Health Starts Here

by amanda.kelley, August 27, 2011 | Permalink

So what IS this raw food craze that’s sweeping the nation?

Basically, raw foodists eat only unprocessed vegan foods and do not heat any foods above 115 degrees F in order to not destroy enzymes and lose nutritional value (dehydrators are very popular).

Raw foodists rave about the health benefits of this lifestyle.  My daughter was raw for years:  she started because of a serious health issue and she will swear by the diet.  That said, when she became pregnant, she started craving cooked foods and has continued now for four years as a vegan.

I had been a vegan for about a year while my daughter was raw.   She was so in love with the raw lifestyle that I decided to try it.  I lasted two whole weeks!

It’s not easy to be a raw foodist in Cleveland, Ohio.   My daughter lives in NYC where raw food restaurants are easy to find.  Even though nothing could be easier than grabbing fresh raw fruit and vegetables out of the refrigerator, creating unique dishes (as in non-raw-diets) takes time and if you’re in the mood for “apple pie with ice cream,” not so easy to run out & pick it up.

And speaking of “apple pie and ice cream,” I had it for dessert at Pure Food & Drink in NYC and it was heavenly — the best pie I’ve ever had in my life!  I don’t remember all the ingredients but I recall the pie had chopped nuts in the crust and the “ice cream” was made from coconut.  Amazing.  My son had “scallops” and could not believe they were not actually fish (whoops, I mean mollusk)!

So this is my take on the raw food diet:

• Great idea!  
• Challenging to stick with 
• If you take the plunge, be sure to research raw food eating and make sure you are getting enough healthy fats and  omega 3’s
• No matter what, it’s great to incorporate lots of raw foods into our diets
• And, like anything, flexibility is a good thing.  90% raw is also good.  So is 80%.  Plant-strong, whether raw or cooked, is the way t’go!!!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ellen

What am I going to do with all these vegetables??!

by amanda.kelley, August 23, 2011 | Permalink

Hello Healthy Eaters!

With the panoply of delicious, local produce available to us right now, I wanted to post a quick and easy recipe that is healthy and nutritious!  Most of the ingredients are in season and available at your local farmer’s stand or at your local Whole Foods Market.  Right now, most of our local produce is arriving from Green Field Farms.  GFF is a local Amish-run co-op in Ohio that grows certified organic produce. 

This recipe is great because it can be made in the crock pot.  You can enjoy the late summer harvest without the heat!  It is fabulous on its own or served on pasta or rice.  Once done, you can sprinkle on fresh parmesan or basil pesto for a special treat.

Local Ratatouille

1 large onion, chopped

1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped

3 cloves garlic, sliced

2 large heirloom tomatoes, diced (remove seeds if you wish, I don’t)

1 small eggplant, cubed (remove skin if you wish, I don’t)

2 medium yellow straight neck squash, cubed

2 medium zucchini, cubed

2 tablespoons dry sherry wine

1 tablespoon dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in 5.5-6 quart crock pot, cover and cook on low.  Check at 4 hours.  When eggplants are soft and lightly browned, ratatoille is done!  Can be left to cook in crock pot for up to 6 hours.

Serve with fresh baked bread. 

Serves 6-8

Health Starts Here

by amanda.kelley, August 20, 2011 | Permalink

By: Ellen Darby, Healthy Eating Specialist    

I remember my mother-in-law complaining about a certain restaurant that my father-in-law loved to regularly frequent.  Her oft repeated complaint was, “The portions are too big.”

This was about forty years ago (wait, oh no, how could ANYTHING be forty years ago???!!!???). 

Anyway, I remember being bewildered by her comments.  My mother-in-law was a truly wonderful woman – very kind and loving and soft spoken.  Though I would have challenged someone else on this statement, I never would have considered telling her my take on the subject which was:

It is so clear that if the portions are too big, the obvious action is to take home a doggy bag.  Simple!!!

Forty years later, I have a totally different take on this and now completely understand what my mother-in-law was talking about.  Having developed into a serious food-a-holic (that’s a whole other story!), I am a meal-finisher.  If I’m served a large plate of food, I will inevitably win the clean-plate-star-on-the-forehead award.  With that in mind, I steer very clear of buffets.  I avoid restaurants that serve huge portions.  I truly love restaurants that serve good, clean food in moderately sized portions.  (OK, the other extreme is a Japanese restaurant I ate at in New York City that is extraordinarily expensive and though the plates are works of art, they are TINY and after we left the restaurant, I was dying to go out to EAT!)

So along the lines of this subject, I am posting a link to an article from the Orlando Sentinal about the link between eating in restaurants and obesity.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/health/os-restaurants-obesity-20110704,0,7133186.story

And another frightening article about obesity in kids from the Daily Telegraph:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/generation-fat-victorias-obesity-crisis/story-e6freuzr-1226096499745 

But back to the subject of restaurants . . . and my mother-in-law’s dilemma . . . I do understand now and try to stay away from restaurants that serve oversized portions.  I thought I had solved the over-indulging problem at all restaurants by intending on asking for a “to-go” box at the beginning of the meal (even at restaurants with regularly-sized portions).   But . . . you know what they say about intentions!  That has not happened yet!

I do believe I’ve just come up with the ultimate solution:  healthy, plant-strong home-cooked meals! 

Have a great weekend!

ellen

Health Starts Here

by amanda.kelley, August 11, 2011 | Permalink

by Ellen Darby, Healthy Eating Specialist

KALE, KALE, KALE!!!

Full disclosure:  I had never tasted kale in my life (well, at least that I was aware of!) before attending the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2006 to become a healthy eating coach.

To say, “I fell in love” is an understatement.  In the years since discovering this amazingly healthy dark leafy green, I have prepared it in many, many ways – and every one of them was delicious.

