Once you have removed the "bad" from your fridge and pantry, it is time to restock with the "good".
A great way to start is to head to the bookstore (or the library). Cookbooks not only give you inspiration for eating healthy, they usually have a section about staples to have on hand in the pantry. Hit the Vegan section and look for titles such as Vegan Planet by Robin Roberston and ExtraVeganZa by Laura Matthias (from Victoria). Raw recipes are also great for you (some require a lot of time to prepare - go figure) and Brendan Brazier (from Vancouver) has written several books including The Thrive Diet. Vegetarian cookbooks are also a great starting point if you remember that there is usually a lot of cheese in the recipes. The Enchanted Broccoli Forest is a vegetarian classic by Mollie Katzen and many of the recipes are easily modified to become vegan - including my family's favorite, Sweet Potato Pie on page 130.
An easy way to eat healthy is to eat ethnic foods. Many countries in warmer climates have lots of simple, healthy food. Some examples are China, Ethiopia, India, Japan, and Mexico.
Now that you have some inspirational recipe ideas you'll need to find a local store or farm that sells the ingredients. Victoria is blessed to have an almost year round growing season and local farms, but for those wanting around the corner shopping there are the summer farmers markets where the farms come to you. There are also a few great home delivery companies like Share Organics and SPUD if you don't want to leave the house. But if you do want to venture out there are several great grocery stores such as Fairway Market Quadra at Hillside (super Asian section), Lifestyles Market (great bulk staples), Market on Yates (the place for really weird ingredients), Planet Organic (expensive but great selection), and Thrifty Foods in James Bay (the best Thrifty's Organic section I've seen).
When you get it home, what are you going to store it in? Plastic can leach toxins into all that great food. I suggest considering glass containers. Costco sells three sizes of rectangular glass containers with plastic snap lids (Lock & Lock). I also bought a few cases of wide mouth mason jars in different sizes and they are working really well for me. Of course, there is always the recycled glass containers from juice or condiments.
Finally (I'm such a nag), get rid of your microwave. Really, if you are going to spend money on organic fruits and vegetables so that you aren't adding chemicals and toxins to your body, why would you want to radiate and kill the goodness that they are meant to provide. It takes just about the same amount of time to heat things up in a pot on the stove. Plus it will give you a shelf for all your new cookbooks!
Registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioner (RNCP)
Monday, December 20, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Getting Started
How do you start getting healthy? I find the best way is by trashing your kitchen.
First, open your fridge. Take out any dairy products and get rid of them - down the sink or toilet or in the garbage. Don't forget to recycle the containers.
Then start reading labels. If the product contains sugar or dairy get rid of it. In fact, if you have trouble reading the label you may also want to get rid of it. A label should be completely understandable. Looking up unfamiliar words on the internet helps - there are many tricky words for dairy and even more for sugar and animal products. There is an extensive list of animal product ingredients in the How it all Vegan! cookbook including casein (milk protein), whey (milk serum) and pepsin (from pig's stomachs). A product should also contain as few ingredients as possible. For example a good salsa label reads: tomatoes, tomato puree, green bell peppers (organic), onions, apple cider vinegar (organic), jalapeno peppers, sea salt, garlic, cilantro. Simple and familiar is always a good start. By this stage most of the processed food should be gone and there should be only fresh fruits and vegetables and some condiments left. Check the freezer, too.
Finally, open your pantry and start again. No sugar, no dairy, no animal products, no processed food.
You are on your way to health.
Next time I'll help you re-stock your shelves.
First, open your fridge. Take out any dairy products and get rid of them - down the sink or toilet or in the garbage. Don't forget to recycle the containers.
