John and I were looking for an alternative to oatmeal and wheat-based breakfast cereals.  A friend of mine recommended we try Teff.  She ran across it at Whole Foods.  Teff is a North African grass.  The grain can be ground into flour and used in baking. Teff is kind of like millet or quinoa in terms of cooking.  The Teff we use is a tiny red grain, but I understand it comes in other colors. It is considered high protein – 7 grams -  has 4 grams of fiber and 37 grams of carbohydrates per 1/4 cup dry.  That 1/4 cup dry grain cooks up to just over 1 cup of cooked Teff.  And, that cup of cooked Teff is very filling.  The flavor is different from any other grain I have eaten – hence another reason why it is a good breakfast alternative.

To cook your Teff, bring 1 cup of water to a boil, add the 1/4 cup Teff, cover and simmer for 15 or so minutes – until it is thick and all of the water is absorbed. You will want to stir it occasionally as well. The alternative is to make a big batch and keep it in the fridge for a few days. To reheat, measure out your serving in a bowl (a larger one that gives it room to expand), add a little extra water, cover and cook in a microwave on high for 2 – 3 minutes.  Serve like you would oatmeal.  I used a little butter, brown sugar, and goat milk.

You can find Teff at stores like Whole Foods. I would also suspect that health food stores may carry it. Or, you can order it online. Bob’s Red Mill has both the grain and Teff flour you can use for baking. We haven’t tried baking with it yet, but it is on the list to try.

Clients often ask for recommendations for bars and other quick, portable, and shelf-stable foods they can keep with them for when they get in a food crunch.  They need something they can throw in a purse, bag, or glove box.  One of my favorite items to keep handy are KIND bars.

KIND bars are whole food packed with nuts, fruits, and other good things.  They are higher in fat than other bars, but that is because they have nuts in them.  Lots of nuts.  Nuts also provide some protein.  Those nuts also mean they are crunchy and take some work to eat.  That extra work can slow you down and allow your body to get signals to you saying it is satisfied.

KIND bars are available at a lot of grocery stores and health food stores.  If you are looking for a portable snack remember to be KIND to yourself.

Several of my RD and foodie friends have been talking about the “Meatless Monday” movement.  This is a movement started by John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to promote a reduction in meat consumption to improve public health and the health of the planet.   Reducing meat consumption can help lower your risk for several diseases including some cancers, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.  It also helps the planet by reducing the need to produce, process, and transport meat to stores.

What’s involved in “meatless Mondays”?  Simple, not eating meat on Monday.  The John Hopkins group has established a website where you can find recipes to help you go meatless on Monday.  You can also sign a pledge and sign up to receive weekly newsletters to help you have a meatless Monday.

I’ve signed the pledge and am looking at recipes for Monday.  I should also add it to my calendar to remind me until it becomes a habit.

Here’s to going meatless on Mondays!

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.

The FDA is now using Twitter to “tweet” and update consumers about products being recalled due to the salmonella outbreak in products produced by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). If you want to join in the information, just follow http://twitter.com/fdarecalls.

I’ve been thinking about some of my favorite products from 2008. Some are new, some are just new to me. So, here are a few in no particular order.

Eggland’s Best Hard-Cooked Peeled Eggs.

Hard boiled eggs can be a great snack and an easy way to add some protein to a meal. If you want to cut down on the fat and cholesterol, just remove the yolk. These got me using hard boiled eggs as extra protein. However, I got a new steamer that can cook hard boiled eggs, so that is now how I’m getting hard boiled eggs. Six of these hard boiled and peeled eggs are about the same as a full dozen of eggs, so you have to decide if the extra $$ is worth it for you. But, if you don’t have the time or desire to cook your own, these are a great option. They are good in the fridge for about 5 days (as are ones you cook yourself).

Amy’s Kitchen Breakfast Bowls.

Some mornings I want a good bowl of hot cereal but don’t want to spend the time it takes to cook a multi-grain cereal or steel-cut oats. Amy’s Kitchen has solved that problem with breakfast bowls which you can have ready in under five minutes. The multi-grain is my personal favorite. These run between $2.50 and $3.00 depending on where you get them.

Alexia Sweet Potato Fries.

These have been out for a while, but I re-discovered them this year. YUM! It is a nice change from regular fries and gives you the benefits of extra anti-oxidants. For example, one serving has 100% of your daily Vitamin A.

Field Guide to Produce.

This book is a must have when you hit the produce section. It gives information on how to pick good veggies and preparation tips. And, it is small enough to easily carry with you. Beware: with this book, your time in the produce section may increase exponentially. I know I can spend a lot of time looking up all those new fruits and veggies in this book.

Dr. Jo’s Dining Lean book and Dr. Jo’s Dine Out and Lose Weight Plan

If you eat out, these are a must have. Often the things we think are most “healthy” at restaurants really are not. These can help you figure out which is which. The Dining Lean book has lots of tips for navigating the minefield of eating out as well as nutrition information for a ton of restaurants. The Eat Out and Lose Weight Plan is a packet of cards with tips for eating out and choices for various calorie levels. I’ve got the book in my car and the cards with me most of the time because I do eat out a lot.

In one of my graduate school classes – Individual Determinants of Obesity – we were talking about the prevalence of obesity and the food environment. The discussion came around to the question of “do food companies want people to be fat?” Well, lets think about this. . .

Food companies make, obviously, food! They make their food tasty. They make their food pretty to look at. They make food that smells good. They make food cheap and easy to eat. Yes, I’m thinking about processed foods – but those are the ones that tend to put on weight. Think the candy bars at the checkout, cake mixes, snack mixes, ice cream, mac and cheese and those sorts of foods. And, don’t forget all those fast foods and restaurants out there. Do they want you fat?

Honestly, I don’t think they want you, or me, or anyone else fat. But what they do want is for you to eat more of their food. The more of their food you eat, the more money they make. They entice you to eat more through commercials (food = love and acceptance, food = a treat or something you deserve), packaging, and product placements in movies and TV shows to name a few.

Restaurants get you to eat more by hiding calories in the food to make it taste good. Honestly, I don’t want to know how much butter they use. OK – I KNOW they use a lot of butter. I had the chance to work in a kitchen for a few months and discovered the secret of tasty food – BUTTER! The cooks had pitchers (yes, those iced tea pitchers) full of butter that went in and on everything. Next time you get a sandwich or hamburger, look at the bun. I’ll bet you it has butter on it. And, restaurants are good with add-ons. “Yeah, I’d like that dessert.” Sound familiar? It does to me, too.

It doesn’t take a lot of thought to see that if you eat more than your body needs – whether you know it or not -you’ll gain weight. Our bodies are not good at calculating calories as we eat. So, what can you do? Be an informed eater. Print out the nutrition information from all the restaurants that have them (I keep copies in my car for quick reference). Look at the book Eat This Not That or Dining Lean. Or, try Dr. Jo’s Eat Out and Lose Weight Diet Plan which is a deck of cards to keep with you to help make healthy choices.

Food companies can try to entice you to eat more, but you don’t have to. Remember – you are in control of what you eat. So, food companies may inadvertently want you fat – but you don’t have to be.