Few months ago, I briefly mentioned several ways to help you boost your intake of fruits and vegetables. One of the strategies was to rework the classic mashed potato by either adding in pureed cauliflower or substitute in mashed sweet potatoes. Many people will probably have doubts as to how successful these substitutes are since mashed potato is one of the highly ranked comfort foods that is dear to many people’s hearts and cannot be easily replaced. In this post, I will go into greater details as to how well cauliflower and sweet potato can serve as healthier alternatives to the classic buttery and creamy mashed potatoes.

Pureed Cauliflower

In the past, I’ve tried pureed cauliflower on its own and I found that it cannot mimic mashed potato but it does have its unique place in a well-balanced diet. I find that it has a much more “liquidy”, less starchy and more fluffy texture to it. Plain pureed cauliflower does not taste very exciting, but it can be a very suitable complement to a creamy, rich topping. The plain vegetable puree acts as a blank canvas which will accentuates the topping’s flavours, and the lightness of the puree will balance out the richness well. Plus, don’t forget that you’re boosting your vegetable intake too! Pairing a calorie-dense sauce or topping to a vegetable-based, low-calorie puree is a great way to showcase a flavourful sauce, allowing you to truly indulge without adding additional, non-essential calories.

My favourite combination: pureed cauliflower + Italian meatballs with spicy salsa = long-lasting satisfaction without needing spaghetti to fill me up!

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes come in many varieties, some are more mushy and sweeter than others. Finding the variety that is starchy and slightly sweet will yield the best mashed sweet potatoes. Starchy varieties will give the most creamy texture when mashed. For me, the best way to enjoy mashed sweet potatoes is to have it plain because somehow the natural sweetness of it really has me hooked on it – I keep eating one bite after another! Mashed sweet potato is not the same as mashed potato by any means. But to me, it can be an equally satisfying and comforting side dish because of its luscious, creamy mouthfeel and its unique sweet flavour that makes it surprisingly cravable!

My favourite preparation method:

• Peel and rinse sweet potatoes, cut into large cubes
• Use a microwave steamer to steam the sweet potato cubes until fork tender
• While hot, mash with a fork or potato masher (if desired, add milk to thin out)

The Ultimate Winner: pureed cauliflower with mashed sweet potatoes

This combination best mimics the texture and taste of mashed potatoes. The starchiness of the sweet potatoes yields a creamy texture and the blandness of the cauliflower will balance out the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. Together, this composition has just the right texture and the perfect clean (but not boring) flavour. This can be the ideal substitute for those who have been longing for a lighter, healthier yet delicious alternative to mashed potatoes!

So how good is it really? Well, I did a little experiment on my brother! I served this over Italian Meatballs and tomato sauce, and told him that it was meatballs with mashed potatoes. He finished the whole dish and literally scooped every last bit from the plate. Only when he finished that he casually mentioned that the mashed potatoes seemed lighter and not as dense than the usual. So, although my brother did detect a slight difference between this faux mashed potatoes and the real thing, he still had a very satisfying meal and did not feel missed out on regular mashed potatoes. In short, pureed cauliflower and mashed sweet potatoes can truly be the ultimate healthy comfort food!

But you just hate cauliflower…

Pureed cauliflower may not work for everybody, but that doesn’t mean you cannot make mashed potatoes a little more healthier. Start by incorporating just a tiny amount of sweet potatoes (or cauliflower, or whatever other vegetable puree that you fancy) into your mashed potatoes and see if you like the taste and the texture. If you enjoy it, then you can experiment further by adding a little more; or if you dislike it, then explore with other vegetables!

It does not really matter how much or how little of vegetable puree that you are adding to mashed potatoes, the key is that you are doing something to improve the nutrition profile of mashed potatoes and that thought alone puts you one step closer to embracing a lifelong habit of healthy eating!

And you just love mashed potatoes…

Here are a few of my favourite ways to lighten up mashed potatoes (without sacrificing flavour, of course):

• Instead of using Russet potatoes, try mashing Yukon Gold potatoes. They stay moist and fluffy when cooked and mash beautifully, giving you that heavenly creamy texture!
• Hold the butter as you mash potatoes, instead add a dollop of butter as you serve. Seeing the butter melt into the mashed potatoes satisfies you visually and helps you to taste that buttery flavour better
• Use brown butter. It has a more intense, nuttier flavour so you only need to add in a small amount to jazz up the dish (Here’s a short video on how to brown butter).
• Substitute lower-fat milk or buttermilk for cream. Yukon Gold potatoes will mash into a creamy texture naturally so you don’t need cream to add on the richness.
• Sprinkle in herbs and spices to add flavour, rely less on butter. I like to add in a few cloves of garlic, and salt and pepper and a small pinch of nutmeg.
• Serve it with a lower-calorie topping. Instead of serving a fatty sauce like gravy over mashed potatoes, I like to top it off with spicy salsa (I love that extra kick!).

