Healthy Eating Roadmap

Ever since my husband started the SCDiet, our egg consumption has skyrocketed!

Before Eggs didn’t consume our lives, we were purchasing them from Kroger’s………blah.

But once I found the secret egg man, things changed.  Read more to find out how I met this crazy man.

One rainy morning my sister had me over for breakfast.  And yes, we had
Eggs…Scrambled eggs!  The first thing I noticed about her eggs was the shell color.
They were not just white or brown, but they were green, blue, and yellow!  I screamed, “where did you get these eggs!”

She replied “my friend Seth, he raises his own chicks just down the road”.  As excited as I was about the different colors, she had me hooked when she cracked the first egg open and plopped it into the mixing bowl.  I felt my mouth drop, my eyes widen, and a little drool drip from my lip. These eggs were not only good lookin on the outside but beautiful on the inside too.

The yolk was so vibrant that it nearly blinded me. I was able to finally use my food chemistry knowledge about the anatomy of eggs and point out to her the albumin, and inner/outer membrane. Kroger eggs don’t even compare to these eggs.  It was at this point I decided I would never eat another Kroger egg again!

So I bet you are wondering about the crazy egg man.

After consuming the rich and delicious scrambled eggs with some piping hot coffee I stated to my sister “I’ve gotta get me some of these”. The next week my sister introduced me to Mr. Crazy Egg Man (AKA Seth).  He gave me four cartons of eggs for the week (remember eggs consume our life now). He said “Here ya go mam, can I get you some goose eggs, ostrich eggs, duck eggs, or quail eggs to go along with those chicken eggs.  I didn’t know what to say…so I stuttered and spit out the words “You are a crazy egg man!”  So that’s the story of the crazy egg man.

Since eggs became a major staple of our diet. I decided to research them a little bit more and share some knowledge with you that I stumbled upon.

When shopping for eggs, its best to buy pastured eggs (and local if possible).  Pastured eggs are more nutritious than factory eggs.

Pastured eggs contain:

more Omega-3’s
10% less fat
40% more Vitamin A
34% less cholesterol
5 times more Vitamin D
3 times more Vitamin E
8 times more beta carotene

Pastured eggs are not only healthier for your body but for the hen too.

Pastured hens get to roam around outside and soak up the sun, while factory hens are forced to live indoors in crowded cages.  Since factory hens are not able to roam free on pasture and have to live in their own feces they get sick easier and have to be pumped full of antibiotics. Pastured eggs do not contain traces of added hormones, antibiotics, or other drugs.  And they get to live a stress free wonderful life.

Diet of:

Pastured Hens Vs.       Factory Hens

Bugs                                   Grain based

Earthworms                    Antibiotics

Grass                                  Feces

other critters

So pasture eggs are not only good for you but are delicious too!!
Try this recipe with the first batch of pastured eggs you buy.  You will be obsessed!
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Vegetables/AsparagusEgg.htm

If you don’t know a crazy egg man you can look one up at http://www.localharvest.org/pastured-eggs.jsp and search by typing in your zip code.

Written by Michelle Nardine RD. Follow me on Twitter.

(Warning:  this strategy might not work so well if you have kids or a grumpy spouse)

I don’t know about you, but when summer comes around, I’m not big on slaving away for hours over a hot stove. I like to enjoy some free time outdoors. You know – get outside and really experience life.

I’m not against cooking nice filling dinners in the summer, but doing it every night is a real time drain. I’d rather be hiking around a neat park or reading on a blanket in the shade. I’d rather be playing tennis and taking the dogs to play at the dog park. You with me?

When you don’t get home from work until 6 or 7pm, spending an hour or more on dinner is a good way to drain the rest of your energy while simultaneously killing your good mood.

As long as you get an adequate breakfast and nutritious lunch (lots of veggies), there’s no need to go overboard with big dinners all the time – especially if you’ve packed on some winter pounds.

