Chickpea Stew

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• Low-fat cooking spray
  
  


• 1 large onion, diced
  
  


• 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
  
  


• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  
  


• ½ tsp paprika
  
  


• 1½ tsp ground cumin
  
  


• ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
  
  


• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
  
  


• 1½ cups water
  
  


• 1 (10 oz.) package frozen corn
  
  


• 1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
  
  


• 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  
  


• 1 cup tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  
  


• 2 tbsp green onions, sliced (optional)
  
  

Preparation:

• Spray a large-size saucepan with low-fat cooking spray then raise heat to medium-high. Add onion, green bell pepper, garlic and stir fry until onion is tender (about 5 minutes). Stir in paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly
  
  


• Stir in vegetable broth, water, corn and oregano then bring to a boil then cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 7 minutes.
  
  


• Add chickpeas and tomatoes, then stir thoroughly. Cover and simmer for about 3-4 minutes. Serve stew with a sprinkle of green onions.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (414 g)): 243 Calories, 11 g Protein, 47 g carbohydrates, 8 g Dietary Fiber, 3 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 363 mg sodium

Gluten-Free January Survey Data, Part I: Demographics and Limitations

Thanks to Matt Lentzner for organizing Gluten-Free January, and everyone who participated and completed the survey, we have a nice data set illustrating what happens when a group of people stop eating gluten for a month. Janine Jagger, Matt and I have been busy analyzing the data, and I'm ready to begin sharing our findings.

GFJ had over 500 participants, 527 of which received the survey and 279 of which completed the survey at the end of the month. Of those who received the survey, 53 percent completed it. I think these are respectable numbers for a survey of this nature, and it reflects the conscientious nature of the people who participated in GFJ.

Demographics

Although respondents were primarily from the United States, I'm happy to say that the data represent 18 different nationalities:

Respondents represented a diversity of ages, the largest group being 30-39 years old, with similar numbers in the 20-29 and 40-49 year groups.
Respondents were just under 2/3 women.

Respondents represented a variety of weights, but the sample was biased toward lean people, in comparison with the general population. There were not many obese participants.
Overall, I was pleased to see that the demographics were quite diverse, particularly in the age and gender categories.

Limitations

There are a few caveats to keep in mind when interpreting the survey results:

1. GFJ participants do not represent a random cross-section of the population at large. They represent primarily health-conscious individuals who were motivated enough to make a substantial dietary change. In addition, many of the people who participated probably did so because they already suspected they had a problem with gluten.
   
2. The survey response rate was 53%. Although I think that's a reasonable number considering the circumstances, it leaves open the possibility that survey responders differ from non-responders. It's conceivable that participants with better adherence and better outcomes were more likely to complete the survey than those who did not adhere to the diet or had neutral or unfavorable outcomes, despite our efforts to encourage everyone to complete the survey regardless of adherence or outcome. So the results could be biased toward positive outcomes, meaning that we will need to see a strong effect for it to be believable.
   
3. This was a non-blinded diet trial without a control group. There's no way to know how much of the effect was due to avoiding gluten per se, how much was due to overall changes in diet patterns, and how much was a placebo effect.
   

With that in mind, what can we take from the survey data? I feel that we can use it to answer the following question: "what is likely to happen when a motivated, health-conscious person decides to avoid gluten for a month?" And I think we can also use it to generate (but not test) hypotheses about the effects of eating gluten on the general population.

Chicken Vegetable Soup

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  
  


• ½ cup chopped onion
  
  


• ½ tsp each crushed basil, oregano and marjoram
  
  


• 1 clove garlic
  
  


• ¼ tsp pepper
  
  


• 2 cups assorted vegetables, chopped or 1 (10 oz.) package frozen vegetables
  
  


• 2 cups cooked chicken breast, skinned and cut into small cube
  
  


• 1 (15 oz.) can tomatoes, chopped
  
  

Preparation:

• Mix chicken broth, onion, basil, oregano, marjoram, garlic and pepper in a large saucepan. Stir in vegetables.
  
