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Sharing a family heirloom-recipe from my Greek heritage: Fish Baked with Tomatoes. The secret: juices from the tomatoes naturally moisten the fish while baking!
Baked Greek Fish with Cabbage Salad & Avocado
Stella's Fish Baked with Tomatoes
For those of you looking to add a new dimension to your nutrition, root vegetables should not be overlooked. They are a great alternative for those avoiding bread, rice, and other empty carbs. Including them in your diet can definitely help to break the monotony as well as bring a tasty, nutritious, and inexpensive item to the dinner table. They can also be stored for relatively long periods of time. Root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, turnips, radishes, beets, sweet potatoes, and onions can provide nutrients such as beta carotene, B vitamins, vitamin C, complex carbs, minerals, and dietary fiber. And as an added benefit, they do not contain the so-called “cereal grasses” such as wheat, corn, and rice, so they are low-allergenic. Roasting root vegetables is a great way to cook them since it brings out much flavor while minimizing nutrient loss.
List of root vegetables
Here is a list of some of the more popular root vegetables that can be found at local grocery markets:
-beets
-rutabaga
-turnips
-carrots
-daikons
-yams
-radishes
-ginger
-turmeric
-potatoes
-sweet potatoes
-taro
-ginseng
-garlic, onion, shallot, etc
Simple Root vegetables recipe: : Roasted Beets and Parsnips with Herbs de Provence
How do you bake sweet potatoes?
Sweet potatoes are one of the more popular root vegetables. Recipes for sweet potato fries can be found all over the web, but here’s a simple recipe that will provide a quick and healthy alternative to ordinary French fries or baked potatoes:
ingredients
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 medium sweet potato
directions
1. Remove skin from the sweet potatoes and cut into medium-sized wedges (like the size of steak fries) and place in a bowl.
2. Add the olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, and sea salt
3. Toss the fries to coat evenly.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
5. Spread fries out over a baking pan and bake for 20-30 minutes until tender and brown.
Yours in Health,
Stella Metsovas B.S., CCN
Staff Writer: Clement Tran
W8less Nutrition
Orange County / Los Angeles
Tracing back as early as 1550 BC in Egypt, diabetes was once described as a very rare disease. Nowadays, this disease is more like an epidemic as it is the seventh leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates. And it only gets worse. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts the rate to double between 2005 and 2030.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (Type 1) or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces (Type 2). Type 2 is by far the most common and develops gradually due to lifestyle factors. Since insulin is needed to regulate blood sugar levels, elevated blood sugar is common among diabetics. Over time, diabetes can damage the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves. According to the WHO, 50% of diabetics die from cardiovascular disease, 10-20% die of kidney failure, and 2% even become blind.
What can we do?
The fact that diabetes has only recently become an epidemic brings up an interesting question: what are we doing differently than our ancestors who enjoyed such a low rate of diabetes? The answer probably lies heavily within the way we eat. One study compared the effects of the Paleolithic diet to the generally recommended diabetes diet. The Paleolithic diet consists of grass-fed meat, free-range fowl or wild-caught fish, seasonal fruits and vegetables, and generous portions of healthy fats (fats are not the enemy!), including nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil and coconut oil. Grains, legumes, dairy products, sugar, vegetable oils and processed foods are absent from this diet. Basically, it’s what our ancestors ate millions of years ago before the dawn of agriculture. Over a 3-month period, the Paleolithic diet came out on top with improved glycemic control and several cardiovascular risk factors compared to the diabetic diet in patients with type 2 diabetes.
A while back I wrote on the subject of Intermittent Fasting (IF) and benefits to your health. Both IF and paleo-type diets are studied for their positive effects on blood sugar.
In The Primal Blueprint, Mark Sisson attests to the benefits of the Paleolithic diet. He points out that we are “genetically identical (in virtually all aspects relevant to human health) to our hunter-gatherer ancestors” and that we should look to their diets as a guideline on what we are designed to eat. Click here to access my article on how our genes and certain foods can actually trigger genetically-prone diseases.
Perhaps this is the first step towards not only preventing the diabetes epidemic, but also towards lowering the rates of other so-called epidemics such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and even cancer. Just some food for thought!
Many of you may have heard about the health benefits associated with olive oil. Others of you may have been told to swap out other oils and use olive oil instead. You may have even been told that olive oil reduces cholesterol and lowers your blood pressure. Or some of you may even be aware of the fact that olive oil is a staple in the Mediterranean diet, serving as an antioxidant and ridding the body of free radicals. But what may be most alarming and even more important is the kind of olive oil that you think you are benefiting from most likely does not contain any benefits at all! This “olive oil” that health experts advise you to include in your diet is often not the kind found in your regular grocery store.
Until recently, olive oil found on most mainstream market shelves in the U.S. did not award you with any greater benefits believe it or not. Here’s why: The USDA recently passed legislation to ensure standards of olive oil produced in the United States are regulated and tested for purity. The law will go into full effect beginning October 2010. Prior to the new USDA standards, the majority of olive sold in this country was unregulated. Most of the products labeled as ‘Extra Virgin Olive Oil’ were so heavily processed, they lost almost all essential nutrients during 
processing. FYI: What makes olive oil so unique compared to other oils, is that it can (and should) be consumed in crude, unrefined form (e.g., not processed). Consuming olive oil closest to its natural state contains essential vitamins, beneficial fatty acids, and maintains other important nutrients.
Historically, olive oil was made in a hydraulic press, retaining all its natural nutrients. Today, however, in order to produce more olive oil at a lower cost it is typically refined, heated at high temperatures and mixed with solvents, stripping it of all its nutrition qualities. Before the USDA-intervention, you might have thought when buying “extra virgin” olive oil you were purchasing the high quality kind, containing all of the important nutrients, but for most brands this was not the case. Olive oil products sold in the U.S. were not required to meet accepted international standards, that’s why choosing oil that is “extra virgin” did not imply that you were buying high quality oil.
So you may be wondering what you can do to ensure you are buying unfiltered oil, the kind that contains all of the original nutrients from its original state? Here are a few suggestions to follow next time you go to purchase a bottle of EVOO:
The California Olive Oil Association has compiled a list of ‘certified’ extra virgin olive oils. The oils listed have met all requirements of Seal Certification which include less than .5% oleic acid and olives are mechanically extracted without the use of chemicals or excessive heat.
In Health,
Stella Metsovas B.S., CCN
Staff Writer: Michele Wolff
Led by Dr. Eduard Escrich, researchers at the Autonomous University of Barcelona have spent over 20 years studying the effects that fat consumption has had on our health. Previous studies have linked fat intake with an increased risk of cancer, however, more recent results have revealed that certain types of fat may in fact counteract these negative effects. Virgin olive oil, a fat commonly found in the Mediterranean diet may in fact have multiple protective effects on our bodies. This olive oil was shown to actually prevent tumor growth when compared to other oils.
It turns out that a diet containing phenol-rich virgin olive oil may be even more beneficial than previously thought. Phenols, the micronutrients, are especially high in extra virgin olive oil varieties. Another essential component in this type of oil is the oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid, which may play a very beneficial role in our bodies as well. Research has also found the presence of several bioactive compounds such as antioxidants in this type of oil.
If consumed in moderation, virgin olive oil may decrease one’s risk of certain types of cancer, including breast cancer, and prevent against heart disease, inflammation and other health problems. More and more findings continue to strengthen our thoughts about the health benefits of virgin olive oil and remind us about the importance of adapting a healthful Mediterranean diet.
Summary: Healthy, clean-burning protein. This dish is extremely versatile, because you can use it a number of ways throughout the week. I usually make two (2) on Sunday evening! The broth and water is added to give natural flavor, and a plump, juicy texture to the turkey breast. (side note: when paying for deli-style turkey, approximately 65% is water/broth)!
Diet (other): Low calorie, Reduced fat, Reduced carbohydrate, High protein
Number of servings (yield): 8
Meal type: dinner
Copyright © Stella Metsovas / W8less Nutrition.
Ever skipped breakfast? Barely eaten lunch?…hoping to put the calories you saved all day toward that fancy dinner you had planned. Well, a new study published by the International Journal of Obesity shows that what you eat and when you eat it influences how much you weigh. Researchers found that the type of food consumed at breakfast may program your metabolism for the rest of the day.
It appears that a breakfast higher in fat may “turn on” fat metabolism, enabling your body to respond to a greater variety of foods throughout the day. In this study conducted by researchers at the University of Alabama, mice that ate a carbohydrate-rich breakfast and consumed a high-fat meal at the end of the day saw increased weight gain, compared to mice that ate a high-fat meal in the morning.
With our constantly changing schedules and increasing obligations, most of our diet patterns change from one day to the next, but it appears that starting off the day with a higher-fat meal may enable our bodies to respond to these variations in diet over the course of the day.
Another important component in the study revealed that eating smaller portions later in the day was essential to healthy weight maintenance.
My Top Recommendations for Breakfast:
Next time you find yourself wondering about skipping breakfast, remember that a morning meal higher-in fat prepares your body for the rest of the day!
In Health,
Stella Metsovas B.S., CCN
Staff Writer: Michele Wolff
I remember my Grandmother always telling me: ”Eat your buckwheat Stella. Its what my mother gave me every morning, and look how healthy I am”! Oh boy was she healthy! By 6:30 am she had walked for over an hour, had our breakfast ready (an assortment of eggs, buckwheat, fruit and fresh juice), clothes picked out, and school bags in order. Of course I always obliged–I didn’t want to upset my Greek Grandmother!
Years later I was in my first basic Nutrition 101 class, and thought of using Buckwheat as an example in one of my papers: ‘Amino Acids Found in Cereal Grains’. Within the first few minutes of my research, I realized that buckwheat was in fact a ‘fruit flower’ and nowhere near the family of cereal grains (wheat, barley, oats and rye).
Basic Facts about Buckwheat:
I recommend Bob’s Red Mill Buckwheat Groats. You can purchase online at Amazon or go to your local health food store or grocer. P.S. Trader Joe’s doesn’t carry Buckwheat yet, although I’m trying to get them too!!
Summary: Amino Acide & Mineral Rich Buckwheat Soup
Add any veggies you like! You can also add grass-fed beef chunks, chicken or turkey to the soup. Cook the meat prior to adding into the soup.
Cooking time (duration): 5
Diet type: Vegetarian
Diet (other): Low calorie, Reduced fat, Gluten free
Number of servings (yield): 2
Meal type: dinner
Culinary tradition: USA (General)
Copyright © Stella Metsovas / W8less Nutrition.
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