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Healthy Eating for One or Two Becky Guittar, RD, LMNT 84th and Holdrege 402-467-5505 bguittar@hy-vee.com
Household of One or Two • A common dilemma: How to prepare and enjoy healthful meals for one or two, and make it worth the time, effort and cost!
Did you know? • The average household wastes 14% of food purchased, nationally that adds up to $43 billion a year in waste! • Switching to a healthy diet for one year can save families an average of $12/person per week on grocery bills! • Source: DIET 2009, “Eat this – not that”. American Dietetics Association
Did you Know? • According to 2008 health screening data, 70% of employees eat fast food 1-2 times/week. • Eat out 2x/wk = $10.00/week = $520/year • Save ~ $260 just by eating at home once more per week! • Gain health benefits!!
Start with a list • Always good shopping advice, but especially important if you are just setting up a small household or becoming an empty nester.
Look for Small Packages • Buy foods that are packaged smaller or available in individual serving sizes. • More and more companies package food products in single or double servings for small households and individual meals and snacks. • Buying food in small containers can mean more food variety. Instead of trying to use up one bigger package, enjoy the variety of several smaller ones.
Custom Shop • Buy from bulk bins, produce displays, bakery or deli counters, farmers’ markets or wherever you can choose the amount you need.
Get Acquainted • Meat, produce, and seafood-counter staff, among others, can usually package the amount you want.
Frozen Foods • Choose frozen foods that come in individual servings or containers you can re-seal. • Frozen foods stay fresh for months so go ahead and buy that large bag of frozen fruit or vegetables. Take out and thaw the single portion that you • need.
Leverage Convenience • Instead of buying many individual ingredients, build menus with the convenience of mixed and ready-to-eat foods: salad mixes, stir-fry mixes, herb blends, sauces and more. They are not too costly in small amounts!
Find a Shopping Buddy • If economy-sized packages or “buy one get one free” offers prove to be better deals, split them with a friend.
Repackage at Home • Stock up on sealable plastic bags, freezer wrap and plastic containers with tight seals. Repackage in right sizes for you. • Then label and freeze meat, poultry, fish and leftovers.
Get a Cookbook • Look for a cookbook or magazine that offers quick and easy recipes meant for one or two. This way you won’t have to adjust recipes designed for four or more servings. • Healthy Cooking for Two (or Just You) by Frances Price [$12.21 on amazon.com] • Going Solo in the Kitchen by Jane Doerfer [$10.85 on amazon.com]
Adjusting Recipes • Cut recipes down to size. • Take a recipe designed for four and cut all the ingredients In half.
Equip for “Small Scale” Cooking • Choose smaller kitchen equipment (pots, pans, bowls) and appliances (food processor, coffee maker, toaster). They take up less kitchen space, too.
Plan “Speed-Scratch” Meals • Cut your food prep time by using some convenience foods, such as canned tuna, baby carrots, frozen vegetable mixes or pre-washed salad greens. • Any fresh fish cooks fast!
Pre-packaged Meals • Don’t be afraid of pre-packaged meals. • Healthy choice, Kashi and Lean Cuisine make reasonable options. • Work well for occasional meals. Do not use every meal of the day as sodium levels are high.
Cook Once, Eat Twice • Prepare enough for more than one meal. Make a dish for dinner, then take half and put it in the refrigerator. • The next day bring out that portion and re-heat it for lunch or dinner.
Planning the Meal • Get foods that can be used for 2 or more purposes. This is different than making large batches and eating leftovers. • Make a key food that can be used in one recipe the first night and an entirely different recipe within the next night or two. • Example: make a meatloaf but only use half of the meat. Store the other half in the refrigerator and use the next day for meatballs or stuffed peppers.
Planning the Meal - Guideline 1 • Promptly refrigerate the food for the next meal to keep it safe. • Perishable cooked foods, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products, shouldn’t be at room temperature longer than TWO hours TOTAL -- that TOTAL is the total of the first and second use.
Planning the Meal - Guideline 2 • Refrigerate the prepared-ahead food in shallow containers so it cools faster in the refrigerator. • For thicker foods– such as stews, hot puddings and layers of meat slices – limit depth of food to 2 inches • Loosely cover food and stir good to cool. • Cover tightly when cooled.
Planning the Meal - Guideline 3 • As a general rule-of-thumb, use the extra refrigerated food you cooked within one to two days. • Freeze for longer storage. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator when you’re ready to use again – never thaw at room temperature.
Cook once eat twice idea! • Rotisserie Chicken • Chicken noodle soup • Chicken tacos • Chicken Stir-fry • Chicken a la King • Quesadillas/Enchiladas
Cook once, eat twice • Roast Turkey • Turkey Wild rice soup • Turkey Tetrazzini • Hot Turkey Sandwich • Turkey Salad with almonds, grapes
Cook one, eat twice • Beef Roast • Vegetable Beef Soup • Beef Fajitas • Beef Stirfry • Beef Stroganoff
Make One-Dish Meals • Look for recipes that combine things from several food groups that you can cook together. • Casseroles, chili, crock pot • stews, sandwiches and stir- • fried meals can all be healthy. • One-dish meals are usually easier to make and take less time to clean up!
Make Mealtime Pleasant • Even when you eat alone, serve food on a dish, not in the preparation utensil. • Break out the candles, good china and best silverware. • Take a few moments to relax and enjoy the food, rather than rushing a meal or eating it on the run. Turn on some music and enjoy!
Share Cooking Responsibilities With a Friend • Make a standing date to cook and eat with friends – at your home, theirs or at a restaurant.
What is the NuVal™ Nutritional Scoring System? NuVal™ is a nutritional scoring system that summarizes nutritional information into a single score. NuVal™ is an independent, scientifically-based system that provides nutritional guidance. NuVal™ provides customers with the ability to make well-informed nutritional choices, one food at a time.
Scoring • “NuVal” Nutritional Scoring considers more than 30 nutrients and evaluates the dietary importance of each to determine a nutritional quality score for each food. www.NuVal.com
Favorable ÷ Unfavorable = Score (1-100) Favorable Nutrients • Iron • Fiber • Folate • Potassium • Calcium • Zinc • Omega-3 fatty acids • Total bioflavanoids • Total carotenoids • Magnesium • Vitamins (A, C, D, E, B12, B6) Unfavorable Nutrients • Saturated fat • Trans fat • Sodium • Sugar • Cholesterol www.NuVal.com
The Score The concept is simple: The higher the score, the higher the nutritional value. www.NuVal.com
Sample Scores PROTEIN SALTY SNACKS score score PRODUCE DAIRY score score
Q. Yogurt or Sorbet – which is the wiser choice?
Q. Yogurt or Sorbet – which is the wiser choice? 1 22 This product has about the same level of sugar, 22 grams, plus 1g of saturated fat, 50mg sodium and 50mg cholesterol. But it has something the sorbet does not – nutrients in the positive numerator that help balance it out: 9 gm protein, 20% of the Daily Value for calcium, 2% of the Daily Value for vitamin A. With 23 grams of sugar, this product has 120 calories per serving, 93 percent of which come from sugar. All ingredients in this product are in the denominator or less favorable side of the NuVal equation. It has no nutrients in the positive numerator. NuVal measures the overall nutritional quality of products – both the negatives and the positives. Product advertising and packaging tend to talk up either the absence of bad (fat) or the presence of good (fiber, for example).
