscious opted for lettuce and tomato and didn't even think of adding on cheese or sour cream. After talking to a clerk at my rotation I learned that she, who is more of an average American, was not a fan of that place (too different her tastes) and proceeded to tell me that I was missing out on a very popular place, Chick-fil-A. I have been in Oklahoma since June and still have yet to visit a Chick-fil-A. Quite honestly, if they were open Sundays, I would be more likely to go there. I made a note of this for future reference.

My next fast food stop was at McDonald's on my way to rotation Friday morning after a bad night of sleep. I had noticed the previous day how busy the drive-thru of another McDonald's on my way to my rotation. Two lanes open and there was still a line going around the building! Figuring that a lot of people grab meals on the road I might as well do that too. Once again, still not completely disregarding what I was putting in my body, I opted for a sugar-free vanilla latte and the fruit and maple oatmeal.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised with amount of fruit in the oatmeal and the taste. Looking at the nutrition, why this tasted so good should be no surprise. Using their Meal Builder this breakfast came out to 420 calories, 12 grams of fat and protein each, and 74 grams of carbs (a mere 5 grams are fiber and 42 grams of sugar). This now makes sense on why I crashed so hard in a group education at 9:30 am. At this point I became caffeine dependent for the rest of the day. Truth be told, I'm not a coffee or even much of a caffeine drinker and I have been drinking a lot more since I started this experiment.

Next meal, dinner out with some of the last class of dietetic interns at a fairly nice Mexican restaurant. This time, I had no regard for what I was ordering. First, everyone gets their own chips, salsa, and queso before they even order. We each had an adult beverage and a meal. I opted for the "fiesta" meal where you pick three items and also get beans and rice with your meal. I chose the pork tamale with carne sauce and the chicken and spinach enchiladas in sour cream and pepper jack sauce. Instead of getting my usually black beans I opted for the pinto beans and sausage (wouldn't everyone get sausage in their beans if they could?). Not going to lie, I probably could have eaten my entire meal. Unlike most people out to eat, I was at a table of health conscious people who were listening to their bodies on when they were full. I settled for eating half of my plate, which is already way more than what I would usually eat, and taking home the rest. Hello Easter Dinner!

Then we have today. Say hello to this little striped number.

Isn't she a hottie?

I normally do not crave meat. But today I wanted... no, I needed... beef. And onion rings. Let's keep in mind this is after I did cardio and went to a yoga class this morning. Real mind, body, stomach connection, huh? I don't know why I was craving beef so much. I can go a couple weeks at a time without meat and not really even think about it. I don't think its becoming more of the average American but more being a hormonal female. In any case, that burger and those onion rings were going to be mine. I had never had Whataburger before. The outside of it always looked cheesy and the sign didn't do much to impress me more than Waffle House, another fine establishment I have yet to visit. I went in, ordered my Whataburger (with American cheese for calcium!)and onion rings. Like fries, all the onion rings rarely make it home.

As I reached my hand into the bag, and felt one golden ring at my finger tips, the light turned green and I had to use that hand for my steering wheel. You know that feeling when you get the taste of something on your tongue and you want more? Now imagine that feeling... on your finger tips. For what felt like an eternity, and was more like two minutes, I had to drive and hope I came upon a red light. Which I thankfully did and got to indulge in my first crisp onion ring. That manage to satisfy my craving until I got home. As walked to my apartment I noticed more dogs than usual were coming to the patio doors to see who was going by. Like men, dogs like the smell of burger on a lady. I got home and decided to put on an episode of 30 Rock to watch with my meal. For some reason, I feel that Liz Lemon would look at me and smile in approval of my choice. I then unpacked my bag and felt my burger, this thing was heavy. And big.

That burger was the size of my face. I almost said "Whataburger!" Now I know how they got the name and why a regular burger there is $3.00. They also had not one, but two kinds of ketchup (regular and a limited-time only spicy). This time, like an American, I ate everything. Sure I could have stopped halfway through but there was something about it that wouldn't let me put it down. One would think you would remain full for quite a while after that. For me it was barely three and a half hours and I needed a snack. Later when I went on a walk the burger in my stomach sat there reminding me it was still digesting in there. This leads to...

