What Can I Make for a Healthy Dinner?

My husband Nate and I are not perfect dieters, but occasionally we strike gold with a deliciously healthy meal.  Today was one of those days, so  I thought I would share with you :)  Here's what was on the menu:

Nate treated me to a 3 oz piece of Alaskan salmon (yes it came frozen, there is no shame in this) and a half cup or so of brown rice.  I whipped up a delicious summer salad to go with.  In it I included:

• Iceberg Lettuce, but truthfully, any kind of lettuce would suffice.  My favorite is actually spinach, which might be a stretch for some of you. If so, stick with the iceberg or the romaine.
• A few slices of Walla Walla sweet onion (Nate is from Walla Walla, so of course we have to eat the onions), but your favorite flavor of onion would be perfectly fine.
• 1 chopped slicing tomato.
• 1 gala apple.  Again, your favorite apple would suffice. 

We topped it with some Caesar vinaigrette dressing, which was tasty.  Raspberry vinaigrette is also delicious with salads that have fruit on them.  You may be freaking out about the calories in the dressing, but don't.  An oil based dressing is perfectly okay because it will contain mostly unsaturated fat, which if you remember from my post How Should I Really Feel About Fat, is not terrible for you.  I would choose oil based dressings or low fat dressings, but if you are a lover of the good old whole fat ranch, go for it, just calculate that into your discretionary calories (for more info look under the heading personalization after you click on the link).

The great thing about salads is that you really don't need a recipe, which is fabulous for me because I often feel restricted by recipes.  So basically, I just throw in anything that sounds good and try it out.  Also delicious on salads are mandarin oranges, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries (any berry really), sliced almonds or walnuts, dried cranberries or raisins, and various cheeses.  Throw in some chicken to make the salad a full meal, and top with your favorite dressing.

Now it's your turn to try.  Mix it up and try it out.  I'm sure you'll discover something truly satisfying (and healthy too).

-Kamie

Kamie's Tip of the Week:

The person most affected by your diet (the food you eat everyday) is YOU.  You absolutely have the right to treat your body as a garbage can and throw any old junk into it, but it's yourself that you're punishing.  On the other hand, making healthy changes in your diet will benefit YOU.  You see, it's all a matter of how YOU want to feel.  So ask yourself, is it worth the hard work to feel healthier? The choice is up to YOU :)

What Can I Eat For a Healthy Summer Snack?

This post is in honor of my parents, who taught me how to eat right.  Now, you might be a parent, and your children might be depending on you to teach them to eat right (and even if you're not a parent, these skills will still be beneficial for you personally).  Summer is a great season to start eating well because everything wonderful and deliciously healthy is in season.

So what are you going to eat on this fine summer day? Let's look at some of your options.

1) Mixed fruit with fruit dip

This snack is one of my favorites, although I must admit I usually don't add the fruit dip. I've added it here for those of you who don't particularly love fruit plain.  You can cut up various fruits, mix them together, and dip away.  My favorites to mix are strawberries, bananas, cantaloupe, honeydew, raspberries, blueberries, mango, and many more (you can probably tell that fruit is my favorite food group). Pick up some fruit dip from the store or make your own.  You may be able to feed your picky eaters by making a game out of dipping the fruit (be careful though, this could get messy).

2) Celery and Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter is surprisingly delicious as a topping for many fruits and vegetables.  Celery is one of them (apples is another).  Fill the crevice of the celery with a bit of low fat peanut butter, and eat up.  Most kids can't resist a peanut butter filled airplane flying into their mouth.  It's a fun snack to try.

3) Cheese and Crackers

Kids need a lot of calcium for their growing bones, and a little extra milk fat won't hurt them (or you), so cheese is a good choice.  Slice a couple of pieces of low fat cheese and stick 'em on top of some whole-grain Ritz crackers, and you've got a simple but beautiful masterpiece.  If you prefer, you can microwave the cheese-cracker combo for a few seconds and melt the cheese on top.  Both are delicious!

