- Prepare plenty of easy, healthy snacks. Cut up fresh vegetables and throw them into Ziploc baggies, or if you don’t want to do all the cutting yourself, buy some already cut. Another easy and delicious snack is roasted Edamame or roasted chick peas. TheKitchn.com has some very easy recipes where you essentially toss shelled Edamame or chick peas in a little olive oil (rinse and pat dry first), add course sea salt and cracked pepper (or your favorite seasoning), and roast at 375 °F for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes
- Portobello mushrooms make great “burgers”. You can toss the mushrooms into a Ziploc baggie along with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar (and your favorite seasonings) to marinate, and they’re ready to throw on the grill and serve on a whole-grain bun or bread.
- Fresh fruit is always a must! Apples, oranges, and grapes travel well. Slice up the apples and peel the oranges for an easy-to-grab treat.
- Be sure to drink plenty of water. At least 8 8-ounce glasses/day. It’s easy to get dehydrated when you’re outdoors in the sunshine. Don't let that happen.
- Bring along whole-grain cereals and your favorite nuts and/or seeds to throw on top of your cereal for an easy and satisfying breakfast. I love to add raw almonds and raw sunflower seeds. Don’t forget the soy or nut milk!
- Whole-grain tortillas, hummus, and your fresh, cut-up veggies roll together to make a great lunch. Bring along some avocados to add to the roll for an incredibly fresh, great-tasting, satisfying meal. You can substitute whole-grain bread, or even alternate tortillas and bread on different days.
- If you’re going to go for the chips and salsa, bring along something that’s whole-grain and don’t go crazy. Alternate dipping chips with fresh-cut veggies to fill up without going all-out on the chips.
- Beans and rice are delicious, and easy to prepare in advance. Or just bring a couple of cans of beans, open them, and enjoy them around the campfire.
As you know, it can be challenging enough to stay healthy at home. It’s even more challenging to stay healthy when on the road, especially when camping! My family does a lot of camping over the summer, the easy kind where we drive in, set up a tent or a trailer, and have access to markets. I know, to many of you that’s not considered “real” camping. Yet it is a different environment where it’s easy go for the wrong kind of convenience foods. I’m going to share some tips so that even if your vacation budget explodes, your waistline doesn’t have to.
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I use ground flaxseeds in my green smoothies to get my daily healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to help reduce inflammation, prevent and control high blood pressure, and lower cholesterol. I ran out of ground flaxseeds this morning and I had some chia seeds on hand, which I know are also high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids, so I substituted the chia seeds for the flaxseeds. That got me wondering nutritionally, what’s the difference between flaxseeds and chia seeds. To figure that out, I went to the nutritional database – this time I used the SELFNutritionData website because I found it easier to get values for the omega-3 fatty acids. I decided to compare the nutrition in one tablespoon of each since that’s the minimum suggested amount of flaxseeds or chia seeds to get the recommended daily allowance of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Chia seeds were only reported in ounces or grams, so I weighed one tablespoon of chia seeds and used the weight to calculate the nutrients in one tablespoon of chia seeds for comparison. While both flaxseeds and chia seeds are considered nutritionally superior foods, chia seeds have more of the healthy omega-3 fatty acids than flaxseeds (2.2 g and 1.6 g respectively). Chia seeds have significantly more fiber (4.7 g vs. 1.9 g), calcium (79.0 mg vs. 17.9 mg), and phosphorous (118.3 mg vs. 45.0 mg) as well as more calories (61.2 cal vs. 37.5 cal), protein (1.96 g vs. 1.28 g), and fat (3.84 g vs. 2.95 g). On the other hand, flaxseeds have more magnesium (27.5 mg vs. 0 mg), potassium (57 mg vs. 20 mg), and iron (0.4 mg vs. 0 mg). Unlike flaxseeds, chia seeds can be eaten and absorbed whole, without being ground up. Plus, chia seeds do not require refrigeration. Nutrients from flaxseeds cannot be absorbed when eaten whole; the flaxseeds must be ground up in order for the nutrients to be absorbed. Once ground up, flaxseeds require refrigeration to retard oxidation which destroys the