What's New in Natural Foods

In This Issue

Salad—A Nutritional Contender
Fats: Debunking a Popular Belief
June Meals

Hi Everyone,

In Minnesota, as in other parts of the country, the gardens got an early start, and lettuce greens are plentiful. That gets my mind turning to salad… Don't let a salad's delicacy fool you—it's got real nourishment. So keep reading to learn more. What if you were told that eating, not avoiding, fats was necessary for good health? Read on to see why we'll be hearing more advice of this kind – eventually. I'm teaching three classes this month, so I hope you'll be able to come catch at least one. Happy spring eating!

Salad—A Nutritional Contender

Often dismissed a nutritional lightweight, lettuce actually offers more than just a crisp, refreshing note to your meal. Dark green varieties of lettuce (such as Romaine or green leaf) are a great source of the trace mineral silica, which is important for our bodies' connective tissue, as well as vitamins K, C, B and minerals including potassium and manganese. If you are a fan of iceberg lettuce, use it for crunch mixed in with darker leaves. If you're feeling adventurous, try adding more strongly-flavored greens such as radicchio, watercress or endive.

A meal in itself
With the right ingredients, salad can become the main entree. Toss in some protein (grilled meat, hard boiled eggs, smoked fish) and some fun stuff, too: vegetables, nuts or seeds, cheese, beans, seasonal fruits, herbs. Be imaginative and your palate will thank you.

Top it off with healthy dressing
A homemade salad dressing is significantly better for your health than one from a bottle. And they're easy to make! Start with a good quality oil, such as olive or sesame. These nutritious oils are a good source of high-quality fats, vitamins and enzymes that aid digestion. Commercially made salad dressings use refined vegetable oils (soy, corn and canola), which are linked to degenerative diseases, including heart disease and cancer, and deplete our bodies of important nutrients such as vitamin A. Bottled salad dressings also often contain unwholesome ingredients such as corn syrup, MSG and artificial flavors and preservatives. Avoid them.

One of my favorite (easy) dressings for summer salads:

Fruity Dressing

• 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T. balsamic or wine vinegar
• 3 T. jam – your favorite flavor pinch of salt

Combine ingredients in a small bowl or jar. Mix well.

*It's very helpful to use an immersion blender or regular blender for this – you'll get a much creamier dressing.

Try it on a big salad with grilled chicken, feta cheese, almonds and strawberries – yum!

Fats – Debunking a Popular Belief

When I teach classes, including my "Heart Health" class, I always say, "Fat is not the enemy - our bodies depend on healthy fats to function properly. Butter is your friend." That's when the eyebrows go up. Skeptics all over the room.

The truth is that fats – including saturated fats – didn't become the "threat" that they are considered today until the late 1950's when the lipid hypothesis (which is that eating saturated fats and cholesterol will increase risk for heart disease) became popular in this country. "Low-fat" everything became the misguided rule – for decades.

Setting the record straight
Today, overwhelming evidence is slowly causing the low-fat tide to turn, despite a lack of publicity. That's why I was delighted to see an article in "Scientific American," citing several studies that found no correlation between saturated fat and the risk of heart disease. In fact, as Americans have decreased the amount of saturated fats in their diets, the obesity rate has doubled, diabetes has tripled, and our rates of heart disease have not decreased.

The article goes on to look at studies showing that the low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets that have been recommended by the FDA, American Heart Association and medical establishment in general are actually harmful to our health: they increase risk for diabetes, weight gain, and yes, heart disease.

And there's more
Highly respected food author, Michael Pollan, takes on this country's low-fat debacle in his most recent book, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. Pollan says – and I'm paraphrasing – that the reason low-fat directives persist, is that those in charge are too embarrassed to admit they've been giving bad advice all these years. This is a quick and good read.

The word is getting out. One day low-fat will be a thing of our past. Just remember, you heard it here first.

June Meals

Dinner with Jennette will inspire you to enjoy seasonal produce all year long. Expect some tasty salads this summer, along with grilled fare, and lighter feeling meals featuring fresh herbs and fruit. June's offerings include: "Grilled Steak with Fresh Chimichurri Sauce," "Turkey Salad with Cashews and Golden Raisins" and "Shredded Pork Tacos with Avocado, Tomato and Corn Salad."

If you're ready to jump-start your summer in a healthy way: get cooking! I'm here to help.

Best,
Jennette