What’s really in the Fiber One bar? Redux…Ingredient by Ingredient

Ingredients NOT found in an Oats & Chocolate Fiber One bar

Fiber is my number one favorite geeky dietitian topic, and having recently been diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, perhaps now more than ever it is important to me.

Looking back at the blog, it seems like my post on the Fiber One bars has been one of the most popular posts on my blog since I started it. I can’t believe that was 2009, but I thought it was worth a revisit and see if anything had changed.

For the record, I still have never tried the bar, but I can say it seems like patients and clients are definitely bringing it up less than they did 10 years ago, so perhaps popularity is waning? I’m sure the Kind bar has taken some of it’s market share and perhaps with good reason…

So anyway, here goes again. This time I plan to break it down into a few posts based on ingredient since there’s really a lot to say about each and every one, why not take our time?

1 serving of a Fiber One “Oats and Chocolate” bar is 40 g

140 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 90 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 9 g fiber, 9 g total sugar (a little more than 2 teaspoons), 2 g protein

(Only changes here are an increase in saturated fat by .5 gram, an increase in sodium by 10mg, and a decrease of sugar by 1 grams)

So, it still does seem to have  a good bit of fiber. But, where is the fiber coming from? The first ingredient is chicory root extract. Since, ingredients are required to be listed in the order of their predominance in a product, this means that there is more chicory root extract by weight, than anything else in the product.

So what is chicory root extract? Chicory root extract is also known as inulin. Inulin is known as a prebiotic, meaning it’s good for your digestive system.

There is still some question though as to whether inulin offers the same benefits as dietary fiber.

Dietary fiber is the kind we get naturally from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes etc. The health benefits of dietary fiber are promoting satiety, reducing cholesterol, improving bowel regularity and even promoting stable blood sugar levels.

The Center for Science in Public Interest (CSPI) has requested that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans be updated to advise consumers to differentiate between the different types of fibers when choosing foods. This would mean on the food label you might see “X grams of processed fiber per serving.” You can access CSPI’s most recent commentary here: Can fiber help keep you regular?.

Additionally, the FDA recently released  The Declaration of Certain Isolated or Synthetic Non-Digestible Carbohydrates as Dietary Fiber on Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels: Guidance for Industry.

There was a very recent journal article “Effect of chicory inulin-type fructan–containing snack bars on the human gut microbiota in low dietary fiber consumers in a randomized crossover trial” that concluded in healthy adults, adding 3 or 7 g inulin-type fructans (ITF) to snack bars increased Bifidobacterium, a beneficial member of the gut microbial community. While that seems promising, you have to look at the source of the info, two of the authors actually work for General Mills, which is a bit of a red flag.

Stay tuned for the next ingredient, which is NOW called whole grain oats (formerly referred to as “rolled oats,” and ten years later takes the second spot on the ingredients list away from chocolate chips with confectioners shellac.)

How do you feel about inulin? Does it help or hurt your digestive system or have you not noticed an effect either way? Let me know in the comments section.

 

Simply Radishing – Part Deux

Over this past winter, I may have gotten a little carried a away with Food Should Taste Good – Sweet Potato Chips. While I wholeheartedly endorse these chips (12 chips = 140 calories, 3 grams of fiber), I’m thinking it is time to rein it in a bit now that bathing suit season is fast approaching.

Enter my formerly “forgotten” vegetable, the humble radish. My latest use for radishes is as a replacement for a chip. They are crisp and peppery, and great as a dip for hummus.

1 cup of radish slices for a measly 19 calories!

The key to getting a radish to impersonate a chip is to slice it thinly. I do use a mandoline on the second setting (3mm) so that the radish is thick enough to not wobble and allows it to support a nice amount of hummus. It’s also a good idea to choose pretty hefty size radishes if you can.

But, here’s the really good news about radishes. 1 cup of sliced radishes has about 19 calories! In terms of vitamins and minerals, this amount would give you a nice bump of potassium (270 mg) and a good amount of vitamin C (17 mg), not to mention some serious hits of B vitamins for the day.

These radishes are guilt-free, cheap, and a healthy replacement for our usual dippers.

What are your favorite healthy dippers?

 

Gorgeous Gazpacho

As the temperature rises, I find myself craving fresh chilled soups more than ever. Soups are a great way to get a ton of vegetables into one serving of food. If you a a raw food fan, this recipe is definitely for you, though it is appealing to everyone’s palate.

The recipe that follows is adapted from the book, “100-Calorie Snack Cookbook” by Sally Sampson.

100 calories per serving!

Ingredients (Serves 5, about 2 cups per serving)

2 small English cucumbers, diced

2 beefsteak or other large tomatoes, cored and diced

1 small read onion, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar

3 1/2 cups low sodium tomato or v8 juice

1 cup water

1/3 cup chopped fresh dill, cilantro or basil

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Method

1. Place cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, garlic and peppers in a bowl and toss to combine.
2. Remove half the mixture and place in bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse 2 to 3 times until chopped and combined. Return to bowl
3. Add the vinegar, tomato juice and water and stir to combine
4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Serve garnished with herbs (optional) and feta.

Nutrition Information (per serving)

Calories: 103

Fat: 2.1 g

Cholesterol: 7mg

Sodium; 110 mg

Carbohydrates: 19.4 g

Fiber: 3.4 g

Protein: 4.5 g

Besides all of those good statistics, you will most definitely get more than a days supply of vitamin C, a big boost of potassium, lots of beta carotene and lycopene, and many other nutrients. This soup will also quench your thirst on account of all the additional water in the vegetables.

Diet Tip:

Having a bowl of soup prior to a meal actually causes you to eat less on account of your stomach being full of all tha fluid and triggering satiety signals to the brain.

 

Portabello Pile Up

100 calories

This snack or appetizer is a seriously delicious and super low calorie. The recipe is adapted from a GREAT cookbook called “100-calorie Snack Cookbook” by Sally Sampson. It’s also extremely easy and doesn’t take a lot of time to prepare.

I used light cheddar cheese slices and fresh basil, and piled on the tomatoes, but, this would not change the calorie info very much. When I make this again (and i definitely will), I will add some balsamic vinegar to the mushroom before adding on the other ingredients, though its very good on its own. Here’s the original recipe:

Portobello Mushroom with Mozzarella and Tomato

Ingredients

Serves 1

1 Portabello Mushroom Cap

2 thin tomato slices

2 1/2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese

Pinch kosher salt

Pinch dried basil

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Pinch dried oregano

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
2. Place the mushroom cap on a nonstick baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes
3. Place the baking sheet on a heatproof
4. Top the cap with the tomatoes and cheese
5. Sprinkle with salt, basil, red pepper flakes and oregano
6. Return to the oven until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately

Nutrition Analysis

Calories: 103

Fat: 3.9 g

Sodium 260 mg

Carbohydrates: 10.6 g

Dietary Fiber: 2.9 g

Protein: 9.1 g

I of course have to mention that portabellos have a nice amount of potassium (407 mg per cap), some folate, choline, niacin, pantothenic acid, as well as the other B vitamins. They are also 91 % water which accounts for their status as super low in calories. I personally love portobellos, if you do too check out my previous post on having them at breakfast, Huevos Portobellos.

 

Condiment Comparison

Make your own spicy condiment with Sriracha

This article in the Washington Post does a very comprehensive job of comparing condiments in terms of their health and nutrition benefits.

I am a mustard person myself, but, every so often I will make a spicy mayo using sriracha sauce. It makes a great addition to anything from the grill, from burgers to veggies. If you choose to go with a light mayo, using the hot sauce is a good way to “mask” that light flavor.

I would also add salsa to the list of condiments, though I guess technically it is a sauce. At about 4 calories per tablespoon and less sodium than ketchup (96 milligrams per tablespoon) it’s a very good choice. Plus salsa has lots of lycopene as well.

