Happy Fourth?

I know it's June 30th, but really quick.....where did 2011 go!? Just think, in 2.5 seconds it will be the 4th of July. That's how fast time goes by lately. I feel like I was just making new year's resolutions.

Speaking of resolutions, who is still going strong? I am, for the most part, but I'm still working on a few things:


1) Not eating as much at night. I'm eating less, but I'm still eating more than I should (calories, that is). With my increased intake of beer during the summer (often one-half or one 12-ounce beer) it's more difficult to control the mindless nighttime snacking. But in reality, nothing I put in my mouth is mindless, which is what helps keep me successful in eating healthy and staying slender.


2) Decreasing my caffeine intake. I'm down to only 300 mg caffeine per day (the max you should consume is about 400mg) . My goal is to get down to 200 mg, but I never want to stop drinking coffee (read this article about coffee and Alzheimers), I'll just add more decaf and less regular.


3) Stop nagging as much. I'm really working hard on this one. Nick and I have been under some stress lately (as I'm sure most people have), some good, some not so good, and I tend to get more snappy during these times. I'm really trying to just stop, breathe and react with love.




What are you doing to celebrate July 4th?

Grilling?


In our part of town, the Fourth of July starts today, actually. I don't work today, but will be working Friday and Saturday. Then on Saturday night Nick and I are having our party. On Monday, the actual fourth, Nick and I will relax (clean!) and watch the fireworks at night.

I have been telling my clients that they don't need to deprive themselves at summer cookouts, but I do believe there is an appropriate way to fill your plate;

Source: ChooseMyPlate.gov

I found this (below) in my photos from last year. Yikes. I surely didn't practice what I preach (there is a burger under that cheese and tomato)! But hey, I did include a nice slice of tomato on there. One-quarter of a cup, it counts for something, right?! I think that was my first plate, actually. I took a day off from eating plenty of fruits and veggies, and I'll probably do it again on Saturday. I do know I'll have some veggies and dip, fruit and baked beans (with Beano), so those have to count for something!

Random Tips for the Fourth

- Don't forget to be food safe! Here are ten great summer grilling food safety tools to get you ready for grilling season.


- If you are looking for some great 4th of July recipes, check out AllRecipes.com's 4th of July recipes


- Looking for some pointers on making your holiday plate a bit healthier? Check out this article with helpful tips form dietitian Ellie Krieger.


- My tip is to make friends with the fruit tray, and eat your beans. Yum.



QUESTION: What will you do this holiday? What's your favorite cookout food? I love baked beans and bratwursts.

Bean Burgers for Nick's First Meatless Monday

A few weeks ago I made a new black bean burger recipe for dinner and as we were eating Nick said, "I haven't had any meat this entire day." In other words, Nick took part in an unintentional "Meatless Monday!". I was so impressed.

The black bean burger recipe was from Grace at Food, Fitness, FreshAir. As always, I made my own modifications to the recipe. The ingredients highlighted in red were omitted or modified.

Black Bean Burgers
(Makes 8 burgers)

Ingredients

• 15oz. can black beans, drained, rinsed, and patted dry

• 1 red onion, ½ thinly sliced, remaining ½ finely chopped (**contain FODMAPs**)

• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced

• 1 fresh jalapeno, de-seeded and minced (**forgot to buy!**)

• 1 cup corn
  

• 3/4 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs (about 2 slices, toasted and processed)

• 1 Tbsp. chili powder

• 2 tsp. smoked paprika

• 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce (** I used 2 tsp. Frank's Red Hot **)

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1 cup cilantro, tightly packed (** I accidentally purchased parsley instead. Oops **)

• 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil

• 5-6 whole-wheat hamburger buns

• Vegenaise or mayo. (**Nick and I used a bit of BBQ sauce to top off our buns**)

Directions

• Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in large nonstick skillet. Saute pepper and corn until peppers are tender. Stir in chili pepper, paprika, salt, Frank's Red Hot, and cook another 1-2 minutes.

• Transfer ½ of the mixture into a food processor, scraping any spices remaining on bottom of the pan. Add the beans and breadcrumbs. Puree until smooth. Add parsley, and pulse until combined. Stir in remaining corn/pepper mixture.