Amount of antacids consumed: 4, most of which have been over the last two days.

Other than the indigestion I have to say, I haven't experienced any other noticeable effects since eating like this. I still have the same amount of energy for my workouts. I also had my iron level tested and it hasn't dropped considerably since not taking a multi-vitamin and eating canned ravioli as my only meat source. I also still eat more fresh fruit than most people. I'm going to have to reassess my strategy if I am going to do this right.

As for week two groceries, I figured I was pretty set. I only picked up tortilla chips, salsa con queso, refried beans, soda, cookies, and milk. (My word, who have I become?) I still have one ramen left, pizza, pasta, meatballs, and pasta sauce. I figured in order to drink more juice I would hold off buying fresh produce, since I can't stand the thought of potentially having to throw it away. I will admit, I was fantasizing of shopping in the natural foods section and staring at fresh produce while at the store today.

Tomorrow begins week two. I received an Easter Box from my second mom with an array of candy to help me in my quest. What better way to start week two than with a jelly bean-fueled cardio session that you are only doing so you can watch Don Draper? I mean Mad Men.

Happy Eating and Easter!

Empty Plate to Average American

It is April 1st and National Nutrition Month has come to an end. No fireworks were lit, nor did a solemn trumpet play. I also didn't achieve my goal of having MyPlate at every meal. I was able achieve MyPlate 69 of the 93 meals in March. Since the highlights of this are boring (to review, if I ate like MyPlate I had a fruit, vegetable, protein, grain, and dairy product at every meal), let's review the times I failed miserably and ended up with a stomachache. People like to read about other's pain and transgressions, right?

The first time I failed was St. Patrick's Day. I had my healthy bangers and mash (or as I refer to them Chicki- Chicki, Bang- Bang)and my all green breakfast. For dinner though I folded and went to a place known for their Irish Pub authenticity, Applebee's. I semi-hate myself too, but I had a gift card and I'm in school. I didn't see the option for fresh fruit for a side on their menu, only on their website. Honestly though, how good is a reuben without fries? I ate that sandwich, mounded with corned beef and grilled rye coated with some sort of liquid butter product making my hands a little too lubricated. The first half was decent and I couldn't let the other half go to waste. In the end I sat on my stool feeling Thanksgiving full and in need of a wheelchair to take me to my car.

The majority of the times I failed Mr. Naughty Nutrition was in town. Not that I blame him, we're just more likely to go out to eat making it more difficult to get all the food groups in. Twice we ended up getting loaded fries. "Loaded" shockingly does not equate to a fruit compote or relish on top. We got the loaded fries at the Blackbird in Norman as a no-so-needed late night snack (tell me you can deny the combination of the words "gorgonzola, bacon, and scallions" and the adjectives "melted, crispy, and cool." Didn't think so.) and the other was with our sliders at S&B burger joint (please note, if not in moderation Thunder Fries (spicy thousand island, ham, and swiss cheese)= Thunder Thighs).

S&B Burger Joint is known for their radical combination of toppings on burgers, which you can get in slider (AKA Cathy Size) or regular (AKA Normal Human Size). The best part about sliders is you can try numerous kinds of burgers without having to commit to the full-sized version. Normally I only get one, but with a little arm twisting from Mr. NN I opted for two, the Columbian (sea salt and coffee bean encrusted burger with avocado and bacon) and the Elvis (a bacon cheeseburger with, get this, peanut butter). I didn't see one burger on the menu with fruit on it but that might be in part because my blinders went up after I saw the words "peanut butter." Which I know many of you are disgusted by this thought, but as a PB-phile my knees went weak when the creamy, roasted peanut butter melted on a perfectly cooked burger hit my tongue.

The Elvis, it is now apparent I have a thing for food named after singers. Picture from BigBadBen posted on urbanspoon.com

For two of my meals I had cupcakes. In fact, this last month I have had three cupcakes but only one was between actual meals. The first was the Sir Elton John that I wrote about earlier. That was just grain, dairy, and tasty, fruit flavor. My final MyPlate meal count would be 70 though if I count the Cowboy cupcake from Sara Sara. The Cowboy is a carrot cake base (with real shredded carrots and raisins) topped with cream cheese frosting (dairy) and walnuts (protein). The naughty side is coming out... I'm finalizing my official meal count at 70.

While doing this little experiment I began to wonder, how does the average American eat? I got to doing a little research and found this info-graph to be very interesting: http://visualeconomics.creditloan.com/food-consumption-in-america_2010-07-12/

I was shocked to see that the average American drinks a gallon of soda a week. An entire gallon... in a week! The average person doesn't even drink a half a gallon of milk in a single week. Then it started to make sense on how this was possible after talking to a couple fellow dietetic interns and born-and-raised Okies. In Wisconsin it's common to drink milk with meals growing up. In Oklahoma, however, it is more common to have soda with meals than milk. This blew my mind. I can't remember sitting down to a dinner as kid and having soda unless it was a pizza night.

I was also surprised to see how much fruit and veggies are consumed. If you break it down, the average american has 5.3 pounds of fruit and 8 pounds of vegetables in a week. That doesn't make sense to me. In class yesterday I learned that Oklahoma is number one in low fruit consumption. The average person in Oklahoma has one fruit a day. One. You also have to take into account that fruit and vegetables in dry and juice form also count. Reading the info-graph a little more closely, you'll notice that this graph counts food bought and served but not eaten. Think about all the times you bought produce with every intent on eating it only to find it a couple weeks later starting to grow fur. People are more likely to finish their fries than they are a salad.

You often hear people say, "I started a low carb/ gluten free/ all juice/ tree bark and apple seed/ etc. diet and I feel great! Everyone should do this!" To be honest, I feel good when I eat well. Going gluten-free for a week last year didn't make me feel like I could leap tall buildings in a single bound. Veganism made me want to naw on someone's arm.

Now that National Nutrition Month is over, I'm going in different direction. For the first couple weeks in April I am going to eat like an average American. That's right, I'm eating for convenience. I'm not thinking about the nutrition aspect of it (not when I'm eating it that is).

To start this experiment I had a few staples already. Skim milk, pasta sauce, pre-made turkey meatballs, a frozen pizza (spicy chicken supreme), natural peanut butter, light thousand island salad dressing, and a healthy choice frozen meal. These are all probably healthier than what the average American would have selected, but they are what I had on hand and I didn't feel the need to pick up additional convenience foods. Below is a picture of what I got when I went to the store:

Admittedly, I had to call my sister for her input. She's also a grad student and she generally eats healthy but we were raised in the same household and our parents buy products like the average American. I also know most people have a tendency to mirror their parents food choices. With her assistance I added to the supplies for the week juice cocktail (only 20% actual fruit juice), diet soda (I can't do regular, too sweet), off brand granola bars (I saw them before the Little Debbie Starcrunch and they were cheaper by 20 cents. But the average American would have gotten them so I'll probably get those next time), iceberg salad mix, baby carrots, a few bananas and pears, store brand wheat bread, spaghetti, cheese sticks, canned ravioli, yogurt, ice cream, strawberry preserves, ramen cups, pad thai cup (it was almost triple the price of the ramen at 99 cents but I had to try it), and the thing I am most excited about... the Dulce de Leche Cheerios. Another fellow dietetic intern gave a this cereal a rave review last night. I am a Cheerios fan and it should be noted that a lot of people are. Cheerios is the most popular cereal with over 12% of the cold cereal market share. In any case, this is a new flavor (they also have peanut butter in their multi-grain Cheerios) and it was 56 cents less than a smaller box of regular Cheerios.

Please note: I had Oreos in my cart as well. Unlike the average American I couldn't justify purchasing ice cream AND cookies. I don't eat sweets or desserts daily and adding one a day is already a lot. I may change my mind mid-week though and go back for them. Now that I finished a glass of "juice cocktail", let the average American diet commence!

"I Want to Smash My Face in It!"

Behold, Sir Elton John.

These were the words of a very excited 4-year-old girl as she got into her chair and up to the table at Sara Sara Cupcakes. I had the same thoughts, albeit mine were a little more indecent, about the Sir Elton John I was in the midst of enjoying. Things that would make the real Sir Elton John blush (if he were into women).