nutrients and turns ground flaxseeds rancid (whole flaxseeds can be stored for at least a year). That said, while chia seeds have several advantages over flaxseeds, both are outstanding sources of the healthy omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients! One of my absolute favorite snacks is Edamame! I loved it from the first time I ever tried it, in a Japanese restaurant. I love putting a lightly salted pod into my mouth, gently biting down on the pod and popping out the soft, creamy, slightly sweet, slightly nutty-tasting beans. Oh, so yummy! And so loaded with nutrition! If you've never tried Edamame before and are wondering what it is, Edamame are immature soybeans in the pod, meaning that they are harvested when ripe and before the beans harden (www.edamame.com; www.wikepedia.com) Edamame pods are typically frozen and the frozen pods are boiled in salted water for about five minutes, then served immediately. I like to prepare half of a 16-ounce package, or about one cup of the pods to eat as a snack or an accompaniment to a salad. Upon consulting the USDA’s National Nutrient Database I discovered that in that one snack I’m getting a significant amount of my daily requirements, including protein (40%), fiber (39%), iron (44%), magnesium (31%), phosphorous (37%), potassium (14%), zinc (27%), vitamin C (13%), thiamin (28%), niacin (10%), folate (121%), and vitamin K (46%). All this goodness and it’s much tastier and more satisfying than a multivitamin! Whole, plant-based foods are low in calories. The RDA (for calories varies with age). The range for adult women is 1,600-2,000 calories/day and for adult men is 2,000-3,200 calories/day depending on age and activity level. If you consume mostly or all whole, plant-based foods, it becomes very easy to keep your calorie intake within the recommended level while at the same time eating enough food to feel satisfied and full.
And speaking of feeling satisfied and full, whole, plant-based foods are loaded with fiber, which allows us to fill up without consuming excess calories. In fact, our appetites are controlled by fiber, nutrient density, and caloric density. We know that plant-based foods are high in fiber and nutrients, while at the same time are low in calories, a perfect combination! Because of the high nutrient density, diets that are high in whole, plant-based foods curb hunger and food cravings, and lead to permanent weight loss. We can eat whole, plant-based foods to our heart’s content (literally) and still lose weight and keep it off permanently! In addition, most whole, plant-based foods are low in fat. For healthy weight loss, the recommended daily allowance of fat for adults is 25-35% of the total calories (coming) from fat. (Ideally below 25% is best for permanent weight control). According to T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., (author of The China Study) most people that eat a whole, plant-based diet consume only 10-15% of their total daily calories from fat. An added benefit is that the fats found in most whole, plant-based foods are the healthy, unsaturated fats, including both mono- and poly-unsaturated fats. There is much evidence that eating foods rich in the unsaturated fats improves blood cholesterol levels, and decreases risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Here’s something else: you have to consume a large amount of most whole, plant-based foods in order to increase your calorie consumption compared to consuming processed or animal-based foods! It should come as no surprise that the consumption of a whole plant-based diet is linked to optimal health and weight. In The China Study, T. Colin Campbell reported a very interesting finding: the average Chinese consumed 33% more calories per day than Americans, mostly from whole, plant-based foods (only about 10% of their calories came from animal-based foods). Yet Chinese in general are much thinner and have 20% less body weight than Americans. Plant-based foods are so incredibly low in calories and rich in nutrients & fiber that the more of them you eat, the more weight you will lose! That is, of course, as long as you’re not loading them with butter, bacon, cheese, and so forth. So creamed spinach with butter, heavy cream and cheese does not count! Whether we want to admit it or not, we all have a relationship with food. The question is: how healthy and balanced is that relationship? My good friend Linda Robbins shared a very interesting perspective on developing a healthy relationship with food from John Robbins (no relation) that I’m going to share with you.
John Robbins is author of the landmark international bestseller Diet for a New America, of the newly released Voices of the Food Revolution, and seven other books that have [between them] sold millions of copies and have been translated into over 30 languages. The following are questions that John Robbins would ask himself in order to help him develop a relationship with food that would feed his health and his joy:
The beauty of asking yourself these questions regarding food is that if you can be honest in your answers, you will stop and think about the food that you eat, why you are eating certain foods, and make better choices for your health and well-being. If you’ve given up meat, dairy, and eggs, or if you're trying to limit your cholesterol intake, does that mean you have to give up baked foods too since most baked foods are made with eggs? I had that very question and I turned to “The Joy of Vegan Baking” by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau to find the answers to these questions. I will share what I learned. In order to find adequate replacements for eggs, it helps to know why eggs are used in baking. Eggs have several functions in baked goods, including binding, leavening, and adding moisture and richness, all of which can be accomplished as well, if not better, with healthful, plant-based ingredients that have no cholesterol or saturated fats. Baked foods such as cakes, cupcakes, and quick breads rise when vinegar, cocoa, or citrus (acids) and baking soda (a base) are combined. The reaction releases carbon dioxide that produces bubbles in the food, and when the food is heated, the bubbles expand and help lighten or rise the final baked food. A teaspoon of baking soda with a tablespoon of vinegar works well. A tablespoon of ground flaxseeds whisked with three tablespoons of water for each egg produces a binder with a thick, creamy texture that has a consistency similar to raw egg whites only with the added benefit of all the healthy omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseeds. The nutty flavor of flaxseeds work well with grainier and nuttier foods such as waffles, pancakes, bran muffins, breads, and oatmeal cookies. Mashed bananas are great binding ingredients that are packed with potassium and magnesium. Half of a mashed or pureed banana can replace one or two eggs in breads, muffins, cakes, and pancakes. Of course, only use bananas as a replacement if you want the banana flavor. Applesauce acts as a binding agent, provides moisture, and it’s a great low-fat and low-calorie egg substitute. Plus, applesauce is loaded with fiber, vitamin C, and other phytochemicals. A quarter cup of unsweetened applesauce is the equivalent to one egg and makes foods such as cakes, quick breads, and brownies moist. Silken tofu, made from soybeans, provides moisture and is rich in protein and fiber. A quarter cup of silken tofu blended until smooth and creamy can be substituted for one egg in cakes and brownies to make them dense and moist. Silken tofu is also used to make puddings, mousses, and pie fillings. Of course, you can also use commercial egg replacers such as Ener-G Egg Replacer and Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer and follow the package instructions. While commercial egg replacers do not add any nutritional value, they are convenient because their long shelf life allows them to be kept on hand. Eggs are often used to thicken sauces, gravies, custards, desserts, and beverages. Other thickening agents can be used instead, including kudzu, agar, arrowroot, cornstarch, flour, and nut and seed butters. Eggs are also often used as a glaze for pastries or breads. Oil, nondairy milk, nondairy butter, or ¼ cup of light corn syrup thinned with very hot water can be used instead of eggs. With all these healthy alternatives to eggs, you don’t have to be vegan to pack in more nutrition and eliminate cholesterol and saturated fats from your baked treats! “You can have your cake and eat it too”! So many of the things we do or take to improve our health, such as surgery, procedures, or medications, come with the risk of potential side effects. Well, I have a warning for everyone: if you choose to consume a whole, plant-based diet, there will be noticeable side effects! Some of the likely side effects from eating a diet rich in whole, plant-based foods (at least 90% of calories consumed) may include any or all of the following: optimal health; permanent weight loss; increased energy; strong bones; feeling and looking younger and better; lower cholesterol; lower blood pressure; eliminating most migraines, acne, colds, flu, chronic pain, and intestinal distress; reducing or completely eliminating the need for medication; preserving eyesight; adding longevity; curing erectile dysfunction; finally - preventing, treating, and possibly even halting or reversing degenerative diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, kidney stones, constipation, and arthritis. I personally chose to switch to a whole, plant-based diet because “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. In other words, I would much rather prevent myself from ever getting a degenerative disease than have to treat a degenerative disease, especially after working in the pharmaceutical industry! Here are some of the side effects I’ve experienced from consuming a whole plant-based diet: increased energy; weight loss (I lost those last 10 pounds that I never thought I could ever lose, plus 5 more); disappearance of asthma, migraine headaches, colds and flu; lower cholesterol; lower blood triglycerides; tighter, softer, more supple skin; and disappearance of fat from all my trouble areas! If you consume a whole plant-based diet and your health improves, you’ve been warned! Coenzyme Q10 (also known as CoQ10), a ubiquinone compound, is an amazing fat-soluble vitamin-like compound that is extremely important to our health. CoQ10 is found in cell membranes and lipoproteins (fatty acids bound to protein molecules) throughout our bodies, especially in our heart, liver, kidneys, and pancreas. While most of the CoQ10 is synthesized in our bodies, we also consume CoQ10 in our diets. According to a summary by the Micronutrient Information Center at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, it has been estimated that dietary consumption provides about 25% of the CoQ10 in plasma, while the levels in tissue from dietary consumption is not clear.
