Tags: Kefir

Spring Into Summer With Smoothie Bowls

Posted on by

Spring Into Summer with Smoothie Bowls

Like to eat? Me too! While smoothies are a quick and easy way to get in great nutrition, I’ve always had one personal problem with them – I’d rather eat my food than drink it. Then entered the smoothie bowl. Tasty, nutritious and Instagram worthy? Hellooooo #BowlGoals. While making a smoothie bowl is quite straight forward, I am sharing my top 5 tips for getting the most nutrition (and taste) out of your next creation.

  1. Start with a nutritious (and tasty) base

    • When making a balanced smoothie bowl (or any meal or snack for that matter), it is important to include a protein, carbohydrate and healthy fat.
    • For this tip, let’s focus on protein. While there are many ways to incorporate protein into a smoothie bowl, one of the best ways I recommend is to use a protein-rich base like:
      • Kefir
      • Milk or lactose-free milk
      • Soy milk
      • Greek yogurt
      • Skyr-style yogurt
    • Not only do these options provide protein, they also contain other nutrients like calcium, vitamin D and probiotics!

  2. All the fruits and veggies

    • Next up, let’s chat about carbohydrates. Carbohydrates, especially fruits and veggies, are an important part of what we eat.
    • According to the CDC, 76% of Americans are not consuming the recommended 1.5-2 cups of fruit per day and 87% are not meeting the 2-3 cups of veggies recommended per day.1 This means there is plenty of room in our smoothie bowls for fruits and veggies!
    • Fruits
      • One of my favorite tips is to add frozen fruit! This allows for a thicker and creamier texture – perfect for eating by the spoonful.
      • Frozen, fresh and canned fruit (in 100% fruit juice) are great ways to add flavor, color and variety.
      • My personal favorites are using in-season fresh fruit (bananas are always a great option), frozen berries or cherries and canned pineapple!
    • Veggies
      • Long gone are the days where you must have a brown smoothie bowl in order to get your veggies!
      • Although greens (like spinach and kale) are great additions to smoothies, milder tasting veggies such as cooked cauliflower or sweet potato can add variety in texture and nutrition.
      • Don’t forget about no-salt added canned beans! White northern beans and chickpeas also add great variety and are an inexpensive addition to your smoothie bowl.

  1. Add in your healthy fats

    • Healthy fats are often forgotten when blending up a smoothie bowl, however, they can add in key nutrients such as fiber, healthy monounsaturated fats and omega-3s!
    • Try adding one of these the next time you create your own concoction:
      • Avocado
      • Nut or seed butter
      • Flax oil
      • Avocado oil
      • Hemp seed
      • Chia seed
      • Ground flax seed

  1. Blend it up

    • This may sound like a simple step, but I wanted to include this tip with a few helpful hints.
    • If using greens, blend the base and greens first before adding in other ingredients. This will ensure that greens are well blended. Although I said I like to ‘eat’ my food, I’m not a fan of leaves of spinach sticking out of my smoothie bowl.
    • If you are not going to eat your smoothie bowl right away (aka meal prepping), be warned that you shouldn’t mix dairy and pineapple together. Pineapple naturally contains the enzyme bromelain, which when mixed with dairy and left to sit, the dairy will curdle.

  2. Don’t forget the toppings

    • After you have your tasty, nutritious and blended creation, the fun part starts.
    • Pour your smoothie mix into your favorite bowl and top with tasty toppings!
    • You can choose toppings based on flavor or design, but either way, have fun with it! Here are some of my favorite suggestions:
      • Nuts and seeds
      • Hemp, chia, and flax seeds
      • Nut and seed butters
      • Fruit slices
      • Edible flowers
      • 100% dried fruit
      • Cacao nibs
      • Granola

To help start you off right, try one of my personal favorite smoothie bowl recipes – Blueberry, Avocado, and Banana Smoothie Bowl!

Healthy and Happy Eating,
Emily Parent, RD, LD

 

  1. (2015, July 10). Adults meeting fruit and vegetable intake recommendations — United States, 2013. Retrieved from www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6426a1.htm

 

Cheese Please! Let’s Celebrate National Dairy Month!

Posted on by

Amy

It’s officially June! Up here in the Midwest, we are enjoying our beautiful summer weather. On a hot summer day, sometimes just an ice cold glass of milk, really hits the spot!  We’re excited for the month of June because it is National Dairy Month!

Dairy products are a staple in the diet, I mean seriously, who doesn’t love cheese?! We’re talking all about our favorite dairy products and the high-quality nutrition behind them. 

Nutritional Benefits

It’s recommended to choose low fat or fat-free dairy products because they: 

  • Contain calcium for bone growth and maintenance of overall bone health
  • Contain potassium which may help support healthy blood pressure levels
  • Are a good source of protein
    – Did you know 1 Cup of 1% or Skim Cow’s milk contains 8 grams of protein?
  • May help reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis

How much dairy do you need per day?

Most adults should be getting 3 cups of dairy every day! Check out the full Daily Dairy Table from MyPlate. 

Different Dairy Foods

We have so many types of dairy products out on the market today. We also have many dairy alternatives as well for individuals with other nutritional needs. Find more info on my article from last year which compares milk and milk alternatives. 

  • Milk
  • Cheese
  • Butter
  • Yogurt
  • Cottage cheese
  • Kefir – haven’t tried it or heard of it? It’s a fermented yogurt drink that is a good source of protein! It’s also 99% lactose and contains active live culture (probiotics) to help promote good gut health. It’s high in protein, calcium and vitamin D
  • Ice cream & Frozen Yogurt – watch your portion size, but it’s a great sweet treat every once in a while. Keep an eye out for added sugar.

Ways to incorporate dairy:

Keep in mind your proper daily intake and your serving sizes listed in the chart above. For those looking for new ideas on how to incorporate diary into your diet, here are a few tips!

  • Add yogurt, milk, kefir, or cottage cheese to a fresh fruit smoothie for breakfast
    • Aim for a yogurt with less than 10 grams of sugar if possible. Also, look for the Dietitian’s Choice logo on the shelf tag throughout the store for items approved as Better for You options by our team of Registered Dietitians.
  • Enjoy kefir, kefir cups, yogurt, cottage cheese with fruit for a snack
  • Add savory flavors to cottage cheese if you don’t have a sweet tooth
  • Consume milk with meals
  • Add low-fat / non-fat cheese slices to sandwiches
  • Consume cheese with a snack such as cheese & whole grain crackers

 Food Safety is Always the Most Important!

  • Please keep it safe by avoiding unpasteurized milk or other diary products made from unpasteurized milk
  • Keep all dairy foods refrigerated to avoid health hazards
  • Watch the expiration dates
    • “Best if Used By” date – the last day the manufacturer expects the product to be good to consume
    • “Sell By” date – is the last day the product should be sold in the store

Serving Size References

How well do you know what a serving size should be for different dairy products?

  • 4 dice = to 1.5 oz. of cheese
  • 1 slice of cheese
  • 8 oz. glass of milk
  • ½ cup of ice cream
  • ½ cup of cottage cheese
  • ½ yogurt or single serve container
  • 8 oz. kefir drink
  • ½ cup kefir cup or single serve container

Hopefully these tips will help you incorporate more dairy into your diets! If you have any questions, don’t forget you can reach out to us! 

Amy, RD, LD
Coborn’s Supermarket Registered Dietitian