Thursday, October 14, 2010

A month has gone by

So, today was my one month visit to see the nutritionist.  I go once a week to visit her and get advice.  Tomorrow I am going to the natural food pantry where she happens to work once a week to learn more about all they have to offer and what is good or not so good.  I've been trying a few new products and 2 that I would recommend are coconut oil, which she says she uses as a replacement for butter, even to spread on toast or in baking.  I've tried both and am very pleased with the texture and flavor.  Apparently it is a good fat, like avocado and has many health benefits, still obviously used in moderation, but a nice option to have.  Coconut oil is semi-hard, like a margarine consistency, but white with more flavor.  I bought it at Bulk Barn, not sure where else to find it yet.  The other item is hemp seeds or hemp hearts.  I have tried a few new things like chia seeds and of course ground flax, but I like the hemp best.  It has a nice texture and flavor and doesn't get soggy in your cereal or yogurt like the others. 

Today we discussed the dirty dozen in produce, they are the 12 most likely fruits and veggies to have strong amounts of pesticide on them and so they are recommended to buy in organic.  I have never bought organic and still have to do research on this, but thought it was nice to have a target list to maybe start with.  Anything with a peel does not absorb as many pesticides, so not as necessary to buy organic oranges for example - made sense!

We also talked about deli meats and to stay away from nitrites, I need to look this up, too, but she said Farmboy has some options for natural meat, but of course you pay for it and it doesn't last as long because it has no perservatives in it. What I've read so far though, there is a reason for the nitrites and that is to keep the meat from spoiling and things like botulism, so I'm still thinking this one through.

I signed up for another month, so more posts to come!

And I am down 5 pounds - so yeah!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Laura,
We buy the Healthy Choice meat or Nature's Select. I don't recall now, but it has no perservatives in it. It tastes nice, but I agree does not last as long. It is also lower in sodium, which is key at our house.
I would research a bit on the use of pesticides. I was under the impression that Canada has tough laws on the amounts or kinds of pesticides that could be used for consumable produce (i.e veggies), but maybe I was mistaken there?

That may be moot, since many veggies come from outside of Canada. I try to buy local, which is not much of an option in winter. But is a start, plus you can ask the vendor what they spray!

Anyway, keep up the struggle. I may have to check out this coconut oil. Has me intrigued. We only use butter at our house, so another option is nice. I will be at Bulk Barn looking for gluten free products for my in-laws. Wish me luck there!

Pamela

bprous said...

Hi Laura, found your blog ... :-)

Just wanted to mention that just I started getting organic vegetables delivered from Bryson Farms ... a bit expensive, but a surprising selection for the winter.

I also buy my "free-range" Bekings eggs at the Natural Food Pantry now, after seeing some pictures of caged egg-laying hens. Not much more expensive there than regular eggs.

Barb.