Last month I discoveredLean Cuisine’s new “Veggie Cuisine” line. As you may recall, the Enchilada Rojo was good, but the Indian Masala… wasn’t. When we reviewed these meals a month ago, they were so new that they didn’t appear in the online product finder on the Lean Cuisine website. Today I checked back, and they now appear in the finder, but unfortunately it doesn’t appear to be accurate – the Walmart where I purchased these doesn’t show up on their list. In fact, it would appear that you can’t buy them anywhere. The good news is that the product finder does appear to work for other varieties.

Last month the Indian Masala got a thumbs’ down for the bland sauce and the wet cardboard aftertaste of the vegetable protein chunks. This week these same chunks appear in the Roasted Red Pepper Fettuccine, so at first I was dubious. Would they tip this one into the Avoid category? Lean Cuisine’s Veggie Cuisine, Part Two

Q: I know that high fructose corn syrup is bad for me. Now that I’m reading labels more carefully, I’m very surprised at how often it shows up in prepared foods, even as an additive in supposedly healthy whole-wheat bread. I love to bake, and occasionally a recipe calls for corn syrup. What’s the difference between the corn syrup in my pantry and the high fructose corn syrup found in so many commercial products? Is Karo syrup as bad for me as HFCS, and should I try to find a substitute?

A: Like you, I find high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in so many products and am often amazed at the number of foods that contain this ingredient. You’ll find it in processed foods in very high amounts, like soda and sweet drinks, baked goods and other processed foods. There is a lot of controversy about whether this ingredient is a worse for you than other sweeteners. More and more research is building a case that it is not all that great a choice for health reasons. That said, I do try to avoid most processed foods in general and certainly those that contain HCFS. Corn Syrup vs. HFCS

Q: Is Lean Cuisine Coumadin safe?

A: It’s difficult to say whether such pre-prepared meals are safe for those who use Coumadin® (warfarin) or not.

We have asked companies repeatedly to provide us with the Vitamin K content of their products but to no avail. The only way to even possibly be safe might be to check the ingredient list carefully for those foods that are higher in Vitamin K.

Q: I understand the latest report on the problems that may follow a diet high in red meat consumption. I don’t eat a lot of beef, but I wonder what goat meat, venison or buffalo are considered to be as far as “red” meats are concerned. Are they good substitutes for beef? No mention of them is made in any of the reports I read.

A: For purposes of the research that has been reported on in the news lately, the studies include all types of red meats, including beef and products made from beef or pork such as salami or sausage. There is no specific mention of wild meat consumption in the research, however. Beef/Pork vs. Wild Meats

Have a question? Send it to askdrgourmet@drgourmet.com and your question may be answered in this column. Read more Ask Dr. Gourmet questions – over 500 questions already answered!

I have a friend with Celiac disease and he’s one of the reasons we here at Dr. Gourmet started our section for those who need to eat gluten-free. We were having dinner together not too long ago, and he said that one thing he really missed, besides pizza, was stuffed pasta dishes. Sure, the gluten-free pastas he could make at home were good, but on top of not being able to go to Italian restaurants, he couldn’t even find gluten-free shells suitable for stuffing.

Fortunately I was at Winn-Dixie the other day and noticed the Caesar’s Pasta Specialties in their frozen foods section. A couple of years ago we reviewed their gluten-free cheese and vegetable lasagnas, which were really good. Pricey, but good. In the past we’d looked at the two meals we’re reviewing today and passed on them because the amount of sodium in them is on the high side, but after my friend lamented his lack of stuffed pastas I thought we’d try them. (Remember: “We eat it, so you don’t have to.”)Caesar’s Pasta Specialties

We here at Dr. Gourmet have been doing reviews of frozen meals for a long time. I mean, a long time. Food brands have come and gone in the last ten years or so that we’ve been reviewing these foods (Advantage\10 Pizza, anyone?), but the big guys like Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers and Healthy Choice seem to endure. Unfortunately, sometimes that means that we have a hard time finding something new to review that fits our criteria of under 600 milligrams of sodium. I was lamenting the lack of choice to a friend the other day, who said that he enjoyed “the Lean Cuisine that comes in a bag.”

