Coconut: Did you know?

While on vacation, found this great article on the benefits of coconut in the local grocery circular. It's attached but thought I would reprint some interesting quotes:

“One tablespoon has more than 13g of saturated fat.”

“In a recent study where athletes drank coconut water after dehydrating workouts, it proved to be an equally effective source of electrolytes like sodium and potassium compared to sports drinks.”

“Coconut oil also offers immune-supporting properties and hearty-healthy benefits. The fat in coconut oil is nearly 50 percent lauric acid, which the body converts into monolaurium, a known  immune fighter that staves off viruses and bacterial infections.”

The article also gives info about how to substitute butter or other oils with coconut oil when cooking (follow the 1 to 1 rule)

Oh, and coconut oil has a shelf life of two years. Excellent news for our house where you always have to check the expiration date of anything you plan to eat.

If anyone has great coconut oil or coconut milk recipes, please share! I'm still stuck with this one.

Finally, here is a great buying resource for coconut oil.

 

 

Say CHEESE!

So in my whole label-reading experiment, I have learned one thing: cheese adds calories.

And by now all you expert parents of CFers are saying “no duh.”

Cheese adds calories to crackers (think Cheez-Its over Wheat Thins). Cheese adds calories to casseroles and fajitas. And it does it all without adding too many carbs. Yup, there’s no doubt about it, cheese is a CFers best friend.

The good news is when I was researching fat content of different cheeses, I came across Linda Stradley of “What’s Cooking America” and her great nutritional chart, including a long list of fat content by cheese type. Thanks Linda!

http://whatscookingamerica.net/NutritionalChart.htm

The bad news is that some of my personal favorite cheeses actually are lower in fat than I would have thought. And be careful – swiss is a great higher fat cheese unless you accidentally buy the low fat brand.

But I was pleasantly surprised to see Gruyere listed as one of the higher fat cheeses, which is great because I have a fantastic recipe to share for Quiche Lorraine.

Quiche Lorraine

3 large eggs
1/2 cup shredded/grated gruyere cheese*
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/8 tsp salt
dash of pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped onions (we use white ones)
8 large slices of crispy bacon (the less fat the better)
1 9-inch deep dish pie shell frozen for 24 hours then thawed for 10 minutes

* The secret to a great quiche is the quality of the cheese. If you have the means and budget, find a gourmet cheese shop and ask for a recommendation for the best gruyere to bake with. You won't be disappointed.

Fry the bacon and break into small bits, trimming fat where necessary. Beat the eggs, milk and cream together. Then add the cheese and stir well. Next, add the onions, salt and pepper. When the pie shell is thawed, spread the bacon bits in the bottom of the pie shell. Pour the cheese mixture over the bacon bits, making sure that the cheese is spread evenly over the bottom of the pie shell. Bake at 375 degrees Farenheit for 35 minutes or until the crust starts to brown. Remove from oven and use a pie crust shield or just cover the crust edges with thin strips of tinfoil. Return the quiche to the oven for 15 minutes or until a fork comes out clean in the center of the quiche.

To truly low carb it, I found a crustless receipe using bread crumbs as a base here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Crustless-Quiche-241749

More “cheesy” articles here:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/379153-fat-grams-in-cheese/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/409887-cheese-nutrition-guide/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/296334-the-calories-in-sharp-cheddar-cheese/

Formula formula and oh more formula

It was tough for me to write the previous post because I didn’t want to open up the breast vs. bottle mommy bashing debate. So I was thankful to receive one nice “hello” message from a fellow mom!

The fact is, when dealing with CF, it’s pointless to argue the virtues of choosing breastmilk over formula. If a CF baby is getting enough nutrition and mom is mentally happy, then all is right with the world.

That said…personally I hate formula. It stinks, never mixes right and is so darn expensive. But I couldn’t be a full-time working mother without it. So formula, reluctantly, is my friend.

With Big Guy, we went through so many formulas. I tried every organic version on the market – even obscure ones from Ohio and Vermont.
Big Guy did not tolerate a single one.

Frustrated, I finally turned to Nestle-Gerber-whatevertheycallittoday Good Start Protect in the green can. It's like the Coca-Cola of formula. But presto chango Big Guy was happy again.

When switching Lil Guy over to formula, I didn’t even take the chance of trying something new and the fact that the Good Start Protect had probiotics seemed like a big plus for that digestive boost.

Here is how the top formulas on the market stack up with fat and carbs. It's really hard to tell if one whole gram of fat or carbs per bottle is really going to make a positive/negative impact on a CF baby in the long run. Ironically in our Gerber’s Good Start Protect is near the bottom of the list!

	Fat	Carbs
Similac Advance Powder	5.6	10.7
Similac Expert Care Neosure Powder*	5.5	10.1
Similac Go & Grow Milk Powder (Toddler)**	5.4	10.2
Enfamil EnfaCare Powder*	5.3	10.4
Enfamil Enfagrow Gentlease Powder (Toddler)	5.3	10.5
Bright Beginnings Organic Milk Based Organic Infant Formula	5.3	10.6
Earth's Best Milk-Based Formula	5.3	10.6
Vermont Organics DHA Milk Based Organic Infant Formula	5.3	10.6
Bright Beginnings Gentle Milk Based Infant Formula	5.3	10.8
Bright Beginnings Premium Formula	5.3	11.0
Enfamil Newborn Powder	5.3	11.2
Enfamil Premium Powder	5.3	11.2
Gerber Good Start Nourish Powder*	5.2	10.5
Enfamil A.R. for Spit-Up Powder	5.1	11.0
Gerber Good Start Protect Powder	5.1	11.2
Gerber Good Start Gentle Powder	5.1	11.6
Baby's Only Organic Dairy Toddler Formula***	4.5	9.0
All per 100 calories and 5 fluid ounces (except where noted)
* per 4.5 fluid ounces
** per 5.2 fluid ounces
*** per 4 fluid ounces

