Archive for the ‘Health’ Category

So, where do you get your protein?

Wednesday, June 5th, 2019

If you’re vegan, no doubt you’ve been asked that question more than once. Our protein-obsessed culture prides itself on eating tons of animals just to make sure we’re getting enough of it. But the truth is most of us are already eating way too much protein. And you don’t need meat to get it anyway! From healthy fats to calcium, plants have it all!

 Just about every food contains some protein. As long as you eat a mixture of plants regularly, you’ll get plenty!

Here are the best sources of protein:

  • Soy beans, tofu
  • Soy milk

Great sources:

  • Spinach
  • Swiss chard
  • Asparagus
  • Bok choy

Okay, but what about iron?

We’re glad you asked! Did you know iron deficiency is no more common among vegetarians than among the general population? In fact, vegans can get enough iron by commonly eating foods that are high in iron.

You can increase your iron absorption by eating the following iron rich foods with vitamin C. This is why we put a special emphasis on cooking foods like broccoli, bok choy and tomatoes together. Also, you’ll need to keep your tea and coffee consumption away from meal times by several hours because the tannins in these drinks can make it harder to absorb iron.

Here are the best sources of iron:

  • Tofu, soy milk
  • Dark chocolate (+70%)
  • Lentils
  • Spinach, Swiss chard
  • Broccoli
  • Tahini/sesame seeds
  • Chickpeas
  • Beans (navy, kidney, lima)
  • Olives
  • Cumin, parsley, turmeric

Other great sources:

  • Bok choy
  • Asparagus
  • Leeks
  • Chili peppers
  • Cos lettuce

What’s the deal with heme vs. non-heme iron?

While some research shows that heme (animal-based) iron is more readily absorbed by the body, other research has shown that heme iron is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, cardiovascular disease, fatal coronary heart disease and cancer. Research suggests that this may be because heme iron promotes oxidative damage and inflammation in the organs. Adding a vitamin C source to a meal increases non-heme iron absorption, making it as good as, or better than, heme iron.

Let’s talk about B12…

It can be hard to get enough vitamin B12, whatever your diet. That’s because vitamin B12 is produced by a bacteria that is removed when we wash our foods. The good news is lots of foods are fortified with B12 and you can easily get what you need by taking a supplement. If you’re concerned about your B12 intake, talk to your doctor about whether you should take a supplement.

Good sources*:

  • Nutritional yeast
  • Marmite
  • Fortified plant milks
  • Mushrooms

*If you are following a strictly plant-based diet the only reliable source of B12 is supplementation.

Healthy fats come from fish, right?

Fish are frequently cited as a good source of essential fatty acids, but the high amounts of other fats, cholesterol and toxins (like mercury) mean fish are a bad catch. Plant sources have all the benefits without putting our health on the line.

Best sources:

  • Flax seeds/linseeds*
  • Walnuts
  • Tofu, soy milk
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Cauliflower

Great sources:

  • Broccoli
  • Cos lettuce
  • Spinach, kale
  • Green beans
  • Strawberries, raspberries
  • Bok choy, leeks, basil

*A quick note on flax seeds/linseeds – they need to be ground for your body to absorb the nutrients. Ground flax seeds can be added to a smoothie, sprinkled on cereal or on a salad.

Calcium for strong bones

The healthiest source of calcium is green leafy vegetables and legumes. People assume that milk does a body good, but research paints a different picture.

Not sure where to find plant based calcium, here are some of the best sources:

  • Green leafy vegetables (e.g., spinach, bok choy)
  • Tofu
  • Tahini/sesame seeds

Great sources:

  • Swiss chard
  • Kale
  • Cinnamon
Sources

Aune, D. (2017). Fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer and all-cause mortality- a systematic review and dose response meta-analysis of prospective studies. International Journal of Epidemiology. 0(0), 1-27.

Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine (2002). Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients). The National Academies Press, Washington.

Berk, L.S., Haddad, E.H., Hubbard, R.W, Kettering, J.D, & Peters, W.R. (1999). Dietary intake and biochemical, hematologic, and immune status of vegans compared with nonvegetarians. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,70(suppl), 586S-93S.

