High Protein Foods

Foods High in Protein


Shortcut: An ounce of meat or fish has approximately 7 grams of
protein.


Beef


* Hamburger patty, 4 oz – 28 grams protein
* Steak. 6 oz – 42 grams
* Most cuts of beef – 7 grams of protein per ounce


Chicken


* Chicken breast, 3.5 oz - 30 grams protein
* Chicken thigh – 10 grams (for average size)
* Drumstick – 11 grams
* Wing – 6 grams
* Chicken meat, cooked, 4 oz – 35 grams


Fish


* Most fish filets or steaks are about 22 grams of protein for 3 ½ oz
(100 grams) of cooked fish, or 6 grams per ounce
* Tuna, 6 oz can - 40 grams of protein


Pork


* Pork chop, average - 22 grams protein
* Pork loin or tenderloin, 4 oz – 29 grams
* Ham, 3 oz serving – 19 grams
* Ground pork, 1 oz raw – 5 grams; 3 oz cooked – 22 grams
* Bacon, 1 slice – 3 grams
* Canadian-style bacon (back bacon), slice – 5 – 6 grams


Eggs and Dairy


* Egg, large - 6 grams protein
* Milk, 1 cup - 8 grams
* Cottage cheese, ½ cup - 15 grams
* Yogurt, 1 cup – usually 8-12 grams, check label
* Soft cheeses (Mozzarella, Brie, Camembert) – 6 grams per oz
* Medium cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss) – 7 or 8 grams per oz
* Hard cheeses (Parmesan) – 10 grams per oz


Beans (including soy)


* Tofu, ½ cup 20 grams protein
* Tofu, 1 oz, 2.3 grams
* Soy milk, 1 cup - 6 -10 grams
* Most beans (black, pinto, lentils, etc) about 7-10 grams protein per
half cup of cooked beans
* Soy beans, ½ cup cooked – 14 grams protein
* Split peas, ½ cup cooked – 8 grams


Nuts and Seeds


* Peanut butter, 2 Tablespoons - 8 grams protein
* Almonds, ¼ cup – 8 grams
* Peanuts, ¼ cup – 9 grams
* Cashews, ¼ cup – 5 grams
* Pecans, ¼ cup – 2.5 grams
* Sunflower seeds, ¼ cup – 6 grams
* Pumpkin seeds, ¼ cup – 19 grams
* Flax seeds – ¼ cup – 8 grams

Making Veggies Interesting

I have heard from many that they are sometimes hungry on exchange
programs.

But, when I do further research, I find out the ones who are hungry are
not
eating all their vegetable exchanges. To quote them, "I don't eat
vegetables! And I YAM, who I YAM!" Well, maybe it's time stop start
YAMMING
something else! Maybe you don't know you like vegetables because you
haven't
had them since you were a tiny tot. Maybe you haven't tried very many
different kind of vegetables? Or maybe you just have an aversion to
green.
Well, now you are a adult, and as adults we know that vegetables are
full of
cancer fighting antioxidants, fiber-which helps the colon, and liver,
and
also fights cancer, AND low and behold also fills our tummies! And what
you
may not know, they are full of FLAVOR!

Try one new vegetable a week, try it served, or cooked 2 or three
different
ways. Making sure you like it a certain way.

Remember if you don't like it. It's no big deal, there is many many
other
vegetables to try out there. It won't harm you if you don't like the
flavor.
However, a life with out vegetables very well could harm you-liver and
colon
cancer are very much directly involved in not enough fiber or
vegetables.

And best of all you won't feel so hungry you're tempted to fall off the
health wagon and binge out!


SOURCE:  Heather -old Healthy Exchanges Board

Control the Crazy Portions

Control the Crazy PortionsStaring into the Bottomless Plate
   -- By Zach Van Hart, Staff Writer

 Question: Is it possible to eat meals consisting entirely of healthy
foods, such as carrots, fish, apples and whole wheat bread, and
continue to gain weight?
Answer: Yes, because you can still eat too much, even if everything is
good for you.

Portions have grown by leaps and bounds over the last couple of
decades. Not surprisingly, our weight has followed right along with it. A huge
part of the problem is that people tend to eat what’s in front of them,
whether they’re hungry or not. To fight this problem, it’s important to
find reasons to cut down on what you put on your plate in the first
place.

Portion size is a major contributor to weight problems, whether you eat
out or at home. Restaurants serve huge plates of food, consisting of
several servings per person, making it easy to go way past the
recommended amount per meal.

It does not stop when you eat at home. It’s been estimated that portion
sizes in the past 20 years have increased in restaurants and at home by
as much as 50%. Today, the average person eats 200 more calories each
day than in the 1970s. Many store bought cookies are now more than 7
times bigger than the recommended serving size. Did you know that a
typical dinner plate holds three servings of spaghetti, not just one? When
you fill up your entire plate with food, you’re likely eating more than
you bargained for.

On the bright side, portion size is something you can change, without
getting rid of your favorite foods. All it takes is a few simple habits
to control how much you eat during a sitting. Here are a few tips you
can use when dining in or out:
  
  Order an appetizer as an entree (main dish). Remember to stay away
from fried foods though.  
  Split an entree with another person.  
  Order from the lunch menu at dinnertime.  
  Leftovers are okay. Feel free to wrap up half your meal to go  
  Order smaller sizes such as a half-order of pasta or a "petite" cut
of meat. Even so, portions may still be hefty. It's not unusual for a
"smaller" portion of meat to be an 8-ounce serving.  
  In fast-food restaurants avoid "extra value" or "super size" meals,
unless you split it with a friend. A regular small hamburger is usually
equivalent to one serving of meat and two servings of grain.
 AT HOME


  Set the table with smaller plates. Since you can’t fit as many
servings on your plate, filling the whole plate is no big deal. Smaller
dishes also make the food look bigger, which has a proven effect on your
level of hunger.  
  Skip seconds and get out the Tupperware.  
  Divide up single serving portions ahead of time, in sealable bags or
containers.  
  Read the packaging! Follow the recommended serving size and eat only
one.  
  Eat foods that curb hunger: oranges, apples, oatmeal, fish, brown
pasta.

High Fiber Foods

High Fiber Foods

Dietary FiberFiber is only found in plants, and functions sort of
like a skeleton for the plants to help maintain shape and
structure. Humans cannot digest fiber so it passes through the
small intestine into the colon and helps to keep the colon healthy.
Some disorders like diverticulitis, constipation and irregularity
may be connected with not getting enough fiber in the diet.

Types of Fiber

Insoluble fiber is the type of fiber found in high fiber
foods like whole grains, nuts, wheat bran and vegetables.

Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water so it helps to
move material through the colon faster by increasing the bulk
of the stool. This can be very helpful to people who suffer from
constipation or irregularity. Diets high in insoluble fiber may
also decrease the risk of Diabetes.

Soluble fiber is also found in many high fiber foods like oats,
citrus fruits, apples, barley, psillium, flax seeds and beans.

Soluble fiber absorbs water, which helps to soften stools
making them easier to eliminate from the body. Some soluble fibers
called beta glucan bind to bile acids which contain cholesterol.
A high fiber diet with this type of soluble fiber has been shown to
reduce cholesterol closer to healthy levels.

High Fiber Foods

According to the Institute of Medicine:

The recommended intake for total fiber for adults 50 years and
younger is set at 38 grams for men and 25 grams for women, while
for men and women over 50 it is 30 and 21 grams per day,
respectively, due to decreased food consumption.

People who currently have low fiber diets may want to increase
their daily intake of high fiber foods slowly because some fiber
may increase gas and bloating. The body adjusts the increased amount
of fiber over time and the gas and bloating will decrease. Here are
some examples of delicious and healthy high fiber foods from the USDA
National Nutrient Database:


1/2 cup cooked navy beans - 9.5 g
1/2 cup baked beans, canned – 9 g
1/2 cup cooked lentils – 7.8 g
1/2 cup cooked black beans – 7.5 g
1/2 cup dates – 7.1 g
1 cup raisin bran cereal - 7 g
1/2 cup cooked kidney beans – 6.5 g
1/2 cup cooked lima beans – 6.7 g
1/2 cup canned tomato paste – 5.9 g
1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans – 6.2 g
1/2 cup bean with ham soup – 5.6 g
1/2 cup frozen red raspberries – 5.5 g
1 medium bran muffin - 5 g
1/2 Asian pear – 5 g
1/2 cup cooked artichoke – 4.5 g
1/2 cup frozen peas, cooked – 4.4 g
1 cup oatmeal – 4 g
1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables, cooked – 4 g
1/2 cup raw blackberries – 3.8 g
1/2 cup canned pumpkin – 3.5 g
1/2 cup cooked whole-wheat spaghetti – 3.4 g
24 almonds – 3.3 g
1 apple with skin – 3.3 g
1/2 cup cooked barley 3 g
1 cup broccoli – 2.4 g
1 red sweet pepper – 2.4 g
1 nectarine – 2.3 g
28 peanuts – 2.3 g
1 slice whole grain bread – 2 g
15 walnut halves – 2 g

Food Habits to Work On

Food Habits To Work On
By Sally Squires
Tuesday, May 30, 2006; Page HE01

They read nutrition labels, fret about their expanding waistlines
and pay attention to portions. But fat and calories still perplex
them. They know they should move more but are mostly inactive.
They recognize the new food pyramid but choose what to eat based
on taste and price rather than health.

