10 Spicy Strawberry, Mustard Microgreens, and Chives Nori Wrap
Do you like your strawberries spicy?
Reflection
I love food. I love how important food is to my well-being. My quality of life is determined by the food I eat; so, I always choose to eat food that makes me feel good. I choose foods that nourish and strengthen my body. I choose ripe, fresh, organic, whole foods. I eat foods that digest-well and leave no toxic residue. My foods energize and rejuvenate me. My body radiates health. I thrive on a well-balanced, plant-based diet. The balance I keep is 80 - 10 -10 and this works wonders for me. Each day, I eat 80% carbohydrates, 10% protein, and 10% fats.
The recipe I am giving to you today is simple to make and so very delicious. It is perfect, light, high-carbed low fat choice for a breakfast or lunch. This garden roll has amazing amounts of vitamins A and C as well as calcium and iron. Loaded with vitamins, minerals, and energy, this meal will sustain you through the afternoon hours. Hydrating and sweet, I love how the tastes and textures meld. I usually use coconut aminos or nama shoyu as a dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Recipe: Spicy Strawberry Nori Wrap
1 cup fresh strawberries, mashed
4 oz chives
2 cups spicy mustard microgreens
1/2 to 1 sliced avocado
2 sheets raw nori
Assemble, roll, slice in the middle. Enjoy!
9 Consulting Chives
Have you consulted your chives lately?
Reflection
There is an innate wisdom in the Earth. Our kinship with plants can enlighten and empower us. As we consider and consult the greens that grow so near to us, what do we learn— what Earthly gifts are they so freely offering to our body and soul?
What do we know about chives?
It’s beautiful. Green and waxy, the grass like, tapering tubes of chives grow in clusters as tall as two feet. Blooming - its globes of purplish-pink wag in the wind. Bees are drawn to them! The flowers are very pretty and long-lasting, and work well as cut flowers in arrangements. Nearing chives, gardeners and greens admirers are greeted by a pungent onion smell that is grounding and comforting.
It’s growable. A perennial herb, chives are the harbingers of spring. Of the lily family and kin to shallots, leeks, onions and garlic, chives are cold hardy (to zone 3) and also sun loving. You can plant the tiny black seeds and grow them easily. Chives also multiply by bunching, so digging and dividing established clumps every few years, which is beneficial for the health of your plants, is is also a good way of spreading them around your garden and makes it an easy plant to share. This herb likes a fairly fertile soil and a regular water supply. Because it wards off bugs and is anti-bacterial, it has does not succumb to disease and houses no bugs. Because of these features, it also makes a great companion plant; so, plant chives around flowers and vegetables and they too will benefit by it’s protective and anti-bacterial, anti-fungal properties. The flowers attracting those bees are also great for pollination! If you choose to grow your own, harvest them when they reach 8 to 10 inches in height. Grab the tops together in one hand and with scissors or a sharp knife, cut the whole bunch, leaving about an inch.
It’s got roots. A kitchen staple for thousands of years, this herb is native to the Mediterranean, Asia, Northern Europe, and North America.
It’s got a name. From the Latin cepa which means onion. and then the French cive, the first recorded use for the world in English was around 1400. The botanical name is derived from the Greek meaning, "reed-like leek.”
It’s edible. The whole plant is edible: the stems, the blossoms, the flowers. The mildest of all of its kin, most people chop the stems and use them raw as toppings. The most common use that I am aware of is as a topping for baked potatoes. Fresh chives has that onion taste. I like to dice them up raw and mix them into a salsa or blend them with avocados. I also east them in my wraps and salads. The flowers make a beautiful addition to salads, but can be used to top any dish. A pink vinegar is made by adding the flowers to vinegar. The leaves and flowers can also be used to prepare tea.
It’s nutrient dense. Nutritionally, this herb is high in fiber and vitamins A, K and C. It also has significant amounts of folic acid, calcium, sulphur, choline, and phosphorous. It’s been reported that 1 T of chopped chives has as much vitamin A as two cups of chopped cabbage!
It builds and repairs. As we consume this plant, all of our body tissues are getting just what they need for the growth, and development, and repair. Collagen is formed, iron is absorbed, and our immune system is bolstered. Wounds are healed, and our cartilage, bones, and teeth are strengthened. Our eyes and vision are nourished, and our blood is regulated. The sulfur serves as antiseptic. The choline helps with sleep, memory, the ability to move muscles, and transmit nerve impulses.