The Sir Elton John is a cherry cheesecake cupcake, but definitely not typical in either sense. This cupcake was a bit larger than I was expecting. I noticed a couple was sharing one when I came in and did not finish it between the two of them. Admittedly, I did not have that problem. The Sir Elton John had a dense and very moist cherry cheesecake base. The texture of the cake was soft and had a sense of near underdone-ness about it. More like the cheesecake filling was mixed in with cake batter before baking. There was a thin layer of cream cheese frosting, although the taste of it was so light I couldn't tell it was cream cheese while eating it. The cupcake had an eye catching garnish of graham cracker crumbles with cherry pie filling in the center. Deconstructed, this cupcake had no one feature that jumped out and overpowered the rest of them. Put all the components together though and it was the perfect harmony of moist cake, light frosting, and cherry goodness.

At Sara Sara Cupcakes, cupcakes are the only solid consumable but they do have a few beverage selections to rinse your cake down with. If you prefer milk there is a milk bar, complete with a freezer with milk glasses next to it, with regular, chocolate, and strawberry milk. They also offer coffee (straight up coffee, nothing fancy), tea, hot chocolate, bottled water, and soda. After all, it is really all about the cupcakes here.

The atmosphere inside is calm with soft music and it gave me a sense of being in grandma's kitchen. The entire dining area was immaculate and white. White floors, white lighting, white tables, and white chairs. The only pop of color came from the bright pink doorway I came in through. It is hard to imagine how much cleaning must go on after a small child is given a Count Rockula cupcake. I did see a child knock a table and spill some coffee and chocolate milk on the floor. To my surprise no army of elves came out to clean it up straight away. They must wait until all the guests leave or aren't looking. Being Sara Sara Cupcakes is a cupcake business, there is no shortage of children. Which can make it a little less quiet, especially with hardwood everything which can help amplify their excitement.

During the week Sara Sara Cupcakes offer deals such as Date Night, Student Night, and you can't go wrong with $2 Tuesdays. There are two locations in the Oklahoma City Area, one in the Midtown District in OKC and one in Edmond. If you are in need of a sweet treat and a frosty glass of milk, go ahead and stop by Sara Sara Cupcakes.

Forget the Green Dye

St Patrick's Day is right around the corner. The day everyone is Irish. I mean, bloody heck, who doesn't want to be Irish? Pseudo- Irish pubs fill their parking lots and bars with frat boys and people attempting to relive their college days doing what real Irish folks do, drinking green beer while putting on their "best" Irish accent.

In reality this is scene is making St. Patrick turn in his grave.

I have never been real big on "green" colored foods and drinks (except for Shamrock Shakes). This year in an attempt to not make a mockery of St. Patrick's Day I'm doing something other than Irish Car Bombs. I'm going to make this year the right balance of green foods (yes, foods that are actually green) and Irish fare.

For breakfast I'm trying out a Spirulina & Cashew Bar from Raw Revolution. This little green bar contains both fruit and protein components for MyPate. Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae that counts as a food supplement not a vegetable. In addition to this I'll be having green veggies and to round of out my meal I'll be relying more on green food packaging than actual green foods.



Lunch is going to involve a reuben and for dinner I'll be experimenting with a recipe I revamped for Bangers and Mash. Truth be told, neither of these dishes are truly Irish. The most Irish part of the reuben is the corned beef. According to Wikipedia this sandwich originated in either Omaha or New York. If the legend of the New York reuben didn't pre-date the start of it Omaha by 15 years, I'd give credit to Omaha out of pity for the lack of things they can take pride in. As for the Bangers and Mash, this dish originated in England. Like many English things however, this pub grub found it's way across the Celtic Sea and into Irish Pubs.

As for drinks I have something green and something Irish. (This is starting to sound like a woman getting married "Something old, something blue, etc.") For the green I have a Multi- Green Kombucha Tea that attributes it's color once again to Spirulina. Truth be told, tomorrow is the first time I will be consuming spirulina, fingers crossed it is at least palatable. My Irish is the Snake Chaser Irish Style Stout from Lakefront Brewery. Being in Oklahoma I'd like to be able to tie my Milwaukee roots in with my longing to be Irish, at least for one day.

