Kelly O'Connell, RD

Move over Doritos because we have some better Super Bowl options this year! If you are headed to a party or hosting one, think about chowing on one of these:

Guacamole & Jicama Chips — make the guac extra spicy to spark the metabolism and slice a fresh Jicama in place of tortilla chips. I recently discovered the Jicama root and it’s fabulous and refreshing! I can’t forget to mention it’s also gluten free! This is a must appetizer.

Homemade Hummus & Organic Blue Corn Chips — Trader Joe’s has some great options for (baked) chips and choosing blue tortilla chips can be more beneficial than white corn chips. Research suggests blue corn chips have a lower impact on blood glucose levels and therefore have a lower glycemic index than white corn chips. Blue corn chips contain about 20% more protein and 8% less starch than the white corn chips. This is beneficial for diabetics and for the average healthy person. Also, I suggest making your own hummus. This way you are able to control the amount and kind of oil used in the end product. I highly recommend organic extra virgin olive oil. I also like my hummus simple. I flavor my hummus with a little bit of unrefined sea salt, garlic and paparika spice. Double D!!!

A Veggie Tray – need I say more? Make it colorful and attractive. This way you can fill you plate partially with these nutrient-dense veggies and still fit in the fun portion controlled dips.

Salsa Dance Dip — I love this dip and it’s so easy to put together! Unwrap a package of fat free cream cheese, place in the center of a plate and then dump hot salsa on the top. Compliment the dip with some tasty baked corn chips (again, I recommend blue corn chips).

Chocolate Covered Strawberries — this will hit the sweet spot for those craving one. The dark chocolate is rich in cocoa flavanols and the strawberries are rich in vitamins and minerals.

Cheers to your 2010 Super Bowl Sunday! Go Colts!

Lentils help lower cholesterol and they are full of fiber! They provide good to excellent amounts of 6 important minerals with a calorie cost of just 230 calories for a whole cooked cup. This tiny nutrient-dense legume fills you up–not out.

Have a lentil soup for dinner tonight and have a healthy and fit day!

….and that is it. Life is short and we need to take responsibility of our own health right now. An investment in health in an investment in long-term wealth. Eat something healthy for me today!

Have a healthy and fit day!

57% of diabetics occasionally skip insulin shots on purpose

It’s fairly common for people with diabetes to skip insulin shots, new research suggests. More than half of those with the disease who take insulin — which helps lower blood glucose levels — say they have intentionally omitted shots, a study published this week in Diabetes Care says. “Skipping insulin shots is more common than many people thought,” says medical sociologist and lead study author Mark Peyrot of Loyola University Maryland and Johns Hopkins.

Peyrot and colleagues analyzed data collected from an Internet survey of 500 people with diabetes and found that 57% choose not to take their insulin shots occasionally. One out of five patients said they skipped shots regularly.

Younger patients, people with type 2 diabetes, lower income earners, people prescribed more daily injections, higher-educated respondents and patients not following a healthful diet are more likely to cut back on shots. Among the reasons given for skipping insulin: interference with daily activities, injection pain and embarrassment about taking medication around others.

In an accompanying editorial, Katie Weinger of Harvard Medical School’s department of psychiatry says one danger of insulin omission is that doctors who treat patients with low adherence may mistake poor blood glucose readings for the need for more insulin. If those patients are then prescribed higher doses, hypoglycemic episodes may occur, she says.

An e-mail-based survey can have limitations, says endocrinologist Nicolas Musi of the Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. “Not everyone will take the time to think about the answers they’re putting down,” Musi says.

But Musi says the study has value. “It’s important for patients to know their physicians won’t be angry at them if they’re not using their insulin as told,” he says. “It’s always best to be open so we can work together to find solutions.”

Last week I reached an amazing goal for myself. I ran the Disney World half marathon and I beat my boyfriend! Kidding aside, my focus was not on beating my boyfriend (even though it felt pretty good), I was determined to push myself beyond my mental ability.

Orlando, Florida hadn’t seen snow for decades but on this given weekend, January 9th 2010, it snowed like it was Chicago. Not only did pretty snowflakes come down, but there was rain and hail. My limbs were nearly numb running and the 2 hours before the start had me shivering to all ends.

So the race started and I ripped off the trash bag I was wearing for warmth and my legs were moving faster than I was thinking. After the second mile mark and my continuous celebratory fist punch in the air (which I did at every mile mark), I told myself I wasn’t going to stop until I pass the finish line. I wasn’t doing this all for myself but in my head I told myself I was doing it for all the type 1 diabetics who feel or have felt held back by their disease to reach physical goals.

