Top Produce Picks for Picky Eaters

As a dietitian I am often asked what I keep in my refrigerator.  Since I am super busy and I also live with someone who only likes certain fruits and veggies I developed a staple of products to rely on.  My top criteria is that my produce involve minimal prep - which usually means wash and go, easy peeling or open and serve items.  I also try to select organic in some cases.  Check out this link to find out why.

1.  Bananas - 450 mg potassium, 3 grams of fiber
I eat one of these every day in some form.  I keep a bunch on the counter and freeze ripe bananas.  These will go whole in my husband's lunch, in a breakfast smoothie or I use one to make a frozen milkshake type drink.  Blend together 2 frozen bananas, 2 cups of chocolate or vanilla almond milk,1/2 scoop of soy protein powder and a dash of vanilla.

2. Mini Sweet Peppers - 3 = 270% Vitamin C  (Percent of Daily Value based on 2000 calorie diet)
For years I have cut up peppers and put them in my lunch.  I had no idea there was an easier way to eat peppers!  Recently I discovered mini sweet peppers.  No cutting necessary.  I always assumed these would be hot so I avoided them.  Rinse & pop in a ziploc bag for lunch.
 

3. Organic Fuji Apples - 3 grams of fiber, 10% Vitamin C
I was never a fan of apples until I tried organic.  I keep about 4-5 of these on hand per week.  I can't get my husband to eat these - so it's just me - unless I sneak it into a smoothie.  They can be a little expensive - $2.50-2.99 a pound - but the taste is worth the price.  Apples are on the "Dirty Dozen" list which means non-organic has a lot of pesticides (and probably the reason I did not like the taste prior to trying organic.)

4. Earthbound Farm Pre-washed Spinach - 2 grams fiber, 160% Vitamin A
Love this because it can be taken right out of the bag and put into a bowl for a quick salad.  This brand is also organic.  It goes for about$4.49 for a 1 pound container at Marc's Discount Grocery Stores.  Besides for salads, spinach is great to add to an omelet or saute with garlic and shrimp.  I have even added spinach to smoothies before, however I tell my husband that the green color comes from grapes or I know he won't drink it. (Also try the1/2 spring mix and1/2 spinach blend.)





5. Cherry, Grape or Plum Tomatoes - packed with antioxidants!
Wash and go or saute and add to an omelet or stir fry.  Need I say more!

A Vegan Jerky Christmas

My husband and I recently got back from a pre-holiday Niagara Falls trip.  On the way from Ohio to Canada we stopped for gas in Geneva, Ohio.  We found what I call "jerky heaven" right next to the gas station.  A placed called "Tommy's Jerky Outlet" had about every type of Jerky you could imagine.  

Recently I discover a brand of vegan jerky that, believe it or not, my husband actually likes better than beef jerky.  It's called "Primal Strips" and is made out of soy beans or mushrooms depending on which flavor you choose.  I told my husband I wanted to ask the store clerk if they carried vegan jerky.  My husband responded, "please don't embarrass me."  I went and asked anyway.  While the store did not carry "vegan jerky," it turned out the owner was a health nut!  He has another business manufacturing other products that are for sale in Whole Foods and The Mustard Seed. (More about that in an upcoming post!)

Getting back to the jerky... I discovered the "Primal Strips" brand at a vegan cafe called "The Flaming Ice Cube" which is located in both Youngstown and Cleveland, Ohio.  If you can't get there you can also purchase online.  They go for about $1.29 for a 1 ounce package.   Even though they are a little pricey, health-wise they are far superior to traditional beef jerky snacks because they contain no preservatives, no GMO and are cholesterol free.   

Now if your loved one won't eat anything with the word "vegan" on the front of the package, what I recommend when purchasing traditional beef jerky is to flip the product over and look for the words "sodium nitrite" in the ingredients list.  If you see those words, I suggest not buying the product.  The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) (page 67) research recommends that processed meat preserved in this way be avoided all together due to potential cancer risk.  

The Oberto brand of jerky is a preservative-free product carried at Costco for about .80 an ounce - however my husband preferred the taste of the vegan brand.  So now due to bulk purchasing I am stuck with 17 ounces of jerky.  I hear they make great stocking stuffers! lol






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Going Cold Turkey is My Only Hope

For convenience sake turkey sandwiches are a lunch box staple for my husband.  He still insists on white bread, Kraft singles and Miracle Whip. So the lunch meat part is my only chance to have a positive impact.

