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Interested in a personalized Fresh Start? Check out the Services page. January 5th, 2013 FreshStartRD
1. Jump start your fresh start. Try this gentle body detox diet plan.
2. Maximize fruits & veggies. Try adding just one more serving of fruit or vegetables somewhere in your day. Blueberries on your oatmeal. A green smoothie for a snack. A quick, made-ahead salad. Carrot & celery sticks with your sandwich. A simple bean soup for dinner. Does your grocery store not have a great selection? Try a farmers’ market, local CSA or produce delivery service. These are great ways to try new foods & recipes, as well as support local and/or organic farming.
3. Plan ahead for portion control. You’ve heard these tips before, so try practicing one new one at a time.
4. Snack wisely. Change your perception of snacks. Leave the 100-calorie packs on the shelf, and view each snack as an opportunity to squeeze more good nutrition into your day. Here are some suggestions for perfect combinations of healthy fats, protein & fiber, while sneaking in an extra fruit or veggie when possible. Some of my new favorite to-go snacks are KIND bars. They’re full of simple, real food ingredients like nuts & fruit, so are packed with fiber & protein. Give their new Nuts & Spices varieties a try: Dark Chocolate, Nuts & Sea Salt or Madagascar Vanilla Almond, anyone?
5. Simplify your supplements.
Contact me for your omega-3, vitamin D & kids’ gummy multivitamin needs—I offer complimentary supplement consultations to help make sure you’re taking only what you need, and not what you don’t. OR, order here:
15% off every order of Nordic Naturals + free shipping (no mininum)!
Click here & enter practictioner code 89980.
6. Green your kitchen. Here’s the list of my 10 favorite items for a healthy kitchen, and you can make your kitchen greener pretty cheaply & easily. Shop for reusables, such as a stainless steel water bottle, shopping bags and produce bags. And one of the best things you can do is get rid of the plastic. (Even if plastic storage dishes are BPA-free, what’s the next chemical to be big news?) A set of square or rectangle (more space-efficient than round), 2-cup, and 6-ounce glass containers with lids will cover just about any left over or food storage need you may have in your refrigerator, freezer or pantry. And mason jars are cheap, attractive & functional.
7. Give yourself a pantry & fridge makeover. Pitch expired food & give the shelves a good cleaning. Get rid of unhealthy fats/oils and refined grains. Use up less-than-healthy soups, cereals, snacks, beverages, dressings & sauces, as well as overly-packaged, processed foods. (Want help? Contact me.)
8. Get organized & save money. When things are in order, it’s easier to know (& see) what you already have. That helps in two ways: you’ll be less likely to buy stuff you don’t need AND it helps prevent those last-minute take-out and fast food runs. (It’s just like your closet…do you really have “nothing” to eat?)
9. Restock your kitchen with the Fresh Start Essentials (ingredients of a healthy lifestyle). Make sure you’re stocked up on the ingredients for quick, nutritious meals. Learn how to read food labels when grocery shopping. Keep items on-hand for healthy snacking, wholesome baking, and real food make-ahead mixes. Stretch your food dollar by choosing organic foods wisely (you don’t have to eat all organic in order to eat well), making homemade versions of items as time allows, and planning ahead.
10. Plan ahead & save time. You’ve probably seen all the meal-planning services out there. Pick one, or create a system that works for you. However you do it, coming up with an eating plan (not just dinners, but all meals & snacks) not only saves time, money & errands, but also helps keep your healthy eating on track.
11. Cut out the chemicals. While you’re greening your kitchen & detoxing your diet, don’t forget about the rest of your home. I’ve spent the last 15 years researching ways to clean-up my daily routine. But it wasn’t easy. Finding products that were free of certain chemicals & still worked well, yet were affordable (then finding where to buy them!) was next to impossible. So I ended up just making a lot of my own products. Tools like the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database & GoodGuide now make it easy to learn which body care & cleaning products are safe for your family & the Earth, and thankfully, it’s so much more common to find these products in stores & online. (But it can still be a bit overwhelming when you first decide to tackle that medicine cabinet, make-up drawer, shower caddy, laundry room & cleaning bucket!)
