Nutrition ABCS...Eggs

There are some nutrition questions that never fade...like whether or not eggs are good for you. I am here to set the record straight (well, let's be honest...you might find some other opinions and then you will just have to decide for yourself who to believe.). I think eggs, if you are of the animal product eating sort, are fantastic. 


Of all the animal products you could choose, eggs are pretty light on the environment. And if you stop being so stingy and spend a bit more for eggs from a farm with humane animal husbandry practices, you can keep the chickens happy while they are on this earth producing food for you. I can't stress this enough...do not buy scary national brand, "where did these eggs come from?" eggs. Factory farming is horrific. Don't add to the demand for these kind of eggs.


So why do I think eggs are good for you? For starters, eggs really got a bad wrap when we decided that dietary cholesterol was the primary kick start to high blood cholesterol, a risk factor for heart disease. So the nutrition army rallied its troops to get you to stop eating eggs. Times have changed. So if you are still an egg-avoider, time to reconsider this humble breakfast staple.


Eggs are inexpensive and convenient sources of protein; in a world where we rely almost exclusively on inexpensive and convenient sources of white flour and sugar, eggs provide a break (pun intended) from the everyday. A large egg has just 70 calories for 6 grams of protein and a host of nutrients for better health: anti-oxidant lutein and zeaxanthin for your eyes, folate for a healthy nervous system, vitamin A for your skin and immune health and antioxidant selenium. They provide easily assimilated protein and are super versatile.  


Just a few of my favourite egg-eating ways...


- Hard-boiled and stashed in the fridge for meals and snacks on the go
- Tossed with leeks, mushrooms and spinach for a quick dinner fritatta
- Deviled with dijon mustard and a bit of freshly grated horseradish
- In the classic tortilla espanola
- Gently fried and layered on sprouted grain toast with fresh chevre, sliced tomato and a bit of pesto
- Chopped up on a salad for some energy-boosting protein to go with all those glorious greens


So if you are about to embark on an egg-siting new journey, how much is too much? Don't go all Atkins on me; you've gotta keep it balanced. Research suggests that an egg a day won't raise your risk of heart disease. However, another way to look at eggs is through your nutrition "budget". If you don't have heart disease consider eggs a "serving" of saturated fat and cholesterol. If you generally keep all your dairy skim, don't consume too many saturated fats from coconut, meat or butter, you have a bit more room to enjoy eggs as you like them. However, if you drink cream in your coffee and slather butter on your bread as you scarf down steak...well, we should really talk. And you should probably stick to egg white omelets.


I am not one to take chances with your health: if you have heart disease or high cholesterol, you have to keep your dietary cholesterol to under 200 mg a day. A large egg has 180, so there you go. You have to decide if the egg is worth the spend for you because you get your egg or your small piece of steak plus a bit of butter for that potato. You don't get both. 

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 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

From Working to Mom to Working Mom

My new man...and me!

What a transition the last month has been; I went back to my day job on August 2nd and it has been a whirlwind. Instead of long days spent with my son, there are long days commuting to and from work. Leisurely daily shopping trips to the grocery store for dinner supplies have been replaced by full tilt weekly meal planning and grocery shopping sessions each Sunday evening (after e has gone to bed!). 

I am wading into the water that countless women have before me...that transformation from working to mom to working mom. At this early stage one of the biggest challenges I feel is that time is just rushing at me. I am no longer calmly observing the horizon but hurtling forward at breakneck pace trying to avoid the obstacles. Each day I build more skills and learn to navigate the challenges but I am definitely not there yet. My treasured workouts have disappeared. My love of dreaming up new and interesting ideas for dinner each night have fallen to the wayside and those super basic, go-to 20 minute meal ideas are the new mealtime staples. 

Someone once told me that the 'daycare years' are the biggest challenge in a person's life. Balancing work, caring for children, taking care of a home, time with a spouse and (if there is ANYTHING left) time for yourself is quite the juggling act. I keep wishing that there were just 2 extra hours in a day that no one else knew about, just for me. I know exactly how I would spend them: I would workout, read a book and maybe even paint my toenails.

It would be easy to turn on auto pilot. And some days, I certainly feel that is how I operate. But there is something else to be said for continued commitment to living well. It is not about perfection; it is about continuing to value your health (it carried you this far) and building habits that you can model for your children. Endless take out dinners turn into a taste for junk food. Nights crashed out on the sofa create kids who rarely go outside and stare at screens all day. All of these considerations are still so new to me. It was not that long ago that if I didn't feel like making dinner, we went out. If we ran out of yogurt, I didn't have to worry about what someone else would eat at snack time. If I skipped a couple of workouts, I knew I would get back on track the next week. My choices are not just my own now; they have an impact on a very impressionable little boy. That realization is both humbling and at times, a little frightening.

As a dietitian, I am constantly working with families to help them make healthy eating easy and realistic for busy lives. I am breathing a sigh of relief to find that many of my strategies actually work. When you have a young family, this may not be the time for three course dinners on a Tuesday night but that doesn't mean that you have to resort to take out. My ultimate strategy is planning ahead. I now plan my week's meals on Sunday and make a grocery list and then head out to the store. The whole routine takes just over an hour and it makes eating well Monday through Friday effortless. The week's meals are posted on the fridge so that my husband, who gets home earlier than I do, can start the meal. 

While I cook a lot from memory and inspiration (when my brain is functioning enough to be creative), I also am constantly looking for new recipe inspiration. One of the most frequent requests I get at work is from people looking for recipes. You will find my recipes here and on my new blog, The Fresh Sheet, but there are endless sources on the web for great, family friendly meal ideas. 

Healthy Families BC is a new website that is sponsored by the Government of BC that is devoted to building resources for families to take control of their health. I love that our vision of health care in BC is finally embracing a preventative approach. As a dietitian, I know the power of taking care of yourself so I really like supporting any initiative that shares this philosophy. Healthy Families has started a library of family friendly recipes that are healthy and simple. 

While the workouts may still be on hold, this summer I have been treasuring walks on the seawall with my family. The fresh air always calms my little one during that early evening fussy spell and the walk together as a family means that we don't have to sacrifice together time for a bit of fitness. I vow to get back to get back to my workouts soon but sometimes you have to choose between your blog post and your exercise routine. Guess who won today? 

I would love to hear your favourite strategies for staying sane and healthy with your family. And I have a little incentive to sweeten the deal. Healthy Families BC  has generously offered Eat Drink Be Happy readers a $250 dollar Lululemon gift card because there is no better incentive to get healthy than some new duds. 

To win, all you have to do is like Healthy Families BC on Facebook AND leave a comment below to share your favourite weeknight dinner. I will announce the winner on September 26 since that is my birthday. Wait, it's my birthday but you will get the present? That seems fair enough!

Here is to figuring it all out,

Desiree