Author Archives: Dr. Sukol

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Pumpkin Pudding

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Here’s a very special recipe for the very special celebrations that tend to crop up at this very special time of the year.  It makes a spectacular addition to a brunch, by the way.

If you’ve never visited “Your Health is on Your Plate” before, visit Lets Start at the Very Beginning to get a jumpstart protecting the health and well-being of the ones you love!! Then check out “A Milestone Celebration — Your Favorite Posts” and “The Most Popular Blog Posts of All” for more great ideas and recipes! Wondering why I capitalize the “f” in Food? See Food with a Capital F.

4 eggs
1 one-pound can of pumpkin
1/2 cup molasses
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 tiny pinch of powdered cloves
1 cup whole milk, organic preferred

Break the eggs into a large bowl, and beat very well with a fork. Add the pumpkin, milk, molasses, and spices, and stir well.
 
Pour mixture into a greased casserole dish or a large beautiful pottery bowl.  Bake at 350º for 1 hour until the pudding is firm in the middle and a cake tester comes out clean. Serve hot, warm, or cold, with or without whipped cream.  Doesn’t much matter; there won’t be any left.


Follow Dr Sukol’s posts on Twitter @RoxanneSukolMD and on Facebook at Roxanne Breines Sukol or Your Health is on Your Plate.

Hungry After Thanksgiving?

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Several conversations converged this weekend. First came a question from my friend Nazalee to a community of my colleagues: “Oh wise ones…why sooo hungry after Thxgiving? Does stomach stretch or what? Is it a hormone?” One reply: “Perhaps expl is longer than 140 words. Salad Wine turkey ham pumpkn pie not horrible food.”

Then, just two days later, a friend was telling me about his experience studying Talmud in Jerusalem last summer. While studying a different subject entirely, the rabbi made an aside that indulging drives makes them stronger. My friend’s ears perked up at that, and he saved that little pearl to think about at a later time

His comment returned my thoughts to Dr Mike Roizen’s and Dr Oz’s oft-stated opinions (in contrast to my own) that dietary changes must be made on an all-or-nothing basis. Hook, line, and sinker. Like AA. Might this truly be the best strategy for someone with a food addiction? It is certainly in line with the rabbi’s comment. The rabbi’s observation may also have a hormonal basis, as Nazalee conjectures above. Dr Richard Bernstein, from the Nutrition & Metabolism Society, taught me once that stomach stretching initiates a cascade of hormone release that raises blood sugars, which is why eating a whole cabbage will raise your blood sugar even if it is the only thing you eat.

In contrast to the all-or-nothing strategy, on the other hand, I have always been of the opinion that the most sustainable changes are the small ones. When a patient came to see me, I would identify the worst, most egregious, problem and try to work on that issue first. When a patient asks my opinion on a reasonable rate of weight loss, I joke that one-quarter pound a month for the rest of their life would be just about right! I feel that there must be accommodation for our humanness, our fallibility. We aren’t computers to be set at a particular setting. This seems right to me, both for myself and for my patients. The last thing I want to do is to increase stress-related eating. But maybe it’s exactly the wrong advice for someone whose overeating pattern is more in line with an addiction.

I, too, ate a lot more food than usual this weekend. Maybe it’s the change in routine, the distractions, the food itself: its availability, quality, flavor, or the love with which it is made. Whatever the reasons, tomorrow is another day, and I am sure my appetite will be back to normal within a day or two.

Michael and Mary Eades, of Protein Power, talk about coming upon “the honey tree.” This is their descriptor for the experience of taking a major detour from one’s usual way of eating, particularly eating more sweets than usual. Nazalee, it appears that you (and most Americans, probably) came upon the honey tree this week. Other than that, I don’t have an answer for you. It’s not the 140-space limit. I just don’t know. But I have faith and I believe, therefore, that with time you will figure it out.

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Giving Thanks for Squash

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Here’s another extraordinary Thanksgiving recipe adapted from Mark Bittman et al, a breathtaking way to elevate squash to its deservedly honored spot at the table:  

2.5-3 pound yellow/orange squash (peel, seed, and dice approx. 1/4-inch)

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

at least 1/2 teaspoon chile flakes

3 teaspoons coarse salt

1 yellow onion, medium (peel, slice thinly)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup maple syrup 

4 tablespoons mint (chopped)

If you’ve never visited “Your Health is on Your Plate” before, visit Lets Start at the Very Beginning to get a jumpstart protecting the health and well-being of the ones you love!! Then check out “A Milestone Celebration — Your Favorite Posts” and “The Most Popular Blog Posts of All” for more great ideas and recipes! Wondering why I capitalize the “f” in Food? See Food with a Capital F.


