October 01, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC It’s no secret that the food industry has a big sustainability problem. According to the World Wildlife Foundation, around 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide come from the food system (and farm animals in particular create 40 percent of methane gas emissions in the United States). There is no one cure to this very large issue, but there are a few ways people can contribute to a more eco-friendly food system—like prioritizing farm-to-table food and restaurants. It’s not just a buzzword. Essentially, “farm-to-table” describes food and restaurants that use local (and often in-season) ingredients, whether that’s vegetables grown on a nearby farm or meat from a small area rancher. The movement has been around since the ’30s, but it’s seeing new life as more and more people are interested in eating sustainably. Experts argue that using local ingredients when they’re in season is better for the environment, since it requires less transportation (and thus creates a smaller carbon footprint). Many also argue that this is a healthier option for consumers, since produce in general retains fewer nutrients the more time there is between harvest and consumption. To make this work, chefs maintain a direct relationship with their farmers and purveyors, and often prioritize vendors who use organic and sustainable farming methods. Speaking of organic, here’s the deal with that whole “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean Fifteen” thing: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHSaA0-Chg] Certainly, some places just use this term as a buzzword. But legit farm-to-table restaurants
Category: Vegetarians
This just in: Nuts really *are* the healthiest snack
September 30, 2019 at 10:30PM by CWC Certain food trends come and go (remember when everyone was amped about banana milk?), but eating nuts, it seems, will never go out of style. Yes, they’re delicious and versatile, but as practically every nutritionist will attest, they come with lots of health benefits. A new study published this week in the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention, & Health looked at the diet and weight of 280,000 people from three different data sets over the course of more than 20 years. Participants (all healthy adults) were asked every four years to report their weight as well as how often they had eaten a serving of nuts. Researchers found that eating more nuts over time (just a small handful, per NPR) was associated with a lower risk of obesity as people aged compared to those who had a more limited nut intake. Of course, this study does come with some caveats. Like many other nutrition studies, it relies on self-reported data, meaning we’re relying on people to accurately and honestly recount the things they ate. (Do you remember what you ate last Saturday for dinner? Neither do I—which is what makes self-reported data a bit tricky.) Additionally, the study authors note that the subjects were 97 percent Caucasian “with relatively higher socioeconomic status,” making the results of this large study potentially not as applicable to other populations. Speaking of nuts, this is the very best nut butter, according to an RD: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsASWf_1AG0] Still though,
7 healthy canned pumpkin recipes that are anything but #basic
September 30, 2019 at 06:57PM by CWC I’m not one of those people who goes out and orders a PSL at the first sign of fall—promise. And come October, I’m not lighting pumpkin spice candles or filling my home with pumpkin-themed decor. But one thing (basic or not) that I’m totally happy to do this time each year is search for inventive and delicious pumpkin recipes. Gutting pumpkins isn’t exactly how I want to spend all my time, so I take a much simpler approach when making pumpkin recipes and head for the canned foods aisle at the supermarket (or get some on Amazon). There are so many different ways to use it. Whether you’re into pumpkin mac and cheese, cinnamon rolls, or—believe it or not—hummus, you’re in for a real (trick or) treat. These canned pumpkin recipes aren’t #basic at all Photo: Beaming Baker 1. Pumpkin pie smoothie Green smoothies are cool and all, but this one uses pumpkin purée, maple syrup, and coconut milk for a drink that tastes just like pumpkin pie. Photo: Vegan Richa 2. One-bowl pumpkin bread Banana bread, who? This pumpkin-y option is where its at. Photo: Chocolate Covered Katie 3. Pumpkin mac and cheese With this canned pumpkin recipe, mac and cheese gets a majorly seasonal—not to mention creamy!—upgrade. Photo: Flora & Vino 4. Pumpkin hummus Give your hummus the fall treatment by blending up canned pumpkin and almond butter with your chickpeas. Photo: Minimalist Baker 5. Vegan pumpkin pie ice cream This
