Is there something wrong with our food?

 

Is there something wrong with our food?

I eat a healthy diet, that includes lots of vegetables and I don’t eat junk food very often, so what could possibly be wrong with what I eat?

Fesenjan (GF, DF, NSF)

(Persian chicken in pomegranate-walnut sauce)

Fesenjan, also known as khoresht-e fesenjan or fesenjoon, is special occasion food in Iran. It is traditionally made with duck or pheasant in the north of the country along the Caspian Sea. A thick, rich, sweet-sour dish, fesenjan improves in flavor if served the next day.

Guacamole

Norwegian Sweet Soup

This is an old traditional recipe that I got from my Auntie Inga who left this world several years ago.  She was, without a doubt, the sweetest woman I ever knew.  I have Norwegian roots in three out of four of my grandparents so many of the things we ate, or the traditions we kept, were from Norway, but I didn't know that.  It was just the way our family did things.

Auntie Inga lived to the age of 95 in her own home.  Undoubtedly, one of the secrets to her longevity was her attitude to life, but she was also careful about what she ate because she was diabetic.  So even though it's called "Sweet Soup", the sweetness comes from the fruit.  It could also be called "sweet" because it helps keep you regular!

Paleo Sweet Potato Wraps (a.k.a Lefse!)

I'm a Canadian but most of my roots go back to Norway so every time there was a family get-together all the special Norwegian baking came out including - yup- wonderful, yummy lefse.  Who but crazy Norwegians would think of making a wrap out of potatoes and spreading it with butter, sugar and cinnamon before rolling it up and consuming it?  If you're not Norwegian, you probably don't think that sounds good at all but, trust me, it is.

Raw Carrot Cake

Lately I've been trying to incorporate a lot more raw food into my diet.  The reason is simple.  When you eat raw food it contains all the enzymes you need to digest it.  When you eat cooked food your body has to draw upon it's enzymes to do the work of digestion so organs like your pancreas have to work a lot harder.  Raw food will also make you feel much more energetic.  Who doesn't want more energy?

Gingery Squash Soup (GF, DF NSF)

This is a lovely winter warm-up soup!  I didn't invent the recipe - it was generously given to me by the owner of a little café in Ontario where I used to live.  I had asked her to tell me what all was in it and was so delighted that I could eat it (given all my food sensitivities), that she wrote out the recipe for me!  I've tried to find the little café since, but it's gone.  Anyway, it's too good to keep to myself.

Summer Fruit Crisp

What a great way to eat all those luscious summer berries! The best part is it has no added sugar, or grains or dairy. So you can even enjoy it for breakfast!

Ingredients:

3 pounds pears*, peeled & sliced (I grated mine)

2 cups blackberries

1 cup blueberries

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (not bottled)

2 tbsp arrowroot flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

*Be sure to buy organic pears as they are on the "Dirty Dozen" list.

And now for the topping:

2-4 tbsp coconut or almond oil

1 1/3 cup raw almonds

1 1/3 cup raw pecan halves

8 dates, pitted

4 tbsp shredded, unsweetened coconut

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt

Note:  To make it easier to digest the nuts, soak them in a bowl of water with 1 tsp sea salt for at least 12 hours and then dehydrate for at least 12 hours.  

1. Preheat the oven to 375.

2. Put the pears & berries in a large bowl and add the rest of the filling ingredients, stirring to combine.

3. Place the topping ingredients in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.

3. Grease an 11 x 17 glass baking dish with coconut oil.  

4. Spread the filling into the baking dish and spread the topping evenly over it.

5. Bake for 35 minutes low in the oven until the juices are bubbling and the topping is brown.

Enjoy with coconut ice cream or, if you can eat dairy, ice cream or Greek yogurt.

Pumpkin Pie With a Tropical Twist! (GF, DF)

I'm a pumpkin pie fan.  I don't know why it's been relegated to be eaten only at Thanksgiving!  I didn't eat it for years because of gluten and dairy intolerances.  But here is is a delicious, dairy-free version of pumpkin pie that I came up with. 

Forbidden Rice

I'm always looking for healthier alternatives to the usual foods we eat.  In this country the rice you usually find, especially in restaurants, is white and high glycemic.  In fact, with a glycemic index of 87, consuming white rice is worse for you than eating sugar right from the sugar bowl!  The glycemic index of table sugar is only 58. In fact, most people don't know that the average GI for whole wheat bread is 71!

Overuse of Antibiotics

There has been much discussion recently about the use or overuse of antibiotics in the meat that we consume.  Researchers say that 80% of all antibiotics used in the U.S. are being used in agriculture, specifically in the raising of poultry and cattle.  A recent report in the New England Journal of Medicine "points to mounting evidence that suggests this flood of antibiotics has produced pathogens that are resistant to the medicines, which means they are immune to treatments when humans are infected." 

Get the whole article here.

Recent Attack on Vitamin Supplements

Flawed Research Used to Attack Multivitamin Supplements

By Blake Gossard, Kira Schmid, ND, Luke Huber, ND, MBA, Steven V. Joyal, MD

Two flawed studies, a rehashed review, and an editorial published in the December 17th issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine have attempted to discredit the value of multivitamin supplements.

Get the full article, which appeared on the website of Life Extension 

Personal Apple Dessert

This delectable (and I might add, healthy) recipe came to us from the Usana test kitchen.  What could be more comforting on a cold winter's night than apple pie?  Well, skip the crust and add a few other healthy ingredients and you have a totally guilt-free version!  Get the recipe now.