With the warmer weather upon us and everything looking greener, it only makes sense that May is National Salad Month!  What better way to take advantage of your garden or local farmer’s market than with a great, refreshing salad?!

Salads are such an easy way to get a serving or two of veggies in, but don’t get stuck in a rut by limiting yourself to the same-old boring chef’s salad.  Did you know that iceberg lettuce, a staple in the chef salad, is almost all water and basically void of any nutrients?  Shockingly, iceberg lettuce is one of the most commonly consumed vegetables right up there with potatoes (i.e. the french fry)!

Freshening up your salad routine can be as easy as swapping out your greens.  Choosing one of these darker, leafier greens over iceberg will provide you with vitamins A, C and K as well as potassium, calcium, iron and fiber!  Not to mention, these greens each have a distinct flavor and can add a little more depth to your salad. 

Not sure where to begin?  Here are a few of my favorite salad greens with links to some delicious recipes:

Kale

1.       Kale – This “superfood” has gained extreme popularity over the last few years amongst foodies and dietitians alike!  The taste is mild although slightly bitter and has some hints of cabbage.  The leaves are broad and ruffled and can range in color from deep green to purple.  Here is an easy kale salad starter recipe that you can add your favorite ingredients to.

Cabbage

2.       Cabbage – Although most known for its use in coleslaw, cabbage is also a great green for a traditional salad.  Varieties include green and red (purple) and have a slightly bitter or sharp taste.  The leaves should be crisp and crunchy.  Explore cabbage with this beautiful salad recipe.

Arugula

3.       Arugula – Often used in a mix of greens (mesculin), arugula adds texture and flavor to any salad.  Its leaves are dark green and tender and taste spicy or mustard-like.  Check out this recipe for a simple, refreshing arugula salad. 

Spinach

4.       Spinach – Most commonly eaten cooked, spinach is also great raw.  I love using baby spinach leaves as the starter green for my salads.  The leaves are usually smooth, green and tender and taste slightly bitter.  Because of its bitterness its often paired with sweet strawberries as in this yummy salad.

Remember to keep your salad healthy by avoiding large amounts of dairy, croutons or cream-based dressings. Instead, dress your salads with nuts and seeds, vegetables, fruits and berries and lean protein. And choosing an olive-oil or vinegar based dressing will help you save on saturated fat and calories!

So whether you find them at the grocery store, the farmer’s market or even your own backyard, I hope this guide inspires you to try and boost your salad with some of these nutritious greens!   

Healthfully Yours,

Meghan

Your morning coffee is, no doubt, an integral start to your day for many reasons. For me, it’s that delightful caffeine boost. Like jumper cables to a dead car battery, my morning coffee breathes life into me and my protesting, groggy brain. Not to mention the taste…I’ve recently acquired a taste for good coffee, thanks to my uncle’s new endeavors into the coffee roasting business. I now know that drinking coffee should be an entirely pleasurable experience for the senses, though not at the expense of the waistline.

Coffee also boasts its fair share of nutritional benefits. According to Joan Salge Blake, MS, RD, LDN, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, coffee helps increase cognitive function and may protect against heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. It’s also chock full of beneficial phytochemicals.

Last fall, I wrote a similar post about The Latte Spectrum on my personal blog and commented that I wished I could be cool like my dad and drink my coffee black. As it turns out, I was able to achieve that goal over the course of about four months, slowly weaning myself off of the added syrups from coffee shops and the coffee creamers from my fridge. (I do still add about a half cup of skim milk, but that’s so I meet my calcium and protein needs.)

It was pretty simple to beat my “addiction” to sugar in coffee, actually. Here’s the science behind how to “healthify” your coffee, based on Starbucks’ venti (large, 20 oz, whatever you call it) vanilla latte. (I chose venti because, quite frankly, anything smaller really isn’t enough espresso.)

A Venti Vanilla Latte with…

1. …Whole milk is 370 calories.(WHOA…that’s almost 20% of my calories for the whole day, and I haven’t even eaten anything yet!)
2. …2% milk is 320 calories
3. …Skim milk is 250 calories
4. …Skim milk and half of the usual amount of vanilla is 210 calories (2.5 pumps of vanilla syrup)
5. …Skim milk and ¼ of the usual amount of vanilla is 190 calories (1-ish pump of vanilla syrup)
6. …Skim milk and no syrup is 170 calories (This is called a Caffé Latte and all the calories come from the nonfat milk! Cow’s milk or soy milk are great for protein in the morning.)

I consider 1 through 6 to be the “Latte Spectrum.” I long hovered around #3 (skim milk, full syrup) then spent quite awhile at #4, but now happily sit at #6…It’s just caffeine and milk (protein and healthy deliciousness).

