Spicy Quinoa & Tomatoes

So the other day I posted about this great vegetarian (possibly vegan, you all tell me) meal I made.

We really have Hillery, our Foodie Fitness Correspondent from the email newsletter, to thank for this one folks. She made a chicken dish that inspired me! It was wonderfully yummy: herby, savory, a touch spicy!

But for whatever reason I just felt like showing some vegetarian love up in here. So I decided to make the dish without meat. Having said that, I feel like there's lots more protein to be added to this dish. I kept it simple. But for meat eaters, chicken, shrimp or fish would go great in this. For vegetarians and vegans, I'm not exactly sure what to suggest, so if you might please give some suggestions in the comments I will love your veggie-lovin' selves forever!

Although I've never had Paella before, for some reason this is how I imagine the dish tastes. I dunno. Feel free to shoot me down on that one if I'm dead wrong.

At any rate, away we go!

Nik's Spicy Quinoa & Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, finely diced

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 small green pepper, diced

1 seeded and diced hot pepper of your choice (jalapenos work well but habaneros are good for us who like it REALLY spicy!)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. Herbs de Provence

1 c. quinoa (What's that?)

2 c. water

10 oz. can crushed tomatoes

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

A dash of hot sauce

1-2 tbsp tomato paste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Set a large sautee pan over medium heat and allow it to get HOT (when you hover your hand inches above the pain the heat level feels uncomfortable). Add oil to hot pain then add veggies and sautee until soft, about 3-ish minutes.

Add garlic and herbs and stir through.

Add quinoa and stir over heat for about 2-3 minutes (it toasts the quinoa a bit, deepening the flavor just a touch) before adding water, tomatoes, hot sauce and red pepper flakes.

Cover and allow that to cook over medium heat about 6-8 minutes or until quinoa is done (the little ringlets should pop out of it, see here for full instructions on how to tell if quinoa is done). 

If quinoa is done but the mixture is extremely liquidy: add two tablespoons of tomato paste.

If quinoa is done but mixture is only slightly liquidy: add one tablespoon of tomato paste.

Stir thoroughly, drop your heat down to low and allow it to simmer another 10 minutes or so and you get a pan full of love that looks something like this:

I brought this for my lunches this week. I like it as is but was curious to see how shrimp would pair in it, so today I steamed some and brought those along too. NOM! (Although they would have been better if they'd been added in at the step where you add the crushed tomatoes so they could soak up all the flavor).

This was also my first time trying Herbs de Provence. The name intimidated me but Hillery and I hit the Amish market and I saw some there. The Amish have NEVER steered me wrong, so I decided to give it a go. Glad I did!

Enjoy!

WINNERS of the Bariatric Foodie "I Like Chike" Giveaway!

First off, THANK YOU so much to everyone who entered.
We broke some records for this contest! More Foodies entered this contest than any other and that's important for so many reasons. When you respond so strongly to giveaways that lets other companies know if they want to reach out to the bariatric community with great products, they can do so through Bariatric Foodie. I'm hoping that means more great giveaways coming up so thank you!!!
So without further adieu here are the THREE winners, who will each receive 5 packets of Chike Protein Iced Coffee and a Chike blender bottle are:

• Jamie Metcalf, who entered on Facebook
• jewelsruz1970, who entered on Twitter
• Julia K. Weaver, who entered on Facebook

CONGRATULATIONS! Here's what you need to do next. You need to email me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com by 11:59 p.m. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1st with your full name and mailing address to claim your prize. If I dont hear from you by that time I will draw again the next day.

Again, congratulations to our winners. And if you'd like to try Chike, head on over to their website and get yourself a sample pack (NOTE: they have a pack of each flavor for SALE, not free samples)! As you can see from this contest, Chike is a great company that takes it's customer's needs seriously.

So...great product, great customer service....everybody is a winner!

BF Basics: The Bite Test

I have a friend. Let's call her Jenny.

She recently tried quinoa for the first time. She was cleared to eat this uber-healthy super food and she'd come up with a nice curry recipe to go along with.

The next day she reported to me that she got sick after eating it. The quinoa got stuck, she said.

Now this is entirely possible (although quinoa is a small grain so I was more suspicious of the meat in the equation). Either way, she got sick and wanted to know HOW to eat quinoa without a repeat incident. So I started by asking a few simple questions:

Me: Was this the first time you'd eaten quinoa?


Jenny: Yes


Me: Did you do a bite test first?


Jenny: No

I reference bite tests a lot but I don't think I have ever explained WHAT a bite test is. It's a tool a Bariatric Foodie can use to to see if a food is safe for THEM to eat. This is after you've done your due diligence with the nutrition label and paid particular attention to carb and sugar counts.

Because a food can be fine for 99 other post-ops and NOT be fine for you. And while it is true that you can go into each eating experience with an adventurous heart, when you do so you find yourself in the same situation Jenny was in: she THOUGHT it was the quinoa, but she ate everything together, so she really couldn't be 100% sure.

In the beginning, you want to be as sure as you can be. And a bite test helps. So here's how you do one in three RIDICULOUSLY easy steps.

