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Kitchen Tools / Nutrition + Cookbooks / Plant-based Food + Supplements / Low FODMAP + Digestive Health

Mar 20

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Protein Packed. Antioxidant Rich. Gut Boosting.

Surprised? Don’t be…wheat is a powerful plant (AD)

As a gut health dietitian, I’m pretty passionate about whole grains, so I am excited to be partnering with @whataboutwheat this year to talk about the benefits of wheat in all its forms, from the wheat bran to the whole wheat berry!

🌾 Wheat is a nutrient-dense grain that deserves its place on your plate. For starters, just ¼ cup of dry wheat berries (about 1/2 cup cooked) contains almost 8 grams of plant-based protein!

Along with 6 grams of fibre and slow burn carbohydrates, wheat berries offer sustained energy that won’t leaving you crashing.

Wheat is also packed with minerals: that same serving of wheat berries packs in 1.8 mg of iron, 63 mg of magnesium, 1.4 mg of zinc and 35 ug of selenium (65% of your daily requirement for selenium!)

And antioxidants? Not just for veggies! The selenium in wheat is used to build an internal antioxidant known as glutathione peroxidase, while the vitamin e and polyphenols in whole wheat have antioxidant activity of their own.

But what about the gut? High in fibre, wheat contains fermentable carbohydrates like fructans and arabinoxylans that feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut.

In fact, a recent review found that as little as 2 tbsp of wheat bran a day can promote the diversity of your gut microbiota (PMID: 30984765) Plus, zinc is critical for gut cell metabolism.

What surprised you most about the benefits of wheat? Do you have questions about wheat nutrition? Let me know in the comments below!

#whataboutwheat #wholegrains #plantbasednutrition #veganutrition #wfpb #guthealth #guthealthmatters #goodforyourgut #eatmoreplants ...

desireenielsenrd

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Mar 17

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This is what 10 grams of fiber looks like 👀

While we’re all worrying about the protein we already eat plenty of, your gut is over here screaming out for fibre!

What we call fibre isn’t just one thing - it’s a diverse spectrum of indigestible (to you!) carbohydrates with a ton of beneficial effects, like:

🧹 Sweeping the gut lining, encouraging efficient cell turnover

💩 Giving the stool bulk and volume, making it easier to pass

🗑️ Binding up cholesterol-containing bile salts and even estrogen for excretion

🦠 Feeding the gut microbiome and promoting the production of short-chain fatty acids like butyrate

🥣 Helping to moderate the impact that foods have on your blood sugars

😋 Keeping you feeling more full and satisfied

….and that’s not all folks! So it’s well worth your time to work on your fibre intake. If you’re generally in good gut health, try swapping one of these high fibre foods or food duos into your life and remember to drink plenty of water because fibre needs water to do its job.

Take things slow, because you need to train your gut for that high fiber life the same way you train your legs for a marathon. It’s not an overnight transformation.

🛑 If you’ve got IBS, celiac disease, diverticulitis or IBD, it’s better to take it far more slowly, with the help of a gut-trained dietitian. For example, a sensitive gut may do better with the addition of just 1 teaspoon of psyllium husk for now. And then, maybe a single slice of sprouted grain bread, or an apple, later.

What is your fave way to get more fibre into your life? I’ve got a good list on desireerd.com (search fiber)

#guthealth #guthealthmatters #highfiberfood #eatplants #eatmoreplants #digestivehealth #guthealthdietitian #plantbasedguthealth ...

desireenielsenrd

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Mar 15

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Get this silky parsnip soup into your rotation while it’s still soup season 🥣

Yes, I said parsnips. Keep an open mind: it’s time to give carrot’s awkward cousin another look. 😜

We may have spring on our mind but we are a loooooong way from spring harvests here in Canada so we have to use a little ingenuity to turn the contents of our root cellar into something that is spring in spirit.

You know how some blended vegetable soups are kind of heavy? This one isn’t because the parsnips blended with hemp hearts to make the dreamiest, cloud-like cream soup. ☁️

Did I mention it’s low FODMAP? Because #IBSawareness month is just around the corner…or maybe 2023 is finally kicking into high gear and your (my!) gut isn’t happy about it, ahem, it will be happy about this soup.

I’ve tucked a few other gut-friendly ingredients in here, like prokinetic ginger and fermented miso (which we add at the end to keep all the goodies vital!)

You just chop, roast and blend and in 30 minutes (with plenty of downtime to scroll ha!) you’ll have a delicious, nourishing soup that’s even cute enough to serve guests.

Recipe at desireerd.com/recipes or via the link in my bio. 👋 If you make this, please take a minute to leave a comment and star rating on my blog post! It helps SO much and costs you free.99 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#easyveganrecipes #veganrecipes #plantbasedrecipes #vegansoups #eatplants #eatmoreplants #rootveggies #soupseason #lowfodmaprecipes #lowfodmapvegan #goodforyourgut #gutfriendly #guthealing #lowfodmapsoup ...

desireenielsenrd

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Mar 13

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Whole grains are awesome. But what if white rice is your ride-or-die?

Here’s the thing: many dietitians – myself included – were taught to counsel folks to swap brown rice for white rice because white rice “isn’t healthy”…even though white rice is a staple food for many cultures.

🍚 I really like brown rice…but white rice doesn’t deserve its bad rap…because A) rice isn’t a super high fibre food even in its whole form and B) unless we are eating rice all by itself, what we pair with rice will add nutrition and alter our blood sugar response to it.

When it comes to blood sugars, we need to consider a few things:

1️⃣ how much of the carbohydrate-containing food we are eating. Is it 2 cups? Or a ½ cup?

2️⃣ the ability of that carbohydrate to raise blood sugars, it’s glycemic index

3️⃣ factors that moderate blood sugar rise, AKA fat, fibre, protein and acid

4️⃣ factors that moderate our blood sugar response, AKA stress, lack of sleep, disease state

If you love white rice and have no issues with your blood sugars, or you generally get enough fibre, this convo is over. Enjoy your rice!

But, if you have a low fibre diet, don’t eat a lot of whole foods or your blood sugars aren’t where they should be, you can still enjoy white rice if you don’t like brown rice.

You might eat a smaller portion. Or ensure that you eat rice alongside high fibre, high protein foods like a lentil dal or tofu and greens.

Wellness has a weird obsession with hating on simple foods like rice, tofu or tomatoes. Don’t buy into it!

(For all my nutrition nerds, my GI data came straight from the U Sydney GI database and the rice nutritionals are Canadian Nutrient Data File Food Codes 4523 + 4497)

#plantbasednutrition #vegannutrition #wholegrains #rice #eatplants #eatmoreplants #highfiberfoods #bloodsugars #glycemicindex ...

desireenielsenrd

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Mar 10

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What is the best breakfast…and why is it tiramisu overnight oats? ☕️

Tiramisu means ‘lift me up’ in Italian and that’s 100% how these tiramisu overnight oats will make you feel. I mean, caffeine will do that ha ha.

These tiramisu overnight oats are inspired by the Italian dessert and have a bold coffee flavour (psst…I used decaf instant coffee!) that’s a really nice change from the usual.

Want to boost the protein and make them more filling? Just add 3 tablespoons of hemp hearts which won’t affect the texture at all and this breakfast has 18 grams of protein per serving.

Full recipe at desireerd.com/recipes or via the link in my bio 👋

#easyveganrecipe #veganrecipe #overnightoats #tiramisuovernightoats #plantbasedrecipes #breakfastrecipes #eatplants #eatmoreplants ...

desireenielsenrd

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Mar 7

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Confession: I absolutely love mayo 😋

I was raised to dip French fries in mayo, not ketchup.

And to me, avocado toast is made better – as are most sandwiches – by a little swipe of mayo.

But traditional homemade mayo is takes a bit of technique – and an egg.

So for #eatmoreplantscookbook I created my own mayo out of avocado oil, which is rich in heart healthy monounsaturated fat.

And when I figured it out, I couldn’t believe how easy it was! It feels like kitchen magic, watching it turn all fluffy and creamy in an instant. ☁️

The full recipe is up on desireerd.com/recipes or via the link in my bio. 👋

Tell me, are you team ketchup or team mayo?
#easyveganrecipes #veganrecipes #DIYcondiments #veganmayo #kitchenhacks #aquafaba #budgetfriendly ...

desireenielsenrd

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Mar 3

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Think plant-based eating is expensive?
Try these budget swaps 💵

Groceries aren’t getting any cheaper, and as a dietitian, one of my first budget-friendly nutrition tips is to eat more plants. Plant staples like dried beans and whole grains are much less expensive than meat and dairy…but that doesn’t mean all plant foods are inexpensive.

In fact, some of my most beloved groceries, like cashews and maple syrup, are downright expensive.

So, I wanted to offer a few budget-minded swaps to help you save money as you eat more plants.

Cashews >>> Sunflower seeds: did you know you can make creams with sunflower seeds? Just soak for 12 hours and blend! They need a bit of brightening up so you might adjust the acid, salt or garlic powder in your favourite cashew cream recipes

Beyond meat >>> lentils: yes, I’m going to rep for lentils again. They’re SO delicious and SO versatile and like pennies per serving. Use them in place of veggie ground in most recipes!

Protein powder >>> soy milk and peanut butter: Soy milk has 7-8 grams of protein per cup and peanut butter has 6 grams of protein per 2 tbsp. So use both for your smoothie and you really don’t need a $50 protein powder!

Boxed baby greens >>> frozen spinach: have you ever wilted down spinach? It disappears!! Buying frozen spinach is a STEAL because you’re getting concentrated greens for use in smoothies, sauces and stews. No, you can’t make a salad with it. Buy field greens for that.

Granola >>> rolled oats: it couldn’t be simpler to make your own granola. And a big bag of oats goes A LOT farther than a bag of granola.

What are your favourite budget friendly swaps??

#eatplants #eatmoreplants #budgetfriendly #nutritiontips #vegangroceryhaul #vegangroceries #dietitianapproved ...

desireenielsenrd

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Feb 27

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Homemade peanut butter is ridiculously easy to make. And very, very good. 😋

True story: as a kid, I actually hated peanut butter and jam sandwiches. And yet, by the time I was a teenager, I had fallen hard for peanut butter’s savoury charms…so much so that I used to travel with it.

Peanut butter is a near perfect food in my opinion. It’s delicious. Filling. Works as well in sweets as it does in savouries. I mean, have you ever met a food that wasn’t made better by peanut sauce?

It’s also super nutritious: just two tablespoons of natural-style peanut butter has 7.5g of protein and 2.5g of fiber, along with plenty of iron, zinc and folate.

And you should totally make your own peanut butter. It’s so easy and deeply flavorful. All you need is peanuts and a strong food processor or blender. Use dry roasted, salted peanuts and in about 5 minutes all your peanut butter dreams come true.

What’s your favourite way to use peanut butter?

#easyveganrecipes #peanutbutter #veganrecipes #plantbasednutrition #vegannutrition #plantbasedprotein #lowfodmap ...

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The information on this site is intended as educational only and cannot replace one-on-one consultation with a registered dietitian.
We respectfully acknowledge that we live and work on the ancestral and unceded lands of the Coast Salish peoples–Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nation.

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