As I continue my culinary adventure on a no sugar, no flour diet, I have found many helpful resources on the web and iPhone apps that will help me achieve my dietary goals throughout the rest of Lent and stay on track for a healthier lifestyle after the Season of Lent has passed.
My number one pick for iPhone apps is Fooducate. This apps allows you to use the iPhone camera to scan barcodes on food products, and rates the product with a letter grade value of healthiness with a thorough breakdown of what is in the product. The app also provides healthier alternatives to scanned items and a comparison tool which comes in handy when trying to choose between food products at the supermarket. There is a social aspect to the app that lets you like or not like products, add tidbits, and share the information your learned on Facebook and Twitter. I really like this app, but I must warn you the first day I downloaded the app, I scanned all the food in my house. It's very addictive, but the information provided by Foodicate is valuable for anyone who wants to learn more about what they're eating or find healthier alternatives.
My top recipe search site is Foodily. This site aggregates recipes from all over the web and presents them side by side for comparison. You can specify ingredients to exclude from search results making this site a must for anyone with dietary restrictions or on a special diet. The interface is very clean and simple to follow. Foodily includes social aspects that allow you share recipes with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. You can also log in using Facebook Connect to save recipes and plan menus. I highly recommend Foodily to anyone who uses the web to search for recipes. It will save you time and make finding the perfect recipe much easier.
As someone who is striving for a healthier lifestyle, I believe the use of technology is essential for my success. I'm curious what recipe sites or iPhone apps you are using, and is there any other tools or resources you find valuable for eating and living a healthy lifestyle?
UPDATE: Poll Results 3/15/11 - 3/22/11
Does technology play an important role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle?
75% Yes
25% Somewhat
00% No
00% Meh
Showing posts with label healthy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Giving Up Sugar And Flour For Lent
The season of Lent is upon us, and not that I am an actively church going person, I am spiritual and see Lent as a time to practice control and self-discipline to better myself through giving up vices. The past few weeks, I have been racking my brain to find just the right vice to abstain from. A few items that came to mind were social networking sites and alcohol. Sure, giving up Twitter and Facebook will have a short-term benefit of added free time to my daily routine, but I feel socialization is important to one's self being. As far as giving up alcohol, I might find some benefit mostly to my wallet as my appreciation for fine wines can sometimes be costly, but I don't drink in excess and I feel there's nothing wrong with a glass of wine or cocktail daily. I want to find something to give up that will have the greatest beneficial impact for my overall being. That's why I have decided to give up sugar and flour for Lent. I'm also proud to say, my husband, Josh (a.k.a Yoshi), has decided to take part in these dietary restrictions as well. This makes me even more excited to stick with it because now the whole household will get the benefit of a healthier lifestyle.
So here's how it will work: No food made with flour. Whole grains are ok as long as they do not contain flour. No food that contains sugar, beet sugar, cane and brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, molasses, high fructose corn syrup or any other misleading name that sugar goes by these days. So no cakes, cookies, pizza, pasta or bread (even whole grain bread).
What is ok: Healthy foods such as vegetables including starchy vegetables like potatoes, fruit, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, soy, eggs, dairy including cheese and no sugar added yogurt, lean meats, fish and shellfish, whole grains, rice, tortilla chips and corn tortillas made from corn (not corn flour). I can still have my daily espresso without sugar of course, but I use Truvia anyway. My daily glass of red wine will still be allowed. Sugar and flour free desserts are fine and even a small amount of over 70% dark chocolate to help satisfy the sweet tooth.
With the help of the wonderful Whole Foods iPhone app, I have prepared a menu for this week of tasty no sugar, no flour meals. I will admit, grocery shopping was a struggle as I did not realize how many foods have sugar added to them. Things that were on my list that I had to find substitutes for or eliminate were ham and bacon because they are cured in sugar; however I easily substituted them with turkey sausage. Also, Yakult is a no-no because it is high in sugar, for which I replaced with unsweetened Kefir so I could continue taking my daily probiotic drink.
So I'm set for Lent which starts on Wednesday. I'm already cooking no sugar, no flour meals just because I don't want to bring any foods that were no allowed on the diet into the house. Meanwhile, Josh and I are finishing off any leftover sugary foods before Lent. Basically, Our Mardi Gras will be spent indulging on bacon and Girl Scout cookies before giving them a fond farewell for the next 46 days.
I know dietary restrictions are tough, but I am focused and remind myself this will teach me how to look for hidden sugars in foods and to find new recipes that don't depend on ingredients containing flour. This is a beneficial and healthy change, and after Lent is over, we can slowly add restricted foods back into our diet. (I vote bacon first!)
I plan to blog throughout Lent and post updates on new recipes I find and any struggles with food temptation along the way. I'm curious how long my readers think Josh and I can be successful, so I have put up a poll for each of us at Curious Cloud. Also, please share if you plan to give up anything during Lent.
UPDATE: Poll Results 3/7/11 - 3/14/11
How long will Keri last on a no sugar, no flour diet?
00% 1 week
12% 2 weeks
00% 1 month
87% Entire 46 days
How long will Josh last on a no sugar, no flour diet?
14% 1 week
14% 2 weeks
00% 1 month
71% Entire 46 days
So here's how it will work: No food made with flour. Whole grains are ok as long as they do not contain flour. No food that contains sugar, beet sugar, cane and brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, molasses, high fructose corn syrup or any other misleading name that sugar goes by these days. So no cakes, cookies, pizza, pasta or bread (even whole grain bread).
