This recipe is primarily paleo or primal, but adds in a little white rice. White rice on a nutrition blog? What? That’s right, lately I’ve been favoring white rice (in small amounts) over brown. Check out the book and blog The Perfect Health Diet for some interesting information on “safe starches.” The problem with starches and carbs isn’t just that they can raise blood sugar too much. Eating too many foods with lectins and phytates/phytic acid (substances found in the bran of grains as well as in legumes, seeds and nuts*) can be a contributing cause of leaky gut syndrome. These foods can irritate the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, which should be impermeable, and actually cause foods and pathogens to cross into your blood steam. This should not happen in a healthy gut, and it can lead to a host of autoimmune diseases and even autism and other behavioral problems. The Wall Street Journal even talks about it in this article: A Gut Check for Many Ailments. There are many other factors in maintaining a healthy GI tract, including proper friendly bacterial balance and also PH balance. Most people don’t know this, but your stomach needs to be highly acidic in order to digest protein, assimilate minerals and even activate some probiotics. There is a reason acidophilus has acid in the name! Some people even need to supplement with hydrochloric acid to help their heartburn, gas and constipation. Check out this article on how heartburn can actually be caused by low acid, not too much!

*Traditional cultures found ways of preparing nuts, grains and seeds to help lessen the effects of phytates and lectins. Soak your grains in water and an acidic medium. You can find loads of information on the web for how to traditionally prepare nuts and grains.

Warm Asian Beef Salad

1 lb grassfed ground beef

1 onion, sliced

8-10 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 carrot, thinly sliced

½ small red pepper, sliced

2 green onions, diced

water chestnuts, diced

bamboo shoots, diced

2 tsp tamari or gluten free soy sauce

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

½ tsp ground ginger or 1 tsp fresh ginger

Coconut oil or other healthy oil

Washed and torn lettuce leaves, I used fresh bib lettuce

1.)   Heat oil in pan. Add onions and cook for about a minute. Add crushed garlic and cook a minute more. Add red pepper and carrots and cook another minute.

2.)   Add ground beef and seasonings: tamari, vinegar, ginger and red pepper flakes. Cook until beef is heated through. Add water chestnuts and bamboo shoots and heat through.

3.)   Turn off heat. Add sesame oil and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve on top of lettuce and with a small bit of white rice. I recommend no more than 1/3 cup if you are seeking weight loss or are sensitive to sugar*, and you could have a little more if weight loss isn’t in your goals.

*Sensitive to sugar means you have any blood sugar regulating problem like diabetes or hypoglycemia or if you gain weight really easily eating carbs.

I’m a huge fan of eating protein and fat in the morning. It’s stick to your ribs food and it can set you up for a whole day of stable blood sugar (read: no sugar cravings, ravenous hunger, irritability, shakiness or cloudy thinking!). On weekend mornings when we have the time, my boyfriend and I like to cook up a big breakfast consisting of veggies and protein, cooked in good fats. Here’s our creation from a few Sundays ago:

My perfect paleo/primal breakfast

Italian Kale Stir-Fry with Perfect Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale, washed and chopped

2/3 cup olives of your choice, sliced

2 sausage links (any favorite sausage is fine)

1 onion, sliced

4 organic, free range eggs

Cooking Instructions:

1.) Saute the onions in the coconut oil, ghee, or butter.

2.) Add sausages and olives and cook for a few more minutes. Add kale and saute a few minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.

3.) I recently read an article about how Julia Child made scrambled eggs (her secret is basically a lot of fat!). Here’s what she does.

• (for 4 eggs) Use two whole tablespoons of butter (or ghee or coconut oil). Heat in a pan over medium heat.
• Meanwhile, crack four eggs in a small bowl. Add some salt and a dash of lukewarm water. Scramble.
• Add the egg to the heated pan and stir consistently so that the fat emulsifies with the egg. Keep stirring until eggs reach desired texture. That’s it! These are very delicious scrambled eggs.

*Note about olive oil–olive oil is an extremely healthy fat, so why was it left off of my list of “good fats” above? With fats, we have to worry about damaging them through cooking. Some fats are better suited for heat and some are not. When we damage (oxidize) a fat, it can create free-radical damage in the body (the opposite of an anti-oxidant). Olive oil is best for lower heat cooking or for using in salad dressings–things that never get too heated. Olive oil has become popular lately with chefs and health conscious people and that’s great, as long as you’re not using olive oil to cook everything in. Coconut oil, butter, ghee, palm oil or to a lesser degree avocado and grapeseed oil are healthier choices for medium and high heat cooking.

So, this meal has a lot of fat in it, huh? Is that okay? For so long fat has been a four letter word, and even though studies have been coming out saying that we NEED fat and that certain fats are absolutely essential, it still takes a gargantuan cognitive shift to not think “Ooooh, that’s a lot of fat. I’m not sure I should eat that! It will go right to my hips.” Now, I believe moderation is a good principle. I’m not saying to eat an all meat and egg diet. In fact, if I made a food guide pyramid, I would put vegetables on the base of the pyramid. Good quality meats and fats would be next as well as nuts.  Next would be low sugar fruits (berries and apples are low sugar). Grains and legumes would be thrown in there too, somewhere more towards the top (maybe one serving a day at most, if you aren’t needing to lose weight or have an auto-immune condition). I personally only eat grains or beans about once a week, if that. Processed foods and refined sugar should be off the list and reserved for occasions where they simply can’t be avoided.

Back to the fats. Check out this now classic article from New York Times journalist Gary Taubes: What if It’s All Been a Big Fat Lie. Taubes also has a new book out called Why We Get Fat. The basic premise in these works is that carbohydrates are the reason we’ve gotten into such an obesity crisis, not dietary intake of fat. Heart disease and obesity were much less common before we started eating “low-fat,” which intrinsically becomes a high-carb diet. Now, as I’ve expressed before, I’m not an advocate of going on an extremely low-carb diet necessarily, unless it is for a short period of time. We need variety, it’s just that I think we can get absolutely all the carbs we need from veggies and fruit–which are much more nutrient dense and much lower calorie than grains and beans.

What are some of the benefits of eating more quality fats (coconut oil, olive oil, flax oil, fatty fish, avocados, nuts, organic butter or ghee) fats? Here are a few I can think of just off the top of my head:

• Fat creates satiety. You will actually end up eating less when you eat more fat.
• When you are satiated, you aren’t going to snack on high sugar foods. When you eat lots of high sugar foods this throws off your body hormonally because it spikes insulin. This creates a cascade of negative side effects hormonally in your body and especially affects the adrenal glands, which are in charge of your response to stress. Negative impacts of stressing the adrenals glands are anxiety, insomnia and chronic fatigue (plus a lot more). Insulin spikes can also throw off other hormones in your body such as estrogen and testosterone, leading to reproductive problems.
• We need fats to get our fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.
• We need fats to make up every cell in our body, and allow these cells to communicate with each other.
• We need saturated fats to create our reproductive hormones.

There is SO much more to know in the world of fats which I don’t have time to cover right now. Here are two places to start learning more if you are interested:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fats/

http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats

I hope this helps you and your family choose healthy fats and enjoy yummy breakfasts with lots of good fat and protein.

Plus, if you are looking for a side dish, I’m including my Roasted Caramelized Onions and Brussels Sprouts recipe below. I’ve made it the last several years for Thanksgiving and it’s always a huge hit.

Thanksgiving Recipe Round-Up

Grain-Free Gravy from Elana’s Pantry I’m definitely making this for myself this year. I’ve been gluten-free for several years but this will be my first Thanksgiving being grain-free. That means no flour thickeners! Elana is ingenious and uses onions to thicken her gravy.

Ultimate Paleo Pumpkin Pie from Mark’s Daily Apple uses a nut crust instead of grains. I’ve used the nut crust method before and it works great!

Beef, Celery, Walnut and Apple Stuffing from Paleo Diet Lifestyle looks delicious to me!

Recipe for Roasted Caramelized Onions and Brussels Sprouts

Fresh Brussels Sprouts to turn into Roasted Caramelized Onions and Brussels Sprouts

3 lbs Brussels Sprouts, stems removed and cut in half

5 onions, sliced

grapeseed oil, coconut oil, butter, ghee (some kind of fat, you choose!)

3/4 cup pecans, chopped and toasted

sea salt

1.) First you need to caramelize your onions. Heat fat over medium high heat (I used a mix of Spectrum refined coconut oil and grapeseed oil–both of which are good and stable for high heat cooking). Add your onions and a few shakes of salt and cook uncovered, about 10 minutes, until they soften. Turn down heat and cover. The idea here is to cook them low and slow until they get gooey and sweet. Continue to check on them and add more oil as needed (don’t be afraid to use a lot of fat, the onions are what will coat the Brussels sprouts). I like to cook them for 2 hours or so if possible. Here’s a nice post from Simply Recipes on how to caramelize onions if you need more guidance. I find the sugar that some people use to be completely unnecessary.

