Blog – Page 18 of 64 – Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes

A Food Thermometer is Key to Food Safety

October 11, 2021October 4, 2021 by Jerrel Bushel

Do you have a food thermometer stashed in your kitchen but are unsure how and why you should put it to use? If you cook meat regularly, using a food thermometer is a game-changer and can mean the difference between just cooked and overdone or tough meat. The only accurate way to determine if food is cooked to a safe temperature is with a digital food thermometer.

Digital thermometers are available in different sizes and have a variety of features depending on the intended use. The prices vary greatly but you can get a decent food thermometer in the $10 – $15 range. When purchasing a food thermometer look for these features:

3-5 second response time, backlit
Celcius/Fahrenheit selector
Foldaway or coverable probe.

Food Thermometer Tips:

Color is not an accurate reflection of “doneness”. Burgers often turn brown before reaching a safe temperature and chicken can reach a safe temperature while presenting a pink or tan color.
The thermometer should be placed in the thickest part of food for the most accurate reading, but measured in different places to ensure food is cooked evenly.
After cooking, letting food rest will allow the temperature to continue rising and destroy any leftover harmful bacteria. The final temperature reading can be taken after the food has rested.
Follow the FDA-recommended safe minimum internal temperatures for best results!

For more information on ways to properly use a food thermometer check out these Safe Plates resources:

My favorite sprouted grain—Ezekiel English muffins

October 4, 2021September 28, 2021 by Kelly Nordby, RD, LDN

First, it might be helpful to share a little background on sprouted grains. Some experts say that there is an advantage to harvesting the sprout during the germinating process that helps increase the nutrients that are available to the body such as folate, iron, vitamin C, zinc, magnesium and protein. These nutrients are also available in whole grain products, but just in differing amounts. Also, sprouting grains and legumes has also been shown to reduce their phytic acid content, which improves the absorption of iron, calcium and zinc. There does seem to be a lot of variability in the nutrients in sprouted grain products, so it is important to do label comparisons.

Now the fun part…let’s talk about taste. To me, sprouted grain products are denser and nuttier than most whole grain products and they have a great texture! My favorite is the one that ends up on my breakfast table most mornings and that is Ezekiel Cinnamon and Raisin English muffins. They have 4 grams of fiber for an entire muffin and only 160 calories. I spread a tablespoon of peanut butter on each half and add ½ cup of fruit and coffee and voila…breakfast!! Because there is a mixture of sprouted grains and lentils in many products including Ezekiel English muffins, they are considered a complete protein, which helps this satisfying breakfast stay with me during my morning workout and all the way until lunch.

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More Reasons to NOT Skip Breakfasts

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Snacks and Lunch Packing Hacks

September 27, 2021September 27, 2021 by Casey Collins

Our colleague and nutrition expert, Catherine Hill, RDN, LDN, shares some simple tips for nutritious snack options, a bin system for organizing your fridge and pantry, as well as lunch-packing hacks. Watch the video below to learn more!

What Does Fitness Mean To You?

September 20, 2021September 14, 2021 by Meg Sargent

athletic black male performing a clapping push up mid-air with hands together.

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines fitness as: “the quality or state of being fit.”

Wow, that seems broad.

When I ask someone what “being fit” or what fitness means to them, most people will talk about only physical health. A lot of times we use it as an adjective for people who look a certain way. Maybe they are lean or have big muscles. The younger me would have agreed with this definition. The younger me would have also spent 2 hours in the gym only to go to a nearby restaurant and eat an entire meat lover’s pizza by myself. The younger me couldn’t touch her toes, didn’t care about her emotional or mental wellbeing, and barely slept. But I looked “fit!” In this case, my physical appearance was not an accurate reflection of my overall health.

Fitness is more than just physical. To be physically fit we must feel our best in other ways. We must feel good because we are sleeping adequately, eating well, and supporting our mental, spiritual, and emotional health. Fitness is a fluid concept and can change depending on the phase of life that we are in.

So, what does fitness mean to you? Maybe that’s meeting a daily step count goal, or that you can play a recreational sport. For some people, attending a yoga class can be great for their physical and mental health. Sometimes we are in a phase of our life where being fit means you’re able to run or bike in a race or achieve ambitious strength and power goals. Other times goals may be more functional such as climbing stairs without being winded or comfortably completing household chores. We all go through phases where our physical goals are more ambitious while in other phases we seek to maintain our physical fitness. Sometimes we need to focus on our mental health or reset to focus on nutrition goals.

