The FIRST ingredient should start with “Whole” when it comes to grains!

Food manufacturers are really good at tricking the public into thinking that the food they are eating is healthy, especially when it comes to grains. In particular, snack manufactures trick those people trying to make health conscious decisions by calling products “multigrain” or even “whole grain” crackers or chips, when they are not even close! For example, Stacy’s Multigrain Pita Chips, “Whole Grain” Ritz Crackers, and Lance Whole Grain Peanut Butter crackers all have “Enriched Wheat Flour” (i.e: white, refined flour) as their FIRST ingredient. Rye is technically a whole grain, but good luck finding a whole grain rye bread at the supermarket. Every sliced rye bread I have found on store shelves has “enriched wheat flour” as the first ingredient. The only true rye bread I have found at a grocery store is the Mestemacher brick of a bread loaf. 

Whole grains are incredibly important to health because of their antioxidant, phytonutrient, fiber, and vitamin and mineral makeup. Whole grains are essential to expedite weight loss and for people looking to maintain weight loss. Eating refined grains won’t do you any good, so do your best to make it a habit to look at the ingredients when purchasing products. Don’t fall into the marketing tricks!

My recommendation: Try new grains! Get more adventurous than just whole wheat flour, whole grain corn, brown rice, and wild rice- though they are all very nutritious. Try quinoa, farro, oats, barley, bulgur, spelt, teff, amaranth, millet, etc- many of which are found in the bulk bins at Whole Foods! I also recommend making your own bread. It really isn't that difficult to do. Try making your own homemade roti, which requires no yeast and can be made in a matter of minutes. Whole Wheat Beer Bread is also a crowd pleaser, and very easy to make (I recommend using ALL whole wheat flour, or whole wheat pastry flour). Becoming more domestic will make you a healthier, richer person!

Tip of the Week: Get “WHOLE-ly” with Grains!

 

            This week, only allow yourself to eat grains that are 100% WHOLE GRAIN. Many are convinced the gluten-free diet sheds weight, when the reality is that most people are probably just cutting out things they used to overeat (pasta, crackers, cookies, etc). Whole grains are vital for weight loss and maintenance, as well as overall health, so they are important to include in your diet. By challenging yourself to only eat whole grain products; you will have to say no to those Stacy’s Pita chips, a hoagie on a plain roll, regular pizza, or pasta at a restaurant. You will learn to seek out whole grains, and when eating out, you will automatically be making healthier choices by skipping the pasta-based dishes altogether and hopefully ordering the fish that comes with a side of vegetables and red quinoa! Whole grains can include: whole wheat flour, brown rice, quinoa, amaranth, bulgur, barley, buckwheat, popcorn, wild rice, whole grain corn, oats, and other more exotic grains.

          Note: This is just a one week exercise. You should never go on a diet that completely prevents you from eating things you enjoy (unless specified by a medical doctor). However, this activity will train you to think about the grains you’re about to eat and whether they are helpful (whole grain) or harmful (refined grains). The goal is to learn to eat primarily whole grain products for the rest of your life!

Nutrition counseling reimbursement may be available for the following insurance plans:

Latest post on PHILLY HEALTH WATCH: Coping with Stress Eating

Read my latest post on PHILLY HEALTH WATCH, "Coping with Stress Eating":
http://phillyhealthwatch.com/2012/08/09/coping-with-stress-eating/

Learn why you tend to gain weight easier when stressed, and what you can do about it!

Quin-what??? Oh, quinoa!

As you may or may not know, March is National Nutrition Month (NNM), and the theme is "Eat Right With Color." Two of my goals for NNM are: 1) For everyone to try to eat a healthy diet (full of naturally colored foods) for at least the month of March, and 2) Try a new (healthy) food each week. For this week, I encourage you to try Quinoa (If you read my post a few months ago on vegetarian sources of protein, I touched on quinoa).

Quinoa (pronounced "keen-wah") is an ancient grain that was once labeled the "Gold of the Incas" because of it's superfood qualities... it was one of three staple crops for the Incas (corn, potatoes, quinoa). Quinoa is actually a seed from a plant that is a relative of swiss chard and spinach. This super- seed contains carbohydrate and tastes a little like a couscous, but unlike other grains, it is also a source of complete protein. By complete protein I mean that it contains all essential amino acids... yes, the same quality as meat, imagine that! So for all of those people who worry about vegetarians not eating enough protein (or high-quality protein) because they don't eat slaughtered animals, be comforted by the fact that they can obtain the same quality of protein from meat-free sources (same is true for soy!). In addition to being a high quality protein, quinoa contains high levels of magnesium and manganese, and is a good source of iron, fiber, and contains 60 mg omega-3's (higher than other grains).

