Five Delicious High Protein, High Fiber No-Fuss Breakfasts – Four of Which Are Not Oatmeal

Whether breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day is debatable. But if you’re a breakfast eater, it’s a good time to set the stage for the rest of the day with a meal that’s not only tasty but healthy. Will I recommend oatmeal? I kind of have to but I don’t eat oatmeal. This feels like a guilty confession to me because a few days ago I watched an interview of attendees at a nutrition conference and every single one ate oatmeal for breakfast. Does that make me a bad dietitian? Maybe – but there are other breakfasts out there besides the venerable oatmeal that are also winners.

When you choose breakfast foods, think both high protein and high fiber. Here are some great – and easy – breakfast combos:

1. Cereal and Milk: Look for a whole grain cereal and even add a little bran cereal to up the fiber. Milk or soy milk are great sources of protein! You can swap out the milk for Greek yogurt if you really want to up the protein power. Add a banana or raisins for some sweetness and more fiber.

2. Peanut Butter and Whole Wheat Toast: Nut butters are filling and a good source of protein. I like peanut butter because it’s tasty and inexpensive. There are lots of whole grain breads out there – you should be able to find one that you like! Top it with some banana slices for a flavor and fiber boost.

3. Cheese Toast: This is a comfort food breakfast! Choose natural cheeses and a whole grain bread that you like!  Cheese is a great source of protein and whole grain breads up the fiber.

4. Hard Boiled Egg and Oatmeal: Eggs give you a high-quality protein and oatmeal is the ultimate breakfast health food! The long cooking, no sugar varieties are best – but not always the most convenient. So, even if you’re not hard core on oatmeal (put me on that list), instant oatmeal is still better than no oatmeal at all. Try the lower sugar varieties – you’ll still get a nice sweet flavor with less sugar than the super sweet regular packets

5. Greek Yogurt Smoothie: This is my go-to breakfast (after my coffee). Everyone’s got their own style on this one but here’s mine: calcium-added orange juice, cranberry juice, vanilla Greek yogurt, half a banana, and frozen blueberries. The sky’s the limit on your creativity. Some people like to add in some greens like kale or spinach to boost the nutrition quotient!

Not every breakfast you eat has to be the ultimate in health value. Who doesn’t love pancakes and bacon on the weekend? Or a special brunch with friends? So never feel guilty about a rich breakfast once a week or so.

Beth Kitchin, PhD, RDN
Assistant Professor, Nutrition Sciences

Director, Media & Community Engagement
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Don't Gain the "Quarantine 15"

People are calling it the “Quarantine 15” – a play on the “Freshman 15”.  While the “Freshman 15” sounded catchy, it wasn’t really accurate. Studies show that the average college freshman doesn’t actually gain 15 pounds during that first year. How it turns out for the Quarantine 15 remains to be seen. But most of us would rather not gain any weight during this time of upheaval.

How can you meet this challenge? It’s different for everyone. Some people are still going to jobs – jobs that are now filled with the stress of keeping yourself and others healthy. Some people have lost jobs and income, increasing anxiety, stress, and maybe even depression. Others are lucky enough to be working from home which has its own challenges.

Here are some tips that may help you keep your wait in check during the pandemic. They won’t work for everyone – but they’re a good place to start:

·      Eat Regular Meals and Snacks. Hunger is the enemy of weight control. It’s easy to get off schedule so make sure you schedule times to eat and focus on your meals.

·      Focus on Fiber. Aim for about 30 grams of fiber every day. Studies show that eating the right amount of fiber can help you avoid weight gain. If you haven’t been getting much fiber, getting more may actually help you lose weight. Where do you get fiber? Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are the main sources. Read labels on packaged foods to get a feel for their fiber content. Fresh fruits and vegetables may not come with labels, but most have 3 to 5 grams per serving.

·      Track Weight Changes. This is not pleasant, but it can be revealing. If you have scale, weigh yourself every few days. If you see your weight creeping up, this is your signal to tune in to where you may be eating too much or not exercising enough. I track my weight by my clothes. The problem there is that I’m wearing yoga pants pretty much every day. So, what I do is once a week I try on my most unforgiving dress. It’s one of my favorite dresses – and it’s also a dress that if I gain just a few pounds, it’s tight. Really tight! If it starts to feel a little snug, I know it’s time to cut back a bit! I call this my Fashion Fix!

