Granola 'n Margaritas

"I got my toes in the water, a$$ in the sand

Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand

Life is good today. Life is good today."

~Toes, Zac Brown Band

Random, yes. Great song, heck yes! While I frequently enjoy an evening brew, I have to tell readers about Baja Bobs. While I am not likely to change my opinions of margaritas

(hello, sugar!), Baja Bob's offers consumers a much more health-conscious margarita option, using Splenda. While I've only tried the Original Margarita mix thus far, I also ordered the daquiri and pina colada mixes. I'll have to share my thoughts on those once I try them...but the margarita mix gets a HUGE thumbs up! The calorie-free mix offers a low-calorie drink option with your calories coming from tequila mixed in only. Go light on the pour, and us ladies can shamelessly enjoy 2 a day!  

And one more food find: Bear Naked All Natural Granola. I found this product at Wal Mart (ugh, I know), but I'm sure it's available many places if it's here in Oklahoma. Unlike most granola, this particular granola is lower in calories -- 140 calories for 1/4 cup. The ingredients (listed in order as they appear on the label): whole grain oats, honey, canola oil, almonds, raisins, coconut, sweetened dried cranberries, pecans, walnuts, maple syrup, oat bran, ground flax seeds, and toasted sesame seeds. How cool! And, it is delicious! My morning snack today was 4 ounces of non-fat yogurt with 1/4 cup granola -- simple, sweet, and completely satisfying!

And just like "Toes" says -- life is good today! I found out at work today I have the go ahead to wear scrubs to work. I always said my dream job would be working in a comprehensive care team completing one-on-one nutrition consult with diabetics and weight loss patients...while wearing scrubs. What can I say? Life is good today : )

"Got my PJs on, tush on the couch

Not a worry in the world, sugar-free margarita served up

Life is good today. Life is good today."

~Happy RD

20 years of nutrition headliners

Well, I would first like to announce my initiation into the Foodie Blog Roll - yay! I hope to draw in more randos to my blog and continue the flow of comments, feedback, opposition, and support of my thoughts, ideas, and interests. And for all you lurkers, help me out and click "follow blog" up there at the top. I need to appear more popular in the cyber world!! Half kidding...but really, I've received many emails and comments from people I'm not sure I know IRL (in real life) and/or know that they follow my blog. Anyways..

Found an interesting article highlighting nutrition headliners making their way in nutrition over the past 20 years. I found them really interesting, so maybe you will (:cough:should:cough:), too! A lot really has changed about what we know and what we've adopted into our diets. Here's a snapshot [1].

New pyramid. We've changed the way we measure portions and we've added exercise. Also, the "use in moderation" section is done-zo. There's also a customizable "My Pyramid" available online. When you plug in your sex, age, height, and weight...the details of a suggested diet are laid before you. For free. Ahhh technology!

Food labels. The CNN article states, "In 1994 when the Food and Drug Administration required products to carry nutrition facts labels that listed the amount of calories, calories from fat, total and saturated fat, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar, cholesterol, sodium, vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron per serving." Today, 50% of adults peek at those labels. Continue doing your part, America! The information is accurate in invaluable in your weight management and health endeavors.

Fish and omega-3's. Need I say more? Eat'em love'em...and quite possibly...supplement'em.

"Fat is not a four letter word". AMEN! I think this is my favorite one! Fat is essential in the diet. Labels are including information on saturated, trans, mono- and polyunsaturated fat. Embrace the new information and use it to your benefit. Anybody have any any guacamole...? It's true, even the Sonic will serve a whole wheat bun if you ask. Up the complex carbohydrates! The Whole Grains Council and their stamp has assisted consumers in choosing healthier grain options. Ever see a red heart on your whole grain bread? It's not for decoration, I assure you.

Food for what ails you. Food works for you in preventing chronic disease and assisting in weight management. Food can help lower your cholesterol, keep your bowels regular, and regulate your blood sugars to an extent...just to name a few perks. What we eat predicts our level of satiety and satisfaction, and cooking and meal time provides enjoyable times and memories for all. Food is power, truly...and food + knowledge is invincible.

