Clean Up Your Health By Spring Cleaning Your Pantry
- Mar 20, 2019
- Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN
Ideas for cleaning up your pantry and stocking it with what your body wants. Here's how to get started.
Ideas for cleaning up your pantry and stocking it with what your body wants. Here's how to get started.
My approach to Halloween candy may be a bit different than you would expect from someone who embraces healthy eating.
What can you do about unwanted food cravings? I'm often asked this question by clients, and this four-step approach is one of the most simple, but powerful strategies to prevent yourself from overeating.
#1: DELAY
People seem to have the mindset that cravings aren't normal. That couldn't be further from the truth. Cravings are extremely normal for everyone, and they often ebb and flow. Allow yourself to acknowledge the craving without judgement. Delay is different than deny. If you obsess over a food that you deny yourself, it's more difficult to let it go.
In this step, it's important not to engage with negative self talk that tells you you're weak, don't have control, or shouldn't be craving something. It's totally okay to have cravings--it's just important to be patient with them and avoid the immediate knee-jerk reaction to eat. DELAY first and foremost.
#2: DISTRACT
Often times we crave because we are restless, bored, procrastinating, stressed, tense, tired, sad, happy... all kinds of reasons. Food is not usually the solution to these issues; rather, the solution is finding activities that engage, stimulate, or relax us physically and mentally. Call a friend, practice deep breathing, walk the dog, take a bath, clean, listen to music or make a playlist for your ipod.
Make a list of five things you can easily do at work and five things you can do at home. This list of distractions is meant to give you some ideas on what to turn to when you need to "distract" yourself from a craving.
#3: DEFLECT
Drink water or tea before you turn to food--sometimes we mistake thirst for hunger, and a simple glass of water does the trick. Making a hot cup of herbal tea--such as peppermint--and even adding some lemon juice and a squirt of honey or splash of milk--can be a soothing solution that allows you to slow down a bit and let go of the anxiety surrounding your craving.
#4: DOWNSIZE
When delaying, distracting, and deflecting just won't do the trick, you can choose to have a smaller portion of whatever it is you are craving, have a healthier version that still has the same flavor as what you are craving, or pair a more nutritious food with your craving. Popcorn is a great option when you are craving salty/crunchy foods, and fruit dipped in dark chocolate is a good way to satisfy a sweet tooth while still fitting in some good nutrients.
Lastly, be patient with yourself. It's good to own your choices, but guilt is a demoralizing emotion. Be compassionate with yourself and make a plan for how you will act the next time a craving hits. In this way, you will encourage and empower yourself, which are much better motivators than guilt!
If you liked these tips, check out more of my tips, like how I kicked my sugar addiction and my top 6 supplements for sports nutrition recovery.
In Health and Happiness,
Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods
Each October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and more and more research indicates a link between diet and cancer. About one in eight American women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime—more than 246,000 women (and about 2,600 men) are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016 alone.
Studies have identified cancer-fighting compounds in certain foods, particularly carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables like carrots and tomatoes. However, experts increasingly believe it’s the overall diet pattern that counts the most.
GO MEDITERRANEAN
It’s not just good for your heart. Women following a Mediterranean diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish and extra-virgin olive oil were 68% less likely to develop breast cancer than women put on a low-fat diet, Spanish researchers found. Previous research has shown the Mediterranean diet is associated with lower cancer rates in general, but this is the first study to show a benefit for breast cancer specifically.
LIMIT SUGAR
Added sugar isn’t so sweet for breast cancer risk, suggests preliminary research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Mice who got upwards of 12.5% of their calories from added sugar were significantly more likely to develop breast cancer compared to mice on a no-added-sugar diet.
Unfortunately, the average American gets 13% of their daily calories from added sugar, putting them at great risk. The researchers found the sweet stuff triggered enzymes leading to inflammation, which is thought to play a role in this disease. While results in people haven’t been quite so dramatic, research suggests sugar appears to have a similar impact on humans. Another bonus: cutting back on added sugar to about 24 grams (or less than 5% of your daily calories) per day can help you stay slim—important since obesity is also associated with breast cancer risk.
