Why You Should Eat More Fiber + Veggie Skillet Recipe

On days when I’m strapped for time and can’t decide on what to eat, veggie skillets are my favourite. This simple vegan dish is jam-packed with fiber and will leave your taste buds satisfied. 

A plant-based diet has numerous benefits, but my favourite advantage is the higher fiber intake. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that can’t easily be broken down in our digestive system to be converted to sugar for energy (with whatever’s left over being converted to fat). Fiber is essential for helping to bind our digested food together in our small and large intestines to help move things along. It also helps to stabilize blood sugar, keep our cholesterol in check, and can even help prevent colon cancer and hemorrhoids. In addition, fiber helps to keep us fuller for longer periods of time which in combination with its digestive properties, aids in weight loss.

Women should aim for 25 grams of fiber per day, whereas men should aim between 35 grams and 40 grams as they have a higher chance of being diagnosed with colon cancer, and typically consume more protein and calories than ladies. There are so many high fiber foods to choose from, so realistically there shouldn’t be any excuse for not getting your recommended daily intake (RDI). Whole wheat breads & pastas, brown rice, artichokes, avocados, apples, pears, lentils & legumes, almonds, peas and raspberries are just a few options, and there are hundreds of different recipes out there that combine these fibrous foods to form tasty meals. 

Along with taste, this veggie skillet recipe is jam-packed with 11 grams of fiber, 106% of your RDI of vitamin A, 232% of your RDI of vitamin C, 17 g of protein and 40% of your RDI of iron. By prepping your veggies before hand and freezing them, this dish can be made in under 5 minutes.

Veggie Skillet

• 3/4 cup of diced par-boiled potatoes
• 1/3 cup of diced red/green/yellow/orange sweet peppers
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped kale or leafy greens
• 1/3 cup of green or yellow beans, cut into pieces
• 1/2 a carrot, sliced
• 1/2 cup of mushroom pieces
• 1/3 cup of shelled edamame
• 1/3 cup of black beans
• 1 Tbsp of olive oil, avocado oil or flax seed oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/3 shallot, finely chopped

Spices

• 1 tsp of chili seeds
• 1/2 tsp of cumin
• 1 Tbsp of homemade Montreal steak seasoning
• 1/8 tsp of seasoning salt
• dash of pink Himalayan sea salt
• dash of black pepper
• 2 Tbsp of freshly diced parsley or 1/2 tsp of dried parsley
• 1/2 Tbsp of paprika

Heat oil, garlic and shallots in frying pan on medium heat. Once shallots begin to turn transparent and soft, throw all veggies in the pan and sauté until veggies are thawed (if using frozen), or if using fresh, add spices immediately. Cook until browned. Serve immediately for a vegan dish or top with a warm over-easy egg, allowing the runny yolk to break and coat veggies under it.

Nutrition Information

Calories per serving: 350

Protein	17 grams
Carbohydrates	56 grams
Fiber	11 grams
Sugars	6 grams
Fat	3 grams
Sodium	147 milligrams
Potassium	1346 milligrams
Vitamin A Vitamin C Calcium Iron	106 % 232 % 23 % 40%

 

5 Benefits of Chia Seeds + Chia Pudding Recipe

Chia pudding has been getting lots of attention lately.

Both foodies and fitties alike have been obsessing over this healthy snack and breakfast treat, and if you have yet to hop on the bandwagon, you’ve been missing out.

Unlike traditional puddings, chia pudding is not only beneficial to your health, but also quite filling due to the seeds’ very high fiber content. Once in contact with liquid, the seeds expand to 12x their original weight & size, and turn gelatinous. Think about the raw seeds entering your body, and then expanding as they work their way through your digestive track: The affect is similar to that of a snowball rolling down a snow covered hill, and as it gains momentum, it also starts to collect more snow around it. The seeds in your digestive tract move through your intestines, and do the same thing but pick up leftover bits of food. This can also help you lose weight!

Chia seeds are a nutrition powerhouse, and easily fit into the superfood category. Per tablespoon, chia seeds offer more Omega 3 fatty acids than salmon. Omega 3’s are essential for brain development & mental health, heart health, & positive behavioral health in children to name just a few benefits. Surprisingly, many people are actually deficient in this essential fatty acid, mostly due to the 1990’s trend of trying to eliminate fat with “low fat” and “fat free” products dominating the grocery store shelves. The general public seemed to assume that fat in food = fat on your body, which isn’t true at all. Thankfully, people started to do their research and eventually came to realize that certain fats are healthy and in fact good for you!

Calcium is a necessary vitamin in our diet, and chia seeds pack a punch — double that compared to a serving of almonds. As we all know, calcium is essential for building strong bones and to help your heart, muscles and nerves function. For those of you who are lactose-intolerant or vegan, you know how hard it can be to get enough calcium, so if you haven’t started sprinkling these beauties on everything yet, what’s stopping you?

The Aztecs & Mayans considered these seeds a dietary staple, and  knew how nutritious they were. The word chia coincidentally even translates to “strength” in Mayan, so it’s any wonder why these little black seeds are hailed as a superfood. Chia seeds are rich in antioxidants, which help to fight off free radicals which damage healthy cells in your body. Free radicals can contribute to not only aging but also diseases like cancer. 

I like to add chia seeds to just about everything – just be sure not to add them to anything you’re not going to eat right away (meal prepping) as they will quickly “gel up” and have the potential to solidify a smoothie. I’ll sprinkle chia seeds on top of salads, mixed in with musli or granola, on top of parfaits, in oatmeal, but my favourite way to enjoy them is in a chia pudding. 

Chia Pudding 

• 1/2 cup of homemade almond milk 
• 1/4 cup of chia seeds
• 1 Tbsp of buckwheat groats
• 1 tsp of ground flax seeds
• 1 chopped organic Medjool date
• 1 Tbsp of coarsely chopped almonds

Combine all ingredients in a bowl with a lid. Place in fridge for 4 hours, stirring occasionally. It will be ready once it has “set” like traditional pudding. Experiment with different flavours by topping it with cinnamon, cacao, bee pollen, vanilla bean, or whatever tickles your fancy.

Enjoy!

The Most Important Meal of the Day

break·fast // brekfəst

The first meal of the day, generally consumed during the morning (unless you have a bizarre work schedule or really slept in late). The act of “breaking the overnight fast you had while sleeping.”

My father was a firm believer in never letting my sister and I leave the house without a belly full of food. I grew up with breakfast not only being the most important meal of the day, but also the largest. Generally he’d make a feast of eggs, hashbrown potatoes, bacon, & toast, and we weren’t allowed to leave the table until our plates were practically licked clean. We were late for school numerous times because we simply had too much food to eat and couldn’t chew fast enough. Looking back, this helped my metabolism significantly. Think about it: you’re consuming your highest number of calories first thing in the day, meaning you have a full day to work everything off. Breakfast provides you with the energy you need, and for a growing kid that loved to horse around at recess and pretty much ran everywhere instead of walking, this was vital. 

Now that I’m no longer aiming for a growth spurt (physically), I’ve dialed back the amount of food for my weekday breakfasts. I’ve never been much of a morning person, nor do I have someone to scold me and insist I eat before I leave the house for work. Instead, I usually end up bringing my food to the office. And although I have actually tried bringing a full sized breakfast in with me (eggs, toast, and at the time turkey bacon), it’s pretty messy and gets cold quick when I get preoccupied with my work tasks.

My usual workday breakfast will vary depending on the season. During the warmer months, it’s easier to sip on a cool smoothie or chia seed pudding. In the cooler months, I’ll opt for something with complex carbs like oatmeal or a parfait.

Weekends are when I get wild, and go back to my roots. Breakfasts will be massive so that I have the energy to walk 3km to the farmer’s market afterwards for my week’s worth of fresh fruit & veg, walk back home to tend to the gardens, clean the house and then prepare lunch and dinner for the night (and if it’s Sunday, meal prep for the rest of the week).  Pretty much everything finds its way onto my plate on Saturday and Sunday mornings, with the aim of covering at least half of my plate with a combination of fruits and vegetables. Farm-fresh omelets, hashbrown skillets,  3 ingredient pancakes, or fruit salad & avocado toast are not only simple to make but delicious and leave you with the fuel you need to start your day. 

Fresh Start

Welcome, and thanks for finding your way to Fresh To Death Nutrition!

I’m starting this site to help share my thoughts, knowledge and wisdom for a healthy lifestyle. It’s always been important to me to instill good health upon others, and every day I strive to practice what I preach.

My interest in nutrition seems to have always had a strong presence. From a young age, I can remember having a huge appreciation for fresh fruits & veggies.

My mother used to raid the fridge every night for what ever produce she could find, chop everything all up, throw it on a platter and set it on the dinner table while she prepared our meal. My little sister and I would ravenously devour everything, while my mother scolded us from the kitchen “Stop eating all the veggies! You’ll ruin your appetite!” Special dessert requests at my grandmother’s home would always be frozen sour cherries or strawberries, or what ever freshly picked fruit she’d just plucked from the garden.

My grandparents had massive gardens which contained pretty much everything you could imagine: grapes, sweet corn, potatoes, beans, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, an apple orchard, pear trees, broccoli, asparagus…the list goes on and on. I have fond memories of running through the rows, plucking carrots out of the ground for a quick snack, then hopping on my Big Wheel with my sister in tow. Dinners were bountiful, with most of the food either coming from her garden or a friend or family member’s. They love to recount the tale of me as a toddler in the spring time excitedly discovering her gardens for the time and exclaiming to my mother “Mamma! Gramma’s got a grocery store in her back yard!!”

Always playing outdoors. Myself at 3 years old, fascinated by the flowers in Grandma’s gardens

Growing up, I thought this was typical for everyone my age to have access to such healthy food. It wasn’t until later on that I questioned why some kids would tease me for not bringing soda or junk food in my lunchbox. I would get excited to find an Ida Red apple in my pack (my favourite apple!) or carrot sticks, and they would question why I didn’t have a “Lunchable” like everyone else. The kids who routinely found candy bars in their lunchboxes were popular because they’d share with everyone, but I always remember thinking that my parents would never do anything like that unless it were Halloween — and even then, I’d still get sick of the candy and long for my apple. Looking back, I’m glad I wasn’t eating that junk day in day out, as all of these kids ended up having health problems later on, and ballooned in size.

Which brings me primarily to why I chose a career in nutrition: parents nowadays don’t seem to be educated enough when it comes to preparing healthy meals for their children. The childhood obesity epidemic is frightening, with kids becoming larger and sicker at an alarming rate. What’s worse, is that bigger kids are slowly becoming the norm, with society beginning to accept overly-pudgy children and not insisting they get more exercise or even put down the fork. For the first time ever in humanity’s history, studies are showing that parents may start to outlive their children.

It’s up to us NOW to shape our future, and ensure that our offspring will live long, prosperous, healthy lives. Kids learn from watching their elders, so we need to set them right and lead by example. If we teach them right from wrong at a young age, they’re more likely to be accustomed to healthy habits that they can practice for the rest of their lives.