If you read my blog often, you will know that my favourite words as a dietitian are VARIETY, MODERATION, and BALANCE. I feel that those terms can be applied to our food choices so that we enjoy what we feed ourselves and don't feel deprived. My nutrition intern Samantha was also thinking along those lines when she wrote the blog post below. With Sam's post in mind and since it's Q's Day - I would like to know:
What do you label your eating pattern/diet?
Do
we have to be on a diet to be healthy?
By Samantha Sielski, Dietetic Intern (for Steph Langdon, RD)
Every
day I notice more people giving themselves a label to identify the type of food
they eat – lacto-ovo vegetarian, vegan, pesco-vegetarian, gluten free, raw
foods, etc. Then they have this guilt
run over their face and they add “but I eat cheese!” Why do people put themselves through the cruelty
of avoiding the foods they love, and then feel outrageously guilty for cheating
on these favorite foods? I swear
sometimes that I need a psychology degree to work in the nutrition profession.
Hollywood
bombards us with the newest, fad diets 24/7. But this is exactly what they are,
a fad, which are difficult to
sustain long term. It is always
interesting to hear what lactose free, raw, juice cleanse diet a client or family
member is on next. But does a person really need to be on any special diet to be
healthy?
My
answer to this question is yes and no.
If you have a diagnosed allergy or disease such as lactose intolerance or
celiac disease, then there are definitely foods you have to avoid. Otherwise, if you are a perfectly healthy
individual then there is no need to be on a restrictive diet, but this does not
mean you can’t try a gluten free or vegan meal.
People actually do more damage to their digestive system when they are
voluntarily jumping from food restriction to food restriction. This is due to the fact that the healthy bacteria
in your gut do not like the food rollercoaster you are putting it through.
There
are some great things we can take away from different ways of eating, such as
incorporating a vegetarian meal into your otherwise carnivorous eating habits or
experimenting with ancient grains. Some
of my best recipes are from a vegan website, but this does not mean I am a
vegan. It means I see the value in the
variety that other ways of eating can add to my ever expanding food
enjoyment. I challenge you to eat what
you love and experiment with new foods; don’t become a restrictive dieter!
Ingredients
3
cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup brown sugar (reduced from original
recipe)
1/2 cup white sugar (reduced from original recipe)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 1/2 cups grated zucchini
Directions
Preheat an oven
to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease 2 8x4-inch loaf pans.
Sift the flour,
salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Beat
the bananas, applesauce, vegetable oil, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla
extract, and lemon juice together in a separate large bowl. Beat the flour
mixture into the banana mixture; add the zucchini and mix until combined. Pour
the mixture into the prepared loaf pans.
Bake in the
preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 60
to 90 minutes. Cool in the pans for 20 minutes before removing to cool
completely on a wire rack.
Thanks Sam!
Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
