Eat Real Food. Eat More Plants.

My hubby always says 'Read one for your heart and one for your head' when talking about books. Lately my evening reads while rocking a babe to sleep have followed this balance. My recent 'Ones for the Head' have been Michael Pollans In Defence of Food, Jeannie Marshals Outside the Box: Why our children need real food not food products & I'm currently in the middle of Dr. T Colin Campbell's The China Study. Recognise a trend?!


                           

One would think that in taking a year off with the Littlest Man's arrival that I would...well...take a break. One can not take a break from passion though. There is a reason I'm currently working as an underpaid (compared to comparable hospital jobs) Family Health Team Dietitian. I am passionate about people. I am passionate about food. I am passionate about helping people achieve their health goals through food. Though I may not agree with every single thing these authors write I agree with the basic message.

EAT REAL FOOD. EAT MORE PLANTS.

Eat Real Food
Ever walk down the isles of a grocery store and wonder where all the food is? Nope, probably not. That is the bane that comes with being a dietitian and knowing more then you want sometimes. Ever wonder what is in something if it is fat free, cholesterol free, sugar free & sodium free? Ever need to bring your dictionary (or iPhone for you cool techy people out there) and a magnifying glass to read the ingredient list on some of those packages? Ever wonder why a chocolate bar company is making a breakfast cereal for kids? Or am I the only one?
I love how Michael Pollan put it: If your great grandmother would not recognise that item as a food then it's not real food. He went a step further to explain that your great grandmother may know what yogurt is but she would not recognise it as it is now, neon coloured, tasting of nothing but sugar and arriving in tubes.
I often tell client's, and get a weird look, to look for foods that don't have labels. This is not fail proof, but generally speaking some of the healthiest foods do not carry with them a packaging and thus no label - read vegetables and fruits.

Eat More Plants
We live in a society that is dominated with the thought of 'Meat = strong and healthy'. Disagree? If I asked you what was for dinner, what would you say? Chicken, roast beef, pork OR broccoli, quinoa, beans, peppers? Considering that vegetables should make up half of your meal at lunch & dinner, don't you think we should answer with a plant based food first? I'm not trying to say that meat is bad - though some may disagree with this as well - but when you can't fathom eating a meal without meat or your steak takes up most of your plate you are missing out on the balance piece of all of this. I often have clients look at me as if I have two heads (Yes I do get a lot of weird looks at work - I'm used to it now) when I say that at least two of our main meals a week should be vegetarian. I have parents coming in feeding their teenage daughters fake-meat chicken nuggets when the rest of the family has a "normal" meal. These paresnts have no idea what else to feed her. One of my dear vegan friends has to deal with getting asked "What do you eat for protein?" whenever her dietary choices comes up. Where did this obsession with meat come from?

Science has shown time and time again that for the greater population a diet consisting mostly of whole plant based foods is healthier and key in preventing many of the affluent diseases (ie heart disease, diabetes). This does not mean we all have to give up meat but to look to other food sources for our protein and to think of meat as a condiment or a side when we do have it. Unbeknownst to most people many of our everyday grain foods contain protein such as bread and rice. Nuts and seeds are a great source of protein as are beans and lentils. No not green beans - think chili. Don't worry I didn't know what they were when I started to learn about them either! These foods can be incorporated into our diet in many everyday or unique ways. To star simply think about peanut butter on toast, hummus and veggies or vegetarian chili. Then move onto chickpea curry, pumpkin black bean enchiladas or vegetarian thia chili. Getting comfortable and adventurous while cooking with beans & lentils is something that I am working on over the next year. That way next time a client looks at me with that 'She's crazy look' I can hand them a stack of Dietitian and family approved recipes to try for themselves.

PS: My carniverous brother in law just loved my vegetarian thia chili this weekend...who knew!?