Category Archives: Dietitian

Can You Eat Red Meat Again?

Dietitian

This blog was originally published at N.E.W. Motivation Coaching in October 2019. NMC has closed and blogs are now posted here. Blog follows…

The red meat debate has heated up again. For years, you have heard to cut back on red meat and processed meat for your health. But, hold on. A recent review of five studies led to the declaration that you can eat these meats again.

Hold my Slim Jim and fire up the grill because baby, I’ve got a big juicy steak ready to go!

Your inclination is probably to roll your eyes and decide that no one really knows what they are talking about when it comes to nutrition. It sure does feel that way when the media gets hold of any headline that goes against the current guidelines. But let’s take a moment to explore this before you decide that your Beach Body Coach is the best person to tell you what to eat.

What does this “new” study say?

This new study looked at five other studies and decided that how much red meat someone eats doesn’t really impact their health that much after all. Their recommendation was that “most adults should continue to eat their current levels of red and processed meat.

I’m sorry but what kind of recommendation is that?

Who knows how much red and processed meat any one person is eating? How can that be the recommendation? It’s okay, keep on eating 5 pounds of meat a day! No worries!

Um, no.

Okay, let’s take to the research!

If you want to follow along, go to PubMed and drop “Gordon Guyatt meat” into the search bar. You will see that there are actually a handful of articles from 10/1/2019.

The one that interested me the most was this one because it is relevant for Dietary Guideline Considerations as stated in the title. This study states in its conclusions that “The panel suggests that adults continue current unprocessed red meat consumption (weak recommendation, low-certainty evidence). Similarly, the panel suggests adults continue current processed meat consumption (weak recommendation, low-certainty evidence).”  The bolding of the text is mine.

I’m certainly not changing my dietary choices based on weak recommendations from low-certainty evidence.

For a thorough review on the article telling you to pig out (get it?) on red meat, turn to Harvard Health. They always do a stellar job.

So, what should you do?

Well, first of all, stop getting your nutrition advice from the internet. And yes, that includes me.

I am A registered dietitian, but I am not YOUR registered dietitian. Your first stop should be your personal medical provider or dietitian because they know your family history and your health concerns. THAT is what determines how you should best eat for your health.

I’m going to keep on doing what I have been doing. These sensational headlines change nothing for me. I enjoy red meat now and again. I eat processed meats occasionally. I don’t eat huge portions of these foods when I enjoy them. I balance my meat intake out with vegetarian meals.

You want me to make nutrition easy? I’ll stick with my long-standing advice:

And you can pry my steak and bacon from my cold, dead hands.

PS – I haven’t eaten a Slim Jim for about 30 years!

Our Approach to Healthy Living

Dietitian

This blog was originally published at N.E.W. Motivation Coaching in March 2019. NMC has closed and blogs are now posted here. Blog follows…

So far, we have talked a big game about helping people improve their health in a positive way… and enjoy the cookies.

You may be wondering how we do what we do.

We coach in a safe, effective, and empowering way that fosters a good relationship with food, activity, and one’s body.

Step 1

We break a lot of food rules and challenge the traditional advice.

You know. That same-old thing you’ve been hearing for decades… that same-old thing that we’ve been busting our behinds to do… that same-old thing that is resulting in our nation ending up heavier and more out-of-shape than ever before.

That thing?

Eat less and move more.

We do not believe in dieting. We do not believe in out-exercising poor nutrition choices.

In short, the way we’ve been dieting for decades is wrong.

As Health & Nutrition Experts, we combine the science of nutrition, exercise, and health management with coaching techniques to help you bring nutrition-rich, flavorful food to your table AND meet your health goals. Yes, cookies included.

Our goal is for you to find peace within yourself about yourself – and improve your health and weight as you go. Oh, and we want you to EAT delicious food.

Step 2

We promote both non-diet and reverse-dieting approaches. So, how do we approach food?

We believe some people do their best with a more relaxed and gentle approach to food and activity without rules, stress, counting, tracking, or good food/bad food guilt. This is a non-diet approach.

