Baba ganoush!

As I mentioned in my previous post, anyone can cook! Hopefully, you have tried one of the recipes I have included on this blog space, especially since my goal is to post only recipes that are simple, healthy, and include easy-to-find ingredients. Today, I wanted to share my recipe for baba ganoush (such a fun word to say - baba ganoush baba ganoush baba ganoush), a delicious Middle Eastern dish made from eggplant. Yes, eggplant, that weird looking purple vegetable that appears more like an alien appendage than something you can eat. Please trust me when I say that it is very tasty!

Baba ganoush is a traditional food similar to hummus that is used as a starter and is typically eaten with pita bread (And yes, you can make pita bread at home - I will share my recipe soon!). In Middle Eastern countries, they make the dish by baking or broiling the eggplant over an open flame. You can easily substitute your oven's broiler for building a fire in your backyard.

To make baba ganoush, you will need:

A food processor or blender
1 eggplant (select one that has smooth skin and no blemishes or bruises)
2 tablespoons Tahini (which is otherwise known as sesame butter and can usually be found near peanut butter in grocery stores)
1 lemon, juiced (Equal to about 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice)
1 large clove of garlic, minced (which is equal to about 1 teaspoon of minced garlic that comes in a jar)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
Olive oil

Directions:
To obtain the smoky flavor that baba ganoush is known for, the eggplant needs to be almost charred. To do this without an open flame, set a rack at the top of your over and turn the oven setting to Broil.

1. To prepare the eggplant, slice off 1/4 inch of each end, then cut it into 1/4 inch slices. If the eggplant is juicy, drain the excess liquids, then rinse with cool water and pat them dry. 
2. Set the slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast them for 5-7 minutes then turn them to roast the other side for another 5-7 minutes. The eggplant should be browning and the flesh should be soft. 
3. After removing the eggplant slices from the oven, stack them and wrap them in aluminum foil to lock in some moisture for 5 minutes. 
4. Next, peel away the skin (be careful, the eggplant will be hot!) and add the flesh to a blender or food processor. The skin comes off pretty easily, and you can use a knife to help scrape it away. 
5. Add the other ingredients (tahini, lemon juice, garlic, parsley) and blend them until the entire mixture is smooth and creamy. You can top it off with more parsley as a garnish.

Voila! You have made baba ganoush, a very tasty and delicious dish that is high in fiber and healthy fats. Serve with warm pita bread for a delicious snack or appetizer. It can even be eaten as a vegetarian entree. Other spices and seasonings that can be added instead of or in addition to garlic include: cumin, chili powder, and mint. I like to serve it chilled. See pics below for some baba ganoush I made recently:

Select a healthy-looking eggplant with smooth skin

Slices of eggplant after broiling. Notice the browned flesh

Bon appetit!

Anyone can cook!

In the Pixar movie Ratatouille, Chef Gusteau was known for his saying "Anyone can cook!". He even wrote a book of the same title! While the book is obviously fictional, I too subscribe to the belief that anyone can cook, and one of my goals in this blog space is to provide healthy and easy recipes that anyone can make. Today, I wanted to share one of my favorites that is very easy and can be made with fairly common kitchen ingredients: black bean burgers 

A couple of notes before making these: black bean burgers are much healthier than regular hamburgers, consisting of less fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, yet also providing healthy proteins and much more fiber. I like to make them spicy, but you can experiment with your own preferences. For example, this recipe calls for onions, but you can leave them out if you desire. Also, if you do include onions, make sure you dice them very finely as larger pieces of onion will make it harder for the patty to stay together! I like to make the patties small (similar to the size of a slider burger) and I also have a whole-wheat recipe for yeast buns that I can make in 40 minutes which goes amazingly well with these. I will post that recipe another day!

Burgers - makes about 6-12 burgers depending on how large you make the patties
Time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients: 
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed. This removes some moisture, along with any added sodium, so the burgers will be low-sodium, high fiber, and high protein. Very healthy!
1/4 an onion, finely diced 
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon of chili powder
1 tablespoon of cumin
1 tablespoon of chili sauce (I used Sriracha) - you can leave this out if you don't like spicy foods but I think it gave the burgers some great flavor and a little kick.

Directions:
-After rinsing and draining the beans, mash them until they are thick and pasty.
-Finely chop the onions and garlic and add them to the beans and stir them well. 
-In another bowl, stir the egg, cumin, chili powder, and chili sauce until it is well-combined, then add it to the beans and mix well.
-Add the bread crumbs. I ended up using a little more than a 1/2 cup. Mix it well. 
-Let it sit for a few minutes so the bread crumbs can absorb some moisture, which will help the patty stay together. 
-Then form a patty. You can grab some of the mixture and roll it into a ball in your hands, then flatten it. It will likely be sticky, so you can use a spatula to pry it off your hands.  
-You can grill or bake them. If grilling outside, use high heat. If grilling inside, use medium-high heat and a little bit of cooking oil. Since the beans are mashed, they will burn easy so be prepared for slightly blackened burgers (this won't affect the taste much). If baking, bake at around 375 degrees for 5-10 minutes on each side. I grilled and baked some and they both tasted wonderful. Try them with mustard, avocados, hot sauce, ketchup or even mayonnaise (low-fat, of course). Below are some pics to show the process:

Getting ready to mash the beans, bread crumbs and onions

Here are some of the patties grilling with a little oil

The finished product. This patty was baked. Bon appetit!

Another quick, easy and healthy recipe that anyone can cook can be found here!

Successful resolutions for health!

As 2015 draws to an end, folks across the globe may be planning their resolutions to begin on January 1st as they usher in a new year. As a health professional, I am 100% supportive of New Year’s resolutions, whether they are successful or not, mostly because I believe that anything that motivates a person to eat healthy and be more active is crucial for helping people change unhealthy habits. 

I also understand the reality that few people are able to stick with their resolutions for very long. Knowing how difficult it is to change behavior, I wanted to provide some tips to help everyone reach their goals and resolutions for 2016, so read below to find out ways to help you stick with your own resolutions and improve your health next year!

• Simplicity

First and foremost, keep your resolutions simple. If your resolution is to run a marathon but you currently do not even work out once a week, you might need to create a simpler goal, such as walking a mile or two each week, which would be easier to accomplish yet still provide beneficial health effects. Simple resolutions are easier to remember.

• Short and sweet

Secondly, avoid giving up on your resolutions by keeping them short. A complicated resolution, such as losing 25 pounds of fat while training for a triathlon in 6 months, becomes difficult to achieve when there are many moving parts that take a long time. Rather, aim for short resolutions that you can see through the end. For example, healthy weight loss occurs gradually, so if your goal is to drop some weight, aim to lose 1-2 pounds each week, rather than shooting for 30 pounds over several months.  The short resolutions will allow you to see progress that can help keep you motivated.

• Attainable

To ensure that you are successful, make sure your resolution is achievable. Too many New Year’s resolutions are abandoned because they are too lofty. It is great if you want to join a gym and work out there every day, but is that realistic? Consider your job, chores and children, etc., and decide what is feasible when thinking about your resolution.

• Have a goal

One of the most important things you can do to ensure you keep your resolutions is to have a specific goal in mind. The resolution to ‘lose weight’ is vague; the resolution to ‘lose 10 pounds by June’ allows you to see if you were successful. The resolution to ‘work out more’ is not very specific, but the resolution to ‘work out 3 days each week for one month’ is a goal you can shoot for. And in addition to having a goal, create a reward system to treat yourself when achieving your goal! The reward provides extra motivation to keep your resolution, just make sure it does not contradict the resolution itself!

• Never give up

Lastly, allow yourself a little room for failure. No one is perfect and even the most diligent person is bound to slip up and forget their resolution once in a while. It is ok to forget or take a break from your resolution, just as long as you remember to keep trying and be persistent!

Below are some examples of simple resolutions that are simple, short, and attainable, and can improve your health. Give them a try if you need an idea for a resolution next year.

• Walk 10-15 minutes each evening after supper

• Eat at least 1 fruit and 1 vegetable per day

• Drink 1 cup of green tea each day

• Only eat sweets once per week

• Only drink alcohol 1 day per week

• Eat oatmeal for breakfast 3 days per week

• Drink a glass of water before each meal

Happy New Year and good luck in 2016!

A Christmas casserole!

Merry Christmas Eve to all!

Hopefully you are spending quality time with friends and family and staying warm and healthy, wherever you are. In case you need a nutritious breakfast to prepare for your loved ones, and don't have time to go to the store to pick up fancy things needed in many casseroles, below is a quick recipe that is  easy to whip up for a tasty holiday meal:

Christmas Casserole (serves 3-5)

Ingredients:
4 eggs
3 slices of whole wheat bread
1 cup of milk ( I use skim milk)
1/4 cup shredded cheese (Cheddar works great)
1/2 cup of bacon or sausage (cooked)
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon chili pepper

Note: In order to make this recipe as healthy as possible, I recommend using turkey sausage or turkey bacon, which have lower amounts of sodium, cholesterol and saturated fat than pork options. You can substitute mushrooms or spinach for the meat as a vegan alternative. Also, for the adventurous cook who has 2-3 hours to spare, I would recommend baking the bread yourself. I promise to post my homemade bread recipe soon!

Directions: Cook the bacon or sausage and drain the fat. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, then mix in the milk and cheese. Cut the sliced bread into cubes and add that to the mix. Stir in the bacon or sausage, followed by the spices (oregano or parsley would also be tasty in this dish). Pour the entire mixture into a buttered casserole dish and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes when the eggs are done and the top of the casserole has begun browning on top. The casserole tastes great with hot sauce! Below is a picture of the casserole I made this morning (I used turkey bacon):

This casserole will provide you with great protein and healthy fiber, and is delicious too! Happy Holidays, and don't forget to avoid trans fats!

Avoid trans fats!

With Christmas just a few days away (!) and plenty of holiday meals yet to be eaten, I wanted to raise awareness for the best ways to avoid trans fats in hopes that everyone stays healthy this year!

Trans fats in processed foods are pesky fats created by food companies to enhance the shelf life of foods and also provide better taste and mouth feel. These fats are made by blasting hydrogen atoms into liquid vegetable oils in order to make them more solid, a process known as hydrogenation. The resulting fats are added to processed foods and help prevent them from going rancid.

So why does this even matter? Well trans fats in the body act like saturated fats do: they clog arteries, thereby increasing your risk of hypertension, heart attack, or stroke. They do this by increasing the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which travels towards the heart and creates build up in the blood vessels that block the flow of blood. Trans fats also lower the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which travels away from the heart to be broken down and excreted by the body. These results combined are both negative for your health, and therefore it is essential to consume as little trans fats as possible.

How do you avoid foods that have trans fat? The first step is knowing which foods might contain trans fats. The following is a list of foods that may have trans fats: baked foods (cereals, granola bars, cakes, biscuits, pizza, pies, muffins, cookies, crackers), fried foods (doughnuts, fried chicken, french fries), and fat-like substances (shortening, stick margarine, ice cream, salad dressing).

In general, any type of baked or fried snack food could be a culprit for trans fat, and basically anything related to desserts (particularly, frosting) may also have trans fats. Restaurants may use oils with trans fats for frying, so avoid fried foods when you go out to eat (or at least ask if the oil has trans fats!). I have found trans fats in peanut butter, coffee creamer, microwave popcorn, cinnamon rolls, stuffing and tortillas, so please be careful!

The second step is being able to read a food label, which will tell you if there are hidden trans fats in the ingredients list. There are two areas of a food label that are important to look at in every processed food item that you wish to purchase. The first area is the Fat section of the Nutrition Facts. Foods containing trans fats will be listed under the Total Fat, as seen by the arrow in the picture below:

The second area is the ingredients list. If you see the phrase "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" or any derivative of "hydrogenated oil" you should avoid consuming that product. The pictures below demonstrate how trans fat can be buried in the ingredients list on a food label:

In those last two photos, you may notice that the food product contains hydrogenated oils yet lists 0 grams of trans fat in the Nutrition Facts, which is misleading and shows the importance of checking ingredients list for all processed food items! The first photo did not even include trans fat in the Nutrition Facts, despite the fact that hydrogenated oils are included in the ingredients list!

In addition, feel free to disregard the message on the front of food packaging that states "0 Grams of Trans Fat." The FDA has allowed food companies to list this on the food packaging as long as a recommended serving contains 0.5 grams of trans fat or less.  For example, see the pictures below:

The FDA finally determined that trans fats are no longer generally recognized as safe and hopefully that will keep food companies from tricking you on their packaging. Nevertheless, being able to read a food label and check the ingredients list is a useful skill that will help you eat more healthy and avoid harmful foods.

Happy holidays to you and your friends and families, and make sure you avoid those trans fats this holiday season!

Welcome!

Hello. Hola. Konichiwa. Salut.

Welcome to Matt's Plate, a place where you will be able to find information and tips about healthy eating and exercise! I plan to use this space to share my ideas, opinions, recipes, and knowledge I have gained from over a decade of studying health and nutrition among individuals and communities across the U.S.

I am excited to provide a forum for anyone who is interested in improving their health, or needs a simple cooking tip. I hope that my passion for eating healthy and being active can be viewed as a model for others so that everyone in the world can experience a long and healthy life. I thought it be would be fun to share my story of how I got interested in this field and how I got to where I am today.

As a child, I was raised on Cheetos and soda pop. There were always cookies and candy in the cupboards in my home, which my mother attributes to my paternal grandmother, who spoiled my father when he was a child. To this day, I fondly recall my grandmother's sweet tea, which was essentially liquid candy and might have had more sugar than tea! I certainly had no complaints as sweet foods are every child's weakness. In fact, I became a skilled master of Halloween in my pursuit of the addictive buzz one gains when eating sucrose, the ordinary table sugar so prevalent in candy (these days, it is the buzz from high fructose corn syrup a child obtains in their candy, but I digress and will discuss that topic another day). To obtain the maximal amount of candy possible, I would map my route beforehand, set out as early as possible, and would bring along multiple costumes I could change into when I came across a house that had a particularly good stash of candy so I could return immediately and grab seconds (or thirds). It is a wonder that I do not have Type 2 diabetes!

Halloween as a child. I am the far right. Im gussing my brother and I are GI Joes, and I am not sure why my sister is Spiderman (Spiderwoman?)

Somehow, despite being constantly surrounded by candy and sweets in those days, I always had at least a passing interest in health, and would often watch what I was eating or spend extra time exercising if I had too many snacks in one day. I can remember days when my mother was too busy to fix dinner so she would send my father on a fast food run and have my siblings make a list of what everyone wanted, and numerous times, I would refuse to get anything, instead opting to eat healthier food at home (and save my father a few dollars!). I also wanted to become a certified master chef, and learned how to cook things from my mother and home economics classes. Although I maintained this interest in food and health, I chose to study engineering when I started college, not having the foresight to pursue my true passion.

After struggling with advanced physics and calculus, I began to debate changing my major at the start of my junior year of college and started taking classes in physical education, which offered classes in health studies. During this time, my father, who had never been sick a day in his life according to my mother, unexpectedly passed away from heart disease. We never saw it coming. The pain and tragedy of that event changed me forever as I decided I never wanted anyone I knew or loved to deal with that type of adversity and emotional distress and thereby officially changed my major so I could learn more about health, physical activity and nutrition. Unfortunately, I had one more hurdle to cross as my university dropped the physical education major and I was forced to find a new school to obtain a degree in a health-related field. Fortunately, a small state college was an hour away and had a Health & Exercise Science program that I was able to enroll in.

I thrived in that program as I was finally free to study health and nutrition and physical activity, and my undergraduate advisor recommended that I attend graduate school. At the time, my goal was to become a personal trainer and use my knowledge and passion to help others get fit and healthy. But I loved school and learning things, so I decided to give grad school a chance. My father (and his father before him) had gone to Kansas State University, which just so happened to have a great Kinesiology program. Kinesiology is the study of health and human movement, and what better way to honor my father than by attending his alma mater that he loved so much?! I was accepted into their graduate program where I was able to get a position teaching health and exercise classes and helped in research labs. During my time there, my department brought in experts to speak on a variety of topics related to exercise and health, and one afternoon, I found myself listening with rapt attention to Dr. Ross Brownson from St. Louis University as he gave a talk on public health and physical activity. I had never considered how parks and sidewalks and public access to places to be active could be a way to influence the health of others, and Dr. Brownson had opened my eyes to a whole new world. I decided I no longer wanted to help individuals become healthy by training them one on one, but rather, I wanted to help EVERYONE get healthy by being a part of Public Health. I decided to get a PhD in Public Health.

Dr. Ross Brownson, who had a huge impact on my career. Today he conducts research at Washington University in St. Louis. 

I was accepted into the School of Public Health at the University of Iowa, where in my 4 years there I learned how to conduct research studies of health, nutrition and physical activity, collaborate with communities, form coalitions for improving community health, and teach others how to eat healthy and be active. I loved working in communities and learning about foods and exercises, and I even revived my interest in cooking by teaching myself how to cook anything and everything (thanks to the internet!). I taught a food and nutrition course and had my students set a nutrition goal each semester while setting a goal for myself. One semester, my goal was to try a new fruit or vegetable each week, and I had a fantastic time seeking out new foods to eat (my favorite was either the rambutan or the star fruit).

A star fruit and rambutan. Should be pretty easy to figure out which is which!

I decided that a postdoctoral experience would be the next step for me to continue learning about health and nutrition, but also for applying my new skills in researching factors associated with the foods we eat and how/why we are active (or inactive). I applied for and was accepted into a postdoctoral experience in the department of nutritional sciences at Texas Tech University, a city with a very unique environment (in other words, there are a lot of cowboys there!). In my time there, I helped teach nutrition education to underserved communities and undergraduate students, and studied food deserts, or places that lack adequate healthy foods. I wanted to continue doing this work and took another postdoctoral fellowship at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX, where I am currently located. In this role, I spend my time analyzing a cohort of Mexican Americans for their health behaviors, in particular, their physical activity. My passion for community education in health, nutrition, and physical activity is at an all time high, and I hope to continue this work in the future. The next step for my wife and I are to have a baby (a girl due in March), where I am sure I will learn many new things about family and child nutrition. I promise to share everything I know and learn here on this blog! I truly want to use my decade of studying health, nutrition and exercise to help everyone become as healthy as they can be.

Please let me know if you have any questions and happy holidays!