Whole Health Nutrition News
December, 2005
No classes scheduled for
December – I’m heading to Mexico! - but
here’s a heads up for January – details will follow in the January newsletter:
1/22: 15 Minute Meals at
Discover U
1/23: 15 Minute Meals in
Kirkland
1/26: One Pot Meals in
Marysville
1/28: One Pot Meals in
Arlington
1/30: One Pot Meals in
Kirkland
Surviving the Holidays
1. BE A GENEROUS HOST: If
you're entertaining and have lots of leftover goodies, send friends home with
doggie bags so you won't be so tempted to finish up all the remains. Or freeze
leftovers for meals you'll enjoy in January.
2. DON'T ARRIVE HUNGRY: Take the edge off your hunger before a party. Feeling
hungry can sabotage even the strongest willpower, so eat a small snack such as
yogurt, low-fat cheese with a cracker or some fruit before you head out the
door. This will help you from eating everything in sight as soon as you arrive
at the party.
3. EAT SMALLER PORTIONS AND EAT SLOWLY: At a buffet dinner, choose the foods
you really want and eat in half portions. Always start with less than what you
think you'll eat and you'll be surprised at how little it really takes to
satisfy you. Put your food on appetizer-sized plates instead of regular dinner
plates and you'll fill your plate with less food. Put your fork down between
bites and chew well.
4. BE THE DESIGNATED DRIVER: Alcohol can increase your appetite and also reduce
your resolve. It also has lots of calories. A 5-oz. glass of white wine is 100
calories, a 12-oz. beer is 150 and 1.5 oz. scotch is 100 calories. Be careful
of the mixers that add even more calories. Juice and pop contain about 100
calories per cup compared to soda water or diet pop with virtually no calories.
A glass of eggnog has about 175 calories but the lighter versions are
considerably less.
5. MOVE AWAY FROM THE TREATS: At a cocktail party, don't stand near the table
with the richest foods. When you want a treat, go over, take one or two goodies
and move away for your conversations. Remember that conversation is calorie
free!!
6. IF YOU HAVE SPECIAL diet concerns -- food allergies, a cholesterol problem
or diabetes -- let your hostess know ahead of time so it won't be uncomfortable
for either of you.
7. CHOOSE LOWER CALORIE PARTY FOODS: Raw vegetables with a light dip, seafood
with cocktail sauce or lemon, sushi, skewers of chicken or wraps can all be
good choices. Go easy on things like mini quiches, crab puffs, the fried
chicken wings or fried egg roll. One skewer of chicken has less than 100
calories compared to three chicken wings at over 200 calories and 1 tbsp. of
salsa dip has less than 15 calories compared to a sour cream dip at close to
100 calories.
8. IF YOU HAVE CHOICES, pick the lower calorie ones first and eat those in the
largest quantity. If you fill up on those, then you can sample the richer food
when you aren't so hungry.
9. DON'T TRY TO BE "PERFECT" during the holidays. That will only
sabotage your efforts to look after yourself. Instead of thinking about all the
foods you can't have, look at the positive things you can enjoy. Eating well on
the days that you aren't partying will help you feel well during the upcoming
season.
10. THE SECRET TO HOLIDAY SUCCESS is moderation, balance and especially
enjoyment.
Organic food on parents'
grocery lists
Thursday,
November 24, 2005
Amy Johnson has been
buying organic food for five years and nearly nine months.
"I started when I
became pregnant with (my son), but now I do it for the whole family,"
Johnson said. "I became very conscious that I was going to be having a
child and anything I'd be consuming the child would also be getting."
She is among the
increasing number of parents who buy organic food to keep their children's
diets free of food grown with pesticides, hormones, antibiotics or genetic
engineering.
On a
Tuesday-before-Thanksgiving grocery shop trip, Johnson stopped at PCC Natural
Market near Green Lake for an organic turkey.
Five-year-old Isaac,
burned out after a full day of preschool, pulled a bottle of orange juice (his
favorite) out of the cart.
Johnson said she feels
better watching Isaac gobble pesticide-free blueberries and strawberries.
"He's just turned
into a big fruit and vegetable eater," Johnson said. "We've actually
found that (organic) produce just tastes better."
Sales of organic baby food
have jumped nearly 18 percent since last year, double the overall growth of
organic food sales, according to the marketing information company AC Nielsen.
As demand has risen,
organic food for children has been popping up outside natural-food stores.
For example, Earth's Best
baby food, a mainstay in Whole Foods and Wild Oats markets, just reached a
national distribution deal with Toys "R" Us and Babies "R"
Us. Gerber is selling organic baby food under its Tender Harvest label.
Stonyfield Farm's YoBaby yogurt can be found in supermarkets across the country.
The concern about children
is that they are more vulnerable to toxins in their diets, said Alan Greene, a
pediatrician in Northern California. As children grow rapidly, their brains and
organs are forming and they eat more for their size than do grown-ups, Greene
said.
"Pound for pound,
they get higher concentrations of pesticides than adults do," said Greene,
who promotes organic food on his Web site, www.drgreene.com, and in his books.
New government-funded
research adds to the concern. A study of children whose diets were changed from
regular to organic found their pesticide levels plunged almost immediately. The
amount of pesticides detected in the children remained imperceptible until
their diets were switched back to conventional food.
"We didn't expect
that to drop in such dramatic fashion," said Emory University's Chensheng
Lu, who led the Environmental Protection Agency-funded research. Lu's findings
will be published in February in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Scientists are still
trying to figure out how pesticides affect children, Lu said, but he notes that
it took years to prove the health hazards of lead.
The uncertainty is driving
parents, especially new or expectant mothers, to switch to organic food. Many
are even making their own baby food from organic ingredients.
"Maybe that has the
reputation of being difficult, but it doesn't have to be, and once you get into
the habit of doing something regularly, it gets to be easier," said Jody
Villecco, a nutritionist for Whole Foods.
In a traveling lecture
series for Whole Foods and Mothering magazine, Villecco demonstrates by shaving
a peeled banana with a knife to make mush -- "There, we just made baby
food," she said. She recommends people make baby food in big batches and
freeze it in ice-cube trays.
Eating organic is
definitely not cheap. But Green and Lu said parents have options if they can't
afford the food or don't want to search for it or make it: Buy fruits and
vegetables known to have lower pesticide residues.
The Environmental Working
Group, a Washington-based advocacy group, has produced a guide to the pesticide
levels in fruits and vegetables commonly sold in grocery stores, basing the
findings on data from the Agriculture Department and Food and Drug Administration.
The guide says the lowest
pesticide levels are found in asparagus, avocados, bananas, broccoli,
cauliflower, sweet corn, kiwi, mangoes, onions, papaya, pineapples and sweet
peas.
The highest pesticide
levels, meanwhile, are found in apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries,
imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach
and strawberries.
Beyond baby food, dairy
and produce, snacks are also a rapidly growing segment of organic food,
according to the Organic Trade Association, an industry group.
Snacks are a priority for
Susan Guegan, 44, a mother of four boys in Boulder, Colo. Guegan made their
food from scratch when they were babies. Now she buys organic versions of the
cookies and hot dogs they ask for.
"They love
Oreos," she said. "They'll say, 'Can we get this?' I'm like, 'Can you
read me the ingredients?' They'll laugh and try to say some of them. I'll say,
'You can put that back.' "
From SEATTLE
POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/249625_hcenter24.html
What’s in Season
We are just beginning to
discover the wealth of nourishment supplied by the mildly sweet flavored and
finely textured winter squash that was once such an important part of the diet
of the Native Americans that they buried it along with the dead to provide them
nourishment on their final journey.
One of the most abundant
nutrients in winter squash, beta-carotene, has been shown to have very powerful
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Beta-carotene is able to prevent
the oxidation of cholesterol in the body. Since oxidized cholesterol is the
type that builds up in blood vessel walls and contributes to the risk of heart
attack and stroke, getting extra beta-carotene in the diet may help to prevent
the progression of atherosclerosis.
It may also protect
against diabetic heart disease and may be useful for preventing other
complications caused by free-radicals often seen in long-term diabetes.
Additionally, intake of foods such as winter squash that are rich in carotenoids
may be beneficial to blood sugar regulation. Research has suggested that a high
intake of carotenoids may be inversely associated with insulin resistance and
high blood sugar levels.
Studies have also shown
that a good intake of beta-carotene can help to reduce the risk of colon
cancer, possibly by protecting colon cells from the damaging effects of
cancer-causing chemicals.
Finally, beta-carotene's
anti-inflammatory effects may help to reduce the severity of conditions like
asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, which all involve
inflammation.
Other nutrients found in
winter squash are also useful for a number of different conditions. The potassium
in winter squash may help to lower blood pressure, and the vitamin C
may be able to reduce the severity of conditions like asthma, osteoarthritis,
and rheumatoid arthritis and also to prevent the progression of conditions
like atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease.
In addition to its ability
to lower high cholesterol levels, which reduces the risk of heart disease,
the fiber
found in winter squash is also able to prevent cancer-causing chemicals from
attacking colon cells. This is one of the reasons why diets high in fiber-rich
foods have been associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer.
Adapted
from whfoods.com
Recipe of the Month
This is really easy to
make, but very delicious and nutritious. It makes a great side dish at the
holiday table.
Slice squash into 1-inch
thick rings, discarding seeds. Arrange in shallow baking pan. Bake, covered, in
a 350° oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until just tender. Season with salt and
pepper. In medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and
nutmeg. Stir in apple cider. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and
bubbly. Stir raisins, butter and maple flavor into the sauce. Spoon over
squash. Continue baking, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until squash is
tender.