BF Review: Breyer's Carb Smart Chocolate Ice Cream



(Obligatory disclaimer: I am NOT “encouraging” anyone to eat ice cream. But recognizing that some of you do, I feel it’s good to know there are options that can work in a well balanced diet.)

So the other day I had an intense craving for chocolate ice cream. This has been a tenuous thing. Most no-sugar added or sugar-free chocolate ice creams are either:

• decidedly UN-chocolatey or
• are REALLY high in sugar alcohols
• someone got the fool idea to remove all the sugar AND the fat which is just…wrong…

That being the case, I usually just go for protein ice cream. But get this. At. 3.5 years out, I think I’ve finally wrapped my head (somewhat) around the concept of moderation. I didn’t want a whole other meal (which is what protein ice cream feels like in my system). I just wanted a few bites of some good chocolate ice cream.

So I headed the freezer section at the grocery store and hoped for the best. Usually when I get “un-enhanced” ice cream, I go for either Wal-Mart brand (cheaper with better stats) or Edy’s no-sugar added. But my Wal-Mart doesn’t carry sugar free chocolate (which is strange because they do have both strawberry and vanilla) and Edy’s has many concoctions of chocolate (triple chocolate, etc.) but no plain chocolate.

You ever been in the mood for something simple? That’s kind of where my head was.

So I’m scanning, scanning and I come across Breyers Carb Smart Chocolate ice cream. Just chocolate. Not chocolate with a bunch of stuff in it. Chocolate. And that’s it. The front panel seemed intriguing. It claimed to have 4g net carbs per serving. That’s pretty low but I suspected they weren’t counting a ginormous amount of sugar alcohol (the math on net carbs can get complex) so I did what I always do with any food product: I flipped it around and looked at the nutrition panel.

Here are the stats:
Serving size: ½ cup

Calories: 90
Fat: 6g
Saturated fat: 3.5g (this is from the cream)
Trans fat: 0 mg
Cholesterol: 15mg
Sodium: 75 mg
Total Carbs: 13g
Dietary Fiber: 4g (WTF??? Decent fiber? In ICE CREAM???)
Sugars: 4g (lactose from milk and cream)
Sugar alcohols: 5g
Protein: 2g

Ok, so let me first say this (and not just for the newbies but for us all). This isn’t health food. But so far as ice cream goes, these are VERY decent stats.

I didn’t freak about the fat so much because you just can’t remove both fat and sugar and expect something to be decadent. If I have some of this, I know to work around it in my day. The carbs thing ("thing" being the fiber count) is kind of crazy to me. I mean, like I said this isn’t health food by any means, but it’s nice when you get a benefit like fiber from an indulgence.

But having said all that, I was thoroughly convinced it was nasty.

Well, I was wrong. I got home, scooped into it (and I wish I had gotten pictures but I did not. I will add some in when we have another serving) and it was easy to scoop, easy to get into a little orb to put on the diva’s ice cream cones.

For me, I scooped out a half cup serving that I put in a dessert dish and then went about making me a sundae with some zero-cal chocolate syrup, a small poof of fat-free whipped cream and…(you should all see this coming) a sprinkling of Fiber One.

Now the divas were slurping away happily so I had hope. They don’t eat nasty food. They just don’t. So I dug into my little sundae and guess what?

IT ACTUALLY TASTES LIKE CHOCOLATE!!!

I’m very excited about this. Can you tell?

I didn’t get an aftertaste of artificial sweetener. It is sweetened with Splenda so those of you who have sensitivities, beware.

Now I personally am not a frequent dessert eater. Somehow meat always trumps sweet in my pouch. So this ice cream is sitting in my freezer behind a package of frozen Brussels sprouts. I figure that should keep the divas away until I get around to it again.

VERDICT: Diva Says Divine!

Steak: A Love Story in Three Acts

You might ask, "Nik, why'd you put steak on brocolli slaw?" That would be a good question. The answer? It was the best garnish I had available!!!



So since surgery, me and beef have had beef. For a while I couldn’t eat most beef products: not steaks, not roast (even out of the crockpot), no ground beef. The only exception seemed to be deli cuts of beef.

Recently I embarked on a journey to reunite with beef — a journey I’ve documented here for you in three acts.

ACT I: The Rub-Down

Ok, first things first. You need to choose the right cut of meat. This is not my forte. My mom used to always buy Delmonico’s. They are ridiculously expensive. But lookit: I’ve found a good resource for you to determine the most tender cuts of meat!

For the purposes of this experiment, I used top sirloin.

So the rubdown…this is something I learned from Food Network (it is a wealth of information). I simply cut a large clove of garlic and rubbed it all over the steak then seasoned it with salt and pepper. I was skeptical if this really would make an impact but I sniffed the meat after rubbing it and there was the pungent aroma of fresh garlic!

ACT II: A Midnight Interlude

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? In this case, it was the chicken. What does this have to do with anything? Well, I knew I would have to marinate my steak if I hoped to be successful and when thinking of what to use as a marinade I thought of my method of cooking my Thai Chicken Skewers.

Long story short: Greek yogurt. It is a wonder substance. You put any meat in it and let it sit for a while and the active cultures eat away at the tough proteins and what you are left with is a soft, supple piece of meat. (That was about three steps from going to Pervy-ville folks).

So I put my steaks in a zip-top bag and threw in a 6 oz. container of Greek yogurt. This was in the late evening so I stuck it all in the fridge to do its thing.

