Spring Cleaning for your Pantry & Diet

Spring is about growth... a time of rebirth, hope, and vitality...it's a forward and upward movement that creates energy and momentum. It is an opportunity to make changes in our lives that improve our health and wellness. Welcome to Spring!
Whether you want to get a head start on bathing suit season, or more importantly get in the healthiest shape your first triathlon, a run or simply start season with renewed energy Spring is the perfect time to revive your diet.  Start with these easy steps to add some color and energy to your plate.

1. New Years resolutions. How did those go? Revive that pesky New Years resolution. If you bit off too much and your resolution completely failed, revise it and create smaller and more manageable weekly or monthly goals. Research shows small changes are much more likely to stick.

2. Clean out your pantry to clean up your plate. Replace white with brown.

• Switch white rice for quinoa, potatoes for yams (okay, they are orange), white tortillas with whole wheat.
• Kick refined sugar out. Ditch the soda, many granola bars, candies and process junk food…most of it. Keep a couple pieces of your favorite treats for sanity.
• Go for 4-10-4 with cereals. Check that your cereals have over 4 grams of fiber, les than 10 grams of sugar and less than 4 grams of fat per serving. Some of my favorites include Optimum Slim and Kasho Go Lean.

3. Sunshine nutrients. Even thought the sun is coming out, we still see get our fair share of clouds and rain over the Spring. You may not be getting the optimal amount of vitamin D. Take a supplement of 1000 IU a day. You can also boost up your D with foods like fortified milk, salmon or tuna.

4. Hydrate with water. Many North Americans are chronically dehydrated. I tell my athletes to monitor their urine color, but athlete or not, you should monitor your hydration.  Your brain may not decipher thirst from hunger and in turn you may  reach for food when you body really needs water.  Drink at least 2 cups of water with each meal and snack.

5. Load up on Springtime freshness. Fill the fridge with colorful veggies and fruit. Try a new vegetable this week. Below is a tasty recipe for a Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burger. Make sure to have at least 2 different colored vegetables on your dinner plate.

Put some spring in your step and get moving to rejuvenate your plate.

Ingredients:
4 Portobello mushroom caps
½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbps olive oil
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 small slice provolone cheese (to boost up protein you can add or substitute dry curd cottage cheese)
salt & pepper to taste

Making it:
·       Place the mushroom caps, smooth side up, in a shallow dish. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, basil, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour over the mushrooms. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes or so, turning twice.
·       Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
·       Brush grate with oil. Place mushrooms on the grill, reserving marinade for basting. Grill for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, or until tender. Brush with marinade frequently. Top with cheese during the last 2 minutes of grilling.
·       Serve with quinoa and greens or on a PC Burger First Bun.
Recipe only: 203 calories, 8 g fat, 9.8 g carb, 10.3 gram protein, 2 g fiber, 356 g sodium

By Dana Lis, RD, B.Sc. IOC Dipl. Sports Nutrition.
Dana is currently a sport dietitian working primarily with high performance athletes with the Canadian Sport Center Pacific. She also works within private practise helping people fuel their bodies for optimal health and energy. Website to be launched any day…email danalisforrest@gmail.com in the meantime.

Blog No. 3 - Set your nutrition goals and share them

A friend of mine, when asked about his New Year’s resolutions replied delightedly “ to eat more chocolate.”

What’s yours? A new diet, a new fitness class, or both, or everything all at once. Is your New Year's resolution the same as last year's and the year before that? I think setting goals is essential to self-improvement, but not if you’ll never reach them or keep or maintain them. The turn of a year is a great time to reflect on yourself and how you are feeding your body. Think about it; every year you have the opportunity to get healthier by feeding your body better and better. Changing your eating habits for the better is one of the hardest things to permanently modify. But with confidence, will power, true readiness and setting attainable nutrition goals you can easily eat your way to a healthier you! Here’s a few steps that will help you set realistic nutrition goals for 2010.

Step 1: Make a list of nutrition habits that you could adopt to optimize your wellbeing and enjoyment of food.
Step 2: Don’t do it all at once.
Step 3: Grab a calendar or your blackberry and make one small nutrition goal for each month. It is not enough to simply make the goals; write down the steps you are going to take to make it happen.
Step 3: Post your calendar where someone can see it, or email it to a friend.
Step 4: Check it off when you are done and move the next goal (don’t let this one slide).
 
Sharing your goals with someone close to you makes you accountable and is shown to help people stick to their goals. I’ll start be being accountable to you. Here a couple of my goals for 2010.
Dana’s Goal 1: Cook at least 3 dinners each week and try one new recipe each week. This week I am going to try the recipe below. This is going to help me take the time to enjoy cooking, eating and the social aspect of food rather than just as fuel to get me through bike training and a long day.
Dana’s Goal 2: Eat more skyr and share it with Canada. What the heck is skyr you ask? It is an Icelandic dairy product that is healthier than fat free plain yogurt and as tastier than ice cream. I am making it in my kitchen and looking to take it to full production soon! To find out more about skyr see here http://www.skyr.is/

Make a lasting plan for 2010. Small, realistic nutrition changes that over the course of twelve months will add up to a huge improvement in your overall health!  
 
