This weekend, I wanted to experiment with some exotic grains. Exotic grains can be difficult to find, but most health food stores and co-ops have an abundance. Spelt is the exotic grain featured in this recipe. It is an ancient grain that is similar to wheat. Kamut is a similar ancient grain, and I actually substituted kamut in this recipe. Other substitutions I made to this recipe included toning down the spice and substituting tofu for chicken. I also used a bagged shredded cabbage for convenience. The result was very tasty! I really like kamut; it has a rich, buttery flavor and a chewy texture. Try it!
2. Swiss oatmeal
I also started making Swiss oatmeal this week to change up my morning oatmeal routine. This dish is served cold, making it perfect for a hot summer day. Stir together 2 cups uncooked oats with 1.5 cups low fat milk and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, add slices of fresh fruit, chopped nuts, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serves 4.
Americans spend a lower percentage of income on food than any other nation. As a result, our food system has shifted to low-quality, calorie-dense foods. See what it is doing to our health… check out the below 2 minute video.
Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the contest. You all helped to make my grad school project a success, and I greatly appreciate it! I wish I could buy you all Amazon gift cards… but unfortunately I can’t afford it!
So, I wrote down the names of everyone who participated, multiple times for people with multiple entries, and used a random number generator from random.org to pick the winner! And the winner is… Rachel from http://coconutcrumbs.blogspot.com/. Congratulations, Rachel!
That’s right, I’m giving away a free gift card just in time for the holidays, and you could be the lucky winner! Here’s how:
Read any of the 3 blog posts below, titled “The Free Nutrition Tools You’re Missing Out On”
Answer the 2 quick poll questions at the end of the post
Leave a comment at the end of the blog post about what you learned. (To do this, click “Leave a Comment” at the end of the blog post. If you are a Registered Dietitian, please comment on your evaluation of the tutorial.)
Want to improve your chances of winning? Submit multiple “contest entries” by:
Completing the other 2 blog tutorials and posting a comment (each worth 1 entry)
Promote this contest on Twitter by posting: RT @Nutrition_Girl Learn about nutrition and win a FREE $20 Amazon Gift Card http://twurl.nl/n5l8u8 #contest #nutrition
Announce this contest on your own blog and provide a link to this page
The winner will be chosen using an automatic number generator, and he/she will receive an Amazon gift card worth $20 via email. The winner will be notified via email and announced on this blog. The contest begins November 25th, 2009 and ends December 2nd, 2009. Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received.
Today, you will learn how to determine the calories and food group of your favorite foods using MyPyramid’s newest tool: MyFoodapedia. Start by clicking the link to enter: MyPyramid.gov. Next, click on either of the MyFoodapedia links as shown in the image below:
Step 1: To use MyFoodapedia, simply type in the name of the food in the field as shown below. Then click “search.” In the below example, I searched for apple.
Step 2: As you can see, there are a few foods to choose from. Simply double click on the food you are looking for. If we are looking for just a plain old apple, we would double click on “Apple (raw)” as shown below.
Step 3: Select the amount of food to be consumed. As shown in the black box below, I selected 1 medium-sized apple. The food group and calorie information is displayed below the amount. As you can see, a medium apple is about 1 1/4 cups of fruit, and contains about 72 calories.
This is a great “quick look-up” tool to help you evaluate individual foods. You can also compare two foods to see which is healthier.
This tutorial is actually a project for grad school, so I would really appreciate it if you would take the time to answer the following 2 quick polls:
Download an individualized healthy food plan in seconds
Look up the number of calories in your favorite foods
Track your daily food intake and see how it stacks up with your nutritional needs
Find simple tips to include healthy foods in your usual diet
And much, much more all for free!
MyPyramid.gov is a terrific, yet underused resource! The nutrition messages at MyPyramid are based on the most up-to-date nutrition information and the tools have been tested and developed to be user-friendly (Haven, 2006). The below tutorial will show you how to use some of the tools on MyPyramid. First, click this link to open MyPyramid in a new window: MyPyramid.gov. Then follow the steps in the below tutorial to get started.
