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Question: 

Is there any truth to eating with the seasons or seasonal changes affecting our bodies, and can that affect our energy or thought processes?

A couple of answers:

Our bodies change tempo with the seasons, intuitively.   There’s a kind of energy lull around late summer, that’s your body signalling  it’s time to begin to schedule your inner body, mind and spirit for renewal.

With the coming of cooler weather it’s time to consider eating more rich warming foods and spices, hotter foods and core warming foods, like soups and stews,  squashes, carrots, potatoes, parsnips, other root veggies. 

You may want to start changing to more earthy veggies – things that grow closer to and in the ground with deeper richer colors, like yellows, oranges reds and browns – basically the colors of the foods should be in sync with the colors of fall.                                            (check the recipe below)

On the other side of the calendar, in the early Spring, start eating greens and other spring shoots getting ready for the Spring/summer seasons. 

Food preparation varies according to taste and seasons -  it may be hot or cold, raw or cooked, and adapted to the seasonal foods available, our feelings, the environment, friends, time frame and other considerations. 

Cooking styles change from lighter foods and shorter cooking in the summer months,  to longer deeper preparation like soups and stews in anticipation of cooler weather.

Besides the seasons, travel on airplanes, especially for business and quick changes of environment make a difference.  How the body handles these changes is affected by your state of health; mental, emotional and physical as well as the barometer. 

A healthy body weathers the changes much easier than one with physical ailments.

 In today’s super markets, we can buy almost any vegetable year round, but have you noticed the difference in taste and freshness in some of these?  There’s an incredible sweet freshness to corn around July or August compared with December’s leftover crop. 

Even the imported ones, from countries whose climates differ from ours are not the same as fresh and in-season in this climate.  Part of the difference is nutrient content:   When a veggie or fruit is allowed to grow to maturity and get the full compliment of nutrients from the soil – your body and brain literally get more and better nourishment.

Getting the full nutritionally packed benefits from fresh seasonal produce gives your brain and body more and better energy.  Not to mention the taste…ever taste an apple that’s been stored for months vs one that’s just been picked.  Whoo hoo, gimme the fresh picked one any day.

Even the psychological impact of eating fresh from the farm fruits and veggies can make a difference in how you feel and perform.  It’s an exhilarating taste treat – physically, mentally and emotionally to chomp on fresh green beans or tomatoes from your own garden  or the local Farmers Market from June to September. 

Local seasonal produce has more flavor and better texture since it does not travel for thousands of miles before hitting the produce bin in our markets or the farmers’ markets. 

Canning and storing them for winter eating is good, and coming from your own garden makes them far superior to anything you buy at the store. However, they don’t pack quite the  same nutritional wallop as when they are fresh in-season.  They do taste great though! 

So the short answer is a definite YES, eating with the seasons, adapting to the changes in climate, temperature, pressure can make a difference in how your system responds to the overall changes.  

Now that Autumn is upon us, consider your body and brain and begin to make the shift toward the wonderful fall produce that’s in the stores; apples, pears, yams, parsnips, carrots, all those root veggies, squashes and other end of the summer vegetables and fruits and plan your meals accordingly!  Include at least one fresh vegetable in your daily diet and enjoy the best tastes of the Autumn Season.   Check the recipe below for some great tasting soup.  

MCHEALTHY’S  SQUASH APPLE SOUP      Makes about 3 qts  

3 Cups Butternut Squash (or other winter squash) scrub skin and chop (remove only about half of the peel).

1- 1/2 Cups Fuji or other Crisp Apples scrubbed, cored and chopped with skins

1 Cup Sliced or chopped leek (white and green parts)

3/4 Cups Onion peeled and chopped coarsely

4 Cups Chicken Stock

3-4  Cups Filtered Water

1 TBSP unsalted butter

1TBSP virgin Olive Oil

1 TBSP Minced garlic

1/2 TBSP Each:  Coriander, Cumin, Cardamom, Ginger      (or use your favorite pumpkin pie spices)

3/4  TBSP Cinnamon,

1/8 -1/4  Tsp Nutmeg  (to taste – it can be very strong)

Zest of 1 Organic Lemon

3/4 TBSP  Sea salt or Gray salt

½ Tsp Pepper

1 TBSP Honey

(Optional Chili Powder )    Plain Yogurt for Garnish.

