Gretchen Scalpi, RDN

I often encourage my clients to try new foods, especially alternatives to the grain products we typically eat.  One of my favorite grain alternatives has become buckwheat, not only because of it’s health benefits, but because of its versatility.  Have you tried buckwheat yet?

Buckwheat flour is commonly added to commercial pancake mix, and this is how most people even know of its existence.  However, buckwheat is much more than just an addition to a breakfast pancakes.  In its lesser known forms, there are a lot health and nutritional benefits that could make buckwheat a wonderful addition to a “whole foods” diet.

Contrary to its name, buckwheat is not a form of wheat at all.  Although it is sometimes referred to as a whole grain, it is, in fact a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb.

Whole buckwheat is a very nutritious food. The protein in buckwheat contains the eight essential amino acids. Buckwheat is also rich in many B vitamins as well as phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and manganese, and has Alpha-Linolenic Acid, which is one of the two essential fatty acids we must have in our diets.

In addition to its nutritional value, there are some a few health benefits that make this food worth your consideration:

• Buckwheat is a high fiber food. 1 cup of cooked buckwheat groats contains over 4 grams of dietary fiber.
• Because it is high in fiber and has a low glycemic load, it is a good carbohydrate choice for diabetes.
• Diets that contain buckwheat have been linked to lowered risk of developing high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
• Buckwheat is is a gluten-free alternative to grains, which makes it a healthful grain alternative for people with celiac disease or wheat sensitivity.

I find buckwheat products in the health food aisle of the grocery store, so you won’t need to search far to find it.   Here’s a quick primer on the various forms of buckwheat readily available:

Buckwheat Groats: hulled grains of buckwheat, triangular in shape and resembles other grains. Buckwheat groats are used whole in hot cereals and soups. The seeds from buckwheat can be used to make flour after being removed from the husk.

Buckwheat Groats

Buckwheat Kasha:   kasha, or roasted hulled buckwheat kernels, may be sold whole or cracked.  You may find it ground into coarse, medium, or fine consistencies. The variety you use will depend on the consistency you need for the dish you are preparing.

Buckwheat groats and the roasted version, kasha are usually cooked in a manner similar to cooking rice. Either can be used to make hot cereal, added to soups or casseroles, or used as a side dish.

Buckwheat Kasha

Buckwheat Flour:  buckwheat flour can be used alone or mixed with other types of flours to make pancakes, breads, and muffins.

Buckwheat Soba:  thin noodles made from buckwheat flour and typically served with a sauce.

So on your next trip to the grocery store, I hope you will look for buckwheat and give it a try.  The Birkett Mills is the World’s largest manufacturer of buckwheat products, and their products are what I find in the grocery store. They are located in New York in the heart of the Finger Lakes. Next time, I’ll give you some recipe ideas for this wonderful food!

Tags: breakfast, buckwheat

I am often asked what kind of snacks can be part of a healthy diet.  Ideally, a snack should have some nutritional value without an excess of calories.  Chosen carefully, snacks can help keep blood sugar stable throughout the day, control appetite, and  prevent excessive hunger.

I’ve noticed that many people rely on the 100 Calorie packs of crackers, cookies or salty snacks.    The prepackaged snacks may be useful for calorie control: that is, if you stick to one pack!  In many cases what you are getting is a refined flour product that’s short on nutrition or satisfaction.

A better plan might be to make your own snack.  Here’s a few easy ideas:

4 oz. carrots with 2 Tb. hummus = 95 calories

A medium apple and low fat cheese stick = 120 calories

Two clementines = 80 calories

You get the idea.  If you are looking for a crunchy snack like the 100 calorie packs, trying making your own, using a variety of whole grain cereal, dried fruit and nuts. Experiment with different combinations until you find a mix that you like. Here’s a high fiber  snack mix that’s only 145 calories per 1/2 cup. Ten minutes of your time and you have 9 portions ready to go!

