The Gold of the Incas

Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) a Super Whole Grain, was considered the gold of the Incas and is mostly grown in Peru and some other South American countries. Not only is it a rediscovered ancient whole grain, and the Mother of all Grains, it's one of the best protein choices for vegetarians because of its complete amino acid content meaning it is as close as you can get to the high protein quality of meat. Probably even better than soy protein since soy is highly genetically engineered nowadays, because it's very cheap to produce and easily fed (however unnaturally fed) to the excessive amount of animals that are brought up to supposedly feed the world! Anyway, by now you probably know how I feel about these genetically engineered foods and poisonous ways of growing food; I don't like it, so let's get back to Quinoa which is my favorite grain.
Once cooked quinoa has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and nutty flavor which I love. I mentioned it's high in protein, but it's also high in fiber, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), and minerals such as manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. So, it's good for pretty much anyone, but especially for heart health, bowel issues and helps to control blood sugar levels as well as satiety. Quinoa grows on stalks with large seedheads that can be almost any color, from red, purple and orange to green, black or yellow. It's been designated a "super crop" by the United Nations, for its potential to feed the hungry poor of the world because it's drought resistant and NASA has proposed quinoa as an ideal food for long-duration space flights. Pretty cool I think!
Read more about Quinoa here.
The only problem with Quinoa is that you can't get it local, unless you live in South America, but still I think it's worth buying because of it's high nutrient content, especially if you're a vegetarian. You can find it in most Natural or Whole Food stores. I was told it's not found in Turkey and that I have to order it from Europe or US and so I have been asking friends who visit from outside of Turkey to bring me as much of Quinoa as possible:) But I found it in Istanbul, actually my brother found it in the store called Safran in Nisantasi, Istanbul. Yeeey! It's a great Natural Food Store I highly recommend you visit (Address: Valikonagi Caddesi, 58, Nisantasi, Istanbul). The quinoa they sell is not labeled as organic and they apperently import it from Russia who probably imports it from South America, so it comes a long way poluting the air. But, at least someone thought of importing such a wonderful grain that's not grown here, so I'm still happy with what I've found. So now I can cook it whenever I want or maybe I'll try to grow it here by sprouting:)
And here is my easy recipe you can use to try Quinoa. I added some Turkish words to clarify some meanings.
Quinoa with Veggies

Serving Size: 1.5 cup

Makes about 3 servings.

Ingredients:

1 cup Quinoa

 2 cups water

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 green bell pepper (2 tatlı biber)

1 red bell pepper (2 tatlı kırmızı biber)

1 cup of sliced mushrooms, any kind

1 cup of chopped zucchini (about 1 large zucchini)

4-5 strings of green onions or chives

Directions:

1.      Wash and then cut up the vegetables into cubes, except for the mushrooms.

2.      Place the quinoa and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

3.      Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed, for about 10-15 minutes.

4.      While the quinoa is cooking add the oil and chopped vegetables (except for the green onions) in a pan, cook at medium heat and stir the vegetables every 30 seconds or so until they become softer.

5.      Once the vegetables are cooked, add the chopped green onions and stir few times to cook all vegetables together.

6.      Once both the vegetables and quinoa are cooked add the vegetables in the pan with the quinoa and mix.

7.      You may choose to add a pinch of sea salt and/or black pepper to the dish, but I usually cook without them. So I suggest try it without salt and then add salt if you really need to.

8.      Serve warm. Enjoy!

Note: Best part of this recipe is that you can choose any kind of vegetable you like to mix with the quinoa, and you can really chop them up any way you like. You can either mix other vegetables with the ones I chose here or you can choose your own vegetables, such as eggplants, spinach or broccoli. Also you may choose to eat the vegetables raw, in that case, just chop them up and mix them with the cooked quinoa and wait until the dish cools down for a cold quinoa salad.

Images are from Google.
Let me know about your experiences with Quinoa. With Love. 

DOUM - Birth

Hello,
DOUM is a new center in Istanbul that provides Childbirth preparation courses, Doula services, Nutrition counsultations, Lactation Consultations and Prenatal yoga and pilates, baby yoga and Hatha yoga and more. I'm the Dietitan and Lactation Counselor and I'll provide some Hatha yoga classes. Don't worry you don't have to be pregnant to utilize the services, there are services for everyone, just check out the website. So, if you're around Istanbul, come and visit DOUM:)

Grapefruit a Super Food

So I mentioned I'm loving organic grapefruits this month. Almost every week I get them fresh from the organic bazaar in Istanbul, Ferikoy (Note: to learn more about organic food in Turkey visit Bugday organization here). It's interesting that I didn't like the extreme tangy taste of grapefruits until I went to Kripalu (my fave yoga & wellness center so far), and a Dietitian there listed Grapefruits in his Super Food list, which helped me remember how nutritious they really are and the next morning and the others after that I started eating grapefruits, as most people in Kripalu were doing. Yes, it's really tangy, almost like a sharp bitter taste and some hidden sweetness in it, so it was difficult to get used to but I did it and now I love them. Organic tastes so much better and they have a sweet aroma. I eat the whole thing, including the pulp, except the thick outer skin. However, the skin and all can be used in marmalade making which I haven't tried yet, but thinking about it now...

