Supermarket RD’s Pick: Siggi’s

Siggi’s yogurt makes the list of this week’s Supermarket RD’s Pick. See why Siggi’s is RD approved!

Supermarket RD's Pick by Julie @ RDelicious Kitchen
Have you ever tried Siggi’s yogurt before? It brings Greek yogurt to a whole new level. Siggi’s is an Icelandic style cream-skyr. True to Icelandic tradition, Siggi’s products do not contain any artificial preservatives, thickeners, sweeteners, flavors or colors, and are made with milk from family farms who do not use growth hormones such as rBGH. Siggi’s dairy is fully committed to making rather delicious yogurt products with simple ingredients and not a lot of sugar, always. (source)

Supermarket RD's Pick: Siggi's
There are always questions about what rGBH is. rBGH, or recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone is a synthetic form of growth hormone injected into cows to increase growth rates and milk production. When used in lactating cows, rBGH can increase the milk production by 10-15%, by limiting mammary cell death. The increased milk production in cows can lead to mastitis, an infection that is treated by antibiotics. The increased milk production is very taxing on a cow and can often lead to shortened lifespan. Siggi’s does NOT use milk from cows injected with rBGH.
Siggi's all natural yogurt
Siggi’s is very thick and creamy compared to other Greek yogurts. It is made by incubating skim milk with live active cultures. The whey is strained to make a thicker, creamier, and more concentrated yogurt. This results in a higher protein content than most yogurts.
What really makes this RD approved is that there is always more protein than sugar in their products and no additives or preservatives are added either! Real food ingredients for the win!
Pumpkin & spice Siggi's yogurt
I haven’t tried a flavor I didn’t like, but my favorite flavor is the pumpkin & spice, with coconut being the runner up.
SignatureDisclosure: Siggi’s did not sponsor this post. All opinions are my own.

It is made by incubating skim milk with live active cultures. The whey, the water naturally found in milk, is then strained away to make for a much thicker, creamier, concentrated yogurt. So to make just one cup of skyr, with all that water going out, you need 4 times the amount of milk required to make a regular cup of yogurt. As a result of this process skyr comes out with 2-3 times the protein count of standard yogurt. – See more at: http://siggisdairy.com/products/detail/skyr/pumpkin-and-spice/9821/#sthash.cs3rmndi.dpuf

Skyr, pronounced “skeer,” is the traditional yogurt of Iceland. It is made by incubating skim milk with live active cultures. The whey, the water naturally found in milk, is then strained away to make for a much thicker, creamier, concentrated yogurt. So to make just one cup of skyr, with all that water going out, you need 4 times the amount of milk required to make a regular cup of yogurt. As a result of this process skyr comes out with 2-3 times the protein count of standard yogurt.

Since skyr is fat-free it has been an age old practice to throw a bit of cream back into it for a tad richer touch: generally called rjóma-skyr; or skyr with cream. Delicious!

– See more at: http://siggisdairy.com/products/detail/skyr/pumpkin-and-spice/9821/#sthash.cs3rmndi.dpufWhat really makes this RD approved is that there is more protein than sugar I like all the flavors, but my two favorite are pumpkin & spice and the coconut flavors!

 

The New Nutrition Label

I don’t know if you have heard the buzz this past week, but the FDA is proposing some changes to help better inform consumer about their food choices. I reviewed the proposed updates and have my own opinions about the update. I would love to hear what everyone else thinks! If you haven’t read up about the changes, you can catch up right here.

Why the update?
Americans are eating larger serving sizes. The rate of obesity, heart disease, and stroke remain high. A poor diet contributes to these diseases. The FDA wants to update the nutrition label to help provide important nutrition information to raise awareness and make it easier to understand to make healthier choices.
“Obesity, heart disease and other chronic diseases are leading public health problems,” says Michael Landa, director of FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. “The proposed new label is intended to bring attention to calories and serving sizes, which are important in addressing these problems. Further, we are now proposing to require the listing of added sugars. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends reducing calories from added sugars and solid fats.”

“The goal is to make people aware of what they are eating and give them the tools to make healthy dietary choices throughout the day,” says Leighton.

Current Label:

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New Proposed Label:

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Let’s look at the changes (with my opinions):

The first thing consumers would notice is a greater emphasis—with larger and bolder type—on calories. “The number of calories is especially important to maintaining a healthy weight,” says Leighton.

I like how the calories are clearly stated, but I don’t necessarily like that it’s the biggest and boldest on the label. It leads your eye directly to the calories, which does not always mean it’s a healthy choice.