Here are some ideas for tiny snack-like dinners that you can prepare and eat in just a few minutes. They all have enough protein to give you some energy to go out and explore the world.  And you could always toss them in a cooler with some wine and go for a picnic in the park.  (Tip: If you get hungry again close to bed, sip on some warm milk with cinnamon and nutmeg.)

1.  Banana w/ nut butter and granola. Grab and partially peel a banana. Use a knife to spread a blob of your favorite nut butter on the next bite of banana. Dip it into a bowl or bag of granola to coat.  Eat and repeat.

2.  Tuna in a pouch. (made using the solid-white albacore tuna in air-tight pouches)  Cut open the tuna pouch and throw in a small forkful of mayo (or avocado instead) and some random stuff from the fridge. Maybe toss in some grapes or nuts or a little lettuce and some radish. Eat straight up with a fork or on crackers (my favorite crackers are Wasa).

3.  Fresh mozzy’s. Cut up a fresh mozzarella ball and put on toasted bread, crackers, or in a wrap with fresh basil and tomato. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and add a sprinkling of salt and pepper and enjoy.

4.  Simple  salad. Grab a handful of spinach or micro-greens and throw on a hard-boiled egg  (precooked earlier in the week) or goat cheese. Add a couple other veggies of your choosing (onion, radish, broccoli, etc) and drizzle with a quick dressing (whip together extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and fancy brown mustard). You can crumble some cracker on top if your feelin’ it.

5.  Cottage cheese with strawberries. Pretty simple stuff here, just slice strawberries on some cottage cheese (or yogurt if you’d rather) and eat with a fork or wrap in lettuce and eat with your fingers.

6.  Yogurt dipped veggies. Combine just a little bit (to suit your taste) of a ranch seasoning packet with some plain yogurt. Serve with raw veggies of your choosing.

So, there you go. I’m giving you permission to eat small for dinner once and a while. Permission to get out of the kitchen and out enjoying the world.

Do you have any idea’s of your own?? Leave them in the comments.

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(photo by Antikris)

I’ll admit that I quickly became excited about chia seeds when they first entered my world. I did a bit of research after reading about them in Born To Run, and got excited about this newly discovered supposedly excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids.

I ordered a big bag off Amazon.com and started incorporating some into smoothies and otherwise eating them by the spoonful. Recommending them to family and friends, I was a major chia fan to say the very least.

If you’ve never heard of chia seeds, here is a quick rundown:

• They were a major food source of the Mayan and Aztec civilizations
• They ARE the same seeds that grow chia pets (just don’t eat these ones, they’re processed differently)
• They are very high in Omega 3 fatty acids (even higher than flax seeds)
• They are becoming BIG TIME popular with a mention on Oprah by Dr. Oz
• Hold approx. 12 times their weight in water, and thereby aid in hydration
• High in antioxidants

A one ounce serving contains approximately:

• Omega-3 fatty acids:  5g
• Omega-6 fatty acids:  1.6g
• Fiber:  11g  (primarily soluble) – total carbs 12g
• Protein:  4g
• Calories:  137
• Calcium:  180 mg

Pretty good stats right?

These stats are great for such an inexpensive food, but they don’t form the complete picture.  Much like flaxseeds, the Omega-3 fatty acids contained in chia seeds are in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) form. Herein lies the problem. The main benefits of Omega-3 ALA consumption is to try and get our bodies to convert it into EPA/DHA fatty acids (the kind found in fish oil), but in most cases our bodies just don’t seem to be efficient at making the conversion (sources: 1,2,3). ALA bio-conversion to EPA is very limited and conversion to the even more important DHA is practically absent. I said “in most cases” because there has been some evidence of the conversion rate being higher in vegans and EPA conversion higher in chronically-ill African-Americans (sources: 1,2).

To put all this more simply: most of the Omega-3’s we get from chia seeds get wasted.

