“Superfoods RX: Fourteen Foods that will Change Your Life” opens with the premise that it’s unlike any other healthy eating book. That’s bullshit. It gives you the same info as any other health food book.
But let's give authors Pratt and Matthews the benefit of the doubt. The fourteen superfoods are as follows:
Blueberries
Tea
Whole Grain
Pumpkin
Oranges
Broccoli
Yogurt
Soy
Turkey
Spinach
Beans
Tomatoes
Walnuts
Salmon
Each chapter covers a superfood. However, at the beginning of each, Pratt and Matthews list all the other foods associated with that superfood. So when they tell you to put more pumpkin in your diet, they’re talking about ALL the foods in the pumpkin family—squash, zucchini, sweet potatoes, yams. When they tell you to eat more oranges, they’re talking about squeezing lemon and lime in your filtered water. By the time you reach chapter fourteen, they’ve covered every single food except beer and twinkies.
Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating. But their message echoes every other nutritional book out there—EAT HEALTHY. There's not that much NEW information.
The whole book revolves around anti-oxidants and foods that supposedly fight cancer. I’m all for fighting cancer; however, I’m also very doubtful that food can stop cancer from happening. It’s like how healthy food activists rant on about the awful-ness of aspartame. Yes, broccoli is good for us; aspartame is bad. BUT neither food nor chemical has made such a vast impact to convince the human race to stop drinking diet coke.
It all comes down to consumer preference. This book is in print not because it actually presents a new method of eating, but because it makes the consumer THINK it does. In other words, this book is the result of clever marketing.
Pratt and Matthews did include a number of fascinating food facts that I’d not heard before.
• Broccoli is the cancer-killing king of the vegetables. Broccoli sprouts neutralize carcinogens, and give you ten times the nutrients than regular broccoli.
• Drink pulpy orange juice. That’s where the vitamin C concentration is highest.
• Cook with lemon zest. Lemon peels contain the cancer-fighter limonene.
• Spinach helps fight sunlight damage, cataracts, and other eye conditions.
• Tomatoes and berries keep your skin wrinkly-free!
• Don’t get your omega-3s from fish, or those idiotic omega-3 infused foods. Our bodies best digest omega-3s from oats and flax seeds.
While I’m bitter about the tricks of marketing, I have to admit that these powers can be used for good instead of evil. Anyone hooked by the “Fourteen Superfoods” ploy can be inspired to change his/her eating style. For me, that's what puts the "super" in Superfoods!
Friday, May 16, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Skinny Bitch
When it comes to spending money, I'm a tight, uncompromising Republican Scrooge. Only at the food store do I let myself run wild. Everywhere else, I scam. I listen to music on myspace, instead of buying CDs. I gank rolls of toilet paper from the bathrooms at work. When I want to read a book that's not yet available at the library, I go to the bookstore, hole myself up in a corner, and read the hours away.
This past weekend, I sped-read at the Harvard Coop-Fourteen Superfoods and Skinny Bitch. Here's my review of Skinny Bitch.
The premise behind Skinny Bitch is this: Two model-pretty ladies wrote a book about how to get thin. Rather than spew diet schemes, they push getting healthy. They give a lot of the same information as Alex Jamieson does in her book, "The Great American Detox Diet." Only these girls are funny about it.
They call you names. "You don't want to exercise today?" They write. "You're a lazy shit."
"You can't stop eating oreos? You're a fat pig!"
There's the bitch. It was a little too device-y for my tastes. Any truly insecure overweight woman is not going to be stimulated by being called a lazy shit. Still, the book is teeming with information about healthy eating. One read-through, and even I was rethinking my diet.
I've been vegan for over a year now, but I still ate yogurt for the good bacteria. I'd tried soy yogurt before, and hated it.
The Skinny Bitches pointed out that dairy is not only being tainted by the current means of production, but that it's unnatural.
As they put it, we are the only species on the planet that continues to drink breast milk into our adult years. By doing this, we force cows to produce longer than they would naturally. Then there's the facts about what we do to make cows produce longer than naturally. Milk is full of growth hormones, which in turn, play pinball with our hormones. Rarely are these mass produced cows kept in sanitary conditions. Their tits get infected and drip mucus into our milk.
All of this I knew before. But this time, I sucked it up, bought some Wildwood Soyogurt, and loaded it with agave nectar. In about two spoonfuls, I got used to the taste. Now I think I like it even better. Soy yogurt has tons of fiber and protein, calcium, magnesium, potassium, etc; regular has none!
There was one drawback with Skinny Bitch. Their product endorsements made absolutely no sense. They wrote chapters on the evils of refined sugar, and then repped a number of cookie products that contain loads of sugar. They repped companies that use meat and dairy in their foods. Also, like Hungry Girl, these two skinny bitches stress that it's okay to eat junk food, as long as it's natural. I don't buy that at all. Even when natural, sugar is still sugar, and it's still not the best thing for your gut-inside and out. This leads me to believe that the bitchiest thing about these chicks is their metabolisms.
