It’s that time of year here in Minnesota.  The sun is shining hot; the dew points are high.  Kids everywhere are lamenting the fact that school starts in just a few days.  In the center of the Twin Cities, right between St. Paul and Minneapolis, the smell of frying corn dogs, mini-donuts and horse manure are in the air.  It’s that time of year – the Minnesota State Fair.

Minnesota has a state fair that rivals the biggest in the country – Texas and Iowa.  If you’re a native, you know ours is best, partially because it marks the official end of summer.  Running through Labor Day, many locals and visitors come to see all the fair has to offer – from concerts (acts as big as Carrie Underwood play our State Fair) to the animal birthing center, to the latest gadget in the grandstand.

Oh, and did I mention the food?  The theme of our State Fair is anything and everything on a stick – corndogs, pork chops, waffles, and frozen, chocolate dipped bananas.  The secondary theme is deep fried, as in cheese curds, candy bars, French fries, and the already mentioned corn dogs.

As a dietitian, you might expect me to advise you to seek out the healthiest options – like fruit cups and bottled water and grilled chicken — when you visit county fairs, state fairs and Renaissance festivals.  But that’s not the way I roll.  My advice is to go to the fair that one day and indulge on all your favorites.  Yes, really.  It’s what I do.  It’s what I recommend you do.

But, there’s a caveat.  This assumes that on a typical day, you’re eating well.  You’re getting your 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables.  You limit foods that are high in saturated, trans fat and added sugar/empty calories.  You manage your portions.

I have long lived by the 85-15 Rule.  If 85% of the time, you’re making really nutritious choices (and I mean the best choices possible), the other 15% can include items that are a bit indulgent.   Healthy is the mainstay, and indulgent is the exception.   My visit to the State Fair falls into my 15%.  The food is part of the experience for me.

Is the 85-15 Rule one you can adopt?

Visit www.nuval.com to ensure you’re choosing the best at least 85% of the time.

I’m sticking my neck out today to talk about a topic that many people are passionate about – high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  Sara Lee recently announced that they’re removing high fructose corn syrup from their breads.  As the article states, they’re doing it not because science says HFCS is bad for people, but simply to please moms who purchase their products.  I get their reasons, but I don’t agree with their move as it perpetuates an untruth.  

The reality is that evidence-based science doesn’t support the idea that high fructose corn syrup has harmful effects.  But those who believe it is an “evil ingredient” in food will espouse otherwise.  So set aside this part of the discussion for a minute, and let’s try and find common ground.

Here’s what we do know:

• HFCS is a type of sugar.
• HFCS is used in foods in place of sugar.
• Many foods that are high in added sugar, like regular soda pop, cookies, doughnuts, etc, tend to provide very little positive nutrition.  This is true no matter the source of added sugar. 
• In light of insane rates of obesity in our country, most Americans should closely manage the calories they take in every day, including those from added sugar. 

Mountain Dew launched a version of their soda pop called “throwback” as it’s made from real sugar instead of HFCS.   Just because this product doesn’t contain HFCS, does it mean it’s fine to drink whenever you want?

The problem isn’t really the type of sugar people consume, it’s the fact that most Americans get too much sugar in general, and eat too many foods that have calories coming from added sugar (or fat) with no positive nutrition. 

My advice?  Ignore the hype, and look at the big picture.  Cut empty calorie foods (those with calories but no positive nutrition) out of your eating habits wherever possible.  Every time you eat something sweetened with added sugars, consider taking just one bite or eating 1/4^th or ½ instead of the whole portion.  When looking to cut a sweet craving, choose fruits. 

Visit www.nuval.com to see scores that are lowered by added sugar, no matter their source.

Annette asked me a couple weeks ago to write a guest blog for Nutrition Outlook. I immediately said yes, thinking that I would write about my experiences thus far with the the NuVal™ System at Skogen’s Festival Foods.  Then I read her latest post, “Think Positive,” and my thoughts took me in a different direction.

