Depression and anxiety are complex conditions that must be diagnosed by a qualified health care practitioner. Often, however, the dietary component of mental illness is overlooked. Food sensitivities, or vitamin and mineral deficiencies may worsen the symptoms of depression and anxiety. Following a few dietary guidelines, in combination with other prescribed treatments, may help to relieve symptoms.

Dietary guidelines that may help to relieve depression:

• Follow a diet plan that prevents hypoglycemia (e.g. eliminate refined sugar, alcohol, caffeine and tobacco; eat 4 – 6 small meals throughout the day; eat plenty of dietary fiber.
• An elimination or rotation diet will help to decide whether or not you have sensitivities to particular foods.

Helpful Foods:

• Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids for growth and repair of nervous tissue: nut, seed, cold water fish (salmon, halibut, mackerel) and vegetable oils (safflower, walnut, sunflower, flax seed), evening primrose oil (500 mg/3 times per day).
• Foods rich in vitamin B6 – needed for normal brain function: Brewer’s yeast, bok choy, spinach, banana, potato, whole grains.
• Foods rich in tryptophan – precursor to neurotransmitter serotonin: white turkey meat, milk, nuts, eggs, fish.
• Liver cleansing foods – proper liver function helps to regulate blood sugar: garlic, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, beets, carrots, artichokes, lemons, parsnips, dandelion greens, watercress, burdock root.
• Magnesium rich foods – important for nerve conduction: seeds, legumes, dark green leafy vegetables, soy products, almonds, pecans, cashews, wheat bran, meats.

Foods to Avoid:

• Tobacco, alcohol, caffeine, artificial sweeteners
• Refined sugar and processed foods
• Be aware of your specific food sensitivities

Try a meal or snack with fiber-rich complex carbohydrates and low-fat protein!

Tofu Salad

with Cajun Spice Dressing

6 tablespoons Cajun Spice seasoning blend 1 pound firm- style tofu or Tempeh*
1/2 cup vinaigrette dressing
4 cups organic salad greens including:
dandelion greens, watercress, arugula, baby kale, romaine, spinach 1/2 cup organic shredded carrot
1/3 cup thinly sliced fennel
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1-2 tablespoons canola oil

1. Drain tofu, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices, press briefly with paper towel to absorb excess water. If using tempeh, simply slice tempeh into 1/2-inch strips.
2. Measure 5 tablespoons of spice mixture into shallow bowl; dip tofu/tempeh in spice mixture to evenly coat; transfer to a dry plate. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
3. Combine remaining spice mixture with vinaigrette dressing. Blend well; let stand 15 minutes.
4. Preheat heavy skillet. Lightly coat with vegetable oil. Pan fry tofu/tempeh for 4 – 5 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
5. Arrange salad greens on serving plate. Arrange tofu/tempeh evenly over greens. Garnish each salad with carrot, fennel, and red onion. Top each with two tablespoons dressing.

*Tofu and tempeh are good sources of magnesium. Deficiencies in magnesium have been linked to depression, irritability and confusion.

For Assistance with your own personalized mood and nutrition program, contact Licensed Associate Counselor and Certified Nutritionist Dietitian Lisa Schmidt, MS, CN. Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Virtual appointments available. (P) 480.675.4568  (email) lisa@lisaschmidtcounseling.com.

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Give your food a face.

“We love dogs, and eat cows not because dogs and cows are fundamentally different – cows, like dogs, have feelings, preferences, and consciousness – but because our perception of them is different.” —Melanie Joy, 2010, “Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows”

Why do we eat what we eat?  There are biological reasons – we eat for hunger.  But in our culture of plenty eating is not often driven by biology, it is driven by habits, seeing, smelling, reading, or even thinking about food (are you hungry now??) Recent studies show that our physical levels of hunger shows little correlation with how much hunger we say that we feel or how much food we then go onto eat.  This is because we are surrounded by food which is cheap, widely available, delicious and easy to obtain.  We are disconnected from where we get our food.  That is why we seek out, select, and consume foods that may or may not be healthful, and may actually harm us.  We even consume foods that harm the environment.