4) Whole Watermelon

My personal FAVORITE!  I love watermelon, and summer is the best time to dig in.  Most kids love watermelon because it is messy (kids love making messes lol) and sweet enough for their taste buds.  The great thing is that they can get both vitamins and the extra water they need in the summer from this delicious treat.  I like to cut a whole cross section and eat the whole thing! When it comes to watermelon, I forget all about moderation lol :)

Kamie's Diet Sin

Most importantly, if you can convince your kids (or yourself) to have fun while eating in the sun, they will learn to love these and other fun  and healthy summer snacks.

-Kamie

How Do I Personalize My Own Healthy Diet?

Now that you're starting to look at food in a new light, I hope you will also be reforming some ideas about what you want for your personal diet.  I'm not going to write you your own personal diet because, like I said in my last post, no one magical diet will be right for everyone.  So, instead I'm going to give you 4 legs to stand your new diet on.  These legs will keep your diet sturdy and, hopefully, healthy.

1) Balance

A balanced diet is one that contains foods from all of the food groups.  Just as a refresher, the foods groups are

• Grains
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Meat and Beans
• Dairy

You don't need to get all of the food groups in one meal, but you do need to get them all at some point in the day.

2) Variety

It is important to eat a variety of different foods in your diet in order to get all of the nutrients that you need.  If you are consistently eating the same foods everyday for a long period of time, chances are that you are missing out on one or two vitamins or minerals.  Mix it up!  Try out different things.  Add in a couple of foods you don't normally eat.  For example, you can eat an apple a day and probably be pretty healthy.  It would be even better, though, to eat and apple one day, strawberries the next, and maybe some peaches and melon the next days.  Do the same thing within each of the food groups and you will have variety in your diet.

A variety of healthy food to choose from.

3) Moderation

Everything is better in moderation, and that includes your diet.  There is room for all of the food groups and even some of your favorite sweets in your diet, BUT you need to eat proper portion sizes.  For example, one person has 3 oz of meat, 1/4 cup veggies, 1/4 cup fruit, a glass of milk, a roll, and a small cookie for a meal.  Another person has 16 oz of meat, 2 cups veggies, a whole bowl of fruit, 3 rolls, 2 glasses of milk, and a dozen cookies.  Sure, they both fit in all of the food groups and a treat, but one person OBVIOUSLY overate, while the other ate in moderation.  Eating in moderation is not restrictive because you will always feel better physically when you eat a proper portion size.

4) Personalization

I believe that, while it is important to eat healthily, it is also important to enjoy your diet.  That's why personalization of your diet is one of the 4 legs necessary for keeping your diet steady.  You personalize your diet through your Discretionary Calories.  These are the extra calories that you need each day for energy that you don't need to use toward getting enough vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients.  Basically, these are YOUR CALORIES to do with them however you please.  Most people get about 200 of these discretionary calories a day (this number varies depending on how many calories you need to eat per day to maintain energy balance. Most women need between 2000-2400 calories, and most men between 2200-3000 calories).  So, this is where you throw in the ice cream, candy, chocolate, fries, movie theater popcorn, and whatever else may be your diet sin of choice.  Keep it within the discretionary calorie limit, and you have successfully personalized your diet.

Here is a -link- to a recipe for the perfect apple pie in honor of our discretionary calories :)

 Okay, now it's your turn to go for it!  Try out these simple diet guidelines and see how they work for you.  I hope you will see and feel a difference.  Best of luck!

-Kamie

Facts from Wardlaw's Perspectives in Nutrition, 8th Edition (a college textbook).

Another One of Kamie's Tips:

This tip is more a matter of opinion than fact, but I must say that I hesitate to recommend the new MyPlate image and accompanying resources that the government is pushing now.  I feel this way for several reasons:

1. The image gives the impression that you should FILL your plate with food.  NOT SO!  More than likely, if you eat an entire plate full of food for every meal, you will be significantly overeating.  Don't get confused about portion sizes.
2. I'm slightly uncomfortable with the size of the different food categories on the plate.  In reality, the portion sizes are not quite so...geometrical.  I assume it was convenient to design it that way so they could all fit on the plate, but the grains portion and the vegetable portion probably aren't exactly the same in reality...
3. I feel much more satisfied with the good old MyPyramid, and probably even more satisfied with the Food Pyramid we are all familiar with from gradeschool.

