Another Book I Need to Read: The Science of Good Food

Here's a Washington Post review of "The Science of Good Food" by David Joachim & Andrew Schloss. What makes the book sound briliant, and a possible kitchen staple, is that it advocates "whole foods" in the sense that I use the term: fresh foods prepared at home. Knowing some of the science of food preparation -- without feeling inundated by the wealth of knowledge that makes up food science and molecular gastronomy.

The book is meant to foster menu planning and enjoyable meal preparation leading to meals that taste better simply from having gone to the trouble of preparing them. Like the author I too go through cycles of cooking-and-not-cooking as my motivation waxes and wanes -- this book might give me the direction I need on off days, when all I feel motivated to prepare are carrots and peanut butter. Lunch, yum. =)

A huge rift has emerged in the world of nutrition between advocates of "whole foods" and "food science" -- a discipline most of us associate with highly processed packaged foods. Joachim helps to bridge that gap, reminding us that even whole foods -- such as fresh fruits and vegetables, grains and beans, meats, cheeses and eggs -- are processed when we add heat to, season, combine or can them. Thumb through his book, and maybe you'll feel a bit less wary of letting scientists in your kitchen after all.

Inspirational Books for Achieving Healthfulness Through Diet

In my personal journey to discover good health and eating habits, these are the four books that have contributed the most to changing my life.
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A Revert to Food-Centrism: Is Change Upon Us?

Mark Bittman thinks so. As a food writer he's seen his audience change and develop, and now believes that our culture is on the verge of the cultural shift we so badly need.

Simply put, many more Americans are seeing food as more than a necessary fuel whose only requirement is that it can be obtained and consumed without much difficulty or cost. Perhaps just in time, we’re saying, “Hold the shake,” and looking for something more wholesome.

While Miscarriage Does Not Improve Fertilify, Chances of Multiple Miscarriages are Low

Loss of a pregnancy comes with a unique brand of pain. When I miscarried, I was told by more than a few older friends that they got pregnant almost immediately after miscarriage. Several had children within two years. Because of these happenings, many of them told me that I could expect to be more fertile in coming months.

The New York Times reports that researchers have debunked this myth -- However, they do assert that a high percentage of women have children within 24 months of miscarriage. Rather than higher levels of fertility, researchers point to low proabilities of repeat for some common causes of miscarriage.

For those who are have tried and failed, the lesson is clear: Keep trying! You are far more likely than not to have a child in the relatively near future. =)

Celiac Disease get some Much Needed Press

Who woulda' thought: Gluten intolerance has made the Sports section of the New York Times! Hurrah! Hopefully, this article will help get the word out about celiac disease and gluten-free diets. So many people are needlessly suffering because they believe it's healthy for them to consume pasta and breads, and they don't understand what the problem is. Diet is so important to health, we need to spread the word!

This little blog over here also provides info and updates about celiac disease and a dietary method for combating it.

Why the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) Should Be on the Next President's Agenda

Michael Pollan has eloquently written everything I've been trying to say about America's food economy in one qualified and quantified letter to the next President, our Farmer in Chief.

He speaks about everything -- everything that is wrong with the current agricultural economy in America. He discusses the proliferation of soy and corn to produce "foods" wholly lacking in nutrition. He rails against the same proliferation, accomplished via modern farming techniques, producing vast amounts of pollution and depleted farmland. He speaks about cheap oil and its effect on farming methods and transportation. His ideas on agricultural policy are rational, reasonable, sound and therefore wholly abhorrent to modern farmers and consumers nationwide, because it will mean change and higher food prices.

But higher food prices are a small price to pay compared to the potential collapse of our economy and national security when our agricultural system fails - as it ultimately will. It is impossible to sustain the current agricultural economy. As more and more of our food is produced or processed overseas, we are losing control over what we are eating and what we are paying for it. Just like the housing boom, the Agricultural Bubble is about to burst. We may yet be able to head it off if the new President can implement some of the policy changes suggested by Pollan over the next four years.

Seeing Double: Being Overweight Isn't Unhealthy, But Overeating can Kill You

Puzzlement is what I experienced upon opening my RSS feed to MSNBC.com's Diet & Nutrition articles this morning. There I found two articles, posted right next to each other:

The overweight debate: Healthy and heavy? -- Has science overemphasized the danger of a few extra pounds?
&
Overeating can short-circuit your brain -- Finding could help explain why obesity causes so many illnesses

The overweight debate discusses how a person's lifestyle and choices can reduce to insignificant the potential negative health risks of being a little overweight. As a primary example, the article points to research showing that a few extra pounds alone does not increase the risk for heart disease in otherwise healthy people. I envision myself as one in many releasing a collective sigh of relief at this news -- I exercise, I eat whole foods, I do what I can to reduce stress in my life, but I'm still overweight, I'm reasonable as healthy as any thin person who smokes everyday and eats fast food for every meal. Healthier, probably! Being healthy while maintaining excess weight is a bit like having your cake and eating it too, but why would I have cake if not to eat it?

Coming after such happy news, Overeating is like a punch to the gut. First I had to know: what do they mean by over eating? Binging? Just eating larger portions? This question is not fully answered. According to the article, too many calories in the bloodstream causes an immune reaction against, well, nothing - but over the long-term these reactions lead to diabetes and (you guessed it!) heart disease.

Ultimately, the lesson is that it's not how much you eat, it's what you eat and how you eat it. Feast on whole foods freshly prepared. Space it out. Chew thoughtfully. Enjoy your food, and by no means rush your meals. When you feel full, stop eating, and don't eat again until several productive hours have passed. Live a happy life. And then... you can have your cake and eat it too.

Cancer: The Scariest Thing This Side of Halloween

The Organic Consumers Organization website recently posted an article from LeMonde by one of the founding members of Doctors Without Borders. Dr. Servan-Schreiber is a cancer survivor, and states that at the current rate, 25% of French people will die of cancer. If that doesn't spook you haunted-house style, I don't know what will.

But there's good news. From Let's Stop the Cancer Epidemic:

Specific data now also exist showing that some foods, such as broccoli, cabbage, garlic, onions and curcuma, may help directly kill cancer cells and reduce the growth of the new blood vessels they need to develop threatening tumors.(emphasis added)

Eat better, people! Get some movement in! Sometimes, it's better to hear it from a foreign expert, rather than a Kellogg's commercial or a lobbying firm. The point comes across better.

PETA Controversy Gets Word Out: Casein Can Worsen Autism

As someone who has previously researched this topic, I can say that this article provides a very well balanced look at PETA's claim that cow's milk causes Autism.

Got Autism? - PETA's Latest Debate Causes Controvery Among Parents and Medical Providers
"Got autism?" This new billboard from PETA causes controversy among parents and medical providers.
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SCD Legal Gourmet Coffee

Problem: No Sugar, No Chocolate... at least Coffee is SCD legal. Thank God, as I need at least one vice during times of change to keep my sanity (and sometimes too, hence my current illegal Diet Coke addiction!)

Though through necessity I've gotten used to it, Black Coffee is not my cup of tea (har, har.) Saccharine, while legal, is disgusting. Honey is great in hot coffee, but is a bottom-sticking dud in a cool iced beverage. Plus I miss my lait... my cappuchinos, my lattes!

Solution: Coconut Milk Lattes!!! Thank God Again for the convenience of the Magic Bullet Blender and the Pleasure of a Latte. It's true that they must still be served hot, but having something, ANYTHING approximating my old beloved lattes is like water to a drought. So good... so simple...

• Make coffee - whatever kind you like. Espresso, weak drip, whatever. Just remember that if you're on SCD, you kinda sorta really should go with half strength to weak.
• Put honey in the bottom of a mug and add hot coffee to half full. If you're unsure how much honey to use, melt it in the coffee, taste, add a little more and repeat to taste. Since I use a blender and know what I like, I just squeeze it in and let the machine do its work!
• Add coconut milk to the top and stir/blend.

Ahh... I can enjoy my frothy caffienated goodness again. Wheee!!!!! =)

Joshua Rosenthal to Attend ADA Convention

I just opened my email to some exciting news. Joshua Rosenthal, Founder of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, has rented a booth at the American Dietetic Association's National Convention.

The ADA as an organization refuses to acknowledge IIN and their graduates as legitimate nutritional counselors, because IIN does not preach medical-textbook nutrition. The ADA receives funding from lobby groups the same way Washington does: Major processed foods manufacturers and distributors, including McDonalds and PepsiCo, are among the ADA's major monetary contributors, sending hundreds of millions of dollars worth of incentive to continue preaching the Standard American Diet every year. And the ADA contends to teach people to be healthy?

Joshua said in the e-newsletter that he realized that McDonalds and Co. had all rented booths at the convention... and so could he. Not only that, his booth for IIN, advocating a holistic approach to health counseling and a whole foods diet, is right next to the booths for both Mickey-D's and ConAgra!

Go Joshua Go!!! Now is the time to prove that IIN's approach to health and nutrition is more than legitimate, and put those corporate fakers in their shameful place. Whoo hoo!!!

New Research Urges Us All To Start Cooking Our Own Healthy Foods

Meat must be rationed to four portions a week, says report on climate change

Excellent, excellent article -- although not all that indepth -- discussing a new report that urges people to return to whole foods cooking habits.

It urges people to return to habits their mothers or grandmothers would have been familiar with: buying locally in-season products, cooking in bulk and in pots with lids or pressure cookers, avoiding waste and walking to the shops - alongside more modern tips such as using the microwave and internet shopping.

This is it, people!!! Real home cooking is so good and so much less expensive and promotes active socialization (assuming the person doing the cooking gets others to help). This past is the future we are happily heading for!!!!

A Vegan Meal for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet

A menu plan for any small gathering of friends that accommodates both vegans and the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.
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This meal is was great fun to cook, and I was so happy when my test subjects kept going back for more.

SCD Recipes: Coconut Shrimp & Lentils, 'Dubliner' Burger Honey-Mustard Salad

Two easy, tested recipes suitable for people on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.
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Of course, you've already seen one of these recipes below, but now I can get it out to a wider audience of SCDer's looking for something good to eat!!!

How Soilless Agriculture Can Help Our Environment, Reduce War and Make Delicious Food

Tastier food, better nutrition, clean water tables, recycled waste, alternative energy usage, and a possible end to global strife over natural resources: These are benefits of hydroponic farming and the reasons why everyone should say "Yes!" to hydroponic agriculture!
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Celebrations and... Burger Salad!

I have officially lost 18 pounds in 3 months, all since going gluten free and starting SCD. Whoo hoo! Life is good.

Unexpectedly-Delicious Burger Salad

The E.P. and I eat frozen burgers regularly. They're cheap and easy, and generally come out pretty well in the toaster oven. Once-a-week burgers get old after a while, though, and we're constantly trying out new ways to dress them up (without buns and all that nonsense. ;)

Last week, we tried yet another experiment that could have gone horribly wrong... but came out amazingly good! I'll call it...
'Dublin' Cheese-Burger Honey-Mustard Salad
Layer in a bowl:

• A mess o' greens (Spinach or mixed is always best! Romaine will do in a pinch)
  
• A handful together of onions, carrots, bell pepper and other salad additives chopped or diced to your liking
  
• A small roma tomato or several heirloom cherries, chopped
  
• A fully-cooked, ready-to-eat burger
  
• 1/4 cup of grated Dubliner cheese. Dubliner really made the dish!

Dressing:

• a TB or 2 of olive oil
  
• The same amout of white vinegar
  
• Several good shakes of powdered mustard
  
• One gentle shake of ground cloves
  
• Honey to taste

Shake it up and drizzle on top! Voila! A surprisingly satisfying meal in a bowl.