There’s a new BUZZ on the block! Plant based eating is best… but is it?

Well, the answer to that is… IT DEPENDS!!!

If you are referring to the excellent health benefits of eating at least 9 servings of vegetables and fruits per day, as part of a healthy eating plan, the answer is a resounding YES!!

In fact, I share this tip with my clients, and you can do it too:

RAINBOW DIET

Get a pack of blank index cards and some colored markers. Use one card for one day… Then every time you eat anything, mark the COLOR of the food on the index card. Your homework is to create a RAINBOW every day. To do that, you will have to ingest a wide variety of vegetables, while limiting white (bread, pasta, pizza) and brown (meat). This is a definite step toward normalizing weight, increasing energy, improving sleep, enhancing memory, and feeling great. In fact, the Nutrition Source of Harvard Medical School, claims “A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, lower risk of eye and digestive problems, and have a positive effect upon blood sugar, which can help keep appetite in check.”
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vegetables-and-fruits/

What about Plant Based Burgers?

The case for PLANT BASED burgers is quite another story. Products that claim to be “impossible” or other branded, supposed Plant Based Burgers, sold in the meat aisle at the grocery store and at Fast Food establishments are anything but healthy.

Many of these products are based on Quorn, which is a fermentation made from the fungus Fusarium venenatum, (latin for venomous).

The Center for Science in the Public Interest states:
“Quorn is the brand name of meat substitutes that are made from a vat-grown fungus. Some people have dangerous reactions to the fungus and suffer nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and occasionally hives or difficulty breathing.”

They have set up a specific form where people who have an allergic reaction to Quorn can submit their report. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfyJLsvLtiWReqi6fM1HffKkkXQy0D52FuxXm1RCKI4BkOb2A/viewform?c=0&w=1

Another big player in the Plant based Meat category, focuses on the protein that is a lot like “heme”. Heme is the molecule in blood that gives ‘REAL MEAT’ its distinctive taste. Genetically modified soy (heavily sprayed with the glyphosate known as Roundup®) is used to produce leghemoglobin – which makes these fake burgers appear to ‘bleed’ when they are cooked, and also gives them a taste and texture that is similar to real meat.  While leghemaglobin appears to be safe, it is not the equivalent from a nutritional standpoint to actual meat based heme, which supports iron and has other health benefits.

If you opt for a fake “Plant Based” Burger, here is a list of likely ingredients:

Water, Soy Protein Concentrate, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, 2% or less of: Potato Protein, Methylcellulose, Yeast Extract, Cultured Dextrose, Food Starch Modified, Soy Leghemoglobin, Salt, Soy Protein Isolate  

Therefore it is mostly soy- and GMO soy at that. It is no where close to the health benefits that is offered by the Plant Based RAINBOW diet based on real vegetables discussed above.

There are definitely reasons to choose a diet higher in plant products than animal products. These include lower ingestion of saturated fats, less wear and tear on the environment, the ingestion of more nutrients, vitamins, minerals and other factors.

Be aware that a small amount of Organically Raised Real Meat in the diet also offers important nutrients, such as Vitamin B 12, Choline, Carnosine and many other factors.

Therefore, unless you wish to be a Vegan for animal rights reasons, the BEST diet for most individuals is PLANT BASED – meaning Real wholesome vegetables and fruits , along with a small amount of organically raised animal products, such as eggs, meat, dairy, fish .. a few times a week.  Don’t kid yourself into believing you are helping your health to eat a Fake Burger at a Fast Food establishment and be able to jump on the PLANT BASED healthy band wagon, as savvy advertising agencies would have you believe !

Image credit:

Plant based burger photo by Ruth Reyer on Unsplash

Nutrition experts agree that a key to healthy food choices includes many different brightly colored fruits and vegetables. Think about orange carrots, red peppers, green salad, red tomatoes, blue berries, and purple beets- all of these are great! But did your vision include the Blue-Black Eggplant?

Eggplants are actually FRUITS – not vegetables…. That is because, from a botanical perspective, the part of the plant that contains the seeds is the fruit- so that same concept refers to tomatoes and cucumbers – all fruits! Eggplant is called “aubergine” in England.

The most popular form of eggplant in the US is the dark purple-blue-black larger heavy variety. This type of eggplant is actually native to Asia, although it is often considered an Italian food, used in classic Italian eggplant parmigiana or French Ratatouille, and also found in the popular Middle Eastern dish, baba ganoush.

Each of the colors that brighten fruits and vegetables are actually associated with specific healthy naturally occurring compounds such as healthy phytochemicals known as anthocyanins. The deep blue-black color of eggplant is due to the presence of a high amount of anthocyanins. These natural components offers a high level of antioxidant benefits that protects cell surfaces against damage due to free radicals and toxins. Eggplant skin is rich in a particular anthocyanin, called nasunin, which has been shown to limit angiogenesis- the growth of new blood vessels which feed tumors. Please note that the most nutritious part of the eggplant is actually the PEEL! Consider leaving some of the peel on when preparing eggplant dishes. The peel will soften and cook right into the food preparation. It MAY have a slight bitter aftertaste, which is actually more interesting and aids digestion.