And what a thing it did! When I took it back out the next evening the yogurt had worked so well that almost the complete membrane running down one steak was completely broken down. The yogurt did its job. Yay!

ACT III: Burning desire

Well not burning. Grilling. But that didn’t fit in well with my overtly sexual analogy structure. :)

So after removing the steaks from their yogurt bath, I heated up the good old grill pan. I could have used a regular grill, yes, but we were in the midst of a heat wave in Baltimore and I have an OLD, untreated wood fence. That does not equal good things with regards to grill embers. So I chose to grill indoors. I simply sprayed down my grill pan with nonstick and let it get hot, hot, hot.

Then I stuck my steak on there. Now I was raised on medium rare steak. My sensibilities lean more toward a good, solid medium. To achieve this, I cooked my steak for four minutes on each side. Your cook time may vary by the level of doneness you want.

TIP: When cooking steak, don’t cut into it right off the grill or pan. Let it “rest.” It will re-absorb some of its juices and you will be richly rewarded!

So, the moment of truth. I had taken a great deal of care in the preparation of my steak. I’d cooked it with love, tenderly caring for it until it was done. I let it rest before the big moment. I transfer to my cutting board, I slice, I bite and…SUCCESS!!!



Tender, chewy WONDERFUL steak! It was so yummy I snapped a picture that night. The rest I put in the fridge to make the dish you saw above, which is essentially my cheesesteak scramble with some mushrooms added to the mix for fun. I called it my “WLS-friendly Steak and Eggs.” More recipes will follow as I eat my way through this batch of steak.

ANOTHER TIP: This one from my mom. Don’t trim the fat from steaks until after you’ve grilled them. They turn out very tender and juicy that way.

Interestingly enough, the tenderness carried over until the morning. I bit into a cold piece and it yielded to my teeth. I reheated it for my scramble and it was still tender and juicy.

You all just don’t KNOW how happy this makes me. I have reconciled my relationship with beef!

BF Top 5: No Stove/Oven Required Recipes

Are you guys in the midst of this heat wave too? OH MY GOSH!!! It's so hot. Today it's supppsed to hit 100 in Baltimore.

In times like these I do NOT go near my stove or oven.

Yesterday on Facebook and Twitter, I asked for your favorite "no oven required" recipes. Here are a few tried and true recipes that have seen me through heat waves post-op.

Chili Dog Ramekins

I actually had this for dinner last night! I topped with diced onions and I never missed the bun! To avoid fire, I nuked my dog and then cut it into pieces. On a cooler day, I might have used my grill pan.

>>Get the Recipe!
Thai Shrimp Salad

Not only do you not have to go anywhere near your oven, this salad is cold and comforting to heat irritated pouch. Newbies: you can skip the raw veggies and just dress the shrimp and this is still awesome.

>>Get the Recipe!

Curried Chicken Salad

This is a favorite of mine. It takes a simple can of chicken from ordinary to extraordinary!

>>Get the Recipe!

Thai Waldorf Salad

Ok, so I like Thai inspired food. A lot. So shoot me! Another good choice on a hot day.

>>Get the Recipe!

Queso Chicken

This one requires a crockpot but still, that's less heat than your stove!

>>Get the Recipe!

Seriously peeps...stay AWAY from the oven right now! There's way too much yummy "no oven, no stove" eating to be had right now to bother with it. Enjoy!

Nik's Cheesesteak Scramble



Cheese-steak...not cake. I get that a lot when I write that word!

Anyhoo...I love eggs! From my head down to my legs. :) Ok, ok...that was cheesy.

If you can eat eggs, consider yourself blessed because many cannot post op. I personally don't know what I'd do if I couldn't. I CRAVE the things. But for me an egg is a sort of a tricky thing. It has good protein, yes, but when I look at how much protein it has and how long it keeps me filled (which is a decent amount of time) and compare that with my protein needs for the day, I know I gotta dress up my eggs to get what I need.

And that's what got me into doing scrambles. When I could only eat an itty-bit, my scrambles went something like this: one egg white + 2 oz. of some sort of meaty protein + a bit of cheese (usually via Laughing Cow Light or some such deal) and scramble.

Now that my pouch has graduated to being able to eat a halfway decent amount I get to have...veggies! YUM! My point here is take it at your own level. If you're new out, go with less egg (you can use liquid egg substitute if even one egg is too much) and less additions to the egg. If you're further out or have a heartier pouch, veggies are a great low-calorie, nutrient packed addition.

So without further adieu...

Nik's Cheesesteak Scramble

Ingredients

2 tbsp chopped onion
2 tbsp chopped green pepper
2 oz. lean, thin sliced deli roast beef, shredded
1 large egg (I use the whole egg nowadays), beaten
1 wedge Lauging Cow Light cheese (I used the French Onion kind)

Optional (pictured): diced tomatoes and a dollop of low-fat mayo mixed with some ground chipotle pepper.

Directions

In a sprayed pan, sautee chopped onion and green pepper until soft.

Add shredded beef and sautee until warm (I like it crispy but not all pouches are down for that).

And the egg and turn with a wooden spoon or spatula until egg is nearly done.

Plop (yes, plop) your cheese down on top and fold it into the egg mixture so that you get cheesy goodness throughout.

Transfer to a plate and top it as you wish.

This totally takes me back to the sub shop every time I eat it. And in this hot, HOT weather, it's nice to make something that feels like a good meal without having to turn the oven on or stand for long periods over the stove.

