Yelp for Kelp!!

Recently, I went to dinner at a popular restaurant in Los Angeles where they specialize in both raw and cooked vegan dishes. While I saw all kinds of amazing healthy options, like lentils and brown rice and of course, my personal favorite, kale, I wanted to try something different. 

I noticed in the main entrée section of the menu there was a dish made with kelp noodles. KELP noodles? Like, as in, from the sea kelp? I had never tried such an item before. But the waiter promised me it would be delicious and was a best seller on their menu, so I decided to give it a shot. Below is a picture of the dish when it arrived before me. How glorious does that look? This particular kelp noodle dish is covered in hempseed pesto! I was skeptical, but it was amazing!

This dish is called " I Am Liberated" from Cafe Gratitude...I recommend it...especially if it is your first kelp noodle dish.

So now you may ask, what exactly are kelp noodles? Kelp noodles are a food made from kelp (obviously!), an edible brown seaweed that contains high amounts of iodine. Marketed as a low-calorie alternative to pasta and other noodle varieties, kelp noodles contain kelp, sodium alginate (a form of seaweed-derived salt), and water.

There are two types of kelp noodles: green and clear. Green kelp noodles have the consistency of al dente pasta and taste like seaweed. Clear kelp noodles, the more popular type and the type that was in my “pasta” dish, have a relatively bland taste, but some brands have a slightly salty and bitter taste that can be reduced somewhat with thorough rinsing. They are just a tad crunchy, but if you enjoy eating pasta but are watching your carbohydrate intake, they do a pretty good job filling that need.

Kelp noodles are sold in some natural-foods stores and Asian grocery stores and are also available for purchase online.

Since no cooking is required in their preparation, kelp noodles are often marketed to people following a raw food diet, a gluten free diet or trying to avoid starchy carbohydrates. Not all kelp noodles are raw, so read the label or go to the manufacturer's website if you are looking for raw kelp noodles.

Some advocates claim that kelp noodles offer a wide range of health benefits, partly due to their iodine content. For instance, kelp noodles are said to improve thyroid health, promote weight loss, protect against osteoporosis, and enhance heart health. However, despite these health claims, there is no evidence that consumption of kelp noodles can aid in the prevention or treatment of any health condition.

So, how nutritious are these noodles? Kelp noodles contain no fat, cholesterol, protein, or sugar. Per serving, they typically contain one gram of carbohydrates, one gram of fiber, and 35 milligrams of sodium. In addition, kelp noodles typically provide 15 percent of your daily calcium needs and four percent of your daily iron needs per serving. Most kelp noodles contain fewer than 10 calories per serving.

How much iodine does a person really need? Iodine is a trace mineral and essential nutrient and plays plays a key role in metabolism and thyroid function. Inadequate iodine intake can lead to thyroid problems, such as hypothyroidism.

While kelp is considered a top source of iodine, the exact amount of iodine in kelp noodles is unknown. To reach your daily iodine needs (150 mcg per day for most adults), the National Institute of Health (NIH) recommend following a balanced diet that includes seafood (especially cod, sea bass, haddock, and perch), kelp and other sea vegetables, and moderate amounts of iodized salt.

Since kelp noodles are low in fiber, using them as a substitute for whole-grain pasta or brown rice may significantly reduce your fiber intake. The NIH currently recommends that older children, adolescents, and adults consume 20 to 35 grams of fiber per day. Inadequate fiber intake can cause digestive problems and may contribute to a number of health conditions, including heart disease and diabetes. 

Roll, Roll, Roll Your Foam, Gently Down Your Leg...

Hi everyone, I realize I haven’t written for awhile…my writing ambitions seem to blow with the wind these days, so forgive me if I am a bit rusty!

So, today I wanted to talk about this amazing discovery I made a few weeks back that, surprisingly, being as into exercise as I am, I never really knew about. Or perhaps I knew about it and just ignored it? Highly possible knowing me. I was at a friend’s house and we were practicing some meditation exercises, breathing, etc…and he showed me how to do some tension relieving exercises using a foam roller. I am not really sure how long foam rollers have been around, but thanks to the guidance of this friend, and a little bit of research, I am discovering how powerful a therapeutic tool they can be for maintaining optimal physical health.

This is not the exact one I have, but it sure looks like it.

What Is a Foam Roller?

A foam roller is exactly what it sounds like- a piece of rolled foam. You’ve likely seen one of these bad boys in the gym by the stretching area, and you just might not have known what they are or how versatile they can be.

The idea is simple enough: Using your own body weight and agility, you roll specific muscle groups against a firm foam roller to simulate a deep, gliding massage.  Your body weight provides all the pressure that you need to roll out pain, stiffness and even areas where connective tissue adheres to the bones. For around 20-30 dollars, purchasing one of these it is an excellent and cheap way to help prevent injury and help you relax. Using a foam roller will relieve tension and pain and, over time, break down scar tissue, reducing the likelihood of injury. When I say over time, this could be awhile, so you have to be patient, something I am not good at, but learning.

From what I have read and experienced, the main benefits of foam rolling are as follows:

• Improved blood circulation throughout your skin, fascia, muscles, and even tendons and ligaments where you can access them with a foam roller.
• Through improved blood circulation, more efficient exchange of nutrients and waste products at a cellular level, leading to better overall bodily function.
• Lengthening of short (tight) muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Some muscles (like hip flexors) and ligaments (like the iliotibial “IT” band) are prone to shortening, and are difficult to effectively stretch and apply therapeutic pressure to using standard massage and trigger point therapy techniques. But with a foam roller, you can apply deep pressure massage to such areas and lengthen shortened tissues, thereby preventing physical imbalances that can predispose you to injury.    
• Promotion of optimal spinal range of motion. You can accomplish this by slowly rolling your spine against a foam roller and pausing whenever you feel restrictions to allow your joints and surrounding tissues to stretch. A friend of mine also showed me how to target areas throughout the neck and back area using a softball, which hurts to use, but helps release tension in some of the harder to reach areas like under the shoulder blade.

So this same friend said to me, if you are going to always take from your body, you have to give back, or else there will eventually be repercussions. As I age, I am learning if I am going to continue with a semi-rigorous physical regimen, it is mandatory that I address physical injuries and breakdowns with a dedicated program of soft tissue work and stretching. Much thanks to a solid friend for opening my eyes and thank you foam roller, for repairing some of my muscle stiffness and circulation.

A few places that sell foam rollers

Target

http://www.target.com/p/gofit-ultimate-foam-roller-red/-/A-10209736

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Black-High-Density-Foam-Roller/dp/B004T0ZS36/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1347159006&sr=8-4&keywords=foam+rollers

Sports Chalet

http://www.sportchalet.com/product/fitness/yoga+-+exercise+accessories/301017_1211008.do?search=endeca&keyword=foam+roller&sortby=ourPicks&page=1

This Little Liquid Diet Phemomenon

Hey there folks!
Interesting news in the nutrition world this week...

By clicking on the above link, you are now privy to some fabulous information about a little phenomenon called the K-E Diet. Incase you did not watch the video, this diet uses something called an NG, or nasogastric tube (a tube that goes through the nose and down the esophagus into the stomach) to provide all nourishment, with no carbohydrates, for 10 days. The amount of calories administered throughout one day? 800. For this diet to be effective, no other food or liquid is to be consumed during this 10-day period. 
Dr. Oliver Di Pietro, MD, the doctor in the above video, said body weight is lost quickly through ketosis, the state in which the body burns fat rather than sugar. Patients at his office are monitored during the 10-day period for things like constipation, bad breath and dizziness. Not to mention walking around for 10 days with a tube in your nose looking like a sick or dying hospital patient. Best of all, their is no follow-up program for when you are done with the tube feeding. Sounds fantastic, doesn't it?
There are already a million blogs out there bashing this diet into pieces. Instead, what I wanted to do is remind those of you who follow my writings and nutritional teachings of a few key pieces of information...


1. Trying to have a "perfect" body is not realistic.
What is a perfect body anyways? In my opinion, a perfect body is a healthy body that is fed properly and moved around a bit from time to time. I also think if you are in pursuit of a so called "perfect" body, perhaps there are other issues in your life you need to fix surrounding this body. A healthy mind always helps.


