Finn Crisp: Real taste, real crunch, real food nutrition

How are you living up to that New Year’s resolution to lose a bit of weight? We all fight the battle of the bulge, but it can be a lot easier if we’re not constantly denying ourselves something satisfying and tasty. Fortunately, whole grains have been shown help you lose weight and keep it off - and the crispy crunch of Scandanavian ‘crackers’ are a nifty way to eat right while eating a little.I’ve been a lifelong fan of these crispbreads - growing up in a predominately Swedish family. They’re so easy to top with good things like hummus, nut butters, low fat cheeses and more, and yet only pack about 30 to 45 calories per slice. More importantly, you get the goodness of real whole grains and intact fiber - rather than the empty fiber (inulin, oat fiber, wheat fiber or polydestrose ) contained in a lot of the current crop of big name brands. These empty, isolated fiber sources that fill the popular big brands ramp up the overall fiber content - and that looks great on the label - but they offer little nutritionally speaking.

Interestingly, since these great little crisps are imported from Finland, they have honest ingredient labeling - like we could have here were it not for the lobbyists running our government. Note the percentages of each ingredient are given:

Wholegrain rye flour (59%), linseeds, oat flakes (8%), wholegrain wheat flour (6%), wholegrain oat flour (6%), wholegrain barley flour (6%), sesame seeds, water, yeast, wholegrain buckwheat flour (2%), salt (1,2%) and emulsifier (E 471).

Here in this country, you have to guess according to the order the ingredients are listed. Ignorance is bliss - or obese.

At breakfast, crumble these into a bowl and top with berries and plain yogurt for a fast out-the-door meal that is super low calorie, low sugar, low fat and high nutrition.

For lunch, you can top them with Tsatziki made with non-fat, high protein Greek yogurt for a snack that will keep you filled up. You might also try low-fat neufchatel cheese with shrimp and fresh dill, chopped egg and anchovy, buffalo mozzarella with salsa, tuna salad with cornichon pickles.

In the evening, they go great with soups and stews instead of bread. And nibbling on them with just a bit of nut butter and jam, with some hot tea, makes a low guilt bedtime snack.

Give ‘em a try. They’re always in my pantry as a healthy go-to when I’ve got the ‘crunchies’.

-maven

The restaurant 'freebies' are killin' you!

We’ve all been on this ride. The chips in any Mexican restaurant, the fresh hot bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar at Macaroni Grill, the ever present french fries with everything.

If your goal is to lose that weight this year, for real and for good, you’ve gotta start saying “NO, Thanks.”

The reason is that these ‘freebies’ are liking eating an unhealthy meal BEFORE your meal. They’re loaded with refined carbs - wheat or corn, fat, salt and sugar. There are no redeeming values to this crap. If you’re gonna blow some calories, at least blow it toward a really good glass of red wine! And speaking of alcohol, that lowers your resistance to the ‘freebies’.

Look, you went for a meal. Make the meal the focus. Let the entree and main performers shine, and you’ll better ‘scratch that itch’ of hunger and satisfaction. You’ll end up being less hungry and can quit beating yourself up later at the weigh-in.

The way I’ve dealt with this is by simply having a ‘rule’. No ‘freebies’ on my table. Thanks, but I’ll pass. Whatever it is. And, when it comes to french fries, I never order them. Mr. Maven loves them, but I’ve trained him to ask for a ‘half order’ of fries … always. Then I eat a few of those.

You don’t always require a salad. Unless there are no veggies with your meat and starch, skip the salad. Especially if it’s wearing the same-old tired gloppy, fat, sugar and sodium laced American excuses for salad dressing. I’ve pretty much quit ordering restaurant salads. They’re horrible. Few restaurants - especially chains - know how to make a properly dressed small salad, and I got tired of carrying my own bottle of home-made dressing.

Take a look at the following segment and tell me that doesn’t scare you.

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Four things you can do now to lower your risk of breast cancer

We’ve all been looking for any way to lower our risk of having breast cancer, or avoiding having the cancer return if you’re like me and a survivor of the disease. You can practically pick up any magazine today and find articles touting everything from soy products to genetic testing for the BCRA 1 and 2 gene, to antipersperant use, foods and more. Unfortunately, there has been little in the way of definative answers for any of these.

However, in this latest issue of the Nutrition Action Newsletter, published by those wise watchdogs, The Center for Science in the Public Interest, they do narrow down the latest research to four things you can do right now to minimize your risk. They are all well documented in the cancer community, and are exactly what I’ve been hearing and reading about from the top cancer research hospitals - including the one I went to, the University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

1- Watch your weight.

Like a lot of women, I gained too much weight in my 30’s. How much?

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Olive oil could help breast cancer patients lose weight

Keeping your weight down has been seen as a great way to avoid breast cancer in the first place, and when you’ve had breast cancer - like me - keeping the pounds off after diagnosis and treatment are crucial in my efforts to keep the cancer from recurring.

With the obesity epidemic in America, there are potentially too many women who may unknowingly be putting themselves at risk by being significantly overweight - and I was one of them about 20 years ago. I also had breast cancer. Anecdotal to be sure, but a lot of researchers are looking at the possible links.

That’s why I am interested in articles such as the following:

PROVIDENCE, RI – Researchers from The Miriam Hospital have found that olive oil may offer another potential health benefit – it produces greater weight loss in breast cancer survivors compared to a more traditional low-fat diet.

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Sugar, obesity and metabolic syndrome

This is a very interesting article about how the overabundance of sugar - particularly fructose and high-fructose corn syrup - may be contributing to the childhood obesity epidemic. It almost goes without saying that the same causes may contribute to why you and I - adults - have such a difficult time controlling weight.

What I found particularly interesting here is that Lustig suggests that declines in activity levels among young people may be a result of eating a diet high in sugars.

Sugar is a poison, says UCSF Obesity Expert

By Jeffrey Norris

The rise of obesity is usually blamed on too much eating and not enough exercising, but Robert Lustig, MD, a UCSF pediatric neuroendocrinologist, asks us to look beyond the obvious.

Yes, more Americans are overweight today than 30 years ago. Kids are still getting heavier, compared with prior generations of kids. That leads some UCSF researchers to warn that heart disease and other health problems will grow in future decades.

But behaviors that some might refer to as gluttony and sloth are merely consequences of the true cause of the epidemic, Lustig says. Food was just as abundant before obesity’s ascendance. The problem is the increase in sugar consumption. Sugar both drives fat storage and makes the brain think it is hungry, setting up a “vicious cycle,” according to Lustig.

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Controlling your weight at the juice and smoothie bar?

Maybe not. In fact, you’re probably adding a lot of calories that you’re simply not aware of and they aren’t doing anything to decrease your overall appetite.

As eating on the run became more popular, smoothies and freshly squeezed juices became a quick, easy way - or so people thought - to get nutrition on the go. Time to let this diet busting myth go.

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5 diet tips that everybody can live with

I’ve lost - and kept off - more than 30 pounds for about 10 years now. It isn’t rocket science, but it is about acting like an adult, having some discipline and adhering to routines.

When I go out with friends, I hear them making up all sorts of reasons why they should have the high calorie thing - since they ‘don’t do it every day’, or this is ‘a special occasion’. This is simply justifying what you want. I have, perhaps, three occasions over the course of an entire year that I consider so special that I throw calories and caution to the wind.

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