Chris, at Mele Cotte, is sponsoring her second annual Cooking To Combat Cancer event. When I randomly stumbled across her blog and read her story, I knew immediately that I wanted to get involved. And I mean immediately – since tomorrow is the deadline to submit recipes and commit to the cause. I’m a nutrition therapist, how could I pass up on an excuse to push my “food to support healing” mantra on others? Plus, it’s for a very good cause. And who hasn’t been touched by cancer in one way or another? I imagine we all have.

Research suggests that eating lots of fruits and vegetables may provide protection against cancer. Not only that, but a diet of fresh, organic whole foods boosts immune function and helps the body combat cancer. Preventive, protective, and healing!

Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food, as Hippocrates so aptly put it bazillions of years ago.

Mango trivia
The mango is a luscious, juicy, drippy tropical fruit native to Southern and Southeast Asia, but can also be found in Central and South America and Africa. Its wild ancestors originated in the Himalayan foothills (I love that). One of the top fruit crops on the planet, more mangoes are consumed worldwide than apples. Surprised? Here’s another bit of surprising trivia – the mango is a cousin to pistachios and cashews, but has the largest seed in the fruit kingdom. The wide, flat seed is almost as long and wide as the fruit.

Mango nutrition
According to Dr. Sue Percival, nutrition and immunity specialist at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Science, mangoes contain potent antioxidants that inhibit cancer formation by protecting cells from free-radical damage. Although Dr. Percival’s research was conducted using cells from mice, dietary analysis of gallbladder cancer patients and mango consumption showed similar findings. Low in calories and high in fiber, mangoes also contain beneficial pytochemicals and a number of enzymes that enhance digestion and protect against intestinal infections.

Mango allergies
Although rare, some people who are highly reactive to certain foods, may respond to mangoes as well. So, if you have food allergies, introduce them slowly and monitor for allergic responses.

Now that we know mangoes are healthy foods for everyone, cancer patients especially, I thought I’d feature a recipe combined with another amazing health-promoting food – cilantro. I’ll feature cilantro in a future post, you’ve probably had enough of my nutritional rants for one day! Enjoy!

Mango and cilantro salsa
what you need
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
1/4 cup chopped scallion, green part only
1/4 cup chopped cucumber
1 tablespoon finely diced fresh jalapeno (you can omit this if you don’t like spicy)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 small garlic clove, finely diced
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
what you do
Mix gently and serve with salmon, crackers, or whatever your heart desires. Yum!

Enjoy in good health!
Melissa

Disclaimer: All material on this website is provided for informational and educational use only and should not be used for diagnostic purposes. Consult with your physician regarding any health or medical concerns you may have.

I love that phrase, but I can’t take credit for it. Darn!

Eat food, not too much, mostly plants is a brilliantly simple, health-enhancing proposal by Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. Although, as a nutrition therapist, I tend to over-analyze food to the point of neurotically detailing out everything from macronutrients (carbs, protein, fat) to dietary trace minerals (iron, zinc, selenium, copper), I first and foremost believe in the simplicity of eating fresh, whole foods. Preferably organic.

This back-to-basics approach also makes living gluten-free much easier. You won’t find a complicated and hard-to-decipher ingredient label stuck to an apple or tied around a bunch of carrots. By eating real food, you pretty much eat gluten-free by default. Plus, you end up consuming foods that are nutrient-rich and full of health-promoting properties. We all need more of that, especially those of us with celiac and other autoimmune diseases.

So, what is real food? That may seem obvious, but there’s stuff on grocery store shelves that I can’t identify and I’m a food person. Plus, there are those mysterious food-like-substances. Seriously, there are things in food called food-like-substances. Cheese-like-substances. Meat-like-substances.

Sounds a bit creepy to me. I suppose that’s where the term Franken-foods came from. Well, steer clear of fake food. Stick with the real thing.

Which brings up my next point – I recently joined a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm and am anxiously awaiting my first box of locally grown, organic fruits, veggies, and farm fresh eggs. Twenty-six weeks worth starting next month. Real food – picked one day, delivered the next. That’s about as fresh as you can get it without growing the food yourself. And get this, a few days after I completed my online sign-up and bought my share, I got a thank you note from the farmer! Hand written. How cool is that?!

If you live in Colorado, check out Grant Family Farms in Wellington, just north of Denver. If not, consider joining a CSA in your area. Not only will you be purchasing food directly from the farm, you’ll be supporting the local economy, the farmers in your area, and your health.

