Showing posts with label getting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label getting. Show all posts
Drink Less for Strong Bones Tips to avoid getting tipsy
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Heavy drinking is a health risk for many reasons, including the effects on bones.
Research shows that chronic heavy alcohol use, especially during adolescence and young adult years, can dramatically affect bone health and increase the risk of osteoporosis later in life.
What do doctors advise? Drink less for strong bones.
Calcium is an essential nutrient for healthy bones, and alcohol is its enemy. "Alcohol has multiple effects on calcium," says Primal Kaur, MD, an osteoporosis specialist at Temple University Health System in Philadelphia. "The bones deteriorate because not enough calcium is getting into bones -- and the body is leaching it away from bones."
How Does Alcohol Harm Your Bones?
When you imbibe too much -- 2 to 3 ounces of alcohol every day -- the stomach does not absorb calcium adequately, Kaur explains. "Alcohol interferes with the pancreas and its absorption of calcium and vitamin D. Alcohol also affects the liver, which is important for activating vitamin D -- which is also important for calcium absorption."
The hormones important to bone health also go awry. Some studies suggest that alcohol decreases estrogen and can lead to irregular periods. As estrogen declines, bone remodeling slows and leads to bone loss. If youre in the menopausal years, this adds to the bone loss thats naturally occurring, says Kaur.
Theres an increase in two potentially bone-damaging hormones, cortisol and parathyroid hormone. High levels of cortisol seen in people with alcoholism can decrease bone formation and increase bone breakdown. Chronic alcohol consumption also increases parathyroid hormone, which leaches calcium from the bone, she says.
Also, excess alcohol kills osteoblasts, the bone-making cells, Kaur adds. To compound the problem, nutritional deficiencies from heavy drinking can lead to peripheral neuropathy -- nerve damage to hands and feet. And chronic alcohol abuse can affect balance, which can lead to falls, she explains.
Drinking and Your Risk of Fracture
Heavy drinkers are more likely to suffer frequent fractures due to brittle bones and nerve damage, especially hip and spine fractures, Kaur says. Those fractures will likely heal slowly because of malnutrition.
When you quit drinking, your bones may recover fairly rapidly. Some studies have found that lost bone can be partially restored when alcohol abuse ends.
If youre a smoker, its important that you quit that habit, too. "If you are a heavy drinker who also smokes, it makes your bone problems even worse," Kaur tells . "You need to quit both habits, or osteoporosis treatment is not going to work." In fact, studies suggest that quitting smoking helps people recover from alcoholism.
Drink Less for Strong Bones
Summer barbecues, family get-togethers, after-work happy hours -- theyre full of temptations. Everyones drinking, having a good time. If youre used to imbibing, its hard to say no. But if youre goal is strong bones, these tips will help you drink less.
"Its difficult to deny yourself," says Murray Dabby, LCSW, director of the Atlanta Center for Social Therapy. "Theore, you have to find something to say yes to. ... Thats the more winning strategy."
Saying yes to healthy living is a good first step, "Take the focus off not drinking or not smoking."
As a coach and therapist, he asks people to understand their relationship to alcohol. "That relationship says a lot about how you see yourself -- Im socially awkward, Im shy, Im anxious, Im insecure, and alcohol makes me feel more comfortable."
To overcome shyness sans alcohol, heres his suggestion: "As Shakespeare would say, Life is a stage. Create a new performance for yourself. Act like the person you want to be," Dabby says.
If parties make you self-conscious, heres a positive approach: Act like youre the co-host. "Focus on making people comfortable rather than worrying about yourself," he explains. "Go around greeting everyone, asking how they know the host. Perform as if youre the friendliest person at the party. You wont need alcohol to cover up your nervousness."
Another tactic: Pretend that youre tipsy. If you love going to karaoke bars but cant enjoy it without alcohol, simply pretend, Dabby suggests. "Order ginger ale, but act like youre tipsy." Thats the approach that one person took, "It was very successful for him. He found he could ham it up without alcohol."
