On April 9, Michelle Obama planted an organic Victory Garden in the White House Kitchen Garden. It was a groundbreaking move, literally and figuratively. With help from local school children, she started the garden with the aim of raising awareness about healthy eating. “My hope is that, through children, they will begin to educate their families and that will, in turn, begin to educate our communities,” Obama told The New York Times.
Imagine our local communities picking up on healthy eating with greater energy and fervor. The seeds for this were planted decades ago and are already taking root.
In 1986, Christiane Northrup, M.D., invited me to teach family physicians in southern Maine how to plan, choose, cook and eat healthy, whole, real foods to improve family health. Dr. Northrup is a well-known holistic physician who now appears often on Oprah and is the author Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom as well as The Wisdom Of Menopause. We had known each other for a while and shared a passion for educating about natural foods as a major key for health and disease prevention. She invited me to be a whole foods/healthy eating consultant in her renowned Women To Women Clinic, to help her clients eat better and begin to make lifestyle changes. So I moved my wellness consulting business to Yarmouth, Maine for several years.
Surprisingly, allopathic physicians had not been taught about healthy foods. The venue was a grand round lecture at Maine General Hospital where the keynote speaker was William Castelli, M.D., distinguished cardiovascular specialist and, at that time, director of the Framingham Heart Study. Presenting along with me was my colleague, Rick Perry. We switched gender roles and Rick did the cooking while I did the talking.
Dr. Castelli talked about the Framingham study, the longest and largest longitudinal study on heart health. He spoke first and, in a characteristic left-brain, analytical, research style, highlighted the many things discovered or debunked about heart disease by following 5,209 adult subjects from Framingham, Mass. since 1948.
Suddenly, he stopped speaking, the look on his face changed and his energy and mood became different. Looking at the family physicians in the audience he said, “What we really need is 10 people in a room with 10 stoves to come up with 10 healthy, delicious, easy meals that families will enjoy.”
So here we are 23 years later. Do most families, couples and singles have those 10 delicious, easy, healthy meals? Adding to whatever resistance there might be is the glut of nutritional information that bombards consumers. Another hesitation could be the perception that healthy eating takes more time and costs more money and just won’t taste as good. Habits, denial, advertising and addictions also confound and sabotage many individuals and families.
Do you have any family meals that fit Dr. Castelli’s prescription: easy, cost-effective, delicious and healthy? Do they meet the following guidelines?
All ingredients come from whole, unprocessed, natural foods, preferably organic, with no chemical additives, refined ingredients, trans- or hydrogenated fats, antibiotics or growth hormones. In other words, clean, whole, real.
The meals should take less than 30 minutes to prepare and cost less than $4 a serving for dinner, less for breakfast and lunch, snacks, desserts and beverages. You may wish to note the cost per serving and the number of servings your recipe includes.
Go for a balance of moderate complex carbs, healthy fats and protein in each meal.
How about a variety of meat-based meals and vegetarian recipes and menu ideas?
Meals should be prepared on the stovetop rather than in the microwave. (Research is coming out on the negative changes to microwaved food.)
How about some meals that are allergen-free (no wheat, gluten, dairy/cheese, eggs, soy, peanuts, nuts, corn)? Americans eat so much wheat and dairy without observing if their bodies are doing well with these foods. Dr. Northup recently mentioned in a Channel 11 presentation on women’s health that she suspects at least 1/3 of women are wheat and gluten sensitive.
Tell us how your kids are involved in helping with the meal planning, shopping, preparing, decorating, serving, saying grace or gratitude at the meal.
Share your tips, recipes and strategies about how your family embraces healthy, convenient, delicious eating.
We can join Michelle Obama as she kicks off a national trend in healthier eating. Send Wednesday Journal your favorite easy, healthy, delicious recipe(s) and menu idea(s), the ones that work for your family. As we learn together and support each other, we can create healthier communities with healthier immune systems, and more energy, joy, brain and heart power.
Imagine that!
