NutritionData.com brings it all together

Eating more healthfully just got easier, with a website that pairs nutrition facts and straight talk on nutrition topics with recipes and personalization. NutritionData.com is exactly what it sounds like: It takes loads of nutrition data and compiles it together in one well-organized, easy-to-use website. On NutritionData.com you can calculate your own personalized daily nutrition needs, search for recipes (including nutrition information) and read up on nutrition news. The website also contains handy tools like a unit conversion tool (for recipes), a nutrient search tool that allows you to find foods high in a given nutrient, and a tool that allows you to compare the nutrient content of different foods. You can even create your own profile on NutritionData.com, called “MyND,” where you can track your diet with a daily food log, and collect all your favorite and most frequently used recipes and foods in one place.

NutritionData website

Eating more healthfully just got easier, with a website that pairs nutrition facts and straight talk on nutrition topics with recipes and personalization. NutritionData.com is exactly what it sounds like: It takes loads of nutrition data and compiles it together in one well-organized, easy-to-use website. On NutritionData.com you can calculate your own personalized daily nutrition needs, search for recipes (including nutrition information) and read up on nutrition news. The website also contains handy tools like a unit conversion tool (for recipes), a nutrient search tool that allows you to find foods high in a given nutrient, and a tool that allows you to compare the nutrient content of different foods. You can even create your own profile on NutritionData.com, called “MyND,” where you can track your diet with a daily food log, and collect all your favorite and most frequently used recipes and foods in one place.

NutritionData website

Bulgur Wheat & The Good Mood Food Blog

When my husband and I went vegetarian for Lent, we discovered the beauty of Bulgur and some of the delicious dishes one can make from it. Bulgur is a whole grain. One cup of cooked Bulgur contains only about 150 calories, but provides about one-third of your daily fiber needs, 11% of your daily protein needs and 10% of your iron needs (based on a 2,000 calorie diet).

Now that I’ve got you all excited about Bulgur, you could probably use some recipes to get started. Enter my new favorite recipe site: The Good Mood Food Blog. Blogger Donal Skehan has put together a visually appealing website full of mouthwatering recipes for “simple, healthy, homecooked food,” paired with beautiful photographs of his recipes that he has taken himself. Below you’ll find a link to a handful of Donal’s recipes for Bulgur, including one for a simple preparation of Bulgur, as well as a beautiful roast vegetable and Bulgur wheat dish. You will find that, as Donal is writing from Dublin, Ireland, you may sometimes have to make minor conversions or translations (e.g., “rocket” is arugula, “aubergine” is eggplant and “courgette” is zucchini; 200g of Bulgur comes out to slightly more than 1 cup), but I think it’s well worth it for the great recipes and beautiful imagery.

The Good Mood Food Blog – Recipes for Bulgur

If that’s just too much work to get a delicious, healthy meal on the table quickly, try any of these recipes for Bulgur, from the Vegetarian Times website.

Vegetarian Times – Recipes for Bulgur

When my husband and I went vegetarian for Lent, we discovered the beauty of Bulgur and some of the delicious dishes one can make from it. Bulgur is a whole grain. One cup of cooked Bulgur contains only about 150 calories, but provides about one-third of your daily fiber needs, 11% of your daily protein needs and 10% of your iron needs (based on a 2,000 calorie diet).

Now that I’ve got you all excited about Bulgur, you could probably use some recipes to get started. Enter my new favorite recipe site: The Good Mood Food Blog. Blogger Donal Skehan has put together a visually appealing website full of mouthwatering recipes for “simple, healthy, homecooked food,” paired with beautiful photographs of his recipes that he has taken himself. Below you’ll find a link to a handful of Donal’s recipes for Bulgur, including one for a simple preparation of Bulgur, as well as a beautiful roast vegetable and Bulgur wheat dish. You will find that, as Donal is writing from Dublin, Ireland, you may sometimes have to make minor conversions or translations (e.g., “rocket” is arugula, “aubergine” is eggplant and “courgette” is zucchini; 200g of Bulgur comes out to slightly more than 1 cup), but I think it’s well worth it for the great recipes and beautiful imagery.

The Good Mood Food Blog – Recipes for Bulgur

If that’s just too much work to get a delicious, healthy meal on the table quickly, try any of these recipes for Bulgur, from the Vegetarian Times website.

Vegetarian Times – Recipes for Bulgur

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

One of my favorite things these days is new show, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, which airs Friday nights at 9/8 central on ABC, and follows celebrity chef Jamie Oliver (aka "The Naked Chef"), as he tries to bring the idea of eating "real, honest, wholesome food" to Huntington, West Virginia. (Huntington, WV was named the unhealthiest city in the U.S. in a 2008 Centers for Disease Control report, based on 2006 data.) While this isn't necessarily a tip or resource for healthy eating, I wanted to share my excitement over this program because I believe in what Chef Oliver is doing. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution is an inspiring show. If Jamie can help the people of Huntington embrace the idea of eating real, fresh, whole foods, then we can easily do the same for ourselves in our own homes.

To learn more, check out Jamie Oliver's website by clicking here.

One of my favorite things these days is new show, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, which airs Friday nights at 9/8 central on ABC, and follows celebrity chef Jamie Oliver (aka "The Naked Chef"), as he tries to bring the idea of eating "real, honest, wholesome food" to Huntington, West Virginia. (Huntington, WV was named the unhealthiest city in the U.S. in a 2008 Centers for Disease Control report, based on 2006 data.) While this isn't necessarily a tip or resource for healthy eating, I wanted to share my excitement over this program because I believe in what Chef Oliver is doing. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution is an inspiring show. If Jamie can help the people of Huntington embrace the idea of eating real, fresh, whole foods, then we can easily do the same for ourselves in our own homes.

To learn more, check out Jamie Oliver's website by clicking here.

Happy Easter!

For those of you who celebrate it...Happy Easter!

Piece o' Cake! will return on Monday, April 5th.






Source: www.freedigitalphotos.net
Photographer: Maggie Smith

For those of you who celebrate it...Happy Easter!

Piece o' Cake! will return on Monday, April 5th.






Source: www.freedigitalphotos.net
Photographer: Maggie Smith

8 Healthy office snacks from CookingLight.com

Click here for 8 great ideas for healthy snacks to have on hand at the office. When your stomach starts growling at 3PM, having a healthy snack at the ready will help you avoid the vending machine blues. Suggestions from CookingLight.com include mini pitas with hummus and whole wheat crackers with peanut butter.


Image: CookingLight.com

Click here for 8 great ideas for healthy snacks to have on hand at the office. When your stomach starts growling at 3PM, having a healthy snack at the ready will help you avoid the vending machine blues. Suggestions from CookingLight.com include mini pitas with hummus and whole wheat crackers with peanut butter.


Image: CookingLight.com

Cutting calories through small changes

This page from the American Dietetic Association's website, at www.eatright.org, lists some nice easy tips for cutting calories by making small changes that are easier to stick with over time, as opposed to making a huge lifestyle overhaul all at once. Some of the tips include: lighten your coffee by choosing non-fat milk and sugar-free syrup; choose the smaller plates and bowls to help you eat less; and replace high-calorie beverages with water as often as possible.

American Dietetic Association - "Ways to Shave Calories"

This page from the American Dietetic Association's website, at www.eatright.org, lists some nice easy tips for cutting calories by making small changes that are easier to stick with over time, as opposed to making a huge lifestyle overhaul all at once. Some of the tips include: lighten your coffee by choosing non-fat milk and sugar-free syrup; choose the smaller plates and bowls to help you eat less; and replace high-calorie beverages with water as often as possible.

American Dietetic Association - "Ways to Shave Calories"

The (sweet and) lowdown on sugar

I just recently read a great article on sugar in the January/February 2010 issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter and I’d like to share with you some of the takeaways of that story since I think this is an important topic for everyone but confusing for most. The American Heart Association recently released a report with new recommendations for the intake of added sugars. For women, the recommendation is no more than 100 calories from added sugars, or 6-1/2 teaspoons, per day; this is less than what you’d find in a 6 oz. low-fat vanilla yogurt and an 8 fl. oz. reduced-fat chocolate milk, combined. For men, the recommendation is no more than 150 calories per day from added sugar, or 9-1/2 teaspoons; which is less than you’d find in one 12 fl. oz. can of Coke. By comparison, most Americans are consuming far more than the recommended intake, at somewhere in the range of 350-475 calories (about 22-30 teaspoons) per day; in addition, most aren’t aware that added sugars are hiding in far more than just the obvious places. Natural sugars are present in places like fruits & vegetables (naturally occurring fructose) and dairy products (lactose), for example; we don’t need to be worried about these sugars. Added sugars are present in not only cakes & cookies, but also in places like condiments (e.g., ketchup & salad dressing) and bread products; these are the sugars we need to limit. So, what to do?