Then start reading labels. If the product contains sugar or dairy get rid of it. In fact, if you have trouble reading the label you may also want to get rid of it. A label should be completely understandable. Looking up unfamiliar words on the internet helps - there are many tricky words for dairy and even more for sugar and animal products. There is an extensive list of animal product ingredients in the How it all Vegan! cookbook including casein (milk protein), whey (milk serum) and pepsin (from pig's stomachs). A product should also contain as few ingredients as possible. For example a good salsa label reads: tomatoes, tomato puree, green bell peppers (organic), onions, apple cider vinegar (organic), jalapeno peppers, sea salt, garlic, cilantro. Simple and familiar is always a good start. By this stage most of the processed food should be gone and there should be only fresh fruits and vegetables and some condiments left. Check the freezer, too.
Finally, open your pantry and start again. No sugar, no dairy, no animal products, no processed food.
You are on your way to health.
Next time I'll help you re-stock your shelves.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Mc Fat!
Let me tell you a bit about processed foods. They aren't good for you! Processed means that the food has been taken from it's original, identifiable shape and changed into something else, usually with a whack load of chemicals thrown in for good measure. When things get processed they loose a lot of their original goodness that Nature provided, like vitamins and fiber. The funny thing is, the manufacturers end up adding things, like vitamins, at the end of processing to try to restore the original nourishment - TRY being the key word, as they seldom succeed.
Here is a story:
A person is hungry and they go to a fast food restaurant to fix the hunger. They order a burger, fries and a pop. The burger (besides being made up of many different cows, and who knows which parts of those cows) is fried meat and the bun is processed wheat. The fries are processed, deep fried potatoes. The pop is complete sugar and chemicals. The person spends a few minutes eating there burger and fries and drinking their pop and then they carry on with their life. About an hour later, the person feels hunger again - funny, as they just ate an hour ago. Oh, well. They go to another fast food restaurant and order a pizza made of processed wheat, processed cheese, processed meat. They eat the pizza to fix the hunger and go on with their life. But an hour or so later they are hungry again. This time they snack on chips at home. More processed and fried potatoes. The person is hungry within the hour.
OK, why are they always hungry when they are always eating????
Because they aren't getting the nutrition their body needs. Their body says, "I'm hungry. I need nutrients to function." The person feeds their body but only gives it processed carbohydrates. Their body says, "I don't need that right now, so I'll store it away until I do (in the form of fat)." The body is still not getting what it needs so it says, "Hel-LO! I'm still hungry. I need nutrients to function." But the person doesn't understand this and just keeps giving their body the wrong food and they remain hungry and continue to gain weight.
The moral of the story. Eat food that provides nutrients to your body when it is hungry. Simple things like fruits and vegetables. Things that you can pick up in your hand and see what they are and know where they came from. Like an apple. Pretty simple.
Here is a story:
A person is hungry and they go to a fast food restaurant to fix the hunger. They order a burger, fries and a pop. The burger (besides being made up of many different cows, and who knows which parts of those cows) is fried meat and the bun is processed wheat. The fries are processed, deep fried potatoes. The pop is complete sugar and chemicals. The person spends a few minutes eating there burger and fries and drinking their pop and then they carry on with their life. About an hour later, the person feels hunger again - funny, as they just ate an hour ago. Oh, well. They go to another fast food restaurant and order a pizza made of processed wheat, processed cheese, processed meat. They eat the pizza to fix the hunger and go on with their life. But an hour or so later they are hungry again. This time they snack on chips at home. More processed and fried potatoes. The person is hungry within the hour.
OK, why are they always hungry when they are always eating????
Because they aren't getting the nutrition their body needs. Their body says, "I'm hungry. I need nutrients to function." The person feeds their body but only gives it processed carbohydrates. Their body says, "I don't need that right now, so I'll store it away until I do (in the form of fat)." The body is still not getting what it needs so it says, "Hel-LO! I'm still hungry. I need nutrients to function." But the person doesn't understand this and just keeps giving their body the wrong food and they remain hungry and continue to gain weight.
