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March 13, 2008

Going Green and Lean for National Nutrition Mon

By Eat Right Montana

This March offers three tasty reasons to improve your personal nutrition. First, at least according to the Irish among us, is St. Patrick’s Day - a time to both wear green and eat green. Speaking of eating green, a second reason to celebrate delicious nutrition is the second anniversary of the Fruits and Veggies More Matters® campaign. And, last but not least, March is National Nutrition Month® (www.eatright.org/nnm/), created by the American Dietetic Association.

“March is an ideal time to develop a healthy lunchtime routine,” says Patricia Hennessey, registered dietitian, Butte native, and a founding member of Eat Right Montana. “Lean corned beef and green cabbage is just one of the wonderful ways to enjoy a balanced springtime lunch. Wherever Montanans are enjoying lunch during National Nutrition Month® - at home, work, school, and even fast food restaurants, they can make smart choices by focusing on lean and green. ”

Naturally, a balanced lunch means healthful choices from all the food groups: grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat/beans, and oils. Getting inside MyPyramid (www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/index.html) is a great way to learn about smart choices, appropriate serving sizes, and health benefits. Going lean with protein and green with plenty of veggies are just two of the many ways to build a balanced meal that will keep you energized and alert all afternoon long.

As a 50-year member of the American Dietetic Association, Hennessey knows a lot about helping Montana families enjoy healthful eating and active lifestyles. “Adopting new eating habits is best done step-by-step - rather than as an extreme makeover. Focus on improving one meal at a time - and allow several weeks for the healthier habits to become routine. Here are a few delicious ways to enjoy balanced midday meals this March - by going lean and green at lunch.”

  • Soup: With split peas and lentils, you can actually go green and lean at the same time. Dried beans and peas (legumes) are the only foods that appear in two different groups - both the vegetable group and the protein (or meat/bean) group.
  • Salad: The green side of salads is easy - lettuce, raw spinach, and other leafy greens, as well as broccoli florets, celery, cucumbers, and sliced peppers. Remember to add lean protein with kidney beans, sliced turkey, or low-fat cottage cheese.
  • Sandwich: This month’s Eat Right Montana recipe, an Apple Tuna Sandwich, features fish as the lean protein, along with chopped green apples, celery, and lettuce leaves. Lean roast beef with Romaine lettuce would be another option.
  • Leftovers: Creating ‘planned overs’ is a super smart strategy at every supper meal. If you make a chicken or lean pork stir-fry with green beans or asparagus, make enough to brown bag or microwave for lunch the next day too.
  • Fast food: Green and lean is possible in the fast food lane too. Choose a low-fat 6-inch sub (on whole wheat) and pile on the veggies. Order a grilled chicken sandwich, skip the fries, and go with a side salad (garden or Caesar).

“Choosing the right beverage is important too,” notes Hennessey. “ Rethink your usual lunchtime beverage and skip those super-size soft drinks. For optimal nutrition, go with a tall glass of refreshing milk - fat-free or low-fat please!”

Four Tasty Ways to Enjoy Balanced Lunchtime Meals

Very few Americans enjoy the luxury of a leisurely lunch these days. We’re usually too busy eating at our desk or doing errands to really enjoy our food. Even if you have a hectic schedule, the benefits of a balanced lunch are worth the time and effort. And, according to recent research, how you eat may be just as important as what you eat. Eating slowly and listening to your internal signals of fullness may help prevent afternoon indigestion - and help you maintain healthy weight at the same time! Here are four simple lunchtime tips to help you choose what to eat, what to drink, and how to enjoy your midday meals more.

  • Eat lean with protein in the center of your plate. Putting lean protein on your plate helps make a power lunch in several ways. First, lean choices from the meat and beans group give you an important midday dose of protein, iron, and B-vitamins for muscle maintenance and repair. Secondly, lean protein helps with satiety - meaning that you will feel fuller and more satisfied for longer after lunch. It doesn’t take a ton of protein to help keep the afternoon munchies away - just 3 to 4 ounces of fish, skinless poultry, or lean red meat.
  • Eat smart with at least 4 different colors on your plate. Color is one of the food cues you can use to get the 40-plus nutrients that your body needs. Brightly or deeply colored foods tend to be naturally rich in nutrients - red meats offer iron and zinc, while breads with multiple shades of brown and tan have fiber and a variety of B-vitamins. The rainbow colors of fruits and vegetables are a real nutrition bonanza - different colors often indicate different phytonutrients. Make at least one green and one red/yellow/orange choice for every lunch.
  • Drink well with milk or water in your glass. If your lunchtime drink is usually a super-sized soft drink, it’s time to make the switch to milk. A single 12-ounce can of regular pop has about 150 empty calories - large drinks can easily have 300-plus liquid calories with zero nutritional value. Milk, especially low-fat and fat-free, is an incredibly nutrient-rich choice - lots of nutrition for relatively few calories. After an 8-ounce glass (or carton) of milk, switch to ice-cold plain or sparkling water, maybe with a twist of lemon or lime.
  • Start small, slow down, and savor your food. In our hectic schedule, lunch is often a super-sized portion of fast food - eaten quickly (maybe in the car) with little time to savor the flavors and little attention to our level of fullness. The more satisfying - and healthier - way to enjoy lunch is to start with a smaller portion (maybe half a sandwich, a cup of soup with a side salad, or shared entree). Take at least 20 minutes to eat - really paying attention to the quality of the meal and to your internal cues of fullness and satisfaction.

