Portion Size vs Serving Size

Portion size and serving size are similar to than and then. While the terms are often used interchangeably, similar to the grammar fiasco of ‘then’ and ‘than,’ they mean different things. You however, being the smart person that you are, are wise enough to turn to me, your nutrition guru, for a little help. As always, I came to your nutritional rescue and took the liberty to write about this fiasco for this week's blog. Without further ado, I give you portion size vs serving size...

Portion Size vs Serving Size

Serving size is the amount of food listed on a product’s nutrition facts label.  In no way is it a recommendation of how much of said product/food you should eat. How are these serving sizes determined you ask? Well, basically with a serving size, the company can chose at random what to make the serving size. One good example of this is cereal. Some cereals list a serving size as ¾ cup, 1 cup, or 1 ½ cups. 

Portion size is the amount of food you serve yourself (or are served in the instance of dining out) at any given time, which can be more or less than the serving size, and is entirely controlled by none other than your lovely self or whoever is handing you your food. To help illustrate what I am talking about, here is what I consider a portion size of chips, given my inability to stop eating them once I start...

Meanwhile, the serving size is this…

I mean, how many chips is that even? Maybe 10 or 12 chips, really?!? If I have a whole bag of chips in front of me, I am definitely going to eat more than 10 or 12 chips, which is why I cannot keep chips in my house. For further visualization on things other than chips, check out this video: 

Serving vs Serving Size

In a world where there is already information overload, leave it to us to complicate things a little more. Just as there is a difference between portion size and serving size, within a serving and a serving size. Obviously we have already gone over what a serving size is so I will spare you the redundancy. Now on to what a serving is. According to the Academy for Nutrition & Dietetics a serving is the amount of recommended in consumer education materials such as MyPlate. Pretty vague right? You have probably/hopefully heard that you are suppose to get three servings of dairy a day or that you should eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables.

Ok Beth…so…what is constitutes a serving?

Despite all the flack and negative sayings about assuming, I have assumed you would ask this question, so being the awesome Dietitian that I am, I have provided you with some tips to guide you below:

• Vegetables: 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables; ½ cup of other vegetables, raw or cooked; ½ cup of juice
• Fruits: 1 medium fruit (medium is defined as the size of a baseball); ½ cup chopped, cooked or canned fruit; ½ cup small fruit, like berries or grapes; ½ cup juice
• Meat, Poultry, Fish, Eggs:  2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish (about the size of a  deck of cards); 1 egg , 2 egg whites, or ¼ cup liquid egg substitute 
• Beans and Nuts: ½ cup cooked beans, lentils or peas; ¼ cup nuts; 2 tablespoons nut butter
• Grains: 1 slice of bread, 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal, ½ cup of cooked cereal, rice or pasta 
• Milk, Yogurt and Cheese: 1 cup of milk or yogurt, 1.5 ounces of cheese; ½  cup of cottage cheese

What does this matter Beth?

Well if I look at the nutrition information for one serving of chips and see that they are 120 calories, I don’t feel quite so bad. But when I stop lying to myself and do the math because in fact I ate three servings, that’s when the guilt starts to set in. Now that I have consumed 360 calories instead of the 120 I initially thought I was consuming, I need to take that into account and balance my diet for the rest of the day to avoid "over doing it."

Breaking it down

Basically what I am getting to here is to look at the serving size and to be honest with yourself. Again, I just want to reiterate, that serving size is not in any way, shape, or form a recommendation of how much of a product/food you should eat. After all, should anyone ever really be eating Twinkies? I think it is pretty safe to say that we all know what foods we should be eating less of (foods high in sugar, salt, and fat) and more of (fruits and vegetables). Does this mean that you should never eat "bad" foods? No, just do so only on occasionally and in moderation. One simple way that I avoid overeating foods that I tend to binge on is to first of all not keep them in the house so that I actually have to physically go get them. My second tip would be to purchase them in the single serving size. This way I get my fix without over doing it and don't have any left over to binge on later. Chances are I will be too lazy to actually go get them anyways. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to go stuff myself with six crackers...

