How to Make Blueberry Breakfast Crisp

It's berry season in Oregon which is the perfect time to make cobbler or crisps.  Crisps that are  so delicious and nutritious, you can even eat it for breakfast... or dinner!  I made this Berry Breakfast Crisp for meat lovers this 4th of July weekend and they loved it!  

Click the below video to learn how to make the crisp or just keep reading on!

Most crisps and cobblers contain white flour, butter and loads of sugar -- foods that will not help you lose weight (and keep it off) and will not help your family members struggling with diabetes or heart disease.  In order to stop the progression of chronic diseases and help you lose weight permanently, it's imperative you begin to incorporate whole, plant-based meals into your daily diet.

This includes desserts as well.  Just because plant-based desserts don't (or shouldn't) include a lot of fat; animal products like butter and eggs; and refined foods such as white flour, oil and sugar; this doesn't mean dessert won't taste amazing (or sweet!) as you'll find out with today's Blueberry Breakfast Crisp.    

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I adapted this recipe from Cathy Fisher's Apple-Pineapple Crisp.  She's an amazing chef that makes plant-based meals without added salt, sugar or oil.  

Here's what you'll need for my Blueberry Breakfast Crisp.

Ingredients, Crisp Filling:

• 3 cups blueberries (rinsed)
• 1 cup blackberries (rinsed)
• 9 dates, chopped
• 3/4 cup water (or 100% juice of your liking)
• 3 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients, Topping:

• 1 1/4 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 6 dates, chopped
• 2 TB water
• 1/2 ripe banana, diced

Directions:

Turn the oven to 375 degrees.  Add all 'filling' ingredients into a bow and mix gently.  Pour into a pie pan or baking dish.  Place topping ingredients into a blender or a food processor and pulse only a few times just until the mixture is blended together (you don't want the oats to turn into flour).  Spread the topping mixture over the filling evenly and press down gently.  Cook for 30 minutes (when the topping is slightly brown).  Let the crisp sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe extras:

- I drizzled honey on top of the crisp fresh out of the oven.

- You can save and store the crisp for up to 5 days in the fridge.  

- This tastes delicious with my banana ice-cream on top!  

- Eat for breakfast, dinner or dessert.

I'd love to hear from you about this Breakfast Blueberry Crisp.  Type your feedback in the comments section below.

Take Control Now

Would you make this recipe?  Ever eaten a healthy plant-based dessert?  Does this crisp look yummy?  Even better -- make it and let me know what you think!

Plant-Based 4th of July Recipes Your Family Will Love

Americans consume about 20 billion hot dog per year and 155 million of them are consumed on the 4th of July! (1)

It's a shame that on a day of such importance and celebration, Americans consume foods (like hot dogs) that further contribute to diseases like diabetes and even death..

In a study of 8,401 non-diabetetic Seventh Day Adventists, participants consuming any processed meats (i.e. hot dogs) were 38% more likely to develop diabetes after 17 years of follow-up (3).

The EPIC study followed 448,568 men and women for 12.7 years.  At follow-up, "a higher consumption of red meat was associated with higher all-cause mortality and the association was stronger for processed meats" (2) like hot dogs.  

Imagine if we all took particular care on Independence Day to really take care of our bodies and our children's bodies by feeding our families health promoting foods as part of the celebration.  What an honor we'd be paying to our ancestors, building healthy minds and bodies to carry our country into the future.  

To help you offer health promoting meals for your family this 4th of July, below are traditional Independence Day family recipes that not only taste amazing, but won't increase your children's risk of diabetes and pre-mature death.  

Traditional 4th Of July Recipe Turned Deliciously Plant-Based 

Burgers - pop Cuban Black Bean Burgers on the grill instead of animal burgers.  Or, simply buy prepackaged veggie burgers.

Hot Dogs - because hot dogs are so disastrous for your health, I encourage you to buy packaged 'veggie dogs' instead of traditional hot dogs.  Stick them in your normal hot dog bun with ketchup, mustard, relish and onions (my favorite toppings) and it will be hard to tell the difference!

Macaroni Salad - can be a staple food for many American families.  Instead of the traditional style with oil or mayo, try Cathy Fisher's Macaroni Salad that uses dates as part of the '1000 island' style dressing, instead.  

Baked potatoes - instead of topping with sour cream, bacon bits or butter, try ketchup, mustard, back bean soup, hot sauce, corn kernels, hummus or my favorite, salsa!

Corn on the Cob - again, skip the butter or oil and flavor by rubbing a lime wedge across the corn and sprinkling with your favorite spice mix like bbq, taco or chipotle.  

Dessert - try Cathy Fisher's apple crisp or blackberry-peach cobbler for dessert and top with my fresh banana ice-cream.  

These are just a few ideas to help you and your family make smarter food decisions this 4th of July.  Be sure to plan ahead and have healthy plant-based options available.  This way, you won't have to eat the other disease promoting foods. 

Now take a second and answer today's Take Control Now question to help you put this information into action.  Put your answer below by clicking 'comment'. 

Take Control Now

What do you normally eat or prepare for the 4th?  What meals could you turn into healthier plant-based meals for you and your family?

References

1.  Eliana Dockterman, '10 things you didn't know about the 4th of July', Time, accessed online June 30th 2014 at http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/07/04/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-fourth-of-july/slide/how-many-hot-dogs-will-we-eat/. 

2. Rohrmann S, Overvad K, Bueno-de-Mesquita HB, Jakobsen MU, Egeberg R, Tjønneland A, Nailler L, Boutron-Ruault MC, Clavel-Chapelon F, Krogh V, Palli D, Panico S, Tumino R, Ricceri F, Bergmann MM, Boeing H, Li K, Kaaks R, Khaw KT, Wareham NJ, Crowe FL, Key TJ, Naska A, Trichopoulou A, Trichopoulos D, Leenders M, Peeters PH, Engeset D, Parr CL, Skeie G, Jakszyn P, Sánchez MJ, Huerta JM, Redondo ML, Barricarte A, Amiano P, Drake I, Sonestedt E, Hallmans G, Johansson I, Fedirko V, Romieux I, Ferrari P, Norat T, Vergnaud AC, Riboli E, Linseisen J. Meat consumption and mortality--results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. BMC Med. 2013 Mar 7;11:63

3. Vang A, Singh PN, Lee JW, Haddad EH, Brinegar CH. Meats, processed meats, obesity, weight gain and occurrence of diabetes among adults: findings from Adventist Health Studies. Ann Nutr Metab. 2008;52(2):96-104. 

3 Reasons Why Potatoes are Amazing for Your Health

My boyfriend's mother use to ask me "Trisha, what could possibly be in a potato?" (she saw me eat A LOT of potatoes).  I would reminise about Kathi asking me this question while I constantly ate potatoes while living in Finland... (they eat A LOT of potatoes in Finland and they easily became my number 1 (and favorite) source of sustenance here). She wondered, as many others do, are there any beneficial nutritional properties in potatoes?    

So to answer your question Kathi, today I share with you '3 Reasons Why Potatoes are Amazing for Your Health.'

1.  Potatoes contain over 20 different vitamins and minerals.

What!?  Really!?  Yes, according to the USDA's nutrient database system, potatoes contain (1) ...

• calcium
• magnesium
• phosphorous
• potassium
• sodium
• vitamin C
• folate
• choline

and trace amounts of...

• iron
• zinc
• copper
• manganese
• selenium
• thiamin
• riboflavin
• pantothenic acid
• vitamin B-6
• vitamin E
• vitamin K

And this list doesn't include the antioxidants (2) or phytonutrients in potatoes that have additional health effects.  Potatoes are much more than just starch as many people assume.  Potatoes also contain all of the essential amino acids (protein) our bodies need and also contain fiber.

2.  What potatoes don't contain also makes them amazing

Potatoes are naturally very low in fat.  Less than 1% of a potato's calories comes from fat.  This is great news as Dr. McDougall commonly says, "the fat you eat is the fat you wear."