If the new MyPlate is helpful for you, by all means use it :)  I'm not quite ready to move on to using it as a teaching tool yet. 

Pictures from Wikipedia. Other sources: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

What is a "Diet"?

My oh my, the word "diet" is probably the most misunderstood word in the English language.  I wouldn't be so passionate about it if it weren't the cause of so much confusion and heart (or belly) ache in our society.  The truth is, the best "diet" is no diet.  You'll see what I mean.

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines the word "diet" as habitual nourishment, or the food and drink consumed regularly.  So, in all honesty, EVERYONE IS ON A DIET because everyone eats and drinks everyday!  It's a habit none of us can break (if we want to live, that is).  Now that we all know what a diet is, lets take a look at the hype over "dieting".

There's the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet, the low-carb diet, the I'm not going to eat anything after 7 PM diet, the no sugar diet, and many many more diets.  I'm not going to say that these diets have never worked for anyone.  I'm sure on occasion they do work for a few people, but I'm here to argue that the best "diet" is no diet.  The truth is, your body is different than anyone else's body.  What works for someone else is probably not going to be the perfect fit for you.  So let's take a break from dissecting our diets down to exactly what someone else tells us is right for us to eat.  Instead, lets follow a few helpful guidelines and allow our bodies to tell us what they need.

For example, I have done a diet analysis (a program tells you how many calories and various nutrients you are getting from the food you eat) on myself several times.  EVERYTIME it tells me that I am not eating enough calories.  However, I eat enough food everyday to feel satisfied (not stuffed full to the breaking point).  I eat a variety of foods, including foods I know are healthy for me, and foods that I thoroughly enjoy that might not be the most healthy foods.  I have a healthy relationship with food (meaning I am not stressed about what I eat, or constantly afraid of gaining weight).  I am overall pretty satisfied with my diet.  So, should I start eating more calories because the diet analysis says so? Probably not.  My body is different than the stereotype they have set up in their computer program.  My body is telling me that it is satisfied, and I listen.

Now, you are probably wondering, "How on earth do I figure out what my body is telling me?"  Well, it starts with being smart.  Okay, you probably know deep down inside if you are eating more calories than you should on a daily basis.  If you know, STOP!  If you don't, calorie count for awhile (to do this you can use http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/. You will need to create an account, but don't worry, it's free), then your body will start to get used to the proper food intake (it takes time because your stomach needs to shrink back down to it's proper size).  Hopefully you will be able to tell then when you are eating well.

Some of you might be worried that you can't trust your body.  Well, sometimes I feel that way, too.  Here's how I handle it: I trust it anyway.  There are periods of time when I am hungry all the time (physically, not emotionally. If you have emotional eating habits, you will need to overcome these before you can eat based on listening to your body), so I eat.  Other times, I'm not hungry at all, so I don't eat.  I am not binging nor starving myself, I'm just listening to my body.  This is the ideal way to "diet" because your body will always be satisfied, and you will have a healthy relationship with food. Hopefully you can see by now what I mean by the best diet is no diet.

A warning: There are many cases when you may have developed long-term diet bad habits that are very difficult to break.  You are going to need to be more strict with yourself at first in order to break those habits before you can start to eat by listening to your body.  I will have more information to follow about responsible dieting.  But if you're ready to dive in now, this -link- is the best place to start. 

Facts from Wardlaw's Perspectives in Nutrition, 8th Edition (a college textbook). Other sources: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diet?show=0&t=1311639946  and  http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/

What is the Worth of Water?

I know I get thirsty, but why?  Why on earth do I need to drink water?  Here I have been going throughout my ENTIRE life not knowing why I drink water, besides to prevent dehydration.  But what is dehydration, and why is it bad for me? Hmm?????? (If  you are not really that curious, play along ;) )

You would be amazed to know all the places inside of you that contain water.  There is water in your individual cells, between your cells, in your blood, eyes, spinal chord, brain, joints, and digestive system, and that's just the beginning!

You probably have heard before that your body is between 50-75% water (by weight). But, you are constantly losing water too.  For example, you lose water when you sweat, breathe, or go to the bathroom.  So, you need to put into your body at least as much water as you put out.  You need approximately 10 cups of water each day.  You probably get about two cups from the food you eat, so it is recommended that you drink 8 cups of water each day.

To some of you that may sound ridiculous, but I have a solution.  Carry a water bottle around with you everywhere you go.  You should drink at least 4 bottles full of water (refill it rather than drink 4 individual bottles.  It will save you money).  Drink more if you are losing more water then usual (excess sweating, breathing, or using the bathroom).

Good ol' refillable water bottles are the best :)

Why is it so dangerous to not have enough water in your body?  I'll map it out for you:

• You need water to: maintain blood volume, transport nutrients and oxygen, metabolize food for energy, lubricate joints, form internal body fluids, regulate body temperature, and remove waste.
• Without water, you quickly develop negative side-effects, including dry mouth and skin, fatigue, muscle weakness, concentrated urine, headache and dizziness.  These occur because you body is trying to conserve water for the most important functions.
• If not treated, dehydration will progress to kidney failure, seizures, delirium, coma, and even death. Your body cannot survive for long without water because your blood volume will decrease, making it more concentrated.  This will hurt all of your organs (blood runs through them all) but especially your heart (blood pressure decreases and heart rate increases). 

So, a word to the wise.  Drink up until you're not thirsty.  If you feel thirsty, you are already becoming dehydrated.  Pay extra care to infants and the elderly, because their bodies are not typically very good at detecting thirst, so they may become dehydrated easily. 

-Kamie

Facts from Wardlaw's Perspectives in Nutrition, 8th Edition (a college textbook).

Kamie's Tip of the Week:

Make healthy changes in your lifestyle one step at a time, and do what works best for you.  Stressing over a healthy lifestyle is NOT HEALTHY!

You can do it! :)

-Kamie

Protein, Oh Protein, What are You Good for, Oh Protein?

I hear so much hype about protein and how amazing it is.  It seems that while carbs and fats are being discriminated against, protein is being given the Nobel Prize.  Maybe that's a bit overboard, but you get the point.  True, protein is amazing, but not always for the reasons we might think.

I briefly touched on protein in What's in the food I eat? There I explained a little bit about the building blocks of protein, amino acids. It's important to understand that it is really amino acids that your body needs.  These amino acids build body tissues, enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, antibodies, and much more. If you do not have ALL of the amino acids you need, some of these things will not be built, and your health could suffer in various ways. This isn't really a problem most of the time in our society because we eat so much meat, but it can be something that vegetarians and vegans struggle with if they are not careful.

The best source of whole protein is meat.

Because I know you are all SOOO very interested, here's a brief breakdown on the functions of protein in your body:

• Building of body tissues such as muscle and connective tissue.
• Blood proteins (albumin and globulin, if you're curious) maintain fluid balance between the blood and the surrounding tissues through osmotic pressure. This helps keep enough fluid in your blood while ensuring that the surrounding cells get enough nutrients.
• Acting as buffers, protein keeps the pH of your blood in a healthy range (7.4 to be exact). If the pH changes too much, you will likely die. 
• Forming enzymes, hormones, and neurotransmitters (for more detail on what each of these are, visit the glossary page of this blog). 
• Proteins act as flags on the outside of a cell to tell if it is your cell or a foreign cell (kind of like a jersey is used to tell which team you are on).  Other proteins in your blood can recognize when a cell is not on their team, and send other team members to attack it.  This is called and immune reaction.  You are all probably aware that you have an immune system that protects you from getting sick.  Proteins play a huge part in that system.
• Transporting nutrients from one part of the body to the other.
• Protein can be used to make glucose (the sugar your brain eats) when you don't eat any carbs for a time. However, this has some negative side effects and should not occur for a long period of time.
• Protein can also provide energy if needed, but most of your energy should come from carbs and fat.  You need protein for more important things.

So how can I tell how much protein I need in my diet?  It's simple enough that almost anyone can figure it out.  The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is .8 grams per kg of body weight per day. Since we are more used to weighing ourselves in pounds, I'll translate.  There are 2.2 lbs in 1 kg, so you can simply divide your weight in lbs by 2.2 to get your weight in kg.  The average female needs about 46g/day and the average male needs about 56g/day.

I challenge you to take a look at how many grams of protein you eat a day.  More than likely, it is above this amount.  If so, should you be worried?  No, not necessarily.  There is no harm in eating a bit more protein than the RDA recommendation.

A note to all those who eat very high protein diets because they believe that it will help them to build muscle faster.  Research has proven that serious athletes do not need to each much more protein than the RDA in order to build muscle.  The best advice for athletes is to get closer to 35% of calories from protein (the higher end of the AMDR). Most of the extra protein athletes often eat is just excreted in their urine (they pee it out) anyways.  I just thought I would share that info before you spend a ton of money on protein shakes.  If you really feel like it helps you, go for it, it's not going to hurt you.  You're just going to have really expensive pee  :)

So there you have it, the rundown on protein.  Don't you really want a hamburger now? I do :)

-Kamie

Facts from Wardlaw's Perspectives in Nutrition, 8th Edition (a college textbook) and Dietary protein for athletes: from requirements to metabolic advantage from Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism [1715-5312] Phillips yr:2006 vol:31 iss:6 pg:647 -654. 

How Should I Really Feel About Fat?

Just like carbohydrates, fat is surrounded with controversy.  The good news is, it's fairly easy to sort out. You also need fat in your diet in order to survive. Fat has several functions:

• Like carbohydrates, triglycerides (the type of lipid we all know as fat) provide energy for our bodies.  We measure this energy in calories.  However, with fat you get a lot more bang for your buck. What I mean is that you get 9 calories per gram of fat you eat, versus only 4 calories per gram with carbs and protein. So it makes sense that you need less fat. The AMDR for fat is 20-35% of your daily calories. This translates to 44-78g fat/day for a 2000 calorie diet.
• Fat is also our body's storage form of energy.  When we eat too many calories, our body converts the energy into fat and it is stored in our tissues.  Our body does this to protect us in case we run out of food, so it can use stored energy to survive. If we don't like it, there is an easy solution: Don't eat too many calories.  But be careful, it is also dangerous when you don't have enough fat storage.
• Fat is also a form of insulation for the body.  There is a thin layer of subcutaneous fat just beneath the skin. This fat helps keep your body temperature at a constant, healthy level. There is also fat surrounding your internal organs to protect them from damage when you move around. 
• A certain amount of fat is needed in our diets to help us absorb fat-soluble vitamins, such as Vitamins A, D, E, and K. 
• Lastly, some types of fat are important in our diets because they help build the cell wall in our cells.

So, it sounds like fat is pretty important, right?  Why does the public tend to feel that it is bad for you then?  Probably because an excess of certain kinds of fat in your diet can cause serious health problems, including Cardiovascular Disease.  Let's look at the solution for the problem, as recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 :

1. Consume less than 10% of your calories from saturated fat.  For a review on saturated fat, read What's in the Food I Eat?  Saturated fats are found in animal food products, including meat, cheese, and milk, and processed foods.  
2. Avoid Trans fat like the plague. This type of fat has been chemically altered by the hydrogenation process, and is difficult for your body to digest. It is often found in margarine products. 
3. Choose fat sources that contain monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids.  These include fish, nuts, and vegetable oils. 
4. When selecting meat and dairy products, choose the lean or low-fat options. 

Alright, that's enough for now.  In honor of how delicious fat is, here's a fun recipe I used to make with my roommates.  Homemade doughnuts! These are way better than Krispy Kreme. 