A good starting place on MyPyramid is to calculate your personal calorie and food group requirements. Here’s how:
Step 1: Click MyPyramid Plan, as shown in the below image. It is located in the blue bar on the left-hand side. I drew a black box around it to help it stand out.
Step 2: Enter your age, sex, weight, height and physical activity level and click submit. The example below shows the information a 40-year old female might enter.
Step 3: You have arrived at your personal plan! To learn more, try clicking any of the links on the page. In the below screen image I have boxed the links that will allow you to print out your results. You can also access tips and other information about the food groups by clicking on them.
Here is an example of the results you can print:
Also, you can click on any of the food groups to learn more information. Below shows the screen you find after clicking on “Grains.” Use the links in the box on the right to find out other information, such as the health benefits of grains and tips to help you eat whole grains. The last link will allow you to print out any of the helpful information you find.
This tutorial is actually for a class project, so please help me out by filling out the very short poll questions below:
Thank you!
References:
Haven J., Burns, A., Britten, P. & Davis C. (2006). Developing the Consumer Interface for the MyPyramid Food Guidance System.J Nutr Educ Behav.38(6S), S124-S135.
We health professionals are always trying to come up with ways to get people to adopt healthy behaviors. I like this new idea to get people to take the stairs more often:
What other ways could we implement “The Fun Theory” to get people to adopt healthy behaviors? (Note: If you have a really great idea, enter the contest at http://thefuntheory.com/?q=rolighetsstipendiet to win $3700!)
Until a couple years ago, I had never tried a persimmon. Today, they are one of my favorite fall fruits! Here is everything you need to know about persimmons:
Fuyu persimmons are squattier than Hachiya persimmons and are flat on the bottom. Fuyus taste great raw, they have a sweet, cinnamon flavor
and a crunchy texture. This is my favorite type of persimmon.
Hachiya persimmons are heart-shaped. Hachiya persimmons are ripe when they are very soft, and are great for baking! Try adding Hachiya pulp to cookies, muffins and quick breads.
Fun Persimmon Facts:
If you cut a persimmon length-wise, there is a star shape in the middle!
Persimmons are Japan’s national fruit.
Persimmons are a great source of fiber and Vitamin A.
Corporate wellness is an emerging trend, and one of my primary areas of interest.
What is “Corporate Wellness?”
Corporate wellness is the integration of preventative health services into the workplace. It can include health fairs with preventative medical screenings, lunch-and-learn presentations by health professionals, health coaching, behavior change challenges and even weight loss incentive programs.
Why the workplace?
Current research shows that every $1 spent on a corporate wellness program saves employers an average of $6 in health care costs and regained productivity. According to the Texas Commissioner of State Health Services, “The link between employee wellness and the bottom line is clear and consistent. Employers who integrate wellness in their overall objectives find they experience reduced absences, better morale, reduced health risks, and reduced health-care costs.” Employee health care costs are on the rise. Currently, employers spend an average of $5000 each year per employee on health care costs. Less than 5% of those costs go to preventative care. Now is the time for companies to invest in a corporate wellness program for their employees.
A Few Success stories
The Washoe County School District in Nevada instituted a weight-loss program that paid employees $10 per pound lost, up to 25 pounds. Program participants missed three fewer workdays per year, producing a cost savings of $15.60 per program dollar spent.
Johnson & Johnson claims to have saved $38 million in health-care costs for its employees between 1995 and 1999 by promoting healthy lifestyles. Medical expenses decreased $224 per employee per year (averaged over four years), and this rate improved over time.
The City of Fort Worth implemented a corporate wellness program for its employees that decreased the number of employees considered “high-risk” from 56% to 22% in 3 years. Their program offers a variety of free wellness and health-promotion services including lunch seminars, disease management programs, walking groups, and monetary incentives for participating in health screening fairs.
Resources:
For more information on corporate wellness, check out any of these resources:
