Domino's Pantry: TEN to go

THE PROOF BY TEN

Chapter 2

THE 10 THINGS THAT WILL MAKE IT TO DOMINO's PANTRY

 

Having a well-stocked pantry is key to following a nutrition plan.  We've seen what NOT to have in our food stores.  But how do we chose what to have?  Nutrient density, versatility, shelf life, taste and color, and always following the Mediterranean-DASH plan we set for ourselves.  Ready?

1 - Beans, lentils, garbanzos and other legumes.  Combination of protein, "good" carbs, fiber, minerals.  If dry, they take little space.  If canned, they make a meal in minutes and the cans are recyclable.

2 - Nonfat UHT milk.  Ultra-high temperature milk is super shelf-stable.  I've bought it by the case in Africa as well as here in Paraguay, and keep it for months even at high temperatures.  I wish I could find yogurt that way!

3 - Grains: rice, polenta, couscous, quinoa, barley.  Combined with beans, they provide a complete protein as well as good quality carbs. 

4 - Flour: all-purpose, bread, brown, corn, cornmeal for a variety of bread baking 

5 - Olive oil and safflower, peanut or sunflower oil.  Healthy mono- and poly-unsaturated fats. 

6 - Canned goods: tuna, sardines, and more beans, tomato sauce, corn, and plenty of fruits and veggies packed in water. 

7 - Wraps: rice wraps for Vietnamese-style rolls and seaweed wraps for sushi… just in case we DO catch fish.

8 - Sweeteners: organic raw sugar, honey, sucralose and stevia (Kahehe) for calorie-free sweetening.

9 - Condiments: vinegar (red, white, rice, balsamic, apple cider), mustard (Dijon, Meaux, Savora), fat-free mayonnaise, hot chili pepper sauce (Tapatio, Tabasco), oyster sauce, soy sauce.

10 - Dried fruit and nuts: almonds, peanuts, prunes, raisins, apricots, cherries, apples… they take little space and combine well with fresh items for exotic dishes.  Why do walnuts not make my list?  They're great in cold countries, great source of omega-3, but get rancid very quickly in hot weather… besides, we're catching fish, right?

Now, we can shop our plan and not derail from our diets.

THE PROOF BY TEN

As I’m getting ready to launch our working platform, the DOMINO Catamaran, I’m seriously re-examining the concept of pantry and coming up with lists of TEN things that will or will not make it on board. On a boat, there are many limitations: space, packaging, shelf life, ease of use, and waste. In addition, provisioning is uncertain: we never know what kind of food we’ll find where.   How do we decide?

Primarily, we want to stick to our healthy diets, which prompted us to try to define our foodstyle: French-mediterranean DASH with an international twist. But most of all, low-fat, low-sugar, nutrient-dense, calorie-aware (balanced). Before deciding what would make it into our pantry, we decided what would NOT make it and why.

When you replenish your pantry, take a look at your cooking style and eating goals, make a shopping list, and shop accordingly. NO emotionally buying!!!

THE PROOF BY TEN 

Chapter 1

THE 10 THINGS THAT WON’T MAKE IT TO DOMINO’s PANTRY

1- Regular soda & fruit juice –  Although I might enjoy  an occasional soda or juice as a special treat or quick sugar burst after heavy exercising,  I prefer saving the space for more nutritionally-dense  whole foods.

2 – Cookies – Fat and sugar pellets and pucks don’t belong in a healthy pantry… ever!

3 – Sugary cereal – High in refined sugar, poor in fiber, and packaging waste of space and resources.

4 – Coconut oil: saturated fat, highly inflammatory (don’t believe the “miracle Food” claims out-there)

5 – Prepackaged meals: i.e. Mac’n cheese, Chili’n Beans, Ravioli in sauce, food bars. Excessive packaging, high in fat and salt, filled with preservatives and colorants: citric acid & heartburn, no-no!

6 – White bread & pastry mix: refined flour and sugar, preservatives, not the best for blood sugar control.

7 – Cream soups: fat, salt, preservatives again: heartburn again!

8 – Caramel popcorn & other sweets: space-hogs for no-value nutrition.

9 – Alcohol: alcohol and safe boating don’t mix.

10 – Trigger foods: Dulce de Leche or condensed milk (my trigger foods) and chocolate-covered almonds (JP’s trigger food).  We’d make them disappear in no time.

In addition, these 10 items (except for the bread) are expensive compared to their alternatives… But that’s the next blog issue… Until then, shop your list: it’s a healthy thing.

COOK FRESH - COOK FRENCH

… and I can already hear the objections.  by Marie Dufour, RD

- "Who has time for that?"  - 10 minutes!

- "I don't know how to cook!" - Can you peel a carrot?

- "It's too heavy, too fat, too indigest!" - No longer so!

French cooking has the reputation to be elaborate and to take hours of slaving in the kitchen in order to present a decent meal.  It also has the reputation of being fat-laden, heavy and rich.  