Whether you are sitting on a non-profit community board, serving as a government official, or in a grocery store, it is a challenge to introduce new ideas and shift paradigms as you always run the risk of offending someone with an opposing viewpoint. I appreciate hearing various opinions and feedback; this feedback helps to make new programs and policies better.  What does get to me on occasion though are individuals who don’t take the opportunity to look at the big picture. Instead, they tend to immediately find the negatives and focus on those. In addition, those people who point out the imperfections rarely offer a better solution.  It is easy to point out what’s wrong, but what can you do to fix it?

So if there is a possibility of negative feedback, why would a grocer go ahead and launch a program such as NuVal – especially when business was doing alright without it? Here is a bit about our story…

Skogen’s Festival Foods is built on a culture of servant leadership, especially the teachings of Jim Hunter. Mr. Hunter says that if you wish to be a leader, you must first learn to serve the legitimate needs of others. He defines servant leadership as the skill of influencing people to enthusiastically work toward goals for the common good with character that inspires confidence.  

While business was moving along just fine without NuVal in our stores, our leadership team decided that providing additional guidance – namely nutrition guidance – was the right thing to do for the loyal guests who shop our stores.  We wanted to provide easy, but still reliable, nutrition information at the time of purchase, and discussions led us to the NuVal™ Nutritional Scoring System.

In addition to serving people, you also have to show commitment to the choices you’ve made and the responsibilities you have “signed up for.”  As Festival’s dietitian, these thoughts reverberate in my head on a continual basis. I take every opportunity to share the facts about the NuVal System, the science behind the scores, explain how the program can be used by the average consumer, and answer any questions that might come up in the mean time. I am committed to teaching others about the NuVal™ Nutritional Scoring System.

My point with this lengthy post is that negative comments can easily dash the positive hopes and aspirations of others (this is exactly what those who speak them hope for!). However, it should only dampen the mood momentarily as there is often no further action taken because the negative approach typically does not offer a solution; those focusing on a positive approach tend to have a plan of action in place, and will persist beyond the few negative comments.  If you have good intentions and take the appropriate actions, you will be successful in making positive changes!

Servant leadership, and the teachings of Jim Hunter, can be applied to everything in life. I intend to continue serving others as Festival’s dietitian, and NuVal™ Nutritional Scoring System is a very helpful tool in doing so.

Can you utilize servant leadership in your life?

Visit www.nuval.com to learn more about the system Stephanie Walker, RD, CD includes in her servant leadership.

Which do you prefer – negative feedback or positive feedback?  Obviously, you don’t need to answer.  It’s a rhetorical question.  But an important one to think about as it comes to eating habits in our country. 

After all, when was the last time you heard a positive food message?  Cut out fat, trans fat will kill you, salt is evil, carbohydrates are making us fat. . .the list of negative messages goes on and on when in reality there are plenty of positive messages we could be talking and thinking about with food. 

For example, if you focused on really getting the recommended 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day, the rest of your eating habits might just fall into place nicely.  Think of all the options – glorious berries, juicy tomatoes, crunchy fresh green beans.

Another positive mantra you might choose to live by is focusing on getting 25-35 grams of fiber every day, and again the rest might just work its way out.  Think bean and avocado burritos in a whole wheat tortilla, think breakfast cereal loaded with fiber that you can really sink your teeth into. 

Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?

Visit www.nuval.com  to see a program that honors the positive benefits of fruits and vegetables as well as foods that dare to be high in fiber.

This summer, my coworker Anne has had the most amazing experience.  Anne and her family (husband, three kids) typically reside in a suburb of Boston, and live the typical suburban lifestyle.  Like many of us who live in a ring outside a major metropolitan area, they have sampled some of what Boston has to offer, but most of their time is spent running kids from activity to activity, getting to work every day, dealing with the ongoing management of homework and school papers.  But this summer, totally different story.

Anne and her husband made the decision to move their family into the core of the city this summer, and to fully engage in the downtown Boston experience.  When I saw Anne yesterday, she was still beaming coming off a week’s vacation spent exploring the city.  Her kids have taken sailing lessons.  They’ve visited every single, possible museum in the city.  They’ve hit all the historical sites.  They have painted the town in full form.  Yesterday, Anne said to me, “this has been a summer my kids will never forget.”

What strikes me most about what Anne and her husband did is that they made a very intentional choice.  They weighed the costs and benefits.  They factored in the potential reaction their kids would have.  They considered being away from their home base and how they as adults would react.  But in the end, they acted.  They made an intentional choice to give their kids a summer they will never forget.