One my favorite fresh finds is the 100% Pure line. Try the Super Fruits Age-Corrective face care line & the mascara.
12. Move your body. Find something you love and just do it. (This one is MY biggest challenge…fitness is the first to go for me when I’m busy & stressed or have a sick kid or deadline, even though I know full well a workout would only help me face that challenge head on.) Some fitness trends include Nia & Jazzercise (it’s back!). Body weight training, yoga & running are hotter than ever. Oh, and when you’re finally done moving, don’t forget to rest. Relax. Sleep.
I was provided with samples of KIND Bars. All comments, however, are my own.
Interested in a personalized Fresh Start? Check out the Services page. April 22nd, 2012 FreshStartRD
We’ve already mentioned nutritious ways to top your salad, including salad dos and don’ts and some healthy salad swaps, as well as how to choose a healthy salad dressing. One of the best ways to dress your salad is with a homemade dressing. It’s quicker & easier than you think to whip up your own! If you’re looking to eat more whole foods, with fewer additives, such as sodium, artificial flavorings & preservatives, then DIY salad dressings are the way to go.
For each of the following real food salad dressing recipes, the ingredients are simply guidelines. Experiment with the amounts of each ingredient until you find your favorite homemade dressing!
Creamy Caesar-Style Dressing:
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About 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
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2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
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3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
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Dash of Worcestershire sauce
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Minced garlic (to taste)
Fresh Vinaigrette:
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Olive oil (make a lower-fat version by replacing some oil with vegetable stock)
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Any vinegar, such as balsamic, champagne or red wine vinegar
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Honey
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Minced garlic (to taste)
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Salt, pepper, & herbs (such as oregano)
Asian Dressing:
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Soy sauce
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Toasted sesame oil
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Honey
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Minced garlic
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Minced ginger
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Sesame seeds
Ranch-Style Dressing:
(from $5 Dinner Mom)
Blend the following dry ingredients. Keep this master mix on hand in your pantry or spice cabinet. When you need to whip up some fresh homemade Ranch-style dressing, mix 1 tablespoon of mix with 1/2 cup of low fat yogurt or sour cream.
- 2 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon pepper
As featured on the Charlotte Today Show (April 2012):
Melanie Zook, Registered Dietitian & Owner/Founder of Fresh Start Nutrition: How to Make Your Own Healthy DIY Homemade Salad Dressings or Choose One at the Store or Restaurant
Interested in a personalized Fresh Start? Check out the Services page. April 16th, 2012 FreshStartRD
Perhaps your local farmers’ market is about to open or your CSA harvest is around the corner. Or maybe you’ve signed up for one of the produce delivery options. One thing’s for sure: it’s almost salad season! Get creative, and top those healthy greens with vegetables, fruits, and lean protein to make your salad even more nutrition-packed.
DO top your salad with:
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As many vegetables as possible—fresh, steamed, or even roasted; veggies seem to have lost their spotlight on salads (replaced by cheeses, nuts and dried fruits), but thankfully are coming back in a big way!
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Fresh fruits, such as apples, grapes, Mandarin oranges or berries
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Grilled chicken, salmon, shrimp, or lean strips of steak
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Beans
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Organic (non-GMO) tofu
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Cottage cheese
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Hard-boiled egg
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Avocado
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Nuts
DON’T sabotage your salad with:
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Chinese noodles, fried noodles or even crumbled ramen noodles
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Tortilla strips or fried tortilla bowls
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Antipasti-type toppings, such as salami or pepperoni
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Bacon bits
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Fried chicken or shrimp
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Premade salads smothered in mayonnaise or dripping in oil
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Dried fruits that may have been coated in oil, sugar, or corn syrup
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Nut “toppings” that have been coated in oil, sugar or corn syrup
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Too much dressing (stay tuned for an upcoming post on how to dress your salad the healthy way)
Try these salad swaps instead:
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Instead of iceberg lettuce, try baby spinach, spring mix (also known as mesclun greens), romaine, arugula, or other greens.
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Instead of fried chicken, try leaner protein choices, such as those listed above. (Fried chicken on a bed of iceberg lettuce is not a salad.)
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Instead of croutons (unless you make your own with whole wheat bread + olive oil), try a small amount of slivered almonds, chopped walnuts or sunflower seeds. Nuts and seeds are higher in calories, but rich in good fats.
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Instead of blue cheese or shredded cheddar or mozzarella, try grated hard cheeses such as parmesan or Romano cheese, crumbled feta, or goat cheese. Cheese is a good source of calcium & protein, but also contains sodium & saturated fat, so watch your portions.
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Instead of dried fruit, try fresh fruit.
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Instead of high fat, high sodium savory toppings like bacon, salami or pepperoni, try green or kalamata olives.
Have fun this salad season creating new greens-based delicacies. Combine vegetables, fruits, lean protein and other toppings to create your own unique salad concoction.
Interested in a personalized Fresh Start? Check out the Services page. April 20th, 2011 FreshStartRD
 While many are spring cleaning their homes, they’re also interested in spring cleaning their bodies. So around this time of year, as well as after the Holidays, I often get asked about detox diets. While I don’t think that an extreme type of detox that uses excessive supplements, laxatives, etc. is safe (let alone enjoyable), a gentle “cleanse” using clean, whole foods, while cutting out the junk, certainly can’t hurt. So if you’re interested in giving a detox diet a try this spring, read on.
A few general detox guidelines:
- Begin a detox on the weekend (or a day off), so that you can find adequate time to shop & prepare the foods you’ll be enjoying. Or, consider having your fruits & vegetables delivered to you around the time you plan to start your detox. Don’t forget about your farmers’ market or local CSA as a great source for fruits, vegetables & other products.
- Choose a timeframe that works for you—3 days, 5 days, even a week. Do your best to pick a time that you know you won’t have excess stress (where you may be tempted to reach for excess caffeine) or a lot of social events (where you may be tempted to reach for that glass of bubbly or cupcake).
- Select organic foods when possible. But this doesn’t have to become a financial challenge or a scavenger hunt to several stores. Start with buying the Dirty Dozen fruits & vegetables organic if you can find them.
- Don’t worry much about the amounts of what to eat or calorie-counting, nor should you get bogged down with menu plans. Just eat a variety of the whole foods suggested below, when you’re hungry for meals or snacks. This is not a fast.
- Sip on plenty of filtered water. You can make it more spa-like by adding lemons or limes, cucumbers or even raspberries. You may also want to sip on herbal teas, or even one of the detox teas on the market (please be sure to avoid these if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, or if they’re otherwise contraindicated in your case). Increased fluid intake is especially important as you are increasing your fiber intake (found in fruits, vegetables & whole grains).
- Plan on light exercise during your detox, such as walking or yoga.
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Supplements:
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You may choose to continue with your daily supplements (such as a multivitamin/mineral, vitamin D, and fish oil) or resume taking them after your detox.
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If you’d like to take a green powder supplement, I like Miessence DeepGreen Superfood (it’s certified organic, contains NO cheap fillers/bulking agents, and NO artificial or herbal sweeteners). Add it to smoothies, or use it to make a green juice to start your day.
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Additional supplements, although often included in some detox diets, aren’t absolutely necessary. You’ll be getting plenty of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber from your increased intake of whole fruits, vegetables & grains.
What NOT to eat or drink during a detox:
- Caffeine (this includes coffee, tea, sodas, energy drinks, etc.). I would not recommend going cold turkey on giving up caffeine. The headaches you’ll experience within a day are only a preview to the muscle aches that may come in a few days. Instead, begin to wean yourself off by cutting half of your cup of coffee with decaf, and so on. If you need a fizz fix, try DIY homemade soda.
