Tag Archive for: banister nutrition

Food Allergies

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Prevalence and Severity of Food Allergies Among US Adults – Article Review

A new study was published looking at the prevalence of food allergies among adults in the US. Since most studies are centered around childhood food allergies, this information is greatly welcomed. Food allergies continue to be a relevant topic as they pose a threat to many people’s health and well-being. Adults can either develop food allergies later in life (example: fin fish and shellfish) or continue to react to food allergies from childhood. This study set out to provide comprehensive, national representative estimates of the distribution, severity, and factors associated with adult food allergy in the United States.

Surveys were administered to a sampling of US households, age 18 and above, by NORC at the University of Chicago from 10/9/2015 – 9/18/2016. The primary outcome measures for the study were the prevalence and severity of overall and food specific convincing adult food allergy.  Criteria were set to distinguish between convincing and non-convincing food allergies: severity of reactions and organ systems involved. Statistical analysis was done to compare relative prevalence and other assessed food allergy outcomes by participant characteristics.

Overall 10.8% of US adults were estimated to have 1 or more convincing food allergies, suggesting that at least 12 million adults have adult – onset food allergies and 13 million have experienced 1 or more severe reactions. The data suggests 1 in 10 US adults are food allergic and 1 in 5 adults believe they are food allergic.  The most common allergies seen were: shellfish, peanut, milk, tree nuts, and fin fish. Half of the participants reported a diagnosed allergy and peanuts tended to be the FA with the highest rate of physician diagnoses. A history of severe reactions was more commonly reported by participants with peanut and tree nut allergies. 8.6% of participants reported 1 or more ER visits within the last year. Rates of females with convincing FA were higher than those of males and younger adults (age 30-39 years) were higher than participants 60 years or older. Food allergies continue to be a prevailing topic in health care and as shown in this study, are extremely common in the United States.

To see the study in its entirety visit: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2720064

MU

Sweet & Savory Smoothie Bowls

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If you haven’t heard, smoothie bowls are a growing trend due to their bright colors and nutritious benefits. A smoothie bowl is exactly what it sounds like, a smoothie in a bowl! The difference between a smoothie bowl and your average smoothie in a glass is that they tend to be a bit thicker and people like to add toppings such as fruits, nuts, and granola to them. You can have them for any meal or even a post-workout snack and they usually include greens, fruits, protein, and a healthy fat.

Here are three different smoothie bowl recipes you should try!

Mango Almond Smoothie Bowl– 1/2 C frozen mango (chopped), 1/2 C nonfat plain Greek yogurt, 1/4 C frozen banana (sliced), 1/4 C plain unsweetened almond milk, 1/8 tsp ground allspice, 1/2 tsp honey, one serving of almonds and 1/4 C raspberries to top it off.

Honeydew Smoothie Bowl – 4 C frozen honeydew (cubed 1/2-in pieces), 1/2 C unsweetened coconut milk beverage, 1/3 C green juice (such as wheatgrass), 1 Tbsp honey, pinch of salt, melon balls – berries – nuts – fresh basil to top it off!

Berry, Banana & Avocado Smoothie Bowl – 1 C Silk (not chocolate flavor), 1/2 C oats, 1 C frozen banana, 1 C frozen mixed berries, 1/4 avocado, 1-2 Tbsp honey, 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed, topping suggestions – goji berries, chia seeds, fresh berries, pumpkin seeds, granola.

The variety with these smoothie bowls is endless depending on your fruit and veggie preferences so get out there and start creating!

KM

*Recipes and picture courtesy of eatingwell.com*

Holiday Health Tips

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Here are a few tips to stay healthy while still enjoying holidays!

  1. Bring your own food: Contribute a healthy dish to ensure there is something you can indulge in and consider eating the healthier options first.
  2. Don’t go hungry to the mall: never go to the mall on an empty stomach to prevent having grab-and-go food from the food court.
  3. Keep a food log: maintaining a food diary can help you stay committed to your health goals.
  4. Eat before going to a party: having a healthy snack before heading to a festive party can help curb appetite and lessen your cravings.
  5. Keep healthy snacks at the office: stash healthy foods in your desk at work so you’re not tempted by the office goodies piling up over the holidays.
  6. Manage portion size: use smaller plates and serving utensils, and pour drinks into tall, skinny glasses.
  7. Control your environment: eat with a small group when you can, sit next to fellow health-aware eaters, and keep visual evidence around of what you have already consumed.
  8. Keep up the exercise: no time for your longer workouts? Break them up into 10-15 minute spurts throughout the day.
  9. Choose your indulgences: pick items that are truly special and unique to the season, anything is OK in moderation.

