What does a Dietitian eat?

I realized I haven't posted in awhile! Not that anyone checks here very regularly, but I should be a better blogger than journal writer, at least! As for the photo contest, I got second runner up, and so I guess I didn't slip Russell enough. Or have enough friends on facebook. But thanks to everyone who did vote for me!

I've been meaning to post these food pics that I took for a mini-class I taught at my church women's group enrichment night a couple weeks ago. When people find out that I'm a registered dietitian, they usually say something like, "Oh, so you must eat really healthy." I just sort of shrug, because while I probably take more time and effort into planning and preparing balanced meals than many, I like to do it and I like to eat that way, so it doesn't seem dreary to me the way it does to some. Having said that, I would also describe my eating as very "normal." I admit that there are nights when we stayed at the park too late to prepare anything and end up with grilled cheese sandwiches or other quickies. And there is nothing I simply won't eat just because it's "unhealthy" if I like the way it tastes. I trust my body to let me know what, how much, and when to eat.

Anyway, the topic I chose to present on was how to incorporate more fruits and veggies into our diets. So I decided to photograph meals that I actually make for my family to show people that "healthy" doesn't necessarily mean boring or dreary or unrealistic. I have to admit, I had a lot of fun photographing my food. London had her first lessons in using a tripod as well! And please note, I don't really endorse the idea of blending up vegetables and hiding them in food. I think showcasing them in beautiful and delicious ways yields greater consumption and a genuine taste for vegetables. Not that my kids eat everything they are served; but they presented with it and I have faith that with continued exposure they will develop a palate for them, as I have. Now I'll post the slides I used to illustrate 10 concepts:
I already posted about this dish, but the concept here is that growing your own produce will make you more inclined to eat it.

Smoothies--the possibilities are endless. I was very proud of myself because last week I was pinching pennies to last me until our newly established monthly budget reset, so i ended up making great use of not-so-fresh tasting milk and strawberries I'd bought in bulk and frozen. The whole budget thing probably deserves a post all it's own...
Above: carrot-zucchini-potato latkes served with garlic mint sauce and sweet jalapeno jelly. Instead of just using potatos as in the traditional recipe, I added other veggies to add a wider variety of nutrients. Same with the fruit--mixing the melon and berries. (I bought the garlic mint sauce and jelly from a middle-eastern vendor at the farmer's market and use them in a variety of applications).
Again, greater variety give a greater nutrient profile. Each color represents different vitamins and phytochemicals, so besides looking quite appetizing, colorful meals are more nutritious! This is a grilled chicken salad with fenel, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives in a tangerine dressing served with whole wheat garlic pita crisps.
Add fruit to a green salad. Whenever I do this, Tim elects to not even add dressing because it would detract from the taste of the fresh fruit. A salad like this one is almost dessert!
No reason not to add a couple of servings of fruit or veggies to breakfast, no matter what you have: slice a banana and sandwich it with bread and PB; make a berry topping for your pancakes; throw some raisins in your oatmeal; slap some spinach into your omelet...
Soup is a great way to use whatever veggies you've got. Above is zucchini, onions, and spinach sauteed and pureed with some spices and a little whole milk for body. I topped it with some cheese and chicken sausage.
Here is Eden polishing off her serving of the zucchini soup, above. She loved it! The point is, make your veggies taste good, and you AND your kids will eat them!
Fruit doesn't have to be reserved for sweet applications. The above salad included strawberries, cucumbers, and basil in a balsalmic vinaigarette. Other savory applications for fruit: salsas/chutneys to serve over grilled proteins; dried fruit mixed in a pilaf; dried plums or apricots in a tangine; and one of my all-time favorite combos, canadian bacon-and-pineapple pizza.
I never had Brussels sprouts as a kid, but if I did, I'm sure they would have been the boiled, soggy, unappetizing beasts that everyone else grew up with. Don't pigeon-hole perfectly good produce. Brussels sprouts don't HAVE to be boiled--how about roasting them up with olive oil and coarse salt? Crispy and caramelized, they're actually quite tasty. Sweet potatoes don't HAVE to be in a casserole with marshmallows on Thanksgiving. Mash them up with curry spices for a new take on mashed potatoes. If you don't enjoy a certain fruit/vegetable, maybe you should just prepare it a different way.

So now you have a better idea of how a dietitian eats!