In my last blog post, Rather Than Count Calories, Make Calories Count, I discussed how calories are not all created equal in their effects on your body. Your body survives and thrives off the nutrients provided by your food. That’s why it is so important to get as much nutrient bang for your calorie buck as you can – so your meals will optimize your health and energy.
In the same post, I linked to the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) to show how many popular foods stack up in terms of micronutrient density per calorie. It is no surprise that the majority of the highest ranking foods are vegetables and fruits. And dark leafy greens reign supreme.
But please don’t bog yourself down with all the numbers. A simple way to ensure you get a full complement of micronutrients in your diet is to “eat the rainbow”, including dark leafy greens, daily. Challenge yourself to consume as many colourful foods as you can each day. My Make Calories Count Menu covers off red, orange, yellow, green, purple, brown and white. Add some blueberries with breakfast and you are golden! I hope you enjoy this technicolour menu and share it with your family and friends!
To receive the recipes in my Make Calories Count Menu, sign up here.
Breakfast: Asian Veggie Omelet (see below for the benefits of bok choy for breakfast)
Lunch: Mango, Edamame & Cabbage Salad with Peanut Sauce (full of flavour, colour and crunch, this salad is high in protein and fibre and keeps 3-4 days in the fridge)
Dinner: Kale Greek Salad with Steak (perfect on a sultry summer evening, the steak and red peppers can be grilled on the BBQ or roasted in the oven; use pre-washed, organic baby kale to save time if you wish)
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You might not expect to hear this from a nutritionist, but I ask my clients not to count calories. Why is that, you might wonder. After all, isn’t consuming fewer calories than you expend the magic formula for weight loss? Well, it isn’t quite that simple. For one, it is very difficult to accurately measure the calories we consume and expend. But what’s more important is that counting calories puts the focus in the wrong place. Because it isn’t so much the amount of calories in a food but what your body does with the food that counts. And, in that respect, foods of equal calories are not necessarily equal.
Just as no two people are the same. Two people eating exactly the same food will extract different caloric value from it. This is due to the complex interaction between the food (and how it’s prepared or processed), the intricacies of our own body’s digestive system and processes and the composition of our gut microbes. Even identical twins may metabolize the same foods somewhat differently, as their gut microbes may differ. If all this intrigues you, you might enjoy reading this article. So, rather than count calories, I’d rather focus on making calories count.
I recently saw this posted on Instagram…
Whoever is making cheese commercials can save their money. We’re buying cheese and we’re never going to stop buying cheese.
I had to laugh as, for a cheese lover like me, truer words were never spoken. And one cheese I adore is halloumi, especially once the weather warms up. There is something about crispy-gooey-salty pan-seared or grilled halloumi that speaks to me of summer. Maybe because it hails from warm and sunny Cyprus. So if you try only one thing from my menu, try the Halloumi & Quinoa Fattoush Salad (and read on for more about halloumi and a few other serving suggestions).
While it isn’t summer just yet, it has certainly felt like summer in Toronto this week. And the May long weekend tends to be the opening act for the season. So this menu celebrates the spring bounty of asparagus, cucumbers, mint and strawberries but has a decidedly summery, Mediterranean vibe. Enjoy the recipes and your long weekend!
To receive the recipes in my Spring Into Summer Menu, sign up here.
Main Course: One Pan Lemon Shrimp & Asparagus (this can be done on the grill too, though I recommend a grill tray/basket and cooking off-heat to avoid flareups; keep an eye on the time as it may cook more quickly if you grill it and/or or use shrimp that has already been shelled)
Side Dish: Halloumi & Quinoa Fattoush Salad (this is great with the Lemon Shrimp & Asparagus but also makes a fabulous lunch on its own, especially if you add a little extra halloumi!)
Dessert: Strawberry Banana Ice Cream (this shows just how easy it is to make fruity-licious ice cream without any of the refined sugars and unappetizing thickeners, preservatives and food colouring so often found in store-bought ice cream)
Join The Nutritional Reset community here to receive this month’s recipe collection today (as well as each month to come)!
It feels like spring has finally sprung here in Toronto. Temperatures are trending up, the sun is shining and blossoms and blooms adorn our trees and gardens with brilliant colour. Above all, there’s a freshness and optimism in the air.
