The #1 thing you can do to be healthier

Not long ago I began subscribing to Eating Well magazine. Its byline of “Where Good Taste Meets Good Health” seemed more in line with my goals and this blog: preparing food that’s not only delicious and full of flavor, but healthy as well. Other cooking magazines I’d subscribed to before were leaving me cold. Either the recipes contained ingredients I don't eat, or are too carb-heavy with too much flour and/or sugar, or there are articles about beauty and exercise included (why these have to be in a cooking magazine, I just don’t understand). I guess my needs were evolving. Time for something different.

The June issue of Eating Well was just delivered to my door, and in it appeared the following excerpt from an interview with Michael Pollan, who is promoting his new book. I thought I’d share it with you because I so very much agree with him.

“Michael Pollan wrote about agriculture in his New York Times bestseller The Omnivore's Dilemma and about nutrition in In Defense of Food. Now, in Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation (Penguin Press, April 2013), he homes in on what he believes is the single-most important step we can take to make our food system healthier and more sustainable.

Why is home cooking so important?
Cooking is key to changing our health and the environment. People who cook for themselves eat healthier diets. You could cook Twinkies, but it’s really hard to do and you’re not likely to do it more than once in a lifetime. You’re not going to reform the way we farm and process food unless you cook. Local food isn’t going to get big if people aren’t cooking. If you let corporations cook for you, they’re going to buy food from the biggest monocultures.

What are the three best tips you picked up writing this book?
Patience, presence and practice. To really be present while you’re cooking and to not be fighting something else you want to do. Don’t rush things. I think we have a tendency to cook too fast, with the burner too high. When you’re sautéing onions, give them a half hour to cook and they’ll get sweeter and more translucent and the dish will be so much more delicious. We’re in this time panic and we feel like everything’s got to happen in 20 minutes.

What about people who only have 20-30 minutes to make dinner on a weeknight?
Well, that same person has an hour for yoga or surfing the Web. We put pressure on the kitchen to save 10 minutes to do something else. I’m just arguing that it’s important—for your health, your family life and your sanity.

What’s one forgotten food?
Frozen vegetables are one of the great overlooked benefits of an industrial food system. They are often picked at their nutritional peak and frozen right away. I think frozen spinach is pretty good (and, by the way, it’s already cleaned).”

I agree completely.

Does cooking your meals take more time than popping some processed thing into the microwave for dinner? Sure. It is worth it? Of course.

I invite you to share this with your microwaving friends.

Is All Butter Created Equal?

Butter. The word brings up feelings of longing. Longing for something forbidden. In the name of health, we’ve given it up, told that eating it would lead to heart disease, obesity and a whole host of modern ailments. But butter is not the enemy. In fact, we should be eating more of it. It’s far better for us than all the industrial vegetable oils and hardened artificial fats like margarine they’d like us to believe are better for us. They simply aren’t. Butter is a natural food product, while all these pseudo-fats are products of the industrial revolution.

There’s a reason people are crazy for butter. Maybe because the stuff tastes like heaven and goes with nearly everything! I mean, what wouldn't be better with some butter on it? I can't think of anything. Can you?

Most of us are in agreement that the nutritional content of the food we eat, be it animal or vegetable, depends on the content of its diet or the way it was grown, and the same goes for butter. Therefore, butter knowledge is important because not all of it is created equal.

Grass-Fed vs. Grain-Fed

The vast majority of the butter we see on supermarket shelves is grain-fed. That is, it comes from cows that were fed a grain-based diet. So, what’s the alternative? Grass-fed. And as the name implies, these cows are fed a grass-based diet, as Nature intended. But it’s more than about what Nature intended. It’s also about the nutritional value and, let’s face it, taste.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) Content

CLA is found in eggs, meat and dairy products and though it’s a trans-fat, it’s a good, naturally occurring one. The special digestive systems of grass-fed ruminant animals produce CLA internally. The resulting fat – which has been linked to superior heart health, suppression of tumors, reduced belly fat and greater fat loss in the obese and overweight – is found in the flesh and dairy of the animal. As far as cows go, pasture feeding leads to dairy CLA levels 3-5 times that of grain-fed cattle.

