Category: Healthy Eating Tips

Practical tips for improving your nutrition

How to Make the IIFYM Diet Work

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

dietIn a recent episode of the Nutrition Diva podcast, I talked about a new diet trend called IIFYM, or If It Fits Your Macros.  With the IIFYM diet, you aim to get a certain amount of carbohydrate, protein and fat every day but there are no other rules. You can get your carbohydrates from quinoa or Cap’n Crunch. You can get your protein from tofu or from hot dogs and your fat from olive oil or bacon grease. It’s totally up to you…as long as it fits your macros.

In my podcast, I gave the diet a rather lukewarm review. I mean, how could any reasonable nutritionist get on board with this idea? In practice, however, this diet may ultimately lead some people toward healthier choices, and not away from them as you might expect. Continue reading “How to Make the IIFYM Diet Work” >

Cutting calories can mess with your sleep

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Woman SleepingAs if losing weight weren’t already challenging enough, you might also find that you’re not sleeping as well. And we all know (both from research data as well as personal experience) that being under-rested can increase your appetite and reduce your will-power.  Perfect, meet storm.

A pair of randomized controlled studies suggests a possible solution: Continue reading “Cutting calories can mess with your sleep” >

What type of restaurants are healthiest?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

greek foodFast food and chain restaurants like Applebee’s and Olive Garden have gotten a lot of public shaming about the calorie content of their menu items. Meals eaten at these restaurants typically provide around 1200 calories, which is far more than we should probably be eating at any one meal.

Researchers from Tufts University wondered whether diners fare any better at non-chain eateries, so they collected meals from a variety of independent restaurants in Boston, San Francisco, and Little Rock and sent them off for analysis. They found little difference between chain and non-chain restaurants in terms of the calorie content of the meals. But the research did reveal substantial differences between various cuisines. Continue reading “What type of restaurants are healthiest?” >

Discovering Sorghum: A new (to me) whole grain

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

wgsd_fbbanner_2Today is Sample Whole Grains day, an event cooked up by the Oldways Foundation to encourage people to expand their whole grain horizons.

I’m guessing that most of the people reading this blog are already familiar with things like quinoa and teff. Although they may be unusual or even unheard of in some circles, they’ve become fairly mainstream to those who follow food and nutrition.

Sorghum is a Grain?

But what about sorghum? In 15 years of developing recipes, writing about nutrition, and exploring unfamiliar foods, I’ve never knowingly eaten sorghum. In fact, I was faintly surprised to find it listed as a grain because I thought it was a sweetener.

When I lived in the Southern United States, I used to see sorghum syrup in the grocery store, right next to the molasses and corn syrup. I had no idea that sorghum can also be eaten as a grain. In fact, it is one of the world’s most important cereal (grain) crops. It’s also gluten free.

How to Use Sorghum

Whole grain sorghum flour has a light texture and color and a mellow, slightly sweet flavor. Despite being somewhat lower in fiber than whole wheat, sorghum flour appears to have a somewhat lower glycemic impact than other flours. That doesn’t make it calorie free, of course!   You’d want to enjoy those sorghum muffins and pancakes in moderation–like any flour-based food. (Here’s a recipe for a sorghum pancakes from the Oldways recipe archives.)

Even better, look for whole sorghum grains, which are sometimes called milo. Cook them until tender and use them as you would rice or barley. Try this Milo Salad with Oregano, Feta, and Cucumbers.

Photo courtesy of Oldways Foundation
Photo courtesy of Oldways Foundation

Or, most fun of all, try popping whole sorghum grains like popcorn for a wholesome and novel snack!

You’ll find whole sorghum and sorghum flour in the natural foods aisle of your grocer. Bob’s Red Mill is a popular brand that’s easy to find.

If you’re already an old hand with sorghum, what new grain will you try in the spirit of Sample Whole Grains day?

 

The next 30 Day Nutrition Upgrade launches March 31st!

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Last September, 120 people took part in the very first 30-Day Nutrition Upgrade group challenge.  And in just a few weeks (March 31st, to be exact), we’re going to do it again!

March499999These 30-day nutrition and fitness challenges are super popular these days, and for good reason. They’re a great way to kick-start healthy routines and to stay motivated long enough for new behaviors to become established habits. And even though there are already plenty of them out there, I wanted to offer my followers something unique…something fun, effective, and based on solid science.

I put everything I know about nutrition and the psychology of behavior change into the 30-Day Nutrition Upgrade program. I really really hoped it would make a difference in people’s lives, and was thrilled to have over a hundred people sign up for the first challenge.

But nothing could have prepared me for what happened during those 30 days. Continue reading “The next 30 Day Nutrition Upgrade launches March 31st!” >

What’s a moderate intake for non-caloric sweeteners?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Sugar_substitutes1Even before we knew that artificial sweeteners like Splenda promote the growth of gut bacteria linked to obesity, I’ve always advocated for moderation in the use of noncaloric sweeteners.

Even though they don’t contain sugar or calories, artificial sweeteners usually don’t promote healthy eating patterns. They tend to encourage consumption of foods without much nutritional value, such as diet sodas and sugar free desserts.  Ironically, the use of artificial sweeteners can actually lead people to consume more unhealthy foods (the “Give me a diet Coke and supersize the fries” syndrome.)

Finally, it’s really hard to develop an appreciation for the subtler pleasures of fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods if your taste buds are constantly bathed in the intense hyper-sweetness of non-caloric sweeteners.

For all these reasons, I’ve always suggested that you consume artificially sweetened foods and beverages with the same restraint that you’d use with sugar-sweetened versions.   But what exactly does that mean? Continue reading “What’s a moderate intake for non-caloric sweeteners?” >

Kale craze raises heavy metal concerns

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

heavy metal warningJeff recently sent me a link to an article in Harper’s Bazaar, warning that our recent obsession with kale may have a sinister side-effect: heavy metal poisoning.

We’re not  talking about kale that’s being grown on industrial waste sites, either. Even organically managed soil contains a variety of naturally-occurring heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, and thallium. These metals are absorbed by plants grown in the soil, and leafy greens like kale and collards are particularly good sponges. Continue reading “Kale craze raises heavy metal concerns” >

How to Peel a Fresh Pomegranate

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

pomegranateTis the season for fresh pomegranates, which grow in tropical climates and are harvested from October to January. Pomegranate seeds are sweet-tart, antioxidant-packed, little flavor bombs. They’re great on salads, in pilafs, or all by themselves as an exotic, low-calorie snack or dessert. One of my new favorite recipes is this roasted butternut squash and black rice pilaf with pomegranate seeds.

Getting at the seeds (technically: arils) can be tricky, however, and the juice can stain your fingers and clothes (and walls!) if you’re not careful. Here’s the trick: Cut off the top of the fruit and then slice the rind from the “north” to “south” in several places, without cutting too far into the fruit. Soak the scored fruit in a bowl of water for ten minutes. Then, while holding the fruit under the water, separate its sections and scrape the seeds away from the rind with your fingers. Discard the rinds and remove any pith floating on the top of the water (the seeds will sink to the bottom). Finally, drain the seeds in a colander. The seeds will keep in the fridge for several days.