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Greetings!
Will the heat ever end? Seriously, it's been a pretty hot summer here in NYC and in many parts of the country. That's one reason why I'm excited to share a light and delicious nutrient-packed smoothie recipe from Biggest Loser registered dietitian and best-selling author Cheryl Forberg in this week's newsletter. For those of you who have spent your summer with friends and family at the pool, beach, or simply the backyard, chances are you've been doing a lot of dipping....into big bowls of guacamole or salsa, that is! I'll share some skinny dipping strategies in my new galtime.com video: Delicious dips that won't bust your diet. You may be inclined to forgo popular dips because they've been linked to recent outbreaks of foodborne illness. While we can't prevent all cases of food poisoning, we can take extra precautions to maximize our safety. Avoid all perishables that are unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour in hot weather. It's okay to be a little bit of a nudge at your next party, get together, or restaurant meal in order to reduce your chances of spending time with a porcelain god. I always appreciate hearing from you! Thanks so much for sending me all your questions. Be sure to keep them coming, and look for answers in upcoming newsletters. You can post your questions on Facebook or on Twitter, or via email. If you enjoy receiving The ZIED GUIDE™ Newsletter, please pass it on to your friends (they can sign up at www.elisazied.com). Eat well & live long, Elisa |
Peachy Kefir Smoothie
Here's what Cheryl Forberg, RD, creator of this delicious Peachy Kefir Smoothie, has to say about its many healthful ingredients:
"Probiotics are healthy
bacteria that discourage the growth of harmful bacteria. Some manufacturers add
"live" healthy bacteria cultures to their dairy or soy products during
processing to enhance the health-promoting potential. Kefir is a thick
creamy tangy beverage that's similar to drinking yogurt, except it also
contains beneficial yeast and friendly 'probiotic' bacteria (similar to
those found in yogurt). Together, the bacteria and yeast in kefir combine to
provide a variety of health benefits when consumed regularly.
I love using kefir in smoothies because
it allows me to replace two of my typical smoothie ingredients (yogurt and
milk) with one. I'm loving peach smoothies this month since their
are so many stone fruits at their prime. You can substitute most any kind of
fruit in this smoothie during the winter months when fruit varieties are more
limited. If fresh peaches aren't available, frozen
are fine - just eliminate the added ice."
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients:
1 cup plain lowfat kefir
1 large VERY RIPE peach, diced (about 3/4 cup diced peaches)
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch nutmeg
6 ice cubes
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in jar of a blender and
puree until smooth. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 90 Total Fat: 1.5 g Sat Fat: 1 g Cholesterol: 5 mg Sodium: 70 mg Total Carb: 14 g Dietary Fiber: 1 g Sugar: 12 g Protein: 5 g Calcium: 15% Iron: 2% Vitamin A: 6% Vitamin C: 8%
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Your Question Answered
What's the recommended
sugar allowance per day from all foods, not just from added sugar? ~Melissa Vigdor, Boston,
Mass
According to the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans that are unveiled and amended every five years (the
next version is due out next Winter), there are no specific recommendations for
total sugar intake. However, added sugars are part of "discretionary
calories" - these are calories allotted for foods made with added sugars and/or solid fats (or, someone can forgo all such foods and get these "extra calories" from larger portions of foods from the basic food groups). The
guidelines allot a total of 267 calories (to be exact!) for discretionary or
"extra calories"; the guidelines recommend that about half of those calories (about 128
calories) can come from added sugars (that's about 32 grams, or 8 teaspoons, per
day).
As for naturally occurring
sugar, you'll find it in several places in the diet; for example, lactose is
found in milk and milk products (yogurt, cheese etc); fructose is found in
fruits and some veggies; table sugar and honey are also considered naturally
occurring sugars (their calories count as discretionary calories).
According to the Dietary
Reference Intakes (DRIs), digestible carbohydrates (that includes starches and both
added and naturally occurring sugars) should make up about 45 to 65% of total
daily calorie intake for Americans. For 2,000 calories, that's 900 to 1,300
calories.
Instead of focusing too
much on foods in terms of their sugar content (whether added or natural), it's
wise to simply try to consume mostly healthful, nutrient-dense foods throughout
each day. Despite the bad rap sugar gets, foods that naturally contain sugar, fruit, veggies, and skim milk to name a few, are healthful and packed with
nutrients. For a 2,000 calorie dietary pattern, the following foods (that naturally contain sugar) are recommended:
2 cups of fruit, 2.5 cups of veggies, and 3 cups of milk. Consuming 6 1-ounce
equivalents of grains (with an emphasis on whole grains) and 5.5 1 ounce
equivalents of meat and beans round out a healthful diet.
Nutrition At Your Fingertips is jam packed with science-based but easy to understand answers to this and so many other nutrition and diet-related questions, so please check it out!
  
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Be sure to check out my recent videos and articles on Galtime.com and subscribe to my YouTube.com channel where you can find dozens of my short and sweet video tips. And check out MSNBC.com's Chew on This for my columns as well as my monthly blog on CalorieCount.com.
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As always, be sure to check out elisazied.com for my recent ZIED GUIDE™ blog posts and to subscribe to this newsletter (if you haven't already).
And feel free to reach out to me with your burning nutrition questions on facebook, on twitter, or via email elisa@elisazied.com.
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