Decoding Whole White Wheat Bread

After discussion in one of our On-Going Practice classes at one of our Indianapolis locations this week, we decided to research "whole grain white bread".  The first place we went was the Whole Grains Council website as they are the experts on whole grains.  What we found was intriguing and exciting at the same time!

Turns out the whole grain white bread is made from a completely different strain of wheat (white wheat) than traditional wheat (red wheat).  They suggest calling it "albino wheat" as the bran of the white wheat is lighter in color (hence the lighter/whiter bread color).  In addition to the lighter/whiter color, the flavor is also more mild compared to red wheat which makes it more appealing to people.  As far as nutrition, 'experts consider them to be the same' since this white wheat contains all three components that form a whole grain: the germ, endosperm & bran.  

So, there you have it-go ahead and indulge in the whole grain white bread as often as you wish as it is nutritionally the same with fiber + whole grains as 'red wheat whole grain bread' & appeals to the texture of white bread lovers everywhere! Remember to always check the ingredient list for "100% whole grain" or "whole grain wheat flour" and avoid breads that are labeled with "enriched" or "bleached flour" as those are not whole grains.  

Image source

For the complete Q+A about white wheat from the Whole Grains Council, click HERE.

It's Strawberry Season!

May is the start of strawberry season here in Indiana.  The best strawberries are from local patches because they are fresh off the vine.  In Indiana, there are strawberry patches all over the state.  Some even have "u-pick" patches, where you come and pick your own.  These are more budget friendly than just buying from the farmer's stand because you have to do a little work for them!

image source

We love strawberries! Why? Because 1 cup of sliced strawberries is only 50 calories, contains 3 grams of fiber & 90 mg vitamin C (75-90 mg needed per day). Hey, what a great snack!  Add to your Strawberry Health One Meal Replacement + water + ice for a strawberry shake or on top of a Vanilla Health One Meal Replacement one by one with a little light cool whip for a nice summer treat.  Or, you could get really into it and make your own sugar-free strawberry freezer jam to use as an additive to the Health One or your morning 100% whole grain toast.

image source

What do we recommend?  Heading to a local patch to pick some strawberries.  The Indianapolis area has a few locations just outside the city.  Here are the farms that we know of and please share any that you know of that grow strawberries. 

image source

• Noblesville, IN: Spencer Farm

• Hagerstown, IN (east of Indy): Bell's Strawberry Farm

• Greenwood/South Indy, IN: Waterman's Family Farm

Once you have your strawberries, meal plan them in for breakfast, lunch, dinner and/or snack to help you get your 2 full cups of fruit in each day. 

Health One Meal vs. McDonalds Value Meal

Every now and then we get a person who thinks that the meal replacements we use in our medically supervised weight loss program are expensive and "not worth the cost".  According to the USDA the cost of a day's worth of food eaten by the average American is at or above the cost of Health One Meal Replacements (HOMR) for one day. In addition, a CBS news poll showed that nearly 25% of people eat out at a fast food establishment at least once per week and are spending a lot per meal for junk.

Enter...a healthy option in the HOMR, designed to reduce calorie intake while providing all the nutrition that you need (100-125% of your daily needs).  The HOMR is proven for weight loss and reducing/stabilizing blood sugars.  A perfect meal-considering 78 million Americans are obese and over 10% of adults 20+ years old have diabetes.

 

Lets compare the HOMR to two very popular McDonald's Fast Food value meals: the double cheeseburger meal and the Big Mac meal.

 

Big Mac Value Meal (cost with Large diet drink $5.33)
Big Mac:

550 calories

29 gm total fat

970 mg sodium

25 gm protein

 

Medium French Fry:

380 calories

19 gm total fat

270 mg sodium

 

Totals for the Big Mac Value Meal:

880 calories

48 gm total fat

1240 mg sodium

25 gm protein

 

Image Source

 

Cheeseburger Value Meal (cost with Large diet drink $3.19)

Cheeseburger:

300 calories

12 gm total fat

680 mg sodium

15 gm protein 

 

Medium French Fry:

380 calories

19 gm total fat

270 mg sodium

 

Totals for the Cheeseburger Value Meal:

680 calories

31 gm total fat

950 mg sodium

15 gm protein

Image Source

 

Vs.

 

Health One Meal Replacement Shake (cost is < $3.19)

Blueberry Lemon shake

190 calories

1 gm total fat

310 mg sodium

15 gm protein

25% of RDI's for vitamins and minerals

Image Source

 When the comparison is made, the value in the Health One Meal Replacement stands out as it is cheaper, but provides 25% of RDI's for all vitamins and minerals, 15 grams of protein, and less total fat and less sodium than the popular McDonald's value meals shown here. We are very proud of our weight loss/weight maintenance meal replacement that we can provide in our programs. 

Thanksgiving Foods Modifications & Substitutions for a Lower Calorie Day

After researching the top 10 Thanksgiving Day foods here is the list I have come up with:
1. Turkey
2. Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
3. Ham
4. Pumpkin Pie
5. Cranberry
6. Green Bean Casserole
7. Sweet Potatoes
8. Rolls
9. Stuffing/Dressing
10. Macaroni & Cheese

Considering the average American consumes ~4500 calories on Thanksgiving Day from these foods and others, we have to come up with modifications, substitutions or decide to eliminate some of the foods altogether.  I'm not one for eliminating foods so we will try to focus on modifications or substitutions. 

