Category Archives: change

What Mcdonald’s Wants

by Mirachange, health, ingredients, nutri-washing

A recent headline, “McDonalds to eliminate eight menu items”, touted the fact that McDonald's is examining their menu, reducing choices, and possibly changing some of it's ingredients. They're also trying to shake their reputation as the “supersize me” place.*

McDonald's is changing, supposedly in response to consumer demands. But there are still so many things wrong with this. They are nutri-washing. Putting their spin on it to try to misdirect you away from the fact that this is still high caloric, nutritionally poor, chemically laden JUNK food. They want your dollars, that's why they're changing. But they'll do the least amount possible and trumpet the changes as loudly as they can to try to get your attention. Their claim is that this is in response to consumer demand. That's great, it's a good thing to listen to what people want. But let's be honest, it's also because profits are down.

I believe they are failing to take into account the fact that fewer people are going to McDonald's not because they have “too many choices” or because it takes “too long to get through the line.” They are not going because they are choosing to eat whole, more nutritious, real food.

When I was a kid going to McDonald's was a treat. We rarely went and if we did it was special. Somehow over time McDonald's has become a daily meal choice for a lot of people. Not just a simple burger and fries, not just for a treat, this is how we have been encouraged to feed ourselves. And we're paying the price for it in health. Yes, that $1 value meal or that $.79 supersize option may seem like a good deal financially, but when it comes to your health it's a poor investment.

Let's be honest, McDonald's isn't the only company doing this. Burger joints, fast food places, and other junk food options abound in our society. But if we want to be healthy, if we want to really nourish ourselves, we need to learn to make different choices. McDonald's is getting picked on mostly because they're one of the biggest and because they keep trying to spin it their way.

Their food transparency campaign backfired badly because they tried to look like they were responding to consumers demand for information. Well, consumers DO want more information. But they were shocked to discover what was really in their McD's meal. (Of course from a Pantry Principle perspective the transparency campaign didn't go far enough as it didn't address GMOs, antibiotics, pesticides, etc; it simply mentioned ingredients without revealing their impact on health — such as TBHQ which has been linked to cancer and asthma among other things.)

When it comes to this corporate spin it's important to learn how to look at what's really going on. Are changes being made across the board or just to a few items? Is there an underlying reason for the changes? Is the company touting “response to consumer demand” as their pat-themselves-on-the-back reason for change? Sadly they're quick to give themselves props for being responsive but frequently they only do the bare minimum when it comes to this responsiveness. Trying to do just enough to convince consumers to come back and buy their products. And let's not forget, while we're examining the headlines and corporate messages, are we eating the way we really want to? Are we nourishing ourselves and making choices for health? That last question probably should be the first one when you look at what's really in your food.

*If you still haven't seen the documentary film Super Size Me by Morgan Spurlock, or you want to watch it again, it's available for free on Hulu.

photo: Kici

Giving Up Dairy

by Mirachange, food intolerance, substitutions, Uncategorized, vegan

Food Intolerance Journal – Week One
With my recent discovery of food intolerance issues I've had to make some changes to my nutritional plan. Honey is a little tricky and I do need to read the label to make sure that it's not part of the sometimes cascading list of sweeteners found in some foods. Berries, and melon are fairly easy to avoid and since they aren't in season right now I'm telling myself that by avoiding the frozen ones I'm on a journey to heal my gut in time for them to be back in season again and hopefully back on my plate.

Dairy on the other hand? Well that's proving to be more challenging. In my first week I've had less than stellar success with my new dairy-free lifestyle. This is in part due to the need to travel and in part due to all the places that dairy hides in the diet. When looking at labels remember to also look for casein, lactose, and whey or variants of those since they are a part of the milk product.

I should clarify, I need to avoid cow's milk dairy products. Goat's milk is fine and sheep's milk (if I could source it here in Texas) would also be fine. Luckily I like goat's milk cheese and goat's milk yogurt is available at my grocery store. But I'm also looking to alternative dairy (coconut, almond, rice, hemp, oat, or flax milk-based products) to help replace any dairy in baking or drinking as a less expensive and easier sourced option. The biggest challenge with the alternative dairy is that most products come with added carrageenan. Made from a red seaweed it's not a healthy option for anyone, but especially for someone with a challenged digestive tract. Found in products that come in those convenient containers in the dairy case, in the tetra-pack versions, in frozen confections made with alternative dairy, it's really hard to get away from carrageenan. My options are to find brands that don't have it or to make my own. Feeling squeezed for time I'm really not interested in making my own at the moment so my current favorite option is to purchase coconut milk in BPA free cans.

For other dairy options I am definitely looking in a more vegan direction. I'm not switching to a vegan diet, but it does offer some great substitutions for dairy. One that I was recently introduced to is a fabulous dish called RawFredo. A raw vegan version of spaghetti alfredo made with spiraled zucchini and a cashew based “alfredo” sauce. This sauce was so delicious that I can't wait to make it again. I'm not ashamed to confess that not only did I lick my bowl, I grabbed my spatula and, ahem, “cleaned” the blender jar. I'm grateful to my friend and colleague, Primitive Diva, for introducing me to this delicious dish.

While it takes time and effort to make these changes the end result is definitely worth it. In order to be successful when accommodating any shift in nutritional plans, the key is to find delicious alternatives to what you are used to eating,

photo credits: MaxStraeten, wax115

General Mills Buys Annie’s Homegrown

by Mirachange, grocery

The concept of corporate food ownership is rapidly becoming an important part of the conversation. It started a long time ago but has increasingly made headlines starting back in 2013 with California's Prop 37, a proposal to label GMOs on foods. Major food manufacturers paid tens of millions of dollars to fight this initiative and ultimately outspent those who wanted to know by a factor of nearly ten to one. Jeffrey Smith, the founding executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, and a very active consumer advocate and public speaker, stated that although Prop 37 did not pass it achieved two very important things. It brought the issue of genetically modified foods and GMO contamination to a great level of public awareness. It also brought to light the web of who owns your food. The Cornucopia Institute has a great graphic that shows who really owns your favorite organic brands.

Unfortunately many people think that if a food is an organic label that means it's fine. But the ownership of that product has a lot to do with it as conventional food corporations continually try to change, modify, or defeat labeling that would provide you with information you want to know. Because consumers are demanding cleaner labels. They're shying away from conventional brands. And profits are down for those conventional manufacturers.[1] In order to bolster their bottom line many of these corporations are now seeking out and buying up majority share or total ownership in organic food companies. And once they own them they change them.[2]

Contrary to what you may believe, food manufacturers are not really in business to make food. They're in business to make money. With conventional food products that often means finding ways to save money, cheaper ingredients, brand building, and misleading marketing.[3]

The latest food company buy is the acquisition of Annie's Homegrown by General Mills. Although Annie's and General Mills have both put out a huge marketing spin claiming that things will remain exactly the same, that the company is still committed to providing the organic goodness and quality that their consumers are used to. The public however is very skeptical and grumbling loudly. They don't believe the hype and they are, at least for now, watching closely. This may have to do with the fact that General Mills spent over $1.1 million on defeating Prop 37 and has continued to pour dollars into the anti-GMO labeling campaign every time the issue comes up. They also very publicly announced that they would not be offering any more GMO-free products after discovering that GMO-free cheerios didn't appreciably raise market share. (Perhaps some of this has to do with the fact that it's an exploded grain cereal which is nutritionally deficient and as consumers learn more they're seeking out healthier choices? But I digress…)

If nothing else the media attention and consumer outcry is giving clear notice to conventional food manufacturers that consumers are no longer blindly following. They're learning to think for themselves, to learn what's really in their food, and to make value-based purchasing decisions that can have significant impact.

[1] General Mills is now seeking to reduce their costs by up to $140 million as they see profits and market share shrinking. Cereal sales alone are down by 9% and overall General Mills business has dropped considerably. No word about how the Annie's acquisition was inspired by this. It will be very interesting to see where these changes come from and how it impacts their brands. Once concern is that they'll wait until the furor over the Annie's acquisition dies down and then make modest changes. Unfortunately as consumers we tend to forget who owns that brand. And staying on top of the web of ownership isn't easy.

[2] Example of change: Stonyfield Farm used to be a separate company making yogurt. Starting in 2001 Group Danone began to buy up shares in Stoneyfield; they now own 85% of the company. Recently there have been a number of what I consider to be unhealthy (and unwanted) changes to the product. Starting with the fact that they no longer have a cream on the top product. Their marketing claims this is because “We've stirred in the cream…to make our creamiest, smoothest, whole milk yogurt ever.” Not really, what they did was homogenize the product. Easier and less expensive. Certainly not what the consumers are looking for. They've also been adding pectin to their yogurt. I clearly recall that it wasn't in there before. Pectin is a thickening agent. To me that indicates the possibility that they are no longer allowing a full setting process on the yogurt and are force thickening it with pectin. This takes less time which probably increases profits but also decreases the health benefits as the live active bacteria may not fully culture.

[3] Misleading marketing example: Twix Swirls by General Mills. It claims to be a good source of calcium and vitamin D plus touts the whole grains in the box. However the ingredients list reveals a totally different story: whole grain corn, sugar, corn meal, corn syrup, canola and/or rice bran oil, salt, trisodium phosphate, red 40, yellow 6, blue 1, and other color added, natural and artificial flavor, citric acid, malic acid, bht added to preserve freshness. Another way to read this list is: GMO, sugar, GMO, GMO, possible GMO, salt, trisodium phosphate*, artificial colors**, possible MSG, artificial flavors, GMO, allergen/highly inflammatory agent.

*Trisodium phosphate, TSP, while deemed GRAS has been shown to cause irritations to the lining of the gut and is linked to both osteoporosis and kidney calcification.

** petroleum based artificial colors are strongly linked to attention related issues in those with AD/HD

One Word: Inspire

by Mirachange, habits, holidaysword of the year

It's that time of year...the time we arbitrarily close the cycle of days that has come before and look forward to a New Year. One filled. one hopes, with promises, joy, and many good things. As I've written about before, I'm not much of a one for resolutions, I prefer goals. Each year I do sit down and think about what I would like to accomplish for the upcoming months. To set out a roadmap that I can at least use as a guide to moving forward.

This year, a random post by my friend Trudy Scott posed the question what would you pick as your defining word for the upcoming year. She heard about it over at Intent.com. I was immediately struck by how powerful this could be. The idea of focusing in on just one word. One defining concept and trying to achieve the goals set by that word. After much thought, writing and crossing out, saying aloud, and defining, I've hit on a word. Inspire.

The dictionary defines this as:

inspire - verb (used with object)

1. to exert a stimulating or beneficial effect upon
2. to produce or arouse (a feeling, thought, etc)
3. to guide, influence, or impel
4. to take or draw (air, gas, etc), into the lungs; inhale
5. archaic to breathe into or upon

I find myself motivated by this one word. I see so many permutations of how it might be used as a focal point over the next 12 months.

As a nutrition educator and real food advocate I am always seeking to help those around me. To support them so they can make educated choices for themselves and their loved ones when it comes to their food and health. Through my work, my writings, lectures, and connections I hope to inspire people to make those choices for health.

I frequently 'shout out' about a wide range of topics all related to food, nutrition, and holistic health in an effort to motivate others. [An example is all those who are now aware (and disgusted) about the use of chicken poop as cow feed - if this bothers you please tell the FDA how you feel by signing this petition]. While it's often upsetting information, I am very sincere in my desire to share this not as a means of upsetting people but in the hopes that they will be, indeed, inspired to make different choices and to speak out in their turn, to have an impact.

Inhaling, breathing, is a good thing. I believe we all need to do more of that. Especially deep breathing. Taking a moment in time to draw air deeply into our lungs has a beneficial effect when it comes to lowering stress. We should all do more of that, myself included. Breathing in sharply can be a sign of surprise, of interest, an aha! moment. I hope to find, and share, more of those moments throughout the year ahead.

But inspire is a word that I chose not only because of how I hope to use it to connect with those around me, but because of what I hope that focus can mean for me. I want to be inspired. I want to find that surprise, those guiding, influencing moments that I know lie ahead. To do that means I need to be aware, open to the possibility, to the gifts that bring those moments of inspiration. I also need to be open to the opportunity to share, to give, to be inspired.

It turns out that other people are interested in the idea of a one word focus. You can connect with them through the OneWord365 website. You can find a word that speaks to you, connect with others who share your word, or just set your intention for the year. I'd love to hear your word and why you chose it, leave a comment below and share.

Wishing a healthy, happy, peaceful and joyous New Year to you all.

Be well.

Should You Use A Microwave Oven

by Mirachange

This post started off innocently enough as a post in response to a question about if and how I use my microwave oven *. The post was responsible for a lively response from a number of people but brought up more questions.

I'll start by sharing an article by my friend Jodi Friedlander, NC, Microwave Ovens: What Do We Really Know? has shed light on the fact that perhaps microwave ovens aren't quite as dangerous as previously believed. In the past I was rather dismissive of their use, however, a microwave oven may not be as bad as I initially thought. I still firmly believe they're still not great for cooking and I think I'd prefer to mostly cook, and reheat, our food using more conventional methods.

How I use a microwave oven

I know some people don't even have one in their homes. I think if we didn't have one we would be okay. However, since we do have it here are some of the ways I use it:

Microwaving sponges to kill bacteria – two minutes every morning
Proofing space for rising baked goods – it's a perfect draft-free space
As a draft-free space for making sprouts
It's a great warming oven for waffles and pancakes – I put a cooling rack in there and then pile the waffles and pancakes on the rack. The proofing box space keeps everything warm and moist, the rack keeps the ones on the bottom from getting soggy
To heat my buckwheat-filled neck wrap – great for a sore back, sore neck, or to warm your feet in bed on a cold night

Honesty compels me to admit I rewarm my tea in it (frequently) and my husband loves it for reheating leftovers. But we don't cook in it and if it weren't built in I might consider doing without it.

Questions about using a microwave oven

Answering questions from The Ingredient Guru Community, a couple of important comments came up:

What about microwave popcorn?

I'm sorry but this is a bad bad bad bad bad idea. And did I mention that it's bad? Why you ask? Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a known cancer-causing Teflon agent.

Admittedly all of the studies have only been done in rats. It's generally true that if it causes cancer in rats it is highly likely to cause cancer in humans, but that's another subject and I won't go there right now. That bag lining is the same material that is in Teflon pans. I tell people to throw out all of their Teflon cookware and invest in non-Teflon. I rarely tell people to throw things out, but this is one area where I feel it is never too soon to abandon the stuff.

The problem with PFOAs is that when you open that hot steamy bag of popcorn you are exposing yourself far more than when you cook on a Teflon pan, through the steam and through what has leached into the popcorn itself.

According to one scientist, “It is estimated that microwave popcorn may account for more than 20% of the average PFOA levels measured in American residents.”

Not only that, there's the “butter” (in quotes because it isn't) which is linked to lung disease in factory workers exposed to the vapors. This is from the Diacetyl which is so toxic that “Significant new information regarding the health effects of diacetyl and food flavorings containing diacetyl (FFCD) affects the information that must be conveyed to employers and employees under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Hazard Communication standard.”

Bottom line: shift to hot air or stove-top popped popcorn and don't eat the microwave stuff.

Cooking in a microwave oven

Microwave ovens work differently than other cooking methods and there are some health risks that go along with it.

A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology showed that cooking meat in a microwave oven does not kill bacteria (in this case salmonella). The study concluded, “Compared with conventional methods of reheating, microwave ovens had no protective effect in preventing illness. To prevent outbreaks such as this one, care must be taken to assure that food is both properly cooked and handled and properly reheated.”

Another study, from CEBAS-CSIC in Spain, comparing various cooking methods and their effect on the nutrient status of food showed that steaming is the best way to cook vegetables. The worst is to microwave them; more nutrients are lost during the microwave cooking process.

Cooking in a microwave oven has also been shown to convert B12 to the inactive form thereby depleting its bioavailability by denaturing up to 40% of it in the food. We all need B12, if you're a vegetarian or a vegan this is even more critical.

To be fair all methods of cooking will reduce nutrient status somewhat, that is part of the process from heat. And if you are steaming especially vegetables, it can be a good idea to drink the nutrient-rich broth that remains behind. But overall microwave ‘cooking' is, in my book, not a good idea.

In conclusion

So the end result? I certainly have no complaint with people wanting to reheat their food or beverages in a microwave oven. I do, however, think it's not a good idea to cook in it. And I think if you are re-heating something, you are best served to remove it from any plastic or coated surface, put in it ceramic, and use the oven to avoid any potential fumes or chemical leaching.

Let me know your thoughts, how you use your microwave oven, and/or if you are considering changing what you do based on the information you find here.

* A small nerd-humor note. I find myself consciously referring to microwave ovens as microwave ovens rather than as ‘a microwave', ‘the microwave', etc. The reason? My husband delights in telling me that “Microwaves are itty bitty little particles that you cannot see.”

Sources

Sharma, Manan et al. “Effective Household Disinfection Methods Of Kitchen Sponges”. Food Control, vol 20, no. 3, 2009, pp. 310-313. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2008.05.020.

“Dietary Exposure To Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) And Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS): A Review Of Recent Literature”. 2022, p. ., https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15569543.2017.1346685.

“Dietary Habits Related To Food Packaging And Population Exposure To Pfass | Environmental Health Perspectives | Vol. 127, No. 10”. 2022, p. .,https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/full/10.1289/EHP4092.

“Popcorn Lung – Proquest”. Proquest.Com, 2022, https://www.proquest.com/openview/273563539a6e7e57374db21d4490d7b9/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1096447.

Gessner, Bradford D., and Michael Beller. “Protective Effect Of Conventional Cooking Versus Use Of Microwave Ovens In An Outbreak Of Salmonellosis”. American Journal Of Epidemiology, vol 139, no. 9, 1994, pp. 903-909. Oxford University Press (OUP),doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a117096.

Fabulous Real Food Breakfast Ideas

by Mirabreakfast, change, health

Breakfast, the best way to start your day

For many people breakfast is an afterthought. A cup of coffee and a bagel on the way out the door. Or possibly nothing at all. But it seems that conventional wisdom about breakfast being the most important meal of the day may be true.

Studies show that eating breakfast, and what you eat, impacts your blood sugar. It also tends to have an effect on food choices throughout the rest of your day. Skipping breakfast is not a good idea. After all, when we examine the word, it means breaking the fast. For most of us, it has been at least 10 hours if not more since we last ate. Choosing a bowl of sugar-bomb cereal in milk, or a carbohydrate rich muffin or bagel can have a negative effect on your blood sugar; possibly leading to candy cravings later in the day. You deserve to feel well and you start by supporting your body with a real food breakfast.

What not to eat for breakfast

The cereal aisle at the grocery store is huge and cereal manufacturers would like you to believe their overprocessed, often high sugar, offerings are a healthy choice. Nothing could be further from the truth. While the milk you eat the cereal with may provide a small amount of protein, it's certainly not enough to get your metabolism going. What you are getting is an over-processed, sugary product. While cereal is debatably better than not eating I’m here to tell you that it is not better by much. Your body will still feel the effects metabolically and it will not be supportive of your blood sugar.

Grab-and-go fast food options are another no-no. I have never been a fan of that idea because the food is fatty, over-processed, chemically-laden and very few of these places offer a truly healthy start to your day.

Breakfast bars are another common, highly processed, item put forth as a potentially good idea. Unfortunately, these tend to be candy bars in disguise. So while the front-of-package labeling may try to convince you that this is the perfect portable option, when you read the label you'll see that they are often high in sugar and don't have very much protein.

Good rules to follow

Starting your day the right way is easy. Here are the quick tips you need to know:

First and foremost it is important to start your day with breakfast. Don’t skip.
Eat protein, your body needs to refuel after the “fast” of sleeping.
Get fiber, supportive to your digestive system it also helps sustain you as your blood sugar balances out with this first meal of the day.
Limit sugar. Too much sugar (think cereals, syrups, muffins, etc) will cause a spike in insulin and then your body begins the blood sugar roller-coaster.
Avoid simple carbohydrates (pancakes, toast, boxed cereal) your body will digest them too quickly and they are not supportive of blood sugar stability.

Break away from the box

Because of the excellent marketing job by cereal manufacturers, we often think of breakfast as coming in a box. Or there's an association with certain foods for breakfast like bagels, pancakes, or waffles. But you don’t have to have what is considered “breakfast” food for breakfast if you don’t want to.

It's interesting how many people are fans of breakfast for dinner. But what about having dinner for breakfast instead? Of course, if that's something you're not ready for yet, below are some easy to make, tasty, and nutritious breakfast recipes to start your day.

A Mediterranean style breakfast would include olives and avocados which provide healthy fat, fresh fruit, hard-boiled eggs for protein, cucumber, and tomato salad with olive oil and fresh herbs. While this meal would typically come with bread or pita and either butter or labneh (a thickened yogurt cheese), you can simply skip that or serve the cheese by itself.
Sauteed greens, like kale, collards, or cabbage, with mushrooms, red onion and pine nuts sauteed in coconut oil is a fabulous veggie-rich start to the day. Add protein, either lentils, a chicken breast, or a couple of eggs, and a tablespoon of sauerkraut for a delicious start to the day.
Many people who don't like to eat breakfast find that smoothies can be a good way to start their day. Either by having a smoothie bowl 0r one of these superfood smoothies.
If you're looking for a really easy way to start your day there's always this crockpot breakfast casserole. Let your crockpot do all the work while you're sleeping. You wake up to a healthy breakfast.
If you still really want to have pancakes for breakfast you can bump them up a notch with the tasty recipe below

Banana-Nut Paleo Pancakes

A delicious, protein rich pancake. Great for breakfast or as a snack

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Paleo

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

2 bananas
2 TBSP (heaping) almond butter
4 large eggs
1 Tbsp butter, divided

Instructions

Blend all ingredients together in a blender
Heat pan and grease with a little butter
Cook pancakes by pouring batter into pan in 1⁄4 cup amounts
When pancake starts to bubble flip and cook the other side
Serve with mashed fruit

Keyword breakfast, paleo, protein

Start with a real food breakfast, it's one of your first steps towards a healthy life.

Sources

Bauer, LB, et al. A pilot study examining the effects of consuming a high-protein vs normal-protein breakfast on free-living glycemic control in overweight/obese 'breakfast skipping' adolescents. Int J Obes (Lond). 2015 Sep;39(9):1421-4.

Kobayashi, F, et al. Effect of breakfast skipping on diurnal variation of energy metabolism and blood glucose. Obes Res Clin Pract. 2014 May-Jun;8(3):e201-98.

Vegan Shame

by Mirachange, health, vegetarian

What is vegan shame?

I recently read about a new website, called Vegan Shame, which has been created to publicly castigate vegans who have gone away from this style of eating. I'm stunned at the militant attitude that many people take toward their food and wonder how we've come to a point that someone's nutritional plan has become another form of tribalism; promoting a dogmatic adherence to diet.

A website geared toward creating an attitude of shame around food is, in my opinion, harmful. You should not feel bad about what you eat. We all need to learn to eat in a way that fits our bio-individual requirements and promotes health for our bio-individual bodies. The most important thing to remember is that there is no one-size-fits-all nutritional plan. It's just not possible to have one nutritional plan that provides perfect nutrition for every single person on the face of the planet.

Eat for your health

There are many different nutritional plans that work for a vast number of people. There are basic nutritional needs that we all have. But we cannot all eat the same thing all the time. Sadly, because they need to sell their book, program, supplements, or meal-plans, many diets out there promote themselves as “the only plan you need.” Many are good, some are better than others, but none that I have seen thus far are perfect for everyone.

I frequently have to remind people of this. One example I use is the Atkins Diet. Although not so popular anymore, at one point it was all the rage. Some people were delighted. “Look at me! I'm eating bacon cheeseburgers and I lost 25 pounds!” While their next-door neighbor is wondering why it's not working for them because they're following the exact same diet and yet they only lost 4 pounds. That is bio-individuality at work.

What does your body really need?

The truth of the matter is that in addition to bio-individual health, your nutritional needs vary throughout your lifetime due to basic biological changes. Let's be realistic, if your nutrition needs never changed you'd still be drinking breast milk. As you age you tend to produce less digestive enzymes. Or certain health issues require you to change your diet to avoid or add foods that will be more supportive of your health. Again, this leads to no one diet being the penultimate choice for every person throughout their lifespan. Unfortunately, society persists in promoting the myth that one size should fit all when it comes to diet. And it makes no allowances for variables that can impact health.

Food cultures

Food choices are complicated by a number of factors. Firstly there are cultural food preferences; people in different countries learn to prefer different foods or food combinations. Then there are the -isms of the food world, omnivorous eaters, vegetarians, vegans, macrobiotic eaters, and more. This is compounded by the immense variety of “diets”, South Beach, Zone, Atkins, and a huge number more. Then there are those who have food sensitivities and truly must avoid certain foods. This creates a rich and diverse mix of food cultures.

This mix is one that we should welcome. Of more importance than creating a hardcore, militant attitude toward food, I encourage you to learn to eat well for your body. To be in tune with your body and choose what is nourishing and supportive for you.

We should all support ourselves, in health, by loving ourselves, loving our bodies, and making positive choices and associations with food. And let's not shame or disparage those who eat differently than we do.

Three Cookie Syndrome

by Mirachange, habits, weightcookies

We're just past the holiday season and a lot of people are re-examining their eating habits. As I'm working with clients we have one habit that they all seem to be engaging in so I wanted to take a moment to address it.

It's a phenomenon that hits our subconscious when we are eating, especially when we are eating treats of some kind.

I call it the three cookie syndrome. It goes something like this:

you decide to eat cookies
you open the package of cookies and see a serving size is two cookies
you eat three cookies
a little overwhelmed you say to yourself, “what the hell, I ate three cookies.” and then go on to finish the entire sleeve (or half a box, or some overwhelming percentage of the package).

For many people this is the beginning of the downward spiral that can signal the end of a diet or a change to eating plans. They give up, feeling that they are a failure, and feed themselves negative emotions and messages while not paying attention to their eating.

Breaking the Cycle

Rather than allowing the consumption of an entire sleeve of cookies (admittedly not the best choice) to overwhelm us it is more constructive to simply acknowledge that we have veered off the path of our eating plan.

Instead of wallowing in guilt or other negative feelings we need to remind ourselves that it's not an all or nothing proposition.

We can start again to rebuild our nutritional plan and to focus on making healthy choices. Sometimes that focus can come in the middle of that sleeve of cookies. Sometimes it happens immediately afterwards, more often it happens the next day.

Embracing Healthy Choices

Eating well, eating to nourish and support our bodies means loving and accepting ourselves. Garfield says “Diet is die with a t on the end of it.” Rather than looking at our desire to change our food choices as a diet it does help to look at it as a nutritional plan. To remember that we are choosing to make different choices because those choices are supportive for our bodies.

For those who have an illness such as celiac disease, or a food sensitivity, eating those foods brings a fairly immediate negative body response. So we don't do that.

For those who are choosing to make changes, it sometimes happens gradually. However it's never too late to start to make those changes.

Simply remember what the goal is and why you are making these choices. Treat yourself with loving kindness and take it one step at a time.

Updating Pbj

by Mirachange, habits, ingredients

When I was a kid one of my favorite sandwiches was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. My preferred version was the ones I got at my friend Donna's house where her mom used a creamy peanut butter. I don't remember the brand but I remember preferring it to the all natural, fresh ground peanut butter we had at home. She also used squishy white bread (probably Wonderbread) which I never got at home and adored. Donna and I would make our sandwiches with enormous amounts of peanut butter and a large heaping of jelly (usually grape) oozing out of the edges of the sandwich. We would lick the edges to “clean it up” and then bite into a sandwich so thick and sticky that our mouths were somewhat gummed shut.

Over time my tastes have changed and that pbj has gone through several modifications over the years. At one point I was making ezekiel bread; grinding the grains and legumes myself to make the flour before I baked the bread. This deliciously robust-flavored bread happens to make a fabulous, filling choice. I also, over time, lowered the amount of sugar, salt, and added fat in my peanut butter by making different choices. Then, eventually, I switched altogether and began to use fresh ground almond butter from the machine at my grocery store. I find it amusing that although I thought the fresh ground peanut butter of my youth was not that good, I've come full circle and now love the crunchiness and true flavor of fresh ground nut butter. And while I love jam it's usually either handmade or a purchase that is whole fruit, no added sugar or other chemical ingredients. But even that has now changed and I often find myself mashing up fresh berries with a tiny drizzle of honey as the “jelly” in my sandwich.

These days, due to digestive challenges, I find I do better avoiding gluten and so, unable to, as yet, make a good gluten free ezekiel-style bread I am using a brown rice bread which is very satisfying. But I've changed the sandwich again and now often have it open face using one slice of bread, some almond butter (just almonds, nothing else), a few mashed berries, that drizzle of honey and it's just as satisfying and comforting as the pbj of my youth.

I suspect that because the changes were gradual and because they were choices that I made, this seems perfectly reasonable to me. I'm equally certain that if I had abruptly changed from that fluffy air bread, sugar-laden, oily peanut butter, and over-processed grape jelly to today's version I would not have been a happy camper. While I know it's not the sandwich of my youth, it's what I reach for when I want that kind of food.

Our food is what we think of it and how we see those emotional connections and associations. What have you changed and yet it's still the same?

photo: Renee Comet

Reinventing Comfort

by Mirabreakfast, change, grains, habits, health, left overs

When I was a little girl my mother used to make something called rice cereal. My brother and I loved it. Leftover white rice in a bowl of hot milk with a huge dollop of butter and a spoonful of sugar on top. It brings back memories of the small kitchen we had when we were young. Sitting at the table with my brother, legs swinging, enjoying this dish which we viewed as a treat.

When my children were growing up I would make the same dish for them. And they loved it just as much. Even now my 16 year old will assemble a bowl if we have the ingredients at hand (which we often do). It was a great way to use up extra rice — filling, tasty, and warming to the tummy. I even served it on occasion to overnight guests. One such guest, a dear friend from my high-school days, exclaimed about this wonderful breakfast, wanting to know where the recipe came from. My answer? My mom. And probably from her mom. I think it was simply a frugal way to use leftovers. But it sure was, and still is, tasty.

Sometimes you have a day where you want comfort food. This morning was one of those days. As I was assembling, and then happily eating, my bowl of comfort I realized that I have changed the recipe. Modified it to be more in line with my healthier eating habits. But it was still just as comforting, warming and satisfying as it ever was. Reflecting on this I realized that the concept of comfort food is a state of mind. Yes it's a comfort to the tummy and makes us feel good; but part of what makes us feel good is the memories associated with that food. Changing the food doesn't change the comfort level as long as the basic concepts are the same.

So I'm making an offer, what are your comfort foods? What do you eat when you feel the need for that emotional lift? Share the recipe and the concept below. If you'd like (and please ask below) I'm happy to make suggestions to help boost the nutrition or health factor while still helping you get that bowl or plate of comfort you are after. Eating well to be well doesn't mean we can't still have comfort.