Protein without the Powder

Most mornings of the week my Vitamix is busy blending up a delicious smoothie for breakfast.  I am diligent about quality ingredients… right down to the protein I put in the mixing container. Now, while smoothies make a great breakfast option, they must have enough protein in them to not have your blood sugar skyrocket. Protein will help you feel full longer, will stabilize your blood sugar and will help build muscle.  

Not everyone likes protein powder as a source for adding protein, and there are A LOT of not-so-healthy protein powders out there, some with too many processed chemical ingredients and many that taste like chalk. So what’s a smoothie-loving, breakfast drinker supposed to do if they want to power up their morning blend with healthy protein, but don’t want to get there with a scoop of powder?

My recommendation for a healthy adult is to start your day off with a breakfast that includes a minimum of 18 grams of protein. A smoothie is a delicious, easy way to meet that requirement. Even without using a protein powder.

Here are some protein options that can be added to your morning mix:

·      Whole-milk, Greek yogurt.  My favorite brand is Wallaby Organic and one cup contains 19 grams of protein. I use vanilla for a little sweetness.

·      Kefir – about 6 grams of protein per cup, but with the added benefit of live active cultures (good for gut health!)

·      Hemp seeds.  Just 2 tablespoons contain 10 grams of protein

·      Pumpkin seeds. ¼ cup = 5 grams

·      Cashews.  ¼ cup = 7 grams

·      Almonds. ¼ cup = 4 grams

·      Chia seeds. 2 tbsp = 4 grams

Let’s not forget about the protein that comes from other smoothie ingredients:

·      Banana, 1 medium = 1.5 grams

·      Blueberries, 1 cup = 1.1 grams

·      Avocado, 1 = 2.6 grams

·      Kale, 1 cup = 2 grams

·      Spinach, 1 ½  cups = 1.5 grams

·      Almond milk, 1 cup = 1 gram

If you add up everything that goes into the blender, you’ll find that it’s pretty easy to get to 18 grams of protein.

Start blending your way to a healthy start to your day!  What’s your protein smoothie combination going to be?

(resources: www.whfoods.com, www.webmd.com,www.ndb.nal.usda.gov)

4 Back-to-School Breakfast Ideas

It’s September and for many of you, that means back to school.  Even if your household doesn’t have any back-to-school schedules descending upon it, fall is still a good time to for some new delicious, healthy breakfast ideas.  This time of year is kind of like a second New Year’s day… a good time to make a fresh start for fall. Why not try one or two new recipes this month?

You will notice there are no cereal, bagels or “just a piece of fruit” on this list.  That’s because no matter how many whole grains or lack of sugar are in these items, they are not healthy breakfast choices -  all lack the necessary protein your body needs to start the day off right (think hunger control, improved focus and stable blood sugar). The only people who think cereal is a good breakfast option are the companies selling it to make a profit.  Yes, it’s easy, but it leaves you feeling hungry sooner and causes you to eat more at your next meal.

What other options do you have? How about four of them?

These four suggestions are all quick and easy.  A little planning ahead and you can have a week’s worth of healthy breakfasts on hand in a variety of flavors.  Above all, make breakfast a priority… skipping it does more harm than good.

1.   Mini quiches  - make a dozen of these crust-free goodies and have them ready for several days.  A great way to get some protein and veggies in your day!  Here is my version… customize the veggies with your favorites.

2.   Hand held oatmeal – this is not a regular oatmeal muffin.  Think of it as a bowl of oatmeal baked into a muffin shape.  The addition of chia seeds and nuts boosts the protein content and pairing it with Greek yogurt is a perfect morning match.  Just like the mini quiches, you can bake a batch on Sunday and have them ready for the week.

3.   Kicked up toast – while buttered and jellied toast is not a healthy way to start your day, there is a way to make it into a breakfast that will count.  Start with toasting sprouted bread (I like Ezekiel and Rudy’s brands) and then try top with almond butter (protein), a sprinkle of chia seeds (protein, fiber, omegas), banana slices and a dusting of cinnamon. My favorite spread is Cinnamon Chia Seed Peanut Butter by Bliss.  If you have a little more time in the morning, try topping your toast with a spread of pesto, a few spinach leaves and a scrambled egg.

4.   Protein packed fall smoothie – Smoothies are a good breakfast choice when they include at least 15 grams of protein, otherwise it’s too much sugar from all the fruit.  I like SunWarrior vanilla protein powder and a base of almond milk, but you can get your protein from Greek yogurt, too.  Tired of the strawberry-banana combination?  Try blending mangoes, bananas and pitaya (you can find mashed, frozen pitaya packets in the freezer section) with or a combination of banana, cinnamon and almond butter. Don’t forget to include a handful or two of greens!

Wishing you and your family a happy, healthy fall.  Enjoy!