I spent a month eating only ‘ugly’ vegetables to help fight food waste
September 29, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC I’ve always considered myself a champion of the underdog. It’s the reason why I hate the Patriots even though I know exactly nothing about football, and why Jerry Gergich is my favorite character on Parks and Rec. And, most recently, it’s why I overturned my old way of shopping for vegetables and replaced perfectly spherical apples, rod-straight cucumbers, and bright purple eggplants with their, quote, “uglier” counterparts. In an attempt to lessen the massive amount of food waste in the United States (an estimated $165 billion worth of food, which generates more than 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases annually and to make healthy eating more affordable for everyone—delivery services for less-than-perfect produce having been popping up right and left. “Almost half of what our nation’s farms grow is never eaten,” says Abhi Ramesh, founder and CEO of Misfits Market, one such service. “In fact, a recent study from the University of Santa Clara reported that a staggering 33 percent of U.S.-grown food is unharvested or left on the field.” There are lots of causes behind our food waste problem, including people not cooking everything they buy before it expires, restaurants and cafés over-ordering food that ends up not getting eaten, and issues with industrial processing. But one big contributing factor is our own tendency to prefer perfect-looking food. “One reason for this abundance of food waste is that mass supermarket chains have deemed misshapen, scarred, or abnormal-looking produce simply unsellable,” explains Ramesh. The ugly
One-pan baked zoodles never looked (or tasted) better
September 27, 2019 at 11:30PM by CWC Don’t hate me, but I’m just going to say it: As amazing as veggie noodles may be, you can only eat so many of them before every meal turns into a total snoozefest. Even with all the different sauces that pair perfectly with zoodles, boodles, and swoodles (yep, those are very real names… Google it!). I’ve been praying to the pasta gods for an upgrade. And it looks like I’ve finally been granted with a dinner game-changer. I came across a veggie noodle recipe that takes the dish to the next level with essentially no extra effort at all. Lauren Kirchmaier, the recipe developer behind Flora & Vino, places veggie noodles on baking sheet and roast them in the oven. Roasting veggie noodles is speedy and also adds depth to the flavor flavor. Kirchmaier uses the one-pan method to limit the amount of cleanup. She spreads out beet noodles, sweet potato noodles, and zucchini noodles on a baking sheet with some chickpeas, for good measure. But the options are endless when it comes to this meal. “Feel free to add an extra color to the veggie rainbow, or substitute in your favorite veggie noodle. I think butternut squash, turnip noodles, or daikon radish noodles would be great here, too,” she writes on her blog. After about 25 minutes in the oven, the veggies are tender and ready to eat. This time, however, you should ditch the pasta sauce and drizzle on Kirchmaier’s topping of
The most hydrating thing to drink after a workout isn’t water
September 27, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC You know those times when you’re, like, really thirsty and water suddenly tastes like the nectar of the gods? If you want to rehydrate after a particularly sweaty workout—and fast—your first instinct might be to turn on the tap and guzzle glass after glass of H2O. But a new study published in the The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that milk (gasp) might be the better option. Researchers at St. Andrews University in Scotland investigated the rehydration effects of 13 different beverages on 72 male test subjects by measuring their urine output and fluid balance. When you’re just putzing around and living your daily life, the research indicted that sparkling or still water will suit your hydration needs just fine. In the aftermath of a particularly tough HIIT session or training run, however, skim milk reigns supreme. And there’s a really fun, science-y reason what that’s the case. Study author Ronald Maughan, PhD, a professor at St. Andrews’ School of Medicine, tells CNN that milk’s post-workout merits are due to the fact it contains sugar lactose, protein, and fat, which slow down the natural process of your body emptying fluid from the stomach. These three components perfectly combine to help you stay hydrated over a longer period of time. The sodium in milk also helps your body hold the water and keeps it from producing as much urine. Ranking right after skim milk was oral rehydration tablets, full-fat milk, orange juice, cola, diet