If after-work happy hours are a problem, dont focus on drinking: "Focus on getting to know your co-workers. Be curious, ask questions. Focus on relationship-building, because thats a positive thing,” Dabby says. “Order ginger ale or another nonalcoholic drink. You dont have to tell anyone you have trouble with alcohol."
Research shows that chronic heavy alcohol use, especially during adolescence and young adult years, can dramatically affect bone health and increase the risk of osteoporosis later in life.
What do doctors advise? Drink less for strong bones.
Calcium is an essential nutrient for healthy bones, and alcohol is its enemy. "Alcohol has multiple effects on calcium," says Primal Kaur, MD, an osteoporosis specialist at Temple University Health System in Philadelphia. "The bones deteriorate because not enough calcium is getting into bones -- and the body is leaching it away from bones."
How Does Alcohol Harm Your Bones?
When you imbibe too much -- 2 to 3 ounces of alcohol every day -- the stomach does not absorb calcium adequately, Kaur explains. "Alcohol interferes with the pancreas and its absorption of calcium and vitamin D. Alcohol also affects the liver, which is important for activating vitamin D -- which is also important for calcium absorption."
The hormones important to bone health also go awry. Some studies suggest that alcohol decreases estrogen and can lead to irregular periods. As estrogen declines, bone remodeling slows and leads to bone loss. If youre in the menopausal years, this adds to the bone loss thats naturally occurring, says Kaur.
Theres an increase in two potentially bone-damaging hormones, cortisol and parathyroid hormone. High levels of cortisol seen in people with alcoholism can decrease bone formation and increase bone breakdown. Chronic alcohol consumption also increases parathyroid hormone, which leaches calcium from the bone, she says.
Also, excess alcohol kills osteoblasts, the bone-making cells, Kaur adds. To compound the problem, nutritional deficiencies from heavy drinking can lead to peripheral neuropathy -- nerve damage to hands and feet. And chronic alcohol abuse can affect balance, which can lead to falls, she explains.
Drinking and Your Risk of Fracture
Heavy drinkers are more likely to suffer frequent fractures due to brittle bones and nerve damage, especially hip and spine fractures, Kaur says. Those fractures will likely heal slowly because of malnutrition.
When you quit drinking, your bones may recover fairly rapidly. Some studies have found that lost bone can be partially restored when alcohol abuse ends.
If youre a smoker, its important that you quit that habit, too. "If you are a heavy drinker who also smokes, it makes your bone problems even worse," Kaur tells . "You need to quit both habits, or osteoporosis treatment is not going to work." In fact, studies suggest that quitting smoking helps people recover from alcoholism.
Drink Less for Strong Bones
Summer barbecues, family get-togethers, after-work happy hours -- theyre full of temptations. Everyones drinking, having a good time. If youre used to imbibing, its hard to say no. But if youre goal is strong bones, these tips will help you drink less.
"Its difficult to deny yourself," says Murray Dabby, LCSW, director of the Atlanta Center for Social Therapy. "Theore, you have to find something to say yes to. ... Thats the more winning strategy."
Saying yes to healthy living is a good first step, "Take the focus off not drinking or not smoking."
As a coach and therapist, he asks people to understand their relationship to alcohol. "That relationship says a lot about how you see yourself -- Im socially awkward, Im shy, Im anxious, Im insecure, and alcohol makes me feel more comfortable."
To overcome shyness sans alcohol, heres his suggestion: "As Shakespeare would say, Life is a stage. Create a new performance for yourself. Act like the person you want to be," Dabby says.
If parties make you self-conscious, heres a positive approach: Act like youre the co-host. "Focus on making people comfortable rather than worrying about yourself," he explains. "Go around greeting everyone, asking how they know the host. Perform as if youre the friendliest person at the party. You wont need alcohol to cover up your nervousness."
