If you’re anything like me, there is a unique feeling that comes with giving to the ones you love. I can’t help but browse aisles and websites thinking “ooohhh that would be perfect for…” As a dietitian, friends and family often look to me to bestow the latest and greatest in fashionable food-related finds. Well let me assure you, at the Bauer household we don’t disappoint.  So even if you’ve been a bit devilish this season, gifting these items will bestow an angelic aura upon you!

Great gift all around

1.       The Bobble- Dole this out to everyone you know this season.  These reusable water bottles with built-in water filters are BPA-free, which will leave you feeling guilt-free! With 8 different colors and 4 various sizes you can afford to be indecisive.

For the conscious chef in your life

2.      Healthy Steps Portion Control Tool Set- Ensuring perfect serving sizes can leave you in portion-controlled purgatory. Once you’ve used these in your kitchen you’ll think of dinner in a whole new light!

A new home for your kicks

3.       Thursday Friday bags- Roomy enough for sneakers, workout gear (and a new water bottle), these totes are giving ladies all around town new reasons to get in the gym. Who couldn’t resist tossing one of these over a treadmill? Yep, they’re way too fashionable to be stuffed in a gym locker. You may want to get one for yourself too…

For the Bread Lover in your life

4. For anyone in your life that holds bread near and dear to their heart.New books are always an exciting indulgence. Pre-order “Bread Is the Devil” (St Martin’s Press) for you and a friend and start 2012 feeling saintly.

Pretty soon, you’ll be knee deep in turkey, stuffing, cranberries and pumpkin pie. Yes, if it’s one thing you can count on it’s the holidays. Some of the best memories are created around the table; so don’t spend these precious times stressing over calories and weight gain. This 3-part blog series will help you glide through the holidays like a penguin on ice!

Contrary to how you may feel after next Thursday’s big feast, it’s impossible to gain weight in one sitting. The shift that you may see on the scale is due to an increase in blood volume, which typically happens after a large meal. Fear not! Your body carries a handy fluid regulating mechanism, called the fluid-electrolyte balance, which gets you back on track in no time.

Often, people associate this festive time of year with about a 5 to 8 lb. weight gain. Through research, the National Institutes of Health actually pinpoints that number at about 1 to 1.5 lbs. Yes, this is good news but don’t forget that if this happens every year, over time it can add up! Stay tuned next week for Turkey Day tips that will prevent this from happening….

By now, it’s possible that you’ve adjusted to the time change and reveled in that extra hour of sleep we got on Sunday. Don’t forget that it comes with a heavy price tag. As the days get shorter and the sky turns darker your mood might take a devastating dip.  Seasonal Affective Disorder (with the ever so appropriate acronym SAD) tends to present itself in the fall and winter. But have no fear; depression proof nutrition is here!

Fats are where it’s at

Consider fats the stars of the show when it comes to regulating moods. Hydrogenated oils, better know as trans fat, have been under scrutiny for years because of their ability to increase LDL levels (bad cholesterol) and decrease HDL levels (good cholesterol). That’s barely half the story of these evil fats. In 2011, for the first time ever, researchers in Spain identified a link between trans fat and depression. Trans fat in the diet increased the risk of depression by almost 50 percent! Those who only ate “good fats” had a 35 percent reduction in mood disorders. For a quick refresher course in fats, my previous post, The Skinny on Fats can clear things up. In the meantime here are some brief guidelines:

• Nuts and seeds contain polyunsaturated fats that can halt unhappiness in its tracks. Try sprinkling sunflower seeds on your salad, chopped walnuts in your oatmeal or sesame seeds as a topping for any type of protein.
• Olive oil, a monounsaturated fat, contains polyphenols with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which basically act as an antidepressant in the body. Combine with flavored vinegar (Martin Pouret found at the Williams-Sonoma store makes delicious ones) and use for salad dressing instead of store bought brands. Lightly brush olive oil on fresh veggies, top with salt and pepper, and broil in the oven.
• The main purpose of trans fat is to extend the shelf life of a product. You will find it in most processed foods, packaged baked goods and fried foods. Think about what the appropriate shelf life of a food item should be before you buy it. If that muffin your about to eat can stay “fresh” for over a week, it probably has trans fat in it.

