Archive for the 'Wholesome Wednesday' Category

Just because you have a bad week…

Published by Hal on February 20, 2008 in Wholesome Wednesday. 2 Comments

I did finally get my new computer, but I’m learning my way around (I just switched from a PC to a Mac), so no pictures yet :)

However, I did want to point something out to you guys who, hopefully, are still pursuing your New Year’s resolution to lose weight… Anecdotally, just because you have a bad week food or exercise wise, if you’ve started the ball rolling, you probably didn’t do permanent damage to your efforts, as long as you pick it back up again.

What’s the anecdote? The last time I went to the gym was…  Nearly two weeks ago, after I basically did a mini-tri (I took a swimming class, I ran, and I used the elliptical–which seems to be to be like cycling standing up) for nearly 2 1/2 hours. Last week, I didn’t go at all because I was working, and I wasn’t super diligent about what I ate. However, I tried to be careful and not over indulge on foods that were unhealthful.

So, what was the verdict when I stepped on the scale tonight? In the last two weeks, I lost an additional 4 pounds. Sure, it might have been more if I had kept with it regularly…  But the point is–I didn’t keep up the exercise end of the bargain (and it’s really up for interpretation if I kept up the food end). And it didn’t derail my efforts.

So, when you fall off the wagon, all you need to do is get back on. Just don’t fall off so much that you may as well have never gotten on.

Your Body Can Burn Fat On Its Own

Published by Hal on February 6, 2008 in Wholesome Wednesday. 0 Comments

Breaking away from the talk of food and how it related to your body for a week, I thought I’d share an article Stacie pointed out to me earlier this week.  Last week we talked a lot about what makes a good meal, and some guidelines–I got three comments, and all of them presented a slightly different side of the issue. Clearly, food is important to maintaining proper body health. But, it’s only half the equation, and not necessarily the half you need to be focusing on, exclusively, if you’re trying to get back into a healthful lifestyle.

The article was posted on Yahoo Health, titled Your Body Can Burt Fat on Its Own. I thought the advice was pretty straight-forward, and thought I might share some with you. Here is what the author had to say about food:

3. Chill on the amount of food you are eating.

…

3. If you are obsessing over things like fat grams and not eating a nutritious diet, your body will reserve energy (store fat) to survive.

…

5. Eat moderately - stop counting fat grams and calories and look at how much food is on your plate! And eat more nutritiously by eating foods that are natural and unprocessed.

I agree on all three points. How I (or you) put this into practice is up for interpretation. Personally, I follow the WW Points ®  system. This works for me because of the how the formula works; it makes some general assumptions, but they are, for the most part, true. Food that is less processed and lower in fat has lower point values. Most of the time, these foods are less energy dense and high in nutrients. When you follow this system, you learn pretty quickly that you can wipe out your daily point allotment by eating a hamburger from McDonald’s.

Other people choose to actually count calories and other nutrients. Others, still, just eat moderately and strive to eat a healthful variety of foods. The point is to be mindful of what you’re putting in your mouth, as it’s ultimately going to impact your waist (not to mention, your heart, brain, and all your other vital organs).

The article also has some interesting statements about exercise. For instance, I’ve always heard to try to do at least 30 minutes to an hour of cardio exercise per day, but this article seems to suggest a different approach. I guess the article is really saying not to perform intense cardio everyday, because you’ll condition your body into thinking it will soon going into starvation mode, thereby hanging on to its excess energy stores. I like the concept of a weight vest, but I’m skeptical; however, I do know that I don’t really want to add more exercise time to my already packed week.

What about you; do you have any thoughts on what this article says about fitness and nutrition? Any more tips for food, or some new ones regarding how to incorporate fitness? When you are “on a diet,” do you find yourself focusing more on food or fitness? Why? 

What makes a healthful meal?

