Health
America’s Nutrition Coach: Eat Carbs—No Weight, No Gain!
By Dr. Ro
NNPA Columnist
The much-maligned carbohydrate (an essential, macro nutrient) has been touted as the bane of your dietary existence for too long. Don’t worry, you can eat your comfort food carbohydrate favorites without the guilt that often comes with consuming them and you don’t have to pack on dreaded pounds when you do. Instead of banning pasta, potato chips, ice cream, and those hi-carb foods that send you swooning every time you catch a whiff of their gooey goodness, I encourage you to proceed without the caution using the small tweaks I give you below. Here are my Top 4 Carb Fixes that deliver on taste, while lowering the calorie and carb content:
Pasta:
When you think of carbs, pasta is the holy grail. It is the first thing that generally comes to mind. But 1 serving of traditional spaghetti and meatballs contains 54 carbs and 433 calories. But with Explore Asian black bean spaghetti, you can reduce your carb count to 17 and your calories to just 180. Now, that’s what I call a winner. This is my new favorite pasta because, not only do I love its chewy texture and meaty flavor, but it is made with just two ingredients – black beans and water and has a whopping 25 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber in each serving! This is big, because traditional pastas typically contain only 7-8 grams of protein per serving. When you eat a complex carbohydrate like beans and include lean protein in the same meal, you get the double benefit of energy compliments of the complex carb and the muscle-building protein, plus the fiber fills you up so you are satiated and feeling full for longer periods of time so no over-eating. Now that’s hard to beat.
Pizza:
Of course, its not just college frat boys and co-eds who enjoy a good pizza every once in a while, but did you know that you can cut carbs here too? That’s right, it’s all about the crust. When you switch the ingredients of your pizza crust you can cut carbs to a tasty and manageable level that allows you to have pizza night for yourself and the family any time you choose. Eureka! Just one slice of cheese and veggie pizza has 41 grams of carbs and 372 calories. Most people have three slices at one sitting. For a woman following a 1,200 calorie weight-loss diet, that could amount to her carb and calorie budget for the whole day! Here’s one creative way to have your pizza and eat it, too. And it’s tasty, healthy, and cuts the carbs in half.
Make the dough using cauliflower instead of wheat flour and reduce your carb and calorie count from 41 grams and 372 calories/slice of traditional pizza to just 14 grams and 272 calories/slice of the cauliflower crusted pizza with my recipe.
Potato Chips:
I have yet to meet the person, who doesn’t enjoy a good potato chip, and for good reason. They are the perfect combination of a salty, buttery flavor with a crunchy bite that satisfies, but a single serving bag of potato chips has 15 grams of carbs and 160 calories and the truth is most people don’t eat just one…bag. But I have found a way to satisfy the chip lover in you that’s scrumptious and the best part is these chips are carb-free! These cheesy chips contain only 60 calories, no carbs – zip, zilch, nada, and they deliver on savory flavor and crunch.
To make your own cheesy chips:
1. Slice 1 each roll of string cheese (made of part-skim mozzarella) into quarter inch slices
2. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with olive oil cooking spray
3. Place cheese “chips” on the tray an inch apart
4. Bake in 375 degrees oven for 4-5 mins.
5. Peel off chips, and enjoy!
Ice Cream Sundae
We all scream for ice cream! But ice cream in its creamy, cool, sugary goodness is a high-carb, indulgence that can certainly pack on the pounds. The average ice cream sundae contains a whopping 172 grams of carbs and from 600 to more than 1,000 calories. This one-time treat can blow your entire calorie and carb budget for the whole day. But there is a way to simplify this dessert and dramatically cut carbs and calories. I call it banana nice cream.
1. Add 1 frozen banana to a food processor
2. Add 2 TBS of almond milk and pulse to desired consistency
3. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
If you enjoy a good butter pecan ice cream try adding 1 TBS of crunchy almond butter, it does the trick.
Find the recipes to all of my carb-fixes at www.everythingro.com. Bon Appetite!
Rovenia Brock, Ph.D. is a medical advisory board member and contributor to the “Dr. Oz Show,” where she helped more than a half-million Americans lose more than 5 million pounds. She is the author of “Dr. Ro’s Ten Secrets To Livin’ Healthy (Bantam). For more health, nutrition, and fitness tips, join Dr. Ro and her social media community and get a FREE Download of her new eBook of super-easy tips, “You Healthy and Happy” at www.everythingro.com.
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Community
Calif. Dept. of Public Health: Got Milk Allergies? Don’t Eat Dave’s Bakery Cornbread
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a warning on Jan. 26, instructing consumers with milk allergies or “severe sensitivity to milk” in the state to not eat Dave’s Bakery Corn Bread due to “risk of illness.” The CDPH warns that consumption of the corn bread manufactured by a Gardena-based company — with expiration dates up to June 18, 2024 — may lead to “life threatening” reactions.