Take the lovely cow, for example.  We know from experts that eating animals is a leading cause of many of the most serious diseases in the Western World today, including cardiac disease, diabetes, and cancer.  Even the ultra conservative Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has stated that eating a plant based diet is sound nutrition and more healthful than an animal protein diet.  In addition to the high saturated fat levels in animal protein we face other issues – contamination with dangerous chemicals including arsenic, ammonia and mercury; drugs such as antibiotics and synthetic growth hormones which may lead to drug resistant infections and growth of breasts in boys; pesticides, and even high levels of fecal matter.

CAFO’s and Animal Welfare

Learn the truth about our American food supply, and how animal protein is produced in this country by big production methods.  Learn that our meat is far from the idyllic family farms.  99% of the meat, eggs, and dairy that we eat come from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Not only is eating animal protein harmful to our health and the environment, animals are raised in factories for us under extraordinarily inhumane and dangerous conditions.  Eating animals for food goes beyond our own and the environment’s health, and takes us, if we awaken to the information to our own empathy, compassion, and humanity.

Animals that are raised in CAFO’s live and die in misery.  They are born into gigantic, filthy, overcrowded, windowless factories.  Taken away from their mothers shortly after birth, they are castrated, debeaked, dehorned, and branded without anesthesia.  Female cows are forcibly impregnated over and over in a process where they are confined an unable to lay down or turn around.  When they are no longer productive, they are slaughtered.

Nearly every animal-based meal comes from a sentient being, who lived and died in agony.

Mindfulness and change

Take a pause for a mindful moment.  What do you notice as you contemplate your own practices and beliefs about animal protein? Notice your body.  Do you feel tightness, tension, or other holding? Notice your breath.  Breathe into any tightness or tension you feel, allowing your body to soften and expand.  Notice your judgments.  Allow thoughts to come and go like clouds floating through the sky.  Go deeper.  Do you sense any emotions, such as sadness, sorrow, or compassion?  Allow the feelings of compassion toward yourself, as you courageously face your own beliefs, practices, and habits regarding the food you eat.

Give your Food a Face

As humans, we possess an incredible capacity to look the other way when things are inconvenient or dissonant.  In one respect, it is part of our humanness.  Ancient wisdom might suggest that looking the other way is a hindrance to mindfulness.  A mindfulness practice gives us the capacity to change, by examining with curiosity and compassion our habits of mind and body.  As we develop compassion toward others, we develop compassion for ourselves, and for all living things. It is up to each one of us to decide for ourselves whether the actions we take are wholesome or unwholesome.  We can recognize our connection to all living things.

And when we give our food a face, when it moves beyond a shrink wrapped pink sanitized package in a grocery store into a beautiful, majestic creature we can choose whether or not our habits of eating have room for a more compassionate choice.

The post Give Your Food A Face appeared first on Mindful Benefits | Lisa Schmidt Counseling.

Factors that Contribute to Migraine

Numerous factors can contribute to the onset of migraines and headaches. Fasting or dehydration as well as stress, hormonal changes, physical exertion, abrupt lifestyle changes, medications, environmental factors, and dietary food habits may play a role. Participation in relaxation activities (stress management) and adequate rest can be helpful in reducing occurrence and/or severity of migraines and headaches. Keeping a food journal or a migraine diary will help to determine if certain food(s) are a trigger.

The “Dirty Dozen”

Foods that cause migraines or headaches are dairy, meat, eggs, chocolate, wheat, corn, citrus fruits, apples, onions, tomatoes, nuts, and bananas.

One great resource is from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, who advocate a plant based approach to migraine relief.  Check it out here.

Would you like a FREE listing of the foods to avoid and embrace if you are eating for migraine/headache relief? Request it HERE.

Need some help with headache relief?  Contact Lisa Schmidt, THE Mindful Nutritionist, for a complimentary consultation.  Helping people with issues related to food, mood, and mindfulness, Lisa is a Scottsdale, Arizona based dietitian nutritionist and counselor specializing in lifestyle change.  She embraces whole foods plant based eating, yoga and meditation, and other stress management approaches to help with food and ease.  Lisa meets with clients in her Scottsdale office, and around the world through a telemedicine portal. Contact Lisa today for your free consultation.

