Healthy Tweaks for Grilled Cheese

86% of Americans enjoy grilled cheese sandwiches and about ¾ of cheese-buying Americans eat a grilled cheese sandwich about once a month.  But for a lot of us, grilled cheese conjures us a greasy image that doesn’t shout “healthy”.  Here are some tweaks to allow you to enjoy the great nutrition of a grilled cheese sandwich without the worrying over your health. 

Bread.  Choose your bread wisely.  A higher fiber, wholegrain bread is always the best choice.  Choose something that will hold up to some pressure since we’re not going to have a fried cheese sandwich but a grilled one. 

Cheese.  Choose an actual cheese (not a cheese-food or cheese-like product).  A sharper, more flavorful cheese means you can use less while getting more bang for your calorie-buck.  Mix it up and keep it exciting – a spicy pepper Colby, or even a blue cheese can get you out of the traditional, boring grilled cheese rut.

Extras.  This is where the grilled cheese of your childhood gets a makeover to hold its own in any gourmet menu.  Caramelized onions, refried black beans, sliced apples, hot sauce or chutney make excellent parings for your sandwich and not only jack up the flavor, but the nutrition as well. 

Slather not.  Step away from the mayo or the butter, and keep your bread slather-free.  You can get a crisp bread without drenching it in unnecessary fat. 

Grill don’t fry. Try a Panini press, a grill machine, or even a waffle maker to make your grilled cheese.  You’ll get a nice even heat, crisp outside and gooey inside without the smoke alarm going off from burning one side in a pan on the stove.  Keeps the kitchen cooler as well and allows you to make more sandwiches quicker for a crowd. 

And as always, pair that sandwich with some great produce – whether it’s a chunky tomato soup or a fresh salad.  With a few tweaks, you can healthfully add grilled cheese to your menu. 

Sack Lunch for Grownups

Why pack a lunch?

Time: Pack your own in 5-10 minutes vs. 30 minutes lunching out (travel and wait time).  That is a savings of 83 hours a year or approximately 3 ½ days of your life each year that you could spend doing something you love. 

Money: Lunching out daily adds up to approximately $1,200 – 2,500/year.  Packing a lunch costs $300-600/year.  Savings = up to $2,000/year. That’s a Disneyland trip for 4!

Control: You are completely in control of the nutrition, balance, variety and portion, whereas when eating out you surrender most of your control in those areas. 

Components to consider when packing lunch:

Beverage: Water is always the best default when it comes to hydration, but many people either dislike water, or are looking for something more flavorful during their lunch break.  I enjoy working with USDA certified organic Cascade Ice because it serves as a great sack-lunch beverage for a couple of reasons.  First of all, it provides some bubbly flavor that adds some zip to lunch, and second of all, the ingredient list is so simple it eliminates all the unnecessary extras you find in most flavored beverages. You can find these at Smiths and Sprouts.  I love the refreshing appeal of lemon flavor.

Balance: Complex carbs (grains), veggie, fruit and protein.  You always want to have some from each of these categories to provide the significant source of nutrition that lunch represents. Sometimes getting a variety of protein sources is tricky especially if you don’t have refrigeration easily available.  Thinking outside the sandwich box, I brought one of my favorite on-the-go protein options.  Chef’s Cut Real Jerky is handcrafted jerky that uses top quality, real ingredients. It is lower in sodium and fat than other jerky on the market – and is a great source of protein that is nitrite-free. With a variety of jerky types, it provides healthy, high-protein, low-fat alternative to the over processed, high fat snacks out there. You can get it at Smiths, Sprouts or Costco. Try pairing it with some whole grain crackers, fresh veggies and some dried fruit and nut mix or with a salad for a satisfying lunch.

Variety: This doesn’t simply mean don’t pack the same lunch everyday, but it also means that you should vary the flavors and textures in your lunch.  Sometimes we may have met our caloric or even volume of food needed at lunch to get us through until dinner, but if it didn’t satisfy the sensory needs and craving we have, we may need to rethink our packing strategy. 

