Pink Orchard Berry Buster:
3 Apples
2 Handfuls of Red Berries such as Raspberries or Strawberries
Closely related to Black Orchard Berry Buster (which we covered the other day - see 10/10/12 post), but they differ in color and taste, although both are equally yummy.
Raspberries, like blackberries (Post 10/7/12), are members of the rose family - Rubus. The Red Raspberry is the one being used for this juice, Rubus idaeus.
In North American they are in season during the summer months, but luckily thanks to our advancements in shipping, you can usually get them year round. But we all know they taste best in the summer, usually in a pie or on ice cream.
Red raspberries, for such a small little fruit, carry an amazing amount and array or phytonutrients. They carry flavonoids (Post 10/4/12), Vitamin B2 (which plays a key role in metabolic energy), Vitamin B3, C & A. As well as, Manganese, Magnesium, Potassium, and Iron. (List of Other Benefits) These ruby red berries have been proven to support one's metabolism. New research suggests that raspberry phytonutrients may even be able to decrease risk of obesity as well as risk of fatty liver. Raspberries are also known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. So, consuming raspberries on a regular basis is highly recommended by the USDA...and me.
Emotional Lifestyle:
I think I'm addicted to the Food Network. Anyone else? I don't have television in my home and I cannot cook. If it has more than five ingredients and five steps, I'm out. I can't handle it. But, now being a nanny for a 10 month old - who naps twice a day - I have been turning on the TV and watching the Food Network... ... ...I love it. I sit there and act like I'm gonna cook the stuff - deep down I know that's not gonna happen - but I watch like I am 'thinking' about trying. Is it possible to get good at cooking purely by osmosis?
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Day 16:
Juice: Black Orchard Berry Buster
Black Orchard Berry Buster:
3 Apples
2 Handfuls of dark berries (such as blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrants)
Say that three times fast.
Black Orchard Berry Buster.
Black Orchard Berry Buster.
Black Orchard Berry Buster.
Nicely done.
Berry or Berries are defined as "a fleshy or pulpy indehiscent fruit with the seed embedded in the fleshy tissue of the pericarp." (Biology-online.org) What does that mean?
Well, indehiscent means "not opening at maturity" (Biology-online.org) like say, a flower.
Berries are in fact the plant's ovary, which has an edible pericarp.
Pericarp is "the wall of a fruit, developed from the ovary wall" (Biology-online.org) and it is composed of three layers:
Outer Layer - Exocarp
Central Layer - Mesocarp
Inner Layer - Endocarp
Botanically speaking, not only is a tomato a fruit, but it is also a berry. Most citrus fruits are also considered to be berries. So, the health benefits of berries is a lot of what we have covered and will cover in this blog.
Of course, this particular juice recipe specifies the type of berries to use, but just know - technically - there is leeway. Get creative with it. Personally, I blended Blackberries and Blueberries and added them to apple juice. I couldn't find blackcurrants, but they are not native to North American and thus less popular here.
Blackcurrants are "a temperate fruit crop native to central and northern Europe and northern Asia." (Source) The first time I ever had Blackcurrants or any currants for that matter, since I had Redcurrants too, was when I visited England for the first time when I was a teenager. They are delicious and used to flavor all sorts of deserts and juices in Europe. Black and Redcurrants are members of the Ribes family, which is where the juice Ribena (a popular juice in Europe) gets its name. So, if you can find them in your neighborhood. Give 'em a try.
Emotional Lifestyle:
I wish I were as clever as they. The video is a bit long, but it's worth it!
Ah....I wish I could watch that for the first time again.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Day 15:
Juice: Apple Blues
Apple Blues:
3 Apples
2 Handfuls of Blueberries
"Kaplink, Kaplank, Kaplunk" - Blueberries For Sal by Robert McCloskey
Blueberries!
A summertime favorite for me. Nothing says July like Blueberry Pie. Nowadays, Blueberries they can be enjoyed all year long, not just in the summer months.
The blue bulbs are actually one of the few fruits native to North America. They are perennial flowering plant from the Vaccinium family.
Well loved by Americans, Blueberries have been widely lauded for their "antioxidant capacities". Full of micronutrients like dietary minerals: manganese, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc and more, and vitamin C, vitamin K as well as a healthy dose of dietary fiber, blueberries pack quite a nutritional punch.
In recent studies, Agnes M. Rimando a Research Chemist at the Natural Products Utilization Research (with the USDA) states that some of the nutrient components in blueberries - mainly pterostilbene
(pronounced "tare-o-STILL-bean") (Source) - may help fight heart disease, cancer and cholesterol. She theorizes that "constituents in blueberry skins that can
activate a protein involved in the breakdown and import of fats." (Source).
