vegetarian Archives - Page 12 of 12

The Latest Example of Misleading Headlines

April 4, 2016 By Cyd Notter

An interesting article was posted on Linked In yesterday which ties in directly to one of my recent blogs about "evaluating research".

The headline in the Daily News reads: Vegetarian Diet Raises the Risk of Heart Disease and Cancer. Wow, pretty scary, right? Especially to those of us who follow a whole food, plant based diet!

Not to worry. Once again the media has taken a thread of truth and woven a huge blanket of preposterous misinformation around it. Dr. David Katz posted a blog about this topic on his LinkedIn page called "Vegetarianism: Nutrition Science Meets Media Nonsense". Dr. Katz claims that the Daily News article takes hyperbolic headlines to a new, absurd, stupefying level. Since the article was released on April 1, Dr. Katz speculated that the article was tailor-made for April Fools day.

He goes on to report that the study does NOT report that vegetarianism increases the risk of heart disease, cancer, or any other bad outcome. Nothing of the sort. Not even close. The study (to which he posts a link) compared the genetic markers of 234 primarily vegetarian Indians to 311 Americans with typical diets, and found that the Indians had a higher frequency of genetic mutations that make them good at producing the fats that their diet doesn't provide.

For example, vegetarians are better at converting plant-based Omega-3 fat, notably one called ALA, into long-chain Omega-3s such as EPA and DHA (think fish oil). So how did such concerning headlines emanate from this? The researchers found that for the people who had adapted to a vegetarian diet, the imbalances of the modern (American) diet might be especially harmful..... which may explain why ethnic Indians are more prone to Type 2 diabetes when they transition to a diet of burgers, fries and soda.

In other words, as Dr. Katz points out,the study shows that the typical American diet may be especially bad for traditional vegetarians who have adapted to thrive on their native diet. The study only looked at gene frequencies - not heart disease, not cancer, and not death. Despite the insane headlines, the study had nothing to do with death or disease, but was only a study of gene patterns.

There should be a law against journalists twisting the truth such as this with outrageous headlines. It really is a form of false advertising. A whole food, plant based diet has been scientifically proven to be the only diet which can prevent, halt and reverse disease. Hopefully THAT will be the focus of future headlines.

Tip of the day: Assume anything your hear or read is false until you investigate the facts.

The Healthiest Airport Food

December 8, 2015 By Cyd Notter

Are you traveling this holiday season? If so, you might be interested to know which airports offer a few healthy food options. The Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) has recently released it's findings and suggestions. Be safe in your travels, and remember that in order to eat healthy on the road, planning and preparing ahead is key.

http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/airportfood2015/mdw

Sweet Tomatoes – saaaa-WEET!

October 21, 2015 By Cyd Notter

Have you ever eaten at "Sweet Tomatoes - the World's Largest Salad Buffet"? It's an all-you-can eat, self serve restaurant that features a salad bar, soup bar with at least one vegan option, baked white and sweet potatoes, usually one type of decent bread, and fresh fruit. (Of course they offer other things such as meat and cheese-based pasta, cheesy breads, oily muffins, an ice cream bar and high-fat desserts - non of which would be compliant with the McDougall plan or the "Plan A" diet :)) In spite of the not-so-good options, there is plenty to choose from for the WFPBNO crowd.

The closest Sweet Tomatoes to our home in Illinois is well over an hour drive, so if we see one while we're traveling, we're there! What's really cool is that I always seem to receive coupons just about the time we'll be going there. With the coupons, we can eat like kings for about $20. That saves us about $8 - $10 over the usual price.

Sweet Potato topped with vegan Southwestern Chili and green onions.

The salad bar is awesome - dark greens, spinach, chickpeas, kidney beans, peas, corn, beets, seeds, mushrooms and every vegetable you might like. They have a few fat-free dressings or you can just choose a flavored vinegar (sometimes I bring my own dressing). Of course they have several 'unhealthy' salads on the bar as well - Broccoli salad with mayo and bacon, Greek salads with feta cheese, etc. They cater to a variety of taste buds and eating styles.