It protects and detoxifies. Compounds formed in this plant and released into our system as we chew and digest, flush out our body protecting from virus and cleansing out of parasites and bacteria. The allicin compound supplied by this plant has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties. The antioxidant it provides shed us against cancer. Perhaps picking up on this, the practice of hanging bunches around the house is said to be a protective act.
It predicts. Long ago, chives were used in fortune telling.
It’s medicine. Used as medicine for thousands of years in China, chives is used to promote sweating, ridding the body of toxins. It is also used to lower blood pressure, aid digestion, and increase male fertility. During the Middle Ages, this plant was prescribed to ease depression and used in exorcism rituals. People have used it to break bad habits and end negative cycles.
What Advise for living does this plant give?
Grow tall in the society of others. Invite all that is beneficial and ward off what is not. Bloom. From head to toe, be useful. With clarity, enjoy the changing of the seasons from one year to the next. Please and clear and protect.
Resources
"PART VIII A Historical Dictionary of the World's Plant Foods." Cambridge World History of Food, edited by Kenneth F. Kiple, and Kriemhild Conee Ornelas, Cambridge University Press, 1st edition, 2000. Credo Reference, https://scsl.idm.oclc.org/login?auth=discus&url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/cupfood/part_viii_a_historical_dictionary_of_the_world_s_plant_foods/0?institutionId=7268. Accessed 09 Jun. 2021.
Patterson, Rachael. A Kitchen Witch’s World of Magical Food. Moon Books. 2015.
Pleasant, Barbara. “Chives.” Mother Earth News, no. 202, Feb. 2004, pp. 120–123. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=11986858&site=eds-live.
Reynolds, Gail. “The Charm of Chives.” Countryside & Small Stock Journal, vol. 87, no. 3, June 2003, p. 41. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=9478537&site=eds-live.
William, Anthony.”Chives.” https://www.medicalmedium.com/blog/chives Accessed 09 Jun. 2021.
8 Cultivating Spicy Oriental Mustard
Is your food nourishing?
Reflection
A member of the Brassica family, spicy oriental mustard is a delight to grow and even more of a pleasure to eat. It’s my favorite! White stems with bright green tops stretch towards the light. I eat mine raw in salads and, because they taste so much like wasabi to me, I wrap them in nori when making my raw vegan sushi— it’s so delicious! Though a little later, I will be sharing a nori wrap recipe involving these greens and strawberries, to be honest, I just love them the best by themselves - just piles of these greens wrapped tightly in a nori wrap. Yum! Some people cook them and do things like toss them in soups or use them as pizza, potato or quinoa toppings. Whatever way you choose to munch on these greens, loading up on spicy oriental mustard microgreens, means loading up on nutrition and receiving the many health benefits they offer. Very tasty and easy to grow, if you start them today, you could be harvesting your own in a week! If you are interested, read on, and I will show you how to grow your very own lovely mustard microgreens at home.
When grown to it’s flowering a seed stage, Mustard is one of the most popular of all of the spices that are traded around the entire world. One of the first condiments, its name is a derivative of the Latin mustum ardens which is actually an allusion to the mixture made by Romans of fruit juice, called must, and ground mustard seeds. It is referred to as the burning or the hot. Usually grown for its seeds which would be pressed for its oil, this crop has been around for a long time. From India in around 1800BC, mustard cultivation practices were passed to Europe by way of Aryan traders. Interestingly, the mustardseed has been mentioned twice in the Quran and five times in the New Testament of the Bible.* And, ba ba ba ba - it’s the inspiration for the name of my news channels: The Mustard Seed News! !
This tender, crunchy, and punchy microgreen has a stunning nutrient profile as mustard is one of the most nutrient dense foods in the world. This green, as are all greens, is a great source of fiber which regulates the digestive system, promotes overall gut health, and controls blood sugar. It is also high in vitamin A, which strengthens your eyes, your immunity, your bones, and reduces your risk of acne and cancer; vitamin C, that also fortifies the immune system, fights cardiovascular disease, and tightens the skin, E, an antioxidant that is, again, great for your immune system, and great for your skin, eyes, and all of your many cells; and vitamin K which helps your bones and blood. Aside from the vitamins, mustard has significant amounts of folate, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, sodium, potassium, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese and zinc. It’s even got sodium and Omega 3. It’s got everything you need - and nothing you don’t!