Sweet Tooth: It’s better to plan for your sweet tooth than ignore it and find yourself punching numbers into a vending machine after lunch to get that sweet fix.  Fruit is nature’s dessert, but if that doesn’t quite cut if for you, pack a portion-smart dessert.  Shoot for 80 calories or less: 2 Thin Mint GS cookies, a square of dark chocolate, 2 pieces salt water taffy.

Planning to pack can make a world of difference for your health, your time and your money!

Moderation Monday: Carbs Aren't the Devil's Tool

Carbs.  One of the few 5-letter words that most people consider a 4-letter word.  While fad diets are nothing new (Lord Byron had his own miracle cure back in the 1800s), it wasn't until the 1990s that the high-protein movement really gained traction.  By the turn of this century, protein was climbing the nutrient ladder, and squashing other formerly friendly nutrients as it went.

Do I have a problem with protein?  Heavens no!  It is an essential and fascinating nutrient that comes in some pretty tasty packages (some of my favorites being my Mom's fried chicken, cheese, and a nice smoked brisket).  However, as a nutrient it stands beside carbohydrates and fat, not above on a nutritionally or morally superior plane.

So this Monday, moderate your view of macronutrients.  Remind yourself that your body's main and preferred fuel is carbohydrates and requires a combination of carbs, proteins and fats.  Food is food people.  What you eat doesn't make you better or worse person, and no single food or nutrient should be slandered either.  Slander less and enjoy balanced nutrition more.

National Nutrition Month: Put Your Best Fork Forward

Forks are by far the most interesting of all eating utensils.  So functional, so sharp and so daring.  When it comes to food and nutrition, do you consider yourself functional, sharp and daring?  I think we could all use a little polishing when it comes to our eating and nutrition skills, so here's a few suggestions to help you put your best fork forward:

Put your best fork forward by incorporating a few simple but powerful changes in your eating routine.

Go for the best balance. 

• Best balance means aiming for a protein, grain, fruit and veggie at each meal 
• Best balance means balancing your hydration status by drinking more water.
• When a snack attack hits, balance your nutrition by eating a fruit or veggie first. 

Go for the best flavor. 

• Try tasting your food before salting it. 
• Try a new fruit or veggie this week.
• Try a new ethnic flavor like ginger, turmeric, cumin or tarragon (search for recipes by ingredient here)

Go forward with best eating habits. 

• Try upping your manners at mealtimes by saying say please and thank you and chewing with your mouth closed. Take smaller bites
• Don’t inhale your food, take a little time to savor and enjoy your meal, don’t inhale it. 
• Pay attention to your body’s hunger and fullness signals by eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you start to feel full. 

Go forward - literally. 

• Try to walk a little faster or farther today.
• Try a new exercise like yoga, bokwa or groove.
• Try a few extra reps in your current workout or simply turn up the tunes when you clean the house and see how much more active you'll be.

In short, put not only your best fork, but best foot forward and see just how much more delicious and healthy your life will become!

Moderation Monday

March is National Nutrition Month and with it, I'm kicking off a new weekly blogpost series entitled "Moderation Monday".

 I know that in the food world, "meatless Monday" has already stolen the alliteration stage, but I'm a sucker for alliteration as well. . . Once a week I'll be playing devil's advocate to the latest food fads, trends and beliefs.  Why?  For one thing, there's a lot of unbalanced, mis-information out there that blinds folks with its popularity in the media.

Another reason is that there's a lot of baby-thrown-out-with-the-bath-water going on when it comes to nutrition.  So every Monday, keep an eye out for the voice of one down-to-earth, real-food-loving, deliciously normal dietitian as I try in my small way to bring nutritional balance to the force.  It may shake your world a bit, it may challenge your current nutrition beliefs, but it will be entertainingly informative.  So stay tuned - the first installment of Moderation Monday starts March 6th!

Nutrition in a Can

For years  people have viewed canned produce as an inferior step-child to fresh or frozen produce, but you shouldn’t overlook these budget superstars.  Here’s why:

Nutritional Value: 

Certain foods actually increase in healthy nutrients and antioxidants when canned due to the heat processing.  Tomatoes and corn are just to examples of canned produce providing more available nutrition than their fresh counterparts.  While the total amount of vitamin C is reduced in the canning process, other antioxidants are increased. 

