Eating with flavor

 

 

Ah! The joys of cooking at home are great, especially when you're not pressured to meet a deadline, beat rush hour traffic, or scheduled for various meetings on a random Wednesday. It is summer time! I crave fresh fruits and vegetables. A crisp mixed green salad with ripe, locally-grown red tomatoes pair well with sizzling chicken fajitas and a cool glass of lemonade (see http://holdthesaltcampaign.blogspot.com/2013_05_01_archive.html). Having volunteered as the online food guinea pig, I was able to create such a meal at 630 milligrams (mg.) of sodium (add additional sodium from your favorite low sodium, homemade dressing for the salad).

A chicken fajita meal at Apple Bee's is 4500 mg. So before disclosing my method, I want my health critics to pause before turning up their noses. This option is a diet recipe compared to what's out there. This site offers alternatives. There are clearly other ways to prepare this meal with less than 630 mg. of sodium, this is what has been tested in my kitchen, affords me the taste I require, and still remain within my recommended daily allowance of sodium (1500 mg. regularly, 2300 mg. on a tough day, when I'm outright disobedient, no more than 3000 mg.). So, please be aware that a frozen, preserved meat option is used in my suggestion. It's the best I could find without sacrificing my health or taste. Therefore, if you desire to prepare your chicken and monitor your own flavor, I encourage it. So here we go!

I happened upon a great product at Sam's Club called Chef Daily Mesquite Grilled Chicken. A 3 ounces (oz.). filet is only 390 mg of sodium. Here's the best news: The filets are free of hormones, free of steroids, and contain 0 grams  (g) of trans fat. Happy? Me too. Several things can be done with one filet; eat it as an entree, add it to your salad, or make fajitas! The smoked flavor is enough to season any side item you scoop on top or mix with a fork like plain rice, plain broccoli, or grilled onions and peppers. This product is best prepared wrapped and baked in aluminum foil (375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes). It maintains the juices and keeps the chicken tender. It caramelizes well too. There is a microwave option. I don't recommend it unless you're in a hurry (2 filets for 3.5 to 4.5 minutes or until hot).

While your chicken is baking, cut up fresh onions, red peppers, and green peppers. Otherwise, if you're like me, buy the prepared fajita vegetable pack sold at most grocery stores (I'm not the best dicer and slicer in the world. Injuries occur too often. I know my limitations).  Prepare a skillet with a tablespoon or more of vegetable oil (lol...vegetable oil for the veggies). Throw those peppers and onions in there until they have that grilled look but still remain firm (I'm not a chef. So pardon me if I don't use the correct words. I'm an eater who likes to cook). I have some more good news for you! The vegetables don't have any sodium. I call these FFS foods---Free From Salt foods.

"Okay, "Y," the chicken is 390 mg. of sodium and the vegetables are 0 mg. of sodium. Where do the other 240 mg, of sodium come from? Help me out," you ponder.

If you decide to use a tortilla wrap, please read the label for the sodium contents. I used wraps by Guerrero. Each contain 240 mg.  of sodium. Even more good news. Wait for it. Wait for it. This product has 0 g. of trans fat. There may be wraps with less milligrams of sodium also containing no trans fat. Just be diligent about reading the labels. Again, you're always welcome to make your own. There are plenty of recipes. Choose the one that's best for you.

Okay, let's recap.

One serving = 630 mg. of sodium

3 oz. chicken filet (prepared your way with monitored seasonings) or 1 Chef Daily Mesquite Grilled Chicken filet (bake) 390 mg.
Sliced onions, red peppers, and green peppers as much as you can handle (grilled in a skillet). 0 mg.
1 flour tortilla (wrap the meat and veggies) about 240 mg.

Add a salad, drink lemonade or water with a lemon, and enjoy!

To read more information about the product mentioned in this entry, visit http://www.samsclub.com/sams/daily-chef-mesquite-grilled-chicken-fillet-2-9-lbs/prod4210220.ip

Happy Eating!
-Y

Playing With My Food: The Strength To Win

 Did I dive in? Read to find out who won. Fate or Will Power.

                In a moment of weakness, I left my meal choice up to fate. It's been more than a year since I've been to Texas Roadhouse for  a meal. I was fine passing by the display case that advertised the 10 to 16 oz. steaks. They winked at me. I waved, but I proceeded with my husband to our table in confidence and the will to stick to a low sodium meal. "Those steaks aren't going to throw me off course," I thought to myself. Then the waitress reminded me that I was in the home of the fresh-baked rolls and cinnamon butter. Mmmm. I knew they would be hot coming to the table. "I'm not sure I can pass those babies up." I say with my eyebrows dancing to a distant memory.

