Your Holiday Cooking: Is it Naughty or Nice?

Milk and cookies for Santa. Sugarplums dancing in children’s heads. Sweets and treats in stockings. Dessert at Christmas dinner. Baked goodies and treats are going to be everywhere for the next few hours and the rest of the season to come. Below are some swaps for your holiday baking this season and the new year to come. Simple substitutions can really make the difference between adding on a few extra pounds, and watching your weight this holiday season.

Naughty: Shortening and lard. Nice: omega rich margarine and unsaturated oils like canola, safflower and sunflower. Both butter and margarine can substitute for shortening. Use one cup and two tablespoons for every one cup of shortening. Oils are best replaced for shortening or lard when a food is fried. When using butter or margarine as a substitute remember to use less salt. For a sweet and reduced calorie baked good, use pureed fruit in place of one quarter to one half of the fat. Peaches and pumpkin go well in muffins and spice cakes, prunes or avocado in chocolate based recipes, pears, bananas, or grated zucchini in quick breads and coffee cakes, and unsweetened applesauce goes well in almost any baked good. With any of these substitutions baking times may need to be adjusted ever so slightly.

Naughty: All-purpose white flour. Nice: fiber-rich whole wheat and whole grain flours. For a recipe that calls for all-purpose white flour, substitute one half of this with a whole wheat or whole grain flour. There is a difference between whole grain and whole wheat, but that’s another topic for another day, and either way, substituting some of this for the all-purpose white will bump up your fiber, B vitamin, and antioxidant content of muffins, cakes and cookies.

 

  

 

Naughty: Cream. Nice: Evaporated skim milk or fat-free half and half. Evaporated milk tends to have a bit more sugar but the major drop in fat and calorie content is worth the trade. Even light creams can be around 20% fat! Swap cream in a one to one ratio for a lower calorie evaporated skim milk or half and half mixture and your jeans will thank you in the new year.

Naughty: Sugar. Nice: Sweet spices, fruits, and artificial sweeteners. In most baked goods you can reduce the amount of sugar by one quarter without even noticing.  Sweetness can be intensified by adding sweet spices like vanilla, nutmeg or cinnamon. Cutting sugar in half and adding a teaspoon of vanilla as a replacement can give just as much flavor with significantly fewer calories. Unsweetened applesauce can also be used in place of sugar. Swapping one cup of sugar for one cup of unsweetened applesauce can save a whopping 650 calories. Artificial sweeteners like sucralose and stevia can also be used to cut calories and replace sugar. Many of these sweeteners can be several hundred times sweeter than natural sugar, so keep in mind the amount used will depend on the sweetener you use, and likely be less.

 

 

Naughty: Unsweetened baking chocolate. Nice: Cocoa powder, carob or dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa. For a one ounce substitution use three tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, or carob, plus one tablespoon of a polyunsaturated oil like canola, or margarine. Dark chocolate can be replaced in a one to one ratio.

 

 

Eggs don’t make the naughty list, but if you’re looking to replace a whole egg there are some equally healthful substitutions. Two egg whites or one quarter cup egg substitute can be a replacement for one whole egg. Ground flax can also be used in replacement of eggs. One tablespoon of ground flax seeds whisked with three tablespoons of warm water will replace one egg. Let this sit a few minutes to gel and then add to your recipe.

As seen in The Telegram December 24, 2012

Hip and Healthy Holiday Gift Ideas

With only a week left until Christmas, the time is ticking to get those remaining gifts bought. Whether it’s a gift for your parents, kids, sibling or significant other, kitchen items are great gifts to give. Slow cookers, grills, and Keurig machines are passé, and besides, many kitchens are already filled with one or more of these items. The following kitchen ideas are sure not to be re-gifted, and great for getting a head start on new years resolutions.

Cast iron cookware. This cookware has a couple benefits. First of all, it uses less oil than other similar standard cookware, like pans. Cast iron cookware can also add iron to your food. For those looking to boost iron content, or reduce fat in their diet, a cast iron frying pan or casserole dish, is the perfect gift. If you are to give this gift, do remind the recipient that handling and washing cast iron cookware is different from other kinds of cookware. You’ll likely pay a little more for this type of pan or dish, but it’s well worth it, as it lasts a lifetime.   

 

 

‘Healthy deep fryers.’ Yup you heard that right! There is such a thing. The newest frying machines can fry, or perhaps the better words are mist and mix, foods like fish, stir-fries, and veggies with little to minimal oil. Some can even cook up to two pounds of crispy French fries by using one tablespoon of oil. That’s about four servings of fries, each with less than a teaspoon of oil, and having three percent fat (a far cry from the regular deep fried French fries of about 43% fat).

Silicone baking ware. Traditional pans often need to be greased with margarine or oil before, whereas silicone does not. For the baker or loved one watching calories on your list, consider purchasing some silicone baking utensils or cookware, like muffin cups and pans, liners and molds, circular and rectangular pans. Muffin cups and molds have the added bonus of being good for the environment as they are reusable.  

