There are so many articles out there about potty training: the different methods (3 day vs. baby-led), different tools to use (book recommendations, a separate potty chair vs. the kid seat for the big potty), and opinions — that when I started getting asked questions about how we potty trained Layla, I wasn’t sure I had […]
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Super fudge-y, moist, chocolatey, and absolutely amazing: you won’t believe that these brownies are flourless, gluten-free, low-fat, low-sugar, all-natural, and less than 100 calories per brownie! The secret ingredient will surprise you… These brownies are made with black beans. Yup. That’s right. BEANS. You have to try it to believe it, but these don’t taste […]
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1. Get to know your farmer.
Farmers are people too! Because they spend all day standing around in what can be rough climates, they like to break up the day and have a conversation about the produce. “Farmers are passionate about their work and they’ll appreciate when you are too,” says Christy Brissette, MSc, RD of 80 Twenty Nutrition. She adds that striking up a conversation with a local farmer will not only provide insight into the origins of your food, but you may also find some extra veggies added to your bag. Plus, you’ll have made a knowledgeable friend, who can help you navigate the ins and outs of the market.
2. Choose ‘ugly’ produce.
Did you know that fruits and veggies that are considered “ugly” or have minor cosmetic irregularities are often discarded before packaging? Many think this produce is bad or doesn’t contain the same nutrients, but Stephanie McKercher, MS, RDN, of The Grateful Grazer says otherwise. “Ugly fruits and vegetables are just as nutritious and flavorful as the produce in your supermarket, and they’re typically sold at much lower prices.” she says. Not only will buying ‘ugly produce’ spare your wallet, but it will also prevent excessive food waste.
3. Make a list
Going to the market without a list of your “must-have” items can cause aimless wandering. You may also be more likely to blow your budget on a fancy bag of pretzels and some homemade baked goods, only to return home with virtually no produce and an empty wallet. Instead, make a list of items you need, and take seasonal produce into consideration. Whatever is in season at the time is usually abundant on the farm, which makes it a cheap option. Having a list stocked with seasonal produce ensures you will get the most bang for your buck.
4. Grow your own
Saving money is not always about the short-term. “To save money in the long run, I buy a potted herb plant that will continue to produce in the future, rather than buying one pack of cut herbs,” says Ginger Hultin MS RDN CSO, owner of ChampagneNutrition. If you have a real green thumb, some farmers sell seedlings so that you can plant your own produce at home. And since these farmers are experts in growing, you can pick their brains about how to get the most out of your crop.
5. Shop later in the day
Since produce doesn’t stay fresh forever, farmers are very eager to sell it at the market, rather than take it back to the farm. “If you shop in the last hour of the day, you can get amazing produce, seafood and other perishables for great deals,” says Brissette. This means less work and cleanup for the farmers and more money in your pocket.
Natalie Rizzo, M.S., R.D., is a media dietitian, food and nutrition writer, spokesperson and blogger at Nutrition à la Natalie.
*This article was written and/or reviewed by an independent registered dietitian nutritionist.
With the constant flurry of health-related buzzwords floating around the Internet, “probiotics” is one that seems here to stay. Chances are you’ve read about the benefits of taking a probiotic supplement — maybe your doctor has even recommended one to you. And plenty of nutritionists are singing the praises of probiotic-rich foods like kimchi, sauerkraut and kombucha on a near-daily basis. It may seem daunting, but you don’t have to dive headfirst into a brand new diet to reap the benefits of probiotics. We chatted with wellness expert, holistic health coach and author of Go with Your Gut, Robyn Youkilis, to get some simple steps to achieving better gut health without overhauling your lifestyle.
You don’t need a supplement
A supplement can be a great place to start, says Youkilis, but she tends to encourage her clients to get their fill of probiotics when they dine. “They taste delicious,” she says. “At the heart of all of this, I’m a foodie.” Add a spoonful of sauerkraut to your salad for tang. A dollop of kimchi gives your fried rice some zip. You might even already be incorporating some probiotics into your diet through chocolate, wine and sourdough bread. (Yes, you read that right. But as always, eat and drink them in moderation for a healthy diet.) The amount and types of probiotics are not quite the same as those found in yogurt or kefir, but hey, you’re on the right track!
Know how to cook with probiotics
Unfortunately, you can’t rely on a diet of merlot and dark chocolate to get the probiotics you need. Probiotics work best in their raw form of live and active cultures. This means when you add probiotic-rich ingredients to meals, you don’t want to cook them. Turn off the heat before adding ingredients like yogurt, kraut, pickles, kimchi or miso to your dishes. This will keep the probiotics in their natural state so you can reap the most benefit.
