by Kcurly on January 7, 2010
Sweet potatoes are a nutrient dense and delicious food.
Sweet potatoes are high in beta carotene, complex carbs, Vitamin C and A, fiber, and potassium. The Center for Science in the Public Interest named the sweet potato as the number one veggie. And here’s something that might suprise you (from FoodReference.com ):
Among root vegetables, sweet potatoes offer the lowest glycemic index rating. That’s because the sweet potato digests slowly, causing a gradual rise in blood sugar so you feel satisfied longer. It’s time to move sweet potatoes to the “good” carb list. Many of the most popular diets these days have already.
Missing sweets? Grab a sweet potato! I grew up on sweet potatoes, usually in a casserole loaded with extra sugar. However, we also ate them by themselves or with cinnamon. They are plenty sweet on their own. Many a late night panic run to the Dairy Queen has been avoided at my house thanks to the sweet potato!
Missing chips? Sometimes it’s just fun to have something to snack on that’s crunchy. A lot of companies make sweet potato chips. My local grocery carries the brand pictured below, but there are others. My son also thinks he’s getting a treat when he eats these. Beware of restaurant sweet potato chips as these can often be deep fried and soaked in butter. Baked is the way to go!
Terra Sweet Potato Chips
Sweet Potato Nutrition Facts
(for one medium size sweet potato)
Calories 130
Fat 0.39 g
Protein 2.15 g
Net Carbs 31.56 g
Dietary Fiber 3.9 g
Calcium 28.6 mg
Sodium 16.9 mg
Potassium 265.2 mg
Folate 18.2 mcg
Vitamin C 29.51 mg
Vitamin A 26081.9 IU
Source: US Department of Agriculture
by Kcurly on December 30, 2009
This post is the first in a series on healthy substitutes to some of the things you love, but that don’t love you back.
I am a sucker for Mayo on my turkey sandwich. A coworker once told me that pureed or mashed avocado was a great substitute for mayo. I was a bit skeptical until I tried it a few days later. Not exactly the same as mayo but it still adds a little something to your sandwich. It has that same rich and creamy feeling.
The key to doing this is to get the avocado very creamy by whipping it with a fork or using a hand mixer. Make sure you use a ripe fruit. I have also added just a tad bit of ranch dressing or vinegar to give it a little zing.
Let’s compare: One tablespoon of Mayo is about 100 calories and 10-11 grams of fat. One tablespoon of avocado is roughly 40 calories and 4-5 grams of fat.
Benefits of avocado:
- has been shown to lower cholesterol
- contains monounsaturatted fats (good fats)
- has 60 percent more potassium than bananas
- contain the highest fiber content of any fruit
- rich in Vitamin B, E, and K
If you have trouble getting in your daily fruits, this is a great way to incorporate them.
Still love your mayo more than life itself?
Mayo is not necessarily terrible and has even been found to have some health benefits such as vitamin E and fats from soybean oils. The amount that the average person uses can be more than enough. Tone down your usage of it and carefully monitor how much you eat.
Also, consider a mayo made with olive oil.
by Kcurly on November 2, 2009
For the last three or four weeks, I may not have been following my calorie restriction and I may have eaten a ton of Halloween candy. But one thing I can brag about is having kicked the addiction to diet soda. A lot of you may be wondering what the big deal is. If you’re like I was, having a three or four cokes a day was okay, especially if they’re diet. For me, it was a way to avoid overeating, something fun to drink during a movie or when out with friends.
Growing up, I rarely drank soda. We drank water or juice, mostly water. When we did have a soda, it was never diet and usually on the weekends or when going out to eat. As a teenager, I never had a drop of acne and I credit that to all the water I drank.I also never had cavities until the end of my college years.
Fast forward to college and I’m drinking a Sunkist everyday. Talk about the freshman 15! (Or is it 20?) Then I discover DIET beverages (cue the angels singing). This was the answer I was looking for, or so I thought. I’ve been drinking them ever since. I did switch from aspartame to Splenda at one point, but quickly came back to the aspartame.
Since college, I’ve suffered from mild headaches off and on. If I stopped drinking my sodas, I would get splitting headaches from caffeine withdrawl. Quitting sodas significantly lessened the following:
- constant bloating
- frequent headaches
- tired, burnout feeling
- acne and dull looking skin
It’s a hard habit to quit though. For some people, it’s a part of daily life. But it can be done! Here are some tips for quitting soda that helped me:
- Don’t try to quit cold turkey. Cut back to one a day or two depending on how much you drink on a daily basis. Cutting it out completely will only make you want it more.
- Once you’re down to one or two,try drinking diluted fruit juice in its place. If you feel strong enough, go ahead and just drink water instead.
- If you need caffeine just to help get you going in the morning, try a cup of coffee or tea sweetened with honey. I only drink honey in my coffee, unless I’m at work and then I’ll just have a pack of sugar. I try to avoid artificial sweeteners period. Honey and sugar are extra calories, but honey is full of nutrients and antibiotic properties and sugar is only about 15 calories per teaspoon. Of course moderation has to be utilized with both.
- A lot of people are just addicted to the action of drinking soda. They like the feel of the bubbles, etc. If you’re having a hard time, try using some juice diluted in seltzer water to get you on the road to recovery. Juices are not all nutritionally dense, so try not to overdo it.
- Be warned that you may experience withdrawal from both sugar and caffeine if you’re a heavy soda drinker. That can include headaches,
Here is an interesting article that explains what sodas do to the body.
