Happy new year! I hope 2012 brings you happiness and good health. To start your year off, below are a few of my favorite super foods for 2012.

1. Brazil Nuts: a tree nut that is a great source of selenium and can help fight against cancer

2. Sardines: high in omega’3s and low in mercury make them not only healthy but safe

3. Butternut Squash: One of my favorite winter fruits! What a great source of beta-carotene and calcium

4. Edamame: What a great snack and appetizer–and easy to prepare! And it will also help lower your LDL cholesterol and strengthen your bones

I hope these foods bring you heath in the new year! For more tips throughout the month like us on facebook and follow us on twitter!

Although the majority of my clients are working on their relationship with food, I am finding many of them complaining of gastrointestinal distress; either with or without a formal diagnosis. The complaints range from mild acid reflux to full-blown Crohn’s disease and Collitis that require multiple medications. Within my practice, I have found several dietary suggestions to be therapeutic–perhaps they are suggestions we can all incorporate into our daily lifestyle.

1. limit your intake of sugar substitutes–this can include sugar in  your coffee, diet soda, and even gum
2. switch from “dietetic” foods to “regular” foods
3. increase mindfulness around fullness–excessive fullness can contribute to more stress on our gastrointestinal tract
4. be aware of fat and lactose intake

I sometimes suggest my clients keep a “GI” Journal to help monitor their symptoms and potential food triggers. This not only helps improve their relationship with their bodies but also there relationship with food as it related to their eating disorders.

As we approach cold weather and the holiday season, you may be looking for healthy soup and hearty meal options that don’t include meat as the main source of protein. Look no further than legumes for your answer! Legumes are a type of vegetable with a seed pod, which include beans, lentils, peanuts, and peas.  Not only are legumes an excellent source of protein, they are also naturally low in fat and high in fiber.  Beans and lentils contain phosphorous, iron, zinc, calcium, and selenium, making them a nutritional powerhouse when added to any soup dish. When looking for recipes, choose dishes with grains such as rice or corn to make the dish a complete protein. Beans can be purchased dry, though it does require soaking; you can avoid the added sodium of canned vegetables. If the convenience of canned beans is appealing to you, just remember to look for no salt added and rinse them before cooking. With all of the different varieties, the possibilities are endless! Try a traditional corn and bean soup, or a split pea and lentil soup. As the New Year approaches, you may even way to make a big pot of black eyed pea soup for family and friends. Enjoy and have fun creating your favorite soup!

-Posted by Lauren Shadle, intern at Stacey Schulman Nutrition

As the weather gets colder and indoor activities become more common cooking moves up on the list of activities–so why not explore all the different varieties of greens! Greens include any type of cabbage where the green leaves do not form a compact head. Collard, mustard, kale, swiss chard, and broccoli rabe are all different varieties of greens. At baseline greens are bitter; however, the bitterness of greens can be diminished by blanching them in boiling water prior to cooking. Greens can than be sautèed or added to various dishes during cooking. Nutritionally speaking greens are high in Vitamins A and C.

For more information on greens and other fruits and vegetables of the month visit the center for disease control’s (CDC) website www.fruitsandvegetablesmatter.gov

Enjoy!

When thinking about what I wanted to write about this month I thought about what themes have been coming up in my private practice–lately I have been finding myself asking my clients to think about what their food identity was. Most of my clients had a very difficult time with this question.

We all have our own unique food identities–it speaks to our relationship with food which is often complicated. Are you vegetarian or kosher? Do you have celiac disease and need to avoid gluten?  Do you prefer to dine out or cook at home? How do you prefer to purchase your food-shop at a farmer’s market or order online?

Often those with disordered relationships around food do not have a food identity or have an unrealistic perception of what his or hers should be. As a registered dietitian working in this field it is important to help my clients create their own realistic food identity.

What is your Food Identity?