Archive for the ‘Nutrition’ Category

I absolutely love making a big pot of soup when it’s cold outside and this pinto bean soup is one of my all time favorites.

This is a delicious, nutritious, filling meal for a cold winter night.  Being meatless even makes it vegetarian friendly!  It is also low fat unless you choose to garnish with cheese, which I always do!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dry pinto beans
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 small can minced green chilis
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 can (28 ounce) stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (optional)

Cooking Instructions:

Rinse and soak the beans over night or use the quick soak method: Cover beans with 8 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Boil for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour.  Drain, rinse, and the beans are ready to be cooked.

In a 5 quart Dutch oven, saute onions and garlic in olive oil.  When they are tender, add the beans, chilis, salt, sugar, cumin, and 3 cups of water.  Heat to boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.  Stir now and then.

Add the tomatoes with their liquid and the oregano.  Mix well, breaking up larger tomato pieces.   Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes or until the beans are as tender as you like them.

Sprinkle cheese on individual servings if desired.

A few years back I’d never even heard of gluten.

But now I see daily references to gluten or gluten allergies or gluten free diets.  I saw a news story this morning that said there’s been a huge increase in gluten sensitivity since the 1950’s.  I decided to try and pull together some basic gluten information for this post.

What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein that is occurs in wheat, barley, and rye.  Therefore it is an ingredient in many, many cereals and breads.  But gluten is not found in all grains.  The most common gluten-free grains are corn, wild rice, and oats.

What does it do?

It is the component of bread dough that makes it less sticky and more elastic, allows it to rise, and causes bread to hold its shape after baking.  Gluten also gives bread its absorbent quality so you can soak up your gravy with it!

Gluten can be removed from wheat flour but dough made with  gluten free flour will produce dough with different characteristics than traditional dough.

Why would someone need to avoid gluten?

Some people have a sensitivity to gluten.  Others have an illness called celiac disease which causes them to have great difficulty digesting gluten.  Celiac disease can be fatal if not treated properly.

What are the signs that you may need to avoid gluten?

The most common signs are diarrhea, abdominal pain, and bloating.  Some sufferers report headaches, overwhelming fatigue and other symptoms.   The problem is that all these things are also common symptoms of lots of other conditions.  If you suspect that you may have a gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, especially if you are related to someone who already has been diagnosed, see your doctor.

I admit that I don’t have a great deal of knowledge about this subject, so I would appreciate it if you could share any information or experience with us in the comments below.  Thanks!

I’ve been reading a lot of opinions about San Francisco’s decision to ban McDonald’s Happy Meal toys so I’m going to add my two cents to the discussion.

The toy is not the reason kids are eating Happy Meals.  The reason they eat them is because their parents buy them!

If you read this blog regularly, you know that I don’t believe in banning any particular food or food group.  Everything in moderation.  I personally don’t think a Happy Meal every now and then is going to permanently injure anyone.

The health problems – particularly obesity – occur when parents feed their kids Happy Meals or other not-so-good foods on a regular basis.  Why would parents do this? Here are some of the reasons, not based on any formal research, just my personal observations.

• Laziness (often referred to as “I’m too busy” or I’m too tired.)   Mealtimes come around at about the same time every day.  If you know that you’re going to have busy or tired days, make a plan.  Have something in the house that’s going to be easy to prepare or pick up healthy food to go.  McDonald’s is not your only choice.
• Ignorance.   Some people honestly just don’t know anything about proper nutrition.  If you’re one of those people, educate yourself!  If you have the knowledge, share it!  Instead of banning meal toys and spending tax money to enforce that law, maybe San Francisco could spend it on nutrition education programs.  Parents want information.  We don’t want our eating habits controlled by the government.
• Lack of parenting skills. If you can’t say no because your child throws a tantrum, or all the other kids are doing it, or they say they’ll hate you if you don’t buy it for them, that’s a parenting issue, not a nutrition issue.  Read a book, take a class, join a support group.  Do whatever it takes to give you the courage to do what you know is right.
• Just don’t care.  Now, remember that I said earlier I think any food is ok as an occasional treat. When I was growing up, we only had sodas in the house for birthday celebrations.  It was a big deal!  But we didn’t keep them in the house all the time.  If you are aware of the health problems linked to most fast foods, and talk about how terrible Happy Meals are, but continue to feed them to your child on a regular basis, well, actions speak louder than words.

Please share your comments below.

Why have plain old oatmeal when you can have chewy, gooey oatmeal?

When the weather turns cool I always like to have a hot breakfast.  But who wants the same old oatmeal every day?  Try this recipe for some variety!

Chewy, Gooey Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1/4 cup pancake mix
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 apple, chopped

(This recipe makes one serving.  Increase quantities as needed to serve more.)

Mix all ingredients in an oven-proof dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  If desired, top with butter and/or pancake syrup.  Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite homemade hot breakfast dish?  Please share in the comments below!  Thanks!

I just can’t get enough of that yummy pumpkin flavor at this time of year!

About a month ago I wrote a post about pumpkin nutrition. Recently I tried a delicious pumpkin pancake recipe that I thought I’d share with you today.  Enjoy!

To make these pumpkin pancakes you’ll need the following:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling)

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl and the wet ingredients in a small bowl.  Add wet to dry and let stand about 5 minutes.

Spray griddle or pan with non-stick spray and cook as usual for pancakes.

Serve with butter, whipped topping, syrup, or all three!  For variety you can add a little  grated apple or chopped pecans.

Yum!  Just talking about it makes me hungry.  Think I’ll go whip some up right now!

The multiple benefits of drinking milk make this a super multi-tasking food!

Benefits of drinking milk:

1. Builds strong bones and teeth.  Everyone knows that the calcium in milk is is mostly stored in the bones and teeth, making them stronger and helping to prevent osteoporosis.
2. Weight loss. Calcium is also very helpful with reducing belly fat and with overall weight loss.
3. Builds muscle. Milk contains protein, which is essential for building muscle tissue.  Many strength trainers spend big bucks on highly processed protein powders, whey powders, etc. when they could just drink milk in it’s natural state!  As a bonus, milk delivers other vitamins and minerals as well.
4. Healthy hair. The proteins and lipids in milk help produce healthy hair and…
5. Healthy skin.
6. Appetite suppressant. Studies have shown that drinking milk with breakfast leads to eating fewer calories at lunch time.
7. Hangover help. Having a glass of milk before drinking coats the stomach and could lessen the effects of alcohol on your tummy.  Drinking milk after indulging can help neutralize alcohol’s acid content.
8. Lower heart disease risk. Studies have shown that milk can lower triglycerides, thus lowering the risk of having a stroke or heart attack.

Add milk to your diet and you’ll know that you’re doing all sorts of good things for your body!  Always choose the non-fat variety.  Being lactose intolerant is no excuse not to drink milk – buy the lactose free option.

Please share your thoughts in the comments below.  Thanks!