Gina Orlando has been teaching about healthy, natural foods for 30 years in our communities. She wrote a healthy food column for Wednesday Journal from 1990 to 1994 and also wrote feature articles. As a wellness consultant, she has a master’s degree from DePaul University in Mind, Body, Spirit Approaches To Health. She teaches wellness, natural health and disease prevention classes at hospitals, businesses and colleges.
For starters
Teriyaki Salmon or Tilapia
Serve with organic basmati rice and Asian veggies (fresh or frozen)
Buy fresh or frozen wild salmon or tilapia, either as filets or steaks. Tilapia has a very delicate non-fishy taste, so many kids enjoy it. There are Omega-3 fats in fish. Salmon is rich in these. The teriyaki sauce adds a great flavor and some sweetness. Find a teriyaki sauce without MSG. You can always thin the sauce a bit, heat it, thicken it with your favorite thickener, and use on top of the fish, rice and/or veggies. If you like a lot of sauce, you may choose to get a lower salt version and thin it with water.
Ingredients:
Salmon or Tilapia, filets or steaks
Few drops of olive oil
Teriyaki sauce
Broiled Teriyaki Fish
Heat broiler.
Oil both sides of the fish with a few drops of olive oil.
Rub 1 Tbsp. or more of teriyaki sauce on top of each piece of fish (3-6 oz. per serving). This adds a light flavor. For a stronger teriyaki flavor, you can make a thickened sauce to top the fish, rice or veggies.
Alternative if you have more time: Marinate the fish at least ½ hour in teriyaki sauce that is thinned with water. Cook and thicken this sauce to top the fish, vegetables and/or rice.
Broil until done, but not overdone. Tilapia: approx. 7 minutes. Salmon: approx. 7-12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the filet or steak. Don’t overcook! Every fish, pan, oven, broiler and cook is different. Use your wisdom.
Steamed Teriyaki Fish
Place fish in pan.
Add teriyaki sauce and water in approximately equal amounts, to cover the bottom of the pan. Since it will cook down, the flavor will condense.
Cover. On a medium flame, bring up to simmer. Then gently steam/simmer until done. It’s done when a fork goes in easily.
The sauce can be thickened, too, and served over the fish, rice or veggies.
Ideas to grease (well, hopefully not) the wheels
Breakfasts
Day 1: Protein fruit shake/smoothie w/ flax oil
Day 2: Egg veggie omelets, potatoes
Day 3: Organic steel cut oats
Day 4: Your favorite protein-based breakfast
Day 5: Protein fruit smoothies
Snacks
Day 1: Rice crackers or veggies and hummus
Day 2: Apple, pear, kiwi or seasonal fruit
Day 3: Real dill pickle (has probiotics)
Day 4: Raw roasted almonds or Larrabar
Day 5: Rice crackers and almond butter
Lunch
Day 1: Turkey burger on whole grain bun, or open face, w/olive oil mayo, veggies or salad
Day 2: Vegetable soup and/or favorite sandwich
Day 3: Lentil or Split Pea Soup with rice crackers
Day 4: Mixed greens salad with turkey, balsamic olive oil dressing, side of real sauerkraut
Day 5: Chicken sandwich (from leftovers) on millet bread, olive oil mayo
Dessert/Munchies
Day 1: Dark chocolate
Day 2: Gluten-free cookies
Day 3: Org. blue corn chips, salsa
Day 4: Coconut milk ice cream
Day 5: Kefir (plain, honey or fruit flavored)
Dinner
Day 1: Teriyaki salmon, Asian veggies, organic brown rice
Day 2: Cuban black beans, salsa, guac, veggies on two org. corn or rice tortillas
Day 3: Pasta sauce with ground turkey, rice pasta, org. salad, olive oil dressing
Day 4: Roasted natural chicken, organic Yukon Gold potatoes, org. green beans
Day 5: Frozen shrimp stir fry, org. basmati rice
Drinks
Day 1: Pure water, iced green tea
Day 2: Pure water, black tea
Day 3: Pure water, diluted real cranberry juice w/ stevia
Day 4: Pure water, honey green tea
Day 5: Pure water, diluted blueberry, pomegranate, grape or cherry juice