The year brought many changes in the world of food including a new food icon from the USDA and new guidelines for cooking pork from the same organization. We studied the news and provided our take on what these changes mean to us as weight loss surgery patients. And along the way we shared some great recipes many of you found delicious, easy to prepare and family friendly. Here are the top requested Cooking with Kaye newsletters from 2011:
Lower the Temp-Raise the Enjoyment!June 1, 2011
Late last month (May 2011) the United States Department of Agriculture announced new cooking guidelines for pork and this is GREAT news for weight loss surgery patients. The old guidelines called for cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160 Degrees Fahrenheit. These high cooking temperatures were appropriate many years ago when pork contained much more fat and was also prone to carrying food borne illness. Advances in pork breeding now produce a leaner meat and improved standards in farming have decreased the chance of pork carrying illness causing bacteria. Now we may safely cook pork to an internal temperature of 145F. Cooked to this standard pork is juicier and more palatable. For those of us with weight loss surgery and following the liquid restrictions (no liquid with meals) a more succulent piece of meat is essential for our culinary enjoyment and pouch comfort.
In today's cooking with Kaye we have filled the page with great recipes starring pork that are high in protein and flavor. Give these recipes a try and I think you will enjoy pork more than ever before.
Recipes:
Caribbean Pork Kabobs
Grilled Peppered Pork Chops with Mediterranean Relish
Peppered Pork Chops with Peach-Vinegar Glaze
Creamy Dijon Pork Chops
Herbed Pork Chops
Carolina Country Style Ribs
Link to Newsletter
Making A Healthy Plate for LivingAfterWLS!June 3, 2011
After 19 years the USDA has this week updated food guidelines in a move that makes a lot of sense: a Food Plate. The flagship icon is a color-blocked dinner plate (shown at left) with sections to represent four food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains and protein, with a side serving of dairy. According to Kathleen Zelman, RD with WebMD, "We now have an easy-to-understand layout of what constitutes a healthy meal. Whether you are grocery shopping, packing lunches, or assembling a meal on a plate, the new food plan icon will serve as a constant reminder of the essential ingredients for a nutritious meal -- five easy pieces."
These guidelines are written for the population in general and they are a great improvement over the ambiguity of the iconic 19-year-old pyramid.
But for those of us managing our weight with bariatric surgery by following the high protein diet and Four Rules recommended by our surgeons the new simple diagram needs a few more details. I feel it is safe to say that all of us are invested in a healthier life when we undergo surgical weight loss and we know and learn (and re-learn) that a healthier way of life takes vigilance and lots and lots of hard work. The comprehensive "Choose My Plate" program that accompanies the new plate icon is a terrific addition to our health management toolbox.
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Grains, Healthy Plate & WLS: Making it WorkJune 14, 2011
This is our second Cooking with Kaye to discuss the newly introduced USDA Food Plate that replaced the 19-year-old Food Pyramid last month. Today we are discussing grains and the role they play in our diet after weight loss surgery. In the early months and even years following surgery a goodly number of patients report difficulty and discomfort when eating rice, pasta, and bread. "It just feels like a big ball is stuck" is a common description when we test drive pasta or rice after surgery and it does not go well.
One reason we struggle with pasta or grains is that we do not chew them as well as we do other nutrients like solid protein. They are soft and down they go before being broken down by mastication. We can compound the problem by eating ahead of our pouch. By that I mean without realizing it, because the food is soft and goes down easy, we eat more volume than our pouch can hold. The warmth of the stomach, the gastric juices, and the partially chewed pasta actually do churn into a lump of sorts and in my experience it is painful to be in this predicament.
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Recipes:
Scallops with Chipotle-Orange Sauce
Black Bean Salad with Quinoa
Yellow Pepper Rice
Almond Rice
Chickpea and Couscous Salad
Couscous Pilaf
Rice Pilaf with Green Onions
are the four most requested LivingAfterWLS Weekly Digests for 2011. Our digests are prepared for our ever growing community of Weight Loss Surgery patients of all currently practiced procedures. We focus on the big picture and the long journey that takes us beyond the first year after bariatric surgery into a lifetime of weight management and better health with the help of our weight loss surgery tool. You can find all of our digests in the online archive: 