He’s a stay at home dad, so I assumed that he was referring to those frozen meals-in-a-bag that are intended for families: add a meat, saute and serve. At Dr. Gourmet we’re unlikely to review such things, however. (That’s why I created Pantry Meals, after all.) But as I was standing in my local Winn-Dixie, trying vainly to find something acceptable that we hadn’t already reviewed, I noticed these bagged items in with the other Lean Cuisine meals. Upon closer inspection I discovered that although the sodium levels were indeed a little higher than I’d like, at 640 milligrams each, they were indeed single servings: “Lean Cuisine in a bag.” Lean Cuisine’s New Line: Market Creations

Today is no exception. We have two meals from Gluten Free Cafe, a brand that has gotten uniformly good reviews from us here at Dr. Gourmet. The first we tried is a new variety: Savory Chicken Pilaf, which is described as “marinated white meat chicken with almonds, sweet raisins and red peppers with rice pilaf.”

This meal smells terrific while cooking and the white rice has a bright curry flavor without being too spicy. The added almonds give the rice a nice crunch and the raisins add a little burst of sweetness that rounds out the savory rice. Gluten Free Cafe

Researchers have been divided on just why meal replacements work, however. Ordinarily reducing the number of calories at one meal results in increased consumption at the meals following, resulting in about the same number of calories consumed over the course of the day. Yet this wasn’t the case with high protein meal replacements: dieters would eat the meal replacement and would not compensate for the reduction in calories by eating more at subsequent meals. They would then lose weight.

Then other researchers noted that having a bowl of high-fiber cereal would yield the same results: a standard size bowl of cereal in place of a single meal again resulted in lost weight (think of those “Special K Challenge” ads).

Researchers at Cornell University theorized that it was simply the smaller portion size of these meal replacement drinks, bars and the like that was resulting in weight loss. Lose Weight with Portion Control

For some time I have been seeing a move from canned soups to those packaged in cartons and, while interesting, there’s still been far too much sodium for us to consider testing them. This time, however, I stumbled across new low sodium versions from a company who has been making stocks for some time: Imagine Natural Creations. It was hotter than heck when I walked to the market, so I decided to choose two that would work well both as chilled and hot soups. Imagine Natural Creations

Last month I talked about lying with statistics and how food companies use science to mislead you. Someone actually does that research, and those “experts” and others are used to put a scientific face on and bring authority to the technique of lying with statistics.

I am interviewed by the media fairly regularly. Often the topic is something controversial, and that makes sense. It’s difficult for news organizations to get people to pay attention and contentious topics do stand out. Stories about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), fast food and kooky weight loss products are popular, as you might expect, and these almost always result in emails or comments criticizing me for one reason or another. I don’t have a problem with this. It is, after all, my opinion and others are entitled to theirs.Bending the Truth with “Experts”

Featured Recipes

Poached Salmon with Roasted Garlic Yogurt

I love poached salmon and it’s perfect for a hot summer’s day. The short cooking time doesn’t heat up the kitchen too much and when served the cool fish is just right on a hot day. I like this tart yogurt sauce, but you can top poached salmon with your favorite salsa or mayonnaise.

Oregano Rice

By mincing the shallot very finely and adding it to the rice while it sits and continues to steam, it will actually cook slightly. Combined with the olive oil and oregano, this makes for a fragrant and simple side dish.

Elaine’s Blog
Following the Just Tell Me What to Eat! Plan

In the last week, I attended the annual meeting of the Medical Library Association in Minneapolis and visited the Mayo Clinic library in Rochester. A note about Rochester: the town embraces a healthy lifestyle. Then Don (my husband) and I began our vacation: camping at Perrot State Park in Trempealeau, Wisconsin and cycling around the area, taking care of our Chicago home and visiting with friends for a few days, and by week’s end, we’ll be at the Pedaler’s Jamboree, a 2-day bike ride on the Katy Trail (with entertainment provided by The Ozark Mountain Daredevils). Sound like fun? Here’s how I’m managing my meals while on the road.

