Chia is back… in a different form

Once upon a time, there were green haired “stationary pets” all over the place that call themselves as Chia pets. Sadly, after several years of domination, they rapidly became a minority of the population.

Surprisingly, Chia seems to have bounced back from the brink of extinction. Now, there are Chia people! What are Chia people? Unlike the “stationary pets” that have green hair, Chia people actually look exactly like a human being, they have non-green hair, a nose, ten fingers, a pair of eyes, a brain, etc. The difference between Chia people and a normal human being is they eat Chia seeds!

Chia seeds come from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, a member of the mint family. Salvia hispanica seed is often sold under its common name “Chia” as well as several trademarked names. Chia seeds have gained their popularity back due to their high content of Omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. Comparing Chia seed with its archrival, flax seed, Chia seed has more fiber and fewer calories in an ounce. Some studies have shown that consumption of Chia seeds can increase “good fat” content in our body and decrease blood glucose level.

Other than its nutritional highlight, Chia seed is very versatile; it has better shelf life, as it won’t go rancid as easily compared to flax seed. It is also gluten free and can be easily incorporate into any kind of food such as: stir fries, yogurt, juices, soup, and basically anything! Some people even pluck the sprouts and add into salads! Some of you may know the sprouts are the “hair” of the Chia pet.

Although the studies provide encouraging outcomes, more research needs to be done about its health benefit. All in all, consumers should have a pair of critical eyes when purchasing a product and must not be fooled by any commercial claims and make sound decisions in purchasing food items. Now that we know Chia is back in a different form, it is still a mystery to us why Chia people do not have green hair.

Written By: Kalok Hon

Kalok Hon a.k.a. Carlos Hon, originated from Malaysia and came to the states two and half year ago for dietetic study. Now the author of this blog post is a dietetic intern doing his internship in Mission Regional Hospital from California Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Reference:

Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics. What are Chia seeds?

Ali, Norlaily Mohd, Swee Keong Yeap, Wan Yong Ho, Boon Kee Beh, Sheau Wei Tan, and Soon Guan Tan, “The Promising Future of Chia, Salvia hispanica L.,” Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, vol. 2012, Article ID 171956, 9 pages, 2012. doi:10.1155/2012/171956

Image courtesy of graibeard on flickr

Caulilflower Mashed Potatoes

After a long day at work last week all I wanted was to go home relax and enjoy some warm comfort food. My taste buds were craving something savory and calorie loaded like macaroni and cheese but I have really been trying to eat lighter since summer is around the corner. My roommate and I ended up trying a low carbohydrate substitute where we substituted cauliflower for potatoes and to my surprise it was delicious and nutritious!

Try this Mashed Cauliflower with White Truffle Oil from Cook Eat Paleo

Cauliflower Nutrition Facts:

• Great source of Fiber, Vit K, Vit C and Folate
• Recently new cultivation techniques have made cauliflower available in a number of different colors including: orange (high in beta-carotene) and purple (high in anthocyanins).
• Rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants that may help reduce the risk of certain cancers

Try substituting “riced” cauliflower as a base for pizza crust instead of flour or as a substitute for potatoes in recipes to decrease total carbohydrates and increase fiber. The possibilities are endless.

Written by: Kathleen Chevalier, RD

Image reprinted with permission from http://cookeatpaleo.com/ and  www.healthyaperture.com

Workouts Boring You?

If you are one of the many people who do not necessarily look forward to your weekly workouts or find them to be repetitive then I have suggestions for you.  Try having fun with your fitness!

Image courtesy of Go Interactive Wellness on flickr

Have Fun With a Friend!  

Start a workout group with friends, family or co-workers.  Working out with someone else is a great way to stay motivated and look forward to your workout.  Initiate a walking, running, hiking, biking or swimming group with friends or family.

• To achieve greater success ensure you share a similar workout style, share motivation, make workouts a priority and celebrate accomplishments together.

 Try Something New! 

