Body Mass Index Revisited and Body Fat Index

I had a chance to have my body fat index measured by one of those electronic body fat analyzers today. The extension office loaned us an Omron HBF-306C, a handheld device that uses bioelectrical impedance to measure your body fat. It was easy to use and incredibly fast, about seven seconds to obtain a reading. It also did a crude correction for muscle by having you determine your FIT level using a formula based on frequency of working out, intensity, and length of workout. There were only two categories, normal (sedentary) and athlete. I consider myself far from an athlete but I was well over 60 FIT points needed to be assessed as one.

Ostensibly the loan was for those of us who are participating in the 8 week “Walk for Health”, but it was available to anyone at the college. I have to say that I was impressed. I put myself in as normal and did the test with a result of 30.6%, not a good number. When I chose athlete, it calculated my body fat as 27%. This was better, but still not where I need to be. At least it took my word for having some muscle after 3 months of four-days-a-week workouts.

It also calculated the body mass index (BMI) from the height and weight information I gave it but it came out the same both times. The BMI doesn't make allowances for muscle as it is based on a sedentary population.

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-4/5/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1165	69.93 g	192.71 g	911.97 mg	17.59 g	13.59%

Baked Sweet Potato, Roasted Squash and Mushrooms

Tonight I had a real hunger for vegetables and really had a nice assortment. I only had a small portion (3 oz.) of meat, roast pork, so I had plenty of room for veggies. I baked a sweet potato in the microwave and, and roasted 2 large mushrooms cut in half and a nice yellow straightneck summer squash. Preparation of the mushrooms was easy as I chose not to use any seasonings at all. I cut the mushrooms in half, and the squash in chunks and put them in an oven proof bowl. I gave them a light once over with olive oil pan spray and put them in the oven at 425°. I stirred them every 7-8 minutes and they were finished in about 15. I loved the earthy taste of the mushrooms and the slightly sweet and soft/crunchiness of the squash. I am grateful to be able to taste these subtle flavors without additional seasoning because I have cleared my taste buds of salt. There is nothing in these vegetables to hurt my diet as they have only 57 calories, 2.44 g protein, 11.68 g carbohydrates, 5.3 g fiber, .74 g fat, and only 7 mg sodium.

Sweet Potatoes

Sometimes when I eat baked sweet potato, I sprinkle it with ButterBuds, cinnamon, and/or nutmeg. Tonight I ate it unadorned and it was delicious. Baking sweet potatoes is a great way to add flavor to a low sodium diet. When I first started, I ate them almost every night. A whole cup of sweet potato baked this way has 180 calories, 6.6 grams of fiber, negligible fat and only 72 mg sodium. The glycemic index of sweet potatoes is lower than any form of white potato, coming in at 77. It is also high in vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin B6. According to Wikipedia, “the Center for Science in the Public Interest compared the nutritional value of sweet potatoes to other vegetables. Considering fiber content, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium, the sweet potato ranked highest in nutritional value. According to these criteria, sweet potatoes earned 184 points, 100 points over the next on the list, the common potato”. Also, 2/3 cups of sweet potatoes contain 100% of the Recommended Daily Allowance for vitamin E without the fat of other sources. It is also very low in sodium.

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-4/4//2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1374.67	77.42 g	232.25 g	1442.67 mg	18.25 g	11.95%

Ten Secrets of Weight Loss-Fourth and Final Part

I will finish up the last four things I have learned during my weight loss today.

The Ten Secrets of My Weight Loss
1. Knowledge is power-the knowledge to make choices
2. Non-fat sour cream is my friend
3. Non-fat cream cheese is my friend
4. Fiber is filling
5. My palate took about three days to retrain to a low sodium diet
6. My dinner plate is a riot of color compared with what it used to be
7. Almost any recipe can be remodeled to accommodate my diet
8. Exercise accelerates the weight loss and blood pressure lowering process
9. Vinegar wakes up the flavors of food
10. A playful attitude about food and a willingness to experiment have been strong allies

Seven: Almost any recipe can be remodeled to accommodate my diet I enjoy the challenge of starting with my favorite recipes and foods and making changes to them to reduce the calories, fat, and sodium. I avoid using salt substitutes because they are typically very high in potassium and I prefer a natural taste. While there are health benefits to a diet high in potassium, such as, increased bone strength, suggestions that potassium can help with the elimination of excess sodium in the body and positively affect blood pressure, and the findings that some stroke, inflammatory bowel disease, and asthma patients have low levels of potassium. In the case of the latter, no direct causal relationship has been found. It’s not too hard to get adequate potassium with a good diet of natural foods, including “meats, fish, vegetables (especially potatoes), fruits (especially avocados, dried apricots, and bananas), citrus juices (such as orange juice), dairy products, and whole grains”. The recommended daily intake for adults is 2000 mg. I prefer to get my potassium from the foods I eat.

For added flavor, I increase my use of herbs and spices and find that I lean more toward cumin and red pepper than I ever did before. The reduction of sodium naturally increases the availability of the more naturally-occurring subtle flavors of ingredients. Non-fat versions of familiar dairy products work just fine for most recipes. I generally find that non-fat sour cream has a better texture and flavor than plain non-fat yogurt although I use both.

It is possible to select meat cuts that are both low in fat and in sodium (see my warning on the hidden sodium in supermarket meats). Boneless skinless chicken breasts, extra lean ground beef (96/4), fat-trimmed sirloin steak, and most fish meet the requirements for my diet. Turkey is also good, but many turkey products have been brined or soaked in salt water, so check the labels. Natural pork can also work but the same warning applies to treating or processing so check the sodium content. Most of the unprocessed meats have naturally occurring levels of sodium between 40 and 75 mg per four ounce serving. In recipes calling for ham, Canadian bacon is lower in calories and sodium if used sparingly and combines well to enhance milder flavored foods.

Bread can be a problem because salt is used to limit the action of the yeast in raised breads. I find that some brands of corn tortillas are low in both fat and sodium and whole wheat pita fits the bill as well. I prefer to make my own whole wheat tortillas or chalupas.

Salsas, especially homemade, are great for picking up the flavor of any meal. Generally the milder the salsa, the less sodium is used. Green salsas tend to be lower as well. I have come up with my own special sauces and find that mustard is full of flavor without salt or calories.

Most fruits are full of flavor and combine well with other ingredients in recipes. I also find that I am using more red bell peppers because they are sweeter and more robust in flavor.

Of course the key to weight loss is portion control. I have retrained myself to consider the generally recommended 4 ounce portions normal.

Eight: Exercise accelerates the weight loss and blood pressure lowering I am not going to belabor the point here because the relationship between weight loss and exercise has been covered much better elsewhere, but it’s true. Even small increases in exercise can be very rewarding. I have a stationary exercise bicycle in my study so I can pedal while I watch the morning news on my off days from the fitness center. I like being able to track my conditioning level by measuring my heart rate on the machines when I work out. It takes much more exertion to reach my target cardio training level (140 for me, age-based) so I get direct feedback on my conditioning level. I also watched my blood pressure drop to within normal levels without medication.

Nine: Vinegar wakes up the flavors of food I like vinegar so it’s pretty easy to include it in my recipes and my diet. There are so many wonderful types and flavors available now, from the full flavor of balsamic to the more subtle white wine vinegars, that experimenting with them is fun. I seem to recall that Adele Davis, the prolific nutritionist of the 1950s and 60s advocated keeping a cruet of apple cider vinegar on the table to splash liberally on greens and other foods. I do. She also suggested adding vinegar to the soup pot to release the calcium from soup bones.

Vinegar is the secret to my low sodium, low fat chili. I also use it in my not-so-sloppy Joes, and in my balsamic chicken.

Ten: A playful attitude about food and a willingness to experiment have been strong allies I enjoy food and experimenting with the ways that food can be prepared. Food is my hobby. I especially like growing it as I always have a large organic garden. I like reading cookbooks and recipes. I seldom create a recipe without consulting several different versions on the Internet or in my cookbook collection and choosing the most interesting ingredients and methods from each. I have also had a few flops, but undeterred I press on. My recommendation is that you move fearlessly into the world of low fat, low calorie, and low sodium cooking, and experiment with a sense of humor and discovery.

