Be a Carbon Eraser™
By eric smith
This chocolate cake tastes sinfully delicious but it’s actually not as rich and caloric as one might imagine thanks to the creaminess of tofu (one of my favorite ingredients).
Ingredients (use …read more
Read more here:: Layne Lieberman, MS, RD, CDN
When was the last time you could put the word healthy in front of the word cheesecake? Well now you can if you follow this simple recipe. It’s not only …read more
Read more here:: Layne Lieberman, MS, RD, CDN
Alfalfa’s Market, Louisville, Colorado on June 10, 2014
Mark Retzloff, CEO of Alfalfa’s Market in the Louisville store
Alf’s rooster is about to spread its wings with a second Alfalfa’s Market soon to open in Louisville, Colorado. The new store is on the corner of South Boulder Road and Centennial Drive–LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!
Louisville is ranked as one of the “Best Places to Live” in the United States and is a hub for new-economy job opportunities. The addition of Alfalfa’s, a locally-grown business, is a perfect fit for this town, that is located only 6 miles from Boulder and 25 miles from Denver; and known for its Rocky Mountain views, outdoor life, summer concerts, crafts and now food!
For those familiar with shopping at Alfalfa’s in Boulder, the appearance and layout of the Louisville store is similar. Both stores have about the same amount of square footage in terms of shopping space and have community rooms and electric charging stations for cars. The Louisville store’s juice/coffee bar and indoor/outdoor cafe–with fireplace–are expansive (as is the parking). Bulk food is close to fresh produce. The olive and cheese bar has its own stage, surrounded by sushi, charcuterie, deli and prepared foods. The equipment and design are tip top; and create an efficient mise en place.
CEO, Mark Retzloff is keeping the official opening date a secret. There will be a soft opening this month. The new store remains true to its roots as a Boulder-owned and operated natural foods market. It maintains the same passion, adherence to strict product standards and true community market experience that Alfalfa’s is known for.
We are in the midst of a gluten-free fad that has become the diet narrative in America. Gluten is a protein found in food staples like pasta and bread that have been in our diets for thousands of years. In fact, gluten is in all ancient and modern wheat and wheat products including spelt, Kamut, einkorn, farro or emmer, semolina, farina, matzo, graham flour, orzo, bulgur, wheat bran, wheat germ, couscous and durum. Gluten is also found in other grains — barley, rye and triticale. Triticale is a hybrid of rye and wheat. There are many foods ingredients, cosmetics and toys that contain gluten, including Brewer’s yeast, malted barley, malt syrup, malt extract, malt flavoring, malt vinegar, malted milk, beer, seitan, tabouli, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, udon, wheat germ oil, croutons, imitation crab meat, breaded meat, vegetable tempura, licorice, medicines, vitamins, lip balms, Play-Doh, and the list goes on.
There is a small percentage of the population that must follow a gluten-free diet for life. This group includes the estimated 1 percent of the population with celiac disease. Celiac disease is both a disease of nutrient mal-absorption and a serious immune reaction to gluten. There are many symptoms of celiac disease, and these symptoms overlap with other illnesses. For example, it is difficult to determine whether symptoms from irritable bowel syndrome and lactose intolerance are alternatively due to gluten intolerance. Celiac disease is definitively diagnosed with a blood test and an intestinal biopsy or possibly a skin biopsy, if there is associated dermatitis.
In addition to the small percentage of the population that has celiac disease, there is a smaller group, about 0.4 to 0.5 percent of the population, that suffers from a wheat allergy, who benefit from a wheat-free diet. Wheat allergy is more common in young children with other food allergies and is often outgrown by age 5. After consuming wheat, there is an immediate reaction that may bring on hives, congestion, and nausea or, in rare cases, anaphylactic shock. For this group, going wheat-free is less complicated than going gluten-free.
Celiac disease along with other autoimmune diseases and the prevalence of allergies have been on the rise. Besides celiac disease being genetic, the National Institutes of Health theorized that one cause of this rise could be more screenings leading to diagnosis of milder cases. Other theories suggest there is a link to changes in our environment or the fact that our food has become over-processed and manipulated. Although we do not know the cause, a confirmed diagnosis of celiac disease is serious, and you must remove gluten from your diet.