The post Migraine Relief Diet appeared first on Mindful Benefits | Lisa Schmidt Counseling.

March is Colon Cancer Awareness & Prevention Month, dedicated to helping people of all ages learn about their risks and how to improve the odds in favor of a cancer-free life.

According to the National Cancer Institute, for the great majority of people, the major factor that increases a person’s risk for colorectal cancer (CRC) is increasing age. Risk increases dramatically after age 50 years; 90% of all CRCs are diagnosed after this age. Incidence and mortality rates are higher in African Americans compared with other races. The history of CRC in a first-degree relative, especially if before the age of 55 years, roughly doubles the risk. A personal history of CRC, high-risk adenomas, or ovarian cancer also increases the risk. Other risk factors are weaker than age and family history. People with an inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn disease, have a much higher risk of CRC starting about 8 years after disease onset and are recommended to have frequent colonoscopic surveillance.  A small percentage (<5%) of CRCs occur in people with a genetic predisposition, including familial adenomatous polyposis and hereditary nonpolyposis coli.

Increased risk factors include obesity, smoking, excessive alcohol intake, limited physical activity, and a diet high in saturated fats and low in fiber.  Not all fats should be avoided, and the “essential” unsaturated fatty acids known as omega-3 and omega-6 appear to be helpful in ensuring optimal health.  It is relatively easy with our modern diets high in processed foods to get plenty of omega-6 fatty acids, which are abundant in seeds and nuts, and the oils extracted from them. Refined vegetable oils, such as soy oil, are used in most of the snack foods, cookies, crackers and sweets in the North American diet as well as in fast food. Soybean oil alone is now so common in fast foods and processed foods that an astounding 20 percent of the calories in the American diet are estimated to come from this single source.

Optimal health comes from balancing your consumption of essential fatty acids by minimizing processed food consumption and increasing your consumption of foods high in omega-3 found in oily fish or fish oil supplements, walnuts, flax seeds and omega-3 fortified eggs. Combine balancing omega-3 and omega-6 with decreasing your intake of saturated fats from red meat and dairy products and you have a nutrition prescription for optimal health!

There is evidence that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce your risk for colon cancer.  In one large study, men who ate at least 10 servings a week of tomato-based foods reduced their risk for the disease by 45 percent, with experts suspecting that the protective agent is lycopene, a carotenoid and antioxidant found mostly in tomatoes and tomato products. Men following this type of eating plan, known as the Southern Mediterranean diet, eat high amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables, garlic, tomatoes, red wine, olive oil and fish.

A second diet known to be associated with longevity and reduced risks for cancer is the traditional Japanese diet, which is high in green tea, soy, vegetables and fish, and low in calories and fat.  Both of these diets are low in red meat. Incorporating powerful anticancer nutrients found in colorful fruits and vegetables, fresh herbs, leafy green vegetables, nuts, berries and seeds are recommendations that make sense for both good health, and great taste.

The Green Goddess Breakfast Drink
Start your day with this nutrition-packed green drink that is easy to prepare, delicious and filled with cancer-fighting fruits and vegetables. Add 1 tablespoon of Chia seeds to increase your omega-3 intake at breakfast. This green drink also is great later in the day as a snack.  Enjoy!

Serves 1 to 3
1 ripe banana, peeled and broken into pieces
1 medium apple, cored and cut into chunks
1 ripe pear, cored and cut into chunks
1 lemon, juiced
2 to 3 cups water (I use 2 cups)
3 to 4 lettuce or spinach leaves, rinsed
3 to 4 kale leaves, rinsed and torn
1/4-cup fresh parsley leaves
2 to 4 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
Remove the tough stems from the kale and break the kale into pieces.  Place the banana pieces, apple chunks, pear chunks, lemon juice and water into a blender.  Blend on high, stopping as needed to push the fruit down.

Then add the lettuce leaves, kale pieces, parsley, and mint leaves; blend again until very smooth.  Add more water if needed and blend until completely smooth and brilliant green.

Nutrition information: Calories (per serving) 158; Total Fat 1.1 g; Sodium 26.3 g; Potassium 626.9 mg; Total Carbohydrates 39.5 g; Protein 2.3 g; Dietary Fiber 6.4 g; Sugars 7.8 g

The post Protection from Colon Cancer appeared first on Mindful Benefits | Lisa Schmidt Counseling.

