We all know that fruit and veggies are a vital part of a balanced diet.  In fact, eating plenty of colorful fruit and veggies while stabilizing your blood sugar can help you to prevent disease, improve your digestion, age well and even reach your weight loss goals.   Think of produce as edible powerhouses jam- packed with essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber.      So what’s preventing so many of us from getting enough?  As Head Chef and Lead Nutrition Coach of Venice Nutrition, I believe that many of us tend to think of fruit and vegetables as boring.  After all, it’s tough to get excited over carrot sticks or a plain old apple.  Luckily, we’ve created countless delicious recipes full of vibrant produce in our Recipe Collection.  No matter your age or health, now is the time to start stocking up on fruits and veggies in a creative way so you’ll actually enjoy eating them.  Here is a menu of my favorite produce inspired recipes from our collection (for the full recipe and many more, see your Recipe Tab in your online program today)

Fruit & Veggie Filled Breakfast and Snack Recipes:

Greek Yogurt Parfait- A sweet and creamy blend of high protein Greek yogurt, fresh antioxidant packed berries and nuts

Cottage Cheese Bowl- An unexpectedly delicious combo of fresh apples, peanut butter, cinnamon and vanilla sweetened cottage cheese

Western Omelet- A hearty omelet of chopped tomato, onion, bell pepper, lean ham and melted cheddar

Banana Pineapple Smoothie- A tropical smoothie blended with fresh pineapple, banana, milk and protein powder

 
Fruit and Veggie Filled Lunch, Dinners and Sides:

Boca Burgers with Roasted Veggies and Garlic Herb Sauce-  A classic soy burger  with roasted red peppers, sweet onions, tomato, arugula and melted cheese  topped with a homemade garlic and herb sauce

Zesty Shrimp Salad- A delicious blend of diced mango, red onion, corn, greens and grilled shrimp with a citrus honey lime dressing

Turkey Veggie Meat Sauce – A hearty meat sauce made of lean ground turkey, portabella mushrooms, spinach and yellow bell peppers

Pork Tenderloin with Butternut Squash and Apples- Lean pork tenderloin smothered in fruit juice and pungent garlic then roasted with hearty butternut squash and sweet apples

Vegetable Salsa-  A zesty salsa of corn, black beans, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, perfect for topping your favorite protein

Sweet Potato Soup- A thick and creamy soup of sweet potatoes, apples and carrots simmered to perfection

Fruit Filled Desserts:

Sweet Stuffed Apples –   A delectable dessert of warm, juicy apples baked with a walnut, oat, sugar and butter stuffing

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt- A cold, creamy frozen yogurt full of strawberries and good-for-you protein

As you can see, incorporating more fruit and veggies into your daily diet can be easy, delicious and anything but boring.    And remember, we are always updating our collection of recipes and we invite you to check your Recipe Tab often!

My best,

Valerie Cogswell
Lead Nutrition Coach and Head Chef

By now you know how much we love the summer.  There’s nothing quite like enjoying the company of family and friends, taking your workout outdoors and showing off those hard earned muscles under the summer sun.   Unfortunately, it’s also our least favorite time of year to spend in a sweltering kitchen!    Don’t want to slave over the oven? No problem, fall back on these quick and tasty meal ideas instead…..

Lo w fat cottage cheese- with real berries, pineapple or any fruit (without added sugar) is quick and light enough for a summer snack, breakfast or lunch.

Greek Yogurt Parfait - Still haven’t tried this one?   Check it out under your recipe tab.  You won’t be disappointed!  Bonus:  Make a batch or two up in bulk to have on hand for the week.
 
Lean turkey roll up on a low carbohydrate, whole wheat wrap- Go ahead and load it up with anything you’ve got in the fridge- tomatoes, lettuce, hummus, onions, olives, roasted red peppers,  salad fixings, etc.  Add some sliced avocado for delicious, heart healthy fat.

Salad topped with tuna, cottage cheese, turkey or pre-cooked chicken.  The summer is the perfect time to get creative with your salads (just watch the fat content)!  Layer your favorite greens with veggies, chopped or dried fruit, toasted nuts, light dressing and some protein and you’ve got a colorful meal in minutes.

A Protein and Fruit Smoothie is the perfect way to cool down this summer and get a big dose of calcium, fiber, and powerful antioxidants.  Even better, having a smoothie a day can help ward off cravings for other  high calorie summer time treats like ice cream.    Blend low fat milk or soymilk (try Lactaid if your lactose intolerant) with fruit (bananas and berries for example), some “good” fat like peanut butter, nuts, or ground flax seed, with your favorite protein powder (whey or soy) and ice until smooth.  Our favorite combo:  banana, strawberries, natural peanut butter, vanilla protein powder, 1% low fat milk and ice all swirled together in a blender….delicious!

