I'm supposed to be getting all of you excited about food…how in the world does cabbage fit into that idea?
I think cabbage is one of those overlooked foods that is easy to include in your diet. And I like it because as a vegetable, it's pretty inexpensive.
Plus, cabbage belongs to the Brassicaceae family, which you may know as the cruciferous vegetables. These include: broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, bok choy, mustard, radish, horseradish, and watercress. These vegetables are superstar cancer fighters. In fact, they have even been shown to stop tumor cell growth in breast and endometrial tissue, especially important for women with PCOS.
So now that I hopefully have your attention, what the heck are you going to do with cabbage?
First of all, don't overcook it. All cruciferous vegetables tend to get a strong flavor if overdone, which may be why many people think they don't like them. They never had a chance to try them at their best. I made cabbage rolls this week, which requires you to steam the leaves until they're soft enough to roll. It was a great make-ahead meal for a busy work week.
Think slow cooker! I love mine, and I use it to make soups and casseroles. It's easy to add some chopped cabbage just a few minutes before serving.
Stir-frying is another way to use cabbage.
In other words, keep a head in the fridge and add it to some of your many favorite meals.
If you've got German blood, like me, you may want to think of sauerkraut. If that's a little bit extreme, try this red cabbage and apple recipe. Even the world's most notorius veggie hater might think cabbage is (at least an occasional) possibility with this treat. Be sure to use canola oil for the best omega-3 source.
I have recently discovered a great budget-friendly store that is new to California, Arizona, and Nevada, called Fresh and Easy. It's not really a new store, it's been around in the UK for years under the name Tesco.
I discovered quite by accident that this store, about an hour before closing time, starts to mark its perishables near expiration date, off by 50%. I got out of there with my week's food for almost half of what I normally spend!
Of course, the perishables that don't sell are the ones people either don't like or don't know how to cook, so I'm eating more healthfully by virtue of other peoples' shopping omissions.: )
One of the things I have regularly been coming home with is a big head of cauliflower. It's not that I don't like cauliflower, I do, but there's only so much you can eat raw in a salad or dipped in hummous. So I've been researching other ways to eat it.
I've made cauliflower and pasta, cauliflower curry, and the other night, a really quick and easy cauliflower soup. Cooked correctly, it's got a pleasant flavor that goes well with a lot of things I like to eat.
Cauliflower is a decent source of folate, which you will see repeatedly mentioned on this blog. It's also an excellent source of vitamin C and pantothenic acid. It's part of the anti-cancer family of vegetables including broccoli, cabbbage, and Brussels sprouts.
Here is a link to 324 healthy cauliflower recipes to get you started.
I probably would never run into many of you on Black Friday. While you're filling your carts at Toys R Us, Walmart, Best Buy, and Macy's…I rise early, head straight to Costco, and score one of their free cookbooks they give out each year on this day. (Then I devote a good chunk of the day to working off dinner from the day before! Ha!)
I'm such a fan of these Costco cookbooks, as they are filled with beautiful photography and innovative ways to use old favorites. If you lost out, you can find these cookbooks online on the Costco website.
Here's a great twist on Brussels sprouts to give you an idea of what you'll find in these fabulous publications!
Oh! As for the holiday shopping? You will find me this year at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market First Annual Phoestivus Market. It's important for me to, as much as possible, support local farms, craftsmen, and businesses. I'd love it if you joined me for some fabulous one-of-a-kind gift shopping.
Superhero Brussels Bites (from Smart Cooking the Costco Way)
2 cups quartered Brussels sprouts 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil salt and pepper 1/4 cup chopped or minced red onion 2 tablespoons sunflower kernels 2 tablespoons raisins 2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese 5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place Brussels sprouts in a roasting pan. Add 2 tablespoons oil and salt and pepper to taste; toss to coat. Roast for about 15 minutes, or until tender, turning occasionally. Remover from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine sprouts, onion, sunflower kernels, raisins, and cheese.
In a separate bowl, combine remining olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.
Add the dressing to the sprouts mixture and toss to coat. Serve hot or cold. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
A client recently handed me a supplement called"DIM" and told me her physician gave it to her. The physician said it would help her hyperestrogenemia. She had stopped taking it, and asked if I thought she should resume with it.
Here's the lowdown on DIM, which is the abbreviation for diindolylmethane.
