Recipe: Carrot Soup

The past few days in Denver have been unusually cool and cloudy for summer. It has felt more like the mid-spring or mid-fall, with temperatures in the 60s. Maybe because of this, I made one of my favorite comfort foods - a simple carrot soup that tastes a bit like marinara. One of my friends, incidentally, hates cooked carrots to the point of getting sick if he eats them. He tried this soup and pronounced it "okay." For someone who can't stand cooked carrots, this was the most amazing, ringing endorsement I could have hoped for!

The carrot is one of the most common vegetables out there - and as it happens, it is also one of the biggest nutritional powerhouses as well. The most common conception about carrots is that they are excellent for eyesight (which is why rabbits don't wear glasses, so the joke goes). This is because of the high vitamin A content - over 20,000 IUs per cup! (The most prevalent form found in carrots is, appropriately enough, beta carotene, and the optimal daily dose of vitamin A in this form is 25,000 IUs.) It's because of this vitamin A content that, aside from supporting vision, carrots can also support growth and bone development in children; optimize immune responses to bacteria, viruses, and parasites; support reproductive processes; and even may be used to aid in the treatment of cancer. Incidentally, carrots also contain significant amounts of folic acid, vitamin C (only when raw), vitamin B6, vitamin K, potassium, and fiber.

Carrots are often juiced as well, which makes for a more potent blast of nutrients and enzymes than when eaten alone. However, as a juice, carrots also provide a high dose of sugar that's easily absorbed by the body and can cause a sugar spike and crash. Because of this, I don't recommend carrot juice alone for diabetics or those at risk for diabetes. Unjuiced carrots, because of their high fiber content, are better.

So here is the recipe for carrot soup, taken from Mollie Katzen's New Moosewood Cookbook, one of the classic vegetarian cookbooks of all time. Be generous with the herbs. For a light dinner, enjoy the soup on a chilly evening with freshly-baked or warmed bread and butter. Or spoon it on top of pasta. It's even better the next day, once the herbs have had a chance to infuse the soup more.

Carrot Soup
2 pounds peeled or scrubbed, chopped carrots
4 cups stock or water
1 medium potato, chopped
1-2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped onion
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp marjoram or oregano
1 tsp basil
1-2 tbsp lemon juice

Place carrots, water and potato into a medium sized soup pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, sauté the onion in the butter/oil and salt until the onions are clear, about 5-10 minutes. Add the thyme, basil, and marjoram/oregano, and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and garlic, and sauté a few minutes more.

Puree everything together in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth. Enjoy!

The Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen

Any naturopathic doctor worth their salt will tell you that eating organic food is in your best interest. You ingest far fewer cancer-causing pesticides (none, actually, if the food you eat truly is organic) and many more nutrients. Moreover, from an environmental standpoint, you're reducing the levels of pesticides that not just you, but all manner of plants and animals are exposed to.

Still, for many people, eating solely organic is a bit too much to ask for from the monthly budget. You want to be as healthy as possible, but the dollar can only stretch so far, right? Turns out that you don't have to sacrifice one at the expense of the other.

The Environmental Working Group has determined the 12 fruits and vegetables that have the most pesticide residue on them - the "dirty dozen." It's estimated that if you only eat the organic versions of these fruits and vegetables, you will reduce your pesticide exposure by up to 80%! So for your health's sake, purchase and eat these ONLY ORGANIC whenever possible:

1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Bell Peppers
8. Spinach
9. Kale
10. Cherries
11. Potatoes
12. Grapes (imported)

On the other hand, there are the "clean fifteen" - the fifteen fruits and vegetables that you could buy conventionally (i.e., nonorganic) and eat without significantly increasing your exposure to pesticides. Here they are:

1. Onions
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mangoes
6. Sweet Peas
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Cantaloupe
12. Watermelon
13. Grapefruit
14. Sweet Potatoes
15. Honeydew

It's good to have this list available when you need it (like when you go shopping), so here's a link to a list you can print out and carry in your wallet.

