Healthy Suggestions for Backyard BBQ

With the 4th of July weekend right around the corner, you are probably starting to plan your menus for that backyard BBQ. Here are a few quick suggestions:

Munchies: Pistachios make a great appetizer because they are a heart healthy nut and you can eat 30 of them for 100 calories. Serve them in the shell so it will slow you down and you won't eat as many. The fiber and protein in the nuts will help curb your appetite.

Meats: There is no excuse for greasy burgers. You can get lean ground beef, ground turkey or chicken breast, and reduced fat sausages or hot dogs. Or get creative with lean pork, chicken, or beef on a shish-ka-bob with lots of veggies.

Chips: My fave is popchips. Not baked or fried, but popped! Seven yummy flavors with less fat and calories than regular chips.

Sides: Whole grain pasta salads (see this recipe), corn on the cob (use soft spread instead of butter), and Bush's Baked beans. Mmmmm.....

Nonalcoholic beverage: Tea. I love the cold brew Lipton tea. I can put a bag in just one glass and pour cold water over it. No boiling required! Or they have the pitcher sized bags to make a quick pitcher. Green and black tea both have great antioxidant benefits. I found a recipe for a Island Tea Breeze that is awesome (you can use light cranberry juice to cut back on calories in the recipe)! Tea has no calories by itself and can hydrate really well!

Alcoholic: Michelob Ultra light beer. It is low in calories and high in flavor with just 95 calories and 2.6 grams of carb. They have flavored beers like Lime Cactus, Orange Grapefruit, and Pomegranate Raspberry. Pour them into champagne glasses or a margarita glass with a lime or orange slice. You will be glad you saved yourself the calories from a margarita or daiquiri (can be 400-500 calories each!)

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Sugar vs High Fructose Corn Syrup

Have you noticed that many products on grocery shelves are bragging that they do not have high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)? HFCS has been demonized by many people in the public as well as the medical community in recent years. But how much different is it from just plain old sugar? The answer is up for debate, but I will do my best to present the facts.

HFCS has been used for many years, but the use really became much more common in the 1980's. Food companies use it because it makes a desirable end product and is fairly cheap. HFCS comes from corn and is refined to get the sweet taste into a syrup. But is it worse than sugar?

Many experts believe it is no different than sugar. Both are high in calories and are considered "empty" calories, meaning they don't have vitamins, minerals, or other healthy nutrients in significant quantities.

The American Medical Association and other scientists have agreed that both sugar and HFCS both contribute to risks of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other illnesses if eaten in large quantities. In other words, there is no proof to date that HFCS is more harmful than sugar.

So why are so many companies eliminating HFCS? It is all consumer perception. Consumers have heard that HFCS bad so companies are spending time and money eliminating it from it's products? What are they using instead? Sugar.

Is HFCS natural? The Corn Refiners Association says that HFCS is natural. The FDA does not define the term "natural" so we really have no way of seeing whether something is natural on a food label. Food companies can use this word without repercussion from the FDA since they have not defined it.

For more information on HFCS, check out www.sweetsurprise.com

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Back to Basics in the Kitchen

Since 2009 has been described as the "year of the home cook" many Americans are getting reacquainted with their kitchens. Do you remember what to do in the kitchen? Are you lost when it comes to meal planning and preparation? Looking for healthy shortcuts? Is your pantry and freezer full but yet you still feel like you have nothing to cook for dinner? You are in luck because I have some solutions for you.

I found a FABULOUS new website called the Essential Kitchen Toolkit from www.mealtime.org that helps with all of the above. I am always asked for meal plans or grocery shopping lists. These are a great place to start and you can tailor them to you and your family.

One of the best places to start is with organizing your kitchen. You should have a food storage and prep center, cooking and serving center, and cleanup center. Bills, mail, kid's toys, workout gear, etc. does not belong in the kitchen. Keep the space decluttered. Also leave room for cookbooks and a planning center for making grocery lists based on the week's menus. Spend some time perking up your pantry and reorganizing your fridge and freezer.

This site gives great tips on how to get started with meal planning and even gives a sample meal planning grid complete with meals and recipes for the week. You will also get tips on how to stock a more nutritious pantry and keep food safe. Added bonuses are tips on how to keep your kitchen green friendly and how to get your family involved!

Check out the Essential Kitchen Toolkit and click around. We don't have any excuses to order pizza when we get home because "Mom, we don't have any food in the house!"

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Michael Jackson: Cardiac Arrest

I was shocked to learn today that 50 year old Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest.

It made me realize how heart disease can strike anyone at any age. Tim Russert also died last June from cardiac arrest at a young age of 58.

Here is a quick review of risk factors for heart disease:

Uncontrollable risk factors

• Male (although it is leading cause of death for women in US, too)
• Age: Males over 45, Females over 55
• Family history of heart disease
• Women who are post-menopausal
• African American

Controllable risk factors

• Smoking (the biggest...a smoker is 2-4 times as likely to get heart disease as nonsmoker)
• High blood pressure
• Being inactive (little to no exercise)
• Overweight or obese
• High LDL, or "bad" cholesterol
• Low HDL, or "good" cholesterol
• Diabetes (especially if it is not controlled well)
• Stress and/or depression
  
• Being angry often
• High CRP (C-reactive protein)
• Drinking too much alcohol (more than 2 drinks per day)

There has been an enormous amount written already today about what may have caused Michael Jackson's death and I am sure we will hear more in the coming days. Let's all look at our own risk factors and do what we can to minimize our heart disease risk.

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Get Your Fruit On

Get Your Fruit On! I love this new tagline from Tropicana. Statistics show that 7 out of 10 Americans are not getting enough fruit in their daily diets. The Dietary Guidelines encourage us to get 2 cups of fruit per day. For those who do get their fruit, many are getting it from 100% orange juice.

Children are especially susceptible to not getting enough fruit. An 8 ounce glass of 100% orange juice has:

2 servings of fruit

120% of Vitamin C

13% of Potassium

15% of Folic Acid

No Sugar Added

110 Calories

Tropicana donated 170,000 fruit servings to the USDA Summer Food Service Program upfront, then 80,000 more fruit servings to the School Breakfast Program through pledges from Americans pledging to increase their fruit intake. Both programs offer free or reduced price nutritious meals to children in low- income areas.

Other tips to Get Your Fruit On (courtesy of Elizabeth Ward, RD):

• Add in-season fruit to your morning bowl of oats or cereal.
• Blend a smoothie using your favorite fresh or frozen fruit and a cup of OJ
• Create a breakfast trail mix by combining dried fruit, nuts, and cereal. You can also use this as a snack.
• Assemble breakfast fruit kabobs using pineapple chunks, bananas, grapes, and berries.
• Drink a glass of 100% fruit juice at breakfast.

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