02.27.08
Posted in Recipes at 6:02 am by drkristen
Quinoa (pronounced keen-WHA) is an excellent gluten/wheat free grain that is high in iron and protein. It has a slightly nutty flavor, especially when lightly roasted before cooking. It’s also a great source of manganese, magnesium, copper and phosphorous, not to mention healthy dietary fiber. Next time you’re looking for a good grain other than rice, try this one out, found in the bulk section of the natural food section of your local grocery store. This is great for vegans and vegetarians, because quinoa is a complete protein all by itself, which is hard to find in a grain!
I recently rediscovered this amazing grain with a HUGELY yummy recipe from Martha Stewart, so I thought I would share it here before butternut squash season is completely over (with a few healthy substitutions):
Quinoa and Butternut Squash Pie
Serves 8
- 1 tablespoon cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, halved crosswise, and seeded
- 18 fresh sage leaves, plus 1 teaspoon finely chopped sage
- 1/2 onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought organic vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated (optional)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Coconut oil
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush 2 rimmed baking sheets with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Cut five 1/4-inch-thick rings of squash; cut remainder into 1/4-inch dice. Place squash on sheets. Toss with 1 teaspoon olive oil; sprinkle with 12 sage leaves. Bake until tender and just golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely. Keep oven on.
- Heat remaining teaspoon oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add quinoa and stock; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer until liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 2 minutes.
- Stir together quinoa, diced squash, chopped sage, Parmesan, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
- Coat a 9-inch glass pie plate with coconut oil. Arrange 6 sage leaves face down in plate; top with squash rings. Press quinoa mixture on top.
- Bake 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter. Serve wedges warm or at room temperature.
This is not only tasty, but it’s also pretty and will impress your quinoa-ignorant friends! When you invert it, the beautiful butternut squash rings and sage leaves are on the top, making for a very presentable meal. This one is great for breakfast, lunch and dinner!!
Let me know how you like it!
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02.25.08
Posted in Discussion at 7:37 am by drkristen
I’m so sorry I haven’t blogged in a while. I’ve been terribly busy, but I promise much more to come! For now though, I thought I’d share some good times, care of Saturday Night Live…click here.
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02.19.08
Posted in Health News & Tips, Discussion at 5:53 pm by drkristen
We have got to do something to reduce our risk of the number 1 killer of Americans - heart disease! It’s kind of hard to live a healthy life if your ticker isn’t working properly, so I thought I’d give a few tips on how to keep our hearts healthy!
Get your blood work done for the year
- If anything, it will give you a baseline. You don’t need much, just a
- CBC (complete blood count) - this takes a look at your red blood cells, checking for anemia, and your white blood cells, which can verify if there is any type of infection going on.
- CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel) - this looks at your electrolytes and other markers and reflects on how your kidneys and liver are doing. This also shows you your blood sugar, so you want to try and do this one after fasting (nothing but water) for 12 hours to make sure you’re not becoming diabetic.
- Lipids - this is really important to keep an eye on your heart health. ALWAYS do this after fasting for 12 hours for proper results. This will show you your cholesterol - good and bad, and your triglycerides, which can be a sign of too much sugar or carbs in your diet. Many people go by the total cholesterol number in general, but the most important thing is the ratio between the good (HDL) to bad (LDL) cholesterol. If that is in check, there should be no reason to go on medication (though I personally think the statin or cholesterol-lowering drugs are useless).
- If you do have a history of heart disease, or if your same-sex parent has a history, it might be good to also check some inflammatory markers - these include C-Reactive Protein (CRP), homocystiene and fibrinogen. You can ask your doc to add these on to the above blood tests. It’s good to know if these get out of whack, because it gives you a chance to do something about it before it results in disease.
Go in for a check up
- This will give your doc an opportunity to listen to your heart and to check your blood pressure. Blood pressure is the number one risk for stroke (not to mention other conditions such as erectile dysfunction), so you want to keep it in check. If your blood pressure is over 120/80, you should keep a log and take it each time you go to the grocery store or pharmacy, so you can bring your log in with you on your visit to the doc. Sometimes people are nervous in the doctor’s office, and their blood pressure reflects that - but if we see that when you take it yourself, and it’s within normal range, then we know you’re doing ok.
Eat right
- Some fruit, some whole grains, some meat (preferably cold-water fish), but mostly veggies is the best way to get your health on! And I ain’t talkin’ peas, carrots, corn and potatoes as veggies! I mean every color of the rainbow you can get in one day, with a good amount of dark, leafy greens! Think of your dinner plate as a Micky Mouse head…one ear is meat/protein, one is whole grains, and the head itself is veggies!