What is ok: Healthy foods such as vegetables including starchy vegetables like potatoes, fruit, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, soy, eggs, dairy including cheese and no sugar added yogurt, lean meats, fish and shellfish, whole grains, rice, tortilla chips and corn tortillas made from corn (not corn flour). I can still have my daily espresso without sugar of course, but I use Truvia anyway. My daily glass of red wine will still be allowed. Sugar and flour free desserts are fine and even a small amount of over 70% dark chocolate to help satisfy the sweet tooth.
With the help of the wonderful Whole Foods iPhone app, I have prepared a menu for this week of tasty no sugar, no flour meals. I will admit, grocery shopping was a struggle as I did not realize how many foods have sugar added to them. Things that were on my list that I had to find substitutes for or eliminate were ham and bacon because they are cured in sugar; however I easily substituted them with turkey sausage. Also, Yakult is a no-no because it is high in sugar, for which I replaced with unsweetened Kefir so I could continue taking my daily probiotic drink.
So I'm set for Lent which starts on Wednesday. I'm already cooking no sugar, no flour meals just because I don't want to bring any foods that were no allowed on the diet into the house. Meanwhile, Josh and I are finishing off any leftover sugary foods before Lent. Basically, Our Mardi Gras will be spent indulging on bacon and Girl Scout cookies before giving them a fond farewell for the next 46 days.
I know dietary restrictions are tough, but I am focused and remind myself this will teach me how to look for hidden sugars in foods and to find new recipes that don't depend on ingredients containing flour. This is a beneficial and healthy change, and after Lent is over, we can slowly add restricted foods back into our diet. (I vote bacon first!)
I plan to blog throughout Lent and post updates on new recipes I find and any struggles with food temptation along the way. I'm curious how long my readers think Josh and I can be successful, so I have put up a poll for each of us at Curious Cloud. Also, please share if you plan to give up anything during Lent.
UPDATE: Poll Results 3/7/11 - 3/14/11
How long will Keri last on a no sugar, no flour diet?
00% 1 week
12% 2 weeks
00% 1 month
87% Entire 46 days
How long will Josh last on a no sugar, no flour diet?
14% 1 week
14% 2 weeks
00% 1 month
71% Entire 46 days
Monday, January 12, 2009
The Whole Grain Bread Is A Lie!
With the start of the new year, I made a conscience effort to try to eat healthier and buy and cook healthier foods for my family. Step one was to add more whole grains to our diet. In the bread isle at our local grocery store, I looked for breads that were labeled "whole grain" and didn't give a second thought as I put the so-called "whole grain" bread into my cart. The following week, I felt good as I ate my breakfast sandwich with my "whole grain" bread. Funny thing was around 9:30 AM I already found myself incredibly hungry. Before, when I was eating my breakfast sandwich on plain white bread, my hunger was kept at bay until around 11:30 AM. I was very curious as to why my "whole grains" were not satisfying my hunger longer as I was under the assumption that whole grains are digested more slowly than refined grains. I started doing some research and discovered I had been duped. My so called "whole grain" bread contained no whole grains at all, but instead contained enriched flour and caramel coloring. Lesson learned, and from now on I'll be reading the ingredients list to make sure "whole wheat flour" is the first item listed.
However, I am surprised at the amount of deceit that food manufacturers are allowed to put on labels and even in the nutritional information listed on the foods we eat. For instance, did you know the FDA allows food manufacturers to round down to zero any ingredient that accounts for less than 0.5 grams per serving? This means any product claiming to be "0 grams of trans fat" may very well contain trans fat. While 0.5 grams per serving does not seem like a significant amount, over time it could add up, especially when you take into consideration very few people actually only eat one serving. So, how do you tell if a food item truly has 0 grams of trans fat? You have to look at the ingredients list. If it lists hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated then trans fat is there.
In this day and age, people are trying to eat healthier. We're told to add more whole grains and eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Picking healthy foods is hard enough without worrying about food manufacturers taking advantage of you. But, who can blame them for trying to profit off the new healthy food trends?
Eat smart and be smart! Read the labels closely and check the ingredients list.
UPDATE: Poll Results 1/12/09 - 1/19/09
Do you think food manufacturers are misleading on food labels?
83% Yes
16 % No
00% Meh
Do you think there should be stricter guidelines on nutrition labels?
83% Yes
16% No
00% Meh
However, I am surprised at the amount of deceit that food manufacturers are allowed to put on labels and even in the nutritional information listed on the foods we eat. For instance, did you know the FDA allows food manufacturers to round down to zero any ingredient that accounts for less than 0.5 grams per serving? This means any product claiming to be "0 grams of trans fat" may very well contain trans fat. While 0.5 grams per serving does not seem like a significant amount, over time it could add up, especially when you take into consideration very few people actually only eat one serving. So, how do you tell if a food item truly has 0 grams of trans fat? You have to look at the ingredients list. If it lists hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated then trans fat is there.
In this day and age, people are trying to eat healthier. We're told to add more whole grains and eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Picking healthy foods is hard enough without worrying about food manufacturers taking advantage of you. But, who can blame them for trying to profit off the new healthy food trends?
Eat smart and be smart! Read the labels closely and check the ingredients list.
UPDATE: Poll Results 1/12/09 - 1/19/09
Do you think food manufacturers are misleading on food labels?
83% Yes
16 % No
00% Meh
Do you think there should be stricter guidelines on nutrition labels?
83% Yes
16% No
00% Meh
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