  


• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are crisp-tender (about 6-8 minutes). Stir in chicken and undrained tomatoes. Heat thoroughly. Enjoy delicious
  
  

Make 7 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(1/6 of recipe (340 g)): 149 Calories, 20 g Protein, 11 g carbohydrates, 3 g Dietary Fiber, 3 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 39 mg cholesterol, 781 mg sodium

Day 68: The goal is still alive!

Hello!!  I've been one bad blogger!! It's not that I've forgotten to do it, I just haven't. Life is a little insane right now, and by the end of the day, I'm getting my workout in and reading/writing with the last few moments before I crash.

But I thought I would check in and let you all know I'm still working out everyday! I've been maintaining and it feels good to be working towards my goal of 365 days.  When things settle down, I would like to blog more about food choices and an eating plan.

I can tell my body is transitioning. My muscles are getting firm, even though the scale hasn't changed much in the last several weeks.  This tells me that my weight distribution is changing--greater muscle mass and less fat. Just need to press forward despite what the scale and my pants say. The goal is about daily workouts, nothing more.  Everything else is just a perk to the goal.

I hope to be blogging more frequently, but life is crazy.  Just when things slow down, they tend to speed up.
If you follow me on Twitter, I'm always popping up there.

Chicken and Corn Chowder

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
  
  


• ¼ cup chopped onion
  
  


• ¼ cup chopped celery
  
  


• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
  
  


• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  
  


• 3 cups 1% low-fat milk
  
  


• 2 cups chopped skinless and boneless chicken
  
  


• 1½ cups fresh corn kernels or frozen corn kernels
  
  


• 1 tsp fresh thyme or ¼ tsp dried thyme
  
  


• ¼ tsp ground red pepper
  
  


• ⅛ tsp salt
  
  


• 1 (14¾ oz.) can of creamed corn
  
  

Preparation:

• Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
  
  


• Add onion, celery and jalapeño and cook until tender (about 3 minutes).
  
  


• Add flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  
  


• Stir in milk and remaining ingredients.
  
  


• Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-heat and cook for about 5 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently.
  
  

Make 6 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(1/6 of recipe (320 g)): 251 Calories, 18 g Protein, 34 g carbohydrates, 2 g Dietary Fiber, 6 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 42 mg cholesterol, 422 mg sodium

Flu Season is Here

I've noticed everyone around me getting sick lately (I seem to have become mostly immune to colds and the flu in the last couple of years), so I took a look at Google Flu Trends. Lo and behold, the United States is currently near peak flu incidence for the 2010-2011 season. Here's a graph from Flu Trends. This year's trend is in dark blue:


Flu Trends also has data for individual US states and a number of other countries.

It's time to tighten up your diet and lifestyle if you want to avoid the flu this year. Personally, I feel that eating well, managing stress effectively, and taking 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 per day in winter have helped me avoid colds and the flu.

Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• Low-fat cooking spray
  
  


• 3 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced
  
  


• 2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced
  
  


• 1 large leek (white parts only), thinly sliced
  
  


• 2 (14½ oz.) cans low-sodium chicken broth
  
  


• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  
  


• ¼ tsp nutmeg
  
  


• ¼ cup 1% low-fat milk
  
  


• Salt to taste
  
  


• Sprig of rosemary to garnish (optional.)
  
  

Preparation:

• Spray a large-size saucepan with low-fat cooking spray and heat to medium-high heat. Add squash, carrots, leeks and cook, uncovered for about 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  
  


• Add chicken broth, black pepper, and nutmeg then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered until vegetables are tender (about 30 minutes).
  
  


• Place a third of the soup mixture in a blender, cover and blend until very smooth. Repeat with remaining soup and then return to saucepan. Bring to boiling, reduce heat then stir in milk. Add salt to taste.
  
  


• Serve soup garnished with a sprig of rosemary
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (214 g)): 96 Calories, 3 g Protein, 23 g carbohydrates, 2 g Dietary Fiber, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 41 mg sodium