CommunityTable

Veggie Boost

This simple blend makes a great juice boost. Tomatoes and carrots are rich in the valuable antioxidant beta carotene, which is reputed to fight cancer, and they contain a good supply of vitamins A, C and E, all of which are essential for good health. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tomatoes
• 1 fresh red or green chile
• 9 oz. carrots
• juice of 1 orange
• crushed ice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Quarter the tomatoes and roughly chop the chile. (If you prefer a milder juice, remove the seeds and white pith from the chile before chopping.) Scrub the carrots and chop them roughly.
2. Push the carrots through a juicer, then follow with the tomatoes and chile. Add the orange juice and stir well to mix. Fill two tumblers with crushed ice, pour the juice over and serve.

Yields 2 servings

What's Your Work Out Gear Made Of?

Most of us are familiar with dry-wick athletic apparel. We see the advertisements claiming that this shirt has the textile technology to keep you dry, that those shorts can wick away your sweat, that this fabric will keep you feeling cool and comfortable during the most intense workouts.

But what's the science behind these promises? How do dry-wick textiles actually work?

It comes down to two principles: percolation and evaporation. "Moisture-management" fabrics absorb the sweat from your body, propelling it away from your skin, then spread it throughout the garment so it can easily vaporize into the environment.

 

But these products differ in how they use various fibers. A natural fiber may absorb more than a synthetic fiber, but a synthetic fiber may dry faster. Searching for the desired balance between wicking and drying, manufacturers mix different amounts of natural and synthetic fibers or transform an individual fiber's silhouette. The fiber recipe determines how the overall garment copes with sweat.

Natural fibers tend to love water. They pick it up whenever they can. Synthetic fibers, however, do their best to avoid or repel water.

 

Cotton is a natural fiber and a fantastic lover of water. When you sweat, cotton fibers will absorb the fluid, "wicking" the droplets away from your body. But because cotton fibers love liquid so much, they don't give it up very easily. The cotton fabric will hold onto the water, absorbing moisture into its fibers, resisting evaporation.This is why it takes so long for your cotton T-shirts to dry.

"With natural fibers, you get what Mother Nature makes, and you have to live with it," said Becky Rose, an activewear research and development fellow for Invista, the manufacturer of Coolmax fabric. "Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not so good."

Wearing a cotton shirt during a workout may feel cool because you're essentially wearing a shirt drenched in your bodily fluids, but as your core body temperature comes down, you may experience post-workout chills. Your cotton shirt does not want to dry, and you're left feeling cold and clammy.

"For athletic wear," said Yiqi Yang, a professor of textile chemistry at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, "you want [the fabric] to wick water as good as cotton, but you don't want it soaked."

 

Cactus Salsa

Nopal cactus is known to help with high blood sugar, cardiovascular inflammation, gastrointestinal disorders and more.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 yellow pepper, seeded and sliced
• 9 oz. nopales (cactus paddles)
• 3 spring onions (scallions)
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 red onion
• 4 oz. fresh tomatillos
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Carefully remove the thorns from the nopales. Wearing gloves or holding each cactus paddle in turn with kitchen tongs, cut off the bumps that contain the thorns with a sharp knife.
2. Cut off and discard the thick base from each cactus paddle. Rinse the paddles well and cut them into strips, then cut the strips into small pieces.
3. Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the cactus paddle pieces, spring onions and garlic. Boil for 10-15 minutes, until the paddle pieces are just tender.
4. Drain the mixture in a colander, rinse under cold running water to remove any remaining stickiness, then drain again. Discard the spring onions and garlic.
5. Chop the red onion, yellow pepper and the tomatillos finely. Place in a bowl and add the cactus.
6. Spoon the mixture into a preserving jar, add the salt, pour in the vinegar and seal. Chill for at least a day, turning the jar occasionally to ensure that the nopales are marinated. The salsa will keep in the refrigerator for 10 days.

Yields 4 servings.

Building a Healthy Marriage

 

Remember the days before you were married? When your heart skipped a beat every time you saw each other, when things were exciting and new, before the kids came along? It's important to keep things fresh in order to maintain a long-lasting, love-filled, healthy marriage.

The more relationship skills you develop and the more time you invest in your commitment, the more your marriage will become all that you hoped it would be. Everybody's life is hectic, but it's important to dedicate attention and care to your marriage in order for it flourish.

