Great Alternative to Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Millet Cauliflower Mash

This recipe comes from the cookbook, love, sanae,written by a young woman who recovered from ovarian cancer with natural healing and macrobiotics. She and her husband Eric founded Seed, a vegan macrobiotic restaurant in Venice, Ca. I recently ate there and loved it so much I had to order all their cookbooks.

1 c millet
3-3.5 cups water
2 cups diced cauliflower
1/8 tsp sea salt

1. In a skillet over medium heat, lightly dry roast the washed millet, stirring constantly, until it smells toasty
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water to a boil. Add millet, cauliflower and salt, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 min.
3. Transfer to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth and fluffy, adding a little water if necessary. An immersion blender works well so you can puree right in the pot.

Shiitake Gravy

2 shiitake mushrooms, dried
2 cups water for soaking
1/4 c chopped onion
1 heaping tbl. kuzu, dissolved in 2 tbl water (a root starch found in Japanese grocery stores or the macrobiotic foods section of Whole Foods)
1 tsp tamari

1. Soak the mushrooms for about 30 minutes
2. Remove mushrooms, reserving soak water and coarsely chop
3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine 1/4 c of the soaking water and the onion. Saute the onion for 1 minute.
4 Add remaining soaking water and mushrooms, cover and simmer for 15 min
5. Add dissolved kuzu and stir constantly until it thickens
6 Flavor with tamari and serve over millet mash.

Yum! Just like mashed potatoes with gravy.

Fish Oil Lowers Risk of Depressiom and Cognitive Decline

Fish oil supplements may reduce symptoms of depression and a subsequent risk of dementia, suggests new data from Australia.

The apparent brain-boosting benefits of fish oil are related the combination of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), which calls into question the use of pure EPA supplements in some mental health studies.

For the new study, fish oil supplements were associated with improvements in scores on the Geriatric Depression Scale and verbal fluency The new study – published in the British Journal of Nutrition – adds to an every growing body of science supporting the potential cognitive benefits of fish oil and the omega-3 fatty acids it contains.

The majority of the science focuses on heart health, but an increasing number of studies have reported benefits for mood, behavior, and mental function. Such is the interest in the area of omega-3 and brain health that the US Army is studying the effects of omega-3 status on suicide rates of troops and service personnel (Journal of Clinical Psychiatry , doi: 10.4088/JCP.11m06879), and how omega-3 supplementation may improve mental health and stress resilience .

Chocolate is Good for the Heart

In a city renowned for its love of food, it is only fitting that researchers presented the results of a new study in Paris, France, showing that chocolate is good for the heart and brain. In a presentation at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2011 Congress, British investigators are reporting that individuals who ate the most chocolate had a 37% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 29% lower risk of stroke compared with individuals who ate the least amount of chocolate.
In the study, published online August 29, 2011, Dr Adriana Buitrago-Lopez (University of Cambridge, UK) and colleagues state: "Although overconsumption can have harmful effects, the existing studies generally agree on a potential beneficial association of chocolate consumption with a lower risk of cardiometabolic disorders. Our findings confirm this, and we found that higher levels of chocolate consumption might be associated with a one-third reduction in the risk of developing cardiovascular disease."

Probiotics Boost Immune Function, According to a New Study

Daily intake of probiotic “friendly” bacteria showed the ability to effect a considerable increase in immune function, reports a recent study published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Conducted in partnership between the University of Southampton in England and the University of Milan, and the Luigi Sacco Hospital in Milan, Italy, study participants that ingested bifidobacterium animalis ssp. Lactis (BB-12) or Lactobacillus paracasei ssp. Paracasei (L. casei 431) showed raised levels—as high as 66 percent—of the immune system antibody IgG3.

Study participants who were given the probiotics over a two-week period were then inoculated with a standard flu vaccine. Tested again four weeks after receiving the vaccine, the probiotic group’s immune antibodies showed substantial increases while the placebo group’s results were considerably less impressive. The study findings corroborate previous studies that also found a connection between daily intake of probiotic strains and enhanced immune system function.

The study tested probiotic supplements, and not probiotic-rich foods such as live sauerkraut, kim chee, kombucha or probiotic dairy products such as yogurt or kefir. Naturally fermented foods are a well-known source of friendly bacteria, and in addition to immune enhancement, have been shown to regulate mood, support digestive health and even contribute to weight loss.

Recent research has linked the excess use of and wide variety of antibiotics (routine in America) to notable imbalances of friendly bacteria colonies. The study showed a connection between diminished levels of friendly gut bacteria and unusual behavior in certain stomach hormones that were not sending proper signals of satiety to the brain and leading to overeating, obesity and diabetes.

Red Wine Consumption May Help Keep Weight and Belly Fat Off

A daily glass of red wine may help keep weight and belly fat in check, according to a new evidence review by researchers at Spain’s University of Navarra.

The authors analyzed data from 31 epidemiological studies, which reveal associations between foods in people’s diets and their health, without proving a cause-effect relationship. In all of the studies, researchers had collected information on people’s alcohol consumption and body mass index.

Drinking one or two ounces of unsweetened alcohol per day might not cause much weight gain, while sweetened drinks – or drinking any alcohol to excess – cause greater concern.

As the authors wrote, “… light-to-moderate alcohol intake, especially wine intake, may be more likely to protect against weight gain, whereas consumption of spirits [is linked to] weight gain.” Many of the studies linked greater body weight or abdominal adiposity (belly fat) among heavy or binge drinkers.