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Paleo-Zone

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

We have recently asked if we had a category for Paleo-Zone recipes, so I did some research. Paleo is short for Paleolithic which means the Hunter-Gatherer era, or basically before the advent of agriculture. If we look at the foods which the hunter-gatherers ate we would find on that list, lean game which grazed, fish and shellfish, roots, leaves of plants, nuts, berries, fruits and vegetables, and insects, and the drink of choice was water. There are still indigenous hunter-gather people living today, who are remarkably free from Western diet diseases.

The NO list for eating Paleo is starchy tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes, grains of any kind, peanuts or cashews, legumes, processed foods, sugars, (the only kind of sweetener allowed for strict Paleo eaters is raw honey), sodas, dairy products, salt, oils made from grains or legumes.

Meats should come from grass fed animals, fish should be wild caught, and nuts should be raw.

Working the Paleo diet into the 40-30-30 parameters is quite do-able. As we add recipes to the database, look for Paleo in the title.

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Salmon: The Good Fish to Eat

Sunday, May 1st, 2011

Salmon is an excellent source of protein and Omega-3 essential fatty acids. It is recommended that you eat foods rich in Omega-3 essential fatty acids at least 2 to 3 times a week.

The best source of salmon is wild caught.  Salmon derives its rich red color from the krill they eat during the part of their life cycle when they are feeding in the sea.  Salmon caught in Alaskan waters have relatively low levels of contaminants (mainly mercury) compared to many species of fish caught in other waters.

FormulaZone recommends eating wild caught salmon over farm raised. Farm raised salmon are raised in pens and are often fed colorized pellets to simulate the rich red color of wild salmon. Since farm raised salmon are fed pelletized food which is not their natural diet found in the wild, they contain much higher amounts of pro-inflammatory omega 6 fats than wild fish. They are also given antibiotics to prevent infection from being confined in close quarters.  Some of these fish are genetically modified as well. The fat content of farmed salmon is excessively high, some estimates being as high as 30-35% by weight, but the fat content is lower in Omega-3 favorable fat. Wild salmon have a 20% higher protein content and a 20% lower fat content than farm-raised salmon, but their fat content is higher in favorable Omega-3 fat.

Salmon is a versatile fish that can be cooked in many ways.  It is great grilled, in chowders, salads, smoked, and canned salmon can be made into salmon cakes, croquettes, and makes a pleasant change from tuna salad.

Check out the chart below and enjoy more salmon!  FormulaZone has many great recipes for salmon in our recipe database.

Coho Salmon (Silver):  This salmon has a delicate flavor and orange-red flesh.

Serving size: 3oz. (85 grams) Cooked, Edible Portion

Calories Carbs (g) Protein (g) Fats (g)
160 0 23 7
Sockeye:  This salmon has a rich complex flavor, high in oil content, and deep red color.  It is the second most abundant after Pink.

Serving size: 3oz. (85 grams) Cooked, Edible Portion

Calories Carbs (g) Protein (g) Fats (g)
180 0 23 9
King (Chinook):  This salmon has been nicknamed the “Kobe Beef of the Sea”.  It has the highest oil content.  It has a rich flavor and firm succulent texture.  King Salmon is available in several pigment variations including red, white and marbled flesh.

Serving size: 3oz. (85 grams) Cooked, Edible Portion

Calories Carbs (g) Protein (g) Fats (g)
200 0 21 11.5
Keta (Chum):  This salmon has a mild flavor with low oil content.  It has a firm texture and pink flesh.  You can cook like a mild white fish.

Serving size: 3oz. (85 grams) Cooked, Edible Portion

Calories Carbs (g) Protein (g) Fats (g)
130 0 22 4
Pink: This salmon has a rosy pink color.  It has the least fat of any salmon.  The texture is similar to trout.  It is great for people who like a mild fish.  Most of this variety gets canned.

