By Lori Krause

It’s been such a mild winter and nice spring, I’m hoping the local farmers have bumper crops this year!

We are so lucky to have several quality Farmer’s Markets all over the Kansas City metro.   There is a great market in Downtown Overland Park, right behind the clock tower and one at  137th and Antioch in Overland Park.  Brookside has a great one as does Lee’s Summit.  And from where I live, 162nd and State Line-ish, the one in the River Market area is worth the drive!  But I admit that I am not good at getting up early and don’t get to go as often as I should.  But I have participated in the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program provided by the local Hen House Markets.   For a small membership fee and then so many dollars per week, I get the freshest from the local farmers.  I remember the first year getting Swiss Chard and wondering not only what it was, but what I was going to do with it!  Quiche with my fresh eggs & milk was the answer.   Now I look forward to the challenge if there is something in my bag that I’m unfamiliar with or have not cooked or eaten in the past.

So a few years ago when I first made the decision to start eating more fresh, local produce, I invested in a couple of new cookbooks.  *Here is where I need to insert that my dear husband would say, “You know honey, that internet thing just may take off,” but I am one of “those” people who love cookbooks!  And no I haven’t converted to a Kindle or Nook yet either for my pleasure reading, but that’s a different discussion!  But the first cookbook I bought was “From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce” which was put out a few years ago by the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition in Madison, Wisconsin.  I saw it in the kitchen of our favorite cousins who live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin one summer when we visited.   In addition to great recipes it talks about the benefits of participating in a CSA and eating from local farmers.

The other book I bought at the time was “Farmer John’s Cookbook:  The Real Dirt on Vegetables.”  By John Peterson and Angelic Organics.  It too has great recipes for farm fresh produce but talks about the life of an organic farmer.

One of my other favorites is “Simply in Season” by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert.  The recipes are divided by season and almost every recipe has a suggestion for alternative ingredients.  I like that because I tend to improvise A LOT when I cook.  I sometimes need inspiration, thoughts and ideas to get me started with a meal idea, but adjust to what my family will eat (or try) and what ingredients I have on hand.

I grew up a farm girl, but there are things offered now in Farmer’s Markets and part of the CSA I wasn’t familiar with.  I urge you to follow my example and be willing to experiment and sample the fresh produce we now have available.  And find a good recipe resource to help you get started!

Happy Eating!

by Jennifer Faimon

If you’ve been drinking one or more sodas every day, that aluminum can in your hand is to blame for those extra digits on the scale. We’re not talking a couple pounds either. We’re talking long term weight gain. One can of cola adds more than 100 calories to your daily intake. That’s over 10 lbs of additional body fat every year.

Obesity, type-2 diabetes, and soda addiction have all risen together steadily and scarily over the past decades. Coincidence? Not a chance. Soda is sabotaging your body.

What’s so bad about a little bubbly liquid?
Lots and lots of calories and zero nutritional value. Sugary soft drinks account for almost 10% of the average American’s daily caloric intake. That’s a ton of empty calories that lack any of the nutrients, fiber, or minerals your body needs to function. Because soda’s missing what your body craves, no matter how much you drink you’ll still be left feeling hungry. So, on top of hundreds of empty calories, you pile on additional food that still counts against your ideal daily allotment. Remember, there is one absolute truth: if you take in more calories than you burn you will gain weight.

Your odds of becoming obese increase as much as 1.6 times for every 12 ounces of soda you drink over the course of the day. That’s because one small can of soda holds a whopping 140 calories of added sugar. Reality check: at most fast food restaurants, a 12 ounce serving of soda is considered the kiddie size.

All these added sugars are simple sugars, meaning they are readily and easily absorbed. When you take in such a high volume so quickly your insulin spikes. Your body can’t handle the rapid influx, which leads to extra glucose being stored as fat. You don’t get any lasting energy from the liquid carbs; you get that familiar and inevitable crash. Instead of being ready to hit the gym to burn off any extra fat, you’re so exhausted you just hit the couch.

I’ll just switch to diet soda!
Not so fast. Recent studies show that over time diet sodas still cause weight gain. If you drink 2 or more servings of diet soda a day you are 5 times more likely to increase dangerous visceral fat in your midsection. That extra fat puts you at greater risk for diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses.

Let’s say you only drink a single serving of diet soda a day. Diet soda is still high in sodium. The more sodium in your body, the more water you’ll retain. Which means if you’re trying to lose weight, diet soda can actually make it that much harder move the scale in the right direction. And let’s not forget the artificial sweeteners in diet soda – a BIG no-no!

