This is the first in a new recurring post. My plan is to do my personal meal planning for the week and then share the recipes and tips from the week with you. My hope is that you will try something new and be inspired with your own weekly meal planning.
One of my recipes this week was based on the foods I had that needed to be used, specifically a big bag of spinach and thawed puff pastry. I found a recipe for a Sweet Potato, Spinach, and Caramelized Onion Tart with Balsamic Reduction that sounded delicious and I had every single ingredient on hand. I reduced the amount of oil from 3 Tbsp to 1/2 Tbsp only used when caramelizing the onions; but that can even be swapped out for starting the onions with cooking spray. If you are trying to improve your cholesterol numbers, use the olive oil and if you are trying to reduce calories, use the cooking spray. I also replaced the honey with agave syrup (what I had) and used about 1/2 Tbsp for the balsamic reduction, which thickened up beautifully!
Prepping for the Tart
I found this to be scrumptious… but… the toppings were too thick. If you make this, I’d recommend using half the spinach and onions (or make two tarts). I piled it up anyway and I think this contributed to the pastry being a bit doughy in the middle (or it could have been that I should have cooked it a little bit longer). I also recommend you serve this on a day that you’ve had enough protein (meat, dairy foods, eggs, beans, nuts, etc.) since it is low in protein. I served this with grape tomatoes that I halved and roasted with mozzarella cheese on top. One tart serves 2-4 people depending on their appetites and what else you serve it with.
Tart Ready for the Oven
My other new recipe this week was enchiladas. I’ve been playing with using cottage cheese in cooking. While I love cottage cheese on its own; I’m kind of enthralled with cooking with it right now. Last week, I made lasagna rolls and they were delicious. I’ll be tweaking that recipe and posting it here in the future. I found myself with 1-cup of cottage cheese and I found a Cottage Cheese Enchiladas recipe. I’m not a huge fan of corn tortillas so I had to purchase those and I need your advice on these (see below).
Of course, I modified this recipe as well. We were out of cheddar cheese so I used shredded mozzarella as the only cheese, I omitted the chives and lime wedge, and I made the enchilada sauce. The sauce was simple, I used diced tomatoes (what I had) and pureed those in the food processor, then added chipotle powder, cumin, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and a touch of Splenda. Perfection! To the filling, I added some boiled chicken I had since my dog is currently not feeling well and is on a chicken and rice diet. Omit the chicken to keep this vegetarian.
Enchilada Filling
These were INCREDIBLE in terms of flavor; but they completely fell apart. So, readers, if you know how to handle corn tortillas so they don’t fall apart, please comment on this post – I need your help since I will be making this dish again. I served this with chips and salsa and a side salad of halved grape tomatoes, diced avocado, and lime juice. As you can see, it makes a hefty portion!
A Whole Lotta Enchilada
I do apologize for the quality of the photographs. My wonderful husband got me a Galaxy Tablet for the holiday and I am still learning how to best use the camera… and to be honest, hunger was a factor in not having the patience to get that perfect picture!
Yes, shrimp scampi can be heart healthy! With a few adjustments, this dish becomes low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium and yet is still chock full of flavor.
I believe a traditional scampi would include lemon and butter; but I used what I had on hand from the wonderful UNF Ogier Gardens. I ended up with a scampi that has okra and kale. Since these are traditional southern ingredients, I named this southern scampi.
This recipe is one the came together as I cooked it and so the ingredients are estimations. I did not measure ahead of time and I ended up with 3 servings (an odd number for a recipe, I know!) and leftover spaghetti. If you want more or less of an ingredient or don’t think the consistency is right (too watery or too dry), please make adjustments to the amounts listed.
Yummy Southern Shrimp Scampi
Southern Shrimp Scampi
(Makes 3 servings)
Ingredients
1/2 package of spaghetti (I used Dreamfields but recommend whole wheat)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons minced garlic
6 okra pods, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
1/2 cup white wine, divided
3 large Dino (lacinato) kale leaves, stems removed, cut into 1-inch square pieces
3 button mushrooms, sliced
15 medium raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, each one cut into 3 pieces
Garlic powder, to taste
Italian seasoning, to taste
Pecorino-Romano cheese, grated, to taste
Directions:
Begin spaghetti by boiling water. Add spaghetti and cook to desired tenderness. Drain and set aside until sauce is prepared.