I was once one of those diabetics, but I am proud to say I’ve enrolled in 4 half marathons, a dozen of 10k’s and many many more races in the last few years. I will admit, every race I have fear of going low or skyrocketing high. Yet, I know how to react to these occasions and I do my best to be my best and to keep my glucose levels in the goal range.

So I was right around mile 5 and there it was, the shriek of pain in my left leg. My IT band, as expected, was acting up. But in my head I told myself to run through the pain to prove myself that I can reach this half marathon goal and to only be the beginning of what is to come. I am determined to give back to the diabetic community and reach every goal I set for myself.

Next milestone was right around mile 8. Wow, eight miles. I’ve never ran this much without stopping for a stretch or a water break in my life! But I will admit I wanted to crawl up in a warm bed more than anything. Again, I told myself, “there is no pain, no gain, I am keeping to my goal.” It is much easier than said to get through the last few miles of the race. I focused on positive things and I mostly thought of the lessons and morals my parents and peers have taught me.

I heard my dad echoing in my head to always strive to be the best person I can be and to live my dream. I kept recollecting how well my parents raised us four kids and that we are so fortunate. I guess these races really break you down right?! After the race my dad and mom were the first people I wanted to call to tell how well I did! I called them as soon as my hands warmed up enough to move and my determination to reach more goals hasn’t stopped there. I plan to become a more solid player in the diabetic charitable and research community starting…yesterday. I turned down a great position on the Chicago Dietetic Association board to spend more time with another passion: JDRF.

Two-thousand- ten (2010) is going to be a good year and it took a 13.1 mile race through hail and rain to prove it!

Have a healthy and fit day!

Egg white foam may boost gluten-free sourdoughs enhance the structure of the resulting baked goods and extend the range of gluten-free products, says a new study.

Foams from egg white showed potential as structure builders by retaining gas and forming continuous networks in sourdoughs, according to findings published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

“This study showed that the use of egg white foam substantially improved the structural quality of model baked goods which were prepared from sourdough and potato starch,” wrote the researchers, led by Jussi Loponen from the University of Helsinki.

“The use of egg white foam in the starch based sourdough baking recipes could serve as an alternative way to build up structure in low-gluten bread making applications,” they added.

Great hopes for sourdough

Sourdough has already been identified as an ideal gluten-free food. Only recently, Professor Elke Arendt from the Department of Food and Nutritional Science at University College Cork co-authored a review in the journal Food Microbiology on the how sourdough could help solve the gluten-free issue.

Prof Arendt told FoodNavigator recently: “Sourdough has a lot of potential, particularly from a flavour and structure perspective. The strains used are also anti-fungal and that can extend the shelf-life of bread without the need of chemical preservatives.”

But employing sourdoughs requires a detailed knowledge of the strains and starter cultures for each grain. Sorghum sourdough would need a specific strain, like Lactobacillus reuteri or Lactobacillus fermentum, while buckwheat flour would require other starter cultures.

“I have great hopes for sourdough in gluten-free bread,” said Prof Arendt.

And with global market reported to be worth $2.6bn by 2012, up from $1.56bn last year, according to Packaged Facts, there is clearly the financial incentive to produce new foods for this category.

Study details

The new joint Turkish-Finnish study investigated the how egg white could build foam structures with sourdoughs, as well as looking at how the egg proteins may affect fermentation parameters. The latter point is important as egg white proteins are known to exhibit antimicrobial activity, which is undesirable in sourdough formulations.

No effect on the fermentation parameters was observed, said the researchers. “The presence of egg white in sourdough fermentations had no influence on the prolamin hydrolysis or the growth of starter culture, indicating that the peptidase-inhibitory and antimicrobial properties of egg white play no important role in sourdoughs,” they wrote.

In terms of foam formation, the egg white was found to be structure builders in sourdough applications.

“The present study showed that a convenient way to form foams containing both egg white and sourdough was to first whip egg whites into foam and then mix in the fermented sourdough,” wrote the researchers.

Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1021/jf903228x “Functional Characteristics of Egg White Proteins within Wheat, Rye, and Germinated-Rye Sourdoughs” Authors: F. Erem, T. Sontag-Strohm, M. Certel, H. Salovaara, J. Loponen

Reference click here

Have a healthy and fit day!

Beets are a blood tonic, which makes them great for treating anemia, heart conditions, liver conditions and circulation. They are high in folic acid, vitamins A, C, B1, B2, B3, and beta-carotene, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium.

They go great on top of a salad, in stir-fry or blended in a vegetable juice.

Have a healthy and fit day!

Restaurant owners deal with an assortment of problems, but the last thing they want to hear is somebody became ill after eating at their establishment.

After all, a trip to the emergency room isn’t the best way to end a dining experience. For people with celiac disease, also known as celiac sprue, that’s a real possibility.