We hope everyone has the BEST holiday season and we cannot wait to see you next year!

Tips from realsimple.com*

Turkey & Brown Rice Chili

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Happy December! Chili is such a popular staple food this season and we found this recipe just in time. While it cooks you have time to throw together a green, veggie salad to complete this hearty winter meal.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound uncooked ground turkey breast
  • 2½ cups coarsely chopped red and/or green bell peppers (2 large)
  • 1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
  • ½ cup chopped celery (1 stalk)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 (14.5 ounce) cans 50%-less-sodium beef broth
  • 1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 3 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped canned chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • Grated Cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add turkey, bell peppers, onion, celery and garlic; cook until meat is brown, using a wooden spoon to break up meat as it cooks. Drain, if needed.
  2. Stir broth, kidney beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, chili powder, chile peppers and cumin into meat mixture in large saucepan. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 45 minutes. Stir in brown rice. Cook, uncovered, 10 to 15 minutes more or until desired consistency. If desired, sprinkle individual servings with Cheddar cheese.

This recipe is from Diabetic Living Magazine* Picture from eatingwell.com*

Nutrition Information – Serving size: 1½ cup – Per serving: 306 calories; 4 g fat(1 g sat); 9 g fiber; 40 g carbohydrates; 27 g protein; 36 mcg folate; 37 mg cholesterol; 11 g sugars; 2,219 IU vitamin A; 72 mg vitamin C; 56 mg calcium; 3 mg iron; 346 mg sodium; 323 mg potassium Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (120% daily value), Vitamin A (44% dv) Carbohydrate Servings: 2½ – Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 lean protein, 1 vegetable

Crock Pot Sweet Potato and Apples Beef Stew

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Hope you enjoy this cozy recipe!

Crock Pot Sweet Potato and Apples Beef Stew
Ingredients:
?2lbs beef, sliced into 1.5 by 1.5 inch pieces
?1 can 14.5 oz beef broth + 1 cup water
?2 red delicious apples, divide by 4 (peeled and cored)
?1 large sweet potato, 1lb or 27oz peeled and sliced into big chunks, 1.5 inches thick
?1/4 cup onion, chopped
?salt to taste

Instructions:
Place beef, apples, onion, sweet potato, and broth in crock pot and cook on low over night (7-8 hrs). When ready to serve, add salt to taste.

*Carol actually made this and doubled the recipe because it is so easy to freeze and great to have ready on a busy night!

CARBS – The Facts

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The basics –

Our bodies need fuel to continue to work properly and do all of the amazing things we want to do. That fuel comes from protein, fat, and… you guessed it – carbohydrates! The amazing thing about carbs is that they instantly break down into sugar/glucose that the body is able to use immediately. Glucose is super important for your body; it’s also the type of fuel that your brain uses. When we aren’t getting enough carbohydrates the body decides to break down fat for fuel which sounds like a GREAT thing right? Not necessarily… When the body uses fat for fuel, ketones are formed. Ketones raise the level of acid in your blood, and that can be unhealthy over long periods of time. Think about this next time you are planning on restricting or taking carbs out of your diet completely. Removing major food groups from your diet is a BIG DEAL and should only be considered when recommended by a licensed dietitian or your primary physician.

Simple versus Complex –

REMINDER: There are no good and bad carbs; everything is OK when eaten in moderation.

Simple carbohydrates: Easily broken down by the body, raise blood sugar levels quickly, include foods like candy, pastries, and desserts.

Complex carbohydrates: Take longer to be broken down by the body which raises blood sugar levels more slowly than simple carbohydrates, include foods like multigrain bread, pasta, beans, potatoes, other vegetables.

We want our blood sugars to stay as consistent as possible, meaning we need to be including more complex carbs into our diet. A good rule of thumb to live by would be to fill HALF of your plate with complex carbs (fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, & dairy) and keep simple carbs to a minimum.