Beef up on B vitamins

Although there are eight B vitamins, the ones that may determine the status of your mood are folate, B6 and B12. They all work together in the body, so if you are lacking in one, chances are you’re lacking in a few.

Thanks to grain fortification, folate deficiency is pretty rare in the United States. When choosing foods naturally high in folate, think beans and greens! Spinach, asparagus and collard greens all score high in levels of folate, along with pinto, kidney and navy beans. Steam any deep green leafy vegetable, mix with cooked lentils and flavor with lemon juice for a meal that’s sure to boost your folate level.

B6 acts as a precursor for numerous cognitive reactions in the body, so it’s essential to make sure that you have enough. Garbanzo beans, chicken and tuna are some traditional sources, yet you’ll also find it in bulgur wheat, cottage cheese and winter squash.

Sub-par levels of B12 can cause restlessness, anxiety and irritability. Animal products such as beef and liver are terrific sources, but it’s also found in fortified cereal, milk and yogurt. Surprisingly, clams have one of the highest levels of B12 of any food. Try them steamed over a serving of whole-wheat pasta tossed lightly with olive oil. For fish fans, opt for salmon, rainbow trout or haddock to increase daily levels. Keep in mind as you get older your ability to absorb B12 decreases. Checking in on your status with a blood test never hurts.

Vitamin of the Year

If you listened to everything you read and saw in the media you would think Vitamin D cured everything. Maybe not, but low levels in the body have been directly linked to depression in adolescents, healthy adults, and the elderly population. Of course, short winter days and cold nights makes it a bit tricky to get an adequate amount from sunlight. Besides dairy products, copious amounts of Vitamin D are found in ocean products such as herring, salmon, halibut and oysters.

If you’re feeling down in the dumps, don’t fill up on carb-laden foods. Eating processed foods with simple carbohydrates will only cause severe dips in sugar levels and mood. Choose some of the foods listed above to get through the dreary, winter months.

When it comes to dark, leafy greens, Kale is like spinach on steroids. You can get more vitamins and minerals from this vegetable than most of the big time produce players like broccoli, brussels sprouts or swiss chard. The problem usually lies less with your willingness to eat such a healthful vegetables and more with the fact that you really just don’t like its taste. I have two words for you: kale chips.  When baked, kale crisps up and with just a touch of seasoning you can have your favorite chip variety in your very own home. This article, Kale-icious Chips!, from FitSugar gives you great recipes as well as the best packaged kale chips you can buy. If Dan Barber is doing it, then it has to be good. Enjoy!

When there’s something strange in the nutrition news… who you gonna call? Nu-Train!

Nutrition myths spread like cream cheese on a bagel, they’re all over your email inbox, splashed across magazine and paper articles and even discussed on the nightly news. Well, the time has come to debunk some of these common nutrition myths.

Myth #1: Eating eggs raises your blood cholesterol levels.

Contrary to popular belief, the dietary cholesterol found in eggs actually does not have a tremendous impact on your blood cholesterol levels. It’s a simple mis-”semantic”-communication; unlike the toe-may-toe vs toh-mah-toh conundrum, these two cholesterols, dietary and blood cholesterol, are not created equal. Dietary cholesterol, which is the fat-like molecules in animal-based foods like eggs, actually has little to do with the amount of cholesterol circulating in your bloodstream. Since your body is capable of producing its own cholesterol, it doesn’t need you to get any from food sources so the cholesterol you ingest has little influence over the amount in your blood. However, the actual thing that may increase your body’s blood cholesterol production is specific saturated and trans fats and adversely, soluble fiber may lower blood cholesterol by inhibiting its absorption in the small intestine. One large egg contains only 1.5 g of saturated fat (such a miniscule amount compared to the butter you use to cook your egg), which means they are not a big contributor to blood cholesterol levels. Keep them on your grocery list because they’re a rich source of 13 vitamins and minerals!

