Say 'Hello' to www.desireerd.com!

Wow...what a tidal wave the last few months have been! I have been working hard on getting my new business and website together and now it is ready to share with the world. However, there are only so many hours in the day and with all of the comings and goings, these pages have been sorely neglected. 

It takes a pretty strong force to rip me away from my beloved blog and now, I am sad to say, this will be my last post here. 

I am, however, thrilled to share my new website with you, www.desireerd.com. 

The lovely Chloe Perron at Spoken Design created it for me, and I even got myself a spanky new photo, courtesy of the amazing Melia Sorenson at Lucida Photography. 

My blog will continue on the new site, with plenty of great content (articles + recipes) up weekly starting February 1st. I hope you will join me there and for those of you new to this blog, here are the links to my most popular posts...enjoy!

My review of the Wheat Belly book is by far the most visited on my blog - talk about a hot button issue!

The post where I share the cake I made for my son's first birthday (from 365 Quinoa) is another good one!

My thoughts on the newest trend in Vancouver...good vegetarian restaurants.

If you are looking for a sane, measured approach to eating well - try my UnDiet!

Want to go more plant-based? Here is a simple way to get started.

Feast or Famine? Time to get off the diet roller coaster.

This week, someone shared this Bloomberg Business Week article revealing interesting data from a few US chains showing increased salad sales on Mondays. 


Monday - day of perpetual hope and new beginnings! 


Diets always start on Mondays, usually to crash and burn with Friday night drinks after work. In fact, one business owner in the article cites Friday lunch as a boom time for burgers. Or, maybe Monday is the day of repentance, as the article suggests. Many of us have been there: weekends filled with nachos, beers and double-scoop ice cream to be followed by All Bran and skinny lattes come Monday morning. In fact, as dietitians, we always ensure that clients record food habits on both weekends and weekdays as dietary habits are so different during those times. Yet another option is if a new dietary regime is already in the works, we plan to start it on Monday. We can then "take advantage" of the weekend to get all of our favourites "out of our system". 


You know when would be a good time to start a diet? Right now. And let's not call it a diet, so  much as a "new way of eating". The best part? No radical overhauls to how you eat. You don't have to say goodbye to some of your favourite treats. You simply need to figure out how to make them work for you and your bottom line.


If you are planning on making a big change, think about what your goals are and how realistic your plan is for long term success. Dieting is a bore so if you have weight to lose, consider how well your plan can be followed for life. If you can't see yourself on this regime for the rest of your life (or if it doesn't teach you how to adapt the plan for maintenance) you may find yourself selecting another Monday for another new diet in 6 months time. 


If like the fresh start Mondays provide, use that power for permanent change by trying my UnDiet project, with weekly tips to slowly makeover your diet for good. Small changes have a powerful effect over time.

UnDiet...Week 52

Merry Christmas UnDieters!


This week, you have only one task: eat, drink and be happy. Get close to your loved ones; whatever food you choose to prepare as you celebrate, use the best quality ingredients possible and prepare foods with love. That way, you are guaranteed to nourish your soul (even if all not all the foods you eat this week nourish your body!)


Thank you so much for following along this year. At certain points, you might have strayed...at certain points, I have strayed! When beginning this project, I never realized the dedication it would take to keep going all year long - what a good reminder that any commitment you make to yourself requires passion, perseverance and willpower to keep it going. The lovely thing about an UnDiet is that there is no true beginning or end point: should you feel the need to reinvest in your health in 2012, simply start back at week one! 


Health is a journey; no one (not even a dietitian) eats "perfectly" all the time or exercises religiously, gets enough sleep or manages stress all the time. The key is tipping the scale in your favour. Always strive to be healthier today, in any way that you can. That is key to true health. 


I hope you enjoy the remaining days of 2011. Be sure to keep tuning into EDBH in the New Year for plenty more delicious adventures.


All the best of the season,
Desiree


PS - should you have any thoughts on what you would like to see on EDBH in 2012, let me know!

UnDiet...Week 51

Hello UnDieters!


