Calgon, Take Me Away…
I’m sure you’re all DYING to know the latest report from the publication Candy and Snack Today. What, you’re not a subscriber? It doesn’t arrive with your Oprah and Shape each month? Come on, people!
Of course I’m not a subscriber to this industry journal, but this story popped up in one of my daily nutrition news searches. It seems that the next trend for candy and confections in 2010 is….Relaxation Snacks. Yeah, I kinda scratched my head with that. I have no idea what a “Relaxation Snack” is, however, I have been known to use food to place me in a nice stupor (aka food coma).
According to the report (which you can find here, if you’re so inclined),
“One trend he expects is more brands shifting toward relaxation foods from comfort foods. Look for items such as anti-energy bars, snacks and a resurgence of dark chocolate rich in anti-oxidants designed to actually relax or put you to sleep.“
Seriously? I need a chocolate bar to put me to sleep? ANTI-energy? Apparently, this desire for “relaxation” through food has been prompted by more meals being cooked and eaten at home. Um, that doesn’t make much sense to me. Am I missing something?
“The food industry, he suggests, has woken up and learned that products, including confectionery, that use real foods as ingredients, are increasingly popular, particularly among Baby Boomers.”
Seriously? Why are people SO obsessed with quick fixes and getting nutrients through CANDY? I’m sure the public is just salivating at the thought of getting their vitamin C or lunesta from a dark chocolate truffle. Sure, dark chocolate is good for you (filled with tons of antioxidants), in small portions. But eat it because you like it, and NOT because you want to fall asleep!
Seriously, what will we think of next? Personally, when I want a good night’s sleep, a warm cup of herbal tea and a bath seem to do it for me!
On the Flip Side-Food Insecurity
As a student of health and nutrition and a reader of all related media, I am constantly bombarded with the topic of Obesity (As I’m sure you are, too!). Americans are fat! Obesity is the cause of skyrocketing healthcare costs! We eat too much. Soda is the devil. Exercise more. And on and on and on.
And yes, while the above may be true, and while Obesity is a very serious epidemic we are facing, there is also a different side of the story. It shocked me, quite honestly, as I’ve been wrapped up in news of “excess” lately.
A report came out today that shows that nearly 15% of household’s don’t get enough to eat (aka “Food Insecure”). That equals about 1 in 7 Americans who find themselves under-fed on a regular basis, and more than 1/3 go hungry from time to time. These levels are the higest reported since 1995.
More specifically, 14.6% of US Households (about 49.1 million people….million!) had difficulty providing adequate food for their families due to “lack of resources.” According to experts, these families utililized food pantries, antihunger programs, and varied diets. About 5.6%, or 17.4 million people, had “very low food security,” meaning certain members of the household had less to eat than other members. According to the report, typically these households experience a food shortage for a few days for about seven or eight months.
These findings represent 2008, when the economy was in a major crisis and the rate of jobless increased past 10%. Indeed, it was a tough time for MANY people (and still continues to be). The survey, publushed by the Agriculture Department (USDA) and conducted annually in December, also found that these numbers were higher than in 2007.
Just take that in for a moment. Breathe. That amidst all the hubbub surrounding the war agsinst Obesity there are MILLIONS of people going hungry each day. So what to do? Just be aware. Perhaps this holiday season will give us the opportunity to donate to those less fortunate, or volunteer for a helping organization.
My Heart Belongs to Brussels
Here’s a recipe to kick off your weekend..I know I am going to ask Matt to make them for me (he’s the brussel sprout king!) I found this recipe at my fave food porn site Tastespotting. I find it a bit odd that amongst all the INCREDIBLY beautiful baked goods (most of them involving pumpkin, be still my heart!) I am most attracted to the brussel sprouts. I guess that’s what kicking sugar does to you.
If brussel sprouts turned you off as a kid, do me a favor and try them again. Roasted in the oven. Yum, Yum! Brussels have ridiculously high amounts of vitamin K and vitamin C, and lots of folate, fiber, potassium, etc. You get the point. Eat ‘em! They’re at your farmer’s market now, so give it a try.
The original recipe can be found here at Once Upon a Chef.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Serves 6
Ingredients
1½ pounds brussels sprouts, halved (stem and ragged outer leaves removed)*
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, toss brussels sprouts with 2 tablespoons olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Transfer the brussels sprouts to baking sheet and roast, stirring occasionally to ensure even browning, until tender and caramelized, about 20 minutes.
3. Place brussels sprouts back in bowl. Add remaining tablespoon olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey and toss to coat evenly. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, then serve.
*If you have some brussels sprouts that are very large, cut them into quarters. They should all be cut about the same size to ensure even cooking.
It’s Official: French Women DO Get Fat!
