May is National Celiac Awareness Month!

May designated National Celiac Awareness Month, a great time to spread the word about a condition that is highly underdiagnosed.  One in 133 people are affected by the disease yet approximately 97% (both children and adults) are not diagnosed.  It is a multi-system, multi-symptom disorder that is activated by eating gluten (the protein found in wheat, rye and barley).  The symptoms vary from diarrhea to constipation to migraines to growth issues, to skin conditions and many others.  The only treatment for Celiac Disease is a strict gluten free diet which can be highly nutritious and delicious with the proper instruction.  If you suspect that you or a loved one has Celiac Disease, contact your doctor as there are health consequences of going undiagnosed (even if you do not have symptoms).  Go to the Celiac Disease Foundation website for additional information www.celiac.org

See my upcoming posts for information on nutritious gluten free grains and recipes.

For Valentine's Day... Think Outside the Chocolate Box!

February is not only the month to celebrate L-O-V-E, but it also American Heart Month. More than 70 million Americans suffer from some form of heart disease and this remains the leading cause of death in the United States. For most people, heart disease is preventable. One of the most effective ways to prevent it is through the diet! With this in mind, you can see why it is so important to make this year about loving your heart and soul. With a few small changes to traditional gifts and healthful choices you can celebrate a Valentine’s Day from the heart that’s also good for your heart!


Instead of giving the traditional gift of chocolates and candy, try giving your loved ones a beautiful basket filled with dried fruits and nuts or an assortment of herbal teas with honey sticks. Another wonderful gift is a membership to a gym, a month with a personal trainer, or even something they might not think about like a series of yoga classes or belly dancing classes. Focus on health rather than indulgence. When it comes time for the romantic dinner that you and your loved one share on Valentine’s Day, choose foods that are heart healthy: salmon- a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and protein; spinach and other leafy green vegetables- rich in phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals; tofu- rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals (soy protein has been shown to help reduce LDL cholesterol)… try a new vegetarian restaurant for a change. Keep your love alive and your blood flowing… they say that experimentation keeps love fresh. Try this experiment, go for a walk as a family in the morning, schedule your annual physical (more than one-third of people with high blood pressure do not know that they have it), have a heart healthful dinner and send a gift other than chocolate to your loved one. “Variety is the spice of life”

You have the right to know what is in your food!!!

The introduction of genetically engineered foods into the American food supply without labels is of concern to many given that no long term human health trials have ever been conducted on these ingredients.  

Robby Kenner who produced Food Inc. shares this concern and to address it has just released website www.fixfood.org.  You can also find the videos here http://justlabelit.org/robynlabelit

The video is short and intended to be widely shared, with a call to action asking the FDA to label these ingredients, as they are labeled in other developed countries around the world.  

Please take a few minutes to watch this, to lend your voice to the campaign asking the FDA to label these ingredients and to remember that together, we can affect remarkable change, in the health of our food system, our families and our country.

Kids in the Kitchen- Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

-Dressing: 4 cloves garlic, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ tsp basil, juice of 1 lemon, salt and pepper to taste

-Salad: 4 cups cooked quinoa, 1 cup grated carrots, ½ cup chopped green onions, ½ cup chopped celery, ½ cup chopped mushrooms, ¼ cup sunflower seeds*, ¼ cup slivered almonds*

Directions: 

-Combine dressing ingredients and let stand for at least 10 minutes.

-Combine quinoa, veggies and seeds (omit for allergies and young children).  

-Toss with dressing and serve

*Children can help rinse the quinoa, measure the liquids and veggies and stir the salad.  Getting children involved in preparing food has shown to help them be more interested in trying new foods.  It is also a great opportunity for learning (math, science, etc) and additional quality time to spend together as a family! 

*seeds and nuts can be a choking hazard for young children.  Omit or substitute if any food allergies exist. 

BMI... What you need to know

One term we hear a lot about recently is "Body Mass Index", or BMI. It seems to be important, but many people are not sure what it is, what it means, or why they should be concerned about it.