Vitamin Content

Grass-fed vs. grain-fed butter

Brightly colored fruits and vegetables contain the most phytonutrients. In fact, the actual dyes responsible for providing color to vegetation, like the blue in blueberry, are also usually antioxidants. The same is true for butter. If you were to do a comparison, you’d notice how grass-fed butter actually looks like what you’d imagine butter to look like. It’s a deep yellow, sometimes bordering on orange, whereas grain-fed butter is white and waxy. It’s yellow because it has more carotene and Vitamin A. It’s got more carotene because it comes from cows that eat fresh vegetation rich in the stuff. From pasture to ruminant to digestive tract to butterfat to butter to you.

Vitamin K2 appears to reduce, prevent, or even counteract arterial plaque, and it helps the body use calcium correctly and effectively and it’s another vital component of grass-fed butter. Cow stomach fermentation turns K1 (found in leafy greens, like kale, chard, spinach, and, yes, leaves of grass) into K2, which then shows up in the dairy fat. How much Vitamin K1 do you think there is in corn? Not much.

Fatty Acid Composition

Whether it’s grass-fed or grain-fed, butter is rich in saturated (about 2/3) and monounsatured (just under 1/3) fat. The rest is polyunsaturated, but this is where grass-fed and grain-fed really differ. Cows raised on pasture produce milk fat with an omega 6 to omega 3 ratio of 1:1, a balance. Grain-fed cows, on the other hand, produce a ratio tilted toward omega 6. It’s true that we’re talking about relatively miniscule amounts of polyunsaturated fats here, but balanced is better.

Flavor

Though flavor is usually subjective (what tastes better is entirely a matter of personal opinion), that does not apply to butter. Grass-fed butter tastes objectively better using any parameter. Creaminess? Richness? Mouth-feel? Hands down, grass-fed is the winner.

That being said, grain-fed butter is still a better option than conventional cooking fats, like vegetable oil or margarine, which are so detrimental to health. But fortunately, grass-fed butter isn’t hard to find. It’s more expensive, sure, but it’s still cheaper than exclusively buying grass-fed meat. In fact, for those of us who can’t regularly eat pastured meat, eating lean cuts of conventional meat cooked in quality grass-fed butter is a great compromise.

Look for these brands near you:

An easy-to-find brand is Kerrygold, an Irish dairy whose cows are all pastured and whose butter is incredible. An 8 oz. cube sells for $2.99 at Trader Joe’s, but it’s also in basic and specialty grocery stores (albeit for slightly higher prices). Look for the silver foil (unsalted) and gold foil (salted) packages.

At Sprouts Market, I found one from Humboldt Creamery. One pound is $4.99. I had it on my potatoes last night and put a pat of it on my fish and it was delicious. 

A couple of additional ones I’ve read about but haven’t yet tried:

Anchor butter hails from New Zealand, land of reliably grass-fed lamb, and it can be found at Whole Foods.

Organic Valley has a seasonal pastured, cultured, salted butter that usually appears in spring (now), which is when the grass is at its greenest. It comes in a green foil package. 
Farmers’ markets. If you’ve got a dairy stall, you’ve probably got access to good butter. Talk to the producers about the cows’ diet.

Butter terminology

What is cultured butter?

Cultured butter is traditionally made from fermented, or soured, cream. It’s not actually the butterfat that ferments, but rather the trace amounts of lactose sugars present. Nowadays, though, most commercial cultured butter is “cultured” by the incorporation of bacterial cultures. “European style” butter is cultured butter.

What is “sweet butter”?

Historically, sweet cream butter came from fresh cream, rather than soured or fermented cream. Relative to cultured butter, it’s rather “sweet.” These days, it’s often just another way to describe unsalted butter. Sweet butter is better for cooking, as most recipes assume the use of unsalted butter. Also, since salt is a preservative, sweet butter tends to be fresher (since it has to be, having no preservatives).

What is clarified butter?

Heat butter until it melts, let it cool and settle, then skim off the top layer of whey protein and pour off the butterfat, leaving the casein proteins on the bottom – you’ve got clarified butter.

What about ghee?

Ghee is basically pure butterfat, rendered down and stricken of all lactose and dairy proteins. It’s ultra-clarified butter in that it reaches a temperature high enough to cook off the water and brown the milk solids, which imparts a nutty flavor to the finished product. Properly made, ghee can stay on the counter for about a year without going bad. If you’ve got one, check your local Indian grocer. They’ll have huge tubs of intensely yellow ghee for sale. Is it all grass-fed? No idea, and the rich color isn’t a reliable indicator since the color could come from the browned milk solids. 

