Portion Control: National Strawberry Sundae Day

July 7 is designated as National Strawberry Sundae Day. With portion planning, you can turn a sundae into a healthy snack or even a nourishing breakfast.

Strawberry Sundae with Granola

Ingredients.
1/4 cup Light Strawberry Ice Cream
1 Tablespoon Granola
1/4 cup Strawberries, chopped
1/2 cup Strawberries

Nutrition Information. 97 Calories; 2 g Protein; 18 g Carbohydrates; 2 g Dietary Fiber; 2 g Fat (g); 5 mg Cholesterol;  49 mg Vitamin C; 70 mcg Folate; 34 mg Sodium

Strawberry Sundae with Yogurt and Granola

Ingredients.
1/3 cup Light Frozen Strawberry Yogurt
2 Tablespoon Granola
1/4 cup Strawberries, chopped
1/2 cup Strawberries
1.5 teaspoons Strawberry Preserves

Nutrition Information. 165 Calories; 3 g Protein; 34 g Carbohydrates; 2 g Dietary Fiber; 3 g Fat (g); 7 mg Cholesterol; 49 mg Vitamin C; 120 mcg Folate; 48 mg Sodium

Strawberry Sundae Cone

June 20, National Ice Cream Soda Day

The ice cream soda has been around since 1874; when invented by Robert McCay in Philadelphia, PA. The story told is Mr. Green ran out of ice for the flavored soda he was selling and used vanilla ice cream from a nearby vendor, hence inventing the ice cream soda.

Today, the ice cream soda can be found in countries across the globe. The ice cream soda is known as a float, coke float, cooler, snowball, or spider depending on where you are in the world.

An ice cream soda is a beverage containing ice cream with either a soft drink or a combination of flavored syrup and carbonated water.

Varieties
The ice cream soda has numerous varieties of sodas and ice cream flavors. Some of the most popular are listed below:

Chocolate ice cream soda: Chocolate syrup, chocolate ice cream, unflavored carbonated water and top with whipped cream.
Black and White: Chocolate syrup, vanilla ice cream, unflavored carbonated water and top with whipped cream.
Root beer float ("black cow" or "brown cow"): Vanilla ice cream and root beer
Coke float: Coca-Cola and vanilla ice-cream.
Boston Cooler: Vernors ginger ale and Stroh's vanilla ice cream.
Snow White: 7 Up or Sprite and vanilla ice cream.
Purple cow: Vanilla ice cream, purple grape soda.
Orange Float (Orange Whip): Vanilla ice cream and orange soda.

Root Beer Float  is traditionally made with vanilla ice cream and root beer. 

We chose a diet root beer soda to avoid the excess sugar and limit the calories. The diet root beer has "zero" calories.

Beverage. Make sure you carefully combine the soda and ice cream. The reaction causes bubbles to form and a rapid rise in foam, which is part of the fun and can get messy.  Use 1/4 cup light vanilla ice cream. Add a straw, spoon, and enjoy.

Resource.
 Wikipedia: Ice Cream Soda

Nutrient Analysis Services
Ensure accurate nutritional analysis for your recipes utilizing an extensive research database and over 25 years experience. A valuable service for the Recipe Blogger, Media, Cookbook Publishers, Writers, Chefs, and Recipe Websites. Your readers will benefit from the Nutrition information and a Registered Dietitian. Contact: Dietitians-Online.com; Sandra Frank, Ed.D, RDN, LN, FAND at recipenews@gmail.com

June 11, National Corn on the Cob Day

Corn grows in "ears," each of which is covered in rows of kernels that are then protected by the silk-like threads called "corn silk" and encased in a husk. Corn’s traditional name is maize, by which it was known to the Native Americans as well as many other cultures throughout the world. Although we often associate corn with the color yellow, it actually comes in many different colors, including red, pink, black, purple, and blue. Corn is now available in markets year-round and locally grown varieties can be purchased during the summer months that not only taste the best but are usually the least expensive.

Nutrition Information
Antioxidant phytonutrients are provided by all varieties of corn. The exact phytonutrient combination, however, depends on the variety itself. Yellow corn is richer in carotenoids, especially lutein and zeaxanthin. Blue corn has unique concentrations of anthocyanins. Purple corn provides unusual amounts of protocatechuic acid. Ferulic acid, beta-carotene, vanillic acid, coumaric acid, caffeic acid, and syringic acid are other key phytonutrients provided by corn. Corn is a good source of pantothenic acid, phosphorus, niacin, dietary fiber, manganese, and vitamin B6.

Corn on the Cob with Tomato Salsa

How to Grow Corn

"Crazy About Corn" 
Entertaining song, try it without the butter and salt.

Corn - Immigrant Song with Credits

Resources
1. Eating Well, Healthy Corn Recipes and Cooking Tips

2, Wikipedia, Maize

June 7, Chocolate Ice Cream Day Scoop Size Matters

Chocolate Ice Cream
Which one to choose?
What meets your needs and taste?
Test the Brands, Read the Portion Size,
Check the Calories and Fat.
Make an Educated Choice.

