What's the Healthiest Way to Cook Veggies?

Have you been told you shouldn’t cook your veggies because they're healthier raw?  Or that a microwave kills the nutrients in your vegetables? 

What's the healthiest cooking method for your veggies anyway?  Is it boiling, baking, frying, pressure cooking, using a microwave or a griddle? (a thick hot pan with no oil).  Which of these cooking methods will retain more antioxidants in veggies?

A study (1) published in the Journal of Food Science in 2009 sought to determine just this -- how different cooking methods affect the antioxdant levels in vegetables.  

Researchers took 20 different vegetables and measured their antioxidant capacity.  First as raw veggies, and then again after they'd been cooked to see what changes took place.

Every cooking method either caused a great loss in antioxidant power, a small loss, no loss or an increase in antioxidant power.  An increase in antioxidants from cooking?  Yes!  

Some veggies became healthier from cooking them.  For example….

- asparagus increased its antioxidant activity when boiled

- eggplant's antioxidants increased when pressure cooked

- baking caused an antioxidant increase in green bean, eggplant, maize, swiss chard and spinach

- and the microwave!  Eggplant, maize, pepper and swiss chard all increased antioxidant capacity in the microwave

Cooking methods decreased antioxidant capacity in some veggies...

- zuccini lost over 50% of its capacity when boiled

- most veggies lost 30-50% when pressure cooked

- leeks and cauiflower lost 30-50% when baked

The above are examples of changes in 1 type of antioxidant.  The researchers actually measured 2 types of antioxidants and the 2nd measurements found different results for different cooking techniques.  This means cooking affects different antioxidants differently.  All antioxidants aren't created equal.

Overall, researchers found that griddling and microwaving were the best cooking methods for maintaining antioxidant levels, while pressure cooking and boiling led to the greatest antioxidant losses.

You may be wondering "did any food not lose its antioxidants from cooking?"

Both celery and carrots increased in antioxidant power after all cooking methods and beets, green beans and garlic retained their power after most cooking.

How can you actually use this information?

Should you only microwave and never boil eggplant anymore?  Heck no!

This is what I want you to take away from this article...

Don't worry about the cooking method you use.  Eat veggies in whatever way you enjoy!  This will ensure you actually eat vegetables which is more important -- eating a variety of vegetables everyday!

When you eat a warm bowl of veggie-noodle soup for example, you'll be eating a variety of different veggies.  Some of these veggies will have increased their antioxidants from the heating, while other veggies will have decreased antioxidant amounts and others will have stayed the same.  The variety of veggies will produce exactly what your body needs.  

So don't worry about which cooking technique is "healthiest."  Even I’d go nuts trying to boil and bake some but not others.  Aye!

Now it's time to hear from you.  Answer today’s Take Control Now question and put your answer in the comments section below. 

Take Control Now

What's your favorite vegetable and your favorite way to have it prepared?

I look forward to reading your answer.

If you 'liked' this article (and I hope you did!) please show me some love by pressing the thumbs up button on the top-right corner of the video.  Or, email it to your friends and send them to www.TrishaMandes.com.  Tell them to sign-up for free emails so they never miss an episode of Take Control Tuesdays (plus the weekly email which is fun!).  Thanks for reading!

1.  Jiménez-Monreal AM , García-Diz L, Martínez-Tomé M, Mariscal M, Murcia MA. 2009, "Influence of cooking methods on antioxidant activity of vegetables", J Food Sci, vol. 74, no. 3, pp. H97-H103.

How to Make Berry-Chocolate "Ice-Cream"

Eating a plant-based diet doesn't mean you have to be deprived of mouth-watering dessert.  Today I'm going to show you how to make a dessert that doesn't only taste AMAZING, it's incredibly good for you too!  So bring on the dessert baby... every day, multiple times a day.  When it's berry-chocolate banana "ice-cream", there's no shame in dessert!

Berry-Chocolate Banana "Ice-Cream"

Ingredients:

frozen chunks of 1 really ripe medium banana *

3/4 C mixed frozen berries

2 tbl cocoa powder

1 tsp cinnamon

4 chopped dried dates **

1/2-1 C almond milk (or any plant milk)

Heads up:  you can do this with any blender, however, if you have a low-powered, 'normal' blender, you'll need to continuously stop the blender throughout the blending process.  Stop it, move the contents around and start blending again.  If you need, add small amounts of plant milk (or the liquid from soaking the dates if you had to soak them) to help blend.  The goal is to get the ice-cream as thick as possible so it has that familiar texture.  The more liquid you add, the more like a 'milkshake' it will be.

