Food for Thought - Sam

I met with Sam the amazing nutritionist this week and she gave me my first breakdown of my nutrition aims and orders. Here's what she suggests for me to concentrate on in the food department (I did not tell her about the sprinkles). 

I just discovered an awesome song as I'm blogging up a storm - Laura Veirs: Wide-Eyed...makes me want to eat a carrot.
In all seriousness though - national carrot day is just around the corner - February 3rd...I hope everyone has super fun national carrot day plans!

Summary of Recommendations                                               

These are the initial recommendations based upon the intake forms and our first consultation. We will continue to explore ways to reach your goals with improved diet and lifestyle. Our approach will be to make gradual changes that are sustainable and effective. Even though your main goal is weight loss, the potential benefits to other body systems such as immunity, intestinal and cardio vascular are far reaching. For example blood sugar will be more controlled and the likelihood of future diabetes much reduced. The liver will detoxify more easily and the intestines will absorb nutrients much more readily.

General

Drink plenty of clean water to maintain regularity and help eliminate toxins. Improving regularity is a priority.

First thing in the morning, add juice of 1/4 lemon to glass of water, to cleanse liver and spark digestion and energy. Wait for 30 minutes before eating or drinking anything else.

For breakfast have a smoothie with fresh fruit, bananas are a good choice to include as they are filling and are rich in potassium for muscle contraction.  Add a tablespoon of flax oil. Vega smoothie with hemp protein is also recommended. Another great breakfast is natural large rolled oats. Cooked with milk to desired consistency. Add chopped dried fruit and nuts to your liking.

Try natural granola with organic yogurt containing active live cultures for good gut bacteria. Ensure that neither has added sugar. (Sam has yet to find out that just the thought of yogurt makes me gag a bit).

Chew very well and eat slowly.

Snack on whole foods such as nuts. Pumpkin seeds are high in iron and zinc. Birth control pill often leads to low levels of zinc. Try organic soya beans as snack/appetizer, i.e. like edamame, a great source of iron.

Ideally, you would benefit greatly from having a large green salad most lunch times. Green leafy vegetables contain magnesium for many functions including energy production. Having a small salad before an entrée optimizes digestion and reduces the likelihood of overeating.

Try one new salad per week, e.g. wild salmon fillet on baby spinach with pine nuts and asparagus with flax oil/balsamic dressing. Adding avocado to any salad will be nutritious, tasty and filling.

Combine protein and veg or starch and veg where possible. For example, steak and salad, stir fry vegetables and brown rice. Choose best quality meats, local, organic etc. Avoid heavy starch and protein meals.

Homemade soups and stews are a great idea, especially in the winter they are so comforting.

Upgrade food quality where possible. For example, choose organic protein, brown rice and no white carbohydrates.

Try Quinoa, high protein pseudo grain, like rice – very nice warm or cold, also good source of magnesium. The carbohydrate is slow releasing which helps to regulate blood sugar levels.

Review quality of fats and oils.  Flax/ hemp oil on salads (buy from fridge in dark bottle and keep in fridge) Olive oil is also a good choice. Don’t eat oils that have reached smoking point.

Choose soothing teas such as lemon, passionflower and chamomile. Avoid caffeine.

Keep favorites, but ensure it is best quality proceeded by crudités or a salad.

Work towards eliminating processed foods. These foods contain many unwanted ingredients such a refined fats, salt, preservatives etc.  Processed foods lead to being overfed but undernourished!

Supplements

Daily multivitamin and mineral complex.

Vitamin B complex, 50mg twice a day.

Vitamin C with bioflavonoids, 2g per day.