Category Archives: Food

Fish oil benefits vs Flaxseed

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salmonYou may have heard good things about both fish oil and flaxseed oil because of the high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids. So is one better than the other?

A little lesson on omega-3 fatty acids
This is the gold mine of fat. Our brain tissue is made up of ~60% fat (lipids), so fat is obviously a good thing to have in our diet! There are two required nutrients for the brain- eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). You’ve probably heard these words in any baby formula commercial because they support brain development. DHA is important in protecting us agains brain diseases like Alzheimers or Parkinson’s. Inadequate omega-3s in the diet has also been linked to depression. Omega-3s are known for suppressing inflammation (inflammation leads to diseases like Type-2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc). The best way to get EPA and DHA in our bodies is from food. That brings us back to the topic of fish oil benefits versus flaxseed or other foods.

fish oil capsulesFlaxseed ranks #2 to fish oil
Flaxseed and walnuts are plant sources that contain alpha-linoleic acid which is converted into EPA. However, our bodies only convert 10-15% of the alpha-linoleic acid we consume into EPA and only 5% of that EPA might convert to DHA in the brain. Also, flaxseed must be ground or in the form of oil to reap the benefits. We barely absorb anything if it’s not ground up before ingesting. The flaxseed kernels in those cool, multigrain wraps aren’t doing much for you other than adding some roughage to your diet. You may see on the label “one serving contains 1 ounce of flaxseed, equivalent to 3 grams of omega-3s!” but if it’s from flaxseed, you can multiply that 3 by 10% to get the actual amount your body will convert to EPA (0.3g). Compare that to 4 ounces of salmon which contains omega-3s already in the form of EPA and DHA: 2.2 grams, 100% EPA/DHA. Unless you have a fish allergy or do not eat fish for other reasons, fish oil from cold-water fish is the superior choice.

Krill oil
Krill oil is another popular supplement sharing shelf space with fish oil. Krill contain smaller amounts of omega-3s compared to cold-water fish like salmon. They do contain more antioxidants which gives krill their pink color; however, the effectiveness of encapsulated antioxidants is unknown and, to be fair, wild salmon get their pink color from eating krill. Double whammy in my book.

Tips for buying Omega-3 fish oil
Our brains need omega-3 fatty acids for optimal performance. If you don’t eat salmon 2-3 times a week, you would benefit from an omega-3 supplement. If you need delicious recipes so you will eat more salmon, I’ve got a couple recipes here at BFH as well as Pinterest! I won’t promote a specific brand, but I highly recommend not purchasing your fish oil from some Joe-Shmo vitamin store. Do a little research (not comments from discussion forums) and make sure it’s a reputable brand. I recommend that the EPA:DHA ratio to be at least 600:400. Read the label and do the math if you would be taking 2-3 capsules/day instead of a triple strength capsule once per day. If you’re afraid of the fish burps (they are gross, I learned the hard way by taking a capsule before a run), you can avoid this by freezing the capsules, taking them before bed, or purchasing “burpless” capsules. If you don’t like pills, there is also flavored liquid fish oil that comes with a dropper. No excuses ;)

Before you start popping pills
Even though I am a registered dietitian, I explain in my disclaimer that this site is to provide general information on food, fitness, and finance; it is NOT sufficient for personal medical advice. It would be one thing if I met with you one-on-one, but that’s obviously not the case here at Budget for Health. If you have any medical conditions, take prescription medication, or have any concerns, speak with your doctor first before taking an omega-3 supplement.

What are your favorite ways to prepare O3-rich salmon?

Avocados: Good Fat

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photo from freedigitalphotos.net

photo from freedigitalphotos.net

If you haven’t tried an avocado, I hope this post will change that. If you love avocados, I’ll give you even more reasons to love them. You may feel conflicted because you’ve heard avocados have good fat but they’re still high in fat. Both are correct, but there shouldn’t be any bad connotation with this fruit. I’ve said it a million times- fat will not make you fat. Fat helps us feel full, balance hormones, and can help you lose weight. The combination of high fat/high sugar or high fat/high salt (both combinations are often found in processed foods) is where the danger comes in. Avocados contain good, heart-healthy fat and offer a wealth of other nutritional benefits.

