Tom’s Too-Thick-To-Drink Fruit Smoothie

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Too Thick to Drink Fruit Smoothie

As the title suggests, this smoothie is chock-full of fruit and added nutrients. The supporting players give the smoothie its body and complement the fruit flavors: you can actually taste the cherries and blueberries and banana separately. We make it so thick we use a spoon. The spoon will slow you down but gives the added benefit of allowing your body more time to absorb the gorgeousness of this anti-oxidant rich meal.

Please note: if a thick smoothie isn’t your thing, just add more (veggie) milk or juice to thin it out- you’ll still get the benefits and the yum body feel.

This smoothie is fantastic after a workout or as breakfast in the hot summer months. The additions are rough suggestions and change with what’s on hand, so feel free to add what you like best to make your own concoction.

 

Yields: 2 servings in 12 oz. glasses

Ingredients:

1 C blueberries (fresh or frozen)                               2 T Green Vibrance

1 C cherries (pitted fresh or frozen)                          2 tsps chia seeds (Mila)

2 bananas, ripened                                                2 tsps milled flax seeds

2 T coconut flakes                                                 2 tsps nutritional yeast

½ C soy, rice, or almond milk                                 2 tsps lecithin

½ C plain Greek yogurt, 0% fat

 

1.Slice bananas into a blender and add the milk liquid; puree until smooth.

2. Add the blueberries and cherries (Costco sells organic both) and puree or liquefy.

3. Add yogurt and all other ingredients and blend until everything is well incorporated.

4. Enjoy

 

Nutritional Notes:

The blueberries and cherries are full of antioxidants.

Green Vibrance is a green-based product made of powdered vegetables, fruit, and herbs- real food- to provide a whole host of nutrients and probiotics.

Chia and flax seeds contain high amounts of both Omega 3 and 6 from a plant source, which makes it more balanced, and trace amounts of minerals.

Nutritional yeast has a high percent of most of the B vitamins, and good amount of magnesium, both of which are highly beneficial to nervous system function.

Lecithin is a fat emulsifier and many claim its health benefits include reducing cholesterol, boosting liver function, fighting heart disease, and improving brain function, but we looked it up and the research to back these claims is inconclusive so far.

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have over 30 years experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice at The Highlands Ranch Medical Pavilion in Littleton, Colorado.

Insurance is welcome and accepted

 

Filed Under: All Things Food, Cooking Basics, Health Tips, Nourishing You, Recipes, You Are What You Eat Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Beets, Beet Greens, Orzo, and Feta Salad

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Just the balance of a few ingredients make this salad irresistible

Consuming beets is one way to increase hemoglobin in the blood, and since the hemoglobin molecule transports oxygen throughout the body, and oxygen provides the energy that needed for all metabolic functions, one might say more is better (in this instance). Since I (Carol) am never one to pass up something that serves a dual purpose, eating something that tastes good and is good for you, has resulted in adding this recipe to my repertoire, year-round.

In this beet salad, neither starch nor vegetable is the star. Rather, they each take supporting roles, and the sum is a light, satisfying, cooked salad that can be served as a side, as lunch, or as a snack. It can be served warm, room temperature, or cool. If you like to plan ahead, you can double the recipe and freeze half, for it holds up to defrosting well.

This recipe is derived from one I found on food52; I’ve adapted it because I simply am a lazy cook, and if there’s an easier way to shorthand a recipe, I will find it. That said, it still takes a little extra work to bring it together, but in the end, the blending of flavors and textures will make you forget all about that.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 pounds beets, removed from their stem and scrubbed cleaned and outside skin peeled, cut into bite-sized pieces
Beet leaves, rinsed well, center stem removed, and chopped
1 medium onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
8 oz orzo pasta
4 oz. feta cheese
2 T Olive oil
¼ cup chopped almonds or walnuts (optional)

1. Place the beets in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook until done (can be pierced with a fork), about ½ hour.

2. Meanwhile, saute the onion and garlic in a heated, oiled pan until golden, then add the beet greens. Add a dash of water if you need to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Put in large bowl and cover to keep warm.

3. When the beets are cooked, pluck them out of the water and place into the bowl, and put the orzo in the beet water (this will color them pink). Strain when done, add to the bowl, crumble the feta in, and mix well.

The ratio of ingredients is important to yield a salad that does not overwhelm with one flavor over the others. Two pounds of beets to ½ pound of orzo and 4 ounces of feta, which can be halved to 1: ¼: 2 is easy to remember once you’ve done this once or twice.