Published by Hal on January 30, 2008 in Wholesome Wednesday. 5 Comments

In response to my post about the Kroger pizza Sunday, my longtime friend Jewel pointed out that she didn’t believe one serving of said pizza was a reasonably healthful choice. This got me thinking, because I thought that dish was reasonably healthful–a little high on fat, but other wise good and filling.

Truthfully, one’s own caloric needs will vary, depending on sex, age, weight, and activity level. USDA uses 2000 calories, because it’s a round figure, but your mileage may vary. Using this as a target point, and assuming most people eat three meals a day and have no snacks, this leaves us at about 670 calories per meal. Which, to be honest, is absolutely shocking to me–I couldn’t imagine eating a breakfast of this size on a regular basis. This also assumes no snacks, which is usually unrealistic.

So, let’s start again. Two snacks at 150 calories each. That leaves 1700 calories for the rest of the day, or 570 calories per meal. It’s only 100 calories difference, but it’s closer to what I expected. Still, for me, this seems like an insanely large breakfast.

I usually have a granola bar and a diet soda (bad, bad me, I know) for breakfast. Or, if I’m feeling particularly healthful, then it’s a grapefruit and a low-fat, low-sugar yogurt. Still, we’re only talking about 150-200 calories for breakfast. Even if I had a bowl of oatmeal, with milk, we’re getting up to 250-300 calories. That still leaves me with 1400 calories for the rest of my meals (700 for lunch and dinner!).

So, to be honest, I don’t feel like 2000 calories is right for me. But, that’s because I’m currently in weight loss mode. And, I track my food intake a little differently–I use that crazy points system, so I’m only interested in calories, fat, and fiber. My current set up gets me about 1500 calories a day, more if I work out and/or have food high in fiber… So, I usually aim for my meals to be sitting around 500 calories, which isn’t scary for me at all. Of course, at the end of the day, that still means my pizza was a reasonably healthful choice :-\

The point is, it seems all subjective to me, and you have to make sensible choices when planning your meals. Therefore, it seems that healthful means something different to different people. I don’t know–following my plan worked for me before (and, it’s working for me now). Of course, it means I have to make smart choices and be accountable to those choices. But, it doesn’t shed much clarity on this issue.

What do you think? What makes a healthful meal, at least when it comes to fundamental food metrics (calories, fat, carbs, fiber…)?

As a final note, if you want to know what a 300 calorie meal looks like, I found this great post at Diet Blog. Check it out–it’s not as surprising as I thought it was. Of course, it’s all breakfast food, and I don’t think of large meals as breakfast anyway…

500 g by suckamc

Wholesome Wednesday: Trick Your Mind Into Thinking “More Food”

Published by Hal on January 23, 2008 in Wholesome Wednesday. 2 Comments

That has to be the longest title ever! Actually, that’s not true, because I think Fiona Apple’s second album had a pretty loquacious title.

After writing about specific foods for five weeks, I thought I might take a different turn today and write about our relationship with food. I said at the beginning of this feature that I was on a mission to lose weight and become healthier; a big part of that is my relationship with food.

I love to eat; that’s part of the reason I have a food blog. I love all kinds of food: rich food, fatty food, rabbit food (vegetables), sweets, savory stuff… You name it, I like it. Sometimes, I like it a bit too much. One of the ways I’ve tricked myself into eating less is to use a smaller plate.

The thinking goes, if you see your food taking up more room on the plate, you’ll think there’s more there than there is and you’ll be more full. Conversely, if you eat from a larger plate, you’re more apt to fill it up and keep eating, even if you might otherwise be satiated.

To illustrate my point, I wanted a graphic, but I can’t find a free one to use, so just use your imagination. A cup of rice will look much larger on a small plate than it does on a larger plate–it’s the same amount of food, but your brain thinks you’re getting more from the smaller plate. Try it, it works!

I posted a few weeks about eating a cereal high in fiber–interestingly enough, I came across this post at Cheap Eats. Provide some information, get a free pouch of Fiber One. If you’re looking to implement one of my suggestions, this might be a way!