Want more ideas?  Check out your Recipe Tab!  Each recipe in our collection is specifically designed to be balanced, delicious, FAST and EASY!  And the majority of recipes can be made in bulk and even frozen for meals later on (which fits in perfectly with your BUSY summer!).    How about Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad or BBQ Shrimp Kebobs?  Sure, some of these recipes will require cooking but if you take the time to cook in bulk once or twice this week, you can make enough food to last you for days.  Give it a shot and your summer might just get a whole lot easier! 

Enjoy your summer.  And feel free to drop us a line about your FAST and favorite summer time meals….we’d love to hear from you!

Our best,

The Venice Nutrition Team

If you’re stabilizing you’re blood sugar, then you know how important it is to get complete protein every three to four hours.  One of the ways to help make that more convenient is to use deli meat as your source of protein for one of your daily meals.   Here is what to look for to make sure you and you’re family are eating the healthiest deli meat possible:

1. Choose whole, oven-roasted then sliced deli meat in place of pre-packaged, processed, formed or section meats. 
2. Stick to lean turkey breast, chicken breast, and roast beef.  Avoid beerwurst, bologna, pepper loaf, olive oil, capocolla, corned beef, liverwurst, pastrami, proscuitto, salami and pepperoni.
3. Aim for low sodium products
4. Avoid any products with fillers, gluten, artificial colors and trans fats

Info from boarshead.com

If you’ve got picky eaters who don’t like the taste or texture of traditional whole wheat bread, the new white “whole wheat” breads may be a great solution.  After all, what’s better than bread that looks and tastes like the traditional white bread variety but has the nutrition of whole wheat?

Unlike regular white bread, white “whole wheat” bread contains all of the whole grain and has the same fiber and nutrients as regular wheat bread.  The difference is, it is made of a certain variety of wheat that is paler in color and has a milder flavor, and there for well tolerated by white bread lovers!

When shopping for bread, aim for a product with at least two grams of fiber, and preferably three per slice.   Take a moment to read the ingredient list as well.  The most nutritious products will list “whole” (whole grain or whole wheat) as the first ingredient.

Eat well.

The Venice Nutrition Team

*info derived from www.mayoclinic.com

Chances are if you’ve sat in front of your television lately, you’ve watched more than a few commercials promoting the health benefits of vegetable juice.  After all, we know we need veggies and isn’t it easier to gulp them down in 30 seconds then actually peel, chop, cook and prep them?  As a Nutrition Coach and health nut who enjoys anything convenient that helps me to live a better lifestyle, I decided to do a little research.

According to V8, the most well known vegetable juice company, 7 out of 10 adults don’t get their daily recommended amount of vegetable servings.  In order to help address this concern, V8 has a new mission; to create a diverse line of products to make it easier for adults to reach their recommended 2-3 cups of veggies per day.  The result?  In addition to their line of 100% vegetable juices, V8 has also introduced a new line of vegetable and fruit juice combinations that are more sweet than savory. 

According to experts, 100% vegetable juice can help you to increase your daily servings of veggies.  Vegetable juice is also an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  The only drawback?  Vegetable juice can also be high in sodium (a concern for those with high blood pressure) and lacks the amount of fiber found in whole vegetables in their natural state.  It’s important to note, however, that V8 does make a low sodium version of their famous vegetable juice.

So what’s the bottom line?  In my opinion, I believe that the occasional glass of vegetable juice is a great way to load up on your vegetable intake, but should never completely replace whole vegetables in your diet.   In addition to being lower in sodium and higher in fiber, whole, natural vegetables are also digested more slowly in your body compared to a liquid.  This helps to keep your blood sugar more stable, allowing you to reach your goals faster.    So enjoy the occasional glass of vegetable juice but keep your fresh veggies as the front runner!

Eat well.

My best,

Valerie Cogswell
Head Chef and Lead Venice Nutrition Coach

*information derived from www.v8.com and www.mayoclinic.com

Did you know that beef is the #1 protein source of Vitamin B12 and Zinc?  Although beef is sometimes unfairly thought of as unhealthy, the truth is, beef is one of the most nutrient rich foods available.  The key is choosing the leanest cuts of beef to gain the extraordinary health benefits while avoiding any unnecessary fat.  Below are the best of the best to choose from.

Extra Lean Beef (3.5 ounce portion containing less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol)

Eye of Round Roast
Top Round Steak
Mock Tender Steak
Bottom Round Roast
Top Sirloin Steak

Lean beef  (3.5 ounce portion containing less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol)

Round steak
95% lean ground beef
Chuck shoulder roast
Arm pot roast
Shoulder steak
Strip steak
Tenderloin steak
T-bone steak

While shopping for beef, pay careful attention to the cut.  “Prime” is typically higher in fat while “Choice” or “Select” are leaner.  And of course, beef should be eaten in moderation.   For most healthy individuals, it’s fine to eat beef a couple of times a week.