I was a little surprised, given the number of Fettucini Alfredo meals on the market, that we hadn’t already reviewed the Fettucini Alfredo. Weight Watchers Smart Ones

Healthy Choice’s new steaming packaging hasn’t fared too well with us in the past, but that had more to do with their choice of pasta than the cooking technique itself. Steaming sweet potatoes, chicken, yellow carrots (now that I have definitely never seen in a convenience meal) and pearl onions should work pretty well. Healthy Choice Steaming Entrees

This week we have two from their “Select Entrees” line, which still has the classic instructions requiring poking, peeling and stirring. This proves to be a good thing for the first meal we tried, the Ravioli Florentine Marinara. Healthy Choice Select Entrees

Our past reviews of Weight Watchers Smart Ones products have been few and far between. Why? Because so many of them have been terribly high in sodium. I was in Walmart the other day looking at the convenience meals on offer there and noted that they have an enormous section of Weight Watchers meals – many of which I hadn’t seen before. I don’t know if it’s that the other locations I’ve been purchasing our review products simply don’t carry these varieties or if these are new or newly-reformulated products, but I was surprised to find quite a few of their meals meeting our Dr. Gourmet standards for calories, sodium and fiber. We’ll start with a couple this week and you’ll be seeing more of them in the weeks to come.

It was actually the Tuna Noodle Gratin that caught my eye in Walmart. There just aren’t many fish or shellfish options available in convenience meals. I fully expected to see that it contained 800 milligrams or more of sodium, but 550? Tuna Noodle Gratin and Pasta with Ricotta and Spinach

We review convenience mealson the Dr. Gourmet web site. While I am not a fan of them, I do realize that folks are busy and challenged for time, so we try to look for the better choices to help you out. Most of the ones that we choose to put to the tasting panel come out of the freezer case, and there’s a reason for that. When I look for foods on the aisles of the grocery store, what I find is so terrible that I can’t even consider putting anyone through having to taste it. (Remember our motto: “We eat it so you don’t have to.™”)

I will use Hamburger Helper as the prototype (hey, there are others but it’s such an easy target). What Not To Eat: Processed Foods Edition

Featured Recipe

Southwest Crab Cakes

It’s funny how some recipes happen. I was having tapas at a local Spanish restaurant and thought about the flavors that work well with seafood. The crab and cumin go fantastic together. Combine that with the corn flavor from the tacos and you have these crab cakes.

The box looked promising and I put it in the freezer and promptly forgot about it. A few days later I was back at the store, meandering about looking for something else, and I passed the freezer case and there was another Against The Grain pizza: Nut Free Pesto. OK, I guess that it’s time to test them. Against The Grain Pizzas

Last month we reviewed two varieties, Chicken Sausage & Spinach and Beef & Vegetable Gnocchi, from Michael Angelo’s new product line: Italian-Style Pies. Despite their disappointingly small size compared to the packaging, both were good and we recommend them for when you have 35-40 minutes to bake something and can put together a vegetable or salad to round out the meal.

This week is a little different. We have the other two varieties from this line: Chicken & Spring Vegetables and Potato Gnocchi & Cheese. Michael Angelo’s Italian-Style Pies

So of course I was pleased to find some new varieties – so new, in fact, that they don’t even have these varieties listed on their Web site. They can only be cooked in the oven, however, which I didn’t realize until I got them home. Michael Angelo’s Italian-Style Pies

This week, instead of Mexican, we have Italian. Now, Amy’s doesn’t have a great track record with their lasagnas. Almost a year ago we compared their Tofu Vegetable Lasagna and their Light in Sodium Vegetable Lasagna, with the lower-sodium meal lacking flavor (or vegetables, for that matter). So it was with a jaundiced eye that we approached the Spinach Lasagna. Spinach Lasagna and Pasta & Veggies

The first meal put to the test was the Soft Taco Fiesta. This is sort of like a tamale pie and is made with brown rice, veggies, corn tortilla and black beans. Light and Lean (And Pretty Good)

The first by a company we have not seen before, so I am not sure how widely available it is. Organic Bistro makes an Alaskan Salmon Cake with Three Bean Medley and Confetti Pilaf. I was dubious, but we have had some success with fish cakes in the past. Two with Seafood

Recently there was a study, funded in part by Jenny Craig, that showed that structured meal plans can help people lose weight. There are ads all the time for such plans – Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Bistro MD…. These work – in a way – and I have had patients lose weight using such plans. But the weight doesn’t stay off for long: they almost always gain it back. This is partly because the programs don’t really teach you anything about eating healthy without someone else making the decisions about what to eat and when.

