Whole
Health Nutrition News
April, 2005
In this issue:
Get a fresh start this
spring with a detoxifying cleanse! In this class we’ll discuss diets and
supplements that support cleansing and detoxification. This is a great way to
strengthen immunity, lose that excess winter weight, or simply feel great as
you rejuvenate your body with the change in seasons. You will sample recipes
for delicious juices, smoothies, greens, salads, and herbal teas.
Registration:
206-418-3383
Smart Snacks, Saturday,
April 9th, 1-3PM, Boys and Girls Club, Arlington.
If you’re looking for fresh
ideas for healthy snacks that will stabilize your blood sugar and leave you
feeling energized, this class is for you! We will discuss the effects of food
on mood and energy, learn the three components of a healthy snack, and sample
several delicious snacks that are easy to assemble and take with you when
you’re on-the-go.
Registration:
360-403-3448
Cleansing and Detoxification, Wed. April 11th, 7-9PM, Jennings Park Barn, Marysville.
Get a fresh start this
spring with a detoxifying cleanse! In this class we’ll discuss diets and
supplements that support cleansing and detoxification. This is a great way to
strengthen immunity, lose that excess winter weight, or simply feel great as
you rejuvenate your body with the change in seasons. You will sample recipes
for delicious juices, smoothies, greens, salads, and herbal teas.
Cleansing and Detoxification, Wed. April 20th, 7-9PM, Senior Center Demo Kitchen, Everett (Pacific and Lombard)
Get a fresh start this
spring with a detoxifying cleanse! In this class we’ll discuss diets and
supplements that support cleansing and detoxification. This is a great way to
strengthen immunity, lose that excess winter weight, or simply feel great as
you rejuvenate your body with the change in seasons. You will sample recipes
for delicious juices, smoothies, greens, salads, and herbal teas.
Healthy Desserts,
Saturday, April 30th, Boys and Girls Club, Arlington.
Is there such a thing? You’ll find out in this class where you’ll
learn how to substitute natural, healthier alternatives to refined sugar and
flour in cooking and baking, while sampling delicious desserts and tempting
treats your whole family will love. And yes, chocolate will be on the
menu!
Registration:
360-403-3448
Early Spring Detox,
Thursday, April 14thth , 6:30-9PM, West Seattle PCC. Get a fresh start this spring with a detoxifying
cleanse as Birgitte and Karen combine their culinary and clinical talents to
create delicious and healthy detoxifying foods. To strengthen your immunity,
lose excess winter weight, or simply feel great as you rejuvenate your body
with the change in seasons, come get some ideas for foods and supplements that
support cleansing and detoxification. Birgitte will demonstrate Broccoli,
Orange and Greens Salad with Orange Dijon Vinaigrette, Garlic Soup and Mushroom
Broth. You'll also taste great greens drinks, fruit smoothies and cleansing
teas. Healthy food never tasted so good! Vegetarian; no dairy or eggs.
There is a very informative
interview with me on the topic of detoxification in the April issue of the PCC
Sound Consumer newspaper. If you’re at PCC, be sure to pick up an issue.
Spring
Cleaning for your Body
The last 50 years or so has
seen the introduction of many new chemicals and plastics developed for use in
water pipes, food containers, industrial solvents, detergents, cleaning
products, fire retardants, pesticides, children's toys, furniture, cosmetics,
preservatives and for use in our homes. Many of these chemicals were designed
to be stable in the environment, so over decades they accumulate in the air,
water and soil, in the food chain, and in our bodies.
We
do not have the capacity to efficiently break them down or eliminate them
unless we take very specific measures to do so. The end result is an escalating
body burden of environmental toxins in each successive generation, as they are
passed on to our children in utero and through breast-feeding. For specific
information on chemicals in our bodies, visit http://bodyburden.org.
These chemical contaminants have become so ubiquitous that
they can almost be considered another food group. Many of these chemicals are
carcinogens, implicated in cancers that are hormonally linked — such as cancers
of the breast, uterus, ovaries, prostate, testes and thyroid. Many of them
disrupt hormones, causing imbalances in our glandular systems and damage to our
unborn children. The current epidemic of thyroid disease, infertility, learning
disabilities and cancers may be linked to our global intoxication with
synthetic chemicals.
How can we protect ourselves? We can become familiar with the chemicals that
are harmful and avoid using them. We can encourage industry and government to
ban the use of certain chemicals, doing our best to reduce the global burden.
We can detoxify regularly, assisting the liver and other organs in breaking
down and eliminating our personal inventory of harmful chemicals.
