By Jasmin Schellenberg –
HEALTHY SNACKS AND WHY
Power Smoothie
Enjoy as an afternoon drink or for breakfast
Ingredients
2 Tbsp whipping cream
2 Tbsp kefir
1 whole egg
1 Tbsp raw honey
1 c. frozen berries
Method
Start by putting the cream, kefir, egg, and honey in the blender.Drop in the frozen berries a few at a time. Blend until smooth and serve immediately. This way it will have a consistency similar to soft ice cream and with frozen berries you won’t taste the egg and kefir. Super-power the recipe by adding 1 tsp collagen powder before blending. This is a great way to get your kids to eat high quality protein and minerals.
Enjoy!
NUTRIENT DENSE MEAL
Beefsteak Tartar (serves 4)
A perfect summer meal.
Ingredients
500 grams organic ground burger
1 Tbsp capers
1 small can anchovies, chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 squirts ketchup
2 large pickles, finely chopped
1 whole egg
2 teaspoons good quality sea salt
3 Tbsp brandy, rum, or whisky or 1 glass of red wine
Method
Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Knead with both hands until well mixed and transfer to ceramic bowl. Cover for 1 hour at room temp and enjoy on buttered toast or leave in fridge overnight and enjoy the next day. What goes well with tartar is a mixed salad.
Enjoy!
MYTHS UNVEILED
Grumpy equals picky eaters. Anxiety in kids and teenagers is more and more common. They often are unhappy, have low physical or mental energy, can be depressed, and are easily stressed. Bad mood problems have increased at rates similar to violence in schools. Many kids are on antidepressants and other medication to deal with emotional distress. However, there are other and very easy to follow steps to bring joy back into your kids.
The book, The Mood Cure by Julia Ross, proposes that much of our emotional distress stems from easily correctable malfunctions in our brain and body chemistry—malfunctions that are the results of critical unmet nutritional needs.
There are four emotion generators in our brains called neurotransmitters: serotonin, catecholamines, GABA, and endorphin, each having a different effect on our mood depending on the availability of its particular amino acid.
If you are high in serotonin you are positive and easy going but if you are low in serotonin you tend to become negative and worried. If you are high in catecholamines you are energized and upbeat, but if you are lacking in catecholamines you feel lethargic. If you are high in GABA you’re relaxed, but if too low you are easily stressed and overwhelmed. If you’re high in endorphins you feel cozy and euphoric, but when depleted of endorphins you feel overly sensitive and cry easily.
There are 21 amino acids, 9 essential ones that cannot be produced by our body. Julia Ross has solutions on how to incorporate supplements for a short period of time to help you get back your good mood. She gives nutritional advice on how to get the amino acids from your food. It’s most important to have three meals a day that include plenty of protein-rich foods like meat, fish, eggs, and cheese. Our four neurotransmitters can only be made of amino acids found in high-protein foods. Animal fats and mineral-and-vitamin-rich food are needed to activate mood-boosting amino fuels. Vegetables are very low in amino acids and would have to be consumed in huge amounts to meet needs. Soy is marketed as a “perfect protein” because it contains all the essential amino acids, but “contains all” is not the same as contains optimum – and usable – levels and ratios. Soy is an inferior protein because its cysteine content is tied up and largely made unavailable by protease inhibitors. Soy is mostly genetically modified and contains lots of herbicides and pesticides.
Commercial and highly processed food is stripped of vital nutrients needed to make and operate your brain’s neurotransmitters. Don’t be afraid to eat real food. The closer to nature, the better it is for you. Choose foods in their whole state. Do your best to avoid processed, prepackaged foods, especially those that are reduced-fat products.
Exercise is an important part of a healthy brain function. Make time and go for walks with your children.Be a role model; if you eat healthy so will your children. Listen to “How to convert a picky eater to eat healthy,” podcast 131 at westonaprise.org.
A WALK THROUGH YOUR PANTRY:
GET RID OF: Processed, prepackaged foods. They are low in amino acids, minerals, and vitamins.
REPLACE WITH: Protein rich foods like meat, fish, eggs, and cheese. Organic food is higher in mineral content and vitamins and it’s healthier for you and the planet.
Brought to you by Jasmin Schellenberg. Inspired by and resourced from the book The Mood Cure by Julia Rossand westonaprice.org podcast. For “Nourishing our Children” newsletters of the past visit www.thegreengazette.ca