 

Kitchen scales. Scales have officially moved from the bathroom and now into the kitchen. There are many small portable scales on the market which serve the purpose to measure food weight. What’s convenient is that many food servings (including the food guide) are also illustrated in weight. That makes this is a neat gift for those looking to improve eating habits and prevent disease. Using a scale can keep food portions, the weight of your food, and body, in check.

Plates. Nine inches to be exact. In the past few years the size of average dinner plates has grown to about twelve inches. Nine inches is actually the size of today’s salad plate. It’s clearly demonstrated the larger our plates the more food we’re likely to put on them. Smaller plates plus small portions, equals healthier waistlines and saved food costs for the new year.

Oil misters. Fill these with canola or olive oil and mist away. Use them instead of measured spoonful's of oil, and pouring oil over a pan, and save, save, save. Save in oil yes, and calories even more so. Even if healthy oils are used in excess, they can increase weight as oils are very caloric. Consider the fact that a tablespoon of oil has around 120 calories. On average, oil spritzers and misters will pump out about five calories a spray.

Bento style lunch boxes. Presentation is everything. This is essentially a box containing small compartments for different food items, ultimately keeping lunch items organized and separate from each other. This is a great gift idea to help promote healthy food choices and increased fruit and veggie servings for the picky child, or perhaps adult on your list.

As seen in The Telegram December 17, 2012

The Twelve Days of a Skinny Christmas

We all know too well how the joyous twelve days of Christmas can be followed by a New Year battling any bulge we’ve accumulated through too many French hens or partridges in a pear tree. So to keep you healthy and trim while still enjoying the holidays, below are twelve days of tips for eating well and staying lean during December and beyond. 

1. On the first day of Christmas, the dietitian said to me… keep the rum in the eggnog at one point five ounces or less. The standard serving size for a drink is one and a half ounces for spirits, five ounces for wine and twelve ounces for beer. The calories here can add up faster than Santa’s sleigh.

  2. On the second day of Christmas, the dietitian said to me… have two glasses of milk a day, and no this can’t include eggnog! Some research suggests sticking to two low fat cups of milk (2% milk fat or less) each day can help with weight, especially around the waistline.

3. On the third day of Christmas the dietitian said to me… have a minimum of three meals a day. You can even try four to five smaller, more frequent meals. The idea here is not to skip meals and ‘save room’. Skipping meals is like playing Scrooge with your metabolism. It’s doesn’t work to your favor, and over time a once speedy, healthy metabolism can end up working to your disadvantage.

4. On the fourth day of Christmas, the dietitian said to me…eat from all four food groups each day and  each meal. I.e. holiday breakfast pancakes topped with fruit, vanilla yogurt and sliced almonds are better than just pancakes with syrup. Eating foods from each at every meal, and every day, ensures you get a mix of nutrients through the day to keep you healthy and full.

5.  On the fifth day of Christmas, the dietitian said to me… be like the nine ladies dancing. In addition to eating well, be active for a minimum of thirty minutes five days a week.

6.  On the sixth day of Christmas, the dietitian said to me… eat well and according to the food guide six to seven  days a week, but be sure to give yourself day or two for treats as well. Plan ahead so you can fit in ‘treats’ around your healthy eating menu.

7. On the seventh day of Christmas, the dietitian said to me… be realistic! Research tells us new year resolutions rarely last longer than a seven days. Plan to eat smart over the holidays and choose ‘treats’ and ‘extras’ wisely. Take into account day six with this, and that way there is no guilty feeling provoking you to make a new year’s eating resolution.

 
8. On the eighth day of Christmas, the dietitian said to me… Ensure eight hours a night of sleep minimum to keep the metabolism clock in check. There are many interesting links between sleep and weight, but on average, people who sleep a minimum of eight hours, tend to fare better on the   
 scales.

9. On the ninth day of Christmas, the dietitian said to me… drink enough fluids. That’s eight to nine cups of fluid a day for the ladies. Men will need two to three glasses more. Any fluids, including water, milk, juice, tea and coffee can count, just not alcohol.

10. On the tenth day of Christmas, the dietitian said to me… don’t forget those fruits and veggies. Adults need anywhere from seven to ten servings of fruit or vegetables a day. These colorful low calorie foods fill us up and keep the waistline trim.
 

11. On the eleventh day of Christmas, the dietitian said to me… try a naturally sweet low calorie treat. Eleven festive options include: clementines, pomegranates, dried figs, dark chocolate, dried cranberries, baked apples with cinnamon, hot cocoa, chocolate dipped strawberries, biscotti, roasted or spiced nuts, and Santa hats (strawberries upside down with a hat of whipped cream). All jammed packed with nutrition, and have a naturally sweet taste minus the extra calories.

12. On the twelfth day of Christmas, the dietitian said to me… make small changes. Cutting 120 calories a day can equal a one pound weight loss per month. 120 doesn’t seem like a lot in the run of a day, and over time it can really add up. What does that look? Six Hershey kisses, thirty Reese’s pieces, two small York peppermint patties, a medium sized cookie, or about twelve potato chips.

