By: Susan Lupackino, MHS, RD, LDN of food is good

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I’m always looking for healthy snack ideas. And as a Dietician - I know how healthy peanut butter is. Spread it on apples, crackers, celery, bread, bananas…endless ways to enjoy peanut butter. A spoonful of peanut butter can go a long way.  

Fill up on peanut butter! Besides being delicious, peanut butter is rich in dietary fiber. In fact, in just 2 Tablespoons peanut butter has 2 grams fiber to help you stay full throughout the day. 

Packed with 3 p’s! In addition to the fiber, peanut butter is full of protein, potassium and phytochemicals.  Peanut butter has significant amount of protein - about 16-20 grams of protein in 2 Tablespoons depending on the brand. Also, 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter contains 214 mg of potassium. Potassium is an important mineral that helps to keep blood levels in a healthy range. Peanut butter is also filled with phytochemicals, antioxidants that help fight off certain diseases.

Regular peanut butter vs. natural peanut butter! Is one healthier than the other? According to the FDA peanut butter must contain 90% of peanuts to be considered peanut butter. Both have the same amount of fat (and good fat) as well as calories; however, natural peanut butter does have a little more protein.  The main differences come down to taste and number of ingredients. In addition to peanuts and salt, regular peanut butter contains sugar and vegetable oil making it sweeter. Natural peanut butter is well, more “natural”.

Natural or not, peanut butter is nutritious, filling and makes a great snack.


Here are 5 ways to Enjoy Peanut Butter: 

1.     Make a Smoothie:  This is perfect following workout or run. Who needs ice cream when you have the         
        creamy goodness of peanut butter? Add your favorite fruit, skim milk, honey and peanut butter to  
        make a delicious shake.

2.     Stir Fry: Melt a spoonful of PB into stir fried noodles for a silky and flavorful sauce.

3.     Satay: Grilled chicken, steak, and shrimp love peanut butter too. Combine with soy sauce, brown  
        sugar, lime and chili paste for a sweet, sour and creamy dipping sauce.

4.     Yogurt Dip: Mix creamy peanut butter with nonfat Greek yogurt for a light and tasty dipping sauce for 
        strawberries, apple slices, watermelon, or carrot sticks.

5.     A Sweet Treat: If you love peanut butter and chocolate, this is perfect for you! Get yourself some 
       granola and dried bananas and add some semi-chocolate chips to the cluster. Then melt 2 
       Tablespoons of peanut butter and add to the granola mixture. This makes a great snack. If you want to 
       pump it up, add 1 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt. 

 

By: Susan Lupackino, MHS, RD, LDN of food is good

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Forget being the Chinese Year of the Snake, 2013 is the year of Quinoa. Quinoa, pronounced, “Keen-wah”, is making global headlines in the food world.  The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa. 

What is Quinoa?  Quinoa is primarily grown in the Andes, mainly in Peru and Bolivia. Many ancient Andean cultures considered Quinoa as a sacred grain, referring it to as “chisaya mama” which means “the mother of all grains.” Quinoa is a seed, much like whole grains such as rice or barley.

Packed with Nutrients.  Quinoa is a superfood filled with significant amount of nutrient properties. Quinoa has all 9 essential amino acids that we need from our diet.  Amino acids are building blocks of protein, required for proper nutrition.  One cup of cooked quinoa has about 230 calories, 8 grams of protein, 4.5 grams of fat, and 5 grams of fiber.

Heart Healthy. Quinoa contains certain health-supportive fats that protect our heart.  About 25% of Quinoa's fatty acids come in the form of oleic acid, a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.  Also, Quinoa contains alpha-linolenic acid or ALA—the omega-3 fatty acid most commonly found in plants and associated with decreased risk of inflammation-related disease.

Cooking Quinoa.  Follow these easy instructions for a tasty Quinoa dish:  

Ingredients

1 cup Quinoa (any variety — white or golden, red, or black)
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
2 cups liquid, such as broth or water
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

 

You will need:

Fine mesh strainer
2-quart saucepan with lid
Wooden spoon



Instructions

1. Measure quinoa and liquid. Measure out 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups liquid.

2. Rinse the quinoa. Rinsing Quinoa removes its natural coating, called saponin, which can make it taste bitter or soapy.  Place the Quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer, and rinse thoroughly with cool water. Rub and swish the Quinoa with your hand while rinsing, and rinse for at least 2 minutes under the running water. Drain.

3. Dry and toast Quinoa in saucepan. Add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in the saucepan over medium-high heat, and add the drained Quinoa. Stir for about 1 minute, letting the water evaporate.

4. Add liquid and bring to a boil. Stir in the liquid and the salt and bring to a boil.

5. Lower heat and cook covered for 15 minutes. Turn heat down to the lowest setting. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

6. Let stand covered for 5 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner.  Let stand for 5 minutes, covered.

7. Fluff and eat! After 5 minutes, remove the lid, fluff the Quinoa gently with a fork, and serve.

Spice it up! You can add nuts and fruits to cooked Quinoa and serve as a breakfast cereal.  For a twist on your favorite pasta recipe, use noodles made from Quinoa.  