By California Black Media
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a warning on Jan. 26, instructing consumers with milk allergies or “severe sensitivity to milk” in the state to not eat Dave’s Bakery Corn Bread due to “risk of illness.”
The CDPH warns that consumption of the corn bread manufactured by a Gardena-based company — with expiration dates up to June 18, 2024 — may lead to “life threatening” reactions.
“This warning applies only to the Corn Bread produced by Bake R Us, DBA Dave’s Baking Company and distributed to schools, retail facilities and in vending machines primarily in southern California,” the DCPH statement reads.
“This product should not be confused with other similarly named companies with national distribution,” it continues.
According to the CDPH, although the corn bread product contains whey, which is a milk allergen, there is no allergy warning label on the packaging, though it is required by state law.
So far, authorities say, no illnesses have been reported in the state, but if anyone finds the products on sale anywhere in the state, they should call the CDPH complaint hotline at (800) 495-3232 or file a report online at CDPH.ca.gov
The CDPH is also recommending that people who have eaten the product and are experiencing any reaction or ill effects should consult their health care provider.
Bay Area
East Bay Regional Park District Issues Rattlesnake Advisory
The East Bay Regional Park District released an advisory today on rattlesnakes, which emerge from winter hibernation in early spring and become more active. Warm weather can bring more potential for rattlesnake encounters with humans and dogs, particularly along trails and roads.
The Richmond Standard
The East Bay Regional Park District released an advisory today on rattlesnakes, which emerge from winter hibernation in early spring and become more active.
Warm weather can bring more potential for rattlesnake encounters with humans and dogs, particularly along trails and roads.
Visitors are encouraged to avoid hiking alone in case of an emergency, to scan the ground ahead as they walk, jog or ride, stay on trails avoiding tall grass, and to look carefully around and under logs and rocks before sitting down. Keep your dog on your leash to be extra safe, park officials said.
If you encounter a rattlesnake, leave it alone – it is unlawful to capture or harm one. Move carefully and slowly away or around it and give it plenty of space, park officials said.
Those who are bitten by a rattlesnake are instructed to stay calm by lying down with the affected limb lower than the heart, then having someone call 911.
Getting medical attention is critical.
Those bitten should not use tourniquets, “sucking,” or snake bite kits. If you are by yourself, walk calmly to the nearest source of help to dial 911, do not run.
If bitten by any other type of snake, wash the wound with soap and water or an antiseptic and seek medical attention.
Not sure what bit you? Check the bite for two puncture marks (in rare cases one) associated with intense, burning pain, which is typical of a rattlesnake bite. Other snakebites can leave marks without associated burning pain.
The Northern Pacific rattlesnake is the species found in East Bay Regional Parks. Snakes are important to the natural environment, helping to control rodents and other reptile populations. But enjoy them from afar.
For more information, download the Park District’s Common Snakes brochure or watch our Gopher Snake or Rattlesnake video to learn how to tell the difference between rattlesnakes and gopher snakes. Additional information is available at ebparks.org/safety/wildlife-encounters.
Alameda County
A Safe Place, Bay Area Domestic Violence Community Organization, Opens New Service Center in Oakland
Oakland-Bay Area non-profit, A Safe Place, announces the grand opening of its newly purchased building in Oakland that will be a service center for families that have suffered from domestic violence. The new, two-story building has over six new service rooms for counseling, mental health support groups, legal services, children’s treatment, safe space for community engagement, and partnership activities.
By Courtney Slocum Riley
Special to The Post
Oakland-Bay Area non-profit, A Safe Place, announces the grand opening of its newly purchased building in Oakland that will be a service center for families that have suffered from domestic violence.
The new, two-story building has over six new service rooms for counseling, mental health support groups, legal services, children’s treatment, safe space for community engagement, and partnership activities.
Domestic violence occurrences and offenses account for a considerable amount of all violent crimes in Alameda County. A Safe Place is attempting to provide a safe place for families to heal. A Safe Place is the only comprehensive domestic violence assistance program including a safehouse, in Oakland.
The grand opening celebration will also serve as a fundraiser to build out healing, therapeutic spaces for children and adult victims and survivors and survivors of domestic violence (male and female).
The new service center will expand the work of the organization, founded in 1976 when a group of women working in San Francisco came together to address the urgent need for a shelter in the East Bay. A year later, they founded A Safe Place (ASP) in Oakland. Run solely by volunteers, they set up a crisis line to offer crisis counseling and information to battered women and their children.
The organization serves over 500 adults and children annually through a host of services including crisis counseling via 24-hour crisis line, emergency motel and safehouse sheltering, mental health services (counseling and support groups).
Under the leadership of Executive Director, Carolyn Russell, the organization has grown from a single program into the comprehensive domestic violence and assistance program. ASP strives to meet the growing and diverse needs of our growing community.
The organization hopes to complete all the upgrades and therapeutic room improvements by August 2024. The public is invited to donate to the effort by using the website at www.asafeplace.org/donate. The organization also accepts in-kind gifts as well as items from the organization’s Amazon Wishlist.
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