Made from soy without dairy, cholesterol, eggs, wheat, gluten, or sugar

There’s also a product called Miso Mayo which is more comparable to mayo in terms of nutrition, but, suitable for vegans. It has 90 calories per tablespoon, 9 grams of fat and 100 milligramas of sodium. I mention it because it is VERY tasty, and is made from soy without dairy, cholesterol, eggs, wheat, gluten, or sugar, which can be beneficial if you are on a special diet or have certain allergies.

What’s your favorite condiment or dipping sauce?

 

Double Chocolate and Tart Cherry Biscotti

Double Chocolate Biscotti

I talk a lot on my blog about drinking coffee, and I have to admit I do like to dunk things in my coffee every now and again. Sometimes, when I am in Starbucks I am so tempted to buy those biscotti they have at the counter wrapped in plastic, to dunk in my coffee of course.

I don’t buy them though because I know biscotti are relatively easy to make, and when you make them yourself, you can make them as low fat and/or low calorie as you like.

This weekend I adapted a recipe which originally appeared in Cooking Light, December 2008. They will definitely satisfy your chocolate cravings. I changed a few things:

1. Replaced the white flour with whole wheat flour (increases fiber, lowers the calories)
2. Used half the amount of sugar, and used brown sugar instead of white sugar (less calories, tastes better)
3. Added 1/4 cup dried tart cherries and zest of one orange (adds fragrance and texture)
4. Added some oil and milk to compensate for the dryness of the whole wheat flour (if you don’t want to use oil, you could use yogurt or applesauce, just to add more moisture)

Here’s the recipe with the above-mentioned adaptations

Yield

3 dozen (serving size: 2 biscotti)

Ingredients

• 6.75  ounces  whole wheat flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2  cup  sugar
• 1/2  cup  unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2  cup  semisweet chocolate minichips
• 1/4 cup dried tart montmorency cherries (chopped)
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• Zest of one orange
• 2  large eggs
• 1  large egg white
• 2 tablespoons milk (if necessary)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil (if necessary)
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through salt) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine vanilla, zest, eggs, and egg white in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; stir until well blended. If dough is too dry, add two tablespoons of skim milk and/or canola oil. Divide dough in half. Turn dough out onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. With floured hands, shape each dough half into a 12-inch-long roll; pat to 1/2-inch thickness.

3. Bake at 350° for 22 minutes. Remove rolls from baking sheet; cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Cut each roll diagonally into 18 (1/2-inch) slices. Carefully stand slices upright on baking sheet. Bake biscotti an additional 15 minutes or until almost firm (biscotti will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove biscotti from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack.

Cooking Tip:

Use parchment paper to line the baking sheet, it will prevent the biscotti from burning and it keeps the pan clean.

Nutritional Information Per Serving

Calories: 107

Fat: 3 g (sat 1g, mono 1.2 g, poly 0.32 g)

Protein: 2.8 g

Carbohydrate: 18 g

Fiber: 1.2 g

Cholesterol: 24mg

Sodium: 125mg

While my changes did not change the original nutrition information too dramatically, I prefer to use less sugar whenever possible. And in this case, I was able to add some antioxidants to the mix, as well as some additional mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

To cut even more calories you could use a sugar substitute, and use egg whites instead of the whole eggs. When I make these again, I will probably add some nuts as well because I like a little crunch in my biscotti.

 

A Very Veggie Stir Fry

Veggies!

I needed to clean out the refrigerator and had a random assortment of vegetables, so instead of making a soup, I decided on a stir fry.

The nice thing about a stir fry is that you can use very little oil and the vegetables stay nice and crisp, and the whole process doesn’t take more than 20 minutes or so including prep time.

