Frozen Greek Yogurt Popsicles! A healthy 120 calorie protein packed treat

Frozen Greek Yogurt Pops!

A few weeks ago I shared an easy treat that has only 120 calories, and is also high in protein – 12 grams to be exact. What is it? Homemade frozen Greek yogurt popsicles!

All I can say is it’s the simplest healthy treat that will satisfy your sweet cravings, without giving you a sugar crash.
For this one, I used oikos yogurt, but I’ve also tried it with liberty yogurt, and it works well. This is a single serving.

Quick Nutrition Tip:

In addition to it being a healthy option when reaching for something sweet, it also provides 150 mg of calcium. When we think of calcium, most of us know is important for bone health, but did you know that calcium also helps manage blood pressure?

But don’t think taking calcium supplements  will do the job. Calcium supplements do not have the same blood pressure lowering effect as calcium in food.

How do you make it? Poke a popsicle stick through the top of the yogurt and place it in the freezer. I used one of my popsicle mold sticks (BPA free of course) but wooden sticks would work well too.

Once frozen, take it out of the freezer and run a little water over the container bottom to help make it easier to remove the yogurt. If you try to just pull it out, you may just pull out the stick!
There you go! Easy Peasy!

And who says healthy eating isn’t delicious!
xo

***NOTE***

I just discovered that dannon sometimes uses bugs (specifically, carmine—an extract made from the dried and pulverized dead bodies of the cochineal insect.) to color their Oikos Strawberry Greek Yogurt! The article was posted by the CPSI -Centre for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy organization based in the US.

Nothing against bugs, but lets be honest, i thought the red colored strawberries, were just strawberries, not bug dye.

I`m not sure if the products in Canada have different ingredients, but either way, i just wanted to share this with you

Here’s the link to the full article – berries over bugs

BPA in plastic food containers – is it safe?

BPA – What is it?

Over the past few weeks in preparation for a webinar with Fitness Expert Tommy Europe, I started reading about Bisphenol-A, or BPA – a chemical used to produce plastics and resins such as those in water bottles and the coatings of cans.

2008 Report from The National Toxicology Program (NTP) says we need to limit our exposure to BPA

When I first started researching BPA, I came across the report released in 2008 from The National Toxicology Program (NTP). In the report, the scientists expressed concern over exposure to BPA. They concluded that there was some concern for adverse effects on the brain, behaviour and prostate gland in fetuses, infants and children. As a result, we were advised to limit BPA when possible.

I ran to my cupboards, pulling everything plastic…

Now although I had read about BPA in the past and knew it wasn`t great, after reading this report, I immediately ran to my cupboards and tossed anything plastic, particularly if it had the recycling code #3 or #7 (these suggest BPA) and replaced them with glass containers.

But I kept researching BPA, and the latest studies say it isn’t as bad as originally thought

I continued researching BPA and since the NTP report in 2008, the FDA has performed more research on BPA and reviewed hundreds of studies. It turns out that the original studies actually overestimated the amount of BPA we are exposed to. They have said that the scientific evidence at this time does not suggest that the very low levels of human exposure to BPA through the diet are unsafe.

• Exposure to BPA in human infants is from 84 to 92% less than previously estimated

 Health Canada is also in agreement with this

• Dietary intake estimations of BPA for both the general population and infants were updated using more recent food occurrence data sets, including results from the Total Diet Study. The updated dietary exposure assessments are lower than those estimated in the assessment of August 2008. Therefore, based on the overall weight of evidence, the findings of the previous assessment remain unchanged and Health Canada’s Food Directorate continues to conclude that current dietary exposure to BPA through food packaging uses is not expected to pose a health risk to the general population, including newborns and young children. This conclusion is consistent with those of other food regulatory agencies in other countries, including notably the United States, the European Union and Japan.

So, with this new information, should you toss your plastics anyway?

In my opinion, I am definitely relieved to hear that our exposure to BPA is not as significant as previously thought, BUT you can’t disregard the fact that it is linked to health concerns and considering it is something that can be easily limited in your diet, why not just limit it?

If you want to limit your exposure to BPA here are 5 things you can do today:  

1.       Use glass containers for storing food
2.       When you buy plastics, look for the term BPA free
3.       Look for canned foods that are BPA free. One brand is EDEN foods
4.       If buying bottled water, Dasani bottles are BPA free
5.       For wrapping foods, use parchment paper. If using plastic wrap, look for the brand Glad plastic wrap and Saran wrap. They are BPA free.

Links

Health Canada

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/packag-emball/bpa/bpa_hra-ers-2012-09-eng.php

National institute of Environmental Health Sciences

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/sya-bpa/

FDA

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm297954.htm

The Gluten Free Diet

The Gluten Free Diet – is it just the latest trend or should you give it a try?

The gluten free diet is a hot trend right now and you may be curious to know if it is something you should try. It seems as though everyone is on a gluten free diet – your friends, your family and maybe even your pet!

I have to admit, I didn’t realize how popular it had become until my friend’s partner – a meat and potatoes kind of guy – decided to go gluten free himself!

What is the Gluten Free Diet?

The key element of the gluten free diet is to avoid foods that contain gluten, specifically wheat, rye, barley and oats that are not pure. For someone who has celiac disease, gluten actually causes damage to the intestine, reducing nutrient absorption, which could contribute to a host of health problems, which i discuss in the video.

Is the gluten free diet right for you?

Well, if you have a family history of celiac disease or if you have issues with your digestion, following a gluten free diet may help you feel better.

BUT, before you make any dietary changes, there are specific things you need to know.

Watch the video to find out what you need to know before going gluten free!

Thinking about going gluten free but still not sure if it is right for you? Post your comments and lets chat about it! 

Enjoy!

Maria

Ps. If you like the video, feel free to share it!!