·      Go Outside and Walk. We’re fortunate that the pandemic happened when the weather is getting warm. Walking has obvious physical benefits, but I am finding that it helps my mood. When you go for a walk, you see that the world is still out there, people are walking, doing yard work, and waving – all from a distance but it is still heartening and mood-boosting!

·      Have a Dance Party for One. Another option for mood boosting exercise is the home dance party. I have weights that I use to work out and I put on some of my favorite old tunes from my college days and breakout between sets (but only when my boyfriend is not around!). I sometimes do a dance when I find my motivation to work waning. It perks me up and helps me feel better when I start to feel down.

·      Write It Down. If you find that you’re gaining weight, keep a food record for a few days. Keeping a food record does two things: it helps you pinpoint problem areas and it also changes what you eat by boosting your awareness of what and how much you’re eating.

I hope that at least some of these tips are helpful for you. Everyone’s situation is different. I know some people who have said “I just can’t think about my weight right now, there are just too many other things I’m worried about”. Focusing on mental and emotional wellbeing should always take first place in the contest for our attention. But as you ease into the new reality (whatever that ends up being), you may find yourself ready to shift your focus. The bottom line is take care of what’s important to you when it’s important to you.

Beth Kitchin PhD RDN
Assistant Professor, Nutrition Sciences

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Beware Bogus Coronavirus Treatments

Why is the coronavirus so scary? One of the biggest reasons is that it’s new and we just don’t know enough about it. Since we’ve never been exposed to it, no one has immunity. There is no vaccine yet. There is no treatment if you get it. While most people who get it will recover, it does seem to have a higher rate of death than the flu and it may be even more contagious. This makes the environment ripe for scam products promising protection from the virus.

Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent warning letters to these 7 companies for selling fraudulent products to treat or prevent coronavirus:

1.    Vital Silver

2.    Quinessence Aromatherapy

3.    N-ergetics

4.    GuruNanda

5.    Vivify Holistic Clinic

6.    Herbal Amy

7.    The Jim Bakker Show

What exactly are these other companies selling? Several, including The Jim Bakker Show, are selling colloidal silver products. This isn’t the first time these agencies have warned companies about colloidal silver. Many claim that it is an antiviral and an antibiotic – but no evidence supports these claims. Colloidal silver supplements can be dangerous. Chronic use can cause argyria – a permanent bluing of the skin and the whites of the eyes. It may also cause bone marrow damage and cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Other products are teas, essential oils, and herbal extracts.

In addition to these federal agencies coming down on bogus products, the New York State attorney general issued a “cease and desist” order to radio host Alex Jones for promoting his “Superblue” toothpaste as preventing the virus.

What do you need to know? There are no known natural or pharmaceutical products that will prevent or treat the coronavirus. There are no foods or diets that will treat or prevent the virus. You may also be seeing other nutrients like zinc, vitamin D, and vitamin C being pushed on social media. None of these will fight a virus. What works? You’ve heard it over and over: wash your hands, don’t touch your face, and social distancing.

I'll be posting a lot over the coming weeks on how to maximize your health with nutrition, how to grocery shop, and how to minimize food waste. You can follow me: 

On Facebook: UAB Nutrition Trends 

On YouTube: Beth Kitchin PhD RDN

Where should you go for accurate information about this fast-moving story?

Best Websites for Information on the Coronavirus: 

UAB Coronavirus: www.uab.edu/news/coronavirus/about

The Centers for Disease Control: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus

Beth Kitchin PhD RDN

Assistant Professor & Director of Media & Community Engagement 

UAB Nutrition Sciences 

Should Santa Diet?

With so much focus on the obesity epidemic in the United States, you might think that St. Nick should lighten up a bit. After all, he is a role model of sorts for America’s children. But would the world be a better place with a thin Sana Claus? Is forcing Santa to lose weight going too far? Can a fat Santa be a healthy Santa?

Let’s explore if Santa’s weight problem is, indeed, a problem. Studies show that fitness level is a better measure of someone’s health than their weight. Although weight is still a risk factor by itself for heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. But if Santa passes the following tests, we should not worry too much about his weight:

Ø  Blood Pressure below 120/80

Ø  Blood Sugar below 100

Ø  Cholesterol below 200

Ø  LDL’s below 100

Ø  HDL’s above 60

Ø  Triglycerides below 150

We know that Santa gets plenty of exercise on Christmas Eve but he needs to be walking (or snow shoeing) at least 30 minutes on most days of the week as well. I would suggest that Santa give up the corncob pipe since tobacco use increases his chances of getting heart disease and several kinds of cancers. Not smoking would also help Santa deliver presents without getting out of breath. But Santa still needs to eat a balanced diet. Here’s how you can help Santa out.

