A grab bag of tips, quips, news bites, reader ideas and food for thought

(Very Late) New Year's Greetings Everyone,

Many apologies for falling off the newsletter bandwagon over the holiday season, but I'm back and have so many ideas to share! In that vein, this newsletter is a kind of grab bag, for something different. You'll find tips, quips, ideas from our readers and a couple thoughts to think about. Hope you enjoy!

Kitchen Tip: Small Kitchen Scissors

I had to go scissor shopping after breaking a pair while cutting some branches (dumb move, I know.) I bought a big replacement pair that happened to be packaged with two little pairs. The little ones looked pretty useless, but they've turned out to be quite helpful in the kitchen. Cases in point:

1. My very nice pair of Shun kitchen shears are great for cutting through bones and thick flower stems, but my little scissors do a much better job getting through the tight plastic wrappers on meat and fish and many other kinds of plastic packaging.
2. My little scissor are also perfect for snipping a few fresh herbs right over a dish, sparing me the hassle of getting out a board and knife--and washing them afterwards.
3. If you don't feel entirely comfortable with a big knife, try using scissors--big or small--for cutting things like greens, green onions, celery strips, etc.

"Nutrition" Tip: A New Kind of Fasting

You probably know that fasting is big in the health and nutrition field these days. But did you know about a new kind of fasting, called a "Screen Fast!" Just reduce (or eliminate) nightly screen time of all kinds - social media, computer work, TV, Netflix bingeing, etc.

Functional nutritionist Kimberley Malone recommended it in a recent newsletter as a big help for better sleep and better brain function. But it can also eliminate the high-calorie snacking that often goes along with TV watching!

My addition: Replace at least some (or all!) screen time with healthy meal making time. Surprisingly, it may become apparent that there is indeed time to make good meals!

News Bite: Cancer Is Good Business

We know the health care industry has a stake in our ill health. Sick people are the "resource" it needs to make money--and "managing" a condition long term is much more profitable than curing a condition.

A recent article illustrated how this works in the cancer world: The big three drug wholesalers are in a race to buy up large cancer-specialist networks. In return, they get all of a network's customers, so they have a captive market for their drugs and the ability to "tap into all sorts of fees."

"Cancer care makes up an increasing portion of health spending," the article explained, which is why companies are clamoring for a piece of the action. (2) (See also "Wall Street's Gamble on Your Health")

But what if we re-imagine health care to fund lifestyle medicine fully, so we can (at least partially) prevent cancer instead of using it as a profit-generating condition? This is the idea behind a #NewEatingCulture.

Healthy Eating Tip: Protein Paks

"Get more protein into your diet!" That's a common piece of advice in nutrition circles these days. It's likely because our diets are so heavy on carbs like pasta, pizza, pretzels, toast, sandwiches, crackers, cereal, pastries, deserts, chips and most snack foods, not to mention sweets.

Besides being yummy, comforting, filling and uber-satisfying, carbs are such easy dietary staples. Most require little if any preparation. Many, like snack foods, are edible right out of the bag!

Proteins are another story, at least animal proteins. Other than dairy products, things like chicken, beef, pork and fish all need to be cooked. Plus they are often sold in large amounts--like a roast, steak, or salmon filet.

Protein Paks Ray, one of our readers, discovered a way to solve the large-protein problem: Cut into single servings, wrap and freeze. How handy!

Now for two other pieces of the puzzle: Thawing and cooking.

Thawing: This is where it pays to get in the "think-ahead-and-plan" habit. I know it's easy to just forget about the next meal until you're hungry. Which is exactly why we often end up eating easy-prep carbs!

There's an easy solution, however. It may sound crazy, but when you finish one meal, give a quick thought to the next one and select a protein pak from the freezer so it's thawed when you're starving and ready to eat. Should you forget, don't worry, you can also pretty readily thaw a pak in a bowl of cool water.

Cooking: When I developed a histamine intolerance, I could no longer eat leftover meat stored in the fridge. So after cooking e.g., a whole chicken or roast, I would have to pull off the meat and store in little jars. I would always grumble about this post-dinner chore, but my tune changed when I was able to pull out a protein pak that was already fully cooked. Protein is now an easy addition to meal times.

Of course, you might want to have some fresh-cooked animal protein, and things like fish are actually best cooked fresh. This is a productive place to exercise discipline.

In other words, instead of wasting mental bandwidth trying to avoid the bag of chips at lunch time (a generally fruitless effort), expend that mental effort on the simple task of getting out a pan, pouring in some oil and frying a tasty piece of protein--as I did yesterday with a piece of salmon and some sauteed zucchini.

Happily, small protein portions don't take long to cook--and there are quick and easy to brighten them up. (See the Moroccan spice article below.)

Of course, if vegetarian proteins work for you, life is a little easier since they can often be eaten without preparation, although cooking a little (with some spices) makes them more enjoyable!

Cooking Tip: Resolve to Use More Spices

Every now and then, I'm in a hurry and don't take time to spice a dish. I always regret my hurry, however, because the food tastes so bland and boring.

Do you think we shy away from making real, whole food meals because we fear they'll be bland and boring--not nearly as excitingly tasteful as a processed pizza, for instance.

Hence, a good healthy eating resolution this year: make a concerted, intentional effort to spice more

Spice Blends The thought of doing anything more than sprinkling basil into a tomato dish might sound almost scary. "What if I ruin a dish," you might be fear. This is where spice blends come in. They are created by people who really know spices. So trust them and give them a try, always starting small, tasting and then adding more as you like.

Here's one I just made, inspired by a recipe my neighbor Lisa Jo cooked up this weekend:

Simple Moroccan Spice Blend

• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground cardamom

Combine in a small jar and then shake to combine thoroughly. Don't forget to salt and pepper as you usually do.

How to Use This blend makes enough for three to four dishes, so you can experiment with, e.g.:

• Proteins, like salmon and chicken--rub in before cooking
• Vegetables like roasted or sauteed zucchini, yellow squash, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, and flash-fried kale
• Starches like brown rice or roasted potatoes, winter squash and sweet potatoes

Fun and Creative Ideas (if you have a few extra minutes)

• Use coconut oil to fry or roast a food before spicing
• Saute a little garlic with the dish for more flavor
• Top with a squeeze of fresh lemon
• Experiment by adding lemon or orange zest
• Top dish with fresh chopped cilantro

From Our Readers

In response to last month's article "Fish, Rice, Pickles and Soup for Breakfast? A Tale of Two Cultures," which began with the story of my trip to Japan way back in the last century, Carolyn shared a memory from the last century, too. In high school, her Home Ec teacher emphasized that meals "are meant to be a social event, which automatically means we eat more slowly, have an opportunity to feel ourselves getting full, and digest more slowly."

Going Forward by Going Back?And we thought Home Ec was so dowdy, frumpy and useless. Who knew those economists' simple teachings would be resurrected in this century as some hip and hot wellness practice called mindful eating! Remember the article about Going Forward by Going Back? This is a perfect example of how:

"The real way forward may lie in exercising keen discretion, independently assessing new vs old–and realizing that sometimes going forward means building on and adding to the past, not rejecting it entirely."        

A Sweet Story?Carolyn finished her email by noting that, besides all its health benefits, eating-as-a-social-event is way more fun! "For us that means putting down the cell phone and sharing the newspaper over breakfast, me reading articles to husband Jack (and adding my own comments) and Jack reading me crossword clues that have him stumped in hopes I might have the answer.

Another nice response came from nutritionist Mira Dessy:

"This is such a lovely story. Thank you for sharing. I'd love to interview you to talk about it when I do the next round of interviews in the new year."

Mira hosts The Ingredient Guru?YouTube Channel. It shares a wealth of interviews and guidance on improving your health and what's in your food, along with lots of new recipes. Mira interviewed me in 2023 on an episode titled "What's Thinking Got to Do with Healthy Eating? You bet I'll join Mira again and will let you know when our interview airs!

Well everyone, that's all I have for now. I'm sure your Inbox is filled with lots of emails, so thanks for making time for this one! And please share your tips, stories and news bites!

Happy and healthy meals,

Mary Collette