The Honest Dietitian's 2016 Commuter Food Favorites

Featuring My Favorite Commuter Foods

I drive a lot. I made the choice to go for my PhD and since I am a parent and had no intentions of moving my kids away from their friends and schools, this means I have a 3 hour round-trip commute to school between 1-4 days per week (depending on the semester). Couple that in with a full-time job as a clinical nutrition manager for three of those years...I have been busy. There is no doubt that a crazy schedule like this can sure make a person Hangry if they are not careful. And, since a lot of my commute is on the beautiful I-40, there have been many a times when I have been stuck in traffic for hours due to car accidents, fires, and so on. The worst was when I was leaving campus in time to make it home for my husband's delicious Fodmap friendly taco dip when I hit a standstill on I-40 with no possible way to exit to an alternative route. It was over 90 degrees outside and I had no water (I always carry a refillable bottle but it was empty), no food...and almost two hours later when we started to move, I had a raging migraine. That was the last time I have ever traveled without an emergency snack. Sometimes my schedule has been so packed that the only real "free" time I have had in a day has been the time I am in my car driving to the next scheduled event. I have found that I need to have 3 different types of foods to make my days and commutes the best they can be. I am also making this list with the very true assumption (for me) that there is not going to be appropriate access to a microwave to heat up any food. Here they are:

• Commuter Food Number One: Foods that will get me through my scheduled meal times when I do not have a lunchbox with an ice pack. This is the good 'ole "I'm running so behind that I am going to throw a bunch of food into a plastic bag" situation. Even as a mostly Type A personality, I can't plan for everything to go smoothly so this does happen more often than I like.

GoMacro Thrive Bars & Protein Bars.
I love these bars. My favorite flavors are the Caramel Coconut Thrive Bar & the Protein Pleasure Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bar. GoMacro makes really great products. I just noticed they have a sampler pack, so if you haven' tried these before- I highly recommend them. 


Barney Butters Almond Butter Snack Packs.
These butters are perfect to have on hand and with the large variety of choices, you are definitely going to find a flavor that you love. My favorite flavors are the Vanilla Espresso, Honey Flax, Cocoa Coconut, and the Bare Smooth Almond Butter. I literally have one of these snack packs in my purse at all time. Buy them here.

You will love these almond butters!

Artisans Organics Single Serving Squeeze Packs.
To be honest, I might be in love with the cashew nut butter. It is so incredibly creamy and delicious, I just love it so much. They also make squeeze packs for pecan butter, walnut butter, coconut butter, and so on. You will see me using their coconut butter & unbelievable cocoa spreads in some future recipes. Get your squeeze packs here.

Glutino Crackers.
You have to have something to put all of those delicious butters on! I like the original, cheddar, and sea salt crackers by Glutino. They are gluten-free but have a great consistency and are strong crackers to take on the road. The original crackers with the cashew nut butter and an orange, washed down with some chocolate coconut water is my pre-workout snack on my busy driving days. Give Glutino crackers a try!

So You're More Active...What's Next?

Most of us have had some fitness aims or goals over the years. And most of us know how hard it can be to achieve them. Some people find it easier to scale things back a bit and concentrate on one thing at a time. You might try increasing the number of steps you walk or try being a little more active at lunch time. Increasing your activity is certainly one of the best ways to improve your fitness and tone up a little. But what comes next?

Health and fitness go hand in hand. It’s worth considering how you can also improve your health now you’ve made those big steps toward fitness. Walking is one of those activities that can help you become more active and make you healthier. It’s not just your physical health you need to consider. Your mental and emotional health are just as important. Walking can help calm your mind, and you’ll feel emotionally well by taking in the fresh air and beautiful surroundings.

This picture is from Flickr.com

Breast Cancer Nutrition Awareness featuring GoMacro

October is breast cancer awareness month and I'd like to introduce you to Go Macro. GoMacro is a family-owned vegan food company that was started by a mother-daughter duo on their organic family farm. They have two different lines of products- MacroBars and Thrive. In honor of their co-founders breast cancer recovery, they have released a special “give-back bar” that donates 10% its proceeds to the Keep a Breast Foundation. I love this bar because it touches on some important nutritional concepts (antioxidants, fiber, plant-based). Learn more about the awesome Keep a Breast Foundation here. Let us get brought up to speed on some breast cancer stats:

According to Breastcancer.org, here are some recent statistics on breast cancer in the United States (source here): 

• In 2016, there are more than 2.8 million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. This includes women currently being treated and women who have finished treatment.
• About 85% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer. These occur due to genetic mutations that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general, rather than inherited mutations.
• Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. In 2016, it's estimated that just under 30% of newly diagnosed cancers in women will be breast cancers.
• About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.

Amelia, Breast Cancer Survivor & her daughter: Co-founders of GoMacro

Here’s the thing, no matter what illness or disease a person may become afflicted with in life, they can fight it better if they have been following a healthy lifestyle beforehand. Being an overweight woman is a risk factor for developing breast cancer, possibly because the more the fat cells grow, the more estrogen is produced from the fat cells. That production of excess estrogen can signal breast cell growth, which in turn increases the risk of developing breast cancer.

