Manage Your Weight

What Do You Get When You Buy A Low Calorie Or Reduced Fat Product?

November 16, 2010 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

What does low fat or reduced calorie really mean?

With the holidays rapidly approaching many of us are starting to scan recipes and plan menus – which means grocery shopping. It also means trying to balance out the excess calories from holiday meals with some “lighter” fare – which also may mean grocery shopping.

Walk down the aisle – just about any aisle – in the supermarket and the labels on packages are plastered with claims of low fat, no fat, low this, low that, and extra lean.

What a dilemma! Sounds great, all of this reduced fat and light or “lite” food – but what does it really mean? Does light mean that the butternut squash soup is light as a feather or that it is lighter than the pea soup? Does reduced calorie mean that the chocolate mousse has half the calories of the “regular” mousse or that it’s ten calories less?

Unfortunately, the answers are not always what they seem to be. For instance, according to the FDA, a food is allowed to be labeled fat free if a serving contains less than 0.5 grams of fat. So, something could have 0.4 grams of fat and still be called fat free.

Be Aware Of Definitions – And Check The Nutrition Labels

Definitions of Some Common Terms Used On Food Packages

Fat-free = less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving, with no added fat or oil.
Low fat = 3 grams or less of fat per serving.
Less fat = 25% or less fat than the comparison food.
Saturated fat free = Less than 0.5 grams of saturated fat and 0.5 grams of trans-fatty acids per serving.
Cholesterol-free = less than 2 mg of cholesterol per serving and 2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving.
Low cholesterol = 20 mg or less of cholesterol per serving and 2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving.
Reduced calorie = at least 25% fewer calories per serving than the comparison food (the “regular” version of the same food).
Low calorie = 40 calories or less per serving.
Extra lean = less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol per 100 gram serving of meat, poultry, or seafood.
Lean = less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 g of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol per 100 gram serving of meat, poultry, or seafood.
Light (fat) = 50% or less of the fat in the comparison food.
Light (calories) = one-third fewer calories than the comparison food.
High fiber = 5 grams or more fiber per serving.
Sugar-free = less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving.
Sodium-free (salt-free) = less than 5 mg of sodium per serving.
Low sodium = 140 mg or less per serving.
Very low sodium = 35 mg or less per serving.

It’s a good idea to read labels, know what you’re getting, and choose wisely.

Mushrooms, Beans, And More In Your Burger

November 12, 2010 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

In my last post, Are There Veggies In Your Veggie Burger, I talked about the ingredients in some commercial veggie burgers. A veggie burger patty can be made from any combination of vegetables, legumes, nuts, dairy products, mushrooms, soy, wheat, or eggs. Many commercial veggie burgers are soy based. Defatted soybean meal, is the primary, low-cost source of protein for these burgers and for many prepackaged meals – as well as for animal feed.

Then There’s The Extras

Although most veggie burgers are fairly low in calories and in fat and are often thought of as a healthy alternative (which they may or may not be), don’t forget the extras — they add a ton of calories, not all of them healthy.

The add-ons include the bun the burger comes on, some cheese, more veggies (maybe grilled with oil), and the dressing. Mayo adds a ton of calories — Hellman’s has 90 calories and 10g of fat (2 saturated) per tablespoon. Flavored mayonnaise, pesto, chipotle and others, is still mayonnaise – and still racks up the calories and fat grams. Don’t be fooled by “special” sauces, either. They are usually fat based – after all a restaurant wants their veggie burger to be tasty and filling.

If it’s a pure vegetable burger you’re aiming for, try a Portobello mushroom as the patty as in the recipe below.

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Here’s the Mayo Clinic’s recipe for Portobello Mushroom Burgers (Serves 4)

One mushroom burger (note these stats are for one burger – the recipe is for four — has 283 calories, 8g protein, 9g fat (1 saturated), 140 mg sodium, 46g carbs, 9g fiber, 8g protein.