Is there something better in life than losing and gaining the same forty pounds twenty times?  There is!  Lifelong weight maintenance is possible through adopting a personal practice of weekly weighing, gentle calorie counting, and a whole foods based diet with self-monitoring guided by mindfulness.

The “collateral damage” related to the business of thin has resulted in food and body preoccupation, self-hatred, eating disorders, discrimination and poor health.  Few of us are at peace with our bodies.  We’re no closer to solving the obesity crisis in this country since it has multi-factorial causes and conditions.  If we focus on “going on a diet”, we shortcut the dialog needed to permanently change our disordered eating culture.

Learning the truth about food marketing helps us understand that Weight Watchers – formerly a food company subsidiary of HJ Heinz – is only interested in our money, not our well-being.  Weight Watchers knows that few Americans can resist the seduction of fat, salt, and sugar –the key ingredients in their food products.  Food marketers can only survive by getting us to eat more food; how can a commercial weight loss organization that acts like a food company help us?  Here’s the truth about the business of thin:

Diets don’t work.  Research has consistently shown that “dieting” simply does not work.  97% of ALL dieters regain most, if not more, weight following a diet, only to get onto the roller coaster again.  Even a recent study commissioned by Weight Watchers and delivered in the UK showed only modest short term results.  You have to pay a lot to get this modest result.  Is it worth it?

Weight Watchers acts like a food company. Weight Watchers is at its heart and soul a food company.  Using marketing techniques developed by food marketing insiders, Weight Watchers meeting rooms are filled with branded junk food products:  snack bars, chips, and candy.  As members develop a dependence on expensive, highly processed, and unhealthy food products, meeting room conversation encourages members to eat their favorite junk foods.  Limited are discussions about healthful eating. The proprietary “points system” claims that calories don’t matter-you can eat whatever you want.  Dependence and fear is good for business!

In 2010, consumers spent over $4 billion on Weight Watchers branded products and services: meetings, products, Internet subscriptions, licensed products sold in retail channels and magazines.  While meeting fees have been flat over the past five years, big gains came as revenues from  internet sales, and licensing fees from big food manufacturers selling Weight Watchers products (Smart Ones, HJ Heinz) and products under agreement to include Points values (Boca Burgers, Green Giant, Jolly Time, andProgresso) increased.  According to Weight Watchers, licensing revenues grew at a compound annual growth rate of 5.3% from fiscal 2006 through fiscal 2010.   From a food company perspective, 5.3% growth is huge; its generation includes no overhead, staff costs, or other fixed expenses.

The question remains:  Do buying food products lead to weight loss success?

The Weight Watchers meeting sells fear. The focus is on processed and packaged foods as “healthy” alternatives.   The meeting leader, a former overweight member, communicates the way to permanent weight control is through weekly paid meeting attendance, adopting the complex strategy of counting “points”, and buying Weight Watchers packaged products.

The tradition of Weight Watchers lies in the meeting experience. Then why is Weight Watchers moving away from the group support system?  Company insiders disclose that meeting locations are being closed as Weight Watchers crafts agreements to open mini retail stores within supermarkets.  I’m pretty sure they won’t be located next to the produce department!

Freedom comes from finding the way to lifelong weight loss/maintenance.  How do I know?  I myself am a former Weight Watchers corporate insider, meeting leader, and a lifetime member who lost 40 pounds in 1987.  How have I kept if off?  Through daily exercise, a whole foods, mostly plant based diet, and weekly self-monitoring of my weight.  And the best part – no fees paid to anyone for my successful maintenance!

This approach pairing kindness and mindfulness at its core develops lifelong success patterns towards food and eating.  Embracing acceptance based psychological models works, too.  Research shows this reduces stigma, weight bias, and helps maintenance over time.

Interested in a new approach?  Try Mindful Eating:  groups forming now.  Contact me for more information.

The post The Business of Thin appeared first on Mindful Benefits | Lisa Schmidt Counseling.

