Sugar does not just mean actual sugar that you put in tea, or find in cakes and candy. It is also the over consumption of fresh and dried fruit, bread, pasta, juice, and white rice and potatoes. Many people skip meals, which leads to an imbalance of blood sugar levels and constant cravings. What the body is really asking for is more nourishment, and simple carbs are a quick fix. It is possible to stop this spiral and get rid of your sweet tooth!

If you happen to live in the New York area, then it’s the perfect time to commit to kicking your sugar cravings out the door forever!

Join me at the Awakening Wellness Center in Willamsburg, Brooklyn on July 10, 2012.
http://nutritionevolution.net/events/
https://www.facebook.com/events/365465676853850/

If you don’t live in the New York area, soon this class will be available in an online format.
Nutrition Evolution is also available for skype sessions @nutritionevolution

In the meantime, get ready for a simple and refreshing desert that happens to be nutrient dense desert, and will satisfy even the heftiest of sugar cravings!

chocolate chia pudding

2 tbsp chia seeds

1 3/4 cups organic coconut milk

2 medjool dates, pitted

3 tbsp raw cacao powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp real vanilla extract

pinch of Himalyan salt

1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts or walnuts (or favorite nut combo), chopped

1/4 cup fresh organic blueberries or raspberries

optional: 1/4 cup of hemp seeds

directions: Grind chia seeds until powdery. Blend coconut milk and the dates in a food processor, until smooth.  Add 2 tbsp of the cacao, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.  Blend to combine, then taste and adjust, adding more cacao if needed. Add ground chia seeds and blend until smooth. Pour into small dishes and chill for at least 30 minutes. Once chilled, garnish with toasted hazelnuts and berries.

enjoy!

Hit a reset button for your mind, body, and spirit! We live in an increasingly toxic world, with heavy metals in the water, chemical additives in your food, beauty and cleaning products along with overuse of caffeine, sugar and alcohol. This can leave the body feeling fatigued, painful, and overwhelmed. If this is not the life that you want to lead, then launch your journey toward optimal wellness with this total body cleanse program that can work with even the busiest lifestyle.

The best part of this program is that its NOT a fast or starvation diet. You will be satisfied through delicious and nourishing meals.

Benefits include:

• Increased energy
• Reduction in allergies
• More restful sleep
• Decreased food cravings
• Weight loss
• Clearer Skin
• Improved digestion
• Balanced Mood, Mental Clarity
• Increased awareness of how food affects your overall wellness

Program includes:

• Initial consultation via skype or phone
• Two follow-up sessions
• Personalized Recipes
• List of foods to avoid
• High quality practitioner supplements, $90 value
• Email support
• List of eco-friendly companies
• Simple tips for post cleanse maintenance tips

Program costs $350 which includes all supplements

Payment plan available

To book: http://nutritionevolution.net/contact/

Coconut Oil
Quality fats support healthy cell membranes and coconut oil is rich with lauric acid which is anti-parastic. Also, it contains medium chain triglycerides which help the body burn fat.

Kale
This leafy green powerhouse is rich in minerals, especially magnesium which is a mineral that most people don’t get enough of.

Ghee
Clarified butter is made by separating the lactose and the casein, which means even people with dairy allergies or intolerances can enjoy ghee. It’s lubricating for the intestines and food for the cells.

Eggs
Contrary to the often bad rap eggs get, they are actually supportive of healthy cholesterol levels since they contain lecithin which helps cholesterol move through the blood. The quality is very important, so always choose eggs that are free range or at least organic.

Apples
Many fruits are very sweet and can tweak out your blood sugar levels. Apples carry a heavy fiber load, which means they are absorbed a bit more slowly by your blood sugar.

Green Super Foods
Choose a blend with veggies, fruit, spirulina, blue green algae, etc. These nutrient dense foods cleanse the blood and support overall immunity.

