And We’re Off!
by Allison Montanaro, Healthy Eating Specialist
Our 28 Day Challenge officially kicked off Monday night with our first evening meeting! We are seeing a huge increase in participation for this challenge from ones in the past – we’re up to about 60 participants, which is AWESOME. Even though we take over the entire café, in our eyes, the more people interested in healthy eating, the better!
During our information session, we learned all about the Engine 2 diet and its founder, Rip Esselstyn – the Texas triathlete-turned firefighter. We covered the basics of the program and what is expected of each participant. We watched some informative videos, ate delicious healthy snacks, and then gave away some awesome prizes! Hint: if you participate in the challenge by attending meetings, asking thoughtful questions, and interacting with us on our social networks (facebook, twitter, blog) you have a better chance of winning these super cool prizes.
The lesson for Monday’s meeting was on removing all dairy products from our diet. Contrary to popular belief, milk is not as beneficial as the dairy industry wants you to believe. Dairy is highly acidic and when consumed, our body attempts to neutralize the acidity before it reaches the kidneys. It does this by leaching calcium from our bones. There are many studies done on the correlation between bone health and dairy products, and it is well-known that countries with low dairy consumption have the lowest rates of osteoporosis. Additionally, upward of 75% of the world’s population cannot digest dairy, but many people do not know this. Cheese, like milk, is also highly acidic. It is high in sodium and is the #1 source of artery-clogging saturated fat. Be mindful, however, of swapping out cheese for non-dairy cheese substitutes. Often these are also high in sodium and fat, and many contain casein – a dairy protein often linked to an increased risk of cancers.
For our lesson on dairy, I had a variety of unsweetened non-dairy milks for participants to sample (almond, soy, hemp, rice, and coconut) so you could figure out what they liked the best. There really is a milk alternative for everyone! My personal favorite is coconut, and according to our participants – almond and soy were up there, too.
We also learned about replacing dairy in our diets and what we can use as replacements. For instance, silken tofu can be used in place of milk or cream in chocolate pudding. I made a delicious chocolate mousse to share with the group (Engine 2, pg 245). The dessert got its creamy consistency from Mori-Nu Silken Lite tofu, which you cannot taste in the least! Plus, you get the benefit all of that valuable plant-based protein. If you’re having a hard time kicking your yogurt habit, there are plenty of soy and almond milk varieties available. Just be sure to look for ones that are low in sugar and follow E2 guidelines.
Hopefully everyone has been successfully eating plant-strong this week! We are looking forward to catching up at Monday’s meeting and learning all about replacing meat in our diets. I will have a delicious recipe for you to try, and we will examine all of the different meat alternatives out there.
Have a great weekend and don’t forget to keep me up to date on your progress!
Thanks for the recap. It has been a great first week. The recipes I’ve tried from the E2 book have all been delicious. Looking forward to making more of them! Feeling good and looking forward to Monday’s meeting. Thanks!
Is there a difference between the milk alternatives that are sold on the shelves in the aisle and the ones that are in the refrigerated section of the store?
Hi Courtney – glad you are enjoying the challenge and all of the recipes! It’s so nice to see people taking full advantage of this challenge and the support Whole Foods Market offers. See you tonight!
Hi Donna- the milk in the refrigerated section is in a larger container and has a shorter shelf life. The alternative milk aisle 12 is shelf stable prior to opening. Other than that, there is no difference. Do you have a favorite?
Hi Dana- my favorite is unsweetened almond milk.