If you’re at number 2 right now, and work your way down to number 6, that’s 150 calories. If you figure you drink that 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year…that’s 37,500 calories and over ten pounds a year, just for treating your coffee like the Pick Me Up it was intended to be instead of dessert.

Crazy, right?

*Different coffee shops use different pumps for their syrups, making the “standard” number of pumps vary from place to place. The total amount of syrup remains the same, though. For example – the coffee shop I frequented at Ohio State used 8 pumps of vanilla instead of 5 because their pumps were smaller than Starbucks’ pumps. To avoid the confusion, I always just order my syrup in terms of “half the syrup,” etc instead of in terms of “2.5 pumps.”

**I personally find the “extras” that are put on lattes to be unnecessary. No whipped cream, chocolate “curls,” or chocolate or caramel drizzle. If you are getting a hot drink, it’ll all just melt in and you won’t even know you paid for it. If it’s cold, you’ll probably end up using your straw as a spoon to eat it, which is totally unnecessary and messy.

This year, Mother’s Day kicks off the 14th annual National Women’s Health Week (May 12 – 18), which includes National Women’s Checkup Day (May 13). This national week-long observance promotes healthy eating, regular activity and mental health. It also encourages women to take action by scheduling regular preventive screenings and checkups with their healthcare professionals.

“National Women’s Health Week provides a great opportunity for women of all ages to take time to ensure they are doing everything they can to lead a healthy lifestyle,” says registered dietitian and Illinois Dietetic Association media spokesperson Barbara Fine. “Developing a healthy, balanced diet and regular physical activity can do wonders in preventing and reducing the risk for life-threatening diseases in women, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer.”

Nutrient-rich foods provide energy for women’s busy lives and help to prevent disease. Barbara offers the following tips for a daily healthful eating plan: 

 At least three one-ounce servings of whole grains (bread, cereal, pasta, brown rice or oats)

 Three servings of low-fat dairy products (milk, yogurt or cheese)

 Five to six ounces of protein (lean meat, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, beans or peas and nuts)

 Two cups of fruits—fresh, frozen or canned—without added sugar

 Two-and-a-half cups of colorful vegetables—fresh, frozen or canned—without added salt.

 Regular health screenings should be a priority and are essential part of ensuring a healthy, long life. The Academy encourages women to take the Checkup Day Pledge and schedule at least one health screening during May.

“We all play a role in women’s health. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, women can now receive a number of types of preventive screenings without copays,” Fine says. “Early detection is an effective way to stave off heart disease, as well as other diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis.”

“A great addition to your health care team is a registered dietitian,” Fine says. “There is no greater resource for healthy eating than a registered dietitian. We have the training and expertise to design an eating plan that is just right for you.”

Learn more about women’s health, and visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at www.eatright.org to locate a registered dietitian nutritionist in your area.

It seems like every week there is a new restaurant, food truck, menu, or tasty trend popping up. While everything that comes around might not be the healthiest, it is always a gastronomic adventure (as the saying goes: everything in moderation). However, with so many choices it can be somewhat overwhelming to simply decide where you want to eat. Let alone what you want to eat once you get there.  Good thing today there is an endless amount of resources to help guide our stomachs when our brains are experiencing such indecision. From Yelp, Chicago Reader, to Serious Eats and the Chicagoist, opinions, suggestions, and (most importantly) pictures abound to help lead us to dining pleasure.

One of my beloved conversation topics is food. Comes with being human I suppose, or maybe the fact that I am slightly more into food than the average person.  Regardless of the reason, restaurants naturally fall into that category. Everyone has their opinions and “must” try places, yet when the question of FAVORITE comes up (a question I constantly seem to ask, yet am not sure I even have a solid answer to) always gets people thinking. What makes a place worthy of the title “favorite”? Is it the plethora of dishes you enjoy, the ambiance of the place, or the style of cuisine? Does it have to be all three? Do you have to eat there all the time? All goes back to opinion of the person and what they feel resonates most with them.

I like hearing favorites; because even with so many resources to impact our taste buds, it’s unlikely everyone you’re with will have the same favorite. What’s more, with time they can change, which makes food that much more of an interesting avenue to to explore. Take a chance on cuisine, culture and the opinion of your peers. Your stomach will thank you (in moderation of course).

