Whats on my Plate?

Ever wonder what a nutrition major eats? Wonder if its healthy or if I practice what I preach? Well the answer is, I do eat nutritious foods most of the time but, I have no problem with treating myself. One thing nutrition majors hate to hear when they sit down for a meal is; "Why are you eating that? Aren't you supposed to be eating only nutritious and healthy foods and staying away from the bad things?". My response is always, "I consciously made the decision to put this food on my plate and if I want to treat myself every once in a while, then why not!"  Just because you are watching what you are eating, doesn't mean you can't treat yourself or make it so you can't have anything that tastes good.

This is what I ate for the day and the justification in the choices I made:

Breakfast (9 am)
For breakfast I had an 8 oz glass of chocolate milk, an apple and whole wheat toast with peanut butter. I chose the toast because it is whole grain and it is very important to fuel your body with carbs and protein at the beginning of the day. Whole grains contain some protein which can help you feel fuller longer and provide energy for the body to get going in the morning. The peanut butter contains protein as well, but also has healthy fats. These fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. These types of fat can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. I had an apple in order to get some vitamins and minerals that may be lacking from just having toast for breakfast. Apples are also high in fiber which can aid in digestion. The chocolate milk was chosen to provide 9 essential vitamins and minerals that the body cannot make and have to get from food sources, and to provide more protein in my breakfast.

Lunch (12:30 pm)
For lunch, I had the leftovers of a sandwich that I got a few days ago. However, this is an easy sandwich anyone can make and it is full of protein and nutrients. It was a hard roll with presto, which is full of healthy fats due to the olive oil and pine nuts in it, lettuce, tomato and mozzarella. The mozzarella is a great source of protein and is lower in fat than other types of cheeses. I knew I would need more than just a half a sandwich, so I paired it with carrots and honey mustard. Carrots are high in Vitamin A, K, dietary fiber, and biotin, and I added the honey mustard just to spice up my carrots a little. I had a glass of green tea with it, which has been shown to provide antioxidants to prevent illness and help boost metabolism!

Snack (2:30 pm)
 I had class all afternoon and knew that I would need something to hold me over until dinner time, so I grabbed the single serving pack of dry roasted almonds on my way out of the door. I love the way they taste and they are full of heart healthy fats and protein to keep me feeling full until dinner time.


Dinner (5:30 pm)
I was in a time crunch to get something to eat before class and going to the gym later so I decided to throw some chicken on the George Foreman Grill we have at my apartment, steamed up some broccoli, and made couscous. After the chicken was grilled and the broccoli was steamed, I threw them into a frying pan with olive oil, garlic and cheese and made a simple skillet meal with couscous as a side. Couscous is one of the 7 Mother Grains and a whole grain which are needed in a daily diet. The broccoli is full of antioxidants and vitamins, and the cheese gave me another serving of dairy and protein on my plate. Chicken is one of my favorite meats just because it is so versatile and easy to prepare. Its a really good source of protein, and a very lean meat. Milk again accompanied this meal.
 

Post Workout Snack (10:30 pm)
After a tough workout, I was feeling a little hungry and needed a pick me up to replenish carbohydrates burned during cardio and take in protein to help me build more muscle after a weight lifting circuit. My snack included a piece of bread and a tall glass of milk. The key to post workout snacks is to have it be a 2:1 Carb to Protein ratio. Your body really needs to replenish the carbohydrate stores after burning many of them off during exercise.






This is basically what the jist of my diet is daily. It is really important to make sure that meals are balanced between carbs, protein and fat, and that you are getting vegetables and fruits in your diet to get all the vitamins and minerals needed to function in our daily lives.

