Tag: nutritionist

The sweet truth about nutrition information

The sweet truth about nutrition information

Usually my blogs start out with some piece of Nutrition Misinformation that has been totally misinterpreted and this latest blog is no different. Recently I have heard a lot in the media about carbohydrates and fruit in particular. Anywhere from fruit is pure sugar to 

Celiac Restaurant Blogging Chronicles-Tavola Restaurant and Tapas Bar

Celiac Restaurant Blogging Chronicles-Tavola Restaurant and Tapas Bar

I haven’t done a restaurant review in quite some time but I have been to a few as of late! Most recently I ate with some friends at Tavola. It’s a quaint little restaurant located on Water Street in St. John’s. Previously, I had heard 

Pancakes for Days

Pancakes for Days

Are pancakes not the ultimate comfort food?! Every Sunday my husband and I take time out to make breakfast (let me pause here to take a moment as writing husband is still exciting to me, only married a week here!). We love experimenting in the kitchen and breakfast is essentially our most favorite meal. It’s super important to pick a day of the week and give yourself time to really enjoy the whole process of preparing and eating a meal! Loving the art of nourishing your body is important as most people don’t take the time to sit down and really enjoy the taste of their food and appreciate the work that went into it!

Pancakes are delicious and they certainly seem like a treat BUT there’s a way to make them healthier without compromising taste or your brain’s need to indulge! So let’s get started as I share FIVE ways to make FIVE different and scrumptious types of pancakes!

The base of all of my pancakes is Gluten Free Bisquick mix (the regular one works too but as I have Celiac I have to opt for the gluten free one). I love using this mix because it already has all of the ingredients in the proper proportions. PLUS it makes the whole process move much more quickly. There is no need to measure out flour, baking soda and a million other things when you have a convenient mix already available! Work with what you have!

Most of my recipes center around one important ingredient, FIBRE. If you have read any of my other blogs you will know that fibre is so important in our diets and it’s also one thing that the majority of people do not get enough of. I never use maple syrup as a topping either. I always use low calorie vanilla yogurt as a topping because it tastes like icing and I usually sprinkle a Tablespoon of Chia seeds over the top for extra fibre.

So….let’s get on with the delicious recipes shall we…

Carrot Cake Pancakes (my personal favorite:))

Ingredients:

Pancakes

  • 3/4 cup Bisquick
  • 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
  • 1 cup Milk (almond/soy)
  • 1 cup grated carrots (I use a cheese grater)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp canola oil

Cream Cheese Icing (or Vanilla Yogurt for a lower calorie/lower fat option)

  • 1/4 cup low fat cream cheese
  • 1 1/4 cup icing sugar
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

*Follow the box instructions adding the grated carrot in last and cook on each side for approximately 2 minutes.

Banana Chocolate Chip

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup Bisquick
  • 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
  • 1 cup Milk (almond/soy)
  • 1 large banana
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips

*I leave the oil out of this one as banana is a fat replacer and it decreases the fat overall

**Follow the box instructions adding the mashed banana in last and cook on each side for approximately 2 minutes.

Pumpkin Flax

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup Bisquick
  • 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
  • 1 cup Milk (almond/soy)
  • 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 egg

*I leave the oil out of this one as pumpkin is a fat replacer and it decreases the fat overall

**Follow the box instructions adding the pureed pumpkin in last and cook on each side for approximately 2 minutes.

Double Chocolate Strawberry

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup Bisquick
  • 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
  • 1 1/4 cup Milk (almond/soy)
  • 1/2 cup chopped strawberries
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips (in batter or melted over the top)
  • 3 Tbsp cocoa
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp canola oil

*Follow the box instructions adding the chopped strawberries in last and cook on each side for approximately 2 minutes.

Blueberry Flax

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup Bisquick
  • 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
  • 1 cup Milk (almond/soy)
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp canola oil

*Follow the box instructions adding the blueberries in last and cook on each side for approximately 2 minutes.