While pasta water is coming to a boil, begin sauce by heating oil in saucepan. When heated, add garlic and sauté 1 minute – do not let it brown.
Add okra and cook, stirring frequently for about 2 minutes. Add half of vegetable broth and white wine and simmer, stirring frequently until okra begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
Add kale and mushrooms and cook until kale begins to wilt.
Add shrimp and the remaining vegetable broth and white wine. Simmer and stir frequently until shrimp is pink and cooked through.
Sprinkle liberally with garlic powder, Italian seasoning and stir to combine.
To serve: top 3/4 cup of spaghetti with 1/3 of southern shrimp scampi sauce, sprinkle with a small amount of pecorino-romano cheese. Serve hot.
Per Serving: 310 calories, 7 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 4 milligrams cholesterol, 290 milligrams sodium, 38 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 14 grams protein
Let me know what you think. I’d love to hear about any adjustments you make!
Updated 01/30/2025 to included reducing added sugars and ultra-processed foods to “the basics of heart-healthy eating.”
The Basics of Heart-Healthy Eating.
You may hear about magical foods or failproof techniques that are touted as the way to improve heart health. Yah… no. If they existed, then heart disease would not have remained the number one killer of Americans for over 100 years. WHAT? Yes, heart disease first topped the charts back in 1921 (1).
If you know me (Hi, I’m Alexia, a dietitian and heart attack survivor!), then you know I like to simplify nutrition. While nutrition can become incredibly complex and nuanced, most people benefit from big-picture, easier-to-implement steps. To that end, here is my take on the basics of heart-healthy eating.
Of note: I do mention weight in this article. I am a strong believer that people can be healthy at many body sizes – and confident and beautiful (2). I promote and respect every individual’s choice regarding their weight. I believe we should continue to work towards doing better with providing non-biased health care. More on the weight and heart disease below.
Increase Fiber.
Dietary fiber plays many roles to help with heart disease. It helps with managing cholesterol, blood sugar, and with satisfying appetite, which can lead to reducing weight, which can lead to reducing blood pressure.
Many people would benefit from increasing dietary fiber intake. Unless, of course, you have health conditions or other concerns that limit your fiber intake. If you need to limit fiber, talk to a qualified nutritionist and skip on down to the next basic of heart-healthy eating.
Since we eat foods, not fiber: dietary fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes (beans and peas).
Okay, true. There is also fiber in nuts, however, you would need to eat a lot of them to significantly contribute to your fiber intake, and they are the most calorie dense of the choices. In other words, one measured cup of dry roasted mixed nuts comes in at 9 grams of fiber and a whopping 595 calories (4). Absolutely include nuts in your diet for heart health… just not because of the fiber content!
Bottom line:
Eat at least one of type of food with fiber with every meal and snack.
Choose non-starchy vegetables for most of those food choices to load up on fiber without loading up on calories.
Which type of foods you choose depends on your preferences, health, and goals.
You have lots of choices for foods to include, so… no excuses! And I say this because according to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a distressingly low 10% of women and 3% of men are eating enough the recommended amount of fiber (5).
You don’t eat grains, fine! Eat a starchy veggie.
You don’t eat vegetables, fine! Eat some beans. (Well, kinda “fine” on the veggies, I mean, eat some, yeah?).
You don’t eat beans, fine! Eat some fruit.
Need help including more foods with fiber or navigating all the confusing information on food packaging?
Change Up Your Fats.
The type of dietary fat you eat can have an impact on heart health. This happens because the type of fats you eat helps to reduce LDL (bad) and increase HDL (good) cholesterol. This has a positive impact on heart health.