Likewise, potatoes don't contain dietary cholesterol or trans fat.  Yee-ha!

3.  Potatoes can help you lose weight  

This is true depending on the rest of your dietary pattern as well as what you're eating on-top of your potato.

Potatoes are very filling foods in part because of their starch and fiber content, as well as being naturally low in calories.  This makes is possible to lose weight while eating to satisfaction on potatoes.  Your stomach will feel full, and tell your brain "hey, it's time to stop eating" even though you didn't eat a lot of calories.   

Additionally, when you avoid putting butter, sour cream or other traditional animal-based toppings on your potato, you spare your waist-line and arteries additional added fat and cholesterol.  Instead of these unhealthy toppings, choose black bean or veggie soup, hummus, salsa or mustard as a baked potato topping instead.  

Hopefully this is great news for you hear... potatoes are good for you!  Not to mention they're delicious and highly satisfying.  

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this article by answering the below Take Control Now question or commenting on any other thoughts you have.  Thanks for reading and please share this article with your friends and family.  

Take Control Now

What's your favorite plant-based way to eat potatoes?  

If you traditionally eat potatoes with butter or sour cream, what's 1 plant-based topping you'd still enjoy on a baked potato?

References

1.  USDA Nutrient Database System. Potato, baked, flesh, without salt.  Accessed online June 24, 2014 at: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3138?fg=&man=&lfacet=&count=&max=&qlookup=&offset=&sort=&format=Full&reportfmt=other&rptfrm=&ndbno=&nutrient1=&nutrient2=&nutrient3=&subset=&totCount=&measureby=&_action_show=Apply+Changes&Qv=1&Q6006=1&Q6007=1.0

2. Bontempo P, Carafa V, Grassi R, Basile A, Tenore GC, Formisano C, Rigano D, Altucci L. Antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-proliferative activities of Solanum tuberosum L. var. Vitelotte. Food Chem Toxicol. 2013 May;55:304-12. 

The Worst Food for Acne

I'm currently living in Finland and I see a lot of acne.  Beautiful women whose faces and backs are chronically covered in pimples.  This is troublesome because severe acne can have more than a 'beauty' impact on individuals.  Severe acne has been associated with low self esteem, social withdrawal, depression and poor body image (1).  

Finns aren't the only population suffering with acne of course.  Westernized countries are mostly affected.  Acne affects 40 to 50 million Americans and 40% of American adolescents have acne to the extent that it requires treatment (2).  

But does diet play a role in acne?  

Today I'll discuss the findings of a review of 27 scientific publications (3) on diet and acne and review the major dietary culprit.  

Do you think there's more evidence supporting french fries, chocolate or milk as a contributor to acne?

Well, it turns out, one of the biggest dietary culprits influencing acne is.... milk.  And they drink A LOT of milk in Finland.  

One study in this review found that total milk and skim milk consumption was significantly associated with severe acne.  The severity of acne increased as the fat proportion of the milk decreased.  Participants consuming more than 3 skim milk servings per day were 1.44 times more likely to experience severe acne than those consuming 1 serving of skim milk per week.

A cohort study analyzed in this review also found a significant association between skim milk and acne severity and no significant association between acne and chocolate, french fries or pizza.  Acne severity was 1.29 times more likely in adolescent girls consuming skim milk twice per day compared to those consuming it once per week.  

This review found inconclusive evidence supporting the claim that chocolate is a causative factor on acne, and found both cow's milk and high-glycemic are significantly associated with acne.  

So, my dairy consuming friends with acne, my suggestion to you, is to do an experiment.  Stop eating all dairy foods for 6 weeks.  Instead, focus on eating more whole, plant foods... baked potatoes, salads, whole-grain pasta dishes and so on.  See if your acne improves or doesn't get any worse from eliminating dairy and incorporating whole, plant foods.

I'd love to hear from you about this topic!  

Take Control Now

Are you surprised milk may contribute to acne?  How many servings of dairy are you currently consuming everyday or week?  

Put your answer in the comments section below.  Please share any thoughts on this topic.