Serving size: 3oz. (85 grams) Cooked, Edible Portion

Calories Carbs (g) Protein (g) Fats (g)
130 0 22 4

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If You Can’t Pronounce It, Don’t Eat It

Monday, March 21st, 2011

Additives are BIG news these days. Naturalists say “if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it”, “the longer the ingredient list, the more processed it is”, “if your grandmother doesn’t recognize it, don’t buy and eat it”.

With today’s lifestyle, sometimes that’s easier said than done. Are some additives safe? Should some be avoided at all costs? Are there “hidden” additives? This article will help sort all this confusion to help you make some intelligent choices.

In Deanna M. Minich, Ph.D., C.N.’s book An A-Z Guide to Food Additives, she rates additives from A+ (safe to eat and may be nutritious) to F (do not eat foods with these additives).

She lists the top 12 foods to avoid in an ideal world:
1. Salt
2. Sugar
3. Trans fats
4. Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
5. Artificial anything
6. Nitrates and Nitrites
7. Sulfites
8. BHT/BHA
9. Fat substitutes
10. Potassium Bromate
11. Gluten
12. White flour

Although some additives got ratings of A+, certain individuals may be sensitive to them, and should include them in their diet with caution.

Additives that got an A+ rating include: Agar, Alginate, Astaxanthin, Beta-carotene, Calcium gluconate, Canthaxanthin, Carrot oil, Casein, Chlorophyll, Ferric citrate, Ferrous fumerate, Ferrous gluconate, Ferric phosphate, Ferric pyrophosphate, Fibersol-2, Folic acid, Gums (acacia, arabic, furcellaran, karaya, locust bean, tragacanth, xanthan), Inulin, Lecithin, Lutein, Lycopene, Magnesium, Phytosterols/phytostanols, Potassium iodide, Turmeric, Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and Zinc.

Additives that got an F rating include: Acesulfame=potassium(Asulfame K, Ace K, Sunett, Sweet One, potassium 6-methyl-2, 2-dioxo-oxanthiazin-4-olate), Artificial colorings (FD&C Blue No. 1, FD&C Blue No. 2, FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C ellow No. 6, Orange B, Citrus Red No. 2), Aspartame (NutraSweet, Tropicana Slim, Equal, Canderel, aspartyl-phenylalanine-1-methyl ester), Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), Cottonseed oil, Diacetyl, Gluten (due to the high number of individuals with gluten intolerence, it may be best to avoid this additive), Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (contains 10-30% MSG), Isoamyl acetate, Monosodium glutamate (MSG), Neotame, Olestra, Partially hydrogenated oil, Potassium bromate, Propyl gallate (propyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate)Saccharin (Sweet ‘N Low), Salatrim (Benefat), Sodium nitrate, Sodium nitrite, Sodium silicoaluminate, and Sucralose (Splenda).

In her book, Deanna Minich put a white sourdough bread to the test. The ingredient label read as follows:

Enriched White Flour(malted Barley Flour, Potassium Bromate, Niacin, Iron, Thiamine, Riboflavin), White Sugar, Soybean Oil (Citric Acid), Whey Solids, less than 1% Calcium Steaeoyl Lactylate, Corn Syrup Solids, Soy Protein Isolate, Partially Hydrogenate Oils (Palm Kernel, Soybean & Cotton Seed), Di-glycerides, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bisulfite, BHT, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) Dipotassium Phosphate, Artifiial Flavor, Yeast, Salt, Water.

See those bold ingredients in the list?  Those are the 10 ingredients which should be avoided.

Living a healthy lifestyle begins with being aware of what you are eating. To learn more about additives, read An A to Z Guide to Food Additives, by Deana M. Minich, Ph.d., C.N.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

The Glycemic Index Revisited

Saturday, May 15th, 2010

More and more focus lately is on diets as a way to combat heart disease, diabetes and cancer. In response to this, researchers are looking not only at calories and fats, but also the differences in carbohydrates.

Researchers noticed that blood sugars are affected by the way carbohydrates were digested. Slower digestion meant slower and more even release of blood sugars into the bloodstream. Faster digestion meant quicker release and spikes in blood sugars. These spikes trigger the release of more insulin.

