This is a guest blog post by Elizabeth Ward, MS, RD

Getting your fruits and vegetables may be the last thing on your mind on Superbowl Sunday. Don’t give it another thought. These winning munchies are so delicious that your family and friends may forget they’re good for you, too. Serve the dips with baked snack chips or toasted whole wheat sandwich wraps broken into chips.

All recipes appear in MyPlate for Moms, How to Feed Yourself & Your Family Better, by Elizabeth M Ward, MS, RD

Snack #1: Salsamole

Makes 2 cups.

Simple, nutritious, and delicious. Use as a dip or sandwich spread.

1 cup fresh tomato salsa

1 cup fresh guacamole

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions: Combine all ingredients in medium serving bowl.

Per serving (1/4 cup): 94 calories; 6 grams carbohydrate; 3 grams fiber; 8 grams; 1 gram saturated fat; 2 grams protein; 229 milligrams sodium; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 20 milligrams calcium.

Snack #2: Mango and Black Bean Salsa

Makes 2 1/2 cups.

High in fiber, and pretty to look at, this salsa tastes even better the next day.

2 cups diced fresh mango

2 cups black beans, rinsed and drained, if canned

1/2 cup diced red onion

1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped, seeded jalapeno pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions: In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients.

Per serving (1/4 cup): 69 calories; 14 grams carbohydrate; 4 grams fiber; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 3 grams protein; 199 milligrams sodium; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 10 milligrams calcium.

Snack #3 Crispy Chickpeas

Makes 4 servings.

Beans are the vegetable with the most protein and fiber, which makes them a perfect snack.

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients, tossing to coat beans completely.

3. Spread beans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.

4. Bake for 20 minutes. Stir beans, and cook for another 20 minutes. Allow beans to cool before eating.

Per serving: 185 calories; 24 grams carbohydrate; 5 grams fiber; 8 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 5 grams protein; 314 milligrams sodium; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 30 milligrams calcium.

Elizabeth M. Ward, M.S., R.D. is an award-winning author of several books, including her latest, MyPlate for Moms, How to Feed Yourself & Your Family Better. She writes about nutrition and health for WebMD.com, USATODAY.com, and Men’s Fitness.

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Nielsen recently surveyed over 25,000 people around the globe to learn about healthy eating trends. The marketing research firm published a report earlier this week,with some interesting findings.

The most interesting for us is how confused people are by nutrition labels, with 6 out of 10 people saying they don’t always understand the nutritional pros and cons of a product. The percentage varies greatly by region though: In Asia, only 30-40% said they understand labels, while in the US, 58% of respondents claim to understand the labeling.

In all regions, consumers were wary of “fuzzy” claims such as “Fresh”, “All Natural”, “Made with Real Fruit”, and “Heart Healthy”.

In the US, the top 5 foods purchased for their health benefits are:

1. Products boasting whole grain / high fiber
2. Low Cholesterol fats
3. Bread fortified with Calcium (seems strange to us)
4. Fortified fruit juice
5. Yogurt with probiotics

Nielsen’s report concludes with a call to action to the food industry [highlights by Fooducate]:

Consumers around the world have healthy eating on their minds and consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketers have an opportunity to help. Consumer-friendly nutritional labeling can be a powerful marketing tool as consumers are hungry for easy-to- understand information. Clearly there is a need and an opportunity for more education to help reduce the skepticism that is apparent around all parts of the globe. And there is a need to offer tasty and healthful options to satisfy both the mind and body. 

We agree that there is a need to have healthful options offered to us consumers, and obviously the food industry is responding to market pressures by offering reduced sugar, reduced harmful ingredient products. Understandably, marketers sell more packaged foods. Herein lies the problem – consumers wishing for healthier lifestyles need to move away from packaged, processed food products and get back to the basics – preparing fresh meals at home with basic ingredients.

What to do at the supermarket:

Nielsen urging manufacturers to prepare consumer friendly messaging on packages. We urge you to be friends with only two things on the package – the nutrition label and the ingredient list. Only they tell the full story of what’s really inside that box of crackers and jar of spaghetti sauce you’re about to buy.

(h/t to L.A.)

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Fuel for your car and body

This picture was taken at a Shell Gas Station in the San Francisco area. Just a friendly reminder from the convenience store inside to fuel up on sugars and fats as you’re fueling your car.

While automobiles can consume only one type of fuel, humans are a much more complex machine. We can ingest a wider variety of inputs and convert them to energy. However, just like tainted fuel can mess with your car’s engine, so can the ingredients and nutrients in some of these treats.

It’s all in the proportions, of course.  A tiny amount of impurity in  gasoline won’t affect your car. And a candy one in a while won’t dent your overall health. Unfortunately, we have too many opportunities in the day to load up on the unhealthy fuels for our body. A gas station is just one of them.

Where do you get “pitched” to fuel up on candy and sugary drinks?

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It’s always interesting to see what commercials will air during “The Biggest Loser”. Last night, Pop Tarts grabbed our attention with their new “Wildlicious” line of toaster pastries:

Buckle up and unwrap a fusion of fruit flavor. Cherry, orange, strawberry, raspberry and blueberry-flavored fruit filling. Bright yellow frosting, orange icing drizzle and multi-colored sprinkles on top.

Bright Frosting…Sprinkles…Fusion of Flavors…yummm….

Naturally we decided to investigate.

What you need to know:

A serving is one pop tart. It has 200 calories. For just one pastry, not two, keep in mind. The sugar count is almost 4 teaspoons (15 grams or 30% of the calories). The fiber is very low – less than 1 gram (we need 25 grams per day at least). But that’s not surprising because the main ingredient here is highly refined wheat flour, stripped of all its whole grain nutrients:

Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Soybean and Palm Oil (with TBHQ for Freshness), Dextrose, Contains Two Percent or less of Wheat Starch, Glycerin, Cracker Meal, Salt, Dried Cherries, Dried Apples, Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Citric Acid, Corn Cereal, Gelatin, Malic Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Xanthan Gum, Modified Corn Starch, Modified Wheat Starch, Soy Lecithin, Red 40, Color Added, Turmeric Extract for Color, Yellow 6 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Vitamin A Palmitate, Niacinamide, Reduced Iron, Yellow 6, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Thiamin Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Folic Acid, Blue 1.

After flour, the second, third, and fourth(!) ingredients are sugars.

Ingredient number 5 is oil, preserved with TBHQ, which is a problem ingredient: TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone) is an antioxidant used to keep oils from going rancid. It is a petroleum derivative. Yummy. The food industry pushed the FDA for years to get it approved as a preservative despite the fact that ingestion of large doses (a thirtieth of an ounce) can cause nausea, delirium, and ringing of the ears.

Additional goodies include trans-fat (that’s from partially hydrogenated soybean oil) and artificial colors galore.

Click on the image to see the full analysis of this product on our brand new website.

Sorry, Kellogg’s. Instead of new Pop Tart flavors using the tried and true recipe for nutrition disaster, how about Pop Tarts 2.0? Something that can maintain the brand you built without slowly killing us? Use whole wheat, ditch the artificial colors, lower the sugar, add substantially more fruit. Come on, your food scientists can figure this out…

What to do at the supermarket:

If you need your toaster pastry fix, try whole grain options with less “evil” ingredients. Amy’s and Trader Joe’s for example. But know that in general these are not the greatest way to start the day.

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Hi folks,

My son just got braces and we’d like your advice on foods to eat in the first few days and then going forward for the next 9-12 months.

The Orthodontist said that the teeth and gums will be sore and sensitive for a few days, so liquids will play a big role in the diet.  So we’ve made some extra soup and will be thinning out yogurt with some water to turn it into a lassi drink. And some orange juice as a treat.

But what happens after week? For example, do we stop eating granola in the morning? Or nuts as a snack? or carrot sticks and bell peppers?

My son is a decent eater, so shoot away with helpful suggestions.

Thanks in advance,

-Hemi

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The recipe we posted yesterday included persimmons. A comment by one of the readers bluntly asked – “This might sound goofy, but what are persimmons?”

Here’s the answer:

Persimmons are a fruit that can be likened to a cross between a tomato and an orange. The fruit, when ripe, is very sweet. But if you eat it beforehand it will be astringent. Depending on the type of persimmon you buy, you may need to peel the skin to eat it. Some people prefer the persimmon just as it ripens when it can be cut into quarters and eaten by hand – usually this is the Fuyu varital. Others prefer to wait until it is mushy and even sweeter, and then they just cut the top off and dig in with a spoon – for this, the Hiyachi varietal is better.