Another tactic: Pretend that youre tipsy. If you love going to karaoke bars but cant enjoy it without alcohol, simply pretend, Dabby suggests. "Order ginger ale, but act like youre tipsy." Thats the approach that one person took, "It was very successful for him. He found he could ham it up without alcohol."
If after-work happy hours are a problem, dont focus on drinking: "Focus on getting to know your co-workers. Be curious, ask questions. Focus on relationship-building, because thats a positive thing,” Dabby says. “Order ginger ale or another nonalcoholic drink. You dont have to tell anyone you have trouble with alcohol."
Getting the Fire Going
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Hi,
Setting goals used to make me crazy but I think it is time to give this a try in the area of weight loss. I have been successful over the past year or more at taking off about thirty pounds but I am definitely stuck there. My weight hovers around the same numbers week after week. I go up a few and then down a few. I can hit a new low number but that does not mean I stay there. I am not clean with following my own programs.
There are two things that I have accomplished and I am very happy to remind myself that I have not gone back up to my original starting weight and Ive reversed my prediabetes. Those two things are pretty much miraculous in my book and I am very happy to have done them. It is that third goal, the one of losing weight that I believe I need to examine a little more closely.
I think that I have not accomplished the feat of "getting thin" because, inside my deepest heart, I dont really believe it is possible. I see other people losing weight and I wonder why I cannot. See that? I said "cannot." I did not say "have not" I said "cannot" which means "not able to." Yes, I have seen that inside me before and I think it is time to address it.
Ive shied away from setting weight loss goals because I have followed the diet du jour rules in the past, set the goal, and not reached it so many times that I began to believe that setting the goal was idiotic. It also became scary to face, so I simply left it behind. Right now I even feel like if I continue to examine the powerless "why Ive not done it" I will never get to the "accomplishment" so, for this moment, I am going to face the other direction and begin to be empowered.
For inspiration I am using John Barbans book the: "Anything Goes Diet," -- the separate additional PDF called: "Thinking Thin," which is about programming your mind for weight loss. I definitely need to reprogram my mind for weight loss. Since his is not a "hypnosis" session, it is simple for me to try out. (In case you would like to try it out here is a link to his blog: http://www.anythinggoesdiet.com/blog/ ) I am going to focus on the first two steps he shares. (As I am writing Ive tested the link and it leads to a blank page, so Ive contacted the author to let him know something is wrong. Hopefully it will be fixed, soon.)
The first tip is to ask yourself "What is this food going to do for me?" He suggests that asking yourself this question before you do an on-the-fly adjustment to your program, which usually means adding a snack, a meal, or doing something that is not on your agreed upon program, will allow you to admit to yourself exactly why you’re eating that extra meal or snack and decide if you really need it.
It gives you a moment in time to examine what you are doing to see where this action will eventually take you. If eating that food will satisfy a legitimate need that is one thing, but if it will only serve to screw up your weight loss, then maybe you need to set it aside and choose to do something else. It could go either way, so this is not a "moment to beat yourself up," it is simply a moment to step back and take a look to see if you want to end up where eating that item at this time will take you. Since weve previously established that "we are what we eat," will eating this food make you what you want to be?
While that is not actually "setting a goal" it seems like it would help you "keep headed towards your goal." This is about commitment. You will discover if you are really committed to your goal of getting to a particular size or if you are committed to satisfying your current food lust -- craving. Then you get to decide where you really want to end up.
His second tip incorporates your vision of your goal. He asks you to imagine that you have reached your exact goal. Imagine that you have been successful at your weight loss attempt and you fit into the size you always wanted to be. Assume that your weight loss is guaranteed and then imagine that your future successful self is standing next to your current self and having a discussion.
What would your future self say to your current self in any challenging situation? Would your future self allow your current self to over eat? Imagining that you have reached your goal will create feelings of success, accountability and responsibility right now to make that future a reality. Your future thin self will never exist if your current self does not do what it takes to get there.