Avocados contain good fat
The fat in avocados is primarily monounsaturated, otherwise known as an omega-9 fatty acid. Research supports monounsaturated fatty acids against diseases associated with aging. The heart-healthy fat in avocados is a great substitute for the excessive intake of omega-6 fatty acids in our diet (abundantly found in corn, sunflower, and safflower oil). Omega-6s aren’t inherently bad, it’s just that our typical American diet is about a 1:200 of omega-3 :o mega-6 when it should be more like 1:4, thus spurring on more inflammation in our bodies! Since many important vitamins are absorbed by fat (“fat soluble”) like vitamins A, D, E, and K, avocados provide a great vehicle to get those nutrients absorbed. Avocados have roughly 3g of fiber per 1/2 avocado. Fiber helps us to feel full so between the fat and fiber content, this fruit does a good job helping with satiety.

How to incorporate avocados into your diet
- Add it to a layered bean dip
- Top off your morning eggs with a few slices
- Add it to your homemade egg muffins
- Mix it in with tuna like you would mayo
- Dice cubes and top any salad (like my Greek Chickpea Salad)
- Eat 1/2 avocado with a spoon & a handfull of berries (one of my favorite snacks!)
- Use as a spread on a sandwich/wrap
- Use bell peppers or cucumbers as boats for dipping in homemade guacamole
- A friend of mine made a unique and DELICIOUS salad that was just a combination of cubed avocado, grapefruit, walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes. Trust me, you’ll love it.

How do you add avocados to your meals & snacks?

Cooking tips from my mom

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my momma and Gma

Happy mother’s day to all the moms and soon-to-be moms! My sisters and I brainstormed for this post and pulled together some unique cooking tips we learned from our mom. On one hand, my mom doesn’t have a recipe for many of her dishes she since she’s good at winging it. On the other hand, I’ve been around to see her make some of those dishes a few times and I’ve learned her ways. To honor her on mother’s day, I’ll share a few helpful tips I’ve learned from my wonderful mother.

Dice and freeze
My parents live down the street from a wholesale produce store that has ridiculous prices on fruit and veggies. She buys a surplus of produce that’s in season and freezes it so there’s plenty of fresh fruit and veggies year-round. One of the best freezing tips I’ve learned is by using a muffin pan! Simply dice up your fruit, freeze in a muffin tin, and store in a gallon freezer bag so you have individual portions!

In case you didn’t see the post on how we got a ton of produce for dirt cheap, here’s the receipt for everything in the picture above:

Tortillas on the gas burner
Tacos are simply better wrapped in a warm, toasted soft tortilla. One thing I was super excited about with our new kitchen is that we have a gas stove! No more electric coils! When we have taco night, I turn the burner on to medium, set a tortilla directly on the burner, let it cook for 10-15 seconds until the bottom starts to get browned and slightly crisp, then flip it over and repeat! I don’t recommend trying this on an electric stovetop; lesson learned- it sticks and burns.

“Homemade” spaghetti sauce
A jar of spaghetti sauce can have over 500mg of sodium in one half cup serving. Instead of using a couple jars of sauce, my mom adds her own homemade touch to it. Add to your jar of spaghetti sauce ground meat, browned onion, a big 32oz can of no added salt (NAS) stewed tomatoes, a big can of NAS diced tomatoes little 6oz can of NAS tomato paste, and a few heaping spoons of pesto. It makes a big batch so you can use the what you need for dinner and freeze the rest for another night.

How to pick ripe produce
I won’t list them all and I’m sure you can Google how to tell what’s ripe but I learned little tips from various grocery shopping trips with my mom over the years. Pineapple- all the little sections on the outside should be equal in size and the center leaf should come out with an easy tug. Cantaloupe- the “belly button” of the melon should be soft and the melon should feel heavy for its size. Simple tips but helpful for meal planning because sometimes I buy fruit the day it will be eaten so I want to make sure it’s ready!

Easy pizza crust
Pizza night is a favorite for my family. We use plain ole’ tomato sauce or olive oil, season with dried herbs, and load it with fresh toppings. The crust makes it amazing and it’s easy to throw together. This recipe makes enough to fit one square pizza crust on a cookie sheet. I have a recipe for a whole wheat crust that is legit, but mom’s crust always hits the spot.

Ingredients
1 packet rapid rise yeast
1 cup warm water
2 c flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt to taste

Directions
1. Mix water with yeast and let sit while you measure the other ingredients.
2. Mix flour, sugar, vegetable, salt together
3. Add water/yeast to dry mix and knead on a flour surface
4. Grease cookie sheet with butter. Set dough in a baguette shape on the sheet, cover it with a dishcloth, and let it rise 10-15 minutes.
5. Spread dough over cookie sheet, add toppings, and bake at 400′ F until dough is golden and the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown (~20-25 minutes).

What are the best tips you’ve learned from your mom?

Is that really trans fat free?

