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. 

Angiogenesis is critical to our health – it is growing and maintaining our blood vessels. We have 60,000 miles of blood vessels in each of us - our bodies are miraculous! Maintaining our blood vessels leads to optimal health but many factors can derail it - leading to either excessive or insufficient angiogenesis. And how is it best controlled? You guessed right, through what we eat and the health of our gut microbiomes! Stay tuned to hear more about the best ways to care for our blood vessels and have a magnificent Monday everyone! 

Last week we started a transition shopping list for you, suggesting veggies to buy. Here is the best list for fruits and remember fresh is best but frozen is fine - unless sugar has been added. Add oranges, apples, peaches, plums, passion fruit, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, red grapes, cherries, passion fruit, pomegranates, and apricots - all fruits you love - to your shopping carts. Try one new fruit every week and look for organic whenever possible. Never be concerned about the grams of sugar in real fruits - the fiber that carries the sugar slows the absorption, and the nutrients in fruit are stellar. Have a terrific transition Tuesday everyone, transitioning to better health! 

Monday, we mentioned the best way to support angiogenesis – growing and maintaining the 60,000 miles of our blood vessels – is by having a healthy gut. After just a few days of unhealthy diets, we wreak havoc on our microbiome and leave scars that take time to recover, even after we eat healthier. The best way to care for our gut microbiome, and then every one of our blood vessels, is to eat lots of dietary fiber from real foods, less animal protein, more fresh, whole foods, and less processed foods. Remember that unprocessed foods are those that have nothing added and nothing taken away. If you are interested in seeing how well you are doing on consuming the best foods, and ways to improve, search “Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score", and have a wonderful Wednesday everyone! 

All week we have been talking about angiogenesis – the critical need to care for our blood vessels that supply everything our cells, organs, and bodies need to be healthy. The foods that support angiogenesis will not surprise you at all. They are: 

·         Soy, Tomatoes, Broccoli, and Kale

·         Stone fruits like peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots, cherries, mango

·         Green tea and chamomile tea

·         Apples and berries

·         Tree nuts such as walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, pistachios, pine nuts, and macadamia nuts

·         Seeds, including flax seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and chia seeds.

·         Beans, capers, onions, peppers, dark chocolate, and barley. 

Plantify your plates to take care of your blood vessels!  

It is Fix-it Friday.

Vegan Spaghetti Marinara with Lentil Meatballs

 INGREDIENTS

 1 cup dry brown lentils rinsed and drained.

1 8-oz. package button or cremini mushrooms trimmed and chopped.

1 onion, chopped (1 cup)

3 small cloves garlic, minced.

¼ cup whole wheat flour

3 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce.

2 tablespoons of no-salt-added tomato paste.

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed.

1 teaspoon onion powder

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

1 lb. dry whole-grain spaghetti

6 cups purchased oil-free marinara sauce.

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil.

 INSTRUCTIONS

In a large saucepan combine lentils and 1 cup water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes more or until lentils are tender. Uncover and cook until any remaining liquid has evaporated. Stir in the next seven ingredients (through salt and pepper). Cook, uncovered, over low for about 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and the pan is very dry, stirring occasionally. (Watch carefully so lentils do not scorch.) Spread mixture in a shallow baking pan; cool completely. Preheat oven to 250°F. Line a 15×10-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Scoop out 2 Tbsp. lentil mixture, shape into a ball, and place in prepared pan. Repeat to make about 20 lentil balls. Bake for 45 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions. In a saucepan heat marinara sauce. Drain spaghetti, return to pot, and toss with 3 cups of the warm marinara sauce. To serve, top spaghetti with lentil balls and top with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with basil.

 Reference:  Eat to beat disease by Dr. William Li and Forks Over Knives Cookbook 

On this meatless Monday, we are going to talk about our genetic makeup, that "legacy" that our parents and grandparents bestow upon us - many of them good, some not so good. Genes are parts of our DNA that determine certain traits. There are myths about our genetic makeup - first, many times our health is not related to our genes at ALL - it is not the DNA our parents gave us, it is how they ate, moved, socialized - their lifestyles that they passed onto us. Second, if we did indeed receive genetic challenges from them, we think we can try and overcome them through better lifestyles alone. Most of us are unaware that we can CHANGE our DNA - we can modify our own genes to counter family history and stop the legacy! Stay tuned and have a marvelous Monday! 

Yesterday we talked about the myths regarding the genetic code our parents give us - that most times it is not their genes but their lifestyle habits we inherit, and that if we did get genetic problems from them, we cannot change anything about it. This is exciting news for everyone who has been burdened with concern about their family genes - we can CHANGE our DNA! It sounds incredible, but we can activate dormant GOOD genes that help prevent disease and turn off - it is called down-regulating - BAD genes that cause cancer, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses! WOW! Have a terrific Tuesday everyone and come back tomorrow to learn more! 

All week we are focusing on genes - the fact that most of what we think are "genetic issues" - my mom was diabetic, my dad and grandma had cancer - are not passed onto us at all genetically, but because they were a result of lifestyle choices. If we do not own those lifestyles, we do not own those genes. But we also know from research that we can change our genes. Yes, we have the power of the plate to change our destiny, and a plant-based diet was found to cause more than 500 genes to exchange their expression in ONLY 3 months - meaning good genes ramped up and bad genes diminished. So, on this wonderful Wednesday, consider improving your wealth of health by eating more plants, and no meat. 

We have talked all week about our genes - that we can change our genetic code, our DNA, and its legacy through lifestyle changes and HOW does that work? God made our bodies to be so miraculous! At the very ends of our DNA strands are what we call telomeres, and they are so important - they protect our chromosomes from being damaged. Those protective caps seem to shorten and protect us less as we age - here is the exciting part so drum roll, please. The research found that those who shifted to a plant-based diet LENGTHENED THEIR TELOMERES BY 10%! Those who continued their Standard American Diet had telomeres shortened by 3%. We can live longer and live stronger by improving our DNA with plants! 

We have talked all week about fixing our genes - yes, we can! - by lengthening the protective telomeres on the end of every strand of DNA through nutrition. There is an entire field called epigenetics that studies how behaviors and our environment affects our genetic material  They are finding more and more that by reducing the environmental factors that put us most at health risk - sugary and processed foods, pollutants and heavy metals, and lack of exercise and stress, we can have a positive impact on our genes.  Foods that shorten our telomeres are red meat, white bread, sweetened drinks saturated fat, and alcohol. Those that lengthen them are whole grains, veggies, nuts, beans, seaweed, fruits, and coffee. So, add those to your health on the shelf and have a fantastic Friday everyone! 

References:  The Alzheimer’s Solution by Dr. Aesha and Dr. Dean Sherzai and 72 Reasons to be Vegan by Gene Stone and Kathy Freston