And if you liked this scramble, also check out my uber-yummy Southwestern Scramble.

Stay cool, my foodies! And stay hydrated in this heat!

Kahlua and Scream! Protein Shake



It’s been a while since I posted a protein shake recipe. There is a good reason for that.

It’s been a while since I’ve actually had a protein shake.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love my shakes. But as I get further out, I’m capable of getting all my protein from solid food and these days I’ve been doing a fairly traditional “three meals, two snacks” sort of eating plan that hasn’t included many protein shakes.

But last night it was HOT and I just got a craving for a shake. So I had to make one!

These days, I’ve been trying to cut back on the shake recipes that depend on sugar free syrups, but I have to tell you, this one is well worth the investment. If you already have the two syrups I use in this recipe, it’s a great way to utilize them (especially since they don’t integrate all that naturally into many different flavors) and for those that don’t have them, it’s definitely worth giving them a try!

Nik’s Kahlua and Scream! Protein Shake

8 oz. milk (whatever kind you use)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
2-3 pumps (or 2 tablespoons) sugar-free Davinci Kahlua syrup
1-2 pumps (or 1 tablespoon) sugar-free Davinci Butter Rum syrup
(NOTE: there is no actual alcohol in the Butter Rum Syrup)
3-5 ice cubes

Optional (and not in the picture): 1 tablespoon sugar-free French Vanilla pudding mix (if you like a thicker, creamier consistency) and 2 tbsp fat or sugar-free whipped topping for garnish.

Directions:

Mix according to the Triple X method or your favorite shake mixing methodology. Pour in a nice glass and SLURP! I didn’t have a little paper umbrella handy but it is totally THAT kind of drink. This is a good one for the family barbecue when everyone else is imbibing. You can have this, FEEL like you’re having a cocktail, and you won’t end up with embarrassing pictures on Facebook.

It’s a win-win.

Enjoy!

Labels, Part Seven: Vitamins and other such stuff



So...you've made it this far, eh?

At the beginning you didn't think there was that much to the nutrition label, did you? And I've only given you a glimpse of what there is to learn! There's even more, believe it or not.

Ok, so the last thing I want to talk about is vitamins. Yes, vitamins.

Now some of us have malabsortive digestive systems and so we won't ever absorb vitamin content as well as we did pre-op. Some do not have malabsorptive procedures. Either way, I'd argue that vitamin content in food is still important.

But the MOST important thing, I think, about this particular section of the nutrition label is this: take the information in stride. There is more than one way to get a vitamin in some food.

For those of you who though Lucky Charms were magically delicious because it naturally came with vitamins, I'm sorry to burst your bubble. Those vitamins are fortified, meaning by some scientific process the vitamins were added to the product.

For the record, most food companies try to use complimentary vitamins and minerals together (vitamin C and iron, for instance), but still. Use your good sense, people. Just because it is "vitamin fortified" doesn't make it healthy!

So what the heck can the vitamin panel tell us?

• It can tell us the percentage of daily value of nutrients that are in that serving of food. Remember the other day when I said the daily value can sometimes not be helpful because it is based on a 2,000 calorie a day diet? This is NOT true for vitamins. The daily value of vitamins are determined for healthy individuals and are not depending on caloric thresholds. So you still need a certain amount of calcium every day, for example. Regardless of whether you eat 1,000 or 10,000 calories to get it.
• Speaking of calcium, a nutritionist once taught me a neat trick and I've found it to be very true: if you take the percentage daily value of calcium and add a "0" to the end, that's how many mg of calcium are in that serving of food.

Here are a few more helpful tips about the vitamin content:

• If a food has 5 percent or less of the daily value of a nutrient, it is considered low in that nutrient.
• If a food has 20 percent or higher of the daily value of a nutrient, it is considered high in that nutrient.

There's much more to learn about vitamins in general. I'm sure one day I might work up the nerve to do a series on them. For now, what do YOU know about the vitamin portion of the nutritional label? Share it in the comments, on Facebook or Twitter or by e-mail. Let's learn from one another!

That about wraps up this BF Basics series. I'm away for the weekend (thank you auto-posting!) so I'll have the downloadable version of this ready for you first thing on Monday. I hope this helps empower you to go out and be a Bariatric Foodie!

Labels, Part Six: Protein, Queen of All Nutrients!

Yes, Queen.

So, of all the things on the nutrition label, protein is among the most straight-forward. Most of the significance of the protein count lies in how that number relates to other information on the food label. I should point out one thing though. Not all protein is created equal.

Folks ask me all the time about pork rinds, for instance. It says "not a significant source of protein" but then it lists a good deal of protein on the nutrition label. How can that be? Pork rinds = pork skin = fat = collagen protein = not well absorbed (by post-ops OR non-ops) = not a significant amount of protein. It's sort of like Splenda and sugar. Even though sucralose is derived from sucrose, your body can't absorb it so it doesn't count as a sugar. Same deal. Even though pork rinds are made of something that has protein, it is ill absorbed and should not be considered a high protein source.

Ratios

So let's talk relationships. No...not the relationship with your beloved. The relationship between protein and other nutrients.

Tell me if this has ever happened to you: You pick up a food, you like it, it seems to have a good protein count, you mention it to your nutritionist (or support group or online) and someone comes along and bursts your bubble. It's not really a great food for you. But HOW??? It has the proteinz, right????