Tomorrow... Fourteen Superfoods! I'll give you a spoiler... it's more like ninety-nine.
This past weekend, I sped-read at the Harvard Coop-Fourteen Superfoods and Skinny Bitch. Here's my review of Skinny Bitch.
The premise behind Skinny Bitch is this: Two model-pretty ladies wrote a book about how to get thin. Rather than spew diet schemes, they push getting healthy. They give a lot of the same information as Alex Jamieson does in her book, "The Great American Detox Diet." Only these girls are funny about it.
They call you names. "You don't want to exercise today?" They write. "You're a lazy shit."
"You can't stop eating oreos? You're a fat pig!"
There's the bitch. It was a little too device-y for my tastes. Any truly insecure overweight woman is not going to be stimulated by being called a lazy shit. Still, the book is teeming with information about healthy eating. One read-through, and even I was rethinking my diet.
I've been vegan for over a year now, but I still ate yogurt for the good bacteria. I'd tried soy yogurt before, and hated it.
The Skinny Bitches pointed out that dairy is not only being tainted by the current means of production, but that it's unnatural.
As they put it, we are the only species on the planet that continues to drink breast milk into our adult years. By doing this, we force cows to produce longer than they would naturally. Then there's the facts about what we do to make cows produce longer than naturally. Milk is full of growth hormones, which in turn, play pinball with our hormones. Rarely are these mass produced cows kept in sanitary conditions. Their tits get infected and drip mucus into our milk.
All of this I knew before. But this time, I sucked it up, bought some Wildwood Soyogurt, and loaded it with agave nectar. In about two spoonfuls, I got used to the taste. Now I think I like it even better. Soy yogurt has tons of fiber and protein, calcium, magnesium, potassium, etc; regular has none!
There was one drawback with Skinny Bitch. Their product endorsements made absolutely no sense. They wrote chapters on the evils of refined sugar, and then repped a number of cookie products that contain loads of sugar. They repped companies that use meat and dairy in their foods. Also, like Hungry Girl, these two skinny bitches stress that it's okay to eat junk food, as long as it's natural. I don't buy that at all. Even when natural, sugar is still sugar, and it's still not the best thing for your gut-inside and out. This leads me to believe that the bitchiest thing about these chicks is their metabolisms.
Tomorrow... Fourteen Superfoods! I'll give you a spoiler... it's more like ninety-nine.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Manly Tofu
Who likes tofu? Not many. Look at the stuff. It's a block of creamy white rubber. And it kinda tastes like that too. Well, it tastes like that, if you eat it raw.
http://www.wingyipstore.co.uk
In my opinion, extra firm tofu is the best. It's not as squishy as the other kinds. It's also easier for cooking, because it has less water content.
Before you cook tofu, you have to drain it. To drain tofu, place it in between two upside down plates in your sink. Then place a relatively thick book on top of the plates. Make sure it's not so heavy that it crushes the tofu. Leave it like that for an hour or so. You can also help the draining process by lightly squeezing the plates together, over the sink.
Next, what the hell do you do with it? Like anything that's good for you and tastes like shit-you gotta hide it under lots of flavors and spices.
1. Stir Fry
Toss a tablespoon or two of peanut oil onto a pan. When the pan's hot, throw on some chopped up tofu, some bok choy, cabbage, mung bean sprouts, daikon radishes, and pea pods. Stir everything at low heat, until it's almost completely cooked. Then add soy sauce to taste. When the veggies are covered in it. Turn up the head for 2-3 minutes, really cook it good. The tofu should be seared and brown; the tofu taste covered up by lovely peanut oil and soy sauce. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
You can also make the above recipe with teryaki sauce, which tastes even better, but is less healthy.
www.findmyrecipes.com
2. Quinoa Bake
You need a food processor for this one. It's worth it though. Take a drained block of tofu and crumble it into a food processor. Add 1/4 cup of basil, 1/4 cup of parsley, 2 T of thyme, 1-2 cloves of garlic, 1-2 T of chopped red onion, 1 T of EVOO, 1 t of lemon juice, 1 t of pepper, and 1/2 t of sea salt. Pulse everything into a creamy cheesy mess. Scoop it out and mix with 2 cups of cooked quinoa and 1 cup of tomato sauce. Grate 2 blocks of soy cheese. Sprinkle one block into the mixture. Then pour the mixture into a cooking dish. Sprinkle the other block on top. Add oregano to the top. It's just like baked ziti, only with healthier ingredients.
