Meatless Monday—Black Bean Burgers

Making the decision to become a vegetarian can have many wonderful health benefits, but you have to be conscious of what you are eating to reap these benefits. Vegetarians often focus on what they aren’t eating rather than what they should eat. While a big part of vegetarianism is not eating meat, it is equally important for vegetarians to eat vegetables and not just processed carbs and meat substitutes.

Many vegetarians also forget to incorporate natural protein into their diet, such as nuts, nut butters, beans, quinoa, and seeds. Getting adequate nutrition can be more or less difficult depending on the specific type of vegetarianism you follow.

For example, vegans have a fairly restrictive diet, as they avoid animal products completely, including eggs and all dairy products. On the other hand, lacto-ovo-vegetarians allow themselves to eat both eggs and dairy products. Fruitarians only eat parts of the plant that don’t harm the plant itself, like seeds, nuts, and fruit. Some people only eat raw foods because they try to get all the nutrients produce can offer, which is sometimes destroyed in the cooking process. Regardless of the diet you choose, it’s extremely important to make sure you’re getting a diet that is nutritionally balanced.

If you don’t think a vegetarian diet is right for you, try and pick one day a week where you follow a vegetarian diet, as a healthy experiment. I personally am not a vegetarian, but my kids and I have “meatless Mondays.” One day a week we eat vegetarian meals. It gives us a chance to experiment with fun new recipes!

When we do choose meat, we try to know the source and make sure it has no additive hormones or antibiotics. Recently, Dr. Mark Hyman said, “ fast food hamburger[s] contains very little meat…we are living in a food nightmare, a sci-fi horror show.”

Whatever diet you choose, try and select organic food products to protect your family from unwanted chemicals and make sure to have a balance of good protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats.

Vegetarian Bean Burger Recipe 

Makes 4 servings 

Ingredients:

1 can of black beans

1 egg white

1/4 white onion

Dash of cumin, salt and pepper

1 oz cheddar cheese or veggie cheese of choice

1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Put half a can of beans into a blender and blend until it a paste forms.
2. Mash the other half of the can with a fork.
3. Mix the mashed beans and the blended beans together with 1 egg white, 1/4 cup chopped white onion, sprinkle on cumin, salt and pepper then mix in the cheese.
4. Make a small ball and pat down into a burger and sprinkle a thin layer of breadcrumbs to both sides of the burger.
5. Place burgers in a pan on medium heat for about three minutes each side. 

6. Serve with guacamole if desired.

Why eat black beans?

Black beans are a brilliant choice for vegetarians and are great to include in your diet. They are packed with nutrients that boost energy and maintain fullness. Black beans are loaded with protein and fiber, which helps to put of hunger and sustain energy. Magnesium, a mineral found in beans, regulates blood glucose levels, which encourages a healthy metabolism. Make black beans a part of your snack or prepare my vegetarian bean burgers for a meal that’s high in protein and magnesium.

Changing the Way We Snack to Fight Obesity

As a mother of two children, an educator and a health counselor, I live by the expression “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Our children’s health is being greatly compromised by lifestyle, environment, diet and exercise. You would be amazed at the number of mothers who come to me for consultations that are unaware of the damage they are doing to their bodies (and their children’s bodies) when they feed them over-processed, pasteurized and chemical-infused snacks.  They wonder why they are always tired and their kids are cranky and sick. They believe they are feeding there kids well because they are buying products marketed as heathy.  Nothing could be further from the truth. These  processed foods in a box are typically loaded with partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, antibiotics and unpronounceable food additives.

While the media, and now Mayor Bloomberg, are focused on obesity, this is just one of many side effects of  overfeeding and under nourishing of our children.  Kids today have higher levels of asthma, allergies, behavior problems, type 2 diabetes, obesity and even cancer than in years before. Many believe these health issues are connected to the poor quality food products Americans are putting into their bodies every day. You might say it is the by product of convenience. While measures like Bloomberg’s proposed ban on soda may help bring awareness to the obesity issue, it is not enough to make any real impact. Education is imperative. Wellness, cooking and food 101 should be taught in every class room.

Changing our kids diets, and trying to eliminate processed foods may seem time consuming and inconvenient,  but with some proper planning, the transition to a healthy lifestyle can be fun and delicious!

Stay tuned for quick tips on how to make healthy snacking fit into your busy schedule and check out some of my yummy recipes so you and your family can become smart snackers!

Do You Like To Snack?

Here Are Some Tips For Better Snacking:
Do you love to snack? Most people do. As a matter of fact, snacking is a major past time for kids and adults. Good quality snacks help maintain a healthy wait and good immune system. Kids who snack do better in school, stay focused, and are more likely to participate in physical activities. Adults who snack are less cranky and better able to deal with their kids; maintain their energy, moods and weight. However, most people associate snacks with something that is convenient, comes out of a box and is sweet, salty and brightly colored with zero nutrients. Below, we provide you with some tips to help your kids become smarter snackers.

• Give your kids a say! 
• Have your kids help assemble snacks such as celery or carrots, whole-grain toast or whole-grain crackers, apples or oranges.
• Have your kids help at the grocery store when you're selecting snacks or in the kitchen when you're assembling things to eat.
• Think beyond a bag of potato chips. Offer string cheese, hummus and crackers, nuts and raisins and goji berries.
• Don't be fooled by labeling gimmicks. Foods marketed as low-fat or fat-free can still be high in calories. Likewise, foods touted as cholesterol-free can still be high in fat, saturated fat and sugar. Check nutrition labels to find out the whole story.
• Go for the grain. Whole-grain snacks such as whole-grain pretzels or tortillas and low-sugar, whole-grain cereals can give your children energy with some staying power. Especially with homemade guacamole or salsa.
• Out of sight, out of mind. If the cookie jar is full, your children will probably clamor for cookies. But if there aren't any cookies in the house, fresh fruit or raw veggies may seem more appealing.
• Think outside the box. Offer something new such as fresh pineapple, cranberries, red or yellow peppers or roasted soy nuts. Slice a whole-wheat pita and serve with hummus.
• Mix and match. Serve baby carrots or other raw veggies with olive oil. Top celery, apples and bananas with peanut butter.
• Revisit breakfast. Many breakfast foods such as low-sugar, whole-grain cereals and whole-grain toast make great afternoon snacks.
• Use the freezer. Mix mashed bananas and peanut butter, spread between graham crackers and freeze. For a new twist on old snack-time favorites - freeze grapes or peeled bananas, or fill an ice cube tray with fresh watermelon juice or smoothies.
• Have fun. Use a cookie cutter to make shapes out of low-fat cheese slices, whole-grain bread or whole-grain tortillas. Eat diced fruit with chopsticks. Give snacks funny names. Try the classic "ants on a log" - celery topped with peanut butter and raisins - or make up your own.
• Pull out the blender. Make your own smoothies.
• Promote independence. Make it easy for older children to help themselves. Keep a selection of ready-to-eat veggies in the refrigerator. Leave fresh fruit in a bowl on the counter. Store low-sugar, whole-grain cereal in an easily accessible cabinet.
• Remember your leftovers. A small serving of last night's dinner might make a great snack.
• Drinks count too. Offer your children plenty of water between meals. Liven it up with shaped ice cubes, a crazy straw, or a squirt of lemon, cranberry or other fruit juice.
• -Practice what you preach. Let your children catch you munching raw vegetables or snacking on a bowl of grapes.
• -Be patient. Your children's snacking habits may not change overnight. Look for positive changes over weeks or months.

Teaching your children to make healthy snack choices now will determine how they eat in the future.