Eat This, Not That!
By: Amber Stazenski
Today the variety of food seems to be never ending. At the grocery store the shelves are packed with different brands of the same thing. But is all that food created equal? Not exactly. Just picking up two different branded items and comparing the ingredients you may find quite a few differences between the items in each hand. Taking the time to read the labels is a great way to know that you are getting the quality of food you are after. If there are words that you don’t recognize in the ingredient list, look for brands that contain only familiar ingredients. Also, take notice of the length of the ingredient list and aim for products with shorter lists. This helps insure that the food is less processed and closer to its natural state. The best food for our bodies is the whole foods that have been minimally processed.. However, with the hustle of today, sometimes we go for the packaged food. Keeping this in mind, let’s make more informed choices.
Reading labels and understanding what you are looking for and what you are trying to avoid is a great strategy for navigating through the supermarket, but it can take extra time. Spending more time in the store is probably not the most exciting way to spend your time. Wouldn’t it be nice if the was some way for us to quickly find what brand of bread best suits our need? Luckily, there are plenty of tools out there to help. The book “Eat This Not That: Supermarket Survival Guide” by David Zinczencko & Matt Goulding is a great quick reference guide to help divert away from the most problematic foods. It is a book filled with information comparing similar food, such as, pasta sauce. It puts name brands head to head with one another, exposing calorie, sodium, and fat contents of the particular food. For example, Classico Fire Roasted Tomato & Garlic sauce at ½ cup serving size, with 50cal, 0.5g fat, and 320mg sodium vs. Prego Traditional sauce same serving size weighing in at 80cal, 3g, and 580mg sodium. This book is a great resource to have around the house and use it to help with the shopping list. There are also smartphone apps the will put items up against each other and give you the information to make the better choice without worrying about losing flavor to dinner. These tools are great for the meals you are preparing, but what about going out to eat?
What do you do when you sit down at a restaurant? Many of us know general rules about foods, including steering clear of the monster “food challenges” that seem to be gaining popularity among eateries. But how “healthy” is that salad you ordered? Many of us choose something we deem healthy and overlook the huge portions. Did you know ordering the Grilled Chicken Tostada Salad from Cheesecake Factory contains 1,131cal? That is about half your daily calories for a person eating 2,000cal a day. Can you believe that their meatloaf would have been a comparable choice containing 1190 calories! Yes, you can control the amount you consume at one sitting and you don’t go there every day (hopefully!) but wouldn’t it be nice to be able to make informed decisions when you’re there? The above information is made up of estimates from nutritionists because The Cheese Cake Factory isn’t saying what’s in their food. Here’s the quote from their website when asked for nutrition information:
“At this time, we do not provide nutritional information for our menu selections on our website. We pride ourselves on using only the freshest and finest ingredients available. Everything on our menu is made in-house on a daily basis so that we can maintain the highest food quality standards.”
Going out to eat is a convenience for most of us in the busy world we live in today. Someone else is in charge of not only the preparation and the clean-up, but this means that the best way for a business to make money is buy cheap food, make it taste good (usually adding fats or sugars) and sell it at an increased price. Unfortunately our health is the real cost. Take it back by preparing your own meals. That doesn’t mean you have to make plain brown rice and boiled chicken with broccoli to be eating healthfully. There’s another helpful resource called Healthy Eating, Healthy You where professional chefs adjust your favorite restaurant recipes that can be made healthier by the home cook. And if time is an issue take a few quick tips and put them into practice at your house. Start by planning your meals. This allows you to have an organized shopping list, helping to avoid splurges for unhealthy foods. Make the time to wash, slice and portion your fruit and vegetables. This will ensure that reaching for a healthy snack is just as quick and convenient as reaching for a bag of potato chips. Portioning the proper amounts for each meal when you get home from the store also makes weeknight prep that much easier. Cook large quantities of rice, pastas and meals so they can simply be reheated for a quick meal. All these tips will shave the prep time without having to compromise nutrition. If you are still unsure of what eat, feel free to talk to your trainer, they will have great advice for you.
- My Fitness Pal – Food and exercise tracking software
- Healthy Eating, Healthy You – Healthier versions of restaurant favorites that you can prepare at home
- Eat N Burn – How much activity would it take to burn the meal you just consumed?
- Fooducate – Scan labels at the grocery store and learn the high and low points for each choice.