Geisel, J., Herrmann, W., Hübner, U., Obeid, R., Schorr, H. (2002). The impact of vegetarianism on some haematological parameters. European Journal of Haematology, 69, 275-9.

Gleerup, A., Gramatkovski E., Rossander Hulthen, L., et al. (1995). Iron absorption from the whole diet: comparison of the effect of two different distributions of daily calcium intake. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 61, 97-104.

Abnet, C., Dawsey, S., Etemadi, A., Inoue-Choi, M., Graubard, B., Sinha, R., Ward, M. (2017). Mortality from different causes associated with meat, heme iron, nitrates and nitrites in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study: population based cohort study. British Medical Journal, 357, 1957.

Halliwell, B., Gutteridge, J.M. (1990). Role of free radicals and catalytic metal ions in human disease: An overview. Methods Enzymology, 357, 1-85.

Hallberg, L. (1981) Bioavailability of dietary iron in man. Annual Review of Nutrition, 1, 123-147.

Smith, M.V. (1988). Development of a quick reference guide to accommodate vegetarianism in diet therapy for multiple disease conditions. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,48, 906-909.

Kwak, S.M., Lee, J., Myung, S.K. (2012). Efficacy of omega-3 fatty acid supplements (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. Archives of Internal Medicine; 172, 986-994.

Khaw, K.T., Lentjes, M.A.H., Shakya-Shrestha, S., Wareham, N.J., & Welch, A.A. (2010) Dietary intake and status of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in a population of fish-eating and non-fish-eating meat-eaters, vegetarians, and vegans and the precursor-product ratio of a-linolenic acid to long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids: results from the EPIC-Norfolk cohort. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 92, 1040-1051.

Barnard, N.D., Berkow, S.E., Lanou, A.J. (1988) Calcium, dairy products and bone health in children and young adults: a re-evaluation of evidence. Pediatrics, Mar; 115(3), 736-43.

Gordon, C.M., Kocher, M.S., Sonneville, K.R. (2012). Vitamin D, calcium and dairy intakes and stress fractures among female adolescents. Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, Jul 1; 166(7), 595-600.

Feskanich, D. (2003). Calcium, Vitamin D, milk consumption and hip fractures: a prospective study among postmenopausal women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Feb; 77(2), 504-11.

Holick, M. (2005). The Vitamin D epidemic and its health consequences. Journal of Nutrition, Nov; 135(11), 2739S-2748S.

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Why Cooking is Good for Us

Sunday, April 28th, 2019

Benefits of cooking at home

Cooking has been described as a form of ‘self-care.’ The simple task of taking ingredients and transforming them into something delicious helps us get in touch with our physical selves. It also helps us connect the outer world (what we feel with our senses) and our inner world (our bodies).

Prepared meals and takeaways can be high in fat, salt and sugar. When you prepare your own food, you know exactly what is going into it. At Green Dinner Table, we make our sauces fresh each week, they have less preservatives than store bought ones.

And, it’s not just about ingredients. A study published in Health Education Behaviour found that cooking benefits extended beyond nutrition. Cooking as therapy can positively influence psychosocial outcomes. Formal cooking therapy also had positive impacts on socialisation, self-esteem and quality of life.

 

Therapeutic cooking

Psychologists reported that the simple act of cooking can bring meaning to what you are doing because you get a tangible result for your efforts (i.e., a tasty dinner). This reward for doing a task demonstrates that your actions were worthwhile and have resulted in something real.

 

According to Counselor Nicole Lambert of Movement Counseling Services, “Cooking helps mental health in that it can be a creative outlet. It’s a way to channel energy, and can be used as a distraction, help build mastery in a skill, and a way to express emotions through a different medium.”

 

Caring for others

 

Yes, creating something delicious for ourselves can be motivating, but it is even more motivating when you are cooking for others. That’s why food has such strong cultural and social ties. It is how we celebrate, how we show concern in times of crisis – food is one of the main ways we show we care.

 

And, when you see how much someone else enjoys, appreciates and values something you created, it can help rebuild your sense of worth and value.