Well...the problem is the protein count alone, doesn't paint a good picture. Here are a few basic "foodie-isms" to help:

• If a food is significantly higher in carbohydrates than protein, it should be considered a carby food with some protein in it
• If a food is significantly higher in fat than in protein, it should be considered a source of fat with some protein

What does this mean?

• Don't eat peanut butter as a source of protein! It will always be a source of fat, first and foremost.
• Don't drink milk thinking its primarily protein. It has 50% more carbs than protein and if you get the variety with some fat it may have more fat than protein

These are just a few examples. But, as Mr. Obama loves to say, let me be clear: I am not saying don't eat those foods. I am saying don't eat them as your sole source of protein. It is worth mentioning that if you're going to eat a carb or a fat, it's GOOD that it has some protein in it as well. Since we can't take in much, we really need protein coming from all directions.

Protein and Calories

Like I said, protein is significant in relation to other factors, one of which being calories. Some folks, to keep themselves honest, assign ratios to how much protein should be in certain amounts of calories they eat. One popular one is the 10:1 ratio: for ever ten calories, one gram of protein. That's a pretty good basic measure.

But keep in mind that protein has 4 calories. That means for every 10 calories there is the potential to be 2g of protein. If a food achieves that, it goes from being a good protein source to a really good protein source. So long as it doesn't go bonkers with the fat and carbs.

Protein in Unexpected Places

Lastly, I want to talk about protein content in foods that aren't inherently protein based. You'll find them in stores and online. Protein chips, protein cookies, protein bread.

I always take pause on foods that have a lot of protein when they are not supposed to. This is, I know, a safeguard for our human tendency to overconsume the wrong things, especially simple carbs. But still. The laws of nature do apply here and so I would be remiss not to point out the following:

• Bread: the most common way to increase the protein is to increase the gluten (wheat protein) in it. More gluten = denser, chewier product. Me no likey personally. Your mileage may vary.
• Protein bars, although high in protein, may be higher in carbs and sugar alcohols. Be careful!
• Protein enhanced carbs and fat aren't necessarily a bad thing, especially if you work out. Your body needs a combination of carbs, protein and fat to sustain you through exertion. Just choose wisely!

Tomorrow, we get to the final destination on the nutrition label: the nutrients! We're almost there, people. Stick with me!

Another fact about fat

Dear Friends,

I got a message from my good friend Hala about my post on fat on the nutrition label.

She pointed out that some studies show that some saturated fats can have health benefits and warned me not to demonize them all.

Well Hala...you are absolutely right! And I sort of went against my own policy of not labeling food good out bad. It's just food!

Thanks to my good friend I now know this and will remember it!

I wanted to relay this to you because I say it over and over again: we are a community. I am not the expert but simply the moderator. Oh and the one who is willing to fail spectacularly so you don't have to.

So if you disagree with something I say our feel it could be said better, share that with your fellow foodies!

In that way we all benefit. Thanks to Hala for speaking up!

(By the way I am blogging this from an app on my phone. Once I reach a computer I will post more of what Hala taught me.)

Good health always,

Nik
(now..the divas and I are off to Six Flags for the day! Woot!)

Labels, Part Five: Carbohydrates

Oh, this is where the fun begins. For everything you wanted to know about carbs (well, maybe not everything) check out the BF Basics series, Carb Confusion. But here are the basics of carbs on the nutrition label.

The total carbohydrates are all the carbs in the product. This includes the fiber, the sugars and the “other carbohydrates” (usually sugar alcohols). But under that there are a few sub-categories. Let's go through them.

Fiber

Adults should strive for 25g of fiber a day, so this number is important. But a food should NOT be discounted because of low fiber. Recognize that some foods are never going to have high fiber. Meat, for instance. Meat is mainly a source of protein and therefore would not have a sufficient enough amount of carbohydrates to have good fiber.

One important thing, in my view, is to be wary of foods with really small serving sizes and a lot of fiber. How’d they get all that fiber in that little bit of food? Our bodies can’t break down fiber, which is why it doesn’t count in the “net carb” count of a food. But it does help scrub out our innards, which is good. Unfortunately the very thing that makes fiber good for our bodies makes it an unpleasant thing to eat. It’s tough to chew and makes other things really dense. So if you come across a small portion with high fiber, you might proceed with caution. I’m just sayin’.

You might also notice there are two types of fiber: Soluble and insoluble fiber.

• Soluble fiber (oats, beans, legumes, fruits, veggies), when mixed with water, forms a gel-like substance that swells. That helps us regulate glucose and cholesterol levels.
• Insoluble fiber (bulghur, quinoa) do not absorb water at all. To be blunt, these help us poo.

One note I make in Carb Confusion that bears repeating: Fiber is a carbohydrate, therefore you cannot get fiber without eating carbohydrates. And since you need fiber, it stands to reason that you need carbohydrates!

The best way to get fiber is to choose whole grain foods. Not to sound over simplistic, but a whole grain food uses the whole grain: the bran, the endosperm, the fiber. It’s all in there. Whole grain foods are highest in fiber. DON’T, however, be swayed by claims on food packaging that advertise that they provide your complete daily value of whole grains. This is not the same as being high fiber. Read the label!

Sugars

Not to seem like I’m conducting shameless self promotion, but I also have a series on sugar content. Check it out to learn more than you ever wanted to know about sugar content. Again, here are the basics.

