🍂 HAPPY FALL 🍂
Happy official first month of fall! October is the start of my absolute favorite season for so many reasons — big sweaters, bonfires, and a time where we slow down and gather with family and friends much more. Oh and of course all the delicious food that comes with it! As a dietitian, I recognize that this is typically the most stressful time of year for my clients — so many holiday parties, family functions, and events ALL surrounded by decadent foods and desserts. I’m here to tell you that this season and this time can 100% still be enjoyed, and the food can still be decadent, we just have to shift the way we cook and bake a little, and shift the way our minds think of food.
Coming to a dietitian in the first place can be intimidating, trust me, I get it. First of all, just because I am a dietitian does NOT mean I do it all right all of the time, and it does NOT mean I have it all together. Being your dietitian does not mean I sit here and tell you how horrible you are doing when it comes to food, or how these foods are good and these foods are bad. None of that is true. Rather, I am here to guide you in this exact place you are in, with your schedule and your routine and your favorite recipes, and to ever so slightly tweak them to make a BIG difference in your overall health. Every day I hear from a client “I know, I shouldn’t have eaten this.” Or “[That food] is so unhealthy I have to stop eating it, I know.” YOU are the one holding guilt over yourself, and I am here to tell you that all “bad” things can be made “good”… and still taste great!
So all that being said, happy start of fall with this delicious pumpkin bread! Let’s talk about why breads get a bad wrap, and why I know we can change that!
M Y T H S
Carbs are bad. Bread is bad. Sure, they can be… or they can be good! First of all, it is important to note that carbohydrates are a macronutrient, meaning they are essential in your diet to maintain all proper functioning of the body. Carbohydrates are the sole source of energy for your brain. So why are there so many diets out there cutting carbs, or nixing them all together? Well, really because everyone is either (a) eating far too many of them and/or (b) choosing the wrong kinds. Actually, if you are choosing the wrong kinds, hands down you have already set yourself up for failure to eat too many. So instead, if we could just learn to eat the right kinds (vegetables, fruits, whole grains), then our body would know exactly when it’s hungry and when it’s full. Crazy right? Did you know that you could know when you were full without looking at a calorie number? That’s the direction I want to lead you, but that’s all for another day! This delicious bread is made with 100% WHOLE WHEAT pastry flour, meaning it is a whole grain, full of fiber, fats, vitamins and minerals. Fiber will help to keep your blood sugar stable (most important for weight loss/control) and keep you feeling satisfied. Is your body able to function without carbs? Sure… to an extended degree. Will your body then learn to burn fat? Yes, but keep in mind, a healthy amount of carbohydrates (the good kinds) actually help to lower stress in the body (also an important factor in weight loss/control), and not having any carbs, while being virtually impossible, is an extreme stressor on the body, as your body is literally living in “starvation mode.”
Low fat is the way to go. Quite the opposite, actually. Fat (the good kinds) can make your body more efficient at burning fat as a fuel source. Burning fat is how we see results from all that hard work we are putting in at the gym! Butter has often had a bad reputation in the past, as we once thought foods high in saturated fat raised our bad cholesterol levels. What we are now seeing is that if the fats you choose to consume come from organic, non-GMO, grass-fed, wild caught, wholesome sources, there is no harm to health (obviously being in moderate amounts). So how do you know if a fat is a good fat? Follow the guidelines I just listed, and generally speaking, avoid processed and refined oils (canola, safflower, sunflower, soybean, and corn oils), as they increase inflammation in the body due to their over-processed state (meaning they are so far from their natural plant they came from, essentially).
Now let’s talk about what I love so much about this bread, besides the things I listed above.
It’s got veggies! Packed with a whole can of pumpkin puree, this bread is loaded in:
Fiber — promotes stable blood sugars, weight maintenance, and decreases our risk for many types of cancers (especially breast and cancers of the colon)
Beta Carotene — an antioxidant that our bodies convert to vitamin A; important for eye health, skin glow, and immune function (especially important right now with it being flu and corona virus season, and for the time of dry skin)
Vitamin C — another antioxidant that is extremely important for immune function
Potassium — an electrolyte and mineral that helps to lower blood pressure
It uses REAL maple syrup, a natural sweetener. Yes, calorie for calorie at the end of the day, sugar is sugar. BUT focusing calorie for calorie is not how you achieve optimal health and reach/maintain your goals. Maple syrup (in small amounts) and paired with healthy fats and protein sources can be a healthy occasional addition to the diet. It contains high amounts of:
Manganese — important in the the process of bone formation, as well as in digesting and absorbing carbohydrates and protein. In fact, some research suggests that low levels of Manganese may contribute to the development of Type II diabetes.
Zinc — crucial for sex hormone production in both men and women, and also supports optimal thyroid function
Calcium - also very important for bone formation, as well as muscle contractions (including the heart)
It has a healthy source of all three macronutrients (carbs + fat + protein), minimizing any sort of blood sugar spike. When you can, always choose organic food. For fruits and vegetables, if you can’t buy them all organic, at minimum buy these organic, as they have been found to absorb the most pesticides from the soil. And for animal products, always look for the organic, grass-fed (if from cows) and wild caught (for fish) labels.
For breakfasts and snacks, I would recommend skipping the glaze to avoid the extra sugar. But for dessert and on that special occasion, it should be enjoyed!
To learn more, check out www.waterandthewell.com, where you can read about me, find more articles, and sign up for my wellness program!
I’m looking forward to taking this journey with you ✨
In wellness,
Allie, RD, LDN, CPT