Food Art

Lately I've been scouring the internet for food art. We are turning a bedroom in our house into a home office that Ed and I will share, and I'd like to add color with some food-themed artwork. My first thought was just some smaller, letterpressed fruits and vegetables that I could frame and hang together. I love letterpress for its simplicity, and plus I don't have a lot of wall space so small prints would work well.

Another idea is to use my mom! She is an artist and the person who painted the grapefruit that is a part of the PWN logo. Below is her latest painting:

Isn't it beautiful?! I just love the colors and how it makes me think of summer. She's working on a website for her artwork, and when it's up and running I will definitely provide a link.

That's all - I wanted to keep it short and simple today. Have a great weekend... and let me know if you come across any good food art!

Fruit Tart

This recipe is one of my absolute favorites. It’s easy; it’s made from 100% healthy, whole foods; it’s delicious; and it’s pretty enough to serve to guests. I’ve been waiting until spring to post it, because it’s perfect for spring and summer BBQs. But another reason I love this recipe is because it doesn’t have to be a dessert. You can just as easily serve this for breakfast on top of some yogurt or oatmeal.

I adapted the recipe from one I found on the World’s Healthiest Foods website (here). I just added a few things – almonds, other berries, and some fresh lemon juice. And, I reduced the honey because I think the berries make it sweet enough. I’ve passed this recipe along to some family and friends and it always gets great reviews. You can make it with any type of fruit – I’ve done all berries but I also made one last summer with peaches and blueberries.

The nutritional value is pretty obvious: berries, nuts, dates. And we learned Tuesday that frozen berries can be just as nutritious as fresh, so if you don’t want to spend a fortune on fresh organic berries, frozen will work really well. Usually I use a mix of fresh and frozen, but today I used all frozen. I chose cherries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries.

Oh, and we usually serve this with ice cream. I’m hoping I have time today to pick some up! (Don’t worry Ed, I’ll make time).

Recipe

2 ½ cups walnuts (I used about 1 ¾ cups walnuts, ¾ cup almonds)

1 ½ cups dates (don’t forget to buy pitted dates or remove them yourself, which only takes a few minutes and saves money)

5 cups fresh or frozen berries (or any fruit)

2 tbsp raw honey

1 ½ tbsp arrowroot

2 tbsp water, or juice from frozen berries

1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Combine nuts and pitted dates in food processor until well ground, but not smooth (about 45 seconds for me). Press into a pie pan and refrigerate.

Thaw the frozen fruit. Place 2 cups of fruit, water, and arrowroot into food processor or blender and puree. (If you’re using some frozen and some fresh fruit, use the frozen for this part).

Place puree into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 4 minutes. When puree thickens, remove from heat. Mix into a bowl with the other fruit, raw honey, and fresh lemon juice. Pour mixture into tart shell, cover, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours (or more) before eating.

I made this when I got up this morning, but had pulled the recipe out last night and set it on the counter. Apparently Ed saw it and decided to add something… see below.

(In case my iphone photo isn’t clear enough, it says “1 happy husband” – ha! It's his favorite dessert and he always will casually ask when I'm going to make it again!)

Enjoy!

Oxalates

As promised on Monday, I am going to give a quick overview of oxalates. I think it’s important for people to understand what they are, which foods they are in, and how they impact which nutrients you obtain from your foods.

What are they?

Oxalates are organic acids, and are made inside of plants, animals and humans on a regular basis. They are considered binders, because they combine chemically with nutrients to form certain substances that the body simply cannot absorb. Oxalates occur naturally due to the incomplete oxidation of carbohydrates. Oxalates or oxalic acid is found in many foods in high levels; however, they are found in certain household products in toxic levels. These include things like bleaches, anti-rust products, and metal cleaners.

Which foods contain high amounts of oxalates?

• Berries
• Currants
• Kiwi
• Purple grapes
• Figs
• Tangerines
• Plums
• Rhubarb
• Spinach
• Eggplant
• Endive
• Swiss chard
• Beet greens
• Collard greens
• Okra
• Parsley
• Kale (so sad!)
• Leeks
• Legumes
• Quinoa
• Celery
• Green beans
• Sweet potatoes
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Peanuts
• Soy products
• Wheat bran
• Wheat germ
• Cocoa
• Chocolate
• Black tea
• Coffee

What do oxalates do to the nutrients in our food?

The oxalates in food will bind with certain nutrients and carry them right through our digestive tract and out of our body through the urine, preventing absorption. And if the nutrients are not absorbed, we are not getting any of their health benefits. It’s as if the food never contained them in the first place. Nutrients that are affected by oxalates include calcium, iron, zinc, copper, magnesium, and vitamin B6. The main nutrient affected, though, is calcium.

People with kidney problems, gout or rheumatoid arthritis are advised to avoid foods containing high amounts of oxalates as much as possible. This is because the oxalates form crystals that are very sharp, and although they are small, they are still large enough to irritate the body. When these crystals are deposited into our tendons, joints, kidneys or organs, we experience pain and eventually more serious health problems like the ones listed above. If you are trying to increase your calcium or iron intake, it may also be a good idea to cut back on foods high in oxalates. However, I’m hesitant to give this advice because so many foods that contain oxalates also contain many other beneficial nutrients that our body needs. I think a varied diet will help ensure that you are receiving all essential nutrients, and not consuming too much of one food that contains high amounts of oxalates.

For most people who do not have serious health problems, including foods with oxalates in the diet is fine. Just make sure you eat a varied diet and don’t consume large amounts of oxalate-rich foods for extended periods of time (for example, don’t make spinach your one and only green vegetable).

When we cook our foods, the oxalates decrease by about 10% at best. There is really no easy way (so far) to reduce oxalates in the above foods. The farm that Ed and I do our CSA with, Grant Family Farms, is supposedly working on a spinach plant that is very low in oxalates. Some of the farmer’s assistants came to our classroom last week to talk to us about organic farming, and mentioned this. I got really excited – hopefully that spinach will show up in our CSA box at some point!

So now you know about oxalates. Hopefully it’s not too disheartening – just remember that there are still so many good things in vegetables and eating all the oxalates in the world is still better than eating processed foods!

Berries: Fresh or Frozen?

If you read yesterday’s post about blackberries vs. blueberries, you learned that they are both excellent super-fruits that have outstanding health benefits. But I got a good question – are frozen just as good as fresh?

It’s a great question, because frozen fruit is so convenient and also less expensive. Frozen blueberries and cranberries are a regular item on my grocery list, because we use them in smoothies and hot cereal and yogurt and pancakes. Fresh berries are sometimes hard to come by in the middle of winter, and if you’re someone who relies on blueberries or cranberries or blackberries for your daily dose of antioxidants, frozen is your only option.

So what does freezing do to the nutrient value of a berry?

This depends on when the berry was frozen. Obviously, if you’re at a berry farm picking berries, it will have the maximum amount of nutrients if you pop it into your mouth right there on the spot. Since berries (and all fruits and veggies) begin to lose nutrients immediately after being picked, they will retain most of their nutrients if frozen right away. A berry frozen right after picking will have more nutrients than a berry that was picked somewhere across the country and then packaged, transported by truck, stocked in your grocery store, and eventually ended up in your refrigerator. The berries will be losing nutrients every step of the way, and by the time they make it to your house, they may only have a few days of life left.

Freezing preserves the nutrients, and the more quickly the fruit is frozen, the better. Freezing inhibits growth of microorganisms and prevents enzymes in the fruit from activating. This is what helps to preserve essential vitamins and nutrients.

Berries that are frozen whole (sometimes you find frozen sliced strawberries or frozen pureed berries) are best because they retain more of the nutrients. Anytime you work with the berries (cutting, removing stems) prior to freezing, you risk nutrient loss, particularly vitamin C loss.

One thing to watch out for when choosing frozen berries: make sure they are unsweetened. Many times frozen fruit will have sugar added and when you thaw the fruit, it will be sitting in a thick, sugary syrup (gross). This not only destroys nutrients, but it provides many unnecessary sugars to your body. Until you find a brand you can trust, I’d read every label to make sure the only ingredient is the fruit itself.

Frozen berries are wonderful for so many things. When berries are not in season, I recommend frozen berries because they are much less expensive and probably have more nutrients than the fresh ones in the grocery store. One brand I really like is Stahlbush Island Farms. It’s a farm in Oregon that is 100% natural and certified sustainable. But when berries are in season, there’s nothing like fresh berries for breakfast or any time of day, for that matter. Depending on where you live, I recommend trying to plant your own berries too. One of my great childhood memories was picking the raspberries from the bush in our backyard and immediately using them on our cereal or ice cream.

Below is a photo of our little raspberry bush in Denver. It looks healthy to me and I hope we get fruit eventually!

Now I'm off to make breakfast. Ed's request? Blueberry pancakes!

Blueberries vs. Blackberries

I was lucky enough to get to spend my Saturday touring houses in Denver. We have some friends who are casually looking at houses, and her parents came into town to help them out. Since touring houses (especially old houses, like the ones we have in the beautiful Denver neighborhoods) is one of my absolute favorite pastimes, I was in heaven! Not to mention my friend’s mother is an architect and her insight into how the space was used in each house was so interesting to hear.

We were so engaged in “house talk” that she threw me for a loop when she told me she had a question about blackberries (the fruit, not the phone). But it was a great question: are blackberries as good for us as blueberries? She loves blackberries, so was hoping for a favorable answer.

I didn’t have an exact answer on the spot, but I had a hunch. And my hunch was that they were both really good for us, but that blueberries just get more hype because they may have a bit more antioxidants and are a little bit less expensive and easier to come by. If you’ve ever bought fresh or frozen berries, you know that the blueberries or strawberries are usually a better bargain than the blackberries or raspberries. Whenever I buy fresh blackberries it’s a treat, because they are expensive. But they happen to be Ed’s favorite fruit, so I try to get them whenever they look too good to pass up.

And blueberries do get a lot of hype. They’re linked to lower cholesterol, prevention of heart disease, and cancer prevention. They are packed with antioxidants and we read about them everywhere. But for some reason, blackberries aren’t quite so popular.

Well, when I got home that evening I did some research on blueberries and blackberries. I wanted to see if my hunch was right. And guess what I found? Blueberries do have more antioxidants than blackberries, but not by much. Blackberries are still in the top three for antioxidant-rich fruits, behind only blueberries and cranberries. But this was particularly exciting: a recent study found that blackberries are the healthiest berry of all in terms of disease fighting and prevention. They are (get ready) a big 40% more potent than other antioxidant-rich foods when it comes to fighting disease. This is because of a certain substance they contain. In one study, this certain substance in blackberries was applied to lymphoma and leukemia cells and half of the cancer cells died within 18 hours. And when they increased the amount of substance they applied, all of the cancer cells died. (Berry in Black Makes A Comeback, Natural Health on the Web)

One cup of blueberries has about a third of our daily vitamin C requirement, as well as smaller amounts of manganese, fiber and vitamin E. They are the #1 fruit for antioxidants, and protect the cells involved in things like cataracts, glaucoma, varicose veins, ulcers, heart disease and cancer. They also improve the strength of our capillaries, which allows for better blood flow. Blueberries support brain health and are great for people who want to prevent brain diseases associated with aging, like Alzheimers. However, they also have a high amount of oxalates. Oxalates are natural substances found in certain plants or animals, and can cause health problems and deplete nutrients. I won’t go into detail today – maybe I’ll write about them later this week though because they are important to be aware of.

One cup of blackberries has over half of our recommended daily value of vitamin C – that’s more than we’ll find in blueberries. The antioxidants in blackberries help with things like skin protection, healthy digestive tract, reducing inflammation, and destroying cells associated with cancer and heart disease. The phytoestrogens in blackberries can help with things like hot flashes, bloating, immunity, heart health and brain health. Blackberries also contain large amounts of fiber and vitamin K, as well as some folate, manganese, copper, vitamin E, magnesium and potassium.

So I guess the verdict is this: both blackberries and blueberries have major health benefits and are super foods that can protect against disease. And on top of it all, they taste so good! So take your pick – or, do both. I think after all this research I am going to start incorporating more blackberries into our diet. This will give us the extra health benefits not found in blueberries, and it will also make Ed very happy. And to my friend’s mother who asked this great question, thank you! And, you may continue eating all the blackberries you want because they are so good for you!

All this berry talk makes me think about my healthy berry tart… it’s springtime now so maybe I’ll make it this week! Check back here for a recipe…

Cooking Vegetables: Steaming vs Boiling

Earlier this week I told you that minerals are so great because they are not very easily destroyed like some of the other nutrients out there. For example, let’s look at the vitamin C content of a green vegetable (broccoli, kale, whatever). Vitamin C is very sensitive to water, air, and temperature. So, when the green vegetable is boiled or steamed for a few minutes, about 25% of the vitamin C content is destroyed. Another 25% is destroyed if these veggies are frozen. And if the vegetable is cooked for 10 minutes or more, we lose over half of the vitamin C content. Another example would be folate. We learned last week how important this B-vitamin really is. However, did you know that even though one serving of garbanzo beans contains about 70% of your daily folate needs, almost half of this folate is destroyed once the beans are cooked? Not to mention the other things that interfere with folate absorption, such as alcohol, antacids, ibuprofen, aspirin, cholesterol or blood pressure medications, and some antibiotics.

Discouraging, right?

Well, it’s a different story with minerals. Minerals are retained better when foods are cooked, so we are more likely to get the full mineral benefits of eating the fresh vegetable. However, there is one thing that can take all of the minerals right out of your fresh vegetables, and that is water. When vegetables are cooked in water (as they often are), the water leaches the minerals from the food and hangs onto them. So when you put that piece broccoli on your plate, it has lost many of its minerals and you lose the health benefits of those minerals.

The solution? Steam your veggies. It’s the water, not the heat, that destroys the minerals. And steaming is so easy and makes the veggies taste great, so why not do it?

Really all you need is a simple vegetable steamer. Luckily, the Easter Bunny brought me one this year (see above) so I can finally steam vegetables the proper way. Without the steamer (which was $8 at Sur la Table), Ed and I had to get creative. Below, Ed is using a colander, a popcorn bowl, and a pot to “steam” three artichokes. The colander ended up burned, but the artichokes were delicious and full of minerals! 10 points for creativity on his part, but I think the $8 steamer was a good investment.

Have a great weekend!

The Major Minerals, Part 3: Magnesium, Potassium & Sulfur

This is the third and final day of major minerals. I know it may seem a little dull, but my hope is that you are realizing the importance of each of these tiny nutrients. And that you are also seeing the bigger picture: our diets must be balanced and varied. Things like counting calories, eliminating fats, or eating the same thing for breakfast every morning are not going to cut it. If we do those things, our body will be lacking in some major nutrients and our weight, mood and overall health will suffer. We need to eat fresh foods, not processed foods. We need to recognize the fact that processed foods and things like alcohol, sugar, and some medications can really interfere with our nutrient absorption. If we understand how these relationships work, we can make better decisions to support our health.

Just some things to keep in mind! Moving on…

Magnesium

Magnesium plays a role in metabolism through enzyme activation and energy production. It is also vital for cell reproduction, as well as brain, heart, liver and kidney health. So, pretty much everything in your body depends on magnesium! And despite this, magnesium deficiencies are very common. Many people are consuming enough magnesium, but are not absorbing enough magnesium. Things that reduce absorption and/or increase secretion (before utilization) of magnesium include alcohol, high calcium intake (especially if you are taking calcium supplements), diuretics such as coffee or tea, liver or kidney disease, and oral contraceptives. Some signs of a magnesium deficiency include fatigue, mental confusion, irritability, heart problems, muscle cramping, loss of appetite, insomnia, and stress.

The best food sources of magnesium include tofu, legumes, seeds, nuts, whole grains, and (as always!) leafy greens.

Potassium

When we think potassium, we think bananas. It’s just one of those things – like milk and calcium. But in reality, bananas are not the best food source of potassium. They are high on the list, but other great sources include potatoes, avocados, tomatoes, cantaloupe, chicken, salmon and lima beans.

Potassium works with sodium and chloride to maintain fluid and electrolyte balance inside and outside of our cells. It also helps maintain acid-base balance inside our body – something that is critical to our health. Remember, disease only grows in an overly-acidic environment. Potassium is also important for muscle and nerve cells, and heart, kidney and adrenal function. Low potassium levels are linked to high blood pressure, and depletion can occur when someone has diarrhea, excessive sweating or vomiting. Some signs of a potassium deficiency are muscle weakness, fatigue, mental confusion, irritability, and heart problems.

Sulfur

Sulfur stabilizes proteins, forms parts of the B-vitamins, and makes up part of the hormone insulin. Insulin is that hormone we all abuse when we eat too much sugar at once. It’s important, and we want to take care of it, because when it becomes tired and worn out from responding to our sugar habit, it can lead us to disease, especially diabetes. The body’s sulfate intake needs are met as long as there is adequate protein in the diet, so a deficiency in sulfur is rare. The best food sources are any protein-rich foods. A fairly easy mineral – but still important!

Tomorrow I’ll wrap up the Major Minerals with some explanation on the best way to cook vegetables so as to retain all the minerals. It’s simple but very important, and many are unaware of a common practice that is actually sucking all the minerals right out of the vegetables!

The Major Minerals, Part 2: Calcium & Phosphorous

Before we get into these minerals, I want to ask a favor of you guys. Please click on the link below and sign Jamie Oliver’s petition to improve the quality of food in America’s schools and to help improve cooking skills in our country. It’s super easy and fast, and it’s obviously a great cause, so if you can take a few seconds to do it, that would be great! Thanks!

Jamie Oliver’s Petition

Let’s continue with the major minerals… (see yesterday’s post for sodium and chloride).

Calcium

Calcium’s main function is to help build strong, healthy bones. We’ve been hearing this since we were kids. But did you know that calcium also protects against high blood pressure and colon cancer? It is a powerful mineral that works with other nutrients to perform very important functions in the body. Vitamin D is one nutrient that helps regulate blood calcium levels when dietary intake is too high or too low. If we are not consuming enough calcium-rich foods, the vitamin D will let our bones know that they must release some of their stored calcium into our blood. So, if we are low in Vitamin D we could be also hurting our blood calcium levels. Read more about vitamin D here.

The best food sources of calcium are dairy, kale, turnips, collard greens, cabbage, sesame seeds, and blackstrap molasses. Dairy is so heavily marketed to us as the best source of calcium, but I always tell people not to worry too much if they don’t tolerate milk well or their kids don’t like drinking it. There are so many other great food sources of calcium and many actually contain calcium that is more bioavailable to us than the calcium found in milk. Sesame seeds are great on anything from salads to stir fry, and blackstrap molasses can be added to hot cereals or teas. Kale is my personal favorite calcium source – we eat it in everything! I love how strong and hearty it is, because it hold up well in many types of recipes.

Signs of a calcium deficiency include muscle spasms, muscle cramping, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis.

Phosphorous

Phosphorous works with calcium in the mineralization of bones and teeth. It is necessary for all growth because it is a part of both RNA and DNA. Phosphorous is also needed for healthy metabolism. It activates enzymes and B-vitamins used to break down our food and create energy.

Since calcium and phosphorous work together, they are both very important parts of our diet. Having one without the other is not enough. Foods containing phosphorous include meat, fish, poultry, eggs, garlic, legumes, almonds and cashews. Signs of deficiency are things like muscle weakness and bone pain.

Tomorrow: Magnesium and sulfur.

The Major Minerals, Part 1: Sodium & Chloride

There are seven major minerals: sodium, chloride, calcium, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium and sulfur. The body uses these minerals for bone health, blood health, and maintenance of proper cell function. The body requires more than 100 mg of major minerals daily. These can be supplemented but, as always, are best obtained through whole food sources. Unlike some other nutrients, minerals are not easily destroyed by food processing methods such as cooking or mixing.

It’s easier to digest (pun intended) this information in small pieces, so I am going to break them into three groups. Today: sodium and chloride.

Sodium

Sodium is the primary regulator of the fluid outside of our cells, which helps maintain proper blood pressure. It also helps to maintain an acid-base balance inside of our body. Sodium is essential for proper nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction. Sometimes people focus so much on consuming a low-sodium diet that these functions in their body begin to suffer.

High sodium intake is linked to hypertension (high blood pressure). Too much sodium intake can also lead to an increase in calcium excretion. And when calcium is excreted, our body will pull more calcium from the stores inside of our bones, eventually leading to bone density loss and osteoporosis. The best food sources of sodium are Celtic sea salt or Himalayan salt, as well as all sea vegetables. These are both whole food sources of sodium. The sodium found in processed foods is not beneficial to us and should be avoided in excess.

Chloride

Chloride works with sodium and potassium to maintain fluid and electrolyte balance inside and outside of the cells. It is also a component of hydrochloric acid. I talked about HCL a long time ago here. But to refresh your memory, HCL is a stomach acid that is absolutely critical for digestion of food. It works with the enzymes to break down food and deliver it to the rest of our digestive system. HCL is also the body’s first line of defense against things like parasites and bad bacteria. Too many people are unaware of the importance of HCL, and many digestive issues are simply a matter of insufficient HCL. Things that cause a decrease in HCL are antacids (people who pop Tums or Rolaids all the time are likely to have poor digestion), some prescription drugs, high stress levels, or aging.

Back to chloride… Low chloride levels occur when we experience heavy and prolonged sweating (for example, running a marathon), chronic diarrhea, and vomiting. Dehydration also lowers chloride levels. The best food sources of chloride are the same as food sources of sodium – Celtic sea salt, Himalayan salt, and sea vegetables. Since sodium and chloride work together inside our bodies, it makes sense that they come from the same food sources.

Tomorrow: calcium and phosphorous.

On Weight Watchers? Eat McDonald’s.

I want to talk about the major minerals this week, because I just finished learning about them and they’re incredibly cool and interesting and important. BUT, I came across a bit of disturbing information and I have to vent! So, minerals can wait until tomorrow...

Apparently, McDonald’s and Weight Watchers have teamed up and there are now McDonald’s menu items that are Weight Watchers-approved and have points listed next to them on the menu boards. This is kicking off in New Zealand but will surely make it over to the states soon. Does this disgust anyone else?!

This sentence really gets to me:

“Over the past few years, McDonald’s has aimed at offering healthier food items for those weight-conscious customers.” (www.nbcchicago.com)

Let’s be honest: McDonald’s has never been and never will be a go-to for “weight-conscious customers”. Right? I’m not completely against McDonald’s, but I am against them promoting anything on their menu as a health food. It is some of the most highly processed food that exists, and the quality of their meat (and fish, and vegetables) is extremely low. I’d rather have a client eat at McDonald’s very rarely (maybe a few times per year) and order something they’ll enjoy, eat it, and not feel guilty about it, then try to tell them that there are healthy items on the menu.

The other part that gets to me is this: the sodium and preservatives and sugars in these McDonald’s Weight Watchers menu items (Filet-O-Fish, Chicken McNuggets, and Sweet Chili Seared Chicken Wrap, to name a few) are what make our blood sugar fluctuate and send mixed signals to our brain, so we don’t know if we feel full or hungry, and therefore we crave more sugar or sodium.

So it’s just unfair for a leading weight loss company to be supporting this. They aim to help people meet their weight loss goals – and in many cases, they are successful. But, if someone joins Weight Watchers and eats McDonald’s three times per day, because WW says they can, are they really doing themselves a favor? Is their health really going to improve? They may order fewer things than usual, stay within their points, and drop some pounds. But their health will suffer and they will surely gain the weight back eventually. Not to mention they will feel bad after eating McDonald’s. They might have a temporary high and feel great, but the sugar and sodium will cause them to crash and battle another craving. And who wants to be on a diet that makes them feel bad?

I recognize that there are some people who really do eat at McDonald’s every single day, and the new WW menu items may act as a guideline for them when ordering. However, I think WW has some guts to be endorsing this type of food. And, if someone really does want to try to eat healthier, I'd focus on weaning them off of McDonald's, not just altering their order. It goes back to the conclusion I came up with a few months ago when I did a research project on Weight Watchers: they are a weight loss company, but don’t necessarily focus on the overall health of the person.

I’ll repeat what I always say and truly believe: if you are trying to lose weight, focus on fresh, whole foods. As you consume more and more whole foods, your digestion and metabolic processes will improve and your body will become more balanced. This, in turn, will lead not only to increased weight loss but also to improved health in many different areas. You will not only look better, but you’ll feel amazing!

Thanks for listening!!!