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Do you have health issues that aren't being adequately addressed by conventional medicine? Naturopathic care may be the answer you're looking for. Visit my website for more information about naturopathic medicine, and begin your journey toward optimal health!

Recipe: Simple Breakfast Smoothie

This is a simple recipe for a breakfast smoothie I adapted from a elimination diet program that I recently did. It's wonderful that smoothies are as quick and easy to prepare as they are. (Cleanup is a snap, too.) And there are many, many recipes out there for smoothies. However, I like this one because it is so simple, because it uses whole foods, and because it is a balanced source of macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates, and proteins). And depending on what ingredients you use, this smoothie can become a powerhouse of antioxidants, bioflavonoids, vitamins, and minerals. (Hint: if you use more colorful fruit, such as berries, peaches, or mangoes, the nutritional value skyrockets.) Here's the recipe:

• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1 cup rice, soy, almond, or oat milk
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen fruit of your choice
• 8 ice cubes

Blend the first two ingredients together for approximately 1-2 minutes, until thoroughly blended. Add remaining ingredients, blend thoroughly, and enjoy.
There are many variations on this recipe. Here are some of my favorites:

• Add a splash or two of coconut milk for a creamier texture and for healthy medium-chain fatty acids.
• Substitute almonds or walnuts (soaked overnight) for the cashews.
• Blend a date with the nuts and milk for a sweeter flavor.
• Add 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or ginger.
• If using a banana as fruit, add 1 tsp coffee substitute.
• Add 1 tsp ground flax seeds.
• Add a splash of vanilla extract.

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Do you have health issues that aren't being adequately addressed by conventional medicine? Naturopathic care may be the answer you're looking for. Visit my website for more information about naturopathic medicine, and begin your journey toward optimal health!

Mentos and Diet Coke

No, I don't advocate eating Mentos. I especially don't advocate drinking Diet Coke, for many reasons. At the top of the list is Nutrasweet. Also known as aspartame, Nutrasweet is made of two amino acids: phenylalanine and aspartate. Aspartate is well-known to increase the tendency of neurons to fire. In physiologic doses, this is perfectly fine, and indeed important for optimal neurologic function. But ingesting high doses of aspartate can actually lead to overexcited neurons, and may be linked to a number of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease), Huntington's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. You can read Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills by Russell Blaylock for more information.

But throw Mentos into a bottle of Diet Coke, and the result can be quite effervescent. Enjoy this video and see what happens when this tendency is harnessed to create a neat fountain display.
(And as you'd imagine, it is an EXTREMELY bad idea to drink Diet Coke and eat Mentos at the same time!)

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Do you have health issues that aren't being adequately addressed by traditional medicine? Naturopathic care may be the answer you're looking for. Visit my website for more information about naturopathic medicine, and begin your journey toward optimal health!

Eating 101 with Luciano Pavarotti

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating."

~~ Luciano Pavarotti, Pavarotti, My Own Story

Leave it to Pavarotti to extol the virtues of eating. The legendary operatic tenor, who died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 71 in 2007, struggled with his weight throughout his life. His appetite for food was nearly as well-known as his ability to sing beautifully and effortlessly. It may be tempting to just dismiss this quote. Of course, it's something that an avowed glutton would say, right? However, his sentiment actually shows great insight into how we should ideally eat.

Eating nowadays is often just an afterthought. How did your breakfast go today? Did you wolf down an apple while driving to work? Nibble at a muffin and gulp coffee during the morning's meeting? How about lunch? A quick drive-thru meal? Or something eaten at the desk while trying to work on that project before the deadline? And dinner? Something thrown together or even microwaved quickly and quickly devoured while watching the evening news?

Unfortunately, the above scenarios are often the norm, rather than the exception. We don't sit down intentionally, relax, and fully concentrate on eating. Life in the 21st century is often hectic, and it seems like setting aside time to eat mindfully often falls lower and lower on the list of priorities. Yet it can be one of the most delightful experiences to "stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating." Just sitting, enjoying good company in a relatively quiet environment, and deliberately savoring each bite of food can make an otherwise frantic day more handleable.

But beyond being merely pleasant, there is a more physiological reason why, when we eat, we should be so single-minded about it. Digestion ideally occurs when the body is at rest - in a state called the parasympathetic state. It's the exact opposite of the sympathetic state we all know as the "fight or flight" state. In fact, I prefer to think of it as the "rest and digest" state.

In a sympathetic state, our body is alert and primed for action of some sort. Breathing becomes deeper and quicker, the heart pounds, and blood is shunted to the muscles to provide oxygen, should we need to fight off that metaphorical saber-toothed tiger or run from danger. Or, to put it in modern terms, we enter this state when someone swerves in front of us and we slam on the brakes at the last minute to avoid an accident, or when our boss yells at us for missing that deadline. The body expends very little energy on digestion at this point, and any digestion that does occur is bound to be less effective. Considering that we derive all of our nutrition from the food that we eat and digest, it behooves us to avoid this sympathetic state.

Conversely, in a parasympathetic state, breathing slows down and becomes shallower, the heart relaxes, and blood becomes concentrated in the core of the body. The stomach is more prone to secreting acid to help digestion, and the liver and pancreas both tend to secrete more of their respective digestive juices, too. The intestines engage in more peristalsis - that is, they churn more effectively, making sure that the contents of the food we ate can be more readily absorbed. This enables us to get the most out of eating, nutritionally speaking.

So how do we most optimally get into this parasympathetic state and eat effectively? Here are some good ideas.

• Tonight, sit down at the dinner table and resist your usual routine of reading the newspaper, watching television, doing homework, or getting into negative emotional discussions. In other words, "stop whatever it is you are doing, and devote your attention to eating." Simply focus on enjoying the experience of nourishing yourself.
• Establish the habit of experiencing genuine gratitude for whatever the food or beverage is before you. Or, in simpler terms, say grace before each meal. Who are we to take for granted the bounty which surrounds us in our uniquely blessed culture? It is essential to feel your gratitude here, not to just think it fleetingly, for thoughts which we attach feeling to become emotions and emotions influence every cell of our being. (A good source of pre-meal blessings is John Robbins’ book May All Be Fed: Diet for a New World.)
• Notice your breathing as you reflect on your good fortune and begin to draw deep slow breaths from low in your abdomen, feeling your stomach relax as it rises and falls with each breath. Notice how this type of deep relaxed breathing feels inside.
• Notice the aroma of your food, and if you do not find it appealing, add your favorite natural herbs and spices to enhance its appeal. Be creative! You owe it to your soul to experience the dozens of delightful and healthful herbal and spice seasonings available in our culture’s diverse marketplace. Whole healthy foods can taste marvelous. Make the time to master this art. You will have no regrets.
• Place a reasonable amount of food on your plate, and if you are still hungry when you are done, wait five minutes. If you are still not satisfied inside on a gut level, you may then eat more.
• Throughout your meal, listen to your stomach – not just your taste buds – and do what it tells you. Notice when you are satisfied or when foods do not agree with you.
• Chew each bite 42 times and swallow it before you place more food in your mouth. Digestion of all food actually begins in the mouth where it is reduced to small enough particles for your digestive enzymes to get at and continue the process. Important salivary enzymes also begin their work here when provided the opportunity as per the above suggestions.
• Drink only pure water with your meals and only as necessary, between swallows of food – not with them. Excessive fluids may dilute valuable digestive enzymes, minimize chewing, and therefore serve to negate salivary digestion. The most disruptive beverages are those which are alkalizing (acid-neutralizing), such as milk, which can interfere with digestion in the stomach. Learn to satisfy your thirst between or before meals to minimize any possibility of interference during the meal.

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Do you have health issues that aren't being adequately addressed by traditional medicine? Naturopathic care may be the answer you're looking for. Visit my website for more information about naturopathic medicine, and begin your journey toward optimal health!

Recipe: Kale with Marinara Sauce

“Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.”
-Harriet VanHorne

Last night, I found myself face to face with a bunch of kale. I have to admit that on the totem pole of leafy greens where taste is concerned, kale has always fallen at the bottom of the heap. It tends to be the bitterest of the greens. Still, I go back occasionally, hoping to find a way to prepare it that might work. And every time, I've ended up frustrated. Until last night.

You may recognize kale, even if you don't eat it. It's often used as a garnish in restaurants because of its ornate, curly leaves. Kale is usually dark green throughout, although some types have a pleasing vivid purple hue in the center of the leaves. It's for this reason that many gardeners also choose to plant ornamental kale - visually, it's quite dramatic.

So why eat kale if it's not the tastiest of foods? There's a number of reasons. Kale is one of the most healthful vegetables there are, falling in the general family of “leafy greens” that naturopathic doctors will often recommend to their patients. (Strictly speaking, kale is in the Brassica family, sharing lineage with cabbage, broccoli, and mustard greens.) It is chock full of calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and carotenoids. And as befits “foliage,” kale is an excellent source of folic acid. Finally, as far as nutrients per calorie go, it’s very difficult to beat kale. One cup of cooked kale provides just 50 calories, yet more than 100% of the RDA of vitamin A, 200 mg of calcium, 30 mg of magnesium, 300 mg of potassium, and 100-150 mg of vitamin C. If you are concerned about adequate calcium intake but are trying to keep weight down, kale is an excellent vegetable to incorporate into your diet on a regular basis.

So, hallelujah! I finally came up with a recipe for kale that takes very little time or effort, and is absolutely delicious! For the first time, I gobbled up every last bit of kale I prepared (relatively speaking…kale does take a bit more effort to chew than, say, spaghetti), and I will be returning to this recipe again in the near future. Give this recipe a try, and enjoy one of the healthiest vegetables out there!

Kale with Marinara Sauce

½ onion, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp salt
1 bunch lacinato kale
1 cup marinara sauce
1-2 minced or crushed garlic cloves

Place onion, olive oil, and salt in a small pan and sauté on medium heat until transparent. In the meantime, tear the kale into bite-sized pieces and rinse thoroughly. Discard the stalks. Place kale in a medium-sized saucepan and steam for 10-15 minutes, adding water occasionally, until kale is wilted and tender. Drain excess water. Add onions, marinara sauce, and garlic cloves to kale. Toss to mix, and serve.

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Do you have health issues that aren't being adequately addressed by conventional medicine? Naturopathic care may be the answer you're looking for. Visit my website for more information about naturopathic medicine, and begin your journey toward optimal health!

Video: Food Sensitivities

Have you been dealing with health issues that just don’t seem to go away? Are you frustrated with taking pharmaceutical drugs that don’t seem to work for you? Would you like to pursue a more natural route to health that honors your body?

What if you were regularly eating a food that was sabotaging your health, and you didn’t realize it? Would you want to know about it? If you are dealing with a chronic health issue, chances are you are also dealing with a food sensitivity, and this may be a cause of your symptoms.

A food sensitivity is basically an immune response to food that your body construes as an invader. The resulting immune reaction can result in a multitude of symptoms. Food sensitivities have been linked to a number of chronic conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, eczema, chronic fatigue syndrome, recurrent ear infections, attention deficit disorder, celiac disease, depression, migraines, and insomnia.

If you are dealing with any of these conditions and are looking for a better route to health, consider getting tested for food sensitivities, find out what they are, and eliminate them. Also, feel free to check out my website for more information about food sensitivities and naturopathic medicine, and what they can do for you. Thank you for visiting, and be well!

Article commentary: Can These Foods Prevent Diabetes?