CLOSE THE KITCHEN AFTER DINNER
In a study of women already diagnosed with breast cancer, those who put at least 13 hours between dinner and breakfast the next day cut their risk of recurrence by 36% and had better blood sugar control, according to a new University of California, San Diego study. The researchers are optimistic their findings may apply to preventing breast cancer, since high blood sugar may increase your risk for the disease.
Reference:
Eating Well, September/October 2016
About one in eight American women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime—more than 246,000 women (and about 2,600 men) are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016 alone. Studies have identified cancer-fighting compounds in certain foods, particularly carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables like carrots and tomatoes. However, experts increasingly believe it’s the overall diet pattern that counts the most.
GO MEDITERRANEAN
It’s not just good for your heart. Women following a Mediterranean diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish and extra-virgin olive oil were 68% less likely to develop breast cancer than women put on a low-fat diet, Spanish researchers found. Previous research has shown the Mediterranean diet is associated with lower cancer rates in general, but this is the first study to show a benefit for breast cancer specifically.
LIMIT SUGAR
Added sugar isn’t so sweet for breast cancer risk, suggests preliminary research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Mice who got upwards of 12.5% of their calories from added sugar were significantly more likely to develop breast cancer compared to mice on a no-added-sugar diet.
Unfortunately, the average American gets 13% of their daily calories from added sugar, putting them at great risk. The researchers found the sweet stuff triggered enzymes leading to inflammation, which is thought to play a role in this disease. While results in people haven’t been quite so dramatic, research suggests sugar appears to have a similar impact on humans. Another bonus: cutting back on added sugar to about 24 grams (or less than 5% of your daily calories) per day can help you stay slim—important since obesity is also associated with breast cancer risk.
CLOSE THE KITCHEN AFTER DINNER
In a study of women already diagnosed with breast cancer, those who put at least 13 hours between dinner and breakfast the next day cut their risk of recurrence by 36% and had better blood sugar control, according to a new University of California, San Diego study. The researchers are optimistic their findings may apply to preventing breast cancer, since high blood sugar may increase your risk for the disease.
Reference:
Eating Well, September/October 2016
When it comes to “treats,” I love candy. I’ve loved eating candy for as long as I can remember. However, it was time this love affair with sugar came to an end! In my opinion, the majority of the food I eat on a regular basis is low in sugar; however, my Achilles heal is the time between dinner and bedtime. Call it a habit, call it an addiction—regardless, I needed to eat less sugar.
These strategies have helped me decrease my sugar intake and get through those fierce cravings that usually happen in the evening.
If I skip breakfast for whatever reason, I have an insatiable appetite later in the day and into the evening. I don’t feel satisfied, and it usually leads to sugar cravings. Therefore, to curb cravings later in the day and evening, I must eat a well-balanced, substantial breakfast. This breakfast must be high in protein, such as eggs, a protein smoothie, or plain Greek yogurt, and also contain fiber, such as veggies in an omelet, spinach in the smoothie, or berries in the yogurt.
Scan the ingredients! For me, it’s a rude-awakening when I read the ingredients or the grams of sugar in a food. I’ve learned it’s a pretty effective way for me to avoid eating sugar or at least eat far less.
For example, I bought a little pack of Jelly Belly’s the other day. I had eaten about 10 of them before I reviewed the ingredients. Once I saw they contained every type of artificial coloring possible, I put them down and they're currently still sitting in my pantry. I just need to throw them away. When I review a nutrition label, I look in two areas—the number of sugar grams, and the ingredients details because I like to see where the sugar is coming from (ie: corn syrup, agave, high fructose corn syrup, etc.).
If I’m experiencing mid-afternoon or evening cravings, hot tea is my go-to crutch. I sip it more slowly because it’s hot, and by the time I’m finished drinking it, the cravings are usually less.
I’ve made a point to eliminate artificial sweetener in my diet.
One concern about artificial sweeteners is they affect the body’s ability to gauge how many calories are being consumed. Some studies show sugar and artificial sweeteners affect the brain in different ways. The human brain responds to sweetness with signals to eat more. By providing a sweet taste without any calories, however, artificial sweeteners cause us to crave more sweet foods and drinks, which can add up to excess calories.
