Food Revolution Review, and My Tuna Salad Recipe!

This month has been crazy, and it's getting crazier each day! This week I have the 5k race I've been planning for the past several months, and then we are going straight to Cincinnati (down south) for one of Nick's friend's 30th birthday. We're going to the river boats, which are packed with crazy casinos. I probably won't do a lot of gambling, but it will still be fun to get out of town for a night. Then the following week we MOVE! I'm excited, but also very nervous. We're going to be very poor for a while. Oh well, we'll be so busy working on the house it won't even matter!
Did you watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution last week? I finished watching it on Saturday morning. It wasn't quite as interesting as the last episode, but I've still got a few things to say.

Likes

• I love how Jamie decided to go straight to a major source of entertainment and information for the community. Not the senators, but the most popular radio DJ, Rod. What a great idea. Even though Rod was completely against the idea at first (although I think that might have been an act for the show....) he got everyone on Jamie's side eventually and he helped get 1000 people involved in the revolution. Fantastic.

• I love how Jamie dressed up like a green bean (or a pea pod??) at the beginning of the show. As stupid as he looked, it's actually suggested that in order to get your children to eat more fruits and veggies you should make it fun and entertaining. Associating fruits and veggies with cartoons or other fun characters is actually a great idea. Heck, it worked for McDonald's!

• The trip to the morgue was a great way to open Rod's eyes (and America's eyes) to the seriousness of the obesity epidemic. Did you see that casket?! Goodness.
  

• Jamie was pushing the use of frozen vegetables. I loved it. Jamie is a well known and respected chef, so to see him using frozen vegetables is really fantastic. I love frozen vegetables. They are so delicious, convenient, and they are frozen at their peak freshness.
  

• That dance they did in the park. WOW!!! I wanted to be in the dance myself!! It looked like so much fun!

Dislikes

• I've only got one dislike, but it's a big one. Where are all the tips and suggestions?? This entire show has been about what is wrong with the city and what needs to be done to help people get healthier, but I have not heard any tips on cooking and eating healthier. Yeah, Jamie throws out a few suggestions here and there, but I want him to teach the TV audience too! He keeps saying, "you can cook cheap and healthy meals that don't take very long", but how?? Jamie, you need to provide more tips! I kept waiting for some fantastic information about what to buy, how to save money when shopping for ingredients, how to choose a good recipe, how to choose a lean cut of meat/poultry, but I heard nothing! Maybe this is coming up in future episodes?? I saw him use a real block of parmesan cheese, but is this something that people in this city (and other cities in America) can afford to buy? I know that sounds odd, but real parmesan cheese is expensive, and it goes bad fairly quick! He needs to throw out tips such as, "try the already shredded parmesan cheese if you wish! The taste is similar, and the price is lower, and it lasts much longer!".

Question: What were your thoughts on last week's episode?

Quick, Healthy, and Cheap Recipe #20
Tuna Fish Sandwich

Ingredients
(1 Serving)
6 ounces Albacore tuna
6 t plain Greek yogurt
2 t regular mayo
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 t pepper

Possible Modifications

• Use any kind of tuna you wish (in water please). Albacore has more omega-3, but light tuna may have less mercury. Choose your battle.

• Use regular yogurt instead of Greek

• Use light or fat free mayo

• Add more walnuts or use almonds, peanuts, or pine nuts

• Add any spices you wish

• Add avocado, celery, egg, raisins, or dried cranberries (I didn't do this because these ingredients give me stomach problems. Bummer, I know)
  

My Rating: 8 out of 10
It would have been better on a piece of bread, but since I have yet to find any bread that I can eat, the bread in the picture was just for show. I ate this on it's own.

Nutrition Facts
(These nutrition facts do not include the bread)

Coming Up

Tomorrow I will post about some foods that you may think are "healthy" but which may not be as healthy as you thought. The point is not to discourage you from eating these foods, but to make you more aware of the ingredients on food labels and how companies try to trick you into thinking their foods are superior.

Have a great day everyone! Thanks for reading.