For the first time, “Added Sugars” would be included on the label. On average, Americans eat 16 percent of their daily calories from sugars added during food production.
I really like this feature. So many products have added sugar in them. It’s great to be able to distinguish naturally occurring sugars (like lactose in yogurt) compared to sugar fillers.

And the calories from fat would no longer be listed. “We know that the type of fat is more important than the total amount of fat,” says Kavanaugh. Total, saturated and trans fat will still be required.
The calories from fat often confused many people. By simplifying it to just the total, saturated, and trans fats will help consumers understand better.

The number of servings per package would also be more prominent. And “Amount Per Serving,” would now have the actual serving size listed, such as “Amount per cup.”
I like how the number of servings per package is more prominent. I felt that was often not looked at close enough and now it will help with proper portion control.

FDA proposes updating serving size requirements. These updates would reflect the reality of what people actually eat, according to recent food consumption data. By law, serving sizes must be based on what people actually eat, not on what they “should” be eating.
I am on the fence about this one. I don’t necessarily think we should up the serving size just because society is eating larger portions. I think the serving size as is “what people should be eating”, is a great tool to help promote smaller portions.

FDA would update Daily Values for various nutrients. Daily Values are used to calculate the Percent Daily Value (%DV) on the label, which helps consumers understand the nutrition information in the context of a total diet. In addition, the %DV would be shifted to the left of the label. FDA wants to help consumers visually and quickly put nutrient information in context.
Honestly, when I first looked at the new proposed label I didn’t even know it was on the other side. With it in it’s own column, it looks organized. It makes sense since people read left to right, they would see the %DV first.

The amounts of potassium and Vitamin D would be required on the label. Vitamin D is important for healthy bones, especially among women and the elderly. And potassium helps to lower blood pressure and prevent hypertension. “We have evidence that people are not consuming enough of these nutrients to protect against chronic diseases,” says Leighton.
Yes, vitamin D is important, and most Americans lack this vitamin, but I feel like Vitamin D is the latest buzz in nutrition. It just proposed questions like why not include omega-3’s or any value then?
What do you think of the new proposed nutrition label?
(Source)
 
 

Hearty Vegetable Soup

Nothing is better than coming inside from a cold winter day and warming up with a hearty bowl of soup. Making soup from scratch is by far better than the canned stuff. Canned soups are packed with a ton of sodium. The recommended intake of sodium is < 2,400 mg per day. In some soups thats 75% of your sodium intake right there!
 
Making homemade soup is simple. Plus, if you make a big batch you can freeze half and bring it back out later in the winter season. Stick to the broth based soups with tons of vegetables for fewer calories and for a nutrient dense meal.

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Hearty Vegetable Soup

Makes 12 servings

 

Ingredients:
4 strips bacon, diced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped into a small dice
4 celery stalks, chopped into a small dice
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 medium red onions, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced
2 quarts low sodium vegetable stock
2 quarts water
3 cups kale, roughly chopped
1 lb whole-wheat ditalini pasta
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas


Directions:

1. In a large stock pot over add the bacon and cook until crispy. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, and onions to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the veggies are tender, 7-8 minutes more.

2. Add the mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, and cook for another 2 minutes.

3. Add the stock and water to the pot, and bring up to a boil.

4. Add the kale, pasta, and chickpeas to the soup pot, and cook until the pasta is al dente. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Ladle the soup into shallow bowls.


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(nutrition facts based on calorie count)

 

 

Enjoy!

All About: Avocados

I recently posted a few recipes using avocado. You may hear that avocados are healthy and they contain healthy fats, but that’s not all. There is so much more to learn about avocados.

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Did you know?

  • There are more than 80 varieties of avocados. The most common is the Hass avocado. The original mother tree of avocados still stands in California.
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  • Acocados are actually a member of the berry family.
  • The avocado is also known as an alligator pear, due to its shape, green skin, and rough texture. And apparently you can get a t-shirt that says it too!
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  • Half a medium sized avocado has 160 calories and provides 15 grams of heart healthy unsaturated fat, with only 2 grams of saturated fat.
  • Along with providing healthy fats, avocados are a good source of fiber, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and vitamin B6.
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  • Avocados can be a part of many restricted diets. They are gluten free, dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, and cholesterol-free.
  • On Super Bowl Sunday, Americans consume about 8 million pounds of guacamole. For Cinco de Mayo, it’s 14 million pounds.
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  • Avocados can be used as a face mask for beautiful skin. Avocados have biotin which helps prevent dry skin. Combine 1/2 avocado (mashed), 1 tsp honey, and 1 tsp of greek yogurt.
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  • How to easily slice an avocado:
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