Notice I didn’t say reduce your fat intake? (Unless, of course, you have a condition that requires eating a low-fat diet, then reducing dietary fat intake is also important.)
That’s because fats are delicious (#noshame), needed for some types of cooking, and needed for your body to absorb fat-soluble nutrients. Eating a fat-free salad? You are missing out on absorbing some of that salad’s nutrition!
Reducing saturated fat, on its own, has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol.
Increasing unsaturated fat, on its own, has been shown to decrease LDL and increase HDL cholesterol.In incredibly simplified terms, HDL’s job is to help get rid of LDL (6). Boom.
Doubling down by replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats can reduce LDL and increase HDL all with one dietary swap. It’s as easy as replacing butter with avocado oil for sautéing.
In addition, specific unsaturated fats, omega-3’s can reduce triglycerides and blood pressure. Your body cannot put together omega-3 fats (or omega-6s), so getting foods with these types of fats in your diet is important.
Eat more meatless/plant-based meals and use lower fat dairy foods to reduce saturated fats.
Enjoy nuts, seeds, olives, and avocados often including cooking with oils made from these foods to boost unsaturated fats. Just be mindful of portion sizes due to being high in calories and/or sodium – I’m looking at you delicious salty olives.
Add a meal with a food high in omega-3′ fats once or twice a week.
I didn’t mention trans fats because they were banned from our food supply in 2018 and food manufacturers were given until 2021 to get them out of their foods (9). So, you likely won’t see trans fats in most foods you buy now.
But it’s worth checking the back of your pantry to make sure older foods you may have do not have trans fats on the label (or partially hydrogenated oils listed in the ingredients). And, um, it’s 2025 as I write this, so yeah, check those use by and expiration dates too.
Need help with a virtual pantry and kitchen cleanout?
Do you remember from your early biology classes that water follows salt. I remember really struggling with osmosis. Who knew it would actually be relevant when I grew up?
So, water follows salt. If your salt intake is high, your body holds water to keep all things in balance. More water in your blood vessels makes your blood pressure go up, and that is a risk factor for heart disease.
Most of the salt in the Standard American Diet (yes, the acronym is SAD, which fits) comes from packaged foods, including canned foods. We know salt enhances flavors. It is also a preservative and a binder in foods, and it keeps the foods holding water too, which keeps them *insert the m-word here* so this tracks.
Check food labels to choose brands with less sodium.
Rinse canned foods when you can.
Choose more whole/unpackaged foods.
And salt really does wonders to improve foods flavor, so use it. Just stop shaking the shaker after a few shakes, whether used at the table or while cooking.
One very interesting piece of info is that not everyone is salt-sensitive. That means reducing salt in the diet will not impact blood pressure for those who are salt-resistant. Even so, reducing sodium is a positive food choice for many (10).
Of note, there are instances and conditions that may require limiting or consuming a specific amount of salt. In those cases, this info does not appy.
Need help making sure your meals are still delicious without salt?
Decrease Added Sugars.
Just like salt, most of the added sugar in our food isn’t added by us. It’s added by food manufacturers. And just like salt, sugar makes foods delicious. That’s likely why we are also eating too much added sugar in our foods.
Well, that and its “hiding” in many foods that aren’t especially sweet.
The recommendation from the American Heart Association recommends 6% of intake of added sugars, or 6 teaspoons a day for women and 9 teaspoons a day for men (13). The Dietary Guidelines allow for 12 teaspoons (if you eat 2,000 calories a day) (5). One study based on 100,000 people over 9 years found the highest risk of heart disease hits around 24 teaspoons of added sugar (14).
And, of course, as always, people managing specific health conditions or others may need to have different recommendations.
So, drumroll please… We eat 17 teaspoons of added sugars on average (15).
Sugar contributes to heart disease as it can increase blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, and make it more difficult to manage diabetes/prediabetes.
Bottom line:
Do your best to reduce added sugars down to the recommendations.
Continue to enjoy foods with natural sugars.
