Tools, Recipe & Tips To enjoy

The Holidays & All Year Around

The holidays are here! Which means lots of family and office gathering with lots of FOOD! But it doesn't have to mean extra pounds. Even holiday treats can fit into a healthy eating plan. The key is balance, moderation and some precautions.

Mastering a few cooking techniques can help you create a healthier diet without losing out on flavor. Here are great tips to follow:

• Cut down on saturated fat in creamy dressings by mixing in some nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt.
• You can cook with a minimum of oil or vegetable oil spray by using non-stick cookware.
• For a wonderful flavor enhancer, sprinkle food with vinegar or citrus juice. Add it at the last minute so the flavor is at its strongest.
• Substitute chopped vegetables for some of the bread in your stuffing recipe.
• Gather around the fire with family and friends to enjoy lower fat hot chocolate and share favorite table games and sharing holiday memories.
• Offer fresh fruit salad and variety of vegetables in addition to traditional side dishes such as stuffing or mashed potatoes at your holiday meals
• Setting out healthy snacks like roasted almonds. At 160 calories per serving, they're packed with protein and vitamin E. Other smart choices include fruit or low-fat yogurt. Choosing foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol helps reduce total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol.
• For more ideas and recipes to serve your guests a variety of fruits and vegetables check out http://www.cdc.gov/5aday

Try going to your farmer's market or grocery store and selecting fresh fruits and vegetables. Place all your tasty treats in a basket, and you have a present packed with tasty fruits and vegetables.

Let the holiday spirit move you!.

Gaining weight is now a part that comes with the holidays traditions .To avoid holiday weight gain, balance the calories you consume with the calories you burn.

Physical activity and moderate food choices will help!

If you make your family time active, you will become healthier and have fun doing so. Be adventurous and try something new, but also choose something all the family enjoys

Here a Delicious & Healthy Heart Recipe to Enjoy!

Turkey with cranberry sauce

Preparation time: 25 min.

• Low Fat!
• Low Cholesterol!
• Low Sodium

Nutrition information per serving:

• 181 calories
• 27g. protein
• 10 g carbohydrate
• 3 g fat
• 62 mg cholesterol
• 358 mg potassium

Ingredients:

• 1 2 1/ 2 to 3 pounds turkey
• 1 1 / 2 cups cranberries
• 1 / 2 cup shredded carrot
• 1 / 2 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
• 1 / 2 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 1 / 8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon water
• 2 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions:

1. Thaw turkey, if frozen. Rinse turkey and pat dry.
2. Place turkey breast, bone side down, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest portion of the breast. Cover breast loosely with foil.
3. Roast in a 325 oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until thermometer registers 165. Remove foil the last 30 minutes of roasting. Let turkey stand, covered, for 15 minutes before slicing.
4. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan combine cranberries, shredded carrot peel, orange juice, raisins, sugar, and cloves. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 3 to 4 minutes or till cranberry skins pop.
5. In a small bowl combine water and cornstarch. Stir into cranberries in saucepan. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more.

Serve turkey with cranberry sauce and mash potatoes or cook vegetables. Makes 8 servings.

To find more tips like these plus more than 600 fabulous, heart-healthy recipes visit the American Heart Association at AmericanHeart.org/cookbooks.

Finally, kids can have fun and learn about good nutrition!

The New Kid's Food Guide Pyramid

A Gift from the United States Department of Agriculture, USDA

By Katie Bogue, R.D. San Diego and Imperial Regional Nutrition Network

Have you seen the new food guide pyramid for kids? This bright-colored food guide shows children how fun it is to eat healthy foods and be physically active. The best part of the new pyramid is that it can be tailored just to your child, based on his/her age, gender, and activity level. You can go to www.mypyramid.gov and enter this information, and the number of cups or ounces your child needs of each food group will be displayed. This is a great tool to print out and post on the refrigerator to track healthy eating! There is a new food guide pyramid for adults, too. Log on to www.mypyramid.gov to discover what a healthy eating plan looks like for you.

Let's take a closer look at this new pyramid:

Kids should aim to be active for at least 60 minutes most days of the week.