These options are only a few of the many methods that you can try to transform mashed potatoes from being the ultimate comfort food to a more nutritious dinner table staple. Play with these options, add in your own creative touch and soon or later, you’ll discover a whole approach to eating mashed potatoes (or better yet, you’ll fall in love with my faux mashed potatoes!).

How do you like to enjoy your mashed potatoes?

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I’ve been craving spaghetti with meatballs lately, especially after stumbling upon Christine’s recipe for Italian meatballs. I scanned through the ingredient list, realized that I had everything on hand, and so I immediately dove into making these mini meatballs.

What I love about this recipe is Christine’s choice of using extra lean ground beef with breadcrumbs and fresh herbs; that combination works really well together to yield the ultimate juicy, flavourful meatball that is a lot more heart-friendly than regular store-bought meatballs (less saturated fats than meatballs made with regular ground beef, pork and veal).

The recipe was easy to follow and was a lot of fun! Be prepared to use your hands and get messy!

I followed the recipe exactly and made 25 two-bite meatballs.

Two-Bite Italian Meatballs

Source: Christine’s Corner

What you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 1 onion, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup fresh oregano, finely
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg, freshly ground
• Salt and pepper to taste

What to do:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs with milk. Set aside to allow crumbs to fully absorb milk.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, gently mix together the ground beef, onion, garlic, egg yolk and Parmesan cheese using clean hands (or with gloves).
• Add the breadcrumb mixture and fresh oregano to the mixture. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix well.
• Form mixture into small balls (roughly the size of ping-pong balls), make sure the balls are roughly the same size so they cook evenly. Place onto baking sheet.
• Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes.
• Use immediately, or let cool and freeze (lasts up to 3 months).

I tasted one right after it came out of the oven – the meatball was juicy and meaty, plus the taste of the fresh oregano was really prominent, adding a whole new flavour dimension to the meatball. I really enjoyed it!

I served these meatballs over faux mashed potato with a salsa and cheese topping to my brother for his pre-dinner snack. He loved it and he scraped every last bite of food off the plate — a telltale sign that the meatballs (and my faux mashed potato) was a definite success!

As for the recipe for my faux mashed potato (which my brother didn’t suspect to be anything else until he finished his last bite), I’ll be sharing that on my next post. Stay tuned![Update: here's the post on faux mashed potatoes!]

Question of the Day: What is your favourite way to eat meatballs?

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My blog is listed as one of the top 40 blogs for staying healthy and fit. I feel so honoured to be part of that list, especially since I am a regular reader of some of the Diet and Nutrition blogs listed, including Carrots n’ Cake, Kath Eats Real Food, and the Nutrition Data Blog.

The extensive list contains a wide array of health and fitness information, be sure to check it out!

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Calling out to all who are not doing any form of physical activity right now: what’s stopping you from getting active?!

The awesome benefits of getting more active:

• Reduces risk of developing chronic diseases (including diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension, etc.)
• Assist in weight control
• Improves your mood – release stress and stimulate production of “happy hormones“
• Reduce risks of developing various types of cancers
• Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joins
• Strengthens your cardiovascular system – your heart and lungs work more efficiently, boosting your energy level to do things you enjoy
• Promotes better sleep – help you to sleep faster and deeper
• Meet new people, make new friends
• Boosts your self-esteem
• Lots of fun! – Who said exercising is always boring and dry, it can be as fun and as interesting as you make it to be!

These are only a glimpse of the positive aspects of exercising regularly. The list can go on and on…

By reading through the ever-growing list of health benefits shown above, you will be able to get a very clear idea that exercising is a very cheap yet effective way to prolong your productive years and to help you achieve greater happiness and a deeper appreciation for life.
Getting active doesn’t necessarily mean hauling yourself to the gym every other day and sweating madly on the treadmill. It can be as simple as walking, doing gardening or just completing a home workout for about 30 minutes each day. Plus, you don’t even need to complete the whole 30 minutes in one session; you can split 30 minutes into 2 or even 3 mini workouts and squeeze those sessions into your busy schedule.

The bottom line is: you just got to start moving and do it consistently!

So here I have prepared a list of activities that you can easily fit into your day, whether you have 10 minutes, 15 minutes or even 2 minutes.

The one exercise tip that I have for you is you simply just got to have a “Just Do It” mentality. When you have that mindset, you’re already more than half way to achieving your fitness goal.

General Fitness Resources:

• ActNowBC: Physical Activity – A great website packed with different resources to help you learn about different aspects of healthy living. The section on physical activity offers an extensive list of articles that answers many of the fitness questions you may have.

• Fit-in 15 – customize your own 15 minute workout from a list of simple activities that target strength, flexibility and cardiovascular health.

• MizFitOnline.com – A great resource on fitness and healthy living. When you have a minute or so, just click on one of the many exercise demonstration videos and learn a new move to tone your body.

• BodyRock.Tv – Looking for an intense at-home workout that going to make you sweat like mad? Here’s the ultimate place to go to for workout routines. I visit it a lot when I need inspirations for new workout moves and when I need motivation during the days when I just don’t feel like moving. Check it out!

Specific Workout Ideas / Routines:

• 2 Simple Ingredients That Will Boost your Morning Energy – a quick, 2-min exercise routine designed to jumpstart your day for increased energy, better mood and less fat!

• 4 Quick Arm Toners – When you’ve got about 10 – 15 minutes (for example, when you are watching TV), you can easily tone your arms and chest with these 4 simple moves.

• Tone Your Butt and Thighs – No weights? No problem. Use your own body weight as a resistance and work those gluts!

• 15-minute Ab Workout – The belly area is often a trouble zone for many people. Sparkpeople has put together a Youtube Video that targets the abdominal area. The instructions are given in a clear and easy-to-follow manner and those moves definitely work the abs!

• One Hundred Pushups – Pushups can be a great way to train many muscles in your upper body. So, try this challenge! It is an easy way to assess and improve your current physical strength.

These links have helped me tremendously when I started to exercise on a regular basis, and hopefully you will find them useful too.
As Woody Allen once said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.”. So what are you waiting for? Get up and get moving, just do it!

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I have big and exciting news!

*Drumroll* After some serious thoughts, I’ve finally decided to get my own domain (after a long, tedious struggle with finding the perfect name…). So, instead of checking The Silly Nutrition Undergrad for new updates, come visit me at Juicy Fresh Bites!

Juicy Fresh Bites is going to the upgraded version of The Silly Nutrition Undergrad, with a better look and much more interesting and useful content.

I’m totally ecstatic about my new blog and I’m going to pour all of that energy into making Juicy Fresh Bites the best that it can be. So, stay tuned!

Cheers,

Stephanie

Juicy Fresh Bites

[This picture isn't the best quality, but considering I was in a rush to enjoy it, this was my best shot! Next time I eat it, I'll take better photos...]

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Oatmeal, hands down, is the ultimate healthy breakfast option for me, the perfect wake-up call to a busy weekday morning.

Today is the start of the school week, and it is also the finish-the-leftovers day. So, combining the goal of pumping myself up with fuel for a busy day at school and the objective of getting rid of last week’s leftover produce, I came up with a crazy oatmeal  flavour. It is a meatless dish that includes bean sprouts and Taiwan cabbage as the key ingredients, infused with Sichuan flavour (inspired by one of my favourite Sichuan dish, Dan Dan noodles).

Quite frankly, if I didn’t need to finish the not-so-fresh product, I would never have thought about putting bean sprouts and Taiwan cabbage in oatmeal. And I would definitely would never consider extracting the flavours of Dan Dan noodles and working it into my oatmeal. Even as I was cooking the dish, I knew this was a risky attempt and I prepared myself that it might not taste as good as it sounds in my head. But somehow, in the end, my oatmeal turned out creamy, spicy, peanutty, and overall, very flavourful. I enjoyed every bite.

So far, my adventure to discover new ways to enjoy oatmeal has taken me in all directions; I’ve tried many new food combinations and played with the sweet and savory flavours. But this episode has really got beyond my imagination, and I must say, from the looks of it, this adventure will only get more crazy, more exciting and more dangerous. Can’t wait until a new crazy oatmeal idea pops into my head!

Oatmeal, Sichuan flavour

What you’ll need:

• 3/4 cup cooked steel cut oats (regular / quick oats work as well, just not instant oatmeal)
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon chili sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1/2 tablespoon Chinese sesame paste
• A drizzle of sesame oil
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts
• 1/2 cup Taiwanese cabbage, shredded (Taiwanese cabbage is a different variety from Green Leaf cabbage; it has a sweeter flavour and a more tender texture.)
  
• 1/4 cup chicken stock, low sodium preferably
• 2 tablespoons scallions, finely chopped

What to do:

• I’m assuming that you have already cooked up a big patch of steel cut oats and have them in individual servings sizes alright — If not, follow these instructions and make some now!
• Boil a pot of water, put in bean sprouts and Taiwan cabbage, simmer on medium heat until tender. Drain and set aside.
• In the same pot, pour in chicken stock and stir in the oatmeal and the veggies. Heat mixture on medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together chili sauce, peanut butter and sesame paste. If mixture is too thick to stir well, add in a splash of hot water to help the paste blend together better. Set aside.
• When oatmeal is heated thoroughly, add the sauce and scallions. Stir well. (At this point, you can adjust the seasoning to taste – if you want a more prominent sweet, nutty flavour, stir in more peanut butter, or if you are looking for more heat, add in chili sauce or chili oil for an extra kick.)
• Remove from heat, cover pot and let sit for 2 – 3 minutes (let the flavour of the scallion infuse into the oatmeal). Drizzle on sesame oil before serving.
  

This is really a delicious way to start the day. I can savour the flavours of my favourite lunch dish while treating my body to a bowl of whole grain goodness.

If you’re the type of person who prefers savory breakfasts over sweet ones (and if you enjoy hot and spicy food), then you’ve got to try this recipe, it won’t disappoint you. I promise!

[Stars in the photo: Whole wheat rotini, Pasta shells, Stir-fry broccoli & mushrooms, Veggie-loaded tomato sauce, and Boiled cauliflower]

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On the last few days of 2009, I went on a 4-day ski trip with my friends to Mt. Baker, WA. At first I was terribly worried that I would not be able to eat in a balanced manner but somehow, with determination and creativity, I managed to feed myself (and the Boyfriend) nutritious food most of the time.

My friends and I rented a cabin near Mt. Baker. I was so thankful that the cabin was equipped with a small kitchen. Without that I would probably have had much more difficulty in eating healthily.

On the first day before checking in, we went grocery shopping at a huge Walmart store on the way. The goal was to buy enough food so we could make home-prepared meals at the cabin and save money. In my opinion, Walmart is far from being an ideal place to buy groceries, especially fresh produce, but it was the best option we had, and I guess it sufficed. We split up and shopped separately. Unsurprisingly, the Boyfriend and I lingered at the fresh produce section for the longest time; meanwhile my friends quickly darted for the frozen entrees and junk food aisles deeper into the giant store.

While my friends were madly stocking up their carts with pre-packaged food, I chose to load my cart with as much fresh produce as possible. The produce section was small; it only occupied a small corner of the giant store (literally, the baked goods section adjacent to it was the same size, if not bigger). I was slightly disappointed to see such a small selection of fruits and vegetables, but nonetheless, I was determined to buy as much fruits and vegetables as I could to keep myself happy for the entire trip. I chose mostly vegetables that can be prepared and cooked quickly. My top choices were: tomatoes, mushrooms, lettuce, bell peppers, broccoli and cauliflower. As for fruits, I picked out a huge bag of Fuji apples and a few lemons. Other items that I threw into the cart included a bottle of balsamic vinaigrette dressing, canned beans, canned corn, whole wheat pasta, canned tomato sauce, a carton of chicken stock and a small bottle of ketchup.

From the limited food selection that I picked out from Walmart, I managed to make 10 different food combinations which truly helped to keep me eating well and avoid myself from slowly sinking into the quicksand of filling up on junk food and prepackaged frozen entrees for the entire trip. Curious about what I made? Here’s the list!

1. Jarred tomato sauce + bell peppers + onions + tomatoes + mushrooms

End result: enhanced tomato pasta sauce loaded with veggies.My idea was to add extra veggies to a basic tomato sauce from a jar to add more flavour while boosting the amount of vegetables in a serving. I chose to add in diced onions and bell peppers to add sweetness and a little bit of a crunch to the sauce. In addition, I put in cubed mushrooms and tomatoes for a meaty texture. Lastly, I sprinkled in a dash of steak seasoning and squeezed in fresh lemon juice to add a little kick to the sauce (adding in steak seasoning may seem odd, but since I had no other dried herbs, it was my best option).

2. Broccoli + mushrooms

End result: delicious Asian style broccoli & mushroom stir-fry. This was a simple dish to prepare and cook. Simply blanch broccoli and mushrooms. Then to add a delicious Asian flavour, simply stir-fry them in a large pan with garlic, ginger and a generous splash of soy sauce.

3. Cauliflower +veggie-loaded tomato sauce + shredded cheese

End result: cheese and tomato sauce covered cauliflower. Cauliflower by itself is not interesting at all to me. But, I bought it anyways because it requires little preparation work (just rinse, cut and boil in water). With my greatest effort to make boiled cauliflower taste the best it possibly can to give, I served it over the tomato sauce. To upgrade it even further, I sprinkled on some shredded cheese. Not the most creative way to eat cauliflower, but definitely a simple method to spice it up (and use up the huge batch of tomato sauce that I made too).

