Food for Fun and Thought

What’s On Your Holiday Plate? 9 Easy Calorie Saving Tips

December 12, 2013 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

1. Leave some space for the holiday specials, but, in general, aim to practice portion control with the higher calorie foods and pile your plate high with the lower calorie vegetables. When you take in more calories than your body needs and uses, you’ll gain weight.

2. Your body can handle a certain amount of “big meal” overeating (Thanksgiving, the occasional holiday party). The problems with the scale happen when poor choices and expanded portions become daily rather than occasional events. It’s difficult during the long holiday season not to indulge on large portions and frequent treats. Be attentive to what and how much you’re eating. Even a controlled portion of a holiday treat several times a week – or even everyday — is better than multiple large portions everyday from Thanksgiving through New Years.

3. Choose your food wisely. If you can, pick lean proteins like fish, poultry, and the least fatty cuts of pork, beef, and lamb that are grilled or broiled, not fried or sautéed. Load up on vegetables – preferably ones that are not smothered in cheese or dripping with oil. Eat your turkey without the skin.

4. Work on eating a larger portion of fruit and veggies and less of the densely caloric foods like pastas swimming in oil and cheese. Consider beans or eggs as your protein source. But beware: it’s easy to be fooled by fatty sauces and dressings on innocent looking vegetables. Vegetables are great. Veggies smothered with butter, cheese, croutons, and/or bacon are loaded with calories.

5. Leave the breadbasket at the other end of the table. If you absolutely must have bread, go without butter or oil. Harder breadsticks generally have fewer calories than the soft breads and rolls. One teeny pat of butter has 36 calories, a tablespoon has 102 and 99% of them are from fat. A tablespoon of oil has about 120 calories. Would you rather have the oil or butter or a cookie for dessert or another glass of wine? Which calories will be more satisfying?

6. Don’t eat all of the piecrust. You can save around 200 calories at dessert by leaving the piecrust sitting on the plate and nixing (or decreasing) ice cream toppings like hot fudge sauce and whipped cream.

7. Is a half enough? If you decide you really will feel totally deprived if you don’t indulge in one of those delicious baked goods, choose one without loads of thick buttery crumbs on top, cut it in half or in thirds and be satisfied with that amount. Put it on a separate small plate that you can easily push away from you. Keeping it on your main plate or even a smaller one that’s easily reachable means you’ll be nibbling away at it the entire time.

8. It’s the mindless calories that are probably the most dangerous. For some reason we don’t seem to mentally process all of those random nibbles and calories from the treats on the receptionist’s desk, the neighbor’s homemade peanut brittle, the office party holiday toasts, the second and third helpings, or the holiday cookies in the snack room. If the food is in front of you it’s hard not to indulge. See it = eat it.

9. Don’t skimp or skip meals. Feed yourself well. Your body needs good nutrition. If you skip meals to try to save up calories you’ll just end up (over)eating because you’re starving, your blood sugar will be in the basement, and your body will be screaming, “feed me.” When that happens, you head straight for the carbs right off the bat – and it’s almost always all downhill from there. Not a great tactic for your body or your mind – or for your general mood.

For more helpful hints download my book from Amazon: 30 Ways To Eat Your Holiday Favorites And Still Get Into Your Jeans.

New from iTunes: Eat Out Eat Well magazine for iPhones and iPads. Head on over and take a look!

A Holiday Gift

December 7, 2013 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Just in time for the crunch of the holiday season —

My new book — 30 Ways to Eat Your Holiday Favorites and Still Get Into Your Jeans — is available as a free download for your kindle or kindle reader this Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (12/7 – 12/9).

The book is filled with useful and practical tips and info to help you navigate your way through the holiday season with your waistline intact and your belly happy.

Head on over to Amazon to download your free gift — and please share this info with anyone else who might be interested.

I hope you enjoy the book. I would greatly appreciate it if you would leave a review on Amazon.

Enjoy the holiday season.

What’s In Your Big Mac Or Fast Food Burger Besides Beef?

November 13, 2013 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Have you had a Big Mac in different parts of the country or even in different parts of the world? It tastes pretty much the same – which, in some ways, is rather comforting when you might be far from home.

