brooklyn

Food Nerd: Water Cooler Knowledge

I recently found this little booklet called Wellness Made Easy: 365 Tips for Better Health (one tip for each day of the year!). And even though I will not list all of them, I thought these 13 tips/facts were interesting and if anything a cool conversation starter! 

#14. For a juice high in iron, try prune juice. One cup provides about 17% of the recommended intake for women, and 30% for men. Just beware of the fruit juice lingo- check the label on anything called “beverage, drink, punch, juice blend, juice cocktail, or anything ending in -ade” since it’s likely to contain more sugar and little fruit. 

#38. When baking, use applesauce or prune/banana/pumpkin puree instead of butter, margarine, or oil to cut down on the fat. Use equal parts. 

#40. Even though we only need 70mg per day of vitamin C, there is a great belief that taking mega doses will help our immune system. To get the most out of your vitamin C pills, divide the dose in half and take it twice a day. The body eliminates vitamin C in about 12 hours, therefore this will keep the blood levels high throughout the day. FYI- mega doses of vitamin C are generally considered safe since we eliminate what we don’t need in our urine. 

#63. Make your own low-fat tortilla chips. Cut the 6" tortillas into triangles and put them in the oven at 400F for 10 minutes or until crisp. This is especially useful when the tortillas are already a little stale! 

#70. Eat sweet potatoes. Despite the word “sweet” in their name, they have the same calories as regular potatoes and have 3.5x more beta carotene. To get the most nutrients, eat the potato skin- it has more fiber, iron, potassium, and B vitamins than the flesh. 

#78. Make a lower fat dressing. Make a 1-to-1 oil and vinegar solution, instead of 3-to-1. Or use lime/lemon, balsamic/rice vinegar, or salsa as your dressing. 

#79. If possible, weigh your bagel! Every ounce has ~80calories, and now a days bagels are up to 5-6 ounces! Do the math and it’s kind of scary! 

#96. When ordering a burger, nix the bacon and cheese. It adds up to 250 calories or more, not to mention saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. 

#104. You don’t have to avoid all red meats, just choose leaner cuts like tenderloin, top loin, or sirloin. Remember: Lean= Loin. A well trimmed/lean meat is ~180calories/8 grams of fat for a 3-ounce serving (after cooking). 

#133. If you have a tough cut of meat, you can tenderize it will kiwi, papaya, or pineapple due to their natural enzymes. You can also puree the fruit and use it as a marinade. Let sit for ~30minutes before cooking. 

#139. Light beers are only slightly lighter in calories, not alcohol. Light beers average 100calories per 12oz compared to 140calories for regular. 

#157. Make your own topping by “melting” a half cup of berries with 1 tsp of sugar. Put them in a saucepan, mash lightly, and add a tiny amount of water if necessary until the sugar dissolves in the juice. Ta da!- you just made a replacement for butter or syrup. 

#160. Spread mashed avocado on your sandwich/wrap instead of butter/margarine/mayo. One TBS is 25 calories vs. 100 calories respectively. 

If you would like the full pdf.file, shoot me an email at bushwicknutrition@gmail.com, and I will send it your way!