October 02, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC Figuring out what to make for dinner is a never ending struggle for everyone, but when you’re adhering to an eating plan with a lengthy list of rules, it can be even more challenging. Many people say they have benefitted from sticking with the ketogenic diet—an eating plan that is 75 percent healthy fats, 20 percent protein, and 5 percent carbohydrates—including better cognitive function, less mood swings, and weight management. But that whole cutting carbs part is hard. That’s where a handy keto cookbook (or two, or five) comes in. Don’t struggle in the dark figuring out what low-carb foods to eat—take the advice of expert recipe developers instead. Whether you’re cooking for an entire family, are obsessed with your Instant Pot, or have a major sweet tooth, there’s a cookbook for you. Scroll down to find your perfect one. 1. If you’re a keto newbie: The Complete Keto Cookbook for Beginners If you’re still figuring out the basics of the ketogenic diet, this book by Christine Jensen will be your go-to. It has need-to-know intel on the science behind the ketogenic diet and tips on how to stay in ketosis. With so many delicious recipes—everything from brie with raspberries to classic Italian meatballs—it won’t feel like you’re missing out on anything. 2. If you’re obsessed with the Instant Pot: Keto Instant Pot Cookbook This cookbook by Mary Goodrich has over 500 (!) recipes, all using the beloved Instant Pot. Recipes range
Category: Keto
True or false: Milk is completely okay to drink on the keto diet
September 26, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC With eating plans that have a lot of rules—keto, we’re looking at you—come a lot of questions. One top one for beginners: Is milk keto? Because honestly, not everyone can get on board with the whole “butter coffee” thing. Let’s back up for a sec. On the high-fat, very low-carb plan, most people stick to getting 70 to 80 percent of their calories from fat and just 20 to 30 grams of net carbs per day, although those numbers can be a bit variable depending on the person and what version of keto they’re on. (Ketotarian, for example, is a bit more generous with the carb count.) Counting “net carbs” versus total carbs gives you more leeway with said carbs. You get this figure by taking total carbs and subtracting from it fiber grams and sugar alcohols. Got all that? Great. Now let’s talk to an expert to see if you can be all “Got Milk?” on the ketogenic diet. Can I have cow’s milk on keto? I hate to break it to you, but dairy milk is not going to be keto-compliant, says Amy Kubal, RDN, a registered dietitian in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It’s natural to think it might be, especially if you go for the full-fat stuff. However, milk contains lactose, a milk sugar, which contains…carbohydrates. It also has no fiber to offset the carbs. So, you’re looking at 12 grams of net carbs per cup for whole milk. Even
The rules for eating a plant-based burger are the same as eating a regular beef burger
September 21, 2019 at 08:00PM by CWC Not to brag, but we totally predicted 2019 would be the year of alt-meats. Not only do I live within spitting’s distance of innumerable joints slinging Beyond and Impossible Burgers here in vegan-friendly Los Angeles, but I have also spotted them on multiple menus in my Texas hometown, where “meat-free” typically registers as a slur. Alt-meat’s fast becoming a staple on menus at Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts, White Castle, Carl’s Jr., and Subway, which signals a mainstreaming of the trend beyond any quinoa-eating old-school vegan’s wildest dreams. However, just because they’re plant-based doesn’t mean they automatically deserve a place at every meal. “We know that real burgers are not a health food, and these fake burgers are not meant to be a health food,” cautions Dana Hunnes, PhD, MPH, RD, senior dietitian at UCLA Medical Center. “They are meant to be a direct substitute for a meat burger that doesn’t harm any animals and reduces harm to the environment.” Still, she posits, they are technically better in some ways than a beef burger from a health perspective. Despite being processed, “they’re are not nearly as likely to be potential carcinogens since they are plant-based,” she says, referring to the scientifically-established link between red meat and cancer risk. Nutrition science journalist Max Lugavere takes a somewhat contrary view. “Every ingredient in these fake meat burgers has already undergone intensive processing on their own, often using heat and harsh chemical solvents, which then come together to achieve
Let the Global Climate Strike inspire you to take 5 steps to save the environment