Qualities Of A Healthy Marriage

• Are growing in friendship and respect as well as love for each other
• Share many interests and activities together
• Are trusting and trustworthy, are interpersonally honest yet tactful
• Are interested in and respect each other's work
• Try to share and make monotonous work interesting, such as household chores
• Have a mindset which sees problems as challenges to be solved
• Engage in healthy physical activities - get adequate nutrition, exercise and sleep

Tips For A Life-Long, Happy Marriage

• A romantic "Date Night" once a week
• Regular kisses and cuddling to keep the magic alive
• Say "I love you" at least once everyday
• Maintain regular contact throughout the day, even while at work, through phone calls, text messages and e-mail
• Surprise weekend getaways a few times a year

Benefits For Couples In Healthy Marriages

• Emotionally and physically healthier
• Have better relationships with their children
• Wealthier
• Women feel more satisfied in their relationships
• Men experience more sexual satisfaction in their relationships and an increase in stability of employment

Benefits For Children

• More likely to attend college
• More likely to succeed academically
• Emotionally and physically healthier
• Have a better relationship with their parents
• Decreased chance for divorce

Benefits For Communities With A Higher Percentage Of Healthy Marriages 

• Higher rates of physically and emotionally healthy citizens
• Higher rates of educated citizens
• Lower domestic violence rates
• Higher property values
• Decreased need for social services

The evidence is in, happy and healthy marriages are good for everyone. Plan a special surprise for your spouse this weekend! Remind your husband or wife that he or she is your number one priority, perhaps a romantic, home-cooked healthy meal from Community Table! 

Sources:

1. The Center for Relationship Enrichment. www.nwamarriages.com

2. Long-lasting Love in Marriage. www.healthy-marriage.com/articles/45/360-long-lasting-love-in-marriage.html

3. Qualities of a Healthy Marriage. www.umaryland.edu/counseling/selfhelp/marriage.html

4. Benefits of Healthy Marriages. www.acf.hhs.gov/healthymarriage/benefits/index

Vegan Brownie Bites

INGREDIENTS:

• Vegetable oil spray
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Bob's Red Mill gluten-free, all-purpose baking flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
  
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup canola oil
  
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  
• 1/2 cup dairy-free mini chocolate chips
  

INGREDIENTS:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Spray 2 mini muffin pans with vegetable oil spray. 
2. In a bowl, whisk the baking flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum. 
3. In another bowl, whisk the applesauce, oil and vanilla; stir into the dry ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips. 
4. Spoon the batter into the muffin pans, filling them three-quarters full. 
5. Bake for 15 minutes, or until set. Let the brownies cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
   

Yields 2 dozen 2-bite brownies

Nutrition: Per serving: 69 cal, 4 g fat, 0.8 g saturated fat, 10 g carb, 0.8 g fiber

 

Chinese Herbs

 

by Holly Lucille, ND, RN

Chinese herbs have been around for a long, long time - five thousand years, give or take a few - and they are highly effective for treating all sorts of health problems. I believe that they work best when used within the paradigm of Oriental medicine. In other words, Chinese herbs are much more likely to work well when a patient receives the herbal prescription from a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, and receives the practitioner's guidance and support around using those herbs.

Some 500 to 600 herbs, animal byproducts, and minerals comprise the traditional Chinese materia medica. These herbs are used by TCM practitioners in all kinds of combinations, based on a complex diagnostic system. Naturopathic and TCM doctors use the same general approach - we base diagnosis and treatment on evaluation of imbalances, deficiencies, and excesses, and the ability of various treatments to counteract them. TCM is based on ancient theories involving the flow of energy (qi), made up of a balance of yin and yang energies, along energy pathways (meridians) that run throughout the body. Qi is manipulated by supporting either yin or yang with specific herbal combinations, or by directing its movement with acupuncture, acupressure, cupping (where glass vials are applied to the skin with a gentle vacuum) or moxibustion (burning of herbs at acupuncture points).

Many Chinese herbs are beginning to enter the mainstream of herbal medicine, and these herbs are widely available in health food and supplement stores and increasingly popular with consumers for maintaining optimal health or to correct an imbalance that is making them feel unwell. Here are a few of the herbs customers might be looking for, and why they are believed to be beneficial for their health.