For this reason, I no longer use Splenda, Sweet-n-Low, or Equal to sweeten anything. For example, I now buy full-calorie yogurt and not sugar-free. I also stopped drinking diet soda.
I am prone to getting cravings after dinner – despite whether I’m hungry or not. I’ve found it’s best to clean out anything in my kitchen that could serve as a weakness. I need to remove as much of the temptation as possible. If I really need to eat something sweet, I try to choose fruit or dried fruit. I especially love dried mango as a sweet treat.
Oil Pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic remedy for oral health and detoxification. It involves the use of pure oils as agents for pulling harmful bacteria, fungus, and other organisms out of the mouth, teeth, gums and even throat.
I only recently started oil pulling, and although it doesn’t decrease cravings, I certainly can’t eat if I have oil in my mouth! I place about a Tablespoon of high quality organic coconut oil into my mouth, let it dissolve and swish it around for 10-15 minutes. I spit it out in the trash can (not the sink because it solidifies which can clog the drain).
I started with small changes, and once I felt like I made a real change, I moved on to the next major sugar source.
Have you ever tried to kick a sugar addiction?
What has helped you along the way? I would love to hear them!
In Health and Happiness,
Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods
It’s nearly impossible not to have a love-hate relationship with sugar. From freshly baked birthday cakes to our favorite Thanksgiving pies, sugar occupies a delectable place in our diets.
But while it tastes oh-so-scrumptious, sugar comes with drawbacks. It can cause a number of emotional health problems, such as depression and anxiety, and is addictive.
The tricky part is, sugar sneaks into our diets in unexpected ways and under different names — such as molasses and corn syrup. But to maintain optimal health, it seems best to stick to a low-sugar diet.
We’ve listed 10 so-called healthy foods that aren’t as nutritious as they seem on the surface:
1. Almond Milk
Dairy-free might be in vogue, but that doesn’t mean alternatives are always healthier. Many boxed brands of almond milk contain around 7 grams of sugar. Luckily, many big labels have “unsweetened” options - or make it yourself (it's easy)!
2. Whole Wheat Bread
Many people probably think of whole wheat as the healthier alternative to white bread. But it still contains added sugar. Some brands labeled “100 percent whole wheat” list sugar, raisin juice concentrate, and molasses among their ingredients.
Sprouted bread is a healthier option, as it is less likely to contain additives and is easier to digest. And when in doubt, read the ingredients.
3. Salad Dressing
Even tangy salad dressings are typically made with hidden sugars. Instead of buying packaged dressing, try mixing olive oil and lemon to add zest to your salad. Or play around in the kitchen and concoct your own recipes.
4. Some Dried Fruits
Fruits are naturally sweet on their own, but many companies add sugar and oil to dried versions, even in the bulk section of the grocery store. It’s always best to opt for low-glycemic fresh fruit, which has less sugar and will also help hydrate you.
If you just can’t live without that handful of raisins, be sure to check the ingredients.
5. Protein Powders & Bars
Fitness fanatics know protein is necessary for maintaining muscle and energy. But while protein powders and bars are easy ways to amp up your amino acid intake, many contain added sugars to improve their flavor.
Opt for an unsweetened protein powder, or try making your own wholesome protein bar.
6. Peanut Butter
Many companies add sweet substances to their peanut butter to improve the taste. Even some “natural” peanut butters list sugar in the ingredients.
Seek spreads that are made only from peanuts and salt and therefore contain only 1 or 2 grams of naturally occurring sugar. When it comes to nut butters, always check the label.
7. Tomato Sauce
Yes, even tomato sauce has sugar — as much as 10 grams per serving! So check labels. It may even contain high fructose corn syrup, so also be on the lookout for that. Even some of the big names sell a “no sugar added” option.
8. Flavored Oatmeal
Not all bags of oatmeal are equal — and you should be especially wary of the flavored varieties. For instance, cinnamon-and-spice instant oatmeal can have 11 grams of sugar.