Yes, you can eat fruit (and unsweetened dairy foods). Foods with natural sugars have other nutrients (fiber, protein, fat) which slows digestion, and the research doesn’t show that these increase heart disease risk.
Need help on finding the added sugars in your foods?
Reduce Ultra-Processed Foods.
In the hurry up, stay busy, no time to relax kind of culture that many of Americans live in, processed foods make it easier to get food on the table. #noshame. They are also generally less expensive. With a store-brand dozen of eggs now costing over $4.00, we all could use a little help with our food budgets.
While processed foods have been around for 1.5 million years. After all, cooking with fire is a form of processing. The 1800s saw the inventions of the tin can for foods and pasteurization (17). Then the 1900s saw a big boost in demand for processed foods, with Swanson’s frozen meals hitting the market in the 1920s and fast food starting to hit its stride in the 1950s (18).
Fast forward and we have gone from minimally processing foods (cooking, canning, salting, smoking, freezing, etc.) to the ultra-processed powdered meal replacement drinks of today.
Did I mention there is no food shaming allowed here?
So, yes. Ultra-processed foods can have a place in an otherwise generally healthy dietary approach. And yes, it’s going to be in moderation. Nutrition is not so unforgiving (for most of us!) that eating a small amount of these foods will wreck health. What matters is what we do most of the time.
That being said food exists on a spectrum of processing, and while processing can improve nutrition with fortification, they have been starting to get linked to many negative health outcomes. For example, increasing inflammation and reducing gut health. In terms of heart health, these foods can raise triglycerides, blood pressure, and body weight (20).
Bottom line:
Work to reduce ultra-processed foods that are of low nutrition quality as your time and budget allow. For heart health, assessing foods for the nutrients mentioned in this article may be a good start.
Look for processed foods that positively impact nutrition. For example, adding vitamins or fiber.
Eat whole and minimally processed foods when you can.
On the flip side, it’s also entirely possible to eat a diet of whole/minimally processed foods that have a negative impact on heart health. Food choices matter. And a healthy diet can include ultra-processed foods. After all, store-bought bread and flavored yogurt are both ultra-processed food under the NOVA classification system (21).
PS – Research is ongoing to learn more about if it is the quality of ultra-processed foods (high sugar, salt, fat, etc.) or the actual processing of the foods that matter most for health.
Need help with meal planning and/or prepping to reduce ultra-processed foods?
Bonus Basics of Heart-Healthy Eating.
For some extra steps to add to your basics of heart-healthy eating, you may also add more berries, nuts, avocado, and plant sterols and stanols (22) to your food choices.
Credible information is important. And putting that information into action is where the magic happens.
Small changes done consistently over time add up to big results. So just pick one or two changes to make right now. When you’ve got that down, add another 1-2 changes.
Work with Alexia on your heart health.
She can work with people in multiple states in the USA and accepts some health insurance plans through her partnership with Nourish. Learn more and start the scheduling process to see if your insurance is accepted and get an estimate of your out-of-pocket costs. (Note that Nourish handles the health insurance stuff, not Alexia!)
If she can’t work with you, you can choose another dietitian who can, or reach out for help getting connected with the right RD for you.
Today, I had my standards challenged and this was a good thing.
Fish is on the menu for this week – filets tonight and homemade fish sticks later in the week. I only buy fish or meats at one of the nicer grocery stores, so it was the last thing I needed to pick up to be completely food-ready for the week ahead. I decided to do something different. I decided to check out the little hole-in-the-wall, local-only seafood market.
As a registered dietitian, I consider myself fairly food savvy in terms of how food is grown, raised, processed, and packaged. Fish, however, is one item that always remains fuzzy in my mind. I know to do my part for fish happiness and to reduce disease, wild is preferable to farm raised. I know which fish are more healthful because they are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon or mackerel. I know which fish are better in limited amounts because of potential higher mercury levels, such as swordfish or shark. This, however, is all that my brain chooses to remember. Here’s a great link from the Food and Drug Administration about selecting, storing, preparing fish and some health concerns.
Today, I walked into a local fish market and asked for tilapia. I was happy to learn some more about fish from a friendly fish monger.
