Baby’s Nutrition Needs, Part II May 19, 2008

As I mentioned in Balancing Baby’s Nutrition, Part I, I’ve come to a crossroads with Noah’s nutrition needs. At age one, he’s an unpredictable, finicky eater who will only regularly accept edamame and whole-milk yogurt. I became especially concerned when Noah’s blood test results came back indicating anemia. This was a big surprise to me; not only is he breastfed, but I consume enough vegetables every day to feed a small village, in addition to lean, organic proteins.

Yogurt in and of itself makes a wonderful baby-food. Whole milk yogurt contains necessary  calories, brain-building fat, and nutrients. But most importantly, it contains conjugated linoleic acid, which has antioxidant and antitumor properties (the lowfat variety does not). According to blogger Spinach and Honey “while lowfat yogurt has less calories, whole milk yogurt contains fatty acids that help trim fat—specifically in the abdominal area! Most new mommies, who are carrying around a few extra pounds, love this.” 

Considering the limitations little Noah has when it comes to food selection, I supplement his yogurt occasionally, just to be sure he’s getting enough greens in his diet. My answer? Spirulina. An interesting study published in 1995 (Author: Sevulla) showed an 81% improvement in the academic scores of children who took one gram of spirulina daily for six months.

According to Mike Adams, author of Superfoods For Optimum Health: Chlorella and Spirulina, “Certainly the GLA content of spirulina is another important factor. Nerve tissues in the brain need “healthy” fats in order to function properly, and GLA is one of the healthiest fats you can consume. That’s why human breast milk contains high quantities of GLA. In fact, breast milk is the number one source of GLA on the planet, and spirulina is number two.”

Spirulina is richly supplied with the blue pigment phycocyanin, which is a major biliprotein of the blue-green algae and has been shown to inhibit cancer-colony formation. Predominant blue pigmentation in food is rare. In Healing With Whole Foods, Paul Pitchford reports how  phycocyanin helps draw together amino acids for neurotransmitter formation, which increases mental capacity.

When Noah refused his prescribed iron supplement, I was relieved to discover a study published in Nutrition Research (Vol 6, 85-94, 1986), where P. Johnson and E. Shubert reported, “Spirulina contains a highly available form of of iron. It is unusual to find plant-derived iron that is highly available,” and continues to give evidence that when test subjects received a supplement of ferrous sulfate, it was only half as effective as spirulina.

I’ve also learned that in Seattle there is a history walk along Alki Beach with brass markers which tell the story of early settlers in the area. One particular story tells of how some settlers couldn’t breastfeed their children because of breast infections, and were worried their children would get sick or worse. The natives took clams and seaweed, ground them up to a pulp and made a warm drink for the babies. Not only did they not reject it, but they thrived and were able to nurse this until the mothers got well.  

This website has a long list of excellent home-made infant formula recipes. Every last one contains some kind of green, be it spirulina or otherwise. Most of the recipes call for maple syrup as a sweetener; It is important to remember that honey and Karo syrup are big no-no’s for babies under age one.

The Unassuming Foodie May 14, 2008

Foodie (fū‘dē): A person who has an ardent or refined interest in food; a gourmet: “in the culinary fast lane, where surprises are expected and foodies beg to be thrilled” (Boston Globe).

At the risk of getting ahead of myself, I’m very excited to share my new blog with you. It is called The Unassuming Foodie.  You may have noticed that I love to talk about food–eating it, sharing it, and ensuring my family enjoys nutritious, creative and wholesome meals every day. I’ve certainly noticed that my recipes are the pages my readers flock to first. So, it’s a win-win. I call it “unassuming” because the blog is devoid of snobbery or pretension, maintaining only a passion for real, good food.

Yes, there are plenty of recipe-centric blogs out there, and God bless them, every one. The Unassuming Foodie is a place to satisfy those of us who are truly interested in food–not just the tasting and consuming, but delighting in how different kinds of food and spices can heal, provide specific nutrients, and how they grow or earned a peculiar name. Each recipe finishes with an intriguing Food Fact, or check out Food Fact Round-up, an alphabetized collection of every Food Fact written.

I’m hand-selecting gorgeous recipes that are quirky and unexpected, yet elegant and tasteful and suitable for a variety of diets. The blog is configured with links to recipes for Soups, Salads, Main Courses and Desserts, of course, but those recipes are also cross-referenced by special diet, including Raw, Vegan, Low-Glycemic, Gluten-Free and Kid-Friendly. For readers in limited markets, I’m compiling an Amazon store of hard-to-find nutritious food items, for your convenience.

You will also find a handy How-to Guide with links to great resources online for tricky kitchen maneuvers, such as butterflying a chicken.

If you have a special recipe, I would love to prepare it in my kitchen and write about it for the blog, along with your supplied photo of your family, or of the dish (for those who are shy). It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just a tried-and-true dish that your family loves to eat. Your contributions are most appreciated, and so are your suggestions! Please have a look and share your thoughts. Bon appetit!

Product Review - Single Origin Chocolate May 9, 2008

Mother’s Day “week”, the last few days before mommy’s most hallowed day, are typically a time of fret and worry for me.

I have always yearned to have children, but as life unfolded they didn’t arrive until my mid-thirties. (At just the right time, with the perfect partner for me, as it turns out.) And so their mere existence should be gift enough, right? But like the little girl who always dreamed of a Barbie-esque white fluffy wedding only to grow up to become Bridezilla, Mother’s Day brings out some emotionally-charged, well, expectations, that I try ever so hard to quash. My husband is a giver by nature, my kids are beyond fantastic, requisite brunch reservations are arranged, so I should need nothing more than a handmade card. Which, by the way, I know I’m getting because I already saw what little Joseph made in nursery school and it’s nothing short of perfection!

Nonetheless, my husband Joseph has made a kind offering to soothe and appease, in the form of two single-origin dark chocolate bars. One is Santander’s 70% cacao Colombian, and the other is Chuao’s 74%, made in Todasana, Venezuela. Interestingly, they both have natural vanilla added; I wonder if that has anything to do with being single-origin. Perhaps, without a blend of crops, a flavor boost was needed.

The Santander 70% Colombian smells mellow and rich, and has nice snap. It was fresh-looking in the package, without bloom. The company promises a “robust” flavor, even suggesting it will be “bitter” at first, and it’s true, my first impression was that it seemed nutty and even masculine, like tobacco or strong coffee, but without being overly bold. Overall, this is an energetic bar, and remains rich at the finish. The Santander company proudly states on its website that they pay fair prices and cash payments to growers, maintain good working conditions for personnel, promote sustainable and friendly agricultural practices, and sponsor Colombian educational programs.

The Chuao 74% smells sweet and fruity, and is configured in smaller squares, which I prefer. It has a good snap. My bar had only the slightest bloom, which of course does not affect flavor. If I am allowed to consider the Santander masculine, this most certainly is it’s female counterpart, evoking a lazy, breezy, tropical afternoon. Although this dark chocolate has 4% more cacao than the Santander and only 1% more sugar, the finish seemed much sweeter.
In many ways, the Chuao is “local” to me. The company was founded by two Venezuelan brothers who opened their first chocolate boutique in San Diego (where I lived for 8 years), naming it Chuao Chocolatier after the well-known cacao-producing region of Chuao located in central Venezuela. 

If love good food as much as I do, check out my other blog, the Unnassuming Foodie!

Can’t Get Enough Raw Chocolate Brownies May 2, 2008

For website dedicated to motherhood and health, she sure does talk a lot about eating chocolate… Huh, what? You would too, when you’ve reached the point when you can no longer count the number of days since your last real shower (the kind that allows you enough time to shave your legs and maybe even exfoliate, just a little?) Or when “going out dancing” means a Disney Sing-Along Songs CD piped into the backyard? Oh wait, maybe you know all too well and that’s why you’re here.

This raw brownie recipe is sticky and fudgey and oh-so-yummy—and kid-friendly, of course! To be honest, I haven’t shared even a square of my latest batch with my boys. They get to eat all sorts of things that mommy can’t have without losing her waistline in the process—namely gluten. This lovely little recipe is gloriously low-glycemic, made with only “good” fats, and is gluten-free, flourless and vegan. And so easy!

Get out your food processor, and toss in
1 cup pitted prunes
1 cup almonds
1/3 cup cocoa powder
Special note: Good food requires good ingredients. I love this item, perfect for both the raw purist and chocolate connoisseur. Or, treat yourself to some Scharffen Berger cocoa powder. Green and Black’s makes a nice organic one. (The extra cost for your luxury cocoa splurge is justified by your savings in flour, eggs, butter and milk!)
1/2 avocado
1/3 cup agave nectar (or to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash salt
cinnamon to taste

Grind all ingredients, then pat firmly into an 8×8 pan and place in the freezer to set (1 hour.) If you like a fruit and nut chocolate bar, this will certainly satisfy.

Food Fact! Almonds reduce your risk for heart attack and heart disease. A Loma Linda School of Public Health study showed those who consumed nuts five times a week had a 50% reduction in risk of heart attack. Further, some varieties contain rhizveritrol (the anti-inflammatory agent found in red wines and thought to be responsible decreasing instances of heart disease even among those with diets rich in animal fats—sometimes referred to as the French Paradox.) The fat in nuts is unsaturated, “good” fat and there is no cholesterol in these fats.

Food Fact! Diabetes and Hypertension suffers rejoice! Cocoa is rich in flavanols, which are one class of polyphenols; The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that eating dark chocolate (with 70% or greater cocoa offers 500mg polyphenols) is associated with improved insulin resistance and sensitivity and decreased systolic blood pressure, whereas white chocolate (offering 0mg polyphenols) has no effect.

Looking for more great recipes like this one? Check out my other blog, the Unassuming Foodie!