For lunch on vegan day, I decided to make some cheeseless pizza. At first I thought I’d make a farinata (unleavened chickpea flour flatbread) but then I thought nah, making a whole new recipe would be fun. So I mixed in some coconut flour and baking flour for a more bread-like consistency, added garlic and oregano for extra pizza-appropriate pizzazz….and baked it in a cast iron skillet for crispness.
Holy moley it was amazing! It came out crisp at the edges and bready, substantial enough to eat by hand. Nice flavor from the garlic and herbs…all around a great pizza. Even Val was impressed! This recipe is definitely one I’ll be making over and over I am sure! If you are looking for a gluten free pizza crust, this would also fit the bill. (Just make sure your baking powder is gluten free.) Enjoy!
Gluten Free Pizza Crust
1/2 cup chickpea flour
5 oz. water (=1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons)
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp EACH: dried oregano, garlic powder, xanthan gum, baking powder
(Toppings of your choice)
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Oil the inside of a 10″ cast iron skillet with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. (Or use a pie pan)
2. Whisk together all the ingredients except toppings in a bowl until lump free. Mixture will be about the thickness of muffin batter.
3. Spread the batter evenly in the bottom of the oiled skillet and bake for 15 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the crust over, will look like this:
And bake it for 10 more minutes. Meanwhile get your toppings out. Add your sauce and toppings, and bake for 5 min more.
I topped this one with tomato sauce, roasted red and yellow peppers, kalamata olives, grilled portobello mushrooms, and a handful of baby arugula. (And a good dusting of garlic powder and hot pepper flakes).
Nutrition Facts for the crust: (per 1/2) 179 calories, 9 g fat (2 g saturated), 18 g total carbohydrate (5 g fiber), 6 g protein
Going vegan for a day. Does the thought conjure up images of weird, unsatisfying meals? Birkenstock-wearing hippies or your weird Aunt Velma who who refuses to use honey? Does the mere thought of a day with no meat, dairy or eggs make you quake with fear, or want to run away and binge on beef jerky?
One day. No animals. Could you do it?
Well, I can tell you, it’s not so bad. I did it. I lived. I didn’t dissolve into skin and bones or watch my lean mass melt from my frame. And I had plenty of darned delicious, filling food on my vegan day! Vegan day is an annual assignment for everyone in the Lean Eating program curriculum, and it isn’t out of any nutritional or ethical superiority of eating exclusively plant-based foods. On the contrary, it’s about pushing our limits, breaking out of our habitual food ruts (and thought patterns). It’s more than a skill in making a decent breakfast without eggs or dairy, or a test of willpower, it’s a worthwhile exercise that rewards the student with skill in being open to dietary change. Opening that door facilitates improving our food patterns to reach our goals. Even if we learn that being vegan is really really hard and our bellies have a breaking point for legume tolerance.
Among the Lean Eating participants, questions swarmed the forums in the days leading up to the vegan challenge. How would we get enough protein in? Would we eat too many carbs and gain weight? I encouraged my team (and challenged myself) to take it as a vacation from the world of grams, and let them fall where they may.
Personally, I found the day to be challenging, but I did enjoy it. I would have enjoyed some cheese, or yogurt, or meat at points, but I was satisfied with my food choices and found enough enjoyable things to eat, and created some delicious new recipes. I’d say the general consensus among my Lean Eating team was one of being glad they had done it, yet really glad it was only one day! And I think today there are a lot of giddy Lean Eaters cracking eggs into frying pans.
I’ll share with you in the upcoming days the meals that I enjoyed on vegan day. For starters, here was the delicious breakfast I made. Most tofu scramble recipes include some turmeric to add flavor and to give the white tofu a yellow color, like eggs. I just wasn’t feeling like the strong Indian-food-flavor of turmeric, so used some saffron threads instead to give it some yellow color and a subtle aromatic flavor. I liked the results of the saffron quite a bit, but if you prefer turmeric, go with it.
Tofu Scramble with Vegetables
6 ounces extra firm tofu (I used silken)
1/8 teaspoon each garlic powder and onion powder
2 large Swiss chard leaves, chopped (with stems)
1/3 cup chopped red pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
pinch of crushed saffron, soaked in 1 tsp hot water for 5 min. (optional, may substitute turmeric for stronger flavor)
1/4 avocado, sliced
1. Crumble the tofu into a bowl and mix in the garlic and onion powder (and turmeric if using).
2. Heat a large skilled over medium heat and add oil. When hot, add chard, pepper, and onion to pan and cook until soft. Stir in the tofu and saffron/water mix. Cook 3-4 minutes more to heat through, and season to taste with salt, pepper and hot pepper flakes.
3. Serve with sliced avocado.
Nutrition Facts: 229 calories, 11.8 g fat (1.6 g saturated), 17 grams carbohydrate (9 g fiber), 18 grams protein
Georgie, I eat a ton of butternut squash and sweet potatoes and have been told I am beginning to look orange and have a fake tan look to me. Is this ok, or is there something bad about this?? – Chuck
Butternut, papaya, carrots, sweet potatoes all are rich in beta-carotene
Hey Chuck! Yes, eating sweet potatoes, carrots, and pumpkin can turn your skin quite orange. I’ve been there man, glowing orange with the best of ‘em! It’s completely harmless and not something you need to worry about, it’s simply a cosmetic issue. If you pare back on the butternut and sweet potatoes in time it will decrease, but it can take several months. I didn’t eat sweet potatoes and carrots for years due to my orange skin tone, acquired from a daily sweet potato habit in college! But it does go away. And now, I have found that eating them a few times per week is no problem.
The condition is called carotenoderma, (sometimes also called carotenemia) and it occurs when high levels of circulating carotenoids (chiefly beta-carotene) cause carotenoids to deposit in the stratum corneum layer of the skin. They build up and can cause anywhere from a faint yellowing to quite vibrant orange color to the skin. It is usually most visible in the hands and feet, sometimes appearing in the nose or nasolabial folds.
Carotenoderma can be easily distinguished from jaundice, a yellowing of the skin due to liver conditions, because carotenes do not deposit in the sclera (white part) of the eye. In jaundice, the whites of the eye also become yellow.
Okay fellas, no more sweet potatoes for you guys
So you have no need for alarm, but if you want the orange color to dissipate, I suggest swapping some other vegetables instead of sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin and butternut squash for a while. Try spaghetti squash, white or purple potatoes, parnsips, or cauliflower instead of the orange selections, and take advantage of some of the other parts of the rainbow. No, don’t worry, you won’t turn green.
In the summer, I am a salad phenom. But come the cold months, that salad spinner enjoys an off-season and I enjoy roasted vegetables on an almost daily basis. This dish is just one variation on a very-adaptable theme: toss vegetables in extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with some salt, and roast at 425 degrees until they are done to your liking. Of course, you can add herbs or garlic to add complexity, but the simple flavors of roasted-to-perfection vegetables and olive oil are wonderful and rich enough for me!
The three vegetables in this colorful dish pack some potent nutritional benefits.