1) Heat oven to 450. Toss squash with 3 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp salt, and chile flakes. Spread on baking sheet. Cook approx. 15 min, stirring several times during the cooking. Remove from the oven once soft and slightly browning. 2) Heat 3 more tbsp. olive oil on medium-high. Add onions plus 1 tsp salt, stir frequently, and cook 15 min until onions are quite soft and brown. Add vinegar and maple syrup, stir, and continue to cook 15 min more until the onions begin to disintegrate. 3) Mix squash with onions in a bowl and smash together with a fork. 4) Sprinkle with a bit of coarse salt and a generous garnish of mint. (I highly recommend you not skip the mint.) Serves 4-6.

The cook says to eat it on a slice of thick rustic bread coated thinly with a soft cheese like ricotta, chevre, or mascarpone.  Alternatively, you may choose to eat it like I would, with a fork.


Happy thanksgiving to you and yours!  


Follow Dr Sukol’s posts on Twitter @RoxanneSukolMD and on Facebook at Roxanne Breines Sukol or Your Health is on Your Plate.


YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Pumpkins, Onions, and Turkey

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Three unusual and extraordinary Thanksgiving recipes for your dining pleasure, two for before and one for after. Try to make the onions in advance, because they taste even better the next day!

Stuffed Pumpkin
1 small-medium pumpkin
1 1/2 – 2 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 pound cheddar cheese cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried
1/3 cup coconut cream
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut a large cap from the top of the pumpkin at a 45-degree angle.  Remove the cap, and clear out the seeds and strings from the cap and inside the pumpkin.  Season the inside of the pumpkin generously with salt and pepper.  Place the pumpkin into either a frying pan with raised sides, or a Dutch oven that is slightly larger than the pumpkin.

Toss together the rice, cheese, garlic and herbs. Season with pepper and pack the mix into the pumpkin until it is almost completely filled.  Stir the coconut cream with nutmeg and a bit more salt and pepper, and pour it into the pumpkin. The ingredients should be very moist.  Replace the cap.

Bake the pumpkin for 90-120 min until the contents are bubbling and the flesh of the pumpkin is tender enough to be pierced easily with a knife tip.  Remove the cap 20 min before the end so the stuffing browns on top.  Serve in slices, like a pie.


If you’ve never visited “Your Health is on Your Plate” before, visit Lets Start at the Very Beginning to get a jumpstart protecting the health and well-being of the ones you love!! Then check out “A Milestone Celebration — Your Favorite Posts” and “The Most Popular Blog Posts of All” for more great ideas and recipes! Wondering why I capitalize the “f” inFood? See Food with a Capital F.


Glazed Braised Onions

1 1/2 lbs peeled yellow onions
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 cup white wine
1-2 cups water 
1 dry red chili pepper (optional)
salt

Place onions in a single layer in a large flat frying pan.  Cover the onions with the white wine, diluted with water.  Mix together the olive oil, salt, sugar, dry red chili pepper, vinegar and tomato paste in a separate bowl, and then add to the onions.  Cover and boil for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.  Continue to boil until the water is gone and the onions begin to glaze.  Stir from time to time to prevent burning or sticking.  Remember to discard the red chili before serving. 

Turkey Soup

2 lbs turkey, either chopped (thawed) or as small cubes of leftovers  

2 med onions, diced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced thickly

2 stalks celery, sliced thinly

4-6 medium-large tomatoes

3 potatoes, diced

4 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole    

2 tablespoons prepared mustard

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons turmeric

1 quart vegetable stock

salt and pepper to taste

Starting with the turkey, add each of these ingredients in order to a moderately large crockpot or soup pot.  Fill with stock, add extra water if necessary to just cover all the ingredients.  Set on high for 1 hr, and then turn down to low for 6-8 hrs more.  Soup pot inst
ructions: Place it in an oven at 200 degrees and come back at the end of the day.  

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Follow Dr Sukol’s posts on Twitter @RoxanneSukolMD and on Facebook at Roxanne Breines Sukol or Your Health is on Your Plate.

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Mom’s Root Veggie Salad

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Just this afternoon, the following note appeared in my inbox:  


“Hi Hon, I just made a new dish and thought you might be interested.  Dad made chicken stock, and I had all these cooked root vegetables left — turnips, carrots, potatoes, parsnips. I hate throwing them out, which is what usually happens, so this time I treated them like potatoes and turned them into a cold salad. 