Myth #2: The more fiber you eat, the better.

Ladies and Gentlemen: the Fiber Fad has arrived! This is a little trickier than some of the other myths because there is a lot of truth to it. Fiber does keep you full, meaning you’ll ingest fewer calories but not all fiber are created equal. The naturally occurring fiber-rich whole foods satisfy hunger, such as the fiber found in whole grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes. However, the yogurt found in your grocery aisle that contain fiber-supplements, “faux-fiber foods”, may not be equally beneficial. Manufacturers are isolating specific types of fiber and adding them to packaged foods in order to increase sales. There are so many components of fiber and they each have their own jobs- wheat bran keeps things moving, oat bran lowers cholesterol and inulin supports a healthy gut, so it’s best to get the benefits of fiber from whole foods rather than isolate aspects of fiber from “faux-fiber foods” boasting unnatural added fiber!

Myth #3: Organic foods are more nutritious than conventional ones.

We all do it, I am a victim of buying the 30 cent more per pound fruit just because it’s organic but truth is a good mango by any other name is still a mango. Manufacturers began promoting organics as being inherently more nutritious but this is a fallacy, there is no significant nutritional difference existing between conventional and organic crops. Of course there is the issue of pesticides and herbicides that can be found in conventional produce. Also if you opt for organic because the sustainable farming support the health of the soil, the work of small farmers, or he well-being of livestock- then you’re good in my book.

Myth #4: Skipping meals helps you lose weight

This is a dietitians’ biggest nightmare! Did you know that people who skip meals, particularly breakfast, and eat fewer times during the day actually tend to be heavier… yes I said heavier. When you skip a meal you slow down your metabolism and you frequently eat more at other meals to compensate, both of which work against your body trying to lose weight. Actually eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day can help you control your appetite and keep your calories burning.

Myth #5: You have to drink 8 glasses of water everyday.

Water, water- it’s everywhere; water bottles have become the fashion accessory and it’s for good reason too. Drinking your necessary daily water requirements is absolutely crucial but you don’t need to go crazy trying to satisfy the eight 8-oz glasses a day rule. Insider’s secret: no one is really sure where this so-called “8-by-8” mantra originated. You know the saying- “everyone’s different”? well this is where it actually applies; the amount of water you should drink daily is dependent on your diet, size and body chemistry.

Before you pick your poison, albeit Advil, Excedrin or TUMS, you may want to take a trip to your refrigerator, pantry or spice rack before you pop a pill. There are certain items in there that can treat your everyday ailments. They may not work for everyone but these easy home remedies often work better than over the counter drugs with way fewer chemicals and potential side effects. It should ‘t come as a surprise that food has the power to heal because what you eat and drink dictates your long-term wellness, so it only makes sense for it to be medicine too. Read up on these easy Secret Kitchen Cures from Whole Living and find out why you should reach for the sesame oil instead of sleepy time for your insomnia and so much more!

My new book, Bread is the Devil, goes on sale January 3, 2012. Yay! Pre-order your copy using one of the links below:

• Amazon.com
• iTunes
• Barnes & Noble
• Booksense.com
• Books-a-Million

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Stop mindlessly inhaling the breadbasket and stop shoveling in the M&M’S–Bread is the Devil is the solution to all of our diet saboteurs.

Nutritionist Heather Bauer can count on the fingers of one hand the number of her clients who don’t already know what they should eat to lose weight. So why can’t they (and their best friend and their neighbor) lose weight? Because Bread is the Devil! Yes, that’s Bauer’s shorthand for the inevitable, demonic pull that certain bad habits exert on people who try to change their eating routines to drop the pounds. Many of us have been there: You had a sensible, healthy breakfast, high in protein with complex carbs. Ditto for lunch—soup and a salad with a warm rush of accomplishment and self control for dessert. But now it’s dinnertime and you’re out with friends: enter a large basket of warm, sliced crusty sourdough bread with a little tub of chive butter. Suddenly you’re in the seventh circle of hell—the one reserved for gluttons. Bread’s not your devil? How about ice cream or chips or that big slab of butter cream frosted birthday cake?