Ingredients: 4 large portobello mushroom caps, 5 inches in diameter  * 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar  * 1/2 cup water * 1 tablespoon sugar * 1 minced garlic clove *  1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) *  2 tablespoons olive oil *  4 whole-wheat buns, toasted * 4 slices tomato * 4 slices red onion *2 bibb lettuce leaves

Clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth, remove their stems, put them in a glass dish, stem (gill) side up.

Whisk the vinegar, water, sugar, garlic, cayenne pepper and olive oil fpr the marinade and drizzle it over the mushrooms. Cover and marinate in the fridge for about an hour, turning the mushrooms once.

Heat a grill or broiler. Lightly coat the grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray and position it 4 to 6 inches from the heat source.

Grill or broil the mushrooms on medium heat, turning often, until tender, about 5 minutes on each side, basting with the marinade to keep them from drying out.

Put each mushroom on a bun and top with 1 tomato slice, 1 onion slice and 1/2 lettuce leaf. Serve immediately.

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Here’s another recipe from allrecipes.com that is primarily vegetables.

Per burger (without extras): 198 calories, 3g fat, 607 mg sodium, 33.1g carbs, 11.2g protein

Ingredients: 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed * 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces * 1/2 onion, cut into wedges * 3 cloves garlic, peeled * 1 egg * 1 tablespoon chili powder * 1 tablespoon cumin * 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce * 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat or preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil tin foil or a baking sheet.

Mash the black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.

Finely chop the bell pepper, onion, and garlic in a food processor. Stir into mashed beans.

Mix together the egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce and stir into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide into four patties.

If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

Other Options

There are plenty of recipes for veggie burgers made with beans, lentils and chickpeas and with brown rice, bulgur, and faro, and other grains (as well as good quality bread crumbs) as binders. Mushrooms are common because of their meaty flavor and bulk. Use your favorite vegetable. Be creative. You can make wonderful veggie burgers with a high vegetable content, a high deliciousness quotient, and without non-plant additives and binders.

If you don’t want to go all veggie, think about perking up your beef or turkey burgers by adding veggies to them. It lightens up the calories and adds a nutrient punch. The veggies can be roughly chopped, or, for the finicky – try pureeing them (not to liquid a consistency) and then adding them to burgers or meatloaf.

One of my sons played lacrosse in college. At team barbecues they always had some portobellos to throw on the grill for the vegetarians on the team. It’s as easy as tossing on hunks of meat. Try it some time. Enjoy.

Are There Veggies In Your Veggie Burger?

November 9, 2010 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

I had a Portobello mushroom burger the other day. The burger was a whole Portobello cap – not ground up stuff that always leaves me wondering what exactly is making up the brown burger shaped thing that I’m eating.

Don’t get me wrong – I like veggie burgers – I just don’t like unidentified mixtures described as a veggie burger. That could mean a whole range of ground up veggies – perhaps the ones left over from last evening’s dinner. It could also mean almost no veggies and a whole lot of fillers and non-meat protein additives to give the burger some bulk and to make the patty stick together.

Veggie Burgers Are Everywhere

You can find veggie burgers everywhere – Burger King has a BK Veggie Burger and the frozen food aisle is loaded with them. But are they healthier than a hamburger or turkey burger?

A regular, not a whopper, monster, or even a large size hamburger eats up a big chunk of the recommended daily limit of 15 to 30 grams of saturated fat (depending on caloric intake). Most veggie burgers have none to one gram of saturated fat – without the bun, cheese, mayo, etc.

Most veggie burgers weigh 2.5 ounces and have 70 to 170 calories. A “standard” meat patty is three ounces after cooking (a quarter pound of uncooked ground beef yields a 3 ounce burger). A patty made from ¼ pound of ground chuck has 193 calories, 12 g of fat (4 saturated). Obviously, the size of the burger and the type and leanness of the meat affects its nutrition content.

Why Eat A Veggie Burger?