Now on to my last point – Naomi at milkforthemorningcake tagged me for a 6 word meme. Six words that characterize who I am. Six words, that’s all. Hmmm? Easy for her to say, she’s never at a loss for engaging word choices. Go read her posts – they are wonderfully written accounts of life, love, food, and deranged bowels (hey, she’s a Brit, with a dry sense of humor).

Cheers, Naomi – here are the words that “communicate my essence.”

Willing
Natural
Playful
Steady
Inquisitive
Zesty

And/Or

Willful
Stubborn
Cranky
Testy
Crabcake
Distracted

Now I tag –
theaccidentalscientist
thegoodeatah
cindalouskitchenblues

If you girls are too busy (moving, getting married, finishing PhDs – stuff like that), you’re excused from doing this.

In good health,
Melissa

Before I start in on the nutritional benefits of asparagus, I’ll get the strange stuff out of the way first. You know – that whole thing about why your pee smells weird when you eat asparagus. Not that I would know, but aren’t you interested?

Oh? You didn’t know that? Maybe you’re one of those people who a) doesn’t eat asparagus – at least not in large enough quantities, or b) your body doesn’t form thiol chemicals.

Here’s the “abstract” explanation according to scientists from the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Birmingham in England.

“The pungent urinary odour produced by certain individuals within a few hours of eating asparagus has been shown to be due to a combination of up to six sulphur-containing alkyl compounds identified as methanethiol, dimethyl sulphide, dimethyl disulphide, bis-(methylthio)methane, dimethyl sulphoxide and dimethyl sulphone. The possible roles of S-methylmethionine and asparagusic acid as precursors of these odorous substances are discussed in relation to the known chemistry of the vegetable.”

Huh?

Those Brits are an interesting bunch, aren’t they?

Back to seasonal foods, of which asparagus is one of the tastiest and most nutritious for April. The peak season runs from April through May. You can buy asparagus from South America in the fall and winter, but that doesn’t exactly qualify as “buying local.”

One cup of steamed asparagus is only 43 calories and is absolutely packed with health-promoting nutrients. It’s high in antioxidants, is an excellent source of vitamin K and the energy-producing B vitamins, is rich in sleep-promoting tryptophan, and is loaded with calcium and magnesium, which helps maintain bone strength. Asparagus also contains lots of fiber and inulin, which we don’t digest, but it does become snack food for our friendly bacteria. We want our good bacteria to overcome our bad bacteria. Can’t you just imagine the microscopic turf war going on in your gut? Well, maybe not, but trust me, we want the good guys to win and inulin provides strength to the army.

sauteed asparagus and garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch fresh asparagus (rinse and pat dry), ends trimmed
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped) *
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

preheat oven to 425 degrees
Toss asparagus with olive oil and garlic. Place in glass baking dish; season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until asparagus is tender and lightly browned. Stir occasionally. Remove from oven and toss with lemon juice.

* Research shows that mincing or finely chopping garlic enhances the health-promoting benefits. Once chopped, a chemical reaction occurs releasing the pungent “garlicy” smell along with a substance called allicin, which provides garlic with its powerful antibacterial and antiviral characteristics. To get the most benefit from allicin, let the finely chopped garlic sit for 5 to 10 minutes before cooking. This allows the chemical reaction to take place allowing the allicin to form. It’s worth the wait!

other seasonal foods for April
strawberries
peas
spinach
artichokes

Enjoy!
In good health,
Melissa

Moooo . . . isn’t she cute? Big smooch!

A couple of years ago, I decided I had a problem with the protein in milk (casein), which sometimes occurs when you have celiac disease. Casein is molecularly similar to gluten, so the autoimmune response can be similar as well. I went totally dairy free (none, zip, zilch) for over a year. Then I decided to ease back into it and before I even had time to reintroduce words like fromage back into my vocabulary, I was eating chunks of camembert with pecans, grating a nice parmigiano reggiano on salads, or topping beefsteak tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil. Not to mention daily doses of my all-time favorite treat, vanilla goat yogurt. I slid right back into eating dairy like there was no tomorrow.

Darn it – it’s not working so well for me now so I’m back on the dairy-free bandwagon.

What’s the deal with dairy, anyway?

If you want some answers, grab a cup of green tea, because my friend, Daisy, is going to clear a few things up for you. We’ll start with the basics.

Lactose is the sugar in milk. It’s a disaccharide (double sugar) composed of glucose and galactose linked together. Lactase is the enzyme that breaks this double sugar bond and if we don’t produce enough lactase to break the bond, we can’t absorb the sugars. Single sugars we can deal with, double sugars are too big to be absorbed. If these disaccharides aren’t absorbed, they end up as tasty treats for the bacteria housed in the digestive tract – and this bacterial frenzy causes all kinds of intestinal discomfort. After about the age of 4 or 5 our production of the sugar splitting enzyme (lactase) declines dramatically – for most of us anyway. And if you have celiac, it makes breaking down sugars even harder (there’s a reason for that but I’ll save it for another post). So, although gluten, casein, and lactose are all different substances, there are reasons each can cause problems for people with celiac or gluten-intolerance.

In addition to lactose, cow’s milk also contains several different kinds of proteins that can cause reactions in people sensitive to them. These proteins register in the system as “foreign” substances and can cause an immune response. If you already have an immune mediated response to gluten – these proteins may be bothersome as well.

Here are some dairy-related definitions that will help you understand this big milky picture.

Lactose intolerance: a condition that results from an inability to digest the milk sugar lactose; characterized by bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea.

Casein: a protein found in milk. It has a molecular structure that is similar to gluten and can cause an autoimmune response in people sensitive to it. Casein is the curd portion of curds and whey. Casein intolerance is different from lactose intolerance.

Whey: the liquid protein portion remaining after milk has been curdled and is used in the production of ricotta and brown cheeses. Whey is thought to be a migraine trigger in certain people.

Rennet: enzymes produced to digest mother’s milk (all mammals produce this enzyme). Rennet is used in the production of cheese and is extracted from the stomachs of calves (a by-product of veal production). Argh!

Another concern is the potential connection between ovarian cancer and high lactose intake. A November 2004 article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests a possible relationship between high intakes of milk products and a specific type of ovarian cancer. More studies are needed to quantify this relationship, but it’s certainly something to think about if you have a strong family history of ovarian cancer.

Consumer’s have been conditioned to believe we “need” to eat dairy products to maintain strong bones and enjoy optimal health. The Dairy Council is hard at work trying to convince us that we need several servings per day of dairy products to obtain the necessary calcium and nutrients for overall health. You know – the whole “Got Milk” campaign.

Well, that’s not necessarily true. With a little effort and a lot of knowledge, we can get plenty of calcium from other food sources. And if absolutely necessary, calcium supplements are also an option.

I have to say, I feel more vitality and a decrease in joint and muscle aches and pains when I exclude dairy from my diet. In my case, I believe it’s the casein that causes an immune response in my system. We each have to figure out what works best for us – for health and for ethical reasons.

In the meantime, here’s a list of calcium-rich food sources for those of you who don’t eat dairy for whatever reasons. Many of these foods also contain other nutrients that play a role in bone health (magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, boron), so add them to your shopping cart to boost overall health!

spinach
collard greens
teff (a wonderfully healthy GF grain)
amaranth (another great GF grain)
basil
cinnamon
Swiss chard
kale
rosemary
romaine lettuce
celery
sesame seeds
broccoli
cabbage
green beans
summer squash
garlic
mustard seeds
Brussels sprouts
oranges
asparagus
crimini mushrooms

In good health,
Melissa

Disclaimer: All material on this website is provided for informational and educational use only and should not be used for diagnostic purposes. Consult with your physician regarding any health or medical concerns you may have.

I’m an outdoorsy girl and creating healthy, gluten-free food that travels well in the backcountry is a passion of mine. This energy bar recipe is a take-off from the granola I make, but with several variations.

You can substitute any of these ingredients for something similar. This recipe is just a “launching pad” for whatever you want to come up with. Be creative and play with your food. That makes life more fun, don’t you agree?

Melissa’s Mile High Energy Bars

What you need

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, olive oil, or butter (to grease the pan)
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
• 1 cup GF rolled oats (I use Gifts of Nature’s certified GF rolled oats) * (see below)
• 1 cup Erewhon Organic GF Crispy Brown Rice Cereal (make sure it’s the GF version)
• 1 cup Arrowhead Mills Organic GF Maple Buckwheat Flakes (pulsed in a food processor to a medium chop)
• 3/4 cup finely shredded coconut (I use Let’s Do Organic unsweetened organic coconut)
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup lightly ground flax seeds (I pulse them a couple times in a small coffee grinder I use
exclusively for seed and spice grinding)
• 1/4 cup honey or agave (agave isn’t as thick, which works better – but either one is okay)
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 2 tablespoons cocoa nibs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

What you do

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with oil.
Mix chopped nuts, oats, shredded coconut, sunflower seeds, and lightly ground flax seeds and spread out on rimmed cookie sheet. Put in the oven and set timer for 3 to 4 minutes. Watch carefully as this stuff can burn in no time. Stir and reset timer for another 3 minutes. This mixture should be a nice toasted golden color. Adjust according to what works best for your oven. Remove from oven and cool. Mix in a large bowl with the rice cereal, chopped buckwheat cereal, raisins, and the cocoa nibs.

