Archive for May, 2011

Left out vegetarian at the barbeque?

Friday, May 27th, 2011


 

By Para Mehta, RD/ www.healthfulfilling.com


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With Memorial Day weekend and summer picnics and barbeques ahead, what are some ways to enjoy a barbeque if you are vegetarian or have guests who are? Although choices might seem boring or limited, you might be tastefully surprised at some fun options, like:

Grilled vegetable medley of multi colored bell peppers, onions, corn, and beets (can also be served on a whole grain bun with favorite fixings)

Barbequed pre-marinated tofu pieces with garlic, green onions, and potatoes

Grilled vegetable kabobs with tofu

Barbequed corn, and baked vegetarian beans with diced red onions

Grilled herbed red and sweet potatoes

Grilled red pepper and cherry tomato bruschetta

Grilled mushrooms on whole grain bun with mozzarella cheese

Veggie burgers or veggie franks  

Don’t forget about the variety of sides that vegetarians can delight in depending on what type of vegetarianism, like pasta salads, vegetable salads, potato salads, fruit medleys, vegetarian bean and legume combinations, bread and roll varieties, and corn on the cob. So if you are vegetarian, don’t shy away from the barbeques, go ahead and showcase the pizzaz of vegetarian barbeque choices and share the benefits of lower calorie, produce packed, fiber filled wholesome foods!

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1 of 3 adults has high blood pressure but some don’t know they have it

Saturday, May 21st, 2011


 

By Para Mehta, RD/ www.healthfulfilling.com


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Before you say, “pass the salt please,” ask yourself when the last time you got your blood pressure checked. According to the American Heart Association, one out of three adults has high blood pressure, but about 21 percent are not aware they have high blood pressure.

Preventing high blood pressure or managing it if already diagnosed, is crucial to help prevent heart disease or stroke. May is National Stroke Awareness Month. The Stroke Association stresses that time is critical to treating a stroke, and that if the first symptom is treated with a certain  clot breaking medication within 3 hours it may decrease chances of long term effects of some type of strokes.  To find out symptoms and signs of stroke, and taking a closer look at women and stroke, visit:

http://www.stroke.org/site/PageServer?pagename=SYMP

http://www.stroke.org/site/PageServer?pagename=WOMSYMP 

Reducing your use of salt and high sodium foods is another ingredient to keeping a healthy blood pressure. Check out or review the blog entry, 

Putting the salt shaker away may not be enough

http://healthfulfilling.com/blog/2011/02/28/putting-the-salt-shaker-away-may-not-be-enough/

Don’t forget to get your blood pressure checked this month if you haven’t recently! If you have made changes to cut back on your salt intake, or have improved your blood pressure, we’d love to hear from you!

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No more chocolate milk?

Saturday, May 14th, 2011


 

By Para Mehta, RD/ www.healthfulfilling.com

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Is your child a chocolate milk lover? Do they opt for the chocolate milk with school lunch? Well, if more districts follow the Los Angeles district that wants to ban flavored milk, your child may be out of luck, and will get regular milk instead. The Los Angeles district wants flavored milk to exit the cafeteria due to high sugar contents, and it possibly contributing to childhood obesity. Many parents are possibly applauding this, and others worry that their children won’t drink the regular milk. The Associated Press reports that various nutrition and health organizations believe that the sugar content in milk is outweighed by the other nutrients in milk like calcium, Vitamin D, and protein.

A chef from England, Jamie Oliver, preaches nutrition reform to the schools of this nation, to help reduce the childhood obesity issue.  He stated to the Associated Press, “If you have flavored milk, that’s candy.” 

Not quite so. A typical candy bar, about 2 ounces, has about 35 grams of sugar, and 1 cup of 1 percent chocolate milk has about 22 grams of sugar. The typical candy bar has about 2 grams or less of protein, with about 40 to 60 mg of calcium if made with milk chocolate,  and the 1 cup of 1 percent chocolate milk has 8 grams of protein, and about 300 mg of calcium. The average candy bar has four times the fat, and three times the saturated fat compared to the 1 cup of 1 percent chocolate milk. So their is a difference in nutrient composition between 1 percent chocolate milk and the average piece of candy.

Sure, too much sugar is not a good thing for kids or adults. Since so many foods are questionable in the school cafeteria, such as the extra items like chips, ice cream, and other snacks, and some of the entrees like chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and burgers, the food debate is never ending.

Educating our children to make healthy choices can motivate a permanent lifestyle choice, and can help prevent childhood obesity, leading to healthier adult lives. Banning, restricting, depriving may not be the best avenue to healthier eating for the long term. Teaching, guiding, and being informed about healthy food choices results in a more balanced approach to eating. Obtaining credible nutrition information from formally educated and trained nutrition professionals is a must. Finding information from persons without formal nutrition education and training takes the science out of nutrition and can be very misleading.

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What’s a Mom to do?

Saturday, May 7th, 2011


 

By Para Mehta, RD/ www.healthfulfilling.com


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“We have no choice.” “We just have to keep going.” “We’re Moms, that’s just how it goes.” These are just some of the comments I hear from fellow Moms about how things are just non-stop in terms of the life of a Mom with multiple responsibilities. “Even when we’re sick, we just have to keep going. Go to work, take care of the house, take of the kids, take care of whatever needs to be taken care of.”

Thankfully, there are Moms out there who do get help from their husbands who take a share of the load, too. Then again, at times we hear from our kids, “we want Mommy to help, or Mommy does it this way.” Mom’s do come with an extra element of a magic touch to a lot of things which is why Mom is called on for more things than not.

Since Moms tend to be the “go to gal” almost 24/7, and Moms feel the brunt of it,  then Moms need to know when to take time out for themselves. Moms, listen to your body, and your mind, and when too much is too much, stop and slow down. Don’t push your limits as much as you feel like you can or need to. Let things go a little here and there, even though you think it might backfire later.

For the single Mom, doing everything on her own with little or no help, it does not go unnoticed. You are very strong and wonderful Moms to raise your kids on your own, and shoulder all the responsibilities of life. That does not mean you should put off breaks. Schedule time with family or friends to help out when possible so you can revive, and pay attention to your health.

Giving yourself a break is what you deserve to keep yourself healthy physically, mentally and emotionally. For this Mother’s Day, write down a few ways to remind yourself when and how to make time for yourself. Put it where you can see it, announce to your family that you will be taking some “time outs” for yourself so you can be a better and healthier person.

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