Do you have a taste for healthy foods?

You might not consider flavor as being a key player in prevention of disease or promotion of health. However, your perception of flavors contributes greatly to your acceptance and general liking of foods. For example, if you don't like the taste of vegetables, it's a good bet you avoid them. How then can you eat a healthy, balanced diet?

Instead of focusing on what you don't like, try focusing on what you do. Let's start with sweet — a flavor preference for most people. Did you know that some vegetables — sugar snap peas, red bell peppers and corn — have a sweet taste? Even onions can be sweet when you caramelize them. Another vegetable to try is winter squash. Cut in half or quarter and roast or microwave to have an easy meal of mildly sweet, slightly earthy flavors and soft texture that merits inclusion in the comfort food category. Not sweet enough for you? Peel, dice and roast the squash until slightly brown to experience a sweeter taste.

Maybe sweet isn't your first preference. The following options offer a mild sweetness that along with their other attributes might appeal to you. If you like foods that are crisp and crunchy, try jicama. You can cut it into thin strips and add it to a pita or wrap sandwich. In addition to flavor, you'll get fiber and vitamin C. Cucumbers are another good combination of cool and crisp. Mix them in vinegar for a stronger, pungent flavor.

But perhaps savory flavors are more to your liking. Mushrooms are a good bet. Try them sauteed. Or toss them in a stir fry, on a salad or in a sandwich.

Looking for something spicier? Peppers offer a spectrum of flavors — from mild and earthy to sweet and hot. Stuff a poblano or bell pepper with whole grains, veggies, and grated parmesan or blue cheese. Or add them to soups, salads and casseroles to punch up the flavor and boost the potassium and vitamin C content.

I encourage you to experiment with new foods and familiar foods prepared in new ways. Share your flavorful findings here to inspire others.

To your health,

Katherine

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Pack lunches with a healthy punch

A new school year means new challenges, but packing your children's lunch boxes needn't be one of them. Use these tips to create healthy, kid-friendly lunches.

Be smart about food safety. Stave off food-borne illness with a few common sense precautions:

Start with a warm up. If you plan to pack soup or other hot entrees, use preheated insulated containers. To preheat, just fill with boiling water and let stand a few minutes before adding the hot food. Get the Chills. Surround your perishables with chilled items. Sandwich them between cold packs. Freeze bread, water bottles, 100% juice, or yogurt tubes to keep the inside of your lunch container cold until lunch time.Made in the shade. Encourage your children to store their lunch boxes away from direct sun and any heating or cooling sources.No worries. Pack items that aren't temperature sensitive to avoid the worry of unsafe bacterial growth.  Pack small packets/cans of meat or fish and whole grain crackers for make it yourself mini sandwiches at the lunch table.  Peanut butter, bread, bagels, and wraps, fruits, and veggies are all safe bets too.

To create nutrient-packed lunches, remember to cover the basics:

Grains. Make whole-grain bread, mini bagels, pita or tortillas the basis of healthy sandwiches. Pack in a container that keeps them from being squished or crumbled and fresh tasting.Fruits and vegetables. Make fruits and veggies easy to munch by cutting them into bite-sized pieces. Choose fresh, dried or canned. Send along a small container of yogurt for dipping. Again, pay attention to packing to protect food from unappetizing bruises. Protein. The standard PBJ is a great choice. If food allergies nix peanut butter, explore other protein-rich spreads for sandwiches. In addition to lean lunch meat, fish, beans, nuts, cheese and tofu are great protein sources for growing children.Calcium. Send milk in a thermos or let your child purchase milk at school. If you child isn't a milk drinker, pack yogurt, cheese or fortified juices — all good sources of calcium.

If sandwiches are losing their appeal, try a twist to deliver the same great nutrition:

Shape up. Cut sandwiches into fun shapes using cookie cutter to add pizzazz.Switch it up. Instead of bread, sandwich your protein, veggies or fruit between crackers, rice cakes, bagels, pita pockets or tortillas. Put in the subs. Try packing whole grain pasta or rice with sliced veggies and olives; peanut butter dip for fruit; dry cereal mixed with dried fruit and nuts, or yogurt with fruit and granola. Cube leftover chicken and pair it with grapes or bell pepper chunks on a toothpick for a tower of fun.Containers and more.  Kids begging for those pre-packed lunches they see ads on TV? Do it yourself with fun multi pocket containers — sliced cheese, pita pocket squares, cut up fruit or veggies. Got an eco conscious kiddo? Pack items in reusable sandwich bags in fun, fashionable prints for girls and guys.

Brighten your child's day by writing a note and stashing it the lunch box. Or go all out and use a small amount of food coloring to "stamp" your child's sandwich with a secret code or symbol.

