Tuna and White Bean Salad

This recipe is from Beachbody and is very versatile if you want to improvise from the original. It's a great source of protein and fiber, and incredibly tasty as well.

2 6-oz. cans water packed tuna
2 cups canned white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 red onion, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup canned or jarred artichoke hearts, chopped (reduce olive oil used in dressing if artichokes are marinated in oil)
1 bunch parsley, stemmed and chopped
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix first eight ingredients (tuna through rosemary) in a large bowl. Whisk together garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt & pepper. Add dressing to large bowl and toss together. Serves 4. (For extra zip and fiber, serve on a bed of raw arugula or spinach leaves.)

I really had to improvise because I did not have on hand cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, or rosemary. So I dug through the fridge for veggies that needed used up. In with my tuna and beans, I mixed chopped red pepper, snap peas, a few diced carrots and the called for onion and artichoke hearts. Unfortunately, I had no fresh herbs, but the recipe was still good. The dressing really makes it work with anything you have on hand.

As prepared from the original recipe, one serving has 372 calories, 12 grams of fat (though it's the heart healthy kind from the olive oil), 40 grams of carbs, 11 grams of fiber, and 33 grams of protein.

Red dye #40

Yesterday I had one of those moments that can make you feel like a total failure as a parent. My youngest daughter is involved in American Heritage Girls, which is sort of like Girl Scouts, and they had their valentines party yesterday after school. Guess who's little girl was the only one to show up with no valentines to pass out? Yep. Mine. It just completely slipped my mind. So, I left one down-hearted child there, took the older one, and high-tailed it over to CVS to find something she could share with her friends. Now I'm not sure if it was the guilt driving me or what, but I ended up with a bag of red heart shaped suckers. Here's the short ingredient list: artificial flavoring, artificial coloring, high fructose corn syrup, and red dye #40. That's it. Four items. Four items that I have successfully eliminated from my children's diets (well, minus what others give them, GRAMMA!). And now here I was handing them out to 24 little girls, including my own. Ignoring the first three ingredients for now, I know all too well the evils of red dye #40. That nasty stuff wreaked complete havoc on my oldest daughter for awhile until we finally nailed it as the culprit to her constant hives. Red dye #40 can cause all sorts of woes, especially in our children's little bodies. Allergies, headaches, mood swings, behaviorial problems, lack of concentration, hives, asthma, hyperactivity...it's even labeled a possible carcinogen. But the FDA approves it because in small doses, it can't hurt, right? Let's take a look at some of the products out there that contain red dye #40.

Icing and cake mixes (and I'm talking about you, Duncan Hines & Pillsbury)
Pillsbury crescent rolls
Pie crusts and pie fillings
Hard candy of all sorts: peppermints, suckers, cinnamon disks
Gummy worms
Caramels (why??)
Chocolate bridge mix (again why??)
Twizzlers
Altoids breath mints
Fruit chews
Jolly ranchers
Starburst
Jelly beans
M&Ms (unless you live in England because they've requested it be taken out of their chocolates. M&Ms complied. Bet the red ones taste the same over there still.)
Skittles
Life Savers
Certs
Too many types of gum to list
Smarties
Tootsie roll pops
Hot tamales
Dum Dum suckers
Cereal: Kix, Lucky Charms, Reese pb cereal, Fruit Loops, Fruity pebbles, Honey Bunches of Oats with strawberries, Capt Crunch
Dannon Light n Fit and Fruit Blends yogurt
Yoplait Trix yogurt
Strawberry Kiwi V-8 Splash, Hi C, Minute Maid orange soda, Sunkist, Gatorade, Hawaiian Punch, various koolaids and crystal lights
Lipton Brisk iced tea
Ruby Red grapefruit juice
Code Red Mt. Dew
Tropicana Twister
Canned fruit salads
Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper
BBQ sauces
Catalina salad dressing
Popsicles
Doritos
Fritos
Fruit gushers
Hersheys syrup
Twinkies
Nutrigrain cereal bars
Poptarts
Jello

I'm going to stop there, though this is only a partial list. And please note that you should always read labels since companies change their recipes sometimes, so some of this stuff may be red dye #40 free now while other stuff may have snuck it in to their product.

So, after taking out all this junk from her diet, my daughter was still in hives. Why? Well, because red dye #40 can also be found in laundry detergent, body wash, shampoo, cold medicines, toothpaste, lotions, hand soap, talcum powder, makeup, lip gloss, chapstick, cough drops, etc. For us, it was her pretty pink princess toothpaste. So, yes, now I get to pay extra dollars for the Tom's of Maine brand. Totally worth it to see my daughter's back clear of open sores, though.

It's easy to say "Oh, a little won't hurt." But how many products do you or your children consume/use that contains the FDA dyes over the course of a day? A little here and there adds up to a whole bunch rather quickly.

*sources include www.red40.com and my textbooks
**My sincerest apologies to the mommies of the 24 little girls to whom my daughter lovingly passed out valentine suckers yesterday. I promise it won't happen again. :)

Supplement Seminar

Recently I joined the wellness group at my church, White River Christian Church in Noblesville. The group is called LiteHearted, and it is sure to be one of my biggest blessings this year. So much fabulous information on women's wellness spiritually, physically, and nutritionally!