Fast food is cheap, quick, reproducible in any outlet, often tasty, and consistent. To be all of those things makes it pretty difficult to use locally sourced and fresh ingredients.

Fast food restaurants might be trying to make their menus healthier by adding veggies and fruit, but the bottom line is that much of their food is processed and preserved – and that doesn’t happen without chemicals.

An occasional trip to Mickey D’s isn’t a disaster and the burger content is beef (although who knows the source of the cows, what parts of the cow are used, and what they’ve been fed). But what about the bun, the sauce, and the cheese that accompany the burger? How does the bun stay soft and how does the “special sauce” always taste the same?

Take a look at the ingredients in a Big Mac, a burger, and cheeseburger from McDonald’s (all info is from McDonald’s own site). Although McDonald’s is used as an example, almost all of the fast food chains use additives and preservatives in their food. One of the biggest shockers is the bun – ask a home baker or a bakery how many ingredients they put in their buns – then look at these. Then check out the sauce.

Then decide how frequently you want to indulge.

Big Mac:

Components: 100% BEEF PATTY, BIG MAC BUN, PASTEURIZED PROCESS AMERICAN CHEESE, BIG MAC SAUCE, SHREDDED LETTUCE, PICKLE SLICES, ONIONS

100% Beef Patty:

Ingredients: 100% Pure USDA Inspected Beef; No Fillers, No Extenders. Prepared with Grill Seasoning (Salt, Black Pepper).

Big Mac Bun:

Ingredients: Enriched Flour (Bleached Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup and/or Sugar, Yeast, Soybean Oil and/or Canola Oil, Contains 2% or Less: Salt, Wheat Gluten, Calcium Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Ammonium Sulfate, Ammonium Chloride, Dough Conditioners (May Contain One or More of: Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, DATEM, Ascorbic Acid, Azodicarbonamide, Mono and Diglycerides, Ethoxylated Monoglycerides, Monocalcium Phosphate, Enzymes, Guar Gum, Calcium Peroxide), Sorbic Acid, Calcium Propionate and/or Sodium Propionate (Preservatives), Soy Lecithin, Sesame Seed.

Big Mac Sauce:

Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Pickle Relish (Diced Pickles, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Salt, Calcium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate [Preservative], Spice Extractives, Polysorbate 80), Distilled Vinegar, Water, Egg Yolks, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Onion Powder, Mustard Seed, Salt, Spices, Propylene Glycol Alginate, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Mustard Bran, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Vegetable Protein (Hydrolyzed Corn, Soy and Wheat), Caramel Color, Extractives of Paprika, Soy Lecithin, Turmeric (Color), Calcium Disodium EDTA (Protect Flavor).

Crinkle Cut Pickles: Ingredients: Cucumbers, Water, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Calcium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Natural Flavors (Plant Source), Polysorbate 80, Extractives of Turmeric (Color).

Pasteurized Process American Cheese: Ingredients: Milk, Cream, Water, Cheese Culture, Sodium Citrate, Contains 2% or Less of: Salt, Citric Acid, Sodium Phosphate, Sorbic Acid (Preservative), Lactic Acid, Acetic Acid, Enzymes, Sodium Pyrophosphate, Natural Flavor (Dairy Source), Color Added, Soy Lecithin (Added for Slice Separation).

Hamburger:

Components: 100% BEEF PATTY, REGULAR BUN, KETCHUP, MUSTARD, PICKLE SLICES, ONIONS

Cheeseburger:

Components: 100% BEEF PATTY, REGULAR BUN, PASTEURIZED PROCESS AMERICAN CHEESE, KETCHUP, MUSTARD, PICKLE SLICES, ONIONS

100% Beef Patty: Ingredients: 100% Pure USDA Inspected Beef; No Fillers, No Extenders. Prepared with Grill Seasoning (Salt, Black Pepper).

