Balance.

So my grandmother suggested I write a post on "balance." How to exercise, but not too much. Drink enough water, but not to the point where you have to pee every fifteen minutes. Eat healthy, but allow yourself some treats. And really, she's right. Health, like life, is all about maintaining a balance.

The following is a recipe I created after taking a TCM nutrition class. It is a "tonic" meaning it will mellow out excesses and replenish deficiencies, depending on what your body needs. I was puzzled for a long time as to what exactly a tonic was. What did it do, how did it work? Well, I've figured it out. They're amphoteric in nature, which means that whichever way your balance is off, too much or too little, the tonic will bring the system back into balance--kind of like putting two equal sized children on a see-saw.

Here is the recipe:

Vitalizing Quinoa-Black Bean Salad

This recipe can be used according to principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to help restore the vitality of the kidney meridian, the source of all energy in the body. The black beans, quinoa, and salt are specific kidney tonics, and the spicy flavor improves circulation. Plus, it’s delicious.

Ingredients

1 cup red quinoa

1 1/2 cup water

1 ½ cup canned black beans, drained

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapenos

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

2 tablespoons minced scallions

4 teaspoons lime juice

2 cups diced tomatoes

1 cup diced red bell pepper

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro

Black pepper, to taste

Sea salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Rinse the quinoa in a mesh strainer under cool running water. In a saucepan, bring water to boil, add quinoa, cover, and simmer on low heat until all of the water is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 10-15 minutes. When finished cooking, remove from heat and allow to cool— uncovered—for 15 minutes.

2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine oil, lime juice, cumin, coriander, cilantro and scallions. Fold in beans, tomatoes, bell pepper and jalapeno. Add cooled quinoa, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

3. Optional: garnish with lemon or lime wedges and cilantro springs.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Yield six 8-ounce servings

Copyright 2009, Jessie Carroll, Original recipe

ENJOY!!!

The Common Cold

The common cold

Whenever I get sick, I like to make myself chicken soup. This is not, however, you average, run-of-the-mill, Campbell’s-style chicken soup. Mine will clear up symptoms overnight. I’ve made it for friends as well with wonderful results.

Chicken soup has long been held as a cold remedy. Combining my knowledge of Western botanical/herbal medicine, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) nutrition, and human biochemistry and physiology, I decided to make a more curative version of the classic recipe. The medicinal qualities of the ingredients are as follows:

Let’s start with chicken. As long as it is free-range and organic, and preferably grass-fed, you’ve got something good to work with. Personally, I only like to eat happy animals, and I define happy as being able to run around outside and eat it’s natural diet…which for chickens consists mainly of grass and bugs, and maybe some organic chicken feed. Chicken is a great source of protein, niacin (a B vitamin), selenium, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid (another B vitamin), and phosphorus. According to TCM, chicken builds energy and supports digestive function. Always rinse your chicken in cold water prior to cooking. However, some children (and adults) may have an allergy or sensitivity to chicken, so be sure to rule this out before feeding it to anyone.

Shitake mushrooms are one of the most popular immune system supportive foods in the world. I’ve heard of one woman here in the Pacific Northwest who cultivates shitakes and refers to them as here “health insurance policy.” Shitakes have been used medicinally for 6,000 years in China, and they are a symbol of longevity in East Asian countries. This tells me they work. Shitakes contain the polysaccharide lentinan, which stimulates the immune system to increase its infection-fighting power. They also contain selenium and other trace minerals necessary for proper cell function.

Lemon juice is the most concentrated and powerful form (naturally) of vitamin C, which we all know is quite beneficial when it comes to fighting infection. Always choose organic if you are going to be using the peel (which this recipe does) so that you don’t run the risk if ingesting pesticide residues. The outer part of the peel (the zest) contain volatile oils—which I’ll discuss in a minute—and the white, inner part of the peel contains a phytochemical called limonene, which has been shown to have anti-cancer activity. Since whole slices are used in this recipe, and softened by being cooked in the soup, you can eat the whole thing. Delicious.

Volatile oils are a plant’s immune system, and so we can use them to help our own. The majority are anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-microbial in general. Parsley, thyme, basil, and lemon peel all contain high amounts of volatile oils. Thyme in particular is especially helpful and is specifically used medicinally to treat respiratory infections and bronchitis. It helps to relax the airways to make breathing easier, and to help clear any gunk from your lungs.

I like to “heat up” a “cold”, since I believe a big part of health is balance. That is why I include ginger, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. All four are considered “warming” herbs. Ginger aids digestion as well. Cumin has shown to be enhance the liver’s detoxification enzymes. Cayenne actually works as an anti-inflammatory and pain-reliever. Black pepper supports and enhances the detoxification actions of the liver as well, and it also dramatically increases the absorption of selenium and B vitamins.

And finally, there is garlic. Garlic is famous for its benefits to the immune system, especially when used fresh. For this soup, I mince a bunch of fresh garlic and add it at the very end after the soup has been removed from heat. This preserves most of its beneficial compounds that are lost during the cooking process. It stimulates digestion and increases circulation. Garlic is very high in vitamins and minerals, and is nicknamed “Russian penicillin” due to its excellent infection-fighting capacity.

References: Murray, M. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods & Tilgner, S. Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth.

