[Edit: Announcing the Whole9 Nutrition Workshop at CrossFit Genesis!]

Have you ever made poor food choices because of cost? What is the REAL cost of this cheap food, in dollars and on our health?

I know that it seems cheaper to get a burger and fries off a value menu rather than eat a meal that consists of an animal protein, fresh veggies or fruit, and some avocado or nuts. What we see is the upfront costs, not the true cost. The true cost is hidden.

Unhealthy food is cheaper because our government policies support its production. The money that the government pays to subsidized corn and soy is outrageous. These foods then end up in the food supply as high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated soybean oil that are the foundation of almost all foods that are processed or manufactured, and nearly all fast food. Not only are these crops converted into processed foods, but they go to feed the cattle for meat and dairy production. With the government helping pay for these crops it’s no wonder why the price tag is so much lower.

What about the other costs that we may face? We all know that bad foods are bad for our health. When you eat unhealthy foods, the costs of medical visits, co-pays, prescription medications, and other health services skyrocket. It’s been said that seventy-two percent of Americans are overweight and more than one third are medically obese. One in three children born today will be diabetic in their lifetime and the life expectancy of our population is declining for the first time in human history.There are other non-economic costs of eating poorly as well. You reduce your ability to enjoy life in the moment due to increased fatigue, low-grade health complaints, obesity, depression, and more.

The biggest advantage of eating well now is not just preventing disease and costs later, but simply enjoying each day to its fullest. You can make that happen.

This is what you need to remember:

The true cost of unhealthy food isn’t just the price tag–in fact, the real costs are hidden.

Weekly Recipe

Roasted Butternut Squash & Red Onion with Rosemary

1/2 butternut squash, seeded, peeled and sliced
4 red onions, peeled and sliced
4 Tbs rosemary leaves, chopped
4 Tbs olive oil

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking tray with parchment paper. Add chopped squash, onions and rosemary to tray and cover with olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the squash is cooked and the onions are browned. Serve.

Raising cattle (and all domestic livestock) on grasslands is the natural way. Cattle do not eat grain naturally. They eat mostly grass and browse. Therefore their bodies function best, in other words, they are healthier when they are “grass-fed.”

For millions of years man ate vegetables, some fruit and nuts, fish, fowl (and eggs), and lots of meat. (We’ve come to know this as the Paleo diet.) The animals he ate were nourished by grass or smaller animals and insects that ate grass. Grain did not enter his diet until after he invented grain farming about 8,000 to 10,000 years ago depending on where he lived.

Man’s natural nutritional requirements did not change with the invention of grain farming. That’s why proper human nutrition still calls for a “Stone Age” diet of mostly green leafy vegetables, fruit, nuts, eggs, fish, and lots of meat. But if the production of livestock food products are not based on grass, their chemical makeup (fatty-acid complex, vitamin and mineral components) will not contribute to a healthy eating experience.

Man’s recent reliance on grain (corn oil and most cooking oils, high fructose corn syrup, grain-feeding of livestock, etc.) is the reason why modern health problems are multiplying.

Scientists are discovering that heart disease, cancer, arthritis, attention deficit disorder, diabetes, and the list of ailments goes on and on, are due in large part to an imbalance of the Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids. This imbalance has created a nutritional deficiency of the essential Omega-3 fatty acid. That deficiency will result in bodies failing over time. Omega-6 fatty acids are found primarily in grain. Omega-3 fatty acids come primarily from fish, green leafy plants and some nuts. This is why we emphasize the importance of grass-fed meats of all kinds. It’s not only better for us, it’s better for the animals, and it’s better for the environment. It is the classic win-win situation.

It’s good to know that there are a few places around town to get your hands on 100% grass-fed beef. There is Whole Foods @ the Fountains in Roseville, vendors at the farmer’s market @ the Fountains in Roseville, and  Elliot’s Natural Foods in Roseville, Citrus Heights, and Folsom. Elliot’s actually gets their meat from Wolf Pack Meats (University of Nevada, Reno). Wolf Pack Meats at Elliot’s is the most cost friendly, but you are subject to what they have on hand.