September 20, 2019 at 04:53PM by CWC The Global Climate Strike is taking place right now in more than 150 countries. From September 20-27, ahead of the United Nation’s 2019 Climate Action Summit in New York City, millions of strikers will exit their schools, homes, offices, factories, and farms to protest the environmental atrocities occurring in their respective zip codes. “Some will spend the day in protest against new pipelines and mines, or the banks that fund them; some will highlight the oil companies fueling this crisis and the politicians that enable them,” reads the official website of the Global Climate Strike. Unfortunately, not everyone is in a position to walk out of their lives right here and right now. But that doesn’t mean you have to sit out this momentous event. On an individual level, there are moves you can make to lessen your own environmental footprint, and to demand the your representatives do the same on a larger scale. Here’s how to make an impact. 5 ways to help the environment, inspired by the Global Climate Strike 1. Ditch your car whenever you can Back in 2017, a study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters compared 147 individual actions on climate change. They found that cutting down on driving time is the single-best thing anyone can do for the environment. So ride your bike, walk, take public transportation, and do what you can stay far away from fossil fuels. 2. Eat less (or half the amount) of the
These are the 9 healthiest items to order at P.F. Chang’s, according to a dietitian
September 20, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC Whether you live in a big city with literally hundreds of hole-in-the-wall Chinese places or a suburb with just a handful of hidden gems, people still flock to P.F. Chang’s as if it’s the only place in town serving up fried rice and wontons. Haters will say it’s because the chain—which has over 200 locations in the US—is almost always in a mall, drawing upon a customer base that just got too hungry while shopping at Pottery Barn to venture any further out. But that’s not why your local P.F. Chang’s always has a crowd. The thing is, it’s honestly really good. So good in fact that the chain has ventured into the world of frozen food so people can try to replicate their favorite restaurant dishes at home. Delicious, yes. But healthy? Well, like virtually every restaurant, some menu items are better than others. The P.F. Chang’s menu is about the size of a pocket dictionary, making it hard to zero in on the items that are truly healthy, and even more difficult if you follow a specific eating plan, such as keto, vegetarian, or gluten-free. That’s where registered dietitian Chelsey Amer, RD, comes in. Here, she reveals the healthiest items on the menu for the three aforementioned eating plans, which can also serve as a blueprint to healthy eating at the restaurant regardless of what your food ethos is. Ready to see what she picked? Keep reading to find out. Ketogenic
Here’s what a healthy plate really looks like when you’re doing Whole30
September 18, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC Take out dairy, grains, added sugar, legumes, and alcohol, and what’s left to eat? That’s a central question for people trying the Whole30 diet, a month-long elimination style diet designed to help people better understand their food sensitivities and unhealthy food habits. Whole30 meal ideas feel a bit limited when you only have a few foods left to work with—meat, seafood, vegetables, eggs, nuts, seeds, certain oils, and some fruit. The eating plan, even though it’s designed to be short-term, isn’t for everyone. “It’s highly restrictive and that level of restriction can create an unhealthy mentality about food,” says NYC-based dietitian Natalie Rizzo, MS, RD. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t do it—many people have found it helpful to reset their relationship with sugar and processed foods—but it’s important to make sure you’re not deficient in nutrients. That means building your plate with the right macros from foods that are both Whole30-approved and delicious. “If you decide to do Whole30, you have to make sure you’re planning out your meals to make sure you’re eating enough calories throughout the day,” says Rizzo. To make things easier, check out this handy guide from Rizzo on building the perfect Whole30 plate every time. Photo: W+G Creative Vegetables should make up half of your plate “No matter what diet you follow, I always recommend half the plate should be veggies,” says Rizzo. That’s true for keto, paleo, Mediterranean, and yes, Whole30. You can eat any ones
The 7 healthiest protein bars you can buy, according to a top dietitian