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-4/3//2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1304	60.26 g	223.09 g	927.88 mg	13.2 g	9.11%

General Tso’s Tofu, and Roasted Turnips, Onions, and Garlic

Today I am going to share a couple of recipes that turned out really well. I’ll finish the diet secrets tomorrow.

General Tso’s Tofu

This recipe is based on a similar recipe from VegWeb. I made some changes to lower the calories, substituted a few ingredients (not strictly vegan), and was thoroughly happy with the delicious result. This recipe has lots of flavor and a delicious sauce. The next time I make it I will add some pineapple making it more of a traditional sweet-sour dish.

Ingredients

1 box of firm tofu (I used NaySoya Lite Firm Tofu)
6 T cornstarch (reserve 1 T to thicken sauce)
3 chopped green onions (with green parts too)
1 T grated ginger
1 T pressed garlic
10.5 oz. very low sodium chicken broth (for vegan version, use vegetable broth)
1 T low sodium soy sauce
5 T sugar (or other sweetener)
2 T white wine vinegar
1 red bell pepper coarsely chopped
red pepper to taste

Steamed broccoli (to serve with the main dish)

I prepared the tofu by freezing it overnight (this optional step gives it a chewier texture), let it defrost, and pressed the water out of it between two plastic cutting boards with a weight on top for 30 minutes. I cut the tofu loaf in half from the top and then into eight slices, I cut those slices into four pieces (essentially cubes) making 32 pieces. I put 5 tablespoons of the cornstarch in a press-to-close plastic bag and added the tofu cubes in batches, shaking to coat.

I then sprayed a skillet with olive oil pan spray, heated to medium low, and added the tofu. When one face of the cubes was golden brown, I turned the cubes so eventually all side of the tofu were a golden brown. In another skillet, also sprayed with olive oil pan spray, I tossed the green onions, garlic, ginger, and red bell pepper over medium heat for two minutes and set it aside.

I added the chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper, and vinegar to the vegetables. I mixed ¼ C water with 1 T cornstarch and added it stirring well. While the sauce was thickening, I added the browned tofu. I served it with the broccoli over brown rice. Serves 4.

One-fourth recipe (about 8 cubes with sauce) has 174.15 calories, 10.6 g protein, 18.7 g carbohydrates, 2.07 g fat, and 213.46 mg sodium.

Roasted Turnips, Onions, and Garlic

I know of few vegetables that aren’t enhanced by roasting. It seems to enhance their natural flavors. Roasting, and the vinegar, brings out the natural sweetness of the turnips and onions. Accompanied by the onions and garlic, it becomes a robust side dish. I served it with the tofu dish, and found that both recipes reheat well and made a great lunch reheated in the microwave at school. The aroma when it was reheating brought lots of positive comments so you might want to take enough to share. The proportions aren’t critical so you can use what you have on hand. Serves 4.

Ingredients

3 medium turnips peeled and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 medium head garlic
3 small sweet onions cut into wedges
1 t. poultry seasoning
4 T white or balsamic vinegar
ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add turnips, onions, poultry seasoning, and vinegar to a roasting pan and stir to distribute the vinegar and spices. Add the garlic head whole, or if you prefer, simmer the garlic for 7 minutes in water, peel, and add the garlic cloves whole. Roast for about 45 minutes stirring three times and increase the temperature to 425 degrees. Bury the whole garlic head under the vegetables or add the previously prepared garlic and roast until the vegetables are nicely browned. Finish by grinding black pepper to taste, and serve hot.

This dish contains 105.25 calories, 3.3 g protein, 24.26 g carbohydrates, .31 g fat, and 77.75 mg sodium per serving.

When these two dishes are served together with the broccoli, they make a veritable feast that is low-sodium, low-calorie, and very low fat.

Here is my recap for the lst two days.