Getting enough of the right (EPA/DHA) Omega-3 fatty acids is extremely important for overall good health – one of the most important dietary things you can do in my opinion. In order to reduce chronic inflammation, we should try to get closer to a 1:1 ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids. This is vitally important. Most of us get far too much Omega-6 fatty acids, with the typical American’s ratio more around 30:1.

What does all this mean for you?

Most people should be supplementing with Omega’s 3’s to get the O6 to O3 ratio closer to 1:1. And as long as your not vegetarian/vegan, you probably should be taking fish-oil instead of relying on chia seeds. Chia seeds (or flax seeds) just can’t give you the proper Omega-3 benefits.

That being said, I’m going to recommend you still eat them, but for different reasons than you’ve previously heard. Chia seeds are mainly a good food option for their high content of soluble fiber and antioxidants as well as their hydrating properties (when prepared as a gel). So yeah…don’t give up on them just yet!

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Any questions?  Leave a comment and I’ll be sure to respond.   If you haven’t already – please subscribe so you don’t miss out on more healthy eating tips in the future.

1st, a special announcement….

We’ve been working hard on an eBook we’re creating called Organized Eating. I say we because my fiancé Nate has volunteered to occasionally help write for the blog (this blog!). Nate reads a ton and has a killer memory and therefore probably knows as much about healthy eating as me.  So welcome him aboard as an occasional writer and at the very least contributor/editor/moral supporter!

Anyways, back to Organized Eating….

We’ve been hard at work creating this eBook that has the potential to help a lot of people save time and eat better.  The eBook will be released sometime in the next few months and it will be absolutely free, no e-mail sign-up or anything will be required. Its going to be AWESOME my friends!

While putting together a section of the book about strategic meal planning, we decided to make a list of our ultimate favorite healthy foods.   We posed the question: “If we could eat/drink nothing else for the rest of our lives besides 75 things, what would they be?”  AND…here’s the catch…they must be considered healthy (by someones definition at least).

I have posted the results below and I encourage you to create a list of your own.  Sit down and write it with the people you cook for- trying to shoot for 75 items.  It’s a great list to have on hand as a personal resource; use it as your base of reference when you sit down to plan meals.  Or take it to the grocery store and buy lots of stuff off it -  try to eat it all before anything goes bad (using common sense!).

Here is our list (excluding herbs & seasonings):

1. carrots
2. milk (soy or reg)
3. cantaloupe
4. tuna (troll or pole caught only, from US or B.C.)
5. wild salmon
6. sardines
7. grass-fed beef
8. Sriracha sauce
9. quinoa
10. brown rice
11. tamari
12. chicken
13. lamb
14. romaine lettuce
15. turkey
16. hazelnuts
17. onion
18. eggs
19. yogurt
20. butter
21. extra virgin olive oil
22. cheese
23. parsnips
24. spinach
25. tomatoes
26. strawberries
27. blueberries
28. avocado
29. garlic
30. shallots
31. almonds (and processed for almond butter/milk)
32. banana
33. potato/sweet potatoes
34. chia seeds
35. black beans
36. coconut/coconut water
37. walnuts
38. pinto beans
39. whole oats/oatmeal
40. kale
41. kombucha
42. tea
43. coffee
44. beets
45. oranges
46. grapefruit
47. blackberries
48. raspberries
49. dark chocolate
50. lentils
51. chickpeas
52. pine nuts
53. sweet peppers
54. hot peppers
55. sunflower seeds
56. sun-dried tomatoes
57. pistachios
58. coconut oil
59. whole-wheat bread (esp sprouted!)
60. grapes
61. beer
62. cherries
63. red wine
64. asparagus
65. green beans
66. watermelon
67. artichokes
68. cucumber
69. pears
70. pluots
71. honey
72. squash
73. celery
74. red snapper
75. dates

(notice how we cleverly said the all inclusive “squash” instead of zuke, butternut, or pumpkin.  You can find clever ways to cheat on the 75 things limit too if you want)

I know I’m going to remember some favorites that I left off here, so don’t hold me to this list forever.  You can look at updated versions whenever you want at https://healthyeatingroadmap.com/favoritefoodslist/.  Feel free to try and talk me into adding something to my list if you want, but make sure to also mention what I should remove in the process!  (haha, tricky stuff right!)