Apple & Leek Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients:
· 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon, divided
· 1 cup chopped leek, white and light green parts only, rinsed
· 1 sweet apple, such as Braeburn, Honeycrisp or Macoun, peeled and chopped
· 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, plus 1 sprig, divided
· 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
· 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
· 1-1 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed
· 2 cloves garlic, peeled
· 1/2 cup applejack or apple brandy
· 2 cups apple cider
· 2 teaspoons cornstarch
· 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leek and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add apple, chopped thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apple is beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool. Rinse out the pan.
To butterfly the tenderloin, lay it on a large cutting board. Holding the knife blade flat and parallel to the board, make a lengthwise cut through the center of the meat, stopping short of the opposite edge so that the tenderloin remains in one piece. Open as you would a book. Cover with plastic wrap. With a meat mallet, rolling pin or heavy pan, pound the pork to an even 1/4-inch thickness.
Spread the apple mixture in the center of the pork, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Starting at a long side, roll up the pork to enclose the filling. To keep the stuffing from falling out during roasting, fold in about 1 inch of the two short ends. Tie kitchen string firmly lengthwise around the roast to secure the two ends. Then tie it crosswise with string at 2-inch intervals. Lightly brush the roast with 1 teaspoon oil and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and brown the roast on all sides, about 4 minutes total. Transfer the roast to a rimmed baking sheet (set the pan aside). Place in the oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 145°F, about 15 minutes. Let rest on a clean cutting board for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Crush garlic with the flat side of a knife. Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add applejack (or apple brandy), thyme sprig and the garlic; bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Whisk cider and cornstarch and add to the pan. Return to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced by just over half (to about 3/4 cup), 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; discard the garlic and thyme. Whisk in mustard and any juice from the baking sheet. Slice the pork and serve with the sauce.
Nutrition facts:
Per serving: 366 calories; 11 g fat ( 2 g sat , 7 g mono ); 74 mg cholesterol; 27 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 24 g protein; 1 g fiber; 561 mg sodium; 534 mg potassium.
Exercise of the Month: Crawling
Crawling isn’t so much an exercise as a demonstration of our neurological system at work. Crawling is a primitive movement pattern that babies learn during their first developmental months. We view it as an outward sign of deep muscle timing and coordination. An athlete that cannot crawl is piling skill for their sport on top of an unstable foundation. Taking it to the floor to revert to crawling can actually build an athlete. Watch the video to see our intern Brandon’s metamorphosis.
Client Spotlight
Marcia Halligan
Marcia is a vibrant and very consistent client who has been coming to BodyBasics since August of 2011 when at the suggestion of her massage therapist, Lorri Tomeo, she gave us a try. Marcia has made amazing improvements in her balance, gait, and, most recently, in her capacity for rolling. This is saying quite a bit considering that her cerebellum is compromised. You see, Marcia has a condition called spinocerebellar degeneration. This often genetic state causes significant challenges to gait, balance, and overall motor control as the cells in the cerebellum (part of brain that is very important for motor function) degenerate. This condition, to date is progressive. There is no known cure for spinocerebellar degeneration at this time.
Please join BodyBasics through the month of October in donating to fund research for this very serious condition. Just click on the link provided http://www.ataxia.org/giving/default.aspx where you can find information about donating to the National Ataxia Foundation and you can also learn more about ataxia which is the general term for any changes to the nervous system that compromise one’s coordination.
Marcia, thank you for your continued faith in me as your trainer. I am thankful every session for the opportunity to provide you strategies for keeping you on your feet and fully functional. Of course this means more lunges without sticks and other challenging stuff ; ) ~ Chris
Join BodyBasics on October 6th for a 5K run or walk benefiting Catalina Community Services.
Contribute to the food drive by dropping off your canned goods at the studio. Click the picture to register.
BodyBasics is sponsoring the Get Moving Tucson 1/2 Marathon, 5K,and 1 mile fun run.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Come out and join the fun. Click the picture to register.
Referral Rewards
Congratulations, Judy Krautter! Judy received a free session and won another at the Referral Reward Board. Judy knew her friend Doris would benefit from the services offered here at BodyBasics and when she referred her friend good things started happening for both of them. Doris is getting stronger and noticing improvement each day. Do you know anyone like Doris, who is brand new to exercise, a little nervous about starting at a big gym but needs to get stronger? Send your friends or loved ones our way for a free consultation and evaluation and good things will happen for you too.
Trick or Treat!
Smell Chris & Maureen’s feet!
The BodyBasics Team: Nick McKim, Maureen Raine, Amelia Olson, Mike Haas, Chris Litten, and not pictured – Amber Stazenski