Beet, Beet Greens, Orzo, and Feta Salad

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have over 30 years experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice at The Highlands Ranch Medical Pavilion in Littleton, Colorado.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

Filed Under: All Things Food, Nourishing You, Recipes, You Are What You Eat Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

The Inflammatory and Immune Response Systems, Part II

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In Part I of this series we reviewed the inflammatory response system, and now turn to the immune system, which is dynamic and has a lot of moving parts, and because it is complex, it may be easier to grasp when its various parts are presented separately.

In Parts II and III we’re going to talk about the mechanics of our body’s defense system. Part IV will wrap up the physiology with a review of the immune system’s close relative, the lymph system.

The point of this series is to lay the groundwork for later topics as diverse as auto-immune and other disorders, nutrition, and health tips, and provide basic terminology if and when you are presented with information about common health topics such as infections and inflammation.

To begin, there are types of immunity: non-specific and specific, and there are different kinds of defensive cells: primarily white blood cells, immunoglobulins, and microphages and macrophages. Immunity is a way to protect against microbial and non-microbial invaders; while we refer frequently to living organisms, trauma from injury or as a result of disease are other primary factors that can rally the immune system into action.

 

 

Specific and Non-Specific
In a nutshell, non-specific (innate) immunity is the first line of defense against microbes and can tell the difference between “self” and not-self,” but cannot differentiate further. Specific (acquired/adaptive) defense can differentiateand respond to each foreigner uniquely.

Some of the players work in both innate and acquired immunity, some do not.

Part II: Innate Immunity: Where and How

1) THE SKIN AND MUCOUS MEMBRANES: mechanical and chemical defenses1) Anatomical: the skin and mucous membranes that line the gastrointestinal , reporductive, and respiratory tracts are the mechanical first-line-of-defense.

The tissue of the skin and mucous membranes are made up of densely packed cells and short of injury, prevent penetration of unwanted invaders.

Other mechanical barriers to microbes are tears, saliva, the hairs that line your nose, and the flow of urine.

In conjunctions with mechanical forces, chemical defenses prevent colonization of microbes by a shift in the acid-alkaline balance or through enzymatic action. For example, increased acidity in the stomach and on the skin, the presence of fatty acids in the oil glands of the skin, and the enzyme lysozyme in tears, saliva, and other body fluids.

2) ANTI-MICROBIAL SUBSTANCES: Complement, Factor P, and Interferon
Complement is a group of proteins present in blood serum. It is so named because it complements the immune system by enhancing its ability to recognize, attach and destroy invading microbes. Complement is activated in both non-specific and specific immunity.
Properdin, or Factor P, is another protein in blood serum that works with complement. Properdin triggers the inflammatory responses, enhances phagocytosis (see below), and neutralizes bacterial or viral invaders.
Interferons are proteins that communicate between cells, signaling a call-to-action and tracking locator for other immune cells to come find and fight.

3) PHAGOCYTOSIS
In a nutshell, the body produces cells that envelop and destroy foreign, invading substances, via a two-part mechanism, adherence and ingestion: the cell membrane of the phagocyte attaches to the microbe, traps it, engulfs it, and destroys it. Microphages and macrophages are the key immune cells of the phagocytic system, found all over the body, in the blood, bone marrow, tissue, lymph nodes, and organs (liver, lungs, brain, and spleen).

The Inflammatory and Immune Response Systems, Part II

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have over 30 years experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice at The Highlands Ranch Medical Pavilion in Littleton, Colorado.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

Filed Under: Integrative Medicine, You Are What You Eat Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Osteoporosis: Catching it Early

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photo courtesy of the Mayo Clinic: normal bone (A) osteoporotic bone (B)

Osteoporosis is a disease of bone density loss. The diagnosis of osteoporosis is determined upon findings of at least 30% loss of bone mass. The test of choice is the DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry). The hip (at the femoral neck) and the mid-low back (lumbar vertebrae) are the most commonly affected areas, so these are the areas that are tested. The DEXA test is painless and quick.

Major risk factors for osteoporosis are:
Genetics- family history
BMI below 25% (<22kg/m2)
History of fracture in adulthood
History of cigarette smoking & current cigarette smoking

Additional, lesser risk factors are:
Lifelong inadequate calcium intake (a relatively weak risk factor)
Never pregnant
Caucasian
No physical activity
Leanness
Early menopause
Alcoholic
Long-acting benzodiazepines

Prevention is key, and treatment with calcium supplements and exercise can reverse osteoporosis if detected early. The rate of decline in bone density is most rapid in women within 2 years of menopause. The average age of menopause is 51, but depending on several factors (genetics, exercise, lifestyle, diet, and menstrual history), you might arrive there earlier or later. Therefore, while the medical establishment recommends having a DEXA scan at age 65, requesting one at menopause or shortly thereafter will indicate if you need to take preventive measures.