Cereal Snack Mix: Makes 9 servings

1 cup Fiber One- Original
1 cup Kashi Go Lean – Original
1 cup Cheerios – Original
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix well and measure 1/2 cup portions into sandwich bags.

145 Calories, 4 gm Protein, 22 gm Carbohydrate, 4 gm Fiber

Tags: snacks

Sugar Levels in Yogurt

Thanks to my coach and mentor Chere Bork for this guest post!  This helps to clear up the confusion about the sugar content found in yogurt:

After my tv segment on cold and flu fighting foods, I had a great question from a reader. They wanted to know about the yogurt levels in sugar. Here’s my response:

You are correct. Yogurt does contain sugar and some yogurts contain so much they should be in the candy and dessert aisle rather than the dairy case!

YoCrunch contains 14 grams of sugar per serving.  YoCrunch contains natural sugars from the milk of yogurt and the added fruit. This sugar comes from lactose which is the natural form of carbohydrate found in milk and also some sugar from the whole pieces of fruit found in the yogurt. A bit of real sugar is also added.

Plain yogurt typically provides 8 to 12 grams from lactose without any added sugars. YoCrunch is higher due to the added pieces of pomegranate, blueberries or raspberries.

There are so many nutrition benefits of eating YoCrunch yogurt, like Calcium (1 serving is like drinking 8 ounces of milk), protein (12 grams is double that of normal yogurt which has 6 grams) and probiotics which help your immune system.

As a RD I feel there are so many nutritional benefits of eating this yogurt I am not concerned about 14 grams of sugar. And, I have seen many yogurts that are over 25 grams!

Chere believes life is easy and we make it hard. She empowers people as a National Speaker, Media Spokesperson and Wellcoach® faculty member with the 5 key ingredients for savory living – purpose, energy, balance, happiness and health. Learn more here.

Tags: sugar, yogurt, youghurt

When I think of convenience food, things like frozen pizza, TV dinners and Hot Pockets come to mind.  I’m not a big fan of most these, because they tend to be highly processed, high in sodium and short on nutrition.  As a quick and easy meal once in a while, maybe, but as a regular item on my menu, no thanks.

I started thinking about why so many people have come to rely on convenience food as a staple, and the answer seems pretty clear.  The perception is they don’t have the time it takes to prepare healthy foods.  Now,  I know there many healthy foods that require time to make, but I decided to come up with a short list of  foods that are convenient, (i.e. requiring little to no preparation) and worthy of your consideration.  Each item has great nutritional value, and could make your efforts to eat healthier just a little bit easier!

Tags: healthy foods

The symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) can happen unexpectedly and are hard to ignore.  Sudden nausea, cold clammy skin, rapid heartbeat, weakness, inability to concentrate, or trembling gets one’s attention pretty quickly.  Low blood sugar can happen to anyone, but people with diabetes or pre-diabetes are particularly vulnerable to this situation.   Several common scenarios that can bring on the  symptoms of hypoglycemia  include:

• going for extended periods of time without eating
• a change in mealtime schedule or delayed meal time
• taking diabetes medications or insulin without eating adequate amounts of food
• improperly dosed much insulin or medication
• consuming concentrated amounts of sugar, followed by a rapid drop in blood sugar
• illness
• vigorous exercise

Someone who has had episodes of hypoglycemia will tell you how very unpleasant the experience is.  The symptoms can create a feeling of panic,  as well as urgency to get out of the situation as quickly as possible. Avoid the tendency to “over treat” hypoglycemia, by consuming too much sugar, too quickly.  While it is important to treat low blood sugar quickly, a stepwise approach called the “Rule of 15” can correct a low blood sugar effectively  in most cases.

Step 1.  Check your blood glucose using a glucose meter.  A reading of less than 70 mg/dl usually indicates the need to treat a low.

Step 2.  Consume 15 grams of carbohydrate, wait about 15 minutes, then recheck your blood glucose level again. If your blood glucose is still low, consume another 15 grams of carbohydrate, then recheck 15 minutes later. Since blood glucose levels may begin to drop again about 40–60 minutes after treatment, it is a good idea to recheck your blood glucose approximately one hour after treating a low.