This may or may not be my local fishmonger
According to my local fishmonger, tilapia is not a fish that is local to my area (Florida) and since he only carries fish caught up the road in Mayport, he doesn’t have any. He added that most of the tilapia comes from out of the country (which equals a lot of food miles) and is farm raised, not wild caught. He definitely was not a fan of tilapia; but I had a meal plan to stick to so I asked for his recommendation and engaged in an educational conversation about fish.
According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch 2012 report on tilapia, 95% of the tilapia eaten by Americans is imported from other countries. The fish that is raised in the US is mostly farmed in the West and Northeast regions of the country. Tilapia is the fourth most consumed fish in the USA after shrimp, tuna, and salmon. Most of the US-raised tilapia (75%) is farmed using closed recirculating systems. On the negative side, these fish are separated from other wildlife, ponds are typically overly full, it requires more to be put into the system than comes out (1.4 pounds of feed to produce 1 pound of fish) and many farms use drugs to treat/prevent disease or to change the fish’s gender to male to produce a larger fish. One the positive side, this method does have an overall low environmental cost (food miles excepted).
If you are curious, I happily purchased a more expensive, local, drug-free triggerfish, which is supposed to be similar to grouper. I will be baking this beautiful fish in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (until it flakes easily with a fork) after dredging the filets in egg whites and coating with a combination of breadcrumbs, crushed pecans, and oregano. On the side, will be homemade tartar sauce (mayonnaise and relish), fresh boiled corn on the cob, and oven-fried red potatoes sprinkled with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
I did it! I ate completely vegan for five days! Well, except for that one bite of celery with ranch dressing that snuck into my mouth before my brain thought about it…
There are no pictures or foods listed for this day because it was an exact repeat of yesterday. There is a joy that comes with the easiness of using leftovers and I took full advantage! The only minor change was to my smoothie, in which I simply used pineapple and strawberries.
This final day was the first day that I was a little bit hungry between meals. The first four days, I was eating so often that I didn’t really move into full-on hunger; but on this afternoon, I did. I think I am learning to better meet my body’s needs for protein and calories and I have finally (yay!) adjusted to the increased amount of fiber in my diet.
Overall, I feel really good. I feel a little slimmer because of how my clothes are fitting, which may or may not be due to the vegan diet. It could be that this challenge has motivated me to keep up with my food journal and workouts. I also have slept through the night the last two nights, which is not at all typical for me.
Now that this challenge is ending, I am actually considering continuing a no-meat diet. I very much miss cheese, eggs, and milk so I will definitely add dairy back into my meals. I also, as an RD, am not comfortable with cutting out an entire food group. However, I’m not sure I want to go back to my old eating habits because I have found that I get to eat so much food and the nutrition quality of my diet has been stellar while eating like a vegan.
Initially, my vegan diet was low in protein, calories, and B12. By the end of the challenge, I was eating adequate amounts of these nutrients without using specialty foods. This has also reaffirmed my belief that vegans/vegetarians should consider a multi-vitamin since it can be difficult to obtain all the nutrients in the recommended amounts.
My vegan diet was also very low in cholesterol (obviously since it’s found in animal products), saturated fat, and sodium. These are the three main things to limit to eat heart healthy and reduce risk of some chronic diseases. Another heart- and cancer-healthy guideline is to focus on fiber and, as I’ve shared, this diet was definitely high in fiber.
I’m very happy that I decided to take part in this challenge. My goal was to better understand the challenges faced by vegans in planning for an optimally nutritious diet. I wanted to do this to help me when I counsel my vegan and vegetarian clients. I feel I have reached this goal. I think I will be a better nutrition counselor to my clients because of this challenge.
My final day was on May 24th and since then I have not yet eaten meat. I have been following a lacto/ovo vegetarian diet for the past week. I am one very happy camper to once again have cheese! I love cheese. 🙂 I’m still uncertain if I want to return to my previous omnivorous ways. Right now, my plan is to continue lacto/ovo and add seafood back in when I feel ready (there was an advertisement for a local restaurant’s deal on oysters that definitely peaked my interest!). But once I transistion into pescatarian, I may just stay there.
