Snacking, Noshing, Tasting

What Do You Eat During A Snowstorm?

February 10, 2010 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Chocolate chip cookies. That’s what a friend said to me as we waited for our kids to get off of the school bus after early dismissal from school because of snow. Walking down the street to our houses, the snow was blowing sideways and the kids were ecstatic to be flinging snowballs at each other. “Why do I always want to bake chocolate chip cookies when it snows?” was her question.

Who knows? Although I’ve found no scientific study to back this up, I think we retreat to comfort food when we’re housebound – food that is simple, familiar, and often has emotional ties and pleasant memories, especially of childhood.

With the major snowfalls in the East this past week, there have been lots of recipes posted on the web for snow ice cream, maple syrup over snow – most of which caution using freshly fallen clean snow! Most of the recipes and food talk has been about hearty, belly satisfying food and sweet, perhaps soul satisfying food.

Right now my view from my windows is of snow coming down heavily and blowing sideways. I can’t help but wonder if my friend – or maybe her kids – made chocolate chip cookies today.

The good thing is that having a snowball fight or shoveling snow (for a 150 pound person,15 minutes of shoveling burns about 100 calories) is one way to burning off some those comfort food calories.

Supergood and Superbad Superbowl Food

February 6, 2010 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Superbowl: football, commercials, halftime show, and food!

It’s amazing how food has become associated with football — from tailgating to the food for the game — which of course culminates in the Superbowl party. There are plenty of choices and anyone can eat well — and even have room for an indulgence — if you have a plan and don’t get sidetracked by the array of very caloric and usually very fatty foods.

This list is just to point out some examples of potential pitfalls and some saving graces. Stick with grilled meat, veggies, baked chips rather than fried if you must have them, plain bread rather than biscuits or cornbread. Go for salsa and skip the guacamole. Turkey, baked ham, and grilled chicken are better choices than wings and fried chicken. Try fruit for dessert. Alcohol adds calories and dulls your mindful eating. If you drink, intersperse each drink with water or club soda. Take care of yourself and still have fun. You’ll like yourself even more on Monday.

Enjoy the game. The SocialDieter would love to be watching the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets. There’s always next year!

Examples of food often found on Superbowl party tables:

Tostada with guacamole: 2 pieces (9.3 oz), 360 calories, 23g fat, 32g carbs, 12g protein

Salsa: 1 tablespoon 4 calories, .04g fat, 1g carbs, .2g protein

Nacho flavored tortilla chips, reduced fat: 1 oz, 126 calories, 4g fat, 20g carbs, 2g protein

Nacho flavored tortilla chips: 1oz, 141 calories, 7g fat, 18g carbs, 1g protein

Potato chips: 1oz, 152 calories, 10g fat, 15g carbs, 2g protein

Potato chips, reduced fat: 1 oz, 134 calories, 6g fat, 19g carbs, 2g protein

Raw baby carrots: 1 medium, 4 calories, 0 fat, .8g carbs, 0 protein

Pizza with cheese: 1 slice (1/8 of a 12” pie), 140 calories, 3g fat, 20g carbs, 8g protein

Pizza, pepperoni: 1 slice (1/8 12” pie), 181 calories, 7g fat, 20g carg=bs, 10g protein

Grilled chicken breast: one 4.2 oz breast, 180 calories, 4g fate, 0 carbs, 35g protein

KFC Fiery hot Buffalo wing: one 1oz wing, 80 calories, 5g fat, g carbs, 4g protein

KFC extra crispy drumstick: one 2oz piece, 150 calories, 6g carbs, 11g protein

Chili (Wendy’s, with saltine crackers): 8 oz, 187 calories, 6g fat, 19g carbs, 14g protein

Wheat bread: 1 slice, .9 oz., 65 calories, 1g fat,, 12g carbs, 2g protein

Italian combo on ciabatta (Panera): 1 sandwich, 1lb. 7 oz, 1050 calories, 47g fat, 94g carbs, 61g protein

Subway 6g of fat or less turkey breast & ham on wheat sandwich: 8.3oz, 296 calories, 4g fat, 48g carbs, 19g protein

Chocolate chip cookie: 2-1/4” from refrigerated dough. 59 calories, 3g fat, 8g carbs, .6g protein

Chocolate ice cream, Cold Stone Creamery: 5oz (like it), 326 calories, 20g fat, 33g carbs, 5g protein

Apple: medium, 95 calories, .4g fat, 25g carbs, .5g protein

Drive Thru Diets: Say What?Drive Thru Diets: Say What?