2. Eat whole foods.
Liquids are great. Specifically water. If you want to make yourself a juice in your juicer that is fine too. But there is no substitution for eating whole real foods. They make you feel good. Shoving liquids up your nose for 10 days is not going to last for long, and if you have read any of the articles on this K-E diet, it doesn't exactly make your body feel great. 


3. Losing weight quickly slows your metabolism.
Chances are if you chose to go on this K-E diet, it is probably not your first go-round in the dieting world. You are probably a yo-yo dieter, and if you didn't know this already, your metabolism is not happy with this. "If you go on a very strict diet and gain the weight back quickly, you might lose a lot of muscle and regain a lot of fat," says Keith Ayoob, M.D., R.D., an associate professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "Then your metabolism operates on a slower idle, which means it's going to be harder to lose weight as time goes on." The theory is that the more times you yo-yo, the more fat your body gains in each rebound. Because muscle burns 10 times more calories than fat does, your metabolism eventually will slow to a crawl.


4. Depriving yourself of food can lead to many emotional issues.
Let's face it, your body is not happy when it is starving itself. Without carbohydrates, you are probably feeling tired and antisocial. You can probably forget about meeting your friends for lunches and dinners during this time period, unless you like being out in public with a tube in your nose.
Jessica Schnaider, the woman who was interviewed in the ABC news article about this diet, said "It was emotionally difficult, the 10 days of not eating and sometimes I had to give excuses to people who were asking are you sick? And I was like, 'No, I'm not sick, I'm not dying, I'm fine." Schnaider also said she was tired. "I didn't feel like exercising. The doctor told me that if you can compliment with walking for a half an hour on the beach, that would be great, but I didn't feel like doing that. I'm a very energetic person, but those days I was a little tired." I don't know about you, but I cannot imagine being that tired for 10 days. 


5. If you cannot maintain a "diet", you also will not maintain the results.
This is pretty much inevitable, seeing as you are not going to go around the rest of your days with a tube in your nose and a purse full of protein solution. This goes for any "diet". I cannot stress enough a DIET needs to be a way of life you can live with forever...and hopefully be happy with it too! 

Mc Donalds-The Demonizing Of A Fast Food Powerhouse

Last week, I received an email from the Los Angeles Dietetic Association inviting me to attend a behind the scenes tour of how McDonalds operates. Last year, due to poor timing on my behalf, I missed out on this opportunity. Being that this is the powerhouse of all fast food restaurants, I did not want to miss it again.

Ah, McDonalds…I know some of you shiver at the name and cringe at the site of those golden arches. I can recall a time when seeing those arches brought only happiness and contentment into my life. In my childhood, I recall many joyous Friday afternoons, where it was tradition for me, my best friend Jessica, and one of our mothers to take us to McDonalds to eat before ballet class. We would race into the restaurant in our little tutus and ballet slippers. We would each get a Happy Meal-which consisted of a cheeseburger, small fries and a small drink of choice. Yes, Happy Meals and happy times.

Back in those days, McDonalds was a positive place for me, my friends, and even my parents. That was before we knew or cared what calories or ingredients were. Not to mention, we were on our way to ballet class, so we would be burning those calories. We also ate Happy Meals, not supersize portions (they didn’t even have those back then!), and this was a Friday afternoon treat, not a daily occurrence.

Now we flash forward to current day, where to most of us working in healthcare (and non-healthcare!), McDonalds is looked at only in a negative light. We have criticized and scrutinized this particular fast food chain so much, the moment I tell people, “ I am studying to be a dietitian”, the first thing out of their mouth is  “Ooooh, well I never eat McDonalds, fast food is nasty.” Well, what about other fast food restaurants? And what about places like TGIFridays and Chilis, where an average hamburger with the bun starts at 800 calories?

So, needless to say, I was excited to finally get to tour a McDonalds. The tour was held at a McDonalds right off of 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. It has its own parking lot, which gives this McDonalds major bonus points. Inside, we were greeted by a PR representative for McDonalds, the liaison for McDonalds Corporate Offices, the franchisee of this particular McDonalds location, and McDonalds freelance dietitian Bonnie Modugno.