I was browsing MSN.com today and found an article by Prevention entitled "Can These Foods Prevent Diabetes?" I always look at these online articles with more than a pinch of skepticism, since some of the information in them can be misleading or downright wrong. Although there is some good information here, this article is not an exception. Let's evaluate the foods Prevention has chosen to be good for diabetes.

1. Coffee. Yes, there is evidence that the caffeine in coffee can increase insulin receptor sensitivity, thus helping to decrease the risk of diabetes. But that's only part of the story. Caffeine also increases the amount of cortisol in the body. Cortisol is the body's main stress hormone, normally secreted during the "fight or flight" response during times of acute stress. But if cortisol is elevated chronically (say, with stressful jobs or when ingesting high amounts of caffeine), it can result in increased abdominal fat and increased blood glucose levels, neither of which are desirable if you're trying to avoid diabetes. Besides, not many people regularly drink coffee black, with no sugar or cream or flavored syrup. That mocha frap or caramel latte will really undermine any efforts to prevent diabetes.
2. Vitamin D. I have no issues with this one. Vitamin D deficiency is endemic in our culture, and has been linked with a variety of chronic diseases, including diabetes. But even the highest food sources of vitamin D are insufficient to bring our body's stores of this hormone back to normal. (And yes, I did say hormone. Strictly speaking, vitamin D is not a vitamin.) Even if you take a daily vitamin D supplement including 5,000 or 10,000 IUs, it's possible that weeks or even months will go by before levels normalize, depending on the extent of the deficiency. The best way to get vitamin D back to normal is to get lots of sunshine exposure to as much skin as possible...much like our ancestors did. Just avoid excessive sun exposure leading to sunburns. In times when you cannot get sun exposure, taking high doses of vitamin D is recommended; 5,000 IU is a good daily dose, and overdosing is highly unlikely. (For more information, check out the Vitamin D Council's website.)
3. Low-fat dairy foods. First off, what in the world is ice cream doing on a list of foods that can prevent diabetes - even if it's low-fat ice cream? Yipes! This sends a terrible message. But on to low-fat dairy foods of all sorts. The study referenced by this article may or may not be accurate; even the study's author admits that people who eat low-fat dairy foods tend to have healthier dietary habits in general. If calcium is the key nutrient here (and evidence thus far doesn't really show that this is the case), then dairy foods like cheese and yogurt are indeed the best sources for calcium. (Incidentally, there is evidence linking dairy intake among young children to type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition also known as insulin dependent diabetes.)
4. Cinnamon. In many alternative health circles, cinnamon has been accepted as an effective blood sugar moderator, and it is now easy to find supplements for diabetes that include either powdered cinnamon or cinnamon extract. It may take a long time before cinnamon is accepted by mainstream medicine as an effective treatment for blood sugar control. But in the meantime, it certainly doesn't hurt to include cinnamon in more liberal amounts in your diet, either. Try pork chops with a cinnamon rub, or add cinnamon to your morning oatmeal.
5. General dietary modifications. No problems here. I agree with this article's recommendations: Stop drinking sweetened drinks and substitute tea and water. Switch from refined grains to their unrefined brothers and sisters. Keep protein sources lean, and add more legumes to the diet. Eliminate trans fats. Increase intake of fish and nuts. And despite what the title of this part of the article says ("Eat for your genes"), these modifications are beneficial regardless of what your ancestry may be.
6. Carrots. If the active components here are carotenoids, then why stop at carrots? Taste the rainbow of fruits, vegetables, and spices! The brighter and more vivid the food, the better off you will be. Carotenoids are especially high in yellow/orange foods (like carrots, sweet potatoes, mangoes, and apricots), red/pink foods (tomatoes, salmon, cayenne, and pink grapefruit), and green foods (spinach, kale, and collard greens). Since carotenoids are fat-soluble, it is a good idea to eat them in combination with a healthy oil (such as olive oil) or butter to optimize absorption.
7. Fiber. The link between high fiber intake and decreased blood sugar surges is well-established - particularly for soluble fiber. It can slow the ability of the intestines to absorb sugars that are the result of normal digestion of carbohydrates. Shoot for 40 grams of fiber a day from foods like apples and oatmeal...with cinnamon!
8. Seeds. The key nutrient here is magnesium. And much like vitamin D, magnesium deficiency is rampant in society today. There is actually stronger evidence that magnesium can help prevent diabetes more than chromium (often viewed as the classic nutrient to take when trying to moderate blood glucose). Sunflower seeds may be a good source, as the article points out, but leafy greens, cashews, almonds, most legumes, and even chocolate chips (in moderation!) contain more magnesium.