Wholesome Wednesday: Kicking the Caffeine Habit

Published by Hal on January 16, 2008 in Wholesome Wednesday and health. 1 Comment

I didn’t make a resolution to cut back on the caffeine this year, but I know it’s something I need to do. There are many days when I could drink 4-5 sodas a day (at least they were diet, right? Right?). So, since Sunday I’ve been cutting back on the caffeine. I’ve only had one caffeinated beverage today, and I had none yesterday. so I think I’m doing okay.

I was surprised looking back at my old starred posts in my RSS reader for caffeine related entries. I found several that caught my eye enough then to flag, and a few I now want to share:

It seems that caffeine is everywhere, not just in our drinks. I remember seeing lotion in the store that advertised caffeine as an ingredient to help firm up your skin. Need some additional invigoration? Check out these items the folks at mental_floss found when they asked the question “Is our nation caffeine obsessed?” Between Starbucks and the caffeine infused soap, I’m going to go with yes…

Lucy Nixon posted as part of the Well Fed Network that she was giving up coffee after 27 years. No particular reason, just last her taste for it. She was quick to point out some of the bad effects from caffeine, such as stiffening arteries and magnesium deficiency (bad for your hear). But, science has pointed out there are some good things, too, like reducing the risk of some neurological disorders, diabetes, gout, and cirrhosis as well as providing beneficial antioxidants (check out the post for the sources of these claims).

Trent, at the Simple Dollar, posted several times about curbing the caffeine addiction, not just because it’s a more healthful choice, but because it costs lots of money.

Lifehacker suggests that you can quit procrastinating if you cut the caffeine.

That not enough motivation for you? Want to know how much caffeine can kill you? Check out this mental_floss post. It would take nearly 500 bottles of Ale-8-One to kill me… I love the stuff, but goodness!

But, if you’re used to it, caffeine is not so much a diuretic. That means, as much as I thought it was bunk that Coca-Cola was claiming Diet Coke was an integral part of your daily hydration needs, it might not have been so far off point.

Tea has lots less caffeine than coffee, ounce for ounce, but if you’re still worried, Lifehacker teaches you how to cut 80% of the caffeine from your tea when you brew it.

So how do you cut the caffeine habit? If you’re used to lots of caffeine, I wouldn’t quit cold turkey. Caffeine is an addition, and it will cause withdrawal symptoms if you just give it up one day. This is how I do it (because, I’ve done it more than once, and I anticipate I’ll probably do it again in the future).

First, I start the day with a caffeine free drink (like orange juice, or water). Then, I proceed as normal through the day until I start to get a headache from the lack of caffeine. Once this happens, I’ll allow myself a regular Coke (diet, of course). And, I continue this process until the next headache occurs. Eventually, the span between the headaches get longer and longer until you can’t distinguish between a tension headache and a caffeine withdrawal headache. I’ll fill the drink space between with caffeine free or caffeine light drinks, like juice, water, caffeine free soda, or ice tea (which has less caffeine than soda, so I don’t worry about it so much). Something I discovered today it to work out. I had a headache, one soda didn’t cut it, but a 45 minute deep water exercise class did. Funny how that worked out (no pun intended!).

Of course, this might not work for you. Caffeine is a stimulant, so you might experience sluggishness instead of, or together with a headache. It will pass, if you just keep the willpower to press on.

Have you given up caffeine in the past? How did you do it?

Image of the beans provided courtesy of eyeore2710. Image of the Ale-8-One bottle provided courtesy of eclecticlibrarian.

Wholesome Wednesday: 127 Foods That Fight Fat (4 of 4)

Published by Hal on January 9, 2008 in Wholesome Wednesday. 0 Comments

Welcome back for the last segment of my review of this Yahoo Health article. You can find the first, second, and third segments linked.

