Amazing Artichokes

Artichokes deserve their very own post!  Simply because artichokes are the detox powerhouse.  However, many people, including myself don't *really* like to buy them because they look at the vegetable and think, how would I eat this thing????  Don't worry, I used to think that way too...and here is my attempt to debunk your hesitations.

First, let me talk about the incredible properties of artichokes.  They are a liver-cleansing food, in other words detoxification.  Detoxification is important for battling diseases and keeping a healthy body.  Artichokes are a good source of silymarin, which helps protect and nourish the liver.

According to herbal experts Joe and Teresa Graydon, Ph.D. (authors of The People's Pharmacy), patients with chronic gastrointestinal (GI) upset who were given artichoke extract showed incredible improvement.  Another study showed patients experience relief from stomach pain, nausea and vomiting.  [Remember, findingfoodorlove.com does not provide medical advice, please consult your physician--but what awesome results!]

Second, how to consume whole artichokes.  After you buy a artichoke from the store, you will want to peel the outside layers by the stem, remove any fibers or small leaves at the bottom of the artichoke.  Next, cut the spikey tips of the artichoke leaves.  After you go around cutting all of them, cut off the top where all the leaves start to bunch up so you end up with something that looks like my picture.

Steam the artichokes for about 15-20 minutes.

That's it!  Now eat.  Just pull the leaves off and scrape the base of the leaf with your teeth.  When you get down to the heart of the artichoke, remove the hairy 'choke' (inedible fuzzy part).

I can eat with no dip.  It's really healthy.  It does take some work to eat, but in my opinion, when we have to work for our food, I think we eat better portions.

Source: The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Jonny Bowden

Pom Power

If you haven't seen, right now is pomegranate season.  The pomegranates are so juicy, so sweet, ruby red, and plump.  The fruit is shiny and, in many ways, just tantalizing.  I know that many western books depict the apple as the fruit of temptation in the Garden of Eden.  But, seriously, I think it was the pomegranate.  Have you ever eaten one that is in season?  It's ruby red, jewel-like parcels contain 100% juice.  They burst in your mouth with their refreshing sweet flavor, and the seeds have fiber.

I have been eating so many of these delicious fruits, that the other fruits can't keep my attention like a perfectly ripe pomegranate.  If it were really the pomegranate in the Garden, Eve, I don't blame you.

Pomegranates are packed with antioxidants.  "Pomegranate juice contains the highest antioxidant capacity compared to other juices, red wine, and green tea," said Professor Michael Aviram at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa.  There was one study presented in San Antonio at the American Urological Association Annual Meeting in which 48 men who had been treated for prostate cancer drank 8 ounces of pomegranate juice daily.  Drinking the juice lengthened the time it took for the disease to develop.  Doesn't stop disease, but the results indicated there may be chemicals in the juice that have cancer-fighting benefits.

Pomegranate juice also has been shown to inhibit the oxidation of LDL ("bad" cholesterol).  And at least five studies have demonstrated a beneficial effect of pomegranate juice on cardiovascular health.

A study published in the Journal of Urology examined the long-term intake of pomegranate juice on erectile dysfunction (in an animal model).  Results suggest that free radicals (oxidative stress) are a contribution factor in erectile dysfunction.  In response, antioxidants protect your cells from free radicals, and is an important part of the daily diet.  It may be time to get your pomegranate on!

Our collection of pomegranates:

Source: 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Jonny Bowden

Pumping Iron with Mollusks

What are mollusks?  Mollusks include all the shelled seafood found in the ocean.  Mollusks include clams, mussels, scallops, and oysters and as a family of species with more than 80,000 known species.  What diversity!

Growing up, these creatures were always a delicacy but sometimes the seafood-y smell didn’t make it as appetizing for me.  Also, they are considered unclean in the Kosher diet, which I am conscious of and sometimes prescribe to (just pretty hard on the pork part given I eat a lot of Chinese food).  So the mollusk family has only been an occasional part of my diet.

Recently, I have been looking hard for elements and food that are good for my blood.  One essential element is iron.  Amazingly, clams are one of the richest sources of iron, surpassing beef liver many times over.  Get this, three ounces of clams yields 700% of the daily value for vitamin B12 plus 66% of the daily value for iron.  Amazing, amazing.

Even on manganese, raw blue mussels provide 100% of the daily value which is important for growth, reproduction, wound healing, peak brain function, sugar metabolism, and cholesterol.  And, zinc, which is crucial for a strong immune system, fertility, and male sexual health can be found in 1 cup of drained oysters, that is 100% of the daily value.