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I’ve talked about misleading health claims a few times but the one that irks me the most is the claim “Trans Fat Free” you’ll see on almost every package of food. Trans fat is the worst fat you can put in your body. It’s a man-made fat that occurs when liquid vegetable oil is turned into a solid. The reason some packaged food can stay on the shelf for so long without expiring may be credited to the trans fat. You’re likely to find trans fat in fried foods, coffee creamer, commercially baked foods, ready to eat frozen foods, snack puddings, packaged salty snacks, margarine, and convenience foods like taco shells, pie crusts, and cake mixes.

Unlike good fats like mono- and poly-unsaturated fat (nuts, avocados, salmon…) there is not one good thing about trans fat unless you consider heart disease a good thing. The solution to keep this menace from destroying your health: avoid it like the plague.

Easier said than done. Just because a package might say “Trans Fat Free” does not necessarily mean there is no trans fat in it. Confusing, I know. By definition, companies can use the term “fat free” as long as there is less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving. Companies know America is trying to get healthier and people are catching on that trans fat is bad, so what companies do is simply make the serving size small enough so they can put “trans fat free” on the package. That serving comes out to be far less than the average person would grab from the package.

photo from thekitchn.com

Let’s say you eat a serving size on a package of Samoa Girl Scout Cookies
(my faaavorite). According to the label, there are 0 grams of trans fat in 2 cookies. How can you tell if it’s a trick? Read the ingredient list. If you see the terms “hydrogenated” or “shortening” you are in dangerous territory. In the case of Samoas, eating 2 cookies is, by definition, trans fat free. However, because the key terms are in the ingredient list, you would pass that 0.5 gram limit if you ate more than 2 cookies.

photo from dempseysresolutionfitness

My point is not to get you to only eat the serving size if something has trans fat in it. My point is not to tell you to choose a cookie without ingredients that suggest there is trans fat in it (example: Shortbread cookies from Girl Scouts; no words show up like “shortening” or “hydrogenated”). My point is this: A cookie without trans fat is better than a cookie with trans fat but it doesn’t make cookies a healthy choice. Smoking 5 cigarettes a day is better than smoking 10 but that still doesn’t make smoking a healthy choice. If you are choosing to eat a cookie, do so in moderation. If you stick with real food, you won’t even need to worry about trans fat! Instead of buying that Honey Bun out of the vending machine, bring a bag of nuts and some dried/fresh fruit to work so you’re ready for that 3pm stomach growl.

Browse your fridge/pantry; did you find any items you weren’t aware that there was trans fat in them?

If you give a man a fish

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photo from freedigitalphotos.net

photo from freedigitalphotos.net

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

How many times have you gone on a diet? How many pounds have you lost and then gained back? How many times have you made a new year resolution? These questions lead to a deeper issue than just a quantified result; they show how difficult it can be to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

I was asked during my employee wellness challenge why we didn’t do a Biggest Loser competition to see which team could lose the most weight. My answer can be summed up in the fishing quote above. Anyone can starve themselves and workout a ton to lose weight in 4 weeks, but it is much more powerful to start healthy habits that will carry over beyond those 4 weeks.

I love using my profession as a dietitian to “teach people how to fish.”  I’ve seen great results from clients who started with one small step which led to another step and another! What will your first step be? It can be in the area of food, fitness, or finance. I recommend not making more than one change at a time per category until that change becomes a habit.  I’ll share a few ideas from previous articles that may help you brainstorm ideas.

Pack your lunch
You can save $2-3k per year by packing your lunch instead of eating out. Along with a financial benefit, you have control over ingredients and portions. I’ve got plenty of cheap, easy, healthy recipes here at Budget for Health and I’d be happy to share other resources with you if interested. Start with packing one or two meals per week and gradually add more days once you get a routine down.

Practice mindfulness
While I don’t advise counting calories since it defeats the purpose of using your hunger cues, the MyFitnessPal app offers an easy, portable way to track your intake and see where you can make your first change. It helped my friend Sush realize how often he was eating sweets throughout the day. Cutting down in this area helped him to lose 30 pounds! The healthy habit came first, then weight loss followed (and stayed!).

Sit less
Do you have a desk job? Even if you exercise after work the risk of heart disease is still significant if you remain seated all day. Need a few tips to move more at the workplace?

Make a grocery list
This is one practical application that can yield crazy results and it doesn’t even take much effort! Having a list in hand before entering the battlefield can protect you from spontaneous purchases of food items that may not be the best for your health. Grocery lists can also help with meal planning so you can set up your week for success.

