More Pumpkin and Fresh Vegetable Food Safety Update

Thanks for your comments on my post yesterday. I asked you all if you had ever been personally effected by an unhealthy diet, and if so, what got you to change? I also asked for some good examples of how to help people start making healthy changes.

Leslie from "Leslie Living Life" described how she has not always been healthy and her attitude regarding calories was that they didn't really meant much to her, nor did they effect her decisions. She explained how the guidance of her husband, who is very focused on health and wellness, is what has helped her get where she is today, living a healthier lifestyle.

Diana, from Soap and Chocolate made another good point, saying that you can't make a person change unless they are READY to change. Amen to that!

Melissa, from Melissa Nibbles said this; An unhealthy thing I used to do in high school was binge and purge. I had always wanted to stop, but it was a coping mechanism for a more serious issue. It wasn't until I addressed that issue that I was able to stop. I think this happens with people that overeat or stress eat too. Rather than deal with the problem or stressful issue, they seek comfort in food. The only way to stop doing that is to look at food for what it is...just food.

Melissa's comment is something I can relate to, with my eating disorder history. When I was anorexic I knew I was not being healthy, but obviously that did not deter me from not eating and not nourishing my body. So why did I do it? Obviously I had other issues going on, ones which I could not fix so I figured I could "fix" them by controlling my calorie and fat intake. All of the above comments pointed out some important concepts about getting people to change. First, some people know so little about health and nutrition that even seeing the calories in the foods they are ordering is not going to make a difference. Second, if the only place they are getting the information about food and nutrition is at the fast food restaurant, and they are not hearing it from those people they are surrounded by and look up to, it will be hard for them to make a change. Last, many people are dealing with bigger issues in their lives and eating healthy is simply the last thing they want to deal with. Instead, they feel that they can at least mask their pain and unhappiness by eating whatever they want and whatever makes them feel good (or for Melissa and I, controlling our food and calories to the point of obsession). Keep in mind, the study that showed calorie posting did not make a difference was done in a poor neighborhood. Different outcomes may have been seen in a more wealthy neighborhood, and in fact I would expect positive outcomes in wealthier neighborhoods. Why? Most of them have a basic knowledge of health and nutrition! The calories actually MEAN something to them. I hope society can come up with some better ways to reach the people who have not been brought up surrounded by health and wellness. and help them make healthy changes. It's a slow and difficult process, but I see a bright future ahead for our society.

TURKEY PUMPKIN BURGERS
Yep, I added pumpkin puree to the very lean turkey meat I purchased. I did this for three reasons; 1) To add more bulk and to allow for more burgers to be made from my 1.4 pound package, 2) To add some moisture to the very lean burgers, and 3) To add some extra nutrients of course!
Last night I cut up one burger into chunks and put it into a wrap. Taking Naomi's suggestion, I added some Laughing Cow to my wrap, along with the burger, some veggies, and some new salsa.

PUMPKIN SOUP!
Anthony of "From a Dietitian's Perspective" sent me a recipe for pumpkin soup, which sounded amazing, but contained too many ingredients for my short and simple way of cooking. I wound up using another recipe recipe instead, which called for FOUR ingredients! It's as simple as:

1) Add one can pumpkin
2) Add 1 cup milk (I used vanilla soy!)
3) Add 1 cup chicken broth
4) Add 1/2 tsp. rubbed sage, and some salt and pepper

After mixing the ingredients and getting the soup hot, I served myself a bowl and enjoyed it with some whole wheat bread. I could have added a bit more salt, as it was slightly bland, but overall this soup was very good. I think it would also taste great with a bit of sour cream, which I did not have.

Nutritionally speaking, this soup provides some Vitamin A (beta carotene), and calcium, while also being low in calories and fat. In other words, this is a very nutrient dense food!

Fresh Vegetable Food Safety

If you have not seen it or heard about it in the news, there has been a lot of hype the last several days about the danger of leafy greens (especially bagged leafy greens) in relation to pathogen risk. For those of you who don't know, my graduate studies research was focused on fresh vegetable food safety, so this issue is important to me. Before you stop eating greens I encourage you to look at the FDA's recommendations and just remain cautious when you purchase leafy greens, don't give them up! If you are healthy and you are safe in the kitchen, you have nothing to worry about. The risks do NOT outweigh the benefits in this case.

Question: Have the latest news stories about the "danger" of fresh cut lettuce had any effect on you? I actually noticed many of the pre-cut greens were on clearance at my local grocery store!

For now I'm going to go workout, then do some work for Imagination To Burn (the new corporate wellness company I am working for!). Tonight Nick is home (yeah!) and we will catch up on some shows, do lots of laundry, and hang out and be merry :) Have a great day, and thanks for reading!