NutritionDoc

Whatever happened to the humble cup of joe? Yesterday's simple serving of black coffee, virtually calorie free, has morphed into today's melange of espresso shots, foamed milk, whipped cream and caramel. Some coffee bars even offer mix- ins like crumbled Oreo cookies and Snickers candy bars, uping the level of decadence.

 

If you add those irresistible toppings, you push up the calorie, fat, sat fat and sugar tallies of your favorite coffee drink. Order up a Starbucks venti White Chocolate Mocha made with whole milk and whipped cream and you have taken on 630 calories, 29 grams of fat, 19 grams of sat fat and 69 grams of sugar. You might be better off with a chocolate shake!!

 

If coffee bars are not tempting enough, retail shops now stock a variety of bottled coffee beverages. But beware; many of them list nutrition info for only half the bottle. You will need to double those numbers if you drink it all. Down an entire Starbucks Frappuccino and you will get up to 340 calories - more than double the calories in a 12oz cola.

 

Opt for "skinny" drinks like a small Caribou Coffee Northern Lite Latte for only 80 calories and 0 fat and you will still get all the flavor rewards of a rich brew with 30% of the daily value for calcium as a bonus. Now that is worth waking up for.

 

 Suggestions to lighten up your coffee break :

 

 1. Order small when you belly up to the coffee bar. But learn the lingo. A small coffee is not always called "small". At Starbucks it is "tall".

2.  Ask for non fat or skim milk in your coffee drink to slim it down.

3. Request sugar free syrups in flavored lattes to trim sugar calories.

4. Ask for "no whip" and save up to 130 calories, 12 grams of fat (8 sat fat).

5. Check out nutrition numbers, ahead of time to spare you spur of the moment decisions that cost you caloreis.

 

 

Packed with protein and eco-friendly, farm raised tilapia should be on your dinner table.

 Once virtually unknown to the American table, tilapia, a freshwater fish that orininated in North Africa, can now be found at fish counters and on restaurant menus across the US. Its mild taste and light white meat have made it increasingly popular. Fish farmers in America quickly caught on to the fact that tilapia can be easily raised in closed system pens, which have minimal impact on the environment. Tilapia is also a sustainable fish, providing more protein (22 grams in a 3oz serving) than its consumes, according to the Seafood Watch experts at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Sweetest and juiciest now, the vitamin C-rich, orange fleshed fruits we call "cantaloupe" in North America are technically "muskmelons". True cantaloupe melons, including Galia, are similarly sweet but do not sport netted skins; their surfaces often are segmented or striped. Gauge ripeness by pressing on the end opposite the stem; if it yields, it is ready. Leave hard ones behind. Most melons will not ripen more after they are picked.

 

Super sweet and soft, honeydew are closely related to the melons of Cavaillon that French writer Alexandre Dumas reportedly enjoyed so much that he traded a complete set of his books for a lifetime suppy. Picking tip: Honeydews are one of a few melons that continue to ripen after they are harvested, so firm is fine.

 

Watermelon - 92% water, hence the name-is a good source of vitamin C and the antioxidant lycopene, when it is red.  Kids of all ages know its shiny black seeds are made for spittin- though recently, seedless cultivars have become popular. 

In 1976 only 25,000 Americans could boast that they had finished running a marathon.

 

That number has now jumped to more than 430,000 marathoners.

Start by making sure you are getting enough antioxidants in your diet. Among the best sources.

 

Beta-carotene: carrots, pumplin, cantaloupe, squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, kale, peaches, apricots.

 

Vitamin C: oranges and other citrus fruits, bell peppers, strawberries, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, tomatoes.

 

Vitamin E: fortified cereals, sunflower seeds, almonds, sunflower and safflower oil, hazelnuts, tomoto sauce, peanut butter, wheat germ, avocado

 

Selenium: seafood, lean meat and poultry, while grains, garlic, eggs, low fat dairy.

Products containing corn oil can now claim to be good for your heart - but that does not mean it's OK to slather your supper with Mazola. The US Food and Drug Admin approved a petition for a "qualified health claim" for corn oil by ACH Food Companies, makers of Mazola corn oil, Karo corn syrup and Argo corn starch. To qualify for heart health labeling, products must be low in cholesterol and sat fat. And the FDA approved lanquage is not exactly a ringing endorsement: " Very limited and preliminary scientific evidence suggests that eating about 1 tablespoon of corn oil daily may reduce the risk of heart disease due to the unsaturated fat content in corn oil. FDA concludes that there is little scientific evidence supporting this claim. To achieve the possible benefit, corn oil is to replace a similar amount of sat fat and not increase the total number of calorie you eat in a day." Since all fats and oils contain about 90 calories per tablespoon, simply adding corn oil to your diet will add to your waistline instead of helping your heart.

 

The FDA introduced its four-tiered system for dietary health claims in 2003. Only health benefits on which there is "significant scientific agreement" do not require a qualifying statement. The corn oil claim is based on the lowest level of supporting scientific evidence.

Choose wisely . .  . live well.

The fastest growing segment of America's over weight population is also the fattest. A new study reports that the biggest growth area-in more ways than one- among people who are over weight is the group that is extremely obese, 100 or more pounds toooooo heavy. The report, to be published in the journal Public Health, says the population of Americans with a body mass index of 50 or more increased by 75% between 2000 and 2005.

 

The study shows that the proportion of people at the high end of the weight scale continues to increase at a brisk rate despite increased public attention on the risks of obesity and the increased use of drastic weight loss strategies such as surgery. The number of surgerys including stomach stapling and stomach bypass rose from 13,000 in 1998 to 200,000 last year.

University of California-Davis scientists have found that organic kiwis are richer in nutrients, including vitamin C, than non organically grown kiwis.

Because of their high dairy content, leftover custard and cream filled pies must be wrapped tighly in plastic wrap and stored in the frig.Whipped cream topped pies do not store well, becasue the whipped cream breaks down and begins to weep within hours. If you are planning on serving only a few slices from a whipped cream topped pie, top each slice individually with whipped cream and save the rest of the pie for later.

 

Double crust fruit pies such as apple, peach, cherry can be stored at room temperature because of their high sugar content and acidity, which retard the growth of bacteria. The frig turns the crisp crusts of the fruit pies gummy. This is a result of retrogradation, or the process by which the structure of the starch changes and becomes stale. So when it comes to fruit pies, storing at room temperature is the way to go. But then, who ever had leftover pie??????

When it comes to eating out, Americans love Chinese. And Chinese restaurants deserve credit for keeping a lid on sat and trans fat, thanks to vegetable oil, no cheese, and a host of seafood, poultry, and veggies.

 

But Chinese restaurant food is loaded with salt and - if you are not careful - delivers a load of calories, thanks to its oil, noodles, and deep fried batter or breading.

 

Here are some suggestions:

 

Veg out. Look for dishes that feature vegetables, not meat or noodles. Ask for extra broccoli, snow peas, or other veggies.

 

Don't go deep. Order your chicken, tofu, or seafood lightly stir fried or braised, not breaded, battered, and deep fired.

 

Hold the sauce. Use a fork or chopsticks, not a spoon, to get the food from the serving platter to your plate. That keeps the salty or sugary or fatty sauce on the platter, not soaked up by your rice and eventually your waist.

 

Don't add in-salt to injury. The food is salty enough without adding more. Each tablespoon of duck sauce or hot mustard has 100 mg of sodium; hoisin sauce has 250 mg; soy sauce has 1000 mg.

 

Share. Many entrees have 1000 to 1500 calories. Share or ask for a doggie bag.