Tag Archives: Jody Victor

Fall is almost here … how do enjoy the flavors of fall?

Healthy Eating, , , , ,

Now that fall is almost here, many turn to their favorite flavor … pumpkin. Today I asked Jody’s crew to discuss pumpkin flavored coffee drinks. We say flavored because we cannot be sure there is actual pumpkin in the drinks.

Starbucks has Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino Blended Beverage. They do not list the ingredients. They come in three sizes: Tall (12 oz), Grande (16 oz), and Venti (24 oz).

The Tall is 300 calories with whole milk and whipped cream. You can cut that down to 200 with non-fat milk or 210 calories with 2% or soy milk and no whipped cream. Even with non-fat milk and no whipped cream, it has a whopping 45g sugar! (An adult male should limit to 35g/day and female to 25g/day.)

If you step up to the Grande with non-fat milk and no whipped cream it is 300 calories and 70g sugar. The full deal with whole milk and whipped cream is 72g sugar and 450 calories. The Venti with the works is 550 calories and 92g sugar (which means 368 of the calories are sugar alone at 4 calories per gram sugar). Cutting that to non-fat milk and no whipped cream brings it down to 390 calories and 90g sugar.

Another Starbucks drink is the Pumpkin Spice Latte. The sizes of this drink are Short (8 oz), Tall (12 oz), Grande (16 oz) and Venti (20 oz). The calories and sugar for these drinks made with full fat milk and whipped cream are Short: 220 calories, 25g sugar; Tall: 330 calories, 38g sugar; Grande: 420 calories, 49g sugar; Venti: 510 calories, 62g sugar. With non-fat milk and no whipped cream they are Short: 130 calories, 24g sugar; Tall: 200 calories, 37g sugar; Grande: 260 calories, 48g sugar; Venti: 330 calories, 61g sugar.

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention Dunkin’ Donuts as well. They have several pumpkin drinks as well. The Pumpkin Latte comes in Small, Medium, Large. With whole milk the calories/sugar are Small: 230/36g; Medium: 340/52g; Large: 450/69g. Using skim milk would change that to Small: 180/36g; Medium: 270/53g; Large: 360/70g. We find it interesting the skim milk version raised the sugar one gram in both the medium and large.

You can get a plain Pumpkin flavored coffee. You can go to the page and figure out the calories by choosing sweeteners, size, dairy products. You can also check out the Pumpkin Mocha page or you can check out the Pumpkin Creme Brulee.

Want to tackle it on your own? Here are a couple links to recipes to get you started: Pumpkin Spice Latte, another Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Remember: Drink responsibly!

Steve Victor

Blueberries

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With blueberries still being pretty plentiful in our stores, the Victor crew did some digging to find some information about blueberries.

  • July is blueberry month.
  • Blueberries protect against memory loss. It takes a serving a week to help slow down cognitive decline by several years.
  • According to the University of Maine, more blueberries are produced in Maine than anywhere in the world.
  • They can be used as a natural dye. Legend has it that the colonists boiled them with milk to make gray paint.
  • Blueberries should look “dusty” but don’t wash the dust off until you are ready to eat them. They may spoil quicker.
  • Blueberries are related to rhododendron, azalea, and cranberries.
  • Many food items that are blueberry “flavored” contain no blueberries but rather combinations of sugar, corn syrup, starch, oils, and artificial additives.
  • You can freeze them without damaging the antioxidants.
  • Organic blueberries were found to have significantly more antioxidants.
  • One cup contains 84 calories and 24% of your recommended daily value of vitamin C and 114 mg of potassium.
  • They help stop bacteria from multiplying and attaching to the bladder wall to ward off urinary tract infections (like cranberries).
  • They may help guard against cancer due to the anthocyanins (what gives the blue color).
  • They can help reduce artery inflammation.
  • In 2011, North America went through 853 million pounds of blueberries (or 39.5 oz/person).

Check out some blueberry recipes on the Blueberry Council’s website.

Steve Victor

Foods that make you smarter

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Hey Jody, want to improve your memory and brain function? Times of India has a list of 5 foods that can help!

Oily fish. Fish that is high in omega-3 fatty acids like sardines, salmon, and mackerel are great for your health. Eating these types of fish twice a week can help prevent memory loss.

Leafy vegetables. Spinach and broccoli are high in antioxidants, beta-carotene, and folate. Folate is known to improve how fast we take in information and recall it.

Eggs. Eggs are rich in iron, iodine, and vitamin B12. Iron creates red blood cells which carry oxygen to the brain and iodine is known to improve problem-solving skills.

Green Tea. Your brain is 80% water so you need to keep it adequately hydrated. Drink your 8 glasses of water but you can also have a cup of green tea daily. It increases mental alertness and improves memory. The antioxidants in it reduce the risk of dementia.

Dark chocolate. Flavonoids help improve cognitive skills and activate the formation of new neurons in the brain. This helps new memories form and improves blood flow to the brain.

~ Steve Victor

Reasons you may not be losing the weight

Fitness, Healthy Eating, , , , ,

Jody Victor‘s crew found some reasons why you may be having some difficulty losing weight from Times of India.

You need more sleep. Get into a routine and stick to it. Go to sleep and wake up the same times every day.
You’re depressed. When depressed you may find yourself eating more. Also if you are on antidepressants, they can stimulate your appetite and cause you to overeat. Make sure you have healthy snacks readily available when you start craving food.
You’re stressed. Don’t be tempted to binge eat or drink (alcohol). Again, keep those foods handy and make sure you are getting enough sleep.
Thyroid disorders. If you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) you may put on weight. See your doctor for treatment. Signs can include tiredness, constipation, aches, dry skin, lifeless hair, and feeling cold.
PCOS syndrome (polycystic ovary syndrome). This causes a resistance to insulin. This causes women to have difficulty converting the male hormone testosterone in the ovaries to estrogen which in turn causes weight-gain.
Eating lat at night. Even if you eat as much as other people, eating them late at night can cause weight gain because you don’t get a chance to burn it up. It is suggested to eat your main meal at lunch time and smaller meals in the evening.
You’ve cut out carbs. Your body needs carbs so rather than cut them out completely, eat healthy carbs such as whole grain breads or brown rice.

~ Steve Victor

Weight-loss begins in the kitchen

Healthy Eating, , , , , ,

Having trouble losing the weight? Jody Victor‘s crew found some tips from Times of India for you to keep your kitchen in order to help you:

Clear your counters. Don’t keep food where you can always see it.
Buy a fruit bowl. If you must have food visible, make it fruit.
Invest in single-serving containers. When there are leftovers, portion them out to single servings so you aren’t tempted to eat all of it.
Get see-through jars. When you prep your food (like cutting up fruit or vegetables to nibble on) put them in clear containers so you can see them when you open your refrigerator.
Use your freezer more. Not sure when you will eat the leftovers? Put them in the freezer.
Put healthy eats at eye level. Make the stuff you want to grab right in front of you and the unhealthier things harder to reach.
Prepare fruits and other snacks in advance. As mentioned above, prep the fruits and veggies so you can make them easier to grab than something more calorie-dense.
Add non-food accessories to your kitchen. Make sure you have everything to prepare a good meal at home so you don’t have to go out.
Eat only in the kitchen. Don’t eat in other rooms while doing another activity. It can lead to mindless eating/snacking.
Get smaller plates and taller, narrower glasses. This will help with portion size.

~ Steve Victor