Daily Dietary Recap-4/1//2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1104	63.10 g	154.11 g	850.53 mg	14.05 g	11.45%

Daily Dietary Recap-4/2//2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1346.98	68.4 g	223.26 g	1022.74 mg	14.78 g	9.86%

Ten Secrets of Weight Loss-Part 3

I will continue with my list of the top ten things I have learned so far about weight loss. It seems to be working as I weighed in at the fitness center today and my cumulative weight loss since January 3, 2007 is now 33.5 pounds. I will talk about numbers 4-7 today. For reference, here is my top ten list.

The Ten Secrets of My Weight Loss

1. Knowledge is power-the knowledge to make choices
2. Non-fat sour cream is my friend
3. Non-fat cream cheese is my friend
4. Fiber is filling
5. My palate took about three days to retrain to a low sodium diet
6. My dinner plate is a riot of color compared with what it used to be
7. Almost any recipe can be remodeled to accommodate my diet
8. Exercise accelerates the weight loss and blood pressure lowering process
9. Vinegar wakes up the flavors of food
10. A playful attitude about food and a willingness to experiment have been strong allies

Four: Fiber is filling Fiber also has specific health benefits and provides filling bulk without adding calories. A high fiber cracker or two and a glass of mineral water is my way of coping with the relatively rare hunger pangs I get now. Fiber helps me to feel full and postpones my desire to eat on my reduced calorie and fat diet. High fiber foods take longer to chew and fool me into thinking that I have eaten more than I actually have.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a high-fiber diet may reduce my risk of hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulitis. Soluble fiber may also lower blood cholesterol levels and slow the absorption of sugar. It may also reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

My target, based on the Mayo clinic recommendations, is 30-38 mg of fiber. On a normal American diet, this may be difficult to achieve. I even read an article that recommended that most Americans start their day with enough Metamucil to provide half of their target fiber. On my diet, I haven’t had any trouble reaching my fiber goals. Reaching these goals happened without consciously thinking about them because foods that are low in fat and sodium also seem to be high in fiber.

I like crackers that are high in fiber and whole grain like Ry-Krisp (2 g) and Wasa (1.5 g), my morning oatmeal has 6 g, the flaxseed meal I cook with it has 2g, and the small box of raisins I also cook in my oatmeal (.5 oz.) has 1, for a total of 8 grams of fiber. One cup of my chili has nearly 11 grams, a baked sweet potato has 6.6, an orange has 3.3 grams, and a grapefruit has nearly 4 grams. My plate is always filled with fiber-rich vegetables too. So, I feel full and I have no need for Metamucil.

Five: My palate took about three days to retrain to a low sodium diet. When I first started eating foods without added salt like oatmeal and brown rice, I felt like I was eating tasteless cardboard. I also stocked up on Mrs. Dash products and salt substitutes. I still use the Mrs. Dash seasonings, but I haven’t touched the salt substitutes since the first week of my diet. When I revisited the food that previously had no taste, I found that they were rich with flavors. I was able to taste the subtle rich flavors that are naturally in all food when my palate was not jaded by salt.

Six: My dinner plate is a riot of color compared with what it used to be. My wife was the first to notice how attractive my plate has become at the evening meal. Salmon, brown rice, mixed vegetables, mushrooms, red and green bell peppers, salsa, sweet potatoes, a colorful salad, and other foods combine to create a plate that is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate. This unintended benefit adds to my satisfaction with my low calorie diet. It is also healthier to eat a variety of foods.

Once again, I left my thumb drive at school so I will have to double up on my recaps tomorrow.

Ten Secrets of Weight Loss-Part 2

Continuing with my discourse about what I have learned so far on my quest to lose weight and lower my blood pressure, I will review the ten secrets here.

The Ten Secrets of My Weight Loss

1. Knowledge is power-the knowledge to make choices
2. Non-fat sour cream is my friend
3. Non-fat cream cheese is my friend
4. Fiber is filling
5. My palate took about three days to retrain to a low sodium diet
6. My dinner plate is a riot of color compared with what it used to be
7. Almost any recipe can be remodeled to accommodate my diet
8. Exercise accelerates the weight loss and blood pressure lowering process
9. Vinegar wakes up the flavors of food
10. A playful attitude about food and a willingness to experiment have been strong allies

One: Knowledge is power-the knowledge to make choices Foucault was right, knowledge is power. He demonstrated that power is transferred through dialogue according to the knowledge one has. Truth, in a Foucaultian sense is the acceptance by those involved in the discourse of the local truths pertinent to the discourse. Fortunately for me, the scale provides a more positivist measure of my progress.