They had a little area roped off just for us. We each got a booklet that lists all (or most) of McDonalds menu items, calorie and ingredient content, food exchanges (for people who need meal planning assistance due to diabetes or weight control) and different 600-calorie meal combinations. I found looking through the 600 calorie meal combinations very interesting, because there are actually quite a few options that appear well balanced in this section. Mind you none of these options include French fries or a burger. I posted pictures of the four 600 calorie meal options that were in the booklet. I will tell you that if you want a burger and fries within the 600 calorie range, I looked up the information, and a plain hamburger, small fries and small low fat milk will set you back at about 590 calories. However, this is not considered one of McDonalds healthy, nutrient friendly 600 calorie meals.

The first part of this tour consisted of Bonnie talking to us about what she does for McDonalds and answering questions we have about McDonalds food. She has been with McDonalds for over 20 years and says during that time she has never been asked to cross the lines of what she believes in as a dietitian. Bonnie is a freelance dietitian for McDonalds, so she also runs her own practice and is not with McDonalds full time. Apparently, McDonalds has dietitians all over the United States, but Bonnie takes care of some of Southern California.

Bonnie says that, “we are challenged with a food issue NOT a fast food issue.” What she means by that is that McDonalds has a few healthy options as well as a reasonable calorie count for many of their less healthy menu items. Their hamburger has only 250 calories (if you only eat ONE!), which is slight considering some other restaurants burger options. You can also ask for no salt, no mayonnaise, etc…so it is not McDonalds fault when someone comes to their restaurant and orders two Big Macs and two large fries and eats them both in one sitting, is it? If a person decides to eat at Mc Donalds more than once a day? This is also not McDonalds fault. McDonalds is a restaurant, not a babysitter.

Bonnie then talks about how everyone is different. We all have different metabolisms, as well as different food preferences, genetics, activity levels, etc. So these differences would be part of the reason some people are obese and some are not. NOT because McDonalds made them that way. She has a good point here.

Before this tour, I wasn’t sure that McDonalds used real food products, but in the refrigerator I saw real tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, sliced apples and real milk. I even saw real eggs that they use for the Egg McMuffin. They actually have a machine with little metal circles the eggs are dropped in to make that circular egg we see in the McMuffin sandwich. I also saw real chicken breasts and real hamburgers. I will admit in the freezer I did not get a glimpse of any of these meats before being cooked, but I think it is safe to say they have real animal protein products. I did not get to see any of the seasonings.

REAL lettuce and onion...along with the liaison for McDonalds corporate

REAL cheese!

REAL eggs!!

This is the cute little Egg McMuffin maker

These are REAL apples and REAL milk

The grill...where the magical burgers and chicken breasts are cooked

Couldn't leave without a shot of the famous french fries

This is a grilled chicken sandwich that I ate. Yes, I ate it...are you shocked? 

 I asked a question about the chicken nuggets and how they get their shape. Bonnie told me that real chicken breasts are sized up for the chicken sandwiches and cut so they fit the sandwich bun properly. The ends of the breasts that are not used are then used for the chicken nuggets. Sounds fair…right?

A few people asked about this whole pink slime ordeal, and Bonnie cleared that up pretty quickly. McDonalds DOES NOT use pink slime. According to Bonnie, the truth is, it is sold in stores where people who want the cheapest source of protein can buy it. It is a mechanism used to save product. Apparently just a few days ago, an article came out that says some meat product companies will list whether or not this product is in their meat on their labels, so now it will really be your decision whether or not you consume this so called slime. McDonalds will not be force feeding it to you.

But listen, this blog was not meant to go on and on about the pink slime. The point of me writing about my experience was actually to let people know McDonalds is NOT the devil. I prefer not to eat here, because although they do have some real, fresh products, I am skeptical of the seasonings they use and did not get to find out more information about them. Again, Bonnie did say you can ask for “no salt” and “no grill seasonings.” But are you going to remember to do that?