Learn how to read labels
We are flooded with buzz words on our food packaging- natural, low fat, fat free, reduced fat, organic… what do those words really mean? Learning the definition behind these terms can help you avoid Big Food marketing tricks that get you to buy their “healthy” product. FYI- the best foods to eat don’t come with a label :)

What first step will you take to pursue a healthier lifestyle?

Employee Worksite Wellness: How to get started

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I shared a little about the employee worksite wellness initiative I started up at the health department a couple months ago. I decided that it was very fitting to try out a wellness challenge during March since it was National Nutrition Month. It was received well and I heard great feedback from my coworkers. Although I won’t be working there anymore since we’re moving to Canada, they shared that they want to do a few challenges each year. I recently wrote an article for the site I staff write for, Life and My Finances on the financial benefits of implementing employee worksite wellness. One of the facts I shared was that for every $1 invested in employee wellness there is an estimated savings of $3 back in the company’s pocket! That sounds like an amazing return rate if you ask me!

Getting started
Are you interested in trying out a worksite wellness initiative at your job site? You don’t have to be a dietitian to do it; just a desire to pursue good health and some planning ahead. I’d love to share what tools I used so you can start something up with your coworkers. If your company already offers worksite wellness opportunities, please share your ideas and feedback of what seems to work in the comments so others can benefit from what you share.

Weekly Newsletters
Unless you are a registered dietitian I advise against writing up your own newsletter since it can be tricky finding trustworthy, evidence-based nutrition information with a simple Google search. You are welcome to share articles I’ve written on nutrition topics as well as quoting other reputable dietitians who have their own blogs.To be fair, be sure to give me (or other RDs) credit where credit is due and not claim my work as your own. I’ve shared some great resources from fellow dietitians at the end of this post.

4-week challenge
There were 3 things I used for this challenge:

1. A point-tracking sheet
Coworkers kept this at their desk. Here’s the actual wellness challenge tracking sheet we used. Easy enough, right?

*Note: Keep it simple
I got suggestions from coworkers like “Can you change it so we get 1 point for every 15 minutes of exercise?” or “Can we get not count dark chocolate as a sweet?” I informed everyone who responded with a comment or complaint that it’s fully an honor system and I’m not going to stalk anyone to make sure they’re doing what they say they’re doing. At the same time, the point of this challenge is to kick start healthy habits. If I did a lot of restricting categories or hard core categories it may be effective during those competitive 4 weeks but it would be unrealistic to continue. My topics were simple yet able to transform lives if made into a habit: Drink more water, move more, eat more fruits and veggies, cut down on the sugar. I even threw in an extra point for attending a wellness activity (explained further down).

2. A homemade Google Doc questionnaire
This was for coworkers to submit their weekly points. The actual Google Doc I made looks like this. It’s so easy to make a questionnaire on Google Docs. You basically type in the subject and it gives you an option for how you want people to answer (multiple choice, check all boxes that apply, fill in the blank etc.) Depending how big your department is, you probably don’t want your coworkers to turn in that tracking-point sheet for you to tally all the points each week. With the way I set it up, answers are either “yes” or “no” but I used the number 1 to mean yes and the number 0 to mean no. This way all I had to do was click “view responses in excel” and enter the formula “= SUM(range of numbers)” to get my total. If you have teams at work you can do a little competition between teams. If you have departments you can have them battle it out. We had our two departments duke it out for the win at my workplace.

3. Network & oursource talents
A coworker is on her way to becoming a certified yoga instructor, so I asked if she’d offer a 15-minute class during the work day. She picked two Tuesdays during the month and led a session that involved stretches that are great for those who sit all day at a computer. We had a great turn out with this and it may continue throughout the year. Another coworker led two 15-minute relaxation series during the month. I attended one and got so relaxed I felt my head nod because I was falling asleep! One of my coworkers knew a friend who was a massage therapist so she came in for 2 hours one day and provided 10-minute massages for free. Everyone loved this so much that people were willing to pay to have her come back on a bi-monthly basis. A fellow dietitian and I each provided two 15-minute lunch-and-learn sessions where we discussed topics like vitamin/mineral supplements, healthy breakfasts, snacking, and myths of nutrition labels. We had plenty of events going on and each had great turnouts! We also tried offering a bootcamp session once a week led by a coworker’s personal trainer who gave us a deal. This didn’t work out because I think the word “Bootcamp” intimidated people who didn’t know what it was so we ended up canceling that. In the future I think changing the name to something more understandable would be wise and toward the end of the challenge I learned that someone knew a Zumba instructor who could come for the next challenge!