For those who must follow a gluten-free diet, grains and grain-like plants that do not have gluten include rice, amaranth, arrowroot, buckwheat or kasha, millet, quinoa, corn, tapioca, cornmeal, flax, teff, sorghum and soy. You may be wondering about buckwheat. Even though it ends in the word wheat, it is not wheat and does not contain gluten. There are a variety of gluten-free flours like rice, corn, potato, almond, coconut and bean. Contamination of gluten-free flours and grains (especially oats) may occur if made in processing plants where gluten-containing products are also manufactured. Gluten-free field crops can become cross-contaminated if grown near gluten-containing crops.
What about the rest of us (the 97 percent)? Today, one of the biggest diet buzzwords is gluten-intolerance or gluten-sensitivity. There is no test to determine if an individual actually has (non-celiac) gluten-intolerance or sensitivity. Sometimes people with stomach problems self-diagnose themselves with gluten-intolerance, which can be dangerous if there is an unrelated gastrointestinal problem. When everything else is ruled out, doctors may prescribe a gluten-free diet as an “easy way out.” Patients with non-celiac gastrointestinal problems often report feeling better when adopting a gluten-free diet. However, this may be a placebo effect. Sometimes, feeling better results from just cutting out a lot of processed foods like commercial-breaded fried chicken, white bread, cookies, chips, pretzels and cakes.
If you don’t have celiac disease or a wheat allergy, rather than going “gluten-free,” it’s a lot easier and less expensive to remove refined grains and processed foods from your diet rather than remove all the gluten. Gluten-free has become a multibillion-dollar industry. Despite what is written in fear-mongering books like Grain Brain and Wheat Belly, for most of the population, there is no reason to go gluten-free. Beware, the trend is a result of celebrity endorsements, social media and pop-culture buzz — and it’s not science-based!
According to the National Academy of Sciences, grains containing gluten have been eaten since prehistoric times. There is evidence of food storage and granaries containing wild barley and wild oats from 11,000 years ago in the Jordan Valley. Since then, grains and most of the plants we eat have been hybridized both in nature and in the laboratory but many ancient varieties remain.
There is a big difference between hybridizing plants and genetically modifying crops. Hybridization is when plant seeds are crossed to accelerate certain traits. For example corn is one of the most hybridized plants in the world and it’s gluten-free. Hybridization is a tried and true method for developing new crops. On the other hand GMOs or genetic modified organisms are created by injecting genes from one species into a different species that otherwise could never be crossbred. Monsanto recently created a variety of sweet corn that is genetically modified. The genes are either cloned into a plant or smuggled in through a bacterial infection, which can create havoc and change the way the original plant functions. In the U.S., if a food is genetically modified, it cannot be labeled organic.
Here are six reasons why most of us should NOT be on a gluten-free diet:
1) Many gluten-free foods contain rice and corn. Rice absorbs arsenic and cadmium from the ground. Small quantities in the diet are of no concern. But when rice is a staple, it may be troublesome. Cornstarch is often a replacement for wheat flour in gluten-free products. Corn is known to be the most hybridized and processed grain in the U.S. food supply.
2) According to a recent op-ed in the New York Times by Lusk and Miller, more than 90 percent of the U.S. corn and soybean acres are now planted with seeds genetically engineered to resist insects, herbicides or both. There is not a single acre of genetically engineered wheat being grown commercially in the United States.
3) Prepared supermarket and restaurant gluten-free offerings tend to be more caloric than foods traditionally made with wheat. They are packed with highly-processed ingredients that are often low in fiber and high in sugar, salt and fat. Many gluten-free products are higher in calories because the types of flours used to replace wheat are higher in fat. Fat is the most caloric component of foods. For example, one quarter cup of almond flour has 160 calories and 14 grams of fat. While one quarter cup of whole wheat flour has 110 calories and less than one gram of fat.
4) Many of the ingredients used to produce gluten-free foods are void of nutrients. Ingredients such as tapioca and cornstarch are higher in carbohydrates and lower in protein and other nutrients when compared to wheat flour. Many gluten-free ingredients lack iron, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate found in enriched wheat and whole-grains.
5) Since grains containing gluten were sustenance for the Incas, Romans and Greeks since biblical times, then how could they be bad for us? History of food culture and epidemiological studies have proven that a variety of wholesome grains in the diet are proven to be efficient fuel for the body and provide a wide range of vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, fiber and protein.