Instead of sodas, why not reach for healthier and even more refreshing beverages?
If you won’t give up the carbonated bite of soda, mix two parts seltzer water with one part 100% fruit juice – like pomegranate or cranberry. You’ll get your pleasant pop and fizz along with rich antioxidants and vitamins. Embrace homemade smoothies made with fresh fruit and almond milk or Greek yogurt for added protein.

Maybe it’s time you jump on the green tea train. Even if you sweeten your tea, you’re more likely to check your sugar intake when you’re the one spooning in the sweetener. Or reach for that oldie but goodie, pure H2O.

One thing is for sure: cut out sodas and you’ll start to feel lighter than carbonated air.

Let us help you rid yourself of the nutrition which sabotages your health and help you make better choices you can trust and a workout that gets results!

by Louise Voelker

Chia Pudding

Serves 6

Chia seeds soaked overnight turn into a simple pudding, similar in consistency to tapioca.

Ingredients

2/3 cup chia seeds
2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk such as soy, almond or rice milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons currants or chopped dried figs or dates
2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes

Method

Put chia seeds, almond milk and vanilla in a 1-quart glass jar with a lid. Tighten the lid and shake well to thoroughly combine. Or, stir together seeds, almond milk and vanilla in a bowl. Refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, stir well. Spoon into bowls and top with fruit and coconut.

Nutrition

Per serving: 280 calories (70 from fat), 7g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 200mg sodium, 49g total carbohydrate (7g dietary fiber, 7g sugar), 3g protein

Carrot Cashew Spread

Serves 8

This spread is also delicious for breakfast or a snack on toasted slices of Health Starts Here whole grain bread, instead of on crackers.

Ingredients

3 carrots, chopped
1 cup raw cashew pieces, divided
15 dried apricots, quartered (about 1/2 cup)
32 365 Everyday Value Woven Wheats Whole Wheat Crackers (from 1 box)

Method

Put carrots into a small pot and cover by 2 inches with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Add 3/4 cup cashews and apricots, cover and continue to simmer until carrots are very soft, 5 to 7 minutes more; reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, and then drain well. Transfer carrot mixture and reserved water to a food processor and purée until smooth. Chill for at least one hour, and then spread onto crackers, garnish with remaining cashews and serve.

Nutrition

Per serving: 200 calories (70 from fat), 8g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 105mg sodium, 28g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 2g sugar), 6g protein

By Louise Voelker

Cleansing Veggie Stir-fry Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 bunch lacinato kale, chopped

2 golden beets, chopped

1/2 head purple cabbage, chopped

1 baby bok choy, chopped

1 large carrot, thinly sliced

1 medium yellow onion or 2 shallots, chopped

1 inch ginger root, minced

1 cup crimini mushrooms, quartered

8 asparagus stalks, cut in 1-inch pieces, tough ends removed

2 Tablespoons almond butter

1 Tablespoon low sodium, wheat-free tamari or soy sauce

1 Tablespoon water

1 15oz can no salt added black beans, drained and rinsed

Method

Steam-fry* kale, beets, cabbage, bok choy, carrot, onion and ginger root until kale wilts (~7 minutes).  Mix almond butter, tamari and water together while veggies are cooking.  Add mushrooms, asparagus and black beans to stir-fry and cook until another 2-3 minutes until mushrooms are warm.  Add mixture of tamari, almond butter and water to veggies and mix until all vegetables are coated.  Serve over brown rice.

* Learn how to steam-fry by watching this video.

Benefits

This stir-fry recipe is packed full of nutrient dense foods that help cleanse the body of toxins:

• The Lacinato kale provides Isothiocyanates (ITCs), which may decrease the risk of certain types of cancer.  Kale also contains 45 different flavonoids that have anti-inflammatory properties and they act as antioxidants that help protect our cell membranes from free radicals.
• The golden beets provide an antioxidant called betalain that provides detoxification support, especially in phase 2 of the liver detoxification process.
• Purple cabbage contains a glucosinolate compound called “sinigrin” that may have cancer prevention potential for the bladder, colon and prostate.
• Carrots have a phytonutrient called polyacetylenes that may inhibit the growth of cancer in the colon cells.
• Ginger promotes healthy sweating, which helps rid body of toxins during detoxing and helps fight off infection.
• Black beans have anthocyanins, which act as antioxidants in our body.
• The brown rice and black beans are good sources of soluble fiber that binds to toxins in the intestine, which destines the toxins to be eliminated from your body.