Go forth and be green lads and lasses! Slainte!

Veggie MyPlate: Good Protein, Lacking Iron

Week one of the MyPlate challenge went off without a hitch, minus the lunch and learn I attended. The meals of the challenge that I had to make changes to the way I ate were breakfast and dinner. Mainly because I don't usually have vegetables at breakfast or fruit at dinner.

An easy way to add in vegetables with breakfast was with vegetable juice. It only takes 4 ounces to equal one serving and voila! Having fruit with dinner wasn't impossible either. In fact, it came to replace my post- dinner chocolate habit that I tend to acquire around the holidays.

Not feeling challenged enough, Monday I decided to go vegetarian for five days. The only reason I'm going five days instead of seven is due to the fact that St. Patrick's Day is coming up. There is no way this girl is going without corned beef and pub food that day. My thoughts going into this vegetarian style were 1.) I wanted to see if it became harder to meet my protein requirements and 2.) if I still felt hungry after meals.

I am currently on day four and still going strong, even with having my breakfast provided by the hospital today. This time instead of dairy being missing, it was the vegetable component that was hard to come by. Everything else (eggs, fruit, toast, and milk) were all pretty easy to find.

The only way I managed to achieve a complete MyPlate breakfast at the hospital today was with a fried hashbrown patty (which of course required ketchup). Not the best or recommended way to do it, but it got the job done. In retrospect, to many Americans this may be exactly how they get a vegetable in the morning. Besides ketchup on their eggs. And a single tear runs down the dietitian's face.

Image from: http://www.reordermenu.com/Breakfast.html

Even with today's little hiccup in my usual eating, going vegetarian has not been bad. I have been getting the protein component with eggs at breakfast, legumes at lunch, and Boca Chick'n Patties (soy) at dinner. Getting protein through these various sources are part of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. At these meals alone though, it is nearly impossible to achieve my protein requirements. I have also been having regular snacks between meals with protein to help keep me from starving and to reach my protein requirement. Snacks have included nuts, peanut butter, and protein bars. Nuts and nut butters are other noted sources of protein in the 2010 DGA.

A bonus of being vegetarian is the additional fiber. Fiber aids in making me feel full after meals without feeling like I need a nap. Having the extra fiber is nice, but it can be a hinderance as well.

The one part of my diet that it has been hard to meet requirements in is iron. Even with fortified foods and a fortified protein bar, it has been difficult to achieve my daily iron needs. True, there are foods that are non-meat based that contain iron. It should be noted that although these foods contain iron, it doesn't mean that your body readily absorbs it. Iron from vegetables and other non-meat products is harder to absorb because it is not in a form that is readily absorbed by the body. Iron in meat products, however, is easier for the body to absorb because of the form it is in. Compounds in plants, tea, and coffee, as well as fiber, can bind to the iron making it unavailable for absorption.

As a vegetarian, one thing you can do to help your body absorb iron in non-meat products is by having Vitamin C with that meal. Vitamin C assists with the absorption of iron by changing the form of iron and making a soluble complex with the iron that is easier for the body to absorb. For instance, have a spinach salad with tomato on it is one way to get your Vitamin C and iron.

Another way to up your odds of absorbing iron is to make sure that you are not having too many other minerals with that meal. Minerals such as calcium and magnesium compete with iron for absorption. In this regard, it is also a good idea to take a look at your multi- vitamin/mineral to see what is in it. Sure, that little pill contains all those things, but that does not mean you are absorbing all of what is in there if it has to compete for absorption.

A vegetarian diet has it's benefits, but it has it's downfalls as well. Eating a balanced diet is the first step in good nutrition, no matter what you choose as your protein source. As a little "health" insurance, it doesn't hurt to take a multi-vitamin/ mineral (even half of one) to help ensure you are getting what your body needs.

First Watch OUT!

Brunch is the perfect meal to end a perfect weekend. In Oklahoma City there is place that I have taken all who visit me to for brunch, First Watch. Judging by the bright, sunny webpage and proclamations of using the freshest and finest ingredients you may be lead to assume that this place has some pretty healthy food.

