Show Your Palate Who's Boss

Hi everyone: ) Hope all is well! You know this blog is something I get real pumped to write, and because of that I've been sharing it with basically whoever I talk to. I can't help it. So at work yesterday I excitedly told Matt, my coworker, to check it out. He also lives a fairly health-conscious lifestyle so I was anxious to hear his thoughts. First words out of his mouth? "Nice, but you forgot to mention almonds have no taste."  

Ha. Thanks Matt. You need to know him to appreciate the love through his bluntness. But after I thought about it for a second I realized he's right! Sort of... A lot, a LOT of "healthy" food has absolutely no taste. But some of the reason we consider it to be that way is because of how we've trained our tongues to interpret flavor. Yes. You may hear someone who primarily drinks diet soda and then switches to regular say, "Oh my gosh, this is too sweet for me now!" Or be surprised at the sight of a kid eating anchovies, jalepenos, wasabi peas, etc. But it all has to do with our mouth's habits. Of course something like almonds are going to taste plain when compared to something like a bunch of buffalo chicken wings! However the point here is to consider that once you've decided to eat healthier, it may just take a little bit for your palate to re-adjust to what's actually good for it. Especially if what you're used to is artificially flavored, fat/grease-ridden, or high in salt. Cut yourself a break though if at first you hate healthy food. You have to start somewhere and maybe I can help. 

One of the first things I would suggest is to make your investments in a good spice rack instead of buying things pre-flavored. You will not only save money because spices last longer and can be used more universally, but you will also save your body from hidden preservatives, excess sugar, and salt. Your body doesn't really know what to do with too much of that stuff anyway and ultimately either bloats you or turns to fat! So spend some time roaming the spice aisle at the store and try whatever sounds delicious. I really like Ms. Dash's  line of seasoning blends because they're salt-free, but don't compromise flavor - it's amazing! Here are some healthy "tasteless" things I spice up to satisfy my palate:

• Corn kernels popped on the stove seasoned with Ms. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning -- great substitute for mesquite bbq potato chips! 
• Plain oatmeal flavored with cinnamon, raisins, and brown sugar -- exactly like pre-flavored version except I control the sugar

Just a couple to start, but really anything bland and healthy can be made more flavorful. We eat for nourishment, but we also eat to enjoy! So please take the idea of healthy food as a work in progress and reason to experiment. With time your palate will align to nutritional flavors and it will be a no-brainer to make choices that seem like sacrifices now:) That's all I got, more later...  

~ Sar

Make it Count

    Hello again! Today I want to talk about making the food we eat count. First I should say that I have the privilege of a very generous one half hour lunch break at work... : )  So a LOT of times I'm eating in transit. Probably a pretty common scenario. And ok, yes, sometimes I just go to the drive-thru, fine, but we'll talk about healthy options for that on another post. Usually though, I run home and throw something together in five minutes. However it's pretty tough to put together a meal in that amount of time that's nutritional AND filling without sacrificing a ton of calories. But you gotta do what you can, and there are some things you can do! One great tip? Shaved almonds!

Almonds I swear are like taking a vitamin that also has protein. They're already packed with all kinds of minerals, antioxidants, low in saturated fat, but have the good type of mono- and polyunsaturated fats your body craves to fill you up. They also have a surprising amount of calcium which is important to us women and lactose-intolerants. But the reason I like the shaved ones is because I sprinkle them on everything... my absolute favorite is on peanut butter and jam/fruit spread/honey sandwiches! It gives it such a different flavor and the crunch to me is the best part. It instantly takes the sandwich from a mediocre time-filler until the next meal to something that gives your body enough fuel and nutrients to help stave off hunger pangs that can cause over-eating come dinner. The protein and good fats break down real slow and allow for a steady flow of energy. So put them on your shopping list! The bag above is 10 oz for approx. $4, and has lasted me about a month so far. They come in flavored varieties, but I just get the plain because everything else has so much salt.  They're delicious  in cereal, on toast, salads, soups, with pretty much whatever you eat, and just by themselves!

If we can pack little bits of nutrition like almonds into our quick meals the impact will spread throughout the day and make a real difference in the way our body fuels itself:) Enjoy! More later...
~Sar

Helloooo Bloggers!

   So this is my first ever blog! Very excited:) I'm doing it because first, and most importantly, I love food! And I wanted to start something that documents how I keep my body fueled effectively with a busy schedule and on a college-girl's budget. There's a lot of great blogs out there that talk about healthy eating, new diets, food tips, etc, and I'm often intrigued or inspired by them. However the trend seems to include a lot of do-it-yourself baking and obscure or exotic ingredients which can be both pricey and time consuming to actually get into your body. So while I'll try to have as many fun, palate-pleasing tips as possible, everything I talk about will be stuff you can find easily wherever you shop and pretty simple to assemble.

What else... oh. I'm not a professional in the field of nutrition. At least, not yet! I graduated in 2009 with a degree in psychology, but fell much more in love with my nutrition class during the last semester. Just my luck! So in January I'll be back at school taking the few extra classes I need to apply for grad school and get my masters in food and nutrition. Also very excited about that:) It will be cool to see how my food  knowledge grows through the process.

I should add that I'm lactose intolerant! That means a lot of the food I talk about will be dairy free -- which automatically makes the saturated fat content really low. But seriously though, I miss dairy lol. It's something that developed over the last year, and  you don't realize how much stuff includes dairy (ahem, Pringles!) until it makes you sick lol. Anyhow that sums things up. I'm pretty pumped to start this new project and bring you along with me:) Thanks for reading, more later.

~ Sar