I love 4 day weeks. That’s all. I’ve had a great week at the hospital so far and got to educate a patient interested in change. If I have the chance to make a difference {even a small one} in one patient’s life or change the way he or she thinks for the better, it’s the most incredible feeling in the world.
Keeping with the spirit of Monday's fiber post, I made zucchini brownies. I really hate to call them brownies because they didn’t taste like brownies. I’ve never found a recipe for from-scratch brownies that I liked better than the boxed artificial wonders {shh}. This recipe needs a little work, so don’t run to make it just yet {maybe it’s because I used whole wheat flour and eliminated most of the sugar, hehee}. Success stories on homemade brownies welcomed.
Speaking of sugar, one of my faves, HEAB, recently posted her opinion on eating excess refined sugar. I haven’t really commented on the sweet issue myself, so I decided to take the time to do so.
Carbohydrates 101
[complex carb goodness: eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, & mozz on whole wheat bread]
Sugar Definitions:
refined or simple carbohydrates (sugar): monosaccharides-glucose (dextrose), galactose, fructose; disaccharides-sucrose, maltose, lactose; white sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup
complex carbohydrate (starch): composed of many monosaccharide units, mostly glucose; polysaccharides; found in high fiber foods like legumes (i.e. beans, lentils, peas), starchy vegetables, whole grains, fruit
Don’t be afraid of carbs:
· The members of the nervous system (including the brain) are obligate glucose users...they can't use any other type of fuel! Also, glucose is the preferred fuel for the body and can be used in aerobic and anaerobic conditions.
· Some of the glucose you consume is also converted to glycogen for storage (can be later used to make glucose when the body's fuel is running on empty).
· Refined sugar can lead to health conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and obesity (through insulin resistance). However an excess of carbs (even complex ones) can lead to weight gain because the body will continue to use glucose as a fuel and will not mobilize stored fat for energy. For that matter, an excess of any of the macronutrients (fat, protein, carbs) will cause weight gain.
Personally, I try not to eat too much refined sugar. By staying away from most packaged products, I do that. But, I do bake “moderation foods” with sugar and am completely ok with that.
Confused? Leave me a comment or email me at healthnut.em@gmail.com
*Shout out to my fellow interns {who now are blog readers): peds interns: Courtney, Crista, & Erin and the culinary interns: Dan, Irene, Justine, & Molly and our awesome GAs (Jenn & Meg) for an amazing first rotation. These are some pretty fantastic people, and I feel privileged to have been able to work with them for the past {almost} two weeks.
There will be some guest posts from the aforementioned interns ahead…Dan makes the best homemade energy bars I’ve ever tasted (watch out Clif bar) and has promised to share his secrets with all of us sometime next week!
Also, find out what dietetic interns put in their lunch boxes…
Don’t forget: enter Gina’s contest to win a subscription of Nutrition in Action, which always has great info about health research and products!