As part of my National Nutrition Month challenge, I decided to go here for breakfast one day. Here is the Healthy Turkey off of their 'Healthier Side' menu. The omelet is made with egg whites, chopped turkey, spinach, tomatoes, onions, and feta cheese. It came with a side of tomato slices and a dry english muffin. To round off my plate I had my glass of orange juice. Random fact, OJ helps absorb the iron from the spinach.

After my meal I decided to look up the nutrition facts for my meal just to see how healthy it really was. Without the sides or juice, it came out to 206 calories,11 grams of fat, and 37 grams of protein. Not too shabby.

Then out of morbid curiosity I decided to look up my last meal there, the Chickichanga. This supreme breakfast burrito was composed of " Whipped eggs with spicy all-natural white-meat chicken, chorizo sausage, green chilies, Cheddar and Monterey Jack, onions and avocado rolled in a flour tortilla. Topped with Vera Cruz sauce and sour cream. Served with fresh fruit." Pretty much MyPlate made to order and let's just say I cleaned my plate. Now for the facts: 1047 calories, 74 grams of fat, and 53 grams of protein. That is over half of my recommended calories and way over my allotted fat in one meal!

Suddenly this meal didn't sound as healthy as the description it had and I was compelled to check out other items that one would assume were healthy. For instance, a friend and I shared the biscuits and turkey sausage gravy. Turkey sausage, that has to be healthy, right? Nope! This side was 590 calories and 29 grams of fat... for two biscuits with gravy. Not failing to mention the sodium was 90% of the daily requirement. Yikes. Their turkey sausages are 280 calories and 22 grams of fat for four links, you're almost better off getting pork sausage links instead.

The moral of the story is, beware of what appears to be healthy. Just because the menu uses words like "all-natural" and "fresh" does mean it is automatically healthy. If at all possible, look at the menu and nutrition facts online before making your dining decisions. Your waist line will thank you for it.

Hospital Plate

In my quest to achieve MyPlate today I was thrown the luncheon curveball. This curveball occurred last year at the SCAN conference when I was gluten free. At the hospital I am interning at they give an educational lecture series and provide lunch to the attendees. These fortunate participants not only get continuing education credits, but a free meal as well. Since I am not at the point of earning these education credits, I'll take the free meal.

One might assume that being in a hospital you might have healthier food. If you have been in a hospital cafeteria lately you might notice some healthy options, but they are about as healthy as a fast-food restaurant gets. Considering this was a luncheon for hospital staff, catering might want to put their best nutrition foot forward. All this in mind, and the fact this made it into a blog post, it was far from it. Below is a picture that I took of what we were served for lunch.



In all that Oklahoma glory we had BBQ brisket (protein), mustard potato salad and baked beans with chiles (vegetables), jalapeno cornbread (grain), and strawberry halves (fruit*, I had to pilfer one from an RD to make it a whole one). The closest thing I got to dairy was the whipped topping that the strawberry sat on... or the german chocolate cake.

I have to draw a line somewhere, and needless to say, lunch today was fail-zies. Basically zero dairy, two not so great choices for vegetables, and one strawberry.

All that aside, lunch was delicious. Our professor did hand out cheese for a snack at class tonight, but after a meal like that I don't think cheese would have been very beneficial for my GI tract. Next time I'll run to the cafeteria and grab a milk to wash the cake down with.

Are You Game?

Take a deep breath in. Smell that? No, that's not spring you are smelling nor your significant other's feet. It is the beginning of National Nutrition Month. Which basically equates to some tingle of excitement for RDs, DTRs, Dietetic Interns, and nutrition students (formal and informal). This excitement will last of all of, well, today and possibly into next week.

If you are fortunate enough, you may stumble upon an information booth that a RD, or other nutrition maniac, is holding a grocery store. But where is the fun in that? You might get a free apple and, hold on to your seats kids, some handouts concerning what is consider proper nutrition. You may consider looking over those papers but everybody, including that nutrition educator, knows that ultimately you're going to throw them out. By the time you walk away from the booth you're wondering if ketchup on your eggs can be considered a vegetable.