• Return nonstick skillet to stove and place over medium-high heat. Coat bottom of pan with a light layer of olive oil. Shape bean mixture into 8 burgers. Cook burgers 2-4 at a time, until outer edges are crisp, about 5-6 minutes.

• Toast your whole wheat buns and add your favorite condiment (and cheese if you want!).

Nutrition Facts
(doesn't include the bread, cheese, or BBQ sauce)

QUESTION: Are you a bean burger lover?!

I am definitely a bean burger lover now! These burgers were delicious. Thanks Grace!

QUESTION: Any big plans for the week and upcoming holiday weekend? Nick and I are having our second annual "Fourth of July Party" so we've got a lot of work to do to prepare. I'm very excited though, I love throwing parties!

So, You Think Your Kids Won't Eat Healthy Foods?

Several weeks ago I read this article about how to get your kids to eat healthy, and I wanted to share it with everyone. I get a lot of parents who insist that their kids are "too picky to eat healthy" and they tell me they have given up. This article provides some fantastic tips that I hadn't even heard before, and it gives hope to all parents out there who think their kids will never eat healthy. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

Source: iStockPhoto

Question: What's your favorite tip for getting kids to eat healthy?

I was thirteen years old when I my brother Joseph was born. I can remember my mom buying the "off brands" of foods for him and then noticing Joe's face when she served him the food. Automatically he assumed he wouldn't like the food, simply because the product wasn't familiar. This proved to me that children (and adults!) make judgements about foods before they even taste them, based on passed experience or (mainly for kids) marketing. As a parent, make sure that your child has little reason to judge healthy food in a negative way. Eat healthy foods yourself, and show them how much you enjoy them...it helps! And, if you need to put a healthier food in a different box (such as a lower sodium mac and cheese in a familiar Kraft mac and cheese box) do it. Another idea is to give meals fun names like; "Bodacious Bean-burger!" or "Spongebob Broccoli and Cheese!" . Kids love that.

And while on the topic of getting your kids to eat healthier, here is another great article to consider reading; When Kids Get Fat, Is Dad to Blame?

Have a nice weekend everyone!

Salad in a Pill?

The other day I met someone who was eager to share his diet with me. He quickly whipped out a sheet from his pocket, which listed all of the fruits and vegetables he consumed on that particular day. I was so excited! The list included several cups of cantaloupe, a couple handfuls of spinach, some tomato and broccoli. Considering some of the diets I've seen during my time as an RD, I was immensely impressed. Soon afterwards I realized he was actually showing me what was "in his multivitamin". He was taking something that claimed to provide the equivalent amount of nutrients as all of those fruits and veggies in one pill. Yikes.

Source: iStock Photo

I didn't really know what to say....but a lot went through my mind:

1) Wouldn't you rather eat those foods?! They are so delicious! Ok, so maybe I'm biased because I'm an RD and I happen to love all fruits and vegetables, but come on, the thought of taking all of that good food in the form of a pill is like taking a dose of caffeine instead of drinking a delicious cup of coffee....it just doesn't make sense!

2) There is a reason why RDs and other health professionals recommend that you space your meals out and not consume too many calories in one sitting. Our bodies just can't absorb all of those nutrients at once. While it probably won't harm him, he's likely wasting his money (although he could be spacing out his multivitamin dose, I didn't ask).

3) Most supplements or other foods, which claim to provide an amount of nutrients that are equivalent to fruits and vegetables, are forgetting something very important; FIBER! Now I can't speak for all supplements, because I haven't researched all of them, but thus far I have yet to find a similar supplement that claims to contain "XYZ fruits and veggies" and which actually has the equivalent amount of fiber (unless it's something like maltodextrin or polydextrose, which in my opinion just isn't the same).

Source: iStock Photo

4) Did you know that there are thousands of health-promoting plant compounds that are lurking in our produce, which have yet to be discovered? Do you really think that scientists have found each and every nutrient that plays a role in protecting our body from disease? Do you really think that the makers of such supplements have included every tiny nutrient that is in broccoli, melon, spinach, etc. into their product? My point is that there is a synergy that exists among the thousands of nutrients (many still unknown) found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other foods. They work together in a way that increases their effectiveness and makes them do their job even better! Does that synergy exist in products like these? Likely not.

