1. Have a light healthy breakfast.  Try a smoothie with added protein powder, or steel cut oats.
2. Skip the soda and drink water or tea through the day.
3. Consider including vegan, vegetarian dishes or gluten-free options on the menu.
4. Eat slowly.  Chew your food thoroughly.
5. Are if you are in the process of changing your diet, plan and prepare ahead of time what you will eat.
6. Reduce or elimante the use of meat in gravies and sauces.  Use vegetable bouillon cubes or broth to season vegetables and for gravy.
7. Consider allowing guests to mix the size of their plates. Plenty of research shows that people tend to eat all the food on their plate.  Small plate size=less eating all around.
8. Just because there will be food everywhere, don’t throw all caution to the wind.  Avoid over eating.
9. Consider saving an animal and have a meatless thanksgiving celebration.
10. Skip the white bread and white rice.  Add whole grains to the menu.

If you want to purchase black rice, the health benefits are in the whole grain  version.  Prices can vary widely, find a good product at a price that works with your budget.
Here is information on how to cook black rice (click here).

Black rice rivals pricey blueberries as source of healthful antioxidants

BOSTON, Aug. 26, 2010 — Health conscious consumers who hesitate at the price of fresh blueberries and blackberries, fruits renowned for high levels of healthful antioxidants, now have an economical alternative, scientists reported here today at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). It is black rice, one variety of which got the moniker “Forbidden Rice” in ancient China because nobles commandeered every grain for themselves and forbade the common people from eating it.

“Just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar and more fiber and vitamin E antioxidants,” said Zhimin Xu, Associate Professor at the Department of Food Science at Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in Baton Rouge, La., who reported on the research. “If berries are used to boost health, why not black rice and black rice bran? Especially, black rice bran would be a unique and economical material to increase consumption of health promoting antioxidants.”

Like fruits, “black rice” is rich in anthocyanin antioxidants, substances that show promise for fighting heart disease, cancer, and other diseases. Food manufacturers could potentially use black rice bran or the bran extracts to boost the health value of breakfast cereals, beverages, cakes, cookies, and other foods, Xu and colleagues suggested.

Brown rice is the most widely produced rice variety worldwide. Rice millers remove only the outer husks, or “chaff,” from each rice grain to produce brown rice. If they process the rice further, removing the underlying nutrient rich “bran,” it becomes white rice. Xu noted that many consumers have heard that brown rice is more nutritious than white rice. The reason is that the bran of brown rice contains higher levels of gamma-tocotrienol, one of the vitamin E compounds, and gamma-oryzanol antioxidants, which are lipid-soluble antioxidants. Numerous studies showed that these antioxidants can reduce blood levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) — so called “bad” cholesterol — and may help fight heart disease. Xu and colleagues analyzed samples of black rice bran from rice grown in the southern United States. In addition, the lipid soluble antioxidants they found in black rice bran possess higher level of anthocyanins antioxidants, which are water-soluble antioxidants. Thus, black rice bran may be even healthier than brown rice bran, suggested Dr. Xu.

The scientists also showed that pigments in black rice bran extracts can produce a variety of different colors, ranging from pink to black, and may provide a healthier alternative to artificial food colorants that manufacturers now add to some foods and beverages. Several studies have linked some artificial colorants to cancer, behavioral problems in children, and other health problems.

Black rice is used mainly in Asia for food decoration, noodles, sushi, and pudding. Dr. Xu said that farmers are interested in growing black rice in Louisiana and that he would like to see people in the country embrace its use.

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The American Chemical Society is a non-profit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 161,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
Photo credit: Pattaya Daily News

Whole Grains
Whole grains are the nutritious foods that have sustained humanity since ancient times. Whole grains offer variety to the diet and provide healthy bulk (fiber) allowing you to feel full and satisfied. Whole grains do not include refined cereals. Nope. They may be tasty but the nutritional value of two simply do not compare. Whole grains help the body to stay in balance warding off diabetes and heart problems.

Whole grains:
brown rice
buckwheat
bulgur (cracked wheat)
oatmeal
popcorn

Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals:
whole wheat cereal flakes
muesli

whole grain barley
whole grain cornmeal
whole rye
whole wheat bread
whole wheat crackers
whole wheat pasta
whole wheat sandwich buns and rolls
whole wheat tortillas
wild rice

Less common whole grains:
amaranth
millet
quinoa
sorghum
triticale

Refined grains:
cornbread*
corn tortillas*
couscous*
crackers*
flour tortillas*
grits
noodles*

Pasta*
spaghetti
macaroni

pitas*
pretzels

Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals
corn flakes

white bread
white sandwich buns and rolls
white rice.
*Most of these products are made from refined grains. Some are made from whole grains. Check the ingredient list for the words “whole grain” or “whole wheat” to decide if they are made from a whole grain. Some foods are made from a mixture of whole and refined grains.

Some grain products contain significant amounts of bran. Bran provides fiber, which is important for health. However, products with added bran or bran alone (e.g., oat bran) are not necessarily whole grain products.

Add the Power of Whole Grains to Your Diet
According to a recent study teens and young adults were at risk for developing health problems because of the low daily amount of whole grain consumption.

One of the easiest ways to put whole grains in your diet, is to shop for them so you can cook up whole grains to eat for breakfast and/or dinner. It will save you money, time and your health.

For all of the details, go here. Here is the recipe below.

Sesame Peanut Crusted Tofu
vegan, serves two

Ingredients:
2 cups diced tofu, extra firm
3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup white sesame seeds
3 Tbsp peanut or olive oil
1 lime, juiced
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp agave syrup
1 tsp red pepper flakes (or cayenne)
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
3 garlic cloves, grated or chopped
garnish: chopped cilantro and fresh chopped ginger/garlic

Instructions:

In a soup or saute pan:
Add oil, garlic, ginger, peanut butter, agave syrup, lime juice and a pinch of sesame seeds.
Saute on medium-high heat for a minute.

Tofu:
Chop into cubes or thin slices and marinate in 3-4 tbsp soy sauce soy sauce and 2 Tbsp water for five minutes (while you do the first saute above).

Add tofu to pan with the peanut mixture.
Stir/toss well over high heat for a minute to coat tofu.
Turn heat to medium.
Cover pan and allow steam and heat to cook tofu for a few minutes.
Constantly move covered pan around, to preventing burning.

Uncover pan and check for doneness of tofu. It should be fluffy from the steam and cooked through.
If the mixture looks dry, add a Tbsp of water and a tsp of soy sauce and re-cover to steam.

Once the tofu looks fluffy with a few browned edges, turn heat to medium-low.
Sprinkle in red pepper flakes and toss tofu a few times-gently.

Pour in sesame seeds. Allow the seeds to stick to tofu.
Add more or less if necessary to coat about 1/2 of the total surface area of the tofu.

Saute sesame crusted tofu for a few minutes- uncovered.
Sesame seeds should be crusted and lightly toasted.

Serve over a bed of fresh chopped cabbage or on a bed of steamed veggies and brown rice.

Garnish with garlic/ginger/cilantro.

America, it is no secret as a nation struggles with how to eat in ways that promote health in an enjoyable way. Now I want to let you in on a secret, that is not really a secret which is, this, healthy food and good taste easily go hand in hand; for real, easily.

In Philadelphia cheese steaks are practically sacred. When people visit the city, having a Philly cheese steak is a must have. Well, I made a seitan cheese steak that was delicious, even, beef eating meat eaters agreed. My recipe was inspired by Christine Pirello. If you are not familiar with her story she healed herself of a serious health problem (cancer) by changing from a S.A.D. (standard American diet) diet to a macrobiotic one. Here’s a link to numerous tasty, healthy recipes, from her PBS show. Browse freely there are about 31 pages. Plan a tasty, healthy menu. No one will feel shortchanged and there will less chance of heartburn, belching and other discomforts. Enjoy the game.

The new film Food Inc. is a shocking look at the health, human rights and the environmental nightmare that lands on our plate each meal.

It turns out that figuring out the most simple thing — like what’s on your dinner plate, and where it came from — is actually a pretty subversive act.

That’s what director Robert Kenner found out while spending six years putting together the amazing new documentary, Food Inc., which features prominent food writers Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma) and Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation).

Warning: Food Inc. is not for the faint of heart. While its focus is not on the gory images of slaughterhouse floors and filthy feedlots, what it does show about the journey of our food from “farm” to plate is not pretty.

The story’s main narrative chronicles the consolidation of our vast food industry into the hands of a few powerful corporations that have worked to limit the public’s understanding of where its food comes from, what’s in it and how safe it may be.