I hope you are all snug and toasty with your loved ones this morning, enjoying a warm cup of tea or coffee and saying to yourself, "TGIF!" Take a moment this morning to relax and get ready to UnDiet, holiday style.


For your festive mission this coming week, I would like you to eat one holiday superfood each day. Because, what are the holidays without a celebration of food? I have chosen 5 foods that are readily available, nutritious and absolutely delicious for you to enjoy. When you eat your daily superfood, think of all the nourishment that good food (and good spirits!) can offer. Appreciate. Savour. Nourish. Enjoy.


1. Citrus - a delightful seasonal (if not local) treat, enjoy satsumas, moros, clementines, Meyer lemons, ruby grapefruit and kumquats. Squeeze yourself a bit of upliftingly scented vitamin C. The scent of grapefruit might even help to curb appetite. Any help around the holidays is appreciated :)


2. Cranberries - a potent bacteria fighter the colour of holiday lights. Make a lightly sweetened compote with apples for dessert or a snack; drink unsweetened, not-from-concentrate juice with sparkling water or dice raw cranberries into salads, pilafs and casseroles for a tart hit of nutrition.


3. Nuts - enjoy a 1/4 cup of your favourite raw nuts. Go holiday style and crack them right from the shell or take it easy and buy shelled nuts to eat on oatmeal, with dried fruit or on their own. Healthy fats will moisturize from the inside out and provide plenty of micronutrients to keep you resilient during all the holiday festivities.


4. Turkey - not just for the big feast, enjoy easy-to-prepare turkey roast as a nutritious and delicious main, slice for sandwiches, wraps and scrambles before you are totally sick of leftovers.


5. Yams and sweet potatoes - without all the sugar and marshmallow (say it ain't so!), these super spuds are super nutritious. Use them in place of other grains or starches: baked, roasted, boiled or mashed, these colourful tubers are a rich source of vitamin A.


Enjoy the holidays,
Desiree

UnDiet...Week 50

Hello UnDieters! 


Just a few short weeks left in this glorious year; I hope that you are all enjoying the holidays in true UnDiet style! Eat mindfully, savour beautiful treats and leave plenty of room for the sort of nutrient dense food that will keep you charged up and partying late into the night all season long.


To help give you an added boost, this week's task is to swap a snack. Are you eating daily nuts? If not, this is the time to start. Raw nuts are full of healthy fats for gorgeous skin and clear arteries; protein to power you through your day and vitamins and minerals to strengthen your defences. So choose one of your daily snacks and replace it with 1/4 cup of your favourite raw nuts. For more protein and vitamin E, choose almonds. For omega 3s to nourish your mind, go for walnuts. For a bit of healthy indulgence, holiday style, try cashews or macadamia nuts. 


Replacing a more carbohydrate based snack for raw nuts will help keep your energy levels stable and carry you through to your next meal without getting too hungry. 


Party on!


Desiree

UnDiet...Week 48

Santa is watching, UnDieters...drop that cookie!

Hello UnDieters! 


Just a few weeks to go in 2011...hope you are starting to enjoy the glitter of the holiday season without submitting to the all too pervasive stress of it all.


As the days get darker and we get more sedentary, I would like you to explore your nighttime noshing. Usually when we eat after dinner, it is for one of two reasons: we didn't eat nearly enough during the day or we are simply in the habit of snacking in front of the television. After a long day, we rush get dinner on, kids fed, bathed and tucked in and then we crash in front of the television to decompress. Potato chips in hand. And before you know it, you are passed out in front of The Office and the potato chips are gone. 


It is exactly this kind of behaviour that can result in massive weight gain over time. At night, we are less likely to need those extra calories we are ingesting and far less likely to burn them off if we eat them. This week, let's try and break from routine. If you want to eat after dinner, eat only vegetables. You still get to engage in what is probably a deeply engrained habit but you will be eating healthy, low calorie food that contributes to making you a healthier human. We can capitalize on our propensity to overeat and work towards getting our 10 daily servings of vegetables!


To make this task easier, as you grocery shop this weekend, buy extra vegetables and then wash and chop them right away. Place the chopped veggies in an airtight container in the fridge so that if you have a snack attack, you have emergency snacks at the ready.


