Whole
Health Nutrition News
June, 2004
In this issue:
Smart Snacks, Tue. June 8th, 7-9PM. Frances Anderson Center,
Edmonds. 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.
Healthy Desserts, Monday,
June 14th, 7-9PM. Jennings Park
Barn, Marysville. 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.
Healthy Desserts, Monday,
June 15th, 7-9PM. Richmond Highlands Rec Center, Shoreline. 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.
Healthy Desserts, Tue.
June 29th, 7-9PM, Everett Senior Center, Pacific and Lombard. 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. Registration: 425-257-8300
You may be approached by
people asking you to sign initiative 895. This is an insurance industry
sponsored initiative to the people that will limit your access to health care
in the State of Washington. Do not sign I-895!
For all of you who live in
the Everett/Marysville area and northward, I’m now offering nutrition
counseling at the Wellness Clinic and Denton Massage School located at 426 N.
Olympic Ave. 360-435-8490. I will be available on Thursdays by appointment. I
now accept Regence, Premera Blue Cross, and Aetna Insurance. Of course, you can
still see me at my downtown Edmonds location on Mondays, Wednesdays, and
Fridays.
If you live in North
Snohomish County and are looking for a great activity for your 6-12 year-old
this summer, come to the Well Kids Camp at the Wellness Clinic and Denton
Massage School for a fun-filled week of activities! Begin by exploring various
art mediums, learning the art of Tai Chi along with self/defense/self awareness
concepts. Come lunchtime, I will be teaching the kids how to make healthy
lunches and snacks using kid-friendly recipes that will be easy for them to
reproduce at home. Call 360-435-8490 to register or for more information.
You know it’s summer when
mere paved surfaces spring alive with the abundant sights, sounds, smells and
colors of an open-air farmers market. From now until summer’s end is a great
time to add some extra color and nutrition to your plate: vivid green
asparagus, crimson beets, sunny orange apricots, rosy radishes…these and more
choices abound. If you value fresh, seasonal, locally grown organic food, your
regular supermarket can’t compete with the produce offered at farmers markets.
Many items are fresh-picked that morning, and the prices, especially for
organics, can’t be beat.
Farmers markets are a
tremendous resource for communities. Not only is fresh, seasonal food available
for a reasonable price, money spent at farmer’s markets is good for the local
economy – supporting
farmers by buying locally grown food keeps that revenue in the community and
connects our personal health with the health of the land and the regional
economy.
The
traditional food distribution chain uses huge amounts of fossil fuels to move
products from one end of the country to the other. The so-called fresh produce
in supermarkets is often weeks old and may have traveled 1,300 miles before
reaching your local store, no matter where you live. To make the journey,
produce is often picked green, treated with chemicals to retard ripening,
dipped in wax, and packed in bags, boxes, and crates that end up in landfills.
In contrast, locally grown food travels only a short distance from farm to
table. It's pulled from the ground or plucked from trees and bushes 24 hours
before consumers purchase it and brought to market in re-useable containers.
The result is less waste, less consumption of fuel and materials, and better
food quality.
Fruits
and vegetables contain their highest levels of nutrients when harvested fully
ripe and eaten soon afterwards. The wonderful flavor of truly fresh produce
tempts people to eat more of it, and that's a real health benefit for virtually
everyone.
Each
of us can be part of building a sustainable food system in our own communities.
We as consumers have the most power to create change by creating demand. Pay
attention to where your food comes from and where your food dollars go.
Patronize your local farmer's market this summer. Follow this link to find a
farmers market in your area: http://www.pugetsoundfresh.org/farmers_markets.htm
Super Size Me
If you haven’t yet seen the
documentary “Super Size Me”, I highly recommend it. It’s very funny and
entertaining, but also eye-opening and poignant. In the movie, director Morgan
Spurlock eats nothing but McDonald's food and drink for 30 days. He says he
consumed 30 pounds of sugar and 12 pounds of fat.
Monitored by three doctors,
the filmmaker ate three meals a day, tried everything on the menu at least
once, accepted super-size portions when offered and refused anything he couldn't
buy at the restaurant.
The result: He gained 25
pounds and got sick.
Spurlock got the idea for
the documentary, which took him to 20 cities, after seeing a news story in
which two teenage girls were suing McDonald's, blaming fast food for their obesity.
The question of personal responsibility versus corporate responsibility is a
central issue in the film, with corporate deceit taking more of a beating. He
also examines public school lunchroom fare that promotes obesity in children
through their offerings of fast food, fries, soda, and vending machines filled
with junk food.
At the start of his 30-day binge, doctors use words like "superb,"
"perfect" and "outstanding" to describe Spurlock's blood
and cholesterol levels and his overall health. He has 11 percent body fat and
is declared above average in fitness. During the 30-day filming period, he
stops exercising because most Americans don't. His muscle turns to mush, and
his body fat soars to 18 percent.
Spurlock's body goes through
a general deterioration that surprises his doctors in its rapidity. (His
girlfriend, a vegan chef, is beside herself.) Weight gain is just the outward
sign: His liver becomes toxic, his cholesterol skyrockets, his libido sags, he
gets headaches and becomes depressed. Before long, the doctors call his
condition "obscene" and "outrageous," comparing the liver
damage that Spurlock has begun to suffer to that of an alcoholic. One cites the
onset of a benign liver condition called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. It is
usually seen in obese people.
It took Spurlock 14 months
to get back to his original weight, and his liver is now normal.
The movie's cautionary
message is one of both personal responsibility and corporate accusation:
Advertising is powerful but wrong. Children need help to find healthy food.
Personal choices have powerful consequences.
As he says in the closing
reel: "It's up to you."
The movie is currently
playing at the Seven Gables theater in the U District and the Uptown Theater
near Seattle Center.
Featured Produce of the Month
Strawberries
are in season this month! Did you know the strawberry is a member of the rose
family? There are many farms in our area where you can buy these wonderful
fruits directly from the farmer – this link will give you some ideas:
http://www.pugetsoundfresh.org/schedule_result.asp?productID=68&productName=Strawberries Alternatively, you will likely find them at
your local farmers market. One caveat however – it’s best to buy organic in the
case of strawberries, particularly if buying strawberries from a supermarket.
Most strawberry fields are sprayed with a fungicide called methyl bromide,
which depletes the ozone layer, and the strawberries themselves are also
sprayed with many different pesticides. See this link for more info: http://www.foodnews.org/highpest.php?prod=PFR20A14&
Note: there are some local
producers of organic strawberries, and others may be only minimally sprayed –
just ask the farmer.
Nutritionally speaking,
strawberries are a rich source of phenols. Phenols serve as potent antioxidants
that have repeatedly been shown to help protect cell structures in the body and
to prevent oxygen damage in all of the body’s organ systems. Strawberries'
phenol content makes them a heart-protective fruit, an anti-cancer fruit, and
an anti-inflammatory fruit, all rolled into one. The anti-inflammatory
properties of strawberries include the ability of the phenols to lessen
activity of the enzyme cyclo-oxygenase, or COX. Anti-inflammatory drugs like
aspirin or ibuprofen block pain by blocking this COX enzyme, whose
over-activity has been shown to contribute to unwanted inflammation, like that
which is involved in rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, asthma, atherosclerosis,
and cancer.
In terms of traditional
nutrients, strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C,
vitamin K
and dietary fiber.
Recipe of the Month
Serve
up a special Father’s Day breakfast for Dad with this yummy but fairly healthy
pancake recipe. (You don’t need to say it’s healthy).
Orange Yogurt Pancakes with Strawberries
Ingredients
1 pint basket of organic strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and sliced
Zest of 1 organic orange
1/2 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed from above orange)
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 large egg
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted butter or coconut oil (for the griddle)
4 tablespoons plain yogurt for garnish
Warm real maple syrup
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, combine the
orange zest, juice, sugar, yogurt, egg, and butter. Beat until well combined.
If you want to do the batter ahead of time, stop here, and combine the dry
ingredients just before making the pancakes.
Add the flour, baking soda,
baking powder, and salt. Stir until combined. The batter will be thick.
Heat a griddle or large
skillet until hot and brush with some melted butter or virgin coconut oil.
Spoon the batter onto the griddle, spreading each pancake to form a 3-inch
round. Cook the pancakes 1 to 2 minutes each side. Transfer to an ovenproof
platter. (This may be done an hour in advance.) Warm the pancakes for 5 minutes
in a 350 degree F. oven before serving.
Garnish each serving with
yogurt, and pass the strawberries and real maple syrup at the table.
Yield:
4 servings