'shrooms and Tofu

by Francine

photo via rockahealthylifestyle.com

Mushrooms are endowed with an assortment of health benefits - from being a boost to your immune system, to helping to prevent breast and other cancers; they assist in weight loss, fighting tumors, and they are anti-inflammatory, a source of B12 (difficult to get when you're a vegetarian). .  .There's a reason these exotic, rather cosmic edibles are associated with 'magic.' Magic indeed. And we get to eat them! And they're so declicious. Did you know there's a lobster mushroom that actually tastes like that? And oyster mushrooms. . . well, you can guess the rest.

Check out the great nutrient reference from whfoods.com, which tells us - among other things - that mushrooms seem to have some kind of 'smart' aspect about them, where if white blood cell is required, mushrooms push that, and when it's not, crimini mushrooms seem to have a sensor to leave the white blood cells alone. "Magic" anyone?

Here's a ridiculously easy recipe for tofu and mushrooms. It can be adapted so easily to taste. It's inexpensive, easy to prepare, and is sure to make your tummy feel swell.

What you need:

a block of tofu (plain or not), sliced or cubed
enough mushrooms to please yourself and whoever else you're cooking for
black pepper
some red onion
a few cloves of garlic
a bit of the following:
  turmeric
  cumin
  cayenne
  basil
  oregano
  (any other herb or spice you love)
coconut or canola oil

Directions:

Slice the onion thinly. Same thing with the garlic. Saute both with a bit of oil until they become a bit transparent and soft. Add the mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms start to soften and add the tofu. Continue to saute until tofu starts to brown and everything is well mixed. Add the herbs, pepper, and continue to mix until everything is steaming and flavors are well blended.

Variation: add green or red pepper and/or cherry tomatoes, halved

Pour mixture over brown rice, quinoa, or pasta. You'll have yourself a tasty, inexpensive, and very yummy treat.


Resources

fitday.com
whfoods.com

Mediterranean Salade a la tofu

via http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/

photo via destination360.com

Plenty of vitamin C in this delicious mix. And here's some other good health news: the parsley is a rich source of antioxidants and even folic acid, which is one of the most important of the B vitamins--important for cardiovascular health. Also assists in preventing colon and cervix cancer. And those delicious tomatoes are extremely nutritious as well--they are antioxidant, even as it pertains to bone health and help to prevent a variety of cancers (breast and prostrate, for example)! Some studies have linked tomatoes with a decreased like of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's. . . So eat up and enjoy the health treat you're giving your body.

 

What you need:

• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 cup diced seedless cucumber, (1/4 medium)
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

How to make:

1. Combine tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, parsley, olives, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a medium bowl; toss gently to mix. Serve within 1 hour.

Natural Companions--Children and Soy

We want to do our best for our children and often this is just as difficult as it is to do for ourselves amidst all the conflicting information.  "A growing child needs meat." "Humans don't need meat at all." "Tofu doesn't have the nutrients kids need." Etc., etc. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) performed several years ago looked at the most common soy foods that children and adolescents eat--namely soy burgers, soy-based energy bars, and soy milk. In an article published in soyconnection.com, Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, LDN reports that in 2011 ". . . 37% of Americans reported that they consume soy foods or soy beverages at least once per month in comparison to approximately 32% in 2006." He goes on to assume that if the adults are eating these amounts, it's very likely that they are serving their children soy products as well.

image from kblog.lunchboxbunch.com

So let's take a look at some of the other points Dr. Mangels makes in his article devoted to issues related to children and soy. Apparently the phytic acid and protein in soy can inhibit zinc and iron in children. Now at first glance that seems like a good case for skipping the soy and giving your child just meat, which happens to be an excellent provider of zinc and iron. But that's not actually the case. "Iron bioavailability from soy may be higher than expected, however, the majority of iron in soy is in the form of ferritin which appears to be highly bioavailable."And over time 'partial' substitution of soy for meat did not appear to compromise iron absorption at all. And don't forget that although meat is truly high in protein, iron, etc., it is also high in fat--and not the good kind like the one found in nuts, avocados, olive oil, etc.

Soy protein has repeatedly been shown to be a major benefit when it comes to fighting dangerous cholesterol levels--not just in adults, but in children as well--promoting healthy levels of HDL (where we want to see the numbers high), LDL (where we want to see the numbers low), and triglyceride levels (where low figures are also what we're after). Many adults are under the impression is a concern only in later years, but is not the case, particularly in families where cholesterol issues are genetic.

Here's a statistic to take note of: "Soy intake during childhood and adolescence is associated with as much as a 60% lower risk of breast cancer later in life."In fact, Mangels goes on to say that this positive effect of eating soy as children appears to be even stronger than eating it as an adult, but that studies still need to confirm this.

Soy products are allowed in the National School Lunch Program and the USDA has approved the substitution of soy-based beverages that meet specified nutrient level.

Read more: Soy Can Supply Key Nutrients to Children and Adolescents

Chronicle piece about Artisan Tofu

San Francisco Chronicle food writer Tara Duggan wrote a good article recently about the growing artisan tofu market. Tofu Yu was mentioned, along with a bit of information about TofuYu founders Kevin Stong and Helen Yu.

Not that long ago, tofu was the subject of much derision in Western cultures. Not anymore. Athough let's face it--in its natural state, it can look like a rather uninteresting glob of gelatinous stuff. The reality is, tofu, along with other soy products, is not only an extremely versatile and tasty food, it's packed with nutrition. And when you consider how inexpensive it is compared to other protein foods, it's extremely cost-effective. And keep in mind that protein is only one of the benefits of eating tofu.

In a 2010 Chinese study, mentioned in U.S. News, it was found that "For women past menopause who have had breast cancer, a higher intake of soy may help reduce the risk of the disease's recurrence." The study findings were published Oct. 18 in CMAJ (the Canadian Medical Association Journal).

The article goes on to say that the study was not large and involved only women who were receiving medical care in Chinese.

Marji McCullough, a spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society is quoted in the U.S. News article, "Chinese women may have been likely to have a lifelong high consumption of soy. We don't know whether starting on a diet high in soy after a breast cancer diagnosis would have the same effect as eating a lifelong diet high in soy."


McCullough goes on to say that according to current American Cancer Society guidelines, which are under review, up to three servings a day of soy foods is considered safe. But women are advised to avoid the high soy dose found in more concentrated sources such as soy powders and isoflavone.

-fs