I have had almost a month hiatus from blogging...as you know life's priorities are often numerous ;) Do not think, though, that for any of those days I was not contemplative about FOOD.
One of the more recent themes occurring is the absolute EXPLOSION of gluten-free-ness everywhere I look! Almost every chain restaurant I have dined at has handed me a gluten-free menu: P.F. Chang's (as always), Claim Jumper, BJ's, Maggiano's, and Yard House, to name a few. BJ's even goes farther than just cutting out gluten-containing ingredients, they actually are making gluten-free pizzas with a designated "gluten-free" section in their kitchen! Bisquik now has GF pancake mix, and Betty Crocker offers GF cake mixes. I even recently bought GF macaroni and cheese in the frozen section of my local GAS STATION! (granted, I do live in West LA) But clearly the market for gluten-free products is taking its place in the mainstream food economy.
What's more, behind this movement I am experiencing even MORE abundance of gluten-free foods at my specialty stores. Last week at Whole Foods I bought cinnamon buns, animal-shaped "graham" crackers, and yogurt-covered pretzels...I can hardly tell you how long it has been since I've eaten any of those things! Very exciting for me. Manufacturers are finally mastering the skill of making GF food that actually tastes good.
And clearly GF consumers' buying power is rising. After all, Celiac Disease Foundation estimates that 1 in 133 Americans have celiac disease.
Along with this GF popularity is coming the trendy belief that gluten is "hard to digest", or just downright "bad for you". I do not doubt that as consumers see more and more "gluten-free" labels on products on the shelves, they increasingly wonder if this is a new ingenious health discovery that could benefit them...the bandwagon phenomenon of advertising. I am coining it the New Low-Carb diet: media taught you in the past decade that carbs make you fat...now media is telling you that carbs make you bloated, "inflamed", and ultimately are still why you're fat!
At this point I'm not very knowledgable about the digestion of gluten in a non-celiac body, nor the validity of or research behind these claims. So I am making it my personal goal to become better educated on this issue, and of course I will in turn share it all with you :) But for now...I'm just enjoying feeling like I can eat food from anywhere other than MY kitchen!
P.S. I'm still waiting for GF goldfish crackers...hint hint
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Day 14: NORI
Oh my goodness...I accidentally skipped the letter N!!! And this was my favorite veggie to talk about...so I'm going back to it. My rules.
Nori is Japanese for dried seaweed, also known as "sea vegetable", and like land plants it too undergoes photosynthesis to harness the sun's energy for food. It is actually an algae, which is less "advanced" in structure than plants on land, but does share some similar characteristics. There are many non-edible varieties, particularly those living in fresh water, but the types eaten in Asian, Icelandic, Irish, and many other coastal cuisines for centuries are rich in nutrients. Here in California we typically find nori wrapped around our sushi roll. It took some maturity for me to appreciate the taste of seaweed, but now I even enjoy munching on a sheet of it by itself!
HOW GOOD IT IS FOR YOU:
+ just one sheet (about 2g) has 10 calories: 1g carbs and 1g protein
+ 20% daily vitamin A, and 2% iron, 4% calcium, 14% folate, 4% riboflavin, 7% magnesium, 20% manganese
+ contains phytochemicals not found in land plants which are used in Asia to strengthen the immune system and fight infection
+ also rich in iodine, which is necessary for thyroid functioning, and so used to treat goiter
FUN FACTS:
+ the cultivation and exportation of seaweed from Asia is a $2 billion industry
+ in Belize seaweed is mixed into a drink of milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla...sounds pretty good to me!
+ carrageenan and agar are derived from seaweed, used as thickeners in many food products (as well as toothpaste and cosmetics)
Nori is Japanese for dried seaweed, also known as "sea vegetable", and like land plants it too undergoes photosynthesis to harness the sun's energy for food. It is actually an algae, which is less "advanced" in structure than plants on land, but does share some similar characteristics. There are many non-edible varieties, particularly those living in fresh water, but the types eaten in Asian, Icelandic, Irish, and many other coastal cuisines for centuries are rich in nutrients. Here in California we typically find nori wrapped around our sushi roll. It took some maturity for me to appreciate the taste of seaweed, but now I even enjoy munching on a sheet of it by itself!
HOW GOOD IT IS FOR YOU:
+ just one sheet (about 2g) has 10 calories: 1g carbs and 1g protein
+ 20% daily vitamin A, and 2% iron, 4% calcium, 14% folate, 4% riboflavin, 7% magnesium, 20% manganese
+ contains phytochemicals not found in land plants which are used in Asia to strengthen the immune system and fight infection
+ also rich in iodine, which is necessary for thyroid functioning, and so used to treat goiter
FUN FACTS:
+ the cultivation and exportation of seaweed from Asia is a $2 billion industry
+ in Belize seaweed is mixed into a drink of milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla...sounds pretty good to me!