Weekly Recipe

Grilled Flank Steak with Chimmichurri Sauce

1 1/2 – 2 lb flank steak
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 Tbs fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper

Pulse all ingredients except the flank steak in a food processor just until combined. Place flank steak in a glass dish and top with the chimmichurri sauce, refrigerate at least 3 hours. Remove the flank steak from the refrigerator and let come to room temp (about 20-40 minutes). Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Place the steak on the grill and cook for 5 minutes per side until desired doneness. Once cooked let the steak rest for 5-10 minutes and then cut across the grain in thin pieces.

In the last few days the federal government has expanded a recall of eggs potentially contaminated with salmonella. More than 380 million eggs, produced at a farm in Iowa, have been deemed possibly dangerous and blamed for illnesses in California, Colorado and Minnesota.

Earlier this month, Fresh Express, a subsidiary of Chiquita brands, recalled a salad product for the third time since May for possible Listeria contamination. Listeria causes a bacterial infection. Based on my research, it probably won’t kill a healthy person but it doesn’t sound too fun.

In July, the center for disease control announced that 136 outbreaks of food-borne illness from guacomole and pico de gallo (avocado and tomato). These 136 reported outbreaks included 12 pathogens such as salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, shigella, hepatitis A and norovirus. Researchers found three deaths associated with the outbreaks.

In May, bags of sprouts in ten states were recalled due to Salmonella contamination. No deaths, but there were 22 reported illnesses and four hospitalizations.

In April, the US Department of Agriculture’s inspector general admitted the government wasn’t doing its job to protect us from contaminated meat. The study cited a 2008 load of beef that Mexican officials wouldn’t let into their country because if didn’t meet their standards. It could have been, and very well may have been sold here.

Last year the CDC announced its list of the ten most dangerous foods for food-borne illness.

The list included these foods:
1. Leafy Greens
2. Eggs
3. Tuna
4. Oysters
5. Potatoes
6. Cheese
7. Ice Cream
8. Tomatoes
9. Sprouts
10.Berries

What? The most dangerous foods in America aren’t Cheetos and Pepsi, but veggies and eggs.

But we know that is not the case. All of our superstars of the food-borne illness world – mad cow disease, e. coli, salmonella –  they all developed in factory farms and processing plants. They simply don’t exist in local pastoral systems.

Right now, in in the American food revolution, Michael Pollan is the man. He has written numerous essays, reports and books, including In Defense of Food and The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Nationally he is considered the “voice” of the local food movement. In The Omnivore’s Dilemma, he wrote:

Every government study to date has shown the reasons we are having a epidemic of food-borne illness in the country is centralized production, centralized, processing, and long distance transportation of food. You would think therefore that they would want to decentralize the food system … they’d much rather irradiate everything instead.

I am no expert on food production. I’ll leave that to the farmers, the ranchers and investigators like Pollan. I have, however, been on a few local farms and even participated in the process. What I saw was animals living the way it seemed like they should. It didn’t stink, the animals could move around.

In the human world we know it is unhealthy for too many people to live in a small house. Too much waste, germs etc. in too small an area. We wouldn’t expect people to live healthy lives if 50 of them had to share a single family house. One would imagine the same goes for animals and plants. Take a drive past the cattle feed lots on Interstate 5. If you have kids you will hear lots of complaining about the odor.

Time magazine recently published an article asking the question of whether “organic” eggs were any healthier. Based on the nutritional make up of both types of eggs, the answer was no. Pollan looks at it a bit differently when asked if “organic” is better:

Better for what? Is it better for the environment? Better for the farmers who grew it? Better for public health? For the taxpayer? The answer to all three questions is an (almost) unqualified yes. To grow the plants and animals that made up my meal, no pesticides found their way into any farmer’s bloodstream, no nitrogen run off or growth hormones seeped into the watershed, no soils were poisoned, no antibiotics were squandered, no subsidy checks were written. If the high price of my all-organic meal is weighed against the comparatively low price it extracted from the larger world, as it should be, it begins to look, at least in karmic terms, like a real bargain.

He brings up another point: Cost. I am asked all the time if it is more expensive to eat from local farmers. The answer is simple. Yes. We all can understand why a quality product may cost more if we are discussing, say a pair of jeans or a automobile.