- Alcohol
- By avoiding as many processed & packaged foods (including condiments) as you can, you’ll be cutting out:
- Trans fats (will show up on a label in the ingredients list as ‘partially hydrogenated’ oil)
- Added salt
- Added sugars
- Artificial sweeteners
- Additives/preservatives
- Some detox advocates also recommend avoiding:
- Meat
- Eggs
- Dairy
- Wheat
- Soy
What TO eat during a detox:
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Vegetables: any & all; be sure to include leafy greens, broccoli & cabbage, as well as artichokes & beets
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Fruits: any & all; be sure to include berries & melons
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Grains, including oatmeal (unless cutting out gluten), brown rice, millet, amaranth, teff & quinoa
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Beans
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Nuts & seeds, but opt for raw & unsalted (some choose to avoid peanuts & peanut products)
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Dairy substitutes, such as rice milk, almond milk & coconut milk (watch for artificial flavors & excessive sweeteners)
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Oils, including extra virgin olive oil
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Herbs & spices, as well as vinegars
Try to enjoy the experience. Experiment with a new vegetable, grain or herb. Play around with some of your recipes, or try out a new one. Pay attention to changes in your body, including your skin & energy level. Maybe this detox will be just the Fresh Start you’re looking for, and one of these suggestions will become a lifestyle change for you. (You may never go back to that diet soda.) If so, let us know in the comments!
While you’re detoxing your diet, don’t forget about your home & work environment. Consider your exposure to chemicals including smoke, fertilizers, artificial fragrances, cleaning products, body care products and those leached from plastics. Stay tuned for tips on cleaning up those areas too, or shop for some clean, Fresh Start favorites.
As featured on the Charlotte Today show (May 2012):
Melanie Zook, Registered Dietitian & Owner/Founder of Fresh Start Nutrition: How to Detox the Safe & Healthy Way: A Gentle Body Detox Diet Plan
Interested in a personalized Fresh Start? Check out the Services page. April 14th, 2011 FreshStartRD
 This may not be a nutrition-related topic, but it’s certainly an earth-friendly, money-saving one. After all, you can save up to $2000 per child by cloth diapering.
When my toddler was a baby, I took on the cloth diaper challenge: I did months of research, read reviews, analyzed costs, laid out pros & cons, compared types, you name it. And I came up with my cloth diaper answer: GroVia. I couldn’t be more thrilled with my choice for the past two & a half years.
While GroVia offers both one-size all-in-one (AIO) diapers as well as hybrid or all-in-two (AI2) diapers, I chose the hybrids. The hybrid requires 3 parts: an adjustable outer shell, a snap-in soaker pad, and an optional booster. The best parts of this diaper system are:
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The diapers are one-size, meaning they are adjustable and grow with the baby. That means parents only have to invest once in a diaper stash.
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The soaker pad & booster (the parts that touch baby’s skin) are made of organic cotton.
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Since the baby can wear an outer shell again with a fresh soaker pad, the laundry required is minimal. The soaker pads take up very little space in the washing machine.
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After properly prepping your cloth diapers according to directions, they are super absorbent.
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When cared for properly, the quality is high enough that they can be used for multiple babies.
What will you need? I diaper my toddler full-time in GroVia hybrid diapers using 12 shells (I prefer the snap closure), 30 soaker pads & 10 boosters. Other recommended cloth diapering accessories include:
How to care for your cloth diapers? Every two to three days, you’ll need to empty your pail liner into the washing machine (& toss the pail liner in too). Start by rinsing on cold. Then, wash on warm with a cloth diaper-friendly detergent. Rinse again. Tumble dry. Don’t use stain removers, bleach, or fabric softeners (these may affect absorbency). (Sunlight works wonders for staining!)
Not ready to commit to cloth diapers? Try GroVia BioDiaper disposable diapers.
Note: I am not an employee of GroVia, nor am I getting paid to write this post. I’m just happy to have found a quality product that suits my needs. I hope you like it too!
Interested in a personalized Fresh Start? Check out the Services page. April 7th, 2011 FreshStartRD
Fish is good for you. We’ve all heard it. Even the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released in January of 2011, recommend 8 ounces (about two servings) of fish per week. And even more recently, research has shown that a diet high in fish can help prevent bone loss.
So why aren’t most of us reaching this goal of two servings a week? Some choose to avoid fish due to the taste or the perceived difficulty in preparing it. But there are two main issues with fish that seem to cause the biggest confusion & hesitancy when choosing fish: the health risks of eating contaminated fish, and the environmental impact of fish farms & overfishing. So what kind of fish is safe to eat, while being environmentally responsible?
First, for children & women of child-bearing age, mercury levels are especially important. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) GotMercury.org offers an online mercury calculator. While most varieties are safe, swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish should absolutely be avoided. But I don’t know many people that regularly enjoy these fish anyway. More commonly enjoyed, however, is white albacore tuna, and that should be limited to 6 ounces per week.
