Hello All,
What does the title of my blog today have to do with food? Well, let me take a moment to explain. When shopping for food, (or any pre-packaged item for that matter) one should read the label. For food items, the largest quantities are at the beginning of the ingredients list. Say for instance you're buying cookies, flour is the first ingredient (usually enriched flour, meaning wheat/white flour with other things added to enrich the shelf life of the product) then other things you may or may not be able to pronounce, vitamins, sugar, oils etc. Let's look at Quaker oats (not the instant)- these contain "natural whole grain Quaker quality rolled oats", no additives, fillers, or sugars.
I decided to bring you this topic because the other day I was in the store to get some sweetened condensed milk which is what I sweeten my coffee with. Because I like my coffee with milk or cream and sugar I found that this was a good way for me to lighten and sweeten my coffee both at the same time. Cutting down on my sugar intake, and the flatulence that occurs when I eat certain dairy products (as I'm lactose intolerant and some dairy products also contain carrageenan which is a thickener). So as I proceeded down the aisle there were some cans of sweetened condensed milk on sale. And I thought okay, I can save a bit by purchasing this brand instead of my regular brand. Fortunately for me, I decided to put on my glasses and read the label. There was oil in that brand of milk! Now for the life of me I can't figure out why there was oil in something that should only be milk and sugar. Needless to say I was mortified!!! LOL.
Anyway, once I got the right brand of milk and left the store, I reflected on the importance of reading the label of everything I/we buy to make sure that we know what we're putting into our bodies.
Another thing I've been noticing is that a simple box of shortbread cookies is just about $5. For those of you who are challenged in the culinary arts the cost is not prohibitive, but for me, I was aghast at how much it cost for one box with two stacks of cookies. Needless to say I did not buy them, I ate an apple instead.
So, all this to say take the time to read the labels of the items you want to purchase. I've found that a lot of products list their ingredients on their websites. I think this is an excellent practice because it allows you, the consumer to do a bit of research before you buy to make sure that you're eating as healthy as you can. One of my professors has an expression you may not get at first, but think about it, and it will make sense to you - he would say "more than enough is not better than enough".
Take a moment when you're shopping to read the label, pull out your smart phone and do a bit of research and make sure you're getting not only the best for your money, but ingredients that will not cause you or the environment undue harm over time.
Simply sharing, as always with love,
J
Monday, February 6, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Eating Healthy
Hello All,
Everyone has their own idea of what eating healthy means for them. For some it's fried Tilapia everyday, for some its Morning Star products for others it's freshly prepared from scratch meals. No matter what eating healthy means to you, make sure that you've done your homework, or due diligence and discovered what works best for your lifestyle, your budget, your dietary needs (after consulting your physician of course).
Beware of "Quackery" in other words, if it sounds to good to be true it most likely is. Below is a link from WebMD that should help you with that - http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/guide/health-quackery-spotting-health-scams.
Be sure that you do some research from reliable sources such as - http://www.eatright.org/. and http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/. These sites provide a plethora of helpful information for you to use to make informed choices about your diet and the diet of your loved ones.
No matter what healthy eating means to you, be sure that you're doing all you can to learn about what healthy eating can do for you. And don't forget to exercise, walking around your neighborhood is free!
Much love,
J
Everyone has their own idea of what eating healthy means for them. For some it's fried Tilapia everyday, for some its Morning Star products for others it's freshly prepared from scratch meals. No matter what eating healthy means to you, make sure that you've done your homework, or due diligence and discovered what works best for your lifestyle, your budget, your dietary needs (after consulting your physician of course).
Beware of "Quackery" in other words, if it sounds to good to be true it most likely is. Below is a link from WebMD that should help you with that - http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/guide/health-quackery-spotting-health-scams.
Be sure that you do some research from reliable sources such as - http://www.eatright.org/. and http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/. These sites provide a plethora of helpful information for you to use to make informed choices about your diet and the diet of your loved ones.