5) In a recent article from Nutrition Action Healthletter, the concept of taking a lycopene pill to prevent prostate cancer was discussed. It was concluded that while the lycopene pill won't necessarily hurt you, it will not benefit you to take these pills instead of eating tomatoes. Once again, there are unknown compounds in tomatoes that are likely working with the lycopene to provide their protective benefits.

Bottom Line: Use supplements as they are intended to be used; to supplement the diet, and fill in the gaps. Do not use them to make up for an unhealthy diet, because it just won't work. Are products, such as the one this guy was taking, harmful? No, but they could indirectly be harmful if you are neglecting fruits and vegetables because of them.

Source: iStock Photo

QUESTION: Have you enjoyed any farmer's markets yet this season? What about any locally-grown produce in your supermarket?

Broccoli Sprouts; A True Superfood

Before I talk about broccoli sprouts I wanted to give you an update on our summer garden!

It all started indoors......


We kept the seedlings inside for several weeks before planting them outside (the weather this year has been so crazy, we were so scared to finally plant them outside!).



Now that the seedlings are outdoors they are growing fast. Keep in mind most of the greens you see in the picture below are weeds. If you look closely you can see that we have put some wooden pegs up to denote the rows where we planted the seedlings. We planted spinach, cantaloupe, and butternut squash.


And of course you can't have a summer garden without tomato! We also planted cilantro, but it's not growing because there is not much sun where we planted them. Bummer.





Now onto the post.....

BROCCOLI SPROUTS

From Wikepedia;

Sprouting is the practice of germinating seeds to be eaten either raw or cooked. They are a convenient way to have fresh vegetables for salads, or otherwise, in any season and can be germinated at home or produced industrially. Sprouts are believed to be highly nutritious and rich in enzymes which promote good health.

After the e. coli outbreak in Germany, which was eventually linked to bean sprouts, many people might be afraid to eat sprouts. You shouldn't be afraid of sprouts, but there are certain groups who should avoid sprouts, or who should at least cook them well, and that is pregnant women, children, elderly, and those with a compromised immune system (read this article to learn a bit more about sprouts and food-borne illness).

So what is so great about broccoli sprouts? If you get the ADA Times, you may already know because they were highlighted in an article in the latest newsletter. Here are some nutritional highlights:

• Compared to broccoli, they contain 100 times more of an antioxidant compound called sulphoraphane, which may inhibit the growth of breast stem cells and prostate tumors.
  

• Sulphoraphane may also reduce cardiac cell death and oxidative damage (oxidation of LDL cholesterol is what leads to inflammation, and eventually heart disease).

• One study showed that broccoli sprouts may actually help reduce LDL ("bad") cholesterol.

• One half cup provides an excellent source of vitamin C, as well as some calcium, vitamin A and vitamin E

• They are a low calorie, nutrient dense food that could easily be added to a smoothie, salad, wrap, pizza or pasta dish.

Would you like some recipes for broccoli sprouts? Check out Sunrise Farms and Brocco Sprouts.



This salad was made with spinach, fresh blueberries, hard-boiled egg, broccoli sprouts, and some EVOO + blueberry balsamic vinegar.


QUESTION: Have you ever tried broccoli sprouts? What's your favorite way to consume them? I like to add broccoli sprouts to pita pockets and salads (I haven't tried the smoothie idea yet, but I am planning on it).


The Washington Post recently posted an article about the benefits of sprouts, which you can read here.

Have a great weekend everyone! I'll be....at work :)

My Personal Food Pyramid

Yeah it's Friday! Yes, to me it's Friday because I get tomorrow off, but before you get jealous I then I have to work Friday, Saturday and Sunday as usual. But either way, Wednesdays are always good days.

Kalli, from Fit and 40 Something, recently wrote a blog titled, "My Pyramid of Success". I loved this post and thought it would be a great idea to write one of my own. Generally speaking, I live by the following mantras/guidelines/rules/philosophies (either word works!):

1) Eat to live, don't live to eat.
(Do this 90% of the time, the other 10% of the time, live to eat!)


2) There is no such thing as a bad food, only bad food patterns.


3) Always plan meals/snacks around vegetables and/or fruits.

I like to follow a modified Mediterranean diet, which means I like to use meat/poultry and other animal proteins as a garnish (such as the picture below, which is my egged spaghetti squash creation).

My own personal pyramid sort of resembles the pyramid below, which I took from iStockPhotos (I was too cheap to buy it, hence the giant iStockPhoto!)

So the picture above describes my pyramid in a photo, but listed below is a bit more detail. I've listed the "food groups" (I've sort of created my own groups) in descending order according to how many ounces I eat each day. I have the name of the macronutrient (carbohydrates, protein, fat) listed underneath the food group, followed by an estimate of how many ounces I eat each day. Hopefully this will help educate everyone as to what is found in each of the food groups. For example, many people assume carbohydrates are only found in bread and pasta, but as you'll see they are actually found in fruits, vegetables, dairy, and grains.

FRUITS AND VEGGIES (including beans and tempeh)
(carbohydrates and sometimes protein)
40-56 ounces; equivalent to 5-7 cups, per day

(tempeh sloppy joes!)

Dairy/Dairy Alternatives
(carbohydrates (lactose) and protein)
10 ounces yogurt, 8 fluid ounces almond milk; equivalent to a little over 2 cups, per day

fish, egg whites, eggs, beef, chicken, pork
(protein)
~4-5 ounces; equivalent to a little more than a deck of cards, per day

Whole Grains
(carbohydrates and protein)
4-5 ounces; equivalent to ~ 5 pieces of regular sized bread, per day

Oils/nuts/seeds
(fat in all, protein in nuts and seeds)
~ 1-2 ounces; equivalent to 6 tsp. oil, or 3 T nut butter or 1/2 cup nuts

Supplements
Everyday: Fish oil, multivitamin, vitamin D
Every other day: magnesium and B12
~2 weeks before my period: 600 mg calcium, and a magnesium every day



Sweets and beer
(carbohydrates)
~ 12 ounces beer 3-4 days per week
A small dessert just about every day (homemade low-fat ice cream and a piece of 85% dark chocolate)

As you may notice this does not exactly follow the USDA guidelines, but what can I say? This works for me! I feel great and I enjoy every single thing I eat. Isn't that the best "diet plan"?

QUESTION: What are some food rules/mantras/guidelines you live by? What would your pyramid look like?

Smoothie-sicles

When you buy "fruit popsicles" at the store, do you ever see the skin from the fruit? Rarely. Do you ever see an ingredient list without added sugars? No. That's why, if you can, it's a good idea to make your own popsicles every once in a while. Just buy some popsicle molds (sold everywhere these days!), or use ice molds.

** Keep in mind some companies do make very delicious popsicles with whole fruit and lots of vitamin C, so healthier popsicles do exist! **


The other day I made a smoothie with strawberries, organic frozen blueberries, unsweetened cocoa powder, vanilla unsweetened almond breeze and V8 light.


You see all those flecks of skin, packed with phytonutrients (aka plant nutrients)??


This smoothie turned into the most amazing popsicles. Unlike store varieties these were free of added sugars, packed with plant nutrients and only contained 20 calories.


What more can you ask for when you're in need of some healthier late night eats?


QUESTION: What do you like to eat late at night when you aren't hungry, but you just want to eat something while in "relaxation mode"?

What about snacks to bring to work?



Lately I've been snacking on dessert hummus (picture above), sweet potato chips and highly addictive (and unfortunately slightly high in sodium, at 230 mg per serving) dry roasted almonds. These snacks are so perfect for that mid-afternoon salt and/or sugar craving because they are packed with brain stimulating protein, plus fiber, and in therms of the sweet potato chips, they are loaded with immune-stimulating vitamin A (it's always a good idea to eat foods that will boost your immunity, even during the summer).

Is Your Diet Lacking Iodine?

At the moment I am laying out and reading one of the most hilarious books I've ever read;


If you're looking for a funny read, I suggest this one! It's about a women who was thrown off a cruise ship by her greedy and quite idiotic husband. He meant for her to die, obviously, but she survived. The entire book is about her plot at getting back at her husband, and I'll leave it at that. Read it!


I also wanted to share with you this article I recently read about certain populations (mainly vegans) who may not be getting enough iodine in their diets.


From the article:

According to the World Health Organization, the general recommended range of iodine concentrations per liter of urine is between 100 and 199 micrograms, and between 150 and 249 micrograms per liter in pregnant women.