Cheers! Drinking to good health is recommended! Maybe this is my favorite headline.,.I'm not sure. Probably...as I blog enjoying a glass of wine from a local winery! But not just wine -- water and milk and others. And consumers are becoming aware of the calories they consume in liquid form. Many consumers are now opting for water or other low-calorie and calorie-free options like Crystal Light.

Variety. Not only is NO food a forbidden food, but we're expanding our palates. More Americans are familiar with and consume ethnic foods and a larger variety of foods than in decades past. We've all heard "eat your colors" or "eat the colors of a rainbow daily" -- this is emphasizing variety. And now too we see that consuming our nutrients through the diet versus a supplements is more strongly encouraged. It's amazing how quickly headliners go to rule of thumb, isn't it?

Go fresh. Farmers markets and the availability of fresh (organic) produce, meats, and other foods are gaining speed in the world. Stores such as Trader Joe's (which isn't in Oklahoma...leave me to pout), leave consumers with a cost-effective, fun means of freshening up, and lightening up their diet. Or should I say "bulking up" since all that produce is packed with fiber!!? Anyways, freshness is taking on a huge role in consumer choices as of recently.

Awesome article! Thank you, CNN!

I'll leave you with a few pictures of our Lily. She's nearly 20 weeks old and is just a doll. She got a new, big girl bed this week. Can you tell we are proud, proud parents!?

[1]. Squires, Sally. The 10 Most Important Nutrition Stories of the Last Two Decades. CNN Health. September 8, 2009.

Dinner, dessert, and stevia

I tried TWO new recipes yesterday -- chicken tortilla soup for dinner, and whole wheat chocolate chip cookies made with Southaven multigrain mix for dessert.

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts -- cooked and shredded

15 ounces whole tomatoes

10 ounces enchilada sauce

1 medium onion -- chopped

4 ounces chopped green chilies

1 clove garlic -- minced

2 cups water

14 1/2 ounces fat-free chicken broth

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 whole bay leaf

6 whole corn tortillas

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

avocado slices -- for garnish

In an electric slow cooker, combine chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chilies and garlic. Add water, broth, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with canola oil or Pam. Cut tortillas into 2 1/2-by- 1/2-inch strips. Place on a baking sheet. Bake, turning occasionally, until crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle tortilla strips, cilantro and avocado over soup.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

*Per Serving: 235 Calories; 9g Fat; 24g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 510mg Sodium.

*Nutrition Facts are not verified.

And dessert: multigrain chocolate chip cookies made with Southaven Farms mix!

Multigrain Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 tablespoons softened butter (I used Smart Balance)
1/2 cup Splenda Sugar Blend
1 egg (I used Egg Beaters)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 package Southaven Farm Multigrain Baking Mix
1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter (or butter and canola oil) and Splenda Sugar Blend on low speed until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and continue beating on low speed until well combined. Add 1/3 package Southaven Farm Multigrain Baking Mix and beat on low speed until everything comes together and forms a stiff dough. Stir in miniature chocolate chips.

Using about one tablespoon, make walnut-sized balls. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. (These cookies do not spread much.) Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, rotating baking sheets from top to bottom/front to back after 4 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes and then remove to baking rack.

Both were DELICIOUS! A huge thumbs up from husband on the soup, especially. And our guests ate the cookies, so they can't be all too "healthy" tasting ; )

And last up: stevia. I found the position statement from the American Dietetic Association on the safety of stevia products. It is copy and pasted below. It's interesting stuff. Thanks, Sybil, for asking about it!

Title of Topic:	Stevia
Date of Release:	June 2009
Claim of Topic:	Are stevia-based sweeteners a healthier alternative to other non-caloric sweeteners?

Discussion of Topic:
Stevia (pronounced \'ste-ve-?\), is a bush native to Central and South America. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently released “no objection letters” to three companies that submitted Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) notifications to FDA for highly purified Rebaudioside A (Reb A or rebiana) extract from stevia. It is expected that other steviol glycosides will also submit GRAS notifications to FDA expanding the non-nutritive sweetener market even further. Here are insights into the new stevia-based sweeteners and whether they could be considered a better option than the non-nutritive sweeteners currently available.