The moral of the story. Eat food that provides nutrients to your body when it is hungry. Simple things like fruits and vegetables. Things that you can pick up in your hand and see what they are and know where they came from. Like an apple. Pretty simple.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The Skinny #3
Organic! If you can afford to buy organic, do it. It is good for you and for the planet. But if you can't afford it, it is OK. I'd rather that you eat ANY fresh fruits and vegetables than none at all. How about a compromise? You'll need to remember the Dirty Dozen. They are twelve fruits and vegetables that are contaminated with large amounts of pesticides when grown commercially and should only be bought if they are organic. The list: celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, kale, cherries, potatoes, and grapes (imported). There is also a Clean 15 list of fruits and vegetables that you don't have to worry about and don't need to be organic. On the subject of Organic, animal products should be as near to organic as possible. This will reduce the amount of antibiotics and growth hormones you ingest. Wild fish and game have the benefit of huge amounts of omega-3s from all the plankton and grass they eat. Two great places in Victoria to buy fish and meat are Finest At Sea and The Village Butcher in Oak Bay.
Local! What better way to get fresh fruits and vegetables and save the planet at the same time. Buy them locally. The 100 mile diet in Victoria is known as the Vancouver Island Diet. You can drive/bus/bike to the local farms or the farmers will come to the city as they do at the Moss Street Market that runs from May to October. Or if you are adventurous, you can grow your own like the Garden Girl. Get inspired by reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It made me realize the different food seasons and helped me to refine my menus by what was available in season.
I haven't even begun to harp on the over processed, over packaged food that North Americans eat! Next time.
Local! What better way to get fresh fruits and vegetables and save the planet at the same time. Buy them locally. The 100 mile diet in Victoria is known as the Vancouver Island Diet. You can drive/bus/bike to the local farms or the farmers will come to the city as they do at the Moss Street Market that runs from May to October. Or if you are adventurous, you can grow your own like the Garden Girl. Get inspired by reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It made me realize the different food seasons and helped me to refine my menus by what was available in season.
I haven't even begun to harp on the over processed, over packaged food that North Americans eat! Next time.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
The Skinny #2
No dairy! Did you know that 75% of the world's population is lactose intolerant? That should give you your first clue. Humans weren't meant to drink milk (other than their mother's for a few years). Milk provides hormones and nutrients to help a baby grow. What do you think happens to those animal hormones when they get into human bodies? They target the mammary glands and prostate glands and encourage growth. I don't like the sound of that.
But what about calcium, you say? The dairy producers have you and everyone else believing that milk is helping your body. In reality, it is harming it. Yes, there is calcium in milk, but there is also a whole lot of protein. For your body to digest the protein in the milk it requires calcium. But there is not enough calcium in the milk (it isn't a complete package) so it robs the calcium from your body, actually leaching it from your bones! Hmmm. Want to make your bones big and strong like cows and other large animals? Do what they do - eat grass! Well, eat broccoli. It has way more calcium than milk, and you'll get a whole lot of other nutrients and fiber at the same time. Plus you will probably have less gas, stomach pains, foul smelling breath, mucus...!
Now when I say dairy I mean EVERYTHING - milk, cream, yogurt, cheese, sour cream, ice cream, milk chocolate, etc. (it is in EVERYTHING). If you need to replace it use rice milk, almond milk, or coconut milk. Instead of butter, try olive oil. Coconut oil is fantastic to pop popcorn with - you don't need any butter. There are some great mock product out there if you just can't manage to live without your cheese (mozzarella, cream cheese) but please, use them sparingly as they are highly processed. Read What's Wrong with Dairy Products?.
But what about calcium, you say? The dairy producers have you and everyone else believing that milk is helping your body. In reality, it is harming it. Yes, there is calcium in milk, but there is also a whole lot of protein. For your body to digest the protein in the milk it requires calcium. But there is not enough calcium in the milk (it isn't a complete package) so it robs the calcium from your body, actually leaching it from your bones! Hmmm. Want to make your bones big and strong like cows and other large animals? Do what they do - eat grass! Well, eat broccoli. It has way more calcium than milk, and you'll get a whole lot of other nutrients and fiber at the same time. Plus you will probably have less gas, stomach pains, foul smelling breath, mucus...!
