Eat...in Vancouver

Dangerous Goods Inside...

I attended the Dietitians of Canada National Conference in Edmonton, where Liane Faulder, writer for the Edmonton Journal, helpfully shared her favourite foodie spots for all us hungry dietitians. Inspired, a friend and I were chatting about where to eat in Vancouver and she half jokingly suggested that I write my own list. Careful what you wish for....here it is...my current 10 favourite places to grab a bite or a drink (in no particular order, most definitely subject to change) in Vancouver!


1. Cafeteria Cafeteria is that perfect combination of intimate, friendly, delectable, seasonal and (gasp!) a good value. I have literally NEVER had a bad meal here and given that it is within stumbling distance of home, I go here a reasonable amount. http://cafeteriavancouver.ca/ 


2. La Taqueria Mmmm....tacos. Real, authentic tacos. 'Nuff said. http://www.lataqueria.ca/ 

3. Finch's Tea House The baguette sandwiches are transcendent. The cookies are the size of your face. http://www.finchteahouse.com/

4. Ganache Patisserie Owner Peter Fong does ridiculous things with pastry. I don't care much for sweets, unless they come from Ganache. Never met a treat I didn't like here. http://www.ganacheyaletown.com/

5. Judas Goat At last! A real tapas bar. Not a "funky decor, $22 for a boring plate with 1 oz of food on it" bar. Love the tiny, intimate space. Bold flavours, awesome wine list. http://www.judasgoat.ca/ 

6. L'Abattoir Gastown is rocking the food world right now. L'Abattoir has a great room, great service, inventive food and they actually take reservations. http://www.labattoir.ca/


7. Gene This is where I go for coffee...some of the best in town. And they definitely make the best mocha in town for my taste. I hate sweet stuff (see #4) and their mocha tastes like cocoa, not sickly sweet chocolate sauce. 


8. Nuba Healthy, tasty and affordable. The good eats trifecta. Now open in the hipper-than-you Waldorf Hotel. http://www.nuba.ca/


9. Campagnolo Still my favourite pizza in Vancouver. You MUST try the crispy ceci. http://www.campagnolorestaurant.ca/


10. Bao Bei Want to impress your guests with how stylish and cosmopolitan Vancouver is? This is the spot. Think vintage modern Chinese with kicka@@ cocktails. Yum. http://www.bao-bei.ca/ 

Time to eat!
Desiree

Eat...like me! The fibre challenge...

This week at work was our employee fibre challenge as part of our ongoing employee wellness program...we challenged everyone to meet their minimum recommended fibre intake (25 grams for women, 38 grams for men) with only whole foods - no fibre supplement bars or metamucil. The average Canadian eats only 14 grams of fibre, generally because we eat too many nasty processed foods...but it can be really easy to get what you need.


I thought I would take a photo log of what I ate this Tuesday. It is a pretty honest "real world" day - I had a terrible selection of food in my fridge and barely any fruit and veg because I needed to go grocery shopping and I spent the last half of the day out (and didn't grocery shop)...but at least I still managed to get my minimum 25 grams of fibre and pull off a not too bad day!


Breakfast: 1 small mango, 3/4 cup of Liberte Apple Pie Yogurt (no artificial sweeteners or stabilizers...good stuff!), 1/3 cup of Kellogg's All Bran Buds with Psyllium. 13 grams fibre total.

Lunch: leftover whole wheat pasta (1/4 box), made with lots of garlic, chili flakes, parmesan, olive oil and butter. A cup of Numi Emperor's Puerh tea. I ate this at 10:00AM because I was starved and didn't want the snack I brought. 8 grams fibre total.

Snack: which I ate at about 12:30....carrots and hummus...I definitely would have brought more to snack on if there was more in my fridge :) About 2 grams of fibre.

On the road...on my way to a meeting at 3:30 and absolutely starving (surprise, surprise!) so stopped at Starbucks for a banana chocolate Vivanno. I feel like this is a slightly healthier bevvie than average because I can actually watch them put in the real milk and whole banana. Also, it is way less sweet than their other varieties. 6 grams of fibre.


Dinner: out with family at Nuba, one of my favourite places! Easy place to eat healthy foods...always a challenge to estimate the fibre, etc in restaurant meals but here is my attempt!
Hummus and pita...maybe 4 pieces and 1/2 cup hummus...4 grams fibre...and one piece of the heavenly haloumi...no fibre...just yummy :)

Next came my fruit and nut salad...and my falafel...roughly 6 grams fibre...mostly from the falafel and dried fruit in the salad.

I also had a couple of bitefuls of the amazing cardamom creme brulee...just a couple as I was stuffed!

Grand total for the day? 39 grams fibre and I also managed to eat my minimum servings of fruit and veg too...If you are wondering how I figure out the fibre in foods, our lovely government provides a database where you can look up detailed nutritional information for almost any food...called the Canadian Nutrient File. Here is the link! http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/fiche-nutri-data/index-eng.php 

Happy Spring,

Desiree

Eat...Nuba

Vancouver is an amazing food city...we have raw food, super star chefs, the best Indian and Chinese restaurants west of the Atlantic and access to the freshest produce and seafood around. That being said, getting a healthy meal that tastes amazing at a "to go" price can still be a bit of a challenge. Which is why I love Nuba.

Billed as "authentic Lebanese cuisine" this place is a bit more than just good falafel. Not many restaurants use a vegan diet as their baseline, but scanning their menu you will notice the statement "All menu items vegan, except for V for vegetarian and M for meat." They use plenty of organic ingredients and food is bursting with flavour, without the greasy hangover of many kebab and falafel shops. My favourite is the crispy cauliflower and my omnivore husband likes the lamb kafta.

The Yaletown location is more of the takeout spot; at Crosstown, they offer a sitdown experience at a super reasonable price at dinner - the most expensive item is their feast for two at $35.

Go to Nuba - eat healthy - be happy.

Nuba...207 West Hastings at Cambie and 1206 Seymour at Davie...www.nuba.ca