Mushroom and Squash Winter Soup

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 small yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
8 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
4 cups low-sodium mushroom, vegetable or chicken broth
1 1/2 cups julienned fresh kale
1 cup cubed butternut squash
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
6 thin slices astragalus root (optional)
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
1 teaspoon miso

Method

In a sauce pot over medium-high heat, saute onion and garlic in oil 3 minutes. Add turmeric and mushrooms. Saute 2 minutes. Add broth, kale, squash, ginger, cayenne and astragalus. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, add lemon juice and miso (adding miso when still very hot will diminish its probiotic benefits). Cover and let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Per serving: 90 calories (5 from fat), 0.5 g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 160mg sodium, 19g total carbohydrate (6g dietary fiber, 5g sugar), 2g protein

http://wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2652

Do you have tricks to make sure you stay hydrated in the winter? Please share them!

Initially, our bodies can handle the genetically changed foods. The real repercussions of eating GMOs comes later, sometimes generations later when cancer and other detrimental health conditions become more prevalent. And there’s no turning back the clock when the damage is done.

GMOs are a serious business and Monsanto is one of the leaders in the field of biotechnology. Have you ever heard of RoundUp? Maybe you use it in your garden? Guess who else uses RoundUp on the food you ingest everyday? The farmers growing our soy, corn, and other produce. It doesn’t kill the crop, only the weeds, because the crops have been genetically altered to be resistant to RoundUp.

I highly encourage you to take a look at this documentary “Monsanto Documentary” http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Monsanto-Documentary_vq4037.htm. It is a full length movie (almost 2 hrs), but even within the first few minutes you can see how devastating GMOs are and how Monsanto lured the government into believing they were providing a worldwide tool to improve our agriculture and food supply.

Political decisions were made decades ago and are still made today without the consideration of human health. Unfortunately, we can’t rely on the food manufacturers or the government to watch out for our best health interests. As consumers, we should stick to organically grown foods to avoid the GMOs that are in so many of the products at the grocery stores. Your grandkids will thank you!

Let me know your thoughts on the movie.

All-Natural Easter Egg Dyes

Orange dye: 2 cups water, 2 tbsp distilled vinegar, 2 tbsp paprika

Blue dye: 2 cups water, 2 tbsp distilled vinegar, 1 ½ cup blueberries

Red: pomegranate juice, canned cherries with syrup, beet juice, or raspberries

Pink dye: 2 cups water, 2 tbsp distilled vinegar, 1 cup chopped fresh beets

Green dye: 2 cups water, 2 tbsp distilled vinegar, 1 cup blueberries and 2 tbsp turmeric

Yellow dye: orange or lemon peels, green or chamomile tea, ground saffron or celery seed.

Brown: strong coffee or black tea.

For all dyes, bring dye mixture to a boil, remove from heat and cool and strain liquid into a medium bowl. Submerge 4 to 6 hard-cooked eggs in dye for up to 30 minutes, depending on how deep you want the color to be. Remove from dye and place on a cooling rack to dry and drain. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Let me know when you want to feel better. LEAP has worked for hundreds of other people and it can work for you too. What have you got to lose? You have to eat food anyway, right?

LEAP for Better Health.

Try out this recipe from www.westbrae.com and taste the “nutritious” rainbow.

            Zesty Corn Salad with Orzo

            Serves 4

1/4 cup mild or medium salsa
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, snipped
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups cooked orzo
1 can Westbrae Natural Golden Corn
1/2 cup sweet red peppers, chopped
1/3 cup scallions, chopped

To make dressing: Combine salsa, cilantro, lime juice and cumin. To assemble salad: Combine orzo, corn, peppers and scallions. Mix in dressing. Chill until ready to serve.

Do a quick color check when you sit down to eat next time. How many colors are represented? Bright oranges, greens, yellows, blues, purples, reds and even white can indicate a healthy food. The more colors, the better.

Here is a quick article from the American Dietetic Association with a color guide listing a rainbow of foods and their benefits. http://www.eatright.org/Media/content.aspx?id=6442462270.

Not only are colorful foods pleasing to the eye, but they are pleasing to the whole body. Get the most from your food by buying a rainbow of fresh produce each week. Challenge yourself to purchase at least 5 colors each trip to the store or farmer’s market.

What’s in your cart?

This was a headline from yesterday– “FDA Warns GERD Drugs May Deplete Magnesium”. Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) like Prilosec, Prevacid, Acephix, Protonix, Nexium, and Zegerid are often prescribed to reduce pain for reflux or stomach ulcer sufferers. In the meantime, if taken for a long period of time (more than a year), the new research is showing they can disrupt the body’s circulating magnesium. Low magnesium levels can lead to muscle spasms and twitching because it upsets the nervous system. Here’s a link to an article in the LA Times:

http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-fda-magnesium-20110303,0,6752609.story.

We need magnesium for muscle contractions, energy production and to improve bone density. It helps us alleviate muscle cramping too. Without adequate magnesium, we cannot absorb the calcium we need. Most foods that we consider to be magnesium rich sources are not that high in magnesium. But here they are: nuts, seeds, legumes, leafy greens, and whole grains.

Are you getting enough magnesium in your diet?

Are you looking for ways to boost your fruit intake to meet the recommended 2 servings per day? I’ve compiled some ideas to help you get started, but I’m sure you can be creative and think of many others.

Fruit salad, Waldorf salad, baked apple, peanut butter and apple or banana, fruit smoothie, pear and cheese, fruit slices with yogurt dip, dried fruit, juicing, cranberries on green salad, natural fruit syrup, spinach strawberry salad, homemade applesauce, pineapple on lowfat chocolate ice cream, fruit kabobs, berries on cereal, frozen fruit as ice cubes in water, fruit salsa (ex. mango), or apricot or blueberry soup.

Remember serving sizes are small…about the size of a tennis ball for a whole piece of fruit, like an apple or peach; about 10-15 grapes; 1/2 cup of applesauce; or 1/4 cup of dried fruit.

What’s your favorite way to eat fruit?

Unfortunately, our health relies on a bevy of nutrients found in more than these three foods. We expect a lot from our bodies, but unless we get the fundamental nutrients necessary to perform, we are not going to see good results or feel our best. Change the way you eat by choosing more variety each and every day. Try new foods and incorporate lots of colors in your recipes and meals and you’ll be getting more of the nutrients your body needs.

Do you find that you eat the same foods day in and day out?

It may be allergies (nut, dairy or soy for instance), gluten intolerance, vegan, or kosher restrictions that keep the candy off limits. When my son was very small he was allergic to nuts so we sorted through all of the candy he brought home and placed this bag of “nutty” candy on the porch for the candy witch. Usually this was 90% of what he had collected. The candy witch came in the middle of the night and exchanged the “nutty” candy for some other non food related goodie (toy, slippers, etc).

This year there is another option for young kids with special diet concerns www.notricktreats.com. Jon Zornow created a website where you can list the kind of candy you will be giving out so trick or treaters know which houses have the kind of goodies they want. You can list: vegan, organic, raw, fruits/veg, nut free, kosher, sugar free, gluten free, or non food. This is a new site, so spread the word and make Halloween more enjoyable for everyone.