November 26, 2019 at 07:30PM by CWC When it comes to choosing a healthy eating plan, there’s a lot of questions someone may ask themselves. Does my body feel its best without animal products? Did our ancestors have it all figured out? Can I really live without cheese? But the most pressing question in 2019: is this truly a sustainable diet? Indeed, there’s a preponderance of evidence that all of us need to change our ways in order to curb the worst effects of climate change. Just Tuesday, the UN released a damning report saying that carbon emissions continue to increase globally, and seven of the world’s biggest economies (including the US) are not doing their part to help. It doesn’t help that 10 percent of American greenhouse gas emissions come from the agricultural sector—leading many healthy eaters to wonder how their food impacts the planet. That’s where the buzzy planetary health diet, or climate diet, comes in. Introduced by 37 doctors from 16 countries in the journal The Lancet earlier in the year, it offers up a researched-backed eating plan for how to eat healthy in a way that minimally impacts the planet and ensures that it will be habitable for future generations. But given that the ground-breaking report is…incredibly long, we decided to get some practical intel on what a truly sustainable diet looks like from registered dietitian and The Conscious Dietitian blogger Sharon Palmer, RD. She breaks down the planetary health diet so that you can build
Tag: Paleo
How to use avocados to make your favorite desserts so much healthier
November 24, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC When you think about the primary ingredient in super-creamy desserts, your mind probably goes straight to dairy. But what if I told you your favorite green fruit is the key to making a mouthwatering treat the plant-based way? Using avocados in desserts isn’t anything new. It’s been a vegan cooking staple for years and is often used in lieu of butter when baking. It’s so much more than a healthy ingredient swap, though. In many recipes, its natural creaminess is what takes desserts to the next level, whether you’re making a chocolate silk pie, key lime bars, or ice cream. If you want to make a healthier version of some of your favorite sweet dishes without sacrificing taste or texture, these avocado desserts truly give you the best of both worlds. Mouthwatering avocado desserts you’ll want to make again and again Photo: The Conscious Plant Kitchen 1. Chocolate avocado pie There’s no baking required for this pie that uses avocados to create a creamy, chocolatey mousse filling. Photo: Daisy Beet 2. Avocado key lime bars Any key lime fans will love this melt-in-your-mouth, avocado version. Photo: Feel Good Foodie 3. Avocado ice cream You only need a handful of simple ingredients for this dairy-free ice cream, including avocados, bananas, maple syrup, and coconut milk. Photo: Minimalist Baker 4. Chocolate peanut butter avocado pudding This chocolate and peanut butter combo is like Reese’s, but better. Photo: Eating Bird Food 5. Creamy lime and avocado
Enjoy this cornucopia of gluten-free stuffing recipes for your Thanksgiving spread
November 23, 2019 at 08:00PM by CWC As iconic as turkey is to the Thanksgiving spread, everyone knows the side dishes are really the stars—and stuffing is often the dish people get excited about the most. (Sorry, green bean casserole.) Traditionally, stuffing is bread-based, which is a major bummer to GF eaters. But cubing loaves of bread certainly isn’t the only way to make the classic holiday dish, and dare I say, it’s not even the tastiest. Don’t believe me? Check out these seven unique, gluten-free takes on Thanksgiving stuffing, which both traditionalists and GF eaters will enjoy. Many even check other boxes, such as being Paleo, Whole30, vegetarian, or dairy-free. So no matter what the dietary needs are for your Turkey Day meal, you’re sure to find a recipe that will have everyone around the table reaching for seconds. Keep reading for 7 gluten-free stuffing recipes. Photo: Lexi’s Clean Kitchen 1. Gluten-free bread-based stuffing If you’re set on making bread-based stuffing but are looking for a gluten-free way to do it, the most straight-forward trick is using a loaf of GF bread to cube, as this recipe from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen does. It calls for the same ingredients you’ll find in traditional stuffing recipes too, such as thyme, carrots, mushrooms, and celery. Photo: Ambitious Kitchen 2. Gluten-free cornbread stuffing If you’re from the South, chances are you already use cornbread as a base for your Thanksgiving stuffing. This recipe shows how to whip the cornbread up the GF way
The gut-healthy reason Mandy Moore switches up her breakfast each day
