Eating Better - The Green Goddess Known as Kale

Because I vowed to eat better this year, I will occasionally be sharing healthy recipes that we have enjoyed and added to our recipe repertoire. I've mentioned before that I like to plan out our meals for the week (if possible) before going to the grocery store. Some healthier dishes call for unique ingredients or vegetables I might not normally pick up, so I keep this in mind and try to work those same ingredients into other meals for the week so that we aren't wasting food.

While my career goal is optometry, my undergraduate degree was in Nutrition Science. I'd like to dig up some "old" knowledge with you to share why these recipes are good for us. Why I'm choosing these ingredients over others. And really, it isn't "old" knowledge at all. Since what you eat affects your whole body, and the eyes are attached to that body, many of these nutritional concepts arise frequently in my current studies. Plus, nutrition is something we all learn about at some point and do every day, but we often forget about the concepts and get overwhelmed by the information that is dealt to us by different dieting books. So, I will try to stick to the basics here.

This first recipe is very simple and nutritious with only a few ingredients. I love recipes that take a single ingredient and make it shine. This makes eating healthy enjoyable, and these are the types of recipes I look for. I want to make food that tastes delicious and I want to highlight and enjoy the nutrient rich foods I'm after.

This Pecan Kale Salad was introduced to us by a friend. Since then, we have made a large bowl for ourselves and I see many more in our future.

To view or print the recipe click HERE.

The lemon vinaigrette is a burst of delicious flavor, and it balances the bitterness kale can sometimes bring.  I highly suggest making this from scratch instead of a bottled version. (Remember, I'm shooting for more clean, fresh eating than processed.)  To make the vinaigrette quickly and easily, add the ingredients to a jar or seal-tight container and shake.
Kale leaves are fairly thick and stiff, so a tip to help with that (which sounds a little weird, I know) is to massage the kale to break up some of its fibers. I did this by rubbing the chopped pieces together as I added them to the bowl. Then after I added the vinaigrette, I gave the leaves a a rough stir with a fork, pressing the leaves against the side of the bowl. This allows you to enjoy the salad immediately without waiting for it to sit for 30-60 minutes, and is very quick to do.


Why this salad over basic green lettuce? Kale is frequently called a "super food." This simply means that it is packed with vitamins and antioxidants; therefore, a very nutrient-dense food. Or in other words, you get a lot of bang for your buck with foods like these. With a quick Google search I came up with this side-by-side comparison (note, my lettuce never looks this appealing, and my kale looked a lot better than that measly bunch):

The first thing you may notice is that kale has more calories than green lettuce. Let's pause right there and realize that this is good, and this lends to why we are choosing kale instead of green lettuce. It has calories because it has what we want and need to feed our bodies - protein, carbohydrates, and even a tiny bit of fat.
Let's take an educational detour for a moment, and one you may already know about to lay a basis for other recipes I may share in the future:  Your body needs nutrients to survive and thrive. Nutrients that it can't make on it's own, and we need to take in through our food - these are called essential nutrients. Essential to take in because we can't make them ourselves. There are 6 essential nutrients: protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. I keep using the terms "nutrient-dense" or "nutrient-rich" because these are foods that give us the most essential nutrients. Calories are used as a measure of the energy of a food. In our example here, the more calories, the more energy and nutrients this item of food is providing us. As I mentioned before, I'm not interested in starving my body and taking calories away. Nor do I even consider counting calories for my personal diet. (If you're on a serious weight loss mission, you are probably looking to limit calories and counting them, and are likely already doing so.) When calories become an issue is when we are eating foods that have a lot of calories in the wrong places. Let's look at a nice cheesy slice of pizza:

Notice this is data for one slice of this pizza, whatever kind of pizza it might be. Let's take into account that I'm likely going to eat not one, but two slices. I will be getting 20 grams of total fat, which includes nearly 50% of my daily intake of saturated fat (the worst kind of fat) in one sitting. I'm also getting half my allotment of daily sodium. Some carbs, some protein. And not very many vitamins at all. Am I telling you not to eat pizza? No, that's your call. I'm just pointing out that when I do eat pizza, I know this is why it is not the best food choice I could have made for the day. Am I telling you to eat a big bowl full of kale instead of 2 slices of pizza? Nope. My goal here is to find foods and recipes that offer more nutrients than other products I could consume. So for lunch, instead of two slices of pizza, I may have a chicken breast with a side of kale salad and enjoy it just as much.