No matter what healthy eating means to you, be sure that you're doing all you can to learn about what healthy eating can do for you. And don't forget to exercise, walking around your neighborhood is free!
Much love,
J
If Not Now, When?
Hello All,
One of the many frustrating things (at least to me) I hear from people all the time is "I DON'T HAVE TIME". People often say to me that they don't have the time to cook, or to cook from scratch which is something I strongly advocate. Now, lets get this straight, I'm not saying that you have to cook organic foods, although that helps (if you can afford it) but in my experience things worth having such as good health are worth taking time for. Think about it this way, if you don't take the time now, you may be forced to take the time later, because you may (or not, God willing) develop a health issue that will require you to change your eating habits, so why not start today!
Start small, get some fresh broccoli, cut off the stems and steam the florets (this is what a head of broccoli is called). What you don't have a steamer? That is okay, just put a little water (1/2 cup or less) or vegetable, chicken or beef broth in the bottom of a pot and let it come to a low boil, add the broccoli florets and cover. Let steam for about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the flame, let cool and you now have some nice steamed broccoli. You can do this with just about any fresh vegetable you may fancy. This gives you a serving of vegetables, and fiber.
You may love corn and are challenged about how to cook it besides creamed or just plain old boiled. Well try some Confetti corn. You make this with a little minced red onion, minced Orange bell pepper, and some fresh basil, chopped roughly. Contact me for the exact recipe, but that is a viable option, and I'll even let you use frozen corn! LOL.
Another way to look at this is: when you're making a new friend you want to spend time with that person, talking and such. Well become your own new friend and take the time to get to know yourself through healthy eating.
Yes, I advocate eating healthy and cooking from scratch, and yes I do practice what I preach. I make my own soups, spaghetti sauce, pancakes, granola, etc, and at some point I may bake my own bread. Let me give you an example of the perfect time to cook a bunch of dishes and freeze them. Last weekend it snowed, and if you didn't have anywhere you absolutely had to be, you were home. If you'd been to the grocery store prior to the snow falling, then you had some food in the house and you were able to cook a few things and freeze them. Another way this could work for you is if you're home at least one day a week and do a little advance planning. Plan out what you think you might like to eat for lunch and dinner for a week and head to the grocery store. Select some recipes and get to cooking. I know for a fact that this works because I've done it ( I once had 3 jobs and the one day a week I was home all day was my day to cook and freeze). I would prep some turkey burgers but not cook them cause they're pretty easy, just pop them in the oven. I would make a pan of lasagna, cut it up once it cooled and freeze that. I would make my spaghetti sauce and freeze that so when I wanted something different from what was already cooked I could have it, something like Shrimp Fra Diablo, or Penne ala Vodka. These don't take a long time to make and the sauce was already made all I had to do was defrost it.
So, think about it, there are many ways to eat healthy ( I even oven fry chicken and it's pretty good if I do say so myself) do what works best for you and your dietary needs, think outside of the box, experiment a little with different flavors and have fun!
Much love!
J
One of the many frustrating things (at least to me) I hear from people all the time is "I DON'T HAVE TIME". People often say to me that they don't have the time to cook, or to cook from scratch which is something I strongly advocate. Now, lets get this straight, I'm not saying that you have to cook organic foods, although that helps (if you can afford it) but in my experience things worth having such as good health are worth taking time for. Think about it this way, if you don't take the time now, you may be forced to take the time later, because you may (or not, God willing) develop a health issue that will require you to change your eating habits, so why not start today!
Start small, get some fresh broccoli, cut off the stems and steam the florets (this is what a head of broccoli is called). What you don't have a steamer? That is okay, just put a little water (1/2 cup or less) or vegetable, chicken or beef broth in the bottom of a pot and let it come to a low boil, add the broccoli florets and cover. Let steam for about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the flame, let cool and you now have some nice steamed broccoli. You can do this with just about any fresh vegetable you may fancy. This gives you a serving of vegetables, and fiber.