Bread Is the Devil will help you fight those hellish cravings that stop you from losing the weight you want. By identifying how certain factors promote overeating, Heather will:

• Identify the top ten Diet Devils that challenge healthy eating
• Provide specific, proven strategies that free you from these devils once and for all
• Offer up a simple, flexible guide that will help you reach your goal in twenty-one days and make eating fun again
• Suggest an easy, affordable, and doable shopping list for eating at home as well as great meal choices when eating out

Bread is the Devil is divine intervention for even the most devilish dieters.

We hear and talk about the big, bad C word all the time. It unfortunately affects millions of people all over the world; we now live in a world where having or knowing someone who has been diagnosed with cancer is as common as catching a cold. So why be the rule, when you can be the exception? All over the world, studies are being conducted on possible prevention methods and the most convincing and astonishing evidence is stemming from nutrition and physical activity. While they may not be cure alls, they definitely don’t hurt.

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, I am going to focus primarily on decreased risk factors specific to breast cancer, especially those who have a heightened risk due to genetic factors (having a first degree relative diagnosed with breast cancer or having the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation). Thankfully, however, these are also many of the prevention tips for other cancers as well as a general healthy living guideline for any and everyone.

Did You Know…?

• About 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
• In 2010, there were more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S.
• For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer besides lung cancer.
• Postmenopausal women who decreased their weight 4 to 11 pounds, decrease their risk by 20%.
• For postmenopausal women, every 11 pounds gained, you increase your risk by 3%.
• Just being overweight postmenopausal, increases your risk by 30-60%.

So now that you know, it’s time to do something about it. Since just being a woman and aging are the two biggest risk factors and completely unavoidable (unless you’ve found the fountain of youth, and if you have… do you mind sharing?), I think it only appropriate to start with something that is controllable: weight. Being as lean as possible without becoming underweight is one of the preventative measures you can take to decrease your risk. Avoiding weight and waist gain, especially through adulthood, may decrease your risk up 20% and in order to do so, you must adopt a healthful diet. A study following 86,000 nurses over 26 years was just published in the American Journal or Epidemiology in August showing a correlation between a diet high in plant foods, and decreased red meat, sodium and processed carbohydrate intake decreased their risk of developing estrogen-receptor negative invasive breast cancer by 20% (estrogen-receptor negative breast cancer is responsible for 25% of all malignancies and is a type of cancer that currently has no effective treatment). Start by cutting out red meat little by little and replacing it with tons of vegetables, fruits and legumes to reduce your risk too. Are you nuts for nuts? Another study published in the August/September issue of Cancer and Nutrition indicates that there may be a correlation between walnuts and decreased breast cancer risk as well, but you need to eat 2oz of walnuts daily to see benefits.

What else can you do? Take Action. Studies have showed that being physically active for at least 30 minutes every day can reduce your risk as well. Increasing your physical activity decreases your body fat, decreases insulin and IG-1 levels, reduces inflammation as well as reducing free estrogen levels, which are all potential body fat mechanisms for cancer. And that’s not all because it’s not only for weight control. Physical activity, even if it’s just walking 10-15 minutes around the block, limits sedentary and TV time, can relieve stress and help sleep, all of which are relative risk factors for developing cancer.

Now for the take home messages…

• Eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes (at least 5 servings of non-starchy vegetables and fruits daily)
• Increase your dietary fiber, foods high in antioxidants (vitamin C, lycopene, beta-carotene, flavonoids, magnesium, folate, allium) and cruciferious vegetables
• Avoid sugary drinks, high fat foods, salty and processed foods, red meat and alcohol

Avoid long term use of estrogen replacement therapy at menopause

I tire easily of my same chicken routine. While chicken literally pairs with any flavor combination, I find myself sticking to the same recipe over and over, and to be honest it’s getting boring. At this point in the season, we are knee-deep in zucchini and I am struggling with new recipes to use with this versatile vegetable as well. That’s’ why this recipe, Chicken Breasts with Zucchini Pappardelle is absolutely perfect. It kills two birds with one stone and is delicious. Using skinless chicken breasts will definitely cut down on calories and fat too! Enjoy!

