Healthy Cooking by design

Have you ever considered the idea that burning sweet smelling incense is very similar to breathing second hand smoke?  Until today, I hadn’t either.  I heard it on the radio news and decided to check it out.

This study, of more than 61,000 people across 12 years, found that people who burned incense all day were 80 percent more likely than non-users to develop squamous cell carcinoma of the entire respiratory tract. While a number of people on the study did contract lung cancer, those numbers were not necessarily increased from the general population.  However, the instances of nasal, oral, throat, or larynx cancer were significantly increased.

This article at Natural News.com explains that the air quality inside a poorly ventilated temple with heavy incense use was 40 times more polluted than the inside of a cigarette smokers house or similar to standing at a busy intersection filled with car exhaust.

Whether you burn incense all day or just occasionally, it seems helpful to highlight the idea that we can avoid many diseases when we breathe clean air, drink clean water, and eat natural food.

Wikipedia says “A macrobiotic diet (or macrobiotics), from the Greek “macro” (large, long) and “bios” (life), is a dietary regimen that involves eating grains as a staple food supplemented with other foodstuffs such as vegetables and beans, and avoiding the use of highly processed or refined foods. Macrobiotics also addresses the manner of eating by recommending against overeating and requiring that food be chewed thoroughly before swallowing.” Macrobiotics has lots of healthy recommendations and has similarities to the Mediterranean Diet that my cooking and lifestyle is based on.  Except that I believe in variety and moderation of all kinds of natural foods, so I would not adhere to the macrobiotic recommendation that certain vegetables be avoided, etc.

I hung out on one particular site which grabbed my attention with phrases like “Trying to understand the true potential and essence of your food through nutritional analysis alone is like trying to understand the current US political agenda using mainstream media spin on the subject as your only source of information. (nutritional analysis alone being people who just count calories or carbs, or buy a cereal because it has lots of fiber)- taken from the article titled Understanding Food Energetics; and

“Today we have a nation that is addicted to sugar. In 1915, the national average of sugar consumption (per year) was around 15 to 20 pounds per person. Today the average person consumes his/her weight in sugar, plus over 20 pounds of corn syrup.” “- taken from the article titled The Hidden Story of Big Sugar.  One of my biggest problems with sugar is that it hinders your immune system and makes it sluggish - not at all what I want when my body (or my children) encounters a germ - a sleepy, half-hearted attempt to fight it off.

The site with the above articles and others like Raising Healthy Children and Whole Grains for Whole People is called Macrobiotic Guide.  They even list their Top 15 Super Foods.  Please don’t hear me saying that I agree every suggestion offered in this guide.  Instead, like most every site I find about diet and nutrition, they provide a lot of information that is thought provoking, much of which lines up with commonly accepted beliefs.   I always appreciate reading research and theory, and just apply the suggestions that mesh well with my family’s outlook on diet and nutrition.

We sometimes struggle with the “all or nothing mentality”.  Its either carrot sticks and water or a Big Mac meal with ice cream later in the day.  But let’s imagine that our dietary and lifestyle choices all equal either a positive number or a negative number on a number line, and we tally them up each day.  Viewed that way, you have an infinite number of increasingly healthy choices or increasingly unhealthy choices, with the occasional choice being neutral.   So even the smallest healthy choice - like parking a few spaces farther out in the parking lot or drinking green tea in the afternoon - are small positive numbers that get added in to the overall result of the day.  And we know this is true, because we clearly see it working in the reverse - lots of little choices over time at the drive thru, or the vending machine, or ice cream at night gradually add up to make a negative difference.

Let’s say a Big Mac meal equals negative 20 as a choice.  That same meal, if you skipped the fries might only be a negative 15 - a better choice.  And if you drank unsweetened tea instead of the coke, then that meal might only be a negative 5 choice.  Later today, you could walk around the block, a positive 10 choice, and have a fruit and yogurt smoothie instead of DQ, another positive 10 choice, and now you’re solidly in positive territory for the day.

I was thinking about all this today, because I was craving pancakes.  Now I could have bought buttermilk pancake mix, syrup, etc and had a lot of negative numbers for my day.  Or I could have made whole wheat pancakes and topped them with fruit and nuts and had only positive numbers added to my day.  Instead, I compromised.  I made whole wheat pancakes (positive), spread them with natural peanut butter (positive), sprinkled some chocolate chips (negative), and drizzled them with honey (neutral).  So, my overall effect was positive.  Not as positive as it could have been, but also not as negative as it could have been.  And it was very satisfying.

