Food Labels: Calories VS Energy

 I recently traveled abroad to Europe. And as with all of my travels, the culinary and food world influenced my itinerary. Discovering the traditions and palate of the region is always one of the highlights of my explorations. But while I was traveling this time, I couldn’t help but take a look at their version of the food label. In case you haven't noticed, their food labels don't contain the word "calories." Instead, they use the word "energy." Every time I see that it brings a smile to face.

In my opinion, the word calorie seems to possess a laundry list of negative associations.

• Count your calories
• Cut your calories
• Burn your calories
• Choose your calories wisely

To me, it’s a really good example of how American culture has turned the joy of eating into something that feels wrong, undeserving of pleasure, and requiring repentance. To me, the word “energy” conveys a much more positive message; fuel to keep you energized! So the next time you find yourself glancing at a food label, try swapping the word “calorie” for “energy.” And you can try asking yourself the following questions:

• How much energy do I need right now?
• Will this be enough energy to carry me?
• Will this type of energy leave me feeling energized and satisfied?

So, if you had the chance to change the word calorie to something else, what word would you choose?

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Product Showcase: Frozen Edamame

 I absolutely love edamame. It's inexpensive and stays well frozen for weeks at a time. It's full of protein and healthy fats. Edamame in the pod can be thrown in boiling water for a couple of minutes or zapped in the microwave for a quick and yummy snack. Or you can buy the shelled kind and toss it in just about any recipe- salads, soups, stir-fries, etc. Just type the word "edamame" in the search box of this blog and you'll get a handful of tasty recipes. But just for good measure, I have a delightful new dip to share with you. And just in time for warmer weather. Enjoy!

Edamame Ginger Dip

Ingredients

8 ounces frozen shelled edamame
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon tahini
1 clove garlic
1/8 teaspoon salt
Hot pepper sauce to taste

Directions

1. Cook edamame according to package directions.
2. Puree the cooked edamame, water, soy sauce, ginger, vinegar, tahini, garlic, salt and hot sauce in a food processor until smooth. Chill for 1 hour before serving.
 *This dip may be covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days.

*You may want to be conservative with some of the stronger ingredients like ginger, tahini, and garlic. It's much easier to add more than the other way around!

Recipe & Picture Source: Eating Well

Do you have any hummus or dip recipes that you love? Please share!

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Summer Diet Plans?

 As the temperatures warm up, you might be considering a new diet plan to get yourself "beach body ready." If that's the case, check this article and think again.

*Note: a version of this article originally appeared in the Summer 2011 issue of The Massachusetts Dietetic Association Newsletter.

          

As the weather grows warmer and people begin shedding layers, it’s common for body dissatisfaction and anxiety to grow.  A recent Glamour magazine psychologist-designed poll¹ states that 97% of women experience “I hate my body” thoughts on a daily basis, with an average of 13 negative thoughts each day.  With these statistics, it’s no surprise that, according to a 2008 collaborative survey between Self Magazine and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 67% of women aged 25 to 45 (excluding those with eating disorders) are attempting to lose weight.² How? 37% of women regularly skip meals, 26% cut out entire food groups, and 16% have consumed 1,000 or fewer calories per day in an attempt to lose weight.  According to a September 2010 Experian Simmons DataStream, the percentage of women from ages 25 to 54 who are dieting peaks in the early to middle summer.³

Drastic attempts at weight loss continue despite research demonstrating that these types of dieting measures are ineffective.  A 2007 review⁴ analyzing the long-term outcomes of 31 calorie-restricting diet studies concluded that one-third to two-thirds of dieters regain more weight than they lost on their diets.  Another study in 2006⁵ focusing on college students found that a history of weight loss through dieting predicted greater weight gain during the freshman year of college. Research on nearly 17,000 kids ages 9-14 years old concluded, "...in the long term, dieting to control weight is not only ineffective, it may actually promote weight gain."⁶ 

So the next time you're considering a new diet plan to shed pounds quickly, you want to remember this article and reconsider. 

