Cheap, Fresh, Local.

The purpose of this blog is to help people figure out ways to incorporate whole foods in to their diet without spending too much money. There is a perception that eating a vegan diet is very expensive compared to an omnivorous diet. The fact is there are plenty of easy ways to go vegan and eat well on a budget. One of the best and healthiest ways to do this is to cut out the processed foods and start eating more whole foods. Farmers markets are a great place to nab deals on fresh fruit and vegetables.

Most farmers markets offer a table of food at a reduced price like the one shown in the picture above. These are foods that are just a little past their peak but haven’t quite gone bad yet. This is a great option for those of us who want fresh local foods but can’t always afford produce at full price.

These cheaper produce options aren’t always the ones we would have chosen regularly. Use this as an opportunity to get creative and try new foods. Find recipes using any ingredient at www.vegweb.com. Just search the name of the fruit or vegetable and dozens of recipes will pop up.
(To find out more tricks about using vegweb click here)

At this farmers market we ended up buying 2 eggplant, 1 red pepper, 5 zucchini, and a bag of 10-12 lemons and limes for only $6! Perfect for pasta primivera and lemon pellegrino.

Health vs. Habit: Nutritionists Trading Facts for Convenience and Cravings

What happens when sound health advice is trumped by flashy titles and the fight for commercial success? Today with so many places to advertise selling media, especially articles, can be a difficult task. The result in the health world is often selling “quick, fast, easy, health”. This often plays a big role in providing well-meaning readers with misleading advice.

I am a big reader of Well+Being from the Washingtonian. I have a friend who writes for the column and I am always drawn by their catchy headlines and the articles seldom disappoint.

That being said, there is one series of articles that is an exception to this rule called, “Healthiest (And Scariest)”. These articles analyze menus at fast food chains to show which items are most and least healthy. They also include nutritionists interviews and quotes in the article, giving a sense of legitimacy to the posts. Nothing wrong with that. The problem lies in experts making unhealthy food appear healthy for the sake of their client’s convenience and cravings. A quote from a recent Healthiest (and Scariest) analyzing the Arby’s menu quotes a nutritionist saying “A healthy eater probably could eat here,” our expert says. “Just not every day.”

So what does that even mean? Every other day? Only on the weekends? And what constitutes a “healthy eater” if they are eating at Arby’s a few times a week?

This recent post on Arby’s raised a question: Should nutritionists give bad advice for the sake of their client’s love of unhealthy food and convenience? Or should they try to set an example of what a good diet should be and find delicious healthy alternatives?

I happen to think the latter is a better method.

Articles like these give people who are trying to eat healthier, but don’t really want to give up their comfort food a scapegoat to order a Beef-n-Chedder with “440 calories, 1,290 milligrams of sodium, and 18 grams of fat.”  (This was the article’s “better” alternative)
These expert scapegoats let their readers feel like they are making a fairly healthy decision when they actually are not. The 1,290mgs of sodium alone is enough to put this sandwich on the “Do Not Eat” list. But the article further justifies this sodium issue saying, “It has only half a gram of trans fat, so I’m happy with that, but it has a lot of sodium. It’s not great, but it’s not extremely bad as long as the person doesn’t have high blood pressure,”

…How do you think a person GETS high blood pressure?  It’s not by eating carrots.

One of the most important goals of a nutritionist should be preventative health. When nutritionists put their names behind circumstantial half truths, they are doing a disservice to the people they are supposed to be helping. Of course, this nutritionist nor this article is the only one of it’s kind. You can easily see questionable nutrition advice on morning talk shows, blogs, and other media outlets. I have even seen nutritionist on popular shows like Good Morning America encouraging their viewers to eat a diet that resembles anorexia. Avoiding as many calories as possible being their main goal with no apparent consideration for health and nutrients.

I do understand why these nutritionists give these scapegoats. Most people are not willing to give up Arby’s or McDonalds, even I won’t give up my Taco Bell Bean Burrito every once in a while. This leads nutritionist to try to fit a (fatty, artery clogging) square into a circular hole. By giving their clients the scapegoat of “moderation” they give them a guilt-free pass to eat unhealthfully. The fact is, even some of the healthiest eaters will indulge in a Taco Bell Bean Burrito without needing someone to falsely reassure them it’s actually healthy.

We will eat food we know is unhealthy no matter what. We shouldn’t have nutritionists telling us it’s an okay or even good decision, when it isn’t. Processed foods that are packed with preservatives and cooked at super high heats are not good for you. Period.

Be aware when you see the words “doctor recommended” or “expert nutritionists” and read health advice carefully and analytically. Always remember that newspapers, magazines, and TV shows have one primary goal, to make money.
Sometimes basic facts get lost for the sake of a catchy headline.

Potatoes are bad for you?

Recently many people have put potatoes on the “do not eat list”. Low carb, high protein diets like Atkins have dieters cutting out carbs and eating more meat for quick weight loss. The Atkins fad has died down considerably, but it left a blemish on our starchy  friend’s good name.
While potatoes are a starchy carb it does not mean they are “bad”. When baked, potatoes are actually high in vitamin C (27% DV), potasium (26%DV), and fiber (15% DV). These and other compounds help against free radicals, heart disease, and cancer.
The real health problem regarding the potato isn’t lurking in the vegetable. It’s what we decide to add to the vegetable. A few buzzwords associated with potatoes are butter, sour cream, deep fried, and ketchup. These high fat/sugar “garnishes” are what give us that little jiggle when we walk, not the potato itself.
So here are a few tips to keep in mind when preparing your pots.

1. Leave the skin on. While the skin doesn’t actually contain any significant nutrients, the layer just under the skin has the highest concentration of vitamins. Peeling off the skin also peels off that rich layer right underneath. 
2. Bake/Microwave>Boiled. Baking or microwaving your potato is the best way to maintain the nutrients.
3. Less fries (sorry). Frying any food in oil immediately does more harm than good. Vegetables are especially porous and will soak up whatever you put them in. When you cook with oil, it not only fries the vegetable’s outer layer, it also soaks up the oil underneath, adding a considerable amount of fat.
   Try to consider french fries and potato chips as a occasional indulgence, not a regular side for lunch. Opt for the side salad instead and try to only treat yourself to fries once in a while.
4. Eat small, colorful potatoes. The smaller the potatoes, the more skin you’ll be eating. Colorful potatoes tend to have more nutrients than white potatoes. Try buying variety bags like the one pictured above.
5. Don’t eat green or sprouting potatoes. This is a sign that your potato may be carrying a toxin called solanine. Solanine develops when potatoes are exposed to sunlight. Not only can these potatoes taste bad, but they sometimes cause health problems like diarrhea and poisoning. Also avoid potatoes marked “prewashed” because this leaves potatoes more vulnerable to going bad. To avoid spoilage, store potatoes in a cool dark place. Do not put potatoes in the fridge, and keep them out of sunlight.

So go grab that variety bag of colorful potatoes and make yourself some Irish stew. They’re delicious, and best of all, they’re cheap. Happy St. Patty’s day!