Here is a minor list of places I’ve experienced in Chicago, in no particular order, or expense rating (the list of places I want to try is far to long, and never ending to include here):

Chicago Diner, Red Canary, Slurping Turtle, Le Colonial, Lou Malnati’s, Big Star, Isla Philipina, Uncle Mike’s Diner, Tweet, M.Henry, Las Palmas, Girl and the Goat, Spiaggia, Tempo, Irazu Café, 90 Miles Cuban, Crisp, Haymarket Brewery, Vegan Food Truck, Sunda, Goose Island Brew Pub, Frontera Grill, XOCO, Revolution Brewery, Chilam Balam, Sultan’s Market, Sapori Trattoria, Vegetarian Express, Eithiopian Diamond, Quartino, Mercadito, Karyn’s Cooked, Karyn’s on the Green, Hot Doug’s, Farmhouse…

My favorite? …. Right now? I’m going with 90 Miles. Hmm, wait. Karyn’s is also really good… And so are those Maxwell Street Market tacos or El Tapatio… Oh, or! That sushi at Ukai. XOCO anyone? …Favorite? Hmm, let me get back to you…

What are some of yours?

You may have heard this season will be the worst for allergies.  The warmer temperatures this year have lead to a longer allergy season, causing more sneezing, wheezing, stuffy and runny noses, and scratchy throats.  Life becomes miserable for allergy sufferers as they experience these symptoms and try to find an alternative to taking antihistamines each day.  Luckily, according to registered dietitian, Pamela Kelle, natural remedies for allergy relief may be found in your diet.

In an interview with Latrice Currie during a Tennessee Valley news cast, Kelle states, “Foods high in antioxidants may help reduce the inflammation associated with allergic reactions.”  These foods will be much of our fruit, especially berries, and the ones with the brightest color are best.  Kelle also mentions anything high in vitamin C is a smart choice; the following fruits and vegetables are high in vitamin C: cantaloupe, citrus fruits, kiwi, mango, papaya, pineapple, berries, watermelon, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, green and red peppers, spinach, cabbage, leafy greens, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and winter squash.  Further, Kelle goes on to say, “The property in the skin of an apple helps the body stop histamines from causing inflammation factors.”

With all of these foods listed as being helpful in decreasing inflammation, therefore, improving allergy symptoms, there are foods that you might want to avoid.  Celery is said to cause problems because it is in the grass category; therefore, people with grass allergies may want to avoid celery.  While red peppers are high in vitamin C and may decrease inflammation, Kelle says if you are sensitive to certain kinds of ragweed, red peppers can cause inflammation.  Bananas are the final food listed to cause problems with allergies.

If you are unsure what food may be making your symptoms worse or better, keep a detailed food diary.  In the diary, keep track of when your symptoms change to help pinpoint helpful foods, paying special attention to the foods listed above.   Be sure to work with your doctor to help manage your symptoms.

This information is incredibly helpful because the list of my outdoor allergies is extensive (grass, mold, ragweed, pollen, hay fever, among others) and I hope to see some relief of my symptoms from avoiding a few foods!  If you have allergies and this season has made your symptoms unbearable, I hope this information is helpful for you also.

Bold Palate: FINALLY, people are starting to savor the experience of eating instead of seeking the ever popular “fast and easy”. As foodie culture grows, studies from this year show people are purchasing higher quality meat and seeking bolder flavors in their meals. Current flavor preferences include: tangy, smoky, salty, herbal, sour and bitter.

Specialty Foods: People no longer purposefully avoid restaurants or dishes titled “healthy” for fear it won’t taste delicious. Descriptive words that make foods seem more exotic and appealing include buzz-words such as: free-range, seasonal, fresh, artisan, etc. Food categories on the rise include bottled water and natural cheeses while salty snacks, soda, baked products, milk and chocolate are declining. Consumers are attempting to limit their salt, sugar, trans-fat, saturated fat and high-fructose corn syrup intake.

Eating at home: “Milllennials” (born 1980 and up) are cutting back on restaurants and seeking easier ways to make meals at home which is causing an upswing in meal “helpers”, packaged products and frozen foods that seem healthy. Think less TV dinner and more do-it-yourself dinner kit. This trend is likely the result of continued financial problems in the country and an effort to save money by staying home.

Going Solo: Adults and children eating alone is on the increase, which is driving easy to prepare fresh, refrigerated or on-the-go foods packaged for one. Take-and-go foods have been trending for a long time now and it seems convenience foods aren’t going anywhere for now.

Honest Truth: Pink-slime driven, it seems that people are realizing that mistreating animals and consuming inedible chemicals may not be such a good idea. Folks are finally getting behind labeling with less backlash about seeing calories unabashedly displayed on the order board or menu. Shoppers are starting to become more aware of food safety and people are very concerned about the unknown effects of added hormones, antibiotics, additives and GMO products. Rightly so.

