(big payoff after the jump)

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Other than drying or freezing them, another way to use fresh herbs to create delicious herbal taste into the colder months when we may not have as hearty a harvest available (although window herb planters are kind of cool for winter-fresh herbs.

Herb-Infused Vinegars
As Kelli Best-Oliver wrote earlier this week in her ‘five cool things to do with herbs’, making herb-flavored vinegars is pretty easy. She suggests heating the vinegar slightly. I’ve never done that, but it seems like a good idea!

I usually use white wine, white balsamic or champaign vinegars for these. My current favorite (and the one people are getting for x-mas this year) is tarragon vinegar, which of course makes an awesome bernaise sauce (always served at our traditional McWilliams family Christmas eve dinners).

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And the Europeans are ready to spend US$ 130 million annually to enliven the old adage - an apple a day keeps the doctor away - as well as improve their carbon footprint by promoting greener consumption.

But Europe is also grappling with weight as a serious health issue and now a strategy to fight obesity in kids is being pushed through European parliament to provide free fresh fruits and vegetables to school children.

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This diet, known worldwide for its positive effects on health and its preventive effect, is increasingly left alone right in our country: six out of ten families have changed over the years their habits. In declining consumption of bread, fruit, vegetables and olive oil while increasing the consumption of fat and calories.

Cause of price increases? Perhaps, but not alone. This shows a recent survey of FAO in the last 45 years the Mediterranean diet was gradually abandoned precisely in places where originates. “A great pity - comments the professor Ferrari - because healthy eating is the most effective way to stay healthy.”

It’s the winning weapon of prevention ‘

In Italy it is estimated about 15 million hypertensive, 3 million to 4 million diabetics. A citizen on 5 presents cholesterol values too high. Just to improve the level of awareness of citizens on this issue is born in Italy the first observatory to the enhancement of the Mediterranean diet. “A permanent structure, with a home made available by the Region of Sicily, a partner in the project which will involve the most relevant disciplines,” continues Professor. Ferrari, which is of the Scientific Committee chairman.
In addition to cardiology, are also involved oncology and diabetes, but also the metabolic diseases and paediatrics. “Why this diet - insists Ferrari - is really the weapon winning for the prevention of diseases daughters so-called welfare.

The Centre, which will have a dedicated site (www.dietamediterraneaesalute.org), will be operational from mid-September.

THESE FOODS TO MAKE THE TABLE IN
The Mediterranean diet type is formed to 15% from protein, 60% from carbohydrates and 25% from fat.
There is no iron diet, but experts recommend using:

DAILY: whole cereals and tubers: bread and whole wheat pasta, rice, corn, etc.; pulses and green beans, peas, chickpeas etc.., And all types of fruit, pulp and shell, all the vegetables and vegetables; condiments: extra virgin olive oil, fresh herbs: basil, thyme, garlic, oregano etc..; whole milk or cow’s and goat cheese; wine.

THREE TIMES A WEEK: meat: predominantly white, and then poultry like chicken and turkey. Or rabbit, pork and veal; fish: Predominantly blue as anchovies, sardines, herring, aguglie, mackerel, spatulas, etc..; Eggs.

WITH LESS FREQUENCY: sweet, red meat.

From dispel the idea that pasta is a high-calorie food: are the condiments fats, which often are added in excessive quantities, to raise the caloric intake of pasta dish. In itself, however, this product, suited to form the backbone of a meal, provides about 350 calories per 100 grams, a perfectly reasonable if one considers that 80 grams of a good ration is only 280 calories.

As condiment is good rather avoid using excessive quantities of fat (butter, lard, margarine, etc..), Bacon, cheese, cream, instead giving preference to sauce and tomato in olive oil. There are few fried, remembering that olive oil was considered safer fat for frying.

Rice is easily digested and has low allergen aspects, so it is commonly recommended as the first food you introduce to your baby. Many of the recipes for making baby cereals are time consuming, but with the use of the freezer and a blender, homemade rice cereal is simple and convenient.

This recipe is perfect for infants, but by adding a few “extras” it will tempt the taste buds of kids and adults.

Ingredients:

3 cups of brown rice, cooked according to package directions

12 ounces breast milk, water, or infant formula

Directions:

Place the cooked brown rice in a blender with the breast milk/water/formula. Puree until completely smooth – you cannot make this cereal too smooth. Pour the cereal into ice trays, cover and freeze overnight. Once frozen, pop the cubes out of the trays, place in a freezer bag or container, labeled with the date and return to the freezer. Lasts up to two months.