January 30, 2010 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

So here’s the dilemma: you’re stuck in an airport or an Amtrak station – it’s late at night and you haven’t had any dinner. You’re starving. Look around. What’s open to grab a bite of food? You guessed it fast food, fast food, and more fast food.

Or, you’re driving your kid and a bunch of teammates home from a hockey game – or soccer game – or lacrosse game – that they played in the middle of nowhere. The kids are hungry, and so are you. What’s available at rest stops and off the nearest exit? Fast food, fast food, and more fast food.

“Can eating fast food help you lose weight?” That’s the question asked in an article in The New York Times. Some of the fast food chains have started offering reduced fat, low calorie, and/or lighter items on their menus. We all know about Jared and Subway (Subway now has Fresh Fit subs as well as other low calorie options), but other restaurants have jumped on the moving train.

According to the article, Taco Bell has a Fresco menu which has seven items, including burritos and tacos, with less than 9 grams of fat; Starbucks has panninis that are 400 calories or less; Dunkin’ Donuts has egg white sandwiches; and Quiznos lists menu items that are 500 calories and under. Other name brand fast food places offer grilled chicken and other lower fat items. And people are choosing to make these foods a routine part of their diets – some in an attempt to lose weight.

So, is this good or bad? Can you make a habit of dieting on fast food?

Experts have mixed reactions ranging from good, bad, and no way!

Even though the calorie count of these foods may be low, in almost all cases the sodium levels are way too high. And, do you really know how nutritious they are? What additives are there? Where did the food come from? Most fast food outlets receive their portion controlled, seasoned, and probably frozen protein sources like chicken and burgers from a central processing facility with explicit instructions on how they are to be prepared.

In his book, The End of Overeating, David Kessler explains how our bodies get addicted to sugar, fat, and salt. Food vendors want to sell food and so they cater to these tastes by adding these ingredients to their food. We may not know what’s been added, we only know that it tastes good and eventually we begin to crave the food. So, does this create a slippery slope: eat fast food and consequently crave it?

Asked a slightly different way: Is fast food always bad and to be avoided at all costs?

Probably not — although some may disagree. Will occasional fast food lunches or dinners spell disaster? Not likely. If you do eat a fast food meal can you make some choices that are better calorically than others? You bet.

Bottom line, the SocialDieter has been stuck in airports and train stations late at night and has driven her three sons to many games. She knows that there are times when the choice is fast food or fast food. It’s comforting in those instances to have choices that are grilled — maybe with some vegetables — rather than fatty, fried, and sauced with a side of fries. Sure there may be a lot of sodium and probably other additives, but an occasional meal isn’t going to break the bank.

Making fast food a regular part of your lifestyle may be asking for trouble. Building a diet around foods that are fresh, delicious, healthy, nutritious, additive free, and easily available is key – but note the words fresh, nutritious, additive free, and healthy. Are these descriptive of a steady diet of fast food?

What do you think? Is the occasional fast food meal okay to have? If you do eat fast food, what menu selections are the best?

How Many Calories Are In That Glass Of Wine?

January 22, 2010 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Love your wine with dinner – or maybe that champagne at your friend’s wedding? What about that wonderful, sweet, thick dessert wine to polish off a fantastic meal?

You may have your preference – most of us do – but whether it’s red, white, dry, sweet, or sparkling, it is really easy to overlook the calories in those long-stemmed glasses.

