Two Super Simple Super Bowl Snacks

Super Bowl Sunday, as everyone knows, is coming up and by all accounts it promises to be an exciting match up. Not that I personally know anything about this. First of all, I'm on the West coast and all of our teams were out of the running a while ago; and second of all, I tend to pay more attention to professional baseball, and I barely even follow that!


But, I do like to watch the Super Bowl and I do know quite a bit about making healthier appetizers. So, in honor of the Patriots and the Giants, here are two super simple Super Bowl snacks anyone can make for Super Bowl Sunday coming up (not to be confused with "Super Tuesday" which has nothing to do with football unless you count the barbs being thrown back and forth between the politicians).

The prerequisite to Super Bowl food seems to be pretty much anything that you can eat with your fingers. And just in case you tend to LOVE favorite fried finger foods, but were hoping to learn healthier ways to fix them, check out my cookbook titled FRY LIGHT, FRY RIGHT! Truly this cookbook contains many of my all time favorite family recipes. You won't believe they aren't deep-fried! Here are some of the more "Super Bowl-ish" recipes in the book:

• Better for you Buffalo Chicken Wings with Light Blue Cheese Dip
• Mozzarella Sticks with Zesty Pizza Sauce
• Oven Toasted Ravioli
• Potato Skins with Quick Ranch Dip
• Jalapeno Chili Poppers
• Oven-baked Coconut Shrimp with Fresh Pineapple Salsa
• Beef Flautas or Chicken Flautas
• Santa Fe Chicken Nachos
• Restaurant Cheese Fries
• Beef & Bean Nachos Grande
• Baked Mini Corn Dogs

Here are two recipes to try this Sunday. Go, team go!

BBQ Chicken Chicago-Style Pizza Bagels
This recipe is simple when you buy rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and use bottled BBQ sauce, already shredded cheese and seasoned canned tomatoes.

Ingredients:

4 whole-wheat bagels, cut in half
2 cups shredded boneless chicken breast, skinless
1/2 cup BBQ sauce (your favorite)
3 tablespoons chopped red onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, lightly packed
1 1/2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella
1 cup canned Italian Style diced tomatoes

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400-degrees. Line a jellyroll pan with foil if desired. Place bagel halves on the lined pan.
2. In medium bowl combine the chicken, barbeque sauce, red onions, fresh cilantro, tossing to blend well.
3. Top each bagel half with 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture then sprinkle 3 tablespoons cheese over each half. Spoon 1/8 cup of the diced canned tomatoes on top of each bagel half.
4. Bake in center of oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and the bagel is nice and hot. Cut each bagel half in half or serve as is!

Yield: Makes 8 servings (a half bagel)

WebMD Weight Loss Clinic Members: Journal as 1 cup hearty stews OR 1 slice whole wheat bread + 1 serving lean meat without added fat.
Nutrition Information: Per serving 225 calories, 20 g protein, 24 g carbohydrate, 5.3 g fat, 2.7 g saturated fat, 41 mg cholesterol, 3.5 g fiber, 469 mg sodium (depending on the BBQ sauce used). Calories from fat: 21 percent.

Easy Antipasto

Ingredients:

1 cup broccoli florets, lightly steamed or microwaved
1 cup cauliflower florets, lightly steamed or microwaved
1 cup green beans, lightly steamed or microwaved
1 cup jicama, peeled and cut into 2-inch strips
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 tablespoons bottled light Italian dressing

Preparation:

1. Add assorted vegetables to a medium-size bowl or gallon size sealable plastic bag. Drizzle with the dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat well.
2. Cover bowl or seal the bag and chill in refrigerator until needed. Toss well before serving.

Yield: Makes 5 servings (about 1 cup each)

WebMD Weight Loss Clinic Members: Journal as 1/2 cup serving of vegetables with 1 tsp fat maximum.
Nutrition Information: Per serving 56 calories, 2 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 2.4 g fat, .2 g saturated fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 99 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 28 percent.

Related Topics:

• Why Super Bowl Food Sacks a Diet
• More Super-Fast and Easy Appetizer Recipes
• Super Bowl Pledge: Get Moving, Get Fit

Technorati Tags: Super Bowl, snacks, healthy diet

High-Fructose Corn Syrup - The New Bad Boy in Town

Move over trans fat, here comes high fructose corn syrup? Lately there is talk about high fructose corn syrup being the new bad boy ingredient. The explosion of products containing it may be a big reason why America is in the middle of an obesity epidemic...

Well, not so fast everyone. If you want to point the finger at something, point it at excess calories in the form of sweetened liquid...plain and simple (Although there are several changes in our diet and lifestyle over the past 25 years that you can point the rest of your fingers at too).