+ carrageenan and agar are derived from seaweed, used as thickeners in many food products (as well as toothpaste and cosmetics)
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Celiac Food Fair, aka FREEDOM
This past Saturday May 15th I attended, for the first time, the annual Celiac Disease Foundation Conference and Food Fair. Upon entering the ballroom of a downtown hotel, I was surrounded by people with the same diagnosis as me and oodles and oodles of FOOD! I can hardly express how free I felt knowing that I could eat EVERYTHING in that entire room! Here is a summary of my experience:
+ a vast majority of celiacs in attendance were female, "white", and thin
+ gluten-free baked goods are even more unhealthy than their gluten-containing counterparts
+ I am so glad I only have one food limitation: my freedom would have been spoiled if I were still dairy-free or vegetarian
+ ate lunch next to Marlene, a 45+ y.o. woman diagnosed for 25 years. She still gets excited about being given a gluten-free meal at the annual convention. She says it gets easier but most challenges never change...yay?
+ I truly have adopted an untrusting celiac mentality: with the presentation of a salad, various dressings, and a hot entree with sauce I felt very nervous not asking about the ingredients, even though I knew I was in the best of hands. And the next day when I felt nauseous I wondered if I had been gluten-poisoned, even though I can't imagine how that would be possible
+ met a 21-yr-old USC student with celiac disease AND type I diabetes. She is hoping first for a cure for celiac disease - says it's the more challenging disease
+ I am lucky to have been diagnosed so quickly...most celiacs undergo up to years of testing before doctors perform the right ones
+ symptoms of celiac disease vary WIDELY...some people vomit right away, others like myself would never know the difference
+ the standards for celiac treatment (the rules for food choices and avoiding contamination) are still changing. Vinegar and hard liquor? ok as of 10 years ago. Oats? ok as of 5 years ago (if certified GF). How to eat at restaurants? still very much under debate!
+ I wish I lived in Italy: with my diagnosis I would receive free blood tests and surgical screenings, 2 additional paid days off work each year (fo what I have no clue), money for gluten-free groceries, and restaurant of gluten-free pasta and pizza!
+ although ALL gluten ingested will cause inflammation from the immune response, research shows that up to 2mg per day will not cause the death of intestinal cells which most affects malabsorption and risk for cancer(research still in progress)
+ cookies, cupcakes, pizza, cookies, cake, cookies, cookies, and more cookies
+ I am not alone
+ a vast majority of celiacs in attendance were female, "white", and thin
+ gluten-free baked goods are even more unhealthy than their gluten-containing counterparts
+ I am so glad I only have one food limitation: my freedom would have been spoiled if I were still dairy-free or vegetarian
+ ate lunch next to Marlene, a 45+ y.o. woman diagnosed for 25 years. She still gets excited about being given a gluten-free meal at the annual convention. She says it gets easier but most challenges never change...yay?
+ I truly have adopted an untrusting celiac mentality: with the presentation of a salad, various dressings, and a hot entree with sauce I felt very nervous not asking about the ingredients, even though I knew I was in the best of hands. And the next day when I felt nauseous I wondered if I had been gluten-poisoned, even though I can't imagine how that would be possible
+ met a 21-yr-old USC student with celiac disease AND type I diabetes. She is hoping first for a cure for celiac disease - says it's the more challenging disease
+ I am lucky to have been diagnosed so quickly...most celiacs undergo up to years of testing before doctors perform the right ones
+ symptoms of celiac disease vary WIDELY...some people vomit right away, others like myself would never know the difference
+ the standards for celiac treatment (the rules for food choices and avoiding contamination) are still changing. Vinegar and hard liquor? ok as of 10 years ago. Oats? ok as of 5 years ago (if certified GF). How to eat at restaurants? still very much under debate!
+ I wish I lived in Italy: with my diagnosis I would receive free blood tests and surgical screenings, 2 additional paid days off work each year (fo what I have no clue), money for gluten-free groceries, and restaurant of gluten-free pasta and pizza!
+ although ALL gluten ingested will cause inflammation from the immune response, research shows that up to 2mg per day will not cause the death of intestinal cells which most affects malabsorption and risk for cancer(research still in progress)
+ cookies, cupcakes, pizza, cookies, cake, cookies, cookies, and more cookies
+ I am not alone
Day 13: OKRA
Okra - not so popular in California, but very much so in the South - it is after all the essential ingredient in gumbo. In American cuisine it is traditionally paired with shrimp, but okra is also very common in African, Carribean, Indian, Mediterranean, and Asian cuisines in sauces, stews, and side dishes. Okra is the flowering part of a plant related to cotton, cocoa, and hibiscus, that contains MANY seeds inside (so here's another veggie that's actually a fruit!). I had never had okra in my life until two years ago when I tasted a spicy red curry dish at the Restaurant, but still have never cooked it at home until now. I tried them sauteed with olive oil, white onion, garlic, and lemon juice in a sauce from 1 can of diced tomatoes. I'm partway to gumbo, right??