First diagnosed in World War II, people with celiac are allergic to gluten, a protein most commonly found in wheat, flour, barley and oats. In recent years, restaurants have started offering gluten-free menus for patrons. It’s a trend that first developed in the Northeast and West and is now beginning to trickle South.

Approximately 10 years ago, Outback Steakhouse and the Gluten Intolerance Group formed a partnership to identify gluten-free menu items so individuals with Celiac could dine out without worrying about a reaction.

“The Outback/Carrabba’s/Bonefish chain has been the leading edge in the South,” said Jeannie Tyler, who runs the Ocala/Marion Gluten Free Group, which meets the second Tuesday of every month at the Ocala Regional Medical Center. “People can go out and not have to worry about getting sick.”

Lynn Richey, a registered dietitian at the Marion County Health Department, hasn’t seen an increase in celiac patients, though there has been an increase in children with food allergies. She hasn’t had any restaurants asking for advice on gluten-free menus, but they do have a manual that has a dining out section.

“It’s important for people, especially children,” Richey said. “We do have a handful of kids come in with gluten problems.”

According to the National Restaurant Association’s annual survey of menu trends, gluten-free/food allergy conscious meals are one the the Top 10 menu trends for 2010, illustrating that consumer interest in health and nutrition continues to grow and that restaurants are responding.

A GIG survey showed prevalence of celiac in the United States has increased from 1-in- 133 in 2003 to 1-in-100 in 2009, a 12 percent increase in the number of people using a gluten-free diet. Overall, requests for gluten-free menu options in restaurants is on the rise and more and more restaurants are striving to meet that demand, not only for health reasons, but because attracting the expanding base of consumers who must adhere to a gluten-free diet is a smart business decision.

“Absolutely,” said Mary Schluckebier, executive director of the Celiac Sprue Association, “because it means more money. If you’re a restaurant right now you want all the customers you can get. If you have people who are gluten-free, you want that person to keep coming back to your restaurant. The only way you keep people coming back is if you serve their needs. It’s a niche where if they know they can get good food and it’s not going to be an experiment, then instead of going to a new restaurant they’re going to go back to the one they know is going to do a good job for them.”

Schluckebier said gluten-free is part a larger movement toward healthier diets.

“Customers all over the United States want to know more about what they’re eating,” Schluckebier said. “We’re just getting to be better consumers. Sometimes when the economy takes a downturn we want to know more about what we’re getting into. We’ve had e-coli, salmonella, quite a few things that make people want to know more about their food.”

Tyler said learning more about what’s in restaurant food starts in the kitchen.

“Usually a restaurant that cooks from scratch that has a chef, they’ll do anything for you,” said Tyler, who was diagnosed with celiac disease four years ago. “They know you can substitute corn starch for flour and things like that. They’re used to being clean because you don’t need cross-contamination.”

For restaurants with a gluten-free menu, Schluckebier said food preparation becomes even more important.

“Some kitchens have the space for a dedicated area,” Schluckebier said. “Others, if they’re going to make a sandwich with gluten-free bread they have to roll out a piece of brown paper, use clean knives and gloves. Education and practice are big keys.”

Outback says it has implemented procedures and guidelines that servers and kitchen staff follow in addition to designated prep space and equipment that is used for making gluten- free menu items.

Restaurants also must have a knowledgeable and trained wait staff.

“Some restaurants have one person on staff to handle special diet requirements,” Schluckebier said. “Restaurants are doing things that make their customers feel happy so they will return and bring their family and friends.”

Tyler said if she’s uncomfortable with the wait staff, she’ll ask to see the chef.

“When a waiter or waitress acts really dumb, I’ve asked to see the manager or cook and a lot of the time the chef will come out and talk to us,” Tyler said. “It’s best to call ahead or go by the restaurant and talk to them ahead of time and not just show up at rush time.”

Tony Li owns Tony’s Sushi Japanese Steakhouse. He offers a gluten-free menu and though it requires some extra work in the kitchen such as keeping utensils separate, he says it’s all “part of the deal.”

“I have a lot of customers who can’t eat wheat,” Li said. “I try to do a healthy menu. Yes, it’s good for business. People are always coming back.”

Marge Felix, manager/owner of Felix’s, offers not only a gluten-free menu, but is prepared to meet other dietary needs.

“We have it written on the menu for special dieting needs, whether it be diabetes, gluten-free, vegetarian, whatever it may be,” Felix said. “Everything is made from scratch so we can work with that.”

Felix said gluten-free menus are another way to increase the bottom line.

“It can be a business opportunity if people know they can come and dine here and get what they need,” Felix said.

Felix believes gluten-free menus are a growing trend.