You may love corn and are challenged about how to cook it besides creamed or just plain old boiled. Well try some Confetti corn. You make this with a little minced red onion, minced Orange bell pepper, and some fresh basil, chopped roughly. Contact me for the exact recipe, but that is a viable option, and I'll even let you use frozen corn! LOL.
Another way to look at this is: when you're making a new friend you want to spend time with that person, talking and such. Well become your own new friend and take the time to get to know yourself through healthy eating.
Yes, I advocate eating healthy and cooking from scratch, and yes I do practice what I preach. I make my own soups, spaghetti sauce, pancakes, granola, etc, and at some point I may bake my own bread. Let me give you an example of the perfect time to cook a bunch of dishes and freeze them. Last weekend it snowed, and if you didn't have anywhere you absolutely had to be, you were home. If you'd been to the grocery store prior to the snow falling, then you had some food in the house and you were able to cook a few things and freeze them. Another way this could work for you is if you're home at least one day a week and do a little advance planning. Plan out what you think you might like to eat for lunch and dinner for a week and head to the grocery store. Select some recipes and get to cooking. I know for a fact that this works because I've done it ( I once had 3 jobs and the one day a week I was home all day was my day to cook and freeze). I would prep some turkey burgers but not cook them cause they're pretty easy, just pop them in the oven. I would make a pan of lasagna, cut it up once it cooled and freeze that. I would make my spaghetti sauce and freeze that so when I wanted something different from what was already cooked I could have it, something like Shrimp Fra Diablo, or Penne ala Vodka. These don't take a long time to make and the sauce was already made all I had to do was defrost it.
So, think about it, there are many ways to eat healthy ( I even oven fry chicken and it's pretty good if I do say so myself) do what works best for you and your dietary needs, think outside of the box, experiment a little with different flavors and have fun!
Much love!
J
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Food Safety and YOU!
Hello All,
While doing some research today, I came across some interesting information that I decided to share with all of you. Food safety should be one of your top priorities because buying, storing and preparing food requires (for the home cook and for the food service professional even more so) an understanding of how to buy, store and prepare food. For instance when defrosting in your refrigerator any type of poultry product, be it chicken, ground turkey, turkey or ground chicken, you should place the product in a rimmed bowl, or a plate large enough to hold the item and place this on the bottom shelf of your fridge so that as it defrosts all the meat juices are caught by that bowl or plate and the rest of your food is not cross contaminated. Also be sure to wash your hands with soap and water after handling any raw foods, but especially poultry. I'm going to say this again, WASH YOUR HANDS WITH SOAP AND WATER!!!!! Not hand sanitizer, but actual SOAP, and dry them on a paper towel. Not a hand towel or a dish towel as the germs that are on the towel can be transferred, so a single use towel is best.
So anyway, what I found that I'd like to share is a link to the NSF's list of companies that require or accept Global Food Safety Benchmarked Certification :
http://www.nsf.org/business/global_food_safety_standards/GFSI_Supporters_6_30_11.pdf . What this should mean to you the consumer is that your food is received and stored properly prior to your purchase at the store. It means much more than this, but this is what I'm imparting today. So, be sure to check out this list for companies in your neck of the woods.
I hope you will find this information helpful, and let me know if you do any further research into this area!
Much love always!
J
While doing some research today, I came across some interesting information that I decided to share with all of you. Food safety should be one of your top priorities because buying, storing and preparing food requires (for the home cook and for the food service professional even more so) an understanding of how to buy, store and prepare food. For instance when defrosting in your refrigerator any type of poultry product, be it chicken, ground turkey, turkey or ground chicken, you should place the product in a rimmed bowl, or a plate large enough to hold the item and place this on the bottom shelf of your fridge so that as it defrosts all the meat juices are caught by that bowl or plate and the rest of your food is not cross contaminated. Also be sure to wash your hands with soap and water after handling any raw foods, but especially poultry. I'm going to say this again, WASH YOUR HANDS WITH SOAP AND WATER!!!!! Not hand sanitizer, but actual SOAP, and dry them on a paper towel. Not a hand towel or a dish towel as the germs that are on the towel can be transferred, so a single use towel is best.