* List of Sacred Quotes Regarding the Mustardseed
And We shall set up balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And Sufficient are We as Reckoners. [Quran, 21:47]
O my son! If it be (anything) equal to the weight of a grain of mustard seed, and though it be in a rock, or in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Verily, Allah is Subtle (in bringing out that grain), Well-Aware (of its place). [Quran, 31:16]
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Matthew 17:20
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you. Luke 17:5-6
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. Matthew 13:31-32
And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.” Mark 4:30-32
Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. Luke 13: 18 and 19
Sources
King James Version of the New Testament
“Mustard (Brassica Campestris L.) Is A Small, Branching, Green-Stemmed, Yellow-Flowered Plant.” Technology Times, 7 Jan. 2021. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=FCZ5TTN20210107.00001&site=eds-live.
7 Consider the Strawberry
Reflection
When I eat, I always choose the best of foods. I choose foods that are hydrating, nourishing, digestible, and pleasing to my tastebuds. And of all the foods, berries are among the very best. I find them fruiting in the wild and growing in my backyard garden. Fields of them are farmed, and they are available at most grocery stores. And of all the berries, one of my favorites is the strawberry.
The taste of a freshly harvested, fully sun-ripened strawberry is amazing. Sweet and juicy, they are perfect to eat right off the vine. I also like them in my smoothies and as toppings for salads, smoothie bowls, and nice cream. They make great sauces and also salad dressings. Some people even make them into jams and jellies and pies. A Native American recipe that you might be interested in trying involves crushing the berries into a paste-like substance and mixing this with cornmeal to make strawberry bread. Whatever way this berry is prepared, early on, I discovered that the strawberries are nutritious-especially when eaten raw. They are notably high in iron and in vitamins C, B1, B2. They also have significant amounts of calcium, potassium, fiber, and folate and are full of antioxidants.
This nutrient rich food has many health benefits. Studies show that when eating a half to a whole pound a day, strawberries promote cardiovascular health by reducing insulin resistance and decreasing cholesterol and triglycerides.
Of the rose family, the strawberry is a low growing herbaceous perennial which, as you well know, produces brilliantly red, beautiful and heart-shaped, juicy-sweet, edible fruits. The wild strawberry is ancient. Fossilized pre-historical remains have been discovered. The strawberry has been cultivated since pre-Christian times. Praised by the Greeks for its medicinal value, they recognized then that it was good for cleansing the blood and organs of the body. They also suggested that eating strawberries produced an inner calm and so prescribed them in handfuls to those who were quick to anger or other emotions. It wasn’t until the beginning in the 15th century, that farmers begin to seriously grow this fruit. During this time, aside from eating the fruits for their delicious flavor, many steeped the leaves of the strawberry to make a tea which they would drink to ward off ill spirits and nightmares. Later, in the 1500s, the English had strawberry recipes to cure everything including bad breath and bone maladies and elsewhere, during the same period, a strawberry mix was sponged onto the skin and taken as an elixir to cure leprosy. Praised as a beauty aid throughout the ages, the strawberry has always been associated clear complexions. If you dream of this berry, good things will come to you. Identified symbolically with the Virgin Mary, this berry represents goodness and purity, and interestingly, those born with the small red strawberry mark on their skin are counted as royalty.
Like all plants, there are several species of the strawberry, and over time, this plant has evolved. The oldest recorded is native to temperate and mountainous tropical regions. The various varieties of the common strawberry now grown Europe and America are derived from two strains which were brought to Europe by New Word explorers, having its roots from Chile and North America. One of the most popular fruits in the world, today, there are over 1,000 different varieties of the strawberry, with one quarter of the world’s production being grown in California.
So if you haven’t already, stock up on those berries. Create a berry patch in your back yard and watch them grow. I love my berries! I love my berry patch! It is convenient, it is perennial, it is beautiful, it multiplies, it benefits the bees and it benefits me. It is good for the Earth to grow things, and it’s good for your body to eat the berries in large amounts - take them on a daily basis!
Works Cited:
Main, Debra. “Once Upon a Strawberry.” Children’s Digest, vol. 59, no. 3, May 2009, pp. 21–23. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=prh&AN=43318157&site=eds-live.
SAMPLES, EVANGELINE YVONNE. “Sensational STRAWBERRIES.” American Fitness, vol. 33, no. 3, May 2015, pp. 64–66. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=102221033&site=eds-live.
“Strawberry.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, Mar. 2021, p. 1. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=134496873&site=eds-live.