Leung and her colleagues calculated an average iodine level of 147 micrograms in vegetarians and 79 in vegans - those who avoid not just meat but eggs and dairy products as well.

So, why is iodine so important? See the following from Thyroid.org

Iodine is an element that is needed for the production of thyroid hormone. The body does not make iodine, so it is an essential part of your diet. Iodine is found in various foods (see Table 1 below). If you do not have enough iodine in your body, you cannot make enough thyroid hormone. Thus, iodine deficiency can lead to enlargement of the thyroid (goiter – see Goiter brochure), hypothyroidism (see Hypothyroidism brochure) and to mental retardation in infants and children whose mothers were iodine deficient during pregnancy.

The article talks about how it's super important for women of childbearing age, especially those who are vegan, to take an iodine supplement. It wasn't mentioned in the article, but I tend to believe that many people who are vegan are also very health conscious, and therefore they may be restricting their intake of salt. Salt, which is sodium chloride, has been fortified with iodine for years now. With the latest research saying that we consume too much salt, I believe some people are restricting their intake too much. This is not to mention the fact that many health-conscious (and even not-so-health conscious) individuals are using sea salt instead of iodized salt. Most sea salt is not fortified with iodine, but iodized sea salt does exist, and I would definitely suggest this for vegans who think they aren't getting enough iodine.


To learn more about iodine and vegans diets, read this from VeganHealth.org.


QUESTION: Do you use sea salt or iodized table salt? I use sea salt sometimes, but most of the time I used iodized table salt.

QUESTION: Do you have any good book recommendations for me? I've heard a few great recommendations recently, but I love to read so the more I hear the better!

The Benefits (and Non-Benefits) of Green Tea

The May issue of Nutrition Action Newsletter included a very interesting article about green tea. Do you drink it? I've never been a huge fan, since coffee has always been my hot drink of choice, but every once in a while a nice cup of green tea is perfect. I especially love brewing the tea then chilling it to make iced green tea. This is so refreshing on hot summer afternoons.

Here are a few highlights from the article:

• The beneficial compounds found in green tea are called polyphenols, which are also found in cocoa, fruits, and vegetables.
  

• Catechins (a group of flavanoids, which are a family of polyphenols) found in green tea are known for their disease fighting properties. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the specific type of catechin that has been studied the most in green tea

• Green tea has been studied for many years (mainly using rats as models). Of the research that has been done, there is some evidence that green tea may help protect humans against cancer, strokes, and cognitive decline, but it's not concrete.

• Drinking green tea to speed up your metabolism? Don't waste your money. Research simply doesn't support this.

• If you want to get the most benefit out of green tea, stick with freshly brewed tea, and drink it often (three or more servings a day). A typical 8 ounce cup of brewed green tea has about 190 mg EGCG, most products on the market today have significantly less.

• If you're looking for green tea for its health benefits, look for "brewed green tea" as the primary ingredient, instead of "green tea concentrates" or "green tea extracts". Also keep in mind that many green tea drinks are loaded with sugar. But of course if you enjoy sweetened green tea, then cheers!

QUESTION: What's your favorite kind of tea?

Lazy, Yet Delicious Meals

A couple weeks ago (yes, I'm behind on posting this!) I had my friend Janan over for dinner. Janan is also a dietitian, so whenever she comes over we try to make healthy meals together. It's always fun cooking as we sip on wine (or in my case, a cold beer!) and catch up on life. When Janan came over the last time I felt incredibly lazy. She got to work making her 4-Spice Smashed Sweet Potatoes, and I just....watched. You know that feeling of just wanting to watch someone cook...right? I mean, the Food Network is popular for a reason.

4-Spice Smashed Sweet Potatoes
(Serves ~ 6)

Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 T cilantro, chopped
4-5 shakes of Red Hot
2 cloves garlic, chopped (we omitted this)
1/4 t pepper


Directions

1. Boil the sweet potatoes until nice and soft (~ 5-10 minutes)

2. MASH those babies (with the skin on)

3. Add all the cilantro, garlic, yogurt, Red Hot, and mix well.

Eventually I decided not to be lazy, and I got off my butt and grabbed the cod I had thawed in the fridge. It was wild-caught cod, but I completely forget where it was from. Anyway, I rolled the three cod fillets in one egg white and then sprinkled about 2 tablespoons (on each) of whole wheat Italian bread crumbs on the cod.



