Tips and Tricks Tuesday: Food Claims

I encourage label reading.  Look at what you're eating. Understand what's in it.  Compare foods to one another.  But before you even flip a food around you've probably already been tempted by a nutrient content claim.  Companies put them in ads, using them to market their products, encourage you a little more to choose their product.  But what does "lite" mean?  What makes foods a good source of fiber? These claims are regulated by the FDA.  Here are some of the most common claims:

Calorie free: Any food with less than 5 Calories.

Sugar free:  less than 0.5 g of sugar (not exactly sugar free especially if you eat more than the serving size!)

Fat free:  Less than 0.5g of fat.

Low fat:  3g of fat or less.

Reduced or less fat: At least 25% less fat than the original product.  This can be a misleading claim.  If the original had very high fat even a reduction of 25% may not make this a healthy food.  One more reason to read the nutrition label and see what is really in the food.

Low in saturated fat:  1 gm of saturated fat or less and not more than 15% of the calories consumed coming from saturated fat.

Light (lite): At least 1/3 less calories or no more than half the fat than the original product, or no more than half the sodium of the original product.  Again a good reason to read the label, if you had a product that was originally 1000 calories it's been reduced by a 1/3 however it is still providing 600+calories.

No Sodium or sodium free:  Less than 5 mg of Sodium or no Sodium Chloride in the ingredients.

Very low Sodium:  35mg or less of Sodium

Low Sodium:  140 mg or less of Sodium.

Reduced or less Sodium:  At least 25% less Sodium than the original.

High Fiber: 5 gm or more of fiber.  (Remember you want 25-30g of fiber per day).

Good source of fiber:  2.5 to 4.9 g of fiber.

While these claims are a good place to start it is still important to read the nutrition facts to get the full picture of what you're eating. The more you know the easier it gets to make good choices.

Weekly Challenge

Since I'm back at this because of my lovely sister (who is working on her thesis and I suspect doesn't want to be writing alone) I will take her suggestion and issue a weekly challenge.  According to this month's issue of Nutrition Action, Americans only eat about one cup of vegetables per person per day (including white potatoes, potato chips and french fries) and 1/2 a cup of fruit per day.  This is MUCH lower than the recommended daily amount ( to make things easier the recommendation has changed to half of your plate per meal, but to give you a number shoot for 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables per day).  So this week I challenge you to get your recommended allotment of fruits and vegetables every day.  I'd strongly encourage with starting early, try including fresh fruits with your breakfast.  Mix berries in your yogurt, top your morning toast with pb and a banana.  Try cutting up fruit and packaging it in single serve containers so they're easy to grab for snacks on your way to work or while you're running errands around town. Including vegetables doesn't just mean eat more salads, try sautéing swiss chard with some white wine and garlic, throw a sweet potato in the toaster oven, try some roasted brussel sprouts. Try a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) essentially you buy a share of a farm and each week you receive fresh produce from their fields. Each week I receive a box of fresh produce delivered to my door by J&P Organics.  It has encouraged me to try new things (we'll talk about that later in the week) and since it's already in the house I feel like I need to eat it.  Try to make one night a week a "meatless day"  I am in no way against meat I just feel it's a good way to increase your fruit and vegetable intake.  And a final word, I don't count juice as a fruit or vegetable serving, it has no fiber and  I feel like liquid calories help promote weight gain.  Try this for dinner this week serve with a helping of your favorite whole grain (I'd suggest brown rice or bulgar) to give you a healthy well rounded meal.
(From Eating Well Magazine)

Eggplant stacks

• 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 medium eggplant (3/4-1 pound), cut into 6 rounds about 1/2 inch thick
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, divided
• 6 teaspoons prepared pesto
• 2 large beefsteak tomatoes, each cut into 3 slices about 3/4 inch thick
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 6 thin slices
• 6 fresh basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION

1. Preheat grill to medium-high or place a grill pan over medium-high heat until hot.
2. Use 2 teaspoons oil to brush both sides of eggplant slices; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Grill the eggplant slices for 5 minutes. Turn; continue grilling until tender and marked with grill lines, 3 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a large platter.
3. Spread each eggplant slice with 1 teaspoon pesto. Top with a slice of tomato, a slice of mozzarella and a basil leaf.
4. Drizzle vinegar and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over the towers; sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.

 Per serving: 145 calories; 11 g fat ( 4 g sat , 6 g mono ); 17 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 6 g protein; 3 g fiber; 323 mg sodium; 309 mg potassium.
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/grilled_eggplant_tomato_stacks.html

Fun Friday

A fun fact because it is Friday! Did you know that 25-50% of the population report having pungent pee after eating asparagus? It doesn't mean however that only some people's bodies produce the odor. It appears that while some people may produce the odor they may not possess the gene that allows them to smell it. And vice versa, your body may not produce the odor but you are part of the 25% of the population that can smell it. Aren't bodies fun?

Food for thought

We are all dietetic sinners; only a small percent of what we eat nourishes us; the balance goes to waste and loss of energy.  ~William Osler

The Reluctant Dietitian

3500 kcal equals 1 pound. So, in essence, if you cut out 3500 calories a week you lose 1 pound per week and if you add 3500 calories you'll gain 1 pound per week. So to break it down further that's about 500 calories per day, which sounds easy doesn't it? In fact it's not. If it were we probably wouldn't have an obesity epidemic and companies like McDonalds wouldn't have such a huge market. We'd look at our Double frappuccino with extra whip and say I don't need this, but food is tied into our essence it is how we relate to others, it's what we do, it's how we cope/celebrate/relax. I believe in the wholeness of food. I believe that you cannot extract from food any substance which would make it healthier than the food it came from. What you eat, how you eat, what you do with your food should be a priority in your life. But, we as a nation have stepped away from the value of food being the food itself to convenience and cost being what we value most. I think that we need to change what we put first, we need to put exercise and fitness back on the table and I think if you make eating a priority it will become easier. But who am I? I'm a registered dietitian, runner, rider, foodie, country kid mixed with barefoot hippie child. I juggle my busy life like everyone else, I balance my sweet tooth with my desire for good sustainable food, I am the reluctant dietitian and I would like to change the way we eat, our priorities and the way we value our health.