Snack Attack: The Art of Healthy Snacking

It’s 3 pm and your stomach is grumbling. You decide to eat an apple but the cookies a coworker brought to work are looking mighty good. You eat the apple hoping that the cookies will leave your mind; an hour later they are still there and you eat six. So much for good intentions.

Snacking behavior can make or break a healthy eating plan. Most people go wrong with snacking by leaving it up to impulse. Meals are planned, but what people snack on is left up to whim. The myriad of unhealthy snack foods available in the supermarket doesn’t help impulse control either.

The first defense in taming the inner snack beast is to eat a healthy breakfast. A study of obese people trying to lose weight showed that those who regularly ate breakfast lost more weight than those who skipped the morning meal. Those who skipped breakfast ate more calorie-dense foods later in the day. Breakfast should be more substantial than just a cup of yogurt and coffee. An egg on whole wheat toast with lean ham and cheese, an orange and tea will fit the bill. In a hurry, grab an oat English muffin smeared with peanut butter and a banana and pick up your Starbuck’s coffee on the way to the office (hold the café mocha).

Another important guideline is to avoid eating when not hungry. This may seem like common sense, but snacking clearly plays a role in obesity. Almost a quarter of the American population is obese and obesity related diseases account for over 300,000 deaths per year. Eating because of boredom, anxiety, anger or because food just looks good will lead to weight gain in the end.

Eating smaller, more frequent meals that incorporate healthy snacks has been shown to reduce overall stomach capacity. Over time, one feels more satisfied with less food. It is believed that this is the reason why people who “graze” tend to be leaner.

In general, snacks should contain from 200-300 calories. Consider that an apple has approximately 60-100 calories; it is no wonder that an apple alone may not satisfy hunger. Spread a little peanut butter on your apple or dip it yogurt and your hunger is more likely to be quelled. Protein contained in peanut butter and yogurt increases the feeling of fullness and prevents hunger from coming back too quickly.

Keep in mind that all healthy diets allow favorite foods and treats. Snacking on cookies may not seem like a good idea when trying to lose weight, but allowing a treat at some point in the day may keep one from losing their fortitude.

Snacking Basics

1. Don’t eat if you are not hungry.

2. Don’t skip breakfast.

3. Eat smaller, more frequent meals.

4. Plan your snacks and choose the right foods (whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nonfat dairy, lean protein).

5. Think out of the bag! Avoid foods marketed and sold as snack foods as they tend to be high in refined carbohydrates, sodium and fat and low in fiber.

Snack Ideas

There are any number of good snack ideas out there. Choose foods that you like and find satisfying. Eat enough food to abate your hunger, but not so much to tip the scale.

1. ½ sandwich (peanut butter, lean meat, veggies) on whole grain bread with milk.

2. Nuts. Limit to approximately ¼ cup per day.

3. 3-4 fig cookies with milk (look for whole wheat variety in the organic food section of grocery store).

4. ¼ cup granola with 6 oz. low fat yogurt.

5. Sliced fresh fruit with yogurt.

6. Sliced fresh fruit with cheese.

7. Apple or banana with peanut butter.

8. Bowl of whole grain cereal with low fat milk.

9. Oatmeal cookies with low fat milk.

Keep in mind that every time you eat, you have an opportunity to do something good for your body, mind, and soul.

What kinds of healthy snack do you find satisfying?

Moving Beyond SAD: Embrace the Mediterranean Lifestyle

The Mediterranean Diet Pyramid

The standard American diet is often referred to as the acronym SAD. The SAD is indeed sad when we consider the impact that it has upon the health and wellbeing of Americans. The increase in chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes is of great concern. Lifestyle choices have a large impact on the development of chronic illnesses. In 2005, one of every two adults had at least one chronic illness. With the current increasing trend in obesity, this number is expected to rise with serious social and economic outcomes.

The SAD is a result of US farm and economic policies. Laws were created throughout our history that gave advantage to companies. These companies in turn controlled what crops farmers would grow and how food was developed from them. High fructose corn syrup and soy protein isolate are two examples of food additives cheaply created from subsidized corn and soy crops. Processed foods flooded the markets and Americans responded by buying them up. It appears that now the devil is collecting what is due. What is truly sad is that our children won't even have a chance. Obesity rates in children have skyrocketed with a concomitant increase in chronic diseases. Many healthcare professional are expecting children born today to have shorter lifespans than their parents.