Where I shop and why

I think it’s important to consider where we shop for foods. I choose stores by the quality of the products they carry and determine if they are worthy of my visit. That may sound snobbish, but if you’re interested in not only your health, but in supporting businesses that are committed to carrying quality food, I think it makes a difference where you shop.

My favorite places are Trader Joe’s, Sprouts, Mother’s Market and my local farmer’s market. You may have noticed that I didn’t list a single supermarket chain. That’s for good reason. I rarely shop at one, simply because I don’t want to support the consumption of the vast majority of what is stocked on their shelves: highly processed foods, foods that contain genetically modified ingredients (estimates put that at 70% of what you find at supermarkets), preservatives, chemical additives and sugar in its various forms in addition to things with unpronounceable ingredients, high fructose corn syrup, food dyes, and artificial sweeteners.

Even if you, like many health experts tell us to, shop along the perimeter of the store, where you find produce, dairy and meat (purportedly the healthiest and least processed foods) and avoid the center aisles, you’ve made some improvement. But those foods are questionable as well, given the pesticides on conventionally grown produce and hormones in most conventionally produced meat and dairy. Though a few supermarkets (like Pavilions) carry a line of organic foods and have a small “health food” section, most of those foods are totally overpriced. These can be found much more reasonably at the health food store, so what’s the point in shopping there?

Trader Joe’s celebrates 45 years this week and it’s come a long way since its early beginnings when it was mostly a wine and cheese shop. The store has evolved - you can now buy a good selection of produce, and a wider range of meats, many of them organic or naturally raised and without hormones. Lately, gluten-free options have been on the rise. The manager of my local store said Trader Joe’s is against genetically-modified products so none of their products contain them and for this I applaud them. Plus, I find their prices are great, so I buy a ton of stuff from them. They also welcome emails from customers and take comments and suggestions very seriously, often bringing back items that might have been discontinued because people miss them.

Sprouts is another great store, offering a few things that TJ’s doesn’t, namely a meat department and sandwich counter, a vitamin and cosmetic department, and a bulk section where you can buy nuts and seeds, granola, grains, beans and snacks. Bulk items can be a good value, and require a lot less packaging. Sprouts has weekly specials that run Wednesday-Tuesday and sometimes great deals can be had. Unfortunately, I find their organic produce section to be lacking but they are expanding it, hopefully due to consumer demand. What I like best is that I can get freshly made sausages that they make themselves without any artificial ingredients. Since they have a butcher on site, I can also get bones and other meaty things for my dog. They are also very happy to order items for you and call you when they come in.

Mother’s Market is a chain of 7 health food stores in my area. Their staff is knowledgeable and helpful and many of the faces I’ve seen over the years are still there, and that says something about a store. Mother’s offers a smaller, family-run, shopping experience than what you’d find at a huge (although fabulous) store such as Whole Foods. While WF is awesome, it’s expensive and frankly my smaller health food store has what I need. I can find all my supplements and natural cosmetics there, and can enjoy their deli, juice bar and restaurant in addition to all the healthy stuff you’d normally find. Several of the stores offer informational seminars from nutritionists and health professionals on a variety of subjects from time to time.

And though I list it last, I think it’s actually the most important, and that is my local farmer’s market. This is the only place you can look the grower directly in the eye. You don’t get that at a supermarket. The people selling you their wares are happy to discuss them with you. If you don’t know how to prepare (or even pronounce) a vegetable, you can ask them. I love this direct contact with the people who are responsible for growing the food I eat and I believe in supporting them. Farmers are some of the hardest working people there are and they don’t get enough credit for what they do. Some markets have even gone beyond the usual produce and bring in vendors that sell everything from local honey, farm-fresh eggs, meat and fish, and bread, to pita and hummus and even tea. The larger markets often have food trucks where you can catch lunch, or crafts people selling knitted caps and embroidered things, jewelry, etc. Some markets hire musicians to entertain, and others even let you bring your dog (but check this carefully. Most do not allow them)!

So that’s where I shop and why. I encourage you to look at where you shop and why and realize the importance of your choices. Do your stores support the beliefs you have in taking care of your health? If there are tons of things at your market that are full of crap and don’t support health, why are you still shopping there? We have an incredible amount of power in how we spend our dollars. Where we shop, and what we buy, makes a difference.

Nature's Pharmacy

This was emailed to me from a friend in England recently. I thought it was very interesting and wanted to share it with you.

Apparently, Nature has provided all that we need for survival.

"A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three dozen neurotransmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body."

Nature's Pharmacy! Amazing!