Going Global: Global cuisines and ethnic flavors continue to be a growing trend as international flavors make their way into main-stream American cuisine (think Sriracha on your pizza). Sushi (especially for kids) continues to be popular as a fun finger-food. Finally, the top international cuisines for 2013 include: Peruvian, Korean, Southeast Asian and ethnic-fusion.

Farm to Table: Like my ever-favorite Portlandia episode featuring Colin the chicken, consumers are increasingly interested in where their food comes from. Eating local, gardening, and small-producers gain in popularity.

Finger-Foods: Think passed appetizers; bite-sized and mini foods continue to gain popularity. Why? My guess is because they are fun. And cute.

Supplementation: Enter the multivitamin. More protein and vitamins A, B, C, D, E, antioxidants and omega 3’s are listed as most popular for this year. My guess is that things that sound foreign at this time such as polyphenols, flavonoids, anthocyanin and resveratrol will soon be familiar to the general population.

Healthy Kids: Moms are becoming more aware of the quality of food their children are consuming. Studies show shoppers are seeking healthier foods for kids at restaurants and looking for words like “organic” and “non-GMO”. Millennials may have been raised on Red40 and hydrogenated oils but Generation Z is sure to be better off than that…..

Sources: http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/the-10-top-food-trends-for-2013/updates/

http://www.ift.org/food-technology/past-issues/2013/april/features/top10trends.aspx

If time moves fast, then spring, in particular, seems to fly by in a flurry of holidays, birthdays, and impromptu parties in honor of some national sporting event. In the past months, my family inadvertently developed a quick-and-easy recipe for a crowd-pleasing dip, perfect for all of these events that seem to sneak up at the last minute.

Better yet, this recipe is high protein, low fat, and delicious, primarily because its main ingredient is plain Greek yogurt. A guilt-free dip that tastes as good as healthy feels…win-win! This dip is delicious with pita chips (try a variety that’s whole wheat or whole grain that has at least 3 grams of fiber per serving) or slices of red, yellow, or orange pepper. Between the peppers, the zucchini, the onion, and the garlic, you also have an excuse to get out to your local farmer’s market when they start up again. Fresh is fantastic!

Enjoy!

A guilt-free dip that tastes as good as healthy feels!
Photo by Nicci Brown

Guilt-Free Greek Cucumber Dip
A Brown Family Original Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 16-oz container plain non-fat Greek yogurt (I love Chobani, but Dannon or Fage are great, too!)
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• ½ medium red onion, diced
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 5-oz container Feta (I use Stella, but any fresh crumbled Feta will do)
• 1 t. dill (or more, to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, taking care to stir well. Garnish with a little extra dill. Best served after being chilled for at least four hours.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 3 oz of dip
Servings per Recipe: 9

Calories: 80
Total Fat: 3.5 g
Sat Fat: 2 g
Unsat Fat: 1 g
Sodium: 200 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 4 g
Protein: 8 g

How much fluid do you need? An average adult needs about 2 ½ quarts (10 cups) daily to keep the body running smoothly and to replace fluids lost throughout the day. If you lose more water, such as through heavy perspiration, you’ll need even more. You can meet your needs by drinking water and other beverages, and you can also get water from foods such as fruits and vegetables.

Barbara offers these tips for making smart beverage choices to get in the flow of good hydration:

Water is easily absorbed, highly accessible, and can even help keep your appetite in check. Of course, it’s also calorie-free. If water is not appealing or thirst-quenching for you, try it colder or add a squirt of lemon or lime juice for a boost of flavor. If you’re very active, sports drinks are an option to help your body absorb more water and replace electrolytes, just remember that these drinks also supply calories.    

Coffee and tea also can help you get enough fluids. Yet the caffeine in these drinks has a mild diuretic effect, so it can increase the amount of water you lose through urination. This effect is relatively small, but depends on how much caffeine you drink. Drinking coffee or tea won’t cause you to be dehydrated, just don’t rely on these beverages as your primary fluid choices. Of course, decaffeinated coffee and tea or herbal teas contain significantly less caffeine. General guidelines suggest keeping caffeine at about 200-300 milligrams per day, or about 2 to 3 cups of coffee. Tea contains about 40 milligrams of caffeine per cup. Don’t forget that gourmet coffee and tea drinks can also deliver plenty of calories.

100% fruit juices supply water in addition to vitamins A and C (and some other phytonutrients depending on the juice). Fruit juices may be thirst-quenching, but calories can easily add up. An 8-ounce glass of apple juice, for example, comes with about 110 calories. To get more fluid for your calories, try diluting fruit juice with water. Although 100% fruit juice counts as a fruit group choice, guidelines suggest no more than 1 serving (1 cup) of fruit per day from juice. Juice drinks, juice cocktails, or juice beverages usually contain only a small amount of fruit juice along with added flavors and sugar.