• Just because something has sugar listed does NOT mean it is bad! Fructose and lactose (fruit and milk sugars respectively) are both listed in the sugar category
• If something says sugar-free, however, there should be no sugar listed
• If something says no-sugar added, that means no sugar was added, but sugar in the source food may be present. So don’t flip if you see a sugar count listed. If that count is high, you need to think about whether you should be eating that food or not.

Other Carbohydrates

Those are usually sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohols are used to sweeten some things, but since our bodies can’t absorb them, they don’t count as sugars. They do, however, have an effect on your body. Foods high in sugar alcohols can produce painful gas, bloating and even unpleasant bathroom experiences.

Like the trans fat we talked about the other day, high sugar alcohol levels are commonly found in foods we should have in our “extreme moderation” column. Sugar-free cookies, ice cream and the like can all have high sugar alcohol levels.

Splenda, or sucralose, is NOT a sugar alcohol. Say what you want about it, but it’s not. Sugar alcohols end in…what else? “ol!” Manitol, Sorbital, Erythritol…these are all sugar alchohols. Be warned!

We’re coming into the home stretch, peeps! Are you feeling more educated and empowered! I haven’t heard a peep from any of you about this series so far. If you’re learning stuff, let me know! It’s the only way I know what to do more of!

Tomorrow, we talk about everyone’s favorite macro-nutrient: protein!

Labels, Part IV: Sodi-ummmmmmm...



Man, nothing can take a good food choice to down faster than the sodium count. I have rejoiced over foods that are low-carb, low-fat, high protein and…VERY high sodium. Sigh.

For those not in the know, sodium is a mineral that, in the proper quantities, can be beneficial to our health. The most common source of sodium is table salt but there are other types, such as MSG (monosodium glutamate).

The recommended daily allowance of sodium is about 2,400 mg. Keep in mind that is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your threshold would be lower because of the reduced amount of calories. How much is that for you? I dunno. Go ask your nutritionist!

Seriously, though. You and your nutritionist should decide how much sodium YOU should get based on YOUR health factors. But here’s a few helpful pieces of information:

•  Sodium is used both to flavor foods and as a preservative.
• Frozen foods, like Lean Cuisine dinners, and lunch meat both tend to be high in sodium
• According to the U.S. government, something is low sodium if it has 140 mg or less of sodium per 100g of product.
• No added salt is not the same as low-sodium. It just means that they didn’t add any sodium to it. But there may be sodium already in the food itself.

Some advice on controlling sodium:

• Eat fresh food as often as you are able and eat in season. This reduces the amount of sodium from packaged and canned foods.
• Rinse canned vegetables and beans before using them. Don’t use the canning liquids.
• Look for lunch meats and frozen food labeled low-sodium or reduced sodium.

As with all parts of the nutrition label, the sodium gives you not only the count (number of milligrams per serving) but also the percentage of the daily value (the portion of the total amount of sodium you should get per day).

I know I sound like a broken record but it bears repeating…those numbers assume a 2,000 calorie a day diet. Your sodium allowance may be (probably will be) lower. Especially if you have special medical considerations, you should work with your nutritionist to come up with your own daily allowance. Then use THAT number along with the actual sodium content (in milligrams) to judge the sodium content of a food.

What the heck does that mean? Well, if my sodium intake limit is 2000mg for instance, something that is 500mg of sodium is 25% of my daily intake whereas it’s only 20% of the total intake for a 2,000 calorie diet. Maybe I'd make a different decision based on that information, maybe I wouldn't. But it’s good stuff to know.

Tomorrow, we dig into the stuff you REALLY want to know about. CARBS! Do you love them? Hate them? FEAR them?

Check back tomorrow to learn what the label says and judge for yourself how carbs fit into your life.

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Labels, Part Three: Facts about Fat

Yep...that'd be a pound of fat. Keep THAT image in your mind next time you want a cookie!



This section is important, especially to those of you who have or are at risk for heart problems (dang, I sounded like a pharmaceutical commercial, didn’t I?).

Total fat is all the fat that is in the food: the good, the bad and the ugly. Let’s break that down a bit further, shall we:

• The Good: Unsaturated/Polyunsaturated/Monounsaturated fats (usually found in nuts, flaxseed, salmon, etc.)
• The Bad: Saturated fats (most red meats)
• The UGLY: Trans fats (a subset of saturated fats. Many “goodies” have trans fats, including cookies, cakes, fried foods, etc.)

Some food packaging will say “no trans fat!” That’s good. But is there a lot of saturated fat? You need to know that as well. I don’t have a handy calculation for fat, unfortunately. But here’s what I do:

• Obviously choose leaner cuts of meat and varieties of dairy. But remember: fat = flavor and for meats moisture. In lieu of choosing fat free anything (aside from milk) I go for a lower fat variety. (BONUS TIP: with ground meats, I often go for 2 parts super-lean meat to 1 part higher fat. Cuts down the total fat and gives you the flavor and moisture you want!)
• When choosing foods I know will have fat, I look to the source first. That means, I pick out things with nuts, seeds, healthy oils in them. That way I know they are likely higher in good fat than bad.
• Recognize that foods with trans fat are likely ones that should be in the “extreme moderation” category anyway. Still, if I am eating an "extreme moderation" item, I look for the brand with the least amount of total fat and preferrably no trans fat. Trans fat is mostly added to foods to give it more shelf stability. Which brings me to a handy tip.
• Any food that is solid at room temperature is usually a bad for you fat. Butter – bad for you fat. Lard – REALLY bad for you fat. Shortening – (although nothing makes a better biscuit) bad for you fat. Conversely, olive oil – good for you fat. Peanut butter – (mmmmm) good for you fat. The exception would things like salmon and flax seeds, both of which have healthy Omega-3 fatty acids (which are not listed on nutrition labels but are very good for you).