Joel Salatin, a farmer/lobbyist/revolutionist grows food that he sells locally in Virginia.

“When someone pulls up to our farm in a BMW and asks why our eggs cost more … I take him outside and point to his car. ‘Sir, you clearly understand quality and are willing to pay for it. Well, food is no different: You get what you pay for.’

“Why is it that we exempt food of all things from that rule?” Salatin asks.

Pollan writes:

While it is true that many people simply can’t afford to pay more for food, either in money or time or both, many more of us can. After all, just in the last decade or two we’ve somehow found the time in the day to spend several hours on the internet and the money in the budget not only to pay for broadband service, but to cover a second phone bill and a new monthly bill for television, formerly free. For the majority of Americans, spending more for better food is less a matter of ability than priority.

I get it that the higher monthly price tag is a turn off. I get that we don’t all believe we have expendable income. But as a community, CrossFitters spend a considerable sum of money, time and resources toward making sure we are healthy.

Let’s forget the science, the studies and all the rest. If you are interested in reading them, they are all out there. Read them on your own. Ask yourself this instead. Does it make sense that animals raised the way they would be in nature would live a healthier life? Does it make sense that vegetables grown with compost instead of chemicals, picked fresh and trucked 20 miles instead of 1,500 would taste better and be better for you and the world around them?

I don’t like scare tactics but the following video made the point to me when I watched it during Food Inc.

Think for yourself and question authority.
-Timothy Leary

Last week we talked about thinking for yourself. It is time to start making some choices.

~Rick

Weekly Recipe

Baked Egg Cups

2 large eggs
 (local, omega-3 enriched)
4 large egg whites (local, omega-3 enriched)
2 tbsp heavy cream
fresh chives
2 pieces cooked bacon, chopped
salt and pepper
avocado

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Lightly grease 2 6-oz. ramekins. Break one whole egg into each ramekin and add two egg whites to each.
Pour 1 tbsp heavy cream into each ramekin and top with chives, bacon and salt and pepper, to taste.
Place ramekins in a rimmed baking pan. Make a “water bath” by boiling water in a kettle and pour the hot water into the rimmed baking pan, until the water comes up to about halfway up the outside of the ramekin. It is easiest to pour the water into the pan once it is already in the oven, as not to spill. Remember, the water is on the outside of the ramekin, they are submerged in water to help disperse the heat and the eggs cook evenly. Do not pour the water in the ramekins with the eggs! Bake for 10-15 minutes, more for a harder cooked yolk, less for soft yoke. Top with sliced avocado and serve.
This makes a fun creative breakfast when you have company. You can individualize each cup to your guests taste. Get creative and add some other toppings like sun-dried tomatoes, salsa, canadian bacon, sausage, spinach or mushrooms. It’s just a different take on an omelet…go from there.

Think for yourself and question authority.
-Timothy Leary

We’ve talked a lot around here about Taking Control of our own health. In order to do that we have to start by thinking for ourselves, not by ourselves. With so much information available to us on the web, much of it conflicting, it is hard to know where to start.

First, you have to start with YOU. Ask yourself some questions.

• What is your objective?
• Do you have a health condition you need to learn more about?
• Are you considering going paleo? If so, WHY?
• Are you interested in making food choices that will have less of an impact on the environment?
• Are you ready to learn what your current food choices are doing to your body? More importantly, are you ready to do something about it?

If you are like me, many of these questions might apply to you. One thing I have found is that there is no shortage of resources when it comes to health and nutrition. You could literally spend hours weeding through internet blogs, recipes, articles, and medical journals. Even the idea of that is daunting. So why don’t you sit down and get to it? You’ve got hours to spare, right?

I said it starts with YOU, but by no means does it end with you. Think for yourself, not by yourself. We are a community. A community of smart, savvy, and willing people, with similar goals and objectives. We are not here to tell you what to do, make decisions for you and spoon feed you more conventional wisdom. There is enough of that out there already. We’re here to guide you along your path to better health. By pooling our resources, putting our heads together, and building an educated community of active learners, we save ourselves a lot of work. Instead, we share the work and achieve more, together. Now isn’t that the type of community we all want to be a part of?