The soup bar has at least one vegan soup option - the only drawback is that you cannot be 100% sure if oil has been added. Sometimes the ingredients are listed, and sometimes they aren't. Once in a while they have a "miso" soup with optional toppings including chopped tofu squares, rice noodles, onions, and shredded carrots. That is very yummy!

Prepare to leave the place STUFFED. By the time I finish the salad, I'm already full but then there's the soup and potatoes!

For those times when you want to eat out and not totally dread what may be on the menu, this is a great option. Especially if you're with a group of people who don't follow a healthy diet - they'll still be able to find many Standard American Diet (SAD) options and you'll be able to eat well with no guilt.

Do you have any favorite restaurants that offer whole foods, plant-based, no oil options?

Majority are Not Listening to Mom…..How about You?

September 29, 2015 By Cyd Notter

Are you eating enough fruits and veggies???

A study released recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) certainly tells a sad and concerning tale. The study measured the number of adults in the United States who are meeting the recommended intake of fruits and vegetables. The recommendation is that adults who engage in less than 30 minutes of moderate physical activity daily should consume 1.5 – 2.0 cups of fruit, and 2 – 3 cups of vegetables daily. During 2007 – 2010, however, 76% of Americans did NOT meet the recommended fruit intake, and 87% did NOT meet the recommended vegetable intake. Half the total US population consumed less than 1 cup of fruit and less than 1.5 cups of vegetables daily. These results are dismal to say the least.

The CDC says that eating more fruits and vegetables adds nutrients to the diet, reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, and some cancers, and helps manage body weight when consumed in place of more energy-dense foods. (I would personally like to add that a host of other ailments are relieved or reversed by consuming a diet HIGH in fruits and vegetables!)

McDougall Curried Sweet Potato Burgers, Polenta Fries and Pineapple Parsnips — Sweet Potato Burgers, Polenta Fries and Pineapple Parsnips

The data for the study is comprised from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS); and although the total number of Americans in this particular study was 373,580 adults, the results varied substantially by state. For example, Americans meeting the fruit intake recommendations vary from 7.5% in Tennessee to 17.7% in California; those meeting the recommended vegetable intake vary from 5.5% in Mississippi to 13.0% in California. In case you’re wondering where Illinois ranks, of the 5016 adults surveyed, only 14.6% eat enough fruit and only 8.7% eat enough vegetables on a daily basis.

The BRFSS is the sole source of dietary surveillance information used by most states to help identify public health nutrition problems and support the design and management of nutrition intervention programs; the BRFSS collects data on health risk behaviors and conditions, chronic diseases and conditions, access to health care and other related issues. The survey also asks respondents how many times per day, week or month they consumed 100% fruit juice, whole fruit, dried beans, dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, and other vegetables over the previous time frame.

The CDC suggests that because fruit and vegetable consumption affects multiple health outcomes and is currently low across all states, continued efforts are needed to increase demand and consumption. Improving intake during childhood is needed; 60% of children consumed less than the recommended fruit, and 93% consumed fewer vegetables than recommended between 2007-2010. School districts, schools and early care providers can help increase children’s fruit and vegetable intake with meals, snacks, and whenever food is offered; staff should also be trained to make fruits and vegetables more appealing and accessible. The CDC also suggests we should improve fruit and vegetable access, placement and promotion in grocery stores, restaurants, worksites and other community settings.

On a personal note, it’s the observation of many – myself included – that people aren’t eating enough fruits and vegetables because they’re eating a poor diet in general. It’s great to increase the amount of fruits and veggies we’re eating, but we also need to improve the entire diet. It’s the totality of the diet that matters. The way to improve one’s overall diet is through education, motivation, and learning easy and practical life skills (how to prepare, shop and cook). That’s where I come in. I’m at your service when you’re ready to begin. To learn more about our classes or receive our newsletter and/or blog. We have a great class on Bone Health scheduled for the morning of Nov. 7, 2015. Get details here.