So. Both of these supportive thinking exercises depend on having a specific goal in mind and not only having the goal, but believing that you can reach it. (Ha. I just got overwhelmed and headachy... Im going to go for a swim to give me a little "distance" and to have a little more time to think about me and my personal intention.)
Ok. I went and got myself ready to go for a swim (have not gone yet) and it has dawned on me that I do have goals. Ive had them in my mind all along. Ive talked about them before in this blog. I just did not blow a trumpet and make a list of what they are. Not keeping my current goals is what has been frustrating me. So Im going to use the two tips to support me in my current, already existing goals which are:
1. Daily: obey my eating program today
2. Ultimate: Wear a size 12 dress.
3. Intermediate: Reach the weight of 315 and use my success as a catalyst to set the next goal (current weight today is 329.25)
I will envision myself in a size 12 dress which would be an absolute dream come true for me. I can see what my body will look like in a size 12 dress. My tummy will be small. I will have a visible waist and my back will be smooth. I see myself wearing a cotton, flower print, knee-length, A-line, size 12 dress and looking in a mirror to admire how good I look. I can see my future self talking to my current self and being my "support group" of one who encourages me and reminds me to believe that I can do it. My future self knows that I can do it, because she is proof that it can happen. It is possible! She did it. So can I. I know because she is me.
My intermediate goal is reachable, too. As I go along I will set up new intermediate goals as needed to be markers of my successful journey.
That about sums up my current program and goals. Praying that the Lord Jesus will give me the strength I need to remain committed to doing something good for me.
Remember: It is better to obey, than to make a sacrifice for sin
Be back soon,
Marcia
Setting goals used to make me crazy but I think it is time to give this a try in the area of weight loss. I have been successful over the past year or more at taking off about thirty pounds but I am definitely stuck there. My weight hovers around the same numbers week after week. I go up a few and then down a few. I can hit a new low number but that does not mean I stay there. I am not clean with following my own programs.
There are two things that I have accomplished and I am very happy to remind myself that I have not gone back up to my original starting weight and Ive reversed my prediabetes. Those two things are pretty much miraculous in my book and I am very happy to have done them. It is that third goal, the one of losing weight that I believe I need to examine a little more closely.
I think that I have not accomplished the feat of "getting thin" because, inside my deepest heart, I dont really believe it is possible. I see other people losing weight and I wonder why I cannot. See that? I said "cannot." I did not say "have not" I said "cannot" which means "not able to." Yes, I have seen that inside me before and I think it is time to address it.
Ive shied away from setting weight loss goals because I have followed the diet du jour rules in the past, set the goal, and not reached it so many times that I began to believe that setting the goal was idiotic. It also became scary to face, so I simply left it behind. Right now I even feel like if I continue to examine the powerless "why Ive not done it" I will never get to the "accomplishment" so, for this moment, I am going to face the other direction and begin to be empowered.
For inspiration I am using John Barbans book the: "Anything Goes Diet," -- the separate additional PDF called: "Thinking Thin," which is about programming your mind for weight loss. I definitely need to reprogram my mind for weight loss. Since his is not a "hypnosis" session, it is simple for me to try out. (In case you would like to try it out here is a link to his blog: http://www.anythinggoesdiet.com/blog/ ) I am going to focus on the first two steps he shares. (As I am writing Ive tested the link and it leads to a blank page, so Ive contacted the author to let him know something is wrong. Hopefully it will be fixed, soon.)
The first tip is to ask yourself "What is this food going to do for me?" He suggests that asking yourself this question before you do an on-the-fly adjustment to your program, which usually means adding a snack, a meal, or doing something that is not on your agreed upon program, will allow you to admit to yourself exactly why you’re eating that extra meal or snack and decide if you really need it.