In the spirit of starting down the road to wellness, we’ve included a list of some favorite resources. Hopefully you’ll find some answers, inspiration and tips for healthier living.

• www.whole9life.com – Melissa and Dallas deliver tons of no-nonsense goodness. Their approach to wellness is both hilarious and inspiring.
• www.robbwolf.com – Robb, our Nor-cal neighbor up in Chico, currently has a library of 40 1-hour podcasts (The Paleolithic Solution), full of paleolithic wisdom. Without a doubt he’s the paleo go-to guy. His new book, The Paleo Solution, is available for pre-order and will be in stores in September!
• www.thehealthyskeptic.org – Chris uncovers common myths and offers a ton of useful info on health and nutrition. This guy really knows his stuff!
• www.undergroundwellness.com- Check out Sean’s radio show, he covers some great topics including gluten sensitivity, fertility, sugar, supplementation and so much more . Check out his panel of expert guests.
• www.paleochix.com – NOT just for women, this panel of writers cover topics from nutrition, fitness, and just lots of stuff about good living!
• www.balancedbites.com – Diane is another Nor-cal neighbor over in SF who is the author of the 21-Day Sugar Detox Program Manual. Additionally, Diane has a way of simplifying sometimes difficult topics on her easy to understand blog. Take a look!
• www.marksdailyapple.com – Mark is nothing short of thorough! Full of in-depth, more than you ever thought you’d need to know info that is backed by a ton of research on any subject you could imagine!

Need Recipes? Here are just a few sites to get you started…

• www.everydaypaleo.com
• www.health-bent.com
• www.paleodish.com
• www.thelabelsayspaleo.com
• www.primaleatingmoderntable.com

Share your favorite websites or books here and regularly in our nutrition forum.

Soft drinks can trace their history back to the mineral water found in natural springs. Bathing in natural springs has long been considered a healthy thing to do, mineral water was said to have curative powers. Scientists soon discovered that gas carbonium or carbon dioxide was behind the bubbles in natural mineral water. So American pharmacists that were selling mineral waters began to add medicinal and flavorful herbs to unflavored mineral water. They used birch bark, dandelion, sarsaparilla, and fruit extracts. These early American pharmacies with soda fountains became a popular part of culture and it wasn’t long until customers wanted to take their “health” drinks home with them and a soft drink bottling industry grew from consumer demand.

Fast forward to today, things have really changed. With access to almost any information that you could possibly want on the internet, it is hard to find an article or study that shows soda pop is good for you. Actually what you are going to find is study after study telling you that soda is responsible for many dangers in regarding your health. One of the articles that I found to be interesting is a time line of what happens within 1 hour of gulping down one can of that sweet bubbly beverage.

Here goes…

-10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system, which is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake. You’d normally vomit from such an intake, but the phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.

-20 minutes: Your blood sugar skyrockets. Your liver attempts to maximize insulin production in order to turn high levels of sugar into fat.

-40 minutes: As your body finishes absorbing the caffeine, your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your liver pumps more sugar into the bloodstream. Adenosine receptors in your brain are blocked preventing you from feeling how tired you may actually be.

-45 minutes: Your body increases dopamine production, causing you to feel pleasure and adding to the addictiveness of the beverage. This physical neuro response works the same way as it would if we were consuming heroin.

>60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, which boosts your metabolism a bit further. High doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners compound this effect, increasing the urinary excretion of calcium. The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (You have to GO!) Your body will eliminate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was otherwise heading to your bones. And you will also flush out the sodium, electrolytes and water. Your body has eliminated the water that was in the soda. And in the process it was infused with nutrients and minerals your body would have otherwise used to hydrate your system or build body cells, bones, teeth.

-60 minutes: The sugar crash begins. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You start feeling like crap. Time to grab another?

It’s no wonder why soda is so hard for some people to give up!