While there are surely lower-sugar options, it’s simple to make your own flavored oatmeal. Just get steel-cut oats and add seasoning (such as a dash of cinnamon) and some sliced fresh fruit. Voilà!
Smoothies are pretty healthy, right? Sometimes. But many include sweetened liquids, such as almond milk or yogurt, in addition to added sugars and fruits.
Your best bet is making your own smoothie — or placing a fresh order instead of grabbing a pre-made smoothie — and being careful about choosing sweetened ingredients.
What’s so bad about a modest amount of fruits and nuts? Well, those aren’t usually the only ingredients in a fruit-and-nut bar. Many of those bars are coated with sweeteners such as sugar, glucose syrup, and dates.
A healthier — and perhaps more filling — treat is a trail mix containing your favorite dried fruits and nuts. Or try making your own bars! You’re body — and your wallet — will thank you.
Article courtesy of the lovely mindbodygreen
The days are growing longer, the flowers are blooming, and the birds are singing, it's readily apparent that spring is in the air (unless, of course, you live in the Northeast, in which case, that's probably the snowplows, not the birds, you hear).
One of my favorite springtime desserts is an old classic, pineapple upside-down cake. Upside-down cakes can also be made traditionally with any chopped fruit, like apples or cherries, or, un-traditionally, with pears or cranberries. Me, I'm a traditionalist, and I'll stick with the pineapple.
Like many desserts, pineapple upside-down cake is high in flavor but also high in calories. Can it be made a little healthier while still keeping the original flavor? Of course.
One substitution is to eschew the white sugar for coconut palm sugar. Collected from the buds of the coconut palm, coconut palm sugar actually doesn't taste a thing like coconut. If anything, it's more reminiscent of brown sugar, with a slight caramel-y flavor, which plays well with tropical ingredients like pineapple.
Coconut palm sugar is mostly sucrose, not glucose, and has a low glycemic index, meaning that it's less likely to cause spikes and drops in your blood sugar. It is also rich in potassium, magnesium, zinc, and iron, as well several B-vitamins. When cooking or baking with coconut palm sugar, it can be substituted for white sugar on a 1:1 basis.
Then, of course, there's the pineapple. It's easily found in a can, but depending on where in the United States you are, finding fresh pineapple isn't difficult. Most recipes call for a 20-oz can of sliced pineapple; a fresh two pound pineapple will yield about the same amount and taste that much better. You can easily core a pineapple with a pineapple corer, or simply slice the pineapple and use a small cookie cutter to remove the cores.
You could also omit the traditional maraschino cherries and use blueberries or strawberries instead, or, if you're feeling really hardcore (and like traditional cocktails), you can make your own! The maraschino cherries you see in supermarkets these days have been brined, preserved, and pumped full of so much food dyes that they're cherries in name only. Making your own can be as simple as dumping some fresh (never frozen) pitted cherries into a canning jar and topping it off with maraschino liqueur, giving it a couple of weeks, and voila! Maraschino cherries the way they were pre-Prohibition, and they are great not only for pineapple upside down cake, but also in a Manhattan, Old Fashioned, or the cocktail of your choice.
Another cool thing about pineapple upside-down cake? You can cook it in my favorite cooking utensil, a cast-iron skillet. Cast-iron provides nice, even heat for a perfectly caramelized top.
While this is usually a springtime dessert, there's no reason you can't enjoy this treat any time of the year.
This recipe, courtesy of Food.com, is a great starting point if you want to jump into the world of inverted desserts.
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 (20 ounce) cans sliced pineapple, drained (or freshly sliced)
1 1/3 cups flour
1 cup coconut palm sugar
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
maraschino cherries, if desired
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine flour, coconut palm sugar, shortening, milk, baking powder, salt, and egg until well blended.
Melt butter in iron skillet.
Sprinkle brown sugar over butter.
Arrange pineapple slices on top brown sugar/butter.
Place cherries in center of slices.
Pour batter over pineapple in skillet and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Remove from oven and turn onto heat-proof plate.
Sources:
Wikipedia, Coconut Palm Sugar found here.
