Vegetables

Sneaky Ways to Increase Vegetable Intake

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By: Dr. Elisha Cook ND

Sneaking vegetables into the diet can be tricky for children and adults alike. For some, the texture of vegetables can be off-putting, and for others, frankly a flavour issue. Whatever your obstacle may be, there may be some surprising ways to increase your vegetable intake without altering the flavour of some of your classic dishes you have grown to love.

In this blog, we have provided not only a list of ways to increase your vegetable intake, but also some recipes to consider trying.

5 Sneaky Ways to Increase Vegetables:

  • Use them as a filler in ground meat recipes: whether it is zucchini, mushrooms, or onions, there are some great vegetables that you can finely chop or grate, and combine with ground meat for such meals as meat balls, meat loaf, or even hamburgers.
  • Apple sauce type pouches: Many stores carry convenient apple sauce pouches for grab on the go snacks. However, if you go to the baby section of your grocery store, you will see some pouches that have vegetables already incorporated. It may be a bit more costly, but if you need that convenience, it may be worth the investment. You can even consider making your own fruit and vegetable sauce and filling reusable pouches to fit your own flavour profile and reduce potential salt intake.
  • Smoothies: Smoothies are a classic and easy way to increase vegetable intake. You can consider using a greens powder to do this, or incorporate spinach into your smoothie. Generally, spinach does not alter the flavour of the smoothie, making it very easy to slip in unnoticed.
  • Oatmeal: A sneaky way to increase vegetable intake with oatmeal is to grate a carrot into it. This may seem strange, but think about it this way, do you enjoy carrot muffins? Likely, the oatmeal will remind you of that by adding in some pairings of apples, cinnamon, and maple syrup to your carrot and oatmeal combination.
  • Substituting vegetables for noodles: Whether it is spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles, you can consider using these as opposed to your classic wheat based noodles. Though it will not provide the same flavour, it will pack a nutritional punch!

Recipes to Increase Vegetable Intake:

Zucchini-Beef Burgers

These burgers are very moist and can be spiced up by adding cheese or other flavours that make your burger king of the grill.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of ground beef or chicken

½ cup grated zucchini

½ cup finely chopped spinach

1 cup of finely chopped mushrooms

¼ cup finely chopped scallions (approximately 1 large one)

2 tsp of Worschestershire sauce

Optional: ½ tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Shape into hamburger patties whether by hand or using a press, shaping them to your desired size. Throw them on the barbeque and cook until cooked all of the way through. Serve your hamburger patty as per your preference.

Apple-Cucumber Sauce

This recipe is super easy and requires minimal ingredients and supplies.

Ingredients:

6 cups of Apples cored, peeled and diced

2 cups of cucumbers pealed, seeds removed, and diced

¼ cup of water

Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring half way through cooking. When the cooking time is done, mash well and serve as is.  If using in reusable pouches, place in a blender and blend until smooth consistency is reached.

This recipe is completely freezer safe. I generally fill 250ml jars and place in the freezer, pulling them as needed. If filling jars, make sure to leave ½ inch of space at the top to allow for expansion.

Have you benefited from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in trying any of our services, working with any of our amazing practitioners, or are simply wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact the Plattsville Natural Health Clinic by calling 226-232-7665 and book your appointment today! 

5 Foods to Eat/Drink when trying to Lose Weight

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Girl - Weight LossUltimately, this list of foods to eat to lose weight is a bit more extensive than just 5 and should really include fruits and vegetables of all kinds. A diet full of fruits and vegetables is more likely to result in weight loss than one filled with refined sugars. The following is a list of some extra components to add to a balanced diet in order to achieve weight loss.

  1. Chia Seeds: Chia seeds have many beneficial properties that help them in the goal of weight loss. Chia seeds are a good source of protein, omega – 3 fatty acids (not substantial levels to compensate for supplementation), and fiber. All three of these help with digestion, to decrease appetite, to increase energy, and to decrease inflammation. All of these can be beneficial on the road to weight loss.
  2. Sweet Potato: Sweet potatoes can be beneficial for weight loss for the reason that they can be a substitute for a regular white potato. A sweet potato has far fewer calories than a regular potato and are low in glycemic index. What this results in is a reduced impact on blood sugar levels which leads to less sugar being stored in the form of fat in the body.
  3. Hot Water with Lemon: starting each day with hot water with a slice of lemon in it can be beneficial for weight loss for a number of reasons. To start with it can increase metabolism at the beginning of the day meaning more calories burnt. In addition, this drink can stimulate digestion and liver functioning. This can help to process hormones more efficiently and to eliminate toxins from the body. Some sources also suggest that this drink can be a source of vitamin C, which some studies suggest can be important for weight loss.
  4. Green Tea: many studies have suggested that even just 1 cup of green tea per day can be enough to stimulate metabolism. Green tea can also act as a substitute for coffee and the potential to “drink your calories” through having sugary coffee beverages.
  5. Water: Drinking water is important for many bodily functions in general. In addition, feeling hungry could be a sign that we are actually just thirsty. By curbing your appetite through drinking water first, this can help with weight loss. Research has suggested that drinking a glass of water before each meal helps to increase potential weight loss by 3lbs compared to individuals who did not drink water before meals. Water can also increase the amount of calories burned in one hour, after consuming 500 ml of water.