Across the globe, people developed eating patterns that were consistent with their natural environments. This way of eating offered people the greatest advantage for survival. The Mediterranean diet is a prime example of this. I can wax poetic on the benefits of following a Mediterranean diet pattern, but there are wonderful resources that already exist. Instead, I'd like to focus on a few of the Mediterranean eating and lifestyle habits that Americans can easily follow in their natural environments.

1. Tend a garden: This is not a foreign concept in American history. Most families used to have to grow their own food. Gardening has become almost quaint with our busy lifestyles and the greater availability of convenience foods. If gardening is too challenging you can frequent farmer's markets weekly or join a Community Supported Agriculture group. Either way, you'll be connected to the land and the life-giving foods that come from it.

2. Plants, plants and more plants: Place focus on eating more plant-based foods. We certainly aren't lacking for protein in the US. What we are lacking is eating more plants. Every meal and snack of the day should contain plant food. We can explore eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains that offer a bounty of nutrients.

3. Go fishing: I mean this metaphorically, but if you actually can go fishing more power to you! Replace eating beef and pork with fish. The fish in the market today is fresher than ever and there are many wonderful options that come from our lakes, rivers and oceans.

4. Be a little nutty: Nuts are a plant-based source of protein and healthy fats. Many nuts such as almonds, pistachios, walnuts, pecans and peanuts are cultivated in the US. Nuts can be used to enhanced the flavor of recipes or they can be a satisfying and nutritious snack when paired with a fruit or vegetable.

5. Cook and eat together: Nurturing is an innate human instinct, although some are more in tune with it than others. Our convenience-oriented environment has made it more difficult to become in tune with our more natural nurturing instincts. Cooking food to share with your family and friends is a great bonding activity. It is part of being human. Get everyone involved and enjoy the experience!

6. Get on your feet: Gardening, cooking, and walking to the market are all activities that support health. Life used to be very physical and now we have to exercise to replicate what we used to do on a daily basis for survival. An interesting thing is that all the exercise in the world won't save you if you sit for hours on end in a day.

A new US Food Guide will be unveiled June 2nd, 2011. Word has it that it will be very different from the Food Guide Pyramid of the last decade. A new icon was developed to more simply help Americans adopt the Dietary Guidelines into their lives. Whether or not the Food Guide is wonderful, all Americans can make little changes to move them to a healthier and closer relationship with the land that they live on.

What Do Box Tops for Education Really Promote?

I collect Box Tops for Education for my daughter's elementary school. One or two products that I buy are involved in the program and I dutifully clip the box tops for the school. I recently noticed a commercial for Pillsbury® Toaster Strudel® Pastries promoting their affiliation with the Box Tops for Education Program. It got me thinking: How healthy are the food products that are involved the program?

"Box Tops for Education is a program created by General Mills to provide funding for education." This is the description of the program on the eHOW website. The official Box Tops for Education website claims to have raised over $320 million for schools since 1996 (each box top collected is worth ten cents). Compare this with the annual cost of obesity which was recently stated as $147 billion per year, and the benefit of the Box Tops program pales in comparison! With increasing rates of overweight and obesity in kids, it's pretty important that programs designed for schools promote healthy eating habits.

I surveyed the food products involved with the program and created three categories: healthy, pseudo-healthy, and refined. I classified each food in a category for each division of food products (refrigerated, frozen, beverages, etc.). This is by no means a scientific study and my criteria for healthy vs. pseudo healthy foods is perhaps a bit blurred (I classified Juicy Juice as a pseudo-healthy food. Consumed in small amounts, it is fine, but even 100% juice can contribute to weight gain when over-consumed). If a food contained a majority of whole grains, was in its natural state, contained lower amounts of sodium, and had limited added sugars, I considered it a healthy food. Food products close to their natural state, but with some added sugars (or high natural sugar content) and added ingredients to bump up their dietary fiber were considered pseudo-healthy. Foods with a high amount of refined grains and sugars (including artificial sweeteners) and higher in sodium were classified as refined foods (notice how I didn't call them unhealthy, although it is implied).

