Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts

Friday, October 28, 2011

Recipes for those with a gluten intolerance

Image via WikipediaEllen Lund/Daily Bread | Posted: Tuesday, October 18, 2011 11:00 am

Last week I promised you a column with recipes designed for gluten intolerant folks. I knew just where to find them - the Celiac Sprue Association headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.

This organization's goal is to offer information to those who are living with gluten intolerance and offer them the opportunity to meet with others who are also living a gluten-free lifestyle. To that end, the organization publishes a newsletter entitled Lifeline. This publication offers extensive first person narrative about the effects of celiac disease and suggestions on how to live well with this challenging diagnosis.

Lifeline also features ads that show common products on our grocery shelves that are gluten free and therefore acceptable for a celiac patient's diet. In addition, the publication deals with legislative issues that benefit the celiac community and tax code changes that offer deductions for those who must follow a special diet and deal with the extra cost that the diet entails.

By reading this publication, I also learned that there is a gluten-free dining and travel club that allows those who must live a gluten-free lifestyle the joy of exploring this beautiful world we inhabit without worrying about the availability of food to support their nutritional needs.

This publication can be obtained by contacting the Celiac Sprue Association at P.O. Box 31700, Omaha, Nebraska or by telephone at (402) 558-0600 or by going on their website at www.csaceliacs.org. They will explain to you the many benefits of membership in the Celiac Sprue Association.

The following recipes are from Lifeline and are delicious additions to anyone's cooking repertoire. Since it is very likely that most of us know someone who is gluten-intolerant, these recipes allow you to serve healthful and delicious food safe for their consumption.

Quick and Fabulous Chickpea Soup

Melissa Belser

1 chicken breast, skinless, boneless

1 can (16-ounce) chickpeas, drained

1 can (10-ounces) Rotel tomatoes, original recipe

1 cup brown rice

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon minced onion

2 teaspoons thyme

2 teaspoons oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 stalk celery, diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

32 ounces gluten-free chicken stock

Sauté chicken on medium heat until just cooked. While chicken is cooking, peel, chop and assemble the remaining ingredients. Remove chicken from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Cut the chicken into cubes and add back into the pan. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan with the chicken. Cook on a medium or low heat for 30 minutes and serve. This recipe freezes well.

Coconut Banana Muffins

Mary Buchman

1/2 cup butter or palm shortening

2 eggs

3 very ripe bananas

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour mix

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 and one-half teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter or palm shortening and eggs in a medium size bowl, add mashed bananas and set aside. Place the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Add the wet ingredients into the dry just until moistened. Spoon the resulting batter into greased muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Easy Flourless Brownies

2 cups chopped pecans

2 tablespoons dark cocoa

3 tablespoons regular cocoa

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, blend nuts until they have the appearance of sand granules. Add the rest of ingredients and blend for about minutes. Place brownie mixture in a greased 8-inch-by-8-inch pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes.

Taken from FremontTribune.com; source article is below:
Recipes for those with a gluten intolerance

Cancer cookbooks aim to help patients, caregivers bring joy back to eating

Cover of "Betty Crocker's Living with Can...

Cover via Amazon19-October-2011

By Maureen Linke, USA TODAY

When a friend is going through cancer treatment, we naturally want to help — and for many people, that means whipping up a casserole or some other comfort food.

But for those experiencing nausea, stomach upset or a metallic aftertaste from chemotherapy, some rich or heavy foods may be anything but comforting, say authors of cookbooks created with cancer patients in mind.

Good nutrition is especially important during cancer treatment because people who are nutritionally depleted don't tolerate treatment well, says Kris Ghosh, a gynecologic oncologist and co-author (with Linda Carson and Elyse Cohen) of Betty Crocker's Living With Cancer Cookbook: Pink Together Edition (Wiley Paperback, $19.99), out last month.

PHOTOS: More recipes for cancer patients

Listening and simplicity are key when cooking for a cancer patient, Ghosh says. "First and foremost, find out what their cravings are," he says. "Tastes can change during treatment. You don't need to cook fancy for them to be happy; they need substance … something they can tolerate or digest."

Cookbooks such as Living With Cancer and theAmerican Cancer Society's What to Eat During Cancer Treatment: 100 Great-Tasting, Family-Friendly Recipes to Help You Cope ($19.95) aim to help patients and caregivers with symptom management. Both categorize recipes by common symptoms: nausea, diarrhea, constipation, mouth soreness and difficulty swallowing, altered sense of taste, unintentional weight loss.

Though it can be difficult for family and friends to discuss a loved one's diagnosis, patients don't want pity, Ghosh says: "These books can be a subtle and supportive way to start the conversation." Some insurers may even cover cookbooks' costs, he adds.