1. A Great Cookbook.  Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair is my favorite cookbook!  I make dishes for myself, my family, even as gifts for clients.  Recently redone, it is full of great recipes, gorgeous pictures, and useful information to support your healthy eating goals.  You can purchase a copy on Amazon.
2. A Great Meditation App. Mindfulness practices help with weight loss, and promote weight management.  This is because stress releases glucose into our bloodstream, making cravings for sugar and “comfort” foods irresistible. That is why all of my clients have a stress management plan along with a food plan.  My favorite app: Headspace. They call it “a gym membership for your mind.”  Oh, yes, it is! Again, I use it myself, recommend it to my clients, and share it with my students at Arizona State University. http://headspace.com.  Want some free guided practices?  Here you go – password is mindful.  Have fun!
3. A Great Yoga Training Opportunity. Yes, it’s out of town (for Arizonans) and yes, it’s winter, but I can’t think of a better treat than a workshop in Seattle at my home yoga studio, Taj Yoga. Under the direction of the amazing Theresa Elliott, who trained teachers (including myself) for over fifteen years, before it became cool to be a yoga teacher.  Theresa is offering a special four day workshop for yoga teachers and serious students on how to access the Parasympathetic nervous system through “slow motion vinyasa, wide-brain stationary balance poses, and seated kinetic meditation.” So cool!  I’ll be there, and I’m gifting the workshop to my son, Melvin.  Come join us – late January in Seattle? Not to be missed! Check out this video of a Yoga Dance performance, under Theresa’s direction which I promise will knock your socks off! You’re welcome!!
4. A Great Kitchen Gadget. So all my clients love Zoodles – those zucchini noodles that you can eat a pile of and not consume more than 20 calories.  I’m not convinced, since I’d rather have no pasta than substitute pasta.  But hey, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!  This spiralizer kit is on my list for Santa.  I think you’ll like it, too!
5. A Great Small, Safe, Yoga Class.  For the bendy and not so bendy alike, I offer a small, safe, therapeutic yoga class on Saturday mornings from 9AM-10:15AM.  We work with the nervous system in ways that promote relaxation and ease.  Perfect for those with no or limited yoga experience, injuries, or trauma histories.  Do you know that yoga is medically indicated for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, as well as 100 other medical conditions? Join us!

Need a great dietitian?  Contact me for a complimentary consultation.  With nearly 30 years experience helping people of all ages lose weight, improve medical conditions, and reduce stress, I’m looking forward to working with you.  It matters to me that you feel better.  And, Happy New Year 2017!!

The post Food and Nutrition Gifts 2016 appeared first on Mindful Benefits | Lisa Schmidt Counseling.

My holiday gift to you is support for your weight loss goals. Here are four steps to weight loss: Awareness, Rules, Structure, and Peacefulness.

Eating, and liking certain foods are learned behaviors.  As omnivores, we eat different foods based on our learning.  This means that our preferences for certain kinds of foods developed over time and become habits.  Some of us think we are “addicted” to different foods like sugar, or even fatty foods.  Research tells us that we may have preferences for sugary foods (and who doesn’t??) but these preferences are actually learned behaviors.  Since they are learned behaviors, we actually can end overeating in four steps.  Keep reading for more!

Stress Eating

The workplace is prime for overeating. The busy corporate woman pictured is multi tasking, grabbing for highly palatable “comfort” food which is quick, cheesy, easy, and requires no thought to eat.  It was probably brought into her workspace for her by a thoughtful (?) manager who wanted to make sure she had food so she could keep working to meet deadlines.  It is true that the pizza will satisfy her hunger for the short term, but it will leave its mark.  Digestive problems, the feeling of sluggishness, even something people call brain fog may be the immediate residue from a highly processed, salt, sugar and fat laden meal that is eaten unconsciously while doing other things.  Longer term, she is likely to experience unwanted weight gain, dis-regulated blood glucose, elevated triglycerides, irritability and mood swings, and even more serious things like diabetes, cardiovascular disease or even cancer.

Mindless eating, stress eating, shoving down food, not stopping for meals (even for a short break) are symptoms of both learned behaviors and disconnection from ourselves.   Pizza lacks fiber, has too much salt, sugar and fat, and the calorie imbalance (too many carbohydrates and fat, not enough protein) cause digestive difficulties. We are what we eat, and this worker is paying the price for not tending to the most basic human need for nourishing, healthy food.

