"What is Healthy Eating, anyway?"

Andrea Potter • October 28, 2017

Guidelines to make meals by

My baby was having an overdue, epic nap, the company was gone and I finally had time to tackle an intimidating stack of unread emails. (*sigh)
Finally, I open one from a sender I don't recognize. He's a student, attending a local school, doing a Bachelor's degree in Business and Hospitality. His questions about healthy eating actually stopped me in my tracks, then made my start typing feverishly... he had really basic, but super questions. They are questions that I ponder, evaluate, ask my students, investigate... it is the search for the answers to these questions that prompted me to do what I do; nutrition education with a practical life-skill component, or, more accurately, teaching cooking skills from a nutrition perspective.
It's easy for nutritionists to get into the minutia, and even among holistic nutritionists, we have differing perspectives, but these wide-strokes questions about healthy eating helped me nail down some key points:

Q) What is the definition of healthy eating?

As a Holistic Nutritionist, I see each person as unique, and so what is healthy for one person would not necessarily be for another! And so what 'healthy eating' is, is not actually that easy to define. (For example, tomatoes have many healthy anti-oxidant vitamins and can confer an overall benefit for most who eat them, but they are a plant in the nightshade family which can cause inflammation for some people, making it an unhealthy choice for those few)

Healthy eating is really a continuum, not some end-goal of attainment. A healthy diet can be omnivorous, vegetarian or even vegan.

That said, there are the pillars that I use to create a healthy diet that is a fit for most people and here's what I convey in my classes/workshops about that:

1) Choose Homemade food over Corporate-made food.
Seems almost overly-simple, but really, we are already going the right direction by ditching packaged food. Even if people are still using somewhat refined ingredients in their home cooking, they are likely not adding the cheap fillers, chemical additives, artificial and excess sweeteners colours etc.

2) Ditch the sugar (You're sweet enough already!)
The most dramatic health-benefiting action you can take right now is to seriously reduce or get rid of refined sugar! Sugar has a myriad of health consequences and is absolutely unnecessary for health. When avoiding sugar, learn where it lurks, and also avoid refined flour (cookies, pastries, white bread and yes, even most gluten-free items). Easier said than done (which is why I teach about healthier alternatives to refined sugar, baking with sprouted grains and replacing sweets), but once sugar is out, it is amazing what healing can take place! Normalizing weight, balancing blood sugar and reversing diabetes, hormone and mood regulation, reduction of pain and inflammation of all types.

3) The more whole, the better
Choosing foods that are wholesome, or un-refined is key to getting the most nutrients in the diet. When a food is in its 'whole package' it has the right balance of fiber, water and nutrients. When we start breaking or stripping away parts, or 'refining' the food, we get nutrient depletion, or are not able to properly assimilate the nutrients (ie: whole wheat berries into whole flour, then into white flour, we lose the fiber, most of the nutrients and are left with only the starchy endosperm, a blood-sugar-raising food with almost no nutrient value). Choose vegetables and fruits with edible peels, left intact and eaten whole, whole grains, unrefined sweeteners and even unrefined natural salt.
Nutrient-density is another way to look at 'wholesomeness' of food, and takes it another step. Choosing more foods that have high nutrient value compared to caloric values, such as choosing orange squash over white potatoes, or zucchini 'noodles' over white or even whole-wheat pasta.

4) Proper preparation
Switching to brown rice from white, or munching on nuts and seeds instead of processed snacks is a great step towards healthier eating. But both science and traditional food preparation agree- some whole foods need careful preparation to become optimally digestible and nutritious! Soaking and even sprouting or fermenting nuts, seeds, whole grains and beans/legumes is an important step to stepping up your healthy eating to 'optimal', and for some people who have digestive difficulties, could be an essential step towards digestive health and nutrient absorption.

5) What's on your plate?
Some people thrive on more or less protein, or more or less carbohydrates, but in general , it is most important to focus on nutrient-dense foods. Filling half of your plate with vegetables, leaving the other half for protein and carbohydrate (potatoes or whole grains) is a good guideline. ( Again, I'm talking base guideline! Some people thrive on lower carbohydrate diets etc.) Fruits are best eaten on their own and are not interchangeable with vegetables. Most of us would benefit from increasing vegetables in the diet, so consider snacking on raw veggies, adding one salad dish to lunch and dinner or sipping on a vegetable soup as part of your meals. Variety is key. Eating produce seasonally and locally brings variety and more nutritious food than shipped produce.

4) The good fats
Thankfully, gone are the days when we thought of 'low-fat' as synonymous 'healthy'! Rather than blaming fat for the enormous health problems of overweight/obesity and heart disease, we are starting to realize what important roles that fat plays (hormone balance, nervous system and cognitive functioning, vitamin absorption and more), and choosing the best quality of fats is paramount. Ditching trans-fats altogether is an important first step. Choosing to get fats from whole sources such as nuts, coconut, seeds, avocados and olives assures the fats are fresh. In their 'whole package', fats come with vitamins, minerals, fiber and often protein.
Adding a few good oil supplements (fish oils, walnut oil, flax and hemp oils) helps balance omegas 3 and 6. In the kitchen, healthy cooking fats are unrefined coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil and even butter and ghee from organic and grass-fed dairy (if you include or tolerate dairy)

5) Balancing your Biota
Your intestinal biota, or micro-flora, is an essential aspect of your overall wellness. Bacteria cells outnumber your other body cells 10:1! Your gut bacteria being in balance is essential to the proper functioning of your body as a whole, with clear links to digestive health, absorption of nutrients, hormone balance and a properly functioning immune system. Include a variety of probiotic foods everyday, such as yogurt, or raw (un-heated) sauerkraut, kimchi, brined pickles, miso and more. A couple of serious disruptors for intestinal biota balance are: food sprayed with pesticides as well as (unnecessary) antibiotic use.

6)The hydration station
How much water you need a day depends on your activity, your body constitution, body weight and even the climate you live in! One great way to be in touch with your thirst is to start every day with a warm glass of water and a squeeze of lemon. By sticking to a wholesome diet that includes lots of fresh produce as well as homemade soups, you may find you get a lot of hydration from food. Sipping on room-temp water through the day, and herbal teas as well as avoiding the dehydrating culprits such as alcohol, excess salt, excess meat and coffee, all contribute to great hydration balance. Avoid falling for the sweet beverages, which add calories with little to no fiber or other food value. The best way to tell if you're hydrated? The colour of your urine: should be pale yellow. Dark yellow, and you need hydration asap! Clear, and you should lay off the excess water.

7) The 80/20 rule: We eat what is optimal for our healthy 80% of the time, and have free range without guilt or shame with what we do with the other 20%. This balance helps us enjoy 'treats', feel relaxed about social situations where we eat different foods than we might normally choose. It's important to attain balance, not 'perfection' (and that a fixation on 'perfection' in diet becomes an eating disorder called orthorexia , an increasingly common problem!) The stress of trying to attain 'cleanliness' or 'perfection' in what you choose to eat or refrain from eating can become its own serious health detriment! Chew thoroughly, relax and enjoy your food!

What do you think?

Are there any guiding principles that help you make healthy choices?

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Almond Applesauce Muffin (GF)

By Andrea Potter • May 15, 2021

GF, Dairy-free option, low sugar, nut-free option If you missed our recent Healthier Sweets workshop hosted by the Eastside Family Place in Vancouver, here is one of the recipes we made together. Whip up a batch in no time and enjoy! This recipe is a great base for a healthier muffin! They are versatile and they freeze well. (Just thaw overnight on the counter) You can modify it with the subs below to: • Become a banana muffin • Be nut-free (sub 100% oat flour) • Choose dairy-free option Ingredients Wet 1 cup unsweetened applesauce (or sub 1 banana, mashed) ½ cup coconut sugar (1/2 cup cane sugar works too) ½ tsp vanilla (opt) or almond extract if you want a stronger almond flavour 3 Tbsp coconut oil or butter, melted 1 egg Dry 1 cup almond flour or oat flour (or a mixture of the 2) 1 Tbsp coconut flour 1 tsp baking soda ¼ tsp baking powder Pinch of salt 1 tsp cinnamon (opt) Optional: add ¼ cup of any of your favourite inclusions such as chocolate chips, dried fruit, chopped nuts or seeds Directions Preheat oven to 350F Line the muffin tin with papers. In one bowl, mix wet ingredients (if using banana, mash it with a fork first in the bowl then add other wet ingredients) In the other bowl, measure dry ingredients and stir to combine Add wet to dry and stir to combine Use 1/3 cup to fill muffin tins Bake for 30 min, checking for doneness by pressing the center of a muffin. If it springs back (or toothpick inserted comes out dry), it’s ready! Cool and enjoy! Equipment Measuring cups and spoons 2 medium mixing bowls Spatula or wooden spoon 1 tray of muffin tins Muffin tin papers/liners

Miso-Maple Baked Beans

By Andrea Potter • May 4, 2020

These are right at home on a baked potato or raosted yam for dinner, as they are on sourdough toast for breakfast. Check out the pre-broadcast FB Live video of me making these here Serves 4-8 20 mins prep time 4-8 hours cooking time This is a braised recipe and is best done in the oven (3hrs), where the dry heat created a nice crust on the beans. It can, however, be cooked in a slow cooker (6+hrs) instead or even the quicker cooking method on the stovetop (30 min). Ingredients 1 cup dried beans soaked and cooked. Or 3 cups of cooked, frozen or canned beans. (Kidney, navy, black, cannelini...) (A 28oz can is about the right amount) 1 Tbsp cooking oil (Use avocado, coconut, ghee…) ½ large onion, diced 1 large clove garlic, whole or minced (your choice!) ½ bell pepper, diced (optional) fresh herbs either sage or oregano, chopped 1 chipotle pepper, canned in adobo sauce or ½ of a dried chipotle pepper (sub 1-2 tsp smoked paprika if you don't want them spicy but still want the smokey flavour) 2 Tbsp maple syrup 2 Tbsp molasses salt to taste 2 ½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar, pickle juice or sauerkraut juice 1 fresh tomato, chopped, a couple of sun-dried tomatoes, or about 1 Tbsp tomato paste Water to cover about 1 inch above the beans. To add after cooking: 1/4 cup miso paste mixed with 2 Tbsp water Directions • If cooking beans from scratch soak beans in plenty of water with 1 tsp vinegar, drain and rinse and cook beans in fresh water. Stay on the side of slightly under-cooking them- about 75-80% cooked if possible. (Otherwise they will end up slightly mushy). • If using canned beans, just drain and rinse. • Preheat the oven to 300F if you are baking them or get your slow-cooker out. • In a large, heavy bottomed pot, sauté onion, garlic and peppers in oil until softened. (I find a cast iron is best.) • Add all other ingredients except for the miso and stir. Note: Add less water if using a slow cooker method. The mixture should look like a thick and beany soup. • Bring to a boil on the stove top. Quick method (stovetop) This is a bit 'cheating' because it's not baked... Leave them to simmer on the stovetop until it thickens- about 20 minutes. Take off of heat and stir in miso mixture. or Slow-Cooked Method Either bake uncovered for 3 hours at 300F OR cook for 6-8 hours in the slow cooker on high. If baked in the oven, the top will look pretty dark- almost burned. Don't despair! This crust is very tasty. It is just the caramelized sugars from the maple and molasses. Just stir it into the batch with a spoon Once most of the liquid has absorbed it is done. In a bowl, mix miso and water and add this to the beans once they come out of the oven. To re-heat, just put a bit (¼ cup) of water in a small pot and add cold beans. Stir and cover with a lid. Leave them on medium heat for a few minutes to gently warm through.