The recipes in these books are not difficult, the authors note: Each recipe in What to Eat takes only about 30 minutes, and Betty Crocker cookbooks are known for easy-to-prepare recipes.

Different stages of cancer treatment can affect taste or appetite in a variety of ways. Chemotherapy is the most significant because chemo drugs kill cells that divide rapidly, such as taste buds, causing patients to have to regrow new ones, Ghosh says. Regrowth doesn't begin until at least a month after all treatments are completed. During regrowth, everything tastes bland or patients have cravings they've never had before, he says.

Though nutritional value is a high priority, overall calorie intake can be the ultimate goal, especially for someone suffering from frequent nausea, says Colleen Doyle, a registered dietitian and editor of the American Cancer Society cookbook, published in 2009. "If nothing but ice cream sounds good, that's OK," she says.

Simple, non-spicy foods can be the most appealing during chemotherapy, says breast cancer survivor Jody Schoger of The Woodlands, Texas.

"I was always hungry for soup, but something that you may have enjoyed before may not appeal to you at all during chemo," says Schoger, who is now in remission and cooks for cancer patients in her community.

Foods can bring back memories of how life can be normal and positive again, and that mental aspect of treatment is just as important, Ghosh says.

"Here you are going through the most challenging part of your life, and your basic ability to eat has been taken away," he says. "People get depressed as they go through treatment, and a side effect of depression is lack of appetite. Bringing that joy back to eating is a really critical part of treatment."

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

Taken from Your Life, USAToday.com; source article is below:
Cancer cookbooks aim to help patients, caregivers bring joy back to eating

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

12 healthy homemade candy recipes

French toast, maple syrup, and orange jucie

Image via Wikipedia

White chocolate is marketed by confectioners a...

Image via WikipediaLooking for candies? I mean, if you wanted to make them at home for your energetic kids who need refuelling every now and then, here are 12 candy recipes that you can try. Enjoy!
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Making homemade candy is fun, delicious and easy. These 12 recipes will get you started.

By Kimi Harris
Tue, Oct 18 2011

Robin shared some wonderful choices for healthier organic candy for Halloween last week. It made me long for candy myself! I thought I'd share 12 recipes for homemade candies that everyone can enjoy. Some of these recipes are candy bars, some are great to serve at parties, and others make perfect additions to lunch pails. Better yet, the recipes can be surprisingly simple and healthy!

The following recipes use unrefined sweeteners and high quality ingredients. It’s candy you can feel good about feeding your family. With these around, your children will thank you and you can satisfy your own sweet tooth on something more nutritious as well as delicious. Just be careful with the couple of recipes that call for making a sticky syrup out of honey or maple syrup. I use my back burner and make sure all children are out of the kitchen as it can cause serious sugar burns.

1. Mock Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups: I created this recipe for my then 3-year-old daughter. They were an instant hit with both her and her friends.

2. The Easiest, Healthiest, Most Scrumptious Fudge Ever: The title says it all. This fudge is so much easier to make than traditional fudge and much healthier, too. I've made it with the more common sweetener, honey, with great results as well.

3. Nature’s Candy Bar (pictured at top): I called these Nature's Candy Bar because they feature dates, which are rich in natural sugar. A chocolate coating doesn't hurt either.

4. Candy Bar: This chocolate-covered candy bar looks amazing! I would recommend simply substituting the agave syrup in this recipe and the next with the less refined sweetener, honey.

5. Mock Mounds Bar: Mounds bars used to be my favorite candy bar. Now I can have a a healthier version guilt-free.

6. Cracker Toffee (pictured above): My daughter and I made this super easy recipe last year as part of our Christmas candy platter. They are rich, delicious and so easy.

7. Old-Fashioned Caramel Corn: I adapted my husband's favorite caramel corn recipe from his younger years to only include unrefined sweeteners (no corn syrup here!) It is a certain favorite at parties.

8. Caramel Apples: This recipe uses cream and honey to create a rich caramel coating for apples. It's perfect for this time of year.

9. Dairy-Free Caramel Apples: This recipe doesn't use any dairy but a combination of honey and maple syrup. How delicious does that sound?

10. Honey-Sweetened Dark Chocolate Macadamia Nuts: These make a very special gift, and very yummy snacking.

11. Maple Magic Candy: All you need for this recipe is maple syrup. If you've ever had maple syrup candy before, you know how amazing it is.

12. Decadent Chocolate "Larabar" Truffles: (pictured above): These truffles were inspired by Larabars, but morphed into truffles; perfect as an afternoon pick-me-up.