If you’ve never visited “Your Health is on Your Plate” before, visit Lets Start at the Very Beginning to get a jumpstart protecting the health and well-being of the ones you love!! Then check out “A Milestone Celebration — Your Favorite Posts” and “The Most Popular Blog Posts of All” for more great ideas and recipes! Wondering why I capitalize the “f” inFood? See Food with a Capital F.

“First I peeled and diced the vegetables (2 of each), then I diced and added half a large sweet onion, and then 3 heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise.  Then I added a large handful of parsley plus a few shakes each of salt and pepper.  And voila!  It is delicious.  Right now it’s in the refrigerator, chilling for dinner.

She adds, “There is no chicken in the dish, but that would be good, too.”  Thanks, Mom! 

[The recipe I had intended to post will have to wait, but the wait will be well worth it — promise!]


Follow Dr Sukol’s posts on Twitter @RoxanneSukolMD and on Facebook at Roxanne Breines Sukol or Your Health is on Your Plate.

What’s Missing From Your Plate?

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A couple of weeks ago it suddenly occurred to me that we’ve got it all wrong!  Although the supermarket appears to be filled with all kinds of new and different products, the fact is that most of the variety can be found in the produce department.  The rest of the supermarket (except for the dairy, meat and fish) is composed, for the most part, of soy, wheat, and corn.  Yes, the packaging is different and exciting, but the rest of it’s an illusion.

What kind of variety can be found in the produce department?  It’s endless!  Try the apples, apricots, artichokes, arugula, asparagus, avocado, bananas, basil, fava beans, beets, blackberries, blueberries, bok choy, boysenberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage (green, red, Savoy), cantaloupe, carrots, Cassava melon, cauliflower, chard, cherries, Chinese apples, chives, coconut, corn, endive, eggplant, fennel, figs, garlic, grapefruit, grape tomatoes, grapes, green beans, honeydew, hot peppers, jicama, kale, kiwi, leeks, lemons, limes, lettuce (bibb, green leaf, red leaf, Romaine), Meyer lemons, mushrooms, nasturtium blossoms, onions (white, yellow, Vidalia), oranges, oregano, papayas, parsley (curly and Italian), parsnips, peaches, peas (sweet, Snow), pears (Bosc, Anjou, Bartlett), persimmon, pineapple, plantains, plums, pomegranates, pomelo, potatoes (red, white, Yukon Gold, russet), pumpkins, radishes, raspberries, rhubarb, rosemary, shallots, starfruit, strawberries, summer squash, spaghetti squash, squash blossoms, sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, tangerines, taragon, thyme, tomatillos, tomatoes, turnips, watercress, watermelon, yams, yucca, zucchini.

And that’s just the ones I could think of offhand.  See what I mean?  Eat  the widest possible variety of food that you can find, and eat a few more fruits and vegetables than you already do.

Got a favorite you don’t see here?  Send it in and we’ll add it to the list!

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Cashew Chicken

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And now, dear readers, here is crockpot recipe #4 for your dining pleasure!!  I adore cashews and this is a perfect way to eat them!  It’s also a perfect way to celebrate the fact that YHIOYP zoomed past ONE MILLION HITS this week!!!  Thank you, one and all, for that.




If you’ve never visited “Your Health is on Your Plate” before, visit Lets Start at the Very Beginning to get a jumpstart protecting the health and well-being of the ones you love!!  Then check out “A Milestone Celebration — Your Favorite Posts” and “The Most Popular Blog Posts of All” for more great ideas and recipes!  Wondering why I capitalize the “f” in Food?  See Food with a Capital F.  





4 chicken breasts and 4 drumsticks (raw)

2 cups cashews

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

2 cups celery, sliced thinly

1 small onion, diced

2 scallions, sliced thinly

4 teaspoons tamari

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

4 teaspoons coconut milk

2 cups chicken broth 

1 teaspoon each salt and pepper



Layer the chicken breasts and drumsticks on the bottom, followed by the cashews and vegetables.  Mix together the liquids, pour them over the chicken and vegetables, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  See the other crockpot recipes above for directions to make it in a regular oven.  Let me know how you like it!!



Follow Dr Sukol’s posts on Twitter @RoxanneSukolMD and on Facebook at Roxanne Breines Sukol or Your Health is on Your Plate.


YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Lentil Vegetable Soup

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Here’s recipe #3 in our crockpot series!!  Scroll down for the first two…

This recipe took 10 minutes to throw together. It filled the house with fabulous smells for hours and hours, and then it warmed the bellies of a table full of hungry people!