DIM occurs naturally in cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. It was first researched for its cancer-fighting properties; we all know that these vegetables have this quality.
Soon after that, it was discovered that DIM influences estrogen metabolism, promoting the creation of estradiol, or beneficial estrogen (E2) and inhibiting the creation of estrone, or cancer-related estrogen (E1).
DIM may also be an anti-androgen. Although the research I was able to find looked at DIM in the prostate, not in women with PCOS, there is much information on websites selling DIM promoting it as a natural way to reduce facial hair.
If you are considering taking a DIM supplement, be sure to consider the following warnings found on the WebMD website: Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Diindolylmethane is safe when consumed in the small amounts found in foods. But don’t take larger amounts. Not enough is known about the safety of larger amounts during pregnancy and breast-feeding.
Hormone-sensitive conditions such as breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, or uterine fibroids: Diindolylmethane might act like estrogen, so there is some concern that it might make hormone-sensitive conditions worse. These conditions include breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer; endometriosis; and uterine fibroids. However, developing research also suggests that diindolylmethane might work against estrogen and could possibly be protective against hormone-dependent cancers. But stay on the safe side. Until more is known, don’t use diindolylmethane if you have a hormone-sensitive condition.
The client who asked the question feels the supplement may actually have helped her facial hair. Note, this is a one-person observation and a testimonial only, it is NOT an endorsement of the supplement.
What I would recommend to this client, and to others who are interested in using DIM:
1. Start with your diet: eat more cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and broccoli. (Click herefor a cauliflower curry recipe).
2. Be sure your diet contains adequate omega-3 fatty acids and is not high in omega-6 fatty acids (discussed many times in other posts on this blog). Omega-3 fatty acids found in both fish and flax have similar effects on estrogen metabolism.
3. Be scientific about the supplement use. Have your hormone levels measured for a baseline, and have them remeasured 6 months after consistent use of the supplement. Too many times, supplements are recommended without any way to evaluate whether or not they are having any effect. In the case of my client, the supplement was sold to her by her physician and there was never any followup scheduled to evaluate how well it was working. (You'd never do that with a blood pressure medication or antipsychotic, would you?!?!?)
4. Don't assume that once you start taking the supplement you do not need to follow a healthy diet. Supplements usually seem to work better in a healthy body where the biochemistry promotes their effectiveness.
5. Even though eating these foods has never been found to be dangerous to pregnant women, because the supplemental form is much more concentrated than what is found in food, it is strongly recommended not to take this supplement if you are trying to conceive or if you are pregnant. As it's been with us since we've been in existence, we are of the opinion that it is not appropriate to be treating hirsutism while you are trying to conceive. There is time for that later.: )
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Le HT, Schaldach CM, Firestone GL, Bjeldanes LF. Plant-derived 3,3'-Diindolylmethane is a strong androgen antagonist in human prostate cancer cells. J Biol Chem. 2003 Jun 6;278(23):21136-45. Epub 2003 Mar 27.
Tadi K, Chang Y, Ashok BT, Chen Y, Moscatello A, Schaefer SD, Schantz SP, Policastro AJ, Geliebter J, Tiwari RK. 3,3'-Diindolylmethane, a cruciferous vegetable derived synthetic anti-proliferative compound in thyroid disease. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2005 Nov 25;337(3):1019-25. Epub 2005 Oct 3.
I love to promote kale in my Whole Foods classes. It has omega-3's, trytophan (building block for serotonin), magnesium, iron, calcium, copper, and zinc, to name a few. It's also a member of the Brassica family, that cancer-fighting clan with more popular cousins named garlic, broccoli, cabbage, and brussels sprouts.
But I always get the same response (see deer in the headlights graphic). I know what's pumping through those brains…"Kale? Isn't that the pretty curly stuff lining the fruit and veggie platter? You can eat that?"
Yes, you can…and should…eat kale.
Here's a trick for you kale virgins, if you're not quite up to the task. Next time you make a smoothie, of any flavor, throw in a handful of kale. You won't even taste it. You can also throw it into your juicer.
If you want to actually taste kale, your next best step is to head to your nearest Whole Foods and try the kale salad which is a staple in their ready-to-eat case. That's how kale is supposed to taste, and according to those who have been on my Whole Foods tours who are encouraged to try the salad, it's pretty good!
Here are some kale recipes for those of you who did so well with steps one and two that you're ready to strike out into the Adventurous World of Kale.
