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April 21, 2012

Refueling High Mileage Moms and Dads

Are you a Mom-on-the-go or Dad-on-the-go who is so busy driving carpool and taking your children to all their activities that you have a hard time eating healthy?

Joining me on the Straight Talk about Eating Smart podcast this week to share her real-world tips is my regular guest Regina Ragone, Food Director for Family Circle magazine. Regina’s sister Angela has been asking her to write about high mileage moms since she is one of them.

Regina offers several realistic tips for eating on the go:

1. Refuel instead of running on empty

If you guzzle coffee without food, Regina says it’s like revving the engine of a car with no gas in its tank. You may get a quick energy boost, but without nutrients such as a mix of protein, carbs and fat, you’re likely to crash and burn. Consider a small latte with a handful of nuts or trail mix for a better fuel mix.

2. Stay on track

Counting calories is key, but it’s not the whole story. Regina says that nutrient balance is also critical when it comes to attaining better energy. Snacks should be a mix of protein, high fiber carbs and a little fat. For example, sliced apples with almond butter or a cheese stick with a pear. Her recommended nutrient balance: 7–15 grams of protein, 5–10 grams of fat and 15 grams of carbs per mini meal.

What are some of your favorite snack ideas for road warrior Moms and Dads?

Check out the PackIt freezable cooler. The Social Cooler can handle food and drinks for four and keep food items cold for up to 10 hours. Save money and stay healthy by preventing food poisoning. 

Looking for a recipe the entire family will love for Meatless Monday? Try the Sloppy Joe Casserole

Want more information? Listen to this week’s podcast below.


June 23, 2011

Beachgoers, Briefcasers and Backpackers: Grab Go-To Snacks that Satisfy

June 8, 2011

Well, I am car and airplane weary. For the last month or so, I’ve traveled almost nonstop for work, which means different time zones, long hours in the airport, a change in sleep patterns, and meals-on-the-go. You know the drill if you travel for work or if you commute to your job, whether you drive, take a train or a bus.

What snacks do you take along? Comment on FaceBook or my blog.

Plus, now that the kids are out of school for the summer, you may spend time at the beach. Whether you’re a backpacker, beachgoer or briefcaser, here are a few of my favorite go-to-snacks.

1. My go-to nutrition bar is a trio bar from Mrs. Mays. Chock full of nuts, seeds and fruits, it has about 170 calories, 5 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber and is low in saturated fat because of all the nuts and seeds which contain more heart healthy fats.

I buy large boxes of these for our pantry because on many trips, I leave the hotel room before room service begins in the morning and this bar is my breakfast.

I’m also a fan of their classic crunches, particularly pumpkin, which has about 165 calories a serving, 9 grams of protein and again is low in sat fat due to the seeds. My husband says I need stock in the company.

2. Next up on my go-to list is trail mix, which I make up at home in a large container. I vary the ingredients but typically it contains a mixture of nuts (whatever I have on hand but I love walnuts, pistachios and cashews), seeds such as pumpkin or sunflower, a mixture of dried fruits (again whatever I have) that might include dried cherries, blueberries, cranberries, apricots, dried plums).

Of course, I rough cut my favorite dark chocolate bars such as Green & Black’s and toss some in. Small plastic bags or containers work great and don’t take up a lot of room plus I don’t eat all of it at one time as can happen if I put it in one container.

3. I have this quite small Vera Bradley cooler bag (here’s one similar). It easily fits in my carry on. I put a small ice pack in it and take along string cheese, Chobani yogurt (they have kids sizes called Chobani champions that fit perfectly in my bag) and I like the honey-nana flavor plus I get my calcium and 8 grams of protein.

4. Small containers of hummus work well in my cooler bag too and I will take baby carrot along with snack chips. Sun Chips garden salsa are one of my favorites as they are made with whole grains, healthy fat and are relatively low in sodium compared to other chips. The chips called Food Should Taste Good also are tasty and there are many varieties to choose from such as sweet potato, olive and blue corn.

5. A beach favorite is Diana’s banana babies…frozen bananas on a stick covered in dark chocolate…addictive and satisfying without blowing all your calories. 130 calories and a nice serving of potassium too.