 Melt butter and olive oil in large 8 Quart pot over moderate heat until nut brown.  Add leeks and onion and sauté lightly until softened – about 8 minutes.  Stir in garlic and sauté until fragrant.  Add squash and apples and Stir thoroughly.  Raise heat to medium high and continue stirring until vegetables begin to caramelize, (begin to stick to the pot) about 15 minutes.  Stir in spices and cook briefly to blend the with vegetables.   Add chicken stock and water bring to simmer.  Add lemon zest, partially cover and cook until squash and apples are tender, about 45 minutes.  Turn off heat and let cool partially.   Blend with hand blender or in regular blender until smooth.  Adjust seasoning if needed.

 Serve with dollop of plain yogurt and fresh mint leaves.  Bon Appetite!

What a concept!        START DIGESTION RIGHT – CHEW YOUR FOOD     (adopted from Dr Mercola’s website)

In today’s crazy time crunch world, we often neglect to savor the simple pleasures of life. For example, nothing matches the satisfaction of sharing a leisurely, healthy meal with family, friends and loved ones*.

Besides the obvious enjoyment of sharing meals with friends & family, there are  powerful physiological reasons to take your time and thoroughly chew your food .

To begin, chewing mashes your food into small pieces and partially liquefies it, making it easier to digest.

Secondly, when food is in your mouth, it stimulates your saliva production. Saliva contains its own digestive enzymes, so the longer you chew, the more time these enzymes have to get to work while your food is still in your mouth. This makes it easier on your stomach and small intestine.

Physiologically, there’s  a third reason to chew your food thoroughly.  The chewing process stimulates a reflex that primes your pancreas and other digestive organs to do their jobs. It’s a brilliantly designed part of the automatic communication system that keeps your body’s organs working in harmony. Don’t mess it up by skipping the important first step — chew thoroughly!

If you’re a gum chewer, as some people on diets chew gum rather than eating food… here’s another important change you can make to save your digestive tract lots of stress:

Chewing gum interferes with the coordinated digestive tract reflexes described above.

“Every time you put a stick of gum in your mouth and start to chomp, your brain thinks you’re eating food. So it sends signals to your stomach, pancreas, and other digestive organs to get them ready to digest that food.

Your pancreas is fooled into manufacturing a batch of the digestive enzymes your brain thinks you’ll need.

If you keep this pattern going month after month, your pancreas gets exhausted from the repeated over-production. Then it won’t be able to produce the digestive enzymes you need when you actually require them.”

In this hurried world, even if you follow these important health habits, your digestive enzymes could still become depleted.   The common results are usually annoying occasional bloating, minor abdominal discomfort, occasional constipation, and more.  This can reduce your enjoyment of good foods and the nutritional benefit of the healthy diet you’re eating.

You may need some extra help with your digestive process.  For many of us, digestive enzyme supplements can assist in digesting and absorbing our food.  Taking a high quality digestive enzyme combination may help make your life and the enjoyment of good food easier.

One recommendation is Multizyme, a proteolytic (protein digesting) enzyme combination, from Standard Process, is a strong aid in breaking down foods.  It contains pancreatin, fig, almond and pineapple and no hydrochloric acid (HCL).

Another is Zypan, a pepsin and HCL combination, aids with indigestion, flatulence, constipation, poor calcium & iron absorption and sudden dietary changes, (such as foreign travel).

For those who like herbals, a super product is DiGest, from Medi-Herb, a full spectrum digestive aid that promotes endogenous HCL, gastric enzymes & bile secretions ( which aid in fat digestion).

