Showing posts with label Nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nutrition. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Monday, May 6, 2013
TED Talk, Jamie Oliver
My Mom and I both have a spot for Jamie Oliver in our hearts. Talking passionately about food with an accent. What's not to love? PLUS he's working on making a difference.
This video is clear, bold, funny, and inspiring.
This video is clear, bold, funny, and inspiring.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Health and Indulgence
It's hard to find a "focus" for this blog since everything about nutrition interests me. Health and wellness with tasty fruits and vegetables interests me as much as the indulgence of sweets and gourmet food.
The breakdown of nutrients in the body is inspiring. Which sounds odd to say but I am often reminded by how incredible our bodies are as they break down what we eat to such small components and use them as building blocks. The human body is an outstanding machine, and as much as I want to fuel mine with the cleanest of fuel...those indulgences leave me wanting and disregarding any consequence.
Nutrition itself is constantly changing and becoming more complicated. Yet food and cooking should be so simple. Transforming raw products into dishes healthy or otherwise is magical.
This being said I can't really say this blog is anything but an adventure. It's all over the place much like my life at the moment. Healthy and active, indulgent and lazy, bold but doubtful. I'm hoping one day to find a healthy balance between all of the things I want to be. But with so many options, much like nutrition, it is going to take lots of learning, trial and error, and acceptance.
The breakdown of nutrients in the body is inspiring. Which sounds odd to say but I am often reminded by how incredible our bodies are as they break down what we eat to such small components and use them as building blocks. The human body is an outstanding machine, and as much as I want to fuel mine with the cleanest of fuel...those indulgences leave me wanting and disregarding any consequence.
Nutrition itself is constantly changing and becoming more complicated. Yet food and cooking should be so simple. Transforming raw products into dishes healthy or otherwise is magical.
This being said I can't really say this blog is anything but an adventure. It's all over the place much like my life at the moment. Healthy and active, indulgent and lazy, bold but doubtful. I'm hoping one day to find a healthy balance between all of the things I want to be. But with so many options, much like nutrition, it is going to take lots of learning, trial and error, and acceptance.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Hemp Powder
Stumbled upon a free sample of hemp protein powder and decided to cook with and look into the nutrition.
The powder itself tasted like shredded wheat with some nuttiness to it.
Anything you add the powder to turns a rich green. Which can either look really good or gross I'd imagine.
Hemp oatmeal anyone?
Facts about HEMP:
- Is a rich source of essential fatty acids (Omega-3).
- Ballpark macronutrient breakdown of hemp SEED-
Protein: 20-25%
Carbohydrate: 20-30%
Fat: 25-35%
Insoluble Fiber: 10-15% (good for you digestion) - According to Self Nutrition Data hemp protein lands a score of 63...although is does have all amino acids...it's low in lysine (an essential amino acid). Consider using hemp as a complimentary protein.
- 1 ounce of hemp protein POWDER will land you 14g of protein and 4g fiber.
References:
Environmental Nutrition Journal. 2003
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/custom/546541/0
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
How Caffeine Works
Straight up. Caffeine is fabulous.
I used to say to myself it was only meant for early mornings and late nights. Now it's an undeniable joy whenever it's offered for free at work (which is all the time btw...further perpetuating the problem).
Regardless of your feelings about caffeine. It's good to know what it's actually doing inside of your body.
This is adenosine, a neurotransmitter.
This little guy likes to bind to receptors in your body and slows down nerve impulses-making you feel drowsy.
What can you do to perk yourself up? Add caffeine to the mix.
Since caffeine is similar to adenosine it fits into the receptors as well. Leaving adenosine out and making YOU less tired. Caffeine also increases dopamine levels making you feel good.
STIMULANTS ARE GREAT!
Thank you coffee.
CAFFEINE FACTS:
- The darker the roast the LESS caffeine there is. Espresso has less caffeine than a cup of coffee.
- It takes about 10-15 minutes after ingestion to feel the effects of caffeine. Blood levels peak after 30 minutes. Most traces disappear after 6 hours.
- Caffeine may speed the loss of calcium from bones! Eeek
- It's not recommended to take more than 200-300mg a day...or about 2-3 cups of coffee.