For some healthy MyPlate approved meals click this link>>> https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy/photos/myplate-meals

KM

THYME to TURNIP the BEET

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Root vegetables are coming into season with Fall right around the corner. These types of vegetables offer an abundance of nutrition. They are packed full of complex carbs, vitamin A, vitamin C, beta-carotene, antioxidants and potassium. Fiber works in the body to improve digestive health, maintain a healthy weight and improve cholesterol for heart health. The potassium found in most root veggies work to maintain heart health by regulating blood pressure, nerve signaling and fluid balance. Beta-carotene helps convert vitamin A in your body to trigger DNA to produce new skin cells to maintain healthy skin and eyes. Vitamin A, vitamin C and antioxidants benefit the immune system by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress to prevent chronic diseases and cancer.

If you aren’t comfortable or unsure how to prepare these types of vegetables, try the recipe below. Cook this recipe at the beginning of the week and eat on it all week. It is great as a side dish or topped on a leafy green salad. Roasted vegetables are a delicious way to enjoy these Fall treasures.

 

Recipe: Sheet-Pan Roasted Root Vegetables

Ingredients:

2 large carrots

2 medium parsnips, peeled

2 medium beets, peeled

2 medium turnips, peeled

1 medium red onion

1 medium sweet potato

3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 ½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp fresh herbs, such as thyme, rosemary or sage

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425℉.
  2. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Cut carrots, parsnips, beets, red onion, sweet potato and turnips into ½-¾ inch slices or cubes.
  4. Toss the vegetables with oil, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper in a large bowl until well coated.
  5. Spread onto the baking sheets in a single layer.
  6. Roast the vegetables, rotating the pans top to bottom halfway through, until fork-tender, 30-40 minutes.

Let us know how it goes!

LN

I Hate Diabetes

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If you have recently been diagnosed with diabetes and you find yourself saying “I hate having diabetes and all that it involves” you are normal, sane and emotionally healthy! I’ve never heard of anyone responding to their diagnosis of diabetes with a “yippee”!

Diabetes is a complex health concern that involves more than “go home and take this pill.” It will add to your daily “to-do” list.  But, it will not necessarily stop you from living life providing you decide to manage your diabetes opposed to allowing your diabetes to manage you.  You have the option to live with your head in the sand, try to ignore your diabetes, pretend it doesn’t really exist and continue to live a reckless lifestyle which will eventually create the perfect storm of possible stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, amputations and/or losing your eyesight with the back drop of low energy, mood swings, neuropathy, and hypoglycemia on occasion.

I have pondered over 30+ years of counseling patients with diabetes, why do some jump on the bandwagon of managing their diabetes and others follow a reckless abandon philosophy. I believe this fork in the road of “manage my diabetes OR my diabetes manages me” is greatly influenced by whether you have accepted the diagnosis or not. Accepting the diagnosis does not mean “yeah, I love having diabetes, watching my carb intake, poking my finger multiple times a day, taking pills and/or insulin, frequent doctor appointments and spending lots of money on diabetes.” Accepting the diagnosis means being realistic, acknowledging you are not a fan of all it involves but you are a fan of having energy, avoiding complications, feeling empowered and not feeling angry or this just isn’t fair.  Refusal to accept the diagnosis generally stems from some degree of “I hate diabetes” so if I refuse to embrace the tools to management my diabetes I can pretend I don’t really have diabetes.  I can choose excessive carbs too frequently, skip checking my blood glucose or taking my medication on occasion, justify avoiding exercise for a million random reasons, pay no attention to portions, maintain my overweight status and it seems easier to pretend I don’t have diabetes.

Living with diabetes is a major life adjustment and requires a great deal of support along with education for you and your family. The first line of treatment is for your physician to refer you to a dietitian and/or CDE (certified diabetes educator) who is experienced with diabetes management. You must request this if your physician happens to forget. There is a huge emotional toll that comes with this diagnosis because it is for the rest of your life. Negative thoughts must be tamed. Negative thoughts, feelings and actions will further increase stress hormone production which will increase blood sugar and blood pressure. Pay attention to what causes you stress and look for ways to counter this.  It requires educational and emotional empowerment to be able to identity the positive aspects of diabetes management you can focus on and accomplish.

You will experience set-backs in diabetes care. The key is to evaluate your situation and go at it again with a different approach. “Rethink it” — bring your thoughts back to the here and now. Focus on what you can do today. Aim for progress not perfection.

CB

The Simple Things

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This blog is a how-to on the simple things that we are expected to be able to do in the kitchen, but sometimes never actually learn how to do! We will learn how to bake chicken breasts, bake veggies, and cook pasta.