My growing knowledge of the calorie, sodium, and fat content of foods and my ability to track my consumption gives me the power to make informed choices. I get to enjoy my food because I know that I am not violating my contract with myself to limit my food choices to 1400 calories per day, less than 20% of those calories from fat, and less than 1500 mg of sodium. If I am getting close to my upper limit for one or more of those, I choose to have a grapefruit rather than chocolate frozen yogurt. As much as I like frozen yogurt, I have discovered that I also like ruby red grapefruit and that is almost as satisfying.

I use my diet spreadsheet to keep me informed throughout the day and as a training mechanism so I can learn what foods I can eat and stay within my limits. One of the first things I learned was about serving size. I was surprised to find that a normal serving of meat was about 4 ounces and not 12 or 16 ounces. I had heard that nuts were very healthy but when I tried to incorporate them into my diet, I found that most of them contain about 14 grams of fat per serving so I choose to postpone them until I have reached my target weight. The more I learn, the more powerful and effective I become at making choices.

Two: Non-fat sour cream is my friend I have always liked sour cream, in sauces, on baked potatoes, and as a base for dips and dressings. I have learned to love non-fat sour cream. In fact, regular sour cream doesn’t taste good to me now. Non-fat sour cream is the base for my secret sauce, my seasoned sour cream, and a dip for my low-fat, low-sodium, low-calorie, homemade tortilla chips [Cut corn tortillas into six pieces and bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees turning once until crisp. The Mi Casa brand I use of white corn tortillas has only 40 calories per tortilla, six pieces, .33 g fat, and 28.5 mg sodium]. I don’t think I could continue without my non-fat sour cream.

Three: Non-fat cream cheese is my friend My major indulgence is non-fat cream cheese on a low-sodium Ritz cracker with marmalade or blueberry fruit spread. I also like to put cream cheese inside half of a whole wheat pita and slice it into 4 pieces. These non-damaging indulgences are where I turn when I feel like I want something indulgent.

I promised sample menus of what I eat in a typical day to maintain a 1400 calorie diet. Here is the first one.

Sample Daily Diet 1

Breakfast
I started the day by scrambling ½ C Eggbeaters with 1 T sweet onion, 2 chopped mushrooms, and ¼ C snow peas. I put this inside one-half whole wheat pita.

Snack
2 RyVita Crackers, and 4 Flat Earth Peach Mango Crisps

Lunch
Not-so-sloppy Joes and secret sauce in a half whole wheat pita

Snack
½ C fresh pineapple

Dinner
1 1/3 C Deluxe stir-fry vegetables (microwaved)
4 oz. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1 T Secret Sauce
Large salad- Sweet Onion, lettuce mix, grape tomatoes, Ken's Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette

Dessert
1 C Yarnell Strawberry low-fat frozen yogurt

Late Night indulgence
1/2 WW Pita with 1 oz. Non-fat cream cheese

Total calories, 1381.14, Fat-20.81 g for 13.56% of my daily calories, and 1462 mg sodium

Here is my recap for yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-3/31/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1275	82.55 g	191.99 g	1054.47 mg	25.15 g	17.75%

Ten Secrets of Weigh Loss

Now that I’ve lost over thirty pounds, friends, coworkers, and even casual acquaintances are starting to notice and ask questions. Suddenly I am an expert on weight loss and blood pressure reduction without medication because I’ve been there, and I am doing it. Generally they start by saying they would like to lose some weight. I generally say, “OK, so lose it”. They then frequently tell me what their physician said. [Motive] I nod.