Future goal for blog: Erase pencil lines.
Reference:
Joachim D, Schloss A. The Science of Good Food. Toronto Canada: Robert Rose Inc; 2008.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Strawberry Citrus Pulp Cookies
The unfortunate part of juicing is that you waste a lot of fiber by creating pulp. Since juicing is so in and people love posting crap on the internet there is now a ton of recipes for pulp. Here is 1 more!
Strawberry Citrus Sugar Cookies
From a cookie making stand point any sugar cookie recipe will do. If you don't make cookies often the general procedure is as follows...
1. Cream the sugar and fat (butter or oil) together. This involves a mixer. This helps incorporate the sugar which will melt and the fat together
2. Add the other wet ingredients
3. Add the rest of the dry ingredients
Tip: try not to over mix.
Now it's pulp time
It may not look pretty but it sure makes things tasty! Don't have a juicer? I'd recommend finely chopping some strawberry and oranges or mashing them up with a fork.
Just gently fold it into the batter. Then you have cute confetti looking dough with real chunks of fruit.
I baked mine for about 10 minutes, but again depending on the sugar cookie recipe YOU chose it may be different. In the end I made twice as many cookies as the recipe said it would yield.
Delicious cookies!
The tiny bit of fruit made the cookies taste like fruity pebbles. I am not kidding. Who knew a little bit of fruit would make such a flavor difference. I added red food coloring to some which caused them to be a little too soft from the added liquid. The ones on the farthest right are just plain.
Future goals for my baking: try and make a batch of cookies that actually looks like one batch of cookies.
*just because these cookies have fruit in them does not mean they're good for you. Try not to eat them all!
Strawberry Citrus Sugar Cookies
1. Cream the sugar and fat (butter or oil) together. This involves a mixer. This helps incorporate the sugar which will melt and the fat together
2. Add the other wet ingredients
3. Add the rest of the dry ingredients
Tip: try not to over mix.
Now it's pulp time
Just gently fold it into the batter. Then you have cute confetti looking dough with real chunks of fruit.
The tiny bit of fruit made the cookies taste like fruity pebbles. I am not kidding. Who knew a little bit of fruit would make such a flavor difference. I added red food coloring to some which caused them to be a little too soft from the added liquid. The ones on the farthest right are just plain.
Future goals for my baking: try and make a batch of cookies that actually looks like one batch of cookies.
*just because these cookies have fruit in them does not mean they're good for you. Try not to eat them all!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Fasting Finished
Well folks. The goal of one week turned into 3 days. But I still think it turned out to be a successful experience. I lost 5 pounds, an extreme amount given the amount of time. Plus I still feel much better even after a few days of eating regularly again.
I certainly wouldn't recommend juicing for weight loss. Based on the first juice I made and assuming I drank it 3 times a day I'd have a deficit of around 800 calories daily. If this continued for 5 days I'd lose 1 pound from the calorie deficit. The majority of weight I lost in those three days is most likely water weight and (hopefully not too much) muscle from a lack of protein.
I did feel more energized outside of being hungry throughout most of the day. Plus I find myself more motivated to stick to eating mostly fruits and veggies given I've gone through something more taxing than eating salad.
Just be wary of feeling light headed. The zoom of sugar from fruitier juices on an empty stomach can effect you quickly. My brain felt a little "buzzed" about 15-30 minutes after drinking.
I think taking the time to at least try and challenge makes you more motivated for everything in your life. This is yet another example of how I leave my challenges unfinished though!
Juicing is growing in popularity because like many things in our current culture we want things fast, condensed, and simple. It may take a lot of time to prep the vegetables but drinking a glass of juice takes a lot less time to eat a whole bunch. That being said I think juicing would be a great supplement to a regular diet. It no doubt add nutrients to a diet and can be a better energy boost than coffee in the morning.
All in all...success!
Juicing tip: Grapefruit with a combo of vegetables does NOT make a good flavor
I certainly wouldn't recommend juicing for weight loss. Based on the first juice I made and assuming I drank it 3 times a day I'd have a deficit of around 800 calories daily. If this continued for 5 days I'd lose 1 pound from the calorie deficit. The majority of weight I lost in those three days is most likely water weight and (hopefully not too much) muscle from a lack of protein.
I did feel more energized outside of being hungry throughout most of the day. Plus I find myself more motivated to stick to eating mostly fruits and veggies given I've gone through something more taxing than eating salad.
Just be wary of feeling light headed. The zoom of sugar from fruitier juices on an empty stomach can effect you quickly. My brain felt a little "buzzed" about 15-30 minutes after drinking.
I think taking the time to at least try and challenge makes you more motivated for everything in your life. This is yet another example of how I leave my challenges unfinished though!
Juicing is growing in popularity because like many things in our current culture we want things fast, condensed, and simple. It may take a lot of time to prep the vegetables but drinking a glass of juice takes a lot less time to eat a whole bunch. That being said I think juicing would be a great supplement to a regular diet. It no doubt add nutrients to a diet and can be a better energy boost than coffee in the morning.
All in all...success!
Juicing tip: Grapefruit with a combo of vegetables does NOT make a good flavor
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
First Attempt
Around Noon I got around to making my first batch. I spoke with a friend who has tried juicing and she suggested easing into it in the days prior. Being wise beyond my years last night I went to a friends where we shared about 2 bottles of wine and some Taco Bell (Yea that's right nutrition degrees don't make you a diet angel). All I can say is if YOU are considering a juice cleanse don't do what I did. I don't feel terrible today but it's not that smartest thing I've done.
I grabbed a bunch of the random plant items around the kitchen. In total I had 1 peeled cucumber, 1/2 bag of spinach, 1 orange, 2 apples, 1 kiwi, 1 carrot, and celery stalk.
I must say a juicer is probably one of the coolest items in a kitchen. If you have kids...get them one. They will love you and then you can make them drink their veggies. You basically get to add in stuff and push it down with a plunger where you see it explode and splatter against the sides. How awesome is that? At least I think that's cool to witness. The next thing you know...juice.
There was a considerable amount of pulp created. This time we just discarded it but I have read you can easily incorporate it into soups or baked goods. This is something I'm down to experiment with.
In the end I had a tasty drink! I added ice just because the thicker consistency was not so pleasant at room temp.
I grabbed a bunch of the random plant items around the kitchen. In total I had 1 peeled cucumber, 1/2 bag of spinach, 1 orange, 2 apples, 1 kiwi, 1 carrot, and celery stalk.
There was a considerable amount of pulp created. This time we just discarded it but I have read you can easily incorporate it into soups or baked goods. This is something I'm down to experiment with.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Jumping into Juicing!
Lately I have been hearing a lot about/ having a lot of people ask me about juicing. I figured the only way to really have an informed opinion is to try it!
For me I want to know more about it...does it live up to the hype? From a health stand point I see it's value but it also poses some concerns. I'm excited mainly for the concept of "rebooting" my system as well as seeing how I feel from it.
If you haven't heard about juicing the following is what you need to know:
Fresh fruits and vegetables are put into a juicer (go figure) where you separate the liquid from everything else. This is supposed to concentrate the nutrients of a whole bunch of product into an intense and tasty drink. The downside is that you don't get a majority of the fiber as it's cast aside. In addition those who do a juice cleanse strictly drink only juice. Nothing else. You're getting everything you need from the fruit and veggie drink. Documentaries like "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" highlight how beneficial juicing is to your health. In the movie 2 men juiced for 60 days and for both of them their lives were transformed. Both lost considerable weight, had normal blood values by the end, and cut down their medication use considerably.
It makes sense fruits and vegetables are awesome and packed with the good stuff we all need to stay healthy. They're nutrient dense...so why not concentrate it further? Well there are a couple of reasons I'm a bit concerned about even if my cleanse is only 7 days compared to their 60.
My Concerns
Problem: Protein
Even if I got every gram of protein (I highly doubt) from the vegetables I juiced I'd still only be getting about 7grams per juice. If I juice 3 times a day that's 21g. Based on my body weight I need about 67g a day. I'll be meeting less than 1/3 of my requirement daily.