Oh and by the way, 'than' is a conjunction used in comparisons. 'Then' refers to the order in which things happen. Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth

Decoding a Food Label

I will admit it….I am one of those super annoying, pretentious people who stand in the middle of the grocery store aisle and read the food label. If I am really going to be honest here though, I usually end up at the grocery store in workout clothes regardless of the fact if I have actually worked out or not. They are much more socially acceptable than pajamas and at least gives the illusion that I have worked out. 

In between doing squats and lounges down the aisle to showcase my fitness, I occasionally over hear  people trying to make sense of all of the information on a food label. If I am feeling nice that day and the person doesn't look like the type of person who will want to continue to talk to me about all things nutrition for 20 minutes, I will chime in with my superb nutrition knowledge J

If you are an avid reader of my blog, you will know that I like to use memes to help get my point across. Unfortunately, there aren't really any memes for this, however I did find a marketing fail...

This gentleman has the right idea of looking at the food label; except for he is looking at dog treats and not human food. This poor guy is so bamboozled and overwhelmed by food labels he can’t decipher between dog treats and human food. Well, as you your nutrition superstar, I will not stand for this. No longer should people be so clueless that they end up eating dog food! For this week’s blog I will help you all decode a food label...get excited!

To start with, there are two parts of a food label, the nutrition facts panel and the ingredients list.

Nutrition Facts Panel

This is the nutrition facts panel…

I know what you are thinking, “Ugh…more stupid numbers that don’t mean anything to me.” This is why I am going to break it down and simplify it for you with this cheat sheet:

Below are a couple simple steps that you can take to help you out:

• Check the serving size: This simple mistake or not looking at the serving size can throw off your entire judgment as to whether a product is “good” or “bad.” To exemplify this, check out this label for the Girl Scouts’ infamous Samosas

Note that the serving size is TWO cookies. I repeat TWO cookies. How many of you actually only eat two cookies when you have an entire sleeve staring you in the face?

My guess is it goes a little something like this...

•  Look at the calories: To put this into a generalized perspective, 2,000 calories a day is the rule of thumb for how many calories the average person needs a day. Again, this is a very general rule of thumb. If you would like a more accurate picture of how many calories you need in a day, I would recommend using MyFitnessPal. Anyways, going back to the Samosas, 140 calories for two cookies isn’t terrible, but they are small cookies and who only eats two?
• Check out the % Daily Value: I am not going to waste my breath on this one; just know that 5% or less is low and 20% or more is high.
• Look to limit not as healthy nutrients: These include fat, cholesterol, and sodium. If you look on the cheat sheet, the nutrients you want to limit are the ones highlighted in light blue. Use the % Daily Value to guide you to products that are lower in these nutrients.
• Get enough of the good stuff: This includes vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. On the cheat sheet these are highlighted in yellow. Again, use the % Daily Value to help guide you.     

Ingredient List

To be honest, when I am looking at a food label, I really don’t pay much attention to the nutrition facts panel. Yeah, I may briefly glimpse at calories, fat, and sodium, but I am usually more concerned about the ingredient list. I think it is important to know what you are eating. That being said, here are a couple of rules of thumb that I use:

• Avoid long lists: Some experts say five ingredients are less, but for some that might be a little restrictive. There goes any bottled salad dressing, crackers. chips, etc. Personally, I love Teddy Grahams and they have way more than five ingredients, so I make an exception.
•  Avoid words you can’t pronounce: Having a science background, I like to think that I am pretty smart, so when I come to an ingredient that I can’t pronounce it makes me question if I really want to eat it. Since I am so smart and can pronounce many chemistry-based words, I default to a slightly modified rule for this. I stop and think to myself, “would be mother be able to pronounce this word?” As you all like to say in the south, bless her heart but…this is the woman who has a “fracaccino” machine.