3. Tofu Scramble
This is my new favorite breakfast. Start heating a pan on the stove with some soy butter, or EVOO, some chopped onions and peppers, if you like them. Throw in some chopped up tofu and whatever veggies you like. I like broccoli and potatoes. If you slice the broccoli thin, you don't have to cook it beforehand. I cook it very slow on low heat, with a sauce pan cover over top of it, to let the flavors all mix together. Toss in salt and pepper with some parsley too.
www.digestdivediva.blogspot.com
4. Tempeh
Tempeh is one of the only soy products that offers all nine amino acids necessary for the day. It's not so good raw, so make sure you cook it good. You can make a sauce and bake it in the oven, or you can fry it up on the stovetop. I prefer the latter, as I've found that gets the flavor into the tempeh the best. What sauce? Your choice. Teryaki is my favorite, so far. You can also try tomato and basil, soy and ginger, garlic and oregano, or lemon and shallot.
www.thedoctorcooks.com
5. The Store
If you aren't into cooking, many whole food stores carry pre-seasoned tofu. There's lemon-basil, italian, teryaki, thai, mexican, etc. Contrary to what non-vegans think, fake meat is also pretty damn good.
Morningstar makes fake meat "crumbles" that you can throw into tomato sauce with some beans for a good chili.
Gimme Lean! Meatless Beef makes incredible meatballs.
For more vegetarian recipes, check out vegweb.com. They have a service where they send you recipes once a week!
http://www.wingyipstore.co.ukIn my opinion, extra firm tofu is the best. It's not as squishy as the other kinds. It's also easier for cooking, because it has less water content.
Before you cook tofu, you have to drain it. To drain tofu, place it in between two upside down plates in your sink. Then place a relatively thick book on top of the plates. Make sure it's not so heavy that it crushes the tofu. Leave it like that for an hour or so. You can also help the draining process by lightly squeezing the plates together, over the sink.
Next, what the hell do you do with it? Like anything that's good for you and tastes like shit-you gotta hide it under lots of flavors and spices.
1. Stir Fry
Toss a tablespoon or two of peanut oil onto a pan. When the pan's hot, throw on some chopped up tofu, some bok choy, cabbage, mung bean sprouts, daikon radishes, and pea pods. Stir everything at low heat, until it's almost completely cooked. Then add soy sauce to taste. When the veggies are covered in it. Turn up the head for 2-3 minutes, really cook it good. The tofu should be seared and brown; the tofu taste covered up by lovely peanut oil and soy sauce. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
You can also make the above recipe with teryaki sauce, which tastes even better, but is less healthy.
www.findmyrecipes.com2. Quinoa Bake
You need a food processor for this one. It's worth it though. Take a drained block of tofu and crumble it into a food processor. Add 1/4 cup of basil, 1/4 cup of parsley, 2 T of thyme, 1-2 cloves of garlic, 1-2 T of chopped red onion, 1 T of EVOO, 1 t of lemon juice, 1 t of pepper, and 1/2 t of sea salt. Pulse everything into a creamy cheesy mess. Scoop it out and mix with 2 cups of cooked quinoa and 1 cup of tomato sauce. Grate 2 blocks of soy cheese. Sprinkle one block into the mixture. Then pour the mixture into a cooking dish. Sprinkle the other block on top. Add oregano to the top. It's just like baked ziti, only with healthier ingredients.
3. Tofu Scramble
This is my new favorite breakfast. Start heating a pan on the stove with some soy butter, or EVOO, some chopped onions and peppers, if you like them. Throw in some chopped up tofu and whatever veggies you like. I like broccoli and potatoes. If you slice the broccoli thin, you don't have to cook it beforehand. I cook it very slow on low heat, with a sauce pan cover over top of it, to let the flavors all mix together. Toss in salt and pepper with some parsley too.
www.digestdivediva.blogspot.com4. Tempeh
Tempeh is one of the only soy products that offers all nine amino acids necessary for the day. It's not so good raw, so make sure you cook it good. You can make a sauce and bake it in the oven, or you can fry it up on the stovetop. I prefer the latter, as I've found that gets the flavor into the tempeh the best. What sauce? Your choice. Teryaki is my favorite, so far. You can also try tomato and basil, soy and ginger, garlic and oregano, or lemon and shallot.
www.thedoctorcooks.com
5. The Store
If you aren't into cooking, many whole food stores carry pre-seasoned tofu. There's lemon-basil, italian, teryaki, thai, mexican, etc. Contrary to what non-vegans think, fake meat is also pretty damn good.
Morningstar makes fake meat "crumbles" that you can throw into tomato sauce with some beans for a good chili.
Gimme Lean! Meatless Beef makes incredible meatballs.
For more vegetarian recipes, check out vegweb.com. They have a service where they send you recipes once a week!
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