Sauerkraut
This fermented cabbage condiment is swimming in healthy bacteria and enzymes that support digestion and immune health.

Chia Seeds
Chia is a rich source of heart, brain, and cell supporting omega-3 fatty acids. These seeds are also mucilaginous which means that they help heal and soothe your mucus membranes.

Pumpkin seeds
Most plant food don’t contain zinc, so pumpkin seeds are an ideal source for vegetarians.

Raw goat and sheep milk, kefir, cheese, and yogurt
Raw milk is a nourishing source of healthy fat and protein and has the added benefit of being loaded with enzymes and bacteria.

Tahini
Sesame seeds are a rich source of calcium and magnesium and this creamy spread is a rich source of protein for vegetarians and raw foodies.

Grass Fed Beef
Cows that graze on their natural food source, grass, are healthier and even produce CLA, which is a benefical fatty acid for heart health.

As a nutritionist, my clients are constantly sharing health “facts” that they learned from the internet, friends, or TV. With so much information available, sometimes random or outdated statements end up as common knowledge. Often, these “facts” don’t support optimal health and can even be harmful.

MELT practitioner, Edya Kalev and I decided it was time collaborate and break down some common health myths. Here are our top 10….

Avoiding Eggs
Quality is the key to heart-healthy eggs. Eggs from factory farms lack the nutrition value of organic and pasture raised eggs. Quality eggs contain substantial amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids which are indeed beneficial for heart health. Also, the egg yolk actually contains lecithin which is a beneficial fatty acid that helps cholesterol move through the blood.

Drinking Smoothies
When fruit is eaten whole it’s usually one apple or a handful of berries. However, smoothies contain several pieces of fruit which causes a rapid spike in blood sugar levels. Many also use poor quality protein powders containing isolates. These highly processed shakes can be quite hard for the body to process. The healthiest smoothies will contain minimal fruit and quality protein from nuts, seeds, brown rice, hemp, or whole gluten free grains.

Eating Veggie Chicken or Seitan
In the last 100 years humans began altering the food supply through farming practices with an intentional increase of the gluten content of wheat through hybridization. Partly due to wheat subsidies, gluten is now used as a filler, flavoring, and emulsifier in many processed foods, including “fake” meat-like foods such as Seitan.  The body can easily become over-saturated with gluten, which leads people to develop allergies and health issues. If giving up gluten completely seems too overwhelming, then start with Wheatless Wednesdays.

Eating an Apple a Day
Apples are now the worst when it comes to pesticides.  For the first time, they are number one on the list known as the Dirty Dozen which are the fruits and veggies containing the highest level of pesticides as tested by the Environmental Working Group.  So, if you are going to eat an apple, make sure it is an organic one!

Wearing Sunscreen
Sunscreen is one arena where labeling is often a far cry from the truth, since the FDA has just begun to regulate the industry’s claims about the level of sun protection or the safety of certain chemical ingredients.  Oxybenzone is a potential hormone disruptor, while retinyl palmitate may even increase the risk of some cancers. To make sure that your sunscreen is not one of the offenders, go to the Skin Deep Website.

Wearing Arch Supports
Arch supports are like crutches…great for the short term to ease the pain and strain of specific conditions, but not something you want to depend on forever.  Instead, go to a qualified Physical Therapist to help strengthen your arches, or follow along with this Youtube video.  Just use MELT balls instead of the tennis ball and you’ll get a great workout for your footsies.

Eating Hijiki Seaweed Salad
Seaweed pulls nutrients from seawater, which is why it is nutritionally dense.  It is also why there is a greater risk of contamination.  One kind in particular, hijiki, is especially high in inorganic arsenic and is best avoided. Go for the arame, nori, or other sea vegetables instead.

Pressing a Yoga Block into your belly
Some yoga teachers advocate lying face down on yoga blocks or rolled up towels, to “release the organs.”  However, it is never a good idea to press all your body weight directly into your organs. Organs are delicate, and you can unintentionally rupture something.  If you want to address an organ directly, go to a visceral manipulation specialist to be safe (and more comfortable.)