Ever tried to overeat broccoli? Trust me, you will thank me later.


To your health,
Desiree

UnDiet...Week 47

Hello UnDieters!


Week 47....New Year's Day is just around the corner. Hopefully, with a year of UnDieting under your belt the one thing you won't be worried about come January 1st is how you are eating. This week I want to get you eating some more food to save your nutritional soul...greens.


"Kale!" is a routinely heard battle cry at the office. We shout "kale!" when things really rock. Don't laugh. Yes, I am a food geek. That is besides the point (or it is the point entirely.) Why should kale represent the height of my exuberance? Because kale and other greens are serious foodie medicine. So nutritious is it almost ridiculous to start naming names...all you really need to know is that you should eat greens every day. Even Canada's Food Guide, which is not always heralded as the most progressive of texts, recommends you get some daily greens. Who am I to argue?


Does a daily green food seem like an impossible task? Perhaps it is because you simply need more ideas on how to use them. First, let me start by counting the greens...


Black kale, purple kale, curly kale, red chard, rainbow chard, collard greens, mizuna, broccoli, bok choy, gai lan, beet greens, spinach, baby kale, arugula, broccolini, rapini, cilantro, parsley, basil, dandelion greens...you get the picture!


Next, here are 10 ideas on how you can use all of those delicious greens in your daily diet:


Steam collard leaves and use instead of tortillas.


Stew chard with onions and garlic as the base for a hearty winter soup.


Add de-stemmed black kale to a blueberry smoothie.


Saute your favourite green with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and chili flakes for a simply delicious side.


Make a salad with mizuna, baby spinach, cilantro and add Mexican flavours like chipotle simmered black beans, corn and queso fresco.


Stir fry gai lan with lots of garlic and add sriracha marinated tofu. Serve over rice noodles.


Layer steamed, sliced beet greens in a vegetarian lasagna.


Simmer broccolini with white beans, garlic and finish with lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice.


Make kale chips with your favourite kale by tossing pieces with olive oil, salt and pepper and baking at 325 for 15-20 minutes...watch carefully!


Wrap dandelion greens with feta, pickled beets, hummus and grated carrot in a sprouted grain wrap.


See? It's easy being green...

UnDiet...Week 45

Hello UnDieters!


2011 is slowly drawing to a close and I want to ensure that all of you who have stuck with me through my ups and downs creating this Un-Diet plan finish off the year on solid footing. We have introduced so many different types of foods; skimmed the fat where it isn't necessary and added quality fats (by the measured spoonful, of course!) where they are. We have gotten up to our elbows in roughage and celebrated the harvest. So let's finish strong, with a focus on good food fundamentals. 


Last week, we revisited the apple (or pear) a day challenge and I do hope you can keep going with it throughout the balance of the year. For this week, I want to introduce a habit that is also worthy of maintaining for the last 7 weeks of the year at the very least. Could it really be only 7? 


Each time you sit down to eat, I am asking that you put your fork or spoon or chopsticks down in between bites. In our fastest-just-gets-there-fastest world, this seems almost ridiculous now. But what are we really rushing to accomplish? By physically getting in the way of hoovering your meal, you can stretch out the eating process for just a little longer. This is a good idea for your stress levels, your waist line and your overall health.


When the rest of our day is fast paced and stress filled, why not consider meal time as a break from the madness? If you are already making the commitment to nourish your body with food, why not go the extra step to truly nourish your body with a moment's respite from chaos? Doing so will actually help you maintain a healthy weight as well; eating slowly gives our body time to realize that it is full and satisfied before we over eat. A slower pace also helps promotes proper digestion and absorption of nutrients so that we derive all of the benefits of the food we eat and don't end up with an angry gas filled gut later on. We need a relaxed environment and state of mind for our body to do its best work.


So for the rest of the year, simply take a moment's pause. It's good for you. And if you want to be really bold, invite a friend to break bread with you. Use those pauses to reconnect. 


Cheers,
Desiree

UnDiet...Week 41

Hello UnDieters! 

Don't those look good? 

Are any of you still eating an apple a day? If you can remember back, oh-so-long ago, that was our very first challenge in this year of healthy eating. Sometimes the simplest missions are the best. 


You would easily be forgiven if you had abandoned your resolve to eat a daily apple through the summer, with all of that blushing summer produce. However, now that the berries, peaches and plums have been either preserved or composted, it is time to get reacquainted with the fruits of fall labour. So as we get back in touch with our original goal, let's up the ante just a little bit. You are all now very well established UnDieters and it shouldn't faze you at all! 


For this week, let's eat one apple AND one pear a day...and keep it up through New Year's Day. These beautiful fruits are the very best that BC has to offer right now. Crisp, sweet and packed with fibre, eating an apple and a pear everyday will help boost your intake of fruit and veg in a season when it can be all too simple to forget produce. Red skins will provide anthocyanins for a healthy heart; apples feature quercetin to support respiratory health and copper in pears helps build SOD, a super antioxidant in the body. Just what this busy season calls for, I think...


To your health!
Desiree

UnDiet...Week 39

Kiwis growing in the warm Vancouver sun...

Hello UnDieters!


I hope you enjoyed this gorgeous autumn weekend. It really couldn't have been more beautiful. I spent these sunny days taking full advantage of the season: we wandered through a corn maze, visited the UBC apple festival (and saw these kiwis growing at the botanical garden!) and picked up our CSA share of local wheat from Urban Grains. And I bought an apple tree. Which I intend to grow on my patio. Wish me luck folks - I hope to have some 0 mile apples next fall!


As the days turn colder, we start looking for heartier food and sometimes it is easy to forget a bit about fruits and vegetables in favour of grains and proteins. So this week, we are going to measure up! You all know that I am not a big fan of counting calories but a few simple metrics can help us all eat a bit healthier. So this week, your number is 50. Each time to sit down to a meal or snack, ensure that 50 percent of the food you are eating is a fruit, a vegetable or both! 


Basing all of your meals on produce is an easy way to keep calories down without skimping on the actual volume of food you are eating (and therefore not feeling satisfied). You all already know how energizing fruits and veggies are so I won't spend volumes expounding upon the virtues of fresh produce. Even if won't touch another salad until April, be sure to get those veggies in. Cool weather fruits and vegetables lend themselves beautifully to cooking: think stewed greens with cannellini beans; roast squash or red peppers over pasta; baked apple crumbles and poached pears. 


Enjoy the harvest,
Desiree

UnDiet...Week 37

Hello UnDieters!

This turkey is breathing a sigh of relief that this is a Tofurkey house!

For all of my Canadian friends, this weekend marks Thanksgiving, one of my favourite feast days. I love thanksgiving because there is no other celebration, recognized across different faiths and cultures, that is solely focused on gratitude. We give thanks for the love we receive from others, the blessings and abundance we have in our life and the beautiful food that we feast with. 


In fact, this is a great intention to set for the whole week. So, UnDieters, in keeping with our theme of evaluating how and why we eat, this is a week to give thanks. Each time that you are about to put food to lip, take a 30 second pause to reflect on how that particular food got to your lips and give thanks. Nothing formal, nothing out loud...just a brief pause to connect yourself with your food.


Whether it was the turkey who provided its life as nourishment, the warm sun that helped the pear to ripen or your roommate who took the time to prepare a simple dinner because you are both far from family - give thanks for the conditions that aligned to help nourish your body at this moment.


What am I thankful for this Thanksgiving? The miracle that is my son, the amazing people I am proud to call my friends, colleagues and family and that through my work I get to help people live healthier and happier lives. And some good food. 


Thanks to you for continuing to read!
Desiree

UnDiet...36

Hello UnDieters!

Now that the days are darker and a chill is creeping into the air, I always feel an intense desire to stay closer to home. I find that all of that outward energy and exuberance that spring and summer bring with them softens as thoughts turn inward for a bit of mental hibernation. Fall and winter months find us looking for warmth, comfort and maybe some time to reflect. So for this week, I thought it would be a great time to reflect on our motives for picking up our forks. 