¹ Glamour 2011

² The Chapel Hill News

³ http://www.experian.com/blogs/marketing-forward/2010/09/02/women-dieting-more-but-need-that-seasonal-break

⁴ Mann T, Tomiyama AJ, Westling E, Lew AM, Samuels B, Chatman J. Medicare's search for effective obesity treatments: diets are not the answer. Am Psychol. 2007 Apr;62(3):220-33.

⁵ Lowe MR, Annunziato RA, Markowitz JT, Didie E, Bellace DL, Riddell L, Maille C, McKinney S, Stice E. Multiple types of dieting prospectively predict weight gain during the freshman year of college. Appetite. 2006 Jul;47(1):83-90.

⁶ Field AE et al. Relation between dieting and weight change among preadolescents and adolescents. Pediatrics, 2003 112:900-906.

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Considering Kitniyot

Oh, Pesach. So many food rules, so many opportunities for obsessive thinking. Now, I love the holiday's theme of liberation and take seriously the idea of "freeing myself from my own personal Egypt." However, I do think there's an element of irony involved: this holiday, which focuses so much on freedom, also plays right into the food restrictions and regulations that enslave so many people with eating disorders.

For me, nowhere is this struggle more pronounced than around the question of kitniyot. Every year I revisit the same question: Do I eat them, or not? Here are the particulars: I am Ashkenazi; I'm a vegetarian; I'm also fiercely protective of my recovery from almost a decade of anorexia. Each time Pesach rolls around, I have to decide which takes precedence: an ancestral custom that is hundreds of years old, or my internal wisdom that the severely limited diet of a kitniyot-free Pesach might inadvertently reawaken the food-restrictive mentality that I've worked so hard to put to bed.

Aside from the very real halachic issues involved, this dilemma also cuts to the heart of my perfectionist tendencies. If I were to eat kitniyot, would I be doing a "good enough" job of keeping Pesach? Would people find reason to look down on my lenience and criticize my choice? I believe the answer to both questions is yes. Undoubtedly, the norm among observant Ashkenazi Jews is to avoid eating kitniyot on Pesach. The decision to break with this custom would likely meet with some resistance from many members of the observant community. However, there is also the case to be made that where health is involved, the ban on kitniyot is not as stringent as the ban on chametz, and so people are permitted to eat kitniyot if their health requires it. Furthermore, there are Orthodox rabbis who have ruled that Ashkenazi Jews within the land of Israel are allowed to eat kitniyot because the custom of eliminating those foods was unique to Europe and therefore is not binding in the Middle East. Conservative Rabbi David Golinkin takes it a step further in his respons, which clearly argues that all Jews may consume kitniyot during Pesach "without fear of transgressing any prohibition." Again, I fully recognize that these opinions run counter to the prevailing custom among the observant Ashkenazi community. However, their arguments seem valid, especially when recovery is at stake. I would encourage Ashkenazi Jews who are trying to recover from any type of eating disorder to consider giving themselves permission to eat kitniyot on Pesach. I would also suggest that if a person DOES choose to eat kitniyot as a means of safeguarding his/her recovery during Pesach, that family members attempt to view this decision not as a rebellion or transgression, but rather as a way to protect that which is most precious: health and life.

If you do plan to incorporate kitniyot into your Pesach food repertoire, here are some recipes to get you started! It's possible to find KP versions of all the needed ingredients. Both feature quinoa...because, as a vegetarian, I am always looking for new ways to use quinoa on Pesach! The first comes courtesy of fabulous nutritionist Marci Anderson; the second, from Mark Bittman, author of one of my favorite cookbooks (How To Cook Everything Vegetarian...in case you were wondering.)

Bean Salad with Quinoa

Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad (when I make this, I add a 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans for a little added protein)
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The Miracle of Mindfulness

"Aha!" moments strike me at odd times. Maybe it shouldn't be a surprise that I had a big "AHA!" moment about "mindfulness" during a yoga class (my first in far too long!). My teacher spoke to how hard it was to just move. To just go through the vinyasa flow, because our brain always wants to know what's comkng next. It is constantly processing, analyzing and determine your next move. The act of just being in the moment, whether during a yoga class, a conversation with a friend, reading a book-anything, is remarkably hard! 