6) Unless you are part of the small percentage of the population that has celiac disease, wheat allergy or gluten-sensitivity, gluten-free diets do not result in weight loss or improve health. However, some people lose weight on a gluten-free diet due to the well known “food limitation effect”. If you reduce your food choices, you will most likely consume fewer calories.
If you want to lose weight and improve health, just cut out processed foods high in refined grains, sugar, salt and fat. It’s much simpler, healthier and less expensive than going gluten-free!
Stick to old ways of eating and when available, select ancient, organic and whole grains and seeds as discussed in my book, “Beyond The Mediterranean Diet: European Secrets Of The Super-Healthy.” Ancient grains like amaranth, buckwheat, chia, millet and quinoa were an important food source for many civilizations. In “Beyond The Mediterranean Diet: European Secrets Of The Super-Healthy,” there is an entire chapter devoted to food shopping with an aisle-by-aisle description on how to make the best food choices at the market.
By Layne Lieberman, MS, RDN, CDN
Award-winning Nutritionist/Author of Beyond The Mediterranean Diet: European Secrets Of The Super-Healthy
Follow Layne Lieberman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/LayneWorldRD
This blog first appeared on: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/layne-lieberman/glutenfree-revealed_b_5345917.html
First appeared in the Daily Camera, Lifestyles on Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Written by Cindy Sutter, Camera Staff Writer UPDATED: ABOUT 22 HOURS AGO
“Thin” Cheese Crepes are an example of the type of recipes Layne Lieberman includes in her book, “Beyond the Mediterranean Diet: European Secrets of the Super-Healthy. The crepes include ricotta cheese, which adds protein, and lots of healthy fruit, but they have a decadent feel.
How much can a well-trained, highly experienced registered dietitian and nutritionist learn about food from living in Europe?
Quite a bit, as it turns out. Layne Lieberman, who now lives in Boulder, spent two years in Europe after her husband took a job there. The knowledge she garnered was not a strict list of foods to eat and foods to shun. It wasn’t a magic food that everyone should eat more of. Nor was it an appreciation for the nutritional components of food such as calories or carbs.
Instead it was a true understanding of how foods of all sorts are truly integrated into a culture, how high-quality, local foods are held in high regard and how shopping for food is informed by a relationship with the purveyor.
“They aren’t so focused on the nutrition panel,” Lieberman says of the people in the three countries she focuses on in a new cookbook: Switzerland, France and Italy.
“They’re touching, tasting, smelling. It was a sensory response to food. Food is an enjoyment.”
Lieberman’s cookbook includes her observations, data on the three countries’ health profiles — she chose the three healthiest in Europe — and 50 recipes that seek to meld the best elements of European food culture with a nod to how Americans cook and eat.
The book, “Beyond the Mediterranean Diet: European Secrets of the Super Healthy,” looks closely at each country and their traditional foods and how some of their practices can be incorporated into the American diet. The Swiss diet, for example, is high in dairy foods, with one or two servings of low-fat dairy such as kefir or yogurt accounting for a substantial amount of protein in the diet. Eating a small square of dark chocolate is common, and fermented foods are encouraged, along with plenty of water and herbal tea throughout the day.
In France, no foods are considered forbidden, but high quality foods are eaten in company and in moderation.
In Italy, fresh vegetables and fruit are eaten in abundance. Pasta is common, but sauced lightly and served in much smaller portions than is typical in America. Lentils, beans and nuts are an important part of the diet.
Lieberman says living in Europe, rather than simply traveling there, gave her a true appreciation of how Europeans value and nurture their food traditions. In Italy, for example, where the citrus fruit is beautiful, most people would never think of drinking a glass of bottled orange juice for breakfast, she says. Instead they would squeeze a fresh orange.
Doing so not only satisfies the palate with an incredibly vibrant juice. The orange itself has a built- in portion control — it would take a lot of oranges to fill the 12-ounce glass that Americans might glug down on the way out the door.
Similarly, in France, a croissant with jam makes breakfast. Sounds decadent, but as Lieberman points out, the croissants in France are considerably smaller than those generally sold in the states. Such a breakfast in France is under 200 calories.
