Making Soup from Scratch is Easy

We make soup stock all winter long by saving chicken bones and pieces of vegetables in a bag in the freezer. You know those ends of carrots, green peppers and other veggie bits you don’t eat? Well, don’t toss them. Save them up and then once you get enough, put them in a pan and cover with filtered water and simmer for a few hours on the stove or in a slow cooker. Then strain it and you’ve got the basics to make a great soup. Keep in mind, for best flavor you probably want to keep cruciferous vegetables to a minimum when making stock since they tend to give up off odors when boiled for a long time.

Soup stock made this way contains minerals like magnesium and potassium that are very easy for your body to absorb. Since many of us are deficient in magnesium this is a good thing. And you also have control over what goes into it. You add the salt, avoid MSG (aka yeast extract and many other names) and make it with organic ingredients. Plus it does not cost anything but the power to cook it!

The soup pictured below has a stock made from chicken bones, celery bits, carrot ends, red pepper tops, bay leaves, fresh rosemary from my garden and a few other vegetable bits. Once I strained the stock (and tossed the solids) I added celery, zucchini, tomatoes, chard, garlic, salt and other seasonings. You can also add meat. In this case I had some beef sausage from the farmers market that I cooked in a pan.

If you start making soup from your own soup stock, you’ll be pleasantly surprised how good it can be.

Vegetable and Chipotle Beef Soup

Tortilla Pan Pizza

A tortilla can make a thin crust pizza. I used a spelt tortilla and topped it with spaghetti sauce (low sodium), cheese, mushrooms, black olives, zucchini and chopped arugula. Then I cooked it on low heat in a cast iron pan. Not bad!

Spelt Tortilla Pan Pizza

Making Dried Kiwi

It’s not easy to find dried kiwi with no added sugar. After a friend told me how much she likes it, I decided to make her some. I bought the kiwis, let them ripen for a few days and then peeled and sliced them. In my food dehydrator they take about 16 hours at 125 degrees.

 

           Kiwi ready to enter dehydrator

Iodine for Thyroid and Breast Health

Most people have no idea what iodine does and if they do, their awareness is usually limited to the thyroid. But guess what? It is really important to helping fight breast cancer too.

Years ago iodine was added to table salt to prevent goiter, which is an enlargement of the thyroid gland. And for many, that was all that was needed to prevent goiter and the majority of people never gave iodine supplementation much thought again.

But now researchers are beginning know more about how important iodine for breast health and are noticing that many of us don’t get enough. Why are many of us deficient? Well, here are a few reasons:

• Salt Restriction: Some people have been using less salt under doctor’s orders to treat blood pressure problems so they don’t get as much iodine from iodized table salt.
• Increased Popularity of Himalayan and Sea Salt, which don’t have added iodine.
• Chlorine and Fluoride in our water supplies: Chlorine and fluoride are similar in structure to iodine. When the thyroid is low on iodine, these other substances can be taken up by the thyroid and hinder the production of thyroid hormones.
• Bromines/bromides in commercial foods: Iodine levels began to fall in the 1970’s when commercial bakers started substituting bromide (used in dough conditioners) for potassium iodate. Bromides are also similar in structure to iodine and can end up blocking iodine absorption. They are also added to Mountain Dew soda, citrus drinks and are used in pesticides on strawberries.

So what is the breast cancer connection? Well, it is pretty important because we are discovering that iodine is toxic to breast cancer cells. It also helps your body produce antioxidants that protect cells from damage that could lead to cancer. Plus iodine suppresses the start of benign and cancerous tumors. A study published in 2001 by a Japanese researcher found that wakame sea vegetable caused breast cancer cell death and stopped the growth of tumors more effectively than a commonly prescribed chemo and yet did not cause regular cells to die.

The recommended dose of iodine for adults is 150 micrograms per day, which is probably a minimal dose for many. A teaspoon of seaweed contains about that amount. Contact a doctor before taking iodine supplements, especially if you have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. High intakes of iodine of more than 800 micrograms per day can cause side effects.

 

 

Ten Ways to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

The latest research has shown that most Americans need to eat 7-10 servings of fruits and vegetables for optimal health. In fact, a study by Dr. Michael Miedema and his colleagues found that women who ate eight to nine servings of fruit and vegetables in their 20s were 40% less likely to have dangerous plaque in their arteries in their 40s. In reality, the average actual consumption falls far short at about 3 servings.

Getting from 3 servings to 10 can seem daunting. Here’s how you can increase you’re intake:

• Start including fruit with breakfast. You can add fruit to cereal or yogurt. Or you can have a piece of fruit along with what you normally eat.

• Try making smoothies for breakfast that include vegetables. Smoothies are an excellent vehicle to add fruit and various vegetables to breakfast, lunch or snacks. Good vegetables to include are: cucumbers, carrots, spinach, kale, chard, beets, lettuce and even cabbage. Half of a banana and a cup of unsweetened berries help give the smoothie a fruit taste without adding too much sugar.

• Expand your definition of breakfast. Why not have a breakfast salad with lettuce, strawberries and mint with some yogurt on the side? Or reheat some dinner leftovers? I’ve had many weekday breakfasts that consisted of home-made chicken vegetable soup that I made over the weekend. Of course vegetable omelette or scrambles also work well.

• Experiment with new vegetables on sandwiches. Pile on veggies like cucumbers, sprouts, mushrooms, kale or peppers. Before you know it you’ll have another substantial serving of vegetables.

• Include a high proportion of vegetables in casseroles. When preparing, include lots of vegetables even if your usual recipe does not call for them. For instance, add vegetables to macaroni and cheese. Or substitute eggplant and vegetables for pasta in lasagna.

• Ask for extra vegetables when you go out to eat. I often ask for broccoli for Chinese food entrees or soups.

• Make vegetable soup. I save all of my vegetable trimmings and chicken bones in the freezer and use them to make soup stock. Then I add lots of vegetables along with meat or beans.

• Eat salads for meals. A large salad with your favorite protein on top make a filling and satisfying meal.

• Eat fruit as dessert. Add some berries to a small scoop of ice cream or have some berries with whipped cream. Or better yet, eat plain fruit for dessert.

• Make fruits or vegetables a snack. Cut up some carrots, celery or fruit and bring to work as a mid morning or afternoon pick up. Add a few nuts for protein or some hummus.

It probably does not make sense to try ten tips in the same week. Pick one or two at a time and see how it goes. If you keep at it, pretty soon you will have some new “vegetable habits” that stick.

Prepare Great Almond Milk in Ten Minutes

Prepare Great Almond Milk in Ten Minutes

Have you ever tried commercial almond milk in tea and been disappointed by the taste? Are you also concerned about additives like carrageenan? Well now you are about to learn how to prepare almond milk at home. It tastes wonderful, takes about ten minutes and bit of planning. Here’s how I do it:

Soak almonds first: A day or two before I want to make almond milk, I put 1/2 cup of raw almonds in a bowl, cover them with filtered water and leave them on the counter. Then once a day I rinse them and cover again with fresh water. This soaking method helps make the almonds soft and some say it results in a slightly sweeter taste. It also makes them easier to digest and increases protein content. But if you don’t have soaked almonds, go ahead and use dry nuts.

Making the milk: I usually just make two cup of milk at a time, but if you want to make more just adjust the recipe. The basic proportion is 1/4 cup of almonds to each cup of water.

• Take 1/2 cup of soaked almonds and mix for one minute in a blender with 2 cup of water.
• If desired, add a dash of glycerin based vanilla extract from Trader Joe’s.
• Pour the milk mixture though a fine mesh strainer into a bowl.
• Transfer to airtight glass container and store in fridge up to 4 days.
• For a little more flavor, add a sprinkle or two of nutmeg and a date before blending.

Using the almond “meal” that is left over: I usually eat this with a little sweetener and some coconut flakes. It reminds me of the Kretchemer wheat germ I used to eat as a kid. Some people save it for smoothies.

Very easy, don’t you think? And homemade almond milk tastes great in tea, on cereal or just alone.

Artifical Sweeteners Cause Weight Gain

Think that diet soda you swill down every day with lunch is a good option? It is time to reconsider. Recent studies illustrate the negative effects of various artificial sweeteners that have been pushed at us for so many years.

For one thing, according to Dr. Andrew Weil, artificial sweeteners have not shown to help anyone lose weight and may be causing way more harm than good in the long run. Aspartame, saccharine and sucrolose may increase the risk of health problems, including obesity, headaches and some cancers.

The whole premise of these substances for weight control may be false because our body does not react as we might expect to something that it would not normally encounter in a natural diet. An article in Harvard Health says that the use of these sweeteners may prevent us from associating sweetness with caloric intake. Plus, they may cause cravings that make us pick empty calories over more nutritious food.

Purdue University researchers found that drinking diet soda may be causing people to pack on the pounds. Dr. Mark Hyman says that artificial sweeteners are at least 100 times sweeter than sugar, increasing our preference for sweets. They trick your metabolism into thinking sugar is coming, so your body releases insulin, which is a fat storage hormone. Then as the insulin levels soar, your body packs on belly fat. They can also slow your metabolic rate so that you need fewer calories each day to maintain your body weight.

There is also evidence that synthetic sweeteners are addictive and may be a contributor to hardening of the arteries and diabetes. A multi-ethnic study of arteriosclerosis determined that regular consumption of diet drinks was linked to a 36 percent increased risk of metabolic syndrome and a 67 percent increased risk of diabetes.

Yet another study showed how sucrolose can alter the body’s reaction to ingesting glucose. Researchers gave each participant a glucose tolerance test and found that people who consumed sucrolose and water before the test had increased insulin levels. Their blood sugar peak that was also much higher than those who drank plain water.

These studies tell us that we are better off learning to drink water with our meals since these artificial ingredients in soft drinks are causing unintended effects. Our bodies are reacting with confusion and this appears to be increasing the risk of developing unhealthy metabolic conditions.

Take Control of Health by Learning to Cook

Our society has become very reliant on restaurants and processed foods. While these resources may save us time, we have lost control over what we eat and one-third of us don’t  know how to cook basic meals.

One good thing about eating out is that we can be exposed to new ideas for food combinations that may inspire us to prepare new foods at home. The downside is that many of the foods in restaurants are served in large portions, with the proportion of salt, fat, sugar, meat and starches too high in relation to vegetables and fruits. We also lose control of food quality and what harmful additives, like MSG, antibiotics and preservatives, may be included.

Making meals at home can also be much less expensive than eating out. When we eat out or buy prepared foods, we are paying for someone’s time to buy and serve the food. While it is true that fast food is cheap, it is usually at the expense of quality. Even when I am careful and buy a healthy lunch, I know it is costing me more to buy it prepared than to bring it from home. For instance, when I bring my own organic salad to work with some left over chicken, it costs me about five dollars less than buying a $9 salad in downtown San Francisco.

Cooking is a very useful skill and I cannot imagine what life would be like not being comfortable preparing my own meals. Cooking need not be complicated and it is a creative outlet that is also a good way to relax and share with friends and family. You have much more control over the quality and types of foods when you prepare them yourself. You can make sure you are getting plenty of vegetable and fruits using quality oils like olive, avoiding farmed fish and conventional meats while lessening your exposure to pesticides and GMO’s by purchasing organic produce. Plus you can season it the way you like it and add healthy spices like garlic, turmeric and ginger.

Knowing the basics of good nutrition and choosing healthy food is a good way to avoid the chronic conditions and diseases that plague much of today’s populations in our country. Diabetes, obesity and cancer are striking people at younger ages in large part because our diets contain too much sugar, processed starches, unhealthy fats and hormone disrupting chemicals from fast foods and non-organic ingredients. Good nutrition is the foundation of a healthy society. Having knowledge of what to eat and how to prepare healthy, simple, appealing meals are basic skills that are not difficult to learn as a child or an adult. If you don’t know much about cooking, get a friend to help you learn a few basic dishes, or enroll in a class. You will soon discover the fun and satisfaction of taking control of your health, saving money while learning to make your favorite dishes.