Eat

Information on food: prep tips, cycling, recipes and more.

Not Your Rabbits Food

Looks like rabbit food, not just for rabbits anymore… Now that we know it’s not always healthy to order a salad wherever you go, where there can be hidden caloric pit falls, let’s talk about all the benefits you can get by adding green leafy vegetables to each meal.

Low in calories, high in water content, fiber, and chock-full of nutrients, there is no limit Chris Powell puts on the amount of dark green leafy vegetables included in your meal plan. I’m not only talking salads here, you will be surprised how you can add these antioxidant power-houses to almost anything! Reshape the Nation promotes having as much as you want

As a vegetarian, getting creative with my meals has become a necessity. What, am I to have salads all-day, every-day? Boring…

Let me first break it down to you by which leafy greens I’m talking about, their health benefits, and then how to introduce them into other meals besides the age-old boring salad (not knocking salads, but, they can get a little flavorless sometimes) included under the umbrella of green leafy vegetables includes but is not limited to:

Arugula
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Broccoli Sprouts
Brussel Sprouts (trust me out on this one)
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Collard
Mustard Greens
Swiss Chard
Spinach
Turnip Greens

Here is what this amazing “rabbit food” can do for you:

1. Reduce the Risk of Cancer and Heart Disease- Leafy greens are low in fat, rich in folic acid, high in dietary fiber, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium, lutein, beta-cryptoxanthin, and beta-carotene. One serving daily significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and inflammation that causes cancer.

2. Lowers the Risk of Diabetes- Because of the high amounts of magnesium and low glycemic index, an increase of one serving per day lowers the risk of developing diabetes or helps to manage those that already have Type 2 diabetes.

3. Promotes Bone Density- High levels of vitamin K in green leafy vegetables promotes the production of osteocalcin, a protein essential for bone health. One or more servings per day decreases the risk of hip fracture by 45% compared to fewer servings.

4. Improves Immune Function- Beta-carotene converts into vitamin A in green leafy vegetables, which increases the body’s immune function, or ability to stave-off disease.

Now that you know that adding green leafy vegetables at every meal can have miraculous effects on your health, I’ll tell you how to add them so that they taste good! Young plants with small tender leaves usually have a mild flavor, so don’t be afraid to add them to your shakes, stir fry, and casseroles. I saw my sister once put 2 or more cups of spinach, a mild green, in her and her daughters shake, and although it definitely looked green, it didn’t taste “green” at all. Mature plants tend to be a little tougher and contain stronger flavors. Collards, Swiss Chard, and bok choy also have a mild taste, making them an easy addition to almost anything, add them to your sauces, rice, eggs, they will add to the texture and bring out the flavors without over powering the dish. Bok Choy stays crisp in stir-fries with chicken. Mustard greens have a peppery flavor, so adding them to protein dishes, salsas, and sauces suits them best! Remember to purchase vibrant and dark green vegetables in color where they are available, yellowing can signify age and off-flavor.

Check the “Veggie” group in My Community in the future for vegetarian recipes, or post your own!

Embrace the greens!

Green Doesn’t Equal Healthy

The “green” movement is sweeping America. No, not that “green” movement… the one where we run our cars on water or the only kind of oil spill is the one where you tip over a bottle of canola in your pantry. I’m talking about the green salad movement… the one where every restaurant puts salads on the menu because all those calories counters out there just assume they’ll be healthier than, say, the burger or the pizza.

Ummm… not so fast. While Chris Powell and Reshape The Nation certainly encourage salad (and veggie) eating as a healthy habit, don’t be fooled into thinking the salad on the menu of your local fast food conglomerate is healthy just because it’s got lettuce on it. You know what also has lettuce on it? A Whopper. You wouldn’t be eating a whopper thinking about how great you’re following your diet, would you?

Here’s a great article about unhealthy salads from MSNBC. Did you know some salads have more calories than… well… just about anything you could order at McDonalds? Not so healthy, right?

Reward Days Feeling Too Rewarding? David Speaks Up!

Have you gone through your high and low carb days, only to find yourself patiently, or impatiently awaiting your reward day? Well you’re not alone, that’s for sure! We all want those days, those rewards, are inherently what keep us on track. I’m just waiting for that next one…

We cannot help it, there is a reason why it’s so hard to throw those things away from our offices and homes. They are high in fat, sugary, and/or high in calories; they satisfy us and calm our nerves. And why shouldn’t they? That’s what they were made to do, right? Even the most successful Reshapers go through this, craving foods that give us little to no nutritional value.

 

New Video - Which Foods Cause Bloat

Hi guys! Chris Powell, trainer from Reshape the Nation, answers a members question about a bloated stomach he cannot get rid of, no matter what he eats!
Here was the original letter:

I am 53 this year and I am trying so hard to lose my bloated stomach. I do not seem to be able to lose the weight even trying yours.
Where am I going wrong??? Can you help?

Tune into the video blog on the right that Chris filmed answering that question!

 

Chris Answers Your Question About Dairy - New Video!

Chris Powell answers a question regarding consumption of kefir milk as part of her meal plan on ReshapetheNation.com in this weeks video!! (Check it out on the right)

Kefir is a fermented milk drink. Sometimes it can be more easily digested than other dairy products and can help us break down our food more effectively and efficiently, because of the good bacteria that it contains, lactobacillus acidophilus, more commonly seen as L.acidophilus

Lactobacillus acidophilus is generally considered to be beneficial because it produces vitamin K, lactase, and anti-microbial substances such as acidolin, acidolphilin, lactocidin, and bacteriocin.  In addition to beneficial bacteria and yeast, kefir contains many vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes. Particularly calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, B2 and B12, vitamin K, vitamin A and vitamin D. Tryptophan, one of the essential amino acids abundant in kefir, is well known for its relaxing effect on the nervous system. Because kefir also has an abundance of calcium and magnesium, also important minerals for a healthy nervous system, kefir in the diet can have a particularly calming effect on the nerves.

If you choose to include kefir in your menu on reshape, Chris explains why it is considered a fat, carb, and protein, if it’s whole milk kefir. You can even find kefir-cultured soy, rice, and coconut milk if you are completely lactose intolerant.

 

Don’t Believe a Rat Who Eats Corn Syrup

I’m sure you have all seen the commercials stating that high fructose corn syrup is just like sugar, but there is a group of obese rats at Princeton University who would say otherwise.

A Princeton University research team fed two groups of rats the same diet of rat chow except that one group drank sugar water sweetened approximately the same concentration as a soda pop and the other group drank water sweetened with high fructose corn syrup equivalent to about half of the amount in a soda, over a six month period.

Every one of the rats drinking the high fructose corn syrup gained weight, 48% more weight than rats eating a normal diet.  They all became obese with an abnormal increase in body fat, especially around the abdomen.  Blood tests also showed an increase in triglycerides.

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is quite different from sucrose (table sugar) on a molecular level.  Sucrose is 50% glucose and 50% fructose, while HFCS is 55% fructose.  In sucrose, every fructose molecule is bound to a glucose molecule which has to be broken down in the body before it is used.  However, in HFCS, the fructose molecules are unbound and more quickly absorbed by the body.  This difference is what causes most sucrose to be available for energy or glycogen storage in the muscles, as opposed to HFCS which is quickly stored as fat.

When HFCS hit the market 40 years ago, only 15% of the population was considered obese.  Today about one third of the U.S. population is considered obese.  HFCS can be found in juice, soda, bread, cereal, ketchup, mayo, yogurt and several other foods.  On average we will consume about 60 lbs of the stuff per person per year.  Coincidence?  I think not. There is more information like this on ReshapeTheNation.com

So check your labels and don’t believe the ad campaigns trying to lull you into thinking HFCS is the same as sugar.  The fat rats don’t lie but the high fructose corn syrup fat cats do. The moral of the story, never believe what a fat rat says.

Chris Answers a Quesiton in New Video: Which Bread to Have?

