Posts Tagged ‘food focus’
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009
If you’ve been past a farmers market in the past few weeks, you’re likely to have seen what I consider the start of summer… STRAWBERRIES! And fast on her tail is blueberries and late summer strawberries. Not to leave out stone fruits like peaches, nectarines and plums of course… but berries are… well, they’re the best!
Enjoy berries while they’re in season, and while their at their peak of freshness, flavor and nutritional value. Because they’re so delicious, it’s easy to fulfill your minimum requirement of “5-a day” of fruits & veggies on berries alone! Which is good news since these nutrient powerhouses (more…)
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Tuesday, June 9th, 2009
I’m just going to flat out say it… most people don’t like asparagus because it makes their pee smell. Well, ya know what? Get over it! Asparagus is not only super good for you, it’s delicious AND it’s in season, RIGHT NOW. In the northeast, asparagus is harvested from mid-April to June, and is one of the happy harbingers of spring.
A member of the lily family, along with onions, leeks, and garlic, asparagus has been around for more than 2500 years. First cultivated by the Greeks, the long stalky vegetable was prized as an herbal medicine, used to treat toothaches and prevent bee stings (maybe by making your blood smelly like your pee?). I’m not sure about either of those remedies, but asparagus IS a known diuretic and has a long history as a treatment for swelling, such as arthritis and rheumatism, and as well as PMS-related water retention.
Isn’t nature grand? I love how she provides us with tasty ways to treat just about everything. Nature, hats off to you dear lady for having something for all that ails us. (more…)
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Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
Fennel is one of those vegetables that I always passed by in the store with nary a thought to what it was, or how to use it. Only recently did I start to investigate this interesting and pretty little thing. Somewhere deep in my subconscious was likely floating around the memory of someone once telling me that fennel tasted like licorice. Seeing as true licorice (that awful black stuff) was clearly made by the devil, and embodies all the foul and putrid things in the world, it was no wonder I overlooked this plant (Sorry if you like black licorice, it’s just really very gross. In the Netherlands they eat salted black licorice. Someone once made me taste one of these vile “candies”, and well… the memory is a dark one).
A little digging unearthed the fact that licorice is in fact NOT the same as fennel, or anise for that matter, which fennel is often mislabeled as. Fennel, anise, and star anise all share similar flavors, which is why they are often confused with each other.
Fennel is highly aromatic, and has not only culinary uses, but a long history of medicinal uses as well. Fennel is more mild in flavor than anise, and yes, does have a mild licorice flavor, but it’s sweet and mellow. The entire plant is edible, the seeds collected, dried and used in a variety of cultures around the world. Featured prominently in Italian cuisine (think meatballs and sausages for the seeds, and pastas, salads, and risottos for the bulb).
Its medicinal qualities range from easing flatulence (a primary ingredient in Gripe Water for babies), to treating hypertension. Fennel tea for adults can relax the intestines (yikes!) and reduce bloating caused by digestive disorders.
Loaded with Vitamin C, fennel is also a great source of fiber, folate and potassium. Here are some random facts about fennel!
- Often used as a flavoring in toothpaste
- Is a primary ingredient in absinthe
- Plain water drunk after eating fennel seeds in extremely sweet!
If you’re looking for ways to experiment with fennel (I don’t mean absinthe!), here are a few suggestions:
- Sauteed onions and fennel make a great side dish
- Braised fennel is a wonderful compliment to scallops
- Top thinly sliced fennel with yogurt and mint leaves
- Fennel and salmon pair perfectly
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Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
I know your mom always told you to eat your veggies…and I’m not your mom, but really, I’m going to tell you the same thing… I’m going to tell you to eat your greens every month through the spring (and probably the rest of the year too). Why? Because it’s annoying. No, really, because the spring is THE season for greens, and well dammit, they’re tasty, they’re good for you, AND (this is the best) eating them regularly can help you shed some of the winter weight you packed on (it’s okay, we all packed some on. it’s normal, and natural. so there.).
Collard greens mean business. They are a hardcore vegetable, and a nutritional powerhouse. They’re loaded with proven cancer fighting phytonutrients, calcium, vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin C, as well as folate, B vitamins, potassium, and of course fiber. While I may gently pester people about increasing the amount of raw foods they eat, collards are one of those vegetables that actually increases in nutritional value as you cook it. It’s still super healthy when eaten raw, but gently cooking these sturdy leaves breaks down cell walls, and releases the good stuff. So to all those raw-foodists out there (mom, I’m talking to you!), go crazy and cook your collards!
Cooked for over an hour with ham hocks and bacon, they are known in the south as a “mess o’greens”, and have been eaten that way for centuries. While tasty I’m sure, traditional “mess o’greens” are not the most healthful way of eating collards. It’s not really fair to call collards a “Southern thing” though… they have been eaten all around the world just about forever. In fact, collards date back to prehistoric times, and both the ancient Greeks and Romans regularly ate them. So really, eating collards is a “prehistoric thing”.
They may seem daunting at first, considering their size (single leaves can easily be bigger than your head!) but they are really one of the easiest greens to work with. Their smooth flat surface makes them a snap to rinse…no little crevices for dirt or bugs to hide. Simply fold them in half lengthwise, and either gently tear or use a knife to remove the stalk from the leaves. Stack and roll the leaves into a fat cigar and then slice into long strips. Or you can just roughly chop them. Sautee them, boil them in stock, use the broad leaves, cooked or raw as “wraps”, or throw them in a pot of soup.
However you decide to eat them, just do it. They are delicious, and excellent for you! If you don’t, I’ll call your mom and tell on you.
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Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
Fats and oils add wonderful taste and texture to so many of our foods. They are unctuous, and delicious, and we love them, we really really love them, despite being told they are BAD and we need to STAY AWAY. These are lies my friends, LIES!
Fats are our pals, our allies. We need them to live. Our brains are 60% fat, so those of you on a low fat diet… you’re brain starved! Fats and oils from whole foods and other quality sources can do wonders for our bodies. They can steady our metabolism, keep hormone levels on even keel, nourish our skin, hair, and nails, and provide lubrication to keep our bodies moving and functioning the way the should be. Our bodies need fat for insulation, and to protect our organs. Our brains need fats to help keep communication signals flowing.
So why does fat get such a bad rap? Because the fats and oils that are most commonly used are not only heavily processed and often hydrogenated, but they are the kinds of fats that are not very healthy. We want to stay away from these as much as possible. Margarine, and tran-fats, I’m taking to YOU!
A healthy dosage of high-quality fat in a meal satisfies, and gives us feelings of energy, fulfillment and warmth. If there are excess fats and oils in our diet, even the good kinds, less awesome things happen. Namely, weight gain, high blood pressure, liver strain, and an overall feeling of mental, physical, and emotional heaviness. The blahs. Do your nails chip? Is your hair brittle? Is your skin super dry? These are sings of insufficient high-quality fats in your diet.
There are plenty of choices when it comes to healthy fats and oils. Butter (not margarine!), ghee (clarified butter), and coconut oil are great for sauteing because they don’t break down when used at high temperatures. For moderate temperature cooking, organic, extra virgin olive oil is ideal. Fancy oils, both tasty and super healthy are best when used unheated. Some “fancy” oils you might want to try are: flaxseed, sesame, toasted sesame, walnut, macadamia nut, and pumpkin seed. These are amazing when drizzled on salads, soups, grains, veggies, or even pasta.
Other healthy fats can be found in whole nuts and seeds (walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc.), and in their butters (like almond butter or tahini). Whole foods like olives, avocados and coconuts are excellent sources of healthy fat, along with wild salmon. Experiment with different types of fats and oils and see which ones agree with you and leave you satisfied.
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Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
Ew! Okay, so two months in a row I’m featuring foods that some people consider just weird. Seaweed… okay, that’s fairly benign… if you’ve ever eaten Japense food, you’ve likely eaten seaweed, so it’s not THAT weird. But fermented foods!? Again, if you’ve ever eaten Japanese food, you’ve likely eaten fermented foods. Think MISO! Anyone out there ever had a Ruben Sandwich? Think Sauerkraut! What about bread, cheese, alcohol? Ever eaten a pickle? Yogurt?
Fermented foods have been around for thouusands of years, and have a long history of being considered a wholesome, healing food. There’s a big rage these days about pro-biotics, and “active cultures”. Most people would turn to yogurt when they hear pro-biotics, and they would be correct. However, most yougurts, even the ones sold as a pro-biotic (Dan Active) are loaded with sugar. In fact, one 3oz serving of Dan Active has 17g of sugar in it! Thats more than 1 Tablespoon of sugar in only 3oz. It’s shameful that a product like that is being marketed as a healthy choice. tsk tsk.
But I digress, this is supposed to be about the wonders of fermented foods! Almost every culture througout history has their own type of fermented foods, and those cultures who consume more than average amounts in their diets have incredibly long life-spans. Everyone from Ancient Romans to Captin Cook have relied on fermented foods for their superior nutritional profile. While we have not really moved away from eating fermented foods today, we have moved away from the traditional ways in which they were made. Store bought yogurts and sauerkrauts are pasteurized, killing off all of the beneficial enzymes and healthy bacteria that inspired their creation to begin with.
Loaded with vitamins, minerals, and healthy lactobacili bacteria, fermented foods can serve not only as a delicious meal, but as a functional food, assisting your body in re-establishing or maintaining a healthy digestive system. Fermented foods like Kimchi, sauerkraut, kiefer are easy to incorporate into your diet. While technically breads, alcohols, pickles and cheeses are fermented foods, they do not offer the same level of healthful nutrients and pro-biotics of simple fermented vegetables, dairy and grains. Experiment with making your own! It’s easy, fun, and cheap!
Here are some great online resources about fermentation, including websites that offer tutorials on making your own at home:
Author and self-proclaimed “fermentation fetishist” Sandor Katz
Short History of Fermented Foods
How to Make Kefir at Home
How to Make Sauerkraut at Home
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Wednesday, January 14th, 2009
Oh, you mean sushi, right? Well, not exactly. Yes, the dark green stuff wrapped around your sushi is seaweed, and yes it’s delicious, but there is a much larger world of seaweed out there to explore. Not yet part of mainstream American eating, seaweeds have been consumed by humans for thousands of years, and are a primary source of nutrition for many cultures. Sea vegetables, in all their forms, are abundant all over the world and are one of the most ancient life forms on earth.
There are many types of seaweeds available, each with distinct tastes, and with specific healing and nutritional properties. Virtually fat-free, seaweeds are low calorie foods loaded with minerals that are often difficult to find from other food sources. Sea water, and human blood contain many of the same minerals and in similar concentrations, and eating vegetables from the sea provides us these minerals in an easily absorbable manner. Sea veggies contain 10 - 20 times the minerals and vitamins of land vegetables, contain significant amounts of protein, and are sources of both soluble and insoluble fiber. Certain types of seaweeds have even been shown to remove heavy metals from the body.
In traditional Chinese healing, sea vegetables correspond to the winter season and to the kidneys, adrenal glands, bladder and reproductive organs. The strengthening, balancing and cleansing properties of sea vegetables are known to help these organs as well as the hair, skin and nails. Sea vegetables (or seaweeds) provide a variety of minerals and vitamins, including calcium, iron and iodine, and can help balance hormone and thyroid levels in the body. Eating too many processed foods or foods grown in mineral-depleted soil can result in a lack of minerals in the body, leading to cravings for salty or sugary foods. Adding sea vegetables to your diet can help balance your energy levels and alleviate cravings.
Vitamins
Seaweeds contain vitamins A, B, C, and E6, niacin, and folic acid. Many types of seaweeds also seem to contain vitamin B12, found almost exclusively from animal sources (although plants and animals are unable to synthesize B12; only certain bacteria are capable of B12 production).
Minerals
Mineral deficiency is on the rise, due primarily to the steady deterioration of the soil, and water quality in which our food grows. Non-organic growing methods deplete the soil of valuable nutrients, including minerals. Seaweeds are rich in calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, iodine, iron, and zinc.
Some more common types of seaweeds:
Arame
Hijiki
Kelp
Kombu
Wakame
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Wednesday, December 10th, 2008
If I had to pick the ugliest member of the vegetable family…Im sorry celeriac, it would be you. But please, as we are always told, don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Celeriac, also known as Celery Root, is a delicious and healthy winter root vegetable that should NOT be overlooked. Despite it’s name, it’s actually a cousin of the green stalk celery everyone is familiar with. This variety is grown almost strictly for it’s root, and not it’s stalk. In season from October to April, this mild tasting vegetable is a great stand-in for, or addition to traditional starches like potaoes and turnips. Unlike most root vegetables, however, celeriac is only about 5-6% starch by weight. It’s rich in phosphorus and potassium, high in vitamin C, niacin, iron, and dietary fiber. Really now, it’s not so ugly after all!
Simply cut away the burly, knotty exterior (you may have to cut off quite a bit) and add it raw to salads for a cool crunch, somewhere in between celery (duh) and jicama in flavor. You can roast them or fry them like french fries, or puree them into a rich and creamy soup. Or, slap on your beret, and make ‘celeri remoulade’, a very traditional French salad of shredded celeriac tossed with a mustard-mayonnaise dressing.
How ever you try it, just make sure you do! Your local farmers market should have them through the winter.
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Tuesday, November 11th, 2008
Okay, I know… brown rice is quintessential hippy food. Lots of people still scoff at it, but it really is a fantastic food staple and should be embraced by all, hippies or not. When you say ‘rice’, most people think white, but lets work on changing that, ok? White rice is the stripped and processed remnants of brown rice, a mere shadow of it’s former self. Aside from being almost nutritionally void, white rice is pure carbohydrate, and breaks down in our systems quickly, elevating our blood sugars and giving us unsustainable, superficial energy. Brown rice provides four times the amount of insoluble fiber as white rice, and an impressive roster of vitamins and minerals such as concentrated B vitamins (which help nervous systems and mental depression), niacin, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, and even some vitamin E. This whole grain also contains a small amount of high-quality protein in the form of the amino acid lysine, which helps boost the body’s ability to fight viruses, especially those that cause cold sores.
Brown rice is a complex carbohydrate and therefore burns more slowly in the body, providing a steady stream of long lasting energy, while increasing the brain’s levels of serotonin, the chemical responsible for the feeling of well being… great for extended Greateful Dead concerts. Just kidding. Only hippies like the Greateful Dead. And I don’t know about you, but I’m no hippy. People who consistently eat brown rice report steady energy levels, and an overall feeling of calm and balance in their lives. Sound like any hippies you know? But really, calm and balance are things we are likely all seeking, so cast off your long harbored feelings of disdain for your patchouli doused, dreadlocked breathren, and cook yourself up some brown rice.
For brown rice, and whole grains in general, the majority of digestion occurs in the mouth through chewing and exposure to saliva. But seeing as you read the previous entry in this newsletter, you already knew that! In addition to brown rice, there are many great tasting whole grain rices you can try. Here are some of my favorites:
Wehani Rice
Black Rice
Wild Rice (technically a seed and not a grain, but still delish)
Bhutanese Rice
Jasmine
Basmati
Some of these are nutty, and others are sweet and fragrant. Experiment or mix & match, just don’t forget to chew.
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Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008
Who here doesn’t love sweets!? I do!! But personal experience has proven that not all are created equal.
Sweet flavors release serotonin in our brains, the chemical responsible for our sense of well-being and contentment (low levels of serotonin are responsible for many cases of depression, and anti-depressents often focus on increasing brain levels of serotonin).
This is why desserts and candy make us oh so happy! But being aware of the TYPES of sweeteners we put into our body is very important. There are side effects and health risks from refined sweeteners like white table sugar, and high-fructose corn syrup, and from artificial chemical sweeteners like NutraSweet, saccharin, and Splenda. Because they have been stripped of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, refined sweeteners can not only spike blood sugar, which can lead to cravings and mood and energy fluctuations, but offer zero nutritional benefit. New studies are looking at whether high-fructose corn syrup actually interferes with the hormones in our bodies that tell our brains that we our stomachs are full!
Using naturally and minimally processed sweeteners and increasing our consumption of sweet vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes and winter squash like pumpkin can reduce sugar cravings, level blood sugar ups and downs, stabilize moods, and have a dramatically positive effect on long-term health.
Here are three natural sweeteners to substitute in drinks, food, and baking. Agave is a fairly concentrated sweetener, and you can often get away with using less than you would for white sugar. You can find them in most supermarkets, and pretty much any natural foods store. When replacing sugar with liquid sweeteners in a baking recipe, make sure you reduce the amount of other liquids accordingly so as not to throw the ratio of wet to dry ingredients.
AGAVE NECTAR
A personal favorite and the sweetener I swear by (as a hypoglycemic). Agave is made through the extraction and purification of the juice of the agave cactus (the same plant family that tequila comes from). It does not stimulate insulin production as others sugars to, so it does not create a “sugar rush” and is considered a low-glycemic sweetener. It’s very mild in flavor, with only the “amber” variety carrying any sort of actual flavor. This is an ideal sweetener for coffee, as it doesn’t impart any distinctive taste.
MAPLE SYRUP
Maple syrup is the concentrated extract of the sap of maple trees. It adds a rich, deep flavor to foods and drinks. Make sure to look for 100% pure maple syrup, NOT maple-flavored corn syrup. As with all sweeteners, organic varieties are best. Available is dark and light varieties, the darker being more rich in flavor and less processed. Great in oatmeal, of course on pancakes and waffles, but also has it’s place adding a complex sweetness to baked beans, or roasted winter squashes.
RAW HONEY
Everyone seems to love honey, one of the oldest natural sweeteners on the market. Honey will have a different flavor depending on the plant source. Some are very dark and intensely flavored, and it’s fun to experiment with different varieties. Whenever possible, choose raw honey as it contains small amounts of enzymes, minerals and vitamins. Raw honey is also a useful products to keep around the house in case of cuts, scrapes and burns as it has been used for centuries as a natural anti-bacterial. Check out Manuka Honey!
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