Restaurant Menu Navigation Tips and Tricks

I've heard many people say that because they are watching what they eat, they cannot treat themselves to a nice dinner out. One dinner out is not going to kill your diet, nor do you have to have high caloric meals when you do eat out. I'm here to help you make some good eating decisions when you aren't in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Eating out can be little intimidating for anyone wanting to eat more nutritious foods and trying to steer clear of the more calorie and fat laden foods. But it doesn't have to be! There are a lot of resources out there that can help you make better decisions when out to eat. Many restaurants have a low calorie menu, or offer their nutrition facts on their website. There is even a series of books that tells you what to eat and what not to eat at many popular fast food chains (I own one of them and like to look through it before eating out, but a lot of the time their suggestions are not offered anymore or they are not what I would eat). But there are ways to tell if an entree or dish is high in calorie and fat without doing research ahead of time! There are sneaky words that restaurants put into descriptions of their foods which can be direct giveaways that the food may be more energy dense rather than nutrient dense.
 Look out for works like-
Au Gratin, Basted, Battered, Hollandaise, Bottomless, Breaded, Buttery, Casserole, Cheesy, Country-Style, Covered, Creamed, Creamy, Crispy, Escalloped, Fried, Giant, Loaded, Platter, Smothered, Stewed, Stuffed, Volcano, White Sauce
Most likely if the menu item has any of these words in it, its going to be a bone-sticking meal.

However, if you really want to have one of the higher calorie entrees, ask for a box once your entree is delivered. Cut the portion in half and put it in the box to take it home for another meal. What they give you at a restaurant is normally about 2-3 times more than what you really should be eating or would eat at home, so by cutting it in half and putting it aside, you're really saving yourself from feeling over full and eating too much. Also, if they offer a lunch portion or even a half portion, order the smaller portion to ensure that you won't over stuff yourself or eat too much.


Here are some lighter choices at different types of restaurants:
Mexican Restaurants- Chicken Enchilada or Beef Tacos
Seafood Restaurants-Blackened of Grilled Fish
Pizza Joints- Thin Crust Pizza or Mixed Vegetable Pizza
Thai Restaurants- Cashew Chicken
BBQ Restaurants- Pulled Pork Sandwich
Italian Restaurants- Penne Puttanesca or Linguine with Garlic and Olive Oil
Diners- BLT or Grilled Cheese
Steakhouses- Filet Mignon or Grilled Tuna Steak

Here are some words that can signal potentially healthier options-
Baked, Broiled, Boiled, Broiled, Fat Free, Fresh, Grilled, High Fiber, Light, Marinated, Poached, Red Sauce, Reduced, Roasted, Seasoned, Steamed, Stir-Fried, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette, Whole Wheat

Nutritious Eating Tip and a Recipe Too!

My days have gotten to be really busy, especially with classes, tutoring, and clinical hours. But just because my days are busy, does not mean that I can skimp on making nutritious and delicious dinners for myself. There are tons of recipes out there for all different types of eating, especially those high calorie, high fat ones that may taste great and are easy, but really hurt the waistline. To combat this, I like to do a little substitution of the high fat and calorie ingredients for ones that are nutrient dense. I recently did that with a recipe I found on Pinterest that I was going to share with my  nutritious and filling meal for all.

If you're trying to lose weight, or watch what you eat, I highly recommend you try to substitute the energy dense foods, for the nutrient dense options. For example, instead of using sour cream in a recipe, try Greek Yogurt, instead of whole milk - try low fat or fat free milk, make all your grains whole grains, choose leaner cuts of meats instead of high fat ones, bake your foods instead of frying them, and choose fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables instead of frozen, canned or out of season vegetables! These simple changes can help you to eat cleaner and eat more nutritious foods, without sacrificing flavors.
Below is the recipe from the dinner I made last week and the substitutions I made. I also roasted Broccoli and Brussel Sprouts with Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper, and Parmesan at 400 degree for 45 minutes.

Oven Roasted Smoked Sausage and Potatoes

Ingredients1 package of smoked sausage, sliced into rounds
1 large onion, peeled and chopped5 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into ½ inch cubes
olive oil
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
sweet paprika
dried thyme
a handful of greated strong cheddar cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400*F. Line a large baking tray (with sides) with several sheets of foil, and spray with cooking spray. Set aside. Put the sausage rounds, onions, and potatoes into a large bowl. Drizzle with a couple TBS of olive oil and season to taste with salt, pepper, paprika and dried thyme. Toss together with your hands until everything is evenly distributed. Pour this out onto the baking tray, and spread it out as much as you can. Place into the heated oven and roast for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until the potatoes are golden brown and tender. Turn off the oven. Scatter the cheese over top of the cooked meat and potatoes, Pop back into the oven a few minutes to melt the cheese
SUBSTITUTIONS I MADE- I used smoked lite turkey kielbasa with low sodium instead of regular kielbasa to cut fat and sodium down which can cause bloating and is good for those who have hypertension.  I also substituted Parmesan cheese instead of cheddar cheese to cut down on fat.