That said, I believe that convenience meals like those provided by Jenny Craig et al. can be a healthy part of your life. I’d much rather you make your own meals, whether it’s taking a sandwich to work or putting together something healthy out of a well-stocked pantry, but I’m realistic. People do use Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice and Weight Watchers meals in lieu of cooking. If you are going to choose these, how do you know which ones are healthier? Our tasting panel at DrGourmet.com has sampled dozens of these products over the years and have found some that are fairly good (and a lot that are really terrible). Can You Make Convenience Foods Part Of A Healthy Diet?

Featured Recipe

Whitefish with Savory Tomato Sauce

The bacon gives this sauce a great savory flavor and makes this rich and creamy. A perfect pair for your delicious healthy fish. Serve this with mashed potatoes or brown and wild rice.

The first one we tested was the Roasted Turkey and Vegetables. This is turkey with a mushroom gravy along with green beans with cranberries and slivered almonds. I’d feared that the green beans would be limp and mushy, but they were actually still moderately crisp and flavorful. Turkey, Turkey and Turkey

Her story isn’t unusual. Those fish sticks have a lot to answer for – from talking to patients it seems like those disgusting fish sticks have turned thousands of people off of eating fish. It’s tough going, sometimes, to convince people that fish is delicious if you cook it right.

Still, with the popularity of chicken nuggets and the like among kids, it seems like if you could find a good fish stick it might be a good way to get your kids to eat fish. I’ve spent the last few months scouring my local supermarkets for good fish options, to no avail. It seems like almost every major brand of fish sticks – Gorton’s most notably – includes monosodium glutamate (MSG) in their ingredients. Yuck! Fish Sticks

Dear Dr. Gourmet,

Q: I have been told that if you are on a very strict diet you should not eat past 7 o’clock. Some others say 9. Is this true? Also, does that mean no calories at all past the time or no big meal. Cause I generally just have a fruit-juice popsicle or some orange juice. Is that okay or am I breaking my strict diet “no eating” time?

A: Eating later is difficult because this usually means you are eating extra calories. If you are going to have something light like a fruit-juice popsicle or orange juice this is not likely to add many calories to your day. These are healthier calories than eating cookies or buttered popcorn. Late Night Snacks

Q: My husband went on Coumadin this week and one of the doctors told him, “NO cranberries.” When we read how low the vitamin K is in cranberries, we questioned this.

The nurse researched it for us and was told that cranberries kill some type of bacteria in your body and that the bacteria affects the Coumadin. Is this correct?

A: Well, my standard answer for this has been to send folks to an article written for my web site back in 2006: Should you avoid cranberry juice on Coumadin (warfarin)?

After reading your email I decided it was time to revisit this. There wasn’t good science about the issue of an interaction between cranberry juice and Coumadin (warfarin). The good news is that we now have pretty good evidence that it’s OK to drink cranberry juice.

Q: I would like to know what you consider the best meal replacement bar? I don’t have time to make a lunch, some days, and would like to be able to have one on hand for those busy days.

A: This is a great question. We’re all really busy today and the idea of being able to get a meal in a bar that you can eat on the run is really appealing. The Best Meal Replacement Bars

Have a question? Send it to askdrgourmet@drgourmet.com and your question may be answered in this column. Read more Ask Dr. Gourmet questions.

I mention the mainstream nature because there’s packaging aimed directly at kids. Granted, it’s more responsible with the theme “I’m a Super Fit Kid,” but a boxtop program is a boxtop program is a boxtop program. Gluten-Free Convenience Foods for Kids

Did You Know?