Habits Can Change

If any of the above resonates for you, know that learned habit driven behavior can change.  We absolutely can influence our eating preferences.  We can learn how to take ten minutes to eat a nourishing meal.  We can bring the meal from home (yes, you can get up ten minutes early to make a nourishing salad full of whole foods:  vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, fruit, hummus, basalmic vinegar, and other nourishing things.)   It is a learned behavior to take time to put together a healthy meal and healthy snacks.  This type of learning pays tremendous dividends, and helps to break the cycle of eating food with a grab and go mentality.

What if we got dressed with clothes that were just shoved in front of us in the morning?  If we didn’t care what we looked like, because we didn’t have time to make decisions about getting dressed? What if we put on the equivalent of junk food being shoved at us? Is that how you want to look?  Of course not, yet that is how many of us eat – whatever is in front of us, thoughtlessly,  which we justify because we are too busy, or tired, or bored, or hungry, or fill in the blank.

Ending Overeating

• Awareness is the first step of mindfulness.  In any mindfulness practice, we notice how we feel, and without judgment pay attention to the experience of feeling. My colleagues in overeating and food addiction suggest that awareness is the first step in breaking conditioned hyper eating. It is no surprise this is the first step alcoholics take when beginning the change process. Once you understand that your brain is being activated, you can consider questions like:  “how can I cool off the stimulus?”
• Step 2 is developing your own set of rules regarding overeating.  There may be certain foods (like french fries) that you need to make off limits, because it is impossible to stop. So, consider not eating them.  I find that this works for me, supporting a 44 pound weight loss over nearly 30 years.  There are just many foods that I won’t eat because of their ability to hijack and manipulate my taste buds.
• Step 3 is to build structure around your eating.  Create a plan, know what you’re going to eat, and when you are going to eat, and eat with a certain structure so you are not grabbing food constantly throughout the day.  This way of creating boundaries is very helpful in controlling overeating.  Boundaries and rules keep the brain in check.  If I tell myself “no french fries ever” then I’m not tempted each time I drive past a fast food restaurant.  It ends the dialog and allows me less anxiety, which means less suffering.
• Step 4  is eat in a planned way, which is peaceful.  Chaotic eating patterns cause difficulty for our brains.  Snacking constantly is simply a response to cues in the environment.  If we eat every time we get a cue, we’re eating all the time.  Having a planned structure and routine with food settles this habit response to food stimulation, which is everywhere.

Want more tips like this?  Need dietary support?  Help with creating a structured plan?  I’d love to help you.  Contact me for a complimentary consultation.  I can’t wait to hear from you!!

The post Four Steps to Weight Loss appeared first on Mindful Benefits | Lisa Schmidt Counseling.

Stay active! Increase your physical activity during the holiday season by going for a walk after each meal or gathering. Shooting hoops, jumping rope or playing catch are also good family/group activities.

Baking Swaps

• Instead of butter, substitute equal parts cinnamon-flavored, no-sugar-added applesauce.
• Instead of sugar, use a lower-calorie sugar substitute.
• Instead of whole or heavy cream, substitute low-fat or skim milk.  You can also swap for any plant based milk (no cholesterol or saturated fat).
• Instead of using only white flour, use half white and half whole-wheat flour.
• Instead of adding chocolate chips or candies, use dried fruit, like cranberries or cherries.
• Use extracts like vanilla, almond and peppermint to add flavor instead of sugar or butter.

Cooking Swaps

• Use vegetable oils such as olive oil instead of butter.
• Use herbs and spices, like rosemary and cloves, to flavor dishes instead of butter and salt.
• Use whole-grain breads and pastas instead of white.
• Bake, grill or steam vegetables instead of frying.
• Instead of whole milk or heavy cream, substitute low-fat or fat-free/skim milk or any plant based (soy, almond, rice, hemp) milk.