Although proteins and fats may influence the rate at which carbohydrates break down into glucose (blood sugar), they do not break down into glucose. Only carbohydrates have a glycemic index.

Tests were developed to measure the Glycemic Index, which is just a measure of the rate at which carbohydrates break down into glucose. Jennie Brand-Miller, one of the world’s leading researchers in the Glycemic Index describes the testing process:

How is the GI measured?
The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of the power of foods (or specifically the carbohydrate in a food) to raise blood sugar (glucose) levels after being eaten. The GI values of foods must be measured using valid scientific methods. It cannot be guessed by looking at the composition of the food. Currently, only a few nutrition research groups around the world provide a legitimate testing service. Professor Jennie Brand-Miller at the Human Nutrition Unit, Sydney University has been at the forefront of glycemic index research for over a decade, and her research group has determined the GI values of more than 400 foods. (1)

The current standard GI ratings are:

High GI: 70 and above
Medium GI: 56 to 69
Low GI: 55 and under

The Glycemic Index Symbol Program (2)

The GI of foods has important implications for the food industry. Some foods on the Australian market already show their GI rating on the nutrition information panel. Terms such as complex carbohydrates and sugars, which commonly appear on food labels, are now recognised as having little nutritional or physiological significance. The WHO/FAO recommend that these terms be removed and replaced with the total carbohydrate content of the food and its GI value. However, the GI rating of a food must be tested physiologically and only a few centres around the world currently provide a legitimate testing service. The Human Nutrition Unit at the University of Sydney has been at the forefront of glycemic index research for over two decades and has tested hundreds of foods as an integral part of its program. Jennie Brand Miller is the senior author of International Tables of Glycemic Index published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1995 and 2002 .(2)

FormulaZone recognizes this current research and has adjusted its glycemic ratings in accordance with these standards. We continue to research and update our nutritional information as it becomes available.

Each ingredient that goes into making a recipe on FormulaZone lists a GI. Proteins and fats are listed as low GI, because they do not contribute to the GI of a recipe. (They are not medium or high). When you combine the protein (30) and the fat (30) with the carb (40) you are lowering the glycemic load of the meal. If you were to eat JUST a carbohydrate at a given meal, you may be eating High Glycemic, Medium Glycemic or Low Glycemic, depending on the carbohydrate’s GI that you are eating. By combining protein, fat and LOW GLYCEMIC carbohydrates in a meal, you are ensuring that you are eating a healthy LOW glycemic meal.

Taking that 40-30-30 balance a step further, combining GOOD fats, LEAN proteins and LOW glycemic carbohydrates ensures that you are eating the best combination of foods to contribute to your healthy lifestyle.

(1) http://www.glycemic index.com
(2) http://www.glycemicindex.com; http://www.gisymbol.com.au/

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Posted in Diabetes, Food | No Comments »

There’s Food and Then There’s Food

Saturday, April 10th, 2010

Let’s face it, we live in America, Land of Plenty. We have become used to convenience, and quick affordable food products. We are a busy society. But at what cost?

The food industry has created and conveniently packaged, what Michael Pollan calls “food-like-substances”. They look like food, and they even taste like food, but they are laden with chemicals, synthesized nutrients, and are often highly processed.

I recently saw an ad for a a new product which would increase your fiber. A yogurt and oatmeal granola with fruit. Okay… sweetened yogurt, sweetened granola and sweetened fruit. Why not just enjoy some thick rolled oats, some plain low fat kefir or Greek yogurt and some raw nuts and berries or dried raisins. Trust me, you’ll be surprised to actually taste the ingredients and not be overladen with sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

I also caught another news story about – believe it or don’t: Bacon and eggs for breakfast can set your body up to better metabolize fat throughout the day. Hook us in by telling us it’s okay to eat bacon and eggs. That yummy goodness comfort food should grab our attention. But what they really meant to say was start your day by eating a little good fat and it would set your body up to better metabolize fat. Egg whites, the protein and yolks, the fat (but also has a cholesterol component) and bacon, full of saturated fats may set your body up to metabolize fat, but at what cost? Did they stop to think about coronary artery disease? I’ll opt for an omelet with some avocado and salsa made with a dash of olive oil.

