Author: Jenny

I am a public health nutrition counselor with fifteen years experience in the field of prenatal and early child health and lactation education (breast feeding support). Autoimmune disease, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and genetic defects that can cause nutrient deficiencies are also research interests.
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My dream – a ten year plan

It is the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s death, may he rest in peace. My dream is simple – promoting an equal opportunity for all of us to life, liberty, and the ability to pursue happiness. During my fifteen years working with families it became clear over the years that a larger percentage of parents and their children were having to cope with more severe health issues, both acute, short-term, and chronic, long-term, health issues whether due to infection, cancer, autoimmune, or other illnesses, or birth defects or issues related to being born prematurely.

My own health has always been not great or at least not as good as what seemed normal for my peer group, from childhood, so I have always valued health and knew that you can’t just get it back from a prescription or visit to the doctor’s office. So sharing health information with others has always been important to me and I appreciated my job for both the opportunity to share with others but also to learn from others about the strategies that helped them or their families to cope with I’ll health or to maintain good health – and I passed forward the helpful advice when it was confirmed in research fact checking and seemed appropriate to share.

In more recent years my health has improved in some ways but overall the diagnosis that I received is not good. A few year’s ago this was made clear to me when a life insurance agent quoted a policy for me based on their estimate for my expected lifespan at 62 years old. This year I turned 52 , so any hope I have to share health information needs to be based on that ten year estimate, while I am also working on beating those odds. I didn’t buy the policy but in my family living to 80 or 90 or 104 is the norm. Only one of my grandparents passed away in their 50s or 60s. So my work on healthy bean soup or healthy cookies is for my own health and I share the information in case it might be helpful for other’s use in their equal opportunity pursuit of life, library and happiness. We don’t all have equal opportunities to clean air, water, and adequate food, and increased stress levels can also make maintaining health more difficult so any help I received is greatly appreciated and thanks is inadequate. The ten year plan is flexible, I do what I can as I learn and have time and resources to share information, and the age 62 estimate is based on standard medical care. I have already done better than standard with my dietary approach to health as I only needed less than two months supply of the potentially livet damaging medication that is one of the standard ones prescribed for my diagnosis. I’ve been in remission ever since – but with a few additional health issues that I’ve coped with and a significantly restricted diet from typical. So easy would not be a good description but worth it would be.

Hopefully my flexible ten year plan will extend into a twenty year plan, and a thirty, forty, and fifty year plan, and maybe I will dance at my hundred year birthday like my grandmother, but maybe isn’t as solid as today- today I take care of my health and I wish condolences to the surviving family and friends of Martin Luther King Jr.. He did get the opportunity to dance at his hundredth birthday but maybe some of his family dance at their own in his memory.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. – Martin Luther King, Jr..

The sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr. and quote are part of the Henry J Kaiser Memorial Park, see more images and information about the artist and sculpture park in this post: https://transcendingsquare.com/2018/02/13/inspiring-words-about-peace-kaiser-permanente-memorial/

Disclosure: This information is being provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use. While I am a Registered Dietitian it is not intended to provide individualized health care guidance. Please seek an individual health care professional for individualized health care guidance. Thanks.

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Thinking about art and clean air

For an Easter treat I went to an art museum and after seeing three floors of great artwork from around the world and across time, I was exhausted.

My long time favorite was right outside near where I parked – Easter was a good day to find a good parking spot. The Thinker, a sculpture by Auguste Rodin, has always had a lot to ponder:

There were many exquisite works of art and beautiful household furnishings, costumes and painfully thought provoking works of modern art or photography. Flash photography was not allowed and standing too close to the images for photography was not allowed as the camera still makes a small flash of light even without the flash. The museum lighting was dim to help protect the works of art and these images have been photo edited to increase the light level.

The most meaningful work of art for the sake of our shared future and children’s future was among the photographs. My shadow and reflections of other artworks are captured on the tranquil looking image – of smog. “Unhealthy Air for Sensitive People,” San Fernando Valley, 1984, by Victor Landweber:

“Unhealthy Air for Sensitive People,” San Fernando Valley, 1984, Chronographic Print, – Victor Landweber, American Born, 1943 “…While appealing, the work documents smog in Los Angeles, a problem arising from the approximately four million people that call the city home.”

Some works of art had an inner glow – stained glass windows with a religious theme from 1890 by John La Farge, American artist (1835-1910), (dia.org, link for more information):

 

The architecture of the building and gift shop featuring original works of art by local and international artists are well worth a visit for their own sake.

It was a beautiful and thought provoking visit to The Detroit Institute of Art – what legacy do we want to leave the future to think about? Clean air? Faith and Hope? Beautiful architecture and flowers? Or smog?

It is a lot to think about.

The Thinker, by August Rodin, at The Detroit Institute of Art. Detroit, Michigan.

