The sun is out and our unbelievable record-setting Alaska winter snowfall is finally leaving. Soon we’ll be wearing shorts, bathing suits and, looking in the mirror, yikes! extra winter insulation has just got to go: time to lose some weight! There is probably no bigger argument in the corporate lobbying dietician/nutrition world than how to get to our ideal weight. Should we count calories, percent of protein, percent of carbohydrate or glycemic index? Which is the most important weight loss strategy (or how can we prevent diabetes, lower cholesterol, improve heart health…) And, of course, we have to shun dietary fat—which … Continue reading →
Re-health-iphized… is that a word? It should be. We emotionally connect “GORP” to the concept of a healthy snack. Trail mix, or GORP, goes one of two ways: Succumbing to M&Ms or other sugary transgressions; or living up to its nourishing name with “Good Old Raisins & Peanuts” embellished and crafted with whatever we have around. But somewhere, ideas about what was sweet and nourishing became very confused. Raisins weren’t sweet enough; enter M&Ms, chocolate chips, and sugar-sweetened pineapple. Nuts had to carry the caution called “high fat” when fat became somehow bad for us. And this is all because … Continue reading →
Game plan: Kimchi needs time to ferment. I recommend starting a batch about a week before you plan to use it. What to buy: Korean red pepper powder or kochukaru is what gives kimchee its spiciness. It can be found in Korean markets in large resealable plastic bags, in different grades of coarseness and spiciness. Choose a grade based on your personal preference. No convenient market near you? Use my links to order online. Also known as saeujeot, Korean salted shrimp are very small, naturally fermented shrimp that impart authentic flavor to kimchi. They are sold in jars and can be found in the refrigerator case of Korean … Continue reading →
Saw these colorful beans… had to have them! They are really called Calypso beans, but they remind me of our wonderful Alaskan orca whales (which are actually the largest member of the dolphin family)… so Orca bean salad it is. On the nutrition side, good for any budget, this is a great tasting and crowd pleasing recipe that (secretly) has other ideas about improving your health: Since ancient times, cumin (Cuminum cyminum) has been prized for its anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-cancer, anti-asthmatic, antioxidant, immunomodulatory (meaning brings both high and low back to normal) and carminative (reduces flatulence). High in many vitamins … Continue reading →
While proteins and fats provide cell building blocks, vegetables provide most of the cofactors that make everything work. From building healthy cells to cleaning out the waste of day-to-day activity, including vegetables in your diet is extremely important. Veggies are incredibly rich in nutrients and antioxidants, which boost your health and help fight off disease. Ounce-for ounce (or calorie for calorie) you get more “bang for the buck” when you make sure to include plenty of veggies while you meet your other nutritional needs. Amazingly, health authorities recommend only several servings of vegetables each day. Even more amazingly, most people … Continue reading →
Quick factoid: While we all have a natural ability to break down and eliminate toxic chemicals and metals, those systems were designed to eliminate by-products of our daily activities—not overloaded by “better living through chemistry and technology”. Our liver, kidneys, and digestive tract are supposed to balance hormones (activate/inactivate as needed), neutralize cell waste products, balance electrolytes, and keep us energized all day long. But instead… Overloaded by environmental pollution, anti-food, medications, stressful lifestyles… our body can’t keep up! We quickly go out of balance, the accumulation of toxic substances creates chronic inflammation. Months and years later, we feel the … Continue reading →
Back in the day of being a bench scientist studying how cells work, how a single fertilized cell eventually becomes skin, eye, muscle, adipose… how our bodies routinely detect and destroy improperly formed cells, and even clean out those that die when their time is up to make way for new, healthy tissue; back then never a day went by without a remarkable new finding at a deeply biochemical/molecular level. Sadly, so much of that fascinating work can only be understood by those of us who speak the language of science and molecular biology. Yet, their are times when an important … Continue reading →
Americans eat less than 70 percent of their meals at home, and less than a third of families eat meals together more than twice a week. Restaurant food and take-out meals are notorious for cheap ingredients made up in flavor with added sugar, unhealthy fats, and iodized salt. More than half of Americans’ calories come from “ultra-processed foods,” according to a new study published in BMJ Open. “Formulations of several ingredients which, besides salt, sugar, oils, and fats, include food substances not used in culinary preparations, in particular, flavors, colors, sweeteners, emulsifiers and other additives used to imitate sensorial qualities … Continue reading →
Isn’t working out five times a week enough to avoid weight gain? And what is setting off that midnight (and morning, and after lunch, and before dinner… ) heat? Susan hadn’t changed her calories—or her workouts—since graduating college. But there it was: that pudge, bulge, and mid-section ten starting in her late 40’s. Why? Anne just wouldn’t lose weight no matter how hard she tried. After learning that midsection fat is the most likely to be associated with chronic inflammation and other health problems, she was ready to change and tried every diet—but her weight wasn’t. Why? Hormones out of whack … Continue reading →
I guess you could call this “Many Nut Bread”… quick, delicious, and loaded with protein from the many nuts buried within (compared with grain breads anyway), nut flour options are just as easy, more tasty, and definitely more nutrient dense than grain flours. No almond flour on hand? Just get out your Magic Bullet, some raw nuts (in this case almonds) and in seconds you have your own, fresh, nut flour. Technically almonds are not a nut, they are a seed—and there are a bunch of other seeds and nuts in this bread—loaded with vitamins and minerals, almonds have nutritional benefits … Continue reading →