Solution: There doesn't seem to be a satisfying answer. I'm considering protein from non-fat organic Greek yogurt. My issue is that eating an animal product when I should be strictly relying on plants leaves me feeling like I'm copping out. I could swap for a handful of nuts...but they're not a complete protein and I'd have to pair it with something else...again leaving me conflicted. This isn't just about health for me, I want to develop the mental resolve to know I can stick to something extreme for a week. Is a week without protein ok?
Problem: Food cravings
Let's face it, I picked nutrition for the love and appreciation of food. There is still food in the house. I have to work multiple double shifts between 2 jobs during this week period...when I'm I going to have time to just juice?
Solution: Again not an easy one. We'll just have to have faith in my will power.
Problem: Workouts
A liquid diet is a drastic change for me. Is it safe to workout at the same intensity? Individuals that do a juice fast type of cleanse report feeling light headed and sometimes sick. Heading off to run a few miles or lift weights before I know how my body will be reacting might not be smart.
Solution: Listening to my body and taking it from there. I thankfully had some satisfying workouts this weekend so I don't feel too guilty about a light week. I plan on transitioning into less intense activities like yoga and swimming. In a sense both of these may help me feel renewed as well.
Problem: Caffeine
I've recently had to admit to myself that I have a reliance on caffeine in the morning. Working most days of the week prior to 6:30 am will do that to you. I do NOT want to be drinking coffee during this week because it is a stimulant and I want to make this process as "clean" as possible. Plus I can't accurately gauge the change in my energy level if I'm still drinking something that makes me alert.
Solution: Pray.
Kidding. I plan on switching to 1 cup of tea on mornings I work up before 5:30 am. Otherwise juice and water only.
Fortunately those are my main concerns outside of cost. I'm just thankful my Dad is joining in on the experiment and went halvsies on the juicer.
Well that's about it. Time to get started!
For me I want to know more about it...does it live up to the hype? From a health stand point I see it's value but it also poses some concerns. I'm excited mainly for the concept of "rebooting" my system as well as seeing how I feel from it.
If you haven't heard about juicing the following is what you need to know:
Fresh fruits and vegetables are put into a juicer (go figure) where you separate the liquid from everything else. This is supposed to concentrate the nutrients of a whole bunch of product into an intense and tasty drink. The downside is that you don't get a majority of the fiber as it's cast aside. In addition those who do a juice cleanse strictly drink only juice. Nothing else. You're getting everything you need from the fruit and veggie drink. Documentaries like "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" highlight how beneficial juicing is to your health. In the movie 2 men juiced for 60 days and for both of them their lives were transformed. Both lost considerable weight, had normal blood values by the end, and cut down their medication use considerably.
It makes sense fruits and vegetables are awesome and packed with the good stuff we all need to stay healthy. They're nutrient dense...so why not concentrate it further? Well there are a couple of reasons I'm a bit concerned about even if my cleanse is only 7 days compared to their 60.
My Concerns
Problem: Protein
Even if I got every gram of protein (I highly doubt) from the vegetables I juiced I'd still only be getting about 7grams per juice. If I juice 3 times a day that's 21g. Based on my body weight I need about 67g a day. I'll be meeting less than 1/3 of my requirement daily.
Solution: There doesn't seem to be a satisfying answer. I'm considering protein from non-fat organic Greek yogurt. My issue is that eating an animal product when I should be strictly relying on plants leaves me feeling like I'm copping out. I could swap for a handful of nuts...but they're not a complete protein and I'd have to pair it with something else...again leaving me conflicted. This isn't just about health for me, I want to develop the mental resolve to know I can stick to something extreme for a week. Is a week without protein ok?
Problem: Food cravings
Let's face it, I picked nutrition for the love and appreciation of food. There is still food in the house. I have to work multiple double shifts between 2 jobs during this week period...when I'm I going to have time to just juice?
Solution: Again not an easy one. We'll just have to have faith in my will power.
Problem: Workouts
A liquid diet is a drastic change for me. Is it safe to workout at the same intensity? Individuals that do a juice fast type of cleanse report feeling light headed and sometimes sick. Heading off to run a few miles or lift weights before I know how my body will be reacting might not be smart.