So there you have it. Some amazing recipes to spice up your weekends! ENJOY!

Signing off,

Adrianna Smallwood, Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Expert

 

 

 

5 Healthy Tips to Start Your 2017 Off With a Bang!

5 Healthy Tips to Start Your 2017 Off With a Bang!

Wow, 2017 is here already! Where did the last year go?! I think a lot of people are happy to see 2016 in the rear view mirror. So say so long and get on with the plan for this fresh New Year! A lot of 

Tis The Season…To Eat And Be Merry

Tis The Season…To Eat And Be Merry

The holidays are coming! It’s almost December and I bet most people are struggling between making a New Year’s resolution to eat healthier in some capacity and tallying up the calories of all the food they will eat over Christmas.  I myself have made quite 

Fruits and Vegetables: Getting to the root of the problem!

Fruits and Vegetables: Getting to the root of the problem!

Fruits and vegetables are full of tons of nutrients! Here in Newfoundland we have some of the lowest rates of fruit and vegetable intake and for sure a lot of different options aren’t readily available on this wonderful island we call a rock…BUT there are definitely ways we can get more fruits and vegetables into our diet! So why haven’t we? Let’s get to the root of the problem!

Firstly…before you get a chance to ask…”but what about all that stuff they said in the media lately about sugars and how we need to cut back because we are all consuming too much and it’s leading to obesity and other associated chronic diseases? I stopped eating fruit!” I will tell you. There is a huge difference between added, processed sugar and natural sugar! The biggest sources of added sugar are regular soda, sports drinks, fruit drinks, cakes and cookies, candy, ice cream and pie but there are also some products that are hiding added sugars and masquerading as healthy foods, these would be flavorings added to coffee and tea, cereals, flavored yogurts and granola or cereal bars. These are the products you need to be watching out for and cutting back on!

nutrtion-facts-fiberFruit is full of fibre, vitamins and minerals. Fibre is a complex carb and is still counted on your Nutrition Facts Table as a carb. Fibre however is not processed or broken down by the body so when looking at your Nutrition Facts Table it’s better to choose something high in fibre because the high carb count would be less likely due to added sugars! Check out my previous blog on cutting down on added sugar for more info (here).

Ok, so why the focus on fruits and vegetables?! Well, eating high amounts of fruits and vegetables is associated with lower incidence of some cancers and cardiovascular disease, PLUS it can be super helpful in maintaining a healthy weight or in assisting with weight loss. So many amazing benefits!

Now that we have all this info, how can you get more, how can you cook/prepare it, is fresh better than frozen?

Adding More Fruits and Vegetables to your diet (how much should I eat?):

  • Try to have a serving of fruit with each meal. Cut down on your portion of cereal and add fruit to the top. Berries, cut up banana and apple all make delicious toppings on cereal, oatmeal and pancakes!
  • Fruit is an excellent desert. You can still have cake on your birthday (and everyone else’s too) but try having fruit for dessert most days of the week.
  • Have a serving of vegetables with lunch and supper. 1 cup of raw vegetables and ½ cup of cooked vegetables is equal to 1 portion.
  • Visualize your supper plate, add your veggies first and try to fill half of the whole plate with veggies and then add your meat and starch/grain/carb afterwards.
  • Grate fruits and veggies and add them to your favorite baked goods. Zuchinni and carrot can be grated and added to muffins, cakes or breads. Fruit can be substituted for both oil and sugar. Cut the sugar content of any recipe in half and add pureed fruit like mashed banana or apple sauce.

How should you cook or prepare your Fruits and Vegetables?

