Part-time Vegetarian: Satisfying and Delicious

October is National Vegetarian Awareness month and a season change is a great time to reevaluate your diet and considering how to incorporate some meatless meals into

your routine.  Here are answers to some common questions you may consider when going meatless:

We’ve heard a lot about meatless Monday, but does going meatless really provide health benefits?  You bet!  Here are just a few of the improvements you can expect when you decrease the amount and frequency of meat in your diet:

•  Decrease in blood pressure
•  Lower blood cholesterol
•  Decreased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes
• Decreased risk of certain cancers and death rate due to cancer.
• Improved digestive health with increased fiber intake from fruits, veggies and legumes.

But what about protein – can I still get enough protein by going meatless? Absolutely.  On average, we consume 1 ½ times the recommended amount of protein in this country – and the majority is coming from animal sources.  Measureable amounts of protein are found in almost every food group (fruits have very little protein), so a balanced diet full of whole grains and veggies can definitely provide enough protein.  Most individuals will do fine with 0.8-1.0 g protein per kilogram body weight as a daily guide, however, for athletes that may increase.  See the protein calculator for athletes: eatright.org protein calculator

Does this mean I can’t ever enjoy meat?  No.  I personally think that a life without smoked brisket, fried chicken and brined turkey would be bleak indeed.  Just start inching your way toward the “part-time vegetarian” mentality and plan your menu with meatless days interspersed with healthful meat-containing meals. 

Are there any other benefits to going meatless?  Definitely.  Going meatless has an environmental impact on reducing our carbon footprint.  For example:

• If a family of four skipped steak once a week it would be environmental equivalent of taking their car off the road for almost 3 months. 
• If everyone in the United States went meatless one day per week, it would be equivalent to taking 7.6 million cars off the road. (source: http://static.ewg.org/reports/2011/meateaters/pdf/report_ewg_meat_eaters_guide_to_health_and_climate_2011.pdf) 

What are some ways to easily make the shift to meatless without a complete diet overhaul?

• Swap out beans for meat in soups, salads, casseroles, tacos and enchiladas. (Instead of chicken in a soup, use Great Northern beans; Instead of beef in your tacos, season some black beans the same way as you do your meat)

• Mushrooms are the quintessential meatless substitute.  From grilled portobellas instead of a hamburger patty, to sautéed in a spaghetti sauce, the savory, umami flavor and texture of mushrooms makes them the ideal meatless superstar.
  

• Try whole grains in your favorite casserole or soup recipe to add a satisfying chewiness and earthy flavor.  Brown and wild rice work wonderfully in these recipes, as does bulgur or barley.  Their versatility to blend and take on flavor makes them a healthful and cost-effective swap for meat.
  

• Up your veggie intake.  If you’ve loaded your Panini with grilled zucchini, roasted red peppers and caramelized onions, you’ll never miss the meat.  Adding in flavorful and aromatic vegetables to sauces, stews and pretty much any other dish gives your mouth something to chew and savor, and that is what makes a satisfying dining experience.

Here are links to some of my favorite meatless recipes:

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chickpea-arugula-pita-sandwiches

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/vegetarian-bolognese-with-whole-wheat-penne

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/farmers-market-sandwiches

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chipotle-bean-burritos-0

Delicious Nutrition on a Budget

I still think the holidays are a ways off, but retail stores beg to differ with their numerous Halloween and even Christmas displays in full view.  But regardless of how distant the holidays may feel, there is one very universal reality - budgets tend to get tight around the holidays.  Whether from visiting family, gift-giving, decorating to-the-hilt, or simply entertaining friends, our finances tend to take a hit this time of year.  Here are some ways to make sure you continue to enjoy delicious and healthful nutrition when funds are a bit leaner:

1. Plan, plan, plan!  Making a menu is key so that you can plan to work in leftover items throughout the week.  Also, making menu leads to making a grocery list and when we stick to our list, we spend less.  

2. Shop seasonal produce.  Whether that means apples, pears, squash or root veggies, embracing the flavors of the season means sale prices at the grocery store.  

