Canahua – Quinoa’s cousin

A ‘new’ whole grain (well pseudo-grain actually) is making waves in the world of nutrition.  I say ‘new’ because Canuhua (pronounced “Kaniwa”) has been used for years as an Andean staple but the grain is just starting to go main stream here in North America.  Why now? Canahua, like its cousin quinoa, is high in many nutrients but unlike its cousin, Canahua comes without the saponin found on quinoa.

Saponin is a toxic substance resident on the outside of quinoa that temporarily makes your epithelial cells permeable.  Epithelial cells are the cells that line your insides. Saponin is the same substance that allows us to take our flu vaccine as a nasal spray just for that reason.  It also gives quinoa its bitter taste.  That’s why you need to rinse quinoa prior to cooking.  Because Canahua has been around for so long, I was able to find a really extensive list of literature on its nutrient content.  Some of the grains highlights’ are here:

1. High in antioxidant properties (unusual for a grain)

2. High in calcium (unusual for a grain)

3. High in iron (expected for a grain actually)

4. High in protein as grains go (as with quinoa)

5. And my favorite – high in ‘soluble’ fibre (the kind that keeps you fuller longer 😉

All these benefits and without the rinsing too!  My suggestion?  Get yourself down to Whole Foods and try some – it cooks just like white rice with a little less water (1 and 2/3 cups water to 1 cup grain, simmer for 15 minutes, let stand for 5, fluff and serve) – Enjoy!

Do you eat in front of the TV? That might be why you’re eating more than you think….

We are born with the innate ability to know both when we’re hungry and when we’ve had enough to eat. Listening to our cues of hunger and satiety are critically important in maintaining a healthy body weight.  Given the obesity epidemic in North America today, it’s safe to say we’ve collectively ‘unlearned’ that innate ability to say when enough is enough.  But can you re-learn this skill?  The answer is YES!

The old adage that it takes 20 minutes for your mind to catch up with your stomach is actually true.  Which means if you want to receive the message your body is sending you that you’ve had enough to eat, you need to slow down.  Research suggests you also need to pay attention to the internal ‘conversation’ happening within your body in order to actually hear the message it’s sending you. This means you have to be present and aware during the eating process.

Here are some tips to help you slow down and become more aware of your body’s cues of satiety:

1. When you’re eating – just eat.  No books, no TV, no computer or smart phones, sit yourself down at a table and just eat.

2. Start a conversation – you know what they say about the French Paradox – it likely has more to do with the fact that they are social eaters than anything else.

3. Have a glass of water – it will help you slow down and ‘disengage’ from the act of eating momentarily.

4. Enjoy your food!  Seems silly to say, but being mindful and appreciative of the flavors and textures of your food will help you slow down and listen to what your body is telling you.

Food for flight?

No matter where you are, following the plate model for any meal should be the goal.  That includes airports and on planes.  Most airports (especially in North America) will have somewhere you can purchase a salad – so my advice, get one.  But veggies only make up half the plate – you still need some quality starch and some protein.  The answer is pure genius!

Try dried packaged soup mix such as Nile Spice Black Bean or Split Pea Soups.  These soups are high in fibre and protein and come in their own package so no need for a bowl, they are freeze dried to maximize nutrient retention, and are completely preservative free.  … The best part is all you have to do is add water; this you can find at any coffee shop in the airport or request water from the steward on the plane, you just have to ask.  Now pull out some handy whole grain crackers from your bag like ‘Grains First’ or ‘Finn Crisps’ (or ask the steward for some in a pinch) and with your salad, you’ve got a complete meal.  You’ve also followed the plate model for maximum blood sugar control so you’ll have the energy you need to be productive when you arrive at your destination.  I told you this was genius – enjoy!

It’s so important to get enough fibre when trying to lose weight.  Why?  It keeps you feeling full and satisfied longer.  I know, I know, you’ve heard all this before, especially from me so I’m not here to re-preach the benefits of fibre for weight loss.  Instead, I’d like to introduce you to a new fibre filled product.  Meet “Nutracleanse”.  Absolutely terrible name I’ll admit!  And for all of you who know us here at Spectrum, you know we don’t advocate for ‘cleansing’.  This product could better be thought of as ‘bran buds without the wheat’ – good news for all of you who don’t tolerate wheat or gluten well.

With 14g fibre in a 1/3 cup and only 140 calories, you could add this product to yogurt, sprinkle it on top of a crumble, mix it in to a cookie or muffin recipe, use it as the ‘breadcrumbs’ in a particular recipe dish.

This product is produced locally and distributed everywhere: CLICK HERE to find a store near you selling the stuff…and enjoy!

I was asked a very good question at a presentation I gave a week or two ago and thought everyone might want to hear the answer.  The question was this: should we even be drinking milk with all the hormones and antibiotics that is found in milk these days….Good question!  The answer is YES…because you can easily find milk without antibiotics or hormones and still get all the benefits of drinking milk.

The milk we drink in Canada is produced in Canada so if you are concerned about what’s in the milk you drink – all you have to do is ask the producer. I did ask; Montreal’s “Natrel” in fact (the same company responsible for “Island Farms” here in BC).  The results were astonishing.  Did you know that Bovine Growth Hormone is illegal to give to cows producing milk in Canada? Natrel has told me they test all their milk and if any such hormone is found the milk is immediately rejected at the expense of the producer.  Antibiotics on the other hand are not illegal, but Natrel rejects any and all shipments of milk that contain traces of antibiotics in them forcing their producers to raise cows in such a manner so as not to require antibiotics or they won’t be able to sell their milk.