6 Mulberry, Mandarin, Kohlrabi, Cilantro Salad
How nourishing is the food you eat?
Reflection
I love food. I love how important food is to my well-being. My quality of life is determined by the food I eat; so, I always choose to eat food that makes me feel good. I choose foods that nourish and strengthen my body. I choose ripe, fresh, organic, whole foods. I eat foods that digest-well and leave no toxic residue. My foods energize and rejuvenate me. My body radiates health. I thrive on a well-balanced, plant-based diet. The balance I keep is 80 - 10 -10 and this works wonders for me. Each day, I eat 80% carbohydrates, 10% protein, and 10% fats.
The recipe I am giving to you today is delicious. It is perfect, light, high-carbed low fat choice for a breakfast or lunch. This salad has amazing amounts of vitamins A and C as well as calcium and iron. Loaded with vitamins, minerals, and energy, this meal will sustain you through the afternoon hours. Hydrating and sweet, I love how the tastes and textures meld. It is so easy to make and there is very little clean-up involved. When I eat this, I am happy knowing this: eating healthy can also be convenient! I always enjoy this salad, and I hope you will too. Yes, enjoy!
Recipe:Mulberry, Mandarin, Kohlrabi, Cilantro Salad
2 cups fresh mandarins, peeled
2 cups fresh mulberries
1 cup kohlrabi microgreens
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. chia seeds
Add all to a large bowl, toss, and enjoy.
5 Consulting Cilantro
Do you like the taste of cilantro?
“And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white . . .”
Reflection
There is an innate wisdom in the Earth. Our kinship with plants can enlighten and empower us. As we consider and consult the greens that grow so near to us, what do we learn— what Earthly gifts are they so freely offering to our body and soul?
What do we know about cilantro?
It’s beautiful. Delicate and lacy, cilantro grows tall and thin. Blooming - its small white to pale pink flowers, fruit, and the seeds form as tan papery balls. Nearing cilantro, gardeners and greens admirers are greeted by a strong lemon like smell that brightens the mood.
It’s growable. A hardy annual herb, cilantro is easy to grow. Of the parsley family and kin to carrots, cilantro grows abundantly. Best grown in full sun and in cooler temperatures, this herb bolts quickly as the days lengthen and warm. Plant cilantro every week and enjoy it fresh year round!
It’s got roots. People have written about cilantro for ages. It’s described on Egyptian papyrus and mentioned in early Sanskrit scrolls. In the Bible, this herb is used in a comparison to mana, food from heaven, and in the Tales of the Arabian Nights it is touted as an aphrodisiac. Speculated by some to be one of the first herbs used by people, cilantro is said to have been valued since 5000BC. It has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs and used in religious practices. Hung as fragrance in Persian bowers, it scented the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Traditionally, it’s the bitter herb of the Hebrew Passover remembrance feast. Native to southern Europe, North Africa, and southwestern Asia, cilantro was spread by the Romans through Europe, and from Europe to the Americas. Cilantro is recognized globally and used to flavor and enhance a variety of dishes around the world.
It’s got a name. Greek and Roman scholars such as Aristophanes and Hippocrates promoted the use of this plant using the term koriannon from koris, or “stinkbug” and the Latin term coriandrum. Both the term coriander and cilantro and culantro stem from this root.
It’s edible. The whole plant is edible, and the more you eat of it, the more you will benefit by it. Used world-wide, cilantro is also called Chinese parsley, Mexican parsley, and coriander. Most people eat the leaves raw. Pungent and bright, fresh cilantro has a lemony taste. Its seems that some love and others avoid this herb. Able to detect a chemical in the leaves, some say it tastes soapy. To get the best tastes out of this herb, juice it with other greens, put a handful in a smoothie, dice it into a salsa mix or avocado blend, or toss it on a salad. Cilantro roots can be blended into tasty pastes, marinades and dipping sauces. The seeds can be used raw in pickling but are usually toasted and ground into a spice. In this way, they flavor curry and breads. The white or pale pink asymmetrical flowers can grace the tops of any dish. It’s good to note that heat - diminishes the taste.
It’s nutrient dense. Nutritionally, this herb is high in vitamins C, A, E, and K. It also has significant amounts of calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium
It builds and repairs. As we consume this plant, all of our body tissues are getting just what they need for the growth, and development, and repair. Collagen is formed, iron is absorbed, and our immune system is bolstered. Wounds are healed, and our cartilage, bones, and teeth are strengthened. Our eyes and vision are nourished, and our blood is regulated.
It protects and detoxifies. Compounds formed in this plant and released into our system as we chew and digest, flush out our body protecting from virus and cleansing out of parasites and bacteria. Phytochemicals supplied by this herb remove toxic heavy metals from the body especially from the brain and the liver. Brain fog is lifted and memory aided.
It’s medicine. In folk medicines, cilantro has been used for the relief of anxiety and insomnia. Making tea out of the leaves has been used to clear mucus in the body and to treat cough. Oils used to scent perfumes an lip balms and tooth paste. Essential oil used to soothe cramps and muscle tension. It has often been used in love potions.
What Advise for living does this plant give?
Grow fast. Be fragrant and fruitful. From head to toe, be useful. No matter what reaction you evoke from others, be all that you are. With clarity, enjoy the coolness of the morning and the full sun of the day. Draw out the poison from within and release; cleanse and relax.
Questions
Do you cultivate herbs?
Do you grow your own cilantro?
Do you like the taste of cilantro?
Are you aware of the benefits of cilantro?
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Resources:
“Coriander and Cilantro; Silk Rotes.” https://iwp.uiowa.edu/silkroutes/coriander-and-cilantro. Accessed June 5, 2021.
William, Anthony. “Cilantro—Life Changing Food.” https://www.medicalmedium.com/blog/cilantro-life-changing-food. Accessed June 4, 2021.
4 Cultivating Kohlrabi Microgreens
Do you have an interest in growing your own greens?
Reflection
A member of the Brassica family, kohlrabi is a delight to grow. Long and leafy, white, purple, and light-green stems stretch towards the light. I eat mine raw in salads, and wraps, and sometimes in smoothies and smoothie bowls. I also use them as topping for nice cream. Some people cook them and do things like toss them in soups or use them as potato or taco toppings. Whatever way you choose to munch on these greens, loading up on kohlrabi microgreens, means loading up on nutrition and receiving the many health benefits they offer. Very tasty and a pleasure to grow, if you are interested, read on, and I will show you how to grow your very own lovely kohlrabi microgreens at home.
When grown outdoors and allowed to mature to its full size, the kohlrabi looks like and tastes a bit like a cross between a cabbage and a turnip. The name, derived from German, means “cabbageturnip.” This interesting plant, sometimes called the “Poor Man’s Cabbage,” has been grown in Europe and Asia for centuries. As a microgreen, the light and crunchy kohlrabi has a mild and peppery taste which makes it a great addition if you are looking to add a little spice to your dish.
The kohlrabi microgreen has a packed nutrient profile. One cup has only 35 calories; so, you can eat a lot, loading up on nutrients, not expanding the waistline.
This green is a great source of fiber which regulates the digestive system, promotes overall gut health, and controls blood sugar. It is also high in vitamins C that fortifies the immune system, fights cardiovascular disease, and tightens the skin; and, vitamin B6 which also boosts the immune system and promotes the healthy production of red blood cells. Aside from the vitamins, kohlrabi has significant amounts of calcium, potassium, copper, and iron as well as a high protein content.
If you’re growing purple kohlrabi microgreens, you’ll have the added benefit of a natural compound called anthocyanin, an antioxidant, which gives it its reddish-purple color.
3 Consider the Mulberry
Do you know how beneficial berries are?
Reflection
Black, white, and red from China and the Eastern states of North America spread, the sprawling mulberry. Gracing growers for centuries, this ancient tree itself is cultivated for its shade; its leaves are grown for teas, and medicines, and animal foods, and its fruit—its fruit is for me. Picking now, my hands are red with it. Under the mulberry tree in May, picking the fruits, I feel a solidarity with the birds that flit about in the upper branches. I wonder if the fox I spotted earlier also enjoys their flavor - hydrating and sweet, a delicious treat—I enjoy everything about my mulberry experience -
A sweet and delicate berry, the mulberry fruit grows on trees. From green to white, pink to red, purple, blue to black, these fruits are packed with color— and that means nutrients! I like them raw. Do not cook my berries! People do - they preserve them too - dried is nice. A popular berry - the mulberry is sweet and nutritious.
The Mulberry Tree by Vincent Van Gogh
Eating the mulberry fruit or making a tea of the leaves has many benefits.
