Always look at the ingredient list, even on the simple products. If there are more than 3 ingredients and if any of the ingredients is a chemical not found in your cupboards, don’t buy the product. 

We would buy the Daisy product over the Knudsen even with the Vitamin A Palmitate. Vitamin A is required to be added to lower fat dairy products to make them more “nutritionally equivalent” to the whole-fat foods. What we really notice are all those other ingredients in the other cottage cheese! We definitely don’t want THAT stuff in our bodies.

Most recipes for homemade taco seasoning call for chili powder. Chili powder is a blend of spices and sometimes includes gluten-containing ingredients to keep the mixture loose. And, almost all recipes call for salt. Salt is used as a flavor enhancer and for bulk.

So, what’s a cook that likes “fast” and “easy” to do? We’ve come up with a taco seasoning blend that is easy to make and keep on the shelf in place of those packets with all the additives. We were able to make a large batch of this blend with simple seasonings from our spice rack.

By the way, this recipe calls for onion powder and garlic powder. We looked up information online and confirmed that, according to Celiaccess.com and McCormick spices, the single-ingredient powders are gluten-free.

Salt-free and Gluten-Free Taco Seasoning

Ingredients

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Thoroughly combine all ingredients in a small jar. Store in a cool, dry place.

To use: Stir 2 – 3 teaspoons of the seasoning into 1 pound ground meat. Add more, if you want the meat spicier. Add 8 ounces no-salt tomato sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is thoroughly cooked and liquid’s evaporated.

Just buy some pump-up sprayers or other spray bottles. Add your own oil and spray to coat pans for baking or stir-frying. Using a sprayer helps reduce the amount of oil added to a pan and helps eliminate waste.

In the sprayers shown above, we color-code our oil. Extra-light olive oil is in the light-colored sprayer and darker colored, full-flavored extra virgin olive oil fills the darker one. We especially like these colored sprayers since the covers protect the spray nozzles from becoming dirty.

Refrigerator Oatmeal

Ingredients

1/4 cup old-fashioned oats

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup organic milk

1 teaspoon flax seed meal

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 – 3/4 cup fresh fruit (chop the fruit into 1/4″ pieces if needed)

In a 2-cup glass jar (like for canning), combine oats, yogurt, milk, flax seed meal, and vanilla extract. Stir well or just cover the jar and shake thoroughly. Stir in the fresh chopped fruit. Cover. Place in the refrigerator overnight. (You could leave out the flax seed meal, but it provides extra Omega fatty acids and fiber.)

This fruited oatmeal is wonderful served cold in the morning. Or, you can take it with you for a late-morning breakfast. We have even taken it camping for a quick breakfast. My husband usually eats it right out of the jar, but I like to pour it into a bowl. This cereal is also very tasty warm. Just heat the mixture in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

We usually use whole blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Strawberries are often cut into smaller pieces. Chopped peaches are also wonderful. The oatmeal with berries will last 2-3 days in the refrigerator. If you used peaches or bananas, the oatmeal should be eaten the next day, before the fruit turns too brown.

Let us know YOUR favorite fruit/oatmeal combination.

We tried this recipe using a Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Cereal. The grains didn’t soften overnight, so it wasn’t good eaten raw. However, 2-3 minutes in the microwave softened the grains and made a wonderful breakfast.

Today’s food holiday is “Grilled Cheese”. In honor of the event, here are a few tips toward making the Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich:

1. Make sure to preheat your skillet before cooking the sandwich.

2. Butter the outer side of the bread. Buttering the bread works better than just putting a little oil in the pan because it allows for better browning and makes sure your sandwich doesn’t stick to the pan.

3. Use a cheese that melts well. The higher the fat content of the cheese, the better the melting and the creamier the taste. Unfortunately, the best grilled cheese sandwiches are NOT low fat. Here’s a list of several cheeses that melt well:

Cheddar               Gruyere

Chevre                 Havarti

Colby                    Muenster

Colby Jack           Monterey Jack

Edam                    Mozzarella

Fontina                 Swiss

Gouda                   Brie (without the rind)

A little gorgonzola or Blue can also be good additions to a mild cheese

4. Cook sandwich on one side in hot pan on a medium-high heat until the buttered bread starts to brown. The cheese inside should also be starting to melt. If the cheese isn’t starting to melt, turn down the heat a little; your pan’s too hot. Finally, turn the sandwich with a spatula and cook until that second buttered side is browned. 

You can make many versions of grilled cheese. Among my favorites are grilled cheese with cranberry sauce or with leftover steamed vegetables. And, don’t be afraid to try different cheeses. It’s sometimes fun to melt a couple different cheeses in the sandwich.

Hope you enjoy a Happy Grilled Cheese Day!

We’ve long known that red meat increases our risk of heart disease. Researchers have thought it’s the saturated fat. But, some new research indicates that it might be the L-carnitine in the meat that’s most  responsible for putting fat into our arteries. What does that mean, other than that we shouldn’t eat red meat? Is meat the only food with carnitine?