So we've already discussed the serving size and the calories. How does the fat play into the bigger picture?

Remember yesterday I told you that a gram of fat has 9 calories? That's important information. Even though I find the math on nutrition labels generally correct, sometimes the food company's math is a little wonky. And they don't really expect you to notice because that label is just so unapproachable in so many ways.

So if you pick up a food item and it says it has 9g of total fat, that means that 81 calories come from fat. That should match the calories from fat number. If it does not, you need to pause. This has happened to me a couple of times and I usually just put the food product back. I don't know WHY there is a discrepancy but there is and I don't want to be the victim of it! You should especially pause if your quick calculation of the calories from fat is HIGHER than the calories from fat they list. That means they are probably not being forthcoming and the product isn't as good for you as they'd like you to think.

If you feel especially passionate about integrity in food packaging you can call the company and tell them about their discrepancy. They may or may not act on that information. They most likely will try to ply you with coupons to get you to buy that very product that tried to deceive you.

There’s much more to know about fat and I’m currently writing the NEXT BF Basics series on it. But that should give you a good head start.

Tomorrow, we’re going to talk about sodium, a silent but lethal killer of promising food products!

<<Part II: Kill-a-Calorie

Labels Part Two: Kill-a-Calorie



Ah…calories. Never has a concept been so misunderstood and feared.



Calories (or kilocalorie [kcal] if we want to be official) are units of energy. That’s it, that’s all. We can get energy from several sources: from protein, from fat, from carbohydrates. THAT is the information we most need to pay attention to. Calories, in and of themselves, are pretty meaningless. It’s what KIND of calories that make the difference between weight loss, gain and maintenance.

Total Calories

The total calories are pretty straightforward. This is usually the first thing we look at on a food package.

One important thing to note, from yesterday's discussion, is that the total calories and the serving size should be considered together. At various stages of our post-op processes these two work together to mean different things, though. When I was early out and couldn't get enough calories to save my life (and thus stalled every other week) that two tablespoons of peanut butter for 200 calorires was a great thing. And it held me for HOURS. Nowadays, when my pouch can hold more, that 200 calories needs to be monitored.

But to get the full benefit of the total calories, you need to keep traveling south on the food label to...

Calories from Fat

This will give you an even better picture of the composition of your food. A good rule of thumb is to pause on any food that gets more than 50% of its calories from fat. This is where good choices and bad choices become very apparent. For instance, a typical slice of pork bacon is anywhere between 25-50 calories, depending on the cut. Doesn’t seem so bad, does it? Consider that MOST of those calories are fat and suddenly it doesn’t seem like such a great food for you. (Note: I am NOT saying don’t eat bacon. I love bacon. But I don’t eat it thinking it’s a health food)

Other than that, the calories section is pretty straight forward. Here are a few helpful pieces of information:

• A gram of protein has 4 calories
• A gram of carbohydrates has 4 calories
• A gram of fat has 9 calories

Many folks adhere to ratios with regards to protein to determine if they are good food choices. One popular one is the 10:1 protein ratio. That is, for every 10 calories in a food product, it should have one gram of protein. That’s true insofar as a food product is protein based. Few breads, for example, will yield those numbers.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. We’ll talk more about protein and carbs later on this week. Tomorrow, we move on to fat: the good, the bad and UGLY!

<<Part I: May I Serve You? All about serving sizes.

Labels, Part One: May I Serve You?

Most foods sold in the United States, with a very few exceptions, MUST have a nutrition facts label on them. It looks something like this:

It’s a lot of information, isn’t it? And, to add insult to injury for us, at the bottom it says it’s based on a 2,000 calorie a day diet. Yeah, that’s not us. Well….it’s not a good portion of us.

So how do we get what WE need from a nutrition label? And just what the heck do all those numbers mean anyway?

Let’s begin at the beginning.

Serving Size/Servings Per Container

This piece of information has some usefulness, but it can also be very deceptive. First off, the serving size is a suggestion by the food company of how much of their product you should eat at a time. Problem is, they get to suggest any quantity they want and they don’t always make those decisions in our best interests.

Food companies know we want things that are low calorie, low-carb, low-fat, so they have the ability to adjust portion sizes until they get to a number that they think will make you more likely to buy their products. This does not work in our favor. Even though most portion sizes are too big for us, at least in the beginning, serving sizes can still be bothersome.

Still, they give you a “jumping off point” so to speak, and that can be helpful.

The Skinny

My advice for the WLS patient for the serving size is this:

• Base your decisions about a food’s nutrition on how much of it you can eat. So if the serving size says ½ cup and you can only eat ¼ cup, divide the nutrients in half and make your food decisions based on THAT number.

• Take into account what kind of food you are judging. A serving size of mayo isn’t going to be the same, proportionally, as a serving size of cereal. This is especially important when judging whether something is very caloric or not. A serving size of cereal that is 100 calories for 1/4 cup is not necessarily a good number. A tablespoon of fully loaded mayo is about the same amount of calories but all in one tablespoon. So lastly…

• Know your conversions. I have a handy list that I used in the beginning. Now I know them by heart. Conversions work well especially as you are being directed to eat portions of a cup when in reality you are eating just tablespoons worth of food. It helps to know how to break it down. Also, knowing how to scale up (and quickly do the math for a whole recipe instead of just one portion) is helpful, especially in the example of the mayo.

