Every day I get an email from this dude, George Mateljan, well it is from his foundation to be 100% truthful. it is whfoods.org and they claim to have the world's healthiest foods...or promote them, that way of eating, anyway.
Each day he sends me an email with a daily recipe and food tip.
I don't often make the recipes...correction, ah I have never used any of the recipes in the emails. But I do open up each one, read through it as well as the tip for the day. For some reason it comforts me. That even though I don't actually cook the recipes, I know they exist, that they are out there. I am trying to be healthier and some how this is a step in that process. I am becoming healthy through osmosis. I have no idea why but it all seems to fit.
My mom called me this morning around 8am. When I saw the call come in and knew it was her I was ready. When I answered I said, "Don't sing!" She did not sing, she laughed and laughed and I then laughed and laughed. It was somewhere in the area of a 2 to 3 minute laugh fest! it was the best. a perfect present for today.
I've included the recipe and food tip below for your enjoyment, in whatever form that works best for you.
And in the true spirit of my bornday and the holidays now upon us, and as I heard a kid exclaim in the early morning Christmas Parade I witnessed this last Saturday (more on that surreal experience later...much more indeed),
here's wishing you all a very,
"Happy Whatever you Believe in!" this season.
Today's Recipe If you don't know what to have for dinner tonight ...
If you want to enjoy great flavor along with an excellent source of vitamins, K, A, D, tryptophan, selenium and protein then try this easy-to-prepare recipe that creates a delicious broth, which you will want to savor to the very last drop.
Poached Halibut with Fennel & Cauliflower Ingredients:
1½ lbs halibut cut into 8 pieces
1 TBS fresh lemon juice
1TBS + 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 medium sized onion cut in half and sliced medium thick
1 large carrot, turned about 1½ inch pieces
1½ cups cauliflower florets cut into quarters
1 medium sized fennel bulb sliced medium thick
5 medium cloves garlic pressed
salt and black pepper to taste
chopped fennel green tops for garnish
Directions:
Slice onion and chop garlic and let sit for at least 5 minutes to bring out their hidden health-promoting properties.
Rub halibut with lemon juice and season with a little salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat 1 TBS broth in a 12 inch stainless steel skillet. Healthy Saute onion in broth over medium heat for 5 minutes stirring frequently.
Add rest of broth and carrots. Simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes covered.
Add cauliflower, fennel, and garlic. Place halibut steaks on top and continue to cook covered for about 6 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper
Serve halibut with vegetables and broth. Sprinkle with chopped fennel greens.
Serves 4
Is one type of sweetener better than the other for my body and the way my body processes them?Your question can be answered in a variety of different ways. First, in terms of overall nutritional quality, it's always better to get your "sweeteners" as part of whole, natural foods rather than separately purchased products that you add to your food.
I realize that many people simply have a "sweet tooth" and are accustomed to sweetening a good number of foods and beverages. However, the routine use of added sweeteners can sometimes detract from the naturally sweet flavors of foods.
Carrots, for example, are a naturally sweet vegetable. They're about 15% sugar in terms of total calories; they contain an array of sugars including sucrose, glucose, and fructose. However, to many people carrots do not taste sweet, and the reason sometimes involves the total amount of sugar to which a person has become accustomed. A large carrot will contain about three-quarters of a teaspoon of sugar at most. If you're accustomed to one to two teaspoons of any added sugar in your coffee or tea, or as an added glaze on an entrée, your carrot may no longer be as enjoyable to you because it may seem non-sweet by comparison.
Second, in the same way that I prefer natural foods as a source of all dietary sugars (please see the carrot example above), I also prefer natural sources of extracted sugar products. For example, agave nectar is a sweetener extracted from the agave plant, and it contains a variety of nutrients that are naturally found in the agave plant. While these nutrients are found in relatively small amounts in agave nectar, this sweetener is still a better nutritional choice because of this natural diversity. Agave nectar is about 70% fructose in terms of its sugar composition. However, this abundance of fructose is not the reason I favor its use as a sweetener for individuals who have decided to use added sweeteners. The reason I favor its use is because agave nectar is more natural and less processed than many other available sweeteners. Table sugar, for example, provides no nutritional variety whatsoever, even though it originates in a natural plant (sugar cane).
Your best choice of sweeteners always involves those sweeteners that are most natural and least processed. This is the reason I like whole, natural foods as the source for sweetness in a Healthiest Way of Eating. However, for individuals wanting added sweeteners, my top choices would be honey and natural nectars, including agave nectar. I strongly recommend the purchase of organic honey, since bees can inadvertently pick up pesticide residues and other potential contaminants while gathering pollens in any pesticide-containing environment. Organic agave nectar would also be my recommended choice for this sweetener. Other sweeteners that I also like are organic maple syrup and organic blackstrap molasses. If you need to use a product that acts like regular sugar, then I would suggest organic evaporated cane juice, since it is less processed than refined sugar and contains more nutrients.
When it comes to dietary sugars, the key to supporting your body's metabolism is moderation. Any dietary sugar can disrupt your body's metabolism if eaten excessively. I don't believe that the research supports intake of any added sugar in large amounts, regardless of its "naturalness" or degree of processing. I also don't believe it makes sense to focus on the exact composition of sugars within a natural food or within a natural, minimally processed sweetener. Different foods have different sugar composition, and I believe that these differences are healthy provided that the foods are organically grown and are consumed as close to their whole, natural condition as possible.
