"Free" Holiday Ideas - ONE

Let's make the holiday table a bit freer this year by offering a variety of foods that everyone can enjoy!

Dairy Free Ranch
• 1 cup mayonnaise or Vegennaise for egg free or vegan
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 7 1/2 tablespoons soymilk
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1 clove mashed or finely chopped garlic
• Pepper to taste
Directions.
Mix lemon juice and soy milk and let sit for 10 minutes.
Whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice and soy milk mixture with the herbs.
Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.


-Patricia

Fish Update

I panic at the fish counter. What fish is low in contaminants? What can I buy and still be environmentally sensitive? What fish has a lot of omega 3 fatty acids?

Well, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has updated their list of what is "super green".

Top 5 are:

Albacore tuna (troll or pole caught from the US or Canada),

Farmed mussels,

Farmed oysters,

Wild Pacific sardines,

Wild pink shrimp from Oregon,

Farmed rainbow trout and

Wild caught Alaskan salmon.

Need more choices? Go to their website for a more extensive list:

http://www.seafoodwatch.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_health.aspx

Want more info on why you should be increasing your omega 3 fatty acid intake? Our June 2009 newsletter focused on the benefits of those omega 3 fatty acids found in fish (you can find it in the newsletter archives on our website).

Remember that children and pregnant women should not have more that 12 ounces of fish a week.

Enjoy!

- Patricia

Sugar and agression

Research was published this week reminding us again of why we may want to think more about the ramifications not just of what we feed our children but how we feed them.

This research published in the British Journal of Psychiatry suggests that by allowing kids to have candy frequently (in this study daily), kids " do not learn to delay gratification, which some think is a feature of violent individuals generally"

The researchers, from Wales noted that 69% of the study participants who were violent by the age of 34 reported that they ate confectionery nearly every day during childhood, whereas only 42% of those who were nonviolent did. The authors further stated that "persistently using confectionery to control childhood behavior might prevent children from learning to defer gratification, which can lead to more impulsive behaviors. These are both biases that are strongly associated with delinquency."

The overall conclusion is that early food experiences DO matter and food rewards to control behavior may not control behavior in the way imagined.

So, please, go ahead and say "no" to candy. Remember that candy is not a "TREAT" (please see our newsletter for this month for my rant about how candy is as much as a "Treat" as letting your child eat a stick of lard or a cup of salt). Rather than create a neighborhood of hooligans this Halloween, hand out some low sugar snacks or toys (little plastic animals, bubbles) or art supplies (pencils, crayons, chalk).

For more information see the British Journal of Psychiatry October 2009

-Patricia

Let them eat cake

This is my absolute favorite cake. Basically the only cake I ever make. Yes, it has sugar and of course it has chocolate (why else would I make it) but it also has sweet potato (or yam or pumpkin). You can even add more nutrition by tossing in some ground or chopped nuts. In case you need further justification for eating this cake, add cinnamon as cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar and also has anti-inflammatory properties. Add a little ginger for digestion.

These make great black and orange cupcakes for Halloween!

The recipe was adapted from the Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash, a wonderful cookbook and great reference for growing and cooking vegetables.

Black and Orange Marble Cake

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a bundt or angelfood cake pan.

Combine dry ingredients and set aside:

3 cups flour (how about 1 of these being whole wheat)

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

Combine wet ingredients in a mixer:

1 1/2 cup canola oil

4 eggs (add one at a time, beating well after each)

1 1/2 cup sugar (can do a mixture of brown and white)

To the wet ingredients add dry ingredients ALTERNATING with 2 cups of pureed sweet potato, yam, pumpkin or butternut squash. Both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods carry pureed, organic pumpkin, sweet potato and butternut squash in cans during the fall months.

Separate out 1/2 of the batter. Melt 4 ounces chocolate chips. Mix into 1/2 of the batter. Spoon both batters into pan, alternating scoops of batter then take a knife and swirl (your kids will love to help with this part). Bake for about an 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Check for doneness by putting a toothpick into the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. Batter sticking to the toothpick, cook longer. If it is not cooked yet but starts to brown on top, cover with a piece of foil while the center cooks.

Variations: Add 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts.

Add the rest of the chocolate chip bag, do not melt these first.

Omit the chocolate part and add raisins or nuts and raisins.

Enjoy.

Patricia

Folic Acid: THE pre prenatal prevention vitamin

Folic acid is a B vitamin that is found in green veggies, orange juice and whole grains.

Foods that are often in short supply in the American diet. Folic acid also is a very fragile vitamin and easily destroyed. In the past, folic acid rarely got any press because it was one of the few vitamins regulated because high doses could mask a deficiency of another B vitamin, B12. BUT, in the last 20 years we have realized that folic acid has critical roles in cell division. Research in the 1980s indicated that low folic acid prior to and in the first few weeks of pregnancy could contribute to birth defects involving the spinal cord and brain, primarily spina bifida which can cause paralysis, learning disorders, kidney defects and a variety of other life long chronic concerns.

Folic acid is now added to many of our staple foods such as breads and grains. Since fortification, the incidence of spina bifida HAS decreased over 50% (in Canada) and there has been a parallel decrease in heart defects and anencephaly. The important point to remember is that supplementation should start prior to pregnancy and continue throughout the first trimester. Many public health organizations recommend supplementing the diets of all women of child bearing age.

So drink your orange juice and if pregnancy is in your near future, take a supplement (about 400 mg prior to pregnancy) and talk to your OB-GYN about supplementation!

A spoonful of sugar.....

Health care reform is in the air. While many people argue over how to improve our health care insurance coverage, we can't forget the issue of increasing costs due to increasing care.
A recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that the medical costs associated with treating obesity-related conditions may have reached $147 billion last year, up from $74 billion a decade ago. $147 billion dollars spent on preventable conditions.

In light of the enormous health catastrophe of obesity, the American Heart Association has announced a remarkably specific and forceful recommendation: limit added sugar to just 6 teaspoons a day (100 calories) for women and just 9 for men (130 calories). Currently, Americans have about 22 spoonfuls or 350 calories per day of added sugar. These are calories that provide no nutritional benefits and include calories from sugar or corn syrup in sweets, candies, soda and sweetened beverages.

How can you follow this recommendation? No more soda- 8 teaspoons of added sugar in a can of soda. If you substitute soda with a sports drink, you will still be getting 4 teaspoons in 12 ounces. Since soda contributes 33% of the added sugar in our diet, eliminating soda is a great first start. One study addressing pediatric obesity found that just taking soda and sweetened drinks (lemonade, Capri Sun, fruit punch, sports drinks) out of child's diet led to significant weight loss. A glass of sparkling water is a great alternative with 0 spoons of sugar.

But why is the American Heart Association talking about sugar? While obesity develops as a combination of food intake, activity and genetics; increased caloric intake is often associated with a high intake of sweets. A lot of sweetened foods also come packed with "bad" saturated fats (think pastries, store bought cookies). Excessive sugar as well as excessive weight gain can lead to the "metabolic syndrome" which leads to heart disease.

So toss the soda, the lemonade. Stock up on bubbly water (mix with a little bit of 100 % juice or a slice of lime). Throw away the candy, gummy snacks and chip's ahoy. Try some trail mix instead. You still have a few teaspoons to use, so go ahead and have a snack that although it has some added sugar contains vitamins and minerals as well such as frozen yogurt, sorbet or some really good homemade peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip (dark chocolate of course for the heart benefits) cookies (see the recipe in this month's newsletter).

Patricia

Fiber Glorious Fiber

In our last NutritionWise newsletter we gave you the scoop on fiber... why its good for you, where to get it and a great cookie recipe. (To sign up for this newsletter go to www.nicolemeadow.com).

If you are wondering how your favorite foods stack up in terms of their fiber content, here are some of the leaders of the pack...

½ cup of cooked navy beans (9.5 grams of fiber)
½ cup of cooked lima beans (6.6 grams)
1 medium baked sweet potato with peel (4.8 grams)
1 whole-wheat English muffin (4.4 grams)
½ cup of cooked green peas (4.4 grams)
1 medium raw pear with skin (4 grams)
½ cup of raw raspberries (4 grams)
1 medium baked potato with skin (3.8 grams)
¼ cup of oat bran cereal (3.6 grams)
1 ounce of almonds (3.3 grams)
1 medium raw apple with skin (3.3 grams)
½ cup of raisins (3 grams)
1/4 cup quinoa (3 grams)
¼ cup of baked beans (3 grams)
1 medium orange (3 grams)
1 medium banana (3 grams)


Remember that if you are increasing your intake of fiber, always ncrease your intake of fluids or you might get a little "backed up". Fruits and veggies are naturally high in both fiber and fluids so get your daily 5-9 servings today! ~Nicole