blog #81 Using meat as a condiment

I do not advocate any one particular diet because, much like workouts, diets will depend on individual needs. I don’t preach vegetarianism, but I do recommend an adequate intake of fruits and veggies every day. The professor of my Medical Nutrition course this past semester was part of this film titled "Food fo the Fight."

A quote that caught my attention from the film was “meat should be eaten as a condiment.”

I thought that was fantastic advice! I never tell clients or friends that they HAVE TO give up something that they love. Instead of deleting something, I recommend curtailing portions. For example, instead of sloshing 4 tablespoons of cream in your coffee, measure out 1 or 2 tablespoons. Taking control of your health and wellness is about moderation, dedication, and consistency.

Lean sources of protein are highly recommended, but if you are eating lots of fried or highly fat-saturated meat choices, maybe you can start by limiting your consumption or taking note of how much and how often you elect to eat foods that are less lean or nutritious.

Start with small goals and objectives

Goal: to lower saturated fat intake.

Objective: Count portions per day, count portions per week, substitute saturated fatty options like hot dogs for lean sources or just ….have a bite. Therefore, think of meat as a condiment. So what condiments do you use? I use mustard and hummus often with my veggies as a dip. So if I were to treat meat as I do hummus, I would only consume a small amount…say, an ounce. 

Another way to monitor portions is the “plate method.” Think of three-quarters of your dinner plate’s contents as being of plant origin and one-quarter animal sources.

blog# 80 shopping aisles and placement: Where are all the whole grains??

When speaking with a classmate/friend Sahara she said to me awhile back:

“The grocery store is intimidating.”

I guess that depends on where and what you shop for.

I thought a great deal about her comment and I decided to document my weekend grocery store trip to Fairway market in the Upper West Side.

I wonder: Why are all the whole grains hidden? At this market and others, I notice that the eye-level foods are much more heavily processes and higher in sugar content than the foods placed closer to the floor. In order to photograph Old-Fashioned oats, I had to crouch down because that’s where they’d hidden them! Without having nutritional knowledge about food processing levels and sugar content, it is easy to feel intimidated and pick the first thing you see.

The instant oats found at eye level are not as good as Old-Fashioned oats because there is more processing needed to make them “instant.” As I’ve written about before, it’s healthier to eat slow-cooked oats that are not flavored. Flavor them yourself with creative ideas like cinnamon, nuts, peanut butter (but measure!)

Have more ideas? Let me know.

General tips that I follow in grocery stores:

• Stick with the outside aisles. (That’s where they put fresh foods like produce.)
• Avoid last-minute purchases
• Don’t shop hungry. (We have all done this and ended up paying/buying more--and choosing more unhealthy foods!)
• Bring a list. (I recommend keeping a digital list on your cell phone so that you don’t forget it.) 
• Look down and around for whole grains. (Sometimes they are less visible then processed ones.)

Notice in these pictures that the grains with the least amount of processing are more toward the floor. The eye level foods have more sugar...read labels, look around and shop smartly!