Tag Archives: fast food

Wellness Blogger Offers These Healthy Summer Snack Recipes

“Every story and every memory from my childhood is attached to food,” Dawn Lerman writes. Our relationship with food starts at a very young age: what and how we eat is often determined by our environment and our upbringing. Our eating habits and snack tastes are cultivated by our family members’ relationships to food, for better or worse. Dawn knows this first hand. The author of the New York Times Well Blog series, “My Fat Dad,” shares her food journey and that of her father, a brilliant copywriter from the “Mad Men” era of advertising at Leo Burnett and McCann Erickson, in her book, MY FAT DAD: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Family, with Recipes (Berkeley; September 29, 2015; Trade paperback/$USD16.00).

Summer Snack Book Dawn And FatherDawn’s father was known for his witty ad campaigns; he was responsible for such iconic slogans as “Coke Is It,” “This Bud’s for You,” and “Leggo My Eggo.” Unfortunately, he was not able to use the same problem-solving skills when it came to his weight. Dawn’s father was obese as she was growing up —450 pounds at his heaviest. His weight would go up and down like an elevator, depending on what fad diet he was on–or what ad campaign he was assigned to. He insisted Dawn, her mother and sister adapt to his saccharine-laced, freeze-dried food plans to help keep him on track. Dawn’s mother never cooked and she witnessed her mother eat only one real meal a day—a can of tuna over the kitchen sink—while she dashed from audition to audition pursuing an acting career.

“As far back as I can remember, there was an invisible wall that separated me from my dad, a distance that I could never completely penetrate,” Dawn remembers. “His closest relationship was with the bathroom scale – his first stop every morning and his last stop every evening. The scale controlled his moods, our days, what we were going to eat and basically ruled our family life.”

Snacks were a particular downfall of her father, especially when he was working on fast food marketing campaigns. “My dad felt that in order to create a good slogan, you needed to believe in the products you were selling,” Dawn explains. “He was always the best customer for the food and drinks he advertised, testing them excessively—especially when Wells Rich & Green promoted him to head creative director for Pringles potato chips”

Listening to him crunch away canister after canister on the crispy snacks in the privacy of his room– trying to come up with the perfect slogan, Dawn knew she had to get inventive to help her dad get healthy while still staying inspired. At 9 years old Dawn had become the official chef for her family, turning her maternal grandmother Beauty’s Jewish weekly recipe cards into diet friendly meals and treats that would keep her dad motivated. It was her grandmother who instilled in Dawn a passion for cooking for oneself and others as she learned that the best food is prepared with the freshest ingredient.

One recipe Dawn developed during that time was her special homemade hot air popped corn coated in ranch seasoning. Upon trying it her father declared “Dawn now that you popped, you can’t stop!” That statement of delight was the kernel of an idea that took her dad around the world– filming highly attractive people on beaches and other fun places, joyfully indulging in Pringles potato crisps that exploded out of the can as the top popped off while the voice over announced…” Once You Pop, You Can’t Stop!”

My Fat Dad Summer Snack Book CoverDawnLermanThis spring and summer try these healthy and delicious snacks from My Fat Dad with no stopping required. The potato chip recipe, derived from that long-ago hot air popped corn recipe, can be enjoyed throughout out the day as they are satiating and nutritious. Pair it with Dawn’s Hummus recipe, which is loaded with protein. The combo of complex carbs, protein and healthy fats –will fill you up without weighing you down. A win-win for both mood, energy, and weight control!

Recipes below from MY FAT DAD: A Memoir of Food, Love, Family, and Recipes By Dawn Lerman

Berkley Books/2015

MY FAT DAD: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Family, with Recipes By Dawn Lerman  Berkeley / 2015 Trade Paperback/$16.00

Dawns Potato Chip Recipe

Herb Infused Ranch Style Sweet Potato Chips with Coconut Oil

Yields: 4-6 servings

These sweet potato chips are crunchy, slightly salty, and have that wonderful ranch taste. They are a healthy take on traditional store bought chips. They are fried in coconut oil– which not only helps the chips to brown beautifully, but aids in speeding up your metabolism. They are a constant staple in my formerly fat dad– 450 pounds, now 210 pound –snacking regime.

4 large sweet potatoes, can also use white potato’s or beets

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 teaspoon of dried parsley

1 teaspoon of garlic salt

I teaspoon of onion powder

1 teaspoon of minced onion

Sea salt for seasoning

Fresh thyme for garnish

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees, scrub potatoes to remove dirt. Then slice into thin, even pieces. You can cut them by hand or use a slicing attachment on a food processor. Rinse your potato slices in cold water. Now soak the slices in cold water for 30 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and lay them on a paper towel or paper keeping them slightly moist. Dip in bowl with herb mixture –dried parsley, garlic salt, and onion powder. Make sure chips are coated.

