Why the Plain White Potato is Awesome

The white potato is a bit of a hidden treasure. It's simple and plain. Some people might think it's like white bread or white rice and not so high in nutrients. But, it's not!

What's special about the potato is that it's got a heck of a lot of potassium and B6. Potassium is good for lowering blood pressure & keeping your muscles happy and cramp-free. B6 is needed to help the metabolism of protein and your red blood cells. In a plain, medium potato (~160 kcalories), you'll get 12% of your folate, 12% of your niacin, 27% of your B6 and 26% of your potassium for the day.

To use the potato in a healthy way, have a small or medium one as your starch for the meal - meaning have it instead of rice, pasta, bread, etc. You can bake, roast, or microwave it (make sure to poke holes with a fork in it first). Then add some steamed veggies or a salad to your plate. Also, make sure you have some protein - you might like black beans with a tablespoon of salsa.

Chickpeas Please

I was pulled out of my cooking daze by my boyfriend saying, "You're patting your chickpeas... you need help."

I burst into laughter when I looked down to notice that I was patting my chickpeas with my spatula like I might pat a puppy on the head. I can't help myself! I just love chickpeas! But there are only certain ways I like them. Not a fan of them sprouted, but love them in hummus (roasted red pepper, especially!) and... roasted. And that's how I was adoring them in my kitchen tonight.

The amazing thing about roasted chickpeas is that you can make a whole line of them just by using different spices: cinnamon if you want them sweet, or curry/coriander/turmeric if you want them savory. You could also do garlic-y chickpeas with garlic and onion powder. The list is as long as your spice rack.

And it's unbelievably easy to make.
1. Cook (or buy canned) chickpeas. If you're cooking them - soak them overnight and rinse them before cooking to help reduce the gassy effect of beans. Then cook them on medium heat with enough water so they are constantly covered until they're soft. If you're going for the canned variety, just make sure to rinse them off before using so that you take away some of that added sodium (salt).
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Put them in a bowl, and mix them with whatever spices you want to try. The chickpeas should be coated.
4. Put the chickpeas in a pan and stick them in the oven.
5. Cook for about 35 minutes - you want them to be a little crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Roasted chickpeas make a great snack... you can replace your peanuts with them on Superbowl Sunday to help reduce your caloric intake that day, or if someone has a nut allergy in the house.

Nutritionally-speaking, they've got a good amount of fiber (good for satiety, lowering cholesterol, slowing the release of sugar for diabetics), folate (good for cardiovascular health, nervous system, and it's needed to make new red blood cells), manganese (helps many functions in the body), and protein.

Give it a try and let me know what your favorite spices are!

Pomegranate Power

Unlike most people I know, I grew up eating pomegranates. October would come around, and I would get excited because that meant the pomegranates were on their way. I loved opening them up to reveal hundreds of dark red tiny sacs of tart juice. I would eat the seeds individually or just chomp into them and let the juice drip down my chin like a vampire. Actually - in my family, we would always pull out some old shirt for pomegranate-eating so we didn't stain our clothes. And if you were friends with me when I was a kid - that automatically meant you were going to be introduced to pomegranates.

So, a few years ago when POM first started advertising their juice (before they started selling it), I reverted to that kid when October was drawing near. I could finally get the taste of pomegranate all year round! I knew fruits in general were good for me, high in vitamins and minerals and all that, but the research had not yet come out on just HOW good pomegranates are. Seriously - they kick butt. More flavonoids (a type of antioxidant) then the esteemed red wine (without the negative effects of alcohol like an increased risk of breast cancer), potassium (can help lower blood pressure), calcium (good for bones, muscles), and actually 2.5 grams of protein per fruit! Check out the article I wrote about the mighty pomegranate on FYI Living.

PCRM sues HHS & USDA

Woah! An organization that I love (Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine) has got some serious chutzpah! The group, headed up by Dr. Neal Barnard, is suing the USDA and HHS (Health & Human Services) for not having a healthier alternative to the latest food pyramid ("MyPyramid"). Many find it confusing to read and understand. You have to admit... having a confusing food pyramid is a particular problem considering the number of people who are obese and have subsequent health problems (diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis) because of it. PCRM believes that the government should be more directly addressing these problems with MyPyramid and catering less to agribusiness. They propose using what they created - the Power Plate - which emphasizes beans for protein, grains, fruits, and vegetables. Yum.

What do you think?

Leave of Absence

Hey All!

I am up to my eyeballs in the NYU Dietetic Internship, and wanted to let you know to not expect to hear from me until I can fully reach the surface again (end of December?)! Until then - remember that you can do whatever it is you set your mind to, and go have a healthy day!

-Erica

Plant vs Animal Protein while on a Low-Carb Diet

First off - let me just say that I'm not a fan of low-carb diets. First of all - it's a DIET... which means that most people are going to eat one way while they're on it and then as soon as they stop are going to eat whatever they want. And subsequently gain the weight back. Second, I think that whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are some of the healthiest foods around and restricting them to me just seems silly. All of these foods are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals - making them nutrient-dense foods. Oatmeal, for example, is high in soluble fiber, helping people with high blood cholesterol and high fasting sugar.

That being said, a new study just came out that shows that people on a low-carb diet were better off eating plant-protein than animal-protein. A lot better. The study used data from the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals' Follow Up Study - 85,168 people - and followed them for 26 years (for women) or 20 years (for men).

What the researchers found was that the people on the low-carb diet had a 12% increase in risk of dying for any cause. However, those who reached to the animals for fat and protein had it worse. These folks were 23% more likely to die from any reason, 14% more likely to die from cardiovascular problems and 28% more likely to die from cancer, when compared to those who had more carbohydrates in their diet.

Those who looked to the plants for their fat (like avocado, flax seed oil) and protein (like lentils, tofu, chickpeas) were 20% LESS likely to die from any cause, and 23% less likely to die from cardiovascular problems, when compared to those who had more carbohydrates in their diet. And the more the people ate of the plant-proteins, the greater the protection.

OK, you're convinced. Now, how do you reach for vegetable proteins? Go for beans (lentils, kidney, pinto, black, adzuki, chickpeas (garbanzo)), tofu, edamame, tempeh, seitan, nuts (almonds, walnuts) and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame). And don't forget about quinoa - a seed that acts like a grain and is loaded with protein. Then go crazy. I love this Black Bean Dip Recipe (Whole Foods) or Spiced Lentil Tacos from Self Magazine. Search away - the websites of the NY Times, Whole Foods, Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine and Epicurious all have great recipes.

Buon Appetito!

Worst Kids' Meal

Dear McDonald's, I'm not lovin' it!

The Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine just posted a list of the worst fast food kid's meals, and McDonald's topped the list. I wouldn't even recommend this meal to an adult, let alone a child. Their Mighty Kids Meal featuring a double cheeseburger, small french fries, and a 1% chocolate milk (8 oz) weighs in at 840 calories, 37 grams of fat, and 1460 mg of sodium. 14 grams of that fat is saturated (the bad kind) and there's also 1.5 grams of trans fat (we should all get zero of this).

What does that all mean? Well, aside from the fact that I'm vegan I would never touch this thing, it has more than twice the calories I normally eat in a meal, and way too much fat and sodium. For a 12-year old (who it seems like the "Mighty Kids Meal" is targeted to) who needs around 2000 calories (some do need more), this meal is 42% of how many calories they need in the day. What's worse is that it's more than half of the fat needs for the day, AND reaches how much total sodium they should have in a day. Oy.

Their "best" Mighty Kids Meal is the 6 piece Chicken McNuggets, with the Apple Dippers-Low Fat Caramel Dip, and the Apple Juice Box. This guy has 470 calories, 18 grams of fat (3.5 saturated, none trans), and 660 mg of sodium. I say... make a PB&J at home on whole wheat bread with no-sugar peanut butter, all-natural jelly, and have a whole apple with a glass of soy milk. Yum.

Want to check out the rest of the nutrition information at McDonald's? Click here.