1) Know that sugar answers to many aliases. Start paying attention to the various names for sugar used on food labels: high fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, brown rice syrup, agave, brown sugar, corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, glucose, dextrose, honey, maple sugar, molasses, raw sugar, table sugar, confectioner’s sugar, baker’s sugar, powdered sugar.

2) Discriminate equally. Know that ALL sugars need to be equally limited. We’ve all heard the big fuss over high-fructose corn syrup or have read articles warning about one type of sugar over another. The fact is that all added sugars can play a role in potentially increasing your risk for disease (e.g., too much sugar can lead to obesity, which increases your risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes). All added sugars must be viewed as discretionary calories. That is, they are the calories you can have as a bonus after you’ve had your fruits, veggies, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean protein. Remember that even if you eat all those good-for-you items, if you have too much sugar in addition to all that good stuff, it can still make you fat.

3) Start by cutting back on sugar-sweetened beverages. According to the Nutrition Action article, “soft drinks are the number-one source of added sugars in Americans’ diets,” so what better way to start than by cutting back on sugar-sweetened beverages? Remember that it’s not only soft drinks that are packed with added sugars, but also sports & energy drinks and sugar-sweetened teas. Replace these beverages with plain or sparkling water or the 2-3 cups of skim or 1% milk that you need to meet your calcium requirements.

To read more:

Today’s Dietitian: February 2010, “Sweet Defeat” by Lindsey Getz

Wall Street Journal Online: August 25, 2009, “Sweet Surrender: Sugar Curbs Urged” by Ron Winslow and Shirley S. Wang

I just recently read a great article on sugar in the January/February 2010 issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter and I’d like to share with you some of the takeaways of that story since I think this is an important topic for everyone but confusing for most. The American Heart Association recently released a report with new recommendations for the intake of added sugars. For women, the recommendation is no more than 100 calories from added sugars, or 6-1/2 teaspoons, per day; this is less than what you’d find in a 6 oz. low-fat vanilla yogurt and an 8 fl. oz. reduced-fat chocolate milk, combined. For men, the recommendation is no more than 150 calories per day from added sugar, or 9-1/2 teaspoons; which is less than you’d find in one 12 fl. oz. can of Coke. By comparison, most Americans are consuming far more than the recommended intake, at somewhere in the range of 350-475 calories (about 22-30 teaspoons) per day; in addition, most aren’t aware that added sugars are hiding in far more than just the obvious places. Natural sugars are present in places like fruits & vegetables (naturally occurring fructose) and dairy products (lactose), for example; we don’t need to be worried about these sugars. Added sugars are present in not only cakes & cookies, but also in places like condiments (e.g., ketchup & salad dressing) and bread products; these are the sugars we need to limit. So, what to do?

1) Know that sugar answers to many aliases. Start paying attention to the various names for sugar used on food labels: high fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, brown rice syrup, agave, brown sugar, corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, glucose, dextrose, honey, maple sugar, molasses, raw sugar, table sugar, confectioner’s sugar, baker’s sugar, powdered sugar.

2) Discriminate equally. Know that ALL sugars need to be equally limited. We’ve all heard the big fuss over high-fructose corn syrup or have read articles warning about one type of sugar over another. The fact is that all added sugars can play a role in potentially increasing your risk for disease (e.g., too much sugar can lead to obesity, which increases your risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes). All added sugars must be viewed as discretionary calories. That is, they are the calories you can have as a bonus after you’ve had your fruits, veggies, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean protein. Remember that even if you eat all those good-for-you items, if you have too much sugar in addition to all that good stuff, it can still make you fat.

3) Start by cutting back on sugar-sweetened beverages. According to the Nutrition Action article, “soft drinks are the number-one source of added sugars in Americans’ diets,” so what better way to start than by cutting back on sugar-sweetened beverages? Remember that it’s not only soft drinks that are packed with added sugars, but also sports & energy drinks and sugar-sweetened teas. Replace these beverages with plain or sparkling water or the 2-3 cups of skim or 1% milk that you need to meet your calcium requirements.

To read more:

Today’s Dietitian: February 2010, “Sweet Defeat” by Lindsey Getz

Wall Street Journal Online: August 25, 2009, “Sweet Surrender: Sugar Curbs Urged” by Ron Winslow and Shirley S. Wang