Low in calories, only 60 per cup, fresh mulberries are mostly water. They are also a source of carbs, proteins, fiber and fat. Mulberries are rich in many vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamin C and iron. Because of this, eating them benefits skin health and helps the body with various functions such as transporting oxygen. Mulberries also have vitamin K, which is good for blood and bone health; potassium, which lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart disease, and vitamin E, an antioxidant which protects and repairs.
Fun Fact:
The mulberry leaf is the only food of the silkworm.
Questions:
Do you know a mulberry tree when you see it?
Have you ever eaten a mulberry?
Do you like to eat berries?
Do you know how beneficial berries are?
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2 Fats
“Aim to get 80 percent of your calories from carbohydrates, 10 percent from fat, and 10 percent from protein.”
Reflection
Every day, I eat a variety of whole foods in forms as close to their natural state as possible. I eat fruits, and herbs, and greens, and vegetables. I eat nuts and seeds. Other animals are not my food. I do not eat them. I also avoid processed foods and added salt, oils, and sugars.
As I eat my plant-based diet, I get 80% of my calories come from carbohydrates, 10% are from protein, and 10% from fat. As a high-carbed-low-fat-plant-eater, I thrive. Initially, to get an understanding about what I was eating and the balance of my diet, I used Cronometer to track my nutrients. For a few years, I recorded in my Chronometer diary, all of the foods that I would eat for the day. In this way, I learned a lot about the nutritional value of each one. I was careful to get all of my required nutrients and to keep the 80-10-10 balance that I knew would work for me. Now I have a pretty good understanding of what foods give me what. I plan my meals and eat my foods without having to track the nutrients daily.
In all that I eat, for today, I want to focus on the fat. The what and why of the fat I eat.
I eat fat. Fat benefits my body. Whole plant foods supply my all fat needs. I really don’t have to worry about “good” fats or “bad” fats because in their whole forms, there are no “bad” plant fats. Perfectly packaged with fiber and nutrients, the fats I choose are pure and natural without cholesterol and without chemicals. I fuel up with an adequate supply of short chain fatty acids found in monounsaturated and in the omegas. I get my fats from the same place other animals get them: plants. I avoid oils. Clear and nearly tasteless, highly refined and processed, oils are highly inflammatory. Most oils are unbalanced and high in omega 6, lacking the balance of the omega 3. This unbalance has undesirable effects such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, cancer and more. Why not oils? Oils are not whole foods. They are processed. They are so condensed. Heavy on the calories and not very tasty, I do not add them in any way. Instead of coconut oil, give me the coconut. Instead of olive oil, bring on the olives. Instead of sesame oil, I eat the seeds. I enjoy my fats in their whole forms. I like the taste better, and they agree with me.
The fats that I eat are whole fats from plants, and are beneficial to my body. The monounsaturated fats and the omegas found seeds, and nuts, and avocados nourish me. Because of my choice to only eat whole plants, I avoid all of the saturated and trans fats of meat and dairy and man-made hydrogenated oils. I keep my omegas in balance the 3 as much as the 6. My body does not make these double bonded, polyunsaturated fats. I must get them from my diet. And I do! They are essential! They are not only used for energy or stored, but are utilized well by my body performing processes like blood clotting and reducing inflammation. The 6s are inflammatory and the 3s are anti-inflammatory — Just what my body needs! Inflammation is a defense - protecting me from infection and injury if kept in check. Unbalanced with 3, too much of the 6s lead to heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. A diet with balanced amounts of the omegas does not have these side effects and also reduces inflammation.
I combine my fats with my greens for optimum nutrient intake. Studies have shown that because many of the nutrients are fat soluble, the fats are the way that the body is able to break down and absorb them. Because of the variance in digestive rates, fruits and fats do not make a good combination. The fruits digest so quickly and the fats, more dense take so much longer. Because I keep my fat intake low, I eat my fats a little at a time with my green smoothies, and at night, I add them to my large salads.
I eat low fat because of the design of my body - the human body. As a human, my body runs on carbs. I am a sugar being. Sugar that comes from plants. Whole plants. My cells run on sugar. Eating fruits and greens, the sugar, assisted by the fiber, is slowly released into my blood stream as glucose, waiting to be incorporated into the cells where it will be burned as fuel. My body is aware of the sugar in the blood, and sends out the message. My pancreas responds and sends insulin, the gatekeeper, to unlock the cells so that the sugar can enter. As a low-fat-plant-eater, this cycle runs brilliantly. I eat, my body burns the fuel, and I perform like a well-tuned race car - perfectly purring through life.