It gives you a moment in time to examine what you are doing to see where this action will eventually take you. If eating that food will satisfy a legitimate need that is one thing, but if it will only serve to screw up your weight loss, then maybe you need to set it aside and choose to do something else. It could go either way, so this is not a "moment to beat yourself up," it is simply a moment to step back and take a look to see if you want to end up where eating that item at this time will take you. Since weve previously established that "we are what we eat," will eating this food make you what you want to be?
While that is not actually "setting a goal" it seems like it would help you "keep headed towards your goal." This is about commitment. You will discover if you are really committed to your goal of getting to a particular size or if you are committed to satisfying your current food lust -- craving. Then you get to decide where you really want to end up.
His second tip incorporates your vision of your goal. He asks you to imagine that you have reached your exact goal. Imagine that you have been successful at your weight loss attempt and you fit into the size you always wanted to be. Assume that your weight loss is guaranteed and then imagine that your future successful self is standing next to your current self and having a discussion.
What would your future self say to your current self in any challenging situation? Would your future self allow your current self to over eat? Imagining that you have reached your goal will create feelings of success, accountability and responsibility right now to make that future a reality. Your future thin self will never exist if your current self does not do what it takes to get there.
So. Both of these supportive thinking exercises depend on having a specific goal in mind and not only having the goal, but believing that you can reach it. (Ha. I just got overwhelmed and headachy... Im going to go for a swim to give me a little "distance" and to have a little more time to think about me and my personal intention.)
Ok. I went and got myself ready to go for a swim (have not gone yet) and it has dawned on me that I do have goals. Ive had them in my mind all along. Ive talked about them before in this blog. I just did not blow a trumpet and make a list of what they are. Not keeping my current goals is what has been frustrating me. So Im going to use the two tips to support me in my current, already existing goals which are:
1. Daily: obey my eating program today
2. Ultimate: Wear a size 12 dress.
3. Intermediate: Reach the weight of 315 and use my success as a catalyst to set the next goal (current weight today is 329.25)
- Benefit: my blood pressure will normalize as I normalize my size
- Benefit: I will no longer have to be embarrassed from noticing others judging me (they may still judge me -- but it wont be about them looking down their noses at my body shape and size and making assumptions about me)
- Benefit: I will feel like I fit in when I want to and I dont have to "fit in."
- Benefit: I will be happy to go shopping at the "normal size" store
- Benefit: I will be happy to be able to purchase size 12 items on sale
- Benefit: I will be happy to boast about what the Lord has done for me!!
I will envision myself in a size 12 dress which would be an absolute dream come true for me. I can see what my body will look like in a size 12 dress. My tummy will be small. I will have a visible waist and my back will be smooth. I see myself wearing a cotton, flower print, knee-length, A-line, size 12 dress and looking in a mirror to admire how good I look. I can see my future self talking to my current self and being my "support group" of one who encourages me and reminds me to believe that I can do it. My future self knows that I can do it, because she is proof that it can happen. It is possible! She did it. So can I. I know because she is me.
My intermediate goal is reachable, too. As I go along I will set up new intermediate goals as needed to be markers of my successful journey.
- My eating program is currently the snack/meal/snack with a 24-hour fast on Monday/Tuesday.
- I need to have fresh raw salad available for my meal and snacks every day.
- I need high quality animal protein for all meals and snacks.
- A snack is half the size of a meal.
- On Monday, before the beginning of my evening fast, I can have two meals.
- I can have shirataki noodles two times in one week.
- I can have 1/2 of a potato or sweet potato if I go out to eat with friends once a week.
That about sums up my current program and goals. Praying that the Lord Jesus will give me the strength I need to remain committed to doing something good for me.
Remember: It is better to obey, than to make a sacrifice for sin
Be back soon,
Marcia
Veggie Might Getting in the Mood with Sweet Potato and Swiss Chard Soup
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Written by the fabulous Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about all things Vegetarian.
Happy last day of Hanukkah, friends! Hope you had a super week plus one.
Gentle Readers, though I live on Holiday Island, USA (not to be confused with Christmas Town, USA—just down the road from my folks’ place), and I was sick for most of Hanukkah, I’m just not feeling it—it being the holiday juju that’s supposed to filling my heart with magic.
Thanksgiving was so delicious and festive; and I want Christmas to be the same. But if I start getting into the holiday mood too soon, I’ll be over it by the time Christmas actually gets here. To avoid holiday burn out, I use to decorate, shop, or cook anything holiday related until December 12. Even that is pushing it, but I don’t want to be anywhere near a retail outlet on Christmas Eve either.
In the meantime, I’ve been on the lookout for recipes that use seasonal vegetables but don’t have cinnamon, clove, or pumpkin pie spice. A few clicks around the Internet machine and tada! Yellow Split Pea Soup with Sweet Potato and Kale at one of my favorite recipe blogs, Fat-free Vegan Kitchen.
This is the recipe I’ve been dreaming about—clearly, since I didn’t have to buy a single ingredient to make it. I swapped out the kale for a gorgeous, emerald bunch of Swiss chard chilling in my crisper and made the easy substitution of toor dal (split pigeon peas) for yellow split peas.
For a minute, I thought this recipe was going to be too easy and it would only take me the 30 minutes of prep and 60 minutes of relatively inactive cooking (occasional stirring) time to make. But I had to take it a step further.
The recipe calls for curry powder which, after a few introductory lessons in Indian cooking, gives me pause. I’ve stopped keeping it around, opting to use whole spices instead. However, my imaginary friend and mentor Madhur Jaffrey shares a recipe in World Vegetarian for her own every day curry powder (called My Curry Powder). So I whipped up a batch.
Within minutes, my apartment was filled with the aromas of cumin and coriander as I roasted the whole spices and then ground them fine in the coffee grinder. (I have one dedicated for that purpose.) Having freshly ground spice blends is worth the minimal amount of effort it takes to grind them yourself.
Otherwise following the recipe, the soup was everything I wanted it to be: hearty, flavorful but not overpowering, and fragrant. The Indian spices perfectly complemented the sweet potato and the hint of bitterness in the Swiss chard gaves it a nice balance. Toor dal added a creamy texture to the soup without being mushy.
Plus the recipe made enough for this army of one-singular-sensation to have lunch and dinner for a several days. If CB and the Roommate are sweet, maybe I’ll share.
So let’s fortify ourselves, Gentle Readers, for the coming holidays with this delicious, satisfying, Indian-inspired soup. Cinnamon and peppermint will be scenting our dreams soon enough.
~~~~
If you fancied this recipe, you may take delight in:
Sweet Potato, Swiss Chard, and Toor Dal Soup
Serves 8
2 medium onions, chopped
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 tsp canola oil
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
8 cups water
3 cups dried toor dal or yellow split peas, picked over and rinsed
1 tbsp mild curry powder (to taste)*
Salt to taste (optional)
1 bunch Swiss chard, washed, trimmed, and chopped
Note: Swiss chard stems are edible. They have a crunchy texture, like Romaine lettuce, and add a nice color contrast to the dish, whether you choose red, yellow, or white. When trimming Swiss chard, snip off any ends that are tough or dried out, but it’s not necessary de-stem like you would with kale or collard greens.
1) In a large saucepan or stock pot, heat 1 teaspoon canola oil and cook onions 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until translucent. Move onions aside in pot and add second teaspoon of oil and whole cumin and mustard seeds. Stir seeds with spatula for about 30 seconds.
2) When mustard seeds begin to pop, stir together spices with onions. Then add ginger and garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
3) Add water, sweet potato, toor dal, and curry powder and stir. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about an hour or until the dal is tender.
4) In the meantime, wash and chop Swiss chard and set aside. Stir dal occassionally to prevent sticking and burning.
5) When the dal is tender, turn off heat, remove lid, and stir in Swiss chard. Replace lid and allow chard to wilt for 5–10 minutes.
6) Serve piping hot with crusty bread or naan and put off shopping for another day.