Pic by: ontheflyrecipes

I’m excited to announce that I am now a contributing daily editor for foodista.com. They are in the process of updating their site and once they do I will link my site up so that all of the posts appear here. In the meantime, you can find all of my articles here.

My favorite posts, so far:

1. Ultimate Foodie Gift Guide for Mom – Fun gifts for mom or any foodie in your life.

2. 6 Recipes to Nourish and Inspire on Cinco de Mayo - Even beyond the May 5th celebration these are some seriously nutritious and delicious Mexican recipes.

3. Protein for Breakfast- This is definitely one of my catch-phrases and explains why breakie truly is the most important meal of the day.

4. 10 Brain Boosting Tips- Who couldn’t use a boost in our hectic modern world?

5. 5 Gluten Free Cakes Fit for a Queen – Get your just desserts with these nutrient dense delights.

6. Wheatless Wednesday – I have a dream that Wheatless Wednesday will become as popular as Meatless Monday.

7. Artistic View of GMO – GMO (genetically modified organisms) education is a passion of mine and this artist does an amazing job via video.

8. Real Food is Not Elitist- This is a very important message to get across, and thankfully Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) does an excellent job.

For those of you in the New York area, come and check out my FREE talk on gluten free living, Saturday May14th at the New Understanding street fair in Brooklyn. Here is the full line-up. I will also be giving a talk to parents May 21st at the Brooklyn Junior Leagues Kid’s in the Kitchen event.

PS. Feel free to leave any suggestions (via the comments) for topics that you’d like to see me cover on Foodista.

photo: Mouton

The foodie movement  has blossomed and is in full swing on the west coast. I can throw a stone and hit a cafe serving SOUL (seasonal, organic, unrefined, local) food. You don’t even have to go to a high end spot to be served SOUL food. I’d say that NY is sprinting to catch up, The movment is newer, but the enthusiasm is there. All over Brooklyn and in parts of Manhattan the SOUL food movement can be seen blooming. Restaurants are using produce, meat, and dairy from local farms, and the Brooklyn Flea seemed to be exploding with local food vendors. There are more coops and buyers clubs popping up in every neighborhood of Brooklyn along with rooftop and backyard gardens.

Many people ask me (from both coasts) why I would leave the bounty of California for the more stark NY. It seems I was in foodie heaven with my 4o farmers markets and unlimited supply of SOUL food. Yes, this is a valid point, BUT I came here to be part of this growing movement. My mission is to educate and inspire people to make healthier choices for themselves and their families. People in NY are starting to make the connection, but there is still quite a ways to go. I lived in a beautiful bubble, but I felt it was my time to really go and make a difference where my knowledge is really needed. I already miss my world being saturated with green between the nature and non stop veggies. Still, I know I made the right choice. There is a genuine excitement that comes when a movement is fresh.

As part of my ongoing mission, I will be offering a variety of classes and workshops. The first one will be Monday April 25th, Spring into Health, All Year Round. We will talk about going beyond the usual spring cleanse. I am a supporter of spring cleansing, but then what? Many people go back to all of their toxic habits. Learn how to reduce your toxic load every day of the year! Other upcoming talks: Junk Food Vegetarians and Kicking Sugar Addiction.

May 14, 2011 is the New Understanding, a wellness street fair in Brooklyn. I’ll  have a table and will be giving a half an hour talk on, yep you guessed it, GLUTEN!

Check out my radio debut on the Hot Grease program on the Heritage Radio Network. I covered some foodie headlines and we talked about  my blog and my move. I should mention that this adorable radio station is part of a sustainable restaurant called Roberta’s. It’s inside two shipping containers and they use produce from their garden!