Now when I say dairy I mean EVERYTHING - milk, cream, yogurt, cheese, sour cream, ice cream, milk chocolate, etc. (it is in EVERYTHING). If you need to replace it use rice milk, almond milk, or coconut milk. Instead of butter, try olive oil. Coconut oil is fantastic to pop popcorn with - you don't need any butter. There are some great mock product out there if you just can't manage to live without your cheese (mozzarella, cream cheese) but please, use them sparingly as they are highly processed. Read What's Wrong with Dairy Products?.
Monday, December 13, 2010
The Skinny #1
My mantra is:
"No sugar, no dairy, organic and local."
No sugar! Sugar causes an acidic environment in the body, contributes to yeast overgrowth which prevents the absorption of nutrients, and weakens the immune system. When you banish processed sugar from your diet you may experience many fascinating changes such as a decrease in plaque buildup in your mouth, better breath, heightened taste, sustained energy, and fewer illnesses. Now, after saying that, it is impossible to not consume ANY sugar as fruits and vegetables are full of them. But fruit and vegetable sugars are better for you because they come as a package with benefits such as fiber (which digests at a slower rate than straight processed sugar so your body maintains that full feeling longer), and many nutrients. Cooking with maple syrup or dried cane sugar is marginally better than processed sugar because there are minute nutrients.
So try eliminating sugar from your diet. You'll want to stock up on fruit so that when you have a sugar craving, you will have something to satisfy it on hand. Also, to attempt to get the good bacteria back into your intestines that the yeast has overgrown, search out a lactobacillus acidophilus supplement (Natural Factors Cal'dophilus). Please don't use yogurt! And check out Sugar: You Just Love Your Children To Death and a great visual blog sugarstacks.
Tomorrow - dairy and why you want to avoid it.
"No sugar, no dairy, organic and local."
No sugar! Sugar causes an acidic environment in the body, contributes to yeast overgrowth which prevents the absorption of nutrients, and weakens the immune system. When you banish processed sugar from your diet you may experience many fascinating changes such as a decrease in plaque buildup in your mouth, better breath, heightened taste, sustained energy, and fewer illnesses. Now, after saying that, it is impossible to not consume ANY sugar as fruits and vegetables are full of them. But fruit and vegetable sugars are better for you because they come as a package with benefits such as fiber (which digests at a slower rate than straight processed sugar so your body maintains that full feeling longer), and many nutrients. Cooking with maple syrup or dried cane sugar is marginally better than processed sugar because there are minute nutrients.
So try eliminating sugar from your diet. You'll want to stock up on fruit so that when you have a sugar craving, you will have something to satisfy it on hand. Also, to attempt to get the good bacteria back into your intestines that the yeast has overgrown, search out a lactobacillus acidophilus supplement (Natural Factors Cal'dophilus). Please don't use yogurt! And check out Sugar: You Just Love Your Children To Death and a great visual blog sugarstacks.
Tomorrow - dairy and why you want to avoid it.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Simple Breakfasts
These recipes are so fast, you'll have time to sleep in! Whip them up and you can even take them with you.
Raw Oatmeal For One
(Modified from Uncooking With Raw Rose)
Serves 1
MAKE THE NIGHT BEFORE!
1/2 cup steel-cut oats
1 1/2 tablespoons raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I use this much cinnamon for 4 people so you might want to tone it down)
3/4 cup water
1 apple or pear chopped
banana and/or berries, fruit slices such as peach, nectarine, plum (optional)
1. Soak oats, raisins and cinnamon in the water for eight to twelve hours (overnight) in the blender.
2. Blend the soaked ingredients and the apple or pear.
3. Serve in a bowl. Top with banana, berries, or other fruit. Sprinkle with more cinnamon as required.
Green Smoothie
(Modified from Running Raw)
Serves 1
1 banana
1/2 cup blueberries
1 tsp. dulse flakes
1 Tbsp. hemp seeds
1-2 kale leaves, remove spine
20 oz water
Blend until smooth. "Chew it, don't chug it" - Tim VanOrden
Raw Oatmeal For One
(Modified from Uncooking With Raw Rose)
Serves 1
MAKE THE NIGHT BEFORE!