Brussels Sprouts are rich in antioxidant vitamin C and packed with vitamin K, which helps with proper blood clotting. They provide a lot of belly-filling, cholesterol removing fiber, too. Compounds extracted from Brussels sprouts have been shown to prevent oxidative DNA damage (1,2,3). Brussels sprouts contain a glucosinolate known as sinigrin. Sinigrin and it’s metabolite, allyl isthiocyanate (AITC) have been highly studied phytochemicals for their anti-cancer potential. AITC reduces proliferation of human cancer cells, and helps block cancer metastasis by inhibiting of cell adhesion, migration and invasion (4). Specific research has shown that AITC causes both androgen-independent and androge-dependent prostate cancer cells to die (5). A downstream metabolite of AITC also has been shown recently to decrease bladder cancer growth by 40%, making these compounds interesting as potential future therapeutics for bladder cancer patients (6).
I could go on and on with the fascinating (to me anyway) research on isothiocyanates… but before I lose you, I’ll stop. Safe to say Brussels sprouts are really really good for you. Eat em.
Butternut Squash, like most other bright orange vegetables is a Vitamin A powerhouse. It also harbors ample amounts of vitamin C, potassium, manganese and as we learned in the last article, calcium (without too much oxalate). I’ve bet you’ve heard of beta-carotene, that bright orange pigment that also gives hue to sweet potatoes and pumpkins, which is converted in the body to retinol, or active Vitamin A.
But did you know that butternut squash also supplies the carotenoid lutein? Unlike most other carotenoids, lutein is not converted to Vitamin A. Lutein has been investigated for it’s neuroprotective effects, specifically it’s ability to prevent age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy (read: healthy eyes) (7). In fact, large human trials have shown that the more lutein in your diet, the less likely you are to get cataracts (8).
Asparagus is technically a spring vegetable, but is available in late winter as well. New research indicates that asparagus may have some capacity to improve blood glucose levels in type-2 diabetes by improving insulin secretion and pancreatic cell function (9). Asparagus is also noteworthy as a source of the prebiotic fiber inulin, which promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria which assist our digestive systems.
Roasted Butternut, Brussels Sprouts, and Asparagus
Butternut squash, peeled (I used 1/3 of a large one)
Brussels Sprouts (about a dozen)
Asparagus Spears (about 1/2 a bunch)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt (coarse kosher salt if you’ve got it)
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Peel, scrape out seeds, and chop the squash. Quarter the sprouts. Cut asparagus stalks into 4-inch lengths or so. Combine everything in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, stirring to coat. Transfer to baking sheet and sprinkle as liberally or lightly with salt as you prefer.
3. Roast for 20 minutes, then stir vegetables around with a spatula and return to oven for about 10 minutes more, or until vegetables reach desired brownness. Enjoy!
My biggest nutrition concern is calcium and bone health. I have heard about oxalates in spinach affecting the absorption of calcium. I just turned 50 and I need to maximize my calcium absorption — how much does it really affect the absorption?
Spinach is a fabulous healthy food, just not a great source of calcium.
That’s a great nutrition question Dawnette, and thanks for writing. You have heard correctly that oxalates (also known as oxalic acid) can reduce the amount of calcium you absorb from some sources. Oxalates are present in some vegetables, as well as in tea, chocolate, some fruits and some nuts. And yes, although spinach is high in calcium, it is not a very bioavailable source because of its high oxalate content.
The impact of oxalates isn’t a significant factor if you can consume dairy products for calcium, since the amount calcium in dairy products is so abundant. But if you are looking for plant-based sources of calcium, the impact of oxalates can be worth remembering. Since plant sources of calcium tend to have many fewer milligrams of calcium per serving, it makes sense to make sure you are maximizing bioavailability.
How much do oxalates or oxalic acid reduce the absorption of calcium?
To give you some idea of the numbers, let’s look at some research data. One study in animals (not humans, but we can use it for getting an idea) showed that milk calcium was 92% absorbed, while calcium from oxalate-rich greens was only 75% absorbed. Okay, so from that study it looks like calcium from oxalate rich greens is significantly less bioavailable than dairy, but three quarters being absorbed still is pretty beneficial.
I did find a study with human subjects, (premenopausal women to be exact), which showed a much more dramatic effect of oxalate content on calcium absorption. Using some popular Chinese vegetables, the researchers found that calcium bioavailability seemed to correlate well with oxalic acid content. The calcium from mustard greens and cabbage flower leaves was very well-absorbed, the calcium from sweet potatoes was intermediate in bioavailability, and the calcium from spinach and rhubarb was very poorly absorbed (only 23% and 25% as bioavailable as the well-absorbed sources, respectively). Yikes! Only a quarter as absorbable is a big difference.
Amaranth (the vegetable)
Another study conducted in Thailand concluded that sesame seeds (which are high in not only oxalate but also phytate, another inhibitory factor) provide virtually no absorbable calcium in an in vitro assay, despite the seeds themselves being quite rich in calcium. The same was found for amaranth (the green vegetable, not the grain. See photo.)
So it would appear that using high-oxalate vegetables like spinach as your main sources of calcium wouldn’t be the best strategy. If you look up which vegetables are highest in calcium, you’ll see some sources topping the list which aren’t very bioavailable (spinach, amaranth, and sesame seeds for example). But there’s plenty of good news too:Â many vegetables are low in oxalate, and can provide highly bioavailable sources to help you meet your calcium needs.
Vegetables in the brassica family appear to have very well-absorbed calcium, possibly even greater than the calcium in milk. Evidence indicates that broccoli, bok choi, and kale are highly bioavailable calcium sources in humans. Some other bioavailable sources of vegetable calcium include turnip or collard greens, and Chinese cabbage. So if spinach is your go-to leafy green, why not try branching out and experimenting with some other varieties of vegetables? If you aren’t sure what to do with a new vegetable but want to try it, I know who you can ask.
Full disclosure: I cannot feign objectivity here. I love kale and will promote it shamelessly at every opportunity.
High Calcium, Low Oxalate Vegetables
Turnip greens: 105 mg per 1 cup chopped
Kale: 90 mg per 1 cup chopped
Okra: 81 mg per cup, raw
Chinese Cabbage (aka bok choi, pak choi): 73 mg per 1 cup shredded
Butternut Squash: 67 mg per cup raw cubes
Collards: 52 mg per 1 cup chopped
Acorn Squash: 46 mg per 1 cup raw cubes
Broccoli: 42 mg per 1 cup chopped
Celery: 40 mg per 1 cup chopped
Brussels Sprouts: 37 mg per 1 cup raw
Cabbage: 33 mg per 1 cup shredded
Arugula: 32 mg per 1 cup raw
How much oxalate is in your favorite veggies? Look them up in this chart or this one.
Now, if you can consume dairy products or calcium-fortified foods, you probably don’t need to worry about the oxalate or oxalic acid content of foods. But if you are vegan, dairy intolerant or allergic, and choose to avoid supplements, it’s a good idea to try to work in as many highly bioavailable plant sources of calcium as you can.
Some other tips to ensure you absorb and retain the most calcium possible from your diet:
Avoid eating high fiber foods (like wheat bran cereal) together with calcium sources. One exception is the prebiotic fiber inulin, which appears to increase calcium uptake in the intestine.
