30 July 2010

What To Do If You CRAVE the Worst of the Worst

gettinghealthy asked: What should you do if you are craving some of those chemical fake foods but don’t want to eat them, even as a rare treat or something?

I thought this was the perfect companion to the previous question (and they were together in my queue, so it worked out!). Of course, eating those processed chemical ingredients once in a while isn’t going to kill you, but to me it’s easier to just avoid them altogether.

If you ARE having an uncontrollable craving for a food with one of the Worst of the Worst ingredients, here are three strategies to deal:

• Make it yourself! For example, if you want Doritos, make nachos with natural tortilla chips and a high-quality cheese. If you want french fries, start slicing potatoes. If you’re craving a DQ Blizzard, get some Five ice cream and add your own whole foods mix-ins (banana, dark chocolate chips, nuts, etc.).
• Get the “natural” version. No, those Kashi TLC cheese crackers aren’t that much better nutritionally speaking than Cheeze-Its. But they are SLIGHTLY better. And slightly is better than nothing.
• Eat it, and remind yourself why you don’t eat it. Every time I do eat one of those “chemical fake foods,” I’m reminded of why I DON’T eat them. They actually don’t taste that good! After you’ve started eating more real, whole foods, the fake stuff just doesn’t measure up. Yes, it takes a while to get to this point, but if you avoid fake food for long enough, you WILL get there.

The Worst of the Worst

boopabelle asked: What are the “worst” chemicals/additives in foods one should watch out for?

I love this question! It can be so daunting to read the label and analyze every single ingredient. But if there are a few ingredients you can watch for (and then avoid), that makes the process a bit easier.
Here are some of my red flags:

• Trans fat. On the label: partially hydrogenated oil (of any kind), shortening. There’s just nothing good at all about this nasty fat — it’s totally processed and only does bad things to your body (for one, it can lower good cholesterol and raise the bad).
• Sweetener. On the label: corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, sorbitol, maltitol, isomalt, maltodextrin, dextrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, aspartame, sucralose, sorbitol, saccharin, and others. Artificial sweeteners (the last four names on the list) can negatively impact metabolism and have been linked to headaches and other symptoms. Of course, unless you cut out sweet stuff completely, you’re going to want to eat some form of sugar at SOME point. Plain ol’ sugar, honey, or evaporated cane juice are slightly less processed options.
• MSG. On the label: monosodium glutamate, monopotassium glutamate, glutamic acid, vegetable protein extract, maltodextrin, carrageenan, and others (see this for a full list). MSG can cause headaches, nausea, edema, and burning sensations. Fun times!
• Benzoate preservatives. On the label: BHT, BHA, TBHQ. This chemical compound can actually affect estrogen balance and levels (a big no-no for women!).
• Brominated Vegetable Oil. On the label: BVO. I remember seeing this on the label of the Diet Mountain Dew I used to drink. It grosses me out so much now. This chemical can actually increase triglycerides and damage liver, testicles, thyroid, heart, and kidney. Plus it just sounds nasty!
• Any food ingredient with a color for the name (e.g., “Yellow #5). These additives have been linked to allergic reactions, rashes, and headaches. They can be particularly bad for kids.

Of course, there are other ingredients that won’t do you any favors. But avoiding those biggies is a huge step!

26 July 2010

What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking

New recipes on the blog have been sparse lately, I know. For a plethora of reasons, I haven’t been able to cook much lately. But that doesn’t mean I’ve just been eating take-out every day. Here are some of my tips for how to eat well — even if you can’t be bothered to turn on the stove or oven!

• Rely on pre-cooked easy meal builders for your protein. Then, all you need to do is add heat — and maybe some fresh veggies or rice — to create a complete meal. Trader Joe’s is obviously a great place for these type of items, but things like pre-cooked chicken sausage, frozen salmon patties, or pre-mixed/flavored burgers are available at most grocery stores.
• Eat frozen meals, but doctor them so they’re more satisfying. My favorite trick for bulking up frozen meals is to add fresh spinach before microwaving. This not only adds more nutrition, but the fiber from the greens makes the meal a bit more filling, too. There are other ways to bulk up sad frozen meals, too. For Mexican or Indian-style frozen meals, you could also add a big dollop of plain Greek yogurt for extra protein and fat. Get creative to make that frozen meal a little less blah.
• Use side dishes from restaurants to supplement. If you’re really at a loss, but you have, say, a bit of leftover chicken (or a pre-cooked protein!), head to your nearest cheap Middle Eastern restaurant to pick up a side salad or veggies to supplement your meal. Those places usually have great grilled veggies and yummy Greek salads. So you don’t have to buy the WHOLE meal from the restaurant — Just pick a side or two to make what you have a more complete/tasty meal.
• Keep some staples on hand for really easy meal-making. As long as you have quick-cooking rice, some frozen veggies, and a pre-cooked protein, you can have a meal ready in the time it takes to heat all of that stuff up. And if you buy quality items, it will even taste halfway decent!
• THINK EGGS. Eggs are my go-to meal if I have five minutes and want something tasty, healthy, and quick. Plus, you can make an endless variety of dishes! In the mood for Mexican? Add avocado, salsa, chili powder, and plain Greek yogurt to your scrambled eggs. Want Italian? Slip some fresh mozzarella, tomato slices, and basil leaves into your omelet. Eggs are so versatile, delicious, and EASY! If you’re really desperate, you can even make them in the microwave.

15 July 2010

The Best Bread

Anonymous asked: i don’t know what kind of bread is good. whole wheat? whole grain? bran?

Lucky for you, I wrote a How-To that tackles this question in depth! Check it out:

• Nutritionista How-To: Buy Bread

Happy carbing!

Mega-Vitamins

I hope you guys are enjoying Ask Week! For those of you who sent in new questions in the past week or two, THANK YOU! I might not get to them this week, but I promise I’ll get to them as quickly as possible. Now to the question…

inascaldingjoy asked: I have a pretty good idea of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods, but as a college student I’m not always able to eat a balanced diet. I avoid greasy, processed foods at all costs though- I just mean that sometimes I am not really able to eat as much fruits, veggies, etc as I should.

So I take vitamin supplements. I also take mega doses of Chromium and Biotin because I have problems with oily skin and hair. What do you think about supplements, and specifically mega doses?

Ahh, the problem of not getting ‘enough’ nutrients from food. As we all know, I would love it if every single person could get sufficient nutrients from whole foods alone. It’s not as hard as some may think! But I do understand that sometimes, it’s just not an option for a variety of reasons.

And that’s where supplements come in. Supplements should always be a LAST RESORT. They should only be taken in cases where it’s extremely difficult (or impossible due to allergies or the like) to consume the desired nutrient.

Take Vitamin D, for instance. Those of us in less sunny climates who like to wear sunscreen when it IS sunny might not be able to get the recommended dose. I personally take a D supplement, but only because I know it would be next to impossible to get the right amount of food/sunshine alone.

If you have a specific defiency, or a condition which strips your body of some vital nutrient, you also might want to consider a supplement. It sounds like that might be the case here. inascaldingjoy has a specific problem with her hair and skin, so a supplement seems like it might be a good idea.

But here’s the bad news: Your body won’t absorb much of the supplement unless it’s taken with the right combination of other nutrients. So taking “mega” doses of vitamins might not be doing much good (and could actually be harmful!). That’s why getting nutrients through food is so great — whole foods usually come perfectly packaged for optimal vitamin absorption.

I would definitely recommend sticking to recommended daily doses for ALL vitamins. Taking more than recommended probably isn’t going to make a difference, and you might be doing more harm than good.

Talk to your healthcare professional if you have specific concerns about vitamin deficiencies!