What can you do from a nutritional point of view?

PB Chocolate Coconut Protein Balls featuring Paleo Pro Powder

Who doesn't love to make homemade protein snack balls? I have had the wonderful opportunity to try the Paleo Pro products and I am SO impressed. In fact, I used their Aztec Vanilla protein powder in what has now become my favorite shake combination ever (1/2 frozen blueberries, 30g Aztec Vanilla protein powder & 10 ounces of coconut almond milk). I am an unbiased and honest reviewer for everything I write on this blog and can tell you, as someone who has a sensitive stomach, these products made me feel great: no bloating, etc. And OMG THEY HAVE A PUMPKIN SPICE FLAVORED POWDER! Yes, I am one of those people who loves on that pumpkin spice. Judge away. You know you want some- click here to get some. No soy, no whey, no added sugar, no gluten, grains, wheat. artificial ingredients, and so on. The cost for these products is very reasonable given their high quality. Way to go, Paleo Pro! You have a fan for life. I loved making the protein balls and was originally going to use almond meal in the recipe but am so glad I used the coconut flour because it added some great fiber content. The recipe is below- give them a try!

www.paleopro.com

Fodmap Sweet Potato & Parsnip Cakes

I have always loved sweet potatoes.  We often try to eat low-FODMAP foods because both my husband and I have happier GI tracts when we do. I had some parsnips that I needed to use and thought I would try out some Fodmap Friendly Sweet Potato & Parsnip cakes to accompany my balsamic herb-encrusted salmon and really enjoyed what came together. I know that olive oil has a high smoke point (around 405 degrees F) but on medium heat I was seeing a bit of smoke coming from the oil, so I just turned the heat down a number (from 6 to 5 on my stovetop) and didn't have as much burning the second time around. 

Sweet potato & parsnip cakes make a great side dish!

Ingredients: 

2 large sweet potatoes (baked at 350 degrees F in foil for 45 minutes & then peeled and mashed*) 

2 parsnips (peeled and chopped) 

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

~5 TBSP olive oil

Health is Wealth Toolkit- Tracking Your Intake

One of the most useful tools for someone who is looking at making improvements to their current diet is to keep an accurate record of what they are actually eating. I can’t tell you how many times I have been tracking my diet and found that I was not getting enough Calcium, Vitamin A, and especially Potassium in my diet. I value variety in my diet and am always trying new recipes and dishes, but not everyone is like me. When working with clients who want to lose weight, 99.9% of the time they have already tried some type of calorie-restricting diet that has major deficiencies in important vitamins and minerals. There really is no reason for this! Granted, there are many, many factors that play into a person’s ability to lose weight but there are many nutrient-dense foods that one can incorporate into their diet that promote more than healthy weight loss. Nutrient-dense foods can prevent and treat many nutrition-related chronic diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and so on. (Not familiar with the term nutrient-dense foods? Nutrient-dense foods are foods that have a lot of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, but not a lot of calories. Think of fruits, vegetables, or complex carbohydrates like quinoa, oatmeal, and beans/lentils)

The Honest Dietitian's 2016 Favorites: Japanese Giant Red Mustard Greens

Chop up these Japanese Giant Red Mustard Greens to sauté as a side dish.

Not all greens are created equal. Growing up in Michigan, I did not have a lot of exposure to cooking greens as much as I have now that I live in the south.  I have always been a huge fan of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, especially their seed collections which helped me a lot when I moved south because the growing season is so different & wonderful. This year I planted Japanese Giant Red Mustard Greens and they easily became my favorite greens ever. The description on the seed package said "Strong Almost Garlic Like Mustard Flavor". The seeds grew strong and beautiful plants and at first bite, they had me hooked. To me, the flavor of the greens hinted more towards horseradish. We have used the greens in so many ways:

Budget-Friendly Hamburger Lentil Vegetable Soup

This is a delicious & simple & very inexpensive recipe that you can make as your main dish chocked full of fiber and nutrients!  I'll be surprised if you pay over $10.00 for all of these ingredients. When I was interning at the health department before I became a Registered Dietitian, one of the coolest things I saw was a recipe sheet for people who received WIC benefits but didn't know what to do with the food they were getting.  With this recipe, Mom's were able to put together a nutritious meal using the dried lentils, carrots, and tomato juice they were receiving.  I put this together in a pot for some of the WIC clients to sample and it was a huge hit.  One of my favorite days of my internship.  I still make it often because it FREEZES so well (I always double the recipe because of this) and I vary between adding hamburger and eating it without any meat.

 I hope you enjoy! Makes 6 Servings

Fun Saturday Night Snack

One of the best Christmas gifts we received this year was a Bella brand air-popped popcorn maker.  It is so easy to use and the kids think it is hilarious watching the popcorn fly out of the machine.  You can melt the butter or margarine on top while the popcorn is cooking.  I am so happy with the money we are saving too!  I bought a bag of white kernels for $1.39 at the store and can easily make 15 "bags" worth of popcorn with that.  Popcorn is a great snack, with only an average of 31 calories per cup of air-popped popcorn!  Thanks Russ & Cindy for the wonderful Christmas gift!  The family has enjoyed it so much and I would suggest this as a gift for anyone looking to get something fun or thoughtful for others!