Breaking it down

Chances are if a food has a label on it, it has been highly processed and is not the healthiest option for you. You may have noticed that fresh fruits and vegetables do not have a label on them, so you don’t need to worry about decoding a food label. However, if they did here is what it would look like

The ingredient list would read as follows: peach. Pretty simple right? I mean even my mother can pronounce that :) Now if you will excuse me, I need to go get a "facaccino." Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth

Don't Be Salty: Sodium

I have a confession to make to all of you. When I was a child I LOVED salt. Why? I am not really sure. I loved salt so much as I child that I would lick peanut shells and occasionally eat playdough. Does this qualify me as weird, probably but hey it was better than eating paint chips right?!? Just to clear up any questions you may have about this, no I did not have a preference for what color it was and no I did not shape it into any particular food before I ate it.

I like to think that I was very stealth about it and hid in the corner of the basement while doing so. One could venture to say that I had a salt addiction. Even today, I often crave salty foods over sweet ones, which brings me to the topic of today’s blog: Salt.

What is salt?

I am going to go out on a limb here and assume that all of you know what salt is. To get a little dorky on you, the chemical name of salt is sodium chloride. The main component of salt that warrants our attention is sodium, which is what appears on a food label, not salt.

Often salt and sodium are used interchangeably, but now you know that they do not mean the same thing.

Blah, blah, blah Beth, what does it matter?

Why I am so glad that you asked! Sodium is one of the most over consumed nutrients in America. Sodium causes your body to retain water, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but over time can cause some health issues. Over consumption of sodium can lead to high blood pressure, heart diseases, kidney disease, and stroke. 

What is sodium used for?

Sodium is mostly used for flavor to make not so great foods more palatable. Think of saltine crackers for example. Would they taste good if they didn’t contain sodium? My guess would be no. This is why it is considered an insult to a chef if you add salt to their food. It is also used as a way to preserve foods and for anti-caking (mostly in processed foods).

Sources of sodium

Now sodium is a sneaky guy, who hides in unsuspecting foods, kind of like in this creepy ad…

People tend to think that the majority of the sodium that they eat comes from either yourselves or whoever is preparing your food simply taking the saltshaker and sprinkling it on whatever it is you are eating. Another popular commonly cited source of sodium is canned vegetables. While they do contain quite a bit of sodium, they are not the largest contributor to sodium in our diets either. Think about it, how often do you eat canned vegetables? My guess is not that often.  The largest contributor of sodium in the diet is refined grains (sandwiches, breads, pasta, rice, mixed dishes, pizza, desserts, sweet snacks, crackers and chips). Note: mixed dishes include: Burgers and sandwiches, grain dishes pizza, meat & poultry, and soups. Surprised? If you think about it, it makes sense. While none of these items alone are staggering in sodium content, you probably eat these multiple of these items on a daily basis. 

How much sodium should I eat?

The American Heart Association advises to consume no more than 2,300 mg/day of sodium for healthy individuals and 1,500 mg/day for people are more sensitive to the effects of sodium (If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease, if you are African American, or if you are 51 years of age or older).

Now I know what you are probably thinking, “ How much is 2,300mg or how much is 1,500mg?” Luckily your favorite Dietitian has got your back yet again! 2,300mg equates to about 1 teaspoon and 1,500mg equates to ¾ teaspoon. Since most of the sodium in our diet does not come from us sprinkling it on, rather it is already in the foods we eat, a simple guide to use when looking at the food label is…

·     5%DV (120 mg) or less of sodium per serving is low

·     20%DV (480 mg) or more of sodium per serving is high

What about those fancy salts like pink salt and sea salt?

Take a trip down the grocery store aisle and you can find all kinds of fancy salts from Kosher salt, Himalayan pink salt, sea salt, and the ever so fancy fleur de sal. I commonly get asked which one is better. Well, you might just want to hold on Iggy Azalea, 

 I hate to break it to you, but from a health perspective salt is salt no matter what type it is. Sea salt and all of those other salts contain just as much sodium as regular table salt (iodized salt). Granted some may have a few more minerals in them, but they are not worth the price unless you are purchasing them for the culinary aspect (taste) of them.  