1/2 cup steel-cut oats
1 1/2 tablespoons raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I use this much cinnamon for 4 people so you might want to tone it down)
3/4 cup water
1 apple or pear chopped
banana and/or berries, fruit slices such as peach, nectarine, plum (optional)
1. Soak oats, raisins and cinnamon in the water for eight to twelve hours (overnight) in the blender.
2. Blend the soaked ingredients and the apple or pear.
3. Serve in a bowl. Top with banana, berries, or other fruit. Sprinkle with more cinnamon as required.
Green Smoothie
(Modified from Running Raw)
Serves 1
1 banana
1/2 cup blueberries
1 tsp. dulse flakes
1 Tbsp. hemp seeds
1-2 kale leaves, remove spine
20 oz water
Blend until smooth. "Chew it, don't chug it" - Tim VanOrden
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Party Time!
It is December, which means Christmas parties. Fear not! You can navigate the season and come out on target or even healthier than you planned. Here are some tips and recipes:
Eat before you go, this way you won't be eating because you are ravenous.
Bring a dish of your own so you know there will be SOMETHING there you can eat.
There is almost always a veggie tray or even a fruit platter these days. Just avoid the dip (which is usually milk based).
If you don't know what is in something, ask. You might find you can eat more things than you think.
Finally, enjoy. No matter what you eat or drink, enjoy what you are doing. Your body won't appreciate the food if it is covered in guilt!
Try these recipes:
Black Olive Bruschetta
(Modified from Vegan Planet)
Serves 8
1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 cups pitted oil-cured black olives
2 Tbsp. capers, drained
3 Tbsp. Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
Eight 1/2 inch thick slices Italian or French bread
Preheat broiler. Heat 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a food processor. Add the remaining olive oil, olives, capers, parsley, and salt and pulse to blend, retaining some texture. Set aside.
Lightly brush both sides of the bread with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Broil until golden brown on both sides.
Spread the tapenade on the prepared bread and serve at once.
Hummus and Pita
(Modified from Vegan Planet)
Makes about 2 cups
1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup tahini
2 tsp. Sambal Oelek
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp. cilantro, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
olive oil as required
1 package whole wheat pita, cut into triangles
Process ingredients (except pita) in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a tightly covered container. Will keep for 3 days.
Ridiculously Good Guacamole in Five Minutes
(Modified from www.herbivoracious.com)
Serves 4-6
4 ripe Hass avocados
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 small handful cilantro leaves, lightly chopped
1/4 cup finely diced white onion
juice of 1 lime
salt
Extract the avocado flesh into a medium bowl as described above.
Add all of the other ingredients, including 1 teaspoon of salt.
Mash and mix lightly. I prefer a potato masher but the back of a big fork works well too.
Taste and add salt and more lime juice if needed.
Eat before you go, this way you won't be eating because you are ravenous.
Bring a dish of your own so you know there will be SOMETHING there you can eat.
There is almost always a veggie tray or even a fruit platter these days. Just avoid the dip (which is usually milk based).
If you don't know what is in something, ask. You might find you can eat more things than you think.
Finally, enjoy. No matter what you eat or drink, enjoy what you are doing. Your body won't appreciate the food if it is covered in guilt!
Try these recipes:
Black Olive Bruschetta
(Modified from Vegan Planet)
Serves 8
1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 cups pitted oil-cured black olives
2 Tbsp. capers, drained
3 Tbsp. Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
Eight 1/2 inch thick slices Italian or French bread
Preheat broiler. Heat 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a food processor. Add the remaining olive oil, olives, capers, parsley, and salt and pulse to blend, retaining some texture. Set aside.
