in thriver words – Page 173 – Education, entertainment, social and emotional support for who follow special diets in order to be healthy. Brought to you by Cooking2Thrive.

Let’s Talk Turkey

Ever throw turkey burgers on the grill because you think they’re automatically healthier than regular burgers? Ever make turkey chili to appease a spouse who’s trying to lose weight? If you substitute ground turkey for ground beef in order to reduce the fat in your diet, but you also need to be concerned about calories, sodium, and cholesterol, you may not be making the best choice.

These days, general wisdom assumes that any white meat is healthier for you than red meat. Let’s see if a nutritional comparison supports that wisdom(1):

Ground Turkey 3oz, cooked Ground Beef 90% Lean 10% Fat Ground Beef 85% Lean 15% Fat

200 calories 148 calories 181 Calories

50% fat, 50% protein, 0% carbs 51%fat, 49% protein, 0%carbs 63%fat, 37% protein, 0%carbs

Total Fat 11.18g = 17% Total Fat 8.4g=13% Total Fat 12.6g=19%

Saturated Fat 2.883 = 14% Saturated Fat 3.409g=17% Saturated Fat 4.927g=25%

Polyunsaturated Fat 2.747g Polyunsaturated Fat .389g Polyunsaturated Fat .364g

Monounsaturated Fat 4.159g Monounsaturated Fat 3.657g Monounsaturated Fat 5.506g

Cholesterol 87mg = 29% Cholesterol 55mg=18% Cholesterol 57mg = 19%

Sodium 91mg = 4% Sodium 55 mg 2% Sodium 55 mg=2%

Potassium 230mg Potassium 270mg Potassium 248mg

Total Carbs 0% Total Carbohydrate 0% Total Carbohydrate 0%

Dietary Fiber 0g Dietary Fiber 0% Dietary Fiber 0%

Sugars 0g Sugars 0G Sugars 0G

Protein 23.27g Protein 16.8g Protein 16.25g

Vitamin A 0 Vitamin A 0 Vitamin A 0

Vitamin C 0 Vitamin C 0 Vitamin C 0

Calcium 2% Calcium 1% Calcium 1%

Iron 9% Iron 10% Iron 10%

The first thing you may observe is that all beef blends are not created equal. Because the cost of leaner beef tends to be higher than either less lean beef or turkey, we must also factor in cost. If budget is your primary concern, ground turkey is probably your best bet.

If your budget allows you to purchase leaner beef, then there are other factors to consider. Three ounces of ground turkey contains more calories and total fat grams than three ounces of 90% lean ground beef. The turkey also contains twice the sodium, a bit less iron and potassium, and 10% more cholesterol. Surprisingly, ground beef has fewer calories than turkey, but that’s partially because it has fewer grams of protein per ounce.

It seems the best conclusion we can draw is that your personal priorities will determine whether beef or turkey is healthier for you. If you need to limit sodium and cholesterol and reduce calories, choose the leanest beef you can afford. If you want to limit overall fat, then turkey is a better choice. Turkey is also a good choice when you want to increase the protein in your diet without increasing the saturated fat. Turkey will also be easier on your pocketbook…which can reduce stress…which can increase your health.

Now that you’re informed, you can enjoy your burger knowing you’ve made the very best choice for you whether you choose beef or turkey!

1)”Ground Turkey (Cooked).” Calories in and Nutrition Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2012. <http://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/usda/ground-turkey-(cooked)>.

Coffee – The Good, The Bad, and The Unusual

Good morning coffee lovers. If you’re awake and reading this, I’m sure you have your favorite vessel in hand and steam on your face as you read. I prefer to drink my coffee piping hot and black out of a pottery mug with no handle that fits perfectly in my hand. Ben prefers to drink his from fine china with a razor-thin lip. This visual always strikes me as funny. Not to be missed are the great coffee related stories that abound. I have a client whose stepfather left never to return after finding a small dried-up tree frog in the china mug he insisted upon when visiting the family farm.

Anyway, if you’re a regular coffee drinker, I’m sure you have your own favorite blend, cup, mug, coffee shop, routine, or garnish. I’m also sure you love reading each new report citing the health benefits of consuming coffee: Longer Lives, Reduced incidence of Alzheimer’s, Less Skin Cancer, Increased Heart Health (before the 4th cup), and Decreased Risk of Stroke.(1) You may even feel the immediate calm I feel when the first waft of coffee aroma reaches me from the drive-through window at Starbucks.

Most mornings, I make coffee at home. I like to start with dark roasted coffee beans gleaming with oil. I want them to produce a taste that’s well balanced and not bitter. I have the press-a-lever coffee dispenser in which I fill the reservoir to 7 cups. I don’t how 7 came to be the magic number or why it persists since I usually have coffee left over and wont to land tepidly in my cup the following morning because I’ve forgotten to drain out the excess when I’m fully saturated. Nonetheless, 7 cups it is.

As coffee beans have become increasingly expensive, I have become increasingly conscious of a desire not to waste the excess. When I remember, I remove the excess dispenser contents before I leave for work. I place the coffee in a plastic container on the counter or in the refrigerator. Once I have the coffee sitting there, I need some creative ways to make use of it. Here are a few of the things I’ve successfully tried:

Using coffee to replace part of the liquid in brownies or chocolate cake. The coffee enhances and deepens the richness of the chocolate flavor.

Using as an ingredient in molasses cookies.

Deglazing a pan in which I’m cooking beef. The coffee makes a savory broth even darker and bolder.

Thinking about making Red Eye Gravy, but I rarely have ham and I don’t like gravy that much so thinking is as far as I get on this one. On the other hand, I have used coffee as part of the liquid in a more standard brown gravy.

Using the steam and warmth of mug full of coffee to relieve sinus pain back in the days when I had allergies. (Yes, I said, “had”. Thanks to zero-gluten and Oregano Oil, this is no longer an issue.) Breathe the steam and then apply the side of the mug directly to the sinuses.

Reheating to drink as “emergency” coffee when I’ve run out of beans.

Mixing with a spice reduction, then applying to my hair to reduce the gray.

Watering herbs or houseplants that need more acid in the soil. I don’t know if this is really helpful, but it hasn’t hurt them yet and it makes me feel less wasteful.

Some of you are probably excited about a new idea that was sparked by reading these options. Others of you may be wondering why I don’t just make less coffee. That’s a valid question, but here’s the thing – some days, I drink that much coffee. Sometimes, work unexpectedly beckons early leaving me with too little time to savor this pleasure. Another issue is that in my groggy pre-coffee state on any given morning, I can’t seem to muster the presence to determine how much I will want.

Rather than fight what feels natural, I’ve learned to expand the possibilities, make myself feel good about my decisions, and give you a few new options to consider be they good, bad, or just unusual.

(1)Brice, Mikini. “Seven Surprising Health Benefits of Coffee.” Medical Daily RSS. Medical Daily, 16 Aug. 2012. Web. 08 Dec. 2012.

Can A Small Shift in Perception Equal a Huge Change in Viewpoint?

This morning I had a real problem getting dressed. I was standing in my closet looking at everything hanging there feeling annoyed, irritated, and uninspired. Normally this would be because I want to look crisp and tailored, but didn’t want to feel anything touching me. (Yes, I realize how this sounds, but it’s true.) This morning, I really wanted to wear navy blue. I took out a navy blue dress with white polka dots and a jacket with a matching blue stripe. Then I had to find tights and shoes. I don’t own any navy tights. They’re all black, brown, or gray. I don’t own any navy shoes, although I look for some every time I shop, but I wouldn’t have to iron the polka dot dress or the blue and white striped jacket, so I took them out of the closet, hung them from the knobs of my dresser, and paired them with black tights and black Mary Jane heels. Hanging there under a skylight with the black tights draped over the hanger, I noticed that the navy blue seemed to morph into black. Or maybe it was black to begin with and I just thought it was blue? Who knows? Now I had managed to run late and time was of overriding importance. The two colors are so close that when I left the house, I felt comfortable that I looked good enough for the event I was attending that included the governor, mayor, and many local business leaders.