Step One: The Bite


When approaching a new food, you sort of want to tread carefully. Even if it's something you've had a million times pre-op, treat it as if you've never had it before. Serve yourself a smaller than normal (even for you) portion of it to start with.

Then...simply take a bite. Not a huge bite, but not a tiny one either. A reasonable bite. Remember the point is to see if you have a reaction to the food. A big bite might elicit a reaction simply because it was too big of a bite. A tiny bite might not be enough to elicit a reaction (if you are to have one) at all.


Chew it the appropriate amount of times. Swallow.


Step Two: The Wait


This one is sort of self explanatory. Next you wait. I suggest about 3 minutes or so. For RNY pouches, reactions usually happen pretty fast. If something isn't going to sit right, you feel it almost instantly. I suspect that's similar across all surgery types.  


What are you waiting for? Well, there are various ways food reactions happen to us. They include:

• "Foamies" (for me this happens when food gets stuck and my mouth begins to produce a foamy sort of saliva, I THINK intended to help get the offending food back out fast).
• Nausea
• Sleepiness (symptom of the infamous "carb coma")
• Gut pain 
• If you are experiencing dumping syndrome it isn't uncommon to experience rapid heartbeat, sweating and an intense urge to lie down

Pay attention for any of these symptoms. And for those who are non-ops and pre-ops thinking, "Really? All that from one bite?" Ask a post-op who has ever gotten sick off food before. Yes, it can happen off of just one bite. And the sad thing is that one bite takes two seconds to go down and sometimes 2 hours to come back up. And woe to you if you eat too fast and have eaten things on TOP of the offending food. Misery!

Anyway...

If you have a reaction...well, now you know. Don't eat any more of it. At least not of that batch. As our systems heal, we begin to be able to tolerate foods we once could not. So in a few weeks or months, try it again if it's important to you. With a bite test, of course.

If no reaction then...

Step Three: REPEAT!

That's right...repeat step two again. Because those of us that are surgically altered KNOW that even if that bite went down ok...that, too, could have been a fluke. (Lesson here, folks? Don't trust your digestive system! Kidding...sorta...) Testing again will put your mind at ease that, yes, you really CAN eat this food.

Now...some caveats.

Inevitably there are going to be post-ops who use this information for evil instead of good. I do NOT recommend bite tests for the following:

• To test your sugar capacity
• To intentionally make yourself sick to prevent yourself from eating other things (and yes I've seen that happen before)

The first...well, my official opinion on sugar dumping is this: treat it like Russian roulette. The bullet may be in the chamber, it may not. Do you REALLY want to know or are you content to just assume it IS and not pull the trigger? I dunno about you but I like living. It's addicting. :)

Also, just because a food worked THIS TIME does not guarantee it will work every time. That's why eating at a reasonable pace is important. If you eat at a good pace and pay attention to your reaction you can not only tell if a food is going to make you sick, you can also tell when you've reached that mythical, magical state called satiety (satisfaction). It's a beautiful place. There's glitter, rainbows and ponies!

So...that's the bite test. Now, here's where you listen to Nik and HEED her words (think "Ides of March" people). Before you introduce any new food post-op...ANY NEW FOOD...you need to do a bite test. It will save you the trauma of getting violently ill and you're more likely to know exactly what made you sick.

K? Good. You may now return to your regularly scheduled fabulousness.

Herb-Crusted Pork Roast: Me playing with MY food

Before we talk about that...have you entered yet to win FREE protein iced coffee from Chike? If not, go do it now. I'll wait...

You back? Lovely! 

So I tell you guys all the time to play with your food. And many of you do so by playing with MY food. But I rarely show you whose food I'm playing with.

This comes by way of Melissa D'Arabian. I like her a lot. Her $10 dinners message is so perfect for my family. I am on a perpetual budget. I want to feed my family healthfully but I can't...like CAN-NOT...spend a lot of money doing it. 

Her dinners are always tasty but give you just enough complexity to make you feel like you're eating something expensive when you are not.

I've never made a pork roast before so this was truly and experiment. But it turned out well. I admit I was dubious about the dry rub and herb crust which included ingredients I don't normally use together like cinnamon, cayenne pepper, cilantro and Dijon mustard. But the result was a savory, earthy taste that I liked.

The divas, however, were perplexed. They liked it but for some reason felt like maybe they should not? I dunno. I don't try to get in their heads.

At any rate, check out Melissa's recipe (hers looks way prettier...mine is after being attacked by the divas and my younger brother) and then tune back in later this week to see how I am using the leftovers. Alas, the divas returned to their father's house last night so I have 1/4 of a pork roast to finish all by my lonesome. But you know what that means...RECIPE REMIX!

Play with your food!

BF Product Review: Chike Protein Iced Coffee

Chike! Iced Coffee! Review! Let's do this.

The 360

So whenever I am trying something new, I always do the 360 first. Gives me an opportunity to see how well it is packaged and I TRY to look at it from the perspective of someone who may not be quite familiar with food product packaging.

From the front of the single-serve packet alone we can tell that Chike:

• Is made with REAL espresso coffee (two shots worth!). This means it does have caffeine in it so if you aren't allowed caffeine yet, take heed!
• Has 20g of whey protein (although the front cover doesn't tell you what kind...we'll get to that in a moment).
• It has no gluten or aspartame (thank goodness on the later as I HATE aspartame)
• Has 23 vitamins and minerals (I admit...that sort of information is about the least important to me as a RNYer who likely won't absorb most of those vitamins and minerals anyway, but it's good to know, yes?)

Now the back packaging also has some good nuggets of information.

• Each serving has 130 calories, 9g carbs, 2g sugar and 20g protein. If you read my Nutrition Label Series, you know it exceeds my personal calories:protein standards by having more than 1g protein for every 10 calories.
• On the right side it gives you a plethora of options on how to mix the stuff. I am USUALLY a blender girl but the friendly rep at Chike assured me you can make this stuff, with water, in a blender bottle or even in a covered bottle without a blender ball or mesh and it will still not clump. I admit I was dubious. More about that in a moment)
• So about the whey question...it is, as many proteins are, a mixure of whey isolate and whey concentrate. For some of you this may seem problematic. For me, it's a non-issue. I did blends throughout my losing phase and landed on the other side 155 lbs. lighter and a whopping 8 dress sizes smaller. Just sayin'.

One thing the packaging alone does not tell you is that this is meant to be a protein supplement, not a meal replacement like their other powders. What's the difference? I asked our friendly Chike rep who said that the amount of calories in a meal replacement are meant to do just that, replace a meal. This is more like a snack. Or a "tide you over until you can get to a meal" or, more likely for most of us, sneak some protein into something we'd probably drink anyway.

Aesthetics

Look/Smell: So every time I read other's product reviews I feel like I am not aesthetic enough with mine (hence this whole section). I rarely sniff stuff. I have an iron pouch so something has to be REALLY nasty for me to reject it. But in this case I did sniff and it smelled like coffee with a whiff of vanilla. There. I did it. Once. It looks like vanilla protein with some coffee in it. Here, lookit:

Texture: So the assertion that it would not clump intrigued me. To be fair, I didn't believe it. So when I went to try this I did so assuming I would get lumps and get to report that to you. I wasn't trying to be a hater. It's just that no protein I have EVER tried has blended completely smoothly in a blender bottle.

But here, is the powder and water in the blender cup:

And here it is a few shakes later:

Now may I draw your attention to a few things? First, no lumps! (I was shocked and I stand corrected...I'm sorry I doubted you, Chike!) but also lookit. Minimal foam! I know foam bugs the HELL outta some of you so I needed to point that out.

And as a bonus, here is the shake after it has sat for about 10 minutes. I've been sipping as I'm typing this. But look.

No separation! I like that. I like that a lot. BUT...for me it all comes down to the taste.

Taste: In the last few years I've started to better appreciate the taste of actual coffee and have stopped drowning it in a sea of creamer. If that's you as well, you'll appreciate the flavor of Chike. You are supposed to blend it with 10 oz. of cold water. You can add more if you want a weaker flavor, less for a more intense flavor. I found 10 oz. to be just about right.

Now even though this was not advertised as a vanilla drink, it does have vanilla undertones. I have a theory about that. I think the vanilla is for aroma's sake. I don't think there can be a truly odorless whey protein. There's either light vanilla or monkey's ass. I vote for the vanilla.

ME personally...I would have preferred this with 8 oz. milk. I like the creamy element. Not that the iced coffee was lacking anything. I just have a thing about richness and milk would give that to me. Perhaps a bit of Davinci sugar-free hazelnut would have been nice too.

But all in all, I liked it! Hell, I drank it. And that says volumes because I don't care how many samples you give me, if it's nasty, I'm not doing it. Nope. Nuh-uh.

So should YOU buy it?

Ok so I'm a single mom (meaning I am perpetually broke) so I had to look at this from a value perspective as well. Here are my personal findings.

• Chike Protein Coffee comes in single serving packets that cost $2.25 each or $2.00 each if you order 10 or more
• This is about 50-75 cents more expensive than the protein coffee I make at home and has about 11-ish less grams of protein
• BUT...this product also beats my homemade protein coffee by about 80 calories and 12g of carbs. In post-op life (especially as you get further out) you HAVE to measure calories saved as a marker of value right along with money and time. If something is healthy and saves you from eating too many crappy calories,  it really is worth considering.
• ...and it really did work like a snack in my pouch. It held me about two-ish hours, which would make it the PERFECT thing to have on my way out the door at work (or what I call "the danger zone" wherein it's been a few hours since lunch and at least two more until dinner and Nik has a tendency to dive head-first into something she knows DAMN well she should not eat. Yeah...that time.)

So in my estimation here's how ALL this information I've given you relates to whether or not you should try this product:

• If you are a coffee lover who is allowed to have some caffeine
• You're looking for a mix that is both tasty, easy to mix and convenient to carry
• But you don't want to drink a whole meals worth of calories
• ...And especially if you're one of those "Starbucks" people

Then, yes, I would say this is a wise investment for you. The coffee flavor rings through nicely, it's basically "idiot-proof" in its mixing and especially if you don't like the creamy shakes and want to go with something water-based, this is a great option.