As seen in The Telegram December 10, 2012

NL Holiday Food Safety 101

As we enter into the month of December, the season of holiday cooking and gift giving, food safety is something we need to keep in the forefront of our minds. So much to do with this time of year has to do with food.  Entertaining with food and drink at home, attending work parties and socials, and buying and receiving delicious holiday gifts. If one thing is for certain, it is that December is a month for food, and plenty of it.

When preparing your own food, keep in mind foods which can be potentially hazardous. If making holiday eggnog with raw egg, be sure to cook the mixture thoroughly to a minimum temperature of 63 degrees Celsius. There’s no amount of Screech that can kill any bad bacteria like Salmonella! When using raw eggs, cooking to a minimum internal temperature is really the only way. Give ample time for that turkey to defrost too. Thawing on the counter is not a good method as room temperature is an ideal breeding ground for microbes. The fridge is the ideal thawing mechanism for this sort of large food. A general rule of thumb is to allow one day for every four pounds of meat. Stuffing has the potential to be a hazardous food for bacteria growth as it insulates the bird and may prevent it from reaching a proper internal cooking temperature (85 degrees Celsius). Cook stuffing separate from the bird to ensure maximal food safety. Be mindful of bacteria buffets. A lot of food can float around during the holidays. If food is kept out and unrefrigerated for more than two hours it should be thrown out. If refrigerated leftovers aren’t used or frozen within three days, it’s wise to discard these too. A food borne illness can keep you near the bathroom for days, and worse yet, in the hospital. Either way, neither is a fun way to spend the holidays.

Be mindful of homemade holiday gifts. Although it be healthy, and have that extra though put in, a homemade oil and garlic mixture can in reality be downright deadly. In their separate states, oil and garlic aren’t considered to be hazardous, but when combined they have potential to be a recipe for disaster. Garlic, which is grown in the ground, has the potential to have specific microorganisms which when added to an environment without air (e.g. oil) can create a breeding ground for a deadly food borne intoxication known as botulism. If you are in the practice of home canning goodies to give to friends and family, be sure you are aware of safe food handling practices for canning. Botulism can be an unwanted visitor in home canning as well. Should you decide to mail a perishable gift, make sure the food is frozen solid or refrigerator cold. Use an insulated cooler with gel ice packs, label the package as ‘perishable, keep refrigerated’. Don’t forget to notify your gift recipient of their impending package too.

If restaurant and take-out gift certificates are an item on your holiday shopping list, be sure to check out the new government site which now features food safety inspection reports from all eating establishments across the province. Here you can find information on critical and non-critical safety and compliance for preferred eateries, from routine inspections, consumer complaints, and inspections for food recalls or food borne illness and infection outbreaks.  Before you purchase that gift card, take a moment to locate the report on that favorite eating establishment. Visit http://www.servicenl.gov.nl.ca/inspections/index.html for more information.

As seen in The Telegram December 3, 2012

Got to Get Me Moose By!

Eating wild game is certainly popular here in Newfoundland Labrador, and has been for quite some time. Interestingly though is across North American for food and diet industries, eating wild meat is quickly becoming the new ‘it’ thing to do. Exotic wild meats are making statements across dining establishments as such offerings are now becoming the norm. The Paleo, or Caveman diet, based on eating plants and wild animals similar to cavemen thousands of years ago, is now the latest diet and healthy eating craze for movie stars and everyday people alike. Eating wild meat is not only the thing to do, but in terms of nutrition it’s something we should do. Lucky for us, our hunting season is well underway, but isn’t over yet. In addition, there are a many wild meat options we have to choose from like moose, caribou, black bear, ptarmigan, grouse, and hare, to name a few.

There can be big nutritional benefits to eating wild meat. For the most part, wild game is leaner than other dietary protein choices. In comparison to lean cuts of beef and pork, wild meat has on average one-third fewer calories. Swapping a four ounce piece of beef, for a similar size and cut of moose can cut you fifty calories per piece. Try that three times a week over the course of a year, and that’s over two pounds of calories shaved off your diet and waistline.

On average wild meat has less cholesterol, saturated and overall fat than its beef, pork and poultry counterparts. Cholesterol for wild and domestic meat ranges from 50 to 75 milligrams for a three ounce serving. That being said, some meats, like rabbit, goose and duck can be a little higher. All in all however, the combination of fewer calories, less saturated fat, and cholesterol, make wild proteins, like ours, a smart heart-healthy choice. To keep lean meats lean and tender, but still tasting good, cook slowly by either braising in liquid, or roasting and basting frequently. If you must use extra fat, try heart-healthy monounsaturated oils like extra virgin olive, canola, peanut, flaxseed, walnut, hemp, avocado, or almond.

It’s not just the calories and fat that can make wild meat nutritious. Moose, caribou and rabbit also have more iron and vitamin B12 than a dietary staple well known well for being high in these nutrients. You guessed it, beef. Iron and vitamin B12 are important for many functions, including the prevention of anemia. Black bear and caribou meat are excellent sources of the B vitamin, riboflavin, which is key for energy production. A four ounce serving has 40% of all the riboflavin we need in one day. That’s more than often the touted riboflavin sources of a one cup serving of leafy greens or milk.

There is a word or two of caution on wild meat however. One concern is the possibility of a food infection from consuming meat tainted with trichinosis. Traditionally a parasite found in pigs, today it is more often found in wild meat, particularly bears. The good news is that it can be killed by cooking meat to a minimum internal temperature of 71°C and holding this for a minimum of fifteen seconds. The other concern with wild meat has to do with using lead bullets. A possibility exists that using lead ammunition may cause lead contamination of game. Ways to get around this may be discarding portions of meat that contain bullet fragments or using non-lead ammunition. Pregnant women, and young kids, or those at highest risk of lead toxicity and adverse effects, may be wise to avoid eating meats shot with bullets containing lead.

As seen in The Telegram November 26, 2012

The Sugary Scoop on High Fructose Corn Syrup

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a liquid sweetener that is made from corn being broken down into a simple sugars, the first called glucose, and then next, fructose. You’ve likely heard of HFCS as it has gotten a lot of media attention, but what you may not of heard is just exactly where it can be found. In fact, it is the sweetener of choice for about 40% of the foods on grocery store shelves, and safe to say it’s found in nearly all foods that have added sugars. Soft drinks, cookies and similar snack foods, condiments, and even ‘healthy’ foods such as bread products, pasta sauces, yogurts, canned fruits, canned baked beans and peanut butter have all been known to include HFCS, which vary by brand of course. But why not use real sugar, and why is this found in so many food products? HFCS is about 20% cheaper than regular table sugar (sucrose). HFCS can also make foods softer, extend shelf life and prevent freezer burn.

So what about the hype regarding high fructose corn syrup being bad for us? When it comes to weight, the research focuses on the connection between hormones that regulate hunger and appetite. One hormone, ghrelin, works to increase hunger and appetite. Another hormone, leptin, sends fullness signals to our brains, decreases appetite and controls body weight. Insulin, yet another hormone, important for long-term energy regulation and body fatness, is normally released along with leptin following a meal. Where this gets hairy is that some studies have shown increases in ghrelin and decreases in their leptin and insulin following fructose consumption. In other words, people who ate fructose were hungrier and still wanted to eat more as they didn’t feel full. People consume more in order to get the same feeling of fullness and satisfaction, over time this equals more calories in and a higher number on the bathroom scale. (Note that fructose is also the natural sugar found in many fruits and vegetables. These do contain the natural form of fructose in small amounts, but much higher are the levels of health promoting fibers, micronutrients, and antioxidants).

Truth be told, much of our problem with obesity lies simply in the fact that we consume too much of everything. It’s not the result of one particular food or food component, like HFCS. The science shows us even if you eat a lot of foods with any added sugar, be it HFCS, white sugar, brown sugar or honey, you will see your clothes mysteriously shrinking. In addition, there has been attention surrounding HFCS in relation to diabetes and heart disease too. Studies involving animals show that HFCS can affect risk factors for these conditions, and studies involving people have pointed in both directions. A well established health concern with eating too much HFCS though can be digestive problems. HFCS is not absorbed by the body in the same way as other sugars. In fact, fructose it is the ‘F’ of the FODMAP diet, a list of foods to avoid for individuals with severe irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

 The bottom line with HFCS is to limit it like you would any sugar. One can see how much sugar is in a product by viewing the nutrition facts panel. If you wanted to take that one step further and determine the source of sweetness you’d have to direction your attention to the ingredient list. In an ingredient list, HFCS will more often be listed as ‘glucose-fructose.’ To keep overall sugar low, a rule of thumb is for any food that has sugar in the first few ingredients, be it HFCS or not, keep it on the shelf.

As seen in The Telegram November 19, 2012

Low Calorie Sweeteners for Your Weight – Helpful or Hindrance?

 

It was combination of a sugar shortage during the Second World War in addition to a societal shift to a thin frame that first turned women to artificial sugar substitutes. Today, about one in five of us are consuming artificial sweeteners through diet drinks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the popularity of the beverages has continued to increase in the past ten years. Sugar and other calorie sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup have no doubt been casted as main villains for the obesity epidemic. Talks of a fat tax for soda is enough to illustrate that point I believe. Truth be told, sugar is actually a form of carbohydrate, which is the preferred fuel source for our brains and muscles. But like any other caloric nutrient consumed in excess it can most likely lead to weight gain. (More truth to be told is that we tend to over consume on most all calories, not just those from sugar).

A lot of people choose non-caloric artificial sweeteners over sugar to lose or maintain weight. Some of the artificial sweeteners we see in our food supply here in Canada include, aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, and sugar alcohols such as xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol and maltitol. With the exception of the last four ending in –ol, the rest don’t contain any energy (i.e. calories). These artificial sweeteners have a different chemical makeup from sugar, but don’t actually affect blood sugar the same way as real sugar. The application of these low calorie sweeteners in foods and beverages has continued to increase as have other aspects of the typical Western diet as well. Foods come with variations in fat and carbohydrate content, increased or decreased nutrients. All due to changing lifestyles and attitudes toward food, and not to forget the rising cost of food too. All a while these changes are happening, we have seen the prevalence of overweight and obesity increase to about 70% of adults in our country.