The inner part of the eggplant is not particularly rich in vitamins and minerals, with the exception of the mineral manganese. Manganese is needed by the body to act as a part of important enzymes that break down and process cholesterol, amino acids and carbohydrates. However eggplant offers other nutritional benefits. It is very low in calories and carbohydrates and high in fiber– two big plus factors! A full pound of eggplant only has 100 calories, so eating a large portion can lead to feeling satisfied without putting on the pounds. That is because eggplant contains a lot of water. Eggplant is also very low on the glycemic index. The glycemic index indicates the effect of a particular food on blood glucose level. Low glycemic foods help with blood sugar maintenance and weight control. Eggplant rates a very low glycemic index of “1”.

Eggplant is a perfect choice in a wide variety of dietary styles, such as Mediterranean, Paleo, Low Carb, Vegan,Vegetarian , and even the eclectic FODMAP diet! FODMAP stands for “Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyols”. Some people find that when they eat Low FODMAP foods they feel a lot better!

One caveat is that Eggplant is part of the Nightshade family, along with potatoes, tomatoes and peppers. About 30% of people who suffer from arthritis and joint pain have nightshade sensitivities. I always tell clients who have these issues to totally give up nightshades for 30 days – this includes tomato sauces and ketchup! If the person IS nightshade sensitive, they will notice a marked improvement, and there is absolutely NO ADVERSE EFFECT to giving it a try, unlike the possible devastating effects of some pain reducing pharmaceutical drugs.

So experiment with the versatile, low calorie filler upper- EGGPLANT, as you plan your healthy eating regimen for the New Year!

Ellen Kamhi PhD, RN, interviews Maggie Martakis of Maggies Holistics NY.

Who is Maggies Martakis?

The founder of Maggie’s Holistics, NYC, Maggie is a holistic healer, certified in Reiki and Kundalini yoga with a degree in the Sciences and Art History. She is also currently studying Ayurvedic Medicine.

Dissatisfied with conventional treatments while trying to heal her son’s health issues, as well as her own, Maggie Martakis sought a holistic approach. She discovered that we are exposed daily to radiation, fluorine, chlorine and bromine chemicals, as they can be found in many of our foods, soft drinks, toothpastes, pools, water, air and household chemicals. These chemicals and heavy metals accumulate and get stored in our body interfering with thyroid function, the endocrine glandular system and can cause calcification of our pineal gland (aka third eye) lowering our IQ.

Healthy levels of iodine help prevent toxic build up of these chemicals and with proper diet assists our cells to take in the proper nutrients and minerals. Additional health benefits include increased energy and weight loss. Using this knowledge enabled her to successfully tackle her family’s health issues holistically.
Contact: https://www.maggiesholisticsny.com/

To listen to the interview, click the player below. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestion, please use the comment section under this post or contact Ellen Kamhi here.

To listen to Maggie Martakis’s other interview: Toxins and the Importance of Iodine with Maggie Martakis

The Natural Nurse Ellen Kamhi PhD RN, interviews Registered Dietitian Beth Warren, author of Living a Real Life with Real Food: How to Get Healthy, Lose Weight and Stay Energized, – The Kosher Way!

Beth is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and a New York State Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist with a private practice in Brooklyn, New York. Beth holds a Master of Science degree in Nutrition from Brooklyn College and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yeshiva University.

She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine (DIFM) and Nutrition Entrepreneurs (NE) practice groups, New York State Dietetic Association (NYSDA) and the Society of Nutrition Education (SNE).

Beth is also a nutrition expert for healthprofs.com, a part of the Kosher Food Blogger and Around the Plate blogging communities and a certified PreventObesity.net leader. She serves on the nutrition advisory board for the food company Tryst Gourmet.

Along with conducting nutrition counseling in her private practice for both pediatric and adult clients, Beth is the nutritionist at the Morris I. Franco Community Cancer Center and the head sports nutritionist for the Sephardic Bikur Holim, a not-for-profit organization. She also works as a consultant for schools and businesses to help organize nutritious and delicious meals and snacks, perform workshops, health fairs and lectures for clients including The Macular Degeneration Association and the Sephardic Community Center.

Through research and clinical experiences in varied healthcare settings including working with children with food allergies, Autism and ADHD, elderly in nursing homes, patients in a hospital with diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, malnourishment, eating disorder or other medical conditions, Beth witnessed first-hand, the power of good nutrition in healing the mind and body. The commonality she discovered was the importance of cleaning up the diet as the foundation for healthy living. Good nutrition begins with eating real food. And real food is Beth’s real life.

CONTACT: www.BethWarrenNutrition.com .

To listen to the interview, click the player below. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestion, please use the  comment section under this post or contact Ellen Kamhi here.