However, if I choose to eat a high-fat meal, the fat enters my body and coats my cells. The sugar is released and the signal for insulin resounds. In comes insulin, but the locks are gummed. This hormone has a difficult time opening my cells. The sugar gets backlogged into my blood stream. Problems occur. There is so much sugar in the blood. More insulin is sent. More and more. The sugar becomes food for yeast and parasites. Feelings of heaviness arise. Lethargy. Cravings. My body wants fuel, but the intake is slow. Fat is the cause of why the sugar can not get into the cell. That is another one of the whys I eat low fat.
There are other unfavorable side-effects of high-fat diet too. I like to eat. I like to eat a lot. If I choose to eat larger portions of the higher calorie foods of nuts and seeds, my calorie intake would be off the charts. Also, my body only needs a small percentage of fat to get all of the fat related tasks completed like absorbing nutrients, producing hormones, and growing my hair. If I fueled up on fats, I would eat less carbs. My body runs on carbs, and so - I would not be as energetic as I am now - lol - my husband calls me the Eveready Rabbit. And it is true - my fuel is clean and well-balanced. My energy goes and goes and goes. Also, the fat that is not used - is stored. I do not want to carry the weight of extra fat around on me day after day. I like being comfortable in my skin. I like having energy to live the life I love and to do all that I desire to do. That is why — my diet is balanced the way that it is — so that I can thrive - and I do - I thrive.
To put the low-fat into perspective, as an 80-10-10 eater, if you are eating 2400 calories a day, at 10%, 240 of those calories would be from fat. This is about 26 to 27 grams of fat.
Fats are beneficial - important for my brain, my skin, my hormones, my nails, my cells, my hair. Also eating fat with greens boosts the nutrients uptake. When eating greens abundantly I can get about 5% of my fats. To move it to 10 to 12%, I eat whole nuts and seeds. When I am feeling hungry and am looking to fill up, I choose fruits and vegetables. I measure out my fats with awareness. I eat them - with awareness. And I am thankful for all of the benefits my body receives!
A Few of My Favorite fats:
Avocados
A great source of vitamins C, E, K, and B-6, as well as riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium, avocados are a naturally nutrient-dense stone- fruit that contain nearly 20 vitamins and minerals. They also provide lutein, beta-carotene, and the essential omega-3 fatty acids.
Raw Hulled Hemp Seeds
Hemp seeds are a great source of fiber and protein and contain all the essential amino acids. They supply many micro-nutrients such as magnesium, thiamine, and zinc.
They have an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio: 3:1 which makes them perfect to pair in a What I Eat in a Day plan with chia seeds which are higher in the omega 3, having a 1:3
Walnuts
Walnuts are a health food for sure and have been the subject of scientific scrutiny for many years. Studies have discovered them to be rich in antioxidants a great plant source for the anti-inflammatory omega-3s. They have discovered that they create a healthy gut by feeding good bacteria, reduce the risk of cancer, help to control appetite and hunger.
Chia Seeds
Small but powerful, chia seeds are hailed as one
of the most nutritious foods on the planet. Loaded with fiber,
omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and various micro-nutrients including manganese and zinc and many of the B vitamins, they are a perfect addition to green smoothies!
Omega 6 to 3 ratio: 1:3
Sources
Campbell, T. Colin. Nutritional Studies :
Fat and Plant-based Diets https://nutritionstudies.org/fat-plant-based-diets/
Greger, Michael. Nutritional Facts :
What Causes Insulin Resistance: https://youtu.be/Aw8hufhIDu0
Good, Great, Bad, and Killer Fats https://nutritionfacts.org/video/good-great-bad-killer-fats/
1 Prelude
Do you you enjoy second breakfasts?
Reflection
In this month and this series, my world moves joyfully from the emergence energies of spring to the all-out greens of summer. I celebrate the growth. With observations, readings, and journal entries, I consider and consult. With seeds and gardening tools, I cultivate; I harvest! Berries, herbs, and microgreens—abundant, fresh, nourishing—carefully sown, mindfully grown, ready to be perfectly plated. So many types, so many offerings. And brunch! I am redefining this term “brunch.” For me, it’s a second breakfast or first lunch made of Mother Earth’s many offerings. The table is set; I hope you will join me. I’m writing down the recipes—perhaps you would like to make an late spring or early summer celebratory brunch of your own!