When I have a few extra dollars to spare for food, I will probably go spend it on fresh kale and expensive olive oils for a salad. I have time to go to the store and buy food and cook it and that is what I value. I make the time because it is important to me. Only you can decide what is important to you. If you chose to eat at McDonalds, as a nutritionist, I am not going to beat you up over it, because the reality is that PEOPLE EAT AT MCDONALDS, and although I personally do not plan on working with the kind of people who eat McDonalds regularly, some of these people might be my clients. McDonalds is a billion dollar corporation and they also sponsor the American Dietetic Association. If I have a client who eats McDonalds, I am going to try to make the healthiest suggestions possible because I now know there are a few items that are better choices than others and my job is to educate you on eating better. 

Yes, There Is More Than One Type Of Kale...Isn't That Exciting?

Being involved in nutrition has everyone believing I am super food savvy. In some ways, this is true, but I do not know everything about all foods, that’s for sure. Case in point- cooking with kale. I always thought there was just one kale. One bitter, tough kale, that tastes best sautéed with olive oil and garlic or cooked in a steamer and covered with Braggs Liquid Amino Acids. Eating kale raw is something I have heard of, but never attempted to do at home. I have eaten raw kale salads at restaurants before, but I figured they had some magical sauce, or way of cooking that took the bitterness away that I would never figure out on my own.

Recently, a girlfriend of mine gave me a challenge to create one of her favorite kale salads from the restaurant True Food Kitchen, which has locations in Arizona and California. When I firt saw her post the recipe on my page, I shuddered at what kind of bitter, chewy concoction I would end up with. I did notice that the recipe did not call for just any type of kale. It asked for Black kale.

Wait…so the bag of pre-chopped green kale from Trader Joe’s is not good enough? Well, sure enough, that kale is called curly kale. Although pre chopped at Trader Joe’s, that particular kale, when bought whole, has ruffled leaves and a fibrous stalk and is a very deep green color. This kale has a very pungent flavor and bitter, peppery qualities that have always made me cringe at the thought of eating it raw.

Curly Kale

Ornamental kale is a more recently cultivated species that is oftentimes referred to as salad savoy. Its leaves may either be green, white, or purple and its stalks blend to form a loosely knit head. If you want to eat any of the ornamental kale varieties, just make sure that they have not been treated with pesticides or other harmful chemicals since they are raised for decoration rather than human consumption. Ornamental kale has a more tender texture and mellower flavor.

Ornamental Kale

There is also a Red kale, which I also saw at Whole Foods when I went on a search for this Black kale I never knew existed. Red Kale a type of Russian kale that is super high in vitamins K, A, and C and may even help prevent cancer. Unlike other members of the brassica family, such as green dinosaur kale and mustard greens, red kale's flavor is more sweet than bitter, and its leaves are more tender. Red kale can be eaten raw in salads or it can be steamed, boiled, or sautéed. Perhaps I could have used a red kale for this salad, but I picked the black because that is what the recipe called for.

 Red Kale

Black/Lacinato Kale

Immediately upon seeing the Black kale (also called Lacinato or Dinosaur), I knew there was something different about it. It was softer in texture, more lush and darker in color, like a dark blue/green color. When I got home and washed it, I pulled one of the leaves to taste and took note of the sweeter texture. I could definitely understand now how kale could be eaten raw, it just depends on the type of kale. Also, the dressing for this dish included olive oil, lemon juice and garlic, all which when added to the kale, tossed around and left to sit for about 5 minutes, did take a lot of the bitterness out of the salad.

Tuscan Black Kale Salad (recipe is at www.drweil.com)

So, the lesson is, experiment with food. You never know what delicious new healthy recipe you might be able to create. Also, you might learn a thing or two in the process!

Let's Have Some Fun In The Kitchen-Cooking Healthy Chicken "Fried" Rice

Hey there folks,
Yes, I know it's been a few weeks since you've heard from me. Personally, I have been taking some time to try to start studying again for the Registered Dietitian Exam. Also, quite frankly, I haven't really seen anything in the news nutritionally that has given me an urge to write anything. Soooo...yesterday, I was browsing the internet in search of some new recipes to make here at home and I came across a chicken "fried" rice that I found interesting and thought I would share the play by play with you. The reason "fried" is in quotations, is because the "fried" part involves one, yes ONE...tablespoon of olive oil...not necessarily the way a restaurant would make fried rice, right?