So anyway, what I found that I'd like to share is a link to the NSF's list of companies that require or accept Global Food Safety Benchmarked Certification :
http://www.nsf.org/business/global_food_safety_standards/GFSI_Supporters_6_30_11.pdf . What this should mean to you the consumer is that your food is received and stored properly prior to your purchase at the store. It means much more than this, but this is what I'm imparting today. So, be sure to check out this list for companies in your neck of the woods.
I hope you will find this information helpful, and let me know if you do any further research into this area!
Much love always!
J
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Happy New Year to you!
Hello All!
By now almost the middle of the month, you're deep into the resolutions you've made (or not, if you don't make them).
One of the things I'd suggest is to find something that you truly love doing, and get up and do it. As long at it's legal and won't harm you or anyone else, I say go for it!!! The sky is the limit, and the possibilities are endless!
There are a lot of places to visit on the web with a plethora of information on an ever widening variety of topics. So much so that sometimes it's hard to figure out who/what is the truth or will have the most benefits for you and your life.
I aspire here to give you truthful/helpful information from a variety of sources so you can check them out for yourself, not just blindly take my word for it.
My first of 2012 is the following link http://www.eatright.org/ . This is the link to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics who are the people that make sure Nutritionists and Dietitians are credentialed. This organization can also assist you in making healthy food choices not only for 2012 but for your entire life. Keep in mind that "you are what you eat"!
So, while you're thinking about whether to keep your New Year's resolutions or not, at least commit to eating better, making healthy food choices and living the best life you can for you! Much love as always from me to you!
J
By now almost the middle of the month, you're deep into the resolutions you've made (or not, if you don't make them).
One of the things I'd suggest is to find something that you truly love doing, and get up and do it. As long at it's legal and won't harm you or anyone else, I say go for it!!! The sky is the limit, and the possibilities are endless!
There are a lot of places to visit on the web with a plethora of information on an ever widening variety of topics. So much so that sometimes it's hard to figure out who/what is the truth or will have the most benefits for you and your life.
I aspire here to give you truthful/helpful information from a variety of sources so you can check them out for yourself, not just blindly take my word for it.
My first of 2012 is the following link http://www.eatright.org/ . This is the link to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics who are the people that make sure Nutritionists and Dietitians are credentialed. This organization can also assist you in making healthy food choices not only for 2012 but for your entire life. Keep in mind that "you are what you eat"!
So, while you're thinking about whether to keep your New Year's resolutions or not, at least commit to eating better, making healthy food choices and living the best life you can for you! Much love as always from me to you!
J
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Did you say I was fat?!
Hello all,
While doing some studying in my nutrition text book the other day I came across some info that you may or may not know. Here are the meanings of some terms that I'm sure you're familiar with, but may not know the particulars about, unless you've done the research, or are into the science of things. So, the first term I'd like to tell you about is hydrogenation - this is the adding of hydrogen to an unsaturated fatty acid to make it more saturated and solid at room temperature. Hydrogenation turns the reconfigured fatty acid into a transfatty acid which is not good for you. The transfatty acids raise your LDL cholesterol (the bad one) and lowers the HDL cholesterol (the good one) and increases your risk for heart disease. Transfats are used in processed foods to provide a richer texture, longer shelf life and better resistance to rancidity. Crisco was the first that most of you may be familiar with. The main source today of transfat in your diet would come from commercially prepared baked items, margarine, fried potatoes, snacks and salad dressing.
This is just one of the many reasons why I tell people to read the labels and whenever possible to make your foods from scratch. I know this is time consuming for those of you who don't really like to cook, or who don't plan their time well enough to be able to cook.
