Revealing the truth about frozen yogurt

Frozen yogurt is not bad for you, but it's not necessarily good for you either. Just because it's almost fat free, has 'yogurt' in its name, and is craved by 90 pound celebrities doesn't mean it's healthy for us. Let's look at some basic facts.

Frozen yogurt has 25-30 calories per ounce, whether it's Pinkberry or Golden Spoon. It doesn't matter if it's a refreshing healthy-tasting tart flavor or a Snickers bar flavor - they will have the same amount of calories.

Look at calories 'per serving.' Pinkberry's nutrition facts says that one serving has only 100 calories, but a small cup contains 1.5 servings. That means a small cup has 150 calories, without toppings. Also, take note that not all sizes are equal - a Golden Spoon's small is 8 ounces, and Pinkberry's small is 6 ounces.

Self-serve operations can be a boon or a disaster, depending on your self restraint. I love these places because you can eat and pay for just the amount you need. But some clever chains offer only a large cup size, so most people (and especially kids) fill up their container visually instead of thinking of how much they want to eat, and thus unintentionally consume (and pay for) more.

Obviously you have to be careful of the toppings you put on your frozen yogurt. But I'm not going to be a party pooper and tell you that you can only get non-fat granola and fresh fruit. Enjoy everything in moderation! And that's how I feel about frozen yogurt in general. Mm.. Paris Hilton's yogurt with fruity pebbles actually looks pretty good right now..

My favorite recipe sites

I've been doing a lot of baking and cooking lately, and I always go to my trusted sites for great ideas and healthy recipes, reviews included. Here are some of my favorites:

(tip: right click if you want the link to open up in a new window or tab)

Body and Soul magazine - one of my favorite magazines. Lovely photos, which I guess makes sense since it was bought by Martha Stewart. It's a very nice website to look at.

http://www.wholeliving.com/

Real Simple magazine - simple, healthy recipes! I love this site too.

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/

Whole Foods Market - info on products, specialized diets, nutrition tips, and great recipes.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/index.php

Eating Well magazine - good recipes and good overall site for everything 'nutrition.'

http://www.eatingwell.com/

Epicurious - not the healthiest recipes, but they sure are delicious. A collection of recipes from Gourmet, Bon Appetit, and Self magazines.

http://www.epicurious.com/

Natural Health magazine

http://www.naturalhealthmag.com/healthy_eating

Nutrition on a Budget

It's unfortunate that eating healthy isn't always the most affordable option, but I've learned a few tricks here and there on buying healthy foods without overwhelming my budget:

- Bulk bins! For everything from dried beans to nuts, trail mixes, dried fruit, grains, and chocolates. Scoop out just what you need. I always buy my oats for oatmeal and brown rice this way. It's much cheaper than buying a container or individual packets because you're not paying for the packaging. Find them at Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Henry's.

- Farmer's market - Not only can you find the freshest produce, but it's also the cheapest! You can get organic peaches and nectarines for $1.75 - 2/lb right now, compared to almost $4 at Whole Foods. Fresh herbs are $1 per bunch, super fresh eggs are also affordable and you can buy them in singles. Plus you get free samples!

- Get produce cut for you, for the same price! Melons, cabbage, and even bread can be cut if you just want a quarter or half of one. Works for basically anything that's sold per-pound. You just have to ask the produce person.

- Coupons - Pick up The Whole Deal, a bimonthly flyer full of coupons from Whole Foods. Also search for online coupons, and get restaurant coupons at www.restaurant.com.

- If you don't need a whole package of sliced meat or cheese, the deli counter is the best option, where you can get just ONE slice of pancetta (I've done this) and they won't look at you funny. Great for picnics!

- I've heard that Costco is starting to offer lots of organic products. A single student like me doesn't need a 30 oz tub of organic salsa, but it would be great for parties or for families.

- Get your natural foods at Trader Joe's, not the 'natural foods' section at big chain supermarkets. You'll avoid paying a huge premium.

- Carrying your own filtered water instead of buying bottled water = less wasted money and natural resources!

The Food Pie Chart

The USDA Food Pyramid is not my thing. I think it's hard to implement in real life, doesn't contain enough information, and doesn't apply to everyone's unique needs. Food lobbyists also spend billions of dollars to keep their place in the food pyramid so they stay in business, whether or not it's beneficial to our health.

Who eats 11 servings of grains? Who even knows what a serving of grain is, anyway? The new Food Pyramid isn't much better, which recommends "6 ounces" of grain a day, whatever that means. It just doesn't make sense in real life. A better way to guide our food choices is to use a visual like the one to the left. It suggests a plate of food comprising of one half vegetables (and fruit - my 2 cents), a quarter carbohydrates like potatoes and whole grains, and a quarter protein (it doesn't have to be animal protein! my 2 cents again). This visual can apply to one meal, and to your day's intake as well. If you feel like you had a lot of protein or carbs earlier in the day, you can compensate by balancing out the daily "plate" later in the day.

You don't have to organize your food into a pie chart. Just aim for the general idea. For example, a balanced Mexican meal could be a corn tortilla on the bottom, layered with a modest portion of protein, maybe a little cheese, then piled with lots of fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa. For a stir fry, you could add extra veggies to the protein, with a smaller side of rice. The water and fiber in the extra vegetables and fruit will keep you feeling full.

This is just a guide, and not a perfect one, but it'll help keep your diet balanced naturally without worrying about calories or servings.

The Seafood Guide

Eating seafood has a lot of health benefits, but with so much to think about - Is it high in mercury? Is it farmed or wild, and which is better? - it definitely gets confusing. Here is a great site that makes it easy for us to choose what's best for our health and the environment:

http://www.nrdc.org/oceans/seafoodguide/page4.asp

Also, look for fish at the market with the certified MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) label, which is another way to tell that the seafood is OK to eat.

Here are some factors that make eating seafood so complicated:

- Overfishing: Unsustainable methods like trawling catch fish faster than they can reproduce, depleting whole populations.

- Bycatch: 25% of the creatures caught in the big nets of commercial fisheries go to waste because they are not what the fishermen are looking to catch. Dolphins, sea turtles, whales, seals, and tons of fish die caught up in these nets.

- Farmed fish: They create water pollution and are fed cheap food, antibiotics, and artificial food coloring to make their flesh more appealing.

- Mercury: The larger the fish, the more mercury it accumulates. So stay away from large fish such as swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and tilefish.

Still, there are many health benefits to eating seafood, so don't give up on it altogether. The healthy omega-3 fatty acids in fish are great for heart health, and may also help against Alzheimer's, depression, joint problems, and cancer. They also contain numerous vitamins and minerals.

You can learn a lot more about the issues regarding fish online. There's even a guide to safe sushi!

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/sushi.pdf