- If you don’t eat a lot of fish, talk to your doc about incorporating fish oil into your supplement schedule. It is important to get a high quality fish oil that has been tested by a third party for heavy metals, so don’t just go out an get one! I have a few brands that I recommend on my Amazon recommendations page, but check with your doc to make sure it’s ok first. Fish oil is a blood thinner, so you want to be careful if you’re already on a blood thinner like Coumadin.
Exercise every day
- It’s been proven that those who wear a pedometer each day, tend to walk their 10,000 steps per day much more than those who don’t wear a pedometer. It’s also been proven that three 10-minute walks in a day benefit the heart more than one 30-minute walk. So next time you get a break, walk! Preferably outside, so you can get your vitamin D at the same time! …walking does not mean with a cigarette!
- Try to think of things nearby that are already part of your routine - like that morning coffee you get from the shop down the street, or the post office. I have a patient that goes to Dairy Queen twice a week and is having a hard time giving it up - when I found out it was 10 blocks away from her house, I made a deal with her that if she went, she’d have to walk. Now she either goes less, or at least gets her exercise in before that ice cream!
- Also, if you don’t have a walking partner and are an animal-lover like me, think about adopting a dog so you have a willing partner and protector!
So, let’s come together and battle heart disease! If you worked 24/7, you’d want to be treated right too!
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02.15.08
Posted in Recipes at 6:26 am by drkristen
I was talking to a very inspiring patient tonight and gave her an idea for a healthy breakfast and I thought - why not post it? If you haven’t read my blog on breakfast, and how I believe this should be the biggest and healthiest meal of the day, read it here. Enough small talk…let’s get to the food!
Eggs in a Basket – Serves 1
Prep & Cook Time – 15 minutes
Ingredients:
2 fresh, organic eggs
1 Tbsp vinegar (your choice)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 bunch greens, washed and roughly torn, avoiding thick stems (arugula, beet, collard, mustard or dandelion greens, kale, spinach, broccoli rabe or chard)
Directions:
1. Fill a large, wide saucepan with about 2 inches of water, add vinegar and bring to a boil. Break one egg at a time into a ramekin, or other heatproof bowl small enough to hold about 1 egg. Reduce water to simmer and immerse the ramekins into the water. Gently slide the eggs out of the ramekins, cover the pot, turn heat almost off and let stand 2-3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in sauté pan over med-low. Add garlic and cook until golden brown. Remove garlic with slotted spoon and set aside.
3. Add greens to the pan and turn the heat slightly up to medium, and cover. Stir about every minute or so until greens are cooked through – about 5-7 minutes. Remove greens from pan and season with pepper, salt and toss with sautéed garlic. Top with poached eggs and enjoy.
I like to drizzle my greens with balsamic vinegar for an extra zip. Or, as my patient’s eyes looked jokingly, but ever so hopeful when asking to put Hollandaise sauce on her poached eggs…a healthier alternative to Hollandaise sauce would be Nirvana Sauce (I use this on just about everything - especially greens!).
Nirvana Sauce
2/3 cup Braggs amino acids (you can find this condiment in any health food store or online - check out my Amazon.com recommendations page, under Kitchen & Food)
1 cup olive oil (I use refined extra virgin olive oil, because unrefined tastes a bit too olivey for me)
1/2 cup Brewer’s yeast
1/2 cup water
Juice of 2 lemons
3/4 cup of cashew pieces (raw, unsalted) - I grind these in the blender to a meal first for extra smooth consistency
2 tablespoons onion, minced
1 Large garlic clove, minced
Blend it all up in a blender and you’re set…it doesn’t warm up well when heated (it can separate) so serve at room temp! It fits perfectly in a quart jar, so if you don’t want that much, adjust the recipe as necessary. Store in the fridge and allow it to get to room temp before each use. I’ve used it over a month and it was fine storing that long.
Happy breakfast-making!
On a side note, my favorite, healthy soul food is the Nirvana Sauce over steamed kale, chard, beets and turnips and brown rice. I’m drooling a little bit just thinking about it! I hadn’t tried beets in my adult life, and just remembered those gross, slimy, canned, diced beets I got in grade school. BOY was I wrong about disliking beets! They have a sweet, earthy flavor when steamed or roasted fresh, and I just can’t get enough! Some people get startled though if they eat a lot of beets, it can turn your stools and even your urine red!
Check out Martha Stewart’s site for healthy, easy meals.
If you live in the Portland Metro area, check out New Seasons for all your organic and local grocery needs.
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02.10.08
Posted in Health News & Tips, Discussion at 6:49 am by drkristen
As I sit and type this, I too have been overthrown by this year’s cold virus. Usually for me, it starts with a nagging sore throat, then the sinuses fill up until it eventually ends up in the chest. What I’ve seen the last two years in practice however, and what I’m experiencing currently…is a whole other animal. It’s stronger, harder and seems to go in reverse, along with nightsweats and chills. Yup…even though it’s February, it’s still cold & flu season.
Typically, these winter-time bugs are caused by viruses and not bacteria, which is why each year it confuses me to no end that patients come to me wondering why their antibiotics didn’t work…well, that’s because antibiotics only work against bacteria! They aren’t the magic pill that can kill any microbe, and by microbe, I mean bacteria, virus or fungus. Viral infections are tricky because they can cause low-grade fevers and fever is a common reaction to bacterial infections. And I’m certainly not saying that every cold is only viral in origin…you can get secondary bacterial infections when your immune system is already being stressed by a viral infection. All I’m saying is that there should be proof (usually done by a culture of the throat, sputum or nasal mucus) to prove bacterial infection before antibiotics are the treatment. With all the antibiotic-resistant bugs out there nowadays, we need to pick and choose our antibiotic battles before all the bad guys are immune to our treatments!
For the most part though, “the crud,” as it’s referred to in these parts during the winter months, is usually due to a virus, and though antibiotics can’t help, there are many things that can. Remember, these are general recommendations, and are in no way prescriptions for everyone - you should always check things out with your personal naturopath before self-prescribing, even though these seem like simple steps.
So, next time you’re faced with this terrible beast, whether it’s full blown, or if you start feeling that tingle at the back of your throat, try incorporating some of the following to help head-off the infection, or at least reduce the time it takes over your system (again, these recommendations are for otherwise healthy individuals, and if you have any chronic conditions, always ask your doc if these would work well for you):
- Drink plenty of fluids - mainly water, but water with a little lemon juice or some herbal tea will work well too - this will help thin your mucus and keep you hydrated if you are sweating from a fever
- Pump up the Vitamin C - some people say 1-3 grams per day, I say go ahead and go to bowel tolerance, meaning if your stools get loose, step back a dose and maintain. Many people can tolerate much more than 1-3 grams, especially smokers, since smoking depletes your vitamin C stores. I know people who can tolerate 11-12 grams per day! Vitamin C is an excellent antiviral, not to mention antioxidant and immune system stabilizer. People think they should drink their weight in orange juice to get more vitamin C when they’re sick, but that’s not true!! In fact, juice is the worst thing you can do when you’re sick - see below
- Avoid sugar - sugar slows the immune system, and bacteria love it - this includes juice, which turns to pure sugar in your blood stream! Even if you’re fighting a viral infection, you still want to be careful you don’t invite that secondary bacterial infection, right? So, don’t tempt them with sugar!
- Avoid dairy - dairy produces mucus, and when you’re sick, you’re gonna have plenty of that to go around, so why make more?
- Eat when and if you’re hungry - sometimes your body wants to fast so it can focus on fighting off infection, so don’t impede this by making yourself eat if you aren’t hungry. The most important thing is fluid, so as long as you are getting enough water, just try and eat healthy choices when you are hungry like steamed veggies, soups and broths.
- Incorporate the immune foods - garlic, onion, ginger and cayenne - these are not only potent immune system supporters, but they help warm up those chills during a fever. Even if you’re making chicken soup from a can, you can still put a few cloves of garlic, some ginger, a chopped up onion or a few pinches of cayenne to step it up a notch!
- Embrace the fever - try not to take fever reducers, like Tylenol, for fevers under 104 degrees. Fever is your body’s way of “cooking” out the bad guys, so you want to help you body through the fever, rather than avoid it. Obviously, if it gets above 104 degrees, you should call your doctor immediately because you likely have an aggressive bacterial infection. Things that can help break your fever faster (but not suppress it) would be:
- Doing a warming sock treatment - this also pulls congestion out of the head, which is great with sinus or chest congestion - click on the link to go to my patient education page and download the warming sock protocol in PDF format!