There are endless possibilities (raw, sautéed, steamed, in soups or stews, etc . . . even in smoothies!) (just do a “kale” search on Google) and as much as I love them all, I must admit that my two faves are GREEN SMOOTHIES & ROASTED KALE CHIPS!!!

Five years ago, when my granddaughter was seven years old, she was spending the afternoon with me for one of our “art days.”   I had made kale chips and offered her some. Her instant reaction was typical of a seven-year-old: “Yukkkkk!”  “I’ll make you a deal,” said I, “just try one and if you don’t like it, I’ll never ask you again to try it.”  Amazingly, she agreed.  She tasted one kale chip and proceeded to finish the entire bowl.

So if you’re having trouble getting your kids (or yourself!!!)  to eat greens, here are my two secret weapons:

• Kale chips
• Green smoothies 

Kale Chips:

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.   
2. Strip the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces.
3. Wash and thoroughly dry kale.
4. Very lightly rub each piece of kale with olive oil and place on cookie sheet. (typically requires 3 cookie sheets)
5. Lightly sprinkle with seasoning salt.
6. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

Below are two Green Smoothie Recipes from the Vitamix website:  (but you don’t need a Vitamix to make your smoothies – a good blender will do (see bottom recipe).  Get creative, get brave, try all kinds of combinations—the possibilities are endless (celery, apple, berries, bananas . . . )

From zoey’s kitchen:

Kale Green Smoothies

Ingredients:

4-6 leaves of fresh kale
1 cup frozen blueberries (although in Zoey’s dad’s instructions he told me to say that he adds 1 cup plus 4-5 berries)
1 1/2 cups of vanilla light soymilk
1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 banana

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to the blender and blend. The longer that you blend the happier you will be, these aren’t quite as good if you underblend and end up with little bits of kale in your teeth.

This recipe makes 2 glasses of green smoothie drink. 

———————-

Have another wonderful, kale-strong week of summer!

ellen

Health Starts Here

by amanda.kelley, August 6, 2011 | Permalink

by Ellen Darby, Healthy Eating Specialist 

Ahhhh, the Mediterranean Diet.  Most of us have heard of it.  The reports have been capitalized on via the diet book craze for several years. 

But it’s a sad, sad thing when we take something good and pick out and act on only what we want to hear. 

After studying the diet of healthy, long-living people in the Mediterranean, it was discovered they were so healthy because they ate lots of vegetables, small portions of fish and meat, walked a lot, drank red wine, had long leisurely meals and used olive oil.

But what seems to have been brought back to the U.S. is:

• Drink red wine
• Use lots of olive oil

. . . forgetting about eating lots of vegetables, making the meat or the fish the condiment, walking a  lot and having long, stress-free meals with family and  friends. 

And now, even those in the Mediterranean countries are adapting more of a western diet and the results are not good.  Please check out the link:

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/14/137823222/mediterraneans-abandon-their-famous-diet 

——————————

Here is a wonderful and very inspirational post by David Murdock the 88-year-old Chairman and Owner of Dole Foods:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-h-murdock/food-knowledge-is-health-_b_910676.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=072711&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BlogEntry&utm_term=Daily%20Brief

And this is the link to his first blog post titled “A Recipe for Longetivity:  33 of the Healthiest Foods on Earth”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-h-murdock/a-recipe-for-longevity_b_205355.html

Have a wonderful, plant-strong week!

ellen

Health Starts Here

by amanda.kelley, July 30, 2011 | Permalink

By Ellen Darby, Healthy Eating Specialist

I’m just going to say this up front:  I LOVE WATERMELON.  I just love it – everything about it – well, almost everything:  what ever happened to the old fashioned, traditional watermelon?  The real watermelon?  That big ol’ red watermelon of my youth – the one with seeds???   

I haven’t seen one this year that wasn’t seedless.  I don’t recall seeing one last year either.  They may be lurking somewhere, along country back roads. . . in small towns with gazebos in their town squares, town squares where people gather for band performances.  I’m getting very nostalgic here – not for a small town with a gazebo since I never lived in a small town with a gazebo, but for my own sitting-on-the-front-porch-spitting-watermelon-seeds memories.

Anyway . . .  I’ve had to accept that I can’t find watermelon with seeds and so I just enjoy the seedless watermelons I buy regularly from Whole Foods.  I don’t buy slices – I buy entire watermelons and very often will eat entire halves of those whole watermelons for dinner.  Seriously!  Every time I’ll start with a quarter watermelon, cover the other half and the other quarter and put them in the refrigerator.  Who am I kidding?  I KNOW I’m going back in the refrigerator for the other quarter before the night is over.  Which, as you may guess, is not the wisest thing to do if one likes sleeping through the night.

Besides being delicious and refreshing, watermelon is super nutritious.  The notes below are from mothering.com and there’s a link to planetgreen.com below that. 

Have a great week!

Ellen

p.s.  I adore cherries as well!!!

6 healthy reasons to eat watermelon

Big or small, seedless or not, red or yellow, nothing says summer like
a big, juicy watermelon (or a seed-spitting contest off the deck). But
there is a lot more to this melon than water. Turns out it’s packed
with phytonutrients, vitamins A, C, and a good hit of potassium, plus
some B6 and thiamine — everything except fat, sodium and calories.
Cool.

Stay healthier
Watermelon has lots of lycopene, a key plant
antioxidant that is famous for fighting heart disease and prostate
cancer. Tomatoes are usually considered the lycopene all-stars, but
you have to cook them in a little oil to release it. Watermelon not
only needs no cooking to unleash its lycopene but, cup for cup, it has
40 percent more than tomatoes.

Get your C
A big slice of watermelon (about two cups) fills almost
half your vitamin C quota.