3. Try frozen and canned produce.  Frozen produce is a convenient twin-sister to fresh fruits and veggies.  Nothing is added, it is simply fresh produce that is frozen.  Canned produce is getting much more attractive nutritionally as the canning process is using less or no sodium with veggies and natural fruit juice instead of syrup for fruits.  And lets face it, they canned produce wins hands down when it comes to convenience and store-ability.  During colder months when local produce is no longer an option, use canned and frozen varieties to supplement your produce budget and maintain a high level of plants in your diet.  

4. Go meatless a few days each week.  Lets face it, the butcher counter is one of the highest priced areas of any supermarket.  By simply omitting the meat from your entrees a couple nights a week, you can not only help increase the fiber, vitamin and mineral content of your diet by incorporating more veggies and whole grains, but you'll save some bucks as well.  

5. Enlist the crockpot.  Soup season is one of my favorite times of the culinary year.  Not only do you get loads of veggies, beans and warm comforting flavors to accompany all that nutrition, but they are generally very simple to throw together in a crockpot and you'll be hard pressed to find a cheaper meal.  Beyond soups, enlist your crockpot (and your children to help learn the art of crockpot cooking - they'll thank you later) to keep your family on track with family dinner.

Eating at the dinner table is always a healthier option and cheaper than eating out.  Knowing you have a hot meal waiting for you at home is the best deterrent to the siren song of the drive-thru.  

Back-to-School Lunches: Keeping It Real

I've been seeing so many blogs and Pinterest pins about packing these amazing lunches for your kiddos - some are quite over board, some are so gourmet, and others maxing out the cuteness factor. It seems as though the message we get is that if you aren't sending your child to school with a Bento box full of some amazing, surprise that is worthy of a blog post, you're not making the grade as a parent. NOT SO!

The problem at the other end of the sack lunch spectrum is when you give up trying to prepare a lunch at home and instead allow the store to do all the work for you - this results in a sack full of processed, convenience foods. 

Somewhere in between there is a happy and healthy medium which may not be pin-able but is very doable. 

You have a real child with specific and very real ideas of what they will and will not eat. The real-world of the lunchroom at times seems to involve more high stakes trading than does Wall Street.  So keep your kids in the equation. They should be the ones you are training to pack their own lunches. 

One of the best things you could do to better understand how to teach your kids to pack a lunch would be to go and eat school lunch with them. Get a taste of the front lines so that you know where they're coming from and what the lunch atmosphere is like. 

More than anything, remind yourself that all those ideal Internet images don't define your success or failure as a parent. They may provide some entertaining and occasionally helpful ideas, but you need to operate in reality which often doesn't resemble at all the board you have on Pinterest. 

Here are some tips to Keep It Real:

• This may mean that packing a sack lunch for the real world includes means having on hand some convenience foods: KIND bars is a great example of this with their transparent (visible) nutrition.  Choose wholesome convenience items and keep them balanced with the rest of the lunch. Which leads to the next point:

• Teach your kids to pack mostly "real" food. Foods with no ingredient labels should be in their lunch sack as well as some with very short ingredient labels such as cheese, popcorn, fruits & veggies.  But to make this work in the real world, you'll need to involve your kids in some prep before its time to pack the lunch.

• Pack the occasional goodie - nothing wrong with a homemade chocolate chip cookie or treat, but keep the portion size in check and if it is occasional it will remain a treat.  

• Be realistic with the container as well - let's face it, you can drop a lot of cash replacing cute lunch containers so consider the personality of your child and whether they can be responsible for a returnable, washable system, or if a chuck-able sack will save you both grief. 

Nutrition 101 Instructor: Your Great-Grandma

Lately I've been thinking about how much health wisdom there is to be found in the lives of my ancestors.  If you have any grandparents or great-grand parents  still living, take advantage of the unique perspective they may provide.  One health tenet poses the question: "If your grandmother (or great-grandmother) were grocery shopping with you, how much of what is in your cart would she recognize as food?"  

