Sweet Potato Falafels

***These falafels are crisp on the outside and soft and velvety on the inside***

Ingredients:

2 Large sweet potatoes (orange flesh)
1.5 cups chick pea flour (aka garbonzo flour)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 large cloves of garlic minced
1.5 teaspoon cumin powder
1.5 teaspoon coriander powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
Canola oil for frying
salt and pepper

Directions:

1) Roast sweet potatoes in 425 degree oven until the flesh is soft (45 minutes to 1 hour). Let potatoes cool. Peel the potatoes and mash until smooth.
2) Add cumin powder, coriander, 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper (to taste), minced garlic, chopped cilantro, and olive oil to the mashed sweet potatoes. Combine well.
3) Add 1 cup of chickpea flour to the sweet potato mixture and mix well. At the point, the mixture should be light , fluffy, and moist.
4) Shape the mixture into balls or patties. The shapes will not be perfect since the mixture is moist. Coat the balls or patties with remaining chickpea flour.
5) Fry the patties in canola oil until golden brown.

Ground Turkey Gravy with Peas

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1lb ground turkey
6 oz frozen or fresh peas
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 all purpose flour or gluten free flour (e.g Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour available at health food store)
2 cups water
2T olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 raw eggs (optional)

Directions:

1) Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat.
2) Add chopped onion and minced garlic, cook until onions are starting to soften.
3) Add ground turkey, break up in pan, and cook until well browned. Add salt and pepper.
4) Add 1/4 cup of flour and quickly stir until the turkey mixture is coated with flour.
5) Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan and scrap the brown bits that form at the bottom of the pan. This water will be absorbed by the turkey mixture and will also evaporate. Add the remaining 1.5 cups of water and the peas, stir well. Cook until peas are tender (3-5 minutes). Check the consistency of the mixture. If the mixture is too dry, add more water until the sauce resembles texture of gravy.
6) Salt and pepper if needed.

I like to serve this turkey gravy over hot rice. To add extra richness and silkiness, crack a raw egg over each serving of piping hot turkey gravy. Stir to combine.

Mushroom Lentil Pilaf with Toasted Almonds
Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:
1 lb. mushrooms (any variety is fine, I like baby portobellas)
1/2 cup black or green lentils (washed)
1.5 cups basmati rice (washed and drained)
4 big cloves of garlic (minced)
1 medium yellow onion (thinly sliced)
1/2 cup toasted Almond slivers
5 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper
A cooking pan at least 3 inches deep (I like cast iron)
A handful of chopped cilantro (optional)

Directions:
1) Place washed lentils in 2 cups of water. Bring to boil and then simmer until al dente. Drain.
2) Heat up 3 T of olive oil over medium high heat and add minced garlic and sliced onions, cook until onions are soft and translucent (about 5-7 minutes).
3) Add washed and drained basmati rice and fry the rice for 5 minutes.
4) Add the lentils into the rice mixture. Add 2 t of salt and add pepper to taste.
5) Pour 3 additional cups of water and bring to boil. Turn down heat to simmer. Cover tightly with a lid. Simmer for about 20-25 minutes
6) While the rice is cooking, heat up 2 T of olive oil in another pan over medium high heat. Cook the mushrooms with 1 teaspoon of salt until mushrooms render fluid and until desired doneness.
7) Pour cooked mushrooms over rice. Top with sliver almonds and optional cilantro. Add additional salt and pepper if needed.
8) Serve as a side dish or as a wholesome vegetarian/vegan entree.

5 Simple Steps to Help Prevent Cancer

5 Simple Steps to Help Prevent Cancer

Gigi Chow N.D.

1 1) Eat Your Colors

Colorful fruits and vegetables are your friends when it comes to cancer prevention. The brilliant colors of foods such as pomegranates, blueberries, carrots, and broccoli indicate the foods are loaded with antioxidants.

First of all, what are antioxidants?

Antioxidants are molecules that can safely interact with free radicals and stop the free radicals from damaging vital molecules in the body such as the DNA. Free radicals, also known as oxidants, disrupt the stability of the cell membranes and if not counteracted by antioxidants, will ultimately damage the inner contents of the cells such as the DNA. A cell that has accumulated a large amount of DNA damage may lead to unregulated cell division, which can lead to the formation of cancer.

