While I was at the Green Festival in Washington D.C., I had the pleasure of interviewing Mark E. Rifkin, MS, RD, LDN. He is a vegan nutritionist at Preventative Nutrition Services, which provides in-home and other nutrition services to the Baltimore-Metro area. He gave me some sound advice for vegans, the same advice that he gives to his clients. One of the most important tips was to plan meals ahead of time and cook on the weekends. I mentioned that I never seemed to have time to cook whole foods during the week and on busy nights I often will rely on veggie burgers, stir-fry, or spaghetti. While these things are fine, we can optimize our nutrition by cooking larger portions of whole foods on the weekends and then freezing or storing them for meals throughout the week. Collard greens, tofu, beans, and other grains should store well and it will save a lot of time to prepare them in advance. One grain the Mark recommended highly was Barley, which has way more fiber and protein than brown rice. Another tip that most vegans have heard is to take that Vitamin B12. I mentioned that I am always tired on weeknights! Well, I am super-busy (c'mon, who isn't?) but cooking ahead and making sure vitamin levels are in-check is really important for energy levels! Take a multi-vitamin, your body will thank you in the long run. Also, get more iron (read: eat beans and spinach!) and be sure you are getting plenty of vitamin C along with that to aid iron absorption. Finally, those kids will always wear you out, whether you are a parent, caregiver, teacher, or ALL OF THE ABOVE! Kids likes change frequently, so keep trying new dishes several times before you completely rule them out. My kids do that all the time. They will refuse to eat something the first 3-4 times I try it, but then something will change and they all of a sudden cannot get enough. If you are in the Baltimore Metro area and would be interested in Mark Rifkin's services, email him at preventative_nutrition@verizon.net.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Interview: Vegan Nutritionist
While I was at the Green Festival in Washington D.C., I had the pleasure of interviewing Mark E. Rifkin, MS, RD, LDN. He is a vegan nutritionist at Preventative Nutrition Services, which provides in-home and other nutrition services to the Baltimore-Metro area. He gave me some sound advice for vegans, the same advice that he gives to his clients. One of the most important tips was to plan meals ahead of time and cook on the weekends. I mentioned that I never seemed to have time to cook whole foods during the week and on busy nights I often will rely on veggie burgers, stir-fry, or spaghetti. While these things are fine, we can optimize our nutrition by cooking larger portions of whole foods on the weekends and then freezing or storing them for meals throughout the week. Collard greens, tofu, beans, and other grains should store well and it will save a lot of time to prepare them in advance. One grain the Mark recommended highly was Barley, which has way more fiber and protein than brown rice. Another tip that most vegans have heard is to take that Vitamin B12. I mentioned that I am always tired on weeknights! Well, I am super-busy (c'mon, who isn't?) but cooking ahead and making sure vitamin levels are in-check is really important for energy levels! Take a multi-vitamin, your body will thank you in the long run. Also, get more iron (read: eat beans and spinach!) and be sure you are getting plenty of vitamin C along with that to aid iron absorption. Finally, those kids will always wear you out, whether you are a parent, caregiver, teacher, or ALL OF THE ABOVE! Kids likes change frequently, so keep trying new dishes several times before you completely rule them out. My kids do that all the time. They will refuse to eat something the first 3-4 times I try it, but then something will change and they all of a sudden cannot get enough. If you are in the Baltimore Metro area and would be interested in Mark Rifkin's services, email him at preventative_nutrition@verizon.net.
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