food focus « ForkBytes

Greens We Can Believe In

Note: this piece first appeared in the January 2009 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

Welcome to 2009! January is always a month of change and new beginnings, and that’s never been more true than this year in Washington, D.C., and the rest of the country as we prepare to inaugurate a new president. Harness this energy of change by trying something new and different in 2009. What would really excite and ignite your passion this year? Skydiving? Singing lessons? Experimenting with new cuisines?

To support your new year’s goals, we’re focused this month on one of the most important — but often neglected — food categories: leafy green vegetables. Read on for the whys and hows of leafy greens!

Delicious & Nutritious Leafy Greens

Dark green, leafy vegetables, such as kale, collards, and mustard greens, are a favorite choice among health food and nutrition experts. They are revered for their fantastic nutrient profile; leafy greens are a great source of fiber, calcium, folic acid, and beta-carotene, and many varieties are also high in vitamins C, A, and/or K.

Greens are great cleansers, so they are ideal to emphasize in your post–holiday indulgence meal choices. Well-cooked greens are particularly beneficial. If you find the flavor of greens to be bitter, try adding a little acidic flavor, such as lemon or umeboshi vinegar, to your cooked greens.

To prepare greens, wash the leaves well and tear or cut into bite-sized pieces. Greens shrink quite a bit during the cooking process, but they are much easier to chew and digest if they are already cut into small pieces before cooking. Place the cut greens in a steamer with a generous pinch of salt and steam until tender, usually around ten minutes. Alternatively, sauté your greens in a little extra-virgin olive oil and garlic. If the greens are very tough, add a small amount of water and cover your sauté pan to allow them to steam a few minutes before serving.

This month, challenge yourself to try one or two new varieties of leafy greens and enjoy their fresh, light, delicious flavor!

Food Focus: Water

Note: this piece first appeared in the May 2007 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

Water is essential for life. The cytoplasm in each and every cell of your body is about 70 percent water (incidentally, about 70 percent of Earth’s surface is also water). Those cells make up every part of you, from your liver to your skin to your heart to your brain. Maintaining water balance on the cellular level is essential for every function of your body. Because our individual cells are mostly made up of water, supporting their natural state by taking in lots and lots of water makes us feel better and function at our best.

Appropriate water intake also supports the body’s natural cleansing processes. Drinking lots of clean, fresh water ensures that toxins are flushed out of the body rapidly and regularly. Simply adding more water to your daily intake helps create a cleanse-like effect in the body even if you don’t change your diet.

So how do you know whether you’re drinking enough? The easiest way to tell is to start noticing your urine. Urine should be pale and odorless. If your urine is a dark color or has a strong odor, increase your water intake.

High–water content foods are also key for cleansing the body. Vegetables, such as cucumbers and celery, and fruits, especially melons, have a much higher water content than other foods, such as beans, grains, and animal proteins. High–water content foods should be eaten in addition to water you’re drinking rather than in place of it. Browse our recipes for some tasty ideas!

For a gentle short-term cleanse, try emphasizing simply prepared high-water content fruits and vegetables and de-emphasizing (or temporarily eliminating) proteins and grains for a few days. Be sure to drink lots of water throughout!

Food Focus: Leeks

Note: this piece first appeared in the April 2007 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

Leeks are a wonderful alternative to regular onions. They lend a mild flavor to dishes and can also be prepared simply and served on their own.

Leeks are part of the Allium family of vegetables (along with onions, shallots, scallions, and garlic). They contain a special compound called allicin, which is an anti-fungal phytochemical. Allium vegetables are helpful in preventing atherosclerosis, and they assist the body in burning fat. Leeks are also high in manganese, vitamins B6 and C, folate, and iron.

Leeks are always very dirty. The easiest way to clean them is to chop them first, then place the cut leeks in a bowl of clean water. Gently lift the leeks out of the water — the dirt will sink to the bottom of the bowl.

See our recipes for some tasty leek preparation ideas!

Food Focus: Carrots

Note: this piece first appeared in the March 2007 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

Bright orange, crunchy, sweet carrots are a favorite vegetable for almost everyone. Carrots are hardy root vegetables that provide grounding, strengthening energy. They also provide a delicious sweet taste balanced by fiber and nutrients to help curb sweet cravings naturally and gently.

Carrots are a wonderful source of antioxidants. They are particularly famous for their high levels of beta-carotene, which transforms to vitamin A in the body and protects vision.

