Gluten-Free! Meat-Free! Dairy-Free! Vegan!
These code words are all over the place, inducing panic into omnivores everywhere. Before you freak out and rid your diet of everything except the plate, do a little self-inventory and figure out if you really need to buy into any of this (of course - BUY into it is exactly what the food marketers want you to do). Like the people who have stopped spending during the recession even though their income hasn't changed a bit (therefore making the economy worse), you could actually compromise your health by cutting out supposedly "bad" foods that actually aren't bad for YOU (even if they are bad for someone else).
If there is anything the disastrous fat-free craze taught us, it's that most people do not replace the new "bad" thing with fruits and vegetables, they replace it with a different good-but-turns-out-to-be-worse thing like margarine or refined sugars. I could generate hundreds of blog posts on the dangers of refined carbohydrates and sugar but I think most people get it. If not, here is a quick resource.
Here is one example of why you should question those code words: If you are not a vegetarian or vegan, vegetarian or vegan options are not necessarily a healthier choice for you. In fact, soy-based products are now under fire as much as hormone-laden animal products for causing various health issues. Like most subjects in nutrition, the jury is still out on soy, but in various studies it has been linked to thyroid disease, infertility and breast cancer (this is because soy is loaded with plant compounds that mimic estrogen and therefore can disrupt the endocrine system). For more information on possible dangers of soy, check out The Whole Soy Story by Kayla Daniel. If you don't want to read that much, just follow this simple advice: eat natural forms of soy (edamame, tempeh, natto, organic soy milk) in moderation, avoid processed soy "meats" and genetically modified soy as much as possible. A lot of vegan products also replace the eggs and butter with loads of vegetable oil -- unless you are allergic to eggs or a vegan, this is probably not the better choice. For more information on the dangers of processed vegetable oils, read this. In short, unless you are allergic to the natural food (or have a moral opposition to consuming it), the natural food always trumps the processed replacement.
As for diary, far more of the population is probably lactose intolerant than we realize (an estimated 30-50% among Caucasians and nearly 100% among African-American and Asians) BUT if you are not sensitive to dairy, you might not want to replace it with soy or leave it out of your diet completely, especially if it is your key source of calcium. The best way to figure out if you are sensitive to diary is to eliminate it for a few weeks and see if you feel better. Many people notice a decrease in congestion and digestive issues, but you might not. Because so many people have decreased their dairy consumption and replaced it with soy, soy is becoming a common allergen as well so rather than just replacing your dairy with soy versions, try to get your calcium from leafy green vegetables instead. Your body actually absorbs the calcium from those better than it does from milk or cheese!
As for the gluten-free craze, I definitely think this country is wheat obsessed and that most people could benefit from eating less of it, but rather than jumping on the bandwagon and buying more processed products like gluten-free pasta or bread, just try to cut out the processed foods in your diet overall and eat more fruits and vegetables. About 1 in 133 of the population has Celiac's disease (more may be wheat-sensitive but this is different) so before you cut out gluten and go crazy on crackers made with who-knows-what flour and fillers, either get tested if you are really concerned or just replace the gluten-containing products in your diet with more unprocessed foods like veggies and beans and nuts. This is a win-win diet change.
Now you may feel like all I've done here is induce panic about different foods, but my point is that nutrition is a young and fledgling science and that if we pay attention to history, we see that a lot of what we have been told is healthy is not, especially if it is made by industry and not by nature. I have said this before but when in doubt, follow the Michael Pollan rule of "If it comes from a plant, eat it, if it was made in a plant, don't."
And, as always, take everything you read (including this blog) and hear with a grain of salt ... unless you think that's bad for you too. ;-)
Friday, May 28, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
No "Skinny Bitch" here!
I'll admit it: every time I post a blog about what to eat or not eat, a little voice inside my head says "Who are you to post nutrition tips, you are not skinny!" Of course I know I am not overweight either, but my body bears little resemblance to the size-0 fat-free types you see on TV and in magazines offering diet and fitness tips. Luckily for me (and I hope for you the reader) the louder voice in my subconscious says "You are healthy and you feel good and you have knowledge to share." That voice always wins the day because I really think that what I am learning at IIN can change lives.
