Let’s address the elephant in the post here shall we. What are Coconut Aminos?
Coconut Aminos are a yummy sauce made from coconut sap. The sauce is dark, rich and salty. It is gluten free and is a great replacement for soy sauce.
Unbeknownst to many is the fact that, unless otherwise stated, soy sauce is made with wheat. The wheat is roasted and fermented with the soy to achieve the familiar soy sauce taste that we know and love.
Coconut Aminos don’t offer a powerhouse of nutritional content but if you are trying to maintain a gluten free diet they are the way to go when you need an alternative to soy sauce in your recipes.
The salmon recipe below is a family favourite of ours. It is not only simple, it is also a great way to introduce Coconut Aminos in to your diet if they are a new addition to your pantry.
Baked Salmon with Coconut Aminos Marinade
Servings: 4
Ingredients
½ kg salmon fillets
1/3 cup real maple syrup
4 Tbsp Coconut Aminos
3 cloves minced garlic
¼ tsp.ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 200C
Mix the maple syrup, Coconut Aminos, garlic and pepper together in a small bowl
Place salmon fillets in to a dish, cover with the marinade and refrigerate 30 minutes – 1 hour
Transfer salmon fillets to a baking dish lined with parchment paper, saving the marinade, and bake the salmon until it is cooked through, approximately 15 minutes
Pour the saved marinade into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Reduce to 1/4 cup.
When the salmon is done place it on a serving tray and drizzle the glaze over top of it.
Serve immediately.
For simple sides that really complement the salmon try serving this dish with roasted asparagus and wild rice.
Detoxification is an essential process that our body needs to perform effectively for us to be in good health.
Detoxing rids our body of toxins that accumulate both as a by-product of our natural body processes and from external environmental assaults.
Detoxification improves our ability to absorb nutrients and to eliminate waste. It also stabilizes and improves our energy.
Our body is designed to detoxify. That’s why we have 7 channels of elimination; our skin, lungs, kidneys, colon, lymphatic system, liver and blood.
We are bombarded every day with so many toxins that our system can become overwhelmed so it really is a kind gesture to ourselves to lend a hand to the process.
5 Natural Strategies to Support Detoxification
Sweat it out!
Sweating helps to move toxins out through our skin and helps to get our blood circulating. Exercising and saunas are 2 great ways to get that body hot!
Get Good Quality Sleep
Our body doesn’t rest when we go to sleep. It uses this time to detoxify and repair. This is our liver’s playtime. So getting good quality sleep is key for successful detoxification. Here are some tips for a good night’s repose:
sleep in total darkness
shut off all electronics
sleep in a cool room
go to bed at the same time each night
get 7-8 hours of sleep each night
Keep Well Hydrated
A river runs through us and it’s made of water. In a nutshell water carries nutrients to our cells and waste from them. And water is involved in many of the physiological process carried out each and every day within us.
6-8 glasses of good quality water each day is minimum. You want to make sure that you flush out those nasty toxins and support your kidneys in the process.
Move it!
Exercise supports all channels of elimination in particular it helps to flush out our lungs, get our blood circulating and our lymphatic system moving. And as just mentioned working up an exercise sweat is a great way to help detox.
Eat a Whole Foods Diet
Avoiding processed foods and eating a whole foods diet is the backbone of successful detoxification. A healthy diet supplies necessary nutrients for our body to carry out the detoxification process.
Here are some powerhouse foods that you can start with:
Fermented foods boost our immune system, help to strengthen our bones, support weight loss and promote nutrient absorption.
Kombucha is a fermented beverage that has been enjoyed for many, many years. It is most commonly made with black tea and sugar. The fermenting is done with a colony of bacteria and yeast called a ‘Scoby’.
As with other fermented foods, Kombucha is high in antioxidants and it packs a punch of health benefits for the gut being rich in probiotics.
Kombucha has been studied for its anti-cancer properties. The tea polyphenols and antioxidants found in Kombucha were shown in these studies to prevent the growth and spread of cancerous cells.