A dietitian explains how you can eat healthy and delicious meals for just $7 a day
September 27, 2019 at 03:01PM by CWC Healthy eating has a reputation for being like the Big Apple—and by that I mean overpriced. Here in New York City, everything is expensive it seems. I once waited in line for two hours to buy a $15 bagel, and I’ve paid $19 for Serendipity 3‘s Forbidden Broadway Sundae more times than I care to admit. But if you ask Ilana Muhlstein, MS, RDN, and Los Angeles-based dietitian, she’ll tell you that purchasing a full day of nutritious food only requires a mere $7. “It’s a misconception that healthy eating has to be expensive,” Muhlstein explains. “It’s possible to eat cups of veggies, fresh fruit, and lean proteins for just pennies a meal.” You read that right! Loose change between the couch cushions is enough to buy a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner to fuel your daily activities. All you have to do is reach fro the right ingredients. “It could take some prep and planning, but even the $7 day includes a store bought wrap,” says the dietitian. View this post on Instagram HEALTHY EATING ON A BUDGET It’s a misconception that healthy eating has to be expensive. It’s possible to eat cups of veggies, fresh fruit and lean proteins for just pennies a meal. It could take some prep and planning, but even the $7 day includes a store bought wrap! Double tap if you want me to do more of these and tag a friend who is
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
Even healthy eaters overdo it with saturated fats—here are 4 easy ways to cut back your intake
September 25, 2019 at 10:30PM by CWC Whenever someone says the words “saturated fats,” my mind conjures burgers sizzling on the grill and the colorfully-wrapped candy bars at the checkout counter of Walgreens. While those two images are accurate, saturated fats are hiding in many parts of the American diet. And, a brand-new study published by The Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that all of us might be eating far more of them than we think. For context, let’s go ahead and redefine this type of fat. “Saturated fat is a dietary fat molecule that does not have any double bonds between the carbons,” explains Melissa Rifkin, RD, of Melissa Rifkin Nutrition, LLC. “Saturated fats mainly come from animal products, including dairy, but are also found in some plant oils such as coconut and palm oils.” The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that saturated fats take up less than 10 percent of your daily calorie intake. “Consuming high amounts of saturated fats can cause cholesterol to build up in your blood vessels, increasing the risk for chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease,” says Rifkin. Those who already have heart disease or high blood pressure should consume even less saturated fat, adds the dietitian. The cross-sectional study, which reviewed the diets of a whopping 43,996 adults found that the populations intake of saturated fats remains above that golden, aforementioned 10 percent. But with a few tweaks, Rifkin says you can totally turn that dial
The 6 golden rules of gut health doctors are begging you to follow
September 25, 2019 at 02:01PM by CWC Having a thriving microbiome is the cornerstone of living your healthiest life. A healthy gut ensures more energy, fights off germs flying around your office, and gets you your dream job. Okay, maybe not the last one, but considering that every doctor, dietitian, and kombucha-loving wellness influencer is constantly preaching about gut health, it’s clear that it’s wildly important. Everyone wants a healthy gut, but steps you can take to achieve it aren’t always clear. I asked four doctors who specialize in digestive health what gut health rules they wish everyone would follow. The golden rules of gut health 1. Don’t overeat According to integrative medicine doctor and gastroenterologist Marvin Singh, MD, one of the reason why so many Americans have digestive probs is because they simply overload their systems. “Don’t overeat and do leave time for the gut to rest,” he advises. It’s why he personally is a fan of intermittent fasting; it allows the body a chance to chill out so it isn’t constantly working to digest food. 2. Keep your diet clean Dr. Singh says toxins and additives are enemies of gut health; humans aren’t meant to be consuming these unnatural substances. “Stick to real, whole, clean, and organic foods he says. Jacob Skeans, MD, a gastroenterologist at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, agrees whole heartedly, advising everyone to eat less sugar. “A Western diet is high in sugar which negatively influences the gut microbiome,” he says. If you’re