Asian Radish Slaw

For April's FitNut Consulting newsletter, I went with a general spring theme, focusing on the nutritional benefits of spring vegetables like asparagus, peas, rhubarb and of course, radish.

Asparagus is by far the most nutritious of the bunch, as it is rich in folate, potassium and vitamin K, as well as a few antioxidants. While radishes don't offer as much nutritionally, they are still good sources of vitamin C and potassium.


For this recipe, I picked up a bunch of "regular" radish as well as a gorgeous watermelon radish. Not only does it provide some contrast in colour (I hope that they will have some different varieties of radish at the farmer's market this season!), it was also sweeter, and less peppery than its bright red cousins.


I don't have a know where Mama T keeps her mandoline, so I got to work julienning the radishes. Tip: once you cut off the ends and slice the radish, cut the strips cross-wise so each string of radish has pretty red tips.

    


A sprinkling of spring onions adds a spicy kick before the salad is dressed simply with some rice vinegar sweetened with sugar, so it's like a quick pickle. In fact, the longer you let the salad sit, the more softens and pickles, turning all the radishes pink! I tried to use honey as the sweetener to see if I could use less to achieve the same taste but this salad still ends up being so low-calorie that it doesn't matter either way.


Since the dish itself doesn't offer very much macronutrient-wise, I'd suggest to serve it with some grilled fish and some nutty, brown rice (actually, this bamboo rice that Jen found looks absolutely precious) for a healthy, balanced meal.

Asian Radish Slaw
Adapted from Tea & Cookies
Makes about 2 cups (serves 2-4 as a side dish)

• 2 cups (500 ml) radishes, about 2 bunches, julienned or shredded on a mandoline
  
• 2 green onions, sliced
  
• ¼ cup (60 mL) rice vinegar
  
• 1½ (6 mL) tsp sugar
  
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) black sesame seeds, optional

1. In a large bowl, mix together radish and green onion. Set aside.
   
2. In a small saucepan, heat rice vinegar and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Do not boil. Let the rice vinegar cool before pouring over radish and green onion. Toss to coat. Top with sesame seeds and serve.

Nutrition Information (per ½ cup): 21 calories, 0.2 g fat (0 g saturated, 0 g trans), 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g carbohydrate (1 g fibre, 3 g sugar), 1 g protein, 24 mg sodium. A good source of vitamin K.

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Book Review: The End of Overeating

The End of Overeatingcame highly recommended to me by some of my clients at my previous practice, and I'd heard some of the Internet buzz when it first came out. Its author, Dr. David Kessler, is a pediatrician known for his role as former commissioner for the US Food and Drug Admistration (FDA). During his tenure (from 1990-1997), he played a role in speeding the process of drug approvals and setting regulations for tobacco marketing, standardized Nutrition Facts tables and food safety. In the past, he had also struggled with his weight, which was part of his impetus for writing The End of Overeating.

The overarching theme behind the book is Kessler's theory of "conditioned hypereating" - foods that are high in sugar, fat and salt cause neurological changes that motivate us to seek more of those foods to get that same "high". As we eat more of these foods, it continues to reinforce that "high" and eventually, eating these foods becomes a subconscious, automatic response as opposed to a conscious choice, which has ultimately led to the obesity epidemic today. However, Kessler notes that the problem of overeating is not exclusive to those with weight problems - I'm sure most people can relate to sitting down and snacking on something mindlessly until the package is empty, unconsciously scooping up a few candies from the candy bowl sitting on their co-worker's desk every time they walk by, or consistently picking at a bowl of chips or popcorn at any party (that's me!).

Kessler explains, "I've termed the resulting behaviour 'conditioned overeating.' 'Conditioned' because it becomes an automatic response to widely available food and its cues, 'hyper' because the eating is excessive, driven by motivational forces we find difficult to control."

I was quite fascinated by the first few sections of the book, as Kessler reviewed some of the studies done with foods high in sugar, fat and/or salt and how subjects (animals and humans alike) responded to them as a reward, or how MRI scans showed that they activated our brains. It was particularly interesting to read how the combinations of sugar, fat and salt that you find in restaurant meals or packaged foods are by no means an accident.

Kessler then goes on to elaborate on the neurological/psychological basis of "conditioned overeating" and some of the psychological theories behind reversing it. I wasn't as impressed with these sections of the book as I found the writing to be a bit "clunky" - Kessler would present a hypothesis (i.e. highly palatable foods drive a cycle of overeating behaviour via reinforcement learning), add in a few quotes from researchers working on the topic (usually *not* in a food/nutrition context), repeat. The skeptical, evidence-based practitioner in me sees why this is a book as opposed to say, a review article - while Kessler's statements make sense and could be proven if study design allowed, there really isn't enough, if any, evidence to prove that it is true. Ultimately, this is why health practitioners may not use these theories in practice.

As an aside, I think that's the sad thing when it comes to health research and innovation - there's obviously some great research that's being done on new theories and therapies, but it takes a lot of research to finally have enough evidence to have something included into practice, and ultimately that does not get communicated to the public because all that stuff is stuck in scientific journals as opposed to books or other forms of media. At the same time, anyone can write a book, no matter their credentials, so the market is saturated with misinformation and we have to slog through a lot of crap to get to the good stuff.

Anyway...

I was a little disappointed to see that the "solutions" section of The End of Overeating was very small as I think a lot of the times when people pick up books like these they are looking for answers. Kessler calls his system Food Rehab (as per the book the term is trademarked but I haven't been able to find more information anywhere), and some of the basic principles are concepts that I've already heard. For example, "Treating conditioned hypereating means recognizing it as a chronic problem that needs to be managed, not one that can be completely cured," sounds almost exactly like Dr. Arya Sharma's approach to obesity management. Although the concepts were not new to me, I do like seeing how other people present them to help me explain them differently to my own clients. Kessler goes on to say, "I don't offer a one-size-fits-all technique, because I know it will not work. New learning that sticks is new learning that resonates for you."

I particularly liked his idea of setting "rules" - while I try to avoid being very restrictive with people because it can often backfire, I do see how making rules can help to simplify the process of trying to overcome overeating. Instead of trying to force your thoughts onto something else when you see the prohibited food, you simply tell yourself that you're not allowed. I think it could work as a starting strategy for a person's "problem foods", and then as a person tries some of the other strategies in the book to make food a more conscious choice, they can slowly reintroduce foods that had caused them problems in the past.

Despite some of my qualms with the quality of the writing in parts of the book, I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in a more psychological versus physiological look on overeating, and by extension, obesity and weight loss.

PS: This blog is where I write about food, but if you'd like to read some of the stuff I write about nutrition, please sign up for a monthly newsletter I write for FitNut Consulting, "like" us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Thanks!

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Brunch @ The Bottlehouse

Cross-posted from Calgary is Awesome.

Breakfast with Tiffany again. This time we decided to check out The BottleHouse on the corner of Memorial Dr and 10 Ave NW, otherwise known as the "doomed corner" for the short lives of the previous eating establishments. The BottleHouse is still going strong, and its weekend brunch - particularly their Hollandaise sauce - gets rave reviews.

The BottleHouse is a spacious pub with large windows that let in a lot of natural light. When Tiffany and I went a few Saturdays ago (on a Market Collective weekend) the place wasn't too busy. Their brunch menu consists of mainly egg-based dishes (eggs with different breakfast sides, omelettes, eggs bennies) plus a short list of "sweet treats" like waffles, French toast, pancakes and granola. You can also "create your own" breakfast by ordering from their list of sides.

I had the Super Trooper ($11.25, pictured above), which was sort of a breakfast hash with hash browns, veggies and Hungarian sausage topped with two eggs (my choice: poached) and their signature Hollandaise sauce.

The hash browns were probably my favourite part of the dish - perfect cubes of crispy, battered potato. I also loved the slices of mild sausage and the creamy, buttery Hollandaise, but in the end the dish was a little too heavy (I was "egged out" from the two poached eggs and the Hollandaise) and I ended up leaving about a quarter of it on my plate.


Tiffany had the O Canada Omelette ($13.25), which came with ham (no Canadian bacon?), green onions, mushrooms, tomato and marble cheddar.


