Slim People in Progress

Introducing Kirsteen McDowall

A new contributor has joined this blog.  I'm very pleased to introduce you to Kirsteen McDowall.

Kirsteen is a nutrition consultant and writes about fitness.  She has a product line that will make exercise a consistent part of your life and has written a book called "Balancing Fun and Fitness for the Chronic Couch Potato."  Kirsteen also has a coaching program called Balancing Fun and Food for the Chronic Dieter.

You can check out Kirsteen's bio here and her website, Balancing Life.  Watch for Kirsteen's first post, "Playing to Win at Any Age", coming soon.

All About Basil

Ran across an interesting article on the health benefits of basil, an herb I love, especially in pesto!

The Basil Herb as Spice

Nutritional advantages of basil
Basil is rich in a variety of important nutrients, most notably vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and phosphorus. Basil is also a source of iron, potassium, and magnesium.

How to Count Milk Products

I was cruising the discussion boards on the Weight Watchers site and came across a discussion thread on milk products.  On the Weight Watchers plan one is supposed to have 2-3 portions of milk everyday.  I know I fall short.  However, here's some clarity about what counts:

Here's the list of what counts as dairy servings, per the current Week 1 book (in addition to 8 fl ounces of milk):

* cappuccino, 1 grande (16 fl. oz) (2-4pts)
* cottage cheese, 2 cups (6-10pts)
* hard or semi-soft cheese, any type, 1-1/2 oz (2-4 pts)
* ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup (2-6 pts)
* dairy shake, reduced-calorie, 1 packet (2 pts)
* latte, 1 tall (12 fl. oz) (2-5 pts)
* milk shake, fast food, 1 (12 fl. oz) (10 pts)
* pudding, from fat-free, sugar-free mix (made with fat-free milk), 1 cup (3 pts)
* yogurt, 1 cup (8 fl oz) (2-5 pts)
* Weight Watchers Smoothie made with fat free or 1% milk, 2 servings (3 points) (if made with just water, 1 dairy serving and 1 point)

In June 2005, someone posted the following information (after having called the WW 800 number):

"In order for a dairy product to count as a full serving, it has to have 25% calcium AND 7 grams of protein."

And:

A dairy serving has 25% of your daily calcium needs. It should say on the package, different yogurts and cheeses have different amounts of calcium.

Thanks to those on the WW discussion board for this clarification.

2 Point Treats

Today I went to my local Costco (don't ask me why considering it's the week before Christmas!) and discovered several 2 point treats in bulk.  Being a penny-pincher and one who likes to have my treats, I was happy to find the individual 100 calorie packs by Nabisco of Oreo Thin Crisps, Chips Ahoy Thin Crisps, and Wheat Thins Mini Crisps.  Each package is 100 calories, 2-3 grams of fat and only 2 points each.  A great way to get a snack in controlled portion. Box has 24 packs.

I also found another treat:  World Gourmet's Soy Crisp minis in Rich Coffee, Cookie Dough, and Pretzel Crunch.  Again, each individual pack is 2 points.  Box has 20 packs

Finally, I discover Kashi's new granola bars based in their new cereal 7 Whole Grains and Sesame.  There's no sugar so the cereal is considered part of the Core Plan.  The granola bars are 2 points each and come in Peanut Peanut Butter, Trail Mix and Honey Almond Flax. 3 packs of 6 bars.

All bulk products between $6.69 and $7.69.

Quinoa

At today's WW meeting, our leader read an article that named 10 foods that are underrated and contribute greatly to health and well-being.  Unfortunately, I neglected to get the name and publication of the article.

One food Flora talked about was Quinoa, an ancient grain cultivated in Peru.  I found a good article about Quinoa with info about nutrition, history and a couple of tasty sounding recipes.

The quinoa seed is high in protein, calcium and iron, a relatively good source of vitamin E and several of the B vitamins. It contains an almost perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans.