The Dish

Ground flax is a great plant source of omega-3 fatty acids which have numerous health benefits including anti-oxidant effects. I’m glad you are thinking about ground flax seeds because as a whole seed, very little of the omega-3 fat is absorbed; the seed is very hard to digest by the body. You can aim to add 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed per day which provides 1.6 grams of ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). ALA is a kind of omega-3 fat. Adult males need 1.6 grams of ALA per day while adult females need 1.1 grams per day. You can top your hot or cold cereal with ground flax seed, mix it into homemade baked goods, and add it to salads or even yogurt. Keep in mind you should keep your ground flax seed in the fridge as it can go rancid easily at room temperature. If you grind it yourself, do small amounts at a time so that you use it up quickly.

I just reviewed the specific nutritional information for Silhouette and a comparable product, Yoplait Source. I wouldn’t say Silhouette has more vitamins. Both Silhouette and Yoplait Source have the same amount of Vitamins A, D and B2. Source actually has more vitamin B12 while Silhouette has more vitamin B5. But overall they are very slight differences that will not have a great impact on your daily nutrient intake.

Silhouette has less calories though because it is sweetened with an artificial sweetener called Sucralose. You may have heard of Splenda, it is a sucralose-based artificial sweetener. I don’t recommend products sweetened artificially, go for natural sweetness instead. The best alternative is buying plain yogurt and adding your own fruit or sprinkle of sugar. Or choose a product that is all, or at least partially, naturally sweetened like those from Astro or Dairlyland. And just so you know this is not an endorsement.

There is a lot of concern among students regarding sugar intake. Keep in mind that as adults we do not want to consume more than 10-12 teaspoons of added sugar per day. That does not include the naturally occurring sugar that is in milk and fruit. So there is no need to go with an artificially sweetened yogurt.
Interestingly, when I was looking at the Silhouette website, they promote that their product does not contain Aspartame. Which is fine, but sucralose is just another type of artificial sweetener so what is the big deal? Also, in my opinion any snack that only gives you 35 calories is not really much of a snack at all.

Some of the starch or carbohydrate component of beans is not broken down by our stomach or small intestine, technically it is “non-digestible”. When this carbohydrate reaches the large intestine it is fermented by the naturally occurring bacteria found there. An unfortunate by product of this breakdown is gas.

To try to minimize the gas problem you can try the following:

·                   Rinse canned beans well under cold water before using

·                   Discard the soaking water if using dried beans, use fresh water to cook them

And just as you suggested, adding then slowly to your diet can also help. To be honest, I have been having beans regularly for a long time and they aren’t a problem for me. Hope that’s not too much info!

Beans are a great source of protein as well as fiber. They are one of the most economical protein choices, especially on a student budget. Some suggestions for those of you who aren’t including a lot of beans or other legumes, try the following:

·                   Puree cooked beans and lentils and add to tomato based sauces for pasta or tacos

·                   Add lentils and split peas to soups and casseroles

·                   Use cooked brown lentils instead of ground beef in dishes such as lasagna, pasta sauces and shepherd’s pie

·                   Sprinkle cooked chickpeas or lentils on a pizza, with other toppings

·                   Enjoy a mixed bean salad with vinaigrette dressing

·                   Add cooked beans or lentils to salads for extra fiber

·                   Use chickpeas, black beans or other beans to make dips like hummus

·                   Add black beans to salsa and use to top a baked potato or fish

The average person needs 0.86 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (0.86g/kg/day). Your needs will depend on how long your workouts are as an ultra-endurance athlete who engages in continuous activity for several hours or consecutive days will have increased protein needs at 1.2 – 1.4 g/kg/day. Also, the recommended protein intake for vegetarian endurance athletes is increased by 10 percent.

So let’s say you aren’t running or working out for several hours, maybe just an hour or hour and a half. Aim for about 1g of protein per kilogram of body weight. Let’s say you weight 65kg, that would be 65g of protein. You can get this from food sources alone, protein supplements are not necessary. See this resource from Dietitians of Canada – Eating Well for Vegetarian Athletes.

LOL! I love your comment. Rest assured, eating soy-based foods is NOT going to give you boobs. Here’s the scoop on soy:

Soy foods contain isoflavones, a phytonutrient. Phytonutrients are compounds found naturally in plant based foods that act as antioxidants. We hear a lot about antioxidants these days; they are linked to preventing certain cancers as well as chronic conditions such as heart disease.

Isoflavones have also been called phytoestrogens because they are believed to affect how our body uses estrogen. Soy won’t raise the amount of estrogen in your body though. And to the best of my knowledge, there isn’t any evidence to support that the exposure to phytoestrogens causes changes in the breast. Isoflavones are also very different from the hormone estrogen. Note that although isoflavones have a chemical structure similar to estrogen, small differences in chemical structure between molecules can lead to huge differences in physiological effects.

Soy has some great health benefits as listed below.

Heart Health – Adding more soy rich foods to your diet may be helpful in controlling blood pressure and reducing blood cholesterol.

Menopause – A few servings of soy rich foods each day may help to reduce some of the symptoms of menopause, like hot flashes. I know it doesn’t really apply to you but I wanted to include this as it can be a great tip for our mothers!

Breast cancer – The research on whether soy helps to prevent breast cancer is unclear. Include soy foods as part of a healthy diet, but taking soy supplements is not recommended. I worked in a cancer clinic during my training and some chemotherapy treatments will interact with soy based foods so we recommended avoiding it, but only for that really specific population.

So enjoy soy! As Canada’s Food Guide says, “Have meat alternatives such as beans, lentils and tofu often”. Tofu is a very lean protein and can be enjoyed in so many ways. You might like the recipe for Sweet Chili Tofu Stir-fry.

And for the rest of you who aren’t enjoying soy, you might want to try these ideas:

• Substitute tofu for the ground meat you’d normally use in chilli, tacos or spaghetti sauce.
• Add steamed soy beans such as edamame to salads or soups, or eat them straight from their pods as a healthy snack.
• Add cubed tofu to Asian stir-fries and soups. 
• Blend soft (silken) tofu or soy yogurt with fruit and ice for a thick and protein-rich breakfast smoothie.
• Grill some soy-based burgers and hot dogs at your next barbeque.