So you see, if you’re concerned about the foods you ask, just do a little digging and you might save yourself a whole lot of grief agonizing about how to go without your beloved yogurt in the morning.

By the way, Island Farms products are sold just about everywhere and I’ve even now seen the Natrel brand proper at Whole Foods.  If anyone takes the time to call Dairyland or Lucerne – post what you discover on our Facebook Page.

Have you ever found yourself wondering – how many calories ISin that ….pasta, potato, yam, beet, corn, squash etc.?

I think of these foods in terms of how many calories are in them on average per gram.  So if you eat 100g of a particular food cooked, you can calculate how many calories you’re taking in.  The list below gives you what we’ve worked out at Spectrum Nutrition as the average ‘calories per gram’ in certain foods:

• Cooked pasta (includes white, smart and whole wheat) = 1.4 calories per gram
• Squash = 0.5 calories per gram
• Corn (kernels) = 0.7 calories per gram (about 100 calories per cobb)
• Potato, sweet potato and yam = 0.8 calories per gram
• Beets = 0.8 calories per gram
• Avocados:
  • Hass (small ones) = 1.7 calories per gram
  • Florida (large ones) = 1.2 calories per gram

So you can see if you eat 150g of cooked potatoes (about 1 cup) that’s going to ‘cost’ you only 120 calories – now that’s some information you can use!

You know, we get A LOT of questions about things like the ‘paleo diet’ or the ‘precision diet’ (or Gundry, Atkins and every other carb-a-phobe diet you can think of); the biggest hang-up people seem to have is accepting that ‘carbs’ are not the enemy.  Now don’t get me wrong…I’m not suggesting you head out and fill your plate with white bread and white rice!  But skipping the ‘grain’ category means skipping out on your main energy foods.  Grains also provide many nutrients like iron and quite a few B vitamins that are important for health.

So instead of steering clear of grains altogether, try these super hardy whole grain mixtures as part of your meal to boost your energy and nutrition!

1. Mix equal parts of black barley, pot barely and oat groats or spelt berries together.  Simmer 1 cup with 2 cups of water for about an hour (just like you would cook brown rice, only a little bit longer 😉 – and WOW! You’ve got a whole grain medley that will keep you going all day! (Contains about 170 calories per cooked cup and 8g fibre)

2. Kelly’s Hardy Whole Grain Muesli: see our recipe section for full recipe, but basically you mix equal parts of rolled oats (the old fashion kind), rolled rye, rolled barley and add in a small amount of dried fruit and seeds.  No need for cooking – add this mixture to some Non-fat Greek Yogurt and you’ve got a high fibre, long lasting breakfast or snack – enjoy!

***All these grains can be purchased at most health foods stores including Whole Foods in the bulk bins***

Have you ever wondered how many calories are in a bowl of Pho? The nutritional information is actually quite tough to track down but after some digging, here is what we found.

For those of you who don’t know, pho is a Vietnamese dish consisting of predominately rice noodle (which has little to no fiber), with some beef or chicken, very few veggies and salty broth.  One large bowl of Chicken Pho (equivalent to ~3 cups) has approximately 600 calories. Not so shabby if calories were all you were concerned about.  At Spectrum Nutrition we recommend using the plate model so your meal lasts as long as it should while keeping calories in check.  Pho actually has all the right ingredients for the plate model, but there are far too many noodles and not enough vegetables; with some slight modifications however, you can fit a bowl of Pho into the plate model.

Here is what I would recommend to makeover this meal:

1. Choose chicken, shrimp, or tofu versus beef to keep calories down.

2. Specify that you would like a ½ portion of noodles (this could trim nearly 150 kcals off your meal).

3. Ask for extra vegetables in the soup (you might pay extra for this – but well worth it, just ask your waistline).

4. Take advantage of the bean sprouts that are served with the soup for an extra boost of veggies.

If you live in Vancouver, it’s hard to not develop a love affair with sushi. But the truth is for sushi to be ‘healthy’ you must choose wisely. You can easily hit your daily quota for calories and sodium in one meal if you aren’t careful, not to mention most sushi falls short on fibre. I have dug up the nutrition information for some popular sushi items below to help you navigate your options:

• 1 piece Nigiri (raw fish/seafood on rice) = ~60 calories, 5g protein
• 1 piece sashimi (~ 1oz raw fish/seafood)= ~30 calories, 5g protein
• Cucumber Roll = 135 calories
• California Roll (6 pieces) = 255 calories
• Tuna Roll = 185 calories
• Spicy Tuna Roll = 290 calories
• Dynamite Roll = 500 calories
• Miso Soup (1 cup) = 40-70 calories (depending on tofu)
• Edamame (1 cup in pods = ~3/4 cup of beans) = 150 calories, 12g protein, 6g fibre
• 1 piece Tempura = ~145 calories
• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce =  10 calories, 900-1000mg Sodium

As you can see, not all sushi is created equally. So next time you place your order, here’s what I recommend:

Starch: For women, one sushi roll (6 pieces) and for men 1.5 rolls (9 pieces) is appropriate. Avoid rolls with tempura, cream cheese, extra mayonnaise or creamy drizzles (these yummy extras will cost you serious calories). And always remember to choose brown rice, it’s a whole grain and has more fibre than white (every little bit counts!)

Protein: For women, order 3 pieces (3oz) of sashimi and 5 pieces for the men; this will cover your protein needs. Dislike raw fish? Choose a serving of edamame instead…and you’ll get the added bonus of 6g of filling fibre!

Vegetables: Always ask for a side of steamed veggies-they add bulk and will help the meal last you longer. Add the veggies to a small bowl of miso soup for a little more excitement 😉