Ellen my Dietitian

This week at work we all received an email about a healthy living incentive program through our health benefits. You could receive up to $300 for participating! With the holiday's upon us and my penchant for anything healthy living I signed right up. Part of the program is to participate in a few activities including phone sessions with a health coach. I knew it would be slightly awkward but I gave it a go on Friday.

My health coach's name is Ellen and her main question was whether or not I had any health goals. I shared that it wasn't so much as a goal but more of a question about how to insure a healthy Vegan lifestyle. In my recent research on Veganism (gluten free) I've found discrepancies about how & what I really need to intake to stay safe and healthy.

Ellen, funny enough was gluten-free so I knew we were on the right track. She shared the following:

Protein:
-At my weight she shared that I needed 40-50 grams of protein a day. Sounds like a lot.
-1/2 cup of the following items can equal to about 7 grams: Nuts, Almond/Soy Milks, Tofu, Beans

Vitamins:
-I need B vitamins. She thought that my daily vitamin and healthy eating should cover me but an extra B vitamin couldn't hurt. She said it's water soluble so if my body doesn't need it I'll just flush it out. I was surprised to hear that my almond milks and even cereal (even Chex) are fortified with extra vitamins like A, B, C & D.
-Eat colors! I'm already all over that per my previous posts. As along as I eat red (peppers), green (leafy greens, brussel sprouts, asparagus), orange (sweet potato), yellow (squash), blue (potato, blueberry) etc. that I'm fairly covered health wise. My favorite food roasted sweet potato has a ton of A & C vitamins.
-Iron, commonly found in animal meat can easily be replaced with kale and spinach. She said that our bodies naturally absorb Iron easier from animals because our bodies are more similar to animals than plants. She shared that the waxiness on the outside of kale & spinach can be harder to break down. She said a very quick saute or blanch of the veggie can break down that wax to help better absorb the vitamin. With that said, you shouldn't over cook to eliminate all the vitamins you are trying to absorb.

Overall I was very pleased with the session. I have 3 more sessions that I can use over the course of the next year. My first was very impromptu and I wasn't very prepared since I didn't know what to expect. Now that I know I have a Dietitian at my disposal for free I am going to line up my questions!

Last note, she said if at any time I'm curious about my health status, my Dr. can do a blood panel to test my levels. I am definitely going to ask for that at my next yearly physical next month.