Nutritionist Kelly Giard Pays Get Fit NH A Visit!

It was our pleasure to have Nutritionist Kelly Giard from the Naturopathic Clinic of Concord visit our ladies class this past Tuesday.  Kelly joined the ladies for our training session and then held a great discussion on the importance of eating breakfast.  Since not everyone could be there, Kelly was kind enough to forward a copy of her notes with us so we could share them with you! There is outstanding information and basic concepts that will make a huge difference in your health and body composition when you apply them!

Kelly is also creator of the Whole Foods Pyramid, which is just off the charts compared to it’s USDA counterpart. Kelly did a wonderful job with this chart explaining the “real” food groups, portion sizes and daily recommendations. You can get a copy of this valuable chart here.

For more information on the Naturopathic Clinic of Concord’s 3-week detoxification program, click here.

Thank-you Kelly!

Breakfast – The Most Important Meal of the Day

Kelly Giard, Nutritionist and Holistic Lifestyle Educator
Holistic Nutrition Services at the Naturopathic Clinic of Concord
By appointment – 603.228.0407

Breakfast – A New Philosophy

Meal Planning is a Necessity

You MUST plan ahead each week:

• Plan your snacks and meals for 7 days.
• Prep as much as possible: pull items out of the freezer; chop vegetables; make a large salad; portion out snacks; soak grains and beans; hard-boil eggs, etc.

Eating healthy needs to become a habit, it’s a lifestyle – there are no short-cuts, so please stop looking for them. Change your attitude about having no time, and realize there is time to take care of you and your family and it starts with good nutrition habits.

Think outside the box when it comes to breakfast foods. Who says you can’t have creamy butternut squash soup with pureed white beans in the morning? This is a mild, slightly sweet soup that can be sprinkled with “morning” spices such as cinnamon (which helps modulate blood sugar), cardamom, and nutmeg. Add some heavy cream or coconut oil to add some healthy fats.

• How about an avocado soup?
• Miso broth; homemade bean, rice, nut burger crumbled into a bowl with a corn tortilla and shredded collard greens or kale, tomatoes and avocado slices? Or guacamole? Egg or chicken salad scoops with whole grain crackers or crispbread

Balanced Breakfast Ideas

• 8 oz plain yogurt with ¼ cup nut or seeds, cinnamon, and strawberries or carrots and celery sticks
• 2 hard-boiled eggs with sea salt in a wax paper bag (boil 6 or more eggs each week to use at meals or for a snack) with bell pepper strips, carrots and celery sticks and cherry tomatoes
• Chicken sausage in a corn tortilla with no sugar salsa and tomatoes and spinach
• 8 oz whole milk or 2% reduced fat cottage cheese with 2TBSP nuts and ¼ cup fruit or veggies
• Spicy Chicken Frittata – eat hot or cold (bake one large frittata each week)
• Soak steel-cut oatmeal overnight and re-heat in the morning for 10 minutes
• Add butter and heavy cream to provide healthy fat and lower the glycemic index
• Sweeten with 1 tsp of maple syrup or raw honey or stevia if needed
• Protein shake – high quality and only on occasion
• Whey-based protein is ideal as it’s a more bio-active form of protein

Spicy Chicken Frittata
Makes 2 servings – 30 grams of protein per serving – Trace amount of carbohydrate

Egg Mixture:
4 eggs
2 TBSP all-dairy heavy cream
Black pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
2 TBSP unsalted butter

Filling:
2 TBSP unsalted butter
½ cup diced red pepper
¼ cup diced red onion
1 raw skinless, boneless chicken breast, diced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
½ cup diced green olives
1 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp finely chopped fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish

Directions:
Preheat broiler. In a medium bowl, using a fork, whisk eggs, cream, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Set aside.

In a 10-inch flameproof skillet, melt 2 TBSP butter over medium-high heat. When butter is hot and bubbly, add bell peppers, onion, diced chicken, cumin, oregano and olives. Saute about 5 minutes until chicken is tender. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same skillet, melt remaining 2 TBSP butter over medium-high heat. When butter is hot and bubbly, add egg mixture. As eggs cook, lift edges to allow uncooked egg to seep underneath. When bottom is set but top is still moist, spread chicken filling over egg and place under broiler. Broil 1 to 2 minutes, checking frequently, until top is golden and puffed up. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley or cilantro.

From The Schwarzbein Principle Cookbook by Diana Schwarzbein, MD, Nancy Deville, and Evelyn Jacob, 1999, Health Communications, Inc., page 33.