Sodium labeling

Ever walk through the canned food aisle and see stuff labeled as low sodium, reduced sodium, or no salt added and wondered what it actually means? Well, leave it to your favorite Dietitian yet again to help you out on this one.

·       Salt/Sodium-Free → Less than 5 mg of sodium per serving

·       Very Low Sodium → 35 mg of sodium or less per serving

·       Low Sodium → 140 mg of sodium or less per serving

·       Reduced Sodium → At least 25% less sodium than in the original product

·       Light in Sodium or Lightly Salted → At least 50% less sodium than the regular product

·       No-Salt-Added or Unsalted → No salt is added during processing, but not necessarily sodium-free. Check the Nutrition Facts Label to be sure!

Breaking it down

Just throwing away your saltshaker isn’t going to help if you are trying to reduce the amount of sodium in your diet; you need to cut back on refined grains and processed foods. Now, I love pizza just as much as the next guy, but I don't eat it on a daily basis. Along those lines, you know what naturally doesn’t contain any salt? Fruits and (non-canned) vegetables! Just saying. Again, I just want to reiterate, no need to splurge on sea salt or Himalayan pink salt unless you are buying them for the flavor. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go make myself a playdough salad. Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth

Cooking: No Longer Just French Propaganda

Have you ever thumbed through recipes only to see words such as julienne, flambé, or chiffonnade? Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t know French…at all. Before I became the culinary genius that I am today (note sarcasm), I would have felt dumb and skipped to an English recipe, avoiding all of that French propaganda.  

Before my interest and knowledge of cooking grew, my mother always teased me growing up that I couldn’t make a cake that even had the instructions on the box. In my defense, I totally could I just chose not to so I wouldn’t have to do it. Just like whenever I mowed the lawn, I always did a bad job (not mowing in a straight line, getting the mower stuck in the ditch, and occasionally running into trees) so I would not be asked to do it again. If I do say so, those were both pretty smart moves on my part.

Fast-forward about 15 years and I still probably can’t mow in a straight line, but I can hold my own in the kitchen. How did this culinary transformation take place you ask? Well I did take home economics in high school but I really didn’t learn much given that we had what were called free labs where we typically brought in frozen pizza, Lipton noodles, and brownies from a box. Did I learn to cook from my mother or grandmother? Not really unless you count browning hamburger for Hamburger Helper and other very simple things pertaining to cooking meat, which has been lost on me since I am now a vegetarian.

I actually learned quite a bit just solely watching the Food Network and picking up tips from reading cooking magazines. Now that I work closely with our chefs here on campus, if I ever have a question I can just ask them. Unfortunately, many of you do not have this luxury of pestering a chef.

Having watched one of my brothers wave around a knife like a serial killer this past Thanksgiving, I quickly knew that he didn’t learn anything in home economics either. Knowing that my brother isn’t the only one to wave around a knife like a serial killer, this got me to thinking. Aside from taking cooking classes, which can be expensive, how does one learn basic culinary skills?

As always, I have your back on this one. I was perusing through Facebook recently and saw that the New York Times released their Cooking website and app. Big whoop, right? I mean there are a million of websites out there with recipes filled with French propaganda. Upon browsing this new website, I did find one component that I found extremely helpful. They have a collection of videos on basic cooking techniques.

There are videos ranging from how to dice an onion to how to frost a cake. One that everybody should watch, especially if you ever cook in front of me, is how to hold a knife.  You will definitely impress your friends and family with how you properly hold a knife to do this..

Why does cooking matter?

