Food, Health & Wellness – Page 2 – Michele Jacobson / Nutrition

Food trends are a fickle lot. No sooner do we warm up to kale, than cauliflower appears in every dish. As a decade of caramel and…

February 18, 2019

Michele Jacobson, CN

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Curried Hummus

Posted in Food, Health & Wellness

The best hummus is homemade, and not just for its authentic flavor! It’s best because you can control the added ingredients: using quality oils, organic spices,…

December 26, 2018

Michele Jacobson, CN

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Holy Cow! How to Choose Between Milk & Milk- Alternatives!

Posted in Food, Health & Wellness, and Michele Jacobson Nutrition

Milk and Milk Alternatives

What’s in your refrigerator? Almond or coconut milk, soy milk, low-fat, raw milk? These days it could be just about anything.

Milk is officially defined as the liquid produced by female mammals as food for their infant young. We humans love to consume the milk of other mammals; and not just cows, but also goat, sheep, camel, buffalo, yak, you name it.

The problem is that humans need the enzyme lactaseto digest milk sugar (lactose) but production of this declines significantly after weaning. That’s why so many people have difficulty digesting milk and other dairy products. Gastrointestinal issues are most prevalent in African-, Asian-, and Native-Americans, with up to 90% of these populations suffering from lactose intolerance. Those of European descent have a less difficult time with dairy digestion.

But there are other reasons that people avoid dairy: allergies, inflammation, veganism, animal rights and environmental concerns sway people to seek milk-alternatives. In fact, the FDA identifies milk as the most allergic food in America.

August 21, 2018

Michele Jacobson, CN

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Watcha Out: You’re Going to LOVE These Matcha Cookies!

Posted in Food, Health & Wellness

You can drink your matcha, so why not eat it, too?!

Matcha tea is chock full of antioxidants and polyphenols that bolster your health. And with roughly half the caffeine as coffee, the tea has a calming essence that is welcome in this turbulent world.
I was really intrigued by a recipe I came across recently for Matcha Cookies. I loved the green color and novel take on the tea as an ingredient in a sweet-um. But the recipe wasn’t healthy at all; all white flour and refined sugar. So, I searched further and found one I loved, with kudos to Liz Moody.

May 18, 2018

Michele Jacobson, CN

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Boycott the Impossible Burger

Posted in Food, Health & Wellness

February 4, 2018

Michele Jacobson, CN

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Homemade Hummus

Posted in Food, Health & Wellness

The best part of making-your-own food is that you can control the ingredients!

I like this hummus recipe, adapted from Mark Bittman, because store-bought generally contains weird oils (i.e.safflower, soybean or sunflower), as well as stabilizers; these ingredients do not belong in hummus!

Homemade hummus takes about 5 minutes to make and tastes authentically delicious. You can customize it to taste with lots of fresh lemon juice, extra paprika and/or cumin, or especially lots of fresh parsley to pack a punch of antioxidants (and turn it a cool green color).

Recipe:

February 1, 2018

Michele Jacobson, CN

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How to Make A Grain Bowl

Posted in Food, Health & Wellness

The newest healthy eating trend cannot have escaped you! The great news is that making a grain bowl is easy. You can combine whatever strikes your fancy: leftovers will do just fine, you can even pick up take-out rice in a pinch. Once you get your favorite combo down pat you can stick with it, or shake it up when you get bored. Here’s a pictorial to get you started. But, really, it’s all about creativity. Welcome to the new healthy!

CHOOSE YOUR WHOLE GRAIN: brown rice, quinoa, wheat berries, couscous, barley, freekah or farro (Get exotic!)
ADD YOUR VEGGIES: cooked or raw greens, beets, roasted sweet potatoes, cauliflower (Endless options!)
PICK A PROTEIN: tofu or tempe, beans and legumes, soft-boiled or fried egg, cheese, sliced chicken fish or meat (Spice it up!)
SPRINKLE ON TOPPINGS: avocado chunks, chopped nuts or seeds, dried or fresh fruit, sliced scallions and ginger (What tempts you?)
DRIZZLE YOUR DRESSING: a combo of spicy, sour, sweet and salty. (Get creative and whisk it up!)	Asian Dressing: tamari, sesame oil, rice vinegar, minced garlic and ginger, sliced scallions, salt and pepper	Lemon-Dijon Vinaigrette: wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, oregano, crushed garlic, salt and pepper, olive oil, fresh lemon juice	Creamy Yogurt Dressing: yogurt, sweetener (agave or honey), vinegar, lemon, minced garlic, dill, salt and pepper	Citrus-Herb Vinaigrette: Maple- Champagne mustard, orange juice, olive oil, tarragon, salt and pepper

Recipes:

July 18, 2017

Michele Jacobson, CN

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What’s Trending In the Food World?

Posted in Food, Health & Wellness

The Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City is my favorite event of the year. What could be more exciting for a foodie than to walk the aisles of the Javits Center and peruse thousands of food items, many of them healthy, organic and non-GMO, and all of them available for you to taste?! At the Specialty Food Show I am always impressed by the efforts made by food producers to “up the bar” and cater to the whims and needs of the public as we strive to eat more healthfully. Some hit the mark, some seem scandalous, and there are some real winners. Each year there are stand-outs that I can qualify as “trends.” Always good for you…?…no guarantee there. Here is what I saw:

Value-Added Beverages

Remember when water was just water? Then it was artisanal, but now it is even more than merely sourced- exotic. Along with kombucha, switchel and waters from the ends of the earth, we now have beverages infused with probiotics to strengthen your gut, as well as water with stabilized molecules of hydrogen and oxygen. The gist is that these gases, when added to water, will impart anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. But can it really boost energy and slow the aging process? Provide more mental acuity and help with all of life’s stresses?

I support drinking almost any type of water over sugary drinks. However I need to defer to Marion Nestle’s opinion that the alleged health benefits these value added waters impart, here. Basically she says, they are simply water.

I do like the probiotic kombucha’s and apple-cider vinegar drinks, such as switchel a

nd its bubbly cousin, swizzle. Many a

re now lowering their sugar content to suit the publics’ palate. Good news!

The brands I like best are: Health-Aide Kombucha and Up-Mountain Switchel.

Mediterranean Food Are “In”

Highly Recommended: The Fish On My Plate

Posted in Food, Health & Wellness

The Fish On My Plate. Author Paul Greenberg eats, lives and breathes fish and seafood for an entire year, aiming to boost his omega-3 fatty acid levels,…

April 16, 2017

Michele Jacobson, CN

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Chameleon Cold-Brew Coffee

Posted in Food, Health & Wellness

I never thought I would become a convert.

I was dug in, addicted, scoffed at any coffee brand other than the one that shall, in this blog post, go unnamed. Then came the day that a shipment of Chameleon Cold-Brew Organic Coffee arrived on my doorstep. I never refuse tasting coffee, especially premium coffee. (I admit I am a coffee snob.) But I never liked any enough to switch my brand, much less finish the cup.

I thought the assortment of Chameleon flavors looked interesting, and very appealing indeed. I lined them up enticingly in the fridge, and asked my family to sample them. No takers.

What a bunch of brand-loyal wimps we were.

Category: Food, Health & Wellness

Food Trends 2019

Curried Hummus

Holy Cow! How to Choose Between Milk & Milk- Alternatives!

Milk and Milk Alternatives

Watcha Out: You’re Going to LOVE These Matcha Cookies!

Boycott the Impossible Burger

Homemade Hummus

How to Make A Grain Bowl

Value-Added Beverages

Mediterranean Food Are “In”

Highly Recommended: The Fish On My Plate

Chameleon Cold-Brew Coffee