Food manufacturers love to target children. Hook the kids and they will unrelentingly bug their parents until they try the newest snack or lunch to pack. If you read the labels, most popular ones are high in sodium, artificial colors and flavors, high fructose corn syrup, and preservatives. How much harder is it really, to pack your child’s lunch with fresh veggies, fresh fruit or natural fruit leather, and some home grilled chicken strips or natural peanut butter and whole grain bread or crackers.

Make your meals from things you would have in your pantry, like pasta, chicken broth, peas, and sea salt. Do you have a bottle of powdered chicken, calcium silicate, sodium triphosphate or disodium guanylate in YOUR pantry? I didn’t think so, unless of course you are Nissin Foods, who are quick to point out that their product contains 0 g of trans fats.

Many of the food additives and “food-like-substances” are relatively new and we have no longitudinal studies available to assess the effect they have on the human body. We do know that obesity, heart disease, certain cancers and diabetes are on the rise in this country and are occurring in younger populations at an alarming rate.

If you want an adventure, try out “no barcode” shopping – shop at a farmers market. Go to a local artisan bakery and pick out a loaf of fresh baked bread. Visit a meat market and have the butcher wrap your chicken breast in a piece of butcher paper.

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Posted in Fast Food, News, Packaged foods | No Comments »

Smart Shopping Tips to Help You Save Money

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

We have had comments that “this is too expensive”, or “we can’t find an ingredient locally”. We’ve got some tips for keeping costs down:

Use the Weekly Supermarket Ad

One sure way to help control the cost of weekly groceries is to take a look through your supermarket’s weekly ad specials.

With pen and paper in hand, make a shopping list from all the specials they are running for the week:

  • Create your menu from those items.
  • Or, if you don’t make weekly menus, look for specific recipes featuring those items you have selected from the ad.
  • Or, use the Recipe Builder and create your own recipes from the featured items you have selected from the ad.

Woman Grocery Shopping

Take Advantage of the “Sale” Bins

Most grocery stores have a “Manager’s Special” bin in the meat department. Shop that bin for deals on meats up to 70% off! Most of the time you can freeze the food if you aren’t going to use it, and often you can use the meat right away in a Zone-friendly recipe.

Shop the Sales

Build your pantry of staples when you see the items on sale. When that spice, canned good, or staple goes on sale, buy extra (if you know you’ll use it).

Did you know?

You can select a “whole” cut of meat and have the butcher slice it for you. Many times the whole cut is cheaper than the sliced ones. You can buy a pork loin and have the butcher cut it into chops.

“Family sized” packaging is less expensive many times, and often freeze well.
If you use canned fruits and vegetables, stores will often run specials, so stock up on these if your family has favorites.

In the fresh produce section, seasonal items will often be much cheaper, so eat with the seasons to save a ton on your produce.

Make a HUGE Different – Manage Your Menus

If you take the time to manually manage your menu, you can really start to save.

Lets say chicken is on sale this week – build your menu so that many meals use chicken, and you’re eating food that’s less expensive.

Plus, with some simple combining and consolidating, you can save on virtually EVERY menu, regardless of whether food is on sale. Here’s how:
Problem: If your menu calls for ham for lunch one day, then a smoothie the next, and pre-grilled chicken the third day, and so on – you’re going to buy a package of ham (and not use the whole thing), a gallon of milk and protein powder (again, not use all of it), and some pre-grilled chicken (and not use it all) – you get the idea.
Solution: Manage that menu a bit. Use the same recipe for lunch on several days so that you use that entire package of ham (and more importantly, aren’t buying milk, protein powder, and chicken). If you don’t want the same recipe, at least use other recipes that use ham. You can do this easily by using the Search by Ingredient feature in the Recipe page.

