Category Archives: Food Talk 4 You!

One of the most important elements to good health is how you fuel your body. Let’s talk about how you can make sure the fuel you are using is the best it can be!

Blogging for good health!

Nutrient Dense Food

May 10, 2014 Deidre Leave a comment

As my personal plate is over-flowing at present, I am posting a summary of a recent Designed for Health class. Sorry for the slow down on posts, but life happens. Blessings to all who are marking milestones with graduations right now! Can’t wait to cheer our daughter as she receives her MD from the University of Iowa!

Nutrient Dense Food—

What does that mean to you?

So, we’re looking at food as close to its original form as possible: fresh, minimally processed, with no long list of ingredients. What we need to be looking at is not counting calories but “is eating this food going to do me good or harm?” Is this food nutrient dense?

We’ll get into this more in the fall postings, but you’ve certainly heard of essential fatty acids and essential amino acids? Those come from (good) fat choices and protein choices, respectively. But did you know there are NO essential carbohydrates! Therefore, to maximize the goal of food being nutrient rich, it’s the carbohydrate category that can do us harm.

Now, if you try going gluten-free for the next month or so, you will automatically avoid the empty calories of breads, cakes, pastas, etc. made from wheat, barley, or rye. While I am sharing with you gluten-free “conversions” for those items, it is still possible to maintain the empty calorie sink hole with gorging on scrumptious gluten-free scones every day! So keep that in mind. Treats are treats. I am trying to guide you toward being gluten-free; that’s baby steps, but carbs are carbs.

Okay so where do we spend our carb calories? Nutrient dense vegetables and some fruits of every kind and of every color should be our goal. That’s why I started our first class with the smoothie chart. What a wonderful drink in which to pack nutrients!

For lunch yesterday I fixed a smoothie with a whole pear, 1/3 avocado, ¼ each lime and lemon, soaked chia seeds, sweet spices, three leaves of Swiss chard, two handfuls of baby spinach, unsweetened grated coconut, whey protein, and coconut milk. It made three glasses full so there are snacks and meals already waiting for me in the refrigerator!

Please note the following resources for more information about gluten:

Dr. Mark Hyman, MD – on his home page type in the search box: Three hidden ways wheat makes you fat to read the full article.

On Marksdailyapple.com, Mark gets pretty technical, but has a truck load of information. Click on the testimonials section for folks who talk about massive health turnarounds through food.

What does sugar do to us? Well, briefly…

It skyrockets your blood sugar levels which in turn calls for you to make, release, and respond to insulin. A problem with any part of that process is called Diabetes.

Sugar is addictive in the same way crack and heroin are addictive. The opiate receptors in our brains are stoked and demand MORE!

By-the-way, starchy carbs are also addictive for the same reason!

Sugar is inflammatory to the body, affecting the heart, joints, skin…pretty much everything.

Where gluten is found –

Well, if you eliminate wheat, barley, and rye, you are well on your way, but gluten is also found in the ingredient lists of packaged and processed foods. Many food labels now sport gluten-free entries under allergy information, but those not labeled gluten-free, you will have to check the list.

Beware of anything with the word ‘wheat’ or ‘wheat starch’ in it. I used to love sautéing artificial crab meat with onions, veggies, and spices for a great hot cracker spread, but in the ingredient list is ‘wheat starch’…

In restaurants, ask for the gluten-free menu. Outback’s original way of cooking their steaks has gluten, but their fire cooked steaks are without gluten! Who would have known! Good news! Their brownie covered with chocolate sauce and ice cream is gluten-free! Birthdays happen!

Beware of gravies of any kind; they usually come out of a can and all contain gluten. Soy sauce has gluten, but you can use Tamari or Coconut Aminos instead at home.

Always read labels and look for yourself. While you’re at it, look for items without added sugar, too!

Hope these tips for nutrient dense foods and gluten-free advisories will help you in the coming week.

Deidre

Disclaimer:

The information being discussed in these blogs is NOT intended to replace a relationship with a qualified health care professional. Foodtalk4you blogs endeavor to empower people through the exploration of publicly available resources of information about human anatomy and physiology, and how different foods affect the human body. Readers should seek the advice of their qualified health care providers with any questions about their medical conditions or health status before attempting any dietary, exercise, or lifestyle changes.

Blogging for good health!

May is National Celiac Disease Awareness Month

May 2, 2014 Deidre Leave a comment

May is National Celiac Disease Awareness month and I will be devoting myself to gluten issues all month!

Judging by the University of Chicago’s Celiac Disease Center’s four pages listing 300 symptoms that have been connected with Celiac Disease, (cureceliacdisease.org), we’d better pay close attention to what we are eating! Not that this list solely belongs to gluten sensitivity, but gluten sensitivity’s symptoms can be so incredibly subtle that even the most diligent practitioner may miss an accurate diagnosis by treating symptoms and not causes.

So, if you are suffering from multiple symptoms without a diagnosis, can’t explain why you do not feel ‘right,’ suffer with any kind of an autoimmune disease, (this includes Diabetes), then take a second look at gluten. Anything from an unhappy belly, iron deficiency, late or no onset of menstruation, inflammation or an inflammatory condition, polycystic ovarian syndrome, infertility, clumsiness, brain fog, migraines, dermatitis, ADD/ADHD, to unexplained muscle or joint pain can be related to gluten sensitivity. Just to name a few.

There are tests that can show if you are reactive, but some have shown to have false negatives AND you have to be eating gluten at the time for a positive result. Why not just cut gluten out?

When I think of the times our undiagnosed daughter went to the school nurse because of her unhappy belly and feeling ‘not right’ and was given packages of saltine cracker to eat, I just shiver in remorse. Even her pediatrician was baffled at her wide array of seemingly unrelated symptoms and things we didn’t even know were symptoms at the time (not a truck load of teenage hormone issues but a train load).

The saddest thing, however, was when I told our pediatrician years later what the cause actually was, Celiac Disease, he shrugged it off saying that was a “trendy diagnosis!” Our daughter almost died from malabsorption of nutrients! Trendy diagnosis? May the patient beware! Not all physicians are tuned in to gluten sensitivity.

Question your physician about his/her experience with gluten sensitivities. There are websites, such as Dr. Tom O’Byran’s, thedr.com, that can help you get in contact with someone conversant in gluten issues.

Stay tuned! Next post will explain just how gluten ravages the body and what foods need to be eliminated.

Deidre

Disclaimer:

Blogging for good health!

Can’t vs. Don’t

April 28, 2014 Deidre Leave a comment

As we learn about the health benefits and detractors of certain food options, and as we begin to apply new food choices to our eating patterns, the semantics we use to express our preferences can actually sabotage our successful eating practices.

For example, you just attended one of my “Designed for Health” classes and your eyes have been opened to the effects of gluten and lectin on the digestive system and overall body functioning. You have followed up with recommended readings which I gave you, and you have determined that there seems to be a clear link with your health issues and some level of gluten sensitivity. You remember hearing that a single exposure of gluten can adversely effect your body for up to two weeks, so you are determined not to eat any. Your family and friends are told you ‘can’t’ eat gluten.

Fair enough. Then you go to your sister-in-law’s for a birthday dinner and when the cake is offered you say, “I can’t eat gluten.”

There is something about the word “can’t.” It implies an outward force or idea is being applied to you. Maybe you agree with this restriction and maybe you don’t. Outward forces can be applied or withdrawn. “I can’t eat chocolate; it’s Lent.” “I’m on a diet; I can’t eat ice cream.” “The doctor said I can’t eat fried food.” ‘Can’t’ just screams: “buuuuuut, welllllll, maaaaybeeee just this time!” It also opens the door for others to try to twist your arm. “It’s Henry’s birthday; I made your favorite recipe!” Will you eat the cake? Probably.

But if you were to embrace the term ‘don’t’ or ‘do not,’ you would be telling others, and yourself, that the decision comes from within you. It is your choice made for you and by you. You have reasoned over this and have made a conscious decision to do something for your health. Period. It is done. “I do not eat gluten; but thanks, anyway!”

Our choice for improved health is personal and comes from within. There is no arbitrary force being exerted upon as the advertisers of the Standard American Diet put upon us in the media. No, we are thinking for ourselves, and we don’t eat gluten.

And for my friends in New Bern, North Carolina:

“Designed for Health” classes, led by Deidre Edwards, will provide participants with an opportunity to discover ways to reclaim their health, one meal at a time. God’s spirit dwells within us and we are His temple. Let’s take a look at how we are maintaining His temple! If you desire to improve your energy levels and the functioning of your body, join us as we explore various sources of nutrition and health information. Plus we will prepare some delicious food and eat it!

First Baptist Church in New Bern

Two FREE introductory classes are being offered at First Baptist Church the next two Wednesdays: April 30th and May 7th at 6 pm in the Youth Lounge in the basement of the Education Building.

We will be learning what Hippocrates meant when he wisely said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

Deidre

Disclaimer:

Blogging for good health!

Green Tea

April 24, 2014 Deidre Leave a comment

According to Jonathan Bailor in his book, The Calorie Myth, green tea has properties – polyphenols- that are extremely beneficial. Polyphenols apparently have been shown to help prevent a host of diseases and conditions AND help to burn fat! Interactions with properties of the tea and our hormone noradrenaline make such benefits possible.

To be effective on such a level, however, we would need to consume the equivalent of ten tea bags’ worth of tea each day. Sounds like a recipe to float away! But wait! Jonathan Bailor says we can reap the benefits of ten green tea bags by simply brewing them in (much) less water! It’s the tea leaves’ polyphenols we’re after and not the water! Although, the tea we do drink does count toward our goal of 8-ish glasses of water a day!

So, per Jonathan, I brewed some seriously dense tea using 6 bags in over a cup of water. That was yesterday so it was good and cold from chillin’ in the refrigerator overnight. At noon, I made a smoothie using the strong tea as the fluid to my concoction of the usual suspects, (see post on smoothies), and I was delighted with the results!

Where was the rest of my 10 bags’ worth? That was the loose green tea brewed first thing this morning.

The tabs for comments and subscribe will gain life soon– I hope. Certainly you will not have to log in!

Deidre

Disclaimer:

Blogging for good health!

Gradual and Consistent

April 22, 2014 Deidre Leave a comment

A man was giving his personal testimony about his dietary and health journey on a favorite blog of mine, Mark’s Daily Apple. In it, he quoted his grandfather whose philosophy on getting things done was this: gradual and consistent. Just be gradual and consistent. This man gradually transformed his health by consistently tweaking what he ate and how he exercised. He did not try to fix everything at once, but he took small steps everyday that led to his total body overhaul.

Then another writer I like, James Clear, shares motivational messages and methods to start and stick with projects. On several posts, James cited many people who became very successful by practicing their craft on a daily basis. Good or bad, inspired or mediocre, they gradually and consistently honed their skills on a daily basis.

It is said that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to have any level of real skill playing an instrument. Are we to criticize ourselves if we have a bad practice? Certainly not! As James Clear quoted, you’re not good enough yet to criticize yourself. Keep up your daily efforts.

Similarly, we need to be gradual and consistent in our approach to improve what we eat. Is your goal to cut down on sugar consumption ? Drinking multiple sodas on a daily basis? Cut back just a bit by not finishing your drink and follow that with a half glass of water. Or drink a half glass of water first and then decide if you really need a soda at all! Start noticing how really un-quenching a soda is to your thirst. They are designed by their formulas to make you want more, not to satisfy you. Explore why you want to drink it. Could you be just as satisfied with water? Be gradual and consistent.

Once you have gained a new habit, such as replacing or cutting down on sodas for example, look for another area where a satisfying substitute could take the place of sugar in other foods. See the post on sweet spices.

Switch that candy bar out for dark chocolate. Work up from semi-sweet to higher concentrations of cocoa which also contain less sugar. After a while, you will actually find sugary milk chocolate too sweet. Great! You are making progress!

You will also notice your blood sugar levels more stable as you are not asking your pancreas to crank out more and more insulin! That 2 pm soda will cause you to want a 4 pm bag of chips because the insulin produced for the very high blood sugar levels from the soda caused your blood sugar level to crash. Instead of the 2 pm soda, grab a handful of unsweetened nuts full of good fats that satisfy your hunger but do not spike your blood sugar levels. Watch yourself make it all the way to dinner without a sugar hit! Congrats!

Now, with my goal of exercising smarter (not more) I am going to do my daily half plank (on bended knee). Once that becomes a breeze, I will do full planks.

Gradual and consistent!

Deidre

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Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blogging for good health!, Recipes

Smoothies – Good Picks!

April 15, 2014 Deidre

Particularly with the warmer weather approaching, I find it easier to turn to smoothies. However, I have discovered that not using ice to make them super cold will make them a good choice even when the temps are not so warm. Try using just cold tap water or cold coconut milk on days you are not seeking the “brain freeze” effect.

Smoothies are really limited only by your imagination. I tend to follow sort of a pattern that I will share here. A smoothie can be a magnificent way to get extra greens into the diet. Many folks swear by 3 cups of leafy greens a day, but I can only eat so much kale at dinner! How in the world to get this intense nourishment in me? Behold the smoothie which will totally mask the taste of green leafy veggies (kale or spinach, for me) which can be a blessing to those who stand at arm’s length from anything remotely looking like a vegetable.

Using a sturdy/powerful blender (my KitchenAid works fine) make the following selections and add to blender:

Pick a citrus: 1/2 lime or lemon, peeled and white fibrous center removed.

Pick a berry: One handful of unsweetened fresh or frozen strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries.

Maybe pick another fruit: Pear or apple if weight loss is not the goal

Add about 2 inches of peeled cucumber chunked up and seeded if there are a lot of seeds. Cucumber adds a lightness to the drink.

Add about 1 inch of peeled and sliced fresh ginger which is said to have all kinds of antioxidant properties (ginger and fresh lemon tea is not only refreshing but therapeutic in the winter months or when experiencing voice strain- but I digress).

It’s probably a good idea to start pulsing and blending here and periodically thereafter to avoid blender overload!

Pick a good fat: I like up to 1/2 avocado and/or finely grated unsweetened coconut (we’ll talk about good fats later).

Add some more omega 3s and fiber all at once: 1 tsp. pre-soaked chia seeds, and/or 1-3 tsp of pre-soaked ground flax seed meal. These should be pre-soaked because they start out hard/gritty but swell up in fluids. If you do not intend to drink your smoothie right away, pre-soaking is not necessary, but your drink will become very thick later on and extra fluid may be needed. Fiber is a two edged sword; it will keep the digestive system regular, but can cause constipation if not enough fluid is taken in!

Add at least a cup or more of fluid: water, unsweetened coconut milk(So Delicious brand unsweetened coconut milk in the dairy section), ice, or chilled brewed green tea.

Add protein: your choice of powdered protein. I prefer whey protein because it is not a grain, but if soy is your thing, go ahead

Pick a green leafy veggie: a couple handfuls of spinach, baby kale medley (I get that from Sam’s store), or 4 good sized fresh kale leaves with stems removed.

Pick some sweet spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon- whatever goes with the fruit/berries you have selected

Add 1 tsp of vanilla or if using cherries instead of berries, use almond extract. (It is amazing!)

Add a pinch of salt.

Blend, blend, blend.

This should make a blender full, so pour into multiple glasses. If not sharing, put some plastic wrap on the extra glasses and use as needed. I will often have 1/2 glass as a bedtime snack (still have not broken that habit yet).

Enjoy!

Deidre

Disclaimer:

Blogging for good health!

Sugar Substitute? Sweet Spice!

April 14, 2014 Deidre

Without reciting the evils of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or artificial sweeteners at this time, let me share with you one way around needing to add syrupy sweetness without feeling deprived.

To create an aura of sweetness, I reach for what I call sweet spices: Cinnamon (which helps regulate blood sugar), nutmeg, cardamon, ginger, allspice, and pumpkin pie spice. Using these will automatically make the taste buds think “sweet”. I also use vanilla and almond extracts in many dishes.

In preparing French toast with gluten free bread, for example, I always put at least cinnamon and vanilla (to taste) into the egg bath mixture. This way the spice and vanilla extract will make me think of sweet goodness and I will not need to add any syrup when I eat it. Using coconut oil to fry the French toast will also add another layer of satisfaction to the palate.

Smoothies do not need the intense sweet carbohydrate boost of banana when sweet spices and vanilla or almond extract are added to unsweetened berries, cherries, apple, or pear along with your protein powder.

Smoothies will be thoroughly discussed and simplified on Thursday.

Deidre

Disclaimer:

Blogging for good health!

In The Beginning – There Was Paleo!

April 12, 2014 Deidre

and it was good…..

William J. Bennett’s now very familiar quote stares at me from underneath my computer screen:

“Much good that might have been achieved in the world is lost through hesitation, faltering, wavering, vascillating, or just not sticking with it” – from his Book of Virtues,

I have finally given “birth” to my web site! Baby steps are taken!

I will talk of more things than food, but the name “Designed for Health” was taken, so I have reverted to one of my original names from two years ago! I let settling on a name become a major stumbling block. No more hesitation, faltering, etc. for me!

My goal is to post some thoughts twice a week, usually Monday and Thursday. Of course, this is Saturday, but you never know when a baby will decide to be born!

Remember, as Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. Therefore, endeavor to eat nutrient rich foods devoid of added sugars and chemicals whenever possible. We will talk about what that means in the future. In the mean time, fish, veggies, and a salad with avocado are looking really good to me!

Deidre

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Reclaim your health one meal at a time