"Mindfulness is the miracle by which we can call back in a flash our dispersed mind and restore it to wholeness so that we can live each minute of life." Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miricle of Mindfulness 

Want to learn more? Take a glance at these articles:
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Recipe: Spiced Balsamic-Beet Compote

Ingredient List
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 large beets, peeled and finely diced (3 cups)
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. garam masala or curry powder
2 shallots, halved and thinly sliced (1/2 cup)
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
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You are What you Eat...Really?!?

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Product Showcase: Desert Pepper Corn and Black Bean Salsa

On my weekly grocery trip, I decided to try a new-to-me salsa brand and flavor. Salsa is one of my staples because it goes well with so many foods, like eggs, black bean burgers, or just tortilla chips!

I picked up the Desert Pepper corn and black bean salsa, which is also labeled “medium” in spiciness. I tried it out with plain tortilla chips when I got home, and I declared it a winner. It is a nice chunky salsa, which makes scooping easy, and there are plenty of corn and black beans spread throughout the salsa. It fits the medium spice label because there was a kick to it, but it wasn’t overpowering to my taste buds. The flavors of the tomatoes, corn, and black beans were all apparent and stood out.

So far, I’ve tried it with tortilla chips, on eggs, and on tacos. My roommate and I finished it up on taco night, but I’m definitely going to pick up another jar at the store soon. I highly recommend it!
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"I'm No Longer Trying to be Airbrushed in Real Life"... So take THAT Shape Magazine

Blast

Burn

Sculpt

Flatten

Tone

Tighten

Shrink

Change

Drop

Lose

Banish

Zap

Kick

Firm

Better

Perfect

I did a google image search for Shape magazine. And the words above grace the cover. Read through the list. Think of those words being directed at you and your body. Think of those words being directed at your friend and her body. How do you feel?

In my opinion, media is our culture's most powerful medium for shaping womens' views and expectations of themselves. Media is the measuring stick that facilitates self-criticism and hurtful comparisons with one another. We are reduced to a litany of BARBARIC terms (excuse me- burn, blast, and banish?!) and hate ourselves for never getting it right. We begin to see ourselves as a body, something for looking at. And as a result our minds become limited, our creativity stunted, and capacities under-utilized because we are so busy counting calories and hating ourselves. Ladies, THIS. IS. CRAZY.

This post was inspired by a client who said to me yesterday "I'm no longer trying to be air brushed in real life." How's that for a declaration?

I want to hear yours! It could sound like....

• I'm human, I'm meant to get hungry.
• I'm not flawed if a 1200 calorie diet plan leaves me hungry and unsatisfied.
• My energy is precious and cannot be depleted by self-hate.
• I can't be happy if I'm pursuing something I am not.

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Recipe: Butternut Squash Stew

This blog post is brought to you buy Lauren Fowler, dietetic student. Enjoy!

Over the past few weeks, I thought spring had come early because of the lack of snow and cold temperatures. I woke up to a surprise snowstorm last week, and this soup was the perfect recipe to warm me up after walking home from campus in the snow. It’s hearty from the squash, chickpeas, and lentils, and the garam masala and jalapeno both add a little kick to it. To spice it up even more, I used fire roasted canned tomatoes rather than plain diced canned tomatoes.

The original recipe is from the blog, Eat Live Run, but I made a few adjustments to make it without the crockpot.

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large carrot, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, minced

2-3 tsp garam masala

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (fire roasted is great!)

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 cup red lentils

2 15 oz cans chickpeas

1 tsp salt

Roast the chopped butternut squash for 35 minutes at 375 F. While the squash is roasting, chop the rest of the ingredients. Heat the oil over medium high heat, then sauté the carrot, onion, and jalapeno for 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and garam masala and sauté for 30 more seconds, making sure to stir the spice continuously. Add the water and vegetable broth and red lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low-medium, and add the chickpeas, squash, and diced tomatoes. Let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes, then enjoy!

I had plenty of leftovers, which were perfect heated up and topped with a dollop of greek yogurt.

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