There are a few new products on the market I wanted to share with you. I like to have the occasional sandwich, but don’t necessarily like a lot of bread. Orowheat has come out with a line of sandwich thins. They come in mult-grain, whole wheat, and honey wheat. For about 100 calories and 5 grams of fiber per bun (top and bottom) these are hard to beat.

Another RD friend of mine suggested PopChips! These are potato chips that are not fried or baked – they are popped. Apparently, they apply heat and pressure to the potato slices and they pop. I don’t really care how they are made, they are YUMMY! At about 120 calories per tasty serving, these are another product that is hard to beat. They really do taste good (not like eating baked chips).

Freeze-dried fruit (particularly apples & pears) have quickly become one of my favorite treats. They are sweet and crispy with minimal calories – about 35 per serving. One of my favorites is Brother’s All Natural Fruit Crisps. They come in both individual servings (great to keep in the car or desk) and larger bags. I’m reaching for these when I need something sweet in the afternoon.

I hope you enjoy these new items.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve joined a 7AM conference call put on by Chere Bork for Dietitians. Chere talks about a different topic each week. This week’s topic was on “Saying Yes!” (last week was on “Saying No”). During the call she said something that really hit home with me. She said that “Saying ‘I don’t have time’ really means ‘I don’t want to.’” What a concept!

I am all about making choices be it in relation to food, taking on new projects, or just about anything else. That is why this resonated with me. If you really want to do something, don’t you make the time for it? Don’t you choose to make the time for it? By saying “I don’t have time” it seems like we are not making a choice, when we really are . . . but just not realizing it.

I have clients all they time who say “I don’t have the time to plan meals for the week,” or “I don’t have the time to eat healthy.” What they are really saying is “I don’t want to plan meals for the week,” and “I don’t want to eat healthy.” Honestly, I don’t want to plan my meals for the week either. But, I do want to eat healthy which requires planning. Since I want that, I have to choose to make the time to plan a few meals each week.

What have you said “I don’t have the time for” recently? Were you saying it because you really didn’t have the time or you didn’t want to do it? Why not make it an active choice by admitting you don’t want to do it? If you really do want to do it, if it really means something to you, then find something you can take off your schedule to make it happen. Be conscious of your choices. And, choose to do those things that are important and not do those that in all honesty are not. As Steve Jobs said “have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” Your heart and intuition can help you decide when you do and when you don’t want to do something.

When I was thinking of the theme for this newsletter and came up with “Just Chew It!” all I could hear in my head was Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” but with “Chew It” substituted. Corny, I know, but easy to remember. And, kind of funny.

Chewing actually is important for our digestion. Chewing food thoroughly helps get the food ready for digestion by breaking it into smaller pieces and mixing it with saliva and some digestive enzymes. Chewed food travels down the esophagus easily. Chewing also takes time which means you slow down and, hopefully, pay a bit more attention to what is actually in your mouth.

Food companies and restaurants actually don’t want you to chew. Because, chewing takes time and slows you down. If chewing slows you down, it means you may eat less. Which, in turn, means they may make less money. Or, if you still order the same amount of food, means you may end up eating more because you over-eat easier when you don’t have to chew. Want to know how they do this? They, um, have the food pre-chewed for you. EEEEWWWWWW!!!!! Did that get your attention?

Its true! A lot of major food chains and food companies process their foods in ways that, basically, make them pre-chewed. This means that they break down in your mouth very fast so you only have to chew a couple of times before you can swallow. Think about it. How much do you have to chew to get a carrot ready to swallow? Quite a bit. How much do you have to chew to get that chicken finger ready to swallow? Typically, only a couple of times. The foods you get at many restaurants are processed so you can “wolf it down fast” says an interviewee in David Kessler’s book The End of Overeating. He goes on to say that “By eliminating the need to chew, modern food processing techniques allow us to eat faster. ‘When you’re eating these things, you’ve had 500, 600, 800, 900 calories before you know it.’ said the consultant.” Pretty eye opening. . . .

Next time you are eating at your favorite restaurant, look at the menu and think about choosing foods you’ll have to chew rather than just swallow. And, when your food arrives, pay attention to you chewing. Do you have to chew the food well (10+ times) or does only a couple of times do before you can swallow it? Picking foods you have to chew can lead to enjoying your food more as well as, possibly, reducing your waistline.

Food manufacturers are always looking for ways to get us to eat more of the foods they make. The more we eat, the more money they make. Lately, a lot of food manufacturers have started labeling their foods as “natural.” Unlike the term “organic” which has specific guidelines that must be met before a food can be labeled as “organic” that is not true for “natural.” If a food manufacturer wanted, they could label any food as “natural” regardless of the amount of “natural” ingredients the food contains. It could be nothing but chemicals and artificial flavors and colors and still be labeled “natural.”

All that aside, there are some products that contain natural ingredients. For example, Bryer’s Ice Cream has an “All Natural” line. The ingredients for the chocolate flavor include: milk, cream, sugar, cocoa (processed with alkali), whey, natural tara gum, natural flavor. What I like about this is that I can read and pronounce all the ingredients. (Tara gum is added to make the ice creams creamier.) However, does this mean that just because all of the ingredients are “natural” I can eat all the ice cream I want?

I wish. A half cup of the chocolate Bryer’s All Natural ice cream is still 140 calories with 7 grams of fat. That does not mean that you can never have ice cream, or other “natural” foods, but that you have to be sure the foods fit into your eating plan just like all other foods.

As you are in the grocery store, take a look at items labeled “natural” and see if you can identify all the ingredients listed or not. And remember, just because a food is labeled “natural” does not mean you can eat all of it that you want. You just have to fit it into your eating plan like any other food.

Make a list of important things to do today. At the top of your list, put “eat chocolate.” Now, you’ll get at least one thing done today. — Gina Hayes

I believe that just about everything can be included in a meal plan – it just has to be in moderation. And, that does include chocolate. Remember those brownies with a twist? That was one way to do it. One of my clients tried a recipe out of Ellie Krieger’s new cookbook So Easy and said it was amazing. She made it for an office party and also for a family gathering. Everyone raved about them she said. Of course, I had to try it, too. The recipe is for cherry-almond-chocolate clusters and is included below. These make a good snack or dessert (as long as you stick to just one). They have 150 calories, 4 grams of protein, and 2 grams of fiber. They are higher in fat (10 grams) but again as an occasional part of your eating plan they are fine to include.

So, enjoy starting 2010 off on the right foot – with a little chocolate!

Cherry-Almond-Chocolate Clusters

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole roasted almonds, coarsely chopped (can use another nut if you like)
• 1/2 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped (can use another dried fruit or mix if you like)
• 6 oz dark or bittersweet chocolate (60% to 70% cocoa solids), finely chopped

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, toss together the almonds and cherries. Line a baking sheet with waxed or parchment paper.
2. Melt half the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over 1 inch of barely simmering water, over the lowest possible heat, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rest of the chocolate. Remove the top pan with the chocolate in it, gently wipe the bottom, and set it aside for a moment. Replace the simmering water in the bottom pan with warm tap water. Put the pan of melted chocolate on top of the warm water. This will keep the chocolate at the right temperature while you make the clusters.
3. Stir the fruit/nut mixture into the chocolate. Spoon out heaping tablespoon-sized clusters of the chocolate mixture onto the baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Put them in the refrigerator to set for 15 minutes. Store and serve at room temperature.
4. Enjoy!