Let's get back to the kale. Other things kale has to offer include: beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, which are all antioxidants that have beneficial effects on our bodies. When our bodies break down food, the reactions that occur let off chemicals called free radicals. (Free radicals are also taken in from our environment and on food sources themselves.) Free radicals can be damaging to cells and our genetic material (DNA), because they are little scavengers looking for electrons to steal from these other molecules. Antioxidants work by "oxidizing," meaning they are willing to give up an electron to these nasty free radicals, which helps protect healthy cells from their damage. (If you dig a little deeper, you will find that free radicals are one of many factors that can lead to cancer.) Vitamins C, A, and E also have antioxidant properties. Since breaking down food causes free radicals to form, foods that are high in antioxidants are great because they work to fix the problem they have caused. Beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin happen to all be antioxidants that are good for protecting your eyes as well!
Kale also offers more fiber than green lettuce. Why fiber? I'm so glad you asked. :)  What do we all know about fiber? "It keeps you regular."  But that's not all fiber does! Fiber helps regulate your body's use of sugar and also helps manage your sense of feeling hungry.

So next time you're at the grocery store, give kale a try. Make this salad, or throw it in your normal salad, or even a soup. Then be proud of yourself for picking this powerful ingredient!

Welcoming 2015 and New Goals

Happy New Year everyone!

We rang in the new year with friends and fondue, and not one photo was taken. We had a great time cooking and eating together until the countdown into 2015.

I'm most looking forward to finishing the courses portion of my optometry degree. I registered for my last classes for this upcoming semester. Starting in the summer, I will only be in clinic and at externship sites seeing patients!

A new year is a nice time for a fresh start in various aspects of life. While I'm not big into making resolutions, there are definitely a few things I would like to focus on improving this year that I've let fall through the cracks in 2014.
1. Prioritizing my time better.  In March I will take Part 1 of my board exams. I have already begun studying some, but I've really got to get on a good schedule for getting through preparation material for this crucial test.  Also, I need to be more mindful of my "free-time" and not waste it away on things like Facebook and Instagram when I could be spending quality time with Jesse or doing more productive things around the house.

2. This is also a time issue, but I'm looking forward to spending more time with God this year. I've really slipped on getting into the Bible on any kind of regular basis. And if I'm really honest this extends back beyond 2014. I think I made it more of a "chore" in my mind as something else to "study," which is the last thing I wanted to do after lectures and reading notes most afternoons. Obviously this is so far from the truth and the best kind of studying, knowledge, and wisdom I could pour into myself.

3. I'm sure the number one resolution is diet and exercise. And before you roll your eyes and say I'm skinny and should not consider a diet, I'd like to explain that I literally want to focus on my diet. What I'm putting into my body. And I wish everyone resolving to lose weight would think of dieting this way and not about depriving themselves of certain foods. We should use food as food - stuff to feed our bodies, but we often don't think of it this way. We want what tastes good, really good (fats and sweets) and not what foods are best for their nutrients. Don't get me wrong, you all know I love these not-so-good foods too...especially sweets. But this year I'm going to be more mindful of what goes in. Because as we all know, what goes in makes up your health, both present and future. Feeding our bodies nutrient-rich foods will let our organs work better, make us feel better and less tired on a regular basis, and yield a healthier future.  As a society, we greatly fear deadly diseases like cancer, but what prematurely kills more people every year is heart disease, which is directly related to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and obesity. These risk factors are often something that can be controlled. It may take more effort and regulation, but it's worth it for you and those that love you.

So with all that said, here's what I'm personally looking to do. I love food and I love eating. I love finding delicious foods to share with others. And I love dessert. I don't plan to give up any of these things. I do plan to be more mindful as I'm eating these things and stopping when I know I've had enough. For example, when we go out to eat and I find something really delicious I like to eat it all. I want more of that decadent flavor to flood my taste buds; plus I've paid for this meal and plan to get my money's worth. But then I leave full as a tick and uncomfortable, knowing I should have stopped several bites ago. Remember the serving sizes at most restaurants are over-sized.
Secondly, while we do a lot of cooking at home purposefully to eat healthier and cheaper, we could do a better job at it. Right now we have access to well-priced fruits and vegetables and even organic options. I'm okay with spending a little more on each grocery trip and thinking of it as an investment with lower healthcare costs in our future. So, cleaner eating - meaning more organic, natural, fresher options and less processed foods; more nutrient dense foods like fruits and veggies; less sugar (gasp!); and more meatless meals.

4. On top of #3, I plan to add some physical activity. A student's life easily becomes a sedentary life. And I've been a student for twenty years, y'all!  ;)  Seriously though, this butt needs to get off the couch and move.  I'd like to develop a regular routine, even if it's just walking/running a few times a week.  Jesse likes to tease me about my lack of upper body strength, claiming it's not good for survival skills if I can't lift my own body weight. Isn't he funny? :)

So when you see me this year, ask how these things are going. Because all of these things are important to me and I hope to do better at them this year. Plus accountability is powerful. If you care about the same things, maybe we can do them better together. I plan to share updates here on the blog throughout the year and likely some recipes we've enjoyed along the way.
Here's to a new year and the awesome times, challenges, and changes it may hold!