If you’ve never visited “Your Health is on Your Plate” before, visit Lets Start at the Very Beginning to get a jumpstart protecting the health and well-being of the ones you love!!  Then check out “A Milestone Celebration — Your Favorite Posts” and “The Most Popular Blog Posts of All” for more great ideas and recipes!  Wondering why I capitalize the “f” in Food?  See Food with a Capital F.  


2 teaspoons olive oil

4 small-med potatoes, quartered

6 small-med onions, peeled and quartered

6 carrots, sliced into 1-inch pieces

6 stalks celery, sliced in 1-inch pieces

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup green lentils

4 cloves garlic, sliced

2 teaspoons turmeric

1 small knob of ginger

1 teaspoon each salt and black pepper

4 cups water

2 cups beet greens or swiss chard, sliced into ribbons

Place all the ingredients except the greens into your crock pot, set on low, and cook all day (or overnight) for up to 8 hours. If you make it in the oven, check the water level after 4 hours and add more if necessary.  

Stir in the greens 5-10 minutes before serving, and allow them to wilt slightly. Regarding the ginger (it’ll be a long time until I use up all of the ginger that Chef Ira sent), it is not essential to the recipe if you don’t have. 

Follow Dr Sukol’s posts on Twitter @RoxanneSukolMD and on Facebook at Roxanne Breines Sukol and at Your Health is on Your Plate.

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Chicken Curry

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With the cold, windy weather getting ready to blow through, I’m planning a crockpot convention here at YHIOYP!  Over the coming two weeks, I will post four wonderful fabulous nutritious economical and delicious recipes for your crockpot.  If you don’t have a crockpot (which you should!), you can substitute a regular soup pot or a dutch oven.  


If you’ve never visited “Your Health is on Your Plate” before, visit Lets Start at the Very Beginning to get a jumpstart protecting the health and well-being of the ones you love!!  Then check out “A Milestone Celebration — Your Favorite Posts” and “The Most Popular Blog Posts of All” for more great ideas and recipes!  Wondering why I capitalize the “f” in Food?  

Crockpot Recipe #1 is Chicken Curry.  Eat it right out of the bowl, or poured over cooked grains (like brown rice or quinoa), or steamed greens (like swiss chard or kale), or even cubes of roasted squash. 

First ingredients:
1 large onion, in quarters
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken (free-range, grass-fed, organic if possible)
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into thick slices
2-3 medium tomatoes, diced
1 small can coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons sea salt
Set aside:
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup peanuts
chopped cilantro (or parsley if you prefer)

Place all the first ingredients into your crockpot or soup pot, beginning with the onions and meat. Cover, and cook on the low setting for 8 hours. If you’re using a soup pot, add 1 cup extra water before cooking, place the covered pot in the oven, and set the temperature to 225F.  Then check it in 4 hrs, and add more water if necessary.

Just before serving, stir in the peas, re-cover the pot, and let it sit for a minute.  Sprinkle each serving with peanuts and chopped cilantro. Serves 4-6.

Follow Dr Sukol’s posts on Twitter @RoxanneSukolMD and on Facebook at Roxanne Breines Sukol and at Your Health is on Your Plate.

Stripped Carbohydrate in Four Varieties

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Stripped carb comes primarily in four different varieties.  These four categories of carbohydrates have been exploited by the “processed-edible-items” industry more than any others.  They are wheat, sugar, corn, and rice.  

 

With the removal of its bran and germ, wheat becomes stripped.  Or refined, according to the advertising.  Or enriched, which means that a limited number of nutrients are replaced to prevent rapid-onset nutritional deficiencies caused by the removal of iron and thiamine (vitamin B1), among others.  This issue is of no relevance in whole grains.

 

Sugar is extracted from cane.  This invention was the first example of carbohydrate stripping, and has been going on for several centuries now.  I’m not advocating that you stop enjoying all sugar from here on in.  But it’s a treat, and treats are for special occasions.  Like Friday nights, or Sunday dinners, or birthdays, or weddings.  Dark chocolate is food by the way, not a treat, so you can eat an ounce every day if you’d like.

 

From corn we get high-fructose corn syrup, corn syrup solids, corn starch corn chips, and so on.  To say that these items, for they most certainly are not food, are found extensively in the Western diet doesn’t begin to express their pervasiveness.  Bottom line?  We’re drowning in them, and they are making us sick.  This is not an overstatement.

 

Finally, we get to white rice, which is a polished (the industry’s word, not mine) version of rice that grows with its husk.  The husk is rich in, among other nutrients, thiamine.  That’s what caused the epidemic of deaths due to beri-beri in southeast Asia in the last century, and it’s why rice, too, now comes “enriched.”

 

Remember your influence, and vote with your wallet.