What does BMI tell you?
Body mass index (BMI) is a number that evaluates an individual’s weight status in relation to his or her height. BMI generally is used as the first indicator in assessing body fat and has been the most common method of tracking weight problems and obesity among adults. Although this is an effective screening tool for children and adolescents, it is important to remember that it is not a diagnostic tool.  BMI provides a guideline based on weight and height to determine weight issues. As children grow, their body fat changes. BMI decreases during the preschool years, and then increases as the child grows older. This pattern is shown better on the BMI-for-age charts. 

How do you calculate BMI?
Two methods are used to calculate BMI – the metric formula and the English formula. Both provide the same information, and neither is more accurate than the other.

Metric Formula
BMI = Weight in kilograms / [Height in meters] x 2 

English Formula
BMI = [Weight in pounds / Height in inches 2] x 703

How do you calculate BMI for age?
The guidelines for interpreting BMI are listed below. It is critical that accurate measurements are obtained. It is common for caregivers to be concerned about their child’s weight and where he or she is on the growth chart.

• Underweight BMI-for-age < 5th percentile 
• At risk of overweight BMI-for-age > 85th percentile 
• Overweight BMI-for-age > 95th percentile 

BMI is particularly helpful for identifying children and adolescents who are at risk for becoming significantly overweight as they get older. In older children and teens, there is a strong correlation between BMI and the amount of body fat. Those with high BMI readings - and probably high levels of fat – might be likely to have weight problems when they are older. If health care providers can identify these at-risk children early on, they can monitor their body fat more carefully and potentially prevent adult obesity through changes in eating and exercise habits.

BMI is not perfect by any means, it is a screening tool. For example, it's very common for kids to gain weight quickly and see the BMI go up during puberty. Your child's doctor can help you figure out whether this weight gain is a normal part of development or whether it's something to be concerned about. If you think your child may be gaining or losing weight too fast, talk to your child's doctor. A child can also have a high BMI because he or she has a large frame or a lot of muscle, not excess fat. By the same token, a person with a small frame may have a normal BMI but might have too much body fat.

Also, it's important to look at the BMI numbers as a trend instead of focusing on individual numbers. Any one measurement, taken out of context, might give you the wrong impression of your child's growth. The real value of BMI measurements lies in viewing them as a pattern over time. That allows both doctor and parents to watch the child's growth and determine whether it's normal compared with that of other children the same age. BMI is an important additional tool that can be used as an indicator that your child is growing and developing in a healthy way.  If you have concerns about your child's growth or eating, discuss it with their pediatrician and ask for a referral to a pediatric dietitian if it is warranted.

The Importance of Protein

Everyday I tell clients about the importance of protein in their diets.  Not only does it help with blood sugar control but it helps regulate your feeling of fullness (get you full and keep you full longer).  A recent study found that a diet that had 15% protein compared to a diet with 10% protein resulted in an overall lower caloric intake and less snacking.  (Gosby et al, Testing Protein Leverage in Lean Humans: A Randomized Controlled Experimental Study. PLoS ONE, 2011; 6 (10)).

Try to these tips to help increase your protein intake:
- have a source of protein with each meal and each snack (vary the type... be creative)
- choose seafood twice a week
- make meat & poultry lean
- have eggs (they are good for you... if you have high cholesterol, limit the yolks and eat the whites where the protein is found)
- have nuts & seeds!!!  Try almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds...  the sky is the limit!  Definitely go with unsalted and try to have raw when possible.
- Eat plant protein foods more often: beans and peas (black, pinto, garbanzo, lentils, hummus, red beans, kidney beans- you name it), tofu, tempeh, veggie burgers
- Remember that you should still be watching your portions... If you eat 3 meals and 2 snacks that are well balanced (contain protein, fruit and/or veggie, whole grain and dairy) you will obtain all of the nutrients you need, eat small portions, feel satisfied and get to a healthy weight!

Enjoy and be well...

Beating the Bloat

Bloating... ugh, no one likes to feel bloated, but it happens to all of us.  Jeans don't fit, it's hard to sit down and you feel awful.  What to do??? 

Check out my segment on CBS 2 news for tips and tricks on beating the bloat.  I bet you didn't know that drinking from a straw can cause bloating or that if you feel bloated that it's best to go out for a walk rather than sit down... intrigued?  Click on the link!