First up is baking chicken breasts-

What you will need…

  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp of your favorite seasoning

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
  2. Rub chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle both sides with seasoning of choice. Place chicken on pan. *Tip: Lining the pan with aluminum foil can help cook chicken evenly and make for an easy clean up*
  3. Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Flip chicken and cook until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear (about 15 more minutes).
  4. Remove chicken from pan, let cool, & enjoy!

*Reminder- One serving of chicken is 3-4oz which is about the size of a deck of cards, so make sure to fill half your plate with veggies and a quarter of your plate with whole grains to help you feel full longer.

Next, we are going to cook some pasta-

What you will need…

  • Water (at least 4 quarts)
  • Large pot
  • Whole Grain pasta
  • Salt (at least 1 tbsp)
  • Colander/strainer
  • Tongs

Directions

  1. Boil water in a large pot & salt water. *Tip- to make sure the pasta does not stick together, use at least 4 quarts of water per every pound of pasta*
  2. Pour pasta into boiling water, and do not break the pasta.
  3. Stir the pasta.
  4. Follow the cooking time provided on the package, but always taste pasta before draining. Pasta should be a little chewy.
  5. Drain the pasta; if serving hot, add sauce right away; if serving cold pasta salad, run noodles under cold water to stop the cooking.

Sauce: If you are adding some sort of sauce to your pasta, cook on low-medium heat in saucepan on the stove-top until it begins to bubble, then remove from heat and add to noodles.

Last but definitely not least, baked veggies-

What you will need…

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Your choice of vegetables! Here are some examples: broccoli, mushrooms, butternut squash, zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes.

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and lightly oil baking sheet.
  2. Place vegetables in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt & pepper. Gently toss to combine.
  3. Place into oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until tender.
  4. Serve immediately.

That’s it! You just learned how to make a simple and healthy meal for yourself and your family. Make sure to have some fruit for dessert to complete your plate. Let us know if you have any questions or would like for us to blog about your favorite meal!

 

KM

Continuous Glucose Monitoring for Type 1 & Type 2 Diabetes

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Can you imagine knowing what your blood glucose is 96-288 times each day and only doing a finger stick 0-2x daily? This is possible with continuous glucose monitors (CGM’s) now available for patients use. These monitors have been available for over a decade but most people with diabetes are unfamiliar with this technology and how affordable it is. Two CGM’s on the market are DEXCOM and Freestyle Libre. DEXCOM provides glucose monitoring every 5 minutes and requires a fingerstick 2x/day for calibrating. Freestyle Libre provides glucose monitoring every 15 minutes with no finger sticks. The glucose data is available for real time viewing on a hand-held reader device and to download for review and pattern management with your dietitian.  Many mistakenly believe a CGM is only for those with type 1 diabetes or who inject insulin.  CGM’s are for anyone who really wants to be aware of their glucose level, so they can make informed lifestyle adjustments to improve their health.

Current studies indicate wearing a CGM does lower glucose levels and A1c. Hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) was also shown to be less frequent in the group of research patients wearing a CGM. Another study showed patients were very good overall about wearing their CGM and had a higher level of satisfaction with their treatment. Experience in our office at Banister Nutrition has shown once a patient has had access to their daily continuous glucose data they don’t want to be without their CGM.  They like knowing what their glucose is constantly (without finger sticks) and they know they make better management choices with food and exercise because of this easily accessible glucose data.

Will your insurance cover the expense of your CGM?  You won’t know until you ask. Insurance companies must become aware patients want these devices so contact your insurance company and inquire. Some insurance companies and policies are covering these devices. If your insurance company denies coverage, ask your pharmacy about a “pharmacy discount card” such as Good Rx, which will cost you nothing but will help decrease your cost for the CGM.  Banister Nutrition has learned from their patients with the pharmacy discount card patient cost for the Freestyle Libre was $65 for 3 sensors (sensor to be worn for 10 days) which will last for one month. The Freestyle Libre Reader patient cost was $65. Your physician must write two prescriptions: one prescription for the reader, and one prescription for the sensors.

Having access to continual information is far better than checking your blood glucose 2-3x/day. Continuous glucose monitors are moving to center stage for diabetes management and finger sticks will gradually be non-existent.

CB

 

*Picture provided by thediabetescouncil.com*