Safety:
In recent months FDA has recognized the GRAS status of highly purified Reb A sweeteners. As part of the GRAS process, experts reviewed published and unpublished studies and concluded that, under the conditions of its intended use as a sweetener, it can be safely used as an ingredient in foods and beverages. Derived from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni plant, Reb A is one of two main steviol glycosides. (The other is stevioside.) Both are 200-300 times sweeter than sugar and are calorie-free.

The safety of Rebaudioside A (and to a lesser extent, stevioside) for human consumption has been tested through peer-reviewed research, including metabolic and pharmacokinetic studies, general and multi-generational safety studies, including carcinogenicity studies; intake studies; and randomized, placebo-controlled human clinical trials. Studies with type 1 and 2 diabetics, as well as those with hypertension, have all shown no adverse effects with Reb A doses of approximately 4 to 15 mg/kg body weight per day. However, some consumer groups are calling for additional carcinogenicity and toxicology studies in a wider range of animal models other than rats and mice due to the possibility for potential DNA alterations and the metabolic and pharmokinetic differences between humans and rodents. In June 2008, the World Health Organization’s Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives, a global panel of food ingredient safety experts, completed a multi-year review of the available scientific data on high purity stevia compounds and concluded that they are safe for use as general purpose sweeteners. The Committee set a safe daily intake of 0-4 milligrams per kilogram of body weight as steviol glycosides.

Bottom Line:
Studies have demonstrated, and FDA concurs, Reb A-based sweeteners are considered safe for consumption as tabletop sweeteners or ingredients in foods and beverages. However, the studies supporting the highly purified compound Reb A should not be attributed to other stevia-derived sweeteners until approved by the FDA. At this time, no data exists that Reb A-based sweeteners offer a clinical advantage over any other non-nutritive sweeteners, although studies are ongoing to test whether there are natural plant compounds that offer some additional health benefits. While the sweeteners are marketed as “natural,” there is no official FDA definition of “natural.”

Opportunities for the Registered Dietitian(RD)/Dietetic Technician, Registered (DTR):
Stevia products are best used as replacements for calorie-containing sweeteners. RDs and DTRs can help educate consumers on the various issues related to new stevia-based sweeteners and products containing steviol glycosides so informed decisions can be made.

Resources/References:

1. International Food Information Council. Stevia Sweeteners: Another Low-Calorie Option. Food Insight, May, 2009.
   www.ific.org/foodinsight/2009/may/steviafi509.cfm


2. Kobylewski S, Eckhert C. Toxicology of Rebaudioside A: A Review. University of California, Los Angeles, 2008.
   www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/stevia-report_final-8-14-08.pdf


3. US Food and Drug Administration. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Office of Food Additive Safety. Agency Response Letter GRAS Notice No. GRN 000253. December 17, 2008.


4. World Health Organization. Safety evaluation of certain food additives/prepared by the sixty-ninth meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). World Health Organization, 2009.
   whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2009/9789241660600_eng.pdf

ONE DAY TIL COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : )

Southaven Farms!

Yum!

Internet carbs are fabulous! Seriously, what did nutrition gurus (like myself) and diabetics DO before the internet?! My new carb craze: Southaven Farms mixes. Their products are all-natural, 100% whole grain, cholesterol-free, low-fat and unsweetened. Their website offers countless recipes for each of their mixes which include varieties such as: chocolate, whole grain, and ginger spice -- the 3 I opted to try first. Order several at a time, however...shipping can be steep as with anything over the internet.

Tonight I made banana nut muffins using the ginger spice mix. The recipe was as follows:
3 eggs
1 3/4 c. Splenda granular
1 1/4 c. skim milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Ginger Spice Southaven Farms mix
2 bananas, sliced
1/2 c. walnuts (I used pecans)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly spray cupcake tin. Fill 3/4ths full. Bake 13-17 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes and enjoy! Yummm!

PureVia vs. Truvia

Good morning! Husband is sick in bed -- I think I might've brought something home from work on Friday. Though, I am currently asymptomatic. Good thing with back-to-back hockey games this evening. On an unrelated note, let me re-visit stevia-based sweeteners: Truvia and PureVia.

