As we continue along through National Nutrition Month®, our final key message is: Find the healthy fats when making food choices. By choosing polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats, you can keep your saturated fats, trans fat, and cholesterol low.

Not all fats are created equal. Some fats can help lower our cholesterol levels and help reduce our risk of heart disease and stroke. Other fats can actually do the opposite, if consumed in large amounts, and raise our risk of heart disease. The healthier fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which can help lower total cholesterol levels.  The unhealthier fats, saturated fat and trans fat, raise cholesterol levels. But in terms of calories, all fats  have the same amount of calories per gram weight. So, if you are looking for weight loss only, then it doesn’t matter what type of fat you eat–any fat (whether the healthier or unhealthier kind), if consumed in excess–will lead to more fat on your body.

The Healthier Fats

Foods high in monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat are usually liquid at room temperature.  Good sources of monounsaturated fat include olive oil, peanuts (and peanut products), and canola oil. Most types of nuts are usually good sources of monounsaturated fat.

There are several types of polyunsaturated fat, one of which, the omega-3 fatty acids, has gotten a lot of press lately. These fatty acids (the omega-3’s) are found in “fatty” fish, like salmon, herring, and mackerel, walnuts, and flax seeds and oils. Other sources of polyunsaturated fats include soy oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, and nuts.

The Unhealthier Fats

Foods high in saturated fat are usually solid at room temperature. Examples are butter, shortening, fatty cuts of meat (think of the white part of the meat), coconut and palm oils, and most animal products (whole fat dairy for example). 

Trans fat is actually unsaturated fat that is hydrogenated (hydrogen is added to the unsaturated fat) to make the product more shelf-stable. However, when it gets into your body, it acts more like a saturated fat and can raise your cholesterol levels. Foods that may be high in trans fat are chips, crackers, cookies, and many desserts found on the shelf of the grocery store.  However, many food companies are now trying to make your favorite foods with little (or no) trans fat.  Fried foods also tend to be high in trans fat, so eat these in moderation.

A great site to check out to get an in-depth look at the different types of fats is the American Heart Association.

In summary, choose foods high in the unsaturated fats more often, and those high in saturated fats and trans fats less often.  But remember, when it comes to weight and calories, fat contain more calories per gram of weight than both protein and carbohydrates, so choose your healthy fats in moderation.

Walk into most stores this time of year, and all you see is chocolate. I must admit, I love chocolate and eat some every day (everything in moderation, right?). This week is American Chocolate Week, and in celebration of this week, let’s talk about the health benefits of chocolate.

What is it about chocolate?

Cocoa and cocoa products contain flavanols, which are a group of polyphenols, or nutrients, that are found in foods that you can’t find in a supplement. Foods containing these nutrients can act as antioxidants (like some vitamins) in our bodies and protect us from heart disease, high blood pressure, and cancer. Some studies even link flavanol consumption and brain health! Interestingly, the bitterness of cocoa (along with wine and tea) is from the flavanols. So even though that dark chocolate may taste bitter, it’s a reminder that the item has some good nutrients in it!

Which kind of chocolate is better for you?

Dark chocolate! Although dark chocolate, per ounce, has more total fat and saturated fat than milk chocolate and white chocolate, it has more cocoa, which means more flavanols. Unfortunately, white chocolate does not contain polyphenols, so there really aren’t many health benefits to eating white chocolate.

Hot Chocolate Recipe

One recipe that I’d like to share with you is my “Hot Cocoa Concoction”, which is high in calcium, flavanols, and low in fat and sugar: (about 100 calories, 10 grams of protein, 1 gram of total fat, 2 grams of fiber)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup skim milk
• 1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 cup water (how much depends on whether you like your hot cocoa rich or not)
• 1-2 packets of noncalorie sweetener (I use Sweet-n-low)

Directions:

1. Boil water or heat milk in the microwave for a minute.
2. Mix together the cocoa, milk, and non-calorie sweetener.
3. Add in the water when it’s done boiling.
4. Enjoy!

So this week, take some time (if you like chocolate) to enjoy a piece of dark chocolate!

Although I usually like to write positive articles about products on the market, sometimes I like to guide those around me who think that a product is healthy just because it’s low in fat.

One such product is “lunch meat”, or “deli meat”. Whatever the term, it is often seen as a nutritious item that can help people lose weight. However, you rarely hear people talk about how lunch meat is high in sodium. And remember that sodium is a component of salt.

How much sodium do we need in a day? Guidelines recommend that we have less than 2400 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day, which equals 1 TEASPOON of table salt a day. Yep, you read correctly, 1 teaspoon. How much do you put on your food?

What are the side effects of eating too much salt, you may ask? High blood pressure (hypertension), kidney problems, and heart problems for those already at risk to name a few.

Subway, the leader of the low fat sandwich, unfortunately does not have low sodium subs. The Veggie Delite sandwich only has 500 mg of sodium (1/4 of your needs for the day), but combine that with soup and you’re almost done with your sodium limit for the day (each bowl of soup has over 1000 mg of sodium! Wow!). And you think that you’re eating healthy by getting that wrap? Well, a ham wrap has 1500 mg of sodium, and you’re only eating that in one meal!

