Wow. It’s February! How did that happen? I don’t know about you but it really snuck up on me. Seems like it was just New Years Day. Well, here we are in February and today is #WearRedDay for heart health awareness. Yay! Which brings me to my first of today’s favorites.
Favorite Heart Health Awareness Video: Sometimes women, myself included, care for everyone else while ignoring their own needs. If we aren’t putting our mask on first – our efforts to help others can be completely sabotaged. It’s not until we can love and care for ourselves, that we can truly do the same for others.
Favorite Heart Healthy Dessert: Sometimes fruit just doesn’t cut it and we need a little chocolate in our lives. I love that Trish at Mom on Time Out made these brownies without oil or butter so they are low in saturated fat. I would take it a step further and try this with almond flour or whole wheat pastry flour and opt for dark chocolate chips to increase the fiber, protein and antioxidant level.
Favorite quote this week: If you follow along you know that we don’t encourage regular calorie counting at Well Balanced Nutrition. When you embrace more natural foods and adopt a healthy mindset around eating it’s just not necessary. So when I came across this, I was nodding my head in complete agreement.
I hope you all have a fun and healthy weekend doing what you love with people you love.
Carbs get a bad rap. Many people are eliminating them, assuming they might be intolerant to them or just plain writing them off as evil. Poor carbs, they are so misunderstood.
Carbs (short for carbohydrates) come from many sources both natural and processed, such as bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, peas, corn, fruit, sugar, honey, beans, etc, etc.
This month I want to highlight one group of nutritious, delicious “carbs” and shine light on how eating them can actually HELP us. Whole grains, like brown rice, oats, wheat, barley, and rye are good for your heart. Research indicates that eating whole instead of refined grains substantially lowers total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or bad) cholesterol, triglycerides, and insulin levels.
So don’t write off all carbs. Whole grains are complex carbohydrates worth keeping (or adding) to your diet. This begins a 4 part series on whole grains in honor of Heart Health month. We will define them, give examples, talk about how much and why they are worth including in your diet. First, let’s define them..
What does whole grain really mean?
In their natural state growing in the fields, whole grains are the entire seed of a plant. This seed (also called a “kernel”) is made up of three key edible parts –the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. Whole grains that make it to the shelves or your plate still contain all three parts of the kernel. On the other hand, grains that have been refined in processing are missing the bran and the germ, leaving only the endosperm. Without the bran and germ, about 25% of a grain’s protein is lost, and are greatly reduced in at least seventeen key nutrients.
When you think of whole grains, the most popular ones might come to mind such as whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta and brown rice. I challenge you to think beyond these staples, though. So many more whole grains are out there and available for your enjoyment. I’ll touch more on those next week….
Favorite hiking trail in the triangle: Company Mill Loop at Umstead Park
If you’ve been following, you already know I’m addicted to walking, hiking, and playing in the woods! It’s probably my favorite pastime and often where I get inspired to write these lovely blog posts. About 7 years ago I was introduced to Umstead State Park and quickly adopted the Company Mill Loop as my “training hike” for backpacking excursions. This trail is moderate in difficulty with some beautiful views along the water. The entire loop is 5.8 miles, so be sure to bring plenty of water and maybe a well-balanced snack.
I have to admit something, I’m not really an app person; however, this one is worth sharing! A wonderful client of mine brought it to my attention and here’s why does what they say about their free product:
“Happy Scale will use fancy math behind the scenes to give you insights into how quickly you’re losing weight and when you’ll achieve your goals!
Also, you know that feeling of disappointment when you step on the scale and discover that in spite of how hard you worked, your weight barely changed? Well, Happy Scale will help you change your relationship with the scale because you’ll see your trend line moving down, slowly but surely, even when your scale won’t budge.”
Quinoa is my favorite no-plan-nutritious-meal base. I make a quinoa bowl by heating the pre-made whole grain and topping it with whatever leftover or steamer veggies are in the freezer. Then comes the protein! That may be a piece of fish, 2 fried eggs, chicken, or cheese.