Some people eat veggie burgers rather than traditional hamburgers to cut calories and saturated fat, to boost their dietary fiber intake, to cut back on red meat, or for the convenience of being able to cook a frozen veggie burger in a couple of minutes.

BUT — know what you’re eating. Shockingly, not all veggie burgers are mostly veggies. The ones with more soy and some oil produce a more burger like texture and the ones with more grains and vegetables are less meat-like. However, based on the ingredient lists shown below – you should question how many vegetables you are getting.

Where’s The Veggies?

Boca Burger: 120 calories, 5g fat (1.5 saturated), 380 mg sodium, 6g cars, 5g fiber, 14g protein

Ingredients: water, soy protein concentrate, reduced fat cheddar cheese (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese culture, slat (no typo this is from their website), enzymes, annatto (color), vitamin A palmitate, wheat gluten, corn oil, contains less than 2% of methylcellulose, hydrolyzed corn protein, wheat gluten and soy protein, slat, caramel color, cheese powder (cheddar cheese, milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), cream, salt, sodium phosphate, lactic acid, dried onions, yeast extract, natural flavor (non-meat), sesame oil, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, browned in corn oil.

Boca Grilled Vegetable Patty: 80 calories, 1g fat, 300mg sodium, 7g carbs, 4g fiber, 12g protein

Ingredients: water, soy protein concentrate, red bell peppers, corn succhini, green bell peppers, onions, wheat gluten, contains less than 2% of asiago cheese (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, potassium sorbate as a preservative, low-moisture part skim mozzarella cheese (cultured pasteurized part-skim milk, salt, enzymes), dried garlic, methylcellulose, salt, caramel color, dried onions, autolyzed yeast extra ct, natural flavor (non-meat), spice, dextrose

MorningStar Farms Grillers Vegan Veggie Burgers: 100 calories, 2.5g fat, 4g fiber, 12g protein (from website, I couldn’t find sodium count)

Ingredients: water, textured soy protein concentrate, corn oil, contains two percent or less of autolyzed yeast extract, vegetable gum, natural flavors from vegetable sources, maltodextrin, soy fiber, salt, carrageenan, potato starch, onion powder, caramel color, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, konjac flour, sunflower oil, sesame seed oil, soy sauce (water, soybeans, wheat, salt), concentrated onion juice, ascorbic acid, vinegar powder, citric acid, aspartic acid, modified corn starch, malic acid, succinic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, wheat flour, soy lecithin

BK Veggie Burger (as described on their website): A Morningstar Farms Garden Veggie Patty, garden crisp vegetables, whole grains, and spices all topped with lettuce, red ripe tomatoes, ketchup, creamy mayo, served on a sesame seed bun

Nutrition: 400 calories, 16g fat (2.5 saturated), 1020 mg sodium, 43g carbs (8 sugar), 22g protein

BK Hamburger: flame-broiled beef patty, crunchy pickles, yellow mustard, ketchup, sesame seed bun.

Nutrition: 260 calories, 10g fat (4 saturated), 490 mg sodium, 27g carbs (6g sugar), 13g protein

Enough said!!! Come back on Friday for some choices for veggie burgers with a few more veggies in the mix!

Are you Eating Sugar When You Think You Aren’t?

November 5, 2010 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

What Are Carbohydrates?

They are the sugars, starches, and fiber we eat. Carbohydrates (carbs for short) are carbon dioxide combined with water and, except for fiber, are transformed by your body into blood sugar, mostly glucose, the body’s basic fuel.

An enormous number of foods contain carbs. They’re the main energy source for your body and the main source of calories in just about every culture’s diet. They have four calories per gram, the same as protein. Fat has nine calories per gram.

Which Foods Are High In Carbs?

Which of these foods contain lots of carbs: fruit juice, table sugar, nonfat milk, bananas, blueberries, hamburger buns, multi-grain bread, pumpkin pie, popcorn, scones, corn, Hershey’s kisses, honey, sweet potatoes? If you chose them all, bingo!