Cook for Yourself

When a recipe calls for grilled chicken – buy raw chicken and grill it at home. You can grill up a batch and put it in the freezer (or fridge if you’re going to use it right away) and save a lot of money.

Substitute

When a recipe calls for avocado (yum!), you may choose to substitute another fat (mayo, olive oil – or even nuts, if it’s appropriate) that costs much less.

Have Other Tips?

Do you have other tips? Let us know! Send us an e-mail with your best tips – share them with other members and help them to save money also!

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Posted in Save Money, Shopping | No Comments »

Learning How to Eat Well

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

Our Most Common Requests

Many members ask if we can add this ingredient or that ingredient, or tell us that their brand of cottage cheese is not exactly like our cottage cheese.

Our ingredient database includes many generic foods to choose from. We also have added many specific foods that members have suggested.

Taking the Time to Learn

FormulaZone is a place where you can learn about healthy living and make a transition from reliance upon fast and convenience foods to preparing fresh whole foods. During that learning process you can learn to make subtle adjustments and understand that although a specific brand of a food may have a slightly different carb-protein-fat profile, close is okay. Obviously there is a distinct difference between non-fat, low-fat and full fat dairy products, but if you compare the labels of the store brand, Lucerne, Dannon, Yoplait, you will find that they are quite similar.

Many brands of products are specific to certain regions or certain grocery stores and are not widely available. So, again, the learning process, if the ingredient is not exactly the same, find one very similar and it is okay to substitute. I might buy Dave’s Killer Bread in Portland (a local company) but you might buy Orowheat from your local food chain. I simply compare my label with Bread, whole grain, in the database and see what’s close enough.

What? It’s not 40-30-30?

No recipe will be exactly 40-30-30, even if it says it is 40-30-30 because every time you measure and prepare something, measurements are not exact and can vary each time you make something, So the balance might be 39-31-30 one time and 42-27-31 the next time.

Giving You the Tools

Most people join FormulaZone to either lose unwanted weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle. Our goal at FormulaZone is to provide you with the tools to do just that. We understand that our members come from many backgrounds, but they ultimately have a common goal: To get healthy.

It’s Worth the Effort

There is no easy solution, but we hope that the learning process will get you to a place where you can understand how foods affect your health and how you can make good choices, hopefully reaching a place where you can eat less prepared convenience foods and more healthy whole foods.

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What Can We Learn from The Natives?

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Meet the Natives

Channel surfing the other day I happened upon a Travel Channel program titled “Meet the Natives”.

The show profiles five members or an indigenous tribe in the Pacific on the Island of Tanna. They traveled to various locations in the US and were hosted by families.

The three episodes I watched revealed a lot about their views on food and nature. They were hosted in Montana, Illinois and New York City. More episodes will be aired in the future.

Why do we do that?

They wondered why we raked the grass and didn’t grow any vegetables on the plot. They were afraid that the snow would kill the plants and grass. The chief of the tribe was very concerned when his host family was about to roast a turkey that she bought from a store by first placing it in a plastic bag. He said the plastic would melt and poison him. She assured him that it was a special plastic and would not harm him. She offered to remove the turkey from the bag, but he said he would trust her. She then opened a can of yams and asked him if he recognized what it was. After he said he didn’t, she told him it was yams. Yams, a staple in his diet, were completely unrecognizable to him. He commented that we eat too much “dead” food, and was concerned that the yams were in a tin can. He told the host that he ate yams, but he harvested them from his garden and roasted them in a fire. The tribesmen also commented that we eat too much food when they were invited to a community dinner. They said this much food would feed his whole village for a long long time.

What can we learn?

I wonder what lessons we can learn from them. They live in a communal village, they are happy, self sufficient, and not any of them suffered from obesity that I could see. They ate fresh, whole, live food with a diet devoid of soft drinks, candy, chips, and fast food.