Regular Bun: Ingredients: Enriched Flour (Bleached Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup and/or Sugar, Yeast, Soybean Oil and/or Canola Oil, Contains 2% or Less: Salt, Wheat Gluten, Calcium Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Ammonium Sulfate, Ammonium Chloride, Dough Conditioners (May Contain One or More of: Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, DATEM, Ascorbic Acid, Azodicarbonamide, Mono and Diglycerides, Ethoxylated Monoglycerides, Monocalcium Phosphate, Enzymes, Guar Gum, Calcium Peroxide), Sorbic Acid, Calcium Propionate and/or Sodium Propionate (Preservatives), Soy Lecithin.

Pasteurized Process American Cheese:

Ingredients: Milk, Cream, Water, Cheese Culture, Sodium Citrate, Contains 2% or Less of: Salt, Citric Acid, Sodium Phosphate, Sorbic Acid (Preservative), Lactic Acid, Acetic Acid, Enzymes, Sodium Pyrophosphate, Natural Flavor (Dairy Source), Color Added, Soy Lecithin (Added for Slice Separation).

Nutrition:

Big Mac, 7.6 oz: 550 calories, 29g fat, 10g saturated fat, 1g trans fat, 970mg sodium, 46g carbs, 25g protein

Hamburger, 3.5 oz: 250 calories, 9g fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 0.5 trans fat, 480mg sodium, 31g carbs, 12g proteinS

Cheeseburger, 4 oz.: 300 calories, 12g fat, 6g saturated fat, 0.5g trans fat, 680mg sodium, 33g carbs, 15g protein

How To Tone Down The Heat In A Too Spicy-Hot Dish

November 7, 2013 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN 2 Comments

Have some chili planned for dinner? You know it’ll be a crowd pleaser – until you taste it. All you can think of is that a stray chili pepper that made it’s way into your recipe was at it’s peak of hot, hot, hot – or the lid popped off the jar of chili pepper spice – or you double dosed the pot while you were texting, tweeting, or talking.

After a few choice words escape from your scorched mouth, other than tossing the whole dish into the garbage or feeding the compost pile, what can you do to make it palatable?

What To Do To Dial Down The Blazing Heat

There are ways to calm down an over-spiced dish. These tips (in no particular order) might or might not work for your dish depending on your taste and the other ingredients in the recipe. They’re frequently used solutions and are definitely worth a try before you’re accused of starting a 5-alarm fire.

Know your peppers – they vary in the amount of heat they have. You can always decrease the amount you use. Be sure to remove the inner membranes and seeds, which is where the majority of the heat resides. The amount of capsaicin, the active component in chili peppers, varies with the variety and maturity of the pepper. Habanero peppers are always extremely hot while ancho and paprika peppers can be as mild as a bell pepper.

Try One Or More Of These “Fix-Its”

To ratchet 5-alarm hotness down to around 3-alarm, you can try to dilute the heat. Make another batch of the recipe and omit the the “heat” ingredient and combine it with the over-spiced batch. Now you have a double recipe that should be just about right, half of which you can freeze. You can also add more stock, broth, canned tomatoes, or beans depending on the recipe – just make certain there is no added seasoning. A can or two of refried beans or mashed canned beans helps to dilute spiciness, helps thicken chili, increases the fiber and protein content, and gives you more servings without the higher cost of more meat.

Dairy helps neutralize the spice in a dish (and in your mouth). You can use milk (full fat is best), sour cream, or yogurt to mix into or to top the spicy stuff. Other possible dairy ingredients to add are whipping cream or evaporated milk. If you can’t or don’t have time to incorporate dairy into the dish, offer some sour cream or yogurt on the side – some cheese helps, too.

Serve the chili or curry over rice. The rice tones down the spices and adds bulk to the recipe. Bread and other grains may also help.

Add some potatoes or another starchy vegetable, like corn. You probably won’t even notice the corn in chili. If you use potatoes, peel and cube a couple and mix them in. Leave them in until they’re cooked through. Remove them (or not, depending on taste) and serve.

Try stirring in a couple tablespoons of peanut butter (you could also use almond or other nut butters or tahini) to cut the heat. Depending on the dish it won’t really alter the taste but might give a little more depth to the flavor and make chili seem a little creamier. Because it may not be an expected ingredient, be certain that nobody has nut or peanut allergies.