As you can image, most of the food products promoted by the Box Tops for Education program are processed. You can view the participating products for yourself. The list changes often as new products are added and limited products are deleted. Of the one hundred and eighty-eight products that I looked at, 14.3% were healthy, 14.8% were pseudo-healthy, and 70.7% were refined. These results are not so impressive, especially when it comes to feeding our kids!

Ehow suggests using the program only for products that you normally buy. But we all know that this is not really how promotions and coupons are intended to be used by their creators. They want us to buy their products and the more we buy the better. It behooves manufacturers to offer promotions to encourage us to buy; if we think that they are socially minded in the process, all the better for them. I wish they would just donate money to the schools without pushing us to buy products, but that's not how America works.

Fortunately, there are non-food products that are involved in this program, so you don't have to worry about contributing to childhood obesity because you want to clip a few box tops. Even better is the online program. There are many participating stores selling many non-food products that will provide a multiple of box tops per every $10 spent.

I'll continue to clip the box tops for the three food products that I regularly purchase and resist the urge to buy more because I think that I'm helping my daughter's school by doing so.

How Food Can Help You Score in Love

Set the stage for love by following a healthy diet 

The connection between food and love goes much deeper than eating certain foods to increase arousal. The right foods convey vitality, endurance and improved blood circulation; all very important for a special night with that special person. There is no mystery; a healthy diet sets the stage for a fulfilling romantic experience. We’ve all heard it before; eat more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fish. Not eating this way yet? Well you should, and here is another good reason why: what’s good for your health is also good for your mojo. We are just beginning to understand how the array of nutrients we get from unprocessed foods impact our bodies; from the phyto (plant) chemicals in blueberries that help relax your blood vessels, allowing blood to flow through them more freely, to boosting your libido by eating enough zinc from meat, whole grains, legumes, and seafood (oysters, a famed aphrodisiac, are high in zinc). If you abuse your body with foods high in saturated fat and refined carbohydrates, over time you’ll increase your risk for heart disease and diabetes, two chronic diseases with serious negative ramifications in the love department.




A little foresight is required to set the tone for a romantic evening. Follow a few simple guidelines to help you get ready for that perfect encounter.

1. Eat Breakfast: Eating breakfast is the best way to assure that you have the energy to make it through the day and into the night. Breakfast foods such as oatmeal, fortified cereals, milk, and eggs provide a good dose of B-vitamins, which will keep your libido soaring and the stress of courting under control. One of the B-vitamins, niacin, is important for the secretion of histamine, a chemical that your body needs for arousal.

2. Limit Caffeine and Alcohol: In moderation, both are fine, but tip the scale in the direction of excess and your night of romance could be railroaded. More than three cups of coffee can act as a diuretic and cathartic; where a little caffeine and alcohol may help keep you alert and relaxed, too much and you could spend most of the night in the bathroom rather than with your love interest.

3. Minimize Foods that Create Unpleasant Odors: Many foods that create odors, such as garlic, onions, curried dishes, broccoli and cauliflower are good for you. You still want to eat these foods, but not on date night. The alternative is to persuade your date to eat them with you, that way you will both be blissfully ignorant about how you smell to the world.



The best aphrodisiac is to feel good about yourself. The confidence that you exude because you feel good about the way that you look and feel can make you irresistible to others. A few types of foods can help add to your appeal. If you want to be assured of a “sure-thing”, try one or more of the following:



Celery: Celery doesn’t come to mind when you think about passion, but this unsuspecting vegetable releases pheromones—chemicals that naturally turn us on—with every bite. Munch a few stalks, and you could give another meaning to the term “rabbit food”.

Chocolate: Chocolate contains chemicals that heighten the love experience. One is phenyethylamine—called the “love molecule” because it is suspected to cause the feeling of bliss lovers experience. The other, methylxanthine, is a stimulant responsible for increasing skin sensitivity. Chocolate rightly earns its reputation as a treat for lovers.