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Straight Talk About Fast Foods

Sunday, November 1st, 2009

Let’s face it, most of us would say that Fast Food is convenient, fairly cheap and definitely has that satisfying taste. Unless you live in a void, you are bombarded by all forms of media, reinforcing these facts, and your kids are an easy persuader, too.

Are fast foods really as bad as the nutrition experts say they are?

Morgan Spurlock of “Supersize Me” fame would agree, while Jared Fogel of Subway fame would defend the Subway diet.

Are there some “good for you” fast foods out there? Can you trust the quality of ingredients and preparation practices?

Let’s look at a few popular fast food items:

Burger King Whopper Jr.:

According to Burger King:
“It’s a little WHOPPER® sandwich with a big taste. A flame-broiled beef patty topped with red ripe tomatoes, crisp lettuce, creamy mayo, ketchup, crunchy pickles, and onions-all on a toasted sesame seed bun.”

Want fries with that? Value Fries (small)

Food Calories Total Fat Sat Fat Protein Carbs 40-30-30
Whopper Jr 370 21 6.0 16 31 33-17-50
Small Fries 220 11 2.5 2 28 51-4-45
Total 590 32 8.5 18 59 40-12-48

Meal Cost: $2.00

Health Cost and 40-30-30 considerations:

  • High Glycemic
  • Not balanced
  • Over 500 calories with the fries

Plus, the meal defies these recommendations for health:

  • Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids
  • Keep total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.
  • When selecting and preparing meat, poultry, dry beans, and milk or milk products, make choices that are lean, low-fat, or fat-free.
  • Limit intake of fats and oils high in saturated and/or trans fatty acids, and choose products low in such fats and oils.
Angry Whopper

How about an Angry Whopper and Large Fries? (Honestly I LOVE Angry Whoppers. A definite comfort food for me, but at what cost? (Plus it sits in my stomach like a rock and I feel awful the next morning):

“A ¼ pound* of flame-broiled beef topped with sizzling bacon, Pepper Jack cheese, deliciously spicy jalapenos, angry onions and our signature angry sauce. It’s the WHOPPER® that bites back.”

Food Calories Total Fat Sat Fat Protein Carbs 40-30-30
Angry Whopper 880 55 18 37 59 27-17-56
Large Fries 580 28 6 6 74 52-4-44
Total 1,460 83 24 43 133 37-12-51

Meal Cost: About $6.00

Health Cost and 40-30-30 considerations:

  • High Glycemic
  • Not balanced
  • Over 500 calories

And again, it ignores these important health recommendations:

  • Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat.
  • Keep total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.
  • When selecting and preparing meat, poultry, dry beans, and milk or milk products, make choices that are lean, low-fat, or fat-free.
  • Limit intake of fats and oils high in saturated and/or trans fatty acids, and choose products low in such fats and oils.
Chicken Tendergrill, anyone?

Okay, I know they say eat chicken not beef, because there is less saturated fat. How about a Tendergrill™ Chicken Sandwich. This one actually comes close to balancing without any sides.

According to Burger King:
“You want chicken? You got it. You want a juicy grilled chicken filet on a corn-dusted bun, topped with crisp lettuce tomato? You got that, too. It’s called the TENDERGRILL® Chicken Sandwich.”

Want fries with that? Here’s an example with small fries:

Food Calories Total Fat Sat Fat Protein Carbs 40-30-30
Tendergrill™ Chicken Sandwich 490 21 4 26 51 41-21-38
Small Fries 220 11 2.5 2 28 51-4-45
Total with Fries 710 32 6.5 28 79 41-16-40

Meal Cost: about $6.00

Health Cost and 40-30-30 considerations:

  • High Glycemic
  • Not balanced
  • Over 500 calories with fries
  • Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids.
  • Keep total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.
  • Limit intake of fats and oils high in saturated and/or trans fatty acids, and choose products low in such fats and oils.
Yes, but what about Salads?