The other truth is that analyses of research tells us that low calorie do not affect appetite, provoke hunger, overeating, or over stimulate taste receptors in our mouths. Which are some of the proposed mechanisms as to how they might contribute to weight gain. There is a potential for artificial sweeteners to have beneficial effects on energy intake, body weight, blood sugar and blood fat levels, when in comparison to sugar. But that is as much as we know. Right now the medical world doesn’t have any randomized controlled clinical trials (the gold standard for science) concerning adults and low calorie sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners are a relatively new addition to our food, and we do need to learn more.

Consumers of diet beverages with artificial sweetener tend to be both male and female, of non-Hispanic white ethnicity and individuals who have higher levels of education and income may also be more likely. It’s interesting to note that those who consume low calorie sweeteners also tend to consume more fruit and vegetables, less sodium, and saturated fats and are overall more physically active. But before you stock your fridge with artificially sweetened foods and drinks, remember that many of these – be it sugar free ice cream or fruit flavored drinks – aren’t always the most nutritious choice. If you are looking to lose weight and the only approach you’re taking is replacing sugar with low calorie sweeteners, then it’s safe to say you are likely to be unsuccessful in this approach.

Ordering the Big Mac with large fries and balancing that off with a diet soda just isn’t going to cut it. For any weight loss approach to be successful, be that low calorie sweeteners, or the latest weight loss supplement, the approach needs to be used with other lifestyle changes that focusing on good diet and increased activity.

As seen in The Telegram November 12, 2012

 

 

Diabetes & Nutrition Myths

In the words of Dr. Elliott Joslin, ‘The diabetic who knows the most lives the longest.’ Dr. Joslin was a pioneer in the field of diabetes. He was the first American physician to specialize in the disease, and the Joslin Diabetes Centre which is affiliated with Harvard Medical School is suitingly named after him. If you are one of the 47 000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians living with diabetes or know someone affected by it, then you’re certainly aware of its challenges. When it comes to diabetes though, there are several myths on what and what not to eat.

Myth #1: People with diabetes have to eat different foods than others without diabetes. Up to the mid 90s the thought was that people with diabetes should avoid foods that contain ‘simple’ sugars and replace them with ‘complex’ carbohydrates, like those in potatoes and cereals. Today, people with diabetes are taught to focus on how much carbohydrate they can eat throughout the day to maintain health and keep blood sugar levels under control. The bottom line and reality is that people with diabetes can eat the same foods as the rest of their family. Amy Campbell a dietitian with the Joslin Diabetes Center and co-author of ‘16 Myths of a Diabetic Diet’, states nutrition guidelines for diabetes are very flexible and can offer many choices, allowing people with diabetes to fit in favorite or even special occasion foods. Whether you have diabetes or not, it’s important to focus on a diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein foods, and heart healthy fats.

Myth #2: Foods with a high glycemic index (GI) should be avoided and only foods with a low GI value consumed with diabetes. Glycemic index is a special ranking of food from zero to one hundred that shows the expected effect a food will have on raising blood sugar levels. The higher the GI, the more rapidly a food is digested, and hence a more dramatic spike in blood sugar expected. Low GI foods produce slower responses in blood sugar and often contribute to feelings of fullness as food is digested slower. Studies from Harvard School of Public Health indicate that the risks of diseases like type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease are strongly related to the GI of the overall diet. The problem with glycemic index is that it is subject to much variability. The variety, ripeness, and preparation methods of food, in addition to what a food is eaten with can all affect the overall effect on blood sugar. In addition, some low GI foods, like a Snickers bar and peanut M&Ms (the nuts make it a lower GI food) are not so great for our health. The bottom line here is that the GI can be a tool for watching blood sugar, but it won’t always tell you the overall healthiest choice.

Myth #3: Eating fat has no effect on blood sugar. Fat, found in margarine, oils and salad dressings, has little immediate effect on blood glucose levels. Smaller amounts of fat in our diet can be helpful as they slow absorption by slowing the emptying of our stomachs. Too much fat can have the opposite effect, and actually end up spiking blood sugar levels. Eating a fatty meal can make it harder for insulin to work, causing a possible high blood glucose level hours after your meal. We all need a little fat in our diets. Try and include more of the unsaturated fats such as those found in fatty fish, nuts and seeds and oils. Some fats, such as saturated and trans, can raise blood cholesterol, increasing the risk for heart attack or stroke. 

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Stay tuned for an article next week on artificial sweeteners. Do they or don’t they contribute to weight gain?

As seen in The Telegram November 5, 2012

Turning Tricks into Treats

Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat! The time of year every kid loves, but parents probably not so much. There’s certainly nothing wrong with having a sugary treat or two, but it can Halloween can get out of hand, especially when it involves pillowcases of candies and sweets and healthy eating goes out the window. There are however many ways to keep both food and healthy the focus. Below some festive treat ideas parents can try for costume parties, family suppers, trick or treating, and more.

