Kimbrough's brown bag lunch program discusses nutrition

By Lisa R. Rhodes, Fort Meade Soundoff! staff writerMarch 18, 2014

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FORT MEADE, Md. -- A lunch at a popular fast food eatery that offers healthy options may not be so healthy. That's the message Nancy Reed, the registered dietician-nutritionist at Kimbrough Ambulatory Care Center and a certified diabetes management educator, shared during Kimbrough's first Brown Bag Lunch and Learn on Tuesday afternoon.

Col. Michael Zapor, deputy commander of clinical services, and Capt. Alyson Rhodes, a physician's assistant, came up with the idea for the series late last year. "What we wanted to do was find a way to share health information with our patients outside of the clinical setting," said Rhodes, who organizes the series. "We hope that we come up with topics that will be interesting."

Tuesday's presentation was part of the monthlong observance of National Nutrition Month.

Reed gave a 60-minute presentation on healthy fast foods and dispelled many of the assumptions that most people have about what should comprise a nutritious meal.

For example, a tuna salad sandwich on whole wheat contains 28 grams of fat, compared to 5 grams of fat for a roast beef sandwich on whole wheat. Reed said many people assume that tuna fish mixed with mayonaise is healthier than roast beef.

"But all fast foods are not what they seem," she said.

Reed said that one of the biggest problems in eating right is finding the time to prepare a nutritious meal. "But there are fast and easy ways to do a healthy lunch," she said.

Reed suggested that people follow the joint recommendations for proper nutrition from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association when planning meals.

Each meal should be comprised of at least three different food groups -- protein, vegetables, fruit, grains and dairy-- and should be 500 to 650 calories.

Each meal should have no more than 4 grams of saturated fat or 800 milligrams of sodium.

"Variety is important," Reed said. "You can be very creative in how you put these food groups together."

For example, including vegetables for breakfast is a good way to add variety to a meal.

A lunch of Greek yogurt, a mini granola protein bar, strawberries and a bowl of salad provides plenty of protein, dairy, and a mixture of vegetables and fruit. On the other hand, a double-stacked hamburger, medium fries and a mocha iced tea adds up to 1,100 calories, 47 grams of fat (15 grams of saturated fat) and 1,340 milligrams of sodium.

Reed said salt is used as a preservative in most fast foods so the food can remain on a shelf or in the freezer for a long time.

When it comes to condiments such as mayonnaise and butter, Reed suggested that people use a teaspoon less. "The goal is to be healthier," she said. "Eat from these food groups and eat in moderation."

Reed said that years ago, a 9-year-old patient gave her the best definition of what it means to eat in moderation. "Eat a little bit of everything and not a whole lot of one thing," she recalled.

After the program, retired Master Sgt. Art Marshall said the presentation was very informative.

"Don't take your health for granted," the Laurel resident said. "Make sure you give yourself an extra 10 minutes in the morning to prepare yourself a healthy meal."

Editor's Note: Kimbrough Ambulatory Care Center's Brown Bag Lunch and Learn series is held the second Tuesday of the month at noon. The topic for April 8 is resiliency.