Add some lime, lemon, vinegar or something acidic that won’t mess with the other flavors. Acid cuts through heat.

You don’t want to turn your dish into dessert, but sugar goes a long way toward neutralizing spiciness. So does honey. Add one teaspoon at a time and keep tasting. Some people use sweet or semi-sweet chocolate to mask the spice, but not so much that the dish ends up tasting like chocolate. Sugar combined with an acid like vinegar or lemon or lime juice works particularly well.

Any number of additions can help tame the heat without radically affecting flavor. Add a can of crushed pineapple to your chili — it will essentially disappear but will also helping to counteract the heat. Adding other kinds of fruit and carrots may work, too, because of their sugar content.

What To Do When Your Mouth Is On Fire From Red Hot Chili Peppers

November 4, 2013 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

I was in a restaurant that specializes in chili – hot, hotter, and hottest. Four large thirtyish guys were sitting at the table next to mine. One guy ordered, “hottest,” with the kind of look on his face that says “I can handle it, no problem.”

Shortly after this big, burly guy dug into his chili he was sitting glassy eyed, rivulets of sweat dripping off of his bald head, practically unable to speak. The waitress, obviously having seen this happen before, came running over with a glass of milk with orders to “Drink up.”

Have you ever had this reaction to very spicy food — maybe even from a dish from your own kitchen when you got a little too heavy-handed with the chili powder? Or perhaps, like this guy, from being a little too macho and ordering “hottest” after assuring everyone that you can handle really hot and spicy food – despite warnings from the waitstaff.

What Causes The Burn?

Capsaicin is mostly responsible for the “heat” in chili peppers. The amount in different kinds peppers varies widely. Environmental factors and the maturity of the pepper also affect the “burn” factor.

Chiles grown in hot dry climates tend to be a little hotter and the capsaicin content in a pepper is the highest when peppers reach full maturity. Habanero peppers are always extremely hot because of their high capsaicin content but ancho and paprika chili peppers can be just as mild as a bell pepper.

How To Tame The Flame

What do you do when your mouth is sending a five-alarm signal, your face is on fire, and you are sweating enough to water every plant in the room?

To stop the mouth flames you need to neutralize the burning heat from the capsaicin that binds to your taste buds. Remember that you want to neutralize the capsaicin, not just make your mouth feel better, too (although that’s also an objective).

Solutions

Ice and water will feel pretty good, but it’s only a temporary feel-good fix. The burning pain will come roaring back. Capsaicin is soluble in both alcohol and fat so full fat dairy and alcohol are possible solutions.

Neutralizing the capsaicin will be the most effective. How do you do that? The most common things to counteract the heat of chilies are full fat dairy, acids, and sugar. They may all have some degree of effectiveness.

Capsaicin is soluble in alcohol and fat, and sometimes beer is suggested as a solution because the alcohol will help to neutralize the capsaicin molecules. But remember that beer is about 95% water and won’t really neutralize the capsaicin clinging to your tongue. The harder stuff might help but you’d have to drink a lot of it and you’d end up feeling no pain for other reasons.

Acid can cut through the heat so try vinegar, lemon or lime juice, or anything acidic that doesn’t mess with the taste of your food. Now you know why you often see lemon or lime wedges served with spicier food. Gives beer with lime new meaning, doesn’t it?

High fat dairy products like milk, cheese, sour cream, yogurt, and ice cream will coat your mouth and can break the bonds capsaicin forms with the nerve endings – and, since they’re cold, they feel pretty good, too. There’s a reason that spicy Mexican food is often served with sour cream and cheese.

Sugars bind to pain receptors more readily than capsaicin so sweet things might work, too. Sugar, fruit, honey, molasses, even carrots have all been used. Highly sweetened non-carbonated drinks may work. Try some sweet tea. Hoisin may work for Asian dishes or Lassi (sweet and dairy combination) if you are in an Indian restaurant. Have some fruit for dessert – it’s cold, sweet, and the more acidic fruit, like citrus and pineapple, add another layer of potential pain relief.