4. Tomatoes + leftover rotini + canned corn + chicken stock

End result: comforting tomato pasta soup. While my friends toasted garlic bread and frozen eggo waffles for breakfast, I chose to make a simple tomato and pasta soup by making a soup base from mixing together chicken stock and water (1:1 ratio). I then added corn, the entire can of whole kernel corn (I love corn!) and stirred in cooked whole wheat rotini (leftover from last night’s pasta dinner). As a finishing touch, I stirred in a heaping spoonful of ketchup for a subtle sweet and sour taste.

5. Broccoli + cilantro

End result: simply vegetable additions to make a not-so-healthy meal a little more diet-friendly. After a long morning of snowboarding, I was exhausted and ravenous when I got back to the cabin. Hence, lunch was simple: instant noodles with a side of boiled broccoli and cilantro. I know, instant noodles isn’t the best option, but since I chose to supplement it with a large side dish of fresh vegetables, the meal is less detrimental and in fact, more satisfying (since I know I’m not giving in to eating solely junk food, I’m still mindfully choosing what to put into my mouth and giving it every ounce of effort to include fresh produce in my diet! Kudos to me!)

6. Canned white beans + canned corn + bell peppers + balsamic vinegrette dressing

End result: amazing tasty and satisfying bean salad. When I bought bell peppers, I planned to simply slice them up and munch on them like I would with carrots sticks. Instead I got adventurous and created a bean salad by combining diced bell peppers, canned kernel corn and canned white beans. This was a super simple salad to put together; the most time consuming part was just rinsing and chopping the peppers. Then I just simply tossed the ingredients together and dressed the bean salad with a drizzle of balsamic vinegarette dressing and a splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice. This salad was delicious! I immediately devoured about half of it, and saving half of it for later.

7. Lettuce + balsamic vinaigrette dressing

End result: simple, delicious, refreshing salad. This was served on the dinner table along the fatty steaks that my friends prepared for dinner. I was really glad that I made the salad because it was the perfect light and palette-cleansing side dish to offset the richness and heaviness of the steak main course. I ended up loading a ton of the salad on my plate, pushing aside the poor less-appealing steak (half of which ended up in the BF’s belly, hehe).

8. Leftover bean salad + cremini mushrooms + leftover rotini + ketchup

End result: a hot, hearty and healthy breakfast option. For my next meal, I took out about half of the bean salad leftover and transformed it into a hot, hearty pasta dish. I also added in cremini mushrooms to try to fool the BF that this was a new dish .  This dish is easy to put together, takes no more than three steps; step 1: rinse and slice the mushrooms; step 2: saute them until soft in a large pan; step 3: add bean salad and cooked rotini (from day one dinner) into the pan, let it reheat and season with ketchup, salt and pepper to taste. Viola!

9. Leftover bean salad + leftover rotini + extra tomatoes + more balsamic vinaigrette dressing

End result: a variation of the previous bean salad, still equally yummy. Once again exhausted from a full day on the mountain, I was glad that I had saved half of the bean salad for lunch. Simply by tossing in diced tomatoes and drizzling in more dressing and lemon juice, my lunch was ready in no time. It was exactly what I needed, a simple and refreshing lunch.

10. Cremini mushrooms + portabella mushrooms

End result: a vegetable side dish with satisfying, bold earthy flavours in each meaty bite. Again, this dish required little prep work. Simply rinse and drain mushrooms, then saute them over medium heat until soft, and season with steak seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.

Spending time with friends (a.k.a away from family) is almost always an exciting and memorable experience. This ski trip has proven to be one of the most memorable yet because not only did I get to snowboard ’till I drop, I also got the opportunity to prove to myself that I am in control of what I eat and how I eat and as long as I am determined to eat well, I will somehow find a way to do so. And along the way, as a bonus reward, I have somewhat convinced my junk food maniac friends that eating healthy foods can be very delicious and enjoyable, nowhere near boring as they have imagined before!

Do you have any tips on how to eat healthily while on vacation?

Picture by Marco Bellucci

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The internet is a dazzling arena with a lot of information bouncing around, waiting for people to read and absorb. But there is one major flaw with having so much advice flying around: information overload. How do you know what to believe and what not to believe?

People are free to speak their own minds online. And when it comes to health and nutrition, everyone seems to have their own stance. Hence, in search of accurate health and nutrition advice, it is critical to read online information with the discriminating eye of a food critic, picking up hints to decide for yourself whether or not the information is credible or if the writing is merely nonsense.

To supercharge you to become a master food critic, here are four questions that can guide you to pinpoint out credible health and nutrition articles:

1. Which website did you find the article on?

The website that hosts the article you’re interested in is a telltale sign of how valid the information is. When the article is hosted on websites of credible health organizations, such as the Canadian Diabetes Association or Health Canada, you can be assured that the information presented will be accurate and valid. On the other hand, if you come across a health article written by some unknown individual, hosted on a personal website or blog, then you need to be more critical of what you see and read, and apply the next guideline to help you determine if you should continue reading the health article.

2. Who is the author of the article?

Considering that everyone can say whatever they want on the Internet, it is essential to pick out authors who write responsibly. It is hard to hold anyone accountable online for what they say, so it is best to learn a little bit about the author’s background and that will help you determine how credible that person is. One easy way to find out a person’s background is to look for any titles he / she may hold; look for abbreviations that identify them as health professionals, e.g. MD and RD. Having those titles identify them as experts in the health and nutrition field and tells you that they are a credible source for health and nutrition knowledge. Another way to learn more about the author is to read the “About” section (this is especially important when you read blogs!). Written by the author him/herself, the About page offers a quick glimpse of the author’s personal background and that will help you to better understand the motives and interests of the author. Based on that plus the feeling you get from the author’s writing style and tone, you will be able to get a pretty good sense of whether the author is sincere, or whether the author is just goofing around. Based on my own encounters, I find that authors who write in a sincere manner (doesn’t necessary mean formal though) genuinely cares about sharing their own knowledge and experience with the rest of the world and the information they present are often quite valuable in one way or another.

A Quick Note on Registered Dietitians (RD): Registered dietitians are health professionals that have received extensive education on food and nutrition. Dietitians know how food works in the body. They know how to enjoy food in ways that will maintain and promote health. They are also trained to provide nutrition support to enhance the recovery for those people who are ill. Ultimately, dietitians are truly the health experts who have a strong expertise in using food as their tools to promote optimal health. When it comes to food and nutrition, dietitians are really THE number one expert!

3. Does the article offer any evidence?

When reading the article, it is important to distinguish whether the author is merely expressing his/her own thoughts or is he/she is offering  solid advice supported by scientific research findings. Health articles that provide references to relevant scientific papers or include links to other credible sources will be a lot more trustworthy than an article that makes a lot of assumptions without citing any sources what so ever. Watch out for articles that has a heavy use of the word “I”, that often indicate that the author is inputting a lot of his/her personal comments.

4. When was it published?

The first three steps will help you pick out credible information sources. But even after you have narrowed down the reading list, there is still a ton of information that tries to address whatever concern you have, so it is important to prioritize your readings so you can get the most timely and most relevant information available. Always place most value on the most recent articles because they will give you the most updated recommendations based on the most current scientific research findings.

Knowing how to filter information based on credibility is only the first step.  To truly locate information that is helpful and relevant for you, you need to take one extra step. The advice available online does not work for everyone. So it is essential to go through what is available and highlight the suggestions that are most relevant to your situation. First read through the different sources to get different perspectives on the health topics that you care for. This will allow you to gain a thorough insight on the  topic. Then from those sources, pick out the advice that you think may be the best fit for you. Never try to force yourself into following recommendations that does not feel right for you. Keep in mind that you are the person who knows your body the best. Perhaps the single most important tip that I can offer you is simple give your best effort to dig out and highlight the advice that works for you, and not try to force yourself into abiding to anything and everything that are being suggested! Listen to your body, you know yourself best – let thyself be in charge of your body and not let someone else’s advice drive you!

Now that you are armed with great skills to identify and extract valid and insightful health information from online sources, I’ll like to introduce you to a few of my favourite websites that I frequently visit for trustworthy, accurate, and relevant health and nutrition information.

WebMD – This website covers a wide range of health topics. The articles are written by MD and RD and they always support their advice with recent scientific research findings. In addition to health articles, this website offers recipes, handy tools to keep your diet in check (food-o-meter and fiber-o-meter), and videos and slideshows that offer clear and simple health and nutrition tips. I especially love the visual guide to portion size. Overall WebMD is a well-rounded site with many credible and useful knowledge.

Mayo Clinic – They have a comprehensive section on Healthy Lifestyle. In particular, I really appreciate that they offer a selection of articles that gives basic knowledge and another section that provides a more in-depth discussion of the various health topics.

World’s Healthiest Foods – This website has a clear mission to identify the top 129 foods that it considers as the “world’s healthiest foods”. For each food, a detailed nutrient analysis is provided, followed by a list of proposed health benefits (with supporting evidence from different nutrition studies, of course).

