Taste Test Tuesday: Nutritionally Tempting Tater Tots?

Alexia Potato Nuggets (Yukon Gold Potatoes with Seasoned Salt)

I can't remember the last time I've tasted a tater tot. My kids have only seen them when the cafeteria happened to serve them at their elementary school. I don't have anything against the tator tot per se, it's just that most companies that make them use saturated and trans fat to hold the tot together.

An alternative frozen food brand, Alexia, makes a 0 gram trans fat + 1 gram saturated fat tator tot look-a-like made with canola oil and/or sunflower oil or safflower oil. I found this brand at Whole Foods but it is also available at assorted stores across the country (Costco Wholesale, Sam's Club, Super Target, Target GM, Wal-Mart, Wild Oats, and more).

The bad news is these tots are still pretty high in fat (8 grams of fat per 3 ounce serving) but the good news is most of those 8 grams are from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat.

A 3-ounce serving contains (if you bake them):

150 calories
8 grams fat
1 gram saturated fat
0 g trans fat
0 mg cholesterol
340 mg sodium
18 g carbohydrate
1 g fiber
2 g protein

How did it taste? Way better than I can ever remember tater tots tasting from my youth. They can definitely be part of a healthful meal when paired with lean meats or lower fat vegetarian entrees plus a nice serving of steamed vegetables (like a broccoli) and fresh fruit!

Related Topics:

• On the Lighter Side... Baked Potatoes
• WebMD Video: Keeping Kids From Becoming Couch Potatoes
• Healthy Cooking with Elaine Magee, RD
• Healthy Cooking Newsletter - recipes, kitchen and shopping advice in your inbox

Acai Berry - Just Another Nutritious Fruit?

You'll probably lose more money than weight...

Acai berries...perhaps you've heard of them? Remember the hype from pomegranates a couple of years ago? Well, the torch appears to have been passed to the Brazilian berry and the hype has been cranked up a few notches. The Center For Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) blew the whistle last week on web-based acai scams, which they say are fooling consumers with fake blogs, fake endorsements, and fishy science.

According to CSPI there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that acai pills will help shed pounds, flatten tummies, cleanse colons, enhance sexual desire, etc. People appear to be getting scammed here two ways. There's the lack of science behind these Internet health claims and then there's the credit card scam-many consumers have had trouble stopping recurrent charges on their credit cards when they cancel their "free" trials. CSPI is reporting that even web sites purporting to warn people about acai-related scams are themselves perpetrating scams, some of which appear to be linked to overseas banks. So be careful out there people, you are probably more likely to lose your money rather than your extra weight.

Let's get back to the berry: What do we really know about it nutritionally?

Acai juice does contribute antioxidants but less so than Concord grape juice, blueberry juice and black cherry juice, according to a recent analysis* that used 4 different antioxidant potency tests. It contains more antioxidants, however, than cranberry, orange and apple juices.

Beyond that, we don't really know much more than this. I was trying to find an impartial source for the information on its nutrition content. My computer software program didn't have anything on it and the USDA database only had some information on the V8 Fusion blend that contains acai berry.

Until more is known and the hype (and price) go down on acai berry juices and food products, you can always pick up a bottle of 100% concord grape juice for a couple of bucks (just saying)... Each 8 ounce serving contains 170 calories, 42 grams carbohydrate, 250 mg potassium, 20% daily value for vitamin C and copious antioxidant-acting polypenols that have been linked to all sorts of good things for your body.

*[J Agric Food Chem 2008 Feb 27; 56(4): 1415-22, Seeram NP et al.]


Related Topics:

• WebMD Slideshow: Tropical Fruit
• Antioxidants in Fruits
• Healthy Cooking with Elaine Magee, RD
• Healthy Cooking Newsletter - recipes, kitchen and shopping advice in your inbox

Taste Test Tuesday: Nate's Taquitos (100% Vegetarian)

They taste like they have chicken in them but the box says they are 100% vegetarian...Vegetarian Taquitos aren't exactly an appetizing thought to most carnivores but these frozen appetizers definitely taste better than they sound.

Each serving of 3 taquitos contain 230 calories, 8 grams of fat, .5 gram saturated fat (0 trans fat), 10 g protein, 29 g carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, 430 mg sodium.

So if they aren't made with chicken, what's in them? Besides the corn tortilla, the top 3 ingredients are salsa Verde, textured wheat protein, and soy cheese.

If this "chicken style" taquito doesn't grab you, Nate's also makes a "beef style" taquito, along with a more straightforward black bean & soy cheese taquito. Haven't tried these yet but I wouldn't hesitate to give them a whirl since the chicken style ones were pretty darn tasty.