Time it right
If you’re planning on eating and drinking your probiotics, start in the morning and try to incorporate one probiotic ingredient into each of your meals throughout the day. For example, have a yogurt with granola in the morning, a sandwich with pickled veggies for lunch and a small bottle of kefir as a snack. On the flip side, if you’re taking a supplement, do it before bed, when Youkilis advises your digestive system will do a better job of digesting it.
Don’t worry about eating too many
“This is one of those things where you can’t get enough of it,” says Youkilis. And just like you want to eat a variety of fruits, veggies and proteins, the same goes for probiotics. Probiotics come in many different strains that each provide distinct digestive benefits, so you’ll want to try to incorporate lots of different probiotic-rich foods into your diet.
Try new things
With probiotics becoming key players in our quest to be well, major brands are designing new products with probiotics in mind. For example, Tropicana just launched Tropicana Probiotics, a line of fruit juices fortified with one billion live and active cultures per serving. Youkilis says we should expect to see more of this in the future. “People are talking about this for good reason, and brands are seeing a shift,” she says.
A Unique Food Culture
“What I like about Vietnamese food is its very clean flavors. Other cuisines in the [Southeast Asia] region may use similar ingredients, but are doing different things with them,” says Marc Lowerson, Owner of Hanoi Street Food Tours in Vietnam. Lowerson explains that it’s rare to find in a dish in Vietnam that tastes rich, too spicy or overly sweet. “The Vietnamese are not pounding their own curry pastes or using coconut milk in savory dishes like the Thais do. There is little use of dry spices: the level of hot spice in the food is rarely in the cooking process, and is most often managed by the individual with condiments on the table.”
A Model for Nourished Eating
Vietnamese lack the food, nutrition and health preoccupation that is so prevalent in the U.S. today; however, they provide an intuitive and mindful model for nourishing their bodies that is worth taking a lesson from. Lowerson tells us, “The cuisine is, in general, a very good model for moderation. While meat is part of almost every meal, it is eaten in small proportions. Vegetables — especially in home cooking — are eaten in large volume. There is little dairy, and hardly any palate for rich and/or processed foods.”
Rather than prescribe to a certain regimen for health (eat this food for this ailment), the Vietnamese use their intuition and the wisdom of their bodies to guide eating habits for health. “They are often eating or avoiding foods according to how their bodies feel. They subscribe to the yin/yang, cooling/heating properties of food, which extends to simple things like, if you’ve got a cold, don’t drink cold water, drink warm water.”
If you’re looking to immerse yourself in Vietnamese food culture right at home, try cooking one of the five staple dishes below and using their model for nourished eating. Perhaps practice asking your body which meal it needs first.
Pho
Pronounced “fuh”, pho is probably the most well known Vietnamese dish in the U.S. While the base of pho is rice noodles and a flavorful broth, accompaniments vary from beef (pho bo) to chicken (pho ga) and vegetarian options in-between. In Northern Vietnam, pho is left unadorned and the flavor of antioxidant-packed dry spices like star anise, cassia bark, black cardamom, cloves and coriander seeds shine through. In the South, pho is piled high with bean sprouts, fresh herbs like cilantro and condiments like hoisin sauce, lime and chilies.
Cha Ca
Fresh seafood is abundant in Vietnam and this staple dish highlights it beautifully. Cha ca la vong is grilled local fish marinated in antioxidant-rich turmeric, ginger, garlic and shrimp paste and cooked tableside with a ton of fresh dill and green onion. On the table you have your choice of accompaniments: rice vermicelli, fish sauce, fresh herbs, chilies and peanuts.
Ga Tan Soup
Considered to be a medicinal dish by Vietnamese, ga tan is characterized by its dark, herbal broth made flavorful and nutritious with ingredients like antioxidant-packed goji berries, lotus seeds, angelica root (touted for its medicinal benefits), and chrysanthemum greens, which are high in vitamins A and C, iron and potassium. Add chicken for protein and you’ve got yourself a good ol’ cup of chicken soup for the soul.
Banh Xeo
This Vietnamese-style crepe made with rice flour, turmeric and scallion is traditionally filled with pork, shrimp and bean sprouts and served with a sweet and salty dipping sauce (nuoc cham). Banh Xeo is a perfect example of Vietnamese practices of balance and moderation. The protein-packed dish isn’t eaten alone; it’s served with fresh herbs and vegetables like mint, cilantro, Thai basil, mustard greens, sorrel and lettuce, adding extra fiber and vitamins and minerals to the meal.