Instructions:

Place banana, berries, cocoa, cinnamon and chopped dates in a blender.  Start by adding 1/2 C of plant milk.  Begin to blend (read 'heads up' above) and add more plant milk as needed until thick, smooth and creamy.  Top with fresh fruit or a tablespoon of walnuts or hazelnuts.

* How to freeze the banana:  Peel the banana and slice the banana into 1/2-1 inch pieces.  Freeze in a zip lock bag or a thin tupperware container.

** Dried dates can sometimes be hard when you buy them, especially in bulk.  If they're hard, soak them in a covered, small dish of luke warm water for a few hours.  Then chop into tiny pieces.  You can also use this date liquid in your ice-cream.  

Blender Recommendation:

This is the strongest, inexpensive blender I've found and I love it!  It's perfect for banana ice-cream and more:  'The Master Prep Ninja' $39.99 from your local Bi-Mart store.

Take Control Now Question

What are your favorite banana ice-cream flavors, ingredients or toppings?

Answer by clicking 'comment' below.  Share your thoughts so we can get inspired to start eating more delicious and healthy dessert!

If you 'liked' this article, please post it to Facebook or email it to a friend!  Thank you!

The 'Eat ONE New Plant-Based Meal' Challenge

Is it a challenge for you to eat more plant-based meals?  Do you find it's challenging to keep meals exciting?  Today I'm going to help you overcome this.  How?

While challenging you to eat one new plant-based meal, I'm also giving you 4 implementation steps to ensure you make this happen.

If you're already eating a lot of plant-based meals (good for you!), your challenge is to try one NEW meal.  On the other hand, if plant-based meals aren’t really your thing, your goal is to eat one meal that is made entirely of whole, plant foods. 

Now you may be thinking "ok I'm going to do this" but things always come up right?  Kids have to get to hockey, then there's book club, volunteer work and so on. 

So, to ensure you actually eat this meal, here are my 4 implementation steps.

Step 1.  Decide how much time you have to make a meal

Take out your calendar/planner.  Yes seriously, go get it right now. 

Open it up… what does your next week looks like?  How much time will you have to cook? 

If you have a lot going on, choosing a quick and simple new recipe might be better for you.  Or, if you have more free time, then a maybe you'd like to cook a more intricate meal?

Step 2.  Pick a new recipe that fits your time frame

Take note when your recipe browsing...

- How long will it take to prepare?

- Who are you cooking for?  Yourself of your family?

- Are you already familiar with the ingredients?

When you're choosing a recipe, it should be made of...

- whole, plant foods (no animal products) and

- ideally, oil-free to save you 100s of unnecessary calories

Below are some yummy recipes to help you get started.  You can also find more of my favorite recipes on my Pinterest board, 'Family Recipes' (@TrishaMandes).    

Additionally, when you sign up for email updates at www.TrishaMandes.com you get a FREE resource guide that will give you the BEST recipe websites delivered instantly to your inbox.  Yee-ha!

Here are a few recipes that adhere to my guidelines AND taste delicious!

Burrito bowl from Cathy Fisher (yes I love her recipes!)

Stuffed baked potatoes from Cathy Fisher

Sweet potato salad from Cathy Fisher

BBQ beans and greens from Cathy Fisher

Banana Ice-Cream from Trisha Mandes

Ambrosia Fruit Salad from PCRM (kids love this recipe!)

Once you've picked your recipe you're ready for the next step.

Step 3.  Make a grocery list and save it where you can't forget it!

And this is even easier with cell phones.  You can simply look-up the recipe from your phone in the store, or keep a grocery list stored in your phone. 

Just remember to keep it somewhere where you won't forget it.  In your phone, the car glove box or your wallet.

Step 4.  Schedule shopping and cooking dates

As Marie Forleo says, "If it's not scheduled, it's not real."

Again, open up your calendar and schedule… (if you were watching the video right now, you'd see some dancing and hear from Finnish hip-hop music!)

- When are you going to go shop?  Write in your planner the date, time and store or stores you will visit.

- When are you going to cook?  Write in your planner the date, time and for whom you'll cook. 

Now it's time for you to implement this information, hold yourself accountable AND motivate others to follow-through as well.  To do this, I want you to enter the following information in the comments section at the end of this article.  Let me and the TrishaMandes.com community know…

Take Control Now

1.  What recipe did you choose?  Include the recipe's direct website link.  You might find something someone else would like to try.

2.  Write the date, time and place you're going to shop AND cook.

I encourage you to do this challenge with a friend or family member.  Share this video and article  with them and have them sign up for email updates at www.TrishaMandes.com so we can all do this together.  We all do better when we have support!  

Get educated, get support and take control.  You can get the healthy body you deserve. 

3 Reasons Why 'Everything in Moderation' is B.S.

You've heard the saying "everything in moderation."  The phrase drives me nuts!  Actually, I think it’s B.S.!  

Not only is it B.S., but it may actually impede on your health goals and stop you from making serious changes.

So today I give you...

3 reasons why 'Everything in Moderation' can impede on your health goals

1. There's no definition for moderation!

If I were to ask you how much a moderate amount is what would you say?

How much is a moderate amount of ice-cream? One cup, one bowl, eating it once a day, once a week, once per month, once a year?

When you look 'moderation' up in the dictionary, you'll learn the definition is an 'average amount' or 'not radical.'

Most people eat a 'moderate' amount of ice-cream, drink 'moderately,' eat a 'moderate' amount of meat and dairy, fast food, dessert etc. regularly.  

All these foods add up though and then the totality of your diet isn't looking so good.  

2. Eat a moderate diet, get a moderate amount of disease.

Would you be okay with a moderate amount of heart disease, or a moderate amount of diabetes?  Or, would you rather not have these diseases at all?

For example, in regards to heart disease, Dr. Esselstyn says "in cholesterol lowering, moderation kills" (1).

If you eat the moderate American diet, make moderate changes, you´ll most likely get average, moderate results… heart disease, diabetes or cancer.

3. An unhealthy diet is like smoking cigarettes. You just need to quit.

You wouldn’t tell a smoker to cut back on smoking or to smoke moderately, you’d tell them to quit.

I'm going to be that person -- I’m telling you to quit the moderate, American diet.  Don't use 'everything in moderation' to justify eating and drinking whatever you want.

You'll most likely get yourself into trouble that way and I don't want that to happen to you. 

If there’s one thing I want you to remember from this article it’s... 

'Everything in moderation' becomes an excuse to eat and drink whatever you want.

Instead of moderation, think of unhealthy foods as treats. Save treats for special occasions outside your house.

To help you put this information into use in your daily life, I want you to answer today’s question...

Take Control Now

What's your definition of moderation?

Put your answers in the comments section at the end of this article.  

If you liked this article (and I hope that you did!) please email and share it with your friends and family. Send them www.TrishaMandes.com and tell them to sign-up for fun email updates.  They'll get my Free Resource Guide for the best books, recipe websites etc. for disease reversal and permanent weight-loss.

Get educated, get support and take control. You can get the healthy body, you deserve.

1.  Esselstyn, CB.  In Cholesterol Lowering, Moderation Kills. Accessed online May 2014 at: http://www.heartattackproof.com/moderation_kills.htm

Are plant-based doctors healthy and sexy?

Is your doctor sexy?  When I say sexy, I mean are they lean, trim, do they have nice skin?  Are they physically fit?  Is it apparent that your doc is in good physical health?

Too often, physicians, health care professionals and those making nutrition recommendations are obese and sick themselves.  Now, this doesn’t mean a physican can’t be in transition towards optimal health, but would you want to take diet advice from a fat doctor?

What about those doctors recommending a plant-based diet?  Knowing they practice what they preach, what do they look like?  

In today's video, we look at plant-based pioneers Dr. John McDougall, T Colin Campbell, Phd., Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., his son Rip Esselstyn and Dr. Neal Barnard.

Some of these physicians are in their 70s and 80s and are still practicing or presenting around the world.  I'd say that's pretty darn sexy!

Next time you visit your doctor, I want you to ask yourself... "is my doctor sexy? Are they lean, trim and healthy?  Do they practice what they teach?"  

I want to be clear -- individual doctors looking good is not scientific evidence or justification for health recommendations.  I would never tell anyone to eat a certain way because a doctor is lean!  That’s a horrible idea! 

Also, just because a doctor is overweight, doesn't mean they're incompetent or that you shouldn't listen to them.  However, I do want you to be more conscious of who you're listening to and how they take care of themselves.  

I want you to think about this and to share your thoughts.  Answer this week’s Take Control Now question and put your response in the comments section below.

Take Control Now Question

Would you be more inclined to take nutrition advice from a practitioner who looks great and practices what they preach?  

If you enjoyed this video/article please email it to your friends and family.  They get a free guide with the best recipe websites, books and movies for permanent weight-loss for signing-up for enjoyable email updates at www.TrishaMandes.com.

Get educated, get support and make a change.  You can get the healthy body you deserve.