When we eat meat, bacteria in our digestive system breaks down the carnitine. Carnitine’s a compound made from the amino acids lysine and methionine and gets fats into the cell mitochondria so the cell can use it for energy. When the carnitine’s digested, a compound known as TMAO is formed. (TMAO is short for trimethylamine-N-oxide.) New research has found that the more carnitine we eat, the more bacteria is produced, and the more TMAO that’s produced. The TMAO promotes the growth of artery-clogging plaques.The greater number of years you eat meat, the more TMAO you have in your body. Vegetarians have less carnitine-digesting bacteria and lower plaque growth.

This study about Carnitine and TMAO was published April 7 in the journal, Nature Medicine. It seems to be a landmark study about the development of plaque in the arteries since the researchers studied 2,595 patients undergoing heart exams and also studied mice. The mice studies indicated that the the TMAO prevents cholesterol from being broken down and allows it to be deposited in the arteries.

What foods contain carnitine? Of meats, red meat contains the most carnitine, but fish, chicken and dairy products have a little bit. Some weight loss substances contain a lot of carnitine. And, energy drinks also contain a high amount. Here are some examples:

Beef steak, 4 ounces, cooked:  56-162 mg.*

Ground beef, 4 ounces, cooked:  87-99 mg.

Whole milk, 8 ounces: 8 mg.

Chicken breast, 4 ounces, cooked:  3-5 mg.

Weight loss supplements:  2,000 – 6,000 mg./day**

Energy drinks:  Possibly 250 mg/serving *** The amount isn’t listed for Monster energy drinks except that it’s the first ingredient in a 2500 mg Monster Energy Blend in those drinks. ****

Message:  Eliminate red meat, don’t drink energy drinks, and definitely don’t take L-carnitine supplements for weight loss.
Sources:

* Animal-based foods: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Carnitine-HealthProfessional/

** http://www.livestrong.com/article/316630-how-much-l-carnitine-do-i-need-to-burn-fat/

*** http://www.artofdrink.com/archive/research/energy-drinks-alcohol-l-carnitine/

****http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2012/10/24/we-know-about-caffeine-in-energy-drinks-like-monster-but-what-about-the-other-ingredients/

Have you ever gone into a restaurant and used the calorie information to help choose your meal? Nutrition by Nancy was at a small chain restaurant this week and saw many problems with the calorie counts. In fact, one salad was listed in 3 places on the menu, each with different calorie counts. And, the “petite” salad had more calories than the large dinner-size salad! We asked the server about the difference; she said she couldn’t tell and commented that she’s found many other incorrect items on the menu.

As the weather warms, more and more people choose salads, knowing they’re a cool entree and feeling they’re eating more nutritiously that way. Nutrition guidelines state that we should have no more than 35% of our calories from fat. Salads sound good, but a recent review of salads on small chain menus by Nutrition by Nancy showed steak and cobb salads providing 40% to over 60% of calories from fat!!

As Nutrition by Nancy looked at the Nutrition Facts section on various company websites we also found that many menu items aren’t even listed. This included the salad we saw on a menu in 3 places last night.

This situation seems to be extremely common in restaurants. So, here are a few guidelines to pick the most nutritious salad:

1. Eliminate bacon. Yes, the very popular bacon. Bacon is the single highest fat/calorie item in a salad.

2. Watch the cheese. Cheese is another high fat/calorie item in a salad. If you really want cheese, choose feta or a part-skim mozzarella.

3. Don’t eat the yolks. All the fat in an egg is in the yolk. In fact, one egg yolk supplies almost a day’s allowance for cholesterol. The protein’s in the white, so the whites are OK.

4. Minimize nuts, especially glazed nuts. Nuts add protein, but also have a great deal of fat. Add the sugar glaze and you have sugar (often from high fructose corn syrup) in your salad. If there’s no meat in the salad, nuts are an excellent source of protein.

5. Limit dried cranberries. Remember dried cranberries and other dried fruits are a compact source of calories. Dried fruits add flavor and potassium to the salad. But, in looking at a recent nutritional breakdown of salads, we noted that just 1 ounce of dried cranberries had almost as many calories as one ounce of crumbled blue cheese! Of course, the cranberries didn’t have fat.

6. Go sparingly on the avocado. Yes, the fat in avocado’s is good-for-you monounsaturated fat. However, 1/2 an avocado contributes 200 calories to the salad, all by itself. The percentage of calories from fat is within guidelines at 20% of calories from fat.

7. What about olives? Many people like olives on their salads, but those little items are full of salt.

8. Order your dressing on the side. 

The best salad choice is one with a variety of vegetables, dressing on the side. If you add meat, make it lean chicken/turkey Breast.

Hopefully, you’ll use these guidelines to choose a healthier salad. 

A friend is putting together a bridal shower and is thinking about serving a refreshing fruit salad. However, the bride really wants strawberries and cream. Nutrition by Nancy’s solution? Keep it simple and add a little elegance by serving fruit in a variety of small glasses, topped with Greek yogurt. This photo shows our new version of Strawberries and Cream.

We have some small antique sherry glasses, which would have worked well. Or, we could have used short clear plastic cups. The key to a fabulous display is to have the fruit in a variety of glasses, some short and some tall. A quick trip to our local thrift store produced a small martini glass, a small wide champagne glass and a medium-sized wine glass. After slicing and placing strawberries in each glass, we would recommend using small glasses instead of the medium-sized wine glasses on the right. Serving size with the wine glass was a little too large.

These berries are topped with plain Greek yogurt for a very clean, fresh taste. You could also top them with vanilla Greek yogurt to taste more like whipped cream, but have fewer calories.

For the 4th of July, you might want to have some glasses filled with blueberries, others with strawberries or raspberries, and some with a mixture.  

As we enter Spring,  we start to think of salads, fresh foods, and light tastes. Vegetables are excellent sources of fiber, potassium, folate, and many other vitamins and minerals.

There are a lot of salad recipes available online, but what about creating your own? Below are Nutrition by Nancy’s 3 simple keys to making a great salad:

1. Use at least 3 colors and/or textures. One example would be to use a dark green spinach, then mix in strawberries and some bean sprouts. Or, you could mix a variety of field greens with finely sliced radishes and chopped asparagus. A simple mixture of arugula, watermelon and a little feta cheese can be wonderful mid-summer when watermelon’s in season. Tomatoes, mozzarella and basil combine to make a classic Italian salad. Of course, it’s great to have more than 3 items, but you need at least 3 to produce the visual appeal and variation in taste that’s vital to a good salad.

2. Dress simply. Mix extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper for a simple vinaigrette. Or, use Nutrition by Nancy’s Orange Vinaigrette. Add just a little of the dressing right before serving. (We really don’t want to drown the greens.) Most vinaigrettes will last for a week or more in the refrigerator. In addition to being used as a salad dressing, these simple dressings can be used to marinate fish or chicken Or, you can toss some lightly steamed vegetables with the dressing, chill, and serve cold as an appetizer or side dish.

3. Feature freshness. Wash, dry and store greens in the refrigerator. To keep greens fresh, you can store them in perforated plastic bags, between layers of paper towels, or laid out on a towel then rolled and tied on each end with rubber bands. Don’t store them in a refrigerator drawer with apples since the fruit emits ethylene gas which will hasten ripening. As described above, there are many ways to store vegetables and salad greens, but the key is to keep greens separated from moist salad ingredients like tomatoes and dressing.

Have fun experimenting with those fresh greens you find at the farmer’s markets! And, please let Nutrition by Nancy know about your new, tasty, nutritious creations.

Are YOU ready to join Nutrition by Nancy in the “No Sugar Pledge”?

In a large study that was recently published, sugar was identified as the cause of Diabetes worldwide. Other researchers say it might be the sugar or it could be that high intake of sugar contributes to total calorie intake.

Do you have a family history of diabetes? Nancy does, with her mother and grandmother dying of heart disease that can be related to their diabetes. Nancy says this study is a call to take notice of not just how nutritiously we eat, but specifically how much sugar we eat.

Those sugars can really add up during the day. How do you like YOUR sugar? Do you drink those boutique coffee drinks? What about ice cream, pudding and other desserts? Crave chocolate or cookies for a snack? Addicted to soda?

Most people eat more than the recommended maximum sugar allowance per day. The American Heart Association recommends a maximum sugar intake of 5 teaspoons (20 grams) for women, 9 teaspoons (36 grams for men) and just 3 teaspoons (12 grams) for children. One 12-ounce grande caramel macchiato at Starbucks holds over 7 teaspoons, a grande latte has 4 teaspoons, and a grande mocha frappucino contains a massive 13 teaspoons!! One cup of Breyers natural vanilla ice cream brings you 7 teaspoons of sugar while there are 8 teaspoons in a cup of chocolate ice cream. It all adds up!!

Do you love your soda? One 12-ounce can of Coke holds 10 teaspoons and a can of A&W root beer contains 11 teaspoons. But, maybe you’ve decided to drink diet sodas and eat sugar-free desserts. People who drink even one diet soda per day end up with larger waist sizes in studies that compare drinkers of diet beverages with those who consume no soda. Click HERE to see Nutrition by Nancy’s information on the dangers of diet sodas.

Want to change your life and head toward more health? 

1. Email Nancy@NutritionbyNancy.com with “Sugar Pledge” in the Subject Line or send a message to Nutrition by Nancy on Facebook.

2. Starts when you contact Nancy. This is a 30-day pledge.

3. What do you need to cut out? All beverages, snacks and desserts that contain sugar or sugar substitutes. Mixed alcoholic beverages will also need to be eliminated. (A margarita contains 6-10 teaspoons of sugar depending on how big it is and how it’s made.) However, we will allow one beer or a 5-ounce glass of wine. The sugar content in beer and wine greatly varies and stimulates fat storage. But, let’s just take this one step at a time, focusing just on sugar for this pledge.

4. Rewards? Bragging rights to say you did it! A certificate. Reduced desire for sugar. Hopefully, better health.

5. Help? We will be forming a private Facebook Group for members of the No Sugar group to share tips and be supportive. You can also contact Nutrition by Nancy for advice and support.  We will posting many blogs with ideas for counteracting sugar cravings and look forward to our pledges’ tips.

We hope you’ll contact Nancy and join her in the No Sugar Pledge!