Supplement your diet with adequate vitamin D (at least 600 IU for adults, I’d recommend 1000 IU)
Spread your calcium out, whether from food or supplements. You’ll miss absorbing much of it if you take it more than 500 mg at once.
High sodium intake increases calcium excretion, so moderate your salt intake by choosing unprocessed foods.
Hi Georgie!! I was walking through the grocery store and noticed chia seeds. The health benefits sounded great, but are they worth the premium price? How beneficial are they compared to flax seed? Thanks, and all the best!
Chia seeds, also known as salvia, have come a long way from growing fleece on clay animals. They are rich plant sources of the omega-3 fat alpha linolenic acid (ALA) , the same omega-3 found in flaxseeds. The two are similar in ALA content. One key difference is that you don’t have to grind chia seeds before eating like you do flaxseeds.
There has been a lot less research on chia seeds than on flaxseeds, but there are some promising findings. It’s probably no surprise that claims on packaging can be inflated, but let’s take a peek at what the research says:
A 2007 study reported that chia seed oil reduced the weight of cancerous tumors in experimental animals, and inhibited metastasis (or spreading of the tumor to other tissues) compared to safflower oil or a control diet. This type of finding is common to other omega-3 fat sources as well.
Got chickens? Want omega-3 rich eggs with less saturated fat and cholesterol? Feed your hens chia seeds, according to a study published in Poultry Science.
The amino acid profile of chia seeds is not very complete, since they are fairly low in the essential amino acid lysine, as reported in a 2010 paper.
Soaking chia seeds in water results in a gel-like substance. Soaked chia seeds are often used to replace eggs or oil in baked goods, helpful for those who are vegan or have egg allergies, or just want to reduce calories and fat in a recipe. This article found that substituting up to 25% of the oil in a cake recipe with chia seeds won’t significantly affect it’s taste (really, they gave it to test subjects), but it will slightly reduce the volume. (I wonder if they had to pay test subjects or the free cake was enough….)
Two well-controlled clinical trials have been done to determine in vivo effects in humans. One 2009 study specifically looked for impacts of chia consumption on bodyweight or body fat, or improvements in disease markers such as inflammation, oxidative stress, lipid profile, and blood pressure. Unfortunately, after consuming 50 grams of chia seeds a day for 3 months, subjects didn’t show any significant differences in weight, fatness, or any of the biomarkers. Nada.
A trial conducted on diabetic subjects had more favorable findings. Results of a trial published in Diabetes Care in 2007 reports that type-2 diabetics who added an average of 37 grams of chia seed to their daily diets for 3 months showed significant decreased in blood pressure, C reactive protein, hemoglobin A1c (a marker of long term blood glucose) and fibrinogen. (For comparison, they used wheat bran.) This study concluded that chia seeds do have health benefits, notably reducing cardiovascular disease risk factors and inflammatory markers.
This study was followed up in 201o by some research to help clarify exactly how chia seeds achieved these effects. Data published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicate that supplementing a meal with chia seeds results in lower blood glucose levels and increased satiety in healthy people. Note, though that there were only 11 subjects total in this study, which makes for a pretty low-powered experiment.
My take on chia seeds? They taste nice, kind of crunchy, I have eaten them and enjoyed the texture they impart to yogurt. They probably have some health benefits similar to other plant sources of ALA like flaxseed and walnuts. I don’t think chia seeds are a miracle food for curing disease or shedding pounds, but they also don’t seem to have any concerns for health risk, so I’d say give them a try for some extra variety in your diet, if nothing else.
If the cost is an issue, look for a place to buy them in bulk such as Sprouts Markets (my favorite store), or online through NutsOnline, where they are very affordable. Enjoy!
Leave a comment: Have you eaten chia seeds? How do you use them?
To follow up the goofiness of the last post, today I just wanted to acknowledge the less-musical, more introverted mindset that prevails in me this time of year. With my job being nutrition coaching (and my 365 self-definition including that role, even when I’m not “working”), you can imagine how my life is intertwined with hundreds of others.
Holiday time looks like a tsunami from my birds eye view. While predictable, this annual barrage of events and emotions still seems to just throw things around in people’s lives, sweep some out to sea (your diet plans and workout routine, perhaps?) while crashing other things together that you might have preferred to keep separate, thankyouverymuch. Collisions may include social life and professional life, parts of your family, your religion and worldly desires…
But today, oh the breath of fresh air! Sun comes up and we get a chance to look at the scene. How’s your scene looking? Maybe things are sorting themselves out today, the wave gradually retreating as you take out the recycling of balled-up wrapping paper and bows, hug and kiss relatives goodbye, start to straighten up your house, your thoughts, your routine.
I really really like post-holiday time. That week before New Year’s, when I feel kinda-sorta getting back to normal but also contemplative of what I might want to rearrange in my life. After all the belongings, values, activities and commitments get tossed, saltwater soaked and strewn across creation by the holiday tidal wave, it’s a nice time to consider rearranging them, instead of putting them all back into the old places. Maybe I don’t need that possession/habit/excuse/mindset anymore. Maybe I want to place that on the top shelf of my life, and not in the box where I’ve been keeping it. Maybe I want to give this piece of my life room to grow, providing it a little more care and sunlight. I’ll be taking this next week to do that.
I’d love to hear what you’re thinking this week, so leave a comment if you care to share. I’ll be back to post sometime near January 1. Until then, lots of love from me to you.
Whether your goals are are to lose fat, bring up your strength, build hulking muscles or drop your 10K time, the nutrition you give your body before, during, and after exercise can help you reach your goals faster. On the other hand, if you shortchange your body on fuel, or overcompensate for calories burned, you can end up moving away from your goals.
Many athletes and recreational exercisers wonder if they should be drinking water while exercising, or if they would benefit from a workout drink. And if a workout drink is recommended, how much carbohydrate should it supply? Should it have protein or amino acids in it? What about fat? Is it all just marketing anyway?
Read on for some tips to help you determine whether you would benefit from a workout drink, and if so, how to find what you should be sipping for best results.
Water
This is the perfect drink for you if you are exercising at a low intensity, for short periods of time. If you’re just shooting some hoops with your kids or driving some golf balls after work, no need to get out the fancy shmancy beverages. Good old water is great for keeping hydrated and replacing minimal sweat losses. Plus, being calorie-free it’s the best thing for exercisers hoping to create a calorie deficit to achieve weight loss. And you can’t ignore the cost: free. If you’re currently drinking water during your training sessions and are happy with your results, carry on. If it ain’t broke…
Carbohydrate and Electrolyte Sports Drink
Most commercial sports drinks fall into this category, like Powerade, Gatorade, and the like. Standard sports drinks contain carbohydrates in the form of sugars and oligosaccharides, and also electrolytes which help replace minerals and salts lost in sweat, and facilitate the absorption of carbohydrate in the gut. If you are training in hot weather and sweating a lot, consuming a carbohydrate-containing beverage can help keep your blood sodium levels normal and prolong endurance compared to water.