So, not only a guilt free treat (blueberries are low glycemic), but also a great idea for you bodies daily function.
Emotional Lifestyle:
Okay, so the other night I watched the documentary Mansome (2012) by Morgan Spurlock - the documentarian who made Supersize Me. Yes, he has made other documentaries. Mansome is an attempt to look at the 'recent' identity crisis of men in the American culture through increasing popularity of 'manscaping'. Urban Dictionary defines Manscaping as "to groom a man. Shaving, waxing, cleaning up the superfluous fur." (Source) So, it is mainly about male hair.
Interested? It's on Instant Netflix.
Now, for those of you that have read my earlier posts or know me personally, you may have gleaned my position on this issue, but on the female side. However, I too have noticed the change. In the media and in the real world.
As a whole, the documentary is...okay. I just didn't think it did well "tying it all together". The attempt at transitions was a witty and sarcastic repartee between Jason Bateman & Will Arnett (who were actually executive producers for the film) while spending a day at the spa. Now, while this was hilarious and very Arrested Developmenty (LOVE the show), I think it detracted from what the documentary wanted us to look at. It put you in the mood to laugh at ridiculousness, so when we were supposed to be learning about why men of today's world would buy a product called "Fresh Balls" (which keeps the boys fresh day and night) or why a guy's beard is so important to him that he lives his life around it's maintenance and attends facial hair competitions, we were ready to laugh at it instead of actually look at it. I would have preferred to hear their actual thoughts and ideas on the issue.
But some of the individual segments are definitely interesting.
One of the women interview, Dr. Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist. (http://www.helenfisher.com/) During an interview in the documentary says makes note that men throughout history and many cultures have always been into there appearance - no dispute here. She then goes on to say, but now men are "allowed" to care about their appearance - okay.
'Allowed'? Or a commercial market now being played by our capitalistic society to buy material products and make other men/women rich?
Another interviewer (and I can't remember his name) mentioned that men's magazines are now playing on the insecurities of men, the way women's mags have been working over women for a long time. So, are they really being 'allowed' to do something they always wanted to do or covertly coerced?
...Welcome to the emotional bombardment boys! Bring your A Game. You'll need it...
Monday, October 8, 2012
Day 14:
Juice: Apple Pie
Apple Pie:
4 Apples
1/2 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
*Note: It is hard to stir in cinnamon after the fact because it tends to
get all clumpy. So, I poured the juice into a jar and shook the
cinnamon into the juice. "Shaken. Not Stirred"
*Also, this morning I wanted less juice, so I reduced the amount of apples. You are always allowed to do that.
I was incredibly excited for this juice. Okay I confess, I tend to sneak peaks at what lies ahead...I can't help it. Natalie Savona's book is just so beautiful and enticing. I kinda spend hours flipping through it. Eh heh.
This juice however grabbed my attention because of the cinnamon. I j'adore cinnamon! I put it in everything practically. I love it in coffee during the winter. I love it in almost all deserts and chocolates. I even douse my mashed up winter squash (mainly butternut) and sweet potatoes with it. But, I have not - until this morning that is - tried it in my juice.
Excitement.
Cinnamon has been highly regarded in many civilizations throughout
history. As a spice, as a scent or perfume and as a medicinal. Cinnamon is native to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malabar Coast of India and Burma, but is now cultivated across the globe.
The cinnamon tree is allowed to grow for two years before grower coppice the tree. What is Coppicing? You may ask.
cop·pice
noun
- an area of woodland in which trees and shrubs are, or formally were, periodically cut back to ground level to stimulate growth and provide firewood or timber.
Branches of the Cinnamon tree are then harvested. The tough outer bark is beaten off and discarded. Only the thin inner bark is used. It is cut into meter long strips which curl as they dry. (Source)
As Cinnamon is a favorite spice of many (not just me) it has been widely studied over the years. It contains many essential oils which contain many active ingredients like: "cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl acetate, and cinnamyl alcohol, plus a wide range of other volatile substances." (Source) These in ingredients help in many ways, helps with blood clotting, serves as an anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and new research is showing it helps to regulate blood sugar levels by enhancing insulin activities. I found a great article which researches cinnamon's many benefits for the purpose of helping those with Type 2 Diabetes. (From USDA)
So, not only is cinnamon amazing, but it is also comforting. It is known as a stomach warmer as well, much like ginger. I use cinnamon all year, but more so during this time of year - Fall and Winter. It just reminds me of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Emotional Lifestyle:
Watch this. Don't try this.
