Kicking off "Transition Tuesday" and the Benefits of Quinoa!

 

Holistic Habits by Cheryl A. Mothes, Ph.D. Natural Health Nutrition Counselor

Content is a daily radio script from my KHIS radio spot - tune in at 6:15 (CST) every morning to Justin and Meredith’s morning show on 89.9 FM.

 Approximately 90 percent of the world’s calories are produced by less than one percent of the thousands of edible plants. The big three are wheat, corn, and rice but this may be unsustainable, given the ongoing climate crisis AND it is not the healthiest due to our need for diverse foods to function our best. Crops like quinoa might do better with drought and heat and are nutrient-dense. Quinoa has only been popular recently, but humans have been eating quinoa for more than 7,000 years! Boost your intake of grains and seeds by adding them to soups, tossing them in salads, or serving them as a rice alternative on this Meatless Monday! 

It is TRANSITION TUESDAY, and we will start featuring ways to move to a healthier lifestyle, every Tuesday! Here are some tips to get started. Put your "Why" on a note where you will see it every day, such as your bathroom mirror or computer screen. Why do you want to feel better, function best, reduce pain, have more clarity, improve mental health, live longer, and contribute more? Then search the internet for whole food plant-based recipes. Great resources are "Forks Over Knives", "The Simple Veganista" and "Nutritionfacts.org". Let us face it, most of us fix five or six things over and over again - so sometimes a cookbook with 200 recipes is overwhelming. Look for five or six recipes you know you will love and start with those, then build more. This week, the transition from buying cows' milk to buying almond milk or cashew milk – higher in calcium, no saturated fat, and a great way to live longer and live stronger! 

Monday, we mentioned quinoa is a better crop for drought and heat, helping us save water in production. And though it is not a "superfood", it is a GREAT food. In one study, a cup a day for 12 weeks led to a 36 percent drop in triglycerides - about the same as taking meds! Red and black quinoa has almost twice the antioxidant power of white. Like so many foods, the more color, the better! Find it in nearly every store and Google, '30 Best Quinoa Recipes" for fabulous dishes that will be a party in your mouth! 

The results of 50 randomized controlled trials show nearly all point to higher blood cholesterol with greater egg intake. And that is just looking at fasting cholesterol taken in the morning, not the higher "after-meal" states. Eating more dietary cholesterol ramps up your levels of cholesterol for hours after a meal, then we eat again! The big deal about cholesterol is heart disease is the #1 reason you will lose your spouses, parents, siblings, friends, and children. Check out egg alternatives for baking and breakfast, and check labels for egg products to improve your health on the shelf! 

It is Fix-it Friday and how about a delicious "Forbidden Bowl" from our friends at the "Be a Plant-based Warrior Woman?" 

Ingredients:

Teriyaki Tofu cubes

1-2 cups of forbidden rice (black rice)

4 -6 cups greens (napa cabbage, Bok choy, fresh spring greens)

1 large, sweet potato cooked and cubed.

1 ½ c edamame

½ c grated carrot

1 cubed mango

¼ purple cabbage, sliced

3 chopped green onions.

1 cubed avocado

Sesame Ginger Sauce or Lightning Dressing

Broccoli sprouts

 Directions:

Prepare the tofu cubes and sauce or dressing (also in their cookbook) and cook the rice according to directions. Place the greens in a serving bowl next to the rice and have separate bowls for all the other ingredients. Each person builds their own wonderful bowl and finishes with sauce or dressing. FUN and loaded with nutrients!

FROM THE ARCHIVES 

In the U.S. it is interesting to note that foods that are referred to as “junk” are sometimes the most consumed – candy, ice cream, chips, and more. The term “junk food” has been replaced in research by the term “ultra-processed.”  In many ways, it is not really food – it is industrial formulations that have long lists of ingredients which, other than salt, sugar, and oil, are not usually even found in a cookbook, because they are mostly "additives.”  There has been a dramatic rise in ultra-processed foods – in fact, they dominate our food supply – 71%. This is a big problem because they are high in calories and toxins, and low in nutrition. Up to 70% of what our children and teens eat during their day fits in this category! On this terrific Tuesday, help your children live longer and stronger by replacing junk food with the real deal.

 Yesterday we started the conversation on junk food – also known as ultra-processed food. As these food-like substances have increased, so has binge eating, which is now the most common eating disorder. These foods are engineered so you cannot have just one – people never binge on broccoli 😊. But ultra-processed foods are associated with bad health outcomes – not just obesity, but cancer, diabetes, heart disease, depression, and more. Populations with low meat consumption, high fiber, and minimally processed food intake have far less chronic disease and lower obesity rates – they live longer and disease-free. Studies have shown that on an ultra-processed diet, subjects ate about 500 more calories a day. So, look at your health on the shelf and literally, think outside the box… wrapper…or any packaging - and load up with real foods.  Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone.! 

You may have heard of a macrobiotic diet, which emphasizes whole grains, vegetables, and beans while minimizing meat, eggs, and dairy. For reasons only they know, they restrict fruit and encourage salt, which research shows is not healthful. Some of the most anti-inflammatory foods are herbs and spices, which we would recommend rather than the sea salt and soy sauce they use. Macrobiotic diets were studied, with only 3 weeks of being on strictly plant-based diets of whole grains, vegetables, and beans, and incredibly the subjects reduced their blood pressure by 10%, their bad LDL cholesterol by a whopping 35%, and fasting blood sugars by 38% - in just 21 days! And yes, they lost weight, but so much more. Plantify your plates and see what happens! 

Intermittent fasting has gotten a lot of attention in the past few years – in fact, it was the most popular dietary strategy among Americans in 2021. The advantages of IF include stabilization of blood sugar levels, reducing blood pressure, lower cholesterol and other heart-related factors and there’s evidence it can reduce cancer risk. But what is IF? The 16/8 method is the most popular, which means you fast for 16 hours (no food but water and tea) and eat within an 8-hour period. For example, breakfast at 8 a.m. and the last meal finished at 4 pm – no food in between. Try it and have a fantastic Friday everybody!