Your turn!
Ready to try it out? Simply ask around to see if there is an interest. If you need funding for prizes you can do what we did and hold a raffle. We had a roll of tickets; winner took half of the money and the other half went toward prizes. The prizes we decided on were lunch boxes. I think we got about 40 for $70 since we ordered in bulk online. This way the prize encourages those healthy habits to continue!

Feel free to comment below and let me know if you have any questions. Here are a few amazing dietitians who offer a wealth of reputable, evidence-based nutrition information:

The Lean Green Bean
Dietitian Cassie
fANNEtastic food
InspiredRD

Do you have an employee worksite wellness initiative? What do you think has been most effective or not very helpful about it?

Top 20 favorite iPhone apps

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When I converted from a dumb phone to a smart phone, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I used to come home from work and spend a good hour responding to comments, reading articles, and didn’t even bother with Twitter because I had to get on my computer every time I wanted to tweet something. Since I talk about food, fitness, and finance at Budget for Health, I’m sharing my top 20 favorite apps on my iPhone. I even threw a few extra in that don’t really fall into those three categories but are still great.

AnyList
Dave and I usually add to a list on our fridge throughout the week but sometimes we’ll be out and decide to swing by the store but can’t remember what was on our list. This app is like a Dropbox version of a grocery list. Whenever he adds something, it shows up when I look at the list on my phone.

Bank apps
I won’t share the banks I use but I will say I love the ease of taking a snapshot of a check to deposit it. Even though we’ve established a budget and basically know every dollar coming in and out, it’s still nice being able to pull up my balance when I need it.

Dropbox
If you don’t know what Dropbox is, educate yourself. It’s a wonderful thing.

PayPal
Helpful for accepting payments when I write guest posts or my contributions as a staff writer for Life and My Finances.

Groupon
I only encourage this app if you are good at NOT making spontaneous purchases. Sure you can get a million things for over 50% off, but you still have to spend money to get them. I’ve purchased a 5-class trial at a yoga studio, a 3-month trial at the gym I’m now a member at (and where I discovered my love for Body Pump!), and a deal for sushi.

Starbucks
I only go here if I have a gift card, so it’s not often. However, when I do get a gift card I can simply enter it in this app and then I don’t need to remember to carry a card around when I decide to go.

MapMyRun
I challenge myself when I use this app because I want to get a good average pace. When I hear the words “Distance: 1 mile. Time: 8:45” it makes me want to beat that 8:45 time!

Nike Training Club
My gym is 12 miles away and I only go when I’m going to be doing something else while I’m in the area (like go to work afterwards). This app is great since you don’t really need any equipment and I can pick a 15, 30, or 45 minute kick-butt workout.

Tabata Timer
This is great for days when I need to squeeze in a quick workout that will still get my heart pumping.

MyFitnessPal
A handful of friends and coworkers have the app and as their token dietitian friend they ask me to take a look at their food diary and make suggestions by sending them a message. Did you read about my friend Sush who lost 30 pounds using MyFitnessPal?

Podcasts
I totally zone out when I listen to sermons while I run. If you want some great teaching and food for your soul, Matt Chandler from the VillageChurch and Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill will challenge you and keep you entertained during your run or drive to work.

Pinterest
Be careful with this one; it can be a real time killer J I will say it is pretty nice for meal planning. Are you following me on Pinterest?

Twitter
I write longer articles that take some explaining on my blog, but if you want quick tips or articles I retweet from other great dietitians and finance bloggers, twitter is the place to follow me. It’s also entertaining to post funny things Dave says because he doesn’t have Twitter.

Sudoku2
This is the only game on my phone! I don’t play it a lot, but it’s my favorite brain game.

Spotify & Pandora
I’m counting these two as one. I don’t have the premium of either program so they’re the same to me. My latest obsession is the Pitch Perfect station.

Pic Stitch
I can put multiple pictures together to make a collage. This will be my go to for a lot of tweets! Add picture here:

Instagram
Our new home has a lot more natural light coming in but this app was a lifesaver when I was trying to take photos in our dull, white-washed apartment.

Buffer
I haven’t started using this yet but Lindsay at the Lean Green Bean shared what apps she had and this one sounded awesome! You can schedule your tweets and Facebook posts ahead of time; great for my blog!

WordPress
This allows me to edit posts if I see a typo and respond to comments as they come in so I don’t have to do them all at once later.

The Weather Channel
Not much to be said here. I often take pictures of the temperature during the winter and send them to my sis in California so she can feel bad for me in Michigan.

What are your favorite apps on your phone?

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