Tuna Confusion and a New House

Thanks for your comments on my last post, about mercury in fish. A couple of you brought up some great points:

Melinda mentioned that it's also important to know the signs of mercury toxicity. One of the most common signs, she said, is confusion. Thanks Melinda! That is great information. Don't get too paranoid though, some confusion is normal. You will know when someone is confused to the point that it's not normal.

A couple of you mentioned that light canned tuna is low in mercury too (actually it has the lowest amount of mercury of all canned tunas). The problem with light canned tuna is that it's also low in EPA/DHA (the essential fatty acids), which is why I didn't mention it.

Bottom Line: Light canned tuna has the lowest amount of mercury out of all the canned tunas. Albacore also has a low amount (check out this website for more information), plus it has the added benefit of lots of EPA/DHA. The health benefits do outweigh the risks! If you are pregnant, however, I would stick to light canned tuna, and take a fish oil supplement that is high quality.

Picking a House...

The past couple of months have been filled with searching for a new house. Yes, it's true that Nick and I have yet to get married (or engaged for that matter) but we know we will eventually, and with the $8,000 stimulus ending in April, now is the time to buy! We have decided to choose "location" over "square-footage". What that means is that we will be moving to a very nice area, where you basically get much less house/land for the price. To us, it's worth it. We love the area, and the school system is fantastic (we're really looking to the future!).

Which do you like better? This one.....


Or this one?
I won't tell you which one I like better, but I want your honest opinion! I think we already know which one we are going to end up with, unless of course the inspection doesn't go as planned. Even if I don't get the house I really wanted, both of these houses will be fantastic for our first home. I'm so excited!

Coming Up

Tomorrow I will be doing a random post about a couple of TV shows that focus on nutrition. No, not the Biggest Loser, I'm officially over that that show.

Have a great day everyone, and thanks for reading!

I'll Have the Fish; No Mercury Please!

Do you ever worry about the contaminants in your fish? I hear these questions a lot, "should I eat tuna? Which fish is highest in mercury? Are fish oil supplements safe?

Here are some answers:

Tuna

• It is advised that adults eat no more than 1 can of tuna per week ( This is the general recommendation, I sometimes eat two cans, personally. The 1 serving per week recommendation is especially important for women who are pregnant).

• Albacore tuna is the richest source of omega-3 fatty acids, and it is also one of the least likely contaminated tunas (light canned tuna actually has the lowest amount of mercury, but it's also much lower in EPA/DHA).
  

Other Fish

• The fish that are generally highest in mercury include swordfish, shark, tilefish, and king mackerel. Again, it's especially important to keep away from these during pregnancy.
  

• The fish that are generally lowest in mercury are haddock, tilapia, salmon, cod, pollock, canned albacore tuna, and most shellfish.

Supplements

• If you take cod liver oil, be aware that many brands are potentially high in mercury and PCBs.

• In a recent review of 52 different brands of fish oil, ConsumerLabs.com found that none of the supplements had detectable levels of mercury or PCBs (yeah!).
  

• Look for the NSF or USP label on your supplements. This means the supplement has been tested for contaminants!

• On a different note, check out this article about the health benefits of fish oil. Basically, there are benefits, but they don't outweigh the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
  

Quick, Healthy, and Cheap Recipe #16
Tuna Melt

Ingredients

1 slice whole grain bread
3 ounces canned or pouched white tuna
1 slice American Cheese
1 tsp Red Hot

Possible Modifications

• Use any bread you have available
• Use any tuna you have (white tuna has the most EPA/DHA)
• Use any kind of cheese!

Instructions
Add the tuna and the cheese on top of the bread. Pop into toasted oven until cheese is nice and melted.

ENJOY!

Nutrition Facts

EPA/DHA: ~.66-1 gram per serving (The recommendation is 1-2 grams per day)

Coming Up

Tomorrow I plan to show you the two houses that Nick and I are "fighting over". I'll let you be the judge as to which one you like best. I only have two pictures, from the outside. I'll show you more once we by one of the houses! I also plan on doing a product review.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!