Beverages

• Instead of alcohol in mixed drinks, use club soda.
• Instead of adding sugar to mixed drinks, mix 100-percent juice with water or use freshly squeezed juice, like lime.
• Instead of using heavy cream or whole milk in dairy-based drinks, use low-fat or skim milk.
• Instead of using sugar to sweeten cider, use spices and fruit, like cinnamon, cloves and cranberries.

The post Healthy Holiday Swaps appeared first on Mindful Benefits | Lisa Schmidt Counseling.

becomes a time for over-eating and weight gain. According to the National Institutes of Health, holiday eating can result in an extra pound or two every year, which can really add up over a lifetime. The holidays don’t have to be equated with weight gain if we focus on a healthy balance of food, activity, and fun to stay healthy through the holiday season.

Traditions that define most family celebrations include food, drink, and sweets. If keeping your waistline in check has become a goal, indulging your sweet tooth without drowning in calories is possible. By using seasonal and fresh ingredients, minimizing butter, reducing sugar, upgrading recipes with fiber-rich whole grain flour, and using nuts creatively for added crunch and healthy fat, you can cook like a pro and please even the most discriminating family member or guest.

Here are some tips for making favorite recipes healthier:

Cut the sweetness.  When making pumpkin pie or eggnog, reduce the amount of sugar by half and enhance “sweetness” by adding a bit more vanilla, nutmeg or cinnamon. Try crustless pumpkin pie, or add whole grain flour to your pie shell recipe. If recipes call for sugary toppings like frosting, jams and syrup, use fresh fruit instead.

• Trim the fat and calories. In baked goods you can cut the fat by about half and replace it with unsweetened applesauce, prune puree or mashed banana. Instead of full-fat condensed milk, use condensed skim milk in pumpkin pie and eggnog. For gravy, heat low-sodium broth (or drippings with the fat removed); mix flour into cold skim milk and pour slowly into broth. Stir until thickened and season to your liking.
• Add healthy fiber. Upgrade your baked goods by switching to whole grain flour. Try whole grain flours in your baking like whole wheat pastry flour or spelt flour. Buckwheat flour makes delicious muffins and quick breads, and millet flour’s light yellow color and sweet flavor works well in cakes, quick breads, and muffins. If gluten is an issue for you or someone you love, try brown rice flour. Its subtle flavor makes an ideal base for cakes, bread, muffins, and desserts. To make a more nutrient-dense baked good, substitute half of the brown rice flour with buckwheat, quinoa, or amaranth flour.

Instead of denying yourself some holiday favorites, setting you up for feelings of deprivation leading to overeating, try to make ‘wise’ dessert choices. Have a smaller portion and savor every mouthful. When you have choices, opt for desserts that are lower in fat and sugar. For example, if faced with a plate of cookies, you may decide to choose the sugar cookies or gingerbread cookies over shortbread cookies as they tend to be lower in calories. Choices like this can help ease the challenge of holiday overindulgence, and put treats in their proper place: fondly remembered annual favorites, providing satisfaction and anchoring to our family traditions.

Keep desserts simple and fresh, using techniques like broiling to caramelize sugar-dusted fruits. Sophisticated, high-end restaurants serve simple, elegant finishes to meals. Enjoy this holiday recipe with tart cranberries, seasonal citrus, and lovely cashew crème topping to end an elegant dinner.

Broiled Citrus with Cashew Crème Topping
Simple, fresh, seasonal fruits will brighten your holiday dinners and keep your guests refreshed and satisfied with a healthy dessert. Enjoy with or without the delicious cashew crème; this recipe is high in antioxidants & fiber, and the Cashew Crème is rich with healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Serves 4

1 tangerine, peel and pith removed, sliced

1 red grapefruit, peel and pith removed, sliced

1 navel orange, peel and pith removed, sliced

½ cup raw cranberries

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

 For Cashew crème:

1 ½ cups soaked cashews (soak overnight in spring water)

1 Tbsp. + 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Pinch of salt

3 Tbsp. maple syrup

½ cup water

 To make broiled citrus: Heat broiler. Divide fruit among four shallow ovenproof ramekins. Drizzle with maple syrup. Place ramekins onto a rimmed baking sheet; broil, rotating once, until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Top with a dollop of cashew crème.

