My favorite magazine....

I don't think you can find a single Dietitian out there who does not gush over Cooking Light magazine. I am one of them, and here goes -

Cooking Light magazine really manages to capture the happy side of being healthy; after a few issues, you really start to get the feel for a balanced way of living, without any of those pesky "should's" and "shouldn'ts". It is never preachy, and doesn't fall for the latest fad diet - it simply celebrates good food and good living.

They also have a great website with a search engine for recipes (free!). I love the reader's comments and rating, too - they help when trying to choose a recipe. (the search engine switches over to Myrecipes.com, but it will tell you where each recipe originally came from, including the issue it came from).

I'm going to try this five-star rated recipe for Classic Potato Salad this week (my husband and I both grabbed bags of potatoes on our individual shopping trips, so we're up to our eyeballs in taters). What will you make next?

Soda and beans

I love this kind of nutrition advice, especially when it's based on actual research:

Researchers at the University of Southern California working with overweight Latino teenagers concluded that making small changes similar to cutting out one can of soda a day and adding just a half cup of beans a day can make a big difference in health.

These simple dietary changes do two things - cutting out one can of soda a day wipes out 150 calories of pure sugar - it's the equivalent of about 10 teaspoons of sugar that the teens are no longer taking in. Adding just one half cup of beans a day will add in about 7 grams of fiber and about 7 grams of protein - both fiber and protein are very helpful in keeping us full for longer.

The take-home message is that it doesn't have to be huge to make a difference - adding in some nutrient dense foods like beans, vegetables, whole grains and whole fruit really helps; calories can be shaven off in all kinds of places without making you feel deprived or unsatisfied - a can of soda less here, a slice of low-fat cheese there.

If you're in Arizona, tune in to Arizona Midday on Weds, June 24 (Channel 12 from 1-2), when I'll be giving tips for sneaking in nutrition, including a recipe from the Meal Makeover Moms website (with their permission, of course!) for Cheesy Black Bean Burgers - getting in those beans can be yummy!

Friends Don't Let Friends Fat Talk

I've stumbled across this powerful video, which was produced as part of a "Fat Talk Free" Week that actually happened last fall - the idea was promoted by Delta Delta Delta in coordination with Seventeen magazine and some other interest groups to promote body image in women - check out the video by clicking here.

After the video, sign up to receive email blasts on the issue of ending fat talk - and, just for today, don't let the "f" word cross your pretty lips!

Raising Arizona Kids - April issue

I've got an article in this month's issue of Raising Arizona Kids, about starting to garden with your kids. I think learning how to garden is a lot like learning how to cook - it's best to start learning when you're really small and you can just absorb the lessons while you hang out and watch. I didn't grow up gardening or cooking, so I'm playing catch-up now as an adult. Kids that grow up watching someone cook (and garden!), asking questions, sometimes participating, sometimes messing things up - become adults who are truly comfortable in the kitchen (and garden!). They don't worry so much about minor details, and develop an intuition on what will work and what won't. So, let your kids bug you in the kitchen, and let them dig their hands in that garden - even if things aren't planted in neat little rows when they are involved!

Spongebob in my kitchen

I found this bag of frozen edamame with Spongebob on the front, and I figured I'd buy it to coaxe my picky little 3-year-old to actually eat a vegetable. Now, as you know from my blog, I believe in putting the veggie on the plate but not forcing the veggie down the hatch - they need to be able to try the veggie in their own (excrutiatingly slow) time.

Being a bit of a slacker mom, my 3-year old has been introduced to Spongebob and his friend, Patrick. So, yes, he was very impressed to see the weird little guy in our refrigerator. His brother, the more ambitious eater of the two, dove right in to the edamame, popping them into his mouth. The 3-year-old watched, amused, and finally - he tried it! And he liked it!

I forget about edamame in the world of veggies, since it's not something I was raised on - the only time I eat it is when I'm out with my husband for sushi, with no kids in sight (aaaaah...) But, edamame is actually very kid-friendly. It has a very mild, almost buttery taste, and it is fun for kids to be able to "play with their food" by popping the soybeans out of the pod into their mouth. It's a great source of protein and fiber, and contains something called isoflavones, which are quite healthy and only found in soy.

I think I'll invite the yellow guy back again soon.

Ode to Trader Joe's

Here's a funny video that came across my desk - it's an ode to Trader Joe's, which I love going to. TJ's has interesting and sometimes quirky food items, but won't break the bank like some other specialty grocery stores - enjoy!

A Whole World in Your Belly

Did you know that the human body is made up of 10 trillion cells? If you think that's mind-boggling, now consider this: there are ten times that many bacteria living inside of your intestines. Some experts have labeled this universe in your gut as the "forgotten organ", because these little guys do all kinds of stuff for our bodies. In fact, the activity of bacteria in your colon makes the colon the most metabollically active organ in your body!

Some of the activity of these bugs can be annoying - for example, they help to digest some of the food that we can't digest - this makes more of the calories we eat available to us, but also can cause bloating and gas from the gas they release after eating. But, they do so much more for us, and science is really just now figuring out the whats and hows; it's very complicated, because it kind of depends on "who" is the dominant strain in your gut (they estimate that you have between 300 to 1000 different strains in there). Bacteria eat, they fight, they release all kinds of by-products; everything they do has an effect on the host (us!).

The science is still new, but having a gut-full of "good" bacteria seems to be helpful at keeping our immune system running properly, and may even be linked to whether or not we become obese!

So, how to develop and nurture a bellyful of the good guys? It is likely related to our overall and longterm diet - and it is likely most beneficial to eat a plant-based diet over the long term. Yes, it comes back to the fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. It also seems to be helful to eat what is termed "fermented foods" - yogurt, buttermilk, kefir, and sauerkraut for example.


By the way, one of the theories to explain why exclusively breastfed babies tend to end up as lean adults is that they are allowed to "grow" the right mix of gut bacteria and establish a nice strong colony of the good guys. Fascinating, right? Now, go have your beans today!