Go further with food this National Nutrition Month with NorthShore! The Kellogg Cancer Center Registered Dietitian – Lori Bumbaco – want to help patients focus on the importance of making informed decisions about food with the Elite Ate Bracket Challenge. She is helping us understand the nutrients behind healthy restaurant choices. The overall format followed to pick the winners was nutrient-dense foods vs. empty calories.

According to Zagat, as a nation, we eat out between four and five meals per week.  With restaurants adding more and more choices to their menus to cater to customers needs it's not only hard to make a decision but to make a healthy decision. Check back March 25th, 27th, and 29th to see how the bracket fills out, and if you entered last week, you have a chance to win a NorthShore Sports and Nutrition Bag.

Chompion:

Brown Rice and Edamame Wrap vs.  Chicken Bowl with Salsa Fresca

Chicken Bowl with Salsa Fresca
The winning "Chompion" is...the Chicken Bowl! A well-balanced meal of lean protein, quality carbs, and a dressing made from yogurt offers tasty nutrition in one bowl! Did you guess right?

Round 2 Winners: 

Chipotle Chicken Taco vs. Brown Rice and Edamame Wrap

Winner #1: Brown Rice and Edamame Wrap
The dietitians still love the one-two punch of fiber and protein in the brown rice and edamame wrap. Both brown rice and edamame contain quality carbs, which offer a nutritious package that is digested and metabolized more favorably by the body. Rather than go "no-carb" Kellogg Cancer Center dietitians suggest "low-carb." This wrap is a great example!

Thin Crust Pizza vs. Chicken Bowl with Salsa Fresca

Winner #2: Chicken Bowl with Salsa Fresca
Chicken Bowl with Salsa Fresca is the winner because of the interesting swap for the dressing, which is yogurt-based. Who says nutritious can’t be delicious? The grain bowl offers quality carbs, fiber, protein and interesting colors from beets and avocado. The end result is a balanced meal containing healthy fats, quality carbs and plant proteins.

Round 1 Winners: 

Cobb Wrap vs. Brown Rice and Edamame Wrap

Winner #1: Brown Rice and Edamame Wrap 
The Edamame Wrap edges out the Cobb Wrap because of its lower calorie, saturated fat, and sodium content that the bacon and blue cheese have in the Cobb Wrap. Even better, the Edamame Wrap has more fiber from its exciting package of nutritious ingredients including edamame, brown rice and hemp seeds.

Chipotle Chicken Taco vs. Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Winner #2: Chipotle Chicken Taco
The Chicken Lettuce Wraps are a whopping 1130 calories, with 7 grams of saturated fat, and 3020 mg of sodium. The Chipotle Chicken Taco, on the other hand, contains less for each category. Ordering tacos a la carte offer a great solution to customize the toppings such as cheese, sour cream, or fatty sauces. Some restaurants even allow us to swap out the taco shell with lettuce—it never hurts to ask for extra veggies!

Cauliflower Crust Pizza vs. Thin Crust Pizza

Winner #3: Thin Crust Pizza
Fewer carbs does not mean its automatically better. Fewer does not mean low-carb either. The nutrient analysis of the cauliflower crust vs. the thin crust reveals there are the same amount of calories, grams of protein and sugars in both. The Cauliflower Crust Pizza, however, has more saturated fat from the added cheese. There are only 6 measly grams of carbohydrates less in the cauliflower crust. Regardless, quality carbs are associated with good health and Registered Dietitians and nutritionists recommend that we consume quality carbs daily.

Chicken and Salsa Fresca Bowl vs. Chicken and Peanut Sauce Bowl

Winner #4: Chicken and Salsa Fresca Bowl
The Chicken and Salsa Fresca Bowl is the winner from its mixture of brown rice, avocado, beet, black beans, corn, and a yogurt sauce! The Chicken and Peanut Sauce Bowl, on the other hand, has 7 grams of saturated fat and 970 mg of sodium thanks to the crispy wontons and dressing.