New exercise trends have been gaining popularity in recent years. It is the perfect opportunity to incorporate new workouts into our exercise routines.  Check out online discount websites like Groupon.com and LivingSocial.com for fitness deals!

• The Great Outdoors: paddle boarding, surf lessons, rock climbing
• Group Classes: yoga, body barre, trampoline workouts, dance, TRX
• Alternative Exercise: Boot camp, CrossFIt, mommy & me fitness, sports league/club- frisbee, softball, running, biking

Image courtesy of Memories by Mike on flickr

Make it Fun!   

Sign up to take part in a color, retro, or mud run, turkey trot or holiday run.

Websites to Explore:

•  http://www.thecolorrun.com
• http://www.rundisney.com
• http://www.mudfactor.com/

Include the Whole Family!

Make it a daily or weekly family event to take a new hike, bike to and from the store, or play a new family sport.

Include the dog!  Enjoy runs your dog, walk the dog often, hike together or head to the dog park.

Stay Motivated!

Keep an exercise log to track your progress and encourage yourself.  In today’s technology savvy world we can even log workouts online.

Websites to Explore:

• http://www.onlinefitnesslog.com/
• http://www.mapmyrun.com/

Ask a friend to hold you accountable, or better yet, hold each other accountable!

Set Reasonable Goals! 

We have to avoid setting ourselves up for failure and becoming discouraged.  Give yourself the chance to succeed by setting reasonable goals.  Work yourself up to where you want to be.  Goals require working towards them so set up a plan for success.

Written By: Kristin McCutcheon, CSULB Dietetic Intern

Halloween Treats!

Yes, you CAN have these fright-free treats this year

Feeling guilty about the chocolate goodies and sugary treats that you’ll be serving and eating this Halloween?  Instead of Halloween marking the beginning of a losing battle with holiday temptation and indulgence lasting October through January 1^st, choose a few new treats that add a fun and healthy flair to your event.  Try this themed treats are great for all ages!

Snack-o’-Lantern Fruit Cups

Ingredients

Navel Oranges

Assorted fruit, diced

Directions

Slice the top off of the navel orange.  Run a knife around its interior to hollow it out.  Scoop out the orange segments and reserve for filling.  Carve a Jack-o’-Lantern face on one side of the orange. Use a paper towel to gently soak up any remaining juice inside the oranges.  Fill each orange with the diced fruit, including the remaining orange segments and set the lid back on top.

Calorie count—each ½ cup of fruit comes in at a whopping 80 calories!  Plus you get the vitamins, minerals, and fiber from the fruits you include.

Written By: Emily Haynes, RD

Image and Recipe reprinted with permission from: http://thewaytohisheart.wordpress.com and http://www.healthyaperture.com/

Turmeric: An Anti-Inflammatory Remedy

Turmeric has been a hot topic among many of my clients lately. Touted for its anti-inflammatory benefits, everyone suffering from an inflammatory condition could potentially benefit from eating more of this little spice. What is an inflammatory condition you ask? See the list below:

• —  Auto-immune diseases:
• —  Rheumatoid Arthritis
• —  Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
• —  Lupus
• —  Heart disease
• —  Cancer
• —  Obesity
• —  Alzheimer’s disease
• —  Osteoporosis
• —  Diabetes
• —  Allergies
• —  Asthma
• —  Even Acne!

So how much turmeric do you need?

In India, it is common to eat up to 2.5 grams of turmeric a day, however research has shown that 1-1.5 grams per day split into 3 or 4 smaller doses was enough for patients with IBD to reduce their medication. If you take much more than this, you may experience negative side effects, such as diarrhea and cramping.

How do I get it?

The most common way to eat turmeric is in curry, however it can be used as a spice on anything! It has a taste similar to ginger and goes well with meat and rice dishes.

To add some turmeric to your diet try Curried Chick Peas Wraps from Pakka Shale.

Written by Krystyn Landrum, CSULB Dietetic Intern and Dariella Gonitzke, MS, RD

Images reprinted with permission from Pakka Shale and www.HealthyAperture.com

Pizza Night!

