Eat...figs

Immortalized in the Bible, the Qur'an and Greek and Indian Mythology, figs have long been a luscious staple in the Mediterranean diet (and immortalized in North America by the Fig Newton Cookie) but many of us are not familiar with the fresh fruit. 

Dried figs are widely available but bear little in common to the experience of eating a fig right off the tree. Sweet and creamy with crunchy seeds, figs have a delicate flavour and texture that lends itself well to a variety of recipes. While most figs are grown in the Mediterranean region or even California, the fig tree can even thrive right here in Vancouver. These gorgeous specimens came from a friend's East Vancouver fig tree and I was able to feast on them 24 hours after they came off the tree. I have also spotted fig trees on jaunts around the city so keep your eyes peeled!

Interesting fact: what we call the fruit of the fig tree is actually the receptacle of a flower. The flower grows inside the "fruit" and is pollinated not by bees but wasps! Wasps enter and exit the fruit by the pore in the bottom of the fruit.

Figs, whether dried or fresh, are incredibly nutritious: four fresh figs contain 150 calories and make the perfect summer dessert. Rich in potassium (464 mg) and magnesium (34 mg) for your heart and bone building phosphorus (28 mg) and calcium (70 mg), figs are more than just a sweet treat! Figs are also rich in detoxifying fibre, with 6 grams per 4 fruits, which is one quarter of a woman's daily needs (25 g per day) or almost one sixth of a man's daily requirement (38 g per day).

Figs are also a source of iron, containing just over 1 mg of iron per 6 fruits which make them a great addition to a prenatal diet.

Fresh figs are extremely delicate and should be handled with care and eaten at once! Try them on their own or use this simple recipe. This is a great appetizer to make for company when the thought of turning on the oven seems insane in the summer heat....

Recipe: Figs with Chevre

Wash, carefully peel and quarter 6 fresh ripe figs. Top with 1 tsp goat chevre (I love Saltspring Island or Happy Days). Slice prosciutto or Serrano ham into 1 inch long ribbons and wrap fig with one piece. Arrange on tray and drizzle with pre-made balsamic reduction.

In good health,

Desiree

Drink...something less sweet

Non-alcoholic drinks usually mean pop, juice or the ever inventive pop+juice combination (hello cranberry & soda!). As lovely as wine, beer and assorted treats are...sometimes you want or need something minus the buzz. And given that I am not much for anything sugary I usually end up with just plain soda water in my glass. Restaurants that offer interesting non-alcoholic cocktails (or good virginized versions of their signature cocktails) are few and far between and deserve much praise...hello Cascade Room, Fairmont Pacific Rim, Cafeteria and others.


I was messing around in my kitchen with some DRY soda (no...they didn't sponsor this...) and came up with this little mocktail that tasted so good even my husband wanted to steal my drink.


I think I will call it a Peach Melba....here is the recipe...makes 3 servings


Puree 1 ripe (local!) peach with 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice and 1 tbsp of water. An immersion blender, regular blender or mini food processor will all work.
Pour one third of a bottle of DRY vanilla bean soda over ice in a short glass and top with 1/3 of the peach puree. Enjoy!


Why use DRY soda specifically? DRY soda is more of an "adult" oriented treat. All natural, not too sweet...in fact, the whole bottle of DRY vanilla bean soda is only 60 calories. It comes in other cool flavours like cucumber, juniper berry and kumquat. Awesome for mixers....if anyone else comes up with some great non-alcoholic drink ideas...let me know! 


It is a long, hot summer...


In good health,
Desiree

Eat...local food

You are looking at the gorgeous apricots that finally inspired me to sit down and do another blog post....I bought them today because I thought they were pretty. And I love apricots. I don't know why I love them so much but I would eat pounds of apricots if you let me...the flavour and texture is something special and I love how a perfect apricot is both sweet and slightly tart.

These apricots were also grown here in BC, which makes them even more special. Why? Because eating local food matters for a whole bunch of reasons. And I just might be in the mood to tell you all about it....