You can find great tips for easy, healthy snacks for kids in the Healthy Eating for Kids section on DrGourmet.com.

Classic Macaroni and Beef

For some reason, the smell of this one cooking reminded me of hospital cafeterias. I suspect it has something to do with the combination of tomato sauce and ground beef. Simple Favorites from Lean Cuisine

So the alternatives are to make your own, go without or purchase a frozen crust. Interestingly, frozen crusts are pretty easy to find, and you don’t have to just look at specialty stores like Whole Foods. Gluten Free Pizza Crust

We decided to start with two of Lean Cuisine’s standbys: Macaroni and Cheese and Chicken Enchilada Suiza.

Chef Tim Says….

We have been reviewing convenience foods here at Dr. Gourmet for a few years. The idea began because my patients talked about eating Lean Cuisine meals. I will admit that at the time I hadn’t had a frozen meal in longer than I could remember. Mind you, I love to cook and a lot of folks don’t. Likewise, I work to make time to cook because I know that it’s the way to living well and living longer.

O.K., that’s me but you may be different. You may not like to cook every day or may not feel you have the time. So I took this to heart and we began testing a lot of different convenience foods. Most of these are frozen meals like Lean Cuisine. We’ve now tasted and reviewed over a hundred such meals and some are pretty darn good and others pretty darn terrible. How to Choose Convenience Foods

Featured Recipe

Egg Salad

Yes, you can eat egg salad. The variations I will leave up to you. My brother loves Heinz India Relish and I like capers. I will also say that I have tried this recipe both with the reduced-fat mayonnaise and the non-fat and it makes little difference in flavor.

Barbecue Shrimp Salad

This is a perfect healthy summer picnic recipe. Make this along with the Chipotle Jack Grits Cakes and Cole Slaw and you’re good to go.

Chinese Chicken Salad

This is the perfect complete summer salad (but you can serve it in the winter also). Light and filling, it has everything you want in a salad – fresh crunchy veggies, a sweet sour dressing, savory meat….

So what? Of course your food comes from what you have at home. Researchers at Rutgers University wondered if there was a difference in what foods were actually in the home between those families with overweight members and those families who were all of normal weight. If It’s In the House….

With that in mind I chose two vegetarian lasagnas from their frozen foods line to further prove that the lower-sodium version of their foods tasted just as good – if not better – than the higher-sodium versions. Amy’s Vegetarian Lasagnas

This week, however, I spotted a new product from one of the frozen food companies that consistently gets good marks: Michael Angelo’s. They call these new products “Pocket Calzones,” and although they’re a bit high in sodium for their size, I decided to give them a shot. Maybe Michael Angelo’s could succeed where other companies had failed. Michael Angelo’s Pocket Calzones

I did come across a close substitute from the company Blue Horizon Natural. They sell a product they call “bites” that are sold as hors d’oeuvres but will work as a lunch or main course. Fish Sticks? Well… Maybe Not.

The one good thing about most gluten free offerings is that they are more natural than the mainstream frozen meals. There have been an increasing amount of gluten free offerings and it’s good to find a company that has offerings that are OK choices. We reviewed a few previously from Gluten Free Café and they were good choices. Here’s our report on a few more. Three from Gluten Free Cafe

That’s a tablespoon and a half (4.5 teaspoons), for men, and about 1 tablespoon of salt (3 teaspoons) for women.

We know that reducing the amount of salt we eat can help reduce blood pressure and your risk of heart disease – from stroke to heart attack. If everyone in the United States over 35 years old reduced their salt intake by only 3 grams per day, what kind of impact would that have on our country’s overall health? Quantifying the Effects of Less Salt

It’s kinda cool getting the packages: it’s a bit like Christmas. Not only are the arrivals sometimes unexpected, one is not always sure what’s inside. One of the most recent arrivals was Flavor Magic Portion Control Sheets. These came with more promotional information than almost any product we’ve received. They are described by the manufacturer as “innovative sheets” that “teach consumers how to practice sensible protein portion control.” Flavor Magic

While it’s easy to know which is which when you’re following a structured plan like The Real World Diet, most people don’t consciously plan their meals. When you buy a 400-calorie package of cookies from the vending machine or eat a plate of finger foods at a company cocktail party, do you consider those “snacks” or “meals”? You might eat more later if you’ve mentally tagged that food a “snack.” Is It a Meal, or Is It a Snack?