References:

www.whfoods.com

Matheson EM, Mainous AG 3rd and Carnemolla MA. The association between onion consumption and bone density in perimenopausal and postmenopausal non-Hispanic white women 50 years and older. Menopause. 2009 Jul-Aug;16(4):756-9. 2009

By Lori Krause

A few months ago I was running through the store to pick up a few things. Thinking of dinner that night and how I was going to make some whole wheat beer bread, honey butter sounded so good melting into a freshly sliced piece! I went to the dairy case and pick up a little carton of a national brand, not giving it a second though. It’s honey butter, right? Honey and butter. Oh how wrong I was.

The ingredients were right there staring me on the face when I decided to look at them. No, it wasn’t just honey and butter but high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil AND regular soybean oil. Artificial flavor and color! Why do food manufacturers have to add all that stuff to simple food?

I felt cheated and stupid. This is what I’ve been preaching and trying to practice for years – read the labels! My husband, Jim said I should have taken it back but I didn’t. And not wanting to waste it, we did eat it over a period of time. But I made a vow NOT to buy it again and the next time I wanted some I’d figure out how to make it.

Another night we were having cornbread and again the thought of honey butter came to mind. Do you know how hard it was to make my own? A 1/2 cup soft butter and a 1/4 cup honey mixed with a hand mixer! How simple is that?

And while I’m on the subject, just yesterday I was looking at pickles. My son likes sweet pickles on sandwiches and I’ll add chopped pickles to a few recipes. Again, every commercial brand I picked up had high fructose corn syrup and usually the second ingredient right after cucumbers! Some even had more artificial colors and flavors.  ?I’m not sure I’m up for making my own pickles, (although my mom and grandmother used to) but if you can find “Million Dollar Pickles” made at Blackberry Hill Farms in Rich Hill, Missouri they are great! And their ingredient list is cucumbers, vinegar, sugar and spices. Perfect!

By Joanie Whitman

The authors of The Reflux Diet Cookbook, Dr. Jamie Koufman and Dr. Jordan Stern, tested 30 varieties of prepared baby food for added acids using pH measurements.  Shockingly, they found that many had a pH of 4 and under.   The doctors released their findings on three major brands (some were even organic):

• Gerber
• Beech Nut
• Earth’s Best

All 30 varieties tested contained some form of acid used as a preservative to lengthen the shelf-life of products – even the organic brands.  The authors explained that babies should generally be fed foods with a pH of greater than 5 and that more acidic food should not be included in the diet on a regular basis because it increases susceptibility to infant acid reflux.  They also pointed out that many foods are already highly acidic, so adding even more acid worsens the problem.

Inhabitots posted some helpful in-depth information on the inherent troubles with many prepared baby food:

It’s no secret that jarred baby food, even the organic variety, is far from perfect. In recent years, it has been discovered that a majority of jarred baby food, (including baby food from many top-notch organic brands), contains extra trans fat, sugar and sodium your baby doesn’t need — not to mention the BPA found in the metal lids of glass jars of baby food.

Added acid like citric acid, ascorbic acid and even folic acid can increase the acidity in your baby’s diet and thus may result in increased incidents of baby reflux. Yikes!

Could this be the cause of increased rates of acid reflux in babies? I’m sure it plays a part.  Just imagine how many babies are suffering from reflux and are given medications to control it when the simple solution might be some homemade food? Healthy baby food can be made at home without preservatives and allow you to rest easy by knowing exactly what it contains.

If you need help getting started please feel free to contact me. Itsabelly offers webinars, one-on-one consultations and classes (Coming Soon!) with all the keys to successfully creating Healthy Homemade Baby Food.

>> CLICK here for a printable PDF listing of the results of all the baby foods tested

Have you seen all the frozen yogurt shops opening all over town?

They are hard to miss. Apple this, Banana that, Orange something or other, and Peach something else.  Really, no offense to any of these establishments but it does seem a little ridiculous.  How much frozen yogurt can we or should we eat?

On vacation last week in Colorado we witnessed the fro-yo frenzy as well; shops opening everywhere.  With the unbearable 100 degree humid weather this season we all have been enjoying our share of frozen treats. But do you think frozen yogurt is a healthy treat? Or is it simply a change from ice cream and custard? Is frozen yogurt a better choice?  Maybe mentally we feel it is better for us.

Here are a few articles offering some food for thought:

From Shape Magazine “Healthy Snacks: 5 Myths About Frozen Yogurt”

“Eating Right: Is Frozen Yogurt Really a Healthy Option?” from NOLA.com

“Frozen Yogurt & a Heart-Healthy Diet” from Livestrong.com

VIDEO: Seinfield Scene – Non Fat Yogurt

As always, I love to hear what you think.  You can also join our fro-yo conversation on Facebook or Twitter.

