7 kitchen 'prep' tips to make eating healthy easier

January is a time when you may be more motivated to change your diet and start eating better. Sometimes it feels so difficult though no matter how hard you try.  Am I right?

Well, it doesn't have to be that hard.  Today I share with you 7 'prep' tips to make eating plant-based meals easier.  Putting in a little effort ahead of time can save you more time, energy and calories in the long-run.  A little effort goes a long way here.  

Apply these tips in the beginning of the week and/or some in the middle of the week.  Whenever you chose, just make sure you do them and you won't only eat better, you'll eat more delicious food as well.

7 'prep' tips to make eating healthier easier

1.  Prep salad toppings.  Salad topping may include different sliced veggies, diced fruit, toasted nuts or drained and rinsed canned beans.  Additionally, you can rinse and dry salad greens and place in a zip lock bag with a paper towel. 

Place your toppings in tupperware containers (I love this one!).  This makes eating salads throughout the week much easier because you have an assortment of yummy toppings to chose from and assemble immediately.

2.  Cook a batch of a whole-grain.  Cooking 1 batch of your favorite whole-grain such as brown rice, farro, whole-grain pasta, quinoa or barley, will make eating a variety of different meals easier throughout the week.  Cooking 1 batch of quinoa (takes 20 minutes AND you can chop your salad veggies while it cooks) can then be used as a whole-grain breakfast, as a salad topping, for a whole-grain salad with veggies, avocado and garbanzo beans   or with a veggie and bean stir-fry.

3.  Make a sauce or a dressing.  A thick sauce such as hummus or a cashew 'cream cheese' can not only be used as a spread for sandwiches, dips and pitas, but can also be thinned out to use as a dressing for salads or grain bowls.  A decadent and versatile sauce or dressing will make eating leafy greens and healthy whole-grains much more exciting and easy!

4.  Make a large batch of a meal.  If you put the energy into making a meal, you might as well make a large batch of that meal.  You'll spend less time than if you'd make it twice (much less!).  Save the left-overs for lunch the next day or freeze left-overs for a quick meal later in the week.

5.  Find and prep a recipe.  Find a recipe you'd like to cook.  Take a picture of it or keep it saved on your phone.  This way when you're at the store, you'll actually have it with you to ensure you buy all the necessary ingredients.  

6.  Freeze bananas.  I LOVE banana ice-cream.  Taking 2 minutes to freeze banana chunks has saved me so many times when I come home hungry and yearning for something sweet.  If there's frozen bananas, I can make banana ice-cream (many different flavors) in a matter of minutes.  I also enjoy adding frozen banana chucks to my oatmeal in the morning with blueberries and chopped dates.  

Simply freeze very ripe bananas by removing the peel and cutting or pulling them into 1 inch chunks and placing in a zip lock bag and place in the freezer until hard.  Learn how to make my traditional banana ice-cream here or berry-chocoloate ice-cream here.

7.  Make a batch of baked sweet potatoes.  Cook 5 or so at a time and enjoy baked sweet potatoes as a snack, for breakfast or use as part of a meal like black bean sweet potato quesadillas.  Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F and bake for 45-60 minutes.  Smaller yams or sweet potatoes won't take as long to bake.

Now I'd love to hear from you.  Answer today's Take Control Now question by clicking 'comment' below.

Take Control Now Question

Which of these tips will you implement?  Have another to share?

 

Does dairy increase prostate cancer risk?

You may not know this about me, but I met Santa Clause.  Yes, the real Santa Clause when I was studying in Finland and visited the North Pole.  (See here's me running into the Arctic Ocean!).

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So, Santa and I are homies and I was so thrilled to receive a letter from him today!  He has some health concerns and he has a Take Control Tuesday Question to share.

“Dear Trisha,

I am concerned… As you know, I have SO many Christmas duties to take care of but I’m starting to get worried... I just heard on the radio — a new study found dairy products are associated with prostate cancer! Milk of all foods! Now what am I supposed to do!?

Trisha, as you know, one of my favorite parts of Christmas is drinking milk under the Christmas trees from all over the world! I really don’t know if this dairy and prostate cancer study is true. What’s the deal? Do I really have to stop drinking milk!?

Thanks for all your help Trisha. You’ve been a good girl this year and I love your Take Control Tuesday videos!

Love,

Santa Clause

P.S. Can you please put vegan, plant-based cookies under the tree this year? Mrs. Clause is on my butt to lose some weight, and she’s right. Thanks!”

Oo-ee Santa.  Well you're right!  A study published in November, 2014 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that intakes of total dairy products, all types of milk, low-fat milk and cheese were all associated with an increased risk in prostate cancer.

Now Santa, I want you to know that this study isn't just based on one single study.  The authors conducted a meta-analysis -- they compiled the results of 32 different prospective studies and found the above results, which makes an even stronger case for dairy and prostate cancer risk.

Additionally, researchers found that supplemental calcium was associated with increased risk of fatal prostate cancer.  Yikes!

Interestingly though, non-dairy sources of calcium were not associated with increased prostate cancer risk.  Yeah for plants!

This is even more reason to get your calcium from plants including broccoli, garbanzo beans, tofu, raw carrots, kale and yes, almond milk (which has more calcium per serving than regular milk!)  

To learn why plants are better for your bones than dairy, watch this Take Control Tuesday video.  

So Santa, my friend, ask your beloved milk givers to swap that cow utter juice for some almond milk instead.  Problem solved!

And of course, I will happily leave you some healthy, plant-based cookies for Christmas this year. And I included cookie recipes for our Take Control Tuesday viewers too :)

Find over 15 holiday treats for Santa on my Healthy Holiday Treats Pinterest board here.

Now Santa and I would love to hear from you...  

Take Control Now

Do you have any concerns about drinking or not drinking milk?  

Please answer today's question by clicking 'comments' below.

References

1. D Aune, D.A. Navarro Rosenblatt, D. SM. Chan et al. Dairy products, calcium, and prostate cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2014. 

5 Ways to Eat Well at Holiday Parties

'Tis the season! 'Tis the holiday season for family, friends, love and gaining weight.  

A study in Physiology and Behavior notes that the average weight gain in Western countries from mid-November to mid-January is 0.5 kg or 1.1 lbs. each year (1).  The study also noted that people who are overweight or obese gained more weight than those of a healthy weight (more than 1.1 lbs.), so you may actually gain more than that during the holiday season.  Over the long-term those pounds add up too!

But you don't have to gain weight during the holidays!  Today I'm going to share with you 5 tips to prevent weight gain during the holiday season and how to stay on track at holiday parties.

1.  It's never too late.  Never too late for what?  Never too late to start eating optimally or working towards nutritional excellence.  Don't make excuses why you can't start now.  I have clients taking their first steps all throughout December!  

I recently asked my yoga teacher how to get into a daily yoga and meditation practice while my life is a bit unstable (moving to a new house, leaving the west coast to visit family on the east coast etc.).  I told her "I'll just start once I'm settled."  "No" she said, "start today.  Start right now."  And that's exactly what I did.  I'm not doing it perfectly but I'm trying and despite the holiday season, starting right away is helping me cope during the craziness of the holiday season.  

2.  Bring healthy food with you to share.  

Going to a party?  You're definitely more likely to eat poorly if there's nothing healthy to eat!  The most important thing is that you have a yummy, plant-based dish to eat.  Bring a pan of baked sweet potatoes dusted with cinnamon, or stuff them with apple chunks, cranberries and festive spices (check out my holiday Pinterest boards for more party food recipes).  If your dish is the only thing you can eat at the party, that's okay! 

I've done this before too at family holiday parties.  To avoid eating mountains of chocolate chip cookies and Christmas fudge, I brought my own healthy, holiday muffins and cookies. Everytime I passed that table and wanted to give into those Christmas treats, I just grabbed one of my muffins which brings me to the next tip...

3.  Get the heck away from the food table!  

Especially if you know you'll eat foods you don't want to.  Don't socialize around the food.  Take what you want to eat and eat it away from that table.  Distract yourself from the cookies, treats and chocolate, with good conversation catching up with family and friends.

4.  Eat before you go to a party.  

This will help you eat better once you arrive.  You won't be starved, and looking to mask the hunger pain with whatever food you can get your hands on.  You don't have to stuff yourself silly before you arrive, but feel pleasantly satisfied and when you do finally feel hungry, eat some of the healthy food you brought, or fresh fruit or salad.  

5.  Start or keep exercising.  

This doesn't mean I want you to start practicing for a marathon around the holidays.  What I am saying though, is even 20 minutes of exercise 5-6 days a week, especially on the day you're going to a party or having family over, is going to help you tremendously.  Just walk up and down your stairs 10-20 times or go on a brisk 20 minute walk.  

How will this exercise help you?  You'll feel more energetic, in control and exercise suppresses appetite (2)!         

Bonus TIp!

6.  Let the party hosts know you're eating healthy, plant-based (or vegan).  

Not only are the hosts more likely to accommodate you or tell you what you can't eat, but you're more likely to hold yourself accountable to your diet.  You'll feel quite embarrassed if you're caught by the host eating meatballs and ice-cream all night long.

Take Control Now Question

Which of these tips will you apply this holiday season?  Have another tip to share?

Answer by clicking 'comment' below.

Sources

1. Schoeller DA. The effect of holiday weight gain on body weight. Physiol Behav. 2014 Jul;134:66-9.
2. Manore MM. Exercise-Trained Men and Women: Role of Exercise and Diet on Appetite and Energy Intake. Nutrients. 2014 Nov 10;6(11):4935-4960.                        

The Difference Between Processed and Refined Foods

It's a general rule of thumb that 'processed foods are bad for you.'  If you stay away from processed foods, you'll be doing yourself a health favor right?

Generally, this is true, but precisely, it is not.  

Why?  Because some processed foods are really good for you AND they can help you eat more whole-grains, fruits, veggies and legumes, foods mostly all Americans need to eat more of.  

So, how can you tell the difference between a processed food that's good for you and one that isn't?

It's actually a matter of vocabulary.  You need to know the difference between a processed food and a refined food.  When the word 'processed' is thrown around, it generally means refined.

A refined food is a food that doesn't contain all of its original nutrients.  You can't pick a refined food out of the garden and eat it (it's not a whole food).  

Refined foods include oil, sugar, white flour and products made of these ingredients.  Examples include white and wheat breads, cakes, pastries, pretzels, cookies, most wraps, chips, Doritos etc. 

A processed food is simply a food that has gone through a process.  A processed food can be a refined food, however it can also be a healthy whole food that has simply been chopped, rolled or ground, aka gone through a process.

A processed food could be good for you or bad for you.  It depends on whether it's a processed whole food or a processed refined food.

Processed foods that are bad for you include white bread, most 'wheat' breads, chips, cookies, most crackers, cakes and treats.  These processed foods are bad for you because they contain refined ingredients.  You aren't eating a whole food or a food made from just whole foods.

Processed foods that are good for you include 100% whole-grain breads, crackers, pitas, pastas, ground corn tortillas or other 100% whole-grain products.  Additionally, rolled or steal cut oats, dried fruit or frozen vegetables are also health enhancing processed foods.  They've all gone through a process, but the food still contains 100% of its original nutrients, unlike refined foods.  

Kapeesh?  If you have any questions about processed versus refined foods, ask in the comments section or contact me.  I'd love to hear from you :)

Take Control Now Question

What healthy processed foods do you enjoy eating?  What unhealthy refined foods are you still eating regularly that you shouldn't?  

Answer by clicking 'comments' below.

How to Eat Healthy Anywhere

The holidays are filled with traveling for many, myself included.  Traveling can be a time when people don't eat so well or they 'stop their diet'.  Sound familiar?

Earlier this week, I spent days traveling, adjusting to different time zones and want to share how I managed to eat a healthy, plant-based diet along the way and how you can eat healthy when you travel for the holidays too.

Normally when I'm flying, I'm well prepared with food… dried McDougall soups, oats in little baggies with raisins and cinnamon and sometimes I even fly with baked sweet potatoes in my bag!

This trip however, I didn't have any food but, this healthy, plant-based, vegan gal wasn't worried!  Why not?  Because I know it's possible to eat decently healthy just about anywhere!  

Here's a breakdown of the last few days of my life/travels from the west coast to the east.  I share with you what I ate when I couldn't prepare food for myself for days.

Day 1:  Thanksgiving in a hotel and food from Shari's restaurant.  What the hell did I eat?

The only restaurant open on Thanksgiving day was Shari's.  If you've never eaten at a Shari's, just think Denny's restaurant (with famous pie!) and you're about close.

I ordered a dry garden salad and a veggie burger with no cheese or dairy and it was delicious!  (Not exactly Thanksgiving food but I had had quite a few Thanksgiving meals prior that month). I knew I'd be hungry later and options were limited (and expensive) at the hotel, so I bought another salad and veggie burger to go.

Day 2:  Breakfast and lunch at the airport and dinner with family at a Mexican restaurant.  

Rise and shine at 3:30 am and through airport security by 5 am.  Breakfast at the airport -- a dry multi-grain bagel and a mixed fruit cup.  I also bought an Odwalla granola bar for a snack on the plane.

I landed in Chicago after a 4 hour flight and grabbed a salad from Saladworks in the airport.  It included a mescaline type lettuce mix, garbanzo beans, white beans, pasta, green beans, carrots and olives.  I added a very tiny amount of fat-free italian dressing because they didn't have any plain vinegars.  It was yummy and the beans and pasta made the salad filling.

Finally -- New York accents, honking horns and soft pretzels (lol that I didn't eat).  After a celebratory glass of wine with my mama bear and aunt, we met our family for Mexican food in Staten Island.

Chips and salsa fluttered the table as soon as we sat down but I did NOT want to eat chips!  Tortilla chips have been one of the hardest foods for me to stop eating.  So, I ordered warm tortillas (not fried) and a side a guacamole.  When everyone was chowing down chips, I rolled up a tortilla filled with salsa and guacamole.  Mission 'don't eat chips even though staving' -- accomplished!

For dinner I ordered the vegetable burrito with rice and black beans with no cheese or dairy products.  It was delicious and I even had some left-over for breakfast.

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Tips for Eating Healthy Anywhere

1.  Don't expect to eat perfectly (unless you have to my advanced heart disease and other friends!).  This is another reason why it's so important to eat healthy in your home and in your kitchen.  Eat extremely well at home on the regular, so when you do travel, eating a little 'less perfect' isn't as big of a deal.

2.  Don't go completely 'off' the diet.  EAt as well as you possibly can.  Eating a whole-foods, plant based diet 75% of the way (dry bagel, Odwalla bar, oily veggie burrito) is so much better than eating a plant-based diet 15% of the way (oily eggs and bacon, fries and cheese burgers).

Take Control Now Question

Have you ever really poorly while traveling or used traveling as an excuse to eat unhealthy?  Or, have you successfully eaten well on the road?  

Share your thoughts by clicking 'comment' below.