My favorite color? Green!

HEA Demonstration Cook extraordinaire, Roberta Adams, came across some excellent advice on cooking greens at Dr. Colin Campbell’s website: http://nutritionstudies.org. Here’s what Roberta had to say:

“It says to cook your greens to “peak color”, stop cooking with cold water, then season.  This would make leftovers much more appealing. Mine usually look pretty sick. Something to experiment with.”

Following is the article by Mark Sutton that Roberta referenced:

One of the earliest signs of spring is the visual jolt of green that arrives every year from perennial sorrels to dandelion plants. Soon to follow will be spinach, arugula, chard… and the list goes on. This wonderful reminder that the plant kingdom is re-awakening helps to shake out our winter lethargies and provide inspiration to harvest tasty greens densely loaded with nutrients and antioxidants that restore health.

Selecting Greens

Nearly 1,000 species of plants with edible leaves grow around the world. Marvelously, greens grow fast, are hearty and prolific.

The availability of local greens depends on your planting zone and the season, but there is a general pattern of emergence. There are several websites where you can enter your state and the month to get a list of what produce is available locally.

Choose greens that are vibrant in color (generally dark green) and not yellowed, bruised, or wilted. Leaves should be crisp and not flaccid. Stems (if appreciable in size) should be firm and not limp. We often underestimate how much leafy greens will cook down, so be sure to get plenty.

Rinsing & Storing Greens

It is recommended that you use a salad spinner to remove excess water after rinsing greens. Alternatively you can submerge your greens in a sink full of water to remove insects or dirt and then blot them dry with a (paper) towel. When working with smaller greens it is best to use a spinner, but you can blot all greens with paper towels. Note: if you are going to cook the greens, then drying them isn’t necessary, just shake them a little over your sink.

Place the greens between three or four connected sheets of paper towel, with the greens spread across. Then place another layer of paper towel on top, rolling them up like a large burrito. Store in a gallon sealable bag or container. This method increases shelf life. Most greens (depending on size, thickness, and age) will stay fresh for at least 4 days in the refrigerator. Collards and kale may last up to a week or more if stored properly. Some people like reusing grocery store perforated plastic bags for storing their greens.

Cooking Greens

Technique and duration of cooking will vary with the type and maturity of the greens chosen. Swiss chard, mustard greens and spinach all cook quickly. Denser kale and collard greens will take longer. Boiling will help tone down spicy greens such as mustard greens.

Boiling

1. Bring water to a boil then add greens.
2. Cooking times depend on the type of greens. You’ll recognize when your greens are at “peak cook” when their color turns brighter.
3. Use a slotted spoon to scoop greens out, spray with (or dip into) cold water to end cooking.
4. Drain, cool, squeeze, chop, then plate and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar or a couple of squeezes of lemon juice.

Simmering

1. Rinse, chop greens and simmer in a couple inches of liquid until they brighten.
2. Remove with a slotted spoon, rinse in cold water and let drain.
3. Sprinkle with seasonings or liquids of choice.

Incidentally, in the South, they used to cook down seasoned collard, turnip, or mustard greens with water. The leftover liquid containing essential vitamins and minerals is called “pot liquor.” This is trending today as well. Why not reuse the liquor from cooking your greens as a beverage, in soups, sauces, or stews?

Cooking With a Wok: A favorite method for cooking greens is to chop them and place in a non-stick wok (or a non-stick stir-frying pan). Young tender greens, for the most part do not work well in wok cooking.

1. Add chopped fresh garlic, dried red pepper flakes (or diced, dried chilies).
2. Add ¼ to ⅓ cup of liquid (water or wine, etc. amount depending upon volume of greens).
3. Heap more chopped greens on top. Bring to a medium simmer (covered), then lower heat.
4. When the greens start to wilt, stir mixture a few times until greens are cooked to desired texture.

Some people like to remove the “rib” from leaves of chard, kale, or collards (stripping them). Another method is to cut the ribs crosswise like celery slices, and add them at the bottom of a stir-fry so they are tender when cooked. When stir-frying with other vegetables, add the greens last.

Greens are vibrant, colorful, versatile, low-calorie, delicious and nutrient dense. Have fun exploring one of the greatest gifts to our health that nature has generously provided.

A Juicy Tidbit

As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m a big fan of Dr. Michael Greger’s (Nutritionfacts.org). In his latest blog (June 9, 2016), Dr Greger makes a convincing case for blending whole fruits (as in “smoothies”) over juicing them.  It was an interesting read for me because I had begun to think that smoothies were a bit out of favor (some experts tell us that it’s preferable to chew our food.)  In fairness, in this latest blog, Dr. Greger doesn’t really address whether it’s preferable to chew the whole fruit rather than blend it; rather he’s addressing blending vs. juicing.

He tells us that a recent Harvard School of Public Health investigation found that consumption of whole fruits is associated with a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes whereas fruit juice consumption is associated with higher risk. He goes on to say that if we eat apples, our cholesterol drops, but if we drink apple juice, our cholesterol may actually go up a little. Interesting information! Dr. Greger says that leaving just a little of the fiber behind (as in cloudy apple juice) adds back in some of the benefit.

It turns out that fiber is important for much, much more than as a bulking agent for bowel regularity (read the details in his blog.)

He asks the question, “Why can’t the juice industry just add some of the fiber back to the juice? It turns out that when fruits and vegetables are juiced we lose ALL the nutrients that are bound to the fiber!

The complete article is definitely worth a read. Check it out at: www.nutritionfacts.org

GMOs: What the Experts Actually Said

HEA Coach Phyllis Lee forwarded the following interesting article about GMOs.

After an expert panel convened by the National Academy of Sciences issued a long-awaited report on genetically engineered foods, much of the news coverage said it gave GMOs an unqualified seal of approval. In fact, the report pointed to an array of concerns and unanswered questions. Here are the top ten findings of the report that most traditional and social media missed – or got plain wrong.

1. You can’t generalize about GMOs. The panel was careful to say you can’t generalize about genetic engineering, and we should instead be looking at each product (or new trait) to assess the benefits and costs, not the process.  The report warns against making sweeping generalizations, such as assuming all GMOs are safe.
2. Some traits may not be safe. While the report found no evidence that a handful of currently commercialized traits pose food safety risks, the panel was careful to say other traits could pose risks.
3. Allergens are hard to detect. In particular, the panel found that technology providers and regulators could miss potential allergens and called again for post-market testing.
4. The GMO regulatory process is broken. The report found many flaws in the GMO regulatory process and called for regulatory reforms as well as more research.
5. GMO crops do not increase crop yield. The panel explained why GMOs don’t – and never were designed to – increase yields, and also found no evidence that GMO crops are actually increasing yields.
6. Herbicide use is up and headed higher – Although insecticide spraying has gone down on Bt corn and cotton, the use of herbicides on GMO crops (some of which are engineered to withstand applications of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup) has been going up and will keep increasing. In recent years, farmers have been forced to turn to mixtures of weed killers as weed resistance spreads.
7. Herbicides may be dangerous. Though the panel said herbicide toxicity is more important than volume, the panel punted on the question of whether glyphosate or other weed killers increase the risk of cancer and other health problems.
8. Regulators should have more power. To address rising herbicide use and help manage weed resistance, the panel said regulators should be able to impose requirements on farmers to address unforeseen risks.
9. GMO labels make sense. Without GMO labels, consumers can not make food choices that reflect their values, the panel found. The consumer’s right-to-know is ample reason to require a mandatory GMO label.
10. Environmental impacts could be big. Are GMO crops affecting monarch butterflies and other species? More research is needed, including a life-cycle analysis of the monarch butterfly. Future GMO crops could also lead farmers to plow up grasslands, increasing carbon pollution.

By: Scott Faber, Vice President of Government Affairs, EWG (“The Environmental Working Group”)

 

 

The Biggest Loser: The tortoise wins by “a hare”

There’s been a lot of buzz over a recent New York Times article that focused on the long-term dismal results of those who lost weight on the television show, “The Biggest Loser.” The discouraging take-away seems to be that we should all give up trying to achieve a healthy body weight and just accept our bodies as they are. After all, if the Biggest Losers can’t keep their weight off, why should we even try? I disagree with both the implied message and with the Biggest Loser approach.

The show’s contestants are put on what amounts to a starvation diet and a killing program of exercise. Let’s not forget that they’re removed from their home environments and put up at a ranch for the duration of the program. They lose a terrific amount of weight over the course of the program, of course.

Then they return to their homes.

Without the starvation diet and the hours and hours of exercise each week, their sluggish metabolism rates—which may have been adversely affected by the extreme regimen at the ranch–work against them. Not surprisingly, when these folks return to their regular lives, and are faced with the stresses of everyday life and the old temptations, it’s very difficult for them to remain in the “The Biggest Loser” mind-set. And, because of those sluggish metabolisms, they may have to still further reduce the amount of food they can eat in order to continue losing weight.

Who in the world can keep that up? It wears me out just to think about it! I can’t help but compare that program’s insane weight-loss regimen with the approach we advocate at the Healthy Eating Adventure. Ours is not a program of deprivation and crazy over-exercising.  We eat a symphony of healthy, delicious, nutrient-rich whole foods, skip the addictive processed foods, significantly reduce the amount of animal products we consume, and adopt a habit of daily light exercise. We learn how to live in the real world by making our home food environments healthy and by learning how to choose healthy options at restaurants. We don’t end each day hungry…and exhausted…and demoralized.

I’m in favor of sanity. Slow and steady wins the race. I’ll take the tortoise’s approach rather than the hare’s, any day.

A head full of knowledge…but a belly full of food

Behavior modification…nutrition education…haven’t we heard repeatedly that using these tools almost guarantees success when the goal is weight loss? It’s so obvious that once Healthy Eating Adventure participants learn about the amazing health benefits of a plant-based diet, the majority of them begin to take steps to “modify their behavior”. They add lots of fruits and vegetables to their daily menu, change the way they cook and eat, and are delighted with the feedback they receive from their bathroom scales. They enthusiastically embrace this healthy eating style and are off to the races.

However, according to my (very unscientific) observation, it seems possible that about 10% of any group of overweight individuals may have an addictive relationship with food…which makes weight loss a particularly challenging goal. Nutrition education alone simply doesn’t touch their addiction. These folks may have gained a head full of knowledge, but still battle a belly full of food.

Luckily, for people who suffer the pain of any addiction, there is almost always a 12 step program to help them address the problem. It turns out that Overeaters Anonymous has provided 15 yes/no questions to help folks determine if they are compulsive eaters.

1. Do you eat when you’re not hungry?
2. Do you go on eating binges for no apparent reason?
3. Do you have feelings of guilt and remorse after overeating?
4. Do you give too much time and thought to food?
5. Do you look forward with pleasure and anticipation to the time when you can eat alone?
6. Do you plan these secret binges ahead of time?
7. Do you eat sensibly before others and make up for it alone?
8. Is your weight affecting the way you live your life?
9. Have you tried to diet for a week (or longer), only to fall short of your goal?
10. Do you resent others telling you to “use a little willpower” to stop overeating?
11. Despite evidence to the contrary, have you continued to assert that you can “diet on your own” whenever you wish?
12. Do you crave to eat at a definite time, day or night, other than mealtime?
13. Do you eat to escape from worries or trouble?
14. Have you ever been treated for obesity or a food-related condition?
15. Does your eating behavior make you or others unhappy?

If you have answered “yes” to several of these questions and would like to check out a local Overeaters Anonymous meeting, call 928-782-1305 or 928-782-2808. Overeaters Anonymous has a Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. meeting in Yuma and also a Thursday noon meeting. Both meetings are held at the Central Church of Christ, 651 W. 28^th Street (but the meetings do not have a religious affiliation.) Information can also be found at www.oa.org

Our obsession with Cheese…an unintended consequence

Coach Bonnie Knight sent along the following article from “One Green Planet”.  I thought it was worth sharing.   Thank you, Bonnie.

Ah, summer at Lake Erie. What could be better? Sunshine, nature, water … run-off from dairy farms causing massive algae blooms … uh, what?

At 140 concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in the Lake Erie area, phosphorous and nutrient runoff from dairy farms is causing harm to marine life and humans alike. Sprayed on the region’s corn and soybean fields, phosphorous is streaming into the waters. But the real culprit? Manure from CAFOs – a shocking 630 million gallons of animal waste a year – are leaking out of storage “lagoons” and seeping into groundwater and waterways.

In order to keep some air of sanitation at dairy facilities, they must be constantly flushed – a.k.a., remove all the waste produced by cows who are kept in the facilities all day long (about 80 pounds of waste a day). A dairy facility that uses an automatic “flushing” system for manure can use up to 150 gallons of water per cow, per day. A medium size dairy factory farm facility houses between 200 and 700 cows (the EPA considers 700 dairy cattle the lower limit for a CAFO). Using the maximum figure, this would mean that a medium sized dairy factory farm would use 104,850 gallons of water every day – just for cleaning purposes.

And that “flush” water has to end up somewhere. The excess nutrients found in the manure end up making their way to the water – like Lake Erie, triggering massive algae blooms, or cyanobacteria.

The article included a NASA photo of Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair which highlights the neon green swirls of toxic algae. Unfortunately, the photo did not copy.

This is bad news for marine animals, the dairy cows, and the humans in the area. Toxic algae blooms can cause liver failure, skin rashes, eye irritation and breathing problems for humans. Sounds like it’s not a great time to take a dip in the lake.

While humans may have the option to abstain from swimming in the lake, marine animals do not have that option. These toxins can sicken and kill shellfish, fish, turtles, birds, marine mammals, and any other animals in the region.

Because these smaller farms are largely unregulated, they’re exempt from many environmental regulations, like the federal Clean Water Act. The best solution we’ve got to put an end to this rampant pollution is to dramatically reduce our dairy and meat intake to lessen the demand of dairy and milk. If we do, we’re not only saving ourselves from the toxic effects of algae blooms, but we’re also saving the lives of thousands of marine animals and farmed animals, who are either dying from the algae bloom, or flat-out living a miserable life. The time to act is now. And please, don’t go for a swim in Lake Erie this summer.

Labelling Insanity

In the interest of letting me know that, from time to time, I may be a little extreme in searching out only the healthiest foods, my subtle husband reported yesterday that I can now buy organic Gummy Bears! I smiled at the joke but he backed up his claim by actually showing me an article he’d read.

“Nobody would ever be taken in by such labelling silliness,” I said!

At dinner time, however, I reached into my cupboard, pulled out a jar of Pink Himalayan Salt…and noticed it was labelled “Verified GMO-Free!” My face took on a hue approximating the color of the salt in question. I had fallen victim to labelling hype.

Can you imagine the daring? A genetically unmodified mineral, sodium chloride! Are we lucky or what? What the marketing crazies will think of next? Perhaps they’ll stick labels on water bottles: “This water is GMO-Free!”

They may be preferable to the usual product, but before I pick up a handful of organic Gummy Bears, I think I’ll reach instead for a nice piece of organic, (GMO-free, gluten-free) fruit.

Be Prepared: more than a Boy Scout moto

The other day, I submitted sage advice provided by our wise Healthy Eating Adventure coach, Mike Rosenberg.  Mike has more than one trick up her sleeve.    For example, she says that if unexpected company arrives, she’s never daunted.  She ALWAYS has ingredients on hand to make the delicious “Best Ever Vegetable Soup” (which she found on the Dr. Fuhrman website.  It was originally contributed by Fuhrman website member, Jana Diedrich).  By the way, if you own a vegetable chopper (such as the nifty, relatively inexpensive Vidalia chopper–available at Bed Bath and Beyond–you can cut prep time nicely). 

Here is that recipe:

Best Ever Vegetable Soup

Jana Diedrich

Serves: 10; Preparation Time: 1 -1/2 hours

 Ingredients:

5 carrots, juiced or 1 cup carrot juice

1 bunch celery, juiced or 1 cup no-salt-added or low sodium vegetable broth

3 (26 ounce cartons) chopped tomatoes with juices (see note)

2 carrots, diced

4 ribs celery, diced

1 small head Napa cabbage, chopped

2 zucchini, diced

1 yellow crookneck squash, diced

1 cup potato, diced

2 medium sweet yellow onion, diced

2 bunches kale, chopped

1 tablespoon Dr. Fuhrman’s MatoZest or other no-salt seasoning blend, adjusted to taste

1 teaspoon oregano

1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

3 cups cooked garbanzo beans or 2 (15 ounce) cans low sodium or no-salt-added, drained

3 cups cooked red kidney beans or 2 (15 ounce) cans low sodium or no-salt-added, drained

1 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans or 1 (15 ounce) can low sodium or no-salt-added, drained

3 cups no-salt-added or low sodium vegetable broth

2-3 cups water

Instructions:

Add carrot and celery juice to a large soup pot. Puree 1 carton of the tomatoes and add to soup pot. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes. This soup freezes well. Note: Select tomato products packaged in glass or cartons. These materials do not contain BPA.

Per Serving:

CALORIES 312; PROTEIN 17g; CARBOHYDRATES 61g; TOTAL FAT 2.7g; SATURATED FAT 0.4g; SODIUM 179mg; FIBER 16.6g; BETA-CAROTENE 6209ug; VITAMIN C 122mg; CALCIUM 268mg; IRON 7.6mg; FOLATE 235ug; MAGNESIUM 144mg; ZINC 2.5mg; SELENIUM 4.3ug

Tofu? Toe-Phooey!

I’ve shared with you that I truly do not enjoy cooking.  Somehow, though, each of my children must have inherited the culinary arts gene from a generation previous to mine.  To a person, they are creative, talented cooks.

Daughter Anne Marie, for example, actually taught me how to enjoy tofu!  I knew, of course, all about the health benefits of eating tofu…but diced and thrown into a dish as a substitute for meat?  No, thank you!   I found the texture to be too soft and slimy to be palatable.

During the last Healthy Eating Adventure, Anne Marie contributed some delicious, slightly chewy baked tofu to one of the potlucks.  It turns out that the marinating/baking process makes a world of difference.  She happily shares her recipe with you:

Recipe for Baked Tofu

Ingredients:

1 block of extra firm tofu

½ c. soy sauce

¼ c. rice wine vinegar

1-2 tbsp. Asian chili paste

2 cloves of garlic that has been pasted or finely minced (it can be rubbed on a micro plane also)

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

Directions:

Wrap the tofu in several sheets of paper towel to press out the moisture. Place a plate on top of the wrapped tofu and let it sit for at least 20 minutes. When the tofu has sat long enough unwrap it and cut it into ½ inch thick slices. Once you have cut it into slices, cut each slice into cubes (quarter each slice).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the remainder of the ingredients to make the marinade.   Gently toss the tofu in the marinade and allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes. I use two large mixing bowls and toss the marinated tofu back and forth to mix.

Line a baking sheet with tin foil and pour the entire contents of the mixture on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or longer if you like it tougher.

No Mutiny on THIS Bounty!

“We should eat more fruits and vegetables.”

Oh groan.   Tell me something I don’t already know.  Study after study correlates robust health with the consumption of LOTS of fruits and vegetables.  Sometimes, though, it a challenge getting them all in, isn’t it?

Mike Rosenberg to the rescue!  Mike is one of our wise and experienced Healthy Eating Adventure coaches and is a strong Dr. Joel Fuhrman advocate.  She recently gave me an easy tip list for increasing the daily consumption of the garden and orchard bounty available to us.  I now share Mike’s wisdom with you:

Easy Tips for Reaching the Ten-Servings-A-Day Goal

• Buy many kinds of fruits and vegetables when you shop so that you have plenty of choices in the house.
• Stock up on frozen vegetables for easy cooking so that you can have a vegetable dish with every meal. You can easily steam frozen vegetables.
• Use the fruits and vegetables that go bad quickly first (such as peaches and asparagus). Save the hardier varieties (such as apples, acorn squash and frozen goods) for later use if you do not shop frequently during a week.
• Keep fruits and vegetables where you can see them. The most often you see them, the more likely you are to eat them.
• Keep a bowl of cut-up vegetables on the top shelf of your refrigerator.
• Make a big, tossed salad with several kinds of greens, cherry tomatoes, cut-up carrots, red pepper, broccoli, scallions, and sprouts. Refrigerate in a large bowl with an airtight lid so that a delicious, mixed salad will be ready to enjoy for several days.
• Add fruits and vegetables to lunch by having them in a soup, in a salad, or cut up raw.
• Increase portion sizes when you serve vegetables.
• Add extra varieties of vegetables when making casseroles or sauces.
• Add grated carrots and zucchini to spaghetti sauce.
• Choose fresh fruit for dessert.
• For a special dessert, try a fruit parfait with low-fat yogurt or sherbet topped with lots of berries. (Judy’s suggestion: try substituting a vegan yogurt and a healthy “from scratch” blender sorbet)
• Freeze blueberries and grapes. They make a great replacement for ice cream, popsicles and other sugary foods. (Judy’s suggestion: soft ripe summer fruits–such as peaches–are a great frozen treat, also!)