One of Each Soup

By Kay MacInnis

Last week, the federal government released new dietary guidelines. They are revised every five years, and are based on the latest nutritional science. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll review some of these new recommendations. The first is to limit sugar.

We are being asked to limit intake of sugar to less than 10 percent of our daily calories. It has been estimated that the average American consumes about 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, or about 349 Calories.

Maybe an easy way to start on this goal to cut your sugar intake in half, starting with soft drinks… and our beloved sweet tea. Try substituting water, unsweet tea, flavored unsweet tea, or infused water as an alternative to the soft drinks. For a former sweet-tea “aholic,” even changing to half-and-half – or mostly unsweet with a splash of sweet tea – can make a big difference by the end of the day.

There is an average of 10-12 teaspoons of sugar in a 12-ounce soft drink (your entire daily allowance, under the new guidelines), so cutting down on those can have a big impact.

Be aware that when you include processed or prepared foods in your diet, you are almost certainly taking in more sugar than you realize. The American Heart Association recommends that we cut back on added sugar to decrease our risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Best advice: Choose less sweet stuff every day.

And since it’s cold outside, try this recipe. You’d never guess how good this combination of ingredients can taste!

One of Each Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 banana, coarsely chopped
• 1 Granny Smith apple, cored, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 potato, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 large celery rib, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp. curry
• 1 1/2-2 cups 2% evaporated milk
• shredded carrots or chopped chives, for garnish

Preparation:

• Quarter the banana, apple, potato, onion and celery.
• Place in medium saucepan with chicken stock.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are soft.
• Put the vegetable mixture into a blender and blend until smooth.
• Return to saucepan.
• Add curry and evaporated milk.
• Garnish with shredded carrots or chopped chives.

Nutrition information: 132 Calories, .4 grams fat, 3 mg. cholesterol, 108 mg. sodium.

………………………………………………………

This is another in a weekly series of healthy recipes from Kay MacInnis, registered dietitian at Providence Hospitals in Columbia.

Kay works in Health and Wellness at Providence, helping cardiac and diabetes patients eat their way to healthier lives. She’s not a chef herself, but in consultation with the actual chefs at Providence, she’s learned a lot over the years as she has worked to help patients help themselves after they leave the hospital.

She also conducts a number of health and wellness events for the public, including the monthly Providence Cooks! classes.

Sign up here to start your free subscription to MidlandsLife!