December

Food Focus: Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes seem to go hand in hand with the holidays, and fortunately, these beautiful root vegetables can help out with the urge to eat every last piece of pie at the end of the all those festive meals. Cravings for sweets can be greatly reduced by adding sweet vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, yams, parsnips, beets, squash, turnips and rutabagas to your daily diet. Sweet potatoes elevate blood sugar gently rather than with the jolt delivered by simple refined carbohydrates, so there’s no energy crash after you eat them. Much higher in nutrients than white potatoes and especially rich in vitamin A, sweet potatoes offer a creamy consistency that is satisfying and soothing. They are healing to the stomach, spleen, pancreas and reproductive organs and help to remove toxins from the body. They can increase the quantity of milk in lactating women and can lessen cramps and premenstrual symptoms. If you don’t have any sweet potatoes in your kitchen, go out and buy some (organic and local if possible) and make the recipe below.

Recipe of the Month: Sweet Potatoes with Lime and Cilantro
This recipe is an eye-opener for those who find sweet potatoes cloyingly sweet or who are tired of eating them smothered in marshmallows and brown sugar. Japanese sweet potatoes, with their pale flesh and delicate flavor, are a treat if you can find them.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30-40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 sweet potatoes
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
2-3 limes
butter or olive oil, salt (optional)

Directions:
1. Wash the sweet potatoes and bake them whole, in their skins, at 425 degrees until tender, about 40 minutes.
2. Wash and chop cilantro leaves.
3. When sweet potatoes are done, slit open the skin and place on serving plate. Season with salt and dots of butter or a sprinkle of oil, if you like, then squeeze fresh lime juice all over, and shower with cilantro leaves.

Chew For Peace

November

"I have made it a rule to give every tooth of mine a chance, and when I eat, to chew every bite thirty-two times. To this rule I owe much of my success in life."
-William Gladstone

Food Focus: Brown Rice
Brown rice, with its sweet nutty flavor, provides four times the amount of insoluble fiber found in white rice because it is a whole grain that has not been stripped of its natural bran covering. It contains an impressive number of vitamins and minerals such as concentrated B vitamins (which help nervous systems and mental depression), niacin, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium and even some vitamin E. This whole grain also contains a small amount of high-quality protein in the form of the amino acid lysine, which helps boost the body’s ability to fight viruses, especially those that cause cold sores.

In each grain of brown rice exists a matrix of whole, unrefined energy and nutrition. It is a complex carbohydrate and therefore burns slowly in the body, providing a steady stream of long-lasting energy while increasing the brain’s levels of serotonin, the chemical responsible for the feeling of well-being. Those who consistently eat brown rice report steady energy and an overall feeling of calm and balance in their daily lives.

For brown rice and whole grains in general, the majority of digestion occurs in the mouth through chewing and exposure to saliva. For optimal nutrition and assimilation, it is vital to chew your rice well and with awareness. A great meditation is to find a calm place, without distractions, to sit down for your meal. Make it a habit to chew each bite 20 times or more. See how this simple practice can help your digestion and overall focus for the rest of your day.

Recipe of the Month: Brown Basmati Pilaf

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup brown basmati rice
2 cups water
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
pinch of salt

Directions:
1. Rinse rice in fine mesh strainer until water runs clear.
2. Boil the water and add rice and salt, cover and reduce heat.
3. After 15 minutes add cranberries and walnuts to top; do not stir.
4. Cook 30 minutes more, or until all the liquid is absorbed.
5. Remove from heat, add parsley and fluff with fork, cover and let sit for 3-5 minutes and serve.

The Big Chill

If you are anything like me, the stunning changes of the leaves in fall mean two things. First, winter is coming! And second, the incessant body chills will begin. Brrrrrr, my shoulders instantly tense and lift up into my neck at the thought. I am a summer baby, a sun worshiper. Give me heat; give me humidity to plump up my skin. These mornings my face feels drier than a brick; I can almost imagine that I have a raisin for a head. Sound a little extreme? Well, I haven’t even gotten to my little problem of cold extremities.

Maybe you can relate. Do you find yourself apologizing when it is time to shake somebody’s hand with your icy cold ones? Do you stay awake just a little too long trying to go to sleep at night because those ice blocks at the end of your legs won’t warm up? Do you sleep with slippers and wool socks? Does your diaphragm start rattling after a glass of too cold water in the morning? Sometimes I wonder if it is just the idea of winter that sends my body temperature plunging below freezing.

Well, this year I am taking the matter into my own numb hands. I can’t resist the opportunity to dive into the herbal pool of home remedies and natural solutions to this down right annoying condition. And I am happy to report back to you that it is not hopeless my friends; there is a warm glow at the end of this tunnel.

I found out right away that this ailment most commonly affects people with low blood pressure. Anyone familiar with that woozy head rush after standing up too fast? This circulation problem is also associated with a tingling sensation or numbness of either the hands or feet (otherwise known as Neuropathy); a shortness of breath; lack of energy; irregular heart beats; poor memory; and a lack of stamina. These symptoms can lead to more serious conditions such as arthritis and angina (or chest pains). The good news, it can be managed in a number of ways… PREVENTION, my friends, is the key.

1. MOVE
Don’t worry; I am not going to tell you to join the gym or master yoga right now. I am only going to recommend one thing. Walk. Move your feet, and I don’t mean just to the refrigerator. Listen, I am a world class procrastinator. I could easily talk myself out of the gym just by thinking how much time was wasted in a morning by packing a gym bag, changing into gym clothes, getting there, taking a shower, walking to the car in the cold with wet hair… all for a ½ hour work out. No thanks. The only thing that got me out of this rut was to step out my front door as soon as I rolled out of bed. Still in PJ’s, sweats, whatever. No breakfast, no glass of water. Just go. I walk until I feel invigorated and my thoughts are clear and rolling. I breathe in deep, look around. Walking helps me clear up any issues weighing heavy on my mind or solidify ideas and prioritize the day’s events. Walking is free. Walking makes you remember your body is a magical machine full of unrealized potential. Walking leads to a desire to walk some more. Walking gives you that rosy glow (think: increased blood flow). Walking is cool. Try it.

2. SPICE IT UP
Internally cayenne stimulates the heart, regulating the blood flow and strengthening the arteries and capillaries. One way to get your blood flowing is by taking cayenne tincture. It will not only get the blood pumped around your body, but it will strengthen your heart, clear your arteries, and research has shown that hot herbs raise your metabolic rate by as much as 25%, so will assist in weight loss. Cayenne is a wonderful herb for a healthy life. You can also start your day off with the following warming concoction first thing in the morning. A mug of hot water, teaspoon of honey, squeeze of lemon, dash of cayenne. Stir, sip slowly and get warm.
Honorable mentions: ginkgo biloba, ginger, fennel

3. CRAZY SHOWER GAME
Hot and cold Showers or Hydrotherapy is a good way of improving your circulation. It is something you can do every day. When you get hot under a shower the blood rushes to the skin and feeds it. Then, when you immediately put on the cold, the blood rushes to the internal organs. You shiver, but what is happening is that your blood is flushing out your skin and leaving it oxygenated. Turn on hot again and the blood rushes from your internal organs to your skin.
Your circulation is increased by the action of your blood being forced rapidly around your body. This can be repeated up to 5 or 6 times for optimum results. Do not start straight away on very hot or very cold water. Gradually increase the temperature difference between the hot and cold water over a period of a few weeks so that it is not too much of a shock to the system. This single action can dramatically improve your circulation over time.

4. WRAP IT UP
Keeping your neck and wrists warm may help. Primary blood vessels come close to the surface of the skin in the neck and wrists. If you keep these areas protected from the air, less heat will escape. A scarf around the neck and those gloves with the fingers cut off can be worn all day.

I hope some of these tips help you embrace the winter as you watch the last reminders of warmer days blow ever so predictably off the trees…

You are only as strong as your roots

October

Food Focus: Root Vegetables

The roots of any plant are its anchor and foundation; they are the essential parts that support and nourish the plant. Root vegetables lend these properties to us when we eat them, making us feel physically and mentally grounded and rooted, increasing our stability, stamina and endurance. Roots are a rich source of nutritious complex carbohydrates, providing a steady source of necessary sugars to the body. Instead of upsetting blood sugar levels like refined sweet foods, they regulate them. Since they absorb, assimilate and supply plants with vital nutrients, roots likewise increase absorption and assimilation in our digestive tracts.

Long roots include carrots, parsnips, burdock and daikon radish. Round roots include turnips, radishes, beets and rutabagas. Long roots like burdock and daikon are excellent blood purifiers and can help improve circulation in the body and increase mental clarity. Round roots are nourishing to the stomach, spleen, pancreas and reproductive organs and can help regulate blood sugar and moods, and alleviate cravings.

Recipe of the Month: Roasted Root Vegetables
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25-35 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
1 sweet potato
2 parsnips
2 carrots
2 turnips or 1 large rutabaga
1 daikon radish (or substitute/add in your favorites, like squash)
olive oil
salt and pepper
herbs: rosemary, thyme or sage (fresh if possible)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Wash and chop all vegetables into large bite-sized pieces.
3. Place in a large baking dish with sides.
4. Drizzle with olive oil; mix well to coat each vegetable lightly with oil.
5. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs.
6. Bake uncovered for 25-35 minutes until vegetables are tender and golden brown, checking every 10 minutes to stir and make sure veggies are not sticking.
Note: Any combination of vegetables will work. Roasting only one kind of vegetable also makes a nice side dish.