Ingredients: 

• 2 tubes of Pillsbury Biscuit Dough (total 20 biscuits)
• About 3 cups of your choice of vegetable oil
• 1 cup of powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar 

Directions:

1. Pour oil into a medium size frying pan.  Heat up the oil for approximately 5 minutes on medium heat. 
2.  Take the biscuits out of the tube and pull them apart.  Punch a hole in the middle of the biscuits, shaping them into a doughnut shape. Tip: If you want doughnut holes, use the cap of a water bottle or something else small and round to cut out the center of the biscuit. The dough from the middle can be fried to make doughnut holes. 
3. Test the oil by placing one of the doughnuts or doughnut holes into the oil with a pair of salad tongs. If it burns easily, turn the heat to low and wait for the oil to cool. If it takes longer than two minutes to turn golden brown, turn up the heat slightly. Warning: The oil is hot and will burn if it touches your skin. Beware of the oil splashing. If you need to, turn down the heat to prevent this.
4. Once the oil is the correct temperature, begin frying the doughnuts by placing a couple at a time (as many as will fit in the pan) in the oil with the salad tongs. Turn them over as necessary to make sure that all sides of the doughnut are golden brown and firm. 
5. Take out the doughnuts when they are golden brown and firm.  Place them on a plate covered in paper towels and let them cool for approximately 5 minutes.
6. Repeat steps 4-5 until all of the doughnuts are fried.
7. Place the powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar in a glass bowl. Dip the doughnuts in the sugar until they are covered  to your taste. 
8. Enjoy! This yummy snack is fun to make with the family, and is a perfect treat when eaten in moderation. Makes about 20 doughnuts and 20 doughnut holes.  DON'T EAT THEM ALL IN ONE SITTING :)

Facts from Wardlaw's Perspectives in Nutrition, 8th Edition (a college textbook).

What should a Carbohydrate mean to me?

We've all heard the rumors.  They've lasted for as long as I can remember.  Carbs are bad for you, right?  If you want to lose weight, stop eating carbs.  I'm sure you may even know someone who has tried a low-carb diet. Maybe it worked for a while, maybe it didn't.  So, what's the real deal with carbs?  Carbs are surrounded by a cloud of mystery as far as the media knows, but I'm here to tell you that science has them all figured out.  No more wondering.  If you want to know the truth, read on.

The truth is plain and simple: If you want to live, your body NEEDS carbs.  Why, you might ask?  It has to do with energy.  Carbs, when broken down in your body, provide energy. Maybe you've never thought of it this way, but what you put in your stomach feeds the rest of the cells in your body.  Those cells are all different, and some of them are picky dieters.  The pickest of all are the cells that make up your brain, eyes, and liver.  These cells will ONLY eat sugar.  Remember, sugar comes from carbs!  (If you are lost, view the previous post titled What's in the food I eat?)  When you eat a piece of bread, your body digests it into single sugar molecules (if you are interested, these molecules are called glucose. Ring a bell?). Then, the sugar floats in your blood until it is absorbed by cells that need it.  If there are no sugar molecules in your blood, your brain, eyes, and liver are going to STARVE!

I hope that explanation was easy enough to follow.  Without getting too complicated, the fact is that our bodies function in a certain way.  To be healthy, like I know most of us want to be, we need to allow our body to function the way it should, and aid it, rather then hinder it, by the choices we make in our diet. 

SOOO.... What does that mean for me and my relationship with carbs?  Here are a few helpful facts and tips:

• There are LOTS of different types of carbohydrates. Basically, anything that grows from the ground is a carb.  That includes fruits, vegetables, grains, and anything made with flour.  So, if you don't like one, try another. 

Fruit: Recommended 2 cups/day

Vegetables: 2-3 cups/day

Grains: 6-8 oz/day

• Carbohydrates should make up between 45-65% of the calories you eat everyday (this statistic is part of the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range set by the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board, the same board responsible for setting Daily Values found on product nutrition labels). This is because carbohydrates are the healthiest way for your body to get all the energy it needs.  So eat up, and don't feel guilty.
• There is a hierarchy as far as carbs are concerned. Some of them are healthier than others.  For example, whole grains are healthier than refined gains (for many reasons that we can discuss in another post) and fruits and vegetables are healthier than cookies and candy. Choose most of your carbs from the healthier options, and fill in the rest with your favorite goodies. 
• A general tip for choosing grains: Make half of your grains whole.  How do you know if they are whole?  Read the nutrition label.  Words like whole wheat, grain, or oats are good indicators.  But be careful, not all wheat breads are really whole grain.  If you DESPISE wheat bread, go for the whole grain white bread.  You won't be able to tell a difference from your typical white bread.