There’s a ton of evidence that compared to water, athletes training hard can perform better for longer with a carbohydrate plus electrolyte drink. But for most recreational exercisers or those trying to shape up… supplemental carbohydrates can just be extra calories which can slow weight loss. As a general rule of thumb, I recommend switching from water to a carbohydrate and electrolyte drink if your training lasts for more than 60-90 minutes or if you are more interested in peak performance than weight loss.
Another reason someone might choose a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage instead of one with additional amino acids or protein is if they have a sensitive stomach. Especially during prolonged or high intensity sports, many people have nausea or other complaints which make staying hydrated and fueled a challenge. Since amino acids and proteins can delay gastric emptying, straight carb and electrolyte drinks may be more well-tolerated than the other options below. Let’s face it, if your workout beverage ends up on the sidewalk at mile 11 it’s not doing you ANY good.
Some tips for choosing a carb-electrolyte beverage: dilute it as needed to improve digestion, and experiment with different brands. Some formulas are higher or lower osmolarity, which can make a difference in how your stomach tolerates them, especially when working at near peak capacity (say, running a marathon at race pace). One formula I particularly like is ROC20 by Amway’s Nutrilite brand. It is formulated with Red Orange Concentrate, plant derived phytochemicals which have been shown to decrease oxidative damage. It has never bothered my (very sensitive) stomach. Plus, I think it tastes better than any other sports drinks I’ve had. I like the convenience of having the powder, so I can mix it to the strength I want, and add other stuff such as…
Branched Chain Amino Acids
The branched chain amino acids, or BCAAs, are leucine, isoleucine and valine. Increased availability of these amino acids have anabolic effects on muscle both at rest and during the recovery phase from exercise, during which protein turnover is high. Consuming branched chain amino acids increases muscle protein synthesis and slows the degradation of muscle proteins, both of which are favorable if muscle building is desired. (Curious how that works? For the biogeeks out there, they work through mTOR phosphorylation and p70 s6k activation (1). For the non-biogeeks, they turn on the machinery that build the proteins that give you that brawny physique. Good enough?)
Compared to plain water, there is evidence that sipping BCAAs can help prolong endurance and reduce the perceived exertion felt at a given workload (2). And hey, who wouldn’t like to feel a little less fatigued on their last set of squats or on the home stretch of a hard road bike ride? Studies have also supported that branched chain amino acid ingestion during exercise can result in less muscle soreness and improved recovery (3).
Are they for you? If you are exercising at a high intensity and want to maximize recovery and minimize muscle loss during a fat loss phase, BCAAs might be a good idea to try out. They are something I recommend to virtually all of my clients training for fat loss but also trying to hang onto or build muscle. Because branched chain amino acids provide negligible calories, they are a preferred supplement to higher-energy drinks for those working to lose fat.
Some practical considerations for BCAAs include taste and cost. Shopping around can help with finding a decent price. As for taste, unflavored BCAAs are, to put it politely, not very palatable. Or as certified strength and conditioning specialist Jason Bonn so eloquently describes it, “skunk’s ass that’s been wiped on a chemistry lab floor after a horse pissed on it.” Not for me. Thankfully, there are flavored formulas that taste great, so no need to suffer through plain BCAAs. I love Scivation Xtend (especially the blue raspberry flavor). Recoup by Dymatize has also been pretty popular with my clients, but I have not tried it personally.
Among my colleages and clients who elect to go with the unflavored BCAAs, strategies for covering the taste include mixing with Greens+, adding lemon or lime juice, mixing in a sweetener of choice, or just plain reverting to BCAAs in capsules so you don’t have to taste them at all.
Carbohydrates and BCAA
Combining carbohydrates and BCAAs together is another option. Whether or not the addition of carbohydrates is a good idea for you depends on your training intensity, body type and goals. Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon of Stumptuous.com recommends a combo of BCAA and carbohydrates for anyone with blood sugar management issues (e.g. type 1 diabetes) who finds that their blood sugar drops sharply during training. In my clients who are on carbohydrate-limited nutrition plans for fat loss, sometimes I will recommend adding carbohydrates to a workout drink to help alleviate fatigue and allow for workout intensity to remain high.
My workout drink of choice: 1 liter of water + 15 grams of carbohydrate from Roc2O + 5 grams of BCAAs (1 scoop Xtend), which makes for a rather dilute, low calorie beverage, with some extra support to keep blood sugar stable and help with muscle recovery. And it tastes nice and fruity, quite pleasant to drink. It’s just enough nutrition to keep my blood sugar from crashing until I get home to chow down.
If you’re just doing a quick training session, though, additional carbohydrates may not be necessary. Brawn-building expert Chuck Dertinger suggests including only carbohydrate in a workout beverage for those working out for at least 30 minutes at 8 or more METs.
Carbohydrates and Protein
Trading branched chain amino acids for complete proteins is another option. This type of workout drink would be best suited to those who are trying to gain muscle mass and size. Consuming both carbohydrates and a full complement of amino acids provides the best stimulus for anabolism and minimizing muscle breakdown. So why doesn’t everyone do this? First of all, these drinks provide the most calories, so if you are trying to shed fat as goal #1, they can be counterproductive. Secondly, not everyone can stomach a protein and carbohydrate drink while training. A tip to make the drink go down easier: choose proteins which are extensively hydrolyzed (aka broken down into smaller pieces, for faster absorption) such as whey hydrolysate. There are products available that offer carbohydrates, proteins and extra BCAAs in a convenient powder, but you can also make up your own blend at TrueNutrition.com. Add in the protein you want, flavors you like, and get it mixed up just for you. For starters, a good mass building rule of thumb is to shoot for a ratio of 2:1 carbs to protein.
How Bout Whole Food?
Don't forget to knaw on some whole food when you get home
All this is not to say that whole, unprocessed foods can’t be your source of workout nutrition. Among the experts I interviewed for this article, several commented that there are alternatives to buying sports drinks, BCAAs, and powdered proteins. Dr. Scott Dixon says, “Oldtimers didn’t guzzle blue drinks full of chemicals and sugar. They drank milk between sets and ate meat and eggs before and afterwards….a blenderized banana and whey protein or cottage cheese would make a fine protein and carb shake.” Kate Kline, fitness and nutrition coach, advises her fat loss clients who can’t afford or don’t want to take BCAAs to have a pre-workout and post-workout meal with lean protein in it and not worry. I’m often asked by cash-strapped college students what to do if they can’t afford supplements. My answer: Eat well and don’t sweat it.
Summary
There are a lot of options for workout drinks, and the one that’s best for you will depend on your workout, body type, goals and preferences. As a general rule of thumb, if you want to improve recovery and encourage muscle growth or maintenance, add BCAAs (less calories) or hydrolyzed protein (more calories). If you are training for long stretches, have trouble keeping your blood sugar up, or need a possible extra edge on the competition, consider adding carbohydrate. If you aren’t satisfied with your fat loss progress, take carbs out. And if your drink is hurting your stomach or making you nauseous, try diluting it or reducing the amount of protein to make it more digestible. Finding what works best for your body is as much an art form as a science.
Free Stuff Never Hurt, Right?