We all Scream

August 20, 2015 By Cyd Notter

If you’ve been reading this column for any length of time, you know that we’ve often discussed the health risks associated with consuming cow’s milk (and there are many). Realizing that cow’s milk is designed to rapidly grow a calf from 80 pounds to approximately 800 pounds in about a year, it’s not a stretch to see how drinking the mother’s milk of another species can lead to health problems.

But if you scream for ice cream and find it hard to live without, there is good news. Your taste buds will not have to sacrifice all of the sweet creaminess we love to enjoy, especially in the summer. Here are some easy recipes that are delicious and healthy. Please note that many recipes call for frozen bananas – use ‘spotted’ bananas and be sure to peel before freezing!

The Yonana
This is not a recipe, but rather a fun machine that turns frozen fruit into soft serve. We’ve had our Yonana machine for several years and it still works great! You do not have to use bananas – any frozen fruit will work.
Yonana Banana Split: Process frozen bananas into banana ice cream, top with chocolate sauce (shown below), chopped strawberries and pineapple, and voila – you have an amazing banana split!

Easy Chocolate Sauce
½ cup pitted dates
¼ cup cocoa, carob, or cacao
Place dates in water to soften. Remove dates from water (save water), and place in food processor with cocoa powder. Blend, adding the saved date water to reach the desired consistency. (Note: a small food processor works best for this - or even a coffee grinder to blend small batches at a time).

4-Ingredient Chocolate Ice Cream
This recipe is out of this world. The entire recipe with full notes can be found at www.thevegan8.com.
¾ cup cooked, mashed, packed sweet potato
2 cups LIGHT canned coconut milk (shake cans prior to measuring)
1.5 cups dairy-free mini-chocolate chips (‘Enjoy Life’ is a great brand)
1 TBS vanilla extract
¼ tsp. sea salt
Add sweet potato, coconut milk, vanilla and salt to a blender (don’t blend yet). Melt the chocolate chips using your preferred method, being careful not to burn. Add to blender. Blend all ingredients on high until completely smooth. Pour into a freezer safe container and place in freezer. Every 30 minutes (for about 2 hours), stir the mixture and re-freeze. Then freeze overnight (if you can wait!). You may need to let it sit for 15 minutes to soften a bit before serving.

Red Velvet Sorbet

4 large ripe bananas, frozen
10 oz. frozen raspberries
2 TBS cocoa powder
4-5 pitted dates, chopped
Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender until creamy. (Note: I use a food processor, and separate into separate containers before freezing. Top with a few dairy-free chocolate chips before freezing, if desired).
(NOTE: To make BLACK CHERRY sorbet: 3 cups frozen cherries, 1 cup almond milk, 1 frozen banana, ½ cup walnuts, 3 pitted dates. Blend and enjoy!)

Strawberry Pineapple Sorbet
1 10-oz. bag frozen strawberries
½ cup orange juice or soy milk
4 slices dried pineapple (unsulphured)
1 cup fresh organic strawberries (optional)
Blend all ingredients (except fresh berries) in a high powered blender or food processor. Pour into sorbet glasses and top with fresh berries. (PS – You could try adding frozen pineapple instead of dried pineapple, although I have not done so).

The Elvis Shake
3 bananas, peeled and frozen
2 cups almond milk (or soy milk)
1 TBS peanut butter (no added oils)
¼ cup cocoa (or cacao powder)
Blend in high-powered blender until thick and creamy.

Banana Split Shake
¾ - 1 cup chocolate almond milk
½ - 1 ripe banana
5 frozen cherries (or more to taste)
Ice cubes
Place half the chocolate milk in blender with half the banana and an ice cube. Blend. Add remaining milk, banana, and as many cherries as you wish; Blend. Add ice as you desire. (Note: using a frozen banana would reduce the amount of ice).

Chia-Fruit Ice Cream
(recipe by Jacqueline Berry)
2 TBS chia seeds
1 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ cup raw cashews
½ cup almond milk
8-10 pitted dates
2 cups partially frozen fruit – your choice of any combo
Blend chia seeds and water and allow to sit 15 minutes to form a gel. Add remaining ingredients to blender and process until smooth. Pour into containers and freeze.

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