I Wish I had a Little More

I know I've posted MyPlate before, but I wanted to talk about it again. I had the best time last week getting to teach nutrition to several groups of health care employees. MyPlate is one of the things I spoke about. I have to admit, when they came out with this one, I kind of rolled my eyes. Another visual aid to promote. Please give us a break! But actually the more I pondered on this, the more I like it. It is not to replace the MyPyramid, but this one is to help us know how to build our plates with the emphasis on portion control. Of course we want to choose the better foods for us in terms of nutrient-density. The plate isn't a huge platter either. Think of it the size of a regular paper plate or salad plate. Divide the plate in half. Once the portions are served, there is still room on the plate. You don't have to eat each food group each meal, obviously. That would be unpractical. Choose the appropriate portion sizes. Don't go back for seconds. Plan for snacks. Here is what MyPlate my look like on a daily basis....

As a nation we just plain ol' overeat especially here in the south. Last time I checked, USA is the second fattest nation in the world, and Tennessee is the second fattest state in the union next to Mississippi. (If I recall, the fattest nation is a little island in the Pacific with a diet rich in coconut, and where obesity is considered highly attractive.) After I gave my speech for the umpteenth time at work, I had to admit to myself...I also overeat. I usually overeat just because I like to eat especially because I like the taste of the food. I purchase, choose, and eat really healthful, good foods, but even the most nutritious still contain calories. It is time to change my way of thinking (again). A friend at church told me once that his dad used to say, "It's better leave the table wishing you had a little more, than to wish you hadn't eaten so much." Yep. That sounds about right to me.

FLOG
Well today sounds terrible....
I ate chiggers (two slices of french toast with just a hint of syrup.)
1 cup skim milk
I had to try Nathan's Famous hotdog (Thanks to Uncle Ben's birthday gift to Hotdog Jack.)
Glass of fruit tea. (I just love it so much....but I'm quickly learning that I hate the effect of the sugar rush.)
And then I ate at a women's meeting....um yeah...enough said.
Well, although it sounds terrible, It was actually a descent win for me today. I did not overeat. I stopped when I got full with the exception of the white chocolate chip cookie at church. I was full so I refused, but then I gave in, and yes it was worthy.

Nutritional Nugget: Sweet Potatoes.

Sweet potatoes are different from yams. Sweet potatoes are more beige on the outside, yellow on the inside, more firm, and more nutritious than yams. Sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbs, dietary fiber, beta carotene, vitamin C and B6. Considering the nutrition also including protein, iron, and calcium, Sweet potatoes ranked considerably higher than any other vegetable. I always tell people if you have only one food to live off of, choose sweet potatoes.

I love sweet potatoes. You can use them in all sorts of dishes. I love to have baked sweet potatoes as a side dish. I've said before that I love to eat them in pancakes. In the past I would just throw some sweet potato puree in my pancake recipe. It is really very yummy, and my favorite kind of pancake. The last time I made them, I decided to actually have the sweet potato as the base. Yum Yum in my Tum Tum. I still need to experiment because they were way too floppy and fragile. Even still they were oh so good. I think sometime I will add less liquid and serve as a savory side dish with a meal. There are lots of recipes online, but for whatever reason, I think I can't go by one. This is the recipe I should have followed, but altered too much. It was still very yum yum. I know the following original recipe would really be good. Why do I reinvent the wheel?

Sweet Potato Pancakes

16 ounces orange-flesh sweet potato (about 2 medium sweet potatoes)
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup butter
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups milk

(Some of the above content came from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato)