Archive for April, 2009

Navy Bean Vegetable Soup

Place beans and water in a heavy pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the flame to medium low and simmer until tender, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer another 10 minutes.

Lentil Pasta Soup

ace the first seven ingredients in a heavy pot, bring to a boil, cover, reduce flame to medium low, and simmer approximately 1 hour or until tender. Add sea salt and ditalini. Simmer uncovered about 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and discard. Mix in spinach and parsley, cook 2 minutes and serve.

NuVal™, Nutritional Scoring System

This article was syndicated from: Laurel on Health Food

NuVal™, Nutritional Scoring System

I had the privilege of listening to Dr. David Katz speak at a lecture this weekend. In addition to his discussion on the Flavor Point Diet and his nutritional education DVDs for children, Nutrition Detectives®, Dr. Katz presented his new nutritional scoring system provided by NuVal™.

I wrote a post about this scoring system last July, but it was only in the beginning stages at that point. Katz and his colleagues developed the “Overall Nutritional Quality Index (ONQI™), a patent-pending algorithm for measuring the nutritional quality of foods and beverages based on the influence they have on overall dietary goals.” I am truly impressed with the science that went into creating this system, and even more impressed that it is not backed by any food manufacturers or companies trying to promote specific foods. Finally, some information we can trust!

This weekend, Dr. Katz spent about an hour explaining the sophistication of the ONQI™ system. Based on over 30 different nutrients and nutrition factors, foods are given a score between 1 and 100 (a score of 100 indicates the healthiest foods). The scores will be listed on shelf tags right next to the foods you purchase on the shelf. You can learn more about the scoring system here.

A key point for me…foods with artificial ingredients and hidden sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup are penalized and are therefore given a lower score.

So far, the following grocery store chains have signed on to carry NuVal labels to help their customers make smart food choices: Price Chopper, Hy-Vee, and Meyer. Many of the other big chain grocery stores are expected to sign on this year.

The U.S. food supply is terribly confusing for the average consumer, and I’m so happy to know that we’ve got some trustworthy information to help steer us in the right direction towards health.

Click here to see some NuVal scores of foods. As you might have guessed, the produce section is the superstar of high scores.

Kidney Bean Miso Soup

Place the beans, kombu and water in a medium soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the flame to medium-low, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until 80% done. Add onion, carrot, celery and corn. Cover and simmer another 15 to 20 minutes until the beans are tender. Reduce the flame to low and add the pureed miso. Mix and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Serve garnished with scallions. NOTE: Eden Organic Dry Pinto or Organic Dry Navy Beans can be substituted for kidney beans for variety.

Homemade Hummus

Cook beans per package directions. When done, drain and reserve 1/2 cup bean cooking liquid. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until creamy. Place in a dish and serve with warm pita bread, any EDEN Chips or Crackers, sliced cucumbers, or with raw or steamed celery and carrot sticks.

Frijoles Refritos (fried beans)

Cook beans per box directions. Drain and reserve the cooking liquid. Heat oils in a heavy skillet and sauté the garlic and onions for 1 to 2 minutes. Add half the beans and all remaining ingredients. Sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Mash the beans with a potato masher to form a coarse, thick puree. Add the remaining beans, mash slightly slowly adding enough bean cooking water to form the desired consistency - not to thick or to watery. Cook 10 more minutes over a low flame, stirring occasionally. For a spicier flavor, a drop or two of hot sauce can be added.

Black Bean Tomato Salsa

Cook beans per package directions. When done, drain and allow to cool. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, mix, cover and chill for 1 hour, allowing the flavors to blend. Serve with any Eden Chips or Crackers, or organic corn chips.

Black Bean Vegetable Soup

Place soaked beans and water in a medium soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the flame to medium-low, cover and simmer 1 hour or until about 80% done. Add onion, celery, peppers, sweet corn, sea salt, cumin and lemon zest. Cover and simmer another 20 minutes or until the beans are tender. Serve garnished with scallions.

Barley, Lentil & Vegetable Soup

Place first three ingredients in a medium soup pot, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the flame to medium-low and simmer 30 to 35 minutes. Add onion, celery and carrot. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add sea salt, cover and simmer another 10 minutes. Add the leeks, cover and simmer another 3 to 4 minutes. Serve garnished with parsley.

Cut Belly Fat w/ Tart Cherries

This article was syndicated from: Laurel on Health Food

Cut Belly Fat w/ Tart Cherries

Natural News posted a new cherry study from the University of Michigan. Researchers found that adding tart cherries to your diet may help reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. The study fed mice one of two diets: a high fat, moderate carbs diet (45% calories from fat, 40% calories from carbs) OR a low fat, high carbs diet (10% calories from fat, 75% calories from carbs).

Mice that were given added cherry powder to either diet had an 11% reduction in cholesterol after three months. In addition, the mice who had cherry powder had 54% body fat compared to 63% body fat in the mice that did not eat cherry powder. Most of the fat reduction was around the belly area of the mice.

The mice that ate cherry also had a 40% reduction in the TNF-alpha inflammation marker and 31% reduction in the IL-6 inflammation marker. The researchers found that “the activity of the genes producing these two compounds was reduced in the mice, suggesting that tart cherries may reduce inflammation at a systemic level.” (Natural News)

If you’re interested in learning more about tart cherries, check out this great informational page on About.com’s alternative medicine site: What are Tart Cherries and Tart Cherry Juice?

You can probably find tart cherries at your local health food store. I also searched online and found them on Amazon. You can get dried tart cherries, tart cherry juice, etc. I also wasn’t surprised to find tart cherries in a pill form.