Frozen Meals

  1. Low-calorie frozen breakfast foods such as those from Kellogg’s, Aunt Jemima, and Pillsbury—and a special mention for the low-calorie, whole grain offerings from Van’s
  2. Low-calorie, vegetable-focused frozen meals in the 150- to 350-calories-per-package range, especially the Amy’s brand

I like what the author is trying to convey here: low calorie, whole grain or vegetable-laden prepared foods. If the choice is between these prepared foods and fast food, these would win, hands down. However, these things are prepared foods, which means they probably have all sorts of salt, sugar, and other preservative ingredients. These convenience foods are good occasionally, when you’re on the go, but I wouldn’t make it a habit to eat these items all the time–even if you don’t think you have the time to cook, you do! That’s what this site is for.

Beans

  1. All beans, dried or canned
  2. Health Valley canned bean/chili combinations
  3. Low-fat or fat-free refried beans

I think, along with the fruits and vegetables, this is perhaps one of the best suggestions of the whole list. Beans provide all sorts of essential nutrients and contains lots of fiber, which fills you up and keeps you full. And, beans are versatile-you can use them in nearly everything, and it doesn’t have to be complicated: like linguine with navy beans, tomatoes, and basil.

Snacks

Make it a point to eat starchy, crunchy snacks only in conjunction with a food from the Anytime List. For example, have fruit with popcorn or soup with crackers. Fill up on the former, and go easy on the starchy snack.

This isn’t really food, but good solid advice. Keep snacks to a minimum, and balance a baddy with a goodie ;)

Protein Foods

  1. Legumes: beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas
  2. Soy products: bean curd/tofu, meat-replacement products by Boca, Gardenburger, Yves, and Lightlife
  3. Seafood: fresh (do not fry!), smoked, canned, frozen

See, beans are so good, they get a second mention! Really, folks, beans are your friend. I really should post more bean recipes! I also really like tofu, but I’m afraid to cook with it. I love Boca and Gardenburger products, but I’ve never heard of the other brands. I’m sure it’s not so hard, and perhaps Jaden can help me out with some good ideas? Finally, they mention seafood, but not any other kind of meat. Meat is an excellent source of protein, and it’s not all fattening. If you get red meat, make sure it’s lean. Other good sources are chicken and turkey.

And that concludes my discussion of the items on Yahoo Health’s 127 (204? 437? 6?) Foods That Fight Fat. Some do, some don’t, some are questionable. Now you know :) Check back next Wednesday for a new edition of “Wholesome Wednesday!”

Wholesome Wednesday: 127 Foods That Fight Fat (3 of 4)

Published by Hal on January 2, 2008 in Wholesome Wednesday. 0 Comments

Good Wednesday! This is the third part of a four part series discussing this article at Yahoo Health. Here are parts one and two. This week, we begin with Cereals:

Cereals

  1. Cheerios: a whole grain cereal with 110 calories and 3 g fiber per cup
  2. Kellogg’s All-Bran with Extra Fiber: 50 calories and 15 g fiber per 1/2 cup
  3. Original Shredded Wheat: 80 calories and 2.5 g fiber per biscuit
  4. Fiber One: 60 calories and 14 g fiber per 1/2 cup
  5. Wheaties: 110 calories and 2 g fiber per cup
  6. Whole Grain Total: 110 calories and 3 g fiber per 3/4 cup

Honestly, this should be one item: cereals with less than 110 calories per serving, and at least 2 grams of fiber. The problem with  lot of these cereals is they don’t taste very good, almost like eating cardboard. I’ve had each of these cereals and I think they are pretty tasty. The only ones I’m not terribly fond of are Fiber One and All Bran, which look like rabbit food pellets and have so much fiber in one serving, you’ll be in for an explosive surprise if you aren’t used to eating like that.