Treat #1: Sweet tasting fruits like mandarin oranges and fruit cups. Small clementines, or fruit cups individually packaged in water or juice can make a fun tasty treats. Place spooky stickers on packaged fruit cups, or use a black marker to draw pumpkin faces on oranges. These treats are perfect if you prefer not to hand out treats or want to pack a festive nutritious snack for a brown bag. Other packaged ideas aside from the candies and chocolate can include: animal crackers, packaged pretzels, granola bars, mini raisin boxes, plain dark chocolate, sugarless gum, trail mix, small bags of roasted pumpkin seeds or prepackaged cheese and crackers.

 

 

Treat #2: It’s no trick that fresh veggies can be made fun too. Try using chopped pieces, like celery, peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, and baby tomatoes to arrange in the shape of a human or animal skeleton. Plate baby carrots to assemble a festive pumpkin. Add sliced cucumber halves for the mouth and dips for the pumpkin eyes. These treats are great for an afterschool snack or party at school.

 

 

Treat #3: Have fun with spooky shapes. Larger cookie cutters are great to make sandwiches fun. Small cookie cutters can be used to make cheese and fruit like melons into fun ghost, pumpkin and witch hat shapes. There’s also so much to do with the color orange, i.e. reference to pumpkins. For supper try carved pumpkin faced stuffed peppers, salad stuffed in pumpkin faced hallowed oranges, or even Halloween cookie cutter sweet potato fries.

Treat #4: The pumpkin! How many people crave the pumpkin and roast the seeds, but then that’s it? Instead of buying one pumpkin buy two. One for the craving, and the other for eating. The orange flesh that’s left inside after seeds have been scooped out is vitamin A rich. Fresh pumpkin is something we can usually only get this time of year. Canned pumpkin is quite expensive. Baked pumpkin can be a delicious addition to baked goods like cookies, cakes and muffins, and is excellent as a soup.

Treat #5: Cooking together as a family. Fun ideas like mini mummy pizzas, edible pretzel and cheese broomsticks, and spider crackers can help kids get excited about preparing healthy food and curate essential cooking skills that will last a lifetime. Another fun festive snack can be apple slices spread with nut butter or jam each on one side with between the slices, marshmallows for a mouth with teeth, or sliced almonds for a mouth with fangs. All cute ideas for kids Halloween parties.




For many of these fun healthy ideas I’ve referenced Pinterest (pinterest.com). If you’re not familiar this site it’s an online pinning board where you collect your thoughts and see those of others. There are so many unique Halloween food ideas posted there. Don’t let Halloween scare you as it doesn’t have to be all about the junky foods. Think about it in the opposite - a fun way to get kids to eat healthy while trying and gaining an appreciation for new recipes and foods.

As seen in The Telegram October 29, 2012

Is Phosphorus the New Trans Fat?

Phosphorus is an important and essential mineral which can be found in every cell of our bodies. I say essential because our bodies cannot make this element and we need to rely on food in order to get it. Phosphorus has many functions in the body, and I recently had the opportunity to learn more about this mineral by attending the Food Nutrition Conference and Expo in the US, the largest conference of dietitian and nutrition professionals across the world. A new revelation in the dietary world is that high dietary exposures of phosphorus may be increasing our risk for heart disease. Let me explain.

Phosphorus is an essential mineral which adults need about 700mg per day. One of its main roles is to work with calcium building strong bones and teeth, but it has several others as well. It’s found mostly in protein rich foods such as milk and milk products, and meat and meat alternatives like beans, lentils and nuts.  Whole grains can also be a source of phosphorus too, whereas fruit and vegetables provides very little. By drinking two cups of milk and having two servings of meat, poultry or fish per day, don’t worry, you’re well on your way to getting enough. It’s not foods in their natural form we need to be worried about though. It’s the phosphorus additives in our foods. They’re apparently abundant because they are cheap and multipurposeful. They are known to preserve changes in moisture, or color, or act as a stabilizer, acidifier, anti-caking or leavening agent. Unlike phosphorus in foods which about 60% is absorbed, the phosphorus consumed in additives is 100% absorbed by our bodies. It’s hard to say how much we are exactly getting in our diet as any food analyst software programs don’t take into account the extra phosphorus from preservatives in food and it’s not always listed on labels. Most people though are completely unaware of phosphorus additives in foods. I have to admit, I never really thought about them much before now either. But so you know, they are often sourced in processed, ready to eat convenience such as chicken nuggets, hot dogs, deli meats, frozen chicken or turkey that has been enhanced with a broth, biscuits and snack cakes, processed and spreadable cheeses, instant puddings and sauces, soft drinks, flavored waters and fruit drinks.  