But when I saw these Naan Pizzas from Tandoor Chef at my local Whole Foods I was intrigued. Some of the best pizza I’ve ever had was made from my Pantry Meal recipe for Pita Bread Pepperoni Pizza, and I love naan, the Indian bread made by hand and baked in a big clay oven. So I grabbed a couple and took them for taste testing. Naan Pizzas

I just don’t understand why there’s no real effort at making this better.  I ask repeatedly but get a shrug.  There is one meeting that I have some influence with and this month it’s going to be different.  Stay tuned…

I see this a lot and it’s really frustrating.  Time and again I will go to a meeting, Grand Rounds or a lecture and what is served is almost always pretty disgusting.  Not just because the food is so unhealthy but it’s also so bad.  Generally speaking, doctors eat what you eat.  They tell you not to and then this is what they have for lunch.  It’s not just doctors, though.  Nurses and staff who see illness daily that’s clearly related to lifestyle order food from the most awful places.  There are some exceptions and I promise to share those with you as well.

The next time your doctor asks you to lose weight or eat better ask him or her what they had for lunch!   It may (or may not) surprise you.

Eat well, eat healthy, enjoy life!

Dr. Gourmet

I love Pad Thai. I have had some really great versions and some really terrible ones in restaurants. It’s easy to make this dish badly and very difficult to make it good. So much has to come together. Good sauce, veggies just right, tofu cooked well and the rice noodles not overdone. Most end up a big greasy pile of noodles and overcooked veggies on a plate. Two From Tandoor Chef

Its aroma while cooking was mostly of the veggies, especially the green beans and the peppers. The instructions call for cooking 3 minutes after piercing the plastic and then removing the plastic to stir. I was very careful stirring because rice pasta can fracture and break up. After another 3 minutes the dish looked really good. Two From the New Gluten Free Cafe

Dr. Tim Says….

When I am giving talks I always joke that none of my patients ever eats Oreo cookies. This always gets a big laugh and I believe that folks are laughing at themselves. We aren’t always honest with ourselves and probably even more often are not completely honest with our doctors (shocking, I know). I base my assertion that my patients are so good on the fact that when I discuss people’s diets with them only one has ever admitted to eating cookies. One. That’s it. A single patient in the last fifteen years.

Now, I find this really strange because the aisles in the grocery are FULL of cookies (but none of my patients are buying them).

I would really like to leave the office and drive to their house to root through their cupboards and refrigerator. Maybe I’d be proved wrong, but the research says that folks have an awful lot of cookies in their pantry. Studies of people’s trash have shown this repeatedly, with researchers finding a clear disconnect with what people will say they are eating and what ends up in their trash bins. Change Your Pantry and Get Healthy

Featured Recipe

Crawfish Pie

Fish pies like this are hugely popular in England. Done right they are the best comfort food. This twist on the traditional recipe includes a rich creamy filling topped with yummy mashed potatoes. The dish has it all – fish and veggies in a warm comforting meal.

One of the tests in developing this recipe was done with purple potatoes. The dish was really beautiful with the pink crawfish folded together with the veggies and topped with the purple mashed potatoes.

Placed into individual au gratin dishes, these make a great dinner party meal. Everything can be done in advance and then placed under the broiler. It will take a little longer in the oven to reheat fully, however.

This recipe is safe for Coumadin (warfarin) users, is low in sodium, and is gluten-free. Those with GERD / Acid Reflux and those who are lactose-intolerant should avoid it.