Also on MNN:

Taken from Mother Nature Network; source article is below:
12 healthy homemade candy recipes

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Curry worsens acid reflux

Beware the curry sauce!
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By Ng Jing Yng, TODAY | Posted: 22 August 2011

SINGAPORE: A recent study conducted by the National University Hospital (NUH) has found that spicy food such as curry worsens acid reflux.

The study, which was published last month, found that patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease - upper abdominal discomfort with symptoms like heartburn - who consumed curry experienced greater and lengthier periods of pain than healthy volunteers.

The study involved 25 patients and 19 volunteers who were monitored over a day for acidity changes.

After consuming 400ml or 800ml of curry, they were again monitored for three hours for changes in pH level in their oesophagus, through which food passes to the stomach.

Results showed that curry consumption led to more oesophageal acid exposure and more episodes of acid reflux in both groups.

But for the patients, it caused more severe upper abdominal symptoms such as heartburn, nausea and belching.

And while the milder symptoms in healthy volunteers went away within 30 minutes, the symptoms in the patients only improved after three hours.

Dr Lim Lee Guan, one of the authors of the publication, said consuming curry does result in more acid moving upwards from the stomach into the oesophagus, thus causing the symptoms.

With gastroesophageal reflux disease increasingly common in Asia due to lifestyle factors such as obesity and dealing with anxiety, the consultant at NUH's department of gastroenterology and hepatology added that symptoms are increasingly common among Asians, with "curry being unique to Asian palate".

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, which can occur at any age, can, however, be managed effectively with medication and lifestyle changes such as weight loss for obese patients, he added.

Raffles Internal Medicine Centre consultant Law Ngai Moh said the research findings are "not completely agreeable" as individuals who do not eat curry from a young age may have aggravated reflux symptoms as compared to those who have been consuming curry regularly.

The gastroenterology specialist added that there could also be other causes for acid reflux like smoking and alcohol consumption.

Adding that scientific data pertaining to the issue is still lacking, Changi General Hospital gastroenterology consultant Poh Choo Hean said patients who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease are advised against spicy food if they complain of discomfort after eating it.

-- TODAY/wk

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
Curry worsens acid reflux

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Frittata to the rescue!

Image via WikipediaYou could be wondering, to the rescue of what?
I will name two here: health, primarily, and budget.

Most thankful to the author of this article, and the recipe.

Read on!
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07/17/2011

Colorful, Cheap and Healthy – Name This Dish

By Dana Jacobi
for the American Institute for Cancer Research

What can be served as an antipasto, a main dish, or a snack; can be made using vegetables, from asparagus to zucchini, or nearly any other savory ingredient on hand, including spaghetti or smoked salmon; and is equally good served freshly made and hot or leftover at room temperature? A clue: This Mediterranean dish is made with eggs.

Frittata is the answer.

A frittata is one of the most budget-friendly and healthful dishes around. Even with today's ever-increasing food prices, six eggs plus some cheese provide four servings of good protein at reasonable cost. Loading a frittata up with vegetables and herbs from your garden or the market makes it a smart one-dish meal, too.

I find people often have two issues about making a frittata. First, they fear flipping it. Sliding it under the broiler will cook any soft egg left in the center and brown the frittata's top, but you need a pan that fits and has a handle that can stand the heat. And in summer, the oven sure heats up the kitchen. I prefer the slide, cover and flip method described below. If the frittata should stick or break, it will taste great even if it comes to the table looking more like super scrambled eggs.

Watery frittata is the other fear, especially when using spinach, chard or squash, which all contain lots of water. The solution is cooking the vegetables well to drive out most of their moisture. Here, the squash, zucchini, is even browned, which also increases its flavor in the frittata. Mixing cheese into the eggs rather than sprinkling it over the frittata's top, also reduces wetness.

When fresh basil is not readily available, chopped scallions make a good alternative.

Zucchini and Onion Frittata

Cooking spray, preferably olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp. finely chopped garlic
8 oz. zucchini, cut into 1/8-inch rounds
4 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
Ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil, cut cross-wise into thin slices
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Coat pan heavily with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. Sauté onion until golden, 3-4 minutes. Mix in garlic and cook 1-2 minutes, until onion is lightly browned. Transfer contents of pan to plate to cool..
Coat pan again with cooking spray and return to heat. Add zucchini and cook until slices look moist and translucent. Using tongs, keep spreading and turning zucchini to brown slices on both sides, 8-10 minutes, adding to onion mixture as zucchini slices brown. Wipe out the pan.
In mixing bowl, whisk eggs and whites until well combined. Mix in cheese, salt and pepper. Add vegetables and basil, and mix with fork to combine with eggs.
Add oil to pan and tilt pan to swirl oil around sides. Set pan over medium-high heat. Pour in egg mixture, spreading zucchini and onion in an even layer. As eggs start to set, use wide spatula to lift frittata around edges while tilting pan slightly so liquid egg flows out and under the edges. Cook until frittata is browned on bottom and set except in center, about 8 minutes. Off heat, invert large plate over pan. Pressing it firmly in place against the pan, invert the two so frittata falls from pan onto plate. Slide frittata back into pan and cook to lightly brown bottom, 1-2 minutes longer. Slide frittata onto serving plate. Serve immediately, or cool frittata to room temperature before serving. This frittata also can be covered and refrigerated overnight. Cut into 4 wedges, and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 138 calories, 9 g fat (2 g sat fat), 5 g carbohydrate, 9 g protein,
1 g fiber, 419 mg sodium.