Spreads

  1. Peanut butter
  2. Low-sugar or sugar-free jams and jellies with 10 to 40 calories per tablespoon

I agree with these, whole heartedly. However, be careful not to overdo the peanut butter. What makes it so good for you (those mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, which lower blood cholesterol levels) also pack a wallop in calories! Limit yourself to one or two tablespoons, or you won’t really be fighting fat.

Breads

  1. Light breads with 40 to 45 calories per slice: oatmeal, premium white, wheat, rye, multigrain, sourdough, Italian
  2. Whole grain regular breads or rolls Rice and Pasta
  3. Whole wheat/whole grain pastas: Hodgson Mill, Ancient Harvest
  4. Brown rice
  5. Whole wheat couscous
  6. Pearled or hulled barley
  7. Other whole grains: quinoa, whole grain cornmeal, kasha, bulgur, millet

This list provides several examples of whole grains. The reason whole grains are so good for you is the amount of fiber present, which cleanses your body of cholesterol. The problem is, that fiber comes from the hull on the outside of the grain, which doesn’t produce a soft product. That’s why white bread is so much softer than whole-grain bread, and why we like regular pasta instead of whole-wheat pasta. However, if you work some of these things into your diet, you can get some of the benefits and still keep some of the processed food that we hear are so bad for us.

Check out next week when I finish discussing this list. Have a good evening!

Wholesome Wednesday: 127 Foods That Fight Fat (2 of 4)

Published by Hal on December 26, 2007 in Wholesome Wednesday. 1 Comment

Good Wednesday! Today is the second of a four part series based on this article at Yahoo Health. We’ll begin where we left off last week at candy:

Candy

Yup, candy. The real thing—not the dietetic variety—is best when your sweet tooth starts aching. Dietetic candies have almost as many calories as regular candies, often lack flavor, and are an incentive to eat more. Stick to the real thing.

  1. Chewing gum or gum balls: any and all
  2. Hard candy: any and all, including sour balls, candy canes, lollipops such as Tootsie Pops or Blow Pops, Jolly Ranchers, Werther’s Original, and TasteTations

I think chewing gum and gum balls are a good idea; usually, the reason why we eat is because we’re bored and having something in our mouths helps compensate for the boredom. However, I would be careful not to chew exclusively on Bubble Yum. Normal sugar gums have empty calories and may foster tooth decay. Chew on sugarless gum most of the time, and this advice is fine. As for hard candy, I agree not to get the sugar-less kind. Usually, the sugar substitutes can have some dietary… er… side effects that aren’t worth the lack of sugar. Just go easy and only have a piece or two at a time.

Frozen Desserts

Any fat-free frozen yogurt, frozen nondairy substitute, or sorbet is a fine addition to the freezer. Try the lower-calorie choices. Here are some examples:

  1. Soft serve: up to 25 calories per ounce, including Skimpy Treat; TCBY, Colombo nonfat frozen yogurt, and Tofutti
  2. Hard pack: up to 115 calories per 1/2-cup serving, including Sharon’s Sorbet, Low-Fat Tofutti, all Italian ices, and Sweet Nothings
  3. Frozen bars: Creamsicles, Fudgsicles, and Popsicles; any others containing up to 45 calories per bar, including Welch’s Fruit Juice Bars, Weight Watchers Smart Ones Orange Vanilla Treats, Tofutti Chocolate Fudge Treats, Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chocolate Mousse, Dolly Madison Slender Treat Chocolate Mousse, and Yoplait
  4. Individually packaged frozen bars: up to 110 calories each, including FrozFruit, Hagen-Dazs bars, and Starbucks Frappuccino Blended Coffee Bars Beverages Avoid beverages labeled “naturally sweetened” or “fruit-juice sweetened,” but help yourself to these:
  5. Unsweetened black coffees and teas
  6. Diet teas and juices: Crystal Light, Diet Snapple, Diet Natural Lemon Nestea, Diet Mistic, and others
  7. Noncaloric flavored waters: orange, chocolate, cream, cherry-chocolate, root beer, cola, and other flavors of bottled or filtered water
  8. Seltzer: plain or flavored, but check the calorie count if the product is labeled “naturally sweetened,” since this usually means that the product has sugar in one form or another
  9. Hot cocoa mixes: 20 to 50 calories per serving, including Swiss Miss Diet and Fat-Free and Nestle Carnation Diet and Fat-Free; avoid cocoa mixes with 60 or more calories per serving