  • Cooked or raw it’s really your preference!
  • Avoid boiling vegetables (unless you are making a soup or stew). A lot of the nutrients in vegetables are water soluble and get lost during the cooking process in the water which you then throw out.
  • Try steaming vegetables. Veggies like broccoli and green beans taste amazing steamed and it only takes 6 minutes total.
  • Roasted vegetables are also delicious. Veggies like broccoli and brussel sprouts lose their super strong flavor when roasted. Especially if you cook them along with potatoes and an onion, add a little oil and some basil and oregano! Roast them on 375F for approx 30 minutes! Turn halfway through.
  • Fry them in a frying pan for stir fry! Tip: Green veggies should be bright green, when they start to turn olive green they have been cooked too long and have lost some of the essential nutrients.

Is fresh better than frozen?

The Great Debate (after the added sugar fiasco of course). Newfoundland is an island so, much of our produce is shipped. Now the nutrients in vegetables and fruits break down over time. Each day after they are harvested they degrade and add handling and transportation to that…by the time the food gets to our plate a lot of the nutrients have been lost. Enter frozen and canned foods. Prior to being frozen or canned, produce is blanched. This means it is dipped in boiling water for a timed interval and then removed quickly and flash frozen or dipped in ice water to stop the cooking process. This blanching process is required to stop the enzymes present in produce which cause the produce to rot over time. Side note: the browning that happens to an apple after it is cut is an enzyme process. The blanching and freezing keeps the produce at the peak of their nutrition.  So…prepare yourselves for this…frozen fruits and vegetables can sometimes be a healthier option! If you don’t believe me I would encourage you to read some articles on the subject such as this one: here. This time of year makes it particularly important for this little tid bit of information because fresh fruit and veggies basically double in price during the winter.

Hopefully you’ve learned a little after reading this article! Fruits and Veggies are an important part of our diet. Eat more, experiment with new kinds and eat them the way you enjoy them!

Signing off,

Adrianna Smallwood, RD

Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Expert!

Celiac Restaurant Blogging Chronicles-Sushi Nami Royale

Celiac Restaurant Blogging Chronicles-Sushi Nami Royale

My next restaurant review brings to light a very important topic…Health Inspectors overstepping their duties and working outside of their scope of practice and knowledge base. I recently had lunch at Sushi Nami on George Street. I love it there and they actually were part 

Hold the Gluten

Hold the Gluten

Hey out there fellow Celiacs…or gluten intolerant readers as well! I have been baking gluten free for about 5 years now and I have had many successes…and failures…with my baking! I know it can be a struggle to find the perfect gluten free product that 

Eating on a Budget

Eating on a Budget

Yikes!!! Did anyone see the new Newfoundland budget?! Probably a rhetorical question right? Here we are in Newfoundland trying to make the best of it. We’re already paying twice as much for food as most provinces and now we might have to pay more?! And people wonder why the rates in this province for Obesity, Diabetes, Heart disease among others are so high…well we just can’t afford to eat good can we? Well…hopefully I can make it a little easier on you by giving you a few tips! Here we go…

Getting Ready

  1. Before you even step foot in the grocery store you need to have a plan! Make a list of the foods you need and think ahead for the next week or 2. Based on the recipes you use most often I’m sure you’ll know what you need. Or you could be trying out a new recipe or 2 but keep it on the list. This will cut down on impulse buying and it will also help you remember everything so you’re not making another trip to the grocery store in 2 days because you forgot something and buying 5 other things you didn’t really need.
  2. NEVER and I mean absolutely never go to the grocery store hungry. I have done it, you have done it. I don’t know what happens but I black out and come to at some point in the line with my cart piled high with a million foods I know I will never eat but my stomach takes over and there I am with 8 bags of chips, 4 boxes of cookies, candy, ice cream, everything that is sweet or salty that I’m craving and usually buy in moderation but it ends up in my cart in triple the amount.
  3. Don’t put expensive ingredients you might never need again for recipes you haven’t tried on your list. A lot of spices and sauces are expensive. Borrow some from a friend until you find out if you like it or wait for it to go on sale, or simply google it! Sometimes you can find out different ways to make sauces with less exotic ingredients.
  4. Look for coupons. There are coupons that come in the mail and whenever you walk into a grocery store there is usually a flier or a wall of coupons that you can pick and choose from. For the more phone savvy, tech person, Sobeys and Dominion stores have apps to download that have coupons plus recipe ideas and more.
  5. Consider the No Name brand option. It can sometimes be the more delicious option. It might not always be cheaper but it most often is.
  6. Be aware of the stores in your area. Produce may be cheaper at No Frills, meat might be cheaper at Sobeys and Dairy might be cheaper at Dominion