I bet you didn't know that your body makes cholesterol on its own. That's right each and every one of us makes cholesterol in our bodies and it is the precursor of the sex hormones - testosterone and estrogen.
Now, back to the fat comment. Some people try to avoid fat at all costs. But your body needs some fat for insulation of your body and organs; if for some reason your body went into starvation mode, the first thing your body would use for energy is fat. It has a place, the problem is that some people consume way too much fat, and lead sedentary lifestyles. Not only that, but the type of fat people eat plays a role in someone's being overweight or obese. There is saturated fat, and unsaturated fat, to name two. Foods that contain saturated fatty acids, or saturated fats are unhealthy for you, the saturation comes from hydrogen bonds "saturating" the fatty acid chain, meaning they are tight and this makes the fat solid. Unsaturated fats, or unsaturated fatty acids have double hydrogen bonds that cause kinks, keeping them from packing together tightly and therefore making them liquid, like oil for instance.
Hope you find this information helpful
Take care and have a great day!
Jeri
While doing some studying in my nutrition text book the other day I came across some info that you may or may not know. Here are the meanings of some terms that I'm sure you're familiar with, but may not know the particulars about, unless you've done the research, or are into the science of things. So, the first term I'd like to tell you about is hydrogenation - this is the adding of hydrogen to an unsaturated fatty acid to make it more saturated and solid at room temperature. Hydrogenation turns the reconfigured fatty acid into a transfatty acid which is not good for you. The transfatty acids raise your LDL cholesterol (the bad one) and lowers the HDL cholesterol (the good one) and increases your risk for heart disease. Transfats are used in processed foods to provide a richer texture, longer shelf life and better resistance to rancidity. Crisco was the first that most of you may be familiar with. The main source today of transfat in your diet would come from commercially prepared baked items, margarine, fried potatoes, snacks and salad dressing.
This is just one of the many reasons why I tell people to read the labels and whenever possible to make your foods from scratch. I know this is time consuming for those of you who don't really like to cook, or who don't plan their time well enough to be able to cook.
I bet you didn't know that your body makes cholesterol on its own. That's right each and every one of us makes cholesterol in our bodies and it is the precursor of the sex hormones - testosterone and estrogen.
Now, back to the fat comment. Some people try to avoid fat at all costs. But your body needs some fat for insulation of your body and organs; if for some reason your body went into starvation mode, the first thing your body would use for energy is fat. It has a place, the problem is that some people consume way too much fat, and lead sedentary lifestyles. Not only that, but the type of fat people eat plays a role in someone's being overweight or obese. There is saturated fat, and unsaturated fat, to name two. Foods that contain saturated fatty acids, or saturated fats are unhealthy for you, the saturation comes from hydrogen bonds "saturating" the fatty acid chain, meaning they are tight and this makes the fat solid. Unsaturated fats, or unsaturated fatty acids have double hydrogen bonds that cause kinks, keeping them from packing together tightly and therefore making them liquid, like oil for instance.
Hope you find this information helpful
Take care and have a great day!
Jeri
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
How Sweet it is!
Hello All,
Hope all of you are doing well on this lovely fall day! Today I'd like to chat with you about sugar and artificial sweeteners. Sugar is something most of us use on a daily basis. Sugar or sucrose, also known as table sugar is a naturally occurring (found in nature, not man made) product from Mother Nature.
Here is some information about the artificial sweeteners some folks use for things like sweetening their coffee or tea, to baking. Sorbitol which is found in sugarless gum and other products is 50-70% as sweet as sugar. Mannitol, also found in chewing gum, and jam, is used to add bulk to powdered foods and is also 50-70% as sweet as sucrose. These two sweeteners are considered "reduced calorie sweeteners" however if too much of these items are consumed, diarrhea can result.