Last night, we had the privilege of having a local chiropractor, Dr. Zimmer, talk about supplements. He first debunked the myth that vitamins just result in expensive urine. I wish I could remember his exact wording, but I'll do my best. Essentially, it's like saying you don't need to drink too much water because you just pee it out anyway. Water is crucial to life, is it not, and drinking lots of it results in good things like clear skin, healthy organs, and a natural way to rid the body of toxins. Yes, you will pee alot if you drink alot of water, but it's still helping your body out. Same is true with vitamins. If you take an optimum amount of vitamins, yes you will rid of some of it in your urine. BUT, the vitamins still do their job for your body, protecting you from all the toxins and pesticides and chemicals we all come across in our daily lives.

It's worth it to invest in a great quality vitamin because there's so much junk and hype out there. Dr. Zimmer listed four questions to ask when choosing a multi-vitamin.

1. Does the multi supply vitamin E in its natural "d" form? Look at the bottle and find the vitamin E. It should read d-alpha-tocopherol, NOT dl-alpha-tocopherol. The dl form is not natural and is in fact derived from petroleum. Remember "dl" stands for don't like!

2. Does the multi supply only higher quality minerals? Higher quality mineral names include: calcium citrate or calcium malate, zinc amino acid chelate or zinc picolinate or zinc glycinate, magnesium amino acid chelate or magnesium citrate or magnesium citramate to name a few examples. Make sure these word do not describe your minerals: carbonate, oxide, gluconate. They are poorer quality.

3. Is your multi completely FREE OF these chemicals? Hold on, the list is long...BHT, hydrogenated oils, polyvinyl alcohol, corn starch, modified food starch, pregelatinized corn starch, artificial colorings or flavorings, polyethylene glycol, sodium benzoate, sucrose, talc, aluminum silicate. Whew!! All junk.

4. Is your multi FREE OF any herbals? Blends of herbs will be listed as a 'proprietary blend' followed by a list of numerous herbs. This is a marketing ploy to make you feel like you are getting a benefit from what is essentially a clinically worthless amount of herbs. Don't be fooled. The herbs probably won't harm you, per Dr. Zimmer. They just aren't doing you any good.

The doctor mentioned that the one supplement he recommends everyone take are omegas (fish oil) in a reputable source that tests for PCBs and rancidity. Good brands are metagenics and nordic naturals. He also touched on the benefits of probiotics, which puts good bacteria in your gut and helps with digestive issues. Find one with billions of a variety of bacteria listed.

The information Dr. Zimmer gave was priceless, as is all of the information at LiteHearted. Join us at WRCC on Monday nights, 6:30pm or contact me for further information about this fabulous group.

Eating Out

Let's face it. If you live in this country, you most likely eat out...at least occasionally. Nowadays, more and more restaurants are posting nutritional information on their menus, websites, ipod apps, and more. That's great. BUT (you knew there was a 'but' didn't you?) in the food science labs where these meals are made and tested for calorie, fat, fiber, protein, etc. counts, the ingredients are very precisely measured. In the kitchens of your local restaurant establishments, they may not be. They want their food to taste good, so more butter, sugar, salt, and sauces may be used than was used in the lab specimen. That means your 550 calorie meal may be a tad, or more, higher. So here are a few tips gathered from various sources that might help you choose a healthier option from your favorite menu:

1. Look for code words. Steer clear of creamy, crispy, smothered, rich, thick, cheesy, fried, au gratin, escalloped, pan-fried, sauteed, or stuffed. Better choices to look for are steamed, broiled, baked, grilled, poached, roasted, and seared.

2. Request dressings or sauces on the side, so you have control over how much is added to your meal. In many a salad, the dressing is where the majority of the calories lie.

3. Either ask for a half portion or share a meal with your dining partner. If the restaurant will not make half portions and no one wants to share, ask for half of your meal to be automatically boxed up to take home. Most restaurant portions these days are two to three times more food than one person needs at any given meal.

4. Ask for the veggie of the day as your side instead of fries or coleslaw or onion rings. Your thighs will thank you later.

5. Tell the waiter NOT to bring the bread and butter before the meal.

6. Choose your restaurants carefully. Indian foods are often high in calories and fat. Other not so great choices: pubs (heavy on fried foods), diners (often specialize in foods covered in cheese, gravy, or syrup), and buffets (all-you-can-eat, which is usually more-than-you-need). On the other hand, sushi is a light, nutritious choice as long as its not the deep fried variety. Grills often have a healthy choice or two. And bistros usually carry entree salads and lighter options.

7. Go the "small plate" route by choosing 2-3 healthy appetizers as your meal. Just remember all of the above guidelines when choosing. Crispy chicken wings with ranch dressing - NO. Grilled shrimp on a bed of spinach - YES.

8. When it comes to dessert, order one for the whole table. Quite often, just a bite or two of a treat will satisfy a sweet tooth. Or order sorbet, fresh fruit, or low fat yogurt.

9. When it comes to fast food, go hungry. Just kidding! Well, sort of. But I guess most fast food places have grilled chicken sandwiches these days, and side salads, and....bottled waters.

10. Instead of drinking your calories, or your poisons for all you diet drink junkies, stick to water. That's a super easy way to do away with added calories and sugars.

Most of all, when you eat out, enjoy the friends & family that surround you at the meal, making them the focus of the experience instead of the food.

"The 11 Best Foods You Probably Aren't Eating"

Following is from an email I received from my wonderful friend, Jen. The author is Tara Parker Pope, a NY Times health writer and the article originally appeared in her column back in 2008.

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Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here’s his advice.

1. Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.

2. Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.

3. Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.

4. Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.

5. Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
How to eat: Just drink it.

6. Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.

7. Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.

8. Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.” They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.

9. Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,” it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.

10. Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.

11. Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Top Tip #4

Don't eat Twinkies.