Thanksgiving and a Break

Thanksgiving at my house was small, with just 5 of us.  Compared to my mom's typical 20+ pound turkey, my 11 pounder looked like a chicken.  I tried 2 tricks that I saw on TV.  Thanks to Julia Child & Jaque Pepin, I removed the backbone, butterflied it open and cooked it on a pile of whole-grain stuffing.  Thanks to The Chew, instead of brining, I made a sage & rosemary salt (sea salt, dry rosemary & fresh sage in a spice grinder) and put a sprinkle of it between the skin and the meat on the breast and thighs.  It was THE BEST ever.

I had to laugh as I was setting out all the side dishes.  Everything but the dinner rolls either was, or was loaded with vegetables (except the one with grapes).

Most of those ended up in a veggie pot pie.  (There was actually turkey in it...but only about 1/2 cup.)  The squash and sweet potatoes became "pumpkin bread".  Shhh!  Don't Tell.

I'm now a month into my new job as a Diabetes Educator at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center and totally loving it.   I am finding the transition from consulting to scheduled hours a bit challenging still.  I got a little spoiled by being able to do a half day's work in my PJ's.  Updating this nutrition blog is one of those things that just never seems to get crossed off my "to do" list.  I'm going to take a couple months off, then re-evaluate if it's something I want to continue.  Meanwhile, I will continue to coordinate the Idaho Dietetic Association / Idaho Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics blog.  Though written for Registered Dietitians, everyone may find the Tuesday Trends and the WWW.Wed posts of interest.

See you next year.

Live Longer By Eating Fruits and Veggies

A very large study looking at the fruit and vegetable intake of a group of people in Europe over 8 years, found that people who ate 8 portions  of fruits and veggies daily had a 22% lower risk of dying from heart disease compare to those who ate 3 or fewer.  For each serving over 3, the risk dropped by 4% per serving.  Women saw even greater risk reduction benefits than men.

The study did not count potatoes or dried beans as vegetables because of the higher carbohydrate and calories of those foods.  Only fresh fruit was counted (not canned) and nuts, seeds and olives were not counted either. A half-million people from 10 countries were included in the EPIC study with 313,074 in this assessment.  

The reasons for the reduced risks are not entirely clear.  Changes to cholesterol levels and blood pressure have been considered as have certain components within the fruits and veggies, but the detailed analysis of this study neither confirm nor refute those theories.

This is not the first study to show the benefits of eating more fruits and veggies, but this study shows how strong the connection really is. 

"Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Mortality From Ischaemic Heart Disease"  European Heart Journal. 2011; 32(10):1235-1243

Physical Activity Challenge Cont.

The Fruit & Vegetable / Physical Activity challenge at work has spilled over to a second month.   Fruits and veggies are no problem for me (although admittedly, I really would prefer to order an Amber Ale at the Biker Bars on the weekend instead of a  Bloody Mary...ah, the sacrifices). 

I find my personal physical activity barriers a little frustrating.  I don't DISlike exercise.  I just have better things to do (like sleep or earn a pay check).  And my hobbies are frustratingly sedentary - I like to read and make quilts.  But I am making progress, as evidenced from the exercise clutter accumulating under my desk at work.  For the past month, one pair of shoes has lived under the desk and I manage either the 15 minute or 30 minute route from the office at least 3 of the 4 days I'm in the office.  Lindsay is leading lunchtime yoga twice a week...and I've committed to Wed (despite the pine needles in my hair and the fact that I got charley-horses in muscles I wasn't even aware were prone to cramping).

Finally, I think I may have found a solution.  I borrowed my daughter's ipod yesterday, and after about an hour's frustration with updating software and figuring out how to download and transfer files, I have a book on tape from the library.  I'm not sure what happens to this file at the end of the 2 week check out. Does it vanish? Maybe the guard from the library takes it away. (I've been wondering all week who or what he is protecting and from whom.)  So this morning I sent an email to my co-workers to warn them I would be late and I hoofed it to work.  65 minutes later, and only mildly sweaty, I arrived feeling virtuous and knowing a bit more about "choice architecture" and behavioral economics, a result of a couple chapters of Nudge. 

World Breastfeeding Week

Celebrate World Breastfeeding Week by getting the word out that Nursing is Normal.

Beets

I went to the farmer's market this weekend where I found the golden beets to be absolutely irresistable.  Quite honestly, I had forgotten how much I like beets until I bought some for the veggie challenge.

My preferred way to cook beets is to roast them, but with summer time temperatures in the mid-90's F, I opted to steam them instead.  It took 20 minutes for them to get tender, and I tossed the green beans in for the last 5 minutes. 

After they cooled, I used a paper towel to rub the skins off the beets.

I was trying to think of a way to turn them into a salad without having the red and the gold bleed all over everything.  I diced the red beets then tossed them with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper and arranged them on a bed of lettuce.  After rinsing the red out of the bowl I made another batch of vinegrette for the golden beets and green beans that included rice vinegar and a little mustard.  Some leftover diced chicken finished the dish.  (I included some crumbled blue cheese on mine too. YUM!) 

This turned out to be a great Cooking-While-Quilting meal.  The veggies cooked while I was sewing away at the machine and it only took 10 minutes (of my very valuable crafting time) to chop and assemble a yummy and healthy meal.  Oh...and if you don't normally eat beets...don't be alarmed when you go to the bathroom. (Everything changes to beet colors for a day or so.)

1/2 cup of beets is only 37 calories and provides 17% Daily Value for folate, 7% potassium, 5% vitamin C as well as 2 grams of fiber. (Source:  NutritionData.com) 

Gestational Diabetes

Just read a study on gestational diabetes (GDM) and the risk for children who's moms had GDM to develop diabetes at a younger ages.  Children were tested at age 11 for the risk factors that identify pre-diabetes (obesity, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low HDL and blood sugar in the high-normal range).  Children who's moms did have GDM, but the infants were of average birth weight had similar rates of the risk factors as children who's moms didn't have diabetes - about 20% had at least one risk factor.  If, however, the mom had GDM and the baby was 9 pounds or more at birth, 50% of those children had at least 1 risk factor and 15% had 3 factors for diabetes (which is how pre-diabetes also known as metabolic syndrome is determined) at age 11. 

Getting the word out about postpartum screening for diabetes and making family lifestyle changes for healthy eating, exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight sure sounds like a great way to stop the obesity and diabetes epidemic.

Metabolic Syndrome in Childhood:  Association with Birth Weight, Maternal Obesity, and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.  Booney et al.  Pediatrics 2005; 115;e290

Great Quote

A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do.
– P. J. O'Rourke