Eat Brown Not White Rice!

I found this inside my brown rice box:

5 Reasons to Love Brown Rice:

-The fiber in brown rice helps promote regularity and lower the risk of developing diabetes and heart disease.

-People who eat whole grains like brown rice tend to be leaner and have a lower risk of heart disease than those who don't.

-Brown rice contains antioxidants, phytoestrogens and phytosterols that help protect against coronary disease.

-It provides a healthy boost of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants and phytonutrients.

-Grains are rich in carbohydrates--the body's main fuel supply--so we need a fair amount daily.

White rice has been processed, stripped of fiber, B vitamins and minerals, and sometimes bleached.  I think this one's a no-brainer.

Do Yoga!

Check out this great article from Yoga Journal about the essential benefits of yoga!

38 Ways Yoga Keeps You Fit!

BUGS!

Do you frequently eat at restaurants?  Do you prefer take-out to cooking your own dinner? You might want to think twice...

I just had my body tested and they found all kinds of little bugs in my intestines, and they said it's from eating outside of my home!  I couldn't believe it!  Luckily I've already made the shift to cooking 90% of my meals, but I think about all the people who eat out every day!

When you go to a restaurant, you have no control over your food.  The cooks may or may not wash all the vegetables, or even their hands after going to the bathroom.  GROSS.  This leads to bacteria and parasites in the food, thus right into our bellies.  

So perhaps think twice before sushi... 

To sunscreen or not to sunscreen...

I was feeling quite under the weather recently, so I accompanied a friend to the beach in hopes of soaking up the sun's vitamins and getting some energy!  We laid out our towels, put a little bit of lotion on here and there, and relaxed for a few hours.

When we trudged home up the hill on our bikes, we noticed slight tightness and pains on our stomachs and bums.  We lifted our clothes to see RED LOBSTER PINK skin! Yowzas!

But is sunscreen the right solution?  Will I get skin cancer if I don't use it next time???  I don't think so.  Dr. Mercola doesn't think so either.  Check out all the nasty ingredients in sunscreen that your skin absorbs and sends right to your liver:

Para Amino benzoic acid (PABA) Avobenzone Cinoxate Dioxybenzone Homosalate Menthyl anthranilate Octocrylene Octo methoxycinnamate

Octyl salicylate Oxybenzone Padimate O Phenylbenzimidazole Sulisobenzone Titanium dioxide Trolamine salicylate Zinc oxide

These are all synthetic chemicals, not natural, so your body doesn't know what the heck to do with them and has a hard time processing them.

Sunscreen also blocks your skin’s ability to make vitamin D by more than 95 percent. And we need vitamin D for healthy bones and immunity.

Of course you don't want to burn every time you sit in the sun, so start by going out a little bit more each day.  And most of us know that 10 a.m. to 2 p.m is when the sun is strongest, so you can stay out of it then.

It's also important to feed your skin with lots and lots of omega-3s from fish oil and flax oil, and saturate your body with fruits and vegetables.  Fill yourself with antioxidants to sweep up any damage from the sun.  

Happy sun time!

That human touch...

I firmly believe that we Americans are amongst the most touch-starved societies in the world.  It's not all our fault, it's just somehow become the norm these days.  Touch someone too much and they think you're weird.  Touch someone at work and they might take it the wrong way and report you for sexual harassment.  The fact that the phrase PDA (public displays of affection) is in existence is a clear indication of this fear around intimacy.

Check out these stats I found:

There are generally Two kinds of cultures classified as High Touch and Low Touch. Countries like France, Italy, and Greece are High Touch; New Zealand, Australia, Britain, and, yes, the U.S.A are Low Touch.  What's the difference. Well check this out.
 
One study showed a stark contrast between cultures by noting the number of touches exchanged by pairs of people sitting in coffee shops around the world: 
 
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, people touched 180 times an hour; 
in Paris, France, 110 times an hour; 
in Gainesville, Florida, 2 times per hour; and 
in London, England, they never touched. 
 
 
On a pre-school playground watching children they found 
 
Affectionate Touching -         Paris - 23% of the time
                                         Miami - 3% of the time
 
Aggressive Touching             Paris - 1% of the time
                                         Miami - 37% of the time
 
Now, who invaded Iraq?  Was it France or was it the US and Britain? 

Perhaps it was our upbringing, how or if our parents were affectionate with us.  Or perhaps it was a traumatic experience that closed us off forever.  Whatever the case may be, over time, we will find ourselves seeking nourishment elsewhere, and often in more toxic forms.  This is when people turn to anti-depressants, alcohol, cocaine, cigarettes, junk food...They need that high, that euphoric feeling when the endorphins and dopamine are shooting throughout the body.  

I say, give someone a hug already!  Go get a massage, or ask someone close to you for one.  It's amazing what a little human touch can do. 

Hemp, and no we're not talkin marijuana!

I was looking for simple but healthy tortilla chips in Trader Joe's the other day, and lo and behold, they now have Hemp Tortilla Chips with black sesame seeds.  Cowabunga! (Wow I haven't said that since the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies came out.)  

So interesting how hemp has become another touted trendy health food like soy, probiotics, organic foods, etc.  It is, in fact, not just a food for the dreadlock divas and granola guys.  It's great for everyone, despite the bad rap about it being related to it's THC-filled brother.

Hemp seeds are rich in easily digested vegetable protein, fiber, essential fatty acids, antioxidants like vitamin E, and an array of minerals.  Some traditional cultures even use this seedy guy for clothing, paper, lantern and vehicle fuel!  But I would just stick to throwing some onto your morning yogurt or oatmeal, and even cookie batter for some extra protein, fiber, and nutrients.

Check out those dynamic tortilla chips at Trader Joe's, and look for hemp seeds and protein in Whole Foods.  

The Power of the Artichoke!

Spring is the time for liver cleansing, and what better vegetable than the artichoke to assist you!

 Excerpted from epicureantable.com:

Since ancient times, the artichoke has been used for liver and gallbladder conditions, 'cleaning' the blood, as well as the bladder. The Egyptians highly prized it as a health and diet food and Plinius described it as the 'food for the rich' because of the health problems contributed to a 'rich' life style - excessive in rich foods, fats and wine that led to liver illnesses (such as cirrhosis), gout and a general run down condition.

Today we know that the artichoke is very high in fibre, potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus and other trace elements important for a balanced system. It is known to positively help poor liver function (thus helping to lower the blood cholesterol), arteriosclerosis, gout, supports the treatment of hepatitis and improves the gall secretions. It can slightly lower the blood sugar, improve the appetite and digestion, is diuretic and may help some migraine conditions (most especially those caused by toxins in the blood). As it helps the body rid itself of excess water and moves toxins it also has the added side effect of an improved skin luminosity. 

In a poor diet of excessive drinking (most especially strong alcoholic drinks), high red meat and fat consumption, the artichoke can boost the liver's ability to regenerate its cells. Obviously, nothing can help advanced cirrhosis of the liver. Most liver problems by the way, are self-inflicted.

The liver's main function is the metabolic transformation of nutrients from the food we eat. It also detoxifies certain poisons. An overstressed liver obviously cannot function properly, which among other things results in poor assimilation of nutrients and increased toxins in the blood. This will eventually adversely affect the entire body causing numerous ailments that are often only symptomatically treated. What is amazing are the numbers of people who abuse their livers and hence their bodies, think they eat well, yet are suffering from a form of malnutrition - a word one associates with poverty and third world countries.

What to do? Take an honest appraisal of your diet, recognize unhealthy habits and develop a better understanding of the importance of a properly functioning liver. After serious drinking and weeks of fat-rich foods, do something good for your liver. Give it a break and help it to recuperate. 

When artichokes are  in season, go on a short term Artichoke 'Cure' (treatment, diet)! Discover new recipes and eat them as a main meal for several days. Repeat for as long as they are in season, varying the menu with small amounts of meat and other vegetables. Artichokes only have about 25 calories. Eat fish and poultry 3 times a week and cut out red meat for while. Avoid all animal fats during this time, use olive oil instead and avoid all strong alcohol. A few glasses of red wine a day helps the red blood cell production as well, however abstain from even wine for the several days to a week before adding a small glass with your meal. Another positive side to artichokes and improved liver function is that weight loss is easier as the metabolic assimilation of food is more efficient. 

Infusion: use the leaves you normally throw away. You will need about 12-15 leaves per half litre (approx. 2 cups) of boiling water. Pour over the chopped leaves and allow to brew for 5 minutes. Strain and drink 2 cups during the day. You may sweeten with honey if you like. However, an easier method is to purchase an excellent extract by the W. Schoenenberger, Salus or A. Vogel companies from the health food shop).

Versatile: once trimmed, the versatile Spanish or Italian artichoke (remember you can eat the whole choke) can be cooked whole, sliced lengthways, halved, quartered or chopped, pre-cooked in a little water or broth and used in rice dishes, potato dishes, salads or as a topping for pizzas. They can be fried, steamed, boiled, stuffed, chopped with other ingredients for a filling for tomatoes, served with sauces. Chop the hearts very fine and they can be used in vinaigrette, mayonnaise, mixed with cooked egg or grated cheese or used in omelettes.  Then there's quiche, pasta and risotto dishes - you are only limited by your imagination!

How to Cook and Eat an Artichoke

Posted by Elise on Apr 16, 2007

Filed under How To, Learning to Cook, Produce, Vegetable

I can imagine, that if you didn't grow up eating artichokes and if you were encountering them for the first time, they might seem a little intimidating. How one cooks and eats an artichoke is not obvious from its appearance. If you've always wondered how to cook and eat the darn things, here are the steps:

How to Cook and Eat an Artichoke

METHOD

How to Cook an Artichoke

1. If the artichokes have little thorns on the end of the leaves, take a kitchen scissors and cut of the thorned tips of all of the leaves. This step is mostly for aesthetics as the thorns soften with cooking and pose no threat to the person eating the artichoke.

 

2. Slice about 3/4 inch to an inch off the tip of the artichoke.

3. Pull off any smaller leaves towards the base and on the stem.

4. Cut excess stem, leaving up to an inch on the artichoke. The stems tend to be more bitter than the rest of the artichoke, but some people like to eat them. Alternatively you can cut off the stems and peel the outside layers which is more fibrous and bitter and cook the stems along with the artichokes.

5. Rinse the artichokes in running cold water.

6. In a large pot, put a couple inches of water, a clove of garlic, a slice of lemon, and a bay leaf (this adds wonderful flavor to the artichokes). Insert a steaming basket. Add the artichokes. Cover. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 25 to 45 minutes or until the outer leaves can easily be pulled off. Note: artichokes can also be cooked in a pressure cooker (about 15-20 minutes cooking time). Cooking time depends on how large the artichoke is, the larger, the longer it takes to cook.

How to Eat an Artichoke

Artichokes may be eaten cold or hot, but I think they are much better hot. They are served with a dip, either melted butter or mayonaise. My favorite dip is mayo with a little bit of balsamic vinegar mixed in.

1. Pull off outer petals, one at a time.

 

2. Dip white fleshy end in melted butter or sauce. Tightly grip the other end of the petal. Place in mouth, dip side down, and pull through teeth to remove soft, pulpy, delicious portion of the petal. Discard remaining petal.

 

Continue until all of the petals are removed.

 

3. With a knife or spoon, scrape out and discard the inedible fuzzy part (called the "choke") covering the artichoke heart. The remaining bottom of the artichoke is the heart. Cut into pieces and dip into sauce to eat.