Other people do well with a more structured plan focused on feeding your body instead of starving it. This is our reverse dieting approach.

In other words, no cookie cutter plans here. Your nutrition plan is tailored to your lifestyle and preferences.

Step 3

We acknowledge that life happens. And we plan for that.

If we hear another story about how a health professional told a client to “come back when you are ready” because they struggled with that professional’s perfect little plan, well, we may just scream or cry.

Our programs are designed to FIT TO YOU. We aren’t trying to fit you into them.

We move you to better health by building your skills and knowledge, working with you to find the best approaches for your lifestyle and preferences, and discovering real-life, flexible, and long-term solutions that fit into the craziness of your unique life.

Our Goal?

Our hope for our clients is that they can find peace with food and exercise, and appreciation and joy with their bodies.

We embrace body diversity and self-confidence because health comes in many shapes and sizes and approaches to health are not one-size-fits-all.

Medical Nutrition Therapy Vs. Health or Nutrition Coaching

Dietitian

This blog was originally published at N.E.W. Motivation Coaching in March 2019. NMC has closed and blogs are now posted here. Blog follows…

Where Do People Get Their Nutrition Information?

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me they were confused about nutrition or had stopped paying attention because “everything changes all the time anyway” well… I’d be rich. And I’d still be right here writing this blog.

Every year the International Food Information Council Foundation publishes a Food and Health Survey. This stuff is fascinating. It gives health professionals a sort-of-current snap shot of consumer behaviors and beliefs around food and health.

In 2018, 80% of people surveyed agree that there is a lot of conflicting information about what food they should eat or avoid. 80%!! Okay, this is a problem. It’s just food. How have we made it so complicated??

The good news is over 50% of Americans are putting their trust in Registered Dietitians, Healthcare Professionals, and Health Coaches. Nice.

The bad news – and the confusion – may come about because 25% of people trust a friend or family member, about 28% trust bloggers, and about 30% trust mobile apps.

Here’s where it gets even more fun – 30% of Americans turn to their friends and family members or to their healthcare professional to get information about what food to eat and what food to avoid.

I don’t know your friends and family so maybe they have the know-how to give you good information but most likely, they are repeating things they have heard from other sources (which may be right or wrong). And did you know that medical doctors typically only get 25 hours of nutrition education and 20% of medical schools do not require even one course in nutrition! (Source here). Shocking.

Well, at least Livestock Veterinarian finally fell off that list. I’m grateful for that!

Let’s get into it.

What is the Difference Between Nutrition Coaching & Education?

Nutrition coaching and nutrition education is providing general information from credible health agencies (American Heart Association, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, etc.) without making specific recommendations for any individuals.

There are no laws and no oversight for these titles. It does not require state licensure. In fact, you can make yourself a business card and call yourself a nutritionist or nutrition coach right now. People using these titles may have no training or may have great training. Ask questions.

This is ideal for you if:

  • You do not have any chronic medical conditions
  • You do not wish to work on improving or managing any health conditions
  • You know how to manage your health conditions and are able to tailor any general information or coaching to your specific conditions

This is not a good fit for you if:

  • You aren’t sure how to eat for your health conditions
  • You want someone to tell you how or what to eat
  • You do not know how to adjust general information for your health conditions

Medical Nutrition Therapy

Medical Nutrition Therapy is nutrition counseling and providing specific individualized recommendations to address chronic and/or specific conditions and diagnoses. In many states, this activity is licensed to protect the public from harm. Check here so see if licensure if required in your state.

Registered/Licensed Dietitians are required by Florida law (where NMC is located) to work with their client’s medical providers when providing Medical Nutrition Therapy.

Let’s Talk State License Laws

These state laws are put in place to ensure that those making nutrition recommendations have adequate education, experience, and training to understand the complex interactions between food, medical conditions, and the body’s metabolic and physiological processes.

It’s just like making sure you use a licensed hair stylist to make sure someone doesn’t unintentionally wreck your hair or using a licensed electrician to make sure someone doesn’t unintentionally burn down your home. You can regrow hair and repair your home; but you’ve only got one body.

While unlicensed professionals may not do harm, the potential for harm is greater. We believe that most people have good intentions but they just don’t know what they don’t yet know. And many know just enough to talk a good game and be dangerous for your health.

Seek a licensed health professional.

Love Yourself Healthy

Dietitian

This blog was originally published at N.E.W. Motivation Coaching in February 2019. NMC has closed and blogs are now posted here. Love Yourself Healthy was the Signature Coaching Program of N.E.W. Motivation Coaching.

Blog follows…

Love Yourself Healthy is a mind-set focused on health improvement and building healthy habits in a balanced, non-restrictive way.

Coach Alexia created this approach when she saw the need for an alternative to how we have been going about getting healthy for decades. The way we have been taught to diet and manage our health is wrong. We have been convinced that we need to “hate ourselves healthy.”

With food, this means that we have been eating foods we don’t like, following restrictive meal plans that don’t work for us and that leave us hungry and malnourished, denying ourselves food that we love and then obsessing about them until we give in and go overboard and feel guilt and shame.

With exercise this means that we have been doing exercise we don’t enjoy for much longer than we care to do it while telling ourselves to just “suck it up, buttercup” because this is what it takes to reach our goals.

We hate our bodies and we hate ourselves. And so we pay penance by way of food and exercise so that maybe – if we deny, deprive, and suffer through the work – maybe one day we can love who are and how we look and feel.

This has got to stop.

Love Yourself Healthy focuses on challenging that internal dialogue you have with yourself, so you can start to see your unique and amazing value and begin to let go of having do to everything perfectly.

At the same time, you start with a small-steps approach to food and exercise as a way to rebuild your confidence and show yourself that you can keep meaningful promises to yourself. This approach moves you towards better health and, yes, your desired weight in a loving and nurturing way.

What is really amazing is that when you start to feed your body and couple that with movement you can actually turn up your metabolism, have more energy, and lose weight while eating more food!

Win-Win!

Coach Alexia is passionate in her belief that women have got to change the negative way that we talk to ourselves and think about ourselves. We have to change what we see when we look in the mirror and begin to recognize our bodies our minds and ourselves as the strong, capable, amazing beings that we are.

We embrace body confidence and believe that you are 100% deserving of loving yourself as you are right now.

When we start first with love and gratitude for ourselves then the actual steps that we take with food, exercise, sleep, and self-care become so much easier.

We stop defining our success using external yardsticks – like a number on the scale or a size of clothing – and we instead define our success based on our personal integrity, in our creativity and flexibility to handle the curve-balls life keeps throwing at us, and our ability to set and reach realistic goals as we travel our unique path to better health and wellness.

We start to see and appreciate the small wins that we have every day. This is what leads us towards being able to love ourselves into a healthier lifestyle.

Love Yourself Healthy is N.E.W. Motivation Coaching’s signature plan. It is the foundation upon which we build all of our programs, online plans, and one-on-one coaching.

We are sick and tired women beating themselves up to reach unrealistic ideals and so we have designed our programs to lead women towards love and self-empowerment and on shutting down the inner critic.

We focus on celebrating women for who they are and what they can do regardless of the size or shape of their bodies.

You will find amazing things happen when begin to Love Yourself Healthy.

What To Expect on a Grocery Store Tour

coach, Dietitian, Food, food shopping, grocery shopping, grocery store, grocery store tour, health, health coach, health goals, Healthy Diet, home cooked meal, meal plan, meal planning, Meal Prep, nutrition, wellness, , , , , ,

Are you curious about what actually happens on an interactive grocery store tour? Many people are unsure what to expect if they tour a grocery store with a nutritionist. Wonder no more – here is what you can expect on a grocery store tour with N.E.W. Motivation Coaching.

what to expect grocery tour blog imageA grocery store is an excellent resource for learning about food and food marketing in general, discovering which foods and products will work best for you and your family, and getting answers to your health and food questions.

In short, it is the best place to learn which foods can help you with your food goals because you have direct access to all the foods!

Expect a Mini Nutrition Education Class

Spend the first 15-20 minutes in a mini-class where you will learn the big-picture guidelines about the nutrition or health topic, how to read food labels, and what to look for on food packaging. You also get recommendations from 1-3 different agencies that make dietary recommendations so you can decide which guidelines fit your goals and food preferences the best.

Examples of tour topics include:

  • Heart Healthy Proteins
  • Healthy Grab-and-Go Grocery Store Meals
  • Fat, Sugar, and Salt
  • Keto Dieting – All about Dietary Fats
  • Low Carb Diets – Focus on Healthy Proteins & Fats

Expect to Walk the Store

This is where the fun really begins! After the mini nutrition education class, you will put Food-Label-Detectiveon your (imaginary) detective hat, go into the store, and put our hands on food packages. You get to put what you just learned into action to make better-for-you food choices.

You can go to the foods and brands you typically choose to take a good look at the packaging and compare it to other options. While brands may be recommended by your nutritionist based on your food preferences, budget, and health goals, you will not get any blanket brand recommendations during these tours. No kickbacks or bias here!

You will check out the package claims, nutrition facts, and ingredients to ensure the foods you choose fit into your food guidelines, you may learn about some hard-to-pronounce ingredients including what they are made of and how safe – or not – they are, and you may pick up some new tricks and tips to get the most out of your food choices. You also learn a little about how grocery store layout and food packaging can affect your buying choices without you even realizing it.

Expect Each Tour to be Different

Each tour has a focus but your questions determine where we go in the store and which foods we investigate.

Aisle by aisle, the nutritionist will help you make better food choices by pointing out marketing strategies and misleading packaging, showing you resources in the store that you probably haven’t ever noticed, introducing new foods and ingredients, and answering your food and nutrition questions.

Expect to Get Goodies

You always receive recipes related to the tour topic. You may also get samples of foods or coupons or other goodies like fabric grocery bags or shopping lists.

Expect to Become Empowered about Food

By the end of the tour, the confusion and anxiety around which foods to put in your grocery cart with will have been whisked away by the experience and insight you gained from having a dietitian at your side in the store.

You+RDYou will walk away empowered knowing you can choose healthier-for-you foods on your very next shopping trip. After this fun and interactive experience, you will be so much closer to knowing exactly how use food and nutrition to reach your health goals. You will also be well prepared to handle life’s curveballs because you know how to critically evaluate food packaging – instead of just getting brand recommendations. You will now have the skills to change your food choices as your health, needs and schedule changes.

In short, you will become an bonafide food label detective.

This is a guest blog by Vanessa Tarbell, University of North Florida Undergraduate Nutrition Student. 

Does An Apple A Day Really Keep The Doctor Away?

apples, Dietitian, Food, fruit, health, health professional, Healthy Diet, Heart Healthy, Meal Prep, nutrition, Recipe, salt, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian, wellness, , , , , ,

In honor of American Heart Month, we are celebrating apples for heart health! Check out our newest recipe (Cinnamon Roasted Apples) and read on to learn why affordable, delicious apples are a great choice for your health and how to always pick the best apple from the bunch.

First, where did this “apple a day” idea come from?  The expression originated in the United Kingdom, specifically, Pembrokeshire in Southern Wales. The original proverb was “To eat an apple before going to bed, will make the doctor beg his bread.” We found record of it first being published in the February 1866 edition of Notes and Queries magazine.

apple-a-day

While there wasn’t really research done on apples way back then, they got it right about the possible health benefits of apples. Research shows many possible health benefits associated with apples due to some of the wonderful little phytochemicals (plant compounds) that are found in apples. For example, apples have:

  • Phenolic Compounds which may have antimicrobial properties and are associated with reduced risk of tooth decay
  • Flavonoids (specifically quercetin) which is associated with reduced risk of lung and colorectal cancer
  • Pectin, phytosterols and polyphenols which are associated lowering cholesterol levels which can reduce risk of cardiovascular disease
  • Flavonoids which may improve endothelial function (basically the ability of your blood vessels to expand and contract when they are supposed to) in people who are at risk for cardiovascular disease – which may reduce their risk for cardiovascular disease

So, yeah. apples, which happen to be the 2nd most eaten fruit (yay!) pack a powerhouse of nutrition-rich, health-promoting goodies!

All this being said. Please don’t rely on apples when you need to visit the doctor! 

Good news – apples are available year-round and believe it or not, every single state in the USA grows apples. This could be thanks in part to Johnny Appleseed (remember him?) who planted apple trees on his trek as the United States were settled. And we are happy he did as the crabapple is the only apple native to North America.

Let’s talk real life here. You’re in the grocery store and looking at a huge selection of different types of apples. How do you know which apple to choose?

Well, we always say the best choice is the one you enjoy the most, so feel free to grab your favorite type of apple and call it a day!

After that, look to your food budget… which brings more good news: apples are affordable. If your food budget is your main concern, choose the least expensive type of apple.

If you want more details though…

In terms of picking out a good-quality apple, select ones that are firm, show no signs of bruising or decay, and don’t have broken or shriveled skin.

Great tasting apples should be ripe when picked, to maintain consistent flavor, texture, and make them last longer. You can speed up ripening by leaving them at room temperature, then store in the refrigerator when they are ripe.

There are many varieties of apples, each variety with its own distinct characteristics. For example, the Red Delicious, is excellent eaten fresh or in a salad, but does not do well in roasting. Some apples that are good for baking and/or roasting are the Fuji, Gala, Golden, Granny Smith, and the Rome Beauty. Click for more information on the different types of apple varieties and what they are best suited for.

Nutritionally:

One medium apple has just under 100 calories, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 4.5 grams fiber, and 14% of the daily value for Vitamin C. It has no fat, very little protein (1/2 gram), no cholesterol, and only 2 mg of sodium (yes, natural foods have sodium – check out our series of videos on salt!).

Don’t peel your apples! Pectin and about 2/3 of the nutritional goodness (fiber and antioxidants) are in the skin. Also, be careful when juicing. There are approximately 2 1/4 apples in an 8-ounce glass of juice so you can really get a lot of calories and natural sugars by juicing and won’t register fullness the same way you would if you ate 2 apples.

The N.E.W. Motivation Coaching criteria for heart healthy foods includes (1) has fiber, (2) low saturated/trans fat, (3) low sodium, (4) low added sugars, and (5) not too high in calories. Apples are a perfectly heart-healthy choice!

Post a comment and let us know your favorite type apple or apple recipe! We are partial to the Honeycrisp variety and love us some good apple pie… and our Recipes Page has our Cinnamon Roasted Apple recipe which mimics the flavor of apple pie! YUM!

This blog was researched and written by Millie Yeamans, UNF Nutrition Student and edited by Alexia Lewis RD. We support RD2BE students!

Have-you-had-an-apple-today

References:

  1. The Meaning And Origin Of The Expression: An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away. Phrases.org.uk. https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/an-apple-a-day.html. Accessed February 13, 2018.
  2. Kalinowska M, Bielawska A, Lewandowska-Siwkiewicz H, et al. Apples: Content of phenolic compounds vs. variety, part of apple and cultivation model, extraction of phenolic compounds, biological properties. Plant Physiol Biochem. 84 (2014) 169-188. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2014.09.006
  3. Boyer J, Liu RH. Apple phytochemicals and their health benefits. Nutr J. 2004;3:5. https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2891-3-5/.
  4. Bondonno N, Bondonno C, Croft K, et al. Flavonoid-rich apple improves endothelial function in individuals at risk for cardiovascular disease: a randomized controlled clinical trial. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2018 Feb;62(3).  https://www.pubfacts.com/detail/29086478/Flavonoid-Rich-Apple-Improves-Endothelial-Function-in-Individuals-at-Risk-for-Cardiovascular-Disease. 
  5. Drake BH, Shertzer JK. Selecting, Storing, and Serving Ohio Apples. https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-5507. Published February 25, 2010. Accessed February 13, 2018
  6. McWilliams M. Fruits. Food Fundamentals. 10th ed. Pearson Education; 2014:120.
  7. Commodity Apples. https://www.agmrc.org/commodities-products/fruits/apples/commodity-apples. Accessed February 14, 2018.
  8. Apple Facts. https://extension.illinois.edu/apples/facts.cfm. Accessed February 14, 2018.
  9. Apples, raw, with skin. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1809/2. Accessed February 14, 2018.

 

Salt: Where Does the Salt in Your Diet Come From?

coach, coaching, Diet, Dietitian, health, health goals, Healthy Diet, Heart Healthy, nutrition, salt, sodium, wellness, , , , , , , , , , , ,

This is Video/Blog # 2 in our Series: All About Salt.

Myth or Fact? I don’t have to worry about my sodium because I don’t use the salt shaker at meals or when cooking?

When my clients want to reduce sodium in their diets, they typically focus on the salt shaker. They believe if they don’t add salt to their food at the table or when they are cooking, it is enough to keep their salt intake low.

Is it enough?

This is a MYTH!

Wait. What? Why???

Most of the salt in the average American diet – a whopping 71% according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – comes from processed foods and restaurant foods – not from the salt we add during cooking or sprinkle on to our cooked steaks or vegetables!

In fact, the foods with hidden sources of salt are the biggest offenders since many do not realize they are so high in salt. The American Heart Association has dubbed these foods the “Salty Six.”

The Salty Six includes:

  • Breads
  • Deli lunch meats
  • Sandwiches
  • Pizza
  • Soups
  • Processed chicken products.

And, if they asked me, I would make it the Salty Seven and added

  • Sauces and condiments

Can you Trust the Food Packaging Claims?

You can always look at the nutrition information label to find the milligrams (mg) per serving – just be sure to notice how much is considered one serving of the food per the label.

Those nutrition claims on food packages are a little trickier. Let’s quickly go over what those nutrition claims really mean.

First, realize that some of the claims are based off comparing the lower sodium version to the regular version.

If you see “reduced sodium” on the label, that means there is at least 25% less salt than the regular version. So, if your food is a salty one – like soup that can have 2000 mg in one can, then reduced sodium may still have 1500 mg which is not what I would consider low in sodium at all.

Claims that mean low sodium include “low sodium” with 140 mg or less per serving, “very low sodium” with 35 mg or less per serving, and “salt / sodium free” which means less than 5 mg per serving.

Finally, “no salt added” means just that – salt was not added during the food processing. The food may or may not be high in salt naturally.

Check out the video where I review some food packages and talk about the salt in some common foods – including what you just might be eating for lunch today!

So getting rid of the salt shaker may not be enough to get you to your salt intake goals.

Which may make you wonder… just how much salt should I actually eating? I will answer that question with our next video!

To get these when they are released – subscribe to my YouTube Channel

Slide7

All About Salt: Sodium

cooking, Dietitian, Food, health, Healthy Diet, Heart Healthy, nutrition, salt, sea salt, sodium, wellness, , , , , , , , ,

I just finished sharing some information over on the N.E.W. Motivation Coaching Facebook page about salt and decided to post the information and links to the videos here.

Myth or Fact? Sea Salt has less sodium than Table Salt?

First up, we addressed a great question we hear from our clients a lot – does sea salt have less sodium than table salt.

This is such a confusing topic and I’ll share with you why this is so confusing.

One reason is there are nutritional differences in the different types of salts which is due to the source of the salt and how it is processed.

Sea salt comes, of course, from the sea and is typically processed through evaporation, meaning the food manufacturer takes the water away and what is left is your sea salt. Because of this processing, it has different minerals than table salt and may contain potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and other trace minerals.

Table salt typically comes from salt mines and is stripped of minerals during processing but… typically it comes with added iodine since we used to have a pretty big goiter problem back in 1920s and this is how the powers that be decided to fix the problem. Nutritionally, 1 teaspoon of table salt has no calories and has very small traces of minerals found in sea salt. If you look at the label for table salt, you may see additives. Typically, calcium silicate is in there to prevent clumping and potassium iodide is the vehicle to get the iodine in salt.

But the big question is: DOES SEA SALT HAVE LESS SODIUM?

Slide1-less-sodium

And the answer is YES… and NO!

Oh, don’t you hate that! Well, this will help. Here’s why:

By weight, sea salt does NOT have less sodium than table salt!

However… by volume (when you grab a pinch or use a measuring spoon), sea salt HAS less sodium!

This is because sea salt – and kosher salt – usually has larger crystals so less fits in a spoon due to how the crystals fall against each other leaving little pockets of air in between them. Table salt is very fine and so there are no little pockets of air as the granules nest next to each other.

To compare:

  • 1 teaspoon of table salt has 2325 mg of sodium
  • 1 tsp of sea salt has between 1200 – 2360 mg
  • 1 tsp of kosher salt has between 2000 – 2360 mg

So it really all depends on how those little salt crystals settle.

Hopefully, now it makes a little more sense to you.

So… which one should you choose?

Well, Salt is a flavor enhancer which means it brings out the flavors and makes food more delicious. So, yeah, use a little salt when you cook!

Salt is also important in baking since baking is pretty much just a delicious form of chemistry so it is important to be precise to get good baked goods. For baking, follow the recipe to decide which type of salt to use.

For other cooking, professional and home chefs tend to prefer larger crystals but if you need the salt to dissolve a smaller crystal would be a better choice.

When it comes down to the nutrition, there is not much difference between the different types of salt and there are no magical health and healing properties in the more expensive or organic salts. However, the trace minerals or other fancy things that may be added to the more expensive salts may change the flavor.

In the end, choose whichever type of salt you prefer that best fits your budget.

Butternut Squash Agnolotti

Carbohydrates, cooking, Dietitian, Food, Greens, health coach, Healthy Diet, HelloFresh, home cooked meal, kale, meal delivery, Recipe, Vegetarian, , , , , , , , ,

This is a #HelloFresh meal delivery review of the Butternut Squash Agnolotti with Kale in a Sage Brown Butter Sauce. HelloFresh provided a Meal Delivery Box containing three meals to me free of charge. This post is therefore #sponsored. As always, all opinions in my reviews are mine and I if love it or hate it, I’ll let you know.

Okay, first, do you love every single word in the recipe name? OMG yes! Butternut is a good friend of mine and a long-time Thanksgiving meal staple growing up. If you don’t know agnolotti, it is a type of ravioli – ravioli and I also go way back thanks to Chef Boyardee and this great restaurant in Brooklyn that I believe was called Cinzino’s (or something like that…). Then add kale (yes, how cliché, an RD who loves kale, I know), and brown butter sauce – heaven!!! Yes, please, get in my belly! Um, so it is safe to say I was just a bit excited going into this recipe.

The flavors of the pine nuts and butternut squash is what took this dish over the top for me. I love pine nuts but they are so expensive, even when bought in bulk so you can just get a small portion! All the pine nuts were used in the recipe but there was a fair amount of leftover kale, which was sliced into thin strips making it quick to cook and got rid of the thicker stems that can be so fibrous and chewy. I’m a fan of leftover ingredients and this kale was an addition to the next day’s salad.

Butternut-Agnolotti-2-HelloFresh-October-2017

I did make one mistake (as usual!) since I was multi-tasking with filming and taking pictures while I cooked. I added the whole 1-cup of reserved pasta water to the sauce when the recipe clearly says to start by adding 1/4 cup and add more as needed. Whoops! No harm, no foul as I just cooked the sauce down longer to evaporate some of the extra water (and left some liquid behind in the pan when serving…).

Nutritionally, one serving has 640 calories, 15 grams of saturated fats, 59 carbs, 9 grams of fiber, and 24 grams of protein.

What would I change? 

Since I’m currently typically eating five times a day (yep!), this dish is simply too much food/calories for one meal for me. This meal would fit nicely into many people’s meal plans with a satisfying number of calories and fairly balanced nutrition – or it could be split into two servings (bonus – no cooking the second night!) and served with a veggie side to get more bites per meal.

What did I love? 

This is one of HelloFresh’s 20-Minute Meals and it is such an easy recipe to make! The only chopping is to slice a shallot and mince garlic. That’s it! Chopping and prep work is the worst part of cooking to me so this is a big check in the win column for this recipe.

Lessons Learned?

Read the directions. Then read the directions. Then read them again.

HelloFresh provided a Meal Delivery Box containing three meals to me free of charge. This post is therefore #sponsored. As always, all opinions in my reviews are mine and I if love it or hate it, I’ll let you know.

 

Pork Tenderloin

Honey-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

cooking, Dietitian, Food, health, Healthy Diet, HelloFresh, home cooked meal, meal delivery, pork, Recipe, , , , , , , ,

This is a #HelloFresh meal delivery review of the Honey-Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans. HelloFresh provided a Meal Delivery Box containing three meals to me free of charge. This post is therefore #sponsored. As always, all opinions in my reviews are mine and I if love it or hate it, I’ll let you know.

This is such a simple, classic meal – meat, starch, veg – and it reminds me of the meals I would have growing up so this plate brought big flavor and down-home comfort.

Now, I had never cooked a pork loin prior to making this dish and while it was oh-so-gross (I’m one of those “ewwww raw meat don’t make me touch it” people) it was also oh-so-delicious and the final verdict was: the gross-factor of handling raw proteins is sometimes worth it!

But it will always be better when I can get hubs to do this part!

If you’ve seen my previous reviews, you may have noticed I have an issue with timing these meals and sometimes mess up the measuring.  I’m not only making the meal but also trying to video and take some photos as I go which throws the proverbial wrench into the timing-and-measuring machine. But this one is the first one that I mastered the timing with and didn’t mess up a single measure! I was so excited!!

The only difference between the instructions and my reality was that I let the pork cook for an additional five minutes for it to come up to food-safety temp. Unfortunately, the spices were past their prime when I got around to this recipe as it was the last one I made. I simply subbed out the fresh thyme for dried Italian seasoning.

Pork Tenderloin

Nutritionally, this dish comes in at 590 calories, 56 grams carbs, 41 grams protein, and 8 grams of saturated fats. I tend to stick to lower-carb dinners and try to keep my daily saturated fats under 12 grams so this meal was a little much for a dinner for me. But, quick fix was using less oil in the recipe and saving some sweet potato to go with tomorrow’s breakfast omelet (win!). In the plus column is 8 grams of fiber, no trans fat, and more than half the plate is colorful vegetables which is a great, easy way to gauge the nutrition quality of a meal.

What would I change?

I typically reduce the oil and salt in the recipes. In this dish: I did not use oil for roasting the potato or green beans but kept the butter for the glaze (because butter = delicious!). I also did not salt the meat prior to searing and found I had to add some at the table.

What did I love? 

The glaze – oh my goodness – the glaze is divine!

This is not only a gorgeous meal but also a very generous serving and – finally – I got enough vegetables on my dinner plate to satisfy my veggie-lovin appetite!

Things I learned?

I can conquer the ick of working with raw meat!!! And pork loin is something I will be adding into my meal rotation.

Roasted green beans are so good! I have never roasted them before!

HelloFresh provided a Meal Delivery Box containing three meals to me free of charge. This post is therefore #sponsored. As always, all opinions in my reviews are mine and I if love it or hate it, I’ll let you know.