Nutritionally, persimmons are great: A single persimmon has 50% of the daily value for vitamin A (its orange color gives away the high carotene value). It also has 25% of the daily value for vitamin C, and is a good source of iron as well.

Persimmons have a short season starting in October and ending just about now. If you can’t find them at your regular supermarket, try an Asian market. Go ahead, give persimmons a try, you won’t regret it.

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To counter our processed-food bashing and ensuing depression, we like to showcase healthy, tasty recipes here on Fooducate.

With the Superbowl coming up, you may be tempted to Dorito-fy your household. STOP! We want to show you how easy and fun it is to prepare finger foods that are both tasty and healthy. If you’d like to submit a recipe for consideration, please comment below or email info at fooducate dot com. We’ll publish one or two of the best recipes ahead of the big game.

Here’s an interesting and easy recipe from professional chef Dave Schy. Visit his website New Taste, for step by step pictures of this and other great recipes.

Today – Persimmon-Avocado Nachos using baked blue corn tortilla chips

Here’s what Dave says:

I recently demonstrated this recipe at a Farmers Market and it was a hit. I actually saw my friend, Chef Andie doing a very similar version at another farmers market the week before and “borrowed” the idea from her, with her permission.  

2     Persimmons
1     Avocado, large or 2 medium size
1     Jalapeno
1/2  Red Onion, medium-small one
1/4  Cup Chopped Cilantro
3    Tbs. Lemon or Lime Juice
1/2  tsp. Dark Chile Powder, maybe a bit more
1/2  tsp. Ground Cumin
1/2  tsp. Salt

5     Blue Corn Tortillas
2     tsp. Olive Oil

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Wash and dry the persimmons.

Peel the onion and cut in half.

Wash and spin dry the cilantro.

Cut jalapeno in half; mince one half and cut the other half into thin round slices.

Rub a few drops of oil onto one side of each tortilla.

Stack the tortillas and cut them into quarters.

Place tortilla quarters onto a half sheet pan.

Bake in the oven for 8 minutes.

Remove from oven and turn each chip over.

Bake for another 8 minutes.

Remove and let cool on the same sheet pan.

Cut persimmons into 1/4 inch thick round slices.

Cut persimmon slices into a small dice.

Small dice the onion and avocado.

Mince the jalapeno half.

Chop the cilantro.

Gather and measure spices.

Place all fresh ingredients plus spices into a mixing bowl and toss together.

Place a large spoonful of the salsa onto a chip.

Garnish with a jalapeno slice and serve.
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photo: People.com , Brian Killian/WireImage

This a guest blog post by Carol Plotkin, MS, RD, CDN

Moderation is a word that has been used quite often when describing healthy eating and drinking patterns. Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines moderation as avoidance of extremes or tending toward average. What does this really mean when we are talking about food? Does it mean one cookie a day or one less cookie than we usually eat? Perhaps it means that we don’t eat the whole cookie jar? Does it mean once a day, once a week, once a month or once a year? The problem is that it can mean anything that we want it to mean. This isn’t good enough when we are talking about promoting healthy eating behaviors. To say “all things in moderation” to me seems like an excuse to maintain the status quo, which arguably is average.

Paula Deen announced this week that she has had type 2 diabetes for the past three years. Her announcement mentioned very little about following healthy dietary habits. Rather, she stated that she has always been a advocate for moderation (there’s that word again). Deen’s recipes are not known for being healthy and it must be extremely embarrassing for her to have developed a disease that has a strong tie to dietary factors. Regardless of the cause of diabetes, diet and exercise are integral for its management. They are much too important to be passed off by the use of a non-specific word such as moderation. Deen’s announcement this week motivated me to write this blog post, but this post is not about her.

