Sugar

I’ve been wanting to give my daughters a chance to guest-blog here; Nelia is game (post will be forthcoming), Lourdes is not. She did, however, give me permission to share one of her recent revelations concerning sugar. I was such a proud WFPB-Mama that day.

We were sitting around the dinner table, tummies full from wholesome whole grains and vegetables, talking about making healthy choices. Then, Lourdes says, “Mom, you know, whenever I eat sugar now my tongue feels funny.” I could hear the lightbulb click on in her head.

Why is that? Well, sugar and white carbs create a cycle of addiction in your body. Sugar, for example, rushes through the digestive process, much like a race car, spiking blood sugar and reaching the finish line before you’ve taken your last bite (this is my rough translation of what happens). Then, you quickly find yourself hungry again. This is why whole grains are better; they act more like a turtle on a racetrack. 

I’ve seen evidence of the race car in our girls. I would inevitably find them eating out of a cracker box in the family room, happily entranced in front of the TV. Soon, the box would be empty. A short time later, they wander into the kitchen claiming hunger. What? You just ate a box of crackers! 

(Nelia and her cousin, Serena, preparing to indulge in a baked good, loaded with sugar, at a really great bakery in Queens, NY.)

This was the simple carbs cycle working at its best. I’ve already shared our Outback experience and my Blizzard addiction. Yesterday, I had lunch with my dad at a Chinese buffet, his favorite. I tried to make good choices: sushi, noodles and veggies, all of which tasted really good. But I could feel a layer of sodium just covering my mouth and insides. My mouth was extremely dry the rest of the day. When I got home, I immediately downed 32 oz of water and had an apple. Sometimes it’s worth it; sometimes it’s not. But I wouldn’t trade a lunch with my dad for anything. Next time, I might just have the sushi without any soy sauce and skip the noodles and veggies.

That’s what the learning process is all about. If my children can have epiphanies about how food is working, they will (eventually) begin to make healthy choices on their own, and when I’m not in the picture (like at school or a friend’s house).

David Zinczenko, from Men’s Health and coauthor of the books “Eat This, Not That,” wrote an article recently entitled “15 Shocking Food Industry Secrets.” He offers interesting insight into healthy foods, as well as the sugar-addiction phenomenon. Check out his article, and, whether you think there’s a conspiracy on the part of the food companies or not, consider what you can use from his list to make healthier choices for you and your family.

Leafy Greens...You Know You Want to Read This Post!

If you watch TV, read the news or access information from the internet in any fashion, then you've probably heard about the benefits of leafy greens. This sounds interesting, but what exactly are leafy greens? Do you currently eat any? Spinach counts. But you might think leafy greens is part of the lettuce family.

Not exactly, although eating different lettuces is a good thing. Leafy greens include things like Swiss Chard, Spinach Beet, Collard Greens, Kale and Bok Choy. What? Don't be intimidated by these names. They don't quite capture the heart like the names of some desserts, do they? My personal favorite: Sweet Chocolate Bread Pudding. Ahhh. They are worth getting to know, however.

Why is that? Well, leafy greens contain valuable phytochemicals that are like cancer-fighting ninjas. They play "a crucial role in fighting disease by stimulating the body's enzymes defenses against cancer-inducing substances" (The Cook's Guide to Healthy Whole Foods).  It's believed that a diet high in leafy greens (as well as cruciferous veggies) may halve the risks of certain cancers. Meet your new best friends.

Tonight, as I write this blog post, I am steaming Collard Greens. I bought a bag of them at the store; it comes one size: 32 oz of Collard Greens! This doesn't intimidate me. I'm going to walk you through my process of preparing and storing Collard Greens. Maybe you'll be brave enough to try it.






 



First, I steam the greens in about four batches, due to the size of my pan.









Then, I let them cool in the sink in a collander. My bag of greens was already chopped up, but I still have to pick through them after they are cooked and rip out the "rib" that is the middle of the leaf.  You can safely eat this part, but it is very tough and probably isn't a wise choice for newbies -- or kids.

The leftover water at the bottom of my steaming pot will be used to water plants, after it cools off of course. They will love the nutrient rich liquid. It's their only treat from me, really, as I forget to water them on a regular basis. 

Then, I put the greens in ziploc snack baggies, freeze most and put a few baggies in the fridge. I now have steamed greens that I can add to any soup or sandwich, and I won't have to steam greens again for a while. I often have a baked sweet potato, with greens and beans on top. It's actually really good. I swear!

All the while, I am smelling the aroma of this really wonderful chili cooking in my big soup pot. I'll freeze at least half of this. First time making this recipe; I didn't know it would make so much. Who would complain about having extra chili? My husband will eat this all week long. The kids will probably complain about the food being mixed together, but we'll trudge through. (Recipe from The Engine 2 Diet book.)





I wanted to give you an idea, also, of the portion sizes I give our daughters. Whole Foods are very filling, especially beans and whole grains. Here's a pic of their two bowls:

This is one ladle full. We'll also eat a fresh, whole grain bread from the infamous breadmaker with this. One of the benefits of a whole foods diet is that you are consuming calories that count. They are not empty calories, like chips for example, that are extremely palatable but don't fill you up or provide any valuable nutrients. If the girls like it, they might eat more, but this should hold them until the bedtime snack.

I'm awaiting stories of how you incorporate leafy greens into your diet. No step is too small. Don't despise small beginnings. That's my motto lately.

Just give tofu a chance

For some reason, people who have never tried tofu are a bit squeamish about it. There’s probably merit to this feeling: it looks funny; it’s wet; it’s mushy; and it’s white, which is unappealing to the pallet. However, these qualities actually make tofu a great Whole Food, Plant-Based (WFPB) option to work with.

Tofu originates with the soybean. Non-processed soy foods are a great addition to one's diet.  A product of soy beans, tofu is made by curdling soymilk. Not so appealing, but the health benefits are amazing. 

Tofu is like a chameleon. It is basically tasteless.  Its consistency allows it to take on the flavor of the foods with which it is paired, so it’s easy to hide. Perfect. You can add a layer to lasagna and it acts kind of like cheese. Chopped into squares, it can be used in soups. Its uses are endless. 

Years ago, I remember making a tofu parmesan. I sliced it into thin layers at the bottom of a baking dish and added marinara sauce and melted cheese. We called it pizza. Okay, the girls were younger then and much easier to persuade.

When tofu made an encore performance in our house months ago, I chose to cut it into blocks and put three tiny, tiny chunks of tofu on each girl’s plate. 

My strategy:

1.     Respect. I engaged their minds first and talked about the merits and health value of eating tofu. We don’t talk a great deal about cancer, but the girls’ great-grandmother has lung and bone cancer, so they are familiar with it. There is some evidence that eating tofu from a young age can actually prevent breast cancer in women (Honestly, I can’t remember where I read this, as I have devoured many books on WFPB eating. I think it is from The Anticancer Diet.). I can’t expect my children to blindly agree to follow the food changes we are making without respecting them as people who can make a good decision for themselves. I need to know why I am making changes; so do they.

 2.     Require just one taste. This is the baby steps method.

 3.     Keep it consistent with the way they like to eat. Neither daughter likes their food items to touch other food, so I served the tofu with rice, one of their favorites, and veggies. The tofu was a football fields’ length away from the other foods.

 The results:

When I told the girls they used to eat tofu when they were little that seemed to be enough for Lourdes to re-engage. She almost relished each bit, probably reminiscing about her early childhood and her mom loving her so much…. I don’t know. She just liked it. Score one. Fast-forward: Lourdes’ favorite dish is now red quinoa, with tofu squares and diced cucumber…mixed together.  Cucumber is one of her favorite veggies and she loves quinoa. She has taken this to school for lunch a couple of times.

Nelia wasn’t too happy about the tofu. She balked. She complained. She was left at the table alone after everyone else finished. All she had to do was eat one bite. You can see what I am up against. As my husband was doing dishes, he noticed her feeding a tofu square to the dog. That is not WFPB success. Where do we go from here? 

I kept offering it over the next few weeks; I made lasagna with it, chili, soup, and a stir fry. Nelia still doesn’t relish tofu like Lourdes does, and her countenance does not light up at the sight of tofu on her plate at dinner, but the dog’s diet is no longer supplemented with anti-cancer foods. I can call that a WFPB success, can’t I?

They're Here!

Company. I promised an account of what to make when company comes over. We recently had some friends over who are not vegetarian, vegan or Whole Foods, Plant-Based (WFPB). What could I serve that would please everyone? 

I went with pizza. To make our guests feel comfortable, I bought mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. I also had ingredients to make a Greek pizza, which included kalamata olives, pesto, artichoke hearts, and peppers (recipe from "The Engine 2 Diet" book). This gave people the choice of a traditional pizza (with cheese and meat), a vegetable version (without cheese), or to get creative and mix it up. I was satisfied with the options I was giving, but admittedly nervous at how this would all be received. Maybe people wouldn't want to eat at our house anymore, knowing we're WFPB, and you might have already thought that after reading the "Rutabaga and Parsnips" posting.

To please me and my family, I made a whole grain pizza dough and fresh sauce from a recent harvest of garden tomatoes. Ah, the smell was incredible!

 

Upon arrival of the guests, I introduced the pizza-making process (everyone would make their own) and the ingredients. Later, my friend, Kathy, remarked that she had thought the pizza wasn't going to be enough. This is something that we “super-size” Americans have to adjust to in our minds and bodies when eating WFPB. We don’t need to eat nearly the serving sizes we are used to consuming. Period. This is especially true with whole grains. They are so filling. I made the whole grain pizza dough into squares about 5 in. by 5 in. Everyone had one pizza, and the men had two. I also provided whole wheat tortillas, which a couple of us chose instead of the pizza dough. To the American eye, the pizza dough squares didn’t look like a lot, and this thought crossed even my mind as I was preparing them, but, with toppings piled on it, you really do experience satiety.

I truly hope our guests did not leave our house hungry. I mean, everyone (two women, two men, three kids and a teenager) finished their pizza and the men had seconds, but maybe they were just being polite. I also served a special dessert called “Banana N-ice cream” (from the Whole Foods website. They have GREAT recipes). It’s a dessert made with frozen bananas, soymilk and natural peanut butter or vanilla. It’s pretty yummy, healthy, and nonfat, and the consistency is more like custard.

I think evidence that our guests were impacted was my friend’s later comment; the next day she made an entire meal from scratch: bread and soup. We are paying it forward and, hopefully, friends, family and some of you are making healthy changes. I think it’s safe to say that most everyone desires to eat healthier. For each person that may mean something different. Any change is good, don’t you think?

Maybe my friend Kathy (hint, hint) will comment on the experience or she'll write a future guest post about her family's experience. 

What have you changed, and have any of your friends or family been impacted -- in a WFPB way?

Kamut: A New Grain

A few weeks ago, I came across a package of Kamut and bought it on impulse. I had read about the grain but hadn’t experienced it.

Kamut is an ancient grain, but it has seen little use in America. It is a relative of durum wheat, but has “two to three times the size of common wheat with 20–40% more protein, higher in lipids, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, and a "sweet" alternative for all products that now use common wheat” (Purdue University). It can basically be substituted for whole wheat in recipes.

For local people, I bought a puffed variety at Buehler’s (I haven’t found this yet in flour form anywhere) and made trail mix with the recipe on the back of the package. There is ½ cup of maple syrup called for, but I always put just a smidge less than the recipe calls for to wean my family off the sugary taste. It was a big hit.

Recipe: Cran-Kamut Trail Mix

3 cups Arrowhead Mills Puffed Kamut Cereal 

1/3 cup chopped pecans, or other nuts

½ cup dried cranberries

1/3 cups sunflower seeds

½ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp Safflower Margarine (I used olive oil interchangeably here)

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350. Mix first four ingredients together in large bowl. In small saucepan, melt margarine and add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, and pour over cereal mixture, stirring immediately to coat well. Spread on lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes. Let cool before eating.

My girls love anything with cinnamon in it, so I increased this to 1 ½ tsp. Having kids help with recipes always increases interest in our house, so Lourdes helped with this one. It was actually fun. They loved the trail mix and I have made it since. It’s great for lunch with a fruit or a snack.

Consider trying a new grain, like Kamut, or whatever you can find in your grocery store. Trader Joe’s has a lot of interesting grains, and the Food Dock or Flour Barrel (in Ashland, Ohio) has a few different ones also. Share your stories!