- Doing home hydrotherapy, alternating hot & cold to the area of most congestion (chest, throat) in order to get the blood and lymph flowing through the area instead of staying stagnant
- Taking a hot bath and sipping some ginger tea to help sweat it out - careful your fever doesn’t get too high - only try this with low-grade fevers (under 100 degrees)
- Rest, rest, rest - I know it seems redundant, and you don’t want to come across as a lightweight or a complainer just because of a “little cold,” but often times, this is your body’s way of telling you to slow down. Plus, your co-workers will thank you for not exposing them to your grossness!
- Wash your hands - probably the MOST important thing you can do when you’re sick, or trying not to get sick. Wash your hands for 30 seconds (sing “Happy Birthday” or “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” 3 times in a row), under warm/hot (not scalding) water with regular (NOT antibacterial) soap - do this before and after coming into contact with a sick person, and before you eat or touch your face. Our hands are the culprits that spread germs - keep ‘em clean but not sterile! If you use antibacterial soap, you’re just killing all the good bacteria we have on our skin that help us fight off infections, while also helping the bad bugs become more immune to our antibiotics - this includes all of those alcohol-based hand gels too - throw them away or put them in an emergency kit and just wash those hands properly!
So, these are my general tips. Slightly feverish, I know, but hopefully, they make sense! Many people ask me about the flu shot this time of year, so I guess I’ll answer that here as well. I think it’s silly unless you have a compromised immune system. Otherwise, you’re just getting a shot of last year’s “best-dressed” bug which will have mutated so much by the time you actually get it, that your body won’t recognize it from the vaccine quickly enough to fight it off before getting sick. Not to mention many people actually get sick from the shot, or the fact that most of the flu vaccines are preserved with thimerosal, which contains mercury. Mmmm…mercury…
OK, I’m going to stop talking now before I get on a fever-induced soap box! I am however going to add some of my favorite soaps to my Amazon recommendations page though - check it out!
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02.09.08
Posted in Research at 5:01 am by drkristen
So, there’s been talk in the last couple years that calcium supplementation can actually be detrimental to womens health by increasing a woman’s risk of heart attack. This seems absolutely ridiculous to me, but let me give you a summary of the most recent research:
- The cholesterol ratio (bad:good) improved with a group taking calcium supplements, which could mean cholesterol may not have much to do with heart attack risk in women (could be a good thing!) - this from a previous study
- 21 women (out of 732) in the calcium group experienced heart attacks
- 34 deaths occurred in the calcium group, and 29 deaths in the placebo group
- There is a theory that as women lose calcium in their post-menopausal years, the calcium then accumulates in the arteries, creating atherosclerosis and therefore increasing their risk of heart attack
BMJ. 2008;336:262-266
Issues I have with this article are:
- Who funded it? (you should always assess financial bias in any research)
- The average age of women in this study was 74 years old, and there were “possible limitations” on racial background - considering different races have differing risks of heart disease, what were the races of the women who experienced the heart attacks?
- What else were the women taking? If I have a post-menopausal woman on calcium, I would likely also have her on:
- vitamin D to aid calcium absorption
- fish oil and plant sterols to decrease atherosclerosis risk
- If they were taking other things, what were they? Supplements, meds that have an increased risk of heart attack?
- How old were the women who died, and how did they die? Were the heart attack deaths at rest, or were they in a car crash or any other scary situation to warrant a heart attack from something other than calcium?
Obviously, I’m not throwing this to the wind. But I am skeptical. I will do my best to keep up with the calcium research as it comes through, as I and many other practitioners believe calcium is an essential nutrient for optimum health.
I’ll keep you posted on anything I find!
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02.05.08
Posted in Research at 6:31 am by drkristen
Some good news!
In a case-control study involving 209 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 1,308 community controls, 275 hospital controls, and 381 patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) without HCC, aged 40-79 years, results suggest that drinking coffee may exert a protective effect against the development of HCC. Coffee consumption during the last 1-2 years and 10 years prior was assessed using a questionnaire. After adjusting for sex, age, heavy alcohol use, smoking status, and hepatitis virus markers (except for community controls), coffee consumption during the last 1-2 years was associated with a reduced risk of HCC. For coffee use 10 years before, after adjusting for potential confounders, comparison between HCC cases and community controls showed that occasional coffee consumption, 1-2 cups/day, and at least 3 cups/day were associated with 67%, 73% and 78% decreased risks of development of HCC, respectively, compared to no intake of coffee. Similarly, comparison between HCC cases and CLD patients showed that occasional coffee use, 1-2 cups/day, and 3 or more cups/day were associated with 14%, 38%, and 47% reduced risk of HCC, respectively, compared to no intake of coffee. Thus, the authors of this study conclude, “These results suggest that coffee may protect against the development of HCC, yet further elaborate studies (hopefully, intervention studies) are warranted to corroborate these findings.”
