The Goods on Corn

Corn is actually both a vegetable and a grain which makes it a bit of a unique food and it’s found in a lot of what we eat: tortillas, chips, popcorn and cereals. Yellow corn is high in potassium which can help lower blood pressure. This gluten-free veggie is also richer in antioxidants than other grains such as wheat, oats and rice. And when in season and fresh, it tastes delicious as a side!

Dr. Ashely Gordon is a Squamish-based Naturopathic Physician and owner of Garibaldi Health Clinic, an integrative health care facility offering safe and effective care including Naturopathic Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Massage, Midwifery and Physical Therapy. Dr. Gordon’s treatments focus on the whole person, from the physical and mental to the emotional and spiritual realms. To learn more about what Naturopathic Medicine can do for you, or to make an appointment, visit www.garibaldihealthclinic.com or call 604 898 1999.

My Position on Gluten Free

I’m asked about gluten at almost every workshop or presentation that I make. So it’s likely on your mind too. Here are my thoughts on gluten.

Perhaps you can call me old and jaded but I studied nutrition at university for 8 years and I’ve practiced as a dietitian for 12 years. I’ve seen many trends come and go, like the low cholesterol trend, the low fat trend, Atkins, soy being an all powerful super food, soy being evil, and more. Gluten-free is the current trend.

First, as you’ve already realized, I do believe that it’s a trend. As such, it will have its time and then pass on (and another trend will come along).

However, saying that it’s trend doesn’t mean that I think it’s all junk.

Quite the opposite, celiac disease is real and it’s serious. The medical community is finding more people who have celiac disease. What’s not clear is whether it’s truly on the rise or whether they’re just doing a better job of finding people who have celiac disease through better diagnostic tests and a better understanding of the disease.

In addition, there are also people who have gluten sensitivities. In fact I’m one of them. If I eat more than a serving or two of a gluten-containing grain then I get hives.

I don’t, however, think that everyone needs to avoid gluten. Or that’s it’s inherently unhealthy. Or, that it’s the cause of the gazillion things of which it’s been accused.

If you’ve been wondering if your family should go gluten-free, or if your family should be eating more gluten-free foods, here’s the positives to take advantage of and the traps to avoid.

Positives:

• Inspiration to Try New Grains: Human beings are omnivores. We thrive on eating a variety of foods. Often people think that they’re eating a variety of grains, but eating wheat-based cereal, toast, flour tortillas, crackers and pasta are all just different shapes of wheat. Wheat was out of balance in many people’s eating habits. I like that the gluten-free trend is inspiring people to try new grains. After all there’s a huge variety out there: rice, wild rice, quinoa, barley, oats, teff, millet, amaranth, corn, buckwheat, and more.     

• Better Gluten-Free Products: In the past, gluten-free products were difficult to find and many tasted awful. With the trend creating a market, more companies are creating delicious gluten-free products which is awesome for people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivities!  

Traps to Avoid:

• Gluten-free = Healthy: There’s a marketing term called the “health halo”. It means that the public will mistakenly think that an unhealthy food a food is healthy by a false association. Right now, people are equating “gluten-free” with “healthy”, when in fact it’s not necessarily true. A gluten-free brownie is still not a health food. Hey, if you want to eat a brownie, go ahead. Just don’t be tricked into thinking that it’s a health food. I know that I’m being obtuse with this brownie example. But I see intelligent people falling for the health halo all the time. Food products made with highly processed (gluten-free) flours, lots of sugar, high in salt, and/or few nutrients such as cakes, cookies, breads, cereals, crackers, candy, chocolate, and chips are not a healthy choice.  Recognize and enjoy them for the treats that they are. 

• Include Sources of Iron and Folic Acid: Wheat flour is fortified with folic acid in Canada and many common foods, e.g. bread and cereal, are fortified with iron in Canada. Most gluten-free substitutions are not fortified. If you eat a lot of wheat-based grain products and are thinking about including more non-wheat grains, be sure that you’re eating other sources of iron and folic acid. Iron-rich foods include beans, lentils, tofu, nuts and nut butters, meat, poultry, seafood, egg yolks, black strap molasses, iron-fortified baby cereals, (and cooked spinach has some iron). Folic acid is found in dark, leafy greens, beans, lentils, corn and oranges. Note: it’s recommended that all girls and women from their first period through menopause take 400 micrograms (0.4 mg) of folic acid from a supplement. Most multivitamins for women contain this.     

BBQ Tofu Pizza

It’s the last Friday of summer and I’m brainstorming what I’ll share with you this week. How can I not share with you a recipe that’s a fun, quick, and tasty weekday dinner idea. And, it makes a great packed lunch too.