If this is your first time ever seeing GloZell, I highly recommend you catch up. The Willow Smith Video is good and the one she does about Westley Snipes. She is hilarious pretty much all of the time.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Day 13:
Juice: Winter Crumble
Winter Crumble:
2 Apples
2 Handfuls Blackberries
This is our first juice with the consistency of a smoothie. Some times when juicing particular fruits the juice comes out wonderfully smooth and frothy. Berries, peaches and pears tend to have that effect. If you like smoothies more than juices, this is a great juice for you. Also, you can juice your apple and blend your berries and mix. It will give you the smoothie texture with the crunch of the seeds and a little fiber.
Blackberries are a member of the Rosaceae Family (The Rose Family) and are an edible fruit produced by the Rubus fruticosus, a flowering plant. Blackberries are rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Omega-3 (in the seeds). Blackberries are widely known to quell stomach upsets and diarrhea. Throughout history the roots, leaves and berry have all been used to sooth skin irritations, inflammations, coughs and sore throats, especially Blackberry Tea. (Source)
Okay. I guess most of you knew that. Let's talk about it.
As a tour guide, giving out not only historical tours, but also tours that are so close to people's family history (It is said about 1 in 5 American's can trace their heritage to the Lower East Side), my credibility is always in question. Are you Irish? Are you Jewish? Were your parents immigrants? Are you a history major? Are you a volunteer? Are a citizen? The answers of course to these questions will never define who I am, but that isn't what they want. The visitors are looking to define my credibility. Why does this girl work here? What make her an authority? Now if I was giving hour long lectures on milk and cheese, everyone
would hear I was from Vermont and BAM...I might as well gotten a masters
in Dairy History.
But, being 'credible' is like being a piece of art. It is in the eye of the beholder.
Strange and abstract things make me credible or not credible and it seems most of the time I have very little say in the matter. People decide what they like with or without me.
When I first started giving tours this enraged me. Because people are obsessed with it. I am always getting questions about 'my background' - genetically and intellectually. Over time learned I couldn't control how people saw me - be it good or bad - so I just decided to be honest and to keep reminding myself that it didn't matter. "I know what I know. That's all I can do." I have gotten good at shrugging it off.
But, what continually astounds me is what people feel they are entitled to ask/comment about.
The last two Saturday's have been ripe with annoying visitors, but especially on my walking tours. It is like they get us (the guides) away from the herd and with no accountability, feel they can pounch especially hard.
Last Saturday, the first in October, I had a older gentleman on my hour and a half walking tour. It was just him and me - these types of tours are either amazing or awkward - this one was the latter. He was a retired HR Representative for some corporation who had become a Lifestyle Coach. He proceeded to ask me about my life, my four jobs, my family, my educational background, and my goals for the future. At first it seemed like small talk, then he started suggesting things for me - including getting a lifestyle coach. He thought "perhaps I was lost in the flurry," and "though I showed initiative, clearly I did not have a lot of follow through."
Yeah. So, I just laughed and smiled. What was I going to do argue with the one person on my tour?
This Saturday, I had a walking tour of 20 people. A man, on the tour with his wife and teenage daughter, asked me where I went to school.
I told him: Emerson College.
The daughter and mother made sounds of recognition.
The mother said their daughter had been looking at Emerson.
I asked what the daughter wanted to do.
She didn't know.
I said Emerson was a good school.
The father then said, "Yeah if you want to be a tour guide"
Yeah. I just laughed and said it was a good school that taught me how to speak publicly.
The father then asked what I majored in.
I replied that I went for screenwriting.
The mother then told me a family friend was there for screenwriting as well.
The father then chimed in, "But she's very talented."
Thankfully, the conversation ended there because I had to continue the tour, but it amazed me. At the end of the tour, the father and mother pulled me aside and raved about how great the tour was, so clearly they didn't think the conversation was rude in anyway.
I do not understand why people do this and I try to not to think about it too much, but it happens a lot.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Day 12:
Juice: Apple Cleanser
Apple Cleanser:
2 Apples
2 Kale Leaves
1 Stick of Celery
1/3 Long Cucumber
1/2 Beet
I love this juice. I have had it before, when I was on my eight day juice fast. It is refreshing, a little sweat and crammed with goodness.
A lot of new ingredients today, but I am not going to talk about any of them. My blog went public yesterday (aka on facebook and a couple of emails I sent out) and I've already got a lot of comments and suggestions. Thank you! But, I did see a theme in a lot of the comments/ questions. A lot of people wanted to know about my juicing equipment. I covered this a bit in first entry, but I thought I'd go over it again and get a little more into it.