In a skillet melt the coconut oil over medium heat. When the oil sizzles place them in the oil for about 1 min till they get slightly brown. Do not over crowd the pan. Best to do in small batches. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to remove your chips from the coconut oil. Drain the chips on a layer of paper towels, and repeat till all chips have been fried and blotted.

Then place all the cooked chips on a baking sheet and bake for 1 minute. Remove and serve warm. Sprinkle with sea salt and garnish with fresh thyme.

*NOTE: if you do not want to fry the chips you can take coated chips, lay them out on a baking sheet sprayed with coconut oil and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees until golden brown.

Sweet Potato Hummus

Yields: 6 servings

If you are looking for a light, healthy snack this sweet potato hummus is bursting with flavor, spice and color. Because of its high protein content, it will help control your appetite and mood. My dad named it the caviar of hummus—exclaiming, that it was almost illegal for something so nutritious to be this delicious. Pair this with my Potato Chip recipe for the perfect blending of protein and carbs.

1 large sweet potato (about 9 ounces)

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

5 tablespoons olive oil (plus additional, as needed, for thinning)

2 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Pinch of nutmeg

Position the baking rack in the middle and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Wrap the sweet potato in foil and bake in a shallow baking pan until it can be easily pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow the potato to cool completely.

Peel the skin off the sweet potato and transfer to a food processor fitted with a blade. Add the chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt, and nutmeg, and process until smooth. If the hummus is too thick, add a little extra olive oil or water and process until the desired consistency is reached.

MY FAT DAD is as much a coming of age memoir as it is a recipe collection from Dawn’s upbringing and culinary adventures in Manhattan. Her recipes include some of her grandmother’s favorite traditional Jewish dishes, to healthier interpretations and creations. Her father’s life-long struggle with food, along with her grandmother’s love of cooking fresh foods, led Dawn to become a well-respected nutritionist, NY Times blogger and chronicle her story in her best-selling book. Today her dad is a healthy 210 pounds and vegan.

“Dawn Lerman grew up Jewish in the 70’s. I grew up Italian. Might sound different, but for the most part, it’s the same. Especially when it comes to food. The philosophy was simple, food = love. My Fat Dad hilariously and poignantly captures that essence. Whether you’re Italian, Jewish, or anything else you can relate to how family, food, and the love of both affect how we grow up, and live our life. Mangia!”

—Ray Romano, Emmy award-winning actor

“The Manhattan nutritionist was raised by a diet junkie who tried every regimen under the sun and food — or the lack of it — ruled her life. My Fat Dad is about her eccentric upbringing and her constant state of hunger as Albert imposed his wacky ways on the whole family.” The New York Post

“My Fat Dad is an exploration of the many ways food shapes our connection to family. It also includes many delightful recipes.” Michel Martin, NPR, All Things Considered

“It is clear Lerman ‘s life is centered around the table and she gives readers a seat at hers” Baltimore Jewish Times

” ‘My Fat Dad’ is a memoir of food, love and starvation” New York Daily News

ABOUT DAWN LERMAN, MA, CHHC, LCAT

Dawn Lerman Nutritionist Blogger AuthorDawn Lerman is a Manhattan based nutritionist, bestselling author of My Fat Dad: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Family with Recipes, and a contributor to the New York Times Well Blog. She has been featured on NBC, NPR, Huff Post TV as well as several other news outlets. Her company Magnificent Mommies provides nutrition education to student, teachers and corporation. Dawn counsels clients on weight loss, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other diet-related conditions. She is a sought-after speaker and cooking teacher and lives in New York with her two children.

For more information about Dawn, go to www.DawnLerman.net .

 

Ontario Planning Legislation- Mandatory Menu Labeling For Fast-Food Restaurants and others

 

 

It appears North American society has been desensitized to what childhood obesity 'looks like'- what a difference a single generation can make. Here we see child obesity stricken Augustus Gloop characters from Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory- (Left) 1971 (Right) 2005. Clearly, what was considered obese 42 years ago would not be considered obese today. As Society as a whole becomes more overweight and as media desensitizes our perspectives due to film and video characterizations, our opinions have been influenced. CP image: weknowmemes.com
It appears North American society has been desensitized to what childhood obesity ‘looks like’- what a difference a single generation can make. Here we see child obesity stricken Augustus Gloop characters from Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory- (Left) 1971 (Right) 2005. Clearly, what was considered obese 42 years ago would not be considered obese today. As Society as a whole becomes more overweight and as media desensitizes our perspectives due to film and video characterizations, our opinions have been influenced. CP image: weknowmemes.com

 

October, 2013     Ontario will help parents and their children make healthier choices by putting calories on menus, following consultations with the fast-food industry and health care sector.