Then, they ask me what I’ve been doing. I tell them that I’ve been on a diet of less than 1400 calories per day, less than 20% of my calories from fat, and less than 1500 mg of sodium. I also tell them that I work out at the fitness center 4 days a week for about an hour and ten minutes. They then usually tell me that they: should, used to, haven’t been in a while, were thinking about starting, knew people who did, and so on. [Opportunity]

They usually ask me what I eat, and I tell them that I eat food that I like and make decisions so that I don’t exceed my daily goals. When they ask me exactly what I eat, I give them examples and the URL to my blog. It’s when I tell them about the spreadsheet that they either glaze over or ask me to email it to them. They usually conclude with, “I need somebody to tell me exactly what to eat; I can do that”, as they walk away.

I decided that I need to share my “diet secrets”, and some sample daily menus (I have everything I’ve eaten since January 3, 2997 logged). I’ll start with a preview of the ten things I’ve learned to this point. I'll elaborate on them, and toss in a few sample daily menus later.

The Ten Secrets of My Weight Loss

1. Knowledge is power-the power to make choices
2. Non-fat sour cream is my friend
3. Non-fat cream cheese is my friend
4. Fiber is filling
5. My palate took about three days to retrain to a low sodium diet
6. My dinner plate is a riot of color compared with what it used to be
7. Almost any recipe can be remodeled to accommodate my diet
8. Exercise accelerates the weight loss and blood pressure lowering process
9. Vinegar wakes up the flavors of food
10. A playful attitude about food and a willingness to experiment have been strong allies

That’s it to this point. I’m sure more truths will come along later.

Here’s my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-3/30/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1121	73.56 g	186.72 g	759 mg	15.6 g	12.52%

Yard Work is Exercise Too

Even though the title of this blog is Diet, Cooking, and Exercise, I rarely talk about the exercise part of my health quest. I have been wearing a pedometer on my right shoe for two weeks now courtesy of the college where I work. We have organized into walking teams and report our daily mileage weekly. The whole event goes for four weeks and the winning team gets bragging rights.

I go to the fitness center four days a week and warm up and finish on the treadmill for a total of about 2 miles. In between, I complete two circuits on the weight machines. The normal workout takes about an hour and 15 minutes.

Today I spent most of the day doing yard work and somehow I wound up behind the push mower while the student I hired to help, rode on the riding mower. After several hours of yard work (wearing my pedometer all the time), I took a shower and went to the fitness center where I completed my normal routine. Tonight I glanced at my pedometer and noticed a dramatic increase. On non-workout days, I log about 2 ½ to 3 ½ miles walking from my office to class, down various halls, and pacing while I lecture. I find I pace more now that I have lost much of the weight (32.25 pounds lost as of today). On workout days, that goes up to 4 ½ to 5 ½ miles. Today I have walked 8.3 miles and the day isn’t over yet. I sure felt better doing yard work and had more energy because of the weight loss and my conditioning program.

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-3/29/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1258.38	72.43 g	223.37 g	1198.06 mg	14.02 g	10.03%

Notable Blogs on Diet, Cooking, and Exercise

I thought I should acknowledge some of the fabulous blogs I have been reading lately. Some of these are well-established with hundred of recipes and articles while others are brand new. I hope to encourage the newcomers and acknowledge the truly great.

Periodically I will share blogs I would like to acknowledge. If you would like for your blog to be considered, please submit the URL as a comment.

In no apparent order, here they are.

Fatfree Vegan Kitchen
Susan has the most mouth-watering vegan recipes (or recipes of any persuasion for that matter) with gorgeous photos to accompany them.

Old Salt - New Tack
Old Salt is apparently an old guy like me to like to cook and eat. He also writes very well and isn’t afraid to experiment.

Eat Know How....Tips for Palate Transformation

Kimberly is a dietetic consultant and shares her considerable expertise. She has tips and even sample menus for low-fat, low-sodium, and specialized diets along with recipe-modification tips.

Experimental Vegan Daze
Dizzy is a self-proclaimed experimental vegan chef and her blog is new (just started in March 2007) but I hope she continues as her recipes are daring and eclectic. I hope to see more from her.

Cheap and healthy cooking
Boris, who is apparently from Slovenia, has put together an incipient blog with recipes using inexpensive and eclectic ingredients.

