"Food as Medicine" Recap

In the last Food as Medicine class held July 12 at Sevananda Natural Food Co-Op, we looked into Antioxidants and their role in an "anti-inflammatory diet." We shared an eye-opening revelation about the simplicity of healthful eating, and how many of the foods we eat daily contribute to our well being by acting as a buffer between ourselves and the toxins that invade our lives via biological, environmental and artificial stimuli.

Woah that's a mouthful, but it was all quite simply explained in class, then highlighted by these easy yet delicious dishes: Garlic-Ginger Kale with Portabella Mushrooms, Blueberry Melon Salad and a Simple Summer Mixed Pepper Medley.

The Blueberry Melon Salad not only highlighted the seasonal Georgia-grown blueberries, but also illuminated beautiful native Yellow-fleshed Watermelon and succulent Galia Melons with a touch of mint on a bed of tender organic green leaf lettuce, with a simple dressing of agave nectar and white wine vinegar.

The Garlic Ginger Kale with Portabella Mushrooms featured local Coleman River Farm's young and tender Lacinata Kale, also known as Black Kale or Kavolo Nero. Kale is packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. This dish also packs loads of ginger and garlic shoot the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties through the roof! Mushrooms carry mysterious properties that centuries of preparation have proven to bolster the body, mind and soul. This dish simply and quickly combines fantastic health promoting antioxidants and delicious Georgia grown tender kale leaves with the mystical, magical life-enhancing mushrooms to produce one tasty dish in a matter of minutes.

The Simple Summer Mixed Pepper Medley is one of those amazing dishes that can be altered in innumerable ways. I hope you're growing peppers of some sort at home in your yard or in a pot on the deck. Peppers love Georgia's climate and if you are growing them, then you'll find yourself up to your neck in peppers in very short order. This is a great dish, which with the addition herbs and spices, or complimentary ingredients such as tomatoes, white wine or even a pat of butter, can be transformed into a quick sauce for fish, tofu, brown rice or really anything. Feel free to add crushed red peppers, garlic, a splash of balsamic vinegar or whatever you fancy to modify this recipe to your tastes.

Even more blueberries!

Check out the Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette that dressed a wonderful Crunchy Blueberry Salad at the last Natural Foods 101 Class! This link will take you to EatLocalAmerica.coop where Localvores do their darnedest to support locally produced foodstuffs, like our Georgia grown blueberries.

The next class, Food as Medicine, will be held at Sevananda on July 12 from 10 a.m. to noon. The class is free for Sevananda employees, and the first THREE members to sign up. It's $10 for everyone else.

If you can't make that class, I'll be focusing on Gorgeous Summer Produce, locally grown, to produce healthful and delicious dishes at the next Life Chef class held at Saint Philip AME Church on July 19 from 10 a.m. to noon. This class is $15 per person, or $5 for seniors.

Blueberry Popsicles and More

July is peak blueberry season here in Georgia. Get yours while they last! Pick them up from local growers at weekly farmers' markets, or from stores like Sevananda Natural Foods Co-Op. Or pack up the kids and go pick your own from farms around the state. Keep reading for helpful links and more nutritional information about blueberries!

This blueberry popsicle recipe from Wondertime is quick and easy and a great use of the gorgeous blueberries that are in peak season now. Freeze the popsicles for 3-4 hours.

For more info on the intense nutritional benefits of blueberries, check out this article from The Worlds Healthiest Foods website.

To find a farm where you can pick your own berries visit Where to Pick Your Own.

Georgia is the 7th leading blueberry grower in the nation and for more great info on our local harvests of Rabbiteye blueberries visit the UGA College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences.

If you want to grow your own blueberries take this advise from the UGA CAES article:

"Under good management, blueberry bushes will produce some fruit the second or third year after transplanting. By the sixth year they will yield as much as 2 gallons each. The yield will continue to increase for several years as the plants get larger."

Is Grilling Safe?

I love to grill. In our house, we grill OUTDOORS year round, regardless of the weather.

Lately there's been a lot of focus on how this fat-free cooking method may actually be harmful due to the presence of cancer-causing chemicals known as HHAs and HCAs. These chemicals are produced by 1) charring and burning which turns meat from something edible to something yucky, and 2)flare ups, as fats drip down onto the coals, the coals release toxic fumes. Charring, burning and flare ups are usually due to "poor grilling techniques," if you will.

If you take the time to properly prepare meats (trim fat and use marinades to keep meat moist) and your grill (be sure coals have cooked off and cook over medium-medium high heats on a clean grill), and stay present and in the moment (and most importantly WITH your grill so that you can immediately extinguish flare ups), you can probably eliminate most of these issues. Also consider grilling something other than meat, or grilling thin cuts that take less time to cook.

Always pair lots of nutrient rich and antioxidant foods (like this Red Cabbage, Fennel, Apple Slaw) and beverages (like this Pomegranate Mint Spritzer) with your grilled meals to help tip the scale in your favor -- both literally and figuratively.

There's a good article on the Real Age website. So be sure to give it a quick look-see.

Happy Grilling!