CoQ10 is needed to convert energy from the carbohydrates and fats that we eat into a form that’s usable by our cells. CoQ10 also helps optimize the pH within lysosomes, organelles inside our cells that digest cellular debris. CoQ10 is an effective antioxidant that’s known to prevent heart disease by inhibiting oxidation of LDL (bad cholesterol), which prevents inflammation in arteries, reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. As an antioxidant, CoQ10 also protects against oxidative damage to DNA, our genetic material. CoQ10 has a special role in maintaining the antioxidant properties of vitamin E in our bodies just as a charger can restore the charge in a rechargeable battery after the charge has been drained. Free radicals are neutralized by scavenging an electron from vitamin E molecules, then CoQ10 donates one of its electrons to replace the one lost by vitamin E, restoring vitamin E’s antioxidant abilities. In addition, CoQ10 stabilizes our blood sugar and may play a role in prevention or treatment of most heart-related conditions, breast cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, infertility, muscular dystrophy, periodontal diseases, and stomach ulcers. Our body’s ability to produce CoQ10 decreases as we age. Medicines and environmental factors also decrease our ability to manufacture enough to meet our body’s needs. Deficiency of CoQ10 can result in an increase in heart-related problems. We can help prevent any deficiency by including foods rich in CoQ10 in our diets. While liver and kidney are the most concentrated sources of CoQ10, whole, plant-based foods include high amounts in the germs of whole grains, oils (soybean, canola sesame, rapeseed, cottonseed, and corn); moderate to moderately high amounts in legumes (soybeans, azuki beans, peanuts), nuts and seeds (sesame seeds, pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, and chestnuts); and small to moderate amounts in vegetables (spinach, broccoli, sweet potato, sweet pepper, garlic, peas, cauliflower, and carrots). On July 14, 2013 I made a commitment to write and post something to this blog every day for 365 days, and today I’ve reached a milestone: this is my 21st consecutive day of writing and posting something to this blog. According to Darren Hardy, author of “The Compound Effect”, it takes 21 days of consistently doing a new behavior for it to become a habit, and to be successful, you must make the new habit a priority goal. I’ve made writing and posting something daily my priority goal and so far have been successful. In the beginning I had to put it on my daily calendar so that I wouldn’t forget about. Now I find that I don’t have to rely on the calendar reminder to pop up as I’m constantly thinking about what I’m going to write about. In fact, I look at all my experiences differently, as an opportunity to find something of interest to write about.
