Blog

Grinding whole grains into flour: what gets lost?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Susan writes:

“I’m trying to get to the truth about grains.  After losing more than 30 pounds by cutting out pretty much all starches (i.e., bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, etc.), I thought I’d add back a modest amount of whole grains, including whole grain breads.  We even bought a grinder, grain, and a bread maker.  Now I’m reading that whole grains are only healthful if they aren’t milled – i.e., not turned into flour.  Is that true?  Will I ever eat bread again??”

Thirty pounds? Good for you!! Who are these kill-joys trying to take that hard-won slice of home-baked whole grain bread out of your hand? Continue reading “Grinding whole grains into flour: what gets lost?” >

What big research studies can’t tell you

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

This morning, I got the loveliest note from Lisa, who wrote:  “I’m enjoying a new-found freedom since beginning to listen to your podcasts! Learning to listen to my body instead of so much nutrition news-of-the-day has changed my life. Thank you!!”

And it’s true: It IS really important to pay attention to what is and isn’t working for you, rather than blindly following some dietary dogma. At the same time, I think we can learn a lot from (good) research. Continue reading “What big research studies can’t tell you” >

The 30 Day Easy Way Nutrition Upgrade

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Monica Reinagel MS, LDN (2)What would it take to change your eating habits for the better (and for good)?

Maybe less than you think!

In this one-hour class, you’ll learn a simple approach that will help you gently reshape your eating habits and upgrade your nutrition, starting exactly where you are right now.

No judgment. No breast-beating. No forbidden foods.

Cost: $20

Includes:

  • Immediate access to the 45-minute introductory video. (Watch at your convenience, as many times as you like.)
  • Downloadable handouts and other program materials.
  • Access to a private forum for ongoing connection and support.

What this Isn’t

This is not a detox program (although you will probably eat cleaner)

This is not a weight loss program (although you may lose weight)

You won’t have to log everything you eat (unless you want to).

This isn’t an all-or-nothing challenge that you white-knuckle it through for 30 days in exchange for bragging rights (I went 30 days without sugar!) or a split of the pot (I lost 5% of my body weight in 4 weeks!). If that’s what you’re looking for, you might want to check out the Whole Life Challenge or Diet Bet.

I don’t have anything against those sorts of games. But, we both know you can do just about anything for 30 days. And then what? As motivating as these games are in the short-term, they rarely lead to sustainable change. And that’s what I’m all about.

RegisterNow

 

What This Is

The 30-Day Easy Way Nutrition Upgrade is a simple–but powerful–program that runs quietly in the background, subtly reshaping your habits.  You’ll learn the whole system in the webinar but here are the broad strokes:

Every day for 30 days, you’ll answer 10 yes-or-no questions about what you ate that day and get instant feedback on how your choices are adding up and how you can easily upgrade your nutrition.  It takes about two minutes a day and can be effortlessly incorporated in to any daily routine.

And because it’s so simple (and kinda fun), most people simply keep on going when the 30 days is over, and continue to reap the benefits of their improved eating habits.

Here’s what some recent participants said:

“This is the opposite of a diet. It’s more like playing a game—and I end up eating better.”

“Two weeks in and I am loving the upgrade! Thanks, Monica, for the guilt-free, pain-free plan.”

“I can’t tell you how much this program has done for me! Best $20 I have spent in a long time!”

“I’m only on Day 5 but I am loving this tool. I love how simple it is and the daily feedback keeps me motivated.”

“I’m loving the program! Feeling great and so psyched  to be making sustainable changes rather than embarking on yet another intense, radical, short-term overhaul that ends up fizzling out.”

Will You Join Us?

RegisterNow

I could keep going on about why I’m so excited about this. But I really don’t think I can say any better than this recent participant:

“Good nutrition isn’t about perfection; it’s about finding a balance between healthy habits and things you might eat simply for pleasure. Setting unrealistic goals or pushing yourself too hard will backfire sooner or later.”

What she said!

If any of that resonates with you, this program is for you. (In fact, it’s my most popular and successful program.)

Cost: $20

Includes:

  • Immediate access to the 45-minute introductory video. (Watch at your convenience, as many times as you like.)
  • Downloadable handouts and other program materials.
  • Access to a private forum for ongoing connection and support.

RegisterNow

Myths About Microwaves

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Talk about your Nutrition Zombies!  There’s an apparently unkillable myth that microwaving destroys nutrients or “denatures” food in some particularly harmful way. Every time I think we’ve driven a stake through its heart, it pops up again. (Wait, stakes are for vampires, not zombies. Maybe that’s the problem.)