I truly believe that WE ARE WHAT WE EAT and I don't mean this in a "moment on the lips, lifetime on the hips" way. I believe (and research supports this to a degree although the field is still young) that food is the most powerful drug on the planet and is capable of both contributing to or preventing cancer, balancing or destroying moods, causing or curing disorders ranging from depression to autism to ADHD, making us more or less fertile, increasing or easing the symptoms of diseases like arthritis, fibromyalgia and diabetes; adding or subtracting years from our lives, making our skin glow or wrinkle, completely sapping us of energy or totally invigorating us. Yep, I think food can do all that. If you don't believe me, check out works by renowned wellness expert, Dr. Mark Hyman, an M.D. who has not prescribed a drug in 12 years because he believes food is the answer to most health problems.
So while wanting to be thin may have been my starting point on this journey to better health, it has opened the door to a complex and exciting world of possibility and intrigue. Can the right foods cure mental illness? Can a food allergy cause autism? Can you slow the aging process by eating the right nutrients? Some people think so. I am still learning, but this is what keeps me going. Not fitting into skinny jeans or seeing the right number on the scale. Not anymore at least.
Interestingly, when I ate right for my weight, it always felt like an effort or even a battle at times. Now that I eat right for my health, it comes naturally. When you know the right choice might not just shrink your waist but extend your life, it's a lot easier to reach for the veggies instead of the fries. Once you eat to live better and learn to love the foods that love you back, you actually will end up looking and feeling better than you ever have.
If some of you are thinking "what's the difference?" because you think thin=healthy, think about the book "Skinny Bitch" which immediately became a best-seller due to the title and the fact that Victoria Beckham and other toothpick celebrities were photographed carrying it around like it was a bible (although it was actually a full-length diatribe by two former models on eating animal products). I found it disturbing that so many women seemed drawn to this idea of being "skinny" and therefore better than other women. That being said, I did think it was a great title because if you stopped eating everything the authors tell you not to eat, you probably will be bitchy b/c it's hard to be nice when you are starving!
While I can't prove this, something tells me that the real skinny bitches out there probably aren't that healthy mentally or physically. In fact, studies have shown that people who are overweight can even be healthier than thin people. When you aren't eating much at all, it's just as hard to get the nutrients you need as it is when you are living off junk. For more information on how both overeating and under-eating can affect your moods and destroy your health see books by Julia Ross like "The Mood Cure" or Geneen Roth like "Women, Food and God."
In short, my point is that if you are only watching what you eat because of a desire to be celebrity-skinny, you have a slim chance (pun intended) of seeing the real benefits of a healthy diet, which are more powerful and far-reaching than anything you can find out from a scale.
I truly believe that WE ARE WHAT WE EAT and I don't mean this in a "moment on the lips, lifetime on the hips" way. I believe (and research supports this to a degree although the field is still young) that food is the most powerful drug on the planet and is capable of both contributing to or preventing cancer, balancing or destroying moods, causing or curing disorders ranging from depression to autism to ADHD, making us more or less fertile, increasing or easing the symptoms of diseases like arthritis, fibromyalgia and diabetes; adding or subtracting years from our lives, making our skin glow or wrinkle, completely sapping us of energy or totally invigorating us. Yep, I think food can do all that. If you don't believe me, check out works by renowned wellness expert, Dr. Mark Hyman, an M.D. who has not prescribed a drug in 12 years because he believes food is the answer to most health problems.
So while wanting to be thin may have been my starting point on this journey to better health, it has opened the door to a complex and exciting world of possibility and intrigue. Can the right foods cure mental illness? Can a food allergy cause autism? Can you slow the aging process by eating the right nutrients? Some people think so. I am still learning, but this is what keeps me going. Not fitting into skinny jeans or seeing the right number on the scale. Not anymore at least.
Interestingly, when I ate right for my weight, it always felt like an effort or even a battle at times. Now that I eat right for my health, it comes naturally. When you know the right choice might not just shrink your waist but extend your life, it's a lot easier to reach for the veggies instead of the fries. Once you eat to live better and learn to love the foods that love you back, you actually will end up looking and feeling better than you ever have.
If some of you are thinking "what's the difference?" because you think thin=healthy, think about the book "Skinny Bitch" which immediately became a best-seller due to the title and the fact that Victoria Beckham and other toothpick celebrities were photographed carrying it around like it was a bible (although it was actually a full-length diatribe by two former models on eating animal products). I found it disturbing that so many women seemed drawn to this idea of being "skinny" and therefore better than other women. That being said, I did think it was a great title because if you stopped eating everything the authors tell you not to eat, you probably will be bitchy b/c it's hard to be nice when you are starving!
