This Sandwich Generation Baby Boomer Talks Chips, MUFA Foods, and Spring!

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I’m so excited! Spring is springing. That tiny yellow flower above will soon be a whole bush of yellow flowers. It’s our “harbinger of spring” and I’m so excited, as is my senior mom since she can start gardening again! I snapped that photo on one of our walks last week, with the handy dandy easy to use digital camera in my AT&T iPhone. I LOVE it!

And speaking of LOVE,  March 14 was National Potato Chip Day. I must admit, this Sandwich Generation granny nanny does have a love hate love relationship with potato chips. I LOVE to eat them. They are such yummy snacks – particularly those delicious sour cream or cheese flavored potato chips.  I HATE them because they are so deliciously addictive but are not very healthy for me, as Carol Marak of Carebuzz wisely reminded us all on Facebook this weekend. But still I DO LOVE ONE particular brand of them BECAUSE some very precious children in my life can eat them, when they can eat very few other things (other than their special formula). In case you have any grandkids or other family members dealing with food intolerance symptoms, allergies, or other food issues, we have been very blessed with the Cape Cod Kettle Cooked potato chips – regular or 40% reduced fat.

We’re not sure if it’s the type of potato or what, but they can be tolerated when so many other foods, including other potato chips, can’t be. And that’s not true just for our sweeties, as I understand it.  A wonderful blessing! Also I believe that most of their varieties are also gluten-free, though I would double check that to be sure nothing has changed.  We buy them at the two places in our area that carry them and it’s much less expensive that way. But isn’t it great that Amazon also carries them, for those who can’t get them any other way. 🙂

Well, time to leave the yummy, alluring potato chips for the more practical subject for all us baby boomers – figuring out how people over 50 can lose weight as well as raise their metabolism in a healthy way. This week I’m delving into the subject of snacks for the Flat Belly diet-MUFAs foods. The book carries several great options. My favorites, as I’ve mentioned before, are cashews and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

When I started this diet almost a month ago, I was SOOOO good about amounts and lost 10 pounds. Since then, my self-control with these snacks has fluctuated and so has my weight. I’m currently down 8 pounds from my original weight and deciding I need to look at some of the other snacks on the list that might be a wee bit less “addictive” for me. (As my pastor pointed out this weekend – “the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak!” And isn’t that true for so many areas of our lives including the spiritual side of things!). So here’s just SOME of the tasty options in the Flat Belly Diet book (the amounts and some recipes are in the same book) –

Pair any of these:

• corn tortillas
• Food for LIfe Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Sprouted Grain bread
• Feta Cheese
• unsweetened apple sauce – Mott’s natural style 100 calorie cup
• artichoke hearts
• broccoli florets
• black beans
• deli turkey slices
• hummus
• Ryvita Dark Rye Crispbread Crackers
• apples

With any of the MUFA foods such as:

• semisweet chocolate chips
• cashews
• pine nuts
• natural peanut butter – crunchy or smooth
• olive oil
• avocado
• black olive tapenade
• pesto sauce

There are many more choices on both lists – for complete lists, buy or borrow the Flat Belly Diet book and check out pages 101 and 138. I’m going to put the cashews on hold, since they seem to be my downfall. I’m switching over to the Ryvita Crackers, pine nuts, and hummus idea I found on page 136, along with the Cinnamon bread, if I can find it. I suspect these will be quite tasty but easier to stop eating. I hope. 🙂

You would think with the great weather we’ve had over the last week or so, and all the running around playing Tag I’ve enjoyed with my grandchildren, that I would be doing better, but noooooo! This baby boomer body just doesn’t want to cooperate like that! Ah well, time to get more serious, I suppose. 🙂 How about you? Any great news to report? We’d love to hear.

Kaye

Updated 2017