2.) Toast your chopped pecans. Use a cast iron pan if possible, or a stainless steel one. Over medium to low heat, toast pecans for about 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Don’t burn! Set aside in a dish to cool.

3.) When you are ready, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Take your Brussels sprouts and coat them in the sweet, yummy caramelized onions. Add more fat if needed. Put one layer of Brussels onto a cookie sheet and roast in the oven about 15-20 minutes until tender and a little brown. You can even turn the broiler on for the last 1-2 minutes to brown them further.

4.) To serve, sprinkle some toasted pecans on the top and enjoy. Be prepared for even ardent haters of Brussels sprouts to ask for your recipe!

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Kendra Lay

When I was looking into going to school for acupuncture and Chinese medicine, I was astonished to learn the depth of training and scope of practice for acupuncturists in the United States. I’d been going to acupuncturists for years to care for my own health, but I’d never considered how much training and skill was involved in safely inserting needles into the body or prescribing a proper herbal formula.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine training programs in the United States are generally 4-year, full-time master’s degree programs (yes, we even go to school in the summer!). Some people will complete their training on an even faster 3-year accelerated track, but it still takes the same number of credits and hours.

Acupuncturists are well trained, so you should feel confident when going to a licensed acupuncturist who attended an NAACOM accredited school. Acupuncturist training includes medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, pathology, pharmacology, herb-drug interactions, nutrition, orthopedic testing, western medical diagnostic testing, massage and bodywork, and of course numerous classes in acupuncture techniques and herbal medicine. In addition to this, acupuncturists complete a clinical internship treating patients under the supervision of an experienced and licensed acupuncturist.  At AOMA in Austin, Texas where I attend school, our internship is about 1,000 hours.

It is very important for acupuncturists to be well versed in modern western medicine and anatomy. More and more, acupuncturists are treating complex conditions in the United States, where care with a primary care provider might need to be coordinated. In addition, caution with the many pharmaceutical drugs and their potential for interactions with nutrients and herbs are also important to be aware of for the acupuncturist.

Even though entry-level training for acupuncturists is currently a master’s degree, it is likely in the future that this will change to a first-professional doctoral degree. We’ve seen this happen with other fields lately, such as physical therapy. The funny thing is, that the master’s programs in acupuncture are already so robust that few classes will need to be added to bump it up to a doctoral level.

What do you think? Were you surprised to learn the depth of training that acupuncturists receive? Do you think anything should be added or taken away from acupuncturist training?

In Chinese medicine we talk about several body substances of importance to our health. One of these is blood. Painful periods are often caused by what we would call a “blood deficiency” or a “blood stagnation.” There are other causes in Chinese medicine of menstrual cramps, but these some of the most common. You see, Chinese medicine likes to look at what is going on with each individual person, and once we figure that out we choose acupuncture points and herbs accordingly. A woman with classic blood stagnation symptoms might have dark red menstrual blood with clots, fixed pain that is worse at night and/or lots of PMS symptoms including mood swings. A woman with blood deficiency might have a scanty or light menses, dull pain that comes and goes, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and/or dizziness. It’s also possible to have a combination of the two.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the link between stress and painful menstrual periods. In Chinese medicine we talk about many organs in the body. When you hear your acupuncturist talking about an organ such as the gallbladder or the heart, they probably are not actually talking about the actual organ sitting in your body. They are usually more likely talking about a set of symptoms or a functional disorder rather than a physical one. For example, a functional disorder is when you are having a problem, say frequent urination. You go to the doctor, they check out your bladder and your kidneys and say there is no physical problem…but obviously you are still having a problem. This is a functional disorder. Okay, back to stress. In Chinese medicine, stress is usually related to the liver (not that anything is actually wrong with your liver, remember?). The liver is called the mother of women in Chinese medicine and is a big player in regulating the menstrual cycle. It is also a big part of our emotional life. Thus, stress and emotions can greatly impact painful periods. An acupuncturist will work on treating your periods and treating your stress. Win, win!

To begin to regulate your periods, you might want to start seeing an acupuncturist once a week for perhaps 5-10 visits. Most patients will be able to space their visits out after this initial treatment period, and will have “maintenance” appointments perhaps once a month or so. The acupuncturist might prescribe herbs, as herbs work great for gynecological symptoms. The best thing about getting Chinese medical treatment is that when you go to treat one complaint, other aspects of your health may improve as well. This might include benefits such as better digestion, more energy, better sleep etc. This is because acupuncturists work to identify the root of what is causing the particular illness or symptom, and if you treat the root often other aspects of health will be positively impacted.

In addition, it is important to note that acupuncture and Chinese herbs work great for other women’s health problems such as infertility, irregular menstrual cycle, amenorrhea (no menstrual period), and menopausal symptoms.

So what would you gain without menstrual cramps every month?

When using moxa, it might be held over a certain acupuncture point or used over a larger area of the body. Here is a sampling of what moxa can treat:

breech position in pregnancy
arthritis, muscle ache and chronic pain
low energy
boosting the immune system
diarrhea and poor digestion
asthma prevention

Your acupuncturist may give you a moxa stick to treat yourself at home. Here’s a great video on how to safely use indirect moxa at home:

So here’s my quick and easy guide to meditation:

1.) Start incredibly small. Set aside 5 to 10 minutes a day to begin with. Eventually you can work up to more time at one sitting, or twice a day for 5 to 10 minutes.

2.) Sit in a comfortable place and position. You don’t have to cross your legs or anything crazy. Just be comfortable. Make sure to turn off the TV, phone, etc.

3.) Take a few deep breaths to calm yourself. Thank yourself and honor yourself that you are taking time out to improve your health, to relax, and to connect more with your body, mind and emotions.

4.) With eyes open or closed (do what feels good to you), focus on your breathing. You can do this in a few ways. The first way is to simply focus on the sensations of breathing, such as the air flowing in and out of your nostrils or the feel of your belly expanding (try to take breaths deep into your abdomen, so that your lower belly expands–deep breathing is infinitely more relaxing than shallow breathing). The other way to focus on your breathing is to actually count your breaths. Count to 10, and then start over and do another set of 10 (or you can count to 5 if that is easier).

5.) Inevitably, your mind will wander. If you are counting your breaths you might only get to 2 breaths before your mind is thinking about your to-do list, or some other incident that’s bothering you. That’s normal, don’t worry! It’s important to not beat yourself up over this. It is the nature of the mind to wander. What you want to do when it happens is to notice that it wandered. You can label it “thinking” if you want. Instead of thinking you are doing it wrong, again thank yourself that you are doing something good for your health and taking time out for yourself. Have compassion for yourself.

6.) After noting that the mind wandered, simply come back to the breath, either by counting or by feeling the sensations of breathing. Even if your mind wanders 30 times in 5 minutes, just return. The point of meditation is not to empty the mind, but instead to learn to notice when the mind is thinking or wandering, and simply to return. That’s all there is to this easy meditation!

7.) This meditation can really help if you are having trouble falling asleep at night or suffer from insomnia. Try it in bed! You can count in your head if someone is sleeping next to you, or again, just notice the sensations of breathing.

8.) If you want to add other relaxing elements to your meditation time, things to try might be gentle stretching or yoga, a cup of herbal tea, soothing music or inspirational literature (this can be a religious or spiritual text or any other work you feel gives you strength and clarity). The most important thing is that this time is relaxing, it’s a special time you take out of your busy day just for you.

9.) If you find you just can’t sit still, try walking meditation. You can walk in your backyard, in your neighborhood, in your living room…just ideally somewhere that is peaceful. You can count your steps instead of your breath, or still count your breath, or focus on the sensations of your feet striking the floor as your move. Just remember, when the mind wanders, just bring your focus back to the breath or your steps.

10.) In the most basic sense, Chinese medicine is trying to bring about more balance to our lives. Most of our lives are very busy, and perhaps even a little frenzied. We are always going, going, gone! Taking 5 to 10 minutes of restful time a day (Chinese medicine would call it yin time) can really help to balance the more active and harried parts of your life (this would be called yang time).

Meditation Resources

Here are a few books and resources I would recommend to help you learn more about meditation:

Shambhala Centers nationwide offer meditation classes for free or donation. Shambhala is a Tibetan Buddhism center that is still secular in nature. Anyone is welcome to attend and does not need to convert to Buddhism.

Here is a good 8 minute video about meditation for beginners, from the leader of the Shambhala organization.