*Bonus Recipe:
Madhur Jaffrey’s Curry Powder
from World Vegetarian
Makes 5–6 tablespoons
2 tbsp whole coriander seeds
1 tbsp whole cumin seeds
2 tsp whole peppercorns
1 1/2 tsp whole brown mustard
1 tsp whole fenugreek seeds
5 to 6 whole cloves
3 dried chilies, crushed
1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1) Heat a small cast iron skillet over medium heat. Combine all whole spices in skillet and roast for 1–2 minutes until aromas begin to emerge, stirring or shaking the pan intermittently. Some spices will brown and change color.
2) Add ground turmeric and heat for another 10 seconds. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a plate or bowl to cool.
3) Grind in spice or coffee grinder until mixture is as fine as possible. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Take a deep breath and smile.
Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, Protein, and Price per Serving
306 calories, 2.4g fat, 13g fiber, 18g protein, $.39
Calculations
2 medium onions: 80 calories, 0.4g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.88
1 1/2 tsp whole cumin: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
1 tsp black mustard seeds: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
2 tsp canola oil: 79 calories, 9g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.05
1 tbsp fresh ginger: 6 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.06
3 cloves garlic: 12 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.04
2 medium sweet potatoes: 112 calories, 0g fat, 4g fiber, 2g protein, $0.34
3 cups dried toor dal: 2109 calories, 9g fat, 92g fiber, 133.5g protein, $0.18
1 tbsp curry powder: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
Salt: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
1 bunch Swiss chard: 56 calories, 0g fat, 8g fiber, 8g protein, $1.50
TOTALS: 2454 calories, 19g fat, 104g fiber, 143.5g protein, $3.13
PER SERVING (TOTALS/8): 306 calories, 2.4g fat, 13g fiber, 18g protein, $.39
Happy last day of Hanukkah, friends! Hope you had a super week plus one.
Gentle Readers, though I live on Holiday Island, USA (not to be confused with Christmas Town, USA—just down the road from my folks’ place), and I was sick for most of Hanukkah, I’m just not feeling it—it being the holiday juju that’s supposed to filling my heart with magic.
Thanksgiving was so delicious and festive; and I want Christmas to be the same. But if I start getting into the holiday mood too soon, I’ll be over it by the time Christmas actually gets here. To avoid holiday burn out, I use to decorate, shop, or cook anything holiday related until December 12. Even that is pushing it, but I don’t want to be anywhere near a retail outlet on Christmas Eve either.
In the meantime, I’ve been on the lookout for recipes that use seasonal vegetables but don’t have cinnamon, clove, or pumpkin pie spice. A few clicks around the Internet machine and tada! Yellow Split Pea Soup with Sweet Potato and Kale at one of my favorite recipe blogs, Fat-free Vegan Kitchen.
This is the recipe I’ve been dreaming about—clearly, since I didn’t have to buy a single ingredient to make it. I swapped out the kale for a gorgeous, emerald bunch of Swiss chard chilling in my crisper and made the easy substitution of toor dal (split pigeon peas) for yellow split peas.
For a minute, I thought this recipe was going to be too easy and it would only take me the 30 minutes of prep and 60 minutes of relatively inactive cooking (occasional stirring) time to make. But I had to take it a step further.
The recipe calls for curry powder which, after a few introductory lessons in Indian cooking, gives me pause. I’ve stopped keeping it around, opting to use whole spices instead. However, my imaginary friend and mentor Madhur Jaffrey shares a recipe in World Vegetarian for her own every day curry powder (called My Curry Powder). So I whipped up a batch.
Within minutes, my apartment was filled with the aromas of cumin and coriander as I roasted the whole spices and then ground them fine in the coffee grinder. (I have one dedicated for that purpose.) Having freshly ground spice blends is worth the minimal amount of effort it takes to grind them yourself.