Kara Lydon, R.D., L.D.N., R.Y.T., is a nutrition coach, yoga teacher and self-proclaimed foodie. She is a recipe developer, food photographer, writer and spokeswoman. Her food and healthy living blog, The Foodie Dietitian, features seasonal vegetarian recipes and simple strategies to bring more mindfulness and yoga into your life.
*This article was written and/or reviewed by an independent registered dietitian nutritionist.
The review, published in the journal Phytotherapy Research, evaluated the results of 129 studies to determine the effects of the avocados on various aspects of Metabolic syndrome, which is a group of risk factors that raises your risk for heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
The review concluded that the vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and certain phytochemicals (natural plant chemicals that help fight and prevent disease) in avocado may help combat blood pressure, diabetes and other components of Metabolic syndrome and provide a natural alternative to other forms of treatment.
“The pharmacologically active constituents” of avocado are not only “nutritionally valuable,” the authors write, but also “possess antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity in some studies.” They also help lower cholesterol and help prevent cardiovascular disease, and potentially even cancer. Everyday consumption is recommended.
“Avocados start with great taste, but they also serve up a bunch of vitamins, minerals, fiber and heart-healthy fats,” says Virginia-based registered dietitian nutritionist, certified diabetes educator, and certified health and wellness coach Jill Weisenberger (who was not involved with the study review). “For example, they contain the blood pressure friendly mineral potassium and the B vitamin folate, which is important for DNA repair. Avocados are terrific for my patients with diabetes because they add so much flavor with just a little carbohydrate.”
Weisenberger, author of The Overworked Person’s Guide to Better Nutrition, recommends replacing some of the saturated fats in your diet with heart-healthy unsaturated fats in order to improve cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of heart disease and potentially make the body more sensitive to insulin.
“Avocados can help with this,” she says, advising that people dice it onto salads for additional creaminess instead of sprinkling on cheese or mix it into mashed potatoes instead of butter. (Smashed avocado can be used to replace butter in a 1-to-1 ratio.)
“For most people, it’s a good idea to add a little bit to other foods or to swap a less nutrient-dense food out for the delicious, nutrient-dense avocado,” Weisenberger says.
So how much avocado should you eat? Because avocados, like nuts, are flavorful and satisfying, but rich in fat and calorie dense, moderation and mindful eating are key.
“A little bit can go a long way,” Weisenberger says. “A few slices to a third of an avocado is a reasonable amount for most people.”
Sound good. Now, who’s up for avocado toast?
Amy Reiter is a writer and editor based in New York. Her work has appeared in publications including The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Glamour and Marie Claire, as well as Salon, where she was a longtime editor and senior writer. In addition to contributing to Healthy Eats, she blogs for Food Network’s FN Dish.
*This article was written and/or reviewed by an independent registered dietitian nutritionist.
Enter scientist Mahmoud Ghannoum, Ph.D. The doctor, who’s a professor at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, has spent his career studying medically important fungi (yeast, mold, and mushrooms are all part of the fungi family) and believes it’s a vital part of gut health. “Fungi and bacteria are always living in our guts, but [in probiotics] we’ve only been addressing the bacteria,” he says. After many years of research, and publishing a paper in 2010 urging the medical and science communities to pay closer attention to our native fungal communities, Ghannoum developed Biohm, a probiotic that recently hit the market. Unlike the others on the on drug store shelves, this probiotic contains both good bacteria and good fungi that aim to give users a more balanced gut.
According to Ghannoum, the bad fungi in our guts can be responsible for aggravating digestive issues. It also works with the bad bacteria to form digestive plague. “Think of it like a dental plague,” he says. “The digestive plague forms a shield around the bad fungi and bacteria, which creates an imbalance in the digestive system.” Ghannoum says this new probiotic can help break down the digestive plague and help relieve digestive issues such as Crohn’s Disease and upset stomachs. For healthy people, taking the probiotic may result in less bloating and gas, as well as maintaining an overall improvement of digestive health.
Now that people are starting to pay attention how beneficial fungus can be to health and wellness, Ghannoum says we’re at the tip of the iceberg in how it can help in other ways. “I believe it won’t be long before we see some more scientific breakthroughs involving fungus and our bodies,” he says.
Kevin Aeh is a New York City-based writer and editor. He has written for Time Out New York, Refinery29, New York Magazine’s Vulture blog, Furthermore from Equinox and more.
*This article was written and/or reviewed by an independent registered dietitian nutritionist.