Summertime Staple

Temperatures are heating up, long summer days are here, weekends at the beach and backyard barbecues are on the calendar. These things all point to summer, but for me, watermelons are a sure sign summer has arrived.  This large gourd of a fruit, that some say moonlights as a vegetable, might be mostly water, but that doesn’t mean it lacks nutritional value.   This red, juicy fruit is more than a juicy side dish or source for seed spitting contests at summer barbeques. It’s a great hydrator and full of heart healthy vitamins, too.

The nutrient profile of watermelon shows you’ll get vitamins A and C, potassium, magnesium and even a bit of calcium in a one cup serving of whole fruit (not juiced), all without a lot of sugar or calories.  What a great way to hydrate on a hot summer day or after a tough workout!

A big red, juicy wedge of chilled watermelon is always delicious, but if you want to branch out and see what other personalities this fruit has, try one of these recipes:

·      Watermelon Pops -   place cut wedges of watermelon on popsicle sticks and top with fresh squeezed lime, a drizzle of honey and a pinch of sea salt

·      Watermelon Cooler (with or without alcohol)   

·      Watermelon Sorbet   

·      Watermelon Goat Cheese Salad  

Need a little help choosing your melon?

The best tasting watermelons are those that are in season - summer and early fall -  because they need heat to fully ripen. Look for one that has a smooth rind with a creamy yellow spot where it sat on the ground to ripen. A white spot means it hasn’t fully ripened. Store in a cool spot and once cut, keep in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Watermelon and summer, a great combo! Make sure your summer doesn’t pass without these two meeting up. 

Source:  http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2072/2

More Than You Bargained For

One of the most frustrating parts of becoming a healthy eater can be navigating the grocery store.  I have frequently mentioned the misleading ways food is marketed and advertised to get shoppers to believe that a product is good for them, when in reality, it is nothing more than an edible chemical experiment.  It’s hard enough to eat healthy without the very people supplying food to the grocery stores trying to sell you food that does otherwise. It’s no secret that the goal of food processors is to grown their bank accounts… and if your waistline grows, too, well they just don’t seem to care.

Would it surprise you to learn that you are not entirely in control of what food decisions you make at the grocery store? Do you think it’s as simple as walking through the aisles at the grocery store, deciding what to put in your cart and buying it?  Even the best-intentioned and disciplined person is not totally in control, and usually in ways they don’t even realize. We make impulse purchases and sometimes end up with things we later realize we don’t want. That’s the unconscious mind at work. The food industry counts on this unconscious buying and they spend $33 billion in marketing to make sure it keeps happening. 

They also spend money inside the store to determine which products get stocked and where. Would it surprise you to learn that food stores make more money from charging food companies for shelf placement than they do from customer purchases?  Prime locations cost more because it boosts sales.  For example, potato chips on a middle shelf sell faster than when put on a high or low shelf and make the store more money. What shelf are your favorite products on?

And then there are the defaults we are faced with. Defaults are what you get unless you actively choose something else. We consume more salt, sugar and fat than we realize because the food companies have increased them in their formulations. They've also changed what we define as normal portions and food pairings. And unless we change our buying habits, we are going to continue to fill our bodies with these excesses and laboratory enhanced foods that sabotage our efforts to eat healthier.

Other carefully planned out details contribute to the over buying, as well. Larger grocery carts, bigger container sizes at self serve counters, larger portions of packaged foods, intentional bakery smells, and in-store cues we aren’t aware of all contribute to us buying food in excess amounts or that we didn’t want in the first place. The bigger the container in front of us, the more likely we will fill it or buy it... and that makes stores more money in the long (and short!) run.

The circumstances under which we shop also contribute to our decision making.  Do you shop after work? Early on a weekend morning? Are you distracted or stressed when you shop? Those situations also contribute to our buying choices. It's no wonder that 60% of Americans struggle with their weight when something as simple as going to the grocery store is so much more complex than it seems.

I came across these facts in a video I recently watched from The Center for Science in the Public Interest called “Anatomy of a Supermarket Purchase”. It’s an eleven-minute video that goes into depth on these and other concepts that food producers and sellers all use to increase sales… All at the expense of our health (and wallets, too!)

Please take time to watch this video! And once you do, make a renewed effort to consider where and what you buy for you and your family to eat.  Take time to visit a farmer’s market, sign up for a CSA produce box, choose foods that don’t need ingredients lists and keep portion sizes under control.  Focus on foods that don't need an ingredients list. Take back control over what goes in your cart.

Greens, water, exercise – three simple things to increase and incorporate into your day to strive toward cleaner eating and to help you Grow in Wellness. 

Start today - don’t let the big food companies have the final say!