I think this is an interesting list–there are five drinks on the list of frozen items to keep on hand! The problem I have with many of these items is they leave it up to the consumer to appropriately portion out. What good is a 115 calorie portion of ice cream, when most people don’t realize that a 1/2 cup of ice cream is only about a scoop and a half? Enjoy your ice cream in moderation, and don’t skimp on the real stuff. I do agree with the idea of individually packaged ice creams, because it helps with portion control. When I was working on losing weight several years ago, these were my go-to frozen snacks because all the guess work was taken care of choosing the right portion.

The drink ideas are great suggestions. Many people don’t realize that it’s really easy to consume extra calories by just drinking. Two sodas with dinner? 300 calories. Margarita? 400-500 calories. Water? 0 calories. Stick with diet drinks, black tea and coffee, water, and low-calorie instant hot drinks and you’ll be sure to keep off some unnecessary fat.

I hope you had a good Christmas, if you celebrate, and a good 25th if you don’t! Check back next Wednesday for part three of this series.

Wholesome Wednesday: 127 Foods That Fight Fat

Published by Hal on December 19, 2007 in Wholesome Wednesday. 5 Comments

Greetings! You’ll notice I changed the title of the Wednesday segment. Since this blog is about food, and this segment is about how food interacts with your body, I thought it was more appropriate that the segment title deal direction with food. Thus, Wholesome Wednesday was born.

Yahoo Health has a great article on 127 foods that fight fat. Problem is, they don’t really break it down in an easy to read format. Plus, if you want to learn math, this isn’t the article for you: I only count 54 foods, or food types.

I’ll cover these foods and my thoughts on them over the course of the next two weeks in a multi-part Wholesome Wednesday segment. Today, we’ll begin with the first 4 sections of the “Any Time List.”

Fruits and vegetables
All fruits and vegetables—raw, cooked, fresh, frozen, canned—belong on the Picture Perfect Anytime List. Avoid any packaged fruits that have added sugar. Otherwise, the more fruits and vegetables you eat, the better.

I think this is very sound advice. Fruit has countless benefits: it provides fiber for your body, provides antioxidants that fight aging and cancer, and generally fills you up without making you uncomfortable. I heard on the radio the other day–and I’ve heard this more than once–that those folks who eat an apple before each meal ate something like 300 calories less, on average, than those who didn’t. And, it had to be an apple–apple sauce, apple juice didn’t work.

Soups
You’ve heard of value for your money. Soups give you very good value for the calories. They are filling; a bowl of soup can be an entire meal. They are satisfying. For many people, they are more satisfying than raw vegetables, while many give you all the benefits of veggies (if you choose the soups chock full of vegetables). They are inexpensive, convenient, easy, and quick to make. Soups don’t make you feel like you’re on a diet. Above all, soups are versatile. They can serve as a snack, as part of a meal, or as a cooking ingredient.

The idea here is to fill yourself up on food that’s got high volume but low calories. This works in most soups because they are broth based and broth is mostly water. However, you need to be careful not to mistake this advice for cream based soups. While tasty, and a delicious occasional treat, cream based soups are loaded with fat and calories–and I think they defeat the purpose of eating a soup before a meal. Incidentally, I’ve heard the same thing about eating a broth-based soup before a meal as I have about eating an apple before a meal. Maybe we should all try it–we’ll be healthier as a result, at least!

Sauces, Condiments, and Marinades
Put the following items at the very top of your shopping list. They’re invaluable for adding flavor, moisture, texture, and versatility to every food and every meal.

