| Ah, the power of cheese |
Thoughts for the Week
By Ginger Hoffman, RD, LDN
Registered Dietitian for Fitness Unlimited
Healthclub for Women
Milton, Massachusetts USA
I've started work on a project this week that my boss has been asking me about for a while now, and I'd like to share the results with all of you. "What are some good-tasting cheeses that are lower in saturated fat?" Well, of course I had to head down to the ol' cheese store to find out! But first things first: the facts. Saturated fat is the bad fat that makes your cholesterol go up, so we all want to limit that. I set ~3 grams per serving as my cut-off, as that would keep the daily value under 20% (20% or more is considered a "good source" and we don't want a good source of this stuff!) Second point: what did I find? Lots!
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Cabot 50% & 75% reduced fat sharp cheddar
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Jarlsberg and Jarlsberg lite Swiss slices
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Sargento reduced fat cheddar & provolone slices
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Kraft Polly-O Twists (mozzarella & cheddar twists)
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Laughing Cow lite wedges
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Laughing Cow Babybel light semi soft discs
Most brands also make a fat free version, but I'm not inclined to recommend them, as they lose their cheese properties (and flavor)!
And what about flavor?? I can actually vouch for all of these! The Polly-O's, Jarlsberg and Cabot 50% lite regular make it into my shopping cart. The Cabot 75% is good if it's mixed into something like shredded in tacos or cubed into pasta salad. Personally I don't like spreadable cheeses, but many of my clients love the Laughing Cow wedges. The Babybel are my husbands favorite, mostly because they come wrapped in red wax, like cheeses of old! Sargento provolone tastes best to me toasted on an onion bagel with sliced tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and a dribble of olive oil
But don't base your decisions on my tastebuds! Go experience your own cheese! |
| Burn calories shopping? |
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Thoughts for the Week
By Ginger Hoffman, RD, LDN
Registered Dietitian for Fitness Unlimited Healthclub for Women
Milton, Massachusetts USA
I had a friend come to visit this weekend and we decided we needed to go shopping. After walking around Ikea, Crate & Barrel & other mall stores for 2 hours she commented that nothing wore her out like walking around shopping. That got me thinking... how many calories did we burn hunting for new house wares? After browsing through my secret dietitian resources for calories burned for every type of activity, here's my estimate. Since everything is calculated per pound, I figured the average between our weights was about 150#. I would estimate we spent half the time walking slowly, the other half standing around or standing in line. We burned ~175 calories standing and ~205 calories walking around, adding up to 380 calories! Compared to a 60-minute aerobics class where we would burn ~450 per hour that doesn't seem like a lot. Compared to lounging on the couch with a cappuccino for those 2 hours? 180. We doubled our output! My last feat? How to figure out who decided putting a bakery next to a women's athletic apparel store was a good idea?! Even sporty dietitians have weaknesses... |
| Chopping dollars |
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Thoughts for the week
By Ginger Hoffman, RD, LDN
Registered Dietitian for Fitness Unlimited Healthclub for Women
Milton, Massachusetts USA
5 tips for (healthy!) shopping on a budget
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Plan menus & make a shopping list. It's easy to overspend by wandering aimlessly through the grocery store. Use your weekly circular from the newspaper to check for specials, especially on meats & produce.
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Buy store brands. Private label brands can cost 15-20% less than national brand counterparts. Many "generic" foods have just as high quality, too.
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Compare unit prices. Use shelf tags to compare the cost per unit, not just the overall price. This is one tip I've been exploring a lot lately. The 100 calorie snack packs I've compared cost 200% more than the same food in a larger bag! Invest in some reusable snack containers and portion them out yourself. (Less to add to the landfill, too!) Compare a bag of whole carrots vs baby carrots. Spend a little time peeling them and save ~50%!
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Shop seasonally & locally. Fresh produce usually costs less when it has less distance to travel. Check out a farmers market!
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Be mindful of your protein choices. Choose meats, poultry & fish that are on sale. Use these foods in condiment-sized portions, or about 1/4 of your plate, and fill the rest with whole grains, vegetables & fruit. Or try even less expensive dried beans and lentils! At 89¢ per 1 pound bag you could cook up a nice lentil stew. Just add tomatoes, onions, potatoes, carrots, peppers and some seasonings! Or perhaps a bean burrito is more your style. Never cooked with beans before? Have no fear. Most cans or bags come with a recipe printed on the label.
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| Summer Treats?? |
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Thoughts for the Week
By Ginger Hoffman, RD, LDN
Registered Dietitian for Fitness Unlimited Healthclub for Women
Milton, Massachusetts USA
www.fitnessunlimited.com
On my drive in to work I pass by a little mom 'n pop food stand that always makes me snicker. "Steamed hot dogs" is what they advertise. As though steaming saves the poor frankfurt from being a bottom-of-the-barrel unhealthy food choice! Hot dogs are hot dogs and even steaming can't help neutralize the fat & salt bomb. A "regular" sized hot dog with a bun & ketchup will cost you 260 calories and 15 grams of fat, most of which are saturated fat. Not worth a heart attack.