It's funny that the latin name for grapefruits is citrus paradisi, meaning a citrus fruit that tastes like paradise. Maybe it did taste like paradise in the past with certainly less polluted soil and air, but I'm not sure it tastes like paradise nowadays, but it's certainly very healthy. These winter fruits were discovered in Barbados in the 18th century and are related to oranges, lemons and pomelo fruits, although some think they are a natural cross between an orange and a pomelo. Grapefruits come as pink/red inside or white (blond) inside and although there isn't a huge taste difference, there is a nutritional difference. The white ones are slightly higher in sugar, meaning they are slightly sweeter, and the pink ones are higher in Vitamin A and C, meaning they are much better for your eyes, skin and immune system. However, all kinds of grapefruits have at least some of it's nutritional qualities, so any grapefruit is better than eating none which you'll see why when you read the health benefits below. Also, try to eat the fruit rather than drinking just the juice because the juice will not give you the complete nutritional benefits. Grapefruit is a Super Food because of many goodies it provides for our bodies. Grapefruits:

- Help to fight against cold symptoms because of its high Vitamin C content.

- Help lower Cholesterol and may lower Triglycerides too. This seems to be because of the soluble fiber, pectin in grapefruit which helps the body to absorb less fat from foods.

- Help protect against some Cancers (especially, prostate, breast, lung, colon) because its ranked among the highest in antioxidants. Lycopene is one of the antioxidants found in grapefruits, also in tomatoes. It gives the fruit its pink/red color. Limonin is another one. These antioxidants/phytonutritients work against tumor formation in the body, helping to prevent cancer. Their antioxidant level also seem to stay active for 24 hours after consumption which is higher than some other foods with antioxidant activity. This means better protection against cancer.
- Also seem to help in detoxification of the liver which is the main organ that carries toxins in our body.
- They are low in calorie, high in fiber and nutritional value which means they are perfect snacks to add to a day that will keep you full and help you maintain a healthy weight.

However, I have to note that if you are using any type of medication for heart problems, or blood pressure issues DO NOT eat grapefruits or drink grapefruit juice until you consult your doctor or a Dietitian as some of these meds are affected by grapefruits.

To choose the one that tastes like paradise and has the most antioxidant activity: The fruits should be heavy for their size as this usually indicates that they feature thin skins and therefore a higher concentration of juicier flesh. Those that have overly rough or wrinkled skin or soft spots usually tend to be thick skinned and should be avoided. Choose the fully ripened ones.
Then for a creative tangy salsa, try mixing chopped grapefruit pieces with chopped avocado, chilli peppers and cilantro or parsley. Hey this is perfect for a Christmas theme inspired appetizer since it's green & red. So hope you go and choose some beautiful juicy grapefruits and join my Eat-A-Grapefruit-Every-Winter-Day Club:)

Would you like a Tangerine or Mandarin or Mandalina?

Tangerine, also known as Mandarin and Mandalina in Turkish is this very tasty citrus fruit, bigger than lemon and smaller than orange that come out especially in autumn and right now Bodrum is sparkling with orange lights from tangerine trees. It is grown on a citrus tree, Citrus reticulata, cultivated for its small edible orange-like fruits. End of October to November is the time for Tangerines. They especially smell and taste best picked right off the tree which I had the pleasure to experience this past week with some friends. See pictures.