  1. Salad dressings: oil-free or low-calorie (light or lite)
  2. Mayonnaise: fat-free or light
  3. Sour cream and yogurt: fat-free, plain, or with NutraSweet (or low-fat nondairy substitutes)
  4. Mustards: Dijon, Pommery, and others
  5. Tomato puree, tomato paste, and tomato sauce
  6. Clam juice, tomato juice, V8 juice, and lemon or lime juice
  7. Butter Buds or Molly McButter
  8. Cooking sprays (such as Pam) in butter, olive oil, garlic, or lemon flavors
  9. Vinegars: balsamic, cider, wine, tarragon, and others
  10. Horseradish: red and white
  11. Sauces: salsa, cocktail sauce, tamari, soy sauce, A1, Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce, ketchup, duck sauce, chutney, relish, and others
  12. Onion: fresh, juice, flakes, and powder
  13. Garlic: fresh, juice, flakes, and powder
  14. Herbs: any and all, including basil, oregano, tarragon, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, dill, chives, sage, and bay leaves
  15. Spices: any and all, including cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cumin, nutmeg, coriander, curry, paprika, and allspice
  16. Extracts: vanilla, almond, peppermint, maple, coconut, cocoa powder, and others

I think this is a fun list. However, I do not have a lot of these items, which goes back to the well-stocked pantry debate. Only use from this list what makes sense for you. Line-by-line:

  1. Salad dressings: Definitely, have some salad dressings on hand. However, only buy what you’re going to use and what you can’t make easily. We have ranch dressing on hand, but we can just as easily whip up a vinaigrette as we can pour processed soybean oil from a bottle.
  2. Mayonnaise: Only have mayonnaise if you’re going to use mayonnaise. We will use maybe 2 cups in a year for anything, so we only have like a 10 ounce jar.
  3. Yogurt & Sour Cream: Yogurt is a good thing to keep on hand–it’s a good snack, and there are studies that demonstrate the importance of having a low-fat source of dairy in your diet for promoting a healthful weight. We only buy sour cream when we need it, and we splurge–have you looked at the ingredients list on most sour creams? Non-fat milk and emulsifiers? No thank you. Go for Daisy, if your grocer carries it. 100% real sour cream, no additives. And, it holds up better than that emulsified crap.
  4. Mustards: Mustards are good. You can make a Dijon crusted pork chop, or use some as in emulsifier in your vinaigrette!
  5. Tomato products: Yep on tomato products. These are common in Italian style cooking, as well as Middle Eastern cuisine. You can make something delicious and tasty in no time. And, for the men–Lycopene, an compound with links to reduced rates of prostate cancer.
  6. Clam juice, tomato juice, lemon & lime juice: Hmm. This doesn’t seem like something the common cook would use very often. Buy your lemons and limes fresh if you need the juice. Unless you’re making margaritas for the Titans.
  7. Butter flavored sprinkles: I say no to butter flavored compounds. Use the real stuff, just go easy. And I’m serious–use butter, not spread, not margarine. Your tastebuds will thank me.
  8. Cooking sprays: I also say no to cooking sprays. The chemical propellant is a disaster with non-stick surfaces. Get a Misto and go to town. It’s much better, and your cookware will thank you.
  9. Vinegars: I agree whole heartedly–have a variety of vinegars on hand.
  10. Horseradish: This depends on how much you’ll use it. I’ll tell you what–American horseradish is something awful to me, but when we were in Austria over the summer, the horseradish they use with their sausages was delectable! It was sweeter and milder than American horseradish. Get some, if you like sausage.
  11. Lots ‘o sauce: I have three of these: ketchup, soy, and Worcestershire sauces. The rest you can make or buy as you need them.
  12. Onions: Definitely have some onion powder and fresh onions. You can dice them really small and grate them for their juice. Don’t waste your money.
  13. Garlic: See number 12
  14. Dried herbs: Only have as much as you’ll use, or use what you have. Herbs don’t really go bad, but they do lose their potency after a while. You can always plant fresh, too. I think this will be my spring project (but it will have to be a window garden, cause we don’t have the space!).
  15. Spices: Same as number 14. Spices do the same thing. They just taste so much better when they are fresh, anyway.
  16. Other aromatics: I have vanilla extract and cocoa powder. Vanilla is the most versatile plant, because it goes with almost everything.