HOW GOOD IT IS FOR YOU:
+ 1 cup has only 31 calories: 0g fat, 7g carbs (3g dietary fiber, 1g sugars), 2g protein
+ provides 35% daily vitamin C, 66% vitamin K, 22% folate, 50% manganese, and good amounts of vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorous...and the list goes on!
+ contains nearly all essential amino acids in the seeds (though only 2g total)
+ is known to relieve constipation from the "mucilagen" and fiber contained within the pods (the material holding all the seeds)
FUN FACTS:
+ it was brought to the US from Africa in the slave trade
+ okra leaves can also be eaten raw in salads or sauteed (though where one buys okra leaves I have no idea)
+ okra has been around atleast 12 centuries B.C., as the ancient Egyptians reported it in their cuisine
+ overcooking it leads to "okra slime", from the heat's affect on the inner mucilagen. This can also be minimized by trimming the ends of the pod
Day 12: MUSHROOMS
I think it is important that I dedicate a day to another non-vegetable that is used as a vegetable in cuisine...the mushroom. Now, mushrooms get a very bad rap...because they're a fungus after all. Typically we think of fungi in terms of their harmful effects - spoiling that last piece of bread you needed for your sandwich, or overgrowth of yeast of the feminine...you know where. But these are examples of excess that are repulsive by intuition. Heck, we know that excess fats and oils can lead to "gross" obesity, but that doesn't mean that fats are entirely bad (indeed we know they are also necessary to the human body).
A mushroom is actually the structure of fungus that grows above soil - essentially the flower that helps to spread the seeds (spores) of the organism. Not all are edible, but thanks to the trial-and-error of our ancestors we have found those "flowers" that are also nutritious to the human body (doesn't it sound nicer to think of it as a flower?).
The nutrient value of mushrooms differs according to the variety. Shiitake seem to be the most nutritious, followed by white mushrooms, then brown or crimini. And of course you can get into all the fancy expensive mushrooms and truffles (mushroom cousins), but I'm going to keep it simple and review the shiitakes, which are great sauteed with other veggies into a stir-fry, pasta dish, or topping a burger.
HOW GOOD THEY ARE FOR YOU:
+ 1 cup has 7g carbohydrate, NONE of which are sugar, 3g dietary fiber, 0g fat and 3g protein
+ a good source of riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium
+ also contain omega-6 fatty acids
+ add great flavor to your dish without adding a lot of calories (43 in 1 cup)
FUN FACTS:
+ some raw mushrooms contain the carcinogens "hydrazines", but when cooked this compound is destroyed
+ never eat mushrooms in the wild, since many poisonous types resemble those that we buy in the grocery store
+ many mushrooms produce psychoactive effects such as halucinations and euphoria, (you may know them as "shrooms") and they have long been used in native spiritual ceremonies (got to thank the trial-and-error of those ancestors again...)
+ in Asia some specific mushrooms have been used for medicinal properties, including inhibition of tumor growth and enhancement of the immune system. Research in western medicine has increased in the past 50 years
+ penicillin is the antibiotic that was discovered occurring naturally in the fungus penicillium to protect itself from bacteria. Several other antibiotics have been discovered in this way
See, mushrooms can be nutritious, delicious, psychadellic, and medicinal...so let's not be prejudiced against them all!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
There is no "easy" option
Tonight, as I left the grocery store parking lot with my bag of uncooked ingredients for my dinner, my eye was caught by the neon lights of the Panda Express at the other end of the shopping center. I thought "oh, how easy it would be if I could just grab a hot, filling, tastey dinner from there (and for only $6)". And I thought of how many other people driving home from work and errands were doing that very thing. And then I thought of how many people in this country do that always, every day, and how widespread is obesity, mainly due to this human, primitive fact: our bodies instinctively want nourishment in the most efficient way possible, and with ingredients that we can count on to satisfy and last (read FATs).
In some ways the excessive weight of the western world is an accomplishment: for the first time in history there are more overnourished people in the world than there are undernourished. As a race we are not dying of starvation! But we ARE dying of...heart disease. How ironic that this "too much of a good thing" is just that: although we do not struggle to be adequately fed, we struggle to be healthily fed, and it pays its price on all parts of our bodies.