What the HELL is a jicama?

You ever look at a food and wonder..."what the HELL is that?"

Today we take on the jicama.

Watch and learn.

A General Programming Note...

Yes, yes, I know...you all want the recipes!

I have them. This week, if the universe cooperates, I even have a video for you!

But first I have to address something important.

I got some comments on a few posts yesterday that jarred me. They seemed to be from the same person who posted anonymously and mostly criticized the use of certain ingredients in my recipes, including Splenda and sugar-free syrups.

Of course, I take comments like that to heart. I seek to serve the Foodie Nation and it sort of pained me to think maybe I didn't, but after I thought about it I realized those comments are an opportunity.

Thanks to several factors (including a mention by a very cool fellow post-op blogger) there are many new visitors to this site. Welcome!

If I had to say one thing about this site, me and my approach to food it is this: you'll find things are a bit different here. I don't like to simply list off a million ingredients and send you off into the universe to copy them in your kitchen like so many other sites. One thing I learned very early in this process is that people take recipes and change them - make them their own. And that is great!

That being said, it seems a much better use of my time to do two main things here at Bariatric Foodie. Firstly, I make all the mistakes in a recipe so you don't have to! I share the good, the bad and the ugly about what happens in my kitchen. Secondly,  I try to share what I learn about how food works so that even if you never like any of my recipes, you know how to approach making over your own.

So to that anonymous poster, I have this to say. Here at Bariatric Foodie if you don't want to use Splenda, don't use it! Don't like sugar-free syrups? Leave those out too! Prefer to only cook on the stove? Go for it!

Because our motto around here at Bariatric Foodie is simple: Play with your food!

Are you a Bariatric Foodie? If so, join us!

Meat Crust Pizza

Yesterday I was going over some old online photo albums I have on the web. I came across this recipe I used to make ages ago. It's totally not mine. I heard about it from my friend, Plump Kitty, who also inspired a few dessert recipes of mine as well.

This one is interesting to me because it's the one time where the kids totally loved it and I was on the fence. I didn't dislike this. It was just that it confused my tongue and brain a little.

So anyway, here's the recipe.

Meat Crust Pizza
(Depending on diameter of the crust you roll our, this makes about a 6-8 slice pizza)

Ingredients


Crust:
1 lb. lean ground meat
1/2 packet of dry onion soup mix
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
One medium egg

Toppings (on this pizza):

Ham
Pepperoni
Green peppers
1 c. jarred spaghetti sauce (adjust to your tastes)
1.5 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
(Sorry, this was taken so long ago I don't have process pics!)

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix your meat, soup, spices and egg. The mixture should be work-able. If it is too wet add a few tablespoons of bread crumbs, but I seriously doubt that'd be a problem unless you use a really large egg.

Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap on your counter. Place the giant "meatball" in the center of it and fold the plastic wrap over it. Using a rolling pin, roll your meat into a disc of whatever size you want. I used to roll it until the disc as about a 1/2 inch thick.

Spray a cookie sheet or pizza baking sheet with nonstick and place your disc, plastic removed, onto it. Bake for 30 minutes. At this point the meat should be cooked through.

Remove from the oven and top first with spaghetti sauce, then with cheese and toppings. Return it to the oven and bake it another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and cooked to your desire (I like my cheese a bit brown).

Top with Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes or whatever else you want to add.

Literally, my kids LOVED this. After thinking about it, I think my confusion with it is that I am comparing the meat crust with a pizza crust. It does not taste like a pizza crust. It tastes like meat. Sort of like a "pizza meatloaf" if you will. When I thought of it that way, I enjoyed it much more. I will say, though, that the edges of this thing take on a decidedly pizza-esque quality to them. It was crunchy and, as with most outer edges of meat, the seasonings concentrated there and it was VERY flavorful.

And it got pretty good reviews when I posted it on Obesity Help originally.

So..Bon Appetit! If you make it, I'd love to know what YOU think. Leave a message in the comments.

Noodle-less Lasagna

Nik’s lesson o’ the week: get plates for your new house!

Explaining to your colleagues at work why you are conducting a photo shoot in the kitchen can be…awkward. But this dish deserved to be on a proper plate!

Ok so…let’s talk noodle-less lasagna. Because there are a bunch of ways you can go about making it.

The most traditional way is to use thick slices of zucchini which is what I did here. BUT you can also do it several other ways including

• Eggplant (I’ll explain the pro’s and con’s in a moment)
• Alternating high-fiber (Dreamfields) lasagna noodles with the veggie of your choice

I’ve heard tell of people making this with cabbage leaves. I have never tried this and I admit I’m sort of skeptical. As you’ll see in my instructions you sometimes have to go to great pains to control the water content of this thing and cabbage is FULL of water. If you make this out of cabbage and don’t get a bunch of liquid, hit me up and share your secret!

The water content is the reason why some folks use eggplant instead of zucchini. It has far less water. In fact when you roast or bake eggplant, it sort of acts like a potato in that it crisps up, so pairing it with the lasagna (that has sauce) can yield a nice texture.