So here’s what I had on hand:

Ingredients

1/2 yellow onion

1 clove of garlice

1 bunch of broccoli

1/2 orange pepper

1/2 red pepper

2/3 of a 6 ounce package of portobello mushrooms (not traditionally part of a stir fry, but, you could use any mushroom)

1 teaspoon peanut oil

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Slice all of the vegetables into somewhat unifrom slices
2. Heat the peanut oil on medium high heat, the wok (or pan) is ready when you flick some water in and it sizzles
3. Add the onion and garlic to the wok and stir often, for 2 minutes or so
4. Add broccoli and peppers and stir these often as well for another 2 minutes or so
5. Add the mushrooms and toss all of the vegetables together for 2 minutes or so
6. Taste the broccoli, if it’s crisp or at the texture you desire add in the soy sauce and toss over vegatables to coat. If you prefer your vegetables more well done, cook for a few minutes longer and then add the soy sauce when you feel it’s ready.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The finished product

Some other vegetables I would like to have added, but did not have are carrots, celery, snow peas and asparagus. You can also add a protein like chicken or tofu to the stir fry to make it even more filling.

The stiry fry is also a great way to get several servings of vegetables into one dish, and it is guaranteed to be low calorie if you monitor how much oil you use. This dish alone had more than a days supply of vitamin C, beta carotene, lots of potassium and fiber.

They are great as an entree or a side dish, versatile enough to go over rice or noodles, or as a stand alone.

TIP: Don’t discard the broccoli stalks! If you cut off the tough outer “bark” there is a very tasty inner flesh that tastes similar to a water chestnut. It’s my favorite part of the broccoli, and it tastes great raw or cooked.

 

Nectarine Nelly Smoothie

Chock full of carotenoids

With the weather in the Northeast finally getting warmer, it’s time to really start enjoying smoothies. Stone fruits such as nectarines, peaches and plums are coming into season and this smoothie recipe makes a great treat any time of day.

It’s packed with antioxidant vitamins A and C, several carotenoids, potassium, and a good amount of fiber (the real kind). Using frozen fruit eliminates the need for ice cubes and cuts down on dilution, but, it’s just as good with fresh fruit. The added bonus is because you are making it yourself, you know that it’s low in calories, as opposed to some of the smoothies that are commercially available which can contain upwards of 600 calories per smoothie.

Recipe courtesy of the “The Smoothies Deck” by Mary Corpening Barber, Sara Corpening & Lri Lyn Narlock

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups of orange juice

2 cups diced nectarines, frozen

1 cup diced fresh mango, frozen

Method:

Pour the orange juice into a blender. Add the nectarines and mango. Blend until smooth.

Serves 2

Nutrition information per serving:

185 calories

4 grams of fiber

700 mg potassium (15% of the daily value)

96 mg of vitamin C (>100% of the daily value)

1,333 IU Vitamin A (> 50% of the daily value)

 

Hydroxycut Recalled

Some of the recalled Hydroxycut products

Lots of recalls coming out of the FDA today, this one pertains to dietary supplement rather than a food, but, I think this is a relatively well known product, and thus worth mentioning. Apparently there have been at least 23 adverse events reported in connection with the Hydroxycut products. This is an excerpt from the official FDA site:

The FDA has received 23 reports of serious health problems ranging from jaundice and elevated liver enzymes, an indicator of potential liver injury, to liver damage requiring liver transplant. One death due to liver failure has been reported to the FDA. Other health problems reported include seizures; cardiovascular disorders; and rhabdomyolysis, a type of muscle damage that can lead to other serious health problems such as kidney failure.

Liver injury, although rare, was reported by patients at the doses of Hydroxycut recommended on the bottle. Symptoms of liver injury include jaundice (yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes) and brown urine. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, light-colored stools, excessive fatigue, weakness, stomach or abdominal pain, itching, and loss of appetite.

They don’t seem to have a handle on exactly which ingredients are causing this type of reaction, and Hydroxycut’s website has already dismantled all the information on account of the recall, so I am unable to make an educated guess. It could simply be that people taking the product were increasing the dosage, because it’s common in our society to think that if some is good, more is better.

I do know that I have seen some of these adverse effects while working in the acute care setting, and they are very unpleasant, not to mention life threatening. It would be extremely sad if someone fell ill from taking a supplement to make them look better. So if you know of anyone using these types of products, pass on the information.

