Archive for category: Foodie News

If only spinach tasted like biscuits…well what if you could make this happen simply by training your brain to like the taste of healthy foods?

That is what new research from Nutrition & Diabetes has said after they looked at overweight individuals that were placed in a diet program. This program included an increased intake of high-fibre, low-GI foods and a lesser intake of unhealthy food like sweets.

Those that were placed in the program responded more positively to images of healthy food (think grilled salmon with vegetables) than images of unhealthy food (1). These findings further help us to understand how our love for sweets and junk food builds up over time in response to us continuing to eat what is available in our toxic food environment.

Similarly, another study has suggested that portion control can play a large part in changing eating habits. Instead of eating a whole plate of unhealthy food the researchers advise lowering the portion of unhealthy food on the plate while simultaneously increasing the amount of healthy food (2). By combining nutritious and not-so-nutritious foods you are able to still fulfill your taste goals while also training yourself to get used to the tastes of healthy food.

The good news is, there is an abundance of research out there that consistently shows that, if all else fails: “repeated exposure works”.  The extent to which a food is familiar, particularly with children will often determine whether it is acceptable and likeable … or eaten.

That means, undoubtedly the answer is yes… you can train yourself to like healthy food!

We do get clients asking if our meals are tasty as well as healthy, in fact, I had an email the other day asking if our meals were “nutritious and delicious”.  The meals that we provide at Healthy Meals to Your Door have been carefully created by a nutritionist and chef to ensure that they are both.  We intend that there is an equal amount of nutrition and pleasure of taste provided on every plate!  We hope that you will find the same!

[1] Deckersbach, T., et al. (2014). Pilot randomized trial demonstrating reversal of obesity-related abnormalities in reward system responsivity to food cues with a behavioural intervention. Nutrition & Diabetes, 4(9). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4183968/

[2] Vanderbilt University. (2014). Size matters when convincing your brain to eat healthier foods.

[3] Cooke, L. (2007). The Importance of Exposure for Healthy Eating in Childhood: A Review. Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics. Vol: 20. Issue 4.

Sometimes I ask my clients which food they would find hardest to give up. Ironically it is often a food they are highly sensitive too, but don’t realise it, and this will give me clues as to what those foods might be. Interestingly cheese and chocolate feature a lot… and it may be something to do with casein and how it acts a little bit like an opiate in the brain.

The University of Michigan recently completed a study using about 500 participants that focused on which items/products serve as the ‘drugs’ of the food world. From their findings they produced a list of foods that were most addictive and foods that were least addictive. You may or may not be surprised that unprocessed items like salmon and brown rice were not associated with addictive eating behaviours, while highly processed foods were. These included chips and cakes, but topping the list was: pizza.

As we know, most processed foods have one thing in common: a tantalizing fat and sugar combo. And pizza… has fatty oozy gooey… you guessed it, cheese! Of course, there are also the added sugars in the tomato sauce and the refined carbs in the dough that turn on the dopamine receptors in our brain (the chemicals that are highly linked to addiction), but cheese seems to have a certain ingredient that is responsible for getting us hooked: casein. Casein is the protein found in all milk products but exists in cheese in higher concentrations (it takes 10 pounds of milk to produce 1 pound of cheese).

But how is casein related to addiction? Well when casein breaks down it releases a compound called casomorphins. These casomorphins then interact with our dopamine receptors, which, as we know, play a huge role in controlling pain, reward and addictive behaviours in the brain. So yes, there is an addictive potential of cheese and other processed foods …

Another thing milk products have in them is trytophan (an amino acid), and when coupled with a sugary delivery system, like found in chocolate, or dairy products which do naturally contain sugars like lactose, but often processed food contain additional sugars as well. Serotonin is our happy or calming neurotransmitter in the brain. People report seemingly calming and sedating – drug like effects of eating chocolate or cheese. Tryptophan is the key amino acid in the formation of serotonin… our calming happy hormone.

It is no wonder people feel like they can’t live without cheese … and chocolate.

The next step would be to know how to get un-addicted to them, or perhaps even more attractive for some is to know how to get the high without the negative consequence… but that may be for another post…

Read the study here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4334652/

There’s nothing quite like mum’s cooking, and children often get used to what they know.  (And even if your child is a fussy eater and you are convinced they eat nothing you make you may be surprised by how attached to your cooking or feeding style they are.)

If you are trying something new, or want to give our family dinners a try but are worried your kids won’t eat it, I just wanted to put a few words of encouragement out there for you, the parents (mums and dads- or whoever is slaving away in the kitchen).  Firstly our family plans are popular and are designed to be family and child friendly… but here are some extra tips and tricks to help the transition.

1. Repeated exposure works: research shows we have a preference for the familiar when it comes to our eating.  So if they don’t like it the first time, it doesn’t mean they will never like it, it just means it might be a new experience.
2. Put your signature on it:  if your kids love your cooking, they may discourage a solution that excludes it, so one solution for a no fuss win-win is to add “a bit of you to the mix”.  This might be in the way you plate up food, or it might be in a side dish you create: turn veggies into “mum’s mashed veggies” or mushy peas, or make some of your famous guacamole or salsa to accompany the meal.  Or you might add one of their favorite foods to the mix to “sweeten the deal”, for example if they love pasta, serve some as a side with the casserole, or give them some extra corn on the cob or some baked beans on the side.  More of what they love, less of what’s new… and then gradually shift the balance.
3. Lead by example: eat with them and enjoy the luxury!
4. Eat to nourish! Tick. That’s one less thing to worry about. We’ve taken care of the planning and cooking for you. Bon Appetit!
5. Give it a fabulous name:  I have a four year old and she loves it when I give food interesting or fun names or I arrange food into shapes on her plate.  “Lovely heart shaped Prawn Risotto with Green Pearls tonight! Dinner fit for a mermaid!”
6. Add your own seasoning.  We deliberately don’t add salt to our cooking or artificial flavors and colours etc.  Feel free to “jooj” up the meals to your taste: add extra chili, add a sprinkle of Himilayan or sea salt, drizzle some olive oil on the greens, chop some fresh herbs into the salads and vegan dishes.
7. Get them involved.  Get them heating, or serving or involved somehow so it feels like: “Wow! Now even I can make dinner!”

We love hearing from our families.  We love that you care about their health and we love your input into creating new favorite meals… please keep it coming!

 

*Photo of my daughter Brooke taken by friend Myrna Widlend

The goodies:

1 cup (250ml) pitted dates

½ cup (125ml) walnuts

½ cup (125ml) desiccated coconut

4tbsp (60ml) sunflower seeds

A pinch of Himalayan salt

2tbsp honey or 30ml agave nectar

¼ cup (60ml) sesame seeds toasted, or desiccated coconut (optional)

The fun:

Place all the ingredients, except agave nectar and sesame seeds in a food processor and pulse until well-chopped but not pulverised.

Add agave nectar and process for 30 seconds.

Take teaspoonfuls of the mixture and roll into balls.

Roll in toasted sesame seeds or desiccated coconut (optional)

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

If only everyone could agree on what the perfect diet is, life (and eating) would be simple.  At Healthy Meals To Your Door we focus on whole foods.  We believe there is no “perfect diet” for everyone, and that is why we offer a range of different dietary preferences.  After all we are all different, why shouldn’t our eating habits be?

There is one thing we are certain about though, and that is that everyone is better off eating food in its most natural form, and that is why we put such an emphasis on whole foods.  It’s ok to eat for taste sometimes, it’s ok to eat for comfort sometimes, as long as you are eating to nourish most of the time.

At Healthy Meals To Your Door we like to help you take the stress and time out of ticking the “nourishing” box, for the majority of the time, so that you get your nutrition into your body, in delicious ways, and then what you eat for the other 20% of the time doesn’t threaten your health so much.

After all it’s not just calories that matter, it’s nutrients, and we like to jam as many into our meals as we can.

Because… Your Body NEEDS Nutrients… and a variety of them in order to function.  The more “whole” a food, the more nutrients it contains, packaged up in ways the body knows how to use.

If you can follow one rule of eating, let it be this:  Eat whole foods

Nutrient utilization in humans (the body uses and needs protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and a bunch of other nutrients found in whole foods.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image Source: http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/dynamic-adaptation-of-nutrient-utilization-in-humans-14232807#