I like to cook for myself for a couple of reasons. Being the pseudo-hippy vegetarian that I am, I can make sure that my food is vegetarian and I can control how much oil, sugar, salt, etc goes into it.  I also don’t have to rely on this as “cooking"…

Instead of relying Hamburger Helper and Chef Boyardee, I can whip up a healthy meal in just as little time that is both healthier and tastier. Now if you will excuse me, I have to use my superior knife skills to open my frozen pizza. Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth

Gardening: Get Your Grandma On

I have a confession to make to all of you. I do not consider myself to be a grandma by any means, but I have a garden. By garden I mean I have like five vegetable plants, which I affectionately call my farm. Am I good at it? Not really. I try to talk like I know what I am doing, but I am really just an amateur. People seem to buy it though and act impressed when I tell them that I have a farm. Does this make me a grandma? I am not sure but without further ado, here is today's blog...

If you google image search gardening you are greeted by images of three types of people. These three types of people portrayed are as follows: grandmas, kids, and hipsters. Case in point….

This picture is starting to change a little bit. Gardening is starting to move away from just being a favorite hobby of grandmas and hipsters and is spreading to the wider public. With the gardening movement coming to campus with the UNC Charlotte Community Garden Club breaking ground on a garden for students this Friday, I figured there was no time like the present to write about gardening and briefly touch on local food.

Why do people garden?

Well, there are quite a few reasons as to why people garden but one of the biggest one is to grow their own fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Yes, there are some people who grow things that are inedible, but my thought is why go through with the whole process if you can’t eat. Anyways, by growing your own produce you save yourself a trip to the grocery store.  With the cost of seeds or seedlings being next to nothing, it is cheaper as well.  Also, there is the benefit of consuming local fruits and vegetables, but more on that later.

Another point of interest is that it is better for the environment. Instead of getting tomatoes shipped from Timbuktu to the local grocery store, then you getting in your car to go store to purchase them, you can just walk out your back door and pick one off the plant.

What if I don’t know how?

There are tons of resources out there.  Some of the ones I would recommend are Master Gardeners and Home Gardening.

What if I don’t have space?

You must have not been on Pinetrest in awhile or watched many infomercials lately. Topsy Turvy anyone?

There are tons of ways to grow fruits, vegetables, or herbs in small spaces. From old shoes, to egg shells and everything in between, you can grow plants in just about anything so you don’t necessarily need splurge on that Chia Herb Garden set.

What if I don’t like bugs?

I am with you on that one. After having some fierce battles with caterpillars like these this past summer and almost being attacked by a praying mantis (why yes I did scream like a little girl during both of these battles), I have started to get a little bit braver, but when I really just can’t, I call upon my roommate. If you need her bug removal services let me know and I will send her your way. She prefers to be payed in Doritos by the way.

By the way, did you know that they have green blood?!?

Isn’t there an easier way?

If you really have a black thumb but still want the benefits of eating locally grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs check out local farmers markets or produce stands. There you will have access to fresh locally grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs without having to get dirty or deal with bugs.

Are locally grown and fruits and vegetables healthier for you?

I am going to attempt to answer this without jumping on my hippy soapbox. While there is not a huge difference in terms of levels of vitamins and minerals, there is still a difference. For example, a tomato from Timbuktu is picked before it fully ripe to allow it to hold up for the trip to your local grocery store. Since it was not allowed to fully ripen before it is picked and has a trip that is going to take a couple of days if not weeks, it never got to reach the level of vitamins and minerals that would have otherwise and starts losing them once it is picked. On the other hand, local produce found at farmers markets or roadside stands usually is picked within 24-48 hours of when it is sold and there is no thousand mile journey so it can be picked when fully ripe. Now is this difference going to prevent you from getting cancer or becoming overweight? Nope. The main difference is in the taste. I can guarantee you that a locally grown tomato is going to taste better than one from Timbuktu every time. (Note: I do not know if tomatoes can even actually grow in Timbuktu I only use it because that is where my mother always threatened to send me when I was younger)

If you are on campus and want to check out or get involved with garden check them out…

Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth