Boost Your Mood with…Yogurt?

Are you bummed at the final score of the Super Bowl? Maybe you should reach for a bowl of yogurt.

We’re kidding…but only a little bit.

Research shows the type of bacteria in our gut can actually impact our mood, meaning having more of the good or beneficial bacteria in our gut can actually calm us down and made us less anxious. Our gut, often referred to as our ‘second brain’ is a multi-tasker for our health, including regulating digestion and metabolism, extracting and making vitamins from food, boosting our immune system, and protecting our body from harmful bacteria and other pathogens.  The gut also produces 95 percent of our serotonin, the ‘feel good’ hormone that helps to regulate our mood and keep us feeling sunny.

Scientists are working on discovering how gut bacteria actually influences our mood.  One theory is that when the gut bacteria produces or detects mood-regulating hormones and neurotransmitters—like serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, and melatonin—they send a message to the brain through the vagus nerve, the communication channel between the gut and brain.  When the brain knows our gut environment is happy and playing well, that signals the brain to tell us to feel good.

Obviously, that’s simplifying the science a bit.  But the bottom-line is that scientists are discovering that a healthy gut can help make us more calm, optimistic and less anxious. 

To increase the good bacteria in your gut, eat fermented foods rich in probiotics, like plain cultured yogurt, miso, fermented soy sauce, sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, kombucha, and tempeh.  You can also take a probiotic supplement.  We did a review of probiotic shots, here. 

One last thing, research shows the good bacteria thrive in our gut when we eat a diet high in fiber, including whole grains, beans and legumes, and fruits and vegetables.  The bad bacteria thrive on added sugars and processed foods.  Again, I’m simplifying it a bit.  But it’s just one more reason to put down the candy bar and reach for the yogurt and fruit.

{Recipe ReDux} Roasted Parsnip Fries with Cumin Yogurt Dip

When you work in the food and nutrition industry, it’s funny to think about the things that get you fired up. Recently it’s been spices.

Last month, I was asked to write an article on the health benefits of spices. After finding study upon study indicating the health benefits of these flavor boosters, such as their link to improved glucose control to reduced risk of certain types of cancer to protection against cognitive decline, I’ve been all about promoting spices lately.

I love thinking of your spice cabinet as your own little medicine chest. While there’s certainly no silver bullet when it comes to better health, baby steps really do make a difference. That’s where your spice cabinet comes in. These powerful flavor enhancers are my secret weapon in the kitchen for adding health promoting properties and some serious flavor. Spices from sweet cinnamon to hot pepper to warming cumin can transform any plain meal to something truly mouth-watering. Try adding dill to your Greek yogurt, oregano to your eggs, or nutmeg to your morning smoothie. And don’t forget about herbs either. Mint can transform plain water, basil can enhance your tuna salad, and cilantro is a delicious addition to homemade salsa!

These parsnips fries for example are delicious as is with a little bit of olive oil and sea salt but the addition of curry powder and coriander take them to a whole new level. 

We hope you enjoy them!

Roasted Parsnip Fries with Cumin Yogurt Dip

A great accompaniment to homemade hamburgers (or veggie burgers), topped with poached eggs or simply enjoyed as a snack, these flavorful parsnip fries may just become your new favorite side dish! 

Ingredients for Roasted Parsnip Fries

3 parsnips

extra virgin olive oil, a drizzle

coriander, to taste

curry powder, to taste

pinch of sea salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Wash parsnips well.

3. Cut parsnips into 2” sticks.

4. Place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with coriander and curry powder. Add a pinch of sea salt on top.

5. Bake in the over for 40-45 minutes, flipping half-way.

Ingredients for Cumin Yogurt Dip

1 cup low-fat (2%) plain Greek yogurt 

juice of half a lemon

1 teaspoon cumin

Instructions:

1. Combine ingredients in a small bowl and stir until well mixed. 

2. Refrigerate until serving.

Enjoy, preferably with those you love!

An InLinkz Link-up

Healthy Berry & Grape Waldorf Salad

It’s Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend. My extended family is getting together in the town my grandma lives; it's a place that every time I visit conjures up happy childhood memories.  

From my experience, my American friends love to learn that Canadian Thanksgiving is just like American Thanksgiving – the same menu and the same decorations – we just celebrate earlier. And because of this, we don’t really associate it with the start of the holiday season. 

I’m so happy I have Alberta to call home and to be celebrating Thanksgiving (even if it's from afar) this weekend. But, my family often teases that they knew I was destined for California living. So while I’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend, I’ll be adding a touch of summertime to my meal at home, and will also be serving it in Californian-inspired sunshine-y dishes.

This recipe below will be on my menu.

Wishing all Canadians a very happy Thanksgiving!

Healthy Berry & Grape Waldorf Salad

This Waldorf salad is a nice side-dish to enjoy during the autumn months while still incorporating aspects of summer. The earthiness of apples and walnuts are nicely balanced with the sweetness of berries.

Ingredients:

1 large apple, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 cup seedless grapes, sliced in half

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 cup reduced fat (2%) plain Greek yogurt

1 cup frozen and thawed raspberries

Instructions:

1.     Combine first 5 ingredients and stir until will mixed.

2.     Stir in Greek yogurt.

3.     Gently fold in the raspberries.

Enjoy, preferably with those you love!

Berry Greek Yogurt Bark

I’ve been painfully sensitive since the day I was born.

This article, which I stumbled upon earlier this week titled 16 Habits of Highly Sensitive People fits me to a tee. My sensitivity to noise (I wear earplugs when I write, which is a lot), my preference to exercise solo, my attention to detail, my tendency to cry easier than most, my aversion to open-office plans...all true.

It’s one of the things I love and don’t love the most about me.

I think that’s why developing recipes for this blog and having my articles published initially terrified me (refer to #15). But, as we round out year #3 of the Nourish RDs blog, as I’ve cooked more, and experimented more with what works and what doesn’t, I’ve started to find that just sometimes, things work out better than you could have ever imagined.

That was the case with this recipe, which I whipped up yesterday morning.

I hope you like it! And if you don’t – well, that’s okay, too.

Berry Greek Yogurt Bark

Ingredients:

2 cups plain Greek yogurt

The zest of 1 lemon

3 teaspoons honey

1 cup frozen raspberries

½ cup shelled pistachios

¼ cup slivered almonds

Directions:

1.      Line a small baking pan with aluminum foil.

2.      In a medium bowl, combine the first 3 ingredients. Stir until well incorporated.

3.      Add the berries, pistachios, and slivered almonds to the mixture. Fold in until well incorporated.

4.      Spread the mixture in the baking pan and place in the freezer for about 2-3 hours, or until hardened.

5.      Once hardened, remove the bark from the pan and either cut or break up into pieces.

6.      Allow to thaw for about 5 minutes before eating.

*Store remaining bark in the freezer.

** You can experiment with any ingredients you have on hand. These are some of my runner-ups:

• frozen cherries and dark chocolate chunks
• frozen blueberries and unsweetened flaked coconut
• dried cranberries and pecans

Enjoy, preferably with those you love!

Although we do work with the National Raspberry Council, we were not compensated for this post.  

All our opinions are our own.  We really do just love berries (and this bark)!

{Recipe ReDux} Mango, Yogurt & Almond Medley

This weekend in Los Angeles, we had a nice little break from the intensely hot weather we’ve been experiencing lately. The past couple of mornings were slightly overcast, the air had a cool breeze, and we even received a few drops of unexpected rain.

The weather is scheduled to heat up again this week which has me brainstorming of simple, no-cook nutrient-rich recipes I can whip up in a cinch.