Scoop Size Matters

How to choose a healthier ice cream

with Heidi Diller, Registered Dietitian

"How to choose healthier ice cream"

Cynthia Sass, MPH, MA, RD, CSSD

Mother's Day Gifts with a lot of Love

Healthy and Caring Mother's Day Gifts 

Mothers are special. You can create a gift she will cherish forever without spending any money or very little. Some of my favorite gifts have been handmade.

Gift Ideas for Mom with Zero Calories

Photos or Homemade Cards

Nutrition Consult with a Registered Dietitian

Perfume

Spa Day or Massage

Online Video

Flowers and/or Balloons
Handprints

Gift Baskets

Makeover
Vouchers for:
  1. Go food shopping for a month.  
  2. Wash mom's car. 
  3. Clean the kitchen for a week.
  4. Treat mom to a movie.

Favorite Mother's Day Videos

Anne Geddes pictures to 
Celine Dions song 'A mothers Prayer'



The Mom Song 

I Love You Mommy



The History of Mother's Day

National Fruit Cocktail Day - Variety and Nutrition

National Fruit Cocktail Day

Definitions.
1. A mixture of sliced or diced fruits.
2. A mixture of chopped fruit served as an appetizer, often chilled; tends to be less sweet than a fruit salad.
3. A mixture of fresh or preserved fruits cut into pieces and served as an appetizer or dessert; also called a fruit cup.
4. Canned fruit cocktail and canned fruit salad are similar, but fruit salad contains larger fruit while fruit cocktail is diced.

Canned Fruit Cocktail can be purchased in the following packing mediums:
Extra heavy
Heavy
Light
Fruit Juice and Water
Fruit Juice
Artificially Sweetened

The USDA product sheets1 state canned "Fruit cocktail" must contain pears, grapes, cherries, peaches, and pineapples, otherwise it cannot be called fruit cocktail. It should contain fruits in not less nor more than the following percentages:
30% to 50% diced peaches, any yellow variety
25% to 45% diced pears, any variety
6% to 16% diced pineapple, any variety
6% to 20% whole grapes, any seedless variety
2% to 6% cherry halves, any light sweet or artificial red variety

A simple fruit salad or fruit kabob makes a healthy dish and easy to prepare.

National Let’s Laugh Day

"People who laugh actually live longer than
those who don't laugh.
Few persons realize that health actually varies
according to the amount of laughter."

James J. Walsh, MD

Having a good laugh usually makes
us feel good about ourselves.
This can be a factor in motivating a person to lose weight.

I Love to Laugh

Babies Laughing

Research published in the International Journal of Obesity discovered laughter can be beneficial in weight control.

Laughing helps burn calories by increasing the heart rate by 10 to 20 percent: The metabolism increases as well, meaning you will burn more calories at rest once you have stopped laughing.

Scientists calculated 15 minutes of laughter a day will burn 10 to 40 calories, depending on a person’s weight and the intensity of the laughter.

Laughter can relieve physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.

Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, which promotes an overall sense of well-being.

Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which may benefit the cardiovascular system.

Laughter may benefit people with diabetes. One study showed after watching a comedy, the group had lower blood sugar levels than they did after listening to a boring lecture.

Laugh because it feels great,
because it is healthy for you and
because we take ourselves too seriously.
It’s time to lighten up.
“Laughter is the best medicine.”

August 31, National Trail Mix Day The Food Label Detective: Emerald Trail Mix

*FDA 21 CFR 101.9 Nutrition labeling of food. FDA regulation allows manufacturers to round a number of servings to the nearest 0.5 serving, as long as they use the term “about”. Serving size is based on RACC = Reference Amount Customarily Consumed per Eating Occasion.

One Serving Size: 1oz (28g)

130 calories per Serving

Package Size: Net Wt. 2.25 oz (63.8g)

About 2 Servings per package

Findings
Actual Serving per Package = 2.3
299 Calories per Package

Read the Label; an Educated Consumer has the knowledge
to make the Best Choices.

National Hummus Day - Recipes and Nutrition Profile

Hummus versus Mayonnaise

If you use one Tablespoon of Hummus,
instead of one Tablespoon of Mayonnaise
You will save 74 calories!

Recipes

Hummus with Peppers and Cucumbers Wrap

Camera f/6.3; 1/100; ISO 100; light - natural. Nutrition Info. 131 Calories; 5g Protein; 12g Carbohydrates; 4g Dietary Fiber; 4g Total Sugars; 5g Fat; 0 mg Cholesterol; 446 IU Vitamin A; 96mg Vitamin C; 206mg Sodium

Hummus and Lentil Pizza

Ingredients.‎

1/2 sandwich thin
1 Tbsp Hummus
2 Tbsp Caponata (diced eggplant with sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 oz Goat Cheese
2 Tbsp Lentil Salad

Nutrition Information.
165 Calories; 7 g Protein; 19 g Carbohydrates; 3 g Dietary Fiber; 9 g Fat
6 mg Cholesterol

Perfect for breakfast, snack or a light lunch.

