Side Dishes

‼️ Don’t let nutritional marketing dupe you ‼️

My first job was working as a grocery store dietitian, and I used to lead these nutrition tours where I helped people make sense of the thousands of products you find on the store shelves.

One of the lessons I always taught? That everything you see on the front of the box is marketing…even when it seems helpful. A few examples:

🥣 Cereals “made with whole grains” that are super high in sugar.
🥔 “Cholesterol free” potato chips…plant foods don’t have cholesterol
🧀 Vegan cheeses that are still super high in saturated fat.

You guys know me…I’m not saying don’t buy these foods. You’re a grown up, enjoy what you like! I just want you to know that choosing these foods because of a health message on the front might lead you to think the choices are healthier than they really are.

Instead, if you’re making packaged food choices with health in mind, turn the box to the side, peep the ingredients. It’s a way better way to compare two products.

Is sugar in the first 3? It’s probably too much. Check the nutrition facts panel. How’s the fibre or protein? You’ll always want more of those. How’s the sugar, salt, saturated fat? You’ll want less of those.

And remember, the foods we want to eat the most of are typically the ones that don’t have fancy packages, like whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, fruit and veg. Pattern over plate, my friends! ❤️

#nutrition #nutritiontips #nutritionist #marketing #cpgmarketing #productmarketinf #healthyliving #healthychoices #healthysnacks #healthyfoods ...

Dietitian-approved gut-friendly road trip snacks (AD)

A couple of years ago, our family went on a 2600 km (!) road trip through BC…and let’s just say that we got our road trip snacks game dialed. Lessons were learned. Favourites were chosen.

As a dietitian - who eats a plant-based diet AND has IBS - my advice for healthier travel is NOT to avoid all the treats and new foods that make travel so wonderful…it’s to focus on what you can ADD to ensure that you keep your gut happy and your energy up so you can actually enjoy your vacation.

My top tips? Make sure A) you pack some fruit, veggies and water and B) don’t neglect protein.

Between a shift in schedules, food choices and long hours sitting, travel can mess with your usual digestive routine.

To keep things flowing, snack on plenty of summer-fresh fruits and veggies and drink lots of water. Bonus: all the pit stops will have you moving more!

Oh, and pack ginger chews in case the twists and turns make you queasy 🤢

The other non-negotiable when I travel is packing protein-rich foods like legumes, nuts and seeds, to help keep my blood sugars balanced because I’m definitely gonna crush my fair share of chips, snacks and ice creams while I travel. And, because often the vegan option at restaurants is lower in protein.

Getting ready for a trip can be hectic, so I love stocking up with @spuddelivers because it helps me save time and now more than ever, it’s more important to support small local businesses whenever we can!

Use the code DESIREE15 for $15 off your first order

#spuddelivers #roadtripsnacks #plantbasednutrition #vegannutrition #healthytravel ...

Repeat after me: calories are a measure of ENERGY

As a dietitian who doesn’t talk calories, I can forget how overwhelmingly calorie-forward some nutrition conversations are. And I grew up in the era of the 100 calorie snack pack.

Like, we’re a whole generation who judged whether or not we’d eat a food based on it’s calorie count?!?

The thing is, many of us forget what calories actually are…they’re a measure of ENERGY. Like, the energy you need to build and repair cells, to run that 10K, to chase your kids around the house. Your body requires energy to do those things. If you constantly choose low energy foods, you are not gonna have a ton of energy to output.

Whereas your body has a very strict requirement for nutrients. NUTRIENTS provide building blocks and tools for your body to use, like the amino acids in proteins that your body uses to rebuild tissues or the vitamin K involved in blood clotting. Breaking down macronutrients like carbohydrates or protein into their components releases energy.

So the calorie count on a food says NOTHING about it’s nutrient density. You can have a low calorie food that doesn’t offer a lot in the way of nutrition, like 50 calories of candy. And you can have a high calorie food that offers a TON of nutrition, like walnuts.

So just like your weight tells me nothing about your metabolic health, calorie count should not be your sole metric for making food choices. I get questions sometimes about why I don’t put calories and macros on my recipes, and this is why. I want to encourage you to make choices based on the types of foods we should eat more of (like veggies) and on balancing important food sources of nutrients (like protein-rich foods, healthy fats etc) vs what the calorie count is. If for your individual needs require specific counts, like carbs in diabetes for example, an app like cronometer can be super helpful.

#plantbasednutrition #vegannutrition #nutritionmyths #eatmoreplants #nutritiontip #nutritiontips #healthyliving ...

Nerd alert: sprout your own wheat (AD)

I love an easy kitchen project, you know, the kind that make you feel all fancy but is actually so simple, your kids can do it…so inspired by my partnership with @silverhillsbakery let me show you how to sprout at home!