1. Local food means supporting your neighbours. When we purchase BC grown and processed foods, BC residents are hard at work to provide them for us. And when our neighbour's livelihoods are protected, so are ours. According to www.smartgrowth.bc.ca, most farmers rely on second jobs to make ends meet and about half of farm sales average less than $10,000 a year. Our farmers need your support otherwise we might well find ourselves without farmers in future generations. Our globalized world has many economists believing that there is no value in maintaining local business if another country can produce at economic advantage (Mexican tomatoes anyone?) but what about the impact on our community? I am no economist so I won't bother trying to make eloquent statements to the contrary...but if you Google hard enough, you can find information on how keeping your dollars in the local community end up producing a far greater economic advantage for that community than allowing your dollars to fly beyond the border. 

2. Local food keeps valuable agricultural land producing food, instead of being developed for another condo or strip mall. In BC, we are fortunate to have highly productive and fertile farmland that enjoys a longer growing season than much of Canada. However, our most valuable farmland also sits among the most in demand urban areas of Greater Vancouver and Greater Kelowna. The BC Agricultural Land Reserve, or ALR, is only about 5% of our total land mass. And 50% of that land is in the north...where we don't have such a hot time growing much through the bulk of the year. We produce an awful lot of food in a relatively small space. From cherries to chickens and buckwheat to berries, BC's bounty is awe-inspiring. There is nothing a developer would like more than to snap up some more land to build on. By valuing locally produced food, we keep local farms producing for another year and hopefully fend off the allure of development as well.

3. Local food is gentler on the planet. A significant proportion of the environmental impact of the foods we eat is tied to how far that food travelled to reach us. And while shipping produces fewer carbon emissions than flight or trucking....trucking 100 miles is certainly less harmful than trucking 1000 miles.

4. Local food can be better for us. Not always, but often. The reasons for this are many. Nutrients peak with peak ripening...so picking fruit long before they are ripe to sustain travel leaves us with fewer nutrients. In addition, certain nutrients like vitamin C are very delicate and degrade quickly. Less travel means less time between harvest and you and better potential for nutrient retention. Long distance travel also favours hardier plant breeds, some of which are not as nutritious. However, if food is improperly handled, nutrients can be lost no matter how far the food has travelled and some fruits like apples and oranges are fairly sturdy on their own and retain nutrients well. My money is still on local though.

5. Local food helps us create more food secure communities. While food security is a complex social, economic and ecologic issue, if a community cannot produce any of its own food it becomes far more vulnerable to a globalized food supply. From political fallout to climate disasters, when drought hits California...we all feel it in higher prices and empty shelves. Just like in your investment portfolio, diversification pays off when it comes to growing food. 

I would love to hear your reasons for or against local food...chat on, my friends!

In good health,

Desiree

Sweet Surprise?

Image from http://www.sweetsurprise.com/

Thanks to a coworker, I recently came across the website http://www.sweetsurprise.com/ which was developed by the Corn Refiners Association of America to educate consumers about "the facts about high fructose corn syrup". It has been a long time since I have been this shocked by corporate nutrition messaging. This website argues for the idea that high fructose corn syrup is no worse for you than regular sugar. I beg to differ...

The authors of the site have done their homework; they have listed every major argument against the consumption of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and created a rebuttal. The website is an astounding feat of defense - obviously manufacturers are hearing the battle cry of consumers wanting to take back their food. Poor consumers, don't you realize that you are mistaken in thinking that completely novel products of technology shouldn't be a part of your diet?

Let's be honest...refined sugar isn't that great for you either. And the core argument of the website is that HFCS is nutritionally equivalent to refined sugar (way to aim low, guys!). But the process of obtaining juice from sugar cane is a pretty simple one that humans have been using for centuries. And evaporated cane juice is a fairly unprocessed sweetener that does not require chemical intervention. It contains sucrose, which is a naturally occurring molecule that consists of one glucose and one fructose, linked together.

HFCS starts out as corn...which becomes corn starch...which is then processed to convert the glucose to fructose. Then that high fructose (90%) product is cut with corn syrup until the desired level of fructose is reached. Boil corn...and you get cereal...not HFCS.

The site also offers plenty of research and expert opinion in favour of the idea that HFCS is no different than sugar. Buyer beware: there are new studies published every day to provide proof to either side of the HFCS debate. However, simply because a study gets published in a peer reviewed journal does not mean it was a high quality study. And scientific fact does not a single study make. Do a search on "high fructose corn syrup and obesity" on PubMed and you will see what I mean.