Concerned about the environment? Looking for green fish choices? Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch offers several ways to help you choose the most eco-friendly fish: a seafood search, pocket guides organized by region of the country, and mobile apps for iPhone & Android. The Environmental Defense Fund’s guide is also a list of the eco-best & eco-worst fish choices, including the best eco-friendly choices for salmon, shrimp, tilapia, trout & tuna. (Also available in a complete list or a convenient pocket guide.)
Salmon is often a go-to fish for people, when eating out or grilling at home. While farmed salmon is cheaper than wild, it is not a better option. Nutritionally, farmed salmon has less protein and more fat (but not the omega-3 type), and can also be contaminated with pesticides & antibiotics used in crowded salmon cages. Environmentally, producing & eating farmed salmon does not protect the dwindling wild salmon stock, as it is believed to, and is far from energy efficient. When you can, choose wild Pacific salmon (from Alaska or Washington). Canned “pink” or “red” salmon is often this type, and is much more affordable than fresh wild salmon. (See below for an easy, healthy recipe using canned salmon.) Here’s a summary of best salmon choices from Seafood Watch. Note: as of now, there is no such thing as organic salmon!
The bottom line is: using these tools & or others like them, make the best choices you can, whether you’re selecting from the restaurant menu, the fish counter, or the grocery store freezer. And for most people, especially those with heart disease, the health benefits of fish outweigh the risks. Finally, if you’re just not going to be able to increase the amount of fish in your diet, or have heart disease, consider a fish oil supplement as a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.
So how can you incorporate more wild salmon into your diet, easily, affordably, and enjoyably? Here’s a quick & healthy recipe from two registered dietitians over at the Meal Makeover Moms.
Corny Salmon Cakes
Ingredients:
- Two 5-ounce cans boneless, skinless pink salmon, drained and finely flaked
- 3/4 cup dried bread crumbs, divided (I used panko for extra crunch.)
- 2/3 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
- 2/3 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
- 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon reduced-sodium Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
Method:
- Combine the salmon, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, cheese, corn, mayonnaise, egg, mustard, and Old Bay Seasoning in a bowl and mix until well combined.
- Shape the mixture into 8 patties (a generous 1/4 cup each) and coat with the remaining 1/4 cup bread crumbs.
- Heat half the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties until the bottoms are golden brown, 5 minutes. Flip the patties, add the remaining oil, and cook until golden brown, an additional 4 to 5 minutes.
- I serve them as sandwiches, on whole wheat buns. Optional: homemade tartar sauce (light mayo + sweet relish).
Interested in a personalized Fresh Start? Check out the Services page. March 9th, 2011 FreshStartRD
Interested in a personalized Fresh Start? Check out the Services page. October 28th, 2010 FreshStartRD
Chances are, you’ve heard about genetically modified organisms (GMO), and that it’s best for us, and the Earth, to avoid them. But that’s not very easy to do considering they’re, well, everywhere. So how to avoid GMOs while food shopping and eating out?
Enter the Non-GMO Shopping Guide. They provide shopping guides (available as an iPhone app, too!) that include brands that are part of the Non-GMO Project. The list of invisible GM ingredients is particularly useful.
 They also provide helpful tips to avoid GMOs:
1. Choose organic, since certified organic products cannot contain genetically modified ingredients.
2. Buy products with the Non-GMO Project Seal, which verifies that the food does not contain genetically modified ingredients.
3. Avoid at-risk ingredients (unless organic or verified non-GMO), such as corn, soybeans, canola, cottonseed & sugar from sugar beets.
With a little shopping savvy, we can all help keep frankenfoods out of our farmer’s markets, grocery shelves, kitchens, restaurants & bodies.
Interested in a personalized Fresh Start? Check out the Services page. July 2nd, 2010 FreshStartRD
What do those PLU codes mean on your fruits & vegetables?
 A 4-digit number means it’s conventionally grown.
A 5-digit number beginning with ’9′ means it’s organic.
A 5-digit number beginning with ’8′ means it’s genetically modified.
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