If you’d like to score some of what I’m drinking, enter to win one of 5 boxes of ROC20 sports drink (which you can enjoy as is, or try adding BCAAs or protein) by hitting that Tweet button below. 5 lucky readers will win a box of Roc2O for free! Tweet #AskGeorgie
Recently I wrote an article about how some saturated fats, such as those found in butter and cream, can have detrimental effects on cholesterol levels and cardiovascular health, as well as weight control. But it’s important to note that not all saturated fats are equally bad when it comes to their effects of cardiovascular health.
A Bit of Background
A triglyceride molecule
Fats found in the foods we eat (as well as those pinchable bits on our bodies) are found in the form of triglycerides. Each triglyceride molecule is made up of three fatty acids, attached to one glycerol molecule. The fatty acids can all be different lengths, and each can be saturated/unsaturated/polyunsaturated, so the individual mix of fatty acids that make up any given food can be pretty complex. For example, there are at least 17 different fatty acids present in butter fat. I only talked about a few of the most prevalent ones, stearic acid, palmitic acid and myristic acid, but I want everyone to realize we’re dealing with complex mixtures!
Saturated Fatty Acids: The breakdown
The most cholesterol-raising saturated fats include palmitic acid (16:0), myristic acid (14:0) and lauric acid (12:0). <– Those numbers in parentheses indicate the number of total carbons, followed by the number of double bonds. No double bonds means a saturated fat.
Stearic acid (18:0) is neutral, meaning it does not have a significant effect on cholesterol levels.
Medium chain triglycerides, containing 8 or 10 carbons, are a bit tricky. Historically, they have been labeled as cholesterol-neutral, but there are also published studies which demonstrate that they do raise LDL levels and triglycerides, albeit less so than palmitic acid. I’m pretty comfortable putting them in the neutral category, as neither strongly desirable nor harmful to blood lipids.
In Food Terms….
Dairy: Foods which are high in the cholesterol-raising fatty acids are best to limit for cardiovascular health: This includes butter, cream, and other full-fat dairy products like cream cheese, sour cream and whole milk. As I mentioned in my earlier post, these foods aren’t off limits, but moderation is a good idea, and including ample amounts of beneficial fats like omega-3s as well will help ensure a balanced fatty acid intake and prevent the saturated fats you do eat from being as damaging. I personally grinned to see a study was just published reporting that cheese is less damaging than butter, possibly owing to the calcium content. I do love cheese!
Palm Oil and lard are definitely good ideas to keep a lid on. (But who eats lard anymore anyways? Probably not people who read dietitians’ blogs.)
Other animal fats including beef fat, pork fat, bacon and drippings, are comprised of mostly 14:0, 16:0 and 18:0 fatty acids, so you could say a mixture of naughty and neutral. Choosing grass-fed beef is one way to favorably impact the profile of fats you ingest, as grass-fed beef contains more of the neutral stearic acid, and less of the detrimental palmitic and myristic acids. It’s also lower in total fat and has some omega-3′s (though not a high percentage).
Cocoa Butter and Chocolate: Rejoice if you love chocolate, because much of it’s saturated fat is from 18:0 stearic acid, so not likely to raise cholesterol levels. And a third of the fat content is cholesterol-lowering monounsaturated fat, so it may even cross into the beneficial category. While the flavonoids in chocolate provide additional benefits, the usual accompaniment of sugar means that you should still exercise some moderation with chocolate, and choose the darkest one you enjoy.
Coconut oil and Coconut: My feeling on coconut oil (and this is a controversial topic) is that it is likely to be neutral on cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease risk. Few human studies are available, most of the research has been done on rats or rabbits. Much of the data indicating that coconut oil should not be vilified with other saturated fats comes from studies on populations in which coconut consumption is high, yet cardiovascular disease is low. However, I caution readers that most of the claims made that coconut oil is a “miracle food” with extensive benefits….are overblown at best, and completely fabricated at worst. Use it for the great flavor, not because you believe it will cure you of anything.
Putting it all together
Some saturated fats are known to have negative effects on lipid profiles, while some saturated fats don’t seem to be harmful at all. Bear in mind that some fats, such as monounsaturated oleic acid and polyunsaturated DHA and EPA have favorable effects on cardiovascular health, so even the cholesterol neutral saturated fats could be swapped to something with actual benefits. So in that light, using coconut oil instead of butter for a pastry would be a good switch, but using olive oil instead of coconut oil for roasting vegetables would be even better.
Remember also that even the most detrimental saturated fats aren’t as bad for your body as hydrogenated oils, so a natural unprocessed saturated fat is a better pick for your health than a processed trans fat like shortening or hydrogenated nondairy creamer.
Hope this gave you some good stuff to think about! I would love to hear your comments on saturated fat and how you manage it in your diet.
I’m dying to get a Vitamix and wanted to know if it’s possible to use it to chop vegetables like peppers? I spend a lot of time each Sunday pre-chopping veggies for the week and thought it might save time. If so, that would be one more reason to justify getting it, finally! Been wanting one forever. – Amy
Great question! One lesser-known feature that is awesome about the Vitamix is that besides being powerful to liquify anything on the higher speeds, at lower speeds the blades move much more slowly than a regular blender – so YES, you can use it to chop vegetables like peppers, onions, tomatoes, etc. In fact, if I see a recipe in which someone uses a food processor (which I don’t have), I always use my Vitamix.
Here I ran a yellow pepper through it just to show you. All I did was cut around the pepper’s stem, pull out the insides and seeds, and drop it into the Vitamix. Put the cover on, and set it to the lowest speed. I turned it on and off for about 10 pulses and had perfectly chopped peppers. Ready for soup, omelets, salsa, or any other recipe.
No chopped fingers, and time saved! You could chop up all your veggies for the week in just a few minutes and have them all in containers ready to go. Yet another reason the Vitamix is the best healthy-living gadget EVER!
Georgie, My husband has been Crossfitting and eating healthy (Precision Nutrition recipes mostly) for about 8 months now but cannot seem lose the fat in his belly. We were having a discussion about fat in our diet. I have always tried to stray away from things like butter and heavy cream because of the high fat content and relatively no nutritional value he argues that when combined with other healthy foods it provides necessary fat content. What are your thoughts on fat consumption when trying to lose weight in the midsection?
Thanks for the question Tiffany. Like other high fat foods, butter and cream are composed of a mix of fatty acids, mostly in the form of triglycerides. About 50% of the weight of butter is saturated fat, which is generally known to be atherogenic or cholesterol-raising. I say generally, because it turns out that different types of saturated fats have different effects on cardiovascular health. Some are bad for your cholesterol and artery health, and others aren’t. Unfortunately, the predominant fatty acids in butter include myristic and palmitic acids, both of which are among the more atherogenic (not-so-good) ones that do raise cholesterol and cardiovascular disease risk.
But you didn’t ask about cholesterol or vascular health, you asked about belly fat. And a high saturated fat does does appear to favor obesity through dysregulation of food intake in the hypothalamus, compared to a high fat diet in which most of the fat is unsaturated. (In other words, saturated fat messes with the part of your brain that regulates food intake). Saturated fats appear to play a role in hyperphagia, leading to excess calorie consumption, whereas unsaturated fats don’t seem to have the same effect. Consumption of saturated fats also leads to less of a rise in thermogenesis compared to taking in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Obviously, when trying to shed belly fat, any nutrient that makes it easier to overeat and hinders your calorie burn is wise to limit.