                As we waited for Amber to return with our drinks (I ordered water with a lemon), I remembered the menu was full of barbecue and down home favorites---pulled pork, ribs, and fried catfish, or smothered chicken. I had a few hundred milligrams of sodium to spare from my daily intake of 1500, but I was sure a forkful of any of those choices would do me in for the weekend. Then it happened. Half-way down the side of page 4 on the menu, my eyes gazed upon a special treat I was introduced to in the 80s---country-fried sirloin. The description had my stomach sweating: "hand-battered, fresh-cut sirloin served crispy and golden, topped with made-from-scratch cream gravy." This little devil had to be paired with one of the "legendary sides," mashed potatoes and gravy. The fresh veggies would be my guilt free food. My palette was ready for a cheat day. I am, however, reminded of a recent household discussion: Can any of us really afford a cheat day? One cheat day turns into two, then three, then four, and before you know it, a month worth of cheat days will send us back to square one.

                Quick flashbacks to the hospital and thoughts of you, my readers, tugged at me. Then my anxious stomach kept tugging at me. "Feed me the goodies. Feed me the goodies!" There was only one way for me to come to a solution. I used the eenie meenie miney mo method (with appropriate lyrics). Childish? Very. Politically incorrect? I realized this after feeling a bit uneasy about the origin of the lyrics as soon as my fingers skipped between each of the meal choices. (I slowed down with the old rhyme thinking of the derogatory origin before ending). I sat for a hot moment embarrassed and ashamed. I was even more uncomfortable when my husband looked at me with puzzled eyes wondering why I was playing hop scotch and mouthing silent words with the menu. I was glad we were in a corner booth.

                As fate would have it, I landed on the country fried sirloin. I licked my chops, then I thought of you again and  the lovely IV drips awaiting me if I pushed the envelope too far.  In the end, I chose the 6 oz. steak (480 mg), with steamed veggies (0 mg), and a sweet potato with cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter (110 mg). Drink? Water with a lemon. As for the hot, buttered rolls? Shh! I may have eaten one...and stole one of my husband's chili cheese fries. I'm still a work in progress, but I commit to holding the salt every meal I can.

               Here's to your journey. Feel free to share your moment of weakness and how you came to a solution with your particular health quest. Send entries to yoyo1913@hotmail.com.

-Y

Disclaimer, it is also suggested that I limit the amount of protein in my diet, especially beef. So Texas Roadhouse is a once in a Bahama blue moon treat. I promise.

Note: Source of pic is unknown.

LEMONade...

I will be the first to admit that I did not get my first class ticket aboard the healthy eating train when I had several invites to do so. Me? Give up my five cheese homemade mac and cheese, golden fried fish, and perfectly seasoned collards with smoked turkey? Trade in smothered turkey wings, gravy and rice, and cabbage with smoked meat? Let go of pizza? Hold back on the bbq ribs, grilled hot dogs, grilled cheese burgers, baked beans, and potato salad at cook outs? Insert record scratch. ARE YOU CRAZY?

Well, what has become crazy is too many visits to the doctor's office, $10,000 medical bills, extended stays at the not so Holiday Inn hospital with needles stuck in your arm. Fortunately for me, I have insurance to cover most of my medical expenses, but I couldn't help but think about those who lack the luxury. So, this and every post is not to berate you for your food choices, but to inform you about ways to save a few dollars and unncessary trips to a physician's office. I want to keep you from paying a $20 to $40 co-pay for them to tell what you already know, "Cut back on this or that."

 

If you've been following along the campaign since January, thank you so very much. If you're new to the campaign, welcome. If you don't want to hear it, I love you just the same, but please pass this along to anyone who is ready to take this ride. This blog will be updated as we journey along this campaign train to better health. Here we go...