Sounds familiar? It should. It's a snapshot of Americans that
emerged from a new national survey of consumer behavior and
attitudes.

'They read nutrition labels, fret about their expanding waistlines
and pay attention to portions. But fat and calories still perplex
them. They know they should move more but are mostly inactive.
They recognize the new food pyramid but choose what to eat based
on taste and price rather than health.',

The majority of those questioned correctly understand that their
weight, diet and physical activity influence their health,
according to the survey, which was sponsored by the
International Food Information Council Foundation, a
Washington-based group funded by food, beverage and
agricultural companies.

Knowledge is one thing. Putting it into practice is another.
But there's good news: The survey found that more than half
of consumers reported having improved their diets in the past
six months by eating fewer calories and by adjusting the foods
they ate. Nearly two of every three who made improvements said
they had done so after talking with a health professional or
family and friends, or simply after reading food labels.

Here are the survey highlights, along with easy ways to make course corrections:

Calorie quandary. Nearly 90 percent of the 1,000 respondents had no
idea how many calories they should consume daily to maintain their
weight. About half couldn't even wager a guess. Only a third
understood how extra calories, no matter in what food they are
consumed, contribute to weight gain.

Simple fix: To find your caloric balance, take your weight and
multiply by 10. So, if you weigh 150 pounds, that's 1,500 calories.
This is how much energy you need just to keep breathing. If you live
a mostly sedentary life, add 20 to 40 percent more calories;
40 to 60 percent more if you are active. Or do what the federal
government does: Assume that most adults need 2,000 calories a
day for a stable weight.

Slim on healthy fat facts . Saturated fat and trans fat were
correctly fingered as unhealthy by most of those surveyed.


About half said theytry to eat fewer saturated fats;
nearly as many are attempting to
cut down on the trans fats found in many commercially prepared
fried and baked foods. But the message to eat more healthy fat
is still missed by nearly 40 percent of those polled. They didn't
know that polyunsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats found in olive
and canola oils, healthy margarine, nuts and avocados are healthy.
About a third, however, are correctly trying to eat fewer foods
that contain hydrogenated oil or partially hydrogenated oils.

Simple fix : At home, reduce use of processed foods, which are more
likely to have saturated or trans fat. At restaurants, skip or
skimp on the fries, chicken nuggets and fried fish filets,
which are often loaded with trans fats. At the grocery, read
labels to avoid foods high in cholesterol and saturated fat and
trans fat. Finally, remember that the recommendation is not to
increase total fat consumption, but simply to swap good fats
for the bad. Advice is still to keep total fat intake at about
30 percent of total daily calories.

Sugarcoating . About half of those polled say they are
carbohydrate-conscious, paying close attention to how many
and what types of carbs they eat. The vast majority know
that glucose, sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, lactose
and fructose are types of sugar. But fewer respondents were
aware of "added sugars" in many processed foods and just one
in six reported eating the recommended two cups of fruit and
2 1/2 cups of vegetables daily.

Simple fix : Get carbs first from fruit and vegetables, which
contain complex carbohydrates that are less likely to send
blood sugar soaring. Cut back on foods with added sugar such
as sweetened cereal, cookies, candy, ice cream and soft drinks.

Controlling intake. About half of those surveyed say they are
trying to improve their diets. The most common strategies:
portion control and reducing calories eaten.

Simple fix: To help with portion control, keep a kitchen scale and
measuring cups and spoons handy in the kitchen. Serve food on
smaller plates. Skip eating family style with large platters
of food on the table that make it easy to take extra helpings.
At restaurants, split entrees or turn one meal into two by
taking home leftovers. Another option: Order two appetizers
instead of a large entree. At fast-food restaurants, choose
small sizes or the kids meal rather than super-sized portions.

Underestimating girth. Two-thirds of respondents say that they
are overweight, extremely overweight or obese -- a percentage
consistent with the latest government figures. Even so, when
height and weight information supplied by the participants
was used to calculate body mass index, nearly a third of
participants who described themselves as being at an ideal
weight were actually overweight, while 75 percent who said
they were merely overweight qualified as obese.

Simple fix : Do a little spring preening by climbing on a scale
to check your weight. Use a free electronic calculator to
determine your body mass index at http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi ,
which will also tell you whether you are at a healthy weight,
overweight or obese. ·

Join Sally Squires, author of the recently published
"Secrets of the Lean Plate Club" (St. Martin's Press) live
online from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. today

http://www.washingtonpost.com/leanplateclub, where you can also
subscribe to the free LPC weekly e-mail newsletter.



© 2006 The Washington Post Company

How To Cook Almost Any Vegetable

Here's How to Cook Almost Any Vegetable


By CeCe Sullivan
The Seattle Times

Why does the subject of vegetables inflame such passionate feelings?
A brief, innocent mention of Brussels sprouts in a casual
conversation can lead to long-winded diatribes about their vile
smell and foul flavor.