A study (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition July 2007) found no difference between the soda sweetened with sugar and soda sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. Researchers from the University of Washington tested out the subsequent hunger, thirst, and satiety in 37 men and women 20-minutes after drinking cola with sucrose, cola with high fructose corn syrup, diet cola, and low fat milk. The amount of calories eaten at lunch two hours later was also measured. It bears repeating: no difference between the calories eaten at the next meal and the satiety 20 minutes later between the two sweetened sodas.

But maybe there is some difference in the body's response to a high intake of high fructose corn syrup that goes beyond satiety and subsequent calories consumed. Enter the next recent study on high fructose corn syrup. This study was recently presented at the American Chemical Society annual meeting. Researchers from Rutgers University tested 11 soft drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup and detected high levels of compounds that are normally raised in the blood of people with diabetes - reactive carbonyls. These compounds have been linked to diabetic complications such as tissue damage. Reactive carbonyls were not detected in soda sweetened with sucrose (table sugar). This is the first I've heard or read about reactive carbonyls so I'm looking forward to more research on these compounds.

In the meantime, can we agree that maybe America's obesity crisis is due (in part) to the fact that our average daily calories has increased steadily over the past fifty years at the same time that are exercise and energy output has steadily decreased? I hate to make it sound this simple (because it isn't) but...we are eating and drinking more calories than our bodies are burning. That is not to say that I'm loving high fructose corn syrup. I think many of us could benefit from trimming off some junk calories and calories coming from beverages that contribute no other nutrients (like soda) should probably be first on the chopping block.

Soft drink consumption has increased by more than 5 times in the past 50 years. It's no surprise then that soda is now the leading source of refined sugars in the American diet. On that fact alone, we should be taking a hard look at our soda gluttony.

Related Topics:

• Fructose: Sugar's Dark Side?
• How Can I Stop Drinking So Much Soda?
• All Sugars Are Not the Same

Technorati Tags: high fructose corn syrup, sugar, soda, pop, healthy diet

Taste Test Tuesday: Gardenburger Breakfast Sausage

I'm not afraid to try a meatless sausage, although I have tried products that I just had to spit out. I am open to soy-based meatless products, for sure, and this new breakfast sausage patty from Gardenburger seemed worthy of a Taste Test Tuesday. I really liked the fact that there were .28 grams of plant omega-3s per patty - a quick glance at the ingredient list told me these were mainly coming from the canola oil and ground flaxseed.

How did it taste?

I browned a patty up in a nonstick frying pan with a squirt of canola cooking spray and low and behold, it may not have looked or tasted just like a light pork breakfast sausage (not that there's anything wrong with that), but it tasted good enough that I was automatically putting another bite on my fork! I whipped up a mini Egg Beaters omelet and wrapped the rest of my patty inside (just to see how it faired with other breakfast ingredients) and it tasted even better.

What's the Nutrition Info?
The first five ingredients are: soy protein concentrate-hydrated, canola oil, ground flaxseed, vegetable gum, and salt

1 large Patty (43 grams) =

45 calories
5 grams protein
3 grams carbohydrate
2.5 grams fat
0 grams saturated fat and trans fat
0 mg cholesterol
2 grams fiber
270 mg sodium

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Vegetarian Kids
• 10 Tips for Meatless Meals

Technorati Tags: Taste Test Tuesday, Garbdenburger, meatless sausage, vegetarian, soy, healthy diet

Pregnant or Wish to Be Pregnant? Cut the Caffeine!

Photo: Mahalie

A study in January's online issue of American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology* from Kaiser Permanente found a link between high doses of daily caffeine (no matter what the source) and an increased risk of miscarriage.

This was the first study to thoroughly control for morning sickness which, according to the researchers, makes the association they found between caffeine and miscarriage risk even stronger.

How Much is Too Much?
Women who consumed 200 mg or more of caffeine per day (two or more cups of regular coffee or five 12-ounce cans of caffeinated soda) had TWICE the risk of miscarriage as women who consumed absolutely no caffeine. What about the women who consumed less than 200 mg of caffeine daily? Their risk of miscarriage increased by more than 40%.

It's Not Just the Coffee
The researchers believe the increased risk of miscarriage was due to the caffeine specifically and not just coffee,since the caffeine from non-coffee sources like caffeinated soda and tea also showed an increase risk of miscarriage.

How is Caffeine Affecting the Fetus?
Caffeine crosses through the placenta (from the mother's blood) and into the fetus blood supply. The fetus, however, doesn't appear to metabolize it well (due to an under-developed metabolic system), and the caffeine may then be adversely effecting cell development and fetal development.