Healthy Santa Snacks:

Ø  Milk. Santa needs milk to wash down those cookies. Milk is loaded with protein that will keep Santa’s muscles strong as he unloads all of our presents. It’s also got calcium to lower Santa’s chances of breaking a bone in case of a hard landing. 

Ø  Cookie Control. If you’re sticking with the traditional Santa snack of milk and cookies, be sure to practice portion control. Remember, you’re not the only one leaving him food. No more than one or two Oreos (50 calories each) should sustain Santa until he gets to the next house. 

Ø  Think Mediterranean. Santa needs fat in his diet to stay jolly so let’s make that fat the healthy kind. The Mediterranean diet is packed with healthy plant fats like nuts and olive oil. So how about leaving Santa some hummus and pita chips?

Ø  Nuts and Seeds. Nuts and seeds are also healthy fats and if Santa is getting behind on schedule, they travel well. He can throw them in his sack and be on his way. The reindeer like them too.

Ø  Balance with Fruits and Veggies. Santa cannot live on cookies alone! He would welcome some carrot sticks with ranch dressing or a banana that he can take with him on the sled. Why not pack up some apples with peanut butter for the trans-Atlantic leg of his trip?

Ø  Don’t Drink and Fly. Save the alcohol for Christmas night. When I was a kid, my dad told me that Santa really wanted a beer or a glass of scotch (no ice) for his snack. But that’s not really a very good idea. Don’t leave Santa alcohol. Drinking and flying is a no-no.

Beth Kitchin, PhD, RDN

Assistant Professor of Nutrition Sciences

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Bad Dietitian: I Eat Regular Peanut Butter. Here's Why.

Am I a bad dietitian because I don’t eat “Natural” peanut butter? I’ve been a regular old Jif girl since I was a kid. It’s still what I eat as a 50-something woman. But I keep seeing tips from nutrition experts telling me I should eat natural peanut butter because it’s lower in fat, saturated fat, and added sugars. Regular peanut butters add oil and sugar - but is it enough to matter? I did some sleuthing before giving up my beloved Jif.

I picked out several peanut butters whose labels suggested they might be healthier than regular peanut butter. Then I compared them to the giant jar of Jif I keep at work.  I focused on their calories, total fat, saturated fat, total sugar, added sugar, protein, sodium, and fiber. None of them had any trans fats because partially hydrogenated fats are no longer allowed in foods.They all had the same amount of calories except the Peter Pan Simply Ground that was 20 calories higher than the others. All had the same fat and saturated fat. 

Peanuts have some natural sugar in them so they all had some sugar. The added sugar number shows you how much the producer added. The only one that had a significant amount of added sugar was the Peter Pan Simply ground at 6 grams (1 ½ teaspoons). The others  had 2 grams of added sugar, which is about half a teaspoon. Smucker’s Natural was the most natural – with only ground peanuts and a little salt added so it had no added sugar. But when you look at total sugars, Smucker's only wins by a gram. 

All were reasonable in sodium when you consider that daily value is 2300 or fewer a day. So Jif’s 140 mg only represents 6% of your daily sodium limit. All were the same in protein – except Smucker’s Natural that edged out the others by on gram.

So the bottom line is that most peanut butters are pretty similar in their nutrition. Read the labels to compare. As you can see from my analysis here, Peter Pan "Simply Ground" sounds super healthy but was the highest in calories and added sugar. Natural peanut butters may have slightly less added sugar, sodium, and saturated fat. But the difference is slight. So unless you really like the way they taste, stick with what you like.  Some, like Peter Pan Simply Ground, give you the impression that they’re healthier when they’re not! So I’m sticking with my Jif. 

Beth Kitchin PhD RDN

Assistant Professor, Nutrition Sciences

University of Alabama at Birmingham 

Handling Halloween Candy

The biggest candy-eating holiday of all is here. Instead of struggling with limiting your kids’ Halloween candy eating, let it be an opportunity to teach your kids moderation with their eating habits.