Milk delivers calcium and other important nutrients in addition to water. Soy milk is a nutritious non-dairy option, just be sure to look for a product fortified with calcium and vitamin D. The fat and calorie content may vary with different types of milk, but the contributions of nutrients and water are about the same. Flavored milk typically contains about 40-60 calories more per 8-ounce cup than an unflavored option. Guidelines suggest getting 3 cups each day from the milk group, which also includes yogurt and cheese.

Soft drinks may offer fluid (about 90% water), but they also supply loads of calories, perhaps caffeine, and no nutrients. Soft drinks go down easily for many people, and sometimes at the expense of other more nutritious beverages. For instance, there are many more nutritious ways to “spend” the 400 calories that come with a large, regular soft drink (32 ounces). Diet soft drinks are an option (99% water), but again these drinks supply no nutrients, and may deliver more caffeine than you need.

Alcoholic beverages really don’t count toward your fluid intake because alcohol’s diuretic effect makes your body lose water. For many reasons, moderation is advised for drinking alcoholic beverages. This means up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men. Some people, such as those on medications that can interact with alcohol (some diabetes medications), should not drink any alcohol. Although some research suggests that drinking a small amount of alcohol may lower risk for heart disease, it isn’t a reason to start drinking or to drink more frequently.

Every month, I anxiously await my Food Network Magazine to look through the recipes to try something new.  There are more recipes than I know what to do with, but I was especially excited to see that the cover of the May 2013 issue is Homemade Cinnamon Rolls!  They look delicious and I couldn’t wait to flip through the pages to see what I could make at home next.

I found a recipe called, Skillet Chicken and Ravioli in the “Weeknight Cooking” section that not only sounded delicious, but it also says it will be done in 30 minutes – awesome!  And let me tell you, this recipe was a hit with my roommates.  We were war of words over who was going to take the leftovers for lunch!   The recipe called for ravioli but I substituted that for tortellini since I had it at home; but here is the actual recipe:

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 9-ounce package small cheese ravioli
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless, chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• Freshly ground pepper
• 8 ounces white mushrooms, halved
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, basil or a combination

Directions

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the ravioli and cook as the label directs; drain, then drizzle with olive oil and toss.
2. Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken; cook, undisturbed, until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes.  Continue to cook, stirring, 1 more minute.  Transfer to a plate.
3. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet.  Add the mushrooms and cook, undisturbed, until browned in spots, about 2 minutes.  Season with salt and continue to cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 more minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, and vinegar and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften, about 2 minutes.  Return the chicken to the skillet, then add the ravioli, broth, and parmesan; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes.  Top with the parsley.

This recipe serves 4 with each serving providing 457 Calories; 17 g Fat (5 g Saturated); 121 mg Cholesterol; 537 mg Sodium; 28 g Carbohydrate; 2 g Fiber; 44 g Protein.

Bone appetit!

Do you know what Common Threads is?  As dietitians I think it is important to learn about Common Threads.  With funding, Common Threads goes into schools after school and teaches a variety of classes following certain curriculum that usually involves cooking with chefs.  Most of these schools are in underserved neighborhoods.  They learn about whole grains, lean protein, fruits, and vegetables plus cooking skills that lead to a healthy affordable meal.  For research on the impact of Common Threads, it was found that kids’ self-esteem was increased as result of the program.  They learn the skills in order to create an end product that they can be proud of.  This type of learning is priceless which can lead to other successes in their future.  Family cooking classes were added later to transition from learning healthy habits at school to continuing the wellness at home.  Now everyone is on board.

I learned that the curriculum and their meals are based off of a chef’s plate which looks a lot like ChooseMyPlate.  The chef’s plate was established when the program started back in 2003.  They were ahead of their time.  The kids learn that their plate should look like the chef’s plate: half vegetables, one quarter lean protein and one quarter whole grains.

The schools hooked up with Common Threads are lucky but not everyone has that opportunity.  The program started in Chicago but has worked with other cities – Los Angeles, Miami, Palo Alto, and Washington DC.  They cooked with over 2,700 students last year and have the lofty goal of getting one million kids cooking by 2017.  Common Threads is getting the word out on a national level to discuss childhood wellness and obesity.  The first step is talking awareness, but action is needed which Common Threads is part of.  We can help by advocating the story about Common Threads, volunteer in the cooking classes, and donate to their cause.  It is important to start locally and act globally so more kids can benefit from this amazing program. Check out their website at www.commonthreads.org.