Well, I've got news for you.  Long gone are the days of Escoffier and Maurice Edmond Sailland, AKA Curnonski, the Prince of Gastronomy, whose bibles rocked my early-bride days with sauces and daubes.  Even the early 1970's revolutionary "spa" Nouvelle Cuisine of Michel Guerard is too elaborate by today's hurried life standards and the Troisgros have evolved. But turn to Roger Verge and his "Cuisine du Soleil" and Joel Robuchon and his "Post-Nouvelle Cuisine" and you have easy, healthy and quick meals in minutes.  I have a particular fondness for Robuchon, of course, since he was born in my home-town of Poitiers.

On the US side, just take a look at early videos of Julia Childs and you'll see French cuisine demystified and have a good laugh.

French cuisine is not hard at all.  It is based on the concepts of:

- PANTRY.  What do you have in your stores?  That's your dry goods staples.

- FRESHNESS.  Buy in season, fresh fresh fresh fresh fresh.

- PERIOD.

This week, I'll try to bring you the concept of pantry and how you can make meals in minutes with a little planning in your cupboards and smart shopping in your fridge.  THE PROOF BY TEN: Lists of 10 things that should of shouldn't be in your kitchen.

Until then, check out the links above and enjoy the old and new masters of French Cuisine.

COOK FRESH, COOK FRENCH, It's a Healthy Thing!

Coconut Oil: Miracle Food?

Say "coconut oil" and I have memories of sailing around Tahiti, body and hair lathered in coconut oil, a flower of tiare in my hair... at least for the first week, until I realized how quickly the oil became rancid and the odor nauseating...  

Of course, the virgin coconut oil that health stores and internet sites are touting as "miracle food" is much more "pure" that the plain coconut oil we'd buy by the liter in the islands and used for everything from salad dressing to hair rejuvenation.  But, is it worth the investment and how do the health claims stack up?

Coconut oil is 94% saturated fatty acid, which is sure to raise your "bad" LDL cholesterol.  It has the same amount of calories as any other fat (9Kcal/gram).  

With an inflammation factor of -1798, it is highly inflammatory.

Will you raise your metabolism by eating it? Sure, since the thermal effect of digesting food is about 10% of the calories you eat, a 120 cal. tablespoon of oil will --in theory-- raise your "burning machine" by 12 calories.  Whether you will burn or store the remaining 108 calories in that tablespoon depends on your total activity.  If you're an athlete, go ahead.  If you're a couch potato, I'd say don't do it.

As for antioxidants, the coumaric acid of virgin coconut oil seems to have higher antioxidant effect than in refined coconut oil, palm oil, or copra oil. If you're going to choose coconut oil, definitely go "virgin." But the antioxidant advantage of virgin coconut oil over virgin olive oil is still to be proven.

I know it's a big topic out-there, and claims that virgin coconut oil is the new "miracle food" abound.  But, the scientific journals are not supporting those claims.  "There is absolutely no evidence to support the claim that coconut oil can prevent or cure cancer," says Dr Joanna Owens, senior science information officer at Cancer Research UK.

When it comes to antioxidants, rather choose a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, eat fish twice a week (omega 3) and healthy mono- and polyunsaturated oils (olive, safflower).  AND.... don't FRY your oils: this changes the chemical composition that turns your oils into oxidants!

In the words of the American Heart Association 

·      Whether cooking or making dressings, use the oils that are lowest in saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol – such as canola oil, corn oil, olive oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, soybean oil and sunflower oil – but use them sparingly, because they contain 120 calories per tablespoon.

·      Stay away from coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil.  Even though they are vegetable oils and have no cholesterol, they are high in saturated fats.

Epidemiology: looking at the populations that have a coconut oil-based diet, I would expect (if the health claims of miracle food were true) to see the Polynesian populations free of heart disease and obesity.  This does not seem to be the case. 

Doe coconut oil make my pantry? Absolutely not!  I've spent enough time in the islands of the South Pacific to smell the nauseating odor of rancid coconut oil... I can't imagine that an oil that oxidizes so quickly can do anything healthy in my body.  inflammation factor of -1798, stay away from me!

 

FRENCH FRIDAY

This week of Getting Back in Shape menus is brought to you by the

DOMINO HEALTH FOUNDATION

Restoring Health to Ocean Communities

By Marie Dufour, RD - FRIDAY at last!  The week is over... and you're getting ready for the big weekend.  And even if you have no big plans, you know that the weekend can wreck havoc on your new healthy lifestyle goals.  So, I'm going to give you one more trick: eat the way the French do. 

 

EAT FRENCH - EAT FRESH

Nothing out of a box!  Grow it if you can... shop and cook yourself...

Grill, bake or poach... fresh fruit... non-fat dairy... and a little wine (only a little), and go for a walk after lunch... Play a game of "Petanque" before dinner (no "Petanque" balls?  Throw the ball to your kids instead!)

How are you doing with your workouts anyways?  Are you moving? Dancing? Stepping up those stairs?  Oh, for crying out loud, turn the TV off, get off the computer and MOVE!   OK, now, for the food, here you go...

