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Three Healthy Eating Tips for Busy Professionals

3/28/2019

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By Heather Borders, MBA, RD, LD/N
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We all know the “decision to eat healthy” drill. We tell ourselves, “If I took the time to plan out my meals each week, I know I would eat healthier.” Maybe you’ve even gone as far as determining several recipes for the week, making a grocery list, and preparing new meals throughout the week only to collapse from exhaustion?

We all agree that finding practical and realistic ways to consistently add healthy foods into our day-to-day life is incredibly tough. As a Registered Dietitian, I have the privilege of working with clients to develop a lifestyle plan that fits their individual schedule and family structure, ultimately moving them closer to their health goals.

While details of lifestyle plans vary from one client to the next, there are a several tips that seem to apply and work well for most any individual, especially busy ones.

  1. “Add In” Philosophy.  We all know setting goals is key to any behavior change and dietary lifestyle is no different.  When people ask, “What foods am I eating that are causing health issues?”, I suggest flipping that question to ask, “What foods aren’t you eating and how might that causing health issues?”. For most Americans, our daily diet is substantially deficient in fiber. Fiber is only found in plant-foods; that is, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans. They are also loaded with protein, vitamins, and minerals, making for one of the most nutritionally well-rounded meal.  Life is not about restrictions, it’s about creating new habits.

Tip 1: When setting your dietary goals, make the primary focus on adding in the fiber-rich, nutrient-dense, protective foods; secondary to decreasing/limiting a particular food.

  1. Focus and Mastery. Most people who try to change everything about their life all at once find out it’s exhausting and ultimately become so burned out that lifestyle modifications are not sustainable. Many clients find success in setting goals that are laser-focused on one aspect of their day and mastering it. For example, if beans aren’t a staple in your daily routine, then take a month to focus on adding beans in creative ways. Soups, dips, smoothies (yes, it’s true!) brownies (crazy talk!), salads, etc. The goal is to master a one particularly healthy food such that you don’t need a recipe to whip up something delicious!

Tip 2:  Make one change and master it. Yes, it takes time. However, most find it minimizes the feeling of being overwhelmed with having to change everything all at once. It also minimizes the likelihood of abandoning the desire for making a lifestyle change altogether.

  1. Step Away from the Recipes: Don’t get me wrong, recipes are great and can provide ideas for unique dishes or guidelines for how to season certain foods. But for anyone who has ever tried to “live by recipes” day in and day out, it’s exhausting, gets old fast, and is ultimately not sustainable. The alternative is cooking to food categories and creating a “meal in a bowl”. The food categories include: whole grains (e.g. rice, quinoa, farro, etc.), beans (all kinds including lentils & split peas), vegetables (starchy & non-starchy), and flavor enhancers (herbs & seasonings, low fat or oil-free dressings).  A simple example would be a Southwest Bowl: black beans, corn, brown rice, sautéed onions, mushrooms, peppers, cooked sweet potato, and topped with cilantro, squeeze of lime, smoked paprika! If beans and corn are canned, brown rice and sweet potato are microwavable, then it shouldn’t take very long to put together!

Tip 3 Cook to foundational food categories (those with high fiber) which include beans, starchy and non-starchy vegetables, whole, intact grains. Top with flavor enhancers and accent with any other non-fiber rich foods (typically high in calories/fat).

Take a deep breath and experiment! It takes time and practice to make a running change with anything in our life, and that is especially true of dietary modifications. Start small and set goals for yourself. It won't happen overnight, but baby steps in the right direction is still progress towards a healthier lifestyle.

Heather Borders is a Registered Dietitian and Chief Empowerment Officer of Kailo Nutrition. The company mission is to “Taste Life” and this is fulfilled through three types of programming: counseling, community, and culinary. Kailo Nutrition combines traditional nutrition counseling with engaging culinary education. Heather believes a healthy lifestyle is not about restrictions, it’s about creating new habits. She was selected by the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce as one of 11 Small Business Leaders of the Year, representing the South Council. To learn more about Kailo Nutrition, visit: https://www.kailonutrition.com/.

