What’s not to Love about Kale…

In the mornings I love to take my cup of tea or coffee and me out to the garden and peruse. What’s amazing is that despite the super cold winter, there a few kale plants that have popped up from hardy seeds that I threw in last year. And if you know me you also know that I love my kale, so I am extremely delighted.

What’s not to love about kale?

1. kale is a superfood, need I say more? Yes I will- It’s a member of the Brassica family of vegetables, which include cabbage and brussels sprouts which have gained quite the reputation as potential cancer-fighting foods. Kale is packed with the organosulfur compounds that may lessen the occurrence of some cancers. Studies also suggest that the phytonutrients in kale and other Brassicas may actually help the liver neutralize potentially cancerous substances.

2. Kale is full of beta-carotene, an important nutrient for good vision also the prevention of cataracts.

3. Kale is also an excellent source of vitamin C, just one cup will give you 88% of your RDA od vitamin C which is great fro your immune system and helpful for protection against viruses like the common cold as well as the flu.

4.,Kale is rich in minerals, such as iron, manganese, calcium and potassium. Potassium is excellent to help reduce blood pressure. Calcium is needed for optimal bone integrity.

5. A cup of kale provides 10.4% of the daily value for fiber, which has been shown to reduce high cholesterol levels. Fiber can also help out by keeping blood sugar levels under control, so kale is an excellent vegetable for people with diabetes.

 

I may have shared this salad with you last year but that was oh so long ago and this is tradition so here is one of my favorite raw super healthy recipes….

 

Raw Kale Avocado Salad

 

1 bunch kale, take leaves off the stem and place in bowl and chop (about 8 to 10 cups)

1 avocado, diced

1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked for 6 to 8 hours

Dressing:

3 to 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon sea salt and/or kelp

freshly ground black pepper

 

optional: mushrooms, red onion, shallots, grated carrots, beets, tomatoes, chopped parsley, dill, arugula would all be delicious. …you get the message, add what you love. Sometimes I even add my broken up flackers (http://www.drinthekitchen.com/) for more flavor, crunch and extra good omega-3 oils.

 

Chop the kale into small pieces and add it to a large bowl. In a smaller, separate bowl whisk together the dressing. Add the dressing to the salad and gently massage it into the kale with your hands. This will soften it almost immediately. Then add the diced avocado and whatever other vegetables you like. Drain and rinse the sunflower seeds and add them to the salad as well. Gently toss together and yum!

 

KALE CHIPS

1 clove garlic

• 1 C Cashews, soaked at least 8 hours, rinsed and drained or you can use cahew butter as well
• 1/4 C Nutritional Yeast*
• 1/3 C water
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1/4 tsp Chipotle (spice)
• Pinch Sea Salt

With processor running, drop in garlic and mince. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth. Pour over kale chips in a bowl and massage until kale is coated. Bake on high in oven until crisp or dehydrate on screens at 115 for 4-6 hours or until crisp. *Nutritional yeast is not raw but used frequently in raw food recipes.

 

 

Is MSG making us fatter?

Did you know that MSG is associated, or shall I say is one major cause of obesity? MSG and free glutamine is added to almost 80% of our manufactured ‘food’ products. It is used to enhance the flavor and it is also known to make you crave more. MSG makes food taste better so you eat more, also, it excites brain in charge of fat programming so you eat more and you get fatter!!! If you look under obesity studies you will notice that they use MSG to create obese mice. That’s the protocol to make a mouse fat!

Feed a mouse MSG and it will become obese…..it is in 80% of our food….the obesity epidemic….hmm…maybe it is all related?

Even more shocking is that you may not even know if it is in the foods that you love because it is there hidden, disguised under many different names’. Here is a list of a few of those names. The irony is that some of these names feel very ‘good’ like ‘protein isolate’ or ’hydrolyzed protein’ I mean why would any person think that a protein isolate is bad? But lo and behold it is! And it is a form of MSG.

I challenge you to read this list and if your diet is not already totally clean to remove all MSG for your cabinets, shelves, fridge and body for one week. Let me know what happens!

 

Decadent, delicious, divine, to die for, super healthy dessert

If you have been reading my blog you know that I have a strong relationship with chocolate. Actually, I just read that over 5,900,000,000 people also share in my decadent habit (according to yahoo.com). Thankfully I can happily satisfy my craving, with no guilt, thanks to the medical research because dark chocolate has numerous health benefits being so rich in antioxidants;phytosterols and polyphenols. Avocados the next main ingredient in this recipe is also a ‘super food’, rich in monounsaturated fats, it is filled with anti-inflammatory beneficial fats and anti-oxidants as well. So this delicious dessert is a no brainer and easy to make and as the title says purely decadent! 

Anyway, so armed with this little bit of knowledge about the health benefits of chocolate and avocados, I was ready to start experimenting in the kitchen, determined to turn this into the best raw chocolate pudding anyone has ever tried.

Here are a few variations that really work and taste divine. Just remember for optimal palate pleasure serve this chilled, it tastes much better …

with dates and honey….