For dinner, pair it with a salad or raw veggies and dip. Hint: it’s perfect for meatless Mondays.

Have everyone in the family pitch in to make their own individual pizzas. And, make a second pizza for leftover lunch the next day. It’s that easy. Enjoy!

Ingredients (per person*)

1                      whole-wheat pita bread

2 TBSP          barbecue sauce

50 grams      firm or extra firm tofu, crumbled

¼ medium    red bell pepper, diced

15 grams      partially skim mozzarella cheese, grated

*Double the amounts to make a leftover pizza for tomorrow’s lunch)

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 375°F.

2.    In a bowl, mix together 1 TBSP of the BBQ sauce and crumbled tofu. Set aside for about 10 - 15 minutes to marinate and allow the tofu to soak up the BBQ flavour.

3.    Spread the remaining BBQ sauce evenly over the pita bread.

4.    Sprinkle half of the cheese over the sauce.

5.    Distribute the tofu and the peppers evenly over the cheese.

6.    Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the pizza.

7.    Bake just long enough for the cheese to melt.

4 Ways to Stop Cravings

The scientific literature doesn’t have a very thorough understanding of cravings – why we get them or what they mean. So, I’m going to share with you two ways to stop cravings from the literature and two ways that I’ve discovered in my life.

Get Sleep

This is a surprising cause of cravings. But there is evidence that the more sleep deprived we are, the more we seek out high fat, sugar, and salt foods. So if you want to get rid of cravings, create a plan to get more sleep. What can you take off your “to-do” list? Turn off that screen and hit the hay.

Don’t Go Too Long Between Meals and Snacks

When our blood sugar drops, we’re driven by our bodies towards high fat, sugar, and salt foods. Did you skip lunch and now you find yourself in the fast food restaurant on the way home from work? It’s because of a biological drive – not a lack of willpower. Don’t try to work against Mother Nature; you won’t succeed. Instead, eat when you’re just starting to get hungry. For most people this is approximately every 4 hours. Now this doesn’t mean all-day grazing. But, it may mean planning and eating a healthy afternoon snack to prevent the afternoon trip to the vending machine. 

Increase Protein and Decrease Sugar at Breakfast

I was always a toast with jam for breakfast kind of woman. But I also always craved candy every afternoon. A couple of years ago I switched my breakfast to plain yogurt, usually Greek, topped with hemp hearts and fruit. This winter I’ve been on the overnight oats bandwagon, adding this to my yogurt mixture. I’ve found that my craving for sweets has gone from daily to a couple of times a month. Which is a huge change! Switch up you breakfast and see if it decreases your cravings.

Have Other Tools in Your Emotional Care Toolbox

Often we crave high fat, sugar, and salt foods as a way of numbing our emotions. I became such a cliché after my divorce, literally drowning my sorrows in tubs of ice cream. You don’t need to be a dietitian to know that a couple of tubs a week isn’t healthy. So I decided to create other ways to take care of my emotions. Now I have a lot of tools in my toolbox. Tools like a gratitude practice, yoga, surfing, trail running, art therapy, and the occasional tub of ice cream. Ask yourself the tough question of whether you’re really craving that food because you don’t want to deal with difficult emotions. Take the time to develop alternative tools to take care of yourself.   

Kristen Yarker, MSc, RD helps moms and dads support your picky kids to get good nutrition today…and instill a life-long love of healthy eating. After 7 years of moms asking for help with their eating too, Kristen created 40 Days to a Healthier, Happier You women’s weight loss program. Find out more at www.KristenYarker.com

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The Goods on Mushrooms!

This superfood is one of the most powerful antioxidants on the planet. An excellent source of copper, selenium, B vitamins and Vitamin D, mushrooms (especially shiitake, maitake and reishi) are known to help prevent disease as well as provide natural immune system support. You can actually boost the natural level of Vitamin D in mushrooms by exposing them to direct sunlight for up two days. Enjoy them raw or cooked to add a delicious flavor to most meals.

The Goods on Green Beans!

Whether you choose to eat them raw, steamed or marinated in your favourite asian-style sauce, these long green low-calorie vegetables score high in health benefits. Green beans are a great source of vitamin K which is important for maintaining healthy bones. They are also a good source of vitamins A and C as well as dietary fibre which helps lower cholesterol




Dr. Ashely Gordon is a Squamish-based Naturopathic Physician and owner of Garibaldi Health Clinic, an integrative health care facility offering safe and effective care including Naturopathic Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Massage, Midwifery and Physical Therapy. Dr. Gordon’s treatments focus on the whole person, from the physical and mental to the emotional and spiritual realms. To learn more about what Naturopathic Medicine can do for you, or to make an appointment, visit www.garibaldihealthclinic.com or call 604 898 1999.