I prefer zucchini. Eggplant can be tough to cut into and, depending on the age of the eggplant you are using, can be “seedier” than zucchini. But a plus would be that if you skin the eggplant, it passes for a noodle much more easily!

Now…onto the recipe for the above.

Nik’s Noodle-less Lasagna (featuring zucchini)

Ingredients:

Meat sauce layer

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil OR nonstick cooking spray
1 small onion, finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced
Any other veggies you like, chopped, sliced or diced
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 lb. lean ground meat of your choice (I used lean ground turkey)
3 turkey Italian sausage links, casings removed (I use spicy, you use what feels right to you! Please note that using traditional Italian sausage will add considerable calories and fat.)
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

Ricotta Layer


16 oz. container of ricotta cheese (I use part-skim, go with your gut Foodies)
½ c. grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 large egg

“Noodles” & Topping

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese or Italian blend shredded cheese
Either 3 good sized (7-8 inch long) zucchini OR this guy, sliced length-wise into long “noodles”:

I forgot to take a pic of him whole but he was well over a foot long! There are two layers of zucchini noodles in this and you should aim to have about 5-6 for each layer.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

This time I grilled my zucchini but usually I sprinkle my zucchini slices with salt and put them between layers of paper towel for about 15 minutes. Then I remove them from the paper towels and bake them about 10-15 minutes on a sprayed baking sheet, flipping half-way through. I like the baking method as it gets a lot of the water of the zucchini. Trust me when I say you WANT to get as much water as possible out of the zucchini.

To make the meat sauce layer, sautee onions, green pepper and garlic in a pan with either oil or nonstick until tender. Add your ground meat and sausage and brown the meat. Drain it and return it to the pan. Add spaghetti sauce, stir and simmer on low heat while you prepare the ricotta layer.

To prepare the ricotta layer, combine both cheeses, pepper and egg in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

Layer your lasagna as follows (I use a 13 x9 baking dish but a deeper baking dish is preferable as this overflowed a bit): using a soup ladle, spread a ladle-full of sauce across the bottom of your baking dish. Cover with zucchini noodles. Next, add a thick layer of the ricotta mixture. (Tip: using a baker’s spatula helps quickly spread the mixture). Repeat all layers once more, ending with a layer of meat sauce.

IF YOUR LASAGNA STILL SEEMS A BIT WATERY:

Put it on a baking sheet and bake it without cheese on top for about 35 minutes. Then add cheese and bake until cheese is brown around the edges and the whole thing is bubbly (about 20 additional minutes).

IF YOUR LASAGNA SEEMS GOOD TO GO (either way there will be more liquid than with a traditional lasagna but I find a jiggle test is a good indicator. If you jiggle your baking pan and there are waves in your lasagna, it’s got a good bit of water going.)

Cover with cheese and bake for about 40 minutes.

Cool completely before cutting.

There! That’s how Nik makes noodle-less lasagna. You may have your own favorite recipe. If so, do share in the comments! If not, give this one a try and let me know how it goes.

Foodie-sentials: What Vitamins Should Lap-Band Patients Take?

What Vitamins Should Lap-Banders Take?

We all know that after weight loss surgery we have to take vitamins, right?  All of us, every day, for the rest of our lives. Whether you’ve had lap band surgery, RNY gastric bypass, vertical sleeve gastrectomy, or duodenal switch, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) has a recommended vitamin regimen for you! 

The question is do you know what that recommendation is? 

Don’t worry! I’m here to tell you. In this series, I will go over the recommended vitamin regimen for each type of surgery, explain why we need the vitamins we do, and what will happen if we don’t take the necessary vitamins. 

Let’s start with the lap band.

Lap band patients need to take daily vitamins because they can’t eat large enough amounts of food to get all the nutrients they need. It’s very important to take your vitamins every day in order to prevent serious nutritional deficiencies, like anemia. Here’s what the ASMBS has to say:

• One adult multivitamin, containing 100% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of at least 2/3 of all nutrients, including 18 mg iron and minerals like zinc and selenium
• 1500 mg calcium citrate (not calcium carbonate), divided into three doses of about 500 mg each, taken at least two hours apart
• B-50 complex is optional

Now, all multivitamins are not created equal. Some post-ops tell me they have been told to take children’s multivitamins (especially ones shaped like certain beloved cartoon characters). But the ASMBS says you shouldn’t rely on children’s vitamins or gummy vitamins (I know… bummer!). They don’t have all the vitamins and minerals an adult needs, especially after having weight loss surgery.

There are multivitamins made especially for weight loss surgery patients. Some reputable bariatric vitamin companies include Bariatric Advantage, Celebrate, and Building Blocks, but it’s not necessary to use one of those. Any adult multivitamin that has 100% of the RDA of most things will be fine.

If your multivitamin doesn’t have at least 18 mg of iron, the ASMBS recommends that you take an additional iron supplement. Menstruating women may need additional iron anyway, because they lose iron each month when they menstruate. Women are not the only ones that need iron, though; men need some iron, too.

Not taking a multivitamin regularly can lead to all sorts of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. A lack of iron can cause anemia, which makes you tired, weak and dizzy, and also causes headaches and restless leg syndrome.