  

All nutrition majors do is cook and count calories, right?

Some people might be wondering, especially those who aren't nutrition majors, what exactly I do during the week as a nutrition major. A lot of people have the common misconception that all we do is take cooking classes and learn how to count calories. That could not be any more false. Nutrition majors actually have a pretty busy schedule, and it only gets busier if you're in a coordinated program. For those who don't know, a coordinated program allows the student to do their supervised practice hours, which are required for the certification exam, while working on their bachelor's degree in nutrition. I am one of the few people in my class crazy enough to want to fit 1400 supervised practice hours into a full course load. Coordinated Programs usually start the junior of college and will continue through the summer between junior and senior year, and end at graduation. I am currently doing some of my supervised practice hours twice a week, Tuesday's and Thursday's, at two different facilities off of school property. Tuesdays I am doing a Food Service Management rotation at a local hospital, and Thursday's I have my Community Nutrition rotation at an insurance office doing corporate wellness. Both facilities have certain goals and objectives I need to meet in order for me to get credit for these hours. Besides being off campus for two days a week, I also am taking 16 credits worth of classes. Mondays are packed solid for me with classes like, Management-to learn how to be an effective manager and leader in all areas of the profession, Sports Nutrition- my favorite and focuses on fueling and refueling athletes for performance, as well as learning about different aids that may be used by athletes, Community Nutrition- learning how to develop strategies for health improvement and disease prevention for all people of an area, and Music and Theater- "to make me a more well rounded professional" at least that is what the university says it'll do. Wednesdays include all of these classes, except Music and Theater, and with the addition of Weight Lifting, as part of the requirement for my minor in exercise science. On top of having an 8 hour rotation on Thursdays, I also have my Food Service Management and Production class at night. The best part of my week is that I have no class on Fridays! But this time is always used to work on some of the many projects I have this semester, as well as work on events for a committee I am on at school.

This week I have been working on my goals and objectives for my community rotation, as well as designing an infographic to accompany a brief educational presentation on handwashing for my Food Service Management rotation. So, to the question that was posed in the title of this post, no, we do so much more than cook and count calories. If that's all we did every day, then anyone could be a dietitian! There's so much this profession and major has to offer, that we learn something new every day and the scope of nutrition expands daily worldwide.

Feeding the sick and working the tray line- life of an RDN intern.

Meal Prep for Busy Days

I started my junior year of college this past Wednesday and it's shaping up to be a pretty busy semester. Between clinical rotations twice a week, a full course load of 16 credits, tutoring, and working in the students activities office at my school, I am not going to have much time to prepare nice, nutritious dinners for myself all the time. I am not a morning person, so waking up early before class to prep things isn't going to happen much, but I do go to bed a little bit later at night. Instead of watching an extra episode of house hunters most nights, I have decided to dedicate that half a hour to preparing my dinner for the next day. I gave it a try Tuesday night before I had a full class schedule the next day.

I am trying to keep my food costs low, so I found a pin on Pinterest that provided 5 recipes that would only cost $25 total to make. The first recipe was for black bean burgers and homemade fries. I am a pretty adventurous eater, so I thought I'd give the black bean burgers a shot, and it turned out that they were very easy to make and really good! Black beans are full of protein, so even though I wasn't using ground beef or poultry for the patty, they still had a substantial amount of protein in them. The fries turned out great too, really crispy and a lot less calories than frozen fries. The burgers took me about 15 minutes to prep Tuesday night, then I  took the mixture and made it into two patties. One went into the fridge and the other went into the fridge for the next day. I recommend not cutting up the potatoes ahead of time though. If done, the potatoes will turn a purple/brown and won't taste as good. While the oven was preheating, I cut up the potatoes into sticks and also prepared a side salad to go along with my dinner. If you're looking for something different, but still tasty, I really suggest trying these!