1. Turkey-preparation is key with saving calories on turkey.  Be sure to bake NOT fry! Remove the skin which contains most of the fat (calories).  Don't smother in gravy (200 cals per 1/4 cup)-use sparingly if at all. 

2. Mashed Potatoes-utilize your biggest asset when it comes to saving calories and getting nutrition, the Health One Meal Replacement (HOMR).  This recipe is delicious and uses only a fraction of the calories with the same great taste.  If you aren't going to be using the HOMR, use pepper & Mrs. Dash to flavor and next the butter, heavy cream, and sour cream to save calories.

3. Ham-similar to turkey, saving calories on ham comes from selection of the ham and preparation.  Select a ham that is lean, be sure to bake & don't add any "special" (key word for calorie-loaded) sauces/glazes like brown sugar or honey, etc.  Trim the visible fat before eating to save additional calories

4. Pumpkin Pie-since pumpkin pie is the 'dessert of choice' for many on Thanksgiving, portions are key!  Instead of having 1/6th of the pie (or more) enjoy a small slice, consider 1/12th, of the pie to save calories instantly but still enjoy the taste of traditional pumpkin pie.  Or, you could opt to make "Crustless" Pumpkin Pie or the Pumpkin Roll from the HOMR to provide at least 25% of your daily nutrition needs while saving on calories. 

5. Cranberry-usually served sliced from the can which can cost as much as 420+ calories per cup! Even though you may not eat 1 cup, consider an alternative like sugar-free cranberry jello that is 20 calories/cup.  Or, make your own sugar-free cranberry sauce that uses fresh cranberries and a sugar substitute to save calories. 

6. Green Bean Casserole-easiest solution is keeping those non-starchy veggies naked and with out sauce to save calories.  Try instead flavoring with minced onion and garlic, Mrs. Dash, and pepper and leaving the bacon/ham, cream of "whatever" off, as well as the fried crunchies on top.  You'll be satisfied knowing your green beans are 35-40 calories per cup instead of ~100 per cup.

7. Sweet Potatoes-similar to green beans in that they are great to add to the meal plan, but not so great when they are loaded with sugars/brown sugars, syrups, marshmallows, and butter!  Sure they taste good, but can clock in at over 350 calories per 1/2 cup especially when you add the pecans on top.  All you need to do is bake a sweet potato and top with cinnamon, spray butter, and a sugar substitute, if desired, and voila you have reduced calories and put in less work.

8. Rolls-Another "costly" calorie food (up to 250-300 per roll with butter and/or jelly) readily served at Thanksgiving. Tip to save calories = eat only 1 or 1/2 of one and limit toppings & stay AWAY from the ROLLS!

9. Stuffing/Dressing-portion size is again the biggest solution to still be able to enjoy but not pack on tons of calories.  Traditional stuffing or dressing include lots of bread, eggs, butter/fat, sometimes meat, and sometimes vegetables so it all depends on what you are including in your dish.  Use a recipe you can trust to provide lower calories such as Hungry Girl's "Save the Day Stuffing"! In this recipe she uses light bread, lots of low-calorie veggies & egg beaters to keep the calories low.

10. Macaroni & Cheese- Starch and fat = perfect combination for high calories! Limit portion size, but also consider using spaghetti squash and a low-fat cheese (like cheese wedges) to save calories.  Also consider adding broccoli or other vegetables that can be found in this Hungry Girl's "Too-EZ Mac 'n Cheese" Recipe.

It's harmless to get your Thanksgiving Day top 10 food list in shape and you might even find a few recipes that you would like to use each year.  Try to fool family members with lower-calorie versions, but don't fool yourself into thinking that not counting or tracking the calories is a good idea.  After all 3,500 calories can quickly add up!

HNT Indiana Offers Meal Planning Class

Hello HNT Indiana Family!

We hope you all doing well and ready for cooler weather.  If you happen to be struggling in the area of meal planning and are in need of a "FALL FOCUS on Meal Planning", we have just what you are looking.  In October we will be doing a 5 week series lead by Registered Dietitian, Roxanne Standeford, on Meal Planning. 

The class is offered to those who are interested in a more detailed, individualized approach on how to meal plan with OR without the use of meal replacements for weight loss OR weight maintenance.  This class is available to ONLY those who have completed the first 20 week Foundation.  We want to reiterate that this class is NOT a Boot Camp and will focus specifically on Meal Planning (how to, macro & micro nutrients, making it easier, tips, etc).  We want to help you understand the importance of and how to meal plan whether your goal is to lose or maintain your weight.  

Here are the specifics:

The class will be on Tuesday evening at the Riverview Hospital (Our Noblesville Location).  Check in time for the class will be from 7-7:30 pm and the class will be 1.5 hours long (7:30-9pm).  We have a limited space in this class as we will only be taking 15 participants.   

Please let me know (rstandeford@hntindiana.com) if you have any more questions regarding this special "FALL FOCUS on Meal Planning" course that we are offering.