But it’s also a larger story about the people that have gotten in the way of the stampeding corporate herd — like farmer Joel Salatin (also profiled in Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma), who has bravely bucked the trend to go corporate.

Read the rest of the interview here

People think if they can’t do it all the time they don’t have to do anything. Change one meal. But then we have to stop subsidizing food that is making us sick, we have to change the national school-lunch program. If we supported local farms and got that to the school systems and spent a dollar there, we’d save a a fortune in medicine and train kids to eat right, and we’d have better communities.

To see Food Inc., find a theater near you.

2 cups cooked rice (I use brown rice, short grain or basmati)
1 cup of bread crumbs
3/4 cup of soy milk
1/2 teaspoon sage or marjoram
4 tablespoons of chopped onion
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup chopped walnuts
salt (can be left out, or substitue tamari)

Saute onions, seasoning and oil in skillet or small sauce pan. Add milk and salt. Bring to a boil, then pour over the crumbs. Let stand for 10 minutes. Add nuts, mix in the steamed rice. Form into small patties and brown.

*Note: this is a very forgiving recipe. You can add a tablespoon of peanut butter which adds a flavor boost and increases nutritional content. Nutritional yeast will also enhance the flavor.
modified from The Back to Eden Cookbook

Tools: requires a blender
Almonds: pre-soak in water for 2 days. Or soak overnight, the soaking process increases digestibility.

3 cups water
3/4 cup of pre-soaked and peeled almonds
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine 2 cups of water and the almonds in the blender. Blend for approximately 1 minute. Strain through fine cheesecloth into quart size bowl or jar.

Pour the strained pulp back into the blender and puree with 1 cup of water. Strain into your first batch of almond milk. The leftover pulp can be discarded or can be used as a subtle addition a burger mix or a sauce…be creative.

Mix in the maple syrup and vanilla and stir well. Refrigerate, should last for 2-3 days. Enjoy.

recipe adapted from Veggie Life

All food is not the same. Of course nutritional content varies, the quality of the soil the food is grown in, the growing methods, harvesting method. The love and intention of the farmer to grow nourishing crops also contributes to the quality of the food. Part of learning how to detox is learning what to put in the body and what is best avoided.

There has been a subtle shift from food truly being nourishing and life sustaining vs. food looking good. Consumer studies show that shoppers do not like fruits and vegetables with blemishes so into the lab we go, to create food (?) that is blemish free. It may look good, however it doesn’t decay and it is tasteless.

And so we get sucked in, to externals. Form with no content. It looks good but it doesn’t support you living a vibrant life. It may help you to save (?) a few dollars…but how many more dollars are lost if you develop a chronic disease? National health care coverage should begin on the farm. National health care coverage has begin with healers. National health care coverage has to begin with Mom and Dad…and real, healthy, nutritious food.

In your quest for healthier living avoid:

• Irradiated food
• Genetically modified food
• the microwave
• hormones
• pesticides
• refined foods
• refined flours and grains
• the meat of factory farmed animals.

Make a start today, to reclaiming your most, vibrant health and well being. Small steps will provide large rewards.

by Catherine Carter

How high do you pile, that is, put food on your plate? It’s rather easy to eat more than you should. What I mean is that many of us continue to eat after hunger has been satisfied.

Do you find yourself saying, “I know I shouldn’t, but I’ll have just a little more”? Many Americans eat for any number of reasons, hunger may not be high on the list. Television doesn’t help, neither does radio, well ok, just about any media may could throw a wrench into your healthy eating plans. Many ads are as senseless as they are endless. Chocolate bars and candy are promoted as the equivalent of heaven on earth. Eating a pizza will bring the family together. Eat that prepared frozen meal and all of your sister/girlfriends will envy you!!

There are also a fair number of adults who feel as if they are immune to the subtleties of advertisement. And while there are instances where you may do fairly well, you may still find yourself undermined by pesky elements, such as low lighting, the color of the walls in a restaurant, or the size of the plate. What can you do? Educate yourself. I recently read a well written book by the Cornell University researcher, Brian Wansink Ph.D., the book “Mindless Eating” is compelling. The research is insightful. Another benefit is that the book is full of strategies and tips that will help you to eat with increased awareness. Your body will thank you.