Hannah – Advanced Nutrition Services, LLC

Name: Pulse Tacos
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 12 tacos
Ingredients: , Pulse Filling:; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 onion, thinly sliced; 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; 1 tbsp chili powder, (heaping) (18 mL); 1 tsp cumin, ground; 1 cup lentils, green, (250 mL); 1 19 oz can chickpeas, or your favourite beans; rinsed and drained; 2 cups water, (500 mL); 1/2 tsp salt, (2 mL); 1/2 tsp hot sauce, your favourite; , Taco Toppings:; head lettuce, Bibb or iceberg; 12 taco shells, hard; few handfuls cheddar cheese, or taco blend; shredded; salsa, Your favourite; large bunch cilantro, fresh; 2 lime, cut into wedges

Pulses Are Delicious, Affordable, and Sustainable

Hannah — Wed, 26 Aug 2020 09:00:25 +0000

Pulses are the superfood you’ve never heard of… until now. Pulses are the edible seeds of various legumes such as dry peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas. The term “pulses” is derived from the Latin word “pulse” which means “thick soup”.

What makes pulses delicious, affordable, and sustainable?

Pulses are packed with essential nutrients such as protein, fiber, folate, iron and potassium. Pulses can contain up to 2-3 times more protein per serving than wheat, oats, or rice. A 1/2 cup serving of lentils has as much protein as 2 cups of rice! Not only are these nutrient-dense super food seeds healthy for you, they are delicious, affordable and sustainable.
Pulses can be cooked in a million delicious ways – they can be used as a vegetable, meat substitute, and even in smoothies and desserts!

Try a variety of cooked pulses in your favorite salad, soup, stew, curry, casserole, spaghetti or meat sauce. Adding pulses can increase the nutrient content and volume of a meal while reducing cost.
Try incorporating pulses in your favorite dips, smoothies, brownies, cakes, and breads using chickpea or pea protein flour or mashed or pureed pulses for an extra boost of nutrients. It won’t alter the flavor of your dish very much!

Pulses are and have been a staple in many cuisines around the world for centuries. They are found in almost every supermarket or grocery store around the country and are cheaper than other protein sources like meat. The cost of one serving of lentils (1/2 cup) is about $0.10, whereas beef can cost up to $1.49 for a similar serving.

Finally, pulses are good for the environment and leave a smaller carbon footprint than other food sources, especially meat and poultry. They grow very well and provide much needed nutrients to surrounding crops. Additionally, they use one tenth of the water than other proteins. It takes only 43 gallons of water to make one pound of pulses compared to 800 – 1,800 gallons of water to produce the same amount of animal protein (beef, pork, chicken, etc.).

Now that you know how awesome pulses are, how will you use them in your next meal? See the recipe below for some inspiration! If you want other great ideas and recipes, check out USA Pulses to learn more.

Print Recipe

Pulse Tacos

RECIPE CONTRIBUTED BY: Chef Michael Smith

Source: pulses.org

Course: Dinner

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 40 min

Total Time: 45 min

Yield: 12 tacos

Serves: 12

Ingredients

Pulse Filling:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onion thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1 tbsp chili powder (heaping) (18 mL)
1 tsp cumin ground
1 cup lentils green, (250 mL)
1 19 oz can chickpeas or your favourite beans; rinsed and drained
2 cups water (500 mL)
¹⁄₂ tsp salt (2 mL)
¹⁄₂ tsp hot sauce your favourite
Taco Toppings:
head lettuce Bibb or iceberg
12 taco shells hard
few handfuls cheddar cheese or taco blend; shredded
salsa Your favourite
large bunch cilantro fresh
2 lime cut into wedges

Directions

Make the pulse filling:
Splash the vegetable oil into a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions, garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Sauté until the vegetables soften and the spice flavours brighten, 3 or 4 minutes. Stir in the lentils, beans, water, and salt. Bring the works to a slow, steady simmer. Cover tightly and continue slowly cooking until the lentils are tender, 35 minutes or so. Stir in the hot sauce.
Assemble the tacos:
Fit a full leaf of lettuce into a hard taco shell. This will hold the fillings in when the hard shell inevitably breaks. Fill each taco with a heaping spoonful of the lentil bean filling. Pack with cheese, salsa, and cilantro. Serve with the lime wedges and share!

Amount Per Serving (12)

Calories: 200
Protein: 8g
Sugar: 4g
Carbohydrate: 27 g
Fat: 7 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 210 mg
Fiber: 5g

You Don’t Know Sugar…or do you?

Hannah — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 09:00:33 +0000

Sugar is often declared as evil or the enemy of good health. While excess amounts of sugar in many foods can lead to weight gain, which in turn can increase risk for obesity and other chronic diseases, it’s not necessarily the enemy.

First of all, what is sugar? Many of us think of sugar as the white granules used to make our favorite cakes, pies, cookies, and pastries, but sugar is actually used for much more than that. In fancy science terms, sugar is sucrose. Sucrose is a carbohydrate, which one of the Big Three macronutrients that provide us with energy: protein, fat, and carbohydrate. So, sugar is just a carbohydrate that’s found in a variety of foods, from fruits, vegetables, and nuts to bread, tomato sauce, and canned baked beans. Sugar can be used to make things sweet, but also balance out things that are really sour (like salad dressing or ketchup) and prevent the spoilage of foods (like bread, canned goods, and ready-to-eat foods).

5 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Sugar

1) Sugar comes from the sugar beet and sugar cane, which are plants grown in 17 states across the United States. Once the plants are harvested, the juice is squeezed out of the plant, heated, crystallized, and dried to create the familiar sweet, white granules.

2) Unlike many crops, most of the byproducts of sugar processing are reused and recycled in a variety of ways. During the refining process, molasses (the less sweet, sticky brown product) can be used by bakers for bread and baked goods and farmers for animal feed. The leftover fibrous sugar cane stalk, called bagasse, can be used to generate electricity, make food and drink packaging, glue and cement, and even Legos! The sugar beet residue can be used for animal feed or further processed to make other food products. Finally, the water that’s filtered out of the juice (called “sweetwater”) can be pumped back into the system and reused.

3) You’ve probably seen both white sugar and brown sugar in the store, and may have even gotten confused when recipes ask to use one or the other. What’s the difference and does it matter which one you use? White sugar like granulated sugar, powdered sugar, or sanding sugar contain little or no molasses. The brown sugars such as light/dark brown sugar, turbinado sugar, and muscovado sugar contain different amounts of molasses. The darker the sugar, the more molasses it has. Fun fact! White granulated sugar and brown sugar can be used interchangeably, but know that brown sugar will bring a little more moisture and richer molasses flavor. When baking, try half the amount of white sugar and half the amount of brown sugar instead of all white sugar – the moisture in brown sugar can help keep your baked goods chewy and soft.

4) Sugar is such a versatile ingredient, it can be used for so much more than just adding sweetness. Sugar is used as a flavor enhancer, bulking agent, and mouthfeel enhancer for dairy products, breads and cereals, salad dressing, pickles, canned fruits and vegetables, prepared foods, frozen foods, fermented foods, and other confectionery. It can also be used to increase shelf life and decrease/inhibit microbial growth and spoilage in breads and cereals, bakery products, condiments and sauces, jam and jelly, canned foods, and so much more.

5) Sugar has many more uses beyond food (say what??). In the cosmetic industry, sugar is used as a moisturizer, an exfoliant, and even as a preservative to make lipstick last longer. In your home and garden, sugar can be used to extend the life of flowers – add three teaspoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of vinegar in a quart of water and add freshly cut flowers. The flowers feed off of the sugar and the vinegar reduces bacteria growth.

Cool, right? Check out this recipe for homemade bubbles with just a little sugar, dish soap, and water.

The Impossible Truth (About the Impossible Burger)

Hannah — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 09:00:40 +0000

One of the biggest food trends right now is eating plant-based: this means eating less meat and more plant foods. Even the most meat-eating of carnivores say the Impossible Burger mimics a traditional beef burger in terms of taste, texture, and aroma, but how is this “impossible” feat accomplished and what does that mean nutritionally?

The Impossible Burger’s ingredient list may look pretty intimidating, but each of the ingredients serve a very specific purpose that contribute to the finished product. The main ingredients are water, soy protein concentrate, coconut oil, sunflower oil, potato protein, heme (soy leghemoglobin), yeast extract, salt, binders, B-vitamins and some minerals.

The “heme” ingredient (soy leghemoglobin) is the main genetically engineered ingredient made from soy and yeast to produce the signature beef flavor. After all, “heme” iron is the component that makes beef taste like, well, beef. Over the years, genetically modified foods have gotten a bad rap – understandably. Science is a pretty scary thing, especially if the technology is new and unfamiliar. But this doesn’t mean GMO foods are bad or harmful, nor does it mean that we should make the world full of “super-crops”. Adequate and rigorous testing, rules, and regulations are definitely needed to make sure things are safe. Since I can go on and on about GMO foods, we’ll leave that post for another day.

Another key ingredient is the soy protein concentrate, which contributes to the protein content of the burger. Soy protein concentrate is considered a high quality protein, as measured by the protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS). This score evaluates how digestible proteins are based on amino acid content and digestibility. Eggs and beef are almost 100% digestible with a score of 0.98 (highest being 1.0). Soy is 95% digestible with a score of 0.95. Newer studies have found a range score of 0.91 to 1.0 for soy protein concentrate and the Impossible Burger contains a published PDCAAS of 0.99. Soy protein concentrate also has fiber and several vitamins and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus.