Originally published in MD Life magazine
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Easy and Versatile Taco Salad

3/27/2019

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By Carrie Resch 
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My family likes to have taco salad nights. How do you make tacos without the meat? So many ways!! Our go-to "recipe" is crushed up tortilla chips, black beans seasoned with taco seasoning (homemade or store bought) and fresh toppings such as lettuce, tomatoes, onions, black olives, salsa and vegan cheese or vegan sour cream. My favorite brand of vegan sour cream is Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream, but unfortunately, my local grocery store was out! But, they did have several new vegan products on the shelves including a brand new vegan cheese I've never tried before. More about that below. 
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Pick your favorite toppings. Some other ideas include avocado, jalapeno peppers and cilantro. 
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Pick your favorite protein. I LOVE black beans, but I've also used vegetarian refried beans (read the label to make sure there is no lard or other animal products in the brand you buy.) You could also use pinto beans or lentils. Here's a recipe for lentil meat by Delish Knowledge. Finally, you can use a meat replacement product like Beyond Meat Beyond Beef Crumbles (in regular or Fiesty taco/chili-seasoned flavor) or Gardein Beefless Ground. 

Instead of using crushed tortilla shells for tacos, you can save some calories by simply putting the toppings on a bed of lettuce. You can also use taco shells or use the ingredients for a burrito or quesadilla. 
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So excited to try this new brand of vegan cheese! Admittedly, vegan cheese isn't "all the way there yet" when it comes to similar taste, but it's come a long way! This cheese was great! Great texture and flavor, although I found the flavor to be a bit mild, but I'd definitely recommend trying it. 
So excited to see so many new brands on the store shelves! Personally, I'm a big fan of Creamy Original Chao Slices. Have you scouted out your grocery store to see what new vegan products they carry? Ask an associate to show you around or look for them in either a designated area, like the meat alternatives area of the freezer section, or mixed in with their non-vegan counterparts. 
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Easy Protein-Packed Dinner

3/21/2019

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By Carrie Resch 
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Do you find yourself wondering what vegans eat? Like what they really eat. Recipes are nice and all, but not all of us are great cooks and simple every-night meals don't usually involve elaborate casseroles. Here's one "recipe" that's oh so easy to make and very inexpensive. We'll call it Pink Beans & Rice. 
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Pink Beans and Canned Tomatoes, Okra and Corn are the main ingredients
It's so simple to throw together. A can of Pink Beans and a Can of Tomatoes, Okra and Corn (or any vegetables of your choosing). Double the recipe if you're cooking for a large group or you want some delicious leftovers to take to work. 

Pink beans are popular in Caribbean countries. They have a rich, meaty flavor and can be used in place of pinto beans or red kidney beans. 
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Drain the pink beans in a colander or strainer and rinse with water. Put beans and a can of undrained Tomatoes, Okra and Corn in a pot and heat on medium-high. Add minced garlic and the seasonings used in Sazon Seasoning Mix: coriander, cumin, black pepper, garlic powder and oregano. 
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Choose your favorite grain such as quinoa (pictured).
Once heated through, scoop the bean mixture on top of your favorite grain. Brown rice or quinoa are tasty and easy choices. Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is actually a seed – not a grain, but it's often treated like a grain and can be made sweet or savory depending on the spices you use.  

Quinoa is classified as a "superfood," containing protein, fiber and vitamins and minerals including magnesium, iron and zinc. It's  gluten-free. Click here to read all about the nutrition benefits of quinoa. 

There are many types of quinoa, but the ones you're most likely to run across in your local grocery store are white quinoa and red quinoa. White quinoa has a mild taste, like rice. Red quinoa tends to be a little heavier with more of a nutty flavor. 
That's it!

​So easy to make. Change up the grains or experiment with different beans, if you'd like. You have an easy weeknight dinner with ingredients that can always be on hand in your stocked pantry. 
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