Food

Food – Amazing Little Lentil

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I never knew what a lentil was until I became a Seventh-day Adventist and began to change my diet. I soon discovered that this little legume, loaded with nutrition, is truly another nutrition-filled gift from our Lord!

“Lentils are small, disk-shaped brown, reddish-orange, or brownish-green legumes that grow on an annual bush like plant and are native to central Asia. They are used throughout the Mediterranean region and the Middle East and are especially popular in India. In the United States, lentils are often enjoyed in soup. Lentils are dried as soon as they ripen and then sold that way. There are at least fifty varieties of lentils in addition to the brown variety most common in the West, with colors that range from yellow to red-orange to green. Lentils are distinguished from beans in that they don’t contain sulfur and therefore don’t produce gas. So anyone wanting the benefits of high fiber without the social unpleasantness associated with beans would do well to check out this cool little legume.

“But the real claim to fame for lentils is the fact that they are so loaded with fiber, especially soluble fiber. Soluble fiber breaks down as it passes through the digestive tract, forming a gel that traps some substances related to high cholesterol. Soluble fiber also helps control blood sugar by delaying the emptying of the stomach and retarding the entry of sugar into the bloodstream. This is why high-fiber foods like lentils have such a low glycemic load. Because fiber slows the digestion of foods, it can help blunt the sudden spikes in blood sugar and insulin that can cause you to be hungry again an hour after eating a low-fiber meal. Those constant spikes in blood sugar and insulin can also contribute to diabetes and can make weight very hard to take off. High-fiber diets have been consistently associated with better ‘glucose control’ for both diabetics and non-diabetics, and with better management of weight. High-fiber diets also are associated with lower risks for cancer and heart disease.

“A cup of [cooked] lentils contains a nice amount of protein—about 18g. But best of all, that same cup contains a whopping 16g of fiber. Lentils are also a terrific source of folate and a good source of at least seven minerals. One cup provides 37 percent of the Daily Value of iron and 49 percent of Daily Value for manganese, an important trace mineral that’s essential for growth, reproduction, wound healing, peak brain function, and the proper metabolism of sugars, insulin and cholesterol.

“Worth Knowing: Unlike beans, lentils need no presoaking and are ready in 20 to 30 minutes. Brown and green lentils hold their shape well after cooking and are excellent for salads or other dishes where you want texture. Red lentils cook quicker and work best in purees and other dishes where softness is an advantage.” 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, by Jonny Bowden Ph. D, pgs. 87, 88.

 

Recipe

Tasty Lentils
1 ½ cups lentils           ½ tsp. basil
3 cups water 1 bay leaf
2 tsp. onion powder 2 cups stewed or canned tomatoes (add last)
1 ½ tsp. salt
Bring all to boil except tomatoes. Simmer till lentils are tender. When done add tomatoes. Serve as is or over rice.

Food For Life — Water

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What a beautiful time of the year, and how grateful we should be for the privilege to honor our Creator by bestowing gifts to Him whose birthday we celebrate. Let us not forget this in our desire to show love and appreciation for our loved ones! God tells us in the Spirit of Prophecy that it is not amiss to have a Christmas tree in our churches as long as they hold gifts for Him whom we serve and love.

“In health and in sickness, pure water is one of heaven’s choicest blessings. Its proper use promotes health. It is the beverage which God provided to quench the thirst of animals and man. Drank freely, it helps supply the necessities of the system and assists nature to resist disease. The external application of water is one of the easiest and most satisfactory ways of regulating the circulation of the blood. A cold or cool bath is an excellent tonic. Warm baths open the pores and thus aid in the elimination of impurities. Both warm and neutral baths soothe the nerves and equalize the circulation.” Ministry of Healing, 237.

“I should bathe frequently, and drink freely of pure, soft water.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 419.

“Thousands have died with raging fevers consuming them, until the fuel which fed the fever was burned up, the vitals consumed, and have died in the greatest agony, without being permitted to have water to allay their burning thirst. Water, which is allowed a senseless building to put out the raging elements, is not allowed human beings to put out the fire which is consuming the vitals.

“Many make a mistake in drinking cold water with their meals. Taken with meals, water diminishes the flow of the salivary glands; and the colder the water, the greater the injury to the stomach. Ice water or ice lemonade, drunk with meals will arrest digestion until the system has imparted sufficient warmth to the stomach to enable it to take up its work again . . .Food should not be washed down; no drink is needed with meals. Eat slowly, and allow the saliva to mingle with the food. The more liquid there is taken into the stomach with the meals, the more difficult it is for the food to digest; for the liquid must first be absorbed . . . if anything is needed to quench thirst, pure water, drunk some little time before or after the meal, is all that nature requires . . . Water is the best liquid possible to cleanse the tissues.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 419, 420. It is recommended that at least eight to ten glasses of pure, soft water be consumed daily. Each kidney requires four glasses per day. How many kidneys do you have?

APPLE-PECAN COBBLER

In large pan place:

1 12 oz. Can frozen Apple Concentrate

1/3 c. Fruit Source Syrup

Warm to liquid stage and add:

12–14 Sour Apples (Macintosh, Jonathan, or Pippin) peel and finely cut. Cook until tender, stirring occasionally.

Place in Bowl:

3 Heaping T. Cornstarch

2 T. Coriander Powder

1/2 t. Sea Salt

Slowly Add, Stirring Well:

1/2 c. Cashew or Soy Milk

1 T. Vanilla (alcohol free)

Add this mixture slowly, while stirring constantly, to the cooked apples. Let come to a boil and empty into 8×13 Cobbler baking dish. Sprinkle over the top, or premix 1 cup pecans or walnuts. Cover with Cashew Pie Crust and bake at 350° for 20–30 minutes or until pleasingly brown. Top with Cashew Topping.

(Recipe in last December Land Marks.)

Food For Life — November 1996

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Happy Thanksgiving! Have we not a great deal to be thankful for this past year? It hardly seems possible that a year has passed since I wished you a happy 1995 Holiday! And now it is 1996 about to end! Surely we all have a multitude to thank God for!

“Disease never comes without a cause. The way is prepared, and disease invited, by disregard of the laws of health. Many suffer in consequence of the transgression of their parents. While they are not responsible for what their parents have done, it is nevertheless their duty to ascertain what are and what are not violations of the laws of health. They should avoid the wrong habits of their parents and, by correct living, place themselves in better conditions.

“The greater number, however, suffer because of their own wrong course of action. They disregard the principles of health by their wrong habits of eating, drinking, dressing, and working. Their transgression of nature’s laws produces the sure result; and when sickness comes upon them, many do not credit their suffering to the true cause, but murmur against God because of their afflictions. But God is not responsible for the suffering that follows disregard of natural law.

“God has endowed us with a certain amount of vital force. He has also formed us with organs suited to maintain the various functions of life, and He designs that terse organs shall work together in harmony. If we carefully preserve the life force, and keep the delicate mechanism of the body in order, the result is health; but if the vital force is too rapidly exhausted, the nervous system borrows power for present use from its resources of strength, and when one organ is injured, all are affected. Nature bears much abuse without apparent resistance; she then arouses, and makes a determined effort to remove the effects of the ill-treatment she has suffered. Her effort to correct these conditions is often manifest in fever and various other forms of sickness…

“Intemperate eating is often the cause of sickness, and what nature most needs is to be relieved of the undue burden that has been placed upon her…An abstemious diet for a month or two would convince many sufferers that the path of self-denial is the path to health.

“Some make themselves sick by overwork. For these, rest, freedom from care, and a spare diet, are essential to restoration of health. To those who are brain weary and nervous because of continual labor and close confinement, a visit to the country, where they can live a simple, carefree life, coming in close contact with the things of nature, will be most helpful. Roaming through the fields and the woods, picking the flowers, listening to the songs of the birds, will do far more than any other agency toward their recovery.” Ministry of Healing, 234-237

November Recipe:

Pumpkin Ice Cream

1 Cup Cashew Pieces

2 Tbs. Coriander Powder

1 Cup Date Rolls or Pieces

¼ tsp. Cardamom Powder

½ tsp. Sea Salt

1& 2/3 Cups Cashew Milk

1 Tbs. Vanilla (alcohol free)

Blend the thoroughly mixed above ingredients with 1 16 oz. can of Libby’s Pumpkin. Stir well, and pour into ice cube trays and freeze. When ready to eat, put through the Champion Juicer for delicious, home-made ice cream.

Recipe – Gluten Cutlets and Broth

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Gluten Cutlets

3 cups instant gluten flour

½ cup minute tapioca

or ½ cup pecan meal

½ tsp Lawry’s Seasoned Salt

1 scant cup whole wheat flour

3 ¼ cups cold water

¼ cup of Bragg’s Aminos

Broth

13 cups water

3 Tbsp olive oil

½ tsp Savorex (or similar seasoning)

1 tsp Lawry’s Seasoned Salt

1 Tbsp McKay’s Seasoning (beef or chicken)

1 tsp onion salt

4 Tbsp Nutritional yeast flakes

½ cup Bragg’s Aminos

1 tsp Postum or Roma

Gluten Cutlets: Thoroughly mix all dry ingredients. Then add all at once: 3 ¼ cups cold water and ¼ cup of Bragg’s Aminos. Stir very quickly and knead lightly. Divide the dough, roll into two rolls about 1 ½ inches thick and let stand while preparing the broth.

Broth: Add all the ingredients to water and bring to a boil. Slice the rolls of gluten and then add the sliced gluten to the broth. The slices should fill the pot. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 ½ hours.

Food – Water, A Critical Health Need

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Typically, a person can live for weeks without food, but only a few days without water. This time will be greatly shortened in the case of environmental heat, heavy exertion, illness, debilitation, or other deleterious conditions. Water is critical to good health in many ways and helps prevent many serious diseases such as asthma, renal problems, endocrine system problems, adrenal fatigue, high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, arthritis, ulcers, pancreatitis, digestive difficulties, kidney stones, back and joint pain, Alzheimer’s disease and more.

Adequate consumption of water can reduce the risk/occurrence of colon cancer, breast cancer, chronic pain, stress, migraines, and constipation. It improves gland, hormone, and liver function, transport of nutrients to the cells, metabolism, regulation of temperature, lubrication of tissue, and removal of wastes. It is critical to the proper function of the body in breathing, digestion, and elimination. It is the primary ingredient in all of the fluids of our body and is good for treatments to improve health and treat illness.

Basically, water is critical for the health and well-being of every cell and organ system in the body. Is it any wonder that Jesus compared Himself to water and promised to supply our need? In John 7:37, Jesus said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.”

If water is so critical to life and health, it is important to know how much water we need. A broad generalization of 6 to 8 glasses per day has often been stated, but this cannot meet everyone’s need. A more precise way to determine your specific requirement is to take your weight divided by 2, then divide again by 8. This is the number of ounces and then glasses of water you should drink each day. E.G. a person weighing 160 pounds divided by 2 equals 80 ounces of water. Divide this by 8 and you find that 10 glasses of water are needed each day.

Most people do not get the required amount of water each day to promote good health. If our bodies are continually robbed of its daily need, it will compensate for this state of dehydration, but not without cost to our body and health.

Do the math, and then determine to drink the amount of water your body craves and needs.

Recipe – Pineapple Coconut Sorbet

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Pineapple Coconut Sorbet

2 cups frozen pineapple chunks

1 Tbsp. maple syrup or raw honey

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, or to taste 

¼ cup coconut milk or cream, chilled 

1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, or to taste

 

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth or chunky.

Serve immediately in a bowl, or spoon on whole grain waffles or cooked cereal.

Serve as soft or place in the freezer to harden.

Food – Pineapple

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Among Americans, the sweet taste and juiciness of pineapples has made them the most popular tropical fruit next to bananas.

Pineapple was derived from piña, a name supplied by the Spanish, who thought the fruit resembled a pinecone. It probably originated in South America and from there it was transplanted to the Caribbean islands where it was discovered by Columbus in 1493. By 1600, early Europeans had carried the pineapple as far as China and the Philippines, and in the eighteenth century it was introduced into the Hawaiian Islands, eventually becoming their principal fruit crop.

A pineapple is not one fruit but 100–200 fruitlets fused together around a central core. It can take nearly three years for a single pineapple to reach maturity. It is the only edible fruit of its kind, the Bromeliads.

Pineapple has been used for centuries for a variety of ailments. Modern research indicates that bromelain, an enzyme found in both the stem and fruit, aids in digestion and may have serious anti-inflammatory effects, reducing the symptoms of arthritis. In addition, pineapple contains substantial amounts of vitamin C. One cup of fresh pineapple chunks provides 25 mg, 40% of the daily adult requirement. It also offers useful amounts of other nutrients, including thiamine, a B vitamin involved in energy production, folate, vitamin B6, iron, magnesium, and manganese, important for antioxidant defense. Pineapple is also high in soluble fiber.

Like melons, pineapples have no built-in reserves of starch that convert to sugar—the starch is stored in the stem of the plant rather than in the fruit itself. Just before the fruit ripens completely, the starch converts to sugar and enters the fruit. Once the fruit has been harvested, it won’t get any sweeter, so most growers ripen pineapples on the plant to a point where they are almost fully ripe, with a high sugar content and plenty of juice, then quickly ship to market.