DIY Granola (Apple cardamom flavour, with variations)

By Andrea Potter • May 4, 2020

Hi guys! Like a lot of 'recipes', I make this one by eyeing up ingredients, but after years of tinkering with it to get the right sweetness, crunch and nutrition, here is the basic recipe. It makes one baking-sheet, or about 1.5 liters. Doubles easily and makes a thoughtful gift in a pretty jar. See pre-broadcast video on FB Live here (My 3yr old helper is showing us how it's done) Here's what you need: 1 cup nuts, chopped (I used almonds) 1 cup seeds (I used pumpkin seeds) 1 cup dried coconut (desicated or flaked/chips) 3 cups slow cooking rolled oats 1/4 cup chia seeds (or sub ground flax) Cinnamon and ground cardamom (about 2tsp each) Pinch salt 2 chopped, raw apples (or pears or bananas) With 2Tbsp coconut oil (or oil of your choice) With 1/4 cup maple syrup (or sweetener of your choice) Dried fruit (optional) Method: (Optional but most nutritious) Soak nuts and seeds the night before. (This makes nuts/seeds more bio-available, reducing phytic acid, an anti-nutrient) In a big bowl, combine dry ingredients (second list) with the soaked nuts and seeds (or just add nuts and seeds dry) Blend together fruit, oil and sweetener Add wet mixture from the blender to dry, mix it well Bake at 300F for 30 min or until it starts to brown, stirring occasionally Turn down to 170F Dehydrate for a few hours till crunchy Add dried fruit if you like Cool completely before storing it in an airtight container (I use mason jars or tupperware) Keeps fresh for at least a week, usually 2 weeks. ♥️♥️♥️ Variations- Switch up the nuts and seeds as well as the dried fruit, and you have a ton of variations! Also try these ones: Pumpkin Spice: Replace apples with cooked squash like butternut, acorn, pumpkin (canned works too!) Add pumpkin pie spices (nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, allspice) Gingerbread: Use molasses as sweetener and add dried ginger. Soak some dates and add them to the apple mixture in the blender Chocolate For Breakfast: Add 3 Tbsp-1/4 cup cacao powder and optional some cacao nibs (this makes the almond milk chocolatey! So tasty!)

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Eating for Energy and Longevity

By Andrea Potter • January 31, 2020

It's that time of year... we're a month into the New Year, and as we flip the calendar, we may also be reflecting on how those New Year goals or resolutions are going... or not going. In my own practice, although they came from myrid backgrounds, nearly every Holistic Nutrition client who I worked with had the same main complaint: " I want more energy!" We know that diet can largely affect our energy levels and we are awash with health and diet advice and 'motivation'. However there is something for sale at the end of every fad diet article, so in all this, it is most helpful to come back to basics, and check those habits that we have most often. It is not whether you were 100% successful with your healthy eating goal in January that will determine your health, it is what you do most of the time, so making your goal a sliding scale that tips towards these eating guidelines is better than the 'all-or-nothing' model that we so often fall into. Give yourself grace, enjoy the occasional 'treats' thoroughly instead of feeling guilty for them, and they will hold less power. Eating for Energy and Longevity Key Guidelines: Great news! There’s no need to count calories or avoid fat! By following the guidelines here, you’re assuring a healthy diet with the benefits of sustained energy and longevity. The caveat of course is that there is no one-size-fits-all diet. This is meant to be a place to start, so you can substitute ingredients as needed. Choose Homemade over Corporate-Made foods. Even the most indulgent homemade items tend to have better ingredients than most packaged or fast food. Healthy fats are essential for nervous and brain function, hormone balance, metabolic function and feeling satisfied after a meal so we don’t crave empty carbohydrates and over-eat less-than-ideal foods. Sources are: whole nuts and seeds as well as avocados, olives, coconut their unrefined, cold-pressed oils. Grass-fed butter and ghee and whole-fat yogurt and cheese can be incorporated as well. Nutrient-Density= choosing foods rich in nutrients instead of ‘empty’, refined carbohydrates. Think of vegetables as your multi-vitamin. They are rich in anti-oxidants, have anti-inflammatory properties, fiber for reducing harmful cholesterol and regulating digestive function and much more. Balance meals with at least 50% vegetables. The rest can be protein and (optional) whole grains or starchy vegetables. Fruits can be included and are also high in vitamins, minerals and fiber. They should be eaten whole (not discarding edible peels or pulp), and should not be eaten in lieu of vegetables. Protein: whether you’re an omnivore or a herbivore, including more plant-based proteins benefits your health, your food budget and the environment.