This morning, Chris answers a Reshape The Nation member’s question about what can be substituted for Ezekiel bread in different areas.  Check it out Chris video as he explains what you can and shouldn’t use as a substitute for white flour bread! (The video can be found on the right of this blog)

I myself am a Rye bread fan, but, for those of you who are not, Chris fills you in on some choice carb secrets!

Thanks Chris for answering our questions from ReshapetheNation.com

And thank you members who participate in the Reshape The Nation community and on forums, keep up the good work, and keep the questions coming!!

New Video - Chris Explains Why Some Veggies are Carbs

Check out Chris latest video blog!  He puts to rest some of the questions that we have had about whether some vegetables are classified as veggies or ‘carbs’.  If you are supposed to have vegetables at every meal, why are some vegetables classified as ‘carbs’ on the STAX system as part of Reshape the Nation. 

Chris will explain why some vegetables are actually classified as ‘carbs’ on the STAX system and how you can incorporate them in your meal plan if you like them.  He’ll help you understand how certain vegetables, mainly of the root variety, ie: carrots, corn, peas, and potatoes affect your blood sugar levels, or glucose.

This will be useful to help you understand how we can substitute some of the said vegetables for carbohydrates, and why certain veggies are not suggested with every meal….Tune in to Chris’ new video on the right!

Sticking To Your Food Schedules

As you can probably tell if you’re a regular Reshape the Nation blog reader, today’s post is coming a little later than usual. That’s because I’m on the road again and couldn’t get internet access until now. So first… my apologies for being late. And second, the traveling got me inspired for today’s topic. I had to leave for the Baltimore airport at 4:30 this morning, and as a result, I definitely didn’t get my 6:00 AM workout in.

Missing a daily workout happens to everyone… even Chris Powell, trainer extraordinaire, physical fitness expert, and our Reshape leader. It’s OK. Schedules get hectic. But what never happens is a day where we don’t eat. No matter what we’re doing, I think I can safely assume we all find time to eat. And, since even on our busiest days, we find that time to eat, we don’t really have an excuse for not eating when we should, right?

For example, when I woke up early this morning to catch my flight, I wasn’t hungry. It was 4:30 in the morning… the only thing I was craving was more sleep. Nevertheless, I had my regular morning meal. Yup… I ate even though I wasn’t hungry, which would seem to contradict most every piece of weight loss advice or diet program most of us have ever followed. However, our bodies actually need to eat. They need food… they just don’t need junk foods or excessive amounts of food. By eating this morning, despite not being hungry, I kick started my body’s metabolism. The result was that even though I couldn’t get a workout in today, my metabolism was still working hard and helping keep the weight off.

Don’t Be Fooled By Things With Fruit

Since Chris Powell and Reshape the Nation and most of the best weight loss programs encourage eating fruit, the marketing gurus came up with a neat trick. By incorporating into packaging phrases like “made with real fruit” and “100% real fruit juice,” consumers (you and I) are meant to assume their products are healthy.

I don’t know about you, but on me, those pieces of advertising work. For example, if I have a craving for juice, I’m much more inclined to drink something that claims to be made of 100% juice. But being made of fruit juice, or having fruit, or looking like fruit doesn’t necessarily make the food a healthy food, and we, as healthy eaters, have to be wary.

Two of the biggest “fruit marketing” culprits are fruit juices and dried fruits. Both fruit juices and dried fruits are basically like taking all the unhealthy things about fruit and squeezing them into a more condensed. That’s not to say they aren’t squeezing down the healthy bits too, but the healthy bits don’t outweigh the unhealthy bits. Even worse, because of the concentrated form, you’re liable to have much more. For example, eating a 16 oz package of dried cherries is like eating as many as four pounds of cherries. No healthy diet program is going to suggest you eat four pounds of cherries in a sitting!

In addition to their natural ingredients, fruit-based products are also known for having lots of sugar added to create the sweetness we all enjoy. But that sweetness comes at the cost of extra calories. So again, that seemingly healthy snack becomes a diet buster.

Here’s the best advice Reshape the Nation can give you about fruit products: If you’re craving a fruity taste, have a real piece of fruit. After all, no company can make that delicious fruit taste as well as Mother Nature!