Combine honey (or agave), maple syrup, almond butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in saucepan and bring to low boil over low to medium heat. Stir constantly and let boil for 3 or 4 minutes. You want this thick enough to hold the energy bar ingredients together, but not so thick it’s hard to work with.

Pour over the cereal mixture and stir well to mix it all together.

Spread into your prepared 9 x 13 inch pan, cover, and cool in the fridge before cutting into bar sizes. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. These make great treats for hiking, backpacking, skiing, and life in general!

Enjoy!

* According to the Celiac Sprue Association, oats should be considered with caution. I have used the GF options with no problem, although I don’t eat a lot of them. Apparently some people can’t tolerate even small amounts of GF oats. Here is some current information to help you make an informed decision regarding what would be best for you. If you don’t want to try oats, just substitute something else for that ingredient – no problem.

In good health,
Melissa

Spring? Pineapples?

Maybe somewhere, but there’s a bunch of snow in my yard right now and my dog’s water bowl was frozen solid this morning. Yesterday we had blizzard conditions for most of the state, but less than 24 hours earlier it was 74 degrees and sunny. If states were given zodiac signs, colorful Colorado would surely be a gemini – dual-natured, complex, and contradictory. Or schizophrenic, however you want to look at it.

March signifies the arrival of spring, but it’s also our snowiest month. I do like the snow and I’m not complaining, but my list of seasonal foods for March reads more like a tropical vacation than a winter wonderland. Life is interesting, isn’t it?

Even if you walk into the market wearing a down parka and snow boots, the fresh pineapples, kiwis, and mangos are the harbingers of the harvest (and weather) to come. Yippee! A diet rich in colorful fresh fruits and veggies lends itself to optimal health, so add the following to your shopping list and reap the benefits.

Pineapple – sweet and zippy! Although they’re available year round, this is the start of the actual season (March – June). Fresh is best and they aren’t that expensive right now, so skip the canned stuff and go for the real thing. Pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain, which is a natural anti-inflammatory agent, digestive aid, and immune booster. This fruit is also an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese.

Kiwi – these little fruits look as good as they taste. The emerald green color and tiny black speckles make for a luscious addition to a fruit salad, not to mention you get almost 100% of your daily vitamin C needs from one kiwi. And how hard is it to eat one kiwi? They also contain potassium, fiber, magnesium, and vitamin E.

Mangos – mangos are another fruit full of healing enzymes. They’re also a good source of vitamins A and C and they’re high in fiber and rich in potassium. The enzymes in mangos aid digestion and help us break down our food – and most of us can probably use the help! Mango trees are evergreens (wow, who knew) and are known to grow 60 feet tall.

Bananas – yes, another tropical fruit! Bananas are full of potassium, which helps control blood pressure and protects against atherosclerosis. They’re also a good source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, magnesium, and they aid digestion and soothe the stomach lining.

Figs – figs have been part of the diet for a very long time. Just ask Eve, she ate the first fig then fashioned a bikini out of leaves. Smart girl. Although they’re in season right now somewhere in the Mediterranean, they actually aren’t in season until June in California, but dried figs are available all year and they make a good treat if you want something sweet and chewy. Yum! They’re also high in fiber and contain a good amount of potassium.

Cauliflower – this cruciferous veggie is rich in all kinds of health-promoting substances. It’s high in vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber, and folic acid and studies show it contains substances that may protect against cancer. I love it steamed and whipped like mashed potatoes – that way it doesn’t taste so, so, cauliflowerish.

Leeks – yikes, scallions on steroids! Garlic, onions, scallions, shallots and leeks all belong in the same family and all contain similar protective substances that have been shown to reduce cholesterol and raise HDL levels. Research shows these veggies also lower blood pressure and protect against heart attack and stroke. Leeks add a nice subtle flavor to soups, stews, and stir fries.

Enjoy!
In good health,
Melissa

Disclaimer: All material on this website is provided for informational and educational use only and should not be used for diagnostic purposes. Consult with your physician regarding any health or medical concerns you may have.