I am fortunate that neither of my kids have a food allergy.  My youngest finished Kindergarten this year with 3 out of 21 classmates with serious peanut allergies.  There is an “approved” school snack list (mostly highly processed packaged junk), mandatory hand washing (a plus), and separate lunch area.

Last week’s blog “Are Your Kids Allergic to Food – or What’s in it?” by Healthy Child Healthy World highlighted some interesting points.  Like the WebMD report that 8% of children have at least one food allergy. Wow, that seems high to me!  The article linked to the Huffington Post reporter who questions whether this increasing rate is related to Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Do you know that ~75% of the food on the supermarket shelves contain a genetically modified ingredient? Could the increase we see in ADHD, autism, asthma, or allergies be related to what we eat and drink?

Want a peek at the brands that may be using GMOS’s? Check out the lists by Raw Wisdom or Dr. Mercola

These are brands I don’t purchase: Kraft/Nabisco, Nestle/Libby’s, Post, General Mills, Kellogg and Coca-Cola, just name a few! I know these mega-brands offer the best “value”. You can find tons of coupons and sometimes get products for virtually free. But is the health of our children worth it? Yes, healthier products usually cost more. But we have cut back on other areas of our budget to purchase healthier food.

Do you have a child with ADHD, autism, asthma, or allergies? Do you think diet is related?  What changes have you made in feeding your family? Comment below or join our conversation on Twitter by following gailsscoop and using hashtag #noGMOs or find the thread on our Facebook Page

Can it really be two days before Super Bowl XLV?

The kids are finally back at school.  Three days home from the blizzard was fun, exhausting and somewhat stressful.  Now looking around I see the laundry piled up, the floor cluttered with snow boots, mittens, toys and more. And there is grit from one end of the house to the other.

Every year we make all sorts of finger foods and have a picnic in the living room in front of the TV for Super Bowl Sunday.  Surely our readers have some favorite Super Bowl party recipes to share.  Have a favorite recipe site or blog? Please share that too.

Good luck getting everything done on your list!

This is a guest post from Cathy Weaver.

It is difficult for many of us to realize that something as easy as WATER could be the common denominator for so many daily functions of the body.

The common, not NORMAL but COMMON, health issues people are facing today could be helped by simply changing what beverages and how much they are drinking. Our research may lead us to learn that our bodies may not be SICK, but THIRSTY.

• Blood: Our blood is approximately 75% water and is truly vital for the transportation of nutrients into our bodies. Water is necessary to many functions in our bodies including the maintenance of cell structure and transporting oxygen throughout our blood stream.  If we are indeed dehydrated, our blood becomes thicker and our bodies have to work much too hard to get the blood to circulate. Once the body signals us that we are THIRSTY, it’s already too late – we are already dehydrated.
• Skin: Our skin acts as a water reservoir and helps with the fluid regulation of our whole body.  Being dehydrated can change the total appearance of our skin. In mild dehydration our skin may appear flushed, dry and loose with a loss of elasticity and may look older than it really is.  Water is also lost from our body through sweat. Often times, we drink LESS water in the winter; more hot drinks such as teas, hot chocolate and flavored coffees are soothing, thus causing DRY SKIN to occur in winter months.  It is NOT the dry weather nor the furnaces in our homes that are the only culprits to this seasonal malady.
• Bladder: Our bodies lose water through the skin, lungs and feces, but most water is lost as urine. A reduced urine output is a useful indicator of dehydration and signals the need to increase our water intake.  Drinking plenty of water helps prevent urinary tract infections and kidney stones.
• Kidneys: Our kidneys control the amount of water in our bodies; filtering our blood and excreting waste products in our urine, leaving nutrients in the bloodstream.  Our kidneys play a key role in controlling blood pressure. If our kidneys cannot function properly due to dehydration it can lead to high blood pressure.
• Heart: Dehydration can actually have an impact on the mechanical functions of our hearts. Cells shrink when dehydrated which could affect the transmission of the electrical impulses that stimulate our heart muscles to contract.

As previously stated, water is the common denominator to the normal functions of our bodies.  To learn more about alkaline, ionized water contact Cathy Weaver.

Cathy Weaver

Cathy has been in the field of health and wellness since 1991 and in 2008 co-founded a company called Miracles With Water.  Once introduced to Kangen Water™ in June of that year, Cathy realized that our bodies are indeed DEHYDRATED.  As a Molecular Hydration Specialist, Cathy has been able to witness lives changing as a result of changing the water people are drinking.  To learn more about ionized, alkalized Kangen Water™.  She can be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.