Pick of the Week: BROCCOLI

BROCCOLI to the RESCUE! Broccoli is great this time of year, not just because its in season, but because its loaded with vitamins that help you stay healthy and ward off the cold. It provides a great source of viamins C, Potassium, Calcium, folic acid, fiber, indole-3-carbinol (prevents hormone-related cancers) and betacarotene.

When cooking broccoli, it is very important not to overcook it, the texture gets mushy and unpleasant. Keeping it slightly crisp (you can tell by tasting it or watching the color- most greens turn a bright fresh looking green when they are cooked enough but not too much), it is really tasty and a bit of crisp can be really lovely.

Great added into stir fry's, steamed and topped with a bit of cheese, or in a curry; here is a great recipe for curry, great on these chilly nights.

1 small onion, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 small red bell pepper, cubed
1 cup halved mushrooms
3 cups broccoli
1 cup thinly sliced carrots or whole sugar snap peas

***Coconut-Curry Sauce***
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 1/2 packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar or cider vinegar
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in
1 1/2 teaspoon cold water


Directions:

Separately blanch the broccoli and carrots (or sugar snap peas)until tender-crisp in plain boiling water. Drain and rush under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain again.

Combine the Coconut-Curry Sauce ingredients. Taste and adjust the sugar to your liking.

Heat a wok or wide skillet over high heat until hot. Add the canola oil, swirl to glaze the pan. Then add the onions and bell pepper. Stir-fry until tender-crisp, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and stir until hot, a few minutes more.

Add the blanched vegetables and toss to mix.

Stir the sauce and add it to the pan. Bring it to a simmer, tossing to combine. Stir the cornstarch mixture to recombine and add it to the pan. Stir until the sauce turns glossy, about 10 seconds (a bit longer if you are doubling the sauce).

Add the sesame oil and toss to mix.

This recipe from CDKitchen for PF Chang`s Coconut Curry Vegetables serves/makes 2
(http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/525/PF_Changs_Coconut_Curry_Vegetables45478.shtml)


for more on broccoli see: http://healthfood-guide.com/HealthBenefitsOfBroccoli.aspx

Pick of the Week: BRUSSELS SPROUTS

BRUSSELS SPROUTS! I just love them, and saw them growing in the ground for the first time this week. This city kid hit the country for some quality time up at a farm outside of Albany. As you can see in the picture above the sprouts grow off a stalk almost forming a bumpy trunk that explodes into foliage at the top. I love them roasted best! Just clean them, slice them in half or quarters (if they are on the big side), toss in some bacon for extra umph, mix in a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast on a pan at 375-400 for about 30 minutes. I like them slightly burt and crispy.

Brussels sprouts are high in vitamin A, vitamin C, folacin, potassium, calcium, fiber and when eaten with grains provide a great source of protein.

find out more at:http://home.howstuffworks.com/brussels-sprouts3.htm

Wall Mart: Moving in the Right Direction

Just read some promising news in the New York Times! Wall Mart is making steps to support local, small farms! While I would like to see them abolish, if not limit, the use of genetically modified seeds and produce as well as raise their quality standard by including more organic foods... this is a promising, if not long overdue, step in the right direction. They are raising the requirements for farms producing their meat, not allowing for more rainforest depletion.

They have shown their power to change systems- with the success of their packaging design "eco-ver" (eco friendly make over). Whether this is consumer motivated, publicity driven or economically inspired, I am thrilled to see change in such a large corporation.

Better late then never, so big cheers for Wall Mart- but you're not perfect yet so, keep going!

a must see: FOOD MATTERS

I just happened to be flipping through netflix online looking for something to watch this rainy evening and happened upon FOOD MATTERS, an incredibly well put together documentary that rivals some of my favorite food and health documentaries like Food Inc. and Supersize Me. While I am still marinading on what I just watched... I am already excited about the wealth of easy to do's the movie provided to live a more healthy lifestyle.

1) DRINK WATER WHEN YOU WAKE UP, around a litre or two, to flush the toxins out of our bodies. What an easy thing to do, and honestly I don't do it. But you can believe I will tomorrow am- and every morning after that.

2) MAKE SURE EACH MEAL IS AT LEAST 50% RAW FOODS. Heat actually damages food and alters our bodies response to it.

3) TAKE VITAMINS. I wasn't actually a believer until seeing this film, but I am going to my local health food store tomorrow to purchase some. I don't feel confident that I am getting all the nutrients I need just through my food consumption, most americans aren't. Too many is better then too few.

Unfortunately, I took so many notes that my mind is a bit of a jumble... Many hugely interesting points of discussion arose- like HOW WE HEAL OUR BODIES? what do pills actually do? do they "fix" things or just make us less aware of them? why don't we heal our bodies with nutrients and food instead of pills- and furthermore, why isn't nutrition a REQUIRED part of getting a medical degree. Isn't it widely understood that diet is a, if not the, major contributing factor to health??

GO SEE THE MOVIE, it came out in 2008, and is on demand for those of you who have netflix, otherwise look for it. I feel like I am about to start a new lifestyle direction that will effect the rest of my life.

Pick of the Week SPINACH

Popeye the sailor famously promotes spinach to children, purporting that it makes him strong and able. Spinach is actually one of the most nutrient-dense foods around while having very few calories. A great source of vitamin K, A, magnesium, fiber, calcium, protein and antioxidants. With its abounding vitamins its no wonder that its great for cardiovascular health, helps fend off cancer and can help protect the body from aging.

So raw or steamed, enjoy spinach by the bundle!

For more information and my source read up at http://www.livestrong.com/article/2700-facts-health-benefits-spinach/

READING: Vogue "Force of nature" by Ginny Graves

I picked up a copy of Vogue at the airport recently and was thrilled to discover an article about Dr. Daphne Miller. Miller is a San Francisco based doctor who is/has been researching the health properties of diet and how food can be medicine. She has published a book entitle The Jungle Effect and is working on a second. MIller is part of the so called "food as medicine movement." Upon reading the article I am very much looking forward to picking up a copy and learning more!

Great tips from the article include:
feeling congested and under the weather?
try mushroom and ginger soup- ginger decongests while mushrooms are great for your immune system.

depressed?
try a diet with more omega-3 rich foods.

Worried about breast cancer?
include more sea weed in your diet, like the Okinawan's who have a long life expectancy and a lower rate of breast cancer.

Pick of the Week PUMPKINS

Pumpkins are a fantastic autumnal treat! Rich in anti-oxidants and beta-carotene, they also contain pro-vitamin A, vitamins E and C, salts and minerals, carbon hydrates, and proteids. One of the most amazing parts are actually the seeds, they contain strong therapeutic properties, cleaning blood vessels, eliminating intestinal parasites, adjusting cholesterol levels and activating the kidneys.

Pumpkins are very capable healers on the outside as well as on the in. They are great for helping heal and offer relief from burns and other skin irritations like insect stinging.

More then just a for halloween decorations, pumpkins are great boiled, roasted, fried, as juice, in pie, or just raw; pumpkins are versatile and delicious.

for more information and source of my information see http://www.liveandfeel.com/medicinalplants/pumpkin.html

Pick of the Week PLUMS

YUM PLUMS!
Plums are delicious and nutritious, as plums or prunes (dried plums). Prunes are most commonly known for their natural laxative properties, but they boast a host of other nutritional benefits. Interestingly, the dried ones are a european varietal and the fresh eaten ones are a japanese varietal. Plums are a great source of vitamin A, potassium and phosphorus. Prunes, meanwhile, have even higher amounts of each of these vitamins as well as polyphenols which it is believed to help increase bone density. Prunes are also great cholesterol reducers while preventing cardiovascular disease. Plums are believed to help prevent cancer, like most foods high in fiber and vitamin A.


For more information and the source of mine, check out http://www.elements4health.com/plums.html

Pick of the Week: TOMATOES

TOMATOES are in season in the New York City area. Tomatoes are one of my absolute favorites, available in an array of wonderful colors from red, orange, yellow, green, purple to brown, the heirloom are particularly beautiful. While commonly referred to as a vegetable, hey are technically in the fruit botanical family. Rich in vitamins C, A and K they are also a great source of lycopene- a carotenoid, which has great antioxidant properties. Lycopene has been proven to prevent many types of cancer and heart disease. So eat up!

Tomatoes are wonderful simply sliced, with a touch of salt and a dash of extra virgin olive oil.

Enjoy them with diced on top of warm bread rubbed with fresh pealed garlic, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar finished with fine ribbons of fresh basil.

for more information on tomatoes and lycopene visit http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=44

Pick of the Week: PEACHES

PEACHES!!
If you live in or around the New York City area, then local peaches are in season!

Peaches are classified by their flesh colors, either white (really sweet) or yellow (sweet and slightly tangy). Peaches are a great source of vitamin A, potassium, lycopene, lutein (lutein gives red/orange/yellow colors to fruits and veg.), flavonoids and carotenes in particular.

Fun Fact: peach flowers have sedative properties, try boiling in water with sugar and honey and drinking to chill out...



Source with additional information:
http://www.everynutrient.com/healthbenefitsofpeaches.html
http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/benefits-of-peach-1624.html

(Each week I am going to feature a locally in season fruit or vegetable, sharing health benefits and recipes)

A Food Odyssey Begins

I LOVE food. I believe firmly that eating well is a huge contributor to living well. I believe that local, organic food is paramount to quality flavor and of course health. Since books like "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson first questioned mass farming techniques a debate emerged- to provide more food at questionable quality? or to provide less food at high quality? with the lines between blurry, farmers had to make decisions. Pesticides? Genetically modified seeds? Growth hormones? Cages? Free range? What were there moral guidelines? How educated were they about the choices that they were making? Did they even know that spraying crops might lead to poisoning our water supply causing a host of health problems? Do they now? Do we know what the long term effects are of eating foods that don't grow in nature...? WIth obesity rates in America at a high, and life expectancy dropping, can we stop these trends and their causes?

Despite the past, we are now living in an era with a huge variety of organic stores, stickers, various levels of quality that baffle even a food loving person like myself. So the journey begins, I am going to pave a path through the cacophony of labels and information. By reading, researching and interviewing, I am going to try to figure it out and share my findings, along with recipes here.