Furthermore, saturated fats have also been linked in recent research to increased inflammation and insulin resistance in the body through activation of Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Saturated fats induce insulin resistance, and insulin resistance is a potent contributor to fat storage. So not only for heart health, but for achieving a healthy body composition, it seems like avoiding excess butter and cream is a good idea.
The big picture with fat loss is always calorie deficit. So, even though you are cooking healthy meals, portion control is going to be key to shedding fat from anywhere on the body. If your husband is seeing weight loss in other areas but seems to be hanging specifically onto belly fat, I’d recommend looking into the impact of stress and adrenal hormones. Chronic high stress and the resulting cascade of glucocorticoids can lead to the deposition (or prevent the loss) of abdominal fat. Getting enough sleep and incorporating stress-relieving activities into one’s daily life are critical to weight loss and general health. It’s not all about calories and macronutrient breakdowns.
In addition to stress hormones, alcohol has also been associated with central obesity (belly fat), but interestingly, this paper found that association only in men, not in women. (It’s just one paper though, so it could be a reporting error if women are less forthcoming about how much they actually drink.)
It’s certainly not required to cut out ALL butter and cream and other sources of saturated fats. A heart healthy and waist-friendly diet can accommodate some saturated fats, up to about 10% of total calories is acceptable. I agree with your husband that when balanced out with other healthy foods, a modest amount of saturated fat per day is not a worry. And heck, I love the taste of real butter and cheese (also high in sat fat) and enjoy them in limited quantities. However, it is not necessary for the body to have any saturated fat from the diet, since the body can make plenty on its own. The best scenario is to balance saturated fat intake with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (which have actual benefits), and avoid trans fats, fried foods, and processed foods as much as possible. If your husband is not making the progress with his physique that he aims to, trading some dietary saturated fats in favor of omega-3 fats and monounsaturated fats may be a beneficial step to help promote fat loss, even with an isocaloric diet.
Bottom Line: Your body doesn’t require saturated fats, but a limited amount of them (up to 10% of total calories) can still fit into a healthy diet. Cream and butter are calorically dense, so limit portion sizes to attain the negative calorie balance needed to shed belly fat. If you aren’t seeing fat loss progress with 10% calories from saturated fat, consider reducing it and including more monunsaturated and omega-3 fats, and paring down total calorie intake.
As desserts go, I like ‘em chocolate and sugar free. These fit the bill! They melt in your mouth and are rich and satisfying, just the thing to weather a craving without doing much damage to your healthy eating plan. You can use sugar if you like, or any other sweetener such as stevia or Splenda. Just add as much as you need to get it right for your taste buds.
No baking, no melting chocolate, just a few ingredients. All you need is one bowl, one small dish for rolling the truffles in cocoa, and one spoon. In five minutes flat you can be enjoying them: just mix and enjoy.
You’ll see two ingredients here you might not have at home: Coconut cream concentrate (same as coconut butter) and peanut flour. I’ll assure you that both of these are great ingredients to have, well worth an online purchase.
30 g coconut cream concentrate (2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons almond milk (or other milk)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa (Dutch-process if you can find it)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon peanut flour
6 packets Equal or sweetener of your choice (about 3 tablespoons sugar if you go that route*)
1. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine coconut cream concentrate and almond milk. Warm in microwave for 15 seconds, and stir until smooth.
2. Stir in 1 tablespoon of cocoa, 1 tablespoon of peanut flour, and 5 packets of sweetener (or to taste). Mix.
3. In a small dish, combine 1 teaspoon cocoa, 1 teaspoon peanut flour, and 1 packet sweetener (or to taste).
4. Divide dough into 6 portions, about a golf ball size each, and roll into a ball. Place in dish with dry cocoa mix to coat, and roll around to dust entire surface. Repeat to form 6 truffles. Enjoy right away, or cover with foil and refrigerate.
Per truffle: 47 calories, 3.7 g fat, 3 grams carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein
*Notes on using real sugar:
When I made this recipe with sugar I dissolved it in the coconut-milk mixture to make sure it wouldn’t be grainy in the final product. I also needed to chill the dough to get it firm enough to roll into balls. If your mixture seems too wet to handle, put it in the fridge for a while, or add another spoon of peanut flour.
Quick note to mention you can now buy Fuel Up on Amazon.com!
Here’s the scoop on why the two versions look a bit different: The cover has been redesigned for the Amazon.com version, and the layout is different, but all the content inside is the same as the original. The copies of Fuel Up from AskGeorgie.com are still available of course, and the Holiday Discount on 3-packs is only available from AskGeorgie.com. (Pssst, the ones from this site are spiral bound, the ones from Amazon are flat bound. But…. the ones from Amazon have a nicer cover. I mean really nice. Tough call I know.)
If you live outside the United States, it’s worth checking on what the shipping from Amazon.com is, as they can send it to Australia, for example, for less than half the price I can.
Calling all iPhone users! You asked for it, and now Fuel Up is also available for iPhone. Check it out in the iTunes store today!
When I got my bloodwork results back this spring from a routine check, and saw my total cholesterol sitting at 239…I was not happy. For reference, the optimal range for total cholesterol is less than 200. And for the rest of the day, I pouted in a childish “this is so unfair!” manner. I’m a dietitian! I eat a healthier diet than most people, I’ve never smoked a cigarette, and I exercise a lot! I’m a healthy weight, shun trans fats, and haven’t eaten a fried food in probably close to 20 years. Where’s the justice?!
It didn’t help that people stared, wide-eyed when I told them my results. Apparently they also thought I was living a pretty healthy lifestyle. Not the type that gives you high cholesterol.
But I decided the opportunity was presenting itself to see if I could make a dent with even MORE lifestyle changes. Because I wasn’t doing everything possible. I decided to turn up the heart-healthy lifestyle and see if I could put a dent in this without medication. And now, I’m happy to announce that in about 6 months: my cholesterol dropped 30 points to a just-over-optimal 209. Even better, my HDL “good” cholesterol rose substantially to 74, such that my total cholesterol to HDL ratio now places me in the lowest risk category for a heart attack.
Below I’ll share what worked for me. If you’ve been struggling to get your cholesterol down, and don’t want to turn to statins, maybe some of these changes will work for you too. (Note: I made several dietary and supplement changes. Absolutely the last thing a scientist should do: have multiple variables, so when you get results you can’t tell which variable was the causative one. But maybe they all helped a little.)
1. No yolks for me. I have long been an advocate of limiting saturated fat and eliminating trans fats from the diet for cardiovascular health. But on the issue of cholesterol intake itself, I have always believed that whole eggs, yolk and all, were not to blame for high cholesterol. Since most cholesterol in your blood comes from your liver, having been made in your own body – I believe dietary cholesterol is a very minor contributor to serum cholesterol levels. And prior to this spring, I had been consuming one egg each morning, in an omelet with additional egg whites.