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) classes, videos, or books are a great way to learn more about meditation. Google the name of your city with “mindfulness based stress reduction” to find a class or someone who teaches it. MBSR is a modern technique based on ancient principles of meditation. They have taken out any and all references to religion or Buddhism, but the spirit of the meditation remains.

Some of my favorite authors of books about meditation and mindfulness include: Pema Chodren, Noah Levine, Tara Brach, The Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh. I would highly recommend Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach.

A Word about Religion and Meditation

Almost all spiritual traditions have some form of meditation in their history or practice. However, perhaps the most obvious and popular forms of meditation have come out of Asian countries that practice Buddhism, and many of the resources I’ve recommended come from a Buddhist perspective. No matter what your faith or spirituality is, you can absolutely practice meditation. Buddhism isn’t a religion in the sense that you must believe in the Buddha, and you certainly don’t need to convert to Buddhism to learn to meditate. Buddhism and also meditation is more of a psychology and a way of looking at the world in a mindful and aware fashion. What’s important is to practice and honor whatever spiritual or religious tradition gives you strength and peace, and add meditation and mindfulness as a companion to help you relieve your stress and to provide a calm balance to the more active parts of your day.

Artichoke and Sun Dried Tomato Tapenade

This is a great dip or topping. Make a batch of it early in the week and then dip cut veggies in it. It is also delicious on chicken, fish or pork.

1 1/2 cups frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, dried and re-hydrated with water (If using tomatoes canned in oil, omit olive oil, below. You can also substitute jarred roasted red peppers)

3/4 cup green or black olives (use your favorite)

2 tbl capers (optional, but tasty)

1 clove fresh garlic (optional, but tasty)

2 tbl extra virgin olive oil

1.) Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor and process until all ingredients are well mixed. Pop it into a container and store it in your fridge until you are ready to add some delicious flavor to anything at all!

Non-Dairy Walnut Pesto

Pesto is another versatile topping. It isn’t just for pasta…in fact, pasta has almost no nutrition. Please put it on veggies instead! First you make a simple pesto and then top it on any steamed veggies. Make it a light meal with steamed carrots, broccoli and zucchini (pictured below). Another favorite way I use it is on spaghetti squash (here is a good article on how to prepare it) and add warmed, pre-cooked sausage to the dish. This makes for a quick and filling meal.

3/4 cup walnuts (I use walnuts instead of the traditional pine nuts because they are higher in Omega 3 fatty acids and lower in price!)

2 large cloves of garlic

3 cups fresh basil leaves (I used 2 bunches from the store)

3-4 tbl olive oil

salt to taste

squeeze of lemon juice or ume plum vinegar (about 2 tsp)

1.) Combine all ingredients into a blender or food processor, starting with the garlic and walnuts. Blend for a few seconds. Add basil and other ingredients. You can thin the mix with a little water if necessary, or use a little more olive oil. The flavors get better as they sit in the fridge, so don’t be afraid to make it the day before you want to use it!

]]> http://www.kendralay.com/2011/09/22/two-easy-ways-to-make-veggies-more-interesting/feed/ 2 http://www.kendralay.com/2011/08/11/savory-and-sweet-brussels-sprouts/ http://www.kendralay.com/2011/08/11/savory-and-sweet-brussels-sprouts/#comments Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:28:58 +0000 Kendra Lay http://www.kendralay.com/?p=508

You can whip up this dish in no time flat! It has lots of good protein, fat, and fiber.

Savory and Sweet Brussels Sprouts

2 tbl coconut oil, plus more if needed

2 medium yellow or sweet onions, diced

16 oz cooked turkey sausage, chopped (I used mild Italian but you can use anything you like)

1-1.5 lbs Brussels sprouts, stems removed and cut into small pieces (halves or quarters)

1 small apple, diced

dash of Bragg’s Liquid Amnios or Coconut Aminos if you are sensitive to soy

dash of salt

1.) Melt the coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion and dash of salt. Let the onions soften and brown.

2.) Add the Brussels sprouts and cook about 5 minutes, or until just tender and maybe a little al dente. You don’t want to over cook.

3.) Add in the cooked turkey sausage and cook until heated through (you can precook the sausage in a separate pan, or buy fresh or frozen precooked sausage).

4.) Add the diced apple and cook just 1-2 minutes, you want it to stay a little crispy. Splash on a little Bragg’s liquid aminos (basically soy sauce) to taste. That’s it, you’re done!