According to experts like to Dr. Geoffrey Block, a Denver Nephrologist, higher phosphorus intakes, thought to be easily achieved from the addition of phosphorus additives to our food, can be dangerous to our health. New evidence is telling us that blood levels of phosphorus, even within the normal range, may be independent predictive factors in heart disease and death for adults regardless of having chronic kidney disease. (As a little background info, often when people have chronic kidney disease they can have high blood levels of phosphorus, and other minerals, which can really damage the body, including the heart).  It’s suggesting that healthy kidneys or not, high phosphorus might be bad for the heart. How does it connect to heart disease? Well the Coles Notes version to this is if your kidney function is impaired you are less able to excrete extra minerals like phosphorus. If the extra phosphorus can’t be used by the body or peed out it can end up in other tissues, causing them to harden. Hardened artery walls is our laymen’s term for arthrosclerosis, a major risk factor for heart disease.

As Newfoundlanders and Labradorians our diet is heavily laden with processed, quick and easy ready-to-eat foods. The same can really be said across Canada, so we’re not in that boat alone. We know rates of heart disease and diabetes are high and expected to go higher in the years to come. We’ve already watching the waistline, dietary saturated and trans fat intake, cholesterol, and sodium, but in the future there certainly could be more foods added to that list. The message here is similar to many others and good news is that it’s simple. Eat less of the convenience and readymade type foods. Choose whole foods. Whole, unprocessed foods (think hard cheese versus cheese whiz) will contain lower amounts of additives and preservatives. If you want to play it really safe, organic will have none. Phosphorus additives can be identified on an ingredient list, but that being said, there is no current legislation for labelling in terms of phosphorus. Meaning it won’t always be there (e.g. many broths). If you do want to try and source it, look for ‘phos’ among the long hard to pronounce chemical names. Dicalcium phosphate, potassium tripolyphosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate. Can you spot it?

As seen in The Telegram October 22, 2012

World Food Day in Newfoundland

Reports from the United Nations last week tell us there are almost 870 million hungry people in the world. That’s one in every eight, or just under 13% of the world’s population suffering from hunger. To put it into perspective, it’s more than all the people in Canada, US and across the multiple countries of Europe combined. What is unfortunate and fact is that the world has enough resources to feed each and every hungry person. Growing up many of us heard that we should be thankful and eat our veggies as hungry people across Africa, Asia or the like would be certainly be happy to have them. But hunger isn’t just a problem we see just in the third world. It affects us right here in Newfoundland and Labrador as well. Data from Food Banks Canada say just under 6% of our population, and 9,090 of NL households used food banks last year. Tomorrow is World Food Day. It’s being recognized here in Newfoundland and Labrador, across Canada and several other countries as well. I spoke with the Food Security Network of Newfoundland and Labrador (FSN), a provincial non-profit organization that actively promotes comprehensive and community-based solutions to ensure physical and economic access to adequate and healthy food for all, to find out more about this day and the events happening around our province.

World Food Day is an internationally observed day to heighten public awareness of the problem of hunger in the world. This annual celebration began back in 1981 and is now recognized in over 150 countries as a day for raising public awareness concerning global food issues – as we know there are many. (For the 870 million people that remain hungry, our world is increasingly faced with a double burden of malnutrition co-existing with obesity and related diseases affecting billions of people worldwide).

October 16^th will be used as a day for communities to celebrate food and raise awareness of food security issues. For the next few days across our province there will be events including community gardens, farmers’ markets, local food and food advocacy groups hosting community meals, harvest celebrations, film screenings, and more. In St. John’s on October 19^th Oxfam and the FSN will be hosting an event consisting of a three-course meal from local ingredients showcasing fish, vegetables, & fruit and a documentary entitled, End of the Line, which looks at the impact of overfishing on oceans. Events are also taking place in Riverhead, St. Mary’s Bay, Hopedale, and Carbonear, and have already happened in Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Harbour Breton. 

If there isn’t an activity going on in your neck of the woods, or you don’t have the time to make it to an event, do take some time tomorrow at home or work to think about food and hunger. One thing we all can do to make an impact is to be conscious and reduce food waste. Perhaps you’ll decide to make less to eat, share meals with a family member or friend, repack leftovers for lunch or freeze for later use, compost, or maybe just buy and eat less overall. Each year in our country we waste almost as much food as the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa. In case you’re wondering, that’s 230 million tonnes. Each person in our country also wastes on average between 210 and 250 pounds of food a year. While people living in many of the hungriest parts of the world, say sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia throw away a mere 13 to 24.

As seen in The Telegram October 15, 2012

Canada’s Latest Beef with Beef

We’re amidst the largest beef recall this country has ever seen. With more than 1500 products being recalled in all Canadian provinces and territories and extending to just about all the states in America too. The beef with our beef?  E.Coli, or Escherichia Coli bacteria.

E.Coli is the bacteria that lives in the intestines of animals, and people for that matter too. There are several different strains. Some of much are harmless and can be an important part of healthy human intestinal tracts. Others however, like E.Coli 0157:H7 which are pathogenic and can cause illness like diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness, and at extremes kidney failure or even death. It’s usually transmitted through contaminated food, water, infected people or animal and common culprits and improper hand washing and cooking of beef. Symptoms of infection to watch out for include abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea (which may or may not be bloody). They can appear anywhere within one to ten days, but are usually seen in three to four days, and last anywhere from five to ten days. The remedy is plenty of fluids and rest, but if symptoms are severe medical attention is advised.  