The recommended dose of calcium is 1,500 mg. Also recommended is drinking 48 ounces of water a day, limit alcohol intake (1 daily glass of wine), reduce sugar in the diet, and generally eat whole foods, something we admonish you to do on this site on a regular basis.

Exercise needs to be “pounding,” such as walking or jogging. The reason is that in osteoporosis, osteoblasts- the cells that build bone- are outnumbered by the osteoclasts- the cells that break bone down – and your activity is designed to increase the number of osteoblasts as the body’s natural response to the pounding on the pavement or a treadmill.
Yoga pulls at bone and creates a good stress {see Maximizing Potential], yes, but not as radically and efficiently as does plain old walking.

Food sources of calcium include the seaweeds kelp and dulse; greens: collards, kale, turnip, dandelion; seeds and nuts: almonds, sunflower; dairy: cottage cheese; brewer’s yeast; vegetables: watercress, edamame, olives, string beans, sweet potato, broccoli, carrots; dried fruit: apricots, figs, dates, raisins; grains: barley, brown rice; cooked dry beans; tofu; oranges.

Osteoporosis: Catching it Early

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have over 30 years experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice at The Highlands Ranch Medical Pavilion in Littleton, Colorado.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

Filed Under: All Things Exercise, All Things Food, Conditions Treated, Health Tips, You Are What You Eat Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

What’s for Dinner? Pork Chops with Vegetables and Rice

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slow cooked fall vegetables and chops

As we transition into cold weather, the denser fall vegetables need to cook longer in order for their flavors to meld together. Not too much longer: 15-30 minutes additional time of slow-cooking gets the job done.

Meat is optional- it’s really all about giving your body the vegetables and grains in endless combinations of complex carbohydrates. This recipe is a template: the vegetables in this recipe were in the fridge, well-stocked from a recent trip to the store. You can make any combination of vegetables that pleases your palate, adjusting the flavor accents and quantities to your taste

Ingredients:
½ onion, sliced thinly then chopped into 1” pieces
1/8 medium kabosha (or any winter) squash, sliced thinly then chopped into ½” pieces
½ cups daikon or turnip, chopped as above
1 ½ cups brussel sprouts, quartered (to cook faster- they’re fresh and dense)
3 plum tomatoes, chopped in small chunks (can use canned)
10 small mushrooms, sliced and quartered
1 red pepper (we had small sweet peppers in yellow, orange, and red- in the market for a limited time and the priced to move), sliced lengthwise then cut into 1” pieces
1 small sweet potato, cut to ¼ inch cubes
4 cups washed greens, chopped and put aside until end
1 cup grain- this night we had ½ cup brown jasmine rice mixed with two different blends that have lentils and other grains such as oats, barley, and sweet rice in small amounts

2 boneless pork chops, marinated ahead of time for 2 hours in fridge
Marinade: olive oil (2 T), lemon (2 T), onion chopped (1/4 C), garlic- 4 cloves minced, cumin (2.5 tsp), turmeric (1/2 tsp), paprika (1/2 tsp), dash of chili powder (1/4 tsp), cilantro- dried (1/2) tsp

1. Heat oil in pan at medium heat, add onions and cook ‘til golden; add mushrooms, drizzling in a little water if the vegetables start to stick; add peppers and sauté until begin to wilt
2. Move vegetables to sides of pan and add pork chops; depending on thickness (these were about 1”), cook approximately 5 minutes each side.
3. Add the vegetables and pour over them any leftover marinade; add ¼ C water and cover, and lower flame to medium-low for a slow simmer.
4. Check every 15 minutes for fluid and turn the vegetables over so they are evenly cooked. About ½ of the vegetables will be above the fluid but after awhile they will throw off their juices and shrink into the spaces around and between the chops. Could have let these cook longer, will plan for that next time.
5. When vegetables seem ¾ done, add the greens and continue cooking.

There’s no set time to cook: mainly the vegetables should hold their shape yet gently soften and blend with each other.

Serve vegetables over the rice, spooning out some of the liquid for the rice to absorb. Serve pork chops on a separate plate (have a thing about scratching up our nice everyday bowls).

What’s for Dinner? Pork Chops with Vegetables and Rice

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have over 30 years experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice at The Highlands Ranch Medical Pavilion in Littleton, Colorado.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

Filed Under: All Things Food, Nourishing You, Recipes, You Are What You Eat Tagged With: , , ,
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