A Fiber-ful Flatbread Personal Pizza!

Who doesn’t love pizza? See below to learn how to make a healthier personal pizza using Flatout flabreads.  These flatbreads are full of fiber, whole grains and are a good source of protein.  You can customize these pizzas to your own personal liking by adding your favorite toppings.  Sensible toppings include lean ground beef or turkey, turkey pepperonis, vegetables, reduced fat cheese, oregano and lower-sugar pizza sauces (look for less than 7 grams of sugar per serving).  Try this simple and sensible solution the next time your pizza craving strikes!

After pre-heating your oven to 350°F, place one Flatout flatbread onto a lightly greased sheet pan.

Top flatbread with 1/3 cup pizza sauce followed by 1/3 cup reduced-fat mozzerella cheese.

 Top cheese with 8 to 10 reduced-fat turkey pepperonis.

Add vegetables as desired.  Mushrooms and bell peppers are pictured below.

 Bake flatbread pizza in oven for 12 to 14 minutes, or until edges of crust are crispy. 

Cut into slices and enjoy!

Calories 267; carbohydrates 24g; fiber 9g; sugar 5g; fat 10g; protein 26g; sodium 1166mg; cholesterol 40mg
(This is not a low sodium food)

-Dietitian Natalie

A Healthier Summer Treat!

As the peak of summer approaches, we’re all looking for ways to cool off. Ice cream sales skyrocket this time of year as few things compare to the taste, texture and experience of consuming this decadent dessert on a hot summer day. If you’re like me, ice cream is one of your favorite foods and you probably have a favorite flavor and brand. If you have interest in health or nutrition, you may also have come across some different ice cream brands or substitutes in our HealthMarket or frozen department and wondered how they compared to the real stuff. I want to highlight one brand in particular for this blog post. Brace yourself. You’re about to be introduced to a healthy and tasty dietitian-approved ice cream. 

Meet Halo Top.

Halo Top ice cream is high in protein and fiber. It’s also lower in sugar, fat and calories compared to traditional ice cream. Most importantly, it’s still delicious!   

As you’re likely aware, ice cream is not only known for its favorable taste and texture, but also for its not-so-healthful nutrition facts label. The picture below compares the nutritional profile of Halo Top with some popular ice cream brands- Haagen Dazs, Ben & Jerry’s and Dreyer’s. These numbers speak for themselves.   

The first thing that came to my mind when I read the back of a Halo Top nutrition facts label was that it was too good to be true.  An ice cream that meets the standard claims for a “good source of protein," “excellent source of fiber” and has only 60-70 calories per serving with no more than 5 grams of sugar is unheard of! It sounds like a good choice from a nutritional standpoint, but could it really taste great too? The answer is yes. 

So what ingredients are responsible for giving this product such a favorable nutritional profile?

 

Protein: The protein content in halo top comes from milk, milk protein concentrate and eggs.

Fiber: The fiber content in Halo Top comes from a prebiotic fiber.  Prebiotic fibers support digestive health.

Sugar: Each Halo Top ice cream variety has 5 grams or less of organic cane sugar. Your standard ice cream can have up to 25g per half cup serving. So where does Halo Top get its extra sweetness? The answer is organic stevia and erythritol. Stevia is a plant-based zero-calorie sweetener.  Erythritol is a sugar alcohol. If you’re leery of sugar alcohols because you’ve heard of or experienced their not-so-flattering digestive effects, know that erythritol has a slightly different chemical structure than many of the common sugar alcohols, including maltitol and sorbitol. Erythritol passes through our body unchanged and is not absorbed, while other sugar alcohols can ferment in our large intestine, resulting in some of those unpleasant digestive side effects. 

Calories: If the standard half cup serving of ice cream ranges anywhere from 150-300 calories, how does Halo Top pull off a 60-calorie serving? By using the non-to-low-calorie sweeteners mentioned above, the total calorie content of Halo Top is lowered significantly. Halo Top’s lower fat content also brings down the total calories as fat is a calorie-dense macronutrient. 

  

Halo Top comes in a variety of flavors including vanilla bean, chocolate, lemon cake, strawberry, mint chip, chocolate mocha chip and my personal favorite, birthday cake. There is one caveat I need to mention about this product. This product does freeze harder than typical ice cream. Halo Top doesn’t reach that desirable creamy ice cream texture until it has sat out on the counter for about 10 minutes once removed from the freezer. The company attributes this harder freeze to the fact that it is made without a lot of the softening agents found in traditional ice cream as well as its lower fat content.  

So, bottom line: A serving (or two) of Halo Top ice cream will provide you with fiber, protein and better peace of mind in regards to your blood sugar levels. :)   

Give it a try!

-Dietitian Natalie 

Healthy 4th of July Swaps

Today's blog post is all about the Fourth of July! Independence Day usually means time for family and friends, fireworks, and FOOD!

Below are some healthier alternatives to some traditional foods consumed during your Fourth of July holiday barbecues.

Burgers & Brats:

·         Try using Jennie-O ground turkey instead of beef when making your burgers.  Swap brats for Alfresco chicken sausage links. You’ll save on saturated fat and calories. 

·         You can save up to 100 calories by skipping the cheese on your hamburger. 

·         Swap white buns for whole wheat buns to add fiber to your burger or brat.

Chips & Dip:

·         Add fiber and protein to your meal by munching on Beanitos, a chip made from beans.

·         Save on fat and calories by choosing one of the Chobani Dips. Chobani dips are made from Greek yogurt and have just 25 calories per serving. That’s less than half the amount of calories when compared to your typical sour-cream based dips!

·         Salsa is also a great dipping option as it's low on calories and high on veggies!

Fruit & Vegetable trays:

·         Instead of bringing a calorie-laden side salad, try bringing a Hy-Vee-prepared fruit or vegetable tray. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables!

Bars/cookies/cakes:

·         Believe it or not – there are healthier dessert options out there! Simple Mills makes an almond flour-based cupcake mix.  The almond flour adds protein and fiber to the cupcake. This mix also only has 7 grams of sugar per serving compared to your typical cupcake mix which can have up to 20 grams of sugar per serving. You can check out this product along with other healthier baking mixes at: http://www.simplemills.com/. Add light cool whip instead of frosting and top with blueberries and raspberries for a red, white and blue indulgence!

·         The recipe below is also a healthier dessert option. Be sure to include these Patriotic Tarts at your Fourth of July holiday get-togethers. 

Patriotic Tarts 

Serves 15 (1 tart each)

All you need:

·         1/3 cup Zoet premium Belgian Dark 57% cacao chocolate pieces

·         1 (1.90 ounce) package Athens™ pre-baked mini fillo shells

·         1 carton Oikos Triple Zero vanilla Greek yogurt

·         15 fresh raspberries

·         15 fresh blueberries

All you do:

1.       Coarsely chop dark chocolate bar into chocolate chip-size pieces. Melt chocolate pieces on HIGH in microwave, stirring every 20 seconds until melted. Spoon approximately 1/2 tsp. chocolate in bottom of each fillo shell. Chill in freezer for 5 to 10 minutes.

2.       Spoon Greek yogurt into fillo shells. Top each shell with a raspberry and a blueberry.

3.       Drizzle melted chocolate onto top for garnish if desired.

 Nutrition facts per serving: 45 calories, 2 g fat, .5 g saturated fat, 0 trans fat, 0 cholesterol, 115 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, 0 fiber, 3 g sugar, 1 g protein. Vitamin A 0%, Vitamin C 2%, Calcium 2%, Iron 4%.

Be sure to check out your West Lakes Hy-Vee Facebook page. The dietitian video of the week features all of these healthier swaps!

Have safe and happy Independence Day!

-        - Dietitian Natalie