It is helpful to me to look at each small choice I make as adding positive numbers to my day - and therefore having a positive result in my overall health.  I am wanting to live in positive territory, so I look at each choice I make as either helping me get there, or negating some of the good choices I have already made.

Special photo thanks to TheD at Stock.xchng.

When you think “healthy peanut butter”, be honest, do you think of a gritty, unappealing mass that will tear bread if you attempt to spread it?  You’re not alone.  Let me point you to a couple of really great tasting, healthy peanut butters so you don’t have to compromise the flavor or texture you love.

My first favorite is from Trader Joe’s (Think of them as the Aldi’s of Whole Foods - their own brands, lower prices, great tasting healthy food, with a helpful staff.).  Trader Joe’s Roasted, Salted Peanut Butter has the smooth creaminess and flavor of any kid-friendly “Jiff-type” peanut butter.  Its very delicious and only about $1.79 for the regular 16 oz. jar.  Another one that I just tried that has the same consistency, delicious taste, and a similar low price is Kroger’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter.

My next favorite is a little more pricey, but I bring a jar home whenever I go to Trader Joe’s.  It is their Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseeeds.  It is about $4.99 for the 16 oz. jar.  But, holy cow, I’ve never tasted anything like it.  I buy the crunchy, salted one.  They have all their varieties in unsalted, if you prefer.  I also splurge on their Almond Butter.  It is also about $4.99 for the 16 oz. jar.  I buy the raw, salted variety.  It does have a little texture, but is very soft and spreadable and really delicious.  Its really a great deal because most almond butter is $12.00-$15.00 a jar.  But, back to peanut butter.

My next favorite is available at Publix, Kroger, and Walmart.  Its Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter.  I buy the creamy, salted variety.  This one does have a little texture, but is still very spreadable (and its very far from gritty).  I have seen it as high at $3.16 and as low as $2.23, depending on the store.

All of these are appealing to me because when looking for a healthy peanut butter, I want:

• just peanuts (with the peanut oil) and salt (no hydrogenated oils added)
• flavorful peanut taste (not the taste of other oils and sugars)
• creamy and spreadable texture (not gritty and dry)
• reasonable price (I have a large family and live on a budget)

And to get all of those, I don’t mind the monthly trip to Trader Joe’s to stock up (on peanut butter and other things), or the minute or two it takes me to stir peanut butter to recombine the oil that first time before I stick it in the refrigerator (I think of it as exercise).  But if the stirring bothers you, go here to buy a lid with a built in crank and paddle (designed to screw onto natural peanut butter jars).  Then you could even have a child stir it without making a mess.

*Special photo thanks to Crystala at Stock.xchng

P.S. After putting up this post, a reader contacted me and suggested I try the Publix brand natural peanut butter.  So I tried their crunchy variety and thought it was delicious.  Its ingredients are simply peanuts and salt.  I’m sure there are many other natural peanut butters out there that are delicious and won’t break the bank, so get brave and try some.  Thanks for the suggestion!

People ask me all the time to help them “healthify” a recipe and I’m happy to do it.  Apparently I’ve had enough experience messing up recipes that I know the pitfalls to avoid when substituting.

While some recipes cannot be redeemed - Deep-Fried Snickers Bars, for example - most can either be made healthy or can be re-worked to keep the same flavor elements you love, but in a new recipe.

Here are a couple of practical suggestions:

• Make it healthier and smaller.  Grandma’s cheesecake can be made with 1/3 less fat cream cheese, half the sugar, topped with real fruit, and made in a half-batch when having company over.  Everyone enjoys a big piece, and then it’s gone.
• Rework the proportions.  Use the largest amount of the healthiest ingredient and the smallest amount of the unhealthiest.  In a cheesy chicken and broccoli casserole, use a huge amount of broccoli, then a reasonable amount of brown rice, then some chicken, and top with a little cheese.  This concept works in most casseroles and soups.
• Experiment with new brands to use.  There are tons of pastas, breads, crackers, and cereals made with whole grains.  The ones with the most nutrition have “whole” wheat or oats, etc as the first ingredient in the list.  They all have a different taste and texture, so experiment until you find ones you like and then use whole grains.

If you have a favorite recipe that you would like to “healthify” but can’t figure it out, email it to me and I’ll be glad to tell you how I would do it.

I came across a link on facebook today called “Cup O’ Joe for a Joe” and couldn’t resist checking it out and passing it along to other coffee lovers.  Not only because I love a good cup of coffee, but I love to support our troops.

The creator of this campaign is the Green Beans Coffee Company.  They got their start with, and have a unique dedication to, the troops of the United States military. Their company mission is “Honor First, Coffee Second”, and they donate a portion of every sale to charities that support military families and their children.

You can go to their site and pay two bucks for a cup of coffee to be delivered to a soldier who has signed up, along with a note from you if you like.  They can even send a note of thanks back telling you how much that little gesture from home meant to them.  On facebook, you can read some of the thank you notes soldiers sent back to others - I dare you to not cry!

I know money is tight for many of us right now.  But who says we should give out of our abundance?  I could choose to skip my cup of coffee (or other indulgence) once a week or even once a month to send it to someone who will appreciate it a lot more than me.  I mean, they are skipping EVERY COMFORT OF THEIR LIFE right now for me.  The least I can do is send them a cup of coffee with a thank you note from home.  Thanks Green Beans for a great idea!

Why is portion control so important?  I suppose it depends on whether you are trying to burn all the calories you take in each day, or have extra ones to store away for later.  Even as I write this, I am enjoying 1/2 cup of oats, cooked, and topped with measured amounts of butter, brown sugar, bannana, etc.  Instead of feeling frustrated at the thought of measuring my breakfast (or approximating it because I’ve made it so many times), I find security and peace of mind knowing that I will burn all the calories I eat today and still be a size 7 tomorrow.

Imagine you bought fertilizer for your lawn, but it did not come with directions for proper application.  You would wander your yard, scatter the amount you thought was right, and hope for the best.  Through trial and error (and watching the results), you would discover what did not work well, but would probably not get the maximum benefit without the directions.  It is the same with food.

Most companies selling food are not only trying to make money, but are unconcerned with your health or the long-term results of eating their food.  I like to think of them as used car salesmen.  I evaluate each company individually to see how much they know about what they are selling, and how accurately they represent that information.  The Center for Science in the Public Interest, has some great lists of the best and worst foods.  Here are just a couple of their examples of restaurants not understanding (or caring) what they are selling, and consumers not understanding (or caring) what they are eating:

• Chili’s Big Mouth Bites with French fries (four mini bacon cheeseburgers with fried onion strings): 2,350 calories, 38 grams saturated fat, 3,940 milligrams sodium.  That’s about two days worth of RDA for most people.
• Olive Garden Tour of Italy, with lasagna, chicken parmigiana, and fettuccine alfredo: 1,450 calories, 33 grams saturated fat, 3,830 milligrams sodium.  If you’re over 40 or have high blood pressure, that’s more than twice the sodium you should have in an entire day.
• Ruby Tuesday’s “Fresh Chicken & Broccoli Pasta.” It sounds healthy, but its 2,060 calories and 128 grams of fat make it the equivalent of two 12-ounce sirloin steaks, two buttered baked potatoes, and two Caesar salads. (CSPI calls this dish “Angioplasta.”)
• Cheesecake Factory’s “Chris’ Outrageous Chocolate Cake.” This 1,380-calorie menu item is the equivalent of eating two Quarter Pounders plus a large fries—for dessert.
• Starbucks Venti White Chocolate Mocha and Blueberry Scone would provide 1,100 calories—or about as much as one would find in a Burger King bacon double cheeseburger, medium fries, and medium Coke.

Most of us realize that our desires will drive us to an unhealthy place unless control or restraint is applied.  We easily recognize this with the number of hours we (or our children) watch television, the amount of candy we eat in a day, how much money we spend frivolously out of our paychecks, etc.  Most adults don’t really live by “if it feels good, do it”.

Once we decide that we want to use portion control when eating, the question is how.  You could check out Mayo Clinic’s slide show on Portion Control for Weight Loss, Web MD’s article on Portion Control and Weight Loss, or look at The Portion Plate - an actual plate that shows portion guidelines.  You could also search a particular food in Calorie King’s Food Database and they will tell you the appropriate serving size, allow you to select other serving sizes, give you the nutritional information, as well as the amount of exercise needed to burn those calories.

Most of us have never been taught this information and yet it is foundational to good health and maintaining a healthy weight.  Once you get used to seeing and using healthy portion sizes, it is easier to see that both at home and in a restaurant, we serve and eat a lot more food than we need.

Special photo thanks to loleia at stock.xchng.

I constantly challenge myself to learn.  Whether about being a better mother, wife, Christian, or healthy cook.  Not only do I want to know more information, I want to apply it practically.   One of my favorite ways to learn about healthy foods is my library.

When I have a client for whom I am creating recipes, I tend to study what they like or need in their diet.  Recently I have learned more about Columbian food, gluten-free food, and diabetes-friendly food.  And when I don’t have something specific I’m trying to learn more about, I just go for generally nutritious and natural foods and healthy cooking methods.

I typically go to my library’s section on cooking and start browsing titles.  Ones that sound like my style of cooking and eating, I pick up and thumb through.  If I find ingredients that are too expensive (black truffle mushrooms), things my family wouldn’t like (squid), or cooking methods I wouldn’t use (deep-fried) then I put it back.  Otherwise, I look further.  If I find it in line with what I believe is healthy, or see several recipes we would probably like, I check it out and take it home.

I read it in my spare time (ok, I have to TAKE time), write down any recipes I’d like to try and then return it.  I always keep the name of the author with the recipe in case I like it and pass it on so they get the credit.  Well, I’ve got to get back to looking through the small stack I brought home from the library yesterday…

Some people who are trying to eat healthier make lists of foods to avoid - no McDonalds, no fried foods, no candy bars, etc.  I tend to go the opposite route.  My husband might say I am ALWAYS going the opposite route…but that’s a story for another day.

Years ago, I found a list of the healthiest foods to include in your diet.  At mealtimes, I would look over the list and see how many foods I could include in that meal.  So instead of trying to avoid certain foods and suffering through eating my second choice, I am looking for ways to include healthy ingredients and making them my first choice.  And by linking the good result I want in my body with the foods that will give it to me, it makes it easier to take the viewpoint that it really is my first choice.

One of the great lists on the web is at Worlds Healthiest Foods.  They have a fantastic list of healthy foods to include in your diet.  Another good list is the Glycemic Index of foods.  I try to include lots of foods from the low glycemic index category, some from the intermediate GI cagegory, and very few from the high GI category.  This Glycemic Index from Former Fat Guy is a simple and easy to read chart.  I hope some of these ideas make it easier to look for good foods to include in your diet.

I have several friends who have removed gluten from their diets.  I cannot imagine how difficult it is to eat a variety of healthy grains, breads, and cereals when gluten is excluded.  So, I was very excited when my friends at U.S. Mills Company sent me samples of their new Erewhon brand (prounounced Air-wahn) gluten-free cereals.   I thought I’d pass along my thoughts.

The Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice was the first one opened at my house.  If you have kids, you can relate.  Even our child who would choose white puffy bread over whole wheat really enjoyed it.  She said that it was not Cocoa Krispies, but it was still really good.  She’s eaten it every morning since then - I guess that says it all.  If you read the box, you’ll see that its made by toasting the actual grain of brown rice and uses all organic, natural ingredients.  Tastes good and is good for you - my favorite combo.

The cereal I tried first was the Strawberry Crisp.  It’s brown rice and corn flakes with bits of real strawberries.  The flakes stayed crisp and the strawberries rehydrated in the the milk and actually tasted like fresh diced strawberries.  The cereal is “lightly sweetened” and with a few slices of banana, it was just perfect for me without any added sweetener.

Finally, I tried the Corn Flakes.  Now if you eat gluten-free, you may already eat pounds of corn flakes.  I still think these are worth your time to try.  First let me help you remember how simple an ingredient list on the side of a box can look - organic milled corn, and sea salt.  Think of these corn flakes as a blank canvas that you get to complete each day to fit the mood you are in.  I can easily envision a different fruit, nut, or sweetener for every day of the week.  And I would most certainly make the recipe on the box for Crisp Macaroons and eat those for breakfast on the go!  I think these flakes would make a fantastic topping for oven baked chicken or a Mexican casserole, crushed and lightly sprayed with butter flavored canola spray to make them brown and toasty.

And even if you don’t need gluten-free, they are delicious and so are the wide variety of whole grain, natural, and organic products from U.S. Mills.