Have you benefited from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Dr. Elisha Cook ND by calling 519-537-7058 and book your appointment today!

Healthy Back to School Lunches

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Lunch box with sandwich,fruit and stationery on pink backgroundGoing back to school can be a stressful time of year for parents and children. Making healthy lunches that are school approved can often add to that stress. This article will provide some healthy options for lunches, but one of the best things you can do for your child is give them a choice. Giving a choice does not mean giving them free range, but it does mean allowing them to choose between two options. Options help empower your child and increase the likelihood that they will eat healthy. For more ways to encourage your child to make healthy choices, please see my previous article “How to help picky eaters pick healthy options” https://www.plattsvilledoctor.ca/how-to-help-picky-eaters-pick-healthy-options/.

Healthy Back to School Lunches:

  • Salads – salads can include Greek salads, lettuce based salads, taco salads, bean salads, etc. Salads do not have to be boring and can include quite the variety.
  • Rice Crackers – rice crackers with tuna, salmon, egg salad, or hummus with cut veggies. This lunch includes not only a protein and carb, but more importantly the veggies.
  • Meat and Veg – a meat such as chicken drum sticks, meat loaf, hard boiled eggs, etc.; and cut veggies. Simple, but can be a quick option especially if there are left-overs in the refrigerator.
  • Pasta – brown rice pasta or zoodles (Zucchini noodles) can add a fun addition to lunch with a bit of variety compared to your classic sandwich.
  • Pizza – pizza does not have to be an “unhealthy” choice. Cut down on the cheese or leave it out entirely, make substitutions such as cauliflower for wheat dough, and add extra veggies onto the base. All of these can make your pizza a wiser choice for lunches.
  • Kabobs – for some parents, this may not be an appropriate option due to the mechanism to make the kabob. Making substitutions such as pretzel sticks can aid with this.
  • Fresh Rolls – fresh spring rolls are a portable lunch that can once again add a dip-able, portable lunch packed full of veggies.
  • Wraps – making wraps from lettuce can add a fun lunch with increased vegetables. Adding a protein source on top can increase the nutritional value of this lunch.

Have you benefited from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Dr. Elisha Cook ND by calling 519-537-7058 and book your appointment today!

Heart Healthy Habits

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As some of you may know, February is Heart Health Month. Your heart is a very important organ, and its health can be impacted by and impact many other organs. Rather than only including information on some heart healthy habits, I thought it might be interesting to provide some insight into the heart from a Traditional Asian Medicine perspective (please note that this perspective looks at more of a metaphorical heart and pathologies do not specifically correlate to physical heart issues, e.g. heart blood stagnation does not mean you literally have blood stuck in your heart). In Traditional Asian Medicine, the heart has a very important role in controlling personality, and joy. If there is an imbalance in this organ it can lead to excessive or deficient joy (mania, depression), anxiety, or insomnia. With this mental – emotional perspective in mind, it may give more fuel to the research findings below that connect depression with an increased risk of heart disease (this is of course in addition to much research between various other connections between depression and other factors which lead to heard disease). With that being said, below are some findings and habits that may help you to adopt a more heart healthy lifestyle:

  1. Exercise: Exercise helps keep your heart healthy on many different levels. Firstly, it improves your cholesterol levels by increasing good cholesterol and decreasing bad cholesterol. In addition, exercise can also help to decrease blood pressure. All of these parameters can contribute to heart disease if left unchecked. Exercise also combats depression, which can be a risk factor for heart disease. For more health benefits of exercise, consult my previous blog: https://www.plattsvilledoctor.ca/the-benefits-of-exercise/
  2. Avoid Smoking: Smoking has several negative impacts on the heart which include stiffening the arteries and causing plaque build-up in the arteries, which could lead to atherosclerosis. By avoiding smoking, one can significantly reduce their risk of heart disease.
  3. Laugh: Laughter can help improve heart health by decreasing blood pressure and helping to combat depression (as mentioned above, a risk factor for heart disease). Some find that laughing can help them to cope with stress as well. For more health benefits of laughter, consult my previous blog: https://www.plattsvilledoctor.ca/laugh-out-loud-health-benefits-of-laughing/
  4. Eat lots of fruits and veggies: Fruits and vegetables provide a hefty source of antioxidants, fiber, and nutrients, all of which can decrease one’s risk of heart disease and improve heart health overall. Many of the nutrients can also protect arteries and help the body become more resilient especially with stress. In addition, fruits and vegetables can help to decrease blood pressure and promote healthy cholesterol levels.
  5. Manage Stress: Stress can have a negative impact on the heart by increasing blood pressure, increasing blood sugar, increasing cholesterol, and increasing fat retention (which makes the heart have to work harder by having to pump blood further to more tissue). By managing stress more efficiently, one can decrease their risk of heart disease and improve heart health overall.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Dr. Elisha Cook ND by calling 519-537-7058 and book your appointment today!