March? How the heck did March get here so fast?

Spring in Colorado is so unpredictable. It’s supposed to reach 75 degrees today followed by snow tonight. Meteorologically speaking, it’s never boring around here.

Renewal. That’s what spring is all about and I’ve decided March is a perfect time for a blog renewal.

Those of you who have your own blogs know how much time it takes to create, edit, publish, and manage posts. Each of us has our own blah, blah, blog “voice” and that usually takes a little time to reveal itself. My goal is to increase awareness of celiac disease and help people lead healthier lives. When I started this blog endeavor, I jumped on the gluten-free recipe bandwagon because that’s the key to dealing with celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Changing your food choices.

Celiac disease is a genetically predisposed, immune-mediated disorder triggered by the ingestion of gluten, the main storage protein in wheat, barley, and rye. It’s an autoimmune disease. I have it, my daughter has it, and I believe undiagnosed celiac may have contributed to my dad’s death a few years ago. My two boys have the genetic markers, but at this point, show no signs of elevated antibodies specific to celiac. The probability for celiac is determined by specific variations of either the DQ2 or DQ8 HLA molecule. Both of these genes are believed to express susceptibility for celiac by presenting incompletely digested gluten peptides as antigens to the immune cells of the small intestine. One and/or both genes must be present for the immune system to respond and the disease to develop. Gluten protein molecules induce a chronic inflammatory response in the lining of the small intestine, resulting in all kinds of problems, including an increase in the possibility of secondary autoimmune disorders, various nutrient deficiencies, and associated food sensitivities. There’s more to the genetic piece than scientists currently understand and there’s more to gluten intolerance than just these two genes. The absence of DQ2 or DQ8 rules out celiac, but you can still be gluten intolerant with all kinds of associated problems. It’s all a bit confusing, but the bottom line is, many people don’t tolerate gluten and are better off eliminating it from their diets. Hence my name choice for this blog, gluten-free for good. Forever and for my own good.

Celiac is the only autoimmune disease in which the main trigger piece has been identified – and it’s food. In the murky gene pool of autoimmune diseases, celiac is the one to choose. Not that you’d choose this and not that it’s easy to deal with, but comparatively, it’s not that bad. If I had never eaten gluten in my life, I’d never have celiac. I no longer consider myself as having a disease. I just don’t eat gluten-containing grains. No big deal. I know I’m lucky – for some people, it’s far more complicated.

Okay, sorry about all the science talk, although fellow science blogettes Cindy and Michelle are probably eating this stuff up. The rest of you have either skipped out or your eyes are starting to glaze over.

But, my point is, and I do have one (as my third favorite yoga instructor Scott always says), my focus is on providing people with information on how to lead healthier lives. (There’s a story behind that third favorite comment, but I’ll save that for my yoga post, which is currently on hold and collecting cyber-dust. Oh, but I do love Scott and his unorthodox yoga classes.)

This is my mission and I’m passionate about it for a number of reasons. Now, what does that have to do with spring renewal? I’m rethinking the direction of this blog. I fumbled around quite a bit at the beginning, thinking I had to keep up with all these wonderful gluten-free recipe bloggers. Not to mention having no clue how to use blogging software, which I’m still arguing with on occasion.

From now on, I’ll focus my attention on gluten-free health and nutrition and what we need to heal, become stronger, and express more vitality in our lives. This applies to everyone, gluten intolerant or not. I will occasionally post my favorite recipes, but that won’t be the intent of this blog. Food, yes. Recipes, not so much. I’ll leave that to people like Karina, Shauna, and the rest of you tasty GF bloggers. This is such a wonderful little subculture, full of people helping people, everyone finding their own special niche. Kelly and Kim providing groovy general information, Michelle for her heart health links, Lizzie the good eatah, Catherine the social guide, Cindy our in-depth reporter, Sea our exotic gluten-free food guru, Sally our inspiration, Steve my local boy, Suzanne the culinary lifestyle queen (check out her new Gluten-Free Answer Book), and my favorite gluten-eating, but talented and creative food writer, David from Leite’s Culinary. There are way too many of you to mention, but each and every one has a special gift they’re willing to share with the rest of us. It’s a nice community and I’m grateful to be part of it. Thank you and united we stand!

So – my part will be nutrition, exercise, yoga, healing, health-boosting foods, and gluten-free life in the backcountry. Those of you who have been with me from the beginning have probably noticed the directional shift taking place and I hope you’ll continue to come along for the ride (however bumpy it may be).