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Do you have health issues that aren't being adequately addressed by conventional medicine? Naturopathic care may be the answer you're looking for. Visit my website for more information about naturopathic medicine, and begin your journey toward optimal health!

Beet Kvass

Last week, I had some extra beets lying around, and instead of throwing them in the compost bin, I decided to make beet kvass for the first time ever. Now, for those of you who are not inclined to eat beets because you grew up with those dastardly canned beets, I don’t blame you. I thought they were disgusting, too! But fresh or pickled beets are something else entirely. And so is beet kvass (it rhymes with "floss").

Beets are a nutritional powerhouse. Filled with B vitamins such as thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), and pyridoxine (B6), beets can aid the body’s ability to handle stress. Moreover, they provide minerals like iron, potassium, sodium, iodine, and manganese, and are also a great source of folic acid. The nutritional value of beets is so high that despite their high sugar content, I would still recommend beets to diabetics (in moderation). Beets are also a great liver and blood tonic, and are often recommended by naturopathic doctors both to support the liver and build up the blood.

Now: what in the world is kvass? Simply put, kvass is a sour, fermented drink that has been used in traditional Slavic/Russian/Ukrainian culture literally for centuries. It can also be added to stews or used in place of vinegar in salad dressing. Since beets are such an integral part of Slavic cuisine, it only makes sense that beets can be used to make kvass (though they are not required). I found that properly made beet kvass is quite salty and sour, but taken from the refrigerator, is delicious and quite refreshing. And soon after I drink it, I get an incredible feeling of being replenished and energized. Poking around the internet a bit, I found that many people have had the same experience.

I stumbled across a simple recipe for beet kvass in the excellent cookbook Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig. Making beet kvass is exceedingly simple but actually takes a few days because of the fermentation process. Here is the recipe (and commentary) for beet kvass, slightly edited but taken directly from Nourishing Traditions. Enjoy!

This refreshing drink is valuable for its medicinal qualities and as a digestive aid. Beets are loaded with nutrients. One glass morning and night is an excellent blood tonic, promotes regularity, aids digestion, alkalizes the blood, cleanses the liver and is a good treatment for kidney stones and other ailments. Beet kvass may also be used in place of vinegar in salad dressings and as an addition to soups.

• 3 medium or 2 large organic beet roots, peeled and chopped up coarsely.
• 1/4 cup whey (the liquid made from strained whole organic yogurt)
• 1 tablespoon sea salt (or 2 if you choose not to use whey)
• filtered water

Place beet roots, whey and salt in a 2-quart glass container. Add filtered water to fill the container. Stir well and cover securely. Keep at room temperature for 2 days before transferring to refrigerator. Drink two to three 4 ounce cups of kvass a day.
When most of the kvass has been drunk, you may fill up the container with water and keep at room temperature another 2 days. The resulting brew will be slightly less strong than the first. After the second brew, discard the beets and start again. You may, however, reserve some of the liquid and use this as your inoculant instead of the whey.

Note: Do not use grated beet roots in the preparation of beet tonic. When grated, beets exude too much juice resulting in a too rapid fermentation that favors the production of alcohol rather than lactic acid.

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Do you have health issues that aren't being adequately addressed by conventional medicine? Naturopathic care may be the answer you're looking for. Visit my website for more information about naturopathic medicine, and begin your journey toward optimal health!