Vanilla: The scent of vanilla has been shown to be relaxing, putting people in the mood for intimacy. Light a few vanilla candles and serve vanilla ice cream with a chocolate dessert and you and your intended will soon be in the mood for love.

Adventures in Soup Making

Delicious and easy red lentil soup 

We love soup in my house. I began making soup a more regular part of our meals a few years ago. I started by using prepared organic broths. There are many easy recipes out there making soups with prepared broths. The only problem is that they are high in sodium. Yes, I know that you can buy low sodium broths and this is a good option, but I have flavor fatigue from most commercially prepared broths. As my husband and I are pushing the second half century of our lives, I think that it is better to prepare more homemade soups with homemade stock.

This may seem like a daunting task, but really, it isn't. You can prepare your soup or broth when you have more time. Once you get familiar with what tastes good to you, you'll be able to "wing it" without a recipe. I still like to find a great soup recipe like Red Lentil Soup from The Best of Bloodroot, Volume Two, but most of my soup adventures are flying by the seat of my pants. I throw all kinds of combinations of food into a pot and typically the results are great.

I'll share the recipe for Red Lentil Soup as this one is really out of this world and it can teach you some soup-making skills. After the recipe, I'll include some guidelines for mixing up your own creations.

Red Lentil Soup

2 cups red lentils
2 large onions, sliced
8 cloves garlic, sliced
3 T. fresh ginger, sliced
2 T. grapeseed oil
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
8 cups water
1/3 c. low sodium tamari
2 cups canned diced tomatoes (low sodium is best)
pepper to taste (only add salt if you really have to after you serve the soup)

Spiced Oil Garnish

4 T. grapeseed oil
1/2 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. whole cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1-2 sliced green onions

1. Pick over and rinse lentils (I admit that I usually skip this step-I rarely find rocks in my legumes).
2. In a large stock pot heat oil and saute ginger, garlic and onions with cumin and coriander for about 2 minutes.
3. Add lentils, water, and low sodium tamari. Add tomatoes (the original recipe says to drain the tomatoes. I add the whole can, including the liquid. I use a 28 oz. can of organic diced tomatoes. It is not low sodium and I do not add any extra salt). Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer until lentils are tender, about half an hour (I find that red lentils cook quickly since they are so small).
4. Puree soup until smooth. You can use a blender, but this is a big task. The soup is hot and you have to blend it in batches. I can't tell you how many times I've had hot soup going everywhere. It is definitely not fun and enough of an annoyance to prevent future blended soup adventures. I suggest using a hand held immersion blender. It will make this step much easier.
5. Season with pepper.
6. To make spiced oil garnish, heat grapeseed oil in a small pan and add red pepper flakes, cumin and turmeric, stirring for a few seconds.
7. To serve, ladle hot soup into bowls and drizzle a spoonful of spiced oil on top. Sprinkle with sliced green onions (the recipe calls for cilantro. I much prefer green onions).

Serves 6 to 8 people

Hints for Creating Your Own Soups

1. Begin by making soup a few times following a recipe. I tend to make vegetarian soups so I look for vegetarian recipes. Bloodroot is my new favorite cookbook and if you're looking for amazing vegetarian recipes, I highly recommend it. I've learned a lot about flavor combinations by following recipes.

2. Choose healthy ingredients. I encourage you to make soup the main part of your meal. To get the nutrition you need you should include healthy sources of protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. In food lingo that means lean meats, legumes, whole grains (barley, brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, millet, etc.), and lots and lots of vegetables (don't forget the greens. Soup is a great way to eat greens)!

3. Season for flavor and that doesn't mean salt! You can use a little salt or salt containing foods such as canned legumes or tomatoes, but experiment with a variety of flavors from spices, herbs and flavorful foods (garlic, onion, lean meats, citrus peel, dried mushrooms, etc.).



Add a variety of vegetables, herbs and spices to your soup 


4. Go for color. Colorful foods have antioxidants and add to the appeal of food. I'll add onion skins to my stock because I like the color that it gives the broth. I'll also add beets. Nothing looks prettier than a red vegetable soup in a white bowl.



