Tasty Tips to Spice Up Vegetables
By Melanie Albert, Guest Blogger “Eat your vegetables,” is a common phrase that most of us probably heard from our parents growing up. Many people, especially children, believe that vegetables are boring, or that they have no taste. That only “health nuts” eat raw or plain steamed vegetables. This is where “finishing vegetables” comes into Whole Food S.O.U.L. Food cooking techniques. Read on for tips and recipes about how to make veggies fun and delicious for the whole family to enjoy! Add Culinary Interest to Your Veggies Finishing steamed vegetables with organic oils, toasted spices, fresh herbs, toasted nuts and seeds, and finishing salts adds delicious taste and culinary interest, with beautiful colors, textures and aromas. Steam carrots, cauliflower or broccoli in a bamboo steamer and then finish them with different combinations of oils, seeds, salt or spices to create exciting, tasty dishes! Use nut oils such as almond nut … Read More
Pumpkins: A Holiday Superfood!
By Janet Lee, Guest Blogger It’s not Fall, Thanksgiving, or the holiday season without pumpkins! Pumpkins are healthy, tasty, and not to mention incredibly rich in vital antioxidants and vitamins! The pumpkin, a plant that is actually a fast-growing vine, grows by creeping along the ground, similar to other vegetables and fruits such as cucumber, squash or cantaloupes. It is one of the most popular field crops cultivated around the world, including the USA at the commercial scale for its fruit and seeds. Pumpkins, in general, are orange or yellow color. However, some varieties can be dark to pale green, brown, white, red and gray. Their color is largely influenced by yellow-orange pigments in their skin and pulp. Its thick rind is smooth with light, vertical ribs. In structure, pumpkins are usually golden-yellow to orange in color, depending upon the poly-phenolic pigments in it. They have a hollow center, with … Read More
Relieving Holiday Stress with Natural Foods
By Dee McCaffrey, Guest Blogger The high stress nature of the holiday season can make staying balanced through the holiday season challenging. Prevention Magazine online recently reported that 90 percent of Americans experience feelings of stress during the holidays. Whether it’s caused by crowded shopping malls, traveling, or family relations, how we manage stress can affect whether or not we have an enjoyable holiday season or an undesirable holiday. However, there is a solution! Including some of the holiday’s best stress-relieving foods as part of regular meals is a great way to maintain a feeling of calm and balance. Eating high energy and nutritious foods can help potentially stressful situations, because these foods provide us with the energy and stamina to cope. Which foods are the best for relieving stress? Those that contain high amounts of B-complex vitamins, vitamins C and E, and those that contain minerals like manganese, selenium … Read More
Nutritional Food For Thought
By Sally Marks Anyone who owns or drives a vehicle knows it runs on diesel, unleaded, ethanol or even vegetable oil. However, when it comes to providing fuel for our bodies we might not be as informed as we think. A recent Consumer Reports study cited that nine out of 10 people surveyed thought they were eating a healthy diet, however, based on their age, height and weight, 36 percent of those surveyed were overweight and 21 percent would be considered obese. America is one of the richest nations in the world, but it is said to be a nation of the overfed and undernourished. With certain exceptions our food issues are not as much about circumstances as they are about choosing the right foods. Obesity is a multi-factorial issue, but the main culprit of an unhealthy diet is an excessively high intake of sweets and sugary items such as … Read More
The Perks of Plant Protein With Two Quick & Easy Organic Lentil Soup Recipes
By Melanie Albert Protein, along with fats and carbohydrates, is an essential macro nutrient which we must eat everyday with every meal. Protein is a building block of our body and helps to buildthe foundation of our bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood. No Meat for 25 Years I stopped eating red meat 30 years ago because my body could not digest it. I was a runner and felt like the meat made me sluggish. Then 18 years ago when my Mom was diagnosedwith breast cancer, I learned about antibiotics in poultry and stopped eating chicken and turkey, which I loved at the time. My family was worried for years that I was not eating enough protein, but while I was studying nutrition, I learned so much about good plant protein, and now I’m honestly not worriedabout eating enough protein. Today, I love educating people about good sources of plant … Read More
Experiment With Green Tea & Matcha
Discovering Green Tea I began drinking green tea ten years ago when I started working with best-selling author and integrative medicine pioneer, Dr. Andrew Weil, who has been a long-time advocate for drinking green tea. At first, green tea was a little odd to me. I was not accustomed to the green, grassy taste of high quality green tea. Over time, I’ve grown to enjoy drinking it. Now the ritual of preparing and drinking high quality green tea and matcha tea are part of my daily life. I’m sure many of you at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) campus see me drinking my matcha tea throughout the day. Why Green Tea is Good for You ECGC, the antioxidant in green tea, is an anti-inflammatory. Research has found that green tea benefits heart health, brain health and cancer prevention. Full of catechins and polyphenols, which help the brain to … Read More
Eat Omega-3s Today with 2 Simple Wild Alaskan Salmon Recipes
Fats Are Essential While the media has made us afraid of fats, they are actually required in order for our bodies to function properly. For years during the low fat, no fat craze I thought fats were bad and I stopped eating some of my favorite foods, nuts and olives. Now I’ve learned that fats are good for us and that our bodies require about 30% fats in our diet each and every day, for each and every meal. Plant based fats like nuts, seeds, avocados and olives are a healthy fat source. Today, we are focusing on cold water fish, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Why we must eat Omega-3s: Reduce inflammation Reduce risk of heart disease: lower blood pressure, triglycerides (blood fat) and cholesterol Reduce risk of cancer Reduce risk of diabetes Boost brain health Help treat depression, autism and ADHD Reduce joint inflammation and pain … Read More
Why We Need Carbohydrates
Like many in my generation, for most of my life I only knew white rice. Although I heard about whole grains I did not incorporate them into my daily eating until I was learning about whole grains about eight years ago. At that time I decided to get tested for food sensitivities and found that I’m sensitive to gluten, the protein in whole grains including wheat, barley and rye. I stopped eating most food with gluten and now find that when I do eat gluten, I almost immediately get hives. Last year, I was also tested for celiac disease, a serious autoimmune condition in which our body does not absorb nutrients. Fortunately, I do not have celiac disease. I’m glad that I’ve had these experiences as I can now share gluten-free eating with my clients and in my writing. Why We Need Carbs People are confused about carbs and about … Read More
6 Culinary Tips to Enjoy Whole Food S.O.U.L. Food with 2 Simple Recipes
When we cook and enjoy eating real whole foods we have the opportunity to create a wide variety of tasty, beautiful, colorful, local, in-season dishes. Cook with variety. You can cook the same foods different ways – raw, steamed, roasted, blended – and enjoy very different, delicious meals. Eat with the Season. When we eat real whole foods, we have the opportunity to eat in tune with what’s in season, and enjoy the food that nature naturally creates for us in the geographic area where we live. Eat with Color. By incorporating whole foods into our life, we easily enjoy the infamous “rainbow of fruits & veggies” that we hear about so often, getting a variety of nutrients and phytonutrients (natural plant chemicals). 6 Culinary Tips to Create Beautiful & Tasty Whole Food S.O.U.L. Food Buy as fresh as you can. Shop at local farmers’ markets and eat local and … Read More
Buy Local, Eat Healthier: Shop at Farmers’ Markets
Eat Local. Shop at a Farmers’ Market. Buy a CSA. Enjoy a Simple Roasted Roots Recipe In Arizona where the Southwest Institute of Healing Art (SWIHA) campus is located and where I live, many of the local farmers’ markets will be re-opening for the season after our “dry heat, hot summer”. Fortunately, we do have a few farmers whose produce is available during the summer, so I’ve been having fun shopping from a few farmers for our Whole Foods Cooking Classes at SWIHA this summer. 4 Great Reasons to Eat Local Locally grown produce is fresher, tastes better and lasts longer.. Most produce in conventional grocer stores is picked well before it’s ready to be picked. Some of the methods used to ripen the food in warehouses and in trucks include methane gas. Food that is allowed to ripen on the vine absorbs many of the flavors and nutrients they … Read More