I can’t imagine life without pizza. I can’t even really imagine a whole month without pizza. Unfortunately, my caloric and financial budgets keep me from constantly picking up a pizza. Luckily, it is fairly simple to make pizza at home and I can make it exactly the way I like it.  Premade pizza dough can be purchased at Trader Joe’s for $1.29. A bargain and whole wheat! This eliminates a huge chunk of the work. Making your own dough is not complicated, but is time consuming. Last week, I was pleasantly surprised to see asparagus on sale so it seemed like the perfect time to make the “Spring Pizza” recipe from the April 2012 issue of EatingWell, since I hadn’t gotten to it in the Spring.

To start, take the dough out of the fridge early on and let it sit on the counter while you prepare other ingredients.

This will make it easier to stretch out onto the baking sheet. The recipe instructs you to use a pizza stone. I do not have a pizza stone, but a regular cookie sheet works just fine. Finely mince three cloves of garlic with a sharp knife or one of those handy garlic choppers.

I really liked the idea of letting the garlic infuse with the olive oil, however I found 3 tablespoons to be way too much.

Next, wash the asparagus and snap the woody ends off.

I find a bit of satisfaction in each little snap. The recipe directions then tell you to toss the asparagus with one of the tablespoons of olive oil, chives, salt and pepper. I decided to skip this.

I proceeded to spray the cookie sheet with non-stick spray and stretch out the pizza dough. I find it helpful to stretch the dough in your hands first, above the cookie sheet, and then spread it out on the sheet.

I tend to make more of a rectangular pizza because the cookie sheet is rectangular. The nice thing is that it doesn’t have to be a perfect shape, just try to make it even thickness. Almost by default you’ll have a thin crust pizza, which means lower calories. After I stretched out the dough and mended any holes, I brushed the garlic olive oil onto the dough, leaving some behind for later.

Then, I sprinkled a very small amount of cheese onto the dough followed by arranging the asparagus as neatly and tightly as I could.

Next, I brushed the remaining garlic olive oil onto the asparagus and gave the pizza a few dashes of salt and cracks of fresh pepper. The rest of the cheese was the last thing to go on. The pizza went into the oven for about ten minutes. Typically, a pizza like this takes about 10-12 minutes. Of course, that depends on your oven and how you like your pizza. I like to see the cheese bubble just a little bit. Keep in mind that if you had a lot of vegetables, the water will cook out and might make the dough soggy. Now that you have the hang up, use any fresh vegetables and cheeses you like, recipes not necessary. Yum!

By Katy Dyer, RD

Say (yes to) Cheese!

Cheese has gotten a bad rap!  Yes, it has saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.  But, it also has protein, calcium, Vitamin D, riboflavin, Vitamin B12, potassium and phosphorus.  Now, I’m not giving a green light to cheese-based entrees like pizza, macaroni and cheese, and lasagna.  They are just way too much cheese for heart health and weight management considerations.  Used sparingly for flavor, natural cheese is a wonderful addition to wholesome foods.

Here’s my guide to including a moderate amount of cheese into a healthful diet.  Limit intake to an ounce a day of “the good stuff”, which refers to taste and nutrition, not necessarily price.  Reduced fat cheeses are okay but usually contain binders to replace texture, not to mention additional sodium for flavor.  As a Registered Dietitian, I’m sold on Cabot’s 50% varieties.  I don’t typically recommend nonfat cheeses since they really have artificial ingredients.

Dairy Case:  String cheese (part-skim mozzarella) is suitable for a ready snack addition, children, or on-the-go.  Individually wrapped at an ounce or so, it’s perfect for either gym bag or backpack.  Nonfat cottage cheese is one fat-free variety that I do recommend!  Despite its sodium content and added gums (less than 2%), its versatility can’t be beat — at breakfast, pair ¼ Cup with fruit;  at dinner, top a small baked potato with it and a spoonful of salsa.