This week, before you put a bite of something in your mouth, I want you to ask yourself, "Am I really hungry?"

Be honest with yourself. If the answer is no, consider how would best meet your needs right now. Do you need a nap? A cry? A chat with a friend? A bath? A hug? Something more interesting to do than sitting on the couch? If you can think of something that might be more constructive to your mental and physical state than eating, then do that instead. However, you might find that the scoop of leftover mac and cheese may be just what the doctor ordered. So go ahead and enjoy. The goal this week is simply to be more present about what drives us to fill our bellies.

See how this week changes the way you think about food - is it simply fuel? Soul nourishment? Entertainment? Comfort? Punishment? How can you give food its rightful (and joyful) place in your life? Warm up a mug of tea, lounge on the couch and think about how you can truly eat well.

Cheers,

Desiree

UnDiet...Week 34

I think it is time for another measure up post, don't you? Let's talk protein. The stuff of nutrition myth and legend, every health professional has an opinion on protein. We eat too much, we don't eat enough. No animal protein...nothing is better for you than animal protein! 


Let's set the record straight on just one meaty issue: portion size. Rummage through your junk drawer to find a deck of cards. Got 'em? Good. Take a good hard look at that deck and imagine it is a piece of chicken. There is your serving size. If the deck starts clucking at you, put it down. Walk away. Consult a physician.


Before you pale at the thought of starving on such scarce flesh, remember this: whether you are a vegetarian or a meatatarian, veggies and grains should be the centrepiece of your dish. They provide the fibre, the antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that your body needs. Protein is a compliment to these nutrients. Getting enough protein helps support stable blood sugars and a strong immune system. Even the average North American vegetarian gets more protein than they need (us poor vegetarians...where could we possibly be getting all that protein?).


So this week, instead of slapping a huge hunk of meat on your plate, serve yourself a smaller portion. Or "extend" meat the old fashioned way: add slivers of chicken to your stirfry, combine grass fed beef with lentils, veggies and breadcrumbs into a meatloaf or add some lentils to a soup or stew. Be sure to get a good source of protein at every meal...just don't gorge yourself on it!


And while you're at it...try and eat more veggie protein too. It comes loaded with fibre and we all need more roughage. Go hug a lentil, already.


Cheers,
Desiree

UnDiet...Week 32

Stressed? Just gaze at this sunset and take a deep breath.

Hello UnDieters!


I hope you all enjoy this last blissful weekend of summer. Get outside and hike, bike, walk, swim and run. Pack a picnic and lounge at the park or grab a book and sit on your deck and ponder life. Next week, it is back to traffic, busy schedules and (perhaps) stress. 


Do you know what is the perfect antidote for a stressful life? Good clean living! When we get stressed out, the first thing many of us do is to stop exercising, start eating "comfort" food and then we end up even more lethargic and energy deprived. However tough it is to keep up with our self care, it is even more vital the crazier life gets because eating well and exercising builds our body's resilience and helps us cope with a stressful stretch. 


This week, we should all help make sticking to our eating plans easier. Take a lazy morning to plan out a couple of go-to healthy meals. Then saunter over to the grocery store, grab your supplies and after the sun goes down, have a glass of wine and make a few big batches of food to carry you through the week. This way, when life is crazy, trying to eat well doesn't have to be. 


Some great ideas for big batch cooking to make the week easier:


- Make and freeze some whole grain muffins, with lots of fruit, nuts and seeds for breakfast on the go.
-Make a batch of steel cut oats Monday night and portion out for the week with some dried fruit and hemp seeds. Just a splash of milk in the morning and heat!
- If the days are already cooling off where you are, make some delicious corn soup, a zesty chili or a roasted tomato stew. Fill lunch sized containers for the week and freeze a couple of portions for your emergency food stash. Serve with whole grain crackers and cheese.
- Cook a big batch of barley or brown rice to have for evening dinners as that is usually the meal component that takes the longest.


Check me out on The Fresh Sheet this month as Heather and I will be sharing our favourite lunch ideas to make brown baggin' it easy and fresh.


