Gym Call Green Smoothie

 

• 2 Cups Filtered Water
• 1 Cup Spinach, Kale or 1 scoop greens supplement
• 1 Frozen Banana
• 1 Cup Frozen Pineapple
• 1/2 Avocado OR 1/2 dairy free yogurt (OPTIONAL)

1. Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth!

2. You can add protein powder or another supplement powder to the smoothie if it’s a post workout smoothie, or you need more protein etc.

 

Healthy Breakfast Options

Smoothies are one of my favorite ways to get more fruits and vegetables into my routine. I usually get enough protein and fat in my morning, but if I haven’t meal prepped veggies due to a busy weekend, I don’t always get enough plant based carbohydrates into my morning. Smoothies, especially during the summer, are one of the best ways to increase your intake of more vegetables.

How Much Should I Eat in a Day?

Typically, we should be consuming about 9-12 servings of fruits and vegetables in our day. Generally, 1 serving is equal to 1 cup.

This is based off of research showing that increasing your fruit and vegetable intake to 7-8 servings a day improves, mood and overall feelings of well-being and happiness (1).

In addition, there are many aspects of eating “whole food” to get all of your nutrition needs that are much better than getting them in supplement form. For example, fruits and vegetables often also contain enzymes that help our body and digestive system break down valuable vitamins and minerals for us to be able to absorb them.

5 Tips to Get in More Fruits and Vegetables

1. Go Slow. For many of my patients, 9-12 servings is a very large increase in fruits/veggies and more importantly fiber. If they increase their vegetable/fruit intake by too much too quickly, their gut isn’t used to it and can cause gas, bloating and discomfort. Since most of my patients come to me to reduce GI symptoms, bloating and gas… this isn’t exactly an ideal situation and it’s definitely not what we want. So, go slow. Use smoothies, juicing, or a greens supplement to help increase your vegetable/fruit intake in the morning.
2. Steam or cook your vegetables. Eating raw vegetables does have it’s benefits, but many times it’s very dense in fiber and very hard on the digestion. Steaming vegetables is one of the best ways to unlock valuable nutrients from the plant for us to absorb.
3. Meal Prep – it doesn’t have to take you three hours on the weekend to cook all of your meals. Just dicing and doing some of the brunt work for the week, turns cooking into 20 minutes or less in the morning/evenings, so that you have more time to eat healthy and also spend time doing what you like.
4. Add healthy fats with your fruits. For example, almond butter and banana or avocado in a smoothie. The extra fat will help with long term energy and will also help balance out the increase in blood sugar from the fruit.
5. Fill up your plate with 1/2 vegetables at every meal. This can include sweet potatoes/yams/purple potatoes, but make sure you can see a rainbow of colors on your plate. From greens, to yellows, to oranges, reds… the more colors, the more variety, the more nutrition = healthy.

Give This Recipe a Try!

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Have a question you’d like answered? Leave a comment below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. We’d love to hear from you!

Did you check out this recent blog on fatigue and hypothyroidism?

Research:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4940663/

The post Gym Call Green Smoothie first appeared on Dr. Kirstin Lauritzen.

What are Microgreens?

Microgreens are tiny plants that are picked before they grow into their larger vegetable counterparts. Because of this, you can easily grow them in your kitchen, no matter if you have an outside garden or not. You wouldn’t believe it, but for as small as they are, they pack an insane amount of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. When it comes to food and nutrition, this is exactly what you’re looking for.

The largest benefit of Microgreens is that they are more nutrient dense than their full grown vegetable counterparts. You can find microgreens in any of these vegetable versions:

Broccoli

Chives

Radish

Beets

Kale

Chia

Watercress

Mustard Greens

Benefits of Microgreens

There are so many health benefits of vegetables in general. These microgreens have similar compounds as well.

In this article on broccoli microgreens, regardless of where they are grown, microgreens contained higher amounts of magnesium, copper, zinc and manganese than their full grown vegetable counterpart. These minerals are all healthy for skin health, nail health, cellular health and much more.

However, for microgreens that were compost-grown, microgreens were higher in Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Manganese, Zinc, Iron, Calcium, Sodium and Copper than their full grown vegetable counterpart.

They are high in Polyphenols: these are excellent antioxidant compounds that the body needs in order to remove toxins from the body. When the body is exposed to a toxin, it gets filtered to the liver where the liver brings it through Phase 1 of the detoxification process. In this process it creates a free radical. If there is not have enough antioxidants from the diet to bind the free radical and help it to be eliminated from the body, free radicals will start to build up. This ultimately can cause damage to the cells of the surrounding organs and is one of the causes of inflammation, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Minerals: as mentioned above, there are many mineral components of microgreens. Many of these minerals, including magnesium, are utilized and often depleted by the body in times of stress, and also in athletes that have strenuous training schedules.

Precautions:

Microgreens come from many different types of vegetables and herbs. They can be safely consumed with no risks or side effects in most people. However, because they come from many different sources, allergies and allergic reactions could happen after consuming them. If you experience this, stop taking them immediately and talk to your doctor.

In addition, those taking warfarin or are concerned about blood-thinning may want to consult with their physician prior to consuming microgreens. They may be high in vitamin K, which is essential for blood clotting. It is highly recommended that before making any changes to your nutrition, diet or lifestyle, you speak with your physician.

Wrap Up:

1. It’s easy to grow microgreens in the kitchen.
2. Add microgreens to your next salad and try this salad dressing recipe for a great side dish!
3. Microgreens add another punch of nutrients to any post workout meal to help boost recovery.

Give Them A Try!