Eve's Health & Fitness
Eve is a certified group fitness instructor, and shares an amazing collection of tips on nutrition, physical training, and weight-loss.

The Healthy Cook
The Healthy Cook blog is a collection of recipes and tips from four contributors. I just wish they would post more.

Gary Moller Online
Gary writes about health, fitness, lifestyle sports coaching and conditioning, injury prevention and rehabilitation, and nutrition. He has a good section of recipes as well.

Whole Gourmet Natural Cooking Blog
Alison is a Certified Nutritional Chef, food writer, and culinary instructor who teaches cooking and nutrition classes and shares her recipes with us on her blog. I especially like her three-part series, Homestyle Cooking of the East that features food from Japan, Thailand, and India.

Vegweb
Vegweb has an amazing assortment of vegan recipes. The comments from readers are well worth reading too.

Healthy Living|Healthy Foods|Healthy Diets
The name says it all. This blog by Daria has a few nice recipes, tips for weight-loss, and nutrition.

Quick, yummy, and ohmygoodness, healthy recipes
This new (march 2007) blog has nice recipes and photos of healthy food that can be prepared quickly.

Kreative Healthy Cooking
This is another new (March 2007) blog that is off to a good start featuring a recipe for a tasty-looking Broccoli Soup with Cheddar Cheese. I want to see more from this one.

The ND Blog
Monica does a great job of weaving recipes, nutritional and fitness advice, and food facts into this blog sponsored by one of my favorite sites, Nutrition Data.

Here’s my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-3/28/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1135.54	56.86 g	189.08 g	1217.22 mg	17.39 g	13.78%

Summer Squash: How Sweet It Is

Tonight I pigged out on yellow straightneck summer squash. We are starting to get some really nice fresh vegetables in and I love squash. I usually cook it with butter, onions, some Italian seasoning, and garlic salt. With the remodeled recipe, two cups carried only 49 calories, 2.44 g protein, 10.52 g carbohydrates, .62 g fat, and 5 mg sodium.

Ingredients

1 Yellow Summer Squash (about 2 cups sliced 3/8" thin)
Olive Oil Pan Spray
3 T Rice Wine Vinegar
Onion Powder to taste
Poultry seasoning to taste
Ground Black Pepper to taste

I sprayed a skillet with olive oil pan spray, heated it to medium heat, and put in the sliced squash. I sprinkled the squash with poultry seasoning and onion powder. I sprayed the squash with a little more olive oil spray and turned the squash until it was tender crisp. I then splashed the skillet with rice wine vinegar and stirred until the vinegar evaporated. Just before serving, I gave the squash a few turns of freshly ground black pepper.

The result was a sweet fragrant delight with some of the squash softer and some of it still crisp. Who says you have to have fat and salt to have flavor?

By the way, I weighed in at the fitness center today and my cumulative weight loss since January 3 is 32 pounds.

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-3/27/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1185.3	67.18 g	197.15 g	900.98 mg	18.78 g	14.24%

Top 10 Fish to Eat for Health-The Surprising New List

Top 10 Fish to Eat for Health

Rank	Species	Mercury (ppm)	Omega-2 (g)	M-O
1.	JACKSMELT	0.108	5.6	5.49
2.	PERCH (Freshwater)	0.14	3.5	3.36
3.	AMERICAN SHAD	0.065	2.65	2.59
4.	ATLANTIC MACKEREL (N. Atlantic)	0.05	2.6	2.55
5.	COD	0.095	2.5	2.41
6.	MACKEREL CHUB (Pacific)	0.088	2.2	2.11
7.	SARDINE	0.016	1.58	1.56
8.	HERRING	0.044	1.6	1.56
9.	TUNA (CANNED, LIGHT)	0.118	1.6	1.48
10.	WHITEFISH	0.069	1.5	1.43