Something Different is written by Dana Jacobi, author of 12 Best Foods Cookbook and contributor to AICR’s New American Plate Cookbook: Recipes for a Healthy Weight and a Healthy Life.

***

The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is the cancer charity that fosters research on the relationship of nutrition, physical activity and weight management to cancer risk, interprets the scientific literature and educates the public about the results. It has contributed more than $95 million for innovative research conducted at universities, hospitals and research centers across the country. AICR has published two landmark reports that interpret the accumulated research in the field, and is committed to a process of continuous review. AICR also provides a wide range of educational programs to help millions of Americans learn to make dietary changes for lower cancer risk. Its award-winning New American Plate program is presented in brochures, seminars and on its website, www.aicr.org. AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International.

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Taken from FoodConsumer.org; source article is below:
Healthy Recipes: Zucchini and Onion Frittata

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Soy Products & Tofu Health Issues

A diet rich in soy and whey protein, found in ...

Image via WikipediaI have come across an article about tofu as being the cause of a lady's health woes, and digging in deeper, it was found that she over-consumed the food, which is thought as a health food in the first place.

Is this article on the same storyline?
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Overview

Soybeans, a mainstay of the Asian diet for centuries, have become increasingly popular in the West as a low-fat source of protein and oil. Soybeans can be used to make many healthy, inexpensive and versatile food products, including tofu, miso and soymilk. Soy products provide "complete protein," meaning they contain all the amino acids essential to human nutrition. Despite the high nutritional value of soy, scientists cannot rule out the possibility of side effects of consuming soy products. Therefore, you should not take soy products without first talking to your doctor.

Breast Cancer Risk

Scientists are not sure if breast cancer risk is influenced by consuming phytoestrogens from soy products. Some animal studies with human breast cancer cells have found that soy phytoestrogens may act as estrogens in the human body and possibly raise the risk of breast cancer, according to Barbour S. Warren and Carol Devine, Ph.D., R.D., of the Sprecher Institute at Cornell University. Long, uninterrupted exposure to estrogen is an established risk factor for breast cancer. Estrogen facilitates the growth of milk ducts in the breast, where most breast cancers arise. Soy phytoestrogens, specifically isoflavones, are similar to human estrogen in structure. This allows them to bind to the same chemical receptors as endogenous estrogen and mimic its action. Women should consume soy products with care because they may increase estrogenic activity in the body.

Thyroid Disease

Soy isoflavones are potent inhibitors of the enzymes thyroid peroxidase and 5'-deiodinase, which are responsible for the oxidation and organification of iodide to iodine. Iodine is a trace element essential for the biosynthesis of thyroid hormones. Inhibition of these enzymes by soy isoflavones lowers circulating thyroid hormones, which results in an increased serum TSH. TSH is the thyroid-stimulating hormone that potentiates the pathogenesis of goiter, the enlargement of the thyroid gland. The effects of soy isoflavones on the thyroid function are more pronounced when you consume an iodine-insufficient diet for a long time. Adding iodine to the diet, however, offsets this effect.

Soy Allergy

Food allergies are immunologically based abnormal responses to a particular food or food component. Symptoms of soy allergy can range in severity from harmless skin reactions to gastrointestinal disturbances to respiratory distress to cardiovascular problems. Researchers have identified at least 15 soy proteins that are responsible for allergic reactions; however, the mechanism of action has remained unclear. The protein 2S globulin has been recognized as the most powerful one. Soy allergy is more common in children than adults. If you have allergies to soy, you should avoid all soy products such as tofu, miso, soymilk, soy flour, soy yogurt and tempeh.

Gout

Soybeans are also rich in purines, natural substances found in all body tissues and in some foods. Consuming large amounts of soy products, including tofu, can raise your uric acid level and make the gout worse. Uric acid, a purine degradation product, deposits in joint spaces as small crystals and causes intense pain, swelling and inflammation.

Taken from livestrong.com; source article is below:
Health Issues Related to Soy Products & Tofu

Cooking at Home

Friday, October 28, 2011

Recipes for those with a gluten intolerance