Archive for April, 2010

We’ve been posting on our Facebook wall different drugs that may deplete your body of certain nutrients. Here is a compiled list to make it easier for our readers! Make sure to ask your nutritionist about great sources of these vitamins and minerals if you are taking any of these medicines.

The left side of the table is the drug and the right side are the nutrients that may be decreased.

ANTACIDS

ANTIBIOTICS

ANTIDEPRESSANTS

…read more on Drugs That Deplete Vitamins

The warm days of last week jump started my thinking about cold suppers.  That got me researching the difference between dinner and supper, and I got thoroughly confused.  To me, the meal I serve in the evening is dinner, that is, unless it is quite early, say 5:30, or cold, then it is supper.  The research I did confirmed, supper is a lighter meal in the evening, harking back to when dinner was often served in the middle of the day.  A “cold dinner” just doesn’t sound right to me, where “a cold supper” has a pleasant  old fashioned ring to it.  I grew up living on the same property as my grandparents, they had their “big meal at noon” and supper in the evening. I am sure my thoughts on all of this were determined quite young while I watched (from afar) and was quite mystified why I never saw them eat lunch but did see them eat cottage cheese, fruit and dark bread while the rest of the world was having meat, potatoes and salad!

This salad serves 4 and calls for 1 pound of fresh tuna fillet to be divided. …read more on A warm evening, a cold supper: Grilled Tuna Tropical Salad

Many of you know, we have a Registered Dietitian in our Columbia Maryland office. Business has grown exponentially since we opened this office in the Fall of 2009.  As a result we are happy to announce that we have added more office hours in Columbia, Maryland.  Follow the link for our Columbia Office location and updated hours of operation.

Rebecca Bitzer & Associates is proud to announce that one of our Registered Dietitians, Kathy Kendall, MS, RD, LD, CLT had a paper accepted for publication in the prestigious American Dietetic Association publication, “Women’s Health Report” (Winter 2010).  This article summarizes  the link between food sensitivities and several health conditions.  The LEAP program offered in our office can identify these food sensitivities.

For more information on LEAP food sensitivity testing available at our office, please review our Food Sensitivity Testing web page.

Crisp, cool and breezy at the the Riva Road farmer’s market in Annapolis this morning.  A few more farmers this week, two more of my favorites, a man who only sells savory jellies and the little Greek ladies who usually bake and have beautiful flowers.  New papa, Chris, had already sold the bread he was able to make this week by the time I got there at 8:30!  He consoled me, that her really didn’t get to bake much this week, and so innocently explained new baby took precedence this week.  I empathized while making a note to self, get up earlier next week so you can get some bread, it may be a while before Chris and Lucy are up to full production. …read more on Annapolis Farmer’s Market Bounty

Do you have food sensitivities? Food sensitivities tend to be chronic and frequent. Medications will fail if this is the case because they only mask the symptoms. The following conditions are often associated with food sensitivities: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Chronic Diarrhea, Cramping, Heartburn, Headaches, Migraine, Fibromyalgia, Muscle Pain, Joint Pain, Fatigue and Autism/ADD and other conditions such as Chronic Sinus Congestion. If you suffer from any of these conditions our new Food Sensitivity Testing program may finally give you the answers and a solution to your problems.  Here is an example of how successful LEAP testing can be:

Marie came to our office in January of this year with elevated blood pressure and feeling “horrible” from Rheumatoid Arthritis.  After an initial assessment, her dietitian recommended she have food sensitivity testing to help relieve her pain.  Marie had her blood drawn and LEAP tested for food sensitivities. After receiving the results, Maria began her patient-specific elimination diet in early March.

She claimed the hardest part was eliminating some of her favorite foods and feeling “flu like” at first.  She assures us however, that is was all worth it. After only 2 weeks on the program Marie reports:  “I feel FANTASTIC!  …read more on Successful LEAP Food Sensitivity Client

Yesterday, most of these Magnolia petals were blossoms in the tree.  Today, they were a soft pink beckoning carpet.  In the middle of a busy Wednesday my husband and I took 30 minutes and a  hastily prepared “picnic” in the backyard.

The sunlight was dappled, the petals, soft like kid gloves with a faint sweet fragrance.  The red and white horse blanket, nearly 40 years old, nostalgically comforting.  The food, while good and nutritious, is not going to stay long in my memory.  The day, the company, the spontaneity, nourishment of all kinds, make the memories, and sweet ones at that.

Lauren was kind enough to share her story on how she conquered her eating disorder with the help of Rebecca.

Lauren started seeing Rebecca in March 2008, when she was diagnosed with moderate-severe bulimia and was strongly recommended to see a Registered Dietitian. At this time, she was a sophomore in college and Lauren needed help to stop purging and embrace a healthy diet. She saw Rebecca every week for at least a year and a half and also emailed her every night for a long time.  Lauren claims that Rebecca was the reason she was able to stop purging. She was scared she might not be able to return to college for her junior year because if her disorder continued she would have to be admitted to in-patient clinic. “Rebecca saved my college career and my life.”

Rebecca helped Lauren by making a meal plan, allowing her to choose the foods she wanted to eat. She learned that purging was damaging her body and she was slowly trying to adopt a healthier approach. If she was purge free for a weekend, she would then aim to be purge free by the end of the week. In this way she gradually worked up to the point where she would not relapse for months at a time. Rebecca also helped Lauren understand nutrition and what healthy foods can do for her body. She kept very detailed food logs for over a year and even emailed them to Rebecca while at she was at school. Rebecca helped Lauren realize that even if she feels uncomfortable with something she just ate, it’s not the end of the world. If she had too much pizza, she doesn’t have to purge, she can just eat better tomorrow. …read more on Successful Client- Lauren Conquers Eating Disorder with help from Rebecca Bitzer, RD

With all this talk of farmer’s markets and the beautiful spring weather I thought it would be nice to compile a list of kale, broccolini, rabe, spaghetti squash, roasted vegetables and tofu recipes. Here are some that I found, please post your favorites too!

1)  Roasted Kale Chips- Great for a salty snack!       

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

…read more on Simple Vegetable Recipes to Liven-up Dinner

Despite a cool gray morning the farmers were out and it was a joy to be at the market.  There was a lot more variety than I expected, but as I predicted there was an abundance of kale.  In fact one booth was only kale, mounds of it.  Next time I must remember my camera, there we many visual delights.

When I got home I thought what a pretty Easter basket I could create with everything I had purchased.  Clockwise we have dill, baby bok choy, arugula, and claytonia.  Claytonia is new to me.  It is a salad green, is pretty and delicious.  In the center is a bag of sprouted grains.  If I were planning on baking bread soon I would incorporate them in the bread, but I have no bread plans so will send them home with my daughter in law tomorrow and she can put them in her bread.  They are good on a salad or cottage cheese or in a sandwich.  In the middle of all that crunchy stuff are three iced sour cream cookies.  One of the sweetest farmers makes these himself.  Last year he shared the recipe with me, but his are always better.  I love the way he sells them 3 for a dollar, how the icing is always pink and the pride he takes telling me how, in the summer his 16 year old great granddaughter helps him bake.

For the past few years there has been a young couple at the market selling amazing breads and granola.  Chris and Lucy.  There table was set up today in it’s usual place, and Chris was there, no Lucy, no bread.  Instead, was a beautiful photograph of their newborn, Julia Augusta Jane and a sign, “Dad is taking the day off”.

Buckets of daffodils, stalks of cherry blossoms, little mossy rock gardens, organic honey and eggs, it’s all happening at the farmer’s market.  I would love to hear about your marketing.