The nutrition profession does not make us less human.

“We were in a hurry to pick up birthday donuts as a treat for my daughter’s classmate. The donut shop threw in an extra dozen donut holes. After dropping her off, I headed to Target, finding myself very hungry after the rushed morning. I ate 7 of the donut holes and threw the remaining 5 away.”

“I was given some holiday cereal mix. I didn’t really want a full meal, and since I don’t do this very often, I decided to have some snack foods instead. I put the snack mix in a small bowl instead of eating from the bag so I would know how much I ate. I did leave the bag visible and accessible, however, so I ended up getting another small amount, about half of what I ate the first time. I also considered what nutrients I was getting from the snack: grain from the cereal, and protein from the nuts. I ate a couple of halo oranges afterwards so that I could still be getting in some fruit.”

As nutrition professionals, we are passionate about food and healthy eating. However, that doesn’t mean our diets are perfect. Some days we just aren’t “feeling it,” and that’s perfectly okay. Understanding the science of nutrition doesn’t eliminate the occasional craving for a sweet food. Sometimes giving in to a small dose of donuts or snack mix can keep us on the healthier path more consistently because we don’t get tired of eating “perfectly.”

–Your real-life, purely human dietitians 🙂

Hearty Italian Vegetable Beef Soup is filled with chunks of ground beef, plenty of vegetables, and generous Italian spices. This soup freezes quite well, making it perfect for easy lunches.

Servings: 10-12 servings

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced small, about 1 cup
• 10 medium carrots, sliced thin, about 4 cups
• 6 stalks celery, sliced thin, about 3 cups
• 6 cups water
• 1 16-oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 14-oz can tomato sauce
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp kosher salt, adjust to taste
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 head green cabbage, roughly chopped, about 4 cups

Instructions

• In the bottom of a large pot, over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the ground beef along with the garlic and onion. When the beef has browned, about 8 minutes, add the carrots, celery, and water to the pot. Increase heat to high and add the diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Cover with a lid. Once the soup is boiling, stir and reduce heat to medium; simmer uncovered for about 15-20 min. until the carrots are tender.
• Taste the soup and adjust the salt as desired. Stir in the cabbage. Simmer a few more minutes, just until the cabbage has wilted. Top with cheese, if desired, just before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

FREEZER TIP: This soup freezes well and can be reheated in the microwave straight from the freezer or allowed to thaw in the refrigerator and then reheated on the stove or in the microwave. Consider storing it in small containers with appropriate portions for easy meals.

Recipe from: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/italian-vegetable-beef-soup-recipe/

When it comes to different foods, each has its own makeup of nutrients. Historically, vitamin deficiencies were a lot more common in the United States than today, and many of the ways we prevent deficiencies today are so ordinary that we don’t even know we should ask why things are done a certain way. So let’s ask why!

Why is it important to cook rice until all of the water is absorbed?

The rice grain has different parts to it, including the bran, germ and endosperm. B vitamins are found in the bran and germ, which are removed during processing to create white rice. This means the B vitamins are lost; as a result, we add them back through a process called enrichment. Scientists considered two main points when creating the best way to enrich the rice: (1) B vitamins are water-soluble, and (2) rice is cooked with water.

These important factors led to putting the rice into a large, vapor-filled tub. The vapor contains B vitamins, which sticks to the outside of the grain.This is why it is important to allow all of the water to absorb into the rice grain when cooking…because the B vitamins get absorbed into the grain along with the water. If there is any extra water that is poured off at the end of the cooking process, some of the enriched B vitamins are washed away.

Why is milk not usually sold in clear containers?

Milk naturally contains a B vitamin called riboflavin, which is important for many various cellular reactions in the body. Riboflavin is sensitive to light, being easily broken down when exposed to UV light, sunlight and fluorescent lights. Thus, when milk is packaged, we find it in opaque plastic jugs at the grocery store and in small, paper cartons at schools.

Sometimes we just accept things as they are, but it’s fun to ask why things are the way they are, too.

If you were asked to describe the term “malnourished”, what would you say? How would this person look? Are you yourself malnourished? More than likely, images of starved children in poor economic countries come to mind. But the question is, “what exactly defines the term malnourished?”

There used to be 2 terms that referred to malnourished: kwashiorkor and marasmus. Kwashiorkor refers to not eating enough protein while marasmus is traditional starvation. However, now malnourishment has a set of criteria composed of 6 characteristics of a person:

• Weight loss
• Reduced functional strength
• Not eating enough calories to support the body
• Swelling
• Loss of fat under the skin
• Loss of muscle mass

Notice that nowhere in these 6 factors is overall body weight or BMI mentioned. This means that even someone who is overweight or obese can be malnourished. It does not say that a person has to be less than 100 pounds or have bones prominently showing.

“Nourish” is defined as “to sustain with food or nutriment; to supply what is necessary for life, health, and growth.” Even when not referring to food, someone could say, “This lotion left my hands feeling nourished and smooth.”

Why do dietitians push for vegetables over candy? The nutrients. They both provide energy, but they don’t provide the same profile of nutrients. Calories are essential, but nutrients nourish. For example, if someone was overweight, we regularly don’t describe them as malnourished…but let’s say they were only consuming Cheetos, donuts, and Coke for their meals. This type of diet can lead to malnutrition because while calories might be sufficient, nutrients to help the body repair itself and keep things functioning properly are lacking.

Any size of person can be malnourished. Malnourishment often becomes apparent in the context of a medical diagnosis. This is not to say that everyone who is overweight/obese is malnourished, but the premise is that malnourished isn’t always what we have seen historically when food wasn’t as abundant as it is now. The bottom line: eating a diet focused on nutrient-rich foods helps prevent malnourishment. Choose nutrients over calories.

-WW

Working in a place of foodservice gives me some great insight into some of the food mannerisms of the average American. People in the United States emphasize the value of the dollar. This is everyday life, and we likely fail to realize how much we place value on how big our meals are with respect to how much we pay for it. It is easily reflected when you examine restaurant promotionals like “2 for $20” or “large pizza for the price of a medium!”

A common order I receive is “light ice” or “no water.” While these requests may enhance the flavor of a drink and seemingly provide you with more product for your money, are you really winning the game? One pound of fat equals roughly 3,500 calories. This means that if you consume an extra 100 calories each day of the year (100 kcal x 365 days) that your body doesn’t need, you will gain ~10 lbs each year (36,500 kcal ÷ 3,500 kcal/lb). One hundred calories don’t seem like much, but it can have a negative impact on your health if this is kept up over the years. An extra 100 kcal would roughly be the size of one piece of bread or less than half of one regular bag of M&M’s. With this in perspective, this scenario of a little bit extra could play out as easily as someone at work bringing in a sweet snack for the office to munch on.

These small mouthfuls can lead to serious, unwanted health changes. In the end, if we order something slightly altered so that we get more food/drink for the amount we are paying, are we really winning when this results in excessive weight gain and subsequent higher medical bills? Maybe that menu deal is really no deal at all.

-WW