Information about smog: (Causes and Effects of Smog, conserve-energy-future.com)

Having adequate B vitamins which are important for all aspects of metabolism and energy production in the body may help reduce the harmful health effects of breathing smog-laden air: (Could a Daily Vitamin Curb Smog’s Health Effects? webMD.com)

Disclosure: This information is being provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use. While I am a Registered Dietitian it is not intended to provide individualized health  care guidance.. Please seek an individual health care professional  individualized health care guidance.

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Fennel Cookies – lightly licorice; and a Lime variation

Onward to new cookie horizons- 

Fennel Seed is served raw or toasted as crunchy after dinner snacks in India based cuisine. They are digestive aids and have a breath freshening effect. The flavor is similar to licorice with a hint of mint lingering after the initial stronger flavor. I eat a small pinch or two equal to a half teaspoon or a teaspoon after meals as I have found it good for my digestion. Health benefits may also include bone strengthening protection against osteoporosis.

I’ve found that some people have a problem with foods that are too crunchy. The raw or toasted seeds are very crunchy. They are also available at speciality spice shops as a ground powder so when shopping for more Gumbo File Powder I also bought ground Fennel Powder – and the results are delicious. I returned to the original cookie variation that uses Golden Flaxmeal and Coconut Oil because I wanted the Fennel flavor to be the main flavor. The pomegranate adds a tangy distinct fruit background flavor which works with the stronger chocolate or molasses but might overpower the licorice mint flavor of Fennel seeds.

Several of the ingredients in addition to the Fennel Seed Powder may help promote our own production of Nrf2 which helps us make our own anti-inflammatory and possibly anti-cancer chemicals in addition to containing other beneficial phytonutrients.

Fennel Cookies:

Wet ingredients:

  • 3 Tablespoons Golden Flaxmeal
  • 10 Tablespoons boiling Water
  • Stir the Flaxmeal into the boiling water in a small bowl for a couple minutes until it thickens and turns opaque slightly. Then add the melted Coconut Oil and stir until it turns creamy white and opaque. Then add the Brown Sugar, Vanilla, and Apple Cider Vinegar.
  • 3/4 cup Coconut Oil, melted
  • 1 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar

Dry ingredients, mix together in a large bowl:

  • 1 cup Brown Rice Flour
  • 3/4 cup Coconut Flour
  • 1/2 cup Tapioca Flour/Starch
  • 1/2 cup ground Fennel Seed Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

Add the wet ingredients from the small bowl to the dry ingredients and stir gently until well mixed. The dough will be soft and sticky, moist enough to easily roll or spoon into small rounds. The batch makes two trays of 24 cookies about one inch around.

Coat the pans with a small amount of coconut oil or pan spray to prevent sticking. Bake at 350’F for 25-30 minutes. Rotate the pans from the top and bottom racks at 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, freezer or at room temperature. Chilling in the refrigerator or freezer will convert the Tapioca starch into a form that can become a healthier form in the digestive system (called resistant starch).

Fennel Cookies – these are so good, words are inadequate.

Lime Cookies

*I tried a variation of this recipe and decided I liked the first batch best but after a couple days the flavor blended better and was also pretty good. Dried lime powder or dried lemon powder are available in Middle Eastern grocery stores. I used two tablespoons of dried lime powder instead of the half teaspoon of vanilla. The flavir blended into the cookie better after a couple days so it might work better if it were added to the melted coconut oil in advance of mixing the cookie dough – melt the oil, mix in the dried lime powder, stir and let it sit for ten or twenty minutes while measuring the other ingredients and then add it to the emulsified Flaxmeal.

The fennel powder could be replaced with more of one of the other flours or the flavor blended well after couple days and both the lime and fennel have anti-inflammatory phytonutrients content – so give it a try eithet way and maybe both would be enjoyable.

Disclosure: This information is being provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use. While I am a Registered Dietitian it is not intended to provide individualized health  care guidance.. Please seek an individual health care professional  individualized health care guidance.

 

 

 

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Cheerful Chocolate Cookies

Having chocolate cookies is likely going to be more cheerful than not having chocolate cookies, however these cookies may contain an extra helping of cheerfulness. I made another batch of the Gumbo File/Choctaw Spice/Sassafras Leaf powder Spicy Molasses Cookies https://transcendingsquare.com/2018/03/29/spicy-molasses-cookies-revisited/ with cocoa powder as the main flavoring in place of the Blackstrap Molasses. This time however I wrote out a recipe based on the latest experiment and my latest version of Chocolate Cookies. The calculations revealed that inadvertantly in doubling the batch I had forgotten to double the Baking Soda which is the actual leavening- agent in the recipe, as well as not doubling the emulsifier- the egg replacer, which was the Gumbo File Powder in the experiment and Golden Flaxmeal in my typical egg free versions.

For allergy or digestive intolerant patients it can be nice to have a few substitutions available in case they can’t have one they might still be able to have a different one. The Gumbo File seems to be a more potent emulsifier than the Golden Flaxmeal. The recipe worked with double the amount but still didn’t rise much even with the correct amount of leavening-. The lack of oil or butter and substitution of liquid instead makes the cookies more Brownie or Fudge like, very moist and dense- Energy Bites.