Legislation that would require large chain restaurants to include calories and other potential nutritional information on their menus will be introduced this winter. The government will also seek advice on how to reduce the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages aimed at kids.

Consultations on menu labeling will include parents and representatives from food and beverage manufacturing, agriculture, restaurant, food service, food retail and health sectors. Consultations on limiting the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to children will also include the media and telecommunications industry.

Making it easier for Ontario families to choose healthy food is a key component of the Healthy Kids Panel report and helps deliver on our Action Plan for Health Care.

This is part of the Ontario government’s economic plan to invest in people, invest in infrastructure and support a dynamic and innovative business climate.

QUICK FACTS

*   The consultations build on steps the government has already taken to implement recommendations from the Healthy Kids Panel, including a 24-hour support line for breastfeeding moms and expanding Ontario’s Student Nutrition Program.

*   In 2009, the economic cost associated with physical inactivity and obesity in Ontario was $4.5 billion.

*   More than 80 per cent of food ads in Canada are for food high in calories and low in nutritional value.

*   A vast majority of Ontarians (95 per cent) support requiring fast food restaurants list nutritional information on their menus (Ipsos Reid, 2011).

 

Australia’s controversial “Break the Habit”- childhood obesity commercial

 

 

LEARN MORE

*     Ontario Consulting On Healthy Eating Initiatives

*     Support for Ontario’s Healthy Eating Initiatives

*     Ontario’s Action Plan for Health Care

*     The Health Kids Panel Report

QUOTES

“Parents have told us they want our support in keeping their kids healthy. We are

committed to giving parents and their kids the information they need to make healthy

choices. I want to thank our health care and industry partners for working

collaboratively with us on this important initiative to improve kids’ health.”

— Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

 

McDonald's VP Ontario- Sharon Ramalho began working at McDonald's part-time in 1983. image courtesy of womenworthwatching.com
McDonald’s VP Ontario- Sharon Ramalho began working at McDonald’s part-time in 1983. image courtesy of womenworthwatching.com

 

“McDonald’s Canada supports the Ontario government’s action to provide Ontarians

with more access to nutrition information in restaurants. McDonald’s is a long-time

leader in providing comprehensive in-restaurant nutrition information based on the

13 core nutrients including calories, so its customers can make informed eating

choices to suit their dietary needs and preferences.”

—  Sharon Ramalho, Vice President – Ontario Region, McDonald’s Canada

 

 

 

 

“Ontario’s doctors wholeheartedly support the government’s plan to introduce menu

labelling in large chain restaurants, and also believe in the need for restrictions

on the marketing of unhealthy food to kids. Obesity is strongly associated with an

increase in chronic disease – and over half of all adults and one-third of children

are overweight or obese. The government’s Healthy Kids Strategy will go a long way

towards addressing this growing epidemic.”

Dr. Scott Wooder, President, Ontario Medical Association

 

“The Heart and Stroke Foundation applauds the Government of Ontario’s decision to

introduce mandatory menu labeling. With today’s busy lives and vast array of food

choices, it’s crucial to provide everyone with the ability to make well informed

decisions about the food we eat and feed our children. This important initiative

will go a long way in empowering Ontarians to make healthy choices when dining out

or purchasing prepared food. Eating well is absolutely one of the best investments

Ontarians can make to decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke.”

Mark Holland, Director of Health Promotion and Children & Youth, Heart and Stroke

Foundation

 

Helping Families Make Healthier Food Choices

Supplemental- How close is planned Ontario legislation to the USA Obama administration’s new calorie limitations for school lunches? http://eagnews.org/appalled-school-cafeteria-employee-seconds-banned-extra-food-thrown-away/

The impact of food advertising on childhood obesity by the American Psychological Association http://www.apa.org/topics/kids-media/food.aspx

"“We have to keep an enormous amount of paperwork, about serving sizes, food temperatures, labels, on and on,” our source says. “The new forms are more complex, ask for more information that’s just being duplicated on other forms. (Food service workers) are all collecting the same data for reports that sit in a file drawer and never get looked at.” Our source believes the new government-required paperwork consumes so much of the employees’ time that it is driving up labor costs for the school district, which serves a low-income community." source/image: eagnews.org
““We have to keep an enormous amount of paperwork, about serving sizes, food temperatures, labels, on and on,” our source says. “The new forms are more complex, ask for more information that’s just being duplicated on other forms. (Food service workers) are all collecting the same data for reports that sit in a file drawer and never get looked at.”
Our source believes the new government-required paperwork consumes so much of the employees’ time that it is driving up labor costs for the school district, which serves a low-income community.” source/image: eagnews.org