Meatless Monday: Healthy Eating Strategies from the American Heart Association

One Step At a Time...

You Can Go Meatless

For All Three Meals

The Latest Diet Strategies for Heart Health

The American Heart Association after three and a half days presented insight into nutrition relating to heart health. Karen Collins, Environmental Nutrition, will share her insights into the AHA presentation.

Saturated and trans fats: Still targets. Despite questions raised by headlines, limiting saturated fat remains important for heart health, according to Robert Eckel, MD, director of the Lipid Clinic at University of Colorado Hospital. The average American needs to cut saturated fat in half to meet the new American Heart Association recommendation of no more than five to six percent of calories daily, which would reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by up to 11 mg/dL. If you eat about 2,000 calories a day, that’s 11 to 13 grams (g) of saturated fat a day. A regular fast food cheeseburger has 5-12 g of saturated fat, for example. While this goal may be challenging for some, fortunately, it’s not all-or-nothing: any drop in saturated fat reduces risk.

Trans fat, from partially hydrogenated oils in many processed snack and convenience foods, poses the greatest heart risk. Amounts are dropping, but it still warrants checking nutrition labels to avoid trans fat as much as possible.

Evidence no longer supports foods’ cholesterol content as an important influence on blood cholesterol or heart risk, except possibly for people with diabetes or extremely high LDL levels. The biggest implication is that you may not need to limit eggs as much as advised in years past, although unlimited use won’t fit with tight recommendations on saturated fat, either.

How to replace saturated fat? What do you include in your diet in exchange for saturated fat? Here are multiple strategies:

Polyunsaturated fat (found in nuts, seeds, and canola, soybean and other vegetable oils) brings the biggest drop in LDL cholesterol.Action examples: Replace cheese in a salad with almonds or walnuts. Switch one meal a week from red meat to fish; you’ll get more of both omega-6 and the especially heart-healthy omega-3 fats.Monounsaturated fat (found in olives, olive oil, avocado, and peanuts) brings a smaller, but still strong, decrease in LDL.Action example: Replace sour cream with sliced or mashed avocado.

Protein consumption is another way to reduce saturated fat—if added primarily from plant sources, with smaller increases in egg whites and fish.Action example: Modify your usual casseroles, pasta dishes and stews, replacing all or some of the meat with tofu, lentils or beans.

Carbohydrate as a replacement for saturated fat doesn’t lower LDL quite as much as the options above, but choices high in fiber and nutrients can bring multiple benefits. High-carbohydrate foods protect heart health when they supply dietary fiber and health-protective phytochemicals and nutrients.

Action example: Have fruit with breakfast instead of bacon. Eat nutrient- and fiber-rich fruit instead of cookies, sweet rolls, donuts and ice cream (desserts are one of the top contributors to saturated fat in the average American diet). Let whole grains and vegetables star in mixed dishes.

A culture of health. Major studies show that people who eat a healthy diet, don’t smoke, get regular physical activity throughout the week, and maintain a healthy weight and waist size prevent about 80 percent of heart attacks and 93 percent of type 2 diabetes, as well as substantially reducing their risk of stroke and cancer.

Healthy Meatless Recipe:
Kale and Quinoa Minestrone

(Adapted from Cooking Classy)

Ingredients:

• 1 large yellow onion, diced (2 cups)
• 3 medium carrots, diced (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 stalks celery, diced (1 cup)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups diced, fresh zucchini (from about 2 small)
• 2 cups green beans, cut into 1-inch segments
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (32 oz) carton unsalted or low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups water
• 3 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
• 3/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3/4 cup dry quinoa
• 1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can chick peas, drained and rinsed (aka garbanzo beans)
• 2 (heaping) cups chopped fresh kale, thick ribs removed
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

• Shredded parmesan cheese, for garnish (omit or use vegan parmesan if making vegan)

Directions:

1. In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add diced onion, carrots and celery and saute about 5 minutes, until softened. Add in zucchini, green beans, red bell pepper and saute 2 minutes, then add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.
2. Add in vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, water, parsley, rosemary, thyme, granulated sugar, season with salt and pepper to taste and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and allow soup to gently boil, uncovered for about 20 minutes.
3. Add in dry quinoa then cover and cook 15 - 20 minutes longer.
4. Add cannellini beans, chick peas, kale and lemon juice and cook, uncovered, until kale has wilted, about 5 minutes. Serve warm garnished with parmesan cheese.