 

Train Stop #1: Lemonade Snob Avenue (May 27, 2013)

 

"If life gives you kindey stones, make lemonade." Daniel J. DeNoon gives us this play on an old adage in his WebMD article regarding kidney stone health (http://www.webmd.com/kidney-stones/news/20060524/lemonade-helps-kidney-stones?page=2). Imagine my surprise when my urologist, Dr. K, suggested that I drink plenty of water and lemonade as a prescription to help reduce kidney stones. Uh...Okay. DeNoon calls it lemonade therapy. No problem from this gal. In the past, I was big on consuming convenient foods and beverages. Now they are in my In Case of Emergency (ICE) files. An emergency includes one of the following: 1. It's late, and I didn't take out meat to cook. 2. Uh oh! I forgot my lunch today. 3. I lost my will to cook two exits before the day ended...I just can't today. However, when it comes to lemonade, I really crave the ingredients of its names. LEMONade. Anything else is unacceptable.

 

Ingredients for Y's homemade lemonade: 6 lemons, 32 oz. water, and one and one-fourth cups of sugar or to taste (don't make syrup...chill a little).
 

Ingredients in store bought lemonade (the name is kept anonymous...just pick a brand, it likely has the same ingredients): purified water, sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), lemon juice from concentrate, lemon pulp, and natural flavors.

 

Scroll up to see my first ingredient. Count to see how far down the line the list of ingredients in the store bought brand before you see the word lemon. In addition to high levels of salt, too much fructose can encourage the formation of kidney stones.

 

There is a commercial created by www.sweetsurprise.com that supports of the use of high fructose corn syrup. The claim presents an argument that "like sugar it's fine in moderation." A Dr. R. Rutledge (this is just attribution, I don't have his credentials) posted a commentary from 3 minute AdAge (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrRqr8BaBWo) that informs viewers that most of the foods we eat from breakfast to dinner contain high fructose corn syrup (soft drinks, cereals, breads, candy bars, tomato-based sauces, processed foods, salad dressing, jams and jellies, yogurt, crackers, etc.). It's hard to moderate our intake of HFCS when its in most of our meals and beverages. I get what the Sweet Surprise campaign is suggesting, but I like to think that we can control what we consume.

 

The Mayo Clinic reports that "At this time, there's insufficient evidence to say that high-fructose corn syrup is any less healthy than other types of sweeteners. We do know, however, that too much added sugar — not just high-fructose corn syrup — can contribute unwanted calories that are linked to health problems, such as weight gain, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and high triglyceride levels. All of these boost your risk of heart disease." Even though there is no concrete evidence that links HFCS to the afforementioned health concerns, wouldn't be great to know what you consume instead of taking a chance? This is not to suggest that I NEVER consume meals or beverages that contain artificial ingredients, I am concentrating on the ingredients in LEMONade (for now...anyway). I'm still on a journey one food/beverage at a time.

 

Here's a challenge: Begin to make your own LEMONade for three weeks, then try a store or commerically produced brand to taste the difference. Report back to me with your conclusion yolondabody38@gmail.com. The proof is in the taste. LEMONade should taste like LEMONS are in it. I hope you too will become a LEMONade snob as you work toward better health. When in doubt while you're out, order water with a lemon and add sugar. :-)

 

-Y



Donors Save Lives

This post is dedicated to the memory of Tye Husbands and the Husbands family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Aaron Milton (l) and Tonya Spencer (r)

I remember when I first obtained my driver's license; I was faced with the decision to be an organ donor or reject the opportunity to save a life. At first, it seemed a bit creepy to have my body parts living beyond my expiration date. However, I felt it was the right thing to do to support the life of someone who remained long after my physical body retired from this earth. If I could give my blood to someone, I could give a perfectly good organ to someone who needed it to live. It seemed a bit wasteful to leave the earth with something I could no longer use.   

Since starting the Hold the Salt Campaign, I searched for support groups that could benefit from the articles. I was blessed to be added to a group for the chronically ill. Aaron Milton's invitation to Peer to Peer allowed me to share the information about the dietary campaign to better health, but I was gifted with a chance to learn about his journey to life; he suffers from *Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).

Milton was first diagnosed with CKD in 2000 and had lost two-thirds of his kidney's functioning capacity by 2003. He had to undergo **dialysis while waiting on a kidney donor. Milton lives in Michigan where one in eight people are diagnosed with CDK. According to a 2011 Wood TV 8 interview with Missi Ostapowicz, kidney donor coordinate at Saint Mary's Kidney Transplant Center, Michigan was the 42nd lowest state in the country with registered donors. No matter the low numbers, Milton still signed up with Saint Mary's in 2006, but there was a four to five year wait as there are more patients needing transplants than there are donors. 