Don’t tell my husband! But he’ll probably read this blog…
This was the first day that I was following my vegan diet at work. This added just a little more of a challenge since I had to prepare my lunch and snacks in the morning. I also forgot to photograph my meals while at work, even though I did remember to bring my camera.
Breakfast: Same as previous two days and I’m getting bored with it – Kashi Cinnamon Harvest cereal with almond milk, coffee with almond milk and splenda.
Post-workout Snack: Smoothie with banana, pineapple, and ice/water.
Lunch: Peanut butter and banana sandwich on a sandwich thin.
Dinner: Huge salad with romaine lettuce, broccoli, celery, carrots, mushrooms, snap peas, grape tomatoes, avocado, raisins, roasted chickpeas, sliced almonds, and balsamic vinegar served with triscuits.
A beautiful vegan salad
Overall, I have been feeling fine; but I was a little low on energy on this afternoon. I came home and found myself wishing I didn’t have a meal to prepare for dinner, especially a salad – so much chopping! I also am still ridiculously gassy! I ran this morning and was happy to find that I am still properly fueled to enjoy my morning workouts.
My biggest struggle so far has been my ability to meet what I’ve deemed my nutrient goals for some nutrients.
Nutrition information: 1430 calories, 249 grams carbohydrates, 48 grams fiber, 37 grams fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 0 trans fat, 0 cholesterol, 51 grams protein, and 670 milligrams sodium. For the daily values, my numbers were 67% calcium, 65 iron, 33% vitamin D, 12% zinc, and 0 vitamin B12.
Overall, the quality of my diet is good in many ways following a vegan diet; but there are some concerns. I am concerned with my low protein intake (I am for about 55 grams/day minimum) and I haven’t been able to find soy protein in the conventional grocery stores. I went to a supplement store and purchased a plant protein powder. It was expensive and I’m realizing that it may not be possible to easily stick with non-specialty foods and get enough protein as a vegan. Today I was closest to my minimum protein goal (4 grams under). While it sounds weird to say, I think I may not be getting enough sodium either (ranging from 670-890 mg/day); but from what I can find there is no set minimum requirement. The previous two days, it has been difficult to get enough calories; but today I was right where I like to be on workout days!
I’m learning how to better work with this type of diet and my goals.
This has gotten me thinking… My goal was to do this without any specialty products; but perhaps vegans do need to use the specialty products (protein powder, aminos, TVP, etc.) to meet their body’s needs. At least, it would make it much easier to meet the body’s needs. While my food costs for this week were low (before the protein powder purchase); I think if I followed this as a permanent lifestyle, my food budget might increase to account for these products.
As a final thought, I want to hit on one of the miconceptions about veganism. I’m a talker; I talk to anyone and everyone. I stopped by the dollar store to pick up more spices and pretzels and was chatting with the cashier and mentioned that I was doing this vegan challenge. People have such misguided notions about food and nutrition… he asked me how my immunity was, since I wasn’t eating meat, wasn’t I more likely to get sick? Ummm, no. I have learned not to go to deep into nutrition unless people ask, so I just told him I was feeling fine. 🙂 And in case you are wondering, no, a vegan diet does not make anyone who is generally healthy already more likely to get sick.
Yesterday, I started the Vegan Experiment Challenge.
The day started off with a true challenge. The breakfast I had planned was mock scrambled eggs made with tofu. Unfortunately, I didn’t research any recipes before I shopped and I got the wrong consistency of tofu. This threw off my plan for my very first meal! Even with a bumpy start, my husband and I perservered and were 100% vegan on the first day of the challenge!
I felt tired; but I don’t think that was related to diet (more a poor night’s sleep and a busy day!). I felt like I ate a lot of vegetables and the 51 grams of fiber indicates I did indeed eat many vegetables yesterday. I hit my calorie range; but was low on protein. Meal details and nutrition information follow with all the numbers at the end of this post.
Breakfast: Kashi Cinnamon Harvest cereal with almond milk, coffee with almond milk and splenda
An easy vegan breakfast
Morning snack: almonds and raisins
Easy homemade snack
Lunch: bean burrito made from a Flatout wrap, mashed black/pinto beans, salsa, avocado, rice, cilantro, and lime juice served with tomato and cumumber slices on the side
Mash beans, avocado, and salsa together
Put mixture, rice, cilantro, and lime juice on wrap
Vegan Bean Burrito
Afternoon snack: while I hesitate to call it a snack, I must confess to having 2 beers while relaxing on the beach in the afternoon…
Dinner: Quinoa with red/green bell peppers, red onions, garlic, pineapple, sliced almonds, and a dash of sriracha sauce served with a side of roasted vegetables (beets, carrots, onions) seasoned with canola oil, garlic powder, oregano, and red pepper flakes
Quinoa bowl and roasted garden vegetables
For those of you out there who like the numbers, here you go!
1560 calories, 209 grams carbohydrates, 51 grams fiber, 37 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 0 trans fat, 0 cholesterol, 47 grams protein, and 890 milligrams sodium. For the daily values, my numbers were 73% calcium, 71% iron, 31% vitamin D, 13% zinc, and 0 vitamin B12.
All images are personal photographs. You may use them as long as you credit (my name and a link back to my Web site).
I have found myself wondering if eating a vegan diet for five days will be more expensive than my typical diet. I believe there are two ways to go with vegetarian/vegan eating. One is to use whole natural foods and shop in the conventional grocery stores and one is to use the vegetarian/vegan-specific marketed foods and shop in the specialty grocery stores.
Now, that I write that, I realize that’s true no matter what type of diet one follows.
Today, I spent $55.33 at a conventional store on groceries for the next six days. I already have some staples on hand, such as quinoa and dried beans, and I just got a nice harvest (curly kale, carrots, onions, and basil) from the university’s organic garden. I am so looking forward to those kale chips I’ll be making tomorrow with the beautiful organic curly kale! I couldn’t find a soy-only protein powder, so I still need to pick that up for about $10-$12. Even if I had to purchase the quinoa, black beans, and garden vegetables and adding the cost of the protein powder, I think ~$75 to feed 2 people for six days is pretty darn good! That’s just $6.25 per person per day, or around $2 meal!
Here’s my list. Don’t worry – the meals and recipes will be coming over the next five days as I live this experiment!
Produce: avocado, bananas, green/red bell peppers, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, portobello mushrooms, apples, limes, and canned pineapple
I’ve been planning meals for my Vegan Experiment. As I mentioned in my last post, there are certain nutrients that vegetarians (and vegans) tend to eat in lower than recommended amounts.This may lead you to ask two questions. One – What exactly are nutrients? Two – Who makes these recommendations?
Nutrients are the nutritional substances we get from foods: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals, and even phytochemicals (or plant nutrients like resveratrol in wine/grapes).
The recommendations are made by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. They are based on years of population studies and research. They have drafted the DRIs (dietary reference intakes), which include the RDAs (recommended daily amounts), AI (adequate intake) and TULs (tolerable upper limits) for specific nutrients.
In plain language, these all tell the general population (or health professionals who translate it!) how much of the nutrient meets the needs of the 98% of the healthy population over age 2 in order to prevent deficiencies. For certain nutrients, there is also an upper level to prevent toxicity. Personally, preventing deficiency and toxicity sound good to me. Remember though, if you are under two (and you’re reading this, I’m impressed!) or have any health condition, these recommendations may not apply to you. There’s some good information on the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Information Center. If you want to know the recommendations specifically for you, there’s an interactive tool; but I wouldn’t get too caught up in all those numbers if I were you!
Any person who cuts out entire food groups is going to be lacking in certain nutrients. There is a reason there are food groups as the basis of the ChooseMyPlate method of eating. It’s because different food groups provide different nutrients and our bodies function best when we eat all of them. Whether it’s grains (breads and other carbohydrate foods), proteins (meats), fruits and vegetables, or dairy (milk, cheese, and yogurt), cutting out a food group cuts out specific nutrients. Those who cut out meats are taking away a large chunk of the foods in the protein group and most of the sources of complete proteins (proteins that have all the amino acids our body needs and cannot make on its own).
Image from ChooseMyPlate.gov
Finally, on to my point!
For optimal health, I recommend that over the course of the day, vegetarians include foods that, when put together, make complete proteins and plan to eat enough foods that provide iron, calcium, zinc, omega-3’s, and vitamins D and B12. Iodine may also be a concern if iodized salt is not used in cooking or flavoring foods.
How to do this?
Complete proteins: Examples of foods that make complete proteins include: tofu and rice, corn and beans, rice and beans/peas, peanut butter and whole wheat bread, granola and soy milk, or a green salad with garbanzo beans and sunflower seeds. The idea is to match grains/seeds/nuts with beans/peas or to match vegetables with both grains/seeds/nuts and beans/peas. Simple enough! And to make it even easier, soy and quinoa are already complete proteins.
For the other nutrients listed, here are some examples of where a vegan can find these nutrients to include in their meals.
Iron: Beans (pair with vitamin C foods and avoid pairing with calcium foods to absorb more iron!) Examples might be: beans and rice with lime (vitamin C), cilantro, and salsa or a “loaded bowl” (see image below) with quinoa and black beans and vegetables including tomatoes (vitamin C).
Calcium: Fortified imitation milks (almond milk, soy milk, etc.) or dark leafy green vegetables (althought we don’t absorb as much from the vegetables!).
Zinc: Beans, peas, and nuts (I’m personally a huge almond fan and usually have a handful a day as a snack).
Omega-3’s: Walnuts and ground flaxseed. Add ground flaxseed to to smoothies, sauces, or sprinkle on salads – just watch out because it gets gummy when mixed with liquids, which is why it’s a great vegan egg replacement in baking.
I also recommend that someone who is following a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, ask their physician to pull a “vitamin panel” to check their levels of vitamin D and B12 (and others) every now and again just to make sure that deficiencies are being kept at bay!
I hope you found this helpful. If you have other ideas or ways to incorporate these important nutrients, please post your thoughts, meal ideas, and recipes!
Images from: ChooseMyPlate.gov, Microsoft Free Images, and personal photographs.
I love quinoa. It is so versatile, it cooks quickly, and it’s a grain that is a complete protein as well! A complete protein has all of the essential amino acids that our bodies need, which is important for those who do not eat meat or other animal products (which are naturally complete proteins).
So, yesterday I was faced with a dilemma, what to do for lunch… I had quinoa and some vegetables sitting around so I threw together one of those “kitchen sink” recipes and it turned out so good that I decided to share it.
Can you guess all the goodies in here?
Quinoa Lettuce Wraps
By Alexia Lewis, MS, RD, LD/N
1 1/2 cups cooked Quinoa
1 raw zucchini, diced
1 slice red onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 large stalk celery, diced
2 slices nitrate-free turkey breast (optional)
Handful of sliced almonds
Handful of raisins
Red wine vinegar, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Romaine lettuce leaves, rinsed
Simply mix together everything except the lettuce leaves, adding the red wine vinegar and black pepper in small increments until the dish has a flavor that you enjoy. Serve a spoonful on the raw romaine lettuce leaves. You can also serve with kale leaves, bok choy, or any other leafy vegetable that can act as a holder for the quinoa mixture.
I did not measure out the number of servings or do a nutrition information breakdown; but it makes a large amount (see below) and it includes the grains, protein, vegetables, and fruit so you have many food groups represented in a colorful dish – which equals nutritious!
The finished mixture of yum!
I served this up on a plate with the quinoa mixture in the middle and a ring of lettuce leaves. This dish is also husband-approved! Enjoy!
Serve in a small bowl surrounded by lettuce leaves
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