Food pictures below the pyramid show common foods found in each food group. This makes it easy to know what foods belong in each group.

Encourage your children to play the fun pyramid blast-off game at http://www.mypyramid.gov/kids/kids_game.html or color a worksheet at http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/resources/mpk_coloring.pdf

How to Enjoy Holiday Feasts Without Sacrificing Health

BY: VICKI PEPPER, RD, KAISER PERMANENTE

Ah, the holidays. It's that time of year again. For most of us, Thanksgiving and all the holidays that follow conjure up the image of festive family gatherings, warm, cozy evenings by the fireplace - and tasty holiday meals.

But for many, the holidays also mark the beginning of a six-week feeding frenzy that spans from the carving of the turkey through the last fleeting seconds of Super Bowl Sunday, according to Kaiser Permanente registered dietitians and nutritionists in San Diego. And for the weight-conscious among us, especially those with medical problems, food is a source of both pleasure and pain during the end-of-year holiday season. A typical holiday meal contains about 3,000 calories - roughly a third more than an average adult should consume in an entire day.

"People not only experience weight gain this time of year, but we also see patients with higher levels of cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood fat, all potential risk factors for heart disease and diabetes."

-Vicki Pepper, RD, Positive Choice Wellness Center, Kaiser Permanente

Holiday gatherings, office parties -- it's no wonder the average American gains weight, as much as 5 to 7 pounds, between Thanksgiving and the New Year. But Kaiser Permanente nutritionists say it's possible to enjoy all the holiday fare without gaining weight or increasing health risks.

"The holidays present us with a lot of challenges and options," says Vicki Pepper, Registered Dietician at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. "People usually begin to overindulge at Thanksgiving. The key to surviving the holidays is moderation. You can still enjoy your favorite foods without going overboard."

"You need to approach the holidays with a healthy attitude," says Pepper. "Try to maintain your regular activity schedule, especially if you know you'll be eating more."

To avoid such dietary angst, Pepper suggests starting by following the tried-and-true advice, "plan ahead". "Failing to plan is planning to fail," she cautions. With that in mind, Pepper offers some common-sense advice for partaking in the holidays' culinary joys without losing total control of your diet.

Kaiser Permanente's practical tips to help you have a happy and healthy holiday season include:

• Be realistic. Pepper advises against starting a new diet during the holidays; it only creates more guilt and frustration when you break it. Make a goal of maintaining your weight during the holidays, which is less stressful than trying to lose.
• Don't starve yourself before a holiday party. "People make the mistake of thinking that by skipping a meal, they can indulge at a party," says Pepper. "The problem is they then overeat." Instead, eat a light meal or healthy snack, like an apple, before you arrive at the party. Never go to a holiday dinner or party hungry. Eat a normal breakfast and lunch, then have a salad or healthy snack in the late afternoon or just before attending a holiday event. Don't deprive yourself of favorite foods, "just enjoy them in moderation," says Pepper. Focus on really tasting them to enjoy them fully, in small portions. And remember to drink plenty of water.
• If you're hosting a party, try cooking lighter. Show your guests you care about their health. Limit high-fat foods that can increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Choose fruits, vegetables, and broths over cream-based soups and gravies. There are many easy substitutions you can make when cooking holiday meals. Use light margarine or canola oil instead of butter, or egg whites instead of eggs when making a pie. By taking the skin off the turkey, you also strip away almost half the fat and calories. Review your recipes to determine where fat and sugar can be reduced or eliminated without diminishing taste. Often, reducing sugar by 1/3 and replacing 1/2 the oil with applesauce in baked goods results in a healthier yet still flavorful treat. You can also give your guests the option of bringing their favorite dish to a holiday function. This is especially important for people with dietary restrictions.
• Limit alcohol consumption. Alcohol packs a lot of calories --100 to 150 calories per drink, whether it's a glass of wine, a beer or a shot of your favorite whiskey. Eggnog with a little brandy weighs in at a hefty 300 or so calories. Alcohol can also increase your hunger and reduce your commitment to eating healthfully. Try rotating drinks with non-alcoholic beverages, or enjoying a light drink like a wine spritzer.
• Plan activities. Don't focus your party entirely on food. Plan activities such as Christmas caroling, family walks, games and dancing that must be conducted outside or in rooms where no food is available.
• Above all, Pepper says, if you over-indulge one time, don't feel guilty and give up total control. "Don't use one bad day as an excuse to fail," she said. "Put it behind you. Get back to your regular routine. Start a new day with a goal for that day. If you have a good plan to get through the holidays, it will be easier to start the New Year setting realistic goals and resolutions"

For more information about healthy dieting and nutrition, visit the Kaiser Permanente web site at www.kp.org.