Our best,

The Venice Nutrition Team

*research found on ask.com  © 1998-2009 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER).

According to the FDA, healthy adults should aim for less than 2400 mg of sodium per day.  It’s very clear that the majority of us get way more than we need.  In fact, 2400 mg of sodium per day is equal to only one teaspoon of salt!

Why do we need salt?  Sodium is critical for maintaining the correct fluid and electrolyte balance within our bodies as well as helping muscles and nerves to work correctly.  The challenge is, in today’s day of overly processed and packaged foods, we are getting too much of it altogether, and this may lead to high blood pressure and excess fluid retention.

So what’s the solution?   How can you ensure that you are not exceeding your daily limit of sodium?  The first step is reading food labels thoroughly and taking the time to tally up a day or two’s worth of sodium intake.   This should give you a good benchmark of how much salt you are consuming on a regular basis.  If you find you are taking in too much sodium, it’s time to cut back on processed and packaged foods.  Even seemingly healthy items can be loaded in sodium. 

In fact, the following list is made of high sodium foods that just may surprise you:   packaged or canned soups, frozen dinners, deli meat, canned meats and fish, canned vegetables and beans, entrees with seasoning mixes (like mac n’ cheese or chili), Chinese or Asian food prepared with soy sauce, marinades, marinara sauces, dressings, teriyaki sauce, steak sauce, bbq sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish, cold cereals, hot cereals, snack foods like chips, pretzels, crackers, seasoning salts, garlic salt and other spice combinations.

The best way to lower sodium intake is to reduce the amount of processed food items in your diet and work towards choosing more natural, less processed food items.   Natural, unprocessed food like fresh chicken, eggs, meat, low fat dairy, fruit, vegetables, brown rice,  sweet potatoes, olive oil, avocado and unsalted nuts are naturally low in sodium (not to mention very healthy!).  For a complete list of low sodium, unprocessed food items, see the Highest Quality of Foods in your Quality of Food Chart, located in your online manual in your Help/Support Tab.

It also helps to reduce the amount of condiments like ketchup, mustard and other sauces throughout the day, as well as skip the salt shaker altogether.   With a little awareness, along with some smart food choices, you can easily lower your sodium intake for a healthier you.
Live well.

My best,

Valerie Cogswell

Head Chef and Lead Nutrition Coach

*high sodium food list fro pamf.org

Though it’s true that nuts are a natural source of protein from plants, you may be surprised to learn that they are not your best protein option.  Why?  Because in order to stabilize your blood sugar, it’s critical to include a complete protein from an animal source such as dairy products, chicken, fish, eggs, beef, lamb, and turkey.  Soy products are also considered complete proteins.  What makes a protein “complete”?  Complete proteins like the ones listed above contain all of the essential amino acids that the body cannot create on its own.  Because the body cannot synthesize these amino acids, it’s essential to include a complete protein (that contains these amino acids) in every meal.

Incomplete protein sources like nuts, seeds, beans and grains are foods that contain protein yet lack the essential amino acids or do not contain enough of them.

Because amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are responsible for building and maintaining the tissues of the body as well as promote the breakdown of fat, complete sources of protein are superior to incomplete proteins like nuts.

So should nuts be included in a healthy, balanced diet?  Of course!  Nuts are an excellent source of antioxidants, fiber and omega 3 fats (also known as “heart healthy fats”) and most definitely should be included as a regular part of your diet, as long as you are not allergic to them.  The best way to incorporate nuts is to consider them the fat in your meal.  Simply add a carbohydrate along with a complete source of protein in the correct amounts according to your nutritional parameters, and you’ve got a perfectly balanced meal.

Eat well!

Our best,

The Venice Nutrition team

A few days ago, a friend of mine (who swears she’s allergic to her kitchen) called me in a panic.  Her in-laws were coming to dinner and she had promised to impress with a gourmet meal.  The trouble was, the only “gourmet meal” my friend knows how to cook is instant brown rice and ground turkey (hey, she’s a health nut!).  Needless to say, her lack of culinary skills had her sweating.  And that’s why she called me.

As Head Chef for Venice Nutrition, and a Certified Nutrition Coach for many years, my goal has always been to teach our members how to create food that helps to stabilize blood sugar, tastes absolutely delicious, and most of all…….is simple enough that anyone can make!  I have had so many wonderful clients over the years that stick to the same boring food over and over (hello, baked chicken!) because they claim they “just can’t cook”.  What I have come to find is anyone can cook a great meal….the key is learning the basics and stepping outside of your culinary comfort zone to try something new.

