Community Nutrition: False Advertising

This video is self explanatory. We watched it in my community nutrition class: CBC Marketplace Food Fiction: Lousy Labels.

If you have some time, I highly recommend you watch it so you can be more aware of false food claims when going grocery shopping. The food ingredient list and nutrition table are much more reliable than the claims on the front of the label... 

It frustrates me that, as consumers, we must research and criticize every ingredient on the food label to determine whether a product truly is healthy. Eating right should not be this difficult! Click here for a list of 10 ingredients to avoid in your foods, by Food Matters.

Valentine's day lunch

So I thought I would share the special lunch I made for Valentine's day yesterday. Chicken pot pie is one of Harry's favorite meals, and I've been meaning to try make it for years now. Valentine's day was the perfect opportunity!

I am great at making cakes. I am decent at making cookies.
But I have only made pies a handful of times. And I've never had chicken pot pie, let alone made it.
On top of that, I have a current egg and dairy allergy. So I had to adjust the recipes I used...
But I was determined to make Harry's favorite food.

I used this recipe for the chicken pot pie filling, and used this vegan flaky pie crust.
These were my adjustments (and they worked well):

Vegan Flaky pie crust (doubled):
recipe from VeganBaking.net
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 2 ½+ cups light spelt flour
1 ¼ teaspoon salt  1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon shiitake mushroom powder (optional)
½ teaspoon onion powder (ground onion flakes)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
¾ cup (161 grams) or 1 ½ sticks cold Regular Vegan Butter or non-hydrogenated stick margarine, cut into ¼ inch cubes  161 grams Earth Balance vegan spread
6 Tablespoons (81 grams) or ¾ stick cold Vegan Shortening or store bought shortening, cut into ¼ inch cubes
½ cup cold water (I only used half of the liquid! Probably due to the flour change)
3 Tablespoons cold vodka

Refrigerated overnight.

I did have some trouble with this recipe - it was extremely sticky when making (which is why I used half of the liquid) and still relatively sticky when rolling out the next day. I might try with 3 cups of spelt flour next time right of the bat. 

Tip: roll out between wax paper sheets!!

Chicken pot pie filling:
recipe from TasteofHome.com
2 cups diced peeled potatoes
1-3/4 cups sliced carrots 2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup butter, cubed 3/4 cup mixed coconut oil, Earth Balance vegan spread, and splash of olive oil
2/3 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped onion
1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup spelt flour
1-3/4 teaspoons salt 3/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups milk 1 can coconut milk
4 cups cubed cooked chicken breast (boiled the night before)
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
2 packages (14.1 ounces each) refrigerated pie pastry doubled the vegan pie crust recipe

I also added a bit of oregano and paprika to taste.

I baked at 350F convection for about 35 minutes. (This differed from the recipe.)

The result:

Not the prettiest - but delicious!

The Valentine's chicken pot pie

The second chicken pot pie for my family.

The crust was beautifully flaky and the inside seasoned well. I'll definitely use these recipes again.

Healthy fats:

Personally - I like coconut oil. It has healthy medium length saturated fatty acids much like butter. Used in moderation, I think it's a healthy fat. So I'm happy with my substitution of butter with the oils in the chicken pot pie filling. 

Also, substituting the Earth Balance spread for the margarine stick in the crust recipe was a healthy choice as well. I couldn't find non-hydrogenated margarine (better than hydrogenated) so I bought the Earth Balance spread instead. These are much healthier fats than the processed margarine stick has. In fact, I might try using only the Earth Balance spread in the crust next time to get rid of the yucky hydrogenated fats in the vegetable shortening! Making the vegan butters and shortening as on the crust recipe website would also be a great option.

<3 Jessica

Sources:
http://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/pies/flaky-pie-crust
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/favorite-chicken-potpie

Healthy Snacks

I don't know about you, but I snack A LOT when I study. And with midterms coming up so fast, I've been eating more even when I'm not hungry. There's been days when I hardly have supper because I'm already so full on snacks from afternoon study sessions. Not good...
Studying on campus helps a lot. I am able to concentrate more and get less distracted by eating or thinking about food.

Nonetheless, studying at home is convenient, and I do it a lot. For any of you that have the same problem snacking, here are some delicious snacks that are also nutrient-dense. I figure that if I'm eating, I better be consuming lots of healthy anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

Pecans and pumpkin seeds

1. Nuts or seeds.
My favorites, since I'm avoiding almonds due to an allergy, are: pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and cashews. Just keep in mind that nuts and seeds pack a lot of energy - pour a bowl, don't eat from the bag/container. This is a great tip for any snack.
Nuts and pumpkin seeds are absolutely delicious roasted in an oven or on a dry frying pan for a bit, until fragrant. Beware of burning. For truly raw nuts and seeds, it would also be worthwhile to soak and then toast to increase digestibility.

Delicious organic figs (from Costco)

2. Dried fruit
High in fiber and nutrients, this is a great snack option. My favorites: figs, medjool dates, & raisins.
However, beware sugar-sweetened craisins and other dried fruit with added ingredients like sulphites. Also keep in mind that even non-sweetened dried fruit has a lot of naturally occurring sugars - so keep portion sizes small, and consider them a treat.

3. Combine dried fruits and nuts for a delicious, homemade trail mix!

4. Hummus with veggies.
Mmm hummus. With lots of garlic. Makes any vegetable taste heavenly! The classic trio of broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots works well for this snack and is very affordable. You can even make quick homemade hummus if you have a food processor around! (I don't recommend a Vitamix for hummus or other spreads.)

5. Cereal.
A bit on the sugar-y side, especially if you choose mainstream cereals. But some brands use truly whole ingredients and are also really healthy. Read the food label ingredient list!
Bonus: super quick and always available.

Roasted chickpeas with honey, oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cocoa glaze

6. Roasted chickpeas
Unfortunately there's a wait time for this snack, but it's well worth it! Chickpeas are high in fiber and a good source of protein. You can make them sweet, spicy, herb-y... whatever you feel like! All you need is a can of garbanzo beans, some oil, and spices. Google roasted chickpeas for lots of recipe ideas.

Mary's Organic Crackers with lemon & dill tuna

7. Crackers with toppings
I just love Mary's Organic Crackers! They go well with a chocolate almond spread for a sweet tooth, and I also like them with cream cheese and other savory toppings.

8. Rye crispbread with honey
A simple yet satisfying snack: Wasa light rye crispbread with unpasteurized honey. Just sweet enough for your sweet tooth but without danger of a sugar high.
Crispbreads have a lot of healthy fibers. They're obviously meant as savory snacks - but are often versatile enough for sweet treats as well (depending on the brand and flavors).

9. Fresh fruit or vegetables
An obvious nutrient-packed snack - my favorites include: avocados, kiwi, apples, broccoli, carrots and cherry tomatoes. If you have the time, a quick salad is always a satisfying snack.

10. Vega One All-in-one nutrition shake
Quick & easy. However, it's not my first choice since it is processed to an extent...but Vega One is great brand & delivers a delicious product. One scoop with water, shake, drink! I usually have this snack after workouts.


Happy snacking!
<3 Jessica

Vitamin A and its antioxidant precursor, Beta-Carotene

A lesson from my nutrition class...

Food Sources:

Picture credit to: Ramzi Hashisho

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble nutrient that is found pre-formed (as retinyl esters) in many animal-sourced foods such as liver, milk & milk products, and egg yolk. It has many functions within the body, BUT it is not an antioxidant itself.

Beta-carotene, converted by the body into Vitamin A, is found in brightly coloured (especially orange) fruits and vegetables such as: papayas, yams*, tomatoes, spinach, pumpkin, carrots*, and broccoli. Beta-carotene and other related carotenoids are antioxidants.
(* = a single 125 ml serving meets or exceeds the RDA for women.)

Retinoids

There are 3 different forms of active Vitamin A in the body (retinoids), all with different uses: retinol, retinal, and retinoic acid. The body readily converts retinyl esters from animal food sources, and beta-carotene from plant sources into the retinoid form it requires. However, the conversion to retinoic acid is irreversible.
Retinol:
Retinol supports reproduction and growth. This translates to sperm development and normal fetal development in men and women, respectively. In children, vitamin A (retinol) helps remodel bone to allow for growth by supporting osteoclasts (cells that eat away at the bone to allow for growth & overall remodeling by osteoblasts).
Retinal:
Retinal is the form of vitamin A that everyone is well aware of - it supports vision. Specifically, it maintains a clear cornea (the clear front "window" of the eye), and helps covert the light energy arriving at the back of the eye (retina) into nerve impulses that allow us see.
Retinoic acid:
Retinoic acid regulates growth, thus helps maintain our constantly renewing barriers such as skin and mucous membranes within the body. Importantly, vitamin A (in the form of retinoic acid) helps protect our skin against sun damage. By maintaining our barriers, this form of vitamin A is also essential for our immune system.

Beta-carotene as an Antioxidant

Not all beta-carotene is converted to retinoids in the body. Some of it is used to quench free radicals, preventing disease, cancers, and promoting overall health. Without antioxidants to halt damage, free radicals are capable of altering DNA & RNA (thus changing proteins), causing overall cell damage, diseases and aging. For this reason, try to incorporate both dark green and bright orange vegetables and fruits in your daily diet. Adults should be consuming 7-10 servings of both raw and cooked fruits and vegetables every day (the majority should be vegetables) .

Recommended Intakes

Adult men: 700µg RAE/day
Adult men: 900µg RAE/day
Upper level/limit = 3000µg / day

RAE = Retinol activity equivalents
1 µg retinol = 1 RAE
12 µg beta-carotene = 1 RAE (due to inefficient conversion within the body)


Should you supplement with beta-carotene?
Research tends to show that supplementation with beta-carotene have either no effect or even increased mortality in smokers. (This must be taken with a grain of salt since there are usually many experimental design flaws in bio-availability of supplementation, diet, and lifestyles...)
Studies found that smokers have an increased risk of CHD and lung cancer when supplementing with beta-carotene.
However... increased food-sourced beta-carotene, decreases risk of both coronary heart disease (CHD) and colorectal cancer.
So eat up your veggies and toast to your health!

<3 Jessica


Reference:
Whitney, E., Rolfes, S., Hammond, G., & Piche, L. (2013). The Antioxidant Nutrients. In Understanding Nutrition (1st Canadian ed.). Toronto: Nelson Education.