It’s been quite challenging on several days because I can very easily spend hours researching and writing about various topics. I almost completely missed posting one day because I got a late start, it was taking me much longer to research and write the topic for that day than I thought it would, and it was getting late. I seriously considered letting it go and instead writing two posts the next day. Then at around 10 pm, I thought of something I could quickly write about. I was tired and didn’t feel like writing, but then I remembered my commitment and dragged myself to my computer to write and post something that day. And I’m glad I did. I know that I will have more days like that over the course of 365 days, and that’s ok. I know I will have to plan my writing around events, conferences, and vacations. Now that I’ve consistently written and posted something every day for the past 21 consecutive days, I’m hoping that this has become a habit for me that will make the whole process become more automatic. Making change in your life boils down to changing your habits: eliminating bad habits and creating new habits that will bring you closer to your goal. If you can identify one small, manageable step that you can take toward reaching your goal and do it consistently for 21 days, it will become a habit and you will be well on your way toward your goal. Then repeat with another small, manageable step that you can do consistently for the next 21 days. Over the course of a year you can do this 17 times to create 17 new habits. Rather than trying to make one big change that’s not sustainable, just think about how much closer you can be toward permanently reaching your goal by consistently taking small steps! I challenge you to prioritize a goal and do something consistently for the next 21 consecutive days toward reaching your goal. As for me, I'm going to take it one day at a time and keep writing and posting. Tired of achy muscles after a workout or a long bike ride? Next time try drinking a glass of watermelon juice right before you exercise. Researchers in Spain published a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that examined the potential benefit of drinking watermelon juice for sore muscle relief in athletes. Why watermelon? Watermelon has high levels of an uncommon amino acid, L-citrulline, that’s otherwise almost absent in natural foods. L-citrulline has antioxidant properties as well as the ability to generate nitric oxide, which plays a key role in heart health and improves athletic performance. According to Encarna Aguayo, lead author of the study, naturally high levels of L-citrulline makes watermelon juice an excellent option for athletes who want to improve their sports performance. L-Citrulline also speeds up removal of lactic acid, allowing for more intense training with faster recovery after each workout. Aguayo and her colleagues wanted to find out if watermelon juice could function as a sports drink. First they wanted to determine the bioavailability of L-citrulline by testing how well our bodies can absorb L-citrulline. They measured absorption of L-citrulline by human colon cancer cells using liquefied watermelon pulp (juice from seedless watermelons) that was pasteurized or unpasteurized, and water spiked with the same concentration of synthetic L-citrulline (representing absorption when taking a citrulline supplement). They included pasteurized juice because pasteurization kills harmful pathogens and sometimes reduces absorption of bioactive compounds, reducing the food’s benefits. They found that the cells absorbed the most L-citrulline from the natural watermelon juice that was not pasteurized, nearly 19%, while the cells absorbed less L-citrulline from the pasteurized and spiked samples, only about 13% and 12% respectively, which indicates that our bodies absorb the most L-citrulline from natural watermelon juice. In other words, we get more benefit from natural watermelon juice than supplements in the case of L-citrulline, which is no surprise because the L-citrulline in watermelon juice has the added benefit of all the other phytochemicals that are missing from a supplement or may have been altered by pasteurization. Another factor in bioavailability of a nutrient is the speed of absorption of the nutrient. Faster absorption of a nutrient helps that nutrient avoid competition with other nutrients and enhances beneficial effects of the nutrient. Aguayo and her colleagues found that the L-citrulline was absorbed most quickly from natural, unpasteurized watermelon juice. The next part of the study was to find out if drinking watermelon juice would actually reduce soreness after exercising. They recruited seven men who were not competitive athletes, but played sports regularly, and tested each man once on three separate days. The test consisted of cycling on a stationary bicycle for 11 minutes and alternating between periods of intense pedaling and rest. Each man was given a half liter to drink prior to exercising of either natural watermelon juice, natural watermelon juice enriched with L-citrulline, or a placebo of a similar-looking and tasting pink fruity drink with neither watermelon nor L-citrulline. The effect of each drink was tested on each participant, and none of the subjects knew which version of the drink they were given for either of their three tests. Interestingly, when the participants drank either watermelon drink (natural watermelon or enhanced natural watermelon), they reported little or no muscle soreness the next day. However, when the participants drank the placebo drink, they reported feeling sore the next day. This indicates that the natural levels of L-citrulline in watermelon is sufficient to reduce or eliminate muscle soreness, and that there is no added benefit to enriching the L-citrulline that is naturally present in watermelon juice. So next time you plan to exert yourself, try drinking a refreshing glass of pureed watermelon juice right before doing the activity and you may not have to pay for it the next day! I’m going to try it! |
Terri Quenzer, PhDTerri has a passion for good health and for helping others find happiness in themselves through better health! Through her scientific and life experiences, her goal is to help you reach your healthy goals!
Be The Healthy U!: nominated for San Diego's Best Nutrition/Cooking Classes of 2016!Catch Terri's interview about plant-based nutrition on KCQB 1170 AM - click here.
How Not to Die: Terri interviews New York Times Bestselling Author Michael Greger, MD. Listen below.
Terri speaks with Jordan Hoffman of Jordan Hoffman Acupuncture about what to eat and East vs West.
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