Nutricia's NusletterA monthly shout-out of ideas, experiments, and inspirations for health and happiness.
Sweets for the Sweet
Do you crave sugar? It’s not surprising. Humans are programmed to love a sweet flavor. The first food we taste, mother’s milk, is sweet. Out in nature, sweet-flavored plants are not poisonous. They’re safe and nutritious. We’ve got taste buds dedicated to nothin’ but sweet. So don’t feel guilty! It’s perfectly normal to love sweets.
Refined sugar, on the other hand, is not perfectly normal. First of all, it’s refined, which means when it gets to our table it is pretty far from its whole-food plant form. Do you know the term “empty calories”? That’s what refined sugar is: the nutrients present in real-live sugar cane have been stripped away, and your body must use up stored minerals to digest it! Ann Louise Gittleman says, “Refined sugar acts more like a drug that our bodies need to detoxify rather than a nutrient-supplying food.”
So our bodies are programmed to want that sweet stuff, and the sweet flavor is constantly, abundantly available in the form of refined sugar. What do you think has happened? Shocking factoid: in the United States in 1850, the average per person consumption of sugar each year was 22 pounds. In 1990, it was 135 pounds. That’s not counting artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup! If you think this can’t be good, you are correct. Consuming lots of refined sugar is linked to a vast number of health issues, including diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, skin disorders, mood disorders, and (of course) tooth decay.
Luckily, there are a number of less toxic sweeteners available! (I am not referring to artificial sweeteners; don’t get me started on those.) I refer to lovely, gentle, plant-based sweeteners like Agave Nectar, Stevia, and Raw Honey. Agave Nectar comes from the agave cactus, which also brings us Tequila. Agave Nectar is a bit thinner than honey, and a bit sweeter than sugar; however, it is so gentle that it’s safe for diabetics! Stevia is a South American plant. Stevia extract is 100-300 times sweeter than sugar. It’s available in white powder form, but I prefer the brown liquid. It comes in a dropper bottle and is less refined than the powder. Stevia is also safe for diabetics, and contains fiber and nutrients. My favorite sweetener of the moment is Raw Honey. It’s honey that hasn’t been heated, so it retains enzymes and minerals.
If you feel the call to purge that Demon Sugar from your life, what’s your first step? Focus on whole, rather than processed foods, and get hold of some lovely natural sweeteners to ease the transition. And should you need help, contact your friendly neighborhood health counselor.
Top Ten: Healthy Sweeteners
1. Agave Nectar
2. Stevia
3. Raw honey
4. Honey
5. Brown Rice Syrup
6. Barley Malt
7. Date Sugar
8. Maple Syrup
9. Molasses
10. Fruit juice
Recipe: Raw fruit Pie with Apple Filling
From Get the Sugar Out by Ann Louise Gittleman
Crust
2 cups ground walnuts
¾ pound soft dried dates, pitted and chopped
Filling
3 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, quartered, and sliced into ¼-inch-thick segments
¾ cup raisins
Juice of 1 ½ small lemons (about 4 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
To make the crust, blend walnuts to a fine powder in a food processor or blender.
Chop the dates in a food processor or blender.
Then knead the crust ingredients together.
Press into a 10-inch pie plate.
Refrigerate overnight to help the crust harden.
Also overnight soak the apples and raisins in the lemon juice and cinnamon.
The next day spoon the filling into the pie crust and serve.
Makes one 10-inch pie. Serves 8-10 people.
Do you crave sugar? It’s not surprising. Humans are programmed to love a sweet flavor. The first food we taste, mother’s milk, is sweet. Out in nature, sweet-flavored plants are not poisonous. They’re safe and nutritious. We’ve got taste buds dedicated to nothin’ but sweet. So don’t feel guilty! It’s perfectly normal to love sweets.
Refined sugar, on the other hand, is not perfectly normal. First of all, it’s refined, which means when it gets to our table it is pretty far from its whole-food plant form. Do you know the term “empty calories”? That’s what refined sugar is: the nutrients present in real-live sugar cane have been stripped away, and your body must use up stored minerals to digest it! Ann Louise Gittleman says, “Refined sugar acts more like a drug that our bodies need to detoxify rather than a nutrient-supplying food.”
So our bodies are programmed to want that sweet stuff, and the sweet flavor is constantly, abundantly available in the form of refined sugar. What do you think has happened? Shocking factoid: in the United States in 1850, the average per person consumption of sugar each year was 22 pounds. In 1990, it was 135 pounds. That’s not counting artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup! If you think this can’t be good, you are correct. Consuming lots of refined sugar is linked to a vast number of health issues, including diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, skin disorders, mood disorders, and (of course) tooth decay.
Luckily, there are a number of less toxic sweeteners available! (I am not referring to artificial sweeteners; don’t get me started on those.) I refer to lovely, gentle, plant-based sweeteners like Agave Nectar, Stevia, and Raw Honey. Agave Nectar comes from the agave cactus, which also brings us Tequila. Agave Nectar is a bit thinner than honey, and a bit sweeter than sugar; however, it is so gentle that it’s safe for diabetics! Stevia is a South American plant. Stevia extract is 100-300 times sweeter than sugar. It’s available in white powder form, but I prefer the brown liquid. It comes in a dropper bottle and is less refined than the powder. Stevia is also safe for diabetics, and contains fiber and nutrients. My favorite sweetener of the moment is Raw Honey. It’s honey that hasn’t been heated, so it retains enzymes and minerals.
If you feel the call to purge that Demon Sugar from your life, what’s your first step? Focus on whole, rather than processed foods, and get hold of some lovely natural sweeteners to ease the transition. And should you need help, contact your friendly neighborhood health counselor.
Top Ten: Healthy Sweeteners
1. Agave Nectar
2. Stevia
3. Raw honey
4. Honey
5. Brown Rice Syrup
6. Barley Malt
7. Date Sugar
8. Maple Syrup
9. Molasses
10. Fruit juice
Recipe: Raw fruit Pie with Apple Filling
From Get the Sugar Out by Ann Louise Gittleman
Crust
2 cups ground walnuts
¾ pound soft dried dates, pitted and chopped
Filling
3 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, quartered, and sliced into ¼-inch-thick segments
¾ cup raisins
Juice of 1 ½ small lemons (about 4 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
To make the crust, blend walnuts to a fine powder in a food processor or blender.
Chop the dates in a food processor or blender.
Then knead the crust ingredients together.
Press into a 10-inch pie plate.
Refrigerate overnight to help the crust harden.
Also overnight soak the apples and raisins in the lemon juice and cinnamon.
The next day spoon the filling into the pie crust and serve.
Makes one 10-inch pie. Serves 8-10 people.
Happy New Year!
And happy new moon! The first new moon of the calendar year always feels like the true new year to me. Time to shake off the craziness of the holidays and get back to this thing called Life. This moon falls in Capricorn, and Capricorn rules, among many other things, bones: so this moon's dairy theme seemed appropriate (see Calcium discussion below). Dairy is the most controversial food I deal with in my practice. Is it healthy? Is it necessary? Why is it sitting there on the USDA food pyramid? Special thanks to Jewel Greenberg and Eric Messner for suggesting the topic.
All of us here at Nutricia Consulting (okay, that would be me) wish you a prosperous, joyful, creative, and healthy new year! To that end, I'm offering a New Year's Special: 10% off all 6-month programs until January 31. That's in addition to any other discounts for which you may be eligible (senior, student, union, military). Contact me for your free Free FREE initial consultation: let's discuss how I can help you achieve your new year's resolutions!
Thank you for your continued support!
Wishing you health and joy,
Tricia
What’s the Deal with Dairy?
In my health counseling practice, I work under the premise that there is no one right diet for everyone: your unique nutritional needs are a combination of your ancestry, your gender, your age, the amount of exercise you get, the season, and the climate where you live. So there’s a lot of detective work that needs to be done to find the perfect balance of foods that nourish you. Dairy is possibly the best example of a food that needs detective work to be understood.
“Diary Crack”
70% of the world is lactose intolerant. In addition, many people have allergies to dairy. Dairy has been linked to ear infections in children, excess mucous, allergies, and eczema. Non-fat milk has been linked to acne in adolescents. Dr. Neal Barnard of the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine, calls cheese “dairy crack:” cow’s milk contains casomorphins, which he describes as opiates related to morphine. No wonder dairy products are comfort food for so many of us!
Raw Dairy
So, is dairy a force of evil? There’s a growing movement that says the exact opposite: that dairy is a superfood, until it’s processed. The Weston-Price Foundation believes that unpasteurized milk contains enzymes and vitamins necessary for robust health. In fact I’ve spoken to a few people who were raised on raw milk (they lived down the street from cows), and they recall never being sick in childhood. Raw cheeses are available at organic markets and health foods stores. Raw milk can be difficult to find, however; you pretty much need to buy a share in a local cow. And raw dairy is controversial: pasteurization was very important to public health when it was introduced.
The Calcium Campaign
Many people eat dairy religiously to get calcium into their diet. Certainly this is the focus of the Got Milk? Campaign, and ostensibly the reason dairy is featured prominently on the USDA food pyramid. But if dairy is so necessary for health, why does 70% of the world’s population lack the enzymes to digest it? Why do many cuisines of the world contain no, or nearly no, dairy? If we need the calcium dairy provides, why do Westerners, who eat a great deal of dairy, suffer from far more incidences of osteoporosis than Asians, who eat nearly no dairy? The truth is that dark leafy green vegetables (kale, collards, cooked spinach, etc) and sea vegetables are rich sources of calcium – and they’ve got no fat and no cholesterol. Some people may absorb more calcium from animal sources than from vegetable sources, in which case fish with bones are also a good source.
Other Considerations
If you’re consuming dairy, I consider it very important to find high-quality products. This means organic, free-range, grass-fed, and local if possible. Milk and cheese that come from factory-farmed animals are higher in fat and cholesterol than dairy that comes from happy, healthy animals. Conventionally farmed dairy also contains antibiotics and hormones, which I sure don’t want in my daily diet. Many people who can’t tolerate cow’s milk do very well with sheep’s milk or goat’s milk. The molecules of cow’s milk are larger, and therefore more difficult to digest. In addition, aged cheeses are often far more difficult to digest than newer cheeses like mozzarella. Finally, there’s the Vitamin D consideration: the natural source of Vitamin D is the sun. This worked well when we (the human race) spent most of our time outdoors. Cleverly, the human body can store up to 3 months worth of Vitamin D, enough to get us through the dark winter. Now, however, we spend very little time outside; this makes fortified milk a useful source of Vitamin D.
Dairy Do or Don’t?
Frequently, I am asked, “Should I eat dairy?” To answer this question, you will need to do some detective work. On the minus side, dairy can contribute to mucous, digestive upset, skin eruptions, and ear infections; it is fatty, and potentially contains hormones and antibiotics. On the plus side, it contains calcium and Vitamin D, and can be a healthy source of fat if it’s right for you. Generally speaking, people of northern European ancestry do pretty well with dairy. I suggest, if you’re curious about the role of dairy in your health, that you cut it out of your diet for two weeks. See how you feel, and if you notice any positive or negative effects. Let me know how it goes!
Recipe: Vegan Chocolate Pudding
Plenty of people abstain from dairy, due to lactose intolerance, dairy allergies, or for ethical reasons. Some vegetarians avoid dairy, and vegans avoid consuming any animal products at all. Here is my favorite dessert from my vegan days. I served it to many folks who never suspected it was soy-based!
1 package firm tofu (I used Mori-Nu brand; it doesn’t need to be refrigerated before opening.)
1 package Enjoy Life! chocolate chips
Put in blender.
Blend.
Chill.
Serve.
Recipe: Charlotte Skiles’ Raw Cream Ice Cream
Charlotte Skiles of Eat In Peace is an herbalist and nutrition consultant, and a raw dairy enthusiast. Here is her recipe for home-made ice cream.
3 egg yolks, from pastured chickens
½ cup maple syrup
1 Tablespoon arrowroot powder
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract or the seeds of one vanilla bean
3 cups raw cream*
With a hand held mixer, beat egg yolks on high speed until lighter in color. Add maple syrup, arrowroot, and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy and almost ribbony. Slowly add cream on low speed just until combined, scraping sides once or twice; do not over mix. Follow directions on ice cream maker: I use Deni Scoop Factory Model 5400 produced by Keystone Manufacturing Company. It can easily be purchased online for about $60.
*If you find that this is too rich for you, add an extra egg yolk and replace one cup of cream with whole milk.
Variations
~Chocolate ice cream: add 3 Tablespoons cocoa.
~Cinnamon ice cream: add 1 Tablespoon cinnamon and replace maple syrup with Rapadura for a nice flavor and color.
~Coconut ice cream: replace ½ of the cream with whole organic coconut milk (Thai Kitchen); add ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes.
Upcoming Events
The 2nd Annual Nutricia Consulting Spring Cleansing is on the way! Dates TBA.
What would you like to learn about holistic nutrition in 2008? Email your ideas to tricia@nutriciaconsulting.com.
Links
Charlotte Skiles, Herbalist & Nutrition Consultant
A Campaign for Real Milk
Weston A. Price Foundation: raw dairy resources
Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine: vegan resources
The Post-Punk Kitchen: vegan recipes
And happy new moon! The first new moon of the calendar year always feels like the true new year to me. Time to shake off the craziness of the holidays and get back to this thing called Life. This moon falls in Capricorn, and Capricorn rules, among many other things, bones: so this moon's dairy theme seemed appropriate (see Calcium discussion below). Dairy is the most controversial food I deal with in my practice. Is it healthy? Is it necessary? Why is it sitting there on the USDA food pyramid? Special thanks to Jewel Greenberg and Eric Messner for suggesting the topic.
All of us here at Nutricia Consulting (okay, that would be me) wish you a prosperous, joyful, creative, and healthy new year! To that end, I'm offering a New Year's Special: 10% off all 6-month programs until January 31. That's in addition to any other discounts for which you may be eligible (senior, student, union, military). Contact me for your free Free FREE initial consultation: let's discuss how I can help you achieve your new year's resolutions!
Thank you for your continued support!
Wishing you health and joy,
Tricia
What’s the Deal with Dairy?
In my health counseling practice, I work under the premise that there is no one right diet for everyone: your unique nutritional needs are a combination of your ancestry, your gender, your age, the amount of exercise you get, the season, and the climate where you live. So there’s a lot of detective work that needs to be done to find the perfect balance of foods that nourish you. Dairy is possibly the best example of a food that needs detective work to be understood.
“Diary Crack”
70% of the world is lactose intolerant. In addition, many people have allergies to dairy. Dairy has been linked to ear infections in children, excess mucous, allergies, and eczema. Non-fat milk has been linked to acne in adolescents. Dr. Neal Barnard of the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine, calls cheese “dairy crack:” cow’s milk contains casomorphins, which he describes as opiates related to morphine. No wonder dairy products are comfort food for so many of us!
Raw Dairy
So, is dairy a force of evil? There’s a growing movement that says the exact opposite: that dairy is a superfood, until it’s processed. The Weston-Price Foundation believes that unpasteurized milk contains enzymes and vitamins necessary for robust health. In fact I’ve spoken to a few people who were raised on raw milk (they lived down the street from cows), and they recall never being sick in childhood. Raw cheeses are available at organic markets and health foods stores. Raw milk can be difficult to find, however; you pretty much need to buy a share in a local cow. And raw dairy is controversial: pasteurization was very important to public health when it was introduced.
The Calcium Campaign
Many people eat dairy religiously to get calcium into their diet. Certainly this is the focus of the Got Milk? Campaign, and ostensibly the reason dairy is featured prominently on the USDA food pyramid. But if dairy is so necessary for health, why does 70% of the world’s population lack the enzymes to digest it? Why do many cuisines of the world contain no, or nearly no, dairy? If we need the calcium dairy provides, why do Westerners, who eat a great deal of dairy, suffer from far more incidences of osteoporosis than Asians, who eat nearly no dairy? The truth is that dark leafy green vegetables (kale, collards, cooked spinach, etc) and sea vegetables are rich sources of calcium – and they’ve got no fat and no cholesterol. Some people may absorb more calcium from animal sources than from vegetable sources, in which case fish with bones are also a good source.
Other Considerations
If you’re consuming dairy, I consider it very important to find high-quality products. This means organic, free-range, grass-fed, and local if possible. Milk and cheese that come from factory-farmed animals are higher in fat and cholesterol than dairy that comes from happy, healthy animals. Conventionally farmed dairy also contains antibiotics and hormones, which I sure don’t want in my daily diet. Many people who can’t tolerate cow’s milk do very well with sheep’s milk or goat’s milk. The molecules of cow’s milk are larger, and therefore more difficult to digest. In addition, aged cheeses are often far more difficult to digest than newer cheeses like mozzarella. Finally, there’s the Vitamin D consideration: the natural source of Vitamin D is the sun. This worked well when we (the human race) spent most of our time outdoors. Cleverly, the human body can store up to 3 months worth of Vitamin D, enough to get us through the dark winter. Now, however, we spend very little time outside; this makes fortified milk a useful source of Vitamin D.
Dairy Do or Don’t?
Frequently, I am asked, “Should I eat dairy?” To answer this question, you will need to do some detective work. On the minus side, dairy can contribute to mucous, digestive upset, skin eruptions, and ear infections; it is fatty, and potentially contains hormones and antibiotics. On the plus side, it contains calcium and Vitamin D, and can be a healthy source of fat if it’s right for you. Generally speaking, people of northern European ancestry do pretty well with dairy. I suggest, if you’re curious about the role of dairy in your health, that you cut it out of your diet for two weeks. See how you feel, and if you notice any positive or negative effects. Let me know how it goes!
Recipe: Vegan Chocolate Pudding
Plenty of people abstain from dairy, due to lactose intolerance, dairy allergies, or for ethical reasons. Some vegetarians avoid dairy, and vegans avoid consuming any animal products at all. Here is my favorite dessert from my vegan days. I served it to many folks who never suspected it was soy-based!
1 package firm tofu (I used Mori-Nu brand; it doesn’t need to be refrigerated before opening.)
1 package Enjoy Life! chocolate chips
Put in blender.
Blend.
Chill.
Serve.
Recipe: Charlotte Skiles’ Raw Cream Ice Cream
Charlotte Skiles of Eat In Peace is an herbalist and nutrition consultant, and a raw dairy enthusiast. Here is her recipe for home-made ice cream.
3 egg yolks, from pastured chickens
½ cup maple syrup
1 Tablespoon arrowroot powder
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract or the seeds of one vanilla bean
3 cups raw cream*
With a hand held mixer, beat egg yolks on high speed until lighter in color. Add maple syrup, arrowroot, and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy and almost ribbony. Slowly add cream on low speed just until combined, scraping sides once or twice; do not over mix. Follow directions on ice cream maker: I use Deni Scoop Factory Model 5400 produced by Keystone Manufacturing Company. It can easily be purchased online for about $60.
*If you find that this is too rich for you, add an extra egg yolk and replace one cup of cream with whole milk.
Variations
~Chocolate ice cream: add 3 Tablespoons cocoa.
~Cinnamon ice cream: add 1 Tablespoon cinnamon and replace maple syrup with Rapadura for a nice flavor and color.
~Coconut ice cream: replace ½ of the cream with whole organic coconut milk (Thai Kitchen); add ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes.
Upcoming Events
The 2nd Annual Nutricia Consulting Spring Cleansing is on the way! Dates TBA.
What would you like to learn about holistic nutrition in 2008? Email your ideas to tricia@nutriciaconsulting.com.
Links
Charlotte Skiles, Herbalist & Nutrition Consultant
A Campaign for Real Milk
Weston A. Price Foundation: raw dairy resources
Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine: vegan resources
The Post-Punk Kitchen: vegan recipes
A large number of spirtual traditions have important celebrations at this time of year. Before any of these traditions emerged, there was the Winter Solstice, which occurs this year on the 21st or 22nd (depending on your time zone). The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year: not in hours, but in amount of daylight. The days have been slowly becoming darker until we get to this point. After the Solstice, the days become longer. Here's the catch, though: we can't see the change. It takes a leap of faith, in this time of deep darkness, to believe in the return of the light.
It's so easy in this fast culture of ours to find ourselves with far too much on our plate in the holiday season -- and I don't mean our holiday dinner plate. Shopping, entertaiing, travelling, cooking: these can all be wonderful, rejuvenating activities if they serve you. And if you are doing them to please everyone but yourself, they can leave you drained, frazzled, and feeling the winter blues.
Here in Midwinter, the days are short, the air is cold. All of nature is saying "slow down." Whether we acknowledge it or not, we humans are still a part of nature. We are cyclical, meaning we need time for sleep as well as waking, and time for rest as well as doing. For darkness as well as light. Why not take some time to contemplate the cycles of the earth, and honor this dark, still time?
I wish you joyous holidays full of wonder and warmth.
Top Ten: Healthy Holiday Tips
Below I reprint last year's tips for healthy holidays. I certainly need to hear them again, so maybe you do, too.
1. Sun: There's not much sunshine to be had when the days are so short, so it is doubly important to get sunlight into your eyeballs. It lifts your mood, and your body synthesizes vitamin D from it. (Admittedly, your body probably won't synthesize the recommended daily allowance in the wintertime.) Try a 20-minute walk at lunchtime.
2. Sleep: Animals and plants are hibernating. You probably would be too, if you weren't so wound up for the holiday whirlwind. Make the effort to get a few extra hours of sleep, to synchronize your body with the season.
3. Gentle Treats: I know we all need treats at the holidays, so nurture yourself by avoiding excess sugar. Sugar depresses your immune system and leaches nutrients from your body. Instead, contribute healthy sweetness to holiday meals and parties. Try root vegetables, onions, fruit, agave nectar.
4. Exercise: Being away from home or hosting houseguests disrupts your routine. Make plans to exercise by finding a yoga studio near your in-laws house, bringing small weights with you, or taking long walks with (or without) your guests.
5. Ritual: Have all the expectations and to-do lists eclipsed the entire meaning of the holidays? Create your own simple ritual, for yourself and/or your loved ones, focusing on what's important to you. Light a candle, take a few deep breaths, say some words of gratitude.
6. Alternative Gift-giving: If your gift list is out of control, find some alternatives. Agree to abstain from the shopping crush by exchanging handmade gifts, or carbon offsets.
7. Laughter: Does spending time with lots of relatives result in stressful situations? Partner with a sympathetic sibling, cousin, or childhood friend to find the humor in the situation. I have a friend who plays Holiday Bingo with her sister; they check off typically stressful family behaviors, such as "Uncle Albert rants about politics."
8. Gratitude: The Holiday Blues can arise from too much stress, or from too many unmet expectations. I mean, aren't we all supposed to be at a fabulous party on New Year's Eve, surrounded by 50 of our closest friends, smooching the love of our life? If you are feeling disappointment or loneliness, practice gratitude for what you do have. Send postcards to friends who can't be with you, make a list of 50 things you're thankful for, or volunteer at a charity. Gratitude has a magical way of bringing abundance into your life.
9. Priorities: You can't please everyone all the time. Honor the stillness of winter by saying no to things that only drain your energy.
10: Breathing: In through the nose, letting your breath drop into your belly, and exhaling through the nose again. Breathing lets your body know there's no emergency - which helps your mind believe it, too!
**************HOLIDAY SPECIAL**************
It's almost 2008! (What!?!) Have you brainstormed your New Year's resolutions yet? If they involve learning healthier eating habits, increasing your energy, feeling better in your body, cooking more, or wrestling your health issues into submission, you are in luck!
Nutricia Consulting is offering a 10 % discount off all 6-month programs when you register in January -- that's 10% in addition to any other discounts that apply.
It's a steal!
Contact me today to schedule a free consultation.
Upcoming Events
Keep your eyes peeled for information about the 2nd Annual Nutricia Consulting Spring Cleansing!
What events would you like to attend in 2008? I'm planning the calendar now - please email your ideas to me at tricia@nutriciaconsulting.com.
It's so easy in this fast culture of ours to find ourselves with far too much on our plate in the holiday season -- and I don't mean our holiday dinner plate. Shopping, entertaiing, travelling, cooking: these can all be wonderful, rejuvenating activities if they serve you. And if you are doing them to please everyone but yourself, they can leave you drained, frazzled, and feeling the winter blues.
Here in Midwinter, the days are short, the air is cold. All of nature is saying "slow down." Whether we acknowledge it or not, we humans are still a part of nature. We are cyclical, meaning we need time for sleep as well as waking, and time for rest as well as doing. For darkness as well as light. Why not take some time to contemplate the cycles of the earth, and honor this dark, still time?
I wish you joyous holidays full of wonder and warmth.
Top Ten: Healthy Holiday Tips
Below I reprint last year's tips for healthy holidays. I certainly need to hear them again, so maybe you do, too.
1. Sun: There's not much sunshine to be had when the days are so short, so it is doubly important to get sunlight into your eyeballs. It lifts your mood, and your body synthesizes vitamin D from it. (Admittedly, your body probably won't synthesize the recommended daily allowance in the wintertime.) Try a 20-minute walk at lunchtime.
2. Sleep: Animals and plants are hibernating. You probably would be too, if you weren't so wound up for the holiday whirlwind. Make the effort to get a few extra hours of sleep, to synchronize your body with the season.
3. Gentle Treats: I know we all need treats at the holidays, so nurture yourself by avoiding excess sugar. Sugar depresses your immune system and leaches nutrients from your body. Instead, contribute healthy sweetness to holiday meals and parties. Try root vegetables, onions, fruit, agave nectar.
4. Exercise: Being away from home or hosting houseguests disrupts your routine. Make plans to exercise by finding a yoga studio near your in-laws house, bringing small weights with you, or taking long walks with (or without) your guests.
5. Ritual: Have all the expectations and to-do lists eclipsed the entire meaning of the holidays? Create your own simple ritual, for yourself and/or your loved ones, focusing on what's important to you. Light a candle, take a few deep breaths, say some words of gratitude.
6. Alternative Gift-giving: If your gift list is out of control, find some alternatives. Agree to abstain from the shopping crush by exchanging handmade gifts, or carbon offsets.
7. Laughter: Does spending time with lots of relatives result in stressful situations? Partner with a sympathetic sibling, cousin, or childhood friend to find the humor in the situation. I have a friend who plays Holiday Bingo with her sister; they check off typically stressful family behaviors, such as "Uncle Albert rants about politics."
8. Gratitude: The Holiday Blues can arise from too much stress, or from too many unmet expectations. I mean, aren't we all supposed to be at a fabulous party on New Year's Eve, surrounded by 50 of our closest friends, smooching the love of our life? If you are feeling disappointment or loneliness, practice gratitude for what you do have. Send postcards to friends who can't be with you, make a list of 50 things you're thankful for, or volunteer at a charity. Gratitude has a magical way of bringing abundance into your life.
9. Priorities: You can't please everyone all the time. Honor the stillness of winter by saying no to things that only drain your energy.
10: Breathing: In through the nose, letting your breath drop into your belly, and exhaling through the nose again. Breathing lets your body know there's no emergency - which helps your mind believe it, too!
**************HOLIDAY SPECIAL**************
It's almost 2008! (What!?!) Have you brainstormed your New Year's resolutions yet? If they involve learning healthier eating habits, increasing your energy, feeling better in your body, cooking more, or wrestling your health issues into submission, you are in luck!
Nutricia Consulting is offering a 10 % discount off all 6-month programs when you register in January -- that's 10% in addition to any other discounts that apply.
It's a steal!
Contact me today to schedule a free consultation.
Upcoming Events
Keep your eyes peeled for information about the 2nd Annual Nutricia Consulting Spring Cleansing!
What events would you like to attend in 2008? I'm planning the calendar now - please email your ideas to me at tricia@nutriciaconsulting.com.
The nights are visibly longer, the weather is definitely colder. Nature turns inward as autumn wends her way into winter. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, autumn corresponds with the element metal. Metal’s action is contracting: autumn is a time to clean out closets and slough off excess. The stillness of winter is a time for rest and regeneration. The action will start up again in the spring, never fear.
In our busy culture, we rarely honor this descent into stillness. In fact, we may actively fight it by filling our calendars up with social events. Rather than rebelling against the rhythms of the planet, can you find a way to honor them? Cross a few items off your to-do list, and go to bed early.
Recipe: Warming Red Lentil Stew
From the Institute for Integrative Nutrition
Yields: 4-6 servings
1 cup red lentils 1 medium onion
2 parsnips or carrots 1 tablespoon umeboshi vinegar or 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon cumin 1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon sesame or olive oil
Chopped parsley or scallion for garnish 5 cups water
Cut all vegetables into small pieces and sauté them in oil for about ten minutes.
Add washed lentils and water. Bring to a boil. Skim off the foam. Lower the heat, add cumin and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the umeboshi or lemon and salt and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
Sprinkle with parsley or scallion and serve.
Upcoming Events
Health Food Store Tour: My Organic Market
Saturday, November 17, 10:00-11:30 a.m. at My Organic Market, Alexandria, Virginia
Learn to feel at home and make informed choices in the often bewildering world of the "health food store." We'll explore produce, bulk foods, dairy, packaged foods, supplements, and more. Shopping is allowed - even encouraged! For more information and registration.
Midwinter Flavor Festival
Sunday December 16, 5-7:00 pm, at Nutricia Headquarters, Washington, DC
Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves; Plum Vinegar, Sesame Oil. Explore the flavors, scents, and uses of spices and off-the-beaten-path condiments in a hands-on demonstration and taste-test. End the evening with Mulled Wine and Spiced Cider as we toast the depths of winter. For more information and registration.
What events would you like to attend in 2008? I'm planning the calendar now - please email your ideas to me at tricia@nutriciaconsulting.com.
In our busy culture, we rarely honor this descent into stillness. In fact, we may actively fight it by filling our calendars up with social events. Rather than rebelling against the rhythms of the planet, can you find a way to honor them? Cross a few items off your to-do list, and go to bed early.
Recipe: Warming Red Lentil Stew
From the Institute for Integrative Nutrition
Yields: 4-6 servings
1 cup red lentils 1 medium onion
2 parsnips or carrots 1 tablespoon umeboshi vinegar or 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon cumin 1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon sesame or olive oil
Chopped parsley or scallion for garnish 5 cups water
Cut all vegetables into small pieces and sauté them in oil for about ten minutes.
Add washed lentils and water. Bring to a boil. Skim off the foam. Lower the heat, add cumin and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the umeboshi or lemon and salt and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
Sprinkle with parsley or scallion and serve.
Upcoming Events
Health Food Store Tour: My Organic Market
Saturday, November 17, 10:00-11:30 a.m. at My Organic Market, Alexandria, Virginia
Learn to feel at home and make informed choices in the often bewildering world of the "health food store." We'll explore produce, bulk foods, dairy, packaged foods, supplements, and more. Shopping is allowed - even encouraged! For more information and registration.
Midwinter Flavor Festival
Sunday December 16, 5-7:00 pm, at Nutricia Headquarters, Washington, DC
Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves; Plum Vinegar, Sesame Oil. Explore the flavors, scents, and uses of spices and off-the-beaten-path condiments in a hands-on demonstration and taste-test. End the evening with Mulled Wine and Spiced Cider as we toast the depths of winter. For more information and registration.
What events would you like to attend in 2008? I'm planning the calendar now - please email your ideas to me at tricia@nutriciaconsulting.com.
“Preach not to others what they should eat, but eat as becomes you, and be silent.” -- Epictetus
Root Vegetables
Tis the season for root vegetables! Root vegetables are starchy, edible roots or tubers. They grow underground. Potatoes, carrots, and beets are all root vegetables. There are plenty of good reasons to include root vegetables in your diet. Root vegetables are high in fiber and low in calories, and they have no fat. Vibrantly colored root vegetables (most notably beets and carrots) are high in antioxidants. They’re high in potassium, which when properly balanced with sodium keeps us hydrated. And individual root veggies are high in various vitamins and minerals: vitamins A, B, C, magnesium, folic acid, manganese, and copper, among others.
When root vegetables are cooked, many of them become sweet. Including them in a meal or as a gently sweet snack will help curb your sugar cravings. And, in the form-follows-function school of though, because they grow in the earth, root vegetables are energetically grounding. If you’re heading into a very busy, stressful day, root vegetables can contribute to a feeling of centered-ness.
The potato is probably the most common root vegetable on our collective plates here in the western world. Potatoes are high in potassium, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and manganese. Not bad for a lowly spud. However, potatoes are a member of the Nightshade family (along with tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and tobacco). Nightshades should be avoided by anyone with arthritic tendencies, especially rheumatoid arthritis.
But fear not! There are plenty of other root vegetables with which to experiment. Carrots make a great, portable snack. Sweet potatoes are not related to potatoes at all; they’re a member of the morning glory family. True Yams are not related to sweet potatoes: they’re found primarily in Africa and Asia, and can grow up to 100 pounds. Beets and parsnips are sweet when cooked. (If eating beets turns your urine red, you are low in iron.) Jerusalem artichokes are neither from Jerusalem nor artichokes; they’re the roots of plants in the sunflower family. And instead of starch, they’ve got inulin, which is helpful for diabetics. Tapioca comes from the Cassava root vegetable, also known as Yuca or Manioc.
Root vegetables can very easily be roasted or baked. They can also be mashed, pureed, sautéed, made into chips (crisps), or grilled. Use them in casseroles and soups. Experiment with them over the holidays and impress your friends and family!
Join me for a Root Vegetable Adventure on November 5!
Top Ten: Root Vegetables to Try (and their top nutrients)
1. Carrot (vitamin A, beta carotene)
2. Sweet potato (vitamins A and C)
3. Parsnip (vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, copper, folic acid)
4. Beets, a.k.a. Beetroot (folic acid)
5. Turnip (vitamins B6 and C, copper, manganese)
6. Rutabaga , a.k.a. Swede (vitamins A, B6 and C, manganese, magnesium)
7. Burdock root (vitamins B6 and C, copper, fiber, pantothenic acid)
8. Celery root, a.k.a. Celeriac (vitamins B6, C, manganese)
9. Jerusalem artichoke (vitamins A, B, phosphorus, potassium)
10. Salsify (B vitamins, fiber, manganese)
Recipe: Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Goat Cheese and Thyme
A Nutricia Original
Serves 2
1 sweet potato, washed and cut in half – not peeled!
2 tablespoon butter or olive oil
3 tablespoons goat cheese (chevre)
2 teaspoons dried thyme, or 4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
salt & pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place the sweet potato halves in a baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes or until soft.
Remove from the oven and let them cool off a bit.
When they are cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out of the skins, leaving a ¼-inch layer inside the skin. Place the potato flesh in a bowl.
Mix the butter or olive oil, goat cheese, and thyme with the potato flesh.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Replace the sweet potato mixture in the potato shells.
Return the potato halves to the baking dish and the oven and bake for another 20 minutes.
Upcoming Events
Herbal Teas & Immune Boosters Sunday October 21, 5-7:00 pm, at Nutricia Headquarters
Explore the different benefits of herbal teas, and learn techniques to stay healthy through the winter cold and flu season. More information & registration
Cooking Class: Root Vegetables Monday November 5, 7-9:00 pm, at Nutricia Headquarters
Root vegetables satisfy your sweet tooth and ground your energy. They also make healthy, delicious holiday dishes. Discover easy, tasty dishes and snacks made with parsnips, rutabagas, beets, carrots, and more.
More information & registration
Check out the Nutricia Consulting autumn & winter event schedule!
Links
Whole Foods Market Root Veg Primer
BBC Root Veg Primer
Root Vegetables
Tis the season for root vegetables! Root vegetables are starchy, edible roots or tubers. They grow underground. Potatoes, carrots, and beets are all root vegetables. There are plenty of good reasons to include root vegetables in your diet. Root vegetables are high in fiber and low in calories, and they have no fat. Vibrantly colored root vegetables (most notably beets and carrots) are high in antioxidants. They’re high in potassium, which when properly balanced with sodium keeps us hydrated. And individual root veggies are high in various vitamins and minerals: vitamins A, B, C, magnesium, folic acid, manganese, and copper, among others.
When root vegetables are cooked, many of them become sweet. Including them in a meal or as a gently sweet snack will help curb your sugar cravings. And, in the form-follows-function school of though, because they grow in the earth, root vegetables are energetically grounding. If you’re heading into a very busy, stressful day, root vegetables can contribute to a feeling of centered-ness.
The potato is probably the most common root vegetable on our collective plates here in the western world. Potatoes are high in potassium, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and manganese. Not bad for a lowly spud. However, potatoes are a member of the Nightshade family (along with tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and tobacco). Nightshades should be avoided by anyone with arthritic tendencies, especially rheumatoid arthritis.
But fear not! There are plenty of other root vegetables with which to experiment. Carrots make a great, portable snack. Sweet potatoes are not related to potatoes at all; they’re a member of the morning glory family. True Yams are not related to sweet potatoes: they’re found primarily in Africa and Asia, and can grow up to 100 pounds. Beets and parsnips are sweet when cooked. (If eating beets turns your urine red, you are low in iron.) Jerusalem artichokes are neither from Jerusalem nor artichokes; they’re the roots of plants in the sunflower family. And instead of starch, they’ve got inulin, which is helpful for diabetics. Tapioca comes from the Cassava root vegetable, also known as Yuca or Manioc.
Root vegetables can very easily be roasted or baked. They can also be mashed, pureed, sautéed, made into chips (crisps), or grilled. Use them in casseroles and soups. Experiment with them over the holidays and impress your friends and family!
Join me for a Root Vegetable Adventure on November 5!
Top Ten: Root Vegetables to Try (and their top nutrients)
1. Carrot (vitamin A, beta carotene)
2. Sweet potato (vitamins A and C)
3. Parsnip (vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, copper, folic acid)
4. Beets, a.k.a. Beetroot (folic acid)
5. Turnip (vitamins B6 and C, copper, manganese)
6. Rutabaga , a.k.a. Swede (vitamins A, B6 and C, manganese, magnesium)
7. Burdock root (vitamins B6 and C, copper, fiber, pantothenic acid)
8. Celery root, a.k.a. Celeriac (vitamins B6, C, manganese)
9. Jerusalem artichoke (vitamins A, B, phosphorus, potassium)
10. Salsify (B vitamins, fiber, manganese)
Recipe: Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Goat Cheese and Thyme
A Nutricia Original
Serves 2
1 sweet potato, washed and cut in half – not peeled!
2 tablespoon butter or olive oil
3 tablespoons goat cheese (chevre)
2 teaspoons dried thyme, or 4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
salt & pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place the sweet potato halves in a baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes or until soft.
Remove from the oven and let them cool off a bit.
When they are cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out of the skins, leaving a ¼-inch layer inside the skin. Place the potato flesh in a bowl.
Mix the butter or olive oil, goat cheese, and thyme with the potato flesh.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Replace the sweet potato mixture in the potato shells.
Return the potato halves to the baking dish and the oven and bake for another 20 minutes.
Upcoming Events
Herbal Teas & Immune Boosters Sunday October 21, 5-7:00 pm, at Nutricia Headquarters
Explore the different benefits of herbal teas, and learn techniques to stay healthy through the winter cold and flu season. More information & registration
Cooking Class: Root Vegetables Monday November 5, 7-9:00 pm, at Nutricia Headquarters
Root vegetables satisfy your sweet tooth and ground your energy. They also make healthy, delicious holiday dishes. Discover easy, tasty dishes and snacks made with parsnips, rutabagas, beets, carrots, and more.
More information & registration
Check out the Nutricia Consulting autumn & winter event schedule!
Links
Whole Foods Market Root Veg Primer
BBC Root Veg Primer
It’s back-to-school time! Does your daily routine involve feeding the younger generation? Mine doesn’t, so I’ve surveyed a number of parents for this nusletter. I hope you’ll find some helpful information, whether you’re feeding children daily at home, providing meals for guests, or interested in getting involved in improving school lunches.
Maybe you’re more concerned with the overwhelming task of feeding yourself some healthy foods? Here’s my best holistic health counselor tip: be as kind to yourself as you would to a visiting 4-year-old. Would you stock up on healthy, interesting, tasty treats? Would you make sure that child was fed a nutritious meal? Experiment with nourishing your inner child. I mean it. Happy new moon!
Feeding Children
12-year-old Deanna’s favorite foods are mac & cheese, grilled cheese, chicken nuggets, pizza, and white rice. She hates vegetables and loves sugar. 3-year-old Georgia’s favorite foods are mussels, bleu cheese, pasta, tomato, and barbecue. She loves vegetables and also likes salmon and yellowfin sashimi, and wasabi. Each child – these two and all the other ones out there – is an individual with unique tastes. Some are determined by biology and some by habit and example. How can we inspire children to eat healthy foods? Often it feels overwhelming to feed ourselves well, much less other smaller people, who may have strong opinions about what they will and will not eat.
It’s true that childrens taste buds are still maturing. There are certain tastes that they don’t enjoy, as a general rule. The bitter taste of coffee is one clear example: that’s an acquired taste. Some children are more sensitive to flavors than others. Nevertheless, in my opinion the stereotypical “kid foods” in modern western culture don’t serve the health and nutrition needs of children. Nor are children hard-wired to crave sugary, salty junk food. As Jonah and Kim, parents of 3-year-old Georgia, pointed out to me, what do children in Korea eat? Not chicken nuggets and French fries. They eat Korean food, proving that a child’s palate is not limited to what we in western culture consider “kid food.”
As a mother, you can influence your child’s palate early in life by eating a wide variety of foods during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. If your palate is limited, your child will experience fewer flavors, and new tastes will be more of a shock. When your child begins eating solid foods, consider introducing vegetables before you introduce fruits. This helps acclimate the palate to more savory flavors.
Inevitably your child will grow and explore the world’s dietary options for herself or himself. The lures of fast food, sugary treats, and salty snacks can hardly be avoided. This is where home training comes in. Christine, mother of 6-year-old William and 2-year-old Michael, says that eating together as a family and creating clear expectations are helpful. Her children must at least try the food that’s offered, and stay at the table until they’re excused. All the parents interviewed stressed the importance of discussing food and nutrition with their children. Christine tells her sons, “Eating well makes you strong, smart, and healthy.” Kim and Jonah take Georgia to farmers markets and encourage her to help prepare meals. Amy, mother of 12-year-old Deanna, talks “ALL the time about what it means to be healthy, and what sugar and unhealthy foods do to the body.” While Deanna’s favorite foods continue to be the stereotypical kid foods, she will now eat broccoli, green beans, corn and (reluctantly) zucchini.
Arming children with solid knowledge and understanding gives them tools and options to call upon during their whole lives. Amy says, “Intellectually Deanna understands; however from a maturity standpoint she just isn't totally there to always make the right decisions. But we talk about it all constantly in hopes that when we are not there to help with the decisions that she doesn't consistently make the wrong ones.”
Healthy School lunches
The current school lunch system is less than ideal.
Food is unappealing and unimaginative. It is high in sugar, starch, and salt. It is pre-packaged, rarely fresh, and frequently overcooked. In addition, vending machines full of soda and junk food are frequently found in school hallways.
We are what we eat. The food we ingest becomes our cellular material. If we feed our children junk, we are doing our world an incredible disservice. In the movie Supersize Me, documentarian Morgan Spurlock showcased an example of how diet impacts children: a fresh, organic lunch program greatly improved the behavior and focus of students at a school for troubled children -- and it was cost-effective.
Does this inspire you to action? If you are a parent or teacher in search of a cause, I urge you to get involved! Click here for a list of resources to get you started.
Top Ten: Tips to Inspire Kids to Choose Healthy Food
1. Eat a broad range of foods when you’re pregnant and breastfeeding.
2. Introduce vegetables before fruits when your child begins eating solid foods.
3. Offer a new food 15-20 times.
4. Feed your child real food, rather than “kid food.”
5. Keep healthy snacks on hand.
6. Encourage your child to help with shopping for food and preparing meals.
7. Create and stick to consistent mealtime rules and routines.
8. Discuss the benefits of eating healthy foods.
9. Avoid creating taboos or control issues around food.
10. Set an example by eating healthily yourself.
Upcoming Events
Cooking Class: Grains & Legumes Monday September 17, 7-9:00 pm, at Nutricia Headquarters, Washington DC
Quinoa, brown rice, millet; black beans, chick peas, lentils. Learn about “good carbs” and high-fiber, low-fat proteins, just in time for hearty soup and stew season.
Healing Arts of Capitol Hill Open house September 29, 3:00-5:00 pm, 320 G Street, NE, Washington DC
Meet the practitioners at this peaceful haven. Enjoy free presentations and chat with acupuncturists, massage therapists, a holistic nutritionist, and more.
Maybe you’re more concerned with the overwhelming task of feeding yourself some healthy foods? Here’s my best holistic health counselor tip: be as kind to yourself as you would to a visiting 4-year-old. Would you stock up on healthy, interesting, tasty treats? Would you make sure that child was fed a nutritious meal? Experiment with nourishing your inner child. I mean it. Happy new moon!
Feeding Children
12-year-old Deanna’s favorite foods are mac & cheese, grilled cheese, chicken nuggets, pizza, and white rice. She hates vegetables and loves sugar. 3-year-old Georgia’s favorite foods are mussels, bleu cheese, pasta, tomato, and barbecue. She loves vegetables and also likes salmon and yellowfin sashimi, and wasabi. Each child – these two and all the other ones out there – is an individual with unique tastes. Some are determined by biology and some by habit and example. How can we inspire children to eat healthy foods? Often it feels overwhelming to feed ourselves well, much less other smaller people, who may have strong opinions about what they will and will not eat.
It’s true that childrens taste buds are still maturing. There are certain tastes that they don’t enjoy, as a general rule. The bitter taste of coffee is one clear example: that’s an acquired taste. Some children are more sensitive to flavors than others. Nevertheless, in my opinion the stereotypical “kid foods” in modern western culture don’t serve the health and nutrition needs of children. Nor are children hard-wired to crave sugary, salty junk food. As Jonah and Kim, parents of 3-year-old Georgia, pointed out to me, what do children in Korea eat? Not chicken nuggets and French fries. They eat Korean food, proving that a child’s palate is not limited to what we in western culture consider “kid food.”
As a mother, you can influence your child’s palate early in life by eating a wide variety of foods during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. If your palate is limited, your child will experience fewer flavors, and new tastes will be more of a shock. When your child begins eating solid foods, consider introducing vegetables before you introduce fruits. This helps acclimate the palate to more savory flavors.
Inevitably your child will grow and explore the world’s dietary options for herself or himself. The lures of fast food, sugary treats, and salty snacks can hardly be avoided. This is where home training comes in. Christine, mother of 6-year-old William and 2-year-old Michael, says that eating together as a family and creating clear expectations are helpful. Her children must at least try the food that’s offered, and stay at the table until they’re excused. All the parents interviewed stressed the importance of discussing food and nutrition with their children. Christine tells her sons, “Eating well makes you strong, smart, and healthy.” Kim and Jonah take Georgia to farmers markets and encourage her to help prepare meals. Amy, mother of 12-year-old Deanna, talks “ALL the time about what it means to be healthy, and what sugar and unhealthy foods do to the body.” While Deanna’s favorite foods continue to be the stereotypical kid foods, she will now eat broccoli, green beans, corn and (reluctantly) zucchini.
Arming children with solid knowledge and understanding gives them tools and options to call upon during their whole lives. Amy says, “Intellectually Deanna understands; however from a maturity standpoint she just isn't totally there to always make the right decisions. But we talk about it all constantly in hopes that when we are not there to help with the decisions that she doesn't consistently make the wrong ones.”
Healthy School lunches
The current school lunch system is less than ideal.
Food is unappealing and unimaginative. It is high in sugar, starch, and salt. It is pre-packaged, rarely fresh, and frequently overcooked. In addition, vending machines full of soda and junk food are frequently found in school hallways.
We are what we eat. The food we ingest becomes our cellular material. If we feed our children junk, we are doing our world an incredible disservice. In the movie Supersize Me, documentarian Morgan Spurlock showcased an example of how diet impacts children: a fresh, organic lunch program greatly improved the behavior and focus of students at a school for troubled children -- and it was cost-effective.
Does this inspire you to action? If you are a parent or teacher in search of a cause, I urge you to get involved! Click here for a list of resources to get you started.
Top Ten: Tips to Inspire Kids to Choose Healthy Food
1. Eat a broad range of foods when you’re pregnant and breastfeeding.
2. Introduce vegetables before fruits when your child begins eating solid foods.
3. Offer a new food 15-20 times.
4. Feed your child real food, rather than “kid food.”
5. Keep healthy snacks on hand.
6. Encourage your child to help with shopping for food and preparing meals.
7. Create and stick to consistent mealtime rules and routines.
8. Discuss the benefits of eating healthy foods.
9. Avoid creating taboos or control issues around food.
10. Set an example by eating healthily yourself.
Upcoming Events
Cooking Class: Grains & Legumes Monday September 17, 7-9:00 pm, at Nutricia Headquarters, Washington DC
Quinoa, brown rice, millet; black beans, chick peas, lentils. Learn about “good carbs” and high-fiber, low-fat proteins, just in time for hearty soup and stew season.
Healing Arts of Capitol Hill Open house September 29, 3:00-5:00 pm, 320 G Street, NE, Washington DC
Meet the practitioners at this peaceful haven. Enjoy free presentations and chat with acupuncturists, massage therapists, a holistic nutritionist, and more.
Okra is O-K!
Do you have strong feelings about okra? Many people have visceral reactions to this vegetable. Frequently, okra evokes hatred, based on childhood memories of icky slimy stuff. But I also know a woman who loves it so much she’s got an okra tattoo on her leg.
Okra is a green pod filled with edible white seeds. It’s a member of the same family as hibiscus. Nutritionally, okra is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, C, K, and folic acid. It’s a great source of fiber, and the fiber increases when it’s cooked. Native to Ethiopia and the Sudan, okra flourishes in warm climates.
As with many vegetables, okra’s true joys are more evident when it’s fresh – and when the pods are small. Aim for pods 2-5 inches in length; bigger is not better in this case, as the longer pods become woody and tough. In the book The Gift of Southern Cooking*, Chef Scott Peacock tells how, as a child in Alabama, he and his sister picked okra twice a day in their family garden -- early in the morning and just before sunset -- because the pods grew so quickly. To harvest your own okra, you’ll need long sleeves and gloves to avoid an itchy, painful experience.
Okra’s characteristic “slimy” qualities result from a mildly sticky substance inside the pod. This makes it great for thickening soups, stews, or sauces – as you may know, it’s a key ingredient in gumbo. In fact, the word gumbo means okra in Swahili.
Okra is also great for summer grilling. Brush it with a little olive oil and stick it on the grill. (You may want to skewer it to keep it from falling into the coals.) In this case, you’ll want to avoid that stickiness. Here are two tips:
1. Don’t cut open the pod, even if you trim the top.
2. Dry the okra completely if you wash it. (Recommended if you get it at the store.) Damp okra will become unpleasantly mushy when cooked.
We’re in the height of okra season! Have fun experimenting with summer’s bounty – and let me know how it goes.
*This is a great cookbook if you’re on the Bacon and Butter Diet.
Recipe: Carrie’s Roasted Okra
From Carrie Vaughn at Clagett Farm
½ pound okra, washed and cut into ½ -inch pieces
Olive oil
Old Bay seasoning
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Toss okra pieces with a little olive oil and some Old Bay.
Arrange the okra on a baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes, or until slightly crispy.
Recipe: Okra Curry
From Vegetarian Cooking for Good Health by Gary Null
3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 ½ cups whole okra
2/3 cups chopped red onions
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ cups black-eyed peas (canned)
2 tablespoons curry powder
½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
In a large saucepan, cook the tomatoes, okra, onion, oil, and peas for 20 to 25 minutes over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, covered, an additional 15 minutes. Serve over brown basmati rice, biryani, or rice pilaf.
Top Ten: In-Season Vegetables
Here’s what’s being harvested here in the mid-Atlantic, at Clagett Farm
1. Okra
2. Summer squash
3. Tomatoes
4. Potatoes
5. Beans
6. Eggplant
7. Peppers
8. Sweet corn
9. Lettuce
10. Herbs
All About Okra
Okra, an outcast in a sticky business
Upcoming Events
Cooking Class: Sea Vegetables
This Friday August 17, 7:00-9:00 pm, Nutricia Headquarters
A staple of Asian cuisine, sea vegetables are exotic to the western palate. Learn how and why to cook these amazing, versatile vegetables. More...
Check out the Nutricia Consulting autumn & winter event schedule!
Do you have strong feelings about okra? Many people have visceral reactions to this vegetable. Frequently, okra evokes hatred, based on childhood memories of icky slimy stuff. But I also know a woman who loves it so much she’s got an okra tattoo on her leg.
Okra is a green pod filled with edible white seeds. It’s a member of the same family as hibiscus. Nutritionally, okra is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, C, K, and folic acid. It’s a great source of fiber, and the fiber increases when it’s cooked. Native to Ethiopia and the Sudan, okra flourishes in warm climates.
As with many vegetables, okra’s true joys are more evident when it’s fresh – and when the pods are small. Aim for pods 2-5 inches in length; bigger is not better in this case, as the longer pods become woody and tough. In the book The Gift of Southern Cooking*, Chef Scott Peacock tells how, as a child in Alabama, he and his sister picked okra twice a day in their family garden -- early in the morning and just before sunset -- because the pods grew so quickly. To harvest your own okra, you’ll need long sleeves and gloves to avoid an itchy, painful experience.
Okra’s characteristic “slimy” qualities result from a mildly sticky substance inside the pod. This makes it great for thickening soups, stews, or sauces – as you may know, it’s a key ingredient in gumbo. In fact, the word gumbo means okra in Swahili.
Okra is also great for summer grilling. Brush it with a little olive oil and stick it on the grill. (You may want to skewer it to keep it from falling into the coals.) In this case, you’ll want to avoid that stickiness. Here are two tips:
1. Don’t cut open the pod, even if you trim the top.
2. Dry the okra completely if you wash it. (Recommended if you get it at the store.) Damp okra will become unpleasantly mushy when cooked.
We’re in the height of okra season! Have fun experimenting with summer’s bounty – and let me know how it goes.
*This is a great cookbook if you’re on the Bacon and Butter Diet.
Recipe: Carrie’s Roasted Okra
From Carrie Vaughn at Clagett Farm
½ pound okra, washed and cut into ½ -inch pieces
Olive oil
Old Bay seasoning
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Toss okra pieces with a little olive oil and some Old Bay.
Arrange the okra on a baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes, or until slightly crispy.
Recipe: Okra Curry
From Vegetarian Cooking for Good Health by Gary Null
3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 ½ cups whole okra
2/3 cups chopped red onions
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ cups black-eyed peas (canned)
2 tablespoons curry powder
½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
In a large saucepan, cook the tomatoes, okra, onion, oil, and peas for 20 to 25 minutes over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, covered, an additional 15 minutes. Serve over brown basmati rice, biryani, or rice pilaf.
Top Ten: In-Season Vegetables
Here’s what’s being harvested here in the mid-Atlantic, at Clagett Farm
1. Okra
2. Summer squash
3. Tomatoes
4. Potatoes
5. Beans
6. Eggplant
7. Peppers
8. Sweet corn
9. Lettuce
10. Herbs
All About Okra
Okra, an outcast in a sticky business
Upcoming Events
Cooking Class: Sea Vegetables
This Friday August 17, 7:00-9:00 pm, Nutricia Headquarters
A staple of Asian cuisine, sea vegetables are exotic to the western palate. Learn how and why to cook these amazing, versatile vegetables. More...
Check out the Nutricia Consulting autumn & winter event schedule!
Adventure!
To me, summer always feels like the time to play. The world is at its most expansive in the summer. The heat of the sun and the extended hours of daylight activate our heart chakra. Emotions run high and everything is more intense. I still expect the sense of possibility presented by childhood summer vacations: long, lazy days and spontaneous adventures. Trips to the beach, visits with friends, holiday explorations. Granted, this doesn’t always materialize. Paying bills, work schedules, and other mundane considerations can dampen the call of the wild. But that doesn’t negate the importance of the instinct to cut loose.
In my health counseling practice, I use the concept of Primary and Secondary Food, as developed by Joshua Rosenthal at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Secondary food is the stuff we actually eat – food that you put in your mouth and chew. Primary food is all the things that make life rich: relationships, career, creativity, physical activity, spiritual practice, etc. ADVENTURE is some serious primary food! The need for new and different experiences is not to be underestimated!
Are you feeling stuck in a rut, bored with your job, feeling blah with the same old routine? Shake it up with some adventure! Summer is the perfect time to experiment with new ways of being, new places for going, new patterns of existence. Adventures can be expensive or cheap, meticulously planned or spontaneous, physical or intellectual. Start where you are and define “adventure” for yourself – because not everyone needs to go bungee jumping in this life.
Adventuresome Brainstorm
There are as many different types of adventurous experience as there are people in the world. This is merely a preliminary brainstorm. What does adventure mean to you?
Outdoors: the classic image of adventure is interacting with nature and jumping out of moving transportation. Whitewater rafting, African safari, skydiving, bungee jumping, hang gliding. But less extreme activities are also satisfying: hiking, walking barefoot, tubing, horseback riding, picking fruit.
Arts: discovering your creative potential is a wonderful adventure. Consider music, dance, writing, painting, sculpture, theatre, photography, storytelling, collage-ing, karaoke.
Study: take a class, a weekend workshop, a week-long intensive in anything new and unusual that’s been calling to you. Cooking, karate, Farsi, swimming, meditation. You’ll meet new people and expand your world.
Cuisine: give your tastebuds an adventure! Try a food you’ve never tried before, venture into an ethnic restaurant where the menu mystifies you; cook a food you’ve only heard about.
Travel: whether it’s a local day-trip or a European vacation, travel enables new understandings of the world and provides great stories.
Top Ten :: Summer Adventures
1. Take a day trip to a randomly selected place: blindly select a spot on a map or a page in a guidebook.
2. Pretend to be a tourist in your town of residence.
3. Walk barefoot in the woods of your choice.
4. Extreme Sports: do they make you nervous? Check out Women Learn To Ride.
5. Less extreme sports: try tubing on the Potomac River or a river near you.
6. Learn to play a musical instrument: I got my mandolin for cheap on Ebay.
7. Unleash your inner actor with an improv class: try Washington Improv Theatre or Comedysportz.
8. Spend a day farming (you knew this was coming): volunteer at Clagett Farm or find a CSA farm near you.
9. Sing karaoke in a bar full of strangers
10. Try a food you’ve never tasted: I know a great Sea Vegetables Cooking Class you can attend!
Upcoming Events
Cooking Class: Sea Vegetables
Friday August 17, 7-9:00 pm, at Nutricia Headquarters, Washington, DC
Often maligned as Sea Weeds, sea vegetables are exotic to American palates, but are a staple in Asian cooking. Learn why and how to cook these amazingly nutritious and versatile vegetables. More…
What are your summer adventures? Discuss and share at the Nutricialicious blog!
To me, summer always feels like the time to play. The world is at its most expansive in the summer. The heat of the sun and the extended hours of daylight activate our heart chakra. Emotions run high and everything is more intense. I still expect the sense of possibility presented by childhood summer vacations: long, lazy days and spontaneous adventures. Trips to the beach, visits with friends, holiday explorations. Granted, this doesn’t always materialize. Paying bills, work schedules, and other mundane considerations can dampen the call of the wild. But that doesn’t negate the importance of the instinct to cut loose.
In my health counseling practice, I use the concept of Primary and Secondary Food, as developed by Joshua Rosenthal at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Secondary food is the stuff we actually eat – food that you put in your mouth and chew. Primary food is all the things that make life rich: relationships, career, creativity, physical activity, spiritual practice, etc. ADVENTURE is some serious primary food! The need for new and different experiences is not to be underestimated!
Are you feeling stuck in a rut, bored with your job, feeling blah with the same old routine? Shake it up with some adventure! Summer is the perfect time to experiment with new ways of being, new places for going, new patterns of existence. Adventures can be expensive or cheap, meticulously planned or spontaneous, physical or intellectual. Start where you are and define “adventure” for yourself – because not everyone needs to go bungee jumping in this life.
Adventuresome Brainstorm
There are as many different types of adventurous experience as there are people in the world. This is merely a preliminary brainstorm. What does adventure mean to you?
Outdoors: the classic image of adventure is interacting with nature and jumping out of moving transportation. Whitewater rafting, African safari, skydiving, bungee jumping, hang gliding. But less extreme activities are also satisfying: hiking, walking barefoot, tubing, horseback riding, picking fruit.
Arts: discovering your creative potential is a wonderful adventure. Consider music, dance, writing, painting, sculpture, theatre, photography, storytelling, collage-ing, karaoke.
Study: take a class, a weekend workshop, a week-long intensive in anything new and unusual that’s been calling to you. Cooking, karate, Farsi, swimming, meditation. You’ll meet new people and expand your world.
Cuisine: give your tastebuds an adventure! Try a food you’ve never tried before, venture into an ethnic restaurant where the menu mystifies you; cook a food you’ve only heard about.
Travel: whether it’s a local day-trip or a European vacation, travel enables new understandings of the world and provides great stories.
Top Ten :: Summer Adventures
1. Take a day trip to a randomly selected place: blindly select a spot on a map or a page in a guidebook.
2. Pretend to be a tourist in your town of residence.
3. Walk barefoot in the woods of your choice.
4. Extreme Sports: do they make you nervous? Check out Women Learn To Ride.
5. Less extreme sports: try tubing on the Potomac River or a river near you.
6. Learn to play a musical instrument: I got my mandolin for cheap on Ebay.
7. Unleash your inner actor with an improv class: try Washington Improv Theatre or Comedysportz.
8. Spend a day farming (you knew this was coming): volunteer at Clagett Farm or find a CSA farm near you.
9. Sing karaoke in a bar full of strangers
10. Try a food you’ve never tasted: I know a great Sea Vegetables Cooking Class you can attend!
Upcoming Events
Cooking Class: Sea Vegetables
Friday August 17, 7-9:00 pm, at Nutricia Headquarters, Washington, DC
Often maligned as Sea Weeds, sea vegetables are exotic to American palates, but are a staple in Asian cooking. Learn why and how to cook these amazingly nutritious and versatile vegetables. More…
What are your summer adventures? Discuss and share at the Nutricialicious blog!
Fishy, Fishy, Fishy
I grew up at the beach, and seafood is one of my favorite tasty treats! These days, however, I don’t generally eat a giant platter of deep-fried fish, like I did when I was 10.) Fish and shellfish are a good source of protein, and lower in saturated fat than red meat. Seafood is high in iron and vitamins A, B, and D. Shellfish in particular are high in zinc. Fish is high in Omega-3 Fatty Acids, which contribute to heart health and brain function. Perhaps you don’t like fish, or don’t eat animal products? Fish get their omega-3s from algae (such as spirulina) -- but that’s the topic of a whole different Nusletter.
Understanding which seafood to purchase can be confusing. There are two main considerations: toxins and sustainability.
Because of industrial waste in lakes, rivers, and oceans, many fish carry large amounts of toxins in their bodies, making them unsafe to eat. Mercury is the largest danger. Having too much mercury in your system can cause nerve damage. Shark and Swordfish carry the largest amounts of mercury. For this reason, FDA recommends that children and women trying to conceive eat fatty fish only twice a month. Farmed fish, like farmed beef and poultry, are sometimes raised in unhealthy conditions and contain large amounts of antibiotics and pollutants.
In addition to the impact of the fishes’ health on our own health, there is the impact of fishing and fish farming practices on the environment. Some of these practices damage the ocean floor, needlessly destroying species and habitats. Some create industrial waste. And some practices over-fish certain species into extinction. This is where things get really confusing: sometimes farmed seafood is better, and sometimes wild-caught is better. It all depends on the techniques used to catch or raise a certain species. Often these techniques differ geographically.
Do the health benefits of fish outweigh the potential health and environmental dangers? I believe so. It can be confusing to weigh the various factors. One point to keep in mind is that the smaller the fish, the fewer toxins it will carry. The Top Twelve List below was culled from health sites and environmental sites, to enable you to cook a seafood dinner that’s good for you and good for the world.
Oceans AliveMercury Action
Top Twelve: Healthy and Sustainable Seafood
1. Catfish (U.S. farmed)
2. Clams (farmed)
3. Crab - Dungeness, snow (Canada), stone
4. Halibut - Pacific (Alaska)
5. Herring (Sardines) - Atlantic (U.S., Canada)
6. Mackerel - Atlantic
7. Sablefish/black cod (Alaska)
8. Salmon - wild (Alaska), canned pink/sockeye
9. Scallops - bay (farmed)
10. Shrimp - northern (Canada), Oregon pink, U.S. farmed & Crawfish (U.S.)
11. Striped bass (farmed)
12. Tilapia (U.S.)
Recipe: Ginger-Honey Glazed Salmon
From The Spices of Life by Nina Simonds
Ginger-Honey Marinade:
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons honey (use agave)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat slightly and simmer 5 minutes.
For Salmon:
Pour half of the marinade into a bowl and cool slightly. Keep the other half warm.
Put the salmon in one layer in a shallow pan, pour half the marinade on top, and turn the fish so that all sides are coated.
Cover and let sit 30 minutes.
Cook the salmon – grill or broil, as you like – and then serve with the remaining marinade on top.
Upcoming Events
Midsummer Flavor Festival
Saturday June 23 5:00-7:00 pm and later, at Nutricia Headquarters, Washington DC
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme… plus Ginger, Mint, Oregano, Turmeric, Stevia, and mojitos! Explore the flavors, scents, uses, storage, and drying of fresh herbs… more
Cooking Class: Sea Vegetables
Friday August 17, 7-9:00 pm, at Nutricia Headquarters, Washington, DC
Often maligned as Sea Weeds, sea vegetables are exotic to American palates, but are a staple in Asian cooking. Learn why and how to cook these amazingly nutritious and versatile vegetables… more
May you nurture yourself with some slow, lazy, barefoot, long summer days!
Wishing you health and joy,
Tricia
I grew up at the beach, and seafood is one of my favorite tasty treats! These days, however, I don’t generally eat a giant platter of deep-fried fish, like I did when I was 10.) Fish and shellfish are a good source of protein, and lower in saturated fat than red meat. Seafood is high in iron and vitamins A, B, and D. Shellfish in particular are high in zinc. Fish is high in Omega-3 Fatty Acids, which contribute to heart health and brain function. Perhaps you don’t like fish, or don’t eat animal products? Fish get their omega-3s from algae (such as spirulina) -- but that’s the topic of a whole different Nusletter.
Understanding which seafood to purchase can be confusing. There are two main considerations: toxins and sustainability.
Because of industrial waste in lakes, rivers, and oceans, many fish carry large amounts of toxins in their bodies, making them unsafe to eat. Mercury is the largest danger. Having too much mercury in your system can cause nerve damage. Shark and Swordfish carry the largest amounts of mercury. For this reason, FDA recommends that children and women trying to conceive eat fatty fish only twice a month. Farmed fish, like farmed beef and poultry, are sometimes raised in unhealthy conditions and contain large amounts of antibiotics and pollutants.
In addition to the impact of the fishes’ health on our own health, there is the impact of fishing and fish farming practices on the environment. Some of these practices damage the ocean floor, needlessly destroying species and habitats. Some create industrial waste. And some practices over-fish certain species into extinction. This is where things get really confusing: sometimes farmed seafood is better, and sometimes wild-caught is better. It all depends on the techniques used to catch or raise a certain species. Often these techniques differ geographically.
Do the health benefits of fish outweigh the potential health and environmental dangers? I believe so. It can be confusing to weigh the various factors. One point to keep in mind is that the smaller the fish, the fewer toxins it will carry. The Top Twelve List below was culled from health sites and environmental sites, to enable you to cook a seafood dinner that’s good for you and good for the world.
Oceans AliveMercury Action
Top Twelve: Healthy and Sustainable Seafood
1. Catfish (U.S. farmed)
2. Clams (farmed)
3. Crab - Dungeness, snow (Canada), stone
4. Halibut - Pacific (Alaska)
5. Herring (Sardines) - Atlantic (U.S., Canada)
6. Mackerel - Atlantic
7. Sablefish/black cod (Alaska)
8. Salmon - wild (Alaska), canned pink/sockeye
9. Scallops - bay (farmed)
10. Shrimp - northern (Canada), Oregon pink, U.S. farmed & Crawfish (U.S.)
11. Striped bass (farmed)
12. Tilapia (U.S.)
Recipe: Ginger-Honey Glazed Salmon
From The Spices of Life by Nina Simonds
Ginger-Honey Marinade:
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons honey (use agave)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat slightly and simmer 5 minutes.
For Salmon:
Pour half of the marinade into a bowl and cool slightly. Keep the other half warm.
Put the salmon in one layer in a shallow pan, pour half the marinade on top, and turn the fish so that all sides are coated.
Cover and let sit 30 minutes.
Cook the salmon – grill or broil, as you like – and then serve with the remaining marinade on top.
Upcoming Events
Midsummer Flavor Festival
Saturday June 23 5:00-7:00 pm and later, at Nutricia Headquarters, Washington DC
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme… plus Ginger, Mint, Oregano, Turmeric, Stevia, and mojitos! Explore the flavors, scents, uses, storage, and drying of fresh herbs… more
Cooking Class: Sea Vegetables
Friday August 17, 7-9:00 pm, at Nutricia Headquarters, Washington, DC
Often maligned as Sea Weeds, sea vegetables are exotic to American palates, but are a staple in Asian cooking. Learn why and how to cook these amazingly nutritious and versatile vegetables… more
May you nurture yourself with some slow, lazy, barefoot, long summer days!
Wishing you health and joy,
Tricia
“We are indeed much more than we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are.” –Adelle Davis
Hey, Joe!
I love coffee. Joe. Java. “Sweet, sweet bean juice,” as my friend Marjie says. But I hated being an addict. Early attempts to quit coffee resulted in a pitiful lack of energy, constant needs for naps, and those stereotypical blinding headaches. Once, after two days without, I determined that if I couldn’t have a cup of coffee, there was no reason to get out of bed. That’s an addiction.
Caffeine is a drug. If you’ve ever had too much coffee, you know the unpleasant side-effects: jitters, racing heart, nausea. Caffeine is a diuretic, depleting your body of much-needed water. Stephen Cherniske, author of Caffeine Blues, connects caffeine intake to “anxiety, insomnia, panic attacks, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, eye and vision problems gastrointestinal disease, miscarriage,” and more. Recent studies, however, say coffee lowers blood sugar, heart disease, risk of diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.
So what’s the scoop? Is coffee a good guy or bad guy? The bottom line is: caffeine is addictive. That can’t be a good thing.
If you drink coffee, here are some factors to consider:
Buy Organic: conventional coffee is one of the most heavily pesticide-sprayed crops.
Buy Shade-grown: this growing technique protects the habitats of migratory birds.
Buy Fair Trade: “To become Fair Trade certified, an importer must meet stringent international criteria; paying a minimum price per pound of $1.26, providing much needed credit to farmers, and providing technical assistance such as help transitioning to organic farming.” (Global Exchange)
Drink freshly brewed: Within the first 10-15 minutes of brewing, coffee is alkaline, and can be a helpful digestive aid, asserts noted macrobiotic educator Lino Stanchich. After 15 minutes, the coffee becomes acidic and harmful to your system. Dunkin’ Donuts, persuaded by Stanchich’s arguments, now brews their coffee fresh every 10-15 minutes. At home, you can use a French press or a 1-cup filter to brew one cup at a time.
It took several months of work, but I finally overcame my coffee addiction. I ate breakfast every day, so I wasn’t using coffee as my primary fuel. I gradually decreased the amount of caffeinated coffee I used to brew my cup. I used a French press so I only had one cup at a time available. I stopped drinking it in the evenings. I substituted tea a few days a week. And one day I realized, around 8:00 p.m., that I’d forgotten to have coffee that day – and I hadn’t even noticed! Now I indulge in a cup of half-caf or decaf occasionally: but it’s a treat, not an addiction. Good stuff.
How to beat a coffee addiction
If skipping your morning coffee results in headaches, irritation, lack of focus, or a depleted life force, you are an addict. In addition to being physically addicted, there are plenty of psychological connections to a coffee habit: the ritual of brewing it, buying it, and/or drinking it; the social connections fostered by sharing a cup of coffee; the break from your routine you get by going for a cup of coffee… All these are powerful connections to be addressed. Accept that you will experience withdrawal symptoms, and forge ahead.
Ritual of The Morning Cup: Create a new morning ritual: breathe deeply; make a smoothie; drink hot water with lemon; dance around; take a walk; journal; make breakfast.
Substitute other beverages: There are a number of coffee substitutes available: caffeine-free beverages that have a hearty coffee-like consistency and actually provide nutrients rather than depleting them from your body. Most of these are barley-based, and so unsuitable for anyone who avoids gluten.
Eat breakfast: If you’re using coffee to power up for the day, consider actually feeding your body with food, rather than a caffeine rush. (I speak as an insider: I was a member of the coffee-and-banana breakfast club for many years.)
Get rest: If you need coffee to make it through the day, consider giving your body actual rest. Perhaps even sleep. Crazy talk, I know.
Drink water: Rather than a dehydrating cup of coffee, try a glass of water. I realize it’s not as sexy as a double-mocha-valencia-soy-latteccino, but your body may actually be craving it.
Be kind to yourself: Take the gradual approach. You deserve some kindness, rather than a harsh cold-turkey punishment. Start by switching to ½ caffeinated coffee, and gradually decrease the amount of caffeine, over the course of a month. Or switch to green tea after 9:00 a.m. Find a reason to take a break that doesn’t involve coffee. Tally up all the money you’d spend on coffee and getcherself something nice.
Top Ten: Coffee Substitutes
1. Coffee substitute drinks: Teeccino comes in various fun flavors, brews up like regular coffee. Caffix is prepared like instant coffee.
2. Celestial Seasonings Roastaroma: contains no caffeine; made with roasted barley to give it a full-bodied flavor reminiscent of coffee.
3. Rooibos tea: contains no caffeine, tastes similar to black tea, and contains lots of good stuff like vitamin C, anti-oxidants, and flavinoids.
4. Herbal tea: contains no caffeine. So many flavors to choose from! I love ginger, mint, chamomile, and pau d’arco. Let herbal tea steep for 10-15 minutes to get a strong flavor.
5. Green tea: contains caffeine, but has a milder effect than coffee, and contains anti-oxidants.
6. Chicory/ dandelion root: roast and grind your own!
7. Hot milk: gradually add more and more milk to your coffee, until you’re left with just hot milk. (Not for the lactose intolerant, obviously.)
8. Decaf coffee: yes, it still contains caffeine; but not as much. Be sure to buy Swiss Water Process or CO2 extracted, to avoid the chemical solvent methylene chloride which is used to decaffeinate most coffee.
9. Black tea: is caffeinated, but has a milder effect on many than coffee. If you steep your teabag for 20 seconds, throw away that tea, and then re-steep in fresh water, you remove much of the caffeine naturally.
10. Hot water with lemon. Simple, classic.
Upcoming Events
Love The Skin You're In, and other weight balance secrets
Friday May 18, 7:30-9:30 pm, at Tranquil Space Bethesda
The struggle to achieve your ideal weight can be a life-long frustration. Learn techniques to work with your body as a partner, rather than an adversary. More
Cooking Class: Leafy Green Vegetables
Sunday June 3, 5:00-7:00 pm, at Nutricia Headquarters, Washington DC
As the world blooms into springtime greenery, learn to identify, prepare, and enjoy leafy greens. These amazingly nutritious vegetables are full of wonderful nutrients including calcium, fiber, folic acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E, to name a few. More
Midsummer Flavor Festival
Saturday June 23 5:00-7:00 pm and later at Nutricia Headquarters, Washington DC
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme; plus Ginger, Mint, Oregano, Turmeric, Mojitos, and more! Explore the flavors, scents, uses, storage, and drying of fresh herbs and rhizomes. More
Need more Nutricia?
Do you have questions to ask, recipes to share, issues to dissect? Join the discussion: check out the brand-new Nutricia Consulting blog! Eating, cooking, holistic living, and ruminations on what it means to be healthy.
http://tricianutricia.livejournal.com/
Wishing you health and joy,
Tricia
Hey, Joe!
I love coffee. Joe. Java. “Sweet, sweet bean juice,” as my friend Marjie says. But I hated being an addict. Early attempts to quit coffee resulted in a pitiful lack of energy, constant needs for naps, and those stereotypical blinding headaches. Once, after two days without, I determined that if I couldn’t have a cup of coffee, there was no reason to get out of bed. That’s an addiction.
Caffeine is a drug. If you’ve ever had too much coffee, you know the unpleasant side-effects: jitters, racing heart, nausea. Caffeine is a diuretic, depleting your body of much-needed water. Stephen Cherniske, author of Caffeine Blues, connects caffeine intake to “anxiety, insomnia, panic attacks, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, eye and vision problems gastrointestinal disease, miscarriage,” and more. Recent studies, however, say coffee lowers blood sugar, heart disease, risk of diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.
So what’s the scoop? Is coffee a good guy or bad guy? The bottom line is: caffeine is addictive. That can’t be a good thing.
If you drink coffee, here are some factors to consider:
Buy Organic: conventional coffee is one of the most heavily pesticide-sprayed crops.
Buy Shade-grown: this growing technique protects the habitats of migratory birds.
Buy Fair Trade: “To become Fair Trade certified, an importer must meet stringent international criteria; paying a minimum price per pound of $1.26, providing much needed credit to farmers, and providing technical assistance such as help transitioning to organic farming.” (Global Exchange)
Drink freshly brewed: Within the first 10-15 minutes of brewing, coffee is alkaline, and can be a helpful digestive aid, asserts noted macrobiotic educator Lino Stanchich. After 15 minutes, the coffee becomes acidic and harmful to your system. Dunkin’ Donuts, persuaded by Stanchich’s arguments, now brews their coffee fresh every 10-15 minutes. At home, you can use a French press or a 1-cup filter to brew one cup at a time.
It took several months of work, but I finally overcame my coffee addiction. I ate breakfast every day, so I wasn’t using coffee as my primary fuel. I gradually decreased the amount of caffeinated coffee I used to brew my cup. I used a French press so I only had one cup at a time available. I stopped drinking it in the evenings. I substituted tea a few days a week. And one day I realized, around 8:00 p.m., that I’d forgotten to have coffee that day – and I hadn’t even noticed! Now I indulge in a cup of half-caf or decaf occasionally: but it’s a treat, not an addiction. Good stuff.
How to beat a coffee addiction
If skipping your morning coffee results in headaches, irritation, lack of focus, or a depleted life force, you are an addict. In addition to being physically addicted, there are plenty of psychological connections to a coffee habit: the ritual of brewing it, buying it, and/or drinking it; the social connections fostered by sharing a cup of coffee; the break from your routine you get by going for a cup of coffee… All these are powerful connections to be addressed. Accept that you will experience withdrawal symptoms, and forge ahead.
Ritual of The Morning Cup: Create a new morning ritual: breathe deeply; make a smoothie; drink hot water with lemon; dance around; take a walk; journal; make breakfast.
Substitute other beverages: There are a number of coffee substitutes available: caffeine-free beverages that have a hearty coffee-like consistency and actually provide nutrients rather than depleting them from your body. Most of these are barley-based, and so unsuitable for anyone who avoids gluten.
Eat breakfast: If you’re using coffee to power up for the day, consider actually feeding your body with food, rather than a caffeine rush. (I speak as an insider: I was a member of the coffee-and-banana breakfast club for many years.)
Get rest: If you need coffee to make it through the day, consider giving your body actual rest. Perhaps even sleep. Crazy talk, I know.
Drink water: Rather than a dehydrating cup of coffee, try a glass of water. I realize it’s not as sexy as a double-mocha-valencia-soy-latteccino, but your body may actually be craving it.
Be kind to yourself: Take the gradual approach. You deserve some kindness, rather than a harsh cold-turkey punishment. Start by switching to ½ caffeinated coffee, and gradually decrease the amount of caffeine, over the course of a month. Or switch to green tea after 9:00 a.m. Find a reason to take a break that doesn’t involve coffee. Tally up all the money you’d spend on coffee and getcherself something nice.
Top Ten: Coffee Substitutes
1. Coffee substitute drinks: Teeccino comes in various fun flavors, brews up like regular coffee. Caffix is prepared like instant coffee.
2. Celestial Seasonings Roastaroma: contains no caffeine; made with roasted barley to give it a full-bodied flavor reminiscent of coffee.
3. Rooibos tea: contains no caffeine, tastes similar to black tea, and contains lots of good stuff like vitamin C, anti-oxidants, and flavinoids.
4. Herbal tea: contains no caffeine. So many flavors to choose from! I love ginger, mint, chamomile, and pau d’arco. Let herbal tea steep for 10-15 minutes to get a strong flavor.
5. Green tea: contains caffeine, but has a milder effect than coffee, and contains anti-oxidants.
6. Chicory/ dandelion root: roast and grind your own!
7. Hot milk: gradually add more and more milk to your coffee, until you’re left with just hot milk. (Not for the lactose intolerant, obviously.)
8. Decaf coffee: yes, it still contains caffeine; but not as much. Be sure to buy Swiss Water Process or CO2 extracted, to avoid the chemical solvent methylene chloride which is used to decaffeinate most coffee.
9. Black tea: is caffeinated, but has a milder effect on many than coffee. If you steep your teabag for 20 seconds, throw away that tea, and then re-steep in fresh water, you remove much of the caffeine naturally.
10. Hot water with lemon. Simple, classic.
Upcoming Events
Love The Skin You're In, and other weight balance secrets
Friday May 18, 7:30-9:30 pm, at Tranquil Space Bethesda
The struggle to achieve your ideal weight can be a life-long frustration. Learn techniques to work with your body as a partner, rather than an adversary. More
Cooking Class: Leafy Green Vegetables
Sunday June 3, 5:00-7:00 pm, at Nutricia Headquarters, Washington DC
As the world blooms into springtime greenery, learn to identify, prepare, and enjoy leafy greens. These amazingly nutritious vegetables are full of wonderful nutrients including calcium, fiber, folic acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E, to name a few. More
Midsummer Flavor Festival
Saturday June 23 5:00-7:00 pm and later at Nutricia Headquarters, Washington DC
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme; plus Ginger, Mint, Oregano, Turmeric, Mojitos, and more! Explore the flavors, scents, uses, storage, and drying of fresh herbs and rhizomes. More
Need more Nutricia?
Do you have questions to ask, recipes to share, issues to dissect? Join the discussion: check out the brand-new Nutricia Consulting blog! Eating, cooking, holistic living, and ruminations on what it means to be healthy.
http://tricianutricia.livejournal.com/
Wishing you health and joy,
Tricia