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Healthy Weekly Motivator

Remember Green Goes with Everything

Your Baby's Laundry

The message I want to share with you today is pretty simple: babies and children are more vulnerable to all kinds of potentially harmful chemicals... chemicals that are included in many of the most common baby products. But you can change that. You can dramatically reduce your baby's vulnerability by making safe choices. Green Choices.

And the great thing, the wonderful thing, is that you actually do have choices. I'm going to recommend you use Shaklee's Get Clean Fresh Laundry Concentrate Liquid. And the great thing is, you don't have to separate baby's laundry from your own; it all goes into the same wash.

Have a great week and remember a better tomorrow starts with what you eat today!

Do you have a favorite meatless recipe you would like to share with us? Send it my way!

Wishing you health and wellness from the inside out,

Lisa

LQ WELLNESS

Professional Wellness Coach

973-383-0955

lisaquinnwc@embarqmail.com

Interested in Optimal Wellness? Take a look at products available here!

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @lq_wellness

Like me on Facebook

Follow me on Pinterest

“Invent your world. Surround yourself with people, color, sounds and work that nourish you.”

~Sark~

Meatless Monday: Reasons for Going Meatless One Day A Week

One Step At a Time...

You Can Go Meatless

For All Three Meals

The growing campaign for Meatless Monday encourages people to increase their intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Healthy related individuals are embracing it as a tool to promote healthful eating patterns.

What do Oprah Winfrey, Michael Pollan, and Mario Batali have in common? They’ve all jumped on the Meatless Monday bandwagon. Hospitals, colleges, restaurants, magazines, foodservice companies, workplaces, and entire communities are pledging their support for the program, too.

What’s Meatless Monday all about for those of you who are new to this principle. It’s a nonprofit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, which is developed in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health, with a simple message: By cutting out meat once per week, you can improve your health and reduce your carbon footprint. The initiative provides information and recipes to help people start each week with healthful, eco-friendly, meat-free alternatives.

Allison Righter, MSPH, RD, who coordinates the Meatless Monday science advisory at the Center for a Livable Future (CLF), reports that Meatless Monday began in 2003 in response to the release of the Healthy People 2010 report, which included goals to reduce dietary saturated fat by 15%. “Since saturated fat primarily comes from meat and animal products and since one day a week is just under 15% of the week, Meatless Monday was a practical method for helping people to meet those goals. Reducing meat consumption also has many other benefits, such as lowering the environmental burden of industrial food animal production, which is a major focus of CLF’s research,” Righter says.

Benefits Of Eating Meatless One Day Each Week

There is growing support for adopting a more plant-based diet, even in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which offer the general recommendation to eat a plant-based diet that focuses on consuming vegetables, cooked dry beans and peas, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds with moderate amounts of lean meats, poultry, eggs, and dairy.

A paper published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics concluded that a plant-based, vegetarian dietary pattern is completely healthful and nutritionally adequate for people throughout all stages of life and that it has several health advantages, including lower blood cholesterol and pressure levels and lower risk of heart disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes.

Semivegetarian, lacto-vegetarian, and vegan women have a lower risk of overweight and obesity than do omnivorous women, according to data from 55,459 healthy women participating in the Swedish Mammography Cohort, suggesting that advice to consume more plant foods and less animal products may help individuals control their weight.

In a recent study, Harvard researchers linked high processed-meat intake to a 42% higher risk of coronary heart disease. Data from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, which included more than 440,000 participants, revealed that eating a daily 100-g serving of red meat was linked with a 19% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and eating a daily 50-g serving of processed meat was associated with a 51% greater risk.

The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, which included more than 500,000 men and women, found a significantly higher risk of cancers of the colorectum, esophagus, lung, and liver associated with red meat intake; an increased risk of colorectal and lung cancer was associated with higher intake of processed meat; and red and processed meat intake was associated with cancer mortality.

The Meatless Monday message helps people ease into the concept of decreasing animal intake by selecting just one day per week to go meatless. The Meatless Movement is not asking people to cut out meat from the diet totally. It is all about moderation; it’s one simple tool to help people incorporate healthier—and also more environmentally sustainable—alternatives to meat into their diets just one day each week. It’s a platform to introduce new and often overlooked foods, and ideally this will trickle over into other days of the week and ultimately translate into healthier eating habits and dietary patterns over time.

