Grocery Shopping Tips

I can’t believe we had a snow day last week! Growing up in the DC area, we had plenty of snow days but I don’t remember having one for so little snow. I then went to college in upstate New York and it was a pretty big deal when we had a half day for about 2 feet of snow. It’s funny to see how different parts of the country handle snow so differently. With my day off, I made some meals for the rest of the weekend and froze some to last me into this week. I think it’s important to plan meals in advance so that I know what it is that I am going to eat and to make sure that I get all the nutrition I need for the week. In class, we stress the importance of meal planning so that people have a strategy when they get to the grocery store. It’s easy to be tempted by impulse items that are strategically placed at the end of the aisle or in the checkout line when you don’t have a plan. It’s also easy to forget ingredients for a recipe when you don’t make a list- I’ve done that too many times! By making a list before heading off to the store, you can save money, time and ensure a week of healthy meals.

Some strategies you can use to ensure a happily planned week of meals that are low cost and nutritious:

Look at the weekly ad before you start- are there items on sale that you can use for some recipes you like? I generally check out what proteins are on sale and make a plan based on that. I then pick a vegetable or two that are on sale that I can pair with that protein and pick up a whole grain to round out the meal. Aim for a meal that will fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables, a quarter with a whole grain like brown rice or quinoa, and a quarter with a lean protein such as chicken, lean cuts of meat or fish.

Look at coupons- are some of your favorite snack foods on sale like yogurt, nuts, dried fruits? What coupons can you use to make a healthy snack or supplement to a meal? Be sure to check the prices of store brands, though, they will often still be cheaper than brand name items with a coupon!

Plan for leftovers- make more than you need for one meal and save it for a meal later on in the week. Some of my favorite lunches are leftovers from the dinner I made the night before.

Before you go shopping, make a list. Base the list on what is on sale and the recipes that you picked out for the week.

Eat before you go shopping- it will help you stay focused on buying only what’s on your list and not on what would taste really good right then…

Consider buying frozen fruits and vegetables, especially for meals you’ve planned to eat at the end of the week to make sure you don’t waste fresh foods that can go rotten before you can use them.

By having a plan, you’ll be able to buy only the things you need. You can make healthy meals and make sure you’re going to be buying enough whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, dairy and healthy fats. How do you prepare for the grocery store and for a week’s worth of meals?

Janna

Where is the sun?? It seems that there has been little sun in our Seattle skies for the past two months that I’ve been here. I am from the DC area so I’m used to a bit more sun than what we have out here. An important health and nutrition concern for people north of San Francisco is Vitamin D. Our bodies need the sun in order to make Vitamin D and with cloudy skies, it’s hard for our bodies to make enough. Vitamin D is found naturally in only a few foods and added to some others; however, it is difficult to get enough Vitamin D solely from the foods that we eat.

Why do we even need Vitamin D? Vitamin D (not technically a vitamin, but rather, a hormone) is needed to absorb calcium, form bone properly, grow cells and maintain immunity¹. Vitamin D plays many important roles in the body and is necessary for overall health. We hear a lot about Vitamin D and its role in bone building and calcium absorption. Without Vitamin D, our bones won’t get strong- predisposing us to a higher risk of fractures and even, in some extreme cases, rickets. Vitamin D also helps improve muscle strength, which can help reduce the chance of falling². The Harvard School of Public Health also cites studies that say Vitamin D may reduce the risk of a heart attack and heart disease, lower risk for certain cancers, and may provide some extra immunity against the common cold. You can read more about the many things Vitamin D is thought to do here: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vitamin-d/index.html#vitamin-d-deficiency-a-global-concern

What are some good food sources?

Fortified Milk

Fatty Fish

Cod Liver Oil

Eggs

Canned Salmon and Tuna¹

It’s important to have fat when taking Vitamin D as it is fat soluble and we cannot absorb it without fat. The food sources listed above all contain fat so you will be able to absorb Vitamin D from them.

Another option for getting Vitamin D is to take a supplement. There is a lot of debate about how much is enough Vitamin D, what is too little and what is too much. The USDA currently recommends 600 IU for men and women ages 1-70 and those who are older than 70 should get 800 IU of Vitamin D a day¹. Some studies show that 2000 IU would be more beneficial and provide the benefits previously mentioned². It is important when picking a Vitamin D supplement to pick one that has Vitamin D3 as D3 is the “chemically indistinguishable from the form of vitamin D produced in the body.” ² It is important to speak to your doctor before adding a Vitamin D supplement to your daily regimen.