Need tasty tips for adding more fruits and vegetables to lunchtime meals? Help is just a mouse click away at www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/. Sponsored by the Produce for Better Health Foundation, this site covers just about everything fruit and vegetable: recipes from professional chefs, tips on best ways to shop for and store your produce, and links to a new site just for kids at www.foodchamps.org/

Four Fun Ways to Get Fit 10 Minutes at a Time

When asked what prevents them from enjoying the benefits of an active lifestyle, people report that obstacles are: (1) no time to fit fitness into their busy lives; (2) it isn’t convenient to exercise; (3) it’s boring to exercise; (4) it’s hard to stay motivated; and (5) it hurts! If any of these reasons sound familiar to you, we have some great news from the world of medical research: You really can get fit 10 minutes at a time. No matter how busy your daily schedule is, you can probably find 10 minutes here or there - at your desks or around the house. A 10-minute dose of physical activity is not only do-able - it’s also easy to stay motivated and hard to get bored in that short a time!

  • Enjoy 10-minute aerobic activities. One easy way to get 10 minutes of heart-smart aerobic activity is to always have a comfortable pair of shoes nearby, like under your desk or in the car. This way you are ready to walk around the office, the mall, or the neighborhood whenever you have a few extra minutes. Not interested in walking? How about dancing to a few of your favorite tunes? Take 10 to rock around your house while vacuuming or to twirl around with a child (they usually like being “silly” to music!).
  • Enjoy 10-minute strength activities. If you believe that a gym filled with machines and massive weight lifters is the only way to build muscle strength, think again. To make strength activities convenient, keep a small pair of hand weights (5 to 10 pounds depending on your current ability) near the telephone at work or home. This way you can strengthen your upper body while talking on the phone. A set of resistance bands also makes strength activities convenient at home, at work, or on the road.
  • Enjoy 10-minute stretching activities. Yoga is another activity that doesn’t need a special time or place. Enjoy the benefits of stretching, like stress reduction and prevention of repetitive injuries (e.g., carpal tunnel syndrome) from the convenience of your chair. My Daily Yoga site (www.will-harris.com/yogaindex.html) offers free online demos of easy-to-do yoga - perfect for a 10 minute stretch break anytime, anywhere you have computer access. There’s no pain and always plenty to gain from a serious stretch.
  • Enjoy 10-minute balance activities. Many yoga moves, as well as Pilates and Tai Chi, also help work the core muscles - in the back, abdomen, and pelvis - that provide the stability for everyday balance. An inexpensive stability ball (AKA Swiss or Swedish therapy ball) is a fun way to add a variety of balance, stretching, and strength activities to your down time. Keep one in front of your TV - and turn couch potato time into a fitness opportunity. Most balls come with a set of simple instructions and tips for safe use.

Need more reasons to add 10 minutes of activity to your day? How about helping brain function, improving memory, and possibly reducing depression and anxiety? In his new book, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, psychiatrist John Ratey explains how regular doses of physical activity may benefit your brain as much as your body. Read more about the book, along with tips, news, and additional information on Dr. Ratey’s blog at http://johnratey.typepad.com/

Along with ongoing healthy eating and active lifestyle tips, ERM is adding a new monthly feature for 2008 - an easy, delicious recipe. Our March recipe-of-the-month is Apple Tuna Sandwich. All the It’s All About Balance recipes will meet the following criteria:

  • Require 8 ingredients (or less) that are easy to find and affordable
  • Involve minimal preparation time and use common kitchen equipment
  • Include a complete nutritional analysis and lots of delicious flavors

Apple Tuna Sandwich

Ingredients:

  • 2 6-ounce cans unsalted tuna in water, drained
  • 1 medium apple (green or red), chopped
  • celery stalk, peeled and chopped
  • ¼ cup low fat vanilla yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 6 slices whole wheat bread
  • 6 lettuce leaves
  • 6 slices fresh tomato

Instructions:
1) Combine and mix tuna, apple, celery, yogurt, mustard, and honey.
2) Spread ½ cup of the mixture on three bread slices.
3) Top each slice of bread with lettuce, tomato and the remaining bread.
4) Cut sandwiches in half or as desired.
Yield: 3 whole sandwiches

Ideas/Substitutions

  • Use whole grain bread made in Montana or try the tuna in a whole wheat tortilla or pita.
  • Add more fresh vegetables to your sandwich (shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers, green or red pepper strips).
  • Serve the tuna as a salad on a bed of mixed greens with whole grain crackers.
  • Make a tuna melt: Top one slice of bread with tuna, tomatoes, and low-fat cheese. Warm or broil in oven until cheese melts.

Nutrition Analysis

  • Serving Size: 1 sandwich
  • Calories: 330
  • Total Carb: 37 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 6 g
  • Protein: 38 g
  • Total Fat: 4.0 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.0 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Sodium: 370 mg

Recipe Source
Reprinted with permission, courtesy of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnparecipe/recipesearch.aspx

(This column was produced by EAT RIGHT MONTANA, a coalition promoting healthy eating and active lifestyles. Past and current issues of Eat Right Montana’s monthly nutrition and physical activity recommendations can be downloaded free at www.eatrightmontana.org/eatrighthealthyfamilies.htm.)


  • Page last updated: 04/07/2008