Juicing is when the liquid (juice) is extracted from plant tissues (fruits and vegetables). In order to do this you need a juicer - not a Magic Bullet, Vitamix, or blender. If it doesn't separate juice from pulp than is not a juicer.
*Please note: I will get to smoothie recipes later in the book, but right now it is juice.*
Juicers range in price from thirty dollars to thousands of dollars. Be careful with the low end ones - not only can they be shotty - but they can be small and you'll have to dice all of you vegetables before putting them in. And who wants to do that?
I use a Hamilton "Big Mouth" Juicer. About $50.00 on Amazon.
I researched juicer models extensively before...well putting it on my Christmas list and letting my mother buy it for me...and I encourage you to do the same. I found the Hamilton "Big Mouth" Juicer to be the best on the market for a price I could afford. I have had it for almost a year and I have no complaints so far. As long as you are diligent at cleaning your juicer, it will last.
However, one day I am hoping to get my hands on a Breville Juicer (Breville Juicers On Amazon.com). Breville's are (according to many juice blogs and websites) the best on the market.
Most fruits and vegetables can be juiced with the skin on, but alas the
skins are often waxed and carrying a lot of the pesticides used to farm
them. So. buy organically whenever possible. If you cannot, which happens (I get it) then be sure to buy a vegetable scrubber and produce wash before juicing. This is a brand I like: http://www.vermontsoap.com/vegwash.shtml.
Produce Wash & Produce Scrubber
Now, most people recommend preparing, cutting, washing everything before storing it in your fridge or cupboards. Apparently, people are less likely to juice if everything isn't ready to go. However, I have not found this to be true, but if you suspect you might be one of these people try prepping it all right after you buy it.
I just pull out what I need and prep it right before it.
*Note: I peeled my cucumber since it was not organic and I am out of Produce Wash.
I then chuck it all into the juicer - usually greens and celery (the fibrous stuff) go in between the apples and cucumber, so they don't clog up the juicer.
*Note: The Key Foods bag is in the pulp catcher because I'm lazy and don't want to wash it. So, instead, I just tie it up and throw it all away.
Foam/ froth on the top of juice is normal. Separation (which you can't really see here) within juice is normal.
I usually just give it a little stir and voila! Yum.
I know this has been making the rounds all over town, but I wanted to interject some thoughts.
Firstly, they keep calling The Guy who wrote the letter a bully...but I don't think he is. I think he is a normal judgmental human who has his priorities all messed up. He probably thought his letter was going to be news to her. He probably thought he was 'helping', so I don't think it can be called 'bullying'. At least in my mind, bullying is something hurtful one does just for the sake of being hurtful...I hope that makes sense.
Secondly, this doesn't surprise me in the least, especially that it came from a man. I wonder if this email would have been written to a male anchor, probably not. Working at the museum, giving tours, I show images of families - both fathers and mothers - and an interesting thing that I have seen is the willingness and the freedom people have when commenting on females bodies. Both Men and Women are guilty in this, but Older Men are the most frequent. I show pictures of the fathers and mothers, who were poor. Father is shown - nothing. Mother is shown - everyone is twittering and commenting: "Well, she doesn't look like she's starving"
Yeah, well, thank god for that. These women weren't allowed to work outside the home, they weren't allowed to vote, they watched their children die of diseases, they died themselves in childbirth and yet....the only thing people can conjure up is THAT.
It used to infuriate me to no end, especially being a woman standing there in front of their judgmental eyes, until a colleague (who is the best) told me to fire back asking: "Interesting. Does that make them less sympathetic to you know that you see she wasn't 'starving'?" BAM! I know.
Except what I realized, sadly, as I asked people this is...they didn't even realizing they were making a huge judgement based on physical appearance until I said something. It was habitual.
So, to me this says, this is so rooted in our culture that people haven't really thought about it in a while.
It is so rooted, that a clearly, well-spoken, intelligent woman, who is a successful television anchor (which is no small potatoes for anyone, let alone being outside the Hollywood body type) somehow in the realm of our culture could be considered a 'bad influence' because she is 'fat'. Somehow all of the skills, which she so clearly possesses, are void because of her external appearance.
Yum-zo
Tangerines - let's talk turkey. So, Tangerines are apart of the citrus family, closely related to oranges, but smaller and generally sweeter. The peak time for tangerines is now - October to April. Get 'em while they're hot folks.
Tangerines carry a huge amount of Vitamin C, much like their relatives Oranges (Check Out Day 9 For More About Oranges). But, I didn't cover it all it seems. Apparently, biomedical researchers interest in citrus fruits has been growing since the mid-2000's due to citrus flavonoids.