For the record, E.Coli usually disappears in our number two by the time the illness is resolved. Young children tend to carry it longer than adults, and some people may keep ‘shedding’ the bacteria for several weeks or even months, even after symptoms have disappeared. Good hand washing is smart and the best way to protect yourself, your family, and others.

The power of hand washing should not be underestimated. 80% of common infections are spread by hands. American Society of Microbiology studies show that 97% of females and 92% of males say they wash their hands, but in reality only about 75% females and 58% males really do wash. Of the people who do wash, how many people actually do it properly, i.e. more than just a quick flick under the tap. It’s something simple enough, but the majority of us just don’t do this properly. Sure we use warm water, soap and a dry towel, but the real culprit to washing hands ineffectively is not washing them long enough. You know you’ve washed them long enough when you can sing Twinkle Twinkle or Happy Birthday (and if at a public restroom preferably in your head) while doing so. Even if they appear to be clean, they can still carry germs. Washing your hands at least five times a day has been shown to significantly decrease the frequency of colds, flus and other infections. An alcohol based hand sanitizer can be useful when soap and warm water aren’t available. They can be useful are killing many bacteria and viruses, but are often not that effective for killing the bugs that cause diarrhea. For their maximal hand sanitizer effectiveness, use in addition to hand washing and make sure it contains at least 60% alcohol.

It’s useful to note that E.Coli bacteria can be killed by high heat temperatures. Best practice is to always use a thermometer to check internal temperatures of protein containing foods like fish, poultry and meat. Color or smell are not reliable indicators to say that meat is cooked, let alone ‘fit’ to eat. Ground and fresh beef is considered safe when it has reached an internal cooking temperature of 160°F. Other potentially high risk for E.Coli foods include unpasteurized juice, milk, cheese made with unpasteurized milk, and alfalfa sprouts. Prevent cross contamination in food areas by not only washing hands, but also counters, cutting boards, utensils and any other kitchen object that may come in contact with raw meat. Details for advisories and public warnings on foods, such as this recent beef recall, can be most reliably found on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website: www.inspection.gc.ca.

As seen in The Telegram October 8, 2012

Bringing Back Tradition

Thanksgiving brings many thoughts to mind. Turkey, pumpkin pie, and eating together as a family would certainly be my top three. Instead of talking about how to trim calories, and ‘holiday what not to eat’ (as many articles will feature on Thanksgiving I’m sure), I want to focus on one simple thing we need and can do more of. Take the time to sit down and eat together with family and friends. Family meals are deep rooted in our culture, but with lives getting busier and the days feeling like minutes, it’s something that has made its way far from our dinner plates. So why is eating together so important you ask? Eating with others has been shown to have huge benefits in terms of nutrition for all involved. 

It used to be that families sat down at mealtimes, talked about their day and ate without the distraction of TV or the internet. Today that picture paints a different story. About 43% of families eat together every day, 60% of us sometimes or always have the TV on, and another 15% of us are sometimes or always guilty of emailing, texting or using our phones during supper time. With the expanding waistlines of childhood obesity there has been a fair amount of research targeted on family and social influences and how these might make a difference on the eating patterns of kids. Put it this way, families who eat together eat better, nuff said. Kids who sit down to eat dinner together with family on average eat more vegetables and fruits, and consume more fibre, calcium, folate, iron, and vitamins B6, B12, C and E. They also eat less fried foods, sweets, salty snacks, soft drinks, and less of the so-called ‘bad’ saturated and trans fats. Adolescents having frequent and shared meals promotes greater intakes of fruit among males and females, and vegetables and milk products among females as well. If you consider average intakes of some of those healthful nutrients mentioned above, as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians we can certainly do better in increasing our intakes in the nutrition department. According to 2012 data from Stats Canada, 29% of us consume fruits and veggies five times a day or more. Earlier data also tells us that as a province our fiber intakes are about half of what they should be and calcium intakes are also under par. All in all, a lot of these nutrients we tend to be lacking in collectively as a province have been shown to have greater intakes when people eat together. The chances of kids developing an eating disorder, being overweight or obese are also reduced when kids eat together with others. So take a moment and ask yourself how often you eat fruits and veggies a day? How often do you sit down with others to enjoy food?

There are other big benefits aside from nutrition and healthy weights, when people practice eating together.  According to studies from Columbia University, children who eat five times a week or more with family in comparison to peers eating meals alone or outside the home, are at a lower risk for developing poor eating habits, alcohol and substance dependencies, and performing better in school.

As Newfoundlanders and Labradorians we are deep rooted in tradition. During this Thanksgiving weekend spend time together with your family, eat good nutritious food, and give thanks. Give thanks that your family is happy and healthy and let this be the time your family decides to bring back the tradition on eating together and making mealtime a nightly family affair.

As seen in The Telegram October 3, 2012