The food industry loves the term moderation for the very reason that it is non-specific. Hershey’s has created the Moderation Nation to help consumers find balance in their lives. Part of their message is that 100 calories a day of chocolate can fit into your balanced diet. That’s fine, if you do not need to lose weight, but about one third of American adults are obese. George Blackburn, MD, PhD, Chief of the Nutritional/Metabolism Laboratory, and Director of the Center for the Study of Nutrition Medicine, which are affiliated with the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, reports that for a vast majority of obese Americans, as little as 200 calories a day prevents them from losing the 20-30 pounds necessary to gain significant health benefits(1). That is less than a small package of M&M’s (240 calories). Often, that 100 calorie treat becomes a 200 or 300 calorie ”nibble” especially when the whole package contains more than 100 calories. The concept of moderation keeps consumers buying products, which is the primary concern of major food manufacturers and restaurants. In the case of Deen’s Savannah, GA restaurant, it keeps the line of patrons circling the block waiting to be seated. Moderation promotes sales and keeps the customers coming through the door.

Last month the marketing research group NPD discovered that Americans are following MyPlate guidelines only 2% of the time. That translates to seven days out of the year! That surely is not moderation and I would argue that the message of moderation is not working. MyPlate promotes such a simple concept and advises Americans to consume half of their plate from fruits and vegetables. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

So what can we do that is better? The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in collaboration with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases developed the WeCan Program to teach children and families how to choose healthier diets and exercise more. This program uses the Stoplight Approach to teach which foods should be eaten every day (green light), which foods should be eaten in smaller quantities and less often (yellow light) and which foods should rarely be eaten (red light). Another way to define this approach uses the words “Go, Slow, and Whoa.” These three simple words convey more meaning than the word moderation and help to underscore that not all foods can be eaten regularly in moderation if you are trying to lose weight. This approach can be used to teach adults how to better control their food intake too and shows great promise in some area weight management programs.

Stoplight symbols have been added to packaged foods in some European countries to help consumers choose healthier diets. It’s doubtful if food manufacturers would allow such a system in this country because many food products would be labeled yellow or red which could potentially negatively impact sales. You can understand why manufacturers prefer the use of the term “moderation” when it comes to promoting healthier diet habits.

Smart phone users can benefit from using the Fooducate application which independently grades thousands of grocery food items and provides a stoplight color code and letter grade to help consumers make appropriate food choices. The app also discusses the reason for the grade so that you can better understand what makes a food more or less healthy.

Resource:
1. Blackburn, GL and Waltman, GA. Expanding the Limits of Treatment-New Strategic Initiatives. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005;105:S131-S135.

Carol Plotkin, MS, RD, CDN is owner of On Nutrition, a nutrition consulting business.
www.rochesternutrition.com
www.facebook.com/OnNutrition
www.twitter.com/OnNutrition

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photo: The Food Network

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Coors Light moved up to the #2 position in terms of annual sales, dethroning Budweiser. The kicker was that the #1 most sold beer in the US is Bud Light.

We haven’t really focused on alcoholic beverages on Fooducate, so we found it odd that light beers are outselling regular beers in a country where most everything else is not light but rather heavy.

So what is a light beer, and is it a better choice than regular beer?

What you need to know:

A 12 fl oz regular beer is 150 calories, whereas a light beer is only 110 calories. Most of the calories in both come from alcohol, but both types of beer also have carbs – regular beer at 13 grams (52 grams), light beer at only 5 grams (20 calories).

Unlike diet soft drinks that achieve low calories through artificial sweeteners, light beer is simply brewed a bit differently than regular beer.

Light beer has less alcohol, which may be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your goal for the night. If you want to get the fun light headed buzz of alcohol from a light beer, you may discover that one isn’t enough, and then you will consume two, which are more caloric than one regular beer.

When it comes to flavor, light beer tastes watered down compared to regular, but if that’s the flavor you’ve gotten used to and are happy with, nothing wrong with that.

If you are drinking light beer despite its watered down flavor, just to keep the pounds off, maybe you should rethink that strategy. Just drink less of the regular stuff you enjoy. Or at fewer occasions.

In any case remember that when it comes to beer, you are not getting any nutrition, it’s just another “snack”.

And always drink responsibly.

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We are happy to announce that in addition to the mobile format, Fooducate is now available as a website for online use. You can search for products by name, keywords, or UPC. The information displayed is identical to what you would see on your Android or iPhone screen.

Click here for a sample product page.

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