The Bottom Line
So if you are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant, you may want to cut the caffeine by drinking water and other drinks without caffeine and switching to decaffeinated beverages - which still have a minimal amount of caffeine (approximately 2 mg per cup) but are still a huge improvement over fully loaded beverages.

*American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, February, 2008

Related Topics:

• Pregnancy: Eating Healthy for 2
• Caffeine Facts

Technorati Tags: caffeine, coffee, pregancy, healthy diet

Taste Test Tuesday: Whole Wheat Blend Lasagna Noodles Go Mainstream!

These days I am all about switching to whole grains. I'm absolutely passionate about pasta (I always have been) and I rarely boil up white noodles anymore because there are so many nice higher-fiber choices on the market. The one type of noodle that was the last white pasta hold out, though, is a lasagna noodle. You can usually find one brand of whole wheat lasagna noodles in the specialty health food markets like Whole Foods but you are hard pressed to find any in the typical supermarket...until now!

Today I found Ronzoni Healthy Harvest (whole wheat pasta blend) Lasagna Noodles at my neighborhood Safeway. It took me all of 3 seconds to reach up to that top shelf and grab me a box. I was serving up higher-fiber lasagna to my family of 4 an hour and a half later and the verdict is in. They liked it!

The first three ingredients listed are

1. durum whole wheat flour and semolina blend
2. whole flaxseed meal (I believe this is code for "ground flaxseed")
3. wheat fiber

And what's the fiber payoff? A 2-ounce serving (dry) contains:

6 grams fiber
180 calories,
7 grams protein
41 grams carbohydrate
2 grams fat,
0 grams saturated fat,
1.5 grams polyunsaturated fat,
0 grams monounsaturated fat
0 grams trans fat
0 milligrams cholesterol

Lasagna is one of my favorite casseroles of all time, so I'm thrilled to find a higher-fiber pasta choice for this dish in mainstream supermarkets - it's about time!

Related Topics:

• 6 Foods and Tips for More Fiber
• WebMD Video: The Truth About Fiber

Technorati Tags: Taste Test Tuesday, lasagna, whole wheat, fiber, Ronzoni, healthy diet

Great News If You Are Afraid of Getting Diabetes

I've said it before but I'll admit it again - every time I give a urine sample I get a bit nervous that they are going to tell me I am prediabetic. This is because my dad had type 2 diabetes later in life and I've written a couple of books about type 2 diabetes too...so I might be in that "know too much" situation. Anyway, what I have going for me is that I am a regular exerciser and I eat healthy and I have a non-risky waist circumference. (That's code for I am considered "overweight" or "not thin" but I have a fairly fit figure when you look beyond pounds).

Anyway, here's some good news if you, like me, worry from time to time about your risk for diabetes...

In the past five to 10 years important studies have been published documenting how good exercise is for people with diabetes or at risk for developing it. Well, recently the National Institute for Health did a study to find out whether the onset of diabetes in a high-risk group could actually be prevented. They compared

• A lifestyle modification program that included healthy changes including nutrition, exercise, and a minimal amount of weight loss...(Hello! This is the Elaine Magee way of living!) with


• A treatment program that relied on medication.

Guess what happened? The lifestyle program ended up trumping the treatment program (or medications.) The lifestyle program was twice as good, twice as powerful, with an almost 60 percent reduction in the onset of diabetes, compared with those using medications, which reduced it by 30 percent.

All in favor of working out today and enjoying a nice high fiber dinner with smart fats featured...say aye!

Related Topics:

• Exercise and Diabetes: Best Bets
• Exercise a Must for Losing Deep Belly Fat

Technorati Tags: diabetes, exercise, healthy diet, health and wellness

Taste Test Tuesday: Trader Joe's Original Natural Turkey Jerky

The American Indians made jerky for a reason - it's a great pack along snack! Dried meat is a high protein way to head off hunger when you are unable to get to food for a while.

It's a pricey package, even at Trader Joe's, but for a little more than 4 dollars you get 4 ounces of convenient protein - the value of which is not to be underestimated on hikes or long trips. Beef jerky is good too; I just tried the turkey jerky this time.

This Trader Joe's brand of turkey jerky is made with no nitrites, MSG, or artificial ingredients, and the turkey is raised without added hormones. Can't argue with that.

A 4 ounce bag gives you 2 serving of 2 ounces each. Each 2-ounce serving contains:

120 calories
22 grams protein
12 grams carbohydrate
540 mg sodium
20 mg cholesterol
0 g fat

Here is the ingredient label for you too:
Turkey, sugar, water, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, salt, flavorings, paprika, natural smoke flavoring, caramel color

Related Topics:

• Snack Attack! 10 Ways to Have That Snack and Lose Weight
• 15 Fresh Brown Bag Lunch Ideas

Technorati Tags: Taste Test Tuesday, Trader Joe's, turkey jerky, healthy snack

For The Love of Coffee

Who here doesn't love fun coffee drinks? Okay maybe there's a few. But the lion's share of Americans enjoy a good cup of coffee (fancy or otherwise) every now and then.