###updated 4/22 – since I first ran this piece, I have removed celery and cucumber and added water and broccoli (thanks Jess).

So, are you considering making a list?  Think your family’s input will give you greater confidence to cook for that picky kid/husband/wife of yours?  Do you think it would make meal-planning easier for you?  Tell us in the comments.

It would be really fun if you created your own list and blogged about it!  If you do, give us your link in the comments so we can check it out.

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(photo by Rennett Stowe)

Overlooked and underused in the american kitchen, these five foods pack a nutritional uppercut.  Shoot for incorporating at least two of them into your diet each week.

1. Sun-Dried Tomatoes

With potent lycopene levels, these delicious gems may reduce cancers of the lung, stomach, and prostate.   Sun-dried tomatoes are also high in antioxidants and vitamin C.

Throw them in your next pesto dish, on a home-made pizza, or in a lunchtime veggie wrap.   If your feeling really frisky, head over to pickyourown.org to learn how to make sun-dried tomatoes all by yourself.

2.  Sardines

You’ve been told a million times to eat more fish, specifically salmon and tuna for the high Omega-3 fatty acids.  Well, dare I say, these are even better (for you).  They are tiny little fishes, so they haven’t had the time and energy to bio-accumulate so much mercury.  They are extremely low in mercury contaminants.

Buy them packed in extra virgin olive oil and you’ll see they totally deserve a spot on your caesar salad tonight.  Yum!  Or, Sometimes we buy them packed in mustard sauce and spread on whole-wheat crackers for a mid-afternoon snack.  Crown Prince brand is really good and you can buy them in bulk on Amazon to save time at the grocery store if that’s your thing.

#update:  important new video clip about sardines:  http://blip.tv/file/3492270

3.  Sunflower Seeds

Firm and tender?  Yes, that’s totally possible!!  And sunflower seeds are the perfect example.   These anti-inflamatory mini-guys pack a huge amount of vitamin E in every serving, which is a very important nutrient.  Vitamin E is the body’s main source of fat-soluble antioxidants.  They are also high in thiamin and magnesium.  And BONUS: the flowers are beautiful!

The eating possibilities are many.   Throw them on salads or just eat them by the handfuls.  You can also incorporate them into your favorite granola bar recipe.

4.  Quinoa

A favorite amongst vegetarians.  And mayans!

The grain-like quinoa have been gaining popularity for good reason.  They have a perfect set of amino acids which form a complete protein.  Also, there are so many great recipes to make with quinoa.  We are big fans of just putting some lightly sauteed or steamed vegetables over them.   Here is one of my favorite recipe websites, 101 cookbooks, showing you how to do quinoa for breakfast or as an interesting dinner.

5.  Black-Eyed Peas

These are good for you despite being named after the low talent music group (haha, j/k).   And don’t confuse them with the pea family either, they’re actually beans!

Black-eyed peas are all about the fiber – good for your heart and intestines (and pooping!).  They are high in folate, low in fat and sodium, and contain no cholesterol.  And for the protein junkies, good news – black eyed peas are extremely high in protein.

Buy from the bulk bin and relish in your frugality or buy fresh for maximum flavor and nutrients.  Here’s how to cook fresh black-eyed peas:

• Place black-eyed peas in a large pot or saucepan.  Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Reduce heat to low.  Simmer covered until peas are soft when pierced with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes.  Drain and serve.

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I’ve got some other ideas for “Often Forgotten Power Foods” so I’ll probably do another post sometime in the not-near future.   Make sure to subscribe to this blog so you don’t miss out on all the exciting things I’ve got coming soon, including more free stuff.   Let me know in the comments if your a fan of any of these foods.

(photo by diongillard)