In the spirit of spring, enjoy this recipe for sauteed dandelion greens. Bitter is the taste of spring as it activates the liver and gall bladder. Dandelion is indeed a bitter green, but it can be quite delicious when balanced with other flavors.

sho’s yummy dandelion greens

2 cups fresh dandelion greens

1 cup spring onions

3-4 stalks spring (green) garlic

1.5 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

Himayalan salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

optional:fresh spring herbs

directions: heat coconut oil on low-medium heat in cast iron or stainless steel pan. Next, add onions  and garlic, sautee for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. When onions and garlic are soft, add greens, stir, and then cover. In about 1-2 minutes the greens will wilt, this means that they are ready to eat.

enjoy!

Comments and questions welcome via the comments. For further information, my email is kale@nutritionevolution.net

GMO’s are crops grown from seeds that have had their genes altered in a way that DOES NOT happen in nature. In the case of BT corn, it has been altered to produce its own toxin, a pesticide called Bacillus thuringiensis. Despite assurances from Monsanto, this corn has wreaked havoc on the environment and on the health of humans and animals. Research has shown that animals who have been fed this BT corn have liver, kidney and blood problems, and it’s quite possible that humans may be affected in the same way. Even with research, it would be hard to prove since chronic health issues can take decades to develop.

Due to this corn being widely planted and subsidized it’s also appearing in not only corn syrup, but in just about every other processed food. This is a problem because the body isn’t designed to process the altered and higher levels of proteins, and when you eat the same food over and over the body gets overburdened and and it triggers the production of antibodies by the immune system. This leads to chronic inflammation and allergies. Soy, canola, sugar beets, and cottonseed are the other widely used GMO crops which are part of the problem.

The enviroment is also taking a hit, as even organic farms are getting GMOs in their crops due to cross pollination. The rivers and streams are getting contaminated by these pesticide producing crops, and beneficial insects can be affected by stronger pesticides than anything ever found in nature. There is much more to be said about GMO crops, but what I want to focus on is OUR RIGHT TO KNOW!

Even if you don’t believe any of this and feel it’s safe to eat these altered crops, those of us that don’t have the right to know what we are eating. If you are kosher or  vegan this is a choice and it’s widely regulated and accepted that food contain these labels. We, as non-GMO eaters, have the same right to clear labeling as a person who chooses to not eat meat because of their beliefs. If these foods are so safe, what’s the big deal about labeling them? Europe has laws that require GMOs to be labeled, because they understand that we should have the RIGHT TO CHOOSE if we want to consume GMOs.

If you want to learn more about GMOs, Jeffery Smith’s “Seeds of Deception” is the gold standard for GMO information. He also runs the site responsibletechnology.org Another important organization is MIllions Against Monsanto, run by the Organic Consumers Association. They organized the 30 rallies across the US on March 26, 2011.  World Food Day is October 16, 2011 and there will be more rallies across the country. Join your local chapter, write letters to congress, support Dennis Kucinich’s labeling bill, DO SOMETHING. The time for action is NOW!

On a lighter note, and in the spirit of Spring, enjoy this easy recipe for Easy Spring Beets. They work well as the carbohydrate part of any meal and contain betaine which is important digestion and detoxification. Beets are also rich with lutein and zeaxanthin, both potent antioxidants, especially beneficial for eye health. Of course buy local and organic whenever possible!

yummy and easy spring beets via whfoods.com

directions: Fill the bottom of a steamer with 2 inches of water.While the water is coming to a boil, wash beets, leaving 2 inches of tap root and 1 inch of the stem on the beets. Cut beets into quarters. Do not peel.Steam covered for 15 minutes. Beets are cooked when you can easily insert a fork on the tip of a knife into the beet. Press or chop garlic and let sit for 5 minutes to bring out their health-promoting properties. Peel beets using a paper towel. Transfer beets to a bowl and toss with remaining ingredients.

enjoy!

If you are in the New York area and want to get involved with GMO awareness and events, check out the local right to know if it’s GMO page.

As always I’m available for skype sessions and programs.

send me an email at kale@nutritionevolution.net if you are ready to transform your health and your life!

Much health, Shoshanna!

Start by examining your daily diet. Is it loaded with sugar, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and processed junk food? If so, then you are suppressing your immunity. Sugar lowers your natural killer (NK) white blood cells. These cells fight invaders such as viruses and bacteria. Sugar also inhibits the body from absorbing Vitamin C, which is a crucial component of a healthy immune system. HFCS, over loads the liver and leaves it unable to filter out harmful toxins. Processed foods are stripped of vitamins and minerals, and/or have synthetic vitamins added. These empty calories don’t support a healthy immune system, and they put an additional burden on your digestion, liver, and kidneys. Basically these denatured foods break the body down instead of building it up.

Eating a variety of brightly colored seasonal fruits and vegetables increases your antioxidant intake. Various colors contain a variety of phyto (from plants) nutrients. For example, orange and yellow produce is loaded with beta-carotene and vitamin C, both of which are important for immunity. The blues and purples contain anthocyanins, which act as powerful antioxidants that protect cells from damage. The best way to get all the benefits is pack your plate with color, every day.

There are many herbs and supplements that are beneficial for your immune system. Many medicinal mushrooms, such as shitake, reishi, agarikon, turkey tail, and maitake increase NK cells. Elderberry is an old folk remedy that we now know prevents viruses from replicating by coating and puncturing the viral cell walls. Garlic is not only tasty, it’s a potent anti-microbial. If your stomach can tolerate it, you can eat it raw when you feel a cold coming on. If not, it’s available in capsules and tinctures.

Herbal teas are comforting during colder temperatures and are one more layer of protection for your system. My favorite tea purveyor is Traditional Medicinals. They make potent herbal blends, including Breathe Easy, which contains Chinese herbs, eucalyptus, and licorice and is excellent for clearing congestion. They make a full line of cold care teas too. You can also use bulk herbs, and make your own concoctions.  Try slippery elm, for  soothing sore throats and Echinacea to support overall immunity.

Also, make sure to take time out for relaxation. When the body is under stress it weakens our immunity. Take a hot bath with Epsom salt and lavender oil, walk, read, or just take a few minutes each day for yourself.

These are just some of the possibilities for taking care of your self during the upcoming cold and flu season. Before you load up on over-the-counter drugs and medications at the first sign of the sniffles, first try supporting your body naturally.

Here is a seriously immune-boosting soup recipe that is perfect for cold days, whether you have the sniffles or just want to prevent them.  Astragalus has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years and helps the body adapt to stress, is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. Burdock root is a blood purifier and dandelion detoxifies the liver and kidneys.  Miso is packed with probiotics (benefical bacteria) which support digestion and immunity. To your health!

delicious immune boosting soup

1 ounce dried astragalus root

4 ounces fresh dandelion root, thinly sliced (or 2 ounces dried)

4 ounces fresh burdock root, thinly sliced (or 2 ounces dried)

1 tablespoon grated fresh gingerroot

1 tablespoon dried kelp, dulse, or other sea vegetable

2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil

1 medium-size onion, chopped

1 bunch kale or collard greens, chopped

8-10 medium-size fresh shiitake mushrooms

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup fresh miso paste

directions: Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and reduce heat. Add astragalus, dandelion, burdock, ginger, and sea vegetable;  stir well, cover and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Strain, return broth to pot, and keep over medium heat. In a saute pan, heat oil over medium heat; add onion and mushrooms, and kale saute until tender. Add garlic; saute for a few more minutes, and then add entire mixture to broth. Turn off heat and stir in miso paste.

Recipe adapted from: From Body + Soul, November/December 2006

Enjoy!

Nutrition Evolution is available for phone and skype consultations. If you want to learn more about working me, send an email to kale@nutritionevolution.net. I am offering complimentary 30 minute phone or skype consultations.