ProSynbiotic, by Standard Process is a natural food combination of probiotics and prebiotics that

• support gut flora
• help maintain a healthy gut environment
• support normal bowel regularity and consistency
• improve nutrient digestion/absorption
• support the body’s natural immune response
• contribute to absorption of calcium and magnesium

Use of one or several of these type digestive aids may help move your body into a more balanced state of being able to digest and truly utilize the foods you consume more easily and efficiently.

More to come…In the meantime, please do CHEW your food.  You’ll enjoy life even more and your body will thank you.  For information about the supplements, please feel free to email me.  http://www.mchealthymatters.com/contact

More Fast Food Ideas:   Swtcherooo your lunch and breakfast

 Want some good ideas for fast and tasty foods — with the emphasis on taste and ease of preparation?  Considering the pace at which most of us live and work, here are some ideas.

 First, eat lunch for breakfast. Yep. The single most important “change” I suggest concerns what you eat for breakfast.  Breakfast is essential, especially for children.  It supplies the fuel for the day’s activities – the energy to accomplish what we want to do.  If you combine carbohydrates and proteins, your energy level should be more level and longer lasting than munching just carbs.  Kids love it and adapt easily.  Adults get it eventually….

Almost all the conventional breakfast choices, (fruits, cereals, eggs, coffee, juice, breads, bacon, sausage, etc.), are acidic and make your body acidic.  Many of these contain large amounts of sugars and simple carbs that acidify the blood and create the environment that promotes “microform overgrowth”.  This means that bacteria, viruses and other forms of nasty little critters can invade your system and make you feel rotten.  The dense sources of protein (and usually fat) such as bacon and other breakfast meats, may be high in parasitic activity and are low in water content.  This may lead to constipation.  And no, coffee is not the best source of water that helps your body matter move.  As a diuretic it helps you eliminate water, along with vitamins and other nutrients you want in your system.

 First thing to drink is a glass of water. It cleans out the stuff from the night before.  Then have a liter of something green, or a green smoothie.  It alkalizes the body, gives you energy and cleanses the system at the same time – does “triple duty” first thing in the morning. I recommend Super Greens in powder form mixed with a liter of water.  Add some fresh lemon juice and a teaspoon of honey and you’ll have a lemonade breakfast drink. Mix and take the green drink, in a stainless steel bottle, with you to drink during the day.

 Second, follow the greens with a big plate of steamed broccoli or kale, a bowl of rice, millet or buckwheat with avocado and lemon or lime juice and drizzle a bit of olive oil on it.  Consider having a bowl of soup, in the Japanese tradition, a veggie wrap or salad.  Savor a plate of cucumbers and tomatoes, celery or zucchini topped with a bit of Bragg’s Aminos and a sprinkle of olive or flax oil.  Chewing juicy vegetables full of water, low in carbs and high in fiber, is a delicious healthy way to start your day.  

 Ok, so your mom fed you OJ, cereal, toast and eggs and that’s what you want…or as one person told me, “that’s backwards! Maybe I can do that for lunch”.  Well, if you can, you’re way ahead of the crowd.  Now try it for breakfast and see what your energy level is like from the morning on! Since I changed my breakfasts (in the past several years) my energy level soared and I actually lost weight – and I wasn’t even trying! How about that for incentive?

 Another hint for boosting your energy is to make vegetables the major stars at each meal. The ratio, which is visual, is about 80/20 or 70/30.  Where protein (meat) and carbs (pasta) may have been the “main” food, now picture your plate with 3/4 vegetables and 1/4 meat or pasta. If that still seems radical, well, just try it and let me know how you’re doing. I’m happy to coach you through the first couple of days so when your body tells you how good it feels, you’ll continue and reap the benefits galore. 

Why Raw Foods? Or Pass the Apples, Carrots and Nuts please…

Want to shed unwanted pounds, enhance your mental capacity, and improve the condition of your skin?

Especially at this time of year with all the fresh local produce available… A good way to stimulate most of the biological processes in the body is to eat more raw food.  This is the fuel that contains enzymes. They are the LIFE FORCE in our bodies.  As busy as the Eveready Bunny, enzymes turn the food we eat into energy and unlock this energy for use in the body.  Who wouldn’t love  having more energy?

Why are enzymes important? They are responsible for running all the biological processes in our body. They deliver nutrients, carry away toxic wastes, digest food, purify the blood, deliver hormones by feeding and fortifying the endocrine system, balance cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, feed the brain, control the functioning of RNA and DNA and importantly, cause no harm to the body.

Although some foods are more easily digested and absorbed when cooked, science has proven that the cooking of food, especially meats, some vegetables, fruits and grains, destroys most of the nutrients and enzymes and breaks down the molecular structure.  A large percentage of vitamin and mineral content of the food is completely lost.  The refining of food and fast-high heat cooking methods have rendered the modern diet mostly enzyme deficient.  Because enzymes are so heat-sensitive, they are the first to be destroyed during cooking, pasteurization, canning, microwaving, and fast food processing or heating above 118 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to Kim Williams, an expert in raw food preparation and owner of Nur-Ish, a local raw food shop in Carbondale, CO, Nature intended for us to eat a largely plant-based diet which includes enzyme rich foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and un-processed nuts and seeds.  All of these foods, in their natural state, bring into our bodies not only enzymes, but the full array of all plant nutrients.  Kim prepares delicious, enzyme-rich raw foods that ensure us adequate amounts of anti-oxidants to fight free radicals, anti-aging, and the nutrients to keep us strong.   Check around your area for local shops that carry and promote FRESH raw foods, including milk.

As we age, our ability to produce adequate enzymes may decrease.  It’s a natural process that varies in each of us and is dependent upon our individual DNA.  It is not necessary to always eat a 100% raw diet, but it is important to have about 60 – 80% enzyme-rich live food.  Many of us are familiar with pepsin, trypsin, lipase, protease, amylase, digestive enzymes that break down certain foods into absorbable nutrients and waste. Other important ones include bromelain, derived from the pineapple stem, and papain, from papaya.

Your optimal choices for enzymes are from whole grains, veggies and fruits in their natural state – ripe and raw.  A good quick source of enzymes and whole fruits is Zrii*, a delicious incredibly healthful combination of great fruits & veggies.

Just a few things the enzyme “delivery system” does:  Lipase breaks down fat and takes stress off the gall bladder, liver and pancreas. and help us shed those extra pounds.  Glucose, released by enzymes from the liver, enhances mental capacity, feeds the brain and helps balance our emotions.  Enzymes are essential to increase blood supply to the skin and carry away waste products that make skin look dull and lifeless – so your skin ages slower and you look and feel better.  And that’s only the beginning!

A Fast Food Tummy Treat: Fruit

 In the ideal world of – “eat what you want and the weight will NOT follow” – fruit plays a sweet part.  As fast food or convenience food, fresh and dried fruits are nourishing and easy to carry without any preparation, other than careful washing  and/or peeling.  It’s also one of the most healthful and important food groups we can stomach on a daily basis.

 A sweet suggestion: Eat fruit by itself; especially melons. And it’s best to eat fruits before your meals! And the reasons are easy to digest: Fruit takes about 15 – 20 minutes to digest and make its way through the stomach and your small intestine.

 Quell the potential rebellion: If there’s a cheese and tomato sandwich or turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes, salad and French bread ‘n butter, etc. in its way, the fruit cannot get to where it will digest easily and your body knows it.  The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food and digestive juices in the stomach, the entire mass of food attempts metabolize itself. With the topping of fruit, the whole meal begins to ferment and turns to acid, producing a rather uncomfortable feeling we call acid reflux or indigestion. 

Not fun at all. The fire in your tummy makes life uncomfortable. 

Enhance your enjoyment of fruit (and your meal) by eating it alone or before your meal. For my clients and anyone whose tummy is sensitive or prone to acid reflux, this works well.  For those of you who need reasons – according to researchers and other nutritionists I’ve consulted – it’s the best way to eat fruits.

Remember when you were a kid and you ate the fruit cocktail before your meal?  It served a couple of purposes; one, to cleanse your palate and two, to get your taste buds ready for the rest of the meal.  It can also play a major role in detoxifying your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities. 

 Tips for enjoying your fruits – eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice.  If you drink the juice, sip it slowly, because it’s best to let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it.  Eeating 2 – 4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessen the risk of colon cancer.  Organic strawberries are protective fruit and may aid your immune system against cancer-causing, blood vessels-clogging free radicals.

Organic kiwis: Tiny but mighty, are a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber.  Bonus:  Kiwi’s vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.

Amalaki, an Indian fruit in Zrii, a powerful liquid nutritional,   has more antioxidant power than most other fruits.     Zrii*

An apple a day keeps the doctor away although an apple has a low Vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of Vitamin C and pectin (fiber) thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.

 So please enjoy some fruit for breakfast, between meals or as a tantalizing appetizer before you partake of the rest of your meals.

 If these suggestions help you, please feel free to email me. Your comments and feedback, (pun intended) are welcome.

For those of  you who have problems with gluten, and thought you had to give up muffins….you’ll find an easy and yummy recipe below for Buckwheat Apple Muffins.

Meantime, please remember there are many people who CAN eat  and successfully digest wheat and other gluten containing grains.  The whole grains promoted by nutritionists (like me)  and others can be very beneficial for digestion and adding the needed grams of fiber. 

Most of us recommend at least 30-35 grams of fiber daily.  The average American intake of fiber is about 10 - 13 grams daily, woefully short of what we need to keep regular –  keeping the laxative companies in business. 

Exercise does make a difference as the body regularly needs some of that too to keep circulation and our parts functioning properly.  Try 20 minutes of bicycle riding 3 – 4 time a week, or dancing around your home or office…you may get some strange looks, depending on your office or work atmosphere, but the cardio benefits are worth it.  Besides, you never know, you might start a trend.

Organic whole grains in breads, cereals soups and as meal accompaniments are among the tastiest and easiest ways to get your daily dose of fiber.  Eating raw vegtables and fruits adds to the tasty mix of nutrtious foods that contribute to your overall health and wellbeing, and they have no gluten.

Again, please read labels before buying packaged foods.  My choice and recommendations  will always be fresh over packaged and seasonally fresh at that!

With so much focus on wheat and gluten free diets while perusing Energy Times for June, I found this yummy muffin recipe you can make easily at home and satisfy the fussiest “muffin maven”.   Enjoy!

BUCKWHEAT APPLE MUFFINS                                                               (Energy Times, June 2010,with permission from The Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook by Cybele Pascal))

1/2 Cup canola oil,    1 Cup light Agave nectar,   1-1/2 Cups unsweetened applesauce*,   1 tsp pure vanilla extract,    1 tsp ground cinnamon,    3 Cups buckwheat flour,    3/4 tsp xanthan gum,   1-1/2 tsp baking soda,    1/2 tsp salt,    1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled & diced (about 1-1/2 cups)

Preheat oven to 350′,   Line a muffin pan with 12 muffin liners (cups).  With an electric mixer on medium speed, combine the canola oil and agave and mix for about 20 seconds.  Add the applesauce, vanilla and cinnamon.  Mix for about 20 seconds.  

In a separate bowl combine the flour, gum, baking soda and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined, about 20-25 seconds.  Fold in the apple – the batter will be thick.

Fill the liners to the rim with batter.  Bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes, or until golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through.  Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

If  the Granny Smith is too tart for you, replace it with fuji or other semi-sweet crisp apples.  The sweetness of the agave (a natural honey-like sweetener from the agave plant), will counter the tartness of Granny Smith apples making for a delightful balanced taste.

Other gluten-free flours include corn, rice, soy, sorghum, garbanzos, and tapioca and potato starch.

 TO EAT IS HUMAN; TO DIGEST DIVINE” Can you relate?

Have you ever eaten a raw potato? Irish peasants called their potatoes “bog apples” and ate them raw.  Besides saving lives through the years of famine, potatoes “help keep the doctor away” just like apples.

Eaten raw, pound for pound, a potato furnishes about 1/3 less calories than bread.   Its superior digestibility and food value as a source of protein, vitamins and minerals make it ideal for reducing caloric intake without losing many essential food factors.

One medium-sized raw potato contains about 100 calories  – much less than a serving of spaghetti, pie or cake.  It’s easy to digest.  A potato has very little sugar or fat and is high in potassium, (which helps regulate your heart beat), phosphorus and calcium, as well as protein.

Potato skins (my favorite part) are not very thick, but contain about 9% of the protein. Close under the skin is where you find the most solid portion of the potato.  Cooking and eating potatoes with the skin on, conserves most of the vitamins and minerals –

About 25 % of the vitamins are lost in cooking, especially Vitamin C.  Thus the recommendation to eat ‘em raw.  Try the “fingerling” potatoes raw-thinly sliced.  Dip them in salt & butter or a salad dressing - the “crunch” is great.  And chewing helps digestion. Cooking in salted water conserves Vit. C and drop them carefully into boiling water, not cold.

For anyone with gluten intolerance, potatoes are far better than pasta.  also try spaghetti squash in place of pasta – lots more vitamins, minerals and less fattening!!

Fact: Depletion or deficiencies of certain vitamins or minerals can lead to a variety of general health problems and specific nutritional disorders, among which depression and other psychological challenges are listed. If it’s potatoes vs Prozac for relaxing then potatoes win in my book: Food makes the difference

ONE PAN MEALS – FUN QUICK AND HEALTHY IDEAS                

 The idea for One Pan Meals came to me when I realized I was preparing fast snacks and whole balanced meals in one pan, literally, and it was easy and efficient for clean up too.

 The KEY is timing.

It takes some thought as to what seasonings, herbs – flavorings you’ll use; will they taste good on a piece of fish, chicken or meat, and on the vegetables, rice, pasta too? 

 Here’s where your nose, memory and imagination come into play… to create meals that smell and taste great.  If you have a fussy eater who likes his or her food kept separate on the plate, then you may have some adjusting to do before serving.  If you use a large skillet, foods may be cooked “separately”, but in the same space. 

 Timing:  With fish and veggies, I usually put the veggies in the pan first, followed by the fish unless it’s a thick piece.  With chicken or meat, you may want to start that cooking first, then add the veggies.   It’s also a great way to clean up those little baggies and bowls of odds & ends or leftovers .

 Prepare a large pot of cooked rice, quinoa, barley, or other favorite grain and keep it handy.  They will usually stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.  This was how I began.  Any grain can be added to a pan of veggies and protein in about the last 3-5 minutes of cooking. 

 Other good staples to keep in the refrigerator are chicken, beef and vegetable broths for nourishing liquids to poach in and to add moisture to the pan for cooking.  A bit of white or red wine may be added for liquefying, but keep it to a “bit” unless you’re poaching and really want the flavor from the wine.  Of course olive, walnut and coconut oils are great for sautéing and stir-frys.

 Stir-frys are a simple and tasty way of preparing in one pan.  Slow cooking them on lower heat than traditional “frying” keeps the enzymes and vitamins and minerals from being heated out.

Again timing, cooking your chicken or meats first; (slicing thinly and dicing meats does help them cook faster) and then add your veggies.   Sauces and spices go in with the first ingredients to be absorbed. 

Tasting and adding, adjusting the spices can be done after adding your protein source if needed.

 Adjusting the cooking temperature may be done when the protein is added.  I turn up the heat initially to brown or sear meats and chicken to lock in their juices, then reduce heat to finish the meal. 

 Serve immediately and enjoy.