Nutrient dense foods: the answer to cutting calories and curbing hunger

When it comes to maintaining or reducing body weight, the key to long term success is to choose foods with a low energy density. What is energy density in foods? The Center for Disease Control defines it as “the amount of energy or calories in a particular weight of food.” This is generally represented as the number of calories in a gram (kcal/g). This brings me to the law of thermodynamics, or energy balance equation, which I’ve discussed in a past post here.

Energy balance - Understanding this concept is important to successful weight loss, gain or maintenance.  So, here’s a brief review: if you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. However, a big caveat: while a calorie is a calorie, the nutrients you consume affects metabolic and hormonal secretions which may cause you to store fat instead of utilize the fat for energy, and vice versa. The types and varieties of food and beverages you ingest effect weight management, but more importantly, they are essential to your total wellness.

Understanding caloric need - Exercise is a variable that increases caloric expenditure and metabolism. In order to determine an estimation of the calories you need to consume to gain, maintain or lose weight, it's helpful to calculate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). You can use the calculator found here, which calculates basal metabolic rate (BMR) using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, and then applies an activity multiplier. It's best to underestimate your acitivity level when using the calculator if you're looking to lose weight because this puts you on the conservative side of daily caloric needs. Then, if you want to calculate how many calories you should eat daily to achieve weight loss at a steady, healthy pace, you subtract 15-20% from your TDEE number. Conversely, if you're looking to gain weight, add 15-20% to the TDEE. It's not recommended that you subtract more than 25% from your TDEE calculation. You don’t want your calorie intake to drop to an unhealthy and unsustainable level.

The amount of calories you eat is important, but not the whole picture in a healthy diet. Good nutrition includes a balance in the macronutrients listed below and the way you accomplish this is in the way you combine the foods you eat in a meal. For example, rice and beans.  These two foods are considered a complete protein when eaten together. If you're a vegan. In general, try to get your total daily caloric intake from a variety of whole foods as follows: 

• Protein: 1 gram per pound of body weight
• Fat: .45 grams per pound of body weight
• Carbs: The remaining number of calories left will be filled with carbs

Nature counts the calories – Back to our discussion of low energy dense foods and how they help with weight loss.  It seems Mother Nature really does know best because “foods with a lower energy density actually provide fewer calories per gram than foods with a higher energy density (CDC).”  Also, low energy dense foods are typically more nutrient dense. Nutrient density is a measure of the nutrients provided per calorie of food, or the “ratio of the amount of a nutrient in foods to the energy provided by these same foods (Nestle).” 

So, it’s a win/win situation when you choose low energy/high nutrient dense foods because not only do they contribute fewer calories to the energy balance equation, they also provide greater nutritional value per calorie, which is especially beneficial for our health. These foods are the best of both worlds so to speak. 

Let’s look at a simple example of a higher nutrient/lower energy density food and a lower nutrient/higher energy dense food containing the same amount of calories per serving:   

	Nutrient Dense	Energy Dense
171 calories/serving	2 wedges of watermelon (approximately 1/8 of a whole watermelon)	14 ounces of Dr. Pepper
Nutritional Facts  per serving	Calories 171 Calories from Fat 7 Total Fat 0.743g Saturated Fat 0.371g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.371g Monounsaturated Fat 0.371g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 7mg Potassium 636mg Carbohydrates 43.086g Dietary Fiber 2.229g Sugars 35.286g Protein 3.343g Vitamins & Minerals: Vitamin A 67% · Vitamin C 78% Calcium 4% · Iron 7%	Calories 175 Calories from Fat 0 Total Fat 0g Saturated Fat 0g Polyunsaturated Fat 0g Monounsaturated Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 70mg Potassium 0mg Carbohydrates 46.2g Dietary Fiber 0g Sugars 44.8g Protein 0g

Arguably, it might not seem equitable to compare a beverage with a food, but watermelon is 91% water by weight, so it's not too biased of a comparison. Remember, we are comparing identical calories per serving here. The numbers speak for themselves. If I’m trying to consume fewer calories in an effort to lose weight, watermelon is the better food choice by far. Where’s the Vitamin A and C in the soda? The numbers indicate a lot of sugar, no fiber or protein. The soda simply contains what are referred to as "empty calories" which provide energy, but no nutrition.  So after I drink my soda my body gets an injection of simple sugars and a blast of salt. Ironically, the salt can make me thirsty and this leads me to drink another soda later, but that's for another post!

On the other hand, the 2 wedges of watermelon provide 67% of the daily requirement of Vitamin A and 78% of Vitamin C.  That’s some good stuff! Plus, the 2.3 grams of fiber in the watermelon will help me feel fuller for a longer period of time than the soda, which has 0 grams of fiber. I might even feel full after eating 1 wedge of watermelon. Therefore, I can eat less of this food and decrease my calorie intake while keeping my hunger satisfied for longer than I could with a soft drink. This brings me to my next point, which can be pivotal to weight loss success.

Eat more to lose weight? – Really?! Usually losing weight is equated with starving oneself and eating minuscule portion sizes, right? However, foods with a low energy/high nutrient density typically contain fewer calories per serving than the same amount of a high energy/low nutrient density food and they provide more vitamins, minerals and also phytochemicals. You can read more about phytochemicals and their amazing health benefits here. 

Now, let’s look at another example comparing the nutritional information for servings of an nutrient dense food with a calorie dense food, but of differing calorie content:

	Nutrient Dense Food	Energy Dense Food
Food choice	Kale	French Fries
Calories per serving	1 cup chopped 33 calories	1 medium serving (117 g) 365 calories
Nutritional facts per serving	Total Fat 0.6 g     Saturated fat 0.1 g            Polyunsaturated fat .2 g               Monounsaturated fat 0 g               Cholesterol 0 mg               Sodium 25 mg     Potassium 329 mg             Total Carbohydrate 6 g    Protein 2.9 g  Vitamin A 133% Vitamin C 134% Calcium 10%       Iron 5% Vitamin D 0%       Vitamin B-6 10% Vitamin B-12 0%                Magnesium 7%	Total Fat 17 g      Saturated fat 2.7 g            Polyunsaturated fat 6 g    Monounsaturated fat 7 g               Trans fat 0.1 g     Cholesterol 0 mg               Sodium 246 mg   Potassium 677 mg             Total Carbohydrate 48 g  Dietary fiber 4.4 g             Sugar 0.4 g           Protein 4 g           Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 9% Calcium 2%          Iron 5% Vitamin D 0%       Vitamin B-6 20% Vitamin B-12 0%                Magnesium 10%

Once again, the data doesn’t lie. As the above comparison shows, I would have to eat a whopping 11 cups of chopped kale to equal the amount of calories I would consume in a medium serving of fries! If I’m trying to lose weight, the good news is that I can eat more kale while consuming far fewer calories than I would if I were to eat the French fries. This means I will feel fuller for a longer period of time. I’m also fueling my body with less unhealthy fats and far more nutritional value. Like I said before, it’s a win/win. 

Move over vegetarian, I'm a nutritarian -  So are you ready to transition to a nutritarian diet which is eating more low-energy/nutrient dense foods? If you said yes, congratulations! You're making a good choice for your health. Are you unsure how to decide which foods to choose? A good starting point to help you in your search to find the most nutrient dense foods is to check out the ANDI guide. ANDI stands for aggregate nutrient density index and was developed by Dr. Joel Furhman.

This is from Dr. Furhman's site: "Adequate consumption of micronutrients – vitamins, minerals, and many other phytochemicals – without overeating on calories, is the key to achieving excellent health. Micronutrients fuel proper functioning of the immune system and enable the detoxification and cellular repair mechanisms that protect us from chronic diseases. A nutritarian is someone whose food choices reflect a high ratio of micronutrients per calorie and a high level of micronutrient variety."

With this in mind, the ANDI guide categorizes whole foods and then scores them on a scale from 1 to 1000 based on an extensive range of micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities. In addition, Dr. Furhman's original ANDI guide has been updated to reflect a more accurate picture of each food's nutritional qualitywhich now considers certain beneficial phytochemicals, such as angiogenesis inhibitors (i.e. cancer prevention, read more here), organosulfides (found in onion, garlic and cruciferous veggies), isothiocyanates (organosulfur compounds found in cruciferous veggies and are among the most effective cancer-prevention agents known), and aromatase inhibitors (suppress the synthesis of estrogen and thought to aid in the prevention of breast cancer).

The ANDI guide can be a useful tool in your determining healthy food choices, but it isn't the holy grail. I like what Dr. Furham says and I believe his suggestion is the best advice when it comes to choosing foods.  He says: “…nutrient density scoring is not the only factor that determines health benefits… if we ate only foods with a high nutrient density score, our diets would be too low in fat. For that reason we have to pick some foods with lower nutrient density scores.” Also, he notes that if thin individuals or those who are very active ate only foods with the highest nutrient density, they would become so full from fiber that it's likely they would be unable to meet their caloric needs. Remember my kale example above? One can only eat so much fiber. Balance and variety are key to consuming the greatest number and variety of micronutrients.

You may already know that kale is a better food choice than French fries, so if you operate on the simple premise that your diet should emphasize fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and not prepackaged, processed or fast food, you probably don’t need the ANDI guide to tell you where to get the most nutritional bang for your buck. However, if you’re uncertain as to whether or not you’re making the best food choices for your health, the ANDI rankings are a good starting point. 

I really like Dr. Weil's anti-inflammatory "diet" approach and I have incorporated some of his wisdom into my lifestyle as well. I've blogged about the health benefits of reducing the risk for chronic inflammation in an earlier post. Look for more on that in a future post.  In the meantime, I'll leave you with this food for thought:

Sources:

• CDC Low energy dense foods and weight management - http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition/pdf/r2p_energy_density.pdf
• Nutrient Density, Clemson Cooperative Extension - http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/food/nutrition/nutrition/dietary_guide/hgic4062.html
• Food and Nutrition, Nutrient Density - http://www.nestle.com/asset-library/Documents/Library/Documents/Nutrition_Health_Wellness/Food-and-Nutrition-Issue09-Nutrient-Density-Jan2008.pdf
• Sports Science Exchange, Energy Balance and Weight Reduction - http://www.uni.edu/dolgener/UG_Sport_Nutrition/Articles/Energy_Balance.pdf
• Simple Science Fitness, Energy balance and law of thermodynamics -http://simplesciencefitness.com/ 
• Whole Foods Market uses ANDI guide - http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/healthy-eating/andi-guide
• Nutrient Rich, ANDI Guide - http://www.nutrientrich.com/1/aggregate-nutrient-density-index-andi-score.html

Weight loss success: nutrient dense foods cut calories and control hunger

When it comes to maintaining or reducing body weight, the key to long term success is to choose foods with a low energy density. What is energy density in foods? The Center for Disease Control defines it as “the amount of energy or calories in a particular weight of food.” This is generally represented as the number of calories in a gram (kcal/g). This brings me to the law of thermodynamics, or energy balance equation, which I’ve discussed in a past post here.

Energy balance - Understanding this concept is important to successful weight loss, gain or maintenance.  So, here’s a brief review: if you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. However, a big caveat: while a calorie is a calorie, the nutrients you consume affects metabolic and hormonal secretions which may cause you to store fat instead of utilize the fat for energy, and vice versa. The types and varieties of food and beverages you ingest effect weight management, but more importantly, they are essential to your total wellness.

Understanding caloric need - Exercise is a variable that increases caloric expenditure and metabolism. In order to determine an estimation of the calories you need to consume to gain, maintain or lose weight, it's helpful to calculate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). You can use the calculator found here, which calculates basal metabolic rate (BMR) using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, and then applies an activity multiplier. It's best to underestimate your acitivity level when using the calculator if you're looking to lose weight because this puts you on the conservative side of daily caloric needs. Then, if you want to calculate how many calories you should eat daily to achieve weight loss at a steady, healthy pace, you subtract 15-20% from your TDEE number. Conversely, if you're looking to gain weight, add 15-20% to the TDEE. It's not recommended that you subtract more than 25% from your TDEE calculation. You don’t want your calorie intake to drop to an unhealthy and unsustainable level.

The amount of calories you eat is important, but not the whole picture in a healthy diet. Good nutrition includes a balance in the macronutrients listed below and the way you accomplish this is in the way you combine the foods you eat in a meal. For example, rice and beans.  These two foods are considered a complete protein when eaten together. If you're a vegan. In general, try to get your total daily caloric intake from a variety of whole foods as follows: 

• Protein: 1 gram per pound of body weight
• Fat: .45 grams per pound of body weight
• Carbs: The remaining number of calories left will be filled with carbs

Nature counts the calories – Back to our discussion of low energy dense foods and how they help with weight loss.  It seems Mother Nature really does know best because “foods with a lower energy density actually provide fewer calories per gram than foods with a higher energy density (CDC).”  Also, low energy dense foods are typically more nutrient dense. Nutrient density is a measure of the nutrients provided per calorie of food, or the “ratio of the amount of a nutrient in foods to the energy provided by these same foods (Nestle).”

So, it’s a win/win situation when you choose low energy/high nutrient dense foods because not only do they contribute fewer calories to the energy balance equation, they also provide greater nutritional value per calorie, which is especially beneficial for our health. These foods are the best of both worlds so to speak. 

Let’s look at a simple example of a higher nutrient/lower energy density food and a lower nutrient/higher energy dense food containing the same amount of calories per serving:   

	Nutrient Dense	Energy Dense
171 calories/serving	2 wedges of watermelon (approximately 1/8 of a whole watermelon)	14 ounces of Dr. Pepper
Nutritional Facts per serving	Calories 171 Calories from Fat 7 Total Fat 0.743g Saturated Fat 0.371g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.371g Monounsaturated Fat 0.371g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 7mg Potassium 636mg Carbohydrates 43.086g Dietary Fiber 2.229g Sugars 35.286g Protein 3.343g Vitamins & Minerals: Vitamin A 67% · Vitamin C 78% Calcium 4% · Iron 7%	Calories 175 Calories from Fat 0 Total Fat 0g Saturated Fat 0g Polyunsaturated Fat 0g Monounsaturated Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 70mg Potassium 0mg Carbohydrates 46.2g Dietary Fiber 0g Sugars 44.8g Protein 0g

Arguably, it might not seem equitable to compare a beverage with a food, but watermelon is 91% water by weight, so it's not too biased of a comparison. Remember, we are comparing identical calories per serving here. The numbers speak for themselves. If I’m trying to consume fewer calories in an effort to lose weight, watermelon is the better food choice by far. Where’s the Vitamin A and C in the soda? The numbers indicate a lot of sugar, no fiber or protein. The soda simply contains what are referred to as "empty calories" which provide energy, but no nutrition.  So after I drink my soda my body gets an injection of simple sugars and a blast of salt. Ironically, the salt can make me thirsty and this leads me to drink another soda later, but that's for another post!

On the other hand, the 2 wedges of watermelon provide 67% of the daily requirement of Vitamin A and 78% of Vitamin C.  That’s some good stuff! Plus, the 2.3 grams of fiber in the watermelon will help me feel fuller for a longer period of time than the soda, which has 0 grams of fiber. I might even feel full after eating 1 wedge of watermelon. Therefore, I can eat less of this food and decrease my calorie intake while keeping my hunger satisfied for longer than I could with a soft drink. This brings me to my next point, which can be pivotal to weight loss success.

Eat more to lose weight? – Really?! Usually losing weight is equated with starving oneself and eating minuscule portion sizes, right? However, foods with a low energy/high nutrient density typically contain fewer calories per serving than the same amount of a high energy/low nutrient density food and they provide more vitamins, minerals and also phytochemicals. You can read more about phytochemicals and their amazing health benefits here. 

Now, let’s look at another example comparing the nutritional information for servings of an nutrient dense food with a calorie dense food, but of differing calorie content:

	Nutrient Dense Food	Energy Dense Food
Food choice	Kale	French Fries
Calories per serving	1 cup chopped 33 calories	1 medium serving (117 g) 365 calories
Nutritional facts per serving	Total Fat 0.6 g    Saturated fat 0.1 g           Polyunsaturated fat .2 g               Monounsaturated fat 0 g              Cholesterol 0 mg              Sodium 25 mg    Potassium 329 mg            Total Carbohydrate 6 g   Protein 2.9 g Vitamin A 133% Vitamin C 134% Calcium 10%      Iron 5% Vitamin D 0%      Vitamin B-6 10% Vitamin B-12 0%               Magnesium 7%	Total Fat 17 g     Saturated fat 2.7 g           Polyunsaturated fat 6 g   Monounsaturated fat 7 g              Trans fat 0.1 g    Cholesterol 0 mg              Sodium 246 mg  Potassium 677 mg            Total Carbohydrate 48 g Dietary fiber 4.4 g            Sugar 0.4 g          Protein 4 g          Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 9% Calcium 2%         Iron 5% Vitamin D 0%      Vitamin B-6 20% Vitamin B-12 0%               Magnesium 10%

Once again, the data doesn’t lie. As the above comparison shows, I would have to eat a whopping 11 cups of chopped kale to equal the amount of calories I would consume in a medium serving of fries! If I’m trying to lose weight, the good news is that I can eat more kale while consuming far fewer calories than I would if I were to eat the French fries. This means I will feel fuller for a longer period of time. I’m also fueling my body with less unhealthy fats and far more nutritional value. Like I said before, it’s a win/win.

Move over vegetarian, I'm a nutritarian -  So are you ready to transition to a nutritarian diet which is eating more low-energy/nutrient dense foods? If you said yes, congratulations! You're making a good choice for your health. Are you unsure how to decide which foods to choose? A good starting point to help you in your search to find the most nutrient dense foods is to check out the ANDI guide. ANDI stands for aggregate nutrient density index and was developed by Dr. Joel Furhman.

This is from Dr. Furhman's site: "Adequate consumption of micronutrients – vitamins, minerals, and many other phytochemicals – without overeating on calories, is the key to achieving excellent health. Micronutrients fuel proper functioning of the immune system and enable the detoxification and cellular repair mechanisms that protect us from chronic diseases. A nutritarian is someone whose food choices reflect a high ratio of micronutrients per calorie and a high level of micronutrient variety."

With this in mind, the ANDI guide categorizes whole foods and then scores them on a scale from 1 to 1000 based on an extensive range of micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities. In addition, Dr. Furhman's original ANDI guide has been updated to reflect a more accurate picture of each food's nutritional qualitywhich now considers certain beneficial phytochemicals, such as angiogenesis inhibitors (i.e. cancer prevention, read more here), organosulfides (found in onion, garlic and cruciferous veggies), isothiocyanates (organosulfur compounds found in cruciferous veggies and are among the most effective cancer-prevention agents known), and aromatase inhibitors (suppress the synthesis of estrogen and thought to aid in the prevention of breast cancer).

The ANDI guide can be a useful tool in your determining healthy food choices, but it isn't the holy grail. I like what Dr. Furham says and I believe his suggestion is the best advice when it comes to choosing foods.  He says: “…nutrient density scoring is not the only factor that determines health benefits… if we ate only foods with a high nutrient density score, our diets would be too low in fat. For that reason we have to pick some foods with lower nutrient density scores.” Also, he notes that if thin individuals or those who are very active ate only foods with the highest nutrient density, they would become so full from fiber that it's likely they would be unable to meet their caloric needs. Remember my kale example above? One can only eat so much fiber. Balance and variety are key to consuming the greatest number and variety of micronutrients.

You may already know that kale is a better food choice than French fries, so if you operate on the simple premise that your diet should emphasize fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and not prepackaged, processed or fast food, you probably don’t need the ANDI guide to tell you where to get the most nutritional bang for your buck. However, if you’re uncertain as to whether or not you’re making the best food choices for your health, the ANDI rankings are a good starting point. 

I really like Dr. Weil's anti-inflammatory "diet" approach and I have incorporated some of his wisdom into my lifestyle as well. I've blogged about the health benefits of reducing the risk for chronic inflammation in an earlier post. Look for more on that in a future post.  In the meantime, I'll leave you with this food for thought:

Sources:

• CDC Low energy dense foods and weight management - http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition/pdf/r2p_energy_density.pdf
• Nutrient Density, Clemson Cooperative Extension - http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/food/nutrition/nutrition/dietary_guide/hgic4062.html
• Food and Nutrition, Nutrient Density - http://www.nestle.com/asset-library/Documents/Library/Documents/Nutrition_Health_Wellness/Food-and-Nutrition-Issue09-Nutrient-Density-Jan2008.pdf
• Sports Science Exchange, Energy Balance and Weight Reduction - http://www.uni.edu/dolgener/UG_Sport_Nutrition/Articles/Energy_Balance.pdf
• Simple Science Fitness, Energy balance and law of thermodynamics -http://simplesciencefitness.com/ 
• Whole Foods Market uses ANDI guide - http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/healthy-eating/andi-guide
• Nutrient Rich, ANDI Guide - http://www.nutrientrich.com/1/aggregate-nutrient-density-index-andi-score.html

Nutritional powerhouses: raw kale and chard chips

Hankering after a crunchy, savory snack? When this craving hits me I usually try to satisfy it with some organic air-popped popcorn, tossed with a little truffle oil and topped with truffle salt. However, this spring my friend Ann’s amazing organic garden has produced a serious crop of rainbow Swiss chard and kale, and she generously shares her bounty with me. Just look at the size of those rainbow chard leaves!

Plus, I received a food dehydrator for Mother’s Day which I’m excited to break in. So, today I thought I’d try my hand at making some raw kale and chard chips.

I knew that kale and Swiss chard were healthy food choices, but I didn't realize the magnitude of their nutrient value. Kale and Swiss chard are leafy greens that are truly nutritional powerhouses. To say that their health benefits far surpass popcorn is putting it mildly! If you’re trying to eat more nutrient dense foods, these are two greens you must not pass up. Here are a few reasons why: Swiss chard, for example, has been found to help regulate blood sugar in studies done on animals (1).  It’s also been shown to help pancreatic cells regenerate (1). Swiss chard is an antioxidant, an anti-inflammatory and supports bone health as well because of its high supply of calcium, magnesium and Vitamin K (1).

Kale is a cruciferous vegetable. Research suggests that we should include cruciferous vegetables in our diet "2-3 times per week, and make the serving size at least 1-1/2 cups. Even better from a health standpoint, enjoy kale and other vegetables from the cruciferous vegetable group 4-5 times per week, and increase your serving size to 2 cups" (1). Included among the many nutritional benefits of kale are its: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular support and anti-cancer properties which are due to nutrients in the form of glucosinolates (1).

So, adding raw kale and chard chips to your list of healthy raw snacks is definitely a smart choice. Each is low in fat and cholesterol, but an excellent source of fiber. Besides calcium, iron and vitamins A and C, these greens also supply vitamins E, K and B6, thiamine, folate, riboflavin, magnesium, manganese and potassium (3). If you want to learn more about the nutritional value of the foods you're eating, check out these excellent sites - USDA Nutrient Data Lab (NDL) and the World's Healthiest Foods.org.  For more detailed information about the nutrients found in raw kale and chard, click here for kale and here for chard. Compare with air-popped popcorn here.

So here's the recipe:

1. I started with about 12 leaves of kale and a big bunch of chard. 
2. I cut the large center ribs out of the kale and chard and saved the kale ribs to grind in my Vita-mix smoothie and the chard ribs for another recipe.  I enjoy these sautéed in olive oil with some chopped fresh garlic.  
3. Next, I washed the kale and chard leaves and laid them out on paper towels to dry. 
   
4. Then I put the kale leaves in a large bowl, along with 1 T (15 ml) grapeseed oil, 1 t (5 ml) garlic powder and ground in some pink Himalayan sea salt to taste.
5. Sort of hand kneaded the leaves in this mixture and then spread them on the lower tray in the dehydrator trying not to overlap too much.  I’m using a Nesco dehydrator.
   
   
   
   
6. Now, for the chard leaves – I cut these into approximately 3 inch square pieces and put them in a large bowl with 2 T (30 ml) truffle oil, (since I had more chard leaves I used more oil, but I will use less next time), 1 t (5 ml) garlic powder and ½ t (2.5 ml) truffle salt.
7. Tossed the leaves with my hands to mix and then spread them on the remaining trays.
8. Set the temp to 115 degrees F or (46 C) and set the timer for 6 hours. 
9. Check for crispness.

Note: A few food bloggers had mentioned that dehydrating certain foods can really stink up the house. So, as a prevention I put the dehydrator in the utility room, closed the door, and turned on the exhaust fan.  I didn’t find the odor to be overly offensive, but there was definitely a smell.

Next time I make these chips I'd like to try nutritional yeast for a cheesy chip and maybe include some turmeric for extra health benefits and nutritional value. Studies show that turmeric may help fight infections and some cancers, reduce inflammation, and treat digestive problems.

Food really is our best medicine! Enjoy.

6/18/13 Update:  These didn't store well for me.  I put them in a sealed glass container, but they didn't stay crispy, so I ended up chopping the chips up and putting the into a frittata.  I also think they were a little to oily and salty so I will reduce both of these ingredients next time.


Sources
World's Healthiest Foods - Swiss chard http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=16
World's Healthiest Foods - Kale http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38
USDA Nutrient Data Lab http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/food-composition/usda-nutrient-data-laboratory
University of Maryland Medical Center - turmeric http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/turmeric-000277.htm

Eating for healing:Where do I start?

Have you heard the expression change begins with the first step? Well, the last post (found here) discussed several strategies relating to eating for healing.  Did you feel empowered enough to try any of them? If you did, than congratulations! You just took the first step toward a lifestyle that promotes wellness.  On the other hand, if you read the post and said, "where do I begin," or, "I can't do this," please don't throw in the towel.  I'm sure you're not alone, because I felt overwhelmed, somewhat intimidated and a little frustrated when I first contemplated the eating for healing information I received. Respect yourself for where you are right now on your path to wellness. Obviously you're on the right road, or you wouldn't be reading this. So, let's get started.

Eating for healing - Let's get started

As I mentioned before, this lifestyle isn't just for people coping with illness. It's for everyone who wants to support their body as it attempts to deal with the daily assaults of living.  All that said, where does one begin? Well, I find it's easiest if I have a meal plan and a shopping list. Here are the main things I consider when planning my menu:

Roberta Larson Duyff "Complete Food and Nutrition Guide"