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Have no fear, Melinda Hemmelgarn is here. A national public health advocate, registered dietitian and award-winning “Food Sleuth” columnist, Hemmelgarn is the cape crusader for helping us, particularly if we have children, develop the savvy-thinking skills to objectively understand the media and thereby support a truly healthy food system. “After decades of working in the nutrition field, I grew convinced that the ‘eat healthy’ messages from the public health community simply weren’t working,” explains Hemmelgarn. “People aren’t changing their eating habits and a key reason why is that we are constantly bombarded with media messages promoting unhealthy food choices. When Pepsi has an annual advertising budget of $1.3 billion, their messages dilute the National Cancer Institute’s “eat more fruits and vegetables” messages, promoted with a budget of less than $5 million.”

Knowing that healthy food message couldn’t compete on advertising dollars, Hemmelgarn instead chose to help teach people how to navigate the message minefield of today’s vast media empire.

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One of the more challenging genetic attributes I inherited from my beautiful mother was a tendency to gain weight easily – and NOT lose it quite as easily. I watched her struggle constantly with various diets and nutritional fads. There never was ONE thing that really worked or helped her maintain her ideal weight or health.

I swore I would never ‘diet’ and I didn’t until a few years ago. When we were publishing Relevant Times, I had the privilege of interviewing Ann Louise Gittleman about a new book she had coming out at that time – Super Nutrition for Women. I was quite impressed with her, so when she came out with the Fat Flush Plan a few years ago, despite it’s sort of faddish title, I got the book and it made wonderful sense. It seemed like a highly intelligent, nutritional and scientific approach to healthy eating and weight loss and maintenance.

I had also been suffering from fibromyalgia (or so the doctors told me), and I had always noticed that whenever I did anything to support and cleanse my liver, I felt better. Liver health, being one important element of Gittleman’s Fat Flush Plan. So, for the first time in my life, I embarked on a ‘diet’ and was amazed by the results. Not only did I lose weight, but nearly all the fibromyalgia symptoms disappeared. She was on to something. However, it is not the easiest nutritional regimen to maintain. Some principals I have maintained for at least 4 years, but . . .

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By now, most of us have heard about the high-octane health benefits of acai berries, cultivated exclusively and naturally (without pesticides or chemicals) from the Amazon rainforest. Called by some* to be the “most nutritionally dense” berries, these little jewels apparently have more antioxidants than blueberries and more heart-healthy anthocyanins than red wine. They’re also rich with protein, dietary fiber, with high levels of Omega-3, Omega-6, and Omega-9 fatty acids. Plus, they’ll reduce the prices at the gas pump. (Okay, I’m not certain about that last part….)

But the trick is getting the acai berry pulp as close to the source as possible, and without being over-processed (which depletes the nutritional value considerably). Raw acai is the only sure way to get all the benefits of the berry, and unless you’re planning a trip to Brazil anytime soon, that can be tricky. Even though I’m very mindful of “food miles” and eat locally grown foods almost exclusively, I was eager and curious to try raw acai pulp that is processed as little as is safely possible. Enter Amazonfrutas….

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For someone who loves information, the internet can be both a wonderful temptation and and a hopeless disappointment. The good, the bad, the well-researched and the total garbage all sit side-by-side out there in cyberspace. Information on food and farming is plentiful, but not all of it is accurate, informative, or useful. One site that I have found is really worth keeping an eye on is the Organic Consumer’s Association.

If you are interested in things like organic standards, genetically engineered foods, food safety, worker rights, fair trade, hunger, supporting small farms or nearly any other current food/farming issue, take a look at this web site. The Organic Consumer’s Association was started in 1998

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Too bad Popeye didn’t know Angie Tagtow, an environmental nutritionist based in Iowa and a leading advocate championing public access to fresh, affordable, sustainably raised food. “Local food is a dream team blend of nutrients and health benefits,” explains Tagtow. “Food’s nutrient value starts to decrease right after it is harvested. Local food is picked and then quickly eaten at the peak of ripeness. It’s thereby fresh, tastes great and packs a more nutritious punch than what might be shipped and processed 1,500 miles away.”

Local, fresh spinach would have also gifted Popeye with a decent long-term health insurance plan.

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But just as awareness is growing about food issues in general, people all over the country are trying to change school food into something we actually WANT our children to eat. So far, these efforts are local, occurring mostly by school or district. But they show that change is possible, and provide some great inspiration to parents and others who want to make things better.

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Cook, along with her husband, Wayne, currently milk a herd of 25 cows, selling their milk to Organic Valley Family of Farms, the largest farmer-owned organic cooperative in the country. She represents the rural renaissance of farming women today: smart, sassy, steadfastly committed to educating about the importance of sustainable agriculture — and still the kind of gal who would warmly welcome you into her farmhouse kitchen for coffee, cheesecake and conversation.

Farming organically for over twenty-five years, the Cooks represent a small but dedicated group of farmers who have operated under these principles for their entire agriculture career. “Wayne’s family always farmed organically, thanks to his independent grandparents who didn’t want any part in what they saw as the government pushing chemicals,” says Cook with a smile. “I grew up an army brat in Germany and never experienced conventional American agriculture. When you’re never exposed to chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the concept logically doesn’t make sense. We ourselves didn’t want to eat food laced with that stuff; why would we ever sell it to anyone else?”

