True Food Kitchen

I’ve strategically avoided going to the new Santa Monica place to avoid the crowds but after hearing rave reviews about one of the restaurants from a few of my clients the pull overcame my fears of parking hell.

True Food Kitchen meals are based on simplicity and sustainability.  They boost their food has simple, fresh, pure ingredients with a menu that is packed with “nutritious, good-for-you vegetables, whole grains and proteins, we never sacrifice flavor.”  They base their philosophy on Andrew Weil’s philosophy of anti-inflammatory eating.

I’m always skeptical about “healthy” restaurants but was pleasantly surprised.  The menu provides incredible diversity in salads, starters, entrees and extras.  I usually have a hard time finding one or two things that fit my personal and nutritional criteria but I found at least 5 or 6 things.  Seeing how my appetite is limited I chose 2 things to split with my friend Anne.

We ordered the Tuscan Kale Salad with lemon and parmesan and added Wild Salmon and the Panang Curry with chicken and vegetables.   They offered to split each dish for us which was a nice plus.

The Kale Salad was the perfect combo of sweet, tart and crunch.  The Wild Salmon had a light non-fishy taste (a sign of freshness) and went well with the salad.  The curry also had wonderful complimentary tastes along with the chicken and vegetables.  There was a small amount of brown rice mixed in the curry sauce which I estimated at no more than half a cup.

I felt completely satisfied and enjoyed my meal with a glass of iced green tea.  When our waiter Jason asked if we wanted dessert it was not even a small desire since the meal was so good, clean and satisfying.

Eating a balance of protein, clean non processed carbs (vegetables with small amounts of brown rice) and healthy fat along with great spices (lemon and curry) paves the way for health and satiation besides weight management.  True Food Kitchen does live up to it’s name and I recommend giving it a try when you feel brave enough to face the crowds of downtown Santa Monica and the parking.

Do you really know What To Eat?

Are you putting off having a nutrition consult?  A few times a day someone will say to me:  “I know what to eat, but I just don’t do it.”  Do we really know the how’s of eating – how to balance our meals, grocery shop, cook a meal and figure out a plan for how to a put it all together for our individual needs?

Over the past 20 years our food supply and diets have changed in dramatic ways.  Things are not as simple as they used to be.  There are many layers to how we eat, things to know about what goes into food, how it’s grown, fed or raised.  These details are difficult to decipher unless you are reading multiple studies and researching food a good part of the week, besides having the education to comprehend these studies.

The biochemistry of food is still the same but what we know about how food affects our health has changed. Whether our animals are fed grass or corn, how our crops are grown with or without hormones, pesticides, etc. does affect our chemistry.  Multiple ingredients and fake sweeteners in our “foods” have produced products that are not in our favor.

People go to lawyers, attorneys, doctors, counselors and trainers since they realize they require the expertise these professions require.  At the same time it is curious to me how so many individuals think they know nutrition from reading a newsletter, or an article in the paper.

Find a Registered Dietitian who goes to multiple conferences and keeps up on the research.  Bring a log of a few days of what you are eating, a copy of your most recent blood work, and bottles of any medications or supplements you are taking.  Think about your goals and needs ahead of time to get the most out of your appointment.

An hour and a half of your time could be all you need to set your eating plan on course in a nutritious direction.   Re-balancing your nutrients and some shifts here and there could make all the difference in your energy, your weight and most of all your health and happiness.

You might find yourself saying after your appointment: “I thought I knew what to eat, but after our session I realize I did not have the knowledge or tools, and now I really do know what to eat.”