Flatout Review & Do Good Donation!

Feed your body:

I have always been a HUGE fan of Flatout wraps because they are high fiber/low calorie/taste awesome alternatives to bread.  This is important for me, as a Mom who needs to keep my children entertained when I pack their lunch every day.  These wraps are PERFECT for the Halloween season.  Last night we had another family over & made pumpkin-face pizzas with the new Hungry Girl Flatout Foldit Flatbread for the kids & for the adults, Honey-Wheat Flatouts.  It was a blast!  Flatout has some incredibly spooky ideas for Halloween treats on their facebook page including Spooky Snake Bites, Creepy Crawlies, Goblin Grabbers & Yummy Mummies just to name a few.  They are quick and easy to make for a super fun addition to your Halloween festivities!  Check out these recipes at:  Flatout Halloween Recipes

Feed your soul:

Flatout Cares! Do Good Donations in October

“Helping others is important to us at Flatout. Knowing that one in six Americans go hungry every day, we recently donated 20,000 lbs. of our new Hungry Girl Foldit® Flatbread to food banks across the country. 

Tell us about a Flatout fabulous organization that you support and how it could benefit from a “Flatout Do Good Donation.” Now through Nov. 5, 2011, we’ll pick one great cause a week and donate $1,000 plus Flatout products to help make a difference. No purchase necessary.

For more details and how to enter, visit www.facebook.com/FlatoutBread now through November 6.

·     Tell us in 200 words or less about an organization that you support that can benefit from a Do Good Donation of $1,000 and Flatout product

·     We’ll pick one winner each week and donate to the nominated organization

Thank you Flatout for providing me samples of your products at no-cost for my review.  All opinions are 100% my own.

                                                

Gnu Bars Review & Giveaway!

Now that we know how important fiber is & how little most of us get, check out these wonderful fiber-filled Gnu Bars!  Gnu bars provide 12 grams of fiber per bar & only 130-140 calories, depending which flavor you get.  I tried the Banana Walnut bar for breakfast this morning and it was tasty!  These bars are baked and come in 7 different flavors:  Orange Cranberry, Banana Walnut, Cinnamon Raisin, Chocolate Brownie, Peanut Butter, Espresso Chip, and Lemon Ginger.  They pack a huge punch of fiber which works with weight management, promotes on-going regularity, and supports heart health/lowers cholesterol.  This is a CLEAN product:  natural with no high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils, Kosher, Vegan, and good golly...for a fiber bar, it has flavor!  I am impressed!  You can find these at any The Vitamin Shoppe stores & some Whole Foods Markets.  You can also order them at Gnu Foods.

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader of The Honest Dietitian will win one of each of the 7 flavors of the Gnu Bars!  The giveaway is open until Midnight, Wednesday October 12th 2011.  Winner will be chosen using Random.org.  The winner will be notified Thursday October 13th  and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is picked.  Please leave your email in a comment, or make sure it is visible in your profile!

Mandatory:  Go to the Gnu Foods Facebook Page and "like" it.  Tell them The Honest Dietitian sent you!  

Extra Entries:

• Like The Honest Dietitian on Facebook (2 entry)
• Subscribe to my blog via Google Friend Connect (2 entries) & let me know you did so
• Tweet about my Giveaway & leave a comment (2 entries)
• Subscribe to my blog via email & let me know you did so (2 entries)
• Add me to your blogroll & leave me the link where you did so (3 entries)

Thank You & Good Luck to Everyone!!  Look for More Giveaways this Week!

The Honest Truth about Fiber

What is the honest truth about fiber?  We just don’t get enough!  Most people think of fiber as something old people have to have to keep themselves regular, when the reality is that we all need adequate fiber to keep us ALL regular, as well as lower our risk of diabetes and heart disease.  The recommended intake of fiber is 25-35 grams per day.  I’ve seen a million food journals and done a lot of research and it is sad to report that most Americans consume less than 15 grams per day on average.  Fiber containing foods are usually foods that are exceptionally great for you:  whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds.  Insoluble fiber is the roughage of foods that your body can’t digest, so it happily bulks your stools to keep your digestive system happy & keeps you fuller longer, which can aid in weight loss.  Soluble fiber helps to reduce your LDL “bad cholesterol”.   

Here are some tips:

• Do not all of the sudden go from eating 4 grams of fiber per day to 35 grams per day.  Gradually increase the fiber in your diet, so you don’t experience any unpleasant side effects.  I want your fiber experience to be a pleasant one & not a gas! 

•   Drink lots of water with your fiber containing meals and snacks.  Not only will this help the fiber to expand to make you feel more full and satisfied, but it will also help “move things along” in your belly.

• Read labels or take a gander at the National Fiber Council to get an idea of foods that contain high amounts of fiber and start adding them in to your family’s meals.  Everyone feels better with fiber!