I've got you started. Now I'm going to call on you. What do you do to ensure that lunch boxes come home empty — and not because the healthy food you packed got thrown away?

Here's to a great school year,

Katherine

blog index References Keeping bag lunches safe. U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Keeping_Bag_Lunches_Safe.pdf. Accessed 8/31/2011

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Start early to encourage healthy eating

Working with mothers-to-be and new moms, I field many questions about what foods are best to eat and which are best avoided.

My common response is, "Eat what you like." If you like spicy foods and can tolerate them while pregnant, eat them. Recipe calls for 2 cloves of garlic, but you usually add 4? Go for it.

Lots of nursing mothers wonder about broccoli, cauliflower and those other gassy veggies. Again, if you tolerate them and your baby tolerates them, keep eating them. If you think a food is making your baby fussy and gassy, don't eliminate it right away. To be sure it was that food, try it again, in a smaller amount.

My advice isn't just for moms. It's also good advice for their kids. In utero and while receiving mother's milk, a baby is also experiencing all those wonderful, unique flavors. Studies have shown that babies who are exposed to a variety of flavors are more likely to except these flavors later in life. To put it quite simply, if you want to have children who like a variety of foods, expose them early on. And keep exposing them to nutritious foods as toddlers and adolescents.

We all want to raise a healthier generation of kids — and if we lessen childhood obesity then we lessen the risk of chronic disease. Exposing kids to the flavors of vegetables, fruits and spices early is the first step to getting them to accept and eat more of these foods. This is a big win for parents and kids alike.

To your children's health,

Katherine

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Orthorexia — Healthy eating gone awry

Everyone can benefit by paying more attention to choosing healthy foods, right?

For the most part, yes. However, a small number of people seem to become obsessed with the "perfect diet." These individuals fixate on eating foods that make them feel pure and healthy — to the extent that they avoid foods with any: 

Artificial colors, flavors or preservativesPesticides, genetic modificationUnhealthy fat, sugar or added salt

For some people with orthorexia:

Preparation techniques must result in "clean food," meaning it's been washed multiple times, cooked to ensure no bacteria and minimally handled.Eating out is out of the question because it's important to avoid food that they don't buy and prepare.

The term "orthorexia" has been used to describe this disorder. It comes from the Greek words "orthos," meaning straight or proper, and "orexia," meaning appetite. According to experts including Dr. Steven Bratman, the doctor who first described and named this disorder, what tips the balance from being committed to healthy eating and having orthorexia is the extreme limitation and obsession in food selection. Orthorexics find themselves being unable to take part in everyday activities. They isolate themselves and often become intolerant of other people's views about food and health.

Studies have looked to at whether this disorder is more common in groups more likely to have a keen interest in a healthy diet, such as medical residents, dietitians, students in nutrition, fitness club members and those in the performing arts (ballet, symphony orchestra and opera singers). Each of the professions studied showed some incidence. However, the studies were unable to determine if the incidence was higher than that in the general population.

Health professionals have proposed that orthorexia be officially recognized as a new mental disorder. Currently it remains controversial and grouped with other not yet accepted disorders such as night eating syndrome, muscle dysmorphia (obsession with muscle building) and emetophobia (constant fear of vomiting).

Whether it's recognized as a true medical problem or not is beside the point. It's important to seek professional help when striving for a healthy diet becomes an overwhelming drive that takes over. Orthorexia that features obsessive compulsive behaviors can be effectively treated with medication and cognitive behavioral therapy by a trained therapist.

blog index References Bartrina JA. Orthorexia or when a healthy diet becomes an obsession. ALAN. 2007;57(4):313.What is orthorexia? Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2005;105(10):1510.Bosi ATB, Derya C, Guler C. Prevalence of orthorexia nervosa in resident medical doctors in the faculty of medicine. Appetite. 2007;49(3): 661.Kinzel JF, et al. Orthorexia nervosa in dietitians. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 2006;76(6):395.Korinth A, et al. Eating behaviour and eating disorders in students of nutrition sciences. Public health Nutrition. 13(1): 32-37. 2009.Eriksson L, et al. Social physique anxiety and sociocultural attitudes toward appearance impact on orthorexia test in fitness participants. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. 2008;18(3):389.Aksoydan E, et al. Prevalence of orthorexia nervosa among Turkish performance artists. Eating and Weight disorders-Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity. 2009;14(1):33.Vandereycken W. Media hype, diagnostic fad or genuine disorder? Professionals' opinions about night eating syndrome, orthorexia, muscle dysmorphia, and emetophobia. Eating Disorders. 2011;19(2):145.

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