1. Eat Eggs occasionally, but not Egg Beaters
2. Pastured Eggs are ideal (Buy at Fairway Market)
3. Second choice: Organic or Free-Range Eggs
4. Top 5 nutrients in Eggs:
?Sulfur – boost Skin and Joint Health
?Vitamin B12- boost Energy and fight Depression
?Choline- boost Energy and Brain Health
?Vitamin D- boost Immunity and Bone Heath
?Lutein- boost Vision Health
5. Egg yolk contains most of these vitamins and minerals
Understand Egg Label
Photo by The Humane Society of The United States
Read more about eggs and choline in my Eat Eggs blog post.
1 cup organic spelt flour (I used Arrowhead Mills’s. You may also use other whole grain flour)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp of water (Let sit for 5 minutes before adding to your recipe. You may also use 1 whole egg if you don’t have flaxseed meal)
1 cup calcium-fortified almond milk (I used Blue Diamond Almond Cashew Blend)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (I used 365 100% Pure Pumpkin)
½ tsp almond extract (I used Simply Organic’s. You may also use vanilla extract)
1 Tbsp coconut oil
INSTRUCTIONS
Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Add wet ingredients into the bowl and stir until well-blended.
Heat cast iron skillet over medium heat. Oil surface with Coconut oil spray.
Pour 1/2 cup batter into skillet. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side.
Serve with mixed berries toppings.
INGREDIENTS- Mixed Berries Sauce
1 cup organic strawberries
1 cup organic wild blueberries
1 Tbsp Raw Honey or Maple Syrup
1 Tbsp water
INSTRUCTIONS
Simmer all ingredients in a small saucepan over low-medium heat for 3-5 minutes.
7 Tips for avoiding over-indulgence at Holiday parties:
Spend time making conversations instead of stuffing yourself with foods/drinks.
Have a 200-350 Kcal snack before you arrive the party (ex. a handful of nuts, a non-fat Greek yogurt with 1 Tbsp of flaxseed/chia seed/fresh chopped berries, a piece of fruit with 1 Tbsp natural Almond Butter).
Suggest guests to bring a healthy dish along with recipes to share with friends and family.
Limit alcohol consumption. Choose wine or straight spirits over mixed drinks or beer. Have at least a glass of water in between drinks.
Eat slowly and enjoy every bite of your meal.
Stick with the 3 bites rule if you want to have cheat foods (ex. high calorie pie).
Have fun and dance off the calories with friends and family.
Holiday Food Choices:
EAT MORE
Vegetable or Fresh Fruit Salad with light dressing (ex. Greek yogurt)
Why do so many of us have chocolate cravings? My patients are wondering if it is due to a vitamin or mineral deficiency. Overall, chocolate is a good source of magnesium and iron. I tried to provide other (magnesium and iron) alternatives such as nuts, seeds, dark leafy greens, lentils & beans, and did not find any reduced cravings of chocolate in my patients. Perhaps it is due to the mood-calming compound in chocolate that release your body’s “feel good” chemical- Dopamine and Serotonin, or just the complex, rich flavor and smell of chocolate ??.
Chocolate craving is not a nutritional concern as long as you are sticking with the less processed forms. In fact, the flavonoids in dark chocolate is beneficial to your skin and heart health. This powerful anti-aging antioxidant can help to reduce blood pressure, the bad cholesterol “LDL”, and keep your skin soft & moist.
I like the bitterness, woody taste and smooth texture in a piece of dark-chocolate (85% cocoa), a warm cup of unsweetened almond milk with a tablespoon of pure cocoa powder, or a few bits of cacao nibs in my homemade smoothie or oatmeal.
I do not recommend white chocolate, milk chocolate, peanut butter/caramel chocolate candy bars, or chocolate with more than 10g of sugar per 40g serving.
Last year, I posted a recipe of Homemade Protein Chew on my Instagram. I was exploring a caffeine-free version and have created this Vegan, Less Fat, Sugar-Free formula. I replaced the cocoa and honey in the original recipe with Chatfield’s All Natural Carob Powder* (naturally sweet, low in fat).
Photo Credit: Chatfield’s
* While Carob powder is a good substitute of cocoa powder for those who are very sensitive to caffeine or watching their weights, please note that it doesn’t contain the phytochemical flavonoids. However, this product is delicious in warm, almond milk and baked goods.
Recipe:
Raw Vegan Protein Chew
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp of Epic vanilla protein *
3 Tbsp raw shelled #hempseeds (@harvesthemp)
6 Tbsp Chatfield’s All Natural Carob Powder
1 Tbsp #coconutoil
1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup of Almond Milk
Directions:
1. Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl. 2. Add almond milk gradually while mixing the batter.
3. Knead and roll batter into #proteinballs.
4. Place on wax paper and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Enjoy ?
* Reviews of Epic Protein Supplement
Dining out for every meal while you travel can make every bite matters a challenge. Although your nutrition intake won’t be perfect, there are some #nutritiontips that can improve your travel-eating.
Step 1: Bring a healthy snack for flights. I am hooked on the @bramibeans #lupini beans. My favorite is the Chili Lime #brami.
It keeps me full until I arrive my destination.
Other good choices include: Raw nuts & seeds, dried dates, Justin’s Almond Butter packet, Kind bars (with less than 4g of sugar per bar), 80% dark chocolate
KIND Breakfast Peanut Butter- 115 Kcal, 4g Sugar, 2.5g Fiber per Bar
Step 2: Drink water when flying. Aim for at least 8oz per hour of flight. Dehydration often exaggerates jetlag, which can be a real drag to fun travel.
❌Pass on alcohol and soda.
Step 3: During meal time, start with a tall glass of water with lemon. Next, include a #salad in most meals. Leave the dressing on the side.
❌Skip croutons, cheese, raisins, bacon bits, white bread.
Avocado Salad at Vitascope Hall- Simple, Fresh, Delicious
Step 4: Taste everything, Enjoy the local specialty, and Double the veggies.
Love the daily Farm-to-Table 3-course menu at Coquette in the beautiful Garden District
Step 5: Share your food with friends and puppies.
Coquette
Step 6: Refill a few more rounds of water with lemon.
Step 7: Have your King Cake and eat it too. Finish your meal with fresh tasting fruits and maybe a sweet note of local favorite. ???
The King Cake StoryIndulge in every bite of @courtoftwosisters ‘s gourmet selection. ??☘??Enjoy the great jazz ambience, admire the spectacular Wisteria trees, listen to the running water of the blue fountain
Step 8: Enjoy a glass of drink if you like but limit high-sugar cocktails to 1 glass per day/night.
Sip on a glass of dry red wine, champagne, spritzer, or Ketel One with club soda ??
Vitascope Hall by the Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Step 9: Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. ?
Step 10: Allow yourself a spurge you would love. The #beignets and dark roasted coffee & chicory at #cafedumonde were worth it ?☕️
Cafe du Monde
Step 11: Dancing and Walking are exercises. Keep moving ???
Oak Alley Plantation
Step 12: Choose healthy snacks such as fresh fruits, baby carrots, coconut water, Kombucha, or legumes & lentils while soaking up the sun and making Vitamin D.
❌ Avoid snacking on candies, chips, pretzels throughout the day. You have too much exotic dishes to explore/taste.
Happy Memorial Day! Summer is officially here. Enjoy the journey! ✈️⛵️
a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables at every meal;
oats, quinoa, buckwheat, brown rice, sweet potato for fuel;
healthy nuts & seeds for snacks;
more plant-based protein
One of the nutrition questions I get from many of my patients is regarding the high fat content of nuts. It is true that many nutrient-dense plant foods such as Avocados, Nuts & Seeds, Dark Chocolate, Coconut, Tofu, Edamame are high in fat. They naturally contain unsaturated as well as saturated fat. Here are some things you should know: The presence of saturated fat in a plant-source, whole food doesn’t label a food into the unhealthy category if it is loaded with more essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, the healthy fats, which make up the majority of the fat content in the above high-fat plant foods help reduce LDL cholesterol and lower the risk of coronary heart disease.
Here are some things you should know: The presence of saturated fat in a plant-source, whole food doesn’t put a food into the “unhealthy” category. You have to look at the complete nutrition profile.
My new favorite Kind Bar- The Cashew & Ginger Spice Bar contains 200 Kcal, 14g Total Fat, 2g Saturated Fat, 4g Sugar, and 6g Protein. It tastes incredible and it’s way healthier than candied ginger!
Photo Source: kindsnacks.com
Epidemiological studies suggest that regular nut consumption is unlikely to contribute to obesity and may even help in weight loss and lower the risk of hypertension. Raw nuts and seeds consumption, (especially walnuts, flaxseed, chia seed) have been associated with cancer risk reduction. Go Nuts with 5 oz serving weekly to maximize the benefits of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. According to the INC and USDA National Nutrient, the following equal one ounce of nuts:
Photo Source: INC and USDA National Nutrient 150-157 Data Base for Standard Reference, Release 19, 2006.
If you are looking for the perfect sweet & salty granola-like bar, I would recommend KIND Bar’s Maple Pumpkin Seeds with Sea Salt. Each Bar contains 150 Kcal, 5 g Total Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 6 g Sugar, 3 g Protein. It contains all the healthy grains I like: Oats, brown rice, millet, oat flour, buckwheat, amaranth, and quinoa + a subtle maple flavor blend with the nuttiness of pumpkin & sunflower seeds. It makes a great chewy snack packed with amazing nutrients. Pumpkin seeds are rich in zinc, magnesium, and Omega 3 Fatty Acids, which are great for your immune system, bone and heart health.
source: kindsnacks.com
Bottom line: Fear not the fats in nuts & seeds. You can read more about the latest nutrition research about nuts here.
In celebrating National Nutrition Month, may I suggest all you beautiful people to incorporate more pastured eggs in your diet, to help get your mind and body in shape for professional and personal success?
My mom used to tell me “Eat Fish, It’s a brain food. Eat Egg, it’s the most nutrient dense food”. My typical childhood breakfast was composed of 2 hard-boiled eggs, a papaya smoothie, and sometimes a small bowl of fish congee. It was at a time when I saw chickens roaming in the backyards, eating bugs and worms.
Then, people thought eggs were bad. I learned about all the fancy labels of eggs that I didn’t know about. Some eggs are Conventional, Cage-Free, Vegetarian-Fed, etc…AKA, eggs from over-crowded chicken factory. Later, I heard about the Egg Beaters, a processed product that is fortified and supposed to “make a healthy lifestyle easier”.
Not all eggs are created equal. Let’s look at the ingredients:
Dietary intake of choline has been shown to be associated with lower plasma homocysteine levels (tHcy), which may reduce chronic inflammation (leading to cardiovascular disease, dementia, and osteoporosis). Recent studies support a protective role of choline against the development of some types of cancer. Choline deficiency may increase risk of muscle damage and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (Fatty liver is linked to obesity and insulin resistance).
Choline is an essential nutrient for prenatal and breastfeeding women. Similar to folate, choline plays a critical role in the healthy development of the fetus’s brain and nervous system. Deficiency in pregnancy may increase incidence of neural tube defects and impair cognitive function.
Although some choline is made within the liver, we require dietary source to maintain good health.
According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the adequate intake (AI) for choline to prevent liver damage is 550 mg daily for men and lactating women, 425 mg daily for women, and 450 mg daily for pregnant women. The Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for adults is 3500 mg/day.
Good Sources of Choline:
?Egg yolk- 147 mg per yolk
?Wheat germ- 202 mg per cup
?Beef- 97 mg per 3oz trimmed, cooked
?Scallop- 94 mg per 3oz steamed
?Salmon- 56 mg per 3oz cooked
?Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, bok choy)- 65 mg per cup cooked
?*Please note that prenatal vitamins don’t usually contain Choline, it’s important to nourish your body through whole foods.
Peppery Arugula Omelette with Sweet Fruits
If you are worried about the high cholesterol level in egg yolk, read my related post on Instagram here Dietary Cholesterol. You can learn more about cholesterol with Professor Fred Kummerow’s latest book at 99 years of age Cholesterol is not the Culprit. Kummerow was the scientist who pushed the FDA to ban Trans Fat and he eats an egg daily. The 100 years old Nutrition Scientist.
The American Heart Association recommends to consume at least two servings (~8oz) of fish per week for heart health. You are studying the restaurant menu at length, couldn’t decide between the Tilapia or Sea Bass? Use the following nutrition tips to cut through the confusion and enjoy your seafood meal. If you would like to expand your ethnic culinary repertoire, check out my recipe for Chinese-Style Steamed Strip bass
Nutrition Tips:
Choose a variety of fatty fish and focus on wild-caught species (ex. Pacific sockeye salmon) instead of farm-raised species if possible.
Choose steamed/baked seafood over fried/smoked seafood.
Choose seafood with a high omega-3 FA to omega-6 FA ratio, such as Pollock, Sea Bass, Cod, Caviar (roe), and King Crab.
Limit seafood with a high omega-6 FA to omega-3 FA ratio, such as Tilapia and Catfish.
Omega-6 fatty acids to Omega-3 fatty acids ratio?
Increasing omega-3s through fish or shellfish intake is preferable. The most beneficial omega-3s are EPA and DHA. Read more about the anti-inflammatory benefits of EPA and DHA on my Instagram post here The box of dreams .
Unlike omega-3s, consuming too much omega-6s can lead to inflammation, which increase risk of rheumatoid arthritis, blood clots, cancer, and Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It’s essential to maintain proper ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in our diet. Studies found that a ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 of 4:1 to 1:1 is considered healthy. Unfortunately, most of us are consuming a ration of >20:1 in modern diet.
Omega-6 fatty acids are loaded in vegetable oil (sunflower, safflower, corn, grape seed), peanut oil, salad dressing, margarine, fried food, and chips.
Not all fish are created equal. Farm-raised tilapia and catfish has a high ration of omega-6 to omega-3 (11:1) compared to the Wild-caught trout and salmon (1:1). Choose cold water fish such as Wild-caught trout, salmon, tuna, sardines for the benefits of EPA and DHA.
Avoid/limit imported fish/seafood as they may be contaminated or loaded with antibiotics that are banned in the US.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, a high quality, purified fish oil would be the safest source of EPA and DHA.
Yield: 2-4 servings
Ingredients:
1 Wild-caught Strip Bass or Sea bass, cleaned and scaled by fishmonger
2 inches ginger, julienned
2 sprigs of scallion, chopped
2 Tbsp white wine
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp salt
Instruction:
1. Rinse and pat dry fish.
2. Make a few diagonal slashes on both sides of the fish.
3. Season both sides with salt and white wine.
4. Cover and Steam fish for 8-10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, sauté ginger, scallion, soy sauce, and sesame oil over medium heat for two minutes.
6. Pour mixture over fish and serve.
“Poon Choi” (pot of goodness) is a Chinese New Year dish filled with layers of seafood delicacy, such as abalone ?, sea cucumber ?, giant sea prawns ?， and dried scallops ? + shiitake mushrooms, vegetables.
Poon Choi was invented during the Song Dynasty, in Walled Village, Hong Kong. The Walled Village residents focus on eating hearty dishes and fresh food in season.
Kay Hing Wai- photo source: ilovehongkong.org
Sea cucumber and Abalone are my favorite seafood. According to Memorial Slogan Kettering Cancer Center, “In vitro studies have shown that the saponins and fatty acids present in sea cucumber are responsible for its anti-angiogenic, anti-tumor, antiproliferative, and antiviral properties”.
Another study published in Plos One indicated that an organic compound in sea cucumber may be able to inhibit angiogenesis!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23308143/
More studies are needed to support claims of sea cucumber and cancer prevention. However, no adverse effects have been linked from its use (unless you have seafood allergy). Leap into the year of Monkey and prosperity with Poon Choi! Enjoy!