Likewise, I feel I’m finally emerging from hibernation too. My energy is improving along with the weather and I’m super grateful to be out running after an injury-induced hiatus. Also, I’ve had no added sugar or alcohol in my diet for nearly three weeks now, which has helped tremendously. As has the wonderful company I’ve had in this over the past week with the folks in my I’m Sweet Enough 7-Day No Sugar Added Challenge. Their camaraderie and humour has made climbing back up my sugary, slippery slope way more fun.
So I dedicate this edition of Dishing It Up to new friends, new beginnings and spring!
I’ve been on a kick-sugar kick lately. But you’ll know that, of course, from my two previous blog posts:
In fact, the recipes in this menu are from my I’m Sweet Enough 7-Day No Sugar Added Challenge (if you wish to join in, please sign up here before Friday April 30th).
By “no sugar”, I actually mean “no added sugar”. Sugar that naturally occurs within whole foods is perfectly healthy. And it often comes along with other healthy nutrients as well as fibre. Berries are an excellent example. They are brimming with health promoting phytonutrients, as well as fibre which slows their digestion and release of sugar into the blood. But when we start mucking about by processing these foods and stripping out the fibre (in the case of fruit juice, in this example), we get into trouble.
If you read last week’s blog post, Sliding Down a Sugary, Slippery Slope, you’ll know that this is exactly what I have just done. Perhaps you have too. And you will also know why it is so important for your health to climb right back up. To entice you to join me, I’ve created the I’m Sweet Enough 7-Day No Sugar Added Challenge.
I’m mounting my own expedition to do so by cutting out all added sugar for several weeks. But I’m looking for some company for the first week, which will be the most challenging.
Are you sliding down a sugary, slippery slope? You know the one I mean. The one that begins innocently enough in the fall with a slice (or two) of Thanksgiving pecan or pumpkin pie and then a wee bit of Hallowe’en candy a few weeks later. You gain momentum with heaping helpings of holiday treats followed by boxes of Valentine’s chocolate. Before you know it, you’re gathering and gobbling the Easter bunny’s chocolate eggs (not to mention, if you love them as much as I do, hot cross buns). Suddenly, you find yourself awash in sugar. You have more of a sweet tooth than you used to and sugary treats have become a daily ritual, not just a holiday indulgence.
Does this sound familiar? If so, you’ve just slid down a sugary, slippery slope. I know I have. Read on for more about how easy it is to do this and why you really, really want to climb back up.
And I hope you’ll join me for my I’m Sweet Enough 7-day No Sugar Added Challenge (more on this at the end of this post).
I happen to be enjoying my afternoon cup of tea as I write this, which inspired me to create an Afternoon Tea Edition of Dishing It Up this month. My afternoon tea ritual involves:
Rarely, it evolves into an afternoon nap. So, with my ritual as my guide, please sip, savour (and hopefully don’t snooze through) this Afternoon Tea Edition of Dishing It Up.
If there’s one thing that nutrition science agrees upon, it’s that vegetables and fruits are unequivocally good for our health. Yet most of us still don’t eat enough of them each day. And that’s why I chose to encourage you to gobble your greens for the March page of my 12 Healthy Habits Calendar.
Cooking with dark, leafy greens is one of my fave, fast ways to boost my daily veggie intake. I use them in everything and anything (from salads and smoothies to soups, stir-fries, curries and more) and I’ll happily gobble them at every meal of the day. If I’m short on time, pre-washed organic greens make things super-speedy.
Each recipe in this menu serves two and calls for the equivalent of a 142 gram /5 ounce container of pre-washed organic leafy greens (kale at breakfast, arugula at lunch and spinach at dinner). Along with the other veggies in the recipes and adding in two fruits, you’ll consume roughly eight servings of fruits and veggies for the day.
Because greens are good for:
Ten terrific reasons to gobble your greens, I’d say. Scroll on down for more about a few of the phytonutrients responsible for some of these health-promoting effects. And I hope this gives you the green light to go ahead and gobble your greens!
Sign up here to receive the recipes for my Gobble Your Greens Menu.
Breakfast: Kale & Kimchi Scrambled Eggs (this protein, probiotic and plant filled breakfast will power up your morning)
Lunch: Warm Carrot, Sweet Potato & Arugula Salad (warm salads are a tasty way to transition from winter to spring eating)
Dinner: Seared Cod, Lemony Spinach & White Beans (this dish is simple, flavourful and satisfying; if you don’t have fresh cherry tomatoes, diced canned tomatoes work well too)
Join The Nutritional Reset community here to receive this month’s recipe collection today (as well as each month to come)!