Quinoa is a great food for anyone looking for a healthy boost in their diet.  If you love to experience healthy and different foods - Quinoa is your grain.  The next time you’re at the supermarket - make your way to the rice aisle and pick up a bag of Quinoa.

My fiancé TSgt Michael Spradley will be deploying for his 6th tour to the Middle East. He will be going to Afghanistan with special forces as their EOD technician. We were given four weeks notice of this deployment. We are both avid runners and he actually proposed during our trip down to LA to run the LA marathon where we did the SF/LA marathon challenge. 

He's the best running partner I have ever had, he always pushes me to keep going and to do my best and he's always there by my side as I cross through the finish! I'm never waiting for what bling I get after a race but for his kisses to let me know he's proud of me! I'm so lucky to have such an amazing fiancé, friend and running partner! I want him to see just how proud of him I am and how much I respect his commitment to serve our country! 



So Im asking for runners around the world to show their support by making a poster board with the city/state or the race they are running with the phrase " I would run to you" underneath it. 

Example:

SF Marathon

I would run to you 
then send the picture of yourself to the following email address by May 20th
[email protected]


I will be making a video with the "I would run to you" song from the commercial that nike put out playing with all the pictures of runners from all over the world letting him know we support and care about our troops!! 

Thank you so much for your time and support!!

Jen

This is my story of melanoma. I am fair skinned and have 300+ moles on my body so I am at high risk of melanoma.. Starting in my thirties I became more vigilant about protecting my skin and making regular appointments to see a dermatologist. I was not always so vigilant about my skin because I felt being tan meant you looked healthy and beautiful. My visits to tanning salons did not last too long, but I still used them in my early twenties.

When I was young, I was always on the swim team in the summer and we would stay outside all day long. My mother was good about making we wear sun screen, however, it would wash off because of the hours I spent in the pool. It was my mother who warned me of skin cancer all my life and it drove me crazy. She would send me articles in the mail about skin cancer and I would throw them away.

I thankfully stopped tanning in my earlier thirties and became more aware of the dangers of melanoma. I guess I finally started listening to my mother. I started going to a dermatologist every 6 months and they always took several moles off to have them tested. In 2006, I had growth that appeared on top of my eyebrow which I became concerned about, so I went to the dermatologist and they found it was basil cell. I had it removed on Valentine’s Day and it was swollen for about 3 weeks. They removed 8 layers and I was looking really cute. My husband called me “Rocky”.

Even after the basil cell scare, I really didn’t think I was going to get melanoma, but it reared its ugly face in October, 2011. While I was in California on vacation, I noticed a mole that I had on my calf that had grown a black tail. It was actually a mole that I had since I was little and was very faded, but the tail was ugly. I had gone to the dermatologist about a month prior to my trip to California and I thought it was strange that they did not notice it, but I don’t think it was visible. When I went to my 3 month check up I pointed it out to them and they removed it. About 5 days later I received THE CALL from my Doctor who informed me that I had melanoma and I needed to come in to have it removed the next day. I was terrified, but the good news was that it was Stage 0.

On October 19th, I had surgery and I was alone and scared, but I put on a brave face. My husband was out of town and asked if should come home and I told him I could handle it on my own. The surgery lasted about 1 ½ hours which I was awake the whole time. They cut 5 inches across 3 to 4 inches deep. When they pulled the cancer out, they told me it was the size of a man’s fist. I am thankful that I was so vigilant and I hate to think what would of happened if I ignored it. The worse part of the surgery was the inability to walk; it took me three months to actually walk normal. There were several reasons for this, infection, blood clots and nerve damage.

After the surgery, the dermatologist care was dreadful and I have since fired them. I also had to go to physical therapy for 6 weeks 3 times a week because I had chronic pain syndrome and I could not straighten my leg. The scar tissue was not massaged and it remained in one area and was extremely painful if anyone touched it with even a gentle touch. The physical therapist noticed there were still 3 stitches left in from the surgery which was also causing me pain. They were able to remove two of the three stitches; however, the third one is still in me because it is under my skin. It is a constant reminder of my experience.

I would like everyone that reads this story to make sure that they have a good dermatologist that is less concerned of the beauty aspect of their practice and more about saving lives. The dermatologist that removed my melanoma had been my doctor for about 7 years, but her practice changed quite a bit over the past 3 years. The money they were making with injections and beauty treatments seemed to be more important to them. I have since fired her and found an incredible new dermatologist that cares about her patients well being, not just the way they look. I am going for mole mapping procedure on March 22nd, which I had never heard about from my last dermatologist.

I am proud that I did this on my own and I will not cover up my huge scar because that is my “Medal of Awareness”. I am looking forward to the day that someone asks what happened to my leg, I am going to make up a story that a shark snacked on my leg because my scar resembles a shark bite. Of course, I will tell them the truth after I have some fun with them. I am not having any plastic surgery nor am I putting any creams on my scar to fade it because I want to do my part in bringing awareness to melanoma.