Author Archives: Kimberly Crocker

Grocery Shopping List for Weightloss in 5 Tips

2-3 pounds a week weightloss in 5 tips just by sharpening your grocery shopping skills!  Purchase more: lemons, teas, fiber, fish and buy packaged items with high potassium content.

Reading Food Labels

  1. Sodium values should always be less than Potassium values. (Sodium values under 200 mg and Potassium levels, above 300 mg.) Juice from half of lemon squeezed into glass of water will help body rid of excess sodium. 
  2. Choose foods with Mono/Poly unsaturated fats (plant based oils): Olive Oil, Canola and Vegetable Oil, Nuts Tofu, Soy etc.  
  3. Consume fish four times a week, which is higher in Omega 3 and lower  in saturated fats. Contrastly, consume Beef, Pork, Poultry, Chicken three times a week.  
  4. Drink Tea.  Oolong, Green, Black teas have all been linked to weightloss due to their high tocopherol content, which contribute utlimately to how a body can more effectively utlilize calories.
  5. Check label for fiber on ALL prepared foods. Fiber is needed for carrying out unused fats, food products and waste. Some packaged foods  have fiber content ranging from 1g-6g. The more fiber the better!  (Fiber: Grains, Nuts, Fruits, Vegetables.)

Fluids are equally important to a successful diet. Consider adding 1-2 glasses of water with 1/2 to 1 whole lemon each day.  (1/2 lemon for under 150 lb’s. 1 whole lemon if over 150 lb’s)

It’s important to include a variety of foods in your daily diet in order to achieve good health and reasonable weightloss.

Carbohydrates from fruits. Vegetables and whole grains. Fats should be healthy oils. Protein must be lean avg. of 4-6 oz., card deck in size.

Plan for Weightloss

  1. You must eat 5-6 small meals to lose weight.
  2. Plan for a 1400-1600 calorie diet
  3. Consume a eight 8 oz glasses of fluids a day.
  4. Exercise: Aerobic 30 minutes a day (walking, jogging, running, swimming, roller bladding, bikeriding, spinning, stairs.)

Listed below are diet plans that will help you to achieve weightloss and a healthier body.

Meal Plan, Which Calories do you Reduce?

Down Shift to 1350 Calories

Mediterranean Diet Low Sodium Meal Plan

TLC diet, You Choose the Food!

Weightloss! Easy Diet, Keep it Off!

Starting your 2009 Healthy Beginings

Begin
Breakfast
Tea, coffee or 4 oz glass of 100% juice.
Milk…. (choices: 8 oz. skim or 1% milk, 4-6 oz low or nonfat yogurt)
Fruit of choice
Bread….Bran Cereal or Oatmeal (low Sodium high Potassium)

Snack am
Fruit with water or tea

Lunch  * may avoid bread and substitute filet of fish (3 oz)
Vegetable….Pepper, Carrot or Celery sticks (1/2 cup)
Bread…. (Aunt Millies multi- grain 2 slices = 1 serving)*
Protein…2 slices turkey
Fruit…….3 slices tomato
Vegetable…..lettuce leaves for sandwhich or salad
condiment….mustard or low sodium vinagrette
Milk….1 oz cheese (optional. May trade for serving of skim milk)
Fresh Fruit Choice (Not canned!)
Lemon with water or tea

Snack pm
Protein and Fat…1 oz nuts (28 pieces= Almonds, Walnuts, Hazelnuts, Peanuts, Soy)
Vegetable of choice

Dinner
Bread… 1/2 cup cooked whole grain pasta, multi grain dinner roll
3 Vegetables  (baked or steamed) condiments for cooked vegetables= Mrs Dash salt substitute, pepper, herbs
Fat…for salad = low sodium vinagrette or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Protein…3 oz lean meat, chicken breast or fish filet baked, broiled or grilled
Fruit of choice
Fluid…water or skim-1% milk 8 oz glass

wine or beer 5 oz only 3 days in the week otherwise they contain 90+ calories each. Opt for water. 0 calories!

Dessets no more than 3 in the week.

By Kimberly Crocker

5 Tips to Ensure Holiday Weight Maintenance.

Holiday’s are for enjoying food, family and fun! January 2 is the moment of truth when one decisively chooses to go on a “diet”. While new diets that apply calorie shifting are given multiple glances and serioulsy put into consideration, it’s important to remember that the word “diet” is about lifestyle and how one eats on a daily basis.

Five tips are easy to follow in order to shift caloric intake and to make sure that access weight gain is headed off at the pass.

Tip 1.      Begin the day with a breakfast.
Protein such as an egg,
Slice of wheat bread
Fruit
Glass of milk
This is an old trick that helps to fill up the stomach so that less food is consumed throughout the morning. You may even feel the need to have a lighter lunch as well.

Tip 2.      Consume calcium for your snacks. Your body needs to be supplied with calcium for both muscles and bones. Weightgain has been linked to low intake of calcium intake. Example: Three glasses of milk can replace any choice of fluid. Many do not realize how many other foods have calcium. Flaxseed actually contains the highest amount at 40% of dietary intake. Almonds and milk contain the same amount of calcium for dietary intake at 25%. 3 ounces of Almonds = 8 ounces of milk (1 glass). Broccoli and oranges also can be added to the daily dietary count of calcium.

Tip 3.      Eat! Dietetics is about how “All Foods Fit”. Don’t resist the temptation. Eyeball the cake size that you want and then cut in 1/2 the amount that you would have otherwise have chosen. (If really courageous cut portion by 3/4’s. This way you can have your cake and you get to eat it too.

Tip 4.      Wine is not a fruit! Just because it comes from a grape doesn’t mean that it gets to be counted on your daily intake of 4 fruits per day. There are 100 calories in a half of glass of wine, which is considered one serving! Women and Men are instructed to consume no more than one to two alcholic beverages per day. 1 serving for a women and 2 servings for men.

Tip 5.      Salty foods are commonly placed in serving bowls throughout gathering areas. Be careful to choose only half of what you really would like to consume. Fruits and vegetables, especially those high in potassium, will flush out the excess salt from your body that will otherwise contribute to weightgain. (banana’s, oranges, kiwi)

Follow all these tips or just a few and you should notice only your weight maintenance. Happy Holidays from Eat Know How!

Tiramisu

Tiramisu

A most requested recipe that will drive the most dubious to the most “Romantic”.  I’ve even had non-coffee drinkers totally embrace this dessert and WILL NOT pass on this Tiramisu.  To optimize the flavors of Tiramisu it is best that it is prepared 24 hours in advance.

tiramisu by chocolate monster mel.

Ingredients

Begin with a cookie sheet and a 9×13 size pan.
36 salviardi or Lady Finger cookies.
1 1/4 cup espresso coffee (When preparing coffee, use 1/2 c. ground turkish cut coffee grounds to 1 1/3 c. water.)
1/4 Marsala (secco) /Rum Liquer
4 Medium eggs room temperature.
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
Mascarpone 750 grams (When removing seal from Mascarpone container there should be a thin layer of fluid on top of Mascarpone. If there is not ADD 1 more egg for a total of 5 Medium eggs.)
Whipping Cream (Optional)
Bitter Chocolate Powdered

On a cookies sheet place the salviardi cookies.
Make coffee. Add rum and coffee together and drizzle liquid all over the cookies.

Using two mixing bowls, open raw eggs and seperate yolk from egg white placing each into it’s own bowl.
Beat egg whites for about two minutes.  (May add a pinch of salt or a pinch of cream of tarter before beting egg whites in order  to stiffen egg white peaks.)
Beat egg yolks and sugar together for about 5 minutes until egg yolks are a light colored yellow.  Next, add mascarpone and beat into egg yolk mixture.

Gently fold egg whites into egg/mascarpone mixture, until no egg white is showing.  Using a half circular motion, place  spatula at bottom of bowl gently bring mascarpone to top of egg white, allowing for mascarpone  to lightly fall onto beaten egg whites.

Take pre-soaked cookies and layer the bottom of the 9×13 pan.  Then add a layer of mascarpone mixture.  Add another layer of pre-soaked cookies.  Spread on a second layer of mascarpone mixture.  Gently layer with whip cream.  With a sieve over the cookie sheet add powdered chocolate to sieve.  Tap seive over Tiramisu so that the powdered chocolate completely covers whip cream.

Place Tiramisu in refrigerator and allow to cure for 12-24 hours. Or place into Freezer for 3 hours and allow to thaw on counter top for 1 hour before serving.

Cut into squares and serve on dessert plate .
May decorate with shavings of white or Dark chocolate; or a chocolate covered coffee bean on top; or mint leaves and raspberries on the side.

Do School Lunches Make Kids Smarter?

Yes!  Possibly one of the best things a Nutrition department can do for a school is to inform the parents of how to help their kids perform better in school, by way of their lunch bag.  A few years ago we witnessed soda and candy vending machines being removed from the schools.  Slowly research on the effects of reducing sugary drinks and foods were measured against healthy breakfasts and lunches.  The evidence from the results on the exam performances were very enlightening.  The proof was in the pudding, the students were performing better with a stronger focus on their daily studies.  In fact,  “one high school in Appleton, Wisconsin replaced their regular poor-quality school lunches with healthy fresh foods at lunch with water as the main beverage. The changes resulted in improved behavior from the students and zero truancy’s.”