French Friday Breakfast: 8oz Café au lait (NF), 1 wheat toast, 1 plum - 230 cal, 43g Carbs, 13g Pro, 2g fat, 3g fiber

French Friday Lunch: 1c Tomato salad, 3oz grilled flank steak, 1c green beans, 2c lettuce w/ vinaigrette, 1/2c NF flan.  384 cal, 33g Carbs, 28g Pro, 16g Fat, 7g Fiber

French Friday Dinner: 1 slice Pissaladiere (Onion tart) ,  1oz brie cheese, 1 sl. Whole wheat bread, 5oz red wine,  1 baked apple- 500 cal, 55g Carbs, 20g Pro, 11g fat, 5g fiber

Snack Attack: 1/2c "Petit Suisse Maigre" or 1% cottage cheese, 1 plum

Daily total: 1230 Kcals, 143g carbs, 74g Pro, 30g fat (10g Sta. fat), 17g fiber,; 100% of daily Vit. B, C &A, calcium and Zinc - Total sodium:1600mg.

Who said dieting had to be boring?  Great food, great friends, have fun!

Until next post,

Domino Marie

Easy Thursday Menu

Brought to you by the

  DOMINO HEALTH FOUNDATION

  

Restoring Health to Ocean Communities

By Marie Dufour, RD - This is the fourth installment in our GET-BACK-IN-SHAPE week.  The focus has been on Detox (Monday & Tuesday), and Nutritent Density (Wednesday and Thursday).

How are you doing?  Are you getting used to eating less saturated fat? Are you missing your burgers, shakes and sodas? Don't worry, the weekend is coming and we'll address the BBQ favorites on Saturday.

Today, we continue the "Easing-back into Exercise" routine. For sure, my husband laughs at my exercising in bed while he does his vigorous punches and Taibo kicks.  But to each his own.  This slow awakening works for me and for many mature women who are not "into" exercise.  SO, let's keep increasing our energy, will you?  Once you're up, keep the music going, stepping and dancing through 4 songs, and adding weights.  Grab some light weights and start lifting.  If you've never done this before, check out the form on the many Internet sites

As for eating, let's keep our high-protein, high fiber plan for another day.  I'm not a fan of long-term low-carbs diets, but they seem to help kick-in a weight loss program.  Make sure to drink plenty of water or tea (your urine should be neither dark nor clear).  Here's today's eating plan.

EASY THURSDAY

Thursday Easy Breakfast:  1/2cup Papaya w/ 1 Tblsp. Lime juice, 6oz NF yogurt, 1/3c. Lowfat granola - Bodymoves 12 minutes.

Thursday Easy Lunch - 1c. carrot salad, 2oz roasted pork loin, 1/2c. roasted butternut squash, 1 pear.  Walk to and from lunch.

Thursday Easy Dinner - 4oz grilled Albacore tuna w/ 5oz Asparagus Pasta stirfry & 1c broccoli, 1c cherries - 

Snack Attack: 6oz NF yogurt, 1/2c strawberries, 3 whole wheat crackers.

Day total: 1300 Kcals, 180g Carbs, 85g Pro, 31g fat (only 8g saturated), 125mg cholesterol, 25g fiber and 100% of all B vitamins, Vitamins C, vitamin A, folate, Calcium & Zinc.

And walk, walk, walk.... it's a healthy thing.

Wednesday Power Day

 A week of menus and strategies to get back in shape, brought to you by the 

DOMINO HEALTH FOUNDATION.

By Marie Dufour, RD - Monday, we talked about cleaning up the nutritional damage from overindulging during the weekend.  Tuesday was about stepping it up lightly.  How are you feeling today?  The "liver crisis," as the French call it, should be a memory by now and you're ready to start sensible and healthy nutrition.

Wednesday is the middle of the week.  Last weekend is but a memory and you're already looking forward to next weekend.  Funny how we seem to live for the weekend!  So, let's get moving, literally.

If you've been trying my before-getting-out-of-bed body-waking exercises, add a few: abdominal obliques and pelvic tilts for example.  Once you're up, power-walk and squat through 4 songs... you're now up to 12 minutes of exercise.  If you have stairs at home or even only one step, use that for a step workout.  Pump it up to raise your heart rate...

Now, for the food: 

- Wednesday Power Breakfast: 2 poached egg whites, 1 whole wheat toast, 1 orange 

- Mid-morning pick-me-up - 6 oz latte, artificially sweetened 

- Wednesday Power Lunch: 3 oz grilled turkey breast, 1 cup green beans, ½ baked potato, 6oz plain NF yogurt. 

- Snack attack - 1 small banana 

- Wednesday Power Dinner - 1c. leek soup, 1 c lentil salad, 2c mixed green salad, ½ cup NF flan.

Total for the day: 

1300 Kcals, 183g carbs, 83g protein, 23g fat (only 5g Saturated), 25g fiber, 1500mg sodium

100% of daily values for: All B vitamins, vita. A and vit.C - 100% of calcium, magnesium and zinc. And 100% of fiber.

This was a day high in protein and fiber, sure to make you full in spite of the low calorie count.

Until tomorrow....

domino marie