Living Gluten Free
with Julie Gee

When I was first diagnosed with Celiac Disease, my first few gluten-free shopping trips took so long that the dairy items in my cart were warm by the time I got to the checkout. Despite what it may seem at first, there are ways to make shopping for gluten-free foods faster and easier. You will need to read every label, and that will take some time. Here are some ways that you can simplify your grocery shopping while still maintaining a healthy gluten-free diet.

First of all, remember that “wheat free” does not necessarily mean “gluten free.” Many items do not contain wheat, but they may have other sources of gluten in them, such as malt flavoring or contaminated oats. Before you put an item into your cart think about how it might have been cross-contaminated. Supermarket Strategies for a Gluten-Free Diet

Keep Up With Dr. Gourmet

Follow Dr. Gourmet on Twitter!

Find Dr. Gourmet on Facebook!

Make Comments on DrGourmet.com!

Did you know that you can now make comments on the recipes on the DrGourmet.com website? If you have a Facebook account, you can make comments on the recipes and have those comments posted to your Wall for you to share with your Facebook friends. (If you don’t have a Facebook account, you don’t have to have one to make comments.) Let us and your friends know what you think of our delicious healthy recipes!

Over the next few weeks you’ll see the comment boxes added to all of the pages on DrGourmet.com, from “Ask Dr. Gourmet” to the special dietary needs sections such as Coumadin (warfarin), gluten and lactose intolerance, and low sodium diets.

eatTHISdiet for Coumadin Users:
The Cookbook

eatTHISdiet for Coumadin Users is now available in both spiral-bound paperback and PDF format!

Over 200 pages of what you need to know while on Coumadin (warfarin), including food lists – so you’ll know what you can eat! Includes a complete six-week eatTHISdiet for Coumadin users, with weekly meal plans, shopping lists, and over 90 recipes. Just $31.52 for the spiral-bound book and $14.95 for the eBook. Order yours now!

“The approved foods include those that derive less than 35% of their total calories from fat and less than 10% of calories from saturated fats. They should be trans-fat free, get less than 35% of their total calories from sugars (with an exception made for certain types of yogurt), and contain less than 200 milligrams of salt per serving.”

Clearly the goal in limiting children’s access to these unapproved foods was to improve their diet. Faced with fewer junk food options, however, did they make better choices?

Imagine my surprise to see new Healthy Choice packaging. The white background really stood out in the freezer case at the grocery. And there is a new logo. Cute. That’s when I noticed the words “All Natural Entrees” on the package. It even says “Real Food!” Two From The “New” Healthy Choice

We thought that our reviews had covered most of them but we found a couple more. Why keep reviewing them? Partly the popularity and partly because these two in particular have a lot of fiber (good for your kids). More Whole Wheat Mac ‘n’ Cheese

The pasta is not cooked to heck and gone – it has a little bit of a firm texture. The sauce is pleasant with a fairly good garlic flavor and the chicken is tender. Not a terrible meal, but not a great one. Three Pastas from Weight Watchers

I once worked on some recipes for a patient who did shift work. You know, it’s pretty easy for me as a doctor to say, “Eat fatty fish 3 times a week,” but if you are working in the middle of the night and your dinner is always coming from a microwave, this is more difficult. So I know the challenge for Lean Cuisine. Salmon and Chicken Options From Lean Cuisine

The last time that we tasted boxed Mac & Cheese was about a year and a half ago. At the time I did this at the urging of my brother. His kids ate a lot of the stuff, and he felt that the Annie’s products came out pretty good (they did in our tests). This company has made a name for itself and has probably fed almost every kid whose moms and dads shopped at Whole Foods or the like.

I was wandering the aisle looking for some good quality pastas for an upcoming recipe when there they were – Annie’s D.W. Whole Wheat Pasta and Alfredo. Whole wheat? Hmm… I thought. Looking at the package there’s 5 grams of fiber per serving. Hmmm…

Eat

The first thing that you notice about the Annie’s D.W. Whole Wheat Pasta and Alfredo, after cooking the pasta and adding it to the powdered cheese and milk, is that the cheese smells like CHEESE. Amazing I know, but there it is. Whole Wheat Macaroni & Cheese Dinners