Hard Cheeses:  Gourmet and artisan cheeses can really pack a tasteful punch.  With their sharp flavors, these drier cheeses are great for grating as a topping.  Parmesan, Pecorino Romano and Asiago are among the lower fat choices.¹  Gouda is semi-hard and a better protein and calcium source than most other cheeses. ¹

Semi-Soft Cheeses:  These are suitable for melting, as a slice within a grilled sandwich or atop an omelet.  Port-Salut (with the orange crust) and Monterey Jack are naturally lower in sodium.¹  For individually wrapped cheese, Laughing Cow‘s Mini Babybel Light is a convenient pick when heading out the door.

Crumbly Cheeses:  These have great visual appeal atop greens, steaks, and fruit dishes.  The addition of cheese may actually encourage youngsters to eat more fruit and vegetables!  Of these, Feta has the least fat but most sodium, Goat cheese has the least sodium but is creamier and the mildest, and Gorgonzola falls in the middle nutritionally.  About 3 Tbsp for an ounce serving.

I cannot pass on mentioning my favorite simple dessert:  cut a fresh pear into thin slices, add 1-2 Tbsp Gorgonzola, 1-2 Tbsp chopped walnuts, drizzle with honey and enjoy.  Bon Appétit!

Written By: Debbie Martin-James, RD

¹ Cheese & Nutrition brochure, ©2011 Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy® and National Dairy Council®

Going coconuts for coconut water?

It comes in fruit infused flavors, chocolate flavored, with aloe, and plain. It touts its’ benefits as an electrolyte replacement drink. It is expensive, and it is everywhere. So does that make it a better drink? Better than traditional sports drinks? Better than vitamin water, fruit juice, or just plain old tap water?

Coconut water plain is water with lots of potassium. Coconut water with fruit flavors may include sweetener and is a ‘drink’. With aloe it is a liquid nutraceutical. With chocolate it’s a treat. Right? But how does coconut water stack up to other sources of electrolytes when rehydrating lost fluids?

8 Oz Gatorade G series	8.5 oz Vita Coco Pure	Banana, 100 g, fresh	Kiwi, 100 g, green, fresh
50 kcal110 mg sodium30 mg potassium 14 g carbohydrates 14 g sugar 0 g fat/protein	45 kcal30 mg sodium515 mg potassium 15 g carbohydrates 11 g sugar 0 g fat/protein	89 kcal1 mg sodium358 mg potassium 23 g carbohydrates 12 g sugar 2.6 g fiber 0.3/1 g fat/protein	61 kcal3 mg sodium312 mg potassium 15 g carbohydrates 9 g sugar 3 g fiber 0.5/1 g fat/protein

So what is right for when?

For the athlete, during strenuous and lengthy exercise, the Gatorade provides greater quantity of sugar and sodium. This, paired with a piece of fruit, is optimal. For the athletic child, bananas and kiwis provide potassium and sugar in addition to a plethora of micronutrients when drinking with tap water. Coconut water is a fancy potassium supplement, flavored water, and an expensive liquid treat.

Written By: Julie Eversaul, Dietetic Intern, CSULB

Reflections on Registered Dietitian Day

Recently, I attended a Girl Scout meeting as a guest.  Equipped with leading questions, this junior girl scout troop would discover perhaps a little bit of what a Registered Dietitian (RD) is and in what capacities he or she might serve. Before I was introduced, I noticed a quiet and reverent time in which the girls made a pledge called the Girl Scout Law:

“I will do my best to be honest and fair, 
friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout”

Quietly impressed, I went on to explain to the 9 and 10 year-olds that RDs are the food and nutrition experts who

• Are drawn to the science of nutrition and are able to translate this information into solutions for healthy living
• Have degrees in nutrition, dietetics, public health from well-respected colleges and universities, completed an internship and passed an examination
• And who might work throughout the community in hospitals, schools, public health clinics, food industry, universities, research and private practice

But as I drove home, I was reminded that RDs make a similar pledge……  Registered Dietitians are beholden to a code of ethics for the profession of dietetics. This means that they take personal responsibility for how they interact with the public, with clients, with each other and to the professionals they may work with.  They can be trusted to give correct and honest advice, based on sound evidence or “resources”.  They commit to the “authority” of their organization by obtaining continuing education in order to stay current. They realize that their “words and actions” affect the reputation of other “sister” (or in some case “brother”) dietitians in their organization.