While I can't prove this, something tells me that the real skinny bitches out there probably aren't that healthy mentally or physically. In fact, studies have shown that people who are overweight can even be healthier than thin people. When you aren't eating much at all, it's just as hard to get the nutrients you need as it is when you are living off junk. For more information on how both overeating and under-eating can affect your moods and destroy your health see books by Julia Ross like "The Mood Cure" or Geneen Roth like "Women, Food and God."
In short, my point is that if you are only watching what you eat because of a desire to be celebrity-skinny, you have a slim chance (pun intended) of seeing the real benefits of a healthy diet, which are more powerful and far-reaching than anything you can find out from a scale.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Recipes: Sweet and Savory Grain Salads
Here are two simple and tasty recipes that work with a variety of whole grains: The first is typically made with orzo pasta, but I have found it works just as well with a healthier grain like farro, barley or wheatberries. If you read my post about multi-tasking whole grains, you know that all of these grains contain considerably more fiber and protein than a refined carbohydrate masking as a grain like orzo pasta. Of course this salad would also work with whole wheat orzo, but I encourage you to try it with barley or farro, both of which contain more protein and have a nuttier, more satisfying flavor than orzo. Another option is to cook some orzo and an additional cup of a new grain and mix the two. I do this sometimes with whole wheat orzo and wheatberries. They taste great together. You can play a lot with this recipe and still get great results.
Servings should be based on 1/4 cup grain per person. I typically work with 1 cup and this makes enough for my husband and I to eat it as a main course and have some left over for lunch. The recipe below is for 2 cups of grain so it makes about 8 servings.
This is adapted from "Orzo with Tomatoes, Feta, and Green Onions" by Giada De Laurentiis featured in Bon Appétit, April 2006 (and shared with me by my friend Lauren Scott who is known for always showing up with a meal for a friend in need -- thanks girl, I'll miss you when you move!)
2 cups of grain to 6 cups of water or vegetable/chicken broth (some grains should be soaked up to 6 hours ahead of time, be sure to read instructions before cooking)
12 oz of diced chicken, shrimp, tuna and/OR chick peas if you prefer a vegetarian dish
2 cups red and yellow teardrop or grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
I typically add some of whatever veggies are around; frozen or fresh peas work really well as do broccoli florets, spinach and artichokes
Remember to halve everything if you are just making this for 4 or less people!
_________________________________________________________
For the second salad, a sweeter salad better eaten as a side dish, cook the desired amount of grain in boiling water (1 to 3 ratio of grain to water). This salad works well with the grains above or finer grains like quinoa and millet, whereas the first salad needs a denser grain.
Drain and cool grains then add olive oil, white wine or champagne vinegar and lemon juice to taste. Start with no more than a Tbsp of each and then add according to your taste and texture buds. Add a generous amount of sweetened dried cranberries or currants (and/or dried apricots) and slivered almonds. If you want something slightly more savory, add chopped scallions as well. Simple but delicious!
Servings should be based on 1/4 cup grain per person. I typically work with 1 cup and this makes enough for my husband and I to eat it as a main course and have some left over for lunch. The recipe below is for 2 cups of grain so it makes about 8 servings.
This is adapted from "Orzo with Tomatoes, Feta, and Green Onions" by Giada De Laurentiis featured in Bon Appétit, April 2006 (and shared with me by my friend Lauren Scott who is known for always showing up with a meal for a friend in need -- thanks girl, I'll miss you when you move!)
2 cups of grain to 6 cups of water or vegetable/chicken broth (some grains should be soaked up to 6 hours ahead of time, be sure to read instructions before cooking)
12 oz of diced chicken, shrimp, tuna and/OR chick peas if you prefer a vegetarian dish
2 cups red and yellow teardrop or grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
I typically add some of whatever veggies are around; frozen or fresh peas work really well as do broccoli florets, spinach and artichokes
Remember to halve everything if you are just making this for 4 or less people!
_________________________________________________________
For the second salad, a sweeter salad better eaten as a side dish, cook the desired amount of grain in boiling water (1 to 3 ratio of grain to water). This salad works well with the grains above or finer grains like quinoa and millet, whereas the first salad needs a denser grain.
Drain and cool grains then add olive oil, white wine or champagne vinegar and lemon juice to taste. Start with no more than a Tbsp of each and then add according to your taste and texture buds. Add a generous amount of sweetened dried cranberries or currants (and/or dried apricots) and slivered almonds. If you want something slightly more savory, add chopped scallions as well. Simple but delicious!
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