Most dieters know that turkey is usually considered one of the better choices in regards to available deli meats.  Most brands are low in fat and calories (about 45-60 cal, .5g fat / 1 oz).  However there are a few other areas to focus attention on.  Lunch meat can be high in sodium (400-600mg / 1 oz) and also contain preservatives such as sodium nitrite which have been associated with cancer in some studies.  According to the American Institute for Cancer Research processed meat is a convincing cause of colorectal cancer and should be avoided (see page 118). 

So what do you eat?  I found one great option at Costco.  The Kirkland Brand Turkey Breast is sliced right off the actual breast.  While it does not claim to be organic or from vegetarian fed turkeys it is not processed by any means.  At $6.79 a pound it is comparable to what I saw behind the deli counter at my local "Whole Foods" which was nearly twice the price.

Whole Foods - Turkey Breast at Deli Counter

Tomato Grown in a Coconut Husk

Usually I prefer locally grown tomatoes for their sweet flavor however these Zima tomatoes greenhouse grown in Canada are amazing!  They taste so good picky eaters won't know they are eating veggies!  This morning I threw a container of them in my husband's lunch. He loves them!  It's one of the few vegetables I can get him to eat! A 2 lb container is only $5.99 at Costco. They are a sweeter tomato grown in a coconut husk.  This is the perfect vegetable for a busy person - just rinse and eat - no prep work at all!  Check out this video from the grower.  http://youtu.be/1yLXFLwFqdo

Getting Personal

Last year a friend invited me to a "31" party.  After spending over $100.00 on personalized tote bags I vowed this would be the last purse, candle, jewelry, etc. type party I would ever attend.  While I thought I spent too much money (certainly more than I promised myself before attending the party), I have to say purchasing a monogrammed cooler tote for my husband was one of the best purchases I ever made.  I had the words "Coach Gorby" printed on the bag. 

While we have other cooler totes at home, my husband loves taking this tote to his cross country and track events.  It's one way I have been able to get him to eat a somewhat healthy lunch on a weekend.  Last Saturday he had an all day cross country meet in Columbus.  He actually asked to take a lunch - which usually never happens.  I made 2 turkey sandwiches (using preservative free turkey meat) and also threw in a 1/4 cup of roasted almonds into his lunch tote.  Of course he added a few bags of chips.  Always compromising!

The Under 5 Rule, Is It Still Okay To Eat It?

My husband recently got back from a weekend cross country camp he runs every year for his team.  And as usual he brings home a bunch of extra food the kid's did not eat.  I usually get over-sized bagels, cream cheese packets, "Country Time" lemonade and an assortment of granola bars- all food teenagers who run a lot can eat without gaining a pound.  Yesterday I had a 320 calorie plain bagel topped with 70 calorie cream cheese and I added a tablespoon of my own organic jelly. Being a lifetime WeightWatcher member - this is a snack I did not even bother calculating the points on!!!  I knew it would be more than I wanted to face!

Nevertheless with all this free food around I noticed a common mistake consumers make when they think they are purchasing healthy food.  This concerns granola bars.  Food manufacturers often promote whole grains on the front of a package.  However if you really want to know what you are eating flip over the pacakge and look at the ingredients list. Most granola bars contain about 8g of whole grains per serving.  The Whole Grains Council considers 16 grams a serving and if you eat a total of 48 grams a day that would equal the 3 servings of whole grains recommended per day by the USDA (www.ChooseMyPlate.gov).  Confused?  Yes even as a dietitian this can be hard to figure out.

When selecting granola bars it's great if they have whole grains - but more importantly look at the ingredients list.  If sugar is in the top five you may want to opt for another snack.  If you want to be a little more liberal - go with top three.  Look at these products below.  The Walgreen's brand sporting the whole grain endorsement has sugar as it's second ingredient.  The Kellogg's Nutri-Grain bar has sugar as the 6th ingredient.  While sugar is farther down the list on the Kellogg's brand both items contain 12 grams of sugar.  The Kellogg's brand is lower in fat and sodium and also has more fiber - however it also has more preservatives and additives than the Walgreen's brand.  So which one do you choose?

A better choice over granola bars is making your own snack. Mixing 20 unsalted dry roasted almonds and 1/4 cup dried cranberries is a healthier way to go. (250 calories, 13 grams fat-mostly healthy fat, 1 g sat fat, 4g fiber, 5g protein)  It is more calories than the granola bars - but do you ever eat one granola bar???