Make sure your calcium supplement contains calcium citrate, not calcium carbonate or tricalcium phosphate. Calcium citrate, the kind of calcium recommended by the ASMBS, is absorbed more easily so you’ll get the full benefit of the calcium you take. Take your calcium at least two hours away from your iron, because calcium blocks the absorption of iron.

Not taking calcium, or taking the wrong kind, can lead to bone loss and osteoporosis.

You might need additional vitamins, like vitamin D3 or vitamin B12. You should have regular blood tests to see if you need any other vitamins.

Many lap band patients choose to use chewable vitamins, at least for a little while after their surgeries. The ASMBS says you can switch to vitamins that you swallow as soon as you can tolerate swallowing pills, if you prefer those to chewable vitamins. You will absorb either type of vitamin equally well. Keep in mind that most chewable calcium supplements found in stores contain calcium carbonate or tricalcium phosphate; if you want chewable calcium citrate, you’ll probably need to order it online.

Talk to your bariatric surgeon or registered dietician if you have questions about what vitamins you need. And do your research! Here's a link to the full ASMBS Nutritional Guidelines for Bariatric Patients. It's something we should all have access to.

But if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com. I’m here to help! As your Bariatric Foodie Vitamin Correspondent, I can’t give you medical advice but I can answer questions about the ASMBS guidelines and about the various vitamin options available.

Watch for the recommended vitamin regimen for vertical sleeve gastrectomy patients next month. And until then, take those vitamins!

About Kelly

Kelly is almost four years post-op RNY gastric bypass. In her spare time she enjoys making Greek yogurt (no, we're not kidding), loving on her cat and answering the million and two "Kelly...HELP!" posts on Obesity Help. 

Got a question for Kelly? Send it to bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com with the subject line "vitamins."

Foodie Review: Trader Joe's Vanilla Soy Protein

Trader Joe's Vanilla Soy Protein

by Traci McGowan, Foodie Review Correspondent

I have taken some sort of protein supplement every day since my RNY surgery.  From the weight loss doctor’s office to the gym, from Wal-Mart to the internet, I have tried more protein powders and bars than I have fingers ‘n toes: Body Fortress, Cytosport (AKA: Muscle Milk powder), Eas AdvantEdge, Met-Rx , Click, Pure Protein, Lara Bar, Atkins, Optimum Nutrition, Isopure, Quest, ViSalus, Power-Something (I really can’t remember the name).

Being the technology freak that I am, I just assumed it was a given someone somewhere would create a protein supplement that didn’t taste like it had been scraped off the bottom of a hoof. Almost all of those supplements I tried (almost, not always) would have that horrible whey aftertaste, and I had pretty much given myself over to the thought I would spend the rest of my LIFE resisting the urge to hurl after each “meal”. 

That is until one day when I trolled around Trader Joe’s in my hometown and on the top shelf of the supplement aisle discovered a modest display of protein powders. I almost walked away until I saw “Vanilla Flavored Soy Protein Powder”. I picked up a canister and figured I had nothing to lose. Trader’s has a money back guarantee, so at the least I wouldn’t be stuck with two pounds of powder.

I have been SO unbelievably happy!! This stuff has:

• No whey aftertaste. None. Nada. Zip.
• No stinky whey smell.
• No farting (well, that’s probably MY issue alone).

I have added (contaminated) items to my shakes, but my favorite way to drink them is to put 2 scoops of powder (which is one serving) into my Ninja along with 8 ounces of vanilla soy milk and a little bit of sugar free pudding powder (flavors vary) and whip that sucker for two minutes (see Nik’s Triple X Method for blending thick protein shakes). The shake thickens up just enough for me. It’s really tasty. The vanilla flavor does not overpower the shake, which is good news for those of us with uber sensitive pallets post-op.

You can add fruit, ice, sugar free syrups (caramel is the BOMB!), Splenda, Greek yogurt…whatever your little heart desires.

The stats are pretty decent:

Calories  120

From fat   10

Total Fat 1.5g

Total Carbs    1g

Protein     25g

There’s a flood of vitamin information on the label, but the thing which stood out to me the most was the ingredients list. My trainer gave me a great rule of thumb: the shorter the list the better it is for you. I found with the other protein supplements I would get very nauseated. 

Verdict: Foodie Says...Fabuloso! Trader Joe’s has made a great product which works fantastic for us bariatric patients!

About Traci
Traci is 14 months post-op from RNY Gastric Bypass. As of the publishing of this newsletter article she's down 145 pounds.

In her spare time, Traci enjoys number crunching, spin class, nurturing her burgeoning tech addiction and hoarding Kleenex (and no, she's not kidding). 

Have a question for Traci about this review? Or perhaps you'd like to request a review on a product you want to try. Either way, email her at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com with the subject line of "Foodie Review." While she can't guarantee she'll ever review the product you suggest, it's good to put this stuff out into the universe, no?

Foodie Fitness Corner: Stay Safe During Summer Workouts!

Hello, Foodie Nation!

My name is Hillery and I am 11-months post-op from RNY Gastric Bypass Surgery and I’m pleased to be your Foodie Fitness Correspondent.

