by Michelle Dwyer | Jul 10, 2013 | Blog, Health, Nutrition, Recipes, Vegetarian/vegan
You may be seeing many fresh herbs at your farmers’ market, local store, or even in your own garden and be wondering what to do with them. Herbs are such an easy way to add not only fresh flavor and taste to your recipe, but they are also packed with nutrition.
Three things I really love about fresh herbs are . . .
- Fresh herbs are VERY nutritious, providing valuable phytonutrients, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds that both aid digestion and add great flavor!
- They are very EASY to add to any dish from homemade recipes to canned soup!
- Also, most herbs are very easy to grow, even in a small space. Then you can just pinch off or cut what you need. Indeed, this is the FRESHEST way to have your herbs!
Did you know that parsley is a great source of vitamin C? Or that rosemary and dill are great for grilled foods because of their anti-carcinogenic effects? Herbs have many healthful effects on our bodies and they taste great too!
Here are three great recipes highlighting herbs:
Orange, Radicchio and Oregano Salad
Ginger-Rosemary Lemon Drop Cocktails
And from the Post Punk Kitchen, a delicious chimichurri sauce that is great on meats, tempeh or tofu, and grilled vegetables!
Ingredients:
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano (or 1 t. dried)
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup veg broth
Directions: Simply blend all of the sauce ingredients in a food processor until relatively smooth. Use as a marinade and sauce! Can also use basil, dill or mint as the fresh herbs.
Enjoy and let me know your favorite ways to fresh herbs in your cooking!
by Michelle Dwyer | Jun 26, 2013 | Blog, Health, Nutrition
As if there weren’t already enough reasons to limit your intake of fast food, now a recent study links that hamburger and fries from the drive-through to an increased risk of asthma, eczema, and rhinitis in teens and children. According to the very extensive study, “Eating fast food meals at least three times a week was linked to a 39% increased risk of severe asthma in teenagers and a 27% increased risk among children between ages six and seven” (Sifferlin, par. 5).
The good news? Eating fruits can help reduce the incidence of these same symptoms! The study found an 11% decrease in severe symptoms in teens and 14% decrease in kids when they ate three or more servings of fruit.
So pack those apple slices and almond butter for a snack, throw that delicious mandarin orange into the lunch box, and serve fruit as dessert! Your children will thank you for it.
by Michelle Dwyer | Jun 20, 2013 | Blog, Health
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”–John Muir
John Muir has long been a hero of mine. He knew how to truly embrace life and felt that nature was a place to help us reconnect. He knew how important nature is to our heart and soul. Health is not just about the food we put into our bodies or how much exercise we get. Nature is healing to our bodies and our minds. For me nature has always been a sacred place for me, as I know it was for Muir too.
I just got back from a few days in the sequoias–the giant, ancient trees of the Sierra Nevadas of California. These trees are hundreds of years old (some even thousands) and remind us of the strength found in grounding ourselves and the beauty of longevity.
What are the natural places where you feel you can both “play” and “pray”? I hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far!
by Michelle Dwyer | Jun 5, 2013 | Blog, Health, Nutrition, Recipes, Vegetarian/vegan
I often get asked what protein powder I recommend. It’s a great question, so here are a few guidelines:
- Read the label. Looks for additives like sugar, color or filler. I prefer a protein powder that is more basic and unsweetened. You can always add your own small amount of sweetener to your smoothie, but if it is in the mix, you can’t get it out. I usually recommend sweetening with just fruit or a date.
- I usually avoid soy in my protein powder, particularly soy protein isolate. This form of soy is highly processed. Soy is also an additive in a lot of foods, so I try to limit my soy consumption to miso, tempeh and sometimes tofu.
- Whey: Whey is actually one the best sources of protein. However it is a dairy product, so if you have any dairy sensitivity, then it should be avoided.
- Hemp protein, pea protein or brown rice protein: I like the hemp because it is the least processed–usually just ground hemp seeds. The taste is fairly neutral, maybe a little nutty, and it can be a little gritty. Brown rice and pea protein are often good choices as well. When possible, look for organic.
- Additions of green juice powders, probiotics or enzymes can be great if you want that in your powder as well. Sometimes I do. Just be sure to read the label carefully to look for hidden ingredients you may not want to be eating.
- Lastly, you have to experiment to see what you like. I’ve tried dozens of protein powders—some I liked, some I didn’t. It’s probably also not a bad idea to switch up protein powders from time to time. Our bodies like variety!!
Here’s a basic smoothie recipe to get you started:
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 coconut water
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 serving of protein powder
1-2 T. of chia or flaxseeds
Enjoy!
by Michelle Dwyer | May 28, 2013 | Blog, Health, Nutrition, Vegetarian/vegan
Most of us could really benefit from being more connected to our minds, bodies and spirits. Good health follows this basic principle. Please read my article “6 Steps To Slow Down And Reconnect With Our Food” to find out some to make eating more sacred.
by Michelle Dwyer | May 15, 2013 | Blog, Health, Nutrition
The thirst mechanism
Did you know that our body has a thirst mechanism that kicks into place to let us know when we need to drink more water? Our mouth becomes drier and we become thirsty; therefore, we drink more water.
The problem is that if someone is chronically under-hydrated, the body doesn’t kick in this mechanism because it is trying to conserve as much water as it can. Contrary to what you might think, as someone stays under-hydrated, the less likely the body is to signal that he is thirsty. This is obviously problematic.
The good news is that we can rehydrate ourselves and get back the thirst mechanism, but it does take some time. As a person starts to take in more hydrating liquids, the thirst sensation will reactivate and signal to the person when they need to drink more water. Our bodies are amazingly adaptable and usually are great at telling us what they need if we just listen.
Drinking Water: For those over 50!
As we get older, some of us produce less hydrochloric acid in our stomachs. The problem is that this acid helps us to break down the proteins in our food and kills any microbes that may have entered. Despite what the commercials may have you fearing, it is often NOT too much acid in the stomach causing digestive problems, but too little. Drinking water with meals can even further dilute the hydrochloric acid in your stomach. So if you think low acid may be an issue for you, try to drink only a little water with meals and drink most of your water between meals.