Cue entrance of celiac disease: my life is full of restrictions (and this blog is full of me talking about them ;). But as challenging as it is, I know that the condition is also a blessing - because for me, there is no easy option. I cannot eat whenever or whatever I want from the abundance of food choices available everywhere I look, whether it is Panda Express, McDonald's, or Super Organic Health Restaurant. Feeding myself cannot be as instantaneous as it has now become in the modern world; even if I do not grow my own food, or in the rare cases that I pay to have someone else prepare it, I must be mindful and careful of the way in which it is prepared, which reinserts my consciousness into the process. If to order a hamburger I have to get out of my car to go inside, explain how I need them to clean the grill and use new gloves to handle my patty, then stress about if they will truly do so, it makes the fast food option MUCH less appealing! I might as well grill my own patty of 98% lean meat at home where I know it will be safe.
Because of celiac disease, I am forced into living that old "European" lifestyle that we romanticize, in which Mother shopped at the local market daily for the fresh foods that she would prepare for all of the family's meals. My options for processed, packaged foods are much more limited (although they are increasing) which leads to me cooking more whole foods that are much healthier anyway!
Unfortunately many people actually have reached a level of obesity which really requires the same dietary and lifestyle changes as I have had to make. I remember how, prior to being diagnosed, I thought I was doomed to be a tired person forever; I had completely forgotten what it felt like to feel good and full of energy, and I suspect the same is true for many whose condition of obesity has not yet been confronted. How different the world might be if obesity could be seen with the same urgency and severity of consequences as my disease...would we see those quick and easy food options as a poison, as something that is not even an option.
disclaimer: nothing about this post is intended to be a judgement
In some ways the excessive weight of the western world is an accomplishment: for the first time in history there are more overnourished people in the world than there are undernourished. As a race we are not dying of starvation! But we ARE dying of...heart disease. How ironic that this "too much of a good thing" is just that: although we do not struggle to be adequately fed, we struggle to be healthily fed, and it pays its price on all parts of our bodies.
Cue entrance of celiac disease: my life is full of restrictions (and this blog is full of me talking about them ;). But as challenging as it is, I know that the condition is also a blessing - because for me, there is no easy option. I cannot eat whenever or whatever I want from the abundance of food choices available everywhere I look, whether it is Panda Express, McDonald's, or Super Organic Health Restaurant. Feeding myself cannot be as instantaneous as it has now become in the modern world; even if I do not grow my own food, or in the rare cases that I pay to have someone else prepare it, I must be mindful and careful of the way in which it is prepared, which reinserts my consciousness into the process. If to order a hamburger I have to get out of my car to go inside, explain how I need them to clean the grill and use new gloves to handle my patty, then stress about if they will truly do so, it makes the fast food option MUCH less appealing! I might as well grill my own patty of 98% lean meat at home where I know it will be safe.
Because of celiac disease, I am forced into living that old "European" lifestyle that we romanticize, in which Mother shopped at the local market daily for the fresh foods that she would prepare for all of the family's meals. My options for processed, packaged foods are much more limited (although they are increasing) which leads to me cooking more whole foods that are much healthier anyway!
Unfortunately many people actually have reached a level of obesity which really requires the same dietary and lifestyle changes as I have had to make. I remember how, prior to being diagnosed, I thought I was doomed to be a tired person forever; I had completely forgotten what it felt like to feel good and full of energy, and I suspect the same is true for many whose condition of obesity has not yet been confronted. How different the world might be if obesity could be seen with the same urgency and severity of consequences as my disease...would we see those quick and easy food options as a poison, as something that is not even an option.
disclaimer: nothing about this post is intended to be a judgement
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Day 11: LEEKS
I have never, ever, cooked a leek. To be honest, I am very confused about the difference between a leek, a green onion, a scallion, a shallot, and a chive...so hey, why not finally find out for myself! (and anyone else who has wondered!)
Leeks are related to onions and garlic: members of the alliaceae family. A leek's bulb never develops as bulbous-ly, but rather stays cylindrical, and grows tall and wide green stalks. The inner light-green leaves are used more than the darker-green ones because of the latter's bitter flavor. Green onion and scallion actually ARE two names for the same thing: and they essentially look like mini-leeks. They are more mild in flavor than onions, and they never fully grow a bulb (hence why the white part is so small). Shallot, on the other hand, actually is a different plant than the scallion, and its oblong bulb is somewhat sweeter than the onion. Finally, the chive is the smallest of all onion relatives, with the skinniest of green stalks.
HOW GOOD THEY ARE FOR YOU:
+ only 1 ounce of leek actually has a considerable amount of nutrients: about 10% vitamins A, C, and K, and a bit of folate, iron, calcium, and manganese
+ like other onion relatives and garlic, leek phytonutrients help to maintain healthy blood cholesterol levels, and protect the body from growing cancer cells and toxins
+ onion-family flavanoids have been shown in research to lower risk for ovarian cancer
FUN FACTS:
+ the term "ramp" is used for wild leeks
+ Aristotle claimed that the partridge bird's clear voice was due to eating leeks
+ leeks are most commonly prepared in potato and leek soups!
+ avoid over-cooking leeks to prevent them from becoming slimey and mushy
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