This is a list of the recalled products as of May 1st:

Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Caplets
Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Rapid Release Caplets
Hydroxycut Hardcore Liquid Caplets
Hydroxycut Max Liquid Caplets
Hydroxycut Regular Drink Packets
Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Drink Packets
Hydroxycut Hardcore Drink Packets (Ignition Stix)
Hydroxycut Max Drink Packets
Hydroxycut Liquid Shots
Hydroxycut Hardcore RTDs (Ready-to-Drink)
Hydroxycut Max Aqua Shed
Hydroxycut 24
Hydroxycut Carb Control
Hydroxycut Natural

 

There’s No “Whey” They Need Supplements

The Biggest Loser did not disappoint last night with its ridiculous product placements masked as “recommendations” to the players. I hate to dwell on Trainer Bob, but, he definitely seems to be the shill for the more questionable foods/supplements, while Jillian seems to be able to choose her endorsements more wisely (and less blatantly).

Last night after watching his team’s video food journal, Bob recommended to his team that they need to get “more protein.” While that may or may not be true, Bob didn’t perform any scientific calculations to assess if they actually did need more protein, therefore his suggestion to them that they use a supplement such as “Designer Whey Protein” is ridiculous.

Overkill for the Biggest Losers

Why else is it ridiculous? Well, for one thing, it’s my understanding that the show is supposed to be teaching the players how to eat better. I’m confident that taking protein supplements does not fall under the category “making better choices.”

If you are wondering what whey protein is, it’s a clear liquid leftover from the cheese-making process. Though whey used to be a waste product, it now is dried and used as an ingredient in other foods and supplements. Whey is a source of lactose, which can be an irritant to some people.

So many people already think they are not getting enough protein, but the truth is that most people get more than enough protein from their diets. If you are losing weight while working out, your best bet is to increase your protein by actually eating protein in food, not a supplement.

By obtaining your protein from food, you will also benefit from all of the other vitamins and minerals present in the food, as well as save money on buying unnecessary supplements.

If we give the players the benefit of the doubt and call them athletes, the recommendations for protein based on the American College of Sports Medicine range anywhere from .6-.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

The high end of the range would apply to a growing teenage athlete (Mike) or athletes restricting calories (technically the rest of the players). The catch here is that the players are not at normal body weights and thus protein recommendations cannot be based on their actual body weight, but rather should be based on what we would clinically describe as their adjusted body weight. The adjusted body weight is based on a calculation using one’s ideal body weight, which is based on height.

Since I am not privy to the contestants’ heights, I’m unable to figure out what their adjusted body weights are. For argument’s sake, we could look at Helen, who is now 161 lbs, and perhaps getting close to a healthy BMI. If we use her actual weight, her needs would be anywhere from 97 – 144 g protein per day. This is on the high side for protein, but could easily be met by diet, for example:

4 ounces of chicken breast has 35 g of protein

6 ounces of tuna has 40 g of protein

6 egg whites has 20 g of protein

This alone would meet the lower end of the above mentioned protein recommendations, not to mention other food items like dairy, peanuts, peanut butter and beans which are also very good sources of protein AND to a lesser extent there is protein in several grains and vegetables.

Designer Whey protein has 6 grams of protein and 50 calories per scoop, which really is not that much. I know of several protein supplements used in the acute care setting that would offer more protein per serving. To meet the amount postulated here (97 grams) you would have to use roughly 16 scoops.

Bottom Line:

We as a population and the Biggest Loser contestants are more than likely already meeting protein needs by diet.

If for some reason that was not the case, it is very easy to consume adequate amounts of protein both from animal and plant based sources.

Protein supplements are expensive and unnecessary, especially in the case of the Biggest Losers.

And once again, Bob gave a recommendation and it ended up that one of his players not only gained a pound, but was also sent home. Coincidence?

References:

Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook, http://www.nancyclarkrd.com/books/sportsnutrition.asp