Sucralose, whose trade name is Splenda is 600% sweeter than sucrose, and is considered a calorie free sweetener, this is one of the newer items on the market today. Some artificial sweeteners that you may recall from the past are saccharin known as Sweet n low is 200-700% sweeter than sucrose. Aspartame known as Nutrasweet or Equal is approximately 200% sweeter than sucrose, and the one calorie free sweetener that everyone is trying is Stevia whose trade name is Truvia, or PureVia is also 200% sweeter than sucrose.
Why am I telling you all this? I want to try to educate you about some of the food choices you make on a daily basis. If you use an artificial sweetener, your body does not metabolize it in the same way that it does table sugar, which is why people with diabetes use artificial sweeteners, as they cause a slower rise in blood glucose than sugar does and don't promote dental caries (tooth decay if you don't practice proper dental hygiene).
For example sucrose and fructose are the most commonly used sugars. Calorie wise just one teaspoon of honey contains 21 calories, compared to one teaspoon of sugar which is 16 calories. High fructose corn syrup has gained popularity over the last several years because it is less expensive to manufacture.
So, if you're in the grocery store and want to pick up a few snacks, read the label. I was recently offered a "healthy" granola bar by a friend at school. I declined the sugary sweet and then asked her if I could read the label, as I was curious about what was in that particular brand. I believe I counted 8 different forms of sugar in that one granola bar. Now don't get me wrong I like a little sugar from time to time, but that would have been way too sweet for me, and I think she decided to put it back and opted for some trail mix instead.
So, I hope you'll find this information useful. You'll read the label the next time you're in the snack isle at the grocery store and decide to cut back on your sweeteners, real and artificial.
Take care everyone, and have a simply marvelous day!
Jeri
Hope all of you are doing well on this lovely fall day! Today I'd like to chat with you about sugar and artificial sweeteners. Sugar is something most of us use on a daily basis. Sugar or sucrose, also known as table sugar is a naturally occurring (found in nature, not man made) product from Mother Nature.
Here is some information about the artificial sweeteners some folks use for things like sweetening their coffee or tea, to baking. Sorbitol which is found in sugarless gum and other products is 50-70% as sweet as sugar. Mannitol, also found in chewing gum, and jam, is used to add bulk to powdered foods and is also 50-70% as sweet as sucrose. These two sweeteners are considered "reduced calorie sweeteners" however if too much of these items are consumed, diarrhea can result.
Sucralose, whose trade name is Splenda is 600% sweeter than sucrose, and is considered a calorie free sweetener, this is one of the newer items on the market today. Some artificial sweeteners that you may recall from the past are saccharin known as Sweet n low is 200-700% sweeter than sucrose. Aspartame known as Nutrasweet or Equal is approximately 200% sweeter than sucrose, and the one calorie free sweetener that everyone is trying is Stevia whose trade name is Truvia, or PureVia is also 200% sweeter than sucrose.
Why am I telling you all this? I want to try to educate you about some of the food choices you make on a daily basis. If you use an artificial sweetener, your body does not metabolize it in the same way that it does table sugar, which is why people with diabetes use artificial sweeteners, as they cause a slower rise in blood glucose than sugar does and don't promote dental caries (tooth decay if you don't practice proper dental hygiene).
For example sucrose and fructose are the most commonly used sugars. Calorie wise just one teaspoon of honey contains 21 calories, compared to one teaspoon of sugar which is 16 calories. High fructose corn syrup has gained popularity over the last several years because it is less expensive to manufacture.
So, if you're in the grocery store and want to pick up a few snacks, read the label. I was recently offered a "healthy" granola bar by a friend at school. I declined the sugary sweet and then asked her if I could read the label, as I was curious about what was in that particular brand. I believe I counted 8 different forms of sugar in that one granola bar. Now don't get me wrong I like a little sugar from time to time, but that would have been way too sweet for me, and I think she decided to put it back and opted for some trail mix instead.
So, I hope you'll find this information useful. You'll read the label the next time you're in the snack isle at the grocery store and decide to cut back on your sweeteners, real and artificial.
Take care everyone, and have a simply marvelous day!
Jeri
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