That is just one way in which a different perspective may pay health benefits.  Here are some others I've learned from family members that came before me:

• Ice cream is a rare treat. 

 My grandmother-in-law tells my children about growing up in the rural town of Holden, Utah.  In August, her father would pull the block of ice out of the granary where it was buried since spring and made homemade ice cream.  No doubt it tasted better not only because it was homemade, but because it was a rare and anticipated treat.  Health lesson: Treats are and should be occasional events, not mealtime staples. 

• If you can grow food, you should. 

My father grew up in a very rural area of southern Minnesota.  In addition to the farm crops, they had a kitchen garden.  Basically, if you wanted to eat it, you had to grow it first.  My father tried to transfer this concept to his own children by planting a large garden.  As a child in Logan, Utah, I spent countless hours weeding that rocky garden and cursing all the while.  But the harvest was bountiful and you didn't have to worry about the source or carbon footprint of your dinner.  Studies have shown that gardeners eat more produce and have healthier diets overall than non-gardeners.  Health lesson: Grow a garden and eat what you grow.

• Family dinner isn't a strategy, it's part of life. 

I've seen this taught on both sides of my family from my parents on back.  It hasn't been until recently that family dinner has even been considered optional.  This is a huge soap-box item for me, so I'll try to keep it brief.  Children in families that eat dinner together 5 or more times per week have higher grades, less obesity, less drug use and less incidence of eating disorders and depression.  This is probably just a tip of the iceberg, but suffice it to say that the entire family benefits from lower stress levels and better health when family dinner is the norm.  Health lesson: Family dinner isn't optional, it's essential.  

• Traditions and foods go together for a reason. 

Studies have shown that regardless of the country of origin or the food culture associated with it, those that eat a culture-specific diet (drive thru and take out are not the cultural foods I'm talking about) have less incidence of cardiovascular and obesity-related diseases than the current American diet.  My from Grandmother-in-law's traditional picnic lunch of homemade fried chicken that they would pack to watch the full moon rise over the sand dunes of western Utah, or the Norwegian foods that were a staple at my grandparents' family reunions have taught me that not only is there nothing wrong with tying food to traditions, but that it can also be beneficial.  Sunday night means warm chocolate chip cookies at my parents house.  As a result, I have no desire for prepackaged, subpar cookies during the week.  A sense of belonging, stability, and identity come when your family is raised with traditional foods and the cultural quirks that come with them.  Health lesson: Maintain nourishing family traditions.

So take a minute and see what nuggets of wisdom, health or otherwise are hiding in your family tree.

Trail Mix Navigation 101

There are loads of trail mixes out there with a new recipe for the crunchy snack popping up all the time.  However, not all trail mixes are created equal.  It can be confusing to determine what trail mixes are delicious, but the equivalent of a candy bar in bag form, what trail mixes will go stale because they are what my family refers to as "twigs and bark" and what mixes are a happy combination of flavor and nutrition.  Here are a few tips to healthfully navigate the tricky world of trail mix:

• Visual Appeal.  It is true that we eat with our eyes first, however, if it is too colorful (candies, white chocolate and butterscotch chips making up the bulk) then beware.  Your sugar content is likely too high and nutrient content such as fiber, vitamins and minerals too low.
• 3 Food Groups Represented.  Nuts and dried fruits, while healthful are very calorie dense so watch portion size with those combinations.  A better option is to choose a mix of 3 food groups.  Whole grains provide fiber, complex carbohydrates and protein for longer fullness and energy, dried fruits provide a quicker energy source as well as some vitamins and minerals and nuts or seeds will balance it out with some healthful fats for satiety, as well as some protein and vitamins and minerals also.  
• Pre-Portion Wisely.  Most trail mixes will contain 100-200 calories per 1/2 cup serving.  Pre-portioning not only keeps your serving size in check, but it ups the convenience factor as you are a packing a lunch or grabbing a snack before soccer practice. 

Cherry Chocolate Brownie Trail Mix

Here are 4 Trail Mix recipes that mix it up nutrient-wise and flavor-wise.