Three More From Lean Cuisine

I had a patient the other day say that they liked all Lean Cuisine products. There’s no doubt that they are popular, and more are good than bad, but there are some real duds. After the discussion I realized that it had been some time since we had reviewed any of their products, so this week we review three from Stouffer’s: Baked Chicken, Linguine Carbonara, and Beef Chow Fun. Three More From Lean Cuisine

We have been reviewing convenience foods here at Dr. Gourmet for a few years. The idea began because my patients talked about eating Lean Cuisine meals. I will admit that at the time I hadn’t had a frozen meal in longer than I could remember. Mind you, I love to cook and a lot of folks don’t. Likewise, I work to make time to cook because I know that it’s the way to living well and living longer.

O.K., that’s me but you may be different. You may not like to cook every day or may not feel you have the time. So I took this to heart and we began testing a lot of different convenience foods. Most of these are frozen meals like Lean Cuisine. We’ve now tasted and reviewed over a hundred such meals and some are pretty darn good and others pretty darn terrible. Convenience Foods

Featured Recipe

Spanish Beef Stew with Olives

Stews are great. It’s just that simple. You can throw it all in a pot, put the pot on to cook and two hours later you have dinner. The great thing is that this is so versatile and this is typified by the fact that every culture has hundreds of stew recipes.

Most folks think that stews are not healthy but this really isn’t the case. Start with lean meats like top round, flank steak or bottom round. Trim the excess fat carefully before starting the stew and you’ll end up with a dish that’s not greasy and great for you.

This recipe is low in sodium (salt) and is safe for Coumadin (warfarin) users, those who are sensitive to gluten and those who are lactose intolerant. Those with GERD / Acid Reflux should avoid it.

A Healthy Pregnancy
with Faith Bontrager, RN, BSN

Congratulations to you on your pregnancy! Congratulations to your baby! Baby, you have a mother that is taking time to make sure that she and you are well nourished.

My first recommendation would be to find a doctor or midwife with whom you can comfortably talk and who makes nutrition a priority. Don’t be afraid to call several offices and ask, “Dr Smith, how does your belief about nutrition affect your practice?” Your practitioner will have access to your blood and urine tests, can take a health history, and will do a physical exam. All of these will make a difference in recommendations that are specific to you and your current health.

Without knowing any of those things, here are some general guidelines.

I was wrong. Oh, so wrong.

Lean Cuisine Beats Airport Food

I was traveling the other day and flew through the Atlanta airport. There was about an hour layover on Concourse A and it was at dinnertime. Unfortunately, there’s not much good, healthy food offered for dinner in the Atlanta airport. They do have some pretty good sandwich places, but I wanted something more dinner-like. I ended up settling for an Asian chicken salad at Houlihan’s. It was terrible. Just plain awful. Wilted lettuce, cheap mandarin orange pieces, dry chicken and a too sweet dressing.

It’s bad when you think to yourself, “The food that I’ve had on board some planes is better than this.” Then I remembered that in reviews I have often compared frozen meals to airline food (sometimes it’s better and sometimes worse). I actually found myself wishing for one of the good frozen meals we have reviewed here at Dr. Gourmet.

The good news is that we’ve found two more good ones from Lean Cuisine. Meals can be a bit hit or miss with the folks over at Stouffer’s, but we lucked out this week.

We’ve heard a lot of feedback from readers about DiGiorno Harvest Wheat crust pizza. Finally! A frozen pizza with a wheat crust! Even though we’ve heard about this, it’s not all that easy to find. The frozen pizza case is prime real estate in grocery stores and I’ve been checking for a while now without much success. But finally there it was but only in one variety – the Thin Crispy Crust Supreme Pizza.

Three From Michelina’s

I have looked at Michelina’s in the freezer case for some time. With all the other choices out there we just haven’t gotten around to reviewing them. There is something about the packaging that on the one hand is more environmentally friendly, but it makes them look cheap. There’s no traditional box with the little plastic tray inside. The tray is cardboard as is the top. You simply peel back the cover and pop the whole thing in the microwave.

We tested three. Two came from their Authentico line and one from the Lean Gourmet brand. All three….