When it comes to choosing the types of fruits and vegetables, the general rule is that the brighter the color, the higher the antioxidants. Kale therefore is a better option than iceberg lettuce and sweet potato is better than a white potato. Don’t forget that beans also come in many wonderful colors, red kidney beans and black bean are all great sources of antioxidants.

2) Drink Green Tea

Tea drinking is an ancient tradition dating back 5,000 years in China and India. Long regarded in those cultures as an aid to good health, researchers are studying tea for possible use in the prevention and treatment of a variety of cancers.

The cancer-preventive effects of green tea and its main constituent EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) are widely supported by results from epidemiological, cell culture, animal and clinical studies (1). Green tea’s EGCG has been shown to prevent damage to the DNA because it is an excellent antioxidant. In addition, green tea has been show to inhibit tumor growth and keep tumor suppressor genes (a stretch of DNA responsible for preventing cancer) active (2).

Try adding two 12oz cups of green tea to your diet to reap green tea’s anti-cancer benefits. Aside from protecting you from cancer, green tea has many other wonderful benefits such as lowering blood pressure and relieving stress as well.

3) The Power of Mushrooms

A vital and healthy immune system is critical for cancer prevention. Immune cells such as the natural killer cells have an important job of recognizing cancer cells and killing them before the cancer cells can proliferate. Mushrooms comprise a vast number of compounds called polysaccharides with anti-tumor and immune-stimulating properties.

The number of mushrooms on Earth is estimated at 140,000, yet maybe only 10% (approximately 14,000 named species) are known (3). Several mushrooms have been shown to exhibit immune boosting and anti-cancer properties:

(i) Maitake mushroom (specifically a maitake mushroom extract known as MD-fraction) has shown strong anti-cancer activity by increasing immune-competent cell activity (4). In a study (4), a combination of MD-fraction and whole maitake powder was investigated to determine its effectiveness for 22- to 57-year-old cancer patients in stages II-IV. Cancer regression or significant symptom improvement was observed in 58.3 percent of liver cancer patients, 68.8 percent of breast cancer patients, and 62.5 percent of lung cancer patients.. Furthermore, when maitake was taken in addition to chemotherapy, immune-competent cell activities were enhanced 1.2-1.4 times, compared with chemotherapy alone.

(ii) Coriolus versicolor or turkey tail mushroom, is a medicinal mushroom widely prescribed for the prophylaxis and treatment of cancer and infection in China. In recent years, it has been extensively demonstrated clinically that aqueous extracts obtained from Coriolus versicolor display a wide array of biological activities, including stimulatory effects on different immune cells and inhibition of cancer growth (5).

The anti-cancer benefits from mushrooms are likely not derived from eating common types of mushrooms found in the grocery store such as button mushrooms or portabellas. However, the immune-boosting and tumor-fighting powers of medicinal mushrooms such as maitake and Coriolus versicolor make them worthy candidates for consideration along with your daily multivitamin.

4) Shed Excess Fat

Cancers such as breast, uterus, along with gynecological tumors such as uterine fibroids, cysts, and endometriosis are linked to high amount of estrogens in the body. These cancers and tumors are unfortunately on the rise. One sure way of keeping the amount of estrogens in check is to consume a diet lower in dietary fats.

Fatty foods affect the body in many ways and have a strong influence on hormonal activity in the body (6). First, high-fat diets increase the amount of estrogens, the female sex hormones, in the blood. It is known that many breast tumors are "fueled" by estrogens. Estrogens are normal and essential hormones for both women and men, but the more estrogen there is, the greater the driving force behind some kinds of breast cancer. On high-fat diets, estrogen levels increase.

To make matters worse, the excessive adipose tissues that accumulate around our thighs and midsection also serve as endogenous secretors of estrogen. Therefore, it is not only essential we avoid a high fat diet, but we should also lose excessive fats especially around our abdominal areas since excessive abdominal fat is correlated with increased cardiovascular risks.

Of course, not all fats are the same. Fats that are known to have anti-inflammatory effects such as olive, fish, and flaxseed oils should be consumed in a greater amount than oils that are inflammatory like corn, butter, and other high-fat dairy sources. As a general rule, keep daily fat intake under 30 percent of your overall diet.

5) Minimize the Consumption of Foods Cooked in High Temperatures

Almost everyone loves fried and baked foods. But now these two cooking methods have health agencies worldwide concerned. A Swedish report found that when starchy foods (like flour and potatoes) when baked or fried at high temperatures produce the carcinogenic (i.e. cancer causing) chemical acrylamide (7). Prolonged exposure to acrylamide has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals and may do the same in humans.

