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Showing posts from March 29, 2017

Untangling the Facts About Instant Ramen Noodles

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We know that instant ramen noodles — that cheap college-student staple — probably don’t qualify as a health food, but exactly how bad for us are they? A 2014 study by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health found that women who ate instant ramen noodles at least twice a week were at a 68 percent higher risk for metabolic syndrome – a group of conditions including elevated blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar; obesity and other factors that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. So, you know, not good. “Instant ramen is notoriously high in sodium,” explains Michelle Dudash , RDN, Cordon Bleu-certified chef and author of Clean Eating for Busy Families , noting that some brands contain 72 percent of the daily-recommended sodium limit per package. The packaged noodles are also made with refined grain flour, fried in palm oil, and are hardly redeemed by the teensy bit of dehydrated vegetables they contain. Consequently, Dudash puts them squarely in the

5 Obscure Nutrients: Why We Need Them and How Grok Got Them

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Everyone reading this knows about the macronutrients. You’re all eating enough protein, fat, carbs, and the various sub-categories, like fiber , omega-3s , MUFAs , SFAs , linoleic acid, and so on. You know the major micronutrients, like magnesium, calcium, vitamin B12 , and most of the minor (but still vital) ones, like plant polyphenols , iodine , and vitamin K2 . Today I’ll be talking about the truly obscure nutrients. The ones health food hipsters were super into like, five years ago (“I’m taking beta-1,3-glucan, you probably haven’t heard of it, there’s only one group at Hokkaido University doing any research, you can only get it off the DarkNet using bitcoins”). The ones  Grok was super into like, 50,000 years ago. What are they, what do they do for us, and, if they’re so great, how did Grok obtain them? Beta-glucans Beta-glucans are fibrous carbohydrates that make up the cell walls of certain organisms . They’re found in oats, yeasts, and—most relevant to you—mushrooms. Rath

Gotta Get To Werk

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“Guys, just give me five more minutes of peace while I finish this blog post!” Mazen and I have been talking about work lately. I have explained to him that people have to work to earn money to pay for food, bills, housing, toys, etc. He knows that mommy “writes blog posts”, that daddy “works at the sandwich shop” and Thomas “builds houses”. Mazen wants to be a superhero when he grows up Speaking of work, I’ve really been enjoying my new coaching role at Designed To Fit Nutrition . I’m on my 10th client, and I’ve gotten the hang of the meal plan software, so I’m starting to get more efficient each week. My clients can expect to see a lot of real food and a great variety of easy recipes! Anne let me know that the Joyful Eating program is about to start up again. The six-week program focuses on intuitive and mindful eating – something we all need to work on. And they also have a new self-study program that is great if you like to absorb information at your own pace. Warm banana o

Clean Eating Cherry Beet Smoothie Recipe

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I think I’ve mentioned, I don’t like beets. I’ve never liked beets. I want to like beets. I continue to cook beets in the hopes that I will learn to like beets. I still don’t like beets. But I had them for breakfast the other morning and MAN were they good! You see, I had some left over from my last recipe and just could not bring myself to eat them as they were, despite the fact that everyone else loved them. So I got creative and ended up with this surprisingly sweet and delicious smoothie. They actually aren’t too bad when served a little on the sweet side and I know they have crazy good health benefits. So if I’m going to have them, then this is the way I’ll make them. You can’t “beet” a beautiful smoothie first thing in the morning!! Just sayin’. YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY: RECIPES USED: Recipe from the Gracious Pantry archives, originally posted 1/24/13. Clean Eating Cherry Beet Smoothie Recipe   Author: Tiffany McCauley | The Gracious Pantry.com Yield: Approxima