Longevity improvement via diet

An interesting article on how vegetables rich in polyphenols may improve overall health and longevity. All I can say is that it seems to be working well with me :-)

Admit it, you always wondered about this!

There is knowledge in the universe that everyone needs to know, like how to feed yourself. Well, this is a small step in that direction - for example, if you're ever marooned on a tropical island that has only pomegranate trees. I sure hope if they'll do mangoes or persimmons next :-)

How to de-seed a pomegranate efficiently

Best ever cornmeal muffins

Best ever and easiest corn muffin recipe, from "Hut Cusine", M.A.D. Reynold's Good Cooking from Halfway Cabin, Banff, Canada (quite likely no longer in print):

1 cup cornmeal, 1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

1 Egg, beaten
1/4 cup veg. oil
1 1/4 cups milk

Mix dry ingredients. Beat together wet, and add to dry. Stir for about one min. Spoon into muffin pan about 3/4 full. Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 min.

Frank's tip: Spread spun honey or drizzle regular honey on these and they're killer!

Cereal recommendation

I've seen some recent articles panning cereals as a quick breakfast food, but I still find it a useful and quick jump start for me in the morning. Most off-the-shelf cereals have significant added sugar, though, so always read the labels before buying.

Northern Gold's Original Honey Almond granola is one that I like, as it has just eight ingredients and most of them completely natural (has some dairy, so not Vegan). Mix it with some Grape Nuts, fruit & nut mix, or another favorite cereal to add a little variety, too.

Great article

I love this article on What and When to Eat to Build Muscle. A lot of this I've learned intuitively over the years, but there's new tips here, too. It's not my goal to become the Hulk, just trying to keep myself toned and strong enough to navigate life well :-)

Chipotle delivers a powerful message

Chipotle's promotional video for their mobile game app gets some key points out in under four minutes that some people may never otherwise consider. A personal epiphany came for me some years ago, while visiting in-laws in Iowa, where there's corn and soy as far as the eye can see but the vast majority of it is destined for animal feed only.

A personal food philosophy is about as hard to explain and discuss as religion, because it's usually an intimately held belief. Despite the diverse viewpoints this promotional video is already raising, the message is powerful and will promote discussion, which is a good thing!

See the video and the behind the scenes presentation by the creating studio members.

Coffee: OK to drink it or not?

Sure, drink it occasionally but hold it to one or two cups when you do. I tend to drink a green tea and ginger blend (Tazo or Archer Farms), or Pu-erh with cocoa, or Rooibos Chai (both Numi, I love them) during the week.

But a mug of coffee is great to perk your system up and has antioxidant benefits, too. So if you enjoy coffee, no worries, continue to do so!

Benefits of a Mediterranean style diet

I've been on a modified Mediterranean diet (meaning no meat and reduced dairy) into the second year now, plus taking a bi-weekly off-the-shelf multivitamin supplement. I'm finding it's proving healthy for me as an older adult. Nice to see that there's some independent confirmation, too.

Why perfection isn't perfect

Yet another instance of how retailers attempt to sell consumers perfectly spotless and healthy plants and vegetables can actually introduce potentially adverse consequences to the ecosystem (see the article). And it isn't even discussed what happens to our physiology upon ingesting systemic neonics, either - but I bet it ain't good!

Comparing veggie protein sources to meat

I want to be sure I'm getting enough protein on my vegetarian diet, so I naturally became curious on how vegetarian protein sources compare to meat. After doing some searching, here are some interesting articles I found:

• Vegetarian protein sources
• Tofu nutritional value

According to the second article, 1/2 cup of tofu actually contains a bit more protein than the same amount of ground beef. Yippee! Sounds great to me :-) Quinoa is right in there, too. So as long as one includes veggie protein sources regularly, all should be well!

Experimental lunch

I have more time to cook from scratch during the weekends, but I also get hungry and can't wait forever for food! So here's a quick lunch I whipped together after making a grocery store run for the week.

 
Note: Amounts are approximate. You can vary ingredients; heck, I did :-)  Have fun with it!

Tools: veg. peeler, zest peeler, 4" paring knife, santoku chopping knife, wooden spoon, stainless steel fry pan with cover, 1 qt. stainless steel pot with cover.

Pearl Cous Cous pilaf

 Ingredients:

• 1 lg. clove (or 2 - 3 small cloves) fresh chopped garlic
• 1 tsp. fresh peeled & chopped ginger
• Zest from 1/2 fresh lemon
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 cup tri-color pearl cous cous (I like Bob's Red Mill)
• 1 tsp. chopped parsley or cilantro

Prep: 

• Boil 1 1/4 cups water, set aside 1 cup cous cous
• Add the salt, chopped garlic & ginger to the boiling water
• Add the cous cous
• Stir in the lemon zest
• Cook for 10 min until all liquid is absorbed, turn off the heat and let stand.

Sauteed Green Veggies with Tofu

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1/4 sliced onion
• 1 handful Chinese broccoli, coarsely chopped
• 1 handful baby Bok Choi, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 tsp. fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup diced firm tofu
• 1/4 cup low sodium organic vegetable broth (Pacific Foods or Whole Foods works fine)
• 1 splash Sake (I used Sho Chiku Bai)

Prep:

•  Saute the sliced onion in 2 Tbs. EVOO for a minute or two
• Add the chopped greens and thyme and saute them with the onions
• Add the tofu, vegetable broth and splash of sake, cover and reduce. Saute for 2 - 3 min.

Plate and serve, add a little chopped parsely or cilantro on top of the pearl cous cous.

Wine pairing: Tapiz Malbec
Dessert: Fresh fruit salad, with a splash of Di Saronno and fresh-ground nutmeg.

Yum!

Whole Foods demo: Why the health of the bee population matters

Over half of produce at grocery stores depends on natural pollination.

Capsaicin (the hot tamale!)

I've been reading up lately about capsaicin, the compound in chili peppers that gives them their spiciness. It seems capsaicin has some interesting nutritional and analgesic effects, such as assisting the immune system, facilitating cellular termination at the end of the cell lifecycle process, and analgesic benefits in managing arthritis and muscular pain. Not to mention that it keeps our food interesting, too. So it seems having a spicy dish or two occasionally, as comfortable, is also a healthy and beneficial thing :-)

Fun meatless spaghetti

Here's an off-the-cuff, all fresh veggie spaghetti recipe that turned out great:

1/2 large onion, chopped
3 fresh garlic cloves, chopped
3 celery sticks, chopped
2 Tbs. EVOO

Pan saute the above ingredients in the EVOO, then add the following:

Some fresh dill cut ends
Some fresh oregano leaves
Some fresh chopped kale
1/4 cup vegetable broth (Pacific brand organic worked well)
Some sliced cauliflower florets

Cover the pan and steam the above ingredients for a couple of minutes, then cover the mixture with an organic tomato and basil sauce (Classico brand organic worked great).

Serve over spaghetti noodles, top with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, and add a nice glass of red wine - yum!

Isolated soy protein as a food additive

Facebook has become useful for bringing my attention to issues that would otherwise sneak right by me. Like the fact that Post Cereals recently started adding isolated soy protein to Grape-nuts cereal. I find it unfortunate when brands start tweaking their tried and true products, presumably to raise margins or reduce production cost. And I noticed many others were upset, too.

As it turns out ISP is a mixed bag as a food additive. But I really hope Post will review its action and return to the original recipe. Grape-nuts has a long standing as one of only TWO major cereal brands on store shelves that has no added sugar - and that's a reputation worth holding on to!

Local produce

Like many, I'm buying more produce closer to the source - or at least at our local farmer's market and also from a field to fork provider. It costs more, but I like the quality of what I'm getting and I've become introduced to some vegetables that I otherwise would have never come to enjoy. For example, check out these kale salads. And here's my recipe for balsamic salad dressing that I made off the cuff that's easy and works well:

Balsamic salad dressing:
 
2 Tbs. EVOO
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. red wine balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. Mrs. Dash seasoning mix

Mix all ingredients well, pour over your salad, and enjoy!

Immune System 101

This article only applies only to those with a compromised immune system or one that's been weakened from past health events.

Despite my diet and conditioning with an emphasis on well-being, I had a really hard time during this past cold and flu season getting past one or two obnoxious bugs.

Finally, after six weeks, my strength, feelings of well-being, and energy levels are finally returning (Hallelujah!)

I notice that I've been bothered by a nagging cough, post nasal drip, and what seems like constant seasonal allergy symptoms.

While it's possible that seasonal allergies are at large, I've come to suspect that my immune system never relaxed back to normal levels following the battle with the last cold/flu bug. To make a long story short, I think my immune system stayed hyperactive and overly sensitive, potentially reacting to environmental stimulants that normally wouldn't aggravate it!

Once I realized this, I concluded my body needed some assistance to calm my immune system down. Ah ha! An antihistamine is probably in order. Furthermore, not just a one-shot deal, but on-going, 24x7 for at least some days or up to a week - until sensitization responses finally relaxed!

A couple of days into taking some over the counter long acting antihistamine, it seems my theory was correct! I'm feeling better and slowly climbing out of my reactive funk. While I'm not a doctor and can't categorically identify cause and cure, I'm pretty convinced I'm on to something that will help me ahead, too. We'll see how things play out in the long run, for now I'm moving on with my regular life at last :-)

Interesting article for tea & coffee drinkers

If you like green tea and coffee, seems like it's also good for your health :-)

Tofu's back on the menu, boys!

OK, maybe not for orcs. But for veg* folks, it's refreshing to see that tofu is gaining street cred with food chains like Chipotle and omnivores, too.