On the move .....

Apologies for the lack of blogging recently - the last week has been filled with exciting changes; we are on the move back to the magical mountains of Jackson Hole, WY. Hence, I'm surrounded by packing boxes and a level of chaos duplicated by sick dependents ... so I am taking a hiatus from my blog for a couple of weeks while I re-settle us at higher altitudes!

When I am once again able to focus on the talking points of the nutrition world, I will resume my blog. Watch this space....

It’s not just about appearances …

I was reading an interview with renowned British Chef Jamie Oliver (I’m a huge fan of both his recipe books and his never-ending desire to make the nutritional world a better place … on both sides of the Atlantic), and feel so strongly about a subject he touched on that I decided it should be the subject of this blog:

Answering a question about the effect of processed and fast-foods on our health he says:

“Well, I think it’s pretty simple really: forty years ago we ate mostly fresh, local food, and we knew where that food was coming from. But then fast and heavily processed foods crept in and totally changed our palettes and food businesses. And ultimately, this food is killing us. Obesity and weight gain are the most obvious symptoms, but the problem I have in telling this story is that there are also loads of skinny people suffering because the garbage they are eating is affecting them in a different, but equally dramatic way….”

This is something I feel like nutrition professionals battle in today's world. With the help of glossy magazines, diet commercials and ‘coat-hanger’ models on the fashion runways, the world that we live in continually reinforces the fact that ‘skinny is good’.

Some people work very hard at eating very little. Others are blessed with metabolisms that mean they can eat a lot, and not show any outward consequences. Both of these scenarios can exist in both a healthy and unhealthy realm. It’s the latter that worries me. As Jamie says, people who are over-weight are all too familiar with the well-publicized health-risks associated with their diet. I’m not saying that their situation is easy – it’s extremely tough, but it’s out there, spoken about.

Individuals who look fabulous, but live on processed, nutritionally-devoid foods fit into this category. And they worry me. While society outwardly applauds them, their bodies are suffering in silence. Depending on what studies you read, 10-20% of people who incur Type 2 diabetes are NOT overweight. There are similar statistics for heart disease. As Jamie states "Heart disease and other diet-related illnesses are some of the biggest killers in the US, way bigger killers than homicide though you’d never know that from the news." It’s not good enough just to ‘look good’ on the outside.

Being mindful of what we eat is the first step to keeping us healthy. This does not mean living on salads forever more. This means knowing that whether or not it shows on the outside, eating food which has a recognizable source, embracing different colors and flavors, and trying to make ‘fresh’ choices wherever possible really can help keep you healthy … and happy (but that’s a subject for a whole other blog!).

For those of you who are parents, if this isn’t enough to convince you, think of the example you set for your children. As I’ve discussed in an earlier blog, your own eating behaviors are the most powerful form of nutritional teachings you have. No matter what you say or instruct, it is more likely than not that your children will grow to eat like you do. And that’s fine, if you all have a super-human metabolism and a physiology made of steel. But it’s very possible that even if you are able to carry off eating badly for a few years, at least one of your children will not be so lucky. That’s the lucky-dip world of genetics for you. So think about them when you decide to go to that fast-food drive-through for the umpteenth time in a week….

Embrace food and the role that it plays in our life. It nourishes our bodies and delights our minds. It brings us together on big holidays and special celebrations, and sharing home-made meals is the ultimate form of hospitality. Sure, we live in a fast-paced world, where time for perfunctory activities such as eating it tight. But if we don’t eat well, it’s hard to live well.

And isn’t that the aim of the game?

I, for one, would like to set my body up for success in those sunset years.

Convenience ...

We have all been bombarded with the knowledge that most 'convenience foods' are less healthy than their slow-cooking counterparts, and that traditional 'fast food' outlets are to be put in the 'treat' category, but something I saw at my favorite grocery store yesterday threw me into a state of disbelief.

Apparently, our society is so desperate for immediate gratification that we are unable to wait the required 9-11 minutes to cook pasta. Yes, that's right, boiling water is now in the 'slow food' category. What I found myself staring at was packages of frozen, pre-cooked pasta, which required the recipient to microwave for a couple of minutes before eating. And I know what you are thinking but no, there was no sauce, no butter, no cheese. It was simply plain, pre-cooked, frozen pasta.

And the couple in front of me were picking up two packets of it.

I wondered whether they were going to trade in their fresh oranges to the already-peeled frozen option that they would see when they took 2 steps to their right?!

Be wary of the ever-increasing number of 'healthy gimmicks' which line our grocery aisles. While time is of the essence, so we should be more dedicated to nurturing ourselves; not all fast food is bad for us (my frozen pasta being a perfect example of a buck to the trend), but nor should eating and cooking be viewed as a mere necessity. Apparently we like eating, so lets start thinking about what we're eating, and where to spend our food dollars. Overpriced, frozen, cooked pasta doesn't jump out at me as being a huge $$ or time-saver?

And I'm sure Hippocrates didn't envisage microwaved pasta when he stated the famous quote: 'Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food'.... soon, pouring milk on cereal will be considered 'cooking'. With the advent of convenient 'cereal bars' which claim to contain your morning's 'bowlful' of calcium, maybe it already is!

Mountain Air and Easter Eggs.

We have driven up to Jackson Hole for a dose of good friends, clear mountain air, and even a few turns on the white stuff! The 11 hour drive from Vegas was a little brutal, complete with dog and toddler, but I did what every food-loving mother and wife does: stock the car with Gogi berries, nuts, fruit, deliciously decadent KIND snack bars and some healthy alternatives to coffee, to keep our eyes open. Hilariously, we only made it through two tanks of gas before my husband decided that a bag full of Twizzlers and a huge packet of Pringles were the order of the day. As I turned from the driver's seat to see both my boys grinning widely at the taste-sensation of these 'fake' foods, the Gogi berries unopened at their feet, I had to smile. Good intentions and all that...!!

Which brings me to my next point. Easter. Eggs. Chocolate. A dieter's nightmare, and a mother's quandary! This year, I decided it was time to pick up a family tradition we had when I was a child; my mother would fill beautifully decorated cardboard eggs, with tiny surprises. The eggs, popular in Europe and a great substitute for their chocolate counterparts, are part of my childhood, and memories of Easter morning yielding lip gloss or earrings are as 'normal' for me as chocolate eggs are for others! Much to my delight, I managed to find some of these cardboard eggs in Williams Sonoma and have duly filled them with fun surprises for the boys (think a bike-riding spiderman for one and a plethora of tiny treats for the other!).

It's not that I'm anti-chocolate. In fact, I love it more than I admit to. It's just that I know there will, without doubt, be a huge amount of it this Easter, and this is my way of reducing my own personal chocolate mountain. I must add that my son has rather a similar view of chocolate to his mother - pure love - and due to the terrible two's being even more terrible after too much, unlimited supply is definitely not advisable! In addition, my husband is one of those annoying humans who can have one bite of chocolate, and then not want anymore for 4 months. Seriously. So we all really know why he's not getting a chocolate egg. It's not really about him, it's more about me saving myself from the impending battle with my conscience for the next 4 months if I have an uneaten egg sitting in my kitchen. After all, I couldn't throw away HIS egg?!!

For those of you who are looking forward to a chocolate-filled Easter. Enjoy it! It's only once a year, and there are some great quality chocolates out there (I have written about the health benefits of this delicious food in a former blog)! For others who might be filled with dread at having such an attack on the willpower, and for whom cardboard eggs just aren't going to cut it, remember that chocolate is very good at being frozen! When the day/celebration is over, simply crush down all your left over eggs and put them in an airtight bag in the freezer. When the time comes to make that chocolate cake or delicious desert, melt your egg-leftovers as you would regular chocolate bars and bingo - no waste, no absurd levels of over-indulgence, no impossible-to-resist challenges to the New Years Resolutions ... and no need for cardboard eggs!

Happy Easter!

‘It’s not in here …. ‘

Yesterday I was unexpectedly house-bound with a sick toddler in tow. Needless to say, it was a day that I had a zillion things planned … one of which was to do a grocery shop while he was at school that morning. I had, as per normal, let my refrigerator and pantry sink to an embarrassingly bare level, with the goal being that on Tuesday morning I would be able to fast-track my week’s shopping because I wouldn’t have a pair of little legs or a pluthora of questions following my every move! All the best plans, and all that …. !

Within a matter of moments of calling my best friend here in Vegas, she had arrived at my door with all that an ailing toddler could want in the name of the ‘B.R.A.T’ diet (Banana, Rice, Applesauce and Toast), so as far as I could think at that point in time, we were all set to let this stomach gripe ride it’s journey.

Hilariously, the stomach gripe and toddler were the easy part. My biggest enemy was myself … aka, the wandering, slightly bored, less-than-stimulated mind, who had hoped to be doing a million things OTHER than sitting at home doing puzzles and cleaning floors! By about 11.30am after a pretty unexciting breakfast earlier in the day, I started wondering about what I would have for lunch. My son’s was sorted. BRAT or nothing. I, on the other hand, looked feverishly between fridge and cupboard until I really had to say out loud ‘no, there is nothing more exciting there. Deal with it’. This rather amusing moment (especially in hindsight!) reminded me of a great girlfriend here who, although much more adept at staying at home with her children, told me that she had recently written a note and put it on the refrigerator door. It reads something like ‘It’s Not In Here’. I love it. Suddenly I felt the need to do the same – but possibly staple it across both my pantry and refrigerator door so that neither could be opened again!!

The inter-connectedness between emotion and food has been the topic of thousands upon thousands of studies, and there are millions of people out there who are more qualified to write about it than me, but there it was, experienced first hand by Yours Truly, plain for all to see. I wasn’t hungry. I was frustrated and bored.

Thankfully, I don’t keep any deliciously decadent or nutritionally ‘naughty’ snacks in my house. I obviously know myself better than I think, and although these cupboard-scanning moments are less frequent than they could be, when the urge arrives, my senses are professionally honed into finding any ‘treat’ that might be hiding in my home!

Looking back, what I missed the most were a stock of apples (yes, plain old apples), which are my go-to when I have an attack of the ‘munchies’. I love apples. Sweet, crunchy and juicy. And apparently, I rely on them a hell of a lot more than I had thought! It just goes to show that the advice I so often give my clients ‘to surround yourself with good, easy, fresh foods so that you can make good choices when you feel like a snack’ really does help … and while no food should ever be consumed for any other reason than hunger, if emotion does push you towards the pantry, try and steer yourself to the fruit bowl! Hopefully it will yield more than mine did; a couple of slightly-passed-their-sell-by-date-lemons. 100% Useless.

Lettuce-‘less’ salads …

Today marks the first day of spring, and as the weather warms (in Vegas, at least!), so our natural inclination is to move towards cooler foods. Suddenly soups and pastas are replaced by salads and sandwiches, and so here I wanted to challenge the traditional concept of the ‘salad’.

Last night my girlfriend had my son and me over for dinner. She made to-die-for enchiladas, and I brought the salad. As I was throwing it together at home, I decided that if I left out the lettuce, the three children (spanning the ages of 2-5) might even like it ….. So I raided my fridge and freezer and filled my salad bowl with all things colorful and delicious … but no leaves. When I arrived at my friend’s house, she exclaimed with glee ‘oh, wow, this hasn’t got any lettuce in it … it’s what my husband and I LOVE, and we named it the ‘lettuce-less salad’!

I have to say, there are some days when you rather feel like you are wading through the ‘good-for-you’ green leaves in order to have a taste of all the goodies at the bottom of the bowl … and on those days, I say ‘go lettuce-less’! Not only was the salad a nutritional powerhouse, but the kids love it too. Bonus!

And it was SO easy…. I scraped the kernels of corn off a freshly cooked corn cob, sliced some deliciously sweet cherry tomatoes in half, and finely sliced celery, carrots and apple before throwing them all in a bowl. Finally, I added some edemame which had been ‘cooking as I cut’! Easy! (and if I had had some sweet spring radishes, they would have made the salad 110%!).

The kids ate it un-dressed, and before I served it to my sweet friend and her husband, I tossed some home-made Italian vinaigrette through it to give it a bit of a kick. If you are curious: 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar, a heaped teaspoon of Dijon mustard, a teaspoon of agave syrup, salt and pepper to taste, and a good, hard shake! Delicious.

So don’t be put off by the bag of unwashed leaves looking at you from the refrigerator … and while I’m a huge fan of all-things-green-and-leafy, there are times when we should change up even the best things in life, especially if it pleases every mouth in the house! And if you’re looking for a one-bowl-wonder to have on a summer’s evening, just add some garbanzo beans, or kidney beans … and/or feta cheese … and you’re done. Simple, fresh, nutritious and … well, yes, delicious! Yum.

Supplements .... expensive nonsense or nurturing nutrients?

I’m often asked about the validity of taking nutritional supplements … are they an unnecessary strain on a tight budget which end up being excreted anyway, or do they really serve their purpose and improve health and wellbeing?

The answer is not simple, and, to my mind, is individual-specific. If your diet is lacking in certain vitamins and minerals, then your body probably is too. Or if you need more of a specific nutrient than the ‘average’ person, it’s often tough to meet these requirements through food alone, and this is where supplements play a part in staying healthy.

Case in point, recent tests have shown that I have a mutation to a gene which is associated with folic acid metabolism … my doctor has prescribed me a supplement which includes 3mg of the active form of this vitamin (among others). In order to get this from my food, I would have to eat 11 ½ cups of cooked spinach. DAILY. And this assumes that it’s being cooked appropriately to maintain the maximum amount of nutrients. Now, while I am definitely a ‘food first’ practitioner, this would be extreme, even for me! Bring on the little purple pill. Sorry, liver.

As proven here, there is no ‘one-formula-fits-all’ approach with regards to supplements. What is enough for one person, is quite possibly too much for another. That said, one of the most common supplements taken in today’s age is a calcium supplement, so I thought I’d write a quick spiel on how best to approach this supplement if you are one of the many individuals who has a need for more than his or her diet can provide (think: dairy-intolerance, familial osteoporosis, leg-cramps at night, facial (including eye) twitches, brittle nails … among others).

There is a general debate about whether Calcium Citrate or Calcium Carbonate are the best forms of supplement and this is worthy of another blog. In a nutshell, the main thing to look at is the amount of ‘elemental Calcium’ in the supplement. This is not the total content, and varies with supplement brand and content. If you are taking Calcium Citrate, it can be taken at any time during the day. If you are taking Calcium Carbonate, it is better absorbed when taken after food or an acidic drink at the very least (such as orange juice). Vitamin D is very important to calcium absorption so they are best taken together, and taking no more than 500mg of Calcium at any one time is key to maximizing your absorption of this mineral.

In addition, it’s worthy to note that sugar is thought to increase Calcium excretion (so think twice before pairing that ‘milk and cookies’ combo!), and absorption is impaired by foods which contain oxalates: nuts, berries, leafy greens (kale, collard greens, spinach etc), parsley, amaranth, beets and chocolate/cocoa so try and take your supplement a couple of hours before or 3 hours after eating these foods.

I am consciously not recommending a particular ‘level’ of Calcium supplementation because again, it depends on the individual’s needs and diet … if you need more personal advice, please feel free to contact me directly.

In general, I recommend a varied, colorful, fresh and ‘clean’ diet, with lots of fiber and water. However, as in the case of your truly(!), there are individuals who are unable to meet their unique needs through diet alone, and need supplementation to maintain optimal health. In these cases, make sure you are educated about your needs and as a general rule of thumb, do not supplement with single nutrients alone …. they are symbiotic by nature, as shown by the lack of ‘vitamin C trees’ growing out there …bring on the oranges and lemons …

Cutting out caffeine … really.

As we run, like hamsters on a treadmill, after the coat-tails of our own lives, caffeine has become a powerful and sometimes essential ally. In fact, caffeine is the most commonly used ‘psychoactive’ drug in the world, with approximately 80% of the world’s population consuming it on a daily basis. Its health benefits and consequences are subject enough for a few thousands blogs alone, but here I am going to describe some good caffeine-substitutions for those of you who have decided to try the treadmill without the stimulus!

It is first important to make the point that ‘decaffeinated’ rarely means ‘without any trace of caffeine’. I could bore you with statistics from recent trials which show how much caffeine was found in various ‘decaffeinated’ drinks, but instead, just take my word for it …. If you don’t want caffeine, I recommend you pick a totally different option.
I also want to preface this with the fact that chocolate, of course, is a source of caffeine (as are many energy drinks and soft drinks). Here, I am strictly suggesting alternatives for your Starbucks run, not your chocolate brownie recipe!

Making the switch from coffee or caffeinated tea to their caffeine-free counterparts is easiest done in 3 parts: 1) decide what roll caffeine plays in your life (think: habitual, emotional, fatigue-fighting …?), 2) decide what element of your caffeine-containing drink you like best (think: the fact it’s hot, the fact it’s milky/sweet, the fact it’s associated with friends/treats/doing something for yourself, its ‘pick-me-up’ property … 3) find a substitute which fills as many of the roles as possible, without containing the caffeine.

What I mean is, if you enjoy the milky sweetness of a vanilla latte, deciding to cut caffeine out of your day and choosing a mint tea really isn’t going to fulfill you for very long, but a vanilla Rooibos latte might just fill the void!

Here is a short list to help navigate the ‘caffeine-free’ options, (I should add that this does not include any caffeine-alternatives which contain stimulants such as Yerba Mate).

Rooibos tea / Redbush tea / Bush tea / Red tea: This is my favorite choice if I’m wanting a hot tea which tastes good with milk/soy milk. This herbal tea is very popular in South Africa and in some coffee shops it is even sold as a coffee-alternative, serving concentrated rooibos in the style of an espresso. Rooibos has a high level of antioxidants, no caffeine, and very low levels of tannin.

Ginger tea, Peppermint tea, Chamomile tea and other common ‘herbal’ teas: These are great options if you’re looking for alternatives to black tea or green tea (ie, you are not wanting the ‘milky’ taste).
Ginger is well known for its digestive support (for both indigestion and nausea) and has a spicy, invigorating taste.
Peppermint also has a role to play in soothing digestive discomforts, and is also used to fight congestion and cough related to colds and allergies.
Chamomile tea is soothing and thought to relieve muscle spasms (helping with women’s menstrual cramps) and boost the immune system.

Herbal ‘coffees’ such as ‘Teeccino’: These vary by name and brand but are generally a blend of herbs, grains, fruits and nuts which are free of caffeine and deliver a similar-tasting, full-bodied drink comparable to coffee. I definitely recommend experimenting with this small group of coffee-substitutes if you miss the heavy-body of the coffee-drink as this cannot be simulated with a cup of tea … I don’t think!

If it’s the stimulating effect of coffee which has you going back for more, there are definitely other, ‘cleaner’ options to try. Green tea is often touted as a great ‘coffee alternative’ but if it’s the caffeine you’re trying to avoid, this won’t work. Maybe I will blog about caffeine-free stimulant drinks another time…until then, enjoy experimenting with these substitutes, unless of course, you’re too tired ….

Swim Las Vegas ...

I have recently started contributing to a great newsletter published by Swim Las Vegas, a company geared towards helping triathletes in the Las Vegas area increase their speed through water! What's so great about Swim Las Vegas is that they are geared towards both amateur and advanced athletes and I'd go so far as to say that even if you were not a triathlete, but wanted to strengthen your swimming ability, Swim Las Vegas can definitely help. My husband is presently under their guidance (think: complete annihilation of present technique and re-build of more efficient - buoyant - stroke!), and is reaping the benefits of fabulous coaching in an encouraging yet disciplined environment.

So - where does nutrition fit into this? Well, my first and most recent contribution to their monthly newsletter is about how best to fuel your work-outs, and so really does apply to any athlete, triathlete or not. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that it's useful for the health-conscious layman who enjoys working up a sweat, even if she or he never wished to cross a competitive starting line in their life!

If you are interested in learning more about how you can best prepare your body for physical activity (whether that be a 30 minute trip to the gym or a 5-hour training session both on land and in water ...), go to http://www.swimlv.com/nutrition-for-athletes.html and download the newsletter to read my full article. If you are simply bored of my take on nutrition but really need the help of a good swim coach, I still highly recommend visiting http://www.swimlv.com !

Snacking Healthily ... in airports!

I was recently delayed at San Francisco airport for a number of hours (over 5, to be precise), and since I can be a self-confessed emotional snacker (in particular when boredom or frustration strikes), I became very well acquainted with my healthy snack options!

Eating healthily while traveling is difficult. I can't sugar-coat this fact. And while I absolutely recommend trying to bring your own snacks from home, this isn't always possible (especially when your hand-luggage is filled with toddler-trivia for the flight, the all-important DVD player and a vital-unless-you're-clueless change of clothes lest the potty-trained prince has an accident....)!

However, while I perused the snack-stands as I tried to while away my frustration and morph closer towards my Zen-like husband who didn't seem at all fazed by the increasing delay to our flight, I found a new line of snacks produced by Seapoint Farms which are absolutely brilliant! The three snacks on offer were based around dry roasted edamame (edamame are young soy beans which are often served in Japanese restaurants in the pod, but which in this case had been shelled and roasted), and were either plain, mixed with organic goji berries, or had been flavored with wasabi. Due to the nature of edamame, these snacks were filled with protein and fiber, while being low in fat and sugars. To top it off, all of Seapoint's edamame are non-GMO (this means they have not been genetically modified), and there really aren't any additives or preservatives. The ingredient list is literally 3 words long. Score! I chose the edamame/goji berry mixture; simple and delicious, and filled with antioxidants thanks to the addition of these ‘superberries’. Even my toddler thought they were worth a few minute’s distraction from ‘Nemo’; high praise indeed! I highly recommend trying to seek them out next time you are looking for something healthy to please both your palate and your body!
For more information on this company and to see their other products, go to www.seapointfarms.com.

My other snack of choice was one I often recommend to clients, and which are, thankfully, finding their way into an increasing number of vendors. These are the 'KIND' bars made in Australia and full of natural ingredients you can actually see. Not only are these bars made of simple, real foods (their ingredient list is also impressively short), but all the bars are free of wheat, dairy and gluten, the ingredients are non-GMO, and they have a good serving of fiber (due to the fact they contain whole foods). In addition, they have a low glycemic index (which means that the sugars in the bars do not hit your blood stream in a sudden rush, giving you that well-known 'rise' and then 'drop' in energy while also putting pressure on your blood-sugar mechanisms). To top it off, KIND donates 5% of profits to the PeaceWorks Foundation's programs to foster co-existence in the world. So you're being good to not only your body, but to your conscience too. For more information: www.kindsnacks.com.

So, if you do find yourself searching for something to tantalize your taste buds without risking your health, keep your eyes out for these. While I'd obviously have benefited from an exercise in meditation, I have to say that these healthy snacks came a close second in their ability to calm my mind and nourish my soul!

A word on Ginger.

I'm finding great comfort in my cups of ginger tea, and have been pondering the fact that ginger is often a spice relegated to stir-fries and cakes, overpowered by the stronger sensations of soy sauce and sugar (respectively!)... so I thought I would share a few of its beneficial properties with you, to try and increase its presence in our kitchens and recipes.

Ginger is best known for it's role in the relief of 'digestive complaints', and this covers a multitude of properties including the alleviation of gastrointestinal gas, the ability to relax and soothe the digestive tract (which includes anti-vomiting properties), and the prevention of motion sickness. It also has an ability to help reduce/eliminate nausea, and combined with its safety during pregnancy, this makes it every ‘expecting’ woman's best friend!

Ginger also contains potent anti-inflammatory compounds, which can help relieve inflammatory-based diseases such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. These same anti-inflammatory compounds (called gingerols and responsible for the distinct flavor of ginger) may also inhibit colorectal cancer cell growth, and induce the death of ovarian cancer cells. Genius.

Quite frankly, these attributes are argument enough to start focusing on this root, I reckon … and to make it even easier, fresh ginger root is available all year round. While 'ground ginger' is often called for in baking recipes, I recommend using its fresh counterpart wherever possible. It's deliciously pungent and more nutritious, and it's easy to have on hand since I've found that it freezes well for at least 6 months as long as it is unpeeled.

To make Ginger Tea, simply grate or slice about 1 cm of fresh ginger root into a mug and add boiling water. If you want something sweet, add 1 teaspoon of Blue Agave, and if you want something with more of a 'bite', add the juice of 1/2 fresh lemon. Delicious.

If you feel like getting more adventurous, try this fish recipe below adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly '30-Minute Meals'; it's quick, easy, nutritious and delicious. What more could you want?!

LEMON GINGER FISH FILLETS

This is a very simple recipe – and can be used with a number of different types of fish – I have even cooked this with wild salmon fillets – so take your pick! Serve with baked sweet potatoes and a big green salad.


• 4 (800g) firm white fish fillets (avoid Mackerel if purine-sensitive or are dealing with gout)
• 80g of butter, or some olive oil if you are dairy-sensitive
• 1 tablespoon of finely grated lemon rind
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 3 green onions/scallions/spring onions, sliced thinly

Cook the fish in a large, heated, oiled frying pan until browned lightly both sides and cooked through.
Meanwhile….melt the butter/heat the olive oil in a small saucepan; add rind, juice and ginger. Cook for 1 minute. Stir in the parsley and onion and serve the sauce over the fish.

Waste not, Want not ...

'If you don't waste things, you are less likely to end up lacking' ... apparently this isn't something we consider when regarding food. My latest Environmental Nutrition issue has an article dedicated to food waste, and I have to admit to finding it shocking.

Apparently, over 40% of all the food produced in America, goes to waste. I mean, seriously? The article in the March 2010 issue makes it clear that the food-scrooge in us that was enforced by past wars and famines has long gone, and we are now an extremely wasteful society when it comes to food because it is 'plentiful' and 'cheap'.

I happened to be reading this article with CNN on in the background, and the discord between the thousands of victims in Haiti and the facts and figures that were leaping out of the page in front of me made me feel pretty disgusted. According to the EN article, food waste in America has increased by about 50% since 1974 and is now at a height of almost 1400 calories per person per day. I mean, whaaaaat? That means that every person in America can feed over 1/2 another person from their waste alone.

The article goes on to explain why we no longer value food (it is as cheap and plentiful as it has ever been), and how our demand for the 'perfect food' means that if it is not pristine in appearance, we throw it out. As far as I can see, we have, in simple terms, become spoiled.

The only silver lining to this whole 'problem' is that we can actually do something about it, starting now. First, become mindful of food waste. Don't over-purchase at the grocery store (which in turn causes food to spoil in our fridges and consequently be thrown out). And in the same vein, don't over-order when eating out. Portion sizes are, in my opinion, out of control in this country, so order accordingly. Share, ask for an appetizer size, or, at the very least, request a box so you can take your left-overs home for later use. The same goes for home-cooking. Keen not to create a situation of 'want' when we don't need to, the average person makes more than enough at each meal. Save the left-overs and either get creative with them the next day, or simply re-heat them to eat again. We really do not have to have a brand new taste-sensation every single meal, and in the long run it is better for our pockets, our environment and our economy to do our best to curb this waste sooner rather than later.

While I do not agree with the age-old 'finish your plate' philosophy of our food-valuing ancestors, I also don't think that leaving a plate full of food is the right answer either. In short, whenever you have the option, take a little less than you think you'd like and know that you can go back for more if you so desire. What's left in the saucepan can easily be stored in the refrigerator for later use, but what's left on your plate will be thrown away.

All things in nature and homeostasis are at a fine balance. Our attitudes and activities associated with food seem to be disrupting them both. Maybe it's time to think about the bigger picture, as well as our well-scrutinized figures ... maybe it's time to be mindful, not wasteful.

Should Children take Vitamin Supplements?

One third of US children take a daily multi-vitamin, but does the science really show this to be a good thing? I am often asked about this topic and so I looked into the most recent research. Unsurprisingly, the results are conflicting (what’s new…?!) but there are some points worth noting.

First of all, I should make clear that the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend supplements for children, unless they have specific digestive problems or diseases, or are dramatically underweight. One of the negatives associated with taking supplements at such a young age is that it can put pressure on young livers (our liver acts as a filter and vitamin supplements can stress it, especially the fat-soluble vitamins A & D). This can, at the extreme, cause liver abnormalities. In addition, potential overdose is highly toxic, and since children’s vitamins today look and taste very much like candy, this issue is more prevalent than you would think (yikes) … and one more point on that – the ‘candy’ look-alike is far from sugar-free, so many pediatricians see these vitamins as another avenue for a sugar-injection into the nation’s children – and more sugar is just what we don’t need. It is also worth noting that even these harmless-looking candy-‘cousins’ can interact with medications, and this can in turn, be very dangerous.

So, why is there a multi-billion dollar market surrounding these supplements? The main answer is good advertising which feeds into the fact that many parents see them as an ‘insurance’ option for their children’s health. In truth, as long as your children are eating healthily and have a varied diet, this ‘insurance’ appears to be completely unnecessary.

The one occasion where vitamin supplementation does seem warranted for the healthy child is in the case of vitamin D. A nationwide study looked at 6,000 US children between the ages of 1-21 years old and found an unexpectedly high level of vitamin D deficiency. This is attributed to high use of sunscreens, less ‘playtime’ outside and the more sedentary lifestyle our children have adopted (think TV, video & computer games). The results were so overwhelming that the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends infants, children and teens to take 400 IU of vitamin D/day. Fish and fortified milk (including formula) and cereal are good food sources of this vitamin but our main source is sunlight, so if you live in an area which gets a good dose of sun, I would argue that letting your children spend 10 minutes outside without sunscreen, each day, would mean you didn’t need to worry about supplementation.

And finally – it was interesting to me to see that a study in 2009 showed that the children who are taking supplements are those who don’t need to take them! The children who are taking multi-vitamins are those who are healthy, have an active lifestyle, with access to good food and health care. This plays directly into Michael Pollen’s latest book ‘Food Rules’, in which rule #40 instructs you be the kind of person who takes supplements, and then to skip the supplement! While Michael Pollen isn’t addressing children directly, it makes sense that parents who are mindful of their own health (and who believe supplements play a part in this), will extend this behavior to their children. Apparently the supplement part isn’t integral to their healthy status!

So – to those of you whose children play outside and eat healthy, varied meals, think twice before you pop that sugar-coated gummy-'vitamin' into their mouth. However, if you live in a northern hemisphere or you have a child who is not healthy … or even a particularly picky eater, it might be worth thinking about a vitamin supplement. Just make sure you read the ingredients and make sure they are a true vitamin, and not colored sugar dressed up as a healthy hoax!

Personally, I’m all about some time in the sand box, and colorful dinners. Keep it simple. And natural. Plenty of time for pills later in life, right?!

Happy Valentine's Day!

A few quick words to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow.

In my last blog I talked about making a chocolate fondue at home to create a healthier (and more calming) night of romance with your loved one ... and so it might make you laugh to know that while my husband is most definitely a romantic, a Valentine's Day supporter he is most certainly NOT, so there will be no candle-lit gazing in our home tomorrow night. In fact, I'm almost certain he will be at work until late, so my Valentine's night will most likely kick off with sausages, peas and potatoes with my 2 year old son at the romantic hour of 5pm!

Although this is a blog based on nutrition, I wanted to veer away from food for this post and make a point we so easily forget in this treat-based world. While the grocery and gift stores might delude us into thinking that no 'holiday' is complete without something to tantalize our taste-buds, we should balance this sensory bombardment with the knowledge that not all treats need to be of the culinary order! Defining a treat (which is not food-based) is very individual, and often changes as we move through the chapters of our life. To illustrate this, it is a friend's birthday today and when I asked her whether her boys had spoiled her (she has a husband and 3 sons, one of which is a newborn), she replied with a huge smile and said 'Yes! They let me sleep in this morning'. I remember thinking a lie-in was most definitely a RIGHT, when I was a college student ... and now I completely understand why it is something precious enough to be given to a mother on her birthday!

So you get my point. Should you, like me, be spending the evening of February 14th alone, resist the urge to buy a huge box of chocolates and cry yourself through a romantic comedy DVD ... instead, be your own Valentine. God knows I'm sure you need a bit of self-appreciation, and going to bed on a stomach full of cheap chocolates definitely doesn't help your relationship with yourself ... we've all been there! Instead, take a minute to think about what you would consider a treat, and use this day to enjoy being kind to yourself.

As for me ... I'm all set for a long hot bubble bath and a glossy fashion magazine. Bliss!

Happy Valentine's Day!

That 'chocolate' thing ...

To ensure I don't loose my entire readership before we are even one sixth of the way through the year(!), today I wanted to write about something more fun (and a hell of a lot sweeter!). So I chose the obvious ... Chocolate!

As Valentine's Day approaches, chocolate moves from the center-aisles of the markets to become the one commodity you really can't escape, whichever way you look. If you are easily enticed, you will be pleased to hear that despite its appearance when dressed in dazzling shades of pink and red, chocolate is considered by its connoisseurs to be a 'healthy food of the earth'!

Yes, I do realize that it looks more like a UFO at this time of year, but if we remove the sugar, cream and liquor flavorings, one can, at a push, apparently claim that it is a plant-based food! ... at least according to Debra Miller PhD, Senior Nutrition Scientist with the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition (no prizes for guessing which advertising angle she's taking!). Ok skeptics, step aside ... her claim is actually based in truth, as cocoa beans are the seeds of the fruit of the cacao tree, and these should, in theory, be the main ingredient in chocolate. The problem is that in our traditional 'chocolate bar', the ingredients have been so doctored that it's not only the appearance which resembles a UFO, but its contents also appear more at home in outer space than in our food chain!

So, here's my thought. How about, this Valentine's day, we take a step closer to nature - 'chocolately' speaking! What I mean is, why not avoid the processed pink hearts, and enjoy this food for what it should be. Rich, dark and delicious (and with the bonus of packing a great antioxidant punch to boot!).

At the risk of highlighting the fact that I'm the only person in the world who doesn't enjoy being crammed into an overcrowded restaurant with every other table set as a 'two-top', and being forced to eat off an over-simplified, under-inspired menu (seriously, how many asparagus spears do you really have to eat to get the aphrodisiac effect?), I propose engaging in your chocolate feast at home. Keep it simple. Two words: Chocolate Fondue!

Simply buy a couple of bars of good quality dark chocolate (I recommend a cocoa-content of at least 70%) and some organic fruits like apples, mandarins, strawberries, blueberries and grapes. Break up the chocolate roughly and melt it in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (caution: do not stir the chocolate while it is melting. I don't know why, but it can ruin its texture!). Chop the fruit into bite-sized pieces and arrange them on a plate in a fashion that credits your inner artist. A couple of forks or skewers and a bottle of good wine and voila, you're done. Delicious .... and not devoid of those all-enticing, menu-price-raising aphrodisiacs, either, in case you’re wondering!

Maybe it's not so difficult to eat closer to nature after all?!

The scoop on 'GM' foods.

In my last post, I rather flippantly noted that the topic of Genetically Modified foods was worthy of a blog in its own right. However, now concentrating more seriously on it, I realize that it would have to be one hell of a long blog to do justice to the hot debate that surrounds this advancement in technology! Here I aim to try and give a brief overview; the good, the bad and the ugly ... and hopefully arm us all with some information from which we can make our own decisions (yes, ok, I surrender, this is still a relatively long blog…..)

In simple terms, Genetically Modified (GM) foods or Genetically-Modified Organisms (GMO) most commonly refer to plant crops which have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits (such as increased resistance to herbicides, weather extremes, improved nutritional content etc). Historically, this was achieved by selective breeding, but plant breeding methods are time consuming and often not accurate, so in walks Mr. Technology, and suddenly we are feeding the 5,000 from one field of genetically-doctored corn ...

There are fierce and raging arguments going on around the world as to whether this technique is safe and acceptable, and it would require a dissertation of many thousands of words for me to explain the details, but here are the commonly quoted pros and cons:

Pros:
- GM foods promise to meet the booming population needs predicted over the next 50 years; conventionally created crops do not. This is due to the fact that GM crops have a higher degree of pest-resistance (loss of yield from pest damage is huge and can be devastating to farmers and food availability in developing countries), herbicide tolerance, disease resistance and extreme weather tolerance.
- GM foods can be engineered to contain specific nutrients for specific areas of the world which are malnourished (eg. blindness is a problem in developing countries due to vitamin A deficiency and researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology for Plant Sciences have created a strain of rice ('golden rice') containing an unusually high level of beta-carotene (vitamin A)).
- There is a proposal that foods will be created which contain specific pharmaceuticals within the food so that edible vaccines can replace conventional vaccines(!) and this would be easier to administer in developing countries (a little scary?!)
- Plants such as popular trees which have been GM to clean up heavy metal pollution from contaminated soil can help reduce soil and groundwater pollution.

Cons:
- Unintended harm to other organisms caused by contamination to natural food sources from the GM crops (high mortality rates have been seen in the Monarch Butterfly caterpillar due to this). This impacts the whole food chain reliant on the Monarch Butterfly.
- Reduced effectiveness of pesticides due to developed resistance (think: mosquitoes and the-now-banned DDT).
- Cross-breeding between GM crops (in the fields) will cause gene-transfer to non-target species, creating a whole new plethora of GM food options (terrifying thought?!).
- Increased food - allergies in children and adults due to the introduction of new genes ...I'm thinking that this must SURELY screw with our digestive systems??
- Unknown risk to human health - I think the general consensus is that there hasn't been enough testing in this area... this category also embraces an increase in antibiotic resistance which could be potentially fatal...
- Due to the high costs involved in bringing a new GM crop to market, farmers are beginning to patent their specific GM plant - increasing seed prices and further increasing the gap between the rich and poor farmer.

At the moment, the US is the largest producer of GM crops, and more than a dozen other countries have adopted the technology, including Argentina, China, Canada, Australia, India and Mexico.

In contrast, the EU has banned GM foods from being imported or produced on their soil.

So the world is split ... this is an advancement in technology that could 'cure world hunger' but also disrupt the balance of 'nature' for ever more (let alone the balance in your own body when you eat the food). If you live in the US, I'm afraid it's virtually impossible to eat a GM-free diet, even if you shop solely at the delicious but bank-breaking Whole Foods (which claims to be a GM-free store), since both the labeling regulations and the GM-detection-protocol leave much to be desired at this point. The EU do not import any foods with GM ingredients, but from the research I have done, it appears wishful thinking to believe that there is no cross-contaminated ingredients from GM crops in these imported products...

The whole topic leaves me slightly at a loss for words, to be honest (despite this rather lengthy posting!). I whole-heartedly love and support the push to overcome world-hunger, but not at the expense of human wellness, and the little bit of nature we've got left ... as a consumer, I just remind you that money is power. If you do feel you would like to avoid GM foods as much as possible, there are brands which do not source from GM crops such as Frito-Lay, Whole Foods market brand and Gerber baby food (among others), so look for the 'No GMO ..' labels. As with everything, the dollar talks, and businesses will watch what the consumer supports so hopefully being educated will help you as an individual to drive the next chapter of this story in the direction you want it to go.

To re-cap what I said in my last blog, the foods which are most commonly genetically modified are: soy, corn, cotton and rapeseed oil. So yes, that in turn means that 60-70% of processed foods on the shelves of American grocery stores contain GM ingredients. Yikes! I guess that plays into my mantra.... focus on whole foods, and try and avoid the lure of those colorful cardboard boxes! In case you’re in any doubt, I’m personally siding with my mother-country, hoping to God that this powerful technology doesn’t advance faster than our intelligence on the subject.

Just because it's organic, doesn't mean it's healthy!

As marketing intelligence increases, consumers have to wade through a jungle of confusing messages to navigate the aisles of the grocery store. We go there in search of food, and many of us return with 'products'. Yes, that's right, 'products' ... albeit for our stomach and digestive system, and carrying the widely flaunted label of 'food' ... but these are often far-flung from the simple nutrients on which our ancestors thrived.

Aside from the extravagant labeling of health benefits that adorn these packaged foods (this topic is worthy of a whole new blog), something which confounds many of my friends and clients alike is the connotation of the term 'organic'. To start at the basics, here in the States, there products can be labeled as 'Organic' and '100% Organic':

- Products labeled as 'Organic' must contain at least 95% of organic ingredients (excluding water or salt), and any remaining ingredients must consist of 'approved nonagricultural substances and specific non-organically produced agricultural products that are not commercially available in organic form'.
- Products labeled as '100% Organic' must contain ingredients which are only organically produced and processed (excluding water and salt).

The general consensus is that 'organic is good', right? I mean, when we talk about single-ingredient items such as meat, fish, dairy and fresh produce, 'organic' means less human interference - whether that be added hormones and antibiotics, or toxic pesticides ... and the less of those the better. The confusion comes when we move away from simple foods, and into the packaged 'products' the food industry works so hard to sell us. I'm talking about cookies, breads, jellies/jams, cereals, frozen dinners, foot-long sandwiches ... and the list continues. These are the 'foods' which are not produced by nature, but by factories, and in today's world they fill an increasingly large portion of the average family's shopping cart. These are the foods which are packaged in pretty colors, and on which the 'organic' labels tend to deflect us from the true ingredients.

A case in point - I was talking to a friend of mine here in Vegas about bread, and she mentioned that she always chose a certain brand because it was organic. And yes, it was organic, but when I looked closer, I realized that the 'organic' label acted as a great camouflage for the fact that it contained less that half the fiber of most whole-grain breads, and almost double the amount of added sugar (for those of you reading this outside the US, it is normal for bread here to have some added sugars). So really, although the ingredients were organic, it wasn't the healthiest choice?!

Now, I'm not proposing that we spend our days baking our own bread, nor making our cereals from scratch (however wonderful both of those options would be!), but it's important not to be too easily persuaded when you are shopping those 'inner' aisles of the grocery store. While the word ‘organic’ is a great help in determining which peach you choose, it is important to ask yourself whether your 'organic' dollars are best spent on flour and sugar?! Possibly not?

So, I hear you ask, if you can't just assume that the labels will point you in the right direction, what the hell should you look for when buying food? The answer to this question is worthy of more than this blog, but in short, here are my tips:

- When buying baked goods and cereals, try to make sure the fiber content is high (usually whole-grains are a good start), there are no trans-fats, and that the added sugars are not too high.

- When buying frozen meals (I shudder at the thought!) - and yes, this includes pizza and pasta dishes - again look for whole-grains to increase the fiber content, low amounts of added sugars, absolutely no listing of 'partially hydrogenated oils' (aka trans fats) in the ingredients, and if possible, organic sources of dairy and protein.

- When buying fresh produce, consult the list of 'dirtiest' produce created and updated by the Environmental Working Group at http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php and try to buy these fresh fruits and vegetables organic whenever possible.

- When buying single-ingredient animal products such as dairy, meat and fish, I recommend organic wherever possible to avoid the added antibiotics and hormones commonly found in their conventionally-reared counterparts.

- When buying foods which contain commonly genetically modified ingredients, such as corn, soybeans, cotton and rapeseed oil, I recommend searching to find the brands which contain 'no GMO ingredients'. (As a side-note, 60-70% of processed foods in the US contain genetically modified ingredients, including most breakfast cereals, most foods containing soy, many baby foods, snack foods and sodas ... while the government deems GMO foods safe to eat, I try and avoid them where possible, my reasons are once again worthy of another blog!).

In short, I guess my main message is this: start with real, whole foods, and try and buy these in as pure a form as possible (here, I think the organic label is worthy of its perceived high status). When pretty packages start seducing you (and we're all guilty of that!), don't be misled by them flaunting that their ingredients are organic. It doesn't sanction them as 'healthy'!

Embrace your inner-detective ... apparently your health depends on it!

Starting them young ... how to encourage a healthy little eater.

As many of my peers are new mothers, the question of how to avoid the 'fussy eater' is often posed in my direction, and while there is no single formula which fits all children, I thought it might be useful to you if I shared what I know on the topic ...

Over 3 years ago, a friend and I drove to Star Valley to hear the Dalai Lama speak. It was, of course, one of those memorable days, but there was one thing he said in particular which I have never forgotten, and often quoted. A parent in the audience asked what she could do to encourage her child to be a 'good being'. She felt that she had taught him right from wrong, cruel from kind etc ... but wanted to know if there was anything that His Holiness would recommend she did so that she could be certain to send him on his way through life as a good, kind person. The Dalai Lama's response was short and to the point. While he acknowledged and praised the woman for what she had already taught her child, he said that the most important thing you can do as a parent is to be a good person yourself. That's right, to teach by example. He reiterated that you can go blue in the face by 'telling' your children what to do and how to do it, but that at the end of the day, they will do as you do.

I believe this is as true in the kitchen. There is no way that your toddler is going to chow down on a bowl full of Brussels sprouts if he has never seen you eat them. And how much less attractive can you make a vegetable than by boiling it to death, telling him it's too hot to touch, and then bribing him by saying that if he eats one more mouthful of it, he can have the longed-for dessert? I truly think that most of the time, encouraging your toddler to eat healthily is as much a behavioral act as a nutritional one.

So - to start from scratch, here are my top tips:


• Offer your child a selection of healthy snacks and meals from a young age - this helps them develop a willingness to try new foods, and a taste for the healthier options.
• Let your child TOUCH, smell and explore the food. Seriously. I've seen so many mothers hermetically seal up their toddlers clothes in fear of stains, sit opposite their child with a long plastic spoon, and carefully tip the slightly extraordinary looking mush into their child’s mouth, only to become frustrated when their poor child starts turning his head or spitting to try and exert some level of independence in the matter. It is vital that these little people feel that they are part of the eating process - they very soon will be - and they must be allowed to experiment with these new foods in order to become comfortable enough to eat them. Yes, even when they’re 9 months old, let them touch and play with the food, even if you need to help steer it into their mouths.
• Keep the colors and shapes of the food as varied and inventive as you can. I have been known to craft sailing boats and houses out of various vegetables!
• Never assume that your child doesn't like something after not wanting to eat it the first, second or even third time. Toddlers often need to get used to the look, smell and feel of the food before they will try it, so despite not actually eating it, every time it is served at a meal they become more accustomed to it as a food and closer to eating it.
• Ideally, introduce new foods with old favorites - for example, if he hasn't eaten fish, try offering it in his favorite sauce, or with his favorite side (cream cheese works wonders in our house, as does peanut butter as an accompaniment to celery!)
• Have a selection of healthy foods for snack time ... no toddler will choose a mandarin over an Oreo cookie, but if the Oreo cookie is not an option, the mandarin will be fought over! In our house, I'm all about my little guy eating when he's hungry as I really want him to listen to his internal cues, but if it's between meals, the options are always fruits, vegetables or cheese (with the odd goldfish thrown in there for good measure)!
• Try not to use sweet treats as a bribe - these infer that what you are trying to get your toddler to eat is widely-acknowledged as being less desirable than the chocolate cookie you're dangling at the 'clean-plate-finish-post'!
• And finally - the way to make a food look its most desirable is to eat it YOURSELF. Have you ever looked jealously across the restaurant table at a friend's meal? How often have you pleaded with someone else 'just to taste it'? Often, it's not what we have in front of us that we want, but what we don't have in front of us. The same is true of the toddler, and to illustrate this, just this morning, my son and I baked oatmeal and raisin cookies together. After licking the bowl, he exclaimed like the demanding 2 year old he is, that he 'must have a cookie NOW mummy'. I explained that he could have one after lunch. After lunch, I duly handed him a cookie, and grabbed an apple for myself. He took a bite of his cookie and left the rest untouched, finishing my rather over-sized Granny Smith apple unaided! (And yes, the cookies were delicious in case you were dubiously wondering about our combined baking skills!)

I hope this helps. I do acknowledge that some parents have a hell of a tough time with this area of life, and it can be frustrating and upsetting to no end (especially when you have slaved over the kitchen stove only to have it thrown unceremoniously to the floor by your toddler as he demands mac and cheese for the 5th night in a row ... we have ALL been there!). I guess my main message is not to assume that just because the restaurant chefs restrict the kid menu to chicken nuggets and pizza, you should too. (And as a post-note, I'm all about asking for a kids portion of regular menu item - I mean seriously, why not?! I vote for giving our children's taste-buds the benefit of the doubt).

If any of you are looking for a great stock of toddler-friendly recipes, I recommend 'Baby & Toddler Meal Planner' by Annabel Karmel ... we still use this, and I often feed the whole family from it which is part of its beauty!

Have fun, and let your creative juices flow!

The Gluten-Free Fad.

If there's one topic I can honestly say I'm asked most about, it is the gluten-free phenomenon which has swept both the media and the grocery-aisles at increasing levels over the last few years. It is no secret that gluten intolerance has grown over the past decades (an intolerance is a digestive-system response to a food rather than an immune-response), but should everyone really go 'gluten-free' to be healthy?

I think not ... and I have to admit that as an individual who is (unfortunately) 'gluten-intolerant', it frustrates me to no end that the connotation of having to live gluten-free has become mangled with the words 'weight-loss', 'diet' and 'healthy' by the media, making those of us inflicted by this condition look like we are following the latest fad, when in fact, it is following us!

So - first things first. Why is gluten-intolerance on the rise? There seem to be 3 schools of thought on this:

1. Over the years, the harvesting practices of grains, mostly wheat, have been 'improved' and refined to increase yield, and it is believed that in this process, some of their properties have changed, morphing them from the original gluten-containing grains our digestive systems are used to.
2. Wheat, the most common gluten-containing grain, has become such a constant in the Western world that our intake far exceeds what it used to. Think about it: bread, bagels, muffins, cereals (hot and cold), cakes, pasta (including lasgana, macaroni and cheese etc), flour tortillas, crackers, salad dressing ... the list goes on and on and on ... all include wheat, and we haven't even touched on the other gluten-containing grains: rye, barley and triticale. From the moment we wake up to the moment we go to bed, we are literally bombarding our bodies with gluten, unless you are consciously avoiding it.
3. And finally, the explanation described by the Feb 2010 edition of Environmental Nutrition (yes, another reference to this periodical!) is that gluten and grains have been introduced relatively recently into the human diet, so we do not digest them effectively....

OK, ok, enough with the philosophizing ... let’s get to the point. Should you, or should you not, avoid gluten? The bones of the matter is this: if you do not feel any ill-effects from eating wheat-filled foods, I don't believe you should avoid gluten as part of a weight-loss push. If you are able to digest gluten effectively, the reason a 'gluten-free' diet may help you lose weight is nothing to do with eliminating gluten, but 100% due to the fact that you will be eliminating the majority of refined carbs from your diet, and this simple fact will most likely reduce your calorie intake. If you look at the (incomplete) list of gluten-containing foods above, you will understand that eliminating all these from your diet will most likely support some weight-loss! However, there are plenty of nutrition-benefits from whole-grains, including those that contain gluten, and eliminating these in favor of their often more-processed 'gluten-free' counterparts is not always a health-conscious choice.

However, should you suffer from negative effects of gluten, whether that be full-blown Celiac Disease or just a noticeable level of bloating, gas or abdominal pain, digestive upsets, energy challenges or unexplained weight loss or weight gain, then avoiding gluten might well be the answer. Enjoying alternative grains such as millet, amaranth, quinoa and brown rices can help fill the void, as can the plethora of gluten-free products which are now in the markets (although Shelley Case, RD, and gluten-free nutrition expert, does caution in the Environmental Nutrition article that gluten-free products can contain more sugars and fats than expected, and they are often not enriched with vitamins and minerals like the wheat products ... so don't go and buy out the entire gluten-free aisle without some sort of ingredient check!).

For people diagnosed with Celiac Disease, eating a gluten-fee diet is imperative, because even the smallest amount of gluten provokes an immune response which in turn causes damage to the small intestine and does not allow food to be absorbed properly. And because Celiac Disease is considered the most under diagnosed disease in America, I feel that this blog is incomplete without listing its symptoms (again, taken from the Feb 2010 Environmental Nutrition publication):

- Recurring bloating, gas or abdominal pain
- Chronic diarrhea, constipation or both
- Unexplained weight loss or weight gain
- Pale, foul-smelling stool
- Unexplained anemia
- Bone or Joint pain
- Behavior changes, depression, irritability
- Vitamin K deficiency
- Fatigue, weakeness or lack of energy
- Delayed growth or onset of puberty
- Failure to thrive (in infants)
- Missed menstrual periods
- Infertility (male and female)
- Spontaneous miscarriages
- Canker sores inside the mouth
- Tooth discoloration or loss of enamel

If you can related to some of these symptoms, you have a couple of options; you can either adopt a gluten-free diet for a trial period (such as 3 weeks) to see if it gives you relief, or you can talk to your doctor about a more specific test for this condition (though it's worthy to note that in many cases, your diet must include gluten to ensure accurate results).

Regardless of which side of the fence you fall, please, please don't assume that when someone says they avoid gluten, they are just enforcing the latest fad-diet on your dinner-party menu. Gluten-containing foods are delicious, and I for one, wish to hell I could enjoy them to the max!

... a final few words on High Blood Pressure.

The morning after I wrote my last blog, I received my most recent publication of 'Environmental Nutrition', which coincidentally has a long article on the most effective 'diet' for optimal heart health and blood pressure.

With the risk of flogging a dead horse, I just wanted to highlight the results of the OmniHeart Trial which is the most recent study in this area (though not exactly 'new'; its results were published in November 2005). In addition to the recommendations listed in my previous blog, it is interesting to know that the most successful diet in this trial to reduce systolic blood pressure (the top number!), LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides (blood fat linked to heart-disease), was that which had a higher amount of protein and unsaturated fats.

Now, before you run to McDonalds, I have to stress that the protein used in this study was primarily from plant sources (beans, legumes, nuts and seeds) ... but according to this research, plant protein and unsaturated fat (think: nuts, seeds, plant oils, fish and avocados) can positively affect blood pressure and lipid levels, thereby possibly reducing cardiovascular disease risk. In fact, the article in EN states that the cholesterol-lowering effects of this diet were comparably as efficient as prescription statin drugs; a reason that there should be a dietary component in any treatment plan for heart protection?!

So increase your intake of those plant proteins and oils too, and to help you get started, here is a recipe for my most favorite 'energy' bars which are rich in plant foods and a delicious start to the day when breakfast looks like it's going to be shelved in favor of reaching school/work/the ski slopes in time!


Muesli Breakfast Bars

I have adapted this recipe (quite drastically!) from one I found in the Mayo Clinic’s 2005 cookbook. These bars are perfect for an on-the-go breakfast or a healthy snack, and as far as I can tell, are liked by both adults and kids! (Muesli is a German word meaning ‘mixture’ and these bars are based on the original breakfast cereal which combines oats with dried fruit and nuts.)
They are gluten-free, dairy-free and wheat-free.

Makes 24 bars.

• 2 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• ½ cup soy flour (any flour will work – whole wheat/rice etc. but soy flour has a higher protein content)
• ½ cup ground flaxseed
• ¼ cup sliced/flaked almonds, toasted (or any other nut eg. Pecan if almond-sensitive)
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts, toasted (or any other nut eg. Hazelnut if walnut-sensitive)
• ½ cup dried apples, chopped (try and find them without added sulfites)
• ¼ cup raisins (sulfite-free)
• ¼ cup dried cranberries (sulfite-free)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dark honey or blue agave sweetener
• ½ cup organic unsalted peanut butter (I used the crunchy texture, but either will work. Use cashew butter if sensitive to peanuts – you might need to add a little olive oil to this if it is on the dry side)
• ½ tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (essence)

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with olive oil cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, ground flaxseed, almonds, walnuts, apples, raisins, cranberries and salt. Stir well to blend, and set aside.
3. In a small saucepan, stir together the honey, peanut butter, and olive oil over medium heat until well blended. Do not let the mixture boil. Stir in the vanilla.
4. Add the warm honey mixture to the dry ingredients and stir quickly until well combined. The mixture should be sticky but not wet.
5. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Press firmly to remove any air pockets. Bake just until the edges begin to brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Cut into 24 pieces and leave in pan until totally cool.
6. Remove bars from pan and store in airtight containers in the fridge.

The Dietary 'Do's' and 'Don'ts' of High Blood Pressure.

A great friend of mine has recently been told that he has 'high blood pressure' (HBP) and he and his wife were asking me whether there were any foods he should focus on and/or avoid ... while the demands of his work are thought to be the real cause of his condition, his diet is at least an area of his life over which he has a degree of control ...

While I don't for a minute propose that anyone should read this blog and 'self-medicate' a similar condition based on the dietary changes I am about to suggest, I think it is important to know that while you wait an intermiable amount of time to see your physician (this process further challenging your blood pressure stats!), there are things you can be doing at home.

Ok - so first things first, here are all the 'Don'ts;

1. Limit your intake of saturated fats. This really translates to limiting your intake of animals fats which are most commonly found in fatty cuts of meat, bacon, sausages, duck, chicken and turkey with the skin on, egg yolks, butter/lard, cream, ice-cream and whole milk dairy products. (It is true that Coconut oil and Palm oil are the vegetarian offenders due to their high saturated fat content, but they are yet to be shown to have unfavorable effects on cholesterol and blood pressure statistics).
2. Watch your salt intake. While it is currently proposed that we don't exceed a salt intake of 2,400 mg/day, there are a number of studies which show a healthier intake to be around 1,600 mg/day. In the case of individuals who are trying to lower their blood pressure, the Mayo Clinic recommend trying to limit intake to 1,500 mg/day. This is actually not a challenge if you are able to avoid processed foods. 75% of our salt intake is from processed foods, and only 25% is from the cooking salt and table salt. So for all those salt-junkies (I am a self-proclaimed salt-lover...), we really can reduce our intake without compromising taste, as long as we get friendly with our kitchens!
3. Limit alcohol - but don't panic, it is recommended just to drink in 'moderation', which is 1 drink/day for women and 2/day for men ... and no, you can't store up your quota and drink 14 in one night - not ideally, anyway, for your blood pressure or your liver!
4. Be 'healthy': - and by this I am encompassing the 'don't smoke' recommendations along with the '30 minutes of aerobic activity a day' and the 'maintain a healthy weight' suggestions which seem to accompany all disease prevention spiels in today's world!

And now, for those of you who would like to stop 'avoiding' and start 'adding' blood-pressure friendly foods into your day, here are the 'Do's':

1. Focus on eating fruits, vegetables and whole-grains. This means, embrace those stir-fries with whole-wheat noodles, the brown and wild rice dishes and legumes (see my previous blog), whole grain breads and pastas ... and the apple/tangerine/banana/pear/dried fruit snack options. In addition, if you are a desert addict, don't lament the loss of your ice-cream fix at the end of dinner, but instead try and get creative with the fruit bowl .... and by the way, low fat frozen yogurt is still ON the menu?!
2. Increase your potassium intake. This means including dried foods such as raisins, apricots, dates and prunes, fresh fruits such as bananas, strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe and oranges, fresh vegetables such as beets, greens, spinach, peas, tomatoes and mushrooms and dried vegetables such as peas and beans. Yum!

And a final word on caffeine ... there is no standard line on this, but it is possible that caffeine can cause a short but dramatic increase in blood pressure in some individuals. In order to find out if you are one of them, check your blood pressure within 30 minutes of drinking a caffeinated beverage and if it increases by 5-10 points then it suggests that you are sensitive to this side-effect of caffeine. To be honest, I recommend anyone with high blood pressure to limit the amount of caffeine they drink to 200 mg/day - which is about 2 cups of coffee (12-ounce, people...not 24 ounce!). In addition, it's recommended you avoid caffeine right before activities that naturally increase blood pressure such as weight-lifting and aerobic activity.

So - there you have it - the blood-pressure-friendly nutrition tips. To be honest, there's nothing new here is there? They're pretty much the standard 'healthy eating' guidelines we've all come to know, if not love! I think the point is that if you have HBP, these guidelines really can enable you to be effective in helping your numbers come down. I've known a lot of people who can reduce their blood pressure readings simply by taking control of what they eat ... and lets face it, actually making some constructive changes it's a hell of a lot less frustrating than just being told to 'relax' the whole time, right?!

Staying Healthy on a Budget.

While we metaphorically tighten our belts, it is often true that we simultaneously expand our waistlines. It is one of my biggest gripes that when stopping at a gas station for a snack, an apple will cost you more than the competing sugar-laden junk food ... is healthy food really always more expensive?

The answer is no. Yes, organic food is most often pricier than its conventionally-grown counterpart, but do you really need to eat badly in order to eat within budget? I argue not. My blog last week detailed the benefits of frozen produce at times of economic hardship, and here I just wanted to say a little word about the protein-alternatives which are more wallet-friendly than the standard meat and fish options.

OK, don't panic you carnivorous boys, I don't mean that you need to eat meat-free for the rest of 2010, my point is that you don't need to eat meat EVERY day in order to be healthy. And before you start that internal argument in your head, take it from me, your muscle definition will not fade, and your manhood is not under threat. I promise!

The under-utilized, yet nutritionally award-winning category of foods which are a great substitute for meat are legumes. They seem to be a popular part of the food chain in Mexican restaraunts but they are seldomly cooked at home (by anyone other than my mother) ... and yet they are cheap, a good source of protein, and incredibly versatile. The legume family includes beans, peas and lentils and they are all typically low in fat, contain no cholesterol, and are high in folate, potassium, iron and magnesium.

You can buy them dry, in bags (the cheapest option) and in this case they often require a good long soak (sometimes up to 12 hours) before being cooked, or you can buy them in cans, already cooked, and ready to use (save the odd rinse). If you are not deterred by the thought of shoving them in a bowl of water and leaving them to soak overnight, rest assured, there are detailed instructions of how to do this on the back of the packets.

Either way, they are a lot less expensive than meat or fish, and to show you how delicious they can be, I have added one of my favorite recipes below.

... and as a word of caution - for the benefit of your house-mates (whether they be of the human or pet variety), if you have rarely eaten these before, it might be wise to introduce them slowly to your weekly menu. I say this because they can cause an increase in gas due to their high content of indigestible sugars, and without putting too fine a point on it, this can be a little isolating! However, this is not true for everyone, and it can often be avoided by integrating them more slowly into your diet.

That said, if you are determined that these are your diet-and-wallet-saving answer, the Mayo Clinic describes a 'Gas-free' soaking method which claims to dissolve 75-90% of the indigestible sugars responsible for the gas. For more information: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/legumes/NU00260

Enjoy!


Home-made Pilafs

This is one of my favorite recipes; it is such a great and easy way to experiment with different grains and beans, and the result is so delicious. Feel free to add and substitute ingredients – this is just a fail-safe pilaf base to get you started! Just add nuts, seeds and grilled or fresh vegetables to make it a wholesome meal. This can be made in bulk (quadruple the portions if you have a large enough pan!) and frozen in single-portion freezer bags for easy access at a later date.

· ½ cup barley
· ½ cup red ‘kamut’ rice
· ½ cup wild rice
· ½ cup lentils
· ½ cup long-grain brown rice
· 1 onion (either red or white), chopped small
· 2 zucchini, chopped small
· 1 can black beans, rinsed
· 1 can garbanzo/chickpea beans, rinsed
· Canola or olive oil
· Sea salt & black pepper – freshly ground
· Fresh coriander/cilantro – or any herb you feel like! Chopped.

Place the barley, rices, and lentils into a big pan, and add 2 ½ -3 cups of water. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30-40 minutes until the grains are cooked (the wild rice will stay a little ‘al dente’ but this adds a great nutty texture).

Meanwhile, fry the onion and zucchini in a frying pan in a generous dollop of oil, until slightly browned. Turn off the heat and add the beans.

When the grains are cooked, drain and add to the frying pan. Turn on the heat and heat through so the beans are warm. Add the chopped cilantro/herb and salt and pepper to taste.

Easy!

Luck of the draw....genetically speaking.

My last blog recommended an individual approach to weight loss, and now I just want to reiterate why the belief that there is a one-fits-all approach is so flawed (despite desperate attempts by glossy-covered diet books to make us believe otherwise)!

As I flicked through old copies of my Environmental Nutrition newsletters, I came accross a lengthy article detailing the 'Nutrition-Gene Connection' in the November 2009 issue. This describes the reason why the same food can act as a medicine in one person but wreak havoc in another. In short, each person's unique genetic makeup determines how their cells respond to what they eat. In fact, if every human ate and drank the same foods every day, there would still be a variety of health outcomes due to differences in our genome.

So sadly, no matter how many times you lament the injustice of the fact that your best friend can drink numerous steaming cups of hot chocolate and whipped cream during the course of a day without adding an inch of flesh to her bones, when you only have to look at one to feel the pounds creep on to your hips, the reality is that she just 'got lucky' in the gene pool!

And before any of you throw up your hands and claim despair, this nutrient-genome connection is not some excuse to give up your hard work and nutritional goals! Instead, it is an exciting discovery which explains more clearly the different reactions we all have to the same foods. This is just a scientific explanation for what we have been idly discussing over coffee for years! Furthermore, it makes the quest to find what foods best work for YOU, an even more important journey, and could potentially allow for some short-cuts, if you have a particularly nutrition-intuitive parent or sibling ...?!

While we wait for genetic profiling to become the norm, the best method is to be your own detective and listen to your body's reaction to different foods. Then trust it. You know it best.

A word on diet-diversity...

No New Year's blog would be complete without mentioning the pink elephant in NY resolution room: weight loss ... but rather than follow the media-frenzy and detail the latest diet-fads, I want to bring a different perspective to the table.

As detailed in the January 2010 edition of 'Environmental Nutrition', the science behind weightloss is finally supporting the message that nutritionists have spoken for years: 'Weight Loss Science Supports Whatever Works Best For YOU'.

Research into the many scientific trials and investigations that study the most effective method of weight loss has resulted in a clear and concise conclusion: there's more than one way to achieve successful weight loss. Phew, I breath a sigh of relief; my profession is not yet deemed useless in this field! Despite the huge number of diet publications, there is no one-plan-fits-all approach (yet!).

This leads me to urge all of you who would like to drop a few pounds not to go and buy the latest fitness magazine, but instead to spend some time thinking about what foods you feel work best for you, and which foods (if any) leave you feeling bloated, lethargic or uncomfortable. If you are able to pin-point some culprits, I suggest whole-heartedly that you remove these from your diet.

Yes, it can be this simple.

For people with even slightly compromised digestive systems, removing foods which challenge your body can act rather like purifying the fuel you put in your car; both systems run a lot more effieciently. In the case of the body, this can help re-balance your digestive system, increasing your sensitivity to satiety (the feeling of fullness), increasing your energy, improving bowel movements and in turn, encouraging weight-loss.

If you do not feel that there are any foods which compromise your body, congratulations, you obviously have a great and strong digestive system. In this case, I urge you to experiment a little. What happens if you decrease your intake of bad fats? Simple carbs? High fat protein? It is likely that one of these categories will help you lose those pounds more than the others.... and no one but you can determine which.

As noted in the latest edition of Environmental Nutrition, Christopher Gardner, Ph.D., who researches weight loss at Stanford Prevention Research Center says: "We have evidence over the last 10 years that the amount of carbohydrates, fat and protein doestn' really make any difference in weight loss. It's more complicated..."

Right then, so all those diet 'fads' which eliminate one of the food groups from our diet, making us feel miserable and deprived, don't necessarily work? ..... um, that's not really a newsflash now, is it?! And lets be honest, we all know someone for whom one or other of the diets DID work...so they're not necessarily all rubbish .... it's just about finding what works for YOU.

So I leave you with two pleas ...

1. Do not remove an entire macronutrient (protein, fat, carbohydrate) from your diet. EVER. This is far from healthy, and even less sustainable. Instead, take some time to think about what makes you feel good, and whatever doesn't, might need to take the cut instead!
2. Focus on REAL, WHOLE foods. Enough of those food bars, sugar-substitutes and protein isolates. Real foods have the right balance of nutrients to be digested optimally, and this in turn helps our bodies stay balanced. As soon as we try to 'trick' ourselves with fake fillers, a disarming number of hunger-signals await us, complicating both our brains and our stomachs. As Dr. Gardner said: "Relax, go back to real food, grow some of your own vegetables and use common sense". I support this advice (although for some of us, growing our own vegetables might be a step too far...!).

Above all, work WITH your body, and not against it. No battle has been won by being at war with yourself.

2010 is your year.

Fresh or Frozen?

A friend recently asked me whether it was better to buy fresh or frozen vegetables. As we sit in the middle of winter here in the US, and our post-holiday dollar must stretch to its limit, I deem it a very fair question. Most frozen vegetables are undeniably cheaper, but are they as nutritious?

The answer is: sometimes. As a general rule, frozen vegetables are picked from the plant at their peak of ripeness, blanched in hot water or steam to kill bacteria and stop the action of degrading enzymes, and then flash-frozen. While the blanching process causes some water-soluble nutrients to leach out (for example, vitamin C and vitamin B), the subsequent flash-freeze locks in the remaining nutrients in a stable state.

In contrast, fresh vegetables are more often than not, picked from the vine before they are ripe. This gives them less time to develop the full range of nutrients that their 'vine-ripened' counterparts contain. Outward signs of ripening still occur, but they are not as nutritious an end-product as they would be if they were allowed to ripen naturally. In addition, the time it takes these vegetables to get from the farm to our plates is often surprisingly long, and during this time they are exposed to lots of heat and light which in turn degrades some of their nutrients.

So, my advice is this: when the vegetables (or fruits) are in season (and therefore generally grown close to your dinning table), buy them fresh and ripe. When they are out of season, frozen vegetables are a great option since they most probably offer you a higher level of nutrients. In addition, since frozen vegetables are generally cheaper than fresh, some of us are able to afford more organic options in the freezer section of the market.

And finally, in answer to those of you who are questioning how to know what the hell is in season now we are pretty much offered the full spectrum at any point in the year (!), there is a pretty conclusive list at www.fruitsandvegiesmorematters.org . At the moment, in the Northern Hemisphere, December, January and February yield the following:

Apples
Belgian Endive
Brussels Sprouts
Cherimoya
Chestnuts
Collard Greens
Dates
Grapefruit
Kale
Kiwifruit
Leeks
Oranges
Passion Fruit
Pear
Persimmons
Pummelo
Radicchio
Red Currants
Sweet Potatoes
Tangerines
Turnips
Winter Squash

I'd like to continue this blog to cover foodmiles, 'green' produce containers and much more, but I'll leave these for another day. Suffice to say that 'Eating Well' online recommends that those of us in the US choose packages marked with a USDA "U.S. Fancy" shield, as this designates produce of the best size, shape and color, which deems the vegetables more nutritious than those of the lower grades ("U.S. No. 1") or ("U.S. No. 2").
As yet, I haven't been able to find enough information on the UK grading system ...

I hope this helps stretch those winter dollars and keep the nutrition levels high!

Happy New Year!

I am now back on US soil and hope that you have all had a wonderful holiday season. If nothing else, I hope it was a welcome break from 'routine', both industrious and nutritious! There is nothing more refreshing than being removed from the well-trodden daily pathways of our lives, and sometimes it takes global festivities to persuade us off those favored tracks!

If nothing else, today is a day which should fill us with hope and new beginnings where needed....and as my revered Chinese doctor said to me last night 'If at first you make a mess of your New Years resolutions, there's a chance to start again at Chinese New Year, February 14th'! I rather believe that all resolutions benefit by continuous affirmation of their importance and presence, so I offer Chinese New Year as a more formal method of achieving this!

Whether your resolutions are nutrition-based or otherwise, I thoroughly recommend you restrict yourself to objectives you feel are WELL within your grasp. There is no written rule that you can't expand your goals if you achieve them before the year is out ... rather like taking a smaller portion of food the first time round, knowing you can have a second helping if you so desire!

Enjoy this new beginning ... I am going to post some exciting new recipes and invigoratingly healthy tips in the coming few weeks ... just as soon as our bodies have had time to digest December's indulgences!

2010 is going to be a good year. I'm sure of it. Be good to yourself.