The first day of school represents more than just the embarkation of your child’s academic journey. Yes, there are new things to learn, skills to master and goals to achieve but it’s also important to remember your child’s mind is not the only thing getting bigger… they are too! No one wants their child to merely survive, you want them to thrive, and that starts with adequate nutrition. You may be able to prepare them for almost everything: freshly sharpened pencils, an endless supplies of neon highlighters, Lightening McQueen folders, Star Wars notebooks, Cinderella backpacks and anything else you can buy in the back to school section at Staples, but unless they are prepared to stay energized throughout the day they are merely objects, not the tools that will help them excel.

By now, we are aware of how preservative-, trans-fat-, sodium- and high-fructose corn syrup- laden all of the processed foods once infiltrating lunch boxes are, but kids still want these familiar tasting foods and we want the simplicity and ease of simply tossing items into a lunchbox. One thing is for certain: they definitely don’t want to be different than their peers who are still eating these chemically processed foods. We now know that these foods will only slow down your child, physically and academically, as well as contribute to the rising childhood obesity epidemic unfortunately sweeping the nation. At the end of the day, kids want what other kids are having, but whether its food allergies or adequate nutrition on your mind, you know you can’t send your kid off to school with those foods in their packed lunches. There are so many factors to keep in mind when you’re packing your child’s lunch- it needs to be fun and engaging, delicious, and healthful.  There are a few things we need to tackle, so let’s start with food allergies.

As I mentioned in Allergies: A to Z, the number of children suffering from food allergies is on the rise- eight percent of children until age 18 have a food allergy (that’s one in 12!). The most common food allergies include peanuts, milk, eggs, wheat and tree nuts, and they the peanut allergy has become so severe that some schools have started banning peanuts all together. It may take an excel sheet with pivot tables and pie charts to keep track of which friend can’t eat what at the lunch table or the classroom food policies, so why not be proactive and pack a school lunch that won’t land you in allergy detention?

Passing on Peanuts:

Does your child love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Try a peanut-free alternative like SunButter, which is made from sunflower seeds. Healthy homemade trail mixes can always been a tough one to tackle but are great snacks, try pumpkin and sunflower seeds mixed with dried fruit and flaked coconut instead of store bought trail mixes which not only have peanuts but tons of sugary chocolate. Here are some of my favorite peanut free packaged foods:

-        Snackers crackers- seedlander (free of peanuts and tree nuts)

-        Enjoy Life soft baked cookies (nut and gluten free)

-        Trader Joe’s Soft-baked Snickerdoodles (free of all of the 8 common allergies)

Peanuts may be the most dangerous and common food allergy but one of the trickier food sensitivities is excluding eggs especially since mayonnaise is a popular condiment, try switching to hummus or honey mustard in your turkey cucumber wraps (whole wheat of course) or sandwiches (have you seen this adorable whole wheat goldfish shaped bread by Pepperidge Farms?). Also these Kidekals water-restistant, washable, personalized labels are great for informing others of your kids allergies.

Aside from allergies, our biggest concern is providing healthful lunches and snacks that will give your kids the energy they need to make it through the day. Studies show that if you equip your children with healthy food to eat at school, they will be better prepared to study and learn. And it’s not all serious- lunch making can be a fun activity as well as a great way for kids to feel independent. Before we get into some specifics, some general suggestions to healthfully spice up your kids lunch box are swapping whole grains for refined, simple carbohydrates and trying flavored drinks or waters without added sugars in place of sodas and sugary juices.

And all the while, your kid has to have the coolest lunch box in class; Parenting brings us the 12 best kids lunch boxes that are too adorable (and environmentally friendly) for words!