You think it's healthy...but it's not

Breakfast:
Pop-Tarts Whole Grain Brown Sugar Cinnamon
400 calories
14 g fat
28 g sugars
Don't be fooled by the use of the term "whole grain". There is still too much sugar in this breakfast and it will not fill you up.


Lunch:
Spicy Tuna Roll
460 calories
9 g fat
64 g carbs
Sushi always seems like a healthy option, right? Nope.
A lot of sushi filling is mixed with full-fat mayo and cream cheese. Be cautious when "spicy" and "crunchy" are in the title.


Dinner:
Turkey Burger from Ruby Tuesday
890 calories
47 g fat
49 g carbs
I always used to choose the turkey burger option at restaurants, but never again.
Try Fuddruckers and choose their ostrich burger on whole wheat, which is leaner than chicken!


Dessert:
Low Carb Cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory
610 calories
57 g fat
39 g carb
I'm not sure how 39 gram of carbs counts as low carb and 57 grams of fat is more than a person should eat in an entire day.

Can you pass some bacteria with the turkey?

Besides the insane amount of calories in a typical Thanksgiving meal, the next most alarming thing about this holiday is the increased risk to contracting foodborne illness. Food is rushed out of the oven, left out for hours at a time, and usually kept as leftovers way too long.

Here are a few highlights I learned from the CDC's Fight Bac website:
-Keep your hot food above 140° F or you could end up with Staphylococcal or Perfringens food poisoning. Eating food that has been left out at room temperature too long can lead to cramps, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
-How does bloody diarrhea sound during your Thanksgiving weekend? If meats are not cooked to their appropriate temperature, you could end up with E-coli O157:H7. Invest in a meat thermometer! Poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165° F.
-Salmonellosis and Campylobacteriosis (which is one of the longer-lasting foodborne illnesses) can both easily be prevented by using precaution while handling raw meat and poultry.

Follow the CDC's four easy steps and you will not let lazy food handling ruin your holiday..
-Clean your hands and surfaces.
-Separate food so as not to cross-contaminate
-Cook foods (especially meat and poultry) to their proper temperature
-Chill food promptly

Check out this website to learn how to purchase and cook your holiday food safely: http://www.holidayfoodsafety.org/

Thanksgiving is the time for turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and PIES !!

I've been to Thanksgiving dinners where there is a pie for every letter of the alphabet- apple pie, blueberry pie, cherry pie, etc. Of course the most popular Thanksgiving pies are pumpkin pie and pecan pie.
While it is hard to keep yourself from sampling each dessert on the table, choosing the healthier option could save you 200 calories!
Most pumpkin pies contain between 300 and 400 calories per slice whereas pecan pie usually has 500 calories or more per slice.
And if you are the one in charge of bringing/making dessert...try making mini, individual-sized pies like the recipe below from LIBBY'S®...

Ingredients:
4 (1-cup vol each) 4-inch diameter mini-pie shells
3/4 cup granulated sugar (or suberstitute Splenda baking blend)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Lowfat Evaporated or Fat Free Evaporated Milk

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425° F.
Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in bowl. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
Pour into shells.
Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° F.; bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for 2 hours.

Fake pasta!

For the past few years I have been a big fan of Tofu Shirataki Noddles. Each package contains only 40 calories, 6 grams of carbs, and even 4 grams of fiber. They come in different pasta shapes including fettuccine and angel hair. To get rid of the tofu flavor just parboil the noodles for 2 minutes.
You can find them at most Asian food markets, some larger grocery stores, and can buy them online in bulk.

  

SparkPeople

http://www.sparkpeople.com/ is a free website that allows you to track whether you are meeting your diet and exercise goals.
SparkPeople has also created a site devoted specifcally to healthy recipes- http://www.sparkrecipes.com/

Check them both out!

A little bit of neuroscience from The New York Times

"Phys Ed: Why Exercise Makes You Less Anxious"
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/phys-ed-why-exercise-makes-you-less-anxious/
This is a great article about how exercise helps your brain respond better to stress.

Can you substitute applesauce for butter or oil when baking?

According to most sources, it is best to only substitute applesauce for oil and not use it as a substitute for butter.
If substituting applesauce for oil use a 1:1 ratio and for best results use unsweetened applesauce.

www.thenest.com suggests first trying a mixture of half oil and half applesauce.

Tested recipe for healthy Egg Roulade

Egg Roulade

3 eggs

2 Tbsp flour

6 egg whites

Slightly less than ¼ cup chopped dill

2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

¼ tsp salt

¾ cup shredded fat-free mozzarella

½ cup diced bell pepper

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray pie pan with nonstick cooking a spray. In bowl, whisk whole eggs (one at a time) into the flour until smooth. Whisk in the egg whites, dill, Parmesan cheese, and salt until well combined.
• Pour mixture into pan and bake for 8 to 9 minutes until the mixture is set.
• Remove from oven and add the fat-free mozzarella and bell pepper over top. Let sit for 3 minutes.
• Cut like pizza or pie slices and serve.

6 servings

106 calories, 3.2 g fat per serving

Recipe from The Wellness Kitchen ©2003

Healthy Weight

The National Institutes of Health has a quick and easy tool to check your BMI (Body Mass Index).
http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

If you've checked your BMI recently and found that it is 25 or greater, you are overweight.
A great way to motivate yourself to lose the weight is to see a picture of a healthier you!
http://www.weightmirror.com is a site that allows you to upload a picture of yourself and adjust your weight to see a thinner you.
Keep in mind that all bodies are different and everyone loses weight from different areas of the body at different times.

New Government Nutrition Site

http://www.myfoodapedia.gov

The site allows you to look up the exact calorie content of any food and see which section of the food pyramid it fulfills.
Additionally, you can search and compare the calorie content in two different foods.
However, it only lists the pyramid food group and calories, lacking all other nutrition data such as fat and sugar content.

(Site put together by my former employer the U.S.D.A.)

Home-made meals without going to the grocery store

It's very easy to get home from school or work and order some quick chinese food or pizza. However, making food in your own kitchen allows you to have more control of the ingredients that go into your food, which usually means a healthier meal.
I know most people don't like to spend free time at the grocery store like I do, so here are some websites that generate recipes from ingredients you already have in your kitchen or pantry.

http://www.recipepuppy.com

http://allrecipes.com/Search/Ingredients.aspx

http://www.recipematcher.com

http://www.cookthing.com

Welcome to Weighing in on Wellness

Welcome to my health and wellness blog. My name is Nicole Raimondo and I will be weighing in on ways to live a healthy lifestyle by posting nutrition advice, healthy recipes, etc.
Please share your comments!