Expert Input

Mitzi Dulan, R.D.

Mitzi Dulan is a registered dietitian and a specialist in nutritional counseling based in Kansas City. In addition, she is an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)

Certified Personal Trainer and currently serves as the sports nutritionist for the Kansas City Chiefs football team.  Previously, she served as the sports nutritionist for the Golden State Warriors and for the University of California, San Francisco.  Mitzi also maintains her own private practice, regularly delivering presentations on nutrition and wellness to athletes, corporations and professional organizations.  She has been featured in local and national media including The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Family Circle and USA Weekend and hosts her own Web site, www.nutritionexpert.com.

Eating healthy and living a more nutrition-conscious life are resolutions of countless Americans year after year.  However, finding ways to realize these goals can be overwhelming at times.  As a nutrition counselor, I have helped many clients take charge of their eating habits and move towards living a healthier lifestyle.

Once you make the decision to eat healthier, it is not uncommon to have trouble getting started.  The first step toward adjusting eating habits for a successful, well-balanced nutritional regime is learning simple cooking techniques and procedures for creating nutritious meals.

It’s surprisingly easy to prepare healthy meals without sacrificing great flavor.  Since meal preparation starts at the supermarket and ends at the table, there are several things to consider when planning a healthy and delicious meal.  Following are a few ideas for your clients on how to cut the fat and still keep the great taste when cooking:

• When shopping, look for the word “loin” for the leanest cuts, such as pork tenderloin or loin chop.
• Use low-fat cooking methods, like grilling, roasting and stir-frying to maximize flavor while keeping fat to a minimum.
• Marinate for flavor and juiciness with wine-flavored vinegar, fat-free dressing or juice instead of oil-based marinades.
• Season pork with herbs and spices instead of salt to boost flavor and cut back on sodium at the same time.
  

Southwest-Spice Roast Pork Tenderloin  is a wonderful example of a recipe that I feel comfortable recommending to my clients.  This lean tenderloin is coated with paprika, cumin, black pepper and chili powder, giving this healthy dish a kick of spicy flavor.  This recipe contains just 5 grams of fat and 154 calories per serving, demonstrating that the use of different seasonings and spices are a great way to create big tastes while maintaining an impressive nutritional profile.

Southwest-Spice Roast Pork Tenderloin and other recipes can be found in the new Pork Kitchen Companion booklet by the National Pork Board.  The Pork Kitchen Companion provides pork cooking methods and techniques, tips on preparing lean pork dishes and a variety of delicious pork recipes.

Citrus Chops are a quick and easy meal option spotlighting the lean pork chop, which is comparable in calories and fat to a boneless skinless chicken breast.  The chops are sautéed with a light and zesty mixture of green onion, orange peel, orange juice and dried basil.  With only 180 calories and 8 grams of fat per serving, this recipe is abundant in flavor and a great way to satisfy tastebuds without sacrificing good nutrition. 

Prepared ahead, time-saving dishes such as Garden Fresh Pork Fajitas are also popular with my clients.  In this recipe, boneless pork tenderloin is cut into thin strips and marinated for several hours or overnight in reduced fat-Italian dressing.&nbs