Plate Size Matters

The History of Plate Sizes

Fast foods do not have a monopoly on supersize. The plate industry has had its own growth spurt during the past 50 years. In the 1960s dinner plates were about 8.5 to 9-inches in diameter and held about 800 calories; by 2009 plate size had grown to 12-inches with the capacity to hold about 1900 calories. The calorie differences are illustrated in the graphic below. (Calorie amounts will vary depending on the foods you choose.)

National Lollipop Day

National Lollipop Day

Lollipops are what we call "Empty Calories." A food labeled as empty calories provides little to no nutrients, except calories. The calories in the "Dum Dum Pop" comes from sugar and corn syrup.

Food Network - Dum Dum Pops Unwrapped

Celebrating Blueberries

On May 8, 1999, Dan Glickman, Secretary of Agriculture of the United States of America proclaimed the month of July as "National Blueberry Month".

Spotlight on Blueberries

Blueberry Facts.
Blueberries are a native North American fruit produced in 35 States.

Fresh blueberries are available for about eight months of the year from producers across the United States and Canada. North America is the world's leading blueberry producer. The North American harvest runs from mid-April through early October, with peak harvest in mid-May through August.

Blueberries can be found in the market all year round, along with frozen, canned and dried blueberries.

Blueberries are low in calories and sodium and are a good source of fiber.

Blueberries rank high in antioxidants that help protect against cancer, heart disease and other age-related diseases.

Researchers have found compounds in blueberries that may help prevent urinary tract infection.

Purchasing Blueberries
When purchasing fresh blueberries, look for firm, plump, dry berries with smooth skins and a silvery sheen. Check the color - reddish berries aren’t ripe but can be used in cooking. Avoid soft or shriveled fruit or any signs of mold. Containers with juice stains indicate that the fruit may be bruised.

Storing Blueberries
Refrigerate fresh blueberries as soon as you get them home, in their original plastic pack or in a covered bowl or storage container. Wash berries just before use. Use within 10 days of purchase.

Freezing Blueberries
Freeze unwashed and completely dry. Discard berries that are bruised or shriveled. Blueberries can be frozen in their original plastic pack or in resealable plastic or frozen bag or transferred to a freezer container. Remember to rinse them before using.

Serving Suggestions
*Add blueberries to your favorite muffin or pancake recipe.
*Combine blueberries with yogurt and granola cereal.*Sprinkle blueberries over mixed greens.
*Serve blueberries with sour cream, yogurt or cottage cheese.

Celebrating Blueberries
During the month of July, we enjoyed the sweet flavor of blueberries in various recipes. Below are some of the photographs taken to capture their versatility and beauty.

Recipe: Blueberry Smoothie

Recipe. Frozen Blueberry Yogurt (low fat)
with Fresh Blueberries 

Recipe. Blueberry Ices with Kiwi and Blueberries 

Recipe. Orange Sections and Fresh Blueberries 

Recipe. Blueberries with Vanilla Ice Cream (light),
Blueberry Ices and Frozen Blueberry Yogurt (low fat)

Recipe. Blueberry Crumb Ice Cream
with Fresh Blueberries 

Resources
North American Blueberry Council. NABC, The North American Blueberry Council
U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council

July 24, National Drive-Thru Day The Pros and Cons of "Drive-Thru Restaurants”

Nutrition Entertainment

Taco Bell Drive-Thru Song

As a Registered Dietitian, I was curious about how many calories, fat, and sodium was in their order. Per person, if everything was consumed, the total intake would be:

Calories: 3,549; Fat: 179 g; Sodium: 7782 mg

The calorie intake is excessive (by about 1000-2000 calories); Fat about 3 times the normal range; and sodium is off the chart (recommendation - less than 1500 to 2300 mg/day). However, the song is funny and I look forward to hearing more from Rhett and Link.

Drive-Thru Rap: Healthy Version

Rhett and Link are concerned about people's health and created the
Healthy Version of the Drive-Thru Rap.

Rhett and Link are a North Carolina-based comedy duo consisting of life-long best friends, Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal. They are best known for their Internet videos. In addition to their web presence, Rhett and Link are also musicians and filmmakers and have worked in network television as hosts. They own and operate a video production company, Rhett and Link, Inc. To learn more about the talented duo visit http://rhettandlink.com/.

April 26, National Pretzel Day Joins National Dance Week

Pretzel Dips

Nutrition Information

Pretzel Recipe: Pizza Pretzel with

Pasta Sauce

In 2003, Pennsylvania Governor, Ed Rendell declares April 26 National Pretzel Day to acknowledge the importance of the pretzel to the state's history and economy.

Enjoy a pretzel while getting some exercise
Alex Wong from FOX's "So You Think You Can Dance"
choreographed a Pretzel Dance for Auntie Anne's in
honor of National Pretzel Day and
National Dance Week ( April 24 - May 3, 2015).

A Brief History Of The Pretzel,

presented by Synder's of Hanover

Today, the popular advertisement words

are Sustainability or Renewable.