These sea critters are good deals all around.  All high in protein, low in fat with the real benefit coming from the minerals our bodies can absorb from eating them.  Now if only I can find good sources for this food, as many have toxins because of where they are caught or grown.  And, if you have any chronic illness of the liver, stomach, blood or immune system, you should definitely not be eating these raw.

Source: 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, by Jonny Bowden

I Love Peanut Butter

I cannot even begin to express just how much peanut butter I have eaten over my lifetime thus far.  I think enough jars to fill a middle sized suitcase, for sure!  There is something about peanuts in their creamy state that just want me to get up right now from my typing and eat a spoonful with some puffed wheat, a piece of bread, or a cracker.  Speaking of which, I just did right before I started writing this blog post (many spoonfuls with the puffed wheat, just to be clear).  haha

I still remember growing up, how my Dad would tell me you will get fat by eating all that peanut butter.  Interestingly, he was right, depending on the peanut butter you eat.

In order to IMMENSELY enjoy the nutty, crunchy, creamy peanut butter that drips onto the bread and then straight into your drooling mouth, and yet not really gain weight, one must read labels (and still practice some degree of moderation).  The label is what it comes down to.  Or you make your own (or at Whole Foods).  Your peanut butter label should have only one of these combination of ingredients:
1) Dry roasted peanuts.
2) Dry roasted peanuts and salt.
3) Maybe they forgot the roasted part, so still one of the above sans roasted.

That's it.  Skippy, Jiffy or perhaps other brands ending in -y usually do not abide.  They add sugar.  And, sugar makes you fat!!  My Dad was right, eating that kind of peanut butter will go straight to the waistline.  In addition, these brands add other things you cannot pronounce (to make it shelf stable).  An opened jar of peanut butter should be refrigerated.  If your peanut butter doesn't require you to, then check the label.  It might have a lot more than you thought.

Other notes on peanuts?  "Peanuts rank as high as strawberries in antioxidants." (1).  The Journal of Food Chemistry had an article where researchers at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences found that peanuts rivaled many fruits for their antioxidant content.  They were a little shocked.  Peanuts also increase magnesium, folate, fiber, copper, vitamin E and arginine consumption, which all contribute to prevention of heart disease.  As with all things, peanut butter should be eaten in moderation compared to the rest of your diet.  Please don't cut off all other food, especially superfoods, just to eat peanut butter 24/7.  If you do that, then I cannot vouch for the no gain weight scenario.

My most favorite peanut butter--ever--is Trader Joe's Crunchy, Salted Peanut Butter.  Just got the flier today (Culinary Compendium).  Right on the front page is my beloved peanut butter.  Only $1.79.  Can't beat the price or the taste.  I wish I were paid for this commercial!  That's alright, so long as they don't take away my peanut butter!


(1) Source: 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, by Jonny Bowden
www.traderjoes.com
Picture: www.guidespot.com/guides/best_thing_at_trader

When Life Gives you a Lemon...

"When life gives you a lemon...squeeze it, mix with 6 ounces of water, and drink twice daily." - Jethro Kloss, Back to Eden.

Call it folk wisdom if you would like, but scientists are finding in their research that there is some real benefit from lemons.  Science is just catching up with what generations have been passing down.  I used to do some singing in choirs and have taken voice lessons.  One of the remedies I learned for prepping my voice was for the week/days before or right before a concert, take hot water, freshly squeeze lemon juice and add honey.  So good, and so soothing!  I loved it so much that I would drink it more than the concerts I sang in.  Guess I didn't sing enough to "have" to drink the lemon concoction.  Good thing I did and do, because fresh lemon juice has some real positive effects on the body, including the liver, the bile, and digestion.

Sick or getting sick?  Lose your voice?  The lemon concoction might help you get better, faster.

Lemons are a good source of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent.  Two compounds in lemons: limonoids and limonene.  Both have documented anti-cancer properties.  The peel contains limonene (just beware of the wax), and limonene is found to be preventative against liver, skin, lung cancers and against mammamory and pancreatic tumors.  In addition, drink lemon peel with black tea and it is a particular fighter against skin cancer.

I think my earlier quote says so much - life can be full of lemons, of things seeming so difficult, untimely, and unfair.  But, I think when we are given this chance to be tested, to grow as a person, the benefits surpass a life of only green pastures.  Not that we seek out the lemons in life, but perhaps the attitudes we face them with make a big difference on the outcome and on just how much stronger we get, whether we are willing to take the lemon.  Strength comes from the making.  So, don't pass it up!

Source: 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, Jonny Bowden

Cabbage in the Snow

Record breaking snow happened in this area starting yesterday.  Shoveling is tiring!  This is a day that I realize the awesomeness of having a pickup with a shovel attached to the front of it.  I am sure many people hand shoveling today were having snow plow envy, haha.

In the dead of wintertime, there aren't many vegetables in season.  And if you try to buy some way out of season vegetable, it looks limp and dead (probably because it traveled like almost 10,000 miles to get to you).  Cabbage is a late fall through winter vegetable.  And, the colder it gets, usually the sweeter the cabbage tastes.  Cabbage has been a staple for at least two millennia and can be eaten raw (think: coleslaw) or cooked (I hope you are not thinking of boiling it... :)).  It holds many nutritional benefits and has cancer-fighting ability.

Researchers have observed that women from Eastern European countries surrounding Poland and Russia were much less likely to develop breast cancer than American women.  An analysis was done and it showed that the Eastern European women's intake of cabbage was much higher.  Years of research were devoted to indoles, a phytochemical, and found that indoles alter estrogen metabolism in a favorable way, reducing risk of cancer.  For an inexpensive vegetable, it has some really great nutritional value for a low price!

Red or purple cabbage also contain the same pigment molecules found in blueberries.  They belong to a group of flavonoids and act as powerful antioxidants.

I eat cabbage sauteed (as I do with most vegetables), just add oil, salt and some pepper.

For more info and on how to buy cabbage: http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/02/in-season-cabbage-choosing-storing-recipes-20100206.html

Source: 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, by Jonny Bowden

The Essentials of Wild Salmon

Salmon has really come to popularity with more available sushi and the push for more omega-3’s in our diet.  Omega 3’s help our heart and brain function as well as inflammation, circulation, memory, thought, and blood sugar control.  Great, you say, but what about wild salmon versus farm raised?  Should it matter?

Yes, it does matter.  One big difference between wild and farm raised as one author puts (Jonny Bowden) is what farm raised salmon eat.  They are what they eat.  Farm raised salmon usually eat lots and lots of grain whereas wild salmon eat real things in the ocean.  Unfortunately (or fortunately), there are no corn rows in the sea.  There is reason.  Grain diet salmon produce very little omega-3’s.  Farm raised is just not what we bargain for. 

Not to mention the disease and contaminations prone to tightly packed salmon farms.  And the color that they use to pretty up the “colorless” farm raised salmon.    Farmers pick from a color wheel (called the SalmoFan, link below) to figure out what color they want their “product” to be.  Now, that should be concerning...

I like wild red sockeye salmon.  There are all sorts of ways to prepare it.  However, for those who run out of time – here is a quickie I like to do.  The salmon sandwich.

Ingredients:

• I buy wild salmon patties from Costco.  Great to keep on hand.  And, not that expensive.  I like to cook it in a toaster oven since I try to avoid the microwave.  Pour the juices on your sandwich, don’t throw it away.
• One or two slices of toasted bread (I like open face sandwiches, personally.  I think I may be secretly French when it comes to certain foods). 
• One fried egg (fry on a skillet)
• Avocado and/or tomato
• A little mayo

Assemble the sandwich.  Consume and enjoy. 

Link to information on SalmoFan: http://www.smithandlowney.com/salmon/

Have Your Kale and Eat It Too

Kale is one of those amazing vegetables that deserve more refrigerator space and commercial time in all forms of media.  Kale is amazing for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer attributes.  Kale is loaded with calcium, iron and vitamins A, C, and bone-building vitamin K.  It contains 7x the beta-carotene of broccoli and 10x as much lutein and zeaxanthin (Source: 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, by Jonny Bowden).  

Why don’t people eat it more often?  I think because not everyone knows how to make it taste good.  This recipe comes from the book 101 Optimal Foods, and the recipe is from Chef Robin Kirby from CHOW restaurant in Elmhurst, Illinois.  www.chowtogo.com.  I have met the owner Mary, and her restaurant is amazing – healthy food that tastes good.  If you are in the Elmhurst area, visit her culinary world; I was blown away.  I have made this at home – and for those who know me, I modify everything.  With or without modifications, this recipe is a keeper in my opinion.  Cheers to eating more kale!

Raw Kale Salad with Lemon-Honey Vinaigrette

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Salad

2 bunches kale, stems and ribs removed, torn into bite-sized pieces

½ cup pomegranate seeds (I use dried cranberries)

½ cup diced red onion

½ cup sunflower seeds, shelled

Lemon-Honey Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons honey

Sea salt and pepper

Combine four salad ingredients.  Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients and toss with salad.  Allow to sit in refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.

Also, I came across these one day when I was reading an entrepreneur magazine: Kale chips.  http://rhythmsuperfoods.com.  I haven’t had these chips yet since they were not available in my neighborhood, but they look like a good idea and crunchy alternative to satisfy potential savory chip cravings.