My second favorite sign is at Friendly's. It reads "Share a Brownie Sundae" or some other frozen treat of theirs. Now they have the right idea! Friendly's new Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae weighs in at 930 calories, 54 grams of total fat and 23 grams of artery-clogging saturated fat. Yikes! That's 115% of your saturated fat allotment for the day! In order for this sharing concept to be any good, you would need to find 3 friends to bring down those numbers to something reasonable. Worth it? Maybe. Healthy advertising? I think not. |
| Whole Grains |
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Thoughts for the week
By Ginger Hoffman, RD, LDN
Registered Dietitian for Fitness Unlimited Healthclub for Women
Milton, Massachusetts USA
www.fitnessunlimited.com
Have you seen the new commercial for Big G cereals? It shows the cereal aisle plopped down in the middle of a busy city street with consumers raving that their old favorites are now all made with whole grain. Are we supposed to believe that Lucky Charms is a healthy cereal?
Maybe. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines recommend that Americans make "half their grains whole." This means that most people should consume 3 or more servings per day of whole grains. Whole grains can be found in some cereals, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole grain breads, barley, oatmeal, popcorn, etc. One full serving of a whole grain contains 16 grams or more, and every General Mills cereal now has 8 or more grams of whole grains per serving. (We need a total of 48 grams per day).
Confusing? Just look for a gold stamp that looks like a postage stamp on grain products. The stamp will list the number of grams of whole grains in one serving of the food. The stamp was created by the Whole Grains Council , a nonprofit consumer advocacy group working to increase consumption of whole grains for better health. See http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/
Where does this leave Lucky Charms? Better than the original product, but with 11 grams of sugar per serving, it contains more sugar than whole grain. Try Cheerios or Total instead. |
| July 4th |
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Thoughts for the week
By Ginger Hoffman, RD, LDN
Registered Dietitian for Fitness Unlimited Healthclub for Women
Milton, Massachusetts USA
5 tips for a healthy 4th
Who can believe the biggest holiday of the summer is already upon us! We celebrate our country's freedom this week, and if you are a typical American, barbecuing all the way. Don't let your good health intentions take a holiday, too! Find a way to middle ground. Here are a few tips.
1) Grill right: Grilling can be a healthy way to cook, but beware of some little-known facts about the BBQ. Grilling muscle meats like beef, chicken and fish at high heat or allowing the fat to drip and burn causes cancer-promoting compounds, called HACs and PAHs, to form. Consider pre-cooking meats then briefly grilling for flavor. Adding acidic sauces such as marinades, lemon juice or flavored vinegar can protect your food from this process. Also, aim for more lean foods like shrimp, chicken breasts and hamburgers that are at least 93% lean or portabello mushrooms. Limit or avoid hot dogs, sausages, ribs or prime cuts of steak. Too much artery-clogging saturated fat!
3) Drink smart: Like those iced coffees or caramel macchiatos? Watch out! A tall Caramel Macchiato with whole milk from Starbucks will cost you 240 calories and 10 grams of fat (6 saturated!). The Dunkin Donuts Orange Coolatta sounds refreshing, but a 16 oz beverage is 370 calories of highly-sugared orange concentrate solution. Yikes! Instead try:
*Water (of course)
*Unsweetened iced tea
*Flavored sparkling water
*Iced flavored coffee with skim milk and sweetener
*Iced Latte Lite (DD) or Frappuccino lite (Starbucks)
*Lite cranberry juice, seltzer and a lime
4) Stay active: swim, bike, play in the park, fly a kite! Or, come in for a workout. We're open Thursday 5:30-3, closed Friday, but back to summer hours on Saturday & Sunday (7am-4pm). We would love to see you!
5) Remember why we are celebrating! July 4th is Independence Day! Find a way to celebrate your freedom: hang your flag, attend a parade, thank a veteran and watch a Red Sox game!
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| Summer desserts |
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Thoughts for the week
By Ginger Hoffman, RD, LDN
Registered Dietitian for Fitness Unlimited Healthclub for Women
Milton, Massachusetts USA
As my husband and I were walking home from Friendly's last weekend, ice cream in hand, I asked him what I should blog about this week. Hmm... summer desserts,"he said without hesitation. Brilliant!
If you are like most people, the summer heat saps your appetite. However, it never seems to cut the cravings for sweets! Here are some ideas for light summer treats.
Fruit, fruit, fruit. You knew I was going to say this! Keep it super simple by choosing sliced watermelon or a fruit cup, or jazz it up by adding a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar over sliced strawberries. The tartness of the vinegar heightens the sweetness of the berries. Peachy for peaches? Slice up a dish and sprinkle with slivered almonds for a nice soft/crunch punch.
For those of you with more time, and a hot grill, skewer up some strawberries, peaches, pineapples, plums & papaya. Mix together 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar with 2 tsp sugar and grill the fruit until it is lightly browned, turning and brushing frequently with the sugar mixture. Hot pineapple is one of my personal favorites. Yum!
Are smoothies more your style? Watch out for smoothie shop selections! Planet Smoothie's Shag-a-delic smoothie made with blueberries, strawberries, banana & yogurt sounds healthy. It's the 22 oz serving size that will set you back 430 calories. That's about how many calories an average-sized woman needs for her whole meal! And those of you who want to beat me to the punch, 2 food groups (fruit & yogurt) does not a meal make! How about a homemade strawberry kiwi smoothie made with 1-10oz bag of frozen strawberries, 2 fresh (peeled) kiwi, 8 oz strawberry non-fat yogurt and 1 tsp almond extract. Delicious! And only 110 calories per serving (recipe makes 4 servings). For more healthy recipes, check out my favorite website at www.aicr.org
Love those sundaes & cones? Ask for kiddie sizes. They are what small used to be.
Enjoy the sweetness of summer! |
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