Finally, the coconut oil and sunflower oil add to its flavor and juiciness when cooked.

We know that the Impossible Burger does a wonderful job of mimicking the taste and texture of a beef patty, but what does it look like nutritionally?

Impossible Burger Facts


Serving size	4 ounces (113 grams)
Calories	240
Total fat	14 grams (g)
Saturated fat	8 grams (g)
Trans fat	0 grams (g)
Cholesterol	0 milligrams (mg)
Sodium	370 milligrams (mg)
Total carbohydrate	9 grams (g)
Dietary fiber	3 grams (g)
Total sugars	<1 gram (g)
Added sugars	<1 gram (g)
Protein	19 grams (g)

At first glance, there’s a couple things that stand out. First of all, there’s quite a bit of sodium – definitely more than the average beef patty (3.5 ounces of 80% lean / 20% fat cooked, pan-broiled ground beef patty has 83 mg sodium). This makes sense – you need a flavor enhancer like salt to make the burger taste good. However, Americans today consume about 50% more sodium than is recommended, much of this is hidden in these types of foods. You might already know that canned soups, frozen dinners, and processed/packaged foods have a lot of sodium, but did you also know that bread, cereal, pasta, sandwiches, deli meat and salad dressing actually make up most of the sodium we consume? While for much of the population, sodium intake does not pose an issue, but for those with heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, and several other diseases, too much sodium can be harmful. It’s recommended that healthy adults have less than 2,300 mg (about one teaspoon of table salt) to decrease their chances of getting one of these diseases.

Remember, sodium is not bad, but it is important to be conscientious of the sodium content in the foods we eat to make sure we aren’t overdoing it.

The second thing that stands out is the saturated fat content. The coconut and safflower oil definitely add to the saturated fat content. Neither of these oils are necessarily bad for you, but it’s important to be aware of saturated fat content. The USDA currently recommends that less than 10% of calories per day can come from saturated fat as part of a healthy diet – that would be about 22 grams of saturated fat for a 2,000 calorie diet. Having only 8 grams of saturated fat in an Impossible Burger doesn’t seem like a lot, but if you take into consideration all the other things the average American eats (fast food, processed foods, baked goods), it can add up.

To create a plant-based burger that looks, tastes, smells, and feels like real beef is definitely an accomplishment and a step towards more sustainable eating practices. While it does taste good, it’s important to keep in mind what you’re eating and make sure you have it in moderation.

References:

Gertjan Schaafsma, The Protein Digestibility–Corrected Amino Acid Score, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 130, Issue 7, July 2000, Pages 1865S–1867S, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/130.7.1865S
Report of an FAO Expert Consultation, Dietary protein quality evaluation in human nutrition, FAO Food and Nutrition Paper, http://www.fao.org/ag/humannutrition/35978-02317b979a686a57aa4593304ffc17f06.pdf
The Impossible Burger: Made from Plants. Impossible Foods. https://impossiblefoods.com/burger/. Accessed July 21, 2020.
You May Be Surprised by How Much Salt You’re Eating. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/you-may-be-surprised-how-much-salt-youre-eating. Accessed July 21, 2020.

Prebiotics and Probiotics – The Dynamic Duo

Hannah — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 09:00:36 +0000

Probiotics are most commonly known as the “good bugs” found naturally in your gut. Found in a variety of fermented foods like yogurt and kefir to sauerkraut and kombucha, probiotics can be helpful in improving gut health, increasing immunity, and reducing inflammation associated with several diseases (Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease).

Nutrition research says that probiotics can indeed be beneficial, so why do we care about prebiotics? More importantly, what are prebiotics and what foods contain them?

I like to think of prebiotics as the stuff that feeds the “good bugs” in your gut. In order to keep your gut bacteria healthy, it needs to be fed the right type of food. This gut “food” is a type of non digestible, fermentable fiber.

Hopefully the term fiber is not a stranger to you. You may have heard that fiber “keeps me regular”, “makes my heart healthy”, and “helps me feel full”. While yes, fiber does all of those things, it also feeds the good bacteria in your gut. Fiber (aka “roughage”) is a plant-based compound found in fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, whole grains, and nuts. Foods such as leeks, onions, banana, garlic, beans, artichokes, apples, and whole grains are high in fiber and contribute to a healthy gut.

Should I have prebiotics or probiotics?

Trick question, the answer is both! For optimal gut health, it is best to have both prebiotics and probiotics. Having a good variety of both in your diet contributes to synergy.

Synergy is the combined power of a group of things, when they are working together, which is greater than the total power achieved by each working separately. – Cambridge English Dictionary

When you combine these two types of foods (bananas on yogurt or miso soup with onions), you have a powerful “synbiotic” food pairing, which is not only delicious but also really healthy for your gut!

If you have stomach issues (ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s, or other stomach condition) or a weakened immune system and are considering adding pre and probiotics to your diet, it would be beneficial to talk with a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) to figure out a personalized eating plan.

References:

Marchesi JR, Adams DH, Fava F, et al. The gut microbiota and host health: a new clinical frontier. Gut. 2016;65(2):330-339.
Giorgetti G, Brandimarte G, Fabiocchi F, et al. Interactions between Innate Immunity, Microbiota, and Probiotics. J Immunol Res. 2015;2015:501361-501361.
Sood A, Midha V, Makharia GK, et al. The probiotic preparation, VSL#3 induces remission in patients with mild-to-moderately active ulcerative colitis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2009;7(11):1202-1209, 1209.e1201.
Saez-Lara MJ, Gomez-Llorente C, Plaza-Diaz J, Gil A. The role of probiotic lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria in the prevention and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and other related diseases: a systematic review of randomized human clinical trials. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:505878. doi:10.1155/2015/505878

Nutrition for Immunity

Hannah — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 09:00:05 +0000

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are looking for every opportunity to boost our immunity and prevent illness (including yours truly). On their own, our immune systems to an incredible job of defending us from foreign invaders. We are exposed to hundreds of millions of bacteria, parasites, and viruses each day, yet most of us rarely get sick. However, we’ve seen that in the outbreak of COVID, HIV/AIDS, Spanish Flu, Swine Flu, and countless other pandemics, our immune systems can sometimes fail us.

What can we do to possibly make our immune systems stronger so they can better protect us against these devastating diseases? Can we change our diet? Should we take vitamins or other supplements? What lifestyle changes can we make to give ourselves a fighting chance against all these pathogens?

The immune system is a complex balance of many body systems working together and research isn’t exactly sure how all these components communicate to create our immune response to pathogens. We do know one thing: to keep your immune system strong and healthy, your whole body needs to be strong and healthy.

Antioxidants

Good ol’ fruits and veggies have nutrients with immune-boosting powers. These nutrients are known as antioxidants, such as beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, zinc, copper, and iron.

Beta carotene is found in orange and red fruits and vegetables (think “carrot” for “carotene”) and is a component of vitamin A. Tomatoes, carrots, sweet potato, oranges, apples, bell peppers, cantaloupe, and anything with a natural red-orange hue has beta carotene.
Vitamin C is known to be found mainly in citrus fruits, but did you know that papaya, bell peppers, strawberries, and cantaloupe are some of the highest sources of vitamin C? (Hey, aren’t those foods red-orange too?) Still, oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit are also super high in Vitamin C. Regardless of any fruit or vegetable you choose, it’s likely to be a good, great, or excellent source of vitamin C.

While I can go on and on about what foods contain antioxidants, it’s better (and easier) to eat a large variety of fruits and vegetables with a wide array of colors to make sure you have all the essential nutrients. Think of it as eating the rainbow!

Exercise

Research has found that regular exercise can boost your metabolism, maintain a healthy weight, reduce stress, control blood pressure and improve overall health. Does this mean you need to run 10 miles or go to the gym every day? No! You can get plenty of mild to moderate exercise doing ordinary, everyday activities.

Cleaning – dust, mop, sweep, and vacuum to sneak in a few more exercise minutes (and clear out some dust bunnies too)
Cooking – hustling and bustling around the kitchen chopping veggies and washing dishes definitely counts as physical activity
Parking – park farther away from wherever you want to go, this will help you get more steps

Hippocrates once said that walking is the best medicine, and he was right. Today we know that being more active improves your overall health and, consequently, your immune health as well.

Hygiene

Today, more than ever, personal hygiene is the pinnacle of health. Hand washing, mask-wearing, covering cough/sneeze, social distancing, cleaning and disinfecting, and being vigilant of signs and symptoms of infection are more important than they’ve ever been. Hands down, one of the best ways to keep your immune system strong and healthy is to not get sick. To protect yourself and others, please:

Wash your hands. This is important especially after being in a public place, blowing your nose or touching your face, or after touching animals or pets. If you can’t wash your hands, using hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol should do the trick until you reach a sink.
Wear a face covering. This is to protect both yourself and others from any germs that you carry, especially highly infectious ones.
Social distancing. It may be hard to stay away from your friends and family during this time, but maintaining a minimum distance of 6 feet will protect everyone.

Finally, remember that to stay healthy it’s important to both social distance and wear a face covering. You wouldn’t forgo a seatbelt because airbags work, nor would you forgo airbags because a seatbelt works.

I hope these tips for boosting immunity are helpful. Stay happy and healthy!

Please see the following links about COVID-19 information and safety.

https://www.eatright.org/coronavirus

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public