Favorite quinoa recipe: A Delicious Kale-Quinoa Bowl in 20-minutes
This vegetable-lover dish can be enjoyed by the meat eaters in your family as a nutrient-packed side dish to accompany any baked, grilled, or slow-cooked creation.
I love TED talks! Have you discovered these amazing short videos that will inspire, educate, and entertain you for minutes (or hours if you go on a video binge!)? I just got done watching “How to get stuff done when you are depressed” by Jessica Gimeno, which has nothing to do with today’s topic EXCEPT that she has a very good point… We must be proactive, not reactive, in order to be our happiest and healthiest selves.
We know making healthy food choices is a heck of a lot easier when you have the right foods available. This was best demonstrated to me by Dyana, in Chapel Hill, who excitedly showed me her treasure box of snacks last summer. Many people have a drawer, locker, or secret stash of snacks at the office, but what I discovered at Dyana’s desk was unlike any treasure box I have ever seen.
Dyana keeps a collection of usual suspects, such as peanut butter to curb a sweet tooth moment and hot sauce for flavoring her meals at work. However, what Dyana keeps for her afternoon snacks includes smoked oysters, sardines in olive oil, and barbecued octopus! These may not sound like delicious options to you, but I offer the thought that these protein rich shelf-stable choices help keep her appetite under control, provide energy, and reduce the 4 PM sugar crash. Also, they are not the typical granola bar, fun sized candy, or other simple carbs that offer minimal nutritional value and typically leave us hungry within an hour.
Here are a few other Well-Balanced (and more widely preferred) ideas to create you ownyummy healthy treasure box:
Single serving tuna pack
Trail mix (almonds + Craisins = my favorite)
Bean dip, yes, it’s salty but offers some protein and fiber to fill the void
Fruit cups, in its own juice
Beef jerky
Sunflower seeds
Food for thought:
There are SO many options for the mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. Before you reach for the same old crackers or bar, first decide “Am I really hungry?” Then, see if there’s a more balanced option in your treasure box!
MyMicroplane. I got this for Christmas a few years ago and love using it to quickly and easily grate garlic and ginger into my stir-fry sauce. It’s easy-to-use and does not take up much space in my limited apartment kitchen drawers.
My favorite mindful eating book:
EAT.Q. Seriously, this book changed my life. When I first tried mindful eating I thought “this isn’t for me.” Then I read the book and realized it doesn’t have to be just sitting in a dark room in complete silence with your food to be mindful.
My favorite fast-food:
Most of my clients will tell you, I’m pretty much obsessed with Avo toast + egg.
Avo Toast w/ Egg
Here’s how easy* (and delicious) it is:
(1) Toast a piece of whole grain bread
(2) Slice 1/2 avocado into small pieces
(3) Fry 1 egg in a pat of butter (that’s ~1 tsp for me)
(4) Spread the avocado onto toasted bread, season with sea salt
(5) Top with the fried egg
*I timed myself making this – for all you thinking “that must be nice to have time to cook” people – and it took 5 minutes 37 seconds. I included pineapple to make it Well-Balanced.
In their natural state growing in the fields, whole grains are the entire seed of a plant. This seed (also called a “kernel”) is made up of three key edible parts –the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. Whole grains that make it to the shelves or your plate still contain all three parts of the kernel. On the other hand, grains that have been refined in processing are missing the bran and the germ, leaving only the endosperm. Without the bran and germ, about 25% of a grain’s protein is lost, and are greatly reduced in at least seventeen key nutrients.
New Favorite app: 
Dyana keeps a collection of usual suspects, such as peanut butter to curb a sweet tooth moment and hot sauce for flavoring her meals at work. However, what Dyana keeps for her afternoon snacks includes smoked oysters, sardines in olive oil, and barbecued octopus! These may not sound like delicious options to you, but I offer the thought that these protein rich shelf-stable choices help keep her appetite under control, provide energy, and reduce the 