Stay tuned for seasonal foods for March, which I’ll post next week. I’m also working on a sugar post, an anti-inflammatory diet post, yoga for digestion, yoga for osteoporosis, gluten-free backpacking foods (Annie, where are you?), artful aging, boosting your metabolism, and the occasional GF recipe – well, you get the idea.

Merry March and happy spring renewal!

Onward . . .

In good health,
Melissa

Not that fiber is full of gluten. Many options aren’t and this post will focus on gluten-free choices only. If you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance and are on a gluten-free diet, you need to think about boosting your fiber intake. Actually, most of us need to add more fiber to our diets – for a variety of heath-enhancing reasons.

First things first – what exactly is fiber, anyway? No, you don’t have to eat old broomsticks to get your daily intake, but sweeping up the mess you’ve made in your GI tract is essentially what fiber does. That, along with other good housekeeping chores. Fiber is the Cinderella* of the plant world.

According to Understanding Normal and Clinical Nutrition, fibers are the nonstarch polysaccharides that are not digested by human digestive enzymes, although some are digested by GI tract bacteria. Fibers include cellulose, hemicelluloses, pectins, gums, and mucilages and the nonpolysaccharides lignins, cutins, and tannins.

I’m betting you got stuck on the words GI tract bacteria* and have already forgotten the rest. The words aren’t important anyway, what’s important is that we get lots of fiber from the foods we eat – about 25 to 35 grams per day.

Let’s look at the different types of fiber and what their actions are in the body. You’ve probably heard the terms soluble and insoluble fiber, but all that really means is how soluble, or dissolvable, they are in water. The effects of these two fiber types don’t divide neatly along the lines of solubility, but for general health purposes, that’s how they’ve been classified.

Soluble fibers and action in the body
• Delays GI transit, which benefits digestive disorders.
• Delays glucose absorption, which benefits people with diabetes (and helps prevent it).
• Lowers blood cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad one), which reduces the risk of heart disease.
Hooray, bravo, yippee-yippee! Very good stuff. Now, where do we find it?
Where to find soluble fiber
Oranges, apples, flax seeds, nuts, oats (gluten-free, of course), and legumes

Insoluble fibers and action in the body
• Moves bulk (poo is the scientific word) through the system and prevents constipation, which we don’t want any part of.
• Helps control the pH (acidity) balance in the intestines, which is good for all of us.
• Helps remove toxic waste – and who’s opposed to that? It’s not like you want to store it for later.
• Helps protect against colon cancer.
So, soluble or insoluble – it’s all good stuff.
Where to find insoluble fiber
Dark green leafy vegetables, green beans, cabbage, carrots, seeds, nuts, and Brussels sprouts.

Whole grains provide fiber as well, but we’re only interested in gluten-free whole grains. Here’s a list of good grain choices with the fiber shown in grams per cup.

Gluten-free grains

grams of fiber in 1 cup of grain

Amaranth 18
Buckwheat 17
Corn meal 10
Flax seed 43
Millet 17
Oats (GF) 16.5
Quinoa 11.9
Rice (brown) 6.5
Rice (white) 2.4
Rice (wild) 9.9
Sorghum 12.1
Teff 15.4

To sum it up, fresh fruits and veggies, and some gluten-free grains contain fiber. Add fiber slowly as increasing intake too quickly can cause intestinal discomfort – add a little extra each day until you’ve reached your goal. Drink plenty of water. I’m talking LOTS of water, at least 8 to 10 glasses per day. And get some exercise! Strengthening abdominal core muscles and toning your GI tract helps everything flow along the way it’s suppose to. Now, go forth and eat your fiber! It’s good for you.

* Cinderella – according to my online dictionary, the word Cinderella describes a person or thing (fiber, maybe) of unrecognized or disregarded merit or beauty.

* GI tract bacteria – those of you who get creeped out easily, cover your eyes. The rest of you, read on. The intestinal microflora is a complex ecosystem made up of over 400 bacterial species. If kept in balance, this intestinal flora provides us with some good things, like producing a significant amount of vitamin K. If thrown out of balance, things can get nasty, but that’s for another post.

In good health,
Melissa

Disclaimer: All material on this website is provided for informational and educational use only and should not be used for diagnostic purposes. Consult with your physician regarding any health or medical concerns you may have.