The Donate Life America web site claims that every 10 minutes a new patient is added to an organ transplant waiting list. There is an extensive screening process for donors to be matched to patients. The site also reports that an average of 18 people die per day because there are no available donors. Milton's journey extended to that fifth year on the waiting list until an anonymous donor responded to classified ad from St. Mary's for donors in the Grand Rapids Press. Milton's donor did not stay anonymous for long; he and Tonya Spencer eventually met to help encourage others to donate. Spencer is a living donor who wanted to help extend a life with a gift of life.

Both Milton and Spencer had to recover several weeks after the transplant. Six months following the transplant, Milton followed-up with physicians and continued to get regular check-ups. Milton is still maintaining his health with the support of his wife, takes daily medication, drinks plenty of water, exercises, and follows a healthy diet to prevent recurring kidney failure.

Aaron Milton and Tonya Spencer are Hold The Salt Campaign heroes. To see Milton and Spencer, please check out the following video link:

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/eightwest/Learning_About_Kidney_Disease#.UTyM9OwLSEJ.facebook

If you want to learn more about donor information, please visit http://donatelife.net/understanding-donation/ The site also provides you with local contacts for ways you can support donor efforts.

Did you know 90% of Americans say they support donation, but only 30% know the essential steps to take to be a donor.  Click to read more statistics about organ donations. http://donatelife.net/understanding-donation/statistics/

*Chronic Kidney Disease - The gradual loss of kidney function over a period of time
**dialysis - The clinical purification of blood thus, as a substitute for the normal function of the kidney.

Here's to your continued health.

-Y

Hold The Salt Is Coming Back!

 

Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all active and former military men and women! Remember to eat in moderation and HOLD THE SALT on those chicken and ribs!

 

Check out www.lowsodiumcooking.com for some of your bbq favorites and sauces.

 

In the meantime, check out any missed articles in the archives as you await the updates for the Hold The Salt Campaign.

New Recruit Stories:

Tilea Coleman makes pizza at home in an effort to reduce the salt in her family's diet.

Latoya Strain has gone a week without adding salt to her meals.

 

If you have a Hold The Salt Campaign story to share, please send it to yolondabody38@gmail.com or feel free to share a better eating or healthy living tip to share with our audience for consideration.

 

Hugs and smiles,

Y.

 

 

P.S. Above is the site's official logo! Logo design by Barron Steward at www.barronsteward.com.



I ate the pizza (I need rehab)!

A special note of THANKS to our international readers in Germany, Niger, the UK, Mexico, Venezuela, Sweden, Iceland, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Mongolia, Peru, and Romania! Keep spreading the word!

I'll be the first to admit that I wanted to kick and scream when I saw the sodium content in just one slice of pizza. Pizza Hut's nutrition facts report that 1/8 of a pizza is between 440 (med. cheese) and 920 (lg. stuffed crust pepperoni). A frozen pizza, well...it's truly a wrap with those things. For one slice of my favorite brand of pepperoni pizza, the sodium content comes in at a whopping 910 mg. of sodium (smh...whoa is me). Still, I just wasn't ready to give up the taste of the ooey gooey goodness of melted mozzarella and pepperoni on a buttery crust. Instead of cheating, I researched ways to make my guilty pleasure fit into my new eating plan.

While on a Target field trip, I found a low-sodium pizza crust under their Archer Farms brand. My eyes buldged, almost out of their sockets when I saw 1/3 of the crust was only 85 mg. of sodium. The crust I selected is the fire roasted thin crust. It comes in a resealable package, so I could cut what I needed without being wasteful. In the basket the package plopped!

I waited a week before making and consuming my sinful pleasure (oxymoron alert). I knew I would have to make the pizza on a day where I had a moderate breakfast (cereal and an apple = 248 mg) and water for lunch (10 mg). It was going to be game time after 4 p.m.! I left myself about 900 mg. of room in my body to account for the madness I'd get at home (It's about planning). Before you judge me, please do the math. The goal is for me to consume at or close to 1500 mg. per day.

I measured everything and even counted my pepperoni slices. Each slice is about 35 mg. of sodium (10 slices when I should have stopped at 8, but it looked weird without the other two). The pizza sauce, which I'll learn to make to cut the sodium content down even further after this post, is 250 mg. per 1/4 cup. The cheese is 200 mg. of sodium per 1/4 cup. I was too excited to think. I grabbed my water, served my husband his traditional slices, and served myself two slices of my special treat.