We need to take a step back and tap into some good old fashioned common sense: HFCS is the poster child for much larger problems. We are a society of hyper-processed starch junkies. So many of the foods we eat (breakfast cereals, baked goods, granola bars, crackers...) are simply a rearrangement of sugar, starch and artificial flavours and colours and texturizers. This is what is primarily responsible for our health woes. HFCS is also representative of a larger system of corporate domination of agriculture: from GM seeds that rob farmers of their autonomy to corporations benefiting from crop subsidies resulting in incredibly cheap ingredient components to make ridiculously unhealthy foods which they spend billions on advertising to ensure we fill our grocery cart with them. Many great documentaries and books exist on these topics filled with eloquent arguments which I couldn't possibly do justice.

Is HFCS a bad idea? Definitely. We will ever have unequivocal evidence of that fact? Maybe...maybe not.

So let's make a deal: avoid HFCS and foods that reek of processed sugars and starches in general and we will all be healthier, okay? Eat real food...and don't sweat the rest.

Time for you to weigh in on this juicy topic...
Desiree

Nutrition ABCs: Broccoli

Image from the mysterious pro-broccoli website...http://www.themiraclefood.ca/

Once so beloved as a superfood, now it seems like we have all but abandoned broccoli for brooding winter greens and exotic tropical berries. Dating back to the Roman Empire, broccoli belongs to the family Cruciferae, which refers to its Cross like shape.  


Broccoli deserves to be back on your nutrition radar: loved by kids and adults alike (sorry Elmo!), broccoli lends itself to a diverse range of cuisines, preparation techniques and is one of the best research vegetables in terms of chronic disease prevention. 


Rich in anti-oxidants for healthy aging and loaded with vitamins and minerals for optimal health, broccoli is one of those foods that should find its way into your diet at least a few times a week. Need more inspiration to rekindle the love for this emerald crucifer? Read on...


Sulphoraphane A sulphur containing compound that helps activate Phase 2 enzymes in the liver responsible for detoxification and elimination, a new study in the journal Clinical Cancer Research (May 1, 2010 16(9): 2580-90) confirms that high doses of sulphoraphane are able to eliminate breast cancer stem cells (CSCs) and stop tumour production. Sulphoraphane may also inhibit H.Pylori infection, a leading cause of stomach ulcers.


Indole-3-Carbinol I3C is another anti-cancer powerhouse: I3C has been also been shown in clinical research to suppress breast cancer development, especially in estrogen sensitive tumour types. (Most recent publication? Click Here) I3C may also have a role to play in suppressing the growth of prostate cancer.


Folate An important nutrient for women who may become pregnant, folate reduces the risk of spinal cord defects in the fetus. Folate is also essential for healthy cell cycle regulation and DNA repair. 1 cup of broccoli contains 94 mcg of folate.


Calcium On a gram by gram basis, broccoli is richer in calcium than milk! Not just for healthy bones, calcium is critical for muscle contraction, healthy nerve transmission and even blood pressure regulation. The vitamin C in broccoli also helps to aid in calcium absorption.


Vitamin C Richer in vitamin C than oranges, 1 cup of broccoli contains 123 mg of vitamin C. Vitamin C helps build collagen for healthy skin, supports immune health and wound healing and aids in absorption of vegetarian iron sources (non-heme iron).


Magnesium Looking for more magnesium? Broccoli packs a punch here too! One cup contains 39 mg of this calming nutrient; magnesium is also important for a healthy heart, blood sugar regulation and muscle contraction.


Lutein and Zeaxanthin These anti-oxidant phytochemicals are critical for eye health and may help prevent age related macular degeneration and cataracts, leading causes of blindness in later years.


Want to get healthier? Eat broccoli! Try to eat 1 cup of broccoli 3 times a week; enjoy it raw, steamed, stirfried or roasted! Avoid overcooking as the sulphur compounds will be degraded and you can tell by the telltale sulphurous odour. Look for vibrant green stems that are firm and eat promptly - many nutrients, such as vitamin C, degrade quickly when stored. Local broccoli not in season? Frozen broccoli is a great option as it is picked at the peak of freshness...lightly cook directly from the frozen state for best results.


If there are any requests for a "C" post...let me know! Some interesting options: Carotenoids, Co-Enzyme Q10, Calorie, Carbohydrate and more....


Eat up...it's summer!
Desiree