Quinoa Veggie Burger Recipe

           Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa <http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/basic-quinoa.php>
• 2/3 cup hummus <http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/hummus.php> OR 1/2 cup mashed cooked chickpeas <http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/basic-beans.php> + 2 Tbsp water
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce OR Bragg's Liquid Aminoa
• 1 tsp dried basil leaf
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaf
• 1/2 tsp gr cumin seed
• 1 tsp gr coriander seed
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp brown rice powder OR vital wheat gluten
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat a non-stick frying pan on med. low
2. Dry roast the cumin, coriander, paprika and garlic powder, stirring, 5 min.
3. Blend all ingredients in a bowl or food processor
4. Divide burger mix into 8 equal portions and form into 3 inch patties
5. Fry in a little oil on medium heat, 5 - 10 minutes each side, until browned and firm
6. To freeze uncooked, place the patties between sheets of wax paper on a baking sheet and freeze. Store in a freezer bag or plastic container and cook as needed (thaw in fridge or microwave)

Blog No. 2 - Healthy eating guidelines over the holidays

The holiday season and its festivities are in full swing, but it is not too late to put the breaks on unwanted weight gain over the season. Packing on some extra winter insulation is easy to do with a few drinks, some eggnog, and those delicious holiday treats saying you “eat me” everywhere you turn. Take a healthier route for extra Winter insulation; buy a down-filled jacket, stick to healthy eating most off the time and get moving outside.

Over the holidays my weakness is Italian Anise cookies that my grandmother used to make.  Now she and I bake dozens of them. However, I manage to keep my eat my treats in moderation and stick to healthy eating guidelines over the holiday season. Here’s what works for me.
 

• Plan ahead, if you are going to a Christmas party that will likely involve a large dinner and a few high calorie drinks or dessert, eat a litter leaner throughout the day. For example, instead of a large lunch, have a lighter one like salad with chicken breast or a smaller snack (veggies and cottage cheese) and save up the extra energy budget to splurge a bit in the evening- but don’t go starving.  Research shows than when people skip meals they tend to overeat later in the day.
• Have just a taste; a half of a glass of eggnog, one cookie, a small slice of cake. I know, easier said than done, but I promise it gets easier with practise. Reach for the mandarin orange instead of a second cookie and you just might save 100 calories and 10 grams of fat.
• Keep alcohol intake in check. A little too much alcohol can be a double-edge sword because not only do you take in extra low nutrient high-sugar calories, but your food inhibitions may go out the window allowing you to easily take in an extra 1000 calories or more in one night! Go for lower calorie drinks and have a glass of water between each. You can also volunteer to be a DD!
• Design a winning plate. Fill 1/2 of your plate with veggies, ¼ with lean protein and ¼ with whole grains. Oh...and wait 20 minutes until reaching for seconds.
• Be confident saying NO THANKS. Practise, sticking to your guns by saying “I am trying to stick to eating healthy over the holidays.” Try one, and any extra that you feel obligated to devour take in a doggie bag (then give it to your teenage son with the mega-metabolism).
• Send leftovers home with guests or pack them up in tidy Tupperware and place in fridge or freezer for a later date.
• Enjoy the season - but in moderation. Set yourself a nutrition goal each day.
• Make moving part of your family gathering. Go for a walk in the snow (or rain), go tobogganing or to the park to see the lights.  

Stick to your healthy eating goals 90 % of the time and enjoy the holiday season.

Here is a healthier option Rice Pudding Ball recipe that I just made. They turned out great and my friends devoured them!

makes 24 pieces

• 2 cups skim milk
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• Salt
• 1/2 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup raw whole almonds

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large saucepan, combine milk, sugar, honey, cardamom, and a pinch of salt; bring to a boil over medium-high. Add rice and stir. Partially cover, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender, 30 to 35 minutes.
2. Transfer rice to a bowl and stir in raisins. Cover with plastic, and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.
3. Spread coconut and almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, tossing occasionally, until coconut is golden, 4 to 6 minutes; set aside to cool. Grind nuts and coconut in a food processor until very finely ground; set aside.
4. Using level tablespoons, form rice mixture into balls (you should get about 24) and roll in coconut mixture. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or covered, up to 2 days.

What are your favorite healthy holiday recipes- share your secrets with us!

Happy holidays,


Dana M. Lis
SPORT DIETITIAN
B.SC, RD, IOC Dipl. Sport Nutrition (c)
Ph: 604-662-7400

Blog No. 1 - Nutrition Fun

Being part of every WOMAN has been a truly unique and inspiring venture. I have the privilege of meeting women from all walks of life who love to live, laugh, learn, challenge and strive for self-improvement. Being a sport dietitian I work with athletes but also am involved in community based active living initiatives which allow me to work with people from all walks of life. One thing all of my clients have in common is the significance of food for fuel and as an irreplaceable part of our social and psychological wellbeing.

Food can be a pleasure, a constant battle or an adventure and through this blog I hope to help inspire and educate, to make food fun and learning about healthy choices easy.  

As well, I hope to help you decipher the the overwhelming amount of nutrition information on the internet and media, a lot of which is not well researched or a money grab. Through this blog you can ask  questions, find out if the latest and greatest nutrition breakthroughs are really so great, and pick up a few tips from the every WOMAN community about feeding your body for enjoyment, and optimal health and wellbeing. 

If you are interested in learning more about my background or getting started with some nutrition reading or recipes see here http://www.sportmedbc.com/dietitians.php.

Lastly, a little tidbit of info for you next time you are perusing the added omega-3 products like juice, margarine etc. This article may motivate you try a new fish recipe.  http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1933453,00.html