Maybe, fitness is as broad as Merriam-Webster says. To me, being fit means feeling confident in my whole body (physical and mental) strength and being physically able to do whatever I want to do. Whether we are in an ambitious phase or more of a maintenance phase with our physical health, it is important that we keep eating well and keep moving to support our overall fitness.

So, in your current season of life, what does fitness mean to you? Share in the comments.

Bean & Butternut Squash Chili

September 13, 2021September 15, 2021 by Casey Collins

It is not officially Fall and the warm temperatures in North Carolina are a reminder of this fact. However, I’ve decided to manifest Fall all the same, which I am mostly blaming on the seasonal Fall items at Trader Joe’s. I have already seen butternut squash more prominently displayed in the grocery stores and thought I would share this chili recipe from our colleagues at NC EFNEP.

Ingredients

Non-stick cooking spray
2 cups diced butternut squash (about ½ of a medium squash)
1 medium onion
1/2 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 cup or 1 (15-ounce) cans red kidney beans
1 cup or 1 (15-ounce) can black beans
3 cups or 1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and stems separated
Shredded cheese and non-fat sour cream for topping (if desired)

Directions

Spray Dutch oven or large pot with non-stick cooking spray.
Peel and chop butternut squash into a medium dice (discard the skin and seeds) and set aside.
Peel and dice onion.
Place chopped onion and pepper in skillet.
Cook ground beef and onion over medium heat in a non-stick skillet until meat is browned and onion is soft (about 5 minutes). Drain.
Add butternut squash, undrained red kidney beans, undrained black beans, tomatoes, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, red chili flakes, and chopped cilantro stems to cooked ground beef and onions. Stir to mix well.
Bring to a boil and cook slowly for 10-15 minutes. Stir several times to be sure chili is not sticking to the pot. (Temperature should reach 160°F.)
Top with cheese and non-fat sour cream if desired. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Nutrition Information per Serving

Recipe serves 4

Serving Size: approximately 20 ounces
Calories: 430 calories
Fat: 6 grams
Sodium: 970 mg *
Carbohydrates: 63 grams
Fiber: 20 grams
Sugar: 9 grams (Includes 0g Added Sugars)
Protein: 32 grams

*You can rinse and drain canned beans to reduce the amount of sodium

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“I feel good and my A1C is now 5.4. It was 6.3.”

September 8, 2021September 28, 2021 by Jerrel Bushel

Below is a testimonial from an Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes participant:

“Karen B. taught my class last year. I could not break my weight. I started at 169 and could not break my plateau at 159 or 160. I just needed to lose 2 lbs. I have used what she taught and now weigh 154. And, I feel good and my A1C is now 5.4. It was 6.3. EVERYBODY can do this… it just takes some of us a little longer.”

– Simone, A recent Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes participant

You may also enjoy:
“My doctor took me off the prediabetes meds as a result. That is real progress I think.”

“This program helped me learn how to eat better…”

“By making relatively simple changes to our diet and lifestyle, I was able to lose 10% of my initial body weight…”

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How to Use Leftover Pumpkin Puree

August 30, 2021September 7, 2021 by Casey Collins

White ceramic ramekin filled with pumpkin puree on a white table.

Pumpkin spice everything season is upon us. Maybe you made our delicious Pumpkin Mousse recipe or Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes and have leftovers. If you find yourself with leftover pumpkin puree, don’t let it go to waste!

Ideas for Leftover Pumpkin Puree

Breakfast: add to oatmeal, yogurt, or pancakes.
Drinks: make a pumpkin latte at home or add it to a smoothie for a healthy dose of vitamins A and C.
Snacks: add to a batch of muffins or make a pumpkin-based soup.

Pumpkin Blogs

Pumpkin Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Thai Pumpkin Soup
Pumpkin Waffles with Orange and Cinnamon
Pumpkin Yogurt: The only seasonal pumpkin-flavored product I love (make your own verison at home)
Homemade (and healthier) Pumpkin Spice Latte

Until you decide how you want to use the leftover puree, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. If you don’t get around to using the remaining puree within a week, freeze it. It can be very helpful to store the puree in pre-portioned amounts. Use a cookie scoop and freeze the puree on a sheet pan in the fridge before placing the frozen puree scoops in a zip-top freezer bag. You can also use an ice cube tray or a muffin tin. Defrost portions as you need them.