Related Topics:

• Best-Tasting Vegetarian Foods
• WebMD Video: Finding Healthy Vegetarian Choices on Vacation
• Vegan/Vegetarian: Support Group
• Healthy Cooking Newsletter - recipes, kitchen and shopping advice in your inbox

New 360-Degree Indoor Grill

Oh it's big, all right. It will handle grilling 6 medium-sized burgers or 4 skinless chicken breasts in a single bound. It's the new 360-degree indoor grill by George Foreman. This appliance requires a commitment not only because it costs more than the smaller indoor grills, but because you'll need to clear some major cabinet space for this baby. I think it's worth it though.

The one thing you will also need with this grill is a counter top area with enough cabinet clearance so you can prop the top of the grill up while you are loading on your food to the bottom plate, without hitting something. I have an electrical outlet on my kitchen island so that worked perfectly (no cabinets above this counter space.) When you see the size of this thing, you will understand why I raised this issue.

I have been using my smaller indoor grill for panini sandwiches for a couple of years now so with this 360-degree griller, I can make several sandwiches at a time...definitely a plus when you have several hungry teens in your kitchen.

This grill also comes with upper and lower plates for making quesadillas and a lower plate to make pizzas, which admittedly I haven't had a chance to try yet. One tip on the quesadilla plates though...Use gravity to help you keep your cheese in your quesadilla and not in the drip tray. Set your folded quesadilla so it isn't open on the down side of the 360-degree grill. Using less greasy (and slippery) reduced fat cheese will also keep it in your tortilla too.

One of the biggest differences I can see with this new grill, besides its grilling capacity, are the temperature control options. You can dial in LOW, MEDIUM, and HIGH.

Temperature Settings
According to the company that makes and distributes this George Foreman grill, Applica:
LOW works best for reheating fully cooked foods.
MEDIUM LOW works for sandwiches and wraps.
MEDIUM works best for vegetables.
MEDIUM HIGH works bests for vegetables, fish, pizza, quesadillas, pork, poultry and lamb.
HIGH works best for beef.

Here's a recipe for easy grilled asparagus that is designed for any indoor grill!

Easy Grilled Asparagus

Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus spears (about 20 spears)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground salt

Preparation:

1. Preheat indoor grill (like the George Foreman) to Medium-High. Meanwhile use a silicon brush or pastry brush to lightly coat the outside of asparagus with olive oil.
2. Lay asparagus over bottom grill (either direction works-going with or against the grooves) and lower the top grill. Cook until asparagus is just tender but still a little crispy and bright green (about 6-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears).
3. Place grilled asparagus on serving plate and sprinkle some freshly ground salt over the salt. Simple but delicious!

Yield: Makes 4 servings
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic Members journal as: 1/2 cup vegetables without added fat
Nutrition Information per serving: 36 calories, 2 g protein, 3 g carbohydrate, 2 g fat, .3 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 147 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 45 percent.

Related Topics:

• Indoor Grilling: Tips and Recipes
• Healthy Cooking with Elaine Magee, RD
• Healthy Cooking Newsletter - recipes, kitchen and shopping advice in your inbox

Taste Test Tuesday: Green Pudding!

JELL-O Sugar Free Fat Free Pistachio Pudding

Calling all pistachio lovers with a sweet tooth! For 70 calories and about 7 grams of sugar (from the lowfat milk not the pudding mix), you can have a serving of pistachio pudding.

Let's face it, it's a pudding flavor that you might not normally try... it's green for heaven's sake! But you might want to give it a go sometime - maybe even for St. Patrick's Day? It's an instant sugar-free and fat-free pudding mix by JELL-O sweetened with aspartame (NutraSweet) and acesulfame potassium. You would want to avoid this product if you have a sensitivity to either of these alternative sweeteners.

You can dial-in whatever milk you like or have at home (nonfat, 1% or 2%); they all work well.

Each 1/2-cup serving contains (if made with fat free milk):

70 calories
0 grams fat
0 grams saturated fat
7 grams sugar (lactose from milk)
0 g fiber
13 g carbohydrate
6 grams protein
390 mg sodium
15% Daily Value for calcium!

If you try it, please share your review here.

Related Topics:

• Sugar Shockers: Foods Surprisingly High in Sugar
• Healthy Cooking with Elaine Magee, RD
• Healthy Cooking Newsletter - recipes, kitchen and shopping advice in your inbox

Lighten Up, Chicken!