Weekly Recipe

Sweet & Sour Chicken

1/3 cup Tamari (wheat free) soy sauce
2 Tbs raw honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 4 breasts), chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into 1-inch cubes
12 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped

In a small bowl, whisk together tamari, honey, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes. Place chicken in a large shallow dish. Pour sauce mixture over chicken, tossing gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and marinade and saute for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Add bell peppers and onion and cook for 5 minutes or until veggies are slightly tender. Add pineapple and cook for 2 more minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

We’ve all heard it one time or another, “Be your own health advocate.” The responsibility is yours, and yours alone. Life is about constantly learning, changing, adapting to what we’ve learned, and then learning some more. Too many times we find ourselves becoming stagnant. We get into a routine of just going through the motions of life, instead of taking control of it. Do you control your health, or does your health control you?

Anyone who has lived with an illness or chronic health condition knows, that it can be debilitating. It wears you out and runs you down. It eventually controls you. For some it happens faster than others, but over time it takes it toll. And it’s happening to me.
I used to see myself as a victim. For years I’ve been going to the doctor and got the same answer every time “There’s nothing we can do for you”. Live with it. Finally, for me that’s no longer an acceptable answer.

In order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired.

I’m taking my health into my own hands. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t just wake up one day and decide it was time to change. It has been a process; a long journey filled with frustration, hope, dead-ends, and most recently some important “Ah-ha!” moments. As I learn more about my health and discover ways to improve it, my initial reaction is excitement, followed by the feeling that my doctors have let me down. They had given up on me, and so had I.

We live in a world where doctors are put on pedestals. We believe they should have all the answers; if there are answers to be had. Well, I’m here to tell you they don’t. My doctors have been valuable, but in order to make the most of what my doctor can do for me, I must be an informed patient. I must take on the job of knowing everything I can about my situation, go in armed with questions and be prepared to walk away if necessary.

Most doctors I’ve come across over the years subscribe to conventional wisdom when diagnosing and treating their patients. Although that may work for some, I have found no relief in it. It was time to look for answers elsewhere. And that is where I am, still looking.

My journey to optimal health is nowhere near an end. It takes time and energy. It hasn’t been easy and I feel that the hardest part might still be ahead. Sure, I’d rather spend my quiet time reading some pool-side fiction, instead some complicated scientifically written book that I have to read at least twice to understand. But, to me, the payoff is worth every bit of energy I put in. If I don’t do it, who will?

Take control, learn, make change and learn some more…

Weekly Recipe

Blackberry Korean BBQ Short-ribs
courtesy of www.marksdailyapple.com

2 lbs beef short-ribs
2 C blackberries ( NOW is prime blackberry season!)
1/2 C wheat-free tamari
1/4 C unseasoned rice vinegar
1 T sesame oil
4 stalks scallions, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic

Put all ingredients, except beef,  in the blender until smooth to create marinade. Place ribs in ziploc bag, or air-tight container and pour in marinade. make sure meat is completely covered and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Grill ribs 4 minutes per side for rare and a minute or two longer for medium rare- or cook under the broiler adding 3-5 minutes onto the cooking time.

We’ve all heard the saying “Got Milk?”. This phrase started in 1993 by the California Milk Processor Board to remind people to drink milk.  According to the CMPB milk is the best way to get your daily bone-building dose of calcium.We disagree.

If you’ve been following our nutrition posts, you’ve seen that we suggest avoiding grains, sugar and dairy. One of the main reasons for this suggestion is to normalize our insulin levels. By consuming dairy products, you are most definitely causing your insulin levels to rise, among other things. For this post we are concerned about calcium. Believe it or not, there are other ways to get your daily dose of calcium besides drinking milk.

Let’s take a look at dark leafy green veggies, many have relatively high calcium concentrations. For the following items calcium content is given in measurements of milligrams (mg) per cup.

Cooked bok choy -330
Cooked spinach -250
Cooked kale -200
Romaine lettuce -40

You can get calcium from fruit too.

Blackberries -42
Dried figs, uncooked -241
1 fresh large fig -22
Grapefruit -28

All of the vegetables and fruits that we’ve listed contain good amounts of calcium while providing many other vitamins, minerals and other health benefits. You don’t need to be a milk drinker to get your calcium. You just need to each your fruits and veggies!

Weekly Recipe

Creamed Spinach

2lbs of baby spinach washed
2 Tbs unsalted butter (Kerrygold)
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 tsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup heavy cream*

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spinach and cook for 2 minutes. Drain in a fine mesh strainer, pressing with a large spoon to release as much water as possible. Finely chop and set aside.

Melt the butter in medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, just until the liquid is released. Add the cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and cook until the cream is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve immediately

*This is considered O.K. on occasion because it is all fat, and doesn’t provoke an insulin response.

Although dried figs are available throughout the year, there is nothing like the unique taste and texture of fresh figs. They are lusciously sweet with a texture that combines the chewiness of their flesh, the smoothness of their skin, and the crunchiness of their seeds.
In addition to their wonderful taste, figs have a number of health benefits. Figs serve as a good source of the trace mineral manganese, which promotes strong bones, helps your body synthesize fatty acids and cholestorol, maintains normal blood sugar levels, and promte optimal function of the thyroid gland. Figs lower and control high blood pressure because they are packed with potassium, a mineral that can control hypertension. Additionally potassium helps to control blood sugar.
Figs are a good source of dietary fiber. Figs contain Pectin, a soluble fiber. When fiber goes through the digestive system, it mops up cholesterol and carries it out of body. The American Diabetes Association recommends figs for a high fiber treat. Fig leaves actually reduce the amount of insulin needed by diabetic patients who have to take insulin injections.
Although most people think they need to drink milk to get their calcium (that’s a whole other post!), there are a great variety of fruits and vegetables that are loaded with calcium. Figs are a great fruit source of calcium, a mineral that has many functions including promoting bone density. Dried figs contain an impressive 250mg of calcium per 100g, compared to whole milk with only 118mg. Another reason to ditch the milk and eat those calcium rich fruits and veggies!
Figs are quite useful in various respiratory disorders including whooping cough and asthma. Since they are also good for digestion, they help in treating constipation, indigestion, stomach ache, etc. Figs are also good for fever, and excellent for the liver. Fig is a highly alkaline food, therefore helps to regulate the pH of the body. Figs are rich in flavonoids and polyphenols, antioxidants which prevent the damage caused by free radicals, reducing your risk for cancer…and we all want THAT!
So with all these wonderful attributes, we should consider ourselves lucky to live where we do, because California is the second largest producer of figs in the world, after Turkey. In most parts of the country, you’ll start seeing them in the market in June, and then in mid-August and September. Figs are very fragile because they are picked ripe. They do not improve after picking, so be sure you buy them ripe and are ready to enjoy them. If you don’t plan on eating them right way, you’ll want to put them in the fridge. Figs can actually begin to spoil after only a few hours of warmth.
A surprisingly broad range of flavors make suitable partners for figs. Since many of us might not be accustomed to cooking with figs, we’ve done some homework and provided you with a few recipes to choose from. Let us know if  you give them a try!

Rosemary-Fig Nutty Bread

Paleo Figs and Ham

Almond Fig Bites

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Figs and Balsamic Reduction

Stuffed Figs with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto

Weekly Recipe

Salad with Figs, Bacon and Toasted Pecan
recipe courtesy of www.thisprimallife.com

Salad:
3 cups mixed greens
1/3 cup toasted pecans
4 slices cooked bacon, chopped
2 fresh figs, quartered

Dressing:
1 tsp minced shallot
2 T olive oil
2 T white balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Combine salad ingredients, except figs in a large bowl and set aside.  To make the dressing, combine the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined. Dress the salad and toss. Divide onto two plates and top each with the fig wedges. Yield: 2 salads

Cherries mark the transition from spring to summer. They are the first of the year’s stone fruits to be harvested, and in many ways the sweetest. The flavor of cherries is a delicate balance between sweetness and acidity. The sweeter the cherry, generally, the greater the flavor intensity.

There is more to cherries than just their great taste. Cherries, like many other fruits, are packed with antioxidants that fight free radicals in the body and may help prevent cancer and heart disease as well as slow the aging process. There are two types of cherries, sweet and tart or sour cherries.

The most popular type of sweet cherry is the Bing cherry, which is flavored for eating out of hand, there is certainly nothing wrong with that. They do cook well too, though they lack the depth and tang of a sour cherry. When picking the perfect cherry, you should choose fruit that is dark red, almost to the point of black, and shiny, not matte. There should be no signs of shriveling or wilting. Common faults such as doubling or and spurring do not affect the flavor.

