Food Groups

The new show "Food Revolution" is one of my favorites. Jamie Oliver is trying to change the way Americans eat by teaching them about real food. As he is treading up stream, he's discovered that Americans still believe that the food pyramid is a correct guideline for a balanced diet. Ugh, what a total disaster!

Several years ago, when I first read "The Schwarzbien Principle" (link to the website on the right of this page), I was taken aback by the food square she presented in the book because it went against everything I had been taught. However, as I shifting my thinking about balanced eating, I changed the way I ate and my metabolism changed as well.

"How many food groups are there?" you ask. Four. That's right, there are only four food groups you need to incoorporate into your daily meals and snacks in order to be truly healthy. The food pyramid's imbalanced representation of carbohydrates has made Americans fat. Here are the four groups:

1.) Protien--Sources include animal, dairy, nuts, beans, and legumes.
2.) Carbohydrates--Healthy sources include whole grains (spelt, amaranth, kamut, brown rice, sprouted wheat, etc.), starchy vegetables (artichokes, some squash, potatoes, cooked carrots, beets, corn, etc.), fruit, and beans/legums.
3.) Leafy green vegetables--Sources include non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, kale, chard, lettuce, etc.
4.) Fat--Healthy sources include olive oil, avocado, dairy, nuts, etc.

If you make sure that all of these food groups are present on your plate, you will feel more balanced and healthy. For an A blood type, a meal may be 1/2 cup of beans, 1/4 of an avocado and a bunch of vegetables all wraped up in a brown rice tortillia. Yummy!

Celebrate Health!

I've always found it interesting that celebrations (such as birthdays, holidays, etc.) are laden with unhealthy indulgences that leave everyone feeling bloated and regrettful. In fact, it has been at least 7 years since I've had a birthday cake to celebrate my birthday. I recently had an early 1st birthday part for my baby, and I was torn about how to do this in a way that was fun, delicious, and healthy. Here is what I did:

Burrito Bar with ground turkey flavored with cumin and paprika, whole pinto beans I soaked and cooked myself, chopped romain lettuce, guacamole, salsa, cilantro, corn chips, and spelt torillas.

Then I made carrot-cake cupcakes free from anything refined, and I put the frosting on the side for those who wanted it.

CARROT CAKE CUPCAKES
2 cups whole grain spelt flour
2 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
2 t cinimon
1 t salt
3/4 c Ghee or Canola Oil
3/4 c Maple Syrup (Grade B)
4 eggs, beaten
4 cups grated carrots

Mix dry ingredients, then mix wet ingredients, and then alternate adding the wet ingredients and the carrots into the dry ingredients. Place mixture in your muffin cups, and cook for 15-20 min. I also make a frosting with goat cheese chevre and powdered sugar to taste.

This is a celebration that everyone can feel good about eating and leave feeling satisfied. Yummy!