June 13, 2009

Green oats vs. Green Monster

Hello people!!! Weekend is here, meaning time to post! I missed u guys ( I read your posts everyday, sorry if I don't comment much, schedule is still tight!).
One of my June's challenge is to have one green oat everyday, because I love it and because green veggies are just great! I enjoy a lot green oatbran, but I also wanted to try green monster since it's so popular in the blog world and because it's getting warm, an alternative to the hot green bowl is needed! I had my first green monster (the real one, I've tried green smoothie a la Coco and didn't enjoy much) following Polly's video instruction. And I must say I LOVE THIS!!! So easy to make and tastes soooooo good! This was today's breakfast combo
Green Monster + English Muffin with LC and Almond butter (I finished my last batch, need to make some more)Since I really like it, I'm considering to consume it regularly (probably alternating to green oats) I wanted to make sure that it's beneficial to my body as well. And by my surprise, I found more negative info about consuming raw spinach than positive one. For example:
"Spinach contains oxalic acid. While this cleans our intestinal tract, oxalic acid binds with calcium and diminishes the absorption of calcium in our bodies. Cooking turns the oxalic acid into crystals that could damage kidneys and limit the absorption of iron... "
So.... you people!!! Any thought about this??? Have you done any research before jumping to the green monster wagon? I really need to hear your opinion on this!

Okay. quick recap of the rest of the week. Nothing exciting except I lost all (2) my credit cards, one lost and the other one had been used by others (so, my account is closed for now). Thus, I have to deal with cash until next Tuesday. Not fun!
Wednesday: workout resting day!
breakfast was this not so mini chocolate bread. Lunch: paella + sauteed bok choy. Snack: strawberries, blueberries, oikos.Dinner: porridge + seaweed soup + sauteed veggies with chicken.DessertThursday: 45 min cardio at gym
green oat + almond butterso pretty and yummyLunch: brown rice + korean rice seasoning + veggie frittataSnack: strawberries + chocolate cake + roasted almonds
Dinner: porridge + baked fish + bok choyDessert:Friday: 75 min Dave Farmer's podcast (it was soooo good, really great workout!)
breakfast cold combo: oikos + chocolate pudding + blueberries + chocolate cake = YUM YUMLunch: same as ThursdaySnack: chocolate cake + apple
Dinner: shiritake + eggplant + spinach + black fungus + spicy sauceDessertWeekend plans
- BBQ with friends
- hiking with a friend
- cooking/baking
- RELAX!

Question: Do you always do your own research before trying new food seen in other blogs?

22 comments:

Alison Can Read said...

Your food looks delicious!
I think I've heard that about spinach before. I also think I've read that if you combine it with other foods it's fine, but I really don't remember.
It seems like every food has something bad about it. But I think the good definitely outweighs the bad of spinach.

Gina; The Candid RD said...

Wow, great foods, as always. As for the oxalic acid, yes, it can impede the absorption of calcium. However, it's only a problem if you are a vegan and spinach and other vegetables are your only sources of calcium! Clearly you get plenty of calcium, therefore you shouldn't worry about it. I have NEVER heard the thing about kidney damage from cooked spinach. Where did you read that? I don't believe that is a valid statement...I wouldn't worry about that too much. Just don't eat it all day everyday.

Ada said...

Wow that chocolate cake looks heavenly! I love that your meals are always so unique and interesting. Have a nice weekend :)

Rachel said...

You seem to be eating deliciously as always, despite the busy schedule!

I hadn't heard about the spinach thing, but I think if you're eating a variety of other foods (which you are) and getting enough calcium in general, then you should be okay. I can't really think that any serious medical problems can happen too often from spinach!

As for your question, sometimes yes, sometimes no. I don't usually "research" a recipe, because I can judge by the ingredients and cooking method if it's a good one for me. Although there have been recipes I've snagged off of blogs that turned out terrible, the majority of them have been GREAT!

Your weekend plans sound like a ton of fun, hope you enjoy them!

Much love,
Rachel

annieshin said...

wow is that spinach thing true? i actually do research before eating something new because i like to know how to cook it like how tomatoes are better when cooked, stuff like that.

Anonymous said...

Fabulous meals in today's post.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Oxalic acid can cause kidney stones in excessive amounts, but in moderation it is fine I believe! Love your chocolate & blueberry pudding dessert, yum.

Krista said...

I love all the chocolate cake in this post!

As for the spinach....I believe that if you cook it, even slightly, your body is then able to absorb the nutrients....

Erica said...

Hey hey! Hope you're having a fun weekend- hiking and bbqing sounds like fun! I have not heard that thing about spinach, but I'm with everyone else-- as long as you're having it in moderation, I'm sure you're fine!

Anonymous said...

According to J Bowden.. PhD, CNS... from his book the 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth.. Spinach is in the top ten.

Some excerpts:

"Calorie for calorie, green leafy vegetables like spinach provide more nutrients than almost any other food on the planet. Spinach is loaded with vitamins and is one of the best sources of vitamin K" ... "Vitamin K makes sure that you get the minerals into the bone where they belong."

Other things he lists off that spinach is a great source of (and he goes into why they're good, but that'd be plagarism at that point if I copied it. You have google though!)

-Vitamin C
-Vitamin A
-manganese
-folic acid
-magnesium
-iron
-lutein
-quercetin (a powerfun anti-inflammatory compound)
and at least 13 flavnoids--antioxidants and anticancer agents!!

The Environmental Working Group puts spinach as the 14th most contaminated fruit or veggie (of what they tested) so buy organic! http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php

Anonymous said...

oooh, you have an awesome weekend lined up!!

i'm loving the multiple chocolate cakes/day.

Melissa @ For the Love of Health said...

I'm glad you had a great week! I understand about being super busy! Everything you ate looks really good!! That's great you loved the green monster! I must try soon!
Did the research say how much spinach you'd have to eat before it becomes bad for you? I don't know if anyone can eat so much spinach that it can be harmful. I find it hard to believe :-) I guess everything in moderation is best.

Have a great weekend!

Maggie said...

No worries about being busy! I love reading when you get to post :)

I've heard about that spinach information too. I don't really know what to think of it. I eat a lot of spinach (from the green oat bran) but I don't know how much is too much. ::shrug:: I'm going to keep eating it for now, but I do want to do more research.

Hope you had a lovely Saturday! And enjoy tomorrow too :)

Pearl said...

yum everything looks so delicious!

Trying To Heal said...

Dang i wish i could eat meals like you!!!! so hard being on the road and in the field all the time! totally envious!!!

Meg said...

Maybe it is time for me to try a green monster. Never heard about the spinach issues!

Anonymous said...

That's news to me about the spinach! All I've ever heard about it, is that it is better cooked rather than raw. But I'm sure, like Alison says, the good outweighs the bad.

I'm seeing green monsters everywhere at the moment... I'll need to take a look at Polly's blog because mine always taste not-so-good!

Anonymous said...

oh no!! I'm so sorry to hear all your credit cards got stolen/lost!!! That is SUCH a pain in the butt to have to cancel and get new ones. :( GRRRRR

I also heard a lot of negative stuff about spinach and I think that there's a lot of truth in it. Some people may choose to ignore it, but it's definitely important to our health! Another bloggie, Gliding Calm, has been talking about it on her posts as well. She decided to drastically cut down on green monsters after her mom (who is a health care professional) presented her with a ton of research, she decided to do some research on her own and decided it wasn't worth it to drink it every day. I think you should definitely try substituting other veggies for spinach, such as kale. And perhaps when using spinach, go organic? :)

Good luck CoCo!! So...when are youcoming to Chicago!?!? hehehe

Emily said...

I agree with Gina on the calcium absorption issue. From what I've learned in my metabolism classes, oxalic acid does inhibit calcium absorption. I'd like to research a little more to find out at what point does the inhibition occur (when do calcium and oxalic acid bind)and how this relates to the bioavailability of calcium (some calcium is better absorbed from certain sources).

Love your eats and consciousness about the calcium issue!

Anonymous said...

Well, I always say too much of anything is bad for you, and same for raw spinach. I did hear that the nutrional benefits are much better with cooked spinach, though.
Oh, and I'll be in West Minister for the church retreat, at McDaniel College...It sucks because I'm not sure I can meet up, though, because I'm at a retreat and I'm teaching the youth group...:-(

The Dainty Pig said...

oh my goodness!! what an amazing feast :)
I have heard both of those things about spinach before....I don't know...I'm eating more spinach than I have in a long time right now, simply because it is the NICEST and QUICKEST green to blend (and it doesn't overpower anything). I think a bit of everything is okay...I usually eat mine raw or just lightly steamed (I pour boiling water over it). So it is never fully cooked.

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