As for finding fresh sour cherries, you might as well forget it. Tart or sour cherries are canned and used in pies, dried into fruit snacks and made into juice concentrate. Like most other fruits, cherries are fat-free, low in calories and sodium and high in certain minerals and vitamins such as potassium, Vitamin C and B-complex vitamins. They can be eaten raw, cooked or juiced; if you want year-round cherry enjoyment even when it’s not peak season, they are also easy to can and enjoy at your convenience.

Most of the scientific research has centered on the health benefits of tart cherries. Sweet and tart cherries contain pigments called anthocyanins, antioxidants that give cherries their dark red color. Tart cherries are among the top fruits as far as antioxidant levels go. Tart cherry juice and dried tart cherries are even higher in antioxidants than blueberries and more powerful than Vitamin E. Anthocyanins found in cherries also block inflammatory enzymes, reducing pain. In fact, 20 cherries (or drinking the equivalent in juice concentrate) are 10 times as potent as aspirin and have positive effects on gout and arthritis pain.

Researchers in Texas recently discovered that tart cherries contain high levels of melatonin, an antioxidant produced naturally by the body that is thought to help slow the aging process as well as fight jet-lag and regulate sleep. Eating tart cherries, particularly Montmorency tart cherries, can actually increase the levels of melatonin in the body.

California is one of the top three Bing cherry producers in the United States. The season for these tasty treats is only about 6 weeks long beginning in mid-May and wrapping up around the end of June. So if you can, get them while they last. There will still be some cherries in the grocery stores until the end of August, but those varieties will most likely be coming from Washington and Oregon.

How to store them: Place them in a plastic bag with most of the air removed, then put in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Do not wash until just before using.

Weekly Recipe

Red Wine-Poached Cherries

from How to Pick a Peach

1 cup dry red wine
2 Tbs honey
1 pound cherries, stemmed and pitted

Gently simmer the red wine and honey in a small saucepan until the wine loses its raw alcohol smell, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool to less than 140 degrees.

Place the cherries in a 1 -quart resealable plastic bag and pour the cooled wine over them. Press out all the air and seal the bag tightly. Place this bag inside another, press out the air and seal tightly again.

Bring a large pot of water to 140 degrees. Place the double-bagged cherries in the water and poach at between 140-150 degrees for 20 minutes. During the first 5-10 minutes, you’ll need to pay attention to the temperature, but after that it’ll maintain without much fussing. (If the water gets too hot, just add a little tap water to bring the temp down.)

After 20 minutes, remove the double bag from the pot. Place a strainer over a small saucepan and empty the cherries into it, collecting the poaching liquid underneath. Set the cherries aside in a bowl and simmer the poaching liquid until it has reduced to a syrup. Pour the syrup over the cherries and toss to coat well before serving. This goes great with vanilla or coconut ice cream.

In an effort to be informed consumers, we should all be reading the labels of every single product we put into our shopping carts. But consumers beware, not all labels are created equal. There are many health claims that appear on our food packages that are not regulated and actually mean nothing. These claims are simply there as marketing tools, giving the consumer a false sense of what they are truly purchasing. But the tide may be turning.

Paleo Approved is a new food label developed by Karen Pendergrass who personally has experienced the benefits of a paleo lifestyle while managing her diagnosis with Celiac’s.

Here are some of the principles behind the new Paleo Approved label:

•The Paleo Approved Label vows never to reduce standards of organic for any company. The quality standards of the Organic label have eroded for giant food corporations, and foods that display their label are not reliably Organic.
• The Paleo Approved Label means more than just Organic, it means safety and healthy as well. Certified Paleo Approved products are those that we are genetically designed us to eat to keep us healthy.
•Companies seeking Paleo Approved certification must adhere to Paleo Approved standards 100%, or they do not receive our Certification. Period.
•We will not allow a variation or deviation of the definitions for free range, organic, grass-fed, no-hormone, and no- antibiotics for products certified Paleo Approved. If we say it’s 100% grass-fed or organic, it’s because it actually is.

What are your thoughts? Is the Paleo Approved label a good idea? What are some problems you see with the concept?