Caven Nutrition Group

Ottawa’s Experts in Weight Loss Nutrition, specializing in healthy and sustainable weight loss, digestive issues, hormonal health, and stress

Weight loss

Food Trends on CTV Morning Live!

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Find out what is in and what is out for 2017 on CTV this AM. Catch the Segment here! Add these items to your grocery list for 2017 and keep them in all year round. Eating well is a habit so try making one of these upgrades on your next cooking adventure.

1. Beet Greens instead of Kale. Try your Beet greens in smoothies and soups. You can use the tops of carrots or even radishes. Waste less and start using these as your daily greens sources.

2. Sea Veggies aka Seaweed make your own sushi with nori sheets or use seaweed in place of salt! You can try a variety at the Natural Food Pantry such as dulse, nori and wakame! They even sell the SeaSnax brand which is a great brand to try when you are new to seaweed.

3. Turmeric is anti-inflammatory and rich in curcumin the active part of the root with proven antioxidant properties. Add to all your dishes like curries and stews for a rich colour in powder form, or drink in teas. WE love the Turmeric Avenue from Urban Juice Press.

4. Veggie Chips: Try roasting or dehydrating plantains, parsnips, beets and sweet potatoes.

Try out this sweet recipe below:

Sweet Plantain Chips

Ingredients
1 tbsp cocoa butter, melted
1 medium to large green plantain
1/2 tsp organic ground vanilla (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
a. Using a mandolin or taking your time with a knife slice the plantain into medallions. And place in a medium bowl.

b. Add cocoa butter, vanilla and cinnamon to plantains and mix until completely coated.

c. Using a dehydrator place plantain medallions in a single layer pan and set to 170F. Let the dehydrator do the rest. It will take 3-5 hours, if you like them chewier you will want to check them at the 3 hour mark and maybe take them out earlier, if you like em crispier leave them longer.

d. They will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge or in a cool place for a week or so if they last that long.

Veggie Chips

Ingredients

3 Parsnips and/or Beets/ Sweet Potatoes
Avocado Oil
Sea Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Slice beets, sweet potatoes and parsnips thinly or use a mandolin. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss your veggies in avocado oil, sea salt and pepper. Add your desired veggies onto the pan and bake at 435 F turning often as they can overcook when sliced thinly. This varies but some cook faster than others so check every 10 minutes. Thicker cuts will take about 40 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the fridge! These are best served right out of the oven for the crispiness!

If you have a dehydrator place in a single layer pan and dehydrate for at least 3 hours.

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5. Fats:

Coconut milk, coconut oil, olives, avocados and grass-fed butter just to name a few to start. Use these all for a wonderful rounded meal. Try coconut oil in teas and coffees, olives in a salad and avocados in a smoothie.

Totally Rad, Radish, Watermelon, Mint & Feta Salad

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We are all about summer salads using a range of colours and flavours. This salad uses soft watermelon and crunchy radish for a great flavourful blend!

Radish, Watermelon, Mint and Feta Salad

Ingredients:
• 4 cups (3-4 pounds) of watermelon, cut in about 1 inch cubes
• 15 red radishes, thinly sliced or chopped coarsely (depends on how much you love radishes!)
• 1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled
• 12 mint leaves, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 6 twists of freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Cut up watermelon and place in a large salad bowl bowl.
2 Cut up radishes and place in with watermelon.
3. Next break up your feta cheese and place in the large salad bowl with the watermelon and radish.
Toss.
4. Chop your mint leaves and then add into the bowl!
5. In a separate bowl, mix oil, sea salt and black pepper.
6. Pour the mix on the salad and toss to coat! 🙂

Superfoods you might be Throwing Out on CTV Ottawa Morning Live!

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Superfoods you didn’t know you were throwing away! Look through this list and check out our bone broth recipe to amp up your nutrition today. Some of these foods could be in your kitchen RIGHT NOW!

1. Pineapple core
a. Great source of Bromelain, a digestive enzyme
b. Aids in digestion, especially of protein
c. Reduces inflammation and swelling
d. Breaks down mucus in respiratory conditions- pneumonia or bronchitis
e. Great for colds, arthritis, gout, and injury recovery
f. Eat it in between meals or it will help with digesting food instead of decreasing inflammation
g. Chop it up and add to smoothies or cut in triangles

2. Pith from citrus fruit
a. The spongy white tissue that lies just beneath the skin
b. Contains the greatest concentration of antioxidants- more than the pulp, juice, or skin
c. When you purchase processed orange products the citrus industry uses chemicals to dissolve the pith
d. Keep as much as the pith as you can or slice the oranges to keep the membranes

3. Peels- apple, potatoes, kiwi
a. Get 50% more phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals and fibre, by eating the peel
b. More vitamin C and potassium
c. Blend the peel in cooked apples or potatoes and the texture is minimally affected
d. Kiwi- the skin triples the fibre and helps retain freshness
e. Make sure to buy organic

4. Celery-
a. The leaves contain 5X the nutrients of the stem!
b. High in potassium and magnesium which are great for high blood pressure
c. The leaves have a bitter taste when they are raw, so cooking will decrease this.
d. You can use them as a substitute for cilantro in a recipe for those who don’t like cilantro!

5. Brocolli Stems:
a. Anticancer and just as healthy as the florets
b. Leaves are higher in beta carotene than the florets and can contain phytonutrients that aren’t found in the stem and florets.
c. Chop the stem and add to stir fries or cut into sticks and eat them with dip- make sure to leave the leaves on

6. Bones (of chicken, turkey, beef, fish)
a. The healthiest part of animal products
b. There’s scientific evidence that supports chicken soup helping with cold symptoms
c. Amino acid cystein thins mucous in your lungs
d. Contains minerals- not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulfur and trace minerals
e. Contains raw materials for cartilage and tendons- chondroitin and glucosamine- expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain!
f. Gelatin for healthy skin, hair and nails- basically the fountain of youth
g. Use to make bone broth
h. Eat the fine bones found in fish

Fountain of Youth Broth Recipe

Ingredients:
• Bones of 1 free range chicken
• 4 quarts water
• 2 TBS apple cidar vinegar (or other vinegar)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 3 celery stalks plus leaves, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
o or whatever veggie scraps you have leftover

1. Place all ingredients into a large stock pot or slow cooker and simmer on low for 24 hours
2. Carefully strain out all of the bones and discard

Catch the the segment here! http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=792467&binId=1.1487308&playlistPageNum=1

What are you going to eat on your Summer Road trip? We have the answers on CTV Morning Live!

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Summer is the perfect time to take a road trip and it’s good to have a food game plan. We have the road map to follow to make the best for your choices on long drives.

Tips:

1. Avoid fast food. Remember the sugar from pop spikes your blood sugar and makes you tired which is not good for driving and the fast food will make you sluggish.

2. Be prepared with a cooler bag and icepacks and garbage bag for the car. We love the awesome bags from mythirtyone and they fit lots of food. Find them here http://www.mythirtyone.ca/ashley
My Thirty one

3. Focus on getting Protein from hardboiled eggs, grassfed beef jerky, nuts (portion control),roasted chickpeas and protein powders mixed with water.

4. Snack on Fruits and Veggies! Veggies should be the only thing you mindlessly eat because that is what happens when you drive.
– Apples, bananas and berries are great to take with you and give you some natural sugar to keep you going.

3. Drinks: Stick to water, and plain tea and coffee. Don’t add 3 creams and 3 sugars.
It’s good to take pee break every 2 to 3 hours and move around as well!

Below we have a recipe for a super portable energy filled snack.

Recipe for Date Energy Orbs!
Date Balls

Remember 2 of these will go a long way on your trip as a quick pick me up snack!

Ingredients
20 to 30 pitted medjool dates
½ cup soaked almonds or cashews (discard the nut water)
1 scoop Vegan Protein Powder I used Genuine Health Vegan Protein Powder

Garnish
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
pinch of salt

Instructions
Place 20 to 30 pitted dates in a small food processor or blender. Pulse or blend for about a minute or until your dates are chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until everything is combined. You can add more nuts if you find them too moist or more liquid if you find then too dry. You can easily play with the ratios. This should make about 15 to 20 small energy orbs!
Put you hemp and coconut into bowls. Once you have created the balls roll them in a bowls of either hemp OR coconut OR a combo! Store leftovers in the fridge.

Catch the segment here: http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=667458&binId=1.1487308&playlistPageNum=1

Increasing Nutrition in Food On CTV Morning Live! How to get the most out of your food!

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CTV- Getting the Most out of your Food!