The generation of carcinogens from frying is not limited to only starchy foods. During the process of frying protein-rich foods, such as meat and fish, various kinds of mutagenic and carcinogenic heterocyclic amines (HA) are produced, particularly when cooking temperature is very high (8). Heterocyclic amines have been shown to cause malignant tumors in the colon and breast of mice and rats, and are possible or probable carcinogens for humans (8).

Foods that are broiled and barbecued may also be bad for health. These methods use high temperature to cook foods resulting in the formation of oxidants (much like acrylamides and heterocyclic amines), which is what the charred black layer is on top of many barbecued and broiled foods. As mentioned before, oxidants or free radicals disrupt the stability of cell membranes and DNA; accumulated damage to the DNA is a precursor to cancer.

To minimize the number of carcinogens released from cooking, limit temperature of cooking to 375 degrees and below. When consuming fried, broiled, barbecued, or baked foods that are cooked in high temperature, make sure you consume plenty of antioxidant fruits and vegetables to neutralize the oxidants released from high temperature cooking.

Green Tea and 2010

Green Tea and Your New Year Resolutions

By Gigi Chow N.D.

That time of the year is coming again. It’s time to think about some resolutions to ring in 2010! Green tea may help you stick to and follow through the changes that you want to make for the coming New Year.

WeightLoss

Over 67 percent of adult Americans, that is approximately 2 out of every 3 Americans, is considered overweight or obese according to the CDC (1), so it is not surprising to find that weight loss is one of the most popular New Year's resolutions. How will green tea help you achieve your weight loss goals?

Reports (2) have shown that green tea extract intake is associated with increased weight loss. Thanks to the ever famous antioxidant associated with green tea, EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) along with caffeine, green tea can increase thermogenesis or the rate at which calories are burned, and therefore boosts metabolism. Raising metabolism causes the body to burn more calories, which in turn can lead to weight loss.

In addition, research (3) indicates that green tea consumption activates a higher rate of fat oxidation, or the rate at which fat is burned. In a human study, participants taking green tea extract experienced a significant increase in their energy expenditure compared to pure caffeine, ephedrine, and capsacin (a compound found in cayenne peppers). The researchers concluded that participants using green tea extract had increased fat oxidation beyond what could be attributed to the caffeine they consumed from the green tea. This indicates that green tea contains beneficial components that affect the body's metabolism in such a way that favors weight loss.

Green tea also shows promise in appetite suppression. Scientists at the University of Chicago's Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research have found that a major chemical component of green tea caused rats to lose up to 21 percent of their body weight (4). Rats injected with EGCG derived from green tea leaves lost their appetites and consumed up to 60 percent less food after seven days of daily injections.

While many over-the-counter diet aids are stimulants and therefore raise heart rate and blood pressure, participants using green tea extract did not have increased heart rate, suggesting that green tea may be an alternative to many stimulant based diet aids.

Greater Heart Health

Too much fat in the blood is definitely bad for the heart. This is because the when excessive levels of fat accumulate in the blood vessels and become oxidized (oxidation is a normal cellular process), the oxidation of fat long term may cause damage to the vessels. Damage to the vessels lead to inflammation and may lead to the deposition of additional fats to the site of damage. Over time, this process leads to decrease circulation to the heart, elevated high blood pressure and heart rate, and eventually a heart attack. Green tea extract has been shown to lower cholesterol and thus may play a beneficial role in heart disease prevention.

A study done on August 2009 (5) investigated the effects of green tea extract and individuals with high blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides). The study included 33 subjects aged between 21 and 71 years who had a low-fat diet (25-35% of total calories and 200 mg of cholesterol per day). They were randomized for two sequential treatments: 250-mg capsules of green tea dry extract or placebo for a total period of 16 weeks; each patient received green tea (Camellia sinensis) for eight weeks and placebo for another eight weeks.

The results at the end of the 16 weeks revealed that in the eight weeks that participants received green tea extract, there was a significant reduction of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels

Green tea extract may also help lower blood pressure and inflammation. Inflammation is a process that is not only involved in heart disease but many chronic degenerative conditions such as multiple sclerosis and arthritis. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel study on 111 healthy adult volunteers 21-70 y old was performed (6). Green tea extract was effective for decreasing, in as quickly as 3 weeks, blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and a marker of chronic inflammation, all independent cardiovascular risk factors.