What was interesting to find out that Tangerine also means a native of inhabitant of Tangier and it has originated in 1842, from tangerine orange  (1841) "an orange from Tangier,"  seaport in northern Morocco, from which it was originally imported to Britain. The place name is from L. Tinge . As a color name, attested from 1899. On the other hand, Mandarin which is supposed to be the same fruit is also known to have originated in China since Mandarin is the Northern Chinese dialect, spoken in and around Beijing and some places its called an Asian citrus fruit bearing lance-shaped leaves and flattish, orange-yellow to deep-orange loose-skinned fruit, some varieties of which are called tangerines. In the Chinese Empire, Mandarin was a member of any of the nine ranks of public officials, each distinguished by a particular kind of button worn on the cap. My favorite meaning: Mandarin is a person of standing and influence, as in literary or intellectual circles. So they all resemble each  other, possibly Morocco and China had some similar citrus trees that produced similar fruits and they were dispersed into our world in variety of kinds known as Tangerines and Mandarines and Mandalina.
And more interestingly and a quite amusing find is that there are about 18 varieties of Mandalina in Turkey which include names such as Nova, Okitsu, Satsuma, Ankor, Clemantin, Yerli, Fairchild, Minneola, Marisol and Ovari. Wow! Who thought of the name Ovari for a Tangerine:)) Hey would you like an Ovari?..:) Apparently, they originated in Japan in 1878 and I think the ones we picked and I'm eating right now are also Ovari kind and Satsuma kind, because this website says the Satsuma is very common in Aegean region of Turkey and they are in the same group as Ovari and both are seedless. Some great info in this Turkish website about citrus fruits, the varieties and where they come from and more: http://www.turuncgiller.com/

Well, in terms of nutritional value (of course I have to mention this since I am a Dietitian after all:)), these juicy fruits are a rich source of Vitamin A, which is important for eye, and skin health and it helps protect you from cancer. They're also good source of potassium, good source of vitamin C, which helps protect you from infections, helps to keep your skin smooth, heals wounds and cuts and helps to renew your red blood cells and repair them, and are good sources of soluble and insoluble fiber important for a healthy digestion and bowel. And 1 Tangerine is only 37 Calories! So you can eat many in confidence and increase the nutritional benefits. (Of course there can be slight variation in nutritional quality depending on if they are organic, which soil it grew with and what environment it grew in which is true for all foods we consume by the way!). Oh! Almost forgot, don't forget to get organic, you don't want to poison yourself do you, instead of protecting yourself with vitamins to fight the flu season! They also stay well in room temperature. If you have a yard full of these trees or actually they are like bushes, small trees, and can't possible eat them all before they fall of the trees or are bitten by worms or bugs you can try to add them to your cooking...For example, try to add peeled slices into salads, or vegetable dishes such as mixing it with cooked green beans and olive oil. You can peel the thin inside membrane or skin as well when adding to dishes but I recommend try it all natural, just peel the outside soft orange skin and pull apart the segments and add the segments to your dish. The skin and the inside membrane is full of fiber, both soluble and insoluble. You can eat the outside skin as well, you can cut it into small cubes and use it in marmalade or jelly making or in a marinade or you can zest it and add pieces of the skin to salads or dishes too.

Have a delicious and Tangy month:)

Green Day!

This is not about the music group Green Day, although I do like them. (Sorry if I've disappointed any fans). It St. Patrick's Day (well evening by now) in which many people dress up in green. Green is one of my favorite colors and I love color. But have you maybe noticed that the green clothes, hats, shoes and stuff are not the only things that could be green today. Maybe you could also think of eating something green today or tonite before going to bed that would go along with the greeeeen of today:) As I prepare my green and yellow pepper, green onion, basil, and oregano omelette for dinner tonite here are some super green food suggestions: kiwi, green apple, green beans, pistachios, edemame, green onions, broccoli, kale, bok choy, or avocado. Fruits or nuts or a combination of both are great night time snacks, so you could pick the green ones tonite and tomorrow switch to a different color.
Whats the benefit of green foods....oh my....lots of benefits such as Vitamins C, K, A, and E, folic acid (folate), potassium, antioxidants to fight off cancerous cells...and lets not forget the opportunity to celebrate St. Patty's day and stay healthy at the same time!
Well okay, guacamole with baked chips is a healthy enough snack to have with your possibly green beer this evening...or maybe you could consider green tea....just maybe:)
Oh and guess what else...eating more green fruits and vegetables also goes along with the Go Green Initiative, going back to earth theme....of course the fresher your greens are the closer you are to the Mother Earth and the cleanier our environment...which helps us humans to live longer on Earth, Ha! who thought of that:)

First Thing!

My very first post. This is very exciting! Well...it is National Nutrition Month in U.S.A and it was Registered Dietitian Day on March 10. So, I first would like to invite you all to celebrate with the RDs and Nutritionists who do the best they can to help the Nutrition of others all day every day. You could also think of this month to especially pay closer attention to how you nourish your body and maybe even find ways to nourish it better. This doesn't have to be food related, it could be finding an activity that fits your life-style to calm & strengthen your mind that would help to keep you healthy as well. What would I recommend...well of course yoga since I do it almost every day, but thats just me, you could try anything you haven't done in a while or haven't done at all and have been interested in, such as writing, dancing, knitting, cooking from scratch, thoroughly cleaning your house, running and such or simply paying attention to walking and breathing. So I will leave you to think about The March Month of Nutrition....ta ta until the next post:)