Essential Tips for Taking Breaks During Work

August 23, 2021August 25, 2021 by Jerrel Bushel

happy black professional enjoying a rest from his computer screen

Have you been finding yourself extra stressed, tired, or distracted during work? Truth is, you may be overworking and could benefit from taking breaks throughout the workday. There are many physical and mental benefits of taking breaks at work and they can also boost productivity significantly. This blog will teach you why breaks are essential to our work schedules and how to implement them!

Benefits of Breaks at Work

Work breaks are great ways to decompress or get your body moving and can act as a reset button for work tasks and projects. Work breaks not only increase productivity and a more balanced physical, mental, and emotional health day-to-day, but they also preserve our long-term health and reduce burnout. Here are a few other positive results of taking work breaks:

Reduce stress
Limit injuries due to cramps, tightness and strain
Reevaluation of tasks, goals, and projects
Boost employee mood and morale

As we are past the one-year mark that many of us have been working from home, dissociation from work and personal life may become a little more difficult. Additionally, some of the good Work From Home practices that we picked up at the beginning of this transition may have fallen behind or become less consistent. Even for the folks that have begun moving into the office or on a hybrid work schedule, our bodies may become significantly more tired after transitioning to a new workspace or interacting with others in the office. These are a few ways to spend your break:

Go for a walk: Sitting at our desks for long periods of time causes stress and strain to certain parts of the body. Getting up out of the chair and going for a walk gets our joints moving and blood flowing resulting in less aches and pains after a long day.
Mindfulness & meditation: Work often has us overthinking about our long to-do lists and the large amount of tasks we have to complete. This causes us extra stress and pressure throughout the day and may result in less efficient or lower quality work. Taking a mental break and practicing mindfulness or meditation will help you focus on what is in front of you at the moment. This will also help you feel relaxed and refreshed when returning back to work.
Stretch: Not all breaks have to be a long period of time. Stretching is a great way to take a quick break in between meetings or intensive work periods. Another great thing about stretching is that there are endless varieties of stretches that can be done sitting or standing. Check out the 8 Stretches to Do During the Workday blog for some ideas of stretches to loosen up your body and increase mobility.

“My doctor took me off the prediabetes meds as a result. That is real progress I think.”

August 17, 2021August 24, 2021 by Jerrel Bushel

Below is a testimonial from an Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes participant:

“I just want to express my gratitude to my instructor who was such a great nutrition coach during the entire program. Although I did not lose as much weight as I had hoped, my husband participated as my buddy and he lost 40 pounds. We are going to continue to work towards our weight goals and use this as a lifestyle change.

Unfortunately, I had a couple of injuries that prevented me from being more successful in the weight loss area, but I was successful in dropping my A1c as well as glucose levels as a result of the diet modifications. My doctor took me off the prediabetes meds as a result. That is real progress I think. My instructor was instrumental in me being able to reach my goals and that of my husband, and I am truly thankful!”

– A recent Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes participant

You may also enjoy:

“This program helped me learn how to eat better…”

“By making relatively simple changes to our diet and lifestyle, I was able to lose 10% of my initial body weight…”

“I’m walking more, my metabolism is better, and I lost inches from my waist.”

Don’t miss another great blog: Subscribe Now

BEST way to cook okra – GRILLED

August 16, 2021September 7, 2021 by Carolyn Dunn, PhD, RD, LDN

char-grilled okra piled on a white plate

I grew up in the south. This means that fried okra was on the menu frequently. In fact, I am not sure I knew that you could eat it any other way until I was an adult. Lucky for me, my mom was a health-conscious southern cook and did not use heavy batter or deep fat. It was, however, still fried. When I started to cook on my own, okra was just not on the menu. That is until a few years ago when I discovered THE best way to prepare okra – GRILLED.

Okra is a great choice and is loaded with vitamins and fiber. It is only 30 calories or so per cup.

Okra pieces scattered on an outdoor grill top being cooked

This is a non-recipe recipe as the proportions are not critical. For about a pound of okra, you will need about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a good pinch of salt. I prefer to use Maldon or other flaky salt but kosher salt will do just fine too.

Wash and dry a pound of okra. You can slightly trim the ends but do not cut off the whole top. You can also leave as is. Dry completely using a kitchen towel or place in the refrigerator uncovered for a few hours. In a large bowl, toss the okra with olive oil. Toss well so that each pod gets a little oil. You can also spray with oil if you like. You really don’t need much oil. Grill using an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan. Turn the okra frequently. They are done when they are well charred and soft. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with salt. You can serve hot or room temperature.

I love to serve these as an appetizer as finger food. You can just pick them up using the stem end and enjoy. I have even served these to non-okra eaters who now profess their love of grilled okra.

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