Food Network Chicken Recipe Gets a Visit From The WebMD Recipe Doctor

I get a lot of requests on my Recipe Doctor website to lighten up various dishes from The Food Network. People usually write that they want to try the particular recipe, but are put off by all of the rich and fatty ingredients. I actually got three requests for this same chicken dish, so I decided to lighten it up and share the simple and savory recipe with all of you!

Basically I dramatically reduced the cooking fat and switched to a smart oil, plus I doubled the vegetables and used a reduced fat cheese.

The original recipe calls for half a stick of butter; I used 4 teaspoons of canola or olive oil. I used 2 cups of mushrooms and 1/3 cup of shallots compared to 1 cup of mushrooms and 2 tablespoons of shallots in the original recipe. I eliminated the salt and used 1 cup of part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese instead of whole milk mozzarella. I also eliminated a preparation step to keep it all in one pot. Less to do and less to wash!

Here are the SAVINGS:

Calories decreased from 386 to 330
Fat grams decreased from 22.5 grams to 14 grams
Saturated fat decreased from 13 grams to 5 grams
Cholesterol decreased from 152 to 111 mg
Sodium decreased from 429 to 236 mg (mushrooms have a lot of natural flavor)
Fiber went up from .3 gram to almost 1 gram
Omega-3s went up from .2 gram to .6 gram (using canola oil)

Light & Easy Georgia Chicken

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons canola or olive oil, divided use
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (available pre-washed and pre-cut)
1/3 cup minced shallots (chopped onion can be substituted)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese (or cheese of choice)

Preparation:

1. In large, nonstick skillet begin heating 2 teaspoons of canola or olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the sliced mushrooms and shallots and saute until lightly brown (about 5 minutes). Spoon out mushroom mixture to medium bowl and set aside.
2. In same large, nonstick skillet, begin heating the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over medium-high heat. Coat both sides of chicken breasts with hot oil in pan and continue to brown both sides until cooked throughout (about 8 minutes on each side). Sprinkle pepper over the top.
3. Sprinkle cheese even over the top of chicken then top evenly with the mushroom mixture. Turn off heat, cover skillet, and let the chicken dish rest for 5 minutes to melt cheese and blend flavors.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

WebMD Weight Loss Clinic Members journal as: 1 serving lean meat with sauce + 2 ounces lowfat cheese OR 1 frozen dinner light + 2 ounces lowfat cheese OR 1 1/2 cups hearty stews

Nutrition Information per serving: 330 calories, 44 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 14 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 111 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 236 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 38 percent.

Related Topics:

• Tips for New Cooks - Chicken
• Healthy Cooking with Elaine Magee, RD
• Healthy Cooking Newsletter - recipes, kitchen and shopping advice in your inbox

Taste Test Tuesday: Wendy's Premium Fish Fillet Sandwich

If you watch even a small amount of television you have probably seen commercials for the Wendy's new Premium Fish Fillet Sandwich. They tout this as a fish sandwich that's a cut above the rest - but is it?

First of all, I was very disappointed that this sandwich wasn't served on a whole grain bun. Doesn't that make total sense? You are serving fish, albeit breaded and fried...why wouldn't a healthful alternative to red meat be served with whole grain?

Okay, so I had to get past that and ordered the sandwich without tartar sauce, but added tomato and onion. This decreases the calories by 100 and the fat grams by 12 and increases the vitamin A and vitamin C content of the sandwich (6% Daily Value each).

Each sandwich ordered without tartar sauce and with tomato and onion contains:
370 calories, 12 grams fat, 2.5 grams saturated fat, 0 trans fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 780 mg sodium, 48 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, and 17 g protein.

How did it taste? I really like fish sandwiches and this one was one of the best-tasting fast food versions I've had. If you think you would like some sort of condiment, you could always opt for catsup. Ask for dill pickles on your sandwich if that's the flavor you are going for. And if you insist on doing the tarter sauce thing, you can always wipe most of it off and only keep a scant amount on the bun.

Related Topics:

• 21 Healthier Fast-Food Meals
• What to Know About Omega-3s and Fish
• Healthy Cooking with Elaine Magee, RD
• Healthy Cooking Newsletter - recipes, kitchen and shopping advice in your inbox!

New Tips For People With IBS

The American College of Gastroenterology updated their recommendations for IBS, thanks to an international group of experts who reviewed current available treatment for IBS patients. Here are some of the key points from their Position Statement on the Management of IBS (Am J Gastroenterol 104: S1-S35; doi:10.1038/ajg.2008.122):

• Patients with diarrhea should be screened with blood tests for celiac disease.