Instead of looking like a lost puppy at the dinner table as I watch my husband eat just about anything without adverse effects, I couldn't wait to sit adjecent to him and indulge in our favorite cheesy delight. We said grace, I popped open my bottled water, and I ATE THE PIZZA! It was soooooo good! Put me in the corner for consuming those little temptations, but I have to get a hall pass for resisting the temptation of the all you can eat Chinese buffet that was served at my office meeting the week prior (I really wanted that egg roll).

After a good, "AAAAH! That was yummy" exclamation, I did some reflecting for the next time I indulge (Oh! There is a next time. I will just be more responsible so I don't starve at lunch time).

Modifications for future pizza making:

1. Make my own sauce. I can get rid of 249 mg. of salt doing so
http://www.lowsodiumcooking.com/free/PizzaSauce.htm (Join me in thanking Angel Fears for this lovely site).

2. Limit my pepperoni slices to 8 for the entire pizza (from 350 to 280)

Hold the salt savings: 315 mg. of sodium and I can eat a moderate lunch (a salad and fruit).

So, campaign folks, I took a calculated plunge for the first time since January 8, 2013. I reflected on my practices, and now I'm off to the next journey to support my health and encourage you to do the same. The moral of the story: If you're going to salt it up, hold it in another area. Plan your salt intake to 1. minimize the guilt and 2. justify the guilty pleasure (smile).

Until next time, let's continue to hold each other and ourselves accountable.

-Y

Chef Sara's Table

Let's welcome Chef Sara Simmons to the Hold the Salt campaign (Clap! Clap! Clap!). This Detroit native is honest in her commentary on her salt experience. She also provides us with ways we can limit our salt intake while enjoying good food. Here we go...!

I am admittedly a salt addict. I’m not quite as bad as Chef Anne Burrell who puts a handful of salt into any given meal, but I love salt so much that I want to actually feel the crunch of it under my teeth. True, I eat it like it’s a crust topping. However, I have adopted some eating/cooking practices that can help you curb big sodium pitfalls:

1. Explore other ethnic cuisines: I've found that American fare is notoriously overly dependent on salt to coax out flavors, so I enjoy eating ethnic foods that utilize a variety of flavors and seasonings. One great example is Indian. Any given dish will have at least 10 spices, and the food is often braised and stewed to really concentrate the flavors. They also tend to use a balance of acid (sour cream, citrus) and sweet fruits like raisins and currants so that your palate is full. Another BIG flavor coaxer is Ethiopian food. Are you seeing a theme? Braised foods, cooking in their own juices for hours, will enhance the flavors of the ingredients. You just have to have a little “Big Mama” patience.

2. Use kosher salt instead of table. I’ve read that it is lower in sodium, and because the granules are bigger, you get more bang for your buck.

3. Introduce foods into your meals that you hadn’t considered before….like sweet potatoes in your stews. Veggie up your meals; truth be told, most meats are seasoned to taste like vegetables anyway (ketchup, anyone?). I was inspired by Indian food to incorporate fruits into my savory dishes; now my 3 year old thinks that all rice dishes, stews or soups are supposed to have raisins in them!

4. Don’t even donate those canned vegetables—they are cooked TO DEATH and way too salty. Buy frozen vegetables instead and steam them until they are just tender.

5. Avoid store bought salad dressings: They have not only a lot of sodium, but an obscene amount of sugar as well. If you have one-part acid (vinegar, citrus) and two-parts olive oil, you have a delicious salad dressing. I invite folks to play with variations (adding herbs, honey, Dijon mustard) to figure out what your personal favorite is—mine is balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

6. For that matter, don’t buy store bought sauces of any kind: That includes pasta sauces. All you need to make a great spaghetti sauce is crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, garlic and olive oil. And it costs about the same too.

7. Don’t kid yourself: Processed foods have a bunch of sodium—no getting around it. And the faster the food, the higher the amount of sodium in it (why do you think those kids at Chipotle hustle your little carton of burrito down that line so fast! Guilt, I tell ya!). So if you’re serious about reducing your sodium intake, you must call on the will-power gods and divorce yourself from all eateries with the two-window-on-the-side option. But also, if you are an“everything in moderation” type, forgive yourself for making a visit once in a blue moon. Or at least, once in a full moon.

8. Remember, we need a bit of salt. There’s a reason why the Spice Trade was so lucrative—salt triggers flavor. And not just in your food, but in life. In Matthew 5:13, Jesus offers to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?”

Thanks, Chef Sara for sharing your culinary wisdom with us. In the meantime, eat well, live better, and feel better.

-Yo!onda D. Body (c)