It made me think – what intentional choices can we each make today to live healthier lives?  Intentional choice – it’s something to think about.

Visit www.nuval.com to consider a system that makes your intentional choices easier to make.

Quick.  Grab a pen and piece of scratch paper.  Jot down three things you could do to be healthier.  Quickly.  Don’t hesitate.

Now read through them slowly.  Read them again.  One by one, think about why you don’t do these things.

While working out this morning, I read an article in a woman’s magazine (My stack of magazines is getting so high that my husband is complaining, so I’m trying to power through some!) profiling five women who have been successful at weight loss and how they accomplished their goal.

My point between the action I asked you to take and the article I read this morning is that when it comes to healthy lifestyle behaviors, it’s less about “how” we do it and more about figuring out “why” to do it.  And this is personal.  It’s about a real and tangible benefit for us as individuals.  We all need to dig deep and find the real reason that will motivate us individually to be healthier.  Is it to live to see our kids or grand kids get married?  To get a promotion at work?  To be sexier?  To be able to keep up with our kids when they ride their bikes?  Because a high school or family reunion is coming up? 

If we  can figure out the real “why,” the “how” will follow. 

When you’re ready for the “how,” visit www.nuval.com for a tool that helps you choose foods with the best nutrition.

Last weekend, I attended an out of town wedding with some of my former co-workers.  They told me the craziest story.  Our friend Gretchen, whose wedding we were heading to, apparently has her GPS set to talk in squirrel.   After we laughed hysterically, we verged into an entire discussion about nuts (yes, my former coworkers are nutrition and regulatory types).  GPS to squirrels to nuts – makes sense, right?

 I admitted it to them, and I’ll admit it to you.  In my past, I was one of those people who avoided nuts in my eating habits.  It was the calories that got to me.  Like many of you, I was worried about stopping at the one-ounce portion – getting the health benefits without overdoing it on the calories.

Then one day, a package from the Almond Board of California appeared on my desk.  It showed great ways to measure the portion of almonds, including a little mint tin (all the options are visible here). Both professionally and personally, I loved the marketing campaign, and it made me rethink the roll of nuts in my eating habits.

Today, nuts are a go-to product for me as a late morning snack.  Since I work full-time out of a home office, around 10:00 am, I’ll head down to the kitchen for a cup of instant coffee and a light snack.  A handful of nuts is perfect.  Nuts provide the satiety I need at that time of day.  Just a small handful fills me up.  Plus I know I’m getting good fats, vitamin E, protein and fiber.  Nearly a perfect food in my mind.  My favorite nut product is Archer Farms Mixed Nuts, Unsalted, a blend of walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts.  The flavors are a perfect blend.

I wonder what Gretchen’s GPS would say about my mid-morning snack?

Visit www.nuval.com to check out scores on your favorite nuts.

Let’s play a variation on Where’s Waldo.

It’s a Saturday morning in July.  7:00 am.  Where am I?

Most likely you’ll find me wandering the aisles of the St. Paul Farmers Market with my college friend Lori and my walking partner neighbor Laurie.  They’re the ones who actually suggested I blog about the market, and here’s why.

The sights and smells of the fresh-picked produce are a sensory experience that can’t be beat.  Many of the berries are picked fresh that morning.  The colors of all the variety are overwhelming.  My walking partner Laurie decides to give the brussel sprouts a try as she’s heard the fresh ones taste so much better than the frozen version she’s tried before.  I buy the perfect-sized cucumbers to make my favorite refrigerator pickles.  My college friend Lori grabs a deal – cauliflower for $1 a head.  I even sneak in a bundle of flowers from my favorite vendor to freshen up my house.

My trips to the market make the point that food is about more than just nutrition.  It plays an integral role in our family and social structures, it helps manage and treat diseases (both positively and negatively) and it is experiential.  And it can be all of these together.  For me, this is the draw, the appeal of the Farmers’ Market at its high season – the colors, the smells, the textures, the chatting with the local producers. 

Visit http://www.nuval.com/ to see the nutritional value of your favorite farmers’ market finds.