Otherwise following the recipe, the soup was everything I wanted it to be: hearty, flavorful but not overpowering, and fragrant. The Indian spices perfectly complemented the sweet potato and the hint of bitterness in the Swiss chard gaves it a nice balance. Toor dal added a creamy texture to the soup without being mushy.
Plus the recipe made enough for this army of one-singular-sensation to have lunch and dinner for a several days. If CB and the Roommate are sweet, maybe I’ll share.
So let’s fortify ourselves, Gentle Readers, for the coming holidays with this delicious, satisfying, Indian-inspired soup. Cinnamon and peppermint will be scenting our dreams soon enough.
~~~~
If you fancied this recipe, you may take delight in:
- Shipa’s Dal and Rice with Ginger and Green Chilies
- Pindi Chana
- Fast Easy Soups for Sick Vegetarians
Sweet Potato, Swiss Chard, and Toor Dal Soup
Serves 8
2 medium onions, chopped
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 tsp canola oil
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
8 cups water
3 cups dried toor dal or yellow split peas, picked over and rinsed
1 tbsp mild curry powder (to taste)*
Salt to taste (optional)
1 bunch Swiss chard, washed, trimmed, and chopped
Note: Swiss chard stems are edible. They have a crunchy texture, like Romaine lettuce, and add a nice color contrast to the dish, whether you choose red, yellow, or white. When trimming Swiss chard, snip off any ends that are tough or dried out, but it’s not necessary de-stem like you would with kale or collard greens.
1) In a large saucepan or stock pot, heat 1 teaspoon canola oil and cook onions 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until translucent. Move onions aside in pot and add second teaspoon of oil and whole cumin and mustard seeds. Stir seeds with spatula for about 30 seconds.
2) When mustard seeds begin to pop, stir together spices with onions. Then add ginger and garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
3) Add water, sweet potato, toor dal, and curry powder and stir. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about an hour or until the dal is tender.
4) In the meantime, wash and chop Swiss chard and set aside. Stir dal occassionally to prevent sticking and burning.
5) When the dal is tender, turn off heat, remove lid, and stir in Swiss chard. Replace lid and allow chard to wilt for 5–10 minutes.
6) Serve piping hot with crusty bread or naan and put off shopping for another day.
*Bonus Recipe:
Madhur Jaffrey’s Curry Powder
from World Vegetarian
Makes 5–6 tablespoons
2 tbsp whole coriander seeds
1 tbsp whole cumin seeds
2 tsp whole peppercorns
1 1/2 tsp whole brown mustard
1 tsp whole fenugreek seeds
5 to 6 whole cloves
3 dried chilies, crushed
1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1) Heat a small cast iron skillet over medium heat. Combine all whole spices in skillet and roast for 1–2 minutes until aromas begin to emerge, stirring or shaking the pan intermittently. Some spices will brown and change color.
2) Add ground turmeric and heat for another 10 seconds. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a plate or bowl to cool.
3) Grind in spice or coffee grinder until mixture is as fine as possible. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Take a deep breath and smile.
Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, Protein, and Price per Serving
306 calories, 2.4g fat, 13g fiber, 18g protein, $.39
Calculations
2 medium onions: 80 calories, 0.4g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.88
1 1/2 tsp whole cumin: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
1 tsp black mustard seeds: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
2 tsp canola oil: 79 calories, 9g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.05
1 tbsp fresh ginger: 6 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.06
3 cloves garlic: 12 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.04
2 medium sweet potatoes: 112 calories, 0g fat, 4g fiber, 2g protein, $0.34
3 cups dried toor dal: 2109 calories, 9g fat, 92g fiber, 133.5g protein, $0.18
1 tbsp curry powder: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
Salt: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
1 bunch Swiss chard: 56 calories, 0g fat, 8g fiber, 8g protein, $1.50
TOTALS: 2454 calories, 19g fat, 104g fiber, 143.5g protein, $3.13
PER SERVING (TOTALS/8): 306 calories, 2.4g fat, 13g fiber, 18g protein, $.39
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