Spring is a traditional time
for cleansing and detoxification. A detox diet is about eating a clean and
hypoallergenic diet that emphasizes antioxidant foods and foods to support the
liver’s detoxification enzymes. Certain foods, such as wheat and dairy, are
common allergens. Eating a diet low in allergenic foods lowers the burden on
your digestive system and liver so that it can focus on clearing out toxins.
Below you’ll find a list of foods to include in your detox diet and those to
avoid. Follow the plan for 1-2 weeks.
BEVERAGES
Include in
diet – Teas: peppermint, licorice root, dandelion, red
clover, chamomile, Eater’s Digest, Detox Tea, green, oolong, Roiboos tea.
Avoid - alcohol,
cocoa, coffee, milk, soft drinks and decaf coffee.
CEREALS AND
GRAINS
Include in
diet - millet,
quinoa, oatmeal, brown and wild rice
Avoid – gluten grains (wheat, spelt, barley, rye), corn, processed
cereals which are puffed, flaked, etc., No white rice.
DAIRY PRODUCTS
Include in
diet - Plain
yogurt with live cultures added. Milk
substitutes: almond, soy, or rice milk.
Avoid - eggs, milk,
cheese.
FATS
Include in
diet - most
cold-pressed, unsaturated oils such as extra-virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil,
unrefined sesame or walnut oils, ghee.
Avoid - butter,
shortening, margarine, partially hydrogenated oils, saturated oils & fats,
cottonseed oil.
PROTEIN
Include in
diet - cold
water fish (baked, broiled, poached), all legumes, rice-based protein powder.
Avoid - beef, pork,
poultry and veal.
FRUITS
Include in
diet - fresh
fruits organically grown if possible.
Apples, apricots, bananas, berries, cherries, currants, grapes, guavas,
lemon, mango, melon, nectarine, oranges, papaya, peaches, pineapple, pears,
plums, persimmons, tangerines.
Avoid – grapefruit, it
slows down phase I detoxification in the liver.
VEGETABLES
(emphasize those in bold – these support the liver)
Include in
diet - raw
or freshly steamed, organically grown if possible. Artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage,
carrots, celery, chives, cucumbers, endive, green beans, green peas, lentils,
lettuce, lima beans, onions, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, yams, watercress,
kale, beet greens, radish, etc.
Avoid - sprayed or
canned vegetables.
JUICES
Include in
diet - only
fresh unsweetened, organic juices if possible.
Dilute fruit juices with 50% water. Fruit: apple, berry, cherry, grape, lemon, orange, pear, pineapple,
prune. Vegetables: organic beet,
carrot, cucumber, celery, garlic, onion, peppers (red or green), radish, red
cabbage, turnip.
Avoid - all canned and
frozen juices.
NUTS &
SEEDS
Include in
diet - limited
amounts of nuts, particularly fresh, raw walnuts, almonds, pecans. Nut butters. Seeds: flax, sunflower, sesame and pumpkin.
Avoid - roasted and/or
salted nuts and seeds.
SOUPS
Include in
diet - home
made soups made from listed ingredients.
Brown rice, quinoa or millet can be added. Miso soup with vegetables.
Avoid - canned and
creamed soups, fat stock, bouillon.
SEASONING
Include in
diet - chives,
garlic, parsley, sprouts. Herbs:
Cinnamon, cardamom, curry, fennel
seeds, cumin, coriander, turmeric, oregano, sage, and thyme. Sea salt or salt
substitutes: “Spike”, “Herbamare” and tamari (wheat- free soy sauce.)
Avoid - refined table salt.
Sign
up for one of my detox classes this month and you’ll get information on
avoiding common chemical contaminants, a detailed detox plan with some great
recipes and important supplements!
What’s
in Season
Asparagus is a perennial
vegetable, and a member of the lily family. Asparagus spears are actually the
shoots from an underground crown. It takes up to 3 years for crowns to develop
enough to begin producing shoots, but once they do, they can produce for up to
20 years.
Asparagus is a great source
of the B vitamin folate, with one cup providing about 260 mcg – more than half
the RDA. Folate is essential for preventing spina bifida, and it is also
important for cardiovascular health because it helps lower homocysteine.
Elevations in homocysteine are a risk factor for atherosclerosis. Asparagus is
also a natural diuretic due to the amino acid asparagine, which is also
responsible for the strong (but harmless) odor detected in the urine by some
people
Asparagus also contains
inulin, a carbohydrate that promotes the growth of the “friendly” intestinal
bacteria, or flora.
Asparagus can be stored in
the refrigerator upright in a jar with a few inches of water. Use within a day
or two.
1 lb asparagus, fresh spears
3 tablespoons pine nuts
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice,
fresh
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon basil, dried
¼ teaspoon pepper, freshly ground