One colleague even abhors "green things" to such a degree that he's
limited his vegetable choices to three: tomatoes, corn and lettuce
(which is also green but evidently bland enough to please his picky
palate).

Then there's the contentious matter of a cooked vegetable's texture.
To some, asparagus that's been cooked al dente is perfectly sublime.
But to others, those same asparagus spears aren't tender-crisp at
all but downright raw and inedible.

Fortunately, the field of vegetables is so vast, and their cooking
methods so gloriously varied, that there's something for everyone.

In Vegetables Every Day (Harper Collins, 2001) author Jack Bishop
divides cooking techniques for vegetables into dry and moist heat
methods. It's a good starting point, because each will produce its
own flavor and texture.

So here's a guide to the best cooking methods for seasonal produce.

Moist-heat methods

Blanch: Vegetables are briefly put into a saucepan of boiling water
and the timing begins immediately. This method doesn't fully cook
the food but softens the texture.

To stop the cooking and set the color, "refresh" vegetables by
immediately draining and plunging them into ice water.

Vegetables can be blanched a day in advance of serving. Once they're
refreshed, pat with paper towels, then wrap in dry towels, place in
a plastic bag and refrigerate. Finish cooking by sauteing or stir-
frying the vegetables.

Blanching and refreshing are also necessary before freezing
vegetables to keep the enzymes from breaking down both color and
texture.

Boil: Here's a myth buster. Adding a pinch of baking soda to boiling
water may indeed help keep vegetables green, but the soda's alkali
destroys cell walls, causing a mushy texture -- so skip that idea.

There is, however, a real solution to holding the vibrant color.

"Essentially, with most green vegetables, you can count on having 7
minutes of heat before there is a major color change," says Shirley
Corriher, author of CookWise: The Secrets of Cooking Revealed
(William Morrow, 1997). "Cooking longer will cause the natural acids
present in vegetables to turn them yellow-brown."

Vegetables should be added to rapidly boiling water and the timing
should begin only when the water returns to the boil. Always leave
the pan uncovered. If boiling vegetables for a salad, be sure to
refresh them to stop the cooking.

Braise: Vegetables contain lots of natural moisture, which releases
in cooking. Lightly brown the vegetable in a little fat, than add a
tablespoon or two of liquid to start the cooking process. Cover the
pan and cook slowly over medium-low heat. Once the vegetable has
released its moisture, add only enough additional liquid to keep it
moist.

Poach: This technique is similar to boiling but uses less liquid and
a lower heat to gently cook more fragile vegetables.

Steam: A large pot and a simple steamer basket are the tools needed
to cook vegetables with this method. Don't pack the basket too
tightly with food or the cooking will be uneven. Bring the water to
a boil before placing the covered basket above the pot.

Dry-heat methods

These evaporate moisture in the vegetables quickly, which causes the
juices to brown and the natural sugars to concentrate and become
very flavorful.

Broil: The heat source is above the food, making this a great
technique for blistering the skins of sweet peppers or chilies for
easy peeling and a smoky flavor. Sliced vegetables such as eggplant
should be brushed lightly with oil to keep them from drying out
under the high heat.

Grill: This technique is similar to broiling, but the heat source
comes from below, and a basting liquid is needed to keep food moist.
Grill baskets or a perforated stainless-steel grid are perfect for
keeping small vegetables such as mushrooms and cherry tomatoes from
falling into the fire below. For indoor cooking, heavy grill pans
caramelize the vegetables and give them a wonderful smoky flavor.

Roast: This has become a favorite technique for cooking vegetables.
Toss with a light coating of olive oil and sprinkle lightly with
salt, then roast in a single layer in a shallow, rimmed baking
sheet. The high temperature of 400 degrees or above causes the
vegetables to shrink and loose their natural moisture, which
concentrates the sugars and deepens the flavor. (Baking uses a
temperature of 375 degrees or lower.)

Saute: The pan size should be large enough to cook the vegetables in
a single layer without crowding. The bottom of the pan should have a
light coating of oil, or a mixture of oil and butter. A no-stick
cooking spray can also be used. Set the pan over medium heat and
wait for the oil to become hot before adding the vegetables. Blanch
tougher vegetables such as green beans first to speed the cooking
process.

Stir-fry: Basically, this technique is similar to a saute, but
vegetables are cut into smaller pieces. Use medium-high to high heat
for quick cooking, and toss often.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Companion: The A to Z Guide to Everyday
Cooking Equipment and Ingredients (Time-Life, 2000); Vegetables
Every Day (Harper Collins, 2001) by Jack Bishop; Perfect Vegetables
by the editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine (America's Test
Kitchen, 2003); CookWise (William Morrow, 1997) by Shirley Corriher.


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