Want more? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

Listen to this week’s podcast


June 1, 2011

Don’t be Afraid of the Dark Meat…Chicken

Ok, every time you cook chicken, it’s a skinless chicken breast…right…because you think it’s better for you. As food writer Josh Ozersky said in his Time magazine article “Chicken: Get Over White Meat. Join the Dark Side!” the time has come to get with the dark-meat program.

I was recently in Charleston SC, for the National Chicken Council/US Poultry Food Media Seminar. Known for its southern cuisine, I had the opportunity to enjoy (or maybe I should say devour) some incredible Charleston lowcountry chicken dishes made with thighs and drumsticks from restaurants such as the Fat Hen and Peninsula Grill.

Tender, tasty and healthy, dark meat chicken does not bust your budget. Last week I checked with Leah McGrath, Corporate Dietitian for Ingles Market who told me chicken thighs and drums with skin were a bargain at $1.49 per pound compared to chicken breasts which were $2.28 per pound.

At over $.75 a pound difference it’s time to rethink the automatic habit of buying breasts. Even though the price is right, what about the nutrition facts?

Nutritionally the dark meat is packed with 24% more iron and 3 times the amount of zinc as compared to white meat chicken.

If you always buy the chicken breast because you think it’s healthier, don’t miss this. A typical three-ounce boneless, skinless portion of chicken breast has 120 calories and 1.5 grams of fat, and only ½ gram of saturated fat. In comparison a three-ounce skinless drumstick has 130 calories, 4 grams of fat and only 1 gram of saturated fat.

Did you catch that? There’s only ½ gram of difference in the saturated fat and 10 calories? Time that myth was busted.

By the way, it makes no difference if you remove the chicken skin before or after cooking so if you like the moistness from cooking with the skin on, go for it. Convinced you yet to rethink your position on dark meat chicken?

If you’re looking for recipes that use thighs and drumsticks, check our WDBO.com Nutrition & Health Center at WDBO.com/healthcenter. Look for Chicken Curry and Brown Basmati Rice, Two-Way Nachos and a slow cooker recipe for Chicken and Bean Stew. Also check out eatchicken.com for recipes.

Do you have a great dark meat chicken recipe to share? Tell us about it on my blog or post your comment on Facebook.

Photos: courtesy of the National Chicken Council/ US Poultry & Egg Association.


Want more? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

Listen to this week’s podcast


March 30, 2011

Eat Right When Time is Tight

Thanks for the positive feedback from last week’s podcast on cholesterol busting. Glad to hear you found it helpful.

I’ve had requests from some of you who are road warriors to talk about eating smart when you travel for business. Whether you’re on the road every week or less frequently, you already know that it can be tough to eat well and keep your competitive edge.

This week on the podcast, registered dietitian and author Patricia Bannan joins me to share real-world road warrior tips. Patricia is a former health correspondent for CNN and has been a guest on news shows nationwide, including NBC’s Today show. Just back from a media tour,Patricia shares road warrior tips from her new book Eat Right when Time is Tight.

I’m going to be a road warrior in April. Most of the time (I think you road warriors would agree) business travel requires very long days, waking up early to get to the airport then long, multi-course meals with clients.

It can be hard to find healthy food or the time to squeeze in any ‘me’ time. Yet, we road warriors want to keep our competitive edge.

Here are a couple of the travel tips which Patricia shared to help us stay sharp and not overindulge so that we don’t up wearing that extra food home on our belly or thighs.

“Eat Right When Time is Tight” Tips for Business Travelers:

  1. When you first check in to your hotel have a quick peek at the fitness center. Then you know exactly where it’s located. Make it a priority to do a quick workout first thing in the morning. Even thirty minutes on the treadmill or a twenty-minute session of lifting weights will translate into higher productivity and less stress throughout a busy day.
  2. If it’s not too late, and depending where you’re staying, look for a local market to stock up on healthy snacks—bottled water, energy bars, fresh or dried fruit, nuts, and yogurt if you have a refrigerator.

  3. Carry your Eat Right Survival Stash (healthy, already-portioned, shelf-stable foods) in your briefcase or bag and a bottle of water or tea as your first weapon of choice.
  4. Make sure you stay hydrated. Remember that thirst often masquerades as hunger, and opt for no-calorie or low-calorie beverages throughout the day. Watch your alcohol intake—those calories add up fast, especially if you start drinking before evening.

Want more? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

Listen to this week’s podcast


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