Keep It Down - Your Blood Pressure, That Is

My muse

We probably remember as children hearing our parents or grandparents saying to one another, "Be careful, watch your blood pressure." Elevated blood pressure comes from many things--anger being only one of many. Plenty of genetic factors come into play, biological changes in our bodies, outside factors such as being stuck in traffic with someone behind you blowing the horn, too much salt in our diets. . . etc.

Here are few tips for what you can do to help keep your blood pressure in check, courtesy whole living magazine.

1) (My favorite) Hang out with your animal pal(s). When we give a cat or a dog or any other creature (including human, for that matter) a hug, lots of nice things happen. One of them is that we "slow down." Try standing for a minute or so while holding a purring cat. You'll find yourself slowing down to match their breathing pattern.

2) Enjoy some berries. As little as a cup of raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries can cut your chance of developing hypertension by 8%. Now if that isn't a pleasant prescription, we don't know what is! This is according to a study of 156,000 people, so we shouldn't take the results lightly.

3) Watch a silly (even stupid) show on TV or video. Now there's a prescription for you! But it makes sense. The key here is not the idiocy of what you're watching, but it's your laughter. "A few good belly laughs can improve blood-vessel function," according to the whole living article.

4) Be loving. Hold hands with your partner. Give each other hugs (just like with your animal pals). Do this especially after completing a stressful task, like a long, hard day at the office, or figuring out your taxes. Daily affection is just plain good for us!

5) Listen to other people's stories. The idea here is that when you listen to someone else talk about their blood pressure issues and how they deal with them, your blood pressure tends to lower. It may have something to do with what is essentially a calming effect from knowing that other people have the same problem and that they too are finding ways to deal with it.

Tofu Scramble--Mix it Up!

photo from honeywhatscooking.com

You can't really make a mistake when it comes to how to make a tofu scramble--unless you do the basic kitchen no-nos like overcook, undercook, or just add flavors that you don't even like! So think eggs and then think 'tofu instead.' In other words, go for what you like and throw it in! Now remember tofu doesn't really need to be cooked. It just needs to be heated (for a scramble). But that said, the longer it is contact with other foods and flavors, the more it will pick those up.

So try this one (serves 3 or 4):

What You'll Need:
1 lb. tofu
several handfuls of spinach (equivalent of a bunch)
1 onion, peeled and diced (or sliced)
2 tomatoes (diced or sliced)
garlic (to taste), minced
salt and pepper to taste
oregano or herbes de Provence
olive oil
pita bread

What You'll Do:
Put the tofu in a bowl and mash it up with a fork. Put it aside.
In a skillet, heat up the oil and then throw in the garlic and onion. Once they start to get golden brown, add the tofu, herbs, and finally the tofu. Toss in the skillet until the tofu is warm and has picked up the colors and aromas of its skillet companions.

Heat up the pita bread. Slice in the middle and fill each pocket with your tofu scramble. Add your own touches. Maybe some olives? Eggplant? The possibilities are just about limitless. . .

Enjoy!

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

Green (Vegan) Shephard's Pie for St. Patrick's Day!

photo from Care2

Here's another interesting recipe from Care2. Not only is it green, but it's that certain type of comfort food so wonderful on a cold and/or rainy day. Thank you Becky Streipe, who posted recipe!

 Ingredients

• 4 baking potatoes
• 2T oil (preferably olive)
• 1/3c soy milk
• 1t white pepper
• 1 block tofu, cubed
• 8oz button mushrooms, sliced
• 2T olive oil
• 1c faux chicken broth (ed. note: vegetables will do just fine as well)
• 1c peas and carrot
• 1/4c nutritional yeast

Directions

Cook the potatoes either in the oven or the microwave, then mash them up with the soy milk, margarine, and pepper. Don’t fret if things are a bit dry. You’ll be adding some broth in just a few minutes!

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil and saute the tofu and mushrooms for a couple of minutes, then add the broth, peas, and carrots. Simmer until the mushrooms soften.

Now would be a good time to preheat your oven to 400.

Scoop out about half of the liquid from the pan and add it to your potatoes. Mash them up a bit more, then spread half of the potato mixture evenly on the bottom of an oiled 8X8″ baking dish.

Add the veggies and the rest of the liquid from the pan, then spread the remaining potatoes over the top of the veggies. Sprinkle your nutritional yeast on top, then bake for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes brown.

Serve!
via care2, where it was posted by Becky Streipe

Eating Organically When Money Is Tight

sampling good food in the sunshine

With the economy the way it is and so many of us living on a budget that is tighter than it once was, many people say they can't eat organically because it's too expensive. Think again. Even places like Whole Foods, cynically nicknamed  "Whole Paycheck" by some, have incredible weekly specials. And if you compare to other markets item by item, you may be pleasantly surprised. You just need to pay attention to what is in season, what's on sale, etc. and eat accordingly. Same thing is true of other markets, btw--Trader Joe's, for example--lots of great organic produce and packaged items at prices that match or beat non-organic options. And of course Farmers Markets are known for their good prices and often the last hour of the market is the best time to buy--when the growers would rather sell their produce at reduced rates than have to load it all back on their trucks.