Now, I know what you’re thinking. I’ve only given you the choice for a burger or a chicken sandwich. Why not a salad? Isn’t that a better choice?

Tendergrill™ Chicken Salad:

Season-ripe lettuce, cucumber, carrots, onions and tomatoes topped with grilled chicken, three kinds of cheese, and your choice of KEN’S® Salad Dressing. TENDERGRILL™ is the salad for grilled-chicken lovers.

Dressing options:
KEN’S™ Light Italian Dressing (2 oz) Cal:120 Fat:11g Sat Fat:1.5g Carb:5g Pro:0g
KEN’S™ Ranch Dressing (2 oz) Cal:190 Fat:20g Sat Fat: 3g Carb:2g Pro:1g
KEN’S™ Creamy Caesar Dressing (2 oz) Cal:210 Fat:21g Sat Fat: 4g Carb:4g Pro:3g
KEN’S™ Honey Mustard Dressing (2 oz) Cal:270 Fat:23g Sat Fat: 3g Carb:15g Pro:1g

Let’s see how the salad shakes out….

Food Calories Total Fat Sat Fat Protein Carbs 40-30-30
Tendergrill™ Chicken Salad 210 7 3 29 8 15-55-30
Croutons 60 2 0 1 9 62-7-31
Total NO dressing 370 9 3 30 17 25-45-30
Ranch Dressing 190 20 3 1 2 4-2-94
Total with Dressing 560 29 6 31 19 16-27-57

Right – I did not add dressing first. I then added Ranch Dressing (a favorite). I clearly need carbs to make it balance. Even if I use the Light dressing I am adding more fat than carbs. If I add the Honey Mustard I get the carbs (in the form of sugar), but I also get unneeded fat.

Cost: Varies

Health Cost and 40-30-30 considerations:

  • Not balanced
  • Over 500 calories with the dressing

Again, it dismisses these health suggestions:

  • Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids.
  • Keep total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.
  • Limit intake of fats and oils high in saturated and/or trans fatty acids, and choose products low in such fats and oils.
OK, what about Subway?

To be fair, I’ll see how a Subway 6” sandwich would play out, and I’ll even add a salad for a choice:

  • Any sandwich can be made into a salad with chopped lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, green bell peppers, and olives.

Subway tells you up front (well in fine print):

“The following are the standard formulas for sandwiches, salads and wraps served at SUBWAY® restaurants. The customer can alter this formula by choosing different vegetables, condiments and breads. Standard vegetables include iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, green peppers, and cucumbers. (made on Italian or 9-Grain Wheat bread)”

What do these sandwiches look like, anyway?

Food Calories Total Fat Sat Fat Protein Carbs 40-30-30
6” Turkey Breast 280 3.5 1.0 18 47 64-25-11
Flatbread Turkey Breast 310 6.0 1.0 18 47 60-23-17
6” Tuna 530 30.0 6.0 21 48 35-15-49
New 6” Buffalo Chicken (I got these values from a different site. Subway did not have the nutritional info on their site.) 370 7.0 1.5 25 54 57-26-17
Turkey Breast Salad 110 2.0 0.5 14 12 39-46-15
Fat Free Italian 35

 0 0 1 7 88-12-0
Total w/ Italian 145 2.0 0.5 15

 19 49-39-12
Ranch 320 35.0 6.0 0 3 4-0-96
Salad Total w/ Ranch 430 37.0 6.5 14 15 13-12-74

When you go into a Subway they ask you:

  • What size
  • What kind of bread
  • What cheese
  • What veggies
  • What condiments

You are immediately in danger of altering the listed nutritional values. I am usually tempted to say, “Footlong, pepperjack cheese, ALL the veggies (which includes a fistful of olives), and a little oil and vinegar (no mayo of course).

After all isn’t the $5 footlong the better deal?

Meal Cost: Varies

Health Cost and 40-30-30 considerations:

  • Not balanced

And yet again, flies in the face of:

  • Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids.
  • Keep total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.
  • Limit intake of fats and oils high in saturated and/or trans fatty acids, and choose products low in such fats and oils.
Some things to consider:

When you consider how you have to alter the “fast food” to make it fit and healthy, is it really “fast”?