September 18, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd3F29ZBAYc] Confused about which protein bar option is truly healthy? Watch the video to discover the best ones. You may think the alternative pasta aisle is getting crowded, but it’s nothing compared to the protein bar section of the grocery store. From keto-crafted bars to ones that taste like birthday cake, there are endless options of what to stash in your gym bag—which makes choosing one that’s truly good for you a huge challenge. Fortunately registered dietitian Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, reads food labels for fun the way other people read books. In this week’s episode of You Versus Food, she reveals the seven protein bars that get her healthy seal of approval, along with some general tips on what to look for when choosing a bar. “Pay attention to how many servings are in each bar,” Beckerman says, adding that it’s usually one, but it pays to double-check. If your bar is serving as a snack, she says it should be about 30 grams of carbs, 7 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fiber. But if it’s a meal, the protein and fiber numbers need to be higher. With these tips in mind, two of Beckerman’s favorite protein bars are Health Warrior Superfood Bars (made with plant-based protein sources pumpkin seeds or chia) and Perfect Bar (made with nut butter, organic egg powder, and rice powder). Both are made with easily-identifiable ingredients but have the nutrient balance that will lead to
5 Keto Soup Recipes Because FALL IS COMING
September 13, 2019 at 02:00PM They all take just minutes to make, so you can have a comforting dinner, stat. Continue Reading… Author Liz Moody | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC
Make healthy eating easy thanks to this technique used by the U.S. Army
September 13, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC The word “cafeteria” transports me back to my high school days of shuffling through the lunch line with hundreds of equally-hungry teenagers. The chicken was dry, they (somehow?) managed to ruin pizza, and breakfast-for-lunch days were the only silver lining. So imagine my surprise when I learned that you could eat healthy in a cafeteria…if you go to one run by the U.S. Army. Army cafeterias operate under the “Go For Green” system (a version of the Stoplight Diet), which was started back in 2011 by General Mark C. Hartley, MD, of the Center for Initial Military Training as part of the Soldier Fueling Initiative. “What he saw was that recruits were really struggling in initial military training just based on their physical fitness status and their nutrition status,” says Maj. Brenda Bustillos, PhD, a nutritionist with the U.S. Army. The “Go For Green” program remedied the problem with a two-fold solution: labeling all prepared foods as red, yellow, or green, then redesigning the dining facilities (“D-facs”) to better direct troops toward performance-boosting foods. Once you know what foods belong in which color category and why (which we’ll touch on in a sec), the system becomes an intuitive, easy, and surprisingly fun way to game-ify your own healthy eating goals and habits. Even if you don’t have a gymnasium-sized “D-fac” in your own home, you can totally use the army’s system to stock your fridge and prepare meals that meet your specific nutritional
Confession: I only have one pan in my kitchen and I use it for everything
September 11, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC When I moved out of the apartment I shared with my ex, I basically started from scratch when buying for my new one. If you’d like more details about how woo woo decor helped me cope with my loneliness, here you go. But one thing I didn’t realize I had going for me in my old place (aside from a dishwasher and in-unit laundry, sigh) is that I had full access to a chef-worthy assortment of pots and pans. Now, I have exactly one pan—and I use it to cook everything. I know that in practice there are specific uses for different pans, and some pans are better suited to cook eggs or stir fry vegetables. But realistically, even with approximately 100 pans at my disposal, I wasn’t using them. I would just pull out a new pan because it was the one that wasn’t still sitting in the sink with cauliflower gnocchi stuck to the bottom. Having tons of pans did not make me a better cook, or inspire me to try harder to be a better cook. It just meant I ended up having to do more dishes (well, make my ex do more dishes, but potato potahto). When I moved into my new apartment, I had to get a whole new kitchen set—and that stuff is expensive. Since the breakup was new, I figured I’d probably be subsisting on a diet of Postmates for a few weeks (#toosadtocook), but I