• When IBS patients have alarm features or are over 50 they should have further tests like a colonoscopy.


• Some anti-spasm treatments may offer short-term help with abdominal pain from IBS (hyoscine, peppermint oil, cimetropium)


• The probiotic, Bifidobacteria, may help some people with IBS.

I asked for comments on this new position statement from Dr. Christine Frissora, MD, national IBS expert and medical contributor to the new edition of my book, Tell Me What To Eat If I Have Irritable Bowel Syndrome. She wanted to let people know the following:

* New medication - Rifaximin
One recent advance is the use of Rifaximin to break the viscous IBS cycling of bloating, gas and diarrhea. Rifaxmin is FDA approved for traveler's diarrhea in the dose of 200 mg for 3 days (1 tablet, 3 x a day for 3 days). The advantage of Rifaximin over other treatments is that it rebalances the GI tract flora (harmless bacteria inhabiting a part of the body) in a beneficial way; it does not cause C diff; nor has it been reported to cause Achilles tendon rupture. Rifaximin has been studied and proven to be a great help for common IBS symptoms of bloating and gas. More trials are underway.

After a 10 day course of Rifaximin some experts use Bifida bacteria [a probiotic with the trade name Align] one a day before lunch to help maintain a healthy balance of the flora. In some patients the rifaximin needs to be repeated every 3 to 12 months. Overall rifaximin has been a huge help to patients - breaking the cycle of IBS symptoms in a safe, well tolerated way.

* A warning given by Dr. Frissora on anti-depressants.
"In general, anti-depressants make people F-A-T - Fat, Asexual (no sexual appetite) and Tired," notes Dr. Frissora. They can also be very hard to taper and may lead to suicidal thoughts when they are tapered. According to Dr. Frissora, the tricyclics can cause cardiac arrhythmias and death. If a patient is truly depressed then by all means they need to be treated, adds Frissora, but for IBS patients in general she tries to avoid antidepressants.

Related Topics:

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Health Center
• IBS Support Group
• The GI Disorders newsletter - get the latest news on treatments & management of IBS from WebMD!

Frugal Friday: Get a Nutrient-Packed Breakfast For A Buck!

Slow cooked oatmeal made from scratch, served with brown sugar crumble and a choice of bananas, blueberries and blackberries or apple cinnamon...hungry for breakfast yet? Well, until the end of March, you can get steel cut oatmeal with real fruit for one dollar at Jamba Juice (a smoothie chain based on the west coast). They are calling it their "Oatmeal-fueled Stimulus Plan."

Here's the catch...you have to visit the website, www.oatmealforabuck.com and print out the coupon.

I probably don't have to tell you that oatmeal is a great breakfast choice - it's a good source of fiber and protein, so it tends to keep you satisfied through the morning. The fruit topping and brown sugar crumble will be sure to satisfy your morning sweet tooth too (if you have one).

The suggested price of the oatmeal is $2.95 - so during the month of March you are saving 2 dollars!

Related Topics:

• Heartier Benefits Seen From Oatmeal
• The New Low-Cholesterol Diet: Oatmeal & Oat Bran
• Healthy Cooking Newsletter - recipes, kitchen and shopping advice in your inbox!

Taste Test Tuesday: Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars

If you don't like chewy granola bars then you've probably already discovered the Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars. For years I've seen the "variety" box available with three different flavors. The times I've bought them for camping trips or marathon dance competition weekends, I always tried to grab one of the peanut butter packs before they were all gone - they are definitely my favorite flavor. I like that they aren't too sweet but have a wonderful peanut butter and toasted oat flavor.

Well, the other day at Target I actually came across a whole box of the peanut butter flavor! These crunchy granola bars have a nice peanut butter flavor and a crunchy (bordering on crumbly) texture. There are two granola bars in one pack (6 packs per box) and most people eat both in one serving.

This adds up to 180 calories and 11 grams of sugar, 30 grams of carbohydrate, 7 grams fat, 1-gram saturated fat, 5-gram protein, and 190 mg sodium. Both bars only contribute 2 grams of fiber, however, even though whole grain oats is the first ingredient.

The first four ingredients are:

Whole grain rolled oats
Sugar
Canola oil
Peanut butter

Nature Valley products are not impacted in any way by the recent peanut butter recall. Their website states, "Nature Valley does not source peanut butter from the plant that has been implicated."

If you have a favorite granola bar, tell us about it!

Related Topics:

• Driving? Try These Take-Along Snacks
• The Art of Power Snacking
• Healthy Cooking Newsletter - recipes, kitchen and shopping advice in your inbox!