Colorful foods add nutrition, flavor, and eye appeal 


5. Be daring. When you've made soup a few times you'll begin to improve upon what you've made. Perhaps you may decide that a stalk of lemon grass would enhance your recipe. Or you might like to add a bit of lime zest or some coconut milk. Get out of your comfort zone and explore new flavors.

Soup can be served as part of a larger meal or it can be the main dish. I often serve it as the main dish. I'll round out the meal with crusty whole grain bread and a salad containing a variety of interesting greens.

One of the benefits of eating soup is that it promotes a feeling of fullness that can help decrease calorie intake. If you've stuck around long enough to read this statement, it should motivate you to experiment more with homemade soups.

Please share your adventures in soup making. I'm always looking for interesting combinations of flavors to add to the pot!

To your health!

PS: When my son was 18 months old he commented on his grandfather eating soup. As he couldn't pronounce his "s" it sounded like, "Papa eating poop." Papa replied, "I hope not!"

My 500-Calorie Bowl of Cereal

I admit that I don't always eat breakfast immediately upon waking up in the morning and sometimes I wait until I've finished my early morning workout. I eat breakfast every day, but I'm often not hungry first thing in the morning. One or two hours after waking up, when hunger kicks in, I look forward to eating a healthy and satisfying breakfast.

With the release of the new Dietary Guidelines a week ago, I've been paying particular attention to the recommendation to make half of my plate fruits and vegetables. Dietitians have been recommending this for years. Half of all the foods that we eat in a day should be fruits and vegetables. Breakfast is a great place to eat a full serving (or two) of fruit. It's also a great place to eat whole grains and satisfy the Dietary Guideline to make half of our grains whole.

How do you pick a healthy breakfast cereal? I choose a whole grain cereal, either cooked or dry. The first ingredients listed on the package should say "whole" and the list should not be excessively long or contain unrecognizable ingredients. I also look at fiber and sugar. I don't always choose the highest fiber cereal because sometimes it comes with too much sugar. Currently, I'm eating Cascadian Farm Organic Multigrain Squares. Three-quarters of a cup has 2 grams of dietary fiber and 4 grams of sugar. I eat about one and a quarter cups which is 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of sugar. The calories listed on a cereal box are the last thing that I look at. I find that many of the low calorie breakfast cereals are anemic; they don't provide much nutrition and can leave you hungry an hour later. I'd much rather eat a cereal with substance, and for a cereal to have substance, it must have some calories.

To my bowl of cereal, I add a hefty portion of fruit. I easily add more than a cup of fruit. I'm trying to fill half of the bowl with fruit. I add my own fruit rather than choose a cereal with fruit-like pieces that may or may not be real fruit. All this fruit provides me with a bounty of antioxidants, nutrients and fiber, and it fills me up. I top off my cereal with a scant quarter cup of nuts for added nutrients, fiber and protein and a full cup of milk (I prefer soy milk) for more protein.

My 500-calorie bowl of cereal sufficiently fuels my morning activities and meets my nutritional needs.  I'm not hungry again until lunch, at which time I'm ready for my 500-calorie leftovers!  

A Quickie in the Kitchen

I love to cook, but lately I haven't had much time for cooking. This bothers me to no end because food and healthy eating are my profession. Apparently, I need to listen to some of my own advice. We can all benefit from some quick suggestions for getting a healthy meal on the table. Here are some tips that help me to prepare healthy meals for my family in a hurry.

1. Plan Ahead: This means actually thinking about what you can make for the week.

• Find Recipes: I usually go to my favorite healthy eating website, Eating Well. There are many wonderful recipes here that can be made in less than an hour. This can be necessary if you're coming home after a long day. You can search for new, quick, healthy and delicious recipes to add to your grocery list or you can search for recipes with ingredients that you have on hand. I recently found a recipe for Spiced Eggplant-Lentil Salad when I searched for recipes using eggplant. Yes, I still have to go to the store for some fresh ingredients, but I'll be using up the eggplant that has been sitting in my refrigerator for the past week.
• Three Meal Rule: I usually plan to cook three new meals a week. This way I'm not overwhelmed by planning a whole week of meals. I make extra to have as another meal or to take leftovers for lunch. You can recycle leftover food and create new meals. Leftover meats and vegetables can be used to make casseroles, stir-fries, salads, stews and soups.
• Make a Grocery List: Part of the planning process is making a list. This helps you get through the store faster and can minimize less healthy impulse purchases.

