Healthy Food & Healthy Living by Dr. Ayala

Red lentil and spinach soup

This is a perfect winter soup: warmly spiced, nicely herbed, and thickened by pureed red lentils so that it’s hearty and filling without getting heavy. Extra bonus: no need for a broth base. I add carrots and sweet potatoes to the basic soup puree because – let’s admit it – cooked red lentils have a disappointing color all on their own – they turn yellow when cooked, and I happen to love red, and would much rather not have to explain why a red lentil soup has no red. 

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups red split lentils
• 10 cups water
• 2 carrots, grated,
• 1 sweet potato, grated
• 2 tablespoons miso paste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 sweet onions
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 cups spinach leaves, chopped
• ½ cup dill, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Tiny sprinkle of cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Garnish: fresh dill or cilantro, chopped

Preparation:

• Wash the lentils in a sieve with plenty of cold water. Place in a large pot with the water, bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook about 25-30 minutes, until the lentils are soft.
• Using a slotted spoon remove about half the lentils from the pot and set aside.
• Add the grated carrots and grated sweet potatoes to the lentil and water pot, and continue to simmer for about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat.
• Add the miso paste to the pot, and with an immersion blender process until smooth.
• In another large pot, on medium-high heat, sauté the onions in olive oil until soft and golden. Add the garlic and sauté one more minute. Add the spinach, dill, cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper, and sauté until the spinach wilts.
• Add to the onion pot the lentil, carrot and sweet potato puree and the boiled, unprocessed lentils you set aside, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Taste and correct seasoning.
• Garnish with a spinkle of herbs and serve with a nice loaf of bread. 

Enjoy! Dr. Ayala

Eat slowly to eat less (and 7 tips on how to)

When I eat out (which isn’t very often), an appetizer and a few bites into the entrée are enough to make me full, and I am not one of these people with small appetites. They say it takes 20 minutes for our brain to register satiety, and the customary interlude between courses in restaurants and dining in company slows me down, which does the trick for me.

Unfortunately, I manage to eat slowly only when I’m with others.

Is this just my subjective feeling, or is there solid evidence to back the common weight-control advice to take your time with your meal? 

Longer meal, fewer calories

A study reported in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) showed that the odds of being overweight were three times greater for people who reported eating quickly and until full than for people who ate slowly and stopped eating before they felt stuffed. There are several other studies that gather self-reported eating rates -- which can be unreliable.

A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that when volunteers took large bites, rather than smaller ones, they ate about 100 calories more of the chocolate custard. This kind of interventional study actually puts people in a test-meal environment, and empirically tests the rate of eating and the quantities consumed; results of studies such as this have shown mixed results.

A new study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics also took the experimental approach. The researchers recruited 35 normal weight and 35 overweight and obese volunteers, and fed them two meals of what most of the participants thought was delicious pasta with vegetables (many participants asked for the recipe). One of the meals was eaten quickly, while during the other, people were asked to take small bites, chew thoroughly, and put the spoon down between bites, with the slow meal lasting about 13 minutes longer.

Slow eating affected normal weight people more than it did overweight participants: The normal weight slow eaters shaved an average 88 calories compared to their fast-paced meal. For overweight volunteers the difference was smaller: just 58 calories, which was not statistically significant. Everyone drank more water with the slow meal (water was offered freely at all occasions). An interesting finding was that overweight and obese participants ate less in both the slow and the fast meals compared to the normal weight participants. This is not the first study that observes that overweight people consume less that expected when eating with peers – they might be self-conscious when eating in public, and that might affect the results of such studies.

Both groups reported they were less hungry an hour after the slow meal compared to the fast one.

7 tips for slow(er) eating

Most of the evidence suggests the rate we eat at affects how much we eat. So here are seven tips to help you eat more slowly and mindfully:

1. Eat in company: Important on so many levels. My daughter is a super slow eater – I try to pace myself to her rhythm (but just can’t manage it). 
2. Small courses: You don’t have to prepare several courses. You can serve yourself a small amount of the one course you prepared, take a short break, and then decide if you’re going for seconds.
3. Sit at a table: When you eat on the go, in front of the computer (my vice) or over the sink (my husband’s favorite spot) you can hardly take your time. Eating on your feet definitely doesn’t make it go to your hips or thighs – but overeating deposits fat everywhere.
4. Chew: I don’t suggest you count to the 32 suggested by The Great Masticator – that would interfere with tip #1 – but keeping the food in your mouth a bit longer, and not swallowing it whole is a good idea.
5. Put down your fork between bites: or your spoon, or your chopsticks, or even your pizza, sandwich or apple. 
6. Solids are better: Food that’s ready to swallow goes down way to fast.  Avoid liquid calories, and foods that are so processed neither your hands nor your mouth have any work to do. The more fiber in your food, the more chewing it requires. 
7. Drink: Sipping water with your meal forces you to slow down, and at the same time distends your stomach, sending satiety signals to your brain.

Oh, there’s also an app for slow eating, and even a fork that vibrates in your mouth if your bites are too frequent. These, too, interfere with tip #1, which at least for me, is the most important of all.

Dr. Ayala

Can chocolate make you fit?

Image courtesy of The Power of Habit

Can chocolate pave the way to a fitter you this year? Charles Duhigg says it can, and this isn’t some miracle diet -- he provides research to back his claim. Read on if you want to know how this works.

I reviewed Duhigg’s "The Power of Habit" when it was first published in 2012. As 2014 offers a fresh start for those of us looking to get in better shape, and the paperback edition is hitting shelves this week, let’s revisit some of the books’ helpful ideas.

Habits to the rescue?

It might be hard to admit, but we are creatures of habit. Most of our daily actions aren’t governed by thoughtful decisions but rather by our tendency to do what we’ve always done, and to do so with no thought whatsoever. But once we understand that, we can develop better habits, and let those run on autopilot and lead us to better health and better food choices.

Image courtesy of The Power of Habit

A habit is a three-step loop, written in our brain’s pathways. First comes a cue: a trigger that tells our brain to go into the automatic mode of the habit. Then comes the routine, which is the physical, emotional or mental action we take. What follows is the reward: the prize at the end of the routine is what reminds our brain why this habit is worth keeping. When a habit is fully formed the reward’s rush of excitement appears well before it actually happens – brain scans show that we expect the reward and get excited as soon as the cue appears, and this anticipation creates cravings.

Vicious and virtuous loops

Food habits start innocently: Feeling tired or bored an hour after lunch can become a cue to walk to the vending machine and select a high calorie snack that hits all the right spots and gives you the instant reward of yumminess and energy. After repeating this routine several times it becomes habit, and your brain craves to finish the loop whenever the faintest prompt shows up. 

So how can chocolate make you run?

If you want to develop a running habit here’s what Duhigg suggests you can do:

The cue can be seeing your running shoes next to your bed. The routine is your run or walk. The reward can be a piece of chocolate when you get home from your run. Repeat this several times and the cue and the reward become neurologically connected.

Soon enough, when you see sneakers, you think chocolate, and that makes it easier to hit the pavement each day. After a while, the treat isn’t even necessary anymore - your brain feels the reward in the workout itself.

Notice the difference between the two snacking behaviors above? In the first example boredom or fatigue (cue) leads to a vending machine purchase and a sweet reward. In the second, more virtuous habit loop, seeing the sneakers (cue) leads to running (healthy routine) because you can already feel the chocolate (reward) melting in your mouth.

And if you need further motivation to exercise here’s another useful tip from The Power of Habit: Some habits, and exercise is clearly one of them, are more important than others, because they spill over to other parts of life causing a ripple effect. These habits are called keystone habits and identifying them can often trigger widespread change. Studies show that introducing exercise – even infrequently – changes other daily routines. Unknowingly, people who start to exercise start eating better, are less stressed, and become more productive at work.

Some would argue that sweet desserts are not a good reward even when they facilitate a healthy habit. The Power of Habit gives new insight into the brain’s behind-the-scenes work, and if there’s a good habit you’d like to develop or nasty one you’d like to kick it can provide great tools. And if you don’t need any habit redesign work, it’s an entertaining read!

Dr. Ayala

*Images used with permission, supplied courtesy of The Power of Habit.