The health benefits associated with vegetarianism go beyond simply having better eating habits. People who have been following a traditional vegetarian diet for many years may be healthier because they also tend to avoid or use less alcohol, caffeine and refined foods. They also tend to have other positive lifestyle habits including being more physically active, having less stressful lifestyles and being non-smokers.
The Meatless Monday movement has grown dramatically in the past two years.Meatless Monday also is growing with schools, colleges, food distributors, worksite wellness programs, and insurance companies. Meatless Mondays are being seen in communities, such as in Raleigh-Durham [North Carolina] and Aspen, Colorado, where community organizers go around and get schools, media, and events to support a community-wide endeavor. Meatless Monday can provide an opportunity for people to try new healthy recipes and new foods.
Start 2015 off by encouraging your family, friends and coworkers to jump on the Meatless Monday bandwagon and encourage all to take the ride for better health.

Healthy Meatless Recipe:

KALE, RED PEPPER AND GOAT CHEESE FRITTATA

(Adapted from Aggie's Kitchen)

This recipe is great when you are in a hurry and forgot to plan dinner. Hopefully, we will all try to eat a little healthier this new year.This frittata is like having breakfast for dinner.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1/4 milk
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large handful bagged chopped kale, chopped a bit more finely
• 2 ounces goat cheese
• 1 teaspoon of oil

Directions:

1. Preheat your broiler (use low if you have the option).
2. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to oven-proof 10 1/2 inch nonstick skillet, over medium heat. Add chopped red pepper and kale and saute for 5 minutes until vegetables are soft. Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Add egg and milk mixture to skillet. Let set for a minute. Using a spatula carefully begin to separate egg mixture from side of the pan, tilting pan while doing this so that egg mixture fills the space. Do this all around pan so that frittata cooks up evenly. Continue to do this until most of egg mixture is spread and only a small layer is left on top.
4. Spread crumbled goat cheese evenly to top of frittata. Place in oven under broiler and let cook for about 3-4 minutes, watching carefully. Let top of frittata cook completely and brown slightly.
5. Carefully (using a mitt!) take skillet out from oven. Let cool down for a couple of minutes. Slide frittata out onto a plate or cutting board and slice into quarters. Serve warm.
6. Serves 2, prep time 15 minutes

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Healthy Weekly Motivator

Remember Green Goes with Everything
A Healthier Environment, A Healthier You

We have all heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” But the same can be said of what you drink, what you breathe, and anything else you are exposed to. How healthy your environment is has a direct impact on your physical health, and nowhere is this more apparent than in your own home. One thing in your house that can affect your health is the air quality. On the back labels of many cleaners you will find safety warnings indicating that inhaling fumes from simple use of the product may be hazardous to your lungs. Some of these products include chemicals such as ammonia or chlorine bleach, which have been proven to cause shortness of breath and wheezing. The good news is that keeping your home clean without harming your family or the environment is easier than you might think. Making simple choices like switching products you use daily is just one way that you can create a healthy environment for your family to live in.

Contact LQ Wellness to see how you can create a healthier environment and a healthier you!

Have a great week and remember a better tomorrow starts with what you eat today!

Do you have a favorite meatless recipe you would like to share with us? Send it my way!

Wishing you health and wellness from the inside out,

Lisa

LQ WELLNESS

Professional Wellness Coach

973-383-0955

lisaquinnwc@embarqmail.com

Interested in Optimal Wellness? Take a look at products available here!

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @lq_wellness

Like me on Facebook

Follow me on Pinterest

“If we are creating ourselves all the time, then it is never too late to begin creating the bodies we want instead of the ones we mistakenly assume we are stuck with.”

~Deepak Chopra~

Meatless Monday: Making Your Diet More Nutrient Dense

One Step At a Time...

You Can Go Meatless

For All Three Meals

Healthy eating is all about how many nutrients you can pack into your diet.

When you turn over a packaged product in the grocery store to read the nutritional breakdown, it’s tempting to look at the calories first;we’ve been bombarded for years with messages that calories count most when it comes to the battle of the bulge. Yet, nutrition experts are increasingly using the terms “nutrient density” and “nutrient-rich” to describe the foods—fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins—we should be eating more of, with less focus on their calories.

What does nutrient-rich mean? Nutrient-density equals nutrients per calorie, says Julieanna Hever, MS, RD, CPT, author of The Vegiterranean Diet. “Thus, the more nutrients packed into a food calorie, the more beneficial it is towards making every calorie count most efficiently.” In addition, nutrient-dense foods are items that have not been diluted by the addition of calories from added solid fats or added sugars, according to The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Nutrient-rich shopping. Hever says foods from nature, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole-grains, nuts and seeds are often the most nutrient-dense edibles in the grocery store. In particular, she extols brightly colored vegetables like red bell peppers and dark, leafy greens for giving you a significant nutrient and antioxidant windfall for little caloric cost. A University of Washington study found that among whole vegetables it was potatoes (both sweet and white), carrots and broccoli that deliver the most nutrients for the least cost. In addition, items like lower-fat dairy, eggs, and seafood are also often rich in nutrients without an appreciable caloric cost.

The nutrient-rich bonus. A nutrient-rich eating style gives you a concentrated amount of the valuable vitamins, minerals, fiber, essential fatty acids and antioxidants needed for healthy aging. A University of Florida study discovered that people who consumed more plant-based foods and, in turn, higher amounts of nutrients, such as phytochemicals and minerals, maintained healthier body weights and experienced less internal inflammation linked to chronic diseases than people with lower intakes of nutrient-dense foods, even though both groups took in about the same number of daily calories.

Consider, too, that people who spend a greater amount of time on home food preparation consume a diet consisting of higher quality calories, reports a 2014 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Nutrient-poor. “These would be foods that are high in calories, but low in nutrients, such as processed foods, oils, refined grains, and sugars,” says Hever. Many highly processed, packaged foods marketed as “low-calorie” or “low-fat,” such as baked potato chips or white bread, provide little in the way of vital nutrients in their calorie load. For example, refined white rice contains fewer calories cup for cup than brown rice (205 versus 216, respectively), but you would have to consume about four times as much white rice just to get the same amount of magnesium found in the brown rice, a mineral linked to lower heart disease risk. Diets too heavy in foods that provide mainly empty calories, such as soda and pastries, are the reason people can be overweight yet still nutrient-malnourished.

All calories are not equal. Increasingly, science shows that a calorie from a nutrient-loaded avocado is not the same as a calorie from a nutrient-poor, sugary muffin. Indeed, nutrient-rich items can be both very low and, surprisingly, higher in calories. Almonds, for example; while a mere ounce of the nuts delivers about 164 calories, it possesses a range of vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats that make them a nutrient-rich food, despite the calories they contain.

Think Beyond Calories! (Adapted from Matthew Kadey)

Healthy Meatless Recipe:

Tofu Omelette

(Adapted from Plant Based on a Budget)

"Omelette?!" you say? Yes! Yes, we do! Thanks to the fine folks over at Plant Based on a Budget, I discovered this fantastic tofu omelette recipe created by Stephanie Lundstrom. 

Plus, you can fill these up with ALL of your favorites!

Ingredients:

• 1 package extra firm tofu
• 
3 Tbs. coconut milk
• 
3 Tbs. nutritional yeast
• 
3 Tbs. Cornstarch
• 
1 Tbs. soy sauce
• 
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. Turmeric

• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 
1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 
1/8 tsp. smoked paprika (optional)
• 
1/4 cup vegetable broth for thinning
Omelette fillings of your choice (such as spinach, mushrooms, and bell peppers)

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients (except the fillings) to a food processor or blender, and blend until it becomes a batter consistency.
2. Add some of the broth, if needed for thinning. Spread a ladle-full, or so, of batter evenly over a HOT non-stick pan.
3. As it dries out it should begin to turn to a dark yellow color.
4. Use a spatula to run underneath and then flip it.
5. Once both sides are dry, plate and fill with your favorites.

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Healthy Weekly Motivator

Remember Green Goes with Everything

Clean Air

We tend to think the big, bad world is where the unhealthy air is. But for the main source of air pollution in your life you need to look closer to home. In fact, it is your home.

You can reduce your home's air pollution in two ways:

1. Choosing products (from cleaners to bedding to carpets) that don't add chemicals to the air in your home.
2. Filtering the air in your home to get rid of some of the pollutants and making it safer.

Begin with changing your cleaning products to those that are safe for you,your family and the environment. Your home should be the safest place on earth. Clean it up with the safe, powerful, green, smart clean that is Shaklee. And surround yourself with health.

Have a great week and remember a better tomorrow starts with what you eat today!

Do you have a favorite meatless recipe you would like to share with us? Send it my way!

Wishing you health and wellness from the inside out,

Lisa

LQ WELLNESS

Professional Wellness Coach

973-383-0955

lisaquinnwc@embarqmail.com

Interested in Optimal Wellness? Take a look at products available here!

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @lq_wellness

Like me on Facebook

Follow me on Pinterest

“Get correct views of life, and learn to see the world in its true light. It will enable you to live pleasantly, to do good, and, when summoned away, to leave without regret.”

~ Robert E. Lee ~