If you read yesterday's blog, I deemed Truvia #1 to my taste-buds. Someone helpfully pointed out that they're made from the same plant -- the stevia plant. Stevia is native to Paraguay and Peru (depending on which source you reference). It is approximately 30 times sweeter than natural sugar, and is calorie free! Stevia-based sweeteners were approved for use by the FDA in December of 2008. Though they are 2-3x more expensive than saccharin (Sweet'n Low), aspartame (Equal) and sucralose (Splenda), they are gaining popularity quickly. "Truvia" is Coke's version of the stevia-based sweetener, while "PureVia" is Pepsi's version [1].

Both Truvia and PureVia are calorie-free, kosher products. One packet of commercially sold Truvia equates to the sweetness of 2 teaspoons of sugar. On the Truvia website there is a Q&A section and one of the questions is: What makes Truvia natural sweetener better than other stevia-based sweeteners? So, the research goes on [1].

The stevia plant has over 200 varieties. The quality of the "sweetness" depends on the extracted sweet compound that the leaves yield [2]. To me this reads "some parts of the plant are sweeter than others." We move on to PureVia's site where they give away the answer.

The sweeteners are made from Reb A (or Rebiana) -- the SWEETEST part of the plant. PureVia is ethanol-purified and the Reb A is blended with other "natural ingredients" for flavor. The bulking agents in PureVia include erythritol and isomaltulose [3]. Truvia does not purify with ethanol, according to what I've found thus far. Truvia also mentions no use of isomaltulose as a bulking agent [4]. Erythritol sounds bad, but it is a natural sweetener. It's found in fruits such as grapes and pears and is extracted naturally [4].

So in a nut shell, the stevia plant's sweetness varies a lot. Though both products are derived from the Reb A portion of the plant, the bulking agents and proportions of stevia vary...creating a different taste. There ya have it. Is there ANYTHING more anyone could ever want to know about stevia? : )

Last night I used some of my new calorie-containing sweeteners and made crock pot oatmeal. It was delicious. I threw into my crock pot:

2 cups of old fashioned oats
6 cups water
3 Tbsp cinnamon (I like a lot!)
2 Tbsp turbinado
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1/3 cup dates, diced

Cook on low 8-9 hours and enjoy! It was creamy and delicious! It needed no more sugar and has leftovers ready for 3 breakfasts this week! If you think I'm crock pot obsessed, you are correct!

On a completely unrelated note...no more football-less Saturdays! It should be a good year for the Fighting Illini (#25) and Oklahoma Sooners (#2). The two teams play back-to-back next weekend on ESPN and I couldn't be more excited! I'm saving my first hoodie reveal for Saturday. Crock pot vegetarian chili will be involved, as well. What college football team are you a #1 fan of?

Lily and I are off to the dog park...have a wonderful day!

[1]. McCay, Betsy. FDA Clears Use of Herb as Sweetener. The Wall Street Journal. December 18, 2008.
[2]. Stevia-based Sweetener Truvia Gets FDA Nod. Stevia Cafe.
[3]. PureVia website.
[4]. Truvia website.

Which sweet for me?

THANK YOU readers for all of your sugar insight! Turns out the real deal is taking a back seat to all that's out there. Between Splenda, Truvia, PureVia, turbinado, agave, etc...I do wonder how much granular sugar sales have been affected.

Anyways, while my husband (who still won't read my blog...) was napping...I went grocery shopping. While I typically avoid the grocery store like the PLAGUE on Saturday afternoons, I was interested in picking up some of your suggested sugar "substitutes" (be them calorie-free or not). So, here's what I ended up with: PureVia, Truvia, agave nectar, and turbinado -- all per your recommendations! And here's my cart:


I also picked up dates based of Gina's recommendation. I'm hoping to make some old fashioned crock pot oatmeal with the dates. Also in there was ingredients for my taste test #2 at work this week with my co-workers. I digress...

When I got home, I figured "Why not try them all and compare!?" So I did. And I took notes.

The contestants...

The set-up


The results!

Here's what I came up with...