Life is confusing enough without factoring in the debate over what constitutes healthy eating. Think back to the “olden” days when food consisted of catching the next rabbit or stumbling upon a new berry patch, and that’s if you were lucky. It wasn’t a matter of what we should or shouldn’t eat, but what we could find to eat. And that meant plants or animals in their natural state. No discussion about good fats or bad fats, the ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s, the link between transfats and sperm motility (hey guys, are you paying attention), or whether you might fail a drug test because you added hemp seed oil to your muffin mix and it contained traces of THC. Sifting through all the information, opinions, fads, and trends is rather daunting. And if you throw in clueless consumers (which we all are at one time or another), junk food, government regulations, food industry lobbyists, and free-will libertarians – you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

Education, awareness, and common sense, that’s what we need. But then we’re back to the starting point – where life is confusing enough as it is. How much time are we willing to spend to figure all this stuff out? Most of us have more pressing matters on our minds than how transfats were industrially created by adding hydrogen atoms to unsaturated fats – and what that means to our health. But for our own good, we need to at least have a glimpse of how this can impact the disease process.

So, I’m here to provide you with a little information to add to the mix. We’ll just do a “fats and oils 101″ version because I know you have more important things to worry about than the chemical makeup of fats. Like how to blow off work, get outside, and play in this glorious Colorado sunshine (quick before it snows again).

Fats
Fats are lipids in foods or the body, composed mostly of trglycerides. Healthy fats provide fuel, supply essential fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6), aid in the absorption of fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), and are an important part of healthy nutrition. Hydrogenated fats and transfats are unhealthy fats. They contribute to heart disease by elevating LDL cholesterol (the bad one) and lowering HDL cholesterol (the good one).

Unhealthy dietary fats are one of the triggers for abnormal inflammation and the diseases and disorders associated with it. This can mean heart disease, asthma, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, or digestive diseases, which includes celiac, an autoimmune disease marked by inflammation of the small intestine caused by gluten exposure. Inflammation consists of the responses orchestrated by the immune system when tissues are injured – that’s a good thing if kept under control. It’s the body’s defense against injury and infection and is crucial to healing, but if it becomes chronic and out of control, a variety of diseases can result.

There are foods that promote the inflammatory response and foods that mitigate it. Unhealthy fats promote inflammation and healthy fats can shift the body back into a more balanced state. This is important for overall health, regardless of whether you have one of these conditions or not. This applies to all of us and is important in healthy aging, no matter where you are in the chronological process.

Lipids
A family of compounds that includes triglycerides (fats and oils), phospholipids (lecithin is the best known), and sterols (cholesterol).

Saturated fats
Chemically, these are fats carrying the maximum possible number of hydrogen atoms and are more stable. Animal fats and the tropical oils are mostly saturated, but only the animal products contain cholesterol. Coconut oil, palm oil, lard, beef tallow, and butter are saturated. They remain solid at room temperature and are more resistant to oxidation. All fats become rancid when exposed to oxygen.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats
These fats are unsaturated (they lack the necessary hydrogen atoms that would make them saturated). They are not solid at room temperature. Monounsaturated oils include olive oil, canola oil, and peanut oil. Polyunsaturated oils include safflower oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, soybean oil, and cottonseed oil and are high in omega 6s and low in omega 3s (not so good).

Cholesterol
Foods derived from both plants and animals can contain lipids (fats), but only those from animals contain cholesterol (meat, eggs, fish, poultry, shellfish, and dairy products). The fat in plants does not contain cholesterol. The distinction between “good” and “bad” cholesterol is confusing and controversial. “Good” cholesterol is not something found in foods – it is actually the way the body transports cholesterol around in the blood. HDL is the good stuff (remember H is for Healthy). It transports cholesterol to the liver to be broken down and excreted.

Essential fatty acids
EFAs are fatty acids needed by the body, but not made by it in amounts sufficient to meet physiological needs.

Omega-3 & Omega-6
These are polyunsaturated fatty acids that are essential to health, must be obtained through food sources, and are required in specifically balanced ratios. Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet (SAD), provides us with far more omega-6s than 3s, and that’s not healthy.

Omega-3s (good, good, good)
Omega-3s provide the building blocks for an anti-inflammatory diet, which is what we want. These are found in fresh foods, cold-water fish, and grass-fed beef. Here’s a list of foods to choose from to increase your consumption of omega-3s and to help reduce systemic inflammation.
walnuts
flax
hemp
leafy greens (low concentrations, but still important sources)
sea vegetables
salmon
sardines
herring
mackerel
grass-fed beef or bison

Omega-6s (not so good)
Omega-6s, in general, increase inflammation. They are abundant in processed foods, fast foods, and refined vegetable oils. Eating the meat of animals fattened on grains increases the amount of omega 6s in the diet.