Lightly brush both sides of the bread with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Broil until golden brown on both sides.
Spread the tapenade on the prepared bread and serve at once.
Hummus and Pita
(Modified from Vegan Planet)
Makes about 2 cups
1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup tahini
2 tsp. Sambal Oelek
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp. cilantro, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
olive oil as required
1 package whole wheat pita, cut into triangles
Process ingredients (except pita) in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a tightly covered container. Will keep for 3 days.
Ridiculously Good Guacamole in Five Minutes
(Modified from www.herbivoracious.com)
Serves 4-6
4 ripe Hass avocados
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 small handful cilantro leaves, lightly chopped
1/4 cup finely diced white onion
juice of 1 lime
salt
Extract the avocado flesh into a medium bowl as described above.
Add all of the other ingredients, including 1 teaspoon of salt.
Mash and mix lightly. I prefer a potato masher but the back of a big fork works well too.
Taste and add salt and more lime juice if needed.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Victoria Restaurants
My Favorite Places:
Cafe Bliss - Raw and Live Food - don't expect a huge mound of food. Slow down and savor each mouthful and you'll be full!
Da Tandoor - Indian - authentic and really, really good! You can get a lot of vegetarian options that are really tasty.
Ebizo - Japanese - Shh! The best thing on the menu isn't on the menu - ask for a Ricky Roll - but don't tell them I told you!
Green Cuisine - Vegan - casual, cafeteria style, pay by weight - which can be a problem as everything is so good you can load up your plate. Choose a few things and come back for more. My husband recommends the samosas and the kids always leave room for the sorbet.
Hernandez - Mexican - request your order without dairy. Amazing food, GREAT prices!
Heron Rock Bistro - Local, Organic - the menu is always changing with the seasons (and when the chef gets bored!). Amazing atmosphere, fabulous food. Request no dairy in your order as they are good at finding substitutions.
Lotus Pond - Buddhist - great vegan fare. Buffet style, pay by weight or order off the menu. Satiating!
Mo:Le - Local, Organic - they cater to so many different concerns - vegan, wheat-free, raw...
Noodle Box - South East Asian - select the tofu or no protein option. I really like the Thai Style Chow Mein.
Pink Bicycle - Burgers - Local, Organic - request your order without dairy. The Seared Ahi Tuna burger is AMAZING!
Rebar - Vegetarian - ask for Vegan substitutions. Monk's Curry is great.
Red Fish Blue Fish - Seafood - ask them to hold the dairy. Everything on the menu is delicious. A great place to bring the tourists.
Spice Jammer - East African Indian - order the vegetarian options.
Traveling:
Happy Cow - Compassionate Eating - a way to find vegetarian food all over the world.
Subway - Sub Sandwiches - whole wheat bun, no cheese, vegetarian, with sub sauce.
Taco Del Mar - Mexican -whole wheat tortilla, rice, refried beans, guacamole, and salsa, but no sour cream. Yum!
Quiznos - Sub Sandwiches - whole wheat bun, no cheese, vegetarian, with guacamole.
Cafe Bliss - Raw and Live Food - don't expect a huge mound of food. Slow down and savor each mouthful and you'll be full!
Da Tandoor - Indian - authentic and really, really good! You can get a lot of vegetarian options that are really tasty.
Ebizo - Japanese - Shh! The best thing on the menu isn't on the menu - ask for a Ricky Roll - but don't tell them I told you!
Green Cuisine - Vegan - casual, cafeteria style, pay by weight - which can be a problem as everything is so good you can load up your plate. Choose a few things and come back for more. My husband recommends the samosas and the kids always leave room for the sorbet.
Hernandez - Mexican - request your order without dairy. Amazing food, GREAT prices!
Heron Rock Bistro - Local, Organic - the menu is always changing with the seasons (and when the chef gets bored!). Amazing atmosphere, fabulous food. Request no dairy in your order as they are good at finding substitutions.
Lotus Pond - Buddhist - great vegan fare. Buffet style, pay by weight or order off the menu. Satiating!
Mo:Le - Local, Organic - they cater to so many different concerns - vegan, wheat-free, raw...
Noodle Box - South East Asian - select the tofu or no protein option. I really like the Thai Style Chow Mein.
Pink Bicycle - Burgers - Local, Organic - request your order without dairy. The Seared Ahi Tuna burger is AMAZING!
Rebar - Vegetarian - ask for Vegan substitutions. Monk's Curry is great.
Red Fish Blue Fish - Seafood - ask them to hold the dairy. Everything on the menu is delicious. A great place to bring the tourists.
Spice Jammer - East African Indian - order the vegetarian options.
Traveling:
Happy Cow - Compassionate Eating - a way to find vegetarian food all over the world.
Subway - Sub Sandwiches - whole wheat bun, no cheese, vegetarian, with sub sauce.
Taco Del Mar - Mexican -whole wheat tortilla, rice, refried beans, guacamole, and salsa, but no sour cream. Yum!
Quiznos - Sub Sandwiches - whole wheat bun, no cheese, vegetarian, with guacamole.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Dining Out!
Where to eat in Victoria.
When you are concerned about your health one of the first things you may decide to do is stop eating out at restaurants. This is a great idea, especially if the places you frequent don't offer food that provides proper nourishment for your body. But with today's busy lifestyle it is sometimes necessary to eat out, and, of course there are always the social obligations. So go out and enjoy. But have a plan.
It boils down to criteria. If you want to be ULTRA healthy in your choice consider finding a Raw Food restaurant such as Cafe Bliss. Raw food contains all its own enzymes for digestion so your body doesn't have to produce any. Your body gets to keep all of the energy from the food.
Vegan is the next best option. Green Cuisine is a great place for a casual meal. Vegan means the food contains no animal products. Animal protein is a dirty fuel for your body. When your body digests it it is left with waste that the liver and kidneys must eliminate. Vegetable protein is a clean fuel. Your body uses it all with no waste to process.
Vegetarian is a great option but I suggest staying away from dairy products. Dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, cream cheese, sour cream, etc) isn't as good for you as the industry would have you believe. Yes, it contains calcium but your body never sees it. In fact, for your body to process the protein in milk it actually needs more calcium than is in the milk and leaches calcium from your body to do this. The result? A net loss of calcium. Rebar is a great vegetarian restaurant.
Organic and local are always great bets. Organic means that you are not putting harmful pesticides into your body and you are helping the Earth at the same time. Likewise with eating local. Less pollution and fresher produce. It is so easy to eat local year round in Victoria. The Heron Rock Bistro is well known for its fresh, local, and organic ingredients.
On the subject of organic, that is the ONLY type of animal protein you should eat. Do you know where your cow has been? In this day and age we are not consuming Bessy the cow from down the road who ate sweet clover all her life. Instead, hamburgers are made up of hundreds of cows full of antibiotics and hormones. Yuck! The Pink Bicycle is an amazing gourmet burger joint serving several organic burgers!
Check back tomorrow for a bigger list, including "fast food" joints!
When you are concerned about your health one of the first things you may decide to do is stop eating out at restaurants. This is a great idea, especially if the places you frequent don't offer food that provides proper nourishment for your body. But with today's busy lifestyle it is sometimes necessary to eat out, and, of course there are always the social obligations. So go out and enjoy. But have a plan.
It boils down to criteria. If you want to be ULTRA healthy in your choice consider finding a Raw Food restaurant such as Cafe Bliss. Raw food contains all its own enzymes for digestion so your body doesn't have to produce any. Your body gets to keep all of the energy from the food.
Vegan is the next best option. Green Cuisine is a great place for a casual meal. Vegan means the food contains no animal products. Animal protein is a dirty fuel for your body. When your body digests it it is left with waste that the liver and kidneys must eliminate. Vegetable protein is a clean fuel. Your body uses it all with no waste to process.
Vegetarian is a great option but I suggest staying away from dairy products. Dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, cream cheese, sour cream, etc) isn't as good for you as the industry would have you believe. Yes, it contains calcium but your body never sees it. In fact, for your body to process the protein in milk it actually needs more calcium than is in the milk and leaches calcium from your body to do this. The result? A net loss of calcium. Rebar is a great vegetarian restaurant.
Organic and local are always great bets. Organic means that you are not putting harmful pesticides into your body and you are helping the Earth at the same time. Likewise with eating local. Less pollution and fresher produce. It is so easy to eat local year round in Victoria. The Heron Rock Bistro is well known for its fresh, local, and organic ingredients.
On the subject of organic, that is the ONLY type of animal protein you should eat. Do you know where your cow has been? In this day and age we are not consuming Bessy the cow from down the road who ate sweet clover all her life. Instead, hamburgers are made up of hundreds of cows full of antibiotics and hormones. Yuck! The Pink Bicycle is an amazing gourmet burger joint serving several organic burgers!
Check back tomorrow for a bigger list, including "fast food" joints!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Diagnosed? Welcome To The Club!
You are now one out of every nine women in Canada with Breast Cancer. But what now?
First of all, get a second opinion!
Then, get a third!Seriously! Doctors are just people. They don’t know everything, and they certainly don’t know YOU! Get some opinions so that you can triangulate the information.
Then sit down, have a glass or two of red wine and relax. YES! Nothing, not ONE little thing, has to be done right this minute! You have weeks and months to figure things out. There is no need to rush.
Don’t let anyone push you into something that you don’t want to do or don’t understand. Get all the information you can before you make a decision. And it is YOU who gets to make that decision.
You are going to need a team:
* people to support you emotionally - partner/family/girlfriends/surviors
* people to do things for you - friends/neighbours/community
* people to give/get you information - naturopaths/nutritionists/library/internet
* people to carry out your wishes - surgeons/naturopaths/massage therapists
Who Am I?
I have never been over weight, in fact, people have always said I was skinny but I was never "healthy". And in 2005, at the age of 36, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. As you might imagine, my life took a huge turn at that point. My husband and I started researching everything we could about breast cancer.
More and more we found that food had a lot to do with health, in fact, we realized that “YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT”. So we went crazy and completely overhauled our family’s diet. We eliminated dairy, sugar and any animal products (over time we put back cold water fish and the occasional organic turkey).
The results were amazing! I lost the extra weight I was carrying around since I was pregnant. My complexion, energy and mood all changed for the better.
I was so amazed with the results that I wanted to tell everyone but I realized that I can’t just run up to people on the street and tell them I can help them with their weight or health issues. It doesn’t go over very well.
So I went back to school and became a Nutritionist and have designed Skinny Chick so that you can seek me out. I believe that I can help you towards great health simply by helping you to change what you eat! No diets or counting calories, just eating lots of good food.
Thanks for checking me out!
More and more we found that food had a lot to do with health, in fact, we realized that “YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT”. So we went crazy and completely overhauled our family’s diet. We eliminated dairy, sugar and any animal products (over time we put back cold water fish and the occasional organic turkey).
The results were amazing! I lost the extra weight I was carrying around since I was pregnant. My complexion, energy and mood all changed for the better.
I was so amazed with the results that I wanted to tell everyone but I realized that I can’t just run up to people on the street and tell them I can help them with their weight or health issues. It doesn’t go over very well.
So I went back to school and became a Nutritionist and have designed Skinny Chick so that you can seek me out. I believe that I can help you towards great health simply by helping you to change what you eat! No diets or counting calories, just eating lots of good food.
Thanks for checking me out!
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