Steep 3.  If you’ve had to treat the low blood sugar twice,  it’s probably a good idea to have a more substantial snack, that includes a source of protein, as well as carbohydrate:  Example:  cheese & crackers.

The “rule of 15” is an accepted method for treating hypoglycemia, but if you have specific instructions from your diabetes team to do otherwise,  follow those guidelines instead.

Here are several examples of items containing 15 grams of carbohydrate:

• 4 glucose tablets
• 1 dose of glucose gel -1 small tube is one dose
• 1/2 cup of orange juice or regular soda (not sugar-free)
• 1 tablespoon of sugar or 5 small sugar cubes
• 6–8 LifeSavers

Hypoglycemia can occur unexpectedly, so stay prepared by carrying a carbohydrate source with you at all times!

Tags: blood sugar

If you like hot cereal at breakfast and find yourself reaching for an instant oatmeal packet, I invite you to consider a different possibility. Cooking a whole grain for breakfast has the benefit of more fiber, better nutritional value, and little to no processing.

Oatmeal aficionados will tell you that the wonderful, nutty flavor and texture of steel cut oats will change your mind about oatmeal packets forever. I have to agree. Some people are reluctant to try this form of oatmeal because of the extra time (30 minutes or more) it takes to make this kind of cereal in the morning.

Want to learn how to make this heartier version of oatmeal without spending a lot of time? Watch this video and see how you can you can make this quickly and easily. The best part of this method is that you will have several servings of oatmeal, enough to have for a few days! Once it’s made all you will need in to do in the morning is microwave a portion for about 2 minutes. It really doesn’t get much easier than that!

Tags: breakfast, steel cut oats

Like most other people, I really like to bake and give away cookies at Christmas.  A favorite of mine is the delicious molasses cookie.  I’ve tried many recipes over the years and recently I found this one posted in Eating Well.  Same great cookie, but made over reducing the butter in the recipe.  Try it and I think you will see just how good these are.

Yummy Molasses Crackles

Preparation

1. Beat butter and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add egg and molasses. Mix well.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves and ginger in another large bowl until well blended. Stir in crystallized ginger.
3. Blend the flour mixture into the butter mixture a cup at a time, mixing well, until it is all incorporated. Chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
5. Place the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a shallow dish. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and then roll in the sugar. Place 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake the cookies, in batches, until they crackle on top, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Per cookie: 79 calories; 1 g fat ( 1 g sat , 0 g mono ); 9 mg cholesterol; 16 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 0 g fiber; 106 mg sodium; 43 mg potassium.

Carbohydrate Servings: 1

Exchanges: 1 carbohydrate (other)

Tags: Christmas Cookies, cookie recipe

Every day thousands of people learn that they have pre-diabetes.  That knowledge can make people react in different ways.  One person may feel panic or worry about what to do next and another may be very nonchalant and feel “it’s not really that bad!”   While people react to such news in a variety of ways, I prefer to think of the diagnosis as an opportunity to set things right again.

What is pre-diabetes?  It’s defined as a state that is between having normal blood sugar and type 2 diabetes. People with pre-diabetes are at-risk for developing type 2 Diabetes.

Instead of panic, or worse yet, ignoring the situation entirely, quick action is what really counts.  The good news is that if you begin to make positive lifestyle changes right away, you may be able to reverse the pre-diabetes and prevent diabetes altogether!  The more you understand the condition and what works to reverse it, the easier it will be to work on targeted lifestyle changes.

Be selective about where you get your pre-diabetes information.  While there are literally thousands of sources out there ready to give you advice, look for information that comes from established, reputable organizations or credentialed professionals such as the American Diabetes Association or a Certified Diabetes Educator.

Successfully treating pre-diabetes includes a well thought out wellness and lifestyle plan, with tangible goals that you work on one goal at a time. So what’s the most important thing to do first?  Decide to tackle the problem quickly. Pre-diabetes is often reversible, so use this opportunity to rid yourself of this condition.