The bottom line
1. Avoid any product that lists partially hydrogenated oil or transfats as an ingredient. Hydrogenation is the chemical process in which hydrogen atoms are added to unsaturated fats to make them more stable (longer shelf life). So, if your cupcake package has an expiration date of 08/2020, it’s packed with hydrogenated fats. Hydrogenation produces transfats. Don’t go near the stuff.
2. Don’t use margarine, butter is healthier, but use it in moderation.
3. Minimize or eliminate the use of polyunsaturated oils (safflower, sunflower, corn, soybean, cottonseed).
4. Use expeller- or cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). “Light” olive oil has been chemically refined, which isn’t the best choice. Most vegetable oils are extracted using heat and solvents that create weird chemicals and are pro-inflammatory (not good).
5. Avoid fried foods at fast-food restaurants. The oils in the fryers often contain hydrogenated fats. Plus, as the current McDonald’s lawsuit shows, can also contain gluten.
6. Don’t eat rancid foods (nuts, seeds, or grains). That sounds like a given, but you can’t always tell. You can determine rancidity by the smell, which is a bit like paint, but you have to have sharp olfactory skills (that would be you, Megan).
7. Don’t heat oils to the smoking point, don’t breathe in the smoke, and don’t reuse oils that have been heated to high temperatures. Do I sound bossy? Hey, I’m a mom – it’s for your own good.
8. So – my current general oil choice is EVOO. If you don’t use it often, buy a smaller bottle so it doesn’t go rancid. Protect your oil from heat, light, and air. Dark bottles are better.

Does that help?

In good health,
Melissa

Disclaimer: All material on this website is provided for informational and educational use only and should not be used for diagnostic purposes. Consult with your physician regarding any health or medical concerns you may have.

Hey everyone – we have a winner from the “name these mushrooms” contest I posted last week. Although I was surprised Cindy, our little rocket scientist/culinary blogger from cindalouskitchenblues, didn’t give us the right answer, we did end up with another science girl joining the ranks. And by the way, Cindy does get honorable mention for her sense of humor. I have to admit, I love it that we’re forming an online clique of geeky science girls. Very cool, and you do know it’s hip to be square, right?

Michelle from the accidentalscientist (PhD in Biology) guessed maitake mushroom for the first one and lion’s mane for the second, which is right on both accounts. Yeah! Congratulations to Michelle. Of course, she did say her home town has a mushroom festival every summer, so it sounds like she’s something of an expert (compared to the rest of us, anyway). Sarah had the first one right, but not the second one, so this not-so-grand prize goes to our biologist.

Michelle, email me at melissa@glutenfreeforgood.com and pass along your address and I’ll mail you your prize. But first, you get to choose the color – blue or cream. The prize is a Nigella Lawson Citrus Squeezer from her kitchenware collection and it does exactly what the name implies. Squeezes juice. I have one and love it for squeezing fresh lime or lemon juice and the cool thing about Nigella’s version is the seed catcher. Very smart design move, Nigella.

Big decision, Michelle – cream or blue? Aren’t they cute?!

Nutrition notes
Maitake mushroom: this mushroom’s scientific name is grifola frondosa, referring to the mythical half-lion, half-eagle beast, the griffin (which, by the way, is my son’s name – just the Griffin part). The Japanese call it maitake. It’s also called hen-of-the-woods, has a nice, earthy flavor, and is prized not only for its taste, but its medicinal value as well. Studies show maitake mushrooms as having the following therapuetic benefits:
• activates the immune system
• anti-cancer properties
• normalizes lipid levels
• protects the liver
• reduces elevated blood glucose levels
• helps suppress weight gain
• helps maintain normal blood pressure

Lion’s mane mushroom: this one has a unique appearance and does look a bit like a long-haired loofah. Like the maitake, it’s know for its medicinal, as well as culinary properties. Legend has it that these mushrooms promote “nerves of steel and the memory of a lion.” (I thought elephants were the ones with the good memories – but I can’t remember.) Research supports its traditional use as:
• immune system booster
• stimulates the synthesis of NGF (nerve growth factor), which may protect nerves from
deterioration
• helps promote cognitive function

Wash, cut and sauté in olive oil and add to rice dishes, veggies, soups, stews, or whatever comes to mind. They taste good and they’re healthy. Yum!

In good health,
Melissa