Let’s start with dispelling two big myths about sugar:

        Sugar Does Not Cause Hyperactivity: Many studies clearly show that sugar does not cause hyperactivity. It may make kids go nuts because they’re so excited to get it but it does not actually change behavior. Parent’s expectations may have something to do with their perceptions of their child’s behavior. One study showed that when researchers told parents that their children ate sugar – even when they had not – they perceived that their behavior was worse.

·      Sugar is Not More Addictive than Cocaine: We see these headlines all the time. In fact, there was one last week “Chocolate Chip Cookies Are Addictive like Cocaine”. These headlines are click bait. While sugar can increase dopamine, it does it in a very different way than cocaine. Cocaine is a powerful stimulant and is highly addictive. If sugar were as addictive as cocaine, we’d all be in rehab.   

Halloween is actually a great time to help your kids develop behavioral control with sugar.

Tips for a healthier Halloween:

•         Don’t be too restrictive The more you restrict them, the more they’ll want it.
•          Feed your kids a good dinner before they go out – this will keep them from bingeing on candy!
•          Teach Safety. For safety purposes, teach your children not to eat any of the candy they get until you’ve checked it out when they get home. But keep in mind that the scary things you’ve heard about tainted Halloween candy is exaggerated. The biggest danger to kids on Halloween night is not tainted candy but bad drivers.
•         Let them eat as much as they want Halloween night. When they come home from trick or treating, allow them to eat what they want. However, after Halloween, let them choose a few pieces to eat at one time. 
•          Challenge them to see how long they can make their candy last. Teach your kids to enjoy a few pieces of candy every day. See if they can make it last until Thanksgiving. One year, I still had some Halloween candy at Christmas!
•          Buy the candy back from them! Let your kids to “sell” you the candy they don’t like as much. This is a great way to teach kids to prioritize which candies they like best. It also helps them to avoid mindlessly eating candy that they don’t truly like.

For tips on healthy and sensible nutrition tips for kid, go to this website:

www.ellynsatterinstitute.org

Beth Kitchin PhD RDN
Assistant Professor & Director of Media/Community Engagement Nutrition Sciences

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Patient Educator UAB Osteoporosis Prevention & Treatment Clinic

I'm Still Drinking Juice Despite the Scary Cancer Headlines. Here's Why:

Did you see this recent headline? “Sugary drinks, including 100% fruit juices, may raise cancer risk”. I’ve read the study and I’m still drinking my orange juice every morning. Why? Because this is more of the same: weak study design with weak statistical outcomes that should drive any decent nutrition scientist to an early grave.

Here’s why this latest study doesn't change my mind about drinking juice:

•          It’s an Observational Study: Think of these types of studies as circumstantial evidence. In some areas of science, like climate change, this type of data is more useful and meaningful. But in the area of nutrition, they're bordering on useless particularly when they study a single food or nutrient. Observational studies cannot show cause and effect. The only thing they can show is that there may be some sort of relationship between two things - like juice and cancer.
  
•       It's Self-Reported Data: How well do you remember what you ate yesterday? Or last month?
  
•        An 18% increased risk is weak. While it may sound like a lot, it’s not. To give you some perspective, smoking 25 cigarettes a day increases the risk of lung cancer by 900%. That’s a strong relative risk. Not 18%. And this weak 18% would only hold true if the juice was the actual cause – which this study cannot show.

This does not mean you should load up on sugary sodas – or even 100% fruit juice. While sugary sodas and 100% fruit juice have the same calories and sugar by the ounce, they are not nutritional equals. Sodas are empty calories. 100% fruit juices have many nutrients depending on which ones you’re drinking. Vitamin C, folate, potassium are just a few of the nutrients that you might find in juices. 

·        I like to mix juice with mineral water to make a healthy spritzy drink. You’ll get more fiber when you eat whole fruits. Juice should not be your main source of fruit – but it still counts. Don’t quench your thirst with juice – but a morning glass of O.J. is a great way to start the day if you like it.

·         Look for 100% fruit juice. You’ll need to read the label carefully because they can be deceiving. Always look at the “Nutrition Facts” section of the label to find out just how much actual fruit juice is in it. Some juices are lower in their percentage of juice but they're actually lower in calories and sugar because they're diluting the juice and sweetening it with low calorie sweeteners. These are good choices particularly for cranberry juice - which can be too tart to drink straight up! The bottom line is to read labels and compare calories and sugars.

Beth Kitchin PhD RDN
Assistant Professor Nutrition Sciences
University of Alabama at Birmingham