The Water Solution: Younger Skin, More Energy, and Less Flab

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Photo credit: Greg Riegler Photography

Most people (90% of the US population) are dehydrated. While you might not be exhibiting serious signs like vomiting at random and walking around as grog central, your body is still not operating at optimal capacity, your energy level is much lousier than it could be, and you’re storing fat and making wrinkles at mach speed. Health Unicorns, let’s get this under control. No more excuses. Here’s why you need water, how much, and tricks for getting it:

WHY WATER

  • Your skin needs constant hydration. Raisins are dehydrated grapes. Do you like the way raisins look?
  • Discourage chunkiness. Without enough H2O, your kidneys stink at their crucial jobs and your liver picks up the slack… and your liver can no longer do it’s main job of breaking down fat, which encourages fat storage and cellulite on your rumpus.
  • Better sleep, faster metabolism, more energy. Your body is more at peace when it gets enough agua. Without it, you’re restless, slowed down, and strung out. And people notice.
  • Detoxification Nation. Toxins (anything from pollutants, food additives, and heavy metals) can’t white water raft the river out if there’s no river.

CALCULATING HOW MUCH YOU NEED

  • Method 1: Half your body weight in ounces. If you weigh 162 lbs, you need 81 oz of water per day (~2.5 liters).
  • Method 2: The Replacement Method. You lose 1.5 liters in urine, and 1 liter through breathing, sweating, and BMs each day. Your super healthy diet is ~20% water, so get at least 2 liters per day.
  • Method 3: The Man/Woman Approach. Men: 3 liters per day. Women: 2 liters per day (pregnant or breastfeeding women: 3 liters per day).

HOW TO DO IT

  • Drink 8 oz at the start of each meal or snack. Make sure it’s filtered.
  • Get the coolest looking refillable bottle at the most posh store. Keep it at your desk and refill it every time you come back from the loo.
  • Drink water while you’re waiting for your coffee to brew, pasta water to boil, and child to stop asking for a second dessert.
  • Seltzer it or add cucumber slices, or lemon, lime, or orange wedges for a new spin. Add a dash of cayenne pepper to increase it’s detoxifying power.
  • Herbal teas count, and some give you better digestion (ginger, peppermint), better sleep (chamomile), and whiter teeth (I’m sure there’s one).
  • Avoid diet sodas and artificial sweeteners to meet fluid needs. They leave your body wondering why it didn’t get any sugar out of the sweet-tasting beverage, causing you to eventually crave and scavenge for sugary treats.
  • Caffeinated beverages actually aren’t “negative fluid” if you’re a regular user. You get 80-90% of that fluid. But nothing is as good as straight-up filtered H2O. Did you read recently about how too much caffeine can make you hear voices, specifically Bing Crosby singing White Christmas?
  • Take more showers and get it through osmosis. Ha! Don’t you wish?!
  • If none of these tricks work, just bite the bullet and chug. You might like how you feel after a few days!
Other secrets to staying hydrated? And did you know hot water weighs less than cold?

Vegetarian Times: Veg Boot Camp!

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 Check out the June issue of Vegetarian Times, and Veg Boot Camp article on page 58. Time-saving tips from your resident Bitchin’ Dietitian!

Gluten-Free and Fabulous

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It seems like no matter where I am… grocery store, nutrition counseling clinic, REI, playground… I find myself recommending a gluten-free 10-day experiment to folks who are feeling zapped on energy, gassy, irritable, unable to focus, and unexplainably bummed out. So, despite feeling fantastic, focused, and strangely excited by everyday chores, I decided to do, track, and share my own dietitian-approved gluten-free day.

Gluten–which is the Latin word for “glue” (tasty!)–is the protein portion of a wheat kernel, and important in giving wheat flour it’s elasticity. You may have heard of Seitan, aka the “wheat meat”, which is pure wheat gluten, and pure protein. Gluten, unfortunately, is responsible for a whole variety of allergies ranging from very mild and often unnoticeable to extremely painful, disruptive, and seriously serious (such is the case with Celiac disease). Gluten also tends to cause inflammation, and while I’m personally quite a fan of the glue myself, it’s amazing how great people feel after ditching it for 10+ days. Here’s how my gluten-free day tasted:

Breakfast
Gigantic glass of water, 2 cups coffee with soy creamer & sugar
1 slice of DELICIOUS Udi’s Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread (Know of any good egg-free, gluten-free breads?)
Hot cereal made with 1 cup cooked quinoa, raisins, chopped apple, vanilla soymilk, and cinnamon

AM Snack
Water
1 Trader Joe’s FIBERFUL fruit bar
1 plum

Lunch
Water
1 cup baby carrots
Large arugula salad with 3 pieces of homemade baked tofu (recipe in upcoming Trader Joe’s Skinny Dish! book)
2 gluten-free Sesame Cherry Chewies (again in the upcoming Trader Joe’s Skinny Dish! book)
Rice crackers
2 small squares dark chocolate

PM Snack
Water
Apple
Trader Joe’s Roasted Seaweed Snack (whole package)
1/2 Haas avocado w/ sea salt (HEAVENLY!)

Dinner
Water (skipping the Hefeweizen, but could opt for a gluten-free beer)
2 corn tortillas with vegetarian refried beans and loads of stir-fried bell peppers

Late-Night Snack
Water
1 slice Udi’s Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread with peanut butter and sliced banana
Chamomile tea

What I Wanted to Eat But Had to Pass Up…
The kids’ leftover cinnamon raisin toast at breakfast, pretzel sticks, graham crackers, a whole grain tortilla, and a whoopie pie.

If you have the right ingredients on hand, this is totally doable, tasty, and energizing! Other glue-free ideas?

Raw vs. Cooked: Which is Better?

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With raw diets and juicing being all the life-extending rage, what’s the real scoop with raw vs. cooked foods? Check out my recent post on Crazy Sexy Life for all the answers!

You’ll Never Believe What’s in These Brownies!

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No, no, no, Grateful Dead fans. These brownies–which are apparently a newly rebirthed rage in Weight Watchers and among several circles of friends, dietitians, and moms–use black beans instead of flour. Yup, you heard right: gluten-free, flour-less black bean brownies. For dessert! And since we only live once, I’ve taken a fantastic version from the Meal Makeover Moms and replaced the 3 eggs with a hefty dose of flaxmeal and warm water. Don’t be scared… I’ve ADDED 3 crushed candy canes to the batter. And if that still doesn’t negate the fact that there are beans in your dessert, you’ll just have to hold your breath and jump in. These gooey squares of goodness are INCREDIBLE! (As my 5-year-old proclaimed, “These are better than Tings!,” which speaks mountains.)

Gooey Louie Bean Brownies
Makes 9 large squares

3 Tbsp flaxmeal soaked in 1/4 cup warm filtered water for 5 min until a gel forms
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and well-rinsed
3 Tbsp melted Earth Balance margarine, or other non-hydrogenated margarine
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup almond meal (optional, but decreases the goo factor while still keeping the brownies gluten-free)
1 tsp apple cider or rice vinegar
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 crushed candy canes or 1/2 tsp peppermint extract (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flaxmeal and water and set aside. 

In a food processor or blender, process black beans, melted margarine, and vanilla until smooth.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and almond meal (if using).

Stir in the black bean mixture, flaxmeal/water, and vinegar. Add chocolate chips and crushed candy canes or peppermint extract (if using).

Bake in a lightly oiled 9 X 9-inch baking dish for 40-45 minutes until edges start to pull away from the sides of the baking dish.

Nutrition Info Per Square: 225 calories, 7.5 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 291 mg sodium, 37.5 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 21.5 g sugar, 4 g protein, 3% calcium, 22% iron

Don’t you wish you made 2 batches?
Other top-secret ways to weave beans into your day? We want to know!  

Anti-Inflammatory Foods: Extinguishing A Chronic Inner Campfire

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Motivated by a recent knee injury (after diving for a frisbee without a cape), I’ve decided to revisit inflammatory and anti-inflammatory foods.

Back in 2004, before iPads, Time Magazine published an article blaming inflammation for heart attacks, cancer, Alzheimer’s, you name it. So what IS inflammation and how does it do good or evil? I always liked a good campfire. Should I not?

Here’s the deal: During an injury, blood vessels widen (swell) to allow white blood cells to rush to the injured area, repair damage, and wipe out bacteria. This swelling/ inflammation/ “healing” process is what actually causes the pain of an injury, and it’s one of our body’s best defense systems. This is acute inflammation (Funny, because my knee is far from cute!).

 
Now. Injury aside, there are also lots of pro-inflammatory troublemakers that are continuously released in our bloodstream. They’re killer whales that attack healthy cells, blood vessels, and tissues rather than protecting them. And while we can’t live without acute inflammation, this chronic inflammation can wreak havoc over time (like a slow poison), and it rears it’s not-so-purdy head with type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, arterial plaque buildup, heart disease, stroke, colon cancer, digestive disorders such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, allergies, migraines, and fibromyalgia.

Whether your goal is to decrease joint pain, digestive upset, plaque formation, or prevent cancer, here are inflammatory foods to keep to a minimum:

 
Inflammatory Foods to Avoid (more details here)

  • Sugar
  • Common Cooking Oils
  • Refined Grains (white bread, white rice, white pasta, cakes, cookies, etc.)
  • Dairy products
  • Meats
  • Trigger Foods that exacerbate symptoms (many people are sensitive to wheat gluten, corn, and eggs)
  • Alcohol
  • Food Additives
  • Trans Fats

Certain people and certain diseases may be more sensitive to certain foods.  Wheat and dairy tend to be especially common triggers for Crohn’s disease, and meat and alcohol for ulcerative colitis.

People who are chronically stressed maintain a low-grade level of inflammation. So even when food isn’t triggering the inflammation, the body has a harder time fighting illness and disease. Inflammation can be reduced by (obviously) avoiding trigger foods and inflammatory foods, and keeping portion sizes small at mealtime. Overeating also encourages inflammation. A plant-based plan not only avoids the major inflammation triggers, but is especially low in calories, and even includes many of the foods helpful at reducing inflammation.

Anti-Inflammatory Foods to Gulp Down (more details here)

  • Tart cherries, blueberries, raspberries, and lots of other lip-smacking fruits
  • Avocados
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Broccoli, and most green and aromatic veggies like onions and garlic
  • Herbs & Spices: Basil, Cayenne Pepper, Chili Pepper, Cinnamon, Cloves, Mint, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme, Turmeric
  • Cocoa (70% or more) and Licorice
  • Fermented foods (tempeh, miso, etc.)
  • Almonds, Walnuts, Hazelnuts, Sunflower Seeds, Flaxseeds
  • Plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids such as hemp oil and flax oil
How to incorporate these foods? Check out these recipes!

5 Mindless Ways to Drop Calories

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Skimping on portion sizes is an unexciting and semi-painful way to reduce calorie intake. So, along with towering your plate with veggies and eating them for hours on end to encourage health and weight loss, here are foods you can swap out to drop 240 calories a day:

1. Replace skim milk with original flavor almond milk (such as Almond Breeze): Save 50 calories per cup (go hard-core with unsweetened almond milk and save 65 calories per cup)

2. Replace beef or chicken taco meat with soy chorizo (like the incredible one at Trader Joe’s): Save 45 calories per 2.5 ounces and gain 4 grams of fiber

3. Replace 3 tablespoons sugar with 2 tablespoons agave nectar (agave is sweeter than sugar, so this swap is equal in sweetness): Save 25 calories

4. Replace honey wheat bread with double fiber bread: Save 40 calories per slice and gain 5 grams of fiber

5. Replace marinara sauce with tomato sauce (adding dried basil and oregano for flavor): Save 80 calories per cup

Not too hard, right? 14 days of these simple swaps, and you’ve lost 1 pound!

Gas and Bloating be Gone!

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Photo by: Eneas

Whether you’ve upped your bean and veggie intake (Gold star), eat too fast, or just have a sensitive digesteruski system, here are some ways to keep the life-extending farty foods in your diet and even maintain your 80-mile-an-hour chow-down pace while still keeping your friends and pants fully buttoned:

1. Ditch Dairy and Wheat for 3 days. Dairy products (milk, cheese, sour cream, yogurt, ice cream, creamy dressings, etc.), and wheat-containing foods (bread, pasta, flour tortillas, etc.) are often hard for our systems to break down, causing toots, bloating, and inflammation. Replace them with almond milk (Almond Breeze is now in most grocery stores nationwide and even the sweetest vanilla variety has 20 fewer calories than skim milk), gluten-free breads and cereals (Rice Chex), corn tortillas, brown rice, and quinoa. Relief? Keep them out for good.

2. Skip fried foods, processed foods, and refined sugars. While tasty, these guys cause a great deal of indigestion. If you’re opening food packages several times a day, or notice grease on your napkin at the end of a meal, it’s time for a fart redirect.

3. Renew your love for Ginger Rogers. Enjoy hot ginger tea before and after meals, or a teaspoon of fresh grated ginger before meals. Ginger is a big-time gas reliever, digestion easer, and nausea and motion sickness remedy. No wonder Ginger succeeded on the Love Boat!

4. Chow down on Parsley, Fennel, Caraway Seeds, Dill, and Anise. Realistically, this one’s probably not going to happen. But, all these natural compounds are great tummy tuckers and breath fresheners. For extra credit, add them to cooking and enjoy less of the post-meal bloat.