French Fry Alternatives

A few weeks back, I wrote a post about giving up a specific unhealthy food you eat too much of. In that post, I mentioned that I gave up eating french fries. That feat has inspired a number of questions wondering what I eat instead of fries. Who knew American’s loved their french fries so much?

So here, in no particular order, is a list of food choices to substitute fries. By the way, please note that not all of these foods are Chris Powell sanctioned for specific Reshape the Nation High Days and/or Low Days. These are just some of the foods I’ve eaten in place of fries, but when to eat them and how much of them to eat still depends on your specific place in the program. Also note that even the healthiest food in the world can be made unhealthy if its cooked unhealthily (i.e. think sauteing in butter, or frying).

(One more note… if you have any suggestions of things I could add to this list, send them to aaron (at) reshapethenation.com.)

Aaron’s List of French Fry Substitutes

• Edamame (they’re protein-packed!)
• Hummus (also a good protein option)
• Brussel Sprouts (if you haven’t had these in a while… give them a shot… you don’t know what you’re missing!)
• Celery sticks (absolute freebies)
• Brocolli (it’s like eating little trees)
• Pickles (make sure there’s no sugar added)
• Steamed veggies (usually available at most restaurants… just make sure they aren’t cooked in butter)
• Grilled asparagus (may actually taste better than fries)
• Nuts (but not too many… remember, they’re still fatty)
• Apple slices (just be sure to watch your sugar intake)
• Bakes squash slices (surprisingly chip-esque when baked properly)

Add Flavor Not Calories

Part of a successful diet routine is still being able to eat delicious tasting foods. I’ve often said on this very blog that if we feel deprived, we’re likely to stray from our weight loss routine. And Chris Powell certainly agrees, which is why, in the Reshape members area, he provides food lists and recipes geared toward healthy foods that still taste good.

In general, there are two ways to combat bland tasting foods: you can either use marinades and sauces, or you can use herbs and spices. However, they’re not both healthy options.

Marinades and sauces are a lot like salad dressings. Yes, they taste delicious, but the primary reason they taste so good is because they’re filled with sugars and fats. Those are exactly what we’re trying to avoid! So even if we think we’re being healthier by, for example, ordering the lean chicken instead of the fatty beef, if that chicken is doused in sugar-filled sauces, we’re not really helping ourselves.

Instead of those unhealthy marinades, I suggest herbs and spices. Using these properly can pack a whole lot of flavor into a piece of meat without adding much else. The result is a delicious meal with substantially fewer calories!

Healthy Living Follow-Up Note: While spices and herbs are, in general, healthier than marinades, you still need to be careful. For example, one of the biggest flavor culprits in the spice world is salt. Salt, even though it may be fat-free and sugar free, is anything but healthy. Salt raises blood pressure, causes bloating, stores liquids and fats, and can cause a host of other weight and health issues. So as you consider how you’re spicing your food, be sure to stick to spices that are low in sodium.

Don’t Let Salads Fool You

We were in desperate need of groceries the other day, but the weather wasn’t cooperating for a trip to the grocery store (I live in city and don’t have a car, so thunderstorms don’t make for a fun mile of walking). Instead, we had groceries delivered. I’ll save my discussion of the merits and disadvantages of grocery deliveries for another post, but for now, it’s sufficient to point out that the deliveries aren’t always perfect. In this case, the driver accidentally delivered six jars of ginger dressing. I certainly didn’t order it… I didn’t even know what it was. In the end, the delivery company told me to keep it as a “benefit” of their mistake, leaving me with a fridge full of ginger dressing. What a wonderful benefit, right?

So I tried it. It was actually pretty good. It’s the kind of dressing they put on salads at Japanese steak houses. Then I looked at the label: 70 calories per two tablespoon serving… and of those 70 calories, all of them were fat! No wonder it was tasty.

Which brings me to the point of today’s post. Salads get the reputation of being healthy, but it’s not necessarily a well-deserved reputation. Lettuce is healthy. Vegetables are healthy. But what we put on salads can make them more unhealthy than the greasiest of cheeseburgers. Fatty dressings, greasy bacon, cheeses, croutons… all those things are diet busters, but they all hide under the disguise of being a “healthy” salad.