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7 Tips for Boosting Plant-Powered Nutrition in Your Favourite Recipes

By Andrea Potter • January 3, 2020

Making change in the diet may come from foresight; a preventative perspective or simply because you want to feel clearer, lighter or more flexible. Making the switch to eating more plants is a learning curve, but you do NOT need to learn how to cook complely new recipes every night of the week! ( BTW t hat scenario is a sure-fire way to get frustrated and fatigued of the new 'diet', setting you up for failure to make the change you want!) Below are some tips to get the benefits of eating more whole, plant foods that you can implement without having to reinvent the wheel in your culinary repetoire. Making these switches help you to gradually increase plant-powered nutrition in your diet and to make the change part of a permanent and positive transition towards better health. Tips for boosting the plant-powered nutrition of your favourite recipes: 1) Improve the overall quality of ingredients by using healthy fats, choosing organic and whole-grain vs. refined flour wherever you can. 2) When recipes call for ground meat, try subbing lentils, beans and/or quinoa. This trade-off increases fiber, helps keep blood-sugar balanced, is heart-healthy and contains lots of filling and satisfying veggie protein. How to sub: If you want to include meat, try halving the amount and replacing the other half with lentils, beans or quinoa. A rough estimate is that to replace 1 lb of ground meat, add 1 cup dried lentils (2 cups cooked) or 1 large can of beans or about 2 cups quinoa or a combination of these. This works great for meat loaf, meat balls, shepherd’s pie, soups and stews. 3) Hide vegetables where you can : I am a big fan of the taste and texture of vegetables- don’t get me wrong! But sometimes I hide them in soups and sauces to get even more nutrition with way less chewing work. Add a zucchini to almost any pureed soup or sauce with nearly no detectable flavour. Puree a handful of greens such as kale, chard or spinach into any pureed soup- them most noticeable change is the colour, so it works best when the soup base is green or white (not orange like carrot soup- that makes a yucky brown colour!) 4) Boost your pesto recipe by tossing in a handful of greens such as kale, chard, arugula or spinach . Put that pesto on everything. 5) When recipes call for potatoes, try subbing white sweet potatoes or celery root . Both these subs have a blood-sugar balancing effect and hand anti-inflammatory properties, compared to potatoes which can cause inflammation and weight gain. Another option is to use the potatoes but add in cauliflower, especially for mashed potatoes. 6) Thicken soups and sauces with vegetables instead of refined starches. 1 potato, sweet potato or a bit of celery root subs for flour or cornstarch to thicken a pot of soup or gravy. These 'slow carbs' have more fiber, and so release energy more slowly than refined carbs like flour and starches. In the short-term they prevent energy crashes from blood-sugar instability. In the long-term, since 'slow carbs' provide more vitamins minerals and fiber per calorie, they help maintain healthy blood-sugar and colon health. 7) Garnish with nuts and seeds . Add toasted chopped nuts, hemp hearts or sesame seeds to noodle dishes, pastas and salads, increasing healthy fats, trace minerals and protein.

Springtime is Cleanse Time!