Pumpkin - a healthy fall food.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, you may be enjoying some leftovers like pumpkin pie or some sweet potato casserole.  Fall is a great time to enjoy some fall foods and many of these foods, like pumpkin, are loaded with good nutrition.  

Pumpkin – a very healthy, nutritious food.  So, enjoy that pumpkin pie or pumpkin pudding.  Pumpkin is loaded with beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A.  The beta-carotene gives pumpkin its orange coloring. Beta-carotene is super healthy as it helps prevent cancer, protects against asthma and for older folks helps reduce the risk of getting macular degeneration.  Additionally, pumpkin adds fiber to your day and many Americans aren’t getting enough fiber.  Besides pie, there are many other ways to enjoy pumpkin: pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, and some even make pumpkin pancakes.  WebMD has a great article, 6 Surprising Health Benefits of Pumpkin.  These include:

• Weight loss – because pumpkin provides fiber, it helps slow digestion and keeps you filling full longer.  It is also low in calories.  Yes, when you turn pumpkin into pie, pudding, etc., you do add sugar but pumpkin itself is a low-calorie food.
• Sharper vision – vitamin A and beta-carotene are good for your eyes.  In addition to beta carotene, pumpkin has the healthy substances lutein and zeaxanthin.  Both are antioxidants that help prevent cataracts and as noted above may reduce the risk of macular degeneration.
• Immunity – lots of people are concerned about immunity right now and pumpkin can boost your immunity. How?  Because the beta-carotene turns into vitamin A which helps fight infections, fights viruses and fights off infectious diseases.  Besides beta-carotene, pumpkin has vitamin C which also helps fight infections.
• Healthy skin – who doesn’t want younger, healthier looking skin?  Why would pumpkin promote healthy skin?  Once again, it is the beta-carotene.  I always tell my students, if they want healthy skin, eat foods rich in beta-carotene or vitamin A. Beta-carotene acts like a sun screen as it helps prevent wrinkles when exposed to sunlight.
• Lower your cancer risk – How does beta-carotene lower your risk of some cancers?  Because pumpkin has both beta-carotene and vitamin C, these “are both antioxidants, and they act as shields for your cells against cancer-causing free radicals”.
• Diabetes – what is the good news about pumpkin and diabetes?  Some studies have found that pumpkin may be beneficial to people with diabetes as pumpkin can lower blood sugar levels. Of course, once you turn that pumpkin into pumpkin pie or pumpkin pudding, then you have the added sugar.  It would be interesting to learn if pumpkin pie is better for diabetics as a treat than other pies like lemon meringue pie.
• Blood pressure – who would think that eating pumpkin would have anything to do with blood pressure?  But pumpkin is rich in the mineral potassium.  A study in 2017 found that diets rich in potassium can help reduce blood pressure.  Even pumpkin pie or pudding would be good in this regard as both are low in sodium but rich in potassium.  

Libby pumpkin pie.

  

If you have any leftover pumpkin pie or pumpkin pudding, enjoy it and tell everyone you are eating “healthy” as you enjoy your dessert.  MedicalNewsToday suggests making a “quick treat of pumpkin chocolate yogurt by combining Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin, honey, cinnamon, and cocoa powder”. 

Sources:  Pumpkin, 6 Surprising Health Benefits of Pumpkin, antioxidants , studies, Blood pressure , study in 2017, MedicalNewsToday  Image sources: Pumpkins , Pumpkin pie , Nutrition

Enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner without adding guilt to the menu

Who doesn’t love Thanksgiving?  All those delicious foods to eat.  What are some tips to enjoy the Thanksgiving feast and leftovers without adding those extra pounds?  Not easy since food is so plentiful and so tasty.  Not a day to be on a diet but a day we can enjoy every bite but not gain a lot as a result.  A couple of years ago I blogged about enjoying a guilt-free Thanksgiving.  How can you make some slight modifications in your Thanksgiving feast and still enjoy a tasty meal? What are some suggestions for enjoying all the food but not tip the scales days later?

Consumer Reports wrote an article:  “Good to the Last Gobble” in which they outlined how many calories Americans eat at the Thanksgiving feast.  They cite the Calorie Control Council (who knew there was such a Council?) that says we consume 4,500 calories or more at our Thanksgiving feast.  That is a lot of calories for one meal, especially since our daily calorie intake should be between 1600 – 2000 for adult women and 2000 – 2400 for adult men.  (If you are active, you can take in more calories during the day.  Check out the chart at “Estimated Calorie Requirements”).  Consumer Reports suggest a meal with all the sides and dessert racks up about 1700 calories.  How did all these calories add up in their Thanksgiving feast?

Food	Calories
Sweet potatoes, candied 4 ounces	187
Green Bean Casserole ½ cup	227
Cranberry Sauce ¼ cup	102
Turkey 3.5 ounces, white meat	177
Stuffing ½ cup	195
Mashed potatoes 1 cup	237
Gravy  ¼ c.	25
Cornbread 3x3 inch piece	198
Pumpkin pie 1/8 of 9 inch	280
Red wine 5 ounces	125
Total Calories	1753

Enjoy the typical Thanksgiving meal with everything and the calories are well under the 4500 some people feast on.  At our house, we modify recipes to be a little less in calories but not less in taste.  My husband makes the pumpkin pie from scratch.  He uses Low fat 2% Evaporated milk in place of whole evaporated milk.  He cuts the sugar slightly from the recommended ¾ cup to ½ cup.  No cuts in the spices or other ingredients and the pie is quite tasty.  He also makes the cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries.  He cuts the sugar from the 1 cup recommended amount to ¾ cup.  A little tangier but the taste of the cranberries is even better.  I make a sweet potato casserole with a recipe from Southern Living.  I alter the recipe slightly reducing the butter a bit (but using real butter) and cutting back some on the sugar.  No cuts though on the marshmallows or crusty Corn Flake topping.  My daughter makes an awesome pecan pie with a recipe from Cooking Light.  Some oatmeal is used for thickening and it cuts back on some of the corn syrup.  The pie is delicious – not low calorie but less calories than it would have with each serving providing about 311 calories.  A good thing since WebMD notes that a slice of the traditional pecan pie with whipped cream can top 800 calories.  

 

Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk works well for pumpkin pies

Some other suggestions to enjoy your day, eat all the delicious food, but not tip the scales for days afterward: 

• Taste everything – but watch how much – smaller servings of some entries
• Save room for seconds – yes, if there is a food you really like, take a small 1^st serving, then enjoy a second serving if you like
• Exercise – Thanksgiving morning go for a walk or enjoy some type of exercise.  Then after you eat – walk again or be sure to add in some exercise Friday morning.
• Skip foods you don’t really like – no reason to add in a lot of calories for a food you don’t really enjoy
• Do other things beside eating – some families go for a family walk after the meal, some families put a puzzle together or play a board game
• Clear the table – put away the food and pack a lot of leftovers for guests to take with them

Try some substitutions and other suggestions:

• Instead of mashed potatoes served roasted baby potatoes
• Cranberry sauce – use as a relish not a main dish, and cut back a little on the sugar as noted above
• Eat breakfast – don’t skip meals on Thanksgiving day or you may find yourself snacking all day long
• Don’t forget the water – stay hydrated
• Pete Thomas of the Biggest Loser recommends:  “You probably won’t lose weight during the holidays, but with careful planning you can avoid gaining weight.”
• Eat those veggies – usually lower in calories and fills you up

The main advice on Thanksgiving – Enjoy Every BITE, enjoy your meal and enjoy the day!  Happy Thanksgiving

Oatmeal Pecan Pie from Cooking Light

Sources:  article, calorie intake, chart, calories, pie,  other suggestions,  substitutions, suggestions  Image sources:  thanksgiving meal, milk , pecan pie

Should you switch to pink salt or sea salt?

Everyone has a salt shaker in their home.  For years this shaker was filled with Morton’s salt.  Everyone used Morton’s salt.  Then sea salt seemed to be popular.  Now the rage seems to be “pink salt”.  It has been around for a while. Apparently Trader Joe’s started selling pink salt in 2009.  If you read the label, most pink salt seems to branded as coming from the Himalayas in Pakistan.  However, one source said it comes from just south of the actual Himalayas in Pakistan.  There are lots of health claims for using sea salt and pink salt in place of Morton’s salt.  What salt should people use? 

What is the benefit of using Morton’s Salt?

One reason to use Morton’s salt is to get enough iodine. If you look at a package of Morton’s salt you will see the words: “Iodized salt.  This salt supplies iodide, a necessary nutrient.”   Why is iodine added to Morton’s salt?  Someone asked the Mayo Clinic, “I rarely use salt anymore when cooking.  Instead, I like to use sea salt.  But I’ve noticed a lot of sea salts don’t contain iodine.  Do I need iodized salt, or are there other sources of iodine other than salt that are likely to give me all the iodine I need?” 

Great question.  And how did the Mayo Clinic answer this question?  “Answer:  For most people, iodized salt is probably the easiest way to maintain sufficient iodine intake.”  

Why do we need iodine?

As the Mayo Clinic notes, we need iodine for proper functioning of our thyroid.  Our thyroid gland produces important hormones.  Without enough iodine we can get a condition called goiter or have low levels of thyroid hormones which is termed hypothyroidism.  Thyroid hormones control the body’s metabolism and thyroid hormones are needed for proper bone and brain development during pregnancy and infancy.  There is actually an organization called the American Thyroid Association.  This organization notes, our bodies can’t make iodine, we must get iodine from food.  At one time it was common for people around the Great Lakes region of the U.S., around Appalachia, and other areas to get iodine deficiency.  To prevent this iodine deficiency, in the 1920’s, iodized salt was sold in the U.S.  

Iodine is added to this salt.

How much iodine is in Sea Salt?

