November 11, 2014

Good afternoon, all!  I hope you are having a wonderful month.  As you may have read, I recently launched a challenge (for myself and anyone interested in joining), aiming to encourage dat fearless living (#nofearnovember).  So far, I have mostly explored new places (such as the Bikram yoga studio), and worked on treating myself better.  For example, I've pushed myself to learn more about the food I am eating, and the impact it has on my body.  I recently read Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food.  Some crazy facts I have learned that I feel must be shared:

1. Our food's nutritional value has declined at an alarming rate.  For example, you have to eat three apples today to get the same amount of iron that you would have gotten from an apple in 1940.

2. "Food synergy" is an important concept to consider.  What you eat at a meal should not be analyzed separately, because food is digested when it is all mashed together.  In the case of tomatoes, it is actually better to eat tomatoes with a bit of olive oil because it allows the lycopene in tomatoes to be more easily absorbed by the body (olive oil helps you absorb nutrients in this case).

3. The order/combination in which you eat food impacts how it is metabolized.  In the case of bagels, the body absorbs the carbohydrates more slowly if the bagel is eaten with peanut butter.

4. Sweat EVERY DAY!

5. Studies show that a glass of wine with dinner is good (1 drink for women at the max, 2 for men), if you are on a diet that consists of mostly plants.  While plants provide vitamin B, alcohol depletes it.  Moreover, research points out that moderate drinking while on a plant-based diet prevents cancers, heart disease, etc...

Ugh, I just ate like five Oreo's as I typed that.  Point being, I don't think the purpose in challenging yourself is to go overboard and cut out all sugars at once (at least for now!), but it's a good place to start.  It begins with you!

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Here is a great dinner idea!  Try Nabe, a traditional Japanese meal composed of mostly plants, with a splash of protein if you choose to add fish.

Step 1: get some seaweed and let it boil in a pot for about 5 hours on and off--this is the broth.

Step 2: dinner time!  Remove the seaweed from the pot and put several other veggies in the broth--kale, cabbage, bok choy, and snap peas work well.  You can also add fish (salmon and shrimp have proven to be fantastic in the past!), and noodles.

Step 3: consume it.

A second idea: an excellent way to serve it is with a fondu-type pot at the center of the table (as displayed in the photos).  After a few minutes, add a few vegetables here and there, so that the prepared food is staggered.  It encourages conversation around the table and a leisurely eating experience!  Enjoy!  Extra yummy and a fun charade to execute with friends.

xx ASC