February 2008 Newsletter from your Favorite Holistic Health Counselor

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. – Henry David Thoreau

So, what (or who) is your drummer? We’re all very good at being responsive to the needs and interests of others, but how are we at responding to our own? Maybe you can suffer with good humor the country music karaoke scene with your niece, knowing that you have tickets to the philharmonic the next night, where your soul will be rebalanced. Rather than going on the big flashy vacation so you can have stories to tell upon your return, maybe you stay home for the week to focus on your painting, thus nourishing your soul to take bigger creative risks. While you can enjoy time with your niece and the flashy vacation, listen closely for your personal drummer to ensure that you are truly nourished on all levels.

Soul Food

While it’s been a relatively mild winter so far, February still feels like a long awkward month. The good thing about it is that the days are a bit longer, though not long enough to fend off the gray introverted feeling of “will it ever end?”. In other words, a perfect time for soul food. As our diet improves, your definition of soul food will vary with the season & your frame of mind. At this time of year, soups & stews are the thing, creamy is the favored texture. In the spring & summer, lighter, fresher, crunchy is the thing.

Soul food, aka comfort food, is unique to each of us and our upbringing. It fends off the chill of winter, reconnects us with our heritage and childhood. It just makes us feel better, usually in the short term. It also tends to be high fat and heavy on the carbs. It can also lead to feelings of lethargy, especially if you wanted to take that Saturday afternoon nap anyway. Comfort food is usually an indulgence. Be it mashed potatos and gravy, beans and rice, meatloaf or fried plantains. Assuming your exercising sufficiently, and mostly eating healthy, go ahead and savor the preparation and partaking of whatever your personal soul food. Notice how it feels to prepare it and the memories invoked. My grandmother taught me to bake break and to this day, I’ll cut off a heal fresh out of the oven, drown it in butter and salute my grandmother who started the tradition. Also notice how you feel afterwards, comfortably sluggish, restful, perhaps uncomfortable if you over did it. Notice and fully experience the whole process, whatever it is. If you’ve overdone it, get back on your plan the next day, confident that you’re taking care of your primary food* needs sufficiently that you can get back on track easily without feeling deprived.

* Primary food are those aspects of wellbeing that don’t include food, satisfying relationships, healthy spiritual life, and enjoying your work. More later on that in the upcoming months.

Food Focus: Protein in Whole Grains, specifically Quinoa

Whole grains (with as little processing as possible) are a great source of protein as are legumes & soy. All of these served in combination with a broad range of vegetables provide all of the amino acids for complete protein, easily accessible to your body. While the range of grains is truly staggering, this month’s focus in on quinoa, a Peruvian seed related to spinach. Of the grains, it has one of the only complete proteins, cooks relatively quickly, and mixes very well with other things and is full of all of the minerals and phytochemicals needed for easy digestion. It has a slightly nutty flavor and crunchy texture. Being gluten free, quinoa is a perfect alternative for those with celiac disease (you don’t tolerate wheat). It can be found in health food stores and online.

It’s an easy grain to work with. There are some that think it needs to be rinsed 3 times before use to clean away naturally occurring residue. With modern processing, there are those who dispense with this step to no effect. It cooks in about 15 minutes, though you can soak it to speed that up a bit. Quinoa works well in most everything, soups, salads, stuffings, sweet & savory puddings, and some baked goods.

Risotto, usually made with Arborio rice is a favorite comfort food with its creamy texture made up of the starch from the rice interacting with the liquid stirred in slowly. Quinoa reacts in a similar way (as does barley). Any variation of risotto can be added to the comfort food category while still fitting easily into your regular health maintenance routine.

Recipe of the Month: Quinoa Risotto with Arugula and Parmesan
http://www.healthyworld.com

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped (any kind will do and will change the flavor slightly)
2 garlic clove, minced
2 cup quinoa, well rinsed and dried by toasting in skillet a few minutes before cooking.
5 cups of any combination of vegetable or chicken stock and white wine (drinkable, not the “cooking” wine).
4 cups chopped, stemmed arugula (or any other tender bitter green, i.e. dandelion, endive, chard, spinach)
2 small carrot, peeled and finely shredded
1 cup thinly sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms (or your favorite mushroom)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or to taste)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and quinoa and cook for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Don’t let the garlic brown.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the quinoa is almost tender to the bite but slightly hard in the center, about 12 minutes. The mixture will be brothy. Stir in the arugula, carrot and mushrooms and simmer until the quinoa grains have turned from white to translucent, about 2 minutes longer.

Stir in the cheese and season with the salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

The technique of risotto (with quinoa or Arborio) lends itself to experimentation. Play around with adding pine nuts, a mix of greens and/or mushrooms. If adding meat stick w/ Arborio risotto, as quinoa is a bit delicate and overpowered by animal proteins.

Send This On!
I hope you have found this newsletter to be as informative and inspiring to read as it has been for me to share it with you. Please feel free to forward it to those friends, family and colleagues in your life that you think might also be interested and inspired by it. If you refer someone who signs up, it’s $100 in your pocket or a free exercise session.

Toni Taylor
Holistic Nutritional & Exercise Consultant
212-586-0681
ttatpdt@hotmail.com
http://www.integrativenutrition.com/graduates/ttaylor.aspx