Solution: Listening to my body and taking it from there. I thankfully had some satisfying workouts this weekend so I don't feel too guilty about a light week. I plan on transitioning into less intense activities like yoga and swimming. In a sense both of these may help me feel renewed as well.
Problem: Caffeine
I've recently had to admit to myself that I have a reliance on caffeine in the morning. Working most days of the week prior to 6:30 am will do that to you. I do NOT want to be drinking coffee during this week because it is a stimulant and I want to make this process as "clean" as possible. Plus I can't accurately gauge the change in my energy level if I'm still drinking something that makes me alert.
Solution: Pray.
Kidding. I plan on switching to 1 cup of tea on mornings I work up before 5:30 am. Otherwise juice and water only.
Fortunately those are my main concerns outside of cost. I'm just thankful my Dad is joining in on the experiment and went halvsies on the juicer.
Well that's about it. Time to get started!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Our Brain On Food...
Link:
http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/18/your-brain-on-food-obesity-fasting-and-addiction/?hpt=hp_c2
CNN recently posted an article about a research study comparing obese and normal weight individuals and their cognitive function. Although the study only involved 29 people I still think it's an interesting development.
I often hear my healthier friends talk about how sluggish they feel after having a "bad" meal. I know if I eat out and get something higher in sodium than usual I end up waking up in the middle of the night needing water. In my personal case it's more likely effecting my body than my brain, but repeated exposure to these high calorie, nutrient low foods might just have effect on our day to day functioning.
The study had individuals say the color of a word written on a screen. Some were easy while others were harder. For example the word "Blue" written in red with a red background. The study appears to show overweight and obese individuals brains struggled more to come up with the answers when compared to normal weight people.
Timothy Verstynen (one of the researchers with multiple colleagues) believe this increased effort can effect mental performance in day to day life. This includes food choices. If it takes more effort to make the right food choices, overweight individuals may not be making healthier choices. The research explains this can be a vicious cycle.
This reinforces the aspect of individuals not lacking food knowledge, but not applying knowledge when making food choices. Many people have read about nutrition or seem interested in making the right choices, but when it comes down to it the commitment to constantly choosing healthy foods can be daunting. It is for me and I have been in nutrition based classes for multiple years, and plan on making it my field.
It begs the question of what professionals can do to not only educate but help change the thought process about food for clients. What can we do to decrease the number of poor choices are people making? Is it even our responsibility. I think it is. If someone is coming to a dietitian for help and they are struggling with committing to their lifestyle, we need to have to skill set to help them.
Below is a link to the abstract I believe the article is based off. I could not find the entire article to read.
http://www.abstractsonline.com/Plan/ViewAbstract.aspx?sKey=59e8fab9-0269-4d72-8261-d6192c31f258&cKey=acd6bb57-b958-4f1c-9aed-b60313bfd30a&mKey={70007181-01C9-4DE9-A0A2-EEBFA14CD9F1}
Thursday, October 11, 2012
The power of women
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/11/world/gallery/international-day-of-the-girl/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
In visiting Philly I would say at least 90% of the people there were females. It was amazing!
These women featured by CNN and many others are inspiration for not only young girls looking to find their dream, but for young women like me so close to reaching theirs. It reminds me not to give up and to not let my past mistakes or short comings stop me from reaching my goals.
We need women to be fighters. We need women to help others, especially other women struggling.
Nutrition is a science constantly evolving with new discoveries and adjusting to social contexts. I'm glad so many women can navigate this profession with grace. Hopefully any negative views of nutrition professionals can eventually be eliminated, we are not snobs! We just want to help.
In visiting Philly I would say at least 90% of the people there were females. It was amazing!
These women featured by CNN and many others are inspiration for not only young girls looking to find their dream, but for young women like me so close to reaching theirs. It reminds me not to give up and to not let my past mistakes or short comings stop me from reaching my goals.
We need women to be fighters. We need women to help others, especially other women struggling.
Nutrition is a science constantly evolving with new discoveries and adjusting to social contexts. I'm glad so many women can navigate this profession with grace. Hopefully any negative views of nutrition professionals can eventually be eliminated, we are not snobs! We just want to help.
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