In addition, the food in Europe is of very high quality and rarely processed. Lieberman, who worked for 20 years as director of nutrition for a major supermarket chain in the Northeast, says the stores are smaller in Europe with many fewer processed food items. In addition, food is more tightly regulated, with additives receiving strict scrutiny and GMOs not permitted.
Yet, the book also recognizes the lifestyles of Americans. Thus, the “beyond” in the title. Lieberman who was diagnosed with severely high cholesterol at age 9, takes care with saturated fats.
“I’ve had hypercholesterolemia my whole life. I understand how to control it,” she says. “I understand how to get through the clutter that’s out there.”
Through her training, Lieberman has learned that the diets shown through studies to have the best outcomes are the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet — which leans heavily toward fruits and vegetables, with lean meats and low-fat dairy included.
Lieberman says the calorie density of fat, even healthy fats, means that it should be used in moderation. Rather than the 4 tablespoons of olive oil each day that some versions of the Mediterranean diet suggest, she recommends 1 tablespoon. She also likes to see fat coming from whole foods such as avocados or nuts. She also emphasizes low-fat dairy more than the typical Mediterranean diet does.
Bea Steiner, marketing director of Alfalfas Market, says the store recently hosted a book signing for Lieberman, because her book fit in with the lifestyle some of its customers are seeking. In addition to looking at European food culture, Lieberman places heavy emphasis on foods grown organically and locally.
“We are always trying to promote health in one way or another,” Steiner says. “We try to bring in all sorts of different prescriptions.”
A big takeaway message is to take pleasure in eating and to eat slowly, which makes it easier to reduce American super-size portions to the normal portions enjoyed elsewhere.
“We are not enjoying food, not allowing our brains and stomachs to work togther. It’s mindless eating, “Lieberman says.
She hopes her book can help to change that.
Contact Camera Staff Writer Cindy Sutter at 303-473-1335 or sutterc@dailycamera.com (mailto:sutterc@dailycamera.com).
“Thin” Cheese Crepes
½ cup white whole-wheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs plus 2 egg whites
½ cup fat-free milk or original almond milk 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup seltzer or sparkling water
6 ounces part-skim or light ricotta cheese
6 teaspoons apricot fruit spread (100 percent fruit) 3 cups fresh seasonal fruit, diced
Directions: In a blender or food processor fitted with a stainless steel blade, combine whole- wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, eggs, egg whites, milk and oil until smooth, scraping the sides once or twice.
Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Slowly whisk seltzer into the batter. Heat a large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray over medium to high heat.
Ladle ⅓ cup batter into the center of the pan. Immediately tilt and rotate the pan to spread the batter evenly over the bottom. Cook until the underside is lightly browned, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Using a heatproof silicon or rubber spatula, lift the edge and then quickly grasp the crêpe with your fingers and flip. Cook until the second side is lightly browned, about 20 seconds. Slide onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, spraying the pan as needed and stacking crêpes as you go. If the pan begins to smoke, reduce the heat to medium.
As you prepare your fi lling, cover crêpes with a paper towel or keep warm in a 200-degree Fahrenheit oven. To assemble, place a crêpe on a clean cutting board. Spread 2 tablespoons of ricotta and 1 teaspoon of jam in the center, leaving a 1-to 2-inch border.
Fold in the sides to make a square shape, leaving a “window” in the center. Press down on the corners, as necessary, to help keep the crêpe folded. Serve with ½ cup of fresh fruit per crêpe.
Note: White whole-wheat fl our, made from a special variety of white-wheat, is light in color and flavor but has the same nutritional properties as regular whole-wheat flour. It is available at large supermarkets and natural-foods stores and online at bobsredmill.com (http://www.bobsredmill.com) or kingarthurfl our.com (http://www.our.com). Store it in the freezer.
Serves 6.
Nutrition information: 207 calories, 5.9 grams fat, 198 milligrams sodium, 29.2 grams carbohydrates, 1.3 grams fiber, 10 grams protein.
Tip: For an easier version of this recipe, buy natural crêpe batter or prepared (pre-made) crêpes in your food market. Prepared (imported from France) crêpes are often sold in the produce aisle.
Source: Beyond the Mediterranean Diet: European Secrets of the Super-Healthy