This was taken from Vitasearch, reference below:
“Inverse association between coffee drinking and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: a case-control study in Japan,” Tanaka K, Hara M, et al, Cancer Sci, 2007; 98(2): 214-8. (Address: Department of Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, 5-1-1 Nabeshima, Saga 849-8501, Japan. E-Mail: tanakake@post.saga-med.ac.jp ).
Just remember, moderation!
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Posted in Uncategorized at 6:26 am by drkristen
Metabolic Syndrome may seem confusing - even to me! But in this age of obesity, it’s becoming much more common than it once was.
What causes Metabolic Syndrome?
Well, it can be genetic. It also can evolve from lack of exercise and a diet high in carbs.
Are there any risks?
Metabolic Syndrome can significantly increase your risk of insulin resistance, and can even lead to Type II Diabetes. It can cause high blood sugar, high cholesterol & triglycerides, and high blood pressure. Because of these risks, Metabolic Syndrome gone untreated can significantly increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.
What are the symptoms?
Many people with Metabolic Syndrome complain of difficulty losing weight, “food coma” after high-carb meals, and central obesity (belly fat). Their blood tests may show high blood sugar, high cholesterol, high triglycerides and increased risks of heart disease and inflammation.
Is it treatable?
Of course! The main thing is diet and exercise. Reducing your amount of carbs, eating heart-healthy food, and making sure you are getting plenty of fiber, B vitamins and essential fatty acids is essential to optimum health, with or without a diagnosis of Metabolic Syndrome.
So, if you or someone you know thinks they may have Metabolic Syndrome, see your doctor and get some standard blood work done. It’s better to work on your diet and exercise routine now before you increase your risk!
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02.02.08
Posted in Health News & Tips at 6:27 am by drkristen
Ah, remember the days when you wouldn’t feel well and you would get a disgusting spoonful of castor oil shoved in your mouth? Well if this never happened to you, ask your elders, and I’m sure you’ll see their faces wrinkle up in horror if you mention castor oil. It is a cathartic when taken internally, and therefore was and continues to be a cure for constipation or used as a general “medicine” for upset tummies. Externally however, it’s a whole new animal.
I don’t know if you have downloaded the castor oil pack handout on my patient education page, but this is an extremely common naturopathic treatment. In fact, it’s one of our “Basic Treatment Guidelines,” which are general daily recommendations to a healthy lifestyle. If anything, it’s calming to relax with a warm pack on your belly for 45 minutes each day! But why do we recommend heating castor oil on your abdomen, or rubbing it on a sore joint or muscle? Well, I’ll tell ya…
The castor bean contains ricinoleic acid, which is known for it’s antimicrobial properties when used topically. This means it is effective against viruses, bacteria and fungus/mold. Some people even put a little castor oil on a wound under a band-aid to help heal and prevent infection.
When applied topically with heat used to drive the castor oil into the skin, it immediately increases the flow of your lymphatic system, which I picture as thousands of microscopic brooms, sweeping toxins out of our body so we can excrete them properly. This is why we recommend castor oil packs to the abdomen. The abdomen is the optimum site of our immune system and lymphatic system, making it easier for the castor oil to come in contact with the correct brooms to help us detoxify and reduce inflammation. Likewise, if you have a specific area, like a sore joint that needs a little help from our lymphatic system to help clear away the inflammation, you can put castor oil directly onto the joint, drive it in with a little heat, and now you have ignited the lymphatic system to come in and aid that inflammation!
This wonderful oil has been used for years for a multitude of conditions. If you want some more castor oil reading, check out this site for patient stories of everything from animal bites to cancer.
Also, check out my Amazon recommendations for the best quality castor oil - remember it is an oil and therefore a fat, so you want to purchase castor oil in glass only, as fats stored in plastic can leach chemicals from the plastic.
Castor oil pack quick tip: if you don’t have time to do the castor oil packs each day, here’s a suggestion - rub some castor oil over your belly and/or affected joint/muscle. Then jump into the shower/bath and let the hot water drive the castor oil in for at least 5 minutes before washing it off with soap. Sometimes I’ll do this in the morning when I know I’ll have a long day and won’t want to do much when I get home! Also, if you’re a tv junkie, put that time to good use and dedicate a show each night when you do your castor oil pack. It’ll only take a commercial’s worth of time to set it up, and a commercial’s worth to wash it off!
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