Does It Matter What Kind Of Carbs You Eat?

Yes and no. Yes for nutrition, no for calories because regardless of the source, the calories per gram are the same whether they come from chocolate or oranges. Since most carbs are broken down into glucose does it really matter which kind you eat? Or, said another way, is the energy in a teaspoonful of sugar (does it really help the medicine go down?) any better or worse than the same amount of carbs in peas, potatoes, or pepsi?

If You’re Looking For A Simple Answer – It’s Complex

Most carbs come from plant based foods: fruit, veggies, grains, and legumes (lentils, peas, beans, peanuts). The only animal based foods with lots of carbs are dairy products.

The Two Basic Types Of Carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates are sugars like the glucose and fructose in fruit and some veggies; the lactose in milk; and the sucrose from cane or beet sugar. Table sugar is pure sucrose. Sugars added to many processed foods such as soda and baked goods account for a large portion of the simple carbs we eat and are the main reason that sugar makes up 16% of all calories Americans consume (it was 11% twenty years ago.) A third of the added sugar that we eat comes from soda.

Complex carbohydrates are chains of simple sugars. They are primarily starches and the fiber found in plant foods. Foods rich in complex carbs include things like grains and grain products (bread, pasta), beans, potatoes, and corn.

Simple Or Complex – Which Is Preferable?

The answer isn’t totally straight forward. A lot of foods high in sugar, especially the ones with added sugars, qualify as “empty calories,” or foods that have lots of calories and few nutrients. Complex carbs usually carry along a suitcase filled with nutritional extras. Dairy products and fruit both contain simple carbs, but because of the other nutrients they contain they play an important part in a healthy diet.

When you choose carbohydrate foods, pick the ones with complex carbs. Try to eat fruit and veggies with fiber — the fruit is better than the juice. Whole grains (think brown rice instead of white, multi-grain bread instead of sandwich buns) are more nutritious than refined grains because they still have the bran and the germ, parts often removed in refined grains. Because of this they are digested more slowly and have a more even effect on your blood sugar.

Because of their fiber content, the same is true for vegetables and beans. Refined carbs or simple sugars are digested rapidly and often cause your blood sugar to spike, or elevate quickly, and then drop — which can leave you feeling tired, irritable — and craving more sugar to get your blood sugar levels back up again.

Moms: Here’s Another Responsibility To Shoulder

November 2, 2010 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

I’m a Mom, too, and I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel as though I carry both the blame and responsibility for just about everything.

Mom’s Role in Preventing Obesity

Well, here’s one more thing. A recent online survey of 1,037 women, 18 and older, by HealthyWomen, an independent online health information source for women, determined that most women underestimate their role in preventing obesity in their children.

87% of the women surveyed believe that a parent’s obesity can influence a child’s risk of becoming obese, but only 28% of women surveyed assigned the responsibility to themselves.

Research has shown that mothers have a greater effect on their child’s weight than fathers.  Only 11% of the surveyed women knew that the risk of a child becoming obese more than doubled if the mother is obese during her first trimester of pregnancy.

It Can Be Tough To Get Kids To Eat Produce

Another study conducted by Working Mother magazine and the Dole Food Company found that 56% of moms say that getting kids to eat fruit and vegetables is either not easy or impossible. Based on my own experience with my sons, I totally agree.

How do you encourage better eating habits in your kids? The Dole study found that persistence, convenience, and creativity are key. Over half of the surveyed moms said that repeated attempts to serve certain foods is the best way to get their kids to eat produce.

Role Models And Gatekeepers

Mothers are role models and are commonly the main food gatekeepers for their families. By taking charge of their eating and activity behavior during pregnancy and afterwards they have a real opportunity to influence their families’ health. Kids mimic what their parents do and both moms and dads can demonstrate healthy eating habits and expose their kids to nutritious foods. When parents make good choices they are modeling that good behavior for their children.