So, let's start off with the oh-so-gratuitous shot of all the ingredients used in this recipe. I forgot to put the bottle of ground ginger out there, so you know that is a key part of making the dish taste delicious, so don't forget it! Once again, all of these ingredients, except the Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids and the ground ginger, are from Trader Joe's! I think they are going to owe me something at some point for all this publicity.

Just incase you cannot see everything in the recipe...here we have two kosher organic chicken breasts. You do not have to use kosher organic, that is just a personal preference. Two cups of brown rice, two eggs, a half an onion, one roma tomato, diced garlic (obviously it hasn't been diced yet in this picture), half a cup of broccoli, half a cup of edamame, half a can of garbanzo beans, a handful of spinach, and for seasoning, a lime, Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids (a low sodium soy sauce substitute that I swear by!) and two tablespoons of agave nectar.

So the next step (and the easiest by far), is cooking the brown rice. Feel free to use quinoa as a substitute. The recipe I saw did and it looked just as tasty. I used Trader Joe's Microwavable Brown Rice, because honestly, it tastes just as good, if not better than rice that is cooked in a rice cooker, but each bag takes three minutes to make and has two and a half servings. It's just easier and quicker.

Yay!! I love pictures of the inside of my microwave. Anyhow, moving onward...while the rice does its thing, go ahead and chop up the garlic, tomato and onions. 

Lovely. Now by this time, the rice is done cooking. So you can go ahead and and cook the edamame. It is possible to buy fresh edamame, or to buy the frozen edamame from Trader Joe's as I have done and boil it on the stove, but for time's sake, I take my half cup of frozen edamame and put it in a Pyrex measuring cup with some water and let it cook for two minutes, drain the water, and then you have your half cup of cooked edamame.

Also at this time, assuming you use canned garbanzo beans as I do for this recipe, open the can, pour out approximately half a cup and drain them in a strainer. I like to do this because this way I am reassured they are clean and residue free.

Ok, so now we are going to start all the major cooking. Let's assume at this point you chopped the chicken. For this recipe I used only one chicken breast, but you are more than welcome to use two. So fire up the stir-fry pan to HI, and put one tablespoon of olive oil in the pan. You may use more if you'd like, but one seems to be more than adequate. Then add your chopped chicken breast and let it cook for a minute before adding the other ingredients.

After the chicken cooks alone for about a minute, wash off a half a cup of the broccoli florets and add them to the stir fry. Again, you can go buy big heads of broccoli at the grocery store and cut them up if you would like, but buying the pre-chopped bag cuts back on time, which can be crucial for some people. I add broccoli first before the other ingredients because aside from the chicken, I believe it takes the longest to cook. Next, I add in the garbanzo beans and the edamame. Then the garlic, onions and tomatoes.

And now it's starting to look pretty...

Next to go in this dish is a generous handful of pre-rinsed, bagged spinach. I like to save the spinach and the eggs for last because they only need to be cooked a few minutes, especially the spinach. You do not have to use eggs if you don't want to, but the point is that it is "fried" rice...and we all know from going to Chinese food restaurants that usually fried rice has egg in it.

The last solid food item you will add to this dish is the brown rice you cooked in the microwave.

So after you have added the rice and stirred the dish around a bit, now it's time for the seasonings. I did not take pictures of this, but it is pretty simple. I don't measure my seasonings, but I would say I can estimate I use two tablespoons of Braggs Liquid Aminos (you can use low sodium soy sauce if you prefer it), one half of a squeezed lime, two tablespoons of agave nectar and one teaspoon of ground ginger. I know the agave nectar sounds weird, but trust me, it makes this dish taste amazing. Actually, ALL the seasonings make the dish amazing! 

So below is the FINAL DISH...how does it look? I think it looks amazing! And tastes amazing as well. How can you go wrong? You are getting a ton of protein from the chicken and egg, vitamins and minerals from all those veggies, fiber from the brown rice, edamame, garbanzo beans (AND of course the veggies!), and some fat from the chicken, egg yolk and olive oil.

Enjoy your Sunday...more recipes and blogs to come!