2015’s theme for National Nutrition Month’s is “Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle,” which encourages everyone to adopt eating and physical activity plans focused on consuming fewer calories, making informed food choices and getting daily exercise in order to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risk of chronic disease and promote overall health.
There are many ways to upgrade your Standard American Diet, and one of the standouts is to REDUCE YOUR SUGAR INTAKE.
Is Sugar Affecting Your Health?
According to the National Cancer Institute, Americans consume an average of about 22 teaspoons a day of added sugar. This far exceeds the amount the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends: a daily maximum of six teaspoons for women and nine for men per day. Health issues such as mood swings, rheumatoid arthritis and cavities can be affected by sugar intake, and the AHA says added sugar is associated with increased risks of high blood pressure and high triglyceride levels.
To understand how much sugar you are consuming, start by reading labels and especially ingredients. Minimize the products that list sugar as one of the main ingredients.
When label reading, 4 grams of sugar is equal to 1 teaspoon of sugar! Familiarize yourself with the other words that signal sugar!
In Health and Happiness,
Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods
With so many different sweeteners available, how do you decide which one to use? I prefer a natural sweetener with some added nutritional value. Here's a helpful list of great natural sweeteners, the added nutrition each provides, and some suggested uses for each.
To enlarge infographic, click here >
With so many different sweeteners available, how do you decide which one to use? I prefer a natural sweetener with some added nutritional value. I use the sweetener to replace processed, non-nutritive, refined sugar. It’s highly recommended to decrease your intake of refined sugar because it can have harmful effects on metabolism and contribute to all sorts of diseases. Excess intake of fructose, in particular, overloads the liver, forcing it to turn fructose into fat. Fructose also negatively effects our hunger hormones, is highly addictive for many people, and increases the risk of gaining weight. Keep in mind, limiting fructose intake does NOT apply to fruit. It’s almost impossible to overeat fructose by eating fruit.
Here's a helpful list of great natural sweeteners, the added nutrition each provides, and some suggested uses for each.
Fun Fact: The vibrant color of fruit are due to phytonutrients, beneficial compounds that promote healthy aging and reduces your risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and more.
Fruit’s Health Benefits:
Fruit’s Best Uses:
Fun Fact: Known as the “Peruvian Ground Apple.” The yacón’s sweet, crispy tuberous root is described as a cross between an apple and a melon, or similar to a sweet jicama.
Yacon’s Health Benefits:
Yacon’s Best Uses:
Green-leaf Stevia’s Health Benefits:
Green-leaf Stevia’s Best Uses:
Maple Syrup’s Health Benefits:
Maple Syrup's Best Uses:
Coconut Palm Sugar’s Health Benefits:
Coconut Palm Sugar's Best Uses:
Fun Fact: Honey is the ONLY food source produced by an insect that humans eat.
Raw Honey’s Health Benefits:
Raw Honey's Best Uses:
Fun Fact: Manuka honey is thicker and less sweet compared to raw honey. There are also slight taste differences between manuka honey brands, depending on where the manuka honey has been farmed, soil type, and other environmental factors.
Manuka Honey’s Health Benefits:
Manuka Honey’s Best Uses:
Molasses Health Benefits:
Molasses Best Uses:
Dates Health Benefits:
Dates Best Uses:
Fun Fact: Lucuma is the most popular ice cream flavor in the Andes of South America.
Lucuma's Health Benefits:
Lucuma's Best Uses:
Remember, as with all sugar-based sweeteners, if you’re going to eat it, do so in moderation.
In Health and Happiness,
Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods
References:
Fructose and Health issues: http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/54/7/1907.short
Adverse Metabolic effects of fructose: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23594708
Insulin resistance and cancer: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jdr/2012/789174/
Fructose and Hunger hormones: http://press.endocrine.org/doi/abs/10.1210/jc.2003-031855
Sugar is Addicting: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306452205004288
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763407000589
High fructose corn syrup may cause obesity: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/4/537.short
Antioxidants in sweeteners: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19103324
Manuka Honey: http://www.webmd.boots.com/vitamins-and-minerals/manuka-honey