1. Get colorful - This is so important. There is no doubt that the phytonutrients, (organic chemical substances), found in plants are fundamental to the health of those that consume them (1). That's why it's imperative that we strive to eat a variety of fruits and veggies every day. By doing this you are providing your body with more of the vital phytonutrients it needs for healing.  According to Roberta Larson Duyff, American Dietetic Association, of the thousands of known phytonutrients, only a few hundred have been studied. It has been discovered that each fruit or vegetable has different amounts and types of phytonutrients. An orange, for example, has "more than 170 different phytonutrients" (1). Of the thousands of  known phytonutrients, "more than 2,000 are plant pigments"(1). It's now understood that the colors of the plants reveal a little about their health benefits. You may be familiar with the best known phytonutrients: carotenoids, flavonoids, and isoflavones. The table above outlines what they do and the foods that provide them. 
2. Choose functional foods - Researchers are also beginning to understand that phytonutrients work in concert with other nutrients and fiber in our diets, and as a result effect changes in our health (1). The foods that are capable of doing this are called functional foods because "they may provide a health benefit [or function] beyond basic nutrition" (2). The International Food Information Council Foundation has a useful listing of the top functional foods found here.
3. Buy or grow organic food -  Research shows that organic food contains "substantially higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals than non-organic food" (3). "For example, you would need to eat 4 conventionally grown carrots today to get the same amount of magnesium that you could get from one carrot in 1940" (3).  Organic foods are more nutritious. They also aren't exposed to conventional growing practices that utilize pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers.  These chemicals contain heavy metals, like lead and mercury, which have been found in conventionally grown produce. Granted, buying organic can be slightly more expensive than commercially grown foods, but the benefits are definitely worth it. However, if budget prohibits, the Environmental Working Group has compiled a list of what they call the "Dirty Dozen." You can find a list of these foods here. The Dirty Dozen are the top 12 most pesticide contaminated fruits and vegetables in America. It seems prudent to focus on purchasing these as organic. 
4. Select whole foods - What's a whole food? These are foods that are "as close to their whole or natural state as possible" (3).  Examples of whole foods include fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grains and dried beans.  Whole foods are free of additives, preservatives, dyes, flavorings and are unprocessed. In addition, because they are in their 'whole' state, whole foods "retain all of the nutrients to properly digest and metabolize themselves" (3).  As a result, we have the potential to get more nutrients when we consume these foods.
5. Eat nutrient dense vs. energy dense foods - If you're eating whole foods, than this is really a moot point, because whole foods are typically nutrient dense foods. However, the point still bears repeating and I dedicated a prior post to this topic here. The bottom line is that eating nutrient dense foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains aids in weight loss.  This is because energy dense foods like fast foods, cakes, and chips not only have less nutrients and fiber, they also typically have more calories. Obviously when it comes to weight loss, less calories is the goal.  Another down side of eating  foods categorized as being more energy dense is the greater fluctuations in insulin levels. If that's not enough, another negative of energy dense foods is that they also typically lack fiber.  Whole, nutrient dense foods containing fiber provide the added benefits of increasing satiation, as well as aiding with elimination.

What to eat? One week of eating for healing -

Sample Menu
Day 1

• Breakfast -
• hot buckwheat cereal made with homemade almond milk, ground flax, organic mashed apple, dried cranberries, walnuts, fish oil, turmeric and cinnamon; 
• matcha tea (Dr. Weil discusses the benefits of this tea on his website here).
• Lunch - 
• quinoa fiesta salad - made with chopped red, yellow and green peppers, black beans, jicama, grape tomatoes, spinach and cumin seed, with a lime cilantro dressing. I love the variety of colors in this salad and it is very satisfying. Don't let my pitiful food photography put you off. This tastes even better than it looks.
• fruit smoothie - frozen organic cherries, peaches, mixed berries, coconut water, 2 small spoonfuls of vanilla goat yogurt
• Dinner
• Grilled Seared Tuna Steak on a bed of red cabbage, chopped apple, celery, and green onion  with ginger sesame dressing

Day 2

• Breakfast
• Homemade granola (organic oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, prunes, raisins, dried cherries and blueberries and nuts) in goat yogurt with diced pear, ground flax and fish oil.
• matcha tea
• Lunch
• leftover quinoa salad on bed of lettuce, sliced apple
• Dinner
• Spinach Frittata
• mixed green salad

Day 3

• Breakfast
• leftover spinach frittata
• matcha tea
• Lunch
• Asian sunshine salad - chopped green cabbage, tangelo, navel orange, mango, cashews, green onion, bok choy, chopped carrots, mixed micro greens and black rice with Asian ginger dressing
• fruit smoothie
• Dinner
• Quinoa polenta vegetable lasagna.  This is my husband's delicious and ever evolving dish. We use organic quinoa polenta found at our local grocery store, but he has made his own organic corn polenta from scratch.  The polenta is the base layer and then you put fresh basil, Mexican oregano, onion, garlic, sliced green or red peppers, heirloom tomatoes, spinach (from my friend's bountiful garden, thanks Ann), diced kalamata olives, and top it with a little goat mozzarella on top. This is a satisfying and tasty dish.
• micro greens salad

Day 4

• Breakfast
• Sweet potato hash with pastured eggs over easy
• fruit bowl
• Lunch
• leftover Asian salad
• piece of fruit
• Dinner
• Chicken soup
• homemade gluten free bread (the best recipe I've found so far for a tender white bread is from the back of Bob's Red Mill's Potato Starch bag, but you can view it here).  It's a bread machine recipe and it comes out consistently tasty.  I substitute powdered goat's milk and brown rice flour.

Day 5

• Breakfast
• Hot buckwheat cereal 
• matcha tea
• Lunch
• Quinoa polenta vegetable lasagna leftovers
• mixed greens salad
• fruit smoothie
• Dinner
• Soba noodle stir fry with shitake mushrooms, bean sprouts, green onions, carrots, celery, bok choy, peas and ginger in a tamari sauce topped with cashews
• dessert of fresh blueberries over coconut macaroons

Making the change
I hope this menu gives you a bit of an idea of how to begin eating for healing.  You can find more ideas, as well as recipes from the Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen site here. Side note: Because I receive food from my local food coop I have found that I make meals based on what is seasonally available.  This is a good rule of thumb. Foods that are grown locally will be fresher and are less taxing to the environment because they weren't shipped from distant places. Having said that, I confess to buying foods that aren't locally grown. 