Look for organic carrots with the greens attached. The greens are fragile and should be used soon after purchasing, but their delicious, carrot-like taste is worth the trouble. Use the greens in salads for a distinctive and unique flavor.

Carrots are delicious both raw and cooked. See our carrot recipes for inspiration!

Food Focus: Lentils

Note: this piece first appeared in the February 2007 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

The humble lentil is one of the easiest legumes to prepare. Unlike other beans, lentils require no soaking, so they are ideal to stock in your pantry for a last-minute meal. Because they are small, lentils are often easier to digest than other beans. Since they are easy to cook and less likely to cause digestive distress, lentils are a great first step for new bean cooks.

Lentils are hearty and satisfying. They have a wonderful earthy flavor that is delicious paired with whole grains and rich spices, such as curry. They work nicely with mild vegetables and make a yummy addition to warming winter meals. Like all beans, lentils are high in fiber and contain no cholesterol; they beautifully complement a heart-healthy diet program.

Food Focus: Cleansing Greens

Note: this piece first appeared in the January 2007 issue of Clark Wellnes ForkBytes.

Dark green, leafy vegetables are a favorite choice among health food and nutrition experts. They are revered for their fantastic nutrient profile; leafy greens are a great source of fiber, calcium, folic acid, and beta-carotene, and many varieties are also high in vitamins C, A, and/or K.

This January, why not try one or two new-to-you varieties of leafy greens? Curly kale, dinosaur kale, collard greens, mustard greens, green cabbage, and bok choy are just some of the delicious, healthful vegetables waiting to be discovered. Start with our recipes for some simple preparation ideas.

Food Focus: Whole Grains

Note: this piece first appeared in the December 2006 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

Delicious and nutritious whole grains are one of my favorite food categories to recommend to clients during the holiday season. Whole grains like millet, brown rice, kasha, and spelt are soothing, nurturing, and grounding foods, so they’re fantastic antidotes to holiday-related chaos and stress. They’re also high in the B vitamins, which support the nervous system; they are calming and strengthening.

Unground whole grains (rather than processed whole-grain flours) are best — let your body, rather than a food manufacturer, process the food for you. This slows down the metabolism of the carbohydrates in the grains and helps to stabilize your blood sugar, keeping you focused and satiated longer.

Whole grains are easy to cook. Check out our recipes for some ideas to get you started. Enjoy!

Food Focus: Cinnamon

Note: this piece first appeared in the November 2006 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

Cinnamon — the warm, sweet, aromatic spice — is one of my favorite flavors. In addition to being delicious, cinnamon is also quite health supportive. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is a warming spice, supportive for the spleen-pancreas, stomach, bladder, kidney, and liver. It helps nutrient absorption throughout the body and stimulates vital functions. Cinnamon also contains trace minerals, fiber, and beneficial phytochemicals. Its aroma can stimulate brain function, and it is antimicrobial. Best of all, cinnamon is absolutely delicious with the foods in season right now: squashes, root vegetables, apples, etc. Enjoy!

Food Focus: Apples

Note: this piece first appeared in the October 2006 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

Does an apple a day keep the doctor away? Maybe! Apples are packed with vitamins C and K, as well as healthy fiber (of both the soluble and insoluble varieties). They also contain minerals, especially potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.

Apples are cooling; they have a high water content and are cleansing for the liver and gallbladder. They are wonderful for digestion because they contain malic and tartaric acids, which inhibit fermentation in the stomach, and pectin, which helps support the appropriate balance of digestive flora.

There are thousands of varieties of apples available in the United States. My particular favorite apples to eat raw or in recipes are Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Gala, Jonagold, and Granny Smith. Why not try a new kind of apple this week? Enjoy!

Food Focus: Millet

Note: this piece first appeared in the September 2006 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

Millet is a fantastic, small grain originally from Ethiopia. It’s an ancient food, and it even makes an appearance in the Bible in an unleavened bread recipe (Ezekial 4:9).

Nutritionally speaking, millet is high in magnesium, manganese, and phosphorus. It is a healthy choice for cancer prevention and heart protection. It is high in fiber. And unlike most grains, which are acid-forming, millet is alkalizing to the body, which means it’s less likely to cause digestive difficulties than other grains.

Millet is one of my favorite whole grains. It’s fluffy and delicious — the perfect comfort food.

Like most grains, millet is a snap to prepare. Millet should be rinsed in a fine-mesh strainer before cooking. Simply combine one part rinsed millet to two parts water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. For more exotic preparations, check out our millet ideas. Enjoy!

ForkBytes

Grab life by the fork