NutritionData – This website hosts an extensive nutrient analysis database for almost any food you can imagine. When you search for a particular food, the accurate numerical values for the  nutrients will be listed, and there will also be a short summary of the food’s rating based on different criteria (weight loss, optimum health, weight gain) and a concise description of the pros and cons of the particular food item that you search. The website also provides a powerful search function that allows you to find foods using different filters (high in fiber, low in carbohydrates, best choice for weight loss, etc.). Additional functions are available for registered members (free to register). Members can use the website as an online food diary – record what you ate in a day and it will generate a detailed diet analysis. Members can also can input their own recipes and the website will generate a food label for that recipe. These two additional functions come in really handy when you need extra support and encourage to keep you committed to healthy living!

Everyone need to know how to find valid and accurate health information online because it can make a dramatic difference in your life.  Finding the right information and following the suitable advice will aid you to maintain and even improve your health and help you to avoid falling into the traps of misleading information that will not only not better your health, but more likely ruin your well being in the long run. Being able to distinguish the credible knowledge from silly nonsense can mean such a great deal to your health!

Do you have a favourite site that you always visit when you have a health / nutrition questions?

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The Silly Nutrition Undergrad has moved. Come to Juicy Fresh Bites for new content on health and nutrition!

To me, brown rice is craveable. I eat it everyday. Whenever I cook a dish that needs to be served over something, brown rice is my number one option. There are a lot of reasons why I enjoy brown rice and here I have boiled them down into 4 main points:

Brown rice is a whole-grain option.

As a population, we overconsume refined grains and gravely underconsume whole grains. Refined grains are highly processed food products and hence, they are stripped of virtually all nutrients (even though food manufactures will enrich their final product, the added nutrients will not completely replace what has been lost). Essentially, refined grains offer nothing but empty calories.

Whole grains, on the other hand, undergo minimal processing. Much of the nutrients are retained and they act in a synergistic manner that offers many health benefits:

Heart Health – Whole grain consumption has been shown to have strong inverse correlation with heart disease risks; the ability for whole grains to help control and lower LDL (bad cholesterol) plays a strong part in contributing to this potential effect. Brown rice is also rich in magnesium; this nutrient is involved with coordinating muscle contractions and considering that our heart is a major muscle group, magnesium will have an important role in keeping the heart going.

Diabetes management – Whole grain foods often have low Glycemic Index (GI) scores because they contain a whole lot of fiber which helps to slow down digestion and prevents rapid fluctuations in blood glucose level.

Weight management – Fiber is the major player here. The indigestible fiber bulks up the whole grain foods and make them less energy-dense. Fiber will also makes you feel fuller and more satisfied; it helps to lowers the tendency for you to nibble and stack on extra calories after your meal.

There is so many good reasons to choose brown rice more often. If you’re interested in finding out the scientific evidence about how brown rice can benefit your health, I strongly encourage you to visit WHFoods: Brown rice and to take a thorough look over at the nutritional analysis of brown rice vs white rice.

Brown rice is not just a whole-grain, it is an intact grain.

Under the new FSA guidelines, “whole grain” is defined in a more elusive manner.

“Cereal grains that consist of the intact, ground, cracked or flaked caryopsis, whose principal anatomical components – the starchy endosperm, germ and bran – are present in the same relative proportions as they exist in the intact caryopsis – should be considered a whole grain food.”

To consumers, what this really means is that now when you see a food product that is labelled “whole grain”, you cannot be absolutely sure that it does contain the goodness of wholesome ingredients because the food processors could have easily broken down the whole grains, processed it in crazy ways and then just added back in components of whole grains to make their products fulfill the criteria to be called whole grain.

In this recent journal article, researchers looks at the impact of the new FSA guideline. They reviewed past studies that involved whole grains and tried to apply the FSA new definition  and see if the health claims of whole grains’ ability to reduce risks of cardiovascular diseases could still hold true. They found that most studies done in the past defined whole grains on broader terms. Based on only a handful of studies that fulfilled the FSA definition, the researchers were unable to find strong evidence to suggest whole grain consumption could reduce cardiovascular risks.

So, it would definitely seem to be wiser to choose whole grains that are wholesome and intact, rather than whole grain products that have been processed and packaged into a box.

The bottom line is choose intact grains, like brown rice, and pass on processed whole grains, like whole-grain pasta.

Brown rice is the ultimate substitute for white rice.

If you are a huge rice lover, brown rice is definitely the choice for you.

Don’t even think about white rice — it’s a refined grain and it is no different from dumping white sugar straight down your throat. Brown rice is a lot more nutritious for you (re-read the long list above!).

It’s really simple to kick the white rice habit. All you got to do is pick up a bag of brown rice from the grocery store today. Then, you just prepare it like you would with white rice (rice-cooker, stove-top or oven-baked, you name it). Just keep in mind that brown rice is chewier and so if you’re looking for a more soft, more mushy mouth-feel, just add more liquid and cook your rice longer.