Tomorrow, we’ll move on to the calories section and learn what one piece of information can un-mask an unhealthy food in an instant!

BF Basics: De-Mystifying the Nutrition Label

Yes, yes I know you got good grades all year but a little summer school never hurt anyone.

Does the nutrition label look like gibberish to you? Do you think it’s impossible to learn to get good information from it? Or perhaps you have a good basic knowledge but just feel like you don’t “get” everything on the label.

I’m here to help.

This week, we'll go through the in's and out's, up's and down's, warning signals and pitfalls of the Nutrition Facts label.

So check back all this week to learn about the in’s and out’s of the nutrition label – a powerful tool for making good food decisions. Here’s what we’ll cover:

Part I: May I Serve You? Serving Sizes/Servings Per Container
Part II: Kill a Calorie
Part III: Facts about Fat
Part IV: Sodi-ummmmmmm...
Part V: CARBS!
Part VI: Protein – Queen of All Nutrients
Part VII: Nutrients! What the heck does all that mean????

And of course just like all my other BF Basics Series, this one is available as a free download to take with you and share! (Google log-in required)

So come…let’s get educated!

Five signs you MIGHT be eating healthier

After WLS, we figure we're eating better. More fresh ingredients, lean proteins, lots of water. But of course, as curious creatures of nature we're never 100% sure. So I thought about life now vs. life before and came up with a few signs...symptoms if you will...of healthier eating habits.

So without further adieu...
Five signs that you MIGHT be eating healthier

Your compost pile is bigger than your trash and recycling combined.

Ok, so some of us don’t compost (I actually save my stuff for a co-worker who does). Onion peels, carrot shavings, zucchini skins. If, at the end of preparing your meal your “thank you for coming” bowl is filled with that stuff instead of mostly food packaging…you MAY be eating healthier.

Even fast food in your house isn’t really fast.

Granted many of us nuke food we cooked ahead, but if your first making of a meal takes a while because you are preparing it from scratch (to ensure the best ingredients), you MAY be eating healthier.

Your kids can easily pronounce all the ingredients in your packaged food.

To me, that’s a good estimation of how close to the source food is. I give the divas a package and ask them to read the ingredients. If my nine year-old gets stuck on more than one word, it raises a red flag. If your kids (and by kid I mean kid) can easily read the ingredient list, it probably doesn’t have a bunch of preservatives and THAT means you MAY be eating healthier.

Someone at the grocery store asked you what aisle fruit roll ups were in and you couldn’t tell them.

This happened to me. When you eat better, you spend more time around the perimeter of the store (where the produce, meat and dairy aisles are) and less inside (where a lot of pre-packaged foods are). Typically when we have packaged foods we like, we can make a beeline to them and pay attention to little else. If this sounds like you…you MAY be eating healthier.

The sugar in your sugar jar has turned into a crystalline rock. You figure if you leave there long enough, maybe it will become a diamond.

This means you’ve found other ways to satisfy your need for sweetness that doesn’t involve sucrose. Some use naturally occurring sweeteners while others use artificial, but if that sugar jar looks perilously neglected, you MAY be eating healthier.

My point here: when you're eating better, you are paying attention to your food. Where did it come from? How far did it travel to get to you? It might take a bit more work to cook it and a bit more time before serving it, but the benefit you give to your body by eating more healthfully will pay you back tenfold.

What are some more "symptoms" of healthful eating. I'd love to hear what you think. Leave a note in the comments, hit me up on Facebook or Twitter or e-mail me!

A cheesecake...for lovers

Boy, oh boy, a lot of my microwave made it into this picture, didn't it?

...Or two (maybe three) people who really, really, REALLY like cheesecake.

While in Michigan, I happened upon a 4 inch springform pan. My plan was to make a cheesecake in my Magic Bullet to submit for the Kitchen Magician contest. By the way, THANK YOU to everyone who voted for me. Sadly, I was not a finalist. But I think it's because they let folks get votes before the submission period ended so those of us who were late to the game didn't stand much of a chance :(

I don't want to be a sourpuss though. I'm going to focus on 500+ people who DID vote for me. I appreciate you all!

So those of you who have been reading this blog a while know there is no shortage of cheesecake recipes up in here. We've got cheesecake protein shakes, portion controlled cheesecakes, full-sized protein cheesecakes, cheesecake trifles...even a damn protein cheesecake cheeseball. Basically far more cheesecake stuff than should ever be on a blog for people trying to lose weight (but...to my credit the cakes are low-fat, low-carb and most have good protein stats).

I figure...why not throw this little gem into the ring with the rest?

Nik's "Two's company, three's a crowd" Mini-Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1 c. Fiber One Original cereal, crushed (I used my Magic Bullet)
3 tbsp low-fat cream cheese
2 tbsp Splenda
1 tbsp Davinci sugar-free vanilla syrup

Filling

4 oz. low-fat cream cheese
2 oz. unflavored Greek yogurt (I used 0%)
1/4 c. liquid egg substitute (or one egg)
1/3 c. cocoa powder
1/2 c. no-calorie sweetener (start with 1/2 c. and then taste the mixture. If the sweetness hasn't overtaken the cocoa, add more by the tablespoon-full until you get there)
Optional: 2 scoops unflavored protein powder (I did not use this time)

Directions:

To prepare the crust, mix the cereal crumbs with the cream cheese and syrup until it resembles brown sugar crumbs.