The sweet and tangy flavor make fresh pineapple a delicious dessert choice. Peel, quarter, and stick on a toothpick or skewer with pitted cherries, strawberry and banana slices, grapes. Combine in a salad with bananas, oranges, mangoes, papayas, kiwi, and strawberries. Use the juice to sweeten vegetables, particularly winter squashes or sweet potatoes. Enjoy in smoothies or ice creams. If fresh pineapple is not as sweet as hoped, salvage it by cutting it into thick slices and broil until hot.

When serving pineapple on its own, add mint, cardamom, fresh or ground ginger and a splash of fresh squeezed orange juice.

In European countries the pineapple was considered a rare and coveted treat. As it was an honor to be served pineapple, the fruit eventually became a universal symbol of hospitality.

 

 

Recipe

Pineapple Coconut Sorbet
2 cups frozen pineapple chunks 1 Tbsp. maple syrup or raw honey
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, or to taste  ¼ cup coconut milk or cream, chilled
 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, or to taste  
 

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth or chunky.

Serve immediately in a bowl, or spoon on whole grain waffles or cooked cereal.

Serve as soft or place in the freezer to harden.

Recipe – Catalina Dressing

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¼ cup sun-dried tomato bits

1 cup hot water

½ cup olive oil (or less if desired)

½ cup lemon juice

½ cup ketchup

½ cup sweetener of your choice

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. basil

1 Tbsp. dried onion bits

Place tomatoes and water in blender and whiz 30 seconds or so. Add oil, lemon juice, ketchup, sweetener, salt and basil. Blend well. Add onion bits and blend just to mix. You can add a little more water if it is too thick. Taken from Cooking Vegetarian for Normal People, Transition to Vegan by Mindy Breckenridge.

Food – Water, A Critical Health Need

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Last month we identified that a person’s need for water could be determined by taking your weight in pounds divided by 2, then divide by 8, and the resultant number would be the number of glasses of water you should drink each day. It is important to know some of the ways the body uses all of this water, and with this knowledge maybe it would help solidify a decision to drink adequate amounts.

Considerable water is used by the body to make the secretions that digest our food. Digestion begins in the mouth with the teeth and the saliva. The body produces about 1,500 ml of saliva, approximately a quart and one half, to begin the process of digestion. This digestion is then completed through the bile liquids (500 ml), stomach juices (2,500 ml), pancreatic juices (700 ml), and the intestinal secretions (3,000 ml). So the total digestive juices produced by the body in a day are 8,200 ml or over 8 1/2 quarts of digestive juices.

Water is also used to cleanse the body of various waste products. Every time we exhale we are ridding the body of carbon dioxide. Water is also lost in this exchange. As water evaporates from our skin or as we perspire, wastes are removed from our body via the water that carries these products. At least 900 ml of water is lost daily through these three mechanisms. This can be greatly increased when the environmental temperatures rise and in the presence of heavy work or exercise. A small amount of water, about 100 ml, is lost daily through the colon.

The greatest daily loss of water, about 1,500 ml, comes from the kidneys. In order to remove waste products from our blood, it is continuously filtered through the kidneys. The kidneys are better than any filtration device that man has created. The two kidneys filter approximately 180 liters of fluid from the blood each day—this is nearly 50 gallons of fluid per day!!! They monitor and filter all of this fluid, making changes as needed to help us maintain fluid and electrolyte balance. By not drinking enough water, we hinder each of the avenues by which our bodies eliminate waste products. Eventually this will result in decreased health and even illness.

From just these few body functions it is easy to see why it is so important to drink adequate amounts of water to have a healthy body. I hope this knowledge will encourage you to drink adequate water for your health.

 

Recipe – Basic Corn Bread or Cornmeal Muffins

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1 cup flour (whole wheat pastry)

1 cup cornmeal (combination of corn flour and cornmeal)

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 Tbsp Featherweight Baking Powder

¾ tsp. salt

¼ cup oil

1-2 cups soy milk (typically 1 ½ cups)

1 Tbsp honey, (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Thoroughly mix dry ingredients. In another container, thoroughly mix soy milk, oil and honey. Spray muffin tins (makes 8-10 muffins depending on size) or 8” x 8” baking dish. Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients. Stir just enough to moisten. Put into muffin tins or baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Recipe is from Blythe Hoppe who works with the Ministerial Training Course and helps with many other projects at Steps to Life.