💧 Soak ½ cup of wheat berries, spelt or farro in water overnight. The next morning, rinse and drain well, fasten the jar with paper towel or cheesecloth and position upside down in a bowl so it can drain, away from direct sunlight.

🌱 Repeat the rinse + position step twice a day until little 1 cm (½ inch) sprouts appear, about 3-4 days. Rinse and drain the finished sprouts well, and store in the fridge with a piece of paper towel for 3-4 days max.

🥗 How to use them? Add to salads, grain bowls, casseroles and more…try this fun tapenade-inspired salad! It’s perfect piled on a slice of Silver Hills sprouted grain bread, packed with plant-based protein, filling fibre and tons of vitamins and minerals to energize you all afternoon long.

Chunky Olive and Sprouted Grain Salad

½ cup Castelvetrano olives, halved
Sprouted grains from ½ cup of raw grain (about 1 ½ cups)
1 cup diced cucumber
1 cup chopped parsley
1 small clove garlic
1 tablespoon capers, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch of chile flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Serve as a side or pile on a slice of Silver Hills Bakery Sprouted Grain Bread, spread with hummus or cashew cheese, for a nutrient-dense lunch!

Important! Pregnant or immuno-compromised people shouldn’t sprout at home…safety first 👍

#sproutedgrains #silverhillsbakery #plantbasednutrition #vegannutrition #plantbased #eatplants #plantbasedrecipes #veganrecipes ...

we need to talk about what actually heals your gut vs what is just a great gut healthy choice

Gut health marketing IS getting out of hand…I feel like every company who wants to put out a gut health food or supplement needs to have a real loooooong talk with a dietitian before they write their marketing copy.

Like, you can’t claim that a gut health product is gonna improve mood unless you have real clinical data on YOUR product. And if you’re gonna call it “gut healthy”, you need to be transparent about why you’re saying so.

We should not be putting our faith in cute design and clever marketing to fix what ails us. Instead, we need continually remind ourselves that the secret sauce of nutrition is building a consistent dietary pattern.

It’s about drinking water to keep things moving. Getting your fibre intake up, as tolerated, to sweep that gut clear and feed the gut microbiome. Eating whole foods (with zero marketing) more often than hyper-processed ones so your cells are flooded with micronutrients and phytochemicals. Pattern over plate. You gotta keep showing up.

But/and/also, if you just like something…enjoy it! I personally don’t like sugar sweetened soda (no worries if you do!) so I love all the fun sugar free drinks I have to choose from now when I need a break from water.

I like Poppi and Super Belly because I can’t tolerate huge doses of prebiotic so these yummy drinks just give me a gentle add on to my day.

Will I take the couple grams of fibre? You bet! Do I think it’s gonna make my IBS go away? Nope.

#guthealth #guthealthy #prebiotics #guthealthmatters #guthealthdietitian #eatmoreplants #eatmorefiber ...

🍓 FRESH STRAWBERRY GRANITA 🍓

The easiest dessert for when you need something cold, fresh, quick, and delicious. I’ve been on a major strawberry kick lately and this one brings me straight to the beach, basking in the sun with a perfectly cold treat.

The full recipe is on the blog - just tap the link in my bio 💫

#easydesserts #dessertrecipes #summerdesserts #strawberryrecipes #strawberryideas #plantbasedrecipes #plantbaseddesserts #plantbsaed #vegan #veganrecipes #vegandesserts ...

If you use supplements or protein powders, read this!

One of the more obnoxious strategies of internet wellness is convincing you to demonize all hyper-processed foods on one hand, while persuading you to accept all manner of supplements on the other.

For example: convincing you that Beyond burger, which is high in protein but also part of a pleasurable meal (gasp!), is somehow bad for you because it’s hyper-processed while also recommending that you take a protein powder or supplement, which is also, ahem, hyper-processed.

We have to think a little more critically about food choices, as in, what is the food offering me?

In the case of Beyond, it’s offering 20 grams of protein as well as 4 mg of iron. That’s pretty dang good for a protein source. And it tastes good.

A protein powder may also offer 20 grams of protein and makes it easy to add valuable protein to a smoothie. Also great.

You don’t need to eat either of these products if you don’t want to. Choose the foods that work for your budget, your tastes, your personal goals and your cultural diet.

We just need to stop letting others fill our head with useless food fear. A food isn’t good or bad. It’s just food.

OF COURSE I would love for you to be eating mostly whole foods. Whole foods make it far easier to reach your nutrient needs without consuming too many added sugars, saturated fats and sodium.   

But your head will not explode if you eat some candy, a veggie dog or a protein bar, I promise.

PS…thanks to @drsamanthaellis for the inspo for this reel!

#plantbasednutrition #vegannutrition #evidencebasednutrition #hyperprocessedfood #ultraprocessedfood #veganprotein ...