Enjoy the sun,
Desiree

UnDiet...Week 31

Hello UnDieters!


It's hot out there, people! As promised, for another week or two we are going to keep our approach to healthy eating simple lest we anger the blood with too much exertion. So when I was thinking how best to keep my cool during these dog days, I immediately thought of cucumbers. Cucumbers don't get much respect in the nutrition world but they are a deliciously cooling vegetable and at their best right now as the heat produces some gorgeous field cucumbers. 


That gorgeous dark green skin is chock full of anti-oxidant pigments and its high water content is perfect for these dehydrating days. Rich in anti-inflammatory flavonols and a unique source of anti-cancer lignans, cucumbers deserve a regular place in your diet. So this week, try and have some cucumber everyday.


Here are some easy ways to enjoy cukes...


If you juice, add a bit of cucumber to a green juice (goes well with lemon, apple and kale)


Make a tzatziki or raita...the ultimate cooling blend of yogurt and cukes!


Chop cucumbers with tomatoes, olives, red onion and feta for a classic greek salad.


Top cucumbers with hummus for a quick snack.




Stay cool, cucumbers!
Desiree

UnDiet...Week 30

Hello UnDieters!


It's the lazy days of summer...I always feel that in August all motivation to expend serious energy on anything is lost. So this week, I will ask for a very simple but very powerful swap. Many weeks back, I asked you to add more seeds to your diet and this week I will ask you to start adding more nuts to your diet.


I have never been a fan of low fat diets but it can be easy to go overboard when our main sources of fat are added oils. However, we tend to overlook food sources of healthy fat, such as nuts. When we eat our fats in a package that includes protein and fibre and other vitamins you are getting more bang for your nutrition buck and they help to fill you up too. Nuts are also a great alternative to all those carb-based snacks that we tend to overeat. 


So this week, consider swapping one of your snacks for a 1/4 cup of raw nuts. For a higher protein nut, try almonds. To boost your omega 3 intake, try walnuts. To keep it local, go for hazelnuts. Whichever are your favourite, buy small amounts and keep them fresh in the refrigerator and enjoy daily. Nuts will help to fill you up and keep your energy up between meals without the blood sugar roller coaster of a granola bar. Need a bigger snack? Add a piece of fresh fruit. There are gorgeous BC plums out there right now!


Go nuts, folks.
Desiree

UnDiet...Week 29

Local heirloom tomatoes...worth more than any dusty knick knack!

Oh UnDieters...you haven't given up on me!

Week 29 into this journey of ours, I would like to ask something special of you. August is the perfect month to celebrate all the good food that is around us so it is time to really get connected. I, along with my friend Heather, am doing the Growing Chefs Get Local! Local Food Challenge for 7 days starting Sunday. We are chronicling our journey (and our recipes!) all week long on our new blog, The Fresh Sheet. 

So what does eating locally have to do with being healthy? I am glad you asked.

1. Eating close to home is better for the planet. A healthy planet makes a healthy human through the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land that our food grows in. Shipping food long distances pollutes the earth and wastes precious resources. Food grown close to home doesn't have to travel far.

2. Food that doesn't have to travel far can be picked closer to its ripe peak. Ripe fruits and vegetables express their full flavour and nutrition. So food tastes better, satisfies us more fully and nourishes us more fully. In addition, less travel time means that less nutrients are lost between farm time and dinner time. 

3. Choosing foods based on their social and environmental impact helps us think more intelligently about the act of eating. So often, we have a distorted and self-centered view of food; it is entertainment, pleasure, reward and penance. Thinking about the act of eating and where our food comes from connects us to the miracle that is food grown out of the earth.

4. Buying local food is a vote that you make with your dollars that quality food means something to you. Food companies, which exist solely to sell us our food, respond to where they see the money going and if enough of us vote, our food supply will become healthier as a result. Supply follows demand, always.

5. Focusing on local foods means focusing on real, whole foods. Our current health crisis is one borne of eating fake, processed, lifeless foods. Eating fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, meats, nuts and seeds nourishes our bodies and sustains our health.

