Tag Archives: food

Better-For-You Granola: P.K.’s Recipe and Health Notes

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The last several posts I’ve written here at Share It Fitness are related to carbohydrate nutrition. Though carbs can get a bad rap, barring clinical diagnoses there is no reason to oust one of the three macronutrients from your diet. As with fat and protein, there are more- and less-healthful sources of carbohydrates, and foods loaded in fiber and other vitamins, minerals, and nutrients your body needs—like fruit, veggies, beans, legumes, and whole grains—are all great choices in a nutritionally balanced diet.To brush up on your carb knowledge as it relates to grain foods, check out:

Today I bring you an article and recipe that continues talking about carbohydrates but falls under the heading of “moderation” because, unlike meals like whole wheat pasta and oatmeal (both whole grains), granola is an energy-dense food (i.e., filled with calories). Sure, it starts with healthy whole grain oats and some other good stuff, but you need a sweetener and fat of some kind to make things all toasty and sweet.

Store-bought brands vary in ingredients hence nutrient composition, of course, but have you ever made your own? My recipe still has sugar and oil—it is granola, after all—but it comes with less sugar, a heart-healthier monounsaturated fat, and some other protein- and omega-3 fatty acid rich foods included to make this a better-for-you version.

For more info on the what, when, and why of granola and how to make it, click here for the full article.

Summertime Hydration, the P.K. Way

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dehydration

Don’t let this be you.  Stay hydrated to maintain peak performance this summer.

 What do you drink to keep cool and hydrated during the summer?

Hello fitness enthusiasts!  My last four posts at Share It Fitness have been dedicated to helping you think about your diet critically in your quest for better health and bodies. In case you missed those and want to check them out, here are the links:

I have one final piece in the series. You can’t wait, I know, but, hey, at least baseball is involved. I’ll get to that next time, because today I’m writing about a very important topic: hydration. The article was in part instigated by last week’s heat wave here on the east coast, underscoring the need to keep hydrated during warmer temps.

Now, I’m not going to cover that topic in depth from a nutritional perspective (e.g., hydration for endurance athletes, risk of water intoxication, electrolyte balance, etc.). I touch upon the topic lightly, sure, but the point of the post is to share with you my favorite go-to, summertime beverage to keep me hydrated in a healthy, tasty way. In my opinion, it’s the best summertime beverage ever. And just for the record, I actually hate it when people say “This is the best ever!” It seems so tenth-grade-teenage-girl and kind of annoying, right? But it really just fits the sentiment this time. This drink is in my fridge all summer long – and, honestly, oftentimes in the winter, too. I love it, it costs pennies to make, and has no calories.

And no, it’s not water.

glass tea 150x150 So what is it, you ask? Click here to find out. You can check out some of my other berry-related posts this week, too, if you like. I’ve been on a berry kick – as you’ll see from my new cover photo – since they’re finally in season here in Boston. (That’s your hint, by the way.) I’ve also been mixing up some great summer cocktails. Um, speaking of non-hydration libations. Hey, it can’t be about working out all the time, right?

Anyhow, check out the article, and let me know what your favorite drink is to keep hydrated in the summer!

Dr. P.K. Newby is a guest blogger who writes about food, nutrition, science, cooking and health to help bring science-based dietary advice to your plates – and cups! – in delectable ways. Subscribe to her blog at The Nutrition Doctor is In the Kitchen, become a fan on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, or check out her food porn on Pinterest.

 

 

Spring Clean Your Diet By Cleaning Out Your House

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This is the third post in my series on dieting, weight loss, and healthy eating, as we continue to look forward with anticipation (dread?) to warmer weather and smaller clothes. Now, jut to be very clear, these articles are not just for people trying to lose weight. You see, many of the strategies for successful weight loss I discuss are general tactics designed to improve the healthfulness of anyone’s diet. Also remember that you can be skinny and still have a host of metabolic risk factors you can’t see on the outside.

In the first two posts I encouraged you to recalibrate the way you think about your diet and gain a better handle on what you’re eating by measuring your diet using a food record. Whether you did these or not, today’s piece is my first specific strategy for healthy eating and weight loss: Clean House. In other words, do not keep tempting, high-energy/low-nutrient foods in your home (or desk … or car… or pocket …). Whatever your vice, tasty treats are often eaten in large portions and contribute substantial calories with very little nutritional value. And guess what? You wouldn’t eat this stuff nearly as often if it weren’t at your fingertips. Obvious, perhaps, yet many people don’t take this seriously – or follow the wrong advice about what is “healthy” – and thus their cupboards and offices are filled with nutritional land mines.

Let’s begin by defining generally what kinds of foods I’m talking about expunging from your home.

  • Cookies, granola bars, and other cookie-like things (low/no-fat and -sugar varieties count)
  • Desserts such as cakes, pies, puddings, and so forth (same notes on fat and sugar as above)
  • Salty snacks including potato chips/crisps, pretzels, doodles, crackers, or funyuns – anything of that ilk (even if baked or low-fat, and especially if it has a name and ingredient list that scream “This isn’t food!”)
  • Frozen desserts like ice cream, frozen yogurt, etc. (includes dairy and non-dairy versions of any fat or sugar content)
  • Candy or chocolate (Need I say more? Yes, actually, and I’ll do so shortly.)
  • Food(s) you know you should be eating less frequently that contribute excess calories to your diet. (You know what these are for you and can gain an even greater understanding if you actually measure your diet...)

I think why I’ve highlighted the above food groups is fairly obvious, but the world is full of dietary advice and anecdotes that do not reflect the latest nutrition science. Here’s the full article for more details and research-based nutritional advice and behavioral strategies where I debunk a few of the popular nutrition mythunderstandings out there.

(That’s a horrible, horrible pun, I know. If any of you are Buffy fans, you’ll recognize the reference.)

A serious cook and obvious Joss Whedon fan, Dr. P. K. Newby is a nutrition scientist and educator who writes about food, cooking, health, science, and sustainability on her blog Play a Good Knife and Fork. You can follow her on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, or check out her food porn on Pinterest.

Do You Know What You’re Eating? You Sure About That?

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We’re well into spring and heading quickly towards summer. Spring is a great time to reassess your diet, which is something I discussed in my first post in this series. Today we’re at Step 2, which encourages you to actually measure what you’re eating. It’s easier than you think, and well worth the effort.

I will admit that I feel rather Freudian, given my first strategy for healthy eating and/or weight loss begins with self (dietary) analysis. But let’s start from the top (or the bottom, depending on how you look at it): Assess Your Diet.  Today’s tip may sound boring, but it’s a fundamental part of creating lasting dietary change. Think of it as a dietary GPS, which begins with programming your current locations as the first critical step before you map out where you are going. The simple fact is that however you are looking to alter your diet, it makes sense to first understand fully what and how you are actually eating. Then, you can see where you need to direct your efforts to make the dietary adjustments needed to enjoy better health and a healthier weight.

It’s Elementary, My Dear Readers

If you don’t get excited about analyzing your own behavior or measuring things, like some of us science geeks, then picture yourself as Sherlock Holmes, trying to investigate what’s going wrong in your diet in the quest to solve the mystery of why you are overweight, why you’re not in the shape you want to be, and/or whatever other health issue you are having that may be diet related. It’s like writing your very own dietary detective story. Sure, it’s only moderately interesting, but you’re still the star.

I’m using the analogy of a mystery here because, like many of the choices we make in our lives, we don’t always have a handle on what exactly we are doing, let alone why. This can also be true about what and how we eat, which is why assessing our diet is so critical. Indeed, if you’ve ever met with a nutrition professional to examine your diet, one of the first things you do is record what you’re eating. This information can then be used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your diet and your food preferences, which will better inform a potential treatment plan that is most suitable for your dietary tastes and styles. While I can’t provide individually tailored advice in this forum, I promise you will find this exercise useful and informative, and possibly even fun.

So. Measure my diet? How do I do that, you query? Good question, thanks for asking. Here’s the rest of the article and the how-to.

Dr. P. K. Newby is a nutrition scientist and educator at Boston University and food and health writer at Play a Good Knife and Fork: Cooking and Eating the P.K.Way. Become a fan on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, or see healthy food porn with links to her articles on Pinterest.

The Food Revolution is Coming! Time to Rethink Your Diet?

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Screen Shot 2012 05 08 at 10.59.26 AM Have you ever heard of Food Revolution, the tv show hosted by Jamie Oliver? Well, it’s more than just a television program, it’s a global event coming up on Saturday, May 19. For more about its mission and to see Jamie’s video call to action, click here.

Of course, I’m getting pretty excited about this “holiday” – in my own science geek-nutrition nerd-foodie kind of way – and even if May 19 is just a regular day for you, perhaps it’s a good time for you to rethink your diet. And guess what? It’s not just about weight. Even if you’re at an ideal body weight, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re eating the way you should for long-term health and longevity. Having a lean physique isn’t equivalent to being metabolically fit, either, something SIF readers know quite well. Moreover, what we eat matters for many reasons beyond your own personal health, which is one of the themes addressed on my blog, Play a Good Knife and Fork.

All that said, as a nutrition scientist with expertise in obesity and chronic disease prevention, of course the way I cook and eat is designed to maximize your own health in the tastiest way possible. So, as we sail towards the summer, I thought this would be a good time to direct you to a few of my posts from January dedicated to rethinking your diet as well as your approach to food and nutrition. The times feel rather similar in some ways, don’t they? In January, most of us make new year’s resolutions to lose weight and get in better shape. In April and May, many of us are again – or still – thinking about weight as the warmer weather and its smaller-sized clothing looms ever nearer. (So long for now, bulky sweaters and boots!) Combined with the increased summer socializing that inevitably seems to lead to more eating and drinking, now is a great time to “spring your diet into shape.” (Yeah, maybe not, but you know what I mean.) 

To get started, I invite you to read the first short introductory piece in the series, Recalibrating Your Diet: Weight Loss and Beyond. This article seemed even more appropriate upon rereading it today since it has a Joss Whedon (The Avengers) reference in it, in case any of you are fans…

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You can follow Dr. Newby on her blog, Facebook, or Twitter; food porn is available on Pinterest.