2. Stock Your Pantry and Refrigerator/Freezer: Buy healthy staple foods that make it easy to prepare a quick meal. These are foods that you may eat more regularly and that you can use in recipes such as:

• Healthy breakfast cereals
• Low fat dairy and dairy substitutes (fortified soy, rice and almond milk and cheeses)
• Low fat and low sodium lunch meats
• Lean meats and meat substitutes
• 100% whole wheat bread
• Fresh and frozen fruits
• Fresh and frozen vegetables
• Canned tomato products
• Canned beans (legumes)
• Brown rice (quick cooking varieties are available)
• Whole wheat pasta
• Herbs and spices
• Olive and canola oil
• Vinegars
• Sauces (Many of these are high in sugar and sodium and should be used sparingly to enhance the flavor of meals. Some of my all time favorite sauces come from the Texas-based company D.L. Jardine's)
• Broths (chicken, beef, vegetable and no-chicken broth, which is a vegetarian broth that has a chicken broth flavor)

3. Shop: To make quick and healthy meals you need to have healthy foods on hand. This means that you have to go to the food market. I'm not as well organized as one of my nutrition mentors who only needs to shop once a month (now that's a well stocked kitchen!). I usually plan one large shopping trip a week (usually on a weekend or in the evening when the number of shoppers is less) and another smaller trip mid-week. A good rule to follow for mid-week shopping is to get only the things that you really need such as some fresh produce and milk. If I have to shop for more items after work, typically we'll be eating grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. I don't have time to shop and cook after work.

4. Learn How to Use a Knife/Food Processor: One of my jobs in my family as a kid was making salads. I dutifully cut vegetables using a paring knife as my mother instructed me. This was a chore and took longer than I wanted. I hated being asked to make a salad. It wasn't until I worked for a caterer in college that I learned how to correctly use a knife. What a difference choosing and using the correct knife makes! Cutting vegetables quickly and efficiently can actually be fun! This is probably the most important skill for cooking (remember to keep your knives sharp!). Food processors are also available for quickly cutting up vegetables. I tend to only use mine if I have a lot to chop as cleaning it is sometimes a bigger chore than chopping. And if you are really in a rush, you can use bagged chopped vegetables. It's always good to have options!

5. Utilize Your Kitchen Helpers: My mother was clearly doing this when she would ask me to make salads. Your kitchen helpers can set the table, wash dishes, and stir the pot for you. A great principle to follow is anyone who eats should help with meal preparation and clean up (thanks goes to one of my dietitian colleagues for suggesting this).

6. Clean as You Cook: My husband actually helped me learn this. His job in his family was clean up. Clean up is so much easier when you clean as you go. While I'm waiting for something to cook, I'll wash a few dishes. I'm a much happier cook when my cooking space is uncluttered and clean.

7. Minimize Distractions: When you're tired after a long day, distractions can make you lose your momentum and the next thing you know you'll be ordering out for pizza. Don't sit down at the computer, don't turn on the television and don't pour yourself a drink until you have a head start on your meal. You may need to delegate other household tasks to the denizens who share the house with you.

8. Experiment: Try making up your own recipes. With practice you will figure out flavor combinations that you enjoy. You'll be surprised at some of the great meals you come up with. You'll also make a few duds, but don't worry, you won't poison anyone. I've had the experience of not liking some of my own creations, but my family seems to eat them anyway, and sometimes they like them even when I don't. I've probably instilled enough guilt in them to simply appreciate the fact that I am cooking for them. I think I'd appreciate an underwhelming meal if someone prepared it for me too.

9. Lighten Up: Sometimes it's OK to eat grilled cheese. You can make a healthy meal using all kinds of shortcuts as long as you balance it with fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

10. Enjoy: Sometimes we need little reminders about how to make quick work of meal preparation so that we can have more time to enjoy other things in life. Who knows, maybe you'll even be able to enjoy the process of meal preparation more, which will make you a happier person overall. Hopefully, you'll free up time to enjoy the other rooms of your house too.