Fight infection
Two cups of the juicy red melon also supply nearly a
quarter of your daily beta carotene, which your body uses to make
vitamin A. Running low on beta c can leave you vulnerable to viral
infections and vision trouble.

Heal faster
Watermelon (especially yellow-orange varieties) is one of
the rare food sources of citrulline, an amino acid used in wound
healing and cell division. Slurp up the juice but bite down too:
There’s extra citrulline in the white and green part that most people
toss. Pickled rinds anyone?

Sooth stress
Watermelon is a good source of potassium, which helps
control blood pressure — making it the perfect snack for stressful
family reunions.

Quench cravings
There are only 96 calories in two fill-you-up cups of
sweet watermelon, and its high liquid content makes you feel full. So
start your dessert course with a wedge and you’re less likely to go
overboard on Aunt Edith’s brownies.

And check out http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/surprising-health-benefits-of-watermelon.html

Health Starts Here

by amanda.kelley, July 23, 2011 | Permalink

By Ellen Darby, Healthy Eating Specialist

Have you heard of the “Dirty Dozen?”  (produce that really should purchased organic)

How ‘bout the “Clean Fifteen?” (the lowest use of pesticides)

Here’s a link to EWG’s (Environmental Working  Group) web site:

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/

I just printed out a copy to carry around to remind me when I’m shopping. 

Recipe  of the Week:

Here’s a recipe  from PCRM. I wanted to try this before I posted but haven’t had a chance yet.   But it sounds yummy!

Fat-Free Oriental Ginger Dressing 

“Bursting with flavor, this dressing will serve to perk up any boring salad. It’s so tasty, you won’t notice it’s fat-free.”

Ingredients

Makes 2 cups

1 tablespoon crushed fresh garlic
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup apple juice concentrate

Directions:

Combine garlic and vinegar in a lidded container for 10 minutes to take the edge off garlic. Add remaining ingredients and shake well.

Nutrition Information | Per tablespoon

calories: 11; fat: 0 g; saturated fat: 0 g; calories from fat: 1.8%; cholesterol: 0 mg; protein: 0.2 g; carbohydrates: 2.7 g; sugar: 2.2 g; fiber: 0.1 g; sodium: 45 mg; calcium: 2 mg; iron: 0.1 mg; vitamin C: 2 mg; beta-carotene: 1 mcg; vitamin E: 0 mg

Recipe from Food for Life instructor Evelisse Capo

Health Starts Here

by amanda.kelley, July 16, 2011 | Permalink

By:  Ellen Darby, Healthy Eating Specialist 

Those grills have been fired up for weeks now.   Have you tried grilling veggies yet?  Or fruit?  Check out this link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/magazine/bittman-throws-another-melon-on-the-barbie.html?_r=3&ref=dining

Of course corn on the cob is phenomenal when grilled – pull back the husks, pull off the silk, pull the  husks back over the corn, soak in water (completely cover the corn) for about a half hour and throw on the grill.  Keep an eye on them – even after being soaked in water, they will cook quickly – turn regularly — and remove when the kernels start to turn brown.  SO delicious!!!

The NY Times article didn’t mention pineapple but try it – grilled pineapple is absolutely delicious!

And what about asparagus?  Honestly, I was never an asparagus fan until I had it grilled and then fell instantly in love!

Grilled onions?  Try putting a thick slice of red onion on the grill.  Yummm.

And of course there’s the old fave:  potatoes wrapped in foil and thrown right in the coals.  And then there’s garlic!  And green/red/orange peppers!  And zucchini.  And, and, and  .  .  . the list is never ending.

Enjoy!  Would love to hear how your grilling turns out.  Please post – and add any other ideas you’ve come up with.

Ellen

Health Starts Here

by amanda.kelley, July 9, 2011 | Permalink

By:  Ellen Darby, Healthy Eating Specialist

Hi Everyone,

We just completed our first Whole Foods Chagrin Dr. Barnard 21-Day Kick-start Diet Immersion and celebrated with food, testimonials, sharing those cool, red plant-strong bracelets and very enjoyable socializing!

Congratulations to all those who did the Immersion — to those who were able to attend Thursday and to those who were not.  Congratulations also to our top three winners, based on % of body weight loss.  The most weight lost was 13.4# and the average weight lost was 4.89#.  First place winner received a $50 Whole Foods gift card.  Second and third place winners each received $25 gift cards.

Below is an interesting link from Scientific American.  And there are some interesting comments below the article.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=eat-organic-foods-even-on-the-go

We are planning lots of fun mini-workshops and demos in the upcoming months.  Stay tuned!

In the meantime, have a beautiful weekend and a wonderful summer (which seems to be flying by way too quickly!).

Ellen

Health Starts Here

by amanda.kelley, July 2, 2011 | Permalink

By:  Ellen Darby, Healthy Eating Specialist

Hi Everyone,

Below is a link to PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine).  This is the organization begun by Dr. Neal Barnard, one of Whole Foods Market’s partners.  This site is loaded with important articles and some great links, and I encourage you to check it out.

http://www.pcrm.org/

Our Fourth of July weekend is upon us.  I send you all wishes for a safe, fun-filled weekend with family, friends and plant-strong food! 

Ellen

Health Starts Here

by amanda.kelley, June 25, 2011 | Permalink

By: Ellen Darby, Healthy Eating Specialist

Hi Everyone,

At our 21-Day Dr. Barnard Diet Immersion Workshop last Thursday,  I presented my Label Reading Class. 

As consumers, we may find the nutritional information on packaging very confusing to understand.   But we can simplify it down to five easy steps.

I feel it is very important to share these tips so more and more people can become aware of ingredients, fats, sodium and food additives.  So with that in mind, I am printing the recap of my label reading class below:

5 Easy Steps for Label Reading:

1. Never, ever believe what the front of the package says.  Companies are paid millions to design enticing packaging with healthy sounding words like: “organic,”  “whole grain,”  “natural,” etc.
2. Look at the serving size.  If the calories in one cookie are 70, consider – can you eat just one cookie?  I can’t – 10 would be more like it!!!   That’s  700 calories.
3. Try to keep your “calories from fat” to no more than 20% of calories.

a.       Example #1:  if calories are 135, you wouldn’t want your calories from fat to be more than 26.

         i.      Easy way to determine:  move the decimal point one place to the left.  The number remaining on the left would be what the calories from fat would be if it were 10%.  Then just double that number.  (if you move the decimal point over one place, you would get 13.  Double that and  you would get 26.

            ii.      Most doctors say not to go over 25%.  I say 20% because it’s so much easier to figure out.  You then have some leeway if you go over a bit. 

b.      Example #2:  If your calories are 220, you wouldn’t want your calories from fat to be more than ______.  (answer below)

4.       Sodium

a.       If you are on a restricted sodium diet, go by the guidelines of your doctor.

b.      If you are not on a restricted sodium diet, a good rule of thumb is to use a 1-1 ratio of calories to milligrams

          i.      Example #1: if calories are 135, you would not want you sodium to be more than 135 mg.

          ii.      Example #2: if calories are 238, you would not want your sodium to be more than _______.  (answer below)

c.       Use your judgment with high sodium products.  Example:  Soy  sauce, tamari, etc. are extremely high in sodium but if you’re using a little bit to flavor a big pot of soup, the sodium will be diluted to a reasonable amount.

5.       Ingredient List

     a.       Ingredients are listed by weight.

     b.      Manufacturers are hip to the fact that WE’RE hip to the fact that we don’t want to intake large amounts of sugar.  So they use lots of different names for sugar: 

Taken from dietrific.com, here are just a “few.”

Barley malt, Beet sugar, Brown sugar, Buttered syrup, Cane juice crystals, Cane sugar, Caramel, Corn syrup, Corn syrup solids, Confectioner’s sugar, Carob syrup, Castor sugar, Date sugar, Demerara sugar, Dextran, Dextrose, Diastatic malt, Diatase, Ethyl maltol, Fructose, Fruit juice, Fruit juice concentrate, Galactose, Glucose, Glucose solids, Golden sugar, Golden syrup, Grape sugar, High fructose corn syrup, Honey, Icing sugar, Invert sugar, Lactose, Maltodextrin, Maltose, Malt syrup, Maple syrup, Molasses, Muscovado sugar, Panocha, Raw sugar, Refiner’s syrup, Rice syrup, Sorbitol, Sorghum syrup, Sucrose, Treacle, Turbinado sugar, Yellow sugar                           

c.       If there are 10-20-30 ingredients (give or take), it’s a good idea to just put the package  back on the shelf.

         i.      Look for unhealthy additives in processed foods.

         ii.      We looked up a couple ingredients in A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives.  (there is a “Store Copy” at Whole Foods Chagrin in the Whole Body Department – feel free to use at your convenience).

1.       Partial description of TBHQ (Tertiary Butylhydroquinone)

     a.       “It contains petroleum-derived butane and is used either alone or in combination with the preservative-antioxidant butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)”

     b.      “Death has occurred from the ingestion of as little as 5 grams.”

     c.       “Ingestion of a single gram (a thirtieth of an ounce) has caused nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, delirium, a sense of suffocation and collapse.”

2.       Partial description of Red Dye #40

     a.       “Used widely in the cosmetics industry”

     b.      “many American scientists feel that the safety of Red No. 40 is far from established, particularly because all the tests were conducted  by the manufacturer.  Therefore, the dye should not have received a permanent safety rating.”

     c.       “The National  Cancer Institute reported that p-credine, a chemical used in preparation of Red No. 40, was carcinogenic in animals.”

[Note from me:  Red Dye #40 is banned  in Europe but not in the U.S.]    

Additional notes:

• If the serving size is small enough, the manufacturer, legally, does not have to list ingredient.  As an example, I showed a can of Spectrum spray oil.  “Calories: 0” “Calories from fat: 0”
  • But, but, but .  . . how is that possible???  Oil is FAT.  100% FAT!
  • It’s possible because the serving size is so miniscule, they don’t have to list it.  I brought the can back to the Cedar Center Whole Foods but, as I recall, there were 1548 servings!!!  (immersionists who were there Thursday night, please correct me if  I’m wrong).   And the serving size was 1/3 of a second.  I mentioned that I guarantee there are people who look at that, think there are no calories and no fat and spray like crazy into the frying pan

• If you, as I, happen to be a foodaholic, try your best not to bring into your home foods that lead to bingeing, no matter how healthy.  There have been times when friends have brought over binge-type foods, that, after they left, I immediately put into the sink and soaked  in water.  Sad to say, just throwing them in the trash would NOT have done it – I would not be above getting up in the middle of the night and retrieving!!!   

• Now that you know the quick-n-easy way to read labels, I encourage you to start doing just that.  It only takes seconds, and you will get faster and faster at it. 

• Answers to examples above:  3b.  44 calories from fat.   4b i.i. 238 mg. of sodium

• WE must take responsibility for our health.  The manufacturers are not going to do it.  I strongly encourage you to try to avoid processed foods as much as possible (heavy on the veggies, fruit, legumes, whole grains, limited nuts and seeds) but if you do, please read the labels.  Again, there are many unhealthy vegans and vegetarians who eat lots of unhealthy processed foods that just don’t happen to have animals products in them.

Health Starts Here

by amanda.kelley, June 18, 2011 | Permalink

By: Ellen Darby, Healthy Eating Specialist

Hello Everyone,

We had at great kick-off workshop last Thursday for our 21-day Dr. Barnard Weight Loss Immersion. Due to shortage of space, we unfortunately had to close our registration a few weeks ago.  I have  been keeping names of all those interested in joining the next one and will let everyone know when we have determined a date.  If you would like to be notified, please  e-mail me at ellen.darby@wholefoods.com.

Interesting article from grist.org 

FDA admits supermarket chickens test positive for arsenic5

 TOM LASKAWY

8 JUN 2011 5:08 PM

·          

·          

Why is Big Ag playing chicken with our health?Back in March, Tom Philpott wrote about the “insane” practice of feeding factory-farmed chickens arsenic:

The idea is that it makes them grow faster — fast growth being the supreme goal of factory animal farming — and helps control a common intestinal disease called coccidiosis.

The industry emphasizes that the arsenic is applied in organic form, which isn’t immediately toxic. “Organic” in the chemistry sense, that is, not the agricultural sense — i.e., molecules containing carbon atoms as well as arsenic. Trouble is, arsenic shifts from organic to inorganic rather easily. Indeed, “arsenic in poultry manure is rapidly converted into an inorganic form that is highly water soluble and capable of moving into surface and ground water,” write Keeve E. Nachman and Robert S. Lawrence of the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.

Inorganic arsenic is the highly poisonous stuff — see the absurd and wonderful Cary Grant classic Arsenic and Old Lace, or the EPA’s less whimsical take hereand here [PDF]. The fact that the organic arsenic added to feed turns inorganic when it makes its way into manure is chilling, given the mountains of concentrated waste generated by factory poultry farms.

One way farmers add arsenic to chicken feed is through drugs such as Pfizer’s Roxarsone. And the industry has (as with most of its worst practices) strenuously defended the use of such additives. While the USDA has by and large ignored the risks (mostly in the form of an unwillingness to look for arsenic in chicken), finally — astonishingly — the FDA has acted.

According to the Associated Press, the FDA has confirmed that chickens given the drug (frequently those destined for the low-cost supermarket shelf) do indeed test positive for inorganic arsenic — just as the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy found [PDF] back in 2006. Despite this earlier evidence, the industry had continued to steadfastly maintain that the arsenic could not and did not make it into the meat.

As part of its announcement, the FDA said the arsenic levels are low and represent no meaningful risk to those eating Roxarsone-treated chicken — a point predictably emphasized by the National Chicken Council.

Tellingly, Pfizer announced that it would withdraw Roxarsone from the market starting next month. The FDA didn’t order Pfizer to withdraw the drug — the company did so voluntarily.

Of course, this does not solve the problem of arsenic in chicken. As Michael Hansen of Consumers Union observed in a press release, “There are several other arsenic-containing drugs for animals that are on the market, and those should also be withdrawn or banned, as they have been in the European Union.”

As Food & Water Watch reported in March, “between 2000 and 2008, the USDA tested only 1 out of every 12 million domestically produced chickens.” So it’s not as if the government is tracking this problem in any systematic way.

It boggles my mind that the industry is so willing to risk consumer panic over this issue and wait for the media or government officials to force its hand. Instead of making smart business decisions and ending dangerous practices that might give consumers cause to avoid their product, they instead try to hold back the tide. One drug gets withdrawn while others remain. The FDA tests 100 chickens (as they did in this latest test), while millions are produced and sold every year.

It’s no wonder that the so-called “ag-gag” bills remain popular among industrial farmersand their political lackeys. They can’t seem to let go of consumer ignorance as a key business strategy. With arsenic in chicken, the FDA, the USDA, and the chicken industry seem to care far more about the perception of having acted rather than the reality of ensuring all chicken sold in the U.S. is free from this toxic substance.

——————

Have a great week,

ellen

 Quote for the Day:

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

Health Starts Here

by amanda.kelley, June 4, 2011 | Permalink

by Ellen Darby, Healthy Eating Specialist

Hi Everyone,

Are you finding those confusing nutrition labels on packaging frustrating?  (I think they just MAY be designed to do just that!) 

Would you like to attend a mini-workshop and learn five very easy guidelines for reading those pesky labels?

Please join us!

Thursday, June 9^th, 7 p.m.

Community Room (next to the café) at Whole Foods Market Chagrin

No Charge

“Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Label Reading But Were Afraid to Ask!”

This is a fun, humorous workshop with information that you can easily share with family & friends

And while you’re here, take advantage of our Thursday Health Starts Here Special from our Prepared Foods Department!

$2.00 off your salad bar and/or hot bar (min. one pound) for any product with our

Health Starts Here Logo on the sign.

KIDS’ CLUB with Chef Ben

Mark your calendars: 

Saturday, June 18^th

^{2-3 PM}

^{Breakfast for Father’s Day} 

• Ages:  5-10 years old
• Max. of two kids per adult
• Max of 10 kids
• Register at  Customer Service in person or call (216) 464-9403

Black Bean Brownies

Adapted from recipe by Meredith Terranova, RD

-5 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
-2 bananas
-? cup honey, maple syrup or molasses (to taste)
-¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
-1 tablespoon cinnamon
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 -¼ cup instant oats (gluten free if preferred)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8- by 8-inch pan and set aside. Combine all ingredients, except oats, in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, scraping sides as needed. Stir in the oats. If too soft, add another 1/4 cup oats or flour.

Pour batter into the pan. Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before slicing.

Notes: Because there isn’t any flour these brownies come out pretty dense.
Rolled oats may be substituted for the instant oats. Put the rolled oats in the food processor.
Adjust sweetener if your bananas are still green and not very ripe.

Health Starts Here

by amanda.kelley, May 28, 2011 | Permalink

By:  Ellen Darby, Healthy Eating Specialist

21-Day Weight-Loss Kickstart:

 Wow, the good news and the bad news ––

All registration spots for our very first offering of the Dr. Barnard 21-Day Weight-Loss Kickstart Immersion at Whole Foods Chagrin have filled. 

So . . . it’s great that we had such a good response but not-so-great that not everyone who wants to participate is able.

I am keeping a folder of names of those who tried to sign up after close of registration and will reach out to everyone when we offer the Immersion next. 

The Web:

If you are on Facebook, I hope you will “friend” our Whole Foods Market Woodmere page.

Also, check out Plant Strong NE Ohio on Facebook.  This is a great page that stays on top of so much of what’s going on in plant-strong Cleveland.  This is another great page to “friend!”

And, as always, we recommend Wendy Solganik’s great plant-strong blog:  http://healthygirlskitchen.blogspot.com/

Thursday Night Meal Deals

Starting in June! 

June  2^nd  5:30 – 7:30 p.m.  $2 off our Health Starts Here meals.  I’ll be in the café.  Stop by a pick up a coupon from me! 

Where to eat?

Having a difficult time finding plant-strong restaurants in Cleveland?  I’ve had much feedback that many restaurants and more than happy to oblige – might be wise to check before going but if you find yourself in a restaurant, just ask – nothing to lose!  Following is an e-mail received from one of our great customers:

“This was so exciting, I just had to pass it along and get the word out to other plant-strong East Siders.  My husband and I were out Saturday night and decided to have supper, but weren’t sure where around Legacy we could get a mainly vegan meal. We happened by Melange, at La Place, and thank heavens we did!  The hostess sent the chef, Adam, out to talk with us; he asked us if we had any food dislikes etc then proceeded to whip up an ad hoc meal while we settled in with cocktails and a delicious black bean and watermelon salsa. When our meal arrived, we were served a cauliflower “mignon” made with steamed cauliflower from a local farmer and a little rice flour, on a bed of microgreens and tiny tomatoes with a balsamic vinegar reduction. It also included a side of tempura green beans. It was so fantastic, everyone was so accommodating, the service was great, an all around wonderful experience. Adam also gave us his card and told us to give him a call next time and he’d be able to prep in advance. So, multiple thumbs up for Melange. They aren’t cheap, but for a nice dinner out it’s great to not have to compromise.”   

Adam Bostwick, Executive Chef
Melange
2101 Richmond Rd, Beachwood OH 44122
phone 216-378-9755
email adamb@dinemelange.com

I wish you all a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend!

ellen

Health Starts Here

by amanda.kelley, May 20, 2011 | Permalink

by:  Ellen Darby, Healthy Eating Specialist

Hello Cleveland!

It is 11:30 a.m. Saturday and, yes, the sun found its way out to greet us.  Over the past week, my handy-dandy iphone weather app kept changing its mind for today:  sunny, rainy, sunny, rainy.  And son of a gun, it’s actually sunny!  Whoops, I spoke too soon.  I just peeked out and it is now cloudy.  But, hey, we’re used to that — we Clevelanders roll with the weather punches – and before we know it, summer will actually BE HERE TO STAY.

But it’s more difficult for some  of us to make it through these cloudy days.  Have you experienced  SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) this year?  Certainly understandable!  Food has such a powerful effect on our bodies – on our moods,  our energy,  our health.  It makes sense  that diet can help with SAD.  I  found an interesting article on WebMD that I want to share.  I have edited to reduce size.

Foods That Fight Winter Depression

When long nights bring on a long face, this can mean  Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Here are some tips to help fight off the winter blues.

By Jean Lawrence
WebMD Feature

Reviewed By Michael Smith

The winter blues can leave you not only feeling down in the dumps, but they can also send you rummaging for sweets. Don’t get caught up in this vicious cycle.

Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a form of depression that affects 25 million Americans, mostly women. Much research has been done on this mysterious disorder.

In somewhat of a simplification, the lack of light in wintertime can result in lower levels of serotonin, the mood-enhancing chemical that regulates hunger and the feeling of well-being.

Serotonin production increases with light, meaning that gray gloom creeping in the window is not kicking the production of feel-good chemicals into action.

Some symptoms include depression, marathon napping, low self-esteem, obsessiveness over little things, irritability, shyness, and panic attacks. People with seasonal affective disorder may also sleep poorly (although for many hours), partly because they don’t have enough serotonin to convert to the sleep substance melatonin.

Symptoms can range from mild to severe, and people generally recover completely around April or May – once the days become longer.

Treatment includes light therapy and/or medications. However, there are things you can do yourself that can help boost serotonin levels. 

3 Ways to Boot up Your Serotonin

Julia Ross, MA, is director of the Recovery Systems Clinic in San Francisco and author of The Mood Cure and The Diet Cure. She tells WebMD there are three ways to jump-start your serotonin:

(1)     Subject yourself to bright indoor light. This is the touchstone of seasonal affective disorder treatment. Many pricey lights are available. Ross says a 300 watt bulb within three feet for 20 minutes three times a day can help, although the boost in serotonin may be temporary.

(2)     Exercise. This is very hard to do when caught up in the seasonal affective disorder cycle. But if you can force yourself to start, 15 to 20 minutes of dancing to the radio or fast walking can reduce a sweet tooth and improve mood.

(3)     Eat wisely. This means, pushing away the leftover cake and eating sensible carbs to stimulate serotonin. Sweets and simple carbs, like white rice and white bread, quickly raise blood sugar, flood you with insulin and then drop you in a hole. Eating wisely also means watching the caffeine, which suppresses serotonin. “If you must drink coffee, save it for after the meal,” Ross says.

More Nutritional Tips for Raising Mood in Winter 

Protein, she says, should be eaten three times a day. Another good rule is to eat four cups of brightly colored veggies a day. “This is enough to fill a (pardon the expression) 1 quart ice cream container.” Vegetables are carbs, but the kind that feed into your system slowly.

Samantha Heller, MS, RD, senior clinical nutritionist at the NYU Medical Center, tells WebMD it’s best to substitute fruit for cookies and chocolate ice cream. In general, the good carbs of veggies, fruit, and beans help energy levels.

Timing Is Also Everything

It’s fashionable to urge people to eat half a dozen small meals a day, but this is an individual preference, Heller says.  ”If you eat lunch at one o’clock and know you won’t have dinner until eight o’clock, you may need a snack. If you eat junk food for lunch, by four o’clock you will be foraging for chocolate.”

She urges people to try eliminating all white, starchy foods for two weeks — bread, rice, potatoes. “You will be amazed at how good you feel,” she says. “But you need to stick to it to see a difference

Even as a nutritionist, she admits to having experienced the opposite. “I was going to visit my mother and bought a muffin for her and one for me,” she says. “After I ate it, I felt like I had been drugged.”

Foods to Have on Hand

If you suffer from seasonal affective disorder, you may be too shot to run to the store. This can work for you if you keep fairly healthful commodities in the pantry. Some suggestions:

Popcorn
Oatmeal (original, not desserty)
Nuts
Peanut butter
Prewashed veggies
Fruit
Whole grain crackers and bread
Forget the candlelight. In winter, dinner calls for 300 watts, hold the shade!

So until Mr. Sun is here for good, let’s try to get in some exercise and eat healthy, nutritious foods!!!

——————-

Registration is  filling quickly for our 21 Day Diet Kickstart Immersion beginning June 21st.  Stop by at our Customer Service booth for more info and to register or e-mail me at:  ellen.darby@wholefoods.com.

Until next week, have a wonderful plant-strong weekend!

Ellen

Health Starts Here

by amanda.kelley, May 14, 2011 | Permalink

by Ellen Darby, Healthy Eating Specialist

Good morning Cleveland!

The big Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon weekend has arrived – along with a little more rain.  The 5K was this morning and I’m hoping the skies clear for the 10K, ½ Marathon and Full Marathon tomorrow.  Our two Whole Foods Market (Cedar Center & Woodmere) stores combined to form a Health Starts Here Cleveland Marathon Training Team.  This was a tough winter for training, and I congratulate all those who stayed on the path (no pun intended), weathered the snow (again, no pun intended), the cold and the rain and are ready to go out tomorrow, run the race and cross that finish line! 

“Healthy Eating with Ellen”

Thursday, June 2^nd, 7 – 8 p.m. 

Thursday, June 9^th, 7 – 8 p.m.

Come visit Whole Foods Chagrin for some healthy eatin’ talk –These are informal get-togethers to discuss healthy eating choices, favorite recipes, food options at Cleveland restaurants and anything else that may come up.

Our Prepared Foods Department has generously offered a special each Thursday beginning in June for our healthy eating get-togethers.

For June 2^nd, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m, there will be a $2.00 discount off of each of our Health Starts Here dinners.  These are the new dinners with the Health Starts Here logo on top and the purple strip around the package.   Stop by the café after 5:30 on the 2^nd to get a discount certificate from Ellen.

On June 9^th, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m, there will be a $2.00 per pound discount for all items at the hot bar or salad bar with a Health Starts Here label (weighing more than 5#).  Again, stop to see Ellen in the café to pick up your discount certificate.

And then June 16^th starts our 21 Day Diet Immersion, based on Dr.  Neal  Barnard’s latest book, 21 –Day Weight Loss Kickstart. See the 5/7 blog for more details.  The books have arrived  and registration forms will be available at Customer Service after 5/17.  We will announce the dinner special of  the night as the date gets closer.

Recipe of the week:

Here’s a yummy salsa to try, straight from our Whole Foods kitchen – and check out those calorie and fat values!

Fresh Pineapple Salsa

Makes about 2 cups:

The tropical flavors of pineapple and lime combine with red onion, cilantro and serrano pepper for a delicious salsa. It’s also great spooned over tacos.  

2 cups diced fresh pineapple

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

¼ cup finely chopped red onion

1 serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped

Juice and zest of 1 lime

¹⁄8 teaspoon sea salt

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. For the best flavor, make at least 30 minutes ahead of time to allow the flavors to mingle.  Chill until ready to use.

NUTRITION

Per serving (1/4 cup/52g-wt.): 25 calories (0 from fat), 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 40mg sodium, 6g total carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 4g sugar), 0g protein

Have a wonderful week!

Ellen

Health Starts Here

by amanda.kelley, May 7, 2011 | Permalink

By:  Ellen Darby, Healthy Eating Specialist

Hi Everyone:

Welcome to our very first Health Starts Here blog post!  I plan on posting weekly and sharing with you lots of good information.  In addition to events happening at our store, I will post tasty recipes, healthy eating tips, healthy living tips and maybe even a joke or two. 

UPCOMING HEALTH STARTS HERE EVENTS:

Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. (beginning June 2^nd):

Healthy Thursdays with Ellen:  Are you interested in receiving support for your healthy eating lifestyle?  Do you have questions about plant-strong lifestyle?  Stop by to network with like-minded eaters, share recipes and tips and share stories with us of your accomplishments.  And . . . look forward to weekly Thursday hot bar/salad bar specials from our Prepared Foods Department.

(note:  May 12^th & June 9^th will center on Mark Mondville’s Book Club and June 16^th, June 23^rd, June 30^th and July will focus on the 21 Day Weight Loss Kickstart Immersion ) (details below)

Monthly, 3rd Saturday of the month. 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. (beginning June 18^th)

Kids’ Club Meet-ups with Chef Ben

Ages:  5 to 10 years old

Maximum of two kids per parent

No charge but registration is required (call 216-464-9403) (maximum of 10 kids per month)

Thursday, May 12^th, 7 p.m.

Book Club with Mark Mondville

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

At this meet-up, participants will discuss The Western Diet & Diseases of Civilization

Thursday, June 9^th, 7 p.m.

Book Club with Mark Mondville

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

At this meet-up, participants will discuss Getting Over Nutritionism

Thursday, June 16^th, 7 p.m.

Start of 21-Day Weight Loss Immersion (based on Dr. Neal Barnard’s book)

Join us.  Weekly meet-up workshops (6/16, 6/23, 6/30 & 7/7).  Weigh-ins optional. Prizes for most weight loss by % of body weight. 

No charge but must read book and registration is required.   Book will be available for purchase after 5/16. Registration cards will be available at the Customer Service desk after May 23^rd.

RECIPE CORNER:

Our recipe today comes from Chef A. J. by way of the our local food blogger extraordinaire, Wendy Solganik, www.healthygirlskitchen.blogspot.com

Chef A.j.’s Spicy Peanut Noodles with Broccoli

1 pound brown rice noodles (spaghetti or linguine)

1 pound broccoli florets

3/4 cup peanut butter, unsweetened and unsalted

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup rice vinegar         

2 Tbsp low sodium tamari     

2 Tbsp date syrup

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1/4-1/2 ounce piece of fresh ginger, pressed       

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

8 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Sesame seeds or chopped unsalted peanuts for garnish (optional)

To make the date paste: soak 1/4 pound of dates in 1/4 cup of water for several hours until much of the liquid is absorbed (you can do this overnight). In a food processor fitted with the s blade (I used my mini Cuisinart), process dates and liquid until completely smooth. Store extra date paste in the refrigerator.

Cook pasta according to directions on package. Run under cold water when done. Drain and place in a large bowl.

Blanch broccoli and run under cold water when done. Drain and add to pasta bowl along with the scallions.

To make the sauce, combine peanut butter, water, rice vinegar, tamari, date syrup, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk until smooth and cook for about 10 minutes until thickened, turning heat down to low if necessary to prevent overheating. Pour dressing over noodles and broccoli and thoroughly combine. Chill until it becomes cold 

Health Tip for the Day:

Heart Burn anyone? Here is a tip that came in from one of our customers:

“For anyone who has heartburn issues this formula prescribed by a naturopathic doctor has dramatically solved my husband’s heartburn that had kept him up all night for days (no purple pills needed):

1/4 C. warm apple juice or cider with 1 TBS. apple cider vinegar followed by a chaser of 1 tsp. honey, taken in the evening sometime before bedtime.

Fond Regards”

Bit o’ Inspiration: 

And following is The Flying Trapeze which I love to hand out at our 28 Day Challenges and share with people when they are going through life transitions.  I received this when attending the nutrition school from which I graduated in New York City, The Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and was so touched that I cried when I first read it.

The Flying Trapeze

Sometimes, I feel my life is a series of trapeze swings. I’m either hanging on to a trapeze bar swinging along or, for a few moments, I’m hurtling across space between the trapeze bars.

Mostly, I spend my time hanging on for dear life, to the trapeze bar of the moment. It carries me along a certain steady rate of swing and I have the feeling that I am in control. I know most of the right questions, and even some of the right answers. But once in a while, as I’m merrily, or not so merrily, swinging along, I look ahead of me into the distance, and what do I see?

I see another trapeze bar looking at me. It’s empty; and I know that this new bar has my name on it. It is my next step, my growth, my aliveness coming to get me. In my heart-of-hearts I know that for me to grow, I must release my grip on the present well-known bar, to move to the new one.

Each time it happens, I hope – no, I pray – that I won’t have to grab the new one. But deep down I know that I must totally release my grasp on my old bar, and for some moments in time I must hurtle across space before I can grab the new bar. Each time I am filled with terror. It doesn’t even matter that in all my previous hurtles I’ve always made it.

Each time, I am afraid I will miss, that I will be crushed on unseen rocks in the bottomless basin between the bars. But I do it anyway. I must.

Perhaps this is the essence of what the mystics call faith. No guarantees, no net, no insurance, but I do it anyway because somehow, to keep hanging on to that old bar is no longer an option. And so for an eternity that can last a microsecond or a thousand lifetimes, I soar across the dark void of “the past is over, the future is not yet here”. It’s called a transition. I’ve come to believe that it is the only place that real change occurs.

I’ve noticed that, in our culture, this transition zone is looked upon as a “no-thing”, a no-place between places. Sure, the old trapeze-bar was real, and the new one coming towards me, I hope that’s real too. But the void in between? That’s just a scary, confusing, disorienting “no-where” that must be broken through as fast and as unconsciously as possible. What a shame! 

I have a sneaking suspicion that the transition zone is the only real thing, and the bars are illusions we dream up to not notice the void. Yes, with all the fear of being out-of-control that can accompany transitions, they are still the most alive, growth-filled, passionate moments in our lives.

And so, transformation of fear may have nothing to do with making fear go away, but rather with giving ourselves permission to “hang-out” in the transition zone between trapeze bars. Allowing ourselves to dwell in the only place where change really happens. It can be terrifying. But, it can also be enlightening. Hurtling through the void, we just may learn to fly.

Author Unknown

Have a wonderful week.  Enjoy the beautiful Vitamin D in the sky – it just may stick around for a while!

Ellen

Healthy Eating

by amanda.kelley, March 31, 2011 | Permalink

Hello plant-strong people.  Welcome to our new blog.