Tips -

• Plan your menu and have a shopping list
• Make more food at one time- It might seem like a lot of cooking, but I usually make enough to get at least two meals out of what I've prepared and then eat those on days I'm pressed for time or don't feel like cooking
• If you make a pot of soup or a casserole, freeze some for later
• Snacking - I didn't list snacks in my menu suggestions because you may find that you don't want a snack every day.  The foods you're eating are more nutrient dense and satisfying.  However, if you do find yourself craving a snack, one of my favorite snacks is fruit, but when I want something crunchy I pop up some popcorn or I have an organic brown rice cake, spread with almond butter, topped with sliced dates, and sprinkled with coconut on top.  Yum. 

Final thoughts
Change can be challenging, especially if you're dealing with long standing habits. I encourage you to take things slowly. Begin by looking at your pantry.  Clean out what isn't healing. Try making one new dish a week. By the end of 7 weeks you'll have a bevy of eating for healing recipes and you'll have revamped your eating habits too. It's important to note that eating for healing will require an awareness on your part of not only the foods you find nourishing, but also those that make you feel healthier and more energized.  In this case your gut will literally tell you what it prefers. It's important to listen to your body.  Follow your intuition and begin with small changes. As I said in the last post, you really have nothing to lose, except for maybe a few unwanted pounds. Go ahead. Take that first step!


Sources
(1) Duyff Roberta, Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, American Dietetic Association, 2006
(2) International Food Information Council Foundation - Functional Foods PDF http://www.foodinsight.org/Content/6/FINAL-IFIC-Fndtn-Functional-Foods-Backgrounder-with-Tips-and-changes-03-11-09.pdf
(3) Segersten, A. Malterre, T., The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook 2nd ed., Whole Life Press 2010

Eating for healing: the restorative power of food

It's been a year since a doctor gave me the life altering news that I had a disease. If, at this point you're thinking well I'm not sick, so this post doesn't pertain to me.  Please, consider reading on. Eating for healing isn't just for those dealing with illness. This lifestyle is for everyone who wants to support their body as it copes with disease, or attempts to deal with the daily assaults of living.  This may sound a bit dramatic, but our bodies really are in a state of constant warfare against environmental toxins, aging and disease. Doesn't it seem prudent to give the body a hand with some nutritional weaponry?

                                    Photo by Anna Pelzer on Unsplash

Eating for healing may not be a magic bullet, but research is showing that food and medicine are not distinctly separate domains (1).  This wisdom has been known by some cultures for centuries. In Western society, the trend away from botanical medicines began when two chemists took an herbal analgesic called salicylic acid and synthesized the synthetic drug Aspirin from it (2).  The pharmaceutical industry was born from this progress and has resulted in the ability to entirely or partly replicate many medicinal botanicals.

What are medicinal botanicals?
The University of Minnesota Life Science Foundation defines them as "plants (or substances that come from plants) that are used to treat or prevent disease" (3). To underscore the importance of botanicals in the treatment of disease,  the Biotechnology Center for Agriculture and Environment at Rutgers University states that "natural products continue to make the most dramatic impact in the area of cancer" (2).  This is because "a primary advantage of botanicals is their complex composition consisting of collections of related compounds having multiple activities that interact for a greater total activity" (2). In other words, synthetic compounds just aren't able to replicate what nature provides.


Plant foods as medicine
The European Botanical Forum has a compiled a very comprehensive and informative Compendium of Botanicals that have been reported to contain substances that may be of health concern when used in food or food supplements found here. Also of note, is their discussion of the role of plant food nutrients, as well as the plants' secondary metabolites and their effects on our health.  The following is a quote from their discussion of understanding the benefits to our health of botanicals:

"In seeking to achieve optimum nutrition, for many years attention has been focused on nutrients because their lack in the diet leads to deficiencies with characteristic clinical symptoms. However, the role of other food components in achieving optimal health is now better understood. Most of these food components are from plants which are rich in bioactive secondary metabolites. These are substances produced by the plant in adaptation to local environmental conditions, which, for example in the Mediterranean area, are often pro-oxidative. This requires an adaptive response from the botanical, producing protective bioactive compounds such as polyphenolic molecules. This is particularly relevant for human health because the intake of these plants results in the transfer of those protective compounds to the human organism."

Simply put, research is now beginning to understand that the interactions that occur between plants and their environment result in substances that can have a profound impact on the health of those of us who eat these plants. The researchers from Rutgers articulate this concept in another way:  "Plants must maintain and protect themselves through diverse arrays of complex natural products that they make from the inorganic components of air, soil and water because they lack the flight response. ...Plants can live hundreds of years without succumbing to diseases or predation.  It should come to no surprise that some of the compounds that have enabled plants to survive may also be used to maintain the health and well-being of humans" (2). Wow! This could give an additional meaning to Kermit the Frog's lament of "It's not that easy being green."

Seriously though, my purpose in sharing the above was to underscore the dire importance of including plant foods in your diet.  Having said that, eating for healing is not just about consuming a few more servings of fruits and vegetables a day, although this is definitely a good thing to do for your health. Let's take a closer look at a few of the nutritional strategies that were recommended to me. 