As far as taste goes, it is somewhat nutty, but like pasta and rice, it takes on the flavor of whatever you are cooking it with. You can always roast the dry quinoa before cooking to bring out a more nutty flavor. Quinoa is somewhat chewy, yet soft, and crunchy at the same time. You'll just have to try it....

Nutritional Breakdown: 1/4 cup dry contains 160 calories, 2.5 g fat (0.25 g SFA, 0.65 MUFA, 1 g PUFA), 30 g carb (2.5 g fiber), 5.6 g protein, 10% DV Riboflavin, 10% DV Vit E, 22% DV Iron, 22% DV magnesium, 48% DV manganese, 9% DV potassium

Where to find: Most grocery stores have caught on that quinoa is a hot superfood and it is now stocked in most markets. The most popular brand is Ancient Harvest (see picture above) and you can find this in the natural foods section or with pastas and grains at Whole Foods.

How to Enjoy: Mix one part quinoa to two parts water, boil, and bring to a simmer until water is absorbed (around 15 minutes for 1 cup quinoa).
Breakfast: Cook as detailed above and then prepare like oatmeal (add cinnamon, sweetener, and fruit).
Lunch: Cook grain and use to add crunch to salads or sandwiches
Dinner: Use instead of rice, or make a pasta salad substituting quinoa for the pasta.
Dessert: Cook with coconut (or cow's) milk, add sugar, walnuts, and cooked fruit

Recipe: Quinoa and Black Beans

1 tsp canola oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, pressed and chopped

1 block extra firm tofu

¾ cup uncooked quinoa

1 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp tumeric

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup fresh, salt-free canned, or frozen corn kernels

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups mixed vegetables

½ cup fresh cilantro

Heat oil in medium saucepan and sauté onion and garlic until fragrant and light brown in color. Add tofu and some chicken broth until tofu begins to brown. Add quinoa, top with chicken broth and spices and bring to a boil and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Stir in corn, black beans, and cilantro and cook for a few minutes until heated through.

References:
1. World's Healthiest Foods Website. "Quinoa" Available at: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=142&tname=foodspice

2.  Recipe adapted from http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/quinoa-and-black-beans/Detail.aspx

Carbs have a bad "wrap"

Over my past month working at CLM, I have noticed that most conversations revolve about carbohdyrates. More specifically, it sounds like most people think of carbs as being on the same playing field as alcohol (ie: “use in moderation”). I  understand why people might believe this, and I attribute a lot of this misinformation to ”low carb diet” marketing, and also, since we are in a fitness center, protein is obviously king (or weight lifters believe anyway…. but protein is a topic for another day). One day I actually had someone ask me if eating plain oatmeal for breakfast is bad…. let me tell you, that is usually the ultimate goal when working with clients- to have someone eat plain oatmeal for breakfast! That would be huge!

So, let me try to unravel the truth about carbs for you. If carbs were really bad and the cause of weight gain, then why is the staple food of 90+ percent of all ethnic diets a carbohydrate and the diets that are most carb based did not see an obesity epidemic until newer processed foods were introduced? (Asian= rice, noodles; Indigenous America= corn, wheat; Africa= wheat, root crops; Mexican= rice, beans; Eastern Europe= Potatoes; Meditteranean= pasta (wheat)). Populations have survived for thousands of years with the large majority of their diet based heavily on carbohydrate, and it isn’t until recently that we’ve seen obesity. Interesting, eh?

But while our ancestors may have followed a “high carb” diet, they weren’t exactly eating the same “carbs” that we see today. I’m not even sure if I would call many of the products out on the market real food…. but they do contain carbs. I’m talking about potato chips, “cheese puffs”, high fructose corn syrup and acid (ie: soda), puffed rice/corn loaded with sugar and called “cereal”, grains stripped of their natural nutrition and called “white bread”, etc. If only we ate natural and unprocessed foods, we would be eating some of the healthiest foods on earth (ie: sweet potatoes, beans, quinoa, fruit, etc.). Yes, carbs are found in fruit, vegetables, and dairy… and that doesn’t make them bad! There is a reason why the majority of most diets are carbohydrate based- high quality carbs contain high quality nutrition (iron, folate, B6, riboflavin, B6, zinc, etc.) that you just can’t find in protein and fat.

So, stop counting carbs and instead go load your shopping cart with whole grains, legumes, fruits, veggies, and dairy. Enjoy!