Is Oil Healthy?

Monday Challenge:

Avoid Added Oil

Think olive oil is healthy? Think again.

Most people agree that sugar is bad for you. Sugar is a refined food. But oil is a refined food also – it is a refined fat. And oil has two times the calories as refined sugar!

If vegans cut out all animal products and saturated fats (thus cholesterol) they can still get heart disease. Why? The main source appears to be vegetable oils, olive oil, and coconut oil.

Do you slather oil on everything you cook? Did you know there’s oil in almost every restaurant food?

Oil is bad for many reasons:

• Oil raises LDL cholesterol which is bad for heart health.

• Oil, even olive oil, damages the endothelial lining of our arteries (thereby paving the way for plaque formation).

• Eating foods with added oil can encourage blood coagulation which create thrombosis that leads to heart attacks and strokes.

• Oil in your diet creates intramyocellular lipids (fat inside your muscle cells) that interferes with insulin’s ability to enter cells which leads to diabetes.

• Consumption of too much oil can cause acne on your skin and foods that are fried in oils can worsen the health of your skin .

• At 120 calories per tablespoon, oil calories can add up making it challenging to lose or maintain weight. In fact, oil stimulates appetite and does not satiate.

We do need some fats in our diets - how do you get them? Eat the whole, plant food and not just the extracted fats.

In other words, get your olive oil by tossing a few olives on your salad and make salad dressings with nuts and seeds, not oil. Don't add vegetable oils when cooking – it’s easy to roast, bake, and sauté foods without oil.

So I ask you: Why would you waste calories on something that has no nutrients in it other than fat? And why would anyone believe that highly concentrated fat is healthy?

Your challenge this week is to avoid added oil - eat the whole plant food and not just the extracted fats Learn how to prepare and cook your food without added oils.

How will you avoid refined oil this week?

Let me know in the comments below.

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It’s Hard to Beat the Health Benefits of Beets.

Monday Challenge:

Add Healthy Beets to Your Diet

Do you like beets? I didn’t for a long time. Then I discovered that it’s all about how you prepare them - no canned or pickled beets for me! When beets are in season, like right now, I really enjoy adding them to my diet.

Beets provide some impressive health benefits:

1. Beets are rich in anti-oxidants & vitamins. They are low in calories yet contain a bit of almost all the vitamins and minerals that you need

2. Beets keep blood pressure in check due to high concentration of dietary nitrates.

3. Beets can improve athletic performance by improving oxygen use.

4. Beets may help fight inflammation.

5. Beets are a good source of fiber and may improve digestive health.

6. Beets help support brain health - nitrates help increase blood flow to brain to improve cognitive function and possibly reduce risk of dementia.

7. Beets have anti-cancer properties - studies show pigments in beets may help reduce the growth of cancer cells.

8. Beets can help you lose weight - they are low in calories and high in water.

Beets are delicious and easy to include in your diet. Check out these golden beets I recently found on sale at my local Kroger.

And yes, you can even eat beets raw. Try slicing them up adding them to your salad - they add a wonderful crunch.

Or roast them and add to a buddha bowl. Enjoy smoothies? Lightly steam your beets and add to your smoothie.

And did you know you can eat the beet stems and the beet greens? Try steaming them (both greens and stems) and enjoy with your soup. Delicious!

How will you enjoy beets this week?

Let me know in the comments below.

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Trade in your Fast-Food Fix

Monday Challenge:

Trade in your fast-food fix

There’s a Facebook page run by some people in the city I live in. It’s a great place to ask which dentist to see or where to get your car fixed. Or to let people know about charitable events or even what roads to avoid due to an accident.

Sadly though, the thing that generates the most excitement is when a new fast-food chain is being built.

Lately, the excitement is all about the new Chick-fil-A that’s almost ready to open. There’s a Wendy’s being built right next to it. And a Dairy Queen Grill & Chill and pizza place right across the street. Go down the street a bit and you’ll find a Dunkin Donuts and a Hardees. And how about that big name gas station that has it’s own full line of fast food offerings? All this and more in just less than a half mile. There’s plenty more choices just down the road.

I find this quite alarming. Do you? You likely see the same thing in your hometown. It’s all about supply and demand.