The final meal was a breaded cod filet served with sauteed spinach and 4-spice smashed sweet potatoes. We all agree it was perfect (Nick was with us).



Which picture looks better, top or bottom? I know neither of them look great, but I'm working on getting better lighting with my photos. This night was one of those "red sky at night" evenings, which make for poor photo lighting.



After Janan left I asked Nick to get out the grill to cook some chicken I had thawed. I was going to cook it inside and then use it for weekly meals, but then I thought "I'm feeling so lazy, wouldn't it be great if Nick could just grill this?!". Since Nick is the best, he agreed to get out the grill around 8:30pm to appease me and grill the chicken.




At this time we had never used the grill before (this was about two weeks ago, and since then we've only used it two other times), and I should have made something special, but I had no desire (again, I was lazzzzy). Either way, here is what I did;

1. Got out 3 chicken breasts (Antibiotic and Hormone Free, although just an FYI, all chicken is hormone free)

2. Coated the raw chicken with 2 T EVOO (to add juiciness and to protect from AGEs)



3. Once grilled, I vovered the grilled chicken with BBQ sauce



Last step: Put in fridge or freezer for weekly meals
(lazy prep for some meals for upcoming week; complete)

Question: What's your favorite thing to grill in the summer? I won't lie, I'm excited for some Italian sausages and bratwursts!

Goodbye Food Pyramid!

Have you heard? The food pyramid is getting taken over by a dinner plate! I read this article yesterday, published by the New York Times, and I was super excited. While I will still use the food pyramid for more detailed information about specific food groups, the dinner plate method is a more simple and effective way to teach portion control and how to make healthier choices. I've actually used this method with my own clients, and I have to say, it works!

*** And here is the new USDA's ChooseMyPlate.gov! *** <---- Check it out! It's pretty fun :)

The whole idea is to use a normal size plate to show that it's important to make half of your plate non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, etc.) and/or fruit, one-fourth of your plate grains (preferably whole) or starchy vegetables (such as sweet potatoes, corn, beans, etc), and the other fourth of your plate lean protein (3-4 ounces). There is also room for a small glass of milk to drink, or a cup of yogurt (dairy or non-dairy).

Source: iStockPhoto

I think the most important part of the message is the inclusion of the non-starchy vegetables, and the smaller portion of protein (rather than 12 ounces of steak, try 4!). This message may help people take a meal such as the one below, and replace half of the pasta with some fresh veggies; bell peppers, eggplant, mushroom, zucchini, etc.

Source: iStockPhoto

From the article;

The circular plate, which will be unveiled Thursday, is meant to give consumers a fast, easily grasped reminder of the basics of a healthy diet. It consists of four colored sections, for fruits, vegetables, grains and protein, according to several people who have been briefed on the change. Beside the plate is a smaller circle for dairy, suggesting a glass of low-fat milk or perhaps a yogurt cup.

Dr. David Kessler, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, who said he had heard descriptions of the new plate, suggested that if the symbol succeeded in getting people to eat significantly more fruits and vegetables, that alone would be an achievement.

“The reality is that very few of us eat like what has been suggested” in government guidelines for healthy eating, Dr. Kessler said. “There’s a world of difference between what’s being served and what’s on that plate.”

He called the plate a major improvement over the pyramid. “It conveys the message simply in a way that we all can understand,” he said.

While the idea is to make half of your plate non-starchy vegetables and/or fruit, many dietitians (including myself) would suggest focusing more on the non-starchy vegetables, especially for purposes of weight management (simply because fruit has more sugar). So how would this method work for breakfast? This is a question I often receive from clients. Well, maybe you won't have vegetables at breakfast (unless you are like me and add pumpkin to your oats!) but breakfast is the perfect time for a nice serving of fruit, and a hearty dose of whole grains.

Instead of an all-protein breakfast....

Source: iStockPhoto

....try fruit, whole grain, and a milk or other calcium/protein source. The inclusion of the fruit or non-starchy vegetable, in my opinion, is the most important part of the meal.

Source: iStockPhoto

QUESTION: Have you heard of the plate method? What are your thoughts?