The Next 10

Rank	Species	Mercury (ppm)	Omega-3 (g)	M-O
11.	ANCHOVIES	0.043	1.4	1.35
12.	MACKEREL SPANISH (S. Atlantic)	0.182	1.48	1.29
13.	SALMON (FRESH/FROZEN)	0.014	1.26	1.24
14.	SALMON (CANNED)	0	1.176	1.17
15.	BUTTERFISH	0.058	0.7	0.64
16.	MULLET	0.046	0.6	0.55
17.	TROUT (FRESHWATER)	0.072	0.6	0.53
18.	CARP	0.14	0.6	0.46
19.	POLLOCK	0.041	0.5	0.46
20.	CATFISH	0.049	0.5	0.45

About Fish and Health

We know that the American Heart Association and the United States Department of Agriculture recommend that we limit our consumption of fat to less than 20-35% of our total calories. And, most of our dietary fats should come from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. We may also know that the recommended ratio of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids to omega-3 should be six to one and that the typical American diet contains a ratio of twenty to one.

Sources of Good Fats

Sources of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are liquid vegetable oils, such as soybean oil, corn oil, and safflower oil. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids come from both plant sources, and from fish and shellfish. Plants contain omega-3 in the α-linolenic acid form (ALA) and soybean oil, canola oil, walnuts, and flaxseed, are among the better sources. Fish and shellfish contain the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Fish that naturally have more fat, like salmon, trout, and herring, have more EPA and DHA than less fatty fish like cod, haddock, and catfish. There are suggestions in the literature that consuming omega-3 fatty acids from a fish source can improve heart health and reduce the chance of mortality from heart disease.

Caveats

The problem with eating large amounts of fish is that these fish live in water that has been polluted by mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs, dioxins, and other environmental contaminants. These substances, many of which are potent carcinogens, can cause nerve damage and are implicated in a number of diseases. These toxins are found in the flesh and fat of fish to varying degrees, generally higher in larger, older, fish at the top of the food chain.

The worst offenders are:

• Tilefish (golden bass or golden snapper) 1.45 ppm
• Shark with 0.99 parts per million (ppm) of mercury
• Swordfish 0.97 ppm
• And, King mackerel at 0.73 ppm
  

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that nursing or pregnant women, women who are about to become pregnant, and small children should not eat any of these fish. For everyone else, the guidelines allow for up to 7 oz. per week. Why anyone would eat these fish when there are better alternatives is beyond me.

Also according to the FDA, people in this group should limit their consumption of fish that carry about .5 ppm to 12 ounces per week, and all others to 14 oz. per week. Clearly we should be eating more fish, but it’s hard to know what is safe.

Methodology

I prepared a spreadsheet putting the fish on the FDA mercury monitoring list in the first column, the sampled mercury levels in the second column, and the combined omega-w (EPA+DHA) in the third column. I filtered the list for high and moderate levels of mercury and then subtracted the omega-3 levels from the mercury levels. What remains are low mercury fish with high levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-3/26/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1160.34	76.84 g	165.52 g	1380.69 mg	17.49 g	13.57%

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

This recipe is for a remodeled Chicken Cordon Bleu and preserves the taste while reducing the sodium, fat, and calories. It is also simple to prepare as it does not require pounding. Serves 6

Ingredients

1 ½ lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
6 slices Canadian bacon sliced in half
3 slices thin Swiss cheese (12 slices/8 oz.)
2 egg whites or Eggbeaters equivalent
½ C bread crumbs or corn flour (fish fry)-unsalted

Preheat oven to 400º. Cut a slit along the thin edge of each chicken breast almost through to the other side. Lay the cut breasts flat and place sliced Canadian bacon and Swiss cheese in the pocket. Close the pocket and press the edges together to seal.

Dip the breasts in beaten egg whites or Eggbeaters and then in the breadcrumbs or corn flour. Brown one side of the chicken in a skillet coated with olive oil spray. Place each breast browned side up on a cookie sheet coated with olive oil spray and cook in the oven for 25 minutes or until the chicken is done. This recipe is good as it is, but it is also good with my secret sauce on the side.

Each 4 oz serving has 256 calories, 39 g protein, 6 g carbohydrates, 7.17 g fat, and 340 mg sodium.

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-3/25/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1194	59.36 g	206.86 g	478.16 mg	17.55 g	13.22%