Whole Grain Goodness

I had a great time last night at Billy's! It was fun getting to catch up with friends, and I also tried a local brew called Good People IPA. I was really impressed with it. Way to step it up, B'ham!

In case you were wondering, it's Craft Beer Week!

I met Laura for bright and early for breakfast this morning at Panera Bread. I got a whole grain bagel with a side of PB.

I ran errands all day and ate lunch with my parents at Ashley Mac's. I ordered the Apple Tuna Salad Sandwich on wheat bread with fruit salad. I'm picky about tuna, and this sandwich was really good. Not too much mayo, and it had apple chunks throughout, which gave it a crisp and tart taste!

Noteworthy errand of the day was a trip to Whole Foods with my mom. We sampled Blackberry Hills granola, and ended up buying a bag of the Maple Walnut. We broke into it immediately upon getting into the car! I also ate some unpictured grapes when I got home.

After making veggie pizzas all week, I decided to make it for my family tonight for dinner. I used Whole Wheat Tandoori Naan (a delicious Indian flatbread) as the crust and spread it with sun dried tomato pesto. I sautéed zucchini, squash, orange bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes with EVOO, garlic, and basil for the veggie toppings and sprinkled grated mozzarella cheese on the top. I popped 'em in the oven for 10 minutes at 400º. Easy breezy!

 I got rave reviews from my parents. This is one healthy dish that they approve!

In order to stress the importance of whole grains in a well-balanced diet, here's a handout I made for one of my nutrition rotations:

Secrets to a Slim Stomach

The Bad News:

Excess belly fat is more harmful than excess fat around your hips or thighs. Extra weight around your midsection surrounds internal organs, leading to an increased risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, hypertension, and other chronic diseases.

The Good News:

The first place people typically lose weight is from the stomach. Visceral fat (intra-abdominal fat) is metabolically active and easier to lose than subcutaneous fat. Also, the more weight you have to lose, the faster you will lose belly fat.

The Answer to a Flatter Stomach:

Reducing the number of refined carbohydrates in the diet and replacing them with whole grains has been linked to lowering levels of intra-abdominal fat tissue. 

Whole Grains vs. Refined Grains: What’s the difference?

Whole grains are made from the whole kernel of the grain. Whole grains have a greater nutritional value than refined grains, because the whole grain has been left intact. Refined grains are stripped of essential nutrients during the milling process. Whole grains contain more protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals than refined grains.

What counts as a serving size of whole grains?

·      1 slice 100% whole grain bread

·      ½ C 100% whole grain pasta

·      1/2 C cooked brown rice

·      1 C 100% whole grain ready-to-eat cereal

·      ½ C cooked oatmeal

     The Bottom Line: What does this mean for you?

·      The secret to a slim stomach is consuming a calorie-controlled diet rich in fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, lean meats, fish, eggs, poultry, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.

·      Choose whole grain breads, pasta, rice, and cereal over simple refined carbohydrates such as white breads, white pasta, white rice, cake, cookies, crackers, and chips.