James and Chelsea Do Zoe's

Nature's Pharmacy

I just got an interesting e-mail form my mom, asserting that God gave humans everything that we would need before we even got here and that God gave us some great clues as to what natural foods rememedy what parts of your body. Well, I do not particularly beleive in God (I'm agnostic) but I'd have to agree that Mother Nature does provide us with an amazing variety of natural cures and disease-fighting foods.

A sliced carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, bok choy, rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, eggplant and pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

Oranges, grapefruits, and othercCitrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

WSU's Dining Services Offers Nutrition Education and Healthier Meal Options

In an effort to demonstrate their committment to health and well-being, WSU Dining Services offered opportunities throughought the semester for students to meet with registered dietician Annie Roe. Diet-related discussion topics at the dinner ranged from the importance of fruits, veggies, and whole grains, to eating to prevent disease, and the prevalence of malnutrition in an obese society.

While no dinners are scheduled yet for Spring 2010, there is still one you can make before fall semester is over, called "Healthy Snacking: Gearing Up For Finals", which takes place from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 8. It is open to all students, faculty and staff and no meal purchase is required. This just might give you the extra snacking-knowledge you need to optimally energize your brain for finals.

WSU's Dining Services has also introduced 500 calorie meals around campus, beginning with Carlita's Mexican Grille and Espresso in the CUB and at Northside Café in 2008, followed by the Southside Café and Hillside Café soon after. Their focus is not just on calorie counting, however, since it is not an accurate evaluation of the nutritional value of a food item or meal.

According to the Dining Services web site, the 500 calorie meals must all meet must meet the following nutritional qualifications and contain:

■less than 500 calories
■less than 30 percent calories from fat,
■less than10 percent calories from saturated fat,
■and less than 1000mg of sodium.

Additionally,

Every 500 Calorie meal at the Dining Centers and Carlita's features:

■a protein-rich entrée,
■a low-fat grain or starch,
■and a nutrient-dense vegetable.

WSU's Dining Services has come a long way since my freshman year, when I chose to forgoe vegetarianism because I got sick of white rice and salad every day. Let's hope they continue their committment to well-being and remember that, while students may be on a tight budget, they want healthy, great-tasting food and a variety of options. It almost makes me wish I still had an RDA (Resident Dining Account).

For more information on Dining Services locations, hours, menus and more visit the Dining Services web site.

Pita Bread

If you think pita bread from the grocery store is good, just wait until you try making your own homemade pita bread! Here is a pita bread recipe from about.com. I opted for the whole wheat recipe because whole wheat is simply better for you. Enjoy this fresh, warm Middle Eastern bread with the hummus dip recipe I posted earlier.


Whole Wheat Pita Bread

Ingredients:•2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
•1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
•1 tablespoon honey
•2 cups wheat flour
•3 cups all purpose flour
•1 teaspoon salt
•1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Preparation:
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add honey and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy.

Combine white flour, wheat flour, and salt in large bowl.

Make a small depression in the middle of flour and pour yeast water in depression.

Slowly add warm yeast water, and stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until dough becomes elastic.

Place dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. When the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic, it has been successfully kneaded.

Coat large bowl with vegetable oil and place dough in bowl. Turn dough upside down so all of the dough is coated with oil. Allow to sit, covered, in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Once doubled, roll out in a rope, and pinch off 10-12 small pieces. Place balls on floured surface. Let sit covered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 deg F. and make sure rack is at the very bottom of oven. Be sure to preheat your baking sheet also.

Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles. Each should be about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick.

Bake each circle for 4 minutes until the bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for 2 minutes.

Remove each pita with a spatula from the baking sheet and add additional pitas for baking.

Take spatula and gently push down puff. Immediately place in storage bags.

Storing Pita Bread
Pita bread can be stored for up to a week in a pantry or bread box, and up to a month in the freezer. Be sure to use freezer bags when storing in the freezer.

Pita bread dough can also be refrigerated for up to one week in the refrigerator.

Best burger in town

Even vegetarians crave a big, juicy burger from time to time. Next time you're craving one, check out my favorite place to get a burger in town, Cougar Country, which serves a burger made with a delicious,healthy grilled vegan patty, and comes with all the fixin's, minus cheese. Even if you the traditional beef patty, give this veggie burger a shot for a change. Your body, the environment, your tastebuds, and the cow you're not eating will appreciate it. Cougar Country is a family owned and operated local business, which I would much rather support than a congomerate fast food chain like Mc'Donald's or Jack in the Box. My only complaint? Cougar Country used to serve Gardenburgers, but now serve the Boca brand veggie patty instead, which I don't find quite as appetizing.

A Trip to Camas Prairie Winery

Orangette

I made my first pumpkin pie last week for Thanksgiving (it also doubled as a birthday treat for family with coinciding birthdays!). I got a great crust recipe from A book called A Homemade Life:Stories and Recipes From My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg. The book came as a result of Wizenberg's popular blog Orangette. The blog is full of great-looking recipes I am going to try out as soon as possible! There is an index, makig it easy to find recipes you'd like to refer back to - I'd like to try Wizenberg's sweet potato biscuits! Anyway, they say the crust makes the pie and it turned out great thanks to Wizenberg.