Now I want to tackle the fresh versus frozen versus canned debate. Newfoundland is an island and let’s face it…the most exotic fruits and vegetables cannot be grown here, so, much of our produce is shipped. Now the nutrients in vegetables and fruits break down over time. Each day after they are harvested they degrade and add handling and transportation to that…by the time the food gets to our beautiful rock a lot of the nutrients have been lost. Enter frozen and canned foods. Prior to being frozen or canned, produce is blanched. This means it is dipped in boiling water for a timed interval and then removed quickly and flash frozen or dipped in ice water to stop the cooking process. This blanching process is required to stop the enzymes present in produce which cause the produce to rot over time. Side note: the browning that happens to an apple after it is cut is an enzyme process. The blanching and freezing keeps the produce at the peak of their nutrition.  So…prepare yourselves for this…frozen fruits and vegetables can sometimes be a healthier option! If you don’t believe me I would encourage you to read some articles on the subject such as this one: here.

With all that being said:

Produce

  1. Buy fresh fruits and veggies that are in season. Grapes and Strawberries are NOT in season in the winter which is why you probably noticed in the grocery store this past winter that grapes were 14 dollars per bag and strawberries were 7.99 for a small tub. It is no problem to find strawberries for 2.99 in the summer (At one particular time I went into the grocery store while hungry and bought both strawberries AND grapes at these horrendous prices…but I was hungry and craving them. Another reason not to go to the grocery store hungry!!!).
  2. Buy frozen or canned produce when it’s on sale. Watch out for added salt and sugar in the juices in cans. Look for low sodium vegetables or fruit canned in their own juices and not syrup.
  3. Make a fun family outing in the summer and head to a you-pick or foresty/marshy area and pick blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or strawberries. It’s a family excursion, plus exercise and you can freeze extras for the long winter months.
  4. Do not wash fruit or vegetables until you’re about to eat it. Introducing water to them and then storing them wet can cause them to rot more quickly. Try storing berries, lettuce or other leafy delicate foods in a container with a paper towel to absorb extra moisture and keep them fresh longer.

Protein

  1. Look for deals. A lot of recipes are interchangeable. You can make tacos with chicken, beef, pork or beans. If pork is on your list but chicken is actually on sale then buy the chicken.
  2. Trade in 1-2 of your weekly meals for beans rather than meat. Beans are a much cheaper option and an excellent source of protein, they are also high in fibre and have zero fat. So, they are an excellent replacement for meat. Black beans and chick peas, for example, soak up the flavor of anything you cook them with. I have made burgers and tacos with black beans rather than beef and they were delicious!
  3. Buy canned tuna, salmon or chicken. These options can sometimes be cheaper and more convenient. Look for meat canned in water for a lower sodium option.
  4. Consider having a peanut butter sandwich rather than a meat sandwich. Peanut butter is a cheaper option and 2 tablespoons is considered a serving of protein.

Dairy

  1. Buy powdered milk to mix with water in recipes such as soups or puddings rather than regular cows milk.

At the end of the day, some of these tasks may seem tedious but it will become common nature eventually and save money in the long run. You might even find yourself preparing more at home and eating healthier (secretly that is always my hope! :)).

Signing off,

Adrianna Smallwood, RD

Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Expert

For The Love of Food

For The Love of Food

I began reading this book lately, it’s called “Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family. How to Eat, How to Raise Good Eaters, How to Cook.” I’ve heard so many great things about the author Ellyn Satter and this particular book has been on my reading