Individuals who incorporate canned produce into their diets have a higher intake of fruits and veggies than those who eat solely fresh and frozen.  When it comes to maximizing your nutrition, more fruits and veggies are the best way to improve your overall diet. 

When selecting canned produce:

Fruits – added sugars in the form of syrups.  Packed in water or juice is the best option.

Veggies – low or no sodium.  Draining and rinsing can reduce sodium by almost 40%.

Some concern has surrounded canned foods due to amounts of BPA which is found in the resin linings. Even though the amount is regulated by the FDA, I reached out to some companies of brands you may see on the shelves and here’s what I learned: Western Family and Conagra brands including Hunt’s and Rotel do not use BPA. These are just a few brands who have chosen to eliminate BPA.  More and more, canned food producers are getting rid of BPA.

Obvious benefits: 
They save time and money.  We all appreciate the convenience of opening a can of kidney beans vs. soaking and cooking, and it’s always nice to have some year-round produce available at a fraction of the cost of fresh produce. 

So whether you’re making minestrone or tamale pie for dinner or even some cowboy-caviar dip for a game night at home, enjoy the many benefits of nutrition in a can.  

Love Food? That's a Healthy Sign

What is one of the longest and closest relationships you will ever have in your life? Your relationship with food.  Yes, you are in a relationship with food – the question remains, how healthy is that relationship, is it a happy or a love-hate relationship?

http://kutv.com/features/fresh-living/nutritious-intent-love-relationship-with-food

Here are 5 questions to start you thinking about your relationship with food:

1. Do I hear myself saying (out loud or to myself), “I was good today (or bad) because I ate ______”?

This is a common mindset in today’s society. Labeling yourself as bad or good depending on what you ate, or on a more basic level, classifying food as good or bad has become tragically common.  Food is not an ethical or moral issue.  Certain foods may have differing nutritional compositions, but that doesn’t make them inherently evil or morally superior.  Its all about moderation, balance and circumstance.  For example, if you were stranded in a snow cave, you’d be much better off with a candy bar than a bag of salad. 

2. Do you feel shame or guilt after eating certain foods?

So many times people base their decisions to eat or exercise on what they ate that day or the day before.  Using food as a reward or punishment is not healthy, nor does it lead to a happier life.  Sadly, companies have cashed in on guilt through their media and marketing campaigns.  Slogans like “sinfully delicious”, or even the term “clean eating” have very negative, shameful connotations.  

3. Have I given up any favorite foods because they weren’t “healthy”?

Long-term deprivation is one of the key motivators for breaking a health resolution.  If I were to give up chocolate, a little chunk of my happiness would fall away.  There are all sorts of special-occasion foods that carry personal and cultural importance in our lives.  One family tradition I was raised with that still continues is chocolate chip cookies on Sunday night.  It is a delicious, happy, family and friend-filled tradition that provides much more than 110 calories.  And knowing that cookies will happen again allows you to eat just what is satisfying and leave the rest on the plate. 

4. Do I feel anxious about eating at social functions or around other people?

When eating or anxiety over food starts to interfere with your interactions with other people, a red flag should go up as a warning signal that all is not well and happy with your food relationship.  Do you alter what and how much you eat depending on who you’re with and what they are eating?  Do you find it hard to eat at family dinners or social events because you follow a self-imposed restricted diet? (Allergies and diagnosed medical conditions do not apply here as they are a different matter altogether when it comes to eating and valuing food)

5. Do I look forward to, slow down and savor mealtimes?

Food is so much more than just a checklist of nutrients.  It should be an enjoyable, anticipated event.  Do you inhale your food on the go?  Do you really enjoy the flavors and textures of the food you are eating?  Our bodies are even physiologically designed to gain optimal nutrition from foods that we find appetizing.  Food is meant to be enjoyed. 

So if you are a food lover – take heart.  Chances are your healthy relationship with food is leading you toward life-long health and happiness.