Here’s the recipe if you want to try it out:

Dr. Jessie's Healing Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

2 breasts from a free-range, grass fed chicken, bone in, skin on and rinsed in cool water

filtered or distilled water

2 cubes vegetable bouillon

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 large carrot, finely diced

2 stalks celery, finely diced

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns

6-10 medium shitake mushrooms, sliced

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (can substitute ½ teaspoon red chili flakes)

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ cup parsley, chopped

6 cloves fresh garlic, minced

½ cup fresh basil, chiffonade

5 lemon slices, sliced thin

Preparation:

1. Place chicken in a stockpot and add enough water to completely cover. Bring to almost a boil and then simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

2. Remove chicken and set aside when cooked. Skim off any foam that has collected on water surface. Add bouillon, onion, carrot, celery, ginger, turmeric, cumin and peppercorns to water and bring to a boil.

3.When water has reached boiling, return to a simmer until vegetables are softened but not mushy, about 7 minutes.

4. Turn heat to low and add shitakes, stir and cover.

5. When chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove skin and discard, then remove meat from bone and discard the bones. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, but do not add to soup just yet.

6. When vegetables are desired texture, reduce heat to low and add shitakes, stir and let sit for a minute, covered.

7. Add remaining ingredients (cayenne through lemon) and stir to incorporate ingredients.

8. Add chicken. Let soup rest over very low heat for another couple minutes, covered, then remove from heat. Let sit covered until cooled enough to eat. Serve and enjoy!

Total prep time: 90 minutes to 2 hours

Yield: a really large pot of soup ;)

Copyright 2010, Jessie Carroll, original recipe

As always, if you have any questions, want further explanation of the benefits of these foods, or just want to leave a comment…please feel free!

WELCOME!!

“Let your food be your medicine and let your medicine be your food.” –Hippocrates

The purpose of this blog is to address common health concerns/issues and make suggestions as to how they can be treated and managed effectively using food as the medicine. Over the course of the next few months, I will discuss the following: the common cold, athletic injuries, acne, asthma, cancer, insomnia, weight loss, herpes, PMS, UTI, pregnancy, and fatigue…and any other concern suggested by readers.

If you were born in the United States, you probably have watched Mary Poppins at one time or another, and who can forget the old adage she so lovingly drummed into our heads (damn catchy melody) that “a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” Well, hopefully, you know better now. In this blog, I will show you how and why medicine doesn’t need to taste bad, and you won’t need anything other than a fork (or a spoon, or chopsticks, or your hands) to help it go down.

The majority of world cultures have understood the medicinal properties of food for thousands of years. I find it quite sad that the United States, with all it’s seeming capacity for intelligent thought regarding what we put in our mouths, in addition to an ever present media influence, is grossly far behind cultures that we may consider “inferior” (when it comes to health, anyway) with respect to nutrition. According to IndustryIQ.biz, the weight loss industry in this country grossed $60 billion (that’s $60,000,000,000.00…holy sh*t!) in 2008. This staggering figure includes the sale of “weight-loss” products such as diet soda, meal replacement bars, and diet pills to extreme measures like bariatric surgery. Centers like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers report unbelievably high revenue as well (610 million for Jenny Craig in 2008 and 1.5 billion for Weight Watchers in 2007). Statistics tell us that 65% of Americans are overweight, and 30% qualify as obese. That is just disgusting.

Why, you ask, the “epidemic”? I blame it on lack of nutritional education, overabundance of quick fix meal solutions (McDonald’s anyone? How about a nice lean cuisine from the frozen section of the supermarket?) and the “finish everything on your plate” mentality that was drilled into so many of us as children. When we factor in that last tidbit and apply it to the fact that portion sizes at restaurants are ginormous (it’s a word, I swear), it’s no wonder people are fatties.

Before we (ok, I) go around judging people for being overweight, we need to look at the cause of their problem. In some cases, weight gain, especially in females, has a lot to do with thyroid health. In hypothyroid cases, a person’s metabolism slows way down, causing weight gain from a normal caloric intake. For these people, I would recommend consuming sea vegetables (like the nori used to make sushi rolls). However, I feel I need to explicitly state that if you do feel this may be your issue, go see a qualified physician (I’d suggest a naturopath, they’re more thorough and they will LISTEN to you). For people whose weight is a problem simply because of the food they are eating combined with a lack of exercise, the first step is to try and eliminate, as much as possible, processed foods. This includes anything that comes in a box—crackers, cookies, sugary cereals, frozen dinners, etc.—and foods with ingredients you can’t easily pronounce. Next, work on eliminating refined sugars—white table sugar, corn syrup and it’s derivatives like high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup solids—as these are basically like putting sugar in the gas tank of your car. Think about it…you wouldn’t put the wrong kind of fuel in your car, so why would you do that to your body, especially since you only get ONE, there are no trade-in options if you break down. Fiber is also quite vital when it comes to weight loss. Try eating an organic apple once per day. The fiber will help you feel full for longer periods of time, and the nutrients in this precious fruit are intrinsic to lasting health. And, just in case it wasn’t obvious…you need to exercise. Start with taking a walk OUTSIDE. Studies have shown that WAY more mood-boosting hormones are released when people get their physical activity in the outdoors as opposed to indoors at the gym.

I hope this helps some of you, and if you have any questions, please ASK ME!