“Let Food be Thy Medicine.” – Hippocrates
While bodywork like chiropractic care and massage therapy is integral to any wellness strategy, what happens outside the office is equally (if not more) important. One of the simplest ways to affect our health is our food choices, and this month we’re focusing on how to amp up your veggie intake. While everyone knows (or is living in denial) that we should get more veggies and superfoods and less processed foods, what does that look like in a diet?
As I’ve written before, I recommend Metagenics Metabolic Detoxification program for a jump start into any nutritional plan, and to identify potential food sensitivities (which can manifest as bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, etc.) A high quality cleanse (all cleanses are definitely not created equal) will help start weight loss, reset palate and portion control, can break food addictions and really help you examine your relationship with food. (To read more about the benefits of cleansing, click here). I mention this here because the recommendations I give are based off of what I know makes ME feel best, but your version of that could look entirely different. I generally recommend avoiding dairy and grains in general. Most underlying food sensitivities are rooted in lactose or gluten intolerance. In fact, the ability to digest lactose is believed to be an evolved trait, and literally no one can digest gluten. While gluten intolerance is a bit of a fad at the moment, the implications of how it can damage the gut lining and promote absorption and autoimmune issues are quite real. If absorption or GI issues are present, it truly doesn’t matter how stellar your diet or supplementation plan is, you aren’t absorbing anything! Think about that..However, these may not present issues for you. If you would like custom advice, I would be happy to meet with you and design a unique plan to help you meet your nutritional goals.
So how to get in more veggies and other nutrient dense foods? Enter my latest food gadget obsession, the Inspiralizer. This is a tool that allows you to “spiralize” or make noodles out of various vegetables. Since giving up gluten 18 months ago, I’ve tried just about everything to get a noodle fix. While there are some good rice noodles out there, I still don’t feel great about consuming that many carbohydrates. So not only does this allow me to make noodle dishes, but I’m getting MORE veggies and less carbs. WIN-WIN. I actually held off on purchasing one of these because I felt the designs were poor and flimsy looking. Plus, who wants another tool taking up coveted counter space real estate? The Inspiralizer is a much better design than others I looked at, and I have to say, I use this thing at least a few times a week. It’s also fun; I sent one to my mom for Mother’s Day, and she’s having a blast with it, too. So far, I’ve spiralized zucchini, squash, butternut squash and sweet potatoes. I’ve included some of my favorite recipes below and some links to some other great looking recipes. Pardon the pictures; no one’s winning any awards for food photography here.
Shaved Asparagus & Sausage Sweet Potato Noodles
(from www.inspiralized.com)
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 sweet Italian sausage links, decased, crumbled
- 1 large (350g+) sweet potato, peeled, Blade C
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
- 6 asparagus stalks
- optional: grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, to garnish
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Then, add in the sausage. Cook the sausage until browned, 5-7 minutes. Continue to crumble the sausage as it cooks. While the sausage is cooking, snap the bottoms off the asparagus and then shave with a vegetable peeler, starting from the bottom of the asparagus tips all the way down to the end of the stalk. When done shaving, chop off the tips and set aside. Set aside all shavings and tips.
- When the sausage is done, add in the sweet potato noodles, garlic, red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and then add in the broth and parsley. Let cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes or until sweet potato noodles are cooked through and soften. After 5 minutes into the noodles cooking, add in the shaved asparagus and asparagus tips. Toss to combine and let the noodles finish cooking.
- When pasta is done, plate into bowls and garnish with optional grated cheese. Enjoy!
*TIP* – the sweet potatoes cook FAST and then sort of fall apart, which is why mine resembles rice not noodles.
Pad Thai with Zoodles
(from www.inspiralized.com)
TIP: This is the first recipe I made, and I LOVED it. I think zucchini makes the best noodles of anything I’ve tried, and takes on the flavor of whatever sauce you put them in. Like any sauce based dish, flavors improve over time so I actually enjoy these more on day two. The honey was also a little much for me, I ended up adding a whole lot more Sriracha to compensate.
TIP 2: I always put sauteed tofu cubes in my pad thai. You can up your protein this way or by adding ground chicken or sauteed shrimp.
Ingredients
- 2 whole eggs
- 1/4 cup roasted salted peanuts
- 1/2 tbsp peanut oil (or oil of choice)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 tbsp coconut flour
- 1 tbsp roughly chopped cilantro + whole cilantro leaves to garnish
- 2 medium zucchinis, Blade C
- For the sauce:
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (or hoisin sauce, if you’re strict vegetarian)
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp chili sauce (I used Thai chili garlic sauce)
- 1 tsp honey
Instructions
- Scramble the eggs and set aside.
- Place all of the ingredients for the sauce into a bowl, whisk together and set aside.
- Place the peanuts into a food processor and pulse until lightly ground (no big peanuts should remain, but it shouldn’t be powdery). Set aside.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add in oil, garlic and shallots. Cook for about 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the shallots begin to soften. Add in the sauce and whisk quickly so that the flour dissolves and the sauce thickens. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until sauce is reduced and thick.
- Once the sauce is thick, add in the zucchini noodles and cilantro and stir to combine thoroughly.
- Cook for about 2 minutes or until noodles soften and then add in the scrambled eggs and ground peanuts. Cook for about 30 seconds, tossing to fully combine.
- Plate onto dishes and garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve with lime wedges.
Kung Pao Chicken Zoodles For Two
(from Skinnytaste.com)
Servings: 2 • Size: scant 2 cups • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 277 • Fat: 12 g • Protein: 24 g • Carb: 21 g • Fiber: 4 g • Sugar: 9 g
Sodium: 725 mg (without salt) • Cholesterol: 62 mg
Ingredients:
- 2 medium zucchini, about 8 oz each, ends trimmed
- 1 teaspoon grapeseed or canola oil
- 6 oz skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ground ginger
- 2 tbsp crushed dry roasted peanuts
- 2 tbsp thinly sliced scallions along diagonal
For the sauce:
- 1 1/2 tbsp reduced soy sauce (tamari for gluten free)
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp hoisin sauce
- 2 1/2 tbsp water
- 1/2 tbsp Sambal Oelek Red Chili Paste (or more to taste)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
Directions:
Using a spiralizer fitted with a shredder blade (this makes a thicker noodle), or a mandolin fitted with a julienne blade, cut the zucchini into long spaghetti-like strips. If using a spiralizer, use kitchen scissors to cut the strands into pieces that are about 8 inches long so they’re easier to eat.
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, balsamic, hoisin, water, red chili paste, sugar and cornstarch; set aside.
Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat oil in a large, deep nonstick pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
TIP: There is a good tip already included, which is to cut the noodles. Otherwise, you end up eating half the dish with one noodle. I also didn’t use cornstarch and just reduced the sauce a bit more, which worked fine.
For more awesome recipes, try here or here
For custom nutritional advice, please don’t hesitate to schedule a nutritional consult with me by calling us at 843-416-8218 or emailing us here.