This Season & All Year Around

Put Food Safety First!

THE US HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES OFFERS FOOD SAFETY ADVICE

Holidays dinner, hosting parties and family gatherings brings satisfaction and happy memories, but occasionally, it may bring trouble in the form of food borne illness.

The Department of Health and Human Services, along with its Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), remind everyone who prepares the feast that proper food handling should be.

"Four simple steps to keep food safe are like favorite recipes that satisfy everyone," said Dr. Robert Brackett, director of FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

THE 4 STEPS ARE:

• Clean Up: Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water for a full 20 seconds before and after handling raw products. Wash hands and food-contact surfaces often. Bacteria can spread throughout the kitchen and get onto cutting boards, knives, sponges and counter tops.• Use plastic or other non-porous cutting boards. Cutting boards should be run through the dishwasher - or washed with soap and hot water - after each use.
• Separate to Combat Cross Contamination: Don't cross-contaminate. Don't let bacteria spread from one food product to another. This is especially true for raw meat, poultry and seafood.• Experts caution to keep these foods and their juices away from ready-to-eat foods.• Store raw meat, poultry, and seafood on a plate or tray, so raw juices don't drip onto other foods. • Use one cutting board for raw meat products and another one for salads and other ready-to-eat foods, or wash cutting boards in between each use. • Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, or seafood unless the plate has been washed. • Don't spread bacteria with dirty sponges, dishcloths, or towels. Bacteria often thrive in the moist areas of these items where bits of food may also exist. Use paper towels or freshly-cleaned sponges or cloths and soap and hot water to clean food preparation surfaces.
• Cook Safely: Cook to proper temperatures. Foods are properly cooked when they are heated for a long enough time and at a high enough temperature to kill the harmful bacteria that cause food borne illness.• For meat, poultry, and other dishes, use a food thermometer to make sure foods are cooked to a safe internal temperature. • Cook eggs until the yolks and whites are firm or reach 160 ºF on a food thermometer. • Don't use recipes in which eggs remain raw or only partially cooked. Cook egg dishes until they reach 160 ºF. • Cook fish until it's opaque and flakes easily with a fork. • When microwaving, make sure there are no cold spots in food (where bacteria can survive). For best results, cover, stir, and rotate food for even cooking. If there's no turntable, rotate the dish by hand once or twice during cooking. • When reheating sauces, soups, and gravies, bring them to a boil. Heat other leftovers thoroughly to 165 ºF.
• Chill Thoroughly :Refrigerate promptly. Public health officials advise consumers to refrigerate foods quickly because cold temperatures keep most harmful bacteria from growing and multiplying. Refrigerators should be set at 40 degrees F and the freezer at 0 degrees F, and the accuracy of the settings should be checked occasionally with a thermometer.
• Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared foods, and leftovers within 2 hours. • Never defrost or marinate food at room temperature. Use the refrigerator. You can also thaw foods in airtight packaging in cold water (change the water every 30 minutes, so the food continues to thaw). Or, thaw in the microwave, if you'll be cooking the food immediately. • Divide large amounts of leftovers into shallow containers for quick cooling in the refrigerator. • Don't over-stuff the refrigerator. Cold air must circulate to keep food safe.

If you have questions or concerns about food safety, general information on food borne illness is available at:

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/list.html. Also a Web site for holiday food and drink safety is available at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodrink.html.

The Fight BAC!® Web site at: www.fightbac.org

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Meat and Poultry Hotline at (800) 535-4555 or (202) 720-3333 (Washington, DC area). The TTY number for the hearing impaired is (800) 256-7072.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Information Line at (888) SAFE FOOD.