5. Enjoy hot Peppermint tea. Before and after meals, go for herbal tea bags or add a drop of peppermint oil to hot water. Sip, and calm the inner storm.

6. Get yourself some Probiotics. Everyone’s doing it, now’s your turn. Probiotics help restore good bacteria and ease digestion. Foods that are naturally high in probiotics include pineapple, tempeh, kimchi, natto, sauerkraut, and miso. If those don’t sound good, I love Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics Plus Supplement.

7. Go for the Garlic. Which is worse, garlicky breath, or stinky, loosened pants? Fresh garlic stimulates digestion. Order extra.

8. Delve into the Dills. One dill pickle or a teaspoon of pickle juice calms digestion just like gripe water does for babies. There’s a reason restaurants serve pickles alongside greasy burgers and fries.

9. Wheel out trapped gas. When you’re alone, lay on the floor, legs up in the air and move them in a bicycle motion.

10. Cleanse your colon. If all else fails, consider a good colon cleansing. The act of colon cleansing is far from good, but the results are amazing.

Other ideas? Eating less beans or veggies not an option!

Stitchin’ Dietitian: When Cookbook-Writing Attacks!

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Hello Healthies! Posts have been sporadic lately because I’ve been busily writing my top-secret Trader Joe’s “skinny” cookbook. It’s going to be amazing… the answers to all your nutrition and meal-planning needs! In order to get it to Amazon by the 2011 holiday season, I’m writing, testing, eating, and photographing 1-2 new recipes each day (while also galavanting around with the 3 kids, working part-time, and looking together all the while). Manuscript due date: May 1st.

Until, a minor hiccup…

I was “skinnifying” an old Better Homes & Gardens recipe for Pumpkin Drop Cookies, following each old-school step to a T, including “creaming” the margarine & brown sugar together. But when I went to get the stuck margarine out of the immersion blender… well… we’ll leave it there.

So, the following day, I revisited the recipe–this time omitting the margarine-creaming step, which I realized is far too dangerous for healthy people. And guess what? Turns out that step is totally unnecessary! And without it, you can even make it one-handed! Here’s the less risky result (and a sneak peek at the book):

Squash Drop Cookies
Makes 30 cookies
Prep Time: 12 minutes (barring any side trips to the ER)
Hands-Off Cooking Time: 10 minutes

My neighbor, Sara Duke, modified the old Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook version of Pumpkin Drop Cookies by replacing the raisins with chocolate chips to guarantee getting more veggies into her kids. This version is an even skinnier one using whole wheat flour, flaxmeal instead of eggs, less sugar, and squash instead of canned pumpkin, which can be hard to find in winter, spring, or summer. Squash, Drop, and Inhale!

1 Tbsp flaxmeal such as Bob’s Red Mill Whole Ground Flaxseed Meal, soaked in 3 Tbsp warm filtered water for 10 minutes
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 cup Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread or similar margarine, softened to room temp
¾ cup packed brown sugar or ½ cup granulated sugar plus ¼ cup agave nectar
1 ½ cups cooked and mashed squash*, or canned pumpkin (about 1 15-oz can)
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or raisins)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Soak flaxmeal in warm water for 10 minutes until it forms a gel.

Meanwhile, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, soda and nutmeg in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Combine margarine, brown sugar or granulated sugar plus agave, squash, vanilla, and flaxmeal water mixture in a separate, large mixing bowl.

Add dry ingredients to wet mixture, and stir until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop from a tablespoon 1 inch apart onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Best when eaten warm–not hot–fresh from oven.

Store extras in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information Per Cookie: 113 calories, 4.5 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 64 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrates, 1.5 g fiber, 12 g sugar, 1.5 g protein, 6% vitamin A, 2% vitamin C, 2% calcium, 2.5% iron

*Tip: Use a frozen 12-oz pkg of cooked squash–thawed–to save time & energy.

Kitchen mishap stories? They were worth it, right?!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Green Food #3: Shamrock Pancakes!

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Photo by Bitchin' Dietitian, Eaten by Keller Shannon Reilly

Happy Green Foods Day! Today, I challenge you to eat 10 green foods (naturally green… M&M’s don’t count) in honor of St. Pat himself. Today, the Reillys started out with Shamrock Pancakes: Multigrain pancake mix made with flaxmeal & water instead of eggs plus shredded zucchini and green food coloring. Cut out with a shamrock cookie cutter and topped with pure maple syrup. DE. LISH.

The line-up for the rest of the day will include a green apple, green smoothie, arugula salad, roasted collards, cucumber slices, steamed spinach, peas, edamame beans, and lime popsicles.

How will you meet the green challenge today?