We may have different ideas of what the word “ethics” means.  Dietetics is a diverse profession with individuals from various generations, backgrounds, experiences and areas of practice. But despite our diversity, our code of ethics has many similarities to the simple “law” of a child’s pledge.

Happy Dietitian Day!   Likewise, happy 100^th anniversary to the Girl Scouts!  100 years ago this week!

*Registered Dietitian Day was created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to increase the awareness of registered dietitians as the “indispensable providers of food and nutrition services and to recognize RDs for their commitment to helping people enjoy healthy lives”

Written By: Debbie Motley, RD

Juicing?

After the holiday’s past it seemed liked everyone had a New Year’s resolution or a new diet plan that they were implementing. As an RD it is always interesting to hear what crazy new diet people are trying out. I figured most people would be jumping on the ever so popular “low-carb” diet plan or even better the currently popular “gluten free” bandwagon but to my surprise five co-workers all started a fruit and vegetable juice cleanse! When I saw all these nurses who typically eat Papa John’s pizza and a soda for lunch downing green concoctions on their lunch breaks I had to ask what diet they were on. This cleanse consisted of nothing but juice for 1 week? NO protein, NO grains, NO fats, NO supplements, just raw fruit and vegetable juices! They asked me my thoughts on a juice cleanse and of course and you can imagine I expressed my long list of concerns to them:

Just a few of …THE NOT SO HEALTY SIDE EFFECTS OF A JUICE CLEASE:

1. Too few calories (usually less than 1000 cal/day)

2. Sole source of energy is coming from pure sugar

3. Blood glucose levels reflect a pattern of elevated spikes and blood sugar crashes

4. After about 2 days glycogen stores in the liver are depleted

5. Weakness and fatigue set in

6. Inadequate kcal intake leads to your body breaking down stored fat and muscle for energy resulting in loss of lean body mass

7. Irritability occurs as a result of your brain being starved; which can lead to depression and mood swings

8. When your muscle proteins are broken down for energy two of the bi-products are ammonia and uric acid. Now your kidneys have to work harder.

9. The high carbohydrate load from the juicing can lead to diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration.

10. Before the end of the first week the villi in your intestine can start to atrophy from no bowel stimulation from solid foods.

11. Loss of muscle mass leads to a slower metabolism

12. Once solid foods are re-introduced into the diet, weight gain is common because there is less muscle mass to use the extra calories being consumed and so they are more likely to be turned into fat.

As expected, before the end of the first day of the juice cleanse my co-workers were complaining about how tired they were and how they felt starved, had headaches etc. By the end of the week a few of the juicers claimed to have “lost weight” (likely water and muscle), and that they “felt clean.” Within a month not to my surprise they all had gained the weight they lost back and some.

Juicing can be part of a healthy diet however, and I do want to give credit where it is deserved. Fresh juicing contains more nutrients that pre-squeezed juices at the grocery store because it has less time to oxidize. Including a fresh squeezed antioxidant rich fruit and vegetable juice in a well balanced diet plan can absolutely be part of a healthy diet. Still better than drinking a liquefied spinach, apple, orange and carrot juice that lacks fiber to keep you full and is high in sugar – eat fresh, raw whole fruit and vegetables. You will ingest fewer calories, less sugar and stay fuller longer because of the fiber content. So with that being said, To Juice or Not to Juice…that is the question, tell us what you think about juicing…

Want more information on Juicing, check out these websites:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/juicing/AaN02107

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/28/fashion/28Cleanse.html?pagewanted=all

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/detoxcleansing/a/juice_fasting.htm

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/juicing-health-risks-and-benefits

Written By: Kathleen Chevalier, RD