For my cholesterol crackdown, I decided it would be a good exercise for me to be humble, admit I don’t know everything, and give a yolk-free diet a try. It really was effortless for me, just switch to all whites or egg substitute. I don’t even notice a taste difference, especially since my omelets are loaded up with many veggies and tasty ingredients, I never miss the yolk.
2. Crank up the omega-3s. For the general population, I recommend 1 gram of DHA + EPA from fish oils daily as a starting dose for improved skin, great hair, reduced joint pain, and disease prevention. But for those seeking to lower elevated triglycerides and cholesterol, you have to go higher. For me, half a tablespoon of liquid fish oil daily was my regimen. It’s not as bad as you’d think, Carlson’s Finest is the best brand if you’re going to tackle liquid fish oil – it’s lemon flavored and the only one I’d take. No fish burps. No fish taste whatsoever. I stir it into plain Greek yogurt with some sweetener and it tastes like lemon yogurt. Quite enjoyable.
If you aren’t up for fish oil shooters (come on, that doesn’t sound tasty to you?) you could also take 6 capsules per day of fish oil. For capsules I’d recommend Nordic Naturals or Nature Made brands, both of which are well known for highest quality, purity and importantly…. no fish burps.
3. More monounsaturates! These cholesterol-fighting fats can be found chiefly in avocados and olive oil. I previously was only using these foods sparingly, usually cooking with just a mist of cooking spray, and maybe buying one avocado a month. With my new plan, I tried to include both. Every. Single. Day. Typically, 1/6 of an avocado and 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil. (Bonus tip: extra-virgin olive oil not only is the strongest tasting, but it contains phenols that are also good for cardiovascular health, so choose extra virgin over other varieties. The greener the better!)
Rather than adding 15 additional grams of fat to my daily intake, from the fish oil, olive oil, and avocado, I simply used them to replace other foods. For example, I now spread ripe avocado, with a sprinkle of salt, on my whole grain toast instead of light margarine. It’s delicious! I also stopped eating peanut butter over the summer, (long story) which omitted the largest fat source in my diet, so I had some room to cook vegetables in a little olive oil and not increase my calorie total. I also use cubed avocado to top salads and chili.
4. Forty (or fifty) of fiber. Grams that is. I made sure that each day I took in a lot of dietary fiber, by eating more beans and legumes, Fiber One cereal (love that stuff!), ground flaxseed, and piles upon piles of fibrous vegetables. I tried experimenting with psyllium husk and chia seeds, but I didn’t really like the taste of either. So I went with my old favorite, milled flaxseed, which really does have a nice nutty taste. A high fiber intake has been shown to help with lowering cholesterol levels, and even though I was already eating high fiber diet, I made particular efforts to get more. Thankfully, my stomach/gut never bothered me – I was worried about that at first, but it was never a problem. To help avoid bloat or gas discomfort, your best bet is to gradually increase your fiber intake, and make sure to drink plenty of water.
5. Bring on the beta-glucan. To be honest, I didn’t incorporate this last diet change until the very end, right before I got my cholesterol tested for the second time. In short, I started eating more barley. Whole grain barley is the highest fiber grain you can buy, and also the least glycemic. Even better, barley is high in a particular form of soluble fiber called beta-glucan which appears to be extra-helpful in reducing blood cholesterol levels. I’ve been enjoying barley hot, cold, sweet and savory, all of which I wrote about in my last post if you missed it. This ended up displacing other complex carbohydrates like quinoa, bread, and oatmeal, which I’ve been eating less often.
So there it is! The story of how I lowered my cholesterol by 30 points in about half a year. I intend to keep it all up, and hopefully by my next check I’ll be under 200 total. None of it has really been a sacrifice or unpleasant. Not in the least.
I think the hardest part was the initial hurdle of mindset: overcoming that stubbornness of mine which wanted to say “I do everything I can already! If my cholesterol is high, it just IS. I’ll blame genetics.” The real victory was being open enough to change.
Don’t ask me why I grabbed a bag of barley from the bulk section while grocery shopping. Maybe I’ve just exhausted the quinoa streak I’ve been on and wanted to try something different for a while for my carbs.
I’m finding that having a pot of cooked barley in the fridge is awesome. Whether I feel like something savory or sweet, it works!
I love barley grains tossed on top of a green salad. They soak up the dressing and the chewy, hearty texture adds a lot of filling satisfaction.
I love it as a hot cereal. I just add some milk to the cooked barley and microwave, then stir in cinnamon, protein powder, fruit, whatever I want. It’s chewy and has more texture than oatmeal.
I love it as a chilled grain salad. Mix in chopped vegetables and some olive oil and lemon, some herbs if they’re handy, and it’s delightful.
I love it as a hot pilaf. Add in some sauteed mushrooms, peas, pine nuts, salt and pepper, and it’s an instant side dish with flavor and texture.
I love it in soups and stews. Just stir it in! Now that chilly weather is here, I’m in full on soup mode, aren’t you? Stirring it into chili is also a great way to combine slow-digesting carbs and protein.
I love it added to stir fry. In one dish I can get nutrient-rich veggies, lean protein, and filling high fiber carbs for muscle recovery. This is bison cubes, broccoli, portobello mushrooms and cooked barley.
Health Benefits of Barley
And the nutrition benefits of barley are not to be overlooked. Most of the barley you’ll find in stores is pearled barley, which has had some of the outer portion milled away (thus not technically a whole grain) but still is high in both soluble and insoluble fiber. (If you can find hulled or hulless barley, those are even higher in fiber, but also take longer to cook.) One particular type of fiber in barley (beta-glucan) has been shown to lower blood cholesterol, slow glucose absorption, protect against cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The insoluble fiber in barley also helps keep the GI tract moving things along. One quarter cup of uncooked barley (which cooks up to about 3/4 cup) provides 7.8 grams total fiber, (that’s about a third of what you need or a day!)
Barley is also high in vitamins and minerals, not just fiber. That same quarter cup will also provide your body with a rich source of B Vitamins niacin and thiamin, plus more than 10% of the daily value for minerals including magnesium, phosphorus, copper, manganese and selenium.
In an upcoming post, I’ll tell you how increasing soluble fiber and other dietary strategies helped me lower my cholesterol by 30 points in the last few months! Really, I was even shocked.
How to Cook Barley
This is really easy. Combine 1 cup rinsed barley with 2.5 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 45 minutes. I separate mine into 4 smaller containers (single servings ready to go!) and refrigerate. Easy! If you want it softer, just simmer longer. Hulless barley I like to boil for longer, anywhere from 60-80 minutes. It’s really suitable to whatever your preference, the longer your boil it the fluffier and softer it becomes.
So consider picking up some of this amazing grain yourself next time you stock the pantry. I’d love to hear how you enjoy your barley. Get your beta-glucan on. Happy chewing!
So I’ve been sampling a lot of products lately from Amway’s Nutrilite line of nutrition products, and wanted to share a bit on three items I really love.