I just looked at the bottle of Morton’s Sea Salt we have in our cupboard.  The label reads: “This salt does not supply iodide, a necessary nutrient.”  According to Livestrong, sea salt does not contain iodine.  Livestrong recommends that people who use seal salt in place of iodized salt, need to add other sources of iodine to their diet.  This wouldn’t really be that easy to do on a regular basis as not many people eat kelp, nori, or wild cod routinely.  There is some iodine in eggs and shrimp.    

No iodine is added to this salt. 

How much iodine is in pink salt?

Pink salt is interesting as it is not as processed as other salts.  Thus, some minerals remain in pink salt such as “trace amounts of the minerals calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron”.  Why is pink salt the color pink?  Because it has some trace amounts of iron in it.  But, like sea salt, iodine is not added to pink salt.

Iodine is not added to pink salt.

What salt to use?

I like to be sure I get my iodine.  But I also like to use sea salt.  As a compromise, we use iodized salt for cooking and often at the table.  But we also have sea salt at the table as some foods just seem to taste better with some sea salt.  Livestrong notes that one can not only get some iodine from seaweed and saltwater fish but also some from cheese, cow’s milk (not almond milk), yogurt made from cow’s milk as well as eggs which were noted earlier.  For extra insurance, I take a multivitamin/mineral supplement that has iodine in it.  Livestrong recommends that if you are replacing iodized salt with sea salt,you need to be getting iodine from other sources. 

What salt are you using? 

Sources:  selling , Mayo Clinic , hormones,   American Thyroid Association , 1920’s , sea salt , minerals, Livestrong Image Sources:  iodized salt , Morton’s sea salt , pink salt

 

Which cooking oils are healthy? Which oils are not so healthy?

So many people are now at home and more people are cooking at home.  This can be good for your health.  When you are preparing food for yourself and your family, what cooking oil are you using?  Just like most things in nutrition there are a lot of myths about what cooking oils are good for your health and what cooking oils are not so good.  Why would a person buy a cooking oil that is bad for their heart health?  I noted this before but I was watching a couple in the cooking oil aisle struggling to figure out what cooking oil to buy.  They would pick up a bottle, look at it, talk about it, put it back and then pick up another bottle.  Choosing and buying a healthy cooking oil is not hard.  Here are some tips.

One might think most cooking oils are the same.  And they are pretty much the same when it comes to calories and fat content.  But, the type of fat in the oil really makes a difference health wise.

Healthy Choices for Cooking Oils    Most experts now recommend oils high in monounsaturated fats like Olive Oil, Canola Oil or high in polyunsaturated fats like Safflower oil, Sunflower Oil or Corn Oil.  These oils are the healthiest choices.  Why?  Because cooking oils high in these fats lower your risk of heart disease.  The Cleveland Clinic recommends “When cooking and eating, it’s important to choose the most heart-healthy oils.”  The American Heart Association recommends cooking oils that contain more of the better fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats) and less saturated fats.  (See What are healthy fats?)

o   Olive Oil – this oil is considered heart-healthy because it is high in monounsaturated fats.  Choose Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO).  Why?  Because EVOO has more of those good antioxidants.  Experts say EVOO seems to have the most health  benefits.

o   Canola Oil – This oil is “generally considered a “healthy” oil because it is very low in saturated fat (7%)”.  Similar to olive oil, the fat in canola oil is a monounsaturated fat.  It also contains the heart healthy Omega-3 fat.  Interesting, that canola oil contains a substance that actually reduces “the absorption of cholesterol into the body”.

o   Corn, Safflower, Soybean and Sunflower Oils – the American Heart Association also lists these vegetable oils as heart-healthy oils.  Why?  Because they contain so little saturated fats. 

Not Good Choice for Cooking Oils

·        Coconut oil – although trendy, this oil is not a healthy choice. They are those that say coconut oil can reduce your belly fat, and is even good for your immune system.  The once popular Paleo Diet pushed coconut oil.  But not so fast. 

o   Saturated fat – most people know saturated fat is not heart healthy.  Saturated fat is the fat that raises your bad cholesterol, the LDL cholesterol.  Coconut oil is not only high in saturated fat, but 80-90% of fat in coconut oil is saturated.  That is why coconut oil is solid at room temperature. 

o   LDL cholesterol – this is the cholesterol that builds up in your arteries and considered the “bad cholesterol”.  A number of studies have found that coconut oil leads to an increase in LDL cholesterol. This would increase one’s risk of heart disease.

o   Coconut oil is one cooking oil to leave on the shelf

·         Palm Oil – another oil high in saturated fat.  I am always disappointed when I try to choose a healthier microwave popcorn and then the ingredients list “palm oil” as it is not a heart-healthy oil. 

What cooking oil to choose?  Actually, you may want a couple of oils in your pantry.  Have a bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and then have some Corn, Safflower, or Sunflower Oil.  This way you are getting the benefit of oils that are low in saturated fat and you are getting some different heart-healthy oils.  

Sources:  experts , Cleveland Clinic, American Heart Association , EVOO , Experts , Canola Oil , This oil , vegetable oils , fat, studies, Palm Oil    Image Sources: corn oil , Heart healthy oils , EVVO