We can also make our own Vitamin D by exposing our skin to sunlight for about 15 minutes 3 times a week, that is, if the sun wants to come out! During these fifteen minutes, it’s important to not be wearing sun screen because sun screen blocks the UV rays our bodies need to make Vitamin D. Of course, we should be wearing sun screen the rest of the time to protect our skin from skin cancer and premature aging.

So, spend some time in the sun, eat good sources of Vitamin D and take a supplement, if needed, to make sure you get enough Vitamin D!

Also, check out the Salmon Patties recipe under our recipes link. It’s a great, inexpensive recipe for Vitamin D. You could even throw in an egg to help bind the patties and get some extra Vitamin D from the yolk. Happy eating!

- - JJanna

¹ National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin D. Jan 11, 2011. http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind/

² Harvard School of Public Health. The Nutrition Source: Vitamin D and Health. Feb 18, 2011. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vitamin-d/index.html#vitamin-d-deficiency-a-global-concern

Happy Valentine ’s Day everyone! I hope that everyone takes some time today to think about their hearts and how to take care of them. Over the past few weeks, we have been discussing fats- the good and the bad- in many of our classes. Our country has had a love/ hate relationship with fats for a long time. There was the low fat craze and more recently the low carbohydrate phase- when fats became more acceptable. A lot of our fear about fats may come from the word itself- will fats make me fat? But we need fats in our daily diets because they help us to maintain our health! Fats provide structure for our cells, help us to make hormones, allow us to absorb nutrients such as Vitamin A,D,E and K and store energy. Not only are they good in our bodies, but also in our food. Fats help improve the texture and taste of our foods and eating them can help us feel satiated faster and for longer. It’s important to note that there are 3 different types of fats.

Unsaturated fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated): Unsaturated fats are molecules that do not have all of the total possible hydrogen atoms that they could have- i.e., they are not “saturated” with hydrogen atoms. Because they are not saturated, they do not lie flat. All of the molecules bump into one another and it is very difficult for them to compact. This is why they tend to be liquid. These fats are the best for our health. They help increase our HDL (good cholesterol) levels and lower our LDL (bad cholesterol) levels; they take care of your heart! Omega 3 fatty acids are a type of unsaturated fats that help fuel your brain- we need to eat these fats because our bodies cannot make them. So, it’s important to eat plenty of healthy fats including oils, nuts and fatty fish. Yum!

Saturated fats: These are the fats that we want to limit. They have all the hydrogen atoms that they can, so they lie flat which allows them to stack. This is what helps saturated fats stay solid. These fats can clog up our arteries and raise our LDL levels- double trouble for our hearts. It is nearly impossible to avoid all saturated fats and doing so would probably lead to some unappetizing foods. It’s important to keep saturated fats low but to enjoy them when you do eat them. If you love butter, no problem! Just make sure not to eat an entire stick a day. The key here is moderation and truly enjoying what you do eat.

Trans fat: These are fats you should (almost) never eat. They are made in factories. The general process is to take an unsaturated fat (which has kinks) and flatten it out so that it can be solid at room temperature. An example of this is margarine. Although it’s made from vegetable oil (an unsaturated fat), it has been made solid at room temperature due to hydrogenation. The process was developed to help foods be more “shelf stable” i.e., last longer on the shelf (which is why a Twinkie never goes stale!). To make sure you’re not eating trans fat, it is important to read the ingredient list. If you see “partially hydrogenated” or “hydrogenated”, then there is trans fat in the product. Food companies are allowed to label foods “trans fat free” or 0 g trans fat if the product contains less than 0.5 g trans fat/ serving- tricky!

You can find more information about fats- the good and the bad- at the site below:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-full-story/index.html

And another reason why fats are so good and some good recipes for salad dressings: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/11/dress-up-your-salad/?ref=health

The bottom line is to eat more healthful and delicious unsaturated fats, limit (but enjoy) saturated fats and avoid trans fats (make sure to check those labels!). Take care of your heart and enjoy today!

- Janna