References

1.  Tan, J.K., Vasey, K. and Yung, K.F. 2001, "Beliefs and perceptions of patients with acne", J Am Acad Dermatol, Vol. 44, pp. 439 - 445.

2.  Acne statistics.  American Academy of Dermatology.  Accessed online June 2014 at: http://www.aad.org/media-resources/stats-and-facts/conditions/acne

3.  Spencer, E.H. et al. 2009, "Diet and acne: a review of the evidence", Int J of Derm, Vol. 48, pp. 339 - 347.

Plant-Based Diets + Weight Loss: Findings from my Thesis

Today I'm celebrating!  Why?  This week, I graduated with a Master's Degree in Public Health Nutrition with a focus in sustainable development.  Woo hoo!

If you didn't know, I've been going to school abroad for the last 2 years.  I've been living in Kuopio, Finland studying at the University of Eastern Finland.  

Education is free in Finland (yes, even if you aren't a resident) and I've always been interested in the greater equality and social welfare programs of the Scandinavian countries.  Plus, the nature in Finland is amazing!  So, off I went in 2012 and now I'm finally done!  

The biggest and last assignment of graduate school was my thesis -- an intense and very large research paper (mine came out to be 70 pages).

I want to share with you a few results from my thesis... I think the weight loss results will make you pretty happy ;)

I graduated this week with a Master's in Public Health Nutrition which required me to write a 70 page research paper on plant-based intervention studies. Here's some exciting results! Comment and tell me if these results surprise you!

What did I research?

I did a systematic review for plant-based controlled trials. 

This simply means that I searched a data base that holds scientific publications (PubMed) for studies that put a group of people on a whole food, plant-based (WFPB) diet (the intervention group) and compared them to another group (the control group).

The WFPB diet consisted of fruits, veggies, whole-grains and legumes and participants had to be able to eat as much as they wanted and couldn't be forced to restrict portion sizes or calories.  

I searched for studies on participants with heart disease, type 2 diabetes or overweight individuals.  The search yielded 6 controlled, intervention studies.

What were the results?

It turns out that in 5 of the 6 studies, the WFPB group lost significantly more weight than the control groups.  When I say significantly more, this means the findings are highly likely to be true -- from the diet, and not some random fluke.  

The WFPB groups lost signifcnalty more weight compared to the control groups which included... usual care recommended dy doctors, a traditional low-fat diet, the National Choleterol Education Program's Step II Diet and the standard American diet.  

In the 1 study where the WFPB group didn't find a statistically significant amount of weight loss, the WFPB group was compared to participants forced to restrict calorie intake and restrict portion sizes -- the diabetes diet recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA).  The WFPB group, on the other hand, could eat as much as they wanted of whole, plant foods.  

The WFPB group did actually lose more weight than the ADA group.  The results just didn't meet statistical significance.  

Weight loss ranged from 23 lbs at 1 year to 13 lbs lost in 14 weeks in these studies.  The amazing thing and my favorite part about these results is that participants ate whenever they wanted and ate until full satisfaction.  No change in exercise were made in 5 of the 6 studies during the intervention period.

How do plant-based diet cause weight loss?

In short, plant foods are generally naturally lower in calories and lower in fat than refined foods and animal products.  Additionally, plant foods are high in fiber and bulk making them filling.  Feeling full is important because it forces us to stop eating. 

Other findings

The plant-based groups also eliminated and reduced medications more than the control groups.  Other significant results were found, however, I can't cover them all in this blog.  If you're interested in reviewing my thesis, you can find it here.

Take Control Now -- Tell me what you think!

I really want to know what you think about my results.  Type a comment by clicking the 'comments' button below.

Did you know there were documented studies showing a WFPB diet is highly-effective in causing weight loss?   Are you surprised or frustrated that the WFPB groups performed better than mainstream recommended diets?  Did you know this information existed?

Tell me anything you want to express and I will respond to your comment.  

Thanks so much for watching (and reading) today's episode of Take Control Tuesdays.  Get educated, get support and take control. Yes you CAN, get the healthy body you deserve!