Where it counts: French fries

Here’s a quick tip - I was browsing the excellent double freezer selection of frozen potato products at Target this weekend and came across a difference in fries. They have regular French fries and something called “fast food like fries.” The “fast food” version had a lot more fat in them. So it pays to read labels for fries apparently. I had Lil Guy with me so couldn’t pull out my camera out but I’ll try to post photos of this subtle difference later.

Where it counts: Sun Chips

I love Sun Chips. Frito-Lay really has me with their promises of multi-grain healthiness. But let's be honest, they aren't all that healthy for the average person. Then again, they aren't all that healthy for a CFer either - need more fat!

But being a Sun Chip lover, I recently bought their snack pack multipack, which gives you small bags of each of the following flavors: Harvest Cheddar, French Onion, Garden Salsa, and Original. Easy peasy to compare.

Not much to report here. All packages hold the same total calories and total fat. But you'll get 10 fewer calories from fat with the Original version.

And there are some interesting changes in the sodium, I presume they essentially bake the same chip and then just dust them with a different type of high-sodium powder? It's probably not enough to make much of a difference but here's the breakdown:

Harvest Cheddar 200mg sodium

French Onion 150mg sodium
GardenSalsa 140 mg sodium

Original 120mg sodium

Kraft Dinner vs. Annie’s – and the bunny wins by a nose!

I’m not sure the makers of Annie’s are going to be happy about this post…

Macaroni and cheese is a staple food in our home. My Canadian husband calls it Kraft Dinner and refuses to eat any other brand. My personal choice is Annie’s. Regardless of preference, mac and cheese is one of those great quick meals that is easy to customize for the CFers and non-CFers in your household. Just cook the pasta and split the portions, then add whole milk and extra butter to the CF bowl and skim milk and less butter to the non-CF bowls.

One Saturday I was embarrassed to find our pantry filled with not one...not two...but EIGHT different boxes of macaroni and cheese. All had the same serving sizes but recommended different preparations (as noted in the prior paragraph). Still, there were some interesting differences in nutritional content just with the mix in the box.

Who knew that little rabbit was such a porker?!
I have to say, Annie’s wins this contest hands down. It was the highest in overall calories and calories from fat than any of the KD mixes. Plus the Annie’s mixes alone had less sugar and more fiber in the carb count, and a bit of extra folic acid and Vitamin B1. I think this is because they use organic wheat shell pasta instead of an enriched macaroni product. The cons? Annie’s was a bit lower in iron and sodium than the KD dinners but extra salt can always be added.

(mix only)	Annie’s Shells & Real Aged Cheddar	Annie’s Regular Mac & Cheese	Annie’s White Cheddar Shells	KD Veggie Mac & Cheese*	Regular KD and KD Spirals	KD Sponge Bob Shapes	KD Organic
Calories	270	270	270	260	260	250	240
Fat Calories	40	40	40	35	30	20	20
Total Fat	4.5g	4g	4.5g	3.5g	3.5g	2.5g	2.5g
Saturated Fat	2.5g	2.5g	2.5g	1.5g	1.5g	1g	1g
Sodium	510mg	510mg	500mg	550mg	580mg	580mg	630mg
Carbs	46g	46g	47g	47g	47g	49g	49g
Fiber	2g	2g	2g	3g	1g	1g	2g
Sugars	4g	5g	5g	7g	6g	7g	8g

After comparing, I think I’ll try to convert Lil Guy over to my Annie’s preference – we can always add more salt to the mixture to increase sodium content but I like the idea of more fiber and vitamins, particularly for a carb-heavy meal.

*A word about KD Veggie Mac and Cheese – don’t expect this to be on the shelves long, it is nasty stuff! I picked up a box thinking it was just a marketing gimmick. When I started to cook it, the smell of broccoli permeated my kitchen. Turns out they substituted cauliflower as one of the main ingredients. I’ll eat a lot of stuff but this was just gross.

Update: The "creamy" version of any boxed mac & cheese (the one that comes with the liquid cheese package inside) packs twice as much fat but isn't a big hit in my house. Of course, nothing beats the fat content of homemade mac & cheese!

Where it counts: Waffles

Reading labels is something you get good at as a mom and as a mom of a CFer. I’m starting to learn that it comes in handy for some products and not for others.

Take Pepperidge Farm goldfish for example. There is a multigrain cheddar version and a regular cheddar version. The nutrition info is almost exactly the same and there is no added fat with one version over the other. So pat yourself on the back for being a healthy mom of a CFer and go for those multigrain goldfish without a guilt trip.

Where it does count – waffles. Twenty calories and two grams of fat difference between buttermilk and multigrain – see photos below. (A bit more sugar and a little less fiber than I’d like but with CF there are always tradeoffs.) So Lil Guy gets buttermilk and Big Guy gets multigrain. I figure we still have a few years before Big Guy figures complains “L’Eggo My Eggo!”

Buttermilk - 20 more calories, including 2g more of fat

Whole Wheat - Slightly more salt and fiber