Well, over the last couple of years I've blogged periodically about all things coffee. I personally enjoy coffee but I know I'm not alone. I'm always looking for tips to give people about better food and beverage options in the places they tend to go. I've been able to post some lighter options at Starbucks over the past couple of years. Why? Because they provide nutritional information on their website. Well, that and there seems to be a Starbucks on almost every corner in big cities across America.

Many of the tips will translate to other coffee chains too, so don't stop reading just because you go to other coffee chains or cafes.

• Starbucks Iced Caffe Americano


• The 90-Calorie Gingerbread Latte Has Arrived!


• Best Starbucks Choices for Winter


• Best Summer Starbucks Choices


• One Pump or Two (Or Three or Four)?


• What You Should Know About...LIQUID CALORIES

Related Topics:

• The Buzz on Coffee
• Coffee's Health Perks Get Attention

Technorati Tags: coffee, healthy diet, Starbucks

Taste Test Tuesday: Starbucks Iced Caffe Americano

While fishing around the Starbucks website, something I do more often than I care to admit, I found an Iced Coffee (grande) option with only 15 calories! Some of the other iced coffee have around 80 or more calories because they are lightly sweetened.

Iced Caffe Americano is just espresso combined with cold filtered water and ice.

Anyway, I ordered this and it tasted pretty awesome once I added a packet of my alternative sweetener du jour plus a big splash (1/4 cup) of lowfat milk or fat free half and half. This brought the calories to 40 calories, 6 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams protein, and .6 grams fat if you use 1% milk. The caffeine will be 225 if you order it leaded.

You can find the nutrition information for all of the Starbucks beverages on their website. They even allow you to recalculate the nutrition content based on size, milk options, etc.

Related Topics:

• Don't Let Coffee Break Your Diet
• Weight Loss Drinks:
  Best Drinks for a Diet

Technorati Tags: Taste Test Tuesday, coffee, Starbucks, healthy diet

Low Birth Weight Still a Top Concern for Pregnant Women

If I were to ask you, in terms of baby's birth weight, what correlates with:

• increased hypertension
• adult cardiovascular disease
• type 2 diabetes

You would most likely say it is high baby birth weight that increases your risk of the above, wouldn't you? Well, LOW birth weight has been linked to these undesirable health conditions.

A pooled analysis of 150,000 pregnancies correlates a 2.2-pound increase in birth weight with a 10-20% lower risk of hardening of the arteries later in life.

[American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2007, volume 85 pages 1244-1250, Huxley R., et al. "Is birth weight a risk factor for ischemic heart disease in later life?"]

Fancy that!

My point here is that I'm afraid that special attention to pregnancy weight gain, "childhood obesity" and the fear of "high birth weight babies," might lead to concerned mothers restricting their food intake during pregnancy.

Ellyn Satter, RD, MSW, pointed out so eloquently in her Family Meals Focus Newsletter (August 29, 2007) that research suggests the culprit linking low birth weight with resulting disease is the fetus's exposure to high levels of a hormone (glucocorticoid) produced by the mother's body to stimulate the creation of glucose from available protein and fat. Getting enough energy (glucose) is the first requirement of the fast growing fetus. Quite simply, if the mother isn't eating enough energy, the glucocorticoid levels go up so she can burn protein (including her own body tissue) to make up the energy needs.

Satter also states (and I agree) that food restriction and striving for stated weight-gain outcomes during pregnancy can distort eating attitudes and behaviors and is potentially harmful for the mother and the fetus. So let's, as a society, be careful not try to fix one problem by creating another.

I can give you my personal pregnancy experience (many moons ago) as one example. I gave birth to my first daughter at an impressive 8 pounds 12 ounces. She was a healthy baby who was an avid breastfeeder from the get-go - and was at 11 pounds weight at 2 weeks of age (her pediatrician asked me if I had whipping cream in my breasts). She hovered in the 90th percentile from that point on and was one of the healthiest babies/toddlers I've seen. I don't think she needed antibiotics till she was 6! That same daughter is now considered slightly under "ideal" weight for her height at the age of 16. I think if you focus on "health" and discourage obsession and restriction, each child's body finds its natural path to become their own personal full-grown healthy body.

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Healthy Eating Tips for Your Kids
• Eating Right When Pregnant

Technorati Tags: healthy diet, pregnancy, weight gain, childhood obesity