 Well, that's your basic run down on carbohydrates.  If you still have questions, please comment and I will find an answer.

Now for the fun part! Here's a yummy recipe for yogurt wheat bread from Taste of Home's 2009 Annual Healthy Cooking cookbook. Enjoy!

PREP: 30 min. + rising BAKE: 35 min.  YIELD: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 pkg. or 1/4 oz. active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 and 2/3 to 2 cups bread flour

1.  Let yogurt stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the whole wheat flour, wheat germ, sugar, oil, salt, and yogurt. Stir in enough bread flour to form a firm dough.
2. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning one to coat the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.
3. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; shape into a loaf. Place in a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes. 
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.
5. Eat up! Each slice is 92 calories, 2 g of fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 152 mg sodium, 17 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, and 4 g protein.

Facts from Wardlaw's Perspectives in Nutrition, 8th Edition (a college textbook) and from Dr. Rhees, a physiology professor at BYU. Image of Peppers from http://www.freeimages.co.uk/galleries/food/fruitveg/index.htm. Also visit http://www.arfamilies.org/health_nutrition/nutrition/mypyramid/grains.pdf for more information on grains. 

What's in the food I eat?

We all know we need to eat to survive, but have you ever wondered why?  What is really in the food you eat everyday that your body needs? Truthfully, there are thousands of compounds in each meal that your body uses for different functions, but we won't get too carried away just yet.  Let's break it down and focus on the macronutrients (these are nutrients that are needed in large amounts on a daily basis). There are four, and you will probably recognize them.

1) Carbohydrates: Commonly called carbs, they are made up of sugars.  When sugars are linked together in a long chain, they are called starches. So, there are simple carbs, made up of single, unlinked sugars, and complex carbs, made up of starches. You can probably guess which ones taste delicious (simple carbs) and which ones are healthier for you (complex carbs).

Starchy Carbs: Yum!

 2) Lipids: Yes, in English, I actually mean fat. Oh no, not the dreaded FAT! Don't worry, you shouldn't feel guilty for eating fat, your body actually NEEDS it. Here's a tip to help you when choosing fats: The more unsaturated, the better, and stay away from trans fat all together!

Fats are made up of long chains of the elements carbon and hydrogen (I know, BORING!). This is important to know because you can tell the difference between an unsaturated fat (oils) and a saturated fat (solid fat) by how many hydrogens they have.  Unsaturated fats have less hydrogens, and are therefore better for you.

Oils are high in unsaturated fat.

3) Protein: You probably already know what protein is. It is found in various meats, cheeses, beans, and grains. Protein is made up of amino acids, which link together in a long chain.  Coincidentally, amino acids are also used as building blocks for your body. So, the same protein that came from an animal's muscle that you ate today will be used to build your muscle tomorrow! How cool!

The surest way to get the protein you need is from meat.

4) Water: You probably don't think much about water as you go about your day. But truthfully, you are using water every second that you are using energy (water helps to metabolize the food you eat). So, don't overlook water as an important nutrient. Stay hydrated!

Okay, hopefully I haven't bored you to death.  There will be more to follow on each of the macronutrients, including helpful tips and recipes. So stay tuned!
 
-Kamie

Facts from Wardlaw's Perspectives in Nutrition, 8th Edition (a college textbook).

Welcome All :)

Welcome to my new Nutrition Blog!  This blog will focus on the basics of need to know everyday nutrition.  I will also prove or disprove common nutrition rumors.  You can feel confident that this blog will share the facts, as well as some fun, helpful tips.  Enjoy!