In case you hadn’t heard about what’s going on in the
nutrition world this week. This happened
this week:
And the late night comics had a ball with it (who
wouldn’t??). It starts at 4:37.
You really can’t make this stuff
up. Let’s face it. Kraft is a well-known sponsor of the Academy
of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). Seals
are usually money-raising gimmicks. As
Marion Nestle, Ph.D, M.P.H. from NYU shared on her web site Food Politics, “I’m wondering if ‘proud
supporter of’ means that Kraft pays AND for use of this seal. If so, I’d like to know what the seal
costs.” We’d all like to know Marion,
we’d all like to know. AND claims that
no cheesy deals were executed (pun
intended). They stated that they do not
endorse any products, brands, or services.
They furthermore went on to say that the seal is simply an indicator
of the brands that support Kids Eat Right.
Totally not confusing. But the
damage has been done – the appearance of a seal on a product allows for the
public to believe that as an organization of nutrition experts we do back this
product. Fellow colleagues put together
a campaign to allow our voices to be heard - #repealtheseal
I truly believe that this does
unfortunately now put into question the integrity and credibility of our
profession. The very governing body that
require us to take an ethics course yearly for our continuing education. The policy calls for the “highest standards
of honesty and integrity, and for members to not engage in false or misleading
practices of communications.” The petition asks for full disclosure on the
terms of the financial agreement between Kids Eat Right Foundation and
Kraft. The petition even requests for
the discontinuation of the relationship with Kraft and the removal of the Kids
Eat Right logo. AND needs to correct
this wrong. I certainly hope the $$ doesn't win this time.
While this week has provided
negative publicity to my profession I have chosen to use it as a way to promote
positivity. I continue to post daily
recipes/tips/suggestions/articles on how to be healthy for National Nutrition
Month – the whole reason why I started the blog, to help provide accurate nutrition
information in the face of confusing messages (now more than ever with the
social media presence). I have a shelf
in my office at work where I actually put different products up to create discussion. Not all of the products on the shelf are
products I would recommend the patients to buy, however, this creates discussion
on how to navigate the supermarket. Bottom line it IS confusing. I always tell
my patients that the more they’re able to decrease the amount of packaged
products in their cart, the better. Here
are a few of the products that I would actually put a seal on if I was able to
and proudly promote:
Peanut Butter – Ingredients:
Freshly Ground Roasted Peanuts.
That’s it. That’s all it should
say. The minute they start adding sugar,
hydrogenated vegetable oil, and whatever else, you’re in trouble. Sure the natural nut butters require you to
stir them. The oils separate, but guess
what? That’s what they’re supposed to do!!
I don’t need any trans fat added in (thank you very much) to help keep
my peanut butter stuck together. That trans
fat will help stick in your arteries and no amount of trans fat is
recommended. I’ve gone the route of
making my own nut butters and in all honesty it simply takes a good food
processor, patience, and time. I have
the food processor, I sometimes have the time, but rarely have the patience to continuously
push the nuts down to continue doing their thing. Instead I’ll opt to buy some that simply
states their ingredients are:
peanuts. Publix sells this in their deli section freshly ground each day.
Trader Joe’s Organic Tricolor Quinoa – I originally started
out with just the white quinoa from Trader Joe’s. /keen-wah/
in case you are still having problems pronouncing it J Quinoa from a nutritional standpoint is a
powerhouse. For a cup of cooked quinoa
you’re getting 222 calories, 8 grams of protein, 40 grams of carbohydrate, 5
grams of fiber, and many other vitamins and minerals. If you’re not including into your repertoire,
you should. I started getting the
tricolor quinoa because it really does make the food look prettier that I’m
making. I made a spinach quinoa patty
the other day and it was truly beautiful.
The white always looked so plain.
This way as I’m teaching my patients about healthy, whole grains, the
food looks interesting and they’re more apt to listen. No one wants to eat ugly looking food – it needs
to appeal to us not only from a taste standpoint but also from an aesthetic
look. Trader Joe’s organic tricolor
quinoa has brought my food photography up a notch J
Trader Joe’s Light Coconut Milk – If you find any, please
let me know. It’s as if there’s been a
run on the coconut milk. It’s only $0.99
a can and the only ingredients are coconut milk and water. No wonder they’re having an issue with
production and no longer carry it in their store (at least here in the
MIA). I just made a coconut curry recipe
over the weekend and luckily I still have a few cans left (that’s right the
last time they did have it I bought 20 cans.
Just to stock up, you know - or maybe I created the shortage?!).
Other brands that I’ve looked at always have something else added in –
guar gum, carrageenan, emulsifiers I can’t pronounce. While the guar gum isn’t going to kill me I’d
prefer to go with as minimal ingredients I can.
So I may have to write Trader Joe’s and find out what’s really going
on. Until then, I’ll be on the search
for a coconut milk without too many additives, even if it is $2.49 a can.
Spring Vegetables – 15 Healthy Green Recipes for Spring
Cookie + Kate is a website I came
across and have been using to make some recipes. She always does a section that shows the
recipes of the season too. If you’re
forever wondering how to change the asparagus up instead of just steaming it –
there’s a recipe and an idea for you here!
I lack creativity when it comes to what flavors go good together. That’s why I leave that to the experts and
use their recipes.
There you have it, a few products
that I would actually endorse and put a seal on if I could. Eating healthy shouldn’t be confusing, but it
can be (no help from the embarrassment that was this week). That’s where my role as an educator comes in
to help guide people into making healthier selections. I’m not a famous celebrity endorsing these
products, just a passionate dietitian trying to make one person healthier at a
time.
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