*resource: Center for Science in the Public Interest TV 

Sweet as a Peach

Summertime is here and that means peach season is upon us… and I love peach season! You don’t have to live in Georgia to know the joy of a sweet peach. This fragrant, juicy fruit is slightly tart, has soft flesh and each bite gives you mouth-watering flavor.  Peach season is short and they ripen quickly, so they need to be eaten fast. But they are sooo tasty (and good for you, too!) so buy them fresh while you can. 

My favorite? White peaches.  They look similar to yellow peaches with the skin on, but they are a bit sweeter in taste and a little less tart. Peaches are on the “dirty dozen” list, so be sure to buy organic whenever possible.

Just one large peach gives you vitamin A, vitamins C & E (antioxidants), potassium, fiber and has about 70 calories. They are low glycemic (won’t spike your blood sugar) and give the most benefit when you eat the skin. Just make sure to wash thoroughly before eating.

Peaches are great on their own (eat the skin, please!) and can be baked, grilled or diced and served with a dollop of yogurt.  Ripened peaches can be diced and put in the freezer for future use. Besides eating peaches fresh from the farmer’s market, you can blend them into this healthy creamy smoothie for a cool summer treat. 

Have a Peachy Summer!

What's in Your Fridge?

As a Health Coach, I frequently observe that people might make big efforts to improve the foods they eat, but fall short when it comes to "everyday" products they use that are far from healthy. Most often this comes from not knowing what to look for on an ingredients list and believing the persuasive wording marketers put on the front of the label.  I asked 50 people to send me photos of their refrigerators and pantries for “the Pantry Project”.

This project is designed to take some of the guesswork out of navigating the grocery store aisles and provides ‘swaps’ of healthier foods for the most common, nutrition-sabotaging items lurking in your kitchen.   

Let’s start with focusing on your refrigerator. After analyzing dozens of photos, I was able to find a trend in improvable refrigerator items.  Here are the top offenders… and healthier swaps to make the next time you shop. With these, or any packaged foods, you need to become an ingredients reader – don’t just read the nutritional facts or you won’t get the whole story!

Ways to Improve What’s in Your Fridge:

1.   Yogurt – STOP buying fat-free, non-fat, 0% fat yogurts, those with high sugar counts and those lacking the presence of live active cultures.  If you eat Yoplait, Danon, Activia, or generic store brands, then you need to make a change. Those brands are highly processed, have too much sugar, not enough protein and are lacking live active cultures in many cases

a.  What to look for – double digit protein, low sugar (but not artificially sweetened!), live active cultures and 2% or whole milk.

b.  What to Buy – ideally, a 2% or full-fat, plain Greek yogurt is your best bet for the right mix of protein, fat and low sugars. Sweeten yourself with fruit spread or raw honey. Look for these brands the next time you shop: Wallaby Greek, Fage, Stoneyfield Organic and Nancy’s Organic. 

2.   Salad Dressings – One of the biggest culprits for unwanted sugars, GMO-oils and other additives is bottled salad dressing.  There were several appearances by Kraft, Wish Bone and Girard’s brand dressings in the pantry photos.  None of these have ingredients that would pass the clean eating test. 

a.  What to buy instead – Well, for starters, try making your own, it is so easy! And there are dozens of recipes online. If you just can’t bring yourself to make your own, then reach for these brands: Tessemae’s (in the refrigerated section), Annie’s Organics, Lucini, Bragg’s or Organicville.

3.   Condiments – there are many purists out there that swear by their Best Foods, French’s and Heinz bottles.  It’s probably not news to you that those brands aren’t made from the best quality ingredients. 

a.  Ketchup is probably the biggest offender since high fructose corn syrup (or corn syrup) is on the ingredients list, so look for an organic brand like Organicville that has healthier ingredients. 

b.  Mayonnaise is loaded with calories, fat and salt and is better left in the jar. Instead, choose to enhance your sandwich with mashed avocado, olive oil, hummus, pesto or plain Greek yogurt that has been mixed with garlic and herbs. Yes, I’m nicely trying to say "ditch the mayo".

c.   Mustards are one of those condiments that you can now find in a variety of flavors.  Look for spicy mustards, seeded mustards and garlic mustards to enhance the foods you eat so you won’t miss the mayo.

d.  Jams and Jellies – You know these are just sugared up fruit, right? There are higher quality options out there that are better for you than Welch’s and Smuckers. Choosing spreadable fruit (with no added ingredients) is optimal. Recommended brands include Crofter’s Organic, St. Dalfour and, Bonne Maman (in a pinch).

e.   Peanut and Almond Butters – choose brands with only nuts and salt on the label.  No sugar, no hydrogenated or soybean oils… simply nuts and salt. Do not stop reading when the front of the label says “natural” – look at the ingredients list.  Even my favorite brands make a version with sugar, so proceed with caution. Choose: Justin’s, MaraNatha or 365 Brand (Whole Foods).  