Sticking to the perimeter of the grocery store is the ideal way to shop. But when the ideal meets the real and we find ourselves nose to label with packaging we need to be armed and ready.
Let’s face it, reading labels can be confusing. But it is a necessary evil when you want to eat healthy.
With a few tips however you will be able extrapolate the important information that you need to make good decisions in the grocery aisles.
First off avoid the propaganda on the front of the product and go right to the good stuff on the back. Companies can free wheel with what they say on the front of the packaging but there are real guidelines for what’s on the back. For example a label may say that a food product is reduced in fat or reduced sodium. What this means is that the amount of fat or sodium has been reduced from the original product amount. It doesn’t mean, however, that the food is low in fat or sodium.
Here are My 3 Top Things to Look For on a Product Label
1. Check out the Ingredients
Check out the ingredient list. Product ingredients are listed by quantity, from highest to lowest amount
2. Understand the serving size
It is really important that you understand that all of the nutrition information shown is based on serving size.
And don’t be deceived by this. A single serving may not be what you think. For instance, a serving size may be half a cup where as you might logically think it would be whole cup.
3. Know the Different Names for Sugar
We know by now the dangers of over consuming added sugars. With this in mind, it is very important that you become aware of the fact that there are many, many different names for sugar on a food label. Some of them end in –ose such as Sucrose, Maltose and Dextrose. Others like Barley Malt, Turinado and Molasses do not.
On the right side of a food label, you’ll see a column that lists the percent daily values (%DV). Percent daily values tell you how much of a the particular nutrient one serving will give you compared to how much you need for the entire day. It helps you gauge the percentage of a nutrient requirement met by one serving of the product.
Nutrition Facts Tables
Do you ever look at the Nutrition Facts tables? Do they help you decide which foods to buy or not? Do the numbers even make sense?
To be honest, I don’t think it’s that the most user-friendly or helpful tool. But it’s good to understand it since it’s here to stay.
Let me give you a super-quick crash course on reading the Nutrition Facts tables.
Then, try my delicious and super-easy snack recipe that’ll blow your pre-packaged granola bars out of the water.
How to Read the New Nutrition Facts Tables
The Nutrition Facts table is on the side of most packaged foods. It’s often found close to the ingredient listing.
The purpose of it is to help consumers make better nutrition decisions. When people can see the number of calories, carbs, sodium, etc. in food, they should be able to eat better, right?
Whether you like the Nutrition Facts table or not, let’s make sure you get the most out of it, since it’s here to stay!
Here’s my four-step crash course on reading the Nutrition Facts table.
Step 1: Serving Size
The absolute most important part of the Nutrition Facts table is to note the serving size. Manufacturers often strategically choose the serving size to make the rest of the table look good. Small serving = small calories/fat/carbs. So, it’s tricky.
All the information in the table rests on the amount chosen as the serving size. And, since every manufacturer chooses their own, it’s often difficult to compare two products.
In Canada, in the next few years (between 2017-2022), serving sizes will be more consistent between similar foods. This will make it easier to compare foods. The new labels will also have more realistic serving sizes to reflect the amount that people eat in one sitting, and not be artificially small.
Let’s use an example – plain, unsalted walnuts from Costco.
Right under the Nutrition Facts header is the serving size. That is a ¼ cup or 30 g. This means that all the numbers underneath it are based on this amount.
FUN EXPERIMENT: Try using a measuring cup to see exactly how much of a certain food equals one serving. You may be surprised at how small it is (imagine a ¼ cup of walnuts).
Step 2: % Daily Value
The % Daily Value (%DV) is based on the recommended daily amount of each nutrient the average adult needs. Ideally, you will get 100% DV for each nutrient every day. This is added up based on all of the foods and drinks you have throughout the day.
NOTE: Since children are smaller and have different nutritional needs if a type of food is intended solely for children under the age of 4, then those foods use a child’s average nutrition needs for the %DV.
The %DV is a guideline, not a rigid rule.
You don’t need to add all of your %DV up for everything you eat all day. Instead, think of anything 5% or less to be a little; and, anything 15% or more to be a lot.
NOTE: Not every nutrient has a %DV. You can see it’s missing for things like cholesterol, sugar, and protein. This is because there isn’t an agreed “official” %DV for that nutrient. The good news is that the new Nutrition Facts tables will include a %DV for sugar. Keep your eyes out for that.
Step 3: Middle of the table (e.g. Calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, carbohydrates, and protein)
Calories are pretty straight forward. Here, a ¼ cup (30 g) of walnuts has 200 calories.
Fat is bolded for a reason. That 19 g of fat (29% DV) is total fat. That includes the non-bolded items underneath it. Here, 19 g of total fat includes 1.5 g saturated fat, (19 g – 1.5 g = 17.5 g) unsaturated fat, and 0 g trans fat. (Yes, unsaturated fats including mono- and poly-unsaturated are not on the label, so you need to do a quick subtraction).
Cholesterol, sodium, and potassium are all measured in mg. Ideally, aim for around 100% of potassium and sodium each day. It’s easy to overdo sodium, especially if you grab pre-made, restaurant foods, or snacks. Keep an eye on this number if sodium can be a problem for you (e.g. if your doctor mentioned it, if you have high blood pressure or kidney problems, etc.).
Carbohydrate, like fat, is bolded because it is total carbohydrates. It includes the non-bolded items underneath it like fiber, sugar, and starch (not shown). Here, 30 g of walnuts contain 3 g of carbohydrates; that 3 g are all fiber. There is no sugar or starch. And as you can see, 3 g of fiber is 12% of your daily value for fiber.
Proteins, like calories, are pretty straight forward as well. Here, a ¼ cup (30 g) of walnuts contains 5 g of protein.
Step 4: Bottom of the table (e.g. vitamins & minerals)
The vitamins and minerals listed at the bottom of the table are also straightforward. The new labels will list potassium, calcium, and iron. Yes, potassium will drop from the middle of the table to the bottom, and both vitamins A & C will become optional.
Manufacturers can add other vitamins and minerals to the bottom of their Nutrition Facts table (this is optional). And you’ll notice that some foods contain a lot more vitamins and minerals than others do.
Conclusion
I hope this crash course in the Nutrition Facts table was helpful because it is important to be informed about what you are eating.
Proper nutrition is a key piece of cancer prevention so understanding what you choose to put in to your shopping cart is key.
Do you have questions about it? If so, leave me a comment below.
Delicious and Super-Easy Walnut Snack Recipe
Serves 1
Ingredients:
8 walnut halves
4 dates, pitted
Instructions:
Make a “date sandwich” by squeezing each date between two walnut halves.
Having good quality ingredients stocked in your kitchen pantry means always having a meal on hand.
I recently found myself somewhat stranded up north without a car or companion.
My husband and I arrived at our place in Collingwood late one evening with just a few things on hand. We had planned to shop the following day but circumstances sent my husband home before we could get in to town to shop. The only food that I had brought from home was the kale that I hadn’t used the week before and cream for my morning coffee.
So… I did a situationally imposed fast until dinnertime when my hunger got the best of me. As a side note, fasts are something that you have to be mentally prepared for.
I wasn’t prepared for this one.
Moving on.
The recipe below is the product of the kale that I brought with me and things that I had on my pantry shelves.
As I continue to preach to all of my clients, a recipe is a template. Kale could be spinach, black beans could be kidney beans and for a vegetarian meal tuna could just be eliminated from this recipe
That being said, this is a great tasting combo that I thoroughly enjoy!
Black Bean, Kale & Quinoa Salad
Serves 4
Dressing
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice of ½ a lemon
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
Combine all ingredients together and mix well.
Salad
2 cups of kale, washed and chopped (hard spine removed)
1 can (398g) black beans, rinsed
1 can tuna (210g)**
1 cup cooked quinoa
½ cup chopped red onion
Directions
Make dressing
Put kale in bowl and add dressing. Massage the kale to break down its fiber. Let rest 5 minutes
Add remaining ingredients and toss to coat with dressing