So , how did I get started?  Yes, I did go to culinary school but I’m truly convinced that though I learned some wonderful skills there, I have learned just as much on my own!  The confidence I possess today as a cook is not from my formal education, but from the experiments and culinary endeavors (and disasters!) that took place in my very own kitchen.  Below are some tips that have helped me to become a confident cook and create meals that I’m proud of. 

Start by practicing with a basic recipe that can help to teach you proper seasoning, different cooking techniques and flavor profiles.   A great example would be to find a recipe for a soup or chili that appeals to you.  Soup and chili are very easy to make, and you can experiment without worrying about drying the dish out or overcooking it.  You can slowly add seasoning and “taste-test” it as you go to make sure it’s to your liking.  You’ll also gain a great understanding about different flavor combinations of herbs and spices that work well together.

 Once you have successfully made one chili or soup, it will help to give you the confidence to make some adjustments.  Perhaps in place of a roasted butternut squash soup, you decide to use sweet potatoes instead.  Maybe you add a little diced apple to the pot to add a subtle sweet note.  Or maybe you toss in a small spoonful of cayenne pepper to add some heat.   Maybe in the next chili you create, you skip the ground beef and black beans and try ground chicken and white beans instead.    Noticing a pattern yet?  By successfully managing a basic soup or chili recipe, you’ll have the confidence to switch it up and make it your own, or try a new soup or chili recipe altogether. 

Other simple, basic recipes that I would recommend you try to master?  Roast chicken with lemon, garlic cloves and fresh herbs is sure to impress and will feed an entire family.  Salads are simply chop, toss and serve and the options are endless.  Vegetables drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper and roasted or grilled go with everything.  A baked or grilled fish like salmon with lemon, fresh herbs and olive oil is a great starter recipe for all seafood.   Find a recipe for that particular dish and then use those culinary techniques to explore and master new recipes.
 
I like to find culinary inspiration in many sources.   After all, we can all learn something from somebody. When I go to a restaurant and enjoy a creative or delicious dish that stands out, I’ll try to remember what was in it and re-create it at home.  For example, I once had a butter lettuce, pistachio, cheddar and sliced apple salad with a vinaigrette at a very fancy restaurant in Boston.  I was able to re-create this dish at home and give it a healthy spin by reducing the amount of cheese in the recipe and preparing a low-fat vinaigrette.  I served it with grilled fish on the side and enjoyed my simple but restaurant-worthy meal without the big check and tip! 

I’m also a huge fan of the Food Network.  If you’ve never watched this channel before and have any interest in cooking, I highly recommend that you tune in.  It’s fun, exciting and designed to teach home cooks how to well…..become cooks!   The Food Network has truly changed the way people view the culinary world, myself included.  Because there are so many types of culinary professionals teaching their point of view and techniques they’ve developed and perfected over the years, these shows appeal to so many home cooks.  It’s an unintimidating and inspirational way to learn to love to cook.  I have learned so much and helped to perfect my own culinary skills and point of view from watching the Food Network.  When I see a recipe I love, I’ll brainstorm on ways to lighten it up and many times figure out how to simplify it as well.  I’ll then test the dish in my kitchen at home and put a creative spin on the recipe to make it my own.

Other ways to find inspiration?  When you are done reading this blog, stand up and head to your kitchen.  Open up your kitchen cabinet.  I can guarantee you have a few cookbooks on hand that have collected dust over the years.  Peruse the pages and keep an open mind.  What recipe catches your eye?  What picture makes your mouth water?  That’s the recipe you should create next!  Book mark that page, copy down the ingredients to your grocery shopping list and get cooking!  Better yet, log in to your Venice Nutrition software program and click on the Recipe Tab.  I can personally guaranatee you that everyone of those recipes are balanced, delicious and incredibly easy to make.

Do you have a friend or family member who always manages to wow his or her dinner guests?  You know who I’m talking about.   The friend who makes the stickiest, fall –off- the bone BBQ chicken on the grill or the aunt whose famous pasta and meatballs are to die for.   Ask them to teach you one or two of their favorite recipes in your kitchen. Offer to purchase all of the ingredients and invite them to stay for dinner.  People that love to cook also love to show off their culinary skills and would more than likely be happy to help.  Observe, take notes and ask a lot of questions.  Pretty soon it will be your dish everyone is raving about.

Cooking is a skill that can be learned, perfected and mastered.  The key is putting yourself out there and trying something new.  The old saying, “practice makes perfect” may be a cliché but it’s true, especially when it comes to being confident in the kitchen.  Try something new and before you know it, you will be a confident cook who is not afraid to wow your own dinner guests.  Eat well.