Like other schools, Appleton, Wisconsin found that eating healthy at lunch will help keep a child’s mind sharp and ready to learn all afternoon. Convincing schools to change their lunches might take a lot of effort, but there are other things you can do, such as teach your kids the importance of eating nutritious foods. Hopefully, with your help, they will choose healthier salads and vegetables, instead of French fries or fried foods, and water instead of soda.  Some other options for kid’s is to send lunch with your kids. Hearty soups, salads, fruits, and sandwiches with whole grains breads for sandwhiches can be packed in insulated containers to stay hot or cold. ”

By eating whole foods and reducing sugary products it was noticed that the students glucose levels were balanced and steady with very few peaks and valleys.  Evidence is showing that kids who have a diet where all foods are consumed from the various food groups are making a stronger impact then once thought before.

Try combining some of these foods for a healthier focused mind, all have been shown to have a profound effect on how the brain functions.: Milk, Bananas, Eggs, Wheat Toast, Berries, Walnuts, Sliced Chicken /Turkey.

If your child is getting hungry early on in the school day, introduce products into their breakfast with a small amount of fat from the dairy or meats listed. Additionally, fruits take longer to digest and therefore, provides another benefit to having one out the door.

“Red Light Green Light” Easy to Do Diet

Adults and Kids are learning about how to make successful dietary lifestyle choices by classifying foods into three visual categories for a balanced diet.  Bariatrics Research studies on Judith Willis “Traffic Light Diet” have proven weightloss and a newly adapted eating philosophy that makes around the kitchen table sense.  It begins with the most common question asked throughout ones day is “What am I going to eat?” However the question should more often then not be “Why am I eating?”

When balancing food for fuel we can take time to understand what we are putting on our plate and how to proportionally meet daily intake.  Judith Willis author of the “Traffic Light” diet explains that we can quickly educate ourselves by following a Red, Yellow Green color coded approach to nutrition.  This diet is easily “digested” information and is great for both adults and children. 

Three Basic Catagories
Red food’s are: Oils, butter, condiments, foods high in sugar and salt, french fries, caffeinated and carbonated soda drinks, alcoholic beverages. 
While “All Foods Fit” in dietetics, those on this list should be consumed in small amounts.  For example, oils and butters are healthy for the body as they contribute to the lubrication of cells, organs, muscles, arteries and veins. They are also calorie dense so the saying “less is more” applies to ones dietary intake.  It should be noted that in large amounts butter can contribute to blockage of arteries and unnecessary weight-gain.
High intake of caffeine can stimulate or depress while too much alcohol interferes with liver or brain function.  Both Caffeine and Alcohol should be consumed in lesser amounts.
Whenever one has too much of a particular food and the calories are not consumed within 24 hours, the food will be converted to fat.  This philosophy is commonly noted with, but not limited to sugary drinks and snacks.
Yellow Food’s contribute to the development, rejuvenation and maintenance of all our cells, such as: hair, eyes, skin, hormones, bones, organs and muscles. They should be consumed in cautionary manner, paying attention to serving sizes.  Breads and pastas are said to be eaten in smaller amounts throughout the day.  Meat, pork chicken can be eaten twice a day in the amount of 3 ounces or 84 grams at each meal. One ounce or 28 grams of cheese is an appropriate amount for a daily meal. No more than a small cup of 100% juice (opt for fruit instead).  Nuts and legumes also need to be rationed into smaller quantities.  (Nuts 1 tablespoon, beans and potatoes a half of cup.) Eggs are an excellent source of protein and can be consumed 3-5 times a week.
Green foods can be devoured often, they are rich in fiber and therefore, provide 2-4 hours of satiety.  Some of these wonders include: 1/2 cup of fruit and vegetables (considered 1 serving each), low fat milk and yogurt three times a day. Cod or other varieties of white fish.  While breads would be limited it should be noted that whole grain cereals contribute a wide span of vitamin B’s which are critical to our daily diet and these include both whole grain pasta and breads. 
The Green Foods provide a slow and steady release of fructose and lactose into our bodies.  Providing the body with a feeling of satiety, appropriate glucose levels, energy and focus. By consuming more of these foods one will notice higher levels of energy and while their mind is more concentrated on the task at hand.  These foods include: Milk, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts and fish.
A Word about Snacks
It is important to have healthy snacks available for children and adults that are not always made up of empty calories. Teaching kids the benefits of making smart eating choices when they are young can lead to a lifetime of healthy eating habits. Snacks are an easy way to round off nutritional requirements for the day.Healthy snacks should be kept in an area that is easy to reach, with unhealthy choices kept in less accessible areas. This will encourage one to reach for the healthy options first. By encouraging healthy snacking,  both parents and their children will take in the nutrients and know-how needed for healthy living.  Don’t let the name fool you!  These are Great tips and ideas for adults and kids alike, check out these 11easy to make Holiday Kid Friendly Appetizers
For more information and learning how to apply the diet go to http://www.trafficlightdiet.com/