Admittedly, I am NOT a professional trainer or exercise physiologist (I don’t even play one on TV) but I am an enthusiast who is willing to share my experiences so far and even try some new things to help you keep it fresh with your workout.

So…now that the formalities are out of the way, on to the business at hand! Today I have what I am calling an “exercise advisory.” I’ll do these from time to time and they work sort of like a weather advisory to alert you to conditions that can be harmful to us post-ops if we’re not careful.

Today’s advisory is on the dangers of strenuous physical activity during the heat — especially exercise outside.

I like outdoor workouts. In fact one of my favorite classes, Boot Camp (“Routine Review” forthcoming) is often held outside. But exercising in hot weather puts stress on your body. The activity and the air itself increase your core body temperature, which can be dangerous.

To accommodate that, you must stay hydrated and maintain the body’s electrolyte and salt levels to avoid both dehydration and hyponatermia (low blood sodium levels). Here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. The time of day is important. Unless you are training for an event that takes place in the daytime heat, avoid exercising outside from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Generally, the early morning or after sunset are the best times to workout in extreme heat conditions.
2. Wear loose, light-colored clothing. The lighter color will help reflect heat, and cotton material will help the evaporation of sweat. You may also want to try specially designed, "hi-tech" running shirts and shorts which are made from material meant to keep you cool. 
3. Sunscreen and sun protection is a must…even for ethnic skin (Black people…this includes you too!). I use a minimum of SPF 45. When it comes to sun protection remember to Slip, Slop, Slap, and Wrap.  SLIP on a shirt or loose fitting garments, SLOP on sunscreen, SLAP on a wide brim hat, and WRAP on sunglasses!
4. Stay hydrated. Drink a bottle of water before you work out and another after. For newbies having trouble getting your fluids, it’s more important than ever to sip, sip, sip! Even if you aren’t thirsty, take a drink every 5 minutes, consuming at least 16 oz. for 30 minutes you work out. To replenish electrolytes, add sugar-free Propel flavoring  to your water bottle or Crystal Light type drinks designed for exercise.
5. Check the weather forecast before you start your workout. If there's a heat advisory or it’s a high ozone and air pollution day (code orange for sensitive groups and      code red for everyone else), you might want to take your workout indoors.
6. Most importantly, listen to your body. Stop immediately if you're feeling dizzy, faint or nauseous.  Know the signs and symptoms of the 3Hs: Heat cramps, Heat exhaustion, and Heat stroke.
1. Heat cramps are painful muscle contractions, mainly affecting the calves, quadriceps and abdominals. Affected muscles may feel firm to the touch. Your body temperature may be normal.
2. Heat exhaustion is when your body temperature rises as high as 104 F (40 C) and you may experience nausea, vomiting, headache, fainting, weakness and cold,       clammy skin. If left untreated, this can lead to heatstroke.
3. Heatstroke is a life-threatening emergency condition that occurs when your body temperature is greater than 104 F (40 C). Your skin may be hot, but your body may stop sweating to help cool itself. You may develop confusion and irritability. You need immediate medical attention to prevent brain damage, organ failure or even death.

If you develop any of these symptoms, it’s essential to lower your body temperature and get hydrated right away. In the case of heat exhaustion, err on the side of seeking medical attention.

Here are some immediate steps you should take (and ask someone to help you if you think you need to):

·         Remove any extra clothing or sports equipment

·         Drink fluids — water or a sports drink.

·         If possible, fan your body or wet down your body with cool water.

·         If you don't feel better within 30 minutes, seek medical attention!

So, in summary: DO get your workout on, even during the summer and DO take extra precautions when exercising during excessive heat because you DON’T want to compromise your progress with a medical emergency!

About Hillery

Hillery is almost 11 months post-op RNY. In her spare time, she is seeking to conquer the world of natural hair care (no...we're not kidding!) and actually ENJOYS going to a fitness class called "boot camp" (we are equally perplexed).

Have a fitness question for Hillery? Email bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com with the subject line "fitness." REMEMBER: Hillery is NOT a personal trainer and can't give professional advice but experiences? She's got those by the dozen and is more than willing to share!

Amanda's Faux Lasagna Meatball Bake

Yeah, I MAY have just licked my screen and...it MAY have tasted just a wee bit nasty. BUT this food looks delicious!

So this is me admittedly putting the cart before the horse a little bit.

I think I am the only healthy eating blog that does not feature a no-noodle lasagna recipe. Mexican lasagna? Yes. No-noodle (which subs zucchini generally for noodles), no. And it was precisely because it was in so many other places that I did not put it here.

But a Foodie said something to me the other day that made me think. She said, "I only really check your blog for recipes, so if I can't find it there I figure it's not worth finding." Firstly, what a SWEET thing to say! Secondly, she reminded me I have a responsibility not to hold back any yumminess from the Foodie Nation. My apologies!

I just so happen to be making no-noodle lasagna for my lunches this week, so stay tuned for my version of it complete with pics of the biggest damn zucchini I ever did see.

But for now, please accept Amanda's recipe remix. I love remixes! It shows how you can play with your food and get something fun and tasty.