Black Bean Burger and Fries

Ingredients

• 1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 can corn, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, grated
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 loaf focaccia
• 1 Russet potato
• 1/2 Roma tomato, sliced
•  Salad mix
•  Burger condiments
•  Salt
•  Pepper

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Servings: 2

• STEP 1

  Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 450ºF.

  STEP 2

  In a blender or food processor, blend black beans, corn, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, salt and pepper until just combined.

• STEP 3

  Form two burger patties. Set aside.

• STEP 4

  Rinse potato and chop into thin fries.

• STEP 5

  Toss fries with oil, salt and pepper. Arrange on baking sheet.

• STEP 6

  Bake fries for 30 minutes, shaking the pan half way through.

• STEP 7

  While fries are baking, grill the burger patties. Heat oil over medium heat, and grill burgers for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through. If you don’t have a stovetop, you can bake the burgers at 350ºF for 20 minutes.

• STEP 8

  Remove fries from the oven, assemble burger and enjoy.
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How Not to Over Indulge at Weekend Gatherings

The summer is a time of many family gatherings and cook-outs with friends; at least it is if you have a big family like mine. At such gatherings, there is normally a vast variety of appetizers, potato and pasta salads, and loads and loads of desserts. My family loves to cook, and of course, we love to eat! I love and hate going to the parties sometimes because I know I will have a lot of fun seeing my family and hanging out, but most of the time I over indulge. However, I have gotten better at choosing the most nutritious foods to eat there, without feeling like crap after! And that is what I want to help you with now.

First, lets start with the appetizer table

I love appetizers, however, they can be meal spoilers. When you eat too much of the snacky foods, you won't have enough room for the main course or dessert, but will still over-stuff yourself. When conquering the appetizer table I recommend staying away from eating too much of the baked, decadent dips with chips and greasy snacks that will leave feeling sticky and too full, and try to munch on mixed nuts, vegetable and hummus tray, fresh salsa and fruit. All of these snacks, and ones like them. will provide protein. This will satisfy some of your hunger, but leave room for the main dishes while providing vitamins and minerals which our body needs for growth and repair, and heart-healthy fats that can protect against heart disease and other issues. Stick with the colorful appetizers and your body will thank you!

The main dishes

This is where it can get tricky sometimes, but it doesn't have to be! When selecting which meat you're going to enjoy, go for what's grilled and have the sauces on the side. When the sauce is on the side, you can control how much you're having, rather than having so much sauce so that it ends up on your face! Grilling the meat helps to drain the fat off of it so you're cutting the calorie and fat content without sacrificing flavor. Pasta salad and potato salad can either be really nutritious, or packed with fat. Go for the salads that have an oil based dressing, rather than mayo or cream based. The oil in the dressing gives us healthy fats, and allows for more flavor of the ingredients to shine through. Lastly, green salads. Choose a salad that is made with dark leafy greens, not iceberg lettuce. Iceberg lettuce has no nutritional value, whereas dark leafy greens are full of vitamins and mineral like iron and B vitamins. Pick the dressings that are oil based to ensure you're having healthy fats and not saturated fat, and put the dressing on yourself! Not everyone likes salads drenched in ranch, put a little on yourself and if you need more than add accordingly.

Lastly, dessert time!

Just when you're getting too full to eat, the dessert table is brought out and suddenly, everyone's got a little extra room for something sweet. Try to choose something that has a variety of natural color (I'm not talking about a 3 layer cake with rainbow frosting!!). Make your own little parfait with fresh fruit, if available, and yogurt or pudding. Protein and antioxidant packed! Or, go for sorbet if offered. Its mostly water, fruit juice, sugar and maybe fruit chunks. Its a great way to cool off on a hot afternoon, without feeling too full afterwards.

You don't have to leave the party feeling guilty, too full, or with a food baby. Remember to treat yourself and have fun, but be conscious of what you're having!

-Emily