What the heck is a flavonoid?
Well, I talked about them briefly in one of my other entries, but they've been getting a lot of press lately, so I'll give them a little more too. Flavonoids are compounds found in fruits and vegetable and actually some beverages (certain hops carry a surprising amount of flavonoids). Flavonoids have a variety of beneficial biochemical and antioxidant effects. They are also referred to collectively as Vitamin P. (For More On Classifications Of Flavonoids).
Now, when you look up these biochemical or phytochemical compounds you'll either find a very, very vague description or a very, very, scientific description.
Vague:
"Flavonoids are plant-based compounds with powerful antioxidant
properties, which means they reduce inflammation, promote healthy
arteries, and help fight aging by preventing -- and repairing --
cellular damage"(Source)
*Quick, easy, and gets the job done, without explaining why.
Scientific:
"Flavonoids are
polyphenolic compounds that are ubiquitous in nature and are categorized,
according to chemical structure, into flavonols, flavones, flavanones,
isoflavones, catechins, anthocyanidins and chalcones. Over 4,000 flavonoids have
been identified, many of which occur in fruits, vegetables and beverages (tea,
coffee, beer, wine and fruit drinks). The flavonoids have aroused considerable
interest recently because of their potential beneficial effects on human
health-they have been reported to have antiviral, anti-allergic, antiplatelet,
anti-inflammatory, antitumor and antioxidant activities. Antioxidants are compounds
that protect cells against the damaging effects of reactive oxygen species, such
as singlet oxygen, superoxide, peroxyl radicals, hydroxyl radicals and
peroxynitrite. An imbalance between antioxidants and reactive oxygen species
results in oxidative stress, leading to cellular damage." (Source) *WTF, mate? SO, from what I can gather based on these two sources and these to papers released by the USDA on flavonoids (USDA Data on Flavonoids; USDA Data on Citrus Flavonoids) is that flavonoids are used by your body to help fight protect cells against damage and decay from external toxins and the radical components floating around internally. This is excellent, especially when you live in a city like New York and are exposed lots of junk everyday.
Emotional Lifestyle:
I don't understand how people can watch commercials for over the counter or prescription drugs and take them seriously. Maybe it's just because I was raised without television and with a healthy distrusts in pharmaceutical wonder drugs...I don't know....but drug, vitamin, and over the counter med. commercials all get the same judgmental skepticism I use while watching shampoo commercials. I mean at the end of the day they're all going to do something, whether it is the desired result of luscious, luminous curls or a horrible adverse reaction leading to sever itchiness all over your body - something will probably happen. So, when a commercial is on, I like to listen - really listen - to what they are saying and figure out the gaps.
One of my favorites is the 5-Hour Energy Commercial that was on around the Olympics (mainly I saw it on Comedy Central shows online, since I don't have TV). It is ridiculous.
I love it.
73% of the 'over 3,000' doctors said they would recommend "a low calorie energy supplement to their healthy patients, who use energy supplements." Then a little grey box with tiny white writing appears at the bottom of the screen: "56% would specifically recommend 5-Hour Energy for their healthy patients, who use energy supplements."
Okay, so not 73% said 5-Hour Energy specifically...whatever 56% is a strong amount. They could have gone with "over half" instead of 73%, but obviously the higher number is a corporate preference. It also repeats 73% like it is an astounding figure. Guess what 5-Hour Energy, in school 73% is a C and sometimes even a C-, so I wouldn't keep repeating that. But the commercial goodness goes on... It then says: "5-Hour Energy has 4 Calories and is used over 9 million times a week..." 9 million times a week! Wow! Clearly everybody's doing it guys, so why aren't you. Some nice school yard peer pressure for ya'll, but I also love that it says that figure as if all of the people already using 5-Hour energy (9 million times a day) are the same "healthy patients" that doctors would recommend it to...sure, we'll go with that.
I saw a new one on TV the other day, while babysitting. I couldn't find the video online, but...it was for Woman's 1-A-Day multi-vitamins. Firstly, she was ballroom dancing in the commercial, obviously, because what else does the average woman do. Secondly, it says Woman's 1-A-Day's promotes "cell heath" - the woman twirls into the arms of her male dance partner - then the commercial says "research has shown that cell health is important to daily life"............................................................................................................................. ....Wait really? You mean to tell me researchers have discovered that cells - the fundamental building blocks of our bodies - should be healthy to help us with the daily function of our bodies! Go figure! Seriously, everyone should be more discerning when it comes to commercials, especially when dealing with your health. If everyone researched food, medication and doctors like they researched a car before buying it...maybe everyone would be a little healthier. Just food for thought.
