Does cooking foods, and the method used to cook them, change their nutritional value? Some foods are simply better COOKED and thankfully, antioxidants are not destroyed by boiling – but they leach out into the cooking water, so it is important to consume the water too. Antioxidant power is boosted in mushrooms when they are microwaved or grilled (rather than raw) but boiling them results in significant decreases. Cauliflower is also negatively impacted by boiling - raw or steaming is better. Broccoli has LOTS of lutein, an eyesight, and brain-protecting compound that boiling increases and steaming nearly doubles the lutein levels - but microwaving cuts it down. Finely chopping spinach can double the amount of lutein - cooking almost eliminates it. Those are some tips to get the most out of your plantified plates in the way you prepare them on this Meatless Monday!
It is Transition Tuesday and the last of your grocery list to live longer and live stronger has to do with analogs. Analogs are those "like animal products" that have the texture, taste, and sometimes crunch, without the damage of consuming actual animal products. Go to the produce section in any grocery store and visit the plant-based section for cheeses, hot dogs, sausages, and milk. Then go to the freezer section for Beyond Burgers, Gardien Ultimate Chickn Tenders, black bean burgers, and more! Try them all and see which ones you like best. Though they are highly processed, they are a good way to move away from meat and dairy, and next week we will talk about why they are so beneficial. Keep in mind they are not part of a whole food, plant-based diet that is the healthiest choice, but they are a great way to get there!
prostate cancer rates around the world have a 70-fold difference in incidence, with the highest rates in North America, Northern Europe, New Zealand, and Australia where a lot of milk is consumed, and lower rates in Asia and Africa where little is consumed. Intake of dairy is associated with increased risk of prostate cancer and the more calcium consumed from dairy sources, the higher the risk. The good news is that non-dairy, plant-based calcium sources have been found to protect against it. With plant-based diets, prostate cancer patients had a significant reduction in their PSA levels, indicating tumor shrinkage and their bloodstream became almost eight times better at blocking cancer cell growth! High dairy consumption after a prostate cancer diagnosis can contribute to a 141 percent increased risk of dying from the cancer. The research is clear, dairy is scary for men when it comes to prostate cancer.
This is shocking! By drinking milk after infancy, we persistently ‘abuse’ the growth-promoting signaling system of milk that maintains the most important hallmark of cancer biology, which is a signal to continuously grow! But what about calcium supplements? They have been shown to significantly reduce colon polyps that may otherwise turn into cancer but have also been associated with adverse cardiovascular problems. The best way to get calcium then is from dark-green leafy vegetables and legumes like beans, split peas, chickpeas, and lentils, or calcium-fortified foods, such as soy or almond milk. Check your health on the shelf and remove the milk to prevent and reverse disease and live longer and stronger!
FIX IT FRIDAY MEANS “NO TUNA SALAD SANDWICHES”
Ingredients:
1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained.
3 T tahini
1 tsp Dijon or spicy brown mustard
1 T pure maple syrup
¼ cup diced red onion
¼ cup diced celery
¼ c diced pickle
1 tsp capers drained and chopped.
1 T unsalted sunflower kernels
8 slices Ezekiel Bread
Romaine lettuce sleeves, halved cherry tomatoes,
sliced red onion.
Directions:
In a medium bowl mash chickpeas with a fork, leaving a few whole. Add the rest of the ingredients (through the sunflower kernels). Mix well and scoop onto four slices of bread, add desired toppings, and place remaining bread slices.
Less Meat
= Less Disease and More Meat Analogs!
Cerebrovascular disease is another name for stroke. For the most common type of stroke, which is caused by clots, vegetarians consistently have almost 60 percent lower risk. And for bleeding strokes, they have about 65 percent lower risk than nonvegetarians. Also, there is a significant protective effect of a vegetarian diet when it comes to the incidence and mortality from heart disease and total cancer, with a vegan diet resulting in about twice the reduced risk of cancer. It is Meatless Monday and based on this great news, why not make EVERY day Meatless Monday?!
It is Transition Tuesday and last week we talked about meat analogs – those “like meat” plant-based alternatives and a recent study had people eat two servings a day of plant versus animal meat for eight weeks each while keeping everything else the same. Instead of burgers from cows, sausage from pigs, and breasts from chickens, they ate burgers, sausage, and breasts from plants. The results showed a SIGNIFICANT drop in TMAO levels for the plant-based meat group – TMAO is associated with heart failure, kidney failure, and our number one killer, atherosclerosis. The plant-based meat group also achieved a significant drop in cholesterol – no surprise. Contrary to critics of analogs, there was basically no difference in sodium intake. And the big surprise was weight – the plant-based group lost a couple pounds despite no differences in calorie intake or physical activity levels between each phase. Same calories, yet less weight. Analogs not only help you transition off meat, but they also improve your health, so try them!
Monday, we shared the many benefits to your health of eating no animal products, based on so many studies. But what happens when you stop eating vegetarian and start eating meat? The Adventist Health Study found that compared to those who stayed vegetarian, those who started eating meat suffered a 231 percent increased risk of gaining weight, 166 percent increased risk of developing diabetes, 152 percent increased risk of having a stroke, and 146 percent increased risk of being diagnosed with heart disease. Plantify your plates, y’all, to live longer and live stronger!
The largest and oldest association of nutrition professionals in the world is clear with their messaging: Plant-based diets are appropriate for all stages of our lives and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. For example, vegetarians and vegans are at reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, certain types of cancers, and obesity. Everything we eat has an opportunity cost -unless we are consuming plant-based whole foods, every time we put something in our mouths, we have an opportunity to eat something even healthier. Try it 14 days - live longer, live stronger, and live better by taking those opportunities!
FIX-IT FRIDAY IS TEMPEH BBQ SANDWICHES WITH PINEAPPLE
SLAW!
INGREDIENTS
1 8-oz. package of fresh button mushrooms finely chopped.
1 cup chopped onion.
2 cloves garlic, minced.
4 oz. tempeh, crumbled.
1 cup cooked wheat berries
1 14.5-oz. can of non-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained.
½ cup low-sugar barbecue sauce
2 cups shredded red cabbage.
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple.
¼ cup sliced scallions
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
4 100% whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted.
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large skillet cook mushrooms, onion, and garlic
over medium for 5 to 8 minutes or until tender. Add tempeh and wheat berries; mix
well. Stir in tomatoes and barbecue sauce. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 5 to 8
minutes or until slightly thickened. Meanwhile, for slaw, in a medium bowl toss
together cabbage, pineapple, scallions, and vinegar. Spoon mushroom mixture on
bun bottoms. Top with slaw and bun tops.