1. Fruits and Vegetables 2GO twist tubes: these are individual servings of sugar free drink mix (5 calories each), which contain concentrates from fruits and vegetables and are packed with antioxidants vitamin C and beta-carotene. They have no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or ingredients, and like the other Nutrilite products, the fruit and vegetable ingredients are grown on Amway’s own organic farms. While my diet isn’t lacking in fruits or veggies, I love the Twist Tubes because they taste great (I love the delicious mango citrus flavor!) and are convenient to stick in a gym bag or purse for when you get tired of plain water and want to charge up your water bottle. I’m not a fan of soda, so these are a delicious alternative. (They say mix it with 16 ounces of water, but I think it’s enough to flavor 32 ounces perfectly.)
2. Brainiums DHA Gummies. I’m always spouting the benefits of fish oil and omega-3 supplements, for skin health, weight management, cardiovascular health, and so much more. But if you’ve ever taken a lousy fish oil supplement that gave you fishy burps, you know how gross that is. I take fish oil every day, and I can identify on one hand the products I like that have absolutely NO fish burpiness, and these are one of them. (I can however give you a long list of ones I’d avoid). They taste like fruit snacks or candy, fun and chewy, and have a tasty fruit punch flavor. Okay I like the starfish and fishy shapes, too. So if you have a child who isn’t going to take capsules of omega-3, or an adult who happens to like knowing they can get omega-3s in fun gummies, these are for you.
Since they do have sugar, I view them kind of like a treat. If you eat 8 gummies, they’ll provide 80 calories, and 300 mg of omega-3 fats as DHA and EPA. I take more omega-3 than that per day, so I’ve been taking my capsules too, but if you aren’t taking any, that’s a good start! For kids, the dosage is smaller, only 4 gummies per day.
3. Nutrilite Meal Bars. Since I’ve been working a lot in the past year to eat fewer processed foods, bars haven’t been on my menu in a long time. (I cut off my Zone bar addiction this summer). And I will take a home cooked, real food meal anytime over a bar. But…..we all know those days happen. I’m out hiking or traveling for a whole day and a bar wins out for the sheer convenience. I tried these bars and they are seriously tasty! Of course I went for the Chocolate Crisp one first (I have 4 flavors to try) and it was delicious. The Blueberry Crunch and Lemon Twist ones were also really tasty, quite sweet but not bothersomely so, and chewy and moist. Definitely tasted like dessert. (I don’t normally like lemon-flavored things so that’s saying a lot.) Even Val, who doesn’t like most bars, said the lemon one was “really delicious”. I’m glad to have the rest of the box around for hikes and when I travel. I’ve got to flex a little resolve not to just dig into them for my sweet tooth though, they’re that yummy! And my sweet tooth is that pervasive
I like the nutrition stats: 200 calories is enough to be satisfying but not overkill, 22 vitamins and minerals because odds are if I’m unwrapping a meal, vegetables are nowhere to be found. Plus 13 grams of protein and 6 grams of fat for a pretty well-rounded macronutrient profile. And they have no artificial colors, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils (which means no trans fats). I give them two thumbs up.
So now the exciting part! Three lucky winners will each win a 20-pack of Nutrilite Fruit and Vegetables 2GO Twist Tubes, worth $20! To enter: Leave a comment below with how many cups of fruit and vegetables you ate today. Like AskGeorgie.com on Facebook (and leave a second comment saying you did) for an additional entry. Winner will be chosen at random on Friday 10/28.
I have started giving my 3 and 9 year old almond milk. My 3 year old drinks at least 30 to 35 ounce of almond milk in a day, with chocolate ovaltine in it. I was wondering if this okay. She has a healthy diet of fruits and veggies too. I heard almond milk is goitrogenic if consumed in greater quantity. I am concerned if this may lead to suppressed thyroid functioning.
Thanks, Krishna
Thanks for writing. A lot of people wonder if foods they (or their children) eat might be messing with their thyroid. First, let’s go over some quick background info so we’re all on the same page.
Your thyroid gland, found in front of your neck, is a roughly-butterfly-shaped organ that plays an important role in your body’s metabolism. The thyroid takes up iodine and uses it to make thyroid hormones T3 and T4, which circulate throughout the body as part of the endocrine system. If the thyroid can’t take up enough iodine, it can’t make enough thyroid hormone.
The pituitary gland, sensing when there’s not enough thyroid hormone in the blood, shouts down to the thyroid “Hey! Turn up production will you?!” It does this by secreting more TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). In response, the thyroid gland can become enlarged as it struggles to increase production, but can’t get enough iodine. This swelling of the thyroid is known as goiter.
Burning calories today? Thank your thyroid! Notice T4 has four iodines, and T3 has 3. Biologists are a brilliant bunch.
Goitrogens are substances (food, drugs, chemicals) that interfere with the thyroid being able to take up enough iodine. Goitrogens may block the transporters that carry iodine into the cells, or they can interfere with the incorporation of iodine into T3 and T4 by inhibiting thyroid peroxidase, an enzyme necessary in the manufacturing of thyroid hormones.
So back to the original question: Is drinking almond milk in large quantities something can could pose a problem? No. Almonds are not known to be a significant goitrogen, but I suspect what you heard (or what someone else heard and misinterpreted to you) was that drinking a lot of soy milk can interfere with thyroid function, possibly leading to goiter. This is true.
Goitrogens in the food supply come from two main sources: Soy foods and from cruciferous vegetables (that’s the cabbage family). But before you run home and throw out the tofu and broccoli, let me tell you why you probably don’t need to worry.
First, most of us have plenty of iodine in our systems, thanks to the fortification of most table salt with iodine. Not having enough iodine in our blood to make thyroid hormone will never be a problem for more than 99% of us. Even if you don’t add salt to foods, it’s present in abundance in processed foods.
Second, for goitrogens to have a negative effect on thyroid function, MASSIVE quantities are needed (and usually an underlying problem with thyroid function, or an iodine deficiency must also be present). If your thyroid levels have never been a problem and you don’t have any symptoms of thyroid deficiency (I’ll leave you to Google those) I wouldn’t worry about potential goitrogens in your diet, nor would I take steps to reduce them.
Third, the foods which are known goitrogens, indeed the very compounds themselves which are known to interfere with iodine uptake, also demonstrate positive health benefits! So before you avoid cauliflower, brussels sprouts or cabbage to protect your thyroid, remember that the isothiocyanates in these vegetables also prevent cancer. The isoflavone genistein which is found in soybeans is a goitrogen, but also has been shown to prevent cancer spread, and may help ward of atherosclerosis by keeping cholesterol levels down.
Don't swear off cruciferous vegetables - They're powerfully healthy foods!
As a side note, you can reduce the bioactivity of goitrogens in cruciferous vegetables by cooking them. So if you are hellebent on eating 10 servings of broccoli and kale and cabbage each day, just steam them. Soy foods which are fermented contain much fewer isoflavones, so if thyroid function is a concern of yours, try choosing tempeh, natto or miso instead of edamame or tofu.
So for the original question: Almond milk is no concern. As for soy and cruciferous vegetables which are known goitrogens, use some common sense, consume them in moderation and you needn’t worry.
Thanks for the great question!
Got a nutrition question of your own? Send it in! Yours could be the next article on AskGeorgie.com.