“In Ocala, I’ve noticed it more on the menus,” Felix said. “You have to appeal to the masses.”

Schluckebier also sees gluten-free menus continuing to gain popularity.

“About 1 percent of the population has celiac disease,” Schluckebier said. “Only about 80 percent of that group know they have it. People in their 50s, 60s and 70s are seeing an increase in symptoms. We have special diets but we still want to do what everybody else does.

“It’s a growing trend.”

WHY GLUTEN-FREE?

Celiac disease is a genetic disease with an environmental trigger. In people with CD, eating gluten, sets off an autoimmune response that causes damage to the small intestine. This, in turn, causes the small intestine to lose the ability to absorb the nutrients found in food, leading to malnutrition and a variety of other complications. Gluten, is found in wheat, barley, rye, and to a lesser extent, oats. Related proteins are found in triticale, spelt, kamut. Other conditions, including non-celiac gluten intolerance, dermatitis herpetiformis, and wheat allergies, can require a gluten-free diet.

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If you frequented the farmer’s market over the summer you likely came across a few stands that touted the benefits of wheatgrass. I was one of these people and I was also skeptical of what I was being told as I swallowed the purchased and hideous vitamin/mineral rich shot.

It is ironic that wheatgrass is coming up now in the media and markets when it was first introduced in the 1930s by a chemist named Charles F Schnabel. Today people consume 2-4 ounce shots of wheatgrass for therapeutic affects, ranging from promotion of general well-being to cancer prevention and detoxification. Proven wheatgrass health claims are far and few between, yet its’ ingredient chlorophyll has been studied.

Wheatgrass contains up to 70% chlorophyll and data suggests chlorophyll will act like an antibiotic and arrest growth of unfriendly bacteria. Also, chlorophyll has shown to balance red blood cells in anemic animals. In folk medicine, practitioners used wheatgrass to treat cystitis, gout, rheumatic pain, chronic skin disorders, and constipation.

Wheatgrass is available in tablets, capsules, liquid extracts, tinctures, and juices. Some people buy seeds or kits and grow it at home, either indoors or outside. It is most often made into juice, but can also be used to make tea. Overall, wheatgrass is generally considered safe, although a few individuals have reported nausea, headaches, hives, or swelling in the throat within minutes of drinking its juice. Unlike drugs, the companies that make supplements are not required to prove to the Food and Drug Administration that their supplements are safe or effective, as long as they don’t claim the supplements can prevent, treat, or cure any specific disease.

I suggest if you don’t have any allergies to give wheatgrass a try and to intuitively decide if it makes you feel better, worse or no change. Everyone is different and some people may not notice a thing while others may promise their life on it. I only tried it one time but I am not against trialing it again.

Have a healthy and fit day!

Raising the roast color intensity of peanuts boosts the antioxidant capacities of the peanuts, peanut flour and peanut skins, according to research at United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

Scientists at ARS Market Quality and Handling Research Unit, Raleigh, North Carolina, studied changes in antioxidant levels of roasted peanuts and their blanched skins across an industrially relevant range of roast treatments. Peanuts were incrementally roasted at 362 deg F from zero to 77 minutes before examining the water- and oil-soluble antioxidant activity levels of the roasted samples.

Oil-soluble antioxidant
“Dark-roasting consistently increased water- and oil-soluble antioxidant capacities for both commercially available peanut flours and blanched peanuts,” according to a report on the ARS website. “Peanut skins, currently considered a waste product of industrial peanut processing, had remarkably high antioxidant capacities across all roast conditions,” it added.

The increase in antioxidant levels after roasting were attributed to greater concentrations of phenolic compounds and browning reaction products. Browning occurs during thousands of complex chemical reactions in which proteins and sugars interact to create brown pigmentation. These reactions, known as Maillard browning, are thought to contribute to the characteristic flavor of roasted peanuts.

The scientists also measured vitamin E in the roasted peanuts. “Vitamin E degradation was most rapid in oil from lightly roasted peanuts; however, oil from darker roasted peanuts had better vitamin E retention than that of lightly roasted or even raw peanuts,” said the report. “This preservation of vitamin E could be due to the increased concentration of oil-soluble Maillard reaction products, which seem to protect vitamin E from oxidation,” it continued.

Flavor extracts
Although darker roasted peanuts are inappropriate for some uses, they can be used to prepare darker roasted peanut flours and flavor extracts.

The authors said the report expands the fundamental knowledge of roasting as it relates to the antioxidant capacity of peanuts and peanut ingredients.

The study was conducted by food technologist Jack P. Davis and his colleagues in the ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency of the USDA. It was first published in the journal Food Chemistry and a report appears on the USDA website.

Reference click here http://tinyurl.com/yjxutzh