I just saw this article about cruciferous vegetables and how they are superb vegetables to choose in your daily diet.  I had NO idea that there were so many cruciferous vegetables, so I thought I’d share the list and information with you.

I love a lot of the articles from Alicia Silverstone’s site, The Kind Life, and here is the article I’m referring to:  http://www.thekindlife.com/post/incredible-cruciferous-veggies
I am sure you can learn something from it.  Enjoy and stay healthy.

To your health,

Kimberly

Check it out here:  http://www.foodmatters.tv/_webapp_482785/What_The_World_Eats_-_Shocking_Photos

The portfolio shows pictures of families from about 20 different countries and what each of those families eats in their home.  They showcase western countries, eastern countries, third world countries, and everything in between.

What I notice most is the number of packaged or processed foods that appear in some of the countries’ foods.   Also, there is such a variety in how much meat versus plant-based foods the different countries eat.  Part of that will surely be due to the climate and environment that those families live in.   Part of that might be due to religion as well.

Some of my favorite observations:

1. Mexico – Wow, look at all that Coke!!  The rest of the table looks pretty decent, but jeez the Coke is flowing.

2. How much fresh food can you find on the North Carolina table?  Maybe 20% at most.  And look at all those sugary drinks!

3. Britain isn’t doing any better than North Carolina.  The fresh food is hard to find amongst the sugary stuff and milk galore.  I spent almost six years in England and I can attest to their love for milk, chocolate, and Walkers potato chips (crisps.)  I can also attest to the change in weight that I saw over my six years.  I definitely saw younger people gaining weight.  It wasn’t nearly as bad as the US, but the direction they are heading is not good.

4. Germany definitely likes their beer and wine!

5. For Mali and Chad, they both have whole grains, herbs/spices, and some fresh produce.  Pretty simple.

6. Guatemala has a great table of fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains.  They can make me a meal anytime!

I always encourage people to eat as much natural, fresh food as possible.  It is clear from these photos that processed foods have crept into many cultures around the world.  I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy the taste of some of these foods, but if it’s possible to avoid these, you’ll be doing your organs and digestive system a huge favor.

To your health,

Kimberly

I recently read an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune that talked about some researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia who are experimenting with making healthier ice cream.

Can It be Yummy?

Firstly, I find it funny that there are researchers at a college dedicating themselves to this topic!  I guess ice cream is a big industry, so if someone could truly come up with a tasty, healthy ice cream, they would probably make millions.  The tasty part is the biggest challenge.

We’ve all seen low fat, non-fat, low sugar, sugar free, low calorie, dairy free, and low carb ice creams come out on the store shelves.  But, this article explains that for the true ice cream lover, none of these so-called “healthier” varieties make the cut.  Hence the “research” continues.

What can make Ice Cream healthy?

The team at the Missouri campus are trying to add four specific components to ice cream. This includes antioxidants, dietary fiber, probiotics, and prebiotics.  What they’ve found so far is that each of these components adds some complexity to making the ice cream; it’s either the wrong texture, the wrong consistency, or maybe even has a laxative effect!

I’m sure lots of people will be ecstatic about this health fortified ice cream when and if it debuts in our stores.  However, I’m not sure how I feel about this idea…

Is This For Real?

Is it really the right approach to try to add vitamins, minerals, and healthy bacteria to truly unhealthy foods?  My gut says that we should be encouraging people to get these essential nutrients from their natural sources, like vegetables, fruit and whole grains.

The person leading the trials, Tingning Lin, addresses this very concern, recognizing that people might criticize his efforts by saying that adding these extra nutrients to ice cream encourages over-consumption. However, he states that he looks at it from the angle of: “If you’re going to occasionally indulge, a treat might as well have healthy additions.”

I guess I can see his point, but I assure you that there are some people out there who WILL take this as a sign to eat more ice cream!  I know that a little ice cream once in awhile won’t kill you – it won’t do you any good either, with all the sugar, fat, sweetener, preservatives, etc – but, I just hope the majority of people will take this for what it is.  It’s a gimmick to eat ice cream.

As I learn more and more about how the digestive system works, I begin to ask more questions about the foods we eat.  For this particular situation, depending on the rest of your diet, it’s possible these added ingredients might not even be utilized by the body.  I don’t know that for sure, but I think I’ll stick with my usual sources for nutrients!

To your health,

Kimberly

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&hp

The article discusses, in detail, research that shows how sugar impacts conditions such as insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome (a pre-cursor to diabetes), type II diabetes, and heart disease.

I have been reading about this very thing in my nutrition course recently, so I was really interested to read the article.

Lots of people talk about sugar as “empty calories”, as the article states, and therefore, on the premise that too many calories make you fat (which is what many people live by), sugar is a definite culprit for weight gain.

However, sugar is not just empty calories.  Sugar is much more than that.  Anything that we consume has to go through the body’s digestive system.  This starts with saliva in the mouth, dropping down the esophagus, into the stomach, pancreas and liver, with different enzymes and substances meeting in the duodenum before entering the small intestine, then large intestine, and finally coming out the “other end”.  Of course, that is a little simplified, but you get the gist.

During digestion, resources within the body are used up.  This is how the system is supposed to work, but when you eat nutrient-rich foods like vegetables, whole grains, sea vegetables, or beans, the body is not just using up resources, it is taking in new resources!  It’s a give and take situation.

When the body digests sugar (or other very refined foods), these precious minerals and enzymes in the body are also used up, but this time, NOTHING good is given back to the body.  Sugar is just a “taker” in the digestive process.   So, if you’re consuming a lot of sugar/refined foods over time, your body will eventually run out of the nutrients it needs to keep going.  Your body will become incapable of maintaining it’s natural blood pH level of 7.4, which means all other operations within the body are hindered and/or halted.  Yikes.

Besides all the serious issues it can cause to your blood health, and therefore organs, over-consumption of sugar can also contribute to hair loss, brittle nails, dry hair, pre-mature aging, and macrobiotics experts even conclude that it makes you more susceptible to skin cancer.

Now, just to clarify, when I talk about sugar, I’m not just talking about white sugar.  I’m talking about all kinds of sugar.  High-fructose corn syrup, powdered sugar, brown sugar, maltitol, brown cane sugar, and artificial sweeteners all have the same impact.

Read the article – I hope you enjoy it and learn something!  Maybe you’ll think twice next time before saying yes to that piece of chocolate cake

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&hp

To your health,

Kimberly

So, is soy good for you or not?   It really depends on the source.

I just read this article from Alicia Silverstone’s website, that offers a straight forward answer to the question about soy:

http://www.thekindlife.com/post/the-deal-with-soyand-five-soymilk-alternatives

I think a great point to take away from this is “think natural”.  As I always say, if you stick with mostly natural foods, you usually can’t go wrong.

To your health,

Kimberly

It is a little choppy (and I think the guy is definitely enamored with Alicia!!), but it’s a nice, down-to-earth interview with a “normal” person who decided on his own to be vegan.  He talks about the benefits he’s seen, and also the things he misses.

Check it out!

http://www.thekindlife.com/post/my-interview-with-veg-businessman-joel

To your health,

Kimberly

http://www.highmowingseeds.com/blog/growing-organic-micro-greens

I thought it was so interesting and it seems pretty darn easy to grow these nutritious greens (even for totally inept growers like me!)  I think I’ll give it a try.

You can get seeds at any garden center or nursery, but I just found out that OB People’s Coop sells them too.

To your health,

Kimberly

Check it out here:  http://foxfitness.com/sugar-sugar-everywhere-sugar-content-in-your-food/

The best way to avoid consuming a lot of sugar, especially refined sugars (white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, etc) is to eat as naturally as possible.  What I mean by this is eating foods that have not been subjected to human processes, packaged, and preserved.  Whole grains (brown rice, wild rice, millet, quinoa, wheat, oats, bulgar, etc) and fresh fruits and vegetables are great choices to base all your meals on.

To your health,

Kimberly

Anyway, if you’re in Madrid and looking for some good quality, natural foods to eat, check this out:

http://guiriguidetomadrid.com/2011/01/salud-madrid-heres-to-your-health/

To your health,

Kimberly

What’s in Season in California?

Depending on where you shop for your groceries (check out the OB People’s Food Cooperative!), trying to find what fruits and vegetables are in season right now can be very confusing.  A lot of stores have EVERYTHING available all the time.  So, how are you supposed to know?

Here is a list of quite a few things that are in season in California right now (January):

• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Beans
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Bok Choy
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Citrus
• Dates
• Fennel
• Garlic
• Kale
• Leeks
• Onions
• Passion fruit
• Parsnips
• Peas
• Radishes
• Spinach
• Winter Squash
• Strawberries

This is not a comprehensive list, but it gives you a good selection to choose from.

As I mentioned last year, I’m going to be starting a macrobiotics course later in January, and one of the principles behind a macrobiotic diet is eating what is in season in your area.  There are reasons that certain things grow in certain areas, based on what the climate is like in that place.  So, doesn’t it make sense to eat what is growing in your area?  You are experiencing the same climate that the fruits and vegetables are experiencing while they’re growing, so your body will get the correct nutrients, and those foods will have to correct impact on your body (i.e. warming or cooling) if you eat based on your location.

As I learn more about this in my course, I’ll share more with you!

To your health,

Kimberly