Press into the mini-springform pan (this makes enough to make a bottom and side crust) and bake at 350 for 10 minutes (I used my toaster oven).

In a large bowl, combine the cream, Greek yogurt, eggs, cocoa, sweetener and lemon juice. Beat on low with a hand mixer for two minutes, then switch to medium speed for another minute or two.

Spoon into cooled crust.

Wrap the bottom of the springform pan in aluminum foil then place in a small baking pan (I used a 13x9) and fill the pan up with boiling water halfway up the side of the springform pan.

Bake at 350 about 25 minutes or until set (again, I used my toaster oven).

Cool completely before removing from the springform pan.

Like I said, this is the perfect cheesecake for sharing with one or two other people. The beauty of it is, you don't even really have to cut it. Just pass out the forks and go to town...

Chicken and Corn Chowder



I know you all think I’m exaggerating but honesty – this dish disappeared so fast I didn’t have a chance to take a picture of it. I wanted to share it anyway because it is good. I’m sorry I don’t have a picture.

This day I had to scrub down my whole kitchen before cooking (because it was driving me nuts) and did all the stray dishes in the house. My three year-old nephew Isaiah was visiting and, come to find out, he LOVES to cook. So after all that cleaning and managing a pint sized sous chef (and documenting THAT for the future blog post), I was just too darn tired to snap a pic of the chowder when we finally ate. And the little suckers inhaled it.

Moving on…take my word for it. It’s good.

Chowder! I love the stuff. I primarily make seafood chowders in the summer but I had some extra chicken and ears of corn that needed using. To me, chowder is an effective way to have comfort food in the summer. It’s too hot to be bothering with the oven and this whole thing can be made using one grill pan and one pot. Beautiful!

Nik’s Chicken and Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 slices of center-cut pork bacon, cut into bits
1 cup water

Either:

4-5 red potatoes diced

OR (equally as good, I’ve tried it)

2 cups of cauliflower florets, rough chopped

1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 large ears of sweet corn, niblets removed (or 2 cups corn niblets)
2 tbsp Carbquik or Atkins baking mix
1 bundle of thyme
1 c. half and half
2 c. skim milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

On a grill or in a sprayed grill pan, cook chicken breasts thoroughly. Transfer to a plate to reabsorb juices.

In a large pot, fry bacon pieces. Center cut bacon won’t yield as much fat (which is why I chose it), so be warned.

Once bacon is cooked, add in water, diced potatoes (or cauliflower) garlic and onion. Cook, over a medium flame, stirring often, until the potatoes are cooked (about 10 minutes).

Stir in baking mix thoroughly then add the milk, half-and-half and thyme bundle. Cook until milk begins to simmer, then drop the flame to low. Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary. Stir and cover.

Allow to cook an additional 20 minutes or so, stirring every so often. Liquid should thicken a bit.

Remove thyme bundle and cool before serving. Chowder will thicken even more.

This chowder is great with nearly anything you want to use. Throw some clams and clam juice in there for New England clam chowder! Add some crab and bit of your favorite cheese for a cream of crab soup.

I personally have aspirations of a shrimp and bacon chowder. Call me crazy, but I think it could work.

Your BF 4th of July Menu Haz Arrived!

Ahhh...the fourth of July. The fireworks. The pageantry. The barbecues.

Fear not, my faithful foodies! I'm hear to help! Is your family hosting the BBQ this year? If so, great! I have menu options galore. If not, you might want to give my "surviving the family barbecue" survival guide a read just to ensure you don't take away someone's life, liberty or pursuit of happiness.

Here's just a few of the lovely, crave-worthy treats that exist right here on this lovely blog for your barbecuing pleasure.

Meats:

Chicken skewers - You don't have to go Thai with it but be sure to use the marinating technique. It works!

Flatten them out a bit and my magic meatballs become protein-packed sliders!

What would a barbecue be without a hot dog? Here are my favorite post-op picks.

Sides

I would be lying if I told you they will mistake this for potato salad. BUT...it is very tasty! Customize any way you want: Add crumbled bacon and ranch dressing mix or some curry powder, raisins and a little cayenne for a kick. There are so many options it's CRAZY!

I am a late convert to cole slaw. But now I love the stuff. If you want to make a variation, you can easily make an Asian slaw with brocolli slaw mix by omitting the creamy stuff and using a light Asian Sesame dressing (watch the sugar amounts on some varieties).

Speaking of brocolli, this brocolli salad will have your fam clamoring for the veggies!

Lastly, I kid you not...I have a friend who comes to functions where I am in hopes of me bringing my Mexican Dip. It's that addictive. Try it!

Dessert

I don't know about you but dessert seems to be a separate meal from dinner for me. No matter. I get it in when I can fit it in. In the summertime I turn off the oven and turn on my blender to make yummy protein frozen pies like my peanut butter, cookies 'n cream  and rocky road pies. If you're a fruity kind of person, try my no-bake protein key lime pie.

Or you could go for a low-carb funnel cake, although that's best achieved if you are hosting the barbecue.

So there you have it folks. Some solid, WLS-friendly suggestions for your next barbecue. Be careful of your nutrient combinations though peeps...else you'll have firework sounds that have NOTHING to do with independence ;)