To make cashew crème: rinse soaked cashews and place with all ingredients into blender. Pulse slowly, adding speed gradually. Add water as required to keep mixture moving down into blender blades. Makes 1 ½ cups: delicious on fruit salad, or cobbler.

Nutrition information (excluding crème):  Calories (per serving) 82; Total Fat 0 g; Sodium 2 mg; Total Carbohydrates 21 g; Protein 1 g; Dietary Fiber 3 g

Cashew Crème: Calories (per tablespoon) 93; Total Fat 6.9 g; Total Carbohydrates 6.5 g; Protein 2.9 g; Dietary Fiber 0.5 g.

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Have you heard about your microbiome? The trillions of microorganisms living in our bodies are called the microbiome. These helpful bugs are key to our overall health.  They help us digest our food, and provide critical nutrients , train our immune systems, turn genes on and off, keep our gut tissue healthy, help protect us from diabetes, and even cancer.  Other studies show that they play a role in obesity, atherosclerosis, autimmune disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and liver disease.

Plant foods in particular help shape a healthy intestinal microbiome.  The fiber in plant foods promotes the growth of “friendly” bacteria in our guts.  Fiber poor diets (especially those high in dairy, eggs, and meat) can foster the growth of disease-promoting bacteria.  Landmark studies have shown that when omnivores eat choline or carnitine (found in meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and dairy) gut bacteria make a substance that is converted by our liver to a toxic product called TMAO.  TMAO leads to worsening cholesterol plaques in our blood vessels and escalates the risk of heart attack and stroke.

People who eat plant-based diets, or limit their intake of meat, chicken, eggs, and dairy make little or no TMAO, even when they eat a meat containing meal because they have developed a totally different gut microbiome.  It takes only a few days for our gut bacterial patterns to change, so the benefits of eating plants starts quickly!

Eat to prevent or reverse Diabetes

Eat a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes, seeds, and healthy mono-and poly-unsaturated fats like olive oil which reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes, encourages blood flow to the brain, and is low in fat and cholesterol.This way of eating is an overall food lifestyle, not a short-term diet.

Limit (or eliminate) intake of foods high in fat, especially saturated fat found in all animal products like meat, eggs and dairy.  A high intake of saturated fat and cholesterol is associated with inflammation, clogging the arteries and contributing to a higher risk for diabetes.

Reduce your risk of diabetes and promote your healthy microbiome by adopting this approach to eating and consume more:

• Dark-skinned fruits and vegetables: These have the highest levels of antioxidants.  Great vegetable choices are kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, broccoli, beets, red bell peppers, onions, corn and eggplant. Fruit choices include prunes, raisins, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, plums, oranges, red grapes and cherries.
• Cold water fish: Beneficial omega-3 fatty acids are found in halibut, mackerel, salmon, trout and tuna.  If you are avoiding animal products, you can obtain omega-3 fatty acids from plant sources of alpha-linolenic acid such as flaxseed, flaxseed oil, canola oil, tofu and soybeans.
• Nuts: Almonds, pecans and walnuts are a good source of the antioxidant vitamin E.  Keep portions modest (about 2 tablespoons per serving), and chew well to maximize digestibility.
• Herbs and spices:These appear to have protective effects for the microbiome, including the particularly promising spice turmeric; one of its components, curcumin is strongly anti-inflammatory.

Sounds like a delicious prescription worth trying!  Begin today with this easy-to-prepare main dish recipe packed with protective foods!

Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa

Serves 4

2 teaspoons grated lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Earth Balance spread, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup quinoa, well rinsed
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced
4 scallions, thinly sliced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk together lime zest and juice, Earth Balance spread, oil, turmeric and curry powder.  Rinse quinoa in 3 changes of cold water.  Cook in a medium pot of boiling salted water for 10 minutes until tender. Drain in a sieve; set the sieve in the same pot with 1 inch of simmering water. Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then with a lid. Steam for 10 minutes. Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed.  Stir in remaining ingredients, adding salt and pepper to taste.

 Nutrition information: Calories (per serving) 358; Total Fat 9.5 g; Sodium 52.4 g; Potassium 493.8 mg; Total Carbohydrates 55.8 g; Protein 14.5 g; Dietary Fiber 11.7 g; Sugars 3.4 g

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