Be warned: having vegetables doesn’t make a salad Chris Powell or Reshape the Nation approved. When in doubt, know that if it’s covered in dressing, you shouldn’t eat it. Also know if you have a fridge full of mistakenly-delivered ginger dressing, you’re not required to finish it. Throw it away! Or better yet, donate it to a local shelter. Give those calories to people who need them!

Chris Powell Talks About Carrot Sticks

Last week I began discussing carrot sticks as a snack food and a reader pointed out that in Reshape the Nation, Chris Powell lists carrots as carb foods only to be eaten on High Days. I revisited the topic, but I also promised I’d ask Chris to get his thoughts on carrot sticks. Here’s what he wrote:

Yes, carrots DO count as a carb because of their high sugar content. However, you can tell them to eat celery sticks!! Those, along with MOST green and leafy veggies, are freebies!!!

Great question! It can get confusing, I know. Also, some other ways to stem a craving are to drink LOTS of water, or do a small handful of almonds. Yes, almonds count as a fat, but they are a wonderful appetite suppressant! Last, but not least, get busy! The best cure for not snacking is to find something else to do to take your mind off of hunger. Satisfy the craving by plugging in fulfillment!

-Chris

There you have it… straight from the horses mouth, so to speak. Chris Powell labels carrots as carb foods, so replace them with leafy green veggies. Better yet… and I really like this suggestion… get busy. If we’re occupied, it’s much harder to think about snacking. And even if we are thinking about snacking, if we’re busy, getting our hands on those snack foods becomes harder.

Carrot Sticks Revisted: A Little Too Carby

I wrote a post the other day about eating carrot sticks as a healthy snacking alternative, and a reader pointed something out to me about the Reshape the Nation food lists, and that Chris Powell lists carrots as carbs.  Here’s John’s full comment:

Aaron, you have me confused with your post on eating as many carrots as you want.

Most of us would think of them as a vegetable. Vegetables are listed as “no limit” foods on the Reshape the Nation plan.

However the Reshape the Nation food plan specifically lists carrots as carbs, so according to that, we should only eat them on high carb days, measured in our stax system.

So, now I am confused.
(and no remarks about confusing the body so we don’t plateau, please)

Thanks for catching that, John. I promise I’ll even answer without resorting to the “confuse the body” excuse!

I should start by including the disclaimer that this is Chris Powell’s weight loss program, and if he says no eating carrots except on High Days, I guess you’d better stick by that. But I’m also going to talk to Chris and see if I can get his specific carrot-eating answer.

As for my thoughts on carrots… well… you could hardly call Bugs Bunny fat, right? But seriously, carrots are a tricky food when it comes to diets and the type of diet you’re following. The reason they’re considered higher carb vegetables is that they have more sugar than most veggies (which is probably what gives them that delightfully sweet taste). Personally, my weight loss journey started long before being introduced to Reshape the Nation, and so I admit I developed my carrot munching trick years ago and never really thought twice about it. That was before the big low carb revolution happened, so people probably didn’t think much about it. Carrots were veggies, and veggies were good.

We should still consider carrots in a similar fashion. Regardless of whether or not carrots have carbs, eating a dozen carrots is still dramatically more healthy than eating a dozen Ritz crackers. So if the choice is between one or the other and you’re desperate for food, choose the carrots. However, if you’re on a Low Carb day, simply replace the idea of “carrots” with other options… celery sticks, for example, or most other green, leafy veggies. Be thinking “snack-sized” veggies so they’re easy to munch on. Also, note the other higher carb veggies, like peas, potatoes, and corn… all of which are significantly more starchy than carrots. Bottom line… carrots are healthier than the vast majority of other snacking options, but that doesn’t make them the healthiest option. If you can’t live without your carrots… well… there could be worse things to cheat with (much worse things). But if you can replace the carrot idea with something more healthy, do it! You’ll see even better results!

And thanks for the catch, John! Always good to know people are actually reading my healthy living ramblings!