For me, this often equates to fruit and yogurt parfaits. When it comes to yogurt, Lisa and I like to opt for reduced-fat, unsweetened varieties. I usually stir vanilla extract, cinnamon, and a little bit of honey into my plain yogurt, but the addition of almond extract to yogurt – as shown in the recipe below – kicks up the flavor to a whole new level. I highly recommend you try it especially if you’re hoping to make the transition from flavored, sweetened yogurt to plain. 

Mango, Yogurt & Almond Medley

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pound bag of frozen mango chunks, thawed

The juice & zest of 1 lemon

1 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons honey

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup toasted almond slivers

Instructions:

1.      In a small bowl, combine yogurt with lemon juice & zest, honey, and almond extract. Stir until well combined.

2.      In a medium bowl, combine thawed mango chunks and yogurt mixture.

3.      Serve desired portion into a small bowl and top with 2 tablespoons almond slivers.

Enjoy, preferably with those you love!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Dietitian Is In: Live & Active Cultures

When we meet someone for the first time and share what we do, it often seems to open the gateway to a game of 20 questions. “What do you think about the Paleo diet?” “It’s a good thing to give up gluten, right?” “Is a banana bad for me?” “So, do you always eat healthy?” When we’re asked these kinds of questions, we’re happy to answer them. We feel grateful that people feel comfortable enough to ask. Here's a recent question we were asked...and here's the answer!

Question: What does the “live and active cultures” seal mean?

Answer: The “Live & Active Cultures” seal is restricted to yogurt products, according to the California Dairy Research Foundation. Developed by the National Yogurt Association, the seal is intended to help consumers distinguish between products containing live cultures of bacteria and those that have been heat treated, subsequently killing all bacterial strains. The seal is available to any refrigerated yogurt or frozen yogurt manufacturer and requires products to contain a standard amount of lactic acid bacteria per gram at the time of manufacture. While helpful to consumers, the seal is limited in that it does not differentiate from added probiotics—those beneficial bacteria that populate our intestinal tract and have been linked to specific benefits, such as improved digestion and immunity—and the starter culture bacteria (Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophiles) used in the fermentation process for producing yogurt. As for other products containing probiotics (that may not carry the seal), such as granola bars, cereal, and chewing gum, additional research is required by the consumer to investigate whether the products contain adequate quantities of probiotics, whether they are alive at the time of manufacture, and whether research has determined that the probiotics listed in the product are beneficial.

Greek yogurt (with Live & Active cultures) topped with blueberries

This Q & A was written by McKenzie for the December 2013 issue of Environmental Nutrition.

Caramelized Bananas with Peanut Butter Yogurt Sauce

I’m a registered dietitian with a self-proclaimed sweet tooth. I love  the occasional sweet treat. 

I sometimes think people are relieved to hear this since it assures them that registered dietitians are human. Lisa and I certainly believe that eating well certainly doesn’t mean you have to chomp on steamed broccoli from dawn till dusk (not that I have anything against broccoli)…But, it’s important to remember that food is meant to be enjoyed.

We submitted this recipe below for the Southern Peanut Growers PB My Way Contest to reflect the delicious flavors and lighter dishes I often see in California. After spending the day on a sunny hike in Malibu, strolling Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, or taking a dip in the pool, this delicious treat is the perfect way to satisfy my sweet tooth.   

Caramelized Bananas with Peanut Butter Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:

1 large banana

¼ cup almonds

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

For sauce:

2 tablespoon Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon unsalted peanut butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1.      Melt butter and heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat.

2.      Add bananas and almonds; cook until lightly browned.

3.      While bananas are cooking, combine yogurt, peanut butter, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix well.

4.      Spoon caramelized bananas into a bowl. Top with the peanut butter yogurt sauce and serve!

Enjoy, preferably with those you love.

Disclaimer: We did not receive any compensation for the contest – we simply entered it for fun!

Recipe developed with our wonderful contributing blogger, Jaime Ruisi.