Traditional Trail Mix
2 cups bran flakes
2 cups Kashi Crisp
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup reduced sugar dried cranberries
1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

1/2 cup = 160 calories, 4 g fiber, 5 sugar, 6 g protein

Savory Trail Mix
2 cups wheat squares cereal (Chex)
2 cups multigrain pretzels
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup smokehouse almonds
1/2 cup cornnuts

1/2 cup = 125 calories, 3 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 4 g protein

Apple Pie Trail Mix
1 cup apple cinnamon Cheerios
1 cup cinnamon graham cereal
1 cup dried apples (pieces)
1/2 cup yogurt-covered raisins
1/2 cup pecan halves

1/2 cup = 155 calories, 2 g fiber, 18 g sugar, 2 g protein

Cherry Chocolate Brownie Trail Mix
1 cup wheat square cereal (Chex)
3 cups Cocoa Puffs Brownie Crunch cereal
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup lightly salted peanuts
1/2 cup dark chocolate M&Ms

1/2 cup = 145 calories, 2 g fiber, 14 g sugar, 3 g protein

Grocery Shopping: Front Lines for Nutritional Health

4 rules will help you stay healthy while you navigate that shopping cart:

1.    Plan your menu out in advance.  Don’t just list the main dish, but make note of side dishes, and healthful snack items you’re planning on eating during the week.

2.    Make your grocery list from your menu.  If you have the ingredients for a week’s worth of meals on hand, you can swap the order of your menu if you find your mood changes come dinnertime without resorting to less healthy convenience items.

3.    Make buying produce a priority.  Depending on the season you will probably want to go with a balance of fresh and frozen produce.  Remember that if half of what  you eat should be plants, half of your grocery cart should be full of produce.

4.    Plan and purchase snacks mindfully.  If it isn’t in the house, we aren’t going to eat it, so make sure to buy with healthful snacking in mind.  For example popcorn, nuts, individually wrapped dark chocolate, and lower sugar frozen yogurts may fill your snacking and fit the nutrition bill as well.

Tips by store section:

Bakery/Grains: 3 grams or more fiber per serving

 Produce: In season and variety are key

Butcher: Go meatless a couple nights a week and vary your animal protein sources

Canned Fruits: Watch out for added sugar

Canned Veggies: Watch out for added sodium

Dairy: Choose low-fat & unsweetened

Are You Eating Smart and Making the Grade? Here’s How to Feed Your Brain:

Whether you are starting preschool or law school, you'll want to make sure you're getting the right balance of nutrients to stay sharp.

Carbohydrates are what fuels our brains.  Make sure you’re getting a good variety of whole grains daily.  Fruits and vegetables can also contribute healthy-fuel carbohydrates.

Healthful fats from a variety of sources keep your circulation healthy and reduce inflammation not just for your heart, but for your brain as well.  Salmon, Tuna, Walnuts, Pumpkin seeds and Flaxseed oil are all great sources of heart and brain healthy fats that we often just call Omega-3s.  Remember that what is healthy for your heart is healthy for your brain.

Protein: A good balance of nutrients is important and a little protein at mealtimes help keep you fuller longer, as well as supply your body with the building blocks it needs to make neurotransmitters, hormones and other essential compounds for healthy brain function.

How to work these components in? 

•       Pair a whole grain with a protein and a fruit for a great, long-lasting breakfast. (Top yogurt with fruit, & nuts and serve with whole grain toast)
•       Include some healthy seeds and nuts in a trail mix for your child’s lunch sack or after-school snack. 

Crunch Combo Trail Mix:

1/2 cup dried cherries, 2 cups whole-grain Rice Chex, 1/2 cup roasted pistachios, 3 cups Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal

1/2 cup mix = 119 calories 3.3 g fiber

Chocolate-lover's Trail Mix:

2 cups cheerios, ½ cup pepitas, ¼ cup raisins, ¼ cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

1/3 cup mix =  120 calories, 2 g fiber