Amanda's Faux-Lasagna Meatball Bake


1/2 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup TVP (if you're going "Wuzzat?" click here.)
1/4 water
1/2 jar spaghetti sauce ( reserve 3/4 cup)
3 zucchini sliced length wise and grilled
3 yellow squash sliced length wise and grilled
8 oz. light goat cheese (softened)
2 tsp pesto
1 pkg Trader Joe Turkey Meatballs (unless you can find some with less than 4g of fat)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded Romano cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  


In a small bowl mix TVP and water and set aside. 


Brown ground beef mix in TVP and spaghetti sauce.  I always add extra seasoning and garlic to my sauce to give it more flavor.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with olive oil spray.  


Spread meat, TVP sauce mixture in the bottom.  In a separate bowl, mix together goat cheese and pesto.  Drop by the spoonful on top of sauce mixture.  


Layer the grilled squash and zucchini on top of the goat cheese.  Evenly space the meatballs across the top and spoon the reserved 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce over them.  


Sprinkle mozzarella and Romano cheeses on top and bake 30-45 minutes until hot and bubbly.

For the zucchini and squash, I had grilled it off a couple of days ahead and had it  with grilled chicken.  Slice in 1/4 inch slices length-wise, then coat with olive oil and no salt seasoning blend.

I served it with Nik's WLS-friendly Mozzarella Sticks, salad, and steamed green beans.  I'm only 4 months 3 weeks out so of course I didn't eat it all, but even my non-WLS hubby said it was good.

I bring the THUNDER!!!!

So first I say I am doing a poverty eating challenge, living off $1.50 of food a day for five days. Then I post four days of reports for that and then…disappear.

"What up with that, Nik????"

Yes, that is very me. But this time it wasn’t.

I live in Maryland and you might have heard we had severe storms late last week. While I did not lose my power (although everyone in my immediate family and social circle did!) I am just getting back my cable and internet. Frankly, while I am hesitant to complain about not having these services, I can say my personal idea of hell is being trapped in a house with my own thoughts. Ack!

So anyway, I have bits and pieces of stuff that I was going to post that no longer make any sense outside the context of the 4^th of July or the poverty eating challenge, but I wanted to post them just the same, so here goes:

Look for my final report on the poverty eating challenge, including what parts of this strict plan I’m going to try to incorporate into my everyday life. I'll post it both here on the blog and on Facebook. It was done on Saturday but I want to be accountable for having done this challenge!

Ok, so one of the things that kept me occupied while the cable/web was out was the fact that I am helping my stepdad with these guys:

My late mother’s Basset Hounds – Leroy and Loretta – became the proud parents of 9 (yes, 9!) puppies just two short months ago! I’m taking one – a girl we’ve named Nana (which is what the divas used to call my mom). This is her.

I imagine she’ll become a Bariatric Foodie too as she’ll probably get ahold of some of the scraps from my mad food experiments. There are three runts in the litter and she is the runt of the runts, poor dear. I love her very much already! (By the way, if you live anywhere remotely near Baltimore and have room in your heart and home for a Basset, hit me up! The other 8 puppies are for sale!)

My Independence Day was fairly chill. I did five laps around Lake Montebello, a man-made lake near where I live. Each lap is a mile and some change. I wasn’t going for speed demon. In reality I was bored as hell and just didn’t want to go home. With walking to and from the lake (3/4 mile each way) and the five laps, that made for over 6 miles of walking! I came home and refueled with this patriotic treat:

It’s just some sweetened cottage cheese in between layers of blueberries and strawberries. Sigh. Strawberries are going out of season, blueberries are in. I have been trying my best to only get produce from the farmer’s market so no more strawberries for Nik after this carton! I have also begun getting my dairy from the farmer’s market from a place called South Mountain Creamery, who extends an open invitation for folks to come see how they raise cows. I think I’m going to take them up on that. Stay tuned for a report!

Lastly, from the “announcement department” several things:

• If you’d like to receive the SECOND issue of the Bariatric Foodie email newsletter, be sure to use the form right above this post to get signed up. But it is important that you look out for an email confirmation and respond to it or else you won’t get the email! For those that missed out on the first one, the little “gift” I included will also be in this one.
• I’m still looking for folks for “I’m a Bariatric Foodie and…” I’ve done two great profiles so far. Do you have a unique or quirky angle to your post-op life? Perhaps you’re vegan or a Zumba instructor. Perhaps you’ve run a marathon or…I dunno, you have Sister Wives or something. Whatever it is, share it with the Foodie Nation! Email me to submit your story. I swear it’s easy!
• Just a reminder that if you’d like to keep the good stuff coming on Bariatric Foodie, there are easy ways to support the blog! If you order through Amazon or Netrition, start your orders on the right menu bar. A portion of your entire purchase helps support the blog. And if you, like I, LOVE Quest bars, click the ad on the right to order yours. A portion of that supports the blog as well. 

Ok, I’ve rambled on enough, Foodies. I’ve got a few experiments going in the lab…er, kitchen that I’ll be reporting on soon. One has to do with the all-important subject of HYDRATION.

Until then!