Healthy Habits

Food Surprises

Are you making the best choices to get the nutrients you’re looking for?

BY JEN WELPER, EXECUTIVE WELLNESS CHEF, MAYO CLINIC HEALTHY LIVING PROGRAM

There is a lot of information about food out there, and we might find unusual truths about our food choices and their nutrition values. Understandably, dietitians suggest foods because they are good for you, and they might also be easier to eat than some other options. But there are some surprises that might have you looking to different food choices. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

Looking for Potassium? You might have heard that if your potassium is low, you should eat a banana. That is a quick and easy way to get potassium, but eating a potato might be more e ective, however

not as efficient. A medium banana has 422 milligrams of potassium whereas a medium potato has 897 milligrams.

Seeking Vitamin C? When people are looking for a good source of vitamin C, they typically gravitate toward grabbing an orange—but would you be surprised if I suggested you reach for a red bell pepper instead? One medium red bell pepper has about 152 milligrams of vitamin C compared to about 51 milligrams in an orange.

Protein Power Which has more protein—a protein shake or a 4-ounce chicken breast? It can depend on what’s in the shake—skim milk, non-fat plain yogurt or Greek yogurt, protein powder, and water—but the average protein powder has about 21 grams of protein and a 4-ounce chicken breast weighs in at 25 grams of protein. While it’s easy to get a quick protein dose in a shake versus cooking a chicken breast, if you plan ahead—or pick up cooked, ready-toeat chicken—you’ll get a little more in the bird.

The Halo Effect We tend to give certain items what we call the halo e ect. My favorite example of this is peanut butter. Who doesn’t love peanut butter? Guests and patients o en remind me that it is healthy and high in protein. Although that is partially true, it is also important to remember that it doesn’t mean you can have ¼ cup of it on your toast or your sandwich or mix it into a cookie recipe and that means it’s good for you. Everything should be consumed in moderation. Ideally, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter would be good for a serving, but the container lists 2 tablespoons as a serving. To put this in perspective, the average slice of bread is about 100 calories and if you add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter to that you are at 290 calories just in bread and peanut butter—and if you have two of those to satisfy your hunger, you are at 580 calories.

Don’t Go Too Nuts Be mindful of the amount of nuts you are consuming as it’s easy to overeat! A serving of peanuts, for example, is typically 1 ounce, which can vary from 28 to 40 peanuts, which is 180 to 200 calories. If you mindlessly much down half a can of dry roasted peanuts, that would make a huge di erence in your calorie intake. For the Love of Cheese Cheese is a great source of calcium, which our bodies need—especially our little ones—and it is an easy go-to snack. You can add it to just about anything to make it better. As an adult, it is often easier to consume cheese than a serving of skim milk. (In terms of calcium, a 1-ounce serving of cheddar cheese has 204 mg calcium and 9 grams of fat compared to an 8-ounce serving of skim milk’s 325 milligrams calcium and 0 fat.) However, a 1-ounce serving of cheese doesn’t seem like much—but that is supposed to be the serving size—so it is important to be aware of the quantity consumed in a sitting. This isn’t meant to keep you from eating cheese, but as a way to try to keep your servings in check, try consuming varieties with a pungent avor so a little goes a long way and you are satis ed. A nice sharp cheddar or Parmesan should do the trick.

Favorite Fruit Let’s not forget my favorite fruit—avocado. It is a great healthy fat choice that can be added to just about anything. What makes a fat a healthy fat is where it is derived from, how it is digested, and the effects it has on the body when metabolized. Avocado is plant based, as is olive oil, versus butter and lard, which are animal-derived fats that raise cholesterol levels. Plant-based fats (the healthy fats) will actually lower your cholesterol levels.

Here is the tricky part, though: A serving size is of a large avocado. To put it into perspective, if you even used half an avocado on your sandwich along with two pieces of bread and your protein with some vegetables, your sandwich alone is at 12 grams of fat without adding anything else or calculated any fat in your protein. So, though it is healthier, you still don’t want to consume too much fat of either source. If you add avocado to your meal, try not to add another fat like cheese; use the avocado as the fat in the meal.

It would be wasteful to throw away the rest of that avocado if you can only have of it as a serving, so plan how you can use it with other meals or snacks. I like to add avocado to salsa verde. It thins it out a bit and preserves it for a few more days, so I can add a little bit of it to almost everything. Whip up a batch yourself with the recipe at right and enjoy my favorite fruit, too. n

Avocado Salsa

MAKES 6 SERVINGS COURTESY MAYO CLINIC HEALTHY LIVING PROGRAM

1 avocado 2 Roma tomatoes 1⁄8 red onion 1 tablespoon cilantro 1 garlic clove 1 lime wedge Pinch salt Ground black pepper, to taste

1. Cube the avocado. Chop the tomatoes, onion, and cilantro. Mince the garlic. Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to combine. 2. Squeeze the juice from the lime into the bowl. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook’s Note:

This salsa is best served immediately after it is prepared. It does keep overnight, but you may want to scoop off the browning layer from the avocados before eating the next day. You may use ¼ teaspoon of powdered garlic in place of fresh.

Nutrition per 2-tablespoon

serving: 41 calories, 3g fat, 0g saturated fat, 1g protein, 3g carbohydrates, 1g sugar, 2g fiber, 62mg sodium