Just this morning, I received an email from Julie, who wrote:

“A holistic clinician said it is best to avoid microwaves because they  change the molecular structure of food and renders in unabsorbable in the body.”

 

zombie

Let’s take these one at a time: Continue reading “Myths About Microwaves” >

Why salad is NOT overrated

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

In her latest column for the Washington Post, Tamar Haspel caused quite a ruckus by attacking salad as “overrated.” LOTS of you wrote asking what I thought of her assertion that salad is devoid of nutrition, bad for the planet, and bad for our health.

salad

One of her main complaints is that salad vegetables are high in water, which she finds nutritionally irrelevant. But water is hardly a nutritional non-entity.  The human body requires 2-3 liters a day and foods like salad vegetables are an excellent way to meet some of this need.

Now, if you’re looking for foods that pack a lot of calories into a small space (you’re hiking the Appalachian Trail, perhaps, or gaining weight for your next movie role), then lettuce and cucumbers are probably not your best best. But most of us are looking for the opposite: foods that help us feel full without overloading us with too many calories. In which case, vegetables high in water are your friend.

See also: Nutrient density vs. energy density

As for the charge that shipping lettuce around the world is just an expensive way to move refrigerated water from place to place, I think I’d probably wage that campaign against diet soda first. You can also try buying your produce locally.

But, she continues, all that water also means that salad vegetables don’t provide any meaningful amounts of vitamins and minerals. Continue reading “Why salad is NOT overrated” >

Is “Big Coffee” buying off nutritionists?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

coffee beans and brewedI’m sure you saw the headlines this week about coffee: Colon cancer survivors who drink 4 or more cups of caffeinated coffee a day have a reduced risk of their cancer coming back. By the way, 4 or more “cups” might not be quite as immoderate as it sounds: They are referring to teeny little 6-ounce cups, so we’re talking about one and half grandes here.

In any case, this is just the latest in a long list of studies, which link regular coffee and/or caffeine consumption to various health benefits.  I talked about many of these perks (haha! get it?) in an episode of the Nutrition Diva podcast: Is caffeine bad for you?

Perhaps one of the recent news stories linked to that 2013 article, because the day the study was released, a couple of new comments appeared there. Both of the writers seem to feel that coffee/caffeine is bad for you.  And both accused me of promoting coffee because someone is paying me to.

As if that were the only possible explanation for having a different opinion. Continue reading “Is “Big Coffee” buying off nutritionists?” >

Why you shouldn’t be overly impressed by antioxidant claims

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

super-foods[1]I was recently corresponding with Paul, who had run into someone extolling the virtues of a Russian mushroom extract. Among this mushroom’s many virtues is that it (allegedly) has ” thousands of times more antioxidants than anything else natural on the planet.”

Neither Paul nor I were inclined to believe that this mushroom was quite as magical as advertised. (It also supposedly cures cancer and HIV.) But claims about extraordinary antioxidant powers–whether true or not–are often trotted out as proof a food’s superpowers.

We’ve been trained to believe that a food with greater antioxidant capacity is clearly better for you.  But is it, really?

The antioxidant arms race really took off with the development of the ORAC assay, a lab test that measures Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. I talked more about ORAC values in this episode of the Nutrition Diva podcast, where I pointed out that there’s a limit to how many antioxidants the body can utilize at a given time. One antioxidant researcher estimates that limit to be about 5,000 ORAC units per day.  If you’re eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, you’ve almost certainly got this covered. (And none of them even needs to be goji berries!)

So, don’t be too dazzled by claims that a given fruit (or tea or mushroom or shake mix) has an ORAC of 52 kabillion. It’s just not that big a deal.  In fact, there’s some evidence that too many antioxidants can actually be harmful. See also: Can you get too many antioxidants?

Slow cooker recipe: Summer soup with white beans, kale, butternut and sweet corn

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

wheat bean kale corn soupA slow cooker is a great way to turn summer produce into a robust meal–without heating up the kitchen! This is one of my stand-bys

Ingredients

1 pound dried white beans, soaked overnight and drained
1 small butternut squash, cubed
1-2 ears sweet corn, cut off cob
1 bunch kale, torn into pieces
1 onion, diced
1 quart stock (or water)
2 vegetarian chorizo sausage
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Garnish: Chopped parsley or cilantro, grated parmesan, good quality olive oil

Instructions

Place all ingredients into a 4 quart slow cooker. Add water if needed to cover by 1 inch. Cover and cook on high 6-8 hours or until beans and squash are tender. Garnish with herbs and cheese and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.

Makes about 3 quarts.

Summer stew