Why is it they are almost always giving away the type of apple most people hate? Image from LongIslandPress.com.

That is about as far as most people will get during National Nutrition Month. More than likely, you won't be seeing any of that.

That's not happening here folks. No way, no how. If you remember last National Nutrition Month I undertook four different dietary therapies/ trends. In case you can't recall, you can catch a glimpse here, here, over here, and right there.

A few months back I wrote a piece on how often people follow the new USDA model for good nutrition, MyPlate. As it turns out, it's one week a year. That is out of the 365 days a year, at 3 meals a day, making that 1,095 meals, only 21 meals are equal to my plate. Kind of sad folks.

I want you to do better. Beat out that average American. You know why? It's because I know people who read this are not the average American. This is my challenge to you. Make one week of your meals this month model MyPlate. That's 21 of the 60 meals you will have this month. (Sorry guys, since I'm posting this after day one there are 3 less opportunities.) I am going to attempt to achieve this all month. (I didn't give myself the late start, I started today and have gotten all my meals to be MyPlate friendly.)

Here are some guidelines to help you out:
1. Ketchup, nor hot sauce, is a vegetable. However salsa and pasta sauces are allowable.
2. You don't have to get exactly one quarter of your plate protein, grains, vegetables, and fruit each. I only want you to get some of all of those things on there.
3. Plates come in all sizes. If you have a big plate don't feel the need to pile it on.
4. This may be a given, but this challenge does accept bowls as a formidable replacement to a plate.
5. Low-fat or fat-free milk is the recommended form of dairy. Low-fat or fat-free cheeses, yogurts, and cottage cheeses are permitted as well.
6. Protein is not just meat. It can be eggs, beans/ legumes, and nuts.
7. Try to make your grain selections whole-grains.
8. This challenge does not apply to snacks, just meals.





I will document what I find pertinent and, as always, entertaining. If you're feel like a nutrition rockstar, go ahead and post a picture of your plate or bowl in the comments to show off what you did. I only request that you don't post pictures of someone snorting what appears to be a sugar substitute imitating real rockstars.

Enchilasagna

If that is too much of a tongue-twister for you, "Tex-Mex Lasagna" is another formidable title.

It's new recipe time! I was looking for ideas for meals last week when I came across a Cooking Light Recipe for Tex-Mex Lasagna. It sounded good, black beans, salsa, mexican cheese... but upon further inspection I saw that it called for regular lasagna noodles. For some reason I didn't feel like it meshed well with the recipe. After scrounging through other recipes of tortilla casseroles and the like I came up with this hybrid.

Unlike regular lasagna, I don't feel the need for a nap afterwards. In fact, I feel like I can do just about anything. If you're bored with regular lasagna or looking to try something new, give this recipe a go.

Enchilasgna (Makes 12 servings)

What You Need:

2 cups of pulled or chopped cooked chicken (pulled apart or cut into pieces (I used meat from baked, skinless chicken legs)
1 can of mexican diced tomatoes
1 can of green chiles
1 1/2 cups of yellow corn
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed.
1 cup of chopped onion
1 tablespoon of chili seasoning
1 cup of salsa
2 cups of low-fat mexican cheese
18 corn tortillas
Light sour cream (optional)
Green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the chicken, diced tomatoes, green chiles, corn, black beans, chopped onion, and chili seasoning in a large bowl. Line a 9x 13 pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Lay down one layer (about 6) tortillas on the bottom. Top with half of the mixture. Cover with 1/2 cup of the cheese. Lay down another layer of tortillas and repeat with the rest of mixture and 1/2 cup of cheese. Lay down the last layer of tortillas and cover with 1 cup of salsa and 1 cup of cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil after 35 minutes and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and let it stand for 5 minutes. If you dig in immediately, your dinner look more like earthquake rubble than a layered masterpiece. In that case you can call it "Pile O' Tex-Mex."

If your little heart desires, top with sour cream and green onions.

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 289 cal.
Fat: 7 grams
Saturated Fat: 2.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 43 grams
Fiber: 6 grams
Sugars: 6 grams
Protein: 26 grams
Vitamin A: 7%
Vitamin C: 18%
Calcium: 29%
Iron: 15%