A standard portion of table wine (red or white) is 4 oz. But, how many ounces are really in the glass of wine that you usually drink? Probably five to eight!

So, on average, if 4 oz. of red or white table wine has about 100 calories, you are drinking anywhere from 100 to 200 calories of wine – in one glass! How many glasses of wine do you drink with a meal?

If you have dessert wine after dinner it’s about double the calories per oz. although the standard serving is less: usually 2 to 3 oz. So add on about another 100 to 150 calories for each glass of that smooth dessert wine.

Think about your strategy: wine is great but it does add calories. Wine instead of dessert – wine instead of an appetizer? Maybe both, maybe all. The choice is yours – just figure it into your eating plan.

Calories in Wine:

1 oz. of Champagne: 19 calories
1oz. of red table wine (burgundy, cabernet): 25 calories
1 oz. dry white (Chablis, hock, reisling): 24 calories
1 oz. sweet white (moselle, sauterne, zinfandel: 28 calories
1 oz. rose: 20 calories
1 oz. port (about 20% alcohol): 46 calories
1 oz. sweet dessert wine: 47 calories

http://www.calorieking.com/calories-in-wine.html

Brunch Buffet

January 18, 2010 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN 2 Comments

Face the brunch buffet and keep the calories under control!

Okay. So it’s a brunch buffet the day after your friend’s wedding. Do you really want to go? Maybe yes, maybe no. But you have to, she’s a really good friend.

Or, maybe you’re on vacation and staring down the sumptuous brunch buffet in the resort hotel. Boy oh boy, everything looks both beautiful and indescribably delicious. Freshly baked bread and scrumptious pastry displayed with an artist’s touch.

You really indulged at the reception the night before and your inner voice is chiding you to choose your food wisely and not blow your diet another day.

As any social dieter should do, you cruise the buffet line first just taking in all of the choices. Wow, what a minefield of diet busters!

What to do? What do you want to do? What’s going to energize you and not mess too badly with the calorie count that you want to maintain?

Yes, there’s fruit and yogurt and eggs. Bacon and sausage, too. But, you eat yogurt everyday and those pancakes and waffles look really delicious. So does the danish and coffee cake. And, you really want some.

It’s decision making time. Think. What are you going to eat the rest of the day. If you think you can eat at 11AM and have no food until tomorrow, bad choice. By late afternoon you’ll probably be so hungry that you’ll throw all caution to the wind and head for pizza or a cheeseburger promising yourself you’ll get back on track tomorrow. The possible beginning of a downward spiral.

Make your choice. Have a good meal that will fill you up, keep your blood sugar at a nice level, and taste good. What does that mean? Some protein and some complex carbs. Easy on the fat and simple carbs. Look at your choices – what will fill the bill? What are you willing to trade off? What will make you happy without feeling either deprived or guilty?

Start with the fruit. Not the juice, the whole fruit. Juice is sugar, albeit natural, in a glass. Fruit is full of fiber and antioxidants. Berries are a great choice – low in calories, almost always available at a buffet, and they can serve as a topping for yogurt or pancakes. Next some protein. Yogurt is a possibility – is it low fat? Eggs fill the bill, too, but not when smothered in hollandaise sauce or cheese – want to guess that fat and calorie count? Bacon or ham? Plain ham is surprisingly low in fat – something bacon and sausage are not. Plain pancakes aren’t a bad choice – as long as you don’t coat them in butter and drown them in syrup. Top them with those berries and have some protein on the side (a slice of ham, some yogurt, a spoonful of scrambled eggs from the next chafing dish).

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.

Still hungry? Have some more fruit, another glass of water, some tea or coffee. No half and half, please. Oh, try and skip the mimosas and the bloody marys. If you must, try a virgin mary – tomato juice is low in calories and it looks just the same in the glass. Remember that the alcohol will mess with both your calorie count and your willpower to keep your hands off the pastry and the bacon.

Now, don’t you feel full, happy, and very proud of yourself?