Dressings and Dips
I recommend fat-free or light dressings and dips. The light category—low-fat, reduced-fat, and low-calorie—is midway between totally fat-free and regular, and it’s often more pleasing to the palate than fat-free. Dressings can be used as all-purpose condiments, dips, toppings, even cooking liquids. They already contain a mixture of ingredients, so just slather them on vegetables, seafood, and pretty much anything else. Or cook with them to make up for the lack of butter or oil. I recommend keeping several varieties of dressings and dips on hand, including at least one creamy version. Try brushing a light creamy dressing on seafood, then broiling; the dressing adds moisture and flavor.

I agree, but we also discussed this in number one above. I think a more fitting item here is to keep soup and dressing packets on hand, to mix with your sour cream and/or mayonnaise. Plus, you can use the packets for other recipes, as well. I think that’s the more frugal choice.

Check back next week when we look at the next four categories in this article. (And, of course, check back daily for other features here at the Common Culinarian!)

Weighty Wednesday: Fasting may actually be good for your health!

Published by Hal on December 12, 2007 in Wholesome Wednesday. 0 Comments

I’ve seen several articles that point out the benefits of calorie restriction. Scientists once performed studies in which rats received reduced calorie diets. The scientists found that the rats’ lifespans were almost double the scientists’ expectations (jump). Additional studies expanded the link to other animals, and now some people are practicing a calorie restriction diet.Contrast this to a food restriction diet (which may be a manifestation of anorexia, or a precursor). A food restriction diet simply means to limit the amount of food, regardless of the healthfulness of the food actually consumed–or not. Calorie restriction is a careful monitoring of an individual’s calorie intake, and only consuming as few as 60% of the daily recommended amount while ensuring the individual gets the appropriate nutrients.

The benefits of a calorie restriction diet are purported to be slower aging and a longer maximum lifespan. The key support are the animal studies and that practitioners of a calorie restriction diet the bio-metrics (i.e., blood pressure) of people half their age. However, some scientists have criticized this diet, saying the benefit is negligible for larger animals and the diet does not allow for people to ingest enough food to fuel a high functioning body.

This all leads me to two interesting articles I flagged over the last two weeks:

In “Retune the Body with a Partial Fast,” an endocrinologist from UCLA suggests that fasting once a week may be enough to reduce your body’s taste for sugar and give your digestive system a rest. The catch is, you have to drink water.

“Monthly fasting may protect heart” points out that scientists noticed a trend among Mormon practitioners of lower heart disease. There was a strong correlation between the Mormon’s monthly fasting and the incidence of blocked arteries (I guess that would be an inverse correlation–those who fasted had fewer instances of blocked arteries).

So, it sounds like, if you eat healthfully, normally, then the occasional fast may actually provide some good benefits.

What do you think about fasting? Do you have a diet tip to share?

A progress report: Since last week, I’ve been to the gym twice. I didn’t go over the weekend because I was lazy, but I hit it full force on Monday with my office-mate. I’m only focusing on cardio for the time being, until I can get a satisfactory weight lifting log.On the food front, I’ve not been tracking my food intake like I once did, but I can tell I haven’t been eating as much and I haven’t had many instances of wanting to eat, just to eat.

So, the progress? Tonight I was down to 267. So, 4 pounds in one week. But that’s probably mostly water weight. We’ll see how it goes next week!

« Older Entries