Green tea extract therefore shows considerable promise in prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

Stress Reduction

Is stress getting the best of you? If your goal is managing your stress better, green tea can help.

According to a very recent study (7), the study involved over 40,000 Japanese individuals and found an inverse relationship between psychological stress and green tea consumption. In other words, the more green tea consumed, the less the psychological stress.

L-Theanine is an amino acid contained in green tea leaves and is responsible for green tea’s relaxation effect. The calming effect of green tea may appear contradictory since you may think that the caffeine in green tea would stimulate. However, the action of L-Theanine actually acts antagonistically against the stimulatory effects of caffeine on the nervous system (8). First, L-Theanine directly stimulates the production of alpha brain waves, creating a state of deep relaxation and mental alertness similar to what is achieved through meditation. Alpha is present in wakefulness where there is a relaxed and effortless alertness (9). Second, L-theanine is involved in the formation of the inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma amino butyric acid (GABA). GABA influences the levels of two other neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin, producing the key relaxation effect (10).

Stress and anxiety are debilitating conditions that can lead to a loss of our well-being, performance, and even lifespan. Stress also impairs the immune system, leaving us vulnerable to infections, and can cause depression. Stress and depression are intimately connected and they increasingly take a toll on the health of the people around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) forecasts that within 20 years more people will be affected by depression than any other health problem; it ranks depression as the leading cause of disability worldwide, with around 120 million people affected.

Stress is undoubtedly and unfortunately a part of daily living. Consumption of 50 mg of L-theanine (equivalent to two-three cups of tea) stimulates the alpha-brain waves associated with relaxation. L-Theanine is also available as a dietary supplement. The simple addition of green tea or L-Theanine supplementation may help lessen the physical and psychological effects of acute and chronic stress.

Side Effects

Tea is the most consumed beverage worldwide after water, and has been consumed for thousands of years by billions of people. Green tea consumption is therefore generally safe. However, individuals with certain conditions should check with their doctors before consuming high quantities of green tea.

Green tea, although it has the counterbalancing effect from L-Theanine, contains caffeine. Individuals sensitive to caffeine should keep all caffeine containing foods and beverages to a minimum.

The safety of tea extracts or supplements for pregnant or breastfeeding women has not been established. Some organizations advise pregnant women to limit their caffeine consumption to 300 mg/day, because higher caffeine intakes have been associated with increased risk of miscarriage and low birth weight in some epidemiological studies.

A number of drugs can impair the metabolism of caffeine, increasing the potential for adverse effects from caffeine (11). Such drugs include cimetidine (Tagamet), disulfiram (Antabuse), estrogens, fluoroquinolone antibiotics (e.g., ciprofloxacin, enoxacin, norfloxacin), fluconazole (Diflucan), fluvoxamine (Luvox), mexiletine (Mexitil), riluzol (Rilutek), terbinafine (Lamisil), and verapamil (Calan). High caffeine intakes may increase the risk of toxicity of some drugs, including albuterol (Alupent), clozapine (Clozaril), ephedrine, epinephrine, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, phenylpropanolamine, and theophylline. Abrupt caffeine withdrawal has been found to increase serum lithium levels in people taking lithium, potentially increasing the risk of lithium toxicity. It is therefore recommended to take green tea away from all medications.

Excessive green tea consumption may decrease the therapeutic effects of the anticoagulant, warfarin or Coumadin (11). Such an effect was documented in one patient who began drinking one-half gallon to one gallon of green tea daily. It is probably not necessary for people on warfarin therapy to avoid green tea entirely; however, large quantities of green tea may decrease its effectiveness.

Flavonoids in tea can bind non-heme iron, inhibiting its intestinal absorption (11). Non-heme iron is the principal form of iron in plant foods, dairy products, and iron supplements. The consumption of one cup of tea with a meal has been found to decrease the absorption of non-heme iron in that meal by about 70%. To maximize iron absorption from a meal or iron supplements, tea should not be consumed at the same time.

Summary

If your New Year goals involve losing weight, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, and managing stress and calming anxiety, green tea will definitely give you a helping hand in achieving your resolutions. Have a happy and healthy 2010!