The picture doesn't look like much, but under that top egg layer was a mound of toppings that were barely held together by the rest of the omelette. (BottleHouse's omelettes are cooked frittata-style) I don't think Tiffany was able to finish her brunch either.

I have read previous reviews of inefficient service at The BottleHouse (i.e. lots of waitresses standing around when it's not busy) but overall we had a pretty good experience. I would go back again for some pre-Market Collective fuel, but I will probably be splitting a dish next time.

The Bottlehouse
102 10 St NW
Calgary AB T2N 1V3
(403) 265-0018


PS: I know I'm sounding like a broken record about this, but please update your RSS feeds and bookmarks to www.cecinestpasunfoodblog.com. According to Google Reader, 180 of you still haven't done it!

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Mushroom Bourguignon

A certain TV appearance back in February left me with a glut of mushrooms. The "fancy" ones (oyster, shiitake, enoki) became part of an *epic* hotpot... (and they were very good - I'll have to include more mushrooms into my future hotpot plans)

Photo by Joyce Li

...while the more "common" ones (portobello, crimini, button) were all incorporated into this mushroom bourguignon.


This recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen via Montcarte. The flavour is super-rich and if you use nice, big slices of portobello, I'm sure you can trick non-vegetarians into thinking that this hearty, filling dish that there's meat in it!

In reviewing my photos versus those of Deb and Kim though, I think there are a few things I might do differently next time...

I definitely took the instruction of "dice carrots finely" a little too literally... (it's the knife, I swear!)


For the wine, I used Cabarnet Sauvignon... from a can! Which was surprisingly good - I wouldn't necessarily say it was "full-bodied", but it was very fruity. Perfect for when there's no way that a bottle can be finished.

And those blasted pearl onions! They were such a pain to peel - will use frozen next time.

Finally, I probably could've let the sauce thicken much, much more. Kim from Montcarte suggests adding cornstarch dissolved in water to help speed up the process.


Instead of the traditional egg noodles and sour cream, I served it with whole wheat spaghetti and plain greek yogurt (at least I didn't skimp on the parsley!) Despite these mistakes, the dish was ok, and I might make it again... properly!

Mushroom Bourguignon
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen/Montcarte
Makes 4 servings

• 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter, softened, divided
  
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
  
• 2 lb (900 g) portobello mushrooms, sliced (1/4 inch thick)
  
• ½ carrot, finely diced
  
• 1 small onion, finely diced
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 cup (250 mL) full-bodied red wine
  
• 2 cups (500 mL) beef or vegetable broth
  
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) tomato paste
  
• 1 tsp (5 mL) fresh thyme, or ½ tsp (2 mL) dried
  
• 1½ tbsp (22 mL) all-purpose flour
  
• 1 cup (250 mL) pearl onions, peeled (thawed if frozen)

1. Heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) of butter in a medium Dutch oven or heavy saucepan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms until they begin to darken, but not yet release any liquid - about 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan.
   
2. Lower heat to medium and add olive oil. Toss the carrots, onions, thyme and salt and pepper to taste into the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
   
3. Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce by half. Stir in tomato paste and broth. Return mushrooms and any juices that may have collected into the pan. Once the liquid has boiled, reduce the temperature and simmer for 20 minutes, until mushrooms are very tender. Add pearl onions and simmer for 5 more minutes.
   
4. Combine remaining tbsp of butter and flour with a fork until combined; stir into stew. Simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, increase the heat and boil it down to reduce to the right consistency. Season to taste.
   
5. To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of egg noodles (or whole wheat pasta, or rice), dollop with sour cream (or plain yogurt) and sprinkle with chives or parsley.

Nutrition Info (per serving): 239 calories, 9 g fat (4 g saturated), 15 mg cholesterol, 22 g carbohydrate (5 g fibre, 10 g sugar), 9 g protein, 406 mg sodium. An excellent source of niacin (vitamin B₃), folate (vitamin B₄), pantothenic acid (vitamin B₅), vitamin B₆, phosphorus, potassium, copper, manganese and selenium. A good source of thiamin (vitamin B₁), riboflavin (vitamin B₂) and zinc.