Brown rice can replace white rice in any recipes. This exchange will not reduce your dining pleasure. In fact, it will most likely enhance your meal, making it taste more full-body, more satisfying and more deliciously healthy!

Brown rice taste good!

Let me repeat myself: it taste good! You have to believe me on this. I come from a Chinese background where I lived and breathed white rice my entire life. Considering that I’ve been fed white rice all my life, and now I say that brown rice is more tasty than white rice, then it definitely is! Period. No doubt about it.

If you say you’ve tried brown rice before and it just didn’t taste good, it’s probably because it wasn’t prepared in a way that brought out the goodness of it. Give it one more chance and bake it – it is the foolproof method for making brown rice sing.

When I first made the switch to brown rice, I prepared it with a rice cooker. It tasted similar to white rice, nothing extraordinary. Then, I tried the stove-top method using chicken stock instead of water; that method made brown rice more aromatic and gave it more flavour, but it also made it slightly too salty for me. Then, I tried the oven-baked method by Alton Brown. The method was easy; it required only water and salt and 1 hour unstirred and covered cooking time in the oven. And the result? Unnnnbelievably flavourful brown rice that was not too chewy nor too mushy, just right. This method is truly a 5-star method. Try it and you’ll love it.

Brown rice is seriously better tasting than white rice. If rice is a blank canvas that allows a dish’s flavour to shine, then brown rice is the top quality canvas that has the magical power to turn a ordinary dish into a good dish and turn a good dish into a remarkable dish. Trust me on this one! And if you are still not convinced, read what Siri has to say about brown rice!

Conclusion: Buy brown rice now and start cooking!

If the idea of eating more healthily has crossed your mind lately, then you should making brown rice the first thing on your to-do list for tomorrow! Adding brown rice to your diet or substituting it for white rice is only a small change in your diet, but it can really make a huge difference in your health!

As a bonus, here are two recipes that pair perfectly with brown rice: Ginger, Jalapeno & Coconut Cauliflower and Creamy Coconut Tofu Rice. YUM!

The Silly Nutrition Undergrad has moved. Come to Juicy Fresh Bites for new content on health and nutrition!

To celebrate the end of the school term and to reward myself for the hard work I’ve done, I decided to make a small batch of biscotti (this was really just an excuse, I just wanted to bake during the weekend!). I had lots of dark chocolate chips and peanut butter at home, so it was only right that I made the Peanut Butter and Chocolate Biscotti from Food Network.

This was my first time making biscotti and it was super easy to make. It was very fun and if you haven’t tried before, I highly recommend trying this recipe out. Simple ingredients, easy steps, exceptional flavour!

I made a few small changes to the original recipe. I added in a tablespoon of cocoa powder (gives it that extra chocolaty flavour) and substituted in walnuts instead of peanuts. The original recipe makes 3 logs, I roughly modified the amount of the ingredients to make 1 log. The recipe posted here reflects the amounts I used for my recipe.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Biscotti

Slighted modified from Food Network

What you’ll need:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4/5 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• A pinch of salt
• 1 large egg
• 2/5 cup sugar
• 2/3 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 40g (40ml) peanut butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Melt butter over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. The butter will foam and when the foaming subsides, the butter will brown fairly quickly. When it starts to brown and develop a nutty aroma, quickly remove from heat and let cool slight. This step should take about 5 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder.
• In a large bowl, beat the egg with an electric mixer until light and pale yellow. Gradually add sugar while beating. Then, slowly add the butter and vanilla extract until evenly mixed. Add the peanut butter and mix until combined.
• While mixing slowly, add the dry ingredients to the wet, in 2 additions, mixing just until absorbed.
• Fold in walnuts and chocolate chips (it will look like an awful lot amount when you dump it into the batter, but trust me, the amount is just right!).
• Dump the dough onto the parchment paper. Using clean hands, shape the dough into a fat log (about 2-inches wide and 15-inches long).
• Bake until set and brown around the edges, about 25 to 30 minutes.
• Cool log on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lower the oven temperature to 325°F
• Remove log from baking sheet and place onto cutting board. Cut crosswise at a 45-degree angel into 12 to 14 pieces using a long serrated knife.
• Place cookies cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake until crisp, about 8 minutes. Flip the cookies over and bake until golden brown, about 8 more minutes.
• Cook them on the baking sheet. Makes 12 – 14 pieces.
  
• Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Store well in the freezer for up to 3 months.

I just had a biscotti today after a long walk in the cold, chilly winter afternoon. It was SO good! Nothing can be more relaxing and heart-warming than a crunchy, chocolaty, homemade biscotti dipped in a glass of hot, frothy cocoa! SO good…

How do you like to eat biscotti?