Panax Ginseng
One of the best-known Chinese herbs, panax is what's known as an adaptogen - it enhances cellular metabolism, increases endurance and energy, and is believed to enhance brain function and boost alertness. Any adaptogen (which may also be referred to as a tonic) earns its title by improving the body's ability to tolerate and recover from stress, whether that stress is physical (intense exercise), chemical (exposure to toxins), or biological (contracting an illness).

Panax ginseng. This tonic, adaptogenic herb increases the amount of oxygen that passes from the bloodstream into cells to be burned for energy, improving exercise performance and breakdown of carbohydrate and fat stores. These effects explain why ginseng is so popular as an energy and endurance booster. It's also thought to increase fuel availability in the brain, enhancing alertness and thinking ability. Panax ginseng contains chemicals called ginsenosides, which mimic the adrenal hormones made in the body when stressful situations arise. Those hormones enhance energy, strength, and alertness, helping us to rise to the occasion. In other words, ginsenosides specifically support the function of the body's natural stress-resistance system.

This form of ginseng (one of several) also acts as a powerful antioxidant and has documented anti-cancer activity. It increases immunity against colds and flu and has long been used as an aphrodisiac.

Contraindications to this herb include hypertension or diabetes that is controlled with insulin or oral hypoglycemic drugs. The best-quality extracts are standardized to 1.5 to 7 percent ginsenoside. It appears to have greatest benefit when taken for two to three weeks at a time, with a two-week break in between periods of use.

Gluten-Free Pecan Pancakes, Protein-Style

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups organic gluten-free pancake and baking mix (available at many grocery stores and local health food stores)
• 2/3 cup soy or rice milk
• 1/4 cup egg white substitute
• 2 teaspoons walnut oil
• 2 scoops Amino ICG protein powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup pecans (raw or roasted), chopped
• 1/2 cup organic honey

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the pancake mix, milk, egg white substitute, 1 teaspoon of the walnut oil, protein powder, cinnamon, vanilla, and pecans. Stir the ingredients together well.
2. More or less milk can be added depending on the preferred thickness of the pancakes. Using a griddle or flat pan, grease with the remaining teaspoon of the walnut oil and let the pan get very hot before adding the batter.
3. Flip the pancakes when bubbles appear while cooking. Top with honey and fresh fruit and serve.

Yields 2 servings.

Just Breathe...

 

by Joel Lopez, MD, CNS

It seems like a very simplistic advice but breathing can actually help a lot of conditions, not just lung problems. Breathing, before anything else, is much more than the intake of oxygen or the release of carbon dioxide. In Ayurvedic medicine, it is believed that during the process of breathing, your brain actually scans what’s going on in the rest of the body. When a person breathes in a shallow manner, then they’re not able to fully scan their body. When that happens, the central computer (our brains) cannot do it’s job of coordinating what goes on in the rest of the body. Such is the interconnectedness of the mind and body that the concept that each part of the body functions independently is crap, for the lack of a better word. Breathing is very important. Unfortunately, we often take this for granted. We sometimes focus too much on diet or hydration, to the detriment of learning proper breathing techniques. Although we may last for weeks without food or a few days without water, there’s only a few precious minutes that we can survive without (breathing) air. It’s important to take deep, diaphragmatic breaths (similar to that of a baby’s). Benefits include lowered stress levels, better sleep, and overall better health. Now, take some deep breaths ……

Mac Un-Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. (16 oz.) pasta
• 2 cups vanilla soy milk
• 2 tablespoons soy margarine
• 2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
• 1 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook pasta and drain. In a large bowl, combine pasta and all other ingredients. Mix thoroughly and enjoy.
2. For variety, mix in one cup of steamed vegetables, such as broccoli or peas.

Yields 6-8 servings.

 

Broccoli with Sautéed Carrots

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium bunch broccoli
• 2 large carrots
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric

DIRECTIONS:

1. Trim the broccoli into small pieces or florets. Peel and slice the carrots on a bias to form  ¼-inch-thick oval-shaped pieces.
   
2. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Blanch the broccoli in the boiling water for 2–3 minutes.
   
3. In a sauté pan, add the olive oil and heat over medium to high heat. Sauté the carrots in the olive oil for 2–3 minutes. Add the blanched broccoli and all spices and herbs.
   
4. Sauté for 2 more minutes or until the carrots are tender.
   

Yields 4 servings.

Recipe from Dr. Mark Hyman's book The Ultra-Metabolism Cookbook.