 

Easy does it

 

Easier recipes have been shown to be better for improving mental health because the process doesn’t create anxiety, but instead fosters focus, and encourages creativity and happiness. Green Dinner Table recipes are designed with this in mind. We want to make it easy for you to create delicious meals. And, having everything on hand means that you don’t have to sweat the prep.

 

In an earlier blog post, we talked about the benefits of eating as a family. Those benefits can extend into prep time too. You can ask your children to read the recipe aloud, mix the ingredients, or help tidy up. Making meal time a family event helps make it less of a chore.

 

Finding your zen

 

Cooking can bring calm, like meditation practice or mindfulness, because it helps you get into ‘the zone’. This is a feeling in which you lose track of time and focus in on the task at hand. If you battle negative thoughts or are nagged by constant worries, cooking can be a healthy way to bring peace of mind. All those relaxing feelings can help your physical body too, by easing the tension we feel when we are anxious or depressed.

 

Save money

 

Eating homemade meals is usually much cheaper than eating out or buying pre-made meals. Money can also exacerbate mental health conditions and put pressure on our relationships. Planning meals or subscribing to a service like Green Dinner Table can help you save money as we covered in an earlier blog post.

 

It’s fun!

 

That’s what originally attracted Tom to the chef life. It looked so darn fun. That surge of adrenaline after service, the comradery between cooks… You can get a bit of that in your own home when you cook – especially if you can recruit a sous chef or dishwasher to help tidy up!

 

Trying new foods you’ve never heard of before can add adventure and variety to your day-to-day. This is one of the reasons Green Dinner Table’s menus are full of interesting dishes and new ingredients. Just check out our upcoming dishes. We want you to love plant-based meals as much as we do!

 

So instead of collapsing on the couch after work, why not roll up your sleeves and jump into the kitchen? Green Dinner Table makes it easy by doing the planning and delivering everything you need to cook meals everyone will enjoy. Our weekly plans are designed to make dinner time something to look forward to.

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Canada ditches dairy. Maybe you should too

Thursday, January 31st, 2019

It took over ten years, but Canada has finally updated it food guide. Canadians have used the guide since the 1940s as a source of nutritional advice on optimal health. Like other countries around the world, Canada’s major revisions do away with its pyramid of ‘food groups.’ Instead, Canada offers up an appetising plate to illustrate what we should eat.

So what does a healthy plate look like?

We should fill:

  • Half our plate with fruit and vegetables
  • A quarter with starches or grains, and
  • A quarter with protein.

Easy enough to do with Green Dinner Table on the menu!

The mounting case for a dairy-free diet

Many assume that dairy is essential for bone health, however clinical research shows that dairy products have little or no benefit for bones in children, in teenage girls and even in post-menopausal women. One of the best ways to protect our bones from osteoporosis is to exercise and eat calcium-rich foods. Some examples include kale, broccoli and other leafy green vegetables and beans.

Dairy products like cheese, ice cream, milk, butter and yoghurt are high in cholesterol and saturated fat, which can increase the risk of heart disease. Consuming dairy products has also been linked to higher risk of various cancers, especially prostate, ovarian, lung and breast cancers. One American study found that women who had consumed more than one glass of milk per day had a 73% greater chance of developing ovarian cancer than women who drank less than one glass per day.

People who drink dairy milk have poorer brain health. Researchers found that those who consumed more than one glass of milk per day were 10% more likely to experience cognitive decline, compared to those who consumed less or no milk.

Dairy products have also been linked to health risks for children and can encourage the development of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Experts recommend that infants not consume dairy. In addition to concerns about causing colic (both when consumed by the infant directly or through the breastmilk of a mother who consumes dairy), dairy is also linked to type-1 diabetes.

New Guidelines, Not So New Advice

With research like this, it’s no wonder that there were such sweeping changes. The new guide looks at evidence – and not evidence funded by industry. And while the meat and dairy industries might be feeling sour over the changes; people on a plant-based diet have been praising it for recognising something they’ve known for years.

Want to eat more plants but don’t know where to start? Green Dinner Table can help! Sign up to one of our weekly plans and get everything you need to eat delicious, plant-based meals you and your family will love!

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