1. Truvia: silky texture, heavier than Splenda; slightly bitter at first; granular - not powdery, if melted on tongue...tastes like room temperature vanilla ice cream : )
2. turbinado: large, sweet granules; less bold than brown sugar; maple-y
3. agave nectar: prune/date flavored; medium viscosity syrup; no after-taste
4. PureVia: sweeter and more bitter than Truvia; similar in flavor to Sweet'n Low; bitterness subsides

I have to confess that as I was leaving the store with all my new, healthy sugar alternatives...Sonic (which SHARES the parking lot with the grocery store, in my defense!) was having Happy Hour -- half-priced fountain drinks and limeades for those of you up north. Sooooooo I might've...probably...got a diet cherry limeade. While I know I won't ever be fully aspartame-free, I do think it's important to decrease the bad and increase the good in our lives. And for me, that includes diet cherry limeade. I HAVE, however, abstained from diet soda for over 3 weeks! This is huge for me...even though my habit was never more than 12 ounces a day, on average.

Have a wonderful rest of your weekend and enjoy the last football-less Saturday of the year! WOOT!

Taste Test #1

So a lot of my coworkers are trying to eat healthier, and as the dietitian, I want to help them do so. So...I sent out a mass email to the clinic inviting any willing participants to contribute $1 for a bi-monthly taste testing at working during the lunch hour. I've committed to making a new, healthy, and easy recipe every 2 weeks for them to taste test and try at home. This week was taste test #1: Chinese Coleslaw. I had 9 participants and they were all impressed with the recipe. It is delicious and a perfect addition to any cook-out!

I typed up and printed out the recipes for employees to take with them. For week #1 I will say I was really pleased with the feedback.

Up next: Chicken Tamale Casserole!


Chinese Coleslaw

Mix:
2 pkgs Ramen (oriental or beef), cooked and drained
4 scallions, chopped
1/2 c. almonds, sliced
2/3 c. sunflower seeds
1 lb coleslaw

Mix separately:
1/2 c. canola oil
1/3 c. vinegar
1/2 c. Splenda-sugar blend
2 Ramen seasoning packets

Mix everything together and enjoy! Best if refrigerated for several hours before serving.

Any great, crowd-pleasing recipes anyone would like to share? Thanks in advance!

Study says: saccharin's alright.

After the soda tax poll, writing on this study seemed only appropriate. I am NOT justifying the partaking of ANY carbonated beverage, but for my one-a-day diet soda habit, I'll take the Splenda and leave the 160 calories for another waistline. I digress....

A study published by the Journal of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention published a study claiming no cancer-causing effects of artificial sweeteners such as saccharin and aspartame. The study assessed the risk of stomach and pancreatic cancer incidences in 3,000+ Italians with "regular" intakes of artificial sweeteners. This particular study follows a previous study performed on rats in 2007 published in Environmental Health Perspectives, which showed cancer-causing effects of artificial sweeteners [1].

Artificial sweeteners such as saccharin and aspartame are used world-wide and they produced industry amounting $1.83 billion dollars in 2007 alone. The most common artificial sweetener world-wide is saccharin with aspartame coming in second [1].

In Milan, Christina Boselli conducted case-controlled studies between 1991 and 2004 among "users" and "non-users" of artificial sweeteners. Among the data included there were 230 people were diagnosed with stomach cancer and 547 were healthy controls. Another 326 diagnosed with pancreatic cancer were included, with another 652 health controls. And yet another 454 persons diagnosed with edometrial cancer were included with another 908 healthy controls. The results were adjusted for confounding factors. None of the data produced results showing cancer-causing effects of cancer and nor did one artificial sweetener over the others [1].

Limitations of the study should be noted. Firstly, the included data was that of Italians only. Secondly, only three types of cancer were studied [1].

Another study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute showed no significant difference between groups consuming asparatme and incidences of leukemia, lymphoma, or brain tumors. This large-scale study included 285,079 men and 188,905 women, all aged 50 to 69 years [1].

Yet another study review published in 2007 in Critical Reviews in Toxicology showed that adverse effects of artificial sweeteners had "no credible scientific basis". This particular review included a panel of 8 experts over the course of 11 months. Over 500 studies, articles, and reports completed over the 25 years prior were included. Some of the included data was unpublished, but submitted to government bodies for regulatory process approvals [1].

My take: if you have to choose one...choose diet. Artificial sweeteners, no matter how they are chemically modified to be calorie-free are NOT natural products. Just my $0.02 on soda -- anyone care to share theirs?

TGIF!!! Have a great weekend!

[1]. Daniells, Stephen. Artificial Sweeteners Not Linked to Cancer: Study. Food Navigator. August 12, 2009.