1 medium avocado (ripe)

1/2 cup dates

2 1/2 tablespoons raw cocoa powder

1/4 cup water + 1/8 cup water

1 1/2 tablespoons organic local honey

1/8 teaspoon celtic sea salt (or less)

1. Throw these raw chocolate avocado pudding ingredients into a high-speed blender. Start blending on slow and then up the blending speed to high.

2. Blend until looks consistent with pudding. If you have a good blender (AKA Vitamix or Blendtec) then you should be able to get this super smooth.You may need to add a tiny bit of extra water to facilitate blending

chill, enjoy!

Best for kids; with banana, almond milk, cinnamon…..

• 2 avocados – peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks
• 1/2 to 1 ripe banana, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup raw cocoa powder (or more to taste)
• 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup or agave nectar (more to taste if needed.
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp almond or cashew butter (optional)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• pinch of salt

The Directions: Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth! Serve chilled.

My favorite way because it has no sugar…stevia:

• 1 ripe organic avocado
• 1/2 cup homemade or store bought almond milk
• 1-1/2 TBSP raw cacao powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 15 drops liquid stevia
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• pinch of sea salt
• pinch of chipotle chile powder or cayenne. I like it hot!
• Optional toppings: raw cacao nibs, raw almonds, raspberries, chia seeds, cinnamon currant flackers

Instructions

1. Halve and scoop flesh from avocado.
2. Add almond milk, to Blendtec (or food processor), followed by avocado, raw cacao powder, vanilla, stevia, cinnamon, salt, chipotle powder.
3. Blend or process until smooth and creamy.
4. Taste to adjust sweetness. Raw cacao seems to require plenty of sweetness to round it out. If using stevia, add two or three drops at a time until you’ve achieved your ideal balance.
5. Spoon into serving dishes and top with raw almonds and cacao nibs. Don’t skip adding something crunchy! The contrast of smooth and velvety with crispy is fabulous.

 

Spring Forward; Cleanse & Energize

Spring is my favorite time of year. The grey and white world of winter blossoms into vibrant colors and greens. It is the perfect time to be thinking about a cleanse; to lessen our bodies’ burden of harmful chemicals and to refresh; restore balance and revitalize. By following these simple effective internal spring cleaning tips you can help your body detoxify and restore your systems’ balance, optimal health and abundant energy.

1. Increase healthy liquids: Simply increasing healthy liquids, will shift your bodies’ balance strongly toward improved elimination and less toxin buildup. Healthy fluids help dilute and eliminate toxin accumulations, pure water being the most important detoxifier. It helps clean us through our skin and kidneys, and it improves our sweating with exercise. Try and eliminate all stimulants like coffee and chemical drinks, like sodas, alcohol and enjoy the purifying effects of healthier liquids such as water (1/2 your weight in ounces per day) along with herb teas, and teas high in anti-oxidants such as green tea or red tea (rooibios).You can also enhance the detoxifying benefits of water by adding a tsp of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and consume ten minutes prior to eating every meal.

 

1. Fiber is a wonderful detoxification supporter, helping to cleanse and pull toxins from the intestines. I recommend adding chia seeds, fresh ground flax seeds or flackers to your daily menu. This will provide your body with excellent fiber, plant lignans and healthy fats known as omega-3 fatty acids. Other good sources of fiber are fresh vegetables and fruit, especially berries.

 

1. To help maximize your spring cleaning program, increase your intake of organic fresh fruits, herbs and vegetables. Have at least three colors of vegetables with every meal, add medicinal cleansing potent anti-oxidants filled herbs to your food; cilantro, onions, parsley, dandelion, and garlic. To help promote optimal liver function, the main detoxification center in our bodies, I suggest 1-2 servings of artichokes and 2-3 servings of brassica family (broccoli sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, kholrabi) per day. These foods will promote healthy digestion, increase flow of bile and help with the elimination of harmful environmental chemicals and heavy metals.

And finally, get outside and play, enjoy and move your body. Your body will love you and you will feel fabulous!

To your optimal health,

Alison Levitt, MD

 

 

Breaking Edible News! Cruciferous leafy greens have serious beneficial GI and immune effects

Over the weekend my neighbors invited me for dinner and made this fabulous kale and brussel sprouts salad. ( my version of the recipe below) Apparently I was seriously craving fresh greens because I am pretty sure I ate about 3/4 of the salad myself (sorry Ed and Mary- but I cannot resist delicious and healthy).  

Last night when I was thinking about the salad and my mouth began to water I looked in the fridge found a fresh batch of dinosaur Kale, parsley, lemons, garlic and was immediately excited for another batch of super green salad (minus brussel sprouts) but I was ok with that. This morning I woke up and saw this article and I just had to share….

A new study shows that consuming green cruciferous vegetables may control the activity of vital immune cells by activating a gene in the GI system called t-bet. These immune cells help the body prevent infection caused by abnormal bacteria in the GI system. They are possibly also implicated in playing a role in food allerigies, inflammation, obesity even cancer. Apparently when we eat cruciferous vegetables, they can interact with the cell surface in the GI system to activate these genes that turn on these immune cells.

So lap up those cruciferous greens. Here is one super salad recipe….

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (optional)
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot or red onion
• 1-2 small garlic clove, finely grated
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large bunches of Tuscan kale (about 1 1/2 pounds total), center stem discarded, leaves thinly sliced
• 12 ounces brussels sprouts, trimmed, finely grated or shredded with a knife
• 1/4-1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• optional; 1 cup/batch of fresh parsley ( I love a lot of parsley). Clean and de-stem and chop finely. also can shred carrots or cabbage or beets as well

Combine lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, shallot, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, parsley and a pinch of pepper in a small bowl. Stir to blend; set aside to let flavors meld. Mix thinly sliced kale and shredded brussels sprouts in a large bowl.

Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.  Garnish with flackers, almonds or dried fruit or fresh fruit or cheese of your choice or fake cheese of your choice…enjoy!

http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Leafy-greens-may-boost-gut-immunity-Study?nocount

 

A little yoke can go along way…..

I was just in Anaheim for Expo West and it was basically a large sampling food fest. Sadly, even though it is the ‘natural product expo’ many of the food choices were seriously unhealthy, or for me, involved dark chocolate, so I needed to balance things out and I needed it to be easy since we were at a trade show working 12 hours a day. This is why I turned to ol faithful, organic humane eggs.

Eggs are fantastic for your health, filling, complete with protein and contain a wide variety of important vitamin and nutrients. For many years we have been led to believe that eggs are not healthy; that they are fattening, that they can cause heart disease, that they contain bad fats. Misled by diet fads and incorrect nutritional information, we were taught to believe that the protein part of the egg is the best part of the egg, so weight conscious consumers and dieters have switched to eating only the whites of the eggs and a new market opened up selling boxes of the whites only. Restaurants have become accustomed to it too, now on menus you can find ‘egg white omelets’ as well. But in the egg, I mean in the end, nature is way smarter than we are and that’s why I say the ‘yokes on us!’

Egg yokes contain:

1. a good source of choline. One egg yolk has about 300 micrograms of choline. Choline is an important nutrient that helps regulate the brain, nervous system, and cardiovascular system. Women should take in about 420 micrograms daily for optimal health, men around 500 mcg.

2. They contain the right kind of fat. One egg has just 5 grams of fat and only 1.5 grams of saturated fat. According to a study by the Harvard School of Public Health, there is no significant link between egg consumption and heart disease. In fact, according to one study, regular consumption of eggs may help prevent blood clots, strokes and heart attacks.

3. New research shows that, contrary to previous belief, moderate consumption of eggs does not have a negative impact on cholesterol. In fact, recent studies have shown that regular consumption of two eggs per day does not affect a person’s lipid profile and may, in fact, improve it.

4.Eggs are one of the only foods that contain naturally occurring vitamin D.

5.Eggs promote healthy hair and nails because of their high sulphur content and wide array of vitamins and minerals. Many people find their hair growing faster after adding eggs to their diet, especially if they were previously deficient in foods containing sulphur or B12.

6.Researchers found that people who eat eggs every day lower their risk of developing cataracts, due to the carotenoid content of lutein and also because of the zeaxanthin in eggs.

And finally, one egg contains 6 grams of high-quality protein and all 9 essential amino acids, which mean that it is a great source of protein! So I cured my chocolate imbalance with a few greens mixed into my fabulous eggs and I felt great!

So next time you need a quick snack or meal make an omelet, add some veggies and avoid an all whiter…a little yoke can go along way…..

 

Breaking News! Eat Greens & Lose Weight

If you thought greens were great before, hang onto your roots my friends!!! Breaking news…. Swedish researchers have discovered that thylakoids,found in the green leaves of vegetables, triggers satiety/fullness! So not only are greens just the healthiest for our bodies, but in essence, thylakoids, a naturally occurring appetite suppressant found in greens can also help people regulate food intake, prevent weight gain, and promote weight loss.

It turns out that when animals and humans eat leafy greens, the thylakoids in the plant will delay digestion by binding to fats, thus slowing the ability of the pancreatic enzyme that digests fat; lipase and co-lipase, to hydrolyse or dissolve the fats. Thylakoids also trigger the release of cholecystokinin, another natural chemical in our bodies that is a key signal of fullness or satiety.

If that is not enough, the discovery also shows that increased consumption of thylakoids can also raise leptin levels; a hormone that plays a key role in regulating energy intake between meals and over longer periods of time (ie; the hunger regulator). An increase in Leptin concentrations in the blood six hours after eating is a particularly important finding, given that leptin plays this key role in regulating hunger, and cravings (especially after meals). This is typically a big problem for people trying to maintain a healthy weight.

There are many options available today for weight loss and appetite suppression but most are not healthy. Some of the OTC options are downright dangerous, and the available pharmaceutical choices have the potential to be quite harmful if not taken properly.

Nature is amazing! It has even provided us with a natural and ultra healthy non-thermogenic appetite regulator. Now that we know that greens can help to regulate hunger and fullness I say go green all the way!! A few greens today may just help keep the doctor away….

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