PS: If you haven't yet, please don't forget to switch your RSS feeds and bookmarks to www.cecinestpasunfoodblog.com. The Blogspot link still redirects to this site and the Blogspot feed still works (though with a bit of a delay), but it's always good to keep things consistent. Thanks!

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2011 Goals Check-Up: March

Photo by Jo Pearse

I don't feel like I'm quite ready to be home yet. I just returned from a week in Cuba celebrating the wedding of friends, (yes, this was our "weekend" with no commitments for April) and I guiltlessly slept in, ate, drank (but not to "Pub Golf" levels), lazed around in the sun shade (but I still have a bit of a tan) and read a bit about parenteral nutrition for good measure. Fortunately for me I didn't have to go into work until tomorrow, so I had a couple days to recover from a less-than-optimal flight home (7 hour layover overnight in Toronto, yeesh!) ...and do my taxes.

Perhaps a little more sleep, then I think I'm ready for real life, which should consist of...

7.5 hours of sleep per night - Towards the end of March, B. and I resolved to call each other at 10 PM to remind the other person to go to bed. The first call failed miserably - at 1:42 AM I texted "Finally in bed. Good night!" and the reply I got was "Me too :( Just turned lights out". Our results improved slightly over time, but we never got to bed before 11 (...for 6:30 AM wake-up, so I guess I achieved my goal somewhat?)

Drink as much fluid necessary to have clear pee - I find it easier to try to force myself to drink at least 1 L of water a day (I know, I know, some of you out there drink 4 L... I'm not very good at this!) just so I have some sort of a benchmark... I don't always achieve it, but I do have clear pee for the most part. But it's probably better to change this goal to Drink at least 1 L (one water bottle) of water per day and hopefully increase it back to last year's goal of 48 oz once I get better at it.

Continue increasing number of blog posts per year - I wrote nine posts in March 2011 vs. seven in 2010, but I'm still far behind the year-to-date count.

Read at least 12 books this year - I finally finished The End of Overeatingwhile in Cuba. It was a little clunky to read, but Dr. Kessler does make some good points toward the end. Full review to come soon. My next book will probably be related to socialmediafor my work, but part of me is yearning for some fiction. Why isn't The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nestout in paperback yet? What have you been reading lately?

Win a kickboxing/Muay Thai fight - I gained 2 lb in Cuba, which isn't too much, but I still feel lazy and out of shape and seriously need to kick my training up several notches if I want to fight within the next few months (my trainer says possibly as soon as a month from now...)

Cook at least one recipe from every cookbook I own - I recently realized that B. and I haven't cooked together in a while. That makes me sad.

Put my savings/RRSP somewhere where I can make more money - On hold until I know how much I'm allowed to contribute this year. The Calgary Herald published a good (to a savings n00b like me) article on investing. I like the idea of setting goals for the money, and I know those have definitely changed for me within the past year.

Create more/Participate in another creative/reflective project this year - I am still loving the #reverb11 monthly prompts and resources. Honestly, if you need just a little nudge, plus some reading (and videos and audios) to keep those creative vibes flowing, you should sign up for their mailing list! April's prompt is simple - "What's blossoming?" I'm envisioning a colourful collage with flower-shaped cutouts of things that are happening in my life and in the world. *sigh* I still have my annual horoscope that I clipped in January that I've been meaning to make into a collage. I've just been letting other things take priority over journaling and blogging. Ironically, I'm reading the horoscope again now and it says my mantra for this year is, "I'm not giving up things. I'm lightening up!"

Set aside one weekend every month with no commitments - At the beginning of March, B. and I were still away on the China trip. Despite the lack of formal commitments, I still felt like I stressed myself out over "commitments" I made to myself to see as much as we could and I worried when I felt like we weren't doing everything, or not making it to sights because we chose to sleep in. Cuba was different; I can't wait to write about it at the end of this month!

Rewards
What did I achieve in March? I guess I slept for 7.5+ hours for a night or two and had clear pee... So Cuba was my reward. While we were there the groom said something that I need to remind myself because I know I make this mistake all the time - he thanked us for travelling down to the wedding because "there are lots of reasons to choose not to do something. We don't give ourselves enough credit for choosing to do something."

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