Driving to work, I started thinking about navy blue and black and my perception of the difference. In the sunlight through my windshield, my dress looked noticeably blue again. Noticing this difference, I started thinking about subtle shifts of light and subtle shifts in perception. With a background in graphic design, I know that color perception changes when color is viewed in natural light versus artificial light, on a less reflective surface versus a more reflective surface, or when one color is surrounded by another color. Is it possible that I can use this knowledge to explore small shifts in perception in other areas?

Will it be less convenient? Let’s say I’m planning to pick up burgers on the way home tonight. Instead of driving through my usual fast-food chain, as I leave the office I’ll call a locally owned restaurant and order hamburger steaks with baked potatoes and salad for pick-up. It will be ready when I get there.

What stays the same? I’m picking up dinner on my way home. I will be eating beef and potatoes. Because I’m calling in advance, I’ll still eat at my planned mealtime.

What will change? I’m making a phone call in advance. I’ll see different scenery because I will drive a different route home. A salad is included in the price, so I don’t have to order something additional to get some greens. I won’t eat a whole hamburger steak (maybe), so I’ll have some left over for a snack tomorrow. If I order a burger on a bun, I always eat the whole thing.

For you the changes may be slightly different. You may be able to feed two children with a hamburger steak, plus have a chance to request that the bread included in the price be wrapped separately so that any gluten-eaters in the house can have a double portion. You may discover that the price difference between hamburger steak and a hamburger and fries is more than offset by the increased amount of food you receive. Such a transaction creates an opportunity to teach your children about sharing and value for your dollar. You can also show your family by example that proactively taking care of your health is something you consider important. In addition, you can support a locally owned restaurant. It’s possible that this will increase your sense of community as you become friendly with the restaurateurs.

Are these changes so bad, or so significant, that they create an insurmountable roadblock? For me, they seem like a small shift in my normal routine and I feel as comfortable with these shifts as I do pairing my navy blue dress with black shoes. I still want some navy blue shoes, but I am able to feel satisfied that I look good without them. I still want a fluffy gluten-filled biscuit for Christmas breakfast, but I feel satisfied with Cooking2Thrive’s Success, Biscuits!

As the temptations of the holidays abound, I hope you’ll consider that it may take only a small shift in perception to make embracing a gluten-free way of living a piece of cake!

Travel Tip #5 – Preparing for the Unexpected Tummy Ache

I just returned from a business trip. Of course I followed all of my own advice while traveling. I carried food. I asked questions. I read labels. I avoided gluten, or at least I thought I did. And in spite of my best efforts, I got sick. Double sick. Not only did I get a cold that made clearing my ears on the flight back impossible, I also wound up with a whopping tummy ache.

Okay, really it was worse than that. On Wednesday I got a tummy ache – the kind that’s severe and distracting. By Thursday morning, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to leave the bathroom. Worse yet, I was staying with a friend who has slow drains. I must have spent a full two hours locked in the bathroom trying to get rid of the evidence. I had to get through the day and get on a plane the next morning. Yuck!

Luckily, old habits die hard. Once I left the bathroom, I blindly stuck my hand in my purse searching for the familiar blister packs of pink capsules. Yea! I found one with two capsules left. I quickly swallowed one with water and waited to see if it would be sufficient for the rumbling to diminish. Things calmed down enough for me to sleep away most of the day. The final one got me through two airplanes on the way home.

So what were those magic pink pills that I always have with me? CharcoCaps.

While I rarely have to take them anymore, these activated charcoal capsules became my constant companion a few years ago. I am so grateful I still had some with me on this trip. Available over-the-counter at many pharmacies, they are all-natural and can be used to treat stomach pain, excess gas, diarrhea, and indigestion. The best thing about them for me is that they begin to relieve my pain in less than 30 minutes.

As this trip proved to me yet again, you can be very very careful and still end up with a stomachache – especially if you have a food intolerance. From this point forward, I will deliberately carry the activated charcoal capsules I’m so grateful to have had hiding in my purse on this trip. Perhaps you’ll want to carry some too. Then you’ll be prepared for any unexpected tummy ache.