I hope that this week you will join us at The Fresh Sheet and then commit to eating as local as possible for at least one meal a day or one whole day next week. As you do, think about how the act of thinking critically about your food changes your relationship to it. And see if you don't feel a whole lot healthier for it.

Get local, people!

Desiree

PS...while times are tough, if you are able, please consider supporting Growing Chefs by pledging us this challenge week. They are looking to raise $4000 which is enough to put 4 chefs in the classroom for the school year. Educating the next generation to be conscious and healthful eaters is critical to our future success as a nation.

UnDiet...Week 28

One of my favourite places to be in the summer...the peak. Food tastes better outdoors, after a big hike!

Hello UnDieters!

I am most uninspired by this summer's weather. I need the summer sun to fill up my "happy tank". So after 6 weeks of blah weather, I am feeling a bit blah myself. Just in case you might be suffering the same affliction, I want to offer some good mood food.

Your excruciatingly difficult challenge this week is to pick your favourite childhood treat and eat it. Think about what food you most associate with the happiness and carefree summers of childhood. Whatever that food is, take time to prepare it with the best ingredients you can afford and give yourself time to focus on your treat and savour it. Preferably outdoors, with an umbrella if need be. Think about how it makes you feel. What memories do you associate with the food? How does it actually taste? What is the texture like?

When we are stressed, we often turn to food to improve our mood but we typically choose poor quality food and ingest it with such disdain and speed that it does little more than weigh us down even further. And I admit that food should not be used as comfort on a regular basis. If you routinely use food to cover up emotions or challenges, it is important to find a healthier outlet - whatever that is for you. But sometimes you just need a little me time, in the way of something delicious. So this week, enjoy. And if you can put in a good word with the weather makers, will you order some sun?

Have fun,
Desiree

UnDiet...Week 27

Hello UnDieters!

How did your ingredient reading experiment go last week? Any shocking revelations? Any happy reassurances? Hopefully you felt a little more connected to what is in your food...and going into your body.

This week is all about celebrating the harvest once more. It is time to eat tomatoes. Nothing beats the flavour of a tomato straight from the field, with nothing more than a little salt and freshly cracked pepper. Aside from being gorgeous and delicious, tomatoes pack in a nutritional punch.

Packed with vitamin C to help support healthy skin through collagen production and vitamin A for skin integrity, tomatoes can even help defend your skin from sun damage thanks to the antioxidant, lycopene. Lycopene also helps to support prostate health. For the most lycopene absorption, cook your tomatoes with a little healthy fat such as extra virgin olive oil. Tomatoes are also rich in potassium for healthy blood pressure and low in calories...making them the perfect summer food.

Taste summer this week and try and eat tomatoes (grown close to home!) twice this week. Go for something new and try chocolate, zebra or other heirloom varieties to take a break from the everyday hot house, mass produced varieties.

Shine on,
Desiree

Cleaning up my act...

As a dietitian, I am under no illusion that making permanent lifestyle change is difficult. I work with hundreds of clients who share their challenges and their triumphs on the path. And I wouldn't dare say that I never have my own issues; I may know how to eat like a "saint" but I am human too!


In fact, over the last few months my own lifestyle habits have left a bit to be desired. I like to keep my healthy eating to 80-90% of my diet, leaving a little room for whatever is tasting good to me at the moment like poutine, red wine and ice cream. However, my healthy eating has looked a bit closer to 60-70% with a few too many chocolate bars and potato chips to name. And I haven't worked out in months. I can feel the difference. I just don't have the energy I usually do and when you get up at the crack of dawn (5AM!) and chase a little one around all day, it really hits you. 


So I am cleaning up my act this week. We are in the middle of a move and a generally insane month. It would be easy to put it off but the time is now. My husband is off so he can watch E while I work out and I have a bit of extra time to make food. I already worked out this morning and had a great breakfast and am feeling motivated and ready to go.


This isn't a diet or a detox or a cleanse. This is just me refocusing on taking care of myself and eating the foods I love to and that love me back.


I just might share my menus with you all...both for interest sake and to keep me honest. Watch this space....