Shopping Tip and Free Menu Planner

In these uncertain times, it is important to limit your shopping trips, and to make the food last from each shopping trip as long as possible, at least into the next week. Using a menu planner can help you to think ahead and plan for what you are going to eat. You can write into the menu items you already have on hand so you use them up, plus foods that you plan to eat in the week ahead. Earlier in the week it’s good to plan on high-antioxidant colorful fruits and vegetables that might not last the week such as berries and broccoli. For the end of the week, plan items such as apples, oranges, carrots, parsnips, cabbage and winter squash that will last a longer time. At the bottom of my blog page, in the Resources section, please find a link to my weekly menu planner handout for you to use and/or share with clients. After you write in your menu, then you can develop your shopping list from this. Also, one of the colorful, antioxidant rich berries that I love are goji berries. I add them to trail mixes and on top of salads. They are high in vitamin A, and have an unusual amount of protein for a dried fruit. Here is a link to find them on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HgVAEl

Homesharing, a longevity booster for sure!

As a dietitian fascinated by people who live long healthy flourishing lives, I find that many people don’t realize that isolation can work against your longevity goals. Silvernest is a company that helps older adults find suitable roomates. This is fascinating to me, since it serves multiple purposes. People can decrease their living costs while gaining social connection. Check out Silvernest’s article on maintaining an active lifestyle. This is one of the keys to longevity for sure! https://blog.silvernest.com/how-empty-nesters-can-benefit-from-an-active-lifestyle

Beans: A Food for Longevity!

Beans can help us live longer! Cultures known as “Blue Zones” where people live long lives full of vitality and good health, are known for eating beans. What’s more, beans are inexpensive and can keep your food budget low. Most beans that you cook from the dry bags (pictured above) need to be soaked before cooking. Fortunately, lentils do not, so they are a quicker cooking bean.

Studies show that eating beans helps reduce your risk for heart disease. Lentils are an excellent source of folate and fiber. They contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. The soluble fiber forms a gel and helps to sweep cholesterol out of the body. The insoluble fiber helps to move the food along in your intestines, preventing against constipation. Lentils are mineral rich and contain protein, which along with fiber, helps to keep you full.

Check out the Blue Zones blog for awesome articles

Here are two great Blue Zones books by Dan Buettner:

• The Blue Zones, Second Edition: 9 Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest
• The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World’s Healthiest People

For Lentils with Chicken recipe from Clean Eating Magazine: http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/recipes/one-pot-lentils-chicken/

Click here for Chinese Lentil and Noodle Salad Recipe: http://www.cookingwithpulses.com/recipes/chinese-lentil-and-noodle-salad/  Consider using whole wheat pasta in this recipe.

Chia Seeds : Anti-Inflammatory

Do you remember Chia Pets? These popular figurines of the 1980’s used chia seeds to grow green plant “hair.” Fast forward 30 years and we are now eating the seeds. The seeds are quite nutritious and pack a powerful omega-3 fatty acid and fiber punch! One tablespoon of chia seeds has 70 calories and contains over 20% of the fiber you need in a day! (Reminder: Increase your water intake when you increase your fiber intake.) Omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory compounds and may help treat and prevent heart disease, depression, dementia, and inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.

Popular ways to use chia seeds are to add them to smoothies, yogurt, and cereal. The first time I tried them was in a Chia Pudding sample I ate at Whole Foods (See the recipe here: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/chia-pudding ). Chia has a unique consistency…when you add a liquid to the dry seeds, the seeds absorb the liquid and begin to form a gel. 

Chia seeds can be found at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. Check out the natural section of your supermarket as well.