To learn about the products I’ve developed to help you if you have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes click here.

Tags: pre-diabetes

Recently I came across a reality show called Extreme Couponing on The Learning Channel.  I don’t know how long the show has been on the air, but it seems to have quite the following.  The basic premise takes coupon redemption to an extreme to save money.  Each show highlights different stories about people who are very serious about the use of coupons.  Some have lost a job, or are supporting a large family, or just really motivated to save money.

The first step is to find an abundant source of coupons to clip from  newspaper inserts.  Couponers collect inserts from various sources, and the more they find, the better.  The next step involves serious study of the weekly store flyers to find the best deals where coupons can be redeemed.  The couponer crunches the numbers ahead of time to make sure that they are getting the item for free, for pennies on the dollar, or at a greatly reduced price.  Next comes the day of shopping and redemption of those coupons.

Each program I watched showed couponers who had converted a garage or spare room into organized stockpiles where they stored multiples of the “deals” they had gotten at the store.  The moment of truth was always at the checkout, when the final sum for baskets of merchandise was tallied up.  The result?  A staggering amount of stuff for not much money at all.

I applaud the effort and ingenuity of the serious couponer, especially when they get basic household essentials such as laundry detergent or toothpaste for little to no cost.  Clearly those are items in our baskets that really take a chunk out of the grocery budget. But something in the whole process really bothered me….that was the purchase of  food items with little nutritional value being bought in huge quantities.  Each story showed the couponer stocking up on massive amounts of edibles that have little to offer in the way of health or nutrition.   I couldn’t help but wonder if there was any money left to buy real food.

Manufacturers offer coupons for products like soft drinks, boxed macaroni and cheese, highly processed frozen foods, salty snack foods, etc.  The reality is, there are seldom money saving coupons for whole, nutritious foods.  If someone is using this coupon method exclusively, then buying nutritious food may very well be off the table.  So are coupon purchases for the processed foods a deal? Not if they are a big part of your life.   I really hope those very clever couponers have been resourceful enough to put some money aside to buy real, whole food!

Tags: extreme couponing

Unofficially, I regard Halloween as the start of the holiday eating season.  Many of clients tell me this is when their struggle with holiday food starts, and it remains a struggle right on through the end of the year.

If you are the type of person who eats candy because “it’s there”  resist the urge to stock up on your Halloween candy supply ahead of time.  Don’t purchase the stuff until you actually need it for the big day.  If it’s not there, then you won’t eat it!

After the Halloween candy has been distributed to the trick or treaters, there’s always the challenge of what to do with the leftover candy.  Before I became self-employed, well meaning co-workers usually brought leftover Halloween candy to share with everyone in the office.  This did not help those of us who were trying to avoid it much as possible.  In fact, a number of my clients cite their place of work as the worst environment for eating foods (candy, etc.) they would not normally eat.   So, you may want to refrain from unloading the leftovers at work; some of your co-workers may really appreciate that!

One of the simplest solutions for not having Halloween leftovers is to buy only the amount you need for your Halloween visitors.  This can be difficult to predict, but if you have a general idea of how many visitors you have, stick to what you think you will need.  I used to worry about running out of candy before the evening was over, but I found the perfect solution, that really keeps most kids happy.  I keep a roll of quarters on hand, and once I’m out of Halloween stock, the latecomers get a couple of quarters instead of the candy.  The kids are somewhat surprised by this, but, they really like getting the money!

The last solution for keeping out of the candy jar is to buy treats for your Halloween visitors, and not things that you really like yourself.  Perhaps having a bag of “fun size chocolate bars”, is going to be hard to resist.  On the other hand, if you purchase something kids like, but you don’t really care for, you are more likely to leave it alone.

If all else fails and you find yourself really craving some Halloween candy, go ahead and enjoy a little!  Make sure it’s something you really like, as there is little satisfaction in eating something that is mediocre.  Happy Halloween!

Tags: Halloween