The pomegranate extract and pomegranate juice are likely giving the cookies their increased helping of cheerfulness mood boosting power, beyond the normal yum, it’s chocolate effects. If you want to try the recipe and don’t have Pomegranate Extract on hand then just substitute Pomegranate Juice; 100 percent, unsweetened organic, is what I used and it isn’t low cost – $12/32 ounces. The recipe as I made it this time used 2 1/2 cups juice – 20 ounces, and 1 1/2 cups Pomegranate Extract – 12 ounces; so the double batch, 92 cookies contain 32 ounces of juice/pomegranate peel extract. *Sweetened pomegranate juice would be fine to use, this is a reduced sugar recipe compared to typical cookie recipes. Cherry juice would probably also taste good in this recipe and also has medicinal/functional food benefits. 100 percent juice also means no water is added which could make a tart cherry juice too strong, I typically dilute 100 percent tart cherry juice with some water when I drink it as a beverage, and sometimes the 100percent pomegranate juice but it isn’t quite as tart as the cherry, consider either as somewhat of a concentated juice compared to the milder blends that are available which frequently are based on apple. white grape, or pear juice. Pure fructose can be more difficult for people with digestive sensitivities than a blend of fructose and glucose/table sugar, as the fructose can promote more gassiness occasionally. Smaller portions also can help, a fruit or fruit juice serving is typically four to six ounces and yet bottles sold as individual portions are frequently twelve to twenty ounces-recap it and save some for later.

The Baking Cocoa I used is the  “Dutched” type that is pre-treated with an alkali, similar to the Native American method of treating corn with alkali wood ash (Nixtamil flour) which increases the B vitamin content and helps protect against deficiency of Niacin and pellagra, Niacin deficiency. The process also may help preserve B1, Thiamin content and B2, Riboflavin content (Thiamin content of three sources of corn and arepas…. )(Beriberi- is caused by thiamin/thiamine – B1 deficiency,, the processing of brown rice into a polished low fiber white rice led to large numbers of people developing BeriBeri in early history of Asian food processing.  Thiamin). The “Dutched” cocoa powder is smoother in flavor and a little darker in color then cocoa powder that is not pte-treated with alkali. I don’t know if the B vitamin content is modified in the same way as with Nixtamil  corn flour — but somehow the combination of ingredients made a very dark chocolate cookie:

Cheerful Chocolate Cookies, baked and raw dough – no they are not overbaked.
The raw Cheerful Chocolate Cookie dough.
The baked Cheerful Chocolate Cookies are not overbaked but you have to flip one over in the oven to check the crust in order to tell if is is close to being baked enough – is it crisp with some increased darkness of color.

Dry ingredients, stir together in a large bowl:

  • 1 1/4 cup Brown Rice Flour
  • 3/4 cup Cocoa Powder (Regular or “Dutched” would work similarly)
  • 2 cups Coconut Flour
  • 1 cup Almond Meal
  • 1/2 cup Tapioca Flour/Starch
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Cardamom Powder
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

Emulsifier step- gently heat Pomegranate Extract or Juice to a simmer in a saucepan then remove from heat and stir in the Gumbo File Powder.

  • 1 1/2 cups Pomegranate Extract
  • 6 Tablespoons Gumbo File Powder

Wet ingredients – in a another large bowl combine the thickened warm emulsifier liquid with the Brown Sugar and then stir in half of the remaining juice. Reserve part of the juice to add to the dry ingredients after first mixing in the emulsifier/sugar mixture. (This method is more like making a cake than a cookie, you combine small amounts of the liquid at a time for a smooth cake batter that is not over-stirred.)

  • 2 cups Brown Sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups Pomegranate Juice, (100 percent, unsweetened organic is what I used – with the goal of a functional/healing food in mind)

The dough should be moist and able to be rolled or spoonef into a sticky round shape that doesn’t crumble – a soft playdough-like consistency.

The Baking time is longer than for a cookie dough made with butter or coconut oil – 20-25 minutes for those became 30-35 minutes for these Brownie or Fudge like Energy Bites. I bake two pans of 24 cookies at a time and rotate the pans from top shelf to bottom shelf and turned around front to back at 20 minutes to get a more even baking. These low fat juice containing cookies then take an additional 10-15 minutes. My typical coconut oil/ butter cookies are rotated at 15 minutes and then left for another 10-15 minutes. If baking only one tray use the top shelf and rotating the pan is less important as the oven heat is directed at the top and bottom of the pan more evenly.

Most of the ingredients in this recipe may be providing beneficial phytonutrients that might help promote our own production of NRF2 which then helps promote our own anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer abilities. Health may never have tasted so good – enjoy!

Disclosure: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use. While I am a Registered Dietitian it is not intended to provide individualized health care guidance. Please seek an individual health care professional for the purpose of individualized health care guidance.