How tempting is it to just eat the whole bun rather than throw away half of it? Besides – who wants to have the waste in the car, or maybe you drive a bit further and are still hungry, so you retrieve it from the bag and eat it.

Additions are really a dice roll. Subway lists an add-on of olives on a 6” sandwich as 3 rounds. I have NEVER seen an employee add 3 little pieces of olives to a 6”. How much is “just a little mayo”? . When you are going through a drive-through, how do you ask for “mayo on the side”?

What Fast Food Should Be…

Fast food to me is something made at home where I know EXACTLY what I am eating, which I can make in 5 minutes or less and put in a sack and take with me.

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Temptation, Thinking Beyond “Diet”, and Walking the Walk

Wednesday, April 28th, 2004

Temptation

Sometimes the temptation is just too great. Maybe it’s the power lunch with the out of town team, or the volunteer potluck lunch at the school, and you just can’t or don’t want to say NO to the homemade Au Grautin Potato and Ham casserole or the catered Dim Sum. Once you are in the Zone for awhile you will appreciate how good you are feeling in the Zone when you fall out for a meal. All is not lost, you can resume Zone living by eating right the next meal. Keep in mind, however, your success with the Zone lifestyle, depends on how diligent you are in keeping yourself in the Zone!

Thinking Beyond “Diet”

To recognize the true power of the Zone, I invite you to think beyond “diet”. Diet is just one part of the Zone lifestyle. Many people try different diets to lose weight. Some are quite successful and some fall short. But what happens when you reach your goal weight and decide the “diet” did its job and slip back into old eating patterns?

I find that I like being in the Zone. I feel great! I am not hungry! I am happier. I don’t want to eat outside the Zone. I feel terrible out there. I liken it to being hit by a Mac truck. I feel tired, sluggish, foggy, cranky, and just “off”. The euphoric feeling that accompanies the proper diet is just the beginning of a healthier lifestyle.

Along with 40-30-30 balanced meals, add exercise. Start simple, maybe with just a brisk walk. Soon you will want to increase your level of activity.

Now, the next thing is to help your body ward off heart disease, high cholesterol, arthritis, certain forms of cancer, and type II diabetes. It’s easy. Eat good fats: olive oil, nuts, and avocados. Stay away from trans fats like margarine and hydrogenated oils. Use saturated fats (from animal sources) in moderation.

Next, do your body one better, treat it to Omega-3 oils. Eat salmon and supplement with molecular distilled fish oil. This is truly brain food. It contains DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) a big word for something the brain needs. 60% of the brain’s weight is fat, fat in the form of DHA. Without adequate DHA your brain cannot function properly.

Finally, drink lots of water. Just plain water. Coffee doesn’t count, nor does pop. The body is made up of 70% water. It is necessary for proper cellular function. If your body thinks it is not getting enough water, it will try to retain water.

Now you have all the parts to think beyond “diet”. Enjoy the full power of the Zone lifestyle.

Walking the Walk

True Zoners not only talk the talk, they walk the walk. There are so many “diets” floating around out there for people to choose. Some come, some go, and some have been around for some time.

I have tried many diets over the years. I have met with some degree of success, but nothing like the Zone. Many of those purported “diets” work while you are following them, but once you stabilize and try to “eat normally”, the weight often comes right back and even increases.

The Zone goes beyond the “diet” concept. It is a way of life, a prescription for healthy living. It helps your body regulate itself into hormonal balance. You no longer crave the things that keep you from reaching optimal health. You feel better, sleep better, focus better, all while you are eating real food, that you can choose for yourself.

When discussing the Zone with other established followers, I find that they possess a level of understanding that extends beyond the “diet” mentality. They understand the food connection to the way their body reacts. But, beyond this level of understanding, they actually live what they say. They truly are walking the walk and not just talking the talk.

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