Category — Food and Nutrition

Sweet Cabbage Soup

• 1 C orange juice
• 7 C water
• 1  C rice or soy beverage
• 1/2 C split peas
• 1/2 C steel cut oats
• 1 head of cabbage, chopped into large chunks
• 1 cup Medjool dates
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 C chopped carrots
• 1 C chopped kale
• 3 T veggie base (to make broth)
• 3 tsp spices to taste (oregano, thyme, paprika, etc)

Use a good blender and fill with 3 cups of water.  Add walnuts and dates and blend until creamy.  Then add all ingredients and the blended mixture into a large stock pot.  Cover the pot and cook on a low flame.  Stir occasionally. When the cabbage is tender, use tongs to remove from the soup and put into the blender.  With some soup broth, blend up the chunks of cabbage and pour back into the pot.  Continue cooking, and stirring occasionally, for at least another 60 minutes.

I began taking bee pollen as a natural supplement around 6 months ago.  Why?  Each Autumn I suffer from seasonal allergies/asthma when running out doors.  At times it has gotten bad enough that I had to stop in the middle of a run to catch my breath.  I read that bee pollen is a natural and nutritious superfood that can help greatly reduce or eliminate allergies.  So I decided to give it a try.

The product I’ve been using is  from Y.S. Organic Bee Farms and is called “Fresh Bee Pollen”.  I purchased a bottle at Wholefoods supermarket.  They are not capsules or pills, but are the whole granules. My first experience was a surprise, when after I digested a teaspoon of the pellets I had a distinct sense of heightened awareness and mental clarity that lasted for several minutes.  I continued to take the supplement several times per week and so far this season my seasonal allergies/asthma have reduced to almost non-existent.  

I am still not sure if I can give all the credit to the bee pollen.  My nutritional intake and level of exercise has been fairly constant for some time.  But, I’m not sure if the triggers of seasonal allergies/asthma (pollen, mold, etc.) were as high this year as in past years.  Regardless, I thought it warranted some looking into.  It turns out that consuming bee pollen is somewhat controversial. But probably most superfoods are as well.  So I’ve been doing some research about bee pollen and have discovered some interesting things I’d like to share:

The Nature of Bee Pollen

“Pollen is the male seed of flowers. It is required for the fertilization of the plant. The tiny particles consist of 50/1,000-millimeter corpuscles, formed at the free end of the stamen in the heart of the blossom. Every variety of flower in the universe puts forth a dusting of pollen. Many orchard fruits and agricultural food crops do, too.Bee pollen is the food of the young bee and it is approximately 40% protein. It is considered one of nature’s most completely nourishing foods. It contains nearly all nutrients required by humans.”

-from http://www.mercola.com/article/Diet/bee_pollen.htm

Some Stated Benefits of Bee Pollen

• Rich source of vitamins and minerals
• Corrects deficient or imbalanced nutrition
• Improves energy level
• Rich source of amino acids (the building blocks of protein)
• Inhibits development of harmful bacteria
• Reduction in allergy and asthma symptoms
• Increases blood hemoglobin, which increases oxygen carrying capacity of red blood cells
• Normalizes blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• Decreases risk of formation of cancerous tumors
• Improved athletic performance

Some Risk Factors Associated With Bee Pollen

• Possible allergic reaction — including shortness of breath, hives, swelling, and anaphylaxis.
• Not safe for pregnant women
• Not safe for women who are breastfeeding (the nursing infant may have a negative reaction)

How Bee Pollen Helps Treat Allergies

The bee pollen must be taken for at least 6 weeks before the season begins and then continued throughout the season. It works through a process called desensitization.  Exposing your body’s immune system to small doses of allergins (the chemicals that cause an immune response), stimulates your immune system to produce antibodies that eliminate the allergic reaction.  It works in a way similar to the way vaccinations are supposed to work.

How To Take Bee Pollen

If you decide on trying to add this superfood to your diet, here are some tips when starting out:

• To avoid a possible reaction to the pollen, take only a tiny bit first and gradually work your way up to 1 teaspoon per day
• Do not cook the bee pollen (that would destroy the naturally occurring enzymes)
• Eat plain, sprinkle over fresh fruit, or add to juices/smoothies
• Keep it refridegerated

Does bee pollen do all the things that are claimed?  I’m not sure.  Some research supports it and other research says that the claims are exaggerated.  It appears to be a safe whole food product that has healthful benefits.  So far, I’m amazed at the results.

Vegetarian Three Bean Chili

• 2 15 oz. can kidney beans (low salt; use the bean liquid too)
• 1 15 oz. can cannellini (low salt; use the bean liquid too)
• 1 15 oz. can black beans (low salt; use the bean liquid too)
• 1 28 oz can tomatoes (low salt)
• 2 C chopped seitan (”wheat meat”) or firm tofu
• 16 oz. frozen sweet corn (organic)
• 16  oz. frozen spinach (organic)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 C sunflower seeds
• 1 tsp cumin (to taste)
• 2 tsp Italian spices (oregano, thyme, basil, garlic, black pepper, tarragon, chives; to taste)
• 1 tsp habanero pepper sauce (to taste)

Put all ingredients in a large pot or crock pot and cook covered on a low heat for several hours.  This “comfort food” will make you feel good and will warm you up quickly.  We served it with a simple fresh salad and corn muffins.  Delicious.

Vegetarian “Chopped Liver”

• 6 T extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 1/2 C peas
• 3 hard boiled eggs (or substitute eggs with 3/4 C of tofu)
• 30 walnut halves
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

1. Cook onions in oil until lightly brown.
2. Add vegetables to the onions and cook for a few minutes more.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Put veggies, walnuts, and eggs in food processor and process until smooth.
5. Chill before serving.

Vanilla Banana Nut Smoothie

• 1 1/2 C spring or filtered water
• 1 C rice milk
• 4 large bananas
• 3 dried dates
• 1/4 C flax seeds
• 3 medium vanilla beans
• 1/3 C raw almonds
• 1/3 C raw walnuts
• ice cubes

1. Add all ingredients to Vitamix or other high-power blender in the order listed.
2. Blend on high for 60 seconds or until creamy.
3. Serve immediately and enjoy this delicious smoothie!

Tropical Mueslix

• 2 1/2  cups dry rolled whole oats
• 1/4 cup raw macadamia nuts
• 2 T ground raw chia seeds
• 3 T shredded coconut
• 1 cup sliced banana
• 1 cup pineapple chunks
• 1 cup mango chunks

1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl (we get our kids involved by mixing up a large batch; larger amounts can be mixed using the ratios listed in the recipe and then kept in the freezer for future use).
2. I recommend using nut milk(s), soy milk or rice milk instead of cow milk.
3. For a mushy mueslix (which may be better for younger children), use more liquid and let the mueslix soak for 10-15 minutes.

It’s a common misconception that by following a vegetarian diet, you will be limiting your food choices to a few basic and bland foods.  This idea is absolutely wrong.  These days, traditional supermarkets and restaurants offer a variety of delicious meatless choices. Going vegetarian can be a very healthy lifestyle choice but it has potential pitfalls.  After all, pizza, chips, cookies, soda, and french fries are vegetarian… but far from healthy!  So instead of focusing on “vegetarianism”, I recommend a whole food plant-based diet, which can do more to promote superior health than many vegetarian diets.

Defining Vegetarianism. A healthy vegetarian diets consists of eating plant-based foods such as vegetables, salads, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains. These are the three common types of vegetarianism:

• Vegan – a strict diet consisting of only plant-based foods; all animal-based foods (and in some cases animal-based products/clothing) are avoided.
• Lacto-vegetarian – allow dairy products in their diet; completely avoid eggs, meat, fish, and poultry.
• Lacto-ovo vegerarian – allow dairy products as well as eggs, but avoid all other animal-based foods.

Health Benefits of Vegetarianism

• Maintenance of normal body weight
• Lower rates of diabetes
• Greatly reduced risk of cancer
• Greatly reduced risk of heart disease
• Lower cholesterol
• Lower blood pressure
• Reduced risk of kidney stones

Common Pitfalls

• Not eating enough nutrient-dense foods (green leafy vegetables; learn how to make salads exciting)
• Eating too many grain-type products (especially non-whole grain)
• Not getting enough protein (learn how to get enough protein from plants)
• Not getting enough calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, and zinc (if your diet is filled with dark green veggies, legumes, fruit, nuts, seeds, and a variety of whole grains, you should have no difficulty; you may want to consider supplementing with a quality liquid whole food superfood supplement like intraMAX)

Simple Tips to Get You Started. Consider selecting a variety of different foods to construct your healthy diet.  Using a variety has always helped our family stay on track.  Also, realize just how blessed you are with such an amazingly delicious array of natural and wholesome foods at local stores… so explore a little and enjoy them.

• Start fresh with a home clean out.
• Start with simple recipes that you are already familiar with, such as pasta with veggies, veggie stir-fry, salads, and fruit salads.
• Begin replacing one or two meals a week and keep adding meals until your menu is fully whole food plant-based.
• Search this site and the internet for recipes.
• Dining out can be challenging.  If you’re unsure of the menu choices, I recommend filling up by eating a healthy meal prior to going out.  Restaurants that have a fair variety of vegetarian choices are Chinese, Indian, Thai, and Middle Eastern.
• Try these tips to handle picky eaters.

Our family is giving another go at gardening this year.  We are hooked on the square foot gardening (SFG) method.  Last weekend we took advantage of the few hours of sun we had on Saturday and I was able to build the boxes and, with the help of Laura and the kids, set them into our garden.  The boxes are made from four 2×6’s nailed together.

We dug out approximately 6 inches deep (putting the soil on a tarp) and leveled the beds.  We then laid down a weed block cloth and positioned the boxes on top.  We prepped the soil on the tarp by mixing it with compost, humus, and vermiculite.  Check out my home made composter made from standard Rubbermaid trashcan!

This weekend I spent a few hours to build a chicken wire cover for one of the boxes.  It should repel any of the bunny invaders that seemed to plague us last season.

Our indoor plants are growing slowly, and we are going to get them outdoor and into their new SFG home soon.  Can’t wait to see and taste fresh home-grown and sun-warmed produce!

We ended up with 3 boxes in our SFG, which should produce a sizable yield of fresh food for our family.  Working in the garden has also given Laura and I many opportunities to educate our kids.  Give it a try!

If you wonder how much your lifestyle affects your health, you have to read this article.  According to this latest research, diet appears to be the most influential factor in regards to cancer.

LONDON (Reuters) – Healthier living could prevent about a third of the most common cancers in rich countries and about a quarter in poorer ones, international researchers said on Thursday.

Better diets, more exercise and controlling weight could also prevent more than 40 percent of colon and breast cancer cases in some countries, according to the study which urged governments and individuals to do more to cut the number of global cancer deaths each year.

“At the time of publication, roughly 11 million people worldwide are diagnosed with cancer and nearly eight million people die from cancer each year,” said Michael Marmot, who led the study from the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research.

“However, cancer is mostly preventable.”

The study involved 23 experts who analyzed both the incidence of 12 common cancers across the world and data on diet, exercise and weight to see how these factors contributed to kidney, mouth, lung, gallbladder and the other cancers.

The researchers found that healthier living would prevent 43 percent of colon cancer cases and 42 percent of breast cancer cases in Britain, and 45 percent of bowel cancer and 38 percent of breast cancer cases in the United States.

The findings follow the same groups’ study in 2007 that showed how quickly people grow and what they eat are both significant causes of cancer.

They recommended — in line with what health experts, including governments and the U.N. World Health Organization, have long been advising — that people follow diets based on fruits, vegetables and whole grains and go easy on red meats, dairy products and fats.

The team also looked at China and Brazil as representatives of low- and middle-income countries, respectively.

Overall improving diet, exercise and weight would in the United States prevent more than a third of the 12 most common cancers — which also included stomach, womb (uterus), prostate, pancreas and esophagus tumors.

This amounted to 39 percent of the cancers in Britain, 30 percent in Brazil and 27 percent in China.

“This report shows that by making relatively straightforward changes, we could significantly reduce the number of cancer cases around the world,” Marmot said in a statement.

“On a global level every year, there are millions of cancer cases that could have been prevented and this is why we need to act now before the situation gets even worse.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51P2P920090226

The lesson here: if you want to have superior health, you must have a healthy lifestyle, which should include a whole-food plant-based diet.  A healthy lifestyle also should include regular moderate exercise, stress management, and getting sufficient rest among other things.

Many of our patients include regular chiropractic checkups and massage therapy as part of their healthy lifestyle because they know that it contributes to their health and well-being!

Blueberry Banana Smoothie – A Recipe for Superior Health

•  3 C rice milk
• 5 medium bananas
• 1 C blueberries
• 1 C baby spinach
• 6 pitted dates
• 1/2 C walnuts
• 1/3 C ground flax seed
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 8 ice cubes

This makes a rawsome smoothie that is loaded with healthy energy and lots of nutrition.  You don’t have to tell your kids about the spinach, or the Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, or the high levels of antioxidants… they just won’t care!  But they will think it’s delicious!