To Eat and What to Eat-That is a Big Question!

To Eat and What to Eat

Ahhh! The constantly evolving food debate. What to eat, when to eat, why to eat and how to eat it.
The experts tell us that diets make up a 20 billion dollar revenue every year in the U.S. weight-loss industry, including diet books, diet drugs and weight-loss surgeries. Further, that 108 million people are on diets in the US at any given time. The industry continues to grow at a rapid pace, thanks to our want and need to finally find what works and make it a permanent lifestyle companion.

It is my belief that we should eat what works best for our own individual bodies. Keeping in mind that bio-individuality plays a huge part in what you can and should eat for the long and short term. What works for one person in your home, might very well be making another unwell. If you are trying to eat what everyone around you does and you are finding that you never feel satiated or physically well after you eat, perhaps it’s time to revisit your food choices. If that is the case, let’s connect, I can help. My personal choice is to eat fresh, local, not too much and organic whenever possible. This is not to say that I do not struggle, hell yes I do. I am a constantly evolving work in progress and proud of it! I share this with you to add some food for thought and perhaps some insight as to what may work for you.
Enjoy,
Carol
Wellness is Always in Season at My Sage Gourmet


I found this article interesting, including the comments after the article. Which are so passionate and show that food is definitely a big topic of conversation. I would love to hear your thoughts. Please share them here. Cheers to a Great 2015

How does your diet stack up?

How does your diet stack up?


Despite the buzz about paleo and raw food diets, a new ranking of the 35 top diets puts these two near the bottom of the list.

Why?

The U.S. News & World Report rankings are based on evaluations by a panel of doctors, nutritionists and other health experts. For each diet, the experts evaluated short-term and long-term weight loss, ease of adherence, and how the advice stacked up against current dietary guidelines. The experts also considered health risks.

And when it comes to paleo, or the caveman diet, the verdict is that eating the way our hunter-gatherer ancestors did is not very realistic. Read more here

Also checkout: Supplements
Sources: John LaRosa of MarketData; National Weight Control Registry; American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery; Jo Piazza, author of “Celebrity Inc.: How Famous People Make Money.”

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Bear Breathe for Balance and Restoration

Bear Breath

Bear Breath

“Practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders.”-Andrew Weil, M.D.

Even just five minutes of Ujjayi Breath, a day can be tremendously beneficial. You can easily practice it anytime, anywhere. Focusing on the depth of your breath gets you out of your head and into the moment -nowhere to go, nothing to do, just breathe in and out. Living in the moment, and bringing intention to you and attention to you. This is the purest celebration of life and living. Why not start 2015 off with a focus on health and longevity for you and your kiddos too! Try some breath work fun today,
Bear Breath is a great little ditty to start with. Give it a try today and see the results as you float through the post-holiday stresses easy breezy style.-Enjoy

Bear Breath for Balance and Restoration

Sit up tall, relax your shoulders back and down as if they are melting down your back.
Close your eyes and relax the muscles in your face, soften your lips
Through your nose, slowly breathe in deeply and fully feeling the breathe come all the way down into the belly, allowing your belly to swell like a balloon to a count of five seconds (in other words take 5 seconds to bring the breath into your body)
Now Hold the breath In=Full for a count of three seconds
Breathe out to a count of five seconds
Now Hold Empty= Out for a count of three seconds
Repeat five to seven times then see how you feel

I hope you find this practice useful and enjoyable. Have a wonderful 2015!

Carol Takakura,
CHHC, E-RTY, AADP certified

About Carol
Carol Takakura is a Certified Health and Nutrition Consultant, and Yoga Instructor. She is known as The Kitchen Coach, providing in-home classes to clean up and re-stock pantries to create do-able, quick and healthy options for everyday use and special occasions. Carol also provides wellness lectures, cooking demos and hands on cooking classes.

For more yoga, nutrition and healthy lifestyle tips and recipes, visit mysagegourmet.com

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Cauliflower, It’s the Real Deal!

Cauliflower
Cauliflower, It’s the Real Deal!

I know you have heard it over and over, “Eat your vegetables, they are good for you” Still, some folks try as they might , can’t seem to get past the basic salad or a couple of broccoli stems before calling the it quits… I am here today to ask you to take another look at Cauliflower. Perhaps after reading this you will have a new prospective on this deliciously healthy sweetheart of the veggie world. Of course I included a link to an easy, quick recipe that is inexpensive, makes a good size batch and it tastes delish! Now let’s move on to the real deal about Cauliflower.

Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species Brassica oleracea, in the family Brassicaceae. Typically, only the head (the white curd) is eaten, although the leaves are also edible and deliciously mild. Its name is from Latin caulis (cabbage) and flower.

Health Benefits
While cauliflower is not a well-studied cruciferous vegetable from a health standpoint, you will find several dozen studies linking cauliflower-containing diets to cancer prevention, particularly with respect to the following types of cancer: bladder cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer. This connection between cauliflower and cancer prevention should not be surprising, since cauliflower provides special nutrient support for the body systems. Chronic imbalances in any of the body’s systems can increase risk of cancer, and when imbalances in all three systems occur simultaneously, the risk of cancer increases significantly. Keep in mind that these cancer prevention studies are still in their infancy, however show great promise.

Cauliflower’s incredible Anti-inflammatory Benefits
The anti-inflammatory nature of glucosinolate/isothiocyanate and other nutrients found in cauliflower has been the basis for new research on inflammation-related health problems and the potential role of cauliflower in their prevention. Promising research is underway that many health professional feel will shed light on the potential benefits of cauliflower in relationship to our risk of the following inflammation-related health problems: Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, insulin resistance, irritable bowel syndrome, metabolic syndrome, obesity and rheumatoid arthritis
Another reason to show a little love to Cauliflower: Scientists have not always regarded cardiovascular problems as having a central inflammatory component. However what is clear is the role of unwanted inflammation in creating problems for the blood vessels and circulation. The anti-inflammatory support provided by cauliflower makes it a food also capable of providing cardiovascular benefits. Of particular interest is its glucoraphanin content. Glucoraphanin is a glucosinolate that can be converted into the isothiocyanate (ITC) sulforaphane. Not only does sulforaphane trigger anti-inflammatory activity in our cardiovascular system—it may also be able to help prevent and has the potential to assist in the reversal of blood vessel damage.

Cauliflower gets props for Digestive Support
The fiber content of cauliflower—over 9 grams in every 100 calories—makes this cruciferous vegetable a great choice for digestive system support. Yet the fiber content of cauliflower is only one of its digestive support mechanisms. Researchers have determined that the sulforaphane made from a glucosinolate in cauliflower (glucoraphanin) can help protect the lining of your stomach. Sulforaphane provides you with this health benefit by preventing bacterial overgrowth of Helicobacter pylori in your stomach or too much clinging by this bacterium to your stomach wall.
Cauliflower is has Super Hero Detox Power
The detox support provided by cauliflower includes antioxidant nutrients to boost Phase 1 detoxification activities and sulfur-containing nutrients to boost Phase 2 activities. Cauliflower also contains phytonutrients called glucosinolates that can help activate detoxification enzymes and regulate their activity. Three glucosinolates that have been clearly identified in cauliflower are glucobrassicin, glucoraphanin, and gluconasturtiian. While the glucosinolate content of cauliflower is definitely significant from a health standpoint, cauliflower contains about one-fourth as much total glucosinolates as Brussels sprouts, about one-half as much as Savoy cabbage, about 60% as much as broccoli, and about 70% as much as kale.
A high intake of cauliflower has been associated with reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer.[16]

Cooking
Cauliflower can be roasted, boiled, fried, steamed, or eaten raw. Steaming or microwaving better preserves anticancer compounds than boiling. When cooking, the outer leaves and thick stalks are removed, leaving only the florets. The leaves are also edible, but are most often discarded. The florets should be broken into similar-sized pieces so they are cooked evenly. After eight minutes of steaming, or five minutes of boiling, the florets should be soft, but not mushy (depending on size). Stirring while cooking can break the florets into smaller, uneven pieces.
Boiling reduces the levels of these compounds, with losses of 20–30% after five minutes, 40–50% after ten minutes, and 75% after thirty minutes. However, other preparation methods, such as steaming, microwaving, and stir frying, have no significant effect on the compounds.
Here is a recipe I have been making for 25 years now, and still it is one of my all time faves! Recipe: Carol’s Cauliflower Soup

The Nutritional Skinny (per 100 g/ 3.5 oz)
Energy 104 kJ (25 kcal)
Carbohydrates 5 g
Dietary fiber 2 g
Protein 1.9 g
Water 92 g
Thiamine (vit. B1) 0.05 mg (4%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2) 0.06 mg (5%)
Niacin (vit. B3) 0.507 mg (3%)
Vitamin B6 0.184 mg (14%)
Folate (vit. B9) 57 mg (14%)
Vitamin C 48.2 mg (58%)
Vitamin E 0.08 mg (1%)
Vitamin K 15.5 μg (15%)
Calcium 22 mg (2%)
Iron 0.42 mg (3%)
Magnesium 15 mg (4%)
Manganese 0.155 mg (7%)
Phosphorus 44 mg (6%)
Potassium 299 mg (6%)
Zinc 0.27 mg (3%)
Sources:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/diet/cruciferous-vegetables
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/cauliflower-health-boost
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cauliflower

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Buckwheat- The Grain thats not a Grain!

buckwheat photo
Buckwheat is not actually a grain although most people think it is. Which makes sense since it is often categorized in the grain group and used as a grain. Surprisingly it is a fruit. Because it is not a grain, it can be enjoyed by populations sensitive to wheat and other grains, including those with celiac disease.
One method of eating buckwheat is in the form of noodles, similar to spaghetti. These noodles are sometimes called “soba noodles” and are popular in Asian dishes, although you can also use them to replace spaghetti in Italian dishes.

Nutrition Props: A 3.5 oz serving of buckwheat noodles contains 360 calories, which is close to being considered high. A high level of calories is 400 by FDA guidelines. However, buckwheat noodles are low in fat, with 4 percent daily value (DV) of fat and 0 g saturated fat. At 3 percent DV sodium, they are also a low-sodium food. Checkout this easy, delish recipe!
By FDA guidelines, 5 percent or less daily value percentage is considered low; 20 percent or more is high.

Nutrients: Buckwheat noodles contain high levels of healthy nutrients. Buckwheat noodles contain 22 percent DV carbohydrates, 4 percent fiber and 28 percent protein, so these noodles pack a lot of energy. Compared to wheat, buckwheat contains more of the amino acid lysine and vitamin E, although it has less fiber than wheat. Antioxidants G.E. Inglett found high levels of antioxidants, phenolic compounds and flavonoids in buckwheat flour.

According to this study, buckwheat beat oats and barley in phenolic compound amounts by two to five times and contains two to seven times more antioxidants than oats and barley.

Medicinal uses: Buckwheat contains a glycoside called rutin, a medicinal chemical that strengthens capillary walls. One clinical study showed mixed results in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency.

Dried buckwheat leaves for tea were manufactured in Europe under the brand name “Fagorutin”. A buckwheat protein has been found to bind cholesterol tightly. It is being studied for reducing plasma cholesterol in people with hyperlipidemia.

A Fruit with Benefits: Buckwheat might be a viable option for people with celiac disease, who cannot consume grains such as wheat and rye, Donald D. Kasarda from the USDA explains. Buckwheat has significantly lower levels of gluten, which individuals with celiac disease are intolerant to, than wheat. Buckwheat also shows possibility for diabetics.

A 2009 Russian study, conducted by Kh. Kh. Sharafetdinov and colleagues, and reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, studied different types of grains and how they affected diabetics. The researchers recommended products made with buckwheat flour for diabetics after the study showed foods with buckwheat caused one of the lowest sugar increases and had one of the lowest glycemic levels out of all foods in the study. Beer In recent years, buckwheat has been used as a substitute for other grains in gluten-free beer.

Sources and thanks to livestrong.com wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckwheat G.E. Inglett and colleagues Kh. Kh. Sharafetdinov –

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