Have you tried microgreens? Are you growing them? Would you like to grow them? Let us know in the comments below or share with us on our social media!

The post Food Highlight: Microgreens first appeared on Dr. Kirstin Lauritzen.

Roasted Japanese Sweet Potatoes

Roasted, crispy sweet potatoes can go with almost any flavor. Prepare as a side or as part of a dish.

• 2 Japanese Sweet Potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 tbsp Avocado Oil (or olive oil)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• t tbsp Chopped Parsley (optional)

1. Start by heating the oven to 425 degrees.

   
   

2. Peel the sweet potato and dice into small 1/4 inch pieces.

3. Place the sweet potatoes evenly on a baking sheet. Don’t crowd them. 

4. Cover with olive oil, salt and pepper.

5. Turn occasionally to make sure they don’t stick to the pan. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned on one side, and soft in the middle.

6. Top with chopped parsley. Enjoy!

 

The Health Benefits of Japanese Sweet Potatoes

There are many types of sweet potatoes. I happened across these at a local produce stand. I had no idea they would be as good as they turned out.

Most Japanese Sweet Potatoes have a yellowish color to their flesh. Because of this, Japanese Sweet Potatoes are known to be high in vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

They are a good source of Potassium, Vitamin A (which is what makes them yellow on the inside), some B Vitamins and Vitamin C. They may also be a good source of Iron and Calcium.

Resistant Starch

Most starchy carbohydrates will spike glucose levels in your blood, which requires your body to release insulin in order to process. This makes these types of foods unhealthy for some and a food to avoid for others wanting to lose weight.

However, it was found that Japanese Sweet Potatoes are high in resistant starch, which means that they are harder to process and digest. As they go through the digestive system they require so much energy and effort to digest that the glucose is released slowly, which won’t launch a major insulin response and a blood sugar spike.

In fact, these foods may actually help reduce the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, and diabetes.

Did you like this article?

Have you tried japanese sweet potatoes? Let us know! Comment below or share this post on instagram #gymcallnutrition

Research Links:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3951594/

The post Food Highlight: Japanese Sweet Potatoes first appeared on Dr. Kirstin Lauritzen.

Roasted Potato Leek Soup with Kale

A flavorful and healthy twist on the classic potato leek soup.

• 2 Pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes (Peeled, Cut into 1/4 inch chunks)
• 1 Bunch Kale (Remove the stem, and chop into 1/4 inch peices)
• 3 Leeks (Chop, white and light green parts, make sure to rinse & clean of all sand!)
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup White Wine ((Optional))
• 8 Cups Bone Broth, Vegetable Stock or Chicken Stock
• 1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
• 1 Cup Heavy Cream ((Optional))
• Salt
• Pepper

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

   Place the potatoes and leeks on a sheet pan either together or separate. Cover with olive oil, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Make sure to toss them all together to coat.

   Roast for 40-45 minutes until very tender. You may need to turn them a few times using a spatula while cooking.

   When the potatoes and leeks are done, add the kale to a sheet pan and roast for 4-5 minutes. It will go quickly, so watch them. Make sure not to burn them, but you want the kale to be starting to brown.

   In a soup pot on medium high heat, add a little more olive oil, add the potatoes and leeks, broth or stock and white wine. Cook at a simmer for an additional 5 minutes. 

   Add the kale. Use an immersion blender, vitamix, food processor or other blender to blend the soup together. You may need to do this in a few stages.

   Add the soup back to the pot, add the cream and whisk together until combined. The cream is optional, you do not need it in order for this soup to be delicious. It does add a nice depth to the soup, but if you have a dairy allergy/sensitivity it is perfectly okay to skip!

   Add the lemon juice and stir together.

   Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

   Optional toppings:

   Parmesan cheese, chives and/or crispy shallots

 

Comfort Food At Its’ Best

If you have looked at different veggies and been cautious to try them because you don’t know how you properly prepare them, I am the same way.

Unfortunately, you miss out on a lot of super healthy veggies this way. This recipe incorporates two super healthy vegetables into a soup that is loaded with flavor. You may even be able to get some greens past your kids.

Why Should You Eat Leeks and Kale?

Leeks:

The flavor of leeks is similar to an onion. They can be sandy, so it is recommended that you wash them off prior to preparing them.

Leeks are low in sodium and high in dietary fiber. They are also a good source of:

Vitamin B6

Iron

Vitamin A

Magnesium

Vitamin C

Vitamin K

Kale:

Kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. It is also a low calorie food, which makes it a great food for those looking to lose weight. But that’s not the only reason to love Kale.

It is high in antioxidants, which means it is a food that would be ideal to consume almost every day. Foods high in antioxidants help fight free radicals which can damage our DNA and cause disease, illness and cancer. In addition, antioxidants are necessary for aging well.

Kale also has a little source of fat, surprisingly. To top it off, this fat is Alpha-Lineolic Acid, which is an Omega-3 fat. Omega-3 fats fight the inflammatory spectrum, promote healthy cell walls, healthy brain function and much more. Adding a little kale (along with fish, fish oil etc.), would be a great way to reduce your Omega-3:Omega-6 ratio.

Kale is high in:

Vitamin A

Manganese

Vitamin K

Calcium

Vitamin C

Vitamin B6

Copper

Potassium

Magnesium

If you’re looking to try a soup, try Kale, or try Leeks – give this a go! Let me know if you enjoyed it!

If you are looking for meal prep recipes, check out this breakfast idea!

The post Roasted Potato Leek Soup with Kale first appeared on Dr. Kirstin Lauritzen.