November 18, 2019 at 05:46PM by CWC Eating the same thing each morning means you’re spared making hard choices about what to eat for breakfast. But as much as you may love your bowl of oatmeal topped with banana and peanut butter, a dietitian says that changing up your morning meal makes for a healthy gut. In a recent interview with Well+Good, the This Is Us star said that she has no loyalties at the breakfast table. “Gosh! Yeah, I try to change it up every day—just because it is my favorite meal,” says Moore, who’s working with Nature’s Way to mark the company’s 50th anniversary. Coconut yogurt with gluten-free granola, smoothies, eggs, turkey bacon, and paleo pancakes each earn a spot of her breakfast plate. “Maybe I’ll have oatmeal one day and coconut yogurt with berries and gluten-free granola the next. And scrambled eggs or an omelette and turkey bacon another day. I definitely cover my bases when it comes to breakfast.” Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, registered dietitian and author of The Better Period Food Solution confirms that mixing things up works wonders for your microbiome: the trillions of micro-organisms living in your gut. “Switching up your breakfast is an opportunity to sprinkle different strains of bacteria into your life,” says Beckerman. “A diverse diet equals a diverse gut microbiome which equals a tougher gut system.” Having a diverse microbiome is linked with having a strong immune system, an asset you’ll need to deploy during flu season, she adds. Beckerman
This healthy oat-free granola recipe works with every eating plan
November 17, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC While old-fashioned rolled oats have been the classic granola base since, well, the beginning of time, they don’t have to be. They’re super healthy, but they’re high in carbs and prohibited on a keto and Paleo diets. Surprisingly, you can get a very similar taste and texture by swapping those oats with a mix of nuts and seeds, and Olivia Culpo’s healthy granola recipe works with almost every eating plan. “I like it in yogurt, but you can also have it plain, with milk, in smoothies, or I put it in my pancakes,” she writes. The mix is also pretty simple, with nuts and seeds—including almonds, pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and hemp seeds—as well as unsweetened coconut chips, golden monk fruit sweetener, and cinnamon. While Culpo’s recipe calls for an egg white and honey, those ingredients can always be replaced with a flax egg and maple syrup, based on your diet. After mixing your oat-free granola and baking it in the oven until golden brown, you can break it into clusters and enjoy a fiber- and protein-packed breakfast. View this post on Instagram Ask and you shall receive. This is the paleo/keto friendly granola I made yesterday. Almost no carbs which is impossible to find in regular granola using oats, etc. I like it in yogurt but you can also have it plain, with milk, in smoothies, or I put it in my pancakes 1 cup sliced almonds 1/4
20 healthy road trip snacks to fuel you up for your holiday travels
November 16, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC There are two non-negotiable things every road trip must have in order to be enjoyable: good music and tasty snacks. (Okay fine, gas too.) Whether you’re gearing up for an epic adventure or just a traffic-filled drive to visit family for the holidays, having the perfect snack stash is a requirement they should really teach in driver’s ed. There’s an art to creating the perfect road trip snack supply: First, it should include both sweet and savory options to have all your bases covered at any point in the drive. Then there’s the nutritional value. If you’re not stopping for a while, a bag of chips definitely isn’t going to do the trick—you’ll need protein to help you literally go the extra mile. That doesn’t mean you can’t have your gas station faves, just have to go for brands who have health-ified them—or make them healthier yourself by prepping them at home). This roundup covers your bases on both fronts. Included here are 10 healthy road trip snacks you can buy before you hit the road, and 10 healthy road trip snacks you can make at home before your trip. Either way, you’ll end up fueled and ready for your drive, traffic be damned. Healthy road trip snacks you can buy ready-to-eat Photo: Krave 1. Krave beef chili lime jerky, $4.99 each or $39.92 for an 8-pack Jerky is the ultimate road trip snack. While the OG brands that have been hanging out
6 healthy breakfast taco recipes to spice up your morning
November 16, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC As the definition of breakfast food wanders outside the boundaries of pancakes, oatmeal, eggs, and yogurt, it only makes sense that tacos are becoming a popular brunch order. Scrambled eggs, avocado, and black beans wrapped up in a corn tortilla? Um, yes, please. Whatever diet you follow, there’s no shortage of healthy breakfast taco recipes for you to choose from. What are you waiting for? Let’s make some tacos for breakfast (but maybe save the margaritas for lunch). Breakfast taco recipes for every eating plan Mediterranean diet: MEDITERRANEAN TACOS This recipe is everything you love about a gyro. With chicken, hummus, feta cheese, and artichokes, the recipe is hearty and tasty so you’ll stay full until lunch. Here’s what a nutritionist thinks of the Mediterranean diet. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGnyqti9wsw] Ketogenic Diet: BACON TACOS This recipe uses mozzarella cheese to make that outer shell so you can wrap up the fillings just like your carb-eating counterparts. Vegetarian: Shiitake “bacon” and eggs breakfast tacos This plant-friendly recipe replaces bacon with mushrooms seasoned by tamari. paleo: LOADED BREAKFAST TACO BOWLS You get to enjoy your taco in a bowl. This recipe contains ground beef, which you could cook over an open fire, but, you do you. Here’s the deal with paleo: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGvJ61nBFBo] Vegan: TEMPEH SAUSAGE TACOS No animal products, no problem. With this recipe, tempeh stands in for sausage and vegan sour cream makes every bite creamy. whole 30: COLLARD WRAP TACOS If you’re following a month
5 ‘busy day soups’ for when you want all the warmth in half the time
November 15, 2019 at 04:30PM by CWC A lot of easy soup recipes call for more ingredients than you have in your fridge, pantry, and cabinets combined. Okay, so that’s a bit of an overstatement, but it’s true they’re often more complicated than they claim to be. When you want to cozy up with a hot steaming bowl without all the drama of dicing and simmering, you need “busy day soups.” According to Pinterest’s top November trends report, the search for ‘busy day soups’ is up 3,200 percent year over year. Clearly, everyone’s looking for streaming stews that don’t require sweating over the stove—so let’s give the people what they want. 5 easy soup recipes for days when you’re busy, busy, busy 1. BUSY DAY SOUP WITH GROUND BEEF This recipe has five ingredients and—rejoice!—one of them is just water. Since the soup calls for mixed frozen veggies, you can go for whatever varieties you love the most. 2. LENTIL SOUP IN SNAP For a vegetarian and dairy-free option, lentil just can’t be beat. The legume is full of protein and fiber to keep you satiated and filled with energy for the rest of the day. Even if you’re just lazing about the house, it’s nice to feel a little fired up. Photo: The Minimalist Baker 3. Salsa soup This recipe is an absolute treasure—and it starts with just a jar of Trader Joe’s salsa. To give it a more creamy consistency, you can run it through a food processor
Get back to your prehistoric roots at these 5 Paleo-friendly restaurants in LA
November 15, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC Surprise, surprise: there’s no shortage of healthy food in Los Angeles. From Beyond Meat setting up shop in El Segundo to Sqirl Kitchen and their perpetually sold-out jam, it feels like there’s almost always something new and trending hitting our feeds straight out of LA. With all these other fancy food trends to keep up with, one meal plan has seemed to slip off the radar in popularity, but not entirely in nutritional value: the Paleo diet. Otherwise known as the Caveman or Stone Age diet, the Paleo meal plan made a splash in 2014, but has been waning ever since (probably due to the oodles of other meal plans that keep making headlines…) But, you shouldn’t sleep on Paleo—the meal plan has its perks. It emphasizes eating naturally (like our prehistoric ancestors did), skipping processed sugars and grains, and opting for high-protein meats, fruits and veggies. It can also potentially help with inflammation. Can’t remember everything there is to know about Paleo? Let an expert refresh your memory… [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGvJ61nBFBo] Is the Paleo diet as ~trendy~ as LA’s mocktail scene or Sweetgreen obsession? Maybe not. But if you do want to get back to your prehistoric roots, there are plenty of places in LA to do so. Our favorite Paleo restaurants in Los Angeles: 1. Amara Kitchen Breakfast lovers, rejoice! This comfy little cafe in Highland Park serves breakfast all day long, offering “alternative takes on classic dishes, reinterpreting menus for all
Water lily seeds are the Ayurvedic popcorn alternative taking over the snacks aisle
November 14, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC Protein bars are the secret weapon for on-the-go healthy eaters, but anyone who eats them regularly knows that protein bar fatigue is real. That’s why you should explore the chip aisle next time you’re at the grocery store. (Yes, seriously.) It’s where you’ll find your next surprising protein fix: popped water lily seeds. A traditional snack in India, water lily seeds are the pea-sized kernels that are collected when water lilies shed their seeds once a year. When popped like popcorn, they just happen to be a satisfying, nutrient-rich, crunchy snack. Even though water lily seeds have long been a mainstay in India, it’s only in the past two years that they’ve become more widely available in the U.S. in the form of healthy popcorn-esque snacks. Nadine Habayeb, the co-founder of Bohana Life (the first water lily seed snack brand to enter grocery stores) says she thinks the trend is hitting in the U.S. now for a few reasons. “With the rise of a few trends such as grain-, corn-, and gluten-free, Americans’ favorite snack, popcorn, is not feeling the love it once used to,” she says. Habayeb adds that more people in the States are learning about Ayurveda and open to trying more Eastern practices and foods—thus making them more open to trying foods like water lily seeds. “Water lily seeds are one of the most prescribed seeds in Ayurveda because of their nutrient profile, making them beneficial for all body types,”