And there are other things you can do. Pay more attention to meal planning. Be aware of how much meat or fish or tofu, for example,  you actually need to get your nutritional requirement for the day. Americans have a tendency to eat more than necessary (read "too much"). Not only is this fattening, but costly as well. Choose wisely when you plan your menu. Do you really need to buy a package of pre-cut vegetables, for instance? Can't you take the few extra moments and cut them yourself?

Growing your own isn't a bad idea either. It's fun watching things grow. Not to mention, you know exactly what went into the growing. And there's a unique satisfaction in being able to open the door to your yard, balcony, or patio and pick that tomato or zucchini right off the vine, take it inside and create something with it.

Here is more on the subject from care2.

Black Sesame Otsu

photo from 101cookbooks.com

(Ed. note: Yesterday, our illustrious office manager, who cooks, sews, knits, and puruses a lively assortment of other interesting and creative endeavors, pointed me to a fabulous recipe on one of her favorite blogs. We chose to include this recipe on the Tofu Yu blog, not because it is made with tofu (which it isn't), but because it goes so well with tofu. The  recipe comes to us from  Super Natural Every Day: Well-loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen by Heidi Swanson, as posted on her blog, 101 Cookbooks, a delightful collection of delicious and wholesome recipes that Heidi began compiling in 2003. Some come from her numerous cookbooks, others are from friends, or created by herself.)

Ingredients
1 teaspoon pine nuts
1 teaspoon sunflower seeds
1/2 cup / 2 oz / 60 g black sesame seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons natural cane sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons shoyu, tamari, or soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons mirin
Scant 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Fine-grain sea salt
12 ounces / 340 g soba noodles
12 ounces / 340 g extra-firm tofu
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch green onions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced

Directions
Toast the pine nuts and sunflower seeds in a large skillet over medium heat until golden, shaking the pan regularly. Add the sesame seeds to the pan and toast for a minute or so. It's hard to tell when they are toasted; look closely and use your nose. Remove from the heat as soon as you smell a hint of toasted sesame; if you let them go much beyond that, you'll start smelling burned sesame - not good. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and crush the mixture; the texture should be like black sand. Alternatively, you can use a food processor. Stir in the sugar, shoyu, mirin, sesame oil, brown rice vinegar, and cayenne pepper. Taste and adjust if needed.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously, add the soba, and cook according to the package instructions until tender. Drain, reserving some of the noodle cooking water, and rinse under cold running water.

While the noodles are cooking, drain the tofu, pat it dry, and cut into matchstick shapes. Season the tofu with a pinch of salt, toss with a small amount of oil, and cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes, tossing every couple minutes, until the pieces are browned on all sides.

Reserve a heaping tablespoon of the sesame paste, then thin the rest with 1/3 cup / 80 ml of the hot noodle water. In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba, half of the green onions, and the black sesame paste. Toss until well combined. Add the tofu and toss again gently. Serve topped with a tiny dollop of the reserved sesame paste and the remaining green onions.

Serves 4.
(Ed. note: This would be delicious served beside or beneath some simple sauteed tofu--be it Tofu Yu garlic/pepper, one of our smoked varieties, or the plain firm. Whatever you choose, you've just made yourself a healthy, tasty, and delicious meal.)

Gluten-Free. Who, Me?

"Gluten-free" seems to be the new fix-it for everything from tummy aches to weight loss. Amazing how quickly and easily many people will get on a bandwagon, believing the latest cure-all. Even if they don't have the ailment something is supposed to cure!! The reality is that although there are more diagnosed cases of celiac disease than ever before, that doesn't mean someone who doesn't suffer from the disease is going to somehow enhance their life by going gluten-free. In fact, it can be quite the contrary.

One of the problems is that food made without gluten needs to compensate for the lack of it. Often that means added sugar and fat--to do something gluten does so well, which is to bind food together and make it more palatable. And there is the nutritive value of grains that is sacrificed, including wheat, barley, and rye. Protein being only one of the benefits of eating whole grains.

photo from care2

According to an article posted by Rodale in care2.com, an Archives of Internal Medicine study conducted in 2003 suggests that celiac disease affects one in 133 Americans. For comparison sake, consider that one in three Americans suffer from high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association. (And btw--how many of those people lower their salt intake, practice stress-reducing exercises, exercise, etc.?)

If you do suffer from celiac disease, this is serious business and you should indeed adopt a gluten-free diet, but this is not a diagnosis you can or should try to determine on your own. You need a physician to make the call.

Remember, the motto should be 'consumer beware'--NOT 'consumer believe'. You could be doing yourself more harm than good if you don't know what you're doing. . .

Read more in this interesting article By Karen Ansel, R.D., Women’s Health on care2