4.   Eggs – this is probably a very confusing product for most people. Let’s make it simple: chickens are not vegetarians, so eggs from vegetarian fed chickens means chickens are not being raised in their natural environment.  Look for pastured (not pasteurized!) eggs.  That means chickens have been out in the pasture eating bugs along with their feed and in return produce a bright orange yolk, not a pale yellow one.  That’s where most of the nutrients are. Organic, pasture raised eggs contain more vitamin A, E, Omega-3 and beta-carotene than non-pastured eggs and they have been shown to have less cholesterol. Don’t be fooled by the terms “cage free”, “free range”, etc., pastured is key.  

a.  Look for: Vital Farms eggs, check out your local farmer’s market or ask your grocery store if they sell pastured eggs.

5.   Milk and Cheeses – This food group could be its own blog topic so for now I’ll simply say choose organic (from grass fed cows whenever possible) and when organic is not available, be sure to choose milks and cheeses that are marked ‘from cows not treated with rBST or rBGH’(recombinant bovine growth hormone).

6.   Butter – the best butter you can put in your body is that from grass fed cows.  And that means slim pickings (sorry!) as far as brands are concerned.

a.  Why grass fed? Butter from grass fed cows gives you important omega-3’s, vitamins A, E and K.

b.   Choose: Organic Valley, Kerrygold  

7.   Pancake and Waffle Syrup – this is the simplest of categories for me to help you clean up. If your syrup does not say 100% real maple syrup, then it’s just a container full of artificial flavor, highly processed sugar (high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup) and fake ingredients like caramel color and hexametaphosphate. The real stuff is not full of chemicals, is minimally processed and actually has nutrients present like iron and calcium.  Plus, it tastes like maple syrup should- delicious.

a.  Choose 100% real maple syrup. No other ingredients on the label. The darker the color, the stronger the flavor.

Whew, that’s a lot for one day! But all the little things add up to big things and that can make a difference.  The brands I mentioned might not be available in your area so start reading ingredients lists to find brands that have simple, whole ingredients that you can pronounce and recognize. You can also try Thrive Market (link on sidebar) for wholesale prices on some of these items.  If you find brands that make the grade, other than what’s listed here, let me know. In the mean time, just start replacing your not-so-hot fridge products a little at a time and before you know it you’ll have a “cleaner” refrigerator! 

8 Ways to Prepare for a Hunger Emergency

It happens to all of us; we get busy running errands, a meeting goes late, traffic holds us up and we suddenly find a growling bear of hunger taking control and we reach for the nearest thing to eat, even if it’s far from healthy. I call it a “hunger emergency” and when this happens, we tend to choose sugary, highly refined, low quality foods to chase away the hunger bear.

Don’t let this happen to you.  Planning ahead is the best solution. Choose protein as part of your snack; it is best at controlling blood sugar and will keep the hunger surge from getting too big.

Here are 8 ways to get prepared:

1.    Keep a small bag of almonds or walnuts handy. Or make a batch of your own trail mix using almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, goji berries and shredded coconut.

2.    Fruit and Nuts. Have fruit that travels well on hand, like apples or oranges, and pair with a handful of nuts for a balance of protein, fats and carbs.

3.    Similar to number two, buy travel packs of almond butter to have on hand to pair with a banana, apple or crackers. 

4.    Hummus and crackers or cut vegetables is always a good snack option. (I like Mary’s Gone brand crackers.)

5.    Healthy snack bars made from whole food as ingredients. Larabar, and Simple Squares are good brands or try making your own with this recipe from 100DaysofRealFood.

6.    From Scratch Popcorn made from loose kernels popped in a brown paper bag in the microwave (not a pre-packed microwave type) sprinkled with fresh herbs and salt or nutritional yeast for a dairy free, cheesy taste.  No harmful chemicals and you still have a bag for easy transport. Simply put ¼ cup organic popcorn kernels in a brown lunch bag, roll the top down, microwave until they are popped. Sprinkle herbs, salt and/or nutritional yeast in the bag, shake and eat.

7.    Jerky. Not all brands are good, but Krave is awesome. Nitrate free, gluten free, no MSG or corn syrup. They have flavors that are sure to make your mouth water (turkey basil citrus, beef chili lime, sesame ginger) and chase away hunger. Check out Thrive Market for great prices on Krave.

8.    Roasted Chickpeas. Roast a batch of these at home. Sprinkle with your favorite flavors (cayenne pepper, sea salt or garlic and herbs) and you’ve got a healthy, crunchy, on-the-go snack. To make: drain a can of chickpeas, rinse and blot dry.  Toss with a little bit of olive oil and salt, spread on a rimmed cookie sheet and bake at 450°F for 30-40 minutes or until browned and crispy.

And most important:

Drink water all day long! Sometimes when we feel hungry, we are actually getting dehydrated; so keeping up on your water intake should be priority number one.

What's your favorite way to avoid a hunger emergency?