Let’s pretend you’re trying to follow a healthy meal plan. (Forgive the brand names, I’m not picking on one brand over another). Here’s your meal plan for the day:

Breakfast
1 cup cheerios–200 mg
1 cup skim milk–145 mg
1 banana–n/a

Lunch
1 6″ turkey sandwich with cheese from subway–1000 mg
1 bag baked lays–150 mg
1 can diet soda–20 mg

Snack
handful of peanuts–(let’s assume they’re salted, in a single serve bag)–115 mg

Dinner
1 lean cuisine spa classics (chicken in peanut sauce)–560 mg
1 apple– n/a
1.5 cups salad with 2 tbsp fat free italian dressing–300 mg (400 mg if it’s low fat)
1 cup light ice cream (chocolate)–100 mg

Total sodium content: 2590 mg sodium

And you thought all those food items were healthy because the advertisers said so. When you’re shopping for a food, just think about the “whole package” rather than if it’s just low fat, low sodium, trans-fat free, etc. And also remember that only YOU can control the amount of salt you take in per day. That’s a public service announcement from Salty the Bear!

Wondering what dessert to make for your holiday gathering, where several of your relatives, who are diabetic, will be there? Well, worry no more! Jackie Mills, a registered dietitian, (along with the American Diabetes Association) has written a “Big Book of Diabetic Desserts” to help you with your dessert ideas.

In brief, individuals with diabetes are advised on the following guidelines (along with a few others):

• use whole grains for added fiber
• limit use of “empty calories” (i.e., sugar), although sugar is NOT bad (there just aren’t a lot of nutrients in it)
• limit saturated and trans fat when possible

In this cookbook, you will find a variety (over 150 desserts to be exact) of quick breads, pies and tarts, cookies, cakes, frozen desserts, and other sweets to help you fulfill your sweet tooth without skimping on taste.

Most recipes use 67% vegetable oil spread instead of butter or stick margarine, and low-fat products (1% milk, for example) instead of the whole fat alternative. Also, most of the recipes use a no-calorie sugar substitute (like Splenda, Sweet-n-low, or Equal to name a few) and whole grains (whole wheat flour) along with all-purpose flour for extra fiber.

Taste-Test

Although I am not diabetic, I wanted to try these recipes and see if I could incorporate them into my recipe box for future use at parties and events. I tried the chocolate chip cookies (made with less sugar and chocolate chips than the “toll house cookie” recipe).

My husband, who is known as the “Cookie Monster” for his love of chocolate chip cookies, was a good test subject for the quality of this recipe. He thought the cookies were softer than “normal” chocolate chip cookies, which could be due to the vegetable oil spread instead of butter. They didn’t get as crisp as regular cookies, which made for difficult dunking. I taste-tested them with my parents, who didn’t even notice that they were different than the “normal” cookie. Overall, I thought they were tasty and were definitely a recipe I could make again.

I also tried the “chocolate spoon cake“, which was a warm cake that made its own sauce, to be served with ice cream (lite of course!). This cake, like the recipe suggested, was best served warm, and it had a richer chocolate flavor than expected. This recipe, too, passed the taste test.

One drawback to this book is that it IS paperback, and it is difficult to keep the book from closing while you are trying to make a recipe. It would have been beneficial to have the book be hardback or spiral bound so it can lay flat, and tabs for each section (tarts, cookies, etc).

Final Verdict

The book lists amount of carbohydrate servings (for the diabetic), along with total calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, and protein. Since the recipes contain this other information (total cholesterol, for example), it could be used for someone who is trying to follow a “heart healthy/cholesterol lowering” diet. Overall, I think the Big Book of Diabetic Desserts is a must-have for any individual who likes to make (and eat) desserts, whether they are diabetic or not! Happy Baking!

One of my colleagues asked me the other day how she can feed her family healthy food on a tight budget. She was looking for recipes and a meal plan. Luckily, I didn’t have to “recreate the wheel”.

I just sent her to an awesome website from the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion via USDA: Recipes and Tips for Healthy, Thrifty Meals. Although this is an old recipe book and is based on the 1995 Dietary Guidelines, it is still a good guide for healthy eating and frugal meals.

What I think is very useful in this document is that it gives you a grocery list for a week and gives you a 2-week menu for each meal. It also tells you how much of each food you need to buy and serve for the week. For example, if breakfast consists of orange juice, scrambled eggs, hash browns and milk, it will tell you how much of each ingredient you need to buy in order to make this breakfast for 4 people. For each recipe it gives you, it will tell you how long it will take to prepare and cook the food, and the nutrition information for each recipe. Pretty cool, don’t you think?

The only drawback to this meal plan is that it does not stress the importance of whole grains, so when it calls for bread, choose whole wheat bread; when it calls for rice or pasta, choose brown or whole wheat. As well, consider low-sodium options of some foods (tomato soup for example), and choose skim milk and part-skim cheeses (skim is actually cheaper at my grocery store). As well, you could easily buy sugar-free chocolate pudding instead of regular if you want to save some calories (but then it will increase the cost of your groceries), and you could do without the ready-to-drink lemonade and drinking water.

I am actually thinking of giving this meal plan a try and seeing if my husband will eat this food with me. However, with all of the holiday parties we have in the next few weeks, I am going to try this after the New Year. What a great resolution–eat thrifty AND healthy! Not only will it help my waistline and energy level but it will help my bank account too!!!