Hello & Happy Sunday everyone! I am Kelly and this is Weight Watchers Virtual Workshop #403 brought to you by If You Have an Egg.com. Today is Sunday, February 23, 2025 and if you were not able to join us LIVE, just visit https://www.youtube.com/@ifyouhaveanegg to watch (or listen!) whenever you can!
If you are new or returning to our LIVE workshop please give us a shoutout so we can all welcome you…we are glad you are here!
This week over on the If You Have an Egg Facebook Group, our Focus Leader Julie will be chatting about this week’s focus topic “Loving Your Heart!”. Join us and don’t forget to comment to join in the fun! If you aren’t already a member of the group simply visit the group here and remember to answer those 3 questions so I can let you in 🙂
This is not new information but I am anxiously awaiting the labeling and further guidelines so I am enlisting you all to keep an eye out! tThe FDA announced back in December that there will be a new ruling on labeling foods as “healthy”. I am waiting to see what the label will look like and when it will be published but I did find this initial information interesting enough to be a PSE!
According to the FDA:
Products that Will Now Qualify for “Healthy” under the Final Rule
Under the updated ”healthy” claim, nutrient-dense foods that are encouraged by the Dietary Guidelines – vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy, lean game meat, seafood, eggs, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, and seeds – with no added ingredients except for water, automatically qualify for the “healthy” claim because of their nutrient profile and positive contribution to an overall healthy diet. Under the updated claim, foods such as water, avocados, nuts and seeds, higher fat fish, such as salmon, and olive oil will now qualify to use the “healthy” claim. These include many varieties of these foods that fit into a range of budgets, for example, fruits, vegetables, and fish that are either fresh, frozen, or canned. Examples of products that qualified for “healthy” under the original claim that do not under the updated claim include fortified white bread, highly sweetened yogurt, and highly sweetened cereal.
Any of this sound familiar?
For more info visit: FDA Food Nutrition and Labeling
This week’s Good Egg Award goes to Wendy “Popscicle” in Florida! Wendy is like so many of us and had a brand new appliance, still in the box, sitting in her dining room unused. It’s been there a year. She had two choices (ok three) 1) leave it there another year; 2) give it away or donate it; 3) open that puppy up and try something! About a week ago she took the plunge and opened her brand new Ninja Creami and made a yummmmmy chocolate frozen dessert with nothing else but a Fairlife Protein Drink. Wendy you are a good egg and I bet you have a new favorite appliance! Stay tuned this week over in our If You Have an Egg Facebook group for information on how you could be next week’s Good Egg Award recipient!
Heart Your Heart!
If you’re as old as me you’ve done every food elimination diet there is. No sugar. No protein. No carbs. No fat. The only problem is we need allllll those things in some dietary form to keep our bodies and our minds working like they should.
Did you know?
Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are known as the “good fats” because they are good for your heart, your cholesterol, and your overall health. Adding more of these healthy fats to your diet may also help to make you feel more satisfied after a meal, reducing hunger and thus promoting weight loss
What are the good fats and what are the bad fats?
- Trans Fats are super bad and can be found in processed foods. Saturated fats found in red meat, chicken skin, lard, butter
- Mono-unsaturated fats like olive oil, avocados, and nuts. Polyunsaturated fats like sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and fatty fish
How do you know if an oil is unsaturated or saturated?
- Saturated fats remain solid at room temperature
- Unsaturated fats remain a liquid at room temperature
And a super powered form of good fat?
-Fats that contain Omega 3’s!-
Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat and are especially beneficial to your health. There are different types of omega-3s: EPA and DHA are found in fish and algae and have the most health benefits, while ALA comes from plants and is a less potent form of omega-3, although the body does convert ALA to EPA and DHA at low rates.
Research has shown that a diet rich in omega-3s may help to:
- Prevent and reduce symptoms of depression, ADHD, and bipolar disorder.
- Protect against memory loss and dementia.
- Reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
- Ease arthritis, joint pain, and inflammatory skin conditions.
- Support a healthy pregnancy.
- Battle fatigue, sharpen your memory, and balance your mood.
Fish: the best source of omega-3 (high in EPA and DHA)
- Anchovies
- Herring
- Salmon
- Mackerel
- Sardines
- Trout
- Tuna
- Mussels
- Oysters
- Halibut
Vegetarian sources of omega-3s (high in ALA)
- Algae such as seaweed (high in EPA and DHA)
- Eggs (small amounts of DHA)
- Flaxseeds and flaxseed oil
- Chia seeds
- Canola and soybean oil
- Walnuts
- Mayonnaise
- Edamame
- Beans (refried, kidney, etc.)
- Brussels sprouts
- Kale
- Spinach
STAR Goal Icon:
Who can tell us a STAR goal they have for tracking this week? Remember it needs to be:
S-pecific so you will know if you did it
T-ruly doable in a week’s time
A-ctionable meaning you will DO something and not not do something
R-elevant to your journey!
Topic: Good Fat Fuel!
In the first half, we talked quite a bit about heart healthy foods that are full of good fats. So I decided to make some good choices and make some food with those good fats!
These were my selections:
Vegetarian source for Omega 3: Roasted Poblano Pepper!
I sprayed it with 1/2 tbp with real olive oil, which is one of those poly-unsaturated fats because it does NOT get solid at room temp! I roasted in the air fryer until it was nice and toasted.
Best source of Omega 3: Wild Caught Pink Salmon!
Wild caught is better, but any access you can get to salmon is a great choice for good fats for your heart. I used a spritzer to add a little more olive oil to my fish, and then squirted a lime on there to add to the flavor. I added nutritional yeast, but that’s not required… I just add it to everything. To finish it off, I added a tiny bit of Himalayan Pink Salt. Throw that in the air fryer on 400 for about 8 minutes.
While I waited on the salmon, I took the poblano peppers and added charred corn and quinoa/rice blend to make them into a “stuffed” poblano pepper. I also added 1/8 cup of shredded cheese, but remember… that is a saturated fat because it stays solid at room temperature. We have to be mindful and use smaller quantities of that, so I scaled down the amount I would usually want to throw on top of those peppers.
Once the salmon was done, I added it on top of the stuffed poblano and put them back into the air fryer for about 4 more minutes. It is such a good, yummy, HEART HEALTHY meal! So simple and so yummy!
But Kelly, how do I keep track of my intake of fat for the day?
It’s so easy! On the WW app, they make it simple to keep track. Go all the way down to your daily page, and look for the overview of different nutrients. If you touch where it says “fats”, it will show you where all of the fat you consumed is coming from! If you toggle over and it will give you a fats guidance to review. It is great overview and education about the different kinds of fats we consume every day.
Which of these good fats fuels will you be trying? Let me know in the comments below!