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I have to admit that my 3rd grader doesn’t eat school lunches. She has tried what the kids call “hot lunch” exactly 3 times in her entire public school career. She doesn’t like them. At all. Every morning, I fix her lunch, and although I sometimes grumble a little, I am glad to get to choose what she can eat for her midday meal.

But lately, I have been thinking a lot about those hot lunches. For one thing, they feed a lot of children. Many of my daughter’s friends eat them frequently or always. In 2006, more than 30 million children in the U.S. each day ate school lunches. And the school lunch program has been all over the news lately. From downer cows that end up in our kids’ lunches to efforts in districts across the country to combat obesity and bad eating habits in school cafeterias, school lunches seem to be a metaphor for all the bigger issues about food in America today.

Depending on who you talk to, school lunches might be described as anything from a program that nourishes our kids

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A couple of years ago, I made a rare excursion to the doctor. A friend had recommended a holistically minded MD. I was skeptical, but was impressed as he seemed to have a healthy balance in his diagnostic abilities and his analysis of the best course of action, which may or may not include surgery, pharmaceuticals, acupuncture, or homeopathy. He is uncharacteristically knowledgeable about nutrition.

I was particularly impressed when my fiancé, who had seen a medical doctor about an abdominal hernia, went to Dr. Parvalescu for a second opinion. We expected the first doctor to push for surgery. He didn’t and said it wasn’t a big deal. When he went to Dr. Parvalescu, Dr. P insisted he take it seriously and go for surgery ASAP. He turned out to be right and I’ve trusted his judgment and knowledge of various aspects of medicine and health since then.

So, when he said I should start taking 2 tablespoons of coconut oil per day and insisted I get my daughters to do the same, I paid attention. He said he’s got his wife doing it and it has a multitude of health qualities, particularly for women.

I’ve been quite stunned by the things I’ve read. The Weston A. Price Foundation has a great paper, called, ‘A New Look at Coconut Oil’ on it that references a mess of studies. I highly recommend it.

Coconut oil is touted to have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, it has antimacrobial qualities, and it may reduce the risk of some cancers, among other claims.

Virgin v. Refined

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You know that it is wise to back up your computer’s hard drive; I recommend backing up your child’s food drive with a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement. This simple habit could improve your child’s health and even intelligence. I’ll explain briefly why I feel strongly about this:

For young babies, breast milk provides an ideal food.

The match between their complex nutritional needs and the milk that moms make is spectacular. In their dance of supply and demand, babies are designed with a drive to enjoy just the right amount and moms are designed to make just the right amount. Even so, I do suggest that many breastfed babies take 200 IU of vitamin D daily, as the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends – but not because of any lack in breast milk. We are built to get vitamin D from sun exposure. Because of the amount of time babies spend indoors, and the depleted-ozone-caused need for sunscreen when babies spend much time outdoors, many babies need an extra boost of this important vitamin, linked not just to building strong bones, but also to preventing breast cancer, colon cancer and Parkinson’s disease.

I used to think that when breast feeding was over, so was the age of perfect foods. Now I understand that children are perfectly designed to thrive on a balanced variety of whole foods: fresh fruits, various veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, and lean sources of protein and calcium. They are even designed to enjoy just the right amounts of these ideal foods, as long as their food drives aren’t tricked by empty calories, added fats, sweetened drinks, etc. Children should be able to get all of the vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients they need for optimum development by eating the right combinations and right amounts of healthful foods.

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While meat-eaters are supposed to consume 8 milligrams of iron (men and older women) and 18 milligrams (pre-menopausal women) respectively, the recommended USDA intake for vegetarian men and post-menopausal women is 14 milligrams and 33 milligrams for pre-menopausal vegetarian women.

Everyone knows that iron is an important part of the diet, but what exactly does it do? Iron is a component of hemoglobin cells, a type of blood cell that is responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body, helping organs to function properly and fortifying systems like metabolism, temperature regulation and the immune system. Iron performs the same cell-building function for myoglobin, an oxygen-carrying component of muscle tissue.

So how should vegetarians (and really, all of us) get all of this iron into our bodies? My top ten picks for vegetarian iron sources after the jump.

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Dear Vital Juice Daily,

- Marcia R.

Dear Marcia,

We did a little digging and here’s what we found about hemp:

One nutritious seed! Shelled hempseed is packed with 33% pure digestible protein (one of the highest levels from a plant source) and is rich in iron and vitamin E, as well as omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. Hemp also contains 3x the Vitamin E than flax. And unlike soy, hemp is not genetically modified so it’s free of the anti-nutritional qualities commonly found in soy.

Read the rest of VJD’s answer at Vital Juice Daily