You don’t need to break the bank buying every new miracle food or supplement that Dr. Oz recommends! Here’s how to get the most out of the food you’re already eating!

1. Garlic:

a. Fights cancer, lowers cholesterol, fights infections
b. If you microwave freshly chopped garlic for 30 seconds, it losed 90% of it’s cancer fighting properties (100% by 60 seconds)
c. It is best if you chop it and allow it to sit for a ten minutes before cooking.
d. During this time the maximum amount of allicin is created and can be sauted or fried and still get the benefits!

2. Tomatoes:

a. Better for you cooked than raw- the longer you cook them, the more health benefits you get!
b. Heating breaks down the fruit’s cell walls making the nutrients more bioavailable
c. Heating twists the lycopene molecule (from trans to cis) to make it easier to absorb. Just 30 mins of cooking can more than double their lycopene content.
d. Tomato paste has 10X more lycopene than raw tomatoes
e. Lycopene is a natural UV protectant and is good for prostate health
f. Cans usually have BPA so purchased tomatoes in a glass jar or BPA free can, and organic of course.
(Tomato Sauce Recipe below NO PEELING REQUIRED)

3. Mushrooms:

a. Mushrooms are the only vegetable that contains vitamin D!
b. Canadians do not get enough sunlight, and therefore vitamin D which helps with bone health and cancer prevention.
c. Cultivated mushrooms contain a plant sterol called ergosterol, which is the precursor of Vitamin D². In fresh mushrooms, ergosterol is stimulated to convert to Vitamin D² by ultraviolet light, either from sunlight or artificial lights
d. It has been demonstrated in recent studies that the level of Vitamin D² in White/Brown mushrooms can be increased significantly (up to 100% of the Daily Value), by exposure to ultraviolet light for a few minutes, either pre-harvest or post-harvest

4. Nuts:

a. Nuts contain phytic acid- a defense mechanism that repels predators
b. When phytic acid is eaten- the acid binds to minerals such as zinc, iron, magnesium, calcium, chromium, and manganese
c. Soaking nuts in water deactivates the phytic acid
d. Soak nuts overnight for 8-12 hours and rinse thoroughly in the morning (Info Below on Nut Soaking)
e. Consume within 24 hours, or you can dry them in a dehydrator

5. Citrus:

a. Contain more than 170 phytonutrients
b. Hesperidin- studies have shown that it has the potential to relieve depression, calm inflammation, protect DNA from damage and slow the growth of cancer
c. The greatest concentration of phytonutrients is in the PITH (the spongy white tissue that lies just beneath the skin
d. The citrus industry uses a chemical treatment to degrade and remove the pith- so no OJ or canned oranges!
e. When eating oranges try to leave as much as the pith as you can (while still enjoying the fruit)
f. The juice membranes are just as good for you! Try slicing the orange instead of separating the individual segments.
g. Use citrus zest from organic peels

For the nuts!

SOAKING STEPS
1. Add nuts to a glass jar, no further than the half way mark
2. Fill the jar with filtered water, being sure to cover the nuts.
3. Soak the nuts overnight for 8-12 hours
4. In the morning, discard the soak water and rinse the nuts thoroughly
5. Refrigerate and consume within 24 hours
6. If you prefer your nuts crunchy- dry in a dehydrator for 12 hours and store in the fridge for 2 weeks or freeze for up to 2 months

Recipe: Easy, No-Peel, No-Seed Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

-20 tomatoes ( Can use plum tomatoes or 15 larger tomatoes)
-1/2 cup olive oil
-1 tsp salt
-1/2 chopped onion
-2 to 3 minced garlic cloves ( let sit out for 10 minute before tossing in)
– Mix of 1/2 tsp of rosemary and thyme

Directions:

In a large pot or crock pot you can prepare this.

Wash tomatoes well and then slice in half. You don’t have to deseed,it takes long but feel free to do so. Dump in a pot with some water and salt, olive oil, onion, garlic and spices and cook on low to medium until your desired level of thickness is reached – once they are cooked, remove the lid or leave on halfway to let the sauce reduce up to 24 to 36 hours. (Make sure to put on low for overnight cooking!) Blend with a blender or immersion blender, and you are set!

* You can also do this in a crockpot – turn the lid sideways (on an oval crockpot) when the time comes to reduce.

Enjoy!

Watch it here! http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=602232&binId=1.1164511&playlistPageNum=1

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