Frequently eating fast-food is linked to a higher risk of obesity, depression, digestive issues, heart disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and early death.

About 85 million Americans consume fast food every day – are you one?

Your Monday challenge is to give up fast food for the week. Take time to get to the grocery store and prep food to take on the go. Make a plan to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans. Not only will you cut significant fat from your diet, but you just might find that you feel better.

Will you accept the challenge and trade in your fast-food fix for healthier fare?

Let me know in the comments below.

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It’s what we eat when we want something fast and filling

Monday Challenge

Try a Bean-Based Pasta

So I saw these black spaghetti noodles on sale recently at my local ALDIs. And I thought black spaghetti noodles…I just don’t know...

I’ve tried and enjoyed red noodles made from red lentils and green noodles made from spinach so I decided why not give them a try. And they were delicious!

They’re black because they’re made with black soybeans. That’s the only ingredient – organic black soybean flour.

Healthy Eaters have a love-hate relationship with pasta.

Pasta is a comfort food. It’s what we grew up with. It’s what we eat when we want something fast and filling right?

And pasta, because it is cooked in water, doesn’t spike your blood sugar like bread that is made with the same amount of flour.

But what about pasta made from beans? Pasta made from beans, like chickpeas, black beans, and soybeans have more protein, more fiber, and more iron that traditional pasta. Bean-based pasta can have up to twice the protein and seven times the fiber of white pasta.

So go ahead and get your pasta fix 😊

Your Monday challenge is to try a bean-based pasta and reward yourself with better nutrition

I enjoyed my pasta with a chunky sauce and some steamed chard.

How will you enjoy bean-bassed pasta this week?

Post your pasta pics on Instagram and tag me (@sarandwellness)

Or let me know in the comments below.

Be sure to hit the LIKE button :)

Are you an “appliance junkie”?

Are you an “Appliance Junkie”?

Are you an “appliance junkie” like me? I love watching infomercials where they feature the latest and greatest new kitchen gadget and I almost always want to get one 😉

But I’m happy with my current collection of gadgets. My favorite are my Vitamix, Instant Pot, Breville Smart Oven Air, and my food processor.

Let’s talk about food processors. Do you remember why you bought your food processor? Perhaps you were sold on the promise of cutting your prep time in half. And you had visions of all the healthy meals you’d be serving up.

Unfortunately, if you are like most people, your food processor spends more time in storage than it should.

Your challenge for this week is to reacquaint yourself with your food processor. If possible, keep your food processor out of the cupboard - mine lives on my counter next to my blender. When it is right there on the counter you are more likely to use it.

While food processors are great for slicing and chopping, the can be cumbersome to use for just one task. Having to clean your machine after each use can be a huge deterrent.

Make it a habit to process more than one thing.

If you are grating some potatoes for hash browns, then slice up some red onions for your salads this week.

Or if you whip up a batch of nut butter you might notice there’s quite a bit left in the container. Add some nuts, dates, and flavorings (like chocolate) and make some energy bites. Or add a couple of frozen bananas, a bit of cacao powder with a splash of almond milk and you have a delicious chocolate-peanut butter nice cream waiting for you in the freezer. Yummy!

Use your food processor to prep your salad veggies after you get home from shopping. Washing and prepping your veggies turns them into fast food. Grab those greens and veggies and make a quick salad. Or pair up some veggies with your favorite hummus. Just imagine how good you feel eating all that nutritious food.

Need some inspiration on what to do with your food processor? These are some of the things I use mine for:

• Making nut butters

• Chopping a bunch of veggies for a soup or chili

• Shredding or slicing raw veggies (potatoes, carrots, zucchini beets, cabbage, onions, garlic, etc.) & fruits

• Making sandwich spreads or pâtés

• Making hummus

• Chopping nuts and dates for desert crusts

• Mixing up healthy ingredients for energy bites

• Chopping nuts

• Making flour out of oats or almonds

• Making pesto & salsa

Use your food processor to prep your salad veggies after you get home from shopping.

You’ll be more likely to make a salad for lunch or grab some veggies to snack on!

What will you use your food processor for this week?

Need recipes or ideas?

Let me know in the comments below.

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