There’s always been a little bit of a competition going on between the two countries, right? We Americans think we’re better than our French counterparts, even going so far as to rename our beloved fried potatoes “Freedom Fries.” (Seriously, did anyone really use that term?). The French (stereotypically) view Americans as slovenly fat people who work too much and have bad taste in wine. And then, to really rub our noses into it, the book “French People Don’t Get Fat” was a best-seller, detailing how French women are oh-so-chic, eating small portions (slowly) of chocolate croissants, never snacking between meals, and never gaining a pound.
Well, France, sorry to say, you’ve fallen a rung on your Eiffel Tower. A 2009 study published yesterday concluded that 15.1% of French women are clinically obese, and 26% more are overweight. Hmmm, very surprising indeed!
The Swedish researchers leading the study also published similar results found in French men, with 13.9% classified as obese and 38.5% as overweight.
So what can be attributed to this weight gain over the last twelve years? According to French experts, the new type of sedentary lifestyle is to blame, including desk-type jobs, more public transportation (and less walking), and a greater availability of food. So, it seems that France and America are more similar than we thought.
However, the French get a leg up on us by claiming that their obesity levels mirror that of the United States in the 70s, so they’re about 40 years behind us. (FYI, the latest study shows Americans as 31.1% of men obese vs 33.2% of women.) OK, France, you can have that. But you’re still getting fatter.
All joking aside, this is a BIG problem. And it’s not only France and America…China, Japan, Greece, and other European countries, once known as the epitomes of slenderness, are all experiencing weight gain. The Westernization of these countries is leading to obesity, leading to major health problems like diabetes and heart disease. Truly scary!
All the Recipes Fit to Print
Chances are, if you’re a healthy eater, you cook. Whether or not you LIKE to cook is a different story, but successful healthy eaters know that preparing their own food is not only super nutritious (after all, you control exactly what goes into your food preparation), but also extremely nourishing.
I love to cook. I’m not great, by any means, but I can follow a recipe easily enough. And I LOVE to find new receipes. I own TONS of cookbooks. However, I only actually make about 5% of the recipes I find. For me, it’s more about the hunt of finding the perfect butternut squash soup, the most delictable preparation of kale. Whether or not I actually prepare the dish is inconsequential to me…as long as I know the recipe is out there and exists (for when I actually might want to make it) I am happy. I guess you could call it “recipe porn.” (And if “food porn” is totally your think you absolutely must, must check out Tastespotting.com. Swoon!)
So, imagine my delight when I was trolling the New York Times Fitness & BNutrition section and came across a cornucopia of recipes from the Times. Man, these recipes are AWESOME, plus they’re super healthy, and divided by category, like pantry items, canned tuna, artichokes, and walnuts. Cha-ching, and schwing!
Here’s a recipe for simply preparing collard greens, my favorite leafy green of the moment. (And by the way, the book Greens, Glorious Greens is a MUST for any healthy cook)
Braised Collard Greens by Martha Rose Shulman of the New York Times
The Southern way with collard greens is to cook them for at least an hour, usually more, with a ham hock or bacon for seasoning. This is very nice, but the pork contributes a lot of sodium and some fat to the dish. I find that onion and lots of garlic, along with a little crushed red pepper, are seasoning enough, as collards have a lot of flavor to begin with. An hour of cooking may seem excessive, but you’ll see how their flavor changes from bitter to almost sweet over the long simmer. The greens are nice with a squeeze of lemon.
1 large bunch collard greens, about 1 1/2 pounds, stemmed and washed in 2 changes of water
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, sliced very thin across the grain
2 to 4 garlic cloves, green shoots removed, sliced thin
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Freshly squeezed lemon juice for serving
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the collard greens. Blanch for four minutes and transfer to the ice water with a slotted spoon or skimmer. Drain, squeeze out extra water and coarsely chop or cut in thin ribbons. Set aside the cooking water.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a wide, lidded skillet or Dutch oven, and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes, and continue to cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, about five minutes. Add the collard greens, and stir together for a few minutes, then add 1 cup of the cooking water and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer, cover partially, and simmer over low heat for one hour, stirring often and adding more cooking water from time to time, so that the greens are always simmering in a small amount of liquid. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot or warm, with a little fresh lemon juice if desired.
Yield: Serves four.
Advance preparation: You can make this dish up to a day ahead and reheat in a little water or broth.
More Eggspresso
Imagine my delight this morning when I opened my Hungry Girl email this morning and it was all about the ‘Eggspresso! Remember my post about it?
Hungry Girl calles it an “Egg Mug,” and since she created it, I give her full credit. But for those who loved the concept (including yours truly) here are some really fun variations on the theme!
Happy eggspresso-ing!
Apples & Oranges
You know what I love about living on this planet? (As opposed to living on another one, of course) I love how we are all unique beings. I hate the color red, lobster, and scary movies. You, on the other hand, might have “Lady in Red” as your theme song (OK, I admit, that’s a good one), frequent Red Lobster (please God, no) and own the DVD of Scream.
Whatever, you get the point. We are all beautiful, different beings that coexist with each other. Apples and oranges. (Or, in my case, a lovely pear shape!) What prompted me to pontificate on this subject is that a friend sent me an email asking me to help her with her eating habits. Before we spoke, I assumed she would be asking me how to lose weight (which she does NOT need to do!), detox, or about certain supplements to take.
You wanna know what her food “issue” was? Drumroll please….She’s not hungry! Not hungry? Really? My jaw almost dropped to the floor. That couldn’t be further from MY reality. But nevertheless it prompted me to recognize and respect the fact that we all have our own issues, especially with food. I’ve never been able to comprehend that certain people exist who actually TRY to gain weight. My best friend has a beautifully thin physique and she’s never had to deal with feeling fat or gaining weight. Well, we did spend 6 weeks in Italy together and at the end she did have the tiniest layer of pudge around her belly. We lovingly named it Fabrizio and talked to it like it was a pet. I, on the other hand, had to wear only dresses towards the end of our trip because my pants wouldn’t zip. And you can bet all the money in the bank that I did not call my thighs ANYTHING lovingly.
So, friends, whatever makes you, well…YOU…EMBRACE it. Love yourself. Let your freak-flag fly and be unapologetically you. Apple, Orange, Pear, or Kumquat. Just love, love, love. I wish I could go back to that trip I took with my friend and take back all those nasty words I used against myself. I wished I enjoyed gelato 4x a day instead of feeling guilty for having it once a day. So I say, embrace who you are, fat pants or not.
Oh, and if you’re curious about the advice I gave my friend about not being hungry, I told her that her body is a well running machine and it will tell her when it needs fuel. She’s an extremely healthy eater, so I wasn’t concerned about the quality of the food she was consuming. She should eat what she’s in the mood for, but make sure its nutritiously dense food (beans, nuts, fruits, veggies, etc). I also asked her about the other areas of her life: career, relationships, home life, etc to see if that had something to do with her lack of hunger. But to repeat, the body will eat when it wants to eat.
And Lord oh Lord, I wish I had THIS issue!
Settle the score with your tummy
Poor me. I have an upset tummy. And let me tell you, feeling bloated at 9:30 am is NOT a great feeling. How did I get this way? I ate too close before going to bed. This past week I’ve been eating a light dinner (soup and yogurt) around 7pm, going to bed around 11, and then eating breakfast again at 7am. I wake up with an empty, flat belly, hungry for breakfast (lemon water first, though!)
Last night I came home late from a school party and just wanted to EAT (aka binge). Let’s see, what did I have at 10:30 at night: 2 eggs with hummus, peanut butter, switched over to almond butter, then back to peanut butter (organic, freshly made, mind you), prunes (not such a good idea) and then 2 bowls of cereal. With 2% milk. I have NO idea where that came from, as I haven’t had cereal in about a year. Granted, I was staying at my parents house and they have like NO food in their house, hence the above binge list.
So that’s what I ate literally right before bed. So I woke up this morning feeling just…disgusting. I did have breakfast, because it’s important to start your day off properly nourished. But I still feel gross.
My answer? Ginger. I have a steaming hot cup of Lemon Ginger tea that is spicy and delicious. For more than 2000 years in China, ginger has been used to treat an upset stomach. People use it to help ease motion sickness, nausea, and ease arthritis. If you don’t like the spiciness of ginger, try a few pieces of crystallized ginger candies (not too much, they’re usually coated with sugar!)
If ginger is really not your thing, try peppermint. It has long been used to soothe an upset stomach or ease digestion. Peppermint calms the stomach muscles and improves the flow of bile (which the body uses to digest fats). As a result, food passes through your body more quickly. And if you’ve got bloating and gas, peppermint will ease that, too. I love to have peppermint tea after a meal (I also find that it’s invigorating!) I usually keep peppermint pills in my desk when times get rough.
But, like anything, listen to your body. If ginger or peppermint exacerbate the issue, please don’t continue taking it. But I truly recommend trying one of these natural remedies before reaching for the pepto-bismol or gas-x!
Here’s an easy recipe to make your own ginger tea. It’s also a good choice if you’ve got a cold, or feeling sick, or just need to feel warm:
Ginger Tea Recipe
- water, 4 cups
- 2-inch piece of fresh ginger root
- optional: honey and lemon slice
Peel the ginger root and slice it into thin slices. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Once it is boiling, add the ginger. Cover it and reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes. Strain the tea. Add honey and lemon to taste.
Note: Keep in mind that if you are making ginger tea as a home remedy during cold and flu season, sweeteners are not recommended.
Thanks for Understanding
TGIF everyone!
I would like to apologize for the lack of postings here the past 2 weeks on C&C. Truth be told, I’m utterly exhausted. And since this is MY blog, I’m going to vent for a minute. I have ridiculous amounts of school work (2 projects due next Thursday.) I’m working full time. I’m stress eating so even my fat pants don’t fit. Because I’m so stressed out, I’m having difficulty digesting anything these days, so I’m super bloated, uncomfortable, and truth be told, you don’t want to be around me. Oh, and I woke up to heartburn for the first time in my life this morning.
So, friends, it can happen. As much as you are educated about nutrition, and fundamentally understand how to take care of yourself, sometimes life intervenes and you just can’t. I know I should be eating less, and not heading to the fridge when I don’t want to do my work. I know I should eat slower, savor my food instead of scarfing it down, but that’s just not reality for me right now. I should be meditating, journaling, taking baths, sleeping more, and giving myself downtime. But again, just not happening.
I have, however, stayed off sweets and maintained my exercise routine, which is really the only thing that’s kept me sane. Oh, and lots of wine. That can help. But after waking up with heartburn this morning, I said to myself, This has GOT to end. I may be totally stressed out, super busy, and freaking out ever so slightly, but that’s no excuse continue to abuse myself. I said to someone I feel like a stranger inhabiting my body, and truthfully, it really doesn’t feel good when even your fat pants don’t fit.
So, now, what’s a girl to do? Get back to the basics. Food journal. Lots of water, vegetables. Stop eating past 8pm. In fact, since most of my eating happens at night, this is the most important guideline to follow. I’m going to go back to my modified detox diet: lots of liquids, simple foods, which I feel will ease my digestional discomfort.
I hope you can forgive me for being so MIA, and please know that I’m still here, and would never abandon my C&C! Posts may be spotty next week as all my energy will be put into these projects, but after next Thursday, I’ll be much better, I promise.
And because I don’t have the brain cells to write a witty, coherent post, read this from one of my favorite blogs, Fooducate, about smaller Coca-Cola cans. What are your thoughts?
Get your sleep on for more sexy-time
Happy Friday, friends!
I can’t tell you HOW thrilled I am that this week is over. I had a HUGE anatomy exam last night, and I had been studying for that sucker for over a week. Every day, for over a week. That’s all I did (besides go to work, go to the gym, and eat). So something had to suffer at the expense of my studying, and above all else, that something was sleep (precious sleep!)
I’m one of those people who needs at least 8 hours of sleep each night. I’ve never even pulled an all-nighter in college because I of the mess I’d be in the next day. Unfortunately, since I’ve started Graduate school (for Clinical Nutrition), I have not been getting those much needed 8 hours. I’ve been going to bed later than ever (11-11:30 pm, sometimes midnight!) and I’m up at around 6am each morning. Day after day, it’s really taken it’s toll. I’m slower, I feel stupider (see what I mean?), and I’m just so dang tired all the time. Oh, yeah, and I noticed my balance is off and I’ve been bumping into a LOT of walls, I kid you not!
Luckily, my exam was last night and I went to bed at 9:57 pm and woke up at 6:30am. Now that’s more like it! I feel like ME again!
I’m sure that most of us don’t get enough sleep as we’d like. We do have responsibilities, like getting up for work or going to the gym or taking care of our children. I know we’re not alone, because I see so many people passed out on the subway both in the morning and at night. Sadly, I was one of those people this week (I told Matt that I felt like the homeless people who use subway seats as their bed).
Anyway, now that I’ve caught up on sleep and feel a little bit more like me and less like a homeless person, I can truly say: GET SLEEP! Any way you can! If you’re not getting enough, and you are always exhausted, you need make a commitment to yourself to squeeze in some Z’s. Naps on the weekend. Getting to bed a little earlier. That’s why God created DVRs and IPhones–so we can watch our TV elsewhere! I can honestly say from experience that you’re probably no good to anyone, most of all yourself, if you’re exhausted all the time.
More importantly, according to Dr. Andrew Weil, new research suggests that getting a good night’s sleep improves relationship satisfaction and outlook the next day. Listen, if more sleep = more lovin’, well, heck, sign me up.
I urge you to take care of yourself! With the flu running rampant, you need your immune system in tip top shape. And besides a healthy diet and exercise, SLEEP is the best medicine you can give your body.
I’m looking forward to LOTS of napping this weekend…and maybe a little lovin’ (‘ello ‘ello)