Options for nutritional paths to healing -
First, I'd like to share that when I began considering disease treatment plans, I sought the expertise of many qualified resources. What I'm sharing is the advice of these experts, and it has proven invaluable to me in determining the best course of action for me. Having a team of physicians that will consider and support your desire to choose the best treatment for you is priceless.  If you are dealing with an illness and struggling to navigate through the standard practice of care maze, I encourage you to pursue finding these experts.  They do exist!

My journey led me to an outstanding oncologist and functional medicine doctor who recommended the Comprehensive Elimination Diet, which is discussed in more detail here. In addition, this physician felt it was important to incorporate detoxification measures into my lifestyle (more about this in the post here). Another physician suggested I try the Anti-Inflammatory Diet.  Dr. Andrew Weil also has some excellent info on this program here. I have discovered that many components of these diet strategies overlap and compliment each other. Ultimately, what I found most productive for me was to pick certain components of these diets and combine them into an amalgamation that has become my lifestyle.

I'm ecstatic to say that the results speak for themselves. My annual follow up with the radiologist was so positive it prompted him to ask me about my treatment plan! I've also shared in previous posts that since my husband joined me on my eating for healing journey he has lost over 40 pounds, is healthier and feels better than he has in years. Clearly for us, making the decision to eat for healing has been positively life transforming! So, on to the bottom line. 

 
Key components of eating for healing
Here are the strategies that I feel are critical, along with their supporting elements. It's important to note that the components share many common elements. 

1. Eliminate or limit foods that can cause chronic inflammation
2. Aid the body in detoxification and support liver function
3. Increase foods that have healing properties
• Eat a colorful variety of plant foods - Serving recommendations can be found at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Fruits and Veggies Matter website here and you can also read more in my blog post about this found here and here.  
• When possible eat organic foods because pesticides and herbicides actually thwart the production of phenolics. As mentioned above, phenolics are chemicals that act as a plant's natural defense and they also happen to be good for our health. Read more here.
• Limit or avoid foods made with refined grains, like white bread and pasta and eat more whole grains. For now, I have made the choice to restrict wheat because I wanted to make more room in my diet for the nutritional benefits of other grains that I wasn't eating because of my love of wheat.  Ancient grains like farro, quinoa and amaranth, for example, are a few that I'm eating now. The important take away here, is that you want to avoid refined white flour and foods containing this flour because the refining removes much of the grains nutritional benefits, as well as negatively effecting insulin.  More about whole grains here and on insulin below.
• Avoid prepackaged, processed and refined foods. Always choose whole foods.
• Eat low glycemic index foods. This prevents a rapid rise in insulin which can contribute to infllammation in the body.  Check out this website for more info on the glycemic index (GI) of foods. A good rule of thumb: Foods with more fiber usually have a lower GI.
• Liberally use spices that have anti-inflammatory properties. Examples: ginger, turmeric and curry.
• I avoid dairy to reduce risk of inflammation, especially from non-organic sources (lactose intolerance runs in my family), but I do eat some organically produced goat dairy products. 
• Drink plenty of filtered water. 
• Get more Omega 3 in your diet. Western diets are much higher in Omega 6 fats. Research suggests that a 1:1 ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 is healthier (5).  Supplement with a quality fish oil and eat more food sources of Omega 3 fats. For example walnuts, ground flax seeds or flax seed oil. Read more about fats here and here.  
• Eliminate partially hydrogenated oils. Check food labels for trans fats and avoid fried foods.
• Reduce saturated fats by cutting back on red meat and full-fat dairy foods.

The University of Michigan's Healing Foods Pyramid is a great visual representation of many of the elements just discussed. You can view the full sized, printable version here.

University of Michigan's Healing Foods Pyramid

The journey back to health and a "new normal" has been a long, winding and rather bumpy road, but as it is with many of life's passages, it has led to greater wisdom and strength. It's important to stress that what I discerned to be the best course of treatment for me does not suggest it is the only path to take. My choice is not better or more correct than any other treatment options.  Only you, along with the assistance of your health care provider, can decide what is best for you. Healthy or otherwise, our bodies can always use the nutritional support that eating for healing provides.

The next post will outline a weekly menu with meal suggestions to get you started.  In the meantime, I encourage you to begin by implementing one of the dietary strategies mentioned above each week, or perhaps you're ready to dive right in and try the Elimination Diet, the Anti-Inflammatory Diet, or the Healing Foods Plan. Go for it! You have nothing to lose, except maybe a few unwanted pounds, and you might even find you have gained renewed health. 

Sources
(1) Pieroni, A., Price, L., Eating and Healing: Traditional Food as Medicine, Haworth Press, 2006.
(2) Barbara Schmidt, David M. Ribnicky, Alexander Poulev, Sithes Logendra, William T. Cefalu, Ilya Raskin, A natural history of botanical therapeutics. Science Direct. - http://mss3.libraries.rutgers.edu/dlr/TMP/rutgers-lib_24171-PDF-1.pdf 
(3) University of Minnesota Center of Spirituality and Healing - http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/explore-healing-practices/botanical-medicine-0
(4) European Botanical Forum - Benefits of Botanical Foods -http://www.botanicalforum.eu/uploads/Fact%20File%203.pdf 
(5) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12442909
